Fic: How to Rehabilitate a Death Eater (Part 2)
Title: How to Rehabilitate a Death Eater
Rating: G
Word Count: 8,938
Genre: Humor/Gen
Pairing: Luna/Draco Gen, D/G if you squint, and assorted others.
Status: Complete
Summary: Luna goes Floo-to-Floo caroling and stumbles into the flat of a rather unsuspecting Draco Malfoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making any money from this fic.
A/N: This fic was written for this year's mini_fest for prompt # 78. The original can be found here. I had so much fun writing it. I hope you enjoy it just as much.
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Back to Part 1
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If Draco thought caroling at the house of his estranged aunt was surprising, stepping out of the Floo into Pansy’s miniscule flat after Lovegood’s “A place to carol!” was even more so. Draco hadn’t seen Pansy in several months and irritating as she could be, he’d missed her. So much so that he didn’t even mind when Pansy’s “Draco!” nearly deafened him, or that one of her claw-like nails scratched his cheek when she flung her arms around his neck. He even hugged her back.
Then, after Draco was ready to let go but long before Pansy was willing to let him, Greg and Blaise appeared from…somewhere. Draco didn’t see them come in, all he knew was that Greg was suddenly lumbering towards him with Blaise bounding along behind. Without even hesitating, Greg engulfed Draco and Pansy in a hug of his own, wrapping his big, beefy arms around both their shoulders. Blaise paused long enough to make fun of them all, calling Draco and Greg big girls’ blouses before wrapping himself around all three.
It was several minutes more before Draco could extricate himself from the laughing little knot they’d become. When he did so, Pansy (who had tears streaming down her face and for once didn’t seem to care-unlike Greg, who was discretely wiping a tear from one eye) grabbed him by the shirtsleeves and demanded to know why he was there.
“We’re…we’re Floo caroling,” Draco explained, wincing a little at the sound of his voice saying those words.
“Floo caroling?” crowed Blaise.
“We?” questioned Pansy.
“We,” Draco replied, ignoring Blaise altogether.
“Since when do you sing?” Blaise demanded.
“He’s always sung, you idiot. He just doesn’t sing for unappreciative audiences, meaning gits like you,” Pansy told him snidely.
“What do you mean, ‘gits like me’?” Blaise looked at Draco, indignant. “I am your best friend. How is it that I didn’t know you could sing?”
“We still don’t know he can sing,” mumbled Greg. When everyone turned to look at him, Greg shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Haven’t heard ‘im yet, have we?”
Pansy rolled her eyes and turned back to Blaise. “I am his best friend, Blaise.”
“You certainly are not!”
“Draco, inform this poor, mentally challenged man that I am, in fact, your best friend.”
“Greg is the only best friend I’ve got; I’m disassociating myself from the two of you,” Draco muttered.
There was a long silent moment, and then Pansy and Blaise began to protest, loudly. Draco and Greg shared a long-suffering look. This was the very reason why Pansy and Blaise weren’t his only best friends.
“Who is ‘we’ Draco?” Greg asked, ending the screeching with a well-placed question.
“’We’ is Draco and me,” Lovegood piped up from behind them.
Pansy blinked, eyes wide, at the ridiculous sight Lovegood made standing in Pansy’s pristinely stylish flat.
“You are Floo caroling with Loony Lovegood?”
“Shut up, Pans, and don’t call her that,” Draco told her, annoyed. The smile Lovegood gifted him with then was one of her biggest yet.
“What?” Pansy gave him a distinctly unhappy look.
Draco sighed. He loved her dearly, but Pansy was the biggest drama queen he’d ever met. Except for maybe Blaise. “Pansy, do you want the song or not?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I want the song. I always want to hear it when you sing. However, there is no need to be rude.” Pansy sniffed irritably.
Draco smothered the urge to smile. When they were children, Pansy used to come running, bouncing up and down on her toes and clapping and squealing in excitement on the rare occasion Draco would consent to sing. Her irritability now was just an attempt to maintain what she liked to call her “adult poise.”
“What shall we sing then, Lovegood?” Draco asked, arching an eyebrow at the younger girl over his shoulder.
The blond girl noisily tilted her antler-bedecked head and blinked large blue eyes in the direction of his friends. “I find it best, when one does not know one’s audience, to let those for whom one is performing make the choice.” When the only response to that was wide-eyed stares, Lovegood smiled in that kindly, absent way she had and clarified. “Any requests?”
Draco cut that off before Pansy had a chance to answer. She would only have picked some long, boring, “pretty” song that no one, least of all Pansy, really cared to hear. Instead he launched into a silly, upbeat song about snowmen and snow fairies and the little girls who make them-Pansy’s childhood favorite. About half way through the first verse, Lovegood joined in. On the first chorus, so did Greg.
Greg Goyle was an astonishingly good bass. Draco was a little surprised he hadn’t known that about his friend.
Somewhere around the second verse, Luna started doing a little jig, which looked especially funny with all her flashing and glittering and twinkling. After three verses (and much gentle nudging from Draco and Greg both), Pansy eventually gave up and joined in too. Draco even caught Blaise (who was notorious in Slytherin for the awful screeching that came out of his mouth whenever he attempted to sing) tapping his foot in time with the beat and smiling around a bit, although he made a mocking face the moment he caught Draco watching.
When the song was over, Pansy tried to convince Draco to stay. When he hesitated, she even made a fairly sincere attempt to convince Lovegood to stay as well, and Draco found himself feeling rather proud of the evident changes in his friend, especially when Lovegood seemed to recognize them too. But in the end, Draco decided to stick with Lovegood. She might be Loony, but so far, she’d made his day a whole lot better than any he could remember having in…a long time. The “Come back soon, Draco” That his Aunt had murmured to him just as he’d Floo’d away would have been enough to keep him caroling with Lovegood out of sheer gratitude for as long as she wanted him, but bringing him to see his best friends…
Draco didn’t know how Lovegood was managing this (Draco, Slytherin that he was, suspected she was whispering Floo addresses under her breath when he wasn’t paying attention), but he was willing to see this caroling thing through, no matter how weird and somewhat embarrassing he might think it, or how odd his companion. Draco wasn’t much for warm fuzzy feelings, but Lovegood had no reason to show him any kindness. The fact that she’d done so anyway, generously and without hesitation, put him in mind to return the favor.
Draco rather thought he might be indebted to Lovegood forever. The way things were going, he might not even mind all that much.
“You’re really going to keep Floo caroling, Drake?”
Draco scowled at the hated nickname and threw one of Pansy’s fluffy throw cushions at Blaise’s head. “Yes, you pillock.”
“Draco…” Pansy hesitated, then took a deep breath. “You know Lovegood’s friends with Potter and that lot. The weaselette in particular is, I believe, a favorite of your new little friend. You…do realize you’re likely to end up keeping company with a Weasley or twelve, right? Maybe even the conquering hero himself?”
Draco sighed. “Lovegood brought me here, Pans. Voluntarily. Without even asking me first. I suppose, so long as she promises not to let them club me over the head or hide me away in a dingy broom cupboard, I can suffer the company of Potter and fabulous company in return.” During the last bit, he raised his voice for Lovegood’s benefit. The kooky girl had been wandering the flat, examining pictures and knick-knacks with both hands clasped politely behind her back, obviously giving the four friends some privacy. At Draco’s words, however, she turned and grinned brightly.
“I promise, wherever we go, I will not to leave you alone. That’s what friends are for.”
“See, Pans? Safe as houses.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While Draco was showing his affection for his friend by arguing with her, Luna turned her attention to Gregory. Gregory seemed a little sad to Luna. His friends clearly loved him, but Luna was willing to bet he felt a little overlooked by the other two without Draco around to balance everything out. She considered what to do about that for a moment or two.
“Gregory, did you know that good basses are really terribly hard to find?”
“What?”
“Basses. A good one is terribly rare.”
“Okay?” The poor boy looked awfully perplexed. Luna smiled.
“Do you enjoy singing bass?”
“I s’pose so,” Gregory answered with a shrug.
“Would you like to maybe sing bass some more?”
“I…guess?” Gregory looked completely befuddled now. Befuddled. That had always been one of Luna’s favorite words. It sounded nice.
“Would you like to maybe sing some more today?”
“You mean…what, go caroling with you?”
“Yes! That is exactly what I mean! Would you like to go caroling with Draco and I?”
“I’m not…really dressed for caroling, am I?”
Luna took in the black trousers and plain black jumper Gregory was wearing. It didn’t look very festive at all, as a matter of fact. “No, I suppose not,” Luna told him. She tilted her head (and then tilted it a little further, loving the way all her bells jingled with the movement) and raised a finger to her chin thoughtfully. On the other hand, all that black made for an excellent blank canvas. “It’s easily fixed, I think. Draco, if you could just untie my red garland there.” Luna turned her back to her blond companion and motioned to the bow tied over her left shoulder. Draco, who had stopped arguing with Pansy at the sound of his name, arched a slightly mocking eyebrow but deftly untied the indicated decoration. Luna caught the loosening strand and looped the whole thing around Gregory’s neck twice, like a scarf.
Tapping her chin again, Luna examined her handiwork. “It needs just a bit more,” she decided. With that, she reached out and pulled a strand of tinsel from the end of the red garland Gregory now wore. She quickly did the same from the silver garland still wrapped around her own torso, then twisted the two strands together. A little wave of her wand and a bit of clever transfiguration later and Luna was holding a slightly lopsided red and silver striped hat. She stood on her toes and placed the item on Gregory’s head, adjusting the fall of the long pointed end so that it would stay out of his face but still drape over one shoulder. The tip fell halfway to his elbow, and it looked a little sharp and lonely over there by itself, so she whispered a charm and beamed at the little silver bauble now dangling at the end.
“Perfect!”
“It really is, you know,” Blaise chortled. He slapped Gregory on the shoulder. “Mate, you’ve never looked so lovely!”
“He does look nice, doesn’t he?” Luna agreed. Then she suddenly realized what Blaise had meant. “Oh! I’m sorry, Blaise. I didn’t mean to make you feel left out. If you’d like one too, I certainly don’t mind. Now that I’ve done it once, I’m sure I can make another just as lovely.”
“No, really that’s all right,” Blaise tried to protest, but when all of his friends shouted encouragement over his words, Luna knew she’d gotten it right.
Several minutes later, she, Draco, and Gregory left Pansy’s flat, now much cheerier than it had been upon arrival and with much happier occupants. Pansy was grinning broadly and had even hugged Luna good-bye, and Blaise was so overwhelmed by his newly transfigured hat that he kept trying to take it off to stare at it in awe.
Luna smiled at the sight of Pansy laughing and shoving the sparkling garment back on her friend’s head. This had been a good place to stop, just as Luna had known it would be. And now to mend some more fences.
“A place to carol!”
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Draco listened very carefully when he, Greg, and Lovegood all stepped into the Floo to leave Pansy’s flat, but if Lovegood gave a Floo address other than her generic request for a place to carol, Draco didn’t hear it. Nevertheless, it was apparent by the sheer number of freckle-covered gingers in the room when they stumbled out of the Floo that either Lovegood was somehow manipulating their destinations or there were an awful lot of coincidences happening today.
Draco didn’t believe in coincidences.
The room the three carolers stepped out into was both noisy and crowded. The furniture was mismatched and worn, but the overall effect was surprisingly homey and warm. The cozy atmosphere was only increased by the numerous Holly garlands, tinsel, fairy lights, and other Christmas decorations that filled the room, especially the Christmas tree in the far corner. It wasn’t the professionally decorated 12 foot beauty that always graced the manor’s parlor, but looking at it, Draco thought the homemade ornaments gave it character. The tree looked…loved.
The minute the occupants of the room spotted their new “guests,” the whole place went silent. Draco felt his face heat up and cursed his pale complexion. Flushing was not appropriate for Malfoys, who were never supposed to feel embarrassment.
“Malfoy?!”
Draco had to fight not sneer at the sound of Weasley’s voice. He lost the fight a little when Potter echoed his best friend, but his expression froze when Lovegood’s hand, still hooked over his elbow, squeezed gently.
“Is that…Goyle?” Draco was pretty sure that was one of the Weasley doubles. Lovegood’s hand tightened a little more on Draco’s arm. When he glanced down at her, she smiled reassuringly, then stepped forward.
“Luna!” Before Lovegood could say a single word, the girl Weasley (who was looking quite a lot prettier than the last time Draco remembered noticing her, which had to have been several years ago) came running to greet her, giving her an excited hug. “What are you doing here?”
“More to the point, what are you doing with Malfoy and Goyle?” Weasley demanded.
Lovegood just smiled serenely. “Hello everyone. I hope you don’t mind, but I am Floo-to-Floo caroling this evening and I invited Draco and Gregory to come along.”
“You’re…I’m sorry Luna, you’re what?” Granger had maneuvered her way forward and stood staring at the three of them with wide eyes.
“Floo caroling.”
“That’s what I thought you said.” Draco was surprised to feel amusement at Granger’s wry tone of voice.
“I still don’t understand. What is Floo caroling?” Potter looked confused. Draco wasn’t really surprised; it was a pretty common expression for him.
“And why are you doing it with Malfoy and Goyle?” Weasley repeated.
“We’re Floo caroling, Harry,” Luna repeatedly calmly. “Spreading Christmas cheer by singing carols Floo-to-Floo.” She smiled beatifically. “Draco and Gregory have graciously agreed to accompany me because Floo caroling isn’t much fun by yourself, is it?”
“You could have asked me, Luna,” Girl Weasley told her. “I love Christmas carols.”
“I know, Ginny,” (Ah, Draco thought, that was her name) “but I think Christmas is one of the best times to make new friends, don’t you agree?”
“I suppose that’s true,” the redhead said. “Alright then, in the spirit of Christmas.” She turned to face Draco and Greg and held out a confident hand. “Happy Christmas, Draco, Greg. Welcome to the Burrow.”
Draco and Greg exchanged glances. Greg’s was questioning, uncertain. Draco responded with a miniscule shrug and took the girl’s hand. Partly he did it because it would make Lovegood happy, and he felt he owed her. Partly it was because he thought the Weasley girl had spunk, and he liked that. And partly (mostly) he did it out of the hope that it caused Weasley (the Weasel) to die of an aneurysm.
In that, he nearly succeeded. The minute his hand touched Girl Weasley’s (Draco refused to even think the name “Ginny”), Weaselbee about had an apoplexy. It was quite amusing, and Draco had a hard time containing his glee. He must not have been as successful as he thought because Lovegood gave him an absently amused look and the girl Weasley smirked at him. Smirked!
“He is rather entertaining when he’s mad, isn’t he?” she whispered, leaning in a little to keep her family from overhearing. Not that there was much chance of that, since the majority of them seemed to be distracted by Weasley’s little tantrum.
The redhead winked at him with a cheeky little smile, then took Greg’s hand. Her fingers were practically swallowed by his, but she smiled fearlessly and shook his hand just the same.
“So,” Girl Weasley said, “didn’t you say something about caroling? Let’s hear the singing!”
It was probably one of the most awkward experiences of Draco’s life, singing that carol. The tension in the room was high, most of the Weasley’s were eyeing him suspiciously, and Girl Weasley kept looking at him. It was making him nervous, and he couldn’t figure out why he cared. Still, when Lovegood started singing, he sang along with her. And when she started singing a second carol, he frowned a little, startled, but kept right on singing too. And when Mrs. Weasley tentatively asked for a song Lovegood didn’t know, Draco took a deep breath and sang that one as well. Pretty soon the whole thing had turned into a massive sing along. He even caught sight of Potter, arm slung casually around Weasley’s shoulders, singing along. Weasley looked like he’d eaten something sour, but with his best friend participating on one side, and his girlfriend encouraging him to participate on the other, it wasn’t long before he was singing a little bit too.
By the time the situation had devolved into slightly inappropriate revisions of well-known carols (courtesy of the twins), everyone was relaxed and happy, which meant that no one was shooting Draco and Greg suspicious looks anymore. To make things even better, Mrs. Weasley, who had left the room with an exasperated sigh when her children started improvising Christmas carols, soon returned carrying a large tray full of biscuits and levitating another filled with mugs of hot cocoa behind her. Mrs. Weasley passed mugs of chocolate all around and then extended the tray of biscuits to Draco with warm smile.
“Have a biscuit, dear,” she told him. When he accepted only one, she frowned and picked up a second. “Here, dear, have another. You’re far too thin.” She handed him the biscuit, then reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you came tonight, Draco.” She smiled at his surprised expression, patting his shoulder before offering the biscuits to Greg, who took three.
“You realize that now you’ve converted my mother to your side, you’re pretty much doomed to become a surrogate Weasley,” Girl Weasley said, seating herself in the chair to his left.
Draco made a face, which set the girl off laughing. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad, can it? I mean, it gets you an unlimited number of delicious homemade biscuits.”
“It also means association with an awful lot of gingers.” His tone was sardonic.
“Is it really gingers you object to?”
“Gingers are alright in and of themselves. I rather like some of them.” He shot her a pointed glance that made her grin. “But the totality of the gingers I do object to all seem to share the name Weasley.” He half expected her to pretend to be offended, but she only laughed.
“Totality? You object to more than Ron then?”
“Listen, Girl Weasley, I object to anyone who thinks turning unsuspecting persons into small animals is funny.”
“Girl Weasley? What, can you not remember my name?”
“I know your name, I just refuse to call you by it.”
“Why not?”
“It’s the sort of thing one calls a small child.”
“That’s probably because it was the nickname my family gave me when I was small.”
“It is a nickname then. That’s something of a relief.”
“My full name is Ginevra, but I hate it.”
“Girl Weasley it is then.” She made a face and Draco laughed. “It’s Ginevra or Girl Weasley. I’m afraid those are your only two options.”
“I…suppose I…might not mind if you called me Ginevra.”
Draco smirked. “Well, alright then. But only if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” she told him, voice wry.
“Draaaaaaaco!” Luna sing-songed from across the room. She waved when he looked over. “Come play chess with me!”
Draco rolled his eyes in amusement, but he turned to his Weasley companion and smiled at her briefly. “Ginevra,” he said in parting, giving her a little nod.
“Draco,” she replied, echoing his tone with a smile.
Draco made his way across the living room and sat down on the couch kitty-corner to Lovegood, the chessboard tucked between them. Weasley, having just vacated that very same seat, shook his head as he stepped aside for the blond. “Good luck playing chess with her, Malfoy,” he said, shaking his head. “She doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.”
Draco quickly realized he was right. At first he thought things were going so badly because he was still in shock over Weasley speaking to him in a semi-civilized manner. But he quickly realized that the problem was, in fact, that Lovegood had no idea how to play chess.
“Lovegood,” he told her, gently mocking, “the knights move up two and over one, or up one and over two. What is this skipping around in mad ‘S’ shapes?”
“That’s not a knight, Draco,” she informed him. “It’s a hornless unicorn. It moves in strange shapes because it’s searching for its missing horn, but has been maddened by its loss.”
“Is that right? And I suppose this is not a rook?” he asked, holding up the piece in question.
“It’s a castle. It can’t move unless you get three of the servants,” she held up a pawn, “to push and pull it around. Because it is a building, of course, and buildings cannot move without help.”
And this?” he asked, holding up the bishop.
“That’s the unicorn’s missing horn, of course. Your unicorns are looking for my white unicorn horns, and mine are looking for your black ones, you see?”
“I do,” Draco replied, laughing now. “I see that you are completely barking. Now, why don’t you tell me what else I don’t know about this game?”
By the time Draco was done losing spectacularly to Luna at what he was now privately calling Loony-chess, he was laughing hysterically and was situated at the center of a large group of equally amused redheads. When he finished his second game (during which he understood the rules even less than he had before), he admitted defeat by giving up his place to Ginevra. He took a seat in an armchair on the fringe of the group where he could see the game without having to be quite so suffocated by Weasleys. He picked up a mug of cocoa and one of Mrs. Weasley’s biscuits (which, he’d noticed, Mrs. Weasley and Ginevra had both been feeding to Greg in large quantities; his friend kept flushing at the attention but looked remarkably happy), and took a bite, savoring the taste of sugary biscuit and colored icing.
“Hey Malfoy, can I have a word?”
Draco looked up, rather surprised to find Harry Potter standing before him. Draco’s bespectacled former nemesis was shuffling his feet nervously, and he didn’t seem to be able to meet Draco’s eyes.
Draco arched an eyebrow curiously. “Sure, Potter. Why not?”
Draco stood and followed Potter’s hunched shoulders and ducked head across the room and out into the deserted kitchen. Once there, the two boys stood in awkward silence for several minutes. Draco draped himself gracefully against a counter and waited while Potter shuffled some more.
“Potter, am I meant to guess what we’re talking about here?”
Potter’s head shot up with a glare. Draco raised his hands, palms out, in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Potter. You just seemed a little uncomfortable. I’m trying to break the ice a little.”
Potter sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to thank you.” Draco’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. If he’d been anything other than a Malfoy, he was sure his jaw would have dropped as well. Despite his self control, Potter still caught something of his surprise in his expression and he smiled a little. “You,” Potter took a deep breath, held it for a bit, then blew it out again. He shoved his fringe back and finally met Draco’s eyes. “You didn’t turn us in to Voldemort when you could have, and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate that. I…I never could have…Well, I obviously couldn’t have done any of it if you hadn’t protected us like that. So thanks.”
Draco’s jaw really did drop at that. Harry smiled when he saw it, although it was a little shaky.
“Look, you did the right thing. And it’s obvious that you’ve changed a lot. I mean, you’re Floo caroling with Luna and you actually seem to be enjoying her slightly mad self. Mrs. Weasley adores you, Ginny clearly likes you, and you’ve been pleasant company all evening. Luna’s been calling you her ‘new friend Draco,’ or her ‘dear friend, Draco.’ It’s…cute.”
Draco scowled. “Cute?”
Potter grinned. “The point is, despite that fact she’s a complete nutter, Luna’s an extremely good judge of character. If she says you’re friend material, then I think you’re friend material.”
“Are you asking to be my friend, Potter?” Draco was incredulous.
“Er…yes?”
Draco hesitated, eyeing Potter carefully. “Do I have to stop calling you ‘Potter’?”
Potter laughed. “Not so long as I can keep calling you ‘Malfoy.’”
Draco smirked then. Taking note of the irony and feeling privately amused by it, he stuck out his hand. “Alright, Potter. Friends then.”
Potter took his hand and shook it. “Friends then.”
“How’s Weasley going to take this?” Draco enquired, leaning back against the counter again.
Potter shrugged. “He’ll get over it. He’s not so violently opposed to you as he used to be. Just give him some time to get used to the idea, then ask him for a game of chess. So long as you actually provide something of a challenge, you’ll get on fine.”
“Weasley actually plays chess?” Draco had seen him playing against Lovegood earlier, but he hadn’t actually thought he’d known what he was doing.
“Yeah. He’s really good, to the point that he almost never loses. His head is absolutely huge. If you could take him down a few pegs, or at least make him sweat a little, we’d all really appreciate it.”
Draco chuckled lightly. “I think I can probably give him a run for his money.”
“Harry? I thought that was your voice. Harry, Ron says-oh!” One of the Other Weasleys (one of the older ones, the one with the fang earring) froze in the doorway. “Malfoy.” The Weasley nodded to Draco, and Draco gave him a polite nod in return. The Weasley’s expression was neutral, and his voice was polite, but there was something tense and uncertain in his stance. His eyes kept darting back and forth between Draco and Potter. “Alright there, Harry?”
“Alright, Bill,” Potter replied, giving him an easy smile.
“Ron’s wanting to know if you want a game of chess.”
“No,” Potter replied.
“No?” The Weasley (Bill) shot Harry a knowing smile.
“No,” Potter repeated. “But Malfoy’ll play.”
“Yeah?” The Weasley looked sideways at Draco.
“Ask him,” said Potter.
The Weasley turned to Draco. “Well, Malfoy?”
“A chance to beat Weasley at his own game? Absolutely.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was getting rather late when Draco finally finished his game with Ronald. Luna had sat beside them for the duration of the game, making mental notes whenever they moved a piece incorrectly. She was amused by the strange way they played, but because they were getting along so well and seemed so intent on their game, she didn’t tell them what they were doing wrong. However, they obviously required instruction at a later date.
“So Luna,” Ginny sat down beside her friend. “Where are you going caroling next?”
Luna smiled, feeling a little secretive and sly as she glanced over at Draco. Draco noticed the glance and returned it with a raised eyebrow.
“Why were you wanting to know, Ginevra?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco stared in absolute awe around his mother’s beautifully decorated sitting room. At the moment, there were several Weasleys, a Potter, a Granger, and a Lovegood scattered over the two chaise lounges and matching antique armchairs that graced the room. Even Pansy and Blaise were present, since Lovegood had Flooed Pansy’s flat almost as soon as she had arrived and invited them over. Draco was pretty sure they’d come just because they hadn’t believed her when she’d told them who was visiting the manor this evening.
Currently, everyone was drinking apple cider out of his mother’s best crystal goblets and they were singing a loud, raucous carol, apparently a Weasley Christmas favorite. His mother, elegant as ever, was seated at the grand piano in the corner, playing accompaniment and singing sweetly along.
When the current song ended, Ginevra left the group gathered around the piano and made her way towards Draco, snagging an extra goblet of cider as she passed the h’orderves table Draco’s mother had hastily had the House Elves set up upon their arrival. The redhead settled on the raised hearth beside Draco and handed him the goblet. He took a sip and smiled at her.
“It’s pretty amazing, huh?” the girl said, encompassing the room with a glance and an expansive wave of her hand. Draco looked around yet another time. No matter how many times he looked, he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. And he could scarcely believe how strangely warm and happy it made him feel, not that he would ever admit it.
He decided he adored that Loony Lovegood.
“It’s pretty unexpected,” he agreed.
“But in a good way, right?” she asked, looking at him sideways.
“Yes, in a good way.” He couldn’t help the tiny smile stealing across his face.
“Luna’s something special, don’t you think? I can’t believe she managed all this. Of course, she couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t let her drag you hither and yon, but...” she trailed off, watching Lovegood across the room.
Draco’s smile widened, his gaze following hers to where Lovegood stood leaning against the piano, chatting with his mother, Pansy, and surprisingly, Granger. “She’s something else, that’s for sure.”
Ginevra laughed. “Give it up, Draco. You love her, I can tell. Another hopeless Luna devotee.” She turned to grin at him. “She has that effect on people.” Ginevra tilted her head thoughtfully, eyes sweeping the room. “I wonder who she’s going to convert next. Hmmm… My guess is Parkinson.”
“Pansy? Really?”
“Yep. Luna’s already collected several friends from each of the other houses, so it’s time she started in on Slytherin. Plus,” she hesitated, then continued cautiously, “you seem a little…sad.”
Draco frowned a little, and then sighed. “You think Lovegood is, what, the perfect cure for sadness?”
“Luna is really good at cheering people up. She also works really hard to keep her friends happy. Why do you think Harry is so fond of her?”
“Potter?”
“Yeah. He says she sort of saved his life, emotionally speaking. Anyway. She’s obviously good for you. She’ll be good for all of you.”
Draco smiled fondly, watching Lovegood, still flashy and bright and clashing horribly with the perfectly coordinated room she stood in, lean over to turn the sheet music for the carol his mother was playing, grinning brightly when his mother smiled in thanks.
“Luna Lovegood: rehabilitating Death Eaters one Loony act at a time.”
Ginevra looked at him, startled, then let out a bright and happy laugh.