Chapter 8

Draco thought for a moment as he took a sip of firewhiskey from his glass, letting the beverage's burning sensation dwell deep in his throat.

The image of Luna's excitement as she heard the Zabini mention the news about Potter's vitality sickened him. It engraved itself into his core, she was far too happy about learning another man was well. He had shot her a look, and her smile dropped.

She was hiding something.

There wasn't time to question her, they needed to go to the Ministry. Their organization had taken the name, but destroyed everything else. By the time Draco and Blaise arrived at the meeting, Lord Voldemort was seething.

No one dared mention it, but it was the Dark Lord's mistake in the first place that the Boy Who Lived was indeed still alive. If he hadn't insisted on tearing Potter up with so many physically damaging curses, they would've been able to properly identify a corpse.

Only classified numbers knew about this new ordeal, it wouldn't do any good to their administration if word broke out to the public.

Harry Potter had been sighted in Hogsmeade, recovered well enough to be recognized. It was just like pompous Potter, confident enough to call attention to himself. It was impossible for him to stay hidden for more than a couple of months. Pathetic. The rest of the conference went uneventfully, there wasn't much to say. They just needed to kill Potter and make sure that he stayed dead this time. It wasn't Draco's fault nor Blaise's incompetency that led to this, they were simply two men dragged into this problem that night.

His first thought after being dismissed was to head back to Malfoy Manor and demand Luna's thoughts on the entire situation. But became petrified at the reasoning that he may not like her explanation.

She wouldn't have cheated on him during their shared period of absence, right?

Luna had always been quite peculiar, but that didn't mean she wasn't vastly popular amongst the male students in Hogwarts. She was a beauty, there was no denying that. Harry Potter was still human, a red blooded male. Draco didn't doubt for a moment that Potter wouldn't have felt the familiar physical lust for the nymph like girl who twirled around campus. He hoped that Potter had enough sense to tame his desires, because otherwise and the Malfoy would be out for blood.

Draco's features darkened as he thought of what Boy Wonder might have tried.

He couldn't bring himself to go home that night, not immediately. He needed alcohol in his system to dull the emotions he was usually so skilled at keeping tamed. He needed control, utter and complete control. He was afraid what he could do to her. There was only so much furniture that stood between him and her in that suffocating room. What could stop him from pushing her into injury that couldn't be healed with a simple spell? If his hands slipped, or his grip had tightened a touch too far.

No, he wouldn't think about something so morbid.

He'd grown up watching his father beat his mother for every little mistake. Draco claimed not to follow his father's example, but was finding it excruciatingly difficult to practice what was preached. He heard stories of what Narcissa was like before becoming a Malfoy; bright and happy, spontaneous and excited. Seeing her so violently forced into submission into a filial wife was terrible. But then again, his mother never even dreamed of committing adultery.

Nonetheless, here he was in an empty bar down Knockturn Alley. He didn't bother pulling his hood over his distinguishing head of hair, those present at an hour and establishment like this were deadbeat drunks. He put his hand over the bottom half of his face in exasperation as he placed another handful of galleons on the counter, signaling the bartender for another round. Many commended him for being able to hold his liquor, but at this moment he found it an inconvenient nuisance. He barely noticed when a soft weight draped itself over his shoulder. He felt a hand on his knee, rubbing up and down his thigh while her nails dug teasingly against the fabric. He didn't even need to turn his body to know who it was.

"Hello, Drake." she purred into his jaw.

"What are you doing here, Astoria?" He was in a foul mood.

The vixen had been throwing herself at him for years, seducing him with every womanly wile she possessed. He'd grown quite fond of her company, she was always willing, no emotional strings attached. The arrangement between them worked nicely, she would provide certain services, and ultimately receive the status that came with screwing a Malfoy.

"I'm getting lonely, you never visit anymore," her voice interrupted.

He scowled, how many times did he need to repeat it? "I'm-"

"getting married, yes." she finished while rolling her eyes, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "I know that. But in case you haven't noticed, I have certain needs, ones that only you can satisfy," she smiled wickedly, answering for him by straddling his lap and lacing her arms around his neck. "I don't think your little wife will miss you for too long. Come over, yeah?" she said softly.

He hesitated for an instant. But then again, why not? He was Draco Malfoy. He did what he wanted, took what he wanted, got what he wanted no matter who he stepped on way.

"Alright."

It turned to the early hours of the morning when Draco finally returned home. He apparated back and quietly went to his room, sighing from exhaustion. He wreaked of Astoria's perfume, he couldn't wait to wash away her disgustingly aggressive fragrance. He opened the door, lighting the few candles with his wand.

She had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him, her body still in sitting position with her head tilted from slumber. She had obviously tried to stay up to greet him when he came back, talk about the information that had been revealed before.

A semblance of guilt rushed through him as he realized that Luna was forever loyal to him. She did after all keep the ring on her finger all this time. She loved him, she loved him and no one else. He tugged at his tie and threw it along the dresser, moving toward her sleeping figure. With a soft grip, his arms cradled the girl in his arms and lifted her slowly in the air. She was so fragile, almost weightless as he walked with her toward their bed. He was careful not to wake the blonde as he tucked her underneath the warm covers. A few strands of gold fell misplaced over her angelic visage, his fingers went to brush them away.

He leaned over to kiss her softly before leaving for work again. He had one foot out of the door when he heard it.

"No," she muttered, stirring and turning to her side. She'd been suffering from a number of nightmares, she probably refused the sleeping draught while she stayed up for him. "No," she repeated, her voice thick with worry. "Harry!"

A cold sweat had broken across her brow, an expression of concern evident. She stopped, her head relaxing back on her pillow. Her outburst left as suddenly as it came.

The lock clicked as the door shut behind him.

-p-

Luna always wanted to have dinner with family and friends, but this evening had not turned out to be quite what she imagined. This was likely because it wasn't her family, nor her friends that she was eating her meal with.

Draco hadn't spoken to her about Harry, she didn't bring it up either. When he came into the room that afternoon, he didn't so much as look at her. She had intended to smooth things out about Harry, but found herself unable to gather enough gall to do it. He was so close to the edge, she didn't want to push him into a rage. She forgot to ask where he had been the previous night when he stoically instructed her to prepare, the Malfoys were having guests over.

Luna was not a judgmental individual, but the past couple hours had been the epitome of an awkward situation. The faces of her enemies and childhood harassers feigned benevolence while exchanging pleasantries. No one coughed 'Looney' under their breath, no one screamed 'blood traitor' with contempt. The moment she looked into the estranged eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange and her snide husband, or looked away from Lucius Malfoy's critical gaze, she began to tremble. These were the people that tried to kill her, they were the people that at one point had tried to end her life. She had been terrified of them for her entire existence, taught to instinctively run away the instant she came into contact with any of them.

Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and the Greengrass sisters were also present. Apparently Crabbe and Goyle were off doing business elsewhere, but nonetheless, it felt like a Slytherin reunion.

The table was long, oval like, one end sat Draco, the other Lucius. Luna sat closely to his right, almost too closely. The rest were spread out along the perimeter. Despite the grand scale and extravagant decorations of the room, it felt like an intimate affair. Everyone was familiar with each other, she the only odd one out. No one seemed disturbed in the slightest about Harry Potter's return, all went about their business in the same way. She remembered what she had read in the papers, that pureblood society had been maintained and continued to prosper. This was all just further confirmation.

It was like being in a house of politicians, words and topics that were exchanged she couldn't quite understand. The entire room was deep in a conversation surrounding the Minister, who Luna terrifyingly realized was title that now belonged to the Dark Lord.

"A protection law was proposed today, says we need to treat the halfbloods with more humanity," Zabini sneered before lifting his glass his perfectly shaped lips. Luna had spent too much time scared of him to really appreciate how pretty Blaise was. "I think we all know what happened to the fool that brought that up,"

Bellatrix cackled wildly, "Our Lord acted as we would all expect,"

Laughter erupted around, all of them sickly amused with the notion that someone had been tortured and killed for advocating for basic human rights.

Luna's hand clenched the hem of her dress underneath the table, the cloth bunching into her fist. She tried not to appear so nervous. She needed to be on her best behavior, she didn't want another reason for her and Draco to fight. She wished he would just talk to her. There was some kind of unsettling tension in his body, he didn't even touch her at all before they arrived in the dining room. She had expected him to hurl insults at her, punish her, hurt her. But instead she received the cold shoulder, and that was more terrifying than anything else.

"A new collection of Muggles have been added to the fountain in the Ministry lobby," Pansy added, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. "But I prefer the artwork that stood in its place before. I don't care to see a bunch of dirty Muggles first thing after I dust the floo powder off my dress,"

Luna visibly winced, hoping that no one had seen it. She remembered Hermione's distress about the magical artwork that displayed Muggles in their 'rightful place'. Poor things, frozen to be gawked at on eternal display; a fate worse than death.

Dinner went on like that for a while. No one seemed the least put off by the fact of Harry Potter's return. It was strange, something that significant should have been a bigger deal in her mind. But this was old society, she guessed nothing changed, not even for the Boy Who Lived.

After everyone had finished eating, the groups split up by gender. Luna attempted to latch tightly onto Draco's arm, but he slid out of her grasp and roughly handed her to his mother. Narcissa came to pry her away, ushering the girl away. Luna stared at his profile, what was wrong with him? He'd been so sweet before, why was he ignoring her like she didn't exist?

She was unaware of the rituals went on, but she didn't want to be in a room with Astoria Greengrass. The dark haired woman had been smirking at her the entire night, flashing her bleach white teeth every time. It was a knowing smile, like there was so forsaken secret hidden behind it.

The ladies congregated in a small room on the Eastern Wing of the mansion. Much to Luna's relief, Bellatrix was eventually summoned to the meeting on the other side of the manor. She didn't care the reason why, she just wanted the woman who murdered so many of her friends to be a safe distance away. But when Narcissa rose from her seat to escort her sister, Luna's complexion paled at the new danger ahead.

She felt like a small mouse being fed to a herd of snakes.

She never thought of what it would be like to sit in the presence of some of the most malicious girls in school. The three girls before her had manipulated and harassed Luna for years. Though not as bad as Astoria, Pansy and Daphne kept exchanging inscrutable glances.

"You look different," Daphne broke the silence first, comfortable enough to uncross her legs and reach down to the table for one of the small pastries. "Prettier,"

Pansy slapped Daphne's hand away before she could get to the sweets on the tray, "If you're going to gorge yourself while on a diet and purge later, do it in your own home. Don't be so rude, we're guests here," she hissed. Daphne looked longingly at the desserts, sheepishly pulling away. "But she's right you know," Pansy turned to Luna, "You do look pretty,"

Luna found herself speechless, unsure how to react. She knew she wasn't hideous, but she never expected these girls to be the ones to compliment her appearance. They never had a kind word to spare, so why now?

"How do you keep so thin?" Daphne had recovered from Pansy's scolding, her hands jabbing at her miniscule waist. She pinched the skin of her stomach, somehow disgusted with what little was there. "I've tried everything, but I can't seem to keep it off."

"It's clear she starves herself, her fork didn't touch her lips once during dinner," Astoria's words slid smooth, but the harshness behind them could be felt.

Luna lowered her eyes, she'd been so stressed about Draco that she hadn't been able to eat. It wasn't intentional, she just felt nauseous anytime she was near anything edible.

"Your ring is stunning, Draco sure went all out," Pansy tried changing the subject in hopes to lighten the mood. Despite her reputation as a cold hearted witch, she still couldn't help but feel bad for the girl trembling before them. She reached over the loveseat to touch the gem that rested on the other woman's finger.

"It's an heirloom, it's not like he handpicked it for her," Astoria sneered.

Luna's eyebrows raised, how did she know it was an heirloom?

Pansy glared at her friend with angry green eyes. They had been given specific orders to befriend the girl, and here Astoria was making it more difficult because of her petty obsession with Draco. In turn, the dark haired woman slumped back against her recliner and crossed her arms, huffing like a stubborn child.

"Are you excited for the wedding?" It was Daphne again. Out of all of them, Daphne seemed the least cruel. She might not have been the brightest of girls, but at least she wasn't evil. She appeared to be genuinely curious. Luna decided she liked her the best.

All of it seemed so far away, a wedding seemed even further along. It had been weeks since she last looked at the piece on her ring finger. She knew Narcissa was planning some event for it all, but she'd been so exhausted during the day to really pay attention.

"Forget the ceremony. Are you excited for your wedding night?" Pansy scooted closer to Luna, a devious grin on her flawless face. "Tell us, is high and mighty Malfoy any good in bed?"

She never had these conversations with her female friends, never. By the time she had even acquired female friends, they were fighting a war. There was no time to gossip about boys, or the intimacy that came with them. She felt her cheeks burn as the blush turned on her skin.

She opened her mouth to find the appropriate response.

"Draco's a fantastic fuck, best I've ever had," Astoria was smirking again, "You know, he has this habit of nipping at the crook of the neck," she took the liberty of sweeping her raven hair to one side of her nape, revealing a set of reddish purple bruises, "he likes to leave his mark. In fact, he's the type of man that loves-"

Her words were spilling out too quickly.

"Enough, Astoria!" shrieked Pansy.

But it was too late, the damage had been done. They all were met with the devastation and realization on Luna's face.

Too late indeed.

End Chapter 8

A/N: Drama, drama, drama. If you have any comments, questions, or want me to continue, please leave a review and vote! Thank you for reading! :) xx