The Talent Show

Chapter 13 - Marshmallows

Draco arrived just in time to see Luna's homework turn into cinders. It was really quite sad. He knew she'd worked really hard on it. If he'd only gotten there a minute or so earlier, he probably could have talked the seventh year Slytherins out of burning it. But as it was, he got there too early to claim ignorance, but too late to actually do anything without looking like a fool.

Instead, he forced a mean smirk on to his face and sauntered up to the small blaze. He didn't recognize any of the Slytherins, but he was fairly sure his father owned their fathers for the next forty years with how much debt they'd accumulated. So he said, "This looks like right fun. But you bugger off and bother someone else. I feel like tormenting her on my own."

The Slytherins scowled, but shuffled off, pausing every few steps. With a sigh, Draco stunned the ground next to one of them. They scattered right away.

When Draco finally turned back to Luna's homework, Luna herself had materialized next to it with a marshmallow and a stick. As Draco watched in mild horror and fascination, Luna poked the homework around, speared the marshmallow, and held it over the remainder of the flames. She looked up at Draco and asked, very pleasantly, "Would you like one?"

Draco was about to say no, he most definitely did not, that was ridiculous, when all the bluster suddenly went out of him. He sat down beside her and nodded, "Yeah, that sounds great right now."

Luna pulled another marshmallow and stick out from her bag and handed them to Draco. He speared it and let it hang over the flames. Luna nudged his hands, "It'll burn if you leave it there. Haven't you ever roasted a marshmallow?"

"Not really. My family isn't much for outdoor activities or fires of frivolousness in general."

Draco had no idea where this sudden candor was coming from. He kept waiting for his brain to start yelling at him that Luna didn't want to hear this and that she wouldn't like him if she knew he had literally no childhood, but his brain remained suspiciously silent. So he did some awkward improv: "So. Marshmallows. They're pretty good, right?"

"Actually, I prefer chocolate frogs."

Draco carefully filed that information away while trying to impress Luna with his vast knowledge of chocolate frog cards, "Oh. Me too, I guess. I have, like, seven cards."

That was a lie. Draco had two cards, exactly. And they were doubles of Dumbledore that he had forgotten to throw away. But Luna smiled, so it was worth it, right? Things were going well, weren't they?

But then Luna dropped a bomb, "What is you family like?"

Draco stared a Luna silently. He could think of absolutely nothing to say. Not one word was going to come out of his mouth anytime soon. Thankfully, though, he didn't have to because right then his marshmallow exploded all over him. Because of course Lina couldn't have normal marshmallows. She needed exploding wizard ones.

Little bits of burning stickiness were all over Draco's clothes and face and hair. Oh Merlin, his hair. He was never going to get that out now. It was a good thing he like Luna, or else he would have hexed her into next week. As it was, Luna ignored the explosion and just carried on with a story about her family, "Well, my dad and I live alone, and we have hunts every Sunday during summer. And when I'm home for holidays, we go to the Leaky Cauldron and guess what kind of creatures are infecting people who pass by."

Draco nodded, picking little bits of awful out of his hair. He dared to ask, "Do you...do you really believe in all the creatures you read about?"

Luna thought about it for a moment, "Yes, mostly. But I only go looking for them because it's easier than trying to talk to people about them. I figure it's enough to just see them than trying to get people to listen all the time."