The Talent Show

Chapter 16 - Wrath of Weasley

Draco was pretty much screwed. He'd know it as soon as he saw Ginny Weasley standing in front of him outside the Infirmary with her arms crossed and Blaise just behind her, looking sheepish (on a side note, Pansy was off to the side, looking positively gleeful at the situation).

Ginny took a step closer, poked Draco in the chest and said, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing with Luna?"

"Um."

Draco's mind didn't even jump in to save him. It was like his mind saw Ginny, knew it was a lost cause, and took off while it still could. At least Draco could be happy knowing a little part of him would live on.

Ginny did not appreciate Draco's need to pause and think of an actual answer. She poked him harder in the chest and said, "You're messing her up is what you're doing. She tried to get back into her common room yesterday and she didn't even try and answer the riddle! She usually comes up with a decent answer right away!"

Draco stayed silent. He was a little worried that if he tired to speak, he'd squeal like a girl about the fact that Luna was actually affected by him. However, his silence only provided further chance for Ginny to poke him and yell a little.

"Luna is one of my best friends! She's the purest person I know! I DO NOT ACCEPT HER CORRUPTION! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU WILL NOT RUIN LUNA!"

That got Draco's attention. There really was nothing he hated more than people saying he ruined things. He knew it was true most of the time, but he was trying to change, and he wasn't nearly as bad as he had been in first year. He was trying to get better! Didn't that count for anything?!

And so, before he really knew what he was doing, Draco swatted Ginny's hand away from him, crossed his arms, and leaned forward so he could yell directly at her, "What're you gonna do about it, huh Weasel? So what if I'm ruining her life? So what if I'm turning her evil? It's none of your goddamn business!"

Ginny turned even redder than she had been before, "YOU'RE STRINGING HER ALONG, YOU GIT!"

"SO WHAT IF I AM?!"

"SHE THINKS YOU WENT ON A DATE! SHE THINKS YOU LIKE HER!"

It was precisely at that moment that Draco saw a head of white-blonde hair peeking around the corner of the hallway. He saw the blue-grey eyes. He saw the radish earrings. He saw everything but he was too far gone to stop himself as he yelled, "SO WHAT IF I'M LEADING HER ON? MAYBE I'M JUST SUCH A GIT THAT I WANT HER TO THINK WE'RE DATING! BUT IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPIER, WEASELETTE, YOU'RE RIGHT! I AM JUST MESSING WITH HER! THE END GAME IS TO HUMILIATE HER ONCE AND FOR ALL! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT!"

He saw the eyes and hair and bad earrings disappear. He saw his heart go with them. It kind of felt like someone had punched the air out of him. It felt like he was going to faint and vomit at the same time. And then he turned numb. He watched himself smirk at Ginny while she scowled and told him he was a monster. He watched himself storm past Blaise and Pansy, both of whom had clearly noticed Luna too. Draco's own mind remained silent as he watched himself walk towards the Slytherin common room, up the stairs to his dorm, get in bed and close the curtains. And then he stopped watching himself.

• • •

Draco dreamed of Christmas. It was his first at Hogwarts, in fourth year. The Yule Ball was around the corner and everyone was in a tizzy over it. Draco himself was somewhat worried because he hadn't truly danced since his grandmother's birthday ball, two years ago. But he was still a magnificent dancer compared to the vast male population. In fact, he'd managed to get his hands on a picture of Potter trying to learn to dance, and that alone had been enough to erase his worries.

Now Draco's only thought was as to how he could ruin the Ball for the people he disliked. He didn't mind people like Blaise and Pansy having fun, but he hated the idea that Potter and Weasel might find any happiness at the Ball. 

And so, Draco was down in the Great Hall at two thirty in the morning the day before the Ball, trying to figure out how he could sneakily mess things up. He'd just decided to charm the chairs at certain tables to dye the dresses and suits of whoever sat on them when there was a soft sound behind him.

Draco froze and turned around as casually as he could, an excuse already halfway out of his mouth when he saw Loony Lovegood standing near a window, looking up at a sprig of mistletoe with a curious look on her face. Draco sneered at her back and hissed, "Oi! Loony! What're you doing here?"

Loony ignored him. she tilted her head to better see the berries on the mistletoe.

Draco really didn't like being ignored. So he marched right up to Loony and said, "You look at me when I'm talking to you!"

She looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Be quiet or you'll scare them away."

And she went right back to ignoring him. Draco was furious. He'd never been so blatantly ignored. This was unacceptable! He waved his hand in front of Loony's eyes, "What could be so important that you'd ignore me?! Huh? It's just plain rude!"

Draco knew he was being a hypocrite. He was hoping Loony was too dumb to point it out. But of course, she looked him straight in the eyes in a way that was most definitely not accusatory and he knew she knew he was full of it. He had to look away from her. And, for some strange reason, he muttered, "Sorry."

Loony was silent for an abnormally long time. When Draco finally gathered enough courage to look up and find out why, she was already back to staring at the mistletoe. With a sigh, Draco stared at it too. For a whole five minutes. He didn't see anything strange about it.

"What are we looking at, Loony?"

It took her a moment to answer, "Mistletoe."

"Well I knew that you arse. I mean, why are we looking at it?"

Loony finally looked at him and motioned him closer. He shuffled forward cautiously (after all, she might be planning to kick him in the bollocks and run).

When he was finally beside her, she pointed to a branch that was longer than the others. It created a shadow. Nothing was moving in the shadow, but right behind it, there was a sliver of silver moonlight. Loony whispered, "Nargles like mistletoe and shadow. I came down to see if I could find some, but I couldn't."

Draco found himself whispering, too, "So why are you still looking?"

Loony had an even dreamier look on her face, "Well, can't you see how the moon looks in that shadow? Have you ever seen something so beautiful? It looks like magic. Real, pure magic. Something you can't control. Something you don't want to control because it would lose its beauty."

Draco looked harder. He could almost see what Loony meant, but it wasn't until he heard her whisper even quieter, "It looks like happiness and peace," that he really saw it.

And from that moment on, Draco was in awe of the overwhelming beauty that Loony Lovegood saw in the world. Of the beauty she created out of nothing. How she could be so happy. He finally understood the dreamy look.

But then there was a meow right next to Draco's ankle and he looked down to see Mrs. Norris. When he looked back up, Loony wasn't beside him. She was already at the doors, running. Draco followed a quickly and quietly as he could.

He didn't speak to Loony civilly again for years.

• • •

Jeremy found Draco in the sixth year boys dorm. Draco was curled up in his blankets on his bed. He apparently heard Jeremy approach, because he mumbled, "Go away Blaise."

"It's not Blaise."

"Go away Jeremy. I was a wanker and I deserve to be miserable for a while."

"But I know something you don't know."

"I don't care."

"I think you do."

"I really, really don't. And I'm too tired to hex you. Just leave."

"Luna doesn't hate you."