The Raven's Shadow

Chapter 1: Unseen

The walls of Hogwarts felt more confining this year. The corridors Draco had once walked through with ease now seemed to press in on him, heavy with the weight of expectations he never asked for. His sixth year had become a haze of restless nights, dark thoughts, and the unshakable dread of what he had to do. The Mark on his arm burned—a constant, silent reminder of the path he'd been set on.

He passed by groups of students, their laughter grating on his nerves. How could they act so carefree? Didn't they realize everything was changing, that war was just outside the walls? Or maybe they knew and just didn't care. Everything felt off, like the world was shifting, but no one wanted to admit it.

His footsteps echoed as he made his way toward the Room of Requirement, a place where he could be alone with his spiraling thoughts—plans, strategies, and the fear that never left him. He clenched his fists. This was his responsibility. He had to finish the task, no matter what it did to him.

Then, suddenly, a soft voice broke through the noise in his head.

"Hello, Draco."

He stopped mid-step.

It was her. Luna Lovegood, standing there in the middle of the hall, her gaze calm and fixed on him. She wasn't wearing shoes. Of course she wasn't. And her radish earrings swayed as she tilted her head, as if she could see something no one else could.

Draco's first instinct was to snap at her. That's what he did best—keep people away. She probably expected something cruel, maybe a comment about her odd clothes or how she seemed to live in a world of her own. He opened his mouth, ready to bite back...

But no words came.

Her eyes were steady, peaceful. He couldn't look away. There was something about the way she stood there, like nothing in the world could touch her, that made his mind go blank.

He tightened his jaw, his muscles tense. "Lovegood," he muttered, his voice rougher than he intended. His usual sneer felt awkward, like it didn't belong.

She didn't flinch, didn't seem bothered by his tone at all. Instead, she smiled—soft, a little whimsical. "You look like you're trying very hard not to fall apart."

Draco blinked, thrown off by the bluntness of her words. "Excuse me?"

Luna tilted her head slightly, her eyes still fixed on him. "You wear it in the way you walk."

For a moment, Draco didn't know how to respond. He'd expected something strange from her, something easy to dismiss. But this? It cut right through him. He should've felt angry. He was supposed to feel angry. But all he felt was...

Seen?

He clenched his fists, trying to regain his composure. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Luna just gave him that same calm smile, as if they were having an entirely different conversation. "It's alright. Everyone falls apart sometimes."

She turned and walked away, her soft humming echoing down the corridor, leaving Draco standing there, more shaken than he cared to admit.

Draco stayed frozen for a long moment. His heart raced—over a girl who should've been annoying to him. He was a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake. His mind was supposed to be on his mission, on things that actually mattered. But something about Luna left him unsettled in a way that wasn't the usual panic. This was... different.

A sudden crash from a nearby classroom snapped him out of his thoughts. Peeves cackled from down the hall, having knocked over a pile of books. The sharp noise pulled Draco back to reality, and with a scowl, he turned and hurried toward the nearest passage, trying to shake off the strange feeling Luna had left behind.

---

That night, Draco lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The dark curtains around him felt like they were closing in. His mind, usually racing with thoughts of the Vanishing Cabinet and his impossible task, kept circling back to that moment in the corridor. Her voice. The way she looked at him like he wasn't a complete failure.

Why hadn't he said something back? Why didn't he just walk away?

His heart thudded uncomfortably as he thought about her. Luna Lovegood. She didn't make sense to him. She was odd, distant, and far too calm for someone living in a world on the edge of war.

But maybe that was why he couldn't stop thinking about her. She wasn't weighed down by everything like he was. While the rest of the world felt like it was crumbling, she seemed untouched by it all.

It drove him mad. And yet... it was kind of...nice?

---

The next few weeks blurred together, but Draco found himself noticing Luna more and more. Sometimes, he'd spot her across the Great Hall, or see her by the fountain, quietly humming to herself. She was always alone, but she never looked lonely. There was something about her that pulled at him, though he couldn't explain why.

Once, he passed her in another empty hallway. She smiled at him, just a small, knowing smile. Like they were sharing a secret.
It sent a warmth through him he wasn't prepared for.

He'd never been this at a loss for words. Not with Pansy, not with anyone. He was always in control, always knew what to say. But Luna? She slipped past all his defenses without even trying. It scared him.

Of all the secrets Draco was keeping this year—his mission for the Dark Lord, the Vanishing Cabinet, the Mark on his arm—this one frightened him the most. Because this secret? It was his alone.