The Whimsical and the Worried

Chapter 5

For some reason it had taken forever for it to get to Friday, even though it had only been two days.
Draco had finished all this homework in the time. He'd also taken walks around the castle both days not much wanting to be in his common room near all the Slytherin's after classes.
They didn't bother him, it was worse, they ignored him.
At first they had been a bit standoffish and watchful of him, obviously worried he was a loose cannon that would just freak out at them at any given moment.
He wasn't a bloody animal didn't they know? Although the thought did make his stomach turn as it brought about thoughts of the war and Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf, and how it had only been his father insistence that he not bite his son that had stopped Draco really from becoming an animal.
It made Draco shiver to think of all the times Greyback had made menacing jokes or teased, licking his teeth as if he was ready for his next meal directly looking at him.
Greyback had said, on more than one occasion, that he liked his blood young in Draco's presence.
Draco made an effort to shake these thoughts from his mind. But the thoughts were sticky like the blood that he had on his hands from the war.
After walking for half an hour still unsuccessful in his quest of thinking of anything other than what he was, something to distract him from all the horribleness, he was finally granted relief as he walked past a stone window in the castle.
He'd almost fully walked past it but he back tracked as he realised he'd spied a wisp of blonde hair down on the ground level.
It was Lovegood. She was walking out to the forest.
Draco shook his head.
Didn't she know she wasn't meant to be outside on such a cold night? and in only her nighty it looked like, although she was far away, it was coming up to curfew as well.
She was crazy.
He watched as she started spinning around in circles, her long white night gown spinning out with her.
And then she stopped stumbled a little bit and sat on the ground.
She must have stayed out there for almost an hour, just staring at the sky and making traces on sand in front of her.
Draco stayed too, behind the window.
Sure it could have been a creepy thing to do, but he meant no malice by it, and watching her was thoroughly entertaining, she did things in a way that was rather mesmerizing and so different to how anyone else would do them.
It was the only thing that was stopping him thinking of the children's faces that Greyback had gotten too.
He had no choice but to watch her.
When she had gotten up to leave Draco did as well, suddenly feeling very foolish for having watched her for so long.
What if someone had come along? How embarrassing.
He stood looking around to make sure there was no one approaching and wiped the non-existent dirt from his coat as he made his way back to his common room and bed.
He thought as he went to sleep that he wouldn't be surprised if Luna wouldn't attend their meeting on Friday, which was the next day, due to a cold she no doubt would have developed from staying out so late in the cold.
For a second the thought came that perhaps he should have gone out there and given her his coat, but he shooed it away as soon as it came.
It was her choice to be such an idiot, she'd have to live with the consequences. Besides it wouldn't have been an acceptable Malfoy thing to do. She would have thought he was the mad one. So not Maloy-esc.
When Friday finally did come Draco walked over to his tree with his Herbology, parchment and a self inking quill, exactly on time.
It wasn't out of respect for the crazy girl but just because Draco always made a point of being on time these days. He planned it down to a T.
He wondered in the back of his mind if this was because of his experiences with the dark lord. You do not turn up late to anything concerning the dark lord without terrible consequences.
Draco hadn't ever been punished for being tardy as he never was, but sadly he had witnessed a different death eater, Stanley McLeary, being hexed by his aunt Bellatrix just for a few minutes wait.
Bellatrix had said it was an affront to the Dark Lord even though McLeary had pleaded that he couldn't leave his house as he was under observation from the ministry.
Draco used to be late all the time he remembered. His mother would scold him but in the way mothers do when they know their child will never change, more for the pointing out of it than for any real action to be taken by their child.
She was wrong. He had changed.
He wondered if he'd ever be able to change back and the answer was there staring back at him. He knew he wouldn't be able to.
Luna however wasn't there when he arrived. Not surprising.
Draco hmmfed and then annoyingly dropped his bag and things to the ground in front of the tree before doing so himself.
He sat there for a good 5 minutes just looking up at his tree's leaves and the sky behind it.
No signs of rain today which was unusual.
Finally Luna arrived... and she didn't seem to be coughing in his face with a red nose, so that was good.