Sequel to 'Forever May Not Be Long Enough'
Draco is an intelligent and handsome young wizard, role model student, keen strategist and Slytherin's prefect…Saving the woman he loved turn him into a cold killer, possessive husband and a paranoid with a very fragile sanity. The "Most Unexpected Hero" would face up the consequences of his actions. Is redemption out of his reach this time?
CHAPTER I:
'Precious and fragile things
Need special handling
My God what have we done to you?
We always tried to share
The tenderest of care
Now look what we have put you through.
Things get damaged
Things get broken
I thought we'd manage
But words left unspoken
Left us so brittle
There was so little left to give.'
(DEPECHE MODE - "Precious")
It was a cold and windy morning at Cedar's Topiary Chateau. The construction of the young couple's hiding place followed an exquisite medieval gothic style, Draco's favourite.
The ancient stone built love nest was surrounded by a vast garden with tall cedar spiral topiary trees geometrically aligned. Several stone pillars broke up the garden into distinct zones, with different colour sandstone paved paths.
The splendid black stone Chateau was far from being a cosy rural spot: it was a sophisticated fortress strongly protected with countless of magical protection spells. The garden served as a well devised barrier: not a single soul could enter the property if not properly instructed by the creative genius of the project's maker: Draco Malfoy.
Peeking from behind the large wood painting mount stand appeared the silhouette of a beautiful girl of long dirty blond hair and curious pearl grey eyes. Luna was dressed with a dazing violet warm sweater, dark checked cloth pants and pink furry winter boots.
While rubbing her forehead with the tip of the paintbrush, she lifted her free arm, placing the thumb and index finger at a right angle, aiming at the target she was painting: a small squirrel resting at a branch of the tree in front of her.
"When I woke up and reached out for you in the bed, you were not there." Draco called out, frowning a bit while crossing his arms, waiting patiently at a measured distance from her.
He was dressed with a heavy ink black overcoat: an olive green shirt's collar was coming out from his V neck black sweater. The dark green pants loosely fitting his slender long legs.
"Morning Draco! It's a wonderful day to paint, don't you think?" She gave him a candid smile.
He didn't reply and looked up, a tint of moist in the air foreshadowed a coming storm. Large tainted clouds were covering fast the sickly greyish black coloured sky. He was starting to feel cold; he lifted the neck of his overcoat and placed his hands inside the pockets.
"Right…" He muttered under his breath with chilled cynicism. 'What is it this time?' He asked, ducking his head to one side, wondering what she was doing.
"See that that cute little fellow over there? I'm painting his portrait". She said with a dreamy look.
He rolled his eyes and let go a sigh but suddenly it occurred to Draco that he just wouldn't allow such a small and insignificant animal monopolized his wife's attention when she'd rather be spending more time with him.
"What's so special about that rodent of yours?" He raised an eyebrow, throwing a piercing look at his wife.
"Just take look at it: what an adorable, fluffy, cosy, smoothly little thing…so tiny!" She smiled widely.
"So hopeless…" He said to himself.
"You know what? Today Chubby eat from my hand, he behaves like my pet now that I gain his trust!" She celebrated.
"You've gave that thing a name? Luna, will you stop adopting every filthy beast that crosses your way?!" Draco opened wide his shocked amethyst blue eyes.
"Don't you worry, I will!" Luna's face shined with happiness and added. "All creatures deserve to be free, so I'm not going to take away their liberty no matter how much I want them to take them with me once we go back to dad's house. I just happen to enjoy playing with them while we're here."
"Luna, we're already home…here…you and me. Forget the idea of ever returning to your father's house. I've made built this place for us, to start our lives together, like husband and wife." He let go a heavy sigh and leaned closed, opening his overcoat like a pair of wings he wrapped her around with it, pressing her tight against his body.
Luna closed her eyes and rested one cheek on Draco's chest, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat accelerating a bit when he tilted his head to meet her eyes and smirked.
"This is home, the way it should be, just the two of us…always." He whispered softly into her ear, rocking slowly from one side to the other without releasing her from the protective, warm and cosy embrace.
"Just you and me?" She paused, swallowing hard as she broke the embrace. "This place is huge! What about my father and my friends? Can they come and visit us?"
He placed his empty hands again inside his pockets and shook his head. "Your father comes whenever he want, now regarding your friends….it's not safe to reveal them where we are".
"You're determined to keep our marriage in secret then?" She said with a thread of voice.
Draco sighed deeply and focused his gaze on her pearl grey eyes. "For your safety and my peace of mind, we cannot reveal the secret. We're already facing the worst part of this war and if the Dark Lord followers realize that you're my weakest point, they'll do anything to get to you in order to bring me down."
"I promise you that my friends won't tell a thing, please?". Luna asked with what would be her last attempt to change Draco's mind.
"No, I don't trust them. Those gits wouldn't understand our relationship. Besides, they would jeopardize everything I've done in order to make this place safe and secure." He frowned searching inside his overcoat a small pocket knife and started playing with it in between his fingers with an incredibly ability and skill.
Draco's small knife was an ancient magic tool used never to cut, but to defend. It was a personal knife made of steel with a double edged blade and black handle: colour meant to absorb power. The blade featured several engraved symbols: it was a secret protection spell meant for its bearer.
"You don't trust in anyone Draco." She shrugged, feeling for the fist time in the day the coldness of the air.
"Exactly…" He shot back, without looking at her.
"Not even me?" She bit her lip, and took a step closer.
"Sweetheart, you're the exemption to the rule, to any rule, you know that." He smirked and, using it as a dart, he nailed the knife just on the centre of the squirrel's head…of Luna's portrait.
"Kill it." A dark look haunted then his amethyst blue eyes, he was aiming his wand at her.
"Draco…don't…" She hugged herself, trying to contain her tremors.
"I've said…kill it!" He ordered with a hint of irritation.
"No!" Luna, shaking and sobbing silently, pulled out her wand from behind her ear.
"Look at that pathetic pet of yours in the eyes and cast the curse!" He smirked with a tint of malice.
She aimed at the squirrel with a trembling pulse, as she closed shut her eyes.
"Please…don't make me do it…I won't…he's my pet!" She begged as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Draco walked towards her, holding tight his wand. He stopped a few steps from her, an evil smirk moulding his pale face.
"Tell me, would it make things easier to kill that spider?" He pointed at a big poisonous arachnid standing where the squirrel was moments ago.
She opened her eyes, crying silent tears holding the wand high with a terrible shaky pulse; her self-strength was reaching a final state at that point, she couldn't fight back Draco's command any longer and she cast the killing curse.
"No! I killed him…I killed my pet!" She sobbed, unable to stop trembling. The pain was making her voice crack.
He grabbed her gently by the arm pulling her close, restraining her grief-stricken shaking body around his strong arms as she tried in vain to get rid from him.
"Sweetheart, I'm just trying to teach you." He caressed her hair against his chin with passion.
"I killed Chubby!" She choked.
"It's simple: defend yourself against the Imperious Curse and I promise I won't torture again with this practises. Repetition is the mother of skill. You're getting good in fighting back the curse, this time it took me longer to persuade you, well done!" He cupped her chin with his hand, kissing her forehead.
"It was such an innocent creature…." She looked away, with a profound sadness at the unfinished painting of the squirrel.
"Calm down, you've actually killed that filthy spider." He soothed her.
"No, you turned my pet into a spider, it was him…" Luna mumbled, sorting things out inside her head.
"That's because you've got your eyes closed when I switched them. Your pet is here…" A small furry ball came out from the pocket of Draco's overcoat: it was Luna's small pet.
"Oh, come here you little thing…look he's mortified by all this!" She said, cupping the confused animal in one hand with motherly instinct.
For a moment, Luna looked extremely happy to find her pet safe and sound in her hands, but then she felt the tears she thought had stopped rolling down her cheeks again.
"Oh….no…. to kill a spider brings bad luck and it didn't deserve to die just because it was ugly!" Sadness and fear haunted her pearl grey eyes.
"Come on, give me a break here!" Draco rolled his eyes.
"I feel so….ashamed of myself!" Luna started punishing herself for being so weak.
"Luna, I want to teach you everything I know, I want you to be able to fight and protect yourself…" His voice trailed off.
She nodded without saying a word, feeling a painful knot obstructing her throat.
"If you don't want me to teach you, I told you that I would hire private teachers."
"But…'"She opened her mouth to protest but he placed his index finger softly on her lips, halting her words.
"If you're not comfortable around strangers, I can ask Mad Eye or Lupin to teach you, they're in debt with me." He soothed, reaching out protectively her arm.
Luna recoiled, walking a few steps back, with her wand high aiming back at Draco.
"I want to go back to Hogwarts…" She sighed, looking miserable.
"You want to go back after all that happened? Are you in your right mind?! Going back to Hogwarts would be a suicide!" He snapped.
She held her breath, knowing that her eyes were shining with the tears she was struggling to hold back.
"You don't belong there and me neither! Don't you remember how miserable you felt back at Hogwarts?" He clenched his teeth, throwing a stabbing cold stare at her.
"Yes, I know perfectly well I'll be always an outcast, thanks for reminding me that!" Luna's cheeks went red with restrained anger.
"I don't want anything to harm you ever again!" He paused in vain for a sign of comprehension. "Can't you see what I'm doing here? I'm tying to protect you!"
A sudden exhaustion overcame her. Luna sighed and nodded, wiping away her tears.
"Luna, do you think I don't care about finishing school? Well, you're wrong! I want both of us to complete our studies, but not at Hogwarts. Let's do it here now that we're finally settled. I'll start looking for private teachers first thing tomorrow morning." He crossed his arms, leaning close to her.
"All that matters is that you're safe here with me. And we'll receive proper education, better than the one at Hogwarts." He soothed her.
"Okay…" Luna said, considering that for a while narrowing her eyes in deep thinking. She swallowed hard, and straightened her back.
"Luna, don't waste your time performing the Legilimens spell on me. But I must realize that was quite and impressive try, I'm pleased." His amethyst blue eyes showed visible compassion. He looked up and added. "A storm is coming; get away from that tree…it attracts lightings."
She didn't move, still holding tight her wand in her hand, trembling slightly. Small rain drops started to fall, some of them got trapped in her long messy curls, reflecting rainbow colours.
"Well, since you're so determined to pull this off…pay attention, okay? This is how you've got to do it." He pointed his wand at her, breathing steady.
"Try to block me... you can do it…keep me out….no, try harder!" He muttered with clenched teeth.
Shattered images flashed from Luna's mind as he accessed her memories. Draco saw images of their wedding; of Luna's father and mother; of Harry and the D.A classes, of Professor Flitwick teaching charms;of Luna petting her owl; of her petting Chubby; of Neville laughing despite the fact he didn't get any of the jokes; of Neville falling to the lake after his fishing net got caught by a tree root; of Neville singing catchy muggle songs….the more images of Neville appeared inside Luna's mind, the angrier Draco got by the minute.
"What's with you and that nebbish toad?!" He shot back; his amethyst blue eyes redden with psychotic jealousy.
She stared at him, looking surprised. It took her a few moments to understand what he had just asked.
"Neville and I are just friends." She replied easily.
"Just friends?!" He chewed over her affirmation with an incredulous stare.
"Actually, he's my best friend." This time she replied with equal incredulity, concentrated on breathing calmly.
A bolt of lighting stuck on the tree near Luna, it was pouring now.
"Damnit!" Draco protested, looking extremely annoyed.
Fear squeezed her lungs. Luna couldn't tell for sure if he was angry because she was almost caught by that lighting, for she refused to move away from the tree when he asked or if he was mad because she and Neville were best friends and they were very fond of each other.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Luna was in the bathroom, getting undressed as she started the shower running. After taking her clothes off and folding them carefully inside the laundry basket, she reached into the stream of water in the shower, feeling its warmth. Once inside the bathtub she made a few consecutive yawns, she was feeling really tired. Taking a big breath, she leaned her forehead to the wall; the warm water was washing down her back, soothing her, relaxing her fragile body.
Before getting out of the shower, Luna waved blindly for a small towel for her long blond hair and fashioned it as a turban. She wrapped her milk white thin body with the large bath towel. Getting rid of the mirror's steam with one hand, she jumped as she glanced into it and saw someone, or something looking back at her out from the mirror through empty eye sockets. She shook her head, closing tight her eyes, as she leaned over the sink for support, trying to catch her breath. Then she started the faucet running in the washbasin and splashed a handful of cold water in her face. She looked up and stared at her wet face in the mirror, which was again blank and foggy. After getting rid of the steam once more with her open palm, this time she saw her own reflection staring back at her. She slowly traced her right hand along her face, feeling herself as she paid attention at her eyes, finding trouble to get used their pearl grey colour. She dried her face on a towel and proceeded to comb her messy dirty blond curls, pulling them back from her face. Then she put a lilac cotton coat covering the soft curves of her body.
"Luna, come here! I want you next to me..." The voice of Draco came out from the bedroom.
Draco was resting his back over the bed's head rest. He was only wearing black pyjama pants, his hands were crossed against his slender bare chest.
He smirked, extending his arms at the sight of her coming from the bathroom. Luna climbed to the bed; he pulled her head over his chest, closing his eyes while caressing her wet curls between his fingers as water drops fell down over his well-toned muscles. His warmth and the soft rumble of his chest lulled her as he hummed.
"Please hold me tight." She whispered, burying her nose against his chest, shivering. Her pearl grey eyes were shining with tears.
"Luna…you're crying…what happened?" His eyes finally opened, staring at her with disbelief.
"I can't help it…" Her soft cheeks flushed a bit.
He pulled back briefly to kiss her tenderly on the mouth, licking his lips with her moist skin.
"I guess I'm a bit worried about my dad, he's alone back home." Luna frowned, biting her lower lip. She felt nervous for not being able to tell him the whole truth.
"Sweetheart, he's being attended by my best house elf, his house has been secured just like I've instructed…besides, your father comes here every other day! Remember he was the one who agreed to let us have some time alone to enjoy our postponed honeymoon!" He protested.
"I know, I'm sorry…It's just that sometimes I feel that this is too much for me and it scares me!" She confessed all of a sudden.
"Luna, we're enjoying our time together…at last…" He hissed.
"Draco, it's just that sometimes I find it hard to realize this is actually happening…to me!" She sighed deeply.
"You're afraid of being happy, is that what you're trying to say?!" He opened wide his eyes.
"I'm not used to this luxurious life, not me neither my father..." She choked.
"Here we go again…" He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. He could understand her way of thinking, but he didn't like it. "Luna, you deserve to have everything that's good in life. Stop punishing yourself for having what you so well deserve…in other words…me!" He smirked.
She took a deep breath and said. "That's the problem, I don't deserve you!"
"Would you stop talking nonsense?!" It took about a fraction of second for Draco to become angry with her.
He took a big breath, trying to refocus his sudden anger to a controlled and calm level and rolled her body to the side, getting on top of her. His eyelids brushed her lips as he peeked through her broad neckline with devilish delight.
"Sweetheart, trust me, I'm the lucky one…" He whispered.
He caressed the soft curve of her collar bone and aimed down up to her waist, undoing the coat's satin ribbon with one hand.
"Draco, wait! Where are you going?" Luna's cheeks blushed with a tint of red.
"I'm…going…down…" He hissed.
"Stop!" She sucked in a deep breath.
"I know you like it when I kiss you down there and I'm getting quite an expert." He smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't be modest Draco, you got it right on the first attempt." She gave him a reassuring smile.
"One of this days, you can give a try too and retrieve the favour… you know? No pressure…" He winked at her.
She nodded, closing shut her eyes and blushing madly, unable to pronounce a word.
"Uhmm…" Draco's amethyst blue eyes brightened with desire.
Luna's legs opened at the touch of his lips as she started dripping with the juices of her arousal. Her brain was spinning; every touch from Draco's mouth and tongue made her body shiver with electric spasms. He slowly pulled himself up and in between her legs, throwing his pants to the floor. He caressed the softness of her thighs as the assumed position.
"Now I want to take you higher again, but this time with me, together, okay?" His heart was beating faster, he rubbed his sweaty forehead against hers.
"Draco, I don't think my heart or my body will resist it after what you've just done to me." She gasped softly as she tried to catch up her breath.
"Sweetheart, I'll take care of you all the way, like I always do, just relax." He hissed, kissing softly her blushing cheeks.
She felt him start to enter her: he was so big and so hard! Draco was gentle and slow, applying firm pressure at first, then he resumed pushing gently, sliding slowly but steadily inside. Draco's mouth was devouring hers, his tongue thrusting in and out. As the tension built, tighter and painfully, he finally unleashed each and every inch of his strength inside her. Their naked feverish bodies, sweaty and trembling with ecstasy collapsed in an endless tight embrace as the pleasure faded, leaving them breathlessly.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII