But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you; not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

He made seven frantic floo calls to Turkey and Greece, only to find out no one there knew where she was.

He ran downstairs from his office, literally, taking the stairs, too impatient to wait for the lift.

He flung open the door of the Auror office, looking around madly.

"Potter!" he shouted, causing the staff standing around to draw their wands and assume defensive stances. "Potter!"

The department head came from the back office.

"Malfoy?" he frowned. "What's wrong? Are you being attacked?"

"Where's Luna?" Draco asked frantically.

Potter's face hardened. "Look, she's going through a rough time now, her ... "

"Scamander was killed by a manticore!" Draco cried. "I've got to talk to her!"

"Malfoy, she needs support right now, not for your foundation to demand return of whatever funds you donated ..." Potter began.

"I told her not to come crying to me when was he was eaten by a manticore but I didn't mean it and he's dead and she didn't call me and I've got to talk to her!" Draco yelled in one breath.

An odd look crossed Potter's face. "Come back into my office and let's talk. Get back to work. Don't the lot of you have some crimes to solve?" he asked the group.

They walked back to Potter's office, where he closed and silenced the door.

"Try it again, a little slower and much lower volume." Potter instructed, waving his hand at the chair across the desk.

"When Luna told me she was going to marry Rolf, I got angry and told her 'Don't come crying to me when he gets eaten by a manticore.' I didn't mean to curse him. I was just angry and said the first thing that came to mind." Draco told him. "I need to tell her I didn't mean it and I'm sorry. I don't know where she is. I figured you would know."

Potter looked at him for so long, Draco was about to start shouting again.

"Why did she tell you she was marrying Rolf?" Potter asked, folding his arms. "And what business of yours was it to get angry?"

Draco sighed and looked at his hands before raising his head to meet Potter's eyes. "She and I had gotten ... close ... after the trial. We would get together a few times a year. I cared about her. I felt like she cheated on me when she told me she was pregnant and marrying Scamander."

"Cheated on you?" Potter raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you married at the time? In fact, aren't you still married?"

"No one said it made sense, all right?" Draco fumed before continuing in a pleading tone. "Just please. Tell me where she is. I won't hurt her, I swear. I just want to apologize and make sure she and our ... her children are okay."

"You're the father of the twins." Potter supplied bluntly.

Draco nodded. "I didn't know at the time. I didn't know until they were almost five. That wasn't Luna's fault." he hurried to add. "She didn't say who the father was, and I jumped to the conclusion she was pregnant by Rolf." His face creased in a frown. "You knew, didn't you?"

Potter shrugged. "I had reason to suspect the twins weren't Rolf's. I know the man he was involved with. But I never asked, and Luna never told."

Draco nodded again.

"She and the boys are at The Burrow. The Weasley home. I'll floo call and tell them you're coming." Potter scrawled an address on a parchment. "I'm warning you. Her marriage to Rolf may not have been a conventional one, but she did care very much for him, and she's grieving. And Charlie Weasley is there. If you do or say anything to upset him, I will turn my back while the rest of the Weasleys use you for target practice."

"Thank you." Draco breathed, grabbing the paper and running from the office. He went outside and apparated to a spot near Luna's home, over the hill from the Weasley residence. He took several deep breaths and forced himself to walk calmly.

He was met halfway down the path by the Weasel King himself.

"What are you doing here?" the redheaded man asked.

"I came to see Luna." Draco answered humbly.

"Why?" Weasel folded his arms.

"I need to talk to her. I owe her an apology for something I said several years ago." Draco said.

"And why do you think now, when she's just lost her husband, is a good time?" Weasel made no move to step aside.

"Because Rolf Scamander didn't know the other day when he went out that he wouldn't come home that night. And when you think about it, none of us have any guarantee that we will make it home tonight." Draco shrugged.

Weasel nodded. "That's a pretty good answer. But if you upset her ... "

Draco rolled his eyes. "Potter has already threatened me, thank you."

Weasel grinned and stepped aside.

Just before he reached the front door, Draco was surprised to see it open, and his mother step out. Mrs. Weasley followed her onto the step.

"Thank you again for the casserole. I'll make sure your dish gets back to you." the redheaded woman called.

"No rush." Narcissa smiled, then turned around and ran almost headlong into her son. "Draco, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Luna." he frowned. "What are you doing here, Mother?"

"I came to offer my sympathies to a neighbor who lost her husband." Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "And to make sure my grandsons were all right."

Draco froze. "You knew."

"Of course I knew." Narcissa gave him a withering look. "I'm your mother. We'll talk about it later."

She kissed him on the cheek and continued toward the gate, leaving him to approach the door alone. He knocked, and to his surprise, Luna herself answered.

"Hello, Draco." she said wearily with a tear stained face. "Harry called and said you were coming."

"Luna, can I please talk to you? Alone?" he looked back over his shoulder to where Weasel King still watched.

"Come on." she took his hand. "We'll go to the broomshed. Molly?" she called over her shoulder. "I'm walking outside for a moment. Could you please keep an eye on the boys?"

Someone answered something that Draco couldn't quite make out, but Luna seemed satisfied with the answer.

She led him to a shack that appeared to only be standing because it couldn't decide which direction to fall. They went inside, closed the door, and she muttered a silencing charm and a lumos.

"I'm sorry!" he cried before she could speak. "I never intended anything to happen to Rolf. I was angry. I know he was good to you and the boys and he helped me the time I drank elephant piss and ... " he trailed off, motioning vaguely with his hands.

"I know you didn't mean Rolf any harm, Draco." she said softly.

"I didn't mean any to you either." he shook his head. "I didn't mean it when I said I hated you. I never really hated you. I was just angry."

"Of course not." she smiled sadly. "You were under the influence of that potion."

"No." he looked away and then back at her. "I've said it a lot of other times over the past few years. You just weren't there to hear it." He sighed. "I love you, Luna."

"I love you too." she again smiled sadly.

"I mean it. Marry me. As soon as I can get divorced. We've wasted enough time." He pulled her in and kissed her.

"Draco, you're still married. My husband has been dead for five days." she began.

He kissed her again. "The Luna Lovegood I fell in love with wouldn't care about such things."

"The Luna Lovegood you ... " she broke off and looked up at him. She swallowed and continued. "Luna Lovegood has grown up and has responsibilities. There's the whole matter of the funeral and settling the estate. The twins don't even know about you. And I wasn't in love with Rolf, but I did love him. I need some time. And you have to work things out about Scorpius."

"Scorp goes to Hogwarts this fall." he told her. "That's going to make things a good bit easier. Astoria and I will just have to work out how to divide his holidays. I don't think she will really want too many of them, anyway."

"Draco, I mean it about me needing some time." she laid her head against his shoulder.

"I'll be here when you're ready." he promised.

"I love you too, Draco." she kissed him.