Why had he chosen to holiday in Alexandria, Egypt? If asked, he would say something along the lines of the weather, foreign investors, the beaches, the seclusion found here, but the truth of the matter was there was someone living here who was the only person to stand up for him during the trials. She was one of the only ones who said he didn't aid the Dark Lord. Even Weasley and Granger, who wanted him dead, testified that he didn't give them away, but it was Luna whose testimony moved the judges the most. She had been abducted and kept chained up in the Malfoy mansion cellar. She could have had Draco put away for life, but her testimony was far from condemning.
Her testimony was like a fairy story. She spoke of how Draco alone visited and talked to her, gave her food and water, made her stay as bearable as he could. She spoke of Draco as though he were a knight in shining armour. Her story, as descriptive as it was from her eyes, seemed unreal to him. He didn't think that he had been so kind, let alone noble. Noble. She had used that word to describe him. Even after these past five years, Draco couldn’t get her out of his head.
Ever since that day at his family's trial, his parents’ condemnation, Draco followed her. Turin, Kathmandu, Osaka, and now Alexandria… This was the true reason he was here now. She was taking part in the excavation of ancient Egyptian wizards and curse breaking. Her current work was on the sarcophagi at Kom el-Shuqafa. It was a dangerous job and he worried about her.
He knew she had been everywhere and seen everything in the world. She had faced a demon, the Dark Lord, without fear and Draco had no idea what he could possibly do to impress her. He wasn't nearly as knowledgeable in spells and incantations. He had little education in ancient wizards or the curses on their tombs. He had plenty of gold, but he had a feeling it would hardly impress her.
He wondered if he could just invite her over. He went over all the ways he would invite her and found it all silly and impossible. She would turn him down without a blink of her wide eyes. He was crazy to think she would even consider it. No, no it wouldn't do—sending a messenger to her home. Sending an owl would be just as impersonal. He decided in the end that he would have to do it in person.
Draco had followed her enough to know where she lived and worked, where she spent her off hours. He knew that she frequented a teahouse, at least with her co-workers who were male. She was often the only female in the shop. Draco’s new hobby became wandering the streets of downtown West al-Balad, trying to find that teahouse. It seemed whichever one he visited she was not there.
One evening, he found himself watching an old man craft a chair with straw. It was not often that he observed Muggles, but he couldn’t resist. It was so fascinating to him that a regular human being could make something so wonderful without the aid of magic. There were other artisans too, all with one unique talent or another, practicing ancient arts of another kind while cars honked as they tried to fight for the right of way.
Finally, Draco found the teahouse he had been looking for. He recognized the name: The café changes its name frequently from Sahret Al-Bustan: Flower of the Garden.
Stepping past the kittens that mewed at the entrance, Draco wandered inside. The smell of sheesha invaded his nostrils. He nearly made him cough because he was used to the purified air of the hotel suite. He hadn’t ever been inside one before and wondered why sawdust covered the floors.
Draco realized that as long as he had been in Egpyt, he hadn’t really experienced Egyptian life. Catered food and imported goods from England were things he was accustomed to. Where there were pubs all over England, teahouses were the staple in Egypt.
It was busy tonight. The teahouse was abuzz with life. Locals and foreigners segregated themselves in various areas of the place. Many people were also outside as well, taking in the warm night air. For Draco, being inside the teahouse was almost deafening. He felt entirely awkward and even though people barely noticed him, he felt as though everyone’s eyes were on him. In truth, this teahouse was used to travellers and barely batted an eye at the tall blonde-haired man. Draco, on the other hand, felt like they were watching him, just waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Muggle places always left him feeling anxious, especially with his family’s connections with the Dark Lord.
Draco looked around and noticed there weren’t many women, but was disappointed after walking through the teahouse and not finding Luna here.
Luna didn’t show that evening, nor the next night, but Draco couldn’t resist. The possibility of running into her was too much to stop him from returning.
Unfamiliar with the customs of Egpyt, Draco continually had to turn down offers of tea, not understanding that they took his ‘No thanks’ as being polite. After the fourth or fifth time another person tried to offer tea to him, he was about ready to use a stunning spell on them. He resisted the urge, as painful as it was. He didn’t want Luna to see him doing something like that.
Draco wanted to buy his own drinks. He thought they were being rude, thinking he was some poor traveller without any money. This evening, they were more insistent than usual and it was driving him mad. It now felt, to Draco, that they were threatening him with hospitality.
‘Are you sure, Sir?’ the man asked with accented English. ‘It’s a very nice taste—rich, strong.’
‘I’m all right—no thanks!’ Draco muttered.
The man did not back down, placing the cup on his table.
Draco pushed it away. ‘I don’t want it!’ He then spat out the only Arabic he had learnt in the past week: ‘Etrokny wahdy! Leave me alone! Fuck off!’
‘I’ll take it,’ piped in a female voice.
He saw the pale, slender hand wrap around the tea cup and place it to her delicate lips.
It was her.
‘Luna,’ he gasped as his irritation faded. He watched her drink the tea as though from the Holy Grail, as though she anointed the cup with her lips.
‘It was delicious, shukran, thank you,’ Luna said to the man who smiled and went over to his friends. ‘Hello Draco,’ she said, having a seat across from him. She seemed hardly nonplussed to see him at the teahouse or in Egypt for that matter.
‘Luna—’ Draco began again, finding his throat suddenly dry and now ironically wishing he had a cup of tea or anything to drink at that moment. He cleared his throat. ‘Hi—I er—was wondering—would you be interested in joining me for dinner or something at the hotel—where I’m staying I mean—I’m living there right now—in a suite—it’s really very nice—’
‘Would tomorrow night be all right? I’m a bit busy this evening, having a conversation with an old friend of mine.’
Draco couldn’t believe his luck. ‘Of course—I didn’t mean tonight—I mean yes, that’s lovely. I’ll send a taxi for you—’ He blushed then realizing that he had revealed to her that he knew where she lived. ‘Luna—thank you—I mean I wanted to thank you—’
‘Whatever for?’ Luna inquired, still hardly stunned to see him.
‘For what you did at the trial…I could have been locked away if it wasn’t for you. And your words…I’ll never forget them—and that’s why I’ve been—’
‘Following me, I know,’ she replied straightforwardly, with a hint of a smile.
Draco was entirely embarrassed at this revelation and wished the sawdust would just swallow him whole. He sputtered, trying to find words, anything to apologise. ‘I’m sorry—’
She just laughed at him and this made him put off.
‘Forget it,’ he said, rising from the table to leave. ‘I know you’re busy with your friends, so have a nice life.’
‘Draco,’ she said, taking his hand before he could get very far. ‘I think it’s terribly sweet, actually. I just—’
Sweet? She thought his following her across the world was sweet? Astonished, he looked at her in confusion. ‘Just what?’
‘I just wish that you would have spoken to me sooner,’ she admitted.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘You wanted me to talk to you—but I didn’t think that you would want me to speak to you—I didn’t think you would even want to see me.’
‘You’re quite silly, Draco,’ Luna giggled, giving his hand a squeeze as she led the way out of the teahouse.
He followed her like a man on a pilgrimage, trusting her as his guide, knowing he would follow her to the ends of the earth. He nearly had already. ‘I thought your friends were waiting for you,’ he commented, not wanting her to forget about her other commitments, for certainly they were worth more than time spent with him.
‘You are the friend I’m busy having a conversation with, Draco,’ she said, winking at him.
He knew his cheeks were ten shades of red now. ‘Where are we going?’
‘The beach,’ she replied.
‘In the middle of the night?’
‘Why not?’ was her only response as she quickened her pace toward the beach.
During the day this blaze was bustling with people of all ages, umbrellas decorating every open space of sand. Draco had only been on the private beaches outside his suite and even at night this place felt far from lonely. But perhaps it was because he was with her.
‘Luna,’ he said once they stopped at the water’s edge. ‘Luna, it’s been five years, but I’ve never forgotten what you said about me at the trial…’
‘What did I say?’ she asked.
‘You said that I was noble…and I never—I never intended to be noble. Nothing I did for you—or for Potter and his friends…it was because I was scared. I was scared for you and I was scared for myself—I didn’t want to die…But ever since that day, I’ve tried to be nobler. It’s not working out so well, but I thought you could help me…help me to become a better man.’
Luna’s eyes softened at this and she just looked at him for a moment. He didn’t know what to make of it and was incredibly nervous about what she would say. What if she was going to leave? What if she was going to disappear and he would never be able to find her again?
Her soft fingertips caressed his cheek as she softly replied, ‘Every moment you spent with me during the time I was in that cellar meant so much to me. Draco, I knew you were a good man. You are a good man. I’ve waited so long for you to come out of the shadows…’
Draco couldn’t help thinking he was imagining this whole thing. It was too unbelievable to be really happening to him. He knew he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve her. And yet, she was closing her eyes, her perfect, blushing lips drawing nearer…
He couldn’t resist her and was soon placing his own lips to hers. His arms wrapped around her and new in that moment that he was complete. Whatever was to come, he would never be alone again.
A/N: I wrote this a long time ago and forgot to post it up! I am still trying to finish up Carpe Noctum! Don't worry, I never leave a fic unfinished! ;)
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