L'amour Detruit *COMPLETE*

Draco awoke the following morning with his head still burning. He groaned and hid under the covers upon hearing the raindrops on his windowsill.

What was wrong with him? Had he actually spent the previous evening making out with Luna Lovegood? Maybe it was because of all pressure he was under. Or perhaps he was under a cruel love spell. Either way, Draco couldn’t stop thinking about her and he was beginning to lose his mind.

Draco abruptly realized what day it was: the day of the Quidditch game. The one which would decide Slytherin’s fate at winning the House Cup. Draco groaned once more, wishing he could crawl into his mattress and remain there for the rest of the semester. He was completely doomed. Slytherin would inevitably loose, and he would be the school’s laughingstock. Not even Luna Lovegood would dare to be seen with him after this game.

“Why me??” Draco moaned as he forced himself out of bed. He was an utter failure; as Quidditch captain, as a Slytherin, and hell, even as a Malfoy.

With a deep sigh Draco slipped on his school robes and followed the staircase downstairs, every inch of his body aching with dread at having to face the others. He prayed frantically that he would not run into Luna, and thankfully he managed to make it to the Great Hall without seeing her. When he approached the Slytherin table, he was greeted with sheer iciness.

“Nice of you to join us,“ Blaise sneered, “however, we do have an important game today, so do you think you can make it there without punching the rest of our team?”

The Slytherins quietly snickered around him, although nobody dared to say a word. Draco felt his face turn a deep shade of crimson. He forced himself to remain calm as he sat down and devoured his breakfast in silence. Nobody spoke again until they were dismissed from breakfast.

Draco followed Crabbe and Goyle into the soaking Quidditch pitch, still hoping that he wouldn’t run into Luna. Come to think of it, where was she? She had the irritating habit of constantly showing up whenever Draco least wished to see her, and this would have been a perfect moment to humiliate him. But then again, Draco couldn’t picture her at a Quidditch game. It was far too conventional of an event. With a sigh of relief, Draco entered the changing room and slipped on his Quidditch robes. He entered the soggy Quidditch pitch with the rest of the team, looking at the blurry sea of faces amid the stadium. Deafening roars greeted him, the bold colors of Hufflepuff and Slytherin visibly jumping out in the rain. Draco gulped.

Madam Hooch was standing between the two teams, ready to release the balls. Draco faced the Hufflepuff captain and shook his hand in haste. They mounted their brooms, and shot into the air at the sound of Madam Hooch’s whistle. Draco soared through the sky looking for the golden snitch when the commentator’s familiar, dreamy voice nearly knocked him off the broom. “And now they’re off in the sky. The clouds look so lovely when they’re so grey and full, I think. But anyway, there’s Cadwallader with the Quaffle, narrowly escaping that Bludger…”

Draco had to grip his broom tightly to avoid falling off. No, it couldn’t be. Luna couldn’t possibly have been appointed as the Quidditch commentator, especially considering the fact that the last time she had commentated she had gotten irrationally side-tracked. Draco momentarily considered jumping off his broom in order to avoid the potential awkwardness of Luna’s running comments, but realized it would only bring him more attention. Draco cringed, hoping Luna wouldn’t say anything about him.

Draco kept flying, attempting to conceal himself behind the other players. “Oh, and he scores! Ten for Hufflepuff!”

A roar of boos and cheers arose through the stadium. Draco wasn’t too concerned; at least Luna was sticking on topic this time. He grinned to himself as he flew past the Hufflepuff chaser, until he heard Luna’s next words.

“And there goes the Slytherin captain Draco Malfoy…he’s so dreamy…and his hair feels is so nice and soft when it’s wet. I think he looks rather fit in his Quidditch gear…”

Draco nearly crashed into a tree. The thunder of laughter emanating from the stadium was strikingly audible to his ears. Around him the other Quidditch players snickered loudly. Draco’s face turned red. Luna, however, didn’t stop her commentary. “I don’t think many people like him, but I rather enjoy his company. He’s actually very sweet. And his kisses are so heavenly...”

This sent the crowd hysterically bellowing with uncontrollable laughter. Behind him Blaise let out a whistle, and Draco gritted his teeth with outmost fury. Luna continued gushing over Draco through the commentator’s podium for the next few hours, entirely ignoring the game. Professor McGonagall had to interfere in order to update the crowd, “Forty-six-fifteen to Hufflepuff.”

Draco’s face was beginning to hurt from cringing. He couldn’t remember having suffered this much humiliation in his entire life. He had decided to fly after Summerby, the Hufflepuff seeker, to find the snitch but he wasn’t making much progress. By now he was only hoping that someone would quickly find the snitch, in order to end this disastrous game.

But then he saw it; a tiny gleam of gold streaming through the rain. Summerby seemed to have noticed it as well, however, as he rapidly picked up speed. Draco increased his own speed and began to chase the seeker. From the foggy ground below he could hear cheers and shouts as Hufflepuff scored another goal. Maybe there was still a chance left for Draco to catch the snitch and perhaps redeem himself…

Draco caught up with Summerby, giving him a rough nudge as he passed by. He soared through the air, squinting to see the golden ball in the wetness. He could hear Summerby approaching closer, and a moment later Draco found himself shoved aside as the Hufflepuff darted forwards. He sped up in rage, until he observed Goyle smacking a Bludger in Summerby’s direction. Draco grinned as the ball hit the Hufflepuff seeker, who went soaring to the ground.

And the next thing he knew, Draco Malfoy was holding the golden snitch amidst a crowd of cheering Slytherins. He was still grinning as he clutched the snitch; his robes filthy and his silky blonde hair completely drenched. No one was laughing at him now. Even Blaise was congratulating him. The crowd’s howls felt like music to Draco’s ears.

“Next week Slytherin will play against Ravenclaw for the House Cup,” Professor McGonagall hollered as the audience began to dissipate.

Draco proudly walked back to the castle with the rest of his teammates. They seemed to have forgotten about Luna’s commentary, as they were all busy congratulating Draco and chattering about how they would win the House Cup. Draco smirked all the way to the castle, until he was approached by a girl wearing brightly mismatched robes and a bottle cap necklace. The Slytherins stopped cheering and watched the pair in silence. “You were amazing, Draco,” Luna said with her eyes widened, “do you want to take a walk –“

Draco cut her off coldly. “No. Honestly, I’m sick of your little crush you have on me. I’m a Malfoy, babe, and way out of your league. I can’t be seen with people of your type, so just leave me alone.”

The Slytherins roared with laughter, and Luna’s face fell. Draco had never seen anyone look so hurt. Emerging tears moistened Luna’s bewildered eyes, as she feebly turned away.