Round 7 Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Position: Beater 1

Prompt: Elixer of Life

Additional Prompts:

1. (word) permeate

9. (closing sentence) That was for certain.

11. (word) special

Rituals and Love

Draco whimpered as he held Luna's hand. "You can't-"

Luna cut him off, "I am." She pulled her hand viciously out of Draco's hold. "We're done. I'm out. My things are already packed and gone. I was just telling you out of courtesy."

Draco flinched back. "What did I do to make you want to leave me?"

Luna stood and clenched her fists. She sneered at Draco as she spoke. "It's always about you, isn't it? What makes you so special that everything revolves around you? Merlin, Draco!"

Draco glared at Luna, his eyes flashed black, and he flung his hands up, "Fine! Be that way! GET OUT! You want to leave so badly, then just GO!"

Luna shrugged and turned away from the distraught Malfoy heir. "That was the plan. Goodbye, Draco." She walked away as Draco slumped down in his chair in tears.

Luna kept a strong front, but as soon as she apparated to Hermione's flat, she lost all composure. "H-h-hermione! I l-left Draco! He d-doesn't know..."

Hermione helped the trembling witch to sit on the couch and handed her a cup of tea. "We'll figure it out, Luna. I know that Mungo's hasn't got a cure, simply because they don't deal with Muggle illnesses. We'll go to London tomorrow and see what the Muggle doctors say."

Luna sighed and drank her tea, "I already went to a Muggle hospital, Hermione. They don't think they can beat it back."

Harry walked into the living room and perched on the arm of the couch by Hermione. "I've been working on something in the Lab. Once Severus got over his hatred for all things Potter, he actually started to teach me properly."

Luna looked at Harry, despair obvious on her face. "There is no potion that can get rid of cancer, Harry. It's getting worse, and I can't stop it. I don't want Draco to know. He'll blame himself if I succumb to cancer."

Hermione looked at Luna sharply. "You already know the type of cancer? What is it?"

Luna shrugged, "I have Leukemia. The pain comes and goes. There's a reason I never let Draco ask me to marry him. I kept putting it off because I don't want him to follow me in death."

"No, just listen!" Harry said excitedly, "Severus was teaching me about the Elixer of Life and I think that we can recreate it!"

Luna shook her head. "You obviously only took in the name of the potion, Harry. The Elixer of Life is created using the Philosopher's Stone. It was destroyed during your First Year. I remember the Second Years talking about it on the train ride to Hogwarts when I was a First Year."

Hermione sighed and patted Harry on the knee. "Harry, the Elixer of Life doesn't actually cure anything. It prolongs life with continued usage, and is made using the Philosopher's Stone. Which was destroyed nearly ten years ago by Professor Dumbledore at Nicholas Flamel's request."

Harry flinched, "I know that they said it was destroyed, but after everything that Dumbledore put us through, do you really believe it was?"

Hermione sighed. "I asked Dumbledore about it afterwards, and he showed me the Pensieve memory of the both of them melting it down into nothing. It's gone, Harry. We'll just have to figure out something else. Luna wouldn't want to be dependent on some potion anyways, right, Luna?"

Luna snorted, "I'm already dependent on potions to keep the pain down." She rubbed her throat. "They aren't the nicest to taste either. There really isn't anything that can beat Leukemia. Not fully anyways."

A startled gasp came from the doorway where Draco stood gaping. "Leukemia?"

Luna blanched and stood slowly, edging away from the blonde in the doorway. "I-I-"

"No," Draco snarled as he paced forward. "You left me because of a disease? A blood disorder?!"

"It's more than that!" Luna yelled, eyes wide as he backed into a wall.

"I knew something was wrong when that strange scent would permeate the very air when you spoke. Your potions can't be hidden that easily. Why did you not trust me? As a Mal-" Draco hissed in frustration and threw a glance over his shoulder at the nonchalant couple still sitting on the couch. "Do you mind?"

Hermione shook her head and stood up, took Harry's wrist and pulled him from the room. "We'll be back in two hours. Don't destroy my flat!"

Draco turned back to Luna, eyes solid black. "They sent me a message to know you were here. You can yell at them later."

Luna whimpered and tried to edge away.

Draco slammed his hands onto the wall, effectively boxing the brunette in. "As I was saying, as a Malfoy, I would sacrifice everything I am to save my chosen. If that means dying so that you may live, so be it! I don't care so long as you do." Draco bowed his head.

Luna hesitantly reached up and touched Draco's face. Draco stiffened and looked down into Luna's eyes.

"I won't live without you, Luna," Draco whispered.

Luna just shook her head. "You would be better off with finding someone new. Lucius and Narcissa are desperate to have you married with a child on the way. They don't particularly care if it is me by your side, so anyone would be fine to take my place." She smiled sadly.

Draco flinched as if struck, "How could you say that, Luna?"

"We are not married, and we never consummated our relationship, Draco. Despite your many attempts, we never did anything that would result in the continuation of the Malfoy line." Luna ruffled Draco's hair. "You should find someone healthy and love them. I won't be here for much longer. I wanted you to hate me so you could move on! You are so difficult sometimes, my Dragon."

Draco choked back a sob, "I don't want anyone else! I want you!"

Luna bit her lip and looked down, "There's no true cure for this process, Draco. I won't start something with you just to leave you because I died of an illness!"

Draco grabbed Luna's shoulders and shook her, "I could die from a stray spell tomorrow! Merlin, Luna! I just want you."

"I won't marry you, Draco. Not to just die in a few months." Luna hardened her gaze, as she tried to hold back her tears.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Luna! My family has a marriage ritual that clears all sicknesses and makes sure that the bride-to-be, or groom should the wedding Malfoy be female, is completely healthy and able to continue the line." Draco removed his hands from Luna's shoulders and took a few steps back.

"Most pureblood families have something similar," a new voice said from the doorway.

The two blondes looked and saw a red-head leaning in the door frame. "Ginny," Luna said, confusion laced her voice. "Why are you here?"

Ginny sighed, "I figured something like this would happen. While the Malfoy ritual isn't the Elixer of Life, it does fix anything physically wrong with the intended of the Malfoy. Luna," Ginny narrowed her gaze at Luna, "I know you love him and don't want him to hurt-shut up and let me speak Malfoy!" She glared at the male in question. "As I was saying, I know that you love him and don't want to see him hurt, so marry him. The Mafloy ritual is your only hope. I don't want to lose you. Harry and Hermione don't want to lose you. Draco would die without you. He'd lose his reason for living. I'm sorry, Draco, but I had to tell her. I knew if she went through with her plan to leave you that she'd come here to speak with Hermione and you would come here to speak with Harry."

Draco's shoulders slumped. Luna cocked her head to the side.

"Seriously, Lulu, marry Draco." Ginny's eyes flashed. "I'n your maid of honor and Hermione will be your bridesmaid. Harry is a groomsman, and Blaise is the best man. I've already got the dresses and tuxes on standby thanks to Blaise." Ginny turned on her heel and stalked out of the apartment.

Luna choked, "What just happened?"

Draco shrugged, "I told Blaise I was going to ask you to marry me and Ginny ran with it. She knows your preferences and mine, and since she's a designer, and Blaise is her business associate, we pretty much have everything set. My parents love you, and Xeno has no objections. I asked him before I asked you."

Luna shook her head then stopped and looked at the hopeful blonde that she loved with all her heart. "You're sure that this ritual that Ginny described...it'll fix whatever is wrong with me?"

Draco nodded. "Mother went through the ritual. She had weak lungs before the ritual, now she's completely healthy."

Luna bowed her head as she thought it over.

Draco took a few more steps back to give her space.

Suddenly Luna's head snapped up and she launched herself at Draco, wrapping him in her arms. "I love you," she whispered as she clutched onto Draco.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in the crook of her neck, "So that means..." he trailed off.

Luna pulled back and tilted his head down to look into his mercurial eyes. "Yes, Draco. I will marry you."

Draco pulled her into a fierce kiss, "We should let the others have their home back."

Luna giggled. "We should. Let's let Ginny know she can carry on. I'll leave a note for Harry and Hermione."

"No need," Harry's voice came from the front door as he and Hermione took off their shoes. "Get going you two. We'll talk to you later."

Luna smiled as the pair walked into the living room.

Draco pulled Luna closer, looked at Harry and Hermione, then apparated Luna back to the manor.

A few weeks later, Luna and Draco stood before their friends and said their vows. As they sealed their love with a kiss a blinding white light flashed out over the crowd. Narcissa looked at Lucius, her eyes shining and full of love. "I don't know if I could ever thank you for letting me participate in the Malfoy ritual at our wedding, Lucius."

Lucius smiled at his wife and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "It's not so much an actual ritual as it is the pure love from the Malfoy being married fills the intended and wipes out anything that could possibly harm them. My love took care of your lungs, and strengthened your bones. Draco's love...it cured her of any illness that she ever had that left a mark on her body. Should I ever leave you, anything I cured in you would be released into me. The same goes for him. If Draco leaves Luna, he will take on her disease. That is why I didn't allow anyone to put in a marriage contract for Draco. I wanted him to marry for love."

Draco and Luna turned to the crowd at that point, raised their joined hands, and said at the same time, "Well what are you waiting for? Let's celebrate!"

Luna had become a Professor at Hogwarts while Draco worked as an Auror. Six years had passed with no hints of a relapse, and Luna was on summer holiday. Draco had taken a month off in order to bond with his wife. Luna smiled as she laid out by the pool in the backyard of the manor. Her hands rested on her stomach. Draco walked out and stood staring at his wife.

"Luna, love, Hipsy said you wanted to see me?" Draco said as he kissed her neck.

Luna opened her eyes and smiled. "We're going to have a baby, Draco."

Draco dropped to his knees at her side. "We are?"

Luna patted her stomach. "Yes."

Scorpius had blonde hair like both his parents, but his eyes were a steel blue compromise between his mother's baby blue eyes, and his father's slate grey.

He was eleven years old now and attending Hogwarts. He'd been sorted into Ravenclaw and his parents could not be more proud. He listened with rapt attention as Professor Potter, his Aunt Hermione, went over Potions.

"Au-Professor!" Scorpius said, raising his hand when she was done with the introductions.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione smiled at her Godson.

"Can you tell us about the Elixer of Life?" He asked. "My mum was telling me about it and said that you knew the most about it."

Hermione smiled and the class got started.

Scorpius knew that it wasn't the potion that saved his mother, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from learning.

He was going to take every bit of knowledge he could and turn it to his advantage. This was be just the beginning- of his life, of his story, of his adventures. That was for certain.