Title:

School: Durmstrang

Year: 5

Theme: 12 Grimmauld Place

Main Prompt: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy

Side Prompt: Emerald

Side Prompt: Thunderstorm

Special Rule: Use a genre you've never used before - Science Fiction

Word Count: 3168

AN: I'm more than pleased how this entry turned out. I never thought I would write a Sci-Fi AU for Harry Potter and I've cursed myself once again with this interesting take. I certainly hope I met all the requirements for this round. Hope y'all like it as much as I loved writing it :)

As always, enjoy

-Carolare Scarletus

Warnings: There is the slightest hint of a child's death, though no such thing occurs in this entry. It's only mentioned that it could potentially happen, as y'all will read.

The Last of a Dying Breed

Severus raised his hand, and a glowing orb of emerald appeared above Narcissa's clothed stomach. A thunderstorm was raging outside their mansion; sharp slits of rain pounded against the roof, and lightning emerged from the darkened clouds to light up the night sky. This unsettling mood did not improve the already depleted energy he felt inside the nursery. Lucius stood in the corner of the room, looking completely beside himself. Draco, their oldest child, displayed the same undeniable concern as his parents did. Severus stood in front of her for quite some time, his eyes lingering on her stomach. From time to time, he would look at the orb but the color did not change one bit. In fact, it appeared to be darkening, and it was clear to him that it was not the news they were hoping for. Their child's heartbeat was growing weaker by the second.

"Severus, the silence is unbearable," Narcissa pleaded with tearful eyes. Her hands came to rest on the small bump concealed by her heavy robes. She sat there lovingly soothing the unborn child growing inside of her. They'd just found out that they were having a little girl, something that hadn't been seen within the Malfoy family in over two-hundred years. "Please say something."

Her nervousness was palpable.

There was a curse within many Pureblood families when it came to the females. Many did not live to see the birth, and if they did, they died soon after. Only a handful have lived as long as her oldest child, Draco, and Severus could think of at least two families stricken with grief over the loss of their daughters. A male heir was always a blessing, but having a female heir was almost a desperate cry for leniency. Back in Salazar Slytherin's era, those who followed him had been cursed with the inability to conceive any children after his defeat. Eventually, the curse lost its power and left them to only successfully produce male heirs. There was great speculation that since so many of Salazar's followers had killed mothers that Pureblood women didn't deserve to be mothers themselves. The greatest tragedy is killing something that provided life.

"You must tell me," she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Is she going to live?"

"It appears," Severus Snape said slowly, obvious to the fact that the long-awaited diagnosis of their unborn child was grave, "she is destined to die."

Narcissa let out a startling cry.

The tears she'd been holding in ran down her cheeks, but there was absolutely nothing that Severus could do. She hunched forward, bringing her hands to her mouth and allowed her tears to trickle down her shaking wrists. There were no words that could accurately describe the grief, though they had held onto hope until he uttered those remorseful words. The odds had never been in their favor; this curse placed on the females of some pureblood families was almost like a lingering judgment passed down from their ancestors, permanently immortalizing them with sin. They hadn't done anything to deserve this tragedy; yet, they continued to blame themselves for every little thing they'd done that would eventually result in their child's death. Perhaps, they were blaming themselves for the things they could have done that would've prevented such a staggering demise.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done," he told them finally, looking at each of them with the slightest hint of remorse. He'd never born a child; he didn't know what true grief was. Judging by the mournful looks in their eyes, they had to be thinking back on every insignificant moment in the past few months that lead up to this one, wondering where they'd gone wrong. Severus could only provide them with a few seemingly understanding nods and words of encouragement, but he knew that if they tried to pursue another pregnancy, there would always be a shadow of doubt following their every footstep and criticizing their every maternal instinct.

"Severus, please," Narcissa finally looked up at him. "There has to be something we can do." Her voice cracked as she whispered these words.

In that moment, he could see just how drained she'd become.

He'd known her since their time at Hogwarts.

Even at this age, she'd been beautiful, but being enlightened that they were expecting a girl erased any youthful glow that all expecting mothers should have. She was only three months along and knowing that their child could potentially not live long enough to be birthed had to come with a disastrous price. Her hair had become unruly; there were dark spots under her eyes indicating she hadn't slept in days. If she did, her dreams were probably riddled with every moment she could've shared with her child- her first steps, the first semblance of magic showing its flourishing face, and even the first day at school were probably the images that manifested in her dreams that soon became a walking nightmare every time she dared open her eyes. The reality was, she was already living her worst nightmare. She'd been reduced to dream of a life her child might have lived had she not married into a family that was cursed.

"There is nothing I can do," Severus told her with repentance.

"Severus-"

"Narcissa, that is enough," Lucius finally put a stop to her pointless tirade.

Narcissa bit back a sob and nodded.

If this wasn't the end to an unwritten beginning, then Severus didn't know what was.

It was clear to him that she had so many plans for her daughter; she would've been the perfect mirror of her mother. Severus imagined them both shopping in Diagon Alley, a glorious engagement party, and her child becoming a mother herself. It would've been a life that any parent would have dreamed for her child but there was absolutely nothing he could do. There were experimental treatments that more affluent families were dabbling in, but there were no guarantees that the child would survive. They involved infusing the unborn child with the essence of a unicorn. It was information that Severus had been holding off telling the Malfoys since extracting the blood of a unicorn could potentially kill both the creature and the child if they were not compatible. The Malfoys did not need any more false hopes in this time of darkness.

"Severus, thank you for your time. However-"

"Lucius, need I remind you that I have exhausted every possible avenue," he emphasized each word as if a single syllable could throw Narcissa into a unconsolable mess, "all except one. There is one possible experimental treatment I have yet to disclose with you."

"Why did you feel the need to keep this information from us," Lucius hissed. "We have tried everything that we could. From forbidden spells, to rare and exotic elixirs… there is nothing that we would not try in order to save our child."

Severus looked at him for a moment before speaking. "This particular treatment is especially inhumane."

"I don't give a damn," Lucius bellowed, his voice bouncing off all four walls. "Tell us what we need to do, and we will do it."

The level of desperation in Lucius' voice was surreal.

It was clear that the man would go to any lengths in order to save his child, but what if it resulted in the death of someone else? Granted, Severus didn't know the full effects of infusing a dying child with the blood of a unicorn and what sort of imposition would arise from such a sinful act. Inbreeding and genetically enhancing one living thing was thought of as an act as God; Muggles are continuously debating whether or not cloning themselves is ethical and this holds the same principles. How far is too far, Severus has battled with this question as long as he could remember. However, Lucius seemed adamant in his decision, no matter the cost. Severus hadn't the heart to tell them until this point because the child would live as long as the unicorn did. Their magic would become near impossible to manage if they didn't drink an elixir every month to stabilize their body. There were only a handful of them left in the world and the unicorn must come from the place the family dwelled. The populace was only dwindling by the seconds.

"It involves unicorns," Severus told him slowly. He pulled something from his robes and held it to the light.

It was a vial, the contents swirling with a shimmery hint of white. Lucius and Narcissa immediately perked up, but their son seemed to be unaffected by what he was looking at. Severus knew that they would instantly recognize the substance he showed them. He could see the hatred and disgust churning within their eyes as they stared at the vial, knowing what he was prepared to tell them. It was the same reaction he'd elicited to the other families he'd gone to. Though, many of him had turned them down. Severus believed he was the answer to the century's long battle the Purebloods have been fighting.

"Unicorns," Draco scoffed, almost amused by what his Godfather was telling them. "Surely, you can't be serious?"

"Now, now, Draco," his father said," leave us to speak alone with your Godfather."

"But, father I want to stay!"

"Leave!"

"Lucius, darling," Narcissa pleaded with her husband and he had no choice but to back off. "Let our son stay."

He looked at Severus before saying, "How dare you bring this sort of atrocity inside my home. Begone, Severus! I will find another way to save my daughter and it would do you well to get rid of that vial before you're affected by its curse."

"What difference is there between the curse that affects your daughter and the one that would affect me?"

"Anyone who kills a unicorn is cursed from the moment their blood touches the ground. You are asking me to infuse the blood of a unicorn with my unborn child! What kind of Muggle experiment do you think she is? Do you not know mixing two pure things will only cancel each other out? She is already cursed enough as it is because of my family's sins and now you want her to be burdened by the fact that her life will always hang in the balance? There are wizards and witches out there that kill unicorns for sport and Gods knows how long we can keep the one whose blood you took from harm's way. I'll be damned if we stoop so low as to allow you to play God with our child's life and infect her with such impure magic! Purebloods have suffered enough and I cannot condone such a thing."

"So, you have heard about this treatment," Severus did not sound the least bit astounded by this fact. "You act as if the Purebloods who followed Salazar didn't slaughter innocent women and children in order to rid the world of Muggles and Muggleborns alike. If you are worried that your tainted blood will not mingle well with the pureness that derives from a unicorn, then you are wrong. Unicorn blood is the purest substance in our world and infusing it into your daughter will erase any impurities that may linger."

Lucius glowered at him. "Of course I have. I was not lying when I said I have exhausted every avenue. There are things I would do for my family, Severus, but this is not one of them. Unicorns are so pure and killing one will only end in suffering. Infusing the blood in any being would be problematic. Think of the ethical consequences. Haven't you already learned that in your travels? Perhaps, you were hoping I wouldn't be so well versed with them? As for this burden the remaining Purebloods share, we shall endure. There are many things I am ashamed of that my family has done but I will not lower myself to using the blood of a unicorn to save my child. Even though we think it is unethical."

"You didn't think killing innocent people was unethical? That you playing God would not have any repercussions? The Muggles are using medicine to enhance themselves; they're living longer than ever before-"

"And, they are also dying of so many diseased they've inflicted upon themselves. Diseases and war only ravage their society. This science you speak of is utter nonsense. It is simply not in our genetic makeup to dabble in something we do not understand. It's the same for them with harvesting magic, though they seem perfectly inclined to live in a magicless world. How can you be so certain that the blood will take to our child? How are we to keep it safe if so many families have been afflicted with the inability to produce a female heir? They will be on the lookout for one Godforsaken hint of their salvation. I say we drop the subject and let nature take its course."

"I was only offering a helping hand, Lucius," Severus whispered solemnly. "Alas, if you cannot consider this option then there truly is nothing I can do. Your child will die if you do not pursue this avenue."

"Consider this option…" he said thoughtfully. "Tell me, Severus. If we were to infuse our daughter with the unicorn's blood you have procured, what would be her prognosis? Would she be able to use magic and how long would she live?"

Severus looked at his friend and said," She'll be able to use magic, but all dark magic comes with a price. She'll live as long as the unicorn, though she would have to take an elixir every month from the moment she is born."

"How many have successfully been cured with this treatment?"

Did he have the heart to tell him that his child would lead the first trial? Severus had studied the countless ways unicorn blood can be used for the good of magic, but he never imagined he would be implementing what he learned into saving the life of a child. He looked at Draco for a moment; his eyes were red and he presented himself in the same fashionable sense of exhaustion as his parents have. There was probably a fair reason they didn't him to hear this; it would've been so easy to obliviate the boy. First, the child had to be compatible with the unicorn, almost like how the Muggles received blood transfusions from the same blood type as them. In its purest state, unicorn was unpredictable but Severus resolved himself to help them in any way that he could.

Even if that meant lying to them.

"A fair amount," he told him, his voice unwavering. Although Severus felt guilty that he was lying to his friend, Lucius grew visible relaxed by his tender words. "More treatments are being offered to those who seek it and I am confident to say they are going fairly well."

"What is it that you need us to do, Severus," Narcissa asked weakly.

She, too, was resolved to believe his foolish lie.

"This is the potion I have concocted," he handed Narcissa the vial. Her fingers wrapped around the oddly shaped bottle and she clinged onto it as if it were the only thing anchoring her to the world. "It is a diluted form of the elixir your child will be taking for the remainder of her life. I will continuously had small amounts of unicorn essence with each potion until I can indicate she is able to consume a more concentrated form. I have procured more than enough that will allow her to live a hundred years if she is lucky."

"No harm came to the unicorn," Narcissa asked, blissfully convinced that the blood had been taken forcefully from the creature.

"The unicorn that was chosen gave its blood willingly," Severus affirmed. "There is no sense in killing a creature for their blood if they willingly provide it for those who are pure of heart."

"This unicorn must have thought you were a saint, Severus. Otherwise, it would not have to share its life with our daughter."

"It put its trust in someone it knew would not harm them," he told him thoughtfully. "Narcissa, there is only one thing I must leave with in order to ensure that the unicorn is safe from harm's way."

"What on earth do you need," Narcissa whispered. "Name it, Severus. Anything and it will be yours."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, looked at his Godfather with contempt, and remained silent. Lucius, too, was on the edge as Severus looked between the three of them before choosing his words carefully.

"I need a sample of your child's blood," he told her. "It will not harm the child. I can extract it almost in the same fashion as I did to see her heartbeat. I need it in order to link her to the unicorn."

"Are you certain this is all you need from us?"

He nodded, awaiting her decision. "Just allow me to see the child once more."

When Narcissa nodded her consent, Severus raised his hand to her stomach, and an emerald orb appeared before them once again. The thunderstorm outside raged on. Inside the small glowing cloud, he saw the child's heartbeat and it was beating steadily within the small space it occupied. It was apparent to him he'd chosen the right unicorn to infuse the child with; all Narcissa had to do was take a small potion before the next full moon and if everything went accordingly, the child would not only survive but thrive. Severus' prediction was correct; the child would've died within two months had he not convinced the Malfoy's to explore the last possible endeavor to save their child. The only think ravaging his thoughts was the ethical point of things. Did he really have the heart to tell them that their child was already destined to do horrible things? Lucius was correct in his statement that two pure things only cancel each other out. If all goes to plan and he was able to provide a guiding hand, their daughter would end up saving the world.

Severus took out his wand, punctured a small hole into the cloud, and extracted the child's blood with another small vial. Not even a second later, the hole closed up and the cloud evaporated into thin air. Just like that, the weight of the world came crashing down and another spur of the ethical repercussions reared its ugly head. Severus quickly tucked the newly acquired vial into his robes and looked at each of the malfoy's with another solemn look. Again, his heart wasn't in the right place and he couldn't help feeling guilty he was lying to them even if their child was saved.

Truth is, magic was dying and this was the only way Severus could save it.