Chapter Twenty Seven - The Last Adventure

After the wedding the couple headed off to the Isle of Skye to enjoy their honeymoon and give Luna an opportunity to search for fairies. Upon their return home they found a package of wedding photos taken by Andromeda and the Weasley family. Luna was delighted and spent the better part of a day going through each picture in great detail. She cherished all of the them but her favorite was the one that captured the first kiss she and Draco shared as husband and wife.

They also received a letter from the Malfoy family attorney stating that Narcissa had signed over the deed to the Manor as a wedding gift. After much discussion and a consultation with Arthur and Kingsley, Draco and Luna decided to donate the property to the Ministry with the stipulation that it be repurposed and christened the "Remus Lupin / Sirius Black Home for the Displaced" - a sanctuary for any witch, wizard or magical creature that might find themselves in need of a place of refuge.

Draco's vision of their family proved to be prophetic. They eventually had two children - Scorpius Arthur and Selena Grace - both of whom thrived during their time at Hogwarts, thanks in large part to the friendships they made as youngsters through their extended family of Weasleys, Potters and Longbottoms. The parents made an concerted effort to set aside their past differences and worked hard to ensure that the competitions between their children were far less divisive than in their day, with the focus being loyalty to the school and each other instead of to simply the family in which they were born or the house they had been sorted into.

For the most part the Draco and Luna were very happy. There were occasions when Luna had to raise her voice - mainly when she felt Draco was being overly protective of either her or the children - but they were always quick to enjoy the reconciliation that occurred after any disagreements. To Draco's amusement, Luna often used those moments as opportunities to add another point onto "the list" - which continued to grow throughout their lives together.

Over time Luna's expeditions took the family to every corner of the globe but they always made a point to come home frequently so they could check on what they now considered to be "their" thestrals.

Draco made good on his promise to Mr. Ollivander by using his alchemical skills to develop antidotes and counter spells to much of the dark magic referenced in the books Lucius had collected over the years, including an effective treatment for liquid despair, which thankfully was only needed once in his lifetime after an overconfident sixth year student at Hogwarts brewed and consumed a batch on a dare. ("Bloody Gryffindors never change..." Draco muttered, rolling his eyes as he administered the potion in the Hogwarts infirmary.)

Years and then decades rolled by and as they neared the century mark as a couple it became apparent that the end was drawing near. Draco once again found himself sitting by Luna's bedside at the cottage, surrounded by many generations of family and friends. Each person took a turn telling Luna how much she had meant to them before slipping out of the room until eventually only Draco remained. He held his wife's hand, now lined and wrinkled with age and whispered, "Oh, love. I wish we had time for one more adventure."

Luna squeezed her husband's fingers and said, "Oh - but we will, Draco. Dying is an awfully big adventure, don't you think?"

Draco shook his head. "The only adventures worth having were the ones I took with you."

In a soft voice she replied, "Then I shall make you one last promise, Draco Malfoy. If I'm right about the existence of an afterlife, then as soon as I get there, I will sit down and I will tell whoever is in charge that I'm not moving until you arrive. And when you do, I will be the first person you see. I shall walk up to you and say, 'Hello, Draco Malfoy. I've been waiting for you' and we will go on that last adventure together. Deal?"

A tear made its way down Draco's face. "Deal."

"Shh... no crying. Remember what I put on the list? Real friends never say goodbye - they say "Until we meet again." Luna brushed her hand against his cheek. "So, until we meet again, please know how very much I have loved you."

Draco sniffed and nodded. "Please tell me that you have an inkling of how much I love you."

"There has never been any doubt in my mind about your love for me, Draco." She closed her eyes and whispered, "But I'm very tired now, my dear. I think I will be going to sleep soon. I look forward to seeing you on the other side."

Minutes ticked past and Luna's breathing began to slow. Suddenly she inhaled sharply and her eyes fluttered open. Focusing on a spot just past where her husband was sitting she exclaimed, "Oh, Draco! It's so beautiful! Wait 'til you see it!"

And with that her eyes closed for the final time. Draco cried for a long while before he made his way to the sitting room to inform the others that Luna was gone.

Later that evening he gathered Scorpius, Selena and Teddy to finalize the arrangements for Luna's funeral. Then after everyone else was in bed, Draco slowly put on his best robes, wrote out a brief note and placed it on the table next to their bed. He pulled up a chair, took Luna's cold hand in his own, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He woke with a start, surprised that he had fallen asleep so easily. He went to adjust his position when he realized he wasn't sitting in the chair anymore. He wasn't even inside the house. He squinted and was startled to find himself lounging on a blanket in the fairy field behind the cottage.

At least, he thought it was their field. It looked the same and yet different - as if it were an enhanced version of the place he knew so well. As he tried to work out how he had made it all that distance unassisted, he heard a familiar voice behind him. It said, "Hello, Draco Malfoy. I've been waiting for you...although I will admit that I thought I would be waiting a bit longer."

He spun around and there was Luna - his Luna - looking just as she had decades earlier, wearing her favorite yellow sundress, the lines and wrinkles on her skin erased. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Why do you look so surprised, Draco? I made a promise and you know that I always keep my promises."

Draco stood and as he did so he noticed that, not only was he now dressed in his favorite button up shirt and trousers, but his joints no longer ached and his hands were no longer veined and gnarled. He looked at her in confusion and she shrugged. "I'm not really sure how it all works yet. Daddy looked the same as he did the last time I saw him."

"Your father?"

Luna nodded happily. "And Mum! And Mr. Ollivander! They were all here when I arrived. I told them I was waiting for you so they went on ahead. I think we will meet them...somewhere...quite soon."

Draco tentatively reached out and touched her face. "It's you. It's really you."

Luna threw her arms around him. "Yes, love. It's me. I told you I wasn't going anywhere without you."

Draco kissed her softly then leaned back and asked, "Is this real or is this just in my head?"

"Oh, Draco. Haven't you learned by now? Just because it's in your head, doesn't mean it's not real." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him across the field. "Come on, let's go!"

"Where?"

She looked over her shoulder and laughed. "I don't know, but we're going together! Isn't that wonderful?"

Draco smiled broadly and swept her into his arms for another kiss. "It's the most wonderful thing I could ever have hoped for."

xoxoxo

That smile was on Draco's face when the family discovered his body the next morning. He was in the chair next to the bed, holding onto his wife with one hand and clutching his well worn pocket watch in the other. A thorough medical examination showed no signs of foul play or self harm. The healers determined that the elderly Draco had simply willed himself to follow after Luna.

The note he left behind reaffirmed his love for his family and expressed his deep hope that he would join his wife as soon as possible. It also stipulated that, if he were successful, he wished certain items to be buried along with them. The children complied, fully aware of the significance that the pocket watch, the tattered top hat and parchment with faded writing had upon their parents' lives.

The funeral was presided over by the retired Minister of Magic, Edward "Teddy" Lupin, whose eulogy focused on the transformative power of love. He noted that many of the families represented at the gathering were at one time at odds but were now so intermingled by marriage and friendship as to be indistinguishable from one another. This was due in no small part, he asserted, to the actions of two people who made the decision to allow love to be the guiding force in their lives.

After he finished speaking and the crowd began to disperse, those who were able to witness it were stunned by the sight of a herd of thestrals descending upon the cemetery. The creatures lined up single file and took turns bowing in front of the headstone which bore the names of the couple that had cared for them for so long. When the animals had finished paying their respects they took to the air, and some in attendance still swear they saw a glint of sunlight reflecting off pale hair rising with them and heard the sound of joyous laughter ringing in the distance.

The End