A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment #4 Travel and Tourism Task #1 - Dinosaur, Colorado: Originally named Artesia, the town changed its name in 1966 in an attempt to capitalize on its proximity to the Dinosaur National Monument. Deciding to go all the way, they even renamed many streets to dinosaur-inspired things like Tyrannosaurus Trail or Antrodemus Alley.

Prompt: Write about being inspired by someone or something.

word count:1543

Warning: almost dying

"You're the venomous animal consult?" Lucius asked, staring at the witch in front of him. While she was wearing green healer's robes, her hair hung limply around her face, her badge was askew, there was a smudge of what appeared to mud across the bridge of her nose, and for some reason he couldn't begin to fathom, she was wearing a pair of earrings in the shape of radishes.

"Yes, Healer Lovegood at your service. And of course, you're Lord Malfoy, I can see the resemblance, I attended Hogwarts with Draco."

"Right, now about the venom?"

"It's rare and if it were anyone but you asking I'd be asking some questions about how you procured it."

"And you're not asking me those questions?"

"Would it do me any good if I did? I have a feeling you'd give me little half answers, lie, tell me it's not my concern, that a man like you can do what he wants to an extent without the pesky laws getting in the way," Luna replied, shrugging her shoulders. Lucius nodded slowly. She was right by all accounts. Those did sound like the answers he'd have given if he'd been asked.

"In that case, let's skip that part of this and you tell me if you managed to do it."

"I did, I managed to use the sample you gave me to create an anti-venom."

"And it works?" Lucius asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"Theoretically. I didn't have any subjects to test it on, being as the venom is so rare I didn't dare waste the sample you gave me. It should work."

"Good. Do you have it on you, the anti-venom?"

Luna nodded, pulling a small vial of scarlet liquid from the inner pocket of her healer robes. She looked at Lucius.

"I must warn you, it hasn't been tested as I stated. And if you are planning to use this on a person, they should really be monitored in case of an adverse reaction."

"Can I trust you?" Lucius asked, his voice soft. Luna nodded, keeping her eyes on him. There was something about him that made her want to spend more time with him, more time hearing him speaking. She'd always heard the Malfoy family had a way with words, a charisma that made people like them. She couldn't help but agree.

"Yes, you can trust me. I did create the anti-venom for you, I know more about toxins, venoms, venomous creatures, and poisons that most people could even begin to understand."

"Are you willing to come with me then, to see if this works?"

"Absolutely. When are we leaving then?" Luna asked, wondering if she had time to leave a brief message as to where she was going.

"Now," Lucius stated, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder. The room around them spun and Luna found herself suddenly standing in a small room with white walls, a bed and a single chair. Lucius walked over to the bed and sat down. He nodded to the chair. Luna sat.

"It's you, isn't it?" she asked, once she got over her shock at being apparated so quickly. "You're the one who needs the anti-venom."

"Yes, before his demise, Lord Voldemort had his snake bite me, inject me. At first, it seemed nothing had happened, it was nothing more than two holes in my arm, but as time went on... the symptoms started showing. I contacted anyone and everyone I could think of, everyone who owed me anything, anyone who showed a hint of being able to solve my problem."

"They all failed," Luna said, watching Lucius roll up the white sleeve of his shirt. She could see the puncture wounds, not healed properly, dark lines eluding from them up Lucius' shoulder.

"They did."

"That's why you started looking for someone else, someone who could save you. How far does it go?"

"Up my shoulder, down my chest."

"Let me see," Luna ordered. Lucius merely unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off. Luna traced the lines of the venom, all leading towards Lucius' heart. Once it hit there, he'd be dead.

"Do you think it will work? Or am I too late?" he asked. Luna looked up at his face, pretending she didn't see the fear in his grey eyes.

"Only one way to find out," she answered, pulling the vial out again. "Normally one would just drink it, as they would a potion, but with the spread this extreme, it would be better to administer straight into the blood stream," she said. Lucius nodded.

"Do what you have to do," he said after moment. Luna pulled out a syringe, filled it and looked at Lucius. She tied a tourniquet around his arm and held up the syringe so he could get a good look at it.

"This is a needle, I'm going to insert it into your skin, then I will inject the anti-venom. If it works as it should, we should know sooner rather than later," she said. "You might want to close your eyes," she added. Lucius closed his eyes and Luna injected the needle into one of the larger veins of his arm. She heard him wince, but ignored it finishing the injection and then removing the tourniquet.

"You can open your eyes now," she said, watching Lucius closely. This was all untested and she was terrified she'd failed. She wasn't sure how he'd respond if she had, she was apparently his last hope. She watched his chest rise and fall.

"Is it working?" he asked, looking at his arm. Luna followed his eyes, studying the dark lines. They did seem paler than before, but maybe it was just a trick of the light? She didn't want to get either of their hopes up, not yet. Lucius made a gasping sound and clenched his shoulder, rocking back and forth.

"It hurts," he howled.

"I know, I know, but you need to fight through the pain, it's only temporary," she lied, tears welling in her eyes. Had she made it worse? It should have worked! Lucius slumped back, his head nearly hitting the wall before Luna had a chance to cast a cushioning charm. She helped lay him down in the bed. His body was sweating and she could feel the heat coming from his skin. She summoned a cooling rag and wiped his forehead.

"It's going to be alright," she whispered. His hand slid from his side and curled around her knee.

"Stay?" he requested.

"I am not leaving you, Lord Malfoy," she promised as she worked to cool his body. He muttered something she didn't catch before falling unconscious.

Luna sat there for an hour watching him breath, casting every diagnostic spell she knew, trying anything and everything to keep him alive. She could tell his body was fighting something, either it was the venom or her cure, she couldn't tell. Finally, she tucked him under the blanket. There was nothing to do but let him sleep it off, one way or another, she'd know soon enough.

"Hush, hush, it's going to be alright, the thestrals have taken flight, they'll guide you safe and sound, bring you on home to me," she sang softly, not even thinking about it as she paced the room. She had to do something, pacing was at least moving back an forth and not worrying about the man she might have just killed.

Lucius groaned, his eyes opening slowly.

"Luna?" he rasped. Luna turned her attention back to him.

"Hey, you made it," she laughed in relief. She could tell his fever had broken.

"I am alive," he stated, sitting up slowly, the blanket sliding down, revealing his arm. Luna blinked, staring at it.

"What?"

"It worked," she stated. Lucius turned, looking for himself. The twin puncture scars were still there, but the black lines had vanished. He turned back to Luna.

"You did it, you saved me."

"It was nothing. I just did what you asked, made an anti-venom," Luna said, realizing this meant that her time with Lucius was coming to an end, that they'd both go about their lives, never speaking to each other again.

"You've done more that that," Lucius said, reaching out and taking Luna's hand. "You've given me something I never had after the war, you've given me hope. You could have left when I passed out, when it looked like things were going wrong. You didn't. You stayed by my side."

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. What was it you said, right before you lost consciousness?"

"Oh, I asked you to call me Lucius," he answered. "And I'd like if you'd continue calling me Lucius, and if you'd accept it, coming to dinner with me."

"As a thank you?"

"Yes, but also, I nearly died Luna, in my dreams, I saw my life, I saw the loneliness, the future of being without someone I loved, I do not want that future, Luna. I want something different, something filled with hope. So, will you go to dinner with me?"

"Absolutely, it's not every day I save a man's life and future," Luna answered, her heart filling with joy at the prospect of spending more time with Lucius.