Chapter Twenty Four
2004- April
Luna checked herself over in the mirror, smoothing the silver silk of her bias cut dress. It just reached the floor, fluttering with every step.
The portrait of her father smiled happily at her from the frame. He'd had it painted shortly after Pandora had died, after realising that the only portrait she'd had painted was from when she was seven years old.
They had pictures, the large picture of Luna and her mother was one of Luna's most treasured possessions, but pictures couldn't talk, or really move all that much, portraits were so much more.
Luna grabbed her bag from her bedside table and slipped her feet into the matching silver shoes that Draco had sent her for their date.
She blew a kiss to the picture of her mum and the portrait of her dad before heading down the winding stairs.
Draco knocked on the door, Luna opening it a moment later, and grinned.
He handed her a large bouquet of large, bright red roses. She breathed in the sweet smell before leaning over and kissing his cheek.
"Thank you Draco, they're beautiful." Luna smiled.
"You are very welcome." Draco smiled back, "Are you ready to go?"
Luna nodded, "Yep. Let me just put these in the sink."
"Sink?" Draco asked, snorting a laugh.
"So they have water." Luna laughed, giving his arm a small smack.
Draco smirked, holding her shimmery wrap for her. He took her arm and spun round on the spot, taking them to the centre of Diagon Alley.
Luna allowed him to lead her through the winding side streets. She noticed that he was wearing brand new robes himself, in dark black wool with a royal blue lining.
They arrived outside a small, neat restaurant. A wizard was standing outside, dressed in a formal black set of robes and opened the door for them both.
"Good evening sir, mademoiselle." he said with a thick French accent, bowing slightly to them both.
"This seems very fancy." Luna whispered, as another wizard dressed like the one at the door showed them to their seats.
"We have the wine you requested Lord Malfoy." he said, with a polite smile.
"Thank you." Draco smiled, gesturing for them to pour them both a glass.
Luna watched the rich, red liquid flow into the glasses with only the smallest splash, the waiter twisting the bottle so that not a drip spilt.
"I'll give you a moment to look at the menus." he said, giving them a small bow.
"It is rather fancy here." Draco grinned, "So… what do you fancy?"
They ordered a fresh greens salad to start, with toasted halloumi and balsamic dressing. Followed by steak for Luna, roasted thyme chicken for Draco.
They'd just gotten their puddings, Draco choosing a large slice of vanilla cheesecake and strawberry ice cream, Luna getting a rich chocolate gateaux.
Draco looked slightly nervously at Luna, moving the slowly melting ice cream around with his long handled spoon.
"This has been nice." Luna said dreamily, "Not the normal sort of place you take me to."
Draco shrugged, "I… I never really thought of this being the sort of place you'd like to go."
Luna laughed, "True… needs more plants."
Draco grinned at her, feeling his heart so full of laugh it could burst. There had been a while where she barely smiled after the war, after loosing her father and being an orphan by the time she was seventeen. It was good to see her smile again, to see the light return to her eyes.
He'd known for a while this was where they'd end up, but he hadn't wanted to rush her. Now was the right time.
"I've wanted to bring you here for a while." Draco told her.
"Well, if they always have gateaux this good on you should of." Luna said, popping another forkful into her mouth.
"They have this really lovely strawberry and cherry one on during the summer." Draco told her.
"You'll have to bring me back…" Luna told him, "I doubt they do take out."
Draco snorted a laugh, "You would be correct with that assumption."
There was a moment of quite peace that hung between them, neither of them feeling the need to fill the silence.
Luna hadn't changed much in six years since the end of the war. She still had the crazy blonde curls and eyes that failed to appear to focus completely. And Draco seemed to fall in love with her a little more every single day.
They'd just finished their desserts, sipping on very good coffee served with little chocolates on the saucers.
Luna was tracing the line of red that snaked across the top of the chocolates. It reminded her of the northern lights, dancing across a black night's sky.
"Luna… I… there's a very specific reason I wanted to bring you here." Draco said, reminding himself her really didn't need to feel this nervous, "We've been dating for a while now."
Luna nodded, "Yes. About five years, just after we finished school."
Draco nodded in agreement, smiling, "Yeah… and we get on really well… I… I brought you here because… because… well this is the traditional place that Malfoy men propose."
Luna's head jerked up, staring straight at Draco, "You mean… propose marriage…?"
"Yes." Draco nodded, "And… well… I got you this."
He pulled a small, blue, velvet box from his inside pocket, sliding it across the table towards Luna before popping it open with a click.
Inside was a simple, Celtic knot band with three neat round diamonds set in. It was made from platinum, and was so polished it shined and flickered in the low light of the restaurant.
"Draco… it's beautiful." Luna gasped.
"Luna Lovegood, will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Draco asked, unable to stop himself from grinning, the nerves of the moment making him wonder if he was going to throw up.
Luna jumped up and landed herself on his knee, kissing him deeply, completely oblivious to the looks and small sniggers from the other people dinning.
"Of course I will marry you." Luna said smiling, with tears of joy running down her cheeks.
Draco pulled her in for another kiss, savouring the taste of her on his lips.
She reached over, pulling the ring box towards them. Draco took it and pulled the ring out, placing it on Luna's finger. It fit perfectly, of course, and suited her down to the ground.
"Thank you." Luna whispered.
"No, thank you." Draco whispered back into her ear, "I can't tell you how happy you've made me."
Luna blushed, slipping back into her own chair, "Do you think that I'll make a good Lady Malfoy?"
Draco couldn't help but snort a laugh, "I think you'll make a wonderfully interesting Lady Malfoy. But that's no bad thing."
Luna rolled her eyes, draining the last of her coffee, "I'll take it as a compliment."
"It was meant as such." Draco assured her, "Shall we call it a night?"
Luna toyed with her spoon for a moment before giving him a sultry look, "I wouldn't say that… but it's definitely time to get the check."
Three weeks later they were all gathered at the newly renovated Lestrange Manor. It was the 1st of May, and the gardens were filled with freshly blooming flowers, filling the area with a heady, floral scent.
Danica had been given the day off school to attend the 'Not wedding' of Corvus and Thomas.
Both Thomas and Corvus were wearing their white robes, sipping on fairy wine and greeting everyone as they arrived.
Danica held tightly to her mother and father's hands as they apparated into the grounds. They were immediately greeted by a smartly dressed house elf, wearing a neat white pillowcase, embroidered with a green C&T.
He offered them a glass of fairy wine each, informing them that the ceremony would begin in an hour, dinner to be served three hours after that.
Danica took a glass of wine not to be rude, she took a sip but it was too flowery and fruity for her taste so just found a convenient table to leave it on.
She spotted Harry and Cho sitting at a small side table.
Bounding over to them, her dress fluttering around her legs, she reminded herself to stop before she knocked them over.
"Hi baby sister, soon to be aunty baby sister." Harry grinned, pulling Danica into a tight hug, "How's school going?"
Danica grinned, "It's been good. Looking like I'm going to ace my O. , of course. Wow Cho! You're huge… and that came out wrong. Sorry."
Cho laughed, waving her hand dismissively, "I know what you mean. I haven't been able to see my feet for weeks. And the other day, Harry let me leave the house in shoes that didn't match…"
Danica snorted a laugh, leaning over to check Cho's shoes, "Well they match today."
Cho pulled her in for a hug. Danica could feel the baby moving against her skin, it was a strange feeling, but there was undoubtedly something magical about it.
It wasn't long before they were joined by Draco, Luna, Daphne, Pansy, William carrying little Jonny, Neville, Hermione and Viktor, more than filling up their small table.
"I can't stay too long, my parents are waiting for me." Neville told them, draining his glass of fire whiskey.
"That good hur?" Hermione asked, unable to stop herself from laughing slightly as Neville rolled his eyes.
Neville let out a dramatic sigh, "It's fine. And by that I mean it could be a lot worse and I know that. They're just a little disappointed that I'm not the first to marry. My Grandmother and Uncle are fuming. Contacted mum and dad over the floo the other day and started screaming at them! Don't think they're all too happy about Thomas getting together with a Lestrange either."
"Sure it's not because he's a boy as well?" Daphne said softly.
Neville looked rather uncomfortable, "Yeah… you're probably right there. They've always been rather… old fashioned. I just wish they could see how happy Corvus makes him."
Harry gave Neville a comforting hug, "Well your parents don't mind, and we certainly don't, don't worry about people who are just trying to make life even harder than it already is."
Neville smiled, hugging Harry back, "Thank you. I'd be lost without you all. Anyway, I better get back. I'm actually surprised that Thomas hasn't had a massive freak out yet."
Luna shrugged, "There's still time."
It wasn't long before they were called to their seats, forcing the little group of friends to break up. Draco and Luna sat on one side of the front row along with Lucius and Narcissa. Neville and his family took the other side. Both Hallie and Hannah, who were now twelve, looking very grown up. They still looked identical, and still had their dirty blonde ringlets that flowed perfectly around their round faces.
Both girls had been sorted into Gryffindor and had therefore chosen to wear crimson red dresses that fell to their knees and puffed out with a wide petticoat.
Danica took her seat just behind Narcissa and watched four little house elves walk up the centre aisle.
White flower petals flowed from their fingers as they walked, leaving the aisle with a thick carpet of wonderfully fragrant petals.
Music came from all around them, seemingly coming from the flowers themselves.
Corvus and Thomas walked up the aisle together, tightly holding onto one another's hands. Danica stood, along with the rest of the substantial crowd.
Corvus and Thomas turned to face them all, gesturing for them all to sit.
"Thank you all for coming today." Thomas began, "I know it's not everyday that you get an invitation to a 'not wedding' but we're really glad to have you here. As you may know, or you may not, we asked the Ministry to allow us to marry legally, or to accept the validity of civil unions, which is what muggles use, they refused on both points."
"Being told you don't deserve a normal life, based purely on who you fall in love with… it's crushing." Corvus shrugged, "It's like being told you don't deserve a life at all."
"But then, a very wise friend of ours, told us that no one had the right to tell us we didn't deserve happiness. That we didn't deserve to have a life, a life together." Thomas said, "And so, that's why we asked you all to be here today, to celebrate the fact we're not asking for permission anymore and to declare our love to you all, to the world."
Corvus and Thomas turned to face one another, holding each other's hands in the middle.
"I Corvus, promise to love you, cherish you and hold onto your love for all time." Corvus said, forcing himself to remain calm, "I've loved you for a lot of years now, and I… I have always allowed myself to dream. During my bad moments, I've always dreamed of you and a normal life. Of the house we'd have, of the normality. I can't tell you how happy I am now to have that all." he slipped a simple ring onto Thomas's finger, before leaning in to give him a kiss.
"I Thomas, promise to love you, cherish you, and hold onto your love for all time." Thomas smiled, "You have literally run into a battle for me, you risked your life to save me from a danger you weren't even sure I was in… but you couldn't take the risk. To me, that is love. I've watched you battle so many demons and I couldn't be happier or prouder to have been standing at your side. We've had some rough patches, and I'm sure we will again, but… but I love you. And at the end of the day that's all that matters." he slipped a matching ring onto Corvus's finger, before once again leaning in for a kiss.
Danica clapped until her hands hurt, as the crowd showered them in white rose petals, floating around them like snow.
Thomas and Corvus didn't even notice, they were too lost in one another's love.