Hiya, everyone!

This is an idea that came to my head while I was writting a time-travel fic about the Malfoys and the Golden Trio's reaction to meeting Hermione and Draco's kids. Maybe I'll post that one later as well.

But anyway, this idea of telling the story of the Malfoys, Weasleys, Longbottoms, Potters, etc. going to Hogwarts as friends instead of enemies kept coming back, and even though I absolutely LOVE Ron&Hermione together, I love her with Draco too (because he's, like, totally awesome), and I decided to give it a shot.

Well, that's it. This chapter is more of a prologue than anything, telling about how 'Mione and Draco got together (by their daughter, Charlotte "Charlie" Malfoy). Next chapter will tell a little more about their family, the kids, and their 'cousins' (which are the Weasleys and Potters).

Hope you like it!

Chapter One

How I Came To Exist

Charlie Malfoy

It's almost funny to think that if I had been born twenty years ago, I could've been everything I try not to be today. It seems depressing, thinking like this―but it's the truth, plain and simple.

Of course, had I been born twenty years ago, I probably wouldn't have survived, or would've lived a pretty terrible life.

Not that I don't like being who I am, or that I don't love my family more than anything, but if there's anyone that changed in the past nineteen years or so, that's my Dad.

I know that, because my dad would never hide anything from me. I'm a Daddy's Girl, even though I'm nothing like him―or mom, now that I think of it. Huh. Yes, it's kind of weird. You can say I take after my Uncle, but that would be weird too, seeing that we're not really related. But anyway, even though my Dad hates to talk about the time when he was at school, and how he used to be such a prat and a coward, he says that he would ratter have me hate him than keep me in the dark, and I'm really thankful for that.

You see, when Voldemort was on power, my Grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, was one of his most trusted Death-Eater. And I can't say that he didn't want to be there, because even though he came to regret his decisions, and turned his back on the Dark Lord at the last second to save his family, Grandfather really believed―and still does, a little―that Pureblooded wizards were better than others, and were the only ones that deserved to do magic. Dad even told me that that fact had a part in his attraction for mom―defying his father, the man who pretty much destoyed his life.

It's like that, because Dad never really wanted to be on the Dark Lord's side. He did believe in that Pureblood crap―he would never say he didn't―, but that's just because it was all he'd ever known. He was taught to believe he was better than others.

But even though Daddy had had that beliefs, he'd never wanted to kill people, or torture innocents, or even see those who he'd believed to be beneath him suffer and grieve.

That is because, deep down, my Father is a great man. How could he not be, seeing that he had the strenght to change, and truly be sorry enough to open up his mind and learn things differently? Or, better yet, how could he not have a heart of gold, if, against all odds, he fell in love with my Mom?

Yes, my Dad is a great man―a very sorry one, but great nonetheless. Only that didn't matter much, back than. My Grandfather forced him to join the Death-Eater ranks anyway, and he had no say in it. He was―even though I hate myself for thinking this way about him―a coward. He said so himself. He's not afraid of telling people the truth, that he was weak, because now he can prove them that he's no longer the sneering Slytherin boy who made most of their lifes hell.

After the Battle ended, after Voldemort was dead, and the Malfoys on the light side, Dad went back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to finish his studies. He was made Head Boy, because, in his words, even though he had done everything to not deserve any kind of love or trust, Professor McGonagall―who was now Headmistress―, had believed in him. Believed he could change, and be such a great person. She, as he tells me, was his inspiration. The way he saw it, if a person that had just lost so many people she knew, and most likely loved, in the Battle where he sided with the people that'd killed them, could forgive him and give him a chance for a clean start with open arms―he could, and would, be strong enough to swallow his pride and do whatever it took to be a better man.

My dad makes me so proud of being a Malfoy, no matter what people think of us.

As Fate has such a weird and ironical sense of humor, my mom was made Head Girl.

No, scratch that, of course my mom was made Head Girl. She was Hermione freaking Granger! Fate, my ass.

But destiny or not, they were forced to work together. They didn't fall in love then, it wasn't like those sappy love stories where the girl realizes how the boy changed and now holds her heart. No, the hurt he'd caused her for years was too much for a simple "I'm sorry" to heal. Plus, Mom was dating Ron Weasley then.

Uncle Ron, as we all call him, is an okay guy. He's funny. Kind of tactless, but really loves his family and, well, he's really fun to be around. Not as much as Uncle George, or Aunt Ginny, but still. He's cool. But that doesn't mean he's the one for my mom. Even saying that feels weird and wrong, seeing as she's my mom and he's not my Dad.

I mean, do you know any kid who thinks their mom is perfect for another guy? I didn't think so. Plus, if you saw the loving, lustfull looks they are always sending to one another―I know, eww!―, you would know anyone that doubts they're perfect for each other is out of their mind.

But anyway, what happened all those years ago, is that Dad apologized to her and she politely accepted it. They weren't anything more than the Head Boy and Girl, and worked great together. Dad held now a new level of respect for her, and even Mom had to admire how ready he was to put his beliefs aside and try to live in a world complitely different from the one he had grown up in, without complaint.

A while later, Mom and Dad even became friends, to most people's surprise and Uncle Ron's anger. They weren't really close, just two people who respected each other and decided that, if they had to live with one another, they could as well make that living pleasant. Dad said he loved to make her laugh, even then.

After they left school, Mom started to work at the new―and improved―Ministry, and Dad went to Auror Training. That surprised everyone a lot, too. Not only was Draco Malfoy going to work, instead of live off of his family's fortune, but he was going to work to catch Dark Wizards.

My Father didn't really care what people thought of him. He knew that no matter what he did with his life, people would always judge him for what he once had had to do. So he ignored the looks, the whispers, the gossip, even the way that some of his superiors made his life and training hell, giving him harder challenges and unfair comments, always expecting him to fail. He ignored it all, because he was determined to, if he couldn't fix his past mistakes, at least compensate them. Try and make the world a better place, as tacky as that sounds. His whole life became trying to be the best Auror possible, and, somewhere along the way, Uncle Harry decided to give him a chance.

That's how it happened, one of the things that shocked the wizarding world more than anything―that is, until my parents' wedding.

Because of Auror training, and later their missions―in which, purely for being the most selfless person I've ever met, Uncle Harry demanded Dad would always be partened with him and Uncle Ron, so no one would try and stop him from doing his work by doubting him and his intentions―, the three of them became great friends. At first, despite Dad's efforts to apologize, Uncle Ron would ignore him and treat him badly. I can't blame him, after everything Dad did to him. But after a while, with all they daily had to go through together―and, of course, with several nudges from Uncle Harry―, Uncle Ron realized that they did a great job with each other's help, and decided nothing truly bad could come out of being at least friendly with Dad.

It wasn't long after the three of them started to be good friends that Mom―Hermione―and Uncle Ron ended their relanshionship. It wasn't a bad break up―not that everyone wasn't surprised, seeing they were "the Golden Trio Couple", also cosidered "the perfect (and obvious) couple"―, I mean, they continued―until this day―to be best friends, but Mom says it was really awkward and a little bit painful and sad to be around each other for a while. They were together for a little more than three years, for goodness sake!

It took a while, but eventually Mom and Uncle Ron healed enough to start being friends again.

After that almost two years passed by them all. It was then that, with Ron's approval and all, Dad and Mom fell in love.

I don't know so much in detail, because that part of history Daddy always tells in separate bits. I love to hear about them, and so do most of my brothers and sisters―sometimes Aimée and Harry (the second) get bored. But they've got their own thing going on, being twins and all―, so he makes it a ritual: every night we sit by the fire, spred around the floor and couches and chairs, Mom snuggles against Dad, and they seem so in love that we can almost see the sparkles they tell us they feel, and Daddy tells a bit about themselves, about their dates, or when Mom found out about one of her pregnancies, or even stories about school and their friends―Mom usually tells those.

But what I do know, is that even though Mom was in denail first, even though they fought a lot―still do―, even though they aren't what everybody expected, is that they couldn't be happier. Mom always says she can't believe how lucky she is, and trust me, my mother is not one of those silly school girls that live for a man's love. My mommy is strong, loving, idependent. She's―and I'm not the slightest bit embarassed to say this―my role model. Along with Dad of course.

If, someday, I get to be half as strong, as passionate, as fierce and caring and good as my parents are, it'll be enough to make me happy.

It's not that they don't make mistakes, or don't need to work harder and harder to get what they want, what's best for us. In fact, I know that Dad tries so hard to prove himself, to show people he can be good. He still doubts himself, still struggles with ghosts of his past―even at night, I've been awaken by his screams when he has particularly bad nightmares (even though he says they get less and less frequent, because of Mom mostly). And, because of that, we all end up doing that too. Trying so, so hard to prove we're worthy, we're good enough. There's so much pressure on our sholders, either because we're Malfoys and everyone expects us to be evil, or because we're Hermione Granger's children, and people expect us to be perfect. We're not either of those things. In fact, we're far from perfect―or evil―, we're just... Us.

And that's good enough for me.

So, how about that? Like it? Hate it? Please, comment!

Until next time,

-Ginny