The Friendship of a Lifetime

A/N: Draco/Neville friendship fanfic with Draco/Hermione & Neville/Susan. Just a oneshot that came to me the other night!

I hope you enjoy reading it! :D

Neville Longbottom usually wanted to be around people, around his friends. They made him feel secure and comfortable, but tonight he wanted to be alone. He wanted time to think about his life, and his choices, he still didn't know if they had been the right ones. Ever since the start of the war he'd been trying to live up to expectations people had of him, expectations to be like his parents. He didn't know if he liked it or not, the fighting, the dueling, he could do it passably but whether he could do it as a career like his parents had was another thing entirely. When this was all over, presuming he survived, he would rather do something slower paced, but how could he tell his Grandmother that without breaking her heart?

He sighed as a cool air whipped up around the astronomy tower where he was leaning against the railing staring into the darkness. His senses had grown rather acute since the war, and the second he heard footsteps on the stairs to the tower he instinctively spun around and pulled his wand out.

'Are you going to kill me Longbottom?' Draco Malfoy asked quietly in a pathetic attempt at a drawl when he emerged at the top of the tower. He was a ghost of his former self, pale, quiet, and unhealthily thin.

'Malfoy,' Neville said with relief, dropping his wand instantly, 'it's only you. I thought it was Snape or the Carrows.'

Draco responded with a stiff nod and turned to leave.

'If you've come to gloat or act like an arse then leave,' Neville said to the Slytherins retreating form, 'but if you've come to wallow, you can stay.'

Draco hesitated momentarily and turned around surveying Neville with narrowed eyes to try and determine what his motive for being nice was. When he saw nothing he sighed and walked to the other side of the railing, he leant against it and looked out over the dark grounds like Neville. For a while the two boys coincided peacefully and silently.

'What could you possibly have to wallow about Longbottom? Surely you're winning,' Draco said in a tone of disbelief.

'That depends on your definition of winning Malfoy,' Neville said darkly, 'Our supposed savior hasn't been seen for months, for all we know he's on the run, not doing anything important. Then look at us here, our 'army' has been forced to lock ourselves up in a secret room to protect ourselves.'

'Don't you have faith that precious Potter will come and save you all?' Draco spat bitterly, 'isn't that what he does?'

'I have faith in Harry,' Neville said honestly, 'I'm sure whatever he's doing means something, but with the way things are going I'm afraid he won't get here in time.'

Draco sighed, 'I hope he does…he's the only one on the side of the light who might actually spare my life.'

'He's not the only one,' Neville assured Draco with a fraction of a smile, 'I know I would spare you, and I also believe that Hermione would.'

'Granger has no reason to show me any mercy,' Draco said honestly, 'all I have ever done is ridicule her.'

'Oh I know,' Neville said, not looking at Draco, 'but she's a better person than you so she would save you anyway.'

'Let's face it Longbottom, it isn't hard to be a better person than me,' Draco said bitterly, 'no matter what I do from now on I'll be remembered as the kid who tried to kill Albus Dumbledore, the death eater son of Lucius Malfoy.'

'So you are one?' Neville asked curiously, 'I did wonder.'

'Got the mark to prove it,' Draco said with a sigh.

'Why?' Neville asked.

'Why did I do it?' Draco asked, when Neville nodded the Slytherin answered, 'I didn't have a choice, not really. If I didn't join my Mother and Father would have been murdered.'

'So you didn't really make all the wrong choices,' Neville mused, 'you never had one in the first place.'

Draco shrugged and was quiet for a moment, 'If Potter wins he'll let me live, he'll probably spare me from Azkaban, yet I made his life a misery. So why?'

'Harry operates in a strange way,' Neville admitted, 'and even I can only guess at what goes on inside his head. But I think he sees himself in you, you both had troubled childhoods and you both struggled to fit the prototype of what somebody else wanted you to be. He can see that you're not a bad person deep down, just someone whose been heavily influenced, even brainwashed by delusional parents.'

'You should be a bloody psychologist,' Draco said with the hint of a smile, 'and I'm not even offended at the fact you called my parents delusional.'

'So you agree?'

Draco nodded and glanced at Neville, 'Having pure blood isn't everything, it's so pointless. I mean marrying Muggles okay I get why that can be seen as bad because it can weaken the magical power of the family. But Half-bloods and Muggle-borns? What's the point?'

'So you don't actually hate Muggle-borns?' Neville asked in surprise.

'No,' Draco said simply, 'I just act like I do because it was the way my Father taught me to be…the older I got the less important it seemed.'

'You know Malfoy, I think you might actually turn your family's reputation around,' Neville said thoughtfully.

Draco snorted at this, 'It's a pretty bad reputation to turn around. That's the whole point really, when this is all over no one's going to care that I've helped the light all year, are they? They're just going to care about the fact I'm the bad guy.'

'You're not the bad guy,' Neville assured Draco, 'You-Know-Who is the bad guy.'

'I'm still hardly the perfect savior like Potter,' Draco said, again bitterness coming into his voice, 'I don't think anyone else in this place is a worse person than me.'

'Oh I don't know about that,' Neville said with a dark laugh, 'I come pretty close.'

'You?' Draco scoffed, 'please, what have you done that is regrettable?'

'I'm not the person you think I am Malfoy,' Neville said, still staring out into the darkness, 'Harry was not always the chosen one…it's just-'

Neville paused and held out his hand to Draco, 'I'll tell you everything, but you have to make a blood bond to keep this secret from everyone. Don't tell a soul.'

Draco nodded and held out his hand, one quick charm and a couple of spots of blood later Neville continued with this story, 'There was a prophecy that was made by Professor Trelawney, somebody heard it and told You-Know-Who about it. Basically it said that a boy born at the end of July whose parents had thrice defied him would be his biggest threat. You-Know-Who thought it referred to Harry and went to his house to kill the entire family. But there was someone else it could have been, someone else who fit the prototype.'

'So?' Draco asked.

'So I was the other boy,' Neville said simply, 'Harry and I have birthdays one day apart in July, and my parents had defied You-Know-Who three times. I'm Pureblood, but You-Know-Who assumed it was Harry who's a Half-blood. Given his obsession with blood purity it doesn't add up, does it?'

'I don't know, I mean, I've heard rumours amongst the death eaters that You-Know-Who himself is a Half-blood, maybe that's why he saw Potter as more of a threat. Or maybe it was because his parents were closer to Dumbledore,' Draco suggested, 'either way it still all means one thing, you could have been the boy-who-lived. But how do you know all this stuff about a prophecy anyway?'

'Harry told me, just before he left to do whatever it is he's doing at the moment,' Neville said with a sigh, 'You know, the worst part is that I wished for it. I wanted to have Harry's life…I wanted to be him, I wanted to be the boy-who-lived with the glory of it all.'

'He doesn't have it that great,' Draco said with a slight frown, 'I mean his parents are dead.'

'Yeah and I'm raised by my Grandmother,' Neville pointed out.

'Are your parents dead Neville?' Draco asked in surprise, it caught Neville by surprise because he was fairly sure that was the first time Draco had called him by his first name. They had been working together for 6 months or so now, Draco gathering information and giving it to Neville who dispersed it to the rest of the DA who were hiding out in the room of requirement.

Neville shook his head, surprised that Draco didn't know about this, 'They were tortured at the end of the war, with the cruciatus curse, it drove them to insanity. They live their whole lives in St. Mungo's, I don't think they even know who I am.'

'I'm sorry,' Draco said as he looked to the ground.

'I'm surprised you didn't know,' Neville added, 'your Aunt Bellatrix did it.'

Draco frowned and swallowed, 'I didn't meet her until I was 15, my Mother hated having her in the Manor, but my Father insisted on it because she was one of You-Know-Who's followers.'

'Why did your Mother hate her? Regardless of whatever happened, they were still related,' Neville said with a frown.

'You don't really understand the way things work in traditional Pureblood families,' Draco said with a sigh, 'while my Mother and I were in the house, my Father participated in an affair with her. It didn't matter that she was married, or that my Father was married.

'I'm sorry,' Neville said simply, but Draco just shrugged.

'Sometimes I wish my parents could be like Harry's, then they would at least be at peace,' Neville said to break the silence.

Draco responded with, 'That is a pretty shitty thing to think.'

'Told you I wasn't who you thought I was,' Neville said simply.

'I still think I'm worse than you,' Draco said thoughtfully, 'I've tortured people… I've used unforgivable curses, I've tried to kill people…and when it comes to Potter, well you're not the only one whose wished to have his life, or at least be a part of it.'

'Why would you want to be Harry?' Neville asked in disbelief.

Draco shrugged and didn't speak for a while as he stared out into the black night.

'Yeah he doesn't have parents, but he has friends who like him for who he is, not his status or his money,' Draco said quietly, 'and he has a girlfriend whose with him because she actually loves him, not because an arranged marriage is set up for after the war.'

'He also has to fight You-Know-Who once a year,' Neville pointed out.

'Trust me, I'd rather fight him once a year than get tortured by him once a week,' Draco muttered darkly, 'I held out my hand to Potter in 1st year, I figured if he became my friend I'd have at least one decent person in my life. He saw right through me, he could tell even back then that I was a bad person and I was bitter. Why do you think I hated him so much?'

'Because he hurt you,' Neville realised.

'And then things only got worse when he befriended Granger,' Draco said with a sigh as he sat down on the floor, leaning against the railing, 'because he had something else I wanted.'

'You like Hermione?' Neville asked with vague amusement as he sat down next to Draco on the floor.

Draco shrugged yet again, 'I don't know, I admire her, and there's no denying how beautiful she's become in recent years. All the time I've got to put up with these Slytherin girls who have no brains and no opinions on anything, I like the fact she's smart and opinionated. She fights for what she believes in, you know?'

Neville nodded, still smiling a little, 'Well on the Harry front I don't think you have anything to worry about. He had a crush on her in their early Hogwarts years and she had a crush on him in 4th year, but that's all passed now. Your competition is Ron, he's liked her for years.'

'Weasley,' Draco scoffed, 'as if she's going to settle for him. No offence to the guy but he can't equal her intellectually or challenge her.'

'You might be surprised,' Neville said.

Draco shook his head, 'If they do end up together, it won't work, trust me.'

'We'll see about that,' Neville said quietly, and for a while silence fell once more.

'Why are you telling me all of this stuff about you?' Neville asked out of the blue.

'Because I know you don't care. Why are you talking to me about all of your problems?' Draco combatted.

'Because I know you couldn't care less,' Neville replied honestly as he pushed himself to his feet and looked out over the grounds, 'I better get back before someone finds me.'

Draco nodded and said, 'Good luck with your whole war thing Longbottom.'

'I'll see you tomorrow for our meeting Malfoy,' Neville said somewhat fondly as he left the Slytherin alone at the top of the tower.

When it came it was horrible. The moment where he really had to decide his loyalty. His Father standing there, beckoning him to the death eaters, and everyone else standing here looking at him with disdain, knowing he'd pick the dark side.

Draco's eyes scanned the crowd, he passed over Ron with his glare, but his eyes fell briefly on Hermione's hopeful eyes, with a frown he turned to Neville. Draco was struggling to keep it together and swallowed hard. Neville gave a miniscule shake of his head so Draco pulled all the strength he had and shook his head at his Father. The disappointment was painful to see, in both the faces of his Father and Mother, but Draco bore it and remained exactly where he was. He saw Neville shoot him a sad, but proud smile as he limped towards Voldemort with an enigmatic speech about Harry's death.

When Harry jumped up, alive despite everyone's worries things got chaotic as the battle moved into the great hall, somehow Draco ended up next to Hermione as it all unfolded. Nothing was said of course, but she gave him a small smile of thanks for staying with the side of the light.

It all ended that day, and when it was over Draco realised he now had nothing. He sank down onto a bench in the great hall where everyone was gathering happily together, to celebrate being alive, and the end of the war. The injured were here too, and the dead were lined up. He had no parents, he would be disowned for sure after his stand in the courtyard, and his friends would either go to prison or abandon him. They had never really been friends anyway, just ally's through life.

'Well done Draco.'

Draco looked up and gave Neville a small smile as he handed him a cup of soup.

'That was pretty bad-ass earlier,' Draco said as Neville sat down next to him, 'how you killed that snake.'

Neville shrugged and said, 'I guess I'm braver in the spur of the moment, and it seems I'm not the only one.'

'That was hardly bravery,' Draco said as he held the warm cup of soup in his cold hands, 'I just stayed where I was.'

'You made a stand,' Neville said with a smile, 'and I imagine you'll get disowned for it.'

'Probably,' Draco said as he sipped the soup, 'thanks Neville.'

'No problem,' Neville said with a smile, 'you looked like you needed a friend.'

Draco allowed a small smile at this, it had been a long time since he'd had a friend, not an ally.

'I'm going to go check up on people from the DA,' Neville said as he got to his feet, 'I think we lost some people.'

'I'm sorry,' Draco said because he didn't know what else he could say.

'Don't be,' Neville said simply as he walked away, continuing through the hall looking for people.

After an hour or so Draco got up to see if he could help anyone and ended up walking right into Harry Potter as he walked into the great hall, 'sorry,' Draco muttered as he helped Harry up.

'I was surprised that you stayed,' Harry said to Draco with a slight smile, 'I thought you would run away. Most Slytherins are cowards.'

Draco shrugged and said, 'I guess I'm not like most Slytherins.'

'I guess not,' Harry agreed.

'Thanks,' Draco said awkwardly, 'for saving my life in the room of requirement.'

'I would never leave you to die Malfoy, regardless of what's happened between us in the past,' Harry said with a slight smile, 'and neither would Hermione.'

'I noticed that Weasley didn't care much whether I died,' Draco commented.

'I'm sure he'd have regretted it afterwards if he had let you die,' Harry said honestly, 'have you seen Nev? I want to thank him for killing that snake.'

'He was with Bones and Abbott the last time I saw him,' Draco answered and Harry began to walk away.

'Uh Potter,' Draco said awkwardly. Harry turned around, 'yeah?'

'Do you know where Granger is?' Draco asked, a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

Harry frowned at the rather odd question and said, 'She was rounding up casualties in the grounds when I last saw her.'

'Thanks,' Draco said as he swiftly made his way towards the door out to the grounds.

Draco never did find Hermione that night, but he saw her a few days later on the seventh floor.

'Hey Granger,' Draco said as casually as he could muster when he walked up to her.

'Malfoy!' Hermione exclaimed, jumping in surprise when she saw him, 'what are you doing here?'

'I decided to stay a little while,' Draco said as he took out his wand and helped Hermione repair the wall she was working on, 'I thought I'd help with the rebuild and the aftermath here.'

'Oh,' Hermione said with a frown, 'Yeah, I'm doing the same.'

Draco said no more as he finished repairing the wall, he was aware of Hermione watching him curiously but he pretended not to notice.

'Malfoy, why did you stay? When your parents tried to get you to leave with them?' Hermione asked.

Draco answered her honestly, 'Because I never wanted to be on that side. I helped out around here with the DA and I felt loyal to them. I never wanted to be a part of the death eaters.'

'I never knew you helped the DA,' Hermione remarked as she got to work on the other destroyed wall.

'Yeah,' Draco said, 'Neville and I worked together. I told him when the Carrows were patrolling, brought them food, stuff like that.'

'I guess I misjudged you,' Hermione said with a slight smile, 'you're not actually a complete asshole.'

'Not a complete asshole?' Draco asked in amusement, 'so I'm still a bit of an asshole?'

'You're a Malfoy, of course you are,' Hermione said with a chuckle, 'so are you still a pure blood fanatic now that you're disowned?'

'You heard about that?' Draco asked.

'Everyone who reads the prophet has heard about it,' Hermione pointed out with a smile.

'Yeah well that was my parent's views anyway, I don't see the point in trying to keep my blood 'pure'. Wizards are going to go extinct if they refuse to marry Half-bloods or Muggle-borns.'

'That's a different attitude,' Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

'Not really,' Draco said with a smile, 'it's the same attitude I've had for the past 2 or 3 years, you've just never taken the time to get to know me before.'

'I might remedy that,' Hermione said.

'So where are Potter and Weasley if they're not here doing the clear up?' Draco asked curiously.

'Harry's been in meetings pretty much constantly since the war ended,' Hermione said, 'he's trying to sort things out with the Ministry, and he's working with McGonagall to get started on that graveyard in the grounds.'

'Yeah, I heard about that,' Draco said sadly, 'he wants to make that graveyard for the fallen around Dumbledore's tomb?'

Hermione nodded, 'But it's a lot of work. I think he's glad, it means he's too busy to think about things.'

Draco nodded stiffly, Hermione added, 'And Ron's at home with his family, he lost his brother Fred in the final battle.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Draco said, knowing that it didn't mean or change anything.

Hermione merely shrugged and they went back to fixing the walls, 'I don't know what I'm going to do now.'

'I'm going to Australia to find my parents,' Hermione admitted.

'I didn't know your parents lived in Australia.'

'They didn't, I sent them there to keep them safe,' Hermione said with a frown.

'I could help you if you want?' Draco offered in the spur of the moment after briefly debating it in his head, 'I have family in Australia, I used to spend a few weeks there every summer.'

Hermione looked at Draco with a frown and eventually said, 'I might take you up on that offer.'

Draco didn't know where to find Neville now that the clear up had finished. It had taken almost a month but Hogwarts was finally restored to normality. Neville had been around for helping out, but then he'd gone home and when Draco wanted to talk to him he realised he didn't know where 'home' was.

In the end he tracked down Neville's Grandmothers house and rapped on the door. An elderly woman answered it, narrowing her eyes at Draco, 'who are you?'

'I'm Draco, Neville's friend. Is he here?' Draco asked.

Augusta Longbottom just nodded and called loudly, 'Neville, door!'

Neville jogged down the stairs and grinned when he saw Draco, 'hey!' he said as he grabbed his coat, 'I'm going out for a walk Grandma!' he called as he walked out of the house and shut the door.

'Eager to get out?' Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Don't get me wrong, I love my Grandmother but she's hard work,' Neville said with a chuckle as he and Draco walked down the garden path.

'I never knew you lived in Godric's Hollow,' Draco said as he looked around the picturesque village.

'Yeah, how did you find out I lived here?' Neville asked curiously as they walked along a little lane in the early morning sunlight.

'Hermione, she found out from Potter,' Draco said with a wave of his hand, 'but I came to say goodbye.'

'Goodbye? Where are you going?' Neville asked.

'Australia,' Draco admitted.

Neville raised his eyebrows at his friend, 'Australia? Any particular reason?'

'Well Hermione's going there to find her parents, so I said I'd go with her, and help her out,' Draco admitted with a sheepish smile.

'Of course you did,' Neville said in amusement, 'aren't you taking advantage of the fact Ron's grieving at the moment?'

Draco shook his head, 'I already asked her about that, before I agreed to go with her.'

'And what did she say?' Neville asked, sitting down on a bench in a nearby park.

'That they kissed in the final battle and it felt like kissing her brother would, if she had a brother,' Draco said with a smirk, 'I told you it would never work out.'

'You've just been woo-ing her with your love of all things intellectual,' Neville teased.

Draco laughed and said, 'Maybe I have, but at the same time I'm happier than I've been in years so I don't care what's causing it.'

Neville smiled, 'So how long will you be in Australia?'

'I don't know, but I'll try and write,' Draco promised, 'and I'll come by as soon as I get back.'

'Hey Mrs. Longbottom, is Neville home?' Draco asked as he stood on the doorstep of Neville's house with Hermione standing next to him, her hand in his.

In her usual blunt manner Augusta nodded, and called Neville down. He grinned when he saw his friend and Hermione at the door.

'Hey Draco,' he said, hugging the Slytherin, 'you look good Hermione,' he added as he hugged her and grabbed his coat, hopping out of the door once more, 'come on, let's walk, otherwise she'll listen in and broadcast everything we say to next door.'

Hermione chuckled at this and Neville turned on Draco, 'so how do you explain the fact you buggered off to Australia for 6 months without so much as writing to me?'

'I couldn't find a post office!' Draco exclaimed, and Hermione laughed, 'it's true, they don't have them over there, they just expect people to own birds. I told him to send you a letter the Muggle way but he refused.'

'I'll let you off this time,' Neville said with a smirk, 'so did you find your parents Hermione?'

'We found them, and restored their memories,' Hermione said brightly, 'and to top it all off they love Draco.'

'How can you not?' Draco asked with a smug air about him. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and jokingly hit him over the back of the head.

'So what happened between you two in Australia?' Neville asked, he couldn't help himself.

'Rather a lot,' Hermione admitted as they walked along the lane to the little park. She held her hand up and Neville gaped when he saw a sparkling engagement ring there.

'There's not much to do in Australia,' Draco said with a grin, 'so we got to know each other.'

'Well I'm happy for you,' Neville said honestly, 'do Harry and Ron know yet?'

'Harry does,' Hermione said sheepishly, 'We haven't told Ron yet.'

'I don't blame you,' Neville said with a smile, 'but seriously, I'm really happy for you both. Although I never thought I'd see Hermione Granger become a Malfoy.'

'I won't become a Malfoy,' Hermione said, and Draco nodded, 'I'm a Black now. My Father disowned me, I lost my right to the Malfoy name.'

'That's not really a bad thing is it?' Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione smiled and said, 'That's what I said.'

'Oh I've got a present for you by the way,' Draco said as he pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Neville, 'from Australia.'

Neville frowned as he looked at the present, it was a boomerang.

'I'd be pretty impressed if you could kill a snake with one of these,' Draco said with a smirk.

Hermione chuckled and said, 'I bet he could.'

'Well I won't be killing any snakes unless they're common garden ones,' Neville said as he threw the boomerang which spun around and came back to his hand, 'I've just been accepted by Professor Sprout to start an apprenticeship at Hogwarts.'

'As Herbology professor? Wow that's great Neville!' Hermione said happily.

'Yeah, congratulations mate,' Draco said, patting his friend on the shoulder, 'oh, the other thing, do you want to be my best man?'

'You want me to be your best man?' Neville asked in surprise.

'Of course I do, you're my best friend,' Draco said simply.

'Of course I'll be your best man,' Neville said brightly.

'So you did it.'

'I did it, I fraternised with the enemy,' Hermione said with a smile as Neville spun her around on the dance floor.

'Fraternised? That's one way to put it,' Neville teased.

Hermione chuckled and said, 'this will be you soon.'

'No, this won't be anything like my wedding,' Neville said with a chuckle, 'Susan wants big and flashy, not quiet and low-key like this.'

'Good luck with that,' Hermione said with a smirk.

'You've even started to sound like Draco recently,' Neville said, rolling his eyes.

'Hey if you love Susan the wedding will be perfect, and that's all that matters,' Hermione said with a grin.

'Very true,' Neville said as he twirled her once more, 'and very wise, Hermione Black.'

'Still sounds strange,' Hermione said with a chuckle.

'Hey Nev, can I steal my wife back?'

Neville smiled at Draco and stepped away from Hermione, 'steal away, I should probably go and find my fiancé.'

Draco stepped in and slipped into the dance easily with Hermione, 'so Mrs. Black, are you used to it yet?'

'Definitely not,' Hermione said honestly as Draco spun her out and drew her back in again, 'but I will be soon.'

'Hey Neville, can I have a quick word?'

Neville frowned as he was approached by his best friend in the grounds of Hogwarts, 'Draco, I have a class in 10 minutes.'

'I know,' Draco said, sounding a little out of breath, 'but it's important.'

'Alright then, go ahead,' Neville said.

'Hermione's pregnant,' Draco said with a grin, 'we had her 3 month appointment today.'

'Congrats mate!' Neville said with a beam, 'that's great.'

Draco nodded, still beaming, 'Yeah, it really is. I just wanted to ask you, if you'll be Godfather?'

Neville got a little teary at this question, he swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded, 'I'd be honoured.'

'Are you crying?' Draco asked with a frown.

'Nah, I'm fine,' Neville said with a smile, 'but I'm really happy for you and Hermione.'

'NEVILLE!'

Neville was used to his classes being interrupted by his best friend, but not quite so violently as this time.

'Draco, I'm trying to teach here,' Neville said in exasperation as his 1st years giggled.

'I know, I know,' Draco said, completely out of breath and panting, 'but Hermione's had the baby, and when I was on my way out to tell Harry, I saw Susan.'

'What? Why was Susan at St. Mungo's?' Neville asked quickly.

'She's in labour you idiot!'

'What? She's not due for three weeks!' Neville exclaimed.

'Well trust me, she's in labour now!' Draco said, still catching his breath.

Neville looked panicked, 'Class dismissed,' he said as he rushed out of the greenhouse and down to the gates with Draco. They both spun on their heels and appeared outside St. Mungo's, once they were in Draco showed Neville to the ward Susan was in, which was just one floor away from Hermione. The panicked Dad-to-be rushed off and Draco went back to his wife and his newborn son.

'Did you find him?' Hermione asked as she held their baby in her arms. Harry and Ron were both sitting at her bedside.

'Found him, he's with her now,' Draco said as he sank down into one of the seats by Hermione's bed.

'What are the chances of you and Susan giving birth on the same day?' Harry asked in amusement.

'High apparently,' Ron said, shaking his head at the fact it had worked out that way.

'It means I win the bet,' Draco said with a chuckle, 'Nev owes me 5 galleons.'

Hermione rolled her eyes and handed their unnamed son to Draco who smiled down at him, he had blonde hair, but it looked like it would be curly and his eyes were a blueish grey. As Harry and Ron left Hermione and Draco feebly argued about what they would name their son.

'It's a girl!'

Neville rushed into the room where Draco and Hermione were barely awake later that night.

Draco smiled and got to his feet, leaving his exhausted wife to sleep, 'Well done mate.'

'Hey Susan did all the work,' Neville said with a weak chuckle, 'is this the baby?'

'Scorpius Severus Neville Black,' Draco said in an undertone.

Neville smiled in amusement, 'You gave him my name as a middle-name?'

Draco only nodded and said, 'Well I was hardly going to give him anyone else's name, and I wanted him to have two middle-names.'

'Come and see the baby, she's just next door,' Neville whispered so Draco walked into the room next door where Susan was holding a baby and looking exhausted.

'Hey Draco,' she said softly, 'thanks for getting him here.'

'Don't worry about it,' Draco said with a chuckle as he stood by Susan's bed and looked down at the little girl, she had Susan's blue eyes and Neville's mousy brown hair, 'she's lovely.'

'This is Alice Longbottom,' Susan said proudly.

'We don't faff about with tons of middle-names like you rich purebloods,' Neville joked.

'Rich?' Draco scoffed, he'd lost his fortune when he was disowned and as Potions Master he didn't exactly earn a ton of money, but he and Hermione got by fine anyway.

Neville chuckled at this and sat down by his wife's bed, Draco smiled at the scene and went back to his own family.

'Scorp!'

Hermione rolled her eyes as her son rushed forward the moment they emerged on Platform 9 ¾. Draco chuckled as they followed him through the throng to where Neville and Susan were standing with their daughter Alice.

'Scorpius!' Hermione scolded, 'don't run away like that!'

'Sorry Mum,' Scorpius said apologetically, 'I was just looking for Alice.'

'It's alright,' Hermione said with a smile as she hugged her son, 'be good at Hogwarts, especially in Potions and Herbology or I'll hear about it.'

Scorpius rolled his eyes, 'It sucks that Dad and Uncle Neville both work at Hogwarts!'

'I know!' Alice agreed with a glare to her Father.

'I'm sorry my job isn't convenient for your social life Alice,' Neville said in amusement as he and Susan both hugged their daughter. The whistle for the train blew and Draco, Hermione, Neville and Susan ushered the kids onto the train, calling for them to write often.

As the kids zoomed off to their first year at Hogwarts their parents waved and stood helpless as the train rounded the corner.

'It's going to be strange,' Susan said as they stood together on the platform, 'the house is going to be so quiet without Alice.'

'Yeah,' Hermione agreed, 'I don't know what I'll do with myself when I come home from work and it's quiet.'

'Speak for yourself,' Neville said to the women, 'still up for starting those poker nights Draco?'

'Definitely,' Draco said with a grin, 'Harry and Ron still in?'

'Yep, my house on Friday?' Neville asked and Draco agreed eagerly.

Susan rolled her eyes and looked to Hermione, 'Mind if I come round on Friday?'

'Not at all, I'll pop a bottle of wine in the fridge,' Hermione said with a chuckle.

Draco and Neville shared an amused smirk, and in that moment couldn't quite believe how far their friendship had come since that awkward night on the astronomy tower. It had been a friendship that had lasted a lifetime so far, and Draco was in that moment more grateful than ever for Neville. If he hadn't taken a chance on him, he didn't know how things would have gone differently for him, he would likely have walked away with his parents instead of doing the right thing and staying. Neville had in effect changed his life, and he was incredibly grateful to him for that.

The End

A/N: Just a little oneshot that's been brewing in my head for a while, hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading!

Holly