Building Walls.

She couldn't handle it anymore.

When the war ended five days ago she – along with Harry and Ron – were told they had done enough for the magical world, that they didn't need to help with the rebuilding of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley or the Ministry. After a week moving rubble and recovering lost bodies, Hermione now wished she had taken them up on their offer and gone away to rest and recover for a while.

She stood on the front steps and looked at the destroyed court yard. At the moment everyone's efforts were focused on the insides of the ancient castle and as a result the outside destruction had barely been touched. Sighing, she sat down on a falling turret, and looked around the destruction.

The central fountain that was once a meeting place for friends was now merely a hole it the ground, while the beautiful arches and crawling ivy now lay scattered across the yard as the walls they were a part of were blown up in the cross fire.

As she looked around one of her favourite places she spotted two men in maroon robes stood at the far side of the courtyard. Frowning she made her way over to the two men, curious as to why they were not helping with the clearing effort. "Why are you standing around? Shouldn't you be helping with the clean up?" she asked them once she was close enough to them.

"We're guards' ma'am," one told her, not even bothering to turn around to see who he was talking to, something which annoyed Hermione.

"You can still keep an eye on whomever it is you're guarding and help everyone else clear up," she told him angrily, crossing her arms and glaring at the back of the mans' head. Her tone of voice caught the attention of the guards, who turned around, ready to tell whoever was talking to them to bugger off, but their words were never spoken once they realised who it was that was talking to them. "Or do you think yourself too important to help?" she asked them with a raided eyebrow, hiding her slight smirk as she watched the guards ran off to help clear rubble from the steps.

"I didn't think they'd ever leave me alone," a voice said from behind her, startling her slightly.

Spinning around she saw who it was the men were guarding and she realised the reason they didn't think they could abandon their position to help. Kneeling down in the ground was none other than Lucius Malfoy, his expensive robes replaced by the thin striped clothes of Azkaban, his once platinum blonde hair was dirty and tangled, messily tied at the nape of his neck. He looked a complete mess.

Yet she felt sympathetic.

"I didn't think any Death Eaters would be helping here," she remarked as she observed Lucius pick up bricks to rebuild one of the courtyard walls.

"I volunteered. It beats sitting in a cell," he told her not looking up from his work, except to look for his next brick.

"Thank you," she said, "For volunteering I mean. That was … nice," she added, unsure of what she should say to the convicted criminal. "Why did you really volunteer? It can't just be about getting out of your cell for a little while each day," she asked.

"Wanting to help isn't a good enough answer? I suppose it's natural you would be weary given my past actions against you," he said before dropping his head and sighing sadly. "Narcissa was given the option to end our marriage when I was sentenced. Understandably she accepted. Draco was told he could either be a Malfoy or a Black and he chose to remain a Malfoy. I volunteered in the hope of seeing Draco here at Hogwarts while it was restored. I thought it might give me a chance to repair some of the damage I had caused over the last 17 years. Both to my son and to the school I once loved."

"Draco isn't here," Hermione said sadly, unsure if anyone had told him about his son in the last week. "The last I heard he retreated to Asia when his trial ended."

"Yes. He sent me a postcard from Bali. Delivered by owl of course, poor thing must have flown nonstop," he informed her, reaching close to her for yet another brick. "Why are you here? I would have thought that with all you had been through and done for everyone, you would have been excused from helping further," he asked her, taking a moment to wipe the seat from his forehead, dirtying his filthy clothes further.

"I was told I didn't have to help if I didn't want to. Harry and Ron were given the same offer. They chose to accept it, they wanted to take some time to grieve for everyone we've lost," she explained, unsure why she was revealing so much to a man that had hated her so much.

"What about you? Don't you want to grieve?" he asked her looking up at her, a frown marring his face.

"I wouldn't be able to sit at the Burrow with nothing to do. I need a distraction, to keep moving or I'm just going to fall depression and I don't want that," she told him with a sad sigh as she thought of all her friends she would never see again. Shaking her head slightly she turned and was about to walk back into the castle when Lucius' voice stopped her.

"Could you help me a minute please?" he asked her. Motioning towards the larger lumps of debris strewn across the path of the new wall he shrugged helplessly, "I've no wand and I'll never move them myself, at least not without breaking my back," he added with a self-deprecating laugh that Hermione couldn't help but smile shyly at.

Without another word she moved beside him and began to help repair the wall, using her wand occasionally but otherwise working as he worked, the two moving as though they were one, neither talking, but letting a comfortable silence fall over them as they toiled away for the remainder of the day.

Soft hands drew him out of his day dream. "What are you up to?" Lucius asked her, pushing his chair back, allowing his wife to climb onto his lap, his strong arms wrapping around her slim waist.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she asked with a soft laugh, her hands snaking around his shoulders to rest at the nape of his neck, her delicate fingers playing with his long blonde hair, the way she knows he likes. "You were definitely lost in thought there."

"More of a memory actually. About the first time we saw each other after the end of the war, rebuilding that wall," he told her with a small smile.

Smiling she leaned up and kissed him softly. "I remember that day well. You looked as though you're entire world had ended. I suppose it had, for all us at that time," she said, her usually bright brown eyes suddenly shining in sadness as tears began to gather there as she thought of all they had lost and would continue to lose.

"Don't think about it my love," Lucius whispered to her, kissing her nose gently in the hopes it would distract her.

"I try not to you know that. But sometimes it sneaks up on me, what we've all been through. I'm lucky I've got you though," she told him her eyes clearing as she gathered her emotions back up.

"I think it is I that is the lucky one my love. I dread to think where I would be today if it weren't for you and our love for one another," he told her, hugging her close to his body as though she might vanish at any moment.

"Yes well, our love will have to be shared soon," she told him with happy smile, laughing softly at her husbands' confused expression. Taking his hand in her own she moved it over to rest against her flat stomach, unable to stop the grin from spreading across her face as she watched Lucius realise what it was she was trying to tell him.

Looking between his hand and Hermione radiant face, Lucius couldn't stop his jaw from dropping as he realised what she meant. "Really? You're really pregnant?" he whispered.

"We're pregnant my love. We're going to have a baby," she told him laughing when he suddenly stood up and swung her around, his happy laughter filling the room before collapsing back into his chair, the two soon-to-be parents basking in the happy news, revealing in the miracle that they had been blessed with.

Because to be in that moment, to them, it all seemed worth it to be there in that moment.

After the war it took them all a long time to recover, with some people still suffering the affects' of surviving such hardships. With the death of her husband daughter and son-in-law Andromeda threw herself into raising her grandson, Teddy. Unfortunately for the young boy, it meant becoming slightly overbearing, although no one (including Teddy) could really blame her for wanting to protect the last of her family.

George took to drink in order to come to terms with the death of his twin brother, something the rest of the family allowed to continue for far too long before they intervened, resulting in the twins pride and joy – their beloved Weasley's Wizards Wheeze joke shop – becoming nothing more than a dull empty shell compared to what it was before. It wasn't until Molly and Arthur pointed out, that it wouldn't be what Fred would have wanted for their shop that George realised that he had to carry on, to keep Fred's memories alive.

Ron and Ginny through themselves into Quidditch, taking their anger and sadness out on other players in the field, earning them a reputation for dirty players, something neither of them really minded and took every opportunity to reinforce.

Having spent the majority of his life fighting dark forces, Harry broke down three weeks after the final battle, unable to cope with his now directionless and free life, he checked himself into St. Mungo's, knowing he could easily hurt himself or someone else if he didn't receive help. His natural reactions alone were enough to worry him, add to that his uncontrollable ability to attack a person's mind, he seriously fear for everyone around him.

Draco remained in South East Asia for many months, moving from place to place in the hopes of finding inner peace and stability after a lifetime to strict rules and familial pressure. He eventually settled in the mountains of New Zealand, having met a young women in India who told him of the beautiful calmness of the area.

Over time everyone who participated in the war began to heal, slowly but surely. And while some people continued to seek help and happiness, others accepted their lives the way they were and were determined to make the most of what they had, never taking anything for granted.

For Lucius and Hermione there healing began the day they started to rebuild a wall in the courtyard of Hogwarts. They continued, day after day, brick after brick, to not only lay the foundations of a new school, but also for a new friendship, revealing secrets no one else knew about themselves, slowly earning one another's trust and respect, eventually leading to affection, something neither of them expected.

But when they finally admitted their feelings to one another, on the day Lucius was released from Azkaban, they didn't fight what their hearts wanted, they accepted it and welcomed it with open arms, both of them realising just how much they helped each other over the months. Within months the two were married and living a life of happiness and light, traveling around the world, helping other who couldn't help themselves. Even visiting Draco, who was surprisingly pleased for his father and former classmate – although he made a point of saying that he wouldn't call her mother.

And now they were ready for a biggest adventure of them all.

Parenthood.