Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
The reunion of Hogwarts Class of '99 was in full swing. It had become a tradition of the students of that class, to get-together annually, to celebrate life. Despite the damage following the Battle of Hogwarts, the school opened its doors to new and returning students in September of 1999. There were only 200 students who returned that year, with Hermione Granger as the Head Girl, and to everyone's surprise, Draco Malfoy, as Head Boy. Each year, one of the houses would host the event, and that year was Gryffindor's turn. While everyone was in the Great Hall dancing and reminiscing, however, the two former Heads were lurking elsewhere around the castle.
"You all right there, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, as the pair stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Gryffindor tower.
"Look up there." The blond Slytherin said, excitedly. When his wife raised her eyebrow at him like she does when she thinks he was being ridiculous, he pleaded with her. "Come on, Hermione, humour me."
Hermione shook her head, and laughed. It wasn't unusual for her husband to be pleading with her all the time, especially with all the ludicrous ideas that he shares with her, but it was how he looked while pleading with her that never ceases to take her breath away. Sighing in defeat, she looked at where her husband was pointing.
"All right, I'm looking. If you're pointing at the alcove, then I must warn you that you've gotten hold of the wrong girl. I've never been there with you."
Draco rolled his eyes, while his wife was struggling not to smile at him. "Like I would desecrate something so dear to you." He offered, faking offense, as he pulled her closer to him. "Don't you remember?" He asked, "Right over there was where I found a reason for me not to die that night."
At Hermione's gasp, he continued, "It was the 20th of December on our sixth year when Father messaged me. He said that the Dark Lord was getting tired of waiting for me to complete my task. If I don't do it in a week's time, he'd kill me. I remember wanting to die that night… thinking that jumping off the Astronomy tower is a better option than being killed by Voldemort in cold blood…. but then I found myself right here in this very spot… looking up right there where -"
Hermione was intently listening to her husband, as he tried to recount what had happened that evening. Images of her husband and his sallow skin, due to all the stress he has had, filled her head. She remembered watching him from afar, feeling sad at how much weight he'd appeared to have lost, and how obsessed Harry had been in pinning him down. She saw him crying in the girls' toilet on the first floor, she watched him stare blankly into space whenever he was present at meal time… and then she remembered the night that he'd described.
She closed her eyes, and let herself see those images over once more. "I saw you that night." She said, sighing, "I was waiting for Cormac to finish primping himself up so we can go to Slughorn's party. I decided to go out and wait for him at the bottom of the stairs, and then I saw you…"
Draco smiled. Trust Hermione to remember every detail about him. "You saved my life that night, Hermione. When I saw you, I found a reason not to die." He leaned over, and kissed his wife's forehead, "You looked so beautiful and so sad. I thought to myself that I needed to live because I have to apologize to you for being a nasty git… and to let me have a chance to make you happy."
"And you got exactly that, Draco. I'm very happy - We are very happy." she said as she wiped her eyes and wrapped her arms around her husband of three years. If someone had told her in the past that she'd end up with Draco Malfoy, she would've laughed. They were probably the worst Heads the school has ever had, but here she is now – so in love with her former nemesis… and so round with their first child. She let go abruptly, and placed a hand over her growing belly. "But now, we are also quite hungry. Can we please go back to the Great Hall?"
He snickered as he led his pregnant wife back to the festivities. Eleven years ago, he thought about giving up. Three months from now, his wife will give him one more reason to keep going. And Draco Malfoy couldn't be happier.