Hermione sat on her large bed surrounded by her children. Outside a storm was raging and as was tradition the children had all found their way to their parents' bedroom. Hermione had never imagined having such a big family but now she couldn't imagine her life without any of them. Hermione placed a hand on her stomach as she felt her bump move slightly. "Mum," Aurora smiled, "when will dad get back?"

"Some time today," Hermione smiled, "he wrote yesterday to say he misses you all and can't wait to get back."

"Will you tell us about you and dad again?" Hosanna asked.

"Aren't you fed up of hearing that story yet?" Hermione laughed.

Hermione's eldest son grinned, "I'd rather hear about the time you broke into Gringotts."

Hermione grinned, "I bet you would son."

"Please mum," Katriona pleaded.

Hermione sighed, "ok… well… where to start…"

"Why not start at the beginning," came a voice from the doorway.

"DRACO!" Hermione shot out of bed and into her husband's arms, "I've missed you."

"It's only been a week love," Draco smirked, "but I've missed you too." He led his wife back over to the bed and took his place next to her before his son Malachi rushed to sit in his lap, "alright little guy," Draco chuckled.

"Hi daddy," the five year old smiled.

Draco grinned, "right… well you all know that your mother hated me when we were in school."

"With good cause," Hermione smirked at her husband.

"Because I was a complete git," Draco conceded, "I was horrid to her but after the war things were different."

"Things that had seemed important before, didn't matter so much," Hermione explained.

Draco sighed, he wanted to be completely honest, "I'd been taught to hate people like your mum. I'd been taught that I was better than her and until the war ended I genuinely believed I was…"

Hermione placed her hand on his, "but things changed…"

"Your mum was amazing; a real hero – she rescued the world with your Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron."

Hermione blushed, "then we went back to Hogwarts and…"

"With Voldemort dead my family changed. My dad, he realised how wrong he had been and so I was given more freedom to believe what I wanted. I'd always fancied your mum but I never thought she was good enough, she wasn't good enough to be a Malfoy so I couldn't have her."

"When I turned seventeen my parents told me something," Draco grinned, "they told me that I was a Veela and that I would have to find my mate before my eighteenth birthday or else I would die because Veela can't live without their mates."

"But the problem was that we were in the middle of a war," Hermione told them, "and most of the students hadn't returned to Hogwarts and your dad couldn't find his mate."

"Honestly I thought I was going to die," Draco told his children, "I could feel it… I could feel something dying inside me – they say that Veela die from a broken heart if they fail to find their mate. I thought I was going to die… and then two months before my eighteenth birthday I was home for the Easter holidays when they brought your mum in."

"Me and your uncles' had been caught by snatchers and so they brought us here for questioning."

"I was asked to confirm that it really was them," Draco explained, "I examined your Uncle Harry and recognised him instantly but I was fed up of following orders. I hated the things they had me do…"

Hermione tightened her grip on his hand and kissed him on the cheek, "it's ok love."

"I told them I wasn't sure… I hadn't even looked at your mum, but something was pulling my eyes towards her… I wouldn't look though," Draco frowned, "I still liked her; I kept pretending that I hated her, called her names – mud…"

"It's ok love," Hermione sighed, she knew how hard this was for him.

"I was scared – I remember thinking that if I looked at her I'd break… I think even then I loved you," he grinned at Hermione before his face dropped, "when I heard you scream I couldn't stop myself – I had to look…"

Draco sighed, "and the second I did everything changed."

"Everything," Hermione whispered with a small smile.