Draco Malfoy's life had never been more different. Fifteen years ago, he sat in a classroom within Hogwarts, listening to the droning on of professors and Pansy Parkinson barking in his ear next to him. Fifteen years ago, he fell in love with a bushy-haired know-it-all witch from his grade, Hermione Granger, and since then, things were never the same. It took his father some getting used to, as she was muggleborn, and Draco was a pureblood. But after a while, Lucius came to accept Hermione as part of his family, especially after his grandkids were born… Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was the first son born to Draco. Soon after that, Orion Zephyr Malfoy was born. Just ten years ago, Hermione gave birth to the first granddaughter of the Malfoy family, Claire Emmaleigh Malfoy.
Draco had hoped for a girl along the lines, and when Claire was finally born, Draco had fallen in love all over again. Her brothers before her were a good mix of their parents, but Claire had every Malfoy feature except for her soft face shapes that came from Hermione. Draco was stern when it came to his sons, but his daughter made his heart melt.
But now, as he sat in his arm chair in the sitting room, Claire curled up in his arms fast asleep, he couldn't help but feel extremely overwhelmed in happiness. His daughter's light snores filled the empty room. The sitting room had been trashed earlier that day, when just Claire and Draco were home, the boys with their mother for grocery shopping. Papers from Draco's office were scattered on the coffee table and the floor, Cheerios in various piles across the carpet, and toys littering every other open space. Claire was a small thing like her mother, but still enjoyed cuddles with her father.
With the boys now in bed, Draco carefully carried his daughter up the flight of stairs to her bedroom, where he laid her down in her bed. Draco closed the door quietly and tip toed to his bedroom, where Hermione was almost asleep.
"Is Claire in her bed?" she mumbled.
"Yeah," Draco replied. "Hard to believe they're leaving for Hogwarts in two days."
Hermione rolled over onto her side to face her husband. "It'll be hard to believe when Claire is their age."
"Don't remind me," Draco pouted. It had been hard enough to accept when his first born, Scorpius had entered his first year at Hogwarts, but the thought of his only daughter growing up made his heart shatter.
"Tomorrow we need to head to Diagon Alley to get new books for Scorpius and robes for all of them. Orion also needs a wand," Hermione stated.
"That'll be fun," Draco joked. "I'm sure we are bound to see some old friends there."
It had been close to seventeen years since Hermione had spoken to Ron Weasley, one of her former best friends. He had wanted nothing to do with Hermione after she chose Draco over him, and started his own life with Lavender Brown, now known as Lavender Weasley. From what Hermione had heard, they had three daughters and two sons together, all of which were around the ages of the Malfoy boys. However, a few years after Claire was born, the Prophet announced the arrival of their youngest daughter.
The Prophet was constantly writing full editions on Draco and Hermione Malfoy and their newest additions to their family. Rita Skeeter sought them out to hear the latest news, and if there was to be a fourth Malfoy. The answer was always no, as Draco and Hermione were perfectly content with the children they had now.
The following morning, the Malfoys rose early to head to Diagon Alley for shopping. Scorpius and Orion were bouncing up and down with excitement all through breakfast. Orion's first year at Hogwarts was starting tomorrow, and Scorpius will be entering his third year. As for Claire, she was close to her father, sitting next to Draco to eat her cereal.
"Are we ready?" Hermione asked her two sons.
Each nodded their heads, hopping out of their seats, and to the front door of the house. Living on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, it wasn't a long journey to Diagon Alley. Draco walked with Claire beside him and the two boys caused trouble with each other ahead of their parents and sister.
Diagon Alley was bustling with students and parents alike, each shopping for last minute items to begin their trek to another year of Hogwarts. Having gone through years of shopping in Diagon Alley, none of the Malfoy's were phased by the busyness of the streets.
They headed into their first shop, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Scorpius had taken a growth spurt and in turn, his robes were too short on him.
"Hello!" Madam Malkin greeted.
"Hi," Hermione giggled, watching her daughter run through racks of robes.
"What are we in for today?" she asked.
"Orion's first year is starting tomorrow, and he needs some robes," Hermione explained.
Draco chased after Claire, pulling her away from another family that was trying on robes. At the sight of Draco Malfoy, the mother of the family turned her child away.
"Wonderful! Slytherin, I expect," Madam Malkin chuckled.
"Gryffindor, mum," Orion whispered.
"You'll have to see," Hermione told him.
"For now, we can get you a plain black cloak, dear, until you definitely know your house. Once we know your sizes, your other robes for your house will fit perfectly!" Madam Malkin rested Orion's nerves. She took the boy by the hand to a pedestal in front of a ring of mirrors and threw a cloak over his shoulders. With a flick of her wand, pins and needles flew through the air to alter the cloak to Orion's size.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, once the sewing was finished. "Anyone else?"
"Me!" Scorpius cheered, taking Orion's spot.
Claire wiggled in her father's arms, desperate to run around.
Madam Malkin repeated the same process with Scorpius and wrapped the robes into parcels, handing one to each of the boys.
"We will see you all next year!"
"Thank you," Draco smiled before leaving.
"Mum! Let's get a wand!" Orion begged.
"Well first, we have to get your books. Come along," Hermione instructed, taking the two boys across the street to Flourish and Botts.
Lists were posted of upcoming books needed for each year. Orion chose his first year books, and Scorpius his third.
Claire and Draco entered last, just as they were paying. The shop was full and difficult to enter; but Hermione had pushed her way through the crowds.
"Look at the owls!" Orion exclaimed, pointing to a stack of barn owls outside Magical Menagerie.
"I suppose you'll need a pet," Hermione shrugged.
Draco stayed silent throughout Diagon Alley, keeping to himself and his daughter. Draco paid attention to his sons, but a fear still crept upon him. A fear that someone was watching him…
Orion chose a rabbit and carried the cage excitedly up to his father. "Dad, look at this one!"
"That's great, Orion. He's got quite lovely fur. What's his name?" Draco pondered at the white rabbit.
"Pip!" Orion cheered.
"Great name, son," Draco smiled.
"It's Ollivanders! Can we get my wand now?" Orion whined.
"Sure," his father laughed.
Orion whipped the door open and ran inside, finding five other families crammed inside. None of which were busy with Ollivander, so Orion stole his chance.
"Mr. Ollivander! I can finally get my wand!" Orion shrieked.
"Why, Mr. Malfoy, is it your first year?" the old man asked.
Orion nodded his head vigorously.
"How delightful! Let's try…. this one first," Ollivander selected a long dusty box.
Orion took it into his hand and broke the lamp next to him.
"Alright, onto the next…" he trailed off.
"I'm going to take Scorpius to get cauldrons and potion ingredients. Are you alright here?" Hermione whispered to Draco.
"We're fine. I'll meet you at Broomstix," he told her.
Hermione nodded and kissed Claire goodbye before leaving with the oldest boy.
The wand that chose Orion was 10 and 3/4 inch vine wood with a dragon heartstring core; the same as his mother's.
"Ah, it appears you are just like your mother, hm?" Ollivander questioned.
Orion nodded his head swiftly before accepting the parcel from the old man.
"Good luck, Mr. Malfoy," Ollivander waved as Claire, Orion, and Draco exited the shop.
"Where to now, dad?" Orion looked up at me.
"We're meeting your mother at Broomstix so we can get you a broom," Draco told his son.
"A broomstick?!" Orion squealed. "But what if I don't make the Quidditch team?"
"You'll make it. You're a Malfoy," Draco grinned.
With a new found confidence, Orion strutted to Broomstix with his father and sister beside him. When they arrived, however, Draco noticed Hermione gazing at the rows of broomsticks with Scorpius at her side.
"Mum! I have the same wand as you!" Orion sprinted over to her.
"Really?" Hermione giggled. "That's fantastic."
"Do you think I could be a Gryffindor now?" Orion asked seriously.
"The Sorting Hat decides that, sweetie. But you can choose it, if you'd like," Hermione told him, exchanging a nervous glance with Draco. "Go on and take a look with your brother and sister."
Claire got to her feet and chased after Orion, who ran his hands along every broomstick, trying to find his favorite one. Hermione and Draco got a private word in.
"A Malfoy in Gryffindor? It's never happened before," Draco said shakily.
"A Potter had never been in Slytherin until Magnus was born," Hermione told him defensively.
"But that's different, 'mione. It's a Potter; they can end up in any house. But a Malfoy…" Draco trailed off.
"Draco, it's not a big deal. He's not like his brother," Hermione stated.
"I know," Draco noted. "It's just tradition."
"What if your father accepted it? I know that's what you're worried about," she looked at her husband.
Draco gazed into her hazel eyes and saw a look of knowing. He nodded.
"We can see them tonight, if you'd like. Let Orion talk it over with him," she decided, turning to find her children.
"Dad! What about this one?" Orion asked, swinging a broomstick over his shoulders.
"It's a Firebolt 5000. That is pretty fast. Think you could be seeker with it?" Draco squatted down to his son's level.
"I could play for the Gryffindor's!" Orion jumped up and down.
"You could, bud," Draco smiled softly. "Let's give it a whirl when we get home. You can play with your brother."
They wrapped it up for him and Orion took it in his already full arms.
"Do you want a trolley?" Hermione asked Orion.
He nodded his head, almost dropping all of his parcels.
Hermione scooped up a trolley from a nearby shop and placed all of the parcels on top of it, Claire riding on a box filled with a cauldron.
They continued through Diagon Alley, obtaining quills and parchment, and remaining necessities for their upcoming school year. Afterwards, Draco took his family home before heading to Malfoy Manor.
"Can we play a game of Quidditch, dad?" Scorpius asked.
"We can at your grandfather's house, how about that?" Draco looked at his son.
Scorpius nodded his head and grabbed his broomstick from his bedroom, Claire shortly behind them.
As they were ready, Hermione and Draco Apparate side by side with their children to Malfoy Manor, walking up the front porch steps and into the mansion.
Claire ran up to Narcissa, almost knocking her off her feet.
With broomsticks in hand, the two boys tackled their grandfather, a cloud of white hair in a mass jumble.
"Hello there!" Lucius laughed, standing to his feet. "Why have we got broomsticks?"
"We're playing a game of Quidditch with Orion's new broom," Scorpius explained.
"Oh, it's your first year," Lucius noted. "Are you excited?"
Orion nodded his head repeatedly, appearing short next to his oldest brother. "I'm going to be in Gryffindor!"
"Gryffindor? Don't you want to be in Slytherin?" Lucius raised his eyebrows.
Orion shook his head. "I want to be like my mum - brave!"
Lucius sunk to Orion's level, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You'll be one brave Gryffindor then, Orion."
Draco's shoulders slumped in relief and a smile crossed his face. He felt a warm hand placed on his lower back and looked to see his wife.
"I told you it'd be alright," Hermione told him.
Draco nodded in happiness and watched his two sons follow their grandfather outside.
Claire tumbled behind them, pulling her grandmother with her.
"I want to be seeker!" Scorpius called.
"I wanted to be seeker," Orion pouted. "Can we be on separate teams?"
"There aren't enough people, Orion. We have to be on the same team," Scorpius told him.
"Can't we call Uncle Harry?" Orion looked to his mother.
"We can try. Go ahead and practice for a while," Hermione said before writing a quick owl to Harry and Ginny.
Not long after the owl left did it return with nothing in it's claws. Just then, two adult figures and three smaller figures appeared in the fireplace, soot covering them from head to toe.
"Magnus!" Scorpius cheered, running up to the black haired boy. "We're playing Quidditch! Did you bring your broom?"
Magnus Potter pulled out a broomstick from behind his back and the two boys ran outside.
"We might have called in some reinforcement…" Harry warned, just as the Weasley's entered Malfoy Manor.
"Why?" Hermione scowled at Harry.
"They were at our house, and they heard the message. All of them play Quidditch and wanted to come along," Harry whispered. "Sorry, 'mione."
Hugo, Fred, Charlie, and Rose Weasley mounted their broomsticks, facing Scorpius, Orion, Magnus, and James.
Charlie was the oldest Weasley, and older than James Potter (Harry's first born). She was sorted into Gryffindor. Next was Rose, and she was also a Gryffindor, and is the same age as Scorpius and Magnus. Fred came next, but was sorted into Ravenclaw. Hugo is the same age as Orion, and will be most likely sorted into Slytherin just the same. The youngest Weasley is Ava, who shows true colors of a Hufflepuff, but was born after Claire Malfoy and Lily Potter.
Together, they created two separate and equal teams, the Weasley's against their foes, the Malfoy's and Potter's.
Lucius released the Quaffles and Bludgers, and after a moment, the Snitch.
The teenagers raced around the arena, dodging bludgers and sending quaffles toward each other. Draco sat with a sneer on his face, as Scorpius took out a Weasley. Harry watched nervously at his sons, while Ron anxiously kept an eye on his youngest son.
Bludgers and quaffles flew all over the place, and the Malfoy/Potter team won most of the points, just as Scorpius swooped in, carrying the snitch in his hand. Out of nowhere, Fred knocked Scorpius off his broom, sending him plummeting to the hard grass beneath him.
Hermione shouted, "Arresto Momentum!" and pointed her wand at her son, saving his fall.
Ron clapped slowly for his son had almost defeated a Malfoy. "Well done, Fred!"
Draco scowled at him. "You think that's fair play, Weasel?"
"It isn't against the rules if they aren't in a current game, Malfoy," Weasley stood to his full height, coming just below Draco's nose.
"Well if there aren't any rules, then how did you manage to lose? Figured you would've conjured up some kind of enchantment on my team," Draco sneered. "Oh, I forgot. You can't even cast a Patronus."
"Stuff it, Malfoy! You're the one who couldn't cast the Patronus Charm in our fifth year!" Ron shouted at him.
"Take it inside, you two," Lucius murmured out of earshot of the kids.
"No, let's take it right here. Produce a Patronus, Malfoy. Prove you could beat off a dementor," Ron snooted, crossing his arms.
"Draco, don't," Hermione said softly.
The other kids had flown to the air again, flying around carelessly on their broomsticks and not paying attention to their parents' debacle.
"Expecto patronum!" Draco shouted into the air, as a wispy blue otter sprung from the end of his wand. It swam around Hermione and the rest of the adults standing around them, leaving Ron wide eyed, his jaw dropping to the floor.
"An otter? But that means-" Ron began, but Hermione cut him off.
"That his Patronus would change based on who he loves," she scowled at Ron.
"But that's not right!" Ron screamed.
"How isn't it? You still don't believe he loves me after fifteen years, Ron? Why can't you just accept it already?" Hermione yelled at him.
"Because I can't Hermione! You weren't supposed to end up with him! You're supposed to be with me!" Ron cried out, a few tears escaping his eyes and his bottom lip quivering.
Hermione took a few steps back towards Draco, her eyes wide.
Lavender approached Ron, tears flowing down her face. "What do you mean, Won Won?"
"No, I didn't mean anything," Ron said quickly.
"You did! You want to be with… with her!" Lavender pointed to Hermione with a shaking finger.
"That's not true. I never said that!" Ron stopped her from leaving. "Please!"
Lavender took Ava and flooed back to her home, leaving Ron in the dust.
Draco walked right up to Ron, lifting him off the ground by the front of his robes. "Hermione isn't yours to have, and she never will be. I think it's about time you realize that, Weasley. Now get out of my house."
Ron scowled at him. "You were never made for her."
He trotted to his remaining children and chased after Lavender through the Floo network.
"Well," Harry breathed.
"I think it's best we leave," Ginny added. "We are sorry about that debate."
Hermione stood next to her husband, at a loss for words. Ron had been keeping his feelings a secret for seventeen years. Of course Hermione didn't feel anything towards him except a burning sense of anger.
"It's alright," Draco brushed off.
Harry hugged Hermione goodbye and left with his wife and kids. Lucius and Narcissa joined the Malfoy family once again, Claire at Narcissa's hip.
"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Narcissa asked them.
"Of course, mother," Draco nodded.
While his parents situated his children, Draco snuck in a private word with Hermione.
"An otter," Hermione noted, before he could say anything.
Draco rolled up the left sleeve of his dress shirt, revealing what was once the Dark Mark, covered with a tattoo of an otter.
Hermione gasped softly. "Draco-"
"When I say I love you, I mean it Hermione. I'm not some bloke like Weasley. I would never hurt you," Draco kissed his wife, pulling her lips onto his.
Awhile after dinner, Hermione and Draco had returned home, allowing the kids to go to bed early, for the train left for Hogwarts tomorrow.
He lied awake, staring at his ceiling with his wife lying on his chest fast asleep. Draco couldn't stop thinking about how Weasley had acted earlier that day towards Hermione. He had to do something about it, but what?