AN: I'm going to be consistent with the Epilogue with everything except the date. Honestly, I could work with Draco and Hermione's age in 2017, but I just find them a little too old for my liking and letting them have a passionate romance seems a little unrealistic. Change 19 years to 15, since we'll let Draco marry Astoria and have Scorpius right away, so that gives me four years to work up a back story and fit in my prequel that will be coming soon!
Chapter 1
"The scar had not pained Harry for fifteen years. All was well."
Draco watched the Golden Trio as the Hogwarts train slowly chugged its way out of the station, a long wisp of smoke and steam trailing after it. He glanced at Blaise and Alexandra Zabini, quite near the Trio, but was distracted by Astoria's tugging on his sleeve.
"Come on, Draco, let's go home," she murmured.
He nodded stiffly, throwing one more backwards glance at the three former Gryffindors. He and Astoria began making their way towards the exit when there was a sudden commotion at the far end of the platform. He paused, and Astoria gave him a queer look.
"What's that over there?" he asked her, pointing to the far end.
She shrugged, but as she turned to look, the platform erupted in screams, followed by a maniacal cackle. Draco froze, he knew that laugh, and it was extremely bad news. Draco reacted quickly, dragging Astoria behind him and lunging towards the former Gryffindors.
"Draco!" Astoria gasped. "The exit is the other way!"
"I know!" he growled.
"Then what in Merlin's name-!"
The platform was in a huge commotion, people swarming and screaming towards the exit. There were loud cracks of apparition, but he didn't stop until the Trio was in his sights. He cursed at their stupidity. Really, for the brightest witch of their age, the boy-who-wouldn't-fucking-die, and the Weasel, couldn't they see they were in danger? They were the heroes of the Second Wizarding War for Merlin's sake! He grabbed Hermione's wrist, causing her to squeak in fright. Her eyes widened when she saw him.
"Malfoy? What are you-"
"You need to get out of here. NOW!" he stressed. "Take your son and apparate. He's out to get you, specifically, so GO!" he pushed her.
Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were all staring at him, with a million questions in their eyes, but he snarled at them. "Do you all want to die? Get out of here!"
"Ginny, take Hermione and the kids back to Grim- I mean home," Harry stated, not taking his eyes off of Astoria. She nodded, and grabbed hold of Hugo and Lily, motioning for Hermione to hold her hand.
"No, I'm not going yet. Just go Ginny!" Hermione commanded, glaring at the ginger witch. Ginny looked torn, but did as Hermione said, sounding a loud crack. Draco swore.
"Granger, you need to go!"
Ron growled at this. "It's Weasley now!"
She crossed her arms stubbornly. "Not until I find out who is causing such a ruckus and what it has to do with me!" she glared at Draco, pulling out her wand.
The source of all the commotion broke through the thinning crowd, searching for the Golden Trio, and found them. Wand out and threatening, a very maniacal-looking Marcus Flint narrowed his eyes at the group and snarled. Pansy Parkinson, or by now, Pansy Flint, also broke out of the crowd, screaming at the crazed man.
"Marc! Listen to me! Come back here this instant!" she cried shrilly. "You're not in your right mind, dear, come back to me!"
He laughed cruelly, glaring heatedly at her, and stupefied his own wife. She fell to the ground, leaving everyone, including Draco, absolutely shocked. They weren't exactly the best couple around, but everyone knew that the two were actually extremely devoted to each other. Astoria broke away from Draco's grasp, and rushed over to Pansy's side. Luckily, Flint turned his attention and anger away from Astoria and back to the odd combination of adults: the Malfoys, the Potters, and the Weasleys.
"What the hell is your problem, Flint?" shouted Blaise Zabini, holding onto his wife, Alexandra, coming up behind Marcus. Alexandra gently bent down and rennervated Pansy, calming Astoria. Daphne Nott, seeing her sister, shoved her way through the crowd, her husband Theodore coming behind her.
"That Mudblood is my problem," snarled Flint, eyes glinting maliciously. "She's ruined me, my family, my home, my job, everything! She murdered my children!"
Hermione paled at the word murder, but narrowed her eyes. "W-what do you mean? What did I do?" she exclaimed, becoming more distraught. "I've never even come into contact with you since Hogwarts! I would never murder any child!"
"I saw you," Flint growled, and Ron stepped in front of Hermione to protect her. "You're the key, you filthy Mudblood. I saw the future. You're the fucking key. You bring her back. You bring him back. But you abandon my children, you let them die! You KILLED them! You MURDERER!" he screamed, gesturing wildly with his wand, sending a stray spell towards Astoria, knocking her down and into Pansy.
"Astoria!" Draco and Daphne cried in unison, Draco rushing to her side. Hermione moved to help, but froze when she heard-
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Flint screamed at Hermione, but Ron shoved her to the ground. She barely had time to look up, seeing the green flash of light hit him squarely in the chest.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" shouted Alexandra, catching Flint's wand.
"STUPEFY!" screamed Harry and Blaise simultaneously.
"RON!" Hermione cried. "NO! RON! NO!" she screamed, hugging his lifeless body. "RON!" she sobbed, clawing at his clothes, searching for any pulse, any sign of life.
"GET HER OUT OF HERE!" Draco screamed at Harry, who nodded and screamed at the gathered mixed Slytherins and Gryffindors to meet at his home; surprisingly, most of the people gathered had been to his home previously, for he had developed friendships with many of them after the war. Harry grabbed Hermione and Ron's body, apparating to his living room in 12 Grimmauld Place.
Hermione was still sobbing, crumpled on the ground next to her deceased husband. Blaise and Alexandra came shortly after, mentioning that Flint was now being detained and interrogated by other Aurors. Harry nodded numbly, through his tears, and heard Ginny rushing into the room. Pansy and Theodore apparated into the living room, hearing Ginny scream as she saw her brother's body.
"Oh Ron, no, no, no, oh Ron, please don't be..." Ginny trailed off. She met Harry's watery green eyes, and crumpled next to Hermione.
Harry tried to speak, but finding how raw his voice was, cleared his throat to try again. "Theo, where's Daphne, Astoria, and Malfoy?"
"They've gone to St. Mungo's. Astoria was hit with some wordless curse, and they can't figure out what it was," Theo sighed. "I expect Daphne and Draco will be joining us soon, once they get Astoria settled in. I believe Draco owes Hermione some answers."
Harry nodded, avoiding looking at Hermione or Ginny, and squared his jaw. Tears were flowing freely, around the room. Pansy started sobbing, and Theo gently embraced her.
"This wasn't him. It's not him. He's so messed up, I thought seeing Fiona off to Hogwarts would be normal, but it's not. Ron's dead because of me! It's all my fault, my fault! I should have kept him at home! I thought he'd be okay! I murdered Ron! I killed him!" she ranted.
"Pansy, it wasn't your fault!" Alex said sternly. Theo and Blaise nodded.
Hermione looked up and inhaled sharply. Bleary eyed, she shakily crawled to Pansy, and grasped her hand. "Pansy," Hermione rasped. "Pansy, Pansy! Look at me! It's not your fault. It never was, never is and never will be. Your husband needs help, but it's never your fault. Don't you dare blame this on yourself."
Pansy sniffled, and smeared her mascara while wiping away her tears. "Thanks...Hermione. I needed that." The use of Hermione's first name did not go unnoticed by the others in the room.
"Mummy?" called Hugo, stumbling sleepily into the living room. All of the adults froze at the red-headed child's entrance. "Where's Daddy? Is Rosie here?"
Hermione swallowed, and licked her dry lips. A wave of new tears rolled down her cheeks as she took in the image of her miniature husband. "Hu...Hugo, dear, I need you to come here," she stuttered. "Rosie's not here at the moment, she's at Hogwarts, you remember? We dr-dropped her off at the train station."
Hugo crawled into his mother's lap, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Mummy, why are you crying? Are you sad?"
Hermione hugged him tightly to her chest. "Mummy is a little sad, dear. I'm so sorry Hugo, but Daddy's going to be sleeping for a while."
Hugo pulled away from the embrace to look at her. "Daddy's sleeping? Why is Mummy sad? He always sleeps. And snores," Hugo added, wrinkling his nose in disgust. A few of the adults chuckled weakly at the comment, but a few of the Slytherins got up and left the Gryffindors to their moment.
"Your Daddy's not going to wake up though, honey. He's sleeping and he's gone away to a palace in the sky. He loves you very much, Hugo, you know that, right?" Hugo's eyes widened as he began to grasp the situation.
"So I can't talk to him anymore?" he asked sadly.
"No, honey. He'll be watching us still, and I'm sure he misses us dearly."
"But he promised to teach me quidditch this summer! He promised!" Hugo began to wail.
"Shhh! Hush, dear. I know, I know." Hermione cradled him as tears began to fall down Hugo's cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Hugo, I'm so sorry."
"Why did he go, Mummy?" Hugo wailed, and the grief he held broke her heart.
"It was his time to leave, I guess. Sometimes it comes during the worst times possible, Hugo, but he needs to go to sleep now."
"Daddy!" Hugo cried, and pushed his way out of Hermione's arms and crawled over to his father. "Daddy! Wake up! You promised! You promised!"
"He's not waking up, Hugo. I'm so sorry, but he's not waking up," sobbed Hermione.
Hugo sniffled, his anger suddenly receding. "Now I know why you're sad, Mummy."
A crack of apparition was heard, and a very depressed looking Draco Malfoy and Daphne Nott appeared in the living room.
The adults looked up, and some of the Slytherins poked their heads back into the living room. Draco glanced at Ron's body, a muscle working in his jaw. It was utterly silent in the room, save a few sniffles.
Alex moved into the room, quietly pushing Draco and Daphne down onto a few chairs.
"How's Astoria?" asked Alex, tilting Draco's face up to meet her eyes.
Draco clenched his jaw, but his eyes softened fractionally as he stared into Alex's brown eyes.
"They have no idea what the spell was that hit her. It was rather... shall we say... unconventional" Draco gritted out from between his teeth. "Until they can figure out what it was, there's not much of a chance to save her."
"Is she conscious?" Harry asked quietly.
"No, she's in a coma-like trance," sniffled Daphne. Theodore enveloped her in a hug.
Everyone fell into an awkward silence.
Harry stood up, constantly fidgeting with his glasses as everyone looked at him.
"I...I think we need to..." Harry gulped, not wanting to continue his train of thought.
"Just spit it out, Potter," Draco said tiredly.
"...Well, I think we need to take care of...Ron. We can't exactly leave him here in my living room."
"I'll... apparate him to the funeral home," Hermione said shakily.
Alex and Draco looked at each other. "I don't think that's... a good idea, Hermione," Alex said quietly.
"And why the bloody hell can't I take care of his body, Alex?" Hermione snapped.
"Because, Granger, if Flint had any other friends who'd like you dead, if you go waltzing out into public, this time Weasley won't be there to save you!" Draco snapped back, equally infuriated.
"I think I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, thank you very much! I didn't survive a bloody war without any skill whatsoever!" shouted Hermione.
Draco looked like he was about to argue back, but Alex stepped in before the argument could go further. "Hermione! No one's doubting your abilities. We trust you, we just don't trust them," reasoned Alex. "Now this is doing no one any good. Hermione, Blaise and I will apparate him over and come right back. We can discuss other things later," she spoke with a tone that brooked no argument. Everyone also understood her silent meaning. Other things really meant funeral preparations, and everyone cringed.
Hermione slumped her shoulders, defeated. Ginny fiercely gripped Hermione in a hug, distracting her as Blaise and Alex left with Ron's body. The crack of apparation inspired a fresh wave of tears, but her sobbing subsided after a few minutes. When Blaise and Alex returned, everyone was passing around tea, hoping to calm themselves before taking any further steps. Harry had owled Neville and Hannah, and Ginny floo-called Luna and Rolf. Both couples were extremely close friends with the Potters and Weasleys and were expected to appear at any moment. Hugo had dropped off to sleep, and Hermione carried him back to James's and Albus's room, which was exceedingly bare since their leaving to Hogwarts.
When she returned to the living room, the quiet conversations in the room stopped, waiting until she sat down.
"Hermione, would you like some tea?" asked Daphne. Hermione gave her a small smile.
"That would be just lovely, Daphne. Thank you."
Draco cleared his throat, and looked at Hermione and Alex meaningfully. "Granger, I believe I owe you some answers. Actually, I owe everyone answers." Just at that moment, Luna and Rolf appeared, as well as Neville and Hannah.
Neville surveyed the room, but narrowed his eyes at Draco in surprise. "What's Malfoy doing here?"
Hermione glanced at Ginny and Harry, who shrugged. "I believe he's just about to explain that. Please sit down."
Harry looked at Ginny, and asked the room at large, "Do you all think we should call over the rest of the Weasleys? It might save some explaining later, and we have yet to tell them... about Ron."
Alex looked at Harry sorrowfully and watched as Ginny buried her head in Harry's shoulder. "Blaise and I sent patronuses out to their family when we went... out. It's up to Draco if he wants to explain with everyone here or just us."
Draco sighed. "Later, I just can't face any more people." Everyone in the room nodded solemnly.
"Where to begin?" Draco murmured.
"How about the beginning?" Alex asked, smiling sadly.
"It's a long story..."
"We have time Draco, best explain to some of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws what happened in California," Alex suggested.
"Here goes nothing..." Draco paused, before beginning his story.
"It was shortly after my trial that Zabini and I decided that we had had enough of England. We just... needed to get away, you know? By the way, thanks," Draco nodded to Harry and Hermione. "Without your testimony, I would have been done for." They smiled sadly back, urging him to continue his story.
"But anyways, my mom was off traveling after her trial, because she wanted to get away, too. My dad was at Azkaban, and I doubted that I'd do anything productive if I were to stay. Not that I needed to get a job, or anything, but I'd probably just sit around, wallowing in self-pity. Zabini found me, and he suggested we just get the hell out of here, before we both self-destruct and kill ourselves." Alex bit the inside of her cheek as he said this, and Blaise moved to bring her over to a chair. Draco hardly noticed, continuing his story.
"So we thought about different countries. Anything in Europe was just too close to home, and Australia was chancing a fateful meeting with Granger, because of her parents. The States just seemed right, they were English speaking, full of life, and on the west coast, we'd be on the other side of the world.
"So of course, we went to sunny and beautiful California, and enrolled in the University of California of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Zabini specialized in healing, and I just kind of floundered. There, we met Alex, who was in many of the same classes as Zabini, as she was specializing in healing as well. Thank goodness we did, or I might never have had the same opportunities to actually do anything. It's where the whole Medrex company started. For a few years, everything was just...utopia. We didn't have any reputations to uphold or bad memories haunting our every step. We could just be..." Draco paused and looked at Blaise, who smiled in encouragement. "just... us. That's it. No longer the rich, pureblooded Death Eaters. Just plain old Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. We could create our own path and success without having our old reputations and family names holding us back or pushing us forward. Everything was up to us, and we would enjoy our own, hard-earned success or suffer our own consequences.
"But it didn't last. Because, of course, Alex, being the incredible healer she is, was contacted by none other than the infamous Hermione Granger to help with her parents' memories. Granger came to California to meet up with Alex, and our bubble just shattered. Suddenly, someone who knew us, all of the good and especially the bad, was back in our lives, and it was quite a shock for the both of us." Harry looked curiously at Hermione, taking in this new bit of information that she had so conveniently left out.
"To say the least, it wasn't easy, forgiving each other." Alex, Blaise, and Hermione simultaneously snorted, and cracked a smile at the others. "But we got to point where we were all fairly comfortable in each other's presence, so I'd say it was pretty successful. So long as the past was left where it belonged, we got along well enough. We all traveled to Australia to help with Granger's parents, and by that time, Alex was head over heels in love with Blaise," Draco looked pointedly at the couple, "and vice versa.
"So, when Alex was successful in restoring their memories, she needed to stay with Granger's parents to make sure they were all right. She basically dragged us back here, where we continued Medrex and expanded it in England."
Draco sighed. "But coming back wasn't easy, and even though the four years we were gone helped ease some of the tension, it was still bad. Some people had even gone insane, which brings me to our attacker of the day." Hermione flinched.
"Marcus Flint has gone insane. He's been bloody psychotic for at least five years now, you remember the incident in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Control of Magical Equipment? That's where it all started. Flint was messing with some time turners, and something went wrong and he pulled a Finnegan." Hermione and a few of the other Gryffindors glared at him, though inwardly chuckling. "The incident left him completely insane. Pansy's been out of her mind, trying to care for her daughter and crazy husband. But something in all of his rants were very similar. They all pertained to you, Granger."
Hermione looked up, visibly shaken but meeting his eyes. "Do you remember what he said today?" asked Draco. Hermione shook her head.
"Besides that fact that I murdered his children, when he only has one daughter, I don't remember anything else."
"He truly believes you killed our children, at least sometime in the future," murmured Pansy. "He says you could have saved them but didn't, and that you're the key."
"The key for what?"
"He's never really said. If he had said more, it would make more sense, but he's only giving us a small portion of whatever he's going on about," sighed Pansy.
Harry cleared his throat nervously, and everyone turned to look at him. "So let me get this straight, you lot knew each other and were civil to one another, which Hermioneconveniently forgot to tell me," he glared at Hermione, who shrugged her shoulders and looked at her feet. "And Marcus Flint's been psychotic ever since he saw "the future" during a time-turner accident, and thinks that Mione's going to kill his children."
"That pretty much sums it up, Potter," drawled Draco.
Luna tilted her head and looked at Draco curiously. "Draco, why do you call Hermione "Granger," still, if you've been friends with her for several years? You were here in England when she got married, and I believe you even attended the wedding. Better yet, why do you seem to call everyone but Alex by their surname?" Draco pinkened slightly and glared at Luna.
Alex chuckled. "Luna, you're quite good. I'll have to meet more of these Ravenclaw folks soon. For one, Draco calls everyone by their last name, and "Weasley" just didn't have the same snarly-wrath that Draco used with "Granger." There are too many Weasleys to begin with."
"And as for Alex, she was the first girl he actually liked. So she's special," Blaise smirked. Draco's cheeks reddened further.
Harry grinned. "So was Zabini just a better womanizer, or was Malfoy still too much of a ferret to get the girl?" he asked cheekily, and everyone laughed.
"Both!" laughed Alex. "It's a story for another day."
Everyone paused, sobering slightly.
Theodore asked the question on everyone's minds. "Now what?"
Hannah glanced at the clock, which read five in the afternoon. She stood up taking the reins. "Let's all eat dinner, and just let it all sink in. I think we're all too exhausted by today's events to do anything productive. Hermione and...Draco, you'll probably have to inform your children soon, preferably before the Daily Prophet catches wind of this and prints tomorrow morning. I'd suggest after a bit of a rest that you two contact the Headmistress and meet with your children in person." Both Draco and Hermione nodded numbly.
"Now, let's get going, Ginny, do you mind if we use your kitchen? I don't think any of us are planning to go anywhere else at the moment. What do you have?" asked Hannah, pulling Ginny to her feet and steering her towards the kitchen. "Daphne, Pansy, have any ideas on what you all would like to make? Alex, I know you're bloody terrible at cooking..." Everyone cracked a smile at this. "So, we'll make do without you. Hermione, Luna, coming?" Luna nodded while Hermione shook her head.
"I need to... collect myself," Hermione replied, to which Ginny nodded in understanding.
"Oi! What are us men supposed to do?" asked Harry, trying to relieve some of the tension.
"How about a game of make-shift Quidditch?" suggested Rolf. "I think some of us need to prove our worth after all these years."
"I'm sure I have a few brooms around here somewhere, let me look," added Harry, who went upstairs to peruse the broom cupboards. Draco slipped outside into the backyard, loosening his Slytherin-green tie and inhaling the fresh air deeply. A few minutes later, he heard another person's footsteps come up alongside him. He turned to see a familiar head of dark, straight black hair.
"Mind if I join you?"