Draco Malfoy blinked as sunlight filtered in through his room and into his sheets, waking him up as it does so. His mind slowly took in the image of his old childhood room now turned Master's bedroom he shares with his wife.

Hermione.

He turned his eyes to look at the sleeping form of his witch. His witch, he'll never tire of saying it. Hermione Malfoy nee Granger, one third of the Golden Trio and main strategist for the eventual fall of Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all after Grindelwald, the personification of purity and light, is now married to him for a year, and sleeping soundly beside him.

"I must've saved a country or a continent in my previous life" for me to deserve this much he whispered, the last words thought but unsaid, as he kissed his wife's temple, lingering as he does so and inhaling her scent, committing it to memory.

He used to think he was drowned out of emotions before - never to be filled again. But here he was, here she was, and he felt.

So much.

He was a sight when they saw each other after the war. The Malfoys stayed in the Great Hall along with everyone else, but nobody looked in their general way, they preferred it, and even huddled closer together. They all knew it was only a matter of time before they all get taken to Azkaban. If they have any wish though, it's to be together in a cell at least. They just want to look out for their own - Slytherins, through and through, but at least no one is to say they did not know what love is, they have their family, and that's the only thing that stopped them and pushed them ever since.

Love.

Something that the previous tenant of their ancestral home didn't know. But Lucius was already branded since the first war - if only because his father made him do it. It was unavoidable. Lord knows he was one of the first ones who sighed in relief and celebrated the fall of that bastard 16 years before the second wizarding war. He didn't even bother to look for the guy, hence his punishment when Peter Pettigrew, the rat from Gryffindor, found the bastard and let him live again.

The Malfoy's did everything to save their loved ones, their family.

They wanted more time for themselves, but then someone cleared their throat and the family of three looked up and grimaced.

The Golden Trio. The family collectively winced, it was time, wasn't it?

"Thank you, Narcissa" it was Golden Boy himself who first spoke, not noticing the sudden hush that filled the Great Hall as everyone watched the Saviors of their world thanking the Malfoy matriarch, making all their brows raised, including his father and himself before he turned and saw the glassy eyes of his mother who just nodded absentmindedly before saying, "I'm glad you're well, truly, Mr. Potter"

He turned to Potter who blinked once and then twice, before he watched the bloke broke out in a somewhat grin, "Me too Mrs. Malfoy, me too" then, without so much as a preamble, they heard another voice break the silence, it was hers.

"Thank you Draco" she started, "for not identifying us at the Malfoy Manor, we know you recognized us then, we saw it in your eyes" she continued as he nodded slowly, his mind still reeling from the sudden onslaught of memories.

He still have nightmares about it - her screams, her blood, her. He shuddered. He almost missed the last sentences of her words, barely catching on thanking him for earlier.

"What earlier?" he asked as his face scrunched up, listening but not understanding it completely until it was Weasley who spoke up, "Harry and I saw you cast a protego in her direction before Dolohov got to her again with another curse, ignoring yourself and barely dodging that killing curse your way. That's bloody brilliant, by the way" the redhead ended with a smirk as he flushed, not noticing the curious gaze of both his parents and Potter.

"She's better alive than I am," he said shrugging, for effect, as he tried to sound nonchalant making the curiosity from his parents eyes intensify.

Draco Malfoy does not do good just because.

Everyone knows it.

Even he knows it.

But then when he saw her running earlier, his eyes immediately followed and it was like his body moved on its own accord when he saw Dolohov muttering a curse which he recognizedrecognized ad the Death Eater's most lethal, and casted an immediate double protego in Hermione Granger's general area.

It was a perfect spell.

It killed the caster itself when the cast broke the first wall and rebounded on the next.

Now, Antonin Dolohov was dust, and Hermione Granger is alive. He doesn't know what to feel about it, but he knew something changed in him.

He let her light filter through.

He was pulled back to the present when he saw her shifting beside him as he smiled, watching as her eyes flutter awake.

"Happy Anniversary love" he whispered as he lowered his face to hers, capturing her lips with his own as he felt her smile.

When he pulled away, he saw her, still smiling as he heard her say, "I love you" which he cleverly replied with an, "I know" making her laugh, head thrown back and all.

He watched her laugh as he remembered that day again at the Great Hall. He saw her beckoning the entire Weasley family and some other Gryffindors and probably other members of the resistance, "The Order of the Phoenix" they called themselves, even Professors Snape and McGonagall managed to walk towards their general direction.

It was another hell of uncomfortable as he felt both his parents stiffen beside him. He turned to look at everyone who had gathered, trying to gauge everyone's reaction, surprised that not a single one of them held malice.

It was odd.

"So you're my nephew" he heard from the other side of the room, as he turned and saw a woman who slightly resembled his deranged and very much dead aunt Bellatrix, standing beside another man with dark eyes and messy hair, he knew the man as Sirius Black.

"Andy, Sirius" he heard his mother choke back a sob at the face of the two, as they both opened their arms and his mother stood up beside him and only hesitated for all three seconds before running towards the proffered arms and throwing herself to her eldest sister and her cousin.

The Black's had a mini reunion.

"I'm so sorry, I'm really really sorry" he heard his mother say, and even he knew that she's not just talking about this specific war, the apology goes way deeper than that, if the, we know and we understand and the we're sorry too spoken by his aunt and uncle were anything to go by.

He almost missed Mr. Weasley, his godfather, Severus Snape and the old DADA professor, Remus Lupin walk towards his father, the first one offering a hand to help his father up.

"Everyone is accounted for in my family, that's the only thing that matters right now" he heard the elder man say, and true enough, he counted and saw all the Weasley siblings alive and joking with Potter and Granger. The curse breaker, the dragon tamer, the other Weaselbee, the twins, Weasel and Weaselette.

He was so intently watching Granger laughing at a joke the Golden Boy said that he almost missed his father taking the hand and standing up and saying, "I got mine out alive and well too" before shaking the other man's hands.

He shook his head and smiled ruefully, 'Why are things working out?' he thought sadly. 'This is too cruel once it's taken away from us - once the Aurors finally got to us' he thought sadly.

But then all too soon, everyone was saying their goodbye's and the Hall was clapping wildly as the group dispersed, the Weasley family left, while Longbottom, Potter and Granger stayed with Lupin, Snape, Sirius Black and Andromeda Tonks discussing about the rebuilding of the school right in front of them, as if they want them to be a part of it.

His theory was proven only after a minute when he saw Granger turned to his mother and asked, "What do you think Narcissa? Should we put back the floating decorative candles here or not? I say it's depressing but they all think it's traditional" and he finally caught on with his silence as he spoke first before his mother even addressed the question.

"Why are you calling us by our name?" he blurted, making her eye her for a second, looking for malice in his words, there was none, but he's definitely curious. And she must've been satisfied as well as he saw her looking at him then to his parents warily before saying slowly, "Well, I figured it would be weird to call you Malfoy, for instance, seeing as all three of you are Malfoy. And I guess, it is kind of rude to call Mrs. Malfoy by her given name, but I got so used to the name from the stories that Andy and Sirius use when talking about her, and then you're both a Mr. Malfoy, you know" she ended with a trying smile.

Another silence hung in the air from their group, and this time, it was his mother who broke the silence, "I think the candles are very outdated and should not be brought back, given the chance" as he turned and saw his mother smiling truly and softly towards Granger who was giving her in turn, a relieved smile.

His father said a piece too, something about a spell he learned about charmed rocks and walls, much like the ones Hogwarts was built on, and offering to show it to them including a few people who he knows are willing to help.

And just like that, his family shifted - towards the light.

He saw her smiling up to him again before pushing herself from the bed and covering his lips with her own as he continued to smile. His witch remains insatiable after all these years.

"Want to have breakfast in bed?" she asked as they pulled apart as he nodded, giving her time to slip off the bed and picked up his discarded shirt from the ground and pulled it over herself before slipping back to the bed under their duvet.

"Mitty" he called, and the house elf popped into their room and greeted her master and mistress a good morning as he said, "Tell mother and father that we can't join them for brunch today and that we'll be seeing them at dinner later," he stopped at that before adding, "And, get us breakfast in bed, please" he ended making the elf beam at him and bowed graciously before popping away leaving him alone with his wife, again.

"Love, I'm having an internal debate" he said as turned and pinned Hermione beneath him, something akin to lust and love glittering his eyes as he heard his wife giving him a challenging raise of an eyebrow before asking, "What is this debate about?"

He heard her moan as he started rocking his hips, and laying his hands directly on top of her covered breast, making him somewhat delirious from happiness.

"I don't know if it's good for my money that you keep wearing my clothes, knowing what it does to my libido, especially since I have good memory. It's not good to pop a boner at work because I remember my wife wearing my clothes as she fingered herself or as she gives me head or as we fuck, right? That's highly unprofessional - makes me lose focus, thus making me lose money," he said, this time feeling flush as he raised her wife's hips and aligned his cock to her hole as he pushed and pulled in and out of slowly.

"Draco" she said as she tried to put words in between her moans, "I - fuck that's - I - fuck - I think it's - mmmn - just - right there Draco ohhh - I think, yes, it's unprofessional" but then added, "But your clothes smell like you… and I love smelling like you" she ended making him almost tip over the edge as he started to fasten his pace.

"Right there.. Right there - ohgodohgodohgod" he heard her chant before she exploded, coming under him as he lightly grazed on her clit.

He followed soon after.

After coming down from their high, he noticed the food tray hovering by the door and he summoned it after he and his wife had propped up by the bed.

He watched her eat happily, as he remembered the past again, really trying to pinpoint exactly when everything changed between them.

Suddenly, it's been a month after the war, and he and his family continued to wait for the Aurors that just wouldn't come. Until his Aunt Andy visited them in the manor, with Potter and Sirius in tow, for a brunch, as she told them in all honesty, "You were all reluctant prisoners in your own rights, why would you be imprisoned?"

She then turned to them one by one and saying, "You all did the right thing when you were given the choice, everyone knows that" and watched as Sirius nodded beside him before adding, "Seriously though, Lucy here wouldn't stand even a month in that dank area. Didn't you just stay there for a week before you were freed again, but you looked dead as ever? No, I don't think you'll last a month" he said dismissively.

The only living Black has took a liking in naming his father Lucy, trying to rile him up, and failing as Lucius would never let the man get to him as he heard his father counter, "And you know all about it, don't you Sirius? Seeing as you were able to stay there for thirteen years?" which was only answered by a laugh from Sirius.

The conversation turned lighthearted after that. Knowing as they wouldn't be imprisoned after all has lifted something from his shoulders as he tuned the conversation in and out of focus until he heard his mother ask, "I haven't seen nor heard from Hermione for a week, is something the matter?" making him turn to her.

Granger and his mother has made, somewhat of a camaraderie over the past month - going as far as being seen with her, his aunt Andy, Weaselette and even Pansy having tea somewhere in Diagon Alley.

His father and the other Pureblood families were forced to make a public apology, which has been printed out of all the papers in Wizarding London as they were all tasked to help anyone who needs their help rebuilding their lives back in form of compensation, which made their family name shine once more once they started with the donations and setting up charities and orphanages, giving them all the positive feedbacks - not that he's complaining, they're not going to prison, and Merlin knows they have enough money.

It was why his family was able to socialize again, why the girls day out is doable.

He turned to Potter then, who sagged a bit at the mention of the Golden Girl herself, before turning to his mother, "She wasn't able to reverse the spell, and she's been cooping herself in their old house ever since" as his mother said a low, "Oh" before hesitantly asking, "Can I visit her?"

And then, upon Potter's nod, he heard her sigh in relief as he heard Potter continue, "Thank you for helping her Narcissa. She told me you listened to her last time and you helped her locate them, thank you" and he could've sworn that he saw his mother's eye mist at that, but then the conversation turned again.

His mother ended up visiting Granger every day.

Joining her for morning and afternoon tea, sometimes even dinner, she might as well have her live with them from how much his mother visited and doted on the Gryffindor Princess before coming back to the Manor late and telling him and his father how she feels so bad for her and how, "Lucius! I think she forgot to eat!" and the occasional, "Oh I wish she'd let me take care of her"

And then one day, while he and his father were waiting at the dinner table for his mother, they saw her mother's patronus soar into the dining hall and announced, in her voice, that they should eat, as she would be accompanying Granger for dinner that night and reminded them both to, 'not wait up,' as she'd also be spending the night there.

And once turned twice and then into several times, until his father just upped and asked the elf to clear the table and pack them, as he was suddenly dragged by the wrist by his father as he called on Granger's residence and joined the two women for dinner stating, "Meals must be spent with family" and apparently, that was that.

He didn't remember what happened much after that. But he remembered his mother's eyes glowing with happiness and pride before tucking in for the meal and then the next thing he knows he's hanging out with the Golden Trio, Longbottom and the Weasleys with his best mate, Blaise Zabini who was then trying to charm the Weasellete, much to the annoyance of the Weasel.

And then he too was suddenly making plans with Potter pick up quidditch, taunt fights with Weasel and endless discussion about books, charms and potions with Granger.

He didn't notice when Potter turned to Harry and Weasel turned to Ron or Ronald, he especially didn't remember when Granger turned to Hermione. Perhaps it's when Harry asked him if he wanted to join the Auror department with them and Blaise, which he declined as he already had Malfoy industries to worry about, perhaps it's when Ron joined him in tricking his twin brothers, or perhaps it's started really happening long before that.

And with Hermione, he doesn't even know when their verbal sparring turned into civil and intelligent conversations, eagerly seeking the other out when within the same room and discussing anything they think is of great importance.

When their dinner with family turned into dates, by themselves, away from everyone's prying eyes.

When his friends and her friends started teasing them together.

When Sirius and Remus gave them knowing smirks, the former even giving him a light pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up.

When he first held her to sleep when the dreamless potion his mother gave her didn't work and he hugged her as they both fell asleep in each other's arms with dried tears on their cheeks from the memory left by the war.

When they talked everything out.

Who leaned in first when they first kissed? When was it? No one exactly knew. Hermione told him she leaned in first, but his mind begged to differ.

When he proposed, he didn't even know the date. He just remembered fighting with her that morning because she insisted on going to some Zucchini Smith's invitation to some party which he gate crashed into, drunk as hell, taking her and apparating her to the topmost floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

He remembered apologizing as he slurred his words with, "I want to marry you" and "I have this ring in my pocket but I can't give it to you because you're breaking up with me to be with a zucchini" and then she was crying and telling him he's stupid and took the box, pried it open and placed the ring to herself as she declared, "I'm marrying you dammit"

She sent her patronus to all their family and friends after that, telling them all, that they're engaged and to not look for them.

They married a year after.

And now, four years after the war, he still didn't know, what exactly happened, and he supposed he's still under a very good dream, but then he hopes it's one he wouldn't wake up from.

--

Author's notes:

REPOST FROM MY AO3 ACCOUNT.

Thanks for reading! I hoped you enjoyed this one because I remembered skipping study time for this.