Part VII

Ten Years Later

Harry Potter was in the kitchen of his home, Grimmauld Place, helping his wife Ginny Potter to prepare the Christmas dinner. Ginny kept sending him strange looks. Harry was no fan of parties. He just usually skipped them. It was strange that now, after all these years, he wanted to host one.

Of course, unbeknownst to Ginny, Harry was commemorating the event from ten years ago, when he had traveled back in time to hopefully restore their world. He was continually amazed at how different everything had turned out. He wanted to celebrate peace, life, and the fact that he hadn't "screwed up the mission", even though nobody around him had reason to believe a different reality had existed.

Harry could never bring himself to tell his wife about his little adventure into an alternative future, so he just told her that he wanted to host the party for the kids. Harry was the happy father of James Sirius, Albus Severus, and a baby on the way. Most of his friend had kids, too, so it was the perfect excuse.

Kreacher appeared by the door of the kitchen and informed that missus Hermione and her husband had arrived.

"Potter, She-Potter and offspring!" Draco drawled as he noticed a raven-haired, three-year-old boy try to sneak out a cookie. "Happy Christmas or whatever. I'm hungry." The smug blond man stated.

"For the love of Merlin, Draco! Is it that difficult to call them by their names? And you just ate all the cookies at home!" An annoyed Hermione asked.

"I'm a growing father, Granger. I need every ounce of energy I can get. Besides, it isn't in our marriage contract to call your friends by their names, meaning that I don't really have to," he smirked.

"Why did you marry the git again, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"He got me pregnant," she said, hugging the redhead, "and he promised me a huge library if I married him. I couldn't resist."

"That's not the only huge thing about me." He smirked.

"Draco! The children," Hermione shrieked.

"My love for you, for instance, is infinite. I think it counts as huge," he said innocently.

Harry laughed at their bickering. Even married they still fought a lot, but they were happy. At first, with so much fighting, they didn't make any easy his intentions to fulfill his promise to Hermione.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, the wizarding world had been quickly rebuilt. The Death Eaters and their accomplices had been put on trail. All those captured had been sentenced—Lucius Malfoy had been given life imprisonment; those like Draco and Narcissa who had proved that they had been forced to side with the Dark Lord had only been sentenced to house arrest.

With all the horrors and crimes committed in his childhood home, Draco couldn't stay in the manor any longer. Harry had seen this as the perfect opportunity to bring his best friend and nemesis closer, he had offered to be Draco's probation officer. Draco reluctantly had spent his sentence in Grimmauld Place, helping Harry to make it habitable.

Hermione hadn't wanted go to Australia right after the war. She had wanted to put her life in order first and to help the wizarding world as well as to be completely at peace. Harry had suggested that she move in with him.

Ron had moved in with them, too, and he and Hermione started a relationship and had seemed happy. Harry felt sure that he would not be able to keep his promise—he hadn't wanted either of his best friends hurt by his attempt at matchmaker.

Two months later, that issue failed to be not a problem, as Hermione had broken things off with Ron, claiming they were better being friends.

Harry had had to be careful to not scare off either of them; he had paired them up to make meals together one day and clean the second floor the next. At first, a tentative friendship arose.

Weeks passed until Hermione couldn't put off retrieving her parents anymore. She had been scared. She couldn't face the possible rejection of her parents. Harry couldn't say anything right for her situation, neither could Ron. Surprisingly, Draco was the only one who could offer her comfort.

"You should go to your parents, Granger. They can't hate you. You did the right thing. Knowing you, if your parents were magical, they would have been self-righteous Gryffindors like you. Anyway, I could accompany you, you know; I could show them the Dark Mark, let them know that they didn't miss anything."

After a year of house arrest, Draco had flown with Hermione to Australia. They disappeared completely after that. Harry had heard from them just only few times for the next five years through letters. Hermione had restored Mr. and Mrs. Granger memories and they had decided to stay in Melbourne until Christmas. Draco had celebrated his newfound freedom by asking Hermione to accompany him on a 'little' trip around the world.

On Christmas Day of the 2004, a happily married Draco and Hermione Malfoy had appeared on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place. They were ready to settle finally in England, now that they were having twins on the way.

"Oi! Potter, what are you cooking? Better not be poisoning my family." Draco asked, interrupting Harry's trip down memory lane.

"Draco, be polite," Hermione said.

"Salad." Harry laughed. Long time ago, he had learned to live with and ignore Draco's snarky and sarcastic remarks, but it was always hilarious hearing Hermione reprimand him.

"Daddy, may I go play with Jamie?" five-year-old Pollux Malfoy asked.

"Take your brothers with you," his father said.

"C'mon!" the boy pulled his brothers with him.

Hermione and Draco had three boys, five-year-old twins Castor and Pollux and two-year-old Scorpius. All of them were blond and silver-eyed but with their mother's curly hair.

All three boys ran to the play room, followed by James, who left his hiding place by the fridge.

"Where did you come from?" Ginny demanded to James, but the boy was long gone.

"I swear those boys will be the death of me!" exclaimed the red-haired woman.

"You only have two! I deal with three Malfoy boys and sometimes with four." Hermione eyed her husband. "I just hope that this little one is a girl!" she said, placing a hand on her baby bump.

"You don't know what you are going to have yet?" Ginny asked, sitting with Hermione by the coffee table.

"So... Potter, is Weasley coming?" Draco asked, eyeing the salad suspiciously.

"No, he won't return from his honeymoon until after New Year's." The Gryffindor responded, smacking the blond's hand from the cookie jar.

"Who would have thought: Weasley and the younger, Veela Delacour girl." Draco said, distracting Harry from observing him reach into the cookie jar.

"Since Gabrielle moved in with Fleur, they have become close. Nobody would have guessed, but the same could be said about 'Mione and you, you know."

"Married with three boys and a baby on the way. This time, I'm sure it's a girl, but even if it isn't, she doesn't want to have more than four. Mother would be thrilled with ten." Draco laughed.

"She has the patience of steel, like Molly. Without Molly, I would have been driven insane with the boys…" Harry was interrupted by a squeal from beside the coffee table.

"Guess Ginny told your wife that we're expecting again." Harry's smile was one of a happy if mad man. "She hopes for a girl, too. Imagine, our girls will be together at Hogwarts." Harry mused.

"If it's a girl, Hermione wants to name her Genevieve, but I want to continue with the Black tradition." Draco shrugged.

"The best you can do is not to cross your pregnant wife, mate. She's the one giving birth, after all. Three Black names are enough." The Gryffindor advised.

"Guess you're right," the Slytherin said while eating his third cookie.

Harry returned his gaze to the coffee table. Hermione looked happy. She and Draco were together and with a growing family. All of his friends had a brilliant future. The hassle of the party was worth it to see with his own eyes how things had turned out right.

"Life is good," Draco Malfoy said, watching his pregnant wife laugh.

"Yeah, life is good," Harry agreed.

The End

Author's Notes: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I've a couple of rough weeks and completely unavailable to update!

Well this is the end! but if I'm completely honest I don't feel it is. I have a draft of the Chritmas party; I just need an end but I don't have any ideas for toys for the kids or food served in England! . Tell me your suggestions! but remember this is a Christmas party.

If everything goes right I could update the second epilogue next week!