April

The spring rays shone down, accenting the crisp white linens and gently warming the guests gathering on the terrace. A faint murmur of chatter drifted up to the second floor window as Hermione took one final look in her mirror.

"Ready?"

"Yes" she breathed, taking the arm that Draco offered to her. "Let's go name our Godson" she smiled.

At the foot of the stairs, Narcissa stood waiting to envelope her son and his fiance in a warm embrace. "You two look positively darling" she told them "Is Pansy ready?"

Hermione turned to look up behind her, catching sight of Pansy as she brought Cosimo down from his nursery.

"Where is Ron?" she hissed, descending carefully as Cosimo reached out his chubby arms to Draco.

"No idea" Hermione replied, glancing around.

"I'm right here!" Ron called, coming down from the second floor.

"What were you doing up there?" chastised Pansy "Never mind, we can talk about it later. Just get outside" she hissed, grabbing his arm and proceeding to march him across the lounge towards the terrace.

Narcissa took Hermione's arm and patted her hand gently. "We need to meet this week to go over the final details for your wedding. Six weeks will fly by in no time" she told her, smiling. "I am so glad that you have allowed me to plan this for you."

"So am I Mother" Hermione smiled as they crossed the threshold, pausing to give her a kiss on her cheek.

.

Draco stood holding the squirming bundle that was Cosimo as the Minister addressed the guests. "Are you aware you called her Mother?" he whispered, watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye.

"Does it bother you?" Hermione whispered back.

"Of course not. I just...wasn't expecting it" he replied as he switched Cosimo onto his other hip.

"I might not forget that which plagues my nightmares, but I can certainly forgive" she told him, looking him in the eye as she took Cosimo from him and settled him into her arm, amusing the infant who ceased his wriggling. She stroked his auburn hair out of his eyes as Draco wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hair.

They watched as the Minister addressed Pansy and Ron, asking for the child's name and the names of the God Parents.

"We can be a family" Hermione told him, not taking her eyes off the scene in front of her, and smiling as the Minister addressed her, asking her to pledge to stand in Pansy's stead if anything should happen.

"I will" she confirmed as Pansy beamed.

The Minister turned to Draco and asked him to pledge to stand in Ron's stead. Draco looked at Hermione and thought about the pledge he had made to stand by her and mused on how lucky they all were that Ron hadn't been able to commit to the same pledge.

He would stand by her, no matter what storms came, no matter what fights they had, no matter how many times there were left trembling, breathless, surrounded by broken glass because they had already survived so much already. He knew every facet of her being. He had seen her vulnerability in every form and none of it frightened him. The only thing left for him to fear was Fatherhood and he was ready, he knew, with Cosimo to overcome that fear.

Nodding to Ron, he fixed his gaze on the Minister.

"I will"

.

-FIN-