A/N:Hello everyone! I'm sooooo very sorry for not updating! Things have gotten in between. I started to work and things kind of got forgotten.

But I'm back and in a couple of weeks the story will be finished ;-) So please, read and review!

Almost the end

Classes had started again. It was nearly the beginning of June and NEWTS were coming up soon. Hermione and Eiliss started studying as soon as they could, making schedules for everyone. It wouldn't be easy to get everything studied in time, but they would all do their best.

"Come on guys, this is important." Hermione said.

"If you don't get this right; you can't graduate!"

They had been studying Potions, and Ron was having trouble remembering all the ingredients for Felix Felicis.

"Hermione, please, just leave it alone. You're only making me more nervous." Ron said, looking disgruntled.

"Sorry Ron." Hermione said, and she looked back at her own textbook.

Two days later they all got their schedules for the exams:

Monday 9 AM Charms Great Hall

Tuesday 9 AM Defense Against the Dark Arts Great Hall

Wednesday 9 AM Herbology Greenhouse 3

Thursday 9 AM Care of Magical Creatures Edge of the Forbidden Forest/Hagrid's cabin

Friday 11 PM Astronomy Astronomy tower

Monday 9 AM History of Magic Great Hall

Tuesday 9 AM Potions Dungeon

Wednesday 9 AM Transfiguration Classroom 1B

Each in turn in starting at the end of the alphabet

Thursday 9 AM Muggle Studies Great Hall

(just for Hermione and Eiliss)

It would be hell for the next two weeks and a half. They still had about a week to prepare and then their exams started. During that time, none of the students were particularly talkative except when they were interrogating each other. The exams seemed to drag on. Time almost seemed to be standing still during the exams, but the time left for some revising was flying by. It was so unfair!

During the exams everyone was on edge. Ron, Harry, Hermione, Draco and Eiliss all wanted to succeed their NEWT's since they all had the same ambition: becoming an Auror, although Hermione still seemed to be doubting her choice.

"Maybe I don't want to be an Auror. I do like books so much!" she said one day after her History of Magic exam.

"I know, and I can't really blame you." Draco said.

"Being an Auror is a hard job, look at Mad Eye Moody!"

Hermione smiled at him. Unconsciously she rubbed her belly. Draco had noticed she did that a lot lately. She looked beautiful, pregnancy suited her well. She glowed and was obviously proud that she was with child. She never hid it from anyone.

It was getting late and it was of no use anymore to keep revising.

"Hermione, let's put our books away for today. We've done enough." Draco said.

Hermione nodded and put her Potions book aside. Draco patted the spot next to him in the sofa and Hermione gladly took place.

Draco pulled her close and put his hands on either side of her rounding stomach. Suddenly he pulled away, his eyes open wide with surprise.

"Did I just feel something move?" He asked.

Hermione laughed and nodded.

"Yes Draco, you did. I can feel it for some time already. You just felt your child move."

Draco looked at her in awe.

"That is so brilliant. I never even thought about it." He whispered.

He slowly caressed Hermione's belly and obviously the baby liked it, because it made itself known a few more times.

Draco was pulled out of his reverie by a knock on the door. He got up and opened the portrait hole.

"Oh, hi Harry, hi Ginny. You guys ok?" He said.

"Yes thank you." Ginny said, while carefully climbing trough the hole.

"Boy, you look happy." Harry noticed.

" I just felt our child move, I mean, inside Hermione's belly. I could feel it!" Draco answered, still in awe of what had happened.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Harry said

"I only felt it the first time myself a couple of days ago. It feels great. I mean, it's the first real contact we make with our own child."

The guys went off, talking about feeling babies in others belly. The girls just sat quietly in a stuffed armchair, enjoying the crackling of the fire.

Just a few more days and school would be finished for Hermione, and Ginny would stay off school for a year before finishing her seventh year.

"Finally, it's over!" Ron said on Wednesday afternoon. They had just finished their Transfiguration exam and were walking around the Black Lake.

"Speak for yourself." Eiliss said, looking up from her book.

"I still have Muggle Studies tomorrow."

"I know, but I also know that you'll do just fine." Ron said, giving Eiliss a small kiss.

Ginny was resting underneath a tree. It was a warm day, and it was obvious that she didn't feel too good in the heat.

"Ginny, let's go inside. You don't look so good. It's been a hard time for all of us, but I can only guess how hard it must have been for you and Hermione." Harry said.

"It's all right Harry, I feel ok. I like sitting here in the shadow." Ginny said, and she pulled Harry down to sit next to her.

"Harry, we really need to talk about what we are going to do once the baby is born. You know I will stay home for a year, but after that I have to finish school. And you'll be working."

"I know Ginny. I have been thinking about it as well, but I don't really know what will be best. Do we try to do it on our own, or do we stay with your parents? Part of me wants to do this on our own, but I realize how hard that is going to be, especially once you're going back to school."

"True, that's why I think it would be best if we would stay at The Burrow for the next two years. Once I have a job, or at least have finished school, things will be easier. Then we can see if we can buy our own house. And during those two years, we'll be able to get some savings together as well. That'll be easier when we stay with my parents rather than try to do it on our own. And you know my mom, she will love to have you around."

Harry smiled at that. Mrs. Weasley would indeed love to have him close by.

Meanwhile Draco was sitting on the windowsill in the Heads common room, looking out over the grounds. Hermione was sitting in a stuffed arm chair, revising for her last exam, Muggle Studies.

"Time for a break." He heard Hermione say, and he turned around.

"Good idea. Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, just some water is fine, thank you Draco."

Draco got up and conjured a glass of water for Hermione. He handed it to her and sat down on the sofa.

"You know what?" He said

"I'm going to sell Malfoy Manor."

"Oh" Hermione said

"Why do you want to do that? It's a nice house I think, and it provides us with everything we might need."

"I don't want to stay there any more. We can go there once the school year is finished to go collect whatever we need. After that I want to sell it and with the money we get from it we can buy a house close to Ron's family. That way all the bad memories will be gone and we will have a house we can truly call our own. My parents are in Azkaban, so they have no claim on the property. I can do whatever I want with it."

"All right, sounds like a plan to me. If you want to, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley won't object to us staying a few weeks to find our own house. That way you don't have to stay any longer in Malfoy Manor that is really necessary."

"That'd be nice. Maybe we should owl them to ask."

"Ok, good idea. Why don't you write a letter while I finish my revision for tomorrow?"

"All right, will do."

Draco gave Hermione a kiss and left her to her books.

Draco had been brooding the last few days, thinking about his and Hermione's future. He wanted to give her the opportunity to be a stay at home mom if she wanted to, but for that he would need some extra savings. He wouldn't be able to access the family fortune before his twenty first birthday. So to get through the time before, he needed extra money. Therefore he was more than willing to sell Malfoy Manor. He didn't want to live there anymore and he didn't need that amount of space anyway. He wanted to buy a nice cottage, somewhere quiet. And to have the Weasley family close by would only improve on any social contacts in the immediate surroundings. Mrs Weasley would be pleased to have them close, and she could help Hermione out in the beginning.

And then there was the whole aspect of a wedding. He knew that it would be hard to do that before the birth of the baby, but he would have to propose before. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could help him out with it. He would have to ask soon. He was even thinking about asking Harry to do it together.

The school year was finally coming to an end. For a lot of students the upcoming time would be one used to recover from everything that had happened throughout the year. Trying to process the events. For the seventh years this time meant thinking about the future, about their future outside of school. What did they want to do with their lives? What job did they want, what further education, and so on.

Neville chose to stay at Hogwarts, teaching Herbology. Hermione and Ginny would stay home for the time coming, maybe at some point they would be working, but for now, they decided to stay home, taking care of their children. Ron, Harry and Draco would start working at the Ministry of Magic, practicing to become an Auror. They would start in October. Eiliss would be working in Diagon Alley in Ollivander's Wand Shop. Ollivander was getting old, and he wanted to train someone who could take over the shop in a few years. That way he could enjoy his retirement.

Harry and Ginny had decided to stay at the Burrow for the first few years after school. Ron and Eiliss were looking for a nice small home, close to Ron's parents. And so were Draco and Hermione. Two days after Draco had sent the letter, requesting their stay at the Burrow, a very enthusiastic letter had returned to them saying they could stay as long as they wanted.

A few days later he had sent an owl, asking for advise about marriage. Mrs. Weasley had been beside herself with joy, saying that they would talk about it once they were in the Burrow. Draco wanted a small ceremony, with no one else than those people who were really important to the both of them.

It was the last week of June, and parents were invited to get an explanation about how the school would be run from now on. A lot of things had changed over the past couple of months and so McGonagall had decided to change a few things. The houses still existed, but there wouldn't be any rivalry anymore between them. The house cup was abandoned, only the Quidditch cup would stay. Students would work more often in groups with students from other houses. That way there wouldn't be so much enmity. Students form higher classes would help the younger among them with their classes, homework and essays.

"Hermione, you still have your appointment with Madam Pomfrey." Draco said once McGonagall's speech was over.

"Yes, let's go. Just to make sure the baby is all right. I'll go find Ginny as well, she should come too."

"Ok, I'll wait for you at the hospital wing. And maybe you can ask Mrs. Weasley along too. I think it would be nice for her to be there, don't you?"

"Yes, definitely, I'll go find the both of them. If you see Harry and Ron, tell them they can come too."

Draco nodded and took off. Hermione turned the other way, looking for Ginny and her mother. Not long after that they were assembled outside the hospital wing.

"You go fist Ginny." Hermione said

Ginny nodded and she, Harry and her mom went inside.

"Ah, miss Weasley, mister Potter, Mrs. Weasley, come in." The nurse said

"Miss Weasley, you know how it goes. Lay down on the bed. I'll be with you in a moment."

Ginny made herself comfortable on the bed and waited for the nurse to come back in.

"Now, let's see how this baby is doing." Madam Pomfrey said and she took out her wand.

"Would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl?" she asked

Harry looked at Ginny before he answered.

"No, we want it to be a surprise."

"All right, let's see then."

Madam Pomfrey mumbled a spell and a silvery light shot out of her wand. It hover a few inches above Ginny's belly and formed a small cloud there.

"Well, everything seems to be all right. The baby seems to be growing just fine. He or she is about 15 inches (38 cm) and weights about 2.9 pounds (1,3 kg). It looks really good. I would suggest you go to St Mungo's hospital by the end of next month to get another update on the baby's progress. And then you should be fine. If you want you can ask for a medi-witch to assist you during delivery, but that choice is up to you."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Harry said

"We will think about it, although I think that Mrs. Weasley has had enough practice to help us out." He joked.

Mrs. Weasley beamed at him and nodded.

"I guess I do, Harry, I guess I do."

"Well, you're free to go. If you could sent miss Granger and mister Malfoy in on your way out?"

Ginny got up from the bed and nodded.

"We will, they are waiting outside." She said and opened the door.

"She's all your Mione" Ginny said and stepped aside to let Hermione and Draco in.

Mrs. Weasley was on her way outside as well when Draco stopped her.

"You can stay, if you want to." He said tentatively.

"Oh Draco, thank you so much. I'd love to stay." Mrs. Weasley answered and went back to the chair beside the bed.

"Miss Granger, please go lie on the bed. Would you like to know the gender of the baby?"

Hermione shook her head. She and Draco had talked about it before. The wanted it to be a surprise.

"Ok then, let's see how this little one is doing." The nurse said, and she mumbled a spell.

Madam Pomfrey stayed silent for a little while, her face flushed.

"Oh dear, oh dear." she mumbled

"What? What's wrong?" Draco asked, concern etched on his face

"Is something wrong with the baby?" Hermione said, nearly panicking.

"Oh dear." Was all Madam Pomfrey said.

7