Chapter Twenty One

A/N: No reviewers.

When Lissy looked back over the last year, it seemed almost like a bad dream she had been awoken from, a madness invented by her subconscious. Her life here at the Manor was so perfect it was difficult to believe she had ever left. The hallways echoed with the familiar shouts of children messing around, bringing a smile to her face each time she heard them. It seemed she was not the only one enjoying their return to their home.

"You look a bit lost in thought." came a familiar voice from the doorway. This was the thing she had missed the most, her husband's cheeky grin as he leant against the frame. That grin could make the world disappear.

"I'm thinking about the last year." Lissy responded, wincing slightly at the statement. She sounded like she had stepped right out of a corny romance novel.

Draco nodded slowly. "It's amazing, really. How quickly everything just went back to the way it was."

"Better than it was." the brunette corrected, her smile growing even wider. She turned her attention back to the photo frames assembled on the bedside table. Assorted arrangements of their dear children, the only consistency the beaming smiles on all of their faces. If Lissy had known all it would take for them to be so happy would be to return to their father, she might have done it long ago. The bliss she had found in their joy, and in her own, was beyond compare.

"Do you really think so?" Lissy had anticipated her husband's words before he even spoke them, the same ones he had spoken every time they talked about the old days. Still Lissy hoped that one day he would let go of the guilt that plagued him, the regret that he had not spent enough time with his wife, the years he had missed of the children's lives, but until then, it was all she could do to reassure him.

"Draco, you're an amazing father." the brunette stated, with the same confidence she could tell him the sun was shining outside their window. "You love every one of those children with your whole heart, you would do anything for them. True, you missed a few years, but that was more my fault than yours. Anyway, none of that matters now. You can't change the past, all you can do is move forward and do the best you can for them in the future. And you'll do wonderfully, because you want them to be happy more than anything else in the world, just like I do."

"You know, you've got an incredible knowledge of just what to say. You really should become a speech writer." Draco joked, laughing as his wife hit him on the shoulder and mockingly clutching the injury. A moment later, he caught her arm, pulling her to his chest as if in a dance. Lissy went along with it, swaying side to side, relishing the warmth of his arms around her. Even a year from their reunion, the novelty of this comfort, the happiness she felt when her husband held her… that was the one thing she could never get over.

"I don't know words, I just know you." Lissy argued, once they had calmed a little. It was so peaceful, so quiet. Of course it was not going to last.

With a piercing squeal, Phoebe came barreling into the room, throwing herself into her father's leg and using him as a shield, her brothers in quick pursuit behind her. A few moments later, Capella ran in, resting her arms on her legs and breathing heavily. Lissy could not help but smirk at that; her eldest daughter was always the one to try and keep the others in line.

"Kids, what are you doing?" Draco asked, his voice stern. Phoebe shrank back a little, as did even his sons. It seemed Lissy was the only one who could see he was pretending. "Your mother and I are trying to have a decent conversation and you are shrieking around the house. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

None of them answered, looking slowly between each other, desperate for one of them to speak up. When no one did, Draco took matters into his own hands and swept up Phoebe into his arms, spinning her round in a circle, no longer able to conceal his beaming smile. The other children were quick to laugh.

"Dad, I really thought you were angry for a minute there." Rigel chuckled, running his hand through his white gold hair. His youngest son was a man grown now, something painful for Draco to admit, but he had learnt more about his father than he had done his whole childhood. He should have realised the man would not berate them for being children, like his own father had used to do to him.

"Why don't you guys go out onto your brooms?" Draco suggested, placing Phoebe back on the ground, although the girl continued to hold onto him. "That way you can learn some things while you chase each other, get some practice in. Phoebe, you've got to get working on your Quidditch game if you want to match these boys when you're older."

"I'm going to be the best Seeker ever!" the little girl exclaimed, her usual response when asked what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, before bolting out of the room, determined to get a head start.

The footsteps clattered down the stairs as the children ran away, eagerly anticipating an afternoon of sport and sunshine. Meanwhile, Draco and Lissy glanced at each other, smiling widely. This was what they had wanted all along, a happy family, all together, surrounded by love and laughter. There was no magic in the world quite like that.

"Mummy, Daddy, are you coming?" Phoebe shouted from the lawn below, her voice carrying through the open window. For someone who had once been so quiet, she had discovered a voice not dissimilar to a Howler in the last year.

"We're heading down now, darling." Lissy called in response, lacing her hand through Draco's as they headed for the stairs.

Watching his children play, Draco could not remember ever being happier. The sun was shining, the children were laughing, Lissy's head was lolled comfortably on his shoulder. It almost seemed like a dream. If you had asked the man, just over a year ago, if he would ever be so happy as this, he would have thought you were mad, or trying to trick him. The son of a Death Eater, a Death Eater himself, Draco had thought he was condemned to be punished for the rest of his life for the mistakes he had made in his youth. But since the Second Wizarding War, he had lived his life on second chances, relishing the moments when those he had hurt would forgive their troubles and allow him to make amends. Draco Malfoy was more than used to second chances, but none of them had ever felt quite so sweet as the one he had found with his family.

Draco sighed, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, cheering his support when Rigel scored another goal. He had not been sure of anything for so long, but he knew now, watching the boy wrap his arms around his sisters, Asterion laughing off in the distance. Everything was going to be alright.

A/N: Not the best epilogue, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. This story started off by accident when my memory stick got broken and I had to think of something new just to update. Four years later, here we are, and I hope it was worth it. Thanks to everyone for your support and please review!