25. Epilogue
Not much remains to be said about the fate of our heroes in this story, for if two people with such strong characters as Miss Hermione Granger and Mr. Draco Malfoy decide they will spend their life together, nothing can stand in their way for long.
Harry Potter, with impish glee, saw Draco squirm and stumble over his words when he came to ask for Hermione's hand, with all the pomp and circumstance required by Magical courting protocols, and though, only for a moment, he pretended to consider refusing his consent, he was quickly reminded that Hermione had threatened to hex him into the next century if he dared withhold his blessing, even if only jokingly.
A tumultuous nine months of courtship ensued. Their intimate friends were happy for them, but the public was not quite so forgiving. Draco's apothecary, which he set up together with Greg Goyle, faced many setbacks as the people turned against his business when they realised they could not make Miss Granger change her mind.
But a strong love only grows in the face of such adversity, and it was with full conviction that both made their wedding vows at the end of the next summer.
Gregory Goyle had recovered from his injuries in the luxurious surroundings of the Dragon's Nest and was invited to remain there for as long as he wanted to. He gained not only respectability through his work with Draco and a roof above his head, but a group of friends he had never thought possible. Not only could he reconnect with the Zabini's and the Notts, he also gained the respect and friendship of both Hermione and Harry, who were incredibly grateful for his help in convicting Pansy.
Though he offered to move out as soon as the wedding day came closer, he had been persuaded to stay by both Draco and Hermione. However, out of necessity, he soon learnt the blessings of Silencing Charms. It only took two weeks before he decided to relocate to the rooms above their Apothecary at the corner of Diagon and Knockturn Alley, despite their protestations. For security reasons, he claimed, as their shop was frequently the target of attacks, but he confided to Harry Potter one night over Firewhiskey that it simply was impossible to live under the same roof as a couple of newlyweds.
Pansy Parkinson did not escape her punishment. She was confined to Azkaban for her crimes, where she continued to plead for Draco to come and save her. The guards had been instructed never to send any of her letters through, so her pleas remained unanswered, and she slowly turned mad with longing and grief. When the twenty-year sentence she had received came to an end, Harry Potter, in a fit of spite unprecedented, made sure her existence was forgotten by the authorities. She was never set free and would die in Azkaban, alone and miserable.
Ronald Weasley would never completely get over the loss of Hermione Granger to Draco Malfoy, of all people, but he accepted his defeat with more grace than either Harry or Hermione had expected. They never knew he had threatened Draco to never hurt Hermione or face a slow and torturous death. They also never knew Ron had thanked him for helping to uncover what had happened to his beloved sister and promised him eternal gratitude. The two men formed an understanding that never quite evolved into friendship, but was close enough to it to satisfy Hermione and make the dinners they inevitable had together comfortable.
Draco and Hermione were, they believed, the happiest of couples, and nothing could come between them. Their lives, as well as those of their friends, soon settled down in post-war normality, marriages blessed with companionship, happiness, and, in due course, children.
Both Amina Shafiq and Elissa Zabini treated Draco as another son in their families, which made the absence of a caring relationship with his own mother less painful. His children grew up calling them both Grandmother, and his wife found in them the support she had so dearly missed ever since Harry Potter's parents had died at the beginning of the War.
The only shadow in their lives was Narcissa Malfoy, who, for years, refused to acknowledge Hermione as her son's wife, and continued, much to Hermione's amusement and Draco's annoyance, to suggest well-bred French witches for him to marry. Needless to say she was not invited to stay at the Dragon's Nest again.
Draco did not relent even when their son was born, and she appeared at the door, pleading to see the child and insulting his wife in the same breath. He could not be persuaded by her entreaties. She was turned away without ceremony, and would grow old in solitude and bitterness.
AN: And that, dear readers, is that. Thank you to all who stayed with me throughout this journey. I appreciate your support and love very much. I'm taking a break from Regency writing for a bit now, as I have some other projects I want to focus on, but I really did enjoy this so I'll probably try my hand at something similar again.
Special thanks to my betas hobbit penguin and ariel riddle. Any remaining mistakes are my own.