A/N: Whew! We are at the end (only an Epilogue to go!). Thank you all so much for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy! Another special thank you to my beta who is amazing! Rusty Weasley.

Reunited

"That fucking bitch!" Draco snarled for what seemed like the one-hundredth time.

Astoria rolled her eyes and huffed. "Honestly, Draco," she said. "What did you expect? That this would work forever?"

"I didn't hear you complaining!" Draco snapped.

"I didn't want her in the family, that's for sure," Astoria said. "But it seems I can't do anything about it now. She wormed her way in, and now you have two options. You can beg for mercy when they eventually come to arrest you, or you can continue to throw a tantrum, like a child."

Draco stopped pacing and stared at his wife. "You are just going to give in to having that woman as your 'daughter in law'? She's older than you for Merlin's sake!"

"Draco, what can I do? Either I lose my son, or I hold onto principle and let you drag me down with you. This isn't like you. Above all else, you've always put the preservation of our name first, until this debacle with Hermione Granger. Why are you so obsessed with her?" Astoria asked, finally voicing the question she'd had for several weeks. Draco's mouth opened and he gaped at her life a fish.

"Something isn't right, Draco. You and I both know it. You've gone overboard in your attacks on her. First, you bent over backward getting backers for her stupid medical ward, and then you got such joy out of destroying the plans. Tell me, what the hell is your issue with her? She's a Mudblood, but other than that, I see no reason for your obsession."

"Obsession?" Draco scoffed, sounding offended.

"Yes. It's almost like you are compelled to hate her, or something." Astoria muttered.

"How is it, Mister Malfoy, that you have delivered two completely contradictory testimonies under Veritaserum?" the older Auror asked him.

"I've told you. The family Compulsion Charm my father put me under overrides Veritaserum as well as Legilimency. When Hermione broke it, I was able to tell the truth, but not before then. I swear to you," Scorpius explained again.

"What was the spell Ms. Granger cast upon you? I've never heard it before."

"It is unique to the charm. Because she is my wife, at least according to the magic of my family, she was able to break the spell," Scorpius answered.

"We'll need to keep you for observation. We have no way of knowing if this spell was simply a Dark incantation used to make you do her will," the Auror explained.

"What do I have to do to convince you? I swear to you it's not a Dark spell. You should be questioning my father. He might be immune to Veritaserum, but he was never all that skilled at Occlumency," Scorpius offered.

"That is a restricted art," the Auror snapped before turning to leave the room. Scorpius just rolled his eyes. These law enforcement types would never learn. Sometimes you have to break the rules if you want to get all the information you need.

He stretched his arms over his head, trying to relieve some of the tension there. Honestly, now that the truth was out, he just wanted to hold Hermione and bury himself inside her as soon as possible. He never really considered that the great minds of the Ministry would think she'd cast a Dark Spell on him.

With a sigh, he leaned back and relaxed. From what he knew of bureaucracy, it could be a long afternoon.

"How did you get your wand?" Hermione's old friend Auror Densler asked.

She said nothing, biting her lip. She wished she'd been kept in the dark about the mission to retrieve her wand. When the Auror eventually fed her Veritaserum, she'd have to implicate her daughter and the thought made her stomach do flips.

"Fine, drink this," Densler sighed, bored with the conversation.

"I don't see where it matters. You have the evidence you need proving my innocence," Hermione said, eyeing the vial of clear liquid.

"It matters because someone bypassed security and stole Ministry property, aiding a Ministry detainee," he said matter-of-factly.

"It was my property actually, and it was necessary to free Scorpius from a curse worse than the Imperius," Hermione snapped.

"Drink. It."

Hermione took a deep breath and did as she was told, dreading his first question.

"Where did you get your wand?" He asked again, a smug tone in his voice that made her want to punch him in the face.

"Adrian gave it to me," she said, knowing that Adrian would likely be in trouble, but it was true and it would keep Rose out of trouble if he didn't dig any deeper.

"And do you know how he got it?"

"Yes," Hermione bit out.

"How?"

Hermione bit her lip so hard she thought it would bleed. She had to fight the urge. She had to. Her mouth was opening and shutting as she tried desperately to keep the words in her mouth until...

"Densler," Harry's voice barked from the door that just clanked open. "I've got it from here."

"No way. You are on leave. Besides, she's your friend. There is no way Russet authorized this!" Auror Densler shouted.

"Wrong. He ended my leave and assigned me to Ms. Granger. It seems he, unlike you, was pretty convinced by Scorpius Malfoy's story," Harry said.

Hermione could have kissed him. Would he ever stop being her knight in shining armor?

"This isn't over," Densler growled, but Hermione wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or Harry. He stomped out of the room like a petulant child and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm under Veritaserum," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"I know. I wanted to keep the kids out of this," he said cryptically. Hermione assumed that meant there were recording devices in the room. "How did you find out about the spell?"

"Rose, Scorpius, and Albus worked out the fact that Scorpius and I are bonded. From there, Adrian knew what to do. It was an old pureblood spell, specific to Malfoys. The only people who could break the Compulsion Charm on Scorpius were the head of the house, or his wife," Hermione explained.

"You," Harry clarified.

"So it seems," Hermione replied.

"Holy fuck, Hermione," Harry said, running his hands through his hair.

"Language, Auror Potter," she said, smirking at him. He grinned back. "So, does everyone think I've cast more Dark Spells on Scorp, or are some of the esteemed Aurors working with a full deck now?"

"Public opinion mostly falls with you," Harry explained. "From what I could tell, most of the Wizengamot believes as well. The Council of Law Enforcement is split. They just don't know what to think. The Aurors are mostly coming around, though. Only Densler, and a few others who have a personal problem with me, are determined to prove you're guilty as sin."

"I see," Hermione said. "Well, that's better than I thought, to be honest. Is Scorpius okay?"

"Yes," Harry said. "They are treating him like a hurt puppy mostly. Although, the fact that his father fled the scene should be an indicator that Scorpius might be telling the truth."

"You'd think," Hermione said.

"You aren't going to Azkaban, Hermione. I'll make sure of that."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said. "Just keep the kids out of it too, please."

"Of course."

It hit her all at once. The thought entered her head and the second she thought of disregarding it, was the moment she realized it was the absolute truth. "Draco, look at me," she said softly.

"Do you even know why you hate her so much?" she asked, the judgment in her voice gone. Her husband had been driving her nuts ever since Hermione Granger had returned to his life months ago, and now it seemed so clear.

"I - well, she's vile," he said indignantly. "And she'll ruin his life, you know. She can't give him anything he needs," she nodded absently at him as she reached for her wand.

"Vinculi matrimonialis frangit parentalis vinculo. Coactione finite," she breathed, both hoping she was right, and horrified about what would happen if she were. The color that erupted from her wand was not the same color that she'd seen come from Granger's in the courtroom. It was a deeper red, almost burgundy, and it hit a stunned Draco squarely in the chest.

His eyes widened and he hunched over to catch his breath and she bit the inside of her lip waiting...waiting. "Draco," she said, trying to keep as calm as possible as she saw him start shaking.

He groaned and fell back against the wall behind him, letting it take on his weight as her spell settled through him. "That bastard!" he finally cried out, looking up at his wife with tears lingering in the corners of his eyes.

"What happened?" Astoria asked, almost afraid to know. Whatever it was, it had shocked her husband to his core.

Draco took two long deep breathes. He couldn't believe it. All this time, all these years, he'd been pushed in a certain direction all because of one stupid mistake. As he looked back on his actions over the last year, in particular, he felt deep shame and incredible rage at both himself and his father.

"My father made me do it," he said.

"What do you mean?" Astoria asked. Lucius had been dead for years. What could he have compelled Draco to do from the grave?

Draco stood up a bit straighter and moved to the couch in the center of the room inviting Astoria to join him. She did, readily, and waited for him to explain what was wrong, and why he only could remember it after she lifted the spell.

"When I was in my Fourth Year of Hogwarts, I developed a...crush, I guess, on Hermione Granger," Astoria fought the urge to scoff, but her eyes hardened against her will.

"It was nothing, Stori," Draco said, his voice sounding calm for the first time in a long while. "It was that stupid Yule Ball, and she was with Krum. You know how it is. Guys are always drawn to what other guys want. She looked beautiful that night. If you'd seen her, you'd have agreed. And so, I developed an innocent crush, which haunted me the rest of the year."

"Okay," Astoria said. "And now?"

"Of course not, now. I love you. I know we were dragged into this marriage against both of our wills, but I've come to love you, and I thought you knew that well enough by now," Draco said, his tone soft, almost pleading.

Astoria swallowed hard but nodded her head. She wasn't accustomed to grand displays of affection, nor was she accustomed to Draco's freely offering them. Still, she felt pleased to hear the words. "But I'm confused. This still doesn't explain why you took such exception to her, even before Scorpius got involved with her. And it certainly doesn't explain why you never told me this even though I asked you no fewer than one-hundred times why she got under your skin."

"But it does," Draco said, hanging his head as if he were ashamed. "That summer, the Dark Lord returned, I think you'll remember. My father was on edge because his loyalty was being tested. Every little thing set him off," Draco shivered remembering that first year of the Dark Lord's return. It hadn't been anything like his parents promised it would be.

Astoria just nodded and listened, waiting for him to get to his point. "I'm not proud of it, but one day in mid-July, I can remember it so clearly now," he began absently. "My father found me - uh, well, I was masturbating," the both blushed scarlet at his words, never being the type of married couple to discuss sex outside of the bedroom, "to a picture of Granger from the Prophet."

Astoria gasped in horror and Draco moved quickly to do damage control. "I swear it meant nothing. Even you have to admit she's attractive. I was fifteen. I never would have done anything with her. She's a Mudblood. But it was a fantasy, and he caught me."

Astoria tried to wrap her head around what he was saying, but the truth was, she was very old fashioned. She'd been raised to save her body, in every way, for her husband, and to let him get whatever pleasure from her that he wanted. She was lucky enough that Draco was always a gentle and caring lover, but the idea of him having sexual fantasies about a Mudblood, even if it was over twenty years ago, was a hard pill to swallow.

"When he caught me, he beat me," Draco said. "And then he used the Compulsion Charm on me. That was the first time. Not the time he used it to make me take the Dark Mark."

"But why didn't you say anything about this before?" Astoria asked.

"Because I didn't remember. He compelled me to never interact with her again, unless it was to hurt her. He compelled me to endeavor to make her life harder than it needed to be. And then he compelled me to forget I was ever attracted to her or that he'd compelled me in the first place," Draco explained. "When you broke the charm, it came flooding back to me all at once."

"So, you offered to take on her project just to sabotage it?" she asked.

"Yes," Draco said. "And when I saw her with our son, I wanted her dead, deep inside. Now, though...Honestly, I don't know what I want. I'll never like the woman. There is too much bad blood, and besides, she an annoying swot. But Scorpius loves her. He really does, and I just don't have any idea what to do," Draco said, sighing with defeat.

"We go to the Ministry and tell them the truth," Astoria finally said. "If you submit to Legilimens, and show them your memories, they will realize this was not your fault. More than that, we can try to have a relationship with our son, who I have missed greatly. I don't like Granger either, but she's part of his life now."

"You say all of this like it's so easy," Draco said.

"No, but it's what has to be done," Astoria replied.

"They're free," a gruff voice called into Scorpius' interrogation room. The Auror in front of him furrowed his brow and got up to investigate. Scorpius couldn't hear what was being said but when the Auror turned around, he had his wand with him, and handed it over.

"You are free to go," he said.

"What?" Scorpius asked. "What about Hermione?"

"Your girlfriend is being freed as well," he said impatiently. "Seems your Daddy confessed."

"He what?" Scorpius nearly screeched. His head was swimming. He felt like he was in a dream. No way in hell did Draco Malfoy confess to something like this. He got no response to his question. The Auror just walked out of the room seemingly annoyed to have lost his case.

He didn't have time to think about it, though. He had to find Hermione. Once he got his wits about him, he stood up and dashed from the room, having no idea where to start. He internally thanked Merlin when he ran directly into Harry Potter. "Where is she?" he asked, knowing the older man would know.

Harry smiled warmly at him and extended his arm toward the room he'd just exited. When Scorpius peered inside, he saw Hermione standing before him, holding her wand, and looking more relaxed than he'd seen her since he was ripped away from her by his father months before.

"Hermione," he breathed, but he wasn't sure if he actually made an intelligible word or just a longing groan.

She smiled brightly at him and he couldn't help but smile back. "Do you know what your father told them?" she asked, walking closer.

"No," he shook his head. "I don't care, as long as you're free."

"It's over," Hermione said, a shuddering breath leaving her as she approached. Neither of them noticed Harry watching them. It was as if they were in their own world.

"It's over," he repeated.

"Oh Scorpius," Hermione finally cried, pulling him into her and her head was on his chest instantly.

"Thank Merlin for Adrian Pucey," was all he could say. His emotions were all over the place and at the moment, he really only wanted one thing.

"Hermione," Harry called quietly from behind him. "I'm going to finish up here and then rally the troops. I'm sure they will want to see you as soon as possible."

"Of course," Hermione said, not moving an inch from her place in Scorpius' arms. "Tell them I need a little time, but I'll come around this evening."

"Okay," Harry smiled. "I'll see you then."

Hermione smiled as she looked up at Scorpius and squeezed him tighter. "Let's go home," she said.

"I don't know if I still have a home," he quipped.

"Of course you do. With me," she said. "I'm your wife, aren't I?"

"About that. I don't want you to feel obligated or anything..." Scorpius started and she just laughed.

"Shut up, before you start to sound ridiculous," she said, slapping him on the chest. "You know I don't want anyone but you. After these last months, I could care less what we call it."

Scorpius chuckled. "Okay, love. Let's go home."

Hermione grinned up at him, feeling lighter than she had since the entire nonsense with the Ministry started, and reached down to clutch his hand, dragging him toward the public Floo. He lengthened his stride to keep up and soon they were falling gently onto the floor of the main room of Hermione's flat.

"Come here," she panted, pulling his head down, and capturing his lips in an intense and fiery kiss.

"Fuck, I've missed you," he moaned against her mouth as he crushed her body to his. "It's been torture."

"It's over now," Hermione assured him, pulling him back to her and kissing him again as she slowly began to walk them back toward her bedroom. "I can't wait any longer," she panted, hoping he felt the same way.

"Me either," he agreed following her quickly down the hall and to the bedroom he'd missed so much. "We've got months to make up for." Hermione just nodded and pulled him by the front of his shirt into her, knocking them both onto the bed in a heap.

Hermione's legs wrapped around him tightly as she pulled him into her, fearing he'd be gone again. "I love you," she said, feeling monetarily silly that it took her so long to figure out her feelings for this man.

"I love you too," he said, kissing her once more as his hand wandered to the front of her shirt and his deft fingers begin unbuttoning it slowly.

"Faster," she moaned grinding her hips into him. She was wet from the anticipation, and she could feel how hard he was against the inside of her thigh. It had been too long and she needed this too much.

"We have all afternoon," Scorpius replied.

"Later. I need you right now," Hermione panted, pulling at his shirt and wrenching it over his head. "Please," she pleaded, looking into his eyes and he could never deny her anything when she looked at him like that.

Quickly he finished with her buttons, moaning as he pulled her shirt off and saw her perfect skin once more. Her bra was next to go, and he wasted no time before dropping onto his elbows and taking one pert nipple into his mouth. He moaned against her, tasting her and possessing her. She was his, and always would be. He didn't know when he'd become such a sap, but he didn't even care anymore. All that existed was her.

"Scorp," she moaned, her voice breathy and needy. It was a sound that always made his cock pulse. He thrust against her trying to relieve the tension to no avail.

"Fuck," he sighed, pulling away from her long enough to work at the side zipper of her skirt. She'd already gotten him unbuttoned and unzipped by the time he pushed the offending garment down her perfect legs.

It was a fury of motion as they both worked to get the other completely naked until Scorpius was lying cradled between Hermione's legs, her pussy dripping onto his cock. "Please," she moaned, her breath coming out in a harsh pant. "Please, fuck me!"

Scorpius groaned at her words and shifted his hips slightly until her plunged into her in one smooth stroke. "Merlin!" he sighed, feeling her tight wetness grip his shaft. Fuck, he could live inside her.

"Scorp, please," she whined, her nails digging into the skin of his back, and as she looked up into his eyes she could see the intense love that had once scared her. Now, it made her feel safe and whole.

She'd waited for his moment for so long and feared she'd never have it. She shifted her hips to meet him thrust for thrust as he started his slow pace. "Faster," she begged, unable to deal with slow lovemaking. Over the course of the evening, she was sure they'd have time for it, but at the moment, she needed him hard and fast. She wanted to feel his heart pound and hear his skin slapping against hers.

"I want it to last," he panted against her and she pulled his neck down to catch his mouth in hers.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, looking up at him seriously. "We have plenty of time. But I need this. I need to come. I need it," she said, as calmly as she could with the emotions overwhelming her.

Scorpius nodded and picked up the pace knowing he needed it as much as she did. He simply didn't want to let her go. Gripping her hips he plunged in and out harder and faster, eliciting sexy moans and groans from her as she gripped him tighter with each stroke. He knew she was close. He was ready to come at any moment.

"Gonna come," Hermione slurred, biting her lip as she arched her back and rolled her hips. He thought he'd die from ecstasy.

"Me too. Come for me," Scorpius choked out increasing speed and deftly tweaking her clit with the pad of his thumb.

"FUCK!" Hermione cried, her body stilling as her pussy contracted around him as he continued to thrust.

"HERMIONE!" he cried out coming deep inside her as her walls pulsed around him. He collapsed on top of her, letting their bodies tangle together as they both tried to reach their equilibrium.

"I thought I'd never have this again," Hermione finally said, her voice soft and pained, almost like she was holding back tears. Scorpius kissed her shoulder but said nothing. "I was scared of Azkaban. I won't lie. I was really scared. But what scared me the most was that I didn't have you anymore."

"You always had me, Hermione," Scorpius said, looking up. "It will take time for us to come to terms with all this, but I'm not going anywhere. I never left you. I never will leave you. I wasn't looking for you when we met, but you are the best thing that ever happened to me."

Hermione smiled warmly down at him. "I love you too, Scorp," she said, kissing him gently on the mouth before beginning a path of kisses down his torso, over his stomach, and to the tip of his cock. He groaned in satisfaction. Neither of them wanted to leave the bed for a long time.