Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. A shout out to my beta DragonGirl323! You are amazing my wonderful BETA!
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Hello! Everyone this is the end! I'm so happy that everything turned out well! I am happy to say that on Monday, the 5th, I will be having my daughter so I am glad to get this in before she is born. Beta and author finished this in time! We are very happy for our new ones! Anyway here's the last and finally chapter!

(DOT)

Chapter 25: Last Chance

(Serenity's POV)

I didn't have to go very far before I found Draco. He was sitting against a wall on the second floor, gripping his chest as though his heart would burst out if he wasn't holding it in place. His eyes were unnaturally dark and, at his young age of seventeen, he looked more like he was seventy. My own heart jumped up into my throat as I ran to his side and skidded to a stop beside him. I promptly grasped his face and kissed his lips just to confirm that he was really there.

"Draco!" I yelled, digging my finger tips into his cheeks. "Are you hurt?"

He didn't say anything, only immediately pulled my mouth back to his and kissed me back hard. His hands were shaking as he cupped my face and I knew he was fearful that Voldemort would win. Just like Harry had said in the Headmaster's office, Draco had changed sides. He no longer wanted anything to do with the Dark side that had corrupted his youth.

He wanted a normal drama free life and a big part of me agreed with him.

"Draco—"

"Yes, I'm fine," he finally answered, focusing on me. "Just scared."

"Why are you scared? You're never scared. We have to be brave!" I told him, surprised that he would choose now to be weak. "Harry knows the answer to all of this! There's only Nagini left then it's just Him. We can do this!"

He kissed me again, acting like he hadn't heard me, and grasped my chest. "Please," he begged. "If I die, can I please have this last time?"

I frowned as I backed away from him, briefly gazing into his eyes, already knowing my answer. We couldn't do something like that here though. Not where hundreds of classmates were fighting for their lives. Instead, I took his hands in mine and led him down a narrow hallway that wasn't as mangled as the others and let Draco pin me against the wall. Draco wasted no time in undoing his pants and pulling down my shredded pajama pants. I securely wrapped my legs around his waist and buried my fingers in his hair. Unlike before, there was no time for foreplay. We only had a short amount of time available to us and knew if we were caught…well, it wouldn't matter. Because at least we would have this last chance.

*dot*

There they were standing there like they had never left. His mother and father giving him a wide smile; Lupin had a look of sadness across his face; and Emily, who eyed him curiously, but with love.

"You've been so brave sweetheart," said Lily, her eyes haunted by the years that had elapsed. Harry looked around at each of them wondering why they were there. "We never left." A smile crossed his mother's face as well as on others.

Emily's pale face smiled angelically at Harry as he asked his question to her. "Does it hurt? Dying?"

"Like falling asleep. I sure do miss those days you played as an infant… before… any of this began."

Her face was like it had been it Snape's memory. Thin, but healthy, a clear sign of the damage that had taken her life. She looked no older than twenty years old. There was a dark stain across her stomach ruining the hospital gown she wore.

"Aunt Emily, you died giving birth to Serenity didn't you?" asked Harry, wondering if his assumption was right.

"I did, dear nephew. I gave up though."

"You're nearly there son," called out James in assurance. "You've worked so hard."

"I didn't want any of you to die for me. Remus, your son—"

"Others will tell him what his mother and father have done. One day he'll understand. Just as you and Serenity have." Remus gave Harry a firm look before setting into a smile.

"You both undertook a life no one thought you would succeed in. You did though, and that makes us so happy Harry!" Emily held her hand out as though to shake his, but nothing could generate her hand for real.

As Harry looked around as his family and Remus, he began to tear up. "You'll stay with me?"

"Until the end."

"And he won't be able to see you?"

"No. We're here," said Emily pointing her to his heart.

*dot*

Harry lay prone on the soft leaves, waiting for someone from Voldemort's entourage to come check him. Dumbledore's words were still echoing in the back of his head and he tried his hardest to stay absolutely still. Suddenly, someone's hands began pulling his hair back, and then an eyelid, before a hand crept up his shirt to check his heartbeat. Clearly, whoever it was knew he was alive or they would have pulled away the moment he flinched.

"Draco? Is he alive? And Serenity?" the person whispered and he realized right away that it was Narcissa Malfoy. She was so close that he could feel her breath waft across his ear.

Harry nodded his head once, confirming the woman's words. She then rose and announced that Harry Potter was dead. Hagrid began sobbing and, moments later, felt the same person who brought him into the Wizarding world, take him home to Hogwarts. He couldn't bear to hear Hagrid cry over him, but he had to pretend he was dead.

He could see Serenity's face in his blank mind. He could hear her voice saying everything was okay. He pictured her expression was Hagrid would bring him to her.

It was the only way to save her and everything they both loved.

*dot*

(Sirius' POV)

Serenity came to find me in the Great Hall while I was having my bleeding arm tended to. Her eyes were blood shot and her clothing was ripped and dirty, but otherwise she looked unharmed. Standing to greet her, I noticed she was wobbling slightly. Because of how badly her pants were ripped I could the dark bruise she had showed me back when she followed Draco.

"His friend died trying to kill us. I'm just glad he's not hurt," she explained, avoiding my gaze.

"The boy is learning the truth and having to fight for his life," I told her, wrapping a bandage tightly around my arm and tying it into a knot.

"I feel stupid for following him!" she suddenly exclaimed, gripping her hips.

"Why? What happened?" I asked curiously. Something in the back of my mind reminded me that she smelled slightly odd when she hugged me, but I thought it was just because she hadn't showered yet. It was the middle of the night, after all.

"Nothing," she replied defensively. "I followed him to the Room of Requirement and he ambushed Harry with Goyle and Zabini. Quite dumb really."

That's when I realized that she was still staring at the floor.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" I asked, quite aware that her once long pajama pants were now cut into shorts that showed off much of her long legs. That bruise on her upper thigh wasn't by this fight and it was taunting me. The fact that she kept crossing her legs didn't go unnoticed by me.

"Nothing," she repeated.

"What did Malfoy do?" I asked firmly.

"Nothing!" she repeated more forcefully.

"Alright then!" I teased, throwing my hands up in defeat. "Your mother was the same way. She never wanted to tell me and James what happened to her in—"

"I know what happened."

Her statement completely caught me off guard, causing my throat to instantly close up. If Serenity knew about what had happened to her mother then she knew I had purposely kept that information from her. I chose to never speak about it because I had always assumed it would be a subject she wouldn't want to hear, especially considering what Lucius had done to her.

"I know that Mum was like me. A lot like me. We both got hurt by men in Slytherin."

I struggled to swallow the lump that had settled in my throat. I certainly hadn't been prepared to answer questions about her mother. The memories of what she had gone through still haunted me. "How did you find out?" I asked after a long stretch of silence, finally finding my voice. My curiosity was definitely getting the best of me.

"Harry and I saw some of Snape's memories after he died. There was a bunch about Aunt Lily and a few with Mum. Snape tried to stop her from getting hurt. He just didn't get there in time," she explained.

My eyes began tearing up as she told me part of what I already knew. She finally knew the truth. I knew then that I could no longer keep anything about her mother from her like I had been doing all these years. She deserved to know everything I did.

"Serenity, I need you to understand something about that particular night," I began, quickly gathering my thoughts. "The day I found out about what Douglas Luke did to your mother, it took every ounce of will power I had to keep myself from killing him. That's when I realized how much I cared for your Mum. You see, Emily and I made a deal that we would keep our relationship a secret. We didn't want everyone knowing about us and being scrutinized by all of our class mates was something neither of us wanted to deal with. Granted, James gave us his blessing later on, but no one knew our secret. After Emily came clean though, James and I fought and that nearly ruined our friendship. James thought I was only using her like I did all the other women I had been with. Your Mum set me straight and I'll never be able to thank her enough for that.

"Your Mum made me better and when we found out about you…" I paused, suddenly overwhelmed by the emotions I had experienced back then. I took a deep breath and pressed down on my eyes to prevent them from tearing up even further. "There are no words to express how happy we were! Our world came crashing down when everything surrounding Harry and Voldemort started. You already know all of that so I don't need to go over it again. Because of that, your Mum really believed that I had betrayed James and Lily. I wouldn't ever do that. They were my family just like you and Emily!

"After that, everyone blamed me without asking me about the truth. Call it what you will; a family curse, a series of unfortunate events, but at least you know the whole truth now. Thankfully, you and Harry act more alike than you know."

My words brought a smile to her face and I regretted not telling her sooner. The relief I felt over getting all of that off my chest was staggering and I pulled Serenity into a tight hug.

"Who's that Hagrid's carrying? Neville, who is that?" Ginny exclaimed from the courtyard, snagging our attention.

We rushed outside, running up behind Ginny and Neville, and saw Hagrid carrying something as he slowly trudged towards us. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out what it was, but a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach was telling me it was nothing good. Once the half-giant got closer, my fears were confirmed. As I valiantly tried to keep from weeping, I felt Serenity begin to shake under my arm.

As soon as I saw the defeated look on Hagrid's face as he looked down at Harry, the last of my self control disappeared and I couldn't keep the tears from falling. I had already lost Remus, my last true friend, and that only made things that much harder to deal with. If Harry was truly gone, life was basically over.

Voldemort had won. It was over, even for Purebloods like me and Serenity.

"Harry Potter…is dead!" announced Voldemort, nothing but glee painted all over his pale snake-like face. Bellatrix was dancing, more like prancing, behind him and cackling madly. It was a disgusting display and I couldn't bear to watch. It felt like the world was falling away from all of us and there was nothing we could do to stop it.

"NO!" screamed Ginny in protest, beginning to run towards Harry. Her father managed to pull her back just as Voldemort conjured a blocking spell.

"Silence, stupid girl! Harry Potter is dead. From this day forth, you put your faith…in me," Voldemort said, that same sick smile curling his lips upwards.

Everyone was shaking their head in disbelief and whispering amongst themselves. Surely not. Harry couldn't be dead! We needed him! Serenity buried her face in my jacket, crying softly. Voldemort turned back to his Death Eaters and proclaimed again that Harry was dead. They all began laughing, all except Narcissa and Lucius. The sound made my stomach turn.

"And now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us or die," he announced, flourishing the Elder Wand in front of him.

I looked around at the crowd of students and teachers, praying that no one was stupid enough to listen to him. If anyone joined him, they would die too. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Draco!" called Lucius suddenly, stepping forward. In front of me, Hermione turned and looked back at Serenity. "Draco," he repeated a little softer. Clearly he was afraid, which was shocking coming from him. My eyes found Draco, noticing that he hadn't moved an inch from the first time his name was called.

"Draco…come," his mother said kindly. I knew what she was doing; what both of them were doing. They were saving their only son from the inevitable break out of more fighting. I didn't blame them. If I could, I would Apparate the hell away from here, but I had my duty. I wouldn't run like I had at the wedding.

I could tell the boy was scared out of his mind and, for a moment, I thought he was going to ignore his parents. After many long, tense moments, his feet began to slowly move toward his mother and so did Serenity's. My little girl left my side, going toward the one person who could save her. She followed closely behind Draco and I knew that she would at least be safe with Narcissa and Draco, even though I didn't like either of them very much.

"Ah. Well done, Draco," Voldemort said, critically eying them both as Serenity reached Draco's side. He gave the boy an awkward, one armed hug then turned to my daughter. Her figure stiffened as she too received a hug and my hands bunched into tight fists, the bile rising into the back of my throat as I was forced to watch him touch my daughter. It was quite un-Voldemort like.

The two of them quickly went to Narcissa, who patted Draco on the arm and wrapped her other around Serenity's shoulders, pulling her into her side for safety. My daughter looked back at me for a moment, but remained at the Malfoy's side. I knew where she would be in the end. I prayed my own safety now.

"I must say I had hoped for better. And what might your name be, young man?"

Since my attention had been on the Malfoy's and my daughter, I had failed to noticed Neville struggling to walk forward, clutching the Sorting Hat in his hand. When he spoke his name, the Death Eaters laughed at him.

"Well, Neville, I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks—"

"I'd like to say something!" Neville shouted, cutting the Dark Lord off.

Voldemort looked taken back, narrowing his haunting eyes at the boy. "Well, Neville, I'm sure we would all be fascinated by what you have to say."

Instead of addressing Voldemort like I thought he was going to, he turned toward all of his class mates and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter if Harry's gone. People die every day, Seamus! Friends. Family. Yeah, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, in here," Neville said, pointing to his heart. I knew my heart was bleeding at the moment. "So Fred…and Remus…and Tonks. All of them. They didn't die in vain." He paused and turned back to Voldemort. "But you will! Because you're wrong. Harry's heart did beat for us. For all of us! This is not over!"

Neville's words didn't faze Voldemort at all. In fact, he began laughing at the brave boy in front of him. Then multiple things happened that my mind couldn't process quick enough.

Neville suddenly withdrew the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat and Harry sprang to life, forcing himself out of Hagrid's arms. All the students and teachers around me gasped and screamed in shock and delight. Bellatrix began shouting at her fellow Death Eaters, ordering them to come back and fight. She even tried to get Lucius to return, but he was more concerned with finding his wife who had mysteriously disappeared.

Before turning to hurry inside the castle, I spotted Narcissa's blonde hair and two children following her. I was happy she was saving them. Once I was safely in the castle, I heard Harry yelling something about needing to kill the snake. Voldemort attacked the blocking spell Kingsley had put up, and was personally going after Harry. I shot spell after spell as Death Eaters came from every direction, afraid for myself as well as Harry and his friends.

The Great Hall was full of witches and wizards dueling, the magic they were expelling from the wands practically palpable in the air. Suddenly, I saw Bellatrix aim a powerful Killing Curse at Ginny, but it miraculously missed it's mark. The girl was frozen in fear as her mother advanced on Bellatrix. Anger had consumed her entire countenance and, had I not been fighting for own life, I would have stopped to applaud.

"Not my daughter, you bitch!" she bellowed.

Bellatrix would not be deterred though. She threw a few random spells at Molly, but the aged mother expertly blocked them before firing back her own spells. Within moments, Bellatrix screamed in shock as Molly obliterated her.

I watched, amazed by Molly's expertise, but my short pause almost cost me my life. A Death Eater behind me shot a spell directly at my back and I moved just in time to avoid being killed. Afraid I would die was my main concern at the moment, but as for Serenity, I was relieved that she would be able to her dreams, unlike her mother.

I quickly got rid of two Death Eaters and out of the corner of my eye, saw Ron and Hermione running down the stairs trying to get away from Nagini. My breath caught in my throat as the enormous snake got closer and closer to them and gasped in surprise when Neville came out of nowhere, swinging wildly at Nagini and cutting her in half. I heard Harry yell then and I took off toward the courtyard, spotting him and Voldemort in a deadly duel.

Just as I skidded to a halt not far from them, Harry disarmed Voldemort and caught the Elder Wand in his free hand. Then Voldemort began to slowly deteriorate, little pieces of him falling away like ripped cloth. Harry had won.

A cacophony of cheers rang out around me as the remaining Death Eaters fled the castle. The loss of their leader was something they hadn't been expecting. There was nothing that could ruin my world now! Voldemort was finally gone and everything in the past was behind me.

I was sure Emily, James and Lily, were watching me, happy that I had lived to help our kids.

*dot*

A week later, I began helping rebuild the school. Serenity also helped after I retrieved her from Malfoy Manor. Narcissa and I had a long discussion about Serenity and Draco and I learned that, during my daughter's post-war checkup, the Healers at St. Mungo's had discovered she was pregnant. Two months pregnant at that.

It was a Saturday afternoon and Narcissa and I had begun spending more time together in an effort to please Serenity and Draco. When my cousin revealed that Draco was the father, I was even more flabbergasted by the thought of our children's actions. There were no words to describe how shocked I was at that moment. My shock instantly turned to anger and I wished I had that blonde's throat in my hands so I could choke him.

"Now, now, Sirius. We can't really change things can we," Narcissa said sipping on her tea. Her eyes narrowed at me as I looked violently around for her son.

"My little girl is only sixteen! She was going to be a teen mother! Damn it! Emily would kill me if she were alive!"

"I'm sure Emily would kill him too."

But, regardless of that discovery, Serenity and I felt happy for the first time about everything in our lives. With the news of her pregnancy, the realization that I was going to be a Grandfather hit me. It smacked me in the fact like a ton of bricks one afternoon when I was trying to work on a report in my office. The fact that I wouldn't even be in my forties when my grandchild arrived was horrible and I immediately began thinking of all the excuses I could come up with to avoid the shopping trips for baby supplies.

On Harry's eighteenth birthday, Serenity found out the gender of her baby. I was going to have a granddaughter!

Harry made sure to congratulate us thoroughly before him and Ginny left for his birthday. Molly didn't object to her daughter leaving the country with him, but she certainly made sure warn Harry about the consequences of bad choices. We certainly didn't want a baby from him anytime soon. I made sure to hand him some protection just in case, he forgot.

"Sirius!" He said, though he looked sheepish at the thought. "I've been warned by everyone, not you too!"

"Molly has a point! I'm sure James and Lily would love to be in my boat. Grandchildren before forty!"

Harry nodded and pocketed the condoms then turned away, gathering Ginny in his arm.

"Remember Harry!" I called out.

"Shut up already!" Harry shouted back with annoyance.

For the following school year, Serenity and I planned that once the baby was born, she would be in my care until her mother finished school. I would be taking on the role of a parent that I never had the chance to experience. Serenity said that she wanted to include me in her baby's life.

While we worked things out for ourselves, I hardly ever saw Malfoy. He went to a few of her appointments, but the boy seemed too scared to be in the public to attempt going anywhere else with her. Even though he had renounced the wrongs of his past, the populace still looked down on him and Serenity's growing belly only made matters worse.

So when I received a letter from Professor McGonagall about Serenity being bullied, I wasn't as shocked as I should have been. The aged Transfiguration professor was requesting that I come retrieve her and that upset me. Apparently, no one wanted a Death Eater's lover and his spawn walking the halls. When I went to pick her up, she was in tears and it took me hours to calm her down. She was glad to be going home though. All the stress she was being forced to endure wasn't good for her.

But the day had finally come and I couldn't say that I was looking forward to it happening. I was at the hospital with Serenity after she had given birth to her new baby girl. She had blonde hair and grayish hazel eyes.

As I waited outside the room, nurse after nurse went into her room carrying all kinds of newborn things. I was outside mostly because the sight alone was making sick. I never wanted to witness a baby being born ever again, especially if that baby belonged to my daughter.

Serenity had asked me to be in the room, but I declined at first because I was afraid I might faint. She became upset so I decided to stay and support her despite the fact that I was completely disgusted. Harry had also been present, but I hadn't exactly been paying attention to where. After the delivery I had sent him to find me some tea. I desperately needed it.

Sometime around five a.m. I was draped across a chair in the waiting room, lightly dozing, when Harry tapped me on the head. The fact that he didn't have my cup of tea was the first thought that crossed my mind.

"Sorry, they don't start making it until six. Come on, come take a look at her," he said, helping me up.

" So Harry," I began, clearing my throat as we slowly made our way towards Serenity's room. "How did you handle seeing your cousin like that?"

He was silent for a few moments before sighing heavily. "It was weird, that's for sure and certain. She did a great job though. The baby looks like Malfoy more and more every time I look at her."

We fell silent as we entered the room and, there in the bed, was Serenity and her new baby. Both were sleeping peacefully. Our attention briefly shifted to Draco who was also asleep in a chair beside the bed. His hand was gently clasping Serenity's and, even though they were sleeping, they both looked worn out.

"We lived through the war. That's what matters. I'm sure Emily and James would be proud of you two," I whispered to my godson, squeezing his shoulder.

Harry and I turned to leave, but I looked back one more time at the young couple and their baby, a whimsical smile slowly spreading across my face.

*dot*

On the morning of my granddaughter's first birthday, I was so busy getting her cake done that I was becoming more worn out than her mother. Lucius and Narcissa had arrived earlier this morning to help decorate, as well as Harry and Ginny, but even though there were so many other people that wanted to make this child's birthday something to remember, mine and Serenity's biggest concern was that it wouldn't go as smoothly as we were planning.

"Dad, did you put up the banner?" Serenity asked as she collapsed into one of the dining room chairs.

"Yes," I answered, trying to remember which banner she meant. There was one outside on the front door, another in the main hallway, a third on her bedroom door, and the biggest one was hovering over the table in the back garden. I was certain I hadn't forgotten any.

"Oh, Harry and Ginny were wondering if Ron and Hermione could come," she asked, sounding like she was out of breath.

I chuckled as I looked back at her. "This is your daughter's birthday! Shouldn't you and Malfoy have discussed it already?" I asked, rising from the mountain of a cake that was shaped like a gigantic flower. I was shocked they wanted such an enormous cake for a one year old. I knew we'd be eating the leftovers for a while.

I looked up from my handy work and strode towards the back door, breathing in the cool afternoon air. Malfoy was sitting on the bench outside, watching his daughter crawl around in the grass. I observed a playful smile on his face as I sat down beside him for a break.

"She's growing every day it seems," I commented, watching her grab her father's pant leg and pull herself to her feet.

"She certainly is. Can't believe things ended up the way they did," said Draco as he picked her up and placed her in his lap. The small girl instantly began playing with the ring on his left hand. "I didn't expect half the things I got," Draco finally said after a few minutes of silence. "Father didn't want any of this."

"I can't say I did either," I said, smirking at the nineteen year old. "I only wish you two weren't blood related, seeing as one of your great-grandparents is the same person. You have your own family now, Malfoy. That's what should matter."

And for next thirty years, I lived with the happiness that, strangely enough, Serenity and Draco had given me. In that time, they gave me two more grandchildren, the youngest of whom would be the same age as Harry's eldest son, James Sirius Potter. I laughed whenever the two boys eyed each other with discontent, thinking of all the times that Harry and Draco had looked at each other like that, as well as James and Snape. It surprised me how often I tried to mend my relationship with Narcissa for the sake of our grandchildren. For us, it was about making our family happy and being there when things got rough.

For Serenity, it meant long, endless hours of juggling three children by the time she turned thirty- five and knowing her husband was the man of her dreams.

She was my princess, her mother my queen, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Sincerely,

Sirius Black, 57, Gryffindor House, Class of 1978