Saving Souls
Chapter Twenty Five
Epilogue
Lucius Malfoy stepped out onto the patio and watched his eleven-year-old son Draco and nine-year-old daughter Destiny engage in horseplay. The two children were very close and Lucius felt truly lucky to have them. He glanced up at the sky. It was a beautiful day; perfect for spending the day honoring the children's mother. Destiny came up to her father and said, "Daddy. I love you!" Lucius knelt down and hugged her. She was truly beautiful with her strawberry blond hair that naturally fell in ringlets and her grandmother's eyes that were the deepest blue. As she let go of him she ran her hand down her father's arm and over the Dark Mark that was faded but still there. She looked up at her father, then back down to the Mark. "Daddy, you said you would explain to us about this."
Lucius knew she was right, he had said that. In a few weeks' time, Draco would be starting Hogwarts and he would hear the story, or parts of it, from others. "Let's sit down," Lucius said. "Draco, you too. You need to hear this as well." Draco came over and sat down. "This Mark is the one that Voldemort used to identify his most loyal followers, and I was one of them. I did some horrible things in service to Him, but I would never change that because if I did, I never would have met your mother. You see, the first time I met her was on August 31, 1977 in Flourish and Blotts. She was full of fire, and quite disliked me. I wasn't used to that from a woman. The first time she met me was August 31, 1992. She was eleven and already full of fire. You see, when she was 16 she traveled back in time to save your Uncle Severus. And she did, but along the way she saved a lot more people. You see, if I had never become a Death Eater, your mother wouldn't have fought so hard against me, and I wouldn't have fallen in love with her. She had a very clear image of who I was, and I was lucky to have won her over."
"Father, the years you said don't match up," Draco pointed out. He had grown into the image of his father. Lucius knew Draco would be placed in Slytherin.
"It would seem so, but as I said; your mother had traveled back in time saving many souls along her way. Everyone claims that Harry Potter is the hero of the war, but I know the real hero was your mother."
"Father, do you ever wonder what life would have been like without her?" Draco asked.
"No. She told me about it once, but I'm much happier this way."
"What are you three talking about out here?" came Lucius' wife's voice.
"About how Daddy loves you, Mum," Destiny replied as she looked over at her mother.
Lucius got up and came over to kiss his wife. "I was telling them the truth about us." He looked at her wearing a tailored yellow tank top and matching shorts and her hair was pulled back in a perfect ponytail. In a couple of hours, they would be heading over to the Burrow to celebrate Ginny's birthday with her family. Ten years later, Lucius was able to overlook his disagreements with Arthur Weasley for the sake of his wife. She meant the world to him He remembered after Destiny was handed to him the day she was born, he had held her for hours until the healers finally came out and explained about Ginny. They had found a massive tumor that would otherwise have not been detected without the removal. If she had not had a child, they would have found the tumor eventually, but it would have been too late and she would have died. However, as a result Ginny was no longer able to have any more children.
They had spent the days after Destiny was born in the hospital talking, really talking. It was the first time Lucius had been thankful Ginevra had such a large family. While his mother could care for Draco for a few hours, days on end were another issue. It had been much easier to talk without Draco demanding attention, and it really helped them both get over their feelings and brought them closer together. The years that followed were better than either of them had ever hoped. Lucius stepped away from work and focused most of his attention on Ginevra and the children. While he would never voice it, he knew that everything had been truly for the best. Without the long break without Ginevra and Draco, he would have become his father. But he now knew his children, and there was nothing about them that could surprise him. He was grateful for it.
"I was wondering when you were going to do that." She smiled.
"Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her.
"Not lately." Ginny watched as Draco and Destiny began playing their game again. "I know he will be in Slytherin, but Destiny? I have to wonder what the record time is for the Sorting Hat to decide on someone's House."
"I imagine she will be hard to place." He looked at his wife again.
"She saved my life," Ginny concluded.
"Yes and no. If you never went back in time, you never would have had her and they never would have discovered the tumor in time. You saved your own life!"
A/N I would like to thank every single person who reviewed this story, and I also want to thank you for hanging in there as it took so long to post!