Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I'm sorry for that cliffhanger last chapter! I guess I'm a little more sadistic than originally thought. ;) Hope this makes up for it.

Chapter 26

Hermione cradled Draco's head in her hands, her body thrown over his chest as she pressed her forehead tightly against his, her tears blurring her vision as memory after memory cascaded into her head. Their first kiss, their first argument, the day the married as Harry walked her down the aisle, her mother sitting in the front room watching blankly while Narcissa held her hands tightly in her own. The day she found out she was pregnant with Leo and the day their son was born as Draco wept openly as he held the newborn babe in his arms. Watching as he cradled Lyra in his hands, singing 'Happy Birthday' to her softly while she watched from the bed and the last time she had seen him before she left for work that day.

"You can't go now," she finally spluttered through her tears, "not when I've just now remembered you."

She felt hands on her back then and she pushed herself closer to Draco, unwilling for Harry to pull her away just yet, not when she hadn't said good-bye. Not when she had only just said hello.

"Hermione-" a voice said, "Love, I'm not going anywhere but I can't breathe."

She jerked back then, realizing that the hands on her back were not Harry's but those of her husband who was very much alive and looking up at her with amusement in his gray eyes.

"You son of a banshee," she swore, reaching down to kiss his lips, "I thought you were dead," she kissed him harder, "You scared" and again, "the shite," and once more, "out of me. Wait. How are you not dead? I saw her-"

Draco smirked and reached down to pull the material of his cloak up between them, "George and I's latest venture. Shield cloaks."

She sat up then, her eyes narrowing before she reached out to push him hard on the chest. He winced hard as she fumed, "You're telling me that you used an experimental product in a fight against a murderous raving lunatic. Are you insane? Do you not remember half of the products you two morons have thought up?"

"Not all of them are- Hey, wait, do you…did you…"

Hermione nodded, "it came rushing back when I- when I thought you were dead. I remembered all of it, even Leo's little cow lick at the top of his head and- oh, Draco, the children!"

She would have jumped up then, if not for the fact that her legs felt like jelly and her head was as heavy as a cauldron cake.

"Harry-" Draco called and the man finished covering up the body of the deceased witch on the other side of the room, heading over to them with a deep scowl on his face, "Any word on the children? Where she might have taken them?"

Harry nodded, "Ron is looking for her records now. If we can find her place of residence-"

"Ron?" Hermione asked, "Is that wise?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "Sadie didn't just attack here Hermione, she set off some traps at the ministry too. There were some injuries there and we're doing the best we can with what we have. As far as I can tell there are no lasting impacts of the imperius curse and he…well he wanted to help."

Hermione nodded and reached out, pulling her best friend into her, burying her face in his neck. He hugged her back, tightening his fingers on her shoulder blades, "We'll find them Hermione."

"I know."

Draco was pacing the study and Hermione sat on the plush leather chair she had moved out from behind the desk. Her head was spinning and his back and forth movements were making her dizzy. But had she not felt as though she had been run over by the Hogwarts express she would have been doing the same so she ignored it, forcing her eyes to her feet as they awaited news. Of any kind.

"So, you remember everything?" Draco finally asked, moving to perch on the end of the desk, his fingers drumming a quick rhythm on the desktop.

She nodded, "it was like a flood gate opened up, honestly. It all came back at once. Even the argument we had… before."

Draco sighed, "I didn't mean it."

"Let's not worry about it right-"

"No," he said, his voice tight, "I- I thought you were gone; before. I thought when you woke up that day that I had lost you and the last words I said to you would be the last ones I would remember saying to you were that I didn't know if I wanted to be with you anymore-"

"Draco-"

"Let me finish, please," he said, his words edged with pain. She nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Hermione there is no one else in this world I would want to be with. You're- you're everything to me. To our children. I love you more than words could ever express and it's more than just you being the mother to my children. You're- Harry once told me, long ago, that I had saved you but he had it all wrong. Because you saved me. You taught me how to live with my scars and how to learn from them."

"Are you quite finished?" she asked once his words had trailed off and he didn't try to speak more. He nodded once and she stood up, holding on to the desk for support as she drew closer to him on shaky legs. She didn't say anything more as she reached up, pressing her lips to his and tangling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. He responded in kind, his own breath heavy in her mouth as he picked her up and placed her gently on the surface of the desk, his hands cupping her face as he kept them fused together.

It wasn't until they heard the throat clearing loudly that they finally broke apart and Hermione wept with relief as she saw Harry and Ron in the doorway, each holding one of her babies.

"Found these two, thought you might like them back." Harry smiled as he set Leo down and he bounded to Hermione, wrapping his arms around her legs before she tugged him up to sit in her lap.

"Where were they?" Draco asked as he walked to Weasley, extending his hands out to catch Lyra as she fell into his embrace and he kissed her forehead as much as she would allow.

"In her apartment. I mean, she obviously wasn't the brightest witch."

"No," Draco said with a cheeky grin, "I married that one."

Ron chuckled at that, extending his hand out and Draco looked once between the freckled man and Harry before he shifted his daughter around in her arms and reached out, giving the man's hand a firm shake, expressing more in that gesture than his words could.

Harry clapped both men on the back, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish up the paperwork and then get back to the hospital. Last I heard Ginny was going mental because we hadn't thought of a name yet."

"Draco's a good one," Draco called.

"No way, if he uses any name it will be after me. I am the uncle after all," Ron boasted.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Leo tighter against her, breathing in his scent as she kissed the top of his head once more.

"'Mione," Hermione looked up to see Ron looking at her from under his lashes, "I- I wanted to apologize for my behavior-"

"Ron, you were under-"

"No," Ron shook his head, "That's not what I meant. I never really said it, to either of you but I am sorry, about before. I let my grief cloud my judgement. I thought- I thought we were meant for each other but… I think one of us would have killed each other if we had stayed together."

"Don't be stupid Ronald," Hermione scoffed, "you never would have stood a chance against me."

Draco barked out a laugh then, and Ron glared at the man before his own lips pulled up at the corners and he nodded at her, "I'd like to be friends, if you'd allow it."

Hermione grinned, "I never thought we weren't."

The man smiled in return and looked at Malfoy, "You too Malfoy."

"I a Ma-foy!" Leo called and Ron smiled at the boy as Hermione felt her heart swell in her chest and for once, everything felt right.

"I still can't believe you named her Lily. Draco would make a perfectly fine name for a girl." Draco scoffed, holding the baby in his hands.

"Lay off it Malfoy," Ginny said as she passed, looking amused more than annoyed at the man holding her infant.

Draco mumbled something under his breath but let it go, shouldering the infant as he tried to elicit a burp from her.

The fireplace dinged and Hermione smiled as Ron appeared; his girlfriend Natalie not far behind him. He waved at her as the children attacked his knees, begging for the sweets they knew he kept stashed in his pockets. Hermione smirked and looked to her husband to see him now making faces at little Lily Luna Potter and Hermione rolled her eyes as she reached over to gently pull the baby from his grasp, "You're going to scare her."

Draco huffed, "She could never be scared of her uncle Draco, could you Little Lily?" He reached over to kiss the bottom of the baby's foot and Hermione smiled at her husband.

It had been a rough few months but she was glad that things were finally settling down. Her eyes flitted across the kitchen where Molly and Angelina were working on dinner. Arthur and George were close by; their heads tilted together as they watched the children play with Ron who was now on the floor playing with the quidditch set they had given Jamie.

Hermione sighed in contentment and she felt Draco's hand come to rest on her shoulder as she laid her own head on his shoulder as she watched her family before her.

It wasn't perfect, nor was it whole- there were always going to be missing pieces- but it was hers.

It was theirs.

She couldn't ask for anything more.

Well…

"Hey Draco-" she started, smiling down at the baby in her arms.

"Yes Love?" he hummed as she met his eye, biting her lip, "I think Lyra would love to have a baby brother or sister around…"

The End.