The last chapter. I hope you all enjoy!


Chapter Twenty-Eight

Five years later…

Draco stood in front of his reflection, struggling with his tie. It was a familiar sight—him not knowing how to tie his tie. Normally, Hermione would walk in right about now, but Draco knew he wouldn't be seeing her today.

At least, not yet.

"Draco, you have always been absolutely useless at this, you know?" his mother said, her eyes twinkling. She walked into his bedroom at the Malfoy Manor and quickly tied the tie around Draco's neck. She kissed his cheek. "Are you ready, my favorite son?"

Draco nodded, looking out the window. "I'm your only son," he replied.

Witches and wizards were strewn about, settling into the white chairs organized across the lawn. White peacocks strutted around the yard, one of the only things of his father's that he kept when he moved back into the Malfoy Manor three years ago.

It was a tough move for him, one that was only made better by Hermione's presence. The two of them, along with Harry, Ron, and Blaise cleared out the Malfoy Manor of anything and everything that related to Lucius, Bellatrix, Voldemort, or the Dark Arts. Draco moved in, filling the empty spaces with things of his own liking and his own desires. Black, silver, and gray were no longer the colors of the house. Now each room was infused with a spot of color. Though she didn't live there, Hermione had a very strong influence on the redecorations Draco did on the house.

The first thing he had done when he returned to the Malfoy Manor was present Flora, his house-elf, with clothes. She refused it flat out, but Draco insisted. After a very long, drawn-out discussion and a number of tears from the little creature, Draco allowed for her to stay at the Manor, serving him, but wearing proper clothes and receiving wages. He told her that she was free to come and go as she pleased, but she hadn't left the Manor yet.

He took out the books that focused on the darkest of the Dark Arts and filled it with books on different spells, potions, charms, and other things that aided him in his career as a Healer. It had taken him a long time to become a Healer and now he was officially given his own ward at St. Mungo's with some apprentices of his own.

Draco smiled at his mother through his reflection. She never moved back into the Manor, saying that it was rightly Draco's since he was the heir to the Malfoy name and fortune. Draco figured that she never wanted to leave Andromeda nor return to this house that brought back bad memories, but he also noticed a growing closeness between his mother and Kingsley.

"Thank you for being here, Mother," he said sincerely. He gave her a long hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I know it's difficult to be here again, after so many years."

"Thank you, Draco. It's not so difficult being here—you've changed it so much. But it's all for the better, I know that." She pinched his thin cheeks and grinned at him. "Are you happy, Draco?"

"Of course I am. I have been for the past five and a half years. But today will be the happiest day of my life. I'm sure of it."

Narcissa smiled. "And I will officially have a daughter in my life. But just wait until you have children of your own."

On cue, a loud, off-tune singing came into the room. Turquoise tufts of hair stood above six-year-old Teddy's head. "Everyone's almost here, Draco," he said to his older cousin. "They're all sitting outside."

"Thanks Teddy."

"What's a wedding anyway? A big party? Where everyone dresses up?" He tugged at his tie. "I don't like wearing a tie."

"No, my dear," Narcissa said, scooping him into her arms. "It's the day when Draco and Hermione pledge their undying love for one another before all of their friends and family."

"But they do that every day. I see them. And then they snog." Teddy made a disgusted face.

Narcissa laughed. "Where's your grandmother, Teddy?"

"She's sitting outside. Said she wanted to be in prime seating for the show. Is the wedding really a show?"

"No, no, dear child." Teddy tossed his tie in the air. "Teddy," Narcissa scolded. "You must keep this on."

"I don't want to. I don't like it."

"You must," insisted Narcissa. She pointed up at Draco. "Look, Draco, has one, too, darling."

Draco made a face at his cousin. Teddy laughed. "You, dear cousin, have a very important thing to do today." Draco sat on his bed and Teddy clambered on his lap. "You're going to be sitting up there with me and Hermione, holding our rings. Don't lose them, all right."

Teddy looked somber and patted his pockets. "Um, I think—"

"I thought it was safer that I'd hold onto them until Teddy's reached the front." Blaise interrupted. He walked into the room and gave Draco an approving nod. "Clean up well, Malfoy."

"I knew there was a reason I chose you as my best man, Zabini."

Blaise held out a hand. "Hand me ten Galleons and there'll be more compliments." He laughed. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I am. I have been ever since—"

"You helped Potter kill Voldemort?"

Narcissa threw a stern gaze at Blaise and picked up Teddy. "Don't listen to them, Teddy. Let's go downstairs now." She leaned over and kissed Draco's cheek.

Draco grinned at them. "Teddy, do you remember the favor I asked of you?" He ruffled the five-year-old's hair.

Teddy smiled a toothy grin and nodded. "Pink hair!" he yelled happily. At once, Teddy's turquoise tufts changed into bubblegum pink.

Blaise pointed a wand at Draco. "Didn't you say you wanted pink hair as well, Draco? Isn't that why Hermione fell for you?"

"I like to think it was my dashing good looks and charming personality, but it might've been the pink hair," Draco joked.

"NO! NO PINK HAIR ON ANYONE OTHER THAN TEDDY!" yelled Narcissa, throwing them a dirty look. She fought Draco long and hard on his decision to have Teddy in the wedding with pink hair, but Draco won that argument, saying it was like having Nymphadora with him. He originally wanted the pink hair, too, remembering that Hermione first kissed him when he had pink hair. Narcissa put her foot down on that suggestion and wouldn't hear another word about it. Hermione agreed with Narcissa and refused to have Draco marry her with pink hair. She did, however, think it was sweet for Teddy to have the pink hair.

"Come Teddy." Narcissa gazed at her son. "We will see you in a few minutes' time, without the pink hair."

"How about blue?" asked Draco, innocently.

"Or red?" added Blaise. "Isn't that the Gryffindor's color? A bit of maroon red with your blonde locks…"

Narcissa threw them both a look. "I'll see you downstairs."

Blaise grinned at Draco and clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Time's come, mate."

Draco nodded at his friend and tore himself away from the window. He bounded down the stairs happily after his friend.

In a few moments, he would be marrying the woman of his dreams.

Hermione was sitting in the parked limousine in front of the Malfoy Manor. When she first started coming to this place, she was always overcome with horrible memories of the Manor. She knew it was worse for Draco, but he never said a word against it. There were moments when they were in the midst of cleaning and she and Draco would stop working for a moment and Draco would tell her what he was reminded of. As they continued to clean out the house, it seemed that she and Draco had begun creating their own memories there.

And soon it will be their house.

"Ready, Hermione?" Ginny asked, slowly opening the door. She wore a sparkling gold dress and her long, flaming-red hair was pulled back from her face. "Everyone's ready to begin."

Hermione nodded and grinned. Ginny took a step back and Hermione's father extended his hand to his only daughter. He had tears in his eyes as he kissed his daughter on the cheek.

The three of them slowly walked toward the Manor. Music was playing from the gardens and Hermione knew that was where she would soon marry the love of her life. White peacocks strutted around her and she had to shake her head at the sight.

"Are you happy, Hermione?" her father asked. "You could still leave, you know. I like Draco, but if you're—"

"I'm happier than I have ever been, Daddy," she said, cutting him off. "Now, let's go get married!"

Ginny beamed and took her spot in line, ready to walk down the aisle. The orchestra struck up a different song, signaling the beginning of the procession. Hermione was beside herself in excitement. Ginny laughed and turned around to hand her a bouquet of red roses.

"Thanks Ginny."

Ginny winked and smiled. She gave Hermione a thumbs up before walking down the aisle.

Draco felt nearly breathless with excitement. Blaise stood next to him, his best man, and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.

He watched as Ginny walked down the aisle, flashing him a dazzling smile. She winked at Blaise as the two of them headed to the front.

Everyone stood and turned toward the back of the garden to watch Hermione walk down the aisle. An audible gasp was heard as Hermione turned the corner and readied herself to walk down the aisle.

Draco grinned and a fleeting memory of her walking into the Great Hall for the Yule Ball came to him. He had been speechless then and he was speechless now.

Hermione and her father reached the front of the aisle. Draco shook hands with Hermione's father before helping Hermione to face the front.

"This is it," he thought, stealing a glance at her. "This is the moment I marry my best friend and the love of my life."

Fourteen years later…

"Are you sure you have everything?" Draco asked. He dragged his son's trunk to the entrance hall of the large Manor.

"YES!" yelled the young child, running after his father.

Draco looked at the young boy. He was the spitting image of himself, with pale blonde hair, grey eyes, and a long, pointed chin. He noticed that the boy's hair was slicked back like his used to be at that age.

"Why is your hair like that? Did your mother do that on purpose?" Draco ran his fingers through the boys hair, trying to muss it up.

"YES!" the child yelled again. He danced away from his father, pumping his arms above his head. "HOGWARTS, HOGWARTS, I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS!"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!"

Draco raised an eyebrow at the sound of his wife's voice. He winked at his son.

"Do not raise your voice in this house!" Hermione stalked down the stairs, holding a caged owl. A small girl with dirty blonde hair trailed after her, pulling on her mother's shirt and whining.

"Mummy, I want to go to Hogwarts, too! Why can't I go?" she whined.

Hermione shot her a husband a look that said, "A little help, here?"

Draco flashed her a dazzling smile. He scooped his daughter into his arms and kissed her cheek. "Why do you want to get away from us so soon? Your brother was here for eleven years, you can't wait three more years, sweetie?" He raised her above his head and gave her a little shake.

"But I want to go now!" she whined.

"You will," Draco reassured. He set her down on the floor and knelt in front of his youngest child. She had the exact same shade of brown eyes as her mother's. "Lyra Nymphadora Malfoy. I'm going to miss you too much."

"Are you going to miss me, Daddy?" Scorpius' voice sounded sad. He approached his father and his sister slowly.

"Of course I am, Scorpius." Draco pulled both of his children into a hug. "But we all knew you would be heading off to Hogwarts when you turned eleven. We all prepared for it." He kissed his son's cheek. "I'm going to miss you so much. Will you miss us?"

Scorpius nodded. "What if I don't have any friends?"

"Nonsense, Scorpius," said Hermione, joining the family hug. She kissed him on both cheeks and his forehead. "Albus will be starting Hogwarts this year, too. And Lorcan and Lysander are starting as well." She stood up. "Come on, everyone. We'll be late for the train."

Draco led them from the Manor. He magically moved the trunk into the back of his Muggle car and placed the owl's cage in the backseat. They all settled into the car and Draco quickly checked his mirrors before driving away from the Manor.

Conversation was stilted in the car with Scorpius boasting about going to Hogwarts and Rose still whining about not going. Draco and Hermione tuned it out, as most parents do, and spoke to one another.

"Why'd you fix his hair like that, baby? Reminds me of—"

"You?" Hermione smirked and took her husband's hand. "I thought he looked cute."

"Slicked back hair is not cute."

"It is when he doesn't have a permanent snarl on his face."

"Fine," Draco conceded. He glanced at his son in the rearview mirror. Scorpius was grinning and laughing as he was telling Lyra about what he wanted to do at Hogwarts. Lyra looked at her older brother with longing. "I guess it does look better with a smile on his face."

Scorpius had been an easy child to raise. When he was a baby, he rarely cried and always giggled or laughed. Hermione and Draco joyfully showered him with gifts and Narcissa spoiled her first grandchild as much as she could. Teddy took little Scorpius under his wing as Draco had done with him.

He was a curious child and always asked questions. He loved to read as his parents did and often spent hours in the Manor's library, poring over books and pictures. He taught himself to read when he was only four. And as he had grown, he continued to be an easy-going child, though it was like a massive explosion when he became angry or frustrated. He bottled up his emotions until it blew over and held grudges for days at a time. His parents continuously tried to get Scorpius to be more open about his feelings. He was a cunning and intelligent child and often longed to be the best in everything he did.

When Lyra was born, Draco was afraid of not knowing how to show her as much love as he had done with Scorpius. He and his wife were both only children, they never had to deal with other siblings. He didn't know if he could love Lyra as much as he did Scorpius.

But when little Lyra opened her brown eyes, eyes that were exactly like her mother's, and looked straight into her father's, Draco was immediately wrapped around his daughter's little thumb. She was more forceful and often cried as a baby. When she was born, Draco and Hermione feared that Scorpius would suffer from jealousy at the new baby. They had doted on the young boy, especially since he was such a laid-back and easy child. But the fears were for nothing when Scorpius showed his love for the new baby and hated being separated from his younger sister.

Lyra was different from her brother. At only eight years of age, she already hated going to Muggle school since she was intellectually more advanced than her classmates. Learning came easy to her and she never looked at a book more than once, but seemed to remember everything, including page numbers and paragraphs. She liked going to work with her father and talking to all the patients. She hated going to the Ministry whenever they visited her mother at work even though her brother loved it. Her mother was always surrounded by mounds of paperwork and Scorpius loved to pore over it with Hermione. Her mind flitted around and her body tried to keep up. She hated staying in one place and when she was at her mother's job, she was forced to stay in one spot—in her mother's office.

"We're here," Draco announced. He successfully maneuvered into a parking space at King's Cross Station and headed to get a trolley. Hermione helped Draco place the trunk and all of Scorpius' belongings on it and the four of them proceeded to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Scorpius ran through the invisible barrier, remembering what he had seen Teddy do so many times before. Draco followed close behind with the trolley and Hermione and Lyra passed through after him.

"Scorpius!" Draco called. "Wait for me!"

Scorpius looked back and tapped his foot impatiently. Draco reached him and put his arm around Scorpius. They walked toward the train.

"Teddy!" exclaimed Draco, seeing a tall, thin fellow with turquoise hair.

"Draco, Scorpius!" Teddy exclaimed in return. He patted Scorpius' head lovingly and changed his hair to match theirs. Scorpius laughed.

"What are you doing here?" Draco knelt down to pick up the trunk.

"Came to see my favorite little Scorpius off to Hoggy Warty Hogwarts!" He winked at Scorpius and helped Draco place the trunk on the train. Teddy leaned into Draco. "And to have a special goodbye with one Victoire Weasley," he whispered.

Draco chuckled. "Have fun. See you later, Teddy."

"Have fun at Hogwarts, Scorpy!" Teddy gave Scorpius a quick hug before disappearing into the crowd.

"Was that Teddy?" Hermione asked, approaching them. "What was he doing here?"

Draco nodded. "Victoire," he mouthed to her.

She smiled in recognition. "Oh, okay." She kissed her son on top of his head. "Are you all ready?"

Scorpius nodded excitedly. "I am, I am!"

"Hey Scorpius! Uncle Draco, Aunt Hermione, Lyra!"

James Sirius Potter whizzed by them and jumped onto the train, dragging his trunk behind him. He waved to them as he passed by.

Draco looked after him in amusement. "Hi James!" they all replied.

"Come," Hermione said, taking Scorpius' hand. "Let's find Albus." Draco took his daughter's hand and saw Harry and Ginny walking toward them.

"Lily!" exclaimed Lyra. She ran forward and gave her friend a hug. "I want to go to Hogwarts," she pouted.

"Me too!" Lily agreed.

"You'll get your time!" Ginny said, somewhat impatiently.

Hermione grinned and gave Harry and Ginny a kiss on the cheek. Draco nodded at Harry and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek.

"They grow so fast, don't they," Hermione said, gesturing to Scorpius who was talking to Lily and Lyra. She noticed Albus looking warily at the train.

Harry followed her gaze. "Excuse me," he said quietly. He pulled Albus aside and softly spoke to him.

Hermione nodded and pulled Draco, Scorpius, Lyra, and Lily a bit away from them to give Harry and his son a little bit of privacy.

"Ron, Luna!" Ginny called out, waving to her brother and his wife. Their boys, Lorcan and Lysander, bounded onto the train.

"Oi, come back here!" Ron yelled after them. He and Luna greeted them with hugs. He shook his head. "Those boys stayed up all night. Nearly drove me insane!"

The parents laughed while Scorpius, Lily and Lyra talked about which Houses they hoped to be placed in.

"Ravenclaw, definitely," said Lyra. "Aunt Luna said you had to solve a riddle to get in the common room!"

Lily looked worried at this information. "I don't know if I'd be able to last in Ravenclaw. I think I'd like to be in Hufflepuff. I think I'm loyal and hardworking. And I hate when James makes up rules to games that aren't fair to the rest of us! What about you, Scorpius? James is in Gryffindor and he keeps making fun of Albus in case Albus gets into Slytherin."

Scorpius shrugged. "I dunno. My mum was in Gryffindor, but my dad was in Slytherin. Wherever I go, I'm sure it'll be fun."

"But if you could choose, Scorpius, where would you go?" replied Lily.

Scorpius shrugged again. "Slytherin, I think. Green's my favorite color."

Hermione and Ginny laughed at Scorpius' justification for Slytherin. Draco just shook his head.

"I'll be glad when Lyra finally sets off to Hogwarts," he said, putting an arm around Hermione. "I'm beginning to run out of things to occupy her time with at the hospital. I think she's memorized everything on Gilderoy Lockhart's chart. Little girl's too smart for her own good."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Ron teased, poking Hermione's shoulder.

James ran back to his family and shouted that he just saw Teddy and Victoire snogging on the train.

"That's my godson!" Ron said, happily, clapping a hand to James' shoulder. James ran off again after proclaiming that he and Albus would share a room if Teddy ever moved in.

"Draco," Harry said, leading his son to their little group. "Do you mind? A word?"

"Sure," Draco replied, nodding to his wife and the rest of them. "What's up?"

"James has been teasing Albus. More than usual. About what House he'll be in. He's worried about ending up in Slytherin."

"Ah, and Albus fears he'll be breaking the Gryffindor tradition?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "He thinks we'll be disappointed. He's afraid of Slytherin. Do you mind a word with him?"

"Not at all."

"Albus!" Harry called. Albus looked up with worried eyes and leaned closer to his mother. "Come here!" Ginny prodded him forward. Harry led Albus to Draco and gave them both a smile.

Draco surveyed the boy with his gray eyes. Albus trembled slightly under the intimidating the stare. Draco smiled quickly. He quite enjoyed the commanding and intimidating presence he had over the children. One look from him had all of them trembling at his feet.

"Your father tells me that your brother has been teasing you," he said kindly. He knelt before Albus and stared into his green eyes. Draco had long noticed that Albus looked as much like his father as Scorpius did to him.

Albus nodded. "He says I'm to be in Slytherin."

"And what's wrong with that? I was in Slytherin."

Albus muttered something about evil witches and wizards.

"You think I'm evil?" Draco asked. He placed a hand on his chest as if he was hurt by the words.

Albus looked down in fear. "Sometimes."

Draco laughed and gave Albus a hug. "Your father told you who you were named for, didn't he?"

"Two headmasters for Hogwarts. And one was a Slytherin. Father said he was the bravest man he ever knew."

Draco nodded. "Severus Snape was the bravest man I've ever known, too." He lowered his voice. "And I was in Slytherin," he repeated. "Remember me? Your godfather?"

Albus nodded. "So I am meant to be in Slytherin?" He looked scared.

"No, that's not what I meant. If you are Sorted into Slytherin or Gryffindor or Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, then you are placed among others who are like you. But the fact that you were Sorted there does not dictate your life. Just because you're in Gryffindor doesn't mean that you have to be off, seeking an adventure at every chance you get. If you're in Slytherin, you don't have to fall into the stereotypes of that House. It places you on a path for your life, but it does not determine how your life turns out. Your choices, Albus. It is your choices that determine your life."

"Father said that he asked the hat to not place him in Slytherin."

"Did he now?" Draco looked amused at this revelation. "I didn't know that."

Albus nodded. "If I'm in Slytherin, will they still love me?" he whispered.

Draco nodded. "I was a Slytherin. And they still love me."

The train whistled, signaling a minute before it left.

"Come now, Albus. You must say goodbye to your parents before you leave."

Draco straightened up and gave his godson a hug before heading back to the group. He ruffled Albus' messy hair as Ginny moved forward to give him a kiss.

"Scorpius," Draco said. He leaned down and kissed his son on his forehead. "Don't forget about us."

"Oh, Father, I wouldn't," Scorpius protested. He hugged his father before throwing his arms around Hermione. "I'm going to miss you."

"Even me?" asked Lyra, cheekily. She pushed her way to hug Scorpius.

"Especially you, Lyra." Scorpius gave her a long hug. "What am I going to do without my little sister?"

Lyra burst into tears. "But I'm going to miss you, Scorpius! Can't I go, Mother?"

"Not yet, Lyra," Hermione gently scolded. She prodded Scorpius to the train. "Go now, Scorpius. The train will leave."

Draco helped Scorpius onto the train and gave him a quick hug. "Hey, Scorpius. Make sure Albus is all right, okay? Don't let James take the mickey out of him too much."

Scorpius nodded seriously. "We'll take the mickey out of James, Dad."

Draco laughed. "Don't have too much fun, now. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad." Scorpius disappeared into a compartment and reappeared moments later, hanging out of the window. "Bye Mum! Bye Dad! Bye Lyra!"

Draco stood with his arm around Hermione's shoulders. He was carrying Lyra on his waist. Lyra laid her head on her father's shoulder, tears streaking down her face. The three of them waved until the train disappeared from sight.

"Hello?"

Draco walked into the entrance hall of his silent house and hung up his lime-green robes on a nearby coat hanger.

"Hermione? Lyra?"

"Daddy!"

Lyra ran into the entrance hall from the kitchen and jumped into her father's arms. "Mummy and I went to Diagon Alley today and had lunch with Aunt Ginny and Lily. They gave me an early birthday gift!"

"Did you have fun, sweetie?"

"Of course!"

"What did they get you for your birthday?"

"A telescope! Now I can look at all of the stars in the sky. Mummy was putting it together! Can I use it tonight?"

Draco looked at his watch. "It's almost time for bed, sweetie. Maybe another time. Like on your actual birthday. You've got a few more days."

Lyra groaned.

"Draco, Scorpius sent us a letter," Hermione said meeting her husband in the entrance hall. She leaned in and kissed Draco deeply.

Lyra grinned and put her arms around her father's neck. "Scorpius thinks it's yucky when you kiss, but I like it."

"Oh you do, do you?" said Draco. He started tickling Lyra.

She laughed. "Oh yes! Stop it, Daddy!" She looked solemnly into her father's eyes. "Will someone ever kiss me like that?"

His gray eyes met her brown and flashed angrily.

"I hope not."

Hermione lightly hit Draco's arm. "Of course someone will, Lyra."

"Maybe when you're thirty," Draco said. He placed her down.

"Forty," retorted Lyra. She put her hands on her waist.

Draco's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Fifty," he said, baiting his daughter.

"Sixty."

"Seventy."

"Seventy-five."

"Eighty."

"All right, Lyra. You win. Eighty it is."

Lyra cheered for herself and Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. "Shall I read Scorpius' letter then?"

Draco nodded and the three of them headed for the drawing room. Draco took a seat in his favorite armchair by the fireplace and Lyra climbed into his lap. Hermione sat across from them and pulled out the envelope.

"Father, Mother, and Lyra,

I finally made it! I'm here at Hogwarts! You'll love it here, Lyra. The library is bigger here than it is at home!"

"The library is the first thing he writes about?" said Draco. "He is so your son, Hermione."

Hermione shot him a look and continued to read.

"Guess what House I'm in? Slytherin! The Sorting Hat said I'd do well in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, too, but it decided on Slytherin for me. And guess what else? Albus made it to Slytherin, too! For the first night, we pushed our beds together and pretended we were having a sleepover. It was so much fun! James kept making fun of Albus, but I think Uncle Neville—I mean, Professor Longbottom—had a talk with James, so James hasn't said anything about Albus being in Slytherin since. Now he just makes fun of Albus because of everything else. Aren't you glad I'm such a nice older brother, Lyra?"

Lyra nodded and Hermione laughed. "He actually wrote that? What a Slytherin!" Draco shot her look and gestured for her to continue to read.

"And Lorcan made it to Ravenclaw while Lysander got in Gryffindor. Nobody in Hufflepuff from us—maybe Lily will be the first? Anyway, I already read all of the books, but I think I should get a head start on some homework. I'll be sure to write next week!

Please write back! I love you!"

"He's already read all of the books?" Draco laughed. "I suppose you did, too, didn't you, Hermione? Before getting on the train, all the books read."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "And what's wrong with that?" She laughed. "Come now, Lyra, you must get off to bed. You have school tomorrow."

"I don't want to go!"

"Lyra." Draco's firm voice echoed through the room and Lyra stopped whining at once. "Off to bed, now." He stood up and nodded her to go up the stairs.

"I'm going to take a very long time brushing my teeth!" Lyra warned, holding on to the banister as she stamped up the stairs.

"Good," Draco called after her. "Your grandparents will be happy." He flashed a smile at his wife and pulled her into his lap, sitting back in his armchair. "Sorry I'm home late," he said softly.

"It's all right," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Did you eat already? Flora left something on the table for you if you are."

Draco nodded his head. "Yes. Gilderoy Lockhart and I shared an entertaining dinner."

"Oh really? What about?"

"He told me the most magnificent story about the time he taught at Hogwarts and singlehandedly destroyed a basilisk and defeated the heir of Slytherin. Oh, and that he was Harry Potter's personal Defense Against the Dark Arts mentor."

Hermione laughed. "Does that mean that his memory is finally coming back? After all these years?"

"I think so," Draco replied. "It was a powerful Memory Charm and he's at least getting flashes of his life before St. Mungo's. Now we're going to try and figure out if he thinks it was actually him."

"Maybe he believes it's actually him. How are Neville's parents?"

Draco winced. "No change. But I'm going to keep trying. They have some recognition when they see Lyra sometimes." Draco closed his eyes and inhaled his wife's vanilla smell. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Draco."

She leaned down and kissed him. Her necklace slipped out of her shirt and hit his pointed chin. Draco pulled back and smiled at the red and gold necklace. He rubbed it and grinned at her.

"Who would've thought we've come so far?" he said. "Married and two kids later…"

Hermione nodded. She put her hand on the back of his head and gave him a long kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back.

"Hermione…" he whispered.

"I love you," she whispered back.

He kissed her neck, inhaling. His hands were in her hair and he returned to her lips, giving her a deep kiss.

Someone cleared a throat. Hermione and Draco opened their eyes and saw Lyra standing at the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Um, I'm ready for bed."

Hermione and Draco nodded and stood from the armchair. Hermione placed Scorpius' letter on Draco's desk and followed her husband and child up the stairs. They went into Lyra's room and Lyra jumped into her bed.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"How about ninety?"

"Ninety?"

She looked at him like he was supposed to know what she was talking about. "When someone kisses me!" she exasperatedly, throwing up her hands.

Draco exchanged an amused glance with his wife. "Oh right. Ninety it is, Lyra." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Would you like us to read you a story?"

"No, I'm not a baby!"

"All right, all right."

Hermione leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you. Sweet dreams, Lyra." She pulled up the covers to Lyra's neck. "We'll play with your telescope this weekend, all right? Then we could see all of the wonderful stars. You could see your father in the stars." She winked at her husband.

Draco nodded and laughed. "Sleep well, Lyra. Think about what you want for your birthday."

"I already know what I want."

"What?"

Lyra sat up and counted down her fingers. "To be a Healer, to be a Muggle superhero, to go to Hogwarts, to fly around the world on a broomstick, to be ruler of my own planet—I'm thinking Jupiter—to go back in time, to ride on a dragon, to meet Nymphadora Lupin—since I'm named after her, you know—to Apparate wherever I want to, to live in a tree, to survive off of Chocolate Frogs forever, and to have a baby brother or sister."

"I'm sorry I asked."

Draco bit back a laugh while Hermione looked to digest everything. "How about a nice book?" Hermione asked.

"No, I don't want a book, I could get that whenever I want. We do have a library here, you know."

Hermione stood and laughed. She pulled the blankets up to Lyra's neck again. "Good night, sweetie. Sleep well."

"Good night, Lyra," Draco said, pressing his lips to Lyra's hair. "We'll get to working on that baby brother or sister." He grinned cheekily at Hermione.

"How?" Lyra asked.

"Never you mind." Hermione kissed Lyra's forehead. "Sleep well, Lyra."

Draco took his wife's hand and carefully closed Lyra's door. He kissed her deeply. "So…about that brother or sister…"

Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, enveloping him in a long kiss.


Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it!