There are literally 10 versions of this chapter on my laptop - this was the shortest (and a shorter chapter for me in general) but I really think that its the best one. I've got two chapters left...

"Coffee?"

Draco took the warmed styrofoam cup from Richard, and thanked him with a nod. Richard took a seat next to him, a coffee of his own in hand as they sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Thanks to Harry and Draco's status at the Ministry, it had been designated as an area that was off limits unless you were a Malfoy or a Potter, after Teddy informed his dad that there were several nosy wizard photographers and writers from The Daily Prophet camped out at the entrances.

Taking a sip, he leaned back in the waiting room chair and stared about the room. His two boys were sitting at one of the coffee tables on their knees, sorting through dozens upon dozens of chocolate frog cards. Hermione instructed them to bring something that would 'occupy' them for a bit, as babies often took their time, and so the boys decided to go through their cards to see which of them had duplicates or triplicates, and which cards they still needed to find. Leo, of course, was in charge of the documenting while Scorpius was handling the sorting.

Claire was sitting one the waiting room sofa, her legs tucked up underneath her as she buried her nose in her muggle anatomy book, writing notes in the margins with an ink pen. She was completely oblivious to the fleeting glances that Albus gave her every now and then, as he sat on the adjacent sofa with Teddy and Harry, talking about a number of things, but Draco caught every single one of them. Katie was sitting at another table with Lily and Jean, the two of them coloring pictures at Katie's request. Katie was never much for activities that fell into her age category, but since she started preschool, coloring had emerged as one of the very few, age-centric hobbies she had, and therefore encouraged whole-heartedly by everyone.

Anya, like he silently predicted, caved about an hour ago and asked for both Ginny and Hermione to come back into the room with her and James. He was hoping that they would be hearing news soon, as they'd been in the waiting room for several hours, having just eaten dinner a little bit ago.

"You look like you're thinking a lot," Richard mused with a smile. "Care to share?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of waiting, I guess. I feel like I'm getting antsy."

"Are you ready to be a grandparent?" Richard teased.

Draco chuckled. "I'm assuming it's easier than being an actual parent, and if that's the case, then yes."

"It's infinitely easier than being a parent," his father-in-law confirmed. "Basically, you just do what you want with them, and then at the end of the day, you get to return them." Richard took a drink of his coffee and set it down on the small table in between them. "But I'm getting the feeling that the waiting isn't the only thing on your mind."

"You and your daughter have some sort of sick sixth sense, you know?" Draco said with a snort, placing his coffee cup next to Richard's.

"So talk to me then," Richard urged. "We clearly have time on our hands."

"I don't even know if I know where to start," Draco said. Which was the truth of it. He scratched the back of his neck ruthlessly and sighed. Eleven years ago today he was in this same room, on a different floor, waiting to receive word on what he already knew in his gut the moment he apparated into the hospital lobby. "I guess…if someone had told me eleven years ago that this is where I'd end up - if this is how my life would be, I wouldn't have believed them. But this is my life, and sometimes, I look at the kids…I look at my oldest about to become a parent herself…I look at Hermione…and I just find myself feeling so happy, and then the moment I realize I'm happy, I immediately wonder if I deserve it." He let out a self deprecating laugh and shrugged. "This is usually why Hermione doesn't leave me to my own thoughts for long periods of time."

Richard smiled at Draco and gave his son-in-law a simple shake of the head. "I've always found you to be somewhat of a peculiar chap, Draco. But what I find most peculiar about you is that you have this sense that you're supposed to spend your life repenting for choices - most of which were outside your control. It's perfectly alright to accept the fact that you've paid your dues, so to speak, and are allowed to live a happy, careless, and guilt free life." He motioned to everyone sitting the room - Molly and Arthur Weasley arriving moments ago and was sitting over near Harry, visiting with him and their grandsons while they awaited the arrival of their first great-grand child. "Your family bloodline - a bloodline known for it's malice and hatred and bigotry - changed when you decided to raise your children to think the opposite. That choice allowed your daughter to date and marry someone from a family that went against everything you were raised to believe - the two families Anya and James come from vehemently fought against each other - and now the two of them are about to welcome a baby into the world that will carry both of those histories with them wherever they go. When you think about it, it's quite remarkable."

Draco nodded. "I suppose your right."

"And for you to fall in love with someone you were raised to hate…speaks volumes about your actual character as a person, and not the character that was unfortunately thrust upon you," Richard added. "You've had a hard life, Draco. You've experienced a series of unfortunate events. But at the same time, those events are few when you compare it to everything else you have."

Just then, Katie skipped over to them holding a picture in hand. "Daddy look!" she said, thrusting the piece of paper into his hands. "I drawed a picture of me - and I'm on the moon!"

Draco's eyes went wide with curiosity as he examined the piece of paper. "The moon, eh?" he asked. "I'm not sure you can ride a broom to the moon, Katie."

Katie rolled her eyes in a very Hermione-like way. "You have to go in a space ship, Daddy. It's the rules. I learned about them at school."

"Oh," Draco said with a serious nod. "I see. So you want to go to the moon then?"

"Maybe," Katie replied. "It's just something I'm complementing."

"Contemplating," Richard corrected with a grin. He patted a hand on his leg and Katie accepted the invitation, climbing into his lap and snuggling up to him. "You are so much like your mother, it's frightening," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You can be anything you want to be, Katherine Elizabeth."

Katie happily sighed as Richard hugged an arm around her tiny frame. "I know, Grandpa."

"You do?" Richard gasped. "How so?"

"Because you tell me all the time!" she exclaimed with a giggle.

Suddenly, the waiting room door burst open, and James, still gowned, pulled the paper hat off of his face with a grin as wide as the English Channel. "He's here!" he exclaimed proudly, his chest puffed as everyone cheered. "He's 3.08 kilograms, has a head full of dark black hair, and looks exactly like his mother - who is exhausted, but perfectly fine as well," James added for good measure.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief that Draco didn't realize he was holding, he felt Richard clap a congratulatory hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to the club, Grandpa," Richard said with a tease.

"Why are you standing out here?"

Draco looked over at James, who was next to him, the two of them peering through the window of Anya's room, watching as their families were gathered around the bed, everyone taking turns holding, cooing, and ahhing over the newest addition of the family. Anya looked exhausted and elated all at the same time, her body twisted at the waist as she tiredly hung her head while Claire French braided her hair so that it would stay out of her face.

"There's too many people in there," Draco offered as a reply, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Is she doing alright?"

"She was definitely better than I thought she'd be," James honestly replied. "I mean, of course she would have Jamie on today of all days, right? That's just her luck."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I'm not opposed to having a little bit of fun added into this day of all days, personally."

"I couldn't agree with you more," James replied. "Of course, she's gotten a lot better over the years about today. She's going to be an amazing mother…and I really believe Jamie is going to fill the hole in her heart. Maybe not completely, but just enough, I reckon."

He looked over at James, taking in the sight of him as his son-in-law peeled away the hospital garb he was forced to wear over his clothes. Even though James and Anya were married, Draco still had to remind himself sometimes that just like Anya wasn't a little girl anymore, James wasn't a little boy, either. James was man in ever sense of the word, and a good one at that. "I often tease that my daughter turned out as normal as she did because of Hermione," Draco said with a small smile, watching as Hermione sat next to Anya on the bed, holding Jamie in her arms so that Katie could have a good look. "But I feel like the bulk of the credit should really go to you."

James snorted, balling up the gown in his hand and looking around before he found a trash receptacle to toss it away. "I wouldn't go that far," he said upon his quick return. "I mean, she's still mental sometimes."

"Well that's never going to go away," Draco said with a laugh. "But she's not completely mental, and I truly mean it when I say that you are probably the best thing that could have ever happened to her."

Grinning, James looked over at Draco and shrugged. "It's awfully nice of you to think so," he earnestly replied. "But in complete fairness, she's easily the best thing that ever happened to me."

"She better be," Draco said in a mock-threatening voice. He peered through the window again, and watched as Claire was now holding the baby, and once he again, he caught Albus staring at her. He wasn't the only one though, as Teddy gave Albus a thorough smack upside the head. "Please tell me I don't need to have a talk with Al," he said to James.

Laughing, James shook his head no. "Teddy threatened him last night, along with my wife. Besides, I know he's smarter than that." James watched as Albus gave Teddy a glare. "I never really thought he and Grace were going to work, and it's probably best that everything happened the way it did. But Anya told him that if he even thought about putting one toe over that line until Claire was done at University, she would personally kill him, and have me hide his body."

"It's nice to know she's comfortable volunteering you for her dirty work."

"To be fair, Anya's barely 50 kilos, so it'd be a bit difficult to drag Al's body anywhere."

"She knows she's a witch, right?" Draco asked with a chuckle. "A simple levitation charm would do the trick. Or has she completely turned into a Muggle?"

"To be honest, I couldn't really tell you the last time I saw her use her wand," James replied. "And I only use mine at work. Does it bother you?"

Draco shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

James looked through the window and caught a puzzled look from his wife, but he gave a reassuring nod, knowing exactly what she was wondering. "Are you ready to meet your grandson?" he asked Draco with a grin. "He's a pretty handsome bloke."

"I'm sure he is," Draco replied. "Give me a minute - I'll be in there."

James nodded before opening the door and walking inside, making his way straight over to Anya. Draco couldn't help but watch the two of them. They always had a way of acting like they were in their own little world, even in a room full of people. He was envious of this, though he'd never admit it out loud. It was obvious by the look on his daughter's face how blissfully happy she was, watching as she palmed her hand against James' cheek before letting him kiss her. He could only hope the rest of his children found matches that made them as happy as James made Anya.

"Daddy?"

Claire was now standing next to him, looking concerned. "Daddy, come in and meet Jamie - James was right - he looks just like YaYa."

"I'm waiting for the commotion to die down a bit," Draco said.

Claire rolled her eyes. "You have six kids, Dad - commotion is your life."

"I know, but I'm just…enjoying the moment, from a far."

She slipped an arm around his waist and dropped her head to his shoulder. "She looks so much like Mum," Claire said after a few silent moments. "I…I remember coming to the hospital after Scorp was born…and I remember her looking just like that. She was so happy when Scorp was born. Just like YaYa is."

Draco nodded. "She was very happy indeed."

"Do you think she was just as happy when Anya and I were born?"

He turned his head slightly so he could kiss her forehead. "She was when she was away from the watchful eyes of our parents," Draco told her. "But I was happy enough for the both of us all the time. You both were just these perfect, dainty little bundles, wide eyed, with the sweetest faces."

Claire grinned. "I always knew it was love at first sight for us."

"It was indeed," Draco replied. "You two were the first two women in my life that I instantly fell for, after all."

"You couldn't have picked two finer people, either."

"Modesty was never your strong suit, Claire."

She looked up at him, her hand finding his, and tugged him towards the door. "It's no longer a sad day, Daddy. It's a bittersweet day. So come and enjoy the sweet part - you're insides will just melt when you hold him. He's perfect - which he obviously gets from his Auntie Claire."

Knowing she would tug until he budged, Draco allowed Claire to pull him into the room. Upon entering, he could hear the fussy cries that were now turning into wails from the small bundle in Ginny's arms. Frowning, he walked over and took a look at his red-faced grandson and Ginny willingly handed him over to Draco. Propping him up against his chest, Draco glanced around the room and quickly found an empty chair. Taking a seat, he gently rubbed Jamie's back and softly shushed him, sufficiently quelling Jamie's cries into intermittent whimpers before finally settling down into a light slumber. "It's alight Jamie," Draco whispered in his ear. "Grandpa doesn't like big, loud crowds either."

"How is it that you don't look any older than the day we got together?" Draco asked Hermione with complete exasperation.

The two of them stood in front of the double sink vanity of their master bathroom, each at their respective sinks. Hermione grabbed her hair by the nape of her neck as she rinsed a mouthful of toothpaste out of her mouth. Shutting off the faucet, she looked over at Draco and shrugged. "I look a fair bit older than I did eleven years ago."

Draco shook his head. "No. Look at this - right here," he said, pointing to some wrinkles on his forehead. "You don't have these."

"Probably because I don't constantly furrow my brow at life," she teased. Shuffling her feet three steps forward, she crinkled her toes on the tops of his feet and linked her hands around his waist. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm ok," Draco said with a smile and a sigh. "Anya's alright, the baby is just brilliant…and exactly what we needed on this day."

She reached a hand up, running her fingers through his platinum blond hair that was already beginning to recede at his forehead. "I completely agree," she said. Hermione pulled herself up completely against his pajama-clad body, burying her face into his t-shirt as she inhaled the familiar and comforting scent that was Draco. He was her favorite smell in the entire world. Before the two decided to even become what they were now, on her most stressed out days, when Draco would cave and give her a hug, his scent always managed to overwhelm her senses and instantly triggered her muscles to relax. "I love you," she said, her words muffled by his shirt.

"I love you too, Granger," Draco replied, wrapping his arms up around her neck, resting his chin on top of her head. "I know I don't tell you enough, but I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione turned her head so that her cheek was against his chest and sighed. "I shudder to think what you'd be like, if left to your own devices," she teased.

"It wouldn't be anything good, that's for sure," Draco agreed. "Are the kids picking out a movie?"

"They should be," Hermione said, her arms dropping from his waist. Standing up on her tiptoes, she stole a kiss from him, and went to pull away before he pulled her back in. Pleasantly surprised, she wrapped her arms up around his neck and went along with it, her eyes closed as she let him deepen the kiss. Reluctantly, she pulled away, catching her breath as Draco was doing the same. "As much as I'd like to continue this -"

"Mummy! Daddy!" Katie's shout echoed throughout the house.

"That would be the reason why we can't," Hermione finished with a laugh. "But later tonight, you've got yourself a deal."

Draco smirked. "That's a deal I'm willing to take."

The two of them walked out of the bathroom hand in hand and into the bedroom, where they found Katie, her eyes red, looking incredibly pitiful in her long sleeved night dress. Hermione knelt down at the sight of her daughter, and Katie immediately ran into her arms, sniffling as Hermione stood back up. "Darling, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Katie lifted her head up from Hermione's shoulders and sniffled, rubbing her eyes as she looked at her mother. "I'm not…I'm not the baby anymore," she said, completely put out at the statement. "And…and I don't think I like it!"

Hermione could hardly stop the pitiful laugh that spilled from her lips as Katie buried her face into her neck. "Oh sweetheart," she said in a soothing voice, her hand caressing Katie's back. "You're still our baby," she reassured her, kissing her temple. "Isn't that right, Daddy?"

Draco waited for Katie to look up from the crook of her mother's neck before nodding in agreement. He motioned for her to come to him, and Hermione handed her over when Katie began to lean. "You are always going to be the baby of this house. And because of this, you have to promise to stay as small as you can, because Daddy is going to be so sad when you eventually grow up."

Katie wiped away a few more tears and placed her small hands on Draco's cheeks. "I'm always going to be the baby?"

"You're Mummy and Daddy's last baby," Draco promised. "But that doesn't mean we can't make room for Jamie, right? Because I think you two are going to be really good friends. After all - someone is going to have to show him how to do things, and you know how to do a lot of things."

Nodding, Katie sniffled a little bit. "I do know lots…because Mummy teached me."

"Mummy has definitely taught you lots," Draco replied. "Now, will you please dry your tears?"

Katie nodded again, and gave Draco a big hug. Hermione could only shake her head as she walked out of the room, gathering her hair up and fastening it up into a messy bun as she ran into the boys in the hallway, Leo carrying a DVD in his hand. "What did you choose?" she asked, ruffling his thick blond hair.

"The Wizard of Oz," Leo announced.

"Excellent choice," Hermione replied. "Why don't you go plug it in and see if the elves won't pop us some popcorn - but make your dad's separate. He doesn't need all of that butter."

Scorpius gave Hermione a salute and caught the scowl on Draco's face. "Sucks to be you, Dad," Scorpius said with a laugh.

"You'll walk away if you know what's good for you," Draco said, trying to be serious but failing miserably as both Scorpius and Leo laughed while scampering away.

Down the hall, they found Claire walking out of her room, coming to join the party. "What's wrong with you?" Claire asked Katie.

"We're having a bit of a j-e-a-l-o-u-s-y issue with the recent events," Hermione said quietly.

Claire laughed, noticing that Katie practically looked like she was stuck to her father like those Muggle Velcro patches Hermione always liked to use when she was organizing. "Clearly…" she drawled, walking towards the back stairs. "Is someone making popcorn?"

"The boys are going to get Harby and Vexo to do it," Hermione replied.

"Hope they're making a different bowl for Dad - because I want mine drowned in butter."

"Don't worry - your mother already instructed them to ruin my bowl," Draco mock-groused.

"Sucks to be you," Claire said with a smirk.

"Is that where your brother learned that phrase? Because if that's the case, you can drop it from your vocabulary."

Claire rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that Scorpius actually taught it to me."

Eventually, the six of them managed to settle down in the living room, all of them piling onto the couch in front of the telly. Katie kept herself perched on Draco's lap, and Leo sat on the other side of Draco, the three of them sharing a bland bowl of popcorn - which was how the two smaller Malfoy children preferred their popcorn, while Hermione sat next to Draco on the other side, with Scorpius sitting in between his sister and his mother, holding the holy grail of buttery goodness, as he liked to call it.

"I even remembered to bring lots of napkins so I don't get yelled at for wiping my hands on my pants!" Scorpius announced to Hermione.

She clapped a hand over her heart and smiled. "I knew you'd learn someday."

"Funny, Mum," Scorpius replied with a mouthful.

As the credits began to play, Draco rolled his eyes and leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear. "Is this that silly Muggle movie that makes a mockery of magic by clicking those gaudy shoes?"

Hermione looked at Draco and arched an eyebrow. "Your children love this movie," she whispered back. "Don't ruin it for them, and I'll reward you later."

"You owe me big," Draco whispered back. "You know I hate this fucking movie."

"Almost as much as I hate that you, in eleven years, have yet to figure out how to put your dirty laundry in the hamper," she teased. She leaned in and pecked his lips with hers. "You're so lucky I love you," she teased, leaning into his side as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Believe me, I know," Draco replied as Katie leaned back against his chest, holding the popcorn on her lap.

He wasn't sure at what moment during the movie that he managed to doze off. Probably once that crazy green witch threw that incredibly fake looking fireball. That's where he usually fell asleep when forced to watch the movie. But somehow, he woke up and realized it was the middle of the night, and Hermione was curled up next to him, sound asleep as well, the two of them somehow managing to migrate their way to a more horizontal like position, his head resting on a pillow propped up against the arm of the couch. He summoned his wand from the coffee table and quietly muttered lumos. The clock on the wall said three in the morning, and there was a note folded on the coffee table. Summoning it, he unfolded the paper and squinted his eyes to read the words:

Like the good daughter I am, I put the kids to bed - you two passed out before anyone found Oz. By the way - Anya told me the story once, about the moment when you two figured it out. Looks like you're right back where you started. Love you both - Claire.

Draco smirked as he folded the paper back up and tossed it back onto the table, and then quietly dropped his wand down to the floor. Hermione shifted slightly, and he reached for the blanket covering the both of them up to her shoulders. "Draco?" she mumbled.

"Shh," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Go to sleep."

"Mmkay," she said with a content sigh. "What about…kids…"

"In bed," he mumbled, goose bumps spreading over his body at the feeling of her lips moving against the sensitive skin of his neck. "We fell asleep downstairs."

Hermione hummed in response. Cracking her eyes open slightly, she could feel herself practically on top of Draco, at least most of her, while the rest of her was pinned into the plush back of the couch they were sleeping on. Her feet were hot, so she kicked the blanket on top of them up just enough to give her feet some air. She could feel Draco silently chuckle. "What?" she murmured.

"You…and your hot feet," he mumbled back with a chuckle.

"Shut it," she muttered, and felt the arm he had wrap around her tighten slightly before relaxing. His hand found the hem of her shirt and snaked its way underneath, the tips of his fingers grazing a circular pattern in the middle of her back. She kissed his neck in response, and her hand slipped below the waistband of his flannel pajama pants, her nails scratching the base of his quickly responding erection. "Are you still tired?" she whispered, her breath hot against his ear.

"It can be quickly remedied," he replied, turning his face so his lips could fuse against hers, kissing her deeply as his hands pulled his pants down as far as they needed to go. Hermione did the same with her pants and knickers, kicking them off of her feet as the blanket continued to keep them appropriately covered. Their shirts still on, Hermione moved to straddle his waist, his erection having no trouble finding her center as she immediately found him sliding into her. "Don't make a sound," Draco whispered to her as he thrust his hips upward. "Not a sound."

Nodding, Hermione began to rotate her hips to the rhythm of his thrusts, a hand clenching a fistful of his shirt as she bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to moan in pleasure, but she couldn't, as they were already taking a huge risk doing this in a room that lacked any sort of privacy. She leaned over, kissing him hard in hopes to stifle the cries building in her throat as Draco grabbed her hips, stopping her movements all together as he pumped himself in and out of her at a fast and furious rate. She could feel that spot in the pit of her stomach begin to clench, begging for a release, but she wasn't ready for it to end just yet. Pulling her lips away from his, she pressed her forehead to his. "I'm almost there," she whispered. "Oh God…I'm almost there."

"Shhh," Draco replied, his hips jerking faster. His eyes rolling to the back of his head, he knew Hermione hit her edge the moment her walls turned into a vice grip around his throbbing cock, which was moments away from its release. Choking out a silent scream, his hands pushed into her hips, holding her down as his hips were stuck in an upward thrust, as far inside of her as he could go as he rode out his orgasm. Panting, his arms wrapped around Hermione as she collapsed into his chest, their bodies still connected. His hands slid up the inside of her shirt and kneaded the muscles in her back. "When was the last time we had sex in the middle of the night?" he quietly asked.

"I don't remember, but I don't know why we stopped," Hermione replied with a giggle. She propped herself a little bit and stared into his eyes. "I have no problem waking up in the middle of the night for that."

"Me neither," Draco said quietly. He pulled an arm out from under her shirt and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

She kissed him soundly on the lips. "You'd be hopelessly lost," Hermione replied with a grin. "Which is why I've stuck around."

"Is that right?"

"The sex is pretty fantastic, too," she cheekily replied, pulling herself off of him as she went in search of her bottoms. Finding her pants and knickers, she quickly slipped them on and laughed at the sight of Draco's pajama pants and pooled at his ankles. "Come on, lover boy," she said, holding hands out to him. "If we sleep on this couch all night we'll never be able to move in the morning."

Groaning, he allowed Hermione to help pull him upright. Pulling up his pants, he watched Hermione fold up the blanket that was covering them and made sure the couch was clean. "Remember that night?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "That night where you and I fell asleep together for the first time in this house?"

She nodded. "It was eleven years ago and a day. It's a hard day to forget."

"Obviously, but that's not why I remember it," Draco said. "At least that part of it." He hugged her tight and kissed her shoulder. "It was a rotten night in the end, and into the next day, but those couple of hours where it was just the two of us…it was the first time I'd felt absolutely content, and that's when I knew that I loved you, and I couldn't pretend to call it something else anymore."

Hermione turned around in his arms and flashed a tired, but brilliant smile. "I felt the same way."