Epilogue

Draco Malfoy would never get used to have godchildren and it was always an adventure when he visited them. He wasn't even sure why he had been chosen for the task but it must have somehow started when he was called to Hermione's sickbed one week after this fateful day, where he had lost both of his parents. Life in his family was different from everything he saw and experienced since that day, as his parents were never overly affectionate and never coddled him. But he had still felt loved an appreciated by them, even though hugs and kisses were usually substituted with expensive presents or fancy outings. It had never mattered to Draco, as he hadn't known any different and losing his parents had been a blow, he had problems to come to terms with. Hermione, he was supposed to call her by her given name now, had told him everything that happened during the battle with the bloody snake and under tears she had begged his forgiveness. It was still a miracle to him. The woman had suffered under him for years, was tortured by his aunt in his own house, had fought the dark lord that had drawn almost all happiness from Draco's life and almost lost her own life in return. It should have been the other way around. He should have thanked her, should have apologized to her but he never had. And Hermione had never asked for it. Instead her small bald and now freckled figure sat on the bed, flanked by her protective husbands and had apologized. And then she had invited him into their family. He had learned that the witch was pregnant, thanks to that hideous law which was released just months ago through the ministry. Until that day he had never understood what this law meant for wizards and witches like herself but when he was confronted with the fact, that a girl their age was married and impregnated against her will, he felt suddenly sick. But when Hermione told him about the pregnancy she never complained. Instead she asked him to be godfather to both of her children. And Draco had accepted.

Three years later he was sure, that it must have been the shock that made him even consider such an offer. They were Weasleys after all and their families had generations of hate and prejudices to overcome. But his parents were dead and there was no one but himself left from the Malfoy clan and Draco decided that he would take the chance and try to make a change. And what a change it was. First he joined Potter and his band on the hunt for the last death eaters in the country. In the cause of a year all of the remaining servants of the dark lord were caught by them and all of them were sent to a reformed Askaban without dementors, all except him. Fate had been smiling down on him, when he and his mother had found out about the invasion of Hogwarts by a group of Weasleys three years ago. This day he had gotten the chance to reinvent himself and to change his life for the better. And he thanked his lucky stars that he had.

"Oi, poster boy. Tell me the newest gossip, would you?" he was greeted by the impertinent Gargoyle that the Weasleys had chosen as a guard to their grounds. Draco could have sworn that the thing had once guarded the passage to the headmaster's office, but it must have been a different one because in contrast to this annoying doppelgänger the other one had been blissfully silent.

"Longbottom and Lovegood have agreed to the positions in Hogwarts that were offered to them. After their upcoming nuptials they will teach those dunderheads in school all about herbology and care of magical creatures. I'm still not sure why McGonagall had offered the position to her, but on the other hand she can barely do worse than the oaf Hagrid. At least the students will be safe during her lessons."

The gargoyle snorted and stepped aside. "It is always entertaining to hear your news. You should visit more often, poster boy. The boys are so much more behaved, when you are around."

Draco shook his head unbelievingly. Those boys were behaving around him? Who was this creature even kidding? With these two redheads chaos was almost a given and he often wondered, how their parents managed to stay sane and good humoured throughout the years and how their house remained as clean and organized, when it was the home of the four biggest pranksters in British history. The gryffin's nest, as they called their home, was a place that was still looking for its equal. The colours of the place were hideous, a mix of orange, green and purple that all bled together into something that burned itself deep into ones skull and would still be seen, after one had closed his eyes. And even though the huge house was built fairly normal, the enhancements on the house and grounds were nothing that would be found elsewhere. The annoying gargoyle was just the first obstacle one had to overcome, when one wanted to visit the Weasleys. Somehow this family had found it a good idea to have stairs to their front door that could read the intentions of the visitor. If those were not good enough, they would simply transform themselves into a slide and there was no chance they would let you through. And if that wasn't annoying enough, the final price to gain entrance to the house was to select and eat one candy from a glass positioned next to the entrance. Like Berty botts beans those came in various flavours but in addition there was always also a random transformation that was taking place. Today Draco had gotten something like cherry flavoured chocolate and he already thought he had been lucky, until he caught a look of himself in the mirror next to the entrance. He was sure this mirror was places with the sole purpose to annoy the newly transformed guest. Today his hair was spiky and of a hideous orange, that would make him truly blend in with the rest of the clan.

"Uncle Draco," squealed the voices of Felix and Gilbert Weasley as soon as he had taken his first step away from the mirror. Just a moment later two curly haired redheads bounced down the stairs and collided with his legs, where they firmly attached themselves. It was still a miracle how those two could sense when he was around, as they always rushed to his side immediately and wouldn't leave until he left the house in the evening. But somehow he didn't mind so much as these two terrors had somehow wormed their way into his heart. It almost made the thought of having kids on his own … bearable. "Did you come to play quiddich with us?" little Felix started talking before his brother continued "Mum will just let us fly on these boring toy brooms," and Felix finished "but uncle Harry said you were one of the bestest Quiddich players from his school and if you could just show us…" Listening to those two was like watching a tennis match, as they constantly finished each other's sentences. Was that also something their fathers had done? He couldn't remember. And did Potter really praise his Quiddich skills? Or were these two just trying to get their way again? It was impossible to tell with them. He grinned.

"Maybe we can play a game later. Your dads are surly up for a little match and maybe one of your thousand uncles can come and bring some of his spawns. Then we can always make a full team." The two of them squealed and started to bounce on his legs excitedly. It was almost enough to make him stumble. "Oh thank you, thank you uncle Draco. You are the coolest!" little Gideon gushed, before his brother said: "Did we tell you that we pranked uncle Ron? He and his girlfriend were doing this disgusting, slurping thing with their mouths again and…" He listened to their stories with growing interest and as the story ended he could not help the grin spreading on his face. "And you pinned it on your dads? Clever boys. We'll make true Slytherins out of the two of you." They grinned at him proudly before grinning to each other: "Can you imagine, Fe? That would be the biggest prank ever!"

Draco snickered. "Where's you mum by the way? Usually she would have come running by now."

Gilbert sighed. "She's over at uncle Sev'rus's house. Said something about a very important reseach project on magliantic runes or something like that." Draco nodded. It was a clever move of Hermione, to move all of her books and research over to her little hideout. It was the only place that was truly safe from those twins. She had told Draco once, that Snape had left her the place as a hideout in the war and now he had to grin at the thought. Severus Snape surely didn't have in mind that the witch would use the place as a hideout from her own over exciting family. But Hermione would sometimes burry herself there for hours and do that, what she enjoyed the most. Maybe that was her secret how she survived in a house full of hobby pranksters and still managed to have something like a career as an independent researcher. Sometimes she worked alone, but more often she consulted with the portrait of his godfather, whom Draco had never before seen in such a good humour, or her husbands. But those two were in a category of mad geniuses on their own.

"Our dads are over in the shed." Little Felix explained with a mischievous grin. "Last time we looked, dad had transformed himself into a skunk and father was trying to change him back. Didn't look like it was working, though." Gilbert snorted. "Maybe we shouldn't have swapped the contents of those potion bottles, Fe."

Draco laughed. "Nah, don't worry. They will be fine. I'll tell you what. Let me quickly send a patronus to some friends, eh? Maybe we can get this game of quiddich running faster than we thought."

The two of them squealed before hugging him fiercely. And Draco Malfoy grinned. It was always paying off to be their favourite uncle. Because the only persons safe from their pranks were Hermione and him. They had tried to prank him once, but after having caught them, he had offered them a deal. He would make helpful suggestions for their little schemes and willingly supply them with everything their little black hearts desired. And in return they would willingly prank the living daylights out of Potter and his little band of childhood friends and proudly take credit for all of their little inventions. Draco himself was of course never being discovered, he was a true snake after all. And wasn't that the biggest prank in a house that was being called gryffin's nest? Draco laughed. Maybe he was the biggest prankster of them all.