Second to last chapter, here it is!
The epilogue is still to come guys :)
ANNOUNCEMENT: A few of you have been reviewing all the way through (you rock) and next chapter for the last shebang, I'm going to reward my top five fans/reviewers with a one shot OF THEIR CHOICE (You chose ship, time place etc.)
Review if you wanna be in with a chance, TO GET YOUR OWN ONE SHOT! :))
Well, I got like 0 reviews, last time which I have to say made me a little sad :( Thanks to my awesome regulars who did comment though, you're my favourites :)
Description - rounding a few things off!
Disclaimer - Don't own HP
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Chapter 17
After three days in hospital, the Malfoy Granger clan left the hospital to return to their home in London.
Hermione couldn't help but grin as she entered the familiar enchanting grounds.
Hogwarts had been her home for seven years, but she was happy to be moving on.
She gently bobbed Elijah up and down as he waved his tiny hands in the air.
She laid his car seat down carefully in the entryway, and checked behind her to see Draco almost stumble under the weight of several bags he'd refused to let her carry, and two more car seats.
Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of herself, before rushing forward and taking Meredith from him carefully, ignoring his protests.
"Draco I gave birth, I'm not going to drop dead if I carry a few bags." She snapped as he entered the hallway, laying down Celeste's seat beside her brothers.
"Right, ok so the main guest room in our wing is the nursery, three cribs already set up." Draco began, hefting through the last of the bags as he pulled the heavy oaken door closed.
Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"How did you have time to finish it?! You'd only just bought the paint before we went back to school?"
Draco shrugged, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her.
"I may have called in a few favours."
Intrigued, Hermione gently lifted one of the carriers off the ground and a few bags as Draco followed suit.
She headed upstairs, and down the beautiful, wide corridor, past their own bedroom suite before she reached the door of the nursery that was slightly ajar.
She paused, and grinned at the gorgeous hand painted sign on the door, that read:
Meredith Narcissa, Celeste Seraphina, Elijah Phoenix.
Born on the 3rd of April, 1999
Three little miracles.
"Wow, Potter did better than I thought." Draco admired begrudgingly, as he lightly pushed the door open.
Hermione gasped, her eyes lighting up at the gorgeous room.
"I, I know these weren't the colours we had picked, but after our little Elijah, I figured soft pink wouldn't cut it?" Draco said nervously, gesturing to the gorgeous soft yellow walls.
There were three ornate cribs, each placed equal distance apart facing the window.
Expensive looking toys lined the shelves on the walls, and filed the overflowing toy box.
"I tried to tell them you hadn't asked for anything, but people just kept showing up with gifts." Draco shrugged, opening the large, old fashioned wardrobe he and Hermione had picked out for the room.
"Merlin, how many children do they think I had?!" Hermione gasped, looking in wonder at the rows and rows, filled draws and stuffed boxes of tiny shirts, playsuits, shoes and dresses.
Draco laughed as he carefully undid the straps on Celeste's carrier and lowered her into the crib.
"This kid sleeps like a rock." He whispered, admiring his beautiful, completely crashed out daughter as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't get used to that." She whispered in reply.
Once all three babies were carefully swaddled, all needs taken care of and in their cribs asleep, Hermione decided to take a break from unpacking and grab one of her school textbooks.
Draco set down the cup of tea before her in their sitting room and sighed.
"Just give yourself a night off Hermione, you'll do fine with your N.E. , I know it."
Hermione grunted to acknowledge his presence, and completely ignored him.
Draco rolled his eyes just as Meredith began to scream.
"Women."
It was the week of the NEWT examinations, and after much protest on her part, Hermione had returned to school for the final week in July.
She was feeling a little jittery, having never been away from the babies for so long, but knew they were in good hands.
Mr and Mrs Granger had gone above and beyond the usual Grandparental support, and had offered to care for the triplets for the entire week.
As she pulled her trunk up the steep stone steps, excitement began to overcome the anticipation.
She hadn't seen Draco in almost two weeks (as he'd returned to Hogwarts to study in preparation for their exams) and Ginny for God knows how long.
She almost couldn't wait to be back in her usual dorm room by the time she'd reached and opened one of the huge double doors leading into the main entryway of the castle.
"SURPRISE!"
Hermione jumped and grinned at the rather large crowd of familiar faces that had been awaiting her return.
She immediately spotted Ginny at the front of the pack, waving madly next to a rather pregnant Luna.
"HERMIONE!" Ginny squealed, throwing herself on her best friend and winding her in the process.
"Merlin, Gin it's like I've been away for years!" Hermione laughed, waving awkwardly at Luna, who was standing arm in arm with her husband.
"It's felt that way! Hogwarts just wasn't the same without you Hermione, it really wasn't! We all missed you so much, thanks for the pictures by the way! I just can't believe how much hair they've all got." Ginny grinned as Hermione laughed.
"Yes, thanks for keeping the father posted as well by the way."
Hermione immediately recognised the slow, gorgeous if slightly irritated growl of her fiancé, and spun around.
She gasped a little in surprise, he was closer than she'd expected, his nose almost touching hers.
"I missed you." She breathed as he smiled slightly.
"I bet you did." He winked, before pulling her in to a deep passionate kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Draco looked down on her, pure joy emanating from his very being.
"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that."
The week passed by surprisingly fast, and Hermione found herself enjoying every bit of it, even the exams (…ok, especially the exams).
She and Draco spent almost every day together, studying in the library, or exploring the deepest and darkest depths of each other's mouths.
Before she knew it, it was the weekend.
School was over, she was going home, ready to see her children and plan her wedding. (They'd eventually decided on the following July, when the triplets would be a little older)
She smiled at Draco from her seat in the compartment, and he winked back.
She couldn't wait to be home.
The trial date had been set, and Draco was already dressed in his finest suit and smartest shoes.
None of this, however, hid the sickly pale hue his skin had taken on.
"It'll be fine Draco, I promise. The defence have already gone over everything you have to say, they just need you to confirm Astoria's involvement." Hermione said softly as she straightened his tie and pecked him on the cheek.
He gulped and nodded, kissing her back on the lips, before looking into her eyes.
"Tell me if the owls get here today won't you? I might have to stay in the inner city overnight, depends how the trial goes." Hermione nodded, and felt the familiar bubble of nerves and excitement that popped in her stomach whenever the results owls were mentioned.
They kissed one last time, before Hermione saw him off to the car and watched as he drove away down the drive.
She sighed, knowing how hard this would be for him.
She heard the fire blaze loudly behind her, before remembering with a shock that it was August.
They hadn't lit a fire.
She spun around, only to be knocked to the ground by a squealing ginger.
"Mioneeeee!" Grinned Ginny as Harry clambered out of the fireplace after her, chuckled at the two women on the floor, and went immediately to his Godson who was playing on the rug.
At just five months old, Elijah was a very intuitive child, Draco insisted it came from his mother.
Harry beamed down at his Godson, who smiled back, waving his hands merrily.
It had been discovered just days after his birth, that not only did Elijah have remarkable eyes (obviously as a result of the spell) but he was partially deaf as well.
They were dealing well with his condition, and soon after he turned one he would be fitted with a child's hearing aid.
Hermione had realised very quickly that Elijah had been different from his sisters. She'd known immediately that neither of the girls had been affected by the spell at all, but the complete effects on their brother, they were not entirely sure of yet.
Harry began playing with the little boy, as Ginny helped Hermione up and grinned.
"Results today! I can't wait, me and Harry thought we'd come here and get them along with you, after all we realised you might be a little lonely with Draco gone for the trial." Hermione became at her best friend.
"No it's great! Is anyone else coming? Only I don't really want it to be really busy around here." Ginny shrugged nonchalantly and looked away.
"I may have invited a few more people…" She muttered sheepishly, but before Hermione could ask, her questions were answered.
"Is she ok? Oh Merlin I knew this was a bad idea! She's too young I knew it!" Hermione grinned when she recognised Blaise's high pitched neurotic tone of voice, and spun around to see Luna, her husband and a tiny wrapped up bundle in Luna's arms.
"She's fine Blaise, I knew she'd be completely safe." Luna assured him, as he smiled and kissed he forehead gently.
Hermione had to admit, she wasn't sure she'd ever met a couple better suited to each other than Luna and Blaise.
"How is little Camille?!" Hermione cooed, rushing over to Luna's side immediately as she admired the tiny new-born in her arms.
"Oh Luna she's gorgeous, and you're sure you want me to be Godmother?!"
Luna beamed as Blaise wrapped an arm round her shoulders.
"We couldn't think of a more perfect couple." He winked, and then jumped in surprise as yet more people came through the fireplace.
"I swear to, DEAN be careful with that! And Lavender please shut up I don't care about your dissertation!" Although Hermione certainly hadn't wanted a horde of people round her house whilst she was trying to look after the triplets, she had to admit Parvati never failed to make her smile.
"Parv!" She grinned, as a tiny olive skinned rascal went barrelling into her legs.
"RISHI! I'm sorry I just seem to have no control over the little bastard these days." Parvati muttered, scooping up her son as he giggled and thrashed in her arms.
Hermione greeted Lavender, and then Cho after that, both with smiles.
"So Ginny, please tell me that's-"
"Bloody hell, it's like grand central in here!" A very familiar voice echoed out of the fireplace that sent shivers down Hermione's spine.
She made her way through the various conversations and children towards the fireplace, and her breath caught in her throat as she tried to smile.
"Oh, um, hey Mione." Ron fumbled his words awkwardly as he ruffled his hair, and helped a smiley, pretty woman with long blonde hair out of the fireplace.
"This is Amelie, we met when I was off on my travels this summer." He explained, as the woman smiled and nodded at Hermione.
"How are you doing Ron?" Hermione asked quietly as he shrugged, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
"Actually, great. I'm already off the medication, getting used to this thing," He gestured to his prosthetic leg, and then smiled at Amelie.
"And of course, meeting someone new."
Hermione felt genuine happiness rush over her, something she wasn't sure she'd have ever felt around Ron again.
She knew their friend ship would never quite be what it was, but she was overjoyed he was happy, and glad to have her friend back.
Their conversation was interrupted by a tapping at the window, as the owls began to arrive.
Hermione scooped up Meredith from the floor, and went to receive her results.
Well thanks a lot to the few of you who did review, you're the best :)
NEXT TIME IS LAST CHAPTER, I WILL DO MY TOP 5 FANS AND GIVE YOU INTERNET COOKIES SO REVIEW IF YOU WANNA BE ONE OF MY FAVOURITES :)))