March 2008
"What do you mean we have to go to a Weasley family lunch?" Pansy's eyes narrowed at Theo.
The group of them sat out in the garden, Pansy lay against Blaise, soaking up the sun, watching Lyra and Draco pick flowers. Hermione chuckled, never looking up from her novel. She had told Theo that this was not going to go over well.
"I mean, Charlie invited me to lunch with his family, and Hermione is going and taking Lyra and thus you, Blaise, and Draco all have to come to be my moral support," Theodore insisted, giving Pansy an 'I can't believe I have to explain this' look.
Blaise hummed, looking at Pansy, "Hmm.. no definitely not the one shagging a Weasley, mate. Don't see how this is our problem."
Theodore threw a flower Lyra had left in her pile at them.
"Uncle Theo!" Lyra scolded from where she was walking up with Draco. "Don't hurt the flowers!"
"More bossy like her mummy every single day," Theodore noted, winking at Hermione. He paused, his eyes lighting up. "Hey Lyra…"
"Yes?" Lyra looked at him, tickling his face with a flower.
"Oh no," Pansy muttered, trying to scramble off Blaise to get to Theo, only to realize he had cast a silent sticking charm on them both.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if Uncle Blaise and Aunt Pansy and daddy joined us at Grandma Molly's house this weekend?" Theo asked the girl. Draco's eyes widened in horror as Lyra squealed with excitement, barreling herself into Pansy and Blaise just as Theo unstuck them.
"Oh please please pleaseeee!" Lyra begged with a grin, snuggling both Pansy and Blaise. She turned her head toward Draco, "please daddy," she gave him her best smile.
"Fuck," Draco muttered.
"Swear jar!" Theo and Lyra chorused, grinning at each other.
"Oh Hermione please, let us help you raise your daughter," Hermione mocked Pansy and Blaise, smirking and looking up at them.
"I swear Granger, you were meant to be in Slytherin," Draco said with a chuckle as he sat down so Lyra could sit on his lap. Lyra twirled over to him, plopping into his lap with a giggle.
"I actually threatened the hat to put me in Gryffindor, otherwise I would set him on fire," she informed him cheekily.
"Of course you did," Theo laughed. "But no seriously, I'm begging you. We are begging you aren't we Lyra?"
"Please Uncle B, Auntie Pansy. PLEASEEEE." Everyone laughed as Lyra stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, knowing exactly how to get them to bend to her every whim. Pansy sighed dramatically before smiling at the little girl.
"Well I suppose I can't say no now," the raven-haired witch spoke, rolling her eyes.
April 2008
"All I'm saying is that… well you're wrong," Draco shrugged, smirking as he turned the page of his book. Hermione fumed, her hands on her hips, silently daring the wizard to look up and meet her eyes.
"Did you just tell me that I'm wrong?" Hermione gritted out. "I'M WRONG?"
"I know you are used to your brilliant brain being right all of the time, but in this instance, you are wrong." A chuckle fell from his lips and he dodged quickly as a shoe was thrown towards his head. "Attempting to attack me now Granger? Surely your aim is better than that. I mean you are a part of the Golden Trio that took down a Dark Wizard are you not?"
"Draco Malfoy, I am going to strangle you!" Hermione shouted. Theo chuckled as he walked into the room with Pansy. Pansy had an eyebrow lifted in curiosity as she took a seat.
"Don't stop on our account," Theo smirked, leaning against the mantle. "It's been a while since we've seen a show and I am not one to miss out on free entertainment."
"Oh it has been a while hasn't it?" Pansy chuckled. "I thought it was their favorite form of foreplay."
"I'm not wrong," Hermione grit out, eyes glaring at Draco.
"Love, I know it's hard to admit it but you are," Draco smirked, finally putting his book down. "I still love you."
"I hate you."
"How much did I miss," Blaise walked in, and kissed the top of Pansy's head before sitting on the arm of the chair beside her.
"We are just getting to the good part," Pansy murmured.
"All I'm saying is that while Spew was an adorable little campaign," Draco chuckled standing, his eyes darkening as he watched Hermione's hair spark from anger. "House-elves do not want to be freed. You terrify them, Granger."
"Dobby wanted to be free from your family," Hermione snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Dobby was an anomaly," Draco rolled his eyes, crossing the room to approach her.
"Don't you dare come near me Draco Malfoy," Hermione scoffed, looking away from him. Draco went to say something witty in return but froze in his spot when they heard a high-pitched scream and then crying.
"DADDY!"
The three men in the room couldn't run fast enough as Pansy and Hermione quickly followed behind them. Draco skid to a stop in front of the drawing room where Lyra had been having a tea party with her animals while Hercules sat dutifully at her side looking at the grown men with a 'where the hell have you been' look. Theo and Blaise practically ran into him at they looked at Lyra. She had tears in her eyes and was shaking. One hand covered her mouth while the other clutched something tightly.
"Little dragon what happened? What's wrong?" Draco asked as Theo practically slid on his knees over in front of her, looking over her for injuries. Draco shook his head and came and knelt in front of her. Lyra shook her head and his heart ached as tears fell from her beautiful chocolate eyes. "Can you show me what is in your hand?"
"It just fell out," Lyra cried more, opening her hand. Draco saw the tooth in her hand and sighed in relief before chucking softly.
"Oh little love," Theo gasped dramatically and gathered her into his arms. She burrowed into his chest, her hand dropping from her mouth and sniffling. "Did your tooth fall out?"
"Please put it back," Lyra cried softly.
"Little dragon," Draco smiled softly, running his fingers through her curls soothingly. "It's normal for your teeth to fall out. Mine did too when I was younger."
"They did?" Lyra asked sniffling and clutching onto Theo.
"Everyone's does," Hermione spoke gently, sitting down in front of Theo and Lyra. "When you are little you have baby teeth but as you get bigger they have to come out to make room for your big teeth."
"Big girl teeth?"
"That's right love," Theo nodded. "You're becoming a big girl now. Oh, Lyra… a big girl. What am I going to do? You can't get big. You have to stay little for me." The little girl in his arms giggled and he cuddled her close.
"When I was a little girl," Hermione began, gently taking the tooth out of Lyra's tightly squeezed hand. "Every time I lost a tooth, my mummy and daddy would put the tooth under my pillow at bedtime. After I was asleep, the tooth fairy would come and take my tooth and leave me something special under my pillow."
"Fairies?!" Lyra gasped and started crying again and scrambled out of Theo's arms and ran straight for Blaise, clutching onto his leg crying. Bending down, Blaise gently lifted the girl into his arms and held her close. "The fairies are going to come and take me and they are going to take all my teeth."
"Fairies," Draco groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "I've said it once and I'll say it again, Lovegood is never telling her stories, EVER again."
May 2008
"Blaise and I wanted to talk to you all about something," Pansy spoke, her hand holding onto Blaise's tightly as she looked around the room at her family. Theo and Charlie were playing a game of exploding snap. Hermione was reading a book with her feet in Draco's lap. He was rubbing them as he read over contracts for work. Lyra and her favorite dragon were on the floor in front of them coloring while Hercules slept soundly beside her. She wasn't sure how everyone was going to react and while she knew that they had made the right decision, she was worried.
"Well go on then Pansy," Theo chuckled, not looking up from his game. "We are all thoroughly interested in whatever it is you have to say."
"Nott," Blaise spoke, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's important." Instantly all the adults looked up, giving the couple in the oversized chair their full attention. Whenever anyone said they had an announcement, it was usually followed by something bad.
"Please tell me that no one died," Theo groaned, running his hands through his hair. "Or that there is some other wanker out there that we have to take care of. We've gotten pretty good at that at this point. Draco has become extremely good at blackmail."
"That's not necessary," Blaise chuckled. He couldn't blame Theo for his thought process going directly to bad news. "This is something good, not bad."
"You're ok right?" Hermione asked. "You both are?"
"Of course," Pansy nodded, smiling softly at the witch that was his sister for all intents and purposes. "Like he said this is good news."
"Well out with it Zabini," Theo rolled his eyes. "Before you give us all a heart attack."
"Blaise and I… we are moving in together," Pansy smiled nervously. "Into our own place."
"Your own place…" Hermione repeated slowly.
"Wait, you're moving out?" Theo said, his voice raised. Lyra popped her head up looking at everyone. "You're leaving?!"
"Theo…"
"You're leaving?" Lyra squeaked, her little bottom lip trembling.
"Little love, we will still see you all the time," Pansy spoke quickly. "I promise. You are our favorite." Lyra started crying and Pansy teared up. She held out her arms and Lyra quickly scrambled into her lap. Hermione watched them, smiling sadly. She knew that out of everyone, Lyra was going to have the hardest time understanding. "I will come and see you all the time and you can come and see me whenever you want."
"Can we have," Lyra sniffled, clutching onto Pansy while Blaise stroked her curls, "sleepovers?"
"Oh we will have tons of sleepovers. I promise."
"I'm really happy for you both," Hermione spoke quietly and smiled softly at Blaise. Blaise nodded in thanks.
"Granger is right," Draco said, nodding his head. "We are happy for you both. Truly, it's just uh… well.. I um.."
"It's bullshit," Lyra squeaked out, hiccuping and Hermione gasped. Theo choked on air and tried to hold in his laughter. It was clear that Lyra had picked up on conversations between the adults more often than they previously thought.
"Lyra!" Hermione yelped and Draco just looked at the little girl in shock. "What did you say?"
"It's bullshit," Lyra repeated, rubbing her little eyes.
"And where did you learn that word?" Hermione spoke again, trying to stay calm.
"Uncle Theo," the little girl answered and Hermione immediately turned and glared at him. Theo looked sheepish and shrugged his shoulders innocently.
"You know, I do believe Lyra that you now have to put money in the swear jar," Blaise chuckled.
"Me?"
"That's right," Draco nodded his head. "That isn't a nice word that Uncle Theo taught you."
"I'm sorry," Lyra said, starting to cry again and Hermione's anger immediately deflated a bit.
"How about you and Uncle Blaise go and see the new place. I know he has some surprises there for you," Pansy smiled softly at the little witch, kissing the top of her head.
"For me? Presents?"
"Oh yes," Blaise chuckled, scooping her up into his arms. He kissed Pansy's cheek before standing up and walking out of the room with Lyra. "Our new place is full of things just for you anytime you want to come over and we want you to see it first."
The others waited until they could no longer hear Lyra's giggles and Hermione stood up, walking over to Pansy. She grabbed her friend and hugged her tightly. Pansy held onto her just as tight. The two witches stood there in each other's arms, not a word was spoken. They didn't need to say anything to communicate with each other. Draco watched, a small smile playing on his lips. It always warmed his heart to see two of the most important women in his life, two that were much against one another in their youth, so close.
"I'm so happy for you Pansy," Hermione smiled softly as she stepped back to look at her. Pansy gave her a soft smile in thanks.
"It's really great Pansy," Draco nodded. "You and Blaise deserve this. You're really good for each other. I don't think I've ever seen either of you this happy with anyone else."
"I can't believe you are leaving…" Theo spoke softly and Charlie rubbed his back to comfort him. "I mean I knew it was going to happen eventually I just… wow."
"You will still see the two of us all the time," Pansy laughed a little. "You aren't getting rid of us that easily."
"Family dinners on Friday night," Theo nodded. "We all have to attend, it's mandatory. No excuses."
"Theo…"
"No excuses."
"Alright Theo," Pansy smiled softly and walked over and hugged him tightly. Hermione smiled softly, leaning into Draco as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Don't you dare change anything in this home after all the hard work I put into it."
"And risk a beheading? I don't think so," Theo chuckled. "You're ruthless and terrifying."
"I would be more afraid of Granger right now if I were you," Pansy joked and Theo looked over at Hermione who narrowed her eyes at him.
"It was a complete accident," Theo shook his head, holding his hands up in surrender. "I have learned my lesson. Don't kill me."
"Don't speak," Hermione snapped. "We will talk about this later."
"I swear to fucking Merlin you are more terrifying than Voldemort was, love."
"And don't you forget it."
It was about a week later when Pansy and Blaise officially moved out. They had set up everything with their new penthouse flat before telling anyone they were leaving. That meant all they had to do was take all of Pansy's trunks over. They spent one last breakfast all together at the manor. When they went to leave, more tears were spilled than they originally thought there would be. Lyra sobbed as she clutched to Pansy and Blaise, not wanting them to leave. Hermione and Pansy both cried when they hugged each other tightly, promising each other they would have a girl's night out soon. It was when Blaise and Hermione hugged each other tightly, that the most emotions were silently displayed.
"I will never be able to thank you, for everything you have done for me Blaise…"
"You, Hermione Granger, never need to thank me." His voice was gentle and kind as he kissed the side of her head. "Watching Lyra grow up… getting to be Uncle Blaise… you have no idea the gift you've given me."
"You saved my life…"
"And you gave my life purpose." He pulled back from their hug, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Let that fire shine bright Granger. It's beautiful and worth more than all the gold in the world. You're going to change the fucking world, Hermione Granger. And I can't wait to be by your side when you do it."
The weeks that followed their departure, found the inhabitants of the manor trying to adjust to their new normal. Lyra had been sad for days, only cheering up when Pansy and Blaise would come over. The promise of family dinners on Friday was kept and everyone found themselves looking forward to those nights. Everyone knew that this was just the beginning. The feel of change was in the air and there was nothing stopping it.
Draco and Hermione continued to look for the perfect home for their family, albeit not as quickly as they had originally planned. After seeing Lyra's reaction to Pansy and Blaise, they both decided it was for the best to take their time and to only move into the home that felt perfect for them. It was proving to be a difficult feat and Hermione had no issues leaving Draco in charge of that particular aspect of their lives. She trusted his opinion and knew that when he found a suitable option that he was happy with, he would bring her into the fold before any decisions were made. She was highly aware though that the blonde wizard himself seemed to not be in as big of a hurry as she would have assumed he would be.
It was a Wednesday afternoon when Draco found himself walking through Malfoy manor to speak to his father. His hand kept fiddling with the velvet bag in his pocket. He knew he had no reason to be nervous to speak to his father about this. They had spoken many times in regard to this particular situation. Now that the moment was here though, he couldn't help but feel slight nerves. As he reached the office doors, he took a breath before knocking. When he heard his father's voice beckoning him in, he opened the doors and walked inside, going and taking a seat in front of his father. Identical silver eyes locked onto each other and Lucius smiled slightly.
"Draco," Lucius nodded, closing the ledger book in front of him. "Well, this is a surprise. I hardly get mid-day visits from you. Did you bring my little star with you? Is she with your mother?"
"No, I didn't bring Lyra with me," Draco chuckled, shaking his head. It fascinated him to watch Lucius Malfoy be completely enamored with his granddaughter. It was a sight that he had never expected to see. Malfoy men were supposed to bear sons, yet his first grandchild was a little girl that Draco knew he loved. "I was wondering though if you and mum would like to watch her next weekend. I was hoping to take Hermione on a weekend getaway to Scotland."
"Of course. We would love to have Lyra here for the weekend," Lucius nodded, folding his hands together. "A trip to Scotland hmm? Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fantastic," Draco nodded and fidgeted with the velvet bag in his pocket before taking it out and setting it on the table between his father and him. "It's time."
"Oh?" Lucius smirked, immediately perking up at the sight of the velvet bag with the Black family crest on it. "While I'm not surprised to hear of your decision, I am surprised that there is not a ring box sitting in front of me. Am I to assume that there is a jewel from the Black family in that bag?"
"Yes," Draco nodded. "I considered all of the rings in the Malfoy and Black family vaults. I had my pick of the lot I know but… nothing stood out and called to me. I'm already breaking so many family traditions…. I thought a new ring was in order."
"A new ring, with an old family heirloom jewel. It's poetic in a way," Lucius chuckled. "I truly am happy for you son. Miss Granger is a remarkable woman."
"She's… she is everything. I know that she wouldn't be your first choice…"
"On the contrary," Lucius spoke, waving his wand and summoning the decanter of firewhiskey and two crystal tumblers over to the desk. Draco watched with curiosity as he poured them both drinks. "I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, Draco. I made poor choices and harsh snap judgments on people, Hermione included. While yes, at one point I was working on a marriage contract for you, my first choice was always for you to find love. When your mother showed me the memory of you watching Hermione writhe on our drawing room floor… I knew that you had found it. I knew that if I somehow survived the horror that was Voldemort and his reign of terror… I was going to change my way of thinking. I knew it was not going to be easy for me… but I would do anything for you Draco."
"You… she showed you that memory?" Draco asked softly, blocking out her screams that were threatening to crawl up into his mind again.
"She did," Lucius nodded. "She wanted to help me understand why you refused to identify her when I knew that you knew who she was. The look in your eyes…I knew that look. It's the same look I had for your mother. Love, Draco."
"You and mother were an arranged marriage," Draco stated, watching his father as he smiled gently looking at the amber liquid in his glass. It was a curious look that Draco hadn't seen on his father's face before. "Am I wrong?"
"You are," Lucius chuckled, looking up at his son. "But that my boy, is a story for another time. Now, the jewel, I suppose you need the name of a jeweler to set the stone for you? A trusted one that will not run straight to Rita Skeeter?"
"I actually have someone for that but… I do need your help with something else…"
"I'm still not quite sure what you are doing here Malfoy," Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well, Potter it's quite simple actually," Draco rolled his eyes before taking a breath. "I'm asking Hermione to marry me."
"Oh… uh… wow," Harry stammered, looking at the blonde wizard wide-eyed. "That's… wait are you here to ask my permission? Seriously?"
"I don't need your permission," Draco narrowed his eyes, gripping the teacup tighter in his hand, willing himself to remain calm. "But you are the closest thing to family that she has left… well besides Theo and he doesn't know how to keep a bloody secret from her to save his life. So as I was saying-"
"That you don't need my permission yet you are here anyway," Harry smirked. "You realize asking permission from the family is a muggle tradition right?"
"I'm not asking- bloody hell," Draco snapped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm not here to get your permission… but I know it would mean a lot to her if you didn't have any objections."
"Draco?" Hermione's voice rang out, breaking him out of his thoughts. The silver eyes of the wizard turned and looked into the concerned chocolate eyes that were looking at him. "Are you alright?"
"Of course love," Draco nodded, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. "Just been a while since I've been back in Scotland. I got distracted."
Hermione watched him as they made their way into Hogsmeade. He had been acting strange over the last two weeks and she was beginning to worry. With the ten-year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts earlier in the month, everyone had been a little on edge. She herself had been a victim of panic attacks and nightmares over the last month, requiring an extra few sessions with her mild healer. More often than not, she had found Draco working late or locking himself into the office at the Manor. When he had suggested the trip to Scotland, she had been worried that it was some guilt mechanism, returning to the scene of the incident, that he was choosing to punish himself with. Blaise, though, had assured her that he just wanted to take her on a romantic getaway and that Scotland, even though it held a lot of horrible memories, held fond memories and moments for the both of them too.
After checking into the inn and exploring Hogsmeade, the pair settled in for dinner together at the Three Broomsticks. Draco had been fidgety during dinner and had caught Hermione off guard when he said he had one more surprise for her. Holding his hand tightly in hers, she looked up at the castle in awe as they approached the gates. Even after all this time, Hogwarts still held the feeling of home for her. "Hogwarts? How did you pull this off?" she asked, smiling up at Draco as they were let into the wards. The moment she stepped foot onto the familiar grounds a wave of nostalgia swept over her.
"I suppose there are a few perks to being civil with The Chosen One," Draco smirked, sighing dramatically. A chuckle fell from his lips as Hermione pushed him playfully. "I wrote a letter to Professor… well Headmistress McGonagall. I did have Potter and Longbottom on standby if needed but apparently, all I had to say was that you and I wanted to visit for old times sake and she happily obliged."
"Well I always was one of her favorite students," Hermione laughed, letting her free hand grab onto his arm. As they walked the grounds, she couldn't help but take in the familiar sights and smells. A part of her was worried that she would be blooded with all the horrific moments that had happened to her in this place but it was the opposite of it all. It was the good memories that filled her soul, the happy ones that brought a smile to her face. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
"We are almost there," Draco chuckled and continued to pull her along with him. Before she knew it, they were standing in a familiar place, overlooking the forbidden forest.
"Wait… is this…"
"Where you punched me in third year?" Draco chuckled and looked at her with a smirk. "Yes, yes it is."
"You deserved it."
"Oh I did," Draco laughed, turning to face her. "It's also where for the first time in my idiot adolescent life, that I saw something in you that, well…that drew me in. Looking back at it now I can say that I was absolutely smitten with you. After everything I said and did, you didn't back down from me. You weren't frightened, you were brave. A true Gryffindor Lioness." Hermione blushed looking down at her hands. "This is also the place of a memory of mine from our last year here that stuck with me for longer than I care to admit."
As he walked out of the Castle, Draco took in a much-needed breath of air. He felt like he was suffocating inside. It was too loud, too many people. McGonagall had tried to the best of her abilities to try and force House Unity on everyone but it was an impossible feat. There were too many hard feelings, too many moments, and ghosts that haunted the halls. Maybe there was a future where house unity worked but for now, it just wasn't logical.
Throwing everyone in the great hall together for a Unity dance of sorts was something that logically probably would have made sense, in any other circumstance. Too much blood had been spilled between the older students for it to work properly. He had to give her credit though, for the most part, it was working. Students were laughing and dancing and having a great time. That's why he had to get out of there. He couldn't breathe watching it all. Every time he stepped foot into the great hall all he could see were the rows of bodies of his former classmates and professors. He couldn't be there. He was broken out of his mild panic attack as he reached his destination, as he saw her. She was standing there, looking out at the forbidden forest. She had put a little more weight onto her body and didn't look as sickly anymore. Her curls danced around her in the wind and under the light of the full moon, it was almost as if her body gave off an ethereal glow. She was beautiful.
It was as he got closer that he heard her. Her breath was coming out in gasps and he could see her body visibly shaking. "Hermione," he spoke gently as he approached her with his hands up. As she turned to look at him, he saw the tears that were pooling in her eyes. He took her hand in his gently and rested it against his chest, just over his heart. "Match my breathing alright? Can you do that for me?"
He was ready for her to flinch away, to push him away from her, or to remove her hand from him as if he had burned her skin. What he was not ready for was for her trembling hand to relax against him and for her to step forward. Sure, they had gotten closer ever since their talk of shared nightmares but solid ground was still something they were trying to figure out between the two of them. As she took a deep breath, eyes never leaving him, he smiled softly. "There you go, deep breaths. Match my breathing. Theo would kill me if I brought his new best friend back in anything less than perfect condition."
Her laugh sounded choked but she smiled softly, closing her eyes and working at matching his breathing. Her small hand curled, clutching the fabric of his shirt. Before he could stop himself, Draco was leaning down to rest his forehead on hers. In this moment, they were not Hermione Granger the war heroine and Draco Malfoy the deatheater. They were two kids, one in the same, just trying to survive.
"I have something for you," Draco smiled, taking her hand in his and using his free hand to lift her chin gently up to look at the night sky. "A gift if you will." He joined her eyes, staring up at the stars. He lifted their joined hands and just like with Lyra, he traced the Lyra constellation with her fingers and then followed by the Draco constellation. He then took her finger and pointed it at the brightest star between the two. "It's only right that you are in the sky with us, where you belong."
"Draco… you bought me a star?" Hermione breathed, her heart swelling at the beauty of the moment.
"No matter where we are, who we are with," Draco smiled softly, looking down to watch her. Her eyes were full of wonder and unshed tears. "We will always be close to each other. Side by side… even after we are gone."
"It's beautiful," Hermione choked out, looking back at Draco. Standing on her tiptoes, she gently brushed her lips against his in a reverent kiss. "I love it… thank you."
Pulling the parchment out of his pocket, Draco handed it to her. "This is a map… so if you ever feel lost… you can find us in the stars and remember that you are never alone." As he watched her open the parchment, he pulled the ring box from his pocket, silently slipping the ring out into his fingers.
As Hermione looked over the map, her brow furrowed in confusion as the stars on the page began to move and change."Draco what's…" Her breath hitched as she watched the stars shine brightly as they began to form words. 'Oh my gods…"
"Hermione," Draco began. "There are one thousand different ways I could do this and to be very clear I would. But this… here… this was the only place that felt right. Over fifteen years ago our story started here, in this very castle. Boy meets girl, girl punches boy for being a git, boy falls madly in love with girl… the good, the bad, the ugly… it all comes back to here. This place."
"Draco…"
"There are so many moments I wish I would have done differently," Draco smiled softly, looking into her eyes. "I wish I would have had the courage to tell my father how wrong his ideals were. I wish I would have asked you to the Yule Ball. I wish we never had to have fought in a war… but I wouldn't change any of it if I could… because it all led to this moment right here. You and I… Merlin, we are magic love. The way we fit together… it's magnetic and beautiful and pure fucking magic. Our family… our daughter, it's everything to me, Hermione. You are my heart, my soul. You always have been. And I will spend the rest of my life loving you… if you will have me."
Hermione stared at him, the map with the words 'marry me' written in the stars falling to the ground beside them. She watched as Draco smiled softly, one hand cupping her cheek gently as the other hand held up a beautiful ring. "What do you say, Granger…"
"Yes…" Hemione breathed as if it was the easiest thing in the world. And in a way it was. It was the only answer, the only choice. Her heart had chosen Draco Malfoy a long time ago. "A thousand times yes."
As he slipped the ring onto her finger, silent tears flowed between the two as their foreheads rested against one another. They were not Hermione Granger the war heroine and Draco Malfoy the former deatheater. They were two soulmates finding their home with one another amongst the stars.