Epilogue- Surprises
"Why," Hermione asked herself, "am I correcting essays on Christmas?" Sighing, she set the one she had just finished aside on her desk. After checking the name again, she decided she was a bit disappointed in Mitchell Andegia. He usually had such high grades…but she herself had slipped a few times when she was a student. She added two points to his grade as clemency.
Why indeed. She knew exactly why she was doing work on a holiday. Draco was characteristically absent, and she had to distract herself from his lack of presence somehow. Correcting Transfiguration essays seemed a very distracting activity to her. Today, however, it was not serving to break her mind away from her far-away husband. She pushed back her chair, leaving ten unmarked essays forgotten on her desktop as she exited the classroom.
At first she had thought to go to her room, but then she remembered her promise to spend time with Harry. She still had to actually do that. Hogwarts was as vast as it had always been, but she knew immediately where Harry was. Smiling at his predictability, Hermione set off for the Quidditch pitch.
"Professor Potter!" she called, waving to him from the Gryffindor stands. He was far across the field.
"Hello, Professor Malfoy!" he answered, waving back. In so many years, Hermione still felt so good whenever someone called her by Draco's name.
Harry, in an impressive twist, had completed the last two years of Auror training in one year. Then, he spent five years as an Auror, tracking down Death Eaters who had managed to escape, reversing dark curses, and the like. In what could hardly be called a surprising move, Dumbledore had asked him to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was now in the middle of his sixth year teaching. Not only had he set the record of being the only Defense teacher in over fifty years to stay on for more than one term, he was also the head of Gryffindor House.
"How's the loneliness going?" Harry asked her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "The loneliness is fine, thank you, Harry. Yours?"
Ron was very near the top of the ladder in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. This meant a lot of free travel- which had a good side and a bad side. It made up for all the trips he never got to take when he was younger, but it kept him away from Harry. Ron, however, was not gone nearly as much as Draco.
As Harry dismounted into the stands and sat beside her, Hermione drew up a memory from sixth year. Draco had talked a few times about wanting a Ministry job fighting Dark Arts. She never understood why he wouldn't just settle for Auror, but he insisted that he would create some kind of job for himself. At the time, she had just shaken her head, but he had made her eat her words- just once- when they left school.
Draco had proposed a new department in a letter to the Ministry. They had accepted gladly, and Draco had immediately been called in to run it. Once the Department For Dark Magic Prevention was on its feet, he left the papers and the office and stepped into fieldwork. It took him away from his life more than even Ron's job.
Draco worked as a Dark Detector. Not one of the contraptions Moody had kept in his office, but a wizard who responded to any signs of Dark Magic being used. While the Aurors worked to catch Dark wizards and witches, Dark Detectors had the task of fighting Dark Magic itself, which did not always mean dealing with humans. Basically, their job was to keep any more Dark Lords from gaining power. And Draco was the best at the job, resulting in them requiring him for almost everything.
It was a lonely life, being the wife of a Dark Detector who was hardly ever home.
"Hermione?" Harry asked. She started back into focus.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry. I was thinking about-" her eyes teared up and she stopped suddenly. Harry dismounted into the stands, then took a seat beside her. His arm went around her shoulders. She leaned into him, blinking back her tears. "I just miss him so much," she sighed.
A kiss on her forehead comforted her. "I know you do. As surprising as it is, I miss him, too."
"You miss Ron more," she informed him.
"I should think so. Ron is the one I'm sleeping with."
Hermione giggled. "Wasn't he supposed to be here today?"
"He will be. Not until after Christmas dinner, though. I'd better ask the house elves to save some. He'd be heartbroken to miss a Hogwarts meal by so little. What about…is he coming?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. He is currently in Tanzania, or at least I think he is. Sometimes he doesn't tell me what country he's in, for various reasons. Anyway, if everything goes well, I expect to see him soon, but…"
"But not today?"
She nodded. "Not today," she whispered. Harry pulled her closer, his other arm joining the first in a Boy Who Is Filled To The Brim With Tender Caring embrace.
"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked her.
"Well, of course," she answered. "Is it good or bad?"
He pulled away, looking her in the eye, and smiled. "I think he loves you too much to keep away today. He'll be here."
Hermione's expression completely melted. "Thank you, Harry. It's so wonderful to have my gay best friend on the staff."
Harry burst out laughing. "That created a very inappropriate image, which I am now trying to get rid of, but it is a very difficult thing. Hermione, you really need to choose your words more carefully," he said when he had regained his breath.
Instead of answering, Hermione swatted at him, then pushed him over when he dodged it. They talked for a few more minutes, then Harry took off for another round on his broom. Hermione, slightly cheered, headed inside.
Entering her room turned out to be quite an ordeal. She forgot at first that she had changed the password the day before, and was frustrated that she could not get in. Once she was inside, she closed the door and began to settle in for the few hours until dinner. The moment she opened the door to the bathroom to take a shower, something that looked very much like her husband jumped out at her, and she screamed.
"Draco! Don't do that! You know I hate it."
He adopted a pleading, guilty, puppy-dog expression. Hermione let her smile grow and launched herself on top of him.
"Draco! I'm so glad to see you! When did you get here? How long are you staying? Why were you hiding in the bathroom?"
"Whoa, slow down, Hermione! It's hard to hear with your hip in my stomach, to begin with." She moved to a sitting position, and he joined her. "I let them know down at the Ministry that they could handle a few cases without me, and that I needed to be with Mrs. Malfoy on Christmas. So until something incredibly important comes up, or after New Year's, I'll be here."
"That long? Oh, how wonderful!" Hermione felt like a giddy little girl. That was an entire week! It was longer than any stretch of time Draco had been with her for months. She leaned in to kiss him, and he eagerly returned it.
A few minutes later, they had migrated to the bed. "I know this is Christmas morning stuff, but I wasn't here. Happy Christmas." He held out a small black box with white ribbon. Hermione took it delicately.
Inside the box was a small vial of something sparkly attached to a silver chain. The vial was of clear crystal and had a stopper in the shape of a faery- a real faery, not those commercial ones all the girls seemed to be wearing. "Oh, Draco, it's beautiful. Is it faery dust?"
"Yes." He fastened it around her neck. "There. Looks good on you." They both smiled. "I picked that up in Ireland last year, but I already had your present. So I decided to save it for this year."
"Ah, Draco, how you spoil me," she laughed. She looked up suddenly, her expression turned serious. "Draco, I don't have a material present for you, but I have something that I know you've been wanting, for a long time." She paused, but Draco did not speak, and she dove right in. "I'm pregnant."
The room was silent for a few seconds, and then Draco began to smile. "Really? Whe- wha… That's great!"
Hermione began to laugh. "I know, darling. I just found out last week."
Draco had leapt up and begun to pace, and now he stopped in front of her, dropping to his knees. "Oh…but that doesn't mean we can't have sex, does it?"
Hermione laughed again. She looked into his eyes and stroked his cheek. "That comes later, Draco. I think the seventh month or so."
"Good." He took her hand and pulled her up. "Let's go see how steamy we can make the shower." They kissed all the way to the bathroom.
End of Story
And that. Is that.
So here we are, at the end of the end. Or, at the author's note of the end, which is essentially the same thing. We've had some laughs, cries, emotions running flimby, and some confetti. I know I've enjoyed it, though I am glad it's over. I can finally be done with this story! Oh, yay! Yayayay!
Some of you may have noticed the irrelevance of the last line in the story. I realize that no one cares if they kissed all the way to the bathroom, and it doesn't really matter because it's not important to the story in any way. And that is exactly why I chose to end it with 'They kissed all the way to the bathroom.' Think about that.
So I've got this huge assortment of confetti here, much more than I could ever use. If you review, you get a lifetime supply of confetti. And this is a limited offer. You have to review within one year of posting. After that, the confetti's gone. You've missed out, and you'll never, never find the confetti! Bwah!
Ahem.
So, hugs and confetti to all, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. And a few of those 'please review my other stories, if you will'. Especially As Darkness Destroys Us and Ashamed. No, they are not Draco/Hermione, but just get over it.
Thanks, bye!
"Why," Hermione asked herself, "am I correcting essays on Christmas?" Sighing, she set the one she had just finished aside on her desk. After checking the name again, she decided she was a bit disappointed in Mitchell Andegia. He usually had such high grades…but she herself had slipped a few times when she was a student. She added two points to his grade as clemency.
Why indeed. She knew exactly why she was doing work on a holiday. Draco was characteristically absent, and she had to distract herself from his lack of presence somehow. Correcting Transfiguration essays seemed a very distracting activity to her. Today, however, it was not serving to break her mind away from her far-away husband. She pushed back her chair, leaving ten unmarked essays forgotten on her desktop as she exited the classroom.
At first she had thought to go to her room, but then she remembered her promise to spend time with Harry. She still had to actually do that. Hogwarts was as vast as it had always been, but she knew immediately where Harry was. Smiling at his predictability, Hermione set off for the Quidditch pitch.
"Professor Potter!" she called, waving to him from the Gryffindor stands. He was far across the field.
"Hello, Professor Malfoy!" he answered, waving back. In so many years, Hermione still felt so good whenever someone called her by Draco's name.
Harry, in an impressive twist, had completed the last two years of Auror training in one year. Then, he spent five years as an Auror, tracking down Death Eaters who had managed to escape, reversing dark curses, and the like. In what could hardly be called a surprising move, Dumbledore had asked him to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was now in the middle of his sixth year teaching. Not only had he set the record of being the only Defense teacher in over fifty years to stay on for more than one term, he was also the head of Gryffindor House.
"How's the loneliness going?" Harry asked her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "The loneliness is fine, thank you, Harry. Yours?"
Ron was very near the top of the ladder in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. This meant a lot of free travel- which had a good side and a bad side. It made up for all the trips he never got to take when he was younger, but it kept him away from Harry. Ron, however, was not gone nearly as much as Draco.
As Harry dismounted into the stands and sat beside her, Hermione drew up a memory from sixth year. Draco had talked a few times about wanting a Ministry job fighting Dark Arts. She never understood why he wouldn't just settle for Auror, but he insisted that he would create some kind of job for himself. At the time, she had just shaken her head, but he had made her eat her words- just once- when they left school.
Draco had proposed a new department in a letter to the Ministry. They had accepted gladly, and Draco had immediately been called in to run it. Once the Department For Dark Magic Prevention was on its feet, he left the papers and the office and stepped into fieldwork. It took him away from his life more than even Ron's job.
Draco worked as a Dark Detector. Not one of the contraptions Moody had kept in his office, but a wizard who responded to any signs of Dark Magic being used. While the Aurors worked to catch Dark wizards and witches, Dark Detectors had the task of fighting Dark Magic itself, which did not always mean dealing with humans. Basically, their job was to keep any more Dark Lords from gaining power. And Draco was the best at the job, resulting in them requiring him for almost everything.
It was a lonely life, being the wife of a Dark Detector who was hardly ever home.
"Hermione?" Harry asked. She started back into focus.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry. I was thinking about-" her eyes teared up and she stopped suddenly. Harry dismounted into the stands, then took a seat beside her. His arm went around her shoulders. She leaned into him, blinking back her tears. "I just miss him so much," she sighed.
A kiss on her forehead comforted her. "I know you do. As surprising as it is, I miss him, too."
"You miss Ron more," she informed him.
"I should think so. Ron is the one I'm sleeping with."
Hermione giggled. "Wasn't he supposed to be here today?"
"He will be. Not until after Christmas dinner, though. I'd better ask the house elves to save some. He'd be heartbroken to miss a Hogwarts meal by so little. What about…is he coming?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. He is currently in Tanzania, or at least I think he is. Sometimes he doesn't tell me what country he's in, for various reasons. Anyway, if everything goes well, I expect to see him soon, but…"
"But not today?"
She nodded. "Not today," she whispered. Harry pulled her closer, his other arm joining the first in a Boy Who Is Filled To The Brim With Tender Caring embrace.
"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked her.
"Well, of course," she answered. "Is it good or bad?"
He pulled away, looking her in the eye, and smiled. "I think he loves you too much to keep away today. He'll be here."
Hermione's expression completely melted. "Thank you, Harry. It's so wonderful to have my gay best friend on the staff."
Harry burst out laughing. "That created a very inappropriate image, which I am now trying to get rid of, but it is a very difficult thing. Hermione, you really need to choose your words more carefully," he said when he had regained his breath.
Instead of answering, Hermione swatted at him, then pushed him over when he dodged it. They talked for a few more minutes, then Harry took off for another round on his broom. Hermione, slightly cheered, headed inside.
Entering her room turned out to be quite an ordeal. She forgot at first that she had changed the password the day before, and was frustrated that she could not get in. Once she was inside, she closed the door and began to settle in for the few hours until dinner. The moment she opened the door to the bathroom to take a shower, something that looked very much like her husband jumped out at her, and she screamed.
"Draco! Don't do that! You know I hate it."
He adopted a pleading, guilty, puppy-dog expression. Hermione let her smile grow and launched herself on top of him.
"Draco! I'm so glad to see you! When did you get here? How long are you staying? Why were you hiding in the bathroom?"
"Whoa, slow down, Hermione! It's hard to hear with your hip in my stomach, to begin with." She moved to a sitting position, and he joined her. "I let them know down at the Ministry that they could handle a few cases without me, and that I needed to be with Mrs. Malfoy on Christmas. So until something incredibly important comes up, or after New Year's, I'll be here."
"That long? Oh, how wonderful!" Hermione felt like a giddy little girl. That was an entire week! It was longer than any stretch of time Draco had been with her for months. She leaned in to kiss him, and he eagerly returned it.
A few minutes later, they had migrated to the bed. "I know this is Christmas morning stuff, but I wasn't here. Happy Christmas." He held out a small black box with white ribbon. Hermione took it delicately.
Inside the box was a small vial of something sparkly attached to a silver chain. The vial was of clear crystal and had a stopper in the shape of a faery- a real faery, not those commercial ones all the girls seemed to be wearing. "Oh, Draco, it's beautiful. Is it faery dust?"
"Yes." He fastened it around her neck. "There. Looks good on you." They both smiled. "I picked that up in Ireland last year, but I already had your present. So I decided to save it for this year."
"Ah, Draco, how you spoil me," she laughed. She looked up suddenly, her expression turned serious. "Draco, I don't have a material present for you, but I have something that I know you've been wanting, for a long time." She paused, but Draco did not speak, and she dove right in. "I'm pregnant."
The room was silent for a few seconds, and then Draco began to smile. "Really? Whe- wha… That's great!"
Hermione began to laugh. "I know, darling. I just found out last week."
Draco had leapt up and begun to pace, and now he stopped in front of her, dropping to his knees. "Oh…but that doesn't mean we can't have sex, does it?"
Hermione laughed again. She looked into his eyes and stroked his cheek. "That comes later, Draco. I think the seventh month or so."
"Good." He took her hand and pulled her up. "Let's go see how steamy we can make the shower." They kissed all the way to the bathroom.
End of Story
And that. Is that.
So here we are, at the end of the end. Or, at the author's note of the end, which is essentially the same thing. We've had some laughs, cries, emotions running flimby, and some confetti. I know I've enjoyed it, though I am glad it's over. I can finally be done with this story! Oh, yay! Yayayay!
Some of you may have noticed the irrelevance of the last line in the story. I realize that no one cares if they kissed all the way to the bathroom, and it doesn't really matter because it's not important to the story in any way. And that is exactly why I chose to end it with 'They kissed all the way to the bathroom.' Think about that.
So I've got this huge assortment of confetti here, much more than I could ever use. If you review, you get a lifetime supply of confetti. And this is a limited offer. You have to review within one year of posting. After that, the confetti's gone. You've missed out, and you'll never, never find the confetti! Bwah!
Ahem.
So, hugs and confetti to all, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. And a few of those 'please review my other stories, if you will'. Especially As Darkness Destroys Us and Ashamed. No, they are not Draco/Hermione, but just get over it.
Thanks, bye!