I got lucky in love. Come down to it, we both did. But it hasn't been easy, not by a long shot. There have been so many obstacles to overcome, and so many people who thought we were making a huge mistake. And I'll admit that there have been times when we've looked at each other and wondered just why we were so hell-bent on doing this. But those moments of doubt have only made us stronger.

It was that oldest of cliches: love at first sight. Yet I knew even then that it wasn't going to be all cupids and romantic music. He was sitting on the edge of the Astronomy Tower reading a book on Dark Potions. I was studying multi-person Shielding Spells. Sounds like a match made in Hell. Yet we've made it work, and that's what counts.

For the first four years that we were in school together, we basically ignored one another, despite odd fluttering sensations in the stomach (me), sudden unexplained lifts in mood after sighting the other in a hallway (both of us), or finding it hard to practice hexes because the face of the other kept appearing on the target he was supposed to be destroying (Draco).

Despite all that, neither of us exactly stayed out of the dating field. I had the strongest crush on Harry Potter for ages, then once I'd gotten over him, I went on to date Michael Corner and Dean Thomas. Draco was practically engaged to Pansy Parkinson, and when they broke up, he went out with several girls in quick succession, most notably Blaise Zambini, Padma Patil, and Kerri Welshire.

However, by the time my fifth year and his sixth began, I think we'd both begun to realize that we were constantly on each other's minds, even when we were with other people. Naturally, this could be a little awkward at times. Take, for example, the time Dean and I were on a Hogsmead visit and I almost called him Draco. The only things that saved me were very quick reflexes and the fact that both names begin with 'D'. And Draco still winces over the time he wondered out loud how Pansy would look with red hair. He claimed to be deaf for the next three days. He might even have been telling the truth. Witnesses have testified that they could clearly hear the row two stories away from the Slytherin dormitories.

We finally gave in to the inevitable during the Christmas holidays that year. I won't go into details, let's just say it involved a narrow corridor, neither of us wanting to move over so that the other could get by, and the sudden realization in mid-argument that a sprig of mistletoe hung overhead. And just for the record, it is not true that I promptly slapped him hard enough to loosen four teeth. It was only one. Further, I helped him to Madam Pomphrey immediately after...which is when he asked me out. What can I say...I love that guy.

It was a tumultuous relationship, with hundreds of rows, many of which ended with the two of us holding our wands in each other's faces and wondering if there was time to get off a curse and duck before the other could retaliate. And that was just the first month! It did get better after a bit, we learned to leave our wands in our respective dorms before heading out to see each other. After that, the only reason we had for going to the hospital wing was to get rid of the ringing in our respective ears.

Telling our respective friends that Draco and I were an item was...quite interesting. Most of them disowned us for a while. Those that didn't immediately sat us down to tell us what a mistake we were making. The two of us listened, nodded at the right moments, and kept on seeing each other. And in the end, we outstubborned everybody. I still can't believe we didn't have to resort to the Imperius Curse to get everyone to the wedding.

Draco had been an only child from a line of only children. So it was quite a shock to him to find out I was pregnant with twins. When child three came along, he was quite bemused, and when I got pregnant with our fourth offspring, I think he finally resigned himself to a life of having children continually underfoot.

This said, of course, Draco came in for more than his share of shocks. As far as I can figure, he'd never dreamed of someday having to change a diaper or try to comfort a colicky infant at two in the morning. Not to mention the memorable day when Molly and Teddy learned to 'eat' solid food. By the time that meal was over, Draco had green and orange streaks in his blonde hair from everything the twins had thrown around. Surprisingly, Draco seemed to find the situation every bit as funny as the twins did. As far as being a father is concerned, I think he's one of the best.

We're very different people, him and I, and it shows, even now. Our children have learned to ignore the spats their mum and dad have from time to time, and it's even gotten to the point where I recently caught the twins taking bets on when the next eruption would be. It helps that the one thing that Draco and I have always been careful to stress, both to our children and to one other, is how much we love each other, despite the arguments.

It hasn't been easy, for either of us. But it has been well worth it.