a/n...oh goodness, I know you all hate excuses, but I have good ones this time! I procrastinated way too much on my homework and ended up having to read a 600 page book in 2 days (booknotes...they are my friend) then, on top of that I had soccer 2-a-days, which are possibly the worst thing known to man...and if you play soccer or any other sports that have 2-a-days, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways...I know it took forever and I'm sorry...but here it is!

Disclaimer...everything you don't recognize belongs to me, the rest belongs to JK Rowling!

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Dear Mother,

I know that you've probably heard all that's been going on here in the papers, but I'd like a chance for you to hear everything straight from me. Albus has invited you to come down for the Halloween Ball to help chaperone if you'd so like. Hermione and I would like to tell you the story of what has happened, and of course let you see Haley. Send me your reply back soon.

Love Forever,
Draco

Draco sealed the envelope and tied it to the leg of his Eagle Owl and sent her flying out the window toward his mother. He smiled as he watched the bird fade and then walked back over to where Hermione was sitting on the couch.

"Draco, do you want to do this again next year? Come back and teach?" She lay up against him and put her hand on his knee.

"Only if you do honey, I love it here, and I know you do too."

"Mmm, okay." She sighed in contentment and shut her eyes against his chest, taking in the scent of his cologne.

They sat there for the longest while, and Draco was sure that Hermione had to be asleep, so he kissed the crown of her head and threw a blanket over the two of them. Then, there was a knock at the door. He said the password out loud and the portrait opened and there stood his mother.

"Mother? How in the world did you get here?"

"I got your letter, apparated into Hogsmeade, and then came up to the castle." She said as if she had been going out to the corner store to buy some tea. She set her bags inside the room and smiled at the no longer sleeping Hermione. "Hello dear, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you." She yawned and stretched herself out like a cat that had just been awoken by a little toddler.

Draco got up to hug his mother and take her bags into the guest room, she sat down next to Hermione who looked a little more awake now then she had before. "So what brings you here Narcissa?" She asked.

"Please dear, call me mum, and Dumbledore invited me to come for the Halloween Ball, and Draco wanted to tell me the first hand account of what all has happened over here as well."

"Well, we're glad to have you with us, mum." She smiled as Draco came back into the room.

"Yes, of course, how are things back home?" Draco asked, sitting back down next to his wife.

"Oh just wonderful, I've been having so much fun in my class, it's a muggle one I started taking." She smiled brightly.

"What is the class mother?" Draco asked, intrigued that his mother would ever take a muggle class.

"Yoga." She laughed, and Hermione did too from surprise that Narcissa would dress up in a lycra body suit and go into public. Draco on the other hand had no idea what yoga was until Hermione and his mother tried to explain it to him.

"Well, yes anyway mother, I need to go talk to someone for a minute, Hermione would you stay here and keep my mother company for a few minutes?" Draco said with a small smirk, Hermione looked at him questioningly but he paid no attention and turned away to walk to the door. "I'll be back." With that he left and Hermione looked at her mother-in-law.

"I wonder what that was about?" Narcissa said quietly, she shrugged and looked toward Hermione, "So, where's my granddaughter?"

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Draco walked down the halls swiftly, heading toward the dungeons and the potions classroom, a slight smile on his lips. This was going to be perfect.

He knocked on the door to Snape's office and entered when he called him in. "Severus, I have a small surprise for you."

The man looked at his colleague uneasily, "And what would that surprise be, Draco?"

"Follow me and I'll show you." He said, waiting for the potions master to stand from his desk and follow him. Draco led him back to his rooms and said, "Now, wait here for just a moment please."

"Alright?" He looked at him questioningly as Draco went into his room and found his mother and Hermione in Haley's room playing with the baby.

"Mother, I have a little surprise for you, if you'd follow me." He said, a hint of mischief in his eyes. Narcissa and Hermione both looked at each other and put Haley in her crib, then followed Draco out into the common room. Draco asked his mother to sit on the couch facing away from the door and not to turn around until he said to. Narcissa agreed and Draco went back out into the hallway.

"Ready?" He asked Severus, who was standing at the door still, looking very confused.

"I suppose."

"Don't say a word, at least not until I tell you to." Snape nodded in agreement and followed Draco into the common room. He knew who it was sitting on the couch before she even turned around and it took all he had not to turn and run out the door or to hit Draco with a particularly nasty hex at the moment.

"Mother, Severus, I believe you know each other?" He said, smirking. Hermione sat in one of the chairs grinning with the same look of mischief in her eyes as her husband's.

Narcissa turned around and gasped, "Severus?" She said softly.

"Narcissa." He whispered, looking at her.

"Its been so long." She stood up and turned around to better face him.

"Too long." He said, almost speechless.

"Oh Severus," She said after a moment of silence, running over to hug him. He stood stunned for a moment but then hugged her back. "I'm so sorry."

"Narcissa, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"I should have listened to you, Lucius was no good, he was a horrible person."

"Maybe we should go," Draco whispered to Hermione softly, she smiled up at him and they both moved to exit the room to leave the two in peace. Once they were outside in the hallway Hermione hugged her husband.

"That was such a sneaky thing you did Draco!" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist.

"Guile is my middle name." He smirked, kissing her softly on the lips.

"I've come to know that." She laughed again, nuzzling against him. He held her for a moment, just the two of them out in the hallway, almost like they were students again, stopping at any chance to be together in the halls.

"Draco, I love you." She whispered into his chest.

"I'll love you forever, Hermione." He replied, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her shampoo.

"Lets go to the garden." She said, pulling away and grabbing his hand to lead him to the picture of the little boy and girl on a swing, It was their secret garden.

"Burnett," She said smoothly, Draco followed her into the botanical garden and she inhaled deeply the scent of all the flowers. This was one of her favorite places in the entire castle.

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm and they strolled down the paths littered with petals and leaves, trees and flowers on all sides as far as the eye could see. It was undoubtedly one of the best botanical gardens in the world, but only with a little bit of magic here and there.

They came upon the waterfall, a place of so many memories to them, Hermione sat down at the bench and Draco took the seat beside her, snaking his arm around her. She lay her head on his shoulder and snuggled next to him, watching the rainbows form at the bottom of the waterfall.

"How do you think your mother and Snape are doing?" Hermione said after a few moments, Draco thought for a moment then laughed.

"Probably catching up on old times over a cup of tea." He said simply, as if old lovers got together every day.

"Why did you get your mother and Snape to meet up with each other again? You couldn't possibly be trying to play matchmaker, could you my dear?" She smirked.

"Of course not, who would do such a thing?" He smiled deviously.

"Don't come complaining to me though when you find them snogging in some dark corner in the halls like we used to, Draco!"

"Bloody...that's disgusting Hermione!" He smiled at his wife before he began to tickle her sides. She screamed and jumped up as he fought her to the ground in an all out tickle-war. Unfortunately for Draco, she knew his ticklish spots too, and she won the battle. They lay next to each other on the shore of the little lake giggling and enjoying each other's presence. Hermione sighed in contentment as Draco placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I'm glad its all over now, Draco." She mused softly, he nodded.

"Nothing is ever going to hurt you again, I promise you."

Hermione didn't reply but the two lay there still in silence for a few moments when Hermione sat up and looked down at Draco.

"Draco, we should probably be getting back, its almost dinner time."

"Mmhmm," He mumbled, his eyes closed and a half-smile on his lips.

"Come on sleepyhead," She stood up, grabbed his hands, and pulled him up off the ground until he was standing again. "There."

The duo walked out of the garden into still empty hallways back to their rooms. Narcissa and Severus were gone when they got back, but they figured they must have gone down for dinner.

"I'm starving," Hermione moaned, rubbing her stomach and waiting on Draco so they could go down to dinner. "Lets go," She said once he came back into the common room with a tie on.

"A little anxious tonight are we?" He joked, taking her hand as they walked down to the great hall just in time for dinner to begin.

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a/n....really short chapter, the next one is gonna be the Halloween ball, and then after that, probably only a chapter or two left in this story....how sad. Anyway, please review! I'm missing all your reviews because no one is sending me any, I'm beginning to feel unloved! So please review, even if you don't like this chapter because its so short, I'm sure you'd rather have a short chapter sooner than a long chapter later...so here it is!

Love and fluff,

Natalie