Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything.

The Two

Chapter 12

Tying Loose Ends

Hermione curiously opened the package and found an oak wood jewelry box with a glass covering and "I love you" engraved in the glass. She opened it and a soft sweet tune played and Hermione saw a diamond necklace with a diamond heart charm. She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. She opened the top tray and they pulled out, revealing another level of the jewelry box and a diamond bracelet that matched the necklace and had the same heart charm on it. She examined the jewelry box more and found a drawer as the bottom layer. She opened it revealing a card.

Dear 'Mione,

Merry Christmas, 'Mione. I'm truly sorry about what I said before you left. I don't know if you'll ever forgive me, but I just want you to know that I love you. I'll love forever and always with all of my heart. You're just like this jewelry box. You're special and you have many layers, each holding a new treasure to be admired and showed off. If you forgive me, please meet me in the Great Hall when you arrive back from the holidays. I'll be waiting.

I love you,

Draco

Hermione let the tears fall freely from her eyes, crying for happiness, not misery. She closed the card and closed the jewelry box. She put it on the dresser, admiring it from ever angle. I can't wait to get back to school and throw my arms around him and tell him that I forgive him for everything. And that I love him. I can't believe it…but I know it. I love him.

The rest of Christmas Break passed by quickly, and too soon it was time to go back to school. That morning, things were rushed. They made it to Kings Cross Station on time and everything was going smoothly. The train ride back was long, boring, and uneventful. The closer they got to the school, the more nervous Hermione became. She was wearing both the necklace and the bracelet.

They pulled into Hogsmeade Station and Hermione, Harry, and Ginny made their way to the school. Ron trudged through the snow slowly behind them, not wanting to be around for Draco and Hermione's reunion. He'd heard all about it from overhearing Ginny and Harry talk about it. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door to the Entrance Hall. She stepped inside, the warmth absorbing her in a wave of sensation. She smiled at Harry and Ginny next to her and automatically clutched the heart charm on her necklace, trying to relieve her nervousness. She went into the Great Hall and looked around, wondering if she was setting herself up for disaster. She didn't see Draco immediately, and she was about to turn around when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Harry. Her excited expression turned to confused and he said, "What are you looking for, 'Mione?" She shook her head and turned back around to see Draco in front of her.

"Draco!" She said, hugging him.

"I see you got my gift."

She smiled and said, "Did you mean what you said in the note?"

"Every word."

She smiled even bigger and said, "I forgive you."

He smiled and said, "You do?"

She nodded and said, "I love you, too."

He smiled bigger and bigger and leaned in and kissed her softly. She melted in his embrace. She thought to herself, Things are back to normal. Finally.

Ron watched from the Gryffindor table, jealous out of his mind. He saw them smile at each other and then they kissed. He looked across the table and saw Lavender Brown, looking sad.

"What's wrong, Lavender?"

"Oh nothing, Ron…"

"Come on, I'm not in a good mood either, so let's just talk and get out our feelings."

"I yelled at Parvati and I feel terrible, okay?" she breathed in heavily and then calmed down saying, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm in love with someone, but she loves someone else."

"Hermione's back with Draco? Wow, I wouldn't have thought…"

"You don't need to be reminding me, Lavender."

"Oh, sorry, Ron."

He smiled weakly. She said to him, "Well, personally, I don't like hearing about you being in love with Hermione."

"Why not?"

"Oh, don't make me say it!" She saw his confused expression and blurted out, "I like you, okay!" Ron, stunned, widened his eyes and started choking on his pumpkin juice.

"You what?"

"Yeah, I like you. No go off and be like ever other guy and ignore me."

"Lavender, I'm not going to ignore you!" For the first time, Ron really took in Lavender's looks. She had brown straight hair to her shoulders and angled bangs. Her eyes were bright green, and they sparkled when the light hit them just right. Her skin was tanned to perfection, a cross between Hispanic looking and a slight tan. Whatever you call it, it looked good on her. She saw him eyeing her and said, "What are you looking at, Ron?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Nothing. Hey, do you happen to know when the next Hogsmeade trip is?"

"In a couple of weeks…why?"

"Do you want to go with me?"

"Like…hang out with each other? Or like a date?"

"It could be like a date."

"Oh, Ron, do you mean it?" She was getting excited, and Ron was pretty excited that he'd found a girl that was so pretty and liked him.

"Yeah I mean it! So do you want to?"

"Of course!"

She leaned over the table and kissed his check, getting up from the table and rushing towards Parvati and apologizing. Ron smiled to himself, happy for the first time since Hermione and him had broken up. He finished dinner and got up, leaving the Great Hall to go to bed, in a great mood.

The next few weeks flew by. Ron saw Lavender more and more and grew to like her more and more. She was beautiful, she was funny, she was kind, she was considerate, she was down-to-earth, and she didn't really care what other people thought about her. He spent most of his free time with her, and pretty soon, he didn't care about Hermione and Draco's relationship. He couldn't stop smiling around her. He didn't know what it was.

Hermione and Draco's relationship only grew stronger and stronger as the days passed. When Harry saw how happy they were, the old feelings for Hermione came back. Like how he had felt when he was sitting next to her, and when he saw her, and when they had kissed. He shook the feelings away, remembering how those feelings had changed and he was with Ginny now. He didn't think he had those kinds of feelings for Hermione anymore, but the fact that he had had a small sting of jealousy when he saw Draco and Hermione together, made him wonder about that.

Ginny knew that Harry had once had feelings for Hermione. He didn't tell her, she just knew. It was kind of obvious. When they had gotten together, she thought those feelings had disappeared and he was completely crazy for her. She was doubtful now, because she saw the tiny bit of jealousy that formed when Draco and Hermione would kiss. She hoped that he didn't like her again, because she was, after all, pregnant with his children, and was engaged to him.

The whole engagement had come as a shock to the rest of the school. Many guys had liked Ginny for quite some time, and were waiting for Harry and her to split so they could get after her. The same was true for Harry and the girls who had liked him. Now their lives were completely different. Not as many people swarmed around them, many of their other "friends" who had been trying to get close to the other one had decided to give up and avoid them, and they got many odd looks from students and teachers.

Soon, it was time for another visit to Hogsmeade. Ron was nervous as hell for his date with Lavender. They'd been hanging out with each other for the past couple of weeks, but that had just been as friends. Now they were going on a date, and Ron was planning on asking Lavender to be his actual girlfriend. He bundled up and set out. He met up with Lavender in the Great Hall and they left for Hogsmeade with the rest of the students.

Ron had told Harry that he was going to hang out with Lavender in Hogsmeade, so it was no surprise to them when he ditched them. They walked through the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade. They passed the Three Broomsticks and decided to squeeze in to warm up and get some drinks.

They left a short while later, finding it too hard to breathe in the crowded place. They walked down the streets and soon came to The Shrieking Shack. After the story had come out about Lupin, the run-down shack no longer scared people, but the name had still stuck. Ron turned to Lavender and said, "Hey, Lavender…"

"Yeah, Ron?"

"I was wondering something…"

"What?"

He took a deep breath and spit out, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Lavender widened her eyes and her jaw dropped. She stared at Ron for a few seconds, wondering if this was a dream or not.

"Ron, you know that I've wanted you to ask me that since 5th year, right."

He nodded and she continued, "So, is this for real? You want me to really be your girlfriend? Like holding hands in the hall, eating meals together, going on dates, kissing?" He nodded again and gulped. She squealed, "Yes!" And he felt like he was going to explode with happiness. He leaned in quickly and kissed her. She kissed him back, overjoyed that her dreams were coming true.

Things went as normally as possible. Ginny went to Madam Pomfrey every couple of weeks for a check-up. When she started showing, she had a spell to hide the growth from other people. On weekends, Dumbledore permitted Harry and Ginny to use his fireplace to Floo to the Burrow and make arrangements for their wedding, set for the 30th of June. Ron and Lavender were so in love, and everyone could tell. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other. There were rumors going around that Lavender rocked Ron's world twice a week. No one knew if it was truth or not, but Ron had been a little too smug lately, and he wouldn't answer any questions. Harry eventually got over his whole Hermione thing, and he was in love with Ginny, and only Ginny. Before anyone knew it, it was time for graduation.

Not a dry eye in the place as Dumbledore made a speech about the last 7 years. Then, to no one's surprise, he announced that Hermione had been made valedictorian. She made a spectacular speech about her 7 years at Hogwart's, her friends, how difficult it was because she was Muggle-born, and the new chapter in their lives that they were about to start. Then Dumbledore started calling the names for the diplomas.

First up in the group of friends was Lavender Brown. No one cheered harder or louder than her boyfriend, Ron. Then came Hermione Granger. She stood up slowly and made her way to the stage to receive her diploma. She stood in front of Dumbledore, tears streaming down her face. She shook Dumbledore's hand he said to her, "Good luck, Hermione." She smiled through the tears and went on to shake the hands of the rest of her teachers, even Snape. She turned around, looking at all of her fellow students. The Gryffindor's in their deep red gowns, the Slytherin's next to them in their green gowns, then the Hufflepuff's in their royal blue gowns, and finally the Ravenclaw's in their light purple gowns. She looked out at them and remembered everything about the last 7 years. She made out Draco in the crowd and smiled as he winked at her. She made her way to her seat. Next was Draco. Hermione cheered her hardest for him as he received his diploma, turned around, and winked again at her. She couldn't stop blushing. When Harry was called, half the stadium stood up and applauded as he went to receive his diploma. Like he had said to Hermione, Dumbledore said, "Good luck, Harry." And like Hermione, Harry turned around and looked out at the people he had spent the last 7 years with. Memories of each year flooded back to him. The Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, Sirius, The Triwizard Tournament, helping the Order of Phoenix, using the Half-Blood Prince to help him in Potions, asking Ginny out, asking her to marry him, and then there was now. He went back to his seat as the rest of the names were called. Ginny was called before Ron, which made Ron angry, but Lavender assured him that he'd get a turn. He smiled at her and laughed. Dumbledore announced that Ginny had skipped 6th year, which made the crowd cheer for her, the Gryffindor section the loudest of all. Then came Ron. Dumbledore said to him, "Good luck, Ronald." He only said that to the "Golden Trio" of the school. They were his favorite students, and everyone knew it. The student's threw their caps into the air, tears falling freely.

That night there was a party for the 7th years in the Great Hall. They danced to The Weird Sisters, ate chips, drank punch, and had a great time. Near the end of the party, tears started to fall at the thought of this actually being the last night that they would ever be in Hogwarts. After the party, the Gryffindor's had an after-party, hosted by Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. The party had everything against the rules you could ever imagine. Even the Head Girl, Hermione Granger, joined into the party and let loose, bringing Draco to the party and just not caring about anything. Professor McGonagall came to the Gryffindor Common Room around 4 AM and broke up the party by telling them that, "they'd never have a decent job if they didn't quiet down and go to sleep."

Even more tears fell the next morning as people did last minute packing, saying goodbye to friends, and exchanging addresses. The train ride home was enjoyable for the friends. Ron and Lavender made plans to Apparate to see each other for a date once a week. Ron had forgiven Harry and Ginny for their mistakes and welcomed Harry, his best mate, into his family. Ginny and Harry were staying at the Burrow until after their wedding when they would buy themselves a house and settle down for the new babies, which would arrive in August.

Draco sat next to Hermione, a question burning in his mind. He turned to Hermione and said, "Hermione…I…I need to ask you something." Hermione, completely clueless and confused, said, "Yes, Draco?"

"Uh…I don't know how to say this…"

"Just spit it out, Draco."

"Okay, Hermione," He got on his knee in front of her and took her hands in his and continued, "I've loved you since November 25th of this past year. I've remembered the date because I'd never in love before. I would be the happiest man on earth if you would accept this ring," he pulled a box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a gold ring with a huge diamond shaped like a heart, "and marry me." Hermione eyes widened and her jaw dropped. As her friends waited around her, holding their breath, she pulled the ring out of the box and then slipped it on her finger admiring it. She kissed Draco on the lips quickly and squealed. She said to him, "You can consider that a yes! Oh, I can't believe this. This is so unexpected!" She squealed again as her friends started cheering, jumping up and down, and congratulating the newly engaged couple.

The weeks flew by and before you knew it, it was the morning of June 30th. Butterflies fluttered from stomach to stomach. The wedding was being held in the Burrow backyard, and the reception was inside the house. Ginny stood in her bedroom in front of the mirror, looking at herself. Her dress was pure pearly white, setting off her red hair. The dress fell off of her shoulders and flowed down to the floor with a long veil in the back. The torso was beaded and sparkled when the light hit it. Ginny heard a knock at the door and turned around, seeing Hermione in her pale blue bridesmaids dress, the ring from Draco glittering on her finger.

"Hey, Gin! You look fantastic! That dress is gorgeous."

She managed to smile, but didn't say anything. Hermione said to her, "Ginny? Is something wrong?"

"No, 'Mione…I'm just awfully nervous. What if this isn't the right decision?"

"Ginny, do you love Harry more than anything?"

"Of course!"

"Then this is the right choice. You'll be happy with him. Trust me!"

"But what if—"

"Ginny! Not buts, no what ifs! This is the right choice and you know it."

She nodded and Mrs. Weasly came up the stairs and said, "Are you ready, baby?" Ginny nodded again and walked towards her mom, following her downstairs. She stood at the back of the line, wondering if this was right. First Lavender walked outside and down the aisle with Ron, then Hermione with Draco.

Then Ginny stood there, her dress sparkling in the bright sunlight, her father at her side. He whispered in her ear, "Time to go, pumpkin. Are you ready?" She nodded once again and started walking down the aisle slowly as all the heads in the room turned to her. Ginny looked up from the floor and saw Harry at the other end. All feelings of dread left instantly as soon as he smiled and his green eyes lit up. She just wanted to run to him and let him wrap his arms around her.

She resisted the urge and kept walking, a smile now plastered on her face. She reached the end of the aisle. Her dad lifted her veil and kissed her on the cheek saying, "I love you, baby." She smiled and said, "I love you too, Daddy." She turned back to the front and walked up to Harry, her legs shaking. Harry mouthed, "Hey." She smiled wider, showing her white teeth. The minister cleared his throat and said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in holy matrimony to join together Harry Potter and Ginny Weasly. Harry, do you take Ginny to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Harry looked to Ginny and saw the warmth in her eyes, the love. He breathed in and said, "I do." He let out his breath and smiled. The minister turned to Ginny and said, "Ginny, do you take Harry to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" She smiled again, showing off her teeth and said, "I do!" The minister said, "May we have the rings, please?" He swished his wand and 2 rings appeared out of thin air. The minister handed one of the rings to Harry and he slid it onto Ginny's left ring finger, right by her engagement ring. Then the other ring was given to Ginny and she slid it onto Harry's finger with a deep breath. They linked hands and the minister said, "I'd like to present to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter! Harry, you may kiss your bride!" He whispered lowly so only Ginny could hear, "Gladly!" He leaned in and caught her in a breath-taking passionate kiss.

The reception was perfect. Ron, the best man, made a speech about how much his sister means to him, and how much his best mate means to him, and how happy he was for them to find each other. Harry and Ginny danced to "Breathe" by Faith Hill. Ginny danced with her father and Harry danced with Mrs. Weasly. They drank to Harry and Ginny's happiness, ate a spectacular dinner, and caught up with friends and family. It wasn't only a wedding, it was a family reunion. At the end, Ginny came downstairs wearing a khaki skirt, a black blouse and black heels. Harry joined then shortly after wearing khaki dress pants and a blue dress shirt. Harry picked Ginny up and carried her out of the reception and to a limousine, which carried them to the airport. Ginny wanted to travel the Muggle way, so they went on an airplane to the Bahamas.

(A/N- do you really want a detailed description of the honeymoon? I mean, I'm awful at writing sex scenes, and well, we all know that's what they're going to do. If you want a detailed description of it all (even though I suck at those) then review and I'll replace the chapter with the honeymoon in it. Thanks, DC)

Coming back from their honeymoon, Harry and Ginny were met with the issue of where they would live. Money wasn't the problem; it was finding a suitable place. They both wanted a big family, so a big place was needed with lots of bedrooms. They also wanted something that was close to the Burrow, so they could be with family.

Finally, after weeks of searching, they found the perfect house. It was only an hour drive from the Burrow, but they'd Floo most of the time. It had 4 bedrooms and a master bedroom, and 3 bathrooms, not including the master bathroom. The kitchen was spacious and had lots of counter room and a set of doors that led to an outdoor porch. The porch had steps that led to a pool. The kitchen had another set of doors, which opened up to a smaller set of stairs. These stairs went down to a living room, which also led out to the pool. Not only was the house beautiful, it was in a wizarding community, so they didn't have to worry about being careful around the neighbors or exchanging money or things like that. They immediately made a down payment on the house and started settling in. No sooner had they unpacked their bedroom than Ginny went into labor.

"Mr. Potter, I'd like you to say hello your two new baby girls!" Harry stared at the Healer in front of him, holding two bundles of pink blankets. He took them both into his arms and held them close, tears falling from his eyes. The one in his left arm opened her eyes and Harry saw his green eyes. The one in his right arm opened her eyes and the same green eyes were visible. Harry smiled to himself and went into the room that Ginny was being held in.

He entered and said, "Oh, Mrs. Potter?" She opened her eyes instantly and smiled, despite how tired she was. Her hair was stuck to her forehead from the sweat, her eyes had bags under them, and she was weak and limp, but Harry thought that she had never looked better.

"I never get tired of hearing that."

He laughed and said, "Would you like to meet your daughters?"

She nodded vigorously and Harry put the newborn babies in her arms.

"Hey, babies! Oh, I love you so much. What are we going to name them?"

"I don't know…"

"I like the name Rose."

"Not for a first name!"

"And why not?"

"I don't know…but I like the name Emily."

"Rose and Emily doesn't sound right…Oh, I know! Emily Rose!"

Harry nodded and said, "And for the other one?"

"Genelle something."

"Oo, Genelle, I like that. Middle name…."

"Genelle Margaret?"

"Emily Rose Potter and Genelle Margaret Potter. Sounds good, Mom."

"I like it, too, Dad."

They both smiled and Harry sat on her bed, leaning in and touching his forehead to hers, looking into her deep brown eyes, content.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you, too, Gin. I always have, and I always will. There's no one else in this world for me."

She smiled and said, "No one else you like just a teeny bit?"

"Nope. I love you, and only you. We're married now, I'll love you with everything I have until the day I die, and then in the afterlife."

"You know, it's easier to say: I'll love you forever."

"That's too simple, though. I'll love you forever doesn't say what I'm feeling."

"I don't understand you, Potter."

"Hey, you're a Potter now, too!"

"And now we have two new little Potters…Harry…we're parents!"

"It's wild, isn't it?"

She nodded and Harry said, "Hey, Gin?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I'll love you forever."

"Now wasn't that easier to say?"

A/N- Wow…it's over. Okay, lot's of notes:

Note #1- Well, a reviewer for Too Perfect said something about how I used the word "plopped" too much. I don't know if I did that to this story or not, but I definitely decided to change that.

Note #2- Was Ron/Lavender rushed? I have a tendency to have people get their hearts broken and then meet someone and then all of a sudden they're together. Read my SLOZC fic, College Years, and you'll see a lot of that.

Note #3- I didn't know if Hogwart's would have valedictorians or not, but Hermione fit the description of one perfectly. It was between Ginny and Hermione, since Ginny did skip a year of school, but I liked Hermione in the spot better.

Note #4- As for Harry and Ginny's "song", "Breathe" by Faith Hill…well, I've always loved that song, and one of my BFF's Sarah said, "That song is definitely going to be my song at my wedding." So it gave me the idea for it. I love the song and so I used it. So screw any other Wizarding songs, I like this one. So props to Sarie, who gave me the idea! THANKS SARIE!

Note #5- this is the last chapter of this story tear this was my first ever story, and now it's over…I'm sad! Please review and tell me what you all thought. I think everything is explained in this chapter, but if you have ANY questions at all, put it in a review with your email address and I will email you the answer. If there's a bunch of questions, I'll put the answers in another chapter, so keep a watch out for this one. Don't be afraid to ask a question, I will be HAPPY to answer ANY question you might have about this story. Oh, by the way, I'm so sorry it took so long to update. This is a reeeally long chapter, and my mom cut of my Internet so I had to wait until she hooked it up from me to do a project on the Internet again to update. I'm sorry!

Note #6- I know there are some of you who can't get enough of his story (cough another 1 of my friends Amelia cough) so watch out for a sequel, 'cause I'm thinking about doing one continuing the Ron/Lavender thing and the Draco/Hermione (I get a lot of good reviews on my skills for getting these 2 together. I didn't think so, but thanks anyway all of you!) So don't be discouraged that it's totally over. I may do an epilogue (maybe not) and I'll probably do a sequel somewhere down in the long run. Not until I finish up 2 of my other stories though.

Note #7- Wow, 7 notes already? Wow! Okay, I'm doing some advertising. Another 1 of my stories, Too Perfect, would love some new readers! It's Hermione/Draco and another scenario of them getting together. Harry/Ginny on side. I don't know if any of you are into The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (It may be a kid's show, but I love it) but I have a story like this: College Years. Maddie/Zack Cody/not going to tell you! Suspenseful, no? Haha. Okay, I have another newly started HP story, Depression, with Harry/Hermione. Details in my profile.

A 2nd paragraph! Haha! Okay, so I also have friends on this site, and you should read their stuff, too. Dopey91 (my BFF, Sarah) has a story of Modern-day Moulin Rouge called "The Ruffled Flamingo". It's good. She also has a The Outsiders fic, "We, The Female Greasers." Way good. GO to her profile for details. RupertLover09 is another one of my friends. She writes for Teen Titans, and she is amazingly talented! I'm always updating my profile, so check it out sometime for details on new stories, plot bunnies, recommendations, and that kind of thing.

Okay, that's it. Thank you to all of my reviewers. I love each and every one of you with all of my heart; you kept this fic going and made my day a whole bunch of the time. I now can finally say that I, Dangerous Combonation have a COMPLETE fanfic. Go me! Whoop! I heart all of you so much. You'll never know how much. Please review!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Love you all,

Farewell!

Dangerous Combonation

P.S.- this chapter reached 12 pages! Of course, 1 and a half of those pages are A/N's, but who cares? That still kicks ass!