By Adaia Swordmaiden
Disclaimer: sigh I suppose you already know this by now?
Chapter 9
(six months later)
"I can't do this," Draco said, leaning his head against the wall. "You should just go with Harry and Ginny. I can't go with you."
"Don't be stupid," Guinevere sighed as she picked up the discarded letter from the floor without getting up from the bed. "Why exactly can't you go?"
"Oh come on! I was in Azkaban for ten years - you'd think that I'd be getting some funny looks!"
"So that's it? You don't want people whispering behind your back? Well that's a stupid reason." Draco turned to face his wife.
"No. I just don't want people talking about you. And if I'm with you, they'll definitely do so."
"Pfft." Guinevere rolled her eyes. "I would have thought you'd remember that I also was in Azkaban and had my name and face in the papers during the breakout." Draco turned away again. "They'd whisper just as much. I can handle it." She stood up and walked around so that she was facing Draco. "Now rethink your answer to the invitation." Draco sighed and gave her a quick kiss.
"Fine, I'll go," he said. Guinevere grinned and left the room to do…whatever. Draco ran a hand over his face. "Who the hell came up with the idea of school reunions?"
Draco straightened his dark blue dress robes and ran a brush through his long white-blonde hair before tying it into a ponytail and staring at himself in the mirror.
"You ready yet?" Guinevere asked, coming into the bathroom. "We have to go now if we're to get to Hogwarts in time." Draco nodded, his throat dry, and turned to see her wearing mauve dress robes specially tailored so as to accommodate her swollen belly.
"Let's go," he said and they made their way to the living room. Draco picked up the flower pot with the Floo powder off the fireplace mantle and offering it to Guinevere. "Ladies first," he said.
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You first or I know that you'll be Floo-ing off elsewhere." She glared at him and he sighed dramatically before taking a handful of the powder and, handing the flower pot to Guinevere, stepped into the fireplace, slightly hunched over due to his height.
"Why did I ever marry you?" he asked in a complaining tone before loudly adding, "The Three Broomsticks!" He dropped the powder and vanished in a flash of emerald fire before Guinevere could retort. She sighed and smiled to herself and, taking a handful of powder and placing the pot back on the mantle, stepped into the fireplace. Placing a protective hand over her stomach, she dropped the powder and, with the same words as her husband had uttered, was whisked away by emerald flames.
Harry glanced at his watch and then back at the fireplace in the Three Broomsticks.
"Oh cut it out, Harry," Ginny said. "They'll be here. Sammy, don't do that."
"Don't call me Sammy," the red-headed seven year old tomboy muttered as she stopped blowing bubbles in her butterbeer. "It's Sam." Ginny sighed just as a tall blonde man stumbled out of the fire place and then began to brush ash off and straighten his dress robes. Then he looked up and saw Sam waving at him, her face considerably brighter. "Draco!" she called out and he grinned and waved back before helping Guinevere, who had just arrived, brush off ash herself. Then the couple made their way over to the Potters' table. Draco ruffled Sam's short, dark-red hair.
"How you going, squirt?" he joked before shaking hands with Harry. Sam scowled at him and then grinned.
"Ready?" Ginny said after hugging Guinevere. Sam quickly drained the rest of her butterbeer in a single gulp and let out a huge burp. "Samantha!"
Harry, Ginny, Sam, Draco and Guinevere climbed out of the carriage and stared up at Hogwarts, the adults with looks of remembrance on their faces and Sam's face blank of everything but awe.
"I'm going here in a few years?" she murmured. The adults grinned at each other at her tone.
"Yes," Ginny said. "Now come on - it's freezing out here." Suddenly Sam ran ahead, up to the huge doors and, grabbing one of the knockers managed to knock once before she let go and began rubbing her hands and hopping on the spot with excitement and cold. One of the doors began to open and Sam froze, awe filling her face again. A huge man with a black beard with the occasional grey hair was standing there, wearing a set of orange dress robes.
"'ello there!" he said jovially, beaming down at Sam and then looking up to see the others. "Harry! Ginny!"
"Hello Hagrid," Harry replied cheerfully. "It's great to see you."
"Great to see yer too, Harry. Don' tell me this is little Sammy!" Hagrid said, looking back at Sam. "She's almost the spittin' image of Lily!" Suddenly Sam got over her awe and looked annoyed.
"Don't call me Sammy," she said through gritted teeth. "It's Sam." Hagrid laughed.
"And she's a little spitfire jus' like her too!" He looked over at Draco and Guinevere who were standing a little way behind Ginny and Harry. "And who're you?" Hagrid stepped aside and they all walked in
"Draco Malfoy," Draco said, walking forwards and looking slightly nervous. "And this is my wife, Guinevere."
"Oh, er, hello, Malfoy," Hagrid said, looking slightly uncomfortable himself. He smiled at Guinevere. "I remember you! You're that Ravenclaw girl who skipped a year?" Guinevere grinned at Hagrid.
"Yeah, I am," she said. "It's good to see you too, Professor."
"Don't call me that - I'm not yer teacher anymore!" Guinevere shrugged.
"Old habits die hard."
"Come on," Harry said from halfway across the Entrance Hall. "It's great to see you again, Hagrid." Guinevere grinned again at the half-giant and then she and Draco headed for the Great Hall.
"See," Draco muttered. "You saw how he acted."
"Oh shut up - we're fine," she muttered back and they entered the Great Hall after Harry, Ginny and Sam. The Hall was lit with floating candles and the ceiling reflected the clear dusk sky outside. There were about a hundred people there - the students who had graduated in the same year as Harry and so on and their families and the teachers. The centre of the room was cleared and, on a stage at the end of the Hall that usually had the teacher's table there were instruments being set up. There were little tables lining the walls, about half of them filled, and-
"There's an area for children over here." They all turned to see a greying Minerva smiling stiffly at them. "It's good to see you all again." Suddenly boy with a messy head of golden-brown hair ran up to her, tugging on her robes.
"Mum, I can't find Prossi," he whispered loudly, glancing out of the corners of his black eyes at Sam. Minerva bent down and smiled warmly at him.
"Have you checked to see if she's with Dad?" she whispered and straightened up again.
"Hullo," Sam said, grinning at the boy. "My name's Sam."
"Hi," the boy said shyly. "D'you want to help me look for my sister Prossi?" Sam nodded and then they disappeared.
"My son, Hermes," Minerva said, noting their curious, slightly confused looks.
"He looks like his father," Draco said nervously, unsure if his old Transfiguration teacher would take the comment well. "Except the hair."
"Indeed, he does," Minerva Snape said softly, smiling again. Draco looked relieved.
"Well it's nice to see you, Professor," Harry said and he and Ginny hurried on into the room, barely holding back their laughter. Draco and Guinevere followed suit, though in the opposite direction.
"How old are you?" Sam asked as she and Hermes made their way through the crowd. "I'm seven."
"I'm nine," Hermes replied. "Same as my sister. We're twins."
"My friends Molly and Jackie are twins," Sam said. "They're also nine."
"Hermy!" They stopped and turned to see a small, delicate-looking girl pushing her way towards them. She smiled at them. "Hello, who're you?"
"Sam Potter," Sam said. "Lemme guess- you're Prossi?" The girl nodded and grinned, her curly black hair bouncing slightly. Then she turned to face her brother.
"Let's go and see if we can sneak past Mum now," she said. Hermes nodded energetically. "Want to come? We're going to see if we can find the Room of Requirement." Sam grinned.
"Count me in."
Draco leaned against the wall in the corner, watching as Guinevere talked happily with old school friends. He eyes began to wander, gazing across the crowds, watching people talking happily. He swirled and took another drink of his firewhiskey. He spotted Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sitting and talking together by the drinks table and thought of going over to say hello. But he decided otherwise.
"Draco." He turned to see Harry hurrying through the crowd to him. He looked anxious. "Have you seen Sam? We can't find her anywhere." Draco shook his head.
"Maybe she's snuck out of the hall," he suggested, standing up and setting down his glass. "Do you want me to go look?"
"That'd be great," Harry said. "I'll come as well."
"Right. I'll take the dungeons and the bottom three floors. You take the rest." The two men headed through the crowds for the door.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Hermes asked Prossi with a hushed voice.
"Yes!" she whispered back. "Sam and I both remember that it had something to do with this tapestry." Sam stared at the tapestry of troll in tutus, trying to remember her parents' stories of the room of Requirement. Then an idea struck her and she carefully lifted the corner of the tapestry. Behind it was a door. She turned, her face bright and excited.
"I think I've found it!" Hermes and Prossi rushed to her and Hermes tripped. They all slammed into the door and it swung away from them and they found themselves sliding headfirst down…a slide.
"AAAHHHHHH!" they shrieked in unison, Sam being squashed by Prossi and Hermes, the former of the two clutching to her brother. Finally they slide stopped and they all tumbled out onto a slightly damp stone floor.
"Uh…" Sam groaned as she got up, rubbing her slightly grazed chin. "I somehow don't think we're in the Room of Requirement." She looked around and gaped.
"Uh Sam, do you know where we are?" Prossi said. Sam spun to face them.
"We're in the Slytherin Common room!" she shouted.
"Oh really?" All three turned guiltily to see a tall blonde man smirking at them from a stone doorway.
"Uh, hi," Sam said, grinning weakly. "Draco, this is Hermes and Prossi Snape. Guys, this is Draco Malfoy."
"I don't suppose you'll tell me how you got in?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope! Our secret!" Sam crowed and then she blinked. "Uh…were you looking for us?"
"Yes," he said. "Your father's searching the upper three floors." He turned and, drawing his wand, muttered something. A silvery shape streaked out of the tip of his wand and along the corridor behind him. Draco turned to face them again. "Right, you three follow me. We're going back and you three are getting handed straight over to your parents."
"Um, okay," Hermes said sheepishly. Draco turned and walked out of the common room. The three children glanced at each other before hurrying after them. Unbeknownst to them, Draco was grinning broadly at their little escapade.
Harry arrived back in the hall to find Ginny shaking her head and laughing. Draco was grinning and drinking a firewiskey.
"What happened?" he asked. Ginny grinned at him.
"Draco found Sammy with McGonagall and Snape's children in the Slytherin common room," she said. "Apparently they've found a secret passage down there and they won't tell where it starts." Harry laughed as well.
"I feel almost sorry for the Slytherins once Sam's at school," he said. Draco smiled and turned, making his way through the crowd to where he had left Guinevere talking to a few old Ravenclaw friends. She grinned at him and pulled him up to stand beside her.
"And this is the hunk I married," she said. Cho Chang, Alice Harding and Marie Defoe smiled at him.
"Nice to see you again, Malfoy," Chang said. Draco looked slightly relieved. He and Chang had gotten on fairly well in their last year, when the house rivalries had started to break down.
"Now shoo," Guinevere said and, with a grin, Draco did as he was told. Perhaps school reunions weren't so bad after all.
Draco yawned as he sat down on the bed.
"Well that wasn't so bad after all, was it?" Guinevere said as she emerged from the bathroom in her dressing gown.
"I hate to admit it but you're right," Draco muttered. Guinevere smiled as she sat beside him and threw her arms around his shoulders.
"Sammy looked so cute, didn't she?" she murmured. "I hope that our daughter will be just as cute."
"Daughter? Don't talk nonsense, woman, Draco the Second will be a boy." With a small scream of indignation, Guinevere tackled him off the bed and onto the ground. She sat on his stomach and glared at him with mock offence.
"Take that back," she said. Draco shook his head, a wicked smile growing over his face. Suddenly he grabbed her and pushed her off him and onto the bed. He then crawled up onto the bed after her. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Well if it is a girl," Draco murmured between kisses. "She'll be as tomboyish as Sammy, I promise you that." Guinevere didn't reply, only smiled knowingly.
A/N: finally finished! Many thankies to all those who have reviewed and very funny, Red-Devil15. I am planning on writing a sequel, which will focus on Sammy Potter at Hogwarts. But I might take a while getting it started. Once again, many thankies!