A/N: Sorry its taken so long to get this out, can't remember if I've updated since I came out of hospital or not. The last few weeks have been such hard work, I'm totally exhausted, and I'm supposed to be back in school but obviously can't return full time as yet. Which is a problem since I have exams next week. However I've found some great degree courses involving Creative Writing, including a few in places I would love to go to uni. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy the chapter, I'm quite fond of it actually, its all set in one scene which is unusual for me and its one of my longer offerings.

Ginny examined a picture of Lissy and Alex, it was in a solid silver frame inscribed on the back with "Alexander Draco Lucius & Elizabeth Hermione Narcissa, with Draco Abraxas Malfoy, Bali, 2 months old". The twins were balanced precariously in Draco's tanned arms and his once steely gaze was watchful of his delicate charges who every so often would wrinkle their noses and blink in the soft evening sunlight.

She softly put it back down, the kitchen was quiet compared to the shouts that echoed from pool – the children had consumed their dinner with alarming speed and returned to their cheerful games.

"You know if you melted that down you could probably make a few nice necklaces." Ginny turned around to see a chuckling and half naked Draco. His muscular and sinewy frame uncovered until below his belly button where a pair of black board shorts hung effortlessly from his hips. As he turned around Ginny had a brief glimpse of a tattoo on his shoulder blade as he rummaged in the fridge.

"Kid's been alright?" Draco emerged clutching a beer and smiled tiredly.

"Yeah they've been great. Extremely noisy," her point was echoed by a voracious scream from the pool at which Draco barely batted an eyelid. "But great."

"Good, good. Best not to let them have all the fun then," he winked and sauntered through to the pool where she had a glimpse of his ankles being grabbed by various small hands and a shout of surprise as he was pulled into the water. Chuckling Ginny turned back to the table to see Hermione smiling at her.

"Gin, you are a saviour."

"How were the meetings?"

"Horribly dull." She handed her contemporary a glass of gillywater and sighed. Shrieks and squeals erupted from the pool as Draco initiated a particularly violent water fight. "Look's like he's found a way of relaxing." They chuckled and sipped their drinks. "How's Harry? Sirius and Lily killed each other yet? Ron? Your mother?" It hadn't just been that day that Hermione had been tied up in business meetings; she and Ginny hadn't seen each other for over a week.

"Mum's good. Well, she was when I dropped Siri and Lils off; goodness knows they've probably torn the house apart by now. Ron and Harry are looking forward to tomorrow," Draco had invited the pair, along with Blaise and Bill over for a poker night. "You know how competitive Ron gets." Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Still?"

"Oh yes…Jake, Fred's eldest beat him at chess in the summer and he went into a sulk the like's of which you have not seen since, well…your fourth year. Fred, ever the proud father, always brings it up. Oh, and of course how could I forget, Angelina said yes of course to the invitation. Both of them in fact."

Hermione grinned, she was holding a Christmas Eve dinner in the townhouse, and then she and Draco were hosting a large party at the Manor on New Year's Eve.

"She can't wait to see the houses," Ginny continued. "But you should have seen the look on her face when I said that the New Year's party was at Malfoy Manor. I think she thought it had fallen into disrepair by now or something."

"Hardly…Narcissa's house elves are the most dedicated bunch south of the Arctic. Quite frightening really…"

"And Narcissa doesn't mind…"

"About an invasion of Weasley's in her house?" Ginny nodded. "Draco's awfully persuasive. And she's accepted me hasn't she?" Hermione winked.

"You're coming to the Burrow on Boxing Day aren't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Upon her appearance, Ginny had explained to Hermione that given the large numbers involved in Weasley family get togethers, it had been decided a few years back that Christmas Day was spent in your own family home – of course a couple of the siblings and their family's always got together, and Molly and Arthur would grace a couple of gatherings every year, due to the fact that there were nearly thirty of them in the nuclear family now. So it was a lot easier if they stayed at home with their spouses' families and then everyone would descend on the Burrow on Boxing Day. Since their arrival back in England, Hermione and Draco had stayed in the townhouse for Christmas – much cosier, and Narcissa and Hermione's parents would join them for the festivities.

"You know, I still don't quite understand it…" Ginny glanced towards the pool and back at Hermione.

"Understand what, Ginny?"

"Draco…how could he change that much, has he really changed?" She blushed as Hermione frowned and hastily gulped some of her drink.

"I don't honestly think he has changed." Hermione sighed. "Sometimes, when he's in a bad mood, I see the word Mudblood or some other similar critique forming on his lips and I have to get out of there before he mentions it. But…" She hurriedly chose to continue her sentence as she saw the look on Ginny's face. "He knows I won't accept behaviour like that in any shape or form so he doesn't do it, or stops himself before he says it. We've both become very good at removing ourselves from situations where we bring up our past."

"But surely, how can you love someone who doesn't accept you for who you are?"

"Oh he does, completely. The problem lies in his upbringing and his initial reaction insult me is to curse my parentage or some such nonsense. He hasn't changed much, but he has improved. And I love him for that, for what he has become, for what he's made of himself." She turned to see Draco stood on the edge of the pool holding Lissy above the water, she could see the Dark Mark on his arm, but the smile on his face contradicted that so much Hermione couldn't help the ghost of a smile that graced her lips. "He's had a horrific past Ginny, he's done some awful things – and I know that some of them he wouldn't take back, couldn't take back, but I've come to terms with that. After all, after the war I looked back and I know I wouldn't take back some of the things I did. He's made the effort to move beyond his past though, and it's been very hard for him, particularly the recent incident with the ministry."

"Would he ever return to his old ways?"

"Old ways? Ginny they are his ways…oh no, not the murdering and torture," she added quickly, the look on Ginny's face was one of utter shock and horror. "Merlin no, he did that under the threat of Voldemort, I merely meant his pureblood upbringing. I suppose you haven't noticed much with the children, but they certainly have a slightly superior attitude. When he was younger, Draco truly believed he was superior, to me, to you, to everyone. He is still arrogant, although it's toned down now."

"I had noticed actually, he's certainly more pleasant, at least around me if not Harry."

"That's an old grudge, its going to take some work to overcome it…"

"But they are both trying." Ginny smirked and Hermione chuckled.

"Yes, shockingly." She winked and a look passed between the women that suggested that no matter what their husbands thought, they had them under complete control.

Ginny glanced at her watch and frowned, "I'd better get going; I said to Mum I'd pick Siri and Lils up over ten minutes ago. She'll start worrying soon, considering where I am."

"Okay, thanks so much again Gin."

"Oh no problem." Ginny smiled warmly and the pair stood up. "I'll just pop in and say goodnight to the kids." Hermione nodded and Ginny crossed over to the pool where she narrowly avoided getting soaked before returning to Hermione.

"Pop over for coffee tomorrow when you come to get James. Lavender's coming as well."

"Okay, three o'clock right?"

"Yeah." Hermione nodded and the two hugged, Ginny disapparating moment's later. Hermione sat back down in her chair and sighed, running her hands through her hair. Explaining her feelings, and Draco's changes always exhausted, but she was certainly better at it than him – when asked he just mumbled and defiantly stated that he was the same person as ever. And he was, in a way, after all you can't change the entire fabric of your personality, it was just the way that he used his particular traits in a different way. "Mum?" She looked up to see Lissy a few feet a way, observing her quizzically.

"Oh, hello darling. How was your term?" She smiled weakly in her exhaustion only to be almost knocked off the chair as the younger of her children enveloped her in a heart warming hug despite soaking her mother to the bone.

"Amazing…"Lissy breathed and started into a huge crescendo of newly acquired knowledge and gossip, Hermione grinned to herself, this was what having children was all about.

A/N: I hope all Hermione's blathering makes sense! Describing Draco as muscular might come as a slight oddity given that he's over thirty in this story, hence the comment about his frame and muscles being sinewy. I don't want him to be all perfect and smooth because of his age, he's a bit rough around the edges now.