24 June 2000

Hermione looked around her room one last time before closing her trunk and levitating it next to the door. Almost an entire year had passed since the Dark Lord had died and as of the night before, she was officially done with her Hogwarts career.

It had been a strange year in many ways. Being Head Student Assistant — even though everyone just called her the Head Girl — meant her own room in Gryffindor Tower. Not that she slept in it much. Thanks to the magic of the castle, she could open the back panel of her wardrobe, tap her wand twice and when a new door appeared in front of her, she was in Severus' chambers. There was even a charm that sounded when someone knocked on her bedroom door so she could return.

She'd stayed with him almost every night unless there was a reason she felt like she should stay near the common room. Mostly it was after Quidditch matches when Ron, Harry, and Ginny would throw large parties in the common room that lasted well into the night. As much as she loved Severus, she loved being with her friends and being a normal uni student as well.

And there were the once a month sleepovers she had in her room with Ginny and Luna. The three of them would stay up all night, trade stories about their men, and laugh until the sun rose. She knew her time to be so carefree wouldn't last forever and she wanted to take advantage of it. Plus, the sleepovers had given them a chance to compare notes on Harry, Draco, and Severus and how they were in bed. Hermione tried not to brag, but she was pretty sure Severus was the best out of all of them. She could compare him to Draco, who was good, but not as good as her man. And she was very thankful she had no idea what Harry was like in bed.

Hermione and Theo, the uni Head Boy, had worked hard on uniting the school over the past ten months and she thought they had made great strides. Whilst they still sat in the Great Hall with their houses for dinner, during lunch and breakfast students were encouraged to sit where they liked. The Slytherin table had become her go-to spot. And thanks to the relationships between Luna and Draco, and a triad with Dean, Seamus, and Millicent Bulstrode that no one saw coming, most of her friends were there too.

Even though busy with Head Girl duties, shagging Severus senseless, and studying for her R.A.V.E.N.s, her final year at Hogwarts had been the best she'd ever had. There were no Dementors, no crazed man trying to kill them, no power-hungry Headmistress. Even the Ministry had left the school alone. She almost felt cheated when she thought about how all of her years should have been so quiet.

She had worked on one special, non-academic issue over the last few years. Using the research she'd done with the help of Charlie Weasley, and leveraging the support of the entire Phoenix Reborn, Hermione had worked on freeing the dragon from the lowest level of Gringotts. They had been at a standstill until Lucius, Narcissa, Theo, Harry, and Severus had threatened to pull their money and transfer it to a bank in Switzerland. After the death of Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers, all the contents of their vault had transferred to their closest living relative, Narcissa. And Severus, whilst his current vault was modest, he brought proof of the Basilisk venom he was about to sell that would make him a very rich man.

The threat of losing gold was too much for the Goblins, just like Bill had told them it would be, and they eventually relented. The dragon tamers Charlie had brought with them, allowed Hermione to assist them as they led the dragon from the bank and into Diagon Alley in the middle of the night. She'd touched the sedated dragon's face as it was placed in a special crate for transporting to Romania.

Charlie had sent her a package the week before. In his letter he'd told her how the dragon was thriving out in the open and thanks to the medical staff at the reserve, they were even able to give her some of her sight back. The package had included pictures, a few (willingly given) dragon scales for Severus' potion stores, and a new wand for her. Made from a very powerful heartstring. Charlie had commissioned it from Ollivander and even though Hermione loved her original wand, her new one was bespoke for her and channelled her magic easier than ever.

Beyond saving the dragon, her favourite part of the school year had been the Easter holidays. She and Severus had returned to Malfoy Manor for the break and she had spent as much time as possible snuggling and loving on her newly born godson, Rigel. Narcissa was recovering from the birth and she had enjoyed catching up with her friend. Rigel was the spitting image of pictures of Lucius and Draco at the same age and Hermione couldn't get enough of him.

And thanks to Floo travel and Apparation, she wouldn't have long to travel to see him once she settled back into her parent's home in London. They had decided to stay in Australia and had offered their home in the city as long as she took care of all the council tax and bills. In a move that had shocked her, even after many long discussions, Severus sold his Spinner's End home and would be moving in with her. They still weren't sure how it would work when term started again in the autumn, but for the summer they would be together.

Everyone thought she would graduate and start working at the Ministry right away, but she had decided to take the summer off. She wanted time to just be with Severus. No war, no classes. Nothing but the two of them.

When Hogwarts started back up and she had her R.A.V.E.N. scores in hand, then she would figure out what to do. She was still torn between working at the Ministry for creatures rights, Healing, or a Charms mastery. Each option held appeal to her and she was having a hard time choosing. So she had decided that for once in her life she wasn't going to worry about what her plan would be.

She had plenty of money in her savings account to pay her bills for a while and Severus insisted on paying at least half the bills so she was taking a well deserved break.

A knock sounded on the back of her wardrobe door and she opened it, letting Severus into her room. Fawkes was sitting on his shoulder and singing softly. He had just been reborn the previous week and she stroked his soft downy feathers. After Dumbledore's death, the Phoenix had bonded with both of them and she loved having a pet again. Crookshanks had decided he liked living with Remus and had not returned to school with her.

"All packed?" Severus asked, kissing her cheek.

"I am," she told him. "Are you?"

"Dobby has already moved my clothing into the house and he said he'd return for yours whilst you eat breakfast in the Great Hall."

"Is he still trying to convince you to take him on as your personal elf?"

"This morning one of my books was open to the section on how to perform the bonding spell with an elf on my coffee table."

"I've never liked the idea of owning an elf, but if he wants it that badly, maybe we should think about it. He wouldn't have much to do, but we'd pay him and give him holidays, it would be like having hired help and not a slave."

He nodded and then pulled her into a hug. "We'll talk about it later. I have a lot to do today so I can be home with you tonight. Have fun on the train ride home and be safe."

Nodding, she stroked Fawkes again and watched as they left through her wardrobe. Part of her wanted to follow Severus, help him settle everything so they could be together that much sooner. But the other half was looking forward to eating breakfast with her friends and then riding the train home with them.

Mind made up, She pulled her school robe from the hanger and put it on for the last time. She and Severus had the rest of their lives to spend together. This would be her last breakfast as a student and whilst it was bittersweet, she was determined to enjoy every emotion that she felt for the rest of the day.

21 June 2003

Severus tightened the rough cotton robe around his body as he made his way from Malfoy Manor to the stone circle hidden in the trees. His skin smelled of the ritual herbs and oils he had bathed in and he inhaled deeply, calming his nerves. He had attended rituals on these grounds every three months since right after Tom Riddle had died. But this one was different.

He stepped into the circle, glowing with the light of hundreds of fairies which meant the Malfoy family ritual had already taken place and now it was time for the guests to enter for the wedding ceremony.

Hermione stood directly across from him, speaking softly to Narcissa. They both seemed to be shimmering in the dancing lights and his breath caught at how beautiful his witch was. He'd spent all day with her, surrounded by nature and the dragons they cared for at the small sanctuary they'd opened with Charlie Weasley the year before.

The idea of working with magical creatures had never been something he'd thought about, but when Hermione and Charlie started talking about it after she graduated with her R.A.V.E.N.s, Severus had decided to walk away from teaching, something he'd never really enjoyed anyway, and began to brew all the potions needed to care for dragons and their handlers. His unlimited access to Fawkes' tears meant they had the healthiest workers and animals in the world. And even though he had never planned on working with dragons, he found he enjoyed it.

Severus walked towards Hermione and Narcissa, Lucius joining him on his way.

"How are you feeling?" Lucius asked him.

"I'm well, Lucius," Severus told him. "Everything went smoothly during the ritual?"

"It did. I know the war is over, but I can't help worrying about my children's safety. Nervous for the ceremony?"

Lucius and Narcissa were the most disgustingly attentive parents to Rigel and their daughter Astrid. Severus had thought they were done having children after the surprise pregnancy four years ago, but he had been wrong. Astrid had been conceived during the Litha celebration two years prior and he had a feeling that the elder Malfoys might be trying for another one after the wedding tonight.

And they wouldn't be the only ones. There had been a lot of discussions, but he and Hermione had decided to not take any contraceptives today and let nature decide when it was their time to have children.

Dobby was over the moon when he found out. He loved children and had even warmed up to the Malfoys after many apologies and care packages filled with socks. He was watching the two toddlers this evening, along with three year old Teddy Lupin.

"Why would I be nervous? It's a few words and some wand waving," Severus lied easily.

It wasn't that he was nervous about the wedding per se. He'd been speaking in front of people since he began teaching. It was the fact that he would be doing it stark naked, surrounded by wedding guests. And this wasn't a potion that could be vanished. Two souls would be permanently intertwined and he wanted it to be perfect.

"It's more than that, and you know it," Narcissa admonished him, clearly close enough to catch the end of the conversation.

Severus ignored his friend and wrapped his arms around Hermione. "Hello, little witch. You look beautiful."

"You don't look too bad yourself, Severus." Hermione ran her finger down his nose and tapped his lips before kissing him.

"Now, now," Lucius interrupted them. "No sex until after the wedding. You know the rules."

"Spoil sport." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.

"Unless you want to put that tongue to use on my body, I'd suggest you put it away."

"Sorry, Lucius. I'm already spoken for tonight."

Rolling his eyes, Severus looked around the circle to see who had joined them. Lucius and Hermione were always teasing and flirting with each other. Of course, Severus and Narcissa as well as the two witches weren't much better. He'd lost track of how many times the four of them had been together over the years. Besides the fact that they didn't live together, they were more like a four person marriage than two couples some days.

Harry waved at him from across the circle, the green scar on his chest visible through his robes, and a very pregnant Ginny Potter on his arm. Severus was surprised to see Bill and Fleur were there since she was due to give birth any day. Tonks and Remus only had eyes for each other while Kinglsey was talking to a blushing Pansy Parkinson. Theo Nott and Charlie Weasley were deep in conversation and he wondered if tonight would be the night the two of them finally figured out they were both mad for each other.

The noise in the circle seemed to go quiet and he looked to see that Draco had entered the space and was walking towards him.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked, nodding towards the altar where the wedding would take place.

Severus began to walk with Draco towards it. "Yes. Are you?"

"I've been waiting for this night for four years."

"Let's not wait any longer."

Taking a deep breath, Severus pushed his robe from his body, exposing himself to the crowd. He stood below an archway of wisteria and began to speak.

"Family and friends, please disrobe and join me as we celebrate the union of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Luna Pandora Lovegood." The rustle of robes being removed filled the stone circle and Severus looked to Hermione who was holding one of Narcissa's hands. Once everyone was naked, he spoke again. "Luna, join us and become one with your chosen partner."

Luna entered, her pale skin glowing in the light of the fairies as she joined Draco to stand in front of Severus.

The ceremony was short and filled with ancient spells that Severus had practised over and over again to make sure everything was perfect. It was the most sexually charged wedding he'd ever been at and was sure his own cock wasn't the only one that was hard as soon as he began casting. He avoided looking at Hermione as he bonded the souls of the two people before him. He knew if he saw her, he'd lose control and take her on the altar before Draco and Luna had the chance to seal their union.

"I now declare you bonded for eternity," Severus said with a sharp twist of his wand.

Bright lights, silver for Draco and vivid pink for Luna, wrapped around the newlyweds' bodies, lifting them into the air before laying them on the altar. They would complete their coupling on the altar, but no one would stay to watch. The magic of the night was impacting all of them and he knew he wasn't the only one that needed to physically connect with his partner.

Leaving his robe behind, Severus strode to Hermione. She didn't hesitate to jump into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist as they left the circle behind.

Her lips were everywhere — his neck, his chest, his lips — as he carried her out of the woods and towards Lucius' prized rose garden. The idea of fucking her surrounded by the aromatic flowers had him half running towards the bushes. When he found the perfect place, Hermione conjured a blanket and he laid her upon it before pulling back to look at her.

They'd been together for almost five years, and still, he couldn't get enough of her.

Gripping her thighs, he pulled them apart and ran his fingers through the moisture that was clinging to her pussy. She arched her back and he didn't have to ask her what she wanted. His own release could wait, he wanted her to fall apart on his tongue.

Severus used his fingers to open her folds and flicked his tongue against her already swollen clit, causing her to cry out. He smirked at how responsive she still was to him as he began to swirl his tongue around the hard nub. Hermione bucked against his face and instead of holding her down, he let her fuck his face as he buried two fingers into her tight cunt.

"Oh fuck, Severus!" Hermione called out, her hips moving faster. "I'm going to come. Make me come."

He twisted his finger, finally pressing against that spot buried inside her that never failed to make her scream and grinned as her cries filled the rose garden.

Not giving her time to react, Severus moved over her and slammed his cock into her still pulsating pussy and she arched off the ground.

"So fucking tight," he growled out, kissing and biting at her neck as he began to pound into her. "Your cunt is so perfect, little witch. I want you to come on my cock. Can you be a good girl and come for me?"

Hermione opened her mouth like she was going to answer him but the only sound that escaped was a loud yell. Her hands moved, fingers finding her nipples and beginning to tug on them in time with his thrusts.

"That's it, love," he encouraged her.

His hand found its way between their bodies and he began to roughly pull on her clit, just the way she liked it. Shifting slightly, he could tell when the head of his cock rubbed against her G-spot because she began to thrash under him, desperate to not lose the pleasure he was giving her.

"Gonna come… fuck, Severus. So close. Come with me."

"Come on my cock, little witch. I'm so close, love."

"You gonna come in me?" she asked, clenching her inner muscles around him and causing him to groan.

Severus had never really wanted children before Hermione, but the thought of creating a life with his witch had a flash of heat shooting down his spine and into his balls. Twisting his fingers on her clit, he ripped an orgasm from her and allowed the squeezing of her cunt to pull him over the edge. He collapsed on top of her, his cock softening until it slipped free as he tried to catch his breath.

"Fuck me harder, Weasley!"

The sound of Charlie and Theo fucking in the bushes just feet away broke through his post-fucking haze. He couldn't hold back his laughter and Hermione joined him. Rolling to the side so he wasn't crushing her, Severus pulled Hermione into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

It had been four years since the end of the war and he, much to his constant shock, was happy. Blissfully and completely happy. He had a job he actually liked, more money than he knew what to do with and friends that he loved.

Not to mention Hermione.

Severus yawned and she conjured a light blanket over them and a pillow behind their heads. The air was filled with the sounds of other couples celebrating Litha on the Malfoy grounds and after a quick nap, Severus couldn't wait to take Hermione again and again until the sun came up.

Charlie was being quite noisy and Severus was looking forward to showing his co-worker just how loud Hermione could be.

They might not have had the most traditional start to their relationship, but he was thankful to have her by his side every day. His witch was his best friend, his sex kitten, his partner in all things, and more than he had even dared to hope for. And he couldn't wait to see how his life would change again if they were lucky enough to have children.

*The End*

A/N: Thank you to each of you who joined me on this journey! I appreciate each review you left and all the encouragement you gave me. I hope you like the epilogue! I had finished it a while ago but last night one of my lovely readers asked for lemons in the epilogue and I couldn't resist. So apologies for any errors in this chapter as I didn't have time to edit it.