The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Home


The chapter title is from the song:

A Little Home – Rascal Flatts.


Blacknot Castle

24th of September

"This was a ridiculous idea."

Sadie glanced over at Hermione and nodded, "I agree. How on earth are we going to top this for their sixteenth next year?"

"We aren't," Draco shrugged, "But they're smart girls. They know that it's only once in a lifetime you get the gift of an extra twenty plus years with your father."

Theo smiled broadly, "Maybe we did spoil them a little. But it's been a shit year, and….this felt right."

Hermione crossed her arms and looked out at the castle's drawing-room. This was Ada and Dora's fifteenth birthday party. The ballroom was all decked out in pink and white – the only colours that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor could agree on. It was a miracle that they were as close as they were, really. There was a buffet table full of fancy snacks and a giant magical chocolate fountain at Dora's request.

They had invited everyone, not just their family but the Potters, the Longbottoms and the Bones-Weasley's.

"Did you only invite the Longbottoms because you want to make Ada uncomfortable?" Draco asked, shooting his best friend an amused look.

Theo chuckled and shook his head, "No, I invited them because I wanted everyone here. I mean, that's not to say I won't be keeping a close eye on how Laurel interacts with our Ada, though."

Hermione shook her head in amusement and nudged her head towards the door, "Here they are."

Ada and Dora stepped in, and Theo's breath caught in his throat. Sadie reached down to grab his hand, and Theo squeezed it in response.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked quietly.

Theo nodded. Seeing his two daughters in his mother's old dresses, it hit him.

"They've almost grown up."

Draco smiled sadly, "Yeah, they have. Two years and they'll be of age."

"Two years is a long time," Hermione assured the two men softly.

Theo nodded and smiled at the twins. They looked beautiful – Dora wore a bronze coloured dress with a glittery long-sleeved lace bodice. Her curly dark blonde hair was pinned against her face, and she looked much older than her fifteen years.

By her side, Ada looked like her mother's spitting image. The way her light blonde hair was loosely curled and fell, she looked just like Sadie had at the Yule Ball in their eighth year. Ada's dress was similar to Dora's because that was the style that Almina had preferred. The skirt was light blue on Ada's dress, and the lace bodice was navy blue and long-sleeved.

"You both look beautiful," Theo said when the girls walked over to them, "Just like your grandmother."

"And your mothers," Draco added, smiling from his daughters to Sadie and Hermione.

Hermione smiled too, "And you have been spoiled rotten. Your Pops has invited everyone tonight."

"Everyone?" Ada faltered.

"Everyone," Sadie echoed, "The Potters, the Longbottoms, the Bones-Weasley's, a bunch of other Weasley's, the list goes on."

Ada visibly paled, and Hermione swore that she caught Theo smirking out of the corner of her eye.

Being a little shit and Ada's twin sister, Dora stirred the pot.

"Worried that Laurel's going to ambush you in a secret passage, Ada?"

Ada rolled her eyes and glared at her sister, "Oh, shut up, Dora."


The turnout for the party was great. The Potters and the Longbottoms all came, as did the Potter-Wolfe's. Charlus and Vic came along with baby Phoenix for around half an hour. They gave the twins their presents, let everyone meet Phoenix, and then they headed home when the crowds overwhelmed him.

Laurel and Ada were dancing together, and Theo was too happy to be annoyed about that. Dora was dancing too, but with her older sister and Nick. Teddy was sitting on the sidelines with an arm casually slung over Nina's shoulder. Lacey had spent a lot of time talking to Nina; Theo suspected they were comparing notes on how awful pregnancy was.

The Weasley's that had come seemed to be having a good time. Ron still wasn't himself, but that was to be expected. He and Clara had spent most of the night drinking beer and pouring over maps of the USA and Canada ahead of their bucket-list trip.

Freddie had spent most of the night dancing with and kissing Andrea Potter. Harry had given the boy a death glare at one point until he apologetically promised to lay his hands off Harry's daughter. Hermione had shaken her head and muttered, "Men."

Fabian and Gideon were friends with Ada and Dora, so they had been chatting away, and Genevieve hung around with the Longbottom twins quite contently.

The other Weasley's who had come along were Bill and Fleur, who liked a good party, and Charlie, Astoria and Amber, who had brought Will along because he was in Ada and Dora's school year.

The Bones-Weasley's were here too, of course. Susan and Caroline were drinking at the bar together, and Addison had dragged Natasha up onto the dance floor. Alyssa was sitting at a table, pouring over a book with Cora Cauldwell. Cora's older sister, Josie, was flirting with one of the Longbottom twins, and in turn, Dora was drawing daggers her way.

Draco crossed the dance floor and held out a whiskey to Theo, "Are you having fun observing all the teenage melodrama?"

Theo laughed and gratefully accepted the whiskey, "Sometimes I miss it, you know?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Being a teenager?"

"No, not exactly," Theo shrugged, "But our eighth year? Yeah, I mean, it was just drama and sex, incredible sex, mind you."

Draco chuckled and caught sight of Hermione across the room, "Yes, but it was a lot more than that too."

Theo smiled over at him, "It was. We grew up a lot that year."

"We did," Draco agreed, "Had some fights, and not to mention that heart to heart on top of the Astronomy Tower."

"When we told each other we loved each other," Theo nodded with a chuckle, "But not in a gay way."

"Yeah, that lasted long," Draco chuckled.

Theo laughed and sat down on a bench window seat. Draco sat on his other side and looked over at Theo curiously.

"What has you feeling so sentimental anyway?"

"Just being alive, I guess," Theo admitted.

"Hm," Draco mused as he sipped his whiskey.

Theo's eyes sought out their family. Sadie and Hermione were laughing and talking about something at the bar, close to Susan and Caroline. Ella was dancing with Andie and Freddie, but she didn't look like a third wheel; she just seemed to be having fun. Caspian was sitting at a table, nodding and laughing at something Thea was saying. They looked happy and free, and it struck Theo that they had managed to do it – they had given their children the lives they wished they'd had.

Theo let out a breath and dropped his hand so that it fell next to Draco's. In response, Draco grabbed Theo's hand then sipped his whiskey as if it was nothing.

It had been a while since they had been this open around their friends. At home, when it was just them and the kids, it was different. But lately, they had shied away from each other in front of company.

"Draco," Theo said quietly, "I've….I've been thinking about something, and I think it might be crazy, but… I can't shake the thought, so I need to say it out loud."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, "You're not about to ask me if I think we should change our surnames, are you?"

Theo swivelled his head around to look at him, "How…how did you…how the fuck did you do that?"

Draco laughed and shook his head, "Oh, Merlin. Maybe we were both projecting over that mind link too much. I thought this was my idea."

Before Theo could ask what he meant, Draco pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Theo. The dark-haired man opened it, then looked up at Draco in disbelief.

"Change of name forms?"

Draco nodded and looked away from Theo for a moment to catch Hermione's eye across the room. He smiled and waved her and Sadie over, then turned to Theo.

"Everyone calls us the Black-Nott's, and we live in Blacknot Castle. I thought, maybe, it was time to make that official."

Theo stared at him in disbelief. He frowned down at the forms in his hands once more and barely registered Hermione and Sadie appearing by their little seating area.

Draco shuffled over and made space for the two women on the bench seat. They sat down in-between Draco and Theo and looked between them expectantly.

"What's the big announcement?" Hermione asked.

Draco leant back, resting his head against the cold pane of glass in the window behind him.

"How do you feel about becoming a Blacknot, officially?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "You mean…changing our names?"

"Or do you mean a four-way magic bond?" Sadie asked. She glanced between them, "Like the Potter-Wolfe's did?"

Theo looked up at his wife and replied, "Both."

This time, Draco was the shocked one, "B – both?"

Theo looked from Sadie to Draco and shrugged, "Why not? We've all shared our magic. We've saved the world by sharing our magic. If we're changing our names, then let's do this properly."

"Jesus," Hermione said. She shook her head, but the fond smile on her face gave her true feelings away, "We don't do things by halves, do we?"

Sadie chuckled and replied, "No, we don't tend to. So…when's the wedding?"

Theo gave her an amused look, "It will be a magical bonding ceremony, not a wedding. And personally, I think we should keep it quiet and low-key. Some of us are more famous than others after all."

He smiled proudly, and in an amused way, at Draco and Hermione.

"Us two," Theo said, gesturing between himself and Sadie, "We're just humble school teachers."

Draco chuckled, "You two are so much more than that."

"And you know it," Hermione agreed.

Sadie shot Theo an amused look, and the dark-haired man chuckled.

Hermione laughed and held up her wine glass, "To new beginnings?"

Draco nodded and leaned forward to kiss her lightly.

"To new beginnings."


Half an hour after their decision to change their names, the four adults gathered their children in an antechamber off the ballroom. The only person who was missing was Charlus, but Draco had a way around that.

"Who's in trouble?" Cas asked when Hermione shut the door behind them.

"It's not me. I've just been dancing all night," Ella remarked.

"And I haven't snogged anyone, I swear," Ada cut in.

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, "No, nobody is in trouble."

"We just have news to share with you," Sadie admitted, "And a decision for you all to make. But nothing has to change immediately, which is the key thing in all of this. You all have time to think about this, and we want you to make your own decision."

Ada frowned, "You're not getting divorced and making us pick which parent we want to live with, are you?"

"No," Theo scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, Ada. We're talking about making this family of ours official."

Dora frowned too, "Uh….but it's already official, isn't it?"

"Not on paper," Hermione said calmly.

She turned to Draco, "Do you have Charlus?"

Draco gestured to the open Patronus channel that hovered by his side, "Charlus, speak up if you can hear me."

"I can hear you. What the fuck's going on? Did Ada snog Laurel Longbottom again?" Charlus's voice came through the link crisp and clear.

"No, I didn't!" Ada huffed.

Hermione held up a hand to quieten Ada.

"Listen – tonight, we discussed changing our surnames. We are a family, but some of you are Blacks, and some of you are Notts. We - " she gestured between herself and the other three, " – have decided to change our surnames to Blacknot, and when we do, you can as well."

"If you want to," Sadie added.

There was a short silence, then Ada spoke first. She looked up at her parents tearfully, "You mean…we could….Dora and me? We would actually have the same surname?"

Hermione smiled warmly at her daughters, "Yes, you would."

Ada looked at Dora, who nodded tearfully and jumped forward to hug her, "That's the best birthday present ever!"

Hermione laughed and squeezed her tightly, "Thank your fathers, it was their idea."

Dora hugged Draco tightly, and Ada stepped forward to hug Theo.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Yeah, thanks Pops."

Both men smiled and looked out at their other children. Almina pretended to huff, "Well, I don't get the chance, do I?"

"Oh, you already have two surnames," Teddy said. He nudged her playfully, "Don't complain too much."

Almina smiled and shook her head, "I'm not annoyed, I think it's a wonderful idea. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll use it for work. We all decided to keep our maiden names for work purposes, you see."

Teddy nodded thoughtfully.

"Of course we don't mind," Theo said, maybe a little tearfully. But overall, he was doing a brilliant job of holding it together, which was unusual.

"Yeah," Charlus's voice said through the link, "What do you say to becoming a Blacknot one day, Vic?"

"You'll need a very expensive diamond ring before I even consider going down that route with you, Charlus!"

Charlus chuckled and said, "I'll change my name in a heartbeat. I'm nothing but proud of the family I come from. I think you guys know that."

Cas shrugged and leaned back against a bookcase, "Yeah, sure."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Well, thanks for that outpouring of emotion, Caspian."

Cas snorted, "Why does there need to be an outpouring of emotion? I've always considered myself to be a Blacknot anyway. I was 11 when I first kicked a Slytherin Prefect in the dick for saying I was a Black-Nott like it was an insult, and I was 14 when I first cursed a Hufflepuff for calling me a freak of a Black-Nott and saying my dads were gay."

He smirked over at his parents, "So yeah, I'm already Blacknot, and I'm proud of it."

Draco and Theo shared an amused look, and Sadie smiled slightly. Hermione looked to the one person who hadn't said anything yet.

"What's your opinion on all of this, love?" She asked Ella.

Ella raised an eyebrow, "Honestly, I can't believe how arrogant you are. I mean, is that what you guys all think now? That you can just change things whenever you feel like it? You think you can just make a decision and expect all of us to go along with it?"

Hermione looked visibly shocked by Ella's response, "Ella, nobody said you have to do anything. You're free to make your own decisions. We just - "

"Mum," Ella cut in, she grinned, "I'm bullshitting you. I think it's brilliant. Of course I'll change my name with the rest of you. We are a family after all."

"All of us apart from her, that is," Cas said, smirking at Almina, "She's half Potter half-werewolf, so I don't even know why we invited her."

Almina flicked a hex Caspian's way, and Sadie rolled her eyes, "Just once, can we get through a family meeting without someone cursing somebody else?!"

"Never!"

"And I'm not half-werewolf, you idiot," Almina muttered; she kicked Cas in the shin, "So watch your mouth, or I'll have Teddy tell his little sister just how much you love her."

Cas's cheeks flushed, and he muttered, "I hate you, Almina."

"You're a teenage boy, Caspian; you hate everyone," Theo remarked calmly, "But before anyone seriously maims someone else, let's get back to the goddamn party!"


Harry had learned how to enjoy himself without alcohol a long time ago, and truthfully, he hadn't missed it for a long time now. Alcohol was something he craved when his life was going to shit, not something he felt he needed to drink to have a good time.

And in the ballroom of Blacknot Castle, he was incredibly content. He was sitting by one of the large fireplaces on a comfortable sofa with Daphne. She had kicked her high heels off and was resting her head against his chest while she sipped wine and gushed over a fashion boutique in the wizarding quarter of Paris to Fleur.

When they slipped into French, he had no idea what they were saying, but he was just happy to have her in his arms. A little way away, Neville and Lilly were bickering about political affairs (from the odd words he'd heard, Harry guessed it had to do with Michael's plans to restructure St Mungo's – Neville seemed to agree, and Lilly didn't). He watched his children with a smile; they were happy too, which always lightened his mood. Teddy had barely left Nina's side all night, and Almina and Nick had been dancing and generally being sociable. Andrea and Freddie had been dancing too, but Harry had sent him dirty looks when he got too handsy with his daughter. Alastor was at the bar, talking to Charlie; Harry supposed the topic of conversations was either dragons or exotic plants.

And Thea hadn't been her usual bubbly self. She hadn't been dancing or acting overly exuberant. But she had barely left Caspian's side all night, and she seemed pretty happy about that.

Harry kissed the top of Daphne's head when Fleur disappeared to get a drink. She shuffled and looked up at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm," Harry agreed with a nod. He looked down at his wife, "Things are looking up, aren't they? I've finally left the Aurors, and I get to have you by my side for the next year."

"We're going to want to kill each other by the end of it," Daphne mused.

Harry laughed, "Maybe."

Daphne smiled slightly and asked, "Harry…what would you have done if the prophecy had been about us?"

"I would have found a way around it," Harry replied honestly, "Just like they did because I understand the way they feel about each other…."

"When you think about what life would be like if I was gone," Daphne finished softly.

"No," Harry said.

Daphne sat up slightly and turned her head to look at him, "No?"

Harry shook his head, "No, there is no life after you."

Daphne smiled and leant up to kiss him.

"You really are getting sappy in your old age. You know that, right?" Daphne asked, her eyes full of warmth.

Harry chuckled, "You don't seem to be complaining."

"Of course I'm not," Daphne murmured, "I fell in love with you when you were a broken war hero, but you were lighter in our eighth year. Becoming an Auror…it hardened you, but I understood why it did, and I understood why doing what you did mattered so much to you. But lately…you're more carefree and calm. You remind me of the boy I fell in love with after the war again."

"I owe it to you and our family," Harry said honestly, "Everyone gave up so much for me to do that job for so long, you more than anybody else but….you stayed by my side when countless other people wouldn't have done. I still don't know why."

"Because, from the moment I let you in by the Black Lake on Bonfire Night 1998, you have been my family," Daphne said softly.

She met his gaze and held it for a moment, "And no matter how hard things get, you don't abandon family."


Harry ended up having a conversation with Theo at the bar shortly after 9 pm. The other man was standing behind it, playing bartender as he sometimes did. He was making fancy mocktails with umbrellas in them for Ada and Dora.

"You're such a dad of girls," Harry joked.

Theo laughed and asked, "Are you calling me metrosexual?"

"Or Draco-sexual," Harry grinned, "Whichever one works."

Theo snorted and said, "One more sparkling water for you? Or are you going to push the boat out with a full fat cola? Maybe even go wild and try a strawberry daiquiri mocktail?"

"Waters fine," Harry chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Theo grinned, "They have glittery umbrellas in them," he said, holding up one of the sparkly pink mocktails.

Harry snorted, "On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you, Theo?"

Theo grinned and waved at Ada and Dora to get their attention, "A solid seven, I'd say."

Harry chuckled, and Theo called, "Girls, your drinks await!"

Ada and Dora came over, grabbed their drinks and thanked their father. Then they headed back over to their friends, and Harry shook his head in amusement as Theo handed him his sparkling water.

"Where's your better half?" Theo asked calmly.

"Uh, last time I checked, smoking outside with Lilly," Harry answered.

"Smoking?" Theo asked, "Daphne Greengrass? Well, I never."

"Blame Lilly; she's a bad influence," Harry joked.

Theo laughed, then spotted Daphne and Lilly re-entering the room via one of the secret passages, "Speaking of the twisted sisters, there they are."

Harry nearly spat out his water, "Is that what you call Daphne and Lilly, the twisted sisters?"

Theo grinned shamelessly at Harry, "Yep."

Harry chuckled to himself, "Well, that fits."

"And they're coming over here," Theo added, "Don't tell them I call them that, please. I'll never admit it to her face, but I'm shit scared of Daphne."

Harry snorted into his water, "Trust me; she knows that."

Daphne and Lilly reached them, and Daphne said, "Two whiskeys, bartender."

Theo snorted and slid two whiskeys along the bar to them, "Since when do you smoke, Marchioness Potter?"

"Since I married the chosen one and my life got stressful," Daphne retorted with a smirk, "Since when do you wax lyrical about Draco Malfoy live on Muggle television, Theodore?"

"Since apparently, the Muggles gaydar is spot-on," Theo shrugged. He poured himself a whiskey and leant against the bar, "I mean, they clocked it from one hug."

"Most people do," Lilly pointed out, "But that Muggle reference is surprisingly spot-on."

Theo grinned, "I'm learning about our 'non-magical brothers' as Draco calls them. And what do you mean 'most people do', Lilly?"

"Well, even I worked it out," Harry shrugged, "Back in eighth year, actually. I told Hermione I thought that Draco might be into his best friend more than her. She thought I was being ridiculous, but that really came around to bite her in the arse."

"The one and only time you were more perceptive than Hermione," Daphne said, smirking at Harry.

Theo snorted, "How do people figure us out so easily? I don't think we make it that obvious, but somehow people always know, and you two," he nudged his head at Daphne and Lilly, "You just slide under everyone's radar."

"It's an artform, Theo," Daphne said smoothly.

Theo raised an eyebrow, "Alright then, how do you do it? How come nobody's ever mistaken you for a couple?"

Lilly drained what was left of her whiskey and grinned at Theo, "Because we screw guys like whores on tequila."

Theo choked on his drink, and Harry snorted in amusement.

"Is that so, Harry?" Theo asked through his laughter.

Harry shot the two women a smile and got to his feet.

"No comment," He replied as he walked away with an amused grin on his face.


As the night drew in, some people went home. Others stayed, and then someone, Harry was pretty sure it was Theo, decided that it was karaoke time.

That was how Hermione and Lilly found themselves standing on a makeshift stage at one end of the hall, singing along to a Spice Girls song badly.

"At least Lilly can hold a bit of a tune," Harry muttered to Daphne.

"A very little bit of a tune," Daphne muttered back.

"Hermione's dreadful, though," Harry said as he covered his ears, "I feel like I'm listening to a cat getting tortured."

"I don't think I want to know how you know what that sounds like," Daphne remarked.

Before Harry could tell her a very in-depth story involving Ron and Crookshanks, Teddy walked over and held a glass of sparkling water out for his father.

"Here you go, Dad. Thought you looked thirsty."

Harry frowned and sipped the water suspiciously, "This isn't poisoned, is it?"

"No," Teddy said. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at his father, "But Dad, why are you being so weird with Nina?"

"What?" Harry floundered, "I'm….I'm not."

Teddy raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yes, you are. Dad, Nina is like one of your favourite people. I swear, you like her more than me, or Almina or Nick. You're always like Nina Frost, changing the world again?"

Harry made a face, "I don't speak like that."

"Yes you do, sweetheart," Daphne said from Harry's side, "It was an excellent impression, Teddy."

Teddy gave Harry a pointed look, "So what's up? You've been avoiding her all night, Dad. She's worried that she's offended you or something."

Harry opened his mouth, then shut it again and looked at Daphne helplessly.

Daphne sighed and shook her head, "Harry, for someone who carried a war on your shoulders and was Head Auror for over a decade, you cannot keep a secret!"

"Not to my bloody kids, I can't!" Harry objected.

Teddy looked between them suspiciously, "What is it? Why are you acting like Nina has the plague?"

Daphne looked over Teddy's shoulder at Nina; she was lounging on a sofa with her head resting in Almina's lap. She clearly decided that they were far enough away for this conversation to be private, so Daphne lowered her voice.

"Recently, your father found out something about Nina. I think that knowledge is burdening him, which is why he's acting strangely around her."

Teddy's frown deepened, "What did you find out about her?"

"That she is not who she thinks she is," Daphne replied diplomatically, "Her mother was called Lydia Cruickshank. Stacey Frost adopted her, but her father always was Dorian Frost."

Teddy opened his mouth, then frowned and closed it again.

"Dorian hurt Lydia," Daphne admitted with a sigh, "And then when Lydia's baby – Nina – was born, he repented for that sin by taking her in and never telling her about her birth mother. Lydia is dead; she killed herself a week after Nina was born."

Teddy swallowed, "How….how do you know all of this?"

"We worked it out from a comment my mother made," Daphne admitted, "You see, Lydia was my half-sister."

Teddy's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "Nina is my cousin?" he asked in disbelief.

Daphne held up a hand, "Teddy, you are our adopted son. The good news there is that if Nina's baby is yours, there is no risk of genetic complications arising from inbreeding."

"Mum!" Teddy exclaimed, "I wasn't thinking about it that way. You raised me as your son; that makes her my cousin."

Daphne sighed and bowed her head, "Well, yes, but cousins find themselves attracted to each other all of the time, Teddy. It's nothing to be ashamed of, your father and I are second cousins - "

"Which he hates to be reminded of," Teddy said, nudging his head in Harry's direction.

Harry shrugged non-committedly, and Daphne continued with the damage control, "Theo and Hermione are cousins and look at how deeply they care for each other. It's frowned upon, yes, and it is old fashioned, but darling, there aren't as many of us as there used to be – it's only natural that things like this will happen."

Teddy shook his head and took a step away from her, "I'm…obviously, I'm not going to tell her. She's pregnant and – I don't want to freak her out – but just give me a minute to wrap my head around this."

Daphne nodded, then she spun around when she felt a presence behind her. For one terrifying moment, she thought it might have been her mother, but it was only Narcissa.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Edward," Narcissa remarked calmly, "Even in the Muggle world, cousins are allowed to marry."

"That's not…" Teddy shook his head, "That's not the point."

"And you're not really the best person to talk about cousin to cousin relations, are you, Narcissa?" Harry asked sarcastically, "You might be a Greengrass now, but you were a Black once upon a time."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

"If you are suggesting that I would ever stoop so low as to sleep with my cousin, then I would caution you to remember that when someone is disowned from a pureblood family, they are no longer considered to be a relation."

Harry frowned as Narcissa walked away, but Daphne raised an eyebrow at her husband and said under her breath, "Three…two…one."

"She slept with Sirius?!" Harry asked in disbelief.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "Yes, Harry, that was abundantly clear from the minute she opened her mouth. Honestly, you can be ever so slow sometimes."

Harry gave her an exasperated look, "Can I just remind you that while you are acting all high and mighty here about how it's fine to be in love with your cousin, how vehemently against sleeping with Theo you were when we were in school because he's your cousin?"

Daphne sighed and gave Harry an exasperated look, "I had to get him off my back somehow, didn't I? I had absolutely no interest in becoming one of Theodore Nott's conquests."

"Yes, but - "

"Guys," Teddy cut in, "Can you quit making this about yourselves? This is about me; my life is falling apart here."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Teddy," Daphne said irritably, "Your life is not falling apart. Biologically, there is no relation between you and Nina. You were raised as childhood friends, not cousins. Stop being so ridiculous and go sing karaoke with Nick; he's been trying to get you on that stage for at least an hour."

Teddy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Whatever."

Harry snorted, "Teddy, you've not been a teenager for a while, buddy. That doesn't work anymore. Your mum is right, and you know it, which is why you responded in such an immature manner."

"Remember my most vital lesson," Narcissa said, reappearing with a glass of champagne in her hand, "If you have nothing of note to say, keep your mouth shut."

"Yes, Grandma," Teddy muttered, "Look, Mum, let's just keep this between us for now, okay? We'll talk about it with Nina when the time's right, but there's no need just now."

"I agree," Daphne said with a nod, "But we're here if you want to talk."

Teddy nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, okay."

"Go on," Harry said, nudging his head in Nick's direction, "Someone's desperate to get you singing 'The Boys are Back in Town' again."

Teddy smiled weakly and nodded, "Alright, thanks for telling me the truth."

Harry nodded and waited until Teddy was halfway across the room before he turned to Narcissa, "You slept with Sirius?"

Narcissa sat down and crossed one leg over the other eloquently, "Did I say that? You are, of course, free to draw your own conclusions, Harry, but do be careful what you say out loud."

Harry looked at Daphne, who seemed amused by the put-down.

"You are so like her; it's terrifying."

Daphne smirked and shot Narcissa an amused look, "What can I say? I learned from the best."

"Of course you did, darling," Narcissa responded with a smirk.


By the end of the night, when all of the kids had gone to bed, only a few adults remained. By this point, Theo was well and truly drunk, but he was having a good time, so nobody was really annoyed about that.

The dance floor had been cleared, and everyone was sitting by the fire on armchairs or sofas. Most of the women had kicked their shoes off, and the men had all shrugged their cloaks or dinner jackets off and lain them over the backs of chairs.

It had been too long since they did this, and when Harry looked around, he realised that the group who remained was – for the most part – the group that he had gone through his eighth year with. The Black-Nott's were all here, as were he, Daphne, Neville and Lilly. Susan was here too, and Caroline was sitting by her side. Ginny and Blaise had stayed until the end too, like they often did. The only person who Harry wished had been able to stay was Ron.

Draco and Theo were messing around because the talk of the last half an hour had been Muggle films – the dreadful to the epic. They had pretty much all agreed to put Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings into the 'epic' category. Then they had gotten onto awful films, and now, Draco and Theo were acting one of them out.

"You're impossibly fast and strong. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. Your eyes are grey, and sometimes you speak like you're from a different time," Theo whispered as he inched closer to Draco, "I know what you are."

Draco fought to contain a laugh, "Say it. Say it out loud."

Theo leant in closer and whispered, "A Malfoy."

Draco lost it then and cracked up, which made Theo laugh too.

Harry shook his head in disbelief, "I want to curse the person that let those two idiots watch Twilight."

Hermione grinned sheepishly, "Guilty."

Harry laughed and leaned back in his chair, "This is so nice. I feel like we've really earned this after this year."

Hermione smiled too, "Yes, there were definitely times when I didn't think I would get this again."

Harry grabbed her hand and smiled at her, "But what did I say? That I had more faith in you than you did."

Hermione squeezed his hand then dropped it, "And you were right. As much as I hate to admit it, you usually are."

"Listen up, you drunkards," Susan's voice cut in through the noise.

"Oi!" Harry objected, "I'm over a decade sober, thank you very much."

Susan gave him an exasperated look, "Sorry – listen up you drunkards and Harry goddamn Potter."

Harry grinned, "The middle name is just James actually, Susan."

Hermione smacked him around the head and said, "Be quiet, mister 'but I am the chosen one!' Potter."

Susan snorted and said, "I figured, while all of us except the chosen boy are drunk and merry, that Caroline and I would tell you our big news."

Theo raised an eyebrow, "Miracle girl on girl pregnancy?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and threw something at Theo, "That's a real thing, you prat! I impregnate women like that all the time."

Neville snorted into his whiskey glass.

"That's enough about what you and Daphne do in the bedroom, Lilly," Theo joked.

"In a lab! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Lilly admonished Neville.

At the same time, Daphne kicked Theo in the shin quite hard.

"Ouch!"

"Be grateful I'm too drunk to hex you," Daphne returned.

Susan chuckled, and Daphne looked over at her friend, "What's the big announcement?"

With a grin, Susan held up Caroline's left hand where a diamond ring sparkled, "We're getting married."

"Yeah!" Theo yelled as he jumped to his feet, "Let's have a party!"

Draco pulled Theo back onto the couch, "We're already having a party, Theo."

"Oh yeah," Theo mused, "Let's do tequila slammers!"

"Let's not," Daphne said curtly.

Lilly snorted, "We haven't touched them since that night in Paris."

Susan raised an eyebrow at them, "What happened that night in Paris?"

"That's for us to know and you to never find out," Lilly remarked calmly, "But let's just say, we don't do tequila slammers anymore."

"Which is a damn shame," Harry said to Neville in a stage whisper.

Lilly shot Harry a glare, "I swear to God, Harry Potter, I am going to kick you where it fucking hurts."

Harry held up his hands, "I'm sorry, don't go all cockney on me."

Daphne shook her head in amusement and looked over at Susan and Caroline, "Congratulations. Are you going to run away into the country again to get married?"

"No," Susan said with a slight smile, "Percy and I rushed our wedding, and so did Caroline and Eddie."

"Because I was a teenager, who was pregnant," Caroline admitted with a shrug, then she sipped her whiskey.

"Been there, done that," Ginny spoke up.

Blaise chuckled under his breath, "It didn't work out too badly for us, did it?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him, "Blaise, I slept with your sister for years."

That comment resulted in general hilarity, and Harry said, "It's a fair point; she did sleep with your sister for years."

"Yes, but we still raised our daughter together," Blaise pointed out, "And in the end, she came back."

Theo opened his big mouth and got himself in trouble, "That's because Ginny couldn't go full-time vegetarian; she likes sausage too much!"

Ginny thrust her wand in Theo's direction, and he jumped to his feet with a yelp, "Ouch! Why are you hexing me?"

With a lazy flick of her wand, Ginny ended the hex and smirked, "Because you deserve it, Nott."

"That's Blacknot, actually," Theo retorted.

"What?" The others chorused.

Draco facepalmed, and Hermione looked at Theo in disbelief, "Theo, we weren't going to tell anyone for a while, you idiot!"

Sadie raised her glass and had it refilled by a house-elf, "Have you seen how much whiskey he's drunk tonight? If you really thought he would be able to keep our magical bonding, name changing thing a secret, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Sadie!" Draco and Hermione chorused.

Sadie's cheeks flushed, and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Shit."

Daphne chuckled, "Clearly Theo's not the only one who has overindulged. You four are making this official then, are you? It seems wedding bells aren't just ringing for Susan and Caroline."

Draco sighed in a long-suffering way, "At this rate, I'm going to have to pour you lot into bed, and no, we are not getting married."

"Even though we basically already are," Theo shrugged.

Hermione and Sadie nodded in agreement, along with most of their friends.

"But we are going to bond our magic because we share it often enough anyway," Draco remarked calmly, "And we are all changing our names to Blacknot. All four of us, and all the children."

"Wow," Harry said, "That's….big."

Draco nodded, and Harry smiled warmly at his friends, "Congratulations then, I guess."

"Harry Potter, the master of understatement," Draco said, shooting Harry a fond smile.

Harry chuckled, and Susan tutted, "Honestly, you two drama queens always have to steal everyone else's thunder, don't you?"

Draco smiled apologetically at her, "Sorry, Susan. Continue to tell us about your wedding, please."

Susan chuckled and looked over at Daphne, "We're going to do things properly, which means I'll need a maid of honour, and if you don't mind, I'd like it to be you, Daphne."

Daphne looked over in surprise, "Me? Not Clara?"

Susan shook her head and smiled at Daphne, "You, not Clara. It was you who told me it was okay to be whoever I wanted to be with whoever I wanted to be it with back when I freaked out about liking girls."

Daphne cocked her head, "I mean…I said that while making out with you in a secret passageway, so I'm not sure that validates it, but I'm honoured either way."

Blaise raised an eyebrow at her, "You really liked redheads back then, didn't you?"

"Back then?" Neville asked. He motioned over to Lilly, with her dark auburn hair, "I'm pretty sure she's still got a thing for redheads."

"But anyway," Daphne cut in, her cheeks flushing slightly, "This is about Susan and Caroline, not me."

"Holy Helga, Daphne," Susan said. She slapped her hand against her chest as if she were having a heart attack, "For once in your life, you're making something not about you! I never thought this day would come; I'm so proud!"

Daphne threw a cushion at her, "Oh fuck off, you cheeky bitch!"

Susan ducked the cushion then grinned, and Caroline chuckled by her side.

"I gotta admit, listening to some of the stories you guys tell, your school year seemed wild," Caroline admitted.

"Oh, it was," Theo chuckled, "It's never a quiet life when Harry Potter is around, is it?"

"No," Lilly snorted, "Amen to that, Theo."

Theo raised his glass and drained his whiskey, and Daphne held up her wine glass.

"A toast to Susan and Caroline!"

They all clinked their glasses together and echoed, "To Susan and Caroline!"

Theo jumped to his feet and stepped up onto the coffee table, "I'll go one better than that, a serenade for Susan and Caroline!"

"Oh god, no," Lilly muttered.

"Merlin help us," Sadie agreed, dropping her head against Draco's shoulder.

Draco fought a laugh and looked over at Hermine, who mouthed, "He's so drunk."

"I know," Draco chuckled in response.

Theo held out his hands dramatically, "It's been a shit year, but it's looking up, and now, the end is near."

"Oh, fuck no," Harry groaned, "Not this."

"Anything but this," Daphne agreed despairingly.

Theo went from talking into singing, "And so I face the final curtain."

He jumped down and sang to Draco, "My friend, I'll say it clear."

"Say it then, don't sing it," Draco muttered.

But Theo ignored him and spun around dramatically, without losing his balance, miraculously, "I'll state my case, of which I'm certain!"

He jumped onto the table once more and sang louder, "I've lived a life that's full! I've travelled each and every highway."

"Brace yourself for the next few notes," Daphne muttered to Susan and Caroline.

"Theo get off the bloody table," Hermione said through her laughter.

Theo completely ignored her, of course, and instead belted out, "And more, much more than this…. I did it my waaaaaaaaay!"

At which point, he jumped off the table, and Draco grabbed him by the wrist, "I'm calling it, you're going to bed."

Sadie was giggling hysterically, so Hermione rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through the other woman's, "And so are you."

"Goodnight, everybody!" Theo said enthusiastically, "I'll be back for my curtain call!"

"God, no!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Please don't!" Harry agreed.

Susan snorted and looked over at Neville, "You aren't complaining too much."

"Which is a miracle. Theo's singing nearly drove me back to alcohol," Harry joked.

Neville cast a spell on himself and looked around, "Huh, what? I cast a muffliato bubble around myself, sorry."

At that, everyone burst out laughing, and Harry decided with a quiet smile to himself that this was the best night he'd had for a long time.

- TBC -