Many thanks to Shamione for her time spent beta-ing!
Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.
"Mum! Have you seen my shoes?" Cassiopeia called out from the next room.
Hermione rolled her eyes before her daughter appeared in her doorway.
"Honestly, Cass! Are you twelve or two? Given you live without me at Hogwarts for several months out of the year, one would think you had learned to keep track of your own shoes."
Cassiopeia huffed and swept her hair back in a gesture so reminiscent of her father that Hermione smiled.
"Fine, I'll go look in my room. They're probably there," she mumbled, running off again.
Hermione laughed under her breath and turned back toward the nappy bag she had been trying to pack for a solid forty minutes. With the endless interruptions she'd had, it would be a minor miracle if they managed to leave on time with everything they'd intended to bring. It was Christmas Day, and they were expected at The Burrow by three o'clock. She didn't have the heart to check precisely what time it was now, knowing there were still things left to do. Making it anywhere on time with a gaggle of children was not for the faint of heart, even once you factored in magical travel.
"Mum-mum?" A tiny voice drifted up to her and she glanced down to see one of her four-year-old twins tugging delicately at the hem of her jumper. If only she could remember if Leo or Aurelian was wearing blue today.
"Yes, my love. How can mummy help you?" She kneeled down at eye level with her son.
"Leo hit me with his foot. I didn't like it." His grey eyes were watery with unshed tears. Hermione thought to herself that she should have noticed right away it was Auri, just by how quiet and still he was.
"Well, that wasn't very nice, dear. I'll have to talk to him about it. Since you're all ready to go to Grandma Molly, why don't you go sit by the tree and do a puzzle while you wait?" She kissed his forehead and wrapped him into a quick hug before gesturing vaguely in the direction of their sitting room.
"Okay, Mummy!" The boy smiled at her and walked off, tempted by the mention of his favourite pastime.
Hermione sighed and returned to her packing. She had nappies and a spare dummy, a change of clothes for each of the little ones, and a bib for the baby. Surely there was something she was forgetting, but she spent most of her time so frazzled these days that she wasn't likely to remember until they were already at The Burrow. The magically expanded bag sitting on the hallway floor beside her held the gifts they had purchased for all of the Weasleys; she could only hope she hadn't forgotten anyone when she had made her list. The food still needed gathering in the kitchen, though.
Draco strolled down the stairs with a sleep-ruffled, eighteen-month-old Scorpius on his shoulder. Thankfully, it appeared he'd been dressed since his nap ended, even if he did look a little worse for wear. It was clear his hair hadn't seen a brush in quite some time.
"Did you happen to notice we're running late?" Her husband teased, dropping a kiss onto her cheek?
All at once, Hermione was assaulted by a flood of emotions and a frustrated whimper escaped through her clenched teeth. To her absolute mortification, tears began to pool in her eyes, and she wiped at them furiously, trying desperately to calm herself.
Draco, a contrite look on his face, smoothed her hair back and whispered in her ear. "Hang on for me a minute. I'll be right back."
He cast a Sonorus charm at himself.
"Cassie, Auri, and Leo, meet me by the Floo. Now," he said calmly, with an authoritative presence that the children always seemed to understand meant it was not the time to argue.
The sound of feet galloping down the stairs was followed by a frustrated shriek.
"Leo Malfoy! Give me back my shoes this instant!"
Draco only had to give his troublemaking son one look before the boy sheepishly removed his sister's flats and scrambled to put on his own shoes, which laid haphazardly by the Floo.
Draco grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fire.
"Cassie, I'm going to ask you to Floo to The Burrow with the boys. Your mum and I will be along shortly." He transferred Scorpius to their daughter's arms and she settled him on one hip before taking hold of Leo's wrist with her free hand and stepping into the fireplace.
"Come on, Auri, grab on to Scorp's leg, k?" she said gently, and the boy followed her directions without protest. "The Burrow!"
As their children vanished with a woosh, Draco turned back to Hermione. She was still standing by the sideboard on the wall across from their Floo with her hand on the nappy bag as tears quietly dripped down her cheeks.
Taking her hand, Draco led her down the hall and into the sitting room, where he urged her onto the settee before sitting beside her. He took her hand in his and ran his thumb softy back and forth over her knuckles, patiently waiting for her to calm herself.
"I'm sorry, it just seemed like too much. I couldn't keep anything straight anymore," Hermione said so quietly that Draco would have had to strain to hear her. "I feel like such a failure! I should be able to manage my own children and their things!"
She sniffled loudly, and he passed her a handkerchief without being asked.
"Hey now, none of that, witch. We both know you do the best you can. Those kids can be a handful," he soothed. He leaned over and peppered her cheek with kisses; she smiled despite herself.
"That's easy for you to say. They listen to you." Hermione sighed, leaning over to put her head on Draco's shoulder. "I'm so tired."
He hummed, wrapping his arm around her waist. "My mum says I'll miss this when they're grown. Time is already slipping away from us, with Cassie off at Hogwarts and the twins in preschool. Even Scorp isn't a baby anymore. Can you imagine? No more nappies soon!"
"I'm sure she's right," Hermione sighed again. She turned to look into the eyes of the man who loved and supported her through everything without a complaint and smiled nervously. "But you may not want to celebrate the end of nappies just yet."
She felt Draco stiffen beside her as his eyes grew wide.
"Are you?" He said, unable to mask his excitement.
She nodded, relieved at his joy. "I was afraid you'd be upset. We said Scorpius would be the last, after all…"
In one smooth motion, Draco scooped her up and nestled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He dropped several kisses along the length of her jaw before nuzzling his face into her neck, making her giggle.
"I could never be upset. Every child of ours is a blessing, love," he murmured against her skin. "We can manage."
"You're so good to me, Draco. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Probably step up to the challenge, the same way you do everything else," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"Let's not test that theory. I'd be terribly put out, and I'd have to learn to cook," she quipped with a grimace. "But it's about time we join the kids. We've imposed enough."
Draco hugged her tighter before reluctantly releasing her. He rose to his feet and straightened his collar. "As if Molly Weasley ever minded a few extra children running about. It will be fine. Besides, as soon as you tell her we've another on the way, all will be forgiven."
Hermione stretched up to kiss him on the nose. "Thank you for being you. Now grab the bread pudding from the kitchen and let's go."
Hermione stepped out of the Floo and into her front hall that night, the last of her family to come through from The Burrow. From her vantage point, she could see Draco carrying a sleeping Scorpius up the stairs as Cassie shepherded her tired brothers up after them.
Deciding to take a quick detour before heading up to tuck them all in, she dropped the bags she was carrying and pulled out a single item before making her way to the sitting room.
The lit Christmas tree still glowed brightly, lighting up the whole room. As she walked to the mantle and picked up the last in a long row of picture frames, she glanced over at all their beautiful memories of holidays past. From the very first one, where she smiled shyly at Draco as he stared at her, smitten, to last year's where Scorp was crying in her arms while the twins fought for space in their sister's lap. Each photograph seemed to perfectly capture a moment in time.
She couldn't help but reflect briefly on how different her life was from the one she had once expected to live. Falling in love with Draco had been the first surprise, and having Cassie so young had been unplanned but surprisingly wonderful. The twins had definitely been unexpected, as had her choice to quit the Ministry to open the Potion shop. And she had certainly never pictured herself as a mother of, soon to be, five. But she couldn't, didn't, regret a single moment of it because it was filled with love.
She looked down at the photograph she held in her hands, carefully inserting it into the empty frame. As the image looped before her eyes, she saw Draco ruffling Auri's hair with a fond look, Scorpius attempting to wriggle out of her grip with a determined pout on his face, and Leo tugging at one of Cassie's curls as she tried to smile through gritted teeth. And in the midst of it all was her, trying desperately not to frown at the chaos of her family around her. It was a strangely accurate portrait of their life as they actually lived it, if she was honest with herself.
For the first time, it occurred to her that it might make a better memory than the perfectly posed shot she had been hoping for. She placed it up on the mantle and smiled. Hers may not have been the life she had envisioned in her youth, but it was undoubtedly the life she would choose over again in a heartbeat.