Author's Note:

This still feels so weird, after spending the better part of the last 4 years with this story, agonising about plot details that suddenly didn't work out any more, growling at the characters for doing something that I didn't plan for, and researching my heart out.

Thank you all who stuck around and left comments! It has helped keep going and make sure that this baby has a proper ending!

And thanks to everyone who helped me along the way, your help was always greatly appreciated! Mwah!

Enjoy! :)

Epilogue

Exhausted, and her head throbbing, Hermione sat once more in the interrogation room. She had moved her chair to the wall to lean her head back, the transformed cover still wrapped around her.

Thankfully, she had finally been able to return to her human form, her body covered in scratches and bruises that had already been attended to before Harry wanted to ask her about what had happened in that house.

Harry paced up and down in front of her, sighing repeatedly. "Honestly, I... I don't know what to say, Hermione. I'm disappointed, both as your superior and as your friend."

"Harry–"

"You went against my orders, Hermione," he continued with a stern voice, his hand raised to silence her. "Just what were you thinking? I mean, you basically tortured Riverside, even though I told you he was off-limits. You went off on your own to find The Hungarian, even though I told you—we all told you!—that it was suicidal and that I won't allow it. Was it worth it? Was having your vengeance worth risking your life, Malfoy's life and reputation, your own friends and family, everything?"

"Yes." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment because the light in the room only added to her throbbing head. "And Draco understands."

"Yeah..." Taking off his glasses to clean them, he leaned against the wall in one corner. "For whatever reason."

"Harry, please." She straightened her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "You spent months trying to find them, while they took Draco apart, destroyed his life's work, threatening to destroy him too–"

"That doesn't justify you going after The Hungarian, Hermione! You went against my direct order..."

Wrapping the cover more tightly around her shoulders, she just stared at him. She was too exhausted to even try and explain why she had to do it the way she did it. Even though Riverside would have been enough for the spell to work.

"Fine." He put his glasses back and came up to the table. "We're both tired, I know..."

"Relieved," she whispered, leaning her head against the wall once more. "It's finally over."

"It is." Pushing his chair against the wall as well, Harry sat down and let out a sigh. "Just... what happened in that room?"

She shook her head.

"What happened, Hermione?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Hermione, please. I need an explanation why I found you and Malfoy next to a dead body that showed clear signs of torture."

"No."

"I wish I still had the energy to be angry at you..." He turned towards her, leaning on the table as he studied her. "Because, to be honest, I never thought you'd do something so stupid... You always had yourself under control, that's why I... that made you such a good Auror. And you just go off on your own and—I can only presume that—you kill a man. You even tortured him, Hermione."

She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard. The screams of The Hungarian rang in her head, bringing back memories of those moments when she had been at his mercy, when he had tortured her. He could never ever do this to her again.

She had made sure of that.

"You okay?"

Looking down on her legs, she nodded reluctantly. "Just tired."

"It's been a long day, yes."

She nodded again.

"Look, you know the rules for going against orders, and I can't make an exception for you just because you're my friend. I already let you do a lot more than I should have."

After focussing on the feel of the cover on her skin for a moment and deep breaths to regain her balance, Hermione looked at him. "I'd suspend me too."

"You're not giving me much choice, I'm afraid. Yes, you are suspended, which means you'll have to hand in your badge. And there'll be a disciplinary enquiry–"

The door opened and Theo entered with hurried steps and a piece of parchment in his hand. "Boss, you need to see this. Similar reports come in from all over!"

Harry read through the note then looked at Hermione who had tilted her head towards him, curious to know what it was about. "Just what in Merlin's seven Hells did you do? Twenty percent of wizards incapacitated all of a sudden... This is... No."

Her plan had worked, and exactly how she had hoped it would. She covered her face for a moment and smiled into the cover, feeling nothing but utter relief while the two men kept exchanging words.

No one would try to take them down ever again.

"Harry, have you heard?" Now Ron came in as well. "The Minister's secretary was found dead at his desk. They found a tattoo on him just like Riverside had. And the same ring..."

"It's not just the secretary, it happened all over the Ministry!" Theo sounded astonished at how someone could accomplish it.

"And they are all dead?"

Theo shook his head. "From what I've heard, no. Some of them are just unconscious, but they couldn't be revived yet..."

Hermione finally lifted her head from the cover, only to look into the faces of three tired and utterly puzzled men. Although, her head throbbed harder in response to the sudden return of the light and she winced.

"We're done for today," Harry said, smiling at Hermione for the first time. It was a tired one because it was clear that he was done with the day and everything that happened, knowing how much work awaited him.

"I'll bring her home," Ron offered. "I guess, the Minister wants to see you any moment now."

Harry groaned and got up. "Yes, and probably every other Head of Department."

Just as Hermione rose to her feet, Draco appeared at the door, looking as exhausted as she felt, ready to go home. She waved at him and motioned for him to wait outside before she turned to Ron. "Thanks for the offer, but..."

That made Ron turn to the door, and he briefly narrowed his eyes at Draco before he shrugged towards her. "You two have a weird sense of loyalty... But now, go home and get some rest. Harry probably wants to see you again tomorrow."

"Say hello to Pansy. And thanks for being here." She gave him a brief but heartfelt hug.

"I'm not happy with what you've done, but we're still friends, okay?" After one last squeeze, he let go of her.

"Thanks." With a sigh, Hermione made to leave the room, her smile widening as she joined Draco at the door who immediately reached for her hand under the cover.

"You didn't say anything?" he asked as they walked out to leave for home.

She shook her head. "No."

"Me neither."

Walking to the lifts, she leaned her weary head on his shoulder. "Thanks."

..

"Harry? You wanted to see me?" It was late May when Hermione gently knocked on the doorframe to his office, the door already open. It was the same systematic chaos as always that greeted her, surrounding her oldest friend as he leaned over a report and took notes.

"Yes. Come in."

She was surprised by the tone of his voice, sounding collected and a little distant, so she hesitated for a second before she entered his office. "Everything okay?"

"Just work." His face softening, he closed the report in front of him and instead pulled out a different file from his top drawer. "Your little plan shook up the whole Ministry–"

"Yeah, I've read that Shacklebolt barely kept his position." Hermione made herself comfortable in one of the visitor chairs on the other side of his desk. "It worked better than I hoped for."

He nodded absently and leaned forward, tapping on the file in front of him. "Now, listen. This comes straight from the Minister, but before I let you have a look at it, I do have a few words to say."

The last few words made her feel apprehensive, so she only nodded in acknowledgement. Over the last few weeks, they had barely seen each other, mostly because of the amount of work on his desk, and partly because he was still disappointed with her actions and, in addition, her refusal to talk about what happened in that house.

She had been questioned thoroughly about everything during the disciplinary enquiry, just as Draco had been asked the same questions repeatedly. The Investigation Department had been thorough in their investigation, just as Tubbs and her people were known to be, going over everything she had been involved in over and over again.

Yet, she had refused to give a statement about the incident in the house.

"Tubbs sent me the results of their enquiry a few days ago. The Minister has received a copy as well... The report told me nothing new, to be honest. They came to the same conclusion, Hermione. You killed that man. Not to mention the signs of torture on his body, all the talon marks..."

She wanted to say something about how The Hungarian had deserved it, after everything he had done to her while she was his captive at the fight pit, but her voice refused to work.

"You came damn close to spending the rest of your life in Azkaban, you know that?" With a sigh, Harry removed his glasses to clean them with the seam of his buttoned shirt. The glasses still in his hand, he moved the file towards her. "However, given the circumstances, the Minister and I had a long discussion about how to handle the situation. So..."

The heavy silence brought by his intentional break weighed heavily on her mind, because since the incident, she had had enough time to reflect on the situation and the aftermath of it all. On top of that, the enquiry had made her realise that she had been once more at the risk of losing everything she held dear for acting impulsively.

"So, Shacklebolt decided to pardon you—under one condition. You accept being discharged from your position as Auror, losing your claim to a pension and every other connected right."

"That's-That's all? I'm not sentenced to anything? Not even probation?"

"No." He shook his head and put the glasses back in their place. "It's basically just a slap on your wrist. Officially, and that's what we will tell the press, you resign from your position as Auror due to stress and health issues. Inofficially, however, you are being discharged in dishonour for disregarding orders and endangering others..."

After weeks of pondering the consequences of her actions, Hermione felt utterly relieved to face such a light punishment, and she couldn't hold back from grinning.

"His exact words were, 'she probably saved a lot of people'... All you need to do is sign this parchment, and then you are free to go. Or rather free to collect your personal belongings from your office."

"I... Thanks!"

"You're really lucky... I hope you know that–"

"I know, Harry, I know!" She reached for the file that contained the pardon and the pen on his desk. "I was about to hand in my notice anyway, so I'll gladly sign this."

"Your notice?" He held up the pen for her to take, looking puzzled.

"I've had enough time to think about it, you know? And honestly, I'm no longer fit to be an Auror. I've been through too much, and I can't promise not to act again as I did..."

"I understand." With a soft smile, he watched her sign the parchment. "Although I have to admit, I will miss having you next door. You did a great job, after all."

"That's maybe the only thing I'm going to miss too," she replied as she put down the pen and handed the signed parchment back. "You are a good boss."

"Thanks." He checked the parchment and then closed the file it was in before he leaned back. "I guess Malfoy will be glad about it too?"

She chuckled. "Probably. Although, he's mostly happy that the Wizengamot has overturned their previous decision in the plagiarism case against his company."

"Any plans to build it back up?"

"No idea. He just got the news this morning... Maybe yes, maybe no." She shrugged and leaned her head on her hand. "Right now, we just enjoy the time we can spend together, heal a little more, you know? And I'm glad I can sort things out with the others. Especially with Astoria..."

"They are all coming to Malfoy's birthday party?"

"Yes, and we'd both be happy if you could come too. It's only a get-together in our garden anyway, nothing fancy."

"I'll try," he replied and checked his watch with a sigh. "Ugh. I have a meeting with Shacklebolt in a few minutes..."

"Oh, okay." With a smile, she got to her feet. "I don't want to hold you up."

"I guess he'll be glad to hear that you accepted the conditions..." He rose to his feet as well, putting the file with the signed parchment on a pile of other files he intended to bring along to the meeting. "What about dinner on Saturday? Lily keeps asking about you."

"Yes, that would be great!" She nodded with a smile and made a step towards his office door, but was stopped by Harry who put a hand on her arm as he came around his desk. "Just let me know what time."

"Sure." He pulled her in for a quick hug despite their previous differences. "Take your time collecting your things from the office, okay?"

"I will." She accepted his offer and let him hold her for a moment. "And tell Lily I can't wait to see her..."

..

"Draco, no!" With an amused grin, Hermione slapped his hand to stop him from having a spoonful of cake, just as she came into the kitchen with a note in her hands. "You should be outside... Enjoy the day, you know?"

"I prefer stealing kisses from you," he replied with a teasing smirk on his lips, putting the teaspoon next to the sink before reaching for her closest hand to pull her closer. "Especially today..."

"Happy Birthday, my dragon." Her heart beating slightly faster when she saw his adoring gaze, she let him catch her lips, surprised by the tenderness of his touch.

"My lioness," he whispered when he pulled away again. "My beautiful lioness... Thanks for organising everything today."

"It's nothing big, my dragon." She smiled, feeling her cheeks warming from blushing, then she remembered the note in her hand and held it up. "By the way, Tibby just brought me this."

"That's my mother's seal." Curious, Draco proceeded to open the note and read it, only to break out in a smile at the end. "They released my father from Azkaban today, into house arrest on the Manor grounds... That was you, right?"

With a smirk, Hermione nodded. "I vouched for him... He did help me, after all. And his Azkaban records show that he has been complying with everything."

"Thanks." He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Although, you know that this means we'd have to show up at the Manor more often now, right?"

She wrapped one of her arms around his waist, leaning against him. "Yeah, I know. But it's a small price to pay, I think."

"You made my mother happy." His arm found its way around her shoulders, and he pulled her closer.

"My way of trying to make it up to her..."

"Hey, Malfoy! Got lost in your own house?" Harry shouted from the garden, sounding amused. "Or just avoiding the fact that the Wasps won't win a single title this season?"

"Oi, shut up," Draco returned with the same amused tone and let go of Hermione, the note now placed on the counter.

She nudged him. "Just go back outside, your friends are waiting."

"Our friends," he corrected her with a teasing chuckle before pressing another kiss on her nose just as he let go of her waist. "But the first piece of cake is mine!"

Hermione nodded with a grin and watched him leave for the back garden, where they had installed a small tent and a comfortable sitting area for all their friends, with the house-elves happily obliging to their drink requests. She had never thought that there would be a day again when they all would sit together like this, it still felt like a dream.

Seeing Draco stand amongst all their friends, laughing at something one of them said, made her heart swell. It was like their family had finally been reunited, and that simple fact made her happy. Draco was probably discussing the latest transfer announcements of the Quidditch league with Harry, Ron, and Blaise, as usual, arguing which team was the best. In another corner, she could see Astoria seated in one of the comfortable lounge chairs, gently stroking her now visibly protruding belly while chatting with Ginny, Daphne, and Pansy who had joined her in the corner.

This had to be heaven for all she knew.

So, after one more happy sigh, she returned her attention to the cake. It was his favourite, a dark chocolate sin with just a salty hint of caramel. Thankfully, she had caught him before he could even touch the cake with the spoon; so with a smile, she placed the candles on it and lit them.

"Cake is coming!"

Bringing out the cake, she was accompanied by everyone singing Happy Birthday and Draco unable to hide his smile as he watched her walk to the table.

"Happy Birthday, my dear," Hermione said as she placed the cake in front of him, adding a kiss to his cheek. "It's your favourite..."

"Thanks," he whispered, reaching for her hand on his shoulder. Still holding it, he blew out the candles to everyone's cheer. "Last year, I wouldn't have dreamed of... No, I wouldn't have dared to dream of celebrating another birthday like we used to, with everyone sitting together and—most importantly for me—with Hermione too. Thanks to all of you for bearing with me during the last year, as stubborn and difficult to deal with I have been–"

"A nightmare, honestly," Blaise threw in, to everyone's amusement. "But that's what friends are for."

"To Draco and Hermione," Astoria said, leaning back in her chair, hands brushing over her belly. "For basically saving all of us, and showing us all what it means to give someone a second chance."

Those words meant a lot to Hermione, and she had to swallow hard in response. It had been such a relief when Astoria had hugged her after a long and deep conversation one evening, filled with emotions and honesty, giving them a chance to reconnect. Ever since, they had slowly rebuilt their friendship; but most importantly, Hermione felt honoured that Astoria trusted her enough to come to her with her worries and questions about the pregnancy.

So yes, those words meant a lot.

After another breath, Hermione pulled her wand to cut the first piece of the cake which was reserved for Draco, then she cut pieces for the others at the table.

"So, I heard you had some travel plans," Ginny said as she forked her second bite of the cake. "Greece was it, right?"

Hermione nodded and swallowed her first bite, smiling as Draco shared a quick look with her. "We want to try and find the Harpy community... The male Veela who was in the cage next to me at the fight pit wrote a letter that he managed to contact them."

"You should have seen her when she read that letter," Draco said with an amused smirk before he leaned in to give her a soft kiss on her temple. "Biggest smile ever... I think she even scared Tibby with her excited squeals."

"Not true!" She nudged him. "But yes, I was pretty excited because I couldn't find them myself back then..."

Draco mocked a yelp but then pulled her in closer. "We'll leave after Pansy's wedding. There's no chance we're going to miss this."

"I would have personally hunted you down otherwise," Pansy said with a smirk and a devious spark in her eye as she lifted her drink to her lips.

"Did you get your dress already?" Ginny asked, forking a bite of her piece of cake into her mouth, looking at everyone. "I'm so glad you let us have a range of colours to choose from, Pans."

"I just hope I'll still fit into mine on that day," Astoria said with a frustrated sounding sigh, although she couldn't help but smile holding her belly. "I mean they are trying their best, but my little bug here grows faster than expected."

"You're going to look beautiful, my love." Blaise leaned closer and placed a kiss on her temple, causing a hint of blush to blossom on her cheeks.

"That's how I want to be treated when I'm pregnant," Pansy said with a lower voice, head now on Ron's shoulder. "Can't wait to start our own little family, my love."

Hermione shared a look with Ginny who smiled back at her and then mocked an eye-roll of someone who already had children and knew how difficult they could be sometimes. It made Hermione laugh, and she felt her heart grow a little fonder watching her friends.

And maybe one day...

"So, any other plans for your trip to Greece except visiting the Harpy community?" Ginny then asked, offering a change of subject, just as Hermione was loading her fork with some of her cake.

"Oh, I promised we'll spend a few days at the beaches as well, just relaxing and good food," Hermione said with a smile in Draco's direction, who was already helping himself to a second piece of his birthday cake.

"I'm just glad she agreed to keep visits to historically interesting sites to a minimum because otherwise, we'd never leave that country again."

"Oh, come on, you're just as interested as I am!" To everyone's amusement, she poked her tongue at him in jest. "But you can't visit Greece without at least a trip to the Acropolis and Delphi..."

"I know, my lioness." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer for a proper kiss on her lips. "And I can't wait to visit them with you... As long as you're happy."

"I'm happy when you're with me, wherever that is."

"Cheesy as ever, the two of you," Blaise commented, making everyone laugh. "But honestly, so much better than before."

"Oh yes!"

"Definitely!"

"Absolutely!"

Blushing deeply, Hermione hid her face in Draco's shoulder for a moment. But she couldn't help but smile when her head was slowly tilted up until her eyes met Draco's; the ardent look on his face made her heart melt a little, and there was a soft hum in her head.

This was the happiness she had never hoped to find again.

And she was damned to ever let it go again.

"A sickle for your thoughts," he whispered, just as the others around them started talking again, with laughter mixed in.

"I love you." She placed a tender, but heartfelt kiss on his lips.

In response, he pulled her closer, his smile widening when she placed her arm around his waist, head leaning on his shoulder again as they watched their friends. "Until the end, my lioness."

"Until the end, my dragon."

THE END