Author's Notes: Thank you for all the lovely reviews, especially for the last chapter. , I'm glad this is the Draco you've been waiting to read, I hope the ending doesn't disappoint!

This is technically the last chapter - but fear not, there is an epilogue. You'll see why it had to be an epilogue rather than just a another chapter when you read it, but I promise it's worth it!

Chapter 28: Goodbye

Hours later he woke because someone was shaking his shoulder, someone who said his name with a very familiar voice.

Isabelle.

He yanked the blanket off his head and opened his eyes to see the one sight he had been waiting to see ever since the Dark Lord had been defeated.

"Isabelle." He breathed the word in a whisper, reaching out to touch her cheek, smiling in wonder as she smiled down at him, tears running steadily down her cheeks.

"I hoped you'd be here," she whispered.

"Where have you been?" He swallowed hard and tried to make his voice sound less like his throat was raw from crying. "I looked for you."

"I didn't know you were still in the castle," she said softly, stroking at his hair, "We all went back to Ravenclaw Tower to sleep after… you know. I didn't want to come here, not after what happened, but then… then I came back down and saw your parents in the Great Hall and I knew you must be somewhere so I came to find you."

"Isabelle." Tears were threatening to fall again, but Isabelle brushed his hand away from her face and stood, divesting herself of robes, shoes and socks before crawling under the blanket with him. It was admittedly a bit of a squash for them both to lie on the sofa, but Draco pulled her round so she was half lying on his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her so they were pressed together as close as they could get.

He kissed her gently and gave a contented sigh as they both let sleep take them.

"You know, I was thinking about what Harry said back there and I've realised something." They were sitting on the sofa eating the sandwiches that Isabelle had made after their long and pleasant sleep together. Draco raised his eyebrows at her to continue as he finished his last bite and leaned back on the sofa contentedly.

"I've been fucking the man who owned the most powerful wand in the world."

There was a laugh, which Draco realised was his own and then Isabelle was giggling too, setting aside her sandwich in favour of wrapping her arms around him and arranging herself on his lap. He looped his arms around her waist and sobered up, looking at her more seriously and knowing that though this might not be the time to say everything, there were some things that needed to be said.

"Isabelle," he began, stopping in confusion when she simply shook her head.

"Draco," she whispered, "You don't apologise ever, don't start now."

"Who said I was going to apologise?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and he caved in, because he had been about to, though he hadn't actually thought about exactly what he was going to say, nor decided exactly what he was apologising for. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he said, and Isabelle looked satisfied, switching her attention to his still rather sooty hair and starting to play with the strands that were falling over his eyes, "But you can't stop me from telling you that I meant what I said before."

"Meant what?" Her voice was quiet and she dropped her hand down to his shoulder, rubbing her thumb lightly over his neck.

"Do you still want this, Isabelle?" he asked, in lieu of a proper answer. He gestured vaguely with his hand, hoping she would know what he meant, "Because I do. And I don't mean just sex." Her eyes widened.

"I'm a half-blood," she whispered, her eyes searching Draco's face as if hoping to see something there. Draco didn't know what she was searching for so all he could do was look at her steadily and hope that she saw the right things. "Do you even care?"

"No." He shook his head stubbornly, but then paused. "Yes." He looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

"All right." She breathed the words on the edge of hearing and nudged his jaw until he knew he'd be looking straight at her if he just raised his eyes to her face. "We can try, Draco. Maybe that's enough for now."

He did lift his eyes then, and saw hers burning with an intensity that surprised even him.

"Your father…" he said cautiously.

"I won't tell him if you don't." She tilted her head to the side. "In fact I won't tell anyone and neither will you. Let's just… let's just see what happens shall we?" He nodded because in the face of that burning stare and her acceptance of everything that was him he could do little else. Instead of answering he pressed his lips to hers and felt her respond instantly, some of that intensity surging into the kiss as she gripped his face and kissed him more deeply than he had ever thought possible.

When the kiss ended he leaned his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

"You're too good for me sweetheart," he murmured, "I don't understand why you're here."

To his surprise Isabelle actually looked amused when she pulled back, the hint of a smirk playing around her lips.

"Draco, good girls are bad girls that haven't been caught yet," she said flippantly, "And now I think we are both in serious need of a shower."

She smirked properly then and Draco smirked back, because a shower sounded pretty good to him right now.

They shouldn't really have done it, Draco reflected, when they were making their way back downstairs some time later, clean and wearing fresh clothes. Fucking in the shower, something which had been everything and more than Draco had fantasised, whilst four floors below people mourned for their loved ones and tried to sort out the mess that the battle had caused, probably wasn't right in retrospect, but then this was what they did. This was how they dealt with everything. Have sex and then bicker about something stupid.

They were doing it now, though Isabelle's eyes were shining with affection whenever they looked at him, and he knew his were too because the world had been made whole again and he felt like he was walking on air.

"That's really not the point," he told her, continuing their argument as they made their way across the Entrance Hall. "If I can work out that the answer is 'a circle has no beginning' then anyone can know it and therefore anyone can get in."

"But not everyone would know it, Draco," Isabelle pointed out, "Only people with enough brains to be worthy of Ravenclaw could work it out."

"I worked it out."

"Maybe you should be in Ravenclaw then."

Draco made a noise of exasperation at what he felt was Isabelle's complete failure to see his point and opened his mouth to reply as they entered the Great Hall.

"Isabelle!" The voice was filled with relief and a moment later Isabelle's father swept her into his arms. Draco blinked stupidly at them for a moment and then realised that his own parents were also approaching, with thankfully a lot more reserve than Mr Fawley was showing.

"Hello, Draco." His mother's voice was back to her usual cold, calm tones, though when he looked at her Draco could see something beyond that in her eyes. "I was just telling Mr Fawley here that I was sure you would both turn up safe and well."

"Dad!" Isabelle was trying to disentangle herself from her father's embrace, something which she only managed when the man released her to glare at Draco and his family. Draco however, was distracted by the scene beyond the doorway. Most of the Great Hall was now empty, with the bodies removed and only a few people still milling around.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked in surprise. Beyond the walls he could see that it was daylight again.

"We haven't seen you since you disappeared yesterday." His mother smiled softly. "Your father wanted to look for you, but I told him we had better let you sleep." Draco felt it was clear from her expression that she knew he hadn't been asleep the entire time.

"Isabelle where have you been?" Mr Fawley said, clutching at his daughter's shoulders and looking frantic, "I've been worried sick! Your friends said you'd slept in the Tower but no one knew where you'd gone after that. Where have you been?"

"I went back to my room," Isabelle said with a shrug. "I wanted a change of clothes."

"We knocked on the door!" he said, now shooting some very suspicious looks at Draco.

"I was asleep," Isabelle said with a grimace, glancing nervously at Draco's parents. His mother looked calm, but Draco noticed a slight tightening of his father's lips.

"We couldn't get in. What if you'd been injured?"

"I'm not injured dad," Isabelle said in exasperation "And the room's warded. What did you expect? I don't want people bursting in when I'm naked!"

This seemed to snap her father out of his obvious panic over his daughter's well being. Draco saw something shift behind his eyes and he gave Draco a now murderous glance.

"You should be in your bedroom when you're naked young lady!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, dad!" Isabelle yanked herself out of his grasp and folded her arms, eyes flashing with anger.

"What were you doing?" Mr Fawley asked again, stepping back and folding his own arms as he looked at his wayward daughter.

"Eating a fucking sandwich!" Draco blinked in surprise, because Isabelle was the last person he'd ever expected would curse at her father.

"Don't use that language with me, young lady!" With his daughter responding by looking suitably contrite he rounded on Draco, "What were you doing in there?" he demanded abruptly.

What the hell? Draco was not at all willing to be treated like some naughty schoolboy by this man, even if he was Isabelle's father. He drew himself up and pinned the man another of his imperious glares.

"Sleeping," he said coldly, "Having a shower, eating a fucking sandwich as well if you must know, though I fail to see what business it is of yours."

"What were you doing with my daughter?" he snapped.

"I've told you," he said smoothly, "Eating sandwiches."

"And?"

"And?" Draco arched an eyebrow. "Answering her common room riddles I suppose. I'm really not sure why this is relevant."

"He's very good at them," Isabelle said, somewhat lamely, as if she thought this might help.

Draco was rather relieved when his mother interrupted. Her cool voice cutting across the conversation and leaving no room for anyone else to speak.

"Fascinating as this is, Mr Fawley I'm afraid my son has a pressing engagement elsewhere."

"Oh yes." Mr Fawley's lip curled into a sneer as a man in an Auror's uniform stepped forwards and for the first time Draco noticed that both his parents' hands were bound.

"Please show me your left forearm," said the Auror. He was holding his wand casually by his side Draco noticed, but there was very definitely the suggestion that it could be held elsewhere if Draco didn't obey immediately. He met his mother's eye briefly and saw her slight nod before he lifted his arm and dragged back his left sleeve, reluctantly exposing what he and Isabelle had already examined during their rather long shower. The mark had disappeared, leaving behind only a thin, white scar running the length of his inside forearm. To say he'd been relieved when he'd found out it was gone would be an understatement.

The Auror examined the scar, nodded towards his colleagues and then raised his wand.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, I am arresting you on suspicion of being a Death Eater and taking part in Death Eater activities, including but not limited to: accepting the Mark; being complicit in the death of Albus Dumbledore; sheltering the man known as Voldemort in your home; and any other such charges as may come to light. You will now be taken into custody at the Ministry where you will await trial. Please raise your wrists and do not attempt to reach for your wand."

"What?" You can't-" Isabelle began, but Draco silenced her with a shake of his head and gave her a rueful smile as he raised his wrists and allowed them to be bound.

"But you can't just-" Isabelle started again as the Aurors gestured for him to join his family. He did so, standing besides his mother and turning back to look into Isabelle's brown eyes, alight with that fierce fire he had seen so often, the one that blazed with intensity and somehow made the world a better place. She looked angry on his behalf and that lifted his heart enough for him to face his fate with more than his usual courage.

The Auror took his arm ready to apparate him and his family away, but he didn't look round. He held Isabelle's gaze until the last possible moment, wanting to remember how she looked right now as he mouthed, "Bye, sweetheart," and then felt the tug as they apparated away.

He realised as he went that he probably cared for her enough to let her go.