I don't like this chapter. The ending sucks. Eh. This is it.

It felt bizarre to have to knock on the door of a house she used to live in, but that was how she found herself.

Aquila smiled down at the old House-Elf who let her in and watched as she disappeared up the stairs to collect Halley. Busying herself by looking around the foyer, she noticed that nothing at all had changed since she had moved out nearly two years ago.

"Sorry. I didn't realise the time,"

Aquila whipped around, caught off-guard. Halley had said that her father would be at work.

"I've just come to-"

"I know, I know, I'll be out of your way in a minute. I left some papers in the living room."

"Right,"

"Mum." Halley appeared at the top of the stairs. "Dad, hi,"

"Do you have everything?" Aquila asked, ignoring the fact that her daughter wasn't actually carrying anything.

"Just a sec,"

"How's everything been?" Aquila asked when they were alone again. He hadn't moved to collect his papers at all. "She didn't cause too much trouble, did she?"

"Not at all," Draco replied. "We've had a nice time."

"Good. That's good. She misses you."

"I hope she's not the only one,"

The way he was looking at her, Aquila could barely breathe. No one else had ever had that effect on her, none of the boys she'd dated before him could ever stir feelings within her the way he could. Only Draco. She couldn't think of anything to say in response, but it didn't seem to matter, because he wasn't done.

"You know, when we were first together, it didn't really matter to me that I was never going to see my parents again. Not really. Because I had you and your family, your friends, they all accepted me a lot quicker than I ever would have expected them to. So much easier than I deserved even,"

"What are you trying to say, Draco?"

"If they hadn't, it wouldn't have mattered, because you loved me. And back in the beginning, when we were alone in that little apartment it felt like it was just us, you know?"

"I remember. Like we were the only two people in the world," she didn't know why she was indulging in this. She wanted to go and wait outside, but she couldn't tear herself away from him, his eyes, his voice.

"Exactly. The rest of the planet could have been burning down to the ground, and we would have been all that was left. When I'm with you, that's all I know. You and me and our stars,"

When I'm with you, everything he'd said was past tense, but that, that was present tense. It wasn't a mistake either. She knew, he never made mistakes in his speech. He meant to say it that way.

"Ok. I'm ready," Halley landed in front of her parents, carrying her bags, while Winkle struggled with a broomstick.

"Wonderful. Lily's been asking about you, all the kids have. I think they might have missed you more than I have," Aquila tried to grin at the appalled look on her daughters face, but she was having trouble. That's all I know. "Only joking, now thank your father and I'll meet you outside."

"Thanks Dad. For everything,"

"You're welcome Sweetheart. I'll come and see you off to school next week, alright?"

"Great. See you then." They hugged each other tightly and then Halley left the hall, the Elf following behind.

"Thanks for… I know it meant a lot to her to be able to visit."

"She's welcome any time. You too. This is still your home and it always will be, I hope you know that."

You and me and our stars.

"Thank you Draco. We should be going, I think. Ginny's invited us for dinner and I want to get Hal settled back in before then."

"I'll see you at Kings Cross then?"

"I'll be there." Aquila replied. She had every intention to leave, but for a moment she felt as if she were frozen to the spot. Had he silently jinxed her? She couldn't move, and in all honestly she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

Draco took a step forward, opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Winkle reappeared at the front door.

"Miss Halley is ready to depart,"

"Thank you Winkle. I'll be off then," Aquila tore her eyes away from her husband and flew out the door.

September first once again brought London's magical community back to Kings Cross station and through to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Being there again, Aquila couldn't help but remember all the times she had journeyed to and from that station herself as a student at Hogwarts. Now her daughter was returning for her fifth year and everything was different.

The way she had imagined her life turning out when she was Halley's age wasn't the way that it happened. She'd had a family, there was happiness, but then everything fell to pieces.

The train was fading into the distance, Halley already inside with her friends, not hanging out the window waving like so many of the younger kids. As the shining red steam train disappeared, Aquila couldn't help but think of the last time her family had been together.

A week ago, in the Manor when Draco had told her that all he knew was the two of them and their stars. If she could make herself unhear that sentence, she knew she wouldn't. It was wonderful. He was wonderful.

And he was standing right beside her, not budging as all the other parents and siblings made their way home again.

"That's that, then," Ron announced when they were just about the last ones left, the Longbottoms disappearing with a wave. "We're free until December. Who wants to go and get absolutely smashed?"

"Ronald! Be serious!" Hermione scolded.

If Aquila were paying more attention, she would have noticed, that Hermione closely resembled Lily Potter as she stood there. Her hair and eyes were a different colour, but the look on her face as she'd watched her children board the train was very similar to the way Lily looked when her son and her best friend's daughter left each year.

"Fine, who wants to come back to our place for a nice cup of tea?" he rephrased, nodding to Niall Callaghan, a colleague from the Ministry and former Hufflepuff classmate of Aquila's.

"Yes please," replied Ginny. "But only if you lace it with Fire Whiskey."

"Ginny!"

"What? Our kids are all gone; I think we've earned this, don't you?"

"I'm in," Harry agreed. Hermione simply shook her head.

"Aquila?" and then more hesitantly a last invitation was offered, "Draco?"

The red-headed siblings and their spouses regarded the man and woman who barely spoke unless it concerned their daughter with concern.

"No. Thank you." Draco replied, graciously giving his wife the opportunity to go without him. These were her friends; he knew he'd always just been tolerated for her sake.

"I think I'll pass." Aquila agreed. "But I'll see you all for dinner next Thursday, won't I?"

"Of course." They all nodded. With one last look the Weasley's and Potter's Apparated away from the station, and left the last two people to stand alone on the platform.

"I've been such a fool" Aquila announced after they'd stood there for an eternity.

"What? No, of course you haven't."

"I wanted to come back as soon as I walked out the door, but I thought that I needed to take a stand, I needed to prove that I was serious. It just got so out of hand, and then I thought I could never come back."

Draco didn't speak he just waited to see if there was anything more that Aquila had to say.

"Can we go home now?" she finally asked.

"Always."

Joining hands they left the train station with a pop and returned to their home where once again, nothing existed besides the dragon and the eagle.