19. Chapter
The Epilogue
An agitated feminine voice shouted through the deserted halls of Malfoy Manor.
"Hurry up, or we are going to be late! And I really don't want to be the person who has to explain to your grandparents and your aunt and uncle, why we Malfoys weren't able to be on time. And we are always on time, remember!"
With an irritated huff did Kiara Dorina Malfoy turn around and she slowly walked over to the sitting room. She didn't know why, but every time they had to be punctual, some Malfoy family member did his or her best to prevent them from leaving on time. This time her kids where the ones to fulfil the job and they did it with a passion. With another sigh she entered the room and walked over to where her husband was actually reading the newspaper.
She let herself sink down on the comfortable couch and snuggled deep into Draco's embrace. The Malfoy Head of Family smiled broadly at her, laid one of his arms around her shoulder, brought her nearer to his chest and then kissed her lovingly on the lips. A small and satisfied moan escaped Kiara's lips and she closed her eyes in expectation.
More than twelve years had passed since their phenomenal wedding and they stilled loved each other like on the first day. Sometimes Kiara even suspected their love grew with each passing day. She could feel her husband place his hands around her back and without having to think she placed hers around his neck. Their moaning and kissing increased and they might have gone further, if -
"Mum, Dad, go get yourself a room! Please, those are things nobody wished to witness ever!"
The two of them immediately sprang apart, their faces flushed and their hair and clothes a mess. They easily spun around to glare at the offending intruders, who had dared to interrupt their valuable and highly prized alone time. But the flush only intensified when they noticed who was standing in the doorframe.
A young man at the age of twelve leaned at the doorframe and looked at them with sparkling eyes. He had an elegant, well-formed, aristocratic face with high cheekbones. In the middle of his face was a small, cute snub nose, which he had inherited from his mother. A pair of big, light blue eyes looked teasing at them. They had small, silver aspects around the iris and were framed by long, dark blond eyelashes and cultivated, slightly curved eyebrows. Full, curved, pink lips completed the stunning facial features. The short, silkily shining, silver blond hair and the milky alabaster skin worked well with it.
He was going to be one meter and eighty-eight centimetres high and would be described as tall as such. He was slender but sporty. A muscular, slender chest, a flat and trained abdomen, slender hips and long, well shaped thighs proved it. All in all one could be sure that he was a light veela. His silver blond hair and light blue eyes, together with the fact that he looked like the living replica of his father, only helped to prove this point.
"Alexander Nicolai Malfoy" was written in elegant silver letters on his black trunk.
The young man standing shortly behind him couldn't have looked more different if he had wanted to. He had a well-formed, aristocratic face with Draco's cheekbones and chin. His nose was small and straight and his lips full, pink and constantly pouting. A big pair of emerald green eyes, with golden aspects around the iris was looking shyly at the couple in front of them. Long, dark eyelashes and perfectly kept, thin eyebrows completed the handsome face. His skin was slightly tanned and his shoulder long, silkily shining, night black hair, which fell in light waves to his shoulder, went perfectly with it.
He was going to be a little bit shorter than his brother, only going to reach the one meter and eighty-five centimetres in a few years. But just like his brother he was slender but sporty. His chest was slender but muscular, his abdomen well trained and flat, his hips slender and his long thighs well shaped. Due to his emerald green eyes and his night black hair, one easily knew that the young man was a dark veela just like his mother. That he was nearly the perfect living replica of his mother only seemed to amuse him more than disturb him.
On his trunk "Sebastian Ilijas Malfoy" could be read in elegant silver letters.
It was shocking to see how different they were. They were twins, but except for the same birthday, they didn't have much in common. Alexander nearly took after his father in everything. He was very intelligent, absolutely interested in economy and international affairs. Just like his father was he very self-assured, had absolute control over each and every one of his emotions, knew how to assert to himself and constantly seemed to be a little bit cold. Thankfully Kiara had been able to convince him that showing emotions and feelings in front of one's family wasn't a weakness and therefore didn't have to be avoided.
The young Malfoy heir was only twelve years old, but nevertheless he already knew what he wanted to do with his life. He had thought it through several times and had finally come to the conclusion that working in his father's company would be the best for him. His ability to speak English, French and Russian fluently would only pay out to his favour.
As much as Alexander took after Draco in his lifestyle and future planning, as much did take Sebastian after his mother. Sebastian was a highly talented boy. Like his mother he had a gift for languages. English, Russian, French, Spanish and Italian had been easily learned during the last ten years. He had the ability to control animals and each and every kind of beasts and furthermore he was able to understand others and their feelings quite well.
Several times had his brother teased him with being girly due to being so empathic. It had taken quite some time until Draco and Kiara had been able to convince their stubborn firstborn son that being empathic was just as good as being able to control one's emotions.
Like his brother, Sebastian knew already what he wanted to do in the future, too. Due to his ability to control beasts and his affinity to languages, Sebastian had decided after much pondering that he wanted to study environmental protection and prevention of cruelty to animals law. It was a good thing to do so and with his abilities he would not only be one of the best, he would also be able to help a great number of animals. Not to speak of what he could do for nature. To say his family was pleased with his decision, would be an understatement.
Kiara and Draco quickly masked their uneasiness. It wasn't as if their children didn't know what they were doing. They both, after all, knew the facts of life and were really bright and intelligent for their age. What made the situation this awkward was the fact that they both had nearly gotten carried away enough to not even realize their sons' entry.
Narcissa and Lucius would dress them down like there was no tomorrow, should they ever get to know of this incident. And Severus, well Severus would never let them live that down.
Oh, what horror.
Kiara smiled broadly at her two sons and tried to hide her embarrassment.
"At last!", she exclaimed.
"I didn't think it possible for you arrive on time today."
Draco nodded and cleared his throat.
"Your mother is correct.", he added.
"If we want to be on time, we have to get going.", he told them sternly.
Both boys merely rolled their eyes, however. While they mumbled about the unfairness that was life - how could their father scold them, when he was the one to get lost in time? - the boys dragged their suitcases behind them. Their parents could have helped them with a bit of magic or a simple order to one of the houseelves. But Kiara thought it to be prudent to teach her children how to do certain things manually or the "muggle-way" as Draco would call it.
Hard and manual work formed the character. This she was sure of. And one day, they would all thank her for her insistence. Well, she hoped they would.
When they reach the entrance hall, all eyes immediately glanced at the person who was already waiting there for them.
The young girl who was sitting on her trunk didn't seem to fit in the picture.
She had a well-formed, aristocratic looking face with high cheekbones, which looked exactly like Draco's. A small, cute snub nose like Kiara's was sitting in the middle of her face. Big, green-bluish eyes with silver and golden sparks around the iris were looking intently at them. They were framed by long, dark lashes and thin, elegantly curved eyebrows.
Full, pink, pouting lips completed her beautiful face. Her long, glossy, silkily shining, dark blond hair, which reached down until shortly above her hips and slightly tanned skin worked well with her appearance. Normally the girl had her hair open and wavy, but there were days when she had it in a bun or swept back and sometimes she even wore it glossy and open.
She was going to be a little bit smaller than her older brothers, only going to reach the one meter and sixty-five centimetres when she was fully grown. She had small breasts due to her young age, a flat, well trained abdomen, feminine hips and nice, long, well-shaped thighs.
As one could easily see, the young girl was something special. She was, after all, a perfect symbiosis of a dark and a light veela, a perfect symbiosis of her father and her mother. Something like this didn't happen very often and Draco could easily remember as if it hadn't been eleven years ago but only yesterday when the nurse placed his newborn daughter into his arms and revealed her spectacular appearance. It had shocked all of them.
The girl immediately stopped her swinging legs, which had sometimes lightly hit her already packed trunk with her things for her first year at Hogwarts. If one looked closely, he could see "Ilona Serena Malfoy" written on each side of the trunk with small, elegant, golden letters.
"Finally!", Ilona exclaimed and unknowingly imitated her mother perfectly.
"I thought you would never come!"
Kiara smiled apologetically at her daughter and pointedly ignored her sons' sniggering. The two would be punished for their insolence. How she would do it, that she didn't know yet. Perhaps she should curtail their pocket-money or send them to bed earlier. Both punishments would be harsh, but probably wouldn't show any effect.
A sly smirk appeared on Kiara's face. She could always force them to eat their father's cooking. That should teach them to show her respect.
Draco didn't notice his wife's train of thought. He waved his hand lazily and signalled them to step closer. Both boys trailed slowly to their parents and were careful not to hit their suitcases against each other or the walls.
"We are going to apparate.", Draco told his family.
"I am going to take Alexander and Sebastian, Ilona is going with Kiara."
Both parents grabbed their children by their hands and in the blink of an eyes, they were gone.
All three children landed safely on their feet. After a short moment they were able to breath properly again and looked around the platform in curiosity, while Ilona's eyes were wide in wonder and amazement. Draco and Kiara gave their children time to get used to the sudden change; especially Ilona, who had only once before visited the platform.
A soft nudge and the family moved further onto the platform. The platform was rather crowded, parents were talking among each other or to their children, scolded them or tried to sooth their worries, while children were running around, searched for their pets or called to their friends and finally there was the constant noise of owls and cats screeching in discomfort.
Far to their left was standing a group, which attracted quite some attention.
A beautiful, young woman with long, light blond hair and catching light blue eyes was conversing lightly with a tall, red haired man. Scars were covering the upper parts of his throat and parts of his face. His soft brown eyes were scanning the area around them. A group of three young children was standing next to them. The oldest was a boy, next to him stood two younger girls. They had all their mother's light blond hair and while the boy had inherited his mother's beautiful blue eyes, his sisters shared their father's brown ones.
"These are Fleur and William Weasley with their children Leander, Véroniqué and Florence."
Kiara bent down to her children to make sure that they were looking at her directly. She placed one of her hands on her daughters shoulder and smiled lovingly at them. With a small voice, so that only her kids and her husband would understand her, Kiara started to explain:
"Those five might be Weasleys, but nevertheless associating with them is a good thing. From what I know, William Weasley always was a good and honourable man. The same goes for his wife Fleur. I, like your father know her personally. We meet once in a while to talk about business and other things."
Draco nodded in affirmation and was about to open his mouth, when Fleur bent down to her three kids and hugged them close. She tried not to speak too loud, but even with the mass of people around them, the Malfoy family was able to clearly understand her. Kiara had to smile when she noticed that even after training her English for years, Fleur wasn't able to pronounce a "r" properly.
"No need to wo'y my dea's. If you don't like it at Hogwa'ts, and I would unde'stand you if you didn't, you can easily choose not to attend. I, like you' fathe', would be absolutely willing to send you to Beauxbatons, this nice and lovely school in F'ance we visited once. It would suit you so much bette'."
But as soon as Fleur had even closed her mouth, an angry shout attracted their attention. Molly Weasley - the passing years hadn't been kind to her - was stomping towards Fleur, her fists clenched in agitation and her face screwed up in rage. Due to her anger one couldn't say with absolute knowledge, where her face ended and where her red hair started.
"No, you won't! Haven't you already ruined enough?", Molly Weasley thundered.
"You moved away to France and let your children, my grandchildren, grow up in an environment so different from ours that they will never be truly able to get used to living with me or Arthur. You did this on purpose, didn't you? You tried to distance my grandchildren from me and you succeeded quite well! But this won't do. No grandchild of mine will ever attend this - this school!"
Fleur spun around, her eyes were blazing and her whole form shaking from badly suppressed anger. But Fleur instead of Molly Weasley had a whole lot of more class and therefore the enraged mother merely balled her fists and stalked over to the still raging Weasley Matriarch to give her a piece of her mind.
With a fond chuckle, Draco shook his head and smiled at his children. He wanted to say something else about the Weasley Matriarch and her lack of manners, but when he saw the confused look on Sebastian's face, Draco turned serious at once. With a small and shy voice Sebastian looked over to where William was standing with his children.
"I don't know what it is, father, but I feel a strange pull leading towards the blond woman and her children. It's as if something was trying to tell me to befriend them. A strange warmth and the feeling of familiarity. What is it, father?"
Kiara sighed. With a short look at Draco, who nodded in affirmation, Kiara turned around and looked at her children.
"This might be some veela detection charm.", Kiara explained fondly.
"You have to know that Fleur is a part veela. Her veela blood is too weak to grant her a chosen life mate, but it is still strong enough for you to detect it. The same goes for her daughters and her son. They share her blood and therefore her veela genes. But due to William being a human, their veela blood grows weaker and weaker. You see, befriending them really seems to be a good idea, don't you think?"
Draco nodded, but Kiara didn't notice it as her attention had been caught be something else. Next to Bill, who was still standing lonely there with his kids, while his wife was still arguing with his mother, a set of two red heads approached the father. Kiara's hearth nearly skipped a beat, when she realized, who it was.
George Weasley, together with his wife Angelina and their children Mathew and Annabel.
The black haired woman with the big brown eyes led her son and daughter with her hands on their shoulders. The two black haired kids with the light brown eyes grinned broadly at their uncle Bill, before they started to run and hug him senseless. With a fond smile on her lips, Angelina walked slowly next to her husband with their hands entwined.
Behind them Kiara could see Alicia and Fred Weasley approaching the family meeting with their only son Andrew. While Fred's light red hair shone brightly in the early morning light his wife's and his son's dark brown hair was easily able to be overseen in the mass of dark haired people around them. Grey eyes widened considerably when they fell on the three blond haired kids with their two black haired cousins.
Immediately the young boy rushed away, squealed in delight and sprung to hug them. A loud laughter echoed through the hall when the Weasleys stood together and talked about something seemingly entertaining.
Kiara couldn't possibly keep the fond smile from spreading over her lips. After her twins had been born, Kiara had had to spend her most of her time in Draco's and her private quarters. They hadn't planned for her to become pregnant on her wedding night - how they were able to forget to use protection was still something Kiara hadn't been able to figure out. The shock and utter surprise on Draco's face when she had told him that she wasn't suffering from a nasty stomach bug, but that it was rather a sign for her pregnancy were still fresh on her mind.
She had attended Hogwarts for the rest of her sixth year and had given birth to her sons during the summer holidays. The holidays had been useful for all them to get used to having those two boys around. However, Hogwarts had soon been approaching and Kiara was at a loss at what to do. Finally she decided to attend Hogwarts, but would have to stay in their quarters to care for her sons. She was only able to leave her haven to participate in exams and tests.
During these times Narcissa would come by and keep an eye on the two boys.
While Kiara was sitting in their quarters when the boys were asleep and neither Draco nor anyone else of her friends was there to keep her company and her work had been done, Kiara had an awful lot of time for herself. Due to some strange occurrence, Kiara had started a pen palls friendship with Luna Lovegood.
Luna, it was clear now, had become a good friend of hers in a very short time. She had come by every now and then, had sent her interesting articles of her father's newspaper and had written her every single day. At first Draco had been sceptical, but when nothing bad had happened and Luna had started to help Kiara attend to their twins, Draco had softened up to Luna and even started to enjoy the strange, but open-minded girl's presence.
During one of those meetings Luna had told them that there had appeared a riffle between the Weasley Matriarch and her twins. After both had found themselves a wife and even had started a family, George had taken over the wizarding shop in London, while Fred had taken over the shop in Hogsmead.
Molly Weasley wasn't pleased with her sons' choice of job and even dared to argue about their choice of partners. This was especially hard for Alicia and Fred, as both would never be able to get another child except for their only son Andrew. Due to some complications during her pregnancy, Alicia wasn't able to become pregnant again. Even magic wouldn't be helping. So Molly baiting against their sons' wives only added fuel into the brightly burning fire.
The once strong and loving bond between the twins and their mother had been torn apart and no amount of work on both sides would be able to mend it. Not that any of them truly tried. The twins had never forgiven her mother for always meddling in their personal affairs. Fred became especially angry at his mother when he found out that due to her constant belittling and scolding of his wife that Alicia had been bordering to becoming depressive.
So the twins choose the only helpful solution - break apart from their family. Now they lived their life as they wanted to. Alicia and Angelina were extremely proud of their husbands' success, something the twins had never before experienced with their family.
But this wasn't the only gossip Luna had known to share.
It was a well-known fact that Molly Weasley was obviously doing her best to drive her family apart. However, Kiara suspected that she didn't do it on purpose, as she would again and again try to reconcile with them. It was on the last meeting with her third oldest son Percy when the bond between them was irreparably destroyed. No one knew what had happened, though it certainly didn't lack theories as to what could have caused the fight.
What was known for sure was that after the last meeting with his mother, Percy had returned to his heavily pregnant wife, who was expecting her second child thanks to a lot of nagging on their son Philip's side, and asked her to not only renew their marriage vows but to allow him to take on her name. It had been a scandal once the information was confirmed. In the wizarding world, where men dominated nearly every aspect of their society and politics, it was unheard of for a man to take on the surname of his wife. Especially, when the husband was of a long line of purebloods and the wife wasn't.
But no matter what their friends and family members told them to do, Percy and Penelope stuck to their plan. After Peter's birth the Clearwaters soon rose in ranks and respect. Their name was now associated with wealth and a good luck and fine sense when politics and economics were concerned. The Malfoy Cooperation started doing business with them some years ago and ever since then had the Clearwaters been considered very good friends of the Malfoy family.
Who would have guessed.
A soft smile played around Kiara's lips as she watched Percy and Penelope escort their two boys to the train. The boys' reddish blond hair shone brightly in the sunlight and once they detected the Malfoys, their greenish grey eyes lit up in delight. The Clearwaters waved at them in greeting, before the boys both hugged their parents and then stepped onto the train.
A loud, high-pitched voice suddenly disturbed the mumbling and chatting around them and nearly caused Kiara to roll her eyes. She didn't need to turn around to find out who had just arrived. The woman's voice was a dead give away.
The Weasley family name had suffered a lot during the last few years. Not only had four of their sons distanced themselves from their parents, one even going so far as to renounce his surname, but Molly's and Arthur's only daughter, their precious, perfect little Ginny had been the one to cause their name the most drastic damage.
Kiara remembered the day quite well when Luna had barged into their living room, her normally pale face was red from excitement and her bright blue eyes incredible clear. She had been in such a hurry to reach Kiara's quarters that it took her a few minutes to catch her breath and talk normally. What she then told Kiara couldn't have shocked her more.
Back then some weeks ago a scandal had shocked the school. Never before had something like this happened. Well, to be honest, the students mumbled between themselves, it had probably happened before; however, never once had someone be stupid enough to be caught.
What a scandal, what a shame, what an embarrassment!
Ginny Weasley and Michael Corner were caught having sex in the lavatory.
The news spread around the school like a wild fire. Not even twenty-four hours after the incident did every single student know what had happened. The details varied from person to person, but the basic knowledge stayed the same. The incident brought a lot of chaos to Hogwarts. While Ginny and Michael suffered under their peers' gleeful and hurtful verbal attacks and their parents' open and blatant disapproval in the form of howlers, the teachers had to fight of angry and scandalized parents who wanted to withdraw their children from such an unmoral school. Not much would have missed and a national scandal could have been brewed out of this incident.
So as the weeks passed, the Weasley family just as the teacher-body had been thankful that the interest in this incident had ceased greatly. However, their luck sadly didn't seem to hold on. The news that Luna knew to share were devastating and completely horrible for the Weasley family. There wouldn't be many options left for them to safe their family name from even more shame and belittling.
Mere hours ago had Ginny returned from a visit at Madam Pomfrey's Hospital Wing. The youngest Weasley had been feeling ill and dizzy for the last few weeks and finally decided to ask a Healer for help. Ginny must have been chalk-white, her eyes watering and her lips and hands trembling as she confessed to her friends that she was pregnant - and she had waited too long to abort the child. Not that getting permission for an abort would have been that easy in the first place.
Kiara was sure that this time the student-body wouldn't need a full day to spread this information so far until every single person living in Hogwarts knew. It was just too much to not speak about it. So many things had happened to the family during the last few months. This could be the final straw.
And each student was eager to be the one to deliver it.
She could feel a wave of sympathy crash over her. Kiara knew that Ginny had never been a true friend of hers, but that didn't mean that she wished her the worst. No, far from it. It was just that Kiara couldn't understand Ginny's attitude. The girl had everything Kiara had ever wanted: a huge and loving family, good friends, she was a bright girl and good-looking. Why couldn't she be happy with what she had?
Now she had probably ruined her chance at ever being truly happy. Kiara knew from different talks with the girl that Ginny had had different sexual partners during the last school year. She didn't condemn Ginny for being the way she was, however, she didn't support it either. Ginny had always argued that she wanted to enjoy her youth and life as long as she was free to do so. Once married, she would have to stick to her husband's standards.
Being pregnant at the age of fifteen didn't offer her too many choices in the wizarding world. Essentially, Draco had explained to them, there was only one thing, one honourable thing to do.
And with the Corners and the Weasleys being old pureblood families, the only honourable decision was their solution. Ginny was emancipated from her family as fast as possible, only to be under the Corners' thumb after her marriage to Michael. As the father of her unborn child, Michael was held responsible for his actions and was ordered by his parents to marry Ginny, for every other action would only sully both of their family names even more.
It was an awkward affair, to say at least. Neither of them was in love with the other, nor were they even harbouring friendly feelings for their partner. It was supposed to be a one-off, an evening full of fun and nothing more. Now, however, they were stuck together for the rest of their lives. Their parents had had a lawyer draw up a marriage contract that would leave both parties essentially home- and moneyless should they agree to divorce. Both family heads had agreed that their names and respect had suffered enough - they didn't need a divorce to add to the mess.
Ever since the birth of their firstborn son, Michael had tried to suffocate himself in his work. He had excelled in his studies in Hogwarts and soon took over an important and very responsible position in the Ministry. The way he worked one might suspect that he was single and lived for his work. Those who knew him better, knew that this was Michael's way of coping with his unhappy marriage.
As Ginny had opted to stay at home and not finish her school career to care for her baby, she soon found out that the chances for her to find a job were near null. So when the baby got older and didn't need as much taking care of as before, Ginny soon became bored with her life. And since then was her family steadily growing.
Some suspected that Ginny went as far as to drug her husband into having another child with her, others argued that Michael probably did it willing, as he had a reason to work endlessly this way. It wasn't easy to support a nine-headed family single-handedly when the newest additions would soon arrive.
When Kiara's gaze swept over the horde of currently seven children being ushered by their father and their heavily pregnant mother around the station, she couldn't help but pity the Corner family. The years hadn't been kind on either of them. Michael looked sick; his skin was pale and greyish, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years, his hair was thin and his eyes seemed dull. He looked overworked and so tired as if he hadn't slept well in months.
Ginny wasn't looking any better. The years hadn't been nice on her and the numerous pregnancies had sadly ruined her once perfect figure. With one hand on her hugely swollen belly - the information that she was expecting twins again had caused their friends to only shake their heads in dismay - and the other grasping firmly her youngest daughter was she waddling behind her husband.
To see them like this was more than sad. Both of them were good people, with bright minds and nice hearts. It wasn't fair to either of them that fate and life had forced them into this life. Neither of them was happy with it, but neither could do something to change it. In moments like this Kiara found herself questioning whether she was to blame for their current situation, too.
After all, had she known from the beginning how careless Ginny acted regarding her sleeping partners. Perhaps, if she had been brave enough to tell her to stop it, to be more careful, could this situation have been prevented. But then she had become Kiara Balgakow, soon to be wife of Draco Malfoy, and the bond Ginny and she once had shared had been interrupted. She could have only helped her former friend at the expanse of her own happiness.
And that she couldn't have done.
Kiara's eyes immediately lit up as she detected familiar silvery blond hair. There was only one person she knew that would wear such a strange hat and her hair in such a painful looking composition. During her last year at Hogwarts, Luna had become a really good friend of her. One of her best friends if she was to be honest. So, when Luna had asked her to be bridesmaid at her wedding with Terry Boot, Kiara immediately agreed.
It had been a beautiful celebration. The bride had been wearing an exquisite dress, which fit her perfectly. Kiara had been surprised that Luna could call such a dress her possession; it wasn't something Luna would wear normally. Though her heart went out to her friend when she heard that it was her deceased mother's wedding dress and that she was wearing it to feel near her.
The marriage to Terry Boot had been wonderful on Luna. She was actually working as the editor-in-chief of the Quibbler, something she wouldn't have to do, seeing as she owned the newspaper, while Terry worked as her personal lawyer and marketing-expert. They worked well together and completed each other at work just as much as they did at home. Their twin-girls Leonelle and Noelle were the best prove.
Both blond girl squealed in delight when they finally detected their best friend Eleanor Longbottom, whom they knew since kindergarten. Eleanor waved delightedly and quickly hugged her parents, before she rushed over to the Boot twins.
Susan and Neville didn't take their daughter's sudden good-bye too hard. They were still laughing at Eleanor's antics, when they both intertwined their fingers and then whisked away.
Neville was working as Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and would therefore see his daughter again rather soon. Susan and Neville lived together at Hogwarts, as Susan was working as a florist and found that the ground of Hogwarts offered her all the space and security she needed. Their presence at the station was only to drop Eleanor off and to let her ride the train together with her friends.
A sudden arm around her shoulder caused Kiara to tense for a moment. The tension vanished, however, as soon as she detected Draco's unique smell. With a smile on her lips Kiara leaned further into her husband's chest.
"Have a look, dear.", Draco whispered into her ear and lovingly kissed her head.
"You wouldn't want to miss this show. It will be the talk of the next view weeks.", Draco whispered with a smile on his lips.
Kiara turned around to Draco and looked at him in incomprehension. Sometimes she asked herself why her husband couldn't just speak straight forward. His love for speaking in riddles was at times a little aggravating. Her eyebrow rose and she was about to ask him to explain himself, when she suddenly noticed a certain group and her eyes went wide.
"Oh my.", she whispered back, as she leaned further into Draco and sought for hold.
"This can't be good."
Right then the best friends Parvati and Lavender together with their families passed them by. Parvati had found her perfect match in Dean Thomas, the loud and exuberant boy who had always been following her with his eyes during school. After years of nearly stalking her, Dean had finally managed to find the courage and asked her out on a date during their last year. No one knew what he had done to surprise Parvati, but he must have done his job good, seeing as they married right after they had finished school.
Dean had fulfilled his dream and had managed to introduce soccer into the wizarding community. After this success, he had been elected Minister for Sports Affairs and ever since then had been responsible for sportive events. Parvati supported him in his work and even managed to gain from his position as Minister for Sports Affairs in her work as a fortune-teller. Who wouldn't want to ask the wife of the Minister for Sports Affairs when betting on the outcome of a match?
Their twin-boys David and Brooklyn shared their father's love for sports, while they had inherited their mother's good looks and elegance. Kiara was quite sure that in a few years to come the tanned boys with night black hair and the dark brown eyes would turn many girls crazy. Both boys were good friends with Lavender's and Seamus' children, who they were teasing mercilessly currently.
Lavender and Seamus had married a year after Dean and Parvati. Some assumed that they had only married because their best friends had and therefore spending a lot of time together was inevitable. However, no one cared anymore whether the rumours were true or not, seeing as both where extremely happy with their partner and lived a perfectly happy marriage with their three children.
Ted and Rosalin Finnigan looked like a perfect mix of their parents with their brown hair and their blue eyes. Nobody needed to ask whom their parents were. It was just too evident. However, Liliana Marie Finnigan didn't share this resemblance.
And that was the problem.
Kiara grabbed her husband's hand tightly and snuggled closer to him. "Oh no", she whispered in despair.
"This is going to end ugly."
With her bright red hair and her brown eyes Liliana Marie didn't look at all like her parents or siblings. She shared a startling resemblance with the man walking behind her though.
The Malfoy Matriarch couldn't help but close her eyes and try to block out what was to come. The red haired man passed Liliana Marie with strong strides, grabbed her mother's shoulder and then spun her around forcefully. Lavender screamed in surprise and was about to fetch her wand, when her gaze fell upon the enraged expression of the man behind her and immediately a superior and utterly bored expressed settled on her face.
"You stupid bint! What do you think you are doing?", yelled an enraged Ronald Weasley.
The volume just as the choice of words startled every person present and drew their attention to him - not that he noticed.
"You can't forbid me to say goodbye to my daughter when she is going to leave for school, you good-for-nothing cow!"
Parents shooed their children away and urged them to already board the train in an attempt to shield them from this horrible display of every lack of conduct and good behaviour. Parvati had even grabbed Liliana Marie's hand and dragged her to the train, so that she wouldn't have to witness the fight.
An evil smirk crossed Lavender's features and in a move of utter arrogance and self-assured did she wave a long strand of her brown her behind her back.
"Oh, yes I can, Mr. Weasley.", she told him clearly, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I gained this right the moment you left me and married another when I told you that I was pregnant. You didn't care what happened to me! Never cared for your duties! You didn't even spare a single thought as to how I was to live my life, pregnant and single! So damn right can I forbid you any further contact with our daughter!"
Lavender glared balefully at Ronald.
Behind him Kiara could see another figure approaching, one with bushy brown hair and the most self-assured expression on her face. She couldn't help a groan and a roll of her eyes. Wherever Ronald was, Hermione wasn't far from him.
Ronald's actions had been the last and most horrible straw to send the Weasley family name to oblivion. The redhead had proposed to Hermione only a few weeks after school had ended. Hermione had agreed to marry him exuberantly and only two months later was she proud to be called Mrs. Weasley.
Everything could have been perfect, hadn't it been for a small, nearly forgettable incident not too many weeks before Ronald's proposal. Whether Hermione knew for sure, suspected something or tried to keep her eyes and ears closed yet remained to be discovered. Fact was, however, that Ronald had been dating Lavender and Hermione at the same time. And as if this wasn't enough for a moral scandal, Ron had even managed the unspeakable: leave his pregnant girlfriend Lavender to fend on her own and marry his other girlfriend Hermione.
Every self-respecting woman would have immediately called the marriage off and send Ronald directly packing. Though Hermione proved again that she was by no means average. After a few days of pondering, Hermione came to the conclusion that she still loved her boyfriend enough to forgive him this tiny, stupid mistake and still care for him as if nothing had happened.
They had lived their life in peace and happiness. Hermione had started her work in the Ministry and tried her best to mend the difficult relations between the magical and non-magical communities. Kiara could easily admit that Hermione had been and still was doing a great job and deserved every single promotion she had received.
Ronald on the other hand had decided to try his luck as a professional Quidditch player. His chances had been pretty good and at first everything had gone the way he had it planned. However, playing Quidditch wasn't something one could do for a lifetime. There were certain limits which sooner than later would force one to leave it be and search for another profession. Ronald had been doing good but his time as a Quidditch player had come to an end some years ago; a severe back and neck injury had cemented his teams' decision.
But not only his professional life was causing Ronald great problems.
Years ago, after Hermione had reached the last position under the rank of Minister of Magic, both of them had agreed that now would be the time to let their family grow. All of their friends had children, most of them more than one, and now they felt the need to have some of their own. Two boys and a girl would have been a lovely addition to their already existing family.
No one knew why, but Fate had other plans for them.
Even after years of trying - and from what disturbed and shell-shocked friends knew to share, they tried a lot - Hermione still hadn't become pregnant. No healer, no doctor and no single psychologist could tell them what the problem was. They had multiple reasons for their childlessness and more than one idea how to solve it. The result, though, remained the same.
Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she suffered greatly under the situation. She had always wanted children. Truth be told, she first had wanted to succeed in her job and excel in her work, but she had always dreamed of a large family of her own. A wish she truly deserved but would probably never live to have.
That itself was the main problem of the current argument.
Ronald had a daughter of his own. She may not be Hermione's, but at least she was Ronald's. Hermione could have easily forgotten this little fact and overlooked the startling resemblance to Lavender, so deep was her desire for a child of her own. But Ronald had spoiled this opportunity and now there was nothing they could do.
Not that it stopped them from trying.
Hermione came to halt directly next to her still fuming husband. Her hand reached for his shoulder and swiftly but strong pinched him. The pressure probably wasn't even enough to truly hurt Ronald, but it was enough to remind him that he should calm down. It was truly amazing the kind of power Hermione held over her husband.
"You know that isn't true, Lavender." Hermione sounded superior and as assured of herself as Kiara knew her to be.
"The Statute Nr. 278 of the Family Relations Act is very clear about that mat-"
"Don't give me that shit, Mrs. Weasley!", Lavender interrupted her angrily.
She opened her mouth to fire back harshly, when a hand on her shoulder caused her to pause. When she saw the intense look in Seamus' eyes, Lavender forced herself to take a deep breath.
"That may be true, Mrs. Weasley. However, the Statute was passed only a year ago. You should know better, so I shouldn't have to remind you of the absolute prohibition of ex post facto laws. In case you have forgotten, this Statute doesn't apply to our case.", Lavender told her smugly.
Hermione's face didn't fall, but she still looked angry at having been found out. Lavender saw her expression and grinned evilly in response.
„And, furthermore, Judge Johnson, was very precise in his sentence. You will, may I quote him, never in your whole life be permitted guardianship over my daughter Liliana Marie!" Lavender's delight over rubbing this into their faces was plainly visible.
„You-!"
„Calm yourself, Mr. Weasley. You are making a scene.", Seamus drawled coldly.
One arm was wrapped around Lavender's shoulder, the other was slowly caressing Lavender's arm in a soothing matter.
„I don't know why you even try anymore. You should have gotten the Ministry's letter years ago. But in case you forgot, Mr. Weasley, I adopted your daughter. She is now mine, in every single aspect, even blood. Thanks to the wonders of blood-adoption.", Seamus offered clearly pleased with himself.
Ronald spun forward, his fist raised as if he wanted to punch either Lavender or Seamus, but a quick stun from Hermione forced him to freeze and fall to the side. Seamus nodded his appreciation at Hermione's quick thinking, but there was no friendliness left in his eyes.
When he kneeled down to look directly into Ronald's frozen eyes, Seamus forced the redhead to look at him. His fingers dug into Ronald's skin and probably would leave painful bruises, as he regarded the broken man in front of him coldly.
„Leave my family alone, Weasley. Next time I might forget myself.", he threatened.
Kiara could only shake her head in dismay as she turned away. She could understand both parties' problems and wishes. But did they truly need to fight in public? Wasn't it bad enough that they were meeting on a regular basis in Court?
She didn't want to think about the poor girl's feelings. Liliana Marie was the true victim in the whole matter. No matter what her parents and their respective partners argued, they always seemed to forget what was important to her. No, her needs and wishes were the only ones which didn't count.
‚Poor girl.', Kiara thought sadly.
'After this display, her chances to find friends soon will be seriously hindered. Perhaps Alexander or Sebastian might help her.'
Her musing was disrupted by a soft nudge from Draco. With his arm snuck around her, he guided her carefully over to a free spot. The other was drawing soothing circles on her arm. A small smile appeared on Kiara's lips. Draco just knew how open displays of child neglect made her feel. Her veela would be dismayed and her heart would go out for the poor soul. And still, Draco would knew how to immediately make her feel better.
"Forget what you saw, love.", he whispered lovingly into her ear.
"Look who has just arrived."
Kiara turned her head to look at what Draco was pointing out to her. Her big green eyes widened in surprise and shone with happiness as she saw the group of eleven people who had just appeared mere feet away from them. All of them wore the finest silk, the children who were attending Hogwarts already wore their cloaks.
A tall, black haired woman distanced herself from the group and approached them with fast strides. An overly happy smile graced her lips and her silvery eyes twinkled in badly suppressed delight.
"Kiara, my sister!", Anastasia exclaimed and rushed the last few steps to her. Wide open arms greeted her and welcomed her into a tight hug. Both woman looked as if they hadn't seen each other for the last decade, though in truth it had only been a few days.
'Must have felt different to them.', Draco mused.
'Oh my, women and the wonders of best friendships.'
Draco had let go of Kiara right in time to not be crushed by her sister in all but blood. Over the still hugging women he could see the rest of the group approaching. The first to arrive was Blaise, a content smile on his face and even more sun-kissed than normally. Next to him, grasping his hand lightly, was trailing his wife Daphne.
"Draco, how are you?", Blaise deep and soothing voice reached him over the general noise level.
Draco grabbed the extended hand and shook it.
"Good, really good.", he replied smoothly.
"And how are you?"
Blaise had always had a soft spot for Daphne. During their time at Hogwarts he had always tried to be near her, help her when she was in need, no matter how simple or stupid it may seem and to always be there to surprise her with something little or fancy. Daphne had prospered in his attention and sooner than later the two of them were found heavily snogging at the lake.
No one was surprised when Blaise asked Mr. Greengrass for his daughter's hand on the first dinner after they had finished their school. The Greengrass family was more than happy to welcome Blaise into their family - his aristocratic and pureblood ancestry, as well as his neutral stance in the war fitted their expectations perfectly - and approved readily to the marriage. Mrs. Greengrass was even more delighted than her husband, as she finally got to know the reason for her daughter's sudden growth in confidence and happiness.
After their pompous wedding Blaise took over his father's cooperation. Daphne first remained at home and cared for their lovely children, but sooner than Blaise had expected was she starting to work again. She didn't pursue a profession of her own, but chose to help her husband in whatever way she could. Whenever Blaise invited guests or partners, Daphne would be there and amaze all of them with her natural talent and beauty over business talk.
To say that Blaise was pleased would be an understatement.
Behind Daphne and Blaise had been walking their two children, their firstborn son Ares and the pet of their extended family Violetta. Both of them had inherited their father's tanned skin and his dark brown hair, while they had their mother's lovely brown eyes. Those eyes lit up in joy once they saw Ilona and both children rushed to hug the youngest Malfoy.
Kiara couldn't help but smile at the sight over her embrace with Pansy. The only Parkinson heir had finally managed years ago into catching Theodore's attention. It had been difficult, as Theodore loved his quiet and needed his peace a lot. Interaction with women hadn't been his thing. But Pansy had had her mind set on him and whatever the Parkinson heiress wanted, she got it.
So after a year of flirting, sweet talking and seducing on Pansy's side and with a lot of support and long talks about relationships in general on their friends' side, Theodore finally came to the conclusion that being in a relationship didn't always mean that life had to be loud and chaotic. During their last Hogsmead weekend, Theodore visited his family to talk with them about a possible reunion with the Parkinson family.
His parents couldn't even believe their luck; both had expected Theodore to always remain single or to come back with an foreign girl who couldn't speak their language but was willing to do everything in the household. The prospect had scared them greatly and so their son's wish to espouse with Pansy elated them greatly.
They were to marry anyways, as both families had a marriage contract drafted right after their children's births. Not that the two needed to know this.
A year after they had finished their Hogwarts education, Theodore and Pansy had married. The wedding was a small and simple one, just the kind of wedding Theodore wanted to have. It was then that their friends truly understood and realized how much Pansy was in love with Theodore. For her to agree to a simple wedding, when she had been dreaming and talking about her perfect wedding - one that would a princess' wedding to shame - meant that she truly loved Theodore for who he was.
Both had again surprised their friends in their choice of profession, as they differed greatly from what their friends did and had expected them to do.
Theodore had launched a business in Diagon Alley. His music cooperation searched for and managed talented wizarding bands. While Theodore was responsible for gigs and songs, Pansy took over the task of promoting and soliciting the bands. Her creative nature came quite in handy and sooner than anyone would have expected, the bands were lining up in queues to wait for a contract with their cooperation. Their biggest success so far was to get the Weird Sisters to sign their contract.
Not only their professional life had been a pure success. Their only son Florian was turning into a lovely and nice boy. He had inherited his mother's creative and artistic streak, while he tended to act as shy and quite as his father. His grandparents were already mockingly complaining that getting him to marry would be an even more difficult case than Theodore's.
Kiara hoped that Florian would be a little more aware of his surroundings than Theodore had been. She could already see Violetta Zabini sneaking interested glances at the quiet, brown haired and brown eyed boy. From what she knew from Draco, Blaise had been known for flirting at an even younger age. Though it never went deeper than that. Especially not after he had first seen Daphne on the train. If she was to believe her husband's teasing tale, Blaise had told him on their first evening at Hogwarts that he would marry Daphne and no one else.
Period.
Whether it was true or just teasing remained yet to be found out. However, should it be true then Kiara would have a close look at Violetta and Florian and their interaction. Perhaps the two of them would work out fine together. Who knew? Only time could tell.
Next to her Severus snorted and theatrically rolled his eyes.
"Dear God, nearly the whole brood will attend Hogwarts this year. What have I done to be punished this way?", he groused.
His words caused the friends to break into silent laughter and earned him a soft punch against him ribcage from his wife.
"Oh, be silent, you.", Anastasia scolded him lightly.
"Can't you just admit that you are happy that both of them will finally be out of your way?"
Anastasia and Severus had been together even before Kiara and Draco had married, as Draco could remember painfully clearly. They didn't need too many dates and joined nights to realize that they wanted to spend the rest of their life together. The idea of a wedding was already thought through when Kiara and Draco has married. However, Kiara's unexpected pregnancy just threw them of their track.
After some talking and arguing, both agreed that their first priority should be to help Kiara and Draco through their difficult and stressful situation. As Kiara didn't want to live at Malfoy Manor, where she couldn't finish her education at the same time as Draco, Anastasia and Severus took it upon themselves to help them in Hogwarts. A good decision, as it soon became clear that Draco didn't knew all that well how to tend to his pregnant wife's needs and cravings.
When the twins had been born and both Kiara and Draco had gotten used to how to live with and care for them, Anastasia and Severus took this as the sign that they finally could marry. The wedding took place with only the best of their friends on the small island in the lake at Hogwarts. It had been a beautiful wedding, simple and quiet, just how both of them wanted it to be.
Minerva McGonagall had retired as Headmistress of Hogwarts some years ago. Severus, who until then had been Deputy-Headmaster, had been selected Headmaster of Hogwarts by a vast majority of the teacher- as well as surprisingly the student-body. More than a little honoured and overwhelmed had he taken over the post and worked as Headmaster of Hogwarts until now. Much to the pleasure and the contentedness of both teachers and students.
Anastasia still worked as Transfiguration teacher, but after Severus had become Headmaster and the position of the Head of House for Slytherin was unattended, had she been elected Head of Slytherin House. The students loved her, especially her sly and slightly manipulative side, which earned Slytherin more than a single bonus thanks to the Headmaster's approval.
Brian Rollins, the Professor for Defence against the Dark Arts and Head of Gryffindor House was doing his best to contradict Anastasia's manipulations, though sadly he mostly failed. The result would often lead to endless and shameless teasing during teacher conferences. The mood was great and not even the only platonic Slytherin-Gryffindor-rivalry could destroy it anymore.
All in all, things couldn't be more perfect.
When Severus only scoffed at his wife's comment, Anastasia only rolled her eyes and lovingly petted him on the lips. A soft smile appeared on her lips and her elegant hands wound themselves into his long, silky hair.
"You know", she muttered lowly, barely audible for the rest of them.
"With Jonathan and Norina out of our quarters, we finally have some time alone. For us."
Severus looked contemplative for a moment, before bending down and kissing his wife passionately, all the while blatantly ignoring the gagging noises from his former students and the wolf-whistling from the younger generation. It wasn't as if neither of them hadn't seen the two of them kissing before. They just loved to annoy others by doing it.
Suddenly the train whistled and startled all of them. The parents hugged their children, gave them last minute orders of behaviour and conduct and then helped them carry their suitcases into the train. Once the children had taken their places, the parents stood outside on the platform and waved goodbye, while the children stood inside the train and waved back through the open windows.
Sooner than they had hoped to the train left their sight and only a trail of steam remained.
Draco hugged his wife to his chest and rested his chin on her head. He could feel her sorrow and small trails of loneliness. Kiara loved their children dearly, as did he, and found it difficult to let them go year by year. He assumed it was normal, though, as he could see both Pansy and Daphne fighting to remain impassive.
'The trait of a good mother.', he mused.
When he turned around to his Godfather, Draco extended his hand in farewell. Severus grabbed his hand firmly and shook it. Out of the corner of his eyes, Draco could see Anastasia and his wife hugging tightly. Draco took this as his chance and leaned over to his Godfather.
"You take care of them, will you?", he whispered intently.
"Make sure that they don't get into any trouble? Like we did?"
"Of course, I will.", Severus replied in earnest, not the slightest offended by the question.
He would have done the same, had he been in Draco's position.
"I will keep them safe and out of harm's reach. For your sake and for mine. Jonathan would kill me, if I let anything happen to his best twin-friends and Norina would find uncountable ways to torture me if she were to lose her best friend and sister."
Draco was well able to read his Godfather's pained drawl and sarcastic musing after having spent years with his Godfather. With a fond smile on his lips Draco patted Severus on the shoulder.
"Thank you.", he mouthed silently.
Severus only nodded. Both men turned around to their wives and with a last wave, the Snapes vanished off to Hogwarts. They had a Welcoming Feast to prepare, after all.
Draco snuck an arm around his wife's shoulders again and carefully pulled her against him. It would be best to go home now. The kids were on their way to school and wouldn't be back before Christmas. Severus had promised to take care of them and thanks to Anastasia's influence, he would do so excellently. They should write a letter to their children though. One to Ilona, to ask her how she liked it so far, what friends she already made and into which house she had been sorted and one to her brothers, to make sure they behaved as they always did and to ensure that they would keep an eye on their sister.
Better be safe than sorry.
He was just about to whisk them away, when he heard his wife sigh lowly. Draco stopped in his track and turned his wife in his arms. With his hand resting on her shoulders and their noses nearly touching, Draco looked directly into her beautiful green eyes.
By God, did he love those eyes. He wouldn't want to look at any other person than his wife.
Slowly he brought his hand to her chin and carefully lifted it up. Light blue eyes stared into emerald green ones intently. Time seemed to stop and souls seemed to connect, on a deep and eternal way, as the two veelas just stood there and stared at each other.
"Are you okay, love?", Draco whispered lovingly.
Kiara didn't blink, nor did she drew away. A small smile graced her lips and a soft look crossed her eyes.
When she thought about her life, how she had lived the first part of it as Harriet Potter - hated by her family, stalked by society, used and ignored by the students - and how she lived the second part of it as Kiara Dorina Malfoy - loved by her husband, held in high regard by family and friends alike and adored by her children - she couldn't believe that both lives belonged to the same person.
So much had changed: her life, her friendships, her family and her very being. So much had changed for the better and all thanks to one single person.
Draco.
The night he came to rescue her from her family, he had cemented her path for her way to a better future. A future together with him. A future she wouldn't want to trade against anything on this world.
With a happy smile and her aura radiating contentedness and joy, Kiara brought her hand behind Draco's neck, pulled his head back down and drew him into a searing hot and passionate kiss.
"I am perfectly fine, love.", she whispered between two kisses.
"Always have been since you collected me."
Draco smiled broadly at her declaration and returned the kiss equally passionate. With their arms snuck around the other, hands roaming over their backs and through fine and silky strands of hair, Draco finally did what he wanted to do in the first place, and whisked them away while they both were entirely engrossed in the kiss.
Yes, life was good.