EPILOGUE

It had been eight years since Lucius Malfoy had been able to produce magic. Eight years of finding out how absurd his former beliefs of pureblood supremacy really were. In the past eight years, Lucius had discovered that joy and fulfillment did not originate from the end of a wand but rather from a life filled with purpose; in his case, a life dedicated to the betterment of those less fortunate. Being without magic had finished the changing of Lucius' heart that had begun when he'd defected from Voldemort. He now felt a regard and compassion for his fellow man, be it wizard or muggle, that made him one of the most respected and beloved ministers in the history of the Ministry of Magic.

The Malfoys had bequeathed the Wizarding community one of their properties near Weymouth. Lucius turned the gloomy mansion into a home for children damaged or orphaned by the war. Seeing the pale wan faces beginning to bloom again was payment enough for Lucius. When his duties would allow, he and Narcissa would make a trip to the orphanage. They would sometimes take their grandchildren and sometimes Draco and Hermione would join them as well. Draco was a well-known and popular figure with the children at the orphanage. As St. Mungo's primary pediatric Healer, he already had established close relationships with many of the children… one in particular.

George Weasley, after a long period of grieving for his baby brother that not even Fred could pull him out of, began to court of all people, Lavender Brown. They married four years to the day of the final battle and one year after that Lavender gave birth to a wee babe they named Ronald. Little Ronnie had been born prematurely; there had been a few weeks after the birth when it looked like he wouldn't make it, but thanks to the care of his Uncle Draco, the little lad pulled through. But it had come at a cost. Ronnie's tiny body had been weakened and his magical core had been severely compromised. George and Lavender wasted no time in consulting the best healers and muggle physicians in how to treat their son. Draco suggested regular visits to the home; he'd seen firsthand the healing effects of the brisk sea air, and he thought the company of other little boys and girls would be good for the only child. Also, he wanted to give Dr. Granger the chance to study the boy further. Hermione's great uncle had retired two years after the war but was kept in an advisory role at the Institute. Still active, the kind old doctor balanced his time between doing research work in his private laboratory and assisting Draco in overseeing the care of the children at the orphanage.

Today was a special day at the home. Little Ronnie was turning three, and the Malfoys had agreed to meet with George and Lavender to see if Dr. Granger's hard work that Lucius had funded so long ago was going to be successful on their son.

"Come, Liebchen…..let Uncle check your progress," Dr. Granger said to the small ginger-haired boy presently sucking two of his fingers.

Always shy, the lad clung to the hand of his father. "Papa?" he said after he pulled his fingers out of his mouth. "I's wu-weed."

"It's alright, Ronnie," George assured the boy. "Uncle Aaron just wants to look you over."

That answer didn't bring as much consolation as the little boy wanted; he'd had too many medical procedures done to him in his short life; he didn't want another. He began to cry. Draco immediately came to the rescue. "What's this?" he asked in his cheery Healer voice. "Is my Ronnie sad?"

The little boy nodded. "Uh-huh, Unca Dwayco….and I's scayud, too."

Everyone present smiled at that honest admission.

Lucius spoke up. "Master Ron," he said softly to the boy, "would it make you feel better if you got to watch me first? So you would see that it's nothing to be scared of?"

Ronnie nodded wordlessly, so Lucius patted the little head and said, "Very good…Dr. Granger, you may demonstrate on me." Turning back around to the boy, Lucius added, "And Ronnie…..if I yell, you can call me a cry-baby."

His words had their intended result. Ronnie giggled and said, "If you's cwy, me not do it."

Lucius grinned. "That sounds fair to me. Alright then, Doctor?"

The old doctor tutted and murmured, "You are worse than the bübchen, old friend."

Lucius merely winked at Ronnie as the doctor gently injected him with the solution. Within seconds, everyone present could see a change. Lucius looked taller. His hair became brighter. Even his skin seemed luminescent.

"You didn't cwy!" chortled Ronnie. Looking at his mother he asked, "Can Mista Woocie have a sucka now, Mummy?"

Lavender bit her lip trying to hold in her laughter. "Why don't you ask him if he wants one?" she suggested.

'Mista Woocie' politely declined Ronnie's offer, but told him if he was a good boy and didn't cry, he would carry him to Honeydukes and buy him lots of 'suckas'.

"Father…..," Draco chuckled, "You shouldn't bribe…."

Lucius' eyebrows rose up. "Are you accusing the Minister of Magic of bribery? I was merely pointing out the rewards of good behavior."

Nearby, Scorpius giggled. "Ronnie…please don't cry. Shots don't hurt that much. And anyhow….if Grandfather is taking you to Honeydukes, that means he'll take me and Gitta, too. You don't want to ruin that for us, do you?"

Draco groaned and muttered to Hermione, "Your son is too much like his grandpa. First bribery and now a guilt trip."

Hermione grinned back and said, "Well, we know who to blame for that. It doesn't come from my gene pool."

Sagitta, Scorpius' twin sister, looked up from the book in her hand, "Did I hear someone mention Honeydukes?"

Laughing, Draco pointed to his daughter and said to his wife, "But I can blame your gene pool for this one." Turning to his daughter, he said, "Gitta, put the book down for now, Love."

They all gathered closely as Lucius lifted Ronnie into his lap. The elder Malfoy was keeping the boy so entertained with all that could be bought at the different stores in Hogsmeade that the shot was administered before the lad even knew it. The combined families held their breaths to see if it would work. Almost instantly, the boy sat up straighter. His dull red hair began to take on the carrot-top sheen of a true Weasley.

"Oh…look!" Lavender gasped.

"Do…..do you think it worked?" the normally jovial George asked Draco nervously.

He responded with, "Let's see." Draco walked up to where Ronnie was sitting in his father's lap and said, "Let's play a game now…..okay? I'm going to drop this," he said as he showed the boy a pale yellow feather he held in his hand. "I want you to try to stop it from falling to the ground."

The lad sucked his fingers for a moment, thinking. Then he asked, "Buts….Unca Dwayco….. how?"

"By thinking it," Lucius whispered in his ear. "You think it up here," he said as he tapped Ronnie's forehead, "Then it comes out here," he finished by tapping the little boy's hand.

Ronnie just looked at Lucius for a moment. Nodding he said, "Okay." Then he closed his eyes tightly and said, "I's thinking, Mista Woocie…." Then he raised his hand and nodded to Draco. Draco let go of the feather. Lavender and George cried out their delight when they saw their frail son levitate the falling feather to fly above everyone's head until it eventually landed in Narcissa's bun.

"I dos that," Ronnie told Narcissa, "coz it matches your hair."

Everyone laughed at that, then took turns hugging the boy and congratulating the parents. Lucius made his way to Dr. Granger and said, "You did it. I knew you would."

The old man smiled and said, "Your generosity made it possible. You know that."

Draco and Hermione came up to stand beside the two older men. "So….how long do you think it will take before we can announce it to the press?" asked Draco.

Lucius looked at Dr. Granger. "Once the word is out, there will be a massive demand…"

The old doctor nodded. "That is expected. I would like to run a few more tests, then if all goes well, we can start the mass production. I would say supplies could be available to your citizens within six months."

"So…..you think we need to wait to reveal this?" asked Hermione.

Her uncle smiled tenderly at his great niece. "Nein…I think it would be a good thing to give those who have had no hope of magic something to look forward to."

"Like a child looking forward to Christmas presents, eh Doctor?" teased Lucius.

"Something like that. And speaking of which, when are you going to unwrap your present, mein freund?"

"My present?"

"Your magic. Don't you want to test it?"

"That's right, Darling. You haven't tried anything yet," said Narcissa.

Lucius looked down at his shoes. "I'm not sure I should."

"Why ever not?" asked Hermione. "Haven't you missed your magic?"

Lucius looked up at the group surrounding him. Loved ones, all. "If I'm to be honest…..I'd have to say I've seen more clearly my duties and obligations to my fellow man since I've been without magic….perhaps it would be best if I left it that way."

Draco looked stunned at his father's admission. So did Narcissa. But Dr. Granger understood. "Ah…..the voice of a true leader," he said approvingly.

Lucius had a quizzical expression on his face when he asked the doctor, "Why would you say that? Because I'm the Minister?"

The old doctor shook his head. "A title does not make one a leader. A brave heart does. Years ago, you came to me asking me to find this cure for squibs in your world. You wanted it to help your son in his future." Dr. Granger clasped Lucius' shoulder. "And now what you started has come back to its beginning. You did not plan for it to help you, but see? It has done so." Patting Lucius on the back, he finished, "Reap the harvest you've sowed, old friend."

Lucius sighed; slowly, he took his wand from Narcissa's hand. Tears came to his eyes as he once more felt the power of the magical connection between wizard and wand. Then with a flourish, he raised his arm and said, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Suddenly, objects started hovering in the air; Ronnie's feather, Dr. Granger's stethoscope, and Gitta's book all bounced merrily above their heads.

"Grandfather! Now I won't know what page I was on!" Gitta whined.

Everyone laughed at the bookworm's remark.

"So what? You've read that story a hundred times already," said Scorpius. "Come on, I want to go to Honeydukes!"

"Doctor, will you join us?" asked Narcissa.

"Yes…..I believe it is time for me to finally see this place," he answered.

And with that, they all made ready to go to Hogsmeade to celebrate.

And down the hallway of the West wing of the Malfoy Manor, inside the painting of Abraxas Malfoy, another celebration was being held. "You must be proud of your son this day," the relatives visiting his frame said to him. "He finally learned what it meant to be a true Malfoy."

The Elderly Abraxas smiled. "Yes…yes, he did."

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AN: I started with Lucius and I wanted to end with him.

I've got to make one special call out:
HarryPGinnyW4eva (HG4eva)…I'm not really thanking you for your faithful reviews (although I do thank you for them!) as much as I'm thanking you for your belief that I could write a multi-chapter story. You and I go back a long way…I think you might be the first friend I ever had on FF. And we all know how special our first friend is. Thank you.

And rounding up the usual suspects: Annamonk, Cecily Mitchell, and Acro-Acro:
"You are my sunshine…my only sunshine. You make me happy….when skies are graaayyyyy…"
Oops, got carried away just a bit! But Psst: it's true, you know.
Thanks for being my friends and supporting me, not only with this story, but my other ones as well.

So to avoid this sounding like an Academy award speech, I will close. I thank every reviewer, every follower and everyone who sent me an encouraging PM.
JKR's universe is awesome and so are you.