Massive thanks and love to everyone who reviewed this, they all mean a lot. I loved writing this, so the characters will definitely be appearing in future stories. I'm thinking of giving Lydia her own story at some point, too. Suggestions for a pairing there would be appreciated; I'm thinking maybe Lysander or Hugo? First, I've got an Ally/James story, that'll probably be up soon, if anyone's interested. Anyway, back to this.

Epilogue

They waited, side by side in their chairs. Their hands were clutched; in between their fingers, Lily could see the gold and sparkle of her engagement and wedding rings. They'd graced her finger for a few years, now, and she didn't regret them. Was sure she never would.

It hadn't been a mistake. Oh, there'd been times when she'd wondered, of course. When they'd argued, when she felt the pressure of making a marriage work was just too much to deal with. And, lately, when she'd wondered if he'd really want her forever.

But overall, she was happy. And really, she knew that it was right.

Neither spoke. The silence seemed unbearable somehow, though, as though it was trying to suffocate them. And it was taking such a long time for the healer to return.

"If it's not – not what we think," Lily murmured finally, unable to say the actual word, "it's OK. We'll keep trying. Eventually...and if not, we can -"

"I know." He said softly. "Really, I know. I'm not – it's just hard to wait."

She half smiled. "I know." And they were so, so sure this time. She felt different. But, then again, hadn't they been sure last time, and the time before?

Finally, the healer came back into the little room. She was a short women, with brown hair tied back and a half smile on her face. The half smile caused Lily a flash of hope, which she quickly suppressed. She knew, by the way his hand tightened on hers, that Scorpius experienced the same thing.

"We've got all the results back." The healer told them. "And I'm really happy to tell you that you're pregnant."

Lily burst into tears. She couldn't help it. They'd been trying for almost a year, suffered through several false alarms. And finally...

"You're sure?" Scorpius choked out. "Absolutely, one hundred per cent -"

"Yes." The healer replied, and nodded for emphasis. "You're going to be a father, Mr. Malfoy."

And he burst into tears, too. The healer watched as they clung to each other, then recovered.

It had been difficult, being denied something they wanted so much. And it had, at times, threatened to break them, to destroy their marriage. After the last false alarm, he'd found her sobbing in the bathroom, and she'd said – it sounded like an accusation, really – that she was a failure as a wife, and he'd be better off finding someone else.

She'd never forget the way he'd sat beside her, told her he didn't want anyone else, and asked if he was a failure as a husband, too. And they'd both poured out their soul. In the end, it had made them stronger.

"Lucius is going to kill us." Lily remarked as they left the hospital, hand in hand. She had make-up tracks down her face, highlighting where the tears had run. His eyes were red. Neither cared.

"Nah, he won't." Scorpius replied, equally as casual. "This is the future of his bloodline. He won't kill us, not while we've got the next Malfoy, anyway."

"Potter-Malfoy." Lily reminded him."He'll kill me for that, if nothing else. He's still not forgiven me for ruining the Malfoy name by tacking Potter on the end."

Whatever Lucius' feelings, Scorpius loved it, loved seeing letters addressed to Mrs Potter-Malfoy, loved seeing her signature, loved hearing it said.

He snorted. "That's true. But, bright side, our mothers and grandmothers are going to be thrilled. And your granddad and dad'll be pleased."

"Your dad will be pretty happy to." She shrugged. "He's accepted me."

"Yeah. Everyone who matters will be happy for us." His voice was light, but she knew it still bothered him, his damaged relationship with Lucius. Not the time, she told herself, to talk about it.

"It's amazing." She said, instead. "A baby, Scorpius."

He stopped, turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I still can't accept it. It doesn't seem real."

"Worth the wait." Lily murmured. "I mean, it sucked, all those months of waiting and not being – even when we were sure. But it's worth all that, to feel like this."

"I know." He smiled at her. "When do you want to tell people?"

"I have to tell Lydie first. She made me promise."

"She made me promise, too." Scorpius replied, smirking. "As soon as you told her we were trying."

Lily flashed a smile. "Covering her bases. They're going to throw a party. The family. And your lot will be invited, too. You think Lucius'll show up?"

Scorpius' expression hardened for a moment, then it passed. "I don't know. Mum and Dad and Grandma were pretty mad when he skipped the engagement party." And all these years later, he still hadn't forgiven that. And he hadn't, since then, once referred to him as "grandfather" sticking with Lucius, even to his face.

"Doesn't matter." Lily said, knowing where his thoughts were. "Doesn't matter if he never sets eyes on our kid. Not gonna miss out on anything without him in his or her life."

"That's true. No matter where Lucius stands on this, our baby will have everything they need."

She smiled at him, undiluted bliss on her face. "Our baby." She murmured.

For a long time, they stood in the street, arms around each other, muggles sending them curious looks as they walked around them.

Maybe they hadn't done the smart thing. Maybe they'd been too young. Maybe they should never have got together, should never have fallen in love.

But in the end, it was right, and nothing else mattered.