A/n: Here's the finale chapter! I hope you enjoy. Thanks to my betas JDeppIsMyLovely and Tessa Cresswell! Don't forget you can check me out on facebook as well! The links up on my page.

The Epilogue

She sat on the soft sofa, staring hollowly at the wall in front of her. Her hair was curled and tied back in a twisted, loose braid, hopefully keeping it out of her hair that day. The gorgeous heels he got her were set aside, replaced by mundane flats that lacked life and colour, might like the dress she wore. The entire outfit shouted dreary, but the event they were about to attend couldn't be described as anything less. Her hands shook in anticipation, but it was more from fear than excitement.

Today, she would lay them to rest. The day she had been dreading for months was finally here, and she couldn't be more shell-shocked. The experience was so much more real now that she was about to do this, and part of her wasn't sure she could. One they were six-feet under, they would be out of her life forever, gone too soon. Gone, but not forgotten.

Hermione had never been more nervous in her life. Standing off against Adam wasn't so bad, saving people's lives wasn't so bad, fighting in a war was nothing. Laying her parents to rest after a series of events that eventually turned out to be more about her than them was too much to handle. In a way, they were killed because of her. And that fact sat heavily in her heart. She wasn't sure she'd ever forgive herself for it. A tear slid down her cheek, and more threatened to slip over. She really needed Draco in that moment.

A door in the hallway ahead of her opened, and a small boy with blonde hair and short nails hurried out. He had lively, grey eyes and teeth that were still small for his age. He was playful, he was joyful, and he was healed. The day after Hermione was released from St. Mungo's following Adam's attack, she saw Draco's son as the adorable child he really was for the first time. Stripping the child's blood had actually worked, and Hannah succeeded in finishing the process alongside a friend of hers, Penelope Clearwater, who was taking over the management of St. Mungo's in Frank Williams place. He had been fired the day Hermione was admitted.

"Mommy!" the little boy called, running over to Hermione. Hiding the pain in the back of her head, she stood with a wide smile and scooped the little boy up, hugging him to her frame. He'd taken to calling her mommy more and more once he finally transfigured back to his normal self, and after realizing that Astoria could never be the child's mother again, she had accepted the nickname. Draco was all too pleased with his son's adoration of Hermione, and she sometimes wondered what he expected out of their relationship. Maybe being Scorpius' mother was a possibility for the future.

"And how's my big boy?" she asked, beaming at the little child. He reflected his father so well it was almost uncanny, and Hermione could easily see Draco in him. But she loved Scorpius for Scorpius, and not for who his father was.

"Good! Daddy said I can spend the night at Lizze's!"

"Did he now?" she asked, eyeing the man that came out from the same doorway down the hall, a suitcase in hand. They were taking his son to Blaise's for the night, so that they needn't worry about hurrying back. She simply hadn't been informed that he was spending the night there, and thought they were picking him up whenever they finished with the event.

Draco shrugged, approaching the duo. "I thought it might be beneficial, considering that we might be out quite late. Besides, he should spend some time with his friends." Winking at his son, the four-year-old winked back.

"Do I still get to come with you to work tomorrow?" he asked, letting a big grin spread across his chubby cheeks. "You promised!"

And he certainly had promised, since his son was bitten by the bastard Adam before he got to take his son to work for his actual birthday, and had promised to take him soon. "No, the day after tomorrow silly. Tomorrow I'm not going to work."

The child pouted, and smiling softly, Hermione set the boy back down. "But you promised!"

"For the day after tomorrow. Don't be upset, or I might not take you flying afterwards."

Immediately, Scorpius brightened. "We're going flying!?"

"Well of course; I know how much you like flying over the forest. I thought we might go flying for a bit."

The boy nodded eagerly, but above his head Draco could plainly see Hermione's uncertainty. When he mentioned this to her last night she had the same terrified look in her eyes, and she acted so much like a real mother it was uncanny. He knew that she was going to be just what his son needed to turn into a proper adult, and by that point he had no intention of allowing her to escape from him. The blonde was too attached, and he knew she felt the same.

She was just too jumbled at the moment to commit to something so long-term, and he was fine with that. She needed her time to grieve, and this was something he would not judge. There would be plenty of time to propose to her, and he didn't intend on popping the question too soon. These things took time.

It had been almost a month since the entire event happened. Her time at St. Mungo's had been brief, but it was long enough that the blonde saw flames. He protested, saying that Adam should not have been arrested that night but exterminated. The Minister rightly refused to do so, and opted instead to banish the man and sent him away.

He felt a bit better when the man's body was found the following day, torn into seven different pieces. He already had a good idea who caused that, and was more than a bit grateful for it all. He didn't deserve to be alive after everything, and considering all the shit he put Draco personally through, he wouldn't have regretted a one-way ticket to Azkaban for personally taking the man out- Sarafene would certainly teach him all the spells, right? But someone else did it for him, and so long as he was dead, Draco decided he could at least be satisfied. His son and his girlfriend were safe, and by that point it was all that really mattered. He refused to let anything else happen to them.

Draco was protective like that.

Scorpius was currently jumping around, excited that he would get to go flying again. "Can we go tonight before I see Lizzy?"

His father clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Patience son. Remember, we have somewhere to be tonight. Tomorrow for sure."

The boy frowned. "Fine."

"Now, let's get you to Lizzy's before she gets impatient. She doesn't like to wait."

"Nope," his son replied, grinning ear to ear. It was so good to see the child smile genuinely again.

He held her hand throughout the ceremony, her friends standing invasively to the side. In his opinion, Hermione didn't need them there. She had yet to tell them what really killed her parents, a burden she had shared with Draco before they even got out of the woods. Panicking, she had gripped his shirt, staring at him with wide eyes.

"It was Adam."

"I know love, I caught onto that. He's being-"

"No!" she cried, tearing away from him. No one really paid them any mind, as the vampires were too busy baring their teeth to Adam, and the Aurors were distracted trying to apprehend him. "He's the one! He's the one who did it!"

"Did what?" the blonde asked, perplexed. He wasn't quite sure what she was going on about anymore.

Jumping forward, she grabbed his shirt, eyes wide. "He did it Draco!" Her voice cracked, and he could see her composure breaking. Wrapping his arms around her, he hoped he could keep her from slipping into the ground. "He killed them… he killed my parents."

Startled grey eyes peered into hers for a moment, before turning to look towards the fallen vampire, now bound and stunned. He felt something bubbling inside of him; the need to comfort. Looking back at the girl before him, he kissed her lightly, as though a feather was skimming over her lips.

"Hermione… oh Hermione… I'm so sorry," he whispered between kisses, keeping his arms securely wrapped around her. And it was a good thing he did too, for even as he planted the third kiss on her cheek, he tasted salt, and knew she was crying, breaking in his arms. She collapsed against him, big, chest-shaking tears breaking through her resolve, and the first bout of tears began. It would not be the first- or last- tears shed for her parents in the limelight of things. And Draco was totally prepared to help her cope.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione."

Her friends were the outsiders there in his opinion, invading a ceremony that should be private and reserved for just them. The Potter's had their children along, the whole muck luck crew, and Weasley and his wife Lavender were there as well, alongside Longbottom, Luna Lovegood-turned Longbottom, Finnegan, and even Abbott. They were all there, and none of them understood the backstory behind this tragedy. He wasn't sure if they were helping the situation by being there for her, or making it harder because she couldn't speak the truth about it to them.

He would be overjoyed if they left, but he knew they would remain around after the burial and the speech by this muggle person, whom Draco couldn't give a title for to save his life. They would stay to talk to her and give her well-wishes, as well as their apologies for the tragic loss. And everything would hit hollow ears, her heart roped off by barbed wire to survive this experience. She was bracing herself to be strong in the aftermath of things, but he knew her better than that. She was going to crumble under the pain, and he was going to catch her when no one else could. Draco was going to be her savior, in all aspects. She was there alongside him throughout the most troublesome time in his life, and he sure as hell would be there for hers.

Hermione trembled throughout the ceremony, and he kept a sturdy arm around her, ensuring that she remained upright. She cried, letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks, the mass amount of water dripping down her face overbearing the lack of tears shed by anyone else. No one knew them like she did, for Hermione's parents often stayed away from her magical life, not shunning it, but not trying to embrace it. Her friends were there for emotional support that day, not personal connections. And he didn't think they were needed. He could provide more than any of them could.

When the procession ended, they gathered around like a swarm of bees, coddling the woman who only vaguely acknowledged anyone. She was in a daze, her eyes still glossy but unable to shed anymore tears. And despite everything, she did not let go of Draco's hand as she hugged her friends, thanking them with watery goodbyes for coming to this important event. They weaned off one by one, realizing that she wanted to be left alone with the blonde, the person she was attached to. Even her best friends eventually got the hint, and left after their wives.

She sat on the dirt once everyone was gone, staring at the grave markers with sad eyes. They were already in place, magic having been used by some of the guests to put them in once the eulogist left. Sitting down, she cast her shoes aside, and found a comfortable pillow on the blonde's chest as she leaned back, trembling again.

It was a long time before she dared to speak, and when she did her voice broke. "They're never coming back."

He rubbed her arm, kissing her temple in response. She didn't need a vocal confirmation to know the truth, and saying that they weren't outright might just upset her more. He kept to his silence, letting her grieve in her own way.

"It's not fair," she whispered, and he felt a tear drop on his hand. Resting his head on her shoulder, he kissed her neck in a comforting gesture. "I played by the rules; I did what they wanted. They would want to heal naturally, and not be cured by magic. Yet magic is what killed them."

"You honored what they would've wanted," he reminded, whispering in her ear. "Any good child would put that first Hermione."

"I worked so hard!" she cried, and he adjusted to hug her fully to his chest. "I lived on the bare-minimum; I worked the outrageous hours to keep them alive in that low grade hospital, and I still wasn't able to save them! If I worked harder maybe-"

"This isn't your fault," he scolded, out rightly refusing to let her take the blame for something a monster like Adam did. "They would be so proud of you Hermione for the woman you became. They would've loved seeing you succeed, and honoring their wishes as you did. You worked hard for them Hermione, and they have to know that. They're not anything but proud of you."

"But I didn't save them!" Her voice broke, and the calm composure she had been barely holding onto snapped, letting the wave of suppressed emotions tumble through. Her heartache, pain and regrets all seeped out, the emotions mirrored in her weighted tears. He wrapped his arms around her at that, allowing her to cry on and tarnish his best dress shirt without batting an eye, and rocked her back and forth as she lost control. He never expected her to maintain her composure for so long to begin with.

Merlin knew how long they sat that way, with him rocking her and her tears leaking out onto the white fabric of his shirt, leaving behind a puddle of tears, but in the end she was unable to pull away from his warmth, and only managed to turn her head to the side, sniffling.

She said nothing, and merely took some deep breaths. He rubbed soothing circles on her back, letting her take her time. This was all about her, and he was willing to sit back and let her do things at her own speed. He was willing to sit there all night for her.

But at one point, she hesitantly pulled away and looked up at his eyes, her still glossy from crying. "Take me home."

His heart skipped a beat, realizing what she meant. He couldn't possibly take her back to her home, for he didn't know the location and wasn't allowed in past the wards, he was sure. The only place he could possibly take her was back to the Manor, to his bed, and comfort her anyway he could.

But she called it home, and the word sat heavily between them. Home, meaning that she thought of it as such. His heart soared, joy peaking inside of him at the idea that she could consider his abode her home. It made him a bit tingly.

He didn't even bother changing their position before he apparatted them back, clutching her to his chest, barely remembering to grab her shoes before they were gone. He had the perfect spot in mind, and they arrived on his bed, Hermione still clutched against him.

She stared at him for many moments, seemingly thinking over the situation. He set her shoes down beside the bed, and when he sat back up she pounced on him, pushing him back against the mattress so she could kiss him, suffocating him with her lips.

When she did finally come up for air, their eyes met, and he could see the pain still etched there. Brushing her hair back from her face, he gave her a soft smile.

"Tell me what you need Hermione. I'm here for you."

Briefly he thought she might break into tears, but the girl held herself together, taking a shaky breath before she leaned down again, once more attacking his lips with her own in a second searing kiss. He responded eagerly, needing no motivation. She frantically kissed him, searching for something to fill the void inside of her, and he responded to her advances, knowing that it would only substitute for the loss for a short while, but that it might help her cope that night.

She wanted a lover, a caregiver, and someone who would let her be sad and grieve for the first time in ages, considering that she spent the first months after her parent's deaths too involved in the problems with his son to allot any time to miss them. But she had been there for him, and he would be there for her, as long as she wanted him. Hopefully, it would be a very long time indeed.

"Come on dad! We have to go!" The boy was out the door of the Manor before either adult even started down the stairs, Draco holding his broom in one hand. He did owe his son a broom ride, and the child was incredibly eager to get outside for it. They just weren't as fast.

Hermione was sore from her adventures the night before, though her heart was still fractured. Draco did a damn good job of distracting her from the pain, but even she knew that he couldn't be her vise forever. It was going to suck to deal with everything, to go to her parents' home and clean it out, but it was something that had to be done. But he promised her as they lay there naked staring at the ceiling, the drapes closed, that he would be there for her every step of the way. And she believed him.

Outside the mid-morning air was crisp, welcoming with a slightly bitter edge. Hermione stopped on the patio after kissing Draco, watching the two Malfoy's parade off into the clearing. She ended up distracted from the scene, staring out at the woods.

Those woods, those forbidden woods that had once housed horrors, now housed no dangers. Crabbe, after disobeying several group decisions and basic orders, was dismissed from the pack, shunned to a life of probable-solitude, the Ministry allotting him a two-month stay in Azkaban for assisting Adam before he was dismissed from the clan. Hermione suspected that because Adam was not sentenced to any jail-time, that his murder was probably anticipated. Oh well, it's not like anyone missed him. Even Sarafene, his longtime lover, was disgusted by the man in the end. Hermione respected her for that.

The other vampires were still someplace in the woods, somewhere deep, having made an agreement with Draco to keep their distance, staying towards the denser parts and allowing a divider to remain between the Malfoy's and the vampires, as it should've been to begin with.

After the uproar with Adam, it was a bit hard to hide all the facts of the case. Try as they may, the Ministry didn't hide every single secret, and now there were rumors of vampires coming back floating around England. That might be another reason why Sarafene and the others were so willing to disappear further into the trees. That was just a hunch however.

The Ministry did a half-decent job however concealing Crabbe's identity when he was tried in the courts. He was even given a fake name, and the fact that he was still alive after having been presumed dead during the war flew under the radar of reporters. Hermione wasn't sure if she was satisfied or disappointed with that. She really didn't like him.

After all, he was partially responsible for Cho ending up in a coma at St. Mungo's. But from what her friends were telling her from work, the woman was awake now, the same day that Adam was reported dead. How very interesting.

But from what she heard, Sarafene was speaking with the Ministry about equality. So far, it sounded like a rough road, considering that the vampires were still uncomfortable being around mortals, and some of them lacked the self-control to not go on a killing spree. It sounded like it would be a rough road, one which might take quite some time to come to an agreement on. But considering what she learned about the woman, she wouldn't be surprised if she found a way.

"Watch me mommy!" Her attention was drawn back to the present, and Hermione took a seat on one of the patio chairs, perfectly content to remain on the ground while father-and-son had a little flying trip.

She still didn't think it was a safe idea, but only smiled brightly as the little boy waved, before his father reminded him to always keep both hands on the broom. Grinning, she watched as Draco kicked off and lifted them up towards the sky.

And they went up, just like her future was. From there, things could only get better. And she had a good feeling Draco was going to be a big part of it.

~FIN~

Final A/n: Why hello there! You're probably either satisfied or very unhappy with this last chapter. I personally liked it, even though it is a bit short. I didn't want to drag things out too much, you know? I don't like to tie up every single end in a story, because then it leaves nothing for the reader to think about. And this leaves their whole future wide open :)

I hope you enjoyed this story! It was a challenge, but very fun to write. Please note that there is no sequel coming for this story. There's a sliver of a possibility that I'll write one last little installment, but it's practically non-existent. I'd really prefer to keep it right like this my lovely readers.

Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favorite/followed this story! It always means a lot to have people do that. You're always welcome to check out any of my other stories as well!

Again, thanks for reading this long story. Want to leave one last review so I know what you thought overall? Happy reading from here on out my lovely reader, and maybe you'll appear in my review list someplace else!

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