Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, I own nothing.

Four Years Later…

La Rose prided itself on being one of the finest establishments in Wizarding Britain. They provided only the best quality of French cuisine, making it one of the most expensive restaurants in Diagon Alley. Getting a table required a reservation, which had to be made at least three months in advance…unless your last name was Malfoy.

Due to Lucius' long term friendship with the owner and the customers he brought in when conducting business luncheons, a private room in the back was reserved only for him, his family, and his company. Anytime a Malfoy walked in, they were immediately taken to the room with the best service provided, as well as privacy and silencing charms so that they wouldn't have to worry about eavesdroppers or interruptions. On days like today, this private room was very handy.

A celebration was taking place. As of three o clock this afternoon, Hermione had graduated from the Healer Training Program with top marks, and was now a certified Healer. Already she had a job lined up in the psychiatric department of St. Mungos, which she would begin in two weeks. To offer their congratulations, her closest friends and family sat around a long table talking loudly and laughing happily.

Her mother and Dave were there as well, words not being able to express how proud they were of her. They'd gotten married six months after Hermione graduated Hogwarts. The wedding ceremony had been a small and private affair, with only their families and friends present. Dave's nephew had been there and was beyond thrilled that he now had connections to the brightest witch of the age, and by association the other two members of the golden trio as well. Hermione had been the maid of honor, with Draco as her date. When Hermione brought him over for the first time to meet her family, her mother had understandably been a little frosty towards him, still put out with the whole bet business. However, Dave had welcomed him with open arms, influencing her mother greatly, and Draco had also been able to lay the charm on quite thickly. In no time, he'd won her over and she loved baking treats for him when they came to visit. Jean had also gotten to know his parents quite well, and struck up a very good friendship with Narcissa. The two loved to get together and gossip as well as swap stories about their children between them. Lucius and Dave also got on quite well, being two business minded men with keen eyes for investments.

Ron and Lavender sat at the far left, chairs so close together you couldn't fit a piece of parchment between them. Over the last few years, they had learned to tone down the public displays of affection, but occasionally still put on a spectacle. They'd been the first of the group to get married, their own wedding taking place not even a full year after they graduated. Ron had become an auror just like he wanted, while Lavender stayed home and took care of the house and kids like his mother had. They were also the only ones in the group that had children; two little girls aged four and two whom were named (much to Draco's amusement) Scarlett and Violet. The two could be a handful and were currently being kept by Arthur and Molly.

Harry and Daphne sat next to them, their hands intertwined beneath the table. They'd gotten married four months ago, and were still in the blissful newlywed's stage. The papers had had a field day with it, and they were the couple that appeared most in the Daily Prophet. Harry's initial worry that rogue death eaters may come after Daphne as a way of revenge was assuaged once he joined the auror team and helped locate and put away the last of them. However, most of her family were still very much against the union and a large portion had refused to come to the wedding. Astoria and her mother were the only ones who supported them, although her mother hadn't been very happy when she first learned of them. In time, she'd gotten over it, but the fame and attention of being mother in law to the chosen one had a lot to do with it. Daphne wasn't too concerned with her stubborn family, refusing to let them influence her life and decisions anymore. She and Astoria had started up a matchmaking service down the street, their business becoming more and more popular with their generation and younger.

Theo was still the group's bachelor, and perfectly content with it. He'd courted a few witches here and there such as Tracey Davis, Katie Bell, and Cho Chang, but none had ever really worked out. (Much like he predicted, girls did in fact freak out when their 'boyfriend' forgot their birthday.) However, the last few times they'd all gotten together, Ginny had brought Luna Lovegood along and there had been a mutual attraction between the two, which Blaise and Draco found absolutely hilarious. It was nothing serious yet, but they had a lot in common such as their laid back and carefree attitudes, as well as their disregard for logic and grades. Thankfully, Puddlemere United didn't care much for academics, which was the team Theo played chaser for professionally.

Blaise and Ginny had moved in together after graduation like they'd originally planned, and were still just as crazy about each other. They'd decided to hold off on getting married, much to her mother's annoyance whom had come to love Blaise as one of her own, in favor of a prolonged engagement. Ginny had gotten her dream in playing chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, while Blaise owned an Italian restaurant, which he'd used his dad's funds to start up shortly after graduation. It had really taken off in the last couple of years, and he was in the process of opening another one within the following year. They would get married eventually, but were too busy establishing their careers and traveling the continent in their free time to make it a top priority.

Lucius and Narcissa had done well in rebuilding their image, most of which they owed to their son dating a muggleborn, but also with various large donations as well as them continuing to offer scholarships to seventh years at Hogwarts. Narcissa was happy that her family was whole again after the ordeals they endured during and after the war, and thankful for Hermione's help whom she treated like the daughter she never had. The two frequently had tea together and went on shopping trips at least twice a month. The elder witch found it amusing that even after four years, Hermione still found the exuberant amount of galleons Narcissa spent completely shocking. Lucius, true to his word, pushed his pureblood ideals to the side in favor of his son's happiness. However, like he said, he also didn't venture out into the muggle world willingly, and it took a lot of begging, pleading, and threatening from Narcissa before he finally (begrudgingly) went with her and Draco to visit Jean and Dave for the first time. Though he liked them for the most part, they were the only muggles he didn't sneer at as he passed and their house was the farthest he'd ever gone. Hermione dubbed this an accomplishment, but vowed that she'd completely eradicate all prejudices from within him. He admired her persistence, but made it clear that the likeliness of that happening were slim to none. They often debated Wizarding and muggle laws, economics, and history and more than once, she had outsmarted him. Though he would never say it aloud, he loved her just as much as his wife and son and was glad for her presence in their lives.

Draco and Hermione were still together, and just as in love now as they had been in their last year of school. Draco helped his father run the family business, and had incorporated a potions apothecary and research department within it as a tribute to his late godfather. Hermione came by often to help, and together along with Professor Slughorn and Madame Pomfrey's input, they'd combined modern concoctions and old remedies for healing potions. Their discoveries had led to a multi-million galleon deal, and helped solve ailments such as Dragon Pox and spattergroit.

They came in a close second to Harry and Daphne for how often they were in the papers, and how much controversy their relationship had caused within the community. As was expected, the older generation was not happy, deeming the relationship 'scandalous and wholly inappropriate.' They couldn't accept the change, and found it horrifying that a pureblooded family as old as the Malfoy's were actually, in their words, lowering their standards. But for as much backlash that their relationship got, they received twice as much support. Many saw them as the key to truly moving on from the aftermath of the war, and found their relationship completely romantic. Neither of them really cared much for what others thought; all they knew was that they were happy together and nothing was going to change that. Speculations had been made for when and if the couple was going to take the next step in their relationship, including within their friends and families. Particularly Lucius.

"Impressive" he murmured as Hermione finished telling them all of the other ailments she planned to help cure or eradicate, such as lycanthropy. "A witch like that is hard to come by" he said in a low voice to his son. "You would do well to make your arrangement more permanent before another dashing wizard comes in and sweeps her off her feet."

"Not likely. I keep her off her feet plenty at home" Draco replied smugly, thinking back to the previous night which accounted for Hermione's slightly hoarse voice today. Merlin that girl could scream! His smirk widened at his father's huff and eye roll, but he decided to give him peace of mind. "You're right though. And I intend to make it more permanent very soon" he said, fingering the Malfoy engagement ring in his pocket. The action didn't go unnoticed by Blaise, Daphne, and Theo.

"Told you he was gonna do it tonight" Theo said, turning to Blaise with a proud look on his face.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Yes you idiot, we already established that he was gonna pop the question tonight. Even Weaslebee knew that. The question is when. Here at the restaurant in front of all of us, or in private back at their place, most likely in the gardens?"

Rather than being put out at the insult, Theo ignored it in favor of casting his vote. "Here in front of us of course! It's the most convenient."

"I don't think so" Blaise countered, shaking his head. "Public displays of any kind aren't exactly her thing. Remember that time we walked in on them going at it at his parent's annual New Year's Eve Ball? It took her a full year to be able to look us in the eye. No, it'll be back at the Manor in private. No doubt he'll set up some romantic scene for her."

"What? No way! He's definitely doing it here" Theo insisted. "Besides, what could be more romantic than being surrounded by all of us in this ridiculously expensive restaurant?"

"If being in the same vicinity as Scarhead and Weasel is your idea of romantic, it's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend. Not that it's much of a shocker anyway" Blaise replied, earning a scowl from his friend. "And he probably has some sappy speech planned out that's going to involve telling her how he feels. Do you honestly think he's going to do that in front of us?"

"Would be good ammunition" Theo replied, earning another eye roll from the Italian. The boys stared each other down for a few seconds before slow, devious smirks formed on their features.

"Care to make a little wager?" Blaise taunted.

"Depends. You in the mood to lose?" Theo retaliated.

"Not again! Honestly, don't you two ever learn?" Daphne hissed at them in a low voice.

"Nah" both boys responded, not even sparring her a glance as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at their childish antics.

"So Blaise" Theo said, his smirk turning into more of a smile. "Wanna bet?"

AN: Done! There were so many times I didn't think I'd ever reach this point, but now that it's here, I find myself incredibly sad that it's actually over : ( No sequel planned, but who knows what could happen? Thank you so so much to everyone that has favorited/followed/reviewed this story! Without you input, ideas, and support I never would have finished this and I'm so glad I did! You guys are awesome!

Side Note: Okay, so I have noticed, as have many of you, that I've made a lot of grammatical mistakes throughout this story. I know this is gonna sound extremely dumb, but please remember that I am fairly new to fanfiction. How do I get a beta, and how do they work? (ie: do I apply for it somewhere on the site? Do I email the chapters to that person and they send it back with corrections?) If someone could answer these questions by either leaving it in a review, or pming me, I'd really appreciate it! Maybe one day I'll go back and edit this story to correct all the mistakes, but it won't be anytime soon. Thank you in advance!