Nineteen Years Later….

We walked towards Platform 9 ¾, it was ten o'clock, the Hogwarts Express would be leaving in exactly one hour.

Keegan was walking ten paces ahead of the rest of us, he was eager to find his fellow Gryffindor friends. I grew a little anxious as I watched him, he was so tall now, so handsome; he was also the exact same age I had been when his older sister Eliza was conceived. But despite his age, Oliver and I trusted his judgement and character completely. Especially after we had a discussion about protected sex only a few days prior, that seemed to permanently scar his psyche. As I gauged his thoughts now he was much more concerned about living up to his father's legacy of being Gryffindor's best Keeper, I was exponentially grateful for that.

I chuckled to myself at my thoughts, my husband was eyeing me suspiciously from my side. Oliver was holding tightly to our youngest daughter. Ingrid was constantly attached to her father's hip, he was everything to her. But I knew in five years time when it was her turn to attend Hogwarts; she'd excitedly leave us as her five older siblings did before her.

I peeked at Jareth now, he was walking on Oliver's other side. The extreme nervousness he was struggling with was obvious on his face. He was going to begin his first year at Hogwarts, he was excited and intimidated at the same time. He had been a complete nervous wreck this last week of summer. But both Oliver and I assured him that his two older brothers Keegan and Isaac would look after him.

I sighed as I glanced at my son Isaac, I could only imagine how much trouble he would cause his third year, now that he was truly settled in and comfortable at Hogwarts. Since their birth he had been deeply connected to Harry and Ginny's oldest son James, they were born within weeks of each other and practically inseparable ever since. I considered James to be an even bigger instigator than Isaac but they were both frustratingly mischievous. But I knew Isaac's twin sister Daphne could keep them both in line, she was far more mature than either of them. But as of now, Isaac was Daphne's least concern, she was preoccupied scanning the crowd of students for her best friend Violet and cousin Ruth. Even though she had spent most of the summer in their company, she already had things to discuss with them.

Eliza caught my eye as she nervously fidgeted with her hair. She was completely nervous because today she would be starting her new job as Hogwart's head Healer but it was mostly because she would meeting her biological father Draco Malfoy today. I suddenly realized just how nervous I was too. After years of deliberation with myself and Oliver, we made the life altering decision to tell Eliza the truth about her birth father. I had been battling with myself for several years about it. There hadn't been a single significant disturbance since Harry defeated Voldemort nearly twenty years ago, but I still struggled with whether I would tell Eliza about her father, a former Death Eater. Oliver and I had done the very best to give her and all our children a stable life, I wasn't sure if I could derail Eliza's future by telling her the truth. I hadn't seen Draco since that final day at Hogwarts, though I had seen his marriage announcement in the Daily Prophet many years ago and knew he worked for the Ministry now because of my friends that also worked there. He had easily been within reach of me but neither of us had ever contacted the other, not even through our mental bond that was still very present in my mind.

It wasn't until Eliza was offered the position at Hogwarts at the beginning of summer that something changed. She wasn't a young, impressionable girl anymore; she was an adult that deserved to know the truth about herself. I knew in her deepest thoughts that she had always felt like an outcast in our family. She not only had the clearest blue eyes while the rest of us had the darkest brown, but she had been the only one out of all her siblings that followed her to Hogwarts that had been sorted into Slytherin. She was also my only child that inherited my telepathy, I was certain it was because of Draco's own unique abilities.

Today Eliza would see Draco in person for the very first time. Since we told her at the beginning of summer, she had gone through every emotion imaginable. She was enraged with me at first, she thought she could hate Oliver and I forever for keeping such a secret. Then there were several days where all she could do was cry about it. And now, at King's Cross station, she was in a much better place, she had accepted this new part of her life and was eager to see Draco beyond my memories of him. She was even understanding of why I had hidden the truth from her, she was more mature than I ever expected.

After seemingly endless arguments with Oliver, we finally agreed that I would approach Draco first and tell him the truth myself; he deserved that. It had been nineteen years since we said goodbye to each other, we had both grown up and had families of our own, but I still feared that Draco would hate me for keeping this secret for so many years. I wasn't sure why Draco had never tried to contact me before, I know I had contemplated it countless times. But whenever my thoughts lingered in Draco's mind, he always seemed like he was happy, I was glad for him. Draco deserved to be happy despite everything that had transpired between us. It felt so long ago that I had discovered the truth about Draco's intentions with me and the animosity I thought I should still feel for him faded easily. Draco had been forced to make a lot of decisions during his time as a Death Eater and I couldn't make myself hate him for that. Nobody could understand that, Oliver thought I should despise him, and he really didn't want Draco to come near Eliza. But I had to be grateful for Draco because I wouldn't have the family and life I had now without him, it wouldn't have began without him.

Once we reached the platform, it didn't take me long to find Draco, his platinum blonde hair was still impossible to overlook. My breath caught in my throat when I saw him standing beside his wife, which of course he would be. I chuckled at how surprised I had been to see him with a wife at all. His son stood between them, looking just as nervous as Jareth. I could easily see the resemblance between his son and Eliza, they had the same blue eyes. I wondered if Jareth and Draco's son would become friends once at Hogwarts. Suddenly Draco's eyes were darting all over the platform, I knew he had heard me thinking of him, he was searching for my face. He knew I would be here with my own family and was hoping to catch a glimpse of me, but he didn't know how much more I was planning to give him.

When our eyes finally locked I smiled genuinely at Draco, he immediately smiled back. He had expected the worst, he thought I wouldn't acknowledge him at all. I shook my head at his thoughts, his smile grew wider. I kissed Oliver on the cheek, trying to ignore his disgruntlement and began crossing the platform towards Draco. Eliza and Oliver were watching me closely. Draco squeezed his wife's shoulder, I was surprised by her obvious grimace, but she knew exactly who I was, Draco's first love. He patted his son's head and slowly began to walk towards me.

When we first reached each other, we stood silently, unsure of exactly how to start the conversation. I pecked Draco's cheek and squeezed his arm, he relaxed immediately beneath my touch. He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks reddened immediately. He wasn't expecting me to be so comfortable around him.

"How could I not be? You look wonderful Draco. But I must say you look a lot happier than you did nineteen years ago." I tried to tease lightly.

Draco smirked, his cheeks hadn't returned to their normal color yet. "Thanks Melody. You look amazing." He quickly cleared his throat and smiled shyly. "That's, uh, quite a brood you have there." Draco muttered, gesturing towards my children who were all staring at us now.

"Yes, I have six now, almost seven." I said while patting my swollen stomach. "But I have five more months to go on this one."

"Wow, seven children. How do you manage? I have enough difficulty with one. How many are at Hogwarts?"

"Four. My oldest son Keegan is starting his sixth year; he's a brilliant Keeper. Then my twins, Isaac and Daphne, they'll both be starting their third year. Isaac is quite the prankster, he hangs out at George Weasley's shop far too much. And my Daphne is a genius, the smartest in her class. The nervous looking one is Jareth, he's starting his first year also. My youngest Ingrid is only six but I think she's already counting down the days until she starts."

Draco smiled, he could tell how much I adored my children by how enthusiastically I spoke of them. He frowned when he noticed Eliza's gaze. "What about her? The older girl staring this way, is that your nanny?"

Eliza immediately looked away, she knew Draco had asked about her. I chuckled and shook my head at Draco. "That's Eliza, my oldest. She'll be turning twenty soon and she-"

"Twenty? How can she be twenty?" Draco looked perplexed, he was quickly trying to do the math in his head. "But-but-that would mean you had her when you were..." Draco couldn't finish his sentence, he was too shocked.

"I was seventeen Draco. She's my only child with blue eyes and the only one to be sorted into Slytherin."

I stared intently at Draco's face, I wanted to gauge his every reaction. His eyes glanced back and forth from Eliza and to me-she was looking anywhere but at the two of us-and then he stared only at me. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened when the realization finally overcame him. He couldn't find the words to speak, his breathing became erratic, he held onto my shoulder for support, afraid he would collapse.

"She-she couldn't-possibly-be-be-my-my-"

"Daughter. She is Draco. I am so unbelievably sorry I never told you about her. I will never fully forgive myself for that. But you must understand-"

"How could I have been so bloody stupid Melody? How could you have been pregnant and I didn't notice? Was I really that wrapped up in my own affairs? No wonder everything went to hell that year. I have another child…." Draco's voice was weak as he spoke, he felt like his throat was closing up. He couldn't believe I had been able to hide a pregnancy. He stared at my stomach now, thinking it was impossible to overlook. He had never felt more stupid.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Draco. You were preoccupied with many other things. But if there's a bright side, your son has a sister. He's so handsome and your wife is beautiful."

"Yes, that's my Scorpius. And his mother Astoria Greengrass. Our parents arranged the marriage but it's been beneficial, she gave me my son. He's everything to me."

"That's really wonderful Draco, I'm so happy for you. Eliza doesn't have any expectations about this, she just wanted to see you in person and given your reaction, I expect you aren't quite ready to meet her; which is completely understandable Draco. You don't ever have to do anything, but both of you deserved to know the truth about everything. She's taking over for Madame Pomfrey this term as Head Healer so that's where she'll be, should you feel inclined to contact her."

Draco nodded nervously, he was overwhelmed, it was obvious. He certainly wasn't prepared to meet her, he thought he would faint if he actually spoke to her. I squeezed his arm and nodded, I completely understood. This had to be the very last thing he ever expected to happen. Draco nodded along with my thoughts and I laughed once.

"She's a Healer?" He asked suddenly. "Just like her mother."

"I never actually became a certified Healer myself, but it didn't surprise me at all that Eliza had a natural talent for it. I did recently get a job writing for the Daily Prophet, I'm going to write about Muggle culture, books especially. Perfect for me right?"

Draco smiled and nodded, he hadn't forgotten how much I loved to read, he realized now he hadn't forgotten a single thing about me after all these years apart. He cleared his throat when he remembered I could hear his thoughts, he was thoroughly embarrassed. I squeezed his arm again and laughed aloud, he easily joined me. The familiar sound warmed my heart, I wasn't sure if I would ever hear Draco laugh again. I forced away the unexpected tears, hoping he hadn't noticed them.

"And your husband? What is he doing these days?"

I smirked at Draco's formality, he still wasn't very good at hiding his disdain for Oliver even after all these years that had passed. "Oliver took over for Madame Hooch when she retired several years ago. He is able to mostly live at home, which is nice with the new baby coming. What about you Draco? You're working for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement right?"

"How'd you know?"

"Hermione, Ron and Harry work there. Don't you see them?"

"Yes I do, often. Especially Hermione now, she was just transferred to my department, at the same time I was promoted to the Head."

"You were? Wow congratulations. Hermione hadn't told me that."

"It's fairly recent. I was surprised to be offered the job as well, considering my past but it allows me to travel a lot which I really enjoy, especially now that Scorpius will be off at school."

"That's amazing Draco, really. And your parents? Are they here? Please pass along my regards."

Draco looked confused, unsure of why I would care about his parents but he returned my smile anyways. "They aren't here, but they're well. They aren't in Azkaban, so they're happy. They travel a lot too, they like to keep busy."

"Good. I'm glad for them. You seem to really have your life together Draco, I am so happy for you."

"Thank you Melody, that means so much coming from you. It's taken a really long time for me to feel even a semblance of normalcy. And I didn't think you would even speak to me again."

"All is forgiven Draco. I hardly ever dwell on the dark things from the past because my life right now is too amazing. And it took those dark times to get me here, to get all of us here."

Draco smiled feebly, he hadn't fully forgiven himself yet. He cautiously raised his hand to lightly touch my cheek though he feared my rebuff. I grasped his hand and held it to my face and smiled widely. When he released my face he began laughing hysterically, when I turned to see what he was looking at I couldn't help but laugh with him. My entire family, plus the Weasley's and Potter's were gawking at us. Draco and I hesitantly embraced, I couldn't deny the way my heart instantly lurched inside my chest, easily remembering Draco's touch. I nervously cleared my throat as we pulled away, those feelings were in the past now and I would always fondly cherish those memories. Draco squeezed both of my hands before we turned to walk back towards our families. When we both looked back at each other once more, I had to smile.

"Draco," I began nervously. "Feel free to come by for a visit if you'd like. We're living in Perthshire, a three story house off the countryside, you can't mistake it."

Draco smiled and nodded, grateful for the invitation but wondering if he would actually take me up on it.

"I hope you do." I stated genuinely.

When I returned to my family I began laughing again at their varied expressions, but they were all mostly surprised. Oliver kissed my forehead and chuckled into my ear, I was glad he wasn't too angry with me for my extensive conversation with Draco. I enthusiastically greeted Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and their children. Harry was beaming with pride now because his youngest son Albus would be starting his first year along with Jareth and Hermione and Ron's daughter Rose. I was thankful they would have each other. Ginny on the other hand was fidgeting, resisting the urge to cry because she was going to miss her two sons so much. Their oldest son James was already absorbed in his scheming with Isaac.

My sister Iris was standing beside her husband Gavin Havershim. He was a muggle and professor at Oxford University in England. Even after marrying my sister many years ago, being around all of us who were magical, and having a talented witch for a daughter, he still found himself gawking at our world. Their daughter Ruth was whispering to Daphne, giggles randomly bubbling from their mouths. But beneath Ruth's happy exterior she was really anxious about her first tryout for Quidditch this term. She aspired to be a Gryffindor Beater and had practiced often with her Uncle Oliver and cousin Keegan throughout the summer, I knew she was beyond prepared for the position. Their son and my nephew Adam stood silently beside his father, he was very nervous, more than Jareth, Albus and Rose combined and he wasn't even starting Hogwarts yet. He was nervous because he loved growing up in the Wizarding World, but was afraid he might not receive his Letter next summer because his father was a Muggle. He had yet to show if he had any magical ability whatsoever unlike his older sister who could do all sorts of magic by the time she was ten. I wanted to hug my nephew but then he'd know I had been listening to his thoughts and I knew he wanted his anxieties to be kept private. I wished I was a Seer and could know whether or not he would attend Hogwarts next term.

I looked to Ron now who was fidgeting like his sister, he was anxious about Rose and wanted to warn his daughter to stay away from Draco's son Scorpius. He held his tongue only because of my close proximity to him, he didn't want to upset me. But he was legitimately nervous about Rose having a romantic relationship with Scorpius Malfoy. Luckily he couldn't read minds like I could, otherwise he'd know Rose truly fancied my son Jareth and had for a long time. I snorted aloud when I noticed Hermione was gazing adoringly at my stomach, she was looking forward to having a new baby around in a few more months.

"How are you feeling today Mel? Not under too much stress I hope. You look radiant as usual. Have you two decided on a name yet? I know you've been ceaselessly bickering about it every time we've seen you the last few weeks." Hermione said with a laugh.

"I feel fantastic Hermione, thanks. I'll miss the kids of course, I always do, but they're in good hands and it'll be refreshing to only have one child at home now. And yes, we finally came to a decision. For a boy, we decided on Jeremiah Pierce after Oliver's father and Evelyn Ainsley for a girl. It seems only fitting that we name at least one of our children after someone in Oliver's family, since we already have Jareth and Ingrid for my parents, even Daphne has 'Iris' as a middle name. I'm hoping for a girl though, I think it would pay perfect homage to Oliver's mother, her passing has been so hard on Oliver." I said quietly to Hermione as I glanced at my husband. "But enough about me, didn't you start your new position at the Ministry on Monday? How did that go?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "It went brilliantly. It's a bit odd to have Draco as my superior of course and I really miss all the House Elves already, but I'm excited to work in the department and especially the pay raise. When do you start with your articles for the Daily Prophet? Fairly soon or after the baby?"

"As soon as I want. I'm going to write them from home, submit the articles to the Prophet and they'll publish them. Thanks so much Ginny."

Ginny stepped closer to Hermione and I and kissed my cheek. "Of course Mel, they wouldn't dare refuse their top Quidditch correspondent, or Harry Potter's wife."

Our boisterous laughter was interrupted by the train's piercing whistle sounding through the platform, the train would be departing soon. Jareth's lighthearted mood immediately shifted to panic. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and kissed the top of his head, he was nearly taller than me now at only eleven years old. His cheeks reddened from embarrassment but on the inside he was really going to miss me.

"I want you and Albus to look after Rose okay sweetheart? She's just as nervous as you. And don't hesitate to become friends with Scorpius Malfoy despite what you might hear about his family, even from Uncle Ron. He comes from a good family and is a nervous first year too."

Jareth nodded, said he loved me and pulled me in for a tight embrace. He then hugged his father and kissed Ingrid on the head, promising to write her as much as he could. They had formed a close bond being the two youngest children in our family, tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I watched them, even though I had promised myself I wouldn't cry this year. Jareth linked his arm with Rose after she said goodbye to Hermione and Ron and they hesitantly walked towards the train together. Albus was hanging back a minute with Harry, he was especially nervous about being sorted into a House. I sighed in relief as I watched Jareth approach Scorpius, Draco's son nodded nervously when my son asked him to join them on the train. I was so proud of him. Draco whispered his gratitude in my mind and a smile spread onto my lips.

Keegan wrapped his arm loosely around my waist and I planted a big kiss on his cheek. He wiped it off in feigned disgust and kissed me back on my cheek. He hugged his father and Ingrid quickly and then eagerly joined his friends on the train, but not before looking back one more time to wave at us. He thought I love you in his mind and my eyes began to well with tears, I was such a lucky mother.

Daphne and Isaac hugged and kissed Oliver and I before shoving each other and racing James and Ruth to the train. I smiled as Daphne bowed to us in triumph, she had surprisingly outran the others, she was the least athletic of their group. Daphne blew one more kiss to us before disappearing inside the train with the others.

Eliza was the last to say goodbye, the nerves had settled into her stomach. She didn't want to disappoint her father and me, but especially me, since this had once been my dream too.

"You could never disappoint me Eliza. You've worked so hard and are beyond prepared for this. Just remember if you ever need me, I'm only a thought away."

Eliza was suddenly very grateful that we could clearly hear each other no matter how far apart we were, that was something she didn't feel often. She mostly thought it was a nuisance because we never really had any genuine separation. But today she was grateful, she needed our mental connection to remain calm.

"Thanks Mum, I love you and-thank you." She said nodding towards Draco, sighing happily.

I hugged Eliza tightly, she lingered in my arms for a few long moments before also disappearing into the train. I wiped away the last remaining tears as the train sounded it's final warning to board. All of us parents stood together as we did every year and watched our children begin their journey to Hogwarts, just like we had done when we were their age. It felt like only yesterday that we were the students, I sometimes couldn't believe that nineteen years had passed, it happened unbelievably fast. But each year had proven to be better than the last, they were all full of happy memories and we would continue to only make happy ones. We weren't in fear of anything anymore.

I stood next to Harry now, I gently nudged his side and we watched the train slowly pull away from the platform. "We have some amazing children, don't we Harry?"

Harry nodded in agreement and gently nudged me back. "You've got someone looking after all them right?"

A loud laugh erupted from my chest as I nodded. "I got McGonagall on that years ago. And now Eliza will keep them all in line too."

As the train became a small figure in the distance, the tears began to roll down my cheeks again. I couldn't hold them back anymore and I didn't want to, my life had been better than I ever expected. Most of all, I was so extremely happy that the Wizarding World was living in peace, as it should have been all along. All was well.

**Thank you so much to all who have read and supported this story! It is very dear to my heart and I am so thankful to have been able to share it. Keep your eyes peeled for a third part to Melody Everard's story that I am currently working on. Thank you! And of course, thank you to our creator J.K. Rowling. My life has been so enriched by her works!**