This will be short and sweet. Thanks for sticking with me and for loving this story and giving me the enthusiasm to finish it. This is now compete and one hundred percent, totally finished.

Six years later...

Rose stomped down the stairs, book in one hand and baby in the other. Orion had been born three weeks ago and Rose was emotional enough after all those post-pregnancy hormones without the recent discovery she'd just made. It was four am and she was livid, and there was only one person that deserved to get it both barrels, even if he was a painting.

About six months after his death, a beautiful, moving, talking, portrait of Draco Malfoy arrived at the Manor with a note attached that said 'Scorp forgive me, mother made me do it. Just shove it in the attic or something'. Rose had done the next best thing and shoved him in the kitchen, where the animated version of Draco was quite happy. It had come as a bit of a shock, finally starting to let go a little bit only to have a painted version of the man thrust upon them, but nonetheless they'd made the most of having him around.

Once Casseopia was born, he became almost as important to Rose as the the real Draco had been, giving her some company on long night feeds. Rose regaled to him the story of how Scorp had won the last of the three water wars and used his 'no questions asked favour' in order to name Lily godmother straight away, which made Lily bawl her eyes out and subsequently won him the challenge he'd had with her for over a year.

Scorp often came down to talk to the painting, finding it quite difficult at first but over time taking comfort in having him there. It wasn't quite Draco but it was very much the essence of him, much like any other magical portrait of a witch or wizard. Scorp was currently snoring away in their bedroom, zonked from a day of training and then a night of chasing Cassie around the house to get her to go to bed. Rose smiled fondly at the memory of him scooping their five year old daughter up and tickling her mercilessly until she'd caved. Rose could still hear the sweet sound of Cassie's giggles and see the bright, adoring smile of her father.

Rose stalked through the kitchen with an angry look on her face, stopping at the little island counter her and Draco used to chat at all night. The painting of the man in question looked up, a snarky frown on his face.

"What's got your bee in a bonnet Granger?" he scoffed.

Rose merely flung the offending object down on the table in front of her. She glared at him irritably.

"Ah, that," he said, shuffling awkwardly within the frame and looking appropriately guilty.

"You're an arse, d'you know that?" Rose seethed. "A complete and utter arse!"

"I don't know why you're surprised," Draco huffed, folding his arms.

"Surprised isn't the word for it!" Rose cried.

"How'd you find that anyway? You must have been rummaging through my stuff!" He glared back at Rose.

"Cassie found it, she brought it to me," Rose said. "I didn't know what it was until I opened the first page and read the first entry."

"I don't see why me writing a journal is a big deal?" he huffed. "And your daughter is a sneak by the way. You should watch her, light fingers and all."

"Yeah? She'll take wonderfully after her Grandfather then, won't she. All the lies and deceit and inability to talk to people and tell them shit that matters!" Rose growled.

"What mattered so much you've got your knickers in a twist?" Draco huffed again, knowing fine full well what it was that had Rose so riled up.

"I thought that when you died, you'd finally found a peace you never had while you were alive," she said, her voice trembling. "But I was wrong. You didn't die all twisted and broken and tormented like you'd have me believe..."

"Yes I did Rose," Draco said softly. "I was always going to be those things. I just kept a few things to myself, is all. I couldn't let you know you'd won, where would be the fun in that?"

"You were getting better," she whispered. "You were getting better and you were happy and you'd even started sleeping properly again..." She fiddled with the edge of the journal before idling smoothing Orion's back as he slept. "You slept a whole night through, you'd been sleeping a lot of nights, the whole night through. You never told me, even after you arrived back at the Manor in this frame...why? Why wouldn't you tell me you were getting better?" she croaked, meeting the painted eyes of the blonde man in the picture.

"Because I knew it would hurt more," Draco said, a small, sardonic chuckle slipping past his lips. "I knew it would make my death even more painful, because it wouldn't have been something that made anything better, even my state of turmoil."

"It makes it so much more unfair," Rose murmured, tears sliding down her face.

"Hey, Rose," Draco called her and she looked up into his eyes. "I got to be happier than I thought I'd ever be, for a lot longer than I thought was ever possible. That's a win."

"It doesn't feel like much of a win," Rose sniffed.

"It does to me," he said. "You changed my life, and Scorp's. You made them better. So what if I died, at least I got to live a bit before it happened. And I got to live a bit because of you, and Scorp and the rest of your whole crazy family..."

Rose chuckled tearfully. "I just wish it hadn't happened that way, that it hadn't gone down that way..."

"There was no other way for it to go," Draco said gently. "He loved you, just as much as he loved Scorpius. There was no other way, he'd do it again a thousand times because he knew it was the only way he'd ever get to see his son smile again."

"Except he won't, because he isn't here...no offence..." Rose said.

"None taken, I'm a painting Rose, I know that. While I am the essence of the man I am not the man," he spoke. "And he will, he does. He sees Scorp smiling everyday, playing with children he'd never have had if it weren't for Draco's sacrifice. When we die we don't just turn to dust and ash, we don't just leave."

"It sure feels like it," Rose grumbled.

"You have to let this go," he said.

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't," she huffed.

"Merlin you're still so bloody stubborn!" Draco cried.

"Thank you," she grinned.

"It wasn't a compliment," he smiled softly.

"I know," Rose whispered, her voice cracking a little.

"Night Rose," he said, winking at her as she nodded and turned away.

Just as Rose got to the door, she turned to look at him. "I'll never forgive you, you know?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he smirked.

.

Rose wondered back up the Manor to her bedroom. She opened the door and found Scorp sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed. Rose couldn't help the smile that crept back onto her lips, watching the man sleep. She turned to the cot the other side of the room and settled Orion back down before sliding back into the bed and gently shoving Scorp back over to one side.

Scorp slung an arm around her waist and pulled her back into him, his chest resting against her back. He snuggled in, nuzzling her hair and breathing in deeply.

"You okay?" he mumbled.

"Mmm," Rose murmured, her head still awash with thoughts.

"What's up?" Scorp asked hazily.

"Cassie found your dad's journal today," Rose said.

"Mmm?"

"And I read it."

"I thought that was implied," Scorp snarked.

Rose slapped him gently, her lips twitching into a smile. "He was getting better Scorp, before he died, he was getting better."

"I thought that was obvious," Scorp said.

"He was sleeping properly through the night," she whispered.

"I figured he might have been," Scorp sighed.

"How does that not make everything so much more unfair to you?" Rose asked.

"Because, I can't change it now, and I wouldn't want to. The only other alternative was you dying instead and if you'd died, I wouldn't have a wife or two amazing children." Scorp shuffled so that he had both his arms around Rose, hugging her tightly. "Dad gave me a life with you. He gave us a second chance and it's something I can't ever repay nor will I ever forget."

"I know, I know. I just can't help but think of the injustice of it all," Rose sighed. "He swore he'd never sleep a full night till the day he died, and he was wrong. He wanted a life, he had one that was worth living. He had peace already."

"And how long d'you think that would have lasted if you'd died instead of him?" Scorp asked.

"What?" Rose frowned, twisting to look at him.

"If dad hadn't saved you, if he'd watched you die and then watched his son die inside, he'd have gone straight back to sleepless nights and unrelenting torment. He wouldn't have lived the way you're thinking, he'd have gone straight back down the path he was on when you met him," Scorp said.

"What if no one had to die? What if none of it had ever happened and your mother wasn't insane?" Rose said.

"My mother was always insane," Scorp scoffed. "Rosie, come on, we can't change the past, no matter how unjust it is. Our parents would have done it already if it was possible. Don't beat yourself up over something you can't change."

"I know," Rose sighed. "It's just hard sometimes not to think about how unfair it is."

"It will always be unfair," Scorp said softly, kissing her neck as he spoke. "But we have to remember all the things we're grateful for at the same time. Like the kids, each other...the life we have..."

"I know," Rose sighed.

"Rosie..." Scorp growled affectionately.

"Yes, okay! I know!" she said, giggling as his fingers came to rest on her ribs.

"I love you," Scorp whispered in her ear.

"Do you?" Rose asked with a teasing frown.

"I could show you?" Scorp sniggered, his hands beginning to trail patterns across Rose's stomach and up across her chest.

"Mmmm," Rose hummed as she felt a growing warmth erupt throughout her body. She turned her head and pressed her lips against Scorpius', running her hands through his hair and kissing him deeply.

"Merlin you're so fucking gorgeous," Scorp mumbled between kisses as he scooped his wife up into his arms and settled himself between her legs, kissing up and down her neck and teasing her with his fingers.

"Oh Scorp, how is it you can make me feel this way with just a few small movements and well placed kisses?" Rose moaned.

"I'm just really, really good at what I do," he smirked.

"Mummy? Daddy?" A small voice floated through the doorway towards them and Rose groaned for an entirely different reason.

Scorp kissed Rose sweetly before climbing off her and wondering towards the door. "Coming Cass..." he called, opening the door to reveal a small blonde girl with beautiful curly hair.

"Daddy!" she squealed and Rose felt that passionate warmth within her transition nicely into one of pure, unconditional and unadulterated love.

"What's up Cass?" Scorp asked, scooping her up and carrying her to the bed.

"I couldn't sleep daddy, I had dreams and then I heard 'Rion crying and mummy shouting at Grandad's picture and then I heard you and mummy talking and I just couldn't sleep," she said, big wide silver eyes staring at Scorpius.

Scorp chuckled and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Well, you're okay now. Orion is sound asleep and mummy stopped shouting at Grandad's picture." He smiled at his daughter as he propped himself up on his elbow. "Mummy and daddy can talk another night, okay?"

Cassie nodded sleepily and looked over at a softly smiling Rose. "Why were you shouting at Grandad's picture, mummy?"

"Because I wanted to shout at Grandad sweetheart and his picture was the next best thing," Rose hummed.

"Why?"

"Because once upon a time, your Grandad did a really wonderful, but very sad thing and mummy still finds it hard not to be mad at him for it," Rose explained softly.

"What did he do?" Cassie asked.

"He saved my life," Rose said.

"Why was that sad?"

"Because he had to give up his own to save mine," Rose said.

"Is that why he's a picture now?" Cassie said.

"Yes sweetie, it is," Rose smiled.

"But if he hadn't saved you, you wouldn't have married daddy and then you wouldn't have had me in your tummy or 'Rion..." Cassie frowned.

"No I wouldn't," Rose said. "That's why it's both wonderful and sad all at the same time."

"Will I understand that when I'm grown up?" Cassie said.

"Yes sweetie, you will," Rose chuckled. "Night night, baby girl..." Rose kissed her on the forehead and smiled as she rolled over and snuggled into Scorp. She was a daddy's girl if ever there was one.

"Night princess," Scorp grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "Night Rosie..."

"Night Scorp," Rose smiled, kissing him softly as Cass fell back to sleep in his arms.

So, I'd just like to say, I know a lot of people wanted a sequel or spin-off and I have toyed with the idea but I've decided I really need to do something new. I have a lot of fics that I've started both original and fanfiction works that need my attention and subsequent completion. I've got a completed fic I intend to post shortly already). That being said, I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone who wants to pick this story up for a sequel or write any spin-offs, I'm totally happy for anyone who wants to give it a go, just please credit this fic as the inspiration or original fanfic thanks :)