So here it is; the final chapter. I had planned another one before this but just couldn't make it work, and rather than subject you to the sub-par writing that it involved, I wrote this. It was where I wanted the story to go anyway, so I guess it's an epilogue, if you will.

"Dad! Come here quick! You have to see this. She can walk!"

Draco was greeted with the excited cries from his son the second he walked through the door. He dropped his messenger bag on the floor and wandered down the hallway, smiling at the sight before him; Scorpius and Hermione kneeling on the living room floor a few feet apart, and the little girl that had flipped their world around was standing unsteadily between them.

She looked up at him and gave him a toothy grin, clapping her tiny hands, congratulating herself, before losing her balance and plopping down onto the floor with a giggle. She didn't bother to get back on her feet, instead she crawled to Scorpius and flung herself at him.

"You walked!" Scorpius told her excitedly, hugging his baby sister, "You walked all on your own."

Draco didn't want to burst Scorpius' bubble by telling him that a few unsteady steps wasn't exactly walking, but he was just as pleased as his son was, watching as Scorpius turned her around, held her until she had her balance and told her to go to Hermione.

A year after they'd been married, Hermione approached him cautiously, asking what he thought about all those children living in orphanages around the world, and if he would even consider adopting a child with her. He had been hesitant at first, not because he didn't want to adopt a child with her, but he wanted her to be sure it was what she really wanted, that it wasn't something that she wanted to do for him. She had assured him that it wasn't, that adopting a child with him was something that she wanted, and once they'd discussed it at length – just how much it would change their lives, just how difficult the process might be – they had grinned at each other like idiots and the decision had been made.

Scorpius of course loved the idea. The thought of being a big brother had him brimming with excitement. But they had had to put a halt to it, explaining to him that the process may take a while.

And they hadn't been wrong. It had taken two years to bring her into their home, into their family. Two long years of red tape and endless paperwork and interviews. Two long years of trips to Romania, only to be told that this time wasn't their time; that another family had been allowed to adopt this time.

And just when they'd been about to give up, Draco came home to Hermione in tears. He'd engulfed her before knowing what was wrong, simply assuming that that they'd been told yet again that they wouldn't be considered. But she had smiled through her tears and held up a picture.

"She's ours," Hermione had whispered.

Draco had taken a step back, almost trembling as he took the picture from her. His hand went to his mouth and he felt tears sting at his eyes, "Are you sure?"

Hermione had nodded, looking at him as if she could hardly believe it and seeing the same look reflected back in his eyes.

"Say it again." Draco had said

Hermione had beamed at him, "She's ours."

The three of them had travelled to meet her and they had instantly fallen in love with her. A gorgeous dot of a child, with dark curly hair and chocolate brown eyes rimmed with long, dark lashes. She had a tiny button nose, her skin was fair and her smile was constant, and when Hermione first held her, she snuggled into her immediately and they all knew she was definitely theirs.

They named her Sofia, keeping with her heritage and Draco's love of Greek mythology. She was six months old when they finally brought her home and she melted the hearts of everyone around her. She was happy and placid, and there was an almost daily fight between the three of them as to who would get her affections.

Of course, Scorpius was her favourite, she adored him and her squeals of delight when he came home from school were almost deafening. And, true to form, he constantly let them both know it, insisting that the tiny hissing sound she made when she was babbling in her nonsensical baby talk was actually her saying his name.

Trevor was a close second; the baby taking to following the cat everywhere around the flat when she had learned to crawl. And Trevor had taken to sleeping in her crib when she wasn't in it and right outside her bedroom door when she was.

They had only celebrated her first birthday a week prior. Scorpius had insisted on a massive celebration for her, but much to his dismay, she had spent most of it sleeping. They had both laughed and told him that she wouldn't remember her first birthday anyway, and that he'd been an amazing big brother to want to have a big celebration for her.

Scorpius had also been hoping that she would walk on her birthday; she'd been stepping along the furniture for weeks now, but had been hesitant to finally let go. Their little girl had clearly decided to wait, and as Scorpius had excitedly said, she was now finally walking. And Draco, in this moment, knew that all the waiting, all the frustrations, all the angst and tears that went into this little girl becoming a part of their family were all worth it to see the current looks on his wife's and son's faces as she took her first unsteady steps

"When did this start?" Draco asked crossing the room to join them.

"She just did it now." Scorpius said, "Mum said we should see if she'd do it and she did."

Draco smiled at Hermione.

Mum.

It had taken some getting used to, but Scorpius had theorised that if Sofia was going to call her mum, then he should also, to avoid any confusion in the future.

And Hermione loved it.

Scorpius had approached her randomly one day after school, after they'd arrived home from their first meeting Sofia, and had told her that while he knew she wasn't his real mother, and that knew he had told her that he wouldn't call her mum, he felt that it was important that he now did so.

Hermione, of course, had taken it all in her stride, telling him that she had made a promise to love him forever and that if he wanted to call her mum, she would be perfectly fine with that. And that just because Sofia would be joining their family, she wouldn't love him any less if he still called her Hermione. But he had insisted, and by the time Sofia had come home with them, Hermione was mum.

"No, Sofia," Scorpius said gently as Sofia made a wobbly turn, "You have to walk to mum."

Sofia took no notice and stumbled towards Draco, who caught her just as she made to fall. "Well, look at you, Miss." He said lifting her up and kissing her cheek, "Look at how clever you are."

She babbled something to him, grabbing a fistful of his hair, and, not bothered at all by the fierce tugging, he nodded in agreement at whatever she was telling him.

"Well, it sounds to me like you've had a very busy day," He told her, easing his hair from her grip. He put her back on her feet, and faced her towards Hermione, "Off you go. Show me how it's done."

She babbled something else at him, looking up at him with her wide eyes, and he knew she would be the death of him. He was already planning how to fend off any teenage boys in the future. She clapped her little hands again and took several tentative steps towards Hermione.

"Come on, Sof, two more steps," Hermione encouraged her, her arms outstretched towards her.

Sofia looked up at her and smiled, "Mum." She blurted out and took the final two steps to Hermione.

Draco watched as Hermione's face lit up, not only had their daughter walked for the first time, she had just said her first word. And he was ecstatic that it was mum. He smiled as Hermione's eyes filled with tears, hugging their daughter to her chest and kissing her temple.

"She talked!" Scorpius exclaimed, "She talked and she walked on the same day."

"And she said mum, not Scorpius," Draco teased his son and then winked at Hermione, "See, you are her favourite."

"No, way," Scorpius argued, "She says my name all the time. You just can understand it properly yet."

Draco laughed, "Nice try. Mum's the winner."

"It wasn't a competition." Hermione said, setting Sofia back on her feet and encouraging her to go to Scorpius.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Draco stood and kissed the top of Hermione's head, "Enjoy the moment."

Hermione smiled up at him and whispered "Thank you."

Draco shook his head, "No thanks needed. She loves her mum, it was bound to happen."

Draco was woken by the snuffling sounds emanating from the small monitor beside his bed. He looked at the clock, it was 4am and the quiet grizzles quickly turned into wails. He glanced to the other side of the bed and saw Hermione, appearing to not have even moved since she fell asleep. He smiled and climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweat pants and heading for his crying daughter.

"Hey, little Miss," he cooed at her, "What's all this noise?" He picked her up from her crib and cradled her to his chest, rocking her gently. Her wails turned to whimpers as she wriggled against his bare skin. "Hey, it's okay," he told her and began pacing the floor slowly, rubbing his hand gently across her back.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him, and he could feel the heat from her skin; she was hot and feverish and miserable. She was teething, and while she'd been mostly happy during the day, nights had been horrendous, which had made for very little sleep for he and Hermione the last few nights.

But despite the exhaustion, he realised just how much he had wanted this. He had accepted what had happened to Hermione and knew that it would be just her, him and Scorpius and that was all he thought he ever needed. That was until this little dark-haired angel had come into their lives, and had become more important to all of them than anything. All the memories of Scorpius at the same age came flooding back; pacing the floor with him in the wee hours of the morning; the teething, the tantrums; the colds and fevers. And he looked forward to it all again with her. And he was delighted to be, this time, sharing the sleeplessness and exhaustion with his wife.

But he had also forgotten just how much joy a baby could bring; the sweet giggles, the quiet cuddles, the never ending wonder when she discovered something new. And just watching Scorpius with her, how much he adored her and doted on her. He had often wondered if the novelty of being a big brother, of having a baby sister, would wear off soon after she'd arrived, but it seemed that it wouldn't, and he was more than proud of his son for being as caring with her as he had been.

"Hey," Hermione said quietly from the doorway.

Draco turned and she smiled at their daughter curled against his chest, her head against his shoulder, her fingers in her mouth. Her eyes were wide open, but Hermione knew she wasn't looking at anything, just staring blankly into space, her eyes blinking slowly, almost asleep.

"She woke," he said by way of explanation.

Hermione smiled, she was sure this was exactly what he was like with Scorpius when he was tiny; protective and attentive and adoring. Even in the deepest sleep, he would wake at the tiniest sound she made. And she loved seeing him with her, playing on the floor, in a mess with her at dinner time, curled on the sofa reading with both her and Scorpius. She loved all of it.

She stepped closer to them and gently pressed her lips to her daughters' forehead, "She's still hot."

Draco nodded, "I give it two more days and that tooth will be through, and we'll have our happy girl back."

She placed her hand over Draco's on Sofia's back, "I think we lucked out again."

"How's that?"

She watched as Sofia's eyes closed, "We were given the most beautiful little girl on the planet."

Draco smiled at her, "I think you're right."

She kissed him quickly, "I'll leave you two alone. She's almost out anyway"

"I won't be long. Don't go to sleep before I get there." He winked at her and she grinned, assuring him that she wouldn't and headed for the door.

After a few more minutes, Draco felt Sofia completely relax against him and laid her down gently, covering her with the blanket Scorpius had insisted that they buy for her – Iron Man was still his favourite and it looked as though Sofia would not be given a choice. Her little arms immediately rose above her head, stretching herself out and making him smile.

Any concerns that he initially had about adopting a child had instantly disappeared the minute he first held her. The instantaneous love he felt for her when she had snuggled into him had been overwhelming. This tiny girl, who had no blood ties to them, had suddenly become his world. All the clichés were true – he would go to the end of the earth for her, die for her. And in an instant, she, Scorpius and Hermione had become the most important people in his life, and the need to protect them all had been all consuming.

He'd felt this before with Scorpius, of course he had, but now it seemed heavier. It wasn't just him and his son any more, now it was his family and they needed him. Hermione had teased him about being a caveman, but he knew she loved him all the more for it.

He placed his hand on Sofia's belly, "Love you little miss."

"She's asleep?"

Draco nodded, "Out like a light,"

"I didn't even hear her, are you sure she woke? Or were you just in need of a baby cuddle?"

Draco crawled back into the bed and pinched her hip, knowing she was teasing him. "She woke," he said kissing her, "And you didn't hear her because you were snoring like freight train."

"Was not," she said indignantly.

"Oh, believe me, you were." He sniggered, "You're exhausted. A teething baby is by no means easy, and you're working a thousand hours a week on top of that."

"It's not that many."

He rolled to look at her, "I know that," he brushed her hair behind her ear, "I'm not judging. You're a great mum, to both of them. I'm just saying you're exhausted. Take a few days. The girls won't care."

"Sofia loves being in the shop. And everyone loves her being there. Besides, I took yesterday off."

"I know that, but one more day won't hurt," He said, "Re-fuel and both of you will be better for it. I promise."

Hermione leaned up on her elbow and glanced over at the clock beside the bed, "I can think of another way to re-fuel." She ran her hand across his bare stomach and he gave her an amused smile.

"I'm not sure that's re-fueling, that's more likely to exhaust you even more."

She bent down and kissed his chest, her hand slipping lower, sneaking beneath the sheets, her fingers teasing along the elastic of his boxers, "You think you're that good?"

He snorted, "You know I am."

"Prove it," she challenged, her hand slipping lower still and wrapping around him. He was soft, clearly not expecting this turn of events, certainly not at 4.45 in the morning.

He lifted his head to look down at where her hand disappeared into his boxers, watching where she slowly began to move up and down his shaft, stroking gently and sliding his foreskin back and forth over the head. He grabbed her wrist, surprising her, and pulled her hand away. He kissed her palm and told her to lay back, "I love your hands on me, but I have something to prove here, right?"

His hands were warm as they slipped under her tank, sliding up her stomach and stopping at the underside of her breast. His lips hovered over hers, not kissing, just breathing her in. She felt the cool air across her skin as he pushed the thin material over her chest and up her arms, tossing it to the floor. She felt her nipples tighten as his fingers grazed over them, followed quickly by his mouth.

"Beautiful," he whispered and she sighed. He feathered his fingers down her stomach and his mouth brushed over the hollow at the base of her throat. Her pulse sped up and she arched her back when his mouth moved down her body. His tongue circled her belly button and she slid her hand across the smooth skin on his back, feeling his muscles bunch as he pushed her pyjama pants down and she kicked them off her feet.

"Beautiful," he said again, "Every...single...inch." He dropped between her thighs and kissed her where she was already warm and wet. She groaned and he continued kissing and licking and sucking and circling his tongue over her until she shivered and let out a strangled cry.

He kicked his boxers off before moving up her body, linking their fingers and bringing their hands up to rest beside her head. He met her gaze, her eyes were glassed over, but she had a satisfied smile on her face. He allowed himself a smug grin and she caught it. She rolled her eyes and he laughed.

"You don't have to tell me how good I am."

Hermione huffed a breath at him, "I hadn't planned to."

He positioned himself at her entrance and without warning drove into her making her gasp, "I want to hear you," he whispered and lowered himself to her, his full weight pressing down on her. He felt her stretch around him and set a slow pace, "I want to hear those sounds you make right before you come."

She glanced at the baby monitor, a silent statement telling him they couldn't be loud, not when their baby daughter had woken several times in the last few nights.

"They're asleep,' He assured her, "Doors are closed, they won't hear you. I want to hear you, Hermione. I want to feel you."

He watched her, watched as the indecision crossed her face. It had amused him to no end that she hadn't made a sound during sex in the first month after they'd brought the baby home, and he had reminded her that she'd been nervous about Scorpius when they'd first started seeing each other, and he'd yet to hear them. And Sofia would be the same. Babies, he told her, would sleep through anything.

He cover her mouth with his, kissing her softly. "She's asleep," he said again and she sighed, opening her lips and taking his tongue into her mouth. A small moan escaped her as he continued to leisurely stroke through her and he smiled. She might not let go completely, but he was sure as hell going to enjoy trying to make her.

His slow, measured thrusts were building, her breathing was becoming erratic. He pulled out almost completely and a wave of pride spread through him as she growled in frustration. He reached down and pulled her leg over his hip and slid home with one hard thrust.

Hermione's eyes flew open and she gasped, "Fuck!" she ground out through clenched teeth.

He held still above her, feeling her pulsate around him; she was hot and slick and he knew it would be driving her mad.

"Draco. Fucking move!" She ground against him, but he refused to move. She lifted her mouth to his neck, licking and sucking and grazing her teeth against his skin. She wrapped her legs around his hips, squeezing her thighs against him, cursing him, digging her fingers into his arse and urging him to move.

But he still didn't move, watching her as she growled in frustration, waiting for the sounds he wanted. She continued to grind against him, sliding along his length, and he gritted his teeth, telling himself to hang on.

"Draco, fuck!" She swore at him, "If you don't fucking move..."

He released her hands and braced himself above her, and began fucking into her. She moved with him, small cries spilling from her mouth, still restrained and he grinned down at her. He moved faster, building the friction, driving her higher and higher and he finally heard what he wanted. She cried out, shuddering beneath him.

He tensed above her, his thrusts becoming short and sharp. He reached between them and stroked her. Her fingernails bit into his arms and she cried out again. She squeezed him tightly, and he fell over the edge with her.

Draco's heart was hammering in his chest, his breath was hot and heavy on her neck. He felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, her legs squeezed him tightly.

"Was I loud enough for you?" Hermione was breathless, but without even looking at her he knew she was smiling.

He lifted his head, "No. But we'll work on that."

She pinched his shoulder, "You're an arse."

"I know," He said and kissed her, "But you were right."

"Of course I was," she said, "About what?"

He kissed her, "About re-fuelling. I feel like I could run a marathon right now."

Hermione glanced at the clock, 5.30am, their usual wake up time when they ran, "Go then," she told him with a sated smile, "Run. I'll get them both ready-"

He stopped her with a kiss, "No. I have no desire to leave you right now. If I could I would lay here all day with my dick inside you."

"That sounds amazing," Hermione sighed, "Maybe Scorpius could get her ready and take her down to Ginny and Pansy for the day."

Draco agreed and began to rock against her, she was still wet and slick and he began to grow harder with each slide. "Hmm, that sounds like the perfect plan."

A small snuffle sounded on the monitor and they both whipped their heads to look at it, holding their breaths and waiting for the wails to start. But after another series of quiet snuffles, the monitor went quiet and their gazes shifted back to each other.

"Make it quick," Hermione told him, "She might not give us another chance."

He grinned down at her and wasting no time, began thrusting into her.

"Let's go!" Scorpius was headed for the door, and both Hermione and Draco were shaking their heads at him. He'd been itching to get going from the moment he woke, and they had no idea as to why, and he refused to tell them. It was just another day, nothing special as far as they were aware, but obviously something was happening in his day that he was excited about.

"Okay, okay," Draco said, "Let's go."

They headed down the stairs, Hermione carrying Sofia who seemed to be picking up on her brother's excitement, and was babbling to Hermione and clapping eagerly. They had been surprised to find that the molar that had made her miserable for days and erupted through her gums in the wee hours of the morning and they did indeed have their happy baby back.

As soon as they entered the shop, they understood the excitement. Scorpius proudly announced to Ginny and Pansy that Sofia had taken her first steps and she had called Hermione mum. The pair had ooh-ed and aah-ed without any trace of condescension at his excitement, as did the regulars who had also fallen in love with the baby.

Draco leaned over and kissed Hermione goodbye and winced as Sofia clutched at his ear and unleashed a tirade of baby speak at him.

"You're in trouble daddy," Hermione laughed.

"I think I am," Draco agreed and attempted to remove himself from his daughter's clutches, "Hey little miss, let go of daddy."

Scorpius was laughing, telling Pansy and Ginny that Sofia did that to him all the time. Draco blew a raspberry on her cheek and she giggled and pushed him away. He leaned in and did it again, making her squirm against Hermione to get away from him.

He cupped Sofia's head and kissed her cheek, "You get the first kiss tomorrow baby girl, I promise." He grabbed his coffee from the counter and followed Scorpius out the door, both calling goodbye as they disappeared through the door.

"What?" Hermione asked noticing the looks on her friend's faces.

"We both hate you, you know that, right?" Ginny said.

"I know that," Hermione said before adding, "I'm just not sure why this time."

"You come down the stairs with your perfect blonde god of a husband and your perfect, sweetheart of a son and your perfect little princess, and its all gooey eyes and kisses and adorableness, and we hate you." Pansy said.

"Not to mention that going by the swooney look on Draco's face you gave it up this morning and had perfect sex." Ginny added and then grumbled, "Probably multiple times."

Hermione grinned at them, "Nice that you're jealous of me for a change." She stepped around the counter to help Pansy, as Ginny reached for Sofia, plucking the baby out of Hermione's arms and hugging her.

"Mum," Sophia said and grabbed Ginny's hair.

"No sweetie, Ginny. Gin-ee."

"If she says Ginny before she says Dad or Scorp, you won't be popular." Hermione warned.

"Pfft," Ginny waved at hand at her, "Aunt Ginny is way better than daddy or Scorpius. Isn't that right princess?"

Hermione laughed, "Ginny, I love you, but are you ever actually going to do any work for me ever again?"

"No," Ginny said not taking her eyes of the baby "Our princess is far too cute for me to possibly do anything."

"Our princess?" Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"You know she is."

Hermione kissed her daughter's chubby cheek, "Yes I do."

Hermione flipped the closed sign over on the door and smiled at Pansy and Ginny who were both making faces at her daughter as Draco held her, her sweet giggles and her mutterings of mum, mum made her heart soar. Scorpius was at one of the tables, finishing his homework so he could spend the rest of the evening playing with his sister.

His sister.

The little girl she never thought she'd have. The husband and son that she never dared to imagined.

Six years. Six years had gone by in the blink of an eye. Six years since she'd thrown herself a drunken pity party after she'd been fired. Six years since she'd sat miserably staring out the window of her flat wondering just what she'd do with her life now her beloved job was no longer hers. Six years since she'd had her light bulb moment and her own book shop had come to fruition.

She was still astounded each and every day that her life was now this. The life she thought had been taken from her was now right here, right in front of her.

She leaned back on the door watching them all. Draco caught her eye. He smiled and mouthed, I love you.

Husband. Son. Daughter.

New life.

Thank you Universe.

So that's it.

Thank you all for sticking with this. I was initially nervous about writing an AU in this fandom, but the kind words and encouragement made me think I was doing an okay job. I have some ideas knocking around in my head for something else, so hopefully I'll see you all again soon.

Much thanks and many hugs xx