November 22nd, 2014

"Is it supposed to be bubbling like this?" Hermione asked as she hovered over an open potion.

"Yes, but you might want to stand back," Draco replied as he gently led her away by the shoulders. "It tends to spatter."

"Then shouldn't it be covered?"

"Then it'll explode."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake… Why are you making something so volatile in your house? You're going to blow yourself and Scorpius sky high!" Hermione berated. Draco merely laughed at her concern, but gathered her into his arms before she could properly scold him. "Draco,—"

"Nothing is going to happen to me down here."

"You don't know that."

"Hermione—"

"I'm serious, Draco," Hermione frowned. Draco's playfulness dropped in that moment as he saw the sadness that was building up in her eyes. "I have a very distinct memory of telling Ron and George that the joke shop was getting a little crowded. Too many things were on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. What if one of them or a customer got hurt if something fell? Well, someone did get hurt, and he never came home. I don't want the same thing to happen to you so please just listen to me."

Draco watched as Hermione's sadness transformed into physical tears and he took a moment to wipe them away. More kept coming, of course, and all he could do (or say, rather) was one thing.

"Marry me."

Hermione's tears made a hard-stop and she blinked twice before tilting her head. "W-what?"

"You're crying, and I want you to marry me."

Another blink, albeit slower this time. "Is…? Is that your real proposal?"

"Yes."

"Then no."

"Why?"

"Because you're only doing it to calm me down."

"Doesn't make my proposal any less real."

"It does when you do it in here." Hermione motioned to the room. Despite having had an office for his and Theo's research company for nearly half the year, Draco still saw fit to occasionally do work in his basement. The same basement with the Creeping Amnesia intact.

"If I did it upstairs, would you say yes then?" Draco questioned, but Hermione sighed before wiggling free from Draco's arms.

"Draco, I don't want you to ask me to marry you because I'm a blithering, sobbing idiot right now. Besides, we have things to consider before I even think about saying yes. Well, one thing at least."

"Which is?" Draco prodded. He even took a seat while waiting for her to continue. For some reason this made Hermione annoyed with him, but she plowed on anyway.

"The children. Getting married doesn't just change our lives, but it affects them too. I'd be Scorpius' stepmother and for Rose and Hugo they… They'd be getting a stepfather out of this. How they feel about that matters a great deal to me, and it should to you."

Hermione stood before Draco on the verge of wringing her hands off. She was so nervous. At the end of her words she realized that they were having the marriage talk. A talk about getting married. Marrying each other. It would be a miracle if she didn't faint in the next couple of seconds.

"Okay," Draco said simply, and Hermione's arms fell limply to her side.

"Okay?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "You just gave me what I needed to get you to say yes."

Hermione was at a loss for a moment, but eventually she let out a haggard breath before walking over to sit beside him at his workbench. She was back to fiddling with her hands again, her eyes focused on them as she spoke.

"I love you, and you're infuriating."

Draco turned to kiss the top of her head and happily nodded. "I know."

April 25th, 2015

"Still love me?" Draco asked. Although he and Hermione didn't go down to his workroom as often as they used to, even after nearly two years together they still started off questionable, yet important conversations this way. They would pick themselves up, wherever they were in his home, and make their way to their safe haven.

"Yes, I do. What is it?"

"Assuming that I've already talked to the kids about it, how soon would be too soon to ask you to marry me?"

Much like the last time Draco had asked the witch, Hermione had stilled and was staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. He tried his hardest not to laugh at her expense. She was such a predictable woman, but the surprises thrown in between were always a highlight.

"Well, I… I can't say that I haven't at least thought about it," Hermione said hesitantly. The fact that it had at least crossed her mind without his prodding was an improvement in Draco's book.

"And your thoughts on it?"

"Honestly? Exciting and frightening at the same time."

She was doing that hand-wringing thing when nervous, and Draco reached out for her from where he sat. He pulled her into his arms, her back facing him, his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. She once told him that this was her favorite way to be held. There was something comforting about it, and he wasn't going to disagree.

"Exciting I get. Why frightening?"

"I don't know. It's like an uncomfortable knot in my stomach that I don't mind being there. Does that make sense?" Hermione asked and felt him nod against her.

"I feel the same way. Quite frankly I feel like I want to throw up when I think about it, but I wouldn't want to feel any other way. So, Miss Granger," he teased with a chaste kiss placed on the nape of her neck. "How soon is too soon?"

"Assuming that you've talked to the children and they're okay?" she said with a happy hum. "Anytime that you want, Mr. Malfoy."

May 25th, 2015

"What does Scorpius think about you wanting to ask Hermione to marry you?" Theo asked. Draco snorted as he threw down a card and picked up another.

"He's already asking me when can he start calling her 'mum.'"

"Ah, bless the lad," George grinned as he picked up Draco's thrown card. His smile got bigger as he set down his hand and whistled. "That's the ticket!"

"Buggering hell," Draco groaned. Theo chuckled and tossed his own cards towards the middle.

"Told you to stop gambling, mate," Theo admonished. "You risked a hell of a lot more money than I did."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think he'd be lucky for the third hand in a row."

"Never try to win over the owner of a joke shop," George advised with a teasing elbow to the blond's arm. "It doesn't end well. Hope you can explain the dip in the accounts to the soon-to-be Missus."

"Luckily I'm well-off enough for her not to notice," Draco replied as the cards shuffled themselves.

As the cards did their thing, he took a moment to mull over the scene before him. Of course, he and Theo playing cards and gambling away their hard-earned money was nothing new, but the redhead at the table was. Draco supposed that it was bound to happen. He and George had been heading towards friendship ever since Draco had asked him to "impress him" the night of Theo and Franny's engagement party. And damn it, the man did. George's joke shop was living proof that he was a creative inventor and, as much as it pained Draco to admit it, an utter genius at figuring spells and potions out. It wasn't long before conferring with Theo about George and then asking if he wanted to work with them. The joke shop was George's first love, of course, but he hadn't turned down a consulting opportunity that would allow him to work on both.

"When are you asking my niece and nephew for their mum's hand in marriage?" George addressed Draco as they all set their bets.

"Tomorrow. I'm kicking Hermione out of the house so she can spend time with Harry and Ginny. She's been complaining about not having time lately to see them."

"I don't know how you manage," Theo shook his head. "One minute all you had was Scorpius, and then you were playing dad to two more."

Draco found himself smirking and he shrugged. "Wasn't too hard of an adjustment. Getting nervous there, Theo?"

"About what? Finding out you're having twins when you thought you were only having one kid? No, not at all. I'm as calm as can be."

"Liar," Draco and George said in unison. Theo didn't say anything, but his reddened face did all the talking for him.

The three of them played cards for another hour before parting ways. They were leaving from their shared office at Mallott's Research Corporation. It was a massive room with three desks, their name plaques and positions written neatly on each of them. Draco's said "Co-Founder" and "Research Director" underneath it. Theo's was similar except "Sales Director" was below the co-founder. George's read "Assistant Research Director" simply because "Research Consultant" sounded so cheap even though that was technically his position.

Draco smiled at the room as he did every time he left it. He had come so far in his life, and he couldn't think of anyone better to have joined him for it. No one better than his own son, Hermione, and her children, of course. He thought them all to be the catalyst to where he was today, and he couldn't have been happier.

As Draco tumbled out of the fireplace at Hermione's, he could hear voices from the kitchen, none of them being Scorpius'. He was with his mother this week, would be back with him the following week, and so on. Neither parent particularly liked only having Scorpius for a weekend, so they traded off every other week as a way to properly co-parent. It was only Monday and Draco was missing him terribly, though. What was he going to do when Scorpius went off to Hogwarts?

Draco shook off the distressing thought as Rose and Hugo ran out of the kitchen and stopped at his side.

"Told you I heard the fireplace!" Rose grinned as she hugged Draco. "Mum saved you dinner."

"Are you really going to ask our mum to marry you?" Hugo asked out of the blue. Draco was immediately caught off guard while Rose shot her brother a hideous glare.

"Hugo!" she harshly whispered. "We're not supposed to know anything!" Rose glanced up at Draco who had a brow cocked in the air. She suddenly looked like a child who had done something she wasn't supposed to and gently cleared her throat. "Scorpius doesn't keep very good secrets. He told us what you were planning to talk to us about when mum wasn't home," she added for Hugo's benefit.

Rose did have a point about his son, and Draco could only laugh within himself over the situation. At least it made broaching the subject easier than he had originally planned.

"Get ready for bed and I'll meet you up in your room, deal?"

"Deal," Rose and Hugo nodded before sprinting to the stairs. Draco made a mental note not to tell Scorpius anything of great importance in the near future before making his way into the kitchen. Just as Rose had said, dinner was saved for him and still steaming hot. Hermione was at the sink and washing dishes, and although she wasn't facing him, Draco could just imagine the expression she was making as she asked her usual question.

"How much did you lose?"

"What makes you think that I lost?" Draco countered. "I might have won."

"Against George?" Hermione teased. She finished washing the last dish and turned around holding a rag to dry her hands. "I highly doubt that."

"No faith in me," he tutted. "Quite the shame, truly."

Hermione laughed as she walked over and grabbed his necktie. He was pulled down to her lips this way —soft, smooth, sweet, and ending off in a pucker. Draco sighed happily within himself and loosened the rest of his tie.

"You're lucky the children are still awake."

"They won't be for very long," Hermione said with a shrug. "Put them to bed, and I'll get ready for bed too."

She finished off her words with a shy bite of her lip before lightly brushing pass him and out of the kitchen. Draco didn't move right away for he needed to imagine the most unattractive things to settle himself. Once he was out of the clear, he quickly ate the food Hermione had left for him before going to Rose and Hugo's room. It appeared that they were eagerly waiting for him and their faces lit up once he had come.

"Well, you both already know what I wanted to talk to you about," Draco said as he sat on the edge of Hugo's bed. Rose was in hers and sitting up with rapt attention. "I guess my question is, well, what did you think of it when Scorpius told you?"

"Excited!" Hugo shouted. "Scorpius and I want to share a room. Can we?"

Draco smiled and nodded. "Sure, if that's what you want and your mum also says yes."

"Can I ask a question?" Rose piped up. Whereas she had been eager before, now she seemed hesitant. She began fidgeting with her fingers like her mother before coming out with her not-quite-so unexpected question. "If mum says yes, and you both get married, do Hugo and I have to call you dad?"

Even Hugo's excitement died down at that, but Draco quickly shook his head. "You don't have to call me anything that you're not comfortable with. My first name is fine, if that's alright with you?"

Rose shared a brief glance with her brother who gave a small nod before turning back to Draco. "Deal. Next question: Since you want to marry our mother, do you promise to love her for the rest of your life? That includes never lying to her, upsetting her, or hurting her in any way."

Draco was trying his hardest not to laugh at being interrogated by a child, but he appreciated the lengths she was going through regardless. She did care about her mother after all. "I promise."

"Okay… One last question. If you haven't done it already, can I help you pick out mum's ring? I just want to make sure that you don't get her anything ugly. She's going to have to wear it for a long time, you know."

Draco finally cracked that laugh. "Sure. We can all go when Scorpius is back next week."

June 13th, 2015

"Still love me?"

"Oh, Draco, I'm really comfortable," Hermione whined, and she even snuggled to prove a point.

Draco had to admit that this was a poor time to bring it up. They were home alone for a change and Hermione was laying on top of him on the couch while he had a book hovering over her head. Not that he was reading exactly. Ever since he and the children got Hermione's ring last week he couldn't get marriage off the brain. There hadn't been a good time to ask his question in the past couple of days and figured to do it now while he had the opportunity.

"Fine, we don't have to move," Draco gave in, "but you'll have to accept the consequences of remembering everything."

Hermione grunted as she raised her body up, but didn't move altogether, so that she could look at Draco properly. She grunted further when her head hit the book Draco had been levitating, but she ignored it as it fell to the floor and she massaged her near-concussion. "Do I want to remember what you're about to ask me?"

"I'd say so, yes. Granted, you're going to be paranoid to death for a little while —in a good way."

Draco watched the emotions on his soon-to-be-fiancée's face as she went from wary to curious in a repeated fashion. In the end, curiosity had won out (as he had expected), and she encouraged him with a curt nod.

"On a scale from one to ten, how extravagant would you deem acceptable for a marriage proposal?"

Hermione was no longer concerned with being comfortable and she pushed herself straight up so that she was sitting on her knees. Wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape, she gasped. "Merlin, I hate you."

"Come now, we both know that's not true," Draco laughed. "Why say it?"

"Because deep down inside I somehow know that you've asked me questions like this before. You wouldn't be asking me this if you haven't. Oh dear… What have I said? What have you asked? What are you planning?"

"I would really think it obvious, no?" Draco chuckled. He wriggled himself from underneath her and sat up like she had. The woman was a frantic, frazzled mess at the moment and it was a right pleasure to see. Much better than delightfully paranoid as he had assumed at the start. "You've yet to answer the question, love. One to ten."

"Yes."

"That's not a number."

"To hell with the number." Hermione had tears in her eyes and a smile too big for her mouth. She tried wiping them away when they started to fall, but gave up when she realized that it wasn't working. "Draco, as insufferable as you are, I know that you're perfectly capable and willing to keep me in suspense for who knows how long. Please, don't be that mean to me."

For three years, two of them together, Draco had seen many sides to Hermione that ranged from extreme joy to horrible depression. Right now with red eyes, tears streaming down, and happiness that surpassed "extreme," he could honestly say that this was the best.

"Well," he said as he snapped his fingers. A black velvet box appeared in his hand when he did, and he opened to reveal a ring. "I guess it's a good thing the kids and I got this early."

"You took the kids with you?" Hermione whimpered. She was practically sobbing now and couldn't see the ring well enough to appreciate it as Draco took her hand and slipped it into her finger.

"Yeah, I did. They're pretty excited over it," Draco grinned. "Scorpius hopes you don't mind if he calls you 'mum.' Rose and Hugo are okay with just calling me Draco."

While she was touched by the thought of Scorpius, Hermione's heart melted over her children. Her tears had dried up enough so that she could see properly and found that her ring was just as she would have liked it. A simple diamond in the middle and a smaller one on both sides. She was finally able to look Draco in the eyes and would have broken down all over again had he not leaned forward to kiss her. Somehow that was what made it real. Not Draco's indirect way of asking her to marry him, not her saying yes, and not even the ring. It was just this moment. A moment where she had defied her old self —a person filled with doubts and fears —and had embarked on a future she couldn't be more grateful for.

"Can I go running to tell everyone now?" Hermione said once she and Draco had pulled apart. Draco laughed before kissing her on the forehead and telling her to have at it. He watched her leap from his couch and run up the stairs —presumably to where his owl Falcon was kept. Not exactly the type of proposal Draco had intended on, but it didn't matter. She had said yes.

Draco sat in awe of it all for a moment before making his way down to his old workroom. He didn't do complicated or potentially dangerous potions down here anymore. It was more or less for any time he felt bored or felt the need to keep his hands busy by mixing something together. He wasn't here for any potion-making, however. Instead, he went straight to his workbench and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. He had written four tasks on it sometime last year with checkboxes next to them.

Ask Hermione about a timeline to ask her to marry me

Ask the kids about their thoughts on Hermione and I getting married

Ask Hermione about her ideal proposal

PROPOSE

"Done," Draco said to himself as he checked off the final task and went in search of his fiancée.

July 10th, 2015

Despite how it looked, Hermione had had no intentions of going to West Norwood cemetery today. Her mother had been thrilled to find out that her daughter had gotten engaged and wanted to take her wedding dress shopping after work. When Hermione had gotten married the first time, she had waited four months before looking for a dress. This time, however, her wedding would be happening sooner rather than later although she and Draco hadn't set an exact date yet.

Her mother had chosen a bridal shop in Upper Norwood, the name alone of the town reminding Hermione that someone she treasured was buried not too far away. After bidding farewell to her mum, Hermione had apparated as close as possible to the cemetery and walked the rest of the way to Ron's gravesite. She hadn't been to see him in quite some time, but even then his tombstone didn't look very worn. Some stronger spells and charms than she had been using previously were to thank for that.

Hermione took a deep breath and tilted her head to one side as she read over his epithet. It hurt less —far less than she ever thought it could. A small smile ghosted her lips before she finally spoke.

"I'm getting married, Ron. To Draco. He proposed last month and I said yes. You're probably just as surprised as when I told you that his son and our kids were friends," she added with a laugh. "Rose and Hugo adore him, and Draco is so, so good with them. He loves them just as much as his own son. So, you needn't worry because your family is being taken care of just fine —I promise you that. I just hope that, wherever you are, you're as happy for me as I am for myself. I also want you to know that I'll always love you. You were my first love, and no one can take that away.

'Sleep well," Hermione finished. She gave his tombstone a small pat before walking away and looking for a safe place to disapparate from.

There were no tears and no sadness. Just a complacent feeling in her heart knowing that everything was finally okay.

Author's note: I present to you my mini headcanon. It's a story that will never be written, but still needed to be said:

Despite being addressed as "Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione hyphenated her last name as Weasley-Malfoy, and she and Draco lived a long, happy life together until a very old age. Out of the two of them, she died first and Draco, knowing what it would've meant to her, buried her next to Ron. Draco lived on for another year until his own death and he was buried next to Hermione. To be laid to rest next to the man who had loved her for the first part of her life and to the man who had loved her for the rest of it, would remain an inspiration to Hermione's family and friends for the rest of their lives.

Thank you all for reading along! I also want to give a special thanks to pphrt who once wrote a review a long while back about liking the amnesia room and how it could be used if Draco ever wanted to broach a topic with Hermione. It worked well, friend :).

Until the next story!

-WP