One Year Later.

Wandering over to the window in Draco's bedroom, Hermione gazed down at the gardens, illuminated by the lights from the ground floor of the manor. She could even see figures wandering around in the garden, getting some fresh air. With the manor being so large, Hermione couldn't hear anything, but she knew that downstairs there would be a riot of noise as the party was well underway. And not just any party - her engagement party.

Glancing down at the twinkling diamond ring on her finger, Hermione couldn't help but smile as she recalled how Draco had proposed to her several weeks ago. Her boyfriend had taken her away for a romantic weekend in Paris, and even though he'd had a romantic proposal under the stars beside the river Seine planned, he'd been so nervous about asking her that he'd blurted the question out almost as soon as they'd reached their hotel. Not that Hermione was bothered about how Draco had proposed, she was just happy that he'd asked her to marry him and of course her answer was an immediate yes.

Deciding that it was time she headed down to the party, as it really wasn't fair to leave Draco to deal with all of the guests, Hermione grabbed her wand only to be distracted by the card it was sitting beside. The card was an engagement card, and it had arrived earlier that day from the twins. Fred and George had sent their congratulations to her and Draco, but they'd declined the invitation to attend the party as they were heading to Romania with Ginny to spend time with Charlie.

Although to be fair, even if they hadn't been going away, Hermione wasn't sure if the twins would have attended the party. After events of a year ago, Hermione had worried that they'd pushed the twins too far and that they would end their friendship with her and Harry. Despite the fact they'd kept their promise not to kill any of their family outright, Ron had still ended up succumbing to his injuries. Just over a week after the battle, the Weasleys had said their goodbyes and he'd slipped away peacefully. Technically, no-one had killed him, but everyone knew he'd died thanks to the damage he'd sustained in the battle.

However, the twins didn't seem to blame Hermione or Harry for their brothers death. Nor had they ended their friendship. They'd even accepted the financial help Hermione had promised them, and these days Draco was an investor in their business. But even so, Hermione couldn't help but feel attending her engagement party at Malfoy Manor might have been a step too far for the loyal twins. She was just hoping that when the time came, they attended her wedding. Although if they didn't, Hermione didn't really think she would blame them as Ron wasn't the only person they'd lost thanks to her family.

Once the dust had started to settle on the end of the war, Molly and Arthur had stood trial, albeit a very short one as they'd both confessed to playing a part in her kidnapping as a child. They each received ten years in Azkaban for their crimes, and Molly was handed an extra ten year sentence for plotting to kill Hermione. By the time the trial had rolled round, Molly had been declared fit to be sentenced, but Hermione had been in the court room and she'd seen that she'd broken something in Molly and that the older woman would never be the same again. Even if she survived twenty years in Azkaban, she would never be the woman she once was.

While some people in the public viewed the sentences as too harsh, and a lot of people thought that Molly and Arthur were shouldering all the blame since everyone else involved in the incident was dead, Voldemort considered the punishment a light one. However, Hermione didn't care about the length of time either Molly or Arthur spent in Azkaban, she knew their real punishment lay elsewhere. Not only had they lost a son, but Molly had accepted that everything that had happened since Hermione had learnt the truth was her fault. Hermione had no doubt that for the rest of her life, Molly would blame herself for the deaths of so many people, not to mention the fact Voldemort had won the war and had control of Wizarding Britain. In Hermione's eyes, that was a far better punishment for Molly than the sweet oblivion of death.

Hearing footsteps approaching the bedroom, Hermione put down the twins card and turned to the doorway in time to see her fiancé enter the room.

"Are you ever coming down?" he asked. "It's hard to have an engagement party when one half of the couple is missing in action. People are going to think you're having second thoughts about marrying me."

"Never," Hermione promised with a smile. "Like it or not, you're stuck with me, Draco."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Draco returned with a grin. "So are you ready to join us?"

"Are they here?" Hermione asked, even as she nodded her head and agreed to join the party.

"Not yet," Draco admitted with a slight wince. "But they will be. They wouldn't miss this for anything."

"I hope so," Hermione sighed, taking hold of Draco's hand and allowing her fiancé to lead her towards the party.

As they started to descend the main staircase, the sound of the party began to hit Hermione, and she admitted to herself that the reason she'd been hiding upstairs wasn't so she could make an entrance, it was to give two very important people a chance to arrive. But it was looking like she was going to have to celebrate without two members of her family.

Putting thoughts of the missing family members out of her head, Hermione put a smile on her face as they neared the bottom of the stairs and she saw everyone gathered in the front hallway. Right at the front of the group were Lucius, Narcissa and Severus, all wearing proud smiles on their faces. Hermione also spotted the Slytherins - Blaise, Theo, Greg, Vince, Pansy and Daphne – all of whom had become dear friends to Hermione, near the front of the crowd. She then caught sight of her old friends, Dean, Seamus, Neville and Neville's girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.

Hermione had to admit she'd been surprised when her and Harry had turned up to have a drink with the former Gryffindors and she found Neville had brought Luna along. But Luna had been her typical welcoming self, and assured Hermione she held no animosity towards her. Like everyone, she expressed her regret that things had unfolded the way they had, but she hadn't judged Hermione for choosing her father's side. Nor did she have any problem with the fact Hermione was The Dark Lord's daughter, and very openly loved and supported him.

"To the future Mr and Mrs Malfoy," Lucius called, raising his glass in the air as Draco and Hermione halted a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. "Draco and Hope."

As the guests toasted the couple, Hermione was amused to hear some people follow Lucius in calling her Hope, while those who were friends with her called her Hermione. Not that Hermione minded either way what people called her as she'd long ago accepted that she was both Hermione Granger and Hope Riddle.

Making her way down into the thick of the party, Hermione embraced the members of her family who were present, before greeting her friends. She then spotted another couple she was delighted to see, and rushed into the arms of the parents who had raised her. Oddly enough her parents were more affectionate these days than they had been in all the years she'd been growing up, although Hermione suspected it had something to do with the fact she knew the truth. Clearly when she'd been growing up her parents had been scared of her finding out that she wasn't their biological daughter and rejecting them.

"You look lovely," Jean said with a warm smile. "You look so happy."

"I am happy," Hermione confirmed.

"So you're settled?" Richard checked. "No regrets?"

"No regrets," Hermione replied confidently. "I love Draco, and I can't wait to marry him."

"And are you still enjoying your work?" Jean asked.

Eagerly, Hermione told her parents about her duties at the Ministry. Technically she was still a junior member of the Minister's personal staff, but over the year she'd been at the Ministry she'd been on secondment to virtually every department. In that time she'd found herself a loyal band of witches and wizards who could see that she was the future of the Ministry and had pledged their allegiance to her. Of course there were still some people around the Ministry that she knew would oppose her, but she wasn't ready to think about challenging them. For now she was content to be a junior member of staff and find out from the bottom how things worked at the Ministry of Magic.

"I haven't seen your father this evening," Richard remarked once Hermione had exhausted the topic of her work.

"He isn't here yet," Hermione admitted with a disappointed sigh. "He and Harry have been travelling in Eastern Europe, but they were supposed to be back for this evening."

Over the last month, Voldemort and Harry had started to take their first steps into exerting their influence over the rest of the Wizarding World. It had taken so long to get started as before he turned his attention elsewhere, Voldemort had wanted to be sure his authority in Britain wouldn't be challenged. But aside from a few small rebellions, which were easily quashed, people had accepted that the war was over and the dark had triumphed. So with Wizarding Britain in safe hands, Voldemort had turned his attention to conquering the rest of the world with Harry by his side. And as much as Hermione supported their mission and hoped they were successful, she was a bit annoyed at both of them for missing her party when they'd promised to be here for her.

"I'm sure they'll be here if they promised," Jean said reassuringly.

Hoping her mother was right, Hermione wandered off to mingle with the guests and to thank them for coming. Half an hour later she was chatting to Professor McGonagall, who had been more than happy to see Hermione in the aftermath of the war and had made it clear that she hadn't supported the Order's stance and didn't judge Hermione for standing with her father. In the midst of her conversation with McGonagall, who was informing her how well Severus was settling in as the new headmaster, Hermione was distracted by a commotion in the garden. With McGonagall by her side, Hermione made her way outside only to find her father and Harry had made a dramatic entrance.

"Hope, I am so sorry we're late," Voldemort said, striding towards his daughter. "We got blown off course over the channel."

"You flew home?" Hermione questioned with an arched eyebrow. Her father had still never confided in her how he could fly without a broom, but she suspected he was teaching Harry the same trick.

"It's invigorating and clears ones head," Voldemort replied. "But if we'd known we would encounter strong winds, we would have chosen another method to come home."

"It doesn't matter, you're here now," Hermione said, giving Voldemort a bone-crushing hug.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Voldemort whispered, dropping a kiss to the top of Hermione's head.

"Nor would I," Harry said as Hermione extracted herself from her father's embrace and welcomed him.

"I should have known that neither of you would let me down," Hermione chuckled. "You never have before."

"And we never will," Voldemort vowed.

"Definitely not," Harry agreed. "We will always be there for you, Hermione. We're your family and you're stuck with us."

"Then it's a good job I love all of my family," Hermione laughed, turning to find Draco had appeared behind her.

"I think there's someone eager to see you, Harry," he said, grinning at his friend as he wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist.

Hermione didn't have to turn her head to know that Draco was talking about Daphne. Nor did she have to witness Harry setting eyes on his girlfriend as the large grin that broke out on his face was indication he'd caught sight of the witch he was devoted to. However, Hermione did watch as Harry strode over to Daphne and gave her a searing kiss that had plenty of people nearby getting hot under the collar.

"We can do better than that," Draco whispered to Hermione.

"Not here," Hermione whispered back. "I'd rather go somewhere quiet. How about we sneak off for a private celebration."

"Won't we be missed?" Draco asked.

"We won't be gone forever, just long enough to have some fun," Hermione countered, edging away from the crowds and pulling Draco further down the garden where the lights from the manor failed to penetrate the darkness.

Sneaking around in the dark garden, the couple came to a halt beside the small lake. The moonlight was bright enough for them to see each other, but they knew no-one from the manor could see them unless they came looking for them.

"As crazy as it sounds, right at this moment I am so very grateful to Molly and Sirius," Hermione whispered as Draco wrapped his arms around her.

"You're grateful that people plotted to kill you?" Draco frowned.

"I'm not grateful they plotted to kill me," Hermione clarified. "I'm grateful they had that conversation about me where I could hear. It changed everything for me. Without that conversation, I never would have learnt the truth."

"And you never would have come here," Draco continued, understanding where Hermione was coming from.

"And I never would have fallen in love with you," Hermione added. "By showing me the truth, they brought me to where I am today."

"And you don't regret it?" Draco checked. "You don't regret stepping into the darkness?"

"Not for one moment," Hermione replied with a smile. "Finding my father, and finding a whole new family was the best thing to ever happen to me. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, Draco. I couldn't imagine my life without the darkness."

"And I couldn't imagine my life without you," Draco admitted quietly. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered, connecting her lips with Draco's.

Standing in the moonlight in her fiancé's arms, Hermione had never felt more content. Sirius and Molly may have set her on a path of darkness, but it was a path she'd never regretted taking. She was born to be dark, and she'd learnt that just because you embraced the darkness didn't make you incapable of love. That was something Dumbledore had never understood. He'd never understood that her father could be a dark wizard, yet still love with all of his heart. Maybe if he had understood that, things would have been different and he would never have kidnapped her as a child. But what was done was done, and Hermione didn't plan on dwelling on the past. She had her entire future laid out before her, and she was more than happy to embrace her destiny as The Dark Lord's daughter and the future Minister of Magic in a Wizarding Britain controlled by the dark forces.

The End.

A/N – I just want to say a huge thank you for everyone who has read this story, and especially those who have taken the time to leave a review. I also want to thank you for your patience with this trilogy – especially with the long gap between the 2nd and 3rd part. I hope it was all worth it in the end, and I hope everyone enjoyed this trilogy. Aside from the rest of my Christmas stories, this is me done for the year, so I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you all again next year with new stories.