This epilogue is dedicated to Sabacat, who reviewed every single chapter almost as soon as it came out.
"What's wrong, Fairy Mary?" Ginny looked down at her daughter's freckled face, lips set into a the exact same pout Draco's lips would form when he was vehement about not pouting.
"Nothing." The sullen tone was definitely indicative of a world-class Malfoy sulk. Ginny crossed her arms and used the patented Molly Weasley 'tell me all or else' look, and the nine year old had no chance. "Sarah's gone off to school with Robby, and Mags is too young and anyway she spends all her time with at Lily's house with her and Giselle, and Peter's too big a git to play with, and I'm all alone."
Ginny sat down and gathered her little girl in for a hug. "Oh, honey."
"It's not fair! Why can't I go to Hogwarts, too?" Mary allowed her mother to hug her, but still scowled fiercely.
Ruffling the strawberry-blonde curls of her little girl, Ginny smiled. "Because you're not old enough yet, and you know it." The corner of Ginny's mouth turned up a bit as her daughter let out an indignant sniff that was a perfect imitation of the one Narcissa Malfoy gave when told something she didn't want to hear. "You remind me of how I was when the twins left. I sulked for days, until they sent home one of the serving platters from the Great Hall. I used it as a sled for years."
"Do you think Sarah and James will send home a platter for me?" Mary swiped at her eyes and looked hopeful.
"Not if they value their hides, they won't." Ginny looked fierce, then sighed. "Which means we can probably expect an owl with the proceeds of their pilfering within the next week, now that they've arrived and been sorted."
Mary giggled. "Daddy was so happy Sarah got into Slytherin. I hope I go in Gryffindor, though, to be just like Uncles Gred and Forge."
"Lord save us all," muttered Ginny drily. Her daughter looked at her sharply and she smiled innocently. "So what's that you were looking at before I came in?"
"Just pictures," she said with a shrug. "They're not very organized."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you're not Percy's child?" They shared a giggle and Mary pointed at a photograph of her father, out cold on the living room rug.
"What happened there, Mummy?" The Ginny in the picture was alternately laughing and tending to the prone Draco, while several children hovered around.
"Oh, that's right, you and Grandmama were having a day at the spa when Lucas's letter came." Ginny looked at the photograph again and laughed. "Well, it was his first year, and your Dad had been talking about how every Malfoy heir for centuries has been in Slytherin, you know how he does."
The two females shared a long-suffering look, much to the amusement of the watching Malfoy patriarch. "When he got the letter from Lucas which said he'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, he fainted. Took us half an hour to get him out of his swoon."
"I did not /swoon/," Draco said haughtily from the doorway.
Ginny snickered at him. "Of course not, Malfoy. That's why we had to resort to smelling salts."
"But Lucas is in Slytherin," said Mary, frowning.
Ginny nodded. "He was just playing a trick, darling. That's why Robby had the camera ready to take your dad's picture."
"Not a funny one," muttered Draco as he strode in to sit with them on the couch.
"I thought it was extremely funny." Ginny smirked and Draco dropped a light kiss on her lips. Mary rolled her eyes at her parents and flipped through some more pages.
She stopped at one which had her mother wearing a strange outfit and standing on a table. "Mummy, what's this you're wearing?"
Ginny turned to look and stifled a giggle. "It's called a cheerleading outfit, sweeting. Muggles, especially American ones, wear them to cheer on sports teams."
"I still can't believe you did that." Draco shook his head as he looked down at the picture of sixth-year Ginny, standing on the Slytherin table and waving pom-poms in the air as the picture-Draco buried his face in his hands and shook his head in disgust.
Giggling, his wife said, "You were going insane with studying for your NEWTs. I had to do /something/ to break the tension."
"Who's this looking up Mummy's skirt?"
"What? Let me see that." Draco snatched the album away and glared at it. "Goyle! Why that rotten, no-good, perverted bastard."
Ginny slapped the back of his head. "Is that any way to speak about the godfather of your sixth child?"
"Yes, and you shouldn't swear in front of children, Daddy," Mary said primly, even though the corners of her mouth were turned up in a sly grin that was eerily reminiscent of her twin uncles.
Draco stuck out his tongue. "You're not a child. You're a miniature McGonagall in fluffy pink dresses."
Mary's eyebrow went up and she looked at her mother significantly before they both turned on Draco, tackling him to the ground and tickling him unmercifully.
That night, after all the children still at home were settled into their beds, Draco pulled Ginny close and nibbled at her earlobe. "You know, Weasley, I've been thinking."
"Will wonders never cease." Ginny snuggled back against her husband, enjoying his ministrations and the comfort of the blankets over them.
He pinched her backside and she squealed. "Margaret's already six, you know." He traced a hand idly over the curve of her waist while resting his chin on her neck. "It's been a long time since we had a new one."
"Hmm." Ginny curved her neck a bit further to accommodate him as he started to kiss his way along her pulse. "I understand Hermione's about got that spell to let the man carry the baby ready."
Draco started nibbling, his hand moving forward to stroke her stomach. "But you're so sexy when you're pregnant. And the girls are outnumbered."
Ginny turned so she could look into her husband's eyes. He took advantage of the changed position to push her nightgown up, running his free hand up and down the outside of her leg. With a sigh, she put her arms around his neck and said, "Well, every quidditch team does need some alternates..."
Lucas Orion - keeper - 14 - Slytherin
James Aquila - seeker - 13 - Ravenclaw
(twin)Robert Janus - chaser - 11 - Gryffindor
(twin)Sarah Gemini - beater - 11 - Slytherin
Mary Sagitta - beater - 9
Peter Eridanus - chaser - 8
Margaret Lyra - chaser - 6
"What's wrong, Fairy Mary?" Ginny looked down at her daughter's freckled face, lips set into a the exact same pout Draco's lips would form when he was vehement about not pouting.
"Nothing." The sullen tone was definitely indicative of a world-class Malfoy sulk. Ginny crossed her arms and used the patented Molly Weasley 'tell me all or else' look, and the nine year old had no chance. "Sarah's gone off to school with Robby, and Mags is too young and anyway she spends all her time with at Lily's house with her and Giselle, and Peter's too big a git to play with, and I'm all alone."
Ginny sat down and gathered her little girl in for a hug. "Oh, honey."
"It's not fair! Why can't I go to Hogwarts, too?" Mary allowed her mother to hug her, but still scowled fiercely.
Ruffling the strawberry-blonde curls of her little girl, Ginny smiled. "Because you're not old enough yet, and you know it." The corner of Ginny's mouth turned up a bit as her daughter let out an indignant sniff that was a perfect imitation of the one Narcissa Malfoy gave when told something she didn't want to hear. "You remind me of how I was when the twins left. I sulked for days, until they sent home one of the serving platters from the Great Hall. I used it as a sled for years."
"Do you think Sarah and James will send home a platter for me?" Mary swiped at her eyes and looked hopeful.
"Not if they value their hides, they won't." Ginny looked fierce, then sighed. "Which means we can probably expect an owl with the proceeds of their pilfering within the next week, now that they've arrived and been sorted."
Mary giggled. "Daddy was so happy Sarah got into Slytherin. I hope I go in Gryffindor, though, to be just like Uncles Gred and Forge."
"Lord save us all," muttered Ginny drily. Her daughter looked at her sharply and she smiled innocently. "So what's that you were looking at before I came in?"
"Just pictures," she said with a shrug. "They're not very organized."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you're not Percy's child?" They shared a giggle and Mary pointed at a photograph of her father, out cold on the living room rug.
"What happened there, Mummy?" The Ginny in the picture was alternately laughing and tending to the prone Draco, while several children hovered around.
"Oh, that's right, you and Grandmama were having a day at the spa when Lucas's letter came." Ginny looked at the photograph again and laughed. "Well, it was his first year, and your Dad had been talking about how every Malfoy heir for centuries has been in Slytherin, you know how he does."
The two females shared a long-suffering look, much to the amusement of the watching Malfoy patriarch. "When he got the letter from Lucas which said he'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, he fainted. Took us half an hour to get him out of his swoon."
"I did not /swoon/," Draco said haughtily from the doorway.
Ginny snickered at him. "Of course not, Malfoy. That's why we had to resort to smelling salts."
"But Lucas is in Slytherin," said Mary, frowning.
Ginny nodded. "He was just playing a trick, darling. That's why Robby had the camera ready to take your dad's picture."
"Not a funny one," muttered Draco as he strode in to sit with them on the couch.
"I thought it was extremely funny." Ginny smirked and Draco dropped a light kiss on her lips. Mary rolled her eyes at her parents and flipped through some more pages.
She stopped at one which had her mother wearing a strange outfit and standing on a table. "Mummy, what's this you're wearing?"
Ginny turned to look and stifled a giggle. "It's called a cheerleading outfit, sweeting. Muggles, especially American ones, wear them to cheer on sports teams."
"I still can't believe you did that." Draco shook his head as he looked down at the picture of sixth-year Ginny, standing on the Slytherin table and waving pom-poms in the air as the picture-Draco buried his face in his hands and shook his head in disgust.
Giggling, his wife said, "You were going insane with studying for your NEWTs. I had to do /something/ to break the tension."
"Who's this looking up Mummy's skirt?"
"What? Let me see that." Draco snatched the album away and glared at it. "Goyle! Why that rotten, no-good, perverted bastard."
Ginny slapped the back of his head. "Is that any way to speak about the godfather of your sixth child?"
"Yes, and you shouldn't swear in front of children, Daddy," Mary said primly, even though the corners of her mouth were turned up in a sly grin that was eerily reminiscent of her twin uncles.
Draco stuck out his tongue. "You're not a child. You're a miniature McGonagall in fluffy pink dresses."
Mary's eyebrow went up and she looked at her mother significantly before they both turned on Draco, tackling him to the ground and tickling him unmercifully.
That night, after all the children still at home were settled into their beds, Draco pulled Ginny close and nibbled at her earlobe. "You know, Weasley, I've been thinking."
"Will wonders never cease." Ginny snuggled back against her husband, enjoying his ministrations and the comfort of the blankets over them.
He pinched her backside and she squealed. "Margaret's already six, you know." He traced a hand idly over the curve of her waist while resting his chin on her neck. "It's been a long time since we had a new one."
"Hmm." Ginny curved her neck a bit further to accommodate him as he started to kiss his way along her pulse. "I understand Hermione's about got that spell to let the man carry the baby ready."
Draco started nibbling, his hand moving forward to stroke her stomach. "But you're so sexy when you're pregnant. And the girls are outnumbered."
Ginny turned so she could look into her husband's eyes. He took advantage of the changed position to push her nightgown up, running his free hand up and down the outside of her leg. With a sigh, she put her arms around his neck and said, "Well, every quidditch team does need some alternates..."
Lucas Orion - keeper - 14 - Slytherin
James Aquila - seeker - 13 - Ravenclaw
(twin)Robert Janus - chaser - 11 - Gryffindor
(twin)Sarah Gemini - beater - 11 - Slytherin
Mary Sagitta - beater - 9
Peter Eridanus - chaser - 8
Margaret Lyra - chaser - 6