Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe is owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. This story is based on characters and situations created by the amazing J. K. Rowling, however no money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story is written for fun and all we own is the plot idea which is part of our very warped imagination.
Author's Note: Written in 1st POV. One scene makes up one chapter. Please note that the first few chapters are rather short; however let us assure you that this changes as the story progresses. Selly (Selly87) wrote Draco's POV, whilst Bru (dracosoftie) wrote Harry's POV, which considering that Bru has a soft spot for Draco, did not cause a brutal catfight between the two authors. The decision as to who writes which character was a mutual one and if you check the records of St Mungo A&E you will find none, unless of course you check for the records of one Harry Potter and one Draco Malfoy.

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Author's Note (Selly87): I feel a sense of sadness as I post this last chapter. It's been a rollercoaster of a ride with this story and Harry and Draco from the word go. All the debating whether to write something together or not, the first few ideas that quickly spiralled right out of control, the journey of discovering the characters, of developing the plot of getting excited about each update, the beta'ing, getting ready for posting, the countless reviews we've received, the support, the joy of posting each chapter. It's taken nearly two months to post this chapter and I've had so much fun trailing through all the reviews. I'm sure I answered all of them, however if I didn't I do apologise and feel free to hit me with a stinging hex.

I hope you enjoy this last chapter, it's something special. It was unplanned but because we were looking for a suitable ending we decided this would do. I know I speak for Bru when I say that writing this epic story was truly amazing. I hope to collaborate with Bru again at some point in the future though it might be a good while. Dear Bru has two children (one of them being a newborn), plenty of RL and a husband to juggle. As this story is now finished, I'll be going back to posting on my own profile. I have something in the works which I just need to finish beta'ing and then I shall be sharing it with the world. It's called "Nights In.." and that's about all I'm saying. I'll leave it up to you to make up your mind about it.

You are very welcome to continue sending me ideas for a little spin-off from Draco's POV, which you'd like to read, and I shall see what I can do about it. I'm planning to squeeze as much writing as I can into the last few weeks of the year. There will be some busy times in work, which I'm not looking forward to but I'm taking the rest of my free time to write. Now, as this is rapidly turning into a long ramble, I shall shut up now and leave you all to it. Enjoy this last chapter and thank you so much for your continuous support and wonderful feedback - it meant the world to me and Bru!

Love,
Selly xxx

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Chapter 57:

Draco's POV, Julian's 13th Birthday

"Tell me again, how many people did Jules invite?" I ask as I follow Harry out of the marquee he erected with the help of half of the Weasley family – he point-blank refused to accept my help for the preparations for our son's 13th birthday party after I fell down the last six steps of the Manor's grand staircase three weeks ago and now he won't let me move a finger because I was injured. I've presently given up on convincing him otherwise. Even though it is nice to have him run after me and read my every wish from my lips he's terribly overeacting. It took the Healers in St. Mungo's three hours to take care of my fracture and they released me after a night of agony – Skele-Gro potion sucks big time – but it seems Harry doesn't give a flying fuck as to what the Healers think. He's been walking on eggshells around me ever since the accident, and even though he knows he'll only be getting away with it until after Julian's birthday. He hasn't commented on it, but he knows I'm serious…

"256," Harry replies and, turning on his heels, he faces me. He's smirking and I can't help but chuckle. Julian's been really good in school these last six months, and in return for his academic achievements, and the fact that since he's Ravenclaw's new Seeker none of the other houses stands a chance, we promised him he could invite anyone he wanted for his 13th birthday. In hindsight, maybe we should've drawn the line when he handed us the first 50 invitations, but neither of us thought that Julian would invite nearly three quarters of Hogwarts.

"This is crazy," I shake my head. "Totally and utterly crazy. Have you seen the Prophet's headlines?"

"Yeah, of course," Harry grins. "Quite amusing actually. And what's worse, it's true. You are indulging your son, you are spoiling him rotten."

"Our son," I correct my husband. "He's our son."

"Our son, then," Harry laughs, and drawing me close for a kiss, he mumbles sweet nonsense against my lips, making me chuckle. Despite the huge number of guests arriving at the Manor tomorrow, I'm actually quite looking forward to the event. Julian planned a whole day filled with competitions. Apparently teams will be drawn at random and will have to compete against each other throughout the day… and believe it or not, the winning team will choose seven players they believe to be strong enough to compete against a team of seven adults in a – hopefully fair – Quidditch match. Any adults wishing to take part in the match against the 'teens' may scribble their name onto a piece of parchment and throw it into a goblet that Hermione bewitched. The goblet isn't quite like the Goblet of Fire, but Hermione made an extraordinary effort in creating a harmless copy of the legendary goblet – and all because Jules asked her.

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"Are you going to give him a chance?" I ask, tugging on Harry's Quidditch uniform even though it sits perfectly, snugly hugging him in all the right places. It's been years since I've seen him in full Quidditch gear, and if it wasn't for the match of The Younglings against The Elders starting in five minutes I'd drag him off to have my wicked way with him. Maybe I can convince him to put the uniform back on later tonight when we can escape into our private chambers. We could charm the bathroom to resemble the locker rooms and make a night out of it… oh just the thought of it is making me dizzy. Harry and I have been far too busy lately and we've hardly had any time for ourselves. I'm itching to just have Harry all to myself again.

Harry jokingly threw a piece of parchment with his name into the cup – when my mother, who Flooed over from France especially for Julian's birthday, commented that she'd love to see her grandson compete against her son-in-law in a fair Quidditch match. Madam Hooch, who is still part-time teaching flying at Hogwarts and supervising all Quidditch practices, offered to referee the match when Julian relayed his idea to her a few weeks ago, and everything's been set up in the Manor grounds.

The game is due to start any minute now, and two massive groups have formed along the sidelines of the pitch. Chairs have been brought out from the marquee, and George produced magical binoculars for everyone wishing to closely follow the action in the air. Lee Jordan, a friend of George's who used to comment on the Quidditch games back in the day when Harry was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team, is doing the deed tonight. He has already taken to the air, alongside Madam Hooch and will shortly announce the teams. After both The Younglings and The Elders have taken their formations, Ron will be releasing the Snitch and then the fun can begin…

"Did I ever give you a chance back in the day?" Harry smiles sweetly, and I chuckle and shake my head.

"I suppose not. Just remember, it's Julian's birthday."

"That's no reason to let him win, Draco. I already gave him his birthday present. He won't be getting another one. This will be a fair game, and if I happen to catch the Snitch before Jules does, well then so be it."

"Good. That's all I wanted to know. I've got a bet going… I want my 50 Galleons back."

"50 Galleons?" Harry stares incredulously.

"You're worth it. Go show Jules who the boss is!" I grin, and grabbing Harry by the collar of his uniform, I pull him close for a searing kiss. "I love you," I whisper, and Harry smiles.

"Love you too."

***

Amidst deafening roars and cheers, I race onto the pitch and throw my arms around Harry the moment his toes touch solid ground. My attack knocks Harry off his broom and we both topple to the ground. He's firmly holding onto the Snitch, which he seized from right in front of Julian after an hour and a half of a nerve-wrecking game. The Elders won by 20 points – and only because Harry caught the Snitch – after The Younglings were in the lead for the majority of the game.

"You did it! You bloody did it!" I squeal, crushing Harry beneath me in my excitement. I've never seen such an exhilarating game of Quidditch – even the last World Cup final was nothing against today's game. The Younglings played excellent Quidditch, but The Elders weren't boring either. Julian and Harry were chasing each other around the pitch for the majority of the game. Neither of the two was falling for the other's tricks, and I nearly had a heart attack when my son attempted a Wronski Feint – something I wasn't even aware he was able to do – but Harry didn't fall for it.

"Let me breathe!" Harry pants, and I grudgingly slide off him but refuse to completely let go of him. My light suit is covered with grass stains and mud but I don't care. Harry won the game and that after not having played professional Quidditch since his days at Hogwarts. The Auror Department has its very own team but Harry isn't playing for them by choice.

"You bloody did it!" I pant, and Harry smiles.

"You're crazy. But I love you." He shakes his head and slightly sitting up he turns his head and watches Julian gracefully land about ten feet away from us. Freeing himself from my iron grip, Harry slowly gets up and walking towards Julian. He bows and hands the Snitch to Julian, who hesitatingly accepts the winged golden ball and closes his fingers around the struggling Snitch to keep it from escaping. "Excellent game, son," Harry smiles, and drawing Jules into a hug, he squeezes him tight.

"Not excellent enough," I hear Julian whisper. "Should've known I'd not stand a chance against you, dad," he adds, and I involuntarily hold my breath. Jules sounds sad but he's taking it like a man. He lost a fair game – against his dad of all people – and he's taken it like a man. There's no temper tantrum, no tears, no insults… he's simply accepting the fact that he did all he could but still lost the game.

"Oh, but you did stand a chance. It was luck that I reached for the Snitch before you did," Harry responds, and dropping to his knees, he takes Julian's hands into his own and squeezes. "You're a fantastic Quidditch player young man and I can't wait to watch you defend the honor of the English in the World Cup."

Shaking my head, I laugh, and walking towards Julian and Harry, I awkwardly hug them both. "Don't fuel his notions about professional Quidditch," I whisper into Harry's ear, and he laughs. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Pansy wipe her eyes as she snuggles into Theo's embrace. Julian loves her and Theo dearly and enjoys any chance he gets to spend with his mother, but it is here at Malfoy Manor that he feels truly at home. He may only be thirteen today, but he knows what he wants… it therefore doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he beckons both Pansy and Theo onto the field and playfully stomps his left foot when they hesitate. Pansy laughs at Julian's pretended tantrum and walking towards us, she wraps her arms around all of us and I pull Theo into the hug as well. Together we – an oddly formed family – wish Julian a happy birthday, and when we lift Julian up into the air, everyone claps and cheers and we all sing for Jules for the umpteenth time since the party started…

The End