Warnings: (Whole Story) Adultery/Infidelity, Angst, Violence, Swearing, references to male/male sexual acts.

Total Word Count: 21,180 (This Chapter: 2,000)

Disclaimer: All characters and settings remain the intellectual property of JK Rowling.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your reviews, alerts, favourites and support generally. I am really pleased that so many people have enjoyed this story! I hope this ending meets with your approval, too.

Chapter Nineteen

"You're going to drive a car?" Draco asked, very slowly and with both eyebrows raised. "Do I not recall something about you crashing a car into a tree?"

"Shut up and get in." Ron was holding open the passenger door.

"Why not just Apparate like a normal wizard?"

Ron gave up on etiquette and stomped round to the driver's side. "We haven't got time for a row. Sweetheart." The emphasis he gave that word was not one of endearment. "London traffic's murder at this time of day. Have a little faith in me. Is that too much to ask?" He sat down and put his seat-belt on.

Draco peered in through the open door. "What if we get stopped by Muggle Aurors? Aren't you supposed to do some kind of test or something?"

Ron laughed. "You really don't trust me, do you? Yes, there's a test and I passed it and I've got a licence." He patted the seat next to him. "Oh, and they're called police officers. If we do meet one, then shut up and let me do the talking."

Draco eased himself in gingerly. He gathered up his long coat tails ("It's not a cloak! I look perfectly Muggle!") and pulled the door shut. "You did crash into the Whomping Willow."

"I was twelve. Seat belt."

Draco didn't even look at him. His face became expressionless.

Ron grinned fondly. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't realise you'd never been in a car before."

"Why would any sensible wizard ever go -?"

Ron cut off his grumble with a kiss on the end of his nose. "It's ok to be scared. Just trust me."

"Scared?" Draco spluttered indignantly.

Ron reached over him and pulled down the seat belt, dropping another kiss on his nose on the way past, before securing it. "Just trust me."

Then Ron set the Supersensory Charm and pulled out, ostentatiously checking the mirrors anyway, for Draco's benefit.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Ron asked, "See?"

Draco smiled. He couldn't help himself. He hoped Ron was watching the road so intently that he couldn't see quite how affectionately broad the smile was.

"Well, we haven't run over anyone yet," he allowed, trying to sound snipey, but not quite making it. He sighed happily. "I can't wait to see Scorpius."

Ron managed to pat his lover's knee and change gear at the same time. He was quietly impressed with himself for that. "You think he really is ok? About me, I mean?"

"I don't know." Draco thought briefly. "He is in Slytherin; that last owl might have been all lies. I think so." He thought again. "He did ask to come to us first, then stay with his mother afterwards. So, I think he must be reconciled to the new arrangements." He paused again. "Or he's planning on murdering you as quickly as possible, of course."

"That's a lovely thought."

"What about your two?"

Ron hummed thoughtfully. Then he had to do a right turn at a busy junction which occupied him for a while. Finally he said, "Well, Hugo's had longer to get used to it. I don't know. He's his mother's boy. It might take a while."

"She's said all the right things to him. I was ... surprised. Impressed. I thought ... well I had assumed that both of our wives would have been ..."

"They could have made things more difficult, I suppose. Though this is the lull before the storm, or whatever the saying is. When things get legal – with the divorces – who knows?"

"You avoiding talking about Rose?"

"Just need to concentrate on a bit of tricky parking."

Draco knew Ron was changing the subject but he let him. When the car stopped, Draco lifted Ron's big, freckle-backed hand briefly and dipped his lips down to it. He wasn't sure how well Muggle Londoners would take to public displays of affection between two men. Best not to take any risks.

They were quiet as they walked through King's Cross station, then onto Platform 9 ¾. The train wasn't in yet, but most of the other parents were already waiting. They couldn't be sure how many of them knew about their relationship, couldn't predict how any of them would react. The physical space between them grew wider as they walked down the platform. Ron was looking for Harry and Ginny; Draco hoped he wouldn't find them, he didn't really want to stand near them.

A whistle blew, and the first wisps of smoke travelled down the line towards them. This was it: the Hogwarts Express was coming into the station. Their children would get off it and, for the first time, would see their fathers together.

Draco could see that Ron was getting even more agitated. His own stomach was fluttering with nerves which he hoped he was hiding better than his lover was. It wouldn't do for all of these people to see how vulnerable he felt. It was bad enough that most of them knew. Any who didn't know yet would now be asking acquaintances and friends who stood near to them, why Ron Weasley had just walked onto the platform with Draco Malfoy of all people.

The gossip which had been circulating for the past week and a half would be brought out again, displayed, admired, examined. The war hero and the son of Voldemort's leading supporter had both left their wives (ooh!) and moved in together (gosh!) and who could say what unspeakable things they got up to in the bedroom (just imagine!), of course it was the children everyone said they felt sorry for.

Draco didn't want their stares; he would have liked to have lived in a bubble where no-one knew anything about him. He looked at Ron, anxiously wringing his own hands. He looked too lonely. The distance between them was too wide. There were worse things than being talked about.

Draco patted Ron's tense shoulder. Then he reached up and, just briefly, pecked a little kiss onto his cheek. Ron smiled back fondly and it was all worthwhile.

There was a metallic screech; the black body of the train pulled up beside them. All of the parents on the platform became animated: peering through windows, straining to wave, trying to pick out their own offspring from the figures emerging through the steam.

A small, pale boy stood for a few seconds in the doorway of a carriage about half-way down the train. Draco would have known him from his posture even if he hadn't seen the silver-blond hair. Everything else disappeared and Draco heard only his own leather soles tapping down the platform. He wanted to cry out to his son, but didn't know if that would have embarrassed him.

Scorpius spotted him. His face split into a grin and his arm shot up, then he seemed to recollect himself and looked round to see if any of his classmates had caught him being so uncool.

He turned to concentrate on his trunk which he bumped down the steps. It was just the one, just the smallest of all of his trunks, because he was leaving most of his possessions at school. It seemed so much bigger than he did that it gave Draco the urge to pick up his son and carry him against his shoulder as he had done when Scorpius had been a baby with colic.

They met, looked at each other, nodded.

"Are you well, Scorpius?"

"Well enough, Father. Better for being home, actually."

Draco's heart skipped a beat or two. "Do you not like it at school? In your owls, you never said -"

Scorpius laughed lightly and smiled. "It's fine. That's not it. I'm just tired now."

"There's a lot to get used to."

"And I, well, sort of thought about, about home ..." he trailed off.

"I missed you, too." It would not do to linger on emotional subjects, not in public. Draco might just start to cry again. "Shall we get going? I'll take that trunk, shall I? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Scorpius nodded solemnly. "Rose Weasley's father?"

"Yes."

"She says he's nice. Funny."

"You talked?"

"Of course. In the circumstances it seemed wise."

Draco nodded. There was a pause. "And how does she feel about... recent changes?"

"It was a shock."

"Of course. For you as well."

"Everyone's been talking about it."

"I'm so sorry that I put you through that." He was. He stopped and held his head for a moment. He still wasn't sure whether he had done the right thing.

"We faced them down together, hexed a few people, shut them up."

"Really?" He knew he should have been showing some disapproval, but in all honesty he was impressed. "Together?"

"Yes. She's funny. Clever, too." Scorpius looked up at his father. "Is she some sort of sister to me now?"

"That's up to you. I suppose. I mean, I don't know."

Ron and Rose were standing with her trunk between them on the station platform. They seemed to be talking quietly. Ron still looked agitated. Draco wasn't sure whether to keep going towards them, or to stand still for a while.

"How does Rose feel about things now?" he asked his son.

"She doesn't want to be disloyal to her mother."

"Very commendable," Draco muttered insincerely.

Scorpius actually laughed. "We'll all have to get used to things. I think we will, though. I think that things are going to be fine once we have adjusted."

Just then Rose leaped on top of her trunk and flung her arms round her father. He hugged her back, and Draco watched all the stiff lines in his back dissolve. He only realised he'd been holding his own breath when he released a deep sigh.

"Don't worry so much about everyone else," Scorpius said. "Everything will be fine."

When Rose pulled back and started fussing with her pet rat, Ron turned round and saw them.

He came over and softly said to Scorpius, "Hi, I'm Ron."

"I know," Scorpius replied with a smile. "Same hair as Rose."

"Very beautiful hair it is, too," Draco replied, with a nod to the girl.

"Smarmy, isn't he?" she commented to her father. "Mum said he was smarmy."

For a moment Draco's guts squeezed and twisted. But then she smiled. She smiled the way that Fred had long ago smiled when he'd been pranking, but she would never know that.

Draco smiled back. "Hello Rose. Yes, I'm Draco Malfoy, the smarmy git."

She laughed delightedly and, after a short, shocked, pause, Scorpius joined in.

"Let's get you to the car, young lady!" Ron snarled. There was a twinkle in his eye, but he was serious when he added, "And be polite to Draco please."

She rolled her eyes. "Godric, Dad! Not the car. Why can't we Floo like normal people?" she whined.

Draco and Ron levitated the trunks onto a trolley.

"I've parked in the usual place!" Ron called after his daughter as she and Scorpius walked off ahead of their fathers, deep in conversation.

Rose was doing most of the talking: "So bloody embarrassing, I can't believe he'd make you go in that. Some Muggle cars are quite cool, but Dad's is crap. He only drives it to show off that he can ..." They disappeared into the Muggle world.

Before they pushed the trolley through the barrier to join them, Draco said, "I didn't mean it."

Ron gave him a questioning look.

"About your hair. It is ridiculous."

"You're just jealous of my hairline, slap-head" Ron replied with a laugh.

"Jealous? Of a Weasley?" Draco snorted. "Why would anyone be jealous of you?"

"Because," Ron whispered, "I get fantastic sex with the man I love every night, and I get to do it for the rest of my life."

Then he followed their children into the busy station. Draco took a moment to master his grin and his blush before he joined them.

THE END