EPILOGUE

Lucius Malfoy, quite simply, was in love. The object of his affection had curly brown hair and gray eyes. She was 3 years old and she had him wrapped around her little finger. Lucius sat very still as Shelby-Lynn Malfoy carefully placed colorful barrettes throughout his waist-length hair.

"Oh Pepaw so pretty!" Shelby exclaimed as she held a small mirror for Lucius to see.

"Shelby-Lynn, you did a wonderful job on my hair!" Lucius exclaimed. He scooped her up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Shelby-Lynn giggled and squirmed away.

"Pepaw silly," Shelby-Lynn said as she walked out of the living room.

Hermione walked into the living room and saw Lucius' hair. She couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, looks like Shel got to you with the barrettes. She did it to Draco the other night," Hermione said and chuckled.

Lucius laughed and started to remove the barrettes. Shelby-Lynn could do anything she wanted as far as he was concerned. He never thought he could love a child so much.

Draco came in and wrapped his arms around his wife. He saw Lucius removing the barrettes and started laughing. As he and Hermione looked on, he thought about how much their lives had changed in the last few years.

A few months after he and Hermione were married, his parents contacted him. He was reluctant to see Lucius, but Hermione convinced him to try to reconcile with his father. The two men were able to set their differences aside. Lucius realized how wrong he was about Hermione and began to think differently about muggleborn wizards and witches. He saw how much Draco was in love with her. Narcissa never had a problem with Draco and Hermione, she was so glad when Lucius and Draco reconciled.

Draco and Hermione had settled in Louisiana and both of their parents visited regularly. They were there even more often since becoming grandparents. Shelby-Lynn was the apple of everyone's eye.

Natalie and Ron were married about two years before Draco and Hermione. They had settled in Baton Rouge. Ron played professional Quidditch for a few years and retired to become a defensive coordinator for the team. Natalie still works for her father as an accountant. Natalie and Ron had twins, a boy and a girl. Their names were Trey and Lauren and they were a year older than Shelby-Lynn.

Lenny ended up being drafted to the New Orleans Saints and loving it. He met his current wife when she was a cheerleader for the Saints. Heather was a few years younger than Lenny and a witch. She had attended the same wizarding school as Lenny and Natalie. The family adored her and she fit right in. Lenny had finally found his princess. There were no children, but Heather and Lenny were working on it.

Harry and Ginny were married a few months after Natalie and Ron. Harry worked in the Auror's London division and like Draco, was moving up in rank. Ginny had played professional Quidditch with the Holyhead Harpies and when she retired she became the senior Quidditch correspondent for The Daily Prophet. She and Harry had three children: James, Albus, and Lily.

Sebastian and Philip enjoyed visiting Louisiana and seeing their godchild, Shelby-Lynn. Shelby-Lynn referred to them as her two uncles. The two men purchased their dream home in the garden district of New Orleans. This is where they stay when visiting and where they intend to live once they retire.

Flori and Jean-Luc remained in New Orleans. Once their baby boy, Henri arrived, Flori's parents reconciled with her and Jean-Luc. They were even on speaking terms with Aunt Sophie. Sometimes Flori wondered if it was all supposed to happen the way it did. Was she destined to marry Draco so she could bring her family back together again? Life was strange indeed at times, but it all worked out. Jean-Luc continued to work with his brother and Flori discovered she was as talented as her Aunt Sophie was as a writer. She began to write children's books and became a respected author.

Draco kissed his beautiful wife and cherished each day with his family. Life was complete.

Marie Laveau walked around her city and smiled. She had done her good deed. Her work was done at the moment. She still had a few years before Shelby-Lynn grew up. She hoped Draco and Hermione were prepared; that one was going to be a handful. Oh well, Marie would be there to guide her through it. Just like she did for Hermione one faithful summer years ago.