Epilogue – The Next School Year

Guys...thank you all so much for your reviews. I'm going to miss this fic like anything - but I've loved sharing it with you, and I couldn't have done it without your help. You regular reviewers are simply indescribable; there's a huge list of people I want to thank, but I don't want to bore you. You know who you are.

So, for the final time: here's the chapter. Hope you like it =)

"Mum!" Rose yelled from the doorway, "DRACO! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!

Hermione ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, before grabbing her daughter's hand and starting to open the door – for some unknown reason.

"Mum!" Rose cried out, "Where's my suitcase?!"

"Your what?" Hermione stopped fiddling with her keys, realising that she had no reason to open the door.

"My suitcase! You said you'd pack it!"

She froze. "I know, but – well – last time…you…you had already - "

"Oh, sweet Merlin. It's not packed is it?"

Hermione shook her head meekly.

"DRACO!" her daughter roared. She really was quite formidable.

Draco apparated in front of them suitcase in hand, and a self-satisfied smirk plastered across his face.

"I took the liberty of packing your things, Rose, because I had a feeling that some people were incapable." He shot a smug look in Hermione's direction. Bad move. She turned to him, hands on hips.

"Well you," she mimicked the emphasis in his sentence, "don't cook her three meals a day! I need a break!"

They began to bicker, like a pair of teenagers in competition for approval.

"BE QUIET!" Rose roared. Sometimes she felt like she was the only adult in the house. "We need to leave, NOW!"

"Right." And the unlikely group apparated to the train station.

ooooo

"Rosie, hold on for a minute." Draco quickly pulled something out of his pocket, before she could jump onto the train, and handed it to her. Rose slowly unwrapped the parcel, a comically quizzical expression on her face exactly matching Hermione's. She gasped in delight once she saw what it was.

"No! I didn't even know these were available anymore!" she cried out.

"Actually, they aren't. Had this custom made." He smiled, proudly.

"Oh!" she gasped, hugging the silver-gilded copy of her favourite book to her chest.

"Draco, that's so sweet of you." Hermione kissed him, her expression quickly changing to one of mock outrage. "But why didn't you tell me about it?! I want to be able to take some credit for such a wonderful present!" she laughed.

"Actually," Draco started, "this isn't really from me." He sighed, "Rosie, it's from Scorpius. Your Christmas present…he saved up for a long time for that." He smiled, sadly. "He didn't have a chance to give it to you before he…you know. And I wanted to give it to you at the right time."

"Oh." Tears gathered in her eyes, and she smiled, before standing on her tiptoes and kissing Draco on the cheek. "It really is beautiful. Thank you."

Hermione bent down to hug her daughter, and stroked her hair…much to Rose's embarrassment. "You'd better get on that train, honey." She smiled. "Make us proud. We'll be thinking of you!"

Rose turned away, after hugging Draco and Hermione, and moments later she'd disappeared out of sight as the Hogwarts Express pulled away.

Draco put his hand around Hermione's waist, kissing her gently, oblivious to the curious expressions of people around them.

"I wish Scorpius could have been here."

"Me too."

"But we've done the right thing, haven't we? Rosie's growing up."

"You've been a wonderful father. Never thought the day would come." Hermione laughed, and the pair began walk away.

"Well. Look who it is."

Hermione froze, and turned around slowly, gripping Draco's arm.

"Weasley." Draco spat, "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I say goodbye to my daughter?" Ron glared, possessively.

"You weren't that keen last year." Hermione muttered under her breath. In a louder tone, she added, "You're too late. They're gone."

"Fine. But I need to speak to you."

"What is it, Weasley?" Draco asked, impatiently, moving to stand in front of Hermione.

"This is none of your concern, Malfoy. It's regarding MY daughter."

"Draco's been as close to a father as Rose has, and will get." Hermione defended him, moving to stand beside him.

"I want Rosie to stay with me for Christmas."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Hermione screeched, and Draco had to pull her back from Ron as she advanced, snarling.

"Weasley, you lost your right to make demands a long time ago." Draco replied, stonily. "Now if you'll excuse me, Hermione and I have some business to attend to." And he'd grabbed her arm and apparated them both away before he could say anything else. They arrived with a pop in their bedroom at the Manor, now sporting a pastel-coloured scheme after Hermione's insistent re-decorating.

"Draco!" she pushed his shoulder. "I was going to give him a piece of my mind!" but she quickly started to laugh. "Merlin, you sounded so stuffy: "We have some business to attend to!"" She imitated.

"But we do." He growled, pushing her onto their bed and kissing her feverously. When he finally pulled back, he was confused to see not lust in her eyes – as he'd expected – but the look of someone studying a particularly interesting specimen. He pulled away.

"You know," Hermione started, "I just realised something."

"And that would be?" he prompted, put out by her lack of reaction to his amorous attempts.

"You're not very handsome."

"What?!"

She stood up, and began pacing around the room. "You're really not that good-looking. And you're arrogant, stuffy, snobbish…the list's endless. I'm not actually sure why I'm attracted to you." She turned to face him, a flicker of a smile playing across her features.

"Well." He spoke, drily. "That's reassuring."

"But," she started again, "the thing is, I am attracted to you. And our situation really is quite peculiar."

"Elaborate, please." Draco spoke with sarcasm. "Actually, you know what? I'm really not in the mood for a Hogwarts-style lecture from Miss Granger."

But she ploughed on anyway. "We're like the Romeo and Juliet of the Wizarding World!"

"Who!?"

She ignored him. "We should have a title."

"Oh, Salazar. You really aren't right in the head." He moved closer to her. "Go on, tell me what you're thinking."

"We should be called… the Serlion!"

"What?!"

She sighed dramatically, trying not to laugh. "You were in Slytherin. A serpent. I was in Gryffindor. A lion. Hence, the Serlion."

"Hermione, you've lost it. I'm taking you to St Mungo's." and despite her shrieks of protest, he swept her into his arms, bridal style. The pair were laughing as he made his way downstairs, until Draco stopped abruptly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"I just realised we haven't had a honeymoon."

"Um…we're not married."

"True…okay, how about we christen the bedroom instead?" a wicked smirk appeared on his face.

"You don't mean…"

"Oh, yes I do."

"But we've already…you know…in there! It's not really "christening" then, is it?"

"Ah. That is true. What about the kitchen?"

"The kitchen?! Are you out of your mind? I've never done anything like that before!"

"There's always a first time for everything."

There we go. A bit crazy, I know, but I wanted to make you laugh. Quickly, I need to thank Virg0Luck: you are AMAZING. Thank you for introducing me to the crazy world of FF, and I have to say, I really couldn't have written this without you.

One last time: R&R? Thank you - I'd love to know if you think this was good enough =P

Some sneaky advertising...I've literally just posted the first chapter of my new fic: "Carousel". Dramione, of course. If you've liked "Uncovered" so far, I think you may enjoy reading it - so check it out for me? Thank you so much.

Guys, love you all more than you could imagine...

Tris xx