Epilogue

For the first time in twenty years, Hermione and Draco, along with Phoenix, Romulus and Cordelia headed to Harry and Ginny's house for Christmas dinner. The Burrow, while being first choice in getting to see Molly and the rest of the Weasley family again, would no doubt be incredibly awkward if Ron showed up.

So Harry and Ginny's it was.

It was snowing outside, and the family was waiting on Cordelia and Phoenix, the latter helping the former tend to her hair. The youngest Malfoy had dragged her elder sibling to her room, and eventually she emerged in an astonishing wrap gown of dark blue, satin material clinging to her as it pooled around her feet at the back, the front half of her dress not quite long enough to cover her ankles at the front. Draco crossed his arms in an fatherly, overprotective manner.

"No daughter of mine is going to wear that to a house where there is a

"Well, Grandma bought this for me. And you know how Grandma likes it when I wear the things she buys." Cordelia wheedled.

Draco groaned. He couldn't disagree.

"The makeup and hair, at least. Take it out."

Phoenix came down then, in high-waisted emerald green pants and a long, matching jacket- one of Pansy's androgynous looks. "No!" The eldest Malfoy child looked scandalized. "Daisy is taking her hair out; I just spent forty minutes helping her put it in. Same with the makeup." They crossed their arms and Draco had to give in. Hermione, in a simple but stunning ankle-length copper sheath dress with a cowled neckline and a short slit up the side, patted Draco gently on the shoulder. Romulus looked up from his book.

"I've met James Potter, dad, on my train rounds as Prefect. He's not all that bad."

Hermione smiled, slightly smug. "You know you can't tell them to do anything they don't want to do."

"That's Gryffindor stubbornness!" Draco protested.

"And none of Slytherin stubbornness?" Hermione countered.

Draco threw up his hands and sighed. "Okay, okay, let's go."

***

Harry greeted Hermione warmly as she brushed herself off at the fireplace. Ginny grinned.

"How do you look so good for your age?"

Hermione scowled."I do

Draco smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You do though."

"Really." Hermione leaned back into her husband's embrace, tracing a fingertip down his jawline.

"Of course."

Ginny snickered."You two are sickeningly adorable."

"Shut it, Potter." Draco fired back.

"Draco. Be nice." Hermione glared. Draco backed down. Harry raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"Whipped?"

Hermione looked outraged."Harry James Potter!"

Ginny grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes and helped her children dust off. Harry nudged Draco with a smirk.

"You are whipped."

"Not you too, Potter."

"Just joking." Harry grinned lightly.

Harry was saved from the retort on Draco's tongue by the thundering of four pairs of footsteps: thirteen-year-old James Sirius, twelve-year-old Albus Severus, ten-year-old Lily Luna, and twenty- year old Teddy Lupin emerged from stairway. Draco's eyes widened at the blue-haired boy.

"Teddy Lupin, isn't it?"

Teddy ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes."

"I'm your uncle of sorts, I guess. Not a very good one, that's for sure." He smiled ruefully. Teddy stood there awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it, I s'pose. You haven't had much chance to visit."

Ginny interrupted by shoving James forwards.

"Children, introduce yourselves to Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ferret- Draco."

James raised an eyebrow at his mum, but said, "I'm James, this is Albus, and this is Lily." Hermione smiled at the names, recognizing their significance. Draco looked horrified.

"Ferret? Really?"

Ginny looked at him innocently. "What?"

"You know what-" Draco started, then stopped, not sure of what he was going to say. Phoenix stepped forward.

"Phoenix, and this is Romulus and this one is Cordelia."

James caught Cordelia's eye and glanced away shyly. Hermione saw the glance out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

Soon, there was a feast laid out in front of the two families: Harry was, as it turned out, an excellent cook, and the scent emanating from the dining room was mouth-watering. The array of food reminded Hermione of the days when Molly would cook for the entire family, making the table creak with the weight of the many dishes. Hermione sighed.

Ever since her appearance at the reunion, the press had contacted her and Draco several times demanding the details of their relationship. The couple had always denied a statement, citing that all the reasons for their marriage were to be found in the article that had been released at the reunion.

Of course, whispers and rumours had abounded as to how they had gotten together; Hermione had heard so many different iterations that every time a new one was released she laughed. She'd been called a traitor, and a whore, but she had always held her head high and held her own against them.

Besides, it wasn't like anyone dared to say it in Draco's presence. The man was known to be fiercely protective of his wife, and if the couple alone didn't faze the person doing the attacking, their children were even more protective of their mother than their father was.

"Harry, did you get so good at cooking?" Hermione demanded as she sliced through her perfectly cooked turkey. The dark-haired boy shrugged.

"When I was cooking for Dudley every year and I knew that if I messed up something.. bad would happen?" He tried to skirt around the subject of abuse. Draco's eyes darkened as he took in the implication of what Harry was saying.

After all, he knew it all too well.

Hermione caught sight of the look in her husband's eyes and her expression softened. She knew what he was thinking.

"Later, okay? We can talk about it later."

Draco nodded, exhaling hard. Hermione turned back to Harry.

"Well, it's excellent cooking. Absolutely delicious." Harry beamed.

"Thank you, 'Mione."

Ginny nudged Hermione. "So when are we going to get to see where you live?"

Hermione glanced at Draco. "Maybe we can do afters at ours?"

Draco nodded. "Sounds good to me." Ginny clapped her hands with a wicked grin on her face.