Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

How To Train Your Auror	By : Alcoholic_Rootbeer Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 7512 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I will not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
- 32
You fell down by the wayside
Love locked in an overflow
And you threw stones at the starlight
Cause I stood on the sidelines telling you
That I get that you're lonely
And I see that you feel alone
But I heard in a heartbeat
I'll be there here for you, you know
So when you're caught in a landslide
I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you
And in the rain, give you sunshine
I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you
And every time that you're lonely
Every time that you're feeling low, you should know
I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you, you know
"Landslide" by Oh Wonder
Hermione smiled down at her morning edition of the muggle paper, bringing a cup of steaming tea up to her lips.
'Breaking: Harry Potter Pulls Off the Greatest Illusion in Magician History.
We've all heard of Harry Houdini, David Blaine, and Criss Angel. But in last week's fantastic spectacle, the world was caught by surprise by the newest face in modern day illusion. Harry Potter (as photographed above) pulled a colossal rabbit out of his hat when he hacked into the digital broadcast system and told the world that magic exists. In the time it took for his audience to blink an eye over their afternoon tea, the now infamous illusionist managed to spring to life a hidden city, a castle, and a skyscraper seemingly out of nowhere. For a brief moment in human history, we all were caught by surprise. This stunt, which was not announced to authorities before attempting, could possibly be the biggest feat in Magical Illusion that the world has ever seen. While we all now know that this was an elaborate prank brought together by hundreds of people under Harry Potter's employment, it was still a sight to see as Police and Military personnel rushed to the scenes of the then thought of terrorist threat. Harry Potter was not available for comment, but we all are wondering: what magical feat will he accomplish next? Is a Las Vegas show in the works-'
"Put that away," Came the raspy voice of an exhausted Harry Potter, who took a seat next to her at his dining room table. He still wore his oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms from bed, and his glasses hung dangerously off of his nose as he snatched up the newspaper and crumpled it up into a firm ball. "Not that I don't appreciate you tampering a few reporter's minds for the sake of every magical being in existence, but did you have to make me out to be a celebrity in the muggle world? It's bad enough being Harry Potter in our own."
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said, nibbling at her toast. "But it was the only logical story that would fit the scenario."
"Thanks for staying with James last night," he added, buttering himself up a piece of toast as well. "Sorry we had to call you on such short notice…"
"False labor is common. I'm just glad Ginny's alright."
"Me too." He chewed on his toast, pensive. "Are you sure you want to go today? You don't have to be there. The Wizengamot's already heard your testimony-"
"No." She interrupted him, shaking her head. "I need to be there. This isn't just about the Ministry. It's about Ron. I need to see justice for him. I have to see it, Harry."
"Alright, Mione." Harry reached over and gave her hand a firm squeeze. "I'll be right there with you." His lips turned up in a warm smile, and she squeezed his hand back. There was a sound of fire crackling in the floo from the other room, and then the sound of shoes clicking against the floor could be heard as they approached the kitchen. Draco Malfoy leaned up against the kitchen doorway, adorning crisp, tailored dress robes that accentuated his lean frame.
"Thought I might find you here," he said, smirking towards Hermione. His eyes trailed over to Harry, and he gave a curt nod. "Potter."
"Malfoy." Harry returned the nod and leaned back in his chair. "Care for some toast?"
"Are you literally asking me to break bread with you?" Draco raised a cool eyebrow, but approached the table and took a seat across from them all the same.
"It's just toast, Malfoy."
Draco reached over to the stack of toast that Hermione had cooked earlier this morning and plucked one from the pile. "Hey." He smiled to Hermione.
"Hey." She grinned back.
Harry looked between the two, rolled his eyes, and stood from his chair. "I'm going to go dress. I'll just… leave you two here… alone." He pressed a firm finger down in the center of the kitchen table. "We eat here." He made a point to scowl at Draco. "Remember that before you think about doing any funny business."
"Funny business?" Draco snorted a laugh.
"You know what I mean."
"I'll be a peach."
"Right. You better be." Harry removed his finger from the table and quickly took off in the direction of the staircase, glancing back as he reached the first step to add, "I'm never going to get used to this." He took the stairs two at a time until he was up and out of sight.
"Oh, honestly…" Hermione rolled her eyes and set them on Draco again. Her heart gave a tiny jump in her chest. This last week had been full of interrogations, Wizengamot trial days, and repair of the Ministry of Magic. Not to mention the funerals. So many funerals, scattered at different times of the day throughout the week… She had made a conscious effort not to say 'sorry for your loss' through each one. Instead, she offered words of encouragement. 'Take each day at a time,' and 'Come over for tea and we can talk.' She had been so busy answering questions and giving testimonies that she and Draco had hardly gotten a moment alone all week. But here they were, alone in a kitchen, and she knew exactly what was on his mind besides Greg Diggle's sentencing today. When he had told her that he loved her, she hadn't said it back. And it wasn't as if she was entirely avoiding the conversation. Quite on the contrary. She had tried, really she had, but they'd been surrounded by so many people that the entire thing felt suffocating. And every time she had brought the words to her lips, they seemed to die away. It was one thing to be told you were loved. It was an entirely different experience to admit the same out loud.
"So…" Draco said, averting his gaze down to his toast momentarily. "Sleep well?"
"Hardly," she answered him, relieved that his first words weren't on the subject of her inadequacies as a girlfriend. "James was so worried about Ginny being in the hospital that he was up until three… Not that I'm complaining."
"Potter's wife not have her baby, then?"
"No. And her name's Ginny. You can call her that."
"Nah. Too informal."
"Right." She giggled, despite the awkwardness of their small talk. It was a nervous laugh; one that she couldn't avoid so easily. Soon, her giggle broke out into full blown laughs that echoed in the room. Draco's silver eyes quirked up at her, inquisitive.
"Did I miss something? What's so funny?"
"I… I don't know." She laughed so hard that tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Soon, they spilled over, and the laughing gave way to messy, broken sobs. Hermione was horrified, but she couldn't help the crying as she began to bawl into her sleeve. She covered her face, ashamed. "I… I guess… it's all hitting me today." She choked back a good sob and swiped angrily at her tears. "Sorry."
"Don't apologise to me. It doesn't suit you." He rose from his chair and took the one next to her where Harry had sat before. His arms came out and wrapped around her solemnly. Hermione tried to jerk away, but he kept his grasp and sneered, "Oh, come off it."
"W-what are you doing?" she asked meekly as he pulled her into his chest and began to rub up and down her back in small circles with his fingers.
"I'm hugging you. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"I…" She remembered the first time she had hugged him, back when she had taught him how to cast his first Patronus. Inwardly, she smiled. "I know what a hug is." She chuckled through her tears. "But why are you hugging me?"
She saw the muscles in his face turn up into a playful smirk. "If you don't know that by now, you really are as daft as they say."
"No one says I'm daft."
"I do. I say you are."
"Oh?"
"Yes." One of his hands ceased its rubbing to reach up to her eyes and swipe away a few of her tears. "You are unequivocally the daftest witch I've ever known."
"And why is that?"
Draco opened his mouth to answer her, but tiny feet scampered through the hallway as James Potter, in all of his two-year-old glory, came bursting into the kitchens in his pajamas, shouting, "Hermy! Hermy!" The look on Draco's face was quite priceless; it was a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and amusement.
"Is that Potter's child?"
"I James!" The boy shouted, running to the table to scale the kitchen chair clumsily. James cast a frown in Hermione's direction. "Hermy cry?"
"Oh. I'm fine, James. Really." Hermione smiled, still wrapped in Draco's arms.
"Dis?" James pointed at the platinum blonde stranger holding his favorite babysitter in his kitchen. "Who dis?"
"I'm Draco," Draco answered, smirking as he set out his chin and offered his hand to the boy. "Draco Malfoy."
"I James!" The boy squealed, leaping over the table and shaking Draco's hand vigorously. Hermione giggled into her hand, her apprehensions forgotten for the time being.
"I think he likes you."
"I'd say so," Draco replied, relief spilling over his face when James released his hand and plopped back down in his chair, his eyes the only thing that could be seen over the enormous table. He reached up with his pudgy hands and stole Draco's toast. Draco looked as if he were about to say something, thought better of it, and instead shrugged.
"James Sirius Potter!" Ginny shouted, wobbling into the room with her large belly barely covered by her night shirt. "Did you wash your hands before you came to the table?"
James took a big bite out of his toast. "Noooooo? No, Mommy! No!"
"Oh, for Merlin's sake." Ginny gave a sigh, turning her attention to Hermione and Draco. "Oh. Erm… hello." She stood a big straighter. "I didn't know we'd have company this morning."
"Dis Draco!" James told his mother, pointing theatrically at his new favorite person. "Draco my fwiend!"
"Is he?" Ginny quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I'm not sure… Should we give him the test?"
"Test?" Draco squeaked out.
Hermione laughed. "Oh, go on Gin!"
"Right." Ginny smirked. "Alright, Malfoy. You're going to be stranded on a deserted island, and you can only bring three things with you, not including a wand. What do you take?"
"Seahows!" shouted James. "Seahows! Seahows!"
"James," Hermione said. "We've gone over this. You don't want to take a seahorse with you to a deserted island. What good would it do?"
"I ride it!"
"Actually, he has a fair point," Draco smirked, rubbing his chin. "Three things, not allowing for my wand. Hmm…"
"And there's no magic on the island," Hermione added.
"What?" Draco scoffed. "That's barbaric."
"Answer the question, Malfoy," Ginny smiled.
"Fresh water, obviously," he said, pondering. "Does the island have trees?"
"Sure," Ginny replied. "It can have trees."
"Alright… My second item of choice is Hermione."
"You can't take a person with you, Malfoy."
"You never said I couldn't." He stuck out his tongue childishly. "And you can't go making up rules as you go. So my second item is Hermione."
"Fine. Your final choice?"
Draco smirked. "Easy. Instructions on how to build a boat."
Ginny's smile dropped momentarily, then she raised her hands and clapped. "Alright. Impressive."
"Did I pass?"
"Hmm?"
"The test," Draco said, almost concerned. "Did I pass?"
"Oh." Ginny laughed. "The test was just to see if you'd play along. Yeah, Malfoy. You passed. With flying colors."
"Yay! Draco pass!" James yelled gleefully, slamming his hands onto the table and vibrating the silverware.
"James!" Ginny scolded.
"Sowwy, mommy."
Hermione's heart swelled with happiness in that moment, watching her family treat Draco as one of their own. And she was even more impressed when she realizsed that Draco wanted to be a part of it. He wasn't sneering or jostling or even using his rude quips. He was socialising in a way that humanised him. She reached up and touched his cheek, drawing his attention back to her. "Hey."
"Yes?"
"I love you too."
Draco's face flushed a brilliant shade of pink, and his mouth fell open slightly. He cleared his throat, sat up a bit straighter, and glanced around the room for just a moment before coming back to meet her eyes with his own. "Really?"
"Really." She leaned up and pressed her lips flush against his. She could feel the corners of his mouth tug upwards as he kissed her back. Hermione closed her eyes, running her fingers lightly across his cheek. Yes. This felt right. This felt like… like home again. Her heart had finally found a home to belong to once more, and it was with Draco Malfoy. Who would have thought? Breaking the kiss, she opened her eyes back up and stared into his. "I love you, Draco Malfoy."
He beamed with pride, smirking. "I love you too."
"Oh come on!" Harry exclaimed, startling the whole room. He was dressed in his work robes, which accentuated his abnormally pale features as he intruded on his best friend and his once childhood rival declaring their love for each other in his kitchen. He braced an arm against the counter to steady himself and shook his swimming head. "This is my home. My home! This is the one place that I thought I could escape… whatever this is." He motioned his hand to the two of them. "Do you two really have to declare your love for one another at the same place I eat at?"
"Harry," Ginny scolded, wrapping an arm around his middle to hug him. "Why don't you go into the living room and I'll fetch you a nice cup of tea? Doesn't that sound nice?"
"Yeah…" Harry nodded, glancing to his wife. "Yeah, that sounds great, Gin. Thanks." He looked back at the happy couple canoodling in his kitchen and scowled. "When we're working together in the Ministry, I better not see any of this, or I'll write the both of you up for public displays of affection." He gave an apologetic look to Hermione. "Just… give me some time for this to soak in, alright?"
"Sure, Harry." Hermione nodded, sliding into Draco's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck for good measure. "Whatever you say."
"Bloody fucking Hell." Harry wagged a finger at Draco. "You break her heart, and I'll break your shins. You understand?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother dear."
"Good. That's… that's good then." Harry turned and let his wife escort him out of the room, calling out to James to join them. James leapt gleefully out of his chair, waved to Draco and Hermione, and jogged out of the room.
"Gregory Diggle, you stand accused of murder, conspiracy, money pilfering, indignations against the Ministry, exposing the wizarding world to muggles, and treason. Is there anything you wish to say before the Wizengamot rules and decides your punishment?" Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt asked from his seat down to Greg Diggle, who sat in a plain, wooden chair with his arms chained to his legs.
Draco glanced over to Hermione, squeezing her hand tightly. Potter sat next to her on the other side, eyes narrowed and keen on Diggle's answer. Hermione gave Draco a timid smile and nodded that she was alright. They both turned their attention to the accused as he stood up and addressed the court.
Diggle cleared his throat, eyes scanning to each and every member of the Wizengamot. "The only thing I wish to say is to Miss Hermione Granger, if I may." His face turned in their direction, falling on the now trembling Hermione. It was so odd, Draco thought, to see her shake this way. She was such a strong woman. But he supposed, given the circumstances, having to face the killer of your spouse in a cordial setting such as court would shake anyone's nerves.
"Miss Granger?" asked Kingsley.
"I'll allow it." She nodded, straightening her posture and setting her eyes on Diggle's. "Go on, Greg."
"Thank you." Diggle gave an anxious sigh. He brought his hands up as far as they would go and offered them out to her. "I… I can't begin to apologise to you. And I'm fairly certain my words would fall on deaf ears should I attempt it. But…" He sighed again, hands shaking. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I let the Gray Magic consume me, and in doing so I cost you the one you loved the most." He swallowed a lump in his throat, green eyes glistening with resolve. "I let my past consume me as well. I just want you to know that before I never see you again… I want to thank you. For bringing me back from the precipice. It feels good to be myself once more, before I…" He glanced down to the floor, then back up, this time his eyes resting on Draco, who felt a pull in his middle like a sinking weight. "You aren't your father, Draco. I see that now." Diggle nodded affirmatively. "I will take my punishment with the utmost sincerity and humility." He flickered his eyes over Harry, Hermione, and Draco one last time. "Perhaps if I had been blessed with friends like you when I was most vulnerable, things would have been much different." He smiled sadly. "Thank you." He set his gaze back to Minister Shacklebolt and nodded once. "Continue, Minister."
Hermione sank back down in her seat, resting her head on Draco's shoulder as tears silently streamed down her cheeks. "I know I should feel happy, but…" She choked back a tiny sob. "It feels wrong, somehow, doesn't it?"
"No." Potter shook his head, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "He killed Ron. He killed half of our Auror division. No matter how he feels about it all now, it still doesn't excuse his actions." His fingers were clenched on the underside of the bench as if he were fighting back all of his anger at once. "He deserves this, Hermione. You remember that."
Draco kissed Hermione's forehead, silently siding with Potter. Diggle might be reformed once he was untied from the Gray Magic, but that didn't mean that he should be let off of the hook for his actions. After all, Hermione still possessed the Gray, and she wasn't planning on slaughtering innocent people any time soon.
"If there is nothing left to say, Mister Diggle, then we shall proceed." Kingsley picked up a piece of parchment in front of him and read out loud. "The Wizengamot hereby finds you, Gregory Wallace Diggle, guilty of all charges. We sentence you to a lifetime in Azkaban. You're lucky, Diggle. Under my reign as Minister, I have abolished the ways of the Dementor's kiss. Had I not been Minister today, your fate would have been decidedly worse."
Diggle nodded slowly, heaving himself back down into his chair.
"That's it?" Draco muttered. "That's all he gets?"
"It's enough," Hermione replied, nodding. "It's enough."
Draco, Harry, Dean, and Hermione stood in Gregory Diggle's library, staring down at the Gray Book on top of the desk. The Ministry had finally been repaired, after nearly a month of hard work. Those who suffered magical loss from the Pandora Mines had recovered from St. Mungo's, and were back at their posts, including the elderly secretary Aeris. When they had first gotten back from that fateful trip in Greg's mind, the men had been quick to discover that Hermione, before her departure to find them, had set off each Pandora Mine inside her Gray Magic shield and released each of their Ministry counterparts from Greg's spell. Later, she had recovered the missing Pandora Mines spread across the country and disarmed them as well, all with the help of the Gray. It had become like a second skin to her, living inside of her happily. It grew stronger with each passing day as Hermione's mind began to heal from the battle with Diggle. And today, it knew that it would have to say goodbye to her. It purred inside of her, begging, pleading with her not to leave it alone again. Hermione could feel it clutch tight to her like a child to a mother's coattails.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Dean, strumming his hands along the desk. "I mean… that kind of magic could really come in handy at the Ministry, don't you think?"
"And if it got out of control?" asked Harry. "Remember what happened to Diggle."
"But that's because he fed it dark magic," argued Dean. "Hermione's feeding it love and all that. Isn't that right, Hermione?"
"Yes." She nodded, exchanging glances between Dean and Harry. Draco crossed his arms, not saying a word. He simply stared down at the book, a mixture of emotions etched in his eyes. "But if it's alright with you, Harry, I'd like to do something first, before I break my bond."
"Alright…" Harry said reluctantly. "What's that?"
"It's… personal." She smiled meekly to him. "Could Draco and I have the room a moment?"
Dean and Harry both raised their eyebrows, unenthusiastically agreeing to her request and stepping out of the room. When the door shut firmly behind them, Draco raised an inquisitive eyebrow, unfolding his arms. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She shook her head, stepping to him so that there was barely any space between the two. She reached out and ran her fingers over the black ink of his Morsmordre Mark. Draco closed his eyes, sighing at the touch. Hermione traced over the snake, up its long serpentine body and rested the pad of her thumb over the skull. "We still haven't found the stone," she said after a time.
Draco's eyes drifted back open, and he stared down at his Mark with her, thoughtful. "We will. I know we can."
"I know. It's just…" She stroked the image of the skull, earning a light gasp from him. "I know that you wanted a chance to remove this." Her eyes found his, and she softened her approach. "If you'd like… we could give it a go."
His face was unreadable, eyebrows pulled together as he read into every word she had said. Minutes passed before he spoke again. "You think it's possible?"
Hermione closed her eyes, listening to the Gray hum peacefully inside of her soul. "Yes. I do." She opened her eyes and smiled. "Would you like to?"
Draco reached up and stroked across the scarred words of her arm. "And what about you?"
"Me?" She asked.
"Your marks." His eyebrows furrowed. "Wouldn't you like to remove them?"
"Oh." She laughed, realizing. "It never really occurred to me." She stared over the M all the way to the D. "I suppose I could. But we're not on the subject of me, now. We're talking about you."
Draco's silver eyes slid up her arm, her neck, her lips and then to her face, reflective. "For a very long time, all I wanted was to remove this cursed thing." He gestured down to his arm. "But now…" He stared long and hard at the Mark before he pulled her close, so that they were nose to nose. "Now I think I could care less what the world thinks of me. It's what you think of me. And Scorpius. And perhaps, keeping something like this will remind me that I don't have to go down the path I've traveled for so long." He smirked. "Not when I have something to look forward to."
"So you're saying…?"
"It's a pass for me, Granger. Sorry. I think I'll wear my misery on my sleeve, thank you very much. I wear it so well." He gave her a wink.
Hermione laughed in approval. "Yeah. I think I'll do the same." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Never change, Draco."
His smirk gave way to a glowing smile. "Only evolve." He tilted his head and brought his lips right up against hers, brushing them softly against her skin to tease her. Hermione smiled, pushing her mouth on his and capturing him in a dominant kiss that made him stumble backwards momentarily. They wrestled for dominance for a few minutes, tongues colliding as they poured a bit of themselves into each and every kiss. Hermione could feel his heart, so warm and inviting, spill forth from his soul as he tugged tight against him and slowed the kiss to a crawl. Delicately, he pulled away from her lips and kissed her forehead. "Mine." He released her, and Hermione walked over to the Gray Book.
"Thank you," She told the Gray Magic as she placed her hand atop of it. "You were the real hero. We couldn't have done it without you." The Gray vibrated inside of her, wishing her goodbye. "And should we ever need to call on you again, I promise… I promise we'll come." The Gray magic hummed, then with a painful click in her soul, it released itself. Light, so pure and bright, poured from her fingertips and slipped back into the book. When it was over, Hermione felt empty, but fulfilled. She swallowed hard, nodded once, and patted the book. "Thank you."
"So what did you do with it?" Astoria asked as she poured everyone at the table a glass of wine. "The book?"
Hermione glanced around to the full set of company; to Harry, Dean, Luna (who were now dating, much to Hermione's delight), Ginny, James, Draco and baby Scorpius, who was happily sitting in his father's lap- and smiled. It was so nice, having them all here together. She exchanged glances with Harry, who answered Astoria.
"We tucked it away where no one else could use it."
"So you're not telling is what I'm hearing," said Ginny in a sing-song voice.
"Exactly." Harry smiled, pointing his fork at her.
Astoria took her seat next to Hermione and shrugged. "As long as it stays out of the hands of someone like Diggle, I'm satisfied."
"Thank you for inviting me, Dean," whispered Luna, tucking a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I was sure the gnargles had gotten to you when you never returned my dinner invitation."
"It was… something like that," Dean smiled happily. "But S'alright. I fought them off - gave em the old one two!" He jabbed the air playfully.
Draco smirked. "You honestly don't expect her to believe you, do you?"
"Well of course I don't believe him," Luna grinned. "But it's simply adorable to watch him lie, don't you think?"
The entire table laughed as Dean's face flushed. Hermione sat down her fork full of spaghetti and looked to baby Scorpius. "May I?"
"He's all yours," Draco said, handing him off. Scorpius now had fairly nice control of sitting up on his own, and he reached out for Hermione with pudgy hands. She sat him down onto her lap and kissed the top of his head.
"Well, he's not all yours," Astoria corrected, smirking over to Draco. "Let's not forget who the mother is."
"Believe me, Tori," Draco rolled his eyes. "No one's forgotten about you."
"No." Hermione smiled over to her new found friend. "We still need someone to change the dirty diapers, don't we?"
"Ha ha." Astoria sneered, but smiled all the same. Hermione and Draco exchanged happy smiles. It was a lovely evening indeed.
"I'm pleased to announce the newest inductees to the Auror Division," said Potter, reading names off of his notes at the podium in Diagon Alley to the bustling cameramen anxious to get a shot. "They have gone above and beyond the call, showing bravery, quick thinking, and above all else a dedication to the good of all witches, wizards, and muggles alike. Dean Thomas."
Dean shot up in his chair as Aeris Trudle approached him with his badge. He gladly took it and shook it in the air, exchanging glances with Luna in the crowd. 'Finally!' he mouthed to her.
"Hermione Granger."
The crowd lit up in a roar of applause as Hermione released Draco's hand and stepped forward to receive her badge. The smile that lit up on her lips made Draco's heart skip a beat. She was so beautiful in that moment; so strong and sure of herself. She knew where she stood in the world, and what she wanted to accomplish. Draco wished he could be so bold.
Potter's lips turned up in a smile as he read the next name. "Draco Malfoy."
There was a hush in the crowd as Draco stood and stepped forward next to Hermione. Murmurs sifted through the throng. He could already feel the scowls and unsure eyes trained on him. Potter broke away from the podium and took the badge from Aeris politely and presented it to Draco himself. Draco's chest squeezed tight, and he froze like a statue for a moment until Hermione nudged him in the arm. He came to his senses quickly, reaching out and taking the badge with a smirk. Harry Potter's green eyes glistened back at him for a moment before he approached the podium once again.
"Auror Malfoy is the best example to all of us that people can change. Despite his past, he risked his pride, his reputation, and his life for us all, as did Aurors Granger and Thomas. I'm proud to announce them today as full-fledged Aurors into the Ministry of Magic."
Draco's stomach did a summersault as the entire crowd lit up in cheers. He had never had so many people cheer for him at once. It stirred something in him - a sense of humility he hadn't felt before. He gave a lopsided smile and wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders.
"We did it!" Dean shouted to the both of them. "It took me three years, but who cares! WOOHOO!"
"We did it," Hermione said, smiling up to Draco. "How do you feel?"
"Me?" He raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "Eh. Feels like a normal Tuesday, if I'm being honest."
Hermione jostled him in the stomach with her elbow, her face suddenly turning down in a solemn stare. "Is it Tuesday already? That means tomorrow is…" She inhaled deeply and chewed on her bottom lip. Draco knew that could only mean her mind was churning, but for what he didn't know. It took him a moment to realise, but when he did his eyebrows relaxed and he pulled her closer.
"Don't you worry, Granger." He smiled down to her. "It'll all be alright. I promise."
It was in moments like these, Hermione thought to herself, kneeling at her late-husband's grave with a pudgy sixth month old on her lap, when all the world could melt away. Scorpius's tiny fingers slipped up and touched the headstone, patting it.
"Ron," Hermione smiled. "This is Scorpius."
She felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder, and she turned her head up to see Draco's serene, smiling face staring down at her. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Hello, Weasley." He smirked to Ron's headstone. "I really didn't think we'd ever see each other again, but… here we are." He exchanged glances with Hermione as he rubbed the back of his head and continued. "I wanted to get a few things off my chest." He drew his knees up to his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry for getting involved with Cane. If I hadn't, you'd most likely be alive. And Hermione wouldn't have ever had to grieve for you. I take the blame."
"Draco…"
"No." He nodded to her. "Let me do this." He smirked at the headstone and continued. "And that's right. I call her Hermione now. Don't like it? Tough shite. I finally get why you fell for her. She's a real riot in the—OOF!" Hermione elbowed him swiftly in the ribcage, and he coughed. "Feisty. -As I was saying, Weasley, I'm… I'm going to take good care of her now. I promise, she'll never have to grieve again." He reached over, took Scorpius into his lap, and smiled. "Honestly, I've tried to get rid of her, but she's so attached to my son, you see…"
Hermione giggled. "Yes, he's really the only reason I stick around." She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled to Ron's headstone. "I'm alright, Ronald. I finally gave you your justice. I love you so much. I always will." She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the stone. "Rest, Ronald."
She stood, and Draco followed, Scorpius tucked up over his shoulder like a superhero. He spun him around a few times as his son giggled into the light of the setting sun. Hermione smiled. In that moment, her heart was so full. Eventually, Draco stopped spinning and laughed as he came to a halt, swaying with dizziness. Scorpius blew a raspberry, and Draco offered out his hand for Hermione to take.
"Ready?" He asked her.
Hermione glanced back at Ron's headstone, smiling, before she turned to Draco and took his head. "Ready." As they laced their fingers together and set to leave, Hermione hummed quietly to herself. "Sunshine daisies… butter mellow…"
Ending credit lyrics: "Young Volcanoes" by Fall Out Boy
When Rome's in ruins
We are the lions
Free of the coliseums
In poisoned places
We are anti-venom
We're the beginning of the end
Tonight
The foxes hunt the hounds
It's all over now
Before it has begun
And we've already won
We are wild
We are like young volcanoes
We are wild
Americana exotica
Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby? Yeah
Come on make it easy
Say I never mattered
Run it up the flagpole
We will teach you
How to make
Boys next door
Out of assholes
Tonight
The foxes hunt the hounds
It's all over now
Before it has begun
And we've already won
We are wild
We are like young volcanoes
We are wild
Americana exotica
Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby? Yeah
We are wild
We are like young volcanoes
We are wild
Americana exotica
Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby? Yeah
FIN.
*Sniffles* omg the cheeeeeeese. But a good sort of cheese, like mozzarella. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Thank you, every single one of you. My heart is so full by the wonderful world of fanfiction. This fic was nominated for a Dramione award for best crime/mystery fic in October, 2016 and won 2nd place! There is a sequel titled: How To Train Your Auror 2: Family Ties. A snippet of that will be in the following chapter. I will upload it to this site very soon.

Thank you for experiencing the journey with me.
~A.
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How To Train Your Auror