Pansy was sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban.

"I told them to throw away the key," Harry announced smugly. "You don't kidnap war heroes and get away with it on my watch."

He awarded Draco a medal for his wartime services to the wizarding community. Draco declined a ceremony, however, wanting to keep his life private as was possible.

"Suit yourself," Harry shrugged, "But I'm telling you," he added giving Draco a conspiratorially wink, "the chicks dig a hero, believe me."

"I'm alright, thanks," Draco muttered dryly, making a point of wrapping an arm around me and pulling me firmly to his side, whilst Ginny gave Harry a furious whack on the arm.

Draco had moved in with me, Gran, Teddy and Trevor.

Narcissa wanted us all to live with them in Malfoy Manor but Gran was adamant that she wouldn't step foot in that place where Lucius lived, least of all cohabit with him.

"The day I break bread at the kitchen table with Lucius Malfoy is the day I become the Muggle Prime Minister!" she roared indignantly.

"So is that a no?" Draco murmured bewilderedly in my ear.

Draco understood that I couldn't leave Gran, not when she was so frail and increasingly needed aid to move about. Plus, I didn't want her to be lonely.

"I spent the last year living in a box with nothing but chains and a bucket," he muttered. "Your gran's house is going to seem like the height of luxury in comparison."

Narcissa tried unsuccessfully to hide her disappointment, but Draco and I made sure to visit her often with Teddy, who Narcissa treated as her very own grandson.

"I know I'll never take the place of my sister," she said sadly as she kissed the top of his head, which was always white-blond for her, "but I'd like for Teddy to think of me as an honorary Granny."

"Oh, he does," I smiled, "his face always lights up when I tell him we're off to Granny's house. And you know it's what Andromeda would have wanted for him."

"And you?" Narcissa said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "have you thought about letting him call you Mummy?"

"It's just... difficult," I sighed, feeling my heart tug as I thought of Tonks. "I feel guilty, as though I'm trying to replace his real mother."

"You must remember, it's what they wanted," Narcissa said firmly. "Teddy shouldn't be denied the chance to have parents. We'll be sure to always tell him about Remus and Nymphadora and let him know what brave parents there were. There's room enough in his life to have another mother and father who love him and treat him as their very own."

I realised I was so very happy to have Narcissa in my life; and suddenly, in that moment, I wanted her to know that.

"I know Gran brought me up," I said to her, my voice wobbling tearfully with emotion, "and she will always be my lovely wonderful gran to me, but with you; well, it's the first time I've ever felt like having anything close to a mother. And I love you."

"Oh, my Neve," she wept, sweeping across the room and immediately handing Teddy over to Draco before enveloping me in a tight embrace, "I love you too, my darling... my daughter."

I looked up at Draco as she held me, and even though his face remained passive, I could see the emotion swirling in his silver eyes as he looked back down at me.

Trevor seemed a lot less grumpy having Draco around, who still kept his pockets filled with Every Flavoured Beans.

"I thought about this little dude a lot when I was in that room," Draco said when Trevor refused to sit anywhere but on his lap when we were sat one night snuggled on the sofa watching television. "I remembered how he used to keep my company whilst I fed him his favourite beans."

"You're both as bloody weird as each other," Gran tutted from her armchair, rolling her eyes as she stuffed a toffee in her mouth. "Going gaga over a warty old toad. Pah!"

"Oh Gran, don't deny that you love him too," I laughed, "whose handbag did he live in when you were on the run?"

"I was only thinking of you and how attached you were to the thing," Gran bristled. But I didn't miss the quick, adoring glance she gave him.

When Teddy was eighteen months old, five months to the day that we saved Draco, he finally took his first independent step.

"Did you see?!" I gushed to Draco, who had just stepped out into the garden as Teddy toppled back down to the ground; the grass cushioning his bottom. "Our clever little boy did it! He walked!"

"I did," he smiled, looking not down at Teddy, who had decided the grass was looking tasty and began to stuff handfuls of blades into his mouth, but at me; his silver eyes glistening warmly and with such tenderness.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, feeling apprehensive as to why he was staring at me like that.

"I've never been better, Neve," he said, crossing the lawn and gathering me in his arms. "I just loved hearing you call him our little boy."

"Well he is," I said matter-of-factly, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose. "You're an amazing father to him, Draco. Lupin would have been proud."

"Marry me."

I felt the breath catch in the back of my throat at Draco's words. I hadn't expected this; hadn't thought beyond having Draco back home with me by my side.

"Marry me, Neve," he repeated with more conviction, his silver eyes boring down into mine as his arms tightened around me. "I can't imagine my life without you and I want to do this properly with you. I want to be your husband as well as Teddy's father and I want us to be in this together, as a family. So please, Neve Longbottom, will you say you'll do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

As I looked back at him; the boy who I fell in love with despite everything having been against us, there was only one answer I knew I would ever want to give.

"Yes!"

Draco's face broke into a wide smile, his eyes twinkling back at me beneath the strands of white-blond fringe. I'd never seen him smile so brightly and and so warmly; it literally shone out, his beauty making my heart sing with complete and utter love.

And then just as quickly, his face fell.

"Shit," he hissed, pulling away from me to drive a hand agitatedly through his hair. "I didn't get you a ring. I wasn't planning on this; hadn't even thought about it until I stepped out here just this minute."

"It's okay," I assured him, feeling a light relief flood through me; for a second I'd thought something awful had happened. "I don't need a ring, I just need you."

"I want to do this properly though," he said, yanking his own family ring off his finger as he got down on one knee.

Teddy instantly started laughing and clapping as he watched Draco slip the ring onto my own finger, repeating his question.

"Will you marry me, Neve Longbottom?"

"Yes, a thousand times yes!" I laughed too, as Draco grabbed my head, smacking a huge kiss on my mouth, before leaning over to scoop up Teddy in his arms.

"She said yes, little buddy! Mummy said yes!"

"Dada!" Teddy cried, grabbing Draco's hair and affectionately kissing his face.

Draco froze, his breath hitching as he looked down in wonderment at the toddler in his arms. His silver eyes widened and darted apprehensively to mine. "Did he just-?"

"Yes," I nodded, my heart fluttering with love, "he just called his father 'Daddy'."

"Daddee," Teddy said again, more clearly.

Draco's closed his eyes which had been glistening with tears and he kissed Teddy fiercely on the top of his head. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into him as the three of us stood hugging in the garden.

And I thought of Lupin and I thought of Tonks, and I thought of the heartbreaking sacrifice they had made for our futures. I made a vow there and then that I wouldn't let them down.

Thank you. I thought, as I looked up at the cloudless October sky.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

*****