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This is it! Last chapter! :'(

Chapter 37 Epilogue: Too Late To Start Over

September 1, 2015

"Come on Katherine," Draco drawled. He could already hear Aurora and James fighting. Alaric was probably making it worse by laughing at them. "We're either dropping off them at Hogwarts or the nearest orphanage. You pick."

Katherine's eyes filled with tears at the thought of losing three of her children for nearly four months. "How could you joke at a time like this?"

"I wasn't joking." Draco smirked as she tossed her brush aside and started slinking out of their bedroom to wake little Minerva. Alaric and Aurora were ten last September 1st, so they would be starting their first year of Hogwarts with James. Hopefully Aurora and James wouldn't be in the same house.

After taking a deep breath, Draco opened the door to find Aurora waiting outside and tapping her foot impatiently. "Dad, James says he's going to sneak Grandpa on the train as Padfoot. Tell him that's wrong."

"Tattle tale!" James yelled from wherever he was hiding.

Aurora turned pink while Draco was trying to force himself to care. "It's wrong! He's going to ruin everything, Dad! Grandpa makes everything smell with the dungbombs, and we aren't going to make any friends, and—"

"Well…" Draco paused when Scorpius ran by with what looked like James's broom. Hopefully Katherine would mediate that fight. "If there's one thing your grandfathers fear, all three of them, it's Professor McGonagall. So I don't think there will be much trouble."

Aurora frowned. "A little trouble is still trouble, Dad."

She's spending too much time with Mother, Draco thought. "Talk to Teddy about it." Just then, Alaric started dragging his trunk down the hall with too much effort for his liking, so he didn't see Aurora turn a shade pinker. "Alaric Malfoy, there better be clothes in there and not just books." Alaric stopped but pretended not to hear him. "Did you even pack a toothbrush?"

"It's in my pocket." Alaric forced himself to say as Aurora ran off to argue with James some more.

"And your clothes?" Draco pressed as Alaric starting glaring at him. "Think before your next sentence comes out, Alaric."

"He wants to stay with us!" Katherine said dramatically as she emerged from Minerva's room. The sleepy girl rubbed her green eyes and watched them from the crook of her mother's neck. "That's why—"

"Fine! I'll get my clothes!" Alaric yelled just as dramatically, dropping his suitcase and running off before having to spend any more time with his parents than he had to.

Draco checked his watch. It was nearly eight. If the three monsters missed the train he was going to tear his hair out.

"James, that isn't a proper breakfast," Rory lectured as James start munching on a chocolate chip muffin. Kat slowly hid her own chocolate muffin with chocolate chips under the table. "There will be sweets on the train."

"What do you care?" James said rudely.

"If James wants to get a stomach ache," Narcissa said as she cut up her omelet, "that's his problem."

Alaric grinned, making Kat tense before he even said, "Grandfather says that James is going to get fat like Mum."

"Let's get dressed!" Draco yelled over everyone, not even correcting his son or Father. She'd have to get him later when he made his daily announcement.

"I'm still eating!" Lily whined.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I know for a fact you are going to take the longest out of everyone to get ready."

"I don't want to go," Scorpius announced as if he had a choice.

"Really?" Kat asked as she glared at the newspaper Lucius was hiding behind. "You can tell me all about it at the train station."

"You never listen to me!" Scorpius snapped. Oh she listened alright.

"That's because she can't stand ugly people," James taunted.

"I threw your broom in the tree!" Scorpius yelled.

"MUM!"

"I think you're all equally ugly." Kat smirked as the kids got confused, and Draco banged his head on the table. She only felt bad when little Lily started to cry. "Don't worry, love," she whispered as she ran a hand through her dark red hair. "That means you're all equally beautiful too."

"I'm beautiful-ler than James!" Lily wailed.

"Oi!"

It was going to be a long morning…

Why? Why did Katherine insist on a Ministry car? Sure, it magically drove faster than the average car since they were always running, but he still had to sit twenty minutes with all seven of them while she not so subtly insulted Father.

"You're going to be in Hufflepuff," James said to Alaric.

"You're going to be at the bottom of the Black Lake," Alaric grumbled. Albus squirmed in discomfort at the thought. Unfortunately for him, he hated when his siblings fought.

"Mummy, I want to be in Gryffindor," Lily said lightly. "So you'll write to the hat, won't you?"

Aurora smiled down on her sister like she thought Lily was being cute but also incredibly stupid. "Hats can't read, Lily."

Albus rolled his eyes. "But they can sing and talk telepathically?"

Aurora stuttered, telling Draco she wasn't entirely sure what "telepathically" meant. Alaric and Albus were the readers of the family. "Well—"

"Rory will be in Slytherin," James went on since the attention was off him for all of half a minute. "Because she's evil. And has a stick up her—"

"James!" Draco rubbed at his temples and looked at his watch. It had only been five minutes…

"What?" James had that incredulous, offended expression he had when he was trying to act like he didn't know he was doing anything wrong. "Mum said Grandpa has a stick up his arse, so he poops out his mouth."

"Mummy!" Lily leaned away from Father as if shit was going to come out of his mouth at any moment.

"He only goes number two on Wednesdays," Katherine informed her seriously. "Which is why he's so grumpy all the time… So watch out for him tomorrow."

"Katherine, are those Draco's trousers you're wearing?" Father asked lightly.

Could this car drive any slower?

"Make sure to write every day!" Kat tearfully told Rory, Ric, and James. No matter how much he squirmed, she didn't want to let James go. Rory was capable of making friends. Ric, well… He didn't seem to want any. James had a mouth bigger than hers, which worried her.

"Never!" James yelled as he tried to push her away.

"Mum?" Albus tugged at her sleeve. "Can we go to the bookstore when they leave?" Ric thinned his lips with jealousy. "Please?"

"We'll see." Kat finally let James go, and he ran off for the train without saying goodbye. "Rory—"

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble," Rory promised, even though that wasn't what Kat was going to say at all. "Make sure Lily doesn't go in my room."

"Hey!"

Kat ignored her. "Make sure you have fun. Okay?"

"School is fun, Mum." Rory sighed like she was trying to teach her Mother a lesson. "I'm going to start a club with Severus as the advisor."

Good luck, Kat thought before turning to Ric. "Try to make friends, baby. Please?"

Alaric wrinkled his nose and as usual, had a book tucked under his arm. "Why? Reid—"

"Isn't the only student." Kat smiled, trying not to cry hysterically and try to drag all three of them home. "Take your nose out of the book once and a while, okay?"

Ric shrugged and started heading for the train. "I like maps too."

"Boys." Rory smiled, eyes lighting up like when she was a baby, and Kat had walked into the room. "You'll write too, Mum, right?"

Kat nodded and took a letter out of her cloak's pocket. "Read it after the feast."

"If I have time." Rory laughed when her face fell and hugged her. "I'll write after I read it."

Kat sniffled. "Don't forget."

"James!" Draco gasped as he chased after the boy, who was undoubtedly plotting something with Reid Weasley. Something that was probably directed at the poor, sheltered Herb Nott. "Come here. Now!"

James skidded to a halt and did his best to look innocent. "But Dad!"

"Your mother is worried." Draco coughed and looked away. The boy didn't need to know that he was worried too. "So… Try to think before you do something to get a letter home from the headmistress. You know how disappointed your mother would be…"

James frowned, somewhat understanding that Katherine was more desperately missing him than worrying about him getting into trouble and not doing well in school. "Don't worry, Dad. I won't get caught."

Draco stared as the boy hopped on the train, laughing at him as he went. There would be a letter home before the feast was over.

The train whistle went off, and Draco smiled sadly as Katherine ran with the remaining children as the Hogwarts Express started speeding away. Mother was toddling behind them with two year old Minerva. Father was keeping a safe distance.

"They'll miss you as much as you miss them, even if they act like they won't." Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius jumped off the train last minute in dog form. Draco saw Teddy lean out of the train and shake his head at his surrogate father. "Sirius tries that every year."

Draco frowned as he caught a glimpse of Alaric sitting in a compartment with Herb on the train. He had never shown any interest in the boy before. "Katherine thought they'd never be ready."

Remus hummed, seeing right through him. "Yes. Kat does worry about her babies, like any mother. Although… your own wasn't crying as hard during your first day."

"You were there?" Draco asked in disbelief.

Remus shrugged. "It was too important a day for Lily and James. Did you and Kat meet for the first time that day?"

"No…"

He was at Madam Malkin's, and today was his special day. Not his birthday but similar. Mother and Father were so excited about him starting at Hogwarts that he knew he could get whatever he wanted out of them. They were like his personal shopping elves, scurrying about from store to store while he got his robes fitted. Draco felt like he was king of the world. Well, until she walked in that is.

She was dressed in lower class Muggle clothing, like a Weasley. He wrinkled his nose at the obvious second hand oversized shirts, and the worn belt that seemed to be holding her together. She probably smelled.

But she didn't. Perhaps that what pushed Draco to talk to her. Well, that was what he told himself. Something about her interested him from the start. Something that his eleven year old brain couldn't comprehend.

"Hello." He frowned as she tilted her head in surprise. She must know that he was of higher class and thought he normally wouldn't lower himself by talking to her. Mother said that friends were won with kindness. Father said that they were won with favors. "Hogwarts?"

"Yes…" she said slowly. She stared as he prattled on about what he had sent his parents to do. Malkin pinned up her hair to take her measurements. It looked like it hadn't been brushed in years. She had to be poor. If her hair was red, he would've assumed she was a Weasley.

After a while, he realized she wasn't paying much attention and thinned his lips. "Do you have a broom?"

He knew she didn't and planned to rub it in her face. Malfoys were meant to be listened to. There was a flicker in her eyes. Jealousy, perhaps? But then she merely shrugged like it was no big deal. "No."

"Do you play Quidditch at all?" he drawled, smirking when she shook her head and turned pink. "I do. I'm going to be captain of my house team."

The girl clenched her teeth, finally having enough. "So am I."

Draco snorted. "I'm sure Hufflepuff will be glad to hear it."

That stumped her and caused her to start stuttering. Great. He was talking to a mudblood. There was a fierceness in her eyes that no Hufflepuff could manage. "We're kicking your arse."

"Language," Malkin tutted.

Draco snorted. She wouldn't even be able to afford a decent broom. "Good luck. What's your surname?"

"None of your business!" she snapped.

Draco rolled his eyes. Only mudbloods could get this upset over nothing. "Hey!" He had never heard of a giant so small or a wizard so big. He was holding up ice creams, telling the girl that he was waiting for her. "Look at him!"

"His name is Hagrid," she said smugly, as if she had given him some sort of valuable information. "He's the Hogwarts gamekeeper."

"The drunk?" Draco laughed. "What idiot stuck him with you? Your mum?"

"My mum's dead," she said coldly.

"Oh…"

When she poked him in the chest, he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Hufflepuff and I are going to kick your arse across the field! And you'll cry like a little baby and—"

"Slytherin and I are going to make you wish you stayed with your Muggle family," he hissed. "You'll be home before Hallow's Eve!"

She wasn't very clever, but she wasn't a coward either. He had to give her credit for that. She leaned as close to him as she dared and said, "You smell…" She paused to make something up. "Like cheese."

Since he absolutely couldn't stand her, Draco didn't hesitate to laugh in her face. "You're as stupid as you look!"

He stopped mid-laugh when her eyes filled with tears as Madam Malkin handed her her robes. Unfortunately, Draco didn't have much time to feel guilty because she kicked him in the shin so hard that he howled in pain and fell off his stool. He faintly her laughter as she ran off. Mudblood savage.

"Ah, so it was love at first sight." Lupin laughed harder than Draco thought was necessary. "You both seemed equally obnoxious."

"She assaulted me!" Draco yelled in mock offense. He wished it wasn't too late to start over and go back to that day. Too late to have a civil conversation with her, be in love with her for an extra ten years.

"DADDY!" Lily had finally fallen in the heels she stole from his mother and was getting the makeup that she stole from Katherine all over her face with her tears. "I FELL!"

"What a surprise," Draco drawled.

"DADDY!"

"Alright, let me see." With an overdramatic grunt, Draco scooped up his daughter and inspected her knees. "Lily, I'm afraid we'll have to amputate."

"DADDY!"

She continued to sob as Draco pretended to consider. "Well… I suppose a kiss will do for now, but I don't know about next time. So will you run in your grandmother's heels again?" Lily sniffled and shook her head. "Good."

Kat pouted as she watched Scorpius and Albus fill up Rory, Ric, and James's spots in the car with their chocolate frog card collection. They all were going to be in different houses. She just knew it. What if Rory got lonely? Sometimes kids at the playground thought she was stuck up. Or worse, what if James pissed off the wrong Slytherin and was getting his face smashed in right now? Ric was probably laughing at him instead of helping. What if the other kids thought he was weird? Sure, Ric was weird, but he was the good kind of weird.

"They'll be fine," Draco whispered in her ear. "Probably."

"James—"

"Is already in trouble." He snickered. "We might as well accept it now."

"I want to start over," Kat found herself saying. "To when they were babies."

From her car seat, Mini reached over and tugged on Draco's sleeve. "Daddy!" she squealed happily. "I poopy!"

"It's too late to start over, thank Merlin," Draco muttered to himself. Kat sighed happily, waiting for him to make his daily announcement. "I'm getting a vasectomy."

Kat grinned. It never got old. "I'm pregnant."

Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, gr8rockstarrox, HypocriticalCommunistFromSpace! Oh and fifespice if you get this far!

And thank you to everyone who enjoyed this story! Your support really means a lot!

HypocriticalCommunistFromSpace: I hope it is too!

amata0221: I'll get on it! … Eventually. :P

gr8rockstarrox: I was going for more of an awkward vibe in the beginning. Like neither one of them wanted to apologize, they just wanted to skip to the part where everything was alright again.

A Match Made in Hell is up now! So Kat and Draco actually do get to start over! ;)