Need by WickedDiSaster

Author's Notes:

Here it is; terribly long cookie in the form of yet another A/N at the end. THANK YOU EVERYONE! It's been an awesome ride to share with you. All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 26: Epilogue by WickedDiSaster

"And that, Sam, is how Mum and Dad fell in love." A ten-year-old Casey said as she kissed her brother goodnight.

"You're not telling them that story again, are you?" Kath snuck up from the doorway, "Lorca is not even a year old; I doubt she understands a word that comes out of your mouth." Casey rolled her eyes.

"No, Kath, I was telling Sam the story while I rocked Lorca to sleep. Shut up before you wake them up." Casey admonished, lifting baby Lorca from her rocking chair to carry her to her crib.

"Too late!" said a mischievously grinning four-year-old Sam.

"Sam, if you don't go back to sleep this instant, I promise that'll be the last time you hear that story from me." Casey scolded him. It did the trick.

"Gosh, Casey, you're worse than Mum sometimes, you know." Kath told her twin as she walked to snuggle up her brother and give him a goodnight kiss.

Casey groaned but continued taking baby Lorca out of the room.

As soon as she was out the door, Kath whispered to her brother. "I can tell you the story if she ever stops. But she won't, she loves doing it, you know." She winked at him. "Now, go to sleep, young man. Tomorrow is a very important day."

Kath closed the door behind her and met her sister as she left Lorca's room in front of Sam's.

"What were you doing in there, Kath?" Casey asked self-righteously.

"Nothing," she lied expertly, "I came to talk to you. Mum and Dad just arrived. I heard them mention they had received our letters to Hogwarts"

"They did?!" asked a excited Casey.

"Yep, they won't show them to us 'til tomorrow though."

"Oh," answered Casey, sounding somewhat crestfallen.

"What house do you think we'll be sorted?"

"Mum says I'll be a Gryffindor," answered Casey proudly.

"I like dad's better," Kath continued conspicuously.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Casey replied in an accusatory tone. Their father interrupted them in that moment though, and Kath couldn't answer her properly. She'd save it for later, she thought.

"What are you two doing here?" Draco kissed both on each cheek.

"I was just putting Lorca to sleep, Dad." Casey answered immediately.

Kath rolled her eyes at her. "We were about to go to bed, Dad."

"You should, we don't want you looking dreadful on your birthday," smirked Draco, making Kath look horrified. "Now give me a kiss before you head to bed."

Kath hugged her dad in a frantic motion and kissed him with a rushed, "Goodnight, Dad," before she disappeared around the corner. Casey, on the other hand, lingered for a bit.

"Dad, why did the letters arrive earlier? Weren't they supposed to arrive after our birthday?"

"What letters, Cass?"

"The letters from Hogwarts," she responded.

"They haven't arrived yet, sweetheart," Hermione's voice echoed from behind to inform her. "They'll probably be here tomorrow, what are you two doing here?"

"Just wanted to walk Casey to bed, Kitten, do you mind checking on Lorca and Sam?" Draco told her, giving his wife a peck on the cheek.

"Alright, I was just about to do that. Has Kath gone to bed, yet?"

"Yes, she has," they answered in unison.

"Good. Have a good night, baby." Hermione said, kissing her daughter before Draco pulled her away towards her room.

"What was Kath doing when she lied to you, Cass?"

"She was leaving Sam's room, Dad."

"Then it's probably nothing, Sweetie, she might have been trying to distract you."

"I know dad," she answered, slightly put out as they neared the door to her room.

"Tell you what," Draco said kneeling in front of her to face her, "I'll bring the letter's directly to you when they arrive, before Kath gets to see them, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Casey beamed at him.

"That's my girl," he said giving her a tight hug. "Now go to bed."

She did.

"What took you so long, Draco." Hermione asked from the vanity when Draco entered the room.

"Casey," he answered. "Make sure you tell me when their letters arrive, ok? Before Kath or Casey see them, please."

"Okay, why?" she said as she took off her earrings.

"I want to deliver them myself."

"Alright."

"Was everything okay with Sam?" Draco asked taking off his cloak and hanging it in a chair.

"Yes, they were both sleeping soundly. Kath was making a fuss about her beauty sleep, though."

"You checked on Kath too?" Draco loosened his tie and removed his shoes, a mocking eyebrow raised in her direction.

"Of course I did."

"After we told you she'd gone to bed," he continued, meeting her eyes from the mirror.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, Draco, I didn't doubt you, or Casey for that matter, I just wanted to give my daughter a kiss goodnight."

"And you found her awake?" Draco added taking off his socks and tossing them in a bin.

"I might have accidentally waked her up."

He chuckled and walked closer to his wife. "So, have you learned anything about listening to your husband tonight?" he asked removing a few curls from her shoulder and kissing her there.

"What I've learned, Draco, is not to leave you alone with Ron EVER, it's sad to see that neither of you have reached the required maturity level to behave, and in a Ministry Party to boot. What were you thinking?" Hermione admonished him.

"I might not have been thinking," he continued kissing her.

"Exactly my point!" she turned to look at him. "What could he have possibly said that upset you so much?" He groaned in resignation before he started to explain.

"He was planning to introduce you to one of his Auror partners," Draco slurred his words mocking Ron's voice. "Who had been 'dying to meet you' and like him, couldn't understand 'what you were still doing with me.'" He took her hands for good measure before he continued. "Now, I might have undergone the part where he can't believe you're still with me. I wonder where all my luck comes from, myself," he told her, making her smile at the compliment before he turned serious again.

"But if that Weasel tries to ever get you on a date." He made sure she looked at him, "I am going to kill him, Kitten. That wasn't a joke."

"Draco, how could you think I'd ever accept to go on a date in the first place?"

"You could be tricked into one," he shrugged.

"And you think I wouldn't enlighten the poor sod as soon as I encountered him?"

"I'm serious, Granger, you, better enlighten your pitiful friend before you meet any poor sod,"

"Draco, Ron wouldn't do that, he knows me. He was just trying to get a rise from you, and he did, because you let him." She stabbed a finger on his chest.

"Well as long as things are clear, my dear, I care very little for what he got from me."

"Things have been crystal clear for years, Draco. Ron would not find anyone who didn't know we were married if he Obliviated them. Everyone in the Wizarding World knows we are." It was a fact in which she secretly thrived.

Draco refrained from pointing out there were still muggles out there for the sake of it and asked, "Can we drop the subject now, Mrs Malfoy. I want to go to bed sometime tonight."

"Okay," she softly smiled at his endearing dub for her and kissed his chin. "Can you help me with this?" she turned to get the clasp of her gown in the back.

"With pleasure," filling his tone with all sorts of innuendos, his leering eyes finding hers through the mirror as he softly removed her hair from the way caressing the soft skin of her back and neck before he unclasped the gown. He slowly zipped it down, tracing the soft skin beneath with his thumb, just before it reached the curve of her behind, and then introduced the tip of his fingers to open the gown, as he delicately touched her back upwards.

She sighed, "I thought you wanted to sleep."

"I said I wanted to go to bed," he cleared, taking off the clasp on the side of her hair, letting it all fall down with the rest. "But if you want," he nibbled her neck, "we can stay here," he was looking at her reflection in with lustful eyes, "I sort of like the view of your mirror, you know."

"I think I'd prefer the bed this time, these shoes are killing me." She winked at him, while she pushed her gown further down.

"You are killing me," he told her, following the path of his gown, kneeling down to follow the trace with his hands. A barely there touch that shadowed his hungry gaze from her back to her luxurious derriere, through her long legs, caressing the back of her calves as he prodded them up to relieve her from the stilettos, outlining soft kisses to each of her legs as he did so. She was biting her lips as he turned her around to face him.

"You know, it's been a while since I've had this view." He parted her legs, trailing his nose from her knees to her thighs. She gulped and took a hold of the vanity behind, because she felt like her legs might give out any time.

He had reached the level of her crotch and whispered, "I want your bra off, Hermione," his voice sending shivers through her core. She complied swallowing the moan that begged to escape her lips, letting her strapless bra fall forgotten to the floor.

"Merlin, you're good, 'Mione," he whispered in a husky voice on the centre of her core, "You're so good." She did moan then. He groaned, tracing the rim of her laced thong, staring hungrily at the view. Pulling her thong to one side, he gave a long lick to her clit.

"Oh, God!" she moaned, loud and clear.

"I think I'll prefer the bed too." He told her as he swiftly carried her to it. Letting her fall on her back, he got rid of the thong and opened up her legs to get a better access to her. He started devouring her hungrily, making her emit the most delicious sounds.

He made her glow in ecstasy, while she pulled hard on his hair as she came. She'd never get tired of the sight of him with his face between her legs. There was no sexier version of him.

She pulled him up for a kiss, getting rid of his clothes in a frantic frenzy. It was times like these that made her forget she could do Wandless Magic. He helped her take off his shirt and pulled down both his pants and trousers in one go.

He crawled up the bed, taking her towards the headboard as he hungrily kissed her and she happily complied, entwining her hands between his blond strands and lifting her hips towards his. He growled, biting her lip. "Not so fast, Kitten." She mewled her disappointment. He lowered a hand towards her thighs, where he started teasing her entrance. "You're so deliciously wet," he panted, and brought a wet finger to her lips, tracing its edge as if it were lipstick. She moved her tongue to lick it but he launched forwards to kiss her greedily.

He lowered the same finger to play with a nipple, and she moaned between the kiss.

He lowered his hand to her favourite place, trailing a path of kisses while she grinded against him like glue, begging him for more. He made a twirling move of his thumb against her clit, with two of his fingers buried deep inside rubbing her g-spot and she came in an earth-moving, mind-numbing, shattering orgasm, enhanced only by the feeling of his teeth and fingers on her nipples.

If not for the Silencing Spell placed around the room, she believed she had been living up to the name of their home, The Shrieking Shack.

It was in the middle of her orgasm that he finally decided to enter her, having her milking channel clamp around his hard member, he groaned in pleasure and she mewled with it.

He started riding her back into yet another orgasm that made her scream his name and mark his shoulders with scratches of her nails, that unbeknown to her, kept him grounded until then. She would apologise later, while a smirking Draco thanked her for each mark, not letting her heal any of them.

He switched their position to have her on top, and used it not only to increase the speed of his thrusts, but to fondle her delectable breasts as she rode him to bliss – sweet, exhilarating bliss.

It never ceased to amaze him, how they could still have these trysts filled with lust without losing their ability to make love, to have it hard against a wall, or filled with soft caresses of comfort, from their make-up sex to their thrilling almost-public encounters. They always gave each other what they needed, and he never stopped being thankful for it.

THE END

A/N: Alternate ending. This is the possible course things could have taken in the story:

But you know I can't live Draco, if we want this to work I have to die... I can't, I can't hold it much longer...

"YEs you can, and you will, you can't leave me, you can't!"

I can't kill Harry, I can't let that happen, I couldn't live with it.

If you die I'll kill him, and don't think I won't, I've killed for you before, I'll kill him if he's the reason you leave me! You can't die!

There was that look again, she was looking at him as if he were an obnoxious child. She was sad, her trembling hands reaching for him, trying to reach further but unable to; she was too weak. "I love you too, Drac–" another tremor ran through her and the weight of keeping her eyelids open was becoming too much on her...

"No! You can't! I'll kill him, you can't leave me, you can't, please don't leave me" he went from bawling to hitting against the tree that supported them, to holding her even closer. "I can't live without you, I WON'T live without you and I don't, I don't know if I'll be able to reach you where you are going..."

It broke her heart in a million pieces to see him admit an inadequacy, and she felt herself torn between trying to let him know that he wasn't the evil bastard that he brought everyone to believe, and trying to stop the imminent assault against his life… "Draco."

Cheesy, oh so terribly cheesy...