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Astoria was in an extraordinarily good mood as she walked through the barrier that led to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with Draco by her side. Scorpius was returning for the Christmas holidays after spending his first few months at Hogwarts and the two proud parents couldn't wait to have him back at home.

She missed hearing his voice and the sound of his laughter, watching him and Draco play a simplified form of Quidditch in the gardens, stopping him from poking his fingers in the frosting before she was done decorating a cake, kissing his cheek before he went to bed…

She noticed a few wizards and witches sending curious looks her way and she sighed. After all this time some people still didn't know who Draco Malfoy's wife was and had a morbid curiosity to find out, which used to make her blood boil as she despised being the centre of attention and having people stare at her. Now, however, she just ignored it; it was none of their business who she was.

Draco glanced at her and knew at once what was going on inside her head. Both of them enjoyed their quiet family life and refused to let others intrude on their privacy. They had kept out of the public eye for so long that most people had only seen Scorpius for the first time on the day the students left for Hogwarts. Some had never even seen Astoria in person, as it seemed to be the case with those who were now staring at them.

After the War Draco had just wanted peace and quiet, which had not been easy when he and his parents were put on trial and were constantly harassed by the press. Once they were acquitted – ironically enough due to Harry Potter's testimony – the Malfoys moved to France for a couple of years, waiting for the complete renovation of the Manor to end and for the brouhaha of the Death Eater trials to die down.

Some time after their return he met Astoria and things had run smoothly until the press got wind of their engagement. The tabloids had accused her of everything, from having been a follower of the Dark Lord to only wanting Draco's money. Marrying into a family of former Death Eaters and having an older sister married to a former Death Eater's son had not made things easy for her.

But that was all in the past.

He squeezed his wife's hand in reassurance, desiring her thoughts to drift to more important things, happier things, like Scorpius coming home for Christmas.

They noticed the Potters and the Weasleys up ahead and were suddenly at a loss for what to do. Three months earlier Draco had not wanted to talk to them, much less go near them and Astoria had had no reasons to approach them since she didn't know any of them personally, so they had remained in relative isolation with Theodore and Daphne as they said goodbye to the children.

However, a rapprochement was now in order for their son's sake.

"Should we go over and say hello?" she asked.

Draco shrugged. The so-called Golden Trio had seen him at his weakest moments and it physically hurt to be in their vicinity. Seeing them filled him with shame and regret and even some bitterness, though he would never let it show.

"Can't we pretend we didn't see them?" he asked with a grimace.

"I think they've seen us, so pretending we didn't see them would be rude. And they've noticed that we've noticed them, so we don't really have a choice."

"Oh, bollocks."

"Draco, language!" she warned.

"You didn't have a problem with that the other night." He looked innocent while pretending to be examining his fingernails. "In fact, you were participating with great enthusiasm." He suddenly smirked.

Astoria turned a fiery shade of red and tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow as they walked, hoping the warmth on her cheeks would vanish soon. "You did this on purpose," she complained and motioned towards her red face. "You want me to be even more nervous than you."

He smiled at her but his face became devoid of all emotion the moment they neared Harry and Ginny Potter and Ron and Hermione Weasley.

"Hello," Astoria and Draco said at the same time.

"Hello," the other four responded almost in unison.

Forced smiles were exchanged on the women's part while the men greeted each other with a curt nod. The couples stared awkwardly at each other before looking in opposite directions.

Astoria hadn't expected any warm welcomes but the awkwardness was a little too much. They were all adults, it was a bit ridiculous to be acting like this… It seemed that there was just too much bad blood between her husband and his former schoolmates for their relations to ever change, she thought as a slight frown of disappointment formed on her lips.

Take that, Draco thought childishly. Even though he was a skilled Occlumens, Astoria narrowed her eyes as if she had been able to peek into his mind and discreetly elbowed him right in the ribs.

"Ouch," he muttered and she smiled a little. He glared at her in response. He had told her that the Potters and Weasleys would want nothing to do with them, and were probably as mortified as he was that their children seemed to enjoy each other's company.

He suddenly imagined Weasley's shrieks of rage and Granger's horrified expression when their perfect little girl wrote home telling them that her best friend was one Scorpius Malfoy. And the two Potters! How shocked they must have felt, knowing that their middle child had preferred the company of a Malfoy instead of his own housemates!

Who would have been able to predict this strange twist of fate?

Now that he thought about it, it was a bit funny. They had spent their time in school fighting and now their children were friends?

Someone up there must really hate their guts to pull something like this.

"What?" asked Astoria when she noticed his pensive look.

"I think it's punishment for not having listened to the Sorting Hat's words about interhouse unity," he answered in a low voice so only she could hear.

"Of course. The lot of you defied the all-powerful and all-knowing Sorting Hat and as retaliation it cast a spell on the children to make them like each other." Her sarcasm was evident and he opened his mouth to retort but she sent him a sideways look and quietly told him to behave.

Yet she was unable to hide her smile when he whispered back, "But you like it when I misbehave."

"No, I don't."

"Liar, liar, wand on fire."

"Shut up." She tried to sound stern but the affectionate gleam in her eyes was unmistakable.

Draco looked down at his watch. The Hogwarts Express would arrive in about a minute. While they waited, Draco thought about his life with Astoria, especially these last months without Scorpius.

***

Astoria enjoyed reading their son's letters out loud while Draco lounged on the sofa. Unfortunately, she would often pause mid-sentence to shoot him a certain look that clearly meant 'I told you so' and she even had the gall to smirk at him while doing so. Draco always sighed, knowing it was his fault that his wife had become so good at sneering and smirking as only a true Malfoy could. Whenever he told her that she had perfected the usual Malfoy expressions she gently smiled what he saw as a very Astoria-ish smile – the same smile that had caught his heart so many years ago – and told him that she had learned from the best, whilst patting his shoulder.

One time Astoria had been reading to him Scorpius's adventures with Rose Weasley and Albus Potter when she paused for a longer time than usual and did not look up at him.

Draco immediately got to his feet, thinking his son had written about something terrible, when she turned to him and grinned.

"Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if Scorpius and Rose married one day? And Albus could be best man!" she exclaimed in a sugary tone, mischievousness shining in her blue eyes.

Draco spluttered, turned a very unattractive shade of red and stormed out of the study room, all the while hearing her teasing laughter following him.

Still, he never stopped her from reading the letters to him. She had a lovely voice and her excitement was palpable as she read. Whether Scorpius had managed to correctly transfigure a duckling into a cup or had gone exploring the castle with Rose and Albus, or even if he had just had a wonderful day sitting by the Lake and reading a book, everything sounded extraordinary and exhilarating not just because he was their son and they found him absolutely brilliant – Draco was sure he would become a Prefect and Head Boy in the future – but also because her voice transmitted that to him.

Her teasing looks and remarks were always worth it, for when she finished reading she would press the pieces of parchment to her heart and smile radiantly up at him. Moments like these made Draco extremely grateful to whatever deities existed that he had been given a chance to spend the rest of his life with this wonderful witch.

***

Draco was brought back to the present when the train pulled in the platform. Both he and Astoria craned their necks to see if they could spot Scorpius in one of the windows, anxious to see their son again after these months apart.

Soon the students began leaving the train and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters turned into the chaos it always was on days like these.

A grey-eyed boy with white-blond hair ran over to them. Astoria beamed and spread out her arms to envelop her son in a fierce hug.

"Welcome back, dear," she said.

"Hello, Mum! Hello, Dad!" He moved to hug his father, who hugged back and asked half in amusement, half in seriousness, "Missed us?"

The boy nodded and smiled.

"Come on, let's go get your trunk. Your grandparents are waiting at home and they are ecstatic to see you again."

The three Malfoys went over to the luggage compartment and put Scorpius's trunk on a trolley, then a cage containing his owl on top of it. Draco pushed the trolley while Scorpius told them all about the train ride. They passed by the Potters and Weasleys who were busy with their own children until Scorpius asked loudly, "Mum, Dad, can Rose and Albus come over to the Manor one of these days?"

Astoria and Draco exchanged a look before she said, "Of course. If they want to." While her reply was meant for her son, her gaze was trained on the two families in front of her. "Or you could go visit them. If that's okay with their parents."

"Please, Mum, please!" said Rose.

"Yeah, Dad, please!" Albus pleaded the same way as his cousin.

"Sure…" Hermione said slowly. Ron didn't look too happy but Harry and Ginny seemed willing to give the Malfoys a chance. "We could owl each other."

"Yeah!"

Three sets of parents stared amusedly at the happiness on their children's faces.

"Well, then. We must return to the Manor," said Draco.

"Yes. We'll keep in touch." Astoria smiled at both Hermione and Ginny, recognizing that the way to keep things smooth was to be on somewhat friendly terms with the two women. She smirked to herself; she knew that just as she had her husband wrapped around her little finger, so did Hermione and Ginny with their own.

The kids waved goodbye to each other and then resumed telling their parents about all the spells they had learnt since September.

"So how was the Christmas party yesterday in Ravenclaw Tower?" Astoria asked as they left King's Cross and walked towards an alley where they could apparate.

"It was good. We could invite people from other Houses so Rose and I invited Albus. He was surprised that we don't use passwords to get in."

"Answering the eagle knocker's questions correctly was always my favourite part of the day," Astoria reminisced with a nostalgic smile.

"It's mine, too, Mum."

Astoria grinned at her son and then smirked at Draco, who just rolled his eyes, remembering the conversation they had had right after Scorpius boarded the train on the 1st of September.

***

Astoria had tears in her eyes as she watched the train leave the platform. It was going to be hard for both of them to have their only child so far away from home. Draco wondered whether his own parents had felt so empty and sad when he had left for Hogwarts the first time. He would have to ask them about it when he and Astoria returned to the Manor.

They had walked out of King's Cross hand in hand and were looking for a deserted alley where they could apparate when she turned to him and said, "A knut says he gets sorted into Ravenclaw."

He had looked at her in surprise. Her eyes were still sad but she was smiling at him, so he accepted the bet. "You're on. He's a Malfoy, he'll get sorted into Slytherin."

She raised an eyebrow in challenge and declared, "You lose and you're my personal slave for a week."

"Fine. You lose and you're my slave for a whole month," he said, his mouth curving up into a wicked smirk. "And you know I don't mean a slave who cooks and cleans…"

She just rolled her eyes.

The next morning an owl swooped in during breakfast. Astoria ripped the letter open and quickly scanned the few lines written on the parchment before shouting, "Yes!"

"What?" he asked, pausing the motion of buttering his toast.

"He inherited his mother's brains," she told him smugly.

Draco dropped his toast on the carpet, an action for which she gave him a very disapproving frown before muttering, "Scourgify."

"He's in Ravenclaw?!" He looked like someone had Stunned him.

"Just like his mother." She smiled at the letter before turning to him. "You're not angry, are you?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"No, I'm just – but – he's the first – I…" He paused for a moment. "Ravenclaw. So he's one of the smart kids?"

He seemed more confused than happy so she sat down beside him and held his hand. "I'm sure Slytherin would have been very nice, but there is still a lot of distrust towards it, and perhaps it is best for him to be in a…neutral house, so to speak. And it looks like our combined intellects created a very smart little boy."

"I suppose Gryffindor would have been worse, what with those self-righteous goodie-goodies and all…or Hufflepuff."

"My first crush was a boy from Hufflepuff!" she cried indignantly.

"Let me guess. Cedric Diggory?" he sneered.

"Not telling. I'm a happily married woman who shall not reveal anything about previous love affairs."

"Love affairs?!"

"Oh, alright, fine. Unrequited crushes. Whatever. Just because I was skinny and had stupid hair…" she snarled, still a bit touchy about her first years at Hogwarts. "But back to Scorpius. He's a mini polyjuiced version of you! He had to inherit something from me." She turned to the parchment and began reading, unknowingly starting a tradition. "Dear Mum and Dad, I've been sorted into Ravenclaw…"

Later that day Astoria had framed the knut she had won from him and had it hanging on the wall of their bedroom. He gritted his teeth when she had put it there but in reality it didn't matter anymore. As long as their son was happy his House didn't matter.

Unfortunately for Draco, Astoria hadn't wanted him to be her sex slave and instead forced him to wait on her hand and foot and to cook for her too. But after she tasted the horridness that was his attempt at a sole au meunier, she quickly gave up on the whole idea.

Until he mock-demurely reminded her of the sex slave option.

For a whole fortnight (a compromise between a week and a month, the lengths of time mentioned in the bet) silencing charms and protective spells had to be cast all over the place to prevent Lucius and Narcissa from discovering what was going on in the east wing, Draco and Astoria's side of the Manor.

***

The three Malfoys successfully apparated in their estate in Wiltshire and were now walking up the path that led to the Manor with Scorpius's trunk levitating in front of them.

Draco was still remembering delicious details from that particular fortnight and suddenly took his wife in his arms, taking the chance to kiss her passionately since Scorpius was walking some feet ahead of them.

"What was that for?" she asked with a wide grin when he pulled away.

He just shrugged and kissed her again, this time doing it more gently.

"Ergh! Do you have to do that all the time?" asked Scorpius, his pale face scrunched up in revulsion at the sight of his parents sharing more than a simple peck on the lips.

Astoria looked at him and thought, He looks exactly like his father at that age! It's adorable!

She had seen photographs and found it beyond cute that they looked the same. Before she could smother her son with kisses, her husband said, "Don't make that face, Scorpius."

Or it will freeze like that, thought Astoria with a little smile, remembering what her mother used to say to her when she pulled silly faces.

"One day you too will have many witches chasing after you," said Draco with a solemn nod.

Astoria coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'Pansy!' and he glared at her before adding, "Just remember to choose the right one."

"And Rose Weasley is a perfect candidate." Astoria found herself on the receiving end of two identical sneers.

"Mum, she's my friend!"

"You don't even know the girl!" exclaimed Draco in exasperation.

"Fine. I'll give you a detailed opinion after she comes to visit." She decided to really annoy her husband and sighed dreamily. "Oh, I can see it now. Ron Weasley wouldn't be too happy, of course. The two of you would glare at each other during the ceremony and then you'd start fighting at the reception and end up destroying the cake, which would turn Mrs. Weasley into a huge ball of rage. Hermione and I would have to punish you both and your parents would be very embarrassed at your childish behaviour and would try to leave discreetly while mine hid under a table to avoid the screaming and random hexing and –"

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?" He was still glaring and so was Scorpius as they opened the door and entered their home.

"Oh, yes." She grinned and removed her sapphire blue cloak before waving her wand to send her son's trunk and owl up to his room, watching Scorpius sprint down the hall to go find his grandparents.

Draco scoffed. "A Malfoy and a Weasley? Please."

"Would you like to bet on it?"

"No, since you believe I'm going to lose."

"Chin up, dear. You know you end up winning even when you lose," she teased.

He was going to reply but Astoria was giving him that look, the one that meant 'I'm going to make you very, very happy later tonight', also known as 'the look to use on Draco Malfoy when you want him to shut the hell up and stop thinking', but he hadn't been in Slytherin for nothing.

"You know…I'm surprised you're already thinking about his wedding. For someone who cried for a week after he left for Hogwarts, that is absolutely mind-boggling." He hid his smirk when he noticed her falter. "Your only child, your little snidget, and you already want him to pack up and leave?"

Her eyes were wide with horror. "Draco! We have to keep her away from him! Or he'll leave us the moment he finishes school! He can't do that! I'm not letting him get married at 18!" She gasped, "He might not even finish school!"

Draco felt very pleased with himself for having turned the tables and spread his arms out, expecting her to want a hug. She stepped into his embrace and slid her arms around his waist as he cradled her to him.

Just then his side was pinched hard.

"Hey!" He looked down at her and saw she was glaring at him.

"While what you said is true, I also know you were trying to manipulate me. Try that again and I guarantee you won't like the consequences," she threatened even as she hugged him tighter and placed a soft kiss on his throat. "Besides, after so many years you really should have known better than to attempt something like that with me."

Draco arched an eyebrow and said, "I think the Sorting Hat was drunk when it was placed on your head."

She laughed. "Draco, it's a hat. How could it possibly be drunk?"

"I have no idea, but I'm sure it meant to say 'Slytherin' when it called out 'Ravenclaw.' It must have choked on the ribbon you wore in your hair."

Astoria frowned. "Mother sent you more photos of me for the family scrapbook, didn't she?"

He grinned and nodded.

"Well…just so you know, Narcissa gave me photos of you. Of your first and second years at Hogwarts," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, no." He blanched.

"Oh, yes. Gel, much?" She winked and surprised him by dashing down the hall, the skirts of her dress billowing behind her.

Draco shook his head and followed her to the drawing room, where she was already sitting down on the sofa beside Scorpius and talking to Lucius and Narcissa.

He took a moment to observe his family reunited again before smiling and joining them, settling down next to his son and feeling completely at peace. He then exchanged a look with his beloved mother, silently thanking her for teaching him the value of family.

Although he would have to have a little talk with her about those bloody photos…

THE END