With you in my Arms

98. Epilogue

A/N Dearest Readers, here it is, the ultimate part of this story. I took me more than a year to write it evenso it didn't take that long to upload it here.

Special thanks to all that voted, faned and commented. What's a writer without comments?!

I'm probably going to upload some of my other stories next, before embarking on a completely new adventure. There is also a previously started story that has been on hiatus for ages and is begging to be finally finished.

@Gryffgirl7 - This chapter is for you!

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Epilogue

"Why do I have to wear a bow tie? Nobody nowadays wears..."

"You, young man, are not just anybody. You are a Malfoy and Malfoys are not known for just not bothering to put a bit of extra effort in."

Scorpius looked at the stern face of his mother. He had learnt early on that it was futile to try and argue with her once she had made up her mind. Holding up tradition was very important for her. He had never fully understood why both his parents were rather protective of what they called the good that survived. He reckoned that it must have to do with the war both of them had experienced while growing up. He had of course heard all the stories about uncle Harry and what he had been destined to do.

Giving his parent his best puppy face with a sad smile he made one last desperate attempt at not having to wear the bow tie with his dress robes. He could have saved himself the effort. She just looked at him. She gave him the look. He sighed.

"Fine, I'll wear it."

His reward was a warm smile from his mother.

"Lea, have you seen my..."

Both mother and son turned as Draco Malfoy entered the room. He was wearing black dress robes, his white-blond hair was still sporting a tousled look and the glance he directed at his wife could have melted stone.

Scorpius groaned. He knew how much his parents loved each other, but having the empathic abilities and connection to his parents that he had made it sometimes a bit hard for him to ignore what was going on in their heads. Like just now.

"Dad! Please! I'm still in the room."

Draco smirked at his son.

"Having been slacking of with your Occlumency training again, hm?" was all he said as he walked over to his wife and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"Where are my green cufflinks?"

"In the bathroom." she answered with a smile.

Scorpius was always surprised how gentle his parents would interact with each other when they were alone. He also was more often than not caught out and didn't get his mental shields up fast enough.

He blushed and knew that he needed to practise more. It was okay here at home, but at school it could be quite overpowering having to try to drown out all those thoughts and minds around him. His mother had charmed a ring for him when he was about three years old which he had been using to shield himself ever since, but lately he had stopped wearing it all the time. There had been a discussion between him and his parents about this. They had been concerned, but Scorpius had said he needed to be able to control his ability without any help.

Of course he hadn't told them the true reason for his decision, Lilly.

Lilly was a year younger than him and he had known her all his life as she was the daughter of his godmother, but over the past year he had started to develop a renewed interest in her. The long black hair and deep brown eyes were doing things to him lately he wasn't quite sure how to handle. Listening in on her thoughts had told him that he wasn't just like any other guy for her either.

"Reality to Scorpius, do you read me?" his mother's voice interrupted his musings.

"Yes."

She gave him a strange look, straightened his father's tie and then headed for the door.

"I expect you both to be ready and downstairs in ten."

"Yes, mum."

As she closed the door behind herself Draco took a step closer to his son.

"Scorpius."

Looking up he could see something in his father's eyes he had never seen there before and for some strange reason he couldn't read him either. He frowned.

"There has been a time when my life depended on my skills in Occlumency. I can shield my mind from you, if I have to. It was never necessary in the past and will probably never be necessary in the future either, but..., "he lay his hands on Scorpius shoulders, "I can do it, if I have to."

The sombre mood engulfing them told the younger Malfoy that he better pay attention.

"I have grown up in this house. I have been living here when the ultimate evil in form of Voldemort was residing here. I saw your mother being tortured in the sealed dining room. The horrors in my life are plenty and varied, but in the end I was rewarded for all the struggles. It took me only one night to win your mother. Though I had to do the most difficult thing I've ever done, I had to surrender to her. I gave up everything I had the moment before I spoke to her."

What was he trying to say?

"It hasn't been easy to forge a relationship with her. She didn't want to speak to me for two months after our Graduation Party. She was afraid of what I might do or say. For all she knew it could have been one big prank."

"Some prank." Scorpius muttered.

"You have no idea what our day to day encounters had been like in the past. I have been horrible to her. I called her names, I played tricks on her and sought to get her, Harry and Ron into trouble."

"It's save to say you weren't friends then."

"We were anything but. Though that changed when we re-did our last year at Hogwarts. I changed and so did she."

For a moment the younger of the two wizards was wondering, if he was going to get the talk form his dad. He had heard from some of his classmates about it. Shuddering he turned his attention back to his father.

"...I was at one point stupid enough to try and go back to my old ways, I abandoned the path of being honest to her and it nearly cost me everything. Don't make the same mistake, son."

"Why would I..."

"I see you getting all tongue-tied and flustered when Lilly is close, I've also noticed that you don't wear your ring any longer when she's around and what about the letters you've been hiding in the secret compartment in your desk. Scorpius, you're no longer a little boy."

"I know that, dad."

"Then I hope you also know that, if you don't fight for the girl you love..."

"Dad! I don't..." he didn't get to say anything more as his father just held his hand over his mouth.

"Scorpius, if you like Lilly, tell her."

The pale skin of the younger wizard became even paler.

"I could never do that!" he was horrified. His father might have been brave enough to abandon reason and talk to his mother, but that didn't mean he had the same courage.

With trepidation in his voice he finally asked, "What, if she doesn't like me? What, if she laughs at me? She and the other girls at school will be making fun of me."

"What have you seen in her mind? Does she indeed not care for you?"

His face went from pale to pink.

"Listen to me, son, there is only one way to win and also keep a girl, honesty."

"You think I should tell her?"

"Yes."

To show the deep love he felt for his first born Draco leant down and kissed his forehead.

"Yes, son, I think you should talk to her."