Harry reached into his coat pocket for the house key, sighing as his fingers came out with nothing.
It had been a long day at the Ministry. His secretary was out sick, causing Harry to fall behind in paperwork. In the end, he'd given up on trying to finish everything and leave it for next week, when his secretary returned.
He finally found the key and put it into the lock, turning the doorknob.
"Dad!"
Harry smiled at the sound of James' voice. He hung his coat on the hook and turned to see Teddy and James playing cards.
"Hello boys. Where's Albus?"
Teddy glanced up. "He was upstairs earlier, reading, I think."
Before Harry could reply, Ginny entered the room with Lily on her hip. Wordlessly, she handed the baby off to her husband and collapsed on the couch.
"Harry, can you handle making dinner? Lily's been crying all afternoon and I think I'll lose it if I'm with her another second. I'm going to take a nap."
Harry held Lily up to face him, smiling at her bright green eyes.
"Yeah, Gin, don't worry about it. Teddy and James can help with cooking."
Both boys' heads shot up in response.
"What? We didn't agree to that!" James cried, earning an elbow in the side from Teddy.
"Shut it, James. Mum's tired, yeah? Let's just help make dinner."
And so they all went to the kitchen, deciding on making pasta with a cheesy sauce, salad, and roasted vegetables. Teddy and Harry worked on chopping the vegetables while James, who was only seven, washed the lettuce.
"Dad, why don't we ever make dinner with magic? Mum does!" James asked.
Harry placed Lily in her high chair. "Because I grew up in a Muggle household, where magic was forbidden. For eleven years I lived without magic, and sometimes I like to do things by hand."
"What was it like living with Muggles? Mum said they weren't nice to you. Something about you sleeping under stairs?"
The faint memories of living in the cupboard under the stairs at Privet Drive washed over Harry's mind. He remembered all those nights Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would feed him a can of beans for dinner while they feasted on roasted chicken and potatoes. Though the memories grew weaker as time passed, Harry was certain they'd always haunt him somehow.
But his sons were too young to learn about his semi-dark childhood.
"Living with Muggles was sort of fun. They don't realize how much they're missing out on. My Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia weren't the nicest people to exist, but they did give me a place to live. I think the idea of magic scared them."
"But why would they make you sleep under the stairs?" James pressed.
"I don't know," Harry replied honestly. "They just didn't like me. Not everyone you meet is going to like you. But that doesn't mean you're not a good person."
The three of them fell silent as they finished making dinner. As they were setting the table, Ginny walked in looking much better rested than before. She went over and gave Lily a kiss on the head.
"Hi Mum," Teddy said. "Did you sleep well?"
Ginny looked over at her son and smiled. "That's so sweet of you to ask. I did, Honey."
"Boys, come over and sit. I'll serve the salad." Harry grabbed a pair of salad servers and scooped portions onto everyone's plates.
"Oh, Harry," Ginny said. "Your cell thing was ringing earlier. I picked it up—Hermione says we're invited over for dinner on Saturday."
"Auntie Mione?" Teddy's head shot up, his face filled with excitement. Harry loved how Teddy and Hermione had maintained such a tight bond over the years. She was undoubtedly his favorite person in the world.
Thinking of Hermione made Harry's mind drift to his other best friend. He and Ron hadn't seen each other in at least three years. It was odd, since Ginny saw him every weekend. Although he knew Ron and Hermione were on good terms now, it felt wrong spending time with Ron. He had hurt Hermione so much. Harry wasn't sure he'd ever be able to forgive him for making Hermione feel so badly about herself.
"Hey," Ginny said softly. He looked up and saw her placing a hand lightly on his. "Are you okay?"
He took a moment to gaze around the table at his children. Harry absolutely loved his life. He was married to the girl he fell for as a teenager. He had four children, who all were smart, caring, and high spirited. He knew he was extremely lucky, and that he should be grateful for being alive.
With this thought, Harry ignored all the negative memories and focused on the nearly-perfect present: sitting at the dinner table, surrounded by his beautiful wife and children. All were healthy. All were happy. And that's all he needed in life.
"Yeah Gin," he finally smiled. "I'm good."
¥
Blaise left his office, locking it behind him. He was tired, but looking forward to lunch with Sophie.
"I'll be back in two hours," he informed Craig, his secretary.
Once he was outside, he heard a sweet voice say his name.
"Blaise!"
He turned to his left, smiling at Sophie. She looked beautiful, as always. There were times where he still couldn't believe she was his.
"Hello, love. Ready for lunch?" he held out his arm for her, which she accepted.
"Of course! I'm starving. I missed breakfast this morning. Where are you taking me today?"
Every time they went out to eat, Blaise thought of a new restaurant or café to bring her to. He'd quickly learned months after they started dating that she loved to try new things.
"A friend at work told me about a cute sandwich shop near the Ministry. Does that sound alright?"
Sophie beamed and rested her head on his arm. "It sounds perfect."
Once they reached the café, Blaise looked through the large glass windows and saw a familiar head of red hair.
"Oh hell," he cursed.
Sophie frowned. "What's wrong?"
Blaise knew it was irrational. Draco had reassured him that Hermione was on good terms with Weasley now, but the bloody idiot still annoyed him.
"Weasley," was all he said. "But it's okay. I don't want to let him ruin our lunch date."
The couple walked into the café, seating themselves at a small table on the opposite side of the room from Weasley.
"Blaise," Sophie said after a while, "If Hermione and Draco have learned to ignore Ron Weasley, then you should, too. He's not worth the anger."
"I know," he sighed. "It makes no sense. I barely knew the bloke. But Draco's my best mate, and I think Hermione's the greatest thing to happen to him. It bothers me to know how horrible Weasley was to her."
Sophie offered a sympathetic smile and a light kiss on the cheek, which calmed the fiery emotions running through his mind.
"You're so caring and protective. That's one of the many things I love about you, Blaise."
He placed his hand on top of hers and grinned.
"I try."
¥
Ron tapped his fingers along the table's surface, checking his watch every few minutes or so. It wasn't unusual for Vivian to be late, but it was a bit tiring.
As he waited for his girlfriend to arrive, Ron scanned the crowd at the café, looking for familiar faces. He didn't see any at first, until his eyes landed on the last table across the room.
"Blaise Zabini." he said aloud.
And, despite how much he tried to ignore it, seeing Blaise reminded him of the last time he saw the bloke—Hermione's wedding three years before.
He remembered that day so clearly. He'd been beyond surprised she's invited him in the first place. Wasn't it odd to invite your ex-boyfriend to your wedding?
Honestly, he'd been hesitant to go. Although him and Vivian were in a strong relationship, Ron knew it would feel wrong watching his old girlfriend kiss his enemy.
But his mother and Ginny had insisted he attend. So, after frantically searching for a last minute wedding gift and a suit, Ron had arrived at the chapel just minutes before the vows.
He'd taken a seat in the back, to avoid disrupting the ceremony. He'd expected to feel angry or upset. But, to his surprise, he'd felt oddly happy for Hermione. Yes, deep down he wished he'd been the one to marry her, but he could tell from the way she stared into Malfoy's eyes how in love she was. And the same went for Malfoy.
Their wedding day was the day Ron realized how in love he was with Vivian. His heart no longer ached for Hermione. It beat erratically, instead, for Vivian.
His family hadn't liked her at first. They thought she was too reckless, too honest. But after time, they'd slowly come to accept her presence at the Burrow. They'd seen how happy she made Ron. And, though none of them said it aloud, they realized he'd finally given up on winning back Hermione.
The sound of metal scraping the floor disturbed his train of thought. Ron glanced up and saw Vivian's face inches from his.
"Hi, Ron. So sorry I'm late, I got caught up with work! I promise to be here early next time! Have you ordered yet?"
He gave her a small kiss, before leaning back. "Don't worry about it, Vi. And no, not yet. What sounds good to you?"
"Well, let's see..."
As Vivian began reading aloud all of the items on the menu like she always did, Ron tuned out all sound and just focused on her. Vivian was beautiful, she was radiant. She brought out the best in him, and made him feel wanted. He felt like a new and improved version of Ron Weasley when he was with her.
Ron thought back to his mum's question from a few years ago. A few months after the Malfoy-—Granger wedding, his mum had approached him, asking if he could imagine spending the rest of his life with Vivian.
At the time, he'd said no.
But now, watching his gorgeous girlfriend talk and smile at him with pure happiness in her eyes, he knew the answer was yes.
¥
Narcissa took a seat at the table, drinking her mug of tea. In front of her lay a Muggle newspaper, open to a game called a Crossword puzzle. Hermione had brought it to her the other day, explaining that her mother filled them out when she needed something to do.
Narcissa hadn't tried it yet, but was looking forward to accepting the challenge. She was fascinated with Muggles, constantly asking Hermione about their lifestyles.
Her eyes wandered to the pictures hanging around the room. The photos were mostly of Draco when he'd been in school, but a couple featured Hermione, who she'd grown to love like a daughter.
Her favorite photo, however, had been taken quite recently. It was a family portrait of Draco, Hermione, and their children. Narcissa smiled fondly each time she saw the faces of little Emilia and Andy. The love between her son and Hermione was radiant, even through the photograph.
Though she had learned to move past the mourning stage, part of her still missed Lucius. He had been not only her husband, but her friend. The two of them had achieved so much together. She'd always planned on them growing old together, watching Draco play with his children in the Manor.
Oh, how life had changed. Narcissa had never imagined Draco falling in love with someone like Hermione Granger—but she was beyond grateful he had.
Because Hermione made her son filled with happiness and life. Draco never stopped talking about the girl. He was completely devoted to her, which made Narcissa's heart ache. Her son was an adult now. He had children of his own, another one on the way. He had a wife who he loved with all his heart.
And since her son was happy, Narcissa was too.
¥
Draco watched in amusement as Andy tried to chase his older sister Emilia around the backyard. The poor boy was just under two years old but was still learning how to walk properly.
"Wait, Emi!" he complained, his little features scrunching up in frustration.
"You have to run faster!" Emilia sang. She laughed loudly, sprinting around a tree.
His children really were something. They both had endless amounts of curiosity and energy which lead to him and Hermione being exhausted at the end of the day. But despite the constant noise, the endless laundry, and the messy food, Draco wouldn't change a thing about his life.
"Those two never get tired, do they?"
He turned and saw Hermione walking towards him, her arms cradling her protruding belly. She was about six months pregnant with their third child and had been awfully tired lately.
"No, they don't. They're just balls of energy. How're you feeling, love?" Draco reached up and pressed the back of his hand against her cheek.
She gave him a smile that he'd never grow tired of seeing. "I'm alright. A bit nauseous, but not nearly as bad as I was with Andy."
"Mummy, make Andy stop chasing me!" Emilia cried, running over to her parents. She was only five years old but was the spitting image of Hermione. Unruly brown hair, light chocolate eyes. But she had Draco's sharp cheekbones and sense of humor. To say Draco adored his eldest child was an understatement.
"Andy," Draco intervened as his son came toddling over. "Want to come sit?"
Andy grinned toothily, his blonde hair drooping over his eyes. It was time for the toddler to get a haircut, despite Hermione's protests.
"Well, it's almost time for dinner. Why don't you two come with me and wash your hands? We can set the table for Mummy." Draco stood up and picked up Emilia, balancing her on his hip while holding Andy's hand.
As they walked into the house, Draco looked over his shoulder to see Hermione still sitting in the chair, her lips moving rapidly. At first sight it looked as if she was talking to herself, but Draco knew from the last two children that she was talking to the baby. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautifully private, loving scene. Hermione was quite literally the perfect mother.
"Daddy?" Emilia asked, tugging at his sleeve. "Why are you staring at Mummy?"
He broke his stare and instead gazed down at his daughter whose eyes were boring into his. Damn, she looked so much like her mother it was frightening at times.
"Because I love her," he said honestly. He gave Emilia a smile.
She grinned in return, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "I love Mummy, too. More than chocolate!"
Draco burst into laughter, always amazed at his children's responses. Their logic was so simple and naive, it made his heart swell.
"Come on, Daddy! We have to go set the table." Emilia broke away from her father and grabbed Andy's hand, dragging him into the kitchen.
Draco let them get a head start, taking a moment to reflect on everything.
It had taken him some time, but he realized this was what he'd wanted ever since he was a child. To have a family filled with love. To live in a home that was always bustling with activity. And mostly to find a woman he'd be in love until the day he died.
Hermione Jean Granger, the girl who he had once deemed his enemy, was the one who turned his life around. The one who took his bleak days and filled them with light. The one who had faith in him when he didn't have faith in himself.
Hermione was the reason for every moment of happiness in his life.
And he'd never stop thanking her for it.
THE END
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Author's Note:
And that's a wrap on Second Savior! Thank you to everyone for reading this, it's been a long journey but I'm overjoyed to have published this :)
Thank you all so much!
-Olivia