So this is going to be a much longer chapter than usual. I'm writing essentially the last major events from this book starting at right before Draco died leading all the way up to the end. He'll survive this time, obviously, so things are going to be different. A lot of what I have written here is similar to what was already written, and some was just copied over since it was literally the exact same thing. Figured it didn't make complete sense to write all brand new stuff when the old stuff worked too, especially this first bit.

Alana (xonceuponatimex ) is the main reason I am writing this. I promised her long before I actually killed Draco off that I would write an alternate ending where he survives and nothing hurts. Thank her for this.

So here it is. Author's Note to follow! Enjoy!
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            Draco and Audrey stood in a stunned silence as they eyed the tall, dark figure approaching them with caution. Who was this, and why were they seeking the two of them out? Draco squeezed his wife's hand as the figure came to a stop about ten feet in front of them. Audrey willed herself to remain calm, and tried her hardest to not throw any hexes yet. They needed to find out who they were dealing with first; hexing anyone wouldn't solve that mystery.

            "Who are you, and what do you want?" Draco demanded, his voice snarling with rage.

            The figure snickered. "Oh Draco, I would've thought you would've put two and two together by now. I thought you had some level of intelligence," a male's voice chided, "but apparently I was mistaken."

            Puzzled looks crossed both Draco and Audrey's faces, wondering who could possibly be underneath the hood. In all honesty, there were still far too many possibilities as to who it could be, and neither had a good enough guess to call out. Whoever it was knew who they were, and that was unnerving enough. The two stood there in an uneasy silence, hardly noticing that Narcissa had come to stand beside them.

            Sighing wearily, the figure slowly removed their hood, their long platinum blond hair cascading out from underneath it. Lucius Malfoy faced his family, and the three of them could hardly believe what was happening. The crowd around them was whispering amongst themselves, just as confused as the man's immediate family.

            "Father?" Draco muttered in incredulously.

            "Lucius," his mother stated, her voice revealing she was all too hurt by this turn of events. Audrey glanced to her mother-in-law to see her eyes filled with tears, although she couldn't tell if it was out of sadness or rage. In this case, it was likely both. "What is the meaning of this?"

            "I thought that was pretty self-evident," Lucius retorted. "I am their new leader, and I honestly cannot believe you all have remained oblivious for so long. Did you honestly think I was conveniently busy every night you had these silly little meetings? I thought the night you met those blood traitors at that restaurant would've been enough proof for you. I warned you, and now you must face the consequences."

            Draco hesitated, but then let his father hear exactly what he was thinking. Once upon a time, Draco would've been fearful to stand up to his father, but not anymore. Especially not since the man already tried to kill him, his wife, and unborn child. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed. "You tried to kill us, your own family. Why? What would possess you to do that? Didn't you learn that being power hungry gets you nowhere? Didn't you learn a damn thing from the whole Voldemort nonsense?"

            "There are things that are more important in this world than family," Lucius responded coldly. "You honestly think I would spare any of you if you got in my way? As someone who was in Voldemort's inner circle for many years, I learned plenty from his mistakes. Of course someone as small-minded as you wouldn't see it."

            "Nothing is more important than family," Audrey decided to speak up, not hiding the anger in her voice. "Without your family, your life is meaningless. You can have all the wealth and power in the world, but what good is it to have all of that with no one to share it with?" She paused, feeling her hands ball into fists at her side, careful to not snap the base of her wand. "You're a sick, disgusting man, Lucius. I can't believe you would treat your own flesh and blood like that."

            Lucius turned to face her, a menacing look plastered to his face. "If it wasn't for you, I would have the heir I need in Draco- not this weak, meager excuse of a man standing before me. You undid years of training, careful upbringing. For what? Love? It's pathetic."

            "Being in love isn't pathetic," Audrey spat back.

            "I've had enough of your constant interference, girl. You'll pay for your insolence," Lucius hissed. He raised his wand, pure hatred filling his eyes. "Avada-"

            Before Audrey herself had a chance to prepare any kind of defensive maneuver, she felt Draco release his grasp on her hand before stepping in front of her and shouting, "Expelliarmus!"

Lucius' wand flew from his hand, leaving him without any defense and a shocked look upon his face. Draco smirked, knowing very well that his father was about to be defeated. Members of the Ministry were closing in, not to mention several of their friends. Not that they were the one Lucius needed to be wary of anyways; Narcissa was more livid than probably anyone else and she approached him with single-minded determination.

"You seriously just tried to kill our son and his wife? What the actual hell is wrong with you?"  she hissed, wand at the ready. "Not to mention all these other unspeakable things you have done. Part of me wants you dead, and part of me wants you to rot in Azkaban for the rest of your life."

Lucius noted her raised wand and laughed, although Audrey swore she heard some nervousness in it. She had never seen Narcissa this angry, so she had no clue what to expect. All she knew was that her mother-in-law was not a woman to be crossed. "You wouldn't dare kill me!" he called out to her.

"Don't you ever doubt that I wouldn't. You betrayed your family... for nothing," Narcissa went on. "You deserve to suffer for what you've done. Incarcerous."

        Ropes immediately bound Lucius, causing him to collapse to the ground. Several members of the Ministry rushed over, further incapacitating him. Fighting amongst the remaining wizards broke out again, spells flying through the air as the remaining Death Eaters tried to seek revenge for their fallen leader. Not that it mattered anyways. Audrey was too absorbed in the fact that she could've just died had it not been for her husband's heroics. She stared at Draco in disbelief.

        "You... you saved me," she muttered quietly.

        "Well, yeah, of course I did," Draco huffed, pushing some of his hair from his eyes as he turned to look at her. "You should know that I would never let something bad happen to you. Especially if I can avoid it." He approached her, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Are you okay?"

        Audrey nodded. "I'm alright."

        "Good. Now, are you ready to fend off the last of these idiots?" Draco asked, a smirk on his face as he pulled away from her.

        "You know it," was Audrey's reply.

        Without another word, the two of them started to head towards the remaining battle. They knew that together, along with the help from their friends, family, and the Ministry, these Death Eaters would be taken care of in no time, and the threats to their lives would diminish along with them.

******

    Some three weeks after the last battle, while they were walking through the garden, Audrey's water broke. Honestly, the rest seemed like a blur to her. She was rushed to the hospital, and went through ten long hours of labor before she was holding her son in her arms. There was no doubt about it; she was exhausted, and rightfully so. But all the pain was worth it. She finally had her son, and that alone made her the happiest woman on the planet.

She stared down at the small boy, and knew she had never loved another human as much as she loved her son. All the turmoil and hell she had been through the last nine months had been worth it. Scorpius was perfect, and everything she had imagined he would be- and then some. For once, everything had turned out perfectly. Draco had been standing to her left through the whole process, their mothers on her right.

"He's perfect," Draco announced. "And I'm not just saying that because he looks just like me."

Audrey rolled her eyes, but she smiled. Leave it to Draco to crack jokes already. "Do you want to hold him now?"

"Like you even have to ask," Draco replied excitedly.

Audrey raised her arms slowly, as to not disturb the sleeping baby as she offered him to her husband. Draco hesitated slightly, only because he wasn't quite sure how to hold a baby, but carefully took Scorpius from his mother. A small smile started to form on his face as he stared at the infant, tears of happiness swelling in his eyes.

"I couldn't deny him if he wanted to," he said quietly, a huge smile now all too present on his face.

Before anyone else could say anything, the room's door swung open, and Nicole, Ron, and Artemis rushed into the room. The three of them looked out of breath, probably from running up the stairs to get to them. As the boys leaned against the wall trying to catch their breath, Nicole spoke up.

"We got here as fast as we could!" she announced, a little louder than she should have. She caught the annoyed look on her friend's face, and added in a softer voice, "Oops. Sorry."

Audrey glanced up at her son in Draco's arms, glad he hadn't stirred. "It's fine. He's still sleeping, so you're off the hook for now."

"We wanted to get here soon, but we also didn't want to get here while you were still delivering little Scorpius. Kind of thought that was a more... private matter," Artemis explained, moving off the wall and over to the side of his friend's bed. "So as soon as we got the word things were good, we left home. How're you feeling, and how is the baby?"

"I'm great. Tired, but great. I can see my feet again," Audrey replied, adding a small joke to try to show she truly was fine. "Scorpius is good too. Completely healthy."

Nicole looked to Draco, and then down at the baby in his arms. "He is the cutest baby I have ever seen," she decided, a huge smile on her face. "You've got to be so happy."

"Oh incredibly so," Draco announced proudly. "So far my little heir looks just like me, and I can't be any more proud of his mother here for how well she handled the delivery."

By this point, Ron had joined them, and was looking at the baby too. "He is really cute," he said. He looked back to Draco. "Welcome to fatherhood, mate."

"Thanks, Ron," Draco answered. "I can't wait to begin spoiling this little guy."

Nicole smiled as she gently ran her hand across the top of Scorpius' head. "You better. I know where you live," she pretended to threaten. "But in all seriousness, despite everything, I know you guys are going to be fine, Aud. You have amazing people to help you if you need it, and I know between all of us, you won't have to worry about anything."

That was true. The events of the last year had really weeded out the negative people in her life. Who she had left wasn't going anywhere, and Audrey knew they were going to be there for her no matter what. Audrey, without a doubt, knew the people in the room with her were going to be in her son's life and help tremendously. She knew they all loved her son as much as she did, and that meant the world to her.

As Audrey looked up to her husband holding her son, suddenly life felt pretty complete. They were together and they had their son. The world was no longer in chaos, and they could enjoy life again. Everything was perfect again.

*****

    Years passed, and before Audrey knew it, they were standing back on Platform 9¾ again. Time passed by so quickly; it seemed like only yesterday that Audrey was bringing Scorpius home from the hospital. And now she was finding it hard to believe there was an 11 year old boy standing in front of her ready to be whisked off for his first year at Hogwarts.

    Scorpius stood in front of his mother and father, an anxious but excited look upon his face. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the trunk by his side, trying to keep his thoughts straight with all the general chaos of the train station. "How much longer before the train leaves, mum?" he asked.

    Audrey swore as time went on that his mannerisms, not to mention his looks, were exactly like his father's. She had seen the same look on Draco's face so many times, and it was so hard to forget at times that it wasn't him standing in front of her. Draco at 11 looked just like Scorpius did now, and it almost hurt- only perhaps because Audrey always hoped he would have some trait of hers.

    "Not much longer, Scorpius," Audrey assured, remembering she had been asked a question. "The train always leaves at 11. So only a few more minutes, and then you can be off on your next big adventure."

    "Am I going to know anyone at school?" her eldest son inquired.

    Audrey looked to Draco who just gave her an unsure look. "I'm not sure, Scorpius," was her eventual answer. "Your father and I had you pretty soon after we left school, and I'm not sure if any of my classmates had any kids around the same time. I'm sorry, love."

    A frown formed on her son's face. "When does Bella get to come to school with me?"

    Bella was Ron and Nicole's daughter and eldest child, and was just a year or so younger than Scorpius. Outside of his siblings, Bella was probably Scorpius' best friend. They were inseparable when they had get-togethers. Nicole often joked that the two of them would get married one day, and while Audrey surely wouldn't be surprised by that she didn't dare say it out loud. Nicole and Ron had one other child, a boy named Hugo. A lot of their closest friends had children now- Artemis had a son, Artemis the Third, with Minerva- the girl he took to their wedding; Harry and Ginny had three: James, Albus, and Lily; Hermione had Rose after reconnecting with Krum; George married Angelina and had Roxanne, while Fred met a girl and had a son named Fred. Audrey was so happy all of their friends had found happiness and had families too. There was never a dull moment when all of them got together; they were all practically family now.

    "Bella will get to go to Hogwarts next year," Draco answered.

    Scorpius nodded, seemingly a little disappointed for a moment. "That's alright. I'll just try to make new friends until then," he decided, shrugging. He paused for a moment, and then looked back to his mother. "I know there's the four houses but... what house were you and dad in?"

    "Well, your father and I were both in Slytherin," she explained.

    Scorpius was full of questions that morning, and asked yet another. "So do you think I'll be sorted into Slytherin too then? Or do you think I'll be placed somewhere else?"

    "There's a good chance you will be sorted into Slytherin," Audrey replied. "I mean, there's been whole families sorted into a single house before. All the Weasleys were Gryffindor; I don't doubt that all the Malfoys will be Slytherins too."

    "Don't come home if you're sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff," Draco stated, hardly hiding a laugh. Audrey shot him a glare, and then he added, "Only joking, of course."

    "No matter what house you're in, we'll be proud of you, love," Audrey promised, smiling at her son.

    "I want to be a Slytherin," Scorpius decided proudly.

    "Then all you have to do is tell the Sorting Hat that," Audrey explained, shrugging slightly. "It listens to things like that. Harry didn't want to be a Slytherin; the Hat listened and made him a Gryffindor. I'm sure if you tell it you want to be a Slytherin, it will take that into consideration."

    Scorpius nodded, a small smile on his face. "I think I'll try that. I'll send you an owl back tomorrow to let you know how it went, okay?"

    "Thank you," Audrey replied, glancing up at the nearby clock as the train's whistle sounded. "Well, it's 10:55, so you should probably start boarding the train. Keep in touch okay?"

    Her son nodded again. "I will, mum," he promised. He stepped around his trunk and hugged her and Draco tightly. "I love you."

    "Love you too," Audrey and Draco said simultaneously.

    Scorpius pulled away from both of them before speaking again "See you soon, mmkay?" Scorpius said quietly, taking the handle of his trunk in his hand once again.

Neither Audrey or Draco said a word, but they both nodded as Scorpius started to head towards the train to board. He disappeared from sight for a few minutes, and soon appeared in a window not far from them. It looked like he had already found some other kids to sit with, but he looked away from them to wave at his parents. Audrey and Draco waved back at him, and after a few moments, with another blow of its whistle,  the train began to pull away from the station. The two of them stayed where they were, waving and watching, until they could no longer see Scorpius in the window.

Audrey took a shuddering breath, trying to remain calm and not cry. Her only child was off to Hogwarts. It was a bittersweet moment. She was glad he was going and would get to attend school at the same institution she did, and hopefully get to experience all the great things about Hogwarts. There had been no Death Eater threat in years, nor any other dark wizards, and Audrey hoped that was a hell Scorpius and the other children never had to experience. He would have a normal schooling, a normal childhood and adolescence... or so she hoped, at any rate.

As they started to walk away, Audrey asked, "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

Draco didn't hesitate. "I know he'll be fine. Once he settles in, I'm sure he'll blow that school out of the water. He's a Malfoy, after all. The expectations of him are high, and I am sure he'll succeed. He'll make all of us so proud."

Audrey smiled. She was sure Draco was right. It wasn't going to stop her from worrying about her son, but it certainly helped knowing Scorpius was a bright and ambitious boy; so long as he stayed away from trouble, Audrey was sure he would be fine at Hogwarts. He had the added benefit of an incredible support system, and the lack of evil wizards lurking about. Scorpius had something that, at his age, Audrey and Draco didn't have: absolute freedom. Nothing to fear or hide from. That alone was something Audrey was more than glad about.

While now she was able to live out her life in happiness, there had been so many things Audrey had lost along the way to where she was now. She lost friends, her father... This newfound freedom she had found in the last decade or so was still strange and foreign to her. Audrey still wasn't sure how she should handle a carefree life without threats to her life. Things were so different now, and sometimes those events from all those years ago came back to haunt her. Her bad days were few and far between now, and she credited that to so many things- namely Draco, Scorpius, and all their close friends. She had a beautiful family, and she wouldn't change that if she could. She finally had the happiness and the freedom she had chased for so long. It wasn't exactly the happy ending she pictured at 17, but this was the happy ending she so deserved. So even if it was bittersweet to see Scorpius go off to school, the woman couldn't be too down about it.

    After all, all was finally well.