Here We Go Again

Epilogue Part 5: Heaven Can Wait

POV: Scorpius and Rose

It was massive—the green grass, the willowy trees, the intricate bushes, nor the vibrant flowers had ever looked so grand in their natural state before. He had walked down that garden, down that pebbled pathway overshadowed by the leaves of the tallest trees, for years, and yet he had never thought them beautiful. The vegetation was his grandmother's greatest hobby, a pastime that was raved about and renowned throughout the posh circles, but it was as if for the first time he was really seeing how intense the color burned, how potent the earthy and floral smell was.

To allow himself the conceit, he knew that the gardens of Malfoy Manor were a gem within themselves, but the way it was set in decoration, he thought it was a vision of heaven. The splendor was all white: tables, chairs, clothes, the marbled chapel at the center, beneath a tree with cascading white flowers, and even the light that was gleaming.

"—No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"

"—Forbid it? Ha."

Standing outside of grand, mahogany doors with authentic golden handles, I took a deep breath before entering the danger zone that the main living room of Malfoy Manor was holding. The argument going on inside could be heard from the upper levels of the manor, and I was instructed to stop it, no matter the dread I felt for involving myself in that sort of tension. You had to be a mad man to do so, but, as I was told, I had no other choice; after all, I had been born and married into it.

"—You don't get it! This could ruin her life."

"—It will not, you idiot. She is old enough. She can make her own choices."

"—It's dangerous!"

"—Says who? There are millions of girls out there who are perfectly all right."

"—It's true," said a girl with a chiming voice that contradicted with the other two. "Everyone does it. It's quite common in the Muggle World, actually."

"It's quite common in the Muggle World," repeated my father.

As I entered the living room, I witnessed Mister Weasley's frown light him up in that famous red shade that matched his hair. "Since when does a Malfoy consider muggle methods better than our own?"

Sitting on a leather armchair beside the fireplace, Draco Malfoy took a silent sip from his glass of whiskey. When his grey eyes turned bright, like he had very much enjoyed the liquor, and the burn in his throat that it left, he turned his constant smirk to his former childhood nemesis. Then, he confidently said, "Since I became the favorite."

He walked like he owned the world, like the universe what at his feet and it was his for the taking, to do and make anything with it if he so willed it. A grin larger than life tugged at his lips and his heart pounded in his chest like a drummer was lost in his beat, yet, his footsteps were light. He went down a familiar path that led to the drawing room, where he expected to find his parents. He knew that his mother would melt at seeing his glee, and that his father would look on, still a little wary, but supportive nonetheless. None of it mattered, though; it was his day, the best day of his entire life, he could safely say, and he needed that velvet box in his father's pocket to make the day worthy of belonging in history books.

'Father, I hope you—' He stopped on his tracks, his energetically happy words fading from his mouth when he did not see his parents, rather a brunette woman who should not have been there all alone.

Mrs. Hermione Weasley stood at the center of the drawing room, perfectly still, but something about her brown eyes made it seem as if she was twirling slowly, focusing on every single detail of the room. She usually had a gold tan to her skin, but he noticed how pale she was in that moment. She had her lilac dress clutched in her hands, not letting the ends of it touch the floor, afraid to taint it.

'I never thought I'd see this place again,' the woman whispered to him, once again halting Scorpius Malfoy from moving, this time to vacate the room. 'Not willingly, at least. To step inside Malfoy Manor would have meant being dragged in here by force, at wand-point...I must confess, I never thought your relationship with my daughter would ultimately bring me here.'

For a second, Scorpius felt like he was not standing in the room at the present, meant-to-be joyful day; instead, he felt like it was in a horrific moment that took place so many decades ago; where the walls were grey and everything was black, and his family was imprisoned, and a demented woman (his great Aunt Bellatrix Lestrange) was torturing a young Hermione Granger. For that second, Scorpius could hear Hermione's screams and he felt like clawing his ears off.

'I'm sorry,' Scorpius managed. 'I'm so sorry, Mrs. Weasley.'

'Don't apologize.' There was an answer, but it did not come from the brunette. It came from someone at the doorway, it came from Draco Malfoy. Both Hermione and Scorpius turned to him, both tortured but in far different ways; she for the dark nightmares that plagued a survivor of war, a victim of torture, on rough nights, and he, Scorpius, for knowing that the people he loved hurt the mother of the girl he loved. 'You don't have to apologize, Scorpius. It is I who has to. You are innocent of the crimes I committed.' His silver eyes, blank to save himself a shred of dignity, turned to the woman. 'I will continue to pay for the evils I've done, Granger. But Scorpius—'

'Neither of you owe me anything,' she said immediately to the Malfoy heirs. 'I don't want an apology.' Nor Draco or his son said anything, giving her the chance to continue. 'I don't think it's your fault, Draco. I never have.'

Mister Malfoy could only look at the brunette, his silver eyes conjuring a storm of nightmares, of past memories he could not change. 'If I had been better...If I had done you better, Hermione—'

'It's difficult being here,' Hermione cut across Draco, a small smile directed at him, as she took a few steps to his son. 'Scorpius, let me tell you that I don't regret it. Not today. Not ever. The past happened how it needed to happen, and that's saying a lot from someone who doesn't believe in fate. But for my daughter, for my Rose, and her happiness, I can heal all my past wounds. The Malfoys have treated my daughter and her cousins like their own, with respect and care and love. Nothing from before matters.'

Scorpius let a smile back onto his face. He looked at the woman, then glanced back at his father briefly. It was odd and incredible how fate works, how two former enemies, two people from different backgrounds, with different hearts and souls and bloodlines, could have two separate children, then watch those children fall in love, ultimately wiping away all those differences.

'Here's the ring,' Draco said to his son, handing him the velvet box he had been keeping for the day his boy was to marry. 'I know you and Rose will have a great life together.'

'I'm sure they will,' confirmed Hermione, still smiling at her soon-to-be son-in-law. She released her lilac dress, letting the ends of it skim the floor of the drawing room. With a great exhale, like she was releasing the weight of what occurred here, she marched over to Draco. 'Well, Malfoy, we should join Ron and Astoria.'

Draco stared oddly at where Hermione's arm linked with his. 'Weasel's off sulking, Granger. Sort him out or I'm kicking him out.'

'He's still hates me for asking Rose to marry me, huh?' Scorpius mumbled.

Though the question was rhetorical, Hermione still said, 'You're taking Ron's little girl, Scorpius. You're lucky he has let you live this long.'

Draco scoffed at the comment, but his son ignored it. As the three marched away from the drawing room, Scorpius said to no one in particular, 'I suppose I should make it up to Mister Weasley one day.'

"You're not the favorite!" bellowed my father-in-law, clutching his own glass of whiskey quite tightly.

I sighed at the two men. "Don't you two think it's a bit early to be drinking? The sun has not even set yet, and you two have already downed an entire bottle."

"You don't get to judge us, boy," retorted Mister Weasley before taking a swing of his glass, smirking like a tasted sweeter for undermining me. "It's tradition, anyway."

"A tradition?" I huffed as I moved next to the girl. I put my arm around her, reeling her in tight, yet my attention was still on the other two men. "You two have an alcoholic problem, that's what."

My father scoffed, refilling his glass with the exquisite amber liquid that was often found in his glass. "Not true," he stated. "We just find that we can coexist this way better than when we are sober."

Mister Weasley made an agreeing noise.

"Your wife is looking for you. When she finds you, she will hex you again, Mister Weasley. And you, Father," I sighed tiredly, like I was scolding a child rather than an adult with more life experience than anyone, "Mother warned you about drinking with Mister Weasley today. You promised her you wouldn't let her see you."

"And she's not seeing my drink, is she?" My father replied casually. "Anyway, the problem isn't the Weasel or I. The problem here is her," he pointed a finger at the redhead beside me, "and how you've kept her locked up in a cage all this time. It's time to let her grow."

"Like that's ever going to happen," mumbled the girl, crossing her arms over her chest, meaning to show her displeasure with the situation. "Dictators."

I had known the moment I decided to throw this celebration, signaling the sixteen years of life of my beautiful daughter, that I was going to regret it. It's not that having a get-together with this massive family of ours was too much to handle, being a part of this circus trained you from early on to leave all high expectations at the door and just go with it, but it was the fact that my daughter had asked to invite one more person to the list that attended every year. Had I been enraged? Of course, I'm an overprotective father. Had I eventually let it go? Yes, because my wife threatened to kill me. But I knew when Ron and Draco found out that their granddaughter had invited a boy over—a boy she has been dating for a while but has been keeping it a secret until she thought it was the right time (how it felt like a stab to my heart)—that I was going to regret this party.

And I did, and it had only been ten minutes into it.

"Athena."

When that name was mentioned with a strict tone, the redhead girl glanced up at me with giant, overwhelming silver eyes. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little guilty, but more annoyed than nothing.

"I'm sorry," she said to me, "but it's their fault, honestly. They overheard my plans with the girls and they went on ahead to decide what was best for me. Aside from that, as soon as Xavier showed up, Dad, Granddad Ron started treating him terribly. It escalated when they heard he is going with us to Muggle London tomorrow morning."

"Athena," my father interjected, "you very well know that I am supporting you in your choices. If you are angry, dear, be angry at Weasel."

"Well of course I have a lot to be upset about!" defended Mister Weasley as soon as all silver eyes turned on him. "She's growing up way too bloody fast, Scorpius. Just yesterday she was playing with dolls—"

"—I haven't played with dolls since I was eight, Granddad," said Athena.

"—and helping 'Mione plant flowers in our garden. Now she's bringing boys to meet the family and leaving home!"

Though my daughter had a lot of Malfoy characteristics, her Weasley traits did not fall short whenever her temper flared. Athena had a lot of Rose and Hermione to her personality, but there was also a flare of unsteadiness that reflected my father, and worse, her great grandmother Molly. So when Athena grew angry, she could demolish a house if she wanted to.

Athena put her hands on her hips, her silver eyes narrowing at her grandfather and her pale cheeks gaining a red shade. "I am sixteen years old, Grandad, and this is the first time I have ever brought a boy to meet the family. His name is Xavier Flint, a Gryffindor in my year, and he is a perfect gentleman, and I quite fancy him. And I am not leaving home! I am going to spend the weekend with Sidney and Molly."

Ron's face only grew redder too. "A Flint!" He scoffed at that. "She's rebelling, Scorpius. Rose did the exact same thing at her age."

"Rose started dating me at the age," I declared, beginning to frown.

"And I'm getting my nose pierced," Athena added before her grandfather could answer me. "It is not rebelling, either, understood? It's a muggle trend I quite like. Violet is younger than me and has it too. Uncle Liam nor Aunt Lily made a fuss about it when she did get it."

"Yeah, but Harry practically had a heart attack when Vi' showed up with that thing in her nose!" interjected Ron again. "And you remember your Great Gran's outrage? She almost ripped Vi's nose off. I am just sparing you from that, 'Thena."

My daughter only groaned. She flashed her gaze at me, pleading me to fight this useless battle for her. Though she had a lot of Weasley characteristics in her, my daughter was also a lot of Malfoy, too. She understood the differences between the two families, despite them being linked by my marriage with Rose, but she couldn't accept most of it. Though she loved the Weasley family warmth, the affection and the great joy of that family being related to one another, Athena had a lot of trouble coping with the Weasley's fierce protection. Plenty of times she let Rose and I know that she felt like she was being suffocated; that we needed to trust her as a growing adult, but also as the mature person she has always been. She was my little girl, but I trusted her judgement on everything she did. She had proved herself time and time again, which is probably why Father also only encouraged Athena to do with her life as she pleased, because she had shown us that she could manage almost anything.

Deep down, despite his automatic need to defend his children and grandchildren, no matter how old they were, Mister Weasley knew that Athena was close to being the perfect girl. I knew that he wanted to cushion her every step, but that he needed to let her grow. And that was why, after his tantrum and stubbornness, that my father-in-law let out a giant sigh.

"I'll be nice to Xavier Flint," he grumbled, swishing his drink. "For you, sweetheart. But if he turns out to be a git, then I am cursing him, and there is nothing you can say about it." He took a quick drink from his glass then added, "I love you, 'Thena. Really. Sorry your poor Grandad is a jealous tosser."

With red cheeks that demonstrated her frustration, Athena still managed to say, "I love you too, Grandad. Really." And with a nod, she turned for the door and headed out to surely get fresh air and enjoy her birthday party.

"I might make her angry, but she loves me too much to stay mad at me. Unlike you, Malfoy. She's gone a week without talking to you when you insulted the importance of whatever Potions rubbish. I'm the favorite. After all," Ron started smirking, "she is named after me."

My father glared, for a long moment at the redheaded man, and then at me. I picked up my own glass of whiskey. "Cheers."

I suppose that all these years later, I have finally made it up to Ron Weasley for stealing his daughter from him—We now have Athena Ronnie Malfoy in our lives.

.

                                                             XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was set high in the sky, snuggling close to cotton-ball clouds that gathered in small numbers to view the important event of the year. The light of the sun made the white color that decorated everything glow, glow with such brightness that the gardens of Malfoy Manor could be mistaken for a slice of heaven.

Two sections of white chairs were perfectly aligned on the grass, divided by a wide path that was littered in white rose petals. The petals were a map that led to a large canopy made of white marbled detailed with eccentric designs, arching in a perfect half-oval shape where little stars were magicked to fall without ever touching the ground.

Soft melodies played by enchanted harps indicated the arrival of the person the guests were dying to see; they turned in their seats, their eyes searching for the bride. Their anticipation was further stalled, for the flowers girls came first. Bliss Potter and Glorie Lupin, guided by their short, chubby legs, walked down the aisle in their tulle, lilac dresses; they carried white baskets from which they gathered lilac flower petals in their tiny fists and scattered them before them as they continued their rehearsed path. When the girls finally reached the right end of the canopy, the music created by the harps grew louder: appearing at the end of the aisle, elegant and breathtaking, was Rose Weasley, who clutched her father's arm tightly as the butterflies in her stomach took off full-flight.

"You're not nervous are you?" questioned a voice that took me a few seconds to identify. I had been about to march into the kitchen of Malfoy Manor, glass bowls and trays trailing behind me, needing to be refilled with their content, when I sensed the tension radiating like waves from inside.

As I hid myself in the crook by the doorway, I halted the dishes with a quick round of wandless magic. A throat cleared from inside the kitchen, and the deepness of the voice that followed revealed to me who it was. My son, Lynx.

"I'm not nervous," he replied, but it was faulty. I could imagine him already: a forced smiled stretching his lips, his fingers smoothing back his tousled blonde hair, while his silver eyes gave his truth away in a flash.

"You're not a very good liar, Lynx," said Raven Scamander, Alice Longbottom and Lysander Scamander's daughter. "But it's okay. I understand. We can just forget about it."

Her heels made a few sounds on the tiled floor of the kitchen, but then it was followed by a loud stomp. "Rae," called Lynx as I peaked in quickly, he was clutching onto her hand, her back facing him. "I don't want to forget about it. I want to tell them."

"No, you don't, Lynx," sighed the girl as she pulled her hand back from my son's grip. "And I really don't blame you for it. I blame myself, honestly. I knew what I was getting myself into before...Just forget it. Really."

"Don't do that," snapped Lynx. "Don't make it seem like there's something wrong here. Just try to understand me, Rae. It's my sister's sixteenth birthday. This party is in her honor. I just don't want to soak up the attention."

Before Raven turned to Lynx, I saw a gleam of heartbreak transform itself into tears. The pain in her expression made my heart hurt for her. As a mother—as a friend of her parents, knowing the sweet girl she was—it made it hard to watch.

"That I can understand, Lynx. Athena's my friend. But it's not about the party, not really, and you know it. Because last time you were going to tell them it was Ginny's birthday, then it was Christmas, then it was a Monday, and you don't like speaking to your parents on a Monday. Face it, you're making excuses. And I fall for them every single time, Lynx. I just can't keep accepting them...The more I do, the more it hurts."

The walk had taken ages for some, yet flew by to others. Ron gripped his daughter's hand tightly as they arrived to the altar, dreading letting her go. Rose was his little girl, no matter how old she got. The moment he held her in his arms, two minutes after she was born, he swore that he was going to paint her sky in colors and protect her from the evils of the world. Ron just never counted that the biggest enemy, the thing he would end up losing her to, was love. When Rose fell in love with Scorpius Malfoy, a Malfoy out of all people in the universe, he was being ripped away as the only man in her life. That is a pain a father could never recover from.

'Dad,' whispered Rose, her brown eyes finding his blue when he had yet released her from his side. 'Is everything okay?'

Ron wanted to tell her that nothing was okay. He wanted to tell her not to get married, to transform back to that little curious girl who thought he was the smartest man on the planet. Then she grew up, and every tale he had told her became fairytales and she started looking for facts somewhere else. But he couldn't. Despite all his tantrums and stubbornness, Ron saw that brilliant gleam in his daughter's gaze whenever Scorpius was around or brought up into conversation. Rose loved him like she loved the breath in her lungs. Worst of all, Ron knew that Scorpius was Rose's reason to breathe. And he was not in the business of denying people that grand pull of love, for he felt such way for Hermione, and it was the best bloody thing that his heart has ever beat to.

'I love you so much, Rosie,' Ron murmured, trying his hardest to keep the tears swimming in his eyes from falling down his cheeks.

Rose's gaze lit up with complete adoration and sentiment. "And I love you, Dad,' she said immediately. 'Scor makes me happy, Dad. I promise,' she added when she went in to hug him.

Ron didn't say anything after he pulled away from her embrace. He took her right hand and slowly moved it to Scorpius' outstretched left. Their fingers automatically clasped together.

'Take good care of her,' Ron warned his future son-in-law. 'I've let you live this long, but don't think I won't murder you if you make her suffer. Remember that her uncle is Harry Potter; he can make you disappear and no one will question him. Got it?'

'Dad,' Rose hissed, frowning at his threat as Scorpius blinked incredulously at the man.

Ron turned and walked to his seat, meeting Hermione at the front row of the right section. Once he sat next to his wife, the brunette didn't hesitate to pinch his arm.

'Scorpius loves Rose more than anything in the world,' Hermione whispered to him as the Ministry Official began to speak.

Despite his nature to retort back, Ron kept his mouth shut and watched his daughter's wedding ceremony begin. It wasn't the fact that he doubted the Malfoy boy's intentions with Rose; Ron knew that boy would go to the end of the world and back for Rose. It was silly of him to think of the reason why he was emotional about the wedding, and that was because once, so many years ago, Ron was Rose's world. And Ron wasn't ready to let his little girl go.

Lynx's frown faded into a frightened and uncertain expression. "I'll...I'll get to it, Rae. You know I will."

The dark-haired beauty that was Raven Scamander only shook her head. "You looked for me, don't you remember, Lynx? I was heading to Ravenclaw Tower after curfew was called, and you kept following behind me. You didn't speak the whole walk, but I could hear your heart echoing off the corridor walls. I didn't know what you wanted, what you were looking for, why you were so far from Gryffindor Tower...But before I could enter the portrait you stopped me. You kissed me. Then you swore you were ready for this. And I believed you. I believed you because I had been waiting years for you. Yet, the next day, you ignored me. You spent the entire day around that Slytherin girl, but at night you went looking for me again. You're ashamed of me, and I get that now."

"I am not ashamed—!"

"Either you are," Raven interrupted, "or you're playing games with me. And I've kept my heart locked in a jar, making it wait for you, while you parade yourself with other girls, Lynx. And I just can't take it. Believe me, I won't resent you for it. You're my friend...Let's just be that, okay."

From where I stood, I could see the forced smile Raven gave Lynx, like she hoped it would assure him that everything was fine between them. But it wasn't. It was obvious, especially because she turned on her heels and headed my way, tears falling down her face. I pressed my back tight against the crook by the doorway, waiting until she passed.

Inside the kitchen, Lynx stared at the girl's shadow, unable to move. That's when I decided to make my way in. It took him a few moments before his silver eyes registered me. He cleared his throat, what he usually did when he was trying to collect himself, and nodded at me.

"Food's gone already, is it? Grandad Ron is still eating everything, even after his Healer put him on a diet. We should really consider wiring his jaw shut, Mum, just like Gran Hermione suggested."

I directed the empty containers to the kitchen countertop without removing my eyes from my son. With a step toward him, I touched his shoulder gently before moving my hand to cup the side of his angular face.

"You're an idiot," I said frankly.

"Okay. That's rude. What the hell did I—"

"You let Raven walk away!" I pinched his chin, my dissatisfaction clear. "Trust me, Lynx, you are not going to find a girl like her. I've met you acquaintances, and they are nowhere near as kind or intelligent as that girl. Don't give her up for them."

He moved his face, taking a step back from me. "I don't want them."

"Then?"

Lynx sighed, shaking his head. "Forget about it, Mum. It doesn't matter."

"Lynx, you've been in love with Raven Scamander since you were seven years old and she was six. You are seventeen now, sweetheart. It's time you stop running from your feelings and let them unfold."

"It's not that easy," he hissed at me, frowning as if I didn't understand the entire situation. And he was right. I didn't have all the pieces. His private life was his. Scorpius and I provided trust to our children, and if they wanted to confide in us anything about their personal lives, then we would be there to listen to them. But if Lynx had not reached out to us to speak about his troubling love life, then I couldn't assume. "Not everyone can have a perfect love like the one you and Dad have!

I took a deep breath, keeping my silence.

"I don't want to hurt Rae, Mum," he added, lowering his voice when he registered the fact that he had shouted at me. "We...We're different, you know? She is kind and intelligent and sweet and adoring and calm and honest and trusting. I'm the opposite. I like a laugh, sometimes at the expense of others. I like to do reckless things, and say what's on my mind in that second, and I have a temper, and I don't trust people, and I'm jealous, and—"

"Do you think that's the only thing Raven sees, Lynx? People have flaws, but they have good, too. A person is not perfect. Nor is my relationship with your father, either. We've been together since we were fifteen, Lynx, and we fought. We fought and we broke up. There was so many things we had to overcome as a couple, as individual people, to make it work. But love is about making it work. You just can't walk away from it at the first sign of a problem." I outstretched my hand for him to take. When he took it, I squeezed tightly. "I don't think you would ever purposely break that girl's heart, Lynx. I've seen you since you were children; you would protect her against anything, just like you'd do anything to make her smile. So why, darling, are you hurting her now?"

Lynx's silver eyes fought back the power of his true emotions.

"I'm afraid," he said with a whisper, "that if I make it true, then the potential of disappointing her will be real, too."

"Living with the pain of losing her is worth it, then? Would you be able to handle seeing her with someone else?"

His lips pressed into a line. Lynx didn't have to say anything, but I knew my son. I knew that when he loved, he loved intensely and forever. He was so much like Scorpius in that sense. And, tragically so, he matched his father in believing that sometimes he wasn't worth having what he had. But I knew my two boys, my son and husband, and I knew those two were worthy of the entire universe at their feet.

"Don't let her leave this place, Lynx, or you'll regret it. Love isn't easy, but it's worth it. And if you love Raven, the challenges you may face will only make your bond stronger. Now go!"

He pressed a kiss to my cheek before rushing past me.

'Beloved children of Merlin, we are gathered here in the sight of all that is magical and binding to join together this Wizard and this Witch.' Silence underlined with happiness and eager anticipation took over the guests as the Ministry Official began to recite the lines of the historic and most precious ceremony of the magical world. 'This ceremony is an honorable commitment established by Merlin to join and create a whole couple from his descendants, signifying to the world that the mystical union between two different souls is not easy, but a beautiful adventure you partake together.'

Rose's eyes briefly searched for her two bridesmaids, her best friends, Emily and Nia. Both girls looked immediately back at the redhead, both grinning largely at her. Rose couldn't see herself from her friends' view, but if she could, she would be able to see how radiant and absolutely perfect Scorpius and her looked standing side by side, ready to join themselves in marriage. It was a dream come true for Rose, Emily and Nia knew; and in that exact moment, they were certain Rose was in her own personal paradise with Scorpius.

And for the others basking in Rose and Scorpius' moment, they witnessed history in the making: a Weasley and Malfoy joining in together in matrimony.

'Scorpius Malfoy,' continued the Ministry Official, 'under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept Rose Weasley to be your wife? To love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health; forsaking all others as long as your heart beats?'

Without waiting another second, Scorpius said, 'I do.'

'Rose Weasley, under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept Scorpius Malfoy to be your husband? To love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health; forsaking all others as long as your heart beats?'

Thousands of emotions, all powerful in their way, rushed through Rose's system. Electricity tingled her toes, then rushed up to her head; igniting her. She felt as if she was about to sprout wings. She felt like she was going to levitate off the ground, Scorpius' gripping her fingers, and she would fly them away to their own little world, where nothing and no one but them lived.

Rose knew that Scorpius Malfoy was the love of her life. He was the closest thing to overwhelming bliss that she was going to get. Scorpius had marked her entire life with his essence, writing his name in permanent ink all over her skin. There was no other person to love than him.

'I do,' she finally said, tears blinding her vision before blinking them away.

With a voice that boomed all around the Malfoy gardens, the Ministry Official said, 'I declare you two bonded for life. Here's to Scorpius and Rose Malfoy!'

An earsplitting cheer broke through atmosphere; claps, whistles, laughter, and joyful crying wrapped around the newlyweds. But that didn't distract Scorpius from reeling in his new wife and capturing her lips in a kiss that fueled the fire in his chest that burned solely for Rose.

Cling. Cling. Cling.

"All right, you lot, listen up." After she was done tapping a silver spoon against the side of a golden goblet, Aunt Ginny called for the attention of everyone gathered in the Malfoy gardens. Aunt Ginny was now the head of the family, after Grandmum Molly had stepped down and granted her daughter the authority as matriarch (seeing as ninety percent of the family was as terrified as Aunt Ginny as they were of Gran). "Dinner has been spectacular, of course. And we thank Narcissa and Rose for always doing an impeccable job feeding our enormous family, a task that is not easy with appetites like Ron and Teddy's."

My father frowned at his sister. "I did not eat everything! I'm on a diet! Ask 'Mione!"

Just as Mum did, Aunt Ginny ignored Dad's protest. In all the years, after so many generations, no one competed with Ron Weasley when it came to scarfing down food. We had accepted that a long time ago, and he had not.

"We are here to celebrate Athena's sixteenth birthday," said Aunt Ginny with a grand grin that matched my own. "And to honor her, her cousins and her brother have a little surprise for her."

In her seat, with all eyes on her, Athena flushed. Her silver eyes were wide, clear suspicion and fright in them. The boy next to her, Xavier Flint, squeezed her hand, giving her and encouraging smile that went unused, for when Athena was wary of her relatives, nothing shook her from it.

One by one, the fourth generation of our massive family stood (all except Dustin, who was twenty now and was going through a very mature phase): Bliss, with a giant, glittering smile that blinded everyone due to her kind and beautiful nature; Glorie, whose blonde hair and blue eyes glittered in the sunlight, looking just like her grandmother Fleur had in her youth; Sidney, with her Weasley warmth bubbling inside out, making her appear the happiest anyone had ever seen her; Angelique, Teddy and Victoire's youngest daughter, who was still pulling herself away from her antisocial tendencies; Riley and Rory, one sharp and the other sweet; Orion, who looked so much like his father James and his grandfather Harry; Andres, filled with that Zabini charm that no Weasley had; Neo and Alexa, both mischievous; Elinor, calm and sedated like her parents Lucy and Lorcan; Violet, a replica of Lily; Logan, a replica of Liam; Kendra, shy and beautiful, something so opposite from her parents Louis and Coral; Maxim, Louis' exact nature of hotheadedness and smugness; Devon, gorgeous and sassy like her mother Dominique; and, lastly, Theodore, the unsurprisingly mellow son of Freddie and Evanna.

"Why can't we go, Mummy?" Harriet sniffed, pulling on Emily's hand as her older siblings, Bliss and Orion, meshed with the group.

"We want surprise 'Thena, too," added in Evan, Harriet's twin.

Both children looked so much like a Potter would: messy hair, Evan's short and pointed in all directions, and Harriet's flaming red, but in disheveled waves; and both with giant, emerald eyes that has blessed the Potters since Lily Evans married James Potter I.

"Don't cry, Harry," Emily whispered to her daughter, pulling her up to her lap. "But you know this is for the older kids. When you and Evan are older you can help the others, okay?"

Evan wasn't taking his mother's offer. "Just because we set the pinata on fire for Uncle George's Mexican-themed party does not make Harriet and me twats. We just can't control our magic."

Emily's eyes gaped at her seven year old son. "Evan," she reprimanded quickly, "you don't curse, understood? I will wash your mouth with soap—that homemade kind your great grandmother Molly makes."

James was laughing silently beside Emily, but when his wife met his eyes, my cousin stopped his chuckling immediately. "Yeah, Evan, no cursing. That's terrible. Besides," he said, reaching over and taking his daughter Harriet from Emily, "you two have each other. I say the party is wherever you are."

Evan crossed his arms. "Don't take us as fools."

Before James and Emily's twins could further express their displeasure in not being included in Athena's surprise, the others appeared from inside the manor wheeling a massive cake. Lynx, who was holding a smiling Raven Scamander's hand, chased after his relatives.

The throng of people collected started singing happy birthday to my daughter, all while Andres Zabini and Logan Greengrass waved a giant banner with Athena's phase from a newborn to her current sixteenth year of life flashed for everyone to see. Multicolored streamers shot out from Glorie and Bliss' wands, balloons of enormous sizes and colors came from Neo and Alexa Potter's wands, confetti rained down from Riley and Rory Weasley's wands, Orion Potter played his guitar, followed by the bass Maxim Weasley incorporated, Angelique Lupin and Sidney Weasley carried a giant card, and the others carried or levitated boxes wrapped in shiny foils.

When the song was over, Athena let a few seconds pass before she spoke. "This is it?" she asked with a tone of surprise, raising her brow while looking back and forth between her cousins and brother. "No fireworks? No Peruvian Powder? No screaming mandrakes?"

Still holding Raven's hand, looking handsome and happy, Lynx laughed. "No, Athena. It's your birthday. No hoax, we promise."

But my son had spoken too soon. When Athena was hesitantly rising from her seat, the cake they had wheeled in exploded.

"LYNX!" Athena screeched as soon as she was drenched in icing and chunks of cake smacked against her.

"Oi!" screamed Violet Greengrass, dropping the gifts she'd been carrying. "Bliss and I baked that cake for hours!"

"It wasn't me!" bellowed Lynx, backing away from the mob of girls turning his way. Raven, the sweetheart, pulled her hand away from my son's grasp and began to back away from him, maneuvering herself away from the impending danger zone. "Honest! It wasn't! This has Orion and Andres all over it!

Orion stopped angrily wiping icing from his precious guitar. "Don't drag me into this," he said. "Mum confiscated my supplies ages ago. You were the only one with products from the shop!"

"If I was you, Malfoy," said Andres, annoyingly shaking off cake from his perfect hair, "I'd start running."

One second later, the girls began chasing Lynx across the gardens.

"Should we help?" said Scorpius as he appeared beside me, his arm wrapping around my waist as we heard our son scream in the distance. "You know the girls can be vicious."

I sighed as I turned away from Athena's boyfriend trying to help her clean the cake off of herself. When I met with my husband's silver stare, I only shrugged. "He's part Weasley, Scor. I don't think there is any helping him."

"Nobody help him!" shouted Uncle George as Logan and Neo made a movement to help save Lynx.

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, I don't think it was Lynx," said Scorpius, pointing a finger to the table where Emily and James sat with their twins. Both smirking identically, Harriet and Evan Potter held the glint of mischief that has been passed down from generation to generation in our family. "I always pictured it like this, Rose," Scorpius whispered into my ear, leaning close to me.

I pressed my side into his. "The chaos? Really?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Us being married, with children, and having family gatherings with our massive amount of relatives. Living a life of happiness. Living a life with you. There's no greater joy than having you right next to me after all these years."

"I love you every day for putting up with this," I said with a teasing smile. "I would have left you ages ago."

I saw his smile for only a second before it disappeared when he closed the space between us and kissed me.

This was definitely paradise: the garden where I got married, fast forward eighteen years later, filled with all the amazing colors that warmed my entire life. This was paradise, where happiness was in every word spoken and unspoken; where my favorite music came from the rounds of laughter of my children; where home was wrapped in my husband's embrace. Here, now, at this very moment, was everything I have ever wanted. I could live it every day, and heaven could wait an eternity for me because I would never want to depart. I was already in my sanctuary, sharing it with Scorpius.

This was paradise, exactly where I was destined to be.

                                                                                THE END.