"Mum, how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay dear," Narcissa Black said as her son followed her to the kitchen to get more snacks while the rest played in the garden that she had been putting her heart and soul in.

"Mum," Draco murmured as while she did seem happy, Draco could not help but feel that his mother was lonely. "Why don't you move in with us, Hermione, the kids, and I?"

"Draco, I love you. And thank you for offering. But no. I know what it's like having your mother in law stay for extended periods with your family."

"Well Mum, I think we can all agree that you and Hermione get along much better than you and Grandma Malfoy did." Draco said though added almost too well under his breath.

"What was that, Draco darling?" Narcissa asked her son, as she had partially heard her son and couldn't help but tease him. She was after all still a mother, and even if her son was grown, she still had a right to tease him.

"Nothing." Draco sighed.

Narcissa smiled. "But one day Draco,"

Draco looked up.

"This place, is yours."

"Colby can have it, it's in his blood too. I know you've done a lot Mum, demolishing the whole wing and building a garden, creating beautiful life, when... so much was taken there but."

"Draco, this is your home, this is your heritage, and this is the inheritance of your surname. I didn't build that garden for me. I built it for you and your family. My time in this place has long been over, but I needed to do something to make up for all the times I was silent when I should have spoken up about Lucius. And that garden your family and friends are currently playing in, is my gift to you. Because you can and you sometimes have to make something beautiful out of something ugly. Ignoring it will do nothing but hide and let the ugliness foster into something horrendous because it is hidden behind a veil of obliviousness. You can never let history no matter how ugly it is, be ignored, or people will forget how evil is reborn."

"Mum." Draco couldn't help but look at his mum in more concern, as her words were so sincere that he couldn't help but wonder how much more ugliness his mother had seen in her lifetime, especially as even though his father had been the patriarch in many ways, he knew that his mother had still done so much to protect him. But what was the cost of that?

"Draco, you and your family are the new generation of wizarding elite, and this home, while it has a lot of terrible history, it has power in its name. And it's a power that you all must use to make change and show that the world is different now."

"Mum, I can't do it. Hermione and the kids-"

"It's okay Draco," Narcissa sighed. "Just remember what I said." She brushed a stray piece of his eyes that had hung almost over his right eye as he looked down, not able to look at her. "That's all I can ask for."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh as her best friend joined her on the bench as they watched the rest play kneazle, kneazle, nargle. Though thankfully the kids understood that Ginny was in no shape to run fast so they ran extra slow to let her catch them and sit back down rather quickly.

"So you know what my son told me today?" Harry asked with a small laugh.

"Which one?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"James."

"Oh boy," Hermione laughed, as she could only imagine.

"Yes, oh boy indeed." Harry shook his head.

Hermione said nothing as she waited for Harry to tell her.

"Apparently my son is willing to forgo his last name when he and Lyra marry because..."

Hermione bit her lip so she wouldn't burst into laughter.

"Lyra Malfoy sounds much better and lovely to befit one as pretty, than Lyra Potter, and he thinks James Malfoy is okay." Harry made a face of utter defeat.

The two parents looked at each other just because, before they both started cracking up because, now as parents. They now fully understood the saying that kids really said the darnest things.

"What are you two laughing about?" Draco asked he brought out the crustless sandwiches he had helped his mother make for snacks.

"James wants to be a Malfoy." Hermione quipped, with a small laugh escaping at the end of her sentence.

"Well of course he does. We are the best and most beautiful." Draco preened causing his wife to stop laughing as she stared at him, then sigh. Some things really never changed, including her husband's ego.

"Oh boy," Harry said, stealing his best friend's words from earlier.

Hours later, each family had made it home as their kids all needed to get back to a routine of sleep and daily activities.

Hermione was tucking in the girls as Draco and Colby tucked in the boy, and read him a story of his choosing, without his sister's influencing.

"Mummy," Lyra asked as she closed the door to Willow's room, having helped tuck in her youngest sister.

"Yes sweet?" Hermione asked.

"What was that spell Nana used earlier to make all the petals fall and whirl around us?" She asked, walking towards her room.

"Ah, did you like that spell?" Hermione smiled as her daughter nodded.

"Okay." Hermione said as they both entered Lyra's room. "First we'll get situated in bed, then I'll show you, sound good?"

Lyra nodded before proceeding quickly to getting her bed ready.

"Okay, so the spell is called Cadenflores." Hermione told Lyra as she took out her wand. "For a gentle fall, swish it like this but gently because even though they may be flower petals, even the softest object can hurt if too much force is applied." Hermione gently moved the wand down then to the side before gliding it down. "Unfortunately, we don't have any flowers in the room to practice, but next time we're in my office, we can try it together, sound good?"

Lyra nodded.

"Okay, night mummy."

"Night sweet, love you."

"Love you too,"

At last, Hermione made it in bed to find that her husband was already face first in the pillows.

"Draco?" Hermione asked.

"Lay down with me," Draco mumbled, never lifting his head up.

"Tired?"

"A weekend with eight kids," Draco rolled over dramatically. "I'm ready to hibernate."

Hermione laughed. "Colby in bed too then?"

"Yes," Draco said cuddling into Hermione's stomach.

"Lucius said no to Colby going to Hogwarts?" Hermione guessed.

"That damn bastard said no, because he wanted Colby raised like a man." Draco said angrily. "I swear, that man does some things just to spite me."

Hermione kissed his forehead as she cuddled with him. "Well the last comment yes. The two of you have a less than healthy relationship. However I know it feels like that and it sucks because Durmstrong is so far away from us."

"No, it's not just that but Colby needs family. If he went to Hogwarts, he'd have Teddy with him and the two are practically best buds. Then he'd have his nieces and nephew in a few years too. I remember what it was like, feeling lonely, while watching everyone else seem to find friends and even family with each other. It took me so long to learn all the aspects of love, because I couldn't figure it out and had no way to figure it out. Blaise was always there, but we started drifting when I realized having-"

"Minions," Hermione offered as Draco trailed off to find a word to describe Crabbe and Goyle.

"That's a little much... I wasn't that bad."

"Draco, Harry told me about when he swore the two transformed to ugly female versions of themselves, and I'm one hundred percent positive that was not their clever idea.

"Okay fine, minions it is. When I realized having minions was easier."

"Well, I mean, as a mother... with the way people whisper..." Hermione said as she played with Draco's fine blonde hairs. "I can see how Colby's Mum may not want him to go through people's judgements."

"I know, I don't blame her, but I don't think they're considering what Colby needs and what he can handle."

It was the last day of the week before everyone's lives got back to normal. Since it was Sunday and the family had yet to see Gustav and Gemina in months now. Since Colby was leaving them for Durmstrong soon, both agreed that the boy needed to get his hair cut done as well as their kids and catch up with the two family friends.

Upon knocking on the door, Hermione could not help but exclaim in shock when Gemina answered the door. "Oh my god, Gemina you're..."

"Pregnant! I know!" Gemina cried as she hugged Hermione before gesturing for everyone to come in.

"With what, a half giant? You didn't cheat on poor gusty did-"

Draco did not get to finish his sentence as Gemma threw a good sized hairbrush at him, nearly hitting his jugular but instead slamming into his shoulder blades.

"Shut it baby chubs. Do you want me to show everyone some pictures of fat tears rolling down your puffy cheeks as your afternoon petits four were dropped. Your cheeks so red that it looked like you had pooped in your diaper?"

"Jeez Gemma, who needs pictures when we've got your large muggle rock star lips-ye ouch. Hermione!"

"Draco, you're a father, at least try to act the age of your youngest before I put you in a bubble for timeout." Hermione threatened as Gemma readied another one of her husbands hairbrushes, this one was an old favorite despite missing some tips so the ends were quite... Sharp.

"Draco, really listen to your beautiful wife, she will keep you alive during my gorgeous wife's pregnancy." Gustav said finally appearing as the kids looked away from the spectacle that was Draco and Gemina to him.

Hermione grinned as Gustav kissed her hand as always before doing the same with the girls.

"What beautiful angels," Gustav cupped both their faces.

Harry Malfoy however was not nearly as excited as his sisters at the prospect of a haircut even if it was from Gustav.

"Do you want it done and over with first?" Gustav eyed him with a grin on his naturally pink lips.

"I guess so," Harry said in defeat.

"So melodramatic, that one." Gemina laughed as Harry Malfoy followed her husband to the small hair parlor they had built in their own home, head down and feet dragging.

"I'll go with him," Willow said as she smiled up to everyone before almost bouncing to catch up to Gustav so that she could sit on one of the chairs and be levied up to the highest setting and watch everything carefully.

Later that day, after he got a rather handsome haircut, Colby had to leave to the kids' disappointments. Hermione as always gave Colby a small photo book she made of each event they all attended together. Several moving pictures were of Colby with the kids but Hermione had also managed to get a few of the two brothers together, especially one in front of Gustav's parlor as the two were seen inspecting their individual haircuts carefully, both bright blonde heads shining like a beacon.

"Thank you Hermione."

"When are you back?" Willow asked as she looked up at him, trying not to cry as her wide brown eyes started to water up at the thought of him leaving once more.

"Hey Willow, it's okay." Colby went down to his knees to be level with her. "I'll be back before you know it and you can always owl me. I might be in school but I will never not have time for you."

"Okay," Willow said softly as Colby ruffled her hair.

Harry Malfoy sighed heavily as once more it was just him and two sisters. He had asked his Mum for Christmas once for a brother and instead Lyra had regifted him one of her boy baby dolls. Woe was he.

Lyra just hugged him, almost not letting go, when Draco had to pick her up so that Colby could make the portkey in time to get back to his home.

"Keep safe!" Lyra cried after him. 

"You too!" Colby cried out as he disappeared with the portkey.