Exception Chapter 9: Epilogue
A look at Dramione behind the scenes of the Harry Potter series. Clearly this is nothing even close to canon but I tried to make it read like the original epilogue.
In early September, a bustling family of four was seen hurrying through King's Cross Station. Earlier, the pale-headed son had been pushing the cart, but, in a hurry, the father-a near-identical match from first glance-took control of the trolley. The frizzy-haired mother was then left carrying a toddler as well as holding the hand of the eldest son.
"I told you we should have Apparated here, 'Mione," Draco said over his shoulder.
"Draco, don't say words like that until after we make it through the border," Hermione scolded. "I thought you would have learned that by now."
"Oh, these Muggles will just ignore it, anyway."
"Draco!"
But Hermione's yell was lost on her husband. He had already disappeared through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Hermione sighed, but before she could go after Draco, she felt a tug from her son.
"Mum, I'm scared." Scorpius whimpered. He looked up at Hermione with his brown eyes wide, accenting the smattering of freckles on his pale face.
"It's alright, sweetie, I'll hold your hand through the wall if you want me to," Hermione said. Scorpius bit his lip and nodded.
Hermione made sure to walk slowly to the barrier with Scorpius, and they slid through calmly, as Hermione knew that running into it the Weasley way only made you more scared and attracted Muggle attention. When they were through, Hermione quickly spotted Draco leaning against the trolley, as if he'd been waiting for hours.
When Hermione reached him, Draco stood up, saying, "You do realize we're late, don't you? By now, the Weasleys will all be on the train."
"And which generation are you referencing, exactly?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
Draco acted as if he didn't hear her, which wasn't hard, since Scorpius suddenly called out, "Al! James!" and ran off.
Draco couldn't tell how Scorpius saw his two friends through the mist, because he couldn't see them until he and Hermione had followed their son's blonde head. Just behind the two Potter kids were Harry and Ginny, who Hermione and Draco waved to cheerily.
"Well, you two are late," Ginny said with a small smile. "How did this happen-both of you are sticklers for being on time."
Draco sighed. "'Mione insisted that taking the car would be better, when I told her Apparating would work just as well."
"Scorpius needs some Muggle experiences before going off to Hogwarts, Draco, I told you that," Hermione shot back.
"Yes, and how many times has Scorpius ridden in the car?" Draco returned.
Hermione shook her head, though she smiled. "Go help your son load up his things before the train leaves without him."
Draco saluted and did as he was bid. Hermione, meanwhile turned to Ginny, shaking her head.
"Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with that man," she laughed.
"Trust me, Harry was the same with James. Balancing the wizard and Muggle world is so difficult," Ginny said. Turning to the little girl in Hermione's arms, she added, "And speaking of which, how my little Rosie doing? I haven't seen her since she was born."
"Rose is doing beautifully, but," Hermione sighed, "she keeps sending off sparks in her crib and we have to keep putting out the fires."
Ginny laughed. "At least she's not floating off like James did when he was little. We were terrified he'd suddenly drop from the ceiling."
"Luckily, James was an excellent flier," Harry said, coming from a conversation-more likely a scolding-with James. Harry also turned to Rose and patted her head. "She's turning out as beautifully as her name. Rosalinda Marie Malfoy, you are a beautiful baby girl."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said. "And how are the two of you, by the way? Draco and I have been so busy with Sorpius going to school, I never got to hear about your trip to Romania."
"It's a long story," Ginny said.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "We should meet up at Hogsmead and get caught up with each other later."
"And make sure you clear your schedule for the day-Harry's very passionate about the whole thing," Ginny said in a low voice. Hermione suppressed a giggle, happy that her friends were back and that her son was about to go to Hogwarts-her favorite place in the world.
Meanwhile, Draco finally discovered his son attempting to lift his trunk onto the train. He couldn't find the right way to pick it up, and had to keep setting it down again. Draco tried to help, but Scorpius shooed him away.
"No, Dad, I'm fine," Scorpius insisted.
"Score, there's not nearly enough time to be a hero," Draco said.
"But I'm going to have to do things all by myself at school-I can't have you helping me all the time," Scorpius protested. Something in his voice was different, and Draco had an idea of what it was.
"Just let me help this one time, and then I promise I'll let you do everything else by yourself," Draco said.
"Fine," Scorpius grumbled. They lifted the trunk onto the train together, and Scorpius tried to walk off, but Draco held him back.
"Score, is something bothering you?" Draco asked. "You're not worried about what house you're going to be in, are you?"
"…maybe a little," Scorpius admitted.
"Son, your mother was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin, rival houses with equally good people in them. We aren't worried about what house you're in. Except Hufflepuff-if you make Hufflepuff, then you can forget about writing home anymore."
"Watch it, Malfoy," someone said behind Draco. Draco turned to see Zacharias Smith and his son walking past.
"Sorry about that, Smith," Draco said back. To Scorpius, he whispered, "See what I mean?"
Scorpius laughed, but he still looked worried. After a pause, he asked, "Dad…is Hogwarts scary?"
Draco thought about that for a moment. "It shouldn't be any more, as long as you don't go sneaking around like your mother and I did at your age."
"What happens if I do go sneaking around?"
"Well, see, the teachers-they are absolutely terrifying when you're out of bed. Best to be sure you're caught by Professor Longbottom, or your head's gone forever."
"Dad," Scorpius laughed. "You know what I meant."
"Scorpius, Hogwarts has always been the safest school I've ever known. And with Voldemort completely gone, it's safer than ever."
"What if Voldemort comes back?" Scorpius asked.
Draco sighed and rolled up his sleeve. He moved his arm all around, as if he were inspecting the red scar on his forearm. "Hmm, it doesn't seem like he's been calling for anyone. I think you'll be fine."
Just as Scorpius relaxed, Draco spotted Weasley headed toward them.
"Showing off your battle scars, Draco?" he asked.
"Always a favorite pastime of mine, Ron," Draco responded, with a wink at Scorpius. "Did you get caught up in the traffic, too?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd try driving again," Ron responded. "Did 'Mione make you drive here?"
Draco made a face. "Unfortunately, yes. It 'adds to our son's experiences' as she likes to put it."
"Stubborn, that girl," Ron said.
"Almost as stubborn as I am," Draco agreed. "I was just about to take Scorpius back to her so he can say goodbye, if you want to join us."
"I'd love to," Ron said.
Draco, though he now counted Ron as a friend, had never gotten over that bit of awkwardness that stemmed from their mutual love for Hermione. Ron never brought it up, but Draco felt that Ron still resented him for being the one she loved back. And Ron's lack of any romantic relationship only made it worse. Especially when certain people frequently brought it up…
"Ron, you told me you'd come to this platform only when you had someone to bring with you," Ginny said. "What happened to that?"
"Actually," Ron said, "you're looking at the new Care of Magical Creatures professor."
"Really?" Harry said with surprise. "And why didn't you tell us earlier."
"I wanted to surprise everyone ," Ron said with a shrug, bursting with pride. "Hagrid told me he was retiring, so I asked if I could replace him. Even Zabini approved it."
"Zabini?" Draco asked. "You mean Blaise Zabini? He's the new headmaster?"
"Yeah, it was a shock for me, too," Ron said. "But he's really not all that bad. Apparently, he really liked the way Dumbledore ran th school and is trying to do the same."
"So, Ron, what you're saying, is that you've given up on relationships and decided to live like Hagrid?" Ginny joked.
Ron shrugged self-consciously. "Well, I haven't really heard of many relationships that didn't have or cause any problems anyway. Even Malfoy's parents were perfect matches for each other and their parents decided they weren't meant for each other."
Draco remembered the day his parents told him that story. Apparently, his grandfather Abraxis had Lucius arranged to be married to another woman, but Lucius had wanted to marry Narcissa. It nearly caused a disownment, but since Narcissa was a pure-blood, it wasn't too hard to convince Abraxis to allow her into the family. It was a poor comparison to Draco and Hermione's problem, but if it led to his parent's acceptance of the girl, then Draco was willing to let them make the comparison.
"But, mate, love isn't supposed to come easy," Harry said to Ron, breaking Draco's thought process. "You don't really know how much you care about someone until you've got to fight to be with them."
"Harry-thanks but no thanks," Ron laughed. "Go fight another Dark Lord. You're not good at this advice stuff."
"He's right, though," Draco said. "You shouldn't give up on it. I heard from Longbottom there a some professors now that are quite the catch."
"Draco!" Hermione said, but Ron was laughing even harder.
"Now that's the advice I need," Ron said. Before Hermione could continue scolding Draco, the train whistle blew for the last call.
"Well, Scorpius, looks like you better get going," Draco said, patting his son on the back. "Go say good-bye to your mother."
"Bye, mum," Scorpius said, stepping closer so he could give his mother a hug. She squeezed him back and planted a kiss on the top of his head.
"See you soon sweetie, and make sure you write as much as possible," Hermione said.
"I will," Scorpius promised, turning to Draco, who gave his son a hug as well.
When he pulled back, Draco knelt down and said, "And about that house thing-your mother and I have a bet going on whether you'll be in Gryffindor or Slytherin, so make sure you get into Slytherin."
"Draco!" Hermione said for the third time that day. To Scorpius, she said, "Don't listen to your father, we'll love you no matter what house you're in." She lowered her voice and added, "But make sure you ask the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor."
"I heard that, you cheater!" Draco said. "Score, just go before you miss your train-or before your mother makes it so I lose."
"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" Scorpius said as he ran off towards the train. Hermione and Draco watched their son get on the train with a smile on his face, and in that moment, both were thinking the exact same thoughts. They both were grateful that their son lived in better times and were content, knowing that he wouldn't have to suffer nearly as much as they did throughout their years at Hogwarts.
Both of them had found happiness in each other and in the current peace. Both had found happiness finding exceptions to society's expectations.
In summary, all was well.
In early September, a bustling family of four was seen hurrying through King's Cross Station. Earlier, the pale-headed son had been pushing the cart, but, in a hurry, the father-a near-identical match from first glance-took control of the trolley. The frizzy-haired mother was then left carrying a toddler as well as holding the hand of the eldest son.
"I told you we should have Apparated here, 'Mione," Draco said over his shoulder.
"Draco, don't say words like that until after we make it through the border," Hermione scolded. "I thought you would have learned that by now."
"Oh, these Muggles will just ignore it, anyway."
"Draco!"
But Hermione's yell was lost on her husband. He had already disappeared through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Hermione sighed, but before she could go after Draco, she felt a tug from her son.
"Mum, I'm scared." Scorpius whimpered. He looked up at Hermione with his brown eyes wide, accenting the smattering of freckles on his pale face.
"It's alright, sweetie, I'll hold your hand through the wall if you want me to," Hermione said. Scorpius bit his lip and nodded.
Hermione made sure to walk slowly to the barrier with Scorpius, and they slid through calmly, as Hermione knew that running into it the Weasley way only made you more scared and attracted Muggle attention. When they were through, Hermione quickly spotted Draco leaning against the trolley, as if he'd been waiting for hours.
When Hermione reached him, Draco stood up, saying, "You do realize we're late, don't you? By now, the Weasleys will all be on the train."
"And which generation are you referencing, exactly?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
Draco acted as if he didn't hear her, which wasn't hard, since Scorpius suddenly called out, "Al! James!" and ran off.
Draco couldn't tell how Scorpius saw his two friends through the mist, because he couldn't see them until he and Hermione had followed their son's blonde head. Just behind the two Potter kids were Harry and Ginny, who Hermione and Draco waved to cheerily.
"Well, you two are late," Ginny said with a small smile. "How did this happen-both of you are sticklers for being on time."
Draco sighed. "'Mione insisted that taking the car would be better, when I told her Apparating would work just as well."
"Scorpius needs some Muggle experiences before going off to Hogwarts, Draco, I told you that," Hermione shot back.
"Yes, and how many times has Scorpius ridden in the car?" Draco returned.
Hermione shook her head, though she smiled. "Go help your son load up his things before the train leaves without him."
Draco saluted and did as he was bid. Hermione, meanwhile turned to Ginny, shaking her head.
"Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with that man," she laughed.
"Trust me, Harry was the same with James. Balancing the wizard and Muggle world is so difficult," Ginny said. Turning to the little girl in Hermione's arms, she added, "And speaking of which, how my little Rosie doing? I haven't seen her since she was born."
"Rose is doing beautifully, but," Hermione sighed, "she keeps sending off sparks in her crib and we have to keep putting out the fires."
Ginny laughed. "At least she's not floating off like James did when he was little. We were terrified he'd suddenly drop from the ceiling."
"Luckily, James was an excellent flier," Harry said, coming from a conversation-more likely a scolding-with James. Harry also turned to Rose and patted her head. "She's turning out as beautifully as her name. Rosalinda Marie Malfoy, you are a beautiful baby girl."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said. "And how are the two of you, by the way? Draco and I have been so busy with Sorpius going to school, I never got to hear about your trip to Romania."
"It's a long story," Ginny said.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "We should meet up at Hogsmead and get caught up with each other later."
"And make sure you clear your schedule for the day-Harry's very passionate about the whole thing," Ginny said in a low voice. Hermione suppressed a giggle, happy that her friends were back and that her son was about to go to Hogwarts-her favorite place in the world.
Meanwhile, Draco finally discovered his son attempting to lift his trunk onto the train. He couldn't find the right way to pick it up, and had to keep setting it down again. Draco tried to help, but Scorpius shooed him away.
"No, Dad, I'm fine," Scorpius insisted.
"Score, there's not nearly enough time to be a hero," Draco said.
"But I'm going to have to do things all by myself at school-I can't have you helping me all the time," Scorpius protested. Something in his voice was different, and Draco had an idea of what it was.
"Just let me help this one time, and then I promise I'll let you do everything else by yourself," Draco said.
"Fine," Scorpius grumbled. They lifted the trunk onto the train together, and Scorpius tried to walk off, but Draco held him back.
"Score, is something bothering you?" Draco asked. "You're not worried about what house you're going to be in, are you?"
"…maybe a little," Scorpius admitted.
"Son, your mother was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin, rival houses with equally good people in them. We aren't worried about what house you're in. Except Hufflepuff-if you make Hufflepuff, then you can forget about writing home anymore."
"Watch it, Malfoy," someone said behind Draco. Draco turned to see Zacharias Smith and his son walking past.
"Sorry about that, Smith," Draco said back. To Scorpius, he whispered, "See what I mean?"
Scorpius laughed, but he still looked worried. After a pause, he asked, "Dad…is Hogwarts scary?"
Draco thought about that for a moment. "It shouldn't be any more, as long as you don't go sneaking around like your mother and I did at your age."
"What happens if I do go sneaking around?"
"Well, see, the teachers-they are absolutely terrifying when you're out of bed. Best to be sure you're caught by Professor Longbottom, or your head's gone forever."
"Dad," Scorpius laughed. "You know what I meant."
"Scorpius, Hogwarts has always been the safest school I've ever known. And with Voldemort completely gone, it's safer than ever."
"What if Voldemort comes back?" Scorpius asked.
Draco sighed and rolled up his sleeve. He moved his arm all around, as if he were inspecting the red scar on his forearm. "Hmm, it doesn't seem like he's been calling for anyone. I think you'll be fine."
Just as Scorpius relaxed, Draco spotted Weasley headed toward them.
"Showing off your battle scars, Draco?" he asked.
"Always a favorite pastime of mine, Ron," Draco responded, with a wink at Scorpius. "Did you get caught up in the traffic, too?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd try driving again," Ron responded. "Did 'Mione make you drive here?"
Draco made a face. "Unfortunately, yes. It 'adds to our son's experiences' as she likes to put it."
"Stubborn, that girl," Ron said.
"Almost as stubborn as I am," Draco agreed. "I was just about to take Scorpius back to her so he can say goodbye, if you want to join us."
"I'd love to," Ron said.
Draco, though he now counted Ron as a friend, had never gotten over that bit of awkwardness that stemmed from their mutual love for Hermione. Ron never brought it up, but Draco felt that Ron still resented him for being the one she loved back. And Ron's lack of any romantic relationship only made it worse. Especially when certain people frequently brought it up…
"Ron, you told me you'd come to this platform only when you had someone to bring with you," Ginny said. "What happened to that?"
"Actually," Ron said, "you're looking at the new Care of Magical Creatures professor."
"Really?" Harry said with surprise. "And why didn't you tell us earlier."
"I wanted to surprise everyone ," Ron said with a shrug, bursting with pride. "Hagrid told me he was retiring, so I asked if I could replace him. Even Zabini approved it."
"Zabini?" Draco asked. "You mean Blaise Zabini? He's the new headmaster?"
"Yeah, it was a shock for me, too," Ron said. "But he's really not all that bad. Apparently, he really liked the way Dumbledore ran th school and is trying to do the same."
"So, Ron, what you're saying, is that you've given up on relationships and decided to live like Hagrid?" Ginny joked.
Ron shrugged self-consciously. "Well, I haven't really heard of many relationships that didn't have or cause any problems anyway. Even Malfoy's parents were perfect matches for each other and their parents decided they weren't meant for each other."
Draco remembered the day his parents told him that story. Apparently, his grandfather Abraxis had Lucius arranged to be married to another woman, but Lucius had wanted to marry Narcissa. It nearly caused a disownment, but since Narcissa was a pure-blood, it wasn't too hard to convince Abraxis to allow her into the family. It was a poor comparison to Draco and Hermione's problem, but if it led to his parent's acceptance of the girl, then Draco was willing to let them make the comparison.
"But, mate, love isn't supposed to come easy," Harry said to Ron, breaking Draco's thought process. "You don't really know how much you care about someone until you've got to fight to be with them."
"Harry-thanks but no thanks," Ron laughed. "Go fight another Dark Lord. You're not good at this advice stuff."
"He's right, though," Draco said. "You shouldn't give up on it. I heard from Longbottom there a some professors now that are quite the catch."
"Draco!" Hermione said, but Ron was laughing even harder.
"Now that's the advice I need," Ron said. Before Hermione could continue scolding Draco, the train whistle blew for the last call.
"Well, Scorpius, looks like you better get going," Draco said, patting his son on the back. "Go say good-bye to your mother."
"Bye, mum," Scorpius said, stepping closer so he could give his mother a hug. She squeezed him back and planted a kiss on the top of his head.
"See you soon sweetie, and make sure you write as much as possible," Hermione said.
"I will," Scorpius promised, turning to Draco, who gave his son a hug as well.
When he pulled back, Draco knelt down and said, "And about that house thing-your mother and I have a bet going on whether you'll be in Gryffindor or Slytherin, so make sure you get into Slytherin."
"Draco!" Hermione said for the third time that day. To Scorpius, she said, "Don't listen to your father, we'll love you no matter what house you're in." She lowered her voice and added, "But make sure you ask the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor."
"I heard that, you cheater!" Draco said. "Score, just go before you miss your train-or before your mother makes it so I lose."
"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" Scorpius said as he ran off towards the train. Hermione and Draco watched their son get on the train with a smile on his face, and in that moment, both were thinking the exact same thoughts. They both were grateful that their son lived in better times and were content, knowing that he wouldn't have to suffer nearly as much as they did throughout their years at Hogwarts.
Both of them had found happiness in each other and in the current peace. Both had found happiness finding exceptions to society's expectations.
In summary, all was well.