Sour Grapes

Epilogue? What Epilogue?

A/N: I can't believe it's finally done! It's so bittersweet. I really loved writing these last two chapters in particular and I hope you enjoy it too!

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*Five Years Later*

Draco was sweating.

Again.

"You can do this. You're going to regret it if you're not in there when it happens."

"I know, I know, I bloody well know that! Why does everyone keep telling me that as if it's brand new information?!"

Ginny struck her signature hands-on-hips pose and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh you don't want to get snippy with me today, Malfoy. I'm here to keep you sane, so unless you'd like a quick portkey to the Janus Thickey ward-"

"Alright! I'm sorry, okay?"

Ginny turned her head and put a hand to her ear.

"What was that? Didn't quite catch it?"

Draco scoffed and hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

She perked up, smiling. "Apology accepted! Now, let's go back in there."

With a flourish of her robes, Ginny turned quickly and began to walk down the hall.

"No, wait!" he called after her, but she kept walking.

Panicking, he cried out, "I'm scared, Ginny."

She stopped abruptly and spun around, regarding him with a mixture of delight and surprise.

"Well, isn't this an honor?"

He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair as she strode back over to him.

"What are you scared of, Draco?"

"I should think that would be obvious."

"You would think so, but for sake of ease let's pretend I'm a simpleton and spell it out for-"

"What if I'm a horrible father?"

The words spilled out so quickly that for a moment he wasn't sure if she'd fully heard what he'd said, but then she closed the space between them and took one of his hands in hers. He didn't withdraw, which surprised even him. After regarding him for a moment with a look bordering on pity, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, you were raised by a man whose heart was corrupted by dark magic a long time before you entered his world. You were used and manipulated and betrayed, and yet here you are, loved and in love, and about to bring not one, but two new lives into this world. If you died today, there would be no question as to what kind of person you were. You are a credit to your father's name, not that any credit should or will ever be applied. You have redefined your family name ten times over and risen from impossible odds. So don't you for one second think that just because he was a sick, twisted, psychotic arsehole that it has any bearing on who you will be as a father."

Something snapped in him as she spoke. Her words, which would normally have ricocheted right off of him and off into the ether, sunk in instead. Once inside, he found them soothing. How had she known to say exactly what he needed to hear?