Confessions of an Ex-Death-Eater

Epilogue: Saturday 17th July 2010

'Are you okay, Draco? You look rather pale.'

'I thought we'd already repeatedly established that I'm pale and pointy, Potter.'

'That's Malfoy-Potter to you,' Harry reclined back on the cushions that were laid out on a rug underneath his favourite oak tree in the manor's gardens. His cream robe-jacket carefully laid out beside him. It was nice to have a moment in the shade because of the heat. 'I'm serious, did you get enough sleep last night.'

'No, Professor Malfoy-Potter, of course I didn't get enough sleep, it was the night before my wedding, it's to be expected that I had a nerve-wracked sleepless night!'

'Do you need to take your new meds?'

'I did already,' Draco sighed.

'And?'

'And stop mothering me, I'm fine.'

Harry pulled Draco into his arms. 'We should have had the ceremony this afternoon instead of all this malarkey.' He waved vaguely at the 'Under-13's' Quidditch match which was currently taking place on the manor's back lawn. While champagne flowed, the wedding guests were spread around the perimeter of the garden in groups watching what seemed to be a huge plethora of kids in their best attire, who were flitting back and forth on training brooms trying to catch the Quaffle and score. Harry had spotted the snitch about three minutes earlier but the two Seekers were somewhat lacking in attention. He'd have to have a word with Scamp later.

Draco sighed. 'Absolutely not, look at them all, they're having a ball. It was the best plan for entertaining all the kids this afternoon between the wedding breakfast and the evening party. And I can't believe Ginny is umpiring in that dress.'

Harry looked at his husband who despite laying on a rug in the garden and being snuggled into the crook of his arm still managed to look refined in his cream wedding robes. 'You wish you could play too?'

'You know I do, Harry.'

'Perhaps St Mungo's can work on that next, Nev's doing great research into healing plants in conjunction with the Janus Thickey Ward healers. He was just telling me he hopes that he might be close to helping Alice.'

'Stop building your hopes up, Harry, we both know I won't get my strength back.'

Teddy swooped past rather close with the Quaffle clutched in his hand, 'Hi Dar! Hi papa!' His shout was nearly lost in his wake. Although Harry had cast a height and speed limiter on his and Scamp's brooms, he was, really, still too fast for the younger kids. He'd have to be come off to give them all a chance, but Harry decided to let him have another five minutes. Besides, Scamp had, at last, spotted the Snitch and was chasing after it.

The wedding guests erupted into a cheer as Scamp closed his hand around the snitch. Both Harry and Draco sighed. And Harry signalled for the two boys to come off while a second match was started.

'There's too many redheads at the manor.'

'You love it really!' Harry couldn't help winding a piece of Draco's hair, his husband's hair, around his index finger, unconsciously twirling the soft blond lock.

'You'll create a knot...' Draco chided. 'and I'm supposed to be looking my most gorgeous today.'

'You're always beautiful,' Harry sighed and buried his lips into Draco's hair. 'And you smell bloody divine!'

'Stop it!' Draco's voice dropped in warning. 'There are people watching and I can tell just by the tone of your voice that you're getting the horn.'

Harry smirked against Draco's soft hair.

'Anyway,' Draco continued, 'we were talking about all these bloody redheads. Look at them all, they're everywhere. And Hagrid, the great oaf, he keeps falling in the flowerbeds and trampling the dahlias, he's had way too much mead. My father would be turning in his grave.'