Chapter Text
19th of September 2046
The Ministry of Magic,
Godric’s Hollow, Somerset
It was the 25th anniversary of Integration Day, the name for the 19th of September – the day when the wizarding community in Britain had bravely stepped into the light and revealed their presence to the non-magical community.
The Minister for Magic was giving a speech to mark the occasion, and Draco had been invited as a ‘guest of honour’ for being the Minister who made that call 25 years ago.
He stood on the stage behind Benedict Smith, the Minister for Magic of the past six years, but Draco wasn’t really listening to the speech he was giving to mark the occasion. His eyes were on his family, and his mind was elsewhere too.
Those 25 years had passed slowly and peacefully. That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been trouble because, of course, there had been. Rebel groups had tried to tear down the world they had built, but their security measures were such that no group had yet been successful.
Under Harry, Hogwarts was like Fort Knox. That didn’t just include the wards, although those were stronger than they had been for a long time. But Harry’s staff were very capable; Daphne had gone back to teaching after lecturing for a decade, so she and Bill made a fearsome team. In Theo, and Rob (who now taught Defence Against the Dark Arts), Harry had another two former Aurors, and then there was himself and Neville.
Nobody in their right mind would attack Hogwarts. Just like Ron had said about Gringotts back in 1991.
In the 25 years that had passed, Draco’s children had grown older and gotten married or had children of their own. Now, at 66 years old, he had 11 grandchildren. Almina, Teddy, Nick and Nina had two more children. Piper and Gaia were 25 and 24 now, and they had two younger siblings. Iris was 22, and she looked just like Nina until she decided she didn’t want to; then she would grin and turn her hair bubble-gum pink and wink at her father as she walked past him. Teddy said she had been the hardest in her teenage years, and Harry had grinned and said it was karma. Their youngest, Remus, was 20 years old; he was Nick’s double.
Charlus and Victoire had a daughter a few years after Phoenix was born. Manon was 20 years old, and the spitting image of her mother, and Phoenix was 25 now. He had just become a father to twin boys the previous year, making Draco a great-grandfather.
After a yearlong fling with Carina, Ella moved back to Britain, and Carina went home to Italy. A few years later, she reconciled with Noah Wood, and they had a son, Archer, who was 18 years old.
As soon as they left school, Thea fell pregnant, much to Daphne’s (and Hermione’s) chagrin. They got married, and everyone thought that the shotgun marriage would never last. But 22 years and three kids later, they were still going strong. Their eldest, Scorpius Draco Blacknot, was 22 and his brother, Perseus Theo Blacknot, was 18. The youngest, Cassiopeia Daphne Blacknot, was 16 and very much her mother (and grandmother’s) double.
Ada had married Laurel Longbottom, and they had spent the last 20 years travelling the world but never stopping for long enough to have children or settle down in one place. That just wasn’t what they wanted, and that was their choice.
Dora, their baby, had married Gideon Weasley, but as it turned out, he was a good man. Theo and Ron had joked about it and made up at the wedding (when they had slow-danced together, much to Dora’s embarrassment). They had two children – Leo was 11, Maia was nine and the youngest of Draco’s grandchildren.
He drew himself from his thoughts and looked up just in time to see Almina and Teddy whispering frantically about something. That set off alarm bells in his head because they were the Head of the DMLE and the Head Auror, respectively. Whatever they were whispering about, it was obviously a real threat.
That thought had barely registered in his head when someone jumped out of the crowd and yelled, “Fuck the Muggles!”
A beam of green light blinded him, and a scream came from the crowd. His last coherent thought was, No, I hope that wasn’t Almina, then everything faded to black.
When Draco opened his eyes, he had to blink to adjust to the light wherever he was. It was brighter than he was used to and not in a natural way. The way that the light reflected off the grass, which was greener than he remembered, it didn’t look like it did on earth.
He frowned and pushed himself to his feet, then he looked around slowly. Ordinarily, Draco would have reached for his wand, but he didn’t feel the need. Somehow, he knew that there was no threat here and that the only presence surrounding him was peaceful.
“Draco.”
He looked up in surprise. The voice that was calling to him was soft, angelic and familiar. It was a voice he had not heard for 24 years, his mother’s voice.
Draco looked around and finally recognised where he was. This was a clearing in the woods behind Malfoy Manor, wild blackberries grew here, and he had harvested them for his mother when he was a child.
“Draco!” The voice called again.
Blindly, Draco followed it through the vibrant foliage until he eventually emerged from the woods and saw the gleaming white manor up ahead.
Malfoy Manor.
It was then that he realised what this was. It couldn’t be earth, and it wasn’t a memory.
His mother smiled and waved to him from the backdoor. She looked the same age she had when he had been a boy, and Draco’s heart sank with realisation.
“I’m dead,” He whispered as his feet guided him across the lawn into her arms.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Draco breathed in shakily. She smelled the same, but it had been so long since he had smelled that faintly floral scent. He hadn’t realised quite how much he had missed it.
“I’m dead,” Draco said again.
Narcissa drew back and placed her hands on Draco’s cheeks so that she could look him in the eye. Draco didn’t think he had ever seen her look so young, her face free of the stress lines that his father had caused.
“Yes,” Narcissa said softly, “This is the Land of Eternal Summer, Draco.”
Draco breathed in sharply, “My family…will I…can I see what they’re doing?”
Narcissa shook her head, “Only the big moments, weddings and births. If you could see them all of the time, it would drive you mad.”
He let out another shaky breath, “Then I just have to wait, for years and years, until I see them again?”
When he looked at his mother again, he could feel tears pricking at his eyes.
“No,” Narcissa said softly. She smiled and brushed her finger over his cheek, “Time passes differently here, Draco. They will be here before long.”
Draco breathed a sigh of relief and looked around, “Is Father…?”
Narcissa shook her head, “No, nor is your grandfather Abraxas. But your grandmother Elladora will be delighted to see you.”
Draco smiled tightly, “Cygnus?”
Narcissa smiled warmly, “He is at home. I came here to greet you. The warden predicted that you would appear close to Malfoy Manor.”
Draco smiled sadly and looked up at the house, “Then….is everyone here?”
Narcissa shook her head, “Only a certain amount of generations. It would get cramped otherwise.”
Draco laughed weakly, “And my sister, Areya?”
Narcissa smiled, but not in the sad way that she had once done when Draco brought his sister up.
“No,” Narcissa said quietly, “The souls who pass before they reach magical maturity are reborn so that they may have another chance at life. There are no children here for that reason. Areya goes by the name Nina now.”
“Nina Potter-Wolfe,” Draco realised.
Narcissa smiled and held out her hand, “There is much to learn about this place and much to see. But for now, you have a party to attend.”
Draco raised an eyebrow, “A party?”
“Everyone is waiting for you in the Leaky Cauldron,” Narcissa said with a slight smile, “Come, Draco.”
Draco nodded and let his mother tug his hand. He was in a daze, if he was honest. Walking through a Malfoy Manor he didn’t recognise to step into a fireplace and emerge in the Leaky Cauldron – the old one that had stood in Diagon Alley for so long.
The moment he and Narcissa stepped into the room, there was a loud cheer.
Someone dropped a banner from the room that said, “YOU GOT ASSASSINATED!”
“Happy Assassination Day!” Fred Weasley cajoled.
“Forgive them, Draco,” Narcissa said under her breath, “They haven’t been able to have an assassination party since Rufus Scrimgeour died.”
Draco looked around in amused surprise. The people behind the banner seemed to have been Fred Weasley and Lee Jordan, but the room was full of people he knew.
“Here he is!” Fred said as he grabbed Draco from one side.
“Minister Draco Blacknot!” Lee joined in, grabbing Draco from the other side.
Draco laughed as the two jokers lifted him into the air.
“The greatest Minister for Magic ever to live!” Dean joined in, grinning at Draco.
“The hero!” Sirius, ever the big kid, added, “All hail Draco Blacknot!”
They deposited Draco on a table, and Lee yelled, “Speech!”
“Speech!” Fred joined in.
“Speech! Speech!” Sirius, along with James, Remus and Tonks, all chanted. Lily Potter rolled her eyes and refilled her glass of whiskey.
Draco didn’t have a speech to give; he was so confused. One moment ago, he had been on a stage watching Ben give a speech, and now he was dead.
“Oh, give the poor man a chance to adjust to the afterlife!” A familiar voice snapped.
Draco smiled tearfully and jumped off the table to hug her, “Aunt Dromeda.”
Andromeda pulled Draco in tightly and kissed him on the cheek, “Welcome home, Draco.”
Draco pulled back with tears in his eyes. Andromeda rested her hand against his cheek and said, “You have made us Black’s very proud, you know?”
“Apart from me,” Sirius said. He nudged Andromeda out of the way and held out a whiskey for Draco, “I mean, I spent my entire life disgracing the name of Black only for you to make it great again.”
Draco accepted the firewhiskey and smirked, “Yes, but I did all of that as a Blacknot with my disgraceful four-way marriage, so I think that’s rather in keeping with the family legacy, don’t you agree?”
Sirius grinned and held up his hand. Draco laughed and hi-fived him.
“He’s awesome,” Sirius said, looking over his shoulder at Remus, “Don’t you think, Remus? Thank Merlin Hermione ended up with him instead of Ron.”
“Excuse me,” Another familiar voice said, “Shut up about my husband if you want to keep getting free drinks.”
Sirius winked at Felicity as she walked over with a tray of drinks, “You know I love you, Felicity.”
Felicity gave Sirius a sceptical look and smiled at Draco, “Hey, Draco. Nice assassination.”
“Thanks?” Draco replied.
Narcissa touched Draco’s arm and lowered her voice, “I think there’s someone over there who would like to speak to you, Draco.”
Draco followed his mother’s line of sight. A glass door led to a little patio area that he didn’t remember being there in the original Leaky Cauldron.
And there she was, leaning against the railing. She looked older than when Draco had last seen her – she had lost the chubbiness to the face that came with youth. She stood a little taller and looked more sure of herself.
“Pansy.”
Narcissa nudged her son in Pansy’s direction, then hooked her arm through her sisters, “I wish he hadn’t joined us so soon.”
Andromeda smiled at her younger sister, “Neither do I, but you know what they say? The good die young.”
Draco walked away from them, drowning out the chatter and making a beeline for Pansy. When he stepped over the boundary of the patio, she threw her arms around him and held him tightly.
He breathed in shakily and closed his eyes. It felt like a lifetime since he had held her in his arms, so they both held on for a moment too long.
When Draco drew back, the first words that left his lips were, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Pansy said softly, “I was the one who stepped in front of that curse. I made my choice. I never wanted you to spend so many years regretting it, and I’m sorry for that.”
Draco breathed a little easier then, but he didn’t drop her hand, “You died too young.”
“And you were amazing,” Pansy said with a smile, “Draco Blacknot, the Minister Who Would Not Be Moved. Hermione Granger was exactly what you needed. She made you better.”
“She wasn’t the only one,” Draco said with a weak smile.
“I know,” Pansy said. She smiled warmly at him, “You were loved by so many people, and finally, you saw your own worth. That was what enabled you to rise to greatness.”
Draco sighed and pulled her into another hug, “I’ve missed you.”
“What are we, Dean? The bartenders?”
Draco grinned and turned around, pulling Tracey into his arms and then drawing back to shake Dean’s hand, “I’ve missed you guys too.”
Dean chuckled and patted Draco on the shoulder, “Neither of us was your lost love. Give the man his due, Tracey.”
“Listen to my boy, Tracey. He’s usually right.”
Draco looked up at Regulus Black. He brought a hand down on Dean’s shoulder and smiled at Draco, “Thank you for what you did for the name ‘Black’, Draco.”
Draco bowed his head, and then Pansy nudged him towards the door, “You’re a hot commodity. There’s someone inside who wants to speak to you.”
He looked inside and saw his grandmother, Elladora, sitting at the other side of the pub. He nodded and leant down to kiss Pansy on the cheek, then he re-entered the pub.
On his way to his grandmother, he was sidetracked several times. Firstly by Sorenson, who thanked him for looking after his little sister, then by Jack Sumner, who hugged him, slapped him on the back and told him how proud he was, and finally by Percy, who invited him to their weekly ‘dead-Aurors’ poker night.
Eventually, Draco reached the table and sat down opposite his grandmother.
“Hello, Grandma.”
Elladora Malfoy, who he had always known as an older woman, smiled at him, and she looked so radiant in her youth, “Good evening, Draco.”
She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his.
“I wanted you to know how proud I was when you named your daughter Elladora,” She said softly, “It meant more to me than you could ever have known.”
Draco squeezed his grandmother's hand, “You meant more to me than you knew. You deserved it.”
Elladora smiled, then Sirius dropped shot glasses on the table and said, “Shots for the assassinated Minister for Magic!”
A cheer went around the pub, and Elladora rolled her eyes, much to Draco’s amusement. He looked around and felt a pang in his chest when he thought of Hermione, Theo and Sadie and how much he couldn’t wait for them to see this.
“It will come,” A soft voice said.
He looked up at Lily Potter. She smiled in a motherly way at him, “You won’t be without them for long.”
“But while you are,” Sirius said, jostling his way in-between Lily and Draco, “Shots!”
- TBC -