Pictures

The steam from the Hogwarts engine engulfed Hermione’s eyes as she stepped through platform 9 3/4. She couldn’t see her family, but judging by the cacophony of noise coming from her left, they weren’t far. Pulling the blanket from over the baby’s head, she headed to where she heard her daughter’s embarrassed voice.

“Daddy!” the curly haired girl with angular features hissed. “Put the camera away! You’ve taken enough to plaster our whole house with my face!”

“Stop complaining, ‘Seph,” Aidan Malfoy, a lanky boy of fourteen said. “When it was our year, everybody stared because the Malfoy triplets were starting Hogwarts. At least there’s only you and Alithia and the only person who’s staring is Dad.”

“Besides,” Hermione heard her husband say, “it’s not everyday I send my little girls off to school for the first time.” Flash went the camera.

“Mum, make him stop! Nobody else is getting their picture taken,” Alithia Malfoy begged her mother before running to her and hiding behind the diaper bag slung across her shoulder.

“Just let it happen,” Abraxas said. “Next year it won’t matter. You’ll notice he’s not taking our picture.”

“Daddy! Take mine!” A tiny boy of six stood on the entrance stairway to the Hogwarts Express.

“Cygnus Marcus Malfoy, you come down from there this instant! Persephone, Alithia, stand together in front of the platform and let your father take one last picture. Draco, get one of the boys and then that’s enough.” Hermione took charge of the situation and Draco, instead of heeding her orders, turned to her and took a picture of her holding one year old Scorpius who had his fingers in his mouth. He grinned cheekily at her and Hermione smiled back as she took in her family.

Aidan, Abraxas and Alistair were already as tall as she was and all three had the trademark platinum blonde hair and piercing grey eyes of the many Malfoys generations before them had. From the nose up, they were the perfect image of Draco and below, they had their Uncle Chris’ wide grin and strong chin. Alistair was slightly shorter than the other two and Abraxas had broader shoulders, but otherwise they were undeterminable to strangers. They were the chasers for the Slytherin team and a force to be reckoned with.

Her two daughters were fraternal twins. There hadn’t been a fertility potion, but out came Persephone with dark brown hair and honey brown eyes with her father’s angular facial structure. Alithia, the calmer of the two girls and the current champion of S.P.E.W. had long blonde curls, large blue eyes and Hermione’s facial structure. Hermione had insisted on corrective braces so that her little girl wouldn’t have the beaver-like teeth that she had suffered through. Persephone had her bossy, know-it-all nature combined with the Malfoy pride. However, she was fiercely loyal and protective of her sister and friends.

Finally, she looked at her youngest children. Cygnus had straight black hair and brown eyes. He took after his grandmother’s sisters and there were days that she was certain that Ron’s wife, Luna, had somehow transferred her genes onto the boy because he insisted in believing in the strangest of creatures and told his parents that nargles were nesting in the music room. The little blonde boy she held in her arms was Scorpius. Aidan and Abraxas called him the souvenir from Napoli. If only they knew that that’s practically what they were.




Special thanks to: Kazfiest, nonentity, Monkeymama, LadyVoldemort87, goldentrio, HarryGinny4eva, paigey07, whogirl, Clare1984, HannahJane90, Shananigans, LiaCatherine, catysmom, ichiruki, Lady Ryu, andimron, Tori In Wonderland, LeftInnocenceBehind, whogirl, 0o0itznitelite, Draco’s_Naughty_Vixen, laurachan, Megan, luvhp, angel, Prufrockgirl, sparkyCSI, HannahJane90, princesspeach TIKIGIRL!, uwfscubachick, Kaley, Eppie, Taryn, mhaj78, livelifelovehgdm, eklyptz, fransen, psych3, chickaboo, swetypie, sal paradise, mirror chan, wudelfin, savukan, Hadassah, zee, meankitty69, Sorceress Fujin, lyra, Drpnblood4u, altauna, chocolateveela, Luthien, kurtcooper, lupinsgal, performanceaddict, liuv2dance, obsessed, oopsiedaisy, mariecke, kittycat30, reirei, titfortat, laurie4403, sarahd, crissy, psych3, crittenz, chyara, Morte De Vin, LunaSeay, tasha, mistresssnape, goldentrio, Silent Pluto, gennastar, cait, cosmopolitan, tootsie, shannarenae, breannakristine, AKA Kitsune Rei, Ses, linoy, and Brooklyn shaman.

Thank you for reading, reviewing and offering encouraging words. You are all absolutely wonderful and I wish I had enough airfare to track all of you down and smother you with hugs. I dedicate this story to you all. If anyone ever wants to chat, my email is beatlefan176@aol.com.