"The first time he calls you holy,

you laugh it back so hard

your sides hurt.

The second time,

you moan gospel around his fingers

between your teeth.

He has always surprised you

into surprising yourself.

Because he's an angel

hiding his halo behind his back

and nothing has ever felt so filthy

as plucking the wings from his shoulders—

undressing his softness

one feather at a time.

God, if you're out there,

if you're listening,

he fucks like a seraphim,

and there's no part of scripture

that ever prepared you for his hands.

Hands that map a communion

in the cradle of your hips.

Hands that kiss hymns up your sides.

He confesses how long he's looked

for a place to worship

and, oh, you put him on his knees.

When he sinks to the floor and moans

like he can't help himself,

you wonder if the other angels

fell so sweet.

He says his prayers between your thighs

and you dig your heels

into the base of his spine

until he blushes the color

of your filthy tongue.

You will ruin him and he will thank you;

he will say please.

No damnation ever looked as cozy as this,

but you fit over his hips

like they were made for you.

You fit, you fit, you fit.

On top of him, you are an ancient god

that only he remembers

and he offers up his skin.

And you take it.

Who knew sacrifice was so profane?

And once you've taught him

how to hold your throat in one hand

and your heart in the other,

you will have forgotten every other word,

except his name."

— Ashe Vernon

The first rays of light bloomed on the horizon, bleeding into a vermillion and warm gold. Leveling his broom, Draco flew above the treetops. The exhilarating rush of flight coursed through him and urged him to fly faster. Behind him, night receded as he chased the sun rising in the east. His heart hammered in his chest. He had barely slept, afraid that when he woke it would all have been a dream.

"What's on your mind?"

Hermione blinked at him before turning her gaze back to the creek that flowed like liquid moonlight. They had just put Scorpius down for the night and decided to take a moment to sit by the stream. At her quiet demeanor and pensive face, Draco could tell something was on her mind — something she had been turning over since Senia's comments earlier that day.

"The final battle. Senia's words." She finally turned towards him fully, worriedly chewing on her bottom lip. "Us."

Draco tilted his head in concern, trying to untangle her thoughts but instead found himself with more questions than answers. He searched for any doubt or regret in her expression and relaxed when he found none. She looked hesitant but he silently encouraged her to keep speaking

"The final battle is coming and I know that we can't be sure of what happens then or even tomorrow. But one thing I'm sure about is you and — and our family," she shifted nervously, her hands wringing. He placed a hand over hers and she looked up at him wide-eyed, a question burning in them.

He froze, mouth parting in surprise.

Draco flew faster, the wind blowing through his hair as the world awakened before his very eyes. In that moment between night and day, dreams and wakefulness, he felt infinite. His mind stumbled through the words she had spoken, the question she had asked him as if she did not already know the answer.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

The sun fully emerged over the horizon, bringing with it the steady warmth and soft glow of a new day. Racing towards the infinite distance, he let go of the broom and spread his arms wide like wings. His eyes fluttered shut, the kiss of sunlight on his face and wind licking his fingertips. It was like this with her — this feeling of freedom along with the rush and exhilaration of life itself igniting his very being. But it was also peace — an acceptance of the world and himself, serenity despite all he could not control. Peace lifted the weight he carried, freeing him from the chains that had held him down for so long. Nothing had come close, would come close.

The promise of eternity twinkled on the horizon and he chased after it.

***

Hermione inhaled a shaky breath and shut her eyes, still shaded by a canopy of leaves. A soft melody spilled through the air, a song sang by a flock of nightingales. The light melody drifted over the branches along with the distant hum of the forest around her. Twilight was upon them, the last rays of sunset seeping in in all its golden glory. She was nervous — there had been no planning at all. It had been spontaneous as if something possessed her in that moment she voiced what she wanted. But she couldn't deny how right it felt.

"Mama!" a voice called out impatiently through the foliage followed by a familiar hushed reprimand.

Hermione grinned to herself, feeling a calm seep over her as the voices of those she loved called to her.

Steeling herself, she stepped into the clearing.

The world slowed as hundreds of forest fairies lit up like fallen stars. Narcissus petals were strewn in a path leading towards a willow tree whose branches spilled over and swayed gently in the breeze. And under the willow tree, raised on a boulder was Senia. Scorpius was on the side of the aisle bounding excitedly in the flower crown he made along with Watson who scowled and poked at the matching flower crown on his head.

At the end of the path, watching her, was Draco. He stood there in a simple white button down, looking at her with a quiet reverence that took her breath away. Brown eyes locked onto silver and she walked towards him, following the pull that beckoned to her. Her eyes remained on his even as her hands tightened around the bouquet of wildflowers Scorpius had picked, the dress she had transfigured trailing across the forest floor.

Draco swallowed as she came closer. She grinned widely at him and edges of his lips lifted in a soft smile.

Hello, she mouthed.

Hi, he replied, eyes glinting like pools of starlight.

A few steps later, Hermione reached the end of the aisle. She passed her bouquet to Watson and gave Scorpius a kiss on the head before Draco took her hands in his.

"We are gathered here today," Senia began, "to witness an old kind of magic, one of the first kinds of magical bonding. It is the purest bond that can be formed between two souls: Soul Bonding... "

Soul Bonding. She had not known much about it, but it had consumed her thoughts and finally spilled from her lips only the night before, half in question and half in hope. Marriage Bonding was more common in the wizarding community — it was more practical in nature, almost contractual. And then there was Soul Bonding, more rare in occurrence as it involved bonding two willing souls and bringing their magic together. In Marriage Bonding, one committed themselves to each other until death. To soul bond was to commit to each other even beyond death.

"... two souls complete and whole on their own choosing to be together, not out of necessity, not out of greed, not out of glory but out of choice, out of love," Senia said with conviction. The sun slipped further, the sky dimming as the stars blinked from their sleepy slumber. "Here, before the sun, the stars, and moon, when the light dies and the darkness comes, do you, Draco Malfoy, promise yourself to Hermione Granger until death and beyond in any other life?"

"I do," Draco replied, eyes burning with conviction. Devotion.

"Do you, Hermione Granger, promise yourself to Draco Malfoy until death and beyond in any other life?"

"I do," Hermione repeated with equal conviction. His hands tightened around her.

"The rings?" the old woman asked.

Hermione jolted, panicking at having forgotten one of the crucial elements to complete the ceremony. Draco brushed his thumb over her knuckles before letting go of them and pulling two objects from his pocket. Hermione gasped. On his palm were two rings she recognized: the Malfoy family ring and his mother's ring.

Hermione swallowed at the sight of the rings, realizing they had been in the pouch Narcissa had given Draco before they escaped the manor. Draco's words about the pureblood ring customs came back to her.

It was pureblood custom for the mother to pass on her engagement ring to the heir and take on a new ring. But this only happened if she approved of the witch and the union.

"When my mother gave me this, she wanted me to make a choice for myself. For my own happiness," his hands in hers were the only things keeping her steady. "And I am."

Hermione blinked back tears at the significance of the ring and the tradition. It also represented the choice he was making for himself. Her. She was his choice.

Senia waved her hand, lifting the rings. Narcissa's ring glowed, the alexandrite stone glinting a deep red then emerald. It was symbolic of them, of what they had been through — it symbolized the different truths revealed by a different perspective, of looking at things differently and finding more beneath the surface without the distortion of assumptions and preconceived notions.

The old woman muttered an enchantment under her breath like an old song that sounded both familiar and foreign. Golden strands of light appeared and wrapped around the rings.

"To seal the bond, say your vows and slip the ring into each other's fingers," she instructed.

The rings hovered between them as the string of golden light expanded and surrounded their forms.

Draco took his mother's ring in one hand and her hand in the other.

"To you, and only you, Hermione Granger, I give myself freely. I vow to be by your side, in light and in darkness. I vow to forsake all others, to be the best that I can for you and for our son. Forever you will have my love, forever will my soul be entwined in yours, forever will it burn by your side. And when we return to dust, my ashes will find yours and my soul will always seek yours. It will never rest until it has found yours again, in this life and the next."

Tears pricked Hermione's eyes as she felt the weight of the ring slip around her finger, resizing to fit her perfectly. She felt his words in her very soul, the bond between them humming as the glow of magic brightened around them.

"To you, and only you, Draco Malfoy, I give myself freely. I vow to be by your side, in light and in darkness. I vow to forsake all others, to be the best that I can for you and for our son. Forever you will have my love, forever will my soul be entwined in yours, forever will it burn by your side. And when we return to dust, my ashes will find yours and my soul will always seek yours. It will never rest until it has found yours again, in this life and the next."

Hermione slipped the ring on Draco's finger and the dancing golden light pulsed around them. She looked up at him only to find a soft kind of happiness on his face. It was dusk now, the fairies twinkling brightly against the shadowy darkness while the air hummed around them as the bond strengthened.

"Now, to seal the bond," Senia prompted.

Together, Draco and Hermione recited the ritual verse to seal the soul bonding ceremony.

"I have called your name out into the abyss,

I have seen into every cracked crevice of your soul,

And even in the darkness of your sins, I say:

I am not afraid.

When you walk through running rivers, I shall be with you

And when they try to drown you, I will be your breath.

And when you walk through fire, I shall follow you

For only those who are afraid shall burn.

And when Death takes me into his arms, for you I will wait.

For in this life and in the next,

Our souls will be entwined forever."

The light flared before contracting and seeping into them, illuminating them in golden glow. Even when it disappeared, Hermione could still feel the light in her very core. Their magic entwined together in harmony, connected by the new bond between their souls. His eyes burned brightly, mirroring hers.

"You may kiss!" Senia exclaimed.

Hermione tilted her face upwards and Draco's lips met her halfway. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss with a soft pressure she returned. It was slow and the world receded as their lips moved against each other. She sighed against his mouth and he smiled. Eyes still shut, their lips lingered, grazing against each other, unwilling to part. The tingle of the bond was still charged in their souls, only heightening the current running through them where they touched.

"Yay!" Hermione and Draco broke away as the little boy launched himself at them.

They laughed, sinking to their knees and pulled him into their arms.

Family. They were family.

***

Under a full moon, Draco and Hermione danced under the willow tree. Glowing fairies spun around them to an earthly melody that lilted through the air along with Scorpius' laughter from where he played with Senia in her serpent form.

The hand on her waist slipped to her lower back eliciting a shiver from her. With a flush on her cheeks, she watched him from underneath heavy lashes. He dipped his head until their cheeks grazed each other, his lips ghosting over the shell of her ear causing her to press her body more firmly against his.

"How do you feel?" she whispered. She laughed when he twirled her in his arms.

"Happy," he breathed, "happy in a way that does not feel possible."

Draco pulled her closer and Hermione smoothly wrapped her arms around his neck. He brushed his nose against hers.

"You make me happy too, Draco," Draco's heart stuttered at her words, "more than you know."

"Can I asks you to dance wid me, Mama?" a little voice said along with a tug at her dress.

"Of course! Save me from your father's horrible dancing!"

Scorpius giggled. Draco tried to keep the scowl on his face but was unable to at the sight of them smiling and dancing together. Hermione spun Scorpius in her arms and both heads tipped backwards in carefree laughter.

His wife. Fuck.

When they finished, Draco hid a grin behind his hand as the pair tried to make their way to him on wobbly feet due to excessive spinning. Drunk on their own laughter, Hermione and Scorpius giggled hand in hand, almost toppling over each other until Draco decided to finally step in.

"Now, now, come along little boy," the old woman said cheerfully when she turned back into her human form. Watson followed behind her. "Let's give your daddy and mama some time alone."

Senia winked at the couple and smirked. Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably but Hermione just laughed and set Scorpius down.

"Goodnight, daddy, mama Mini," Scorpius said obediently, taking Watson's hand.

"Congratulations," Watson mumbled, and, to Draco's surprise, bent over his waist in a bow.

Draco and Hermione thanked him and Hermione shocked Watson by kneeling and pulling him into a hug. His arms were limp and his face shifted in a puzzled look but he remained silent.

Once they disappeared, Draco scooped Hermione up in his arms and started walking through the foliage.

"Draco!"

"Is this not how muggles do it?" he paused, hesitant.

Hermione's chest warmed. "Yes it is — I was just surprised, but this is perfect," she said, kissing his jaw.

Finally they reached the secluded clearing Senia had prepared for them. At the center, illuminated by moonlight, was a bed of flowers, a hint of magic humming around it. Draco looked around skeptically.

"It's enchanted," Hermione said, reading his expression. She rolled her eyes fondly. "She also said she added wards herself to make sure we have... privacy."

A jolt passed through her at the darkening in his eyes — a promise burning within its depths. The atmosphere changed then, taking on a tension they knew so well.

Silently, Draco carried her to the center before carefully placing her on her feet. Turning to him, she waited as his eyes trailed over her body.

He lifted his hand, brushing his fingers over her cheek, down her neck, then to her collar bone leaving fire in his wake. He was always like this — patient, taking his time to touch her, savoring it.

With quick fingers, he unraveled the ties of her dress. Her sleeves fell delicately off her shoulders to her waist, exposing her breasts to him. Her nipples hardened in the night air and she couldn't stop the soft gasp that left her lips. His eyes snapped to hers at the sound, his fingers curling against her skin as his control wavered — but only for a moment. Eyes still locked on hers, watching her every reaction, he took his time grazing his knuckles against the sides of her breasts. She inhaled sharply, shivering when his thumb brushed her nipples.

"Draco," she whimpered, fidgeting. She needed more.

He chuckled deeply at her frown. "So impatient, my love."

Still, he took his time, heavy anticipation in his hooded eyes. Moonlight illuminated his sharp cheekbones and the cut of his jaw as if he was carved from moonlight itself. He trailed his gaze over her body, finally pulling the string at her waist causing her dress to flutter to the floor, exposing her fully to him.

Hermione flushed at the naked desire in his eyes that was softened by a raw tenderness in them. Stepping closer, his hand slid across her abdomen to the swell of her hip. She offered her lips to him, aching for his touch. Giving into the plea in her eyes, he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. It was soft, barely there but it sent shockwaves through her body.

"More," she said breathlessly when he pulled back slightly.

He smiled before taking her lips once more but deeply this time. His mouth was hot and heavy on hers as his tongue slipped into her mouth.

"So beautiful," he murmured, tracing his fingers against her swollen lips.

Hermione stepped back and lay on the soft patch of flowers. Looking at her, Draco memorized the way her curls spread across the forest floor and how moonlight dripped over her soft body.

"Draco," she beckoned to him, a plea in her voice. That was his undoing.

Immediately, he was on her, lips ravenous as they crashed into hers. Hermione returned his kiss with equal fervor, not breaking contact when she sat up and began unbuttoning his shirt with stumbling fingers. Draco's head fell on her shoulder, hot breath fanning her throat as one her palms ran across his bare torso. He pressed into her touch, muscles taut as she explored his body.

"More," he rasped before sucking her neck. Hermione arched into him and her nipples brushed against his chest, eliciting a deep groan from him.