it ends with us ✦ draco malfoy (sequel to endgame)

the real deal

    The songbirds sang as I set down the teapot on the small round table in the gazebo of the garden. Chloe did most of the work. She set up everything for my monthly brunch with my friends long before I woke up this morning.

    Back during university, Alex, Blaise, Theo, Stass, and I used to have Sunday brunches at my flat and now that the reality of life has consumed us, we cut the weekly Sunday brunches down to monthly. It's a great way for all of us to see each other again. On occasion, we would have dinner parties at one our homes and bring our children. I have Aurora, of course, Stass and Adrian have twins, Willow and Jasper, Theo has a girl Aurora's age, Sophia, and Blaise and Alex have yet to settle down. There's probably little Blaises running around, but knowing him, Blaise wouldn't claim any of them as his own.

    I made one last round of checking the flowers in the garden. Unlike my mother, I don't spend my time taking care of the plants so I just use magic and sometimes hire a groundskeeper if my magic gets out of hand. I have no idea how to keep a house. I was only giving Blackwood Estate two years ago when I told my parents about Aurora. They think that because I'm capable of having a husband and a child, I'm capable of running a mansion and acres of land. Of course they don't know that Ash is my fake husband and Aurora isn't really my child. All they know is that Ash and I eloped and the reason why I couldn't see them for almost a year was because I was secretly pregnant, not because I was too busy with work to see my own family.

    Aurora came running out of the house and jumped into my arms. I spun her around, letting her short black hair fly in the wind. "Hi, Baby", I said kissing her cheek. "Where's Daddy?"

    "Inside", she replied, pointing her finger at the house.

    "Do you want to learn magic, Aurora? Mummy can teach you." She nodded her head. "Okay", I said setting her down on the ground. I crouched down so that I was level to her. "I'm not really supposed to teach you wandless magic, especially at your age, but your a Raven, so you're naturally talented. I just know it."

    "She's a Blackwood too."

    I turned my head and saw Ash standing behind Aurora. I didn't notice that he left the house and walked into the garden.

    "Hardly", I said shaking my head. "There's no Blackwood blood in her."

    "Doesn't need to be", he said crouching down. "You're still her mother whether you gave birth to her or not."

    "Do you think she'll think so when she's older?"

    "Of course. Aurora will know how amazing you are. Her mother dropped her off at my doorstep after not speaking to me for months. She'll know that you are her mother because you stuck by my side and helped raised her."

    The day where I have to tell Aurora that I'm not her biological mother is a day that I fear the most. I have no idea how she would react. Would she hate me and push me away or will she hug me like she always does and give me a kiss on the cheek? Even worse, how would she react when she's told that for the first couple of years of her life, her parents's marriage was a complete lie? I hope she doesn't hate me and hold everything against me.

    I shook the thought off. It's way too soon to start thinking about telling Aurora the truth about me. Right now, I need to focus on the present and soak in the time I have with my daughter before she's off to Hogwarts.

    "Alright", I said to Aurora, "grab the stem of the flower", I instructed, holding onto the stem of the daisy. She followed. "And close your eyes and think about turning the white daisy into a different color." I shut my eyes and imaged the white flower turning blue. I felt the wave of magical energy flow through me and into the stem. When I opened my eyes, the white daisy is now a blue one.