Five years later.

'' Hi, love.'' Blaise smiled. His head tilted against the stone as he slipped down next to it. '' It's me, again.''

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit for himself, '' If I were you guys — I would've been tired of me already, but a promise is a promise, right?''

He huffed, looking out over the lake in front of him as his head tipped, and his cheek felt cold against the rock.

'' I missed you this week. Life is busy. Work is boring as always, and Dean—''

Blaise held his breath, '' Dean is Dean, you know.''

'' Your mother wanted me to give you my best. It feels strange to tell her that I am meeting you when she doesn't know...''

He quieted down, crossing his legs over the soil he was seated on.

'' Let's not talk about that.''

The warm breeze stroked his cheeks, and a flushed color stained them.

It felt calm — easy to be here now in the aftermath of it all. After the war. After the dark ruling turned into a fair one.

To feel the world he was living in, peaceful.

All the darkness his two best friends lived in — faded, as they did.

Blaise's eyes dragged over the world before landing on the hands placed in his lap, and the smile still coated his lips.

He noticed the nail-polish covering his nails.

'' Do you remember when you painted my nails, love?'' The tips of his fingers rubbed over the yellow polish, '' You colored mine black, and I colored yours yellow.''

'' That's the only color I let her paint on them these days. I can't bear another color than that soft yellow shade you always wore.''

His mind fled to when he was still in school, tucked up in his dorm with Leiah — laughing at some mean comment she made about Draco, or when they used to lay on the grass in the sun, reading to each other, and she fiddled with that necklace of hers.

The necklace Draco gave her.

But all he saw on Leiah's small fingers was her yellow nail polish.

" We should have painted your nails too, Draco. Don't you think?"

''Dad!''

Blaise flinched, quickly pushing himself off the ground as the sweet, chuckling voice shredded closer,

'' Speaking of her.'' He smiled, and the little girl running towards him slammed into his chest as he lifted her, spinning them both around in the sunlight.

'' Hi, darling.'' Blaise whispered into her curly hair, '' Are you ready to meet your auntie Leiah again?''

The child in his arms smiled cheekily as she bent over in her father's arms to place one white rose on top of the stone standing next to them.

'' Hi, auntie Leiah.'' The little girl giggled, stroking the rock with her hand, '' I missed you.''

Blaise smiled, feeling how his eyes prickled in tears by the sight of his daughter placing a flower on his best friend's grave.

'' You know what, princess?'' Blaise put her down from his hold, hunching down next to her as her dress danced in the wind, '' I just know she missed you too.''

'' But don't you forget to say hi to your uncle Draco too.''

The girl twirled a lock of hair in between her fingers as she stumbled up to the stone, and again — she stroked it, whispering, '' Hi uncle Draco, I missed you.''

She loved stroking it, because to her — that was her auntie Leiah and uncle Draco.

Blaise and Dean had adopted her, years after the war — years after his best friends had passed, and to his misery, they never got to meet the angel he called his daughter.

It hurt, watching his child loving a gravestone — missing someone she never had the chance to meet. His bones crumbled as he thought of it.

His eyes fell over the text carved into the rock, and once again, he smiled.

He was happy.

He was peaceful because he knew that Leiah and Draco always had each other, no matter in which heaven they ended up in,

They were together. They were protected and safe in the place he had put them to rest.

'' Darling.'' Dean shouted from behind him, '' Not to be rude, but Narcissa is waiting, and the food is ready.''

Blaise nodded, turning back to look at his daughter as she played with the flower she had placed on the stone.

'' It's time to go, princess, but we'll see them again next week — isn't that right?'' His arms stretched out as she jumped into them, '' What is it we always say, love?''

She buried her head in his chest as he hugged her close, her fingers toyed with the necklace hanging around her neck,

The same necklace Leiah had been carrying. The jewelry Draco had given her, now coated his daughter's neck.

'' We will always come back for them.'' She giggled, arching her neck to look up at her father, '' But why, dad? Why do we say that?''

Blaise huffed, tucking a brown lock behind her ear, '' You see. Your auntie Leiah and uncle Draco, they told each other all kinds of promises, all the time, but they weren't that good of keeping them.''

She nodded. Her eyes glistened as she looked curious.

'' So, we need to keep their promises for them.''

Blaise held her with all he had as he peered over her shoulder — looking down at the gravestone that had their names on it.

'' And that is a promise I'll keep to you, Leiah Malfoy Zabini—'' He bent back, looking proudly at his daughter while speaking her name.

'' We will always come back for them.''

'' Pinky swear?'' She made a grimace, stretching her hand up in between them as she stuck out her little finger,

'' Pinky swear.'' Blaise's finger tangled with hers, and both of them laughed at it.

'' Now, you have to say bye-bye to auntie Leiah and Uncle Draco because we have to go.'' Blaise kneeled down with his daughter hugged to his chest,

"Say bye-bye, darling.''

Her hand shifted in the air as she waved it to the stone, '' Bye-bye, auntie Leiah and uncle Draco.''

He stood tall on his feet again, taking a step forward as he settled his own hand on the majestic rock.

'' Goodbye, love. I love you both.'' Blaise mumbled, in the parting with his best friends.

He felt the warmth of happiness rush throughout him, '' And Draco—'' He sought to mock,

'' You better look after her until I come back.''

He stepped back, his daughter in his arms played with his tie, and just as he was walking away, he stopped, placing a hand on the gravestone next to Leiah and Draco's.

'' Hi, Luna.'' He smiled, '' Do you want to say hi to auntie Luna too, before we leave?''

The girl shifted around in his hold, waving at the stone, '' Hi, auntie Luna. I miss you.''

They walked away — Blaise with his daughter in his arms.

It was bittersweet — beautifully sad yet breathtaking.

He knew they were safe now and that they were waiting for him — that he one day would reconcile with the people he grew to love so badly.

Leiah, Draco, and Luna.

People come into your life. They take what they wish for, and then — they leave you, usually a little more broken and fragile than how they found you, but not them.

They gave him everything.

It would always be them to him.

As her mother once said — a memory is a star or a stain, but not them.

They lived to be everything.

Forever.

The end.