Epilogue—Life Goes On

Hermione whirled around to see a cloaked man holding a wand nearly in Harry's back. Before he could react, she'd banished him wandlessly into a nearby shop wall, knocking him unconscious. Beside her, Harry's lifeless body had already crumpled to the ground. Mrs. Rakepick's eyes were like dinner plates as she stared down at Harry in shock.

Crowds raced over to both where Harry and Hermione were and where the cloaked man was. One of those bystanders was a constable, who stunned the man before pushing back his hood.

Hermione, having dispatched Harry's killer for the moment, was down on her hands and knees in an instant. Tears streaked her face as she clutched at Harry's lifeless body. The man she loved – the man she'd come to rely on as her partner in all things – was gone. There was nothing to do but weep.

The constable levitated the man over to where Harry lay. While Hermione had been grieving, he'd been working. He relieved the man of his wand, and checked him for portkeys, finding two. He'd also taken his other personal items for cataloguing.

"Lady Gryffindor," the constable said, bending over and putting his hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Do you know this man?"

Hermione looked up from her husband for the first time in perhaps five minutes. The man was young… maybe eighteen. He had dull brown hair neatly combed. There was no stubble on his face, but Hermione could tell he'd shaved recently. He had a largish nose. She didn't know his name, but she recognised him.

"I don't know his name," she replied. "But he was a Hogwarts student this past year. A seventh year Slytherin, if I'm not mistaken."

The constable sighed, expecting the answer, but not liking it.

"I'll have to revive him then," he said, binding the man. "Rennervate." The bound man blinked awake, and the constable loomed over him, the crowd pressing close to hear. "What's your name?"

ooOOOOoo

Swirling mist coalesced into forms. Harry found himself standing in the entrance hall of Peverell Court. He looked around briefly, trying a door. It wouldn't open. In a corner, beside an umbrella stand, was a small basket that emitted soft whimpers.

Harry moved over to the basket, taking the time to feel the soft white fabric of his loose new robes as he went. Peering down, he saw a hideously deformed baby squirming in some blankets.

The door to the parlour opened, and Lord Henry entered.

"Hello, Harry," he said brightly.

"You're… you're dead," Harry said, straightening up and approaching his great grandfather. Lord Henry nodded. He was wearing a white robe similar to Harry's.

"I am," Lord Henry replied.

"Am I?" Harry asked.

"Not quite," Lord Henry answered. "You both are and aren't."

"How is that possible?"

"I suppose it's better to say that you are dead, but needn't remain so," Lord Henry offered. "That disgusting creature in the basket is your ticket back to the land of the living, if you so choose."

"Then why am I here?" Harry asked, confused.

"You were struck by the killing curse," Lord Henry said. "However, you were a horcrux – Tom Riddle's last. That… thing," he continued, pointing at the baby, "is the last bit of Riddle's soul. When Riddle killed your mum, and then tried to kill you, his curse backfired and struck him, shattering his soul one last time. The soul shard latched onto you, the closest soul it could find." He paused for a moment. "The price exacted by the killing curse is a soul. You, though, harboured two souls. Only one need pass to the realm of the dead."

"Why are you here?" Harry asked.

"I volunteered to collect the last shard of the blighter who would try to destroy my family," Lord Henry said with a smile.

"I thought you said I had a choice," Harry countered.

"You don't," Lord Henry replied. "Not really. You're going back to the living, and finishing what you started. You're going to make Hermione the happiest woman alive, live to a ripe old age, and have lots of babies."

"Lots of babies?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Well, some babies," Lord Henry allowed. "The point is, I'm not taking you any further, so you'll have to go back. I insist upon it. You're too important to our family, and Britain to not do so."

"It would be irresponsible of me not to go back, seeing as I have the chance," Harry agreed. He looked at the whining baby. "Damn."

"It didn't ever affect you, if you're worried about it," Lord Henry said. "It did give you the ability to speak parseltongue, but now that you have it, you won't lose it."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Harry revealed. "When I go back, I'll be the boy-who-lived again. I was so enjoying not being famous for that."

"I understand," Lord Henry consoled. "But think about it this way: you're already famous. Everyone in Magical Britain already knows who you are. This will be just another thing you've done. People won't know you for this, rather, they'll know about this because you're famous… famous for being a good man, a great leader, and a social reformer. This will be the opposite of the way it was in your old life."

Harry paused to consider what Lord Henry had said. It was true. Harry was already famous in his current life, and not for being the boy-who-lived. He had managed to lead a shire and a school. He'd sat on the Wizengamot and changed the face of Magical British government. He'd stopped dark wizards from corrupting his country. He was famous. His name appeared in the Prophet daily. Things he did were newsworthy. This was just another of those things. Harry smiled.

"I'll do it."

Lord Henry waved his hand and the mist occluded Harry's vision.

ooOOOOoo

Harry blinked awake, laying in the street. For a second he continued to lay there, unmoving, assessing his body. He felt fine, better than fine, actually.

"What's your name?" he heard a man ask. Harry looked over and saw a recently graduated seventh year Slytherin laying bound in the street next to him.

"That's Peter Burke," Harry said. There were gasps all around. Burke's eyes went wide and he started shaking, then abruptly passed out.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, wrapping him up in a hug. "I thought…"

"I know," Harry said, hugging her back. "I thought so too."

"What…"

"Shhh," Harry whispered, holding her close. "I'll tell you later. It's not for everyone to know."

"Lord Gryffindor!" the constable called from where he hovered over his prisoner. "Are you alright?"

"I am," Harry informed him. "Thank you. Is this the man who tried to murder me?"

"It is," the constable said. "Lady Gryffindor banished him into a wall, knocking him out and preventing his escape.

"It would seem you have things here well in hand," Harry observed. "Can I trust you to complete the investigation without me?"

"Yes, milord," the constable agreed.

"Good," Harry said, standing. "Lady Gryffindor and myself have an election to get to."

"Harry, are you sure?" Hermione asked. "You were just…"

"I'm fine," Harry said. "No harm was done. Now, let's go. The polls are about to open."

ooOOOOoo

The results were in the next day. The Liberals had won by a landslide, nearly sixty percent of the vote. Hermione, being in the upper half of the slate of Liberal candidates was seated in Parliament along with Alphard Grey, Neville Longbottom, and Lady Winifred. Mr. Weasley became the first Prime Minister of Magical Britain, while Mr. Crouch became the first speaker, and Mr. Prewett became the first leader of the Liberals.

Mr. Burke, though he'd won the traditionalists' only seat in Parliament, never took it up. He'd been arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, for encouraging his nephew to assassinate Harry.

Harry did end up playing seeker for the newly formed Hogsmeade QC. The team went on to win the league cup three years in a row before Harry was drafted onto the English national team in 1954, where he took them all the way to the finals, where they lost to France. Victory was his, though, in 1958, when the English national team took the World Cup against Sweden, with Harry using the 'Potter feint' to knock out the Swedish seeker before snagging the snitch.

Hermione spent most of her time as headmistress of Hogwarts, but was still a reliable vote for the Liberals in Parliament, which she made a point to never miss. She won re-election in 1955, but declined to run again in 1960.

Alphard became a very effective politician, rising to the top of the party leadership in the Liberals. He was invited to be Prime Minister in 1960, when Mr. Weasley retired. In 1955 he married his long-time girlfriend, Ann Parker.

Neville and Marina were married in the summer of 1950, after they'd completed their masteries. Neville went on to manage the family greenhouses for years, before finally giving it up in 1970. The reason he gave it up was that Alphard was quitting as Prime Minister, and Neville had gotten the nod. Between Neville, Alphard, and Mr. Weasley, they effectively established the tradition of no Prime Minister serving more than ten years.

Peter King and Kathleen Hall married in 1950 as well. Peter became a shopkeeper in Hogsmeade, with Kathleen assisting him. The store, King's Mercantile, was a muggleware shop. It sold everyday muggle items, sometimes enchanted to work better (like kitchenware), and sometimes just charmed to be more useful or durable than might otherwise be the case. Their pens and paper, being something of an improvement over quills and parchment, became a must-buy for most students at Hogwarts, something Harry and Hermione encouraged.

Harry and Hermione also returned every summer to Saint-Tropez. They sold homes to Neville and Peter at deep discounts. Flea and Mia also bought a home there. The rest of the homes the younger Potters turned a nice profit on, selling to the rich and famous jet setters starting in the late 1950s. Hermione finally got her yacht, which they spent lazy days lounging on with their friends. Nights were frequently spent in town, gadding about with movie stars and other celebrities. Some of Harry and Hermione's fondest memories were made in southern France.

Harry retired from professional quidditch in 1959 when Hermione became pregnant with their first child. Daniel James Potter was born on March 4, 1960. Daniel was a healthy boy with messy black hair like his father and soulful brown eyes like his mother. Twenty-three days later, Daniel's uncle (or grandfather, depending on how one looked at it) James was born. Hermione's pregnancy had been fairly easy as they go, and was helped immensely by Mia being pregnant at the same time.

Her next pregnancy, resulting in Emma Emmanuel Potter, on June 30, 1962, and her final pregnancy, resulting in Lily Susan Potter, on November 1, 1964, were nearly as easy as the first. Emma and Lily both got their father's black hair, but as it grew out it fell into soft curls as opposed to Harry's messy fop. Emma got Harry's green eyes, while Lily got her mother's brown ones. They were all polite and friendly children.

Daniel, the eldest, was a leader. In that way, he emulated his father, though he wouldn't acknowledge it. He was always coming up with games to play with his friends and siblings. He was serious, but still maintained a good sense of humour.

Emma, the middle child, grew to be bookish like her mother. She was more aloof than her siblings, preferring to relax in the library with a good book. She smiled frequently, but was also quite serious. She was very slow to anger, but once reached, she had a tendency to explode in fury.

Lily, the youngest, was a free spirit. She preferred the outdoors, and spent hours exploring the forest at Edgewood. She had a vivid imagination that she used regularly. She was gentle and kind. Her near constant joy almost manifested physically.

As the children grew, they often played with 'Uncle James' and a couple of distant relations, Sirius and Regulus Black. Sirius' mother had been released from prison in 1958, having served eight years for sedition and other charges. Not having murdered anyone, she was released. Walburga visited her husband in prison regularly, where he finally whelped a child on her not once, but twice.

In 1966, she was returned to prison for conspiracy to assist in the escape of her husband, which was caught mid-go. Her children were placed with their closest living relative, Alphard.

The next year saw Professor Robards, who'd taught Transfiguration since Dumbledore's death, accepting a position with the Ministry. Hermione was more than happy to fill the vacancy with a beaming and excited Minerva McGonagall. Both women were extremely happy to be working together. McGonagall was also happy to be able to leave her position in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, where she'd been working since obtaining her mastery in Transfiguration.

In 1971, Harry and Hermione watched as Daniel, James, and Sirius were all sorted into Gryffindor, along with a wide-eyed muggleborn named Lily Potter, and a chubby little half-blood named Peter Pettigrew. A dour, dark haired boy, Severus Snape, went to Slytherin that year.

The children of other family friends – notably the Longbottoms, Greys, and Kings – had been attending Hogwarts for some time already. Harry and Hermione had been rather late to the game in that regard. Sam Longbottom, the eldest of their friends' children, had started Hogwarts in 1963, and already graduated. Other Longbottoms, Greys, and Kings were current students.

That year, Harry was a regular visitor to Hogwarts, where he, at long last, revealed the truth of his origins to James and Lily (separately – he very much didn't want to upset their timelines), and revealed that they were his parents. Harry also took the time to clue James in that he might not want to befriend Peter Pettigrew, and told him why. After that, James, Daniel, and Sirius steered well clear of Pettigrew, but did befriend another Gryffindor, Remus Lupin.

With new regulations and enforcement in place, werewolves weren't as hated, or as common, as they had been in Harry's past. Remus Lupin hadn't been bitten, and therefore wasn't a werewolf. That didn't prevent him from turning into a wolf, but that only happened in seventh year when he, Daniel, James, and Sirius all became animagi.

Daniel fell in love with Marlene McKinnon fifth year, and had to fight Sirius for her affections. Daniel won, mostly because Sirius was too busy pranking Severus Snape to try very hard, but it did strain their friendship for several months. Sirius moved on to other girls, eventually settling on Daniel's sister Emma in 1980, immediately after she graduated from Hogwarts.

James finally got around to romancing Lily in sixth year, and he and Lily were head boy and girl in their seventh year. James and Lily graduated in 1978 and were married a year later.

Emma followed in James' footsteps, being head girl in her seventh year. She also ended up matching her mother's accomplishments on both her OWLs and NEWTs.

Lily graduated as one of the most popular people in her school. She ended up settling down with a muggleborn boy a few years after she graduated, and they finally married in 1990.

ooOOOOoo

"You said you just wanted to look," Harry said, glancing around. The hospital was very clean, and had the medical smell that hospitals do.

"I know what I said," Hermione shot back. "But… I can't help myself! They're right there!" She gestured to the far side of a door. Through a small window, Harry could see a man and a woman cuddling a newborn. It was September 19, 1979.

"Fine," Harry grinned. He didn't really care. They'd find out most everything eventually anyway. There wasn't really any harm in them learning it now.

"Yay!" Hermione did a little dance, then rapped lightly on the door before cracking it open. The two new parents looked up. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger?"

"Yes," Mr. Granger replied.

"Hello," she said, stepping into the room. "I'm Hermione Potter. This is my husband, Harry." She stood there by the door for a moment, watching the shock of meeting another Hermione register on their faces. By this point, Harry and Hermione were both in their late forties, but looked slightly younger.

"That's our daughter's name!" Mrs. Granger finally said, holding up the swaddled cloth bundle.

"I know," Hermione replied. "Congratulations, by the way. I know she'll make you very happy."

"Thank you," Mr. Granger responded. Then, pausing momentarily, considering them. Shortly, he continued. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I want to tell you something, but it's quite shocking, and the last thing I want to do is disturb you," Hermione answered carefully.

"Is it bad?" Mrs. Granger asked from the bed.

"No, no," Hermione replied quickly. "Not at all." She looked to Harry. "Do I tell them the shocking bit up front, or ease them into it?"

"Best to rip of the bandage," Harry shrugged. "But it's up to you, love." Hermione nodded and turned back to the Grangers.

"Your daughter, Hermione?" she prefaced. "I'm her."

For a full minute there was dead silence. Then Mr. Granger stood from his seat next to his wife, turning purple.

"What the hell are you playing at?" he nearly shouted. Harry supposed he was only keeping his voice down for the sake of the baby.

"I'm not playing at anything," Hermione said. "I'm your daughter. It's how I knew you'd be here today. It's rather complicated, really, but the short story is that magic is real, and as a result of a magical accident, I went back in time from 1996 to 1947, where I've lived in a new time stream ever since. I'm sure you're familiar with the multiverse theory."

"You expect me to believe that?" Mr. Granger scoffed. Harry merely produced his wand, conjured a dozen red roses, and presented them to Mrs. Granger. Hermione shifted briefly into her red fox animagus form before shifting back.

"I do expect you to believe that," Hermione agreed. "I'm your daughter, and your daughter is a witch."

"Why did you wait until now?" Mrs. Granger wanted to know.

"I'm the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and as Headmistress, I've come to tell you that your daughter is a witch," Hermione explained. "Usually this is done when a child is about to turn eleven, but this is a special case. Before you'd birthed your daughter, I couldn't legally tell you about magic. Now I can."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't wait until later," Mr. Granger said.

"I was planning on just looking in through the door," Hermione admitted. "But… I've missed you, dad, and you, mum. It's been incredibly hard these past thirty years without you. I realized I couldn't not tell you."

"I believe her," Mrs. Granger said to her husband. "She even looks like us." Mr. Granger then took a moment to consider it. She did look quite similar to his wife, with some bits of his mum thrown in.

"Jesus Christ," he swore at last. "So now what?"

"Whatever you want," Hermione replied, approaching her dad for their first hug in over three decades. Even Harry didn't have dry eyes after that.

ooOOOOoo

Harry was there at that cottage in Godric's Hollow, not quite a year later, to welcome the July 31, 1980 birth of James and Lily's son, Harry Evans Potter. The elder Harry was welcomed into the bedroom after Lily and Harry had been cleaned up. Approaching the bed, Harry could see that the baby already sported a good amount of unruly black hair. He bent down and for the first time, stared into his own emerald eyes without the use of a mirror. He reached out with and hand and the baby grasped Harry's finger with his tiny hand.

"You're going to have the life I never could."

THE END