EPILOGUE

As much as Fudge hated to admit that Lord Voldemort had returned, he had absolutely no choice but to believe the incredible tale that Buffy and Harry had woven that evening. He's seen Peter Pettigrew, and Pettigrew's new hand, as well as Moody and Barty Crouch Jnr. He'd seen the bone that had been dug up near Hagrid's hut that Barty Crouch Jnr had transfigured his dead father's body into. Fudge wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and pretend that Harry Potter was a liar and an attention seeker, but he knew without a doubt that the tale they'd told was the truth.

The Dementors were removed from guarding Azkaban. In their place were highly trained Aurors, and sturdier walls for the cells. The giants had hands of friendship extended to them by the Ministry, and were allowed to return to the Wizarding World. Most of them chose to stay well outside it however, but had placed their allegiance with the Ministry and Dumbledore.

The Wizarding Community was in an absolute uproar when they learned that Voldemort had returned, but it was better than people knew and believed the truth sooner rather than later. The Ministry was attempting to recreate bridges with potentially harmful enemies. Dangerous creatures such as werewolves were allowed back within the community after swearing an oath to never ally themselves with Voldemort.

The students of Hogwarts were absolutely petrified of the turn of events. They couldn't believe that Voldemort had returned. They'd grown up hearing the stories of him, but had thought that he was just a memory, perhaps even a story told by parents to keep them in line. But the truth was a cold and bitter fact to face. And they would have to face it eventually.

Two days after the third task, Buffy and Harry were itching to get away from the hospital wing. And while the attention from all of their friends had been appreciated, they just wanted to get out of bed and go back to their normal activities. After Fawkes had healed them, they hadn't even needed to be in the hospital, but Madam Pomfrey had insisted. They were finally let out with Dumbledore's permission, and they'd never been happier.

A month later, term was winding down, and exams were over. Harry and Buffy had kicked back in the Common Room when all the other had gone to exams, gloating about the fact that they hadn't had to do them. The others may have been fooled by the smiles that the cousins gave the outside world, but within themselves, they knew that they would have traded their exam-free time for a Voldemort-free time.

"It doesn't seem real, does it?" Buffy asked suddenly, one quiet afternoon when the others were locked in classrooms, slaving over their final exams.

"That Voldemort's back?" Harry asked. He shook his head. "Not really. I mean…it's been a month, and…I just wonder why he hasn't…tried anything."

Buffy nodded. The anticipation was a definite killer. "We'll just have to be ready for him when he does," she said.

Harry nodded and hoped that when the day came, he would be able to stand up, his back straight, his head held high, and face Voldemort as his father once had. He wouldn't be alone though. He had his friends, and he had his family. And he would not go gently into the night.

"Yes. We will."

END

Wow…that was churned out in exactly twenty-two days. Final word count comes in at about 68,000 words, just under 190 pages and twenty seven chapters.

I had originally planned to continue this in a sequel, but I've found myself horribly unmotivated, and have very few plot lines, so…unless I get some brilliant ideas soon, I won't be writing a sequel. sighs

Thanks heaps to everyone who has read, reviewed, emailed and supported me throughout this fic being written, you guys are seriously awesome.

DKG.