A/N: Well, my friends, we have at last reached the final chapter of this series. The end, the closing of a book, the whole enchila… dear Lord, I'm doing it again! Maybe it has something to do with story endings… Anyway, as I said, we've reached the end of the last story of the trilogy. Anyway, thanks for reading, and you can interpret the chapter title however you wish… that's all I'm going to say.
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Chapter 16
End of the Beginning
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"Mione?"
"Hmm?"
"You awake?"
"I am now." Hermione muttered, checking her clock. "Ugh… I've got to get up anyway."
"Why?" Harry sighed, pulling Hermione toward him.
"I've got to get to Magic School." Hermione said.
"What? You've been back two days and they're already calling you back to that place?"
"They didn't call me back," Hermione told him, climbing out of bed and wrapping a bathrobe around herself. "I volunteered. Leo doesn't want to do it, Paige retired, and I'm not trusting any of the dunderheads the Ministry wanted to send, so I offered to do it myself. Not to mention, I love the Magic School." Harry slumped back against the pillows.
"I've got to go to Hogwarts anyway. Dumbledore and the Elders want a full report on what I saw in the future. Knowing them, it'll take some time."
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"So, there wasn't anything remarkable happening. We were all just living normal lives."
"Good," said one of the Elders, looking pleased. "well, I think we are done here. Good day." He and the other two Elders orbed out, leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone.
"So, you think it really is over, then?" Harry asked, looking across the desk at the headmaster. "Do you think Grindelwald really was the Mastermind behind the war?"
"Indeed, Harry, I do. And I must say I am incredibly proud of you. You accomplished as much and far more than I had hoped."
"Thank you, sir."
"I meant to ask, how is Ms. Granger?"
"She's… fine. Why do you ask?"
"I was simply wondering if the spell Grindelwald cast on her to cause her pain had dissipated entirely."
"Yeah, it did." Harry said. "Which is something we're all happy about."
"Yes, I am sure you are. Now, Harry. You do realize that all the demons were not vanquished. Some will still remain at large and you must be prepared. They have no place to go, no place to hide… and nothing to lose. They will stop at nothing for revenge. However, I believe you still have a great deal of time before any real opposition can be formed." Harry nodded and stood. Dumbledore walked him to the door.
"Sir, if you're right, we'll be waiting. Whatever is going to come will come, and we'll be ready for it when it does."
"Nice, very nice. I'm impressed."
"Well," Ginny said. "ever since I got my Charmed powers back, I've been trying to get better at potion making… speaking of which, how did I get these powers again?" Piper sighed.
"I told you. When my sisters and I cast the spell to transfer our powers to the most powerful source of good on Earth, our powers went into Harry, Hermione, and Catherine. When Kat died, the spell was still active. So, her powers went into you. It's that simple."
"Nothing's simple, Piper." Ginny said, adding another teaspoon of salt to her potion.
"I thought Hermione was the potions master around here." Piper said, watching Ginny work.
"Well, she is." Ginny admitted. "But with all she's got going on… I mean, running Magic School, watching over charges, searching for her daughters, not to mention dealing with that fiancé of hers…. I just figured I could help out a bit."
"If you're in a helping mood, I could use some." Phoebe said, opening the back door and attempting to heave several bags of groceries into the house at the same time. Piper helped Phoebe lug the bags onto the table.
"How much stuff did you buy?" Ginny asked, her eyes narrowing as Piper brought in the thirteenth bag.
"A lot." Phoebe said, closing the door and hanging her keys on the hook. "There are eleven people living in this house… and you know how Ron eats… okay, fine!" she exclaimed, noticing that Ginny still didn't look convinced. "I thought we could have a bit of a party."
"A party?" Ginny inquired. "Why?"
"To celebrate Harry and Hermione's engagement. I just thought…." Phoebe broke off, watching the spiraling column of blue-white light descending from the ceiling. Paige appeared, dressed in a kimono and a large, long billed, bird was perched on her shoulder.
"Where the hell have you been?" Piper asked, while Ginny and Phoebe giggled.
"Japan." Paige muttered, gesturing to her clothing. "Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, France, China, oh and lets not forget Antarctica."
"Antarctica?" Phoebe asked.
"One of my new charges is on an expedition down there. I had to save her from slipping off a glacier."
"And the bird?" Ginny asked, still chortling.
"A gift…" the bird nipped her ear rather hard. "One I'll be returning."
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And so, life went on. Harry began teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, along with his Whitelighter duties. Hermione spent most of her free time when she wasn't chasing after charges at Magic School, doing her very best to keep the school alive, despite the Elders continued attempts to have it shut down. Ron went to work for the Ministry and became an Auror. Luna began teaching an Advanced Magic course at Magic School, along with running The Quibbler. Paige never seemed to stay with one thing for very long, except for her Whitelighter work. But then, that's who Paige was, a free spirit. Ginny, who had taken over the operation of the night club, P3, began seeing a lot more a Draco than the others liked, but by the time the two announced their engagement, no one had much doubt that Draco was one of the good guys, whether they liked it or not. Piper, who no longer had to worry about P3, opened the restaurant she had always wanted. And as for Phoebe, she returned to work at the Bay Mirror, and continued giving advice for many years.
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"So, will you do it?" Hermione asked Phoebe as they sat in the living room three weeks after Grindelwald's vanquish. Phoebe hesitated.
"Are you sure you want me to? I mean, I thought Ginny…"
"If I wanted Ginny, I would have asked her."
"Fine, I'll be your Maid of Honor." Phoebe said.
"Excellent!" said Harry, who was sitting next to Hermione on the couch.
"Do you.. Do you think Catherine would approve?" Phoebe asked. "Of me, I mean… doing this?" A sudden cold wind blew through the open window. It wound itself around them as though it were trying to hug them. Hermione smiled.
"I think she does."
"There's no way.." Harry said, his mouth hanging open. "That can't be… Kat?"
Drawn by the sound of the wind, Piper, Paige, Ron, Luna, Draco and Ginny entered the room, Ginny carrying the Book of Shadows. The wind circled the room once, then made for the open front door. It whipped through the passage. The door closed behind the wind with a magical chime. The wind blew across the front yard and ruffled a beech tree in front of the manor before fading away completely. Dumbledore, they knew, had been right. There was still evil out there, but they weren't worried about it for now. For as Harry had said, if another great evil was going to rise, it would, and they would just have to be ready for it when it did.
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A/N: Well, there you have it. At last, one year, three months, and twenty days after it began, the series is complete. I've still got the inevitable prequel to write, plus a previously unplanned, but now all but required sequel. Anyway, thanks for reading.