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Posted February 29, 2012

-EPILOGUE-

"Harry? Oh Merlin..." The redhead practically flew across the room and launched himself at the younger wizard. The guy had changed very little in the few years they had been separated. They actually fell to the ground, locked in a death grip.

"Bill... oh, Bill..."

"Room for me too?" Cedric grinned, offering a hand to the pair, and hoisting them back to their feet. Bill finally got himself sorted, and pressed a finger to his radio. "Break break, magic one returned, magic one returned." Harry, of course, could not hear the traffic, but from Bill's grin, it was a good sign. "Control tower at Hell's gate... yeah, he's here too. Sure... no doubt there."

Within minutes, the control tower became rather busy, with the number of people wishing to greet their missing friends. While Harry, Cedric, and Bill got caught up, it was Mace's turn to get slightly misty-eyed, as Capa came thundering through the entry. The two of them actually embraced, before Mace put him at arm's length like a parent might do a child after not seeing them for some time.

"You... you've changed a bit," said Mace, gesturing to his hair, which had easily grown down below his shoulders. The guy was well-tanned, and slightly more muscular, clearly from being outside a fair bit.

"You... you haven't, though... what's that?" It hadn't taken him long to spot the holster strapped to Mace's right arm. Mace simply gave his wrist a flick, and his wand popped into his hand.

"Lumos." A solid light lit from the end of it.

"You're fucking kidding me."

"Harry's doing. Gave me blood in well... just, fucking crazy shit went down, I nearly died."

"And now you can do magic?"

"Harry's teachers were pretty cool. Gonna miss their lessons though. Nox." The light gone, he then flicked his wrist again, and the wand was returned to its holster.

"So you guys married?"

"We didn't think we'd ever get back here," Harry was explaining, "We just..."

"Moved on best we could," Cedric picked up, "I know you were in the back of Harry's mind all the time. Getting cut off from the lot of you, it really hurt... and even me somewhat, although I've not been here nearly as much as Harry, or Bill, or..."

"Where's Matt?"

"Let's... go into my new trunk. Best we're all sitting and comfortable before we get into that." Harry pulled his trunk out of the pocket of his robes, and put it against the wall, then re-sized it. He then made an intricate pattern with his hand, causing the trunk to glow green for a moment. "All right, come on."

Bill could hardly believe it, and neither could Capa, for that matter. Mace had returned to the trunk to fetch a set of notes he'd left behind, and that was it. Bill had been equally mortified, seeing everything come undone. It had taken most of the afternoon for Harry, Cedric, and Mace to explain the intervening two years and some, all requiring a calming draught at one point or another.

"So Fawkes was just able to bring you here?"

"Pretty much. We won't ever be able to go back, and it's not likely anyone else will be able to join us here."

"Harry, that also means..." Bill gestured to Fawkes, who was then resting on the back of a chair, head tucked under his wing.

"That man!" Harry cursed, "...not that I don't like Fawkes, but..."

"He's already formed a bond with you, Harry. It was truly the best gift the old man could have given you," Bill pointed out, "You said it yourself so long ago. The man does care about you a great deal." His eyes were still very red from the tears he'd shed more than a few times, but he gave his mate a smile. "You're here. That's what he wanted to accomplish, even though it cost him his familiar." That made Harry smile. "Guess you're right. Doesn't mean the man doesn't infuriate me sometimes—" There came a light thump from one of the rooms. Harry's wand was instantly out. It could be Kreacher or Dobby cleaning, but... he stood up. "Mace... take Capa back outside the trunk, please."

"Sure." Capa found himself being led up the ladder and out of the trunk.

"Right. Homenum revelio," Harry cast. Two figures were hiding in one of the spare rooms.

"With me." Harry indicated for Cedric and Bill to follow, and pushed into the room.

"Surprise!" Both Ron and Hermione were standing in the middle of the room, two large trunks behind them.

"Merlin... but..."

"Dumbledore, of course!" Hermione answered, "He talked to us a few days before the wedding. Of course we were coming! Mum and dad needed some convincing, but, they came around eventually."

"You didn't Obliviate them?"

"Harry! Are you mad? Of course I didn't! Why would you suggest that?"

"Well, you did in my... well... never mind... and Ron! What about your mum? She's probably spare by now!"

"No, everything's okay. Dumbledore actually talked to her as well. Took lots of convincing as well... likely more than Hermione's parents, but... we're with you 'till the end, Harry. Can't get rid of us that easy, mate!" Harry found himself tackled again by his dear friends.

"Bill... go find Mace and Capa. God, thought there was an intruder. But..." The trio separated. Harry continued, "How did you guys get here... I mean, you were just at the reception..."

"When Dumbledore apparated you up to his office, that was our cue. We had port keys that would bring us here. Dumbledore's had it planned for weeks."

Harry only grinned, as the group went back out into the common room to join the others. Mace arched an eyebrow, seeing Harry's oldest friends, but it was quickly explained to him what had happened. Mace was somewhat impressed with the old man's planning. Of all the things Harry had gotten for his wedding, that given by Albus Dumbledore trumped all of them.

"Harry, here," said Norm, "New radio set. There's a few out there who would love to hear your voice." Harry quickly put on the radio set, then the ear clip, and pressed a finger against his throat. "Magic one, over."

More than a few happy shouts came back across the channel, as friends both human and Na'vi greeted him in friendship.

"Harry, you must come visit us. Meet us at the Tree of Souls tomorrow morning. We will show you our new home tree."

"I would love to, Jake. You and Neytiri are well?"

"More than well," Jake laughed.

"Then it's a date. I'll see you in the morning."

Given it wasn't possible to fly everyone to the new location at once, only Harry flew there with Jake and Neytiri. Then he apparated himself back to the Tree of Souls, and collected the rest of the group.

Their first home tree was enormous. The one they now had was beyond enormous, easily one and a half times the size. Both Mace and Capa were stunned speechless at the size of the tree. It was easily as high as a skyscraper!

"Fuck, this thing has to be at least fourteen-hundred feet!"

"We figure about four-hundred and seventy-two meters—seventeen-hundred feet."

"Beats the shit out of anything that ever lived, I think," said Capa, shaking his head, "Well, maybe something back during the time of the dinosaurs, but... nothing recent. And where we come from... too cold for many trees to survive. Cory could've told us."

"One of Norm's guys would know," said Jake, "C'mon, I'll show you to the common area."

The common area up on the second level was designed much like it had been in their old home tree, with an enormous fire pit in the centre. He momentarily winced, as old memories came flooding back, memories of the group crashed out after a night of indulging, with Matt sick from the alcohol. He struggled to push those memories back into their right places.

"Bill. Cedric and I are already joined, but now... now we're here... I'd like to do it over, with the both of you."

"I am still engaged to you, Harry. Why would I back out of that now? You did the best you could, managed the best you could. So the question, where and when?"

That night, the entire Omaticaya clan was present at the Tree of Souls, their queues plugged into the ground, while Harry, Cedric, and Bill stood before Mo'at, and the gnarled, ancient tree. Once again, their friends took flank around them, this time with Hermione and Ron on one side, Mace and Capa on the other.

Mo'at began speaking, "Harry Black, you stand before us, and before Eywa, to take these two men, to always be bound unconditionally, until you become one with Eywa. Do you stand here of your own accord?"

"I do."

"And equally, do you, William Weasley, also stand here, of your own accord, to be bound to these two others, Harry Black, and Cedric Diggory?"

"I do."

"And you, Cedric Diggory, do you stand here of your own accord, to be bound to these two men, Harry Black, and William Weasley?"

"I so do."

"Do join your hands." Harry, Cedric, and Bill brought their hands together before Mo'at. Mo'at connected her queue to one of the tendrils, speaking, "Great Mother Eywa. Bless these three human beings, friends of Pandora, spirits of your making. May they be bound now until death, until their spirits are called back to you, and their bodies lay in the ground for the final time." A tremendous pulse shot through the assembled mass, to collect in the joined hands, as a swirl of pink magic enveloped the trio.

"Eywa has blessed all of you, and I do name all of you, joined until death."

"So mote it be," Harry whispered.

"So mote it be," said Cedric.

"So mote it be," said Bill.

"So mote it be," Harry heard one more voice whisper, that belonging to Matt. "Harry. Be happy. Don't cry for me, I'm in a better place now. But I'll always be with you. Always..." his voice became fainter. "Always." Another powerful pulse shot back away from the now joined trio, out to the perimeter of the circle, where it dissipated. Harry separated a hand from the union, and let a tendril from the tree twirl around a finger. "Thank you, Eywa."

His world again faded to white, and he found himself before the same robed woman.

"Harry. I am sorry you have suffered so much. There are things that should not have been allowed to happen, that did, as much as we all fought to prevent them."

"Thank you. For at least letting me know... he's okay."

"It was the least I could do. Do not allow your heart to ache too long. Do not mourn the dead, child, they feel no pain." Harry looked to his left, seeing Bill and Cedric fade into view. "The three of you are strong, and it was their strength which brought you through the nightmare you lived, to the daylight of the hereafter." Hermione, Ron, Mace, Capa, Jake, and Neytiri faded into view to his right. "Your long list of friends were equal in helping you to complete your destiny. Now you are free from both of your destinies. Make the best of this life, Harry. You have so much to live for, if this small group of people does indicate." Harry bowed his head, but he smiled, knowing the Great Mother was right. No more cosmic treasure hunt. No more Voldemort killing his lovers and friends. No one else had to die for him.

"You may be interested to know, the ancestors of magic have given the chore to someone else."

"But..."

"The device wasn't meant to be destroyed. But by their errors, they admit, you would no longer be suitable to be their champion."

"I wish him luck. He's gonna need it." It was with that, the scene faded.

"You spoke to the Great Mother," said Mo'at. It wasn't a question. Harry nodded vigorously. "And Matt..." He smiled again. "Matt says he's okay... and I'm okay with that. Oh, and guys... the Temporal Displacement Device was-"

"Destroyed. We put it in the payload," said Capa, but Harry only shook his head. "Eywa said it can't be destroyed. Either way, they gave it to someone else, so it's not my problem."

"Good luck, he's gonna need it," said Bill. Harry smirked, and they burst out laughing.

"Well... what now?"

"What now, brother? You just got married, man! We eat, we drink, we dance!" Jake exclaimed, shouting something extra in Na'vi. There were many shouts and whoops from the assembled mass.

"Well, good. Maybe we can get Mace to kiss Capa again," Harry smirked. The look on the pair's face was priceless.

"NO, no, no, only kissing going on around here is like so..." Bill seized Harry's face, and they locked lips together. Cedric wrapped his arms around the pair, as the crowd again sent up happy shouts confirming the union.

-Finite

AUTHOR NOTES: Thank you to everyone who has followed TBI-RL from the beginning. It has been an absolute blast to write, although at times getting the words to flow was like herding cats...

I do know there are likely a whole whack of plot-holes, loose ends, and other nonsense, but this story is two years old, and has most definitely run its course. I most certainly did handle things somewhat in the method intended, and that final scene above, I'd planned from the moment I first started writing the Avatar incursion. To have them standing in the bioilluminecence, bonding before the Great Mother, it just had to be a poetic, beautiful end. Most unfortunate Matt didn't make it.

Which of course, brings me to the number of character deaths in the last few chapters. It was done as a catalyst, and to also streamline things. Harry was most certainly shattered by the number of close people around him being killed, but the intervening two years would have given him time to heal. And of course, his reaction at breakfast the morning after the trunk crashing through the greenhouse... he'd snapped in a bad way at that point, resulting in more fallout. Meantime, fewer characters around meant less to think about... where is character A & so on.

Anyway, I do sign off, I do thank you for reading, and now that you've gotten this far, do me a favour and click that review button, let me know what you think. It only takes a few seconds, right?

And with that...

Finite Incantatem