A/N: This is the last chapter - made it in under 70! A HUGE thank you to everyone who's gotten this far! It's been a long ride, and there's still an entire last installment that will cover the Second Wizarding War. The third and last story of the series will be titled Of a Lingering Hope. I'm really excited about this one. I've been forming this story in my head for so long now, and this last part is everything I've been building up towards. It'll be a little less dark than this one, at least before shit starts going down around the Sixth Book. I'll be posting the first chapter probably in the next couple of days, so be on the lookout!

THANK YOU to sarahmichellegellarfan1, lovirosa, missalex3030, MaeveDevine, casualmoose, and Tanjatailor for the extremely kind reviews! Thanks especially to those of you who have been reviewing the story this entire time. You guys know who you are. I really can't express how much it means to me to know that you're reading with me every step of the way. It's been a ton of fun so far, and I hope you all continue to finish this last leg of the journey together!

Tanjatailor: THANK YOU! I'm grateful and humbled that you felt so strongly about my story to write a review. It really means a lot to me to know that you've enjoyed it so much. Thank you for reading, and please don't hesitate to let me know what you think in the future!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is a badass genius to whom I am eternally grateful. I will never own any of the stories or characters that my fanfiction contains because they all belong to her and rightfully so.

Chapter 68: Of Distant Rolling Hills

"WEREWOLF TREATMENT PUBLISHED. ORDER OF MERLIN AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY.

Just last month, the controversial 'Wolfsbane Potion,' a treatment for the condition known as lycanthropy, or werewolfism, was published posthumously by the renowned Potions Master Damocles Belby. Taken daily for the week approaching the full moon, this groundbreaking potion nullifies the dangerous effects of the disease, namely werewolf aggression. It results in a quiet transformation during which the individual retains human consciousness in wolf form and simply sleeps away the duration of the full moon. Given that the disease is passed via bite wounds, the proper distribution of this treatment could potentially prevent all further transmission of the disease.

You might remember the potion's creator Damocles Belby as the victim of a terrible case of arson two years ago. Before becoming the research authority on lycanthropy, he was well known for his novel work in the uses of moonstone. He tragically died at the hands of Death Eaters in the fire that took his apothecary in Diagon Alley.

So how could he have published now when he has been deceased for over two years? Although much of his work was lost in the fire, a great resource was saved – his young apprentice, Ms. Rowan Delacroix. You might recognize her as the daughter of the much-respected late Head of the Department of International Law and recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Richard Delacroix, who also died in a Death Eater arson attack two Aprils ago. This remarkable young woman is not just tied to great men – she has been working tirelessly for the past two years to recover all of her late master's work and has published their findings under his name. This week, the Minister of Magic awarded Mr. Belby the Order of Merlin, Second Class for his contributions to the art of Potion of Making and also offered the award to Ms. Delacroix; however, she has politely declined the prestigious honor.

Although she has avoided any interviews since publishing, we finally caught up with Ms. Delacroix the other day to ask for her reasons for this unusual gesture.

'I might have recovered and published the work, but the true creator and genius behind the Wolfsbane Potion is Damocles Belby. Without him and his extensive efforts, there would be nothing to publish. I owe all of my success to him and to the great researchers who helped me along the way – my partner Isaac D'Este, Professor Amrit Kohli of the Druid University of London, Healer Lescos Farago of St. Mungo's Hospital, and the late Fabian Prewett of the Institute of Charms and Enchantments,' she said.

A gracious response from a very gracious young woman. We also asked what her future plans are. Although very young – turning 22 this summer – she is determined to prioritize her work. The youngest licensed Potioneer in British history, Ms. Delacroix passed her licensing examinations just a little over a year ago with stellar results and plans to continue her research. She hopes to earn her Master of Potions license as well in the coming years.

'I have a long way to go, but I hope to eventually discover a real cure for this terrible condition, not just a treatment,' she said. 'While I'm very proud of the work I have accomplished thus far, it's still not enough. I hope to not only help treat patients with this disease but also shed light on the civil injustices these individuals face in our society. I encourage everyone to reach out to his or her Ministry representatives and push for legislative and social reform. A cure might be far off still, but we can change prejudice now.'

Ms. Delacroix will be traveling abroad to continue her research in the coming months, but her partner Isaac D'Este will be offering free treatment to any individuals with lycanthropy at their newly constructed apothecary, DD&B Potions, in Diagon Alley. They promise discretion and full confidentiality for all patients."

"Wow, you actually sound pretty smart," commented Mina Surrey disbelievingly. She placed the copy of The Daily Prophet down on the café table and grinned. Her companion's face, though smiling shyly up at them from the article's photo in the paper, pulled into a glare.

"What do you mean 'actually?'" she bit back. Mina grinned cheekily at her. Rowan took a large unladylike bite out of her chocolate croissant in a huff as the brunette laughed softly and skimmed over the paper again.

"I thought you weren't going to give any interviews. What changed?" she asked.

Rowan shrugged, swallowing down her pastry. "They wouldn't fucking leave me alone. They'd even started showing up at my parents' house to harass my mum. She's already been in a bad state this past month. I was afraid she might pull her wand out on the reporters if I left her to them," she said sullenly.

Mina nodded gravely, and the two fell into a heavy silence. Carole had been in poor spirits since Julia Potter had passed away in January. There hadn't really been anything wrong with her physically. Was it possible to die of grief? Yes - after losing James, Lily, Sirius, and finally Harry, Rowan was convinced that the poor woman's heart had just given out. Dying of a broken heart – it really was possible. They'd laid her to rest in Godric's Hollow, reuniting her with her family. Rowan felt her chest contract painfully as she thought of her late godmother. She hoped she was finally happy again.

"How's the construction going at the house?" Mina asked, breaking the silence.

Rowan smiled softly. "It's going well. The architects think it'll be done by August. Mum and Alfred are already sorting out the paperwork with the Ministry to start placing children there before next school year," she said proudly.

Mina smiled with great warmth. "The Lily and James Potter Home for Children – I couldn't think of a better way to memorialize them." Rowan hummed happily in agreement.

It was the middle of February, and Diagon Alley was still covered in a thin blanket of sparkling white snow. It gleamed blindingly in the winter light. Rowan had to squint with effort as she moved through it, careful to not slip and fall on the icy cobblestone. After leaving their cafe - for the last time in a while - they set a course for the new apothecary. As she approached the store – her store – a bright smile spread across her face.

She took in the new store front with its polished red wooden frame that stood in the place of what had been blackened ruins just a few months before. Its reconstruction had been complete for a couple of weeks now, but even so, she couldn't help the grin that overtook her every time she saw it. The sign that hung above the door was now shining and presented to the world. Its gold letters glinted in the sunlight.

"It's looking fantastic," Mina said. The two young women looked over it with pride, taking in the new sheen. Mina looked up over the door and grinned. "DD&B Potions, huh?"

Rowan also grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it didn't seem right to call it Belby Potions anymore, but I wanted to keep a bit of him there. So Delacroix, D'Este & Belby it is," she said happily. The two women admired it for a moment longer before being interrupted with a sneeze from the brunette.

"Okay, I'm freezing my ass off," Mina whined. "Let's head back to your place before I die of hypothermia." She grabbed Rowan's arm and pulled her down the street. Rowan snickered and took one more look at the building as she stumbled away. Both women's cheeks were rosy from the cold, and she thought of how wonderful it was to still have Mina in her life. She smiled warmly and then followed her friend out of Diagon Alley.

"So is that it?" Mina asked over a large trunk. She eyed Rowan carefully, and the dark-haired woman could see the hesitation there. A twinge of guilt shot through her, but she smiled.

"Yeah, bags are ready to go. Apartment is packed up and ready for the movers. Isaac's running the shop. Claire has my address in Hungary. Everything's accounted for," she said, ticking off her list. She poured some boiling water into her last remaining unpacked mugs, watching the leaves swirling there. She wondered a bit sadly when she'd see her chinaware next. She gazed around her now empty apartment and marveled at how the floors gleamed against the bright winter sunlight. "What about you? Have you completely unpacked by now?"

Mina smiled quietly and nodded. Another wave of guilt washed over Rowan. Mina had moved out of hers and Sirius' old flat a few weeks before for very similar reasons that Rowan had for leaving her own – too many memories of the men they'd loved, too many ghosts from the war. It only seemed fitting that they begin their new lives in new places, right?

"Yeah, finally," she responded. "It took me a while to get all the shelves mounted, but it's finally coming together. You were definitely right about the paint color by the way. My mum's really in love with it," she said brightly.

Rowan smiled fondly but didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if recommending the pale blue to Mina was a good idea – it was the same blue of Remus' childhood bedroom walls – but when she'd seen the color among Mina's paint chips, it had sort of just blurted out of her mouth without warning. She couldn't explain it. The color seemed like a memory in itself – like an embodiment of those beautiful first years she and Remus had had together as children at school. It almost felt sacrilegious that Mina's new apartment was covered in that color, in those tones of their past lives, but she couldn't bring herself to take it back. She almost felt comforted in the fact that the color existed somewhere beyond the war, somewhere in this new time of beginnings.

"How are your Mum and Alfred doing? It must be lonely without Julia around," Mina said, breaking Rowan from her nostalgia.

Rowan smiled softly. "They're doing okay. Alfred is obviously still on airs with Isaac, and Mum's improving steadily," she said. "The manor is really coming together finally. You should stop by when you get the chance. Mum's always asking about you," she said.

Mina grinned back. "I think I will. I'll be sure to talk tons of shit about you with her and Alfred while you're away," she said cheekily.

Rowan blew a raspberry. "Bitch," she said playfully. They grinned at each other, but then Rowan's softened.

"You can still come with me, you know," she said softly. "I think it'd be good for you to get away from here."

Mina smiled sadly. "I know," she said quietly, "but I can't go. You lost much more than I did – it makes sense that you'd need to escape for a while – but I still…" she trailed off. Rowan's throat tightened at the usually biting brunette's lost fervor.

Mina had opened up in a completely new way to Rowan since Sirius' arrest and conviction, but the heaviness still remained in her heart. It had all gone so quickly. He hadn't even had a trial. None of them were granted access to see him even once, and before any of them could protest, he was gone. Rowan had swallowed her grief and spent nearly every waking moment with her friend, drowning her own misery in hard efforts to be with Mina. Even though she'd finally convinced her to move out of the home she'd shared with Sirius, it was still impossible to move on completely for either of them. Rowan was running, but Mina was stronger. She had such a heated admiration for her friend.

"What will you do then?" she asked quietly. Mina's gaze fell into her teacup, which was grasped tightly between the brunette's hands.

"I'm going back to work," she said firmly. Rowan was surprised at the strength of her tone and wondered when she'd decided. "I can't mourn him anymore. The rest of the world is moving on – even you're taking steps to move on. It only seems right that I should too, right?"

Rowan watched Mina ardently. The familiar quiet smolder in her friend was burning again, and she felt it sear from her friend's eyes into her own chest.

"I don't think anyone would blame you for needing a little more time to mourn, Mina," she said firmly. Mina kept her gaze downward and frowned. Rowan pulled her courage forward. "You and Sirius had a life together. He wasn't just your boyfriend – he was your colleague, your best friend. If you need more time, then take more time," she said fervently. The heat had spread through her limbs. She thought of her lost friend – his barking laugh, his warm friendly embrace – and felt her throat constrict momentarily, but she pushed it away. She pushed the bitterness of anger down as it rose up her throat again. Mina looked up at Rowan. Her gaze was still heated, eyebrows furrowed.

"You could say the same about yourself though," she said hotly. Rowan saw the anger building in Mina and was startled by its intensity. "You lost Remus and James and Lily! And even before that, you lost your dad and Belby and Leanna too. You weren't even allowed to take Harry – I still can't forgive Dumbledore for that – but you're still moving on with your life! Shouldn't I do the same?"

Rowan grimaced as she felt the fire at the back of her eyes. She thought of that dark mop of hair and the way those tiny hands gripped her fingers, but she pushed the image from her mind. She wouldn't cry again now.

"I'm not moving on," she admitted ashamedly. Mina's mouth tightened. "I'm running away. I just can't stand being here any longer when everything reminds me of… of everyone," she said sadly. Of him. Her chest ached painfully. She gazed into her mug and saw the dark liquid pooled at the bottom. It reminded her of how Sirius' hair had dripped with black coffee just two Aprils before.

Mina's gaze softened briefly but then hardened again. "You shouldn't have to run away," she said acidly. "Lupin… he should be here with you – with all of us! He fucking ran away when we needed him! That fucking bastard," she spat angrily.

Rowan's stomach churned painfully. The corner of her mouth twitched. "Remus has more demons than I'll ever be able to exorcise, especially now," she said wistfully. "I've come to understand a little recently that he's the most alone out of all of us. At least we still have each other." She thought of the empty look behind his tired eyes that last day. She still wondered where he'd gone in the haze of November, but she imagined he probably couldn't even describe his wandering if asked. Her head swam with her memories of him. Sometimes it was so loud that she'd even taken to storing her memories in small vials recently. They were all packed away with the rest of her belongings for storage.

She wondered where he was, if he was safe. His three best mates were gone from this world, and he was left to pick up the pieces of his shattered life alone. She knew that no matter how much she wanted to be with him, he was beyond her grasp – a ghost on a distant plane. She wondered sometimes if he'd spirit away into the after life without her ever knowing. Would he find James, Lily and Peter there? At times, she almost wanted him to join them – perhaps it would finally release him from the burdens of this world.

Mina watched Rowan with skepticism, mouth still twisting with anger. "I don't understand how you can not hate him!" she said bitterly. "You've done everything for him, and you lost so much more than he did! And you're still here! He's such a downright bastard! How can he…?" she trailed off, gasping angrily for breath. How can he leave you when we've already lost so much? Rowan smiled thinly.

"I do hate him sometimes – all the time, actually," she admitted. "But I'm just so tired of us… of thinking of us or of him. I'm just too tired to care anymore. He's beyond me now. I don't know," she rambled vaguely. "Sometimes, I hate him so much I want to throw up, but then I realize that he's more pitiful than anything else. It's enough to make me regret it all. But I keep telling myself that, one day, I'll be strong enough to look back and be able to say that it was all worth it, you know?"

Mina's eyes still burned indignantly, but she said nothing, instead turning back down to her tea with her mouth twisting angrily. The guilt ate away at Rowan's stomach again as she gazed at her best friend. Mina was truly her last defender, the angry honesty she was afraid to voice. Who would be here to defend her while she was away?

Her sad thoughts were interrupted with a sharp knock on the door. Rowan and Mina's heads jerked up and then back to each other with a sad grimace. The two stood, all the anger of the previous conversation suddenly gone with the hard sound. They vanished away the remaining tea in their mugs and then stored them away quickly into the last box, sealing it with an efficient flick of the wand.

Rowan then turned to her friend. Mina's mouth was in a tight line. Her blue eyes burned brilliantly. Rowan admired her openly – she always was the most beautiful out of all of them.

"Well, this is it," Rowan said quietly. Mina nodded jerkily and stepped forward quickly, grasping Rowan tightly. The two young women held each other, standing in the middle of the bright, empty room. Rowan breathed deeply. She would never step foot in this space again. Another goodbye to the life she had known, to the life she'd shared with him – she wasn't sure if she was ready, but this chapter of her life was closing regardless.

They pulled away finally, both with tears shining in their eyes. But they smiled.

"You better write to me the moment you get there," Mina commanded firmly. Rowan beamed and hugged her friend again.

"I will. I promise."

The two pulled away again and grasped hands tightly, taking one good hard look at each other. Rowan wondered how long it would be until she saw her again.

"Oy, girlie! You ready?" boomed a large voice from outside the door. Rowan flinched at the sound.

"Just one second!" she called back. She turned back to Mina.

"Here I go," she said. Mina smiled tightly.

"Here you go," she echoed. Her smile broadened proudly. "Be sure to bring back lots of those flowers. I think I'd like some for my flat as well," she said. Rowan grinned and nodded before turning back to the door. As she opened it – with Mina's hand still gripping one of hers – the two women were greeted by a mammoth form with a broad grin.

"Good to go?" Lescos Farago asked brightly. Amrit Kohli poked her head out from behind him, smiling calmly. Rowan smiled and nodded.

"Good to go."

"You better take care of her," Mina said glaringly, squeezing Rowan's hand.

Lescos laughed a bit nervously but grinned again. "She's in good hands, lassie," he pledged. "She'll be back in one piece in no time." Mina smiled and nodded.

"We'd better hurry or we'll miss our train," Amrit said. Rowan nodded and then turned back to Mina. She grinned – a toothy Cheshire Cat smile.

"Don't break too many hearts while I'm away," she teased.

Mina laughed brightly – a clear, lovely sound. "Are you kidding? I'm going to have to do twice the work to break your share as well. I can't guarantee that there will be any men left in all of London by the time you get back." Rowan guffawed and hugged her friend one last time.

"Good luck!" Mina called after the trio of researchers as they started down the street. Rowan had to keep herself from looking back at the brunette one last time.

"Excited?" Amrit asked Rowan with a knowing smile.

Rowan nodded giddily. Something that she hadn't felt for a long time was welling up at the pit of her stomach. "More than you know," she said. Amrit smiled softly, taking Lescos' hand. He smiled down at the two smaller women.

As they boarded the train, Rowan looked out at the sea of people on the platform. She thought of that very first day, nearly 11 years ago. It had all started on a platform, just like this. She thought of the tiny boy who had sparked this journey. Who could have guessed that he'd bring her to this point? Who could have guessed that she'd now stand here alone? She smiled despite herself.

She could stand alone.

England disappeared behind them in a blur. She gazed out into the distance as the giant towers of London faded away. The hills were still pale with winter, but perhaps they would be green when she returned. She thought of Lily and little Harry. She thought of James' grin and Sirius' laugh, of tiny Peter Pettigrew, and her father and Belby and Marie and Leanna. Maybe they were all out there as well, in some form or another.

That feeling in her stomach crept upward into her chest. It had been so long since she'd felt anything even resembling it. She thought it might burst at any moment. It felt very much like hope.