Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

Chapter 16

It was difficult facing the order again, not that they hadn't already, but it was still difficult looking at the faces of everyone who had been a friend to Albus Dumbledore, the man they had killed. Even though they all said that they forgave them, Harry could still see fear, even hatred in the eyes of many of them. Ginny's biological brothers hadn't hesitated in welcoming her back. Harry hung in the back with Sirius' daughter Hermione, watching the whole thing.

"So, you married into the family?"

Hermione smiled at him, though it was strained. "Yes. It took time for Ron to finally admit how he felt, but he did and now here we are."

"I'm surprised you aren't already pregnant."

She snorted. "Yes well, Ron and I both agreed to wait on that front, at least for a little while."

Harry nodded. "It won't be long now though. This will all be over much sooner than you might think."

Hermione looked at him in shock but he walked away before she could say anything in return.

Harry made his way over to Minerva McGonagall, the former Deputy Headmistress and one of Dumbledore's closest friends. She peered at him from the corner of her eye but continued to look as regal and as professional as he had ever seen anyone act. He sat next to her and thought about what to say but she beat him to the punch. "There's nothing to apologize for Mr. Potter. You did what you had to do. Besides that, it was his idea in the first place, bloody fool."

Harry's jaw dropped in shock. He had never heard her speak in such a manner before, certainly not when she was still his school teacher. It was odd yet refreshing at the same time. "Thank you ma'am."
She waved him off and smiled. "You and Mrs. Potter remind me so much of your parents. I realize you may not see it, and you may not agree, but you have adapted very well with what you've been given. And I daresay that, despite what you've done in the past, they are very proud of you, and so am I."

Harry could only smile sadly at her words. "You're right in that I don't agree. We've done far too much bad to be anything like my parents. It's hard, when you live your life as a monster and then you realize what sort of monster you were, it's hard to forgive yourself."

The old witch nodded solemnly. "What you've done will stay with you forever and perhaps it should, but that doesn't mean you can't forgive yourself. Always remember so that you won't repeat your mistakes, but forgive yourselves so that you can move on for your family and your future." He nodded as she got up to leave. "There is still much to do, congratulations again Mr. Potter, you deserve some happiness after all the death."

As she walked away, Sirius approached. "Prongslet. How are you?"

Harry shrugged. "Alright I guess. I haven't felt great after Dumbledore but finding out that I'm going to be a father has made me feel better though a bit nervous."

Sirius chuckled. "Your father was just as nervous."

"Well dad wasn't a murderous monster though was he?" Harry snorted.

"You can't help the hand you were dealt. Despite what you two have done, you've been making up for it. You've shown regret and remorse and that goes a long way."

"Doesn't make us feel any better. We need a new start Sirius. After all this is over, we'll have just that."

Sirius nodded. "As sad as that makes me, you need it. Maybe one day you can come back but I think that's a good idea."

Harry smiled sadly at his Godfather before looking at the reunited siblings. He knew it would be a long time before they saw any of them again.

One week later….

The Potters walked into Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort had taken to residing in recently. They had made sure that anyone they cared about, Bellatrix, Draco, and Amy, were out on errands. It wouldn't do for them to get caught in the crossfire. They used their bond to go over their plan again. Everything had to go perfectly.

As they came into the sitting room where Voldemort stood, staring out the window, Nagini close by his feet. "So, it has come to this then."

Harry gripped the Elder Wand in his hand. "We figured that you'd know."

"I should have killed you when you were a baby. And Bella should have let your bitch burn."

Harry reigned in his temper. It wouldn't do to lose his head. "Well we're grateful it didn't go that way. But it ends now my Lord."

Voldemort nodded his agreement before turning around, his own wand drawn, ready for the fight. "Very well, let us begin."

They bowed, Ginny stood behind Harry, ready to intervene if her husband needed it. He wouldn't need it.

They began with simple spells and curses, a warm up of sorts. Then it evolved. The two participants dodged and weaved each curse, Ginny taking shelter, biding her time.

The two duelists fired curse after curse. Harry made sure to deflect as many curses away from Ginny as he could.

"I thought that I had your loyalty after giving you Pettigrew, but I knew deep down that one day you would betray me Potter!"

"Then perhaps you should have just killed me and been done with it! But now your arrogance is going to be the end of you!"

Ginny, hiding behind a shield and a large sofa, saw Nagini closing in on her. Taking a breath, she let down her shield, trusting Harry to protect her, and turned her wand on the giant snake. "I am sorry."

The snake, perhaps sensing her end replied. "As am I, little one. Do as you must."

With a nod, she hit drew out a vail, undid the stopper and used her wand to shoot the basilisk venom onto the snake. The snake screamed in pain as its tough hide dissolved. Not wanting the snake to suffer more than necessary, she used the killing curse, destroying the last of her former master's horcruxes.

With a shout of rage, Voldemort fired a killing curse at the girl as time slowed down for Harry. He bolted to Ginny as fast as possible, the fear of failure driving him every step of the way as he stepped in front of the curse. He heard Ginny call his name before the curse slammed into him, but as it hit, it rebounded upon its master and obliterated him, destroying the wall behind him.

Harry and Ginny gaped at the sight before looking at each other. They leapt at each other, kissing passionately. After a moment, Ginny broke away. "There'll be time for that later Love." She brushed his hair back, revealing a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "This is nice." She conjured a mirror for Harry to see.

He snorted. "If that's all I get after that then I'm not worried."

Ginny chuckled. "What now?"

Harry thought for a moment. "We need to get out of here before any deatheaters find us."

With a nod, the couple disapparated to the forbidden forest near Hogwarts. Ginny snorted. "You would bring us here."

Harry smiled before taking a stone out of his pocket, turning it over three times. "Hello Harry."

Ginny gasped and Harry took a deep breath before he turned to face his greatest fear, his parents' judgement. "Hello Mum, Dad."

The couple in front of him looked at him expectantly. "Well Harry, here we are. It's finally over."

Harry nodded. "I've been looking forward to this and dreading this day at the same time."

Lily looked confused. "Why?"

Harry gulped. He looked at Ginny to find his strength, and continued. "All my life, I've been nothing but a cold blooded killer. A monster, just like Voldemort. I know I haven't made either of you very proud of me."

He paused when his father snorted. "Really son? Not proud of you? How could we not be!? You've done what you had to do to survive. Sure you were a little excessive at times and I can't say I enjoyed what you did to the Dursleys, but you two made one hell of a turn around and killed Voldemort in the process!"

Lily nodded. "Your father's right Harry. At this point, you're at a crossroads. You can decide to let your past rule you, or you can choose your own future. You've redeemed yourselves now, what you do from here on out is entirely up to you Harry."

Harry smiled. "Thanks Mum, Dad. I needed to hear that." He felt Ginny's comforting hand on his arm and Lily turned to her. "I've been wanting to say this for years now. Welcome to the family Mrs. Potter. You've made my son very happy and I can't tell you how grateful I am for all you've done for him. You're my daughter now, and I'm proud of you."

Ginny smiled at her mother in law. "I'm glad to have finally met the two of you. Sirius talks about you often."
James laughed at that. "Old Padfoot! The next time you see him son, tell him that I forgive him, it's not his fault Voldemort got there first. And tell him that we're very happy for his family, he deserves it after all this."

Harry nodded before looking at his hand, where the stone lay. Lily smiled. "You can let us go now Harry, we've said our piece, now it's up to you to remember it. We love you son."

"Always." James chimed in.

Harry smiled a watery smile. "I love you too, both of you." And he dropped the stone. He gripped Ginny to him as his parents faded away, disapparating them away.

One Month Later….

Sirius sighed at his desk in the Ministry. It had been a long month. He had gotten a letter from Harry, saying that it was done. He told him that he had used the Resurrection Stone to talk to James and Lily. He had found closure. He also said that James forgave him for not getting to Harry in time and that they were immensely pleased that he finally had a family of his own.

After that, the deatheaters pretty much scattered, without Voldemort to lead them, they were useless. The coup that followed had been swift and stretched all over the world. Arresting those that had been in Voldemort's pocket had been a long process with Sirius heading it as Head Auror. Lucius and Narcissa had both been arrested as had Bellatrix and her husband. But there had been resistance. The Greengrass family had been slaughtered after they immediately supported Amelia Black and her new administration. Astoria and Daphne had been found in the sitting room. Daphne had defended her sister but they had both been raped before they were gutted and hung from the ceiling by their entrails. Draco had been in mourning ever since.

Finding out who had done the horrible crime had not been hard. The group of deatheaters reaponsible, led by Barty Crouch Junior, had been bragging about it in the hearing distance of an undercover auror and had been arrested immediately. A quick trial later and they were in Azkaban, waiting for the kiss.

On a happier note, Remus had finally tied the knot with his cousin Nymphadora Tonks. She was two weeks pregnant. Hermione was also expecting a child now.

Most of the deatheaters were finally behind bars or dead. But what ailed him now was the letter from Harry. Sirius had no idea where they had gone. Many of the public had been calling for their immediate capture but after learning that they had been the ones to kill Voldemort, the public started calling them heroes. Sirius snorted. The public was so fickle. Harry had told him in the letter to not attempt to look for them as they wouldn't find them. Harry assured him that he'd update him from time to time.

8 Months Later…..

Sirius was sitting in his kitchen late at night, drinking tea with Remus. "It's been a long year Mooney."

Remus nodded his head solemnly. "Indeed. Dumbledore dead, Voldemort dead, Harry and Ginny, gone.
Sirius looked somber. "We may never see them again. Harry seemed adamant about staying away after it was all said and done, he never specified for how long."
Remus sighed and the two men sat in silence when a snowy white owl flew through the open window and landed on the table in front of Sirius. Sirius and Remus held their breaths as they opened the envelope, a single picture fell out. It was Harry and Ginny, holding a newborn baby. Sirius noticed the scar on Harry's fore head, a souvenir from his fight with Voldemort. But prominent was the baby in the picture. His hair was black like his father's, but he had his mother's chocolate brown eyes. The name below said James Sirius Potter. Sirius felt his throat close as tears formed. A smile formed on his face as a pair of arms embraced him from behind. "He's beautiful Sirius." Amelia said warmly.

Sirius could only nod.

The years stretched by. Every year Sirius and Remus would get new pictures. One year after they got the one of James Sirius, they got one with another baby boy. This one with black hair and green eyes. The name read Albus Remus Potter. Remus had been too choked up to speak. His own son was a year old and Harry had agreed in the new letter to be the godfather as Remus had requested of him. A year after that, another picture of a third baby. This one had red hair and green eyes. Her name was Lily Amy Potter.

The years continued to fly, Draco married Amy Lestrange and had twins, Scorpius Harry and Bella Ginny Malfoy. Ron and Hermione had three children in all, Rose, Hugo, and Arthur.
Everyone seemed to be happy. But they missed Harry and Ginny greatly.

Hogwarts 2012…..

An 11 year old boy eagerly waited for his name to be called. The red head beside him looked at him curiously. "You nervous?"

He shook his head. "Just ready to get on with it mate."

The boy smiled and held his hand out. "I'm Hugo Weasley."

Before the other boy could say anything his name was called. "James Potter!"

Silence ensued as he strode toward the stool. The Headmistriss, Minerva McGonagall was in shock as the boy sat down, Neville Longbottom, the Deputy Headmaster lowered the sorting hat onto his head. After several moments of silence the hat opened its brim. "Gryffindor!" The applause was thunderous and by the end of the day, Hugo and James became the best of friends.

Black Manor…

Sirius and Remus entered 12 Grimmauld Place to see a light in the kitchen. They stiffened, drawing their wands. As they grew closer, they heard laughter and low voices. With a push, the door opened to reveal their intruders. The two marauders looked in shock at the four people that stood in the kitchen. Harry looked at his Godfather with a smile. "Hello Padfoot. We just got back from dropping James off. Mind if us and the kids crash until we find our own place?" His answer was the bone crushing hug that Sirius and Remus gave them. In their mind, all was right with the world again.

"Of course you can bloody stay here Prongslet. You all are family."

End

Holy crap that was tough. It may be a little corny but that's how I am sometimes. I know I kind of rearranged the order of Ron and Hermione's kids but oh well. I hope you guys like this ending as it is the final ending. There will be no sequels. I might if I get bugged enough to do it but I don't see that happening. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you thought! Reviews are wonderful!