Seven Years

Epilogue: 19 Years Later

The train leaving to Hogwarts stands in the station, smoke curling around it's funnel and floating over the crowd of students and parents bustling about, lugging conversation and suitcases around.

Familiar faces stand in the crowd, faces worn down by time but just as joyous at seeing their children go on where they themselves strode not too long ago.

"Aki!" a loud cry cuts the air and a harried looking woman searches through the crowd, huffing in frustration. "Aki, where are you?" The crowd around her only tightens when they realize who it is- the famous Shining Badger herself. Named collectively after Shining Chariot who had been her mentor, and after the animal of her house at Hogwarts.

Even without her splendid costume of dazzling lights and glitter and her magical signature staff, her hair is a dead give away. Long and down to her waist and twined with a colorful braid that switches from green to blue to red every couple of seconds.

"Atsuko Kagari!" they call to her and normally she is one for talking with the crowd, with appreciating her adoring fans, especially since they are small children with big dreams and hopes to be like her. She always inspires them to work hard, to never forgo what they truly desire because they can have it as long as they work hard and put their minds to it. But she is distraught because she's missing her daughter who was supposed to go on the train. It will be leaving soon.

She panics as the fans swoop up to her, waiting for her autographs, halting her progress across the platform. Thankfully Diana is behind her, carrying six year old Apollo on her arms. The boy is sucking on a lollipop, blonde curls bouncing with each step his mother takes, oblivious to his parents blatant distress.

"Excuse me!" she calls loudly and the clamor for Akko stops. "We apologetically do not have time for this right now. We're looking for our lost daughter." And the wizards and witches there looked humbled and silenced. For they know Diana Cavendish- she is the famous Slytherin who turned the tide of battle, who hunted down all the Death Eater's and who still brings justice and peace to the streets as head auror of the ministry. In all her years Diana never thought she'd be out on the fields. She was better at paperwork and had a rationale head for it. But no one would trust a snake at the head of the government, even a good one, and so she went out to help others in the only other way her magic would allow. She made an imposing figure, with her hair cut into a short severe bob that was shorter in the back and longer in the front to keep hair out of her eyes during combat. It had stayed this length for a while ever since she'd truly thrown off the shackles of her family legacy, one of darkness, and of working in shady business and not law enforcement and of the light. Her eyes were hard, only ever softening for her children or for wife, and the scar on her cheek added to her cool and powerful demeanor.

"Thank you," Akko softly whispered to her and Diana nodded her head. "Now, have any of you seen a small brunette haired girl?"

They nodded and pointed towards a pillar at the end of the station and both parents rushed to there where they found their daughter huddled behind the pillar, knees to her chest and head tucked in.

"Oh Aki," Akko sighed and crouched next to her daughter while Diana stood close by, swaying with Apollo in her arms, his big blue eyes wondering what is going on. He takes his looks from his blonde mother and Diana already knows he will be a handsome boy, but with features that are nowhere nearly as sharp as hers thanks to Akko's softer and kinder ones.

Aki shares her brown hair with Akko, but the single strand of blue running through it tells Diana that her magic will be Cavendish and powerful- not that Akko's is no good, it's just a different brand. More helpful than hurtful. And Cavendish magic is darker than most.

"Aki, dearest, what is wrong? You were so excited to go Hogwarts."

Diana let's Akko handle this because Akko has always been better with emotions. Diana's the strict parent.

"I know," Aki squeaks out, voice muffled from her position. "But I'm worried."

"Worried about what?"

"About...living up to both of your legacy's. I didn't know you were so famous and had done so much at school." Aki had found out from some of her first year classmates- overhearing them while waiting for the train to refuel. Akko and Diana had raised Aki without telling her of their exploits or of their medals- they both knew the dangers of heavy familial expectations.

"Darling, you don't have to worry about that. We just want you to be happy and for you to enjoy yourself while you're there. We'll be proud of you no matter what."

Aki lifted up her head and sniffled. She hadn't been crying but her eyes were red with the effort of holding the tears back. "Really?"

"Yes," Diana and Akko said in unison.

"But what about my house? What if I end up in Gryffindor? With all those idiots like Ma says."

Akko shoots Diana a look, the blonde looking away and pointing to something in the distance that she has suddenly been enraptured by. "Apollo, look." She makes the boy look as well.

Akko sighs and shakes her head. "Not all Gryffindors are bad. In fact, they are some of the bravest people like your aunt, Amanda. And each house has their drawbacks and their benefits. I want you to go to the right house rather than the one you feel you have to go to."

Aki digests this, nods her head. "Okay."

Akko cheers up at seeing her daughter happier. "That's my girl. Now let's get to that train."

They approach the train, a family together. They find Lotte standing near the edge with her brood.

"Akko, Diana," she calls, smiling widely. "How are the kids?"

"Well, Aki is excited," Akko says, ruffling her hair and the girl smiles. "And Apollo has six more years to wait."

"Six!" he cheers, pulling the pop out of his mouth and waving it around.

"And how are Axel, Beryl, and Jasper?" Diana asks.

"Good. Axel couldn't wait to get away from us- he's already on the train, excited for his third year. Beryl's starting his first year and he's got his heart set on entering Slytherin, can't say why." Lotte laughs, pointedly looking at Diana and Diana smiles.

"Certainly it has nothing to do with a certain family friend who has done great things and heralds from that house," she comments easily. "I'm surprised he's not here now to say hi to me."

They all know the boy's got a crush on her, always following her around and blushing. "He's...gotten shy," Lotte admits. "And Jasper is over at Durmstrang's for his second year."

"He decided to transfer out?" Akko asks.

Lotte nods her head. "Yes, he decided he wanted to go to his father's school."

"Ah, that explains why Krum isn't here," Diana tips her head in understanding. "Is he still playing Quidditch? I haven't had time to check with work and all."

"He's thinking of quitting with the fourth child on the way," Lotte says and pats her slightly distended stomach. The woman has always wanted to have a family and she's found the perfect man to start her brood with. Krum has always been family material and while work takes him away far and for long periods of time that didn't mean he loved his family any less, longed for them any less.

It was easy for them to start a family whereas because Akko and Diana were both witches, it had taken them some extra special magical procedures to make it work. Akko carried Aki and Diana carried Apollo.

"Have you seen Amanda yet?" Akko inquires.

Lotte shakes her head. "I don't know. She said she would be here, but it's already this late."

"You know how she likes her spectacles," Diana rolls her eyes but in good nature and she's not wrong, for a moment later there are excited shouts from the crowd and Amanda and her family stride out through the pillar. It had taken the wizarding world a while to accept the fact that Croix and Chariot were the hero's parents but now it made less of a ripple.

Akko raises her hand. "Amanda! Over here!" The red head sees her and strides closer. Croix still looks uncomfortable being out in the public like this- despite all the truth and revelations that had come out she still had to do terrible things during her time working as a double agent and not everyone is ready to forgive so easily. Her image isn't the best given all that's happened but she's working on it, on helping repair the community with Chariot by her side.

They hold back while Amanda and Akko hug. When they pull apart, the hero gives Diana a smile, their own sufficient method of greeting. "Is it just me or do you get older every time I see you. All those stress wrinkles from work."

"You're lucky I'm holding up Apollo or else I'd jinx you right into next week," Diana retorts with her usual amount of snark. A snark she reserves for her friendship with Amanda only.

"And how are you two?" Amanda rubs the top of Aki's hair, mussing it up even more, not that she cares because it's Amanda, her hero, and she smiles up at her, too shy to say much.

Apollo offers Amanda his saliva covered pop as hello and she declines it with a wave. "Keep that one. Here, in fact, have another one." She pulls another pop out of her pocket and hands it over to Apollo while Diana frowns.

"I don't want you giving my kids cavities," she snatches the candy away.

"Got one for me too?" Akko asks and Amanda pulls another one out only for that one to be snatched away as well.

"Awww," Akko pouts but Diana does not relent.

Amanda laughs. "Lotte, you want one too?"

"No, I'm expecting and trying to eat healthy foods only," the woman said, patting her stomach again.

"What she means is she eats nasty kale and mayonnaise salads," Hannah announces as she shows up. "Don't ever accept an invitation to her house for dinner. Her tastes are all twisted up."

The group laugh at this. "How come you're here this year?" Diana asks when they quiet down.

Hannah barely had time given her busy schedule- she was overhauling her family line and re-branding them. They were on their way to becoming a powerhouse with her efforts. "I had to come see Charlie off. I know I usually send him off by himself but I decided this year why not help him out." She shrugged, her designer robes shifting around her. She was the picture of a successful business woman, hair coiffed and pearls around her neck.

Sadly, there was no spouse in the picture. He had left her and the kid and went off to pursue younger woman around the world. She didn't need him- she was doing great on her own.

"And Barbara?" Lotte questioned.

"Holding down the front while I'm here." She was her business partner and also single, both too focused on fixing up their house legacies together to have much time for a family. They treated Charlie like their shared son, spoiling him and remaining best of friends even now. There wasn't much they didn't do separately.

The steam of the whistle blew, announcing the soon departure of the Hogwarts train.

"Looks like it's time to go," Amanda said and turned to the smaller person hiding between Croix and Chariot. "Come on sis, it's time to go."

The smaller girl shook her head so Amanda crouched down next to her. "Don't worry. If anyone gives you trouble at school, I'll come beat them up. Or Professor Sucy will poison them for you with her potions."

"Isn't that illegal?" said the small girl.

"Yea, but not if no one knows," Amanda winked and reached into her robes for something. "Here," she held it out to her sister who took it with tentative fingers. "You can use this to scare them away."

"Amanda, stop giving Evanora things that will get her into trouble," Croix chided. "She'll have enough trouble with being the daughter of a famed evil lady and-"

"Ex- evil lady. You keep forgetting that." It had been a rough road in accepting who her mothers were and that one had even tried to 'kill her' in an attempt to show her loyalty to Voldemort, but Amanda guessed that was just her life and she wouldn't have it any other way even if she had a sister that could practically be her own kid.

She hadn't found anyone special for her life yet, but she wasn't going to give up. She'd focus on running her joke shop to which she had retired to, a life that shockingly unglamorous for the hero, for the girl who loved fame, but honestly with age she realized fame was overrated and family and friends was where it was at. Jasminka was at the joke shop right now, working it with Amanda and creating great products for ingestion.

"Let her have a little bit of fun. We all did silly things in our school years," Chariot said softly and Croix relented at the other witch's touch.

"Very well," she said and was rewarded for it with a soft kiss to her cheek that sent her blushing.

Amanda and Evanora both had similar reactions- sticking out their tongue in disgust- but Chariot saw that and kissed Croix again on the cheek just to annoy them.

There was a roar of mechanics above them and they all looked up to see that a machine was descending down from above. It had the Constanze logo on it and they immediately knew what it was.

"Special message!" it alerted and when it settled down on the ground, began to speak in a robotic voice. "Constanze would like to say congratulations on another year begun! She wishes you good grades and lots of good memories." Confetti exploded from the robot's back and landed all over the group.

"Thanks, Constanze," Akko vocalized and message delivered, the robot flew away. Constanze was often busy nowadays incorporating magic and machines together to make wizards more modern like muggles. They were all happy for her. She loved what she was doing. She had even employed the help of Croix who had been the original pioneer of marrying magics and mechanics before she had been forced to give it all up because of Tom Riddle. Together, they revived and revamped Croix's inventions and made them into something new. Chariot supported her wife's work. Currently unemployed, and having refused the many job offers from the ministry, Chariot was taking the time to do charitable work around the community and to work on discovering new ways to take care of magical plants and species. She no longer wished to teach at Hogwarts under the guise of Ursula and neither did she want to be a magical performer like she had been in years prior. All she wanted was a nice calm life with her family.

The train whistle blew in warning again and last kisses were given to children before they rushed over to the train. The parents all stood, waving to their children as they departed to walk the halls they once had, all those years ago.

~fin~

A/N: I loved writing about the next generation going off to Hogwarts. Apollo is named after a Roman God much like Diana is named after a Roman Goddess, and Aki's name is a derivative from Akko/ Atsuko and it means sparkle, bright, autumn.

All the other kids names don't have as much consideration placed into them except for Evanora, Amanda's sister. Evanora is the name of a powerful witch.