Epilogue

The months went by, and years quickly followed. Celestia's talents for the care of creatures, magical or otherwise, allowed her to find an apprenticeship at the very sanctuary she had pulled Jinx from, and she was well on her way to a real profession in the field of Magizoology. It had been difficult, when she had returned from her expeditions to Azkaban and London, to explain why she had left home alone and returned with an enormous, lolloping dog, but her parents had fallen in love with Jinx as quickly as she herself had, and with a short story about doing a favour for a friend in need they had stopped asking questions.

It was more difficult to explain away the various animals she brought home from work to care for who needed special attention- a litter of illegally bred Pygmy Puffs who needed to be hand-fed, a Hogwarts Owl who had been confiscated from a student after a silly prank had led to the bird's wing being injured, and, on several occasions, escaped Nifflers who had found their way into her belongings as she'd left work and had spent the next several hours, or sometimes even days, being chased around the manor by the entire household as they ferreted about, stealing various dazzling gems from her Grandmother's jewellery box and trying to pull crystals from the chandeliers.

On one particularly relaxing Sunday, late into the day when the whole family were occupied in tending to their hobbies, Jinx jumped up from his place on Celestia's lap and bolted quickly to the door, barking as though he were rabid all the way. Celestia had only ever heard him bark so wildly once before, and that was upon seeing Xavier; the sound made her put down her book and take notice.

"Dave!" Celestia heard her mother calling from the study, "there's someone at the door!"

Celestia heard her father shout something back from his workshop, where he'd spent the past few years tinkering quite illegally with the various magical items Celestia and her mother would bring home from their visits to Diagon Alley. Jinx's barking was now so loud that she could hardly make out what he was saying. Celestia noticed she was clinging to the arms of the sofa and scalded herself for being so frightful. Only in her nightmares, which had been far less frequent as of late, would it make sense that the Werewolf should turn up at her doorstep. They'd made it a small tradition to get together and have a few friends for dinner on Sundays; it would only be one of them arriving. She pinched herself to ensure she was awake, then got to her feet and headed for the door.

"I'll get it, Sanchie," she called to the House-Elf, also sitting in the living room; Sanchie peered over at her once-Mistress from her place on the large plush sofa facing the TV, where she was perusing the television guide. Such statements had become a running joke; since gaining her freedom, the little House-Elf had learned to embrace retirement, and if an activity didn't involve chocolates or daytime television, she had little interest in it. Celestia chuckled a little and went to the door, shaking her head.

Celestia was not surprised that it had been the dog rather than the house's enchantments which had informed her of visitors. The serpent door-knocker rarely came to life anymore; it seemed quite affronted that Jinx had taken over its job. He was barking like mad, more so than usual, his paws scraping frantically. Celestia came up behind him and rubbed his ears before prising open the door.

"Alright, Jinxy, calm down. It's probably only Lamia-"

Celestia stopped in her tracks as she saw who was waiting on the other side of the door.

The man bent quickly to his knees as Jinx pounced towards him, panting happily, his tail wagging as he tried his best to lick the visitor's face. The reunion was just as joyful from the other side, the man laughing freely, a hand ruffling behind either of the dog's ears as he kissed his companion's furry forehead.

Celestia watched the scene with a mix of surprise and some other warm emotion she couldn't quite place. Had she passed by him in the street, she might not at first have recognised him; he wore a black leather jacket, a black shirt and dark Muggle jeans with a familiar slim leg. His face was properly shaven and his hair had a new short, smart cut, but the red streak, freshly-dyed, was instantly recognisable. The red Snatcher's sash was finally gone, and should the future be kind, would never come back.

As he stood up to address her, Scabior broke into a smile. He looked much healthier than he had when she'd visited him in Azkaban, though his face was a little more lined, but his eyes were still the same. So was that grin.

"Hello, beautiful."

Celestia bent slightly to stroke Jinx as he brushed past her legs. A small smile blessed her cheeks.

"Aren't you getting a bit old for hair dye?"

Scabior's hands went to his pockets. "A man's gotta have a little fun in his old age."

"Especially after three years inside."

"Three years and five months; don't forget the five months. I certainly won't. It's amazing how much you miss, taking an 'oliday at the Minister's pleasure. Still, good behaviour and all that; at least I wasn't away for four. They've, uh, given me my wand back. Not me proper one, that was lost at the Manor, but the one I've got now still gets the job done. Apparation privileges and all that. I've been in touch with the Ministry about my stuff; they said I can pick it all up at the end of the week."

"That's good... that's really good. And your house?"

Scabior shook his head, but he didn't look too wounded. "Nothing there, I'm afraid. There's a Muggle couple brought the place, moved in with their two kids. I'll find somewhere new."

Scabior didn't want to take his eyes off Celestia. She was just as he remembered her. He couldn't help but smile wider at the thought.

"Standing on this doorstep again brings back some interestin' memories. You haven't changed a bit."

Celestia smiled shyly. She seemed lighter now, with a much higher energy than he had ever known her. He had only ever known her frightened and down-trodden; imagined this is how she was before the war, before fear and hardship had hardened them all, now that time had allowed her to heal.

"You've changed, though... haven't you?"

Scabior paused before answering. His eyes went to the top of the door frame. "First time I went to Azkaban, I changed in there, and not for the better. When I came out I was someone else. Something changed again when I ran into you, and again when they put me back in that hell-hole. Now that I'm free again... I'll be honest with you, Veela. I'm not quite sure who I am."

For what felt like a long while the two stared at each other, unsure of what they should say. Eye contact remained, but words seemed to have left both of them. Scabior reached out to touch her arm, hoping that the gesture might say everything he needed to; involuntarily, Celestia flinched away. Scabior felt something within him sink.

Footsteps were approaching from the corridor.

"Oh, C, you've got the door, good stuff. Have you seen the garlic crusher? Your Mum reckons the Niffler's have been at it again-"

The air changed as the young man came into view, wearing a kitchen apron splashed with some sort of orange sauce. Aloxus and Scabior stared at each other for half a second before both of their hands went to the wands in their pockets.

"Don't start!" Celestia barked, putting a hand out to both of them. "It's fine, Al. It's fine."

"What the hell is he doing here?!"

"I told you, leave it-"

The raised voices summoned Celestia's mother, who came bowling into the hallway with flour-covered hands.

"Everyone alright?" she called in a light, high voice; Cressida halted her speech as she saw the startled-looking man at the door, Jinx sitting happily at his feet. Cressida smiled at the clean-cut man, who looked very uncomfortable, bringing his hand up around the back of his neck. "Who's this then?"

The former Snatcher grimaced. He took a step back as though to leave.

"Scabior," Celestia said quickly, stopping the man in his tracks. "Mum, this is Scabior. He's the... the friend we've been looking after Jinx for. The one I met when I was on the run."

Al gave her a half-hangry, half-horrified glance. Celestia begged him with her eyes not to make a scene.

"Ah," Cressida beamed, a little deflated at the idea of losing the dog, "well, that's wonderful, though we'll be very sad to see him go- except for Sanchie, I imagine she'll be quite happy to see the back of "The Beast", as she calls him. Jinx is part of the family now! Such a good boy, aren't you, Jinx? Aren't you?!"

Jinx thumped his tail happily, but would not move from Scabior's side. Cressida smiled towards the man.

"Would you like to come in, Scabior, maybe stay for dinner? Aloxus and I are making a mean bolognese tonight, and my husband's promised us Apple Pie is he can pull himself away from his tinkering."

The former Snatcher backed up a few more steps; Jinx moved with him, looking confused.

"No, no. Really, thanks for the offer, but I should get going, back to..."

His voice trailed off as he realised he had nowhere to go. Aloxus glared at him, bringing a hand up to Celestia's shoulder protectively. Suddenly a high-pitched alarm sounded; Cressida's face washed with panic, as a faint smell of burning began to swirl in the air.

"The bruschetta!" Cressida squeaked, hurrying back to the kitchen. The others watched her go, then Scabior cleared his throat.

"I'll just go," he said, avoiding looking at Aloxus, clipping a lead he'd brought with him onto Jinx's collar. "Thanks for looking after me dog."

"Stay," Celestia said quickly, her face sincere. She and Al exchanged another glance; after a moment, he seemed to bend to her will. The girl turned back to the man at the doorstep.

"Please. When's the last time you had a proper meal? I want you to stay... that is, of course, if you can contain your fear of House-Elves."

Scabior smiled, bowing his head a little. He swept a hand through the short hair at his temple, as if to brush away strands which were no longer there.

"I think maybe I could manage that."

"Are you sure about this?" Aloxus asked Celestia, his hand moving from her shoulder. "You remember who this guy is, right? What he did?"

"Of course," Celestia said, answering all three questions at once. She looked meaningfully at Scabior. "and I reckon he's got some apologising to do."

Aloxus gave the man another shifty look but relented. "Fine. But I can't promise I won't poison his bolognese."

Al Squeezed Celestia's arm, then headed back down the corridor and into the kitchen. The young woman smiled as warmly as she could manage at Scabior and gestured to him in welcome. He hesitated on the threshold.

"I don't think this is such a good idea, sweetheart," Scabior said. "Your guard dog's got it in for me, with good reason, and you know I don't do to well with apologies."

"I thought you liked a challenge," Celestia said with a teasing grin, and motioned him inside. After a moment more of consideration he gave in, and Celestia touched him lightly on the shoulder as he entered the cozy home. Jinx followed after them, panting a little as he went, his tail wagging more furiously than it had in months. The onyx door closed slowly behind the faithful hound of its own accord; the steel serpent which guarded the house twisted its tail, coiled in place, and became once more very still.

-Fin-

AN: Thank you for reading everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this little story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please take a few moments to leave a farewell review if you enjoyed, and all the best to all!