Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and all rights to Deadliest Catch belong to the Discovery Channel.
Epilogue
"Of all the women that I have known, never have I known any that meant more to so many people as Luna and Ginny." Harry stopped for a moment and wiped a tear from his eye. "Both of these wonderful women have touched so many lives, made a difference so many times. I can't really believe that they're gone…"
He had to take a moment to compose himself. When the services had been arranged, he had volunteered to give the eulogy. He didn't feel right fobbing it off on anyone else. It was his fault that they had become involved with being Legionnaires, and as their commander and friend he would not hear of anyone else taking this duty.
"Gingerbread and Moonbeam, those were their pet names for each other. Now that they have joined each other in the next great adventure, the two of them have all eternity to share their endless love. I know that these two will take the afterlife by storm, just as they did in this world.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley was the first person that showed me that Harry Potter could be truly loved in a romantic sense. Luna Selene Lovegood was the first person to fully understand the mixed up mess that is Harry Potter. She had a capacity to see things that no-one else could see, not even my best friends. Neither of these two ever judged me, and they both gave me everything that I could accept from them freely and openly. To say that I loved them both in return would be a gross understatement."
"I invite you, the people that knew them the best, to stand and share your story of either or both of them, that we might come to a better understanding of these two remarkable women, and just how much they have meant to us…"
*0*0*
They stood before the small red and white Orthodox church which was bustling with excitement. There were many things going on this day, and with the ending of the opilio season the ships would soon be visible in the harbor. While the city of Unalaska was preparing for that, the Church of the Holy Ascension was preparing for something a little more mundane.
This national treasure, which had been restored years before, had been having small services for years. Today, they were planning for the wedding of one of their own. One of the local businessmen had returned with a fully grown daughter, and a new fiancé. He had asked the city council for the use of the church, and they had happily agreed. The fact that he was using his own pub for the reception, and any who wished were free to attend did not hurt his efforts to secure the perfect setting for this, the wedding of the year.
Harry admired the church building once more. Built in three sections, each reaching higher than the one before it, the white siding offset the light red roof on each of the two lower sections. Atop the middle section, which contained the sanctuary, was a small lookout topped with a green roof reminiscent of a Muslim mosque and a white cross. The third section, a tower, had the same topping as the main section. In back of the church was a wonderful rising landscape of sloping hills covered in a deep, white snow.
He turned and gazed along the small beach that he, Hermione and Ron stood on. Moving their way up the beach were some of the native wild horses that frequented the island. With their white manes a perfect contrast to their dark brown coats, he marveled at the fluid grace of these magnificent creatures.
The sound of a deep horn shook him from his reverie. Looking out over the harbor, Harry spotted two ships sailing in. One, a gleaming white trimmed in blue was leading a slightly older boat, this one in a dull black trimmed in red. The black ship looked to be very old, but still in proud shape.
A rolling chuckle made Harry turn to face his oldest male friend. Ron was laughing softly and pointing towards the boats. "What's so funny mate?" Harry asked.
"I was just thinking that it was a good luck sign, that ship," he replied. "I mean look at the name…"
Harry and Hermione followed Ron's finger out towards the older, black boat. There, proudly displayed across the bow, was the name: Wizard. Harry had to agree. He had lived here for the last eighteen and a half years. These people, tied to the sea as they were, definitely believed in omens. For Harry, this was an omen of the best kind. The sailors, and especially his friend Keith, the captain of the boat coming in, would appreciate the irony if only he could tell them.
Harry turned and put an arm around each of his friends. "You sure you're alright with this, Ron?" he asked.
"What, you mean with Neville being the best man? Sure, I understand. With Veate being the maid of honor, it makes sense so that Neville can go down the aisle with her." He glanced over at Hermione. "Besides, I've got a beautiful witch to walk down the aisle with myself. How can I go wrong with that? I kind of wish Ginny were here to see it though," he commented. Harry and Hermione both agreed with the sentiment.
"Come on then, we've got to get ready. I've got a beautiful lady to get married to," Harry said with a chuckle as he led the pair in through the gate and up the path to the church proper.
*0*0*
Two years later:
Harry Potter stood at the Apparition point waiting impatiently for the arrival of one of his dearest friends. He had once again taken up the full shroud that he was entitled to for this meeting. As always he found it amazing how well the fabric breathed, allowing for full comfort despite being completely covered. He loved the feel of the kawa cloth. The fact that the garment was actually alive made him love it even more. This was a true magic, weaving the ties between nature and man even more closely together.
Next to him were his wife and daughter. Veate was in her Legionnaire dress robes, her first lieutenant bars proudly on display. She had proven herself quite an adept, mastering the ninety seven steps faster than anyone else. To say that the Siblings were drooling to get their hands on her would be an understatement.
Gabrielle had one arm around Harry, the other on her somewhat distended belly. It seemed that Veate's younger sister had just kicked. Harry smiled down at the sight. He was going to be a father again, and this time he was going to be there for everything.
It had been one of the few things that had come between him and his wife. It had been hard for him to accept that she had hidden her pregnancy from him all those years ago. She had made her sister take a wizard's vow to not reveal anything to anybody, and it had led to his not being there for a daughter that had grown up resenting and hating her father.
It had taken a long time, and a lot of heart-to-heart talks for Gabrielle to get Harry to understand why she had taken the steps that she had. For a very long time she had wallowed in guilt over what she had done. She had felt that she had taken advantage of a grieving Harry, and she felt that she could not bear to burden him with a child. She figured that he would hate her, thinking that she had only gotten pregnant to trap him into a relationship.
She had therefore fled the country, to have her daughter in the company of her parents. It had been the hardest decision of her young life, but it was one that she couldn't bring herself to regret, other than the pain that it now brought to Harry's life. She had given birth to Veate, and her daughter proved to be the greatest joy of her life.
Harry, for his part, had come to forgive Gabrielle. He couldn't find it in himself to hold a grudge. After all, everything had worked out in the end. Given that he would live for a very long time, and he had the majority of his life to devote to his new family.
He was stirred from his thoughts by the soft crack of an arriving witch. She apparated in with the grace that he had come to associated with her. The fact that she was also in full shroud did nothing to disguise her to him though. Even covered though she was, he recognized her eyes, her stance, and her aura immediately.
"Pen," he said softly. "Welcome home."
"Cloud?" she asked, though there could be little doubt considering the bright green eyes that twinkled out at her. "I don't understand?"
"I decided that a Sister needed to be greeted by her Brother. The Siblings insisted that I keep the shroud, and the title for future use. Tomorrow I go back to being simply Harry Potter, but for today I wanted to spend time honoring your achievement. It isn't an easy task, but you made it, and I'm really quite taken with your new look." He grinned easily, and she spotted the tell-tale crinkling around the eyes that gave it away. Like him, she had become very proficient in reading the person behind the shroud.
She came down off the apparition pad and gave Harry a hug. "I agree, tomorrow, since I'm here, I'll return to being Hermione Granger for a time. The shroud is always there when I need it."
She turned and gave a huge hug to Gabrielle and then turned to Veate. Taking in the uniform she smiled her approval. Her gaze wandered down the younger witch, and her eyes widened as she spotted her hands. "When?" she gasped with a squeal.
As she pulled Veate's left hand up to look at the ring on her finger the younger witch answered her question. "Two days ago," she answered. "Neville finally decided that we'd danced around each other enough and asked me to make it official. He wants me to be Lady Longbottom!"
"So you can see why I'm so happy to have you back," Harry said softly. "Neville is taking an extended leave to have his honeymoon and to take care of the business of his seat on the Wizengamot and the introduction of his new bride, and Padma going to be taking your place with the Siblings. She's going to be the new Diamond."
"So you need a second?" Hermione asked. "What about Ron?"
"Ron's not a teacher," Harry replied. "Besides, his job a the DMLE keeps him busy, and he's finally gotten back together with Lavender. Seems that they've been on-again, off-again for a few years now. While Gabrielle is an excellent administrator, she serves as our ambassador to the wizarding world and my personal assistant. Besides, with little Sophie on the way, she's going to have to take some time off as well. Veate's too junior for the post, and she's going to be gone with Neville. Besides, I need my best friend back."
"You've got her," she whispered. "I couldn't stay away…"
Author's Note: And there it is. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the reviews, and the great comments. Maybe someday I'll revisit the world I've created here, but for now it is on to finishing my other works. The first one up shall be "Harry Potter's Army: A General's Lament. I still have a long ways to go with that one. After that the responders to my poll have asked for "Harry Potter and the Shared Destiny". We'll have to see after that. Please take a moment and help my with Potter's Army by responding to my latest poll. I love you all...
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