Disclaimer: Do no own.

AN: See notes after epilogue

You want to predict the future? How silly. You can't predict the future. It is always in motion to paraphrase an old movie. The best you can do is listen to it's tune and hope for the best.

Selene Lovegod

Epilogue: Of Musing Minds (Or how it all went off the rails)

The old Scottish castle was empty for the summer and high in one of it's towers silhouetted in a window a figure stood deep, looking outside deep in thought..

Albus Dumbledore was troubled. Tom had been right under his nose the whole time.

Was he getting old? He failed to get even a whiff of dark magic from Quirrel.

And his brilliant plan backfired when those children tried to "Save" the stone. And he could not tell them it was all a ruse. No no. They had to keep their spirit.

And that Girl! She was powerful. Merlin! She could become almost as great as himself! Could he have misinterpreted? Was the power friendship?

Well. Friendship was a form of love. And who knew what might develop.

He would have to change his plans a little. Fit her into the possibilities. Yes.

He would test it before changing the final scenario.

To be sure.

He would not fail them.

Never Again.

The old man stepped back and went to his desk, dipped a quill in some ink and started adjusting entries that were written inside a small red book.

The invisible specter of Voldemort dated through the streets of London dipping in and out of pedestrians like a black demented butterfly.

Each touch would return a minuscule portion of power to him. Enough to keep him lucid and moving. He needed the lucidity so he fed on these lesser beings.

Tom Malvoro Riddle was troubled. Has he fallen so low to be defeated by children using school jinxes?

The boy. He was powerful for a child. Hellfire! He was powerful for an adult wizard! He had to be killed!

And the girl, Oh he so wanted to get his hands on that girl. The arrays her blood would fuel!

And yet. They should not have won. Even if he was weakened.

Could it be that he had spread himself too thinly? Could he have misjudged the power of a human soul?

But how could that be? If that was true then what else had he misjudged in choosing this path to mortality and power?

No it could not be.

And yet.

He had to test it.

Yes.

He would re-absorb one.

Just one.

To test it.

Hermione Jane Granger was quiet on her car ride home. She Glad as she was to see her parents, she neded to think and thus acted as if she was sleepy and too tired to talk. Her eyes closed she pondered her actions.

Had she been arrogant to think she could stand with a boy against a Dark Lord and his minion?

Had she been naïve to think there would be no bloodshed?

What had she been thinking when she first walked this path?

What if she had died? And for what? Friendship? Alliance? What if she fails?

But no. What ifs are useless. Voldemort knew her face now. Saw her as an enemy. The unholy spectre.

She would have to delve deeper and faster into the mental labyrinth of her mind.

Studies could wait. Magic could wait. Homework... Yes. Even homework could wait. She needed a clear head from now on.

And when the time came...

She had killed once. She could do it again.

As many times as she had to.

Until she and her's were safe.

Ina another quiet car Vernon Dursley was troubled. The boy had come back changed.

It was subtle but Vernon was no fool.

The boy was changed. He kept his hand near that blasted stick at all times, his eyes searching the world around him. Constantly looking for god knew what, like he was expecting trouble. Yet the boys was not a nervous wreck. No. He looked like he was waiting. Calm dead eyes watching the world around him.

Like a coiled snake ready to strike.

Sliding over Vernon and dismissing him as a non threat.

He had seen eyes like that before. In a zoo.

Yes Vernon Dursley was no fool.

He would not push the boy. It had happened.

Like he had feared.

And now it was too late to try and kill him.

Wasn't it?

Lying in his bed that night Harry Potter was troubled.

Voldemort was alive and promised revenge.

And he was not going to stay quiet in his suburban home and keep his head down.

He felt as he had been asleep all his life until he met Hermione. And now he was awake. And he was not going back to sleep or putting his head into the sand. No. His soul was burning brightly and he would no longer suppress it. Dursleys may like it or not. If Vernon tries raising his voice he would ignore him. If he tries raising his hand Harry would break it. They were by no means his family. He would find one some day though. A family that would love him.

For now, he had friends willing to stand beside him. Two of which had the sheer gumption to risk facing a dark lord with him.

When he asked why the rigorous study Hermione gave him books that studied the previous three wizard wars. He never complained after that.

He was aware that there was a good chance Voldemort would spark the fire of a new war. Possibly very soon.

And Harry would be right smack in the middle of the blaze.

Carefree childhood my arse.

Author's note.

Yeah. I'm a bad person for leaving this like that. I had intended to post first few chapters of the sequel at the same time as I posted an epilogue. I failed. While I have some things written it is not what I need to continue this. The drive is not there.

On the bright side I have two things to say:

1. I plan to continue this. I might do a time skip or go by year. It will be somewhat slow unless a muse hits me over the head with an Inspirebat (TM)

The main difficulty I am experiencing is that I have no intent of rehashing the HP series and possibly I will only use materials from first four books. (Or even first three)

2. Several people had mentioned this and I concur that there is potential in this so:

Kick In The Arse Challenge

-Pick a character (Not the lead, if possible. Pick a female if possible)

-Pick a Fandom (Or Crossover)

-Give that character a Kick In The Arse

-Watch the whole thing snowball.

Rules:

1. When possible the kick should come from an older and wiser version of the person involved.

2. No direct time travel or Resets. Message in a bottle only, restricted in how much can be sent.

3. Include juicy future tidbit that will blow that character's mind.

4. Feel free to add some crazy awesome.