The Nymph's Gift to the Wolf
Epilogue: The Gift to Life
June 7th, 2009
"Go ahead, Ted. It's your time now." The young boy glanced at his grandmother's retreating back. As she withdrew to the grave of her late husband, he stepped forward and kneeled at the footstone of his parents' grave. It wasn't the first time he'd ever visited their final resting place, but no matter how many times he went, it always seemed there was something new about the experience. Somehow the changes comforted him; it was like he was granted a thousand chances at meeting his parents. No judgments, no expectations, only the exploration of his feelings towards two people responsible for giving him a life and falling to an enemy in the pursuit of changing the world for the better.
"Hi Mum, Dad. It's Teddy," he said as he fidgeted, pulling blades of grass through his fingers. His sandy blonde hair swung forward to obscure his eyes as he hung his head and blinked inquisitively at the graves. "I've got some exciting news for you. I got my Hogwarts letter…not that Grandmother ever doubted for a second I wouldn't be accepted. With talents like mine, who wouldn't let me in?" A rueful chuckle escaped his lips. "Don't worry—I'm not getting full of myself. Harry's seen to that. He told me to say 'hi' for him." Teddy fell silent for a moment. "He also told me to tell you, he wishes you could see little James. Supposedly the 'spitting image' of his namesake—at least that's what Grandmother says. He's nice enough as a playmate, even if he is younger than me. Doesn't care about getting into trouble either. Last week he levitated the cookie jar into the living room while Ginny wasn't looking. Broke into a million pieces after he'd gotten a handful out. Made an awful racket. At least Albus is quieter…Grandmother told me there were times she'd wished I'd been a bit quieter. Shame I can't remember…" he drifted off as church bells chimed across the meadow.
A breeze blew in from the south, chasing the encroaching heat away as the young boy strafed his hand through his mop of hair. More moments of silence reigned. Then, "I'm sorry I can't cry for you." The confession fell onto the silence of the graveyard, stark and deafening in its reality. "I wish I could remember," he continued, "…maybe then I wouldn't feel so strange when tears come to everyone else's eyes. But maybe it's better this way. The first of the Second War orphans without memories. Grandmother says it's a blessing in disguise. There's nothing for me to miss…and no nightmares to haunt my sleep." He let a sigh be carried by the zephyr weaving through the tombstones, a gentle whisper of resignation and acceptance.
Looking up he saw his grandmother had moved towards the gates of the cemetery and knew his time this week was almost up. Turning his attention back to the graves, he pulled a colorful cylindrical object from his pocket. Gently, he nestled it between the flowers covering his mother's side of the headstone. "I have something for you, Mum. Found it in a Muggle shop a few days ago and it made me think of you…though I can't imagine why." As he withdrew, he looked down at his father's side of the grave. "Sorry I don't have something to give you, Dad. But maybe I have something better." A wistful and hopeful smile tugged at his lips. "Grandmother told me the other day that I have your laugh. She said she couldn't be sure before, because she didn't hear you laugh enough, but she's almost positive about it now." His voice sank to a whisper. "That's my promise to you, Dad. I'll laugh for you, at least once every day. It's such a shame you didn't get the chance."
He backed away slowly and turned to leave. When the sunbeams shone down from above and he basked in their warmth, though, he turned to face the gravesite again. "Thank you…thank you for my life…and thank you for the world I live in…goodbye Mum, Dad…I'll see you later."
As the young boy made his way back to his grandmother's side, it seemed the gusts of wind carried an approving baritone chuckle on them and the glass beads of the kaleidoscope twinkled proudly in the morning sun.
A/N: And there we have it! I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Sorry I didn't get a chance to upload it yesterday as previously stated…life got in the way, as it tends to. This was by far the most difficult chapter to write, mainly because I don't think like an eleven year old anymore. That being said, I wanted to get this out as quickly as possible, so any spelling mistakes or awkward sentence compositions are wholly my fault! Finally, THANK YOU to my reviewers! Your feedback and encouragement have meant so much to me!