Epilogue
(Carry On)

My darling angels;

I watch you as you begin moving; you've just begun to walk. It's an adventure for us all, for following you at every turn is not as easy as it sounds. There are times when you both fall, but you look at each other, and laugh as though there's a secret joke between you two. It's adorable, undoubtedly, and those are the moments I feel most blessed.

You will not see this letter until you're much older. I have ten years, or more, to hide this letter in a drawer, but for now I shall tell you the secrets of our world. It's an interesting place, the world in which we live; there are battles for purity, and between light and darkness, and I'm grateful that you two know nothing of them yet.

Your father and I came from two different sides of this battle. You two are smart enough to have realized, by the time you read this letter, that your father had a change of heart. And suddenly, we ended up with two bundles of joy!

Your Aunts Jessiey, Sarah, and Courtney helped me decorate your nurseries. Yellow for our sparkling Ember, and green for our stubborn Draco. Aunt Lily was there for all of ten minutes before going into labor with little Harry. Poor child, growing up without his parents…

The world, you'll find, is a very interesting place. I suppose I should stop beating around the bush and tell you the facts as they are.

You may or may not know by this point that your grandfather is none other than the Dark Lord himself. You see, your father and I have yet to decide if we should tell you. He believes that the sooner we tell you, the better; I believe we shouldn't tell you until you're old enough to form your own opinions.

Your Aunt Isis visits every so often. I wonder if you see her; some mornings, I'll walk into your nurseries and find sweets that I didn't put there. I catch glimpses of her now and again, but I haven't seen her since your first birthday. Perhaps she's made peace in her new surroundings, but I, for one, haven't lost the grudge against my father for taking her from us.

You see, my angels, your grandfather is a wicked man with a wicked heart. You will meet Harry at some point, and you will notice that his parents are no longer on this Earth. The Potters, may they rest in peace, were taken prematurely from us as well.

Uncle Sirius is no longer with us, either. He is not dead, thank Merlin – your Aunt Jessiey would be devastated, I'm sure. No… Uncle Sirius is in a much more haunted place. He is being held in Azkaban on charges of mass murder that I'm not convinced he committed. Your Uncle Peter, however, died in the explosion Uncle Sirius is rumored to have created. Aunt Jessiey and little Zoë visit very often, but I can tell the weight of these accusations weigh heavily on my dear friend.

My naïve children… the world is a very interesting place. I have faith, however, that you and your generation will make a difference.

Happy second birthday, my loves.

Mummy