NOVEL NEXT Chapter 190 – Epilogue
Standing over the corpse of Dumbledore, Quincy finally let me go, recovering the Elder Wand while I pulled the resurrection stone from my pocket.
"Congratulations." A distant voice said the moment I did, and slowly, Dumbledore's spirit materialized, looking at his own dead body.
"Weird to hear it from you," I mumbled, not expecting him to pop out of nowhere to say his piece.
"I am already dead. There is no reason to hold a grudge... I had bet everything on the wrong move; it is that simple. I lost, you won, and now you will destroy them..." He sighed, his eyes turning towards the Hallow in my hand.
"Yeah, that's the plan." I answered as I played with the stone between my fingers, and Quincy gave me the Elder Wand. "Do you have any messages you want to pass on?"
"None. I fought throughout the last part of my life just to destroy myself in the end. Hmm... There is a lesson there, it seems, that I didn't learn."
Maybe... but I wasn't in the mood to answer him. Instead, I tossed the Resurrection Stone into the air, blasting it with the Elder Wand, vaporizing it with one forceful spell. Just holding it made me feel powerful, which was a weird experience because I was also aware that it was the type of perception change that was baked into the artifact itself. Was I that much more powerful with it? Probably not to the extent it made me feel in that moment. What an insidious little bastard...
"One more." I mumbled after Dumbledore's spirit dissipated, and then Quincy threw the Philosopher's Stone into the air as if we were shooting ducks, making me repeat the same feet, blasting it apart, making sure nobody could get their hands on it. "Now... Only this remains."
"How are we going to destroy it?" She asked, looking at the wand now that we managed to destroy everything that was too dangerous to exist.
"Well..." I mumbled, looking behind me as people finally arrived, observing the ruined scenery. "We still have a famous silver sword, no?" I smiled, lowering the wand and letting the people know it was over...
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I gave the wand directly to Neville, telling him to use Gryffindor's sword on it... and then let myself be arrested. Why? The new system and our new laws were just about to be established; I didn't want to be the outlier, so because I used the killing curse, I let myself be 'investigated.' Of course, Quincy was not happy about it; Lockhart even published an article about it, calling it ridiculous while I was being investigated.
I knew it wouldn't last long, and after the fifth day, I was already out, cleared of all wrongdoings because of the circumstances. On the last day, Neville visited me, telling me about how they destroyed the Elder Wand using the sword. I would have doubted it if not for Quincy, who was also present, confirming it for me after I got home. She told me that it was so tough that even the sword broke apart when she finally cut the wand into two. Good... Good! Finally, I could take a deep breath and know that it was, indeed, over.
While I was 'locked away,' the betrayal of Dumbledore caused irreparable damage to the name of the Order, forcing it to completely disband. Those endorsed by Dumbledore found themselves losing all credibility or support, forcing them to drop out of the race for power, ceasing them to even think about becoming ministers. This included Mad-Eye Moody too, who a few weeks later finally stepped down from heading the reestablished Aurors and as the warden of Azkaban. He wasn't charged, nor anybody else, but they found themselves in a forced, early retirement situation, taking up civilian life once again.
Not that I cared about it. I ignored the news, leaving it all up to Lockhart, letting him handle my 'responses' while I enjoyed life with my wife, having our proper honeymoon. The only thing that we partook in ourselves was when Severus Snape was buried. As for Flamel? We skipped out on it.
Did it create some backlash in the papers? Yeah. Not that it mattered. We kept supporting Hermione and Neville, and before the end of the year, the new Ministry of Magic was finally established, and it started serving the people once again, as it should have. It wasn't a surprise to have Hermione's idea implemented, which meant that two prime ministers were chosen, one being Hermione, the youngest ever in history, and the second was Neville's nominee, Minerva McGonagall. The difference between their ages probably made it happen in the first place, creating a balance between them, something that later on would become the norm.
As for Hogwarts, I hoped that Snape would become the Headmaster after everything and retake the position, but in the end, with his death, it was Slughorn who was recalled from the Wizengamot to take up the position. It was also the first occasion when everybody was shown that the new rules were upheld and that nobody could hold multiple important posts at once.
After becoming Headmaster, I know that behind closed doors, he tried to reestablish House Slytherin. Still, without much success, so Hogwarts became a three-house school, working closely with Beuxbatons and Durmstrang. What Dimitris started became a reality, and the three schools were sending students over to the others to gain experience, spending whole semesters abroad.
As for Neville, he became a minister himself, taking the position Moody was in charge of and becoming the youngest Chief of the Aurors. Of course, after the excitement died down, he couldn't help but come to us and complain because, oh boy, there was much work to be done. Even after everything, there were many groups who had it all during Voldemort's rule and wanted it back, so splinter gangs and terrorist groups were rampant, not to mention the still missing head figures of the Death Eaters.
But, for the most part, peace did return, lifting up those who were trampled upon, be them wizards or magical beings. We even had to free one of our elves, Dobby, after Hermione pushed through a law, giving the house elves the choice to gain their freedom whenever they asked for it. He was the first to do so amongst his kind, making Winky curse and grimace at him every time; even though he remained with us and continued to work, the difference was that we were now paying him for his services.
Speaking of Hermione, I knew that Krum, although being her official bodyguard, was also doing detective work, trying to find Grindelwald on the side. I think the only thing that could refocus that mule of a man's attention away from Grindelwald was Hermione herself... Or when Quidditch was mentioned.
One order that came down, though, something that Quincy didn't forgive to Hermione to this day, was the registry of all animagi. Not because she got cataloged but because I was put under a spell. If I ever transformed into a basilisk, they would be instantly notified, and an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause and the severity of my punishment. Not that I minded; I understood why they did it, and I never once raised my objection against their decision. Not that they could really do anything about it... Not when I had around twenty people within the Ministry who were on a first-name basis with me. And then there are those who are not in the Ministry...
As for the remaining figures, supporters of Neville, I didn't really ask much about them. I know that the man named Lupin became a teacher, even starting a rehabilitation course for werewolves, thanks to Minister Granger's Werewolf Curse Acceptance missive. Or something like that. Then, there was Hagrid, who also became a teacher, which was the primary choice for many after the Order dissolved.
We? Well, at first, we retreated from the world and began enjoying life. When we were away, we let Lockhart have the villa for himself because he kept living with us. There was enough room in the house anyway, so we gave him the south wing. It was a peaceful life... even when he held some parties promoting his books and flirting with women.
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"Another letter!" Lockhart shrugged, yawning, coming into the dining room, holding a thick one in his hand, "The owls keep knocking on my window for some reason..."
"You should start writing in the daylight. But I know, I know! You feel most energized when it's dark outside!" I chuckled, taking it from him, flipping it over, scanning the rough letters with my intact eye, while the empty socket was covered up with a permanent eyepatch, magically affixed to it for the past twenty years. After a decade, it became my most recognized feature. "It is from Old Silver again. Since our artifact business bloomed, I swear he is considering me a half-goblin."
"Isn't that good?" He asked, taking the coffee cup from Winky, "His resources turned you into one of the wealthiest men on the British Isles."
"That is part of it... He wants to swindle some blueprints and techniques from me to further benefit his family." I chuckled, giving the letter to Dobby, "Send it ahead of me to my office. I will read it at work."
"Yes, Master!" He nodded happily before disappearing with it.
"New semester, huh?" Lockhart hummed, scratching his chin, "It is that time already? Wait, isn't Isabel going to attend Hogwarts this year?"
"Yep!" I answered with a proud smile, "She is still sleeping, I checked on her. It took us two hours to put her to bed yesterday."
Just as I finished, I could hear rushing footsteps coming down, and after kicking the room's door in, my daughter flew straight at me, trying to tackle me like a rhino.
"Daaaaaaad! Let's go! My own waaaaand!" She yelled, wearing her white onesie as she landed on me, holding my neck and spinning me around.
"Woah, woah, woah, Izzy! Slow down; it is not even eight yet! When did you wake up?!" I answered her with a laugh, barely catching her thin body and then being slapped by her lengthy, black hair. But who can be angry at those sparkling, purple eyes?
"When you came in! So? Are we going? Are we going?"
"Relax!" I repeated myself, pulling her off me, "Let's wait until your mother wakes up, then we eat breakfast, AND then we go, get you your uniform and everything that will be needed. Wand last."
"Nooooooh!"
"Yes, because then you will try casting spells left and right. Wand last! Go, wake up your mother instead of whining!"
"I'm up, I'm up..." Mumbled Quincy, coming in, rubbing her eyes, barely awake. "She woke me first by diving into the bed..."
"It is the day! Woohooo!" She continued, dancing and shouting happily, "Uncle Gilderoy, you will come with us too, yes?!"
"Of course!" He chuckled, rubbing her head because, truth to be told, maybe it was he who spoiled her the most.
When she was born, he even cried, which was amusing to see. Also... We received an unmarked letter congratulating us on that day, along with a postcard from Nepal. I didn't need to ask who sent it; I recognized the handwriting. It was enough to know he was doing just fine, making me smile. Well, it wasn't the only thing... not exactly, if I want to be truthful.
In the past twenty years, my artifact-making shop has become a worldwide enterprise, bringing in more wealth than when we robbed Gringotts with the goblins' help. We had branches at different locations all around the world, and sometimes, we received anonymous donations of rare and valuable artifacts or components, all marked to be given to me directly. We had one employee once who tried to steal it and got blown up by the hex protecting it... Well... That was not nice to deal with, but shit happens, as muggles tend to say. After that, it was rare for anyone to try to fiddle with Grindelwald's gifts.
Of course, the contents of his packages were not only related to me but to Quincy's endeavor, too, because her potions were also making their rounds around the globe. While my portion of the family businesses was restricted to the wealthy, selling artifacts for the price of a magical steed or even a house with the land attached to it, she was dominating the market of affordable potions. We were earning way more than we could spend, so we started donating to multiple other businesses and charities. We even set up a public fund to support muggle-born wizards as they came to our world without understanding it or having any money to fall back on.
Maybe it was because of that when I was about to open up a course, wanting to teach artifact making to others, that both of us were contacted directly by Headmaster Slughorn. Quincy was early in her pregnancy back then, but the old wizard noticed it when he arrived at our home. Heh, he had a sharp eye; I had to give it to him. Anyway, we were invited to Hogwarts to teach. Quincy was offered to be the new Potions professor while I would head a new subject, Artifact Crafting. While she would teach kids from the first year, my proficiency was to be an advanced course, only available to those who had already taken their O.W.L. tests. Because it is a subject that requires ample wealth and aptitude, it was not something that anyone could tackle. Of course, I didn't ask my students to pay for anything while learning under me. I was already a substantial patron of the school, so I provided them with everything in class.
Of course, we both agreed to the job and at first, many signed up for my course, wanting to become rich just to be faced with the fact that I was a dreadful teacher to study under. Not because I was terrible at explaining but because no student passed in my first five years of teaching. None. I wasn't making them flunk out of school, of course, but I did advise them to pick something else before they put themselves into a depressing amount of debt after failing so many times. If someone was only in it for the money, they would flood the market with sub-par, faulty nonsense... Not on my watch! In a short time, I became the strictest teacher but also someone known to be fair and respected, not feared.
By the end of the fifth year, it was considered the most challenging subject in school, yet many still tried it out, only to switch to something different by the time the winter break arrived. Nevertheless, it was also the fifth year when I had someone who persisted throughout the year and even passed my most complex test at the end. He was the first to do so, Eric Wright, a muggle-born wizard. After graduation, he started working for me, and right now, he is the regional manager, overseeing my shops' dealings within Europe.
At the moment, there are two who also passed the first year in the previous semester, a girl, Michelle Williams, and a boy, Teddy Lupin. The former is from a muggle-born family, while the other is the son of my colleague, Remus Lupin, the teacher of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. I would lie if I said the relationship between our two families is amicable... There is still a cold air between us, a respectfully kept distance, but even if it is there and probably would never disappear, I was teaching his son the same as any other student... And boy, he has a good head on his shoulders.
As for my daughter, Isabel was born in Hogwarts. Because both of us worked there, the castle was more of a home for her than our villa. It won't be her first time being there, and she probably knows it better than some of the teachers! If not for the Marauder's Map that the Headmaster lets me use, she probably would have caused more trouble than she already did while growing up.
"What do you think?" Izzy asked, looking at us, "Which house will I be sorted into?"
"Ravenclaw." "Hufflepuff." "Gryffindor."
"Eeeeh? I can't be sorted into all three!" She pouted as all of our answers were different.
"Let the hat decide!" I chuckled, shaking my head, "It knows best, believe me."
What probably neither of us expected was that when the moment finally came a week later, and we watched our daughter grinning from ear to ear, walking up to the stool and letting Lupin put the hat on her, she would sit there for ten minutes before the hat sighed, speaking up in a defeated voice.
"Ravenclaw. I am not playing another mind game with you!"
"Maybe a few spanks would have sufficed while she was little." Hagrid, the teacher of the Care of Magical Creatures, mumbled, making Quincy snort after hearing it while I simply shook my head.
"I did spank her once." I answered with my own whisper, "Her magic erupted, turning her buttocks into plushes, softening the blows..."
Hearing it, a few of the other teachers chuckled, loosening my wife's expression and making her scratch her throat.
"If she causes trouble, punish her twice as much." She exclaimed, making everyone look at her in surprise as almost every teacher watched Izzy grow up here. "She thinks she is at home. Now she is a student, so different rules apply!"
While she said that, I watched with a smile, seeing the Ravenclaws' table erupt in cheers because multiple older students had known her for a long time. Or because she was looked upon as having access to my wallet. Oh boy, if so, they are up for a surprise. Izzy can be devious; she will rip them off before they can say Abraka Dabra!
"The next girl is... dangerous."
If not for my experience, I would have flinched. It had been decades since I heard Herpo's voice, but he was back.
"I thought you were gone. I half-expected that Izzy was going to come to us, telling me a snake followed her in her dreams as you began stalking my daughter.
""She is more open than you. She already perceived me, although she has yet to make the connection. But her dreams are unlike yours, so don't worry. I am not here to torture my descendants. That one, sitting on the stool, though..."
"What do you... mean... by that one...?" I muttered in my head, quickly putting it together while catching the young girl's first name, which Lupin read loudly: Delphini. "No way!"
"She has my bloodline in her; I can feel it. She is diluted... If not for being in proximity to her, I wouldn't know. But she has it."
"Are you sure that only Voldemort and I were connected to you?"
"Yes. I am fairly certain. So if she isn't yours..."
"Holy fuck..."
"Will you kill her, Conrad?"
"I don't know." I answered honestly, rubbing my chin while watching the girl be sorted into Ravenclaw. "Who knows what kind of girl we are talking about here... For now, I'll keep an eye out. Can you monitor her?"
"I can try. But if her heritage gets exposed, you would have to do nothing yourself. Think about it."
"I know. But I am a father and teacher now... And every child deserves a chance. Even if she is his kid... Let's wait and see what kind of girl she really is."
Maybe she will be a menace; maybe she won't be. But we didn't create a brighter future just to be afraid of someone casting a shadow under the sunlight... I won't be scared of passing clouds because whatever happens, the world is too bright right now for another decade of darkness to get a hold of it.
