Fourteen years later.

A cloaked man hurried up the hill. Although the path twisted at odd angles and was slick with fresh rain, he moved easily, without concern that he would trip and fall. He kept his eyes fixed on his destination: a small cottage that, exposed as it was on high ground, was being battered by the strong gales. Within a few moments he had pushed open the rotting wooden gate and was striding towards the door. He raised his hand to knock, but it was jerked open before his knuckles could rap against it.

An anxious face peered through the small crack between door and wall. Seeing who her visitor was, she let out a cry of relief and flung open the door. "Dumbledore!" She sighed, her voice almost lost in the wind. "We didn't expect to see you! Come in, come in – it's a rotten night tonight." She stood aside and waved Dumbledore in. He obeyed eagerly, grateful to be out of the storm.

As he crossed the threshold he took off his hat, showering the floor with tiny droplets of water. The woman hurried forward and relieved him of it and his cloak. "Thank you, Mae." He said, smiling at her. She beamed back at him and gave him a gentle push in the direction of the fire where an inviting armchair stood waiting. He plopped down into the chair, reveling in the warm glow that the flames sent through him.

Mae bustled around the room, conjuring a tea set and tin of biscuits from thin air. Dumbledore took the opportunity to discretely survey her; her hair, which had had a considerable number of grey strands mixed amongst the jet black when he had first visited her fifteen years ago, had greyed completely. Worry lines were etched around her mouth, and the dark circles under her eyes indicated that she'd had more than her fair share of sleepless nights. Dumbledore felt a slight pang of guilt when he realised that the burden he'd placed on Mae and her husband was responsible for this, but he quickly pushed it aside. They had accepted their task readily, even happily, and he knew that they regretted nothing about the past few years.

"Is Aaron here?" He asked quietly, accepting the cup of tea that she offered.

"He's out back. Something put the wind up the horses and he went to calm them." She frowned at the clock on the wall. "But he should be back by now; he left nearly half an hour ago."

Dumbledore took a sip of the hot liquid. "And what about-"

"She's upstairs. Probably stuck in one of her books." Mae smiled fondly. "She'd never put them down if we didn't-" At the back of the house a door slammed, cutting her off.

"Ah, that'll be Aaron now." Mae told Dumbledore, looking relieved.

Aaron shuffled into the living room, a pair of dripping wellington boots held in his hands. His hair was ruffled and a piece of hay was tangled in it. He shook his head to dislodge it and then looked up to greet his wife. His smile froze on his face as his eyes fell on Dumbledore. "You." He croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"Aaron!" Mae scolded. "Don't be so rude!"

Aaron ignored her, his eyes still firmly fixed on Dumbledore. "What are you doing here?" He repeated.

Dumbledore sighed and placed his cup on the rickety coffee table in front of him. "We have things to discuss."

"No." Aaron threw down his boots and began to unbutton his coat. "Nothing to discuss."

"Aaron-" Dumbledore began.

"No!" Aaron spun around to face Dumbledore, his eyes flashing. "We're not even going to talk about it. She's not going anywhere."

"I'm afraid that's no longer you're choice." Dumbledore explained calmly.

"Of course it is! Me and Mae raised her, didn't we? Looked after her for all these years. We're the closest thing she has to parents, and we decide what's best for her!" By the time Aaron finished he was almost shouting.

"Not anymore. She's of age."

Aaron and Dumbledore stared at each other in silence. Aaron's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, but Dumbledore just looked at him passively. Mae, who had remained silent through the exchange, began to speak. "What are you talking about?" There was a slight tremor in her voice and she fiddled nervously with the sleeve of her shirt.

"He wants to take her away from us." Aaron growled.

Dumbledore sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing the place where they had pinched his nose. "I think it's time that she returned to England."

"No." Aaron shook his head. "Her place is here with us."

Dumbledore pushed himself out of his chair. "When Harry began his magical education, I believed that it was time to reunite them. You insisted that she remain here. I respected your wishes because in taking her in you risked your lives. But now she's seventeen and you can't prevent her from going home if that is her wish."

"But this is her home!" Mae cried. "She has lived with us since she was a child. What life does she know other than this?"

"She knows she has a brother." Dumbledore moved towards Mae and placed his hands on her shoulders, but she jerked out of his grasp. "After what happened to Lily and James it's unfair to stop her from having a relationship with him. Not just on her but on Harry too. She's the only family he has and he doesn't even know she exists."

Aaron opened his mouth to retort, but movement at the bottom of the stairs caught his eye. All of them turned to see a young woman clutching the banister, a book held loosely in one hand. Dumbledore smiled to see her; she was the image of her mother, apart from the black hair that fell in waves to her waist. The last time he had seen her she had been a toddler, swathed in blankets and cradled in his arms.

"Is no one going to ask what I want?" When she spoke there was a slight accent to her voice which was only just noticeable.

After a long silence Mae hurried forwards to meet her. "Of course, dear, of course we'll do what you want. This is your choice." Aaron began to protest but Mae silenced him with a look. Dumbledore nodded approvingly.

Evie looked from Dumbledore to the people who had been her parents for as long as she could remember. Eventually she sighed and lowered her eyes to the floor. When she looked up her face was set in grim determination, and Mae and Aaron knew she had made up her mind. "I want to meet my brother."