Chapter Nineteen: The End

Lylia went to the Mirror of Erised, gingerly placing her fingertips to its surface as she had done so in longing for its vision to be true, so many months in the past. This time, she prayed as her fear heightened. She prayed that her hand would pass through.

The Addonexi had all been killed by man or beast, none left to witness the gruesome death of their leader.

Kayla nodded with difficulty, swallowing her grief. "Yes, Professor… Yes, I can feel it… Open your eyes and see it… Please… We've won! Please…"

Snape opened his eyes in time, his expression at peace. "Ah… Tranquility."

The remaining pockets of students scattered throughout the castle carefully started seeking a place of grouping, as did the remaining members of the Aurors and Domus Aurea. The air was beginning to grow brighter.

Lylia grabbed Talem's hand tightly as hers jerked forward through the glass. Her eyes almost fearful to show their hope, she stepped back with her hold secure. Talem stepped forward to keep the hold on her hand, and he came back out of the Mirror. Back to their reality, Talem shared a shy smile like always with Lylia.

"… Long time no see, Lylia."

"Talem…"

Kayla began to cry openly, taking the Potions teacher's hand in a weak grip. Draco limped his way back to the courtyard and lowered himself next to her, his leg bloody and mangled and his clothes smeared with blood and grime. He still smiles, and he takes her hand. Looking over with bloodshot eyes, she almost snapped at him.

"Why are you smiling? So many are dead…"

He kept smiling. "We're still alive."

"So? For all we know, we're the last three humans alive in the castle."

Lylia watched Talem with shining eyes as he walked past her. A warm shiver went up her spine when she heard him give the bell a good, loud ring. The scattered groups throughout the castle reacted immediately, traveling with various degrees of struggles toward the battle's primary field, the courtyard. At that same time, a glorious dawn broke its way through the clouds.

Deep in the semi-destroyed classroom of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Aidon stirred at the sound of a bell. He looked around quickly, not yet recalling recent incidents.

"Bloody hell, I'm late!"

"Why must time be everything to you…?" sighed a familiar voice from behind him as a pair of warm hands was tending to his cuts and scrapes.

Regaining his senses, the Prefect turned a cherry red, seeing Karen as he turned to face the voice's source. Her inhuman allure had faded with the marks' disappearance from her neck, but the Ravenclaw smiled enchantedly.

"Karen… I think you're so beautiful this way."

The Gryffindor paused as she blushed a bright red herself. After a tense silence, she brought relief to both of them in a gentle, caring smile.

Kayla and Draco looked up at hearing the bell, the first of the two finally allowing a smile. "… Yeah… We're still here." Looking over, she saw Snape to be restfully asleep and let go of his hand.

"Marry me," Draco said simply to Kayla. His answer was a feverish and happy kiss.

Over the course of the following half-over, all of Hogwarts' population journeyed to the courtyard. Karen helped Aidon limp in shortly before Lylia led Talem down the stairs and out into the fresh air of the square where the others all were.

"I've waited so long to see you again," she smiled as her hand went to his arm. "All the stuff that's happened, you wouldn't believe it!"

Elden leaned against an archway to the Grounds, giving a silent, sad smile as he watched the two Ravenclaws. "I get the feeling my work here is done," he said barely above a whisper, and he left to go back toward the lake, where all the kelpies were returning to the water. Draco's posse and the Hufflepuff Dueling Club, all still intact, had removed Shadow's crate from the lake and worshipped her as they carried her to the Great Hall amid her yowling.

"Excellent, my son," Lucius Malfoy commended Draco as he appeared beside him, the son quickly drawing out of his kiss with his new fiancée. Lucius supported Snape and helped the barely-awake teacher to his feet. Other members of the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital, having received word from a successfully-recovering McGonagall, Apparated as well (but not so subtly).

Draco just held Kayla to him as she blushed. "Glad you approve, Father."

Kayla idly wondered if any others yet had been informed of her blood heritage by Snape. It was then that Narcissa ran through to hug her tightly.

"Oh, who would have thought! The heir to the very line! Oh, there could be no better fit for Draco!"

"S-surprised me too," Kayla managed a grin.

Talem looked at Lylia as she began to try explaining the whole story. She stopped as she saw him just smiling his same, quiet smile.

"Uhm… What is it, Talem?"

He put his hand around the stone rose on her necklace, his eyes knowing. "It's great that you've waited for me to come back and believed in my return and all this… But… I believe there's someone waiting for you."

Lylia didn't move for a few seconds as her friend's words sank in. She then slowly began to smile. At the smile's brightest degree she grabbed Talem's hand in silent understanding. The next second she was running alone down the nearest hallway, her race frantic. Those she passed knew not her reason for running but understood that something in it brought extreme urgency.

Talem looked into the Great Hall as he heard yowling, seeing Shadow lying lazily on the Staff Table, where half of the student body was giving her attention and strokes and scratches behind the ears in attempts to gain good luck from her. Eli caught sight of his old master and trotted to nuzzle him all over, crooning at Talem's well-missed laughter.

At that same time, Elden threw the second-to-last of his suitcases onto the top of the carriage waiting to take him to the train station. He lifted the last bag with a quiet, reserved look down at the necklace he wore.

"Elden! Elden, wait!"

He turned around in time to see Lylia running at full speed down the path toward him. Indigo eyes widened before Elden smiled, his bag dropping from his hands. Turning to Lylia, he opened his arms to enfold her in a single, close embrace that he would forever refuse to break.