Here it is, the end. Almost four years after I originally started this fic, its finally done. I hope you've all enjoyed it! Please tell me if you have :)

Epilogue – The Boats

The day was bright and warm, only the odd cloud marking the otherwise perfectly blue sky, exceptionally nice for an early summer's day in the Scottish highlands. Albus Severus Potter was happy. He held Scorpius' hand lightly, content with their casual intimacy, as he spoke to Colt about their last Quidditch match of the year, of their Hogwarts lives. Carrow was up ahead, his arm, rather shockingly still, around Rose's shoulders, who had her own arm around his waist. The news of that relationship was still sinking in, Albus still couldn't quite believe it. Behind them, he could hear Thorne talking with Lucinda and Anastasia, the former quite unable to hide her excitement of seeing her boyfriend for as long as she liked, forever, after a year of fitting him in around school and his work. Albus' friends were happy, his boyfriend was happy, his brother was happy, doing very well as a trainee Healer, the knowledge of which was almost better than his own happiness.

After his near death experience, he'd decided to let old wounds heal, to let his family in. It was still uncomfortable a lot, awkward most of the time, especially when Carrow and Lucinda had come to visit him over summer and his family weren't quite sure what to make of the relatives two sets of nefarious Death Eaters, who hadn't made amends like Scorpius' dad, and weren't ashamed of their surnames the way the Potters and the Weasleys felt, silently, they should be. But it was better, and Albus finally felt loved.

When they reached the boat house at the edge of the Black Lake, Hagrid was there, his hair entirely white now, his wrinkles visible even with his raggedy beard. Fang sat, old and drooling, but looking quite happy, at his side. He came out of retirement every year for this; to ferry the first years over to the castle for the first time, and to ferry the seventh years to the train for the last time. Tears glittered in his black eyes, even though he was smiling broadly.

Albus had gotten to know Hagrid well in his final year, given the fact that he'd transferred from divination to care of magical creatures and discovered that actually, he loved it. He'd been invited to lunch with Rose and Lily to Hagrid's every Friday after he found that out. Sometimes, Scorpius would come along too, though he was still slightly wary of the half giant.

"Well, have a good, long last look," Hagrid said to them brokenly, dabbing at his eyes with a huge handkerchief. Without another word he burst into full on sobs, as they all looked back at the great castle looming on the mountain. Albus patted him on the arm lightly, his gaze flitting between the castle and Scorpius, his pale, pointed, lovely face angled to the castle but laughing at some comment Carrow had said beside him. He felt his heart swell, as if it might burst out of his chest.

"Right," Hagrid began once he'd gathered himself together. "Time to get on. Four to a boat!"

Albus immediately got onto the nearest boat, swaying slightly in the water. Scorpius followed him, then Rose and Carrow. Lucinda stood at the edge, looking annoyed.
Carrow laughed. "It's already got four Luce!" he cackled, watching as her expression grew devious. Glancing back at Hagrid to make sure he wasn't looking, she took out her wand and muttered, "Engorgio."
The little boat grew drastically, easily able to fit another four people in. A laugh burst from Albus at her smug expression as she clambered in, gesturing for Colt, Thorne and Anastasia to follow. Just more than a year ago, he would have tried to fight it, but not now.

"Everybody ready?" Hagrid shouted as soon as Thorne had pulled his leg in. He glanced around to check, saw the eight of them sitting in a much larger boat, smiled to himself and then shouted, "Forward!"

The boats sped off across the Black Lake, splitting its glassy surface. It felt so strange, being in this little boat, knowing beneath the waters was his common room, his home for seven years that he'd never see again. Albus imagined that when he looked down hard, he could see the glass of the ceiling and the green leather couches. Maybe the floor would be passed over by shadows of the boats right then.

A cackle of laughter brought Albus back for his mind, looking back into the boat to see Carrow and Rose laughing hysterically at Colt who was looking rather guilty, his hand pushy ever so slightly at Albus' shoulder. He smiled back, guessing what they'd been pretending to do, no longer paranoid that everybody hated him.

"So," Rose said, when she'd finally stopped laughing. "What is everybody doing after this?"
"I got a job offer at Gringotts, apprentice curse breaker," Thorne said. Albus nodded, he knew what most of his friends plans were.
"Trainee potioneer," Colt said quietly.
"I got on the Auror programme," Carrow said quietly. Albus blinked hard.
"I thought you were going to be a curse breaker?" Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Carrow only shook his head and smiled. Albus would have to get it out of him later.
They went around the rest of them slowly; Anastasia was going to be a trainee Healer, Rose was apprenticing to Ollivander, and Lucinda, shockingly, had gotten an offer to be a reserve beater for the Montrose Magpies. That had gotten a veritable round of applause from the whole boat.

"What about you two?" Thorne asked, eying Albus and Scorpius from his place at the head of the boat.
"We're going traveling," Scorpius answered casually, sending Albus a small smile. "Al wants to be a magizoologist."
"What about you?" Lucinda asked. She'd been asking Scorpius what he intended to do for months, ever since he'd said he still didn't know. The truth was, as Scorpius replied to her then and all the other times, he didn't know. He just wanted to see the world, and decide on the way. Lucinda and Rose both groaned, but Albus smiled, and took Scorpius' hand.

They'd be fine, and if they weren't they'd just all come together again and fix it, because they'd managed it before, so why not forever?