Author's Note

Please forgive any spelling and/or grammar errors. I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!

This is the last chapter before the epilogue. Thank you so much for sticking with and reading this story up till now.

PS I'm not JK Rowling, so I don't own anything… unfortunately!

Chapter 20

October 31, 1981

Severus helped Albus over to the sofa and began checking the progress of the curse on his hand. It appeared to have spread from his mid forearm all the way up to nearly his shoulder in a single day. At my shocked gasp, Severus spared me a brief glance, expression betraying his worry, then returned to containing the curse once more.

"Where's Sirius?" James asked at once when Albus was seated.

"With Voldemort," Albus replied, intent on watching Severus work on his arm. That made sense. It wouldn't have been wise to leave his body unattended. Who knows what Dark Arts his loyal followers might turn to in a desperate attempt to resurrect their fallen master…

Albus wasted no more time before launching into the tale of the evening's events. No one interrupted, each of us listening raptly as he recounted his defeat of the most evil wizard to ever live, much as he had the second most evil - Grindelwald - several decades previously.

"When Sirius arrived, we agreed that he would stay in the front room, lounging in plain view of the open windows, while I would remain upstairs until Voldemort arrived. Sirius had a mug of Polyjuice that he was sipping from every hour when your parlor clock chimed. It wasn't until just an hour ago, or two at most, that Voldemort finally turned up - just before six I believe, since Sirius hadn't yet taken his next dose.

"I could hear the trick-or-treaters running and laughing outside, oblivious to the danger. All so excited by the holiday, enjoying an excess of candy and eager to show off their costumes. I feared he'd harm them, kill the innocent children just because he could. Luckily, he didn't.

"Sirius was ready for him. When Voldemort blasted the door open, Sirius attacked immediately. Voldemort was unprepared to face such an unrelenting offensive strike. He was even more unprepared from me to appear quite suddenly on the stairs behind him. Voldemort began defending against both of us at once. His skills far exceeded those he'd demonstrated while in school, but that was to be expected given his reputation.

"Sirius was hit with a Stunner only a few minutes into the duel. Though I will say he lasted far longer than any other I know of aside from myself.

"Voldemort paused his attack to gloat, as is - was - his way. I begged him to stand down, to stop before it was too late. But he would hear none of it. He gloried in telling me that he'd taken steps to prevent his death even should I try this evening, truly believing he'd managed to become immortal. He relished revealing that he alone had mastered the magic necessary to overcome death.

"He was not ready to hear how I'd been aided for the last two years by someone with the power to stop him. A power he was ignorant of - knowledge of the future and of Voldemort himself. As I told him of his mistakes, his delight was gradually replaced with fury. He could not, or perhaps would not, believe that I had managed to thwart his plans so thoroughly. I tried to reason with him, but to no avail.

"Voldemort, now irate, attacked once more.

"My deadened arm was targeted. He finally seemed to understand how it had come to be in such a state, and that knowledge reignited his desire to defeat me, fueling his hatred and fear. It is my wand arm. He wrongly believed that it was too weak to be of use to me. I let him think so at the time, taking obvious pains to protect it. He concentrated his attack on dealing an injury rather than an immediate death blow. He wished to see me brought low, to have me cowering before him, bested and forced to admit his superiority. I believe this may be the only reason I succeeded.

"He set a snake on me, trying to take advantage by catching me unaware and off guard. I believe it was one of his pets. He'd brought it with. I think he intended it to - well, I didn't notice it until we were fighting. When I killed it, he was furious, maddened, enraged beyond any rational level.

"The ferocity of his attack increased tenfold after that. I conjured a shield that absorbed his magical blows. I used it with my injured arm. But using it came at a cost. Each spell it absorbed and dissipated sped the spread of the curse on my hand. We fought for some time after that and I could feel the curse spreading, threatening to overtake me, but I did not succumb. I lost track of everything, save the desire to see his reign of terror finally come to an end.

"In the end, I cast Avada Kedavra. I had no other choice, except to use the Unforgivable. It struck true and he was gone. He collapsed with a mundane finality - gone in an instant. It seemed strangely fitting given his driving need to stand out and become immortal, a richly deserved ending after all of the atrocities he'd committed.

"I summoned Magical Law Enforcement to come for the body at once. The trusted Aurors and a number of Order members are currently rounding up every known Death Eater, that Severus here, was able to name for me some weeks ago.

"I didn't know. I didn't realize…" Albus broke off here, apparently, unable to continue.

"What?" James asked the question we were all wondering about after Albus failed to resume his tale.

"The snake," Albus said feebly, shaking his head helplessly, almost pleading for understanding. A sinking feeling overcame me.

No. Horror seemed to settle upon the room like a suffocating blanket as the truth sank in. Albus's explanation was unnecessary, but he spoke the damning words anyways, confirming my suspicions.

"There was nothing I could do. The snake's fangs had pierced Sirius's neck at some point while he lay unconscious. It tore his jugular… he was unconscious. There was no one to stop the bleeding - I didn't know. He was already dead when I went to revive him. He must have bled out while I was dueling. There was nothing I could do," Albus explained, repeating his helpless plea for us to understand and offer forgiveness. No one spoke as the reality of what he was saying penetrated the victorious bubble surrounding us.

All I could think of was Severus bleeding out the same way in the Shrieking Shack, only now he had Sirius's face. It was awful, picturing the struggling wet gurgling sounds he must have made in the end. It couldn't have been Nagini, but I thought Albus must have been correct in what he almost admitted. Voldemort had brought a snake to use for his last Horcrux when he killed Harry.

I looked at Severus, desperate to reassure myself that he was here, alive, and not bleeding out somewhere else. I felt sick at the relief I felt that he was fine when I remembered that the same could not be said for Sirius.

"You can't begin to imagine how sorry I am," Albus concluded, his head bowed mournfully.

The next several months were some of the best and worst of my life. I was reliving the aftermath of the war all over again. The euphoria of surviving was competing with the pain of loss and confusion of starting over.

It was difficult to move on, to really believe that all of the fighting was over and that we could start rebuilding. It was hard to forget the fear that had dominated and controlled nearly every aspect of our lives for nearly two additional years in my case - longer for others. But Voldemort's eleven year reign of terror truly had come to an end.

Albus had mentioned the Aurors rounding up the Death Eaters when he relayed his story, but we didn't get the full picture until the next day when it was reported in the Daily Prophet. Knowing that the Death Eaters would scatter, lie, and bribe their way out of prison once they learned that their master was dead, Albus had taken steps to prevent that from happening. It was something he hadn't shared with me beforehand, preferring to place his eggs in different baskets as he was wont to do.

Alastor, Frank, Alice, and a number of trusted Aurors, were in place to capture a number of known Death Eaters on Halloween before they had a chance to escape or take steps to avoid the consequences of their actions. They were taken into custody as their master died, and before they could warn their comrades. Severus had provided Albus with a list of names when we realized Voldemort knew of the prophecy, so the Aurors knew who to target. Severus would also be testifying about specific offenses each committed. When I asked Albus what reasons he might have had to not have Severus do this the first time, he said it was probably because he knew Voldemort wasn't truly dead. Albus would have needed to keep Severus in place for when Voldemort returned to power.

Alastor organized everything, calling on only those he trusted to help. He went after Bellatrix himself, taking an additional Auror I didn't know along with him when he cornered her. She put up such a struggle that he was forced to kill her rather than apprehend her. Rodolphus Lestrange was subdued by the other Auror while the pair fought.

Frank and Alice went after Lucius Malfoy and were rewarded with being able to catch Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. in the process. They got lucky, but everyone was calling them heroes in the aftermath. There was even talk of an Order of Merlin once it had come out that Lucius had been responsible for the murder of the Bones family. There wasn't enough money in his vault to restore his public image after news of his murdering helpless children spread along with the proof that he hadn't been under the effects of an Imperius Curse when he committed such a heinous act.

I wondered how different Draco would turn out to be after growing up living in the shadow of his father's tarnished memory, and away from his negative influence. I looked forward to seeing it for myself. I even reached out to Andromeda and encouraged her to try and make peace with her sister. Draco would certainly benefit from having her and Tonks as role models growing up.

The Carrow siblings, Macnair, Dolohov, Rookwood, and the Snydes - a married couple - were all captured that first night as well. Several Aurors were injured while attempting to apprehend the Death Eaters, and two were even killed.

I asked Severus once if he was alright with seeing so many of his childhood friends being sent to Azkaban, and with being partially responsible for putting them there and ensuring they remained in prison. But he assured me that he had stopped viewing any of them as friends long ago. He may have chosen to be friends with them in school, but their actions since graduating had made it impossible for him to continue viewing them as such. He desired nothing more than for all of them to pay for the crimes they had committed.

Unfortunately, several of Voldemort's most loyal followers still managed to slip through the net and escape. They made their presence, and their displeasure, known in the weeks that followed their master's downfall.

They went after known Order members. Caradoc, Marlene, Hestia, and Dedalus were all targeted. Hestia got the worst of it. It looked as though she'd been whipped with flames. Slashes of burned, blackened, and puckered skin marred her body like some sick twisted version of zebra stripes. Healers were able to minimize the damage, but the dark curse used meant that the marks would never fully heal.

Caradoc was pretty bad off as well. He endured prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. He was forced to remain in St Mungo's for three weeks afterwards and his short term memory was permanently damaged, though not to such a debilitating extent that he couldn't still work and reside at home with his family.

Dedalus and Marlene both only suffered a few minor jinxes and hexes, so they recovered fully quickly enough, at least on the outside. Marlene, who was still mourning the loss of Sirius, had become withdrawn and subdued. She refused to see anyone for weeks after she learned of Sirius's fate, trying desperately to distance herself from anything with the potential to act as a reminder of the man. Apparently, she'd been every bit as in love with him as he had confessed to being with her. That knowledge made it difficult to look her in the eye the first few times I saw her - particularly at his funeral.

Guilt over my part in Sirius's death put a definite strain on our friendship. She never came right out and said she blamed me for helping him with his plan to protect James at his own expense, but the anger and resentment was there all the same. Marlene was the same with Lily and James for their parts in his death. Severus insisted I just needed to give her time to come to terms with everything. I hoped he was right. I missed my friend and I needed her to help me fix everything that Voldemort and his supports worked to break in the wizarding world.

A number of witches and wizards were resistant to the changes we tried to introduce in the wake of Voldemort's influence. Some had pureblood extremist leanings, so they were in favor of many of the new laws that Voldemort encouraged the Ministry to pass. Others appreciated the lack of any obvious oversight when he'd been in power. There was a freedom to not really having consequences to your actions, or at least not having them enforced, as had been the case for a while now.

Others just feared that this was a temporary reprieve. After the initial celebrating, many wondered if it was truly over or if something, or someone, else would come along to fill in the vacuum Voldemort's death had caused as far as a powerful leader went.

Albus wasn't any more a contender for the newly vacated Minister of Magic post now, than he had been previously, particularly considering he was dying.

I'd told him about my concerns about Fudge taking over, and how he let people get away with things because he cared more about his friends and staying in power than he did about doing a good job. To that end, Albus had taken steps to help ensure Fudge wouldn't be taking over during the last few months and the weeks immediately following Voldemort's defeat. He'd used his connections to whisper hints and suggestions in all the right ears to have the vote cast against Fudge when the time came.

The arrest and imprisonment of Barty Crouch Jr. back in February also meant Barty Crouch Sr. had already lost the public's favor and was also no longer a contender. I was extremely grateful for this considering he was still treating Winky as his slave. Moody had been warned that Crouch Sr. might try to smuggle his son out of Azkaban and was periodically checking on the prisoner's status himself to ensure that it didn't happen this time.

In the end, Amelia Bones was elected the new Minister for Magic. I approved of this choice wholeheartedly. She was fair and immune to bribes. Her hard-nosed stance against corruption would serve her, and the wizarding community by proxy, well in the wake of things as we tried to rebuild. If it couldn't be Kingsley, who was currently only twelve, she was the next best option.

Albus took advantage of his remaining months to help make headway at the Ministry in a few other areas as well. He had a great deal of influence over a number of wizards and witches, especially now that he'd taken responsibility for defeating Voldemort. Most people respected him, and his opinion. He pointed out unjust laws that had likely only been passed thanks to Voldemort's influence and helped get them overturned, such as the one preventing werewolves from working. Undoing the ridiculous policies that were created for the idea that "Magic Is Might" was the first step in healing the damage of the war for a lot of people, and for our society as a whole.

As far as recovering from our many losses during the war on a personal level, that was a different matter entirely. I'm not sure why, but it seemed much more difficult for me this time. I knew I'd suffered from PTSD the first time, but it was significantly worse this time. It was like it had been put on hold just long enough for me to fight again, but interest had been building the entire time and now I was buried under the debt that had accumulated.

Or maybe it was because I never expected to become so attached to my new friends. It could also simply be the fact that I had now fought in two wars, and had double the losses to contend with. Regardless of the reason, their deaths took a tremendous toll.

I had a much better understanding of some of the older Order members' attitudes from the first timeline now. I'd often thought Remus too self-sacrificing, Sirius too reckless, Emmeline too stoic, Mad-Eye too paranoid. All of these personality extremes seemed justifiable now. It was a way to cope.

There were days I didn't want to do anything aside from read with Severus in the privacy of our rooms, and focus entirely on putting together my suggestions for house-elf rights or some other social reform. The idea of facing anyone was too overwhelming to contemplate.

Other times, I'd cry for no apparent reason, overwhelmed by the burning desire to make things better for my friends when I saw them struggling. Or I'd pick a fight with Severus just to feel something, anything, that reminded me I was still alive. But Severus was always there, ready to pull me back into some semblance of normalcy whenever I got too consumed by an emotion or activity.

If I thought I was struggling, it was nothing compared to James. He was a disaster, he felt guilty and lost - betrayed by one friend while his best friend sacrificed himself for him.

Everyone wanted to help him, but I wasn't sure anyone could until he decided he wanted help. Lily, Harry, and the new baby were the center of his world now more than ever.

James had aged a lifetime in a single day. I saw echoes of the Sirius I knew in the man James had become. The loss of the man he viewed as a brother, the person closest to him, aside from his wife, altered him on a fundamental level. He was significantly more subdued, his joking and prankster ways a thing of the past. Often he resembled a zombie, only smiling or laughing for Harry or Lily, and then it was often a step too late or a shade too loud.

The only time he was truly enthusiastic and lively was when talking about the baby. Lily was due at the beginning of June. They were having a girl and had decided to name her Mira, after the star in the Cetus constellation. The star name meant "wonderful" or "astonishing". It was a way to honor Sirius for his sacrifice since he too was named after a star.

Lily had made the suggestion, and at first, James had been against it knowing how much Sirius hated his family and the old pureblood tradition. But eventually James had come around. I think he liked what the star name symbolized since that was how he viewed the baby himself.

James and Remus went after Peter together. It took nearly three weeks for them to locate their traitorous friend. They found him hiding in his rat form and managed to subdue him. It was a public affair, and from all accounts, rather unpleasant. I pictured it happening much as it had when Remus and Sirius cornered him in the Shrieking Shack.

James, Albus, and Severus all testified against him. For his crimes, and the additional sentence for being an unregistered Animagus, he'd be serving a life sentence in Azkaban. They even designed a special cell for him to ensure he couldn't escape in his rat form.

James and Remus had become closer than ever though in the aftermath.

Remus had barely batted an eye upon learning I was from the future, and had grown up as Harry's best friend. He said it explained a great deal about the things I'd said and done, especially since Harry's birth. He asked if Sirius had known and questioned how he'd taken the news, but Remus never indicated any sort of hurt over being kept in the dark about things. Nor did he blame me for not sharing what I knew of Peter's betrayal any sooner. He'd always been pragmatic that way. I'd initially worried that he would hate me for keeping that secret, but he insisted that he understood my reasoning and choice.

Sirius had left Remus half of his fortune, while willing the rest to Harry. I was initially surprised at this, considering before it had all gone to Harry, but it made sense. Harry had been an orphaned child then, while Remus was a grown man. Remus likely would have felt that it was dishonorable accepting such charity. He'd already had years of self-loathing ingrained into his personality by that point. Whereas now, he knew it was out of love and the only means Sirius had to continue supporting his friend after he was gone. I wondered if he'd had it changed in the days leading up to his death after we came up with our plan, or if it had been in place since before when the laws changed and Remus was left to the mercy of his friends; when things were risky and death could easily come for any Order member during any mission.

Albus's influence at the Ministry did mean that Remus could finally work in the wizarding world again. Remus was hired at Flourish and Blotts, but Albus spoke with Minerva about potentially offering him the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position at Hogwarts the next year. He'd even suggested James as a potential sub for the days surrounding the full moon. James intended to remain a stay-at -home dad, but I doubted he'd mind teaching one or two days a month, especially if it was to help out his friend. The current professor did not intend to stick around, and with Voldemort's death, the position was no longer cursed. I had once told Albus that Remus was an incredible professor, the best DADA teacher we ever had, and I guess the knowledge had stuck with him.

The only thing that saddened me about that was the likelihood that Teddy would never exist now. Tonks wasn't even in school yet, so if Remus ended up teaching her for seven years, I just knew he'd never be able to think about her in a romantic way. He'd struggled enough as it was with the age difference between the two of them.

Plus, one of the main reasons they'd managed to get together in the first place was because of the war. As awful as war is, it often provides an ideal setting for romance to kindle. People are typically desperate to find happiness wherever they can, with stress and adrenaline adding fuel to ignite the necessary sparks between people that wouldn't ordinarily consider one another. That daily life-and-death situation would no longer exist for them. I mourned the loss of the incredible child I had come to love before being sent here every bit as much as I mourned the loss of Dorcas, Sirius, Gideon, and Fabian.

Severus had surprised me by admitting he actually wanted to continue teaching. He said it was because no one else would look after and protect the Slytherins as well as he would. I couldn't deny it. The House was so distrusted - not without reason, but still. He hoped to shield them from the other Houses while also demonstrating that Slytherins were capable of bravery and good deeds. I hoped he'd succeed in influencing the future generations to be more tolerant and honorable.

It was an opportunity he hadn't had before when Voldemort was only temporarily gone. This time Severus's role in his defeat was already very well known and acknowledged. He was being heralded as a hero. It was wonderful to see him finally get the respect and praise he deserved.

As Albus's health steadily declined, Minerva began taking on his responsibilities while I took over her classes. With each day, I found I enjoyed teaching more than I thought I would after my disastrous subbing experience the previous year. I actually enjoyed helping others learn and I delighted in inspiring the students to seek and appreciate knowledge the way I loved doing.

I sought advice from Severus and Minerva regarding whether or not I should remain at Hogwarts, and they both suggested it would be a good idea. During the school year, in addition to Transfiguration, I could teach the students about wrongs and injustices in the wizarding world. Then I could devote my summers to law reform. It was a good idea. Having summers off so I could dedicate that time was certainly an incentive for pursuing multiple lines of work. I enjoyed staying busy and devoting myself to tackling several projects at once.

Even if I didn't continue teaching, I knew I would continue living at the castle. Severus wasn't going anywhere and we could finally start planning a life and future together. It was thrilling to finally have that opportunity.

He was in the process of selling his parents' home, and we were going to buy a small cottage this summer for us to live in during the school holidays. When he'd made the suggestion last week, I'd nearly cried. It was just another reminder that he truly loved me and that the war was really over.

We talked more now, not just about our interests, but about our insecurities as well. I think when the war ended and none of his fears came to pass, he finally started letting go of his doubts and reticence. The more he opened up to me, the more that enabled me to lower my own inhibitions.

The most significant change, however, was when he began joining me when I visited friends - even the Potters. He didn't always go with me, but he did often enough that my friends were no longer surprised or awkward around him. This was something that surprised even me. I didn't ask him to do it, but when I brought it up to him, he explained that it was because he wanted to be more involved in my life and make the sort of friendships he wished he'd made in school - the ones Lily had always been on him about. He was even starting to form his own friendships with a couple of them. Frank and Alice seemed to be the two he liked best.

At first, I would give him strange looks whenever he sought Frank out. He eventually got so fed up with this that he demanded I explain myself. I told him all about Neville and how Severus had once been his greatest fear. He'd seemed a contrary mixture of flabbergasted, amused, and unimpressed. I think he found it hard to imagine Frank's son struggling when Frank was such a confident and exceptional wizard himself. I also think he found it insane that he could be the greatest fear for someone who was willing to so bravely stand up to Voldemort.

The more that Severus came around, the more Remus also began extending the hand of friendship to him as well. Severus rebuked him every time, never harshly, but he made it clear in no uncertain terms that he wasn't interested. I think the pain of his school years was still too fresh for it to work. I didn't think it would ever happen honestly, but I appreciated the effort Remus put forth regardless.

It was different with James. James was too aloof to care at first when Severus dared to venture to the Potters' house with me. He had changed so much since Sirius's death, nothing seemed worth getting worked up over. I think the indifference was actually the best thing for all of us. It helped Severus learn to relax while in the other's presence, rather than be on guard waiting for some sort of stealthy attack. With time I hoped the indifference would morph into tolerance at the very least. I'd never dare hope for friendship - I wasn't that naive, but at least for now, I was at least grateful that the animosity had finally dissipated.

Throughout the year Albus continued to deteriorate. His health failed and he seemed to grow weaker by the day.

Towards the end, I visited frequently, begging him to talk to Aberforth and set things right before the end. Harry had told me of Albus's regrets and I remember meeting Aberforth at the Hog's Head just before the Final Battle during my original timeline and more recently when Albus was cursed while destroying the ring in this time. They both had so much they longed to say to the other and time was running out. They'd both regret it if they didn't set things right while they had the chance.

I never found out if it worked, but Aberforth visited nearly every day the last two weeks of Albus's life. That had to mean something at least.

I also loaned him my copy of the book The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore and promised I'd never let Rita Skeeter publish it. I'd have her arrested for being an illegal Animagus before I let that happen. It was the least I could do for the wizard that had sacrificed so much of himself for the sake of the wizarding world's future.

For nearly six months, Severus managed to keep him alive. Albus probably could have held on longer, but there was no reason to try. Voldemort was defeated and Albus was ready for his next adventure. His guilt over what he likely perceived as a failure in terms of saving Sirius probably played a role as well. It was late February when we laid him to rest in a white marble tomb on the grounds of Hogwarts. The bitterly cold winter weather did nothing to stop witches and wizards from all over the world from Flooding to the school to attend the event. It was every bit as grand, and impersonal, as the one I remembered from before.

The event seemed to symbolize the closing of one chapter, and the start of something entirely new and full of possibilities.