Epilogue

This is it, readers! The end to a marvelous story. I'll be going through again to edit some of the chapters for grammar and stuff, but this is the official end. I hope you feel good about the ending. Thank you so much for reading.

The day of October twenty-fifth: a very important day. Outside, the greenery was peppered with oranges, yellows, and auburns of leaves that had fallen from the once full trees that gave them life. Inside, Harry ran about, searching frantically. His breath was quick and shallow with fear.

"Tom!" he called out, running across the room. His heart boomed in his chest and rang in his ears. "Tom!"

Tom burst into the room, eyes concerned and wand in hand.

"What? Harry, what is going on?"

Harry stopped searching and bit his lip a moment before confessing.

"I lost it."

Tom's wand hand fell to his side and his red eyes narrowed with irritation. "What do you mean you lost it?"

Harry held his hands to hover just in front of his temples, fingers tensed straight. "I mean we've put too many hiding spells on it. I can't find it!"

Tom growled. "We did not put too many spells on it. We only put on two."

"Two?" Harry asked, confused. "I put on four."

"You?" Tom asked, confused even further. "I put on two."

Harry groaned, running his hands over his face. "So there are six hiding spells on it?" His eyes fell pleadingly onto the ceiling. "Why did you put on spells at all? You told me to do the spells."

"No," Tom corrected sternly, his wand out, performing various enchantments before him in the hopes the item they were searching for would miraculously reveal itself. "I stated that I would place the charms on it so you did not."

"What?" Harry shouted, arms in front of him with his hands balling into fists. "That's not at all what you said!"

Tom sighed. "Aura!"

In a moment, Tom's newly created winds lazily strolled into the room. If his magical winds were pets, Boreas would have been a playful dog while Aura was a semi-aware, spoiled cat. Tom was not amused.

"Aura," he began patiently, "could you find the package for us? It is under a few too many concealment charms."

The winds spun around Tom at a moderate speed, settling on the ground at Tom's feet.

Tom's face went red around the ears and neck. "YOU USELESS PIECE OF-"

"TOM!" Harry screamed back. "Don't yell at Aura! She's doing her best. She probably doesn't know where it is, either."

Tom huffed. "Who said Aura was female?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, Aura sounded like a good name for a girl…"

"Harry." Tom's voice was suddenly gritty, as if he had grown tired. "Aura is winds magically enhanced to be sentient enough to fetch. They are not a gender."

"We don't have time to debate gender," Harry announced, flicking his wand every which way around himself, attempting to undo the concealment charms from where he stood. "We need to find this ASAP. Help me."

With another sigh, Tom joined Harry in undoing the concealment charms he had placed on it.

"THERE!" Harry yelled suddenly. "Accio package!"

A package flew into Harry's hands, carefully wrapped in silvery paper covered in opalescent specks, shining every color imaginable depending on how the light caught it. On top was a precisely-tied bow made of charcoal-colored ribbon, a small card attached that read "To Gemini, From Harry and Tom."

Harry smiled down at it. "Tom, I still can't believe how perfect it turned out. Just look at it."

Tom glanced at the present for a moment, but took to staring instead at Harry. Every single time Harry had looked at the present since wrapping it, without fail, his peridot eyes grew wide with wonder and pride. Tom couldn't help but admire the look on the face of his love when it appeared.

"You are infinitely adorable," Tom said, a soft smile on his mouth.

Harry scoffed. "You didn't even look, did you?" he joked.

Harry held the present out to the side as he pulled Tom's chin towards his. Their lips met briefly, still as tender and caring as the second time (since the first time was frustrated and one-sided; Harry doesn't like to count the first time, but Tom does).

With a smile, Harry looked into Tom's Merlot-colored eyes, their faces inches apart.

"I love you, Tom," he said gently.

"I love you, too, Harry," Tom answered.

"Now," Harry stated, smile growing as he stepped away from Tom playfully. "We've got an event!"

"Yes, we do," Tom said. "I'll go pick up the guest of honor." Tom pulled out his wand and was gone with a crack.

Harry dashed from their bedroom to the library, eyes wide and glimmering with mirth at the decorations.

Rainbow ribbons hung along the black crown molding in stark contrast. Silvery bands of light danced on the bright crimson walls. In the center of the room was a long mahogany table with cushioned black chairs around it, awaiting the group. A bouquet of various fruits, trimmed to look like flowers, sat in the middle of the table, appearing almost like real flowers from where Harry stood. The fireplace was lit with a crackling blue fire, keeping the room a bit cooler than normal to compensate for the body heat that would soon be in it. The black glass of the chandelier sparkled from the glittery banner that floated just below it, reading Happy 12th Birthday Gemini.

It was almost ready.

Harry levitated his gift off to the small table by the fireplace and walked out to the hallway.

In the main room was family and friends. Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Luna, and Luna's husband Rolf chatted lively to Draco's wife Astoria and Percy's wife Audrey by the front door. In the dining area, Neville, Hannah, Theodore, and Fleur were playing cards.

"Ah!" Fleur exclaimed, setting down her cards before her for all to see. "I win!"

Theo groaned. "That's the third time. I'm not gonna have any sickles left at the end of this." He turned his head to see Harry standing at the mouth of the hallway. "Oh thank Merlin. My wallet is saved."

"I found it!" he announced to everyone, mentally doing a head count. "Where's everyone else?"

"I'm afraid most of the Weasley family is outside playing Quidditch, dear," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Draco, too," Astoria added, glancing out the window that, five weeks ago, had not existed. "Unfortunately, Ginny is scoring past him because his reflexes are slowed." She grinned. "Or maybe she still has her youth after all these years. What's her secret?" Her gaze flicked back to Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, she's fiery, that one," Mrs. Weasley said. "Just like her mum. If not more so."

Hermione nodded her agreement.

Harry stepped further into the room to be able to see out the window. Sure enough, he saw many bodies topped with red hair, one with black hair, and one with platinum blond hair, flying around on brooms.

"Bill's team has one hundred points," Luna said dreamily. "Percy's only has forty."

"That's because Percy's playing chaser," Hermione said, her tone apologetic.

Harry chuckled. "Well tell them Bill's teams wins. Tom is on his way with the kids."

Astoria opened the door, shouting outside at them, "Bill's team wins! Time to come inside!"

Harry could hear the cheers and groans from the players as they landed, stacking their brooms one by one in the corner.

"Tom's lawn is wicked good for quidditch, mate," Ron called to Harry, bright-faced and grinning.

Ginny came up and clapped Ron on the back. "Almost perfect, actually," she added. "All it's missing is stands for the spectators. Wonderful game."

"Easy for you to say," George said begrudgingly, walking through the door with the box of quidditch balls in his hands. "You weren't pulling the weight of your team."

"You weren't pulling the weight of your team, either," Angelina called out, walking up behind him with a smirk. "I was."

George smiled back at her. "Yes, the Weasley men are losing their touch."

"Speak for yourself," Bill said as he entered with Charlie, arm around thrown around his brother's shoulders.

"They practically cheated," Draco said behind them. "Their goal hoop was smaller than ours."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny replied, a wicked smile tossed at Ron.

"Alright, alright," Harry said, as if calming a rowdy classroom of students. "Put your brooms up. We've got to hide them before Gemini gets here."

Draco, Charlie, and Bill added their brooms to the pile. Bill cast a quick concealment charm over them and grinned. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan is go to the library and don't say anything until I open the door," Harry answered, his hands making a brushing motion towards the hallway. "Come on, everyone. Quickly."

Everyone in the room stood and crowded their way into the hallway, eventually funneling in through the library door, shutting it after them.

Harry sighed. He hoped Gemini would like this.

Harry walked outside the front door, looking out at the hedges that decorated the lawn. He transfigured the leafy quidditch hoops back into the grand, hedgy trees they were before.

With a crack, Tom appeared, a classroom's worth of students in tow: Gemini, Lily, Albus, James, Am, Scorpius, Rose, Hugo, Victore, Dominique, Louis, Teddy, Fred II, Molly II, Lucy, Lorcan, Lysander, Tyler, Shawn, and Albus's roommates Tony, and Edmund and Peter. Harry looked over to them, feigning confusion.

"Oh, hello," he said, brows furrowing. "What's everyone doing here?"

Tom shrugged, the ever slightest smirk pulling at one corner of his lips. "Gemini insisted on having them over for dinner."

Gemini's one-blue-one-brown eyes turned a bright pink. "It's nothing…just thought it'd be fun."

Harry smiled. "Alright, well, I'll have to get some more food, then. But first, let me show you all something. It's for a special occasion." Harry gestured for them to follow him. This was the part not even Tom knew about.

"Special occasion?" Gemini asked, eyes getting even brighter.

"Yes," Harry answered. "Six weeks ago, I was connected to the man of my dreams…" Harry turned to smirk at Tom, who wore a real look of confusion on his face. "I thought that deserved some celebration."

Harry stopped before a blank area of grass and smiled, tapping his wand ever so lightly on what seemed to be solid air. The group watched in amazement as a boa constrictor-sized snake appeared before them, definite tones of deep green on its shimmering, scaly skin with just a plume of red at the top.

"Surprise!" Harry yelled, gesturing to the animal before them.

Tom's mouth hung open for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "A snake? For me?"

"Her name is Stheno," Harry said. "She's three-quarters basilisk, which means she got the venom and the coloring, but not the death eyes."

Tom smiled at the snake. Harry and the others listened as he spoke to it in parseltongue. The snake hissed back a moment and tears sprung in Tom's eyes.

"This is completely unexpected." His soft red eyes looked to Harry. "Thank you, Love."

Harry smiled. "Of course. I must warn you, though. She thinks she's a coral snake."

Tom chuckled. He hissed at her and Stheno came slithering towards him, raising her head off the ground and wrapping herself onto Tom's arm to hoist herself over his shoulders.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Tom stated. "And so young. Remarkable."

"I'm glad you like her," Harry said, smirking. He glanced at the children, all closely clustered together with wide eyes and uneasy smiles. "Shall we go inside, then?"

All at once, the children nodded. Harry chuckled. "Alright. Well, the dining room isn't going to be enough for all of us, so I'll set up a table in the library."

"Oh, Mr. Potter, you don't have to do that," Gemini said, eyes now yellow.

Harry looked back to him. "What? You want me to tell my children to eat on the floor?" He winked at Lily, who hid a smile poorly. "It's no problem Gemini."

The group walked through the house into the hallway. Harry stopped just before the doorway to the library, a smirk on his face and his hand on the doorknob. This is it, he thought.

Harry pushed open the door and quickly stepped inside so Gemini could get a good look at the room.

"Surprise!" everyone inside cheered, smiles on their faces.

Harry watched as Gemini's yellow eyes turned bright green.

"I thought you all had forgotten!" he suddenly cried out, eyes wide with amazement.

"We would never," Tom said from somewhere in the hallway, still blocked by the many, many, many children stuck in the hallway. "Now, may we please all go inside the room? It is a bit cramped in the hallway, especially with a giant snake over one's shoulders."

Gemini ran into the room excitedly, the others following at a more moderate pace. Gemini stopped before the table where the bouquet of fruit stood and let his eyes roam over the room, from the colorful bouquet, to the multi-colored and sparkling decorations, to the table now so over stacked with presents, there were many sitting on the chair beside it.

"Are those all for me?" Gemini asked in disbelief.

"Of course, they are, Gemmy, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "We wouldn't let your birthday go without presents."

"As for dinner," Harry announced. "Soran!"

A house elf popped into the room, a nice knitted sweater on his back and fuzzy socks on his feet (a mixture of Hermione and Mrs. Weasley's work). "What will Harry Potter be needing?"

"Could you help me bring the food in here?" he asked.

"Soran's got it covered!" the elf squeaked. He snapped his fingers and plates filled with eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and ham appeared, dropping down carefully onto each place setting. Beside each plate was a glass filled with pale yellow liquid: homemade lemonade made by Lily, Albus, and James—taste tested, of course, by Harry. It was every bit as good as if Harry had made it himself.

"Let's eat!" Harry announced.

Everyone made their way to the table, chatting and smiling, wishing Gemini a happy birthday no matter where they sat at the table. At one end, Gemini sat surrounded by his friends, who laughed and shared that they knew about the surprise. Harry watched as Gemini chatted back, a smile stuck on his face and eyes bright purple.

"Look how happy he is, Tom," Harry said softly at the other end of the table.

Tom took a bite of eggs and hummed. "Taste these eggs, Darling. They are marvelous."

Harry chuckled and looked to Tom. "You know I made them. You watched me make them."

Tom smiled and took another bite. "That doesn't discredit my comment," he said after he finished chewing.

Harry shook his head and began to eat.

"I don't think Scorpius is enjoying himself at all," Draco said beside Harry. "He doesn't know anyone here besides his mum and I."

Harry smirked. "I've got it on good authority that he is well acquainted with my children."

Draco's brows drew together. "Are they friends?"

Harry shrugged, still smirking. "I suppose they are."

Draco's face dropped all confusion for a look of suspicion. "Potter, what are you hiding?"

Harry opened his mouth to deny the accusation, but Tom spoke before he could.

"Harry's youngest son has a crush on him," he stated matter-of-fact.

Harry's mouth opened wider as he turned to hit Tom lightly (ish) on the shoulder. "Tom!" he scolded. "That was a secret."

"One which you yourself could not keep," Tom countered.

"Well, it's hard to keep secrets when a certain wizard is always poking around my mind." Harry crossed his arms.

Draco's confused face was back. "What?" he asked.

Harry sighed, dropping his arms. "Albus has a crush on Scorpius. He told me and his mom when he came out to us."

Draco huffed. "That's funny. All Scorpius talks about is how he hates Albus, and how he walks around like her owns the place. It seems there isn't one moment of the day that isn't filled with him discussing Albus…" Draco's eyes narrowed a moment in thought. Harry watched as understanding came onto his face. "I see…"

Harry laughed in surprise. "Well, guess we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, then."

"I must have a talk with my son," Draco muttered to himself as he stood and left.

Harry and Tom watched with concern, but Astoria just chuckled.

"Draco is such a concerned father," she explained. "He feels like he needs to know everything about him, but Scorpius just needs his space."

They three watched as Draco whispered something into Scorpius' ear. Scorpius turned to look at his father in confusion.

Astoria sighed and stood, walking over to Draco and patting him on the back, saying words Harry could not hear. Eventually, Draco nodded and let Scorpius return to eating and watching the others chat.

Dinner went by quickly, then, and soon everyone was sitting back with empty plates.

"Gemini!" Harry called out, making his way over to him. "Do you want presents or dessert first?"

Gemini's eyes widened. "There's dessert?"

Tom chuckled from behind Harry. "What do you think the bouquet is for? Decoration? It is all your favorites."

Gemini smiled and walked over to the bouquet. It was incredibly large, perfect for the amount of guests. He picked off one piece of strawberry cut to look like a rose and ate it. "Presents," he said, smiling, "and then dessert."

Bill, right beside him, laughed heartily. "Couldn't resist it, could you?"

Gemini nodded shyly.

"Alright then!" Harry pulled out his wand and cast the presents into the air. They landed neatly behind and around Gemini's chair.

With a smile, Gemini rushed back over and took his seat.

He opened present after present, receiving many nice things from everyone, from books to candy. George, of course, got him something from his shop: a quill that was charmed to write sparkling opal letters no matter what sort of ink was used. Mrs. Weasley made him some fudge and tea cookies. All that was left was one more gift: Harry and Tom's.

Harry placed it before Gemini on the table, who inspected it. It was thin and flat, but hard around the edges. Gemini carefully opened the paper, trying hard not to tear it and ruin its beautiful shine. He managed to get one end open enough to slide it out.

"A frame," Gemini announced. He looked it over, reading the paper inside. "It's my birth certificate?" He looked at Harry and Tom in confusion.

"Yes," Tom answered. "We did tell you we were having problems with some final papers. Well, those papers finally came through. Read your name."

Gemini's eyes went back to the frame in his hand. "Gemini Gaunt." He pressed his lips together, uncertain. "Gemini Gaunt, Gemini Gaunt," he read to himself a couple more times before he noticed something was missing. "My other last name. It's gone."

Tom nodded. "Yes. Swalton: it was the name those ladies at the orphanage gave you since they did not know the names of your parents."

"Tom and I fought for hours at a court hearing to get them to take it off," Harry added. "We told them it wasn't even your real last name, anyway. Eventually, they gave in."

Gemini stared at the frame. It had much more meaning behind it now.

"You are 100% my son, now," Tom said softly. "All that was left of that terrible place is gone."

Gemini looked back up at Tom, tears now gathered in his tan eyes.

He placed the frame on the table and stood up to hug Tom. Adults around the table voiced their sentiments with "aw"s and sniffles. Harry, too, sniffled, happy tears in his eyes.

Gemini released Tom, a wet smile on his face. "Thank you."

Tom smiled warmly down at him. "Of course. But I'm not your only family, you know. Legally, yes, but otherwise," he gestured around the room with a hand, prompting Gemini to look about the room. "All these people are your family. That's why they came to share your birthday with you."

Gemini smiled at them all.

"Thank you," he said. "I've never had a family before."

Tom looked around at everyone, eyes stopping on Harry. "Only the best for you, Gemini."

Harry woke to the distant cries of glee from downstairs. He wiped at his sleepy eyes and looked out the window to see the time. The sun had risen, but barely touched the white sky. Outside, Harry could see the green trees and grasses were covered in layers of snow, and that frost had just begun to touch the edges of the glass of the window in delicate patterns.

He smiled groggily. That snow is either the weather being sentimental or Mrs. Weasley.

Had Harry ever had a Christmas at the Burrow where it snowed? He couldn't recall. He knew it normally settled a bit after Christmas, once January rolled around.

He heard the patter of feet up the stairs and nudged at Tom on the bed beside him.

"Tom, Love. It's Christmas morning. We've got to head downstairs to open presents."

With a small groan, Tom turned in the bed to bury his face into the pillow.

"Dad!" Lily's voice outside their door called. She knocked in a constant rhythm. "Wake up, lazy bones."

"Dad!" another voice cried as the knocking ceased. "My stocking is full! Father Christmas actually visited me this year!"

At the sound of his son, Tom rustled a bit. Preparing himself to sit up.

"Of course he did, Gemini," Tom answered, voice rough with sleep. "I told you without those ladies at the orphanage to stop him, he would never pass up the opportunity to finally give you all the gifts you missed."

"Come on, then!" Lily called once more. "Come see what we got!"

Harry chuckled and stood from the bed, nudging at Tom's legs. "Yeah, get up, lazy bones. It's Christmas."

"Lazy bones?" Tom asked, flipping onto his back. Harry had walked over to his side of the bed, intending to help Tom up. Instead, Tom pulled Harry back down onto the bed. "Who are you calling lazy bones? Surely not I."

Harry laughed, letting it be loud enough to ring throughout the room like a bell.

"Yes, you! We're supposed to be getting up."

With a chuckle, Tom released Harry.

"Yes, yes. Fine," Tom called to the doorway. "We are coming."

He and Harry stood from the bed and made their way to the door. Harry opened it, revealing Gemini wearing purple knitted chullo hat with a moving pattern on the side in white that looked as if it were snow falling.

"Do you like my hat?" he asked, eyes such a loud purple, Harry thought they could be glowing.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Harry answered. "I like it. Was it from Santa Claus?"

Gemini nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he also gave me gloves and thick socks." Gemini held up his stocking in one hand and began to rummage through it with the other hand. "And I got some more chocolate frogs, some muggle candy, and this!" He pulled from the stocking a small red box that read Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes: The Light and the Dark! Shimmering Sliver Salt Drops and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.

Harry nodded. "Very nice. I'm sure you'll have loads of fun with that."

Albus suddenly appeared behind Lily and Gemini, only further blocking Harry and Tom's path down the stairs.

"I've got crowns for everyone!" He held up a few paper crowns carefully in his hands. An orange-pink one already donned his head. "What color do you want, Gem?"

Gemini smiled and picked the light blue one from Albus' hands, carefully placing it over his hat.

Albus handed Lily the red one, which she took happily. Harry took the yellow one and Tom the purple one.

"Alright, let's head downstairs," Harry said. "We've got presents to open."

The group made their way down the stairs where most of the family was already waiting, sent messages by patronus from Mrs. Weasley, no doubt. The house was hardly big enough for everyone and all the presents, but they made it work.

Harry, Tom, Lily, Albus, and Gemini found spots in the room on the floor to sit and squished in beside George, Angelina, and Fred II.

"Where's Papa Ron?" Ginny asked from across the room. "They out of the hospital, yet?"

"Just released last night," Mrs. Weasley announced form the kitchen doorway. "I'm sure they're quite tired. Maybe we ought to let them rest."

"Nonsense!" Bill called. "It's not Christmas without Ron and Hermione."

"Jes!" Fleur called beside him. "Yoo also do not vant to miss ze baby, do yoo?"

"I don't think Rose and Hugo would be too keen about us starting without them, either," Albus added.

"Oh well, alright." Mrs. Weasley pulled put her wand and sent them a patronus. "But at least let the children open the presents wrapped in red."

Everyone smiled and nodded. While the Weasley and Potter children had gotten sweaters every year, this was Gemini's first. Oh, and Mrs. Weasley had worked so hard on his sweater; she couldn't wait to see him wear it.

Lily stood and passed out the red-wrapped presents to the children: herself, Albus, James, Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Fred II, Molly II, Lucy, and finally Gemini. Before the children could begin to rip into the paper, they heard a crackle in the fireplace.

"That must be them!" Mrs. Weasley said making her way to it.

Green flames erupted from the fireplace, and out stepped Ron. Shortly after him was Rose, then Hugo, and finally, Hermione with a small bundle swaddled in a yellow blanket. With a quick wave of his wand, Ron cleared the dirt and ashes from their clothes and smiled with tired eyes at his mother.

"Oh Ron! Minny!" Mrs. Weasley embraced them carefully. "Oh, how's our little girl?"

"Absolutely beautiful," Ron said as he squeezed her and pulled away to look at the baby. "She's got my eyes and her mother's cute nose."

Hermione nodded, dark bags under her warm eyes. Her hair was tied back into a messy bun, allowing bushy bits to escape from the grasp of the elastic.

"Emma," she said to everyone. "Emma Lauren Weasley."

The family all smiled at her, but did not move, so as not to crowd her in the already crowded house. They needed space.

"Vell, yoo both, sit here." Fleur stood from her spot in a chair and offered it to Hermione, who took it with a thankful smile. Fleur stood at her side, looking over the baby with a grin. "Yoo vere right about her nose. Ez very cute."

"Well, now we can start Christmas properly," Mrs. Weasley announced, handing two red boxes to Hugo and Rose. "Come on, children. Open the present you have."

All at once, the children ripped the paper and removed the lid to the box, finding a knitted sweater inside in various colors with their first initial on it. As per normal, the Weasley children smiled and put it on. Gemini was the only one who held it before him, staring uncomprehending at it.

Gemini's was not the same as any of the other sweaters. It was a stark white with little specks of the colors from the other sweaters in it. He stared at the large G on the front, wondering for a moment if the present was not his.

"What d'you think, Gem?" Mrs. Weasley asked him. "Everyone in the family has one. I thought it only best you got one, too."

Gemini let his arms lower, revealing his eyes tan and brimming with tears. "I love it."

Beside him, Tom put an arm around his shoulders. "It is a special gift indeed," he spoke softly into Gemini's ear. "Mrs. Weasley put a lot of effort into it."

Gemini nodded and wiped at his eyes. He stood, pulling himself from Tom's reassuring embrace to go and hug Mrs. Weasley.

"Thank you," he whispered into her jumper.

"Of course, Gemini, dear." She smiled and put her arms around him. "Happy Christmas."

They stayed for a moment longer before Gemini pulled away, a grin on his face. He felt silly, suddenly, for crying over a sweater. But it didn't matter. He was a part of something.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed suddenly. "I nearly forgot."

She went to the kitchen quickly and pulled one more red-wrapped package from some cabinet none of them could see from their spots in the living room.

With a small smile, she made her way to Tom.

"Here you are, dear. One for you, too."

Tom stared at the box with the same confusion Gemini had on just moments ago, but took the package from her hands. He looked it over carefully, as if it might vanish at any moment. He watched it a few more seconds before realizing it was, in fact, real.

Harry nudged him just a bit. Tom glanced around and noticed that everyone was watching him.

"Well?" Ginny said with a laugh. "Are you going to open it or just look at the paper all day?"

Tom let a half-hearted chuckled loose. He was nervous, though he couldn't explain why. It made sense for Gemini to get all this family stuff, but Tom? Yes, they'd accepted him in, but he'd figured it had been more of a tolerance than anything else.

He carefully pulled apart the taped edges and slipped the box from the wrapping. Taking the lid off, he found it was, indeed, a sweater. It was a deep green and had a silver T on the front.

"Do you like it, Tom, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Tom picked it up from the box and turned it around to hold it up to his shoulders. It seemed it would fit him just right, if not just slightly long on the arms. He pressed a hand over the T, feeling its soft texture, letting a smile grow into his features.

"Yes, I think I do," he said absently.

Harry beamed beside him. Tom's smiles never ceased to fill his heart with love.

"Well, go on," Harry prompted.

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "Oh, he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to." She began to make her way back to the tree.

For a moment, Tom wasn't sure what they were talking about. Was he supposed to do something? He thought for a moment on Gemini—he had opened the present, he had looked it over, he had said he liked it—and realized what they meant.

With hesitation, Tom stood. He could feel the eyes of the room on him as he walked the short distance to the tree where Mrs. Weasley was. He stood before her a moment, unsure. She just smiled cheerfully and held out her arms.

Tom stepped into them, placing his arms gently around her. She was warm, not like wearing a jacket on a hot day, but like the gentle heat of hot cocoa that filled one's stomach upon drinking it. He hugged this woman, and he thought of his past: the hurt he had caused her, the hurt he had caused her family and friends. And he had become an unofficial part of that family. Now, he felt welcomed.

"I appreciate the gift," Tom said softly, a small smile on his features. "I cannot possibly say how much it means."

"Oh, Tom," Mrs. Weasley patted his back and pulled away. "You're a part of the family, too. I wasn't about to skip over making you one."

Tom's smile grew. His heart was light and airy. Was this what Christmas felt like? He imagined he could do this every year.

Tom made his way back to his spot and sat down. He pulled the sweater over his head and adjusted it a bit.

"It fits you perfectly," Harry said to him.

Tom nodded. "Of course," he replied. "It was made for me."

"So when will we all wear them?" Gemini asked, his sweater still in his hands.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley began, "I'd like for everyone to get into them before I finish dinner. Then, we can take the picture before we eat."

Tom stretched his arms out in his sweater and placed them around the shoulders of Gemini and Harry with a content sigh.

"Who wants to open presents now?" Mrs. Weasley asked the room as she went through the presents under the tree, reading the tags as to who they were for.

"Let's have another one for the kids," George called out. "Let them open the bright purple and orange ones!"

All the parents groaned.

"Oh no," Percy said. "It's more merchandise, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" George announced. "I only give the most fun gifts of all."

Beside him, James and Albus high-fived.

Charlie chuckled. "The family that sweaters together pranks together," he said.

The room laughed alongside him, feeling the joy in the air. Maybe it was the snow or the new additions to the family, but the Weasley's had never had a Christmas that felt quite so complete.

Harry finally took a seat on his bed in Hogwarts, letting the stiff ache off his legs at last. His bones were tired. Truly, when he thought about it, he couldn't remember if he had sat down all day. He was sure he'd been standing since breakfast this morning. He sighed, laying his back down onto the softness of his bed. He hadn't realized giving O. and N.E.W.T.s were as difficult as taking them.

Not two seconds later, there was a knock at his door.

Harry groaned and got up from his bed reluctantly, shuffling to the door.

"Toooom," he groaned, but stopped as he realized it was not, in fact, Tom as his door, but Neville and Hannah.

"Oh," he looked at them all, brows furrowed and questioning. "What's going on?"

"Harry, you've got to see this," Hannah said, a wildly happy look in her tired brown eyes. She was holding Hope—the newest Longbottom who was over five months old now—on her hip.

"Okay," Harry said, uncertain. He followed them across the hallway into the open door of Neville's room, where there was a small TV on, turned to MaWN (Muggle and Wizarding News).

Harry's eyes widened as he saw a familiar woman on the podium speaking to the Ministry. He had seen her covered in bruises and blood, with scars and scratches, weak and thin and unsure. But here she was on the screen, her skin smooth, appearing strong and confident like a birch tree. Her tawny brown eyes not wide and frightened, but confident and sure, even if she was only a muggle among wizards: Janet Baker.

"For too long," she began, voice steady in a way Harry had never heard before, "wizards have lived in fear of being discovered. For too long, muggles, both aware and unaware of the magical world, have treated muggleborn wizards like freaks of nature. For too long," emotion ran into her voice—that was the voice Harry remembered as Janet's—requiring her to pause a moment.

"For too long," she said softer, "wizards have taken to hating muggles, attacking them in hopes of defending themselves, or getting revenge. Many have called this world peaceful, simply because we are not at war. War does not mean peace. Long before this war with Thomas began, I was his prisoner. Long before this war began, wizards and muggles were being harmed physically, emotionally, by one another. Thomas was a terrible man who took many things from me: blood, tears…freedom…"

Harry watched Janet on the screen take a shaky breath.

"This is not peace. There are aspects of this world—of our worlds—that need fixing. And there is one person I know of who knows how to fix it. It's no wonder that, upon a discussion of who would take up the newly available role of Minister for Magic, the name Hermione Weasley's name came up almost unanimously on everyone's lips."

Harry gasped, a smile growing on his features. Neville, a similar smile on his face, patted Harry on the back and nodded.

"She's always been incredibly passionate about the right thing to do," Janet continued, eyes glancing down at the podium briefly. "In her years at Hogwarts, she petitioned for rights for house elves, which she carried with her into the Ministry after graduating top of her class. She was able to get legislation which has since benefitted many elves, giving them the freedom they deserve while also respecting their culture of serving. Since then, she has always been a frontrunner for improving muggle/wizard relations. If there is anyone who is capable of fixing this gap, it is Hermione Weasley." A polite smile came onto her face. "I now introduce to you all, your new Minister for Magic, Hermione Jean Weasley."

There was applause. Hermione stepped up to the podium with a determined smile, shaking Janet's hand. Janet stepped off the stage, then, Hermione taking her replace behind the podium.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "I can't describe to you how much of an honor this is. I would first like to show my appreciation to Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt who, after retiring from the job of Minister for Magic several years ago, took up the position once more until the Ministry could get back on its feet." She looked to her left and nodded. "His wisdom and experience is and was invaluable in our time of need."

There was a small bit of applause.

"Of course, now we must look to the future," Hermione continued. "Yes, we've gotten this far with removing corruption, racism, and criminal activity. However, many aspects of the Ministry and of the wizarding community still need attention. It is our job to shine light on those things, and to make vows to fix them, no matter how difficult it seems. After many years of advocating for this cause, I can finally say I have not only the ability to fix it, but a plan for how to do so. Within the Ministry, we have already begun to work on this new plan. There will be a new department in the Ministry for Magic focused entirely on Wizard and Muggle relations. We are still in the process of hiring, but positions in this department will work closer to the muggle Prime Minister, as well as with muggles who house and interact with wizards. These muggles will enter a registry and will be monitored to ensure the proper care for wizarding children and adults. In addition, the Ministry for Magic has also agreed to provide more funding for St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in order to better address the needs of mental health issues for wizards. We hope, with these changes, to prevent many of the circumstances surrounding the lives of Tom Riddle and Thomas Gamp. No longer will wizards need to fight for the right to be themselves. As your new Minister for Magic, my muggle associate Janet and I will always look for ways to improve lives. Together, we will bring our worlds into a new era of peace and prosperity. Thank you so much."

Mouth agape with the corners upturned in a smile, Harry shook his head vaguely.

"She finally did it," Hannah said. "She's been working towards it for so long. I'm just not sure she noticed until they offered her the job."

Neville chuckled. "Oh, she's going to be great. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. The Ministry was going to go in a direction he could agree with. Never again would there be a child in danger of becoming Voldemort. Instead, they would be like Tom, or Gemini: with loved ones, a bright future, and hope.

And never again, he thought, will there be another Harry Potter. He gave a breath of relief.

"This is beyond fantastic," Harry said. "I can't believe she didn't tell me this was coming."

The screen flicked from the Ministry scene to a commercial for self-cleaning cauldrons.

"You think Ron knew?" Hannah asked. "I'm not sure she would have told anyone else."

Harry shrugged. "Not sure. I've been so caught up in student testing and training, I honestly haven't been doing much else."

"Oh yeah," Neville looked to Harry. "You've also have your animagus class. How's that been going?"

Harry sighed, but a smile painted itself over his features. "It's so much work, but the results are unbelievable. There's no comparison for how hard some of the students. They all love it, and I love that they love it. The success rate is far beyond what I expected."

Neville nodded. "That's teaching, mate. It's a good feeling."

Hannah bounced Hope, her eyes on the baby as she spoke to Harry. "Is today the last training, then?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "We're doing one final, short practice before we go to the registry." A wistful smile on his face, Harry shook his head. "Speaking of, I'm going to take a small nap before dinner so I can actually be awake for practice later."

"Well, dinner is in a few minutes," Neville called out as Harry made his way to the door.

Harry sighed. "Is it really?"

Neville nodded, nose crinkled and eyes apologetic.

"Then, I suppose I'm going to head to dinner. Are you coming?"

Neville shook his head. "Nah, Hannah and I are going home. The Cauldron is usually pretty busy this time of year."

"Alright." Harry waved his hand. "I'll see you later, then."

Harry walked out the door and headed to the Dining Hall, finding his bones were no less tired or achy, but that his mind tingled with anticipation and excitement.

Upon his arrival at dinner, he found most of the professors were already in their seats before empty plates. The room was full of chatter, as usual, though Harry could see the somber faces amongst the students, preparing to bid farewells to their friends for the summer or, in the case of the seventh years, to the school.

Of course, he was sure some of them would be back for something or another. Professors would retire. They would have children who needed schooling. And when those things happened, Hogwarts would be there to welcome them home.

"Hello, Harry," Tom said, walking with Theodore. They both offered friendly smiles, taking their seats beside him.

"Hey Tom. Theo," Harry greeted. "Where've you two been?"

"Oh, I had to show Tom the potion my prized student brewed for his final exam," Theo said with a chuckle. "Really brilliant, that kid. Hard to believe he's only a first year."

"Oh yeah? Good to hear." Harry grinned, his pride for Gemini growing (not that it ever shrunk, but he was always finding more reasons to be amazed by the boy).

At that moment, Padma stood. With a somber smile, she wished everyone well in their last day at Hogwarts. Harry found it touching. He would definitely miss Hogwarts, he thought, but he had another home now, too.

The feast appeared, and they ate. Harry hardly paid any attention to the conversation Theo and Tom were having. His mind was focused on training later that day. He would have to bid farewell to these students, who he had gotten to know personally. Harry had worked with them every night to manage their mistakes individually, to give them confidence when they needed it, to point them in the right direction. He knew these students like the back of his hand, and now he was about to release them into the world. Were they ready?

"Harry," Tom said softly beside him. "Are you feeling alright?"

Harry snapped from his thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just got my mind stuck on training."

Theo smiled and patted him on the back. "Yeah, I've heard it's been going well. Good on you."

Harry smirked. "Thanks, but it's not all me. It's the students, really. They've all put so much work into this. I'm just one of the ones that supervised them."

Tom scoffed. "The students could work hard all day but never reach the heights they have because you have been there to teach them."

"Yeah, take some credit," Theo said with a smirk. "We all know it's you. You're Harry Potter."

Harry chuckled. They ate in silence for a moment before Harry remembered he had news to share.

"Oi! Did you all hear? Hermione became Minister for Magic."

Theo nearly spit out the gulp of wine he had taken. "Are you serious?" He put his drink down carefully. "It's about time they put someone as competent as Shacklebolt in that position. Those other blokes were no good."

"I am not at all shocked," Tom said. "She was the only choice after everything she did for the Ministry these past months. She practically rebuilt it herself."

Harry nodded, a breathy laugh coming through his nose. "She did. And she's going to be great. But uh…" Harry gazed at Tom, "I was watching the ceremony on MaWN in Neville's room, and Janet Baker introduced her."

Tom's brows rose on his forehead. "Is that so?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, she gave a great speech on the problems with the relationship between the wizarding and muggle worlds. She looked great…almost as if Thomas never happened to her."

Tom gave half a smile and continued to eat. Harry felt a push in his mind and allowed Tom to enter. Together, they ate in silence, letting their minds think together on it. It was something they had done many times, and it had become as natural to them as breathing.

Where has she been since she left The Burrow?

Not sure. I hadn't seen her in such a long time. It's hard to believe she is out in the world again. Especially the Wizarding world.

Yes, it is rather odd. They let a muggle speak at the Ministry? We must truly be heading into a new era.

Yeah. She's Hermione's associate, apparently. They're working together.

Fascinating.

Dinner was soon over as plates were empty. Most students were hesitant to return to their houses. Many seventh years, however, were almost rushing to leave so as to not be late.

"Well," Harry began as he stood up. "I've got to head out. Training starts in a few minutes."

"I will see you after, Harry," Tom said.

Harry stepped away from his chair.

"Have fun!" Theo called after him. Harry nodded and waved at him before turning and heading to the classroom dedicated to their training.

When he arrived through the doors, one minute before it was scheduled to begin, he was greeted by every single one of his students.

"Professor Potter!" many of them cried happily afterwards. "Today's the final day!"

He laughed. "It sure is." He glanced around the room, taking in the faces of the seventh years, Dennis Creevey, and Gemini. "So where, in Merlin's name, is Professor Davies?"

Many of them shrugged.

"He was at dinner," one of the seventh year Hufflepuffs said.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him leave," a Slytherin said.

"Maybe he's running a bit late, then," Harry answered. "We'll wait." He smiled at them all. "Are you all ready? You've all got it. Now, you just need to perform it for the Ministry."

A few heads nodded, but mostly, he noticed his students grow worried. They knew this was coming, but he was sure the nervous feelings wouldn't stop until it was over.

"Hey, everyone," he stated, trying to get their attention, "look here. Listen to these words: You. Will. Do. Wonderful. All of you. You have worked at this every single day for a whole year. I've watched all you progress so quickly. Far too quickly, actually. That's why we cut down practice time from two hours to one hour. I know it's different, thinking about doing this in front of Ministry officials, but I have faith in every single one of you."

"As do I." Into the room stepped Roger Davies, an apologetic smile on his face. "I apologize for my lateness. I forgot to grab this before I headed to dinner."

He held up two rather plain-looking fabric bags.

"Come, all of you. Grab your paperwork and some chocolate."

"Chocolate?" one of the Ravenclaws students asked. "Is that supposed to help us with the transformation?"

Roger chuckled. "Nope. It's only for enjoyment, I'm afraid. Figured you all could use a pick-me-up."

One by one, the students grabbed their paperwork and piece of chocolate from the bags Roger had.

"You want a piece, Dennis?" Roger asked the other professor as he grabbed the paperwork but not the candy.

Dennis shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm afraid I might be sick."

"You've absolutely no reason to be worried," Harry stated. "You are ready. You can do this."

Dennis nodded, his smile only halfhearted.

Harry sighed and looked about the room once again. "I know you all are used to the feeling of group effort, team here on out, it's all on your own. So, as a practice for this, we're going to have one student at a time come to the front and demonstrate. Who would like to go first?"

Harry scanned the students, finding many were avoiding his gaze. No one wanted to be first.

"I can just as easily pick someone," he said sternly. Still, no one spoke. "Alright. We'll do it the hard way, then. Joel!" Harry looked to the groaning Gryffindor seventh year and smiled. "You're first."

Joel came to the front of the room. Harry could just barely hear him chant under his breath the incantation they had learned while training, "Amato animo animato animagus." He took in a deep breath, letting out slowly, then began his transformation.

In an instant, Joel was a boar with a deep earthy brown coat and curled off-white tusks like spears. He shook his head, letting out a small squeal, before changing back just as quickly.

Harry smiled and clapped. The rest of the room followed suit.

"Excellent, Joel," Harry praised. "Next?" Once again, Harry scanned the room. A Slytherin student made the mistake of meeting his gaze. "Annabelle! Come on up."

The girl ran a hand through her unbelievably curly black hair with a shaking hand. After a moment, her face set and she made her way to the front of the classroom. Without hesitation, she transformed into a white fox with a black nose and bright blue eyes. The classroom began to clap once more.

"Wonderful. Very good. Next?" Harry looked about before finding green eyes that turned yellow when he met them. "Gemini?"

Gemini's mousy brown hair paled to a blond as he made his way up to the front. He'd had no troubles when he worked independently, Harry thought, but how would he do with viewers?

Gemini's small body morphed into a small bird, its feathers extremely turquoise with black and white detailing on its wings, so bright, the colors were almost reflective. He ruffled his feathers a bit, hopping to the left and letting out a soft chirp in Harry's direction before changing back into a boy with mousy brown hair and bright purple eyes.

"Perfect," Harry said as everyone began to clap. "Very impressive."

Harry felt his chest rise with pride. Gemini had accomplished a piece of magic far beyond his age level. He was powerful with magic; that was nothing new. But for him to come before the class and transform perfectly…that, Harry realized, was his greatest accomplishment. Gemini was no longer the shy boy who feared being rejected constantly throughout his day. He was still a bit quiet, sure, but confident.

It was possibly the best thing Harry could have taught him.

Harry let a sentimental smile come over his face. He could feel in his heart that Gemini was going to go on and do great things. And Harry was going to be there to help him when he needed it, just as he would with any of his children. Gemini was one of his children, practically. In everything but the law.

That'll change soon, he thought, remembering the black ring box that sat concealed behind a Shakespeare book in Tom's library, The Complete Sonnets and Poems. And Harry would be damned if he wasn't going to read Tom a sonnet or two. He was a cheesy romantic. He couldn't help it.

"Next!" Harry called, his heart feeling whole, as it had for the past few months and as it would for the rest of his life.