Chapter 40

Epilogue 19 Years Later…

"Mummy, have you seen my jumper?" Lily Luna Maria Potter shouted out down the stairs "It's on the radiator dear, it should be dried out by now."

"Come on you lot, you will be late for the train otherwise" Vernon shouted out at the front door. Vernon Dursley was taking his great niece and nephews to King's cross train station as Luna Potter-Black was quite ill, it had been a struggle for Harry to get his head around the fact that his beloved wife had breast cancer and cervical cancer. But Vernon and Petunia were quite happy to look after Lily, James and Salazar while she went through brutal Chemotherapy. Severus and Hermione had done their bit as well to help their friends out. Their twins Gideon and Fabian Granger-Snape were born two weeks prematurely. Gideon had Autism and Fabian had Attention Deficit Disorder. Between the healers at St Mungo's and the devoted parents, it was a fairly mutual agreement that the Gravitis Expirito had caused the twins to have the learning difficulties. Harry had bumped into Severus at the paediatric assessment ward and Severus had told him about the twin boys.

Flashback*"Harry, are you okay?" Severus asked gently. Harry looked up with red and puffy eyes as Severus sat down next to him. Harry looked at his mentor and older friend. "Luna found a lump in her left breast. The healers are taking samples now. I don't know what I'll do if the news is bad." Severus was stunned by the news and Harry looked down again. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Severus dropped a bombshell. "The twins have been diagnosed as having autism and Attention Deficit Disorder. The Healers don't know whether it is a genetic or if it was caused by that damnable botched abortive potion. The chances are far more likely that the potion caused this."

"Oh man, I am sorry, is there anything the healers can do to help?" *End Flashback

"Uncle Vernon!" the boys ran down the stairs and threw themselves into his arms. "Are you two ready yet?" he asked giving both his great nephews a hug and a kiss.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, our trunks are over here in the hall"

Vernon had lost quite a bit of weight and although he was pushing sixty-one, he had taken Severus advice and lost weight, taking up swimming and running, he had also changed his diet to salads and had cut out sugary drinks, fatty foods and salt, in his previous diet, Severus had told him honestly he was heading for a heart attack and/or a stroke if he carried on the way he was going and seeing Luna suffer with the cancer, he had changed his mindset right away. In six months he had lost two stone and had qualified for a gastric bypass.

Vernon sat on the sofa next to Luna and covered her with a blanket. "Rough day?" he asked "I'll be fine, the daily sessions of chemo are taking all my energy. The kids have been great" Luna replied as she took a bite of her toast.

"Vernon?" Luna spoke quietly "If this thing beats me, will you help Harry as much as you can?" Vernon swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at his niece in law with watery eyes. "That goes without saying, dearest"

Vernon hugged Luna and covered her over again. "Don't you worry about a thing, dearest" Luna nodded and closed her eyes briefly. Vernon saw his niece and nephew behind him watching the touching scene.

"Give your mother a big hug and I'll take your trunks out to the car."

Vernon didn't want to intrude on the children's goodbyes and took the trunks one at a time. Lily Luna Maria Potter came out looking troubled. She didn't want to leave her mother when she was so poorly but Luna insisted she go to school and not stay at home to look after her sick mother. Harry was on his way home from Oxford and would insist that he apparated to King's Cross after Severus arrived to take care of his wife.

The two boys, James Severus and Salazar Draco came out with red puffy eyes. They hated this soul-destroying disease but they were helpless against the cancer that was destroying their beloved mother."

"This is only our second and third year and we have to leave our mother who is sick, it isn't bloody fair!" James Severus shouted as he kicked the wall in anger. Harry was just getting out of his car when Severus apparated into their back garden. "Dad!" Lily, James and Salazar leaped into their Dad's arms "We thought you weren't going to make it to see us off." Harry ran his hand through his messy hair and smiled "Hi, Uncle Vernon, they haven't given you any trouble have they?" Vernon waved the young man off "No, not at all, I can wait five minutes, you go and make sure your wife is okay." Harry nodded and stepped into his front room to find Severus giving his wife her daily restorative potion. Severus moved aside "Hi, Baby" he still loved his wife passionately and that had not abated once in 21 years of marriage. "Hi, back" Luna smiled weakly as Harry kissed her mouth and her forehead. "I know it's hard with all the chemo but we will beat this thing, I need you to have faith, my love" Luna sat up and hugged her husband tightly.

"I always feel like this the next day, darling and I always get through it until the next time" Harry felt himself break down inside. "Severus is here looking after me and you need to see the kids off to Hogwarts, I promise you I will be here and alive when you return. I just need to sleep, you look tired yourself." Harry croaked "I'm okay, baby, you get some sleep and I will be here when you wake up." Luna closed her eyes as Severus set up a drip for hydrating fluids.

"Let her sleep, Harry, go with your uncle to see the children off, it's your daughter's first year and she wants you to see her off to school."

"I never said 'Thank you' in all the times you came here to look after the kids for us." Severus waved his godson off and spoke quietly "You don't have to say it, it is in your eyes and true thanks comes from the heart. Not the mouth."

"Oh, Shit! Severus, I have to go!" Severus waved his wand and Harry looked instantly better and cleaner. Harry smirked "What would I do without your foolish wand waving, Severus!"

He ran out the door and strapped the kids in his Uncle's car. "Right, kids, you ready?" They all chorused back at him "Yes Dad

"Lily-flower, are you?"

"Yes, daddy"

"Right, let's go"

King's Cross Station in London was still the same as it was last year with the same Victorian architecture as last year.

Harry ushered his daughter and sons out of the car with gentleness and told Vernon he would be out in twenty minutes.

"Now, James and Salazar, this is your sister's first year at the school, whatever house she gets sorted into please look out for her and protect her if you feel the need to but don't wrap her in cotton wool, alright" Harry raised an eyebrow smiling at his sons. "Okay, dad, we promise to look out for our little sister" Lily shouted an indignant "Hey!"

"What!" James said with a twinkling smile "I may be 11 but that doesn't make me a baby" Harry smiled "True, but you will always be my baby girl. You are my youngest, it's my prerogative. Now, shall we get to the train before it leaves?"

The family of four were met by Hermione who was waiting with her sons Gideon and Fabian for the Express to arrive. "Harry!" Hermione smiled at Harry and Gideon pulled on Lily's strawberry blonde ponytail and shouted "Lily!" "Gideon!" Lily batted Gideon's hands away as Hermione rolled her eyes "Gideon, stop that!" Gideon flicked and twitched his hands in pure anxiety. "Sorry, mum!" Harry smiled and pried apart Gideon's hands as he wrung them. "Don't worry Gideon, just don't pull on any girl's hair, they really don't like it." Gideon graced Harry with a grin "Right, no pulling hair, no pulling hair at all?"

"No, Gideon, no hair-pulling whatsoever"

"You look tired, Harry" Hermione commented "Is Luna not responding to the treatment?" Harry swallowed another lump in his throat as he shook his head.

"Let's get the children onboard the express and go for some lunch." Harry nodded not trusting himself to speak.

The Hogwarts Express was leaving the platform as Harry and Hermione ran after it waving at Lily, James, Salazar, Gideon and Fabian.

"Do you think your sons will cope with the transfer to Hogwarts?" Harry asked with honesty and Hermione shook her head in the negative sense. When she looked up with tears in her eyes, Harry gave his best friend a hug. Gideon and Fabian had attended a special needs school for the last four terms of school but Severus felt they were ready for Hogwarts.

"Come on, we need to eat, you look shattered yourself, Hermione"

"I am" Harry held his elbow out and Hermione managed a smile as she took his offer of a friendly arm.

The two friends met Vernon for Breakfast at the Grosvenor Garden Cafe. He waved them over "Mrs Snape, what's the matter dear, you look pale?" Hermione explained about her twin boys. Vernon smiled and had some sage advice for Hermione. "What you've got to remember dear girl, is that this is not your fault. Gideon and Fabian are just unique and different, not defective. Their brains are just wired differently. Maybe you should stop wrapping them up in cotton wool." Vernon raised an eyebrow and Hermione nodded grabbing Harry's hand for support.

"Oh hell, I have to get back home, Luna's due for her next appointment at St Mungo's" Harry and Vernon drove Hermione back to hers and Severus' Manor in Richmond, Surrey as her car was in the auto-shop.

When they got back to Magnolia Crescent. Harry found Severus waiting outside for him anxiously. "Harry, the healers are here from St Mungo's, Luna took a turn for the worse, go be with your wife." Harry looked at his Godfather with fear and virtually tore into the house and upstairs to the bedroom.

He opened the door to find Luna being hooked up to the Chemical drip and lost his temper. "Everyone, my wife has suffered enough, please disconnect her drip and give her some pain meds, then leave" he growled. The healer nodded as he took out the needle of the young woman's arm and injected Luna with morphine to make her more comfortable. "We'll be downstairs, Mr Potter" Harry nodded and shut the door as he made his way over to his wife's bedside.

"Hi, baby" Luna smiled serenely and sat up pushing her duvet aside for Harry to get in beside his beautiful Luna so he could hold her in these last moments. Harry obliged her and pulled her into his arms.

"I've missed you!" Luna said quietly "Did our babies get on the train?" Harry nodded and felt the tears come then.

"I have never thanked you for the wonderful years we've had together and for giving me the family I have always wanted."

"They were worth it, I saw how much you craved a normal life and I wanted to be the one to make that happen for you"

"Harry?" Harry looked down at his wife "I had a dream last night and your parents were there, they told me to tell you to let me go onto my next great adventure and I'm ready for it. I am so blessed, Harry, for having you, the kids and all our family." Harry sobbed as he nodded "I love you so much, I will never love another. No-one would replace the Luna shaped hole in my heart." Luna's eyes rolled in the back of her head as she passed away.

Harry got no answer and he looked down and cried out. His beloved wife had gone onto her next great adventure. "Mum" he whispered as Lily appeared in front of him. "I will look after my beloved daughter in law. I promise, my son" Harry watched in shock as Luna's spirit rose and took Lily's hand. She looked back and waved serenely smiling at him. "Be strong, Harry, I will always be in your heart" Harry tried to grab his wife's hand but it passed through him like water."

"Luna, don't go, please, my love, I won't live without you"

"You will, Harry, our children still need you, my love"

Harry nodded "Goodbye, my beloved wife" he murmured softly. Luna took Lily's hand again and walked with her into the summer-lands.