Thank You Everyone!

I hope this last chapter ties up the missing year for you all. This extension was a wonderful experience. I chatted with some pretty special people, and you guys seriously were my rock during this ongoing Coronapocolypse. This chapter is essentially a tiny re-write of the intended last chapter before I decided to write the missing year.

NOW my lovelies, it is FINALLY, REALLY FINISHED. Naturally the happy endings will abound. I dont need to write any more lose ends. This, in my opinion, and I dont think I can do it any more, really, is done. So curse me, flay me alive (digitally mind you), and stream your discontent all you wish for the adventure to be over. Alas, all good things come to an end. I am happy you all have gathered together, and grew fond of these spectacular women in the Harry Potter universe, that make it so easy to write Alternative Fictions with them. Thank you for your support and patience for these past 4 years. Cheers!

Snow


Narcissa felt her stomach spin and flip. Bile almost rose many times through out the morning and early afternoon. It was One year. Narcissa was working, she was there for the children. Dobby and Ducky were with Draco and Harry working on some preparations for the Annual Seconding Wizarding War benefit, so Fleur had Emma in her chamber's upstairs. Narcissa threw her invitation away. She will donate an obscene amount of money, but she would not be in attendance.

"Cissy!" bellowed her sister as she made her way into the infirmary. Narcissa came from behind one of the curtains tending to a sick child and saw her sister. Narcissa chuckled and sat down.

"I have no idea how they did it, but a fucked-up swish and flick gave me polka dots and a green tongue!" Bella ranted. Narcissa had to shake her head. Bella was still sometimes more child that the children she taught.

"Bella, I have students here! Mind your… tongue. Merlin, I have to say this every time you barrel in here!" Narcissa laughed and bent at the waist when she saw the look on her sister's face. Narcissa went to her cabinets and brought out three different vials and then came back to her sister. She ran a diagnostic and listened to her sister rant and rave.

Bella watched her sister. She saw the circles under her eyes dissipate yes, but her eyes lost their shine, and her smile was not as brilliant.

"I thought you were sleeping. How long has it been since a decent night's sleep?" Bella asked as she grasped Narcissa's wrist.

She watched her sister sigh and wave her wand silently. The polka dots where gone but… nope the tongue was still green. Narcissa gave her a potion and she sucked it down wincing at the taste. She stuck her tongue out once more to see it getting lighter. She would not repeat herself, and Narcissa knew she would not have to. She would stay right where she was, stubbornly waiting for an answer.

"Twelve months," Narcissa replied with a bite not looking at Bella as she puttered around cleaning up her infirmary. Bella did the math and winced. The night she and Hermione spent their last night. The night before the battle. The night before her beloved soulmate vanished. Yes, Narcissa was still exhausted, and today was well… today and Bella immediately cursed herself for being an idiot. She should not have expected regular answers today but Narcissa knew this was not what she meant.

"Cissy I…" Bella began in a low growl but Narcissa went over to the student and pulled back the curtain. She revived the girl and told her to have a good day. Bella nodded to the Ravenclaw girl as she looked over and watched her sisters care. Now the girl was gone Bellatrix sprang from her own table and embraced her sister. The blonde fought for a moment, but Bella held her firm. Narcissa slowly melted into her sisters embrace.

"Too many things happened since then Bella's, to many things had been missed," Narcissa whispered as she slouched prisoner to Bella's embrace.

"I know what today is Cissy, I …"

BANG!

Both sisters jumped apart as something crashed into Narcissa's supply cabinet and rolled off the top then hit the floor with a sickening thud. Narcissa ran over and pushed the body over and then…

"Bella…" Narcissa whispered then looked up and found her sisters eyes. Bella lunged for Narcissa as soon as she teetered, caught her sister and lay her gently on the floor. She looked over the body.

"Well holy fuck," she sat there in shock. Bella gasped at the body, blinking, and it was only because she felt the need to breathe that she snapped out of her shock. She pulled her wand and cast her Patronus, and sent a message to the Headmistress. She levitated Narcissa to the table and then looked down at the body. It looked like she had gone through hell, tattered clothes, burn marks and singes. But she touched the witches face. Cold, and grey, but color coming back fast.

"What in the world…?" the Headmistress began harshly as she came through the doors no more than a moment after Bella sent her patronus, then her eyes landed on the body of the woman on the floor.

"Hermione," Minerva whispered. Minerva felt her heart seize, and her hand clutched her chest, as if it stopped beating for just a split second and then kick back on. She walked over to Bella and the witch on the floor and kneeled. She took out her wand and looked for signs of life. As she did this the doors flew open. Severus was there when he heard Bella's patronus in Minerva's office Bella looked to the shocked wizard as he ran and then slid next to Hermione.

"It can't be," he said and then he slid over to the witch on the floor. While Minerva ran the diagnostic, he ran his hands over her brow and then to her neck, "Get her on a table," he looked over to the one Narcissa lay on, "Let's get Hermione revived before she wakes up. I don't know if Narcissa would be able to work on her," he ordered them about. He was the closest to back up Medi-wizard Narcissa had and he was good enough. When they finally got Hermione comfortably on the bed two witches and a wizard stared at the patient.

"She is going to shit a brick," Bella stated running her hand through her hair. She took out her coin and messaged Fleur. Minerva and Severus looked at Bella and she shrugged.

"If I don't tell her she would kill me," she said. Severus coughed 'whipped' and all she could do was smile and nod her head.

"Let them both rest. When Fleur gets here, she will watch over them. I know their bond was strong," Minerva said and the other two nodded. Bella waited for her lover to show.

"Bella?" Fleur said opening the door. She spotted Narcissa first, but Bella stopped her with her hands on her wife's shoulders. Bella took Emma and nodded. Looked at Bella.

"This isn't a joke, right?" Fleur whispered. Bella half smiled and nodded to the bed behind her. Fleur slowly turned and then placed her hand on Bella's arm. Fleur walked to the bed grasping Bella's shoulder grounding her in the present.

"Bella, its…" Fleur's eyes filled instantly, "She is…" Fleur looked to Bella and the older woman nodded. She knew what Fleur needed. Fleur threw her body over Hermione's unconscious form. A soft grunt had Fleur pull back.

"Broken ribs. She fell out of nowhere, landed on the top of the cabinet and then rolled off hitting the floor," Bella said softly looking down on Hermione in awe.

"Bella, she is really here. Our witch," then Fleur looked over to Narcissa, "We are all here," Fleur said as she looked into Bella's eyes. Bella felt it to. The need to clutch onto Hermione. She had that bond with her long before blood bonds and crazy rituals. She needed her little witch too. Bella gave Fleur the baby and was on her way to class. She had no idea how she was going to teach with this magnificent witch finally back in their lives, but she will make it work.

Three Hours Later…

She could hear steps and shuffling on stone. She could hear the humming of a tune in the distance. She could smell antiseptic and potions. She tried to open her eyes, but they fought her. Then she felt a touch on her hand, and a tug on the sheet. It was strange and tentative. Finally, eyes opened and blurred but they slowly cleared as she blinked. Finally, when they focused there was a small weight on her upper arm and she found blue eyes. A small hand reached out clumsily over the sheet and tugged. Hermione moved her hand painfully, stiffly as if she had not used her limbs in months. The little child took a finger and smiled. Hermione ran a finger over her forehead and down her cheek.

"Hello there beautiful. Who are you?" Hermione croaked out. It hurt to speak. Her voice felt rough like sandpaper and it didn't sound like her own. She heard a shuffle and found someone she loved for almost an eternity it seemed. Fleur flew from the chair and hovered over Hermione's bed. Hermione smiled to the Veela.

"Hello, French girl," Hermione said softly trying not to use too much of her voice. Fleur almost dropped into tears. Then she saw Hermione wince from the weight of the child on her chest.

"How did you get there?" Fleur took the baby in her arms, but she wailed. Fleur put the child on the bed but erected a field, so she wouldn't crawl off and she could work through the barrier on Hermione.

"You… You…" Fleur tried to speak as she puttered around and got the woman a small cup of water, "You have a lot of explaining." She was angry, livid. Hermione reached out to Fleur and softly touched her hand as she turned around. Fingers curled delicately around Fleur's and Hermione weakly tugged on them.

"Please," Hermione said, and the woman crumbled as she threw her arms around her. The blond wept and blubbered into the crook of Hermione's neck. Hermione's hands came up to her back. Kissed her temple, breathed in her French girl. It was like a spring breeze that she knew was just waiting just for her, familiar and welcoming.

"What happened?" she asked Fleur and the woman sucked in a sharp breath and then shot off Hermione.

"You don't know?" Fleur asked. Hermione shook her head. Fleur narrowed her eyes, "What happened to you?" Fleur asked but Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"It was as if I was in a blank space. No time, no reality. No sound, just nothing. I wondered if I had died and this was what death was, nothing. I kept thinking of Narcissa. Always Narcissa. I slept, and dreamed of her, I woke, and I thought of her. I could feel pain, heartbreak, and then some sense of contentment, but never and sense of entirety. I used everything I could the try and get back to her. I looked around and realized, the time turner was shattered around my neck," Hermione's hand went to her chest where it would lay. "I always wore it just in case. When it shattered, with no destination in mind, or turning of the hourglass, I must have been thrown between time," Hermione shook her head. "Where is Narcissa?"

Fleur moved slightly, and Hermione looked over to the blonde in the bed and she went to sit up, but a small scream of pain sounded from her lips. Fleur placed a hand on her shoulder and made her stay. She went to the cabinet and brought back a pain reliever potion. Hermione drank it and sighed as she felt most of her aches and pains dissipate. All of them gone except for her ribs.

"You broke your ribs when you crashed… well when you fell out of nowhere. That's how Bella explained it," Fleur said but Hermione watched the woman on the far side of the infirmary, sleeping. Then a small hand touched her thigh as the child began the wriggle around.

"Who is this gorgeous one?" Hermione said with a warm smile at the child. Fleur swallowed and went over to Narcissa. She would not, could not tell Hermione. It didn't feel right to her.

Across the infirmary Fleur revived Narcissa. She woke slowly, and she looked up into the Veela's eyes and sighed, sadly. Fleur stroked Narcissa's cheek and bent her head down and took Narcissa's lips. The woman gasped as those warm lips slipped over hers. Narcissa pulled her lips from Fleur's shock written along her cheeks but Fleur only smiled, eyes wet.

"You haven't done that since you promised…" Narcissa's eyes flew open, "It can't be." Narcissa said disbelieving, and Fleur looked at her, in her eyes, blue on blue and nodded. Fleur moved to the side and Narcissa saw Hermione, her Hermione, her lover, her wife. She began to feel it, her heart pulling back together, not stretched thin like a rubber band about to snap. Her stomach flipped but this time it wasn't with the nauseating feeling of anxiety, it was the delicate flips accompanied by butterflies. Then she saw the child Hermione played with and she swallowed. She looked to Fleur, and Fleur stepped back and offered her an arm. Narcissa slowly threw her legs over the edge of the bed, clutched onto Fleur as she got her feet under her. When she knew she could walk she slowly made it over with Fleur's hand in her own.

"Emma," Narcissa said and the baby looked to her, "Her name is Emma Lyra Black," Narcissa introduced the baby to Hermione. Hermione looked from the baby her wife. One single tear slipped from Hermione's eye to her temple. Hermione softly brought the baby to her chest and embraced her as tightly as she could without harming her. She closed her eyes, let the soft feeling of the child forehead soothe part of her soul, and the scent of the baby's soap and lotion drift into her senses. She kissed the little girl's temple softly and then looked at Narcissa. She held out her hand for her only reason for being back there. She reached for her soul, standing there inside of the flesh of her lover. Narcissa practically dove for it and as she grasped it tears flowed.

"She is…" Narcissa began trying to get her words past her throat, but Hermione put a finger on her lips, and cupped her cheek.

"I know," Hermione looked down at the baby, "She has your eyes and my nose," Hermione watched as Fleur came close and took the child from Hermione and this time she didn't cry out. Hermione looked into blue, and Narcissa looked in to brown.

"Forgive me," Hermione asked as she stared into Narcissa's eyes. The older woman broke down and crawled into the bed. She nestled against Hermione, weary of her ribs and sobbed. She let go, she released. Months and months of despair and longing released in rivulets of tears and a clenching of the infirmary gown of the person who had the other half of her soul.

"I will never leave you again. I am so, so, so, sorry for this," Hermione said as she kissed Narcissa's temple, and ran her hands over her back and soothed her lover's sobs.

"You saved Severus," Narcissa acknowledged, "I saw his memory. I saw what happened. It's not alright, but I understand," Narcissa said as her sobs began to slow, and she no longer hiccuped between breaths.

"We all took that potion. But I was not sure if it could take another direct hit," Hermione swallowed, and felt her chest begin to warm with the woman in her arms, "I am glad it worked."

"He gave you Mastery as soon as he was able to fill out the paperwork. He knew you would comeback. I knew you would come back, but it was…" Narcissa whispered.

"I understand, my love. It was hard. You didn't know if I were alive or dead. You didn't know where I was. All you knew was you were only half there," Hermione swallowed, held Narcissa tightly to her as much as her ribs would allow, "I felt half there as well."

Hermione tilted her head and Narcissa looked up. Hermione tilted forward, and lips came together. It was as if they tingled and the air around them shimmered. Their bond solidified, and forced all doubts, and ill will aside, and gave them love, happiness, and peace. It was cliched but it was like coming home. Hermione pulled her lips away and pressed her forehead to Narcissa's.

"We can finally have a time we can finally, really, be," Hermione whispered against Narcissa's lips. They broke away when Fleur chuckled, and they looked at her. She lovingly looked at her witches, holding their daughter in her arms, bouncing her on her hip.

"You can have your time together, and for always, as it once more begins with a bang," Fleur smirked and Narcissa's lips curled into a genuine smile, as she looked up to Hermione. The future be damned, they were together.

"It all started with a bang," she whispered and then took Hermione's lips once more.

"It ended with a bang," Hermione smiled as Narcissa claimed her lips once more.

Finally,

The End