Epilogue: Nineteen Years Later
"You're sure you want to go to Hogwarts, not Atlantis? I bet if you turned up on the train with me, Headmistress Drenyiv would let you stay." Hale Calder grinned at his sister, sparkling violet eyes grinning from beneath a shock of pure white hair. He was dressed in the black robes of an Atlantis underclassman as he and his family stood on the bustling underground station to Atlantis School of Sorcery.
"Come off it, Hale. I told you, I want to go to Hogwarts. I'm gonna be a Ravenclaw like Mum. Plus Rose, Albus, and Jordan are all starting this year. You're older than our friends so you wouldn't have had classes with them anyway." Despite her cheery words, Diana was bouncing on her toes with ill-concealed nerves.
Sienna smiled as she watched her children bicker. She herself had never had the luxury to good-naturedly fight with her sisters growing up as she'd been more mother to them than sibling. She was glad in moments like this that her own children had a far more typical childhood. As they argued, Sienna noticed Diana's hair growing distinctly red.
"Dee, please take a breath before your hair actually starts smoking. We don't want you to go bald before your first day." Ash's eyes twinkled brightly as Diana scowled at him.
"Daddy—" She whined as the other three laughed.
"Sienna! Ash!" A melodic voice made Sienna turn. There were her old classmates, Lynne, Lucero, Carter, and Latharn as well as their children. Lynne and Lucero had gotten engaged and married shortly after graduation, and their only child, Sophie, was a seventh year Amazon this year. Surrounding her were Carter and Latharn's five children. The eldest had already graduated from Atlantis while the next to youngest, Chris, was in Hale's year. The smallest of the children, a mischievous little girl named Jordan, was also starting Hogwarts with Diana.
"It's so good to see you," Sienna breathed as she hugged her friends. "The children have grown up so much. Sil will be joining us in a year or two right? Isn't his daughter eight or nine now?"
Lynne beamed. "Indeed! Then he won't have an excuse to go years without attending a reunion."
The others laughed. "He's busy and happy. Running the most successful magical hospital on the Mediterranean takes a lot of time." Ash grinned. Despite his busyness as an Auror, Ash had found plenty of time to keep up with Sil, his oldest living friend.
Sienna squeezed his hand tightly. "Does anyone know if Freja is ever planning to start a family? I know she's busy trying to become the youngest ever Headmistress of Atlantis after Drenyiv retires, but I'd have thought she'd settle down at some point."
Carter smirked, her eyes darting between Sienna and Ash. "Well, you did take Rene here away from her, so I doubt Freja will ever settle down now."
The older children, including Latharn and Lucero, roared with laughter as Sienna fought the familiar urge to bury her face in her hands. Even as an adult, she didn't take teasing well. Ash put an arm around her shoulder and chuckled softly. "Freja was the first to tell me to move to England and keep in touch with Sienna. I swear that woman knew my feelings before I did."
A clear whistle cut through the chatter of the station. "Alright everyone, on the train!" Sienna called over the conversation. She helped her son drag his trunk up into the nearest compartment. Nearby, Lynne and Sophie were speaking rapid-fire French while Carter ruffled each of her children's hair affectionately. The three fathers had moved back and were lost in their own conversations.
"Goodbye, Hale. You'll write to us with your college results, yes?" Hale nodded. Sienna had been thrilled when Drenyiv had announced that Atlantis would now send and receive mail with the outside world once a week. She was glad that almost two decades after her graduation, Atlantis was finally starting to take concrete steps to open up. It had been a long time since a golden koi had last spoken in her dreams, but its promise of change, slow but unrelenting, had been an inspiration to Sienna ever since.
As the train pulled out of the station, Sienna drew her youngest to her side. "You almost ready, Diana? In just two weeks you'll be on your own train with Jordan, Rose, and Albus. Are you excited?"
Diana looked up at her, her brow creased. Her sparkling eyes were much softer than her father and brother's, regardless of what color she had them take. "Do you think I made the right choice? Hale thought I'd go to Atlantis with him."
Sienna squatted down until she was the same height as her daughter. "Diana, honey, it's just a school. Atlantis is a very good school, and it's where I met your father, but I went to Hogwarts for years before that and both your Aunts went there. Either school would have been lucky to have you. But you know what? At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is that you try your hardest and trust yourself."
Diana beamed and nodded once before rushing off to talk to Jordan about Hogwarts. Sienna straightened up smiling, as Ash walked over and wrapped his arm around her again. "She'll be fine. She's as strong as you were."
Sienna smiled fondly at her husband and then her daughter. Not everything had always gone the way she'd wanted it to in life, but everything had worked out in the end. And in two weeks she'd be seeing the rest of her friends, her family, at King's Cross. Yes, all was well.
That's the end! Wow! I have published the first story in my collection of one-shots entitled Tales from Atlantis. If you enjoyed this story, check it out. If you have questions about backstories, what happens after Atlantis, etc., ask and you might get your question answered in Tales from Atlantis. Thanks for reading!