Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Epilogue

The Great Hall sat empty, all of the candles floating around the room casting a warm light. The ceiling was shimmering and beautiful with stars that night - it had been a crystal clear first day of Autumn, so the ceiling reflected the clean spray of stars that scattered across it.

Severus stood by the staff door, enjoying a moment of silence and solitude. The students would be returning to the castle in roughly thirty minutes, and he was feeling a little unsettled. Earlier in the day he and Hermione had been to London and dropped off Iris at King's Cross Station, seeing her off at Platform 9 ¾ with the rest of the students. They had discussed it with her, and she had chosen to catch the train with all of her friends - there were many Weasley children who were already at the school, and they had agreed it would make it easier for her to integrate with her fellow classmates easier if she went through everything the same as they did.

It didn't have to matter that her father was the Headmaster of the school. So she decided that it wouldn't, and Severus had felt a surge of happiness and pride at her maturity.

It was going to be strange, having her at the castle full-time. She'd be living in the dorms, eating in the hall, and spending all of her free time with her peers. Severus felt a little twinge of sadness at this - up until this point it had just been the two of them. She was his little sidekick in life - a foreign concept to him in the past, but now he wouldn't have it any other way. Hermione always joked that he would have the worst separation anxiety of anyone when she finally went off to school, and she had been right. And even though he would see her every day, it was going to be different, and their relationship had to change.

He sighed heavily, rubbing his hand over his eyes and taking a deep, steadying breath. Footsteps sounded lightly in the hall beyond the door, and he shifted slightly out of the way as he heard it being pulled open and his wife stepped through with a small smile on her lips.

'Hello, love,' she greeted, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning up to kiss his cheek.

'Good evening, pet,' he replied, sliding an arm around her. 'You look beautiful.'

Over the past eleven years she had not changed all that much. She had tiny smile lines beside her mouth and around her eyes, but her brown hair had not yet started to grey. Severus on the other hand was more salt than pepper now, the lines he had before were more pronounced than ever, and he felt like his nose had only gotten bigger over the years. But his lovely wife never made him feel old - she kept him young and engaged and fulfilled in a way he did not think he could be.

'I feel like a mess,' she said, smoothing her hands over her Healer's robes. 'I ended up taking the new apprentices on rounds today and I was thrown up on twice.'

He couldn't help but to chuckle at that. 'Well, given you've had such a harrowing day, you look remarkably put-together.'

She huffed but chose to ignore his jibe. They had been together for more than fifteen years at this point, and Hermione was used to his teasing. She led him over to the staff table and they took their seats to await the arrival of the rest of the staff and then the students.

He still couldn't quite believe that he was the Headmaster again. He had never really wanted to be a teacher, and after the war he had felt indebted to Minerva, so he'd returned. He had found in that year following the war a new appreciation for teaching and it made him want to stay and find a way to enjoy imparting knowledge onto the next generation. It had stuck, and so had he, until three years beforehand when Minerva had decided to retire and he was asked to step into the Headmaster role. Now he was about to preside over his fourth start-of-term banquet, and his own little girl was going to be sorted.

Of course all of their friends and family had started a pool, placing bets on what house they thought Iris would be sorted into. At first he had been rather annoyed by it, but Hermione had convinced him it was just a bit of fun, and it didn't matter all that much because they'd done it for all of the other children in the Weasley-Lupin-Potter clan. So why not theirs too?

'I can practically hear your thoughts, Severus,' Hermione said from beside him, putting her hand on his arm and giving it a small squeeze.

He looked down at hand and forced himself to relax and slump a little in his chair. 'I don't know why we agreed to do this,' he said with a huff.

'Agreed to what?' she asked, her brow furrowing.

'Allowing Iris to attend school here, of course,' he replied a little too sharply. He immediately sent Hermione an apologetic look and she seemed satisfied with that, letting it go.

'Would you have really wanted to send her off to Beaubatons? Or Merlin forbid, Salem?' she retorted gently with a grin.

He shook his head. 'Heavens no. I am not even sure I'm pleased that she's staying in the dormitories. All sorts of things go on in there.'

'Well we'd know,' Hermione said with a chuckle. 'You and I have both had our share of misadventures in this castle. Now it's her turn. It's important she have as normal an experience here as possible, so let's not make this any harder for her than it has to be. And that means you can't just let her come up to see you in the office all of the time when you're here. She needs to have boundaries like everyone else.'

He opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by the arrival of the other staff. The teaching staff of old was no longer, and this new regime of younger staff members reigned. The few remaining teachers from his time before the final battle were few - only Hagrid, Hooch, Sinistra and Vector still remained. Bill Weasley was the Deputy Headmaster, Longbottom was still teaching herbology and his wife, Ginevra Longbottom was the Charms Mistress. He had hired Blaise Zabini to take over as the Potions instructor, and Hermione had trained the current Healer in charge of the Infirmary herself - a Hufflepuff girl named Laura Madley who had graduated three years after Hermione herself. Hermione herself was back at St. Mungo's having been voted in by the hospital board to replace Healer Smethwyck on his retirement.

But change, as they said, was as good as a holiday. The school was thriving, and so were the students. He and Minerva had worked together on a plan to make the inter-house cooperation more of a focus and it had helped greatly with healing some of the old wounds and hard lines of separation between them.

Once all of the staff were seated with the exception of Hagrid and Bill, the room started to fill up with chatter as they exchanged pleasantries about their respective summer holidays. It wasn't long until the doors to the Great Hall opened, and the second through seventh year students began to file in and sit at their house tables. Students only sat at their house table at the start and end of the school year now - throughout the year they had decided to forgo house seating as part of the integration program. It actually seemed to work in improving the attitude of the houses towards one another.

Finally, once a calm had settled over the room, it was finally time. The door to the hall reopened once more and Bill Weasley led the gaggle of little first years into the cavernous room with Hagrid trailing behind them. The Care of Magical Creatures professor took his seat at the far end of the table as the rest of them drew up to the front, a long stool and the Sorting Hat sitting right in front of the Head table.

Severus allowed his eyes to sweep over the group before he finally allowed them to seek out and settle on his daughter. Her dark eyes met his own, and she flashed him the most unabashedly cheerful grin that made his heart throb in response. She looked so much like her mother, but her dark hair and eyes were all him. He loved that girl with every fibre of his being, and when he cast his eyes to the left, he could see Hermione smiling at their exchange and knew his wife would rib him over it later that night.

The sorting ceremony began, and one-by-one each of the first years were sorted in alphabetical order according to surname as it was always done. As the names began to approach the 'm's' he glanced at Hermione to see her knuckles were almost white they were gripping the table so firmly. He reached over and took her hand, brushing his thumb over the top of her hand gently to soothe her anxiety. He understood what she was going through - it didn't matter what house she was sorted into, they would still be going to their home that night and for the first time in a little over eleven years, Iris wasn't going to be there.

Finally it was her turn, and Iris strode up to the stool with a look of determination that reminded him so strongly of Hermione's that Severus almost laughed out loud. She sat down and Bill lowered the Sorting Hat onto her head, and he felt like all of the breath in his body had left him for a split second.

'Slytherin!' the hat shouted, and the Slytherin table immediately erupted with applause and some cheering.

Severus felt a smile lift the corners of his mouth, and Iris jumped down from the stool and immediately bounded over to join the table. Once she was seated, she glanced up to the head table and beamed at them. He couldn't conceal how happy he was - he had won the pool after all.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say our lovely daughter knew about the House pool and somehow managed to trick the Sorting Hat to sort her in favour of you winning,' Hermione grumbled from beside him.

He shot her a smirk and released her hand after giving it a squeeze. 'Who's to say we didn't plot this?' he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment but shook her head. 'I'm not being taken in,' she said with a huff of disbelief. 'I supposed I will just have to live with being in a state of suspended ambivalence.'

He chuckled darkly and let it drop, turning to patiently await the end of the sorting and for Bill to return to the head table. A hush fell over the hall as Severus finally stood to address the students as was customary for the Headmaster at the start of term. The first one he'd given had been awkward at best, but it was his fourth go-round and he'd made his peace with having to make announcements in front of the school. He cast an amplification spell on himself then so that his voice would be heard throughout the hall.

'Welcome to the start of a new year at Hogwarts,' he began. 'I'll begin with a few start of term notices, and remind all students that the Forbidden Forest continues to remain out of bounds unless under the supervision of Professor Hagrid or Professor Weasley. This year we are also joined full-time by Healer Madley, who you will no doubt remember was an apprentice for the past few years. She will now be taking up the vacated position in the Infirmary left by Healer Snape. Please make her feel welcome. For now that is all - let the feast begin.'

Severus resumed his seat, removing his amplification charm, and looked over to see his wife was looking at him with a strange expression on her face. He leaned over towards her slightly with a quizzical expression. 'Whatever is it now, my dear?' he asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again and a flush stole across her cheeks. 'I just love listening to you speak is all,' she whispered, casting a saucy look in his direction.

His gut tightened at her words and he was once again surprised by how quickly his body would respond to any suggestiveness from her even after all these years. 'I'll talk all you want later tonight,' he said, not leaving any room for misunderstanding about his intentions.

She grinned. 'I look forward to it,' she murmured, placing her hand on his thigh and giving it a squeeze.

He silently cursed his wayward genitalia for being so easily manipulated by his clever wife, and shot her a quelling look before turning his attention to his dinner, and Bill beside him to cool his ardour. After dinner wrapped up, the prefects and Heads of House ushered the students to bed, but Severus could see that Iris had hung back a little so that she could see them before she went off to spend her first night in the dorms. Hermione looked up at him with a silent plea in her eyes and he capitulated far too quickly and gave a short nod.

They walked over to join her by the door, and she quickly gave them both a hug before standing with her hands clasped behind her back, a happy smile on her face.

'Sorry, mum,' she said, looking up at her.

'Whatever for?' Hermione asked with a smile.

'I was sorted into Slytherin…'

Hermione laughed softly. 'Darling, don't you dare be sorry about that,' she told her. 'You father was a Slytherin. We all know houses don't really mean anything at all when you leave here.'

'Correction - they don't even have to mean anything while you are here,' Severus interjected, and his wife nodded in agreement. 'We'll be proud of you so long as you work hard and try not to get into too much mischief while you are here.'

'Or at the very least, don't get caught. Your father is loath to punish you as it is.'

Iris laughed and hugged them both again before turning to head off to the Dungeons. 'I'm off!' she announced before she waved, spun on her heel and skipped off to her dorms.

Severus stood there gaping before shaking his head and sighing. 'That girl is going to be the actual death of me,' he said under his breath.

'Do you have any other duties left for tonight?' Hermione asked, snapping his out of his reverie and back to the present.

'Bill is taking care of things for the night,' he replied.

'Let's go home then, shall we?'

He nodded in acquiescence then and he offered her his arm. Together they made their way up to the Headmaster's office, and once there, threw some floo powder in and travelled home in tandem. On the other end they stepped out and cast a charm on their clothes to siphon off any soot, and made their way tiredly up to their bedroom, deciding to skip their evening cup of tea in favour of retiring. Just as Hermione made to shift to the bathroom to slip off her robe and clean up, Severus caught her elbow and drew her back against his front, resting his chin on her shoulder as he held her against him.

'I thought you said you wanted to listen to me speak,' he said quietly into her ear, the tip of his tongue sliding along the shell of her ear teasingly.

'Oh,' she exclaimed softly, leaning into him further.

'Indeed,' he rumbled, his hand sliding up from her waist to cup her breasts through her clothes. 'Let's get you out of these things, madam wife.'

His fingers deftly plucked at the clasp of her robes, and he stepped back a little to allow it to drop. He returned his hands to their work, plucking the buttons of her blouse open efficiently and peeling that from her as well. From their vantage point in the doorway to the bathroom, he could see their reflections in the mirror. He walked the tips of his fingers over the curve of her breast as he traced the cups of her impractical lacy white bra. He wondered if her underwear was equally impractical that night as well.

Finding the clasp of the bra to be nestled between her breast, he gave it a twist and the cups popped free to expose her, the dusty pink nipples peaked from arousal. He made a small sound of approval as her breath hitched in her throat, and he proceeded to twist and play with her breasts, cupping and squeezing them, finding the mirror quite stimulating for both of them. She made a small mew of disappointment when he suddenly stopped, and he could see that her eyes were dark and dilated from his ministrations.

'Undress, wife,' he said, looking down at her skirt, stockings and shoes. 'Leave the underwear.'

She flushed again at his words, but did as she was bid. He also began to strip out of his teaching attire, tossing his items of clothing along with hers onto the armchair in the corner of the room. When they were both naked save for Hermione's lacy white knickers, he resumed gently caressing every bit of flesh he could, all the while watching as she panted and writhed from it in the mirror. It was a tease, but one he knew would have an incredible payoff.

He slid his hands to the swell of her hips and around to squeeze her rounded behind. Hermione turned her head to look up at him, and he swooped in and finally claimed her mouth in a kiss that left them both breathless.

Severus slid one hand down into her knickers, seeking out and finding wetness there and slicked his fingers up, gently teasing the hardened bud of her clitoris. She moaned, her hips flexing into his touch and he chuckled, the sound vibrating against her throat as his lips trailed down to her collarbone. There he nipped and suckled - she'd need to cast a glamour to hide the bruises tomorrow, but he didn't care one whit.

He turned his attention back to the mirror then and watched with hooded eyes as he swirled his fingers beneath the fabric of his wife's undergarments. She was leaning against him, one of her hands flung behind her, gripping his shoulder almost painfully as she panted through his ministrations. Impatient, he vanished the scrap of lace finally and slid two fingers into her channel, pumping them into her slowly. His thumb returned to her clit and gently stroked as he continued to slide his fingers inside, and it wasn't long before she was climaxing against his hand, her body bowing from the force of her orgasm.

He smiled in satisfaction at still being capable of making his wife come apart like that. He didn't wait for her to recover though, and though it was ambitious, he spun her in his arms, lifted her up and pressed her back up against the nearest wall in the room. Her legs went around him, and he lined his erect cock up with her centre and slid home with a firm thrust, a soft grunt escaping him.

'Oh gods,' Hermione gasped. 'Fucking hell.'

He smirked. 'Do you enjoy the way my cock fills you up, pet?' he said in a low, velvety tone. 'You must enjoy it if you keep coming back for more.'

Hermione grinned and slid her hands up into his hair, tugging his head and claiming his mouth with a kiss as he began to fuck her in earnest against the wall. His tongue plundered her mouth as his cock claimed her below and she slid one of her hands down to where they were joined in order to thrum her finger against her own pussy. There was nothing but the sound of panting, the slap of flesh, and the moans and groans of their frantic coupling from there, and they both soon came with a shout, and Severus slowly thrust into her a few more times before he stopped and rested his forehead against the wall beside hers.

After he had caught his breath, he pulled back to look at her and saw that she was smiling in satisfaction. It had been a very long while since he had taken her against a wall, and the slight ache in his knees then reminded him why. He slid from her body and cast the appropriate charms before lowering her to her feet and leading them into the bathroom. With a wave the faucets chugged to life and the spray came on in the shower. They washed themselves thoroughly, dried off, and dressed in a matter of fifteen minutes, before climbing into bed and snuggling against one another in the middle of it.

'You know I love you, don't you?' she said quietly.

'And I you, pet,' he replied, kissing the back of her neck.

'Okay, good.'

And as they drifted off to sleep, not for the first time, Severus thought to himself how wonderful his second life had been, all because of the woman he was wrapped around tightly.

He was happy.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

The end.

A/N - We've come to the actual end of this tale, and I have to say, it's a little hard to let go. I feel like this was my brain baby growing up and going off on it's own to live its life and now I am left behind to feel sad about no longer being needed. What can I say? It was time, and it's been fun while it's lasted. Thank you to everyone who had followed and enjoyed this series - I had no idea how big it would get when I wrote it, and I hope it's been able to bring you some joy! As always, thanks much go to my wonderful beta for her unending generosity with her time Aurora_Borealis3406. I would be lost without you! x