Chapter 29 – The Epilogue
On Boxing Day, Harry and Amelia went to the Cornwall Manor to have dinner with Narcissa, Severus and Draco. Harry had gotten over his embarrassment at seeing them in the kitchen, but he still chose to ignore their entwined hands and lingering gazes during dinner. Amelia laughed at his discomfort and gave him a fond smile. After dinner, Draco and Harry found themselves alone in the lounge.
"How do you feel about your mother and Professor Snape?' Harry asked. Draco shrugged.
"It was weird at first, but he's always been around a lot so it's not that different really. I'm just glad she's found someone that makes her happy. I know she's been lonely."
"You're a good son Draco. I know you'll take good care of her when you become Lord Black," said Harry. Draco looked at him surprise.
"It was apart of the betrothal agreement with Lord Greengrass. When you marry Astoria, I will pass the title onto you."
"Thank you, Potter. The name of Malfoy has become tainted by my father, I think I will be able to do a lot better as a Black."
"I hope so, but be careful, your mother spends an awful lot of money," said Harry lightening the mood.
o – o – o – o – o
As soon as Susan was on the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Amelia apparated to Bora, Bora. Amelia had to quickly run to the bathroom as soon as they arrived.
"Sorry 'Melia I tried to make it as smooth of a ride as possible," said Harry as he came into the bathroom and tried to comfort her by rubbing soothing circles on her back.
"It's alright. I'm hoping it will get better in a few weeks. That book you got me says the sickness should start going away soon," said Amelia as she cleaned herself up. They did a quick tour of their home for the next two weeks and introduced themselves to the house elf that maintained it. Amelia was excited about the private pool and quick access to the ocean.
"Hopefully we can find a nice beach somewhere as well. Preferably one we can get to without apparating. You know how much I love the sand," said Amelia in a husky whisper as she pulled him towards the loungers on the deck.
They spent the rest of the day making love and talking about the baby.
"I suppose I should probably start putting together a nursery when we get home," said Harry as they laid together in a hammock.
"Yes, I suppose you should, do I get any say in the decorations?" asked Amelia cheekily.
"Oh course 'Melia, and I planned on asking Alice as well, so she doesn't get put out," replied Harry.
"That's probably a good idea, I've been enjoying the food since she found out about the baby, I would hate to go back to porridge," joked Amelia. Harry laughed and sat up to look over at her.
"Is it still too early to do a revealing spell to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" asked Harry.
"A revealing spell should work by now. If it doesn't, we could always try again in the next couple weeks, but I'm excited to know as well. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl, love?" asked Amelia.
"I keep imagining a little girl with your red hair and piercing blue eyes," said Harry. Amelia laughed.
"Well, I keep imagining a messy haired boy with brilliant, clear green eyes, so I guess we'll have to see who gets their way," Amelia said as she pulled Harry in for a deep kiss.
"Can we do it now?" asked Harry excitedly as he pulled away. Amelia laughed again and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.
"Okay, my love, if you insist," responded Amelia. Harry helped her out of the hammock, and they went back inside and sat of the sofa.
"PARTUS REVELIO," said Amelia as she pointed her wand at her still flat belly. They watched as light burst from Amelia's wand and swirled around her belly finally settling into two small balls of light, one pink and one blue. Amelia gasped.
"Why is there two?" Asked Harry. He looked up to Amelia for an answer and noticed the pleasantly shocked expression on her face. Then he noticed the tears falling onto her cheeks.
"It's twins," she said.
"Twins? We are having two babies?" said Harry in surprise.
"Yes, apparently a boy and a girl," she said in glee. "I guess we'll both get our way."
"A boy and a girl?" Said Harry as he tried to process this new information. Suddenly his smile grew wide, and he brought Amelia in for a searing kiss.
"That's wonderful Amelia. I love you!" he said as he began to remove the thin summer dress she was wearing.
"I love you, too," she whispered in response as he took a breast in his mouth and pushed her back onto the sofa.
When they returned from their honeymoon Harry quickly fell into his new routine. He spent Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Hogwarts and the rest of the week at the ministry working with Croaker. He didn't really sleep in his Hogwarts quarters very often preferring instead to stay at Potter Manor with Amelia. Hermione stayed at Potter Manor as well the days she wasn't at Hogwarts. He received his NEWTs results the day they returned. He was happy to see that he had gotten O's in every subject and Amelia had been quick to reward him for his efforts. On the first day back at Hogwarts, Harry pulled Susan and Neville aside to give them the good news.
"We promised you would be the first to know, so I wanted to tell you that Amelia and I are having twins; a boy and a girl," said Harry with a proud smile. They both looked at him in shock for a minute before Susan squealed in delight and pulled him in for a hug. Harry told Hermione a couple days later and received a similar response to the one he had gotten from Susan.
The next day there was an article in the Daily Prophet that made Harry drag Amelia back up to the bedroom as soon as their breakfast was done.
Weasley Matron Wins 100,000 Galleon Prize As Subscriber Of The Year
"Thank you, Amelia," Harry said as they got dressed again.
"I didn't have to do much, she was actually the person that responded to the most articles this year. All I had to do was convince them to actually make it a prize. Of course, the very generous donation you made helped with that," responded Amelia as she gave him a tender kiss.
o – o – o – o – o
At the beginning of February, Amelia stopped feeling so sick in the mornings, much to Harry's relief. You could just see the beginning of a small swell of her belly, and Amelia was relentlessly having to swat him away since he was constantly trying to touch it. Amelia was pleasantly surprised by how attentive Harry was being. She was glad that he was so excited for the twins' arrival. She knew her emotions were erratic sometimes, and she could be very hard on him, but he never complained and just reassured her that he loved her. Now that she was moving through the second trimester her libido was in overdrive, but Harry continuously met the challenge, which she found delightful.
At the end of the first week of February, Harry and Hermione were on their way out of Hogwarts to return to Potter Manor when she asked him a strange question.
"What was that Hermione?" he asked.
"I asked what you were putting in your basket?" she responded with a smirk.
"What basket?" asked Harry in confusion. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"For Slughorn's charity auction on Valentine's Day where students and staff can bid on a picnic outing with someone famous. Your name is at the top of the list. Right above Albus Dumbledore and Gwenog Jones," explained Hermione.
"Oh Merlin, I completely forgot I agreed to that. That was ages ago! Amelia is going to kill me. I already told her I would take her to the villa for Valentine's Day," said Harry, suddenly terrified at having to tell her. Hermione laughed.
"Well good luck with that Harry. Let me know if you need help deciding what to put in your basket," said Hermione before she vanished through the fireplace.
Harry waited until he was half-way through Amelia's nightly foot and leg massage before he broached the subject. Amelia's moods seemed to be getting more and more unpredictable, so he hoped if she was relaxed, he might have a chance of getting through the conversation without getting hexed.
"I have to cancel our plans for Valentine's Day," he said barely above a whisper.
"Why?" Said Amelia with a glare. Harry wasn't sure if the glare was for the cancelled plans or the fact that he had stopped his massage, so he quickly continued his ministrations hoping to keep the peace.
"You remember back in September, when I was trying to cozy up to Slughorn to try and find out how many Horcruxes Tom made?" asked Harry. Amelia nodded suspiciously.
"Well, I completely forgot about until Hermione mentioned it today, but apparently I agreed to participate in his charity thing on Valentine's Day." Said Harry. Amelia sat up at this and move her feet from his lap.
"You're participating in Slughorn's Valentine's Day basket auction for Saint Mungos?" she asked incredulously.
"Um, yes," said Harry hesitantly knowing he was on the verge of being in trouble.
"So you plan to just leave your pregnant wife alone on your first Valentine's Day together to go the feast and then go off on a picnic with some hussy that claims to be your biggest fan?" She yelled as tears began to well in her eyes.
"Um well - that's to say -" stuttered Harry as he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He was sure the hussy part wasn't true, but he couldn't really say no to the rest of it, but he felt certain he shouldn't say yes. Eventually he took a deep breath and pulled her in for a deep passionate kiss before taking her hands in his.
"Amelia, I love you and I'm so sorry I forgot about this. You are the only person I want to spend Valentine's Day with. We can spend the whole day together before the feast if you want and then I'll make the worst basket anyone has ever seen, so that no one bids on it. It will be fine you'll see," he said. Amelia sighed and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry Harry, I'm not sure why I got so upset about that, but why didn't you mention this back in September?" asked Amelia.
"I had a lot of other things on my mind back then 'Melia, it didn't seem important at the time, since it was so far away. I would pull out of it, but I feel like it would be really rude if I didn't participate, especially since I failed to show up at either of his slug club dinners," responded Harry.
"Yes, you're right. I will settle for having the day with you. But if you pull something like this again next year, I will build you a doghouse just so that I can put you in it," said Amelia with a frown, still clearly disappointed. Harry laughed at this.
"It is a doghouse isn't it?" asked Amelia.
"Yes, it is," said Harry as he pulled her in for another kiss. "I love you Amelia."
"I love you too Harry."
o – o – o – o – o
On Valentine's Day, Harry brought Amelia breakfast in bed and then they spent the rest of the morning there. In the afternoon, Amelia was called into the ministry so Harry had Alice help him put together a basket of the most disgusting things he could think of and then headed back to Hogwarts. He quickly found Susan and Hermione and pulled them into an empty classroom.
"Hey guys, I need your help. Amelia is really upset about this Valentine's day thing. I put together the worst basket I could think of, but if someone does bid on my basket, I need you to make sure that one of you wins."
"Alright, Uncle, we'll do what we can to keep you from feeling my aunt's wrath. I know from experience it can be very unpleasant," Susan replied with a giggle.
"Thank you," responded Harry.
The Valentine's Day feast that evening was surprisingly pleasant, even though Harry would have rather been at the Villa with Amelia. Harry enjoyed talking with his friends and the range of treats available made him quite happy. After everyone had their fill and the tables were cleared, Slughorn stood and addressed the hall. He waved his wand and 10 picnic baskets appeared on the head table.
"Tonight you will the opportunity to bid on one of these fantastic baskets. The winner will then get an hour to enjoy the contents of the basket with the person that made it. All proceeds will go to St. Mungos. First up, we have this lovely basket of sherbet lemons, chocolate frogs, licorice snaps, and butterbeer put together by our esteemed headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Bids will start at 1 galleon," said Horace. A few students bid on Dumbledore's basket including Hermione, but just like years past it was won by McGonagall. Lavender Brown won the basket made by the editor of the Daily Prophet while Ginny and Cho fought over Gwenog Jones basket. All of the baskets went quickly, the highest bid being Ginny's 20 galleon bid on Gwenog Jones' basket. "I'm glad they won that contest," thought Harry with a smirk. The last basket of the evening was Harry's. He moved it to the center of the table and then stood next to it nervously.
"And for our last basket we have - well- an interesting assortment of items," Horace said hesitantly as he eyed the tinned sardines, moulding bread, and rancid cheese. "But I'm sure the company will more than make up for the items, since the maker is our very own Harry Potter." At first nobody bid, and Harry thought his plan had worked, but then Susan stood up with a cheeky grin and bid 5 galleons, followed by Hermione, and then to everyone's surprise Draco who bid 10. "Fitting way to spend the money I give him," though Harry. This was followed by McGonagall then Flitwick. Unfortunately, this seemed to get the others going and pretty soon the bidding was up to 100 galleons and there appeared to be no sign of it slowing down. Suddenly the double doors of the great hall flew open, and a bright smile filled Harry's face as he saw Amelia walk in. He laughed when he noticed her stuff one of the Weasley twins' extendable ears into her pocket. Everyone except Minerva seemed surprised to see her.
"1,000 galleons," bellowed Amelia with a wide grin.
"Any counters?" She said in a clipped tone, that let everyone in the room know she wasn't really asking. "No? Great, I believe that is settled then Horace."
"Yes, of course minister. The basket is sold to Minister Bones for 1,000 galleons," said Slughorn as he banged his gavel happily. "That concludes our charity auction. Thank you all for the most successful event of the auction's history. If the winners and owners of the baskets could follow me." Harry laughed loudly as he walked over to Amelia with his basket. He gave her a chaste kiss before he took her hand and followed the others outside. At the edge of the black lake there were ten blankets laid out under a large dome. They walked in to find it pleasantly warm. Amelia and Harry picked the blanket farthest away from the others and sat down.
"Harry, please get rid of that foul smelling basket," said Amelia once they were sitting down. Harry laughed and waved his hand. The basket disappeared and was replaced with one filled with all of things Amelia had been craving recently.
"Oh yes, good choices, dear," she said as she rewarded him with a kiss before digging in.
"I told you everything would work out Amelia," said Harry cheekily.
"Yes, well, I decided I didn't want to give up my first Valentine's Day with you after all," she responded.
"I'm glad you did. I was missing you," he said as he kissed her softly, aware that they weren't alone. The hour went by quickly, but they continued their celebration at home as soon they stepped out of the fireplace.
o – o – o – o – o
At the end of term feast, Dumbledore announced that he would be retiring, and that Professor McGonagall would be the new headmistress, starting next year. Harry had been aware of this as Minerva had interrupted dinner at Potter Manor one evening about a month ago to share the news with Amelia. He knew she was nervous about taking over, but he also knew she would do a great job.
The next day Harry took the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross Station for the last time while Amelia was stuck behind meeting with McGonagall. He apparated himself and Susan to Potter Manor and then went to look over the finishing touches the house elves had put on the nursery. There was still about 5 weeks left of Amelia's pregnancy, but the book had said twins often come early so he wanted to make sure everything was ready just in case. Amelia's belly had started to grow rapidly over the last couple months. Her round belly was huge now and Amelia had difficulty walking and often complained about back pain. Harry did what he could to make her more comfortable and made sure to tell her how beautiful she looked as often as he could. After a look over the nursery he went to the library to do some research for the projects he was working on with Croaker, while he waited for Amelia to return.
Meanwhile, Amelia was sitting at Minerva's desk trying to ignore the small contractions she was feeling in her abdomen. They had been coming and going all day. They weren't painful yet more just annoying.
"Why did you ask me here Minerva?" she asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.
"I need to ask you a huge favour, Amelia," said Minerva.
"Okay, you know I will do whatever I can for you Minnie, but I'm going to be giving birth any day now so I'm not sure it's the best time to be calling in favours," said Amelia as she rubbed the giant swell of her belly tenderly. She couldn't believe she was going to have two little ones running around soon.
"It's nothing you need to do now. It is just something I want you to think about," said Minerva.
"Okay, what am I thinking about then Minerva?" asked Amelia. McGonagall chuckled slightly at her friend's mood.
"Well, Professor Snape has decided to leave teaching and pursuing potioneering full time and it seems that even though the curse has been broken with Voldemort's death, people are still hesitant to accept the post and to be honest there aren't many people in the academic circles that are qualified." Minerva took a deep breath and then continued. "I want you to consider taking over the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts next year. If you concur, Snape has agreed to remain until Yule, to cover your maternity leave so it doesn't have to take away from your time home with your new family."
"You've forgotten that I already have a job. I'm the Minister of Magic, Minerva. I can't possibly do both," she said.
"I haven't forgotten Amelia, but being minister was never what you wanted, and this would allow you more time home with your family. It would be less stress, better hours and I think you would find teaching much more fulfilling then doing paperwork all day."
"I'll think about it and talk it over with Harry," said Amelia with a sigh. "I'll give you my answer by the end of the month."
"Very well, Amelia, thank you for considering it." replied Minerva. Amelia stood and gave her a nod.
"I expect to be the first person invited over when you're ready for visitors," said McGonagall. Amelia laughed.
"You and Narcissa both. I promise I will have you over as soon as possible. See you soon Minerva," said Amelia as she floo'd back to Potter Manor.
When she got home the contractions were still coming and going, but they were starting to get more painful, she knew it was getting close. She found Harry in the library and was delighted when he immediately ran to her side and pulled her in for a searing kiss before kissing her belly softly as he always did. His attentiveness during the beginning of her pregnancy had never wavered. He helped with all the things she struggled to do now and was constantly checking in on her. "He'll make a great father," she thought.
"So what did Minerva want," he asked once he got her settled on the loveseat.
"She wants me to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts once my maternity leave is up. Apparently, Severus has decided to stop teaching. She managed to talk Horace into sticking around for a while to teach potions, but she hasn't had any applicants for the DADA post," explained Amelia.
"Oh," said Harry in surprise. "And what do you want to do?" Amelia sighed.
"I don't know. She made some good points. I am so excited about these babies and I want to be home with them as much as I can. I never thought this was something I would get to have, and I don't want to miss it sitting in the office doing paperwork," said Amelia.
"You know I will support you, whatever you decide, but I think you would make a great Professor, and it would mean I got to see you more, which is always a plus in my book," responded Harry with a lingering kiss.
The contractions kept Amelia from sleeping very well that night and then around 3am she woke up in a pool of fluid. About an hour later, the contractions were coming in regular intervals and starting to last longer so she decided to wake Harry up.
"Harry," she said as she breathed through another contraction. Harry!"
"Hmm," came his groggy response.
"It's time," she said through gritted teeth.
"Time for what?" he asked.
"The babies are coming, we need to go to St. Mungo's," replied Amelia.
"The babies are – what?" he said sitting up in bed.
"The babies are coming." He said with a large smile. Amelia nodded, but then another contraction hit her, and she grabbed his hand tightly and sat down. Harry looked at her in concern and then went into panic mode. "I'll get the hospital bag," he said as he went into the nursery. He ran back in moments later and gave her a kiss before apparating away, forgetting to take her with him. Amelia rolled her eyes and waited patiently on the bed for him to come back.
A couple minutes later, Harry returned with an apologetic smile and gently wrapped his arms around her as much as he could.
"Sorry 'Melia. But, I did tell them you were coming. They are getting a room ready for you," he said, as he apparated them both to St. Mungo's this time.
Several hours later, they were sitting next to each other in the hospital bed each holding a small-bundled infant in their arms. Amelia looked exhausted, but she had the biggest smile on her face that Harry had ever seen. He kissed her forehead gently.
"They are the most beautiful babies I have ever seen," said Amelia.
"Yes, this one looks just like her mama. I am going to be in real trouble with two of you giving me those irresistible puppy dog eyes," Harry said as he looked down at his daughter fondly.
"Well, I'm sure I'm in just as much trouble with this one if he inherits your lopsided grin," replied Amelia.
o – o – o – o – o
Two days later, they were able to go home. Alice proved to be a blessing, often helping out at night so they could sleep. Harry quickly decided this year's Christmas gifts would be especially nice.
Two weeks later they had their first visitors in the form of Draco, Narcissa, and Minerva.
"I would like to introduce to you Edgar James," said Harry as he handled the small bundle to Narcissa.
"And Liliana Susan," said Amelia as she handed the other bundle to Minerva.
"I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to them coming to Hogwarts or not," said McGonagall. "I have a feeling they are going to have the same penchant for trouble as you Mr. Potter." Said the new headmistress firmly. They all laughed at this.
"Well, perhaps if their mother is one of their Professors, it will keep them out of some trouble," said Amelia. Minerva gasped.
"Does that mean?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes, Minerva. I will join your staff in the new year," replied Amelia with a soft smile.
After seeing Draco and Narcissa out, Amelia and Harry asked Minerva is she would be Edgar's godmother. Tears welled in her eyes as she hugged them both and eagerly accepted. Hermione came to visit the next day and was asked to be Liliana's godmother. She nearly fainted in surprise before accepting just as eagerly as Minerva. Kingsley was named Edgar's godfather, while Neville accepted the honor for Liliana.
o – o – o – o – o
Harry and Amelia celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary by leaving the twins in Narcissa's capable hands and spending the night at the villa. Edgar and Lilliana were just over four months old, and the new parents were just starting to get a sense of their personalities. Parenthood had been an adjustment for both Harry and Amelia, but neither of them would change it for the world. They enjoyed a quiet baby free dinner, and both laughed when they realized they spent the whole evening talking about the twins, even though they weren't there.
"Well, at least I have something other than work to talk about now," thought Amelia with a content smile.
In January, Amelia resigned as minister and began teaching at Hogwarts. It was the shortest time anyone had been in the position, but she managed to do more than any of her predecessors. She left Shacklebolt a ministry that was efficient, well managed, and well budgeted to ensure that wizarding Britain thrived.
About the same time Harry was offered a full-time position with the Unspeakables. It was the type of position that had a lot of flexibility, so he eagerly accepted knowing he would be able to be home with the twins when Amelia was teaching.
Shortly after the twins first birthday Susan and Neville got married and moved into Bones Manor. Harry had five new greenhouses built for Neville as a wedding present.
The next summer, three days before the twins would turn two, Draco and Astoria got married. The day after the wedding Harry took Draco to Gringotts and passed on the Black title to him and gave him the paperwork for all of his new properties. That same day Harry and Amelia also received the news that they were once again expecting. Sirius Alastor Bones was born two weeks after Narcissa and Severus' wedding. Susan and Draco were given the honor of being his godparents.
o – o – o – o – o
Eight years later Edgar and Lilliana started Hogwarts. They had wonderful, happy childhoods; growing up running the halls of Hogwarts and spending a lot of time with their godparents, and extended family, particularly their aunt Cissy, whom they were exceedingly fond of. Their younger brother Sirius was known to follow them everywhere. Lily was rash and outspoken and had inherited her father's "saving people thing". Edgar was shy and observant and fiercely loyal like his mother. Sirius was exceptionally clever and exceedingly kind, with a witty sense of humor that kept them all laughing.
Dear Dad,Mum said to write and tell you that I got sorted into Hufflepuff just like she thought I would. You'll be happy to know that Lily got sorted into Gryffindor like you (you might get a letter from her too). Hogwarts is great. I've already made lots of friends. Everyone seems to want to talk to me since I'm Harry Potter's son. What did you do? Anyways, don't worry about me, mum will keep a watchful eye on me, I'm sure. See you soon!Love,
Edgar
After finishing Hogwarts, the Potter-Bones children led perfectly ordinary and satisfying lives filled with love and happiness. Edgar opened an apothecary shortly after finishing Hogwarts while Lilliana became an Auror like her mother. It didn't take her long to get the same fierce reputation. Sirius got a mastery in charms and eventually took over for Professor Flitwick when he was ready to retire. They all married for love and gave Harry and Amelia ten grandchildren between them.
Harry Potter eventually became head of the Unspeakables while Amelia became headmistress at Hogwarts after several years of begging on Minerva's part. Harry never had another nightmare and when the last of the grand kids moved away to lead their own lives, Harry and Amelia quietly retired to the villa in France taking their favorite loveseat with them.
A/N – Thanks again for following me on this journey. This story was a lot of fun to write. I am thinking about attempting a time-travel fic when I finish Magicae Effusio. Would people be interested in reading it if I gave it a shot? Would you want to see another Harry/Amelia paring, or is there another pairing you would like me to try?