"What were the odds that there would be a storm the day after we finished collecting the ingredients?" Mal said as they headed back inside the house.

"Nico's notes explained that the thunderbird's bolt would attract lightning once we released it over the cauldron," Estelle said. "It's not luck, it's magic."

It was one of the more exotic ingredients that Estelle had purchased when they were still in Paris: a bolt generated by a thunderbird in springtime and preserved in an enchanted glass jar. It was also one of the most expensive – though in truth many of the ingredients had cost a pretty penny.

"Shouldn't we have waited until Edward and the others returned from Pandemonium with Sirius Black before putting the finishing touch to the elixir?" Mal enquired.

"The storm part is actually the penultimate step to brewing the elixir," Estelle said. "To complete it, we must add a drop of blood from a loved one. Even completed, the potion can stay as it is for quite a long time, if necessary. It won't spoil."

Clearly, she was hoping that it wouldn't take a long time for the others to return, but she wasn't particularly optimistic. Malkoran had urged Evangeline and Walden to keep the Valkyrie feather under magical lock and key until Sirius Black's soul was realigned, because Estelle was likely going to attempt to steal the feather and make a run for it, if it took too long.

Estelle looked up from the cauldron to frown at Evangeline. "You do have that last, crucial ingredient, yes? It seems to me like it's the easiest one to obtain, but I have to ask."

"What, the blood? Sure, we'll use mine," Evangeline said with a shrug.

"Do you love this Sirius Black, then?" Estelle insisted.

Evangeline scoffed. "Would I go to such lengths to save someone I don't like? I mean, he's just a friend, but-"

"Girl, I don't think you understand." Estelle stopped stirring the liquid for a moment. "When they say 'blood of a loved one', they actually mean that. It doesn't say 'blood of some random acquaintance who's trying to rescue you because they feel slightly bad and have nothing better to do with their time and money'."

Malkoran had never encountered Sirius Black, so he didn't know how Evangeline felt about him. In fact, he had never asked why she was so intent on rescuing him. He'd taken it all in stride, assuming that he was someone important to her. She'd rarely ever mentioned him, though. She seemed more worried about Antonin returning in one piece than about whether or not they came back with the object of their mission.

Evangeline looked and smelled annoyed. "He's a good friend. I care about him, okay? Besides, after everything Harry went through to basically save the world, it was the least we could do."

She wasn't just annoyed, she was on the defensive, Mal realised.

Estelle must have come to the same realisation. "Are you willing to risk wasting all of the efforts we put into making this elixir, not to mention the ridiculous amounts of money you've spent? Because that's what will happen if you don't love this person. It's the last ingredient, and it may seem like it's the most anodyne one but, without it, the elixir will be worthless. It'll be a fancy yet indigestible soup, at best."

"What about this…Harry?" Mal said. "If Sirius Black is so important to him, then perhaps-"

"No!" Evangeline exclaimed. "No, Harry cannot know about this until we're absolutely certain that the elixir works. I don't want to raise his hopes up for nothing…"

"At worst, he will at least get to say a proper goodbye to the guy," Estelle pointed out.

"That's insane. Harry has made his peace with the fact that Sirius is dead. I don't want him to have to go through the grief of losing his godfather all over again. That wouldn't be fair to him. If the elixir doesn't work, Harry will never find out about any of this."

"And what will you do with Black if the elixir doesn't work?" Estelle asked.

"Well…" Evangeline hesitated.

She had not even considered the possibility, had she? She refused to consider it, just like she refused to believe that Edward, Antonin and Jack the Ripper might not come back from their dangerous mission. Or that they might come back empty-handed.

She really had not thought this through before the beginning of their quest. She was too impulsive. They should have worried about an elixir before even considering going into Pandemonium, and that journey should have been carefully planned. And yet, somehow, she had convinced everybody that this was the way to do it – as quickly as possible, with little to no preparation and with unconditional optimism.

"You understand that you'll have to kill him, yes?" Estelle said. "I mean, you could let him live, but that seems unnecessary cruel. He'll be a vegetable until he dies of old age. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." She sighed. "At least poor Harry will have a corpse to bury, if you do the right thing…"

"Gods, you're such a…" Evangeline's jaws clammed shut, and she shook her head. "Fine! We'll use Harry's blood, okay? We'll…I'll make up some…excuse to borrow some of his blood. Or I'll just…do it sneakily."

Estelle nodded, a satisfied smile on her lips. "A wise decision."

Not really. Besides, Evangeline was not exactly known for her stealth skills. "Evey," Mal said quietly. "Do you sincerely believe that you're doing Harry a favour, by not including him in this? It was his idea, initially, was it not?" She nodded reluctantly. "Even if it ultimately fails, don't you think he would rather be here, with his godfather, the two of them reunited one last time? It would give him a sense of closure, if nothing else. Tell him why you need his blood. Ask him to be here when the time comes. He will be grateful no matter what happens, because he will know that you tried, despite the overwhelming odds stacked up against you. And if we succeed…well, he will have played a part in the mission, and he will be thankful for it."

Evangeline bit her lip. It was usually a good sign. She was doubting herself and seriously considering his suggestion. She was listening to his advice – definitely a good thing, because she didn't always do that.

"Try putting yourself in Harry's shoes for a minute," Mal went on. "Wouldn't you want to know what happened to your lost loved one, even if the outcome was not the one you were hoping for?"

"Yeah…yes, I would want to know. Of course I would." She exhaled slowly. "You're right. I should…I'll owl him. No, I'll go to the Burrow. Better talk to him in person. Tell Walden I'll be back soon, okay?" It would be night in just a few minutes. Evangeline grabbed her wand on the desk, selected a small vial and headed for the living room, where she could use the fireplace to teleport herself to Harry Potter's home. Floo powder was a common means of transportation in the wizarding world, and there was no risk of splinching. By all accounts, Evangeline was a danger to herself and to others when she used Apparition.

"She does intend to give me my feather, yes?" Estelle asked after a moment.

Malkoran had no idea, in truth. The plan had always been to give it to her after Sirius Black's soul was successfully restored to its original condition. He could tell that Evangeline was reluctant to do it, however. With good reason, he believed, but they had a deal, and Estelle had, after all, been a great help in this endeavour, whatever her reasons. It would be unfair to hold back on the ingredient. "She said she would, if everything works out," he said.

"But if it doesn't work out… I really think it will," she added quickly, "but if it doesn't? She has no use for it. Might as well hand it over… I held my part of the deal, didn't I? If it fails, it won't be because of me."

"I honestly don't know, Estelle," he said. "I think she will give it to you, but I can't speak for her. My advice is for you to continue to be helpful, and to not antagonise Evangeline. If you can."

Malkoran had heard the faint whoosh sound that one made when being transported by Floo powder, and he had caught the acrid scent that followed, so he knew that Evangeline was already gone when someone rang the bell at the front door.

Could it be that Edward and his two companions had returned? He hoped so, and what a convenient time to come back, too, what with the elixir being almost ready.

He met Walden in the corridor. The vampire had just come down the stairs after waking up and was headed for the door, as he should: after all, this was his house. Mal nodded slightly and retreated to the conservatory to keep an eye on Estelle.

He heard a feminine voice coming from the entrance, but he did not immediately recognise it. It certainly wasn't Jack the Ripper. A few moments later, Alice Kyteler and Miyamoto Musashi entered the room.

"Ah, back from your honeymoon," Mal welcomed them with a warm smile. "How did it-" He trailed off, staring open-mouthed at Alice.

Something was…not off, but…different, in a way that shouldn't be possible.

No, it can't be.

Walden cleared his throat. "Um, Mal? You alright, mate?"

"You are… You…" Mal stammered. He glanced at Miyamoto, eyes wide with shock.

The cub grinned at him, then murmured something in Japanese to his wife. "Told you we couldn't fool a Wolf."

Mal simply could not believe what his senses were telling him. It was impossible. "How?"

"When a man and a woman love each other very much…" Miyamoto began, until Alice elbowed him in the ribs. "Ahem. We have no idea, Alpha."

Walden was scowling at the red-headed woman. "Wait, Alice, are you pregnant?" She beamed at him. "But… I thought…"

"Yes, well, we all thought that, but here we are." She just couldn't stop smiling – and no wonder. This was nothing short of a miracle. Thousands of years of existence, and they had all believed themselves to be incapable of procreating.

"Hey, you're back!"

So was Evangeline, already. She ran to hug Alice and fist-bump Miyamoto. An odd manner of greeting, but apparently the one they were used to. "I didn't expect you so soon. You said you were going to do a world tour…" She suddenly seemed to sense the strange ambiance in the room. "What's going on? What did I miss? I was only gone for ten minutes!"

"Did you get the blood?" Estelle demanded. "That was awfully quick."

As if it mattered, in light of this improbable development, Mal thought.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Here," she said, handing Estelle a vial that contained a small amount of blood. "Alice? What-"

"She's pregnant," Mal said in a low voice.

Evangeline snorted. "What is it, April Fool's Day? Try something believable, next time."

"It's true," Alice said, unable to contain her joy. "I really am. We saw five different doctors and two Healers. They all confirmed it."

"You're pulling my leg," Evangeline said slowly. Alice shook her head, her right hand moving to rest on her stomach.

"There's a heartbeat," Mal said, as if that was the ultimate proof.

Evangeline was still dubious, but she was beginning to understand that they had no reason to lie to her, and it would be quite the cruel prank besides, to joke about someone who was supposedly barren. "Oh my gods. Oh my gods!" she exclaimed eventually. She hugged Alice again. "I'm so happy for you." Alice was crying now, but these were tears of joy, no doubt about it.

"Well, I think this deserves a proper celebration," Walden said. "Let me see if we have some champagne. And, um, orange juice for Alice." As he headed for the cellar, the doorbell rang again.

"You get the champagne," Evangeline said, finally releasing Alice. "I'll get the door. You sit down! Don't exert yourself," she told Alice. The Irish woman smiled at the ridiculous injunction.

"How many people are you expecting?" Estelle muttered irritably. Clearly, she did not understand what the fuss was all about. Mal suspected that, even if she did understand, it would still leave her indifferent.

He didn't know what to say. Congratulations didn't even begin to cover it. What a blessed day. A historic day, one that may very well define the future of Wolves and Ancients alike. This could be the beginning of a new era.

And if he could convince Elle to be with him… Could they…?

His reverie was interrupted by a fracas at the door. Evangeline could be heard quite clearly, even by those who didn't possess an enhanced sense of hearing.

Two miracles in one day, apparently: Antonin had returned.

Tony hesitated at the door. The Ripper was beside him, while Ted stood behind them, holding Sirius upright.

"What are you waiting for, fledgling? Just push the damn button already."

He couldn't. "What if… What if it's not…" He couldn't go through this again. Another Evey, another dying world, more babies… He couldn't.

"Oh, bloody hell," the Ripper grumbled. She pressed the doorbell herself and tapped her foot impatiently.

Footsteps in the hallway. Light footsteps. Tony's heart would have stopped beating, if it ever did. The door opened wide.

He caught a glimpse of a screaming Evey before she nearly tackled him. She jumped into his arms, crushing him with every ounce of her strength. He felt Ted put a hand on his back to help him keep his balance.

"Holy shit, you're back!" Evey yelled into his ear. "Thank Hades you're back," she said, barely lowering the volume of her voice. "Merlin, I was so fucking worried." Still too loud, but Tony couldn't care less. It was really her. He was home.

"Well, I think we're in the right place," the Ripper said wryly, just as Tony had the exact same thought.

It's my Evey, alright.

She released him and took a step back, eyeing him up and down. He did the same thing. She was just as he'd left her, with her hair wild and her too-large Queen t-shirt – actually, that was one of his.

The Ripper cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you for noticing. We did bring back the mortal you sent us to retrieve in the Demon Realm. You're quite welcome."

Evey glanced at her, frowning, then finally turned toward Ted and Sirius. Her eyes widened in astonishment. "Sirius," she whispered. She casually fist-bumped Ted, who grinned, then examined the mortal among them. "Hey mate. Long time, no see."

Of course, Sirius didn't reply. Evey carefully wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth with her sleeve. "And he is alive. Damn, Harry was right." She let out a little gasp. "I have to tell him!" She ran inside without another word.

The Ripper stared after her. "Seriously? That's it? Not even a measly thank you?"

"Ah, don't worry. She'll remember her manners, when the shock has faded," Ted said.

Walden appeared at the door. The look on his face was pure relief. "You know you can come in, right?"

"Yes, thank you very much for the invitation," the Ripper muttered as she walked past him. Ted followed with Sirius, and Tony went after them.

"Good to see you," Walden murmured.

"You, too. How long have we been gone?"

"Oh, just about a month." They started down the corridor to join the others – Tony could hear several voices in the distance.

"And do you have a…remedy?" Fenrir had said so, but Tony knew better than to trust a demon.

Walden chuckled softly. "Believe it or not, but we literally just finished it. Like, a minute ago."

Tony nodded. Maybe Fenrir had not messed with them, then. They were back in their home world, at the time of their choosing. It was too good to be true; Tony expected something horrible to happen, any moment now.

"You okay?" Walden asked, watching him closely.

"I'm fine." The instinctual response to such a question – a lie, in this instance, as it so often was.

Walden didn't buy it. "Tony…"

"Well, as okay as can be expected," he amended. "Considering where we've been."

"Do you need some blood?"

Tony shook his head. To them, it had been a month, but to him, it had been merely a few days.

Or possibly a thousand years. Either way, he wasn't thirsty.

Everyone was gathered in the conservatory, which was in disarray. There were jars and vials everywhere, parchments piled on top of old books, as well as various implements of magic – a mortar and pestle, several cauldrons, half-melted candles. Tony was surprised to see that Alice and Silver were here. Back early from their honeymoon, it seemed. Malkoran was there, too, and a woman Tony didn't know was standing in a corner of the room, stirring a steaming porcelain teacup and paying no attention to the rest of the group.

It was a bit crowded. Tony had hoped for a more intimate reunion, though he was glad to see other human beings, he had to admit. Real ones. People he knew.

"Wait, you're married?" Ted said in a booming voice. "Since when?!"

Oh, right. The Wolf didn't know that Silver and Alice were an item, did he? Right before leaving for Pandemonium, Ted had spent several months in another realm: Middle-earth. He'd missed quite a few things, and Tony hadn't thought to catch him up on Earth events. To be fair, Ted had not enquired.

Alice was saying something, but Tony must have misheard-

"PREGNANT?!" Ted repeated, loudly enough that every eye turned to him.

The Ripper dropped the glass of champagne that Mal had just handed to her. Though why he had done that in the first place, Tony didn't know. She couldn't drink it. The Alpha must be distracted by the news.

This was officially too much for Tony. He retreated to the living room, hoping to find Evey. Her head was stuck in the chimney, surrounded by green fire. She was just finishing her conversation. "Yeah, see you in a bit. Ta-ta." She dispelled the flames and stood, then smiled brightly when she saw him. Merlin, how he'd missed her smile. "Harry will be here in a minute."

"You told him, then? I thought we were going to wait until-"

"I wanted to wait, but Estelle said we needed his blood. To complete the elixir," she added when she noticed his scowl. "Just a drop of it." She moved closer to him and tried to dust his coat – a vain endeavour. The thing was in tatters, anyway. Both sleeves were gone. Then she looked up at him, and it was her turn to frown. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just…I needed some quiet." He was far from okay. Seeing her brought back painful memories from Pandemonium, and from their twin world.

He couldn't stay here. That was more obvious than ever. But he couldn't leave just yet, could he? After everything, he had to at least make sure that Sirius would recover from his ordeal. And find some likely excuse for Evey and Walden.

In the meantime, he had better discuss more…menial things. "Who's Estelle?" He assumed that she was the mystery woman - the pretty one who was so intent on her teacup.

"Oh, just that…witch from France who's been helping us with the elixir."

"You've been to France?"

She chortled. "Yeah, and also to the Underworld, and the Duat, and Valhalla… It's a long story. Which I'll be happy to tell you, but first I need to know that you're okay, Tony, because you do not look okay to me. What happened to you?"

He considered saying nothing, but that wouldn't satisfy her. "A lot happened," he said simply.

Thankfully, he didn't have to expand on the matter: the doorbell rang once, then again and again, quite insistently.

Harry Potter had come to see his long-lost godfather.