Well, here it is folks! I began Completely Mental in February 2020, and it jumpstarted my addiction to fic-writing. This story will always hold a place in my heart - it helped me find my writing voice, gain confidence as an author, and keep entertained during quarantine. Thank you all for sticking with this story!
I never intended the epilogue to be a full chapter, so I hope you don't mind the shorter length. It's the prettiest bow I could come up with for the most beautiful bromance there ever was.
Nineteen Years Later
The soft autumn sun smiled down on the Burrow's grounds, its reflection illuminating the windows like a lighthouse. A crisp breeze whistled through the garden, bringing with it a hint of cooler days to come. Inside, the smell of dinner sizzling on the stove, butterbeer bottles clinking, children playing, and adults laughing filled the room, but it was still too quiet for Harry's liking.
Harry always loved September. Growing up, September marked the transition from 4 Privet Drive to Hogwarts, and it came with a sweeping feeling of relief knowing he'd finally be able to see his friends again. Every year, his anticipation for September would grow stronger and start sooner, until summer eventually became something to endure rather than enjoy.
His love of autumn — and by extension, his distaste for summer — persisted into adulthood, even when life moved on after the war. Although there were no more shopping trips to Diagon Alley, journeys on the Hogwarts Express, or sorting hat ceremonies reinforcing Harry's eagerness for the fall, his feelings remained. Harry would wake up on September 1st giddy and eager, like a child on Christmas Eve, and then proceed to make breakfast for the kids and floo to the Ministry for an Auror meeting, just like any other day. There was no longer anything particularly exciting about September, but he kept a tight grip on his memories of the scarlet steam engine, trolley snacks, and welcome feasts.
That all changed two years ago when James began his first year at Hogwarts. That year, September 1st brought a change that he wasn't ready for — watching his son board the Hogwarts Express. James' eyes sparkled with excitement, but Harry shared none of the enthusiasm. Instead, Harry's stomach felt heavy with dread as he watched the train roll away, smiling and waving at James' anxious face in the window while holding back tears and desperately wishing it was still August.
The following year wasn't any easier, and today was even worse. When Albus joined James on the train, it took all of Harry's effort to reassure him that everything would be okay because, for Harry, it probably wouldn't. It was funny how Harry could defeat Voldemort at seventeen, but he was still convinced that saying goodbye to his kids on platform nine and three-quarters was the most difficult thing he'd ever do.
Harry was half-listening to the hustle and bustle of the Burrow and trying not to get too comfy in the extra spaciousness in the living room, made possible only by the absence of the older children when he spotted a flash of red outside in the garden. Ron was sitting alone on a bench, cradling a butterbeer, his hair a stark contrast to the muted green of the overgrown lawn.
Without a second thought, Harry moved toward the Burrow's exit, following the narrow stone pathway that curved into the garden. It didn't cross his mind whether or not Ron wanted to be alone, and even if he did, there was an unspoken agreement between them that 'alone' didn't exclude being with each other.
Ron smiled ruefully when he spotted Harry approaching, but it only lasted a second before his shoulders slumped and his smile vanished. "Hey, mate."
"Hey," said Harry, plopping down beside Ron on the bench. Ron shifted sideways to make room for him. "You okay?"
"Dunno," said Ron, before bringing his butterbeer to his lips and taking in a long gulp.
"Thinking about Rosie?" asked Harry.
Ron nodded and coughed, clearing his throat from his oversized sip. "Bloody hate that she's gone."
"I know the feeling," said Harry. "Was even worse this year with Al going too."
"I bet. Sorry, mate."
A few comfortable moments of silence passed, as both men knew perfectly well that there was nothing to say to make the other feel better.
Ron gulped down the rest of his butterbeer before speaking again. "I just hope she's okay."
Harry smiled, remembering how he said that about James his first year. When James turned out fine, better than fine, Harry had to admit his concern was for his own loneliness rather than James' safety. "She's probably fine, but you know that," he says, earning a moment of confused eye contact from Ron. "It's us you should worry about."
"We almost died at Hogwarts. So many times," said Ron, a wistful smile forming on his lips.
"And thanks to us," said Harry, "they have it better than we did. Either way, she's a tough girl. Smart. You raised a good one."
"Thank Merlin she takes after her mum."
Harry laughed. Hermione always said that Rose took after Ron, not her. Harry thought it was both. They probably saw the best traits in their daughter and assumed they were from the other parent. "Rosie takes after you a lot more than you think."
"That's what Hermione says. But thanks, now I'm even more worried," laughed Ron. "Think Rosie and Albus'll be in Gryffindor together?"
"No doubt about Rosie," said Harry, as the memory of Rosie's first time on a broomstick resurfaced. Rosie's face was scarlet-red with excitement as she took a nosedive toward the ground, followed by a frenzied and panicked Ron. The cushioning charm he just barely cast in time turned out to be unnecessary, as she swerved at the last second to avoid a collision, but Harry was pretty sure Ron's blood pressure had never returned to a normal level.
"Yeah, stupid question," laughed Ron. He smiled, and Harry wondered if he was recalling the same memory or one of the many other times Rosie demonstrated Gryffindor courage, even if it meant disregarding her own safety. "What about Albus?"
"Honestly, no clue. I could see him being in Gryffindor or Slytherin," he said, noticing Ron wince at 'Slytherin.' Ron's reaction filled Harry with a parental defensiveness he wasn't expecting, and he added pointedly, "I'll be proud of him either way."
Ron nodded in agreement, maybe a bit too eagerly, but it momentarily settled the passing fear that Albus would be sorted into a different house than his siblings and cousins. It wasn't that Harry didn't want him to be in Slytherin, he just didn't want him to be alone.
But maybe Albus wanted to be in a different house than his family, and Harry was just projecting.
"I wonder who they're sitting with on the train," said Ron as if reading Harry's mind. Then he flashed his lopsided grin, still goofy and youthful even at the ripe age of thirty-seven. "You know those unfortunate souls will have to be their friends for the rest of time."
Unfortunate souls. Harry smiled at the insinuation that becoming Ron's best friend was determined as soon as they found that empty compartment together on the Hogwarts Express. Maybe Neville was meant to lose his toad, and Hermione's subsequent intrusion was no accident. As far as Harry was concerned, prophecies had only caused him trouble, but maybe he owed destiny a token of gratitude, too. "Whatever souls they're sitting next to are extremely lucky."
"The luckiest," added Ron with a nostalgic smile.
It was unclear if Ron was still referring to the kids at this point, but it didn't matter. It was all the same to Harry. They were the luckiest.