CLOSURE

Petunia was in the kitchen of her Magnolia Crescent home when the knock came. She called Dudley to open the door, who was visiting with his pregnant wife Katherine. Dudley was shocked to see who was at the door. It had been what 12 years since he last saw him? The last they saw hide or hair of one Harry Potter was the 1st September 1991, when he left for his magical educations. Before summer came, when he was to return, two men came asking to take up guardianship of him. Petunia had instantly agreed, though her reasons were known only to her. Outwardly, she had said that she wanted to be free of the burden, but Dudley had caught a sort of relief in her eyes, as if she was glad that the boy was finally free of the abuse. Dudley was brought out of his musings by his cousin's voice.

"Hey Dudley! How are you doing? Is Aunt Petunia home?"

"Ah… Hi! Yes... Yes Mum's home. Do come in."

"Thanks."

When Petunia came out of the kitchen to see who it was, she was shocked, to say the least. In front of her was a very handsome man looking at her with her sister's compassionate eyes. There were others, but just like Dudley, she did not notice. She had eyes for only the man she had not seen in 12 years but of whom she had thought often. She had thought she would never see him again. But here he was. Something in her expression would have encouraged him, because in a moment she was held in a very compassionate hug with a whisper in her ears,

"I missed you Aunt Petunia. Don't think I don't know why you so readily signed the guardianship papers. You wanted me to go away from all the beatings and starvation didn't you?"

That was all it took Petunia to lose her iron grip on her emotions. For the third time in her life, she cried for her sister, for losing her all over again. The first time was when Lily boarded the train to Hogwarts at eleven. Petunia had somehow known that she was losing her sister for ever. That had come to pass ten years from then. That was the night she had cried over her sister for the second time. She had thought if she would keep herself away from her son, she would be fine, but she felt ashamed thinking of the abuse she allowed her husband to meet out to the poor boy. Today, after hearing that she was understood, she could not control her emotions that she had hidden for so long. When they both could compose themselves, Harry introduced his family to Petunia and Dudley.

"Aunt Petunia, Dudley, this is my husband Draco Malfoy-Potter, and my kids. Adhera and Evana are Six. And this is Logan. He is Five years old."

"You seem happy. I am very glad. Come sit. I will bring tea."

While Petunia went to prepare tea, Harry and Draco were introduced to Katherine by Dudley. She was a rather sweet Lady with a curiosity to ravel Draco's own. They got along instantly. She wanted to know all about magic and the magical world. They came to know that she was seven months pregnant and was planning to stay with Petunia for the rest of the term of her pregnancy as she did not like to stay alone all day in this condition when Dudley was out for work. Harry promised to come and meet often as he was not far away from Petunia's house.

When Petunia served home baked cookies with tea, the kids were ecstatic. They said they were happy to finally have a grandma. They had three grandpas and Tonks (as she insisted even the kids call her that) did not count.

When Harry left after about three hours, with his belly full with dinner and drinks, he was indeed a happy man. He visited often as promised. So, when four years later, Dudley called him at midnight, he was worried and immediately flooed in. He had connected both aunt Petunia's and Dudley's house on the Floo network for such emergencies. When Dudley said that their daughter Amy was afraid of the dark and suddenly the lights all burned extra bright and they are unable to turn them off since then, Harry understood that Dudley's daughter was a muggleborn witch just like her grandma Lily.

Harry helped Dudley and Katy with the care of a young witch and handle her accidental magic as much as he could. Even aunt Petunia helped. She said it was her atonement for antagonizing and pushing her sister away from her. Amy would not go through that. When Amelia Dursley reached Hogwarts, Logan was in his final year. Even when Logan and the twins were no longer in Hogwarts, she received help and care from her three grandfathers. After completing her graduation, she joined Evana and Uncle Harry to work in his apothecary. Adhera had gone into Auror training and Logan had gone on to complete his mastery in Charms, just like his Grandma Lily.

When Harry and Draco turned hundred, they gave up their apothecary to Evana and Amy and retired to a quiet life in Surrey. Logan became the Charms Professor at Hogwarts after Flitwick retired and Adhera was head of the DMLE ever since her retirement from the Head of Auror department. The Ministry was not ready to let a hardworking employee go, even after she turned seventy.

When Severus died, happy and content, at the age of a hundred and eighty seven years, Logan was chosen the next Headmaster of Hogwarts. Draco and Harry grieved for the father they so loved and respected. Sirius could not take being away from his soulmate for any amount of time. He was found in a peaceful eternal sleep in his bed the next morning. Sometimes Harry wished they could come back as ghosts and stay with them, but it would be too cruel, seeing their loved ones die and yet be bound to the earth for eternity.

When Harry and Draco were two hundred years old and had seen four generations of kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, they were content and ready to leave this world behind for their next great adventure. When Draco expressed his desire of eternal sleep now, Harry visited his old friend Thanatos after a hundred and seventy years. When the kids and grandkids arrived the next morning to wish the old couple a happy marriage anniversary, they found them on bed, a serene look on their faces, as if in a peaceful sleep. Their funeral was attended by the whole Wizarding community of Great Britain.

From the heavens above, several people watched the proceedings. They had happy tears in their eyes, watching how much they were loved and cared for. But they were happy to have joined their family after so many years of staying away. With Harry and Draco stood Severus, Sirius, Remus and Tonks. Waiting for them, away from this horizon were other people, Andromeda, Ted, Mr and Mrs Lupin, Eileen, Dudley, Katherine, Petunia and so many others. James and Lily stood at a corner, as if to intercept them, to talk to them. Severus looked at Harry. They both had the same thought in their mind; they did not want to hold grudges any more. Eternity is too long a time to hold grudges after all. With tears in their eyes, Harry hugged his mother and father.

Down below, Logan, Adhera, Evana and Amy prayed that their parents be happy in eternity and may they meet them again when they themselves travel for their next Great Adventure.

*****************The End*****************