Chapter 16: Endings
Laelyn sat peacefully under a tree
near the lake, Gawaine sleeping silently in her arms. Bill, Charlie, Sirius and
Harry were playing some muggle game… freeze-bee, or something like that,
on the grass in front of her. She burrowed her bare toes into the cool green
grass and sighed contentedly. She stroked Gawaine's downy hair and closed
her eyes, listening to the laughter of the four men who were nearest and
dearest to her heart, finally at ease in the world they now thought of as safe.
Her eyes slid open slowly as she felt the familiar weight of Bill's arm
around her shoulders.
"Why
aren't you playing?" She whispered, careful not to wake her
sleeping child. Bill kissed her cheek.
"You
looked so peaceful. I wanted a bit of that peace." She smiled at him.
"You're
too romantic for your own good. It's going to get you into trouble one of
these days."
Bill
grinned. "As long as you're the punishment, I'm fine with
that."
"Hm,
not only that, but I'm the judge and jury too."
"I'm
starting to like the sound of this more and more…"
She
shook her head and sapped his arm laughingly. "You know, we really shouldn't
talk like this. I'm someone's mother now."
"And
someone's wife." He kissed her and then leaned back against the
tree. "Does it get any better than this?"
She
leaned her head on his shoulder. "Of course it does," she replied,
closing her eyes. "We've only just begun."
*****
The
last month before exams passed in a flash. Gryffindor went on to beat Slytherin
in the championships, winning the Quidditch cup. Harry and Ginny were even more
inseparable than usual. Ron and Hermione were still going strong, although
Hermione had begun to get irritated with Ron's complaints over having to
do exams when Harry didn't. Professor Snape continued to teacher Defense
Against the Dark Arts (although for some strange reason he decided to stick to
just plain potions in the year to come, saying that the position of his dreams
"Just wasn't for him"). Best of all, Sirius received his
official pardon, complete with a public apology from the minister of magic. He
also received a medal for bravery. Laelyn no longer had to sneak him his
dinner; He ate in the grand hall with the rest of them. During the exam period,
Sirius paid a long overdue visit to the Dursleys, who welcomed him with a
mixture of fear and bewildered relief. They all agreed that it would be in
everyone's best interests if Sirius adopted Harry right away.
In
the first week of June, Bill handed in his resignation. Laelyn's father,
who had actually ended up taking a liking to that 'Insolent boy'
after all, had offered him a job designing brooms for his company.
*****
"You're a Quidditch
player, Weasley. I'd expect you know a great deal about the equipment,
then." Bill had nodded, not quite clear at the time what the older man
was trying to get at. "Well here's our situation. My chief designer
has just quit, and we're in desperate need of a new one. So I was
thinking, if you're willing, that you might be able to fill the position
for us. I'm sure you have some interesting ideas."
Bill had been dumbfounded.
"Really? Wow, this is big news… My brothers will go insane."
*****
"Thorne Incorporated,"
Ron practically screamed, "As in, makers of the FIREBOLT? Your father is
THE Simeon Thorne?"
Laelyn bit her lip. "We try
to keep it quiet."
Bill laughed heartily. "Not
that it was that hard! You don't act like the daughter of a
millionaire."
"I'm my mother's
daughter. Besides, it's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a
deal?" Ron looked shocked. "Of course it's a big deal! Thorne
Inc. is the third biggest manufacturer of Quidditch supplies IN THE WORLD, number
one in the UK. I've been wearing your logo on my gloves for my entire
life and I never even realized it!"
Laelyn laughed helplessly.
"Sorry I didn't tell you. It didn't seem that
important."
Bill slid his arm around her.
"Anyway, Laelyn's dad says I can have as much of the merchandise as
I need, so you'll never run short of Quidditch supplies again."
Ron shook his head, bewildered.
"This is crazy," he stated matter-of-factly. "This is
absolutely absurd."
*****
"I suppose you know why you
are here, Sirius," Dumbledore began. Sirius shrugged.
"I think I have an
idea."
The old wizard smiled kindly.
"As you know, Professor Snape has decided not to continue with Defense
Against the Dark Arts next year. And while we would have gladly had Professor
Thorne back, she has decided, considering the circumstances, that she would
rather not work for the present time. And so we are left with a gap to
fill." He stroked his beard. "I assume your schedule is clear for
next fall?"
Sirius smiled sardonically.
"I haven't exactly been lining up job interviews, if that's
what you mean."
"Then will you accept the
position? I really do believe that there is no one better for the job than
you."
Sirius nodded. "I'd be
honored. That is, if you consider me qualified."
The two wizards laughed.
*****
And
so it was that the school year at Hogwarts drew to a close. Sirius, Laelyn,
Bill and Charlie took the train with the students, as they were all destined
for the Burrow anyhow.
"It
certainly has been quite a year," Hermione remarked, giving Ron's
hand a little squeeze. Ginny leaned against Harry.
"Yes,
but then again it's not exactly the first time."
"Or,
probably, the last," Harry said, laughing. "We seem to attract
trouble wherever we go."
Ron
nodded in agreement. "I lost track of every point we lost for Gryffindor
this year. But at least you two gained them all back for us in the end and won
us the cup."
Beside
Bill, Laelyn sat silently, feeling slightly uneasy. Gawaine lay alert and
silent in his mother's arms. She handed the baby to Bill and stood up.
"I'll be back," she whispered, heading off down the isle.
She
sat down in the empty seat across from Draco Malfoy. The boy had distanced
himself from the others since that fateful Beltane night. Laelyn was beginning
to worry.
"Draco?"
she ventured. The handsome blonde boy looked up.
"Oh.
Yeah."
She
squeezed her eyes shut. "Draco, I'm sorry things had to turn out
the way they did. I didn't mean to… I just did what I had to do to
stop Voldemort. I know it's probably hard for you to understand it,
but…"
Draco
shook his head. "Nah. It's all right. I'm better off without
him anyhow, it's just…" he paused. "He was my
father."
Laelyn
cast her eyes towards her lap. "I know."
Draco
sighed, pushing back that awful burning feeling behind his eyes.
"It's not like he ever cared about me as anything but a tool
anyway. I remember when he was younger, the way he'd yell at my mother
and I whenever we wouldn't do what he wanted. She used to say it was
because he loved us so much, and that he only wanted what was best for
us." He stopped to brush a strand of hair out of his eyes. These young
idiots… bound by their love… The words ran clear and sharp in his memory. "But that wasn't it.
He didn't love us at all. But it wasn't his fault really… he
was bound by his hate.
"Mother
used to cry sometimes, when she thought no one was around. One time I walked
into the kitchen and she was standing there over the salad bowl, just tossing
the lettuce and crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she yelled at me.
'Don't be stupid, I was just chopping onions.' It was half
way through dinner before I realized that there were no onions in the
salad." He laughed sardonically. "Well she should be happy. She
doesn't have to cover up the bruises anymore."
Thee
were tears in Laelyn's eyes. "Oh Draco, I'm so
sorry…" She leaned forward to hug him. Draco turned away.
"Don't
be. Everything's been made right now. Who could ask for more?"
*****
The
Hogwarts Express pulled up to platform nine and three-quarters, where and
anxious and excited Mrs. Weasley was waiting beside her husband. Fred and
George were with them, waving cheerily at the train. As her children got off
the train, Molly embraced them, First Ginny, then Ron, then Charlie, and
finally Bill. She also delivered bone-crushing embraces to Harry, Hermione,
Laelyn and Sirius, the latter of whom flushed slightly, not having been hugged
in quite a long time.
"It's
wonderful, just wonderful!" She cried, tears in her eyes. "All
together at last!" She looked down at the bundle in Laelyn's arms.
The nymph handed Molly her grandson. The older woman beamed down at the baby.
"And
this is the newest member of our family," she exclaimed happily.
"The Burrow will certainly be full now!"
Laelyn
smiled up at Bill, Who put an arm around his mother. "Laelyn and I have a
surprise for you… just wait till you get home…"
*****
The
Weasleys hardly recognized the house when they pulled up to it. It was the
still Burrow, no doubt about it, but the lawn was clean and manicured, and it
seemed somehow… bigger. It took Molly and Arthur a few minutes to realize
that a large addition had been added onto the back. Awe-struck, the family
rushed into their house.
Upon
examination, the new wing proved to have enough rooms to house all of its
permanent residents and then some. It was spacious and clean and well
furnished. Molly examined her old kitchen, which had been transformed into a
gleaming paradise of a place, complete with ample counter space and…
"A
carrot peeler!" Molly laughed in spite of herself.
"Hermione's
idea," Laelyn said, furrowing her brow. "I didn't want to
ask."
Eventually,
Molly and Arthur thought to enquire how a couple of newlyweds were able to
afford such a complete transformation. And so the story of Laelyn's
father's company was repeated, and had much the same effect on Fred,
George and Arthur as it had had on Ron. Finally it was decided that they should
all sit down to dinner in the new dining room (complete with a table that comfortably
seated about 14 people). When they had all finished the meal, Arthur exclaimed,
for about the 80th time that evening, "Wow, this is really
something."
Bill
laughed at his father. "And this isn't all," he said.
"Just wait until you see your workshop…"