After the war was won there had been many changes. The innocent people that had been incarcerated had been freed, like Luna's father, who didn't know he had become a grandfather. Luna hadn't told him about the pregnancy, she was actually going to go school without telling him a thing, she was around four months pregnant when she was taken by Death Eaters and he didn't notice a thing.
He was actually quite happy when he was told about Daryl and when he met him. He was in such a merry mood because of being out and knowing his daughter was safe and alive.
On the other hand, Molly and Arthur hadn't had time to scold or even talk about Daryl to Ron but after Fred's death and the war, neither of them were angry at Ron anymore. Molly found comfort in the young baby.
As Daryl's birth wasn't registered yet, Luna suggested changing his middle name so when they finally did register the birth certificate, his official name was Daryl Frederic Weasley. If Molly didn't like Luna before, she loved her after finding out they changed his name to honour Fred, and it was Luna's idea.
Another change after the war was Muggle-borns were not in hiding anymore and almost every Death Eater that hadn't been killed, had been captured and sent to Azkaban, only a few had managed to escape but they weren't such a threat anymore.
Kingsley Shacklebolt had been chosen to be the Prime Minister and McGonagall as Hogwarts Headmistress. Harry was happy about Kingsley, he couldn't think of anyone better for the job and every student rooted and cheered for McGonagall. She was strict but she was very loved.
A couple of weeks after everything was done, people started to work hard to rebuild Hogwarts, even young students were volunteering to help fix their school. Hogsmeade and other places also needed some work but not as extensive as Hogwarts did.
Only a few days after the war was over, there was an official list of the Death Eaters that escaped and most importantly, a complete list of the deceased people. It was both printed on the Daily Prophet and showed at the very entrance of Hogwarts so people wouldn't forget them. The list on the Daily Prophet was more detailed as there was a picture of every deceased person next to their name and they also wrote the date of birth, the date of death, their Hogwarts house if it applied and their occupation.
The amount of young people, even underage students, was horribly sad. Timothy, the keeper for Slytherin, had died. Graham Montague's younger sister, who was fourteen had died too, and many more had also died.
It could have been weird to attend someone else's funeral and not their mother's. Like Jade had done. She went to Tonks', Lupin's and Fred's funerals but not her mother's, but she did arrange everything. She also attended Snape's funeral and to her surprise many people attended too, including Harry.
Among the dead, a girl named Frances Stackhouse from the fifth year was found. She was killed when a spell missed its target and hit her instead. She was the girl whom Draco had to marry. Even Draco felt grief with her death, even when he detested her all his life.
Her father was also a Death Eater and he had died in the battle, while her mother was captured and sent to Azkaban.
Cassius and his family were all safe. Their wounds had been healed and Cassius' father had been forgiven for being a Death Eater in the past, many people testified he and his wife fought for the good side, including Jade and Harry. Regarding Cass, he didn't really love Fayette but he had agreed to send her money monthly for their kid and he still remained a secret from the Perseus family.
As Jade was the only person who knew about the baby and Fayette didn't have the best economical situation, Cass eventually asked her if she could take charge of that if something ever happened to him. She would become like the legal guardian with Cassius' money and make sure the boy had everything he needed. If the boy turned seventeen and Cassius was still alive, those responsibilities would never be Jade's. She was a bit surprised at the request but she accepted. Fayette was also okay with that decision as she liked Jade.
It was actually Fayette's idea to ask Jade to be her son's Godmother. It was a weird situation as he was her ex-fiance's kid, but Jade was honoured with the idea and she accepted.
Jade did tell Cass he should see his son more often, even if he wanted to keep that part of his life a secret. She assured him it would be the biggest regret of his life if he missed out on his son's life. Cass didn't say anything but he listened without objecting to everything Jade had to say.
Sadly, Cassius had already missed out on a lot of things. Gérard was close to turning three years old already and Cass had seen his son only a handful of times. He couldn't even communicate with him as the boy could only speak French.
She didn't want to miss important milestones and moments in Leo's life and that was one of the main reasons why she chose to turn him back into a toddler. Maybe she had already missed his first word or his first steps but she wasn't going to miss more important moments. And she even told the whole truth to Cass, everything. He was going to find out eventually anyway. It wasn't like Harry and Jade could keep him a secret all their lives.
"It's different, Jade!" Cass tried to argue.
"He's also a Half-Blood. He's Harry Potter's kid!" Jade exclaimed loudly. "Why don't you meet him? Ask him stuff before he goes back to being a baby, you'll see how much he suffered from not having his parents around."
"This is emotional blackmail, you know?"
"I'm Gérard's Godmother, I'm looking after his well being," Jade said with a shrug. "And I know that in ten, fifteen, even thirty years, you'll regret this, Cass. I know you. You are a good person and you love your kid. You are pushing him away because you are scared that someone might hurt him but you can still visit him more often, without anyone finding out. He's growing up and he'll start noticing that you are not there."
"Okay," Cass said, nodding. "How old is Leo supposed to be now?"
"About a year, he is nine now," Jade told him. "He can be friends with Gérard, you know? Like you and I. You were older than me and my brother's friend but we got along pretty well."
"We still do, don't we?" Cass said with a smile.
"We do," Jade said, matching Cass' smile.
Right after Draco proposed to Jade, during dinner time, Draco informed his parents that he and Jade were engaged but they needed to get 'unmarried' first. Narcissa was happy about the decision and congratulated them and hugged them both tightly at the same time. Lucius was very confused.
It seemed like despite all the clues, Lucius never really found out the truth and Narcissa never told him. Right when Draco was about to inform him, Jade left with Harry, in an apparent kidnap. Draco explained things to his father, told him they had gotten married as an emergency exit to Jade's situation. Then he explained to Lucius how he and the Weasleys rescued Jade just before she married Cassius. Lucius was too taken aback he didn't say anything but the fact he didn't scream at them or threatened to disinherit Draco was good, he would accept it once he had processed the news.
Which he did. Exactly three days later Lucius congratulated Draco and told him how happy he was for him and Jade and that he was proud of them. Later, when Jade visited them, Lucius congratulated her and welcomed her to the family even when he already felt like she was part of their family, which he made clear, telling her that he loved her as if she was her niece.
"Is that why you had the ring?" Lucius asked her.
"Yes and no. Draco offered it to me when we were kids and Narcissa reminded him of that last year," Jade told him. "It wasn't like an engagement ring or anything like that."
"Well, I'm glad it's yours."
About two weeks after the engagement news, Lucius and Narcissa had also been told about Leo and the messy way how he ended up there and who he was. While they weren't happy about it, they didn't oppose it. Lucius tried but Narcissa stopped him at once. His relationship with Draco had never been as bad and he needed to try to fix it, not the other way around. And if Draco was willing to help raise Leo, Narcissa was in and Lucius needed to support that decision.
"So, how did he end up here?" Narcissa asked. Jade had told the story several times with many, many pauses. Lucius and Narcissa had many questions but she was happy to answer them and explain everything to them. "Where is he now?"
"He is with Harry," Jade told them, biting her lower lip. "... With Potter."
"Oh, when can we meet him?"
"This weekend if you'd like," Jade said with a smile.
"And he will be a boy or a baby?"
Jade had also told them of the process she intended to do to Leo. He was still nine years old but she wanted to get him to be a toddler again and make him start ageing in this reality. It was a lot of information but Narcissa was processing everything very well. Lucius, from time to time, stood up and went for a drink but he was also doing very well.
"He will still be nine years old," Jade told Narcissa. "I haven't decided when I'll turn him back into a baby. I still don't have the ingredients for the potion. I haven't even looked to be honest. I have just been relaxing, enjoying this time with him."
"Well, we'd love to meet him," Narcissa said with a smile. "So exciting!"
"I must ask you to never reveal this to my father or my uncles," Jade told them all. "They already escaped Azkaban before and this time I'm not on their good side. So I wouldn't want them to know anything about Leo ever."
"Don't worry, they'll never know," Lucius assured her.
Jade had also paid a visit to her sister-in-law, and while she didn't exactly like her that much, she didn't dislike her either until that day. Olisca didn't even seem sad or concerned about Lexion or as the days passed, she didn't even ask about the date of the trial. She was completely uninterested.
Jade held a grudge against Olisca since that day. Yes, Lex had made the wrong choices, he ended up where he had to be to pay for the things he had done, and it was true that they didn't love each other but her coldness shocked Jade. She tried to keep a civil relationship with her, though, because of Lex's unborn kid. Jade couldn't abandon the only Lias who wasn't guilty and she had promised Lex she would be there for the baby.
Olisca also showed some coldness to her own parents' deaths. Jade hadn't seen them at all during the battle as they were some of the firsts to die, both of them. So now, Olisca was all alone. All she had was Jade and still it seemed like she didn't care.
That coldness towards her own parents was what shocked Jade the most. Maybe they didn't have the best relationship but even Jade, who lost her mother, was grieving her. She was sad even for her aunt Bellatrix, and she hadn't met her until a couple of years ago. She only hoped she wouldn't be that cold towards her kid. And if she was, Jade would have to give them all the love possible so they wouldn't grow up feeling unloved and making wrong choices because of that.
Jade visited Olisca often and sent her letters reminding her that she wasn't alone in this. She also made sure she had everything she needed and that she was okay. She even took her to her pregnancy appointments so she wouldn't be alone. Jade tried to excuse her cold behaviour and think that she was acting that way because she had lost everyone just like Jade and that was her way of dealing with things.
Maybe if Jade was still like she was before she befriended Ron, she would act like Olisca now. She knew she would hide her emotions and act tough because she couldn't show any weakness to people. But maybe if she hadn't changed, she would be behind bars like Lex and her father. She wasn't sure of that but everything was possible.
And she did change because people showed compassion and love to her, maybe if she did the same to Olisca, she would warm up and change too.
As promised, Lucius, Narcissa and even Draco met Leo a few days later. Draco had seen Leo when he was two years old. Jade had taken him to the other reality and while the toddler was gorgeous and sweet, Draco thought the past or future or whatever, shouldn't be messed with but he still didn't try to change Jade's mind about keeping him. He only supported her.
"Oh my!" Narcissa exclaimed as he saw the boy. Leo's cheeks turned red and he looked down. "Look at that hair! And those eyes. Isn't he such a cutie?"
"He has your eyes, Jade," Lucius pointed out with a smile.
"Yeah, he does," Jade said as she looked down at Leo.
Both Lucius and Narcissa were charmed by the little boy. They completely ignored the fact he was Potter's kid and that he wasn't a Pure-Blood. They were accepting him into their family despite all of that. And funny enough, it seemed like Lucius and Leo clicked almost instantly. He even went to sit next to Lucius and would talk mostly to him.
And for the first time in several years, Jade saw her Godfather smile. As he laughed along with Leo, it seemed like all the weight Lucius was carrying was instantly gone. He even looked younger and full of life.
Jade didn't fully explain to Leo who the Malfoys were, who was Draco to her. He would be turned into a baby soon so he didn't need to know every detail yet, he was just told Lucius was her Godfather and Draco was a friend. Harry was the one who suggested that as he didn't want to confuse Leo and Jade agreed with him. They could explain to him who Draco and his parents were later, as he grew up.
"Hey, what's up?" Jade asked Leo as she noticed he went to sit next to her and he was a bit stiff next to her, he would look from the floor to Lucius and then back to the floor. "Is everything alright?"
Leo explained to her in a very quiet voice that he saw Lucius's arm and recognised the Dark Mark. He had seen that mark in the arms of those people who tortured him, who took him away in the other reality. Lucius never tortured him or punished him, Leo had never even seen him before because Lucius died in the other reality when Leo was only three years old. But he knew because of the Mark that he worked for Voldemort. For Leo, the only good person that had that mark in his arm was Snape, the rest were really bad.
"We all make mistakes," Jade told him. "Especially when we are young. Lucius regrets what he did. If he could, he would remove that from his arm."
"So, he's good?" Leo asked.
"As good as it gets," Draco whispered, who had heard what Leo was saying. He was still angry at his father and he said it in a sarcastic way, but Leo didn't catch that.
"Yeah," Jade said with a smile. "You can trust him. I do trust him. It's always good to be cautious so I congratulate you for that, Leo."
"Do they have the mark too?" Leo asked, referring to Narcissa and Draco.
By then, Narcissa had also heard what Leo was talking about and it was her who showed Leo her mark and explained to Leo why Draco had one too. She even cried as she told the story to Leo.
"It is my biggest regret, you know?" Narcissa said. "I wish I could change that, Draco didn't deserve that."
After the explanation and many sweets, things went back to normal. Leo once again approached Lucius and started speaking to him again. Draco was the only one that looked a bit uncomfortable, probably because of what was mentioned and the memories of him being branded weren't good ones.
Leo had also met Cassius. It was a surprise, otherwise Cass would never go and meet him. Mostly because of the agenda behind the meeting.
"I was angry. I hated everyone except him, Voldemort," Leo said to Cass. "Because I thought everyone abandoned me but he loved me and took me in when no one else wanted me. The thought of my parents made me very upset."
As Jade promised Cass, Leo would explain to him how he felt growing up without parents, so he could understand the damage he was doing to his own son."
"Even before being taken, it was very confusing. I couldn't understand why I had to lie and tell that my uncle Ron was my father. I couldn't understand why my cousins and friends had their parents and I didn't. I didn't even remember my dad. At times I wish I could have one last moment with them and just hug them. And other times, I was just angry because they weren't there."
"Did you know they died?"
"Yes but then when I was taken, I was told they left me. So that was confusing. I went from missing them and being angry at the world for taking them away from me to actually hating them because I thought they didn't love me."
"Leo, how would you feel knowing your father was alive but he wouldn't go see you or spend time with you, how would you feel?" Jade asked and Cass glared at her.
"Well, mostly sad. I'd wonder what I did wrong to make him not want me. I used to think that sometimes. And I'd also feel unloved. And feel like the world isn't fair."
"How come?" Cass asked.
"You see other kids and they have their mum or their dad or both, and you see how they interact and the things they do with their children and you wonder why can't I have that? This isn't fair. And when your father dies, you do feel that. Why was he taken from me? But it's even worse when your father didn't die but he just won't spend time with you," Leo said. "I know now that my parents were in fact dead but I felt the worst when I believed they were alive and didn't love me."
It was so hard for Cass to hear those words from a child, knowing very well that those words could very well be coming out of Gérard's mouth in a few years. He knew everything Leo was saying was true. And it was also extremely hard for Jade, knowing how much Leo went through and he hadn't even turned 10. All she wanted was to take his suffering away.
Leo found it difficult to explain how he felt, finding the right words was tough but he felt so much better after he got the words out. No one knew how he really felt. Only once in all his life, he asked Mrs. Weasley, why did his cousins have their parents and he had no one? It wasn't fair. But after that he bottled everything inside of him again. And it was eating him alive.
After that meeting, Cassius did go to pack some things and went to France. When Jade found out, she only smiled. She was so happy about his decision, not only for the boy but for Cass too.
"So, Sirius is really dead?" Leo had asked her one day, he was close to crying.
He was in the room that belonged to Sirius, Jade was by the door while Leo looked around, picking up things he recognised. Soon, Harry joined them and stood next to Jade. He pretended to not be hurt by Jade's decision and like everything was okay only in front of Leo for his sake.
Harry had eventually moved to Grimmauld Place and Leo found out the horrible news about Sirius but they assured him they would take him to visit Sirius in the other reality, as he hadn't died there.
With the help of Kreacher and Ilvie, they were going to clean the entire house and change some things. The master bedroom would be Harry's and Sirius' room would be now Leo's. Regulus' room would be like a study, even when there was one downstairs.
Leo was happy to help and clean the place, Harry and Leo did it the Muggle way, without magic. They painted Leo's room together while the House-Elves cleaned the entire house and got several old furniture out of the house.
Jade finally dared to step inside her house, the house that now belonged to her. It was weird to her being the sole Mistress of the house and having all the House-elves instead of only Ilvie following her orders.
She didn't change many things in her house. Her room was still hers, she wouldn't move to the master bedroom yet. But she had turned one of the guest rooms into Leo's room. Painting it a different colour and getting different furniture and buying some toys.
All that was temporary though, she had decided that once her father's trial was done and Leo was a baby again, she would change the entire place. She would move to her parents' bedroom and make Lexion's room into a nursery. Her room would be for Harry if he ever wanted to stay and she made sure to have a room for Olisca and her kid, knowing she was all alone and would probably want some company in the future.
The Lias Manor used to be the Lestrange's countryside property. So, Rodolphus got a property in London, where he and Bellatrix lived after they got married, Rabastan apparently moved to Manchester, where he had a small house but then moved in with his brother. And Raven got the countryside home. It was inherited by her before she married Finley, so it only belonged to her.
And to Jade's surprise, in her will, Raven left the house to her. She wrote it before Lexion got married and moved out to live in Liverpool with Olisca. Jade was extremely shocked when she was told the house was hers, now that Raven was dead and Finley was captured.
She knew that even if it had been given to Lex, and he was here with her, he wouldn't like it. He preferred the city life and that's why he moved to Liverpool, while she loved the countryside.
Jade and Draco had voided their marriage, which turned out that it wasn't even registered so, there was nothing needed to be done. Draco didn't move in with her as it would be wrong to do so before getting married again but they lived only five minutes away so they met every single day.
Leo had been told about the arrangement between Jade and Harry. He was upset for a couple of weeks but he eventually had to get used to it. The first time he had to switch from Harry's place to Jade's he refused to do it. He was blaming Jade because he had noticed she was spending a lot of time with Draco and blamed her because of it.
After an hour of arguing, she actually threatened to turn him into a baby right there if he didn't do as he was told. She felt guilty, it was the first time she had scolded him and argued with Leo. Harry noticed she was upset and comforted her a bit.
Speaking of it, Leo had been told about being turned back into a baby so his age could match the date in that reality, he agreed to do it. Jade promised she would do it after Harry's eighteenth birthday and that week Harry would have Leo and maybe take him to the countryside and spend some quality time together away from the Wizarding World to have some peace.
Jade and Harry but mostly Jade, were struggling with their arrangement but they both knew it would get better once Leo was a baby again, he would grow up experiencing that, so he could accept it more that way. They only needed to keep firm for a few more weeks.
Jade also made sure to use the reality-turner and tell Sirius of what would happen with Leo so he could be prepared. Sirius told all the Weasleys too. Leo had been kidnapped from the Burrow so it was only logical to go looking for him there now that he was gone. Luckily, no one ended up killed as they had fled before the Death Eaters got there.
That did make them suspects of Leo's disappearance but they needed to flee, otherwise they would be tortured and killed and Jade didn't want that.
Back to the Malfoys and this reality, the Aurors had finally raided their house and captured the three of them. Jade was devastated when she found out. But luckily their trial was scheduled to a very close date, at least for Draco and Narcissa. Lucius' trial had a later date, only days after Finley's trial.
Leo, who was still upset at his parents for not being together, was actually enjoying spending time with Jade without Draco being there. However, he had gotten closer to Lucius and he was sad for him.
The day of the trial, Leo spent it with Harry even when it wasn't his turn to have Leo. Jade attended the trial for support. It was proved, Draco hadn't joined voluntarily and was forced to do activities against his will. Narcissa was charged for joining them all those years ago but they had proved she hadn't killed anyone and their change of mind at the end of the battle had been the cause of her release.
They had forgiven her and she walked out of that courtroom with Draco, both were free and had no offences. Narcissa was offered freedom but if anyone suspected anything she would be captured again and face justice while Draco had a totally clean record.
After their trial, Jade had to go to her brother's trial. As promised, Cassius went with her to support her. The trial was a bit shorter than the other one. Lexion pleaded guilty and said he was immensely sorry for everything he had done. He took Veritaserum later so they did confirm he was indeed sorry and regretted everything he did.
As a witness, Jade told truths she didn't want the world to know like Finley's punishments and that she would have been forced to join Voldemort if she hadn't run away. She told things that even Cassius didn't know about Lex. It was tough to get it out in front of so many people but hopefully it would soften everyone's heart.
Cassius also testified and explained how Finley and Raven Lias were towards their kids, if anyone knew deep things about the Lias Family was Cassius. He spent so much time there and as Lexion's best friend and being Jade's fiance for mainly all their lives, he was basically part of their family.
However, the news wasn't good. Jade's heart broke when she heard he was going to be sentenced to life in Azkaban. The judge decided that Lexion could appeal his sentence in one year and one day. He took into account the horrible upbringing and basically abuse from his parents and the fact his remorse was genuine. Towards the end, Lex was only Voldemort's follower because he couldn't get out without being killed or getting his wife or even his sister killed.
Lexion needed to behave perfectly for those three hundred sixty-six days if he wanted to have a chance of the decision to be changed. Jade knew it would be really difficult for it to be changed but she had hope and Lexion had to be hopeful too.
She promised Lex she would visit him often and Cass offered to come along with her. Lex wouldn't be told about her engagement to Draco or about Leo. It was too risky even when Jade was dying to tell him about it all.
"You are truly the best friend I could have ever asked for," Lex said with tears in his green eyes. "Thank you Cass."
"Don't mention it," Cass said with half a smile.
Jade tried to be strong in front of Lex, she tried to not cry when she was told she couldn't touch the prisoner. She tried to seem unaffected by the prison clothes Lex was wearing and seeing him in such a bad state in such a short amount of time. She flashed him a reassuring smile before she and Cass turned around to walk out of there, Cass put his arm around her shoulders mostly for moral support. He knew how she was feeling.
"You were right." Lex's voice stopped them. Cass turned his head to look at his best friend.
"About what?" He choked out.
"About not joining him. I thought you were a coward but now I wish I could have listened to you."
"You'll be out of here, Lex," Cass assured him. "Just keep positive, okay, mate?"
Jade didn't look back at her brother, she just stood there. Tears filled her green eyes and they started to roll down her face when she and Cass resumed their way out of there.
After that, Lucius' trial came up, which Jade also attended, this time with Draco and Narcissa. Lucius got a better outcome than Lex. Lucius had to spend some time in Azkaban because he couldn't go unpunished for all his crimes but his time there wouldn't be as long as it would have been if he had kept fighting for Voldemort. So, it was good news for the Malfoy Family.
And lastly, Finley's turn came up only two days after Lucius'. Finley wasn't as lucky, he got life in Azkaban without chance of appealing, which wasn't really a surprise. Rodolphus and Rabastan got the same sentence and people were even suggesting that the three of them should get the kiss from the Dementors. But that decision would be made in another trial.
Slowly, life went back to normal. Diagon Alley shops reopened, once again the twins' shop was a complete success. George didn't change the name and ran it alone. It wasn't the same but he knew Fred would want him to continue with it.
Hogsmeade was alive again too and no longer controlled by Death Eaters. Hogwarts was restored and ready for the new school year that September.
Granger decided to do her seventh year and graduate while Harry and Ron couldn't be bothered. Ron actually didn't have a choice as he had to look after Daryl.
Ginny and Luna had to repeat their sixth year. Luna only studied from September to Christmas and Ginny was in school until Easter and it wasn't like they learnt anything that year, so many students ended up repeating their respective school years.
So, while Luna was away in school, Ron stayed home and raised Daryl there with the help of his family, mostly of his mother and since Xenophilius lived very close to them, he visited almost every day and he also helped to look after Daryl.
Unlike them, Jade didn't go back to school. She had studied part of the year and she asked McGonagall to have a chance to do her N.E.W.T's examinations as she felt she could pass them. She only needed to study to refresh her memory. The opportunity was granted but she was warned that if she didn't pass she wouldn't graduate. Her examinations were scheduled to be in late January.
At the start of December, there was an event held at Hogwarts. Every student that attended Hogwarts last year or the ones that couldn't attend, like the Muggle-Borns or Ron and Harry were invited.
It started as a memorial for the people that had lost their lives during the battle and even before that. The first of the list was Dumbledore as that was when things started to get darker and more intense. There were even Muggles on that list, which was a nice thing to do.
Then they continued on to give recognition to several people. Mcgonagall was one for keeping everyone safe. Ginny, Luna and Neville for standing up and forming the D.A. again to teach younger students to defend themselves. A twelve-year-old Huffelpuff girl named Sarai, for defending and actually saving Professor Flitwick from a huge spider. She was part of the D.A. group.
Several other current and former students and some professors were mentioned as well. A few parents were there as well, including Molly Weasley, who not only defeated many Death Eaters but also healed many of the injured people.
And obviously at the end they called Granger, Harry, Ron, Neville and even Jade. Not only were they called for their sacrifice to bring Voldemort down but also for destroying the Horcruxes, which wasn't a secret anymore to the Order of the Phoenix and other people but they didn't mention that in public for safety issues.
But McGonagall knew who had destroyed them. Harry destroyed the Diary all those years ago. Ron destroyed the locket, Jade destroyed the goblet. Neville killed Nagini. The other three were destroyed by Dumbledore, Crabbe and Voldemort himself.
"And finally, we have one last recognition," McGonagall announced. "This was going to be given at the end of the school year but we have news that that student won't continue her studies this year. So, I would like to call once again, Jade Lias."
Jade's cheeks turned red as everyone cheered at her. She didn't even have time to sit at her seat again, so she just turned around again and walked back to where McGongall was. She didn't know what was going on or why she was called again.
To her surprise, she was given two small plaques and it was announced that she had broken two more Quidditch records without knowing. One was being the only player in Hogwarts History that had never lost a game she had played, Slytherin had lost a couple of games the last few years but she hadn't played those games. The second record was being the person with the most records broken ever.
"Such a shame Slytherin won't have you in the team this year," a guy in his sixth year shouted. "You should come back to school only to play Quidditch!" All Slytherin cheered loudly and clapped and whistled at those words. Jade smiled and felt like crying but out of happiness. Seeing that, she actually felt like going back to school only to keep playing.
That night was extremely special for Jade and it would be unforgettable. She had been praised and appreciated for her talents and abilities but also for her courage and the part she played in the war. She became a legend in Slytherin for her athleticism, but she had become a role model for everybody else when she stood up to Amycus in class. She was admired and acknowledged not only by her house mates but by every house in Hogwarts. She was a Slytherin but people had learnt to overlook that and accept her for who she was.
Way too soon that night came to an end and it got melancholic as it was probably the last time they would visit Hogwarts, at least most of them. Granger stayed but Ron, Harry, Neville, Draco, and some other people in their class went to Lias Manor after that. They wanted to keep celebrating what had happened that night, also celebrating the war was over and they won it.
Neville and Draco weren't going to repeat their school year either, they had studied most of the year so they would attempt to pass their N.E.W.T's examinations with Jade in January. If they didn't pass, Neville would go back to school and Draco would consider it.
Now that the house belonged to Jade and she had made some changes, the house didn't seem cold and lifeless. Now it looked very welcoming and it looked like a home. It was actually the first time she was inviting friends over and sort of having a party at her house.
She was liking the experience a lot that she was going to make sure to make gatherings or big parties only for the sake of it. She wanted her home to be a place where people had fun, all the darkness would be eradicated and the bad memories would be replaced with good ones.
That night, almost everyone spent the night there and Jade felt happy about it. She didn't have to worry that there were Gryffindors in her house or that she had allowed 'Mud-Bloods' in her property or that a blood traitor was in her living room eating the snacks. Or that a room was being prepared for someone that stood up against Voldemort and everything he represented. Or that Harry Potter was getting some Vodka and preparing himself a drink. Nothing mattered. She didn't have to hide anymore. She was enjoying her freedom and peace. Even Draco was okay with the people there. He wasn't friends with them but he was okay and they were okay with him around.
Only days later Jade got a letter from the England Quidditch team manager. They wanted her in the national team. It was her dream come true but she couldn't accept it.
Jade asked if the offer would still be up in a few months. She needed some time for peace after everything that had happened and she also wanted to be home for Leo. He was a baby of fifteen months at the moment and she needed to be there for him. Jade in the other reality had missed that time around Leo, he was raised by Sirius, so she didn't want to make the same mistake as her other self.
By Christmas that year, Harry had finally come around with the fact they had to share Leo's custody and that she was with Draco. He still wasn't happy about it but he was dealing better with it. Jade invited him to spend Christmas all together and he accepted.
That year, Jade made a big reunion in her house, she invited all the Weasleys, Fleur, and Luna and her father. She invited Narcissa, (Lucius was still in Azkaban), she invited Tonks' mother and Teddy as Harry was his godfather and luckily things didn't get awkward between Narcissa and Andromeda.
Cassius and his parents were also invited, just as Olisca was. With them there, Narcissa didn't feel so left out so Jade was glad Amberie could make it. Xzander, Cass' brother, and his wife Alexandra also attended with their daughter, Zoe. They weren't ready to share the truth with the world so they only said they were Cass' friends and Amberie was really touched that Jade invited her other son and his family and kept their secret. And along with Zoe they brought a little blonde boy. It was Gérard. Jade had invited Fayette but since Amberie and Talbott were there, Cass thought it would be better to just pretend Gérard was Alexandra's nephew from her Muggle family and for Fayette to not attend. Jade would have loved it if she could have come though, but she was glad Cass had at least told his brother about his son.
And finally they all finally met Leo, who spent the night playing with Gérard, Zoe, who had recently turned two, Daryl, who was almost a year old and Teddy, who was the youngest of the five. Lexion's son, Jervis, was born two months after the war and was only five months, so he spent most of the evening sleeping.
Olisca was still cold and unfriendly but she didn't have anyone else, no one to spend time with, so she showed up and just maybe Jade's endless friendly gestures to demonstrate to her that she and Jervis were part of her family had been working. At times, it felt like an impossible task and she felt like giving up but Olisca showing up gave Jade hope.
Jervis, which was the name Lexion chose before the war, was a beautiful baby. He looked a lot like Lex. He even had the same eyes, the eyes that Raven had, his hair was a light brown at the moment, like Jade's hair had been when she was a baby.
When Jervis woke up, he sat Leo in front of the gifts that were in a corner and put Jervis in his arms and took a picture of the two cousins. That one would be framed for sure. Then she got the other kids around Leo and took another picture.
Funnily enough, that was the first time that Jade was actually celebrating Christmas, and she couldn't be happier and couldn't feel more loved and blessed. Before, her parents did make a Christmas party but their motives were hidden and Jade didn't really enjoy it that time. She didn't really celebrate anything.
Her family, all her family was gone. Her brother was the one she missed the most but she looked around her and didn't allow herself to feel sad or lonely. All the people were enjoying their time and celebrating in her house, a place that once meant suffering, sadness and pain, was now a true home and she smiled and was grateful for having all those people in her life.
Let me know what you guys think ?
I will be uploading the very last chapter of this story either during this week or until next monday as I will be away :)
So far, are you team Draco or team Harry? Or even team Cass?