Ghost—Epilogue

Hermione sat at the staff table anxiously, looking out into the crowd of first years that were before her. She was looking for a cloud of bushy black hair and sparkling brown eyes.

"Will you quit it?" asked Severus, sounding exasperated. "Marie is there, trust me. I made sure that she's in that crowd. Quit worrying already."

"I'm sorry, Severus," Hermione apologized with a sigh. "I'm just nervous about what house she's going to be in, that's all."

"She's Slytherin material, believe me," Snape said with a smirk.

"A little full of yourself, aren't we?" asked Hermione. "Remember when she came across Fluffy? Pure Gryffindor courage, if I do say so myself."

"Oh will you two shut up already?" asked Ginny. "You're giving me a headache, and I think you're annoying everyone else. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, she'll end up in Ravenclaw. You know how clever she is!"

"I agree," said Harry with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes and Severus laughed.

Hermione looked down the table at her friends and colleagues. Severus had returned to his teaching position, sharing responsibilities with Hermione until something else came up for her. About a year after Severus was brought back to life, Professor Flitwick retired and asked Dumbledore if Hermione could replace him. The Headmaster thought it was a good idea, and now Hermione taught Charms.

After his stint with the Chudley Cannons and the England Quidditch team, Harry signed on to be the flying instructor at the school and a sometime guest speaker in Defense Against the Dark Arts, which still had the curse of the one-year teachers.

Ginny, along with the Longbottoms and Tonks, was one of the test subjects of a new potion Severus and Hermione had developed, the Sanity Draught. When a person drank it, they would recover most, if not all, of their sanity lost due to various reasons. That, coupled with therapy, and the formerly-insane person could return as a functioning member of society. Frank and Alice Longbottom were now reconnecting with their son, Neville, and living with Frank's mother's large house. Tonks was re-instated as and Auror, and was now Deputy Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry. Ginny was now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and she was married to Harry. They had a six-year old and a ten-year-old, Marcella and Thomas, respectively.

"Ooh, there she is!" Hermione squealed happily, pointing. Within the crowd was a tall eleven-year-old with bushy black hair and extraordinarily pale skin. The girl waved at Hermione, causing the Charms Professor to wave back.

"Rather undignified, don't you think?" asked Severus, smiling. "I mean, you don't want your students to think you are a squealing, hyperactive teenager, now do you?"

"This is my second wind," Hermione replied. "I didn't get a chance to be a kid when I was actually I kid, so I'm making up for it now. Of course, constantly being around people seventeen and under doesn't really help much."

"Too true," Severus agreed. Professor McGonagall set up the stool at the front of the queue, and placed the worn and frayed Sorting Hat on top of it. Straightening up, she cleared her throat to get the first years' attention.

"When I call your name, you will come forward and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will tell you what house you are in," she said, sounding as stiff and formal as she had when Hermione had been sorted. She looked at her husband of thirteen years and smiled and he returned it with a rare one of his own.

Hermione marveled at how well her life was going right now. It had been about fifteen years after she had brought Severus back to life, and she couldn't be happier. They had worked together on potions and things; it had taken Severus a while to get full use of his joints again. As well, Hermione had asked many of the people who had lost loved ones in the war if she could possibly bring their dead relatives back to life. All of them had replied with an "it's a nice offer, but no thank you. What's done is done and we don't want to mess with the fates." Even Harry had said that when she offered to bring Sirius and Remus back to life. He had said that the spells may have worked for her one time, but to not push her luck. Hermione accepted this, and moved on.

"Snape-Granger, Marie!" Professor McGonagall yelled, breaking Hermione from her thoughts. Hermione watched in anticipation as hers and Severus' daughter made her way through the crowd. She sat on the stool as gracefully as her gangly frame would allow, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head.

"If she gets into Slytherin, you're marking essays for my class for a week," Severus whispered.

"I'm not agreeing to that!" Hermione whispered back.

"You're just scared you're going to lose," Severus shot back with a smirk.

"No, I just know how much work you assign in the first week," Hermione retorted. "Besides, shouldn't you be more creative?"

Severus didn't get a chance to answer, because at that point the Hat had made its decision.

"RAVENCLAW!" it yelled.

"It seems you both owe me something," Ginny said with a smile. "After all, it was me that said she would be a Ravenclaw."

"Oh shut up, Ginny," both Hermione and Severus said in unison.

aaa

Well, here it is...the end of the fic. I decided to tie up loose ends and things like that.

Please note: I WILL NOT BE WRITING A SEQUEL. This was a challenge fic, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not planning on continuing it, so you're just going to have to live with this. I don't want any pleas for a sequel, so PLEASE don't ask me to write one. That is all.

I really hope you enjoyed Ghost. I also hope that you go and check out my other works, if you haven't already. I may write another HG/SS fanfic in the near future, but don't get your hopes up. I have a couple of projects I'm working on, plus the fics I already have up.

I had a lot of fun writing this. Don't worry, HG/SS fans...you haven't heard the last of me!

Toodles!

angelus cado