A/N: This is it. The final chapter. I thank everyone for reading and reviewing. To Doctor of Writing, thank you for all your reviews. And thank you for confusing me with your change of name. I regret to add that there will be no followup to this story. It was never intended to be a series.

Thanks also to Raziel Tepes for catching my latest spelling errors. They are corrected. But I did leave Malcolm's spell against the Devil's Snare as it was. That was the spell, I seem to remember, from the first movie. I would have copied the book but I get nervous with the idea of Malcolm starting fires.

I should note (especially to Raziel Tepes) that there is another chapter after this one, but it is not part of this story. It deals with a girl named Wednesday.

Chapter Twenty Five: Epilogue

"Fifteen Minutes," Madam Pomfrey said. "And I mean it."

Ron and Hermione raced past her, but stopped when they saw Malcolm.

"Do I look that bad?"

"You look that different," Hermione told him.

Malcolm laughed and took off the glasses. "Is that better?"

Ron shook his head. "You still look different."

Malcolm put his glasses back on and noticed that Ron and Hermione were sharing grins. He gave them a look that begged the question, and Hermione went to Madam Pomfrey who conjured a hand mirror for her. She brought the mirror over to Malcolm.

"It's obvious no one told you. Maybe you should see for yourself."

Malcolm stared at his reflection in the mirror. The glasses did make him look different but that was not what caught his eye. His hair was black.

"My hair. It changed back to its original color."

"I like it," Hermione told him. "It makes you look . . . English."

"I was born here, you know."

"We'll have to work on your voice," Ron said cheerfully. "You need to get rid of that accent."

"I know," Malcolm answered. "It makes me sound like I'm from another country."

"That can wait until next year," Hermione told them. "We don't have much time left."

Malcolm nodded. "So tell me, did you guys have any problems getting out?"

"It took a while to wake Ron up, but once I did that it was no problem at all. And when we went to find Dumbledore, he was already on his way to help you. Malcolm, he seemed to know everything."

"He told me. He told me a lot of stuff, you know. About my parents."

"He didn't tell you about your hair."

Malcolm laughed. "He knew you guys were coming. He wanted to give you the fun of telling me."

Ron frowned. "I guess he didn't tell you about the Quidditch match."

"We lost."

"We were trounced. And we lost the house cup to you know who."

"Slytherin?" Malcolm asked, and Ron nodded.

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. "It has been fifteen minutes. You'll see him tomorrow at the End-of-Year Feast. Now out with you."

As they left, Malcolm lay back in his bed and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would come faster if he slept most of the day.

Madam Pomfrey kept Malcolm in the infirmary until the last minute. He managed to dress in record time and was out of the infirmary before she could change her mind.

Great. Now I'll miss the start of the feast. No big deal. Slytherin won anyway.

"Malcolm," George said as he and Fred stepped up to greet him. "We are your official escort to the Great Hall."

"Did McGonagall make you come?"

Fred and George laughed. "Not likely. It was Dumbledore." "He didn't tell us, mind you." "It was what he did." "You know Slytherin won the Quidditch cup?" "And that they had the most points?" "But Dumbledore didn't put the banners up this year." The twins looked at him. "Malcolm, why do you suppose that is?"

Malcolm frowned. "If they won already . . ." Then he smiled. "Is Dumbledore giving out more points?"

Fred nodded. "That's my guess. Can't give house points if the student isn't there."

"Fred, how far behind are we?"

"148 points. How many points do you think Dumbledore will give you for defeating You-Know-Who?"

Malcolm grinned, and the three walked faster. They were the last students to enter the hall, and George whispered, "Usually the banners of the winning house are hung all over the place. See, there's nothing."

Malcolm took his place, a space saved for him between Ron and Hermione. Once he and the twins were settled into place, Dumbledore stood up.

"Another year has come and gone. And we are here to award the house cup to the house that had accumulated the most points over the past year. I know everyone is aware that as of right now Slytherin has the most points, but due to recent events, which most of you also know, there are still more house points to distribute. Because, unless there is an objection, this may change the results, I did not wish to give Slytherin House any false hopes.

"To Ronald Weasley, for his steadfast courage and the best game of chess that has been played in many a year, we award fifty points."

Malcolm was only the first to congratulate Ron, but everyone quieted again as Dumbledore began to speak again.

"As there are no objections. To Hermione Granger, for her brilliant use of logic and her dedication to her friends, we award fifty points."

Malcolm looked over to see Hermione blushing furiously. Then he and everyone else embarrassed her more by giving her the same treatment they gave Ron.

Everyone was counting the points when Dumbledore began again.

"There are no objections." He paused to discuss something with Professor Snape. Snape scowled but shook his head no. Dumbledore smiled and turned back to face the students. As there are no objections to this last award may I say something first. "The most difficult thing we have to face in life is our own fear. To overcome that takes all the courage that one can muster. And to do so, not to benefit oneself but for the greater good, is to be worthy of any award. Accordingly, we give Neville Longbottom fifty points."

Neville was more surprised than anyone.

And he deserves it more than anyone.

It took a long while for the cheering to stop but, when it did, Malcolm looked up to see Gryffindor's banners hanging everywhere. Gryffindor had won the house cup. Then he paused in his happiness.

What about me? Don't I get anything?

"One last thing," Dumbledore said. "I could give more points, but that would not change anything. But one more person should be given note. Malcolm, will you please stand up?"

Malcolm stood up, and everyone who hadn't had a chance, stared at his change of features. A fact that he was very self-conscious of.

"As all of you know," Dumbledore told the students, "Before Malcolm came here, we knew him by a different name. And now that he is leaving, he is, literally, showing us a different face." He paused as the several students laughed. "I have a more personal reward for you, Malcolm. So please see me after the feast."

The boy nodded.

"And now, let the feast begin."

Malcolm walked up to the head table, Ron and Hermione close behind him. Waiting for him was Dumbledore, with Hagrid and Professor McGonagall on either side of him.

"You did well, Malcolm," the giant said as he walked up.

"Thank you, Hagrid."

Dumbledore smiled at Hagrid. "It was your idea. You should be the one to give him his reward."

Hagrid grinned in embarrassment. "Well, Malcolm, it's like this . . ."

"Just give it to him," McGonagall said in a peevish voice, causing Hagrid to grin even more.

Hagrid pulled a book from beneath his coat and handed it to Malcolm. "Ye always said how ye never knew yer parents. So I talked to a lot of frien's of James and Lily, and got ye this."

Malcolm opened the book. It was a photograph album. The first page had his name in large letters followed by the words "born as," and then his birth name and the name of his birth parents. Then followed the words, "adopted by," and the name of his mom and dad.

"I talked to Lois and Hal, too," Hagrid told him.

Malcolm turned the page and saw two photographs side by side. He knew at once what they were. The last picture taken of him in Godric Hollow, in England. His parents were holding him, and obviously whispering wonderful things to him.

The second picture was almost the same. It was the first picture taken in the States. His parents were holding him, and obviously whispering wonderful things to him. Only his parents' faces were different. The looks were exactly the same.

And that's it. I never figured out how to change my hair color so it gets to stay black. Mom says that really was its original color so I don't mind. And I decided to keep the glasses, but I'll still wear contacts on special occasions, like Quidditch matches.

You know what else I realized. Deep down, Mom and Dad are just like my birth parents. They love me. Except I don't think my birth parents would have yelled at me as much.

"Malcolm," Lois said frostily, "Hagrid told me that you were teasing his dog?"

"Oh, you must mean Fluffy? We were just playing and he got a little worked up. That's all."

"Really? Then why don't you prove it."

"Sure. I'll owl Hagrid and ask if we can visit."

Did I ever tell you? I love going to a school of magic.