Epilogue
The time it took for help to arrive had seemed like hours as Barney and his friends waited, trying to process everything that had happened. As soon as McGonagall had been unfrozen by members of the Ministry of Magic she had taken them into her office where they had explained everything that had happened. Barney told her all about finding Nevermore's journal and the Endeavour Stone, Dufour's attempts to take it and how Grim had given her life to save them. He had then told her how Ottomaya was a Hydemantris and that her other form was the beast and how Ottomaya had killed it to save them and ultimately sacrificed her own life and how they had used the stone to save her.
McGonagall had struggled to take it all in at first but then acted quickly before the Ministry could find out what had happened. She had decided that it would be easier for everyone if all were to believe Dufour had been behind everything including the beast and that he had conjured the beast to help him search Hogwarts for the stone. McGonagall didn't see any point in tarnishing Ottomaya's name. She couldn't help the fact that she had been born a Hydemantris and was not responsible for what her alter-self had done. And as she had, with immense bravery, killed her other self, the least she deserved was to rest in peace. McGonagall was prepared to deal with the consequences of the belief that a student had been killed by a teacher, especially one that was an exchange student only at Hogwarts temporarily, and the repercussions that she and the school would face. And as far as anyone was concerned, no one had found the Endeavour Stone and it probably had never even been at Hogwarts in the first place.
The days that followed were solemn and a haze. Ministry officials had questioned them all but they had stuck to McGonagall's story, determined to protect Ottomaya's secret. It had turned out that Professor Dufour was not even Professor Dufour, he was a man named Vitton Trelby, a crook known to the Ministry. It was believed that he had met the real Dufour in Eastern Europe and after initially bonding over their knowledge of runes, Trelby had discovered Dufour had an upcoming teaching post at Hogwarts, a place Trelby had for a long time wanted to explore due to the rumours of the Endeavour Stone beginning hidden there. Trelby had killed Dufour and taken his identity and then spent the next three years searching the school whilst disguised as him. However when he heard Grim would be starting there as a teacher he was worried that she might recognise him from her time as an Auror so it was he who had tried to send the cursed statue to her at the start of term to kill her before she had chance to recognise him. Though his planned failed he was lucky enough that Grim had not indeed seen through his disguise and he was able to carry on his quest of searching Hogwarts for the stone.
As soon as they were allowed, Viola and the other exchange students and Professor Night had returned to Ilvermorny, with one less than they had arrived with. McGonagall had personally escorted them back and then offered her deepest condolences to all at Ilvermorny for their loss.
Barney had fulfilled Professor Grim's last wish and had given her bag and the golden eggs to Hagrid. He had explained that they were Remecanto eggs, a bird that had believed to be extinct. Grim had come across the eggs whilst hunting dark wizards in Eastern Europe. Remecantos were an incredible bird as their song could help heal many illnesses including Black Fever, Frog poxs and Fire Flu. But as their egg shells were made of gold they were hunted to extinction as once the bird hatched, the golden shell instantly turned to a normal shell and was worthless so the unhatched bird was surplus to requirement.
"That's why she came teh 'ogwarts," Hagrid explained. "See she was lookin' fer somewhere safe fer the birds teh live. An' well she'd heard about me an' thought they'd be safe 'ere."
"And I guess that's why she was so protective of her bag and why she attacked that cat on the train to Hogwarts at the beginning of term as it had gone for her bag."
"She was determined of more than anythin' teh see these eggs hatch an' the Remecantos ter flourish again," Hagrid said as he wiped a tiny tear away from his eye.
"And that man I saw her with in Hogsmeade?" Barney asked remembering the doggy looking guy he saw her with in the Hog's Head Inn.
"He was from the Ministry. She wanted teh keep the fact she had these eggs as secret as possible. He was someone she knew from her time as an Auror an' knew he could be of help keepin' the birds protected once they ha'ched. Obviously they had teh keep their meetin' a secret. She didn't want word getting out or 'ogwarts would have been full of poachers lookin' teh get their hangs on these 'ere golden eggs."
There had been a small funeral for Professor Grim in the grounds of Hogwarts attending by the teaching staff and Barney and his friends who knew of her sacrifice. None of the other students attended, they still all viewed Grim as a tyrant of a teacher, who none of them really liked. Though there had been no body left to bury, a symbolic gesture of one of her hats had been placed in the grave.
"This isn't right," Barney said as he stood next to Tabitha and Thomas at the graveside. "She was a hero and no one's here to see her off."
"Barney they didn't see what she did. To everyone else she was just a teacher," Tabitha said as she gave him a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder.
"It's still not right. For the rest of my time at Hogwarts I will make sure everyone knows what she did, how brave she was and what a great teacher she was."
As Barney said these words he started to well up and cry. Everything he had witnessed in the last week finally caught up with him and he couldn't hold back his emotions any more. Now both Tabitha and Thomas put their arms around his shoulders to comfort him. Barney was so grateful to have his friends with him and he was also so amazed at how courageous Thomas had been. Witnessing the girl you liked nearly dying and then having to say goodbye to her must have been the hardest thing he ever had to do. He then thought of Tabitha, the girl he had liked for so many years but never had the courage to tell her how he felt.
After Professor Grim's funeral they had one more goodbye to say. At a quiet spot by the lake whilst everyone was in class, McGonagall watched over as Barney, Tabitha and Thomas made a small hole in the ground and placed Nevermore's box, with the Endeavour Stone inside, in the hole. McGonagall cast a spell so that the stone would never be disturbed and Ottomaya would be able to live on inside the stone in peace forever.
Now it was Barney's time to comfort his friend as Thomas began to cry.
"Don't worry, she's happy now and she'll always have you with her," Barney said, trying to offer words of comfort.
They had walked back up to the castle in silence. With only a couple more days until the school year ended it couldn't come soon enough as far as Barney was concerned.
On the final day of term Barney packed the last of things into his trunk and said goodbye to his dorm mates for the summer and headed down to the entrance hall, ready to head to Hogsmeade to catch the train back to London.
As he emerged at the top of the stairs from the dungeon he saw Tabitha standing with some of her friends. When she saw Barney she smiled at him, a radiating smile that never failed to make Barney feel good. Barney made his way over to them.
"Are you ready to go home?" Tabitha asked.
"Not just yet," Barney replied, with his heart in his mouth. "Can we have a quick word in private?"
Barney led Tabitha into the empty Great Hall. The room seemed eerie when no one was in it and without the chatter of students and the noise of laughter.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, trying to read his face and could tell he looked nervous.
"It's something I've wanted to say for a while and with everything that's happened it's made me realise that you should live in the moment."
"OK," Tabitha replied, feeling a little confused as she wondered what Barney was about to say.
Barney tried to find the words but he couldn't. The last couple of days he had thought about telling her how he felt and had practiced saying it in his head. But now the time came he couldn't do it. She was one of his best friends. If he told her how he felt he risked ruining their friendship. He just couldn't do it.
Just then Tabitha took his hand in hers. "It's OK, I think I know what you want to say."
Barney looked into Tabitha's eyes and she looked into his as she leaned closer to him and kissed him on the lips. Barney felt a warm sensation wash over him and felt light headed as Tabitha pulled away again. Now Barney's eyes were closed and he opened them to see Tabitha staring at him and still he couldn't find the words to say what he wanted to right now.
"Er..." was all Barney could manage and it made Tabitha smile.
"Before she left Viola told me that you liked me. She said you were afraid to tell me and that if I felt the same maybe I should tell you."
"And do you like me? I mean you were still with Hamish only a week ago," Barney pointed out.
"Barney I've liked you for a long time, longer than I care to admit. But like you I didn't want to say anything in case I ruined our friendship."
"You have?" Barney said in shock.
"Do you know what I saw when I looked into the Wunsch jar in our Dark Arts class?"
"You said it was a Pufferskein," Barney replied, remembering at the time he thought she might be lying.
"I saw a lavalier, but not one of a badger with Hamish's initials. It was one of a snake with the initials 'BW'."
Still Barney struggled to know what to say, gob smacked by it all. Finally he said something. "So how long have you liked me like that?"
"Probably since third year. You?"
"Second year," Barney replied bashfully.
"So we've both been too scared to say anything when we've both actually liked each other for years?"
"What a pair of idiots we've been," Barney joked and enjoyed hearing Tabitha's laugh and felt happy inside.
After chatting a little more about how they really felt they headed back to the entrance hall which was now slowly emptying. Thomas stood there waiting for them both and noticed them holdings hands and smiled at them, glad some happiness had emerged from this year.
As the three of them joined the back of the crowd who started on the short walk to the station and exited the castle. Barney turned back to look at the building which had become his second home and hoped when he returned his last year at Hogwarts would be uneventful. But what ever it brought, he knew he would have his two best friends by his side, like they had been for all of his Hogwarts' journey so far.
