A/N: Can you believe your eyes? Yes, and update...grins. I know it has taken forever, and I mean forever, but finally, here is the final chapter of my long epic "Under Attack". I am aware that the story is now seriously AU, but actually it was that the entire time...so bear with me, please. It is funny in a way, because I started this story before OotP came out and now...ah well.

At this point, I want to thank each and every reviewer who actually commented for their kind words and encouragement. You have been very patient and very heartwarming with me.

Finally...as the title of this chapter implies - the song at the end is by one of the greatest bands ever ABBA - and i still own neither song nor the characters (except those you never saw in JKR's books) - i do own the story though.

And now...please read on and enjoy...

Epilogue – "The Way Old Friends Do"

It was an incredibly warm February this year. The months before had been exceedingly cold and unpleasant, but with the beginning of February the weather had broken. The air had taken a warmer and more fragrant feeling, the clouds had disappeared and the snow had melted. One could even see patches of the early spring flowers in full bloom on the grounds.

It was the perfect scenario.

For a wedding.

Thus the whole party had moved outside. The ceremony was taking place on the lawn and if one looked closely, he discovered that it was the exact site where Diana McGonagall had met her fate.

Her younger sister tried very hard to forget about this fact as she took her position in the ceremony. It was not easy.

Even though they had not always gotten along, Minerva missed her sister greatly. She had never doubted that the bonds with her siblings were very strong, but she could never have imagined just how bereft she felt, thinking that she had no sister left.

The scarlet waves of the circle spell had always held their very own brand of magic and now it was gone.

Diana had been laid to rest in the family tomb at Albany House, accompanied only by her siblings and a few chosen friends who had been present when she died. No children, no husband. Minerva still didn't understand why they had missed the funeral. It didn't bode well for the future.

Glancing to her left, her heart constricted at the sight of her brother. If she felt bad about losing her sister, how must her brother feel about losing his twin?

Hermes' age showed so incredibly since Mercury had been put in a closed ward at St. Mungos. He had been heavily injured during the final fight and despite all efforts from Poppy on the battlefield, and later from the healers at the magic hospital, they were not able to prevent Mercury from slipping into a coma. He was in coma for almost two months now and there was no hope he would ever wake from it.

On impulse Minerva walked over to her brother and pulled him into a tight hug. "I miss him too." She whispered.

Hermes only nodded and hugged her tighter.

He was eternally glad for the fact that he had his sister. And he was even more grateful for the person she was. Yes, Hogwarts had been in sore need of several fill-in or new teachers. But there had been absolutely no need to appoint him to the position of teaching Magical Theory. Hermes had gladly accepted to take over for Arameus Huntoon. It provided him with shelter, with company – now that his other half was gone.

The strains of music announced the arrival of the bride and Hermes shook himself out of his musings. This was a happy occasion, after all. Definitely less tense than the last wedding he had attended at Winter Solstice.

He had to admit though that Poppy Pomfrey was not much more radiant than the last bride he had seen, and Alastor Moody was certainly no less anxious about being finally bonded to his bride than the last groom he had seen.

While Poppy Pomfrey slowly walked through the groups of their friends, co-workers, students and Order members towards her husband-to-be, Hermes Flamenco McGonagall reflected on the last wedding he had been present at.

He had never actually thought to be present at a wandpoint wedding. Less then two weeks after that final fight – the fight which had cost them so dearly – he had been awoken by enraged screams coming from the other side of the floor. He stumbled out of his bed groggily to see what all this mayhem was about. And felt anger surge through him at the picture he saw.

How dare that man! How dare he! And less than two weeks after almost getting her killed!

In retrospective, Hermes had to chuckle at the sight of a barely covered (by only a sheet, no less) Albus Dumbledore slammed against a wall and having Dion's wand pointing alternately at his throat or his privates. The atmosphere in the room had cackled with magical power, for in the middle of the room stood Minerva, also barely covered by a bedsheet, and as angry as Hermes had ever seen her. Uray had marched in as well, taken in the scene and whipped out his wand in an instant.

The owls had been dispatched in less than five minutes and only one hour later, the druid had been there to make an honest woman out of their sister.

Considering that Minerva had crossed her 70th birthday several years earlier, it was a ridiculous action. And if they had been worried about Dumbledore's loyalty, it was certainly not the wisest thing to actually have him married into the family. But – a McGonagall was no McGonagall if he didn't think of everything, Uray had said. And true to his word, the official ceremony had been followed by an old binding ceremony, which incorporated Dumbledore into their clan. He was a McGonagall now. Would be so until his final breath. Turning against the family would be fatal to him, like it had been to any other family member who might betray them.

Hermes guessed that this quick course of events was not exactly to the couple's liking. It was his distinct feeling that they had not sorted through all the problems that had piled up over the last tense weeks. This night or morning together seemed more like an accident to him than anything else.

But seeing how they stood together behind the wedding couple, holding hands, he believed that somehow everything would be all right. Eventually.

Albus Dumbledore looked around in this circle of friends. There were certainly more and the atmosphere was much more cheerful than it had been at his wedding to Minerva. Granted, Alastor did not have three very angry brothers pointing their wands at him while the Minister performed the ceremony. Still, Albus could not help but feel how poignant that difference was.

Here was Alastor getting married to Poppy. Both heroes of the recent battle against Voldemort. Not like him – guilty of supporting the Dark Lord. Both looked upon with joy and happiness for their joining.

He was a self-confident man, but the slightly suspicious looks behind his back were grating on him. Minerva had assured him again and again that she didn't blame him. Their friends had assured him. The Order members had assured him. Even the board of governors told him that they didn't blame him for recent events. However, he blamed himself. What if it happened again? What if Voldemort returned and he would fall under that spell again. Maybe then they wouldn't be so lucky?

Albus had offered his resignation as headmaster, but the board would have none of it. Who would replace him, they had asked. Albus told them that he thought Minerva would be the obvious choice, but his answer had been a shake of their heads. Minerva had already refused any leading position. In the school and in the Ministry.

Deeply confused by those news, he had travelled to Albany House that night to find out why Minerva had done so. Their conversation was exhausting – loud in some parts, painful in others. But in the end, Minerva had taken his face into her hands and said: "No matter what happened, only one truth remains – I love you, Albus. And I will love you until the moment I die. I refused those positions because I do know that you, and only you, are able to be the Headmaster of this school. I want to remain at the school, but it is you who has to lead it. Only you can do it." She had kissed him lightly after this and then continued: "If there is one thing I have discovered over the last weeks that I have been bound to you a very long time ago. I cannot leave you. And I don't want to. Ever."

He had seen the tears brimming in her eyes, just as he knew that she could see them in his as well. "I love you too, my Min. So much that it hurts to be apart from you. I cannot take that. I love you." With that he had lowered his mouth to hers and within the crack of a second they had ripped each other's clothes off in a frantic need to seal their connection physically again. To brand each other as their own.

It was a rather wild night. Full of passion and very little tenderness. In retrospect, it was good as it was. They had needed this to assure themselves of the other again. The time for tenderness had come later. Much later.

They were still not completely out of the woods and Albus doubted they would be in the near future, but feeling Minerva's hand giving his a squeeze and seeing her smile at him radiantly just now, he knew they would be all right again. Eventually.

From his slightly elevated place in this round of friends, Uranos Kasachock McGonagall had a pretty good look over the assembled people. And he had to admit, he liked what he saw. For the most part.

He liked seeing his two remaining brothers standing to the right of the wedding couple. Not an overly proud man, it still filled him with satisfaction to see them in their finest garb showing the aura of wealthy, influential and powerful wizards. The McGonagalls were back in the front row of their community. Not by force, more out of necessity. He himself never had any intention to become Minister of Magic, but yet he was. This was his first official act as Minister – joining a witch and a wizard in a matrimonial bond. Uray was glad that it were such close friends as Alastor and Poppy.

He smiled at them as he recited the ancient rites. They had so much love for each other. It surrounded them almost like an aura. So much love, so much happiness, so much hope for the future.

It was a good thing to see.

Almost as good as the couple standing behind them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught another couple on the left. Both clad in white, like all guests in attendance. He had to admit with an inner snort that the white robes looked rather odd on Severus Snape yet he wore them with an air of compliance. The wedding couple had requested them and he acquiesced their wishes. Uray guessed however that Melina had had her work cut out for her to convince him to actually follow this request.

Melina. His little girl. So grown up. So strong. So independent. So beautiful. And he would break every single bone in Snape's body, if he dared to hurt his little girl.

The were whispering now and Snape had a tender smile on his face as he watched his companion turn back towards the ceremony. Apparently, even though no word was spoken, there was another wedding coming in the near future. Maybe!

After all, he was her father.

A small frown crossed Uray's forehead as he thought about that. That would bear some thinking. A Slytherin? Married into their clan? It was unheard of, after all. Yet, who knew what would happen.

The same could be said for him, after all. Xiomara was a Slytherin too. Uray's frown deepened as he spotted the lithe witch with the spiky grey hair standing next to Baldur Nipps. What was Nipps doing so close to Xiomara?

Attending a wedding wasn't bad, Ron Weasley decided. Especially if one had nothing to do but watch it. At least this way he couldn't make a fool out of himself.

When the invitation had come, he had been rather surprised, especially when he discovered that only a select few of the students had received such a parchment.

However now he was here, standing by as the Order celebrated life and love. He had to admit, he liked it. The thought of such old people as Mad-Eye Moody and Madam Pomfrey getting married and doing all this married people stuff was still slightly nauseating – and he didn't dare thinking about Dumbledore and McGonagall actually doing that – or even worse, Snape and McGonagall's niece, but if he was honest, he was glad they had such a happy occasion to celebrate.

There had been way too many funerals over the last weeks. Hogwarts had lost almost half of its teaching staff who had fallen while fighting against the Death Eaters on the lawn.

Sometimes, Ron couldn't believe the things that had happened that day. First Harry, Neville and Dumbledore had put themselves between You-Know-Who (he still didn't dare to utter that name) and Professor McGonagall. She had stunned them and then later thrown herself over them to protect them with her body and that strange goat skin. And how Neville – Neville of all people – had stunned You-Know-Who and McGonagall's goatskin had turned into a shield with snakes crawling from it.

Even Ron had felt compelled to read up on the whole thing afterwards and they had spent a great deal of time discussing it. Neville had said that she had used the aegidius, the shield of the Goddess Minerva which was originally a goatskin and later carried the head of Medusa. It sounded unbelievable, yet they had seen it.

The head of Medusa had turned You-Know-Who to stone and they figured that the snake bites were responsible for that stone falling to dust. They were not sure about it, but in long discussions they had come to the conclusion that this was not over. Harry's prophecy said that he had to defeat the Dark Lord. McGonagall couldn't do it. Dumbledore couldn't do it. It was Harry's task.

And since it had not been him, but Neville to cast that spell, it was not over.

Yet Ron didn't feel so bad about it. They had proven that they could fight and when the time came they would be ready: Hermione, Ginny, Neville, himself and Harry.

They would not be alone either. The Order would be there, McGonagall would be there. Dumbledore would be there. Even though he had almost betrayed them all, Ron didn't feel any resentment towards his headmaster. Since this mess started, he had had time to think about some things and he had realized that not even the greatest wizard of their age was immune against evil. Still, Dumbledore had not let them down. He had been willing to sacrifice himself for them all during that battle on the lawn. And in the end that was all that counted.

He felt Hermione squeeze his hand as the new Minister of Magic pronounced the former auror and their school nurse man and wife. Looking down into her face he smiled crookedly at her tears. She smiled at him as well. "Everything will be all right."

Yes, everything would be all right. In time.

Minerva couldn't suppress the tears running down her cheek as her brother pronounced her dearest friends husband and wife. It had taken them so long to reach this moment. So many years, so many obstacles, so much pain on their way and yet they had made it through and were married now. She couldn't help her face splitting into a wide smile as the newlyweds kissed. Finally, they were on the way to happiness again.

The war wasn't over, she knew that. Voldemort's disappearance didn't mean he would not come back. How he would return to a form after he had fallen to dust and blown away by the four winds, she didn't know, but she was aware that their problem wasn't solved.

It was not her task to defeat. Her prophecy did not say anything about it. Minerva still didn't understand this prophecy completely, but maybe it wasn't necessary. It had helped, when they needed it and for now they were safe.

Safe and happy.

Safe and happy were Alastor and Poppy – glowing with love and adoration for each other as they turned to their assembled guests.

Safe and happy were Melina and Severus – still a long journey away from the moment they could be joined in matrimony, but nevertheless on their way.

Safe and happy were Xiomara and Baldur. Or was it Xiomara and Uray? She wasn't exactly sure which of the two men her friend favoured – the newly acquired friend or her favourite brother. Recent evenings had seen Xiomara in company of the both of them. Minerva frowned at that thought. She certainly didn't want to be caught in a war of love. However, all of them were adults so there was no sense in working herself into a state.

Safe and happy were the Weasleys – wonderful supporters and loyal friends. Minerva was glad that finally the family was better off. Uray's first act as Minister of Magic had been to appoint Arthur as Vice-Minister. She couldn't think of any man better suited for that position. It would be a fruitful work relationship.

Safe and happy were her cubs – Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Neville. Neville Longbottom, the new pride of Hogwarts. Gone was the shy boy who constantly tripped or made a mess of things. In his stead a young confident wizard had appeared. He was talented after all. And very brave. With a slight grin, Minerva remembered the Valentine's Dance just two days ago. Poor Neville had not had any moment's rest the whole night. Every girl in Hogwarts, from 3rd year up, had tried to get to dance with him. At the end of the dance Neville had looked quite exhausted.

Safe and at least partially happy were her brothers – Dion, who was leading the clan again. Hermes who was settling well into his teaching position, trying to rearrange his life after the loss of his twin brother. Uray who had taken the enormous task of rebuilding their community as Minister of Magic. The McGonagalls were taking an active role in the shaping of their community again and she was glad about it. "Viribus Unitis", their adage said, "With joined efforts". If they wanted to rebuild what had been destroyed, they had to stand united and work together. And they would.

And finally, she and Albus were safe and happy as well. They were not out of the woods yet, but they would make it. Love was the strongest power, Minerva mused. As long as their love lasted, they were not in danger. With her left hand she gripped the small marble pendant of Minerva which was dangling from a long chain. Immediately she felt a warmth cursing through her body. A warmth that had nothing to do with the sun shining on them. A warmth that came fully from within her. A warmth that was intensified when the man beside her squeezed her hand. Minerva turned slightly and looked into Albus' eyes. They didn't need any words.

"You and I can share the Silence

Finding comfort together
The way old friends do
And after fights and words of violence
We make up with each other
The way old friends do
Times of joy and times of sorrow
We will always see it through
Oh I don't care what comes tomorrow
We can face it together
The way old friends do

We can face it together
The way old friends do"

At this point - once again, I'd like to ask you to give me a little feedback. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

PS: Enjoy GoF in the cinema next week. Sue