Hey! Here's that short little epilogue to give you a taste of how I'd see this going :) It's pretty much me setting this story up for a sequel that I won't write, lol. A couple of you asked if we'd cover what happens to Snape, but no. I literally pictured him as one of the Death Eaters stuck to that wall that got blown out and he died, and no one noticed until later. (Too harsh?) So that means the reliable source Dumbledore is referring to here is actually Lestrange (for hopefully obvious reasons after last chapter)!
Guest9: Yayyyyy, happy ending indeed :D THEY DESERVED IT! (Or not. But who am I to judge ;p) Maybe a little sad now. Hopefully just ominous. Depends how you feel about kids, lol. Nina: Haaa, I'm glad that no one died and they can happily rule the world together now O:) A HAPPY JILY (love?!) STORY! ;) Yes! Ruin Jily also had their Harry and made it work! I imagine this Lily as a more active participant in the evil, but as long as they're together, I'm happy ^.^ And hell yes! After trying to coax out the 'real' Lily this whole story, it was finally James' turn to need a little reminder from his love 3 ferfeita: :D :D :D I'm so stoked to have been able to give you everything you wanted, lol! Dianne: Hehehehe, happily be under him EH? ;p Oh yes! May their dark reign BEGIN! That prophecy question answered here... Ha, and yeah, she really did. Girl's fully off the rails FOR SURE XD I kinda love it though. Like, she can't even help herself anymore, even if she wanted to, lol. SNAPE IS DEAD! And yeah, he did touch her cheek (ew!) I love that such a deranged character could be the one to raise your standards :D That's so beautiful :') As for WAYDTM, it actually has a happy ending and a SAD SAD SAD epilogue, so if you don't want that, you can just stop at the ending ;) A bientot Dianne! xoxox TanglledThoughts: Yay for morning-cozy-in-bed reads :) I do that all the time, lol. Also, secretly love that you were on the edge of your seat (sorry!) But yes, I'm happy too! I don't like them dying either :( I'm all about poetic justice! On to it! shivani: Our James sure is 3 Yay, okay, I have to admit, I am SUCH a sucker for recalling things from starting chapters, SO SO BIG on it, so... that's why this epilogue is the way it is :D Also... I just fantasize about James calling Lily his queen, so I was happy to be able to have him say it again ;) *drool* RelyingOnOldShips: I love seeing your reactions in real time and I LOVE that we have similar (probably problematic) takes on jealousy ;D toffeeapple11: Your god, yes! Guest: I love you so much for appreciating that :DDD annabellestiles47: Heh, thank you for allowing me to go where I knew this was always going! I actually thought to myself, 'hey, should you describe Voldemort's dead corpse more and make it more monumental that Lily is treating it like it's nothing?' and then was like naaaaaaah. She's in charge now ;D Emerald Doe: YES! Thank you for saying that. In this story I did make James the more powerful one (as opposed to my last one) but I really did want to make it so that Lily still played a part in his power, bc I really do think that Jily is so linked that it WOULD play out like this! Haaaaa, as any beautiful couple should cscs01: Woot woo for endings that are satisfying! Prophecy explanation here! And she can't beat the shit out of someone who's already dead ;) theroomofreq: I can't believe it either! Thank you! Heh, the Sirius bit wasn't planned, but I was writing it, and all of a sudden was like... Padfoot would NEVER. Lol. So spur of the moment, but glad it hit! Thank you 3 Love fics: :D I love you! I agree, I literally have gotten to the point (bc of writing this) where I'm like, THEY DESERVE IT... cause a little havoc... who carressssssss ;) Thank you for all your support 3 Shaniso: Unnecessary preparement my friend! Hahaha, me too. Can't finish off what's already dead O:) Nerwenn: Ha, I don't THINK I'm dark! Ahahaha, so thank you? Maybe? (I'll ask my fiance later, ;)) I just really love psychology, so getting into people's heads is SO MUCH FUN! Yay, thank you for that specific example, bc literally, sometimes you write a line and you're so proud of it, and then you wonder if anyone even notices it, or if it just gets passed by, you know? So yay 3 For your questions: 1) After the torture, Voldemort did unearth James' plan, so he knows he wanted to overthrow him BUT Voldy DID find Euphemia very useful. So it's a double whammy 2) With how much James was struggling with it, I think he talked to Sirius a lot about killing his mother, and I imagine that happening in his room. I don't think either of them are particularly subtle, so it's one of those cases where being a Slytherin (while Snape is a CREEPER) bites them in the ass 3) Yes. Thank Merlin. 4) She could have... but she didn't ;) 5) Yes, he tortured it out of James and therefore he was definitely killing both of them that day...! 6) That happens now 7) No, but just know that Lily sends him Wolfie Potion every month without fail for the rest of her life! Yes! And ME TOO! And yes they do go to the beach, but we don't see it :( Just imagine a bunch of dead Muggles all around them. (Too dark?) Moon'zelle: It's Jily, they HAVE to be together! :D Take that indeed 3 HA she CANNOT! That's why I love her ;) Here we go! jilyorbust: Power couple all right! Oooo good question, let's find out! I hope the reread lives up to it! Cheers!
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. Art work by the super talented blvnk-art (tumblr) aka potterbyblvnk (insta)
Song: Empires by Ruelle
The Epilogue
Rain pattered on the windows of Dumbledore's office as the headmaster stood there stoically, looking out over the grounds of his school. He knew that in his very long and accomplished life, he had been wrong before — not often, but monumentally enough to have that mistake seared into his mind for all eternity. He should have learnt from what happened with his sister Ariana, and yet… like an old dog with new tricks, he had not. He had foolishly believed that he and he alone could shape a young woman's life, control her gifts and destiny, doing what was best for her despite her own wishes, realized or not. Just like with Ariana, Dumbledore had not thought of Lily as a threat to herself until it was too late. He had pushed her so far, tried to shield her from the troubles of the world so greatly, that she had fallen straight into the hands of a Dark wizard.
But Lily Evans is still alive, Dumbledore thought to himself grimly. Lily Evans can still ruin us all.
"I told you this would happen, Albus," Janice said from her portrait, primely located smack-dab in the middle of all the former headmistresses and masters. "I said that if you kept her in the dark—"
"He knows, Janice, hold your tongue," another yelled back. Dumbledore wished they would just give it a rest for one day.
"Well, it's all fine and dandy that he knows, but little bloody help that does now! If he had listened from the beginning, none of this would have happened in the first place!"
A knock made the squabbling portraits freeze, eyes darting between Dumbledore and the oak door. They knew he wasn't expecting company.
"Come in," Dumbledore called out frailly.
McGonagall pushed her way through wrapped up in a fluffy peignoir, hair net only half on her head. "Is it true, Albus?" she asked, wasting no time getting to the point.
"I'm afraid you will have to clarify your query, Minerva," Albus spoke softly, still staring at the patterns the rain was making along his windowpane.
McGonagall was not in the mood. "That Voldemort has been killed, and that James Potter and Lily Evans have taken his place?"
Dumbledore's shoulders slumped as his hands landed on the either side of the window, supporting his weight. He was getting far too old for this much heartache. "Yes. It appears as though that is true."
McGonagall gasped behind him, clutching her hand over her heart. "No. Lily would never—" she stuttered, "— she's lost, but she would never do such a thing—"
"I have it under good authority that she cast her first Death Curse today, Minerva."
McGonagall continued to shake her head in disbelief. "No. You can't know that."
Dumbledore powered on gently, "I'm afraid I have a reliable source."
"No," McGonagall repeated with more conviction. "Your source is wrong. Lily would never." She was grasping at straws now — even she knew this. "What about the prophecy? You said that her son would be the one to kill Voldemort—"
"Apparently he died at the hands of one of his own followers by mistake."
"But the prophecy," McGonagall insisted stubbornly, "you said that prophecies never lie—"
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore interrupted airily, mind already lost in the dark clouds hanging over them. "Lie they cannot. But they can be misinterpreted."
McGonagall got tired of the headmaster not looking at her and walked up next to him, leaning forward. "Misinterpreted how?" she pressed.
Dumbledore still couldn't meet her gaze. "The prophecy said that James and Lily's son would bring forth the end of an era of evil. It never specified which."
McGonagall drew in a sharp inhale, a shiver running down her spine. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing. "So what you're saying is…" she trailed off, hoping he'd tell her anything other than what he was about to.
"I'm saying that Lily and James Potter's son will have to be the one to kill them."
End Credit Song: Enemy by Imagine Dragons with JID
Thanks for reading! :) Hopefully see you on the next one! Come hang out with me on tumblr if you want: tiffanytoms