Epilogue
It only took a few days for things to go back to normal—if you could ever call things normal at Hogwarts—and with Professor Greene gone, Herbology exams were cancelled for the year, much to the students' pleasure. O'Reilly being gone was helpful as well, because Odessa didn't feel like she had to look over her shoulder every second. And Falcon's absence meant that Gabriel Lupin's days were pleasant, and Hastings was able to visit him often.
Minerva began to get stronger, and soon she was back to her old feisty, yet stern, self. When she took one hundred points away from a Slytherin girl for attempting to steal the rest of Jade's store of Blood Lilies everyone knew she was going to be okay.
It was the final day of the school year, and the kids were all outside enjoying the June sunshine and saying hasty goodbyes. Some were serving detention because their "hasty goodbyes" had not been so hasty, and had been discovered in the astronomy tower in the middle of the night. A very proud Odessa had just returned to the teachers' lounge from setting them on the task of scrubbing all the chamber pots in the castle.
"How'd you like your first year working at Hogwarts?" asked Hastings.
"Brilliant," said Odessa, "But I think it's cursed… it's never boring here, is it?"
"Never," said Hastings.
"How about you?" asked Sirius. "How'd you like being back here?"
"Dead brilliant," said Hastings. "I can't believe I ever left. I let some stupid injury scare me."
"Well, I guess this year built your confidence considerably then, huh?" asked Gabe.
"You bet," said Hastings. "Did you like working here?"
"I did," said Gabe, "When Puddingwaste wasn't around. And I should be back next year."
"So, what are your guys' plans for the summer," asked Odessa. "Staying here at Hogwarts? Or maybe getting a part-time job at the ministry?"
"Not on your life," said Hastings.
"Me neither," said Gabe, laughing.
"Nor me," said Sirius. "Actually… I was thinking about doing a little… traveling."
"Me too," said Gabe. "We've been talking, you see…"
"And seeing as things are pretty uncertain for a Hogwarts employee," Sirius continued.
"We could keel over and die any moment…" said Gabe.
"What are you two up to?" asked Odessa.
"Yeah, what gives?" asked Hastings.
Gabe and Sirius looked at each other and smiled. They waved their wands and the room was suddenly filled with flowers. Sirius grabbed Odessa's hand and pulled her into a corner. He pulled from a pocket in his robes a tiny box, which he handed to Odessa as he kneeled down.
"Yes!" Odessa said, before she even opened the box.
"You don't know what's in there," Sirius said. "Could be a snake, you know."
"The answer is still yes!" Odessa said, throwing her arms around him.
On the opposite side of the room Gabe took a random flower from the bunch and waved his hand over it, presenting it to Hastings.
"Really?" Hastings asked, taking the rose and seeing the ring attached to the stem.
"Really," Gabe said with a smile. "I've never met a more amazing woman."
It was decided that Odessa and Hastings would marry the two gentlemen as soon as school was out and travel throughout the summer.
Because they would remain friends for all time, you might say they lived happily ever after… but as it's never been a quiet year at Hogwarts, our four heroes were soon called upon once more to save the world from dark wizardry.