Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling characters, but there are some OCs that are mine.

A/N: Sigh Finally, we have reached the final chapter of this part. I have to thank al those who have read and reviewed my story; and specially those who have reviewed; flamers or not, you are welcome. Now, enough of the chit-chat and on with the chapter …

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Epilogue: Aftermath

Harry opened his eye slowly and he saw a peach-colored ceiling above him and a blurry red shape above his head; he turned his head right and saw a blurry figure sitting on a chair beside him with a fragrant rosy smell delighting his nostrils. He automatically extended his hand to the bedside table looking for his glasses, and felt a minor surge of pain hitting his arm up to the shoulder; he retracted his arm in pain and closed his eyes in an attempt to refrain himself from groaning; and asked in a voice that came out hoarsely "My glasses, please"

He felt his glasses being put on his nose; he opened his eyes again to see his companion, and it was no other than Hermione.

"Hey" he greeted her with a weak smile; and she returned his greetings with a lovely one "Hey yourself; you really scared us out there, what were you thinking?"

"Saving the world, of course" replied Harry with a weak chuckle that was suppressed by his pain, and Hermione looked at him in concern "Do you need me to call the nurse?"

"No" he said abruptly "I'm fine; just a bit sore. What happened? I can't seem to remember anything after the ceiling has crumbled"

"Luckily, Fawkes has been able to reach you on time; he brought you out to us with his brilliant fiery teleport, and your team rushed you to here; he is above your head, by the way" she said and nodded up

As if the bird heard her, he sang softly and Harry looked up at him in appreciation "Thanks Fawkes; for the umpteenth time, I am at your debt" he then turned back at her "How long have I been here?"

"Three days" she answered simply, and he groaned in frustration "Too bad, I was hoping to break my previous record; last time I was admitted for a whole week"

Hermione chuckled but didn't comment, and he asked her as he looked around the room "By the way, where is everybody?"

She leaned back at her chair before answering "Well, the guarding on your ward seems to be rather tight, my mum couldn't enter so she went to see how m dad is fairing, and Ron barely managed to let me in; then he went to report to your superiors, the guard told us that the sentry orders game from the minister himself"

"Privilege for being an effective war machine" Harry chuckled lightly at his own comment, but Hermione didn't find it amusing and she looked at him with a scolding glance and replied "You have to stop calling yourself a war machine, Harry; you are a human being not another lifeless object"

"I don't overstate my condition, Hermione; I am a war machine" he said firmly "I don't have a family, I barely have friends beside Ron, I have been to the hospital more times than I have ever been to my residence. In other word, I don't have a life"

"Then you better start looking for one …" she retorted firmly as she exchanged a meaningful look with him; the silent eye lock kept on for a whole minute before they broke it as they heard a commotion from outside; and Hermione jumped of her chair literally as the door burst open and the ward was flooded with an army of red heads who came swarming toward Harry. She saw a red-headed old lady at the door, and she was immersed in a hot dispute with the ward guard.

"I told you ma'am, this ward is off-limits" the guard tried to reason with the old lady.

"Don't ma'am me young man; we are his family" the old lady snapped at him.

"But …" the guard tried to argue, but Harry interrupted as he sat up "It's okay; they can enter"

"But sir, the minister said tha-" the guard said in disapproval, but he halted as he saw the firm look on Harry's eyes.

"I think I've spoken clearly, haven't I, auror?" Harry said slowly, and the guard backed off "I heard you clearly, sir; I'm sorry" and he left the room.

The old lady, who was none other than Molly Weasley, squealed in happiness as she saw Harry "Harry dear, I knew that one day either you or Ron would be here in the hospital"

Harry shrugged before replying "It is our work nature, Aunt Molly, which I advice you to accept because neither me nor Ron is going to quit it"

She gave him a soft hug "I know dear, but I'm really afraid of losing either of you. I really can't bear it"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Mum-"

"-He is Harry Potter after all-"

"-He doesn't fall down that easy-"

"-And when he do, he falls down the last" the twins said in their usual alternation, and Arthur scolded them "Boys, that's enough; this is not helping in relieving your mother. Anyway, how do you feel, Harry?"

"Much better, thank you Uncle Arthur" Harry said in gratitude then turned to the remaining Weasleys "How are you faring Bill; and you too Charlie; long time no see, by the way"

"We are doing good, Harry; so does your business" Bill replied "Director Ragnok and I couldn't keep up with all your stocks all over the world, he even asked all his colleagues in other Gringotts branches to help us in watching over your stocks; in other words, your fortune has revived the dying business in the wizard world and made it reach plane that hasn't been reached for centuries"

Harry rubbed his forehead in ache "Ah; please stop, Bill; I would rather be buried under the rubble than to listen to a business report"

"For someone who won a major conflict you seem to be quite cheerful, Harry; you would fair well in dragon taming" Charlie stated.

"No thanks, I have a very unpleasant experience with a dragon that you all know; and it is not encouraging" Harry retorted jokily; and they all laughed at him.

Hermione looked at the whole scene from her distant seat, and couldn't help but to smile as she concluded that it was the answer for their recent quarrel "You already have a loving family, Harry" she said almost in a whisper, and the twins turned around as they heard the statement.

"Well hello there, pretty one" Fred said as he advanced towards her casually "What's your name?"

"Ermm … Hermione Granger" Hermione answered cautiously as she saw the second twin eyeing her questionably before replying "Granger? Isn't it the name of hat muggle detective that Ron told us about?"

"Yes, it must be her. Hello, I'm Fred Weasley the first half of the Weasley twins, and this us my twin and second half George" he extending his hand in welcome which was accepted by her graciously, and George yelled in disapproval "That is not true; you already know that I'm the first half and you are the second"

"No I'm correct; we are called Fred and George not George and Fred, and I'm older from you by five minutes which makes me the first half" Fred replied, and George huffed angrily "But I am more devious than you"

"Of course not" Fred retorted "who do you think was able to invent a handy trick like the hive bomb?"

"That's unfair; we both know that you stole the draft from under my pillow" George exclaimed in disapproval, and Fred laughed wickedly "Which proves that I'm more devious than you"

Harry chuckled at their quarrel, then began to introduce Hermione to the Weasleys "Everyone, this is Hermione Granger; she is the muggle detective that offered me plenty of help in the mission"

"Hello Hermione; I am Molly Weasley, Ron and Ginny's mother, and Harry's matron" the Weasley mother shook Hermione's hand, and then Arthur advanced toward her and introduced himself "I'm Arthur Weasley; patriarch of the Weasley family, and the unfortunate father of those two" Fred and George waved at her from both sides "And these are my other sons, Bill and Charlie"

The aforementioned Weasleys came forth and greeted her properly; Hermione was overwhelmed by the sheer number of the family; she was the only child of her parents, so she couldn't imagine such number in one family. By the time the acquaintances have been made, the door opened and two persons came in.

"Minister Bones! Minister Malone!" Harry exclaimed in amazement, and was about to stand up and salute his superiors, but an usher from Bones told him not to "At ease, Mister Potter, no need for formalities here"

Malone smiled at him and stated "We are here to check on our number one high commander; you have saved the whole city of Los Angeles from an unknown fate, maybe the world; Good work …"

"Although that move you took in eradicating the EMPA was reckless; it was not in vain; as the magnetic orb was too dangerous to be let loose" Bones said while looking at Harry from above her spectacles.

"Thank you sir, I was only doing my job in protecting the people" Harry replied respectably, and the two ministers exchanged a smile with each other before Malone spoke up "Actually, Potter; we are here to discuss you next promotion"

"What promotion, sir?" Harry asked cautiously, and Bones pulled out a platinum badge and handed it to the stunned Harry "Congratulations, Auror Potter; you have been made a Grand Auror"

Harry extended his hand and accepted the badge in disbelief; and Fred was the first to comment "Blimey, Harry; I think that you are now the youngest Grand Auror in the history of magic"

Harry stared at his new badge, which was the same shape and size of his former one; except that it is made of platinum and contains six stars instead of five. He then remembered something and addressed his superiors "If I may say, sir; I think that the battalion now is short of a general"

"Well; we assume that Mister Weasley is the best candidate for the vacancy" Amelia said with a smile, and Harry smiled back before continuing "I also discovered some talents amid my team members that would be waited if not promoted to death tracker status. These talents are aurors Pavlov, Howards, and Blanc. I know that Auror Pavlov is the only one that is eligible because his next promotion will include him into the senior auror ladder; but I would like you to reconsider for the other two"

"Very well, Potter; we will deliberate into this matter" Malone replied.

"May I ask something" Hermione, who was witnessing the whole conversation in confusion, said slowly and cautiously "What is the grand auror rank?"

"It's the highest rank in the auror chain of command; I assume it is equal to the muggle rank Field Marshal" Amelia Bones answered the now-astounded Hermione; then looked at her with a smile "Miss Granger, isn't it?"

"That reminds me of something" Malone interrupted, then addressed Harry "Auror Potter; I think there are some loose ropes that need to be tied"

No body understood what he meant except Amelia and Harry; the latter sat up properly before speaking "If I may suggest, sir; Detectives Granger and McLaden have faced hardships that were not meant to be; McLaden lost his wife, and Hermione almost lost her parents and her own life. As for McLaden, I think that discovering that his daughter is a witch arbitrates his matter; but Hermione is not. What I wish for, Minister Bones and Malone, is to give her the choice before doing anything"

Amelia and Malone smiled before the former turned to face Hermione, who was in a state of confusion, and spoke softly "Miss Granger; it is for the benefit of our two worlds that you get your memory modified; I know that it is not a wonderful thing, but you have to understand that you knowing about us was not meant to be. Now, please make your choice"

Hermione stirred the thought in her mind before asking "If my memory was modified, what would I forget?"

"Everything up to the beginning of the mission; and Mr. McLaden will not be allowed to discuss the matter with you" Malone answered; and she glanced at Harry with much thought before giving her final answer.

"My answer is … No" Harry smiled at her in relief, and she continued "Memories is what make life bearable and more understandable, even the sad ones; if you took the memories out of someone's mind, he won't be more than an empty shell; if you sucked out the memories of someone, even the sad ones, he won't be able to deal with the hardships of life because he doesn't have any previous memories of them. If I wasn't attacked by the imposter, I wouldn't have searched for any information about Harry, and I wouldn't have stumbled upon his profile and understand his affiliation to magic" she stopped in order to regain her composure before bending her head and resuming "In my whole life people looked at me as a source of information or pleasure; I learned to recognize the latter type and avoided it; but I couldn't avoid the former one because it means I have to stop working. I never had true friends in my life; Pierce was the first one to be my true friend, although he can be annoying sometimes" she chuckled a bit, then glanced at Harry "Then, during the last mission, I met Harry and Ron, and they accepted my friendship without demands; and I knew that I have found my true friends" she sighed slowly "Harry has comforted me when I was depressed, and saved my life many times. He presented me with information I haven't dreamed of, and kept giving me help even when I chased him wrongly. He never has been mad at me, ever" she looked at Amelia firmly "You have to know that if you erased my memories, you won't me lose pain or experience, you will cost me two good friends"

Hermione breathed out as she finished, and Amelia smiled at her wonderful explanation "Your request is … Granted; now, I have to remind you that you may not discuss our world matters with any other muggle, but since you are still new at this, I have to appoint an overseer for you. Grand Auror Potter, are you up to the task?"

Harry straightened up and answered "Yes, Minister"

"Good" Amelia retorted "And that concludes our business here, gentlemen …" Amelia exited the ward along with Malone, and as soon as they walked out, cries of joy erupted into the ward.

"Cheers, mate-"

"You are now a grand auror-"

"And that calls for a celebration-"

"You will be our guest of honor in the grand opening of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, US branch-"

"It will be in the upcoming months, and as a co-owner you should, though" the twins said in their typical unison manner.

"Okay, guys; I think you will kill me if I didn't, anyway" Harry said, then turned to Hermione with a smile "Hermione, thanks for choosing to stay with us"

"No, Harry; I thank you for supporting my decision" Hermione replied back "Now, what will you do next"

Harry gaze went vacant, then was replaced with a firm look "Next, we have an insider to arrest"

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Maronski stepped into his office bearing the foulest expression he could ever make; his face cannot be suitable for such sunny day, but after the FBI got a mystery call that led to the hideout of Muerte, his mood didn't lighten up. And after the FBI stormed the place and found no trace of Muerte, his mood got even grumpier. He grunted as he saw the piled paperwork on his desk "I need to change the scene or I would lose my mind"

"You already lost it when you chose Muerte" Maronski turned around quickly, and saw Harry leaning back on the wall "You don't have anymore to lose now"

"What are you doing here?" Maronski snapped at him, and Harry smiled slyly "Visiting you … I have some questions though; how much did Muerte offer you to join his side?"

"I-I don't know what are you talking about?" Maronski stammered "I will call the guards"

"No need to answer that question" Harry said ignoring his threats "What I really want to know is … How did Flint recruit you?"

"Who's Flint?" Maronski questioned in confusion.

"So he didn't tell you his name after all, how foxy" Harry retorted as he advanced toward him "Flint is the one who was responsible for the death of Lydia McLaden; of course, this does not exempt you from the same delict"

"I-I don't …" Maronski stuttered as he backed out toward his desk, and Harry interrupted him "I pledged myself to expose your deeds, traitor; and I will go to the end of the path; you were the one who divulged our moves to them, aren't you?"

Maronski bumped his back at his desk, then ran around it and pulled a gun out of a hidden drawer "Back off, Potter; I have reached this far in concealing my motives, and you will not reveal it to anyone"

Harry smiled coldly at the raging captain "So, you are confessing after all"

"Yeah" Maronski replied slowly "I have informed them of your movements; for a bundle of grands, of course; and to tell you the truth, I have enjoyed every buck of it" Maronski smiled in confidence "You would never know how good the grands are"

Harry looked at him coldly "No one knows money better than me, traitor; and believe me, I won't buy you happiness; but in your case, it will buy you something alright … A one way ticket to the jail"

As Harry finished his sentence, the door opened suddenly, and Ron, Hermione, Pierce, and Johnson entered along with several FBI agents who grabbed Maronski by arms.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Maronski said angrily but not without a hint of fear; and Hermione stepped forward and answered him "It means that you are out of job, traitor … Take him away"

Maronski struggled as the agents took him to custody; and Johnson cleared his throat and spoke up "Well, I think I will reluctantly assume the leadership of the precinct until a new captain is assigned"

"Do whatever you want, Johnson" Hermione retorted coldly "I am quitting anyway"

"Hermione …" Pierce said in disbelief; and Johnson looked at her in amusement "Well, I think the precinct won't lose much, then"

"Oh, shove it, Johnson. If you want to know my opinion, then it is that the precinct will lose much more under your command, you are no leader than my dog is a prime minister"

"Woohoo, one plate of hot revenge is served right up" Pierce remarked funnily, and Johnson stormed out of the office in anger.

"That was a good one, Hermione" Ron stated in amazement "But I hope you don't mean it …"

"I mean every word of it" Hermione answered "I'm planning on trying the private field"

"With you gone, that would leave me alone once again" Pierce said in a sad tone, then made up his mind on something "Wes, would you … Would you mind if I proposed to your sister?"

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Three weeks have passed and the wedding bells rang; the Weasleys have decided to pull a double wedding for Ron, Lavender, Ginny, and Pierce; Molly has never cried like she did that day, and Harry and Hermione has never been encumbered with something like being the bridesmaid groomsman.

"Well, I think we are officially a family now, Wes; aren't we … Mrs. McLaden" Pierce stated while looking at Ginny, and she beamed at him without saying anything.

Harry walked toward them, and congratulated both of them "I can't find words to describe the happiness I feel, but I think this gift will say enough" he handed both men a key each, and he smiled as they looked at him in confusion "Ron, I know you loved France, so my gift to you is a cottage near Marseilles that look down upon the sea. And you, Pierce; I really don't know what you like, but I know that Ginny loved the Alps; so the cottage I gave you is overlooking Vienna; and you Ginny …" he looked at the redhead bride "I have to give you this" he pulled out a passport and handed it to her "This is for you in order to be able to travel in the muggle way"

"Thank you, Harry; my words cannot describe my happiness for your generosity" Ginny hugged him with teary eyes, and he comforted her "Now, now, no need to cry on me; keep your mood swing for your new husband during your honey moon" and they all laughed.

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"May I take your order, sir" the waiter asked Harry.

"Earl Gray tea, please … Hermoine" he looked at his companion in question.

"Make it two please" the waiter took their order, and went inside to prepare it; Hermione sighed in relief as she leaned back at her chair "What a case, I can't believe that it has finished"

"Really" Harry retorted "Do you believe that it has started from this very café?"

"I can hardly remember anything from the beginning" she replied, then leaned forward "What vexes me is that I don't know anything about Muerte"

Harry looked left and right to make sure no one is watching, then pulled out a news paper and handed it to Hermione "Here; look at this, but keep it low"

Hermione took the newspaper in curiosity and unfolded it, and she barely caught her gasped before sounding as a moving picture showing Muerte surrounded by who appear to be wizards, and they were questioning him.

Daily Prophet April, 10th 2005 Page One

MUGGLE PROSECTION

FIRST MUGGLE HEARING IN WIZENGMOT

Pueblo Martinez, also known as Muerte which means 'Death' in Spanish, has been brought to custody by Auror Harry Potter and his International Auror Team, in the light of Flint's case. Muerte has been prosecuted for aiding an international terrorist wizard and is facing a penalty of life imprisonment in Azkaban prison.

(For Detail, check p13)

Hermione folded back the newspaper, and looked at Harry in disbelief "So, he … He is no more, right?"

"Correct" Harry said with a smile, and Hermione smiled back before asking "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know" Harry answered "I still have to chase Flint, so I have to be here for some time, in the mean time, I am planning on visiting an old friend" he then looked at his watch and said "Oh, I have an appointment with Director Grimrok at Gringotts, care to join me?"

"You mean … To visit your people?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Yes" he answered casually, and she nodded in excitement; he got up and ushered her to follow him, and they walked until they reached an abandoned alley way; he walked inside and she followed him until they reached a dead-end.

"But, this is a dead-end" Hermione said, and Harry pulled out his wand and answered "Only if you believed that" he clicked some bricks, and the wall began to rumble; Hermione backed off as a reaction, but Harry held her arm in comfort. The wall move away opening a live alley that astounded Hermione.

"Welcome … TO our world" Harry said as the crowd sucked them …

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A/N: well, that's it for the first part of the saga; I hope you loved it because I loved every word I wrote, see you soon in the second part