A/N: Okay, so, wow, has it been a lot longer than I expected. I have been struggling to write this chapter, I actually had something entirely different planned and then I started from scratch. But, at long last, here we are. Wrapping up this story is difficult because I don't want to rush to an end and leave things open or make things feel unsatisfying. I don't want to make a huge time jump to where everything is fixed and everyone is happy because I feel like this part of the story is so important. This is the part of the story where reparations are made, and you get to see the creation of the post-war world. To me, it feels too important to skip over.
When I started this story I had no idea it would end up this long, but I hold endless gratitude for all of you. Thank you so much for your continued interest and support and encouragement. Even when I don't update for long amounts of time it always brings a smile to my face to see followers or favorites or reviews and motivates me to continue. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get an update to you all, but I promise to see this story through because you all deserve it. Keep on shining, dear readers. You all truly make the story worth writing.
Minerva waited in the foyer of Malfoy Manor, unintimidated by the massive and expensive decor. That's not to say she wasn't impressed, she was. Narcissa had always had a keen eye for what worked well together. She waited for the youngest Black, mulling over her conversation with Severus. Minerva did not have to wait long, within seconds, Narcissa was greeting her.
"Hello, Narcissa. It's wonderful to see you," Minerva returned.
"What can I help you with?" the blonde witch inquired curiously, leading Minerva to the library.
As they sat, Minerva continued, "I'm sure you're aware that Hermione has generously donated her castle to Hogwarts. Considering some of the plants there I agree with her that research should be conducted there. I was discussing this with Severus and he suggested I talk to you about being in charge, or at least a part of it."
Narcissa sat in silence for a moment, a faint blush on her cheeks from the praise. Draco would be back at school soon, and Hermione and Bella were busy with sorting everything out. Now that she didn't have the preoccupation of treating a horde of Death Eaters, she would have to find other ways to spend her time.
"I think that sounds wonderful, thank you," she finally said, smiling widely at Minerva.
"You are welcome to whatever help you need."
"At the very least I imagine I'll need a research assistant, but why not offer the students a chance to conduct research of their own under my supervision?" Narcissa suggested.
Minerva hummed thoughtfully, "That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to reach out to the older students to let them know the option is available. Thank you, Narcissa."
"Thank you, Minerva. I hadn't even begun to think about what I might do with myself when school starts."
"We'll be glad to have you," Minerva said, standing to take her leave when Hermione burst into the room.
The young witch didn't process the two people already in the library, focused entirely on the shelves as she searched through them, looking for one book in particular. She was certain the Malfoy family book would be here. It seemed as though she had never come across it, even though she had spent countless hours here and had never seen it. She wasn't quite sure why, but she was sure that if she found it she could make sense of the thoughts clamoring for her attention. The two older witches were frozen in stunned shock for a moment, before coming to their senses. Narcissa cleared her throat, catching Hermione's attention somehow.
"Oh! I'm so sorry. Cissa, Minerva I didn't even see you here. Sorry to interrupt, " Hermione apologized, face reddening.
"It's quite alright, Hermione. We had just finished, though you should pay more mind to who might be in rooms before you come barging in channeling my sister," Narcissa gently scolded.
"It's nice to see you, Minerva," Hermione said, smoothly changing the subject.
"You as well, Hermione. Though you seem quite preoccupied trying to find something," Minerva said with a soft smile on her face. She had missed Hermione immensely, and the focus that put her in her own world when she was in deep thought.
"Yes, the Malfoy family book. Does it exist? Or do only some families have one? Or are they not supposed to be in the library?" Hermione fired off questions so fast Narcissa and Minerva had a hard time following.
"Hermione!" Narcissa interrupted before the young witch started asking questions about a totally different subject, "Most family books are kept in the library, however, the Malfoy family keeps theirs on the mantle in the master bedroom."
"Oh." Hermione plopped onto a chair, somewhat embarrassed she hadn't just asked for the book, but it hadn't occurred to her.
"I'll fetch it for you. Minerva, thank you for the offer, I look forward to working with you and the students when the school year starts."
"So, you offered her the job?" Hermione asked once Narcissa was gone.
"I did. I could hardly ignore the suggestions of you and Severus," Minerva said, finding her seat again.
"I'm glad. She'll need something to do once things quiet down."
"How are you, Hermione?" Minerva asked, carefully studying the signs of exhaustion around the younger witch.
"Busy. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. But I'm glad I have you and my family."
"And how are things with Harry and Ron?"
Hermione hesitated, not sure how to put it. "Not...that great, to be honest. It's just so awkward. Like they don't know how to act, I don't know how to act. I don't know. Part of me still wants to be friends but part of me isn't sure we can be. I'm not entirely sure I want to be. I mean, I was so ready to just be done with them, and they were ready, and now no one is, or we're just pretending-"
"Hermione, take a breath. I can't say I know everything that happened between you three, but you'll work it out. Don't stress so much over it. It's possible your friendship has run its course, and that's okay."
"It's just- there's so much pressure. To be their friend, I mean. Everyone expects us to be the Golden Trio because we were but we just aren't anymore, and I don't know if we ever will be."
"It's a difficult decision, Hermione, but it's yours. Don't let other people make it for you. You can't force yourself to be friends with people just because it's expected. Maybe it's time for other friendships."
Hermione sighed, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. "I know. I just can't bring myself to do it. They're acting so much more like friends and I don't know if they're just pretending. It would look really bad if they acted the way they had been."
"Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be the right thing for you."
"Thank you, Minerva."
As Minerva was about to respond, Narcissa entered the library once more, a book tucked under her arm. Hermione sat up, leaning forward eagerly, if a bit tired. Minerva took that moment to leave, giving the two witches privacy as she made her way back to the foyer to floo home. She enjoyed Hermione's company immensely but the young witch clearly had a lot of things to sort out and take care of before she could have proper downtime.
Narcissa pulled Hermione up from her chair and onto the couch with her. Pulling Hermione into her side, she opened the Malfoy family book, allowing the brunette to scan the pages at her own pace. Hermione soaked up the words in the book, flipping through the pages to more current entries. She stopped on the last one, blinking slowly, hoping it would be her answer. It wasn't, and Hermione sighed, leaning into Narcissa and closing her eyes. Narcissa set the book down, turning to stroke Hermione's hair.
"Take a walk with me, Hermione," she whispered.
Hermione nodded, taking Narcissa's hand as she stood. Narcissa laced her arm through Hermione's, her other resting on the young witch's elbow. She led them to the garden slowly, waiting for Hermione to start.
As they were passing the willow tree, Hermione began, "I'm trying to find a connection between the Blacks and the other families. Other families had to get their magic from creatures, too, but only the Blacks have a curse because of it. I'm trying to figure out why. It just doesn't make sense that only one family would have a curse. Shouldn't every family? I mean, magic is incredibly powerful and it has to come with a price. For the Black family it's the curse, but from what I've found no other family has to deal with anything."
Narcissa thought for a moment, processing Hermione's words. "It's true no other family has had such...extreme cases of hereditary madness. There are isolated cases of madness, but not because of magic. The Black family bears a heavy burden, more than any other family. Perhaps this is something you should talk to Kyndet about."
"I guess. I just really wanted to find the answer myself."
Narcissa moved her arm from Hermione's and draped it over her shoulder instead. "You'll still find the answer."
Hermione nodded, moving closer to Narcissa. They continued their walk in silence, interrupted when Draco wandered out. Upon seeing his mom, he knew he would need another reason to steal Hermione away. Thankfully, he didn't need to come up with an excuse because Narcissa removed her arm from Hermione, gesturing towards her son. Hermione smiled, hugging the older witch before running over to Draco and Apparating them away. Narcissa turned back to the manor with a smile, wondering when they would reveal their secret project.
Draco and Hermione's footsteps echoed through the empty halls of Black Manor, creating the sensation that they were not alone. Thanks to the work they had done separately and together, they were nearly finished with the inside. All that would be left after that was the facade of the building, which they had begun to brainstorm. ideas for. They were hoping to at least get started on it today, but they were growing anxious to finish, the weight of the surprise become oppressive.
"I think we should split up. We'll cover more ground and the remaining rooms weren't too bad since we already went through and did basic cleaning," Draco suggested.
"I think that's a brilliant idea. How many rooms are left?"
"It's hard to say but if I had to guess, maybe three or four. Just the bedrooms, I think."
"Sounds about right to me. I'll take the West Wing, you take the East?"
Draco nodded, parting from Hermione as they reached the top of the stairs. Hermione made her way down the halls, towards Bellatrix's sealed room. She was ready to see it this time, and knew Bellatrix was ready, too. As she approached the end of the hall, the magic sealing Bellatrix's childhood room gave way, allowing Hermione to enter. Knowing what happened within these walls didn't make the room any less disturbing, but Hermione found it easier to be inside. She ran a hand over burnt, cracked wood, restoring the door as she did. It was strange, being in the room Bellatrix grew up in, but she was grateful to see this part of her soulmate. She pondered over what she should do with it as she traced the burn marks in the walls, letting her magic mend the damage. With a smile, she let her magic do the work, transforming what used to be Bellatrix's old room into a peaceful nursery. She bit her lip, hoping it would be the right choice, but then shook her head, knowing it was. She had opened her mind and let the magic decide, the magic that was hers and Bellatrix's. She trusted it to lead her in the right direction.
Ginny looked over the list of school supplies for the next year, rummaging through what she owned already to see what she could reuse. There would be a few things from her brothers, too, but she wasn't sure how much she would need to buy. She couldn't believe how much time had passed since she started school. It had been even longer since her brothers, aside from Ron, had finished school, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to continue using their things. She didn't mind in the slightest, never had, but she was worried about the state of the supplies. Her older brothers were rowdy, except Percy, and by the time she got them, they were barely held together. She knew her family didn't have the money for new supplies, had struggled to even get this far. She briefly considered if she should start working somewhere like the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks just to have a little money to help her parents out. She even supposed she could work in her brothers' store, but it didn't entirely appeal to her. Besides, they did well enough with just the two of them. Ginny frowned, lost in thought until a knock on the door startled her out of her reverie.
"Gin, mom said dinner is ready," Ron said, leaving as quickly as he had appeared.
With a sigh, Ginny set the list on her nightstand, deciding to continue her train of thought another time.
Neville was grateful to have his parents back. He had missed out on a lot of things, growing up without them, but now that he had them, he was eager to experience what it was like. It was a little strange since he was almost an adult himself, but he would prefer the strangeness over not having them at all. He had been so happy to wake up on Christmas morning and see them there, to know that they were really there. Even though rebuilding Hogwarts was a lot of work, he didn't mind because he got to spend time with his parents while doing it. He loved the school, too, though not as much as Hermione had. He even heard about her offering her own castle to the school. He was excited for the coming year, there were so many plants to study in his free time and he had his parents to come home to over the holidays. He didn't have any regrets about following Hermione through the events of the past year and he knew he would do it again if he had to. He was just happy everyone was safe and where they belonged.
Luna lay on the grass outside her home, staring up at the sky. She had taken to wearing the boots Hermione had given her because they were the only pair of shoes she owned that never went missing. She was barefoot now, though, usually tended to be when she was outside. It puzzled her, why the Nargles never seemed to hide the pair of boots, but it was also kind of a relief. It grew exhausting to constantly look for her shoes. Now, she had time to focus on other things. She had taken to borrowing books from Hermione's library, trying to find information on the creatures only she seemed to know existed. She hadn't found much, yet, but she was certain she would in time. Even still, the books were fascinating and nothing like she had ever found before. She supposed there wouldn't be much of anything like it in the world since they were all ancient and a lot of them appeared to be written by Morgan herself.
"Luna," her father called, beckoning her inside for dinner.
"Coming," she airly responded, deciding she would look for her shoes after dinner. Maybe once she found them she would read more of Hermione's books before going to bed.