Epilogue – 11 Years Later
Minerva McGonagall never thought she'd love to see the day Sirius Black took on the role of educator. The chief reason being that during the time she was educating the king and duke, she often thought the pair of lads would be the death of her.
But despite themselves, they'd both grown into great men. She was quite eager to watch their hair turn grey. This new crop of promising squires and budding political minds seemed likely to give them a run for their money. Besides, they were thoroughly outnumbered. The two groups of children together made seven in number. All of them were around 10 years of age give or take.
It was nice to see Harry with some children his own age. He was close with his cousin Sirius's daughter, Lady Mira. Still, the little heir to Semprapuria was so much younger than Harry that it would be good for the boy to be more on a level with this group of squires.
Minerva smiled as she noted that one of the squires was a small girl. Obviously, she was the sibling of another of the squires, by the looks of their hair, which was exactly the same shade of flaming red. Lady Knights were still fairly uncommon, but she was pleased to see that changing. Nobleman more often educated their daughters in politics, but a little light-haired boy sat amongst the group that would be mentored by the Duchess. Phoenixordo was heading in the right direction under King James. She liked to take some small credit for that. Her own mentorship, she hoped, had helped not just James but the Kingdom as a whole.
"You're smiling, Lady McGonagall. What do you know that I don't?" Lord Remus caught her attention.
"Just that these youths are going to be quite an adventure for the Duke and Duchess." Lady McGonagall chuckled.
"Prince Harry will make a fine squire. I'm sure of it." Remus smiled fondly at the Crown Prince.
"You're right. Even if he sets a hog loose in the castle, I am sure he'll grow into a leader we can all be proud of. This is not my first crop of youths, you know." Lady McGonagall sighed as she remembered the weeks that she feared finding the third hog.
"Lady McGonagall that sounded almost like a compliment" King James, who had apparently been listening in, added.
"This does not mean that you are forgiven for the incident with the swine." She put on a stern face for a moment before her smile broke through. Sirius approached and seeing the Duke, who had once been a nervous newly knighted boy given to her care, at the head of the next generation truly warmed her heart. She'd never felt so proud.
"Forgiveness?" Sirius walked up next to James and rested his arm casually against James' shoulder. "For which offense, might I ask? I can't keep track of all my wrongdoings anymore."
Remus chuckled, "Lady McGonagall was reminiscing about swine."
"Ah," Sirius grinned, "that was definitely one of our finest!"
"Would you like me to take the squires first, Sirius?" Remus asked as he looked over at the little group.
Sirius smirked, "Yes, go and bore them to tears with your machines and then I'll be their savior and rescue them from your droning voice."
Remus rolled his eyes, "They got you back your Duchy if you remember."
"I never said they weren't useful," Sirius chuckled, "just that you droning on about them is boring "
Remus rolled his eyes and Minerva chuckled. It had always been fun to watch the dynamic between the three friends, but as they had grown, it had become obvious that though they teased and made jest, they were closer than any brothers she had ever met.
"Young squires," Remus called out to the group of four, "Let us adjourn to the training grounds and I'll begin your instruction on our machines of war."
The young blonde boy looked ecstatic, "Will we get to build a trebuchet, Sir Remus?"
"Neville!" groaned the redheaded boy, "We want to learn to use swords not chop wood!"
Minerva smiled as Remus put an arm around Neville Longbottom's shoulders, "Perhaps later, after your overall training is done, you can study the art of war machines with me."
Neville looked like he might faint away right there as he nodded up at Remus.
Remus led the four squires away and Minerva turned to see Sirius looking fondly at his wife as she began laying out maps and everything else that Minerva and she had decided upon for their first day of political training. It had been Marlene's idea to bring the training of Court and politics to a more formal instruction. Minerva stepped up next to the man that she had come to look at as her own son.
"She is still as radiant as ever, isn't she?"
Sirius jumped before chuckling and nodding, "She truly is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. Her father spoke well when he proclaimed it while she was a girl."
"I would assume you would make the same assessment about your own daughter." Minerva teased him.
Sirius chuckled and looked over at his own daughter and heir playing with little Princess Grace, Prince Harry's younger sister. "My Mira is still a child, I would prefer she stay that way a while longer."
"I remember making a similar assessment about a certain young man who set hogs loose in the castle." Minerva turned to look up at Sirius.
"James turned out alright," Sirius chuckled.
"I was referring to the man I look at as my own son," she said pointedly.
His Grace, Sirius Black, Duke of Semprapuria, had learned over his life to keep a firm reign on his emotions, to keep himself from revealing too much with his facial expressions, mostly at the instruction of his wife. But in that moment, looking at the woman who had been the mother he needed when he had no one, with the woman he loved more than life itself across the room, and the girl who had his heart twirled around her small innocent fingers in the corner, his control was lost. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pulled Minerva into a tight embrace.
"Thank you, Mother."
A/N: Oh man you guys! I can't believe it's all over! PJ and I managed to get one other Blackinnon AU story done before both our lives went chaotic. We'll post that one up as soon as we choose a title for it (lolz) but keep an eye out for it! Sirius, Marlene, Gods, and Fate await those who do!