A/N: Something very (ahem…extremely) fluffy after the very angst-filled previous chapters. Please review. Suggestions for future chapters are very welcome, and will be greeted with everlasting thanks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. However, I do wish that I did. Now you all know what to get me next Christmas.
Usually a fairy tale ends with a happily ever after. The beautiful princess is whisked away by her handsome prince, and together they go to live in a far away castle. But this story is not quite a fairy tale. In this story, happily ever after is only the beginning.
Usually in a fairy tale, good triumphs over evil. The valiant hero saves the people of his village, and the wicked witch or evil wizard is gone forevermore. And in that respect, this story is quite similar to a fairy tale.
The hero of this story is a young man who is loved by many, known by the name of Harry Potter.
The villain of this story is an evil wizard who was feared by all, known by the name of Lord Voldemort.
There is a hero, and there is a villain, but what must be remembered, as stated before, is that this story is not quite a fairy tale. Harry Potter does indeed defeat Lord Voldemort. But he does not go frolicking through the luscious green English countryside on a little white pony with his beautiful princess for the rest of his life. Oh, my dear goodness, no.
Though there is, undeniably, a beautiful girl who is the object of Harry Potter's affection. She is, however, not remotely close to being a princess. This girl is named Ginny Weasley, and though she is very beautiful, with long red hair and deep brown eyes, get on the wrong side of her and you will find yourself on the receiving end of an extremely powerful Bat Bogey Hex.
After the fall of Lord Voldemort, if this were a fairy tale (which it isn't), there would probably be many pretty birds flying around, a number of heated, passionate kisses, a few feasts, a couple of frogs turned into princes, and of course, one very large musical number in which every character sings and dances to much farther than their heart's content.
But this is, as you are again reminded, not quite a fairy tale, and the fall of Lord Voldemort is not as joyous of an occasion as it would be if it were. Instead, the fall of Lord Voldemort is bittersweet for all, for many have been lost in the fight. Friends, family, and friends who were like family were lost. But what Harry Potter had come to realize was that to not go out and enjoy the world they gave their lives to save would be letting them die in vain. And nobody wants to have that on their conscience.
So for a while, the people of the Wizarding community mourned. But when everybody else soon came to the same conclusion as our hero, everything righted itself at once. And so begins our happily ever after.
Harry Potter had been in love with Ginny Weasley for quite a long time, and after Lord Voldemort had finally been vanquished, he proposed to her, and she accepted. Ginny Weasley was the sister of Harry Potter's best friend, Ron Weasley. True, at first Ron had not been too keen on the idea of his little sister being married to his best friend, but he came around eventually, with much help from his own bride-to-be, Harry Potter's other best friend, Hermione Granger.
Now, many people who knew Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, including Harry Potter himself, would tell you firsthand that they were the two least likely people to ever wind up married to each other. But that just goes to show everyone that you really never can tell with these sorts of things.
This acclaimed quartet had been through practically everything together, and they knew that the rest of their lives would end up being no different. Together they were married, became Aurors, and worked tirelessly to catch all of the remaining supporters of Lord Voldemort. And of course, had babies. Lots of babies.
But the happily ever after life was not reserved solely for Harry Potter and his three best friends. Quite the contrary. For, like all good fairy tales, all of our other favorite characters also went on to live wonderfully wonderful lives.
Remus Lupin, everyone's favorite Marauder and werewolf resumed his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was soon married to Nymphadora Tonks, everyone's favorite Auror and Metamorphagus.
Neville Longbottom joined Remus Lupin at Hogwarts School to teach Herbology when the much loved Professor Sprout retired after a particularly traumatizing accident that involved a Mandrake, a Chinese Chomping Cabbage and a Fanged Geranium.
Luna Lovegood became the first person to prove the existence of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, capturing one and donating it to the Newt Scamander Zoo of Rare Magical Creatures. Her next expedition will involve gathering evidence to prove the existence of the Wrackspurt.
Severus Snape was discovered to be completely loyal to Dumbledore, and continued to work for the Order of the Phoenix even after the death of the celebrated Headmaster.
But sadly, as you are again reminded, this story is not quite a fairy tale, and therefore, nothing will ever be perfect. People will always have worries and troubles and faults. Remus Lupin will always be a werewolf, no matter how many times he brews the Wolfsbane Potion. Severus Snape will never be a nice person, no matter how many times he pledges his loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione Granger will always be intolerably intelligent, no matter how many of her old school books Ron attempts to throw into the fire. And Harry Potter will always, no matter how much he changes throughout his happily ever after, have a lightening bolt scar.