Ariadne ran to the library, sobbing all the way. She got there without meeting anyone, as they were all in the Great Hall, and so she was alone to think about what had just transpired. After a moment, she snatched a piece of parchment from the paper store in the library and fished a quill and an ink bottle out of the spares box. She sat at a table and began to write.

Dear James,

I'm sorry you don't want anything to do with our baby. I'm also sorry for springing it on you like that – I thought you would be as happy as I was, but I guess you weren't. This is why I have to do this. I have to leave Hogwarts, forever. I'm leaving tonight, so you won't ever have to see me or the baby again. I know you and Lily will be very happy together. Think of this as a last, parting gift to you – you can be with her and suffer no inconvenience from me or the baby.

I love you, James, and if you ever want to be a part of this baby's life then just call on me. I will be more than happy. But for now, I have to leave you with Lily, so you can create a life for you both that doesn't involve me, or babies. (Just yet anyway, wink wink.)

So maybe I'll see you later, if you want. This letter is just to let you know that I'm keeping the baby, and I'm not running away. I'm leaving because I love you and I want the best life possible for you, and if that doesn't include me or the baby then that is something I am going to have to live with.

Love forever,

Ariadne

She folded it up, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and went to the Owlery to find a suitable means of delivery. She didn't want to have to ask anyone to take the letter to James for her, and didn't want to leave it somewhere that anyone might stumble across it. She found a beautiful barn owl and petted its feathers as she gave it her letter.

"Get this to James, but make sure it doesn't get to him before tomorrow," she said, and the owl cooed in reply. It nuzzled its head against her hand and she smiled at it, before leaving to pack her meager possessions. All she really had were those few dresses, which fit into the one bag which she could sling over one shoulder. She walked out of the castle and through the gates, wiping the tears from the eyes as she emotionally farewelled the castle that had been her home. She felt bad, not saying goodbye to Dumbledore, but knew, somehow, that he would understand.

Once she reached Hogsmeade, she sat down outside a place called The Three Broomsticks and wiped her face once more. She breathed in and out deeply, trying to gather herself. A woman stepped outside and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You look down, love, anythin' the matter?" she asked Ariadne.

"Everything," Ariadne replied. "I've just left the only home I've ever known and now I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have anywhere to go and I really don't know how things are going to work out for me."

"I think I may be able to 'elp you, love," said the woman. "I own this 'ere establishment and it just so 'appens we're lookin' for a new waitress. Pay's not great, but it's a pretty simple job an' there's rooms up above the bar that you can stay in, free of charge, bein' staff an' all."

"You'd do that for me?" Ariadne asked, surprised. "You barely know me!"

"Yeah, but I can recognize a girl who needs a little 'elpin' 'and. 'Ere, come inside and we'll get you started." Ariadne followed the woman into the bar, amazed at her luck. Life wouldn't be as easy as it was at Hogwarts, and it would get harder once the baby was born, but it was a start. She didn't need to worry about James seeing her working at the bar, because she had told the owner of the bar, a middle-aged woman named Violet, their story and the owner had offered to work the bar during Hogwarts visits so that Ariadne never had to face the father of her baby, or his friends. Violet liked Ariadne. She was a quick learner, and pretty soon, due to her pretty face and curvy figure, she was the reason that the bar almost doubled its income. Even the women didn't mind their husbands attending the bar more often, as they liked Ariadne too, feeling her stomach when the baby bump started to appear. She made friends fast, and when the baby girl was born Violet gave her quite a substantial pay rise and more flexible hours, partly due to all the extra profit Ariadne had been bringing in. When her daughter was very young, she heard about the death of the love of her life, and knew nobody was safe in England anymore. Especially if her child was related to the great Harry Potter, who had survived the attack. So with a lot of help from Violet and her new friends, she moved to France to seek her fortune.

James never did see Ariadne again, he had heard rumours about her working at The Three Broomsticks but since nobody could confirm having seen her there, he was forced to dismiss these as just that – rumours. Soon after Ariadne had left Hogwarts, he and Lily started to date. Soon after they had finished school, Lily fell pregnant, but since they were married and both working at the time, James didn't mind one bit. He still never told her about the baby he had had with Ariadne, though. When their baby boy was born, James was thinking about Ariadne, where she was, how the baby was.

"What do you want to call him?" Lily asked, holding the baby up for James to witness.

"Ari," James muttered.

"What's that?"

"Um, I said Harry. Let's call him Harry," James said quickly. Maybe sometime in the future he would seek out Ariadne and her baby, but not at that moment. That moment was only about Lily and young Harry Potter.

"I love it," said Lily with a smile.

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And thus marks the end of this story! I hope you all liked it, because I liked writing it. I honestly didn't make the Ari/Harry sounding the same connection until I started writing this chapter, then I thought I might as well put it in. I'm sorry if it seemed a bit rushed but it's the epilogue and I was only using it as a way of communicating what happened after Ariadne left Hogwarts. There was one thing I did want to stress, though, and that was Ariadne's reasons for leaving. She wasn't running away because she didn't want to see James anymore, she was making the decision to leave because she didn't want to stand in the way of the happiness James might have had with Lily. It was clear that James would not be happy with her and a baby, and she did want to keep the baby, so there wasn't really any solution where Ariadne could stay at Hogwarts and James would still be happy. Is this making sense? I hope it is. If there is any confusion drop me a line and I'll see if I can clear it up. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and watch this space for the sequel.

Want to know what happens in the sequel? Well, the gods had reviewed her case and decided to let her back into the heavens, but would not allow her to take her half-goddess daughter with her. Ariadne decides that her daughter, while being of age, is not mature enough or ready to tackle the world alone, so with the blessing of McGonagall, she brings her daughter to Grimmauld Place to live with the only family she has left - her half-brother, Harry Potter. So anyway, this causes problems when she falls for Harry's arch-enemy, Draco Malfoy…