Disclaimer: I disclaim everything!..except for Maddy and Charles.

A/N: Hello everyone. I apologize for taking so long to update, but I had completely forgotten I didn't update this one when I had planned to a while back. There were a few changes I wanted to make, and now that they've been made, I can finally post this. There is one more chapter to come, so please enjoy!

Chapter 20: Finale

Maddy's mind flew back to the night of the incident with Terry Boot. The mysterious man in the doorway was clear this time, though the person was still the same.

"Harry…" Maddy said quietly.

Harry stood there staring at her for a minute before saying anything. His hair was extremely windswept and it looked as if he had been running.

"Maddy…" he breathed.

Neither of them could help but noticing that the other wasn't wearing their wedding bands. Maddy swallowed hard as Harry took a step closer to her. She stepped backward, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?" Maddy asked, placing the snoring Forge on the armchair.

"I…er…I was out for a walk…and I thought I'd stop by." Harry answered, uncomfortably.

Maddy took in his appearance and knew that he was lying. It was not that windy outside, even at this time of night.

"How are you?" Harry attempted to look calm.

Maddy shrugged. "Better. Charles and I…Charles and I got a divorce…" she explained offhandedly, as though it were nothing.

Harry couldn't help but smile a little. "Ginny left me. I guess I…" he chuckled absently as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I haven't been myself lately…"

Maddy smirked, and looked at her toes, peeking out from the hem of her bottle green robes. The room had fallen uncomfortably silent and she only wished she had something to say to him that wouldn't make her look entirely stupid.

"Maddy…I screwed up…" Harry ventured. "I screwed up big time…"

Maddy didn't look at him, "I know Harry." she said softly. "Both of us screwed up. I mean, we shouldn't have been seeing each other…"

"No…" Harry said, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant."

Maddy looked up quickly.

"I married the wrong witch…"

Maddy could hardly believe what she was hearing. Slowly, Harry moved toward her. There was that strange feeling up Maddy's spine, that made her feel awkward, and yet wonderful at the same time.

He was only centimeters from her face when he spoke again, "Don't ever let me lie to you again…"

Maddy nodded, choking back the tears. This reminded her horribly of those old romance movies she used to drag him to see, and she feared that it was all a dream.

"I love you, Maddy…"

With those words, Maddy broke down sobbing. Harry pressed his forehead to hers, his arms wrapped around her waist as he whispered to her softly in hopes of calming her.

"I love you too, Harry…" she finally managed to get out. "I have always loved you…"

Harry brought his face in front of hers, and kissed her on the cheek, then on the neck. Finally, his lips traveled up to her mouth and he kissed her passionately. Not even Charles had never kissed Maddy like that before. It burned with such passion, such longing that Maddy never wanted it to end.

Maddy felt her feet lift off the ground, as Harry lifted her into his arms. Maddy giggled happily as Harry brought her into the guest bedroom upstairs. Moments later, he laid her gently back onto the bed, his mouth still locked with hers.

She did not protest as his hands freely wandered across her body, nor did he seem to mind when she did the same. Harry trailed a line of gentle kisses down her body once her pesky robes had been disposed of. Soft, seductive moans rolled in the back of Maddy's throat as their actions became more pleading and desperate.

It didn't take long for them to achieve the circumstance they'd been hoping to reach. Poised before her, Harry stopped, his eyes catching hers as she panted softly. One of his hands was set behind her neck, holding her gently, while the other was on himself, waiting for her approval.

"Are you sure…" he whispered softly, pressing his forehead to hers.

Maddy bit her lip and nodded, finding it impossible to answer him aloud. She, however, did not remain silent for long, gasping loudly as Harry finally made his next move, drowning the entire room in a smothering heat.

Maddy awoke the next morning, smiling broader than she had ever smiled before, though she could not remember why. She felt strong arms around her and opened her eyes to see Harry fast asleep next to her.

Suddenly, she remembered. The Heat. The Passion. There could not possibly be anything that felt better than being with him. She could remember how their bodies seemed to melt into one another, and it would be impossible to say who was who. Maddy remembered how whole she felt with him. He was her other half and she wasn't going to let him go this time.

Maddy hugged him closer to her, and kissed him. She wanted to show him how much she loved him, every moment of every day, so he would never have a flicker of doubt.

Harry's green eyes opened and he smiled at her. He brushed her black hair out of her eyes and kissed her in return.

"Morning Gorgeous…"

Maddy smiled, "Morning Handsome…"

Harry hugged her to him, and sighed. There was a permanent smile printed across his face.

Unexpectedly, the door opened, and Emma walked in. When she saw Harry and Maddy, she fell back, looking embarrassed.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" she said quickly, moving toward the door.

Maddy pulled the blankets up past her chest, and sat up, "No it's quite all right…it was an accident. Is there something wrong?"

Emma shook her head, trying not to look at Harry, though there wasn't much to see, he was mostly covered by the blanket. "Forge was just getting lonely." She held the Pygmy Puff out in front of her.

Maddy's eyes lit up, "Forge!"

The Pygmy Puff squealed loudly as it spotted Maddy. Emma slowly brought him to the edge of the bed and placed him on the blanket. She left the room quickly, still looking rather embarrassed.

Forge rolled down the blankets and landed in Maddy's outstretched hands. She showed him to Harry.

"I was getting a tad lonely…" she tickled the top of his head, "Say Hi to Harry, Forge…"

"Forge?" Harry questioned.

"It's a mixture of Fred and George. They gave me my job, and him." She rubbed her nose up against his green hair. "Isn't he adorable?"

Harry nodded, as Maddy laid her head on his shoulder, holding Forge close to her. Harry bit his lip before speaking again.

"Maddy?"

"Hmm?" she asked, not opening her eyes.

"Marry me?"

Her eyes popped open and she looked up at him, "What?"

"Will you marry me?" he asked, again.

Maddy looked stunned. "For real?"

Harry nodded, "For real…"

Maddy frowned, "Oh, but Harry, why would you want to marry me? I…I think I'm sick again…"

"We went through it once together, we can do it again…" he replied indifferently.

Maddy wasn't sure what to say. She had been daydreaming about him asking her this since she was eleven, and now that it was happening, she was awestruck.

"Mad, if you don't want to marry me, you can just say so. I'll understand…" he was lying, but of course, she knew that.

"Don't be a dope, Harry…" she said, with a little laugh. "There is no one else in the world more perfect for me…"

"Does that mean, you do?"

"Yes…" Maddy said, tears coming to her eyes again. Things like that always made her cry. "Of course…"

Harry didn't need a ring yet. Maddy knew he meant it and that was all that mattered to her.

-----

Charles arrived home a few days later to an empty house. Maddy had restored everything to what it was before she had spruced it up to her liking.

At first, he wasn't sure if she was home or not. When he asked the maids and butlers where she was, they all merely shrugged. Even Emma, under Maddy's command, would not tell him where she had gone.

He went upstairs, still calling out her name. When he entered their old room, which was no longer several shades of purple, he saw that it was spotless, and looked as if it hadn't been touched. Opening the closet, he noticed that all her clothes were gone.

She had left.

He returned to his study, looking a bit upset. He was hoping that she would still be there when he arrived home. They were no longer married, but he had hoped that they would still be friends. Leaving without a note, was not something a friend would do.

The letter she left for him locked in his desk, said the same thing.

Dear Charles,

By the time you read this, I will no longer be here, and what I say will probably mean very little to you.

I have stayed as long as I've needed to get back on my feet, possibly longer than I should have. I have a job working at my cousins' joke shop, and I've gotten myself a Pygmy Puff (It's a pet…). Also, I am getting married. This may come as a shock to you, as it is very sudden, but all I have to say about it is that I have never been happier in my life.

Charles made a face. He was truly offended that she had not been happy with him, but somewhere, deep down, he was pleased to know that she was okay.

I understand that you may find my last statement a bit offensive in regards to yourself. Do not think so, my dear Charles, for you gave me much joy, but for many years now, I have known that only one man could make an honest witch of me. This man, of course, is Harry Potter.

Charles spoke the name aloud. He no longer held respect for it. Now, he spoke with jealousy and distaste. He couldn't say that didn't expect this, 'cause he did. For ages, since the article in the newspaper about them, Charles had questions if it really was a lie.

Charles, there is so much I wish to explain to you, but have neither time nor patience to do so. In short, Yes, I am head over heels, madly in love with Harry, as he is with me. Yes, I do hate Rufus Scrimgeour, because of his feelings toward an old departed friend of mine. He also tried to make Harry the poster boy for the Ministry, asking him to tell the Magical World the Ministry was doing an excellent job in tracking down Voldemort and his supporters, when they were most certainly not

Charles glanced at her reasoning and surprisingly, could believe it. As far back as he could remember, Rufus had been short with Harry, and Harry avoided contact with the Minister at all costs.

Another subject that may have come across your mind a couple times, is the question about my parents. I had never explained to you why my Uncle Remus was considered my family. Well, to put it short, my mother and father, Regulus and Lynette Black, were both murdered when I was young. I never actually met my father, because he died not too long before I was born. My mother was murdered by the same woman who murdered my Uncle Sirius, the day after I was born. Yes, there has been great devastation in my life. That, I suppose, is why Harry and I can connect on so many grounds.

So, that was the story. Charles had asked on many occasions about her parents, but she had never given him an answer. Especially at the wedding, where there was no one there to walk Maddy down the aisle. (When she was young, she had planned that to be Sirius's job.) Charles looked sadly at the piece of paper.

How could two best friends go through so much pain? He thought to himself. Always being around, reminding each other of the past…

The past. Maddy had admitted to him once, that she ran from her past. She had done anything in her power to keep it from coming back.

As you may not be completely aware of, I left my family long ago, without a note, or a single proper 'good-bye'. For many years, they all believed me to be dead. I almost repeated history this morning, by leaving without saying 'good-bye' to you. You may be pleased to know that I thought better of it. To not say 'good-bye' would fill me with guilt, as it did before. And, since we are still friends (are we not?) it was in my duty to leave you with some sort of answer. A conclusion. An explanation. For leaving without a note, is not something a friend would do. Let alone, a family member.

Charles thought about what she had written, and smiled, knowing that they would still be friends. However, he still wished they were more than that.

Finally, Charles, I did indeed, love you. You were very kind to me and showed me how I was supposed to be treated. You made me feel loved, which is all I've ever wanted. But, there was always something missing. You. I know your work is very important to you, and you want to prove to Rufus Scrimgeour that your are more than just a Muggle, but an Auror! But, Charles, there is so much more to life than that. You cannot possibly think that you could have a family and a busy job such as that, and not be in danger of losing one of them. You have lost one in this case. You have lost me. I hope this will help you see your priorities in the future, and help you set them right.

I wish the best for you, and hope that one day, we may meet again.

Sincerely Yours,

Madeleine Charlotte Elizabeth Black

Charles almost closed the letter, feeling at a loss. The letter had not enclosed any information of her whereabouts. Where she was living or what joke shop she was working at. But he knew one thing. Wherever she was, she was with Harry, which meant that he and Ginny were no longer together.

At that moment, Charles did not know that they would never meet again. They would never so much as pass a simple 'hello' in the street. They would see each other occasionally in a crowd or at a restaurant, but neither would have the courage to speak to the other.

Then, more writing caught his eye.

PS: You may have noticed that I have left no trace of where I am destined, and yes, I have done this on purpose. As you said once, you would never let me get away from you. You loved me too much. Well, Charles Andrew Penly, as I have told you as well, the last person I would trust…is an Auror.

A/N: I thank you all for taking the time to read this story. As I said before, the last chapter, which will be entitled "Epilogue" will be up shortly, concluding this tale. It will be up rather quickly, for it needs no editing and is already written. In the short mean time, please review and tell me what you think. Thank you again!