FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here is the epilogue, exactly six months from the start of this story. I have truly enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you have all enjoyed reading it. I welcome reviews, comments, and story ideas. I genuinely thank you all for reading.

Epilogue, Age Fifty, Article

The year Lily Warner was born, the magazine Magical Life released its first issue. Every year since then, they featured a different magical celebrity in their January edition. For their fiftieth anniversary, they were interviewing all their featured celebrities of the last fifty years and compiling an enormous issue. Lily, of course, was one of these people. She had been on the cover of this magazine twenty six years ago, and now they were back. For the nth time in her life, she was in the spotlight, and it felt wonderful.

The interviewer from the magazine, Jasmine Dale, was currently in the seat across from Lily's. They were seated in Lily's perfectly cleaned sitting room, the camera flashing periodically in Lily's face, documenting her life at home. Lily was in her best skirt and blouse, her graying hair meticulously pinned up, smiling at the interviewer.

"Thank you for having us here," said Jasmine, smiling politely and adjusting the microphone pinned to her blouse. "We asked you the standard questions twenty-six years ago, so now I'd like to delve a little deeper into your life."

"Sounds good to me," said Lily, smiling. Her jaw was beginning to ache from all of the smiling, and the interview had not even begun yet.

"Let's begin with the beginning of your career. How did you get started writing?"

"It was rather an accident, really," said Lily. "After Hogwarts, I was living with my parents, working at a bookstore. That's when I began to write, just in my spare time, which was plentiful back then. I finished my first manuscript after I moved out of my parents' house. It survived a fire in my new flat before it finally got published. All I was trying to do was tell the truth, and get the story of my father out there. I felt honored because he had never allowed anyone to do that before. I had one chance to tell the world what he had been through, so I told it like it was. I never expected for the book to be such a success.

"After that first one was published, everything just sort of happened from there. I love to write, that was something I knew. Something I discovered while I was writing the book is that I'm a people person. So, for my next book, I interviewed and interviewed with a hundred different people. You see, I was touring around the world then, giving readings and doing interviews, but I always made time to interview people, because I wanted to get everyone's story."

"Your twentieth book was just released. All of your stories have been non-fiction thus far. Have you ever considered writing some fiction?"

"I don't think so," Lily said. "All I've ever been concerned with is telling the truth. Honestly, I don't think I have enough creativity in me to write fiction."

"Fair enough," said Jasmine with a smile. "Now, the subject of each of your books has been different, but they all seem to, fundamentally, be the same. All of your books seem to revolve around family. Family seems to be your main inspiration. How has your family been an influence in your life?"

Olivia had her younger brother, Angelo, and her sister, Hero, out for the afternoon. Lily assumed that they were Christmas shopping, but she couldn't be sure. Ever since Hero obtained her driver's license, she wanted to be on the road every minute of the day. Lily had been rather nervous about allowing her youngest to drive more so than her other two children. Hero was not really known for her sensibility. As long as Angelo was in the car, however, Lily knew it would be all right.

It was hard to believe that her children were all practically adults now. Hero was the only one left in Hogwarts. Unlike Lily herself, both Olivia and Angelo had moved out of the house as soon as they graduated from Hogwarts. Olivia had gone on to a Muggle university, because she was very interested in Muggle Studies. She was in her third year there, and was doing very well. Angelo was going to school to become an Auror, something that his mother never had the drive to do. She was extremely proud of them both.

Hero wanted to become a journalist. She still had a year and a half of school to complete, but that was what she was working towards. She was a very eccentric sixteen-year-old, and Lily knew that she would do well in the field of journalism. She was definitely a people-person, and was not afraid to get out into the world to get the information that she needed.

"Family is everything to me," Lily replied. "I grew up with a large family, and they're all still around me, plus a few more. My brothers are two of my best friends. My best friends are also like my family."

Garrett and Lucile's two children were home for the holidays as well. Alexandria had taken time off of work to spend time with her parents and her younger sister, Kyrie, who was home from Hogwarts. She and Hero were in the same house, in the same year. They were both in Gryffindor, like their mothers, and were very close friends. This fact made Lily rather happy. It was exciting to see her child so close to her best mate's child.

James and Jordan still lived around the corner. All of their children were out of the house, (Lily was sometimes jealous), and they enjoyed their time alone by taking weekend trips out to a cottage in the countryside that Harry and Ginny Potter had purchased a few years ago.

Hugo and Guinevere ended up breaking off their engagement. Their daughter, Erin, was now living in Wales, studying marine biology. Lily often had dinner with Hugo, who was now seriously dating someone and planning to propose to her. Lily was always up to welcoming a new member into her expanding family.

"You've gathered quite a fortune over the years, correct?" Jasmine asked.

Lily laughed lightly. "Yes, I should say so."

"But, instead of using it to buy a lavish estate, you've given much of your wealth to charity, specifically orphanages. Can you explain your reasoning for that? Many people with the amount of money you have keep all of it and live very large."

"I've never put much merit in material wealth, I suppose," replied Lily. "I've been very lucky throughout my life; my father inherited a good deal of money from his parents, so we lived rather comfortable lives while I was growing up. I never had to worry about money, even when I was first living on my own, because my parents always fronted me the funds necessary for my bills and the like.

"Despite the money my parents had, we lived in an average-sized house, and I was always brought up with the values that family is the most important thing, not money. My parents never wasted money, so I try to do the same.

"Once I decided that I was going to start funneling money into a specific cause, I had to really sit down and think about what that cause was going to be. I suppose I settled on orphanages because my father was an orphan, and he has always stressed the value of family. I just want others to have a family like I am lucky enough to have."

"So it all comes back to family?"

"I suppose it does," said Lily.

Five years ago, when Hero was in her second year of Hogwarts, Lily became bored of being home alone with her husband all of the time. Most of her relatives' children were away at school as well, so life had grown very boring. The year before, during the first time their household had ever been childless, Lily reveled in the quiet and calm, but the second year that was not the case at all. To shake her life up a little and make things more exciting, she had decided to take Scott on a tour of the western world to promote the under funding of orphanages and the squalor many orphans had to live in. Her children had stayed with their grandparents that Christmas while their parents were off speaking at conventions and raising awareness for the less fortunate children in the world.

If there was one thing that Lily had learned about over the course of her life, it was the fact that she got bored easily. She always had to begin a new project or participate in something she had not done before. Some would call her impatient, she guessed, but she just dubbed herself adventurous. Scott was more or less the opposite; he was perfectly content with a steady job and staying right where he was. Still, he was up for anything Lily wanted to do, which had been a lot over the thirty five years they had known one another.

"You've gained three children since you were last in Magical Life. What impact have they had on your writing career?"

"Having children gave me a completely different perspective on life, as I'm sure most parents can tell you. I have attempted to keep my personal life separated from my professional life, but it's a difficult task, let me tell you. As my children were growing up, they always insisted on giving me input for my books. They always wanted to be main characters, even though I only write non-fiction. Sometimes, I would go to my desk to find pages lying there, written out in crayon, shoved into my manuscripts. Hero would do that most often. She's inherited my writing genes."

"The name Hero isn't a common one. Where did that name come from?" Jasmine wondered.

"Actually, all of my children's names came from the Muggle playwright, Shakespeare. I discovered him while I was working in libraries right out of Hogwarts and fell in love with his plays. I've made a point to visit all of the historical locations that had to due with his life and his plays."

As a graduation gift to each of her children, Lily gave them the option to travel to any country in the world for a month. Olivia had chosen to go to Switzerland, and Angelo had picked Japan. Scott had taken them on these voyages the month after their graduation from Hogwarts, leaving Lily with her other two children. Hero was planning her trip meticulously, though she still had a year and a half until it occurred. She had a large map of the world hanging in her bedroom, and she was researching the tourist attractions in each country of the world. She crossed out every country that sounded unappealing, and put circles around the possibilities. So far, Taiwan, Iran, France, China, Kuwait, Madagascar, and Colombia were crossed out. Spain, Thailand, and Belize were circled on the map. Olivia had gone through a similar process to choose her vacation spot, but Angelo had merely closed his eyes and pointed to a place on the map. Lily was trying to spread a love of travel and worldliness to her children. Much of the reason Hero wanted to become a journalist was because she could travel.

"You also opened a bookshop years back, right? Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur if you were already busy writing?"

Lily laughed openly. "In hindsight, I suppose it wasn't such a fantastic idea to do so, but I get bored very easily, and I needed something to spice up my life. I love books, obviously, and I wanted to share that love with the world. What I found out, however, is that I am not a very astute businesswoman. Luckily, I had my cousin Rose step in and take over, so that I could focus more on writing and eventually starting my family."

Rosaleen, the girl Lily had mentored at age twenty-seven, had come to work at the bookstore Lily had finally sold to her cousin Rose. Rosaleen had managed to become a published author, but her book had, sadly, not been too successful. She had been working at the bookstore for ten years, and seemed to be very content with her job. Lily visited the shop often to give readings and check up on the goings on, not to mention purchase a book or two. Rose and her husband David were doing very well, and had a child in Hogwarts to show for it.

"So are there any other surprises we can expect from Lily Warner?" Jasmine asked. "What are you plans for the future?"

Lily had to think about this question for a moment before answering. "I think that I'd like to do some more traveling, once my children have all moved out. I am really dedicated to the work I do for orphans, and I would like to continue that."

"Can we expect another book from you?" Jasmine wondered.

A smile played at the corners of Lily's mouth. She had intended for this book to be her last, and she wanted it to be a surprise. "Perhaps," she replied ambiguously. "I don't want to reveal anything too soon; you'll have to wait and see."

"I'm sure your loyal readers would love to see you write for the rest of your life," said Jasmine, "myself included."

"Well, thank you," said Lily genuinely. "I've had fantastic experiences with my fans over the years; they continue to amaze me with their generosity and excitement. I would love to continue to please them, but I'm honestly running out of book ideas. I might like to do some travel writing later in life, however. I think that would be a fun career path, though I'm not sure how my loving husband would feel about it." Lily smiled at the thought.

As if on cue, Scott poked his head into the room. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "I was wondering if I could get you ladies anything. Tea? Coffee?"

"No, thank you," said Jasmine.

"Thanks, darling, but we're fine," Lily said, smiling at her husband. He was still as handsome as he had been at fifteen, though he was quite a bit more mature-looking. He could still brighten Lily's day with a smile or a loving glance. He still kissed her every day when he returned home from work and held her hand secretly under the dinner table at supper every night. He always made a point to call her during his lunch break and check up on her. These things that had become routine for the two of them were held so dear to Lily's heart.

"Oh, Lily, Olivia just phoned; they should be back in ten minutes or so," Scott informed Lily. He threw a smile at her before taking his leave.

"Well, I'll take that as my cue to bring this interview to a close," said Jasmine Dale. "I just have one last question: out of all of the roles you have played in your life, (daughter, student, author, traveler, mother, entrepreneur, philanthropist, wife), which title would you like to be remembered by?"

"You may find this hard to believe, but I feel like my children are my greatest accomplishments, despite every thing else I have done in my life, so I would like to be remembered as a mother. I have been fortunate enough to be able to live the dreams of hundreds of other people in the world, but my children are more important to me than any of the amazing things I have done."

Lily loved having her children at home. She missed them almost constantly when they were away, and worried about them whenever she had an idle moment to do so. They made her life so much more hectic, but it was an enjoyable craziness. Their house really was not suitable for five residents, but they had managed in close quarters. By the time Olivia hit eleven, the house was large enough because she was off at Hogwarts, and then the home emptied steadily after that.

Lily preferred it cramped and full of activity, and she was sure her daughter Hero did as well. Hero, like Lily, was the youngest of three, and she missed her siblings terribly when they were away. She especially looked up to her older brother Angelo. Lily knew that Olivia had always been too bossy to Hero for Hero to feel very close to her. Hero wrote to Angelo often, and his opinion mattered very much to her. Hero and Angelo shared a relationship such as the one Lily had with her brother James.

Olivia had always been closer to her parents than her siblings. She never minded going shopping with her mother or running errands with her dad. She and Lily had lunch as often as possible; whenever Olivia could find free time from University. Scott often surprised her at school and treated her to coffee.

Angelo had always been in an intimate relationship with his books. Wherever he was, he carried a novel with him. He tore through books faster than anyone Lily knew. Once he moved out of children's books, (around age seven), he made his way through all of his mother's books. Lily swore he was her biggest fan, and she loved it.

"Thank you very much for your time," Jasmine said, closing her interview notebook, and reaching out to shake Lily's hand. "I feel honored for the chance to interview you, and I hope to see more of your books on the shelves in the near future."

Lily stood and walked Jasmine and the camera crew to the door. "Thank you," she said to them genuinely. "I enjoyed being in the spotlight again."

For that was where Lily felt like she was destined to be: in the spotlight, trying to get the truth out there into the world, to make some sort of difference.