A/N: Oh my God, this is it. The epilogue. The last chapter. I can't believe this, it's finally done. Eep!
Review responses:
Guest: lol. Thanks for the review!
CarverEdlundtheLast: Aww, thank you! I'm so glad I could make you ship them (yesss!), and I'm glad to know their scenes were written well. And I was so worried whether Clara's reasoning would be considered lame, but I'm relieved that you found it believable. I had hoped she didn't just pass off as a jealous [censored], lol, and that her motives were somewhat understandable. And once again, thank you so much for the review! I hope you like this chapter!
Right, so I'm not JKR, and none of the characters in this chapter are mine. I just borrowed them for a while and now I'm giving them back. *sobs in a corner*
Lets get on with the story now, shall we? I'll talk to you guys in a while in A/N2 again. Without further ado, here's the epilogue of Never Let Go.
EPILOGUE
"All of that cause she couldn't handle rejection?"
"Basically. But Zachary Williamson did some very bad shite too. The blackmailing, for example, was pretty disgusting."
"Yeah. That must have been traumatising for the poor girl."
"Yeah. Nonetheless, Alison wasn't to blame in all that. It doesn't excuse the fact that she murdered her."
Teddy nodded. "That's why the Wizengamot sentenced her to Azkaban for life; she had a huge number of charges against her, remember? Murder charges for killing both Lucy and Alison, attempting to murder James, impersonating an Auror on numerous occasions, lying to Aurors on Duty, misleading a murder investigation..." he counted them on his fingers. "Despite the fact that she killed Alison while underage, the rest were done when she was legally an adult. So overall, it pitches towards Azkaban more."
"Yeah." Victoire snuggled up against him, draping her leg over his. "Who was leading the court? Not Uncle Percy, of course."
Teddy shook his head, his eyes still closed. "No, as head of the DMLE, Aunt Hermione got to do it. She was completely professional about all of it, of course, but I swear that I saw a single tear leak out of the corner of her eye after she announced her sentence."
Victoire was silent for a while, and Teddy was about to check whether she had drifted off to sleep when she said, "I think Uncle Percy is thinking of resigning."
Teddy's eyes shot open. "What?" He looked at Victoire.
"I overheard him talk to Dad when he came over last night. He wants to take a break, after all that has happened. I think he wants to spend the remaining time with his family. Aunt Audrey is much better now, but he thinks leaving her at home alone with only the house-elf for company isn't the best idea."
"Maybe if she hadn't retired, she would have been able to immerse herself into her work to get her mind off of things," Teddy mused. "It can't be good for the mind, being so alone all the time. It's not like Aunt Angie and the others can be with her constantly, after all."
Victoire hummed in assent. For a while they were quiet, as Teddy mulled over what Victoire had just informed him. Percy was planning to resign. That would leave the post for Minister open, and there were quite a few likely candidates to fill up that gap. Hermione would most possibly be the favourite, being the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Gaius Abbington, was more senior and had been around for much longer. He knew the internal workings of the ministry better than anyone. His age, though, was a factor – he was too old for such a demanding post.
But if Hermione did indeed become the new Minister, then that would leave the top seat of the DMLE open. Teddy had a feeling Harry would most likely be getting a promotion if that happened.
"Victoire?" Teddy murmured, wondering if she had drifted off yet.
"Hmm?" she asked sleepily.
"I think I'm going to take some time off, go on a holiday maybe," he said.
Victoire yawned. "Sounds good, Teddy."
He sure as hell needed one. He hadn't had a proper sleep or a proper meal in a long time. He hoped Victoire could go along with him. He'd like some quality time with her.
"Victoire?"
"Hmm."
"You want to come along with me?"
"Sure. Somewhere warm and sunny, though."
"Okay."
Teddy closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like. They could go to Spain, probably, or Greece. Greece had a nice beach solely for the magical population that was warded against Muggles. They could go snorkeling using Bubble-head Charms, see the underwater view. Or they could go to a normal beach and try jet skiing. That sounded like fun. Victoire would look amazing with her blonde hair loose, waving wildly in the wind, and a ring gleaming in the Mediterranean sun...
"Victoire?"
"Hmm."
"Will you marry me?"
Victoire's eyes flew open. She stared at him in shock.
"Wh-what?" she croaked, sitting up, covering herself with the sheets. She looked pretty in white, Teddy thought. "Teddy –"
"I love you, Victoire," Teddy said in earnest, sitting up so he could look into her eyes. He took her free hand, the one not holding up the sheets, in his own. "I have loved you since I don't even remember when, though I'm certain it was before the twenty-fourteen Quidditch World Cup, when your father caught us snogging during the game." he chuckled, and Victoire cracked a smile too, both remembering that fiasco and the Skeeter article that followed. Teddy noticed she was tearing up a little. Hoping it was tears of joy, he continued, "You've given me courage whenever I was too weak to go on, especially over the last few weeks. You've managed to replace my insecurities with confidence, and mostly, you've given me so much love that I'm sure I never deserved. You've never judged me based on my father's furry little problem, unlike so many people."
Victoire was about to protest, but Teddy cut across her. "No, love, let me finish, please."
Victoire nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek, but she was smiling so widely that Teddy wouldn't have thought it possible. Teddy wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb.
"I've been meaning to tell you this for so long, but with everything going on, it wasn't the right time. But now I want you to know, that you are everything to me, and I can't think of a life without you. I would be honoured, my Victoire, if you would stay by my side for the rest of my life, as my wife. Victoire Elanor Weasley, will you please, please marry me?"
Victoire nodded so hard that Teddy was afraid she would get whiplash. "Yes," she breathed, and launched herself into his arms. Teddy hadn't realised, but his hair had suddenly turned from jet-black to turquoise, which it was prone to do whenever he felt an immense sense of happiness. As Teddy wrapped his arms around her and held her as close to himself as physically possible, he released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Truly, he hadn't needed to be so nervous. Victoire loved him as much as he loved her. Even her father had told him not to worry when he'd gone to ask him for Victoire's hand a day ago.
Well, it's about time," Bill said, after he'd asked him whether he had his permission.
"I'm sorry, what?" Teddy asked, perplexed.
Bill laughed."We were starting to think you weren't gonna be asking anytime soon."
"But – but – why aren't you threatening to turn me into a frog?"
"Oh, my boy, there will be plenty of time for that in the future, don't worry. But you don't have to worry; you have our blessings." Bill smiled at him warmly, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "We couldn't have hoped for a better man for our daughter."
Teddy felt like a huge weight lifted off his chest. "Thank you, thank you so much."
"Oh, none of that. You're already family, anyway. It's just going to be official now."
"I'd be honoured to be a part of your family," Teddy said.
"But Teddy?"
"Yes, Sir?
"If you ever hurt my daughter, I'll do more than turn you into a frog."
"Yes, Sir."
"Wait here a bit," Teddy said, extricating himself from Victoire's arms, before getting off the bed. He quickly grabbed his wand from the side table and Accio-ed a pair of pants before hurriedly putting them on. Victoire tutted something about missing the view, to which Teddy smirked. He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, rummaging through the contents before pulling out a small velvet box. He shuffled over to her side of the bed and sat down beside her, opening the box and showing her its contents.
"I know it's not much," Teddy admitted as he took out the ring and held it between his thumb and forefinger. It wasn't extravagant, but it wasn't too shabby either. It was his mother's engagement ring – the one his father had chosen for her when he proposed, and even though he didn't have much money at the time, he had still managed to find a beautiful ring that perfectly matched his mother. There was a glittering, pale pink morganite resting at the center of a thin, silver ring – his mother's favourite colour, as he was so often told. He had asked his grandmother if he could have it after he had talked to Bill, and she had been so happy that he'd asked. "But it was my mother's. And it's pink, which I know you love." He gave a nervous chuckle. He looked at Victoire, trying to gauge her reaction. She seemed to be about to cry again. Teddy's heart sank.
"But we could go out to pick another one if you want," he said hastily, trying to return the ring back to the box. "I mean, I know the stone isn't even one carat –"
Victoire swiftly caught his hand before he got a chance to hide it, and that effectively cut him short.
"Don't you dare," she said, tugging his hand back. "I love it, Teddy, it's the prettiest thing I've ever seen! How could you think I would want a flashy stone when – when you are offering me your mother's engagement ring? Teddy, I would be honoured to wear this on my finger."
Teddy beamed, and taking her hand, he swiftly slid it onto her finger. It fit her perfectly.
Victoire's breath hitched. "Teddy... we're engaged."
Teddy grinned and nodded, and he was definitely going to deny it later, but even he felt tears prickling at his eyes. "Yes, we are. You're stuck with me now. And I promise you, my darling, I will never let you go."
And he kissed her deeply and she was kissing him back, and they clung to each other desperately, both afraid to let go. They kissed and they kissed till they could no longer breathe; it was slow and sweet and deep, full of promises of their coming future.
Near the gates of the small graveyard in the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, hidden away from prying eyes, a figure suddenly appeared with a small pop. It was a young man, barely of age, with windswept black hair that reached his shoulders, as if he hadn't bother to cut it. He hurried through the gates, his eyes focused on the path ahead of him not looking around. He had no reason to, of course. He knew exactly where he was going.
A minute later, he stood in front of a humble gravestone, his face impassive, but his eyes betraying the anguish he truly felt. But he wasn't alone. Kneeling near the foot of the grave was an older man in his late forties. He hadn't noticed the other man approaching, it seemed.
The newcomer cleared his throat. The other man turned around, and on seeing who it was, he gave a wan smile.
"I was hoping to see you here soon," said Percy Weasley.
"Uncle Percy," James greeted, putting his hands in his pockets.
"How are you?" Percy asked after a while, mostly to dispel the awkward silence.
"Alive," James said shortly, not meeting his uncle's eyes. He looked down, staring at the gravestone bearing Lucy's name. "I must say, I'm sort of disappointed. I was hoping to meet Lu again."
Percy looked like he wanted to berate him, but thought better of it. Instead, he said, "I don't think Lucy would have been too happy about that."
James snorted softly. "Yeah, I guess so. She'd have knocked me back to earth, probably, if I'd shown up so soon."
Percy's lips curved upwards slightly. "When did they release you from the infirmary?"
"I left the infirmary a week ago," said James. "Apparently I wasn't waking up, so they took me to St Mungo's. They kept me there for five days, the Healers did some jiggery-pokery until I finally regained consciousness. Mum kept me on bed-rest for the past two days, I only just sneaked out."
"It's good to have you back, James," Percy said. James was about to make a snarky retort, but he refrained from doing so after seeing the honesty in Percy's eyes. He just nodded curtly.
They stood in silence for a while, neither man speaking, just looking at the grave of the girl that meant so much to both of them. The father, so full of grief at losing his eldest child, his darling girl, and the boyfriend, whose will to live had died along with her.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Percy," James mumbled when the silence became too unbearable. "It's my fault that she's gone. How can you bear to stand in the same place as me? I'm the one who as good as killed her!"
Percy looked shocked at first, before his eyes softened and he reached out to rest a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "James, listen to me. None of this is your fault."
"But that b... that murderous lunatic killed her because she was my girlfriend," James hissed. "She wanted to kill her and our baby just because she couldn't have me. How's that not my fault?"
Percy shook his head. "It's no one's fault but her own. She lost herself to her rage and jealousy, that she left behind whatever good was in her. I knew her since she was a young girl, and the Clara I knew could never have done this. She was a sweet child who wouldn't hurt a fly. But she let her anger, her envy and her resentment overpower her. It corrupted her mind and filled her with so much hate that she became capable of killing. If anyone is to blame, it's her."
"How do I believe that, Uncle Percy?" James asked desperately. "The guilt, it's killing me inside. I wish I could meet Lucy one last time, to tell her how sorry I am for ever coming into her life. If only she wasn't my girlfriend, Clara would never have killed her."
"Fred and I were fighting together during the Battle of Hogwarts," Percy said. "He was distracted when he was talking to me. If only I hadn't cracked the untimely joke, Fred would never have been sidetracked. He would have been able to jump out of the way when that blast exploded the wall. For years, I blamed myself."
"But that wasn't your fault," James protested. "You didn't kill her, the Death Eater –"
"Exactly," Percy cut across him. "It wasn't my fault. Just like Lucy's death isn't yours. Just like Harry wasn't responsible for everyone who died at the Battle of Hogwarts. Do you understand me?"
For a while, James said nothing. What Percy was saying did make sense to him. But he was too broken to believe it just yet. Maybe, maybe as time passed, as the wounds healed... maybe he would be able to forgive himself.
James gave a nod. "I will try to believe what you said, Uncle Percy. It may take me a while, but I will try to believe you."
"It take time. But in the end, the message gets through our thick skulls."
James gave a humourless smile.
"Anyway, there's something I wanted to do, and I wanted you to be here for it."
James looked at him curiously.
Percy waved his wand at the gravestone, and the writing suddenly glowed blue. When it stopped glowing, James saw that some of the words had changed. It now read,
In loving Memory,
Here lies Lucy Weasley,
16th August 2006 - 27th August 2022
loving sister, mother, daughter and soulmate.
The past is history. The future, a mystery.
But we will hold dear our memories of her,
her smile, the sound of her laughter... forever.
James started at the tiny addition. soulmate. His uncle had added that little bit in... for him. As a reference to his and Lucy's relationship.
A strangled gasp left his throat. He looked at Percy, and the older man saw so much gratitude in James's eyes that he felt his eyes grow hot with tears.
"Th-thank you, Thank you so much, Uncle Percy," James choked. He hung his head, as a few drops of tears fell to the ground. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"I know," Percy said simply, his voice thick. "I'm sorry for not calling you to the funeral. If I could go back and change it, I would."
James nodded, unable to speak. He forgave him.
Percy seemed to understand. "I'll take your leave, then. I'll leave you alone with her for a while. Take care, my boy."
"You too," James managed.
Percy looked around to see if anyone was watching, and once he was satisfied that there were no prying eyes, he turned on the spot and Disapparated, leaving James alone with Lucy.
James knelt down and conjured a small bouquet of blue orchids – Lucy's favourite. He placed them beside the box of earrings he'd left there on his last visit. Beside them were more flowers, from their family and friends, James assumed. No one else had left blue orchids, he noticed.
"Hey Lu," James said thickly. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Every day I wake up and... I just can't go on without you. I can't. I... I miss you, sweetheart." He said nothing more. He just stared at the ground, looking at where she lay. A thousand thoughts went through his head. He thought about the first time he realised he had feelings for her, a thing which had frightened him at the time. He thought about how he had fought against those feelings, but gave up when he saw how she looked at him. He knew she felt it too. He remembered how he'd finally plucked up the courage to kiss her one day. He remembered when they first went to the Three Broomstick as a couple and not as cousins. He remembered the first time they ever made love. He remembered every moment they spent together, every date, every kiss, every hug... and he knew he could never forget her. He could never move on. He would spent the rest of his life with only her memories to hold on to.
He knew Lucy wouldn't want that. But he just couldn't forget her. She was, as he stared at the tiny etchings on the gravestone, his soulmate.
I promise, Lu, I will never forget you, he thought. A strong gust of wind blew, ruffling through his hair. I will love you till the day I die. I promise you, I will never let go.
THE END.
A/N2: And that's it, folks! It's over! After three years, I can now finally mark this as complete. If anyone has any questions, or just overall comments on the story, please let me know with a review! I will try to reply ASAP.
And by the way, any updates you see will probably just be me editing some spelling or grammar errors that have slipped by unnoticed before. I'll be going through everything again in the next few days.
Thank you so much, to all of you who have stuck with this story, to my amazing reviewers and readers. Without your support, I could never go on. Thank you. Special thanks to my sister, for helping me out with the plot on so many occasions I cannot begin to count, and to my boyfriend and the rest of my family, for just putting up with me while I was writing.
Signing off, for the last time,
Nadia.