EPILOGUE

(19 Years Later)

I was in the Potions classroom on September 2nd, preparing for the first class of the term. I was looking over the class roll absently. Snape was sitting at his desk, working diligently on lesson plans that should have been complete yesterday. We had been working at Hogwarts for nine years under assumed identities. I think McGonagall suspected, however, for I often caught her smiling knowingly at the pair of us. Snape- or should I say Jeffery Addams- was the Potions Master and I was his assistant Abigail Addams.

A name on the role caught my eye.

"Severus-" I began.

"Abigail, how many times do I have to tell you, you can't call me by that name-?"

"Have you seen the classlist?"

"Er…I meant to get around to that," he said sheepishly, "What is it?"

"…Potter…"

"Another one?" he said, exasperated, but he was hiding a smile. Harry Potter's son, James, had started Hogwarts already and he was a notorious trouble-maker. Snape had a soft spot for the boy, however, and rarely gave him detention.

"Look," I said, pushing the list towards him. He scanned it and then he paused.

"Albus Severus Potter," he read aloud.

I hadn't spoken to Potter since the night in the cemetery and neither had Snape. Potter had no way of knowing he was alive and well, working at Hogwarts.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if Harry knew the truth," Snape said thoughtfully, but he had no chance to contemplate it as the bell rang and children began pouring in. I spotted Albus Severus Potter immediately. He looked exactly like Harry, even-

"Her eyes," Snape thought to me, "He has her eyes…"

Looks just like Harry, doesn't he?

The class passed as the usual first class of the day did, with Snape giving his little speech with me adding things occasionally. We didn't have them do anything but copy notes that first day, but as the week progressed it became obvious Albus Severus had a knack for Potions.

"That boy has some serious Potion skills," I remarked, observing his potion after the class left on Friday.

"He's a right shot better than his brother," Snape mumbled, "Let's finish these up. I'd rather not have any work to do this weekend."

"Plans?" I asked curiously.

"You might say that," he said with a smile.

"Well let me know how that works out for you," I said sarcastically.

"You're coming with me, of course," he said, catching me by the arms. He pulled me to him and kissed me hungrily. He reached for his wand and waved it absently at the door, which closed and locked immediately. He cast aside his wand on the desk and put both arms around me. Before I knew it he was lifting me up on the desk and sliding my skirt up…

"Nineteen years and we still go at each other like teenagers every chance we get," I said when we were finished, smiling. He smiled as well.

That night after supper, Snape and I left the castle. He didn't tell me where we were going, but I had a sneaking suspicion I knew already. We Apparated in front of a house that looked familiar, but was a right sight cleaner than the last time I had seen it.

"Grimmauld Place?" I inquired and Snape nodded.

We walked forward and I knocked on the door. A moment passed and the door was opened by a young girl with red hair and familiar brown eyes. She was too young to attend Hogwarts- my guess was nine, but I was no expert.

"Hi," she said grinning, "My name's Lily. What's your name?"

"My name's Abigail and this is-" I barely suppressed an eye roll "-Jeffery. Is your Dad home?"

At that moment a woman appeared behind the little girl. She had the same red hair and the same warm brown eyes.

"Ginny Weasley," I said, smiling. She looked startled.

"Abby? I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed, "And it's Ginny Potter now."

"Congratulations. I've seen your sons at Hogwarts- I work there now. Albus is brilliant at Potions," I told her, "I was hoping we could see Harry for a moment?"

"Of course," she said, eyeing Snape curiously, "Come in."

She led us into the sitting room, little Lily trailing behind us, where sat Harry Potter. He was watching a Muggle television but he shut it off when he saw us come in.

"Abby Prewett wants to talk to you Harry," Ginny said.

"It's Abby Addams now, Ginny," I told her, smiling, "This is my husband. Jeffery Addams."

"Congratulations," Ginny said with a grin, looking Snape over. He wasn't recognizable as himself from twenty years ago. He was thinner now, less sallow, his face had less lines, he smiled more, and his hair stayed clean.

"Ginny could you give us a minute?" Potter asked her.

"Sure," she replied brightly and left the room, the little girl trailing behind her, but looking back at us curiously.

"So," Potter said, once his wife and daughter were gone, "Snape."

"Potter," he said in a drawling voice that sounded just like his old self. He caught my eye and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"You did it, Abby. How did you fix what happened in the story?" Potter inquired, looking at me.

"You probably don't really want to know that," I replied.

"Was it Dark Magic?"

"Who, me, use Dark Magic?" I said innocently. Snape chuckled quietly.

"Was that a laugh, Snape?" Potter asked, smiling, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"I've changed a lot since you saw me last, Potter," he replied simply.

"I noticed. So, you don't hate me any more?"

"No, I think not," Snape said quietly.

"Then call me Harry."

"Very well…Harry. Then you may call me Severus. Or, for safety's sake, my assumed identity- Jeffery Addams."

"Jeffery?" Potter said with a grin, "You don't look like a Jeffery."

"That's what I said, too," I said, rolling my eyes. Snape scowled at us both, but a slight smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.

"So, the two of you work at Hogwarts?" Potter inquired. I inclined my head.

"How did you know?" Snape asked him.

"Albus- my son- wrote to me. Potions is his favorite class."

"Of course it is. The boy's genius," I said, "You should be proud."

"I am. Very proud."

"You named him after me," Snape said without prelude, "Dumbledore and myself."

"Well, yeah," Potter said, smiling in an embarrassed sort of way, "I thought you were dead, after all."

"…Thank you," Snape said. Potter shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject.

We talked for a while about what happened to the remaining Death Eaters. We talked about members of the Order, we talked about people we'd known at school, and we talked about Teddy Lupin, who had already graduated Hogwarts. I had played favorites with him, of course, and he came to me for advice throughout his years at Hogwarts, even though he was in Gryffindor.

When we left Potter's house Snape didn't say much of anything. We Disapparated on the street and appeared outside the gates of Hogwarts. Halfway across the grounds a little voice called out to us.

"Mum! Daddy!"

We turned simultaneously to see a seven-year-old girl flying towards us on a broomstick. She was only two or three feet off the ground, but she was wobbly and fear of her falling gripped me.

"Julie Lillian Snape! Get down from there right now, little lady. You're too young to fly," I called sternly. She scowled at me, reminding me of her father, and touched down to the ground. When her feet touched the ground a brownish cat streaked out of the bushes where it had been hiding and proceeded to twist itself around her ankles. It was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. The caretaker, Filch, had taken a shine to Julie almost as soon as she could walk. He didn't snap at her like he did the students and he was as nice to her as a crotchety old man could be. In turn, Julie helped him clean the castle whenever the fancy struck her. Mrs. Norris had taken a shine to her as well and you could find the cat with her almost as often as you could find it with Filch.

"I wouldn't have fallen, Mum," she said to me, "Madam Hooch taught me how to hang on. She was giving me flying lessons yesterday."

"Does Madam Hooch know you're out here alone?"

"…No," she admitted, "No one knows. But I was really flying! Daddy, did you see?"

"I did see," Snape said with a grin, "Maybe you'll make the Quidditch team when you start school."

I shook my head, but couldn't help but smile.

Julie was a combination of us both with her black hair and her dark green eyes. Her skin was pale and soft. She was a real beauty.

To my knowledge she was the only child ever to actually live at Hogwarts. She wasn't old enough to attend classes, but most of the staff liked her immensely and would let her sit in on their classes, if only to watch the older kids practicing magic or listen to lectures. As a result, she was already brilliant and often surprised us with her knowledge.

"Did you know that wizards were flying on broomsticks as early as 962 A.D.?" Julie said as the three of us walked towards the castle. Snape caught my eye and smiled.

"Have you ever heard of Creaothceann?" Julie asked, looking up at me.

"No," I answered honestly, "What is it?"

"It's a game played on broomsticks that originated in Scotland," she replied smartly, "But unlike Quidditch, players wear a cauldron strapped to their heads. At the sound of the horn, a hundred charmed rocks and boulders that were hovering a hundred feet above the ground begin to fall towards the ground. The object of the game is to catch as many rocks as you can in the cauldron."

"Sounds dangerous," I said, frowning.

"Oh it is. 80% of players die. That's why they banned it in 1762," she replied.

"Promise me you won't try and play Creaothceann, Julie," Snape said to her.

"Dad! I'm not an idiot," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You sound just like your mother when you say that," he said with a smile. I punched him lightly in the arm.

"Julie, why don't you go inside and get ready for bed?" I suggested to her, "We'll be inside in a moment. Go pick out a bedtime story."

"Mkay," she said, skipping off towards the castle.

"And don't pick the Hallows story again either!" Snape called after her, "I'm not reading that for a third night in a row."

She glanced back over her shoulder and made a face at him. Then she continued on towards the castle.

"She really is a combination of us both," Snape said, taking my hand and smiling as we watched her go. I nodded my head in agreement, squeezing his hand. Faint voices drifted over the grounds to us suddenly.

"James, are you sure this is a good idea?" said a nervous voice. It was Albus Severus, following his older brother James away from the castle.

"Sure it is! What're you, chicken? Kids get dared to sneak into the Shrieking Shack all the time," James replied.

"But what about the Whomping Willow?"

"That old sapling? No big deal. He doesn't have much 'whomp' left in him these days." Snape pressed a finger to his lips, motioning me to be silent, and we followed Albus and James at a distance. They approached the Whomping Willow, which swung its branches feebly then gave up with a sigh. James and Albus Severus slipped easily into the passage and we continued to follow. I could tell both boys were actually a little frightened, though James was better at hiding it. He even went so far as to tease his brother about being scared.

He's so mean, I thought, directing my thoughts at Snape as James taunted his little brother about being scared.

"He's not being mean," Snape replied, if not a little defensively, "They're brothers. It's what brothers do."

You never had brothers or sisters, did you?

"Well, no."

You're lucky, I thought, half-joking. I missed my sister Mary, but I hadn't gone to tell her what happened. She assumed we had been killed in the war and I had never gone to tell her otherwise. I had walked past her apartment a few times over the years and seen her- alive and well, happy, and eventually with a family.

Eventually James and Albus Severus reached the room at the end of the passage that was wrecked from Lupin's childhood days. Being here brought a pang of pain to my heart.

"Woah. James, I really don't think we should be here-" Albus Severus said to his brother and turned to the door just in time to see Snape and myself walk in.

"You should listen to your brother more often, James," I said to him.

"Are we in trouble?" Albus Severus asked nervously.

"Yes," Snape said.

"Are you going to give us detention?"

I raised an eyebrow at Snape.

"…No," he said finally, "But if I find you breaking the rules again, I could very well write to your father."

With that Snape turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

"Thank you Professor Addams!" Albus called after him. I saw Snape pause, then continue on out.

"You boys should get back to the castle before Filch locks you out," I suggested to them, then hurried to catch up with Snape.

"That was nicely handled," I said to him as we headed inside the castle.

"Hmph. Must be getting soft in my old age," he said with a half smile.

"Yeah, pretty soon you'll be dressing like Lockhart used to and sending cupids out with Valentines."

"When hell freezes over," he replied, no longer smiling.

When we reached the Entrance Hall we saw Julie standing there waiting for us. She was dressed in fuzzy purple pajamas and had a book in one hand and a stuffed tiger dangling from her other hand.

"Come on, Daddy, come read to me about Goblins," she said brightly. A few students who were going up the stairs snickered. Snape scowled.

"Come on, Daddy," I said with a grin.

"Hmph," he said and pulled me to him to kiss me swiftly on the forehead.

"Come on you guys, stop making out in the Entrance Hall," Julie said impatiently. More students laughed and Snape and I hurried Julie into the dungeons.

"'Making out'?" I said to her, "Where'd you learn that?"

"From the older students," she said smartly.

"Well, don't listen to them. That wasn't making out."

"Was too," she argued, "Making out is kissing and that was a kiss."

"Tell your father to explain it to you," I told her.

"Me?" Snape protested.

"I just want to read about Goblins. Come on, Daddy," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards her room. I watched, amused, as Snape scooped her up, put her on his shoulders, and carted her off to her bedroom.

While Snape went through Julie's bedtime routine I went into our room. Instead of just a mattress on the floor, there was a King size bed with black satin sheets. Shelves with vials of various potions still lined the walls. The picture of Lily was still in its place. I kicked my shoes off and lay on the bed. Snape came in a little while later.

"Julie asleep?" I asked. He nodded his head and came to lay beside me. The light of the torches on the wall made my ring shine slightly. My wedding band, given to me by the Dark Lord. Snape noticed my attention had strayed to it and he pulled my hand to his mouth to kiss it. Then he turned my wrist palm-up and kissed the Dark Mark which was so faded now it was almost invisible.

"I love you," he murmured quietly, his breath warm on my skin.

"I love you, too."

THE END

Author's Note: Yep, so it's definitely the end now. Sorry it sucks BUT I have been inspired to write more, so if you like my story line and my characters, AND you like Teddy Lupin, prepare for the awesomeness of a sequel. Oh and please Read and Review. Thanks! J

~TheVampyre13