Yo! Sorry about the wait guys! The evening after I posted the previous chapter, I ended up getting sick. It got much worse the next day, and I barely got out of bed. The day after that was still just as bad, and my mum was worried because I kept getting fevers that were close to being dangerous, so I went to a walk-in clinic. Turns out I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. It fucking sucks. I've been on antibiotics for about three days, so I'm getting better, but I'm still nowhere near back to normal. This is my first time back online since the twenty first though, so that's something. Again, sorry about the wait. Got sick completely out of nowhere. Also, please excuse any typos-I'm still not feeling all too well and I think my fever just broke again, because I'm sweating. Ugh. I've lost count of how many times this has happened over the past few days.

So, here we are, the last chapter of this thing. Thank you to all readers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...

Four years had gone by since Harry had accepted Voldemort's hand in the park, and three years since the war had finally come to an end. So much had changed, and yet, at the same time, everything felt so natural, as if this was how things had been meant to be in the first place.

Not everything was perfect, of course-there was still a lot of damage that needed to be repaired. But for the most part, things finally seemed to be heading in the right direction, and that was good.

After much discussion, Voldemort decided to give Lucius the position of Minister of Magic, while plenty of other Death Eaters got other jobs at the Ministry-jobs they were actually qualified for. Right now, the big, future project was to build an orphanage for magical children, as Harry had insisted. Many had been under the impression that all Muggleborns were going to be imprisoned, or tortured, or killed, but that didn't happen at all. In fact, not much changed for them.

Surprisingly, Voldemort had not only become the Headmaster at Hogwarts, but also took on the post of Defence Arts (formerly known as Defence Against the Dark Arts) professor, just as he had always wanted. ...Paperwork was a nightmare.

Harry, meanwhile, much to the surprise of, well, everybody, became Severus' apprentice, thanks to his new found skill and understanding of Potions. With a bit more study, he would be qualified to attempt to earn his Mastery, at which point he would take over as Hogwarts' Potions Master, so Severus could finally stop teaching. He had never really liked the job anyway.

All in all, things were okay. Not the best, not yet, but they were sure to get there if everything continued on as they currently were.

And today, on what was a warm, cloudless day during Easter break, everyone had gathered in the largest sitting room at Riddle Manor. Ron and Hermione were there, having taken the day off from their jobs at the Ministry, which had been easy to do since Lucius was there too. Neville and Luna were there as well, both of them having just returned from a trip to the Amazon. And there was Bill, his cheek scarred from that cut he'd received during the war, and Charlie, who was just visiting from where he was now working in China, and Remus who taught History of Magic at Hogwarts, and Severus too, all gathered together. Fred and George were off in a corner, plotting with Rodolphus and Rabastan, and the few others were just chatting amongst themselves.

Everyone fell silent and moved in a bit closer when Harry and Voldemort finally entered the room, coming to a stop in front of them all, facing them.

"We have news!" Harry announced, clearly taking the lead here. "Voldemort and I are welcoming a new addition to our family!"

Said family, everyone knew, included Hedwig, Nagini, Dobby, Winky, Mimi (Dobby and Winky's little girl), Shadow-Harry's kitten, and Xander.

"A new addition?" Ron repeated in confusion.

"Two, actually," Voldemort corrected calmly. He almost looked like he was going along with this just because Harry wanted it. That wasn't rare though. He always indulged the younger man. After all, Harry was the one who had to put up with a Dark Lord, and sometimes, that wasn't as fun as it sounded.

"Two? Then, you mean-?" Hermione's eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

Harry, positively glowing, happily twined his fingers together with Voldemort's. "Yep! It's exactly as you think."

Voldemort simply responded by bringing the young man into his arms, setting his free hand over Harry's flat, firm stomach, Harry placing his own free hand over top, looking very pleased with himself.

Grinning, Harry finally properly announced the fantastic news. "Hedwig and Xander's babies just hatched!"

Luna was the first to cheer, but others quickly followed suit. Everyone knew just how much this meant to Harry-especially after the Dursleys' 'arrest'. He was finally beginning to get the giant family he had always wanted. Close friends, House-Elves, snakes, cats, owls-they were all family, in Harry's mind. Having Voldemort at his side was just the icing on the cake. And speaking of icing-

Voldemort, arms still around Harry, lowered his head, mouth brushing Harry's ear. "Well, Harry?"

"Well what?" Harry questioned in confusion, watching as half the people in the room rushed out to head up to see the two baby owls.

Voldemort chuckled lowly, and pressed heated kisses along Harry's neck and shoulder. "Shall we celebrate?"

FIN

*bursts out laughing* I wonder how many of you thought Harry was about to announce he'd been knocked up or something. I don't write people pregnancy, male or female. Gross. But baby owls are another thing altogether. Baby animals in general, actually. Edit: because I'm already annoyed by the kids comments. No kids. No bio kids. No fostered kids. No adopted kids. Only animals. That's it. Imagine otherwise if you like, but don't tell me about it, because I don't give a shit, and it only serves to piss me off.

Fun fact: I got the title from Kingdom Hearts 2. The game begins with Sora saying, "A scattered dream that's like a far off memory. A far off memory that's like a scattered dream." It was the first thing that popped into my head, and I liked it, so I used it.

I actually really enjoyed writing this fic, the fact that it was short helped a whole lot, in this case, and updates were quick too-this last chapter would have been up on the twenty second if I hadn't gotten sick. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it too. So, for the final time, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!