The Crossroads of Fate
Chapter 40: Epilogue- Twenty Years Later
Twenty years later… The Finale- Wedding
Have We Won? by Lysander Scamander
Remember when the Daily Prophet printed what the Ministry told it to? Now, it prints what the Ministry does not want it to. Things have switched rather nicely, haven't they? In fact, the Ministry does not even have its own newspaper anymore. The Daily Prophet does so love criticizing everyone and everything in the Wizarding world. Perhaps they have a bad case of the Bispecks. They tend to change your mood if left unattended long enough. It's rather nice reading it though. For one thing, if the Daily Prophet did not have Rita Skeeter, the Quibbler would not be selling so much. The two of us have become two sides of the Wizarding world. People frequently ask me if I hold Rita's words that I am an crazed insane child in a adult's body seriously and take offense at them. I honestly do not. Unlike Rita, I have made peace with all inner specks within my blood stream. My Monospecks have driven the Bispecks out and I remain at peace.
Many like to compare Rita and I and ask who they like more. It's a common debate in the Wizarding media. Rita has written for the Daily Prophet, on and off, for forty-five years before retiring five years ago. I think she realized how far-fetched she's making herself seem because her last article actually suggested that we blackmailed the Greeks (it was the Starm Klite's influence, not Malfoy's). She's been accused of twisting the truth, of course but who's counting accusations? I've been accused of switching places with my brother. Both accusations ring true in the end. Rita has also written several books: The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint, Harry Potter: The Unofficial Biography, the Hogwarts Guard: A Razor Sword, and The Notoriety of Seth Lean. Fortunately, she has finally retired and we have her son Florean Skeeter to deal with who is just as brilliant as she is. We may now have his own book to look forward to and we may finally glean whether he views Hogwarts, its Guard, and the Ministry in a favorable position or not.
I hope not. I quite enjoy combating them. Arguments and debate in written form are so invigorating, they get the mind racing, the Wrackspurts invade, the Monospecks take over, and the Hellie Pixies really make themselves known to the mentally aware. But the question both Florean and I really must ask ourselves is whether we have truly won the war or not. While Skeeter, ninety-three, maintains that we are still at war, Florean has yet to say anything. I shall open the debate with my own arguments. The Ministry has three new Departments, the population could not be happier, we have become richer with our experiences with our Greek friends and we have benefitted from their magical artifact knowledge, and we have finally seen the end of our Goblin troubles following the historical agreement Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy signed with them to end their two decades at the bottom of the ladder.
Hogwarts School has seen a dramatic turnaround. Its Headmasters have been rather young since Professor Sorrow retired. Many actually wanted Aries V. M. K. Wallader to take the job but she prefers bettering the grassroots of the Wizarding world. Hogwarts has been run by myself and now our Lady's dear younger brother and my dear friend Apollo L. Kimble, who also remains Divination teacher since the school governors obviously can't find anyone better. A lot of people ask how one can handle Headmastership duties and full-time teaching duties at once. The Mortimites in your brain make that fully possible. It's all about economical time management. I carry out his duties and speak for him while he writes up the speeches, resides in the office, possesses a Pensieve, and as he is blind half the time, I really do prove to be his most loyal friend.
But I don't like being Headmaster. The room is absolutely infested with Nargles and the portraits seem to have had no experiences with them. Even the portrait of my great grandfather does not know of what I speak of. I am way too busy in the grounds building an extra greenhouse, traversing the forest, and making sure the forest is expanding on schedule to take up such a boring duty. Plus, I live in a hut. Who wants a Headmaster who lives in a hut? I daresay a small office of weird instruments that make no sense, snoring portraits and a Pensieve of every Headmaster's memories is far better. Apollo and I both agree that life is so fleeting, one really must spend it doing something he enjoys, which brings me back to the long-standing debate between the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet. I have so enjoyed my debates with Rita Skeeter and I have high hopes that I shall enjoy my debates with Florean Skeeter as well.
The Quibbler was floating unread in the wind. Lucy had left it on the terrace outside while preparing Libra. The poor girl had nobody to prepare her but Lucy. She really should have made more friends in Hogwarts but her mental issues did repel many. She was lucky this day was even happening. Albus meanwhile was waiting for the first arrivals.
Standing just outside the door to the large grounds was Serpens Potter. He alone looked readier than the others. Beside him was his younger sister Violet. Their father joined them soon enough while their mother was scolding their brother Stuart. Serpens sure hoped they would hurry up. He wanted the day to end already so he could get to Hogwarts the next day and finally be sorted. His cousin, Hydra, insisted he would make Ravenclaw like their Uncles, Lucas and Alexander, like their mother too. Serpens was not sure how he felt about this. He hoped for something different, something to set him apart. His mother was Ravenclaw, his aunt was Gryffindor, his father was Slytherin but that only left Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff.
Serpens looked up at his father with a small smile on his face. Albus Potter was a decorated hero and had the highest Order of Merlin available. Then again, all of his friends had some sort of Order of Merlin, one form or another. Albus had changed in the past twenty years. He was still clean shaven and a scar on his chin as well as one on his chest nobody could see. Serpens knew where it came from but Albus did not know he knew. His friend Todd whispered that his father had actually tried killing Albus at one point and the scar was a result of the failure. It was for that reason Serpens always wondered why Albus had such a close relationship with that man.
The Potters were waiting for more arrivals. The Potters tended to arrive at the small resort first, once every year. All of Albus' friends put their savings together to buy a large Manor to hold them and their kids five years ago. The Wallader family was meant to have entered the grounds five minutes ago but they still never came. Probably because of Hades. He tended to hold them up a lot. Not that anyone complained. Alexis was busy with Clara Potter, their oldest daughter and second oldest child. She was being poked continuously by a playful Stuart Potter, who was now looking glum after receiving a scolding from Alexis. "Always takes a while, don't they?" Albus commented to his son.
Alexis barely aged beyond getting taller. She started wearing blue cloth pants and a short-sleeved green buttoned shirt sporting an eagle pin on it. She still felt connected to her own house. Her hair, longer than it was in childhood, was still tied in a tail on her right side. He had to continuously tell her she did not need makeup and it took half an hour before she conceded and they left. Then, Serpens and Stuart were arguing over their seating arrangements at the wedding, and he hated even remembering how long little Violet took to wrest control of her toy broomstick from Alexander Potter.
"Stuart, I swear, one more delay and I'm sending you to live with your Uncle Alexander for a week," Alexis called as Stuart poked an annoyed, younger Violet in the back.
"So, now only thing to worry about is the Malfoys," Serpens sighed.
"They're your friends," Albus said pointedly.
"But Hades is gonna lecture me on his horoscope," Serpens mumbled.
"Hades loves you," Albus reminded him. "I… think."
"I get the feeling Hades wants to kill me," Serpens refuted. "I wish Hydra would give me the time of day if she wasn't sticking with Lynx the whole time."
"If you displayed how interested you are in Ringlet, they might let you play with them," Alexis suggested. "If you can play it at home and with your cousin, Liam, you can play it with Hydra."
"Are we ready?" Albus asked. Liam was Alexander's son and Serpens' cousin. Albus hoped his first year at Hogwarts, now due to start the very next week, would settle his fears and apprehensions down. "Can we finally receive people without my kids acting like monkeys?"
"Yes, daddy," Clara sighed.
"Right, then let's go," Albus sighed. "We're stepping through enchanted gates so pay attention and hold hands."
Albus and Alexis held hands. Albus took hold of Serpens' little hand, Alexis had Alexander's hand who held on to Violet. Serpens held Stuart's hand. Finally, they stepped through the gates and ended up at the Guard's estate. Small motels and dorms dotted the land around a private, enclosed beach. At the very end was a larger, open-spaced flat capable of seating over fifty people. Once a year, after their annual party, the Hogwarts Guard gathered at a single spot to celebrate or otherwise meet. The Potters were usually the first there. They arrived just in time too, because the next arrivals came mere minutes afterwards. Waiting for them was Scorpius Malfoy, a man Serpens knew to be his godfather. He called him Uncle out of respect. "So… are we the first ones here?" Albus asked hopefully to his best friend.
"Yes," Scorpius said with relief. "Hi, Alexis. Going ok?"
"Can't complain," Alexis shrugged.
"Serpens?"
"Ok," Serpens said neutrally, bracing himself for Cleo and Leo to run up.
As Scorpius referred to each of the five kids in turn, another arrival came in. Serpens's Uncle- well, foster Uncle for all intents and purposes- Mark Wallader. Beside him was a woman with powerfully strong gray eyes. Just looking at her gave him second thoughts. She radiated power and respect. Mark hugged Serpens's father tightly and Albus shook Aries' hand as their children made themselves known. Alabaster T. K. Wallader was his age and had wavy blonde hair falling just above his bluish-gray eyes. He was about to start Hogwarts with him. Hades C. K. Wallader was blonde but his eyes were silvery like his Uncle, was a year younger, and- plain annoying. These two were their only kids until three years back when Artemis was born. Serpens loved playing with her too, but Hades kept saying the more he played with her, the likelier it was that Serpens himself would die. Then again, Hades predicted Serpens's death every single day.
With all that, Serpens almost wished he had Cleo around. More and more arrivals started coming and as they walked across the grounds and into the sitting area, Serpens started feeling uncomfortable, as he always did when he walked inside. The inside was spacious but had two large rooms. One was the entrance which had glass statues of a lion and on top of it was a badger. Perched on its head was an eagle while a serpent circled them all, head raised. He tried his best to ignore Hades, but he kept going. He could only ignore him for so long.
"It's strange, the further you walk in, the faster your lifespan depletes," Hades told him, his wide blue eyes piercing through Serpens's green ones. "I'm not clear what the correlation is between your life and the Malfoy Manor, I'd say you're about to go through a major change that will happen in this very place. Like, something big, I see- your father laughing… why would he laugh at your death? Are you liked at home? Maybe he secretly dislikes you?"
"Why the heck would my father dislike me?" Serpens exclaimed.
"Maybe your mother then? Or you sister? Maybe you angered her when she was three?"
"And maybe she held it against me until now," Serpens said sarcastically. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Well, your family hates you, you should examine why," Hades advised.
"My family doesn't hate me," Serpens said angrily.
"Why else would you be driven to the Guardian's Resort for your death sentence?" Hades asked snidely.
Serpens turned to him. How his father ever got along with the Walladers, he didn't know. Alabaster was his friend, but Hades was probably a psychopath and Merlin knew what Artemis was. Now, he really wished Cleo was there. He felt a sudden push as two arms wrapped tightly around his neck from behind. He gritted his teeth as he braced himself and stopped himself from falling. Cleopatra Malfoy finally showed up but she was much more refined than that, the one who leapt on him was Leo. It was Cleo he looked at though. The two were quite close but Serpens had a feeling her father hoped the two would get married or something. The way he acted and how often he tried setting up play dates when they were little- it was almost funny.
Cleo had shoulder-length blonde hair falling to just under her ears, and dragon-scale framed glasses resting smartly up her nose. Her eyes were a bright gray, giving her a real air of intelligence. Her twin brother Leopold Malfoy stuck more to himself. He did not show himself often and only gave a brief smile to Serpens after the initial hug. Serpens hoped those two showing up would drive Hades away but he brightened up instead, "That's it! Your death! It's gonna happen right here, you're on the road now. Oh, Uncle Apollo would love to hear this, you're gonna die in this place."
"What?" Cleopatra demanded.
"Leave Serpens alone," Leo muttered as he passed. "You're being annoying."
"I'm being truthful," Hades said defensively.
"I hate annoying people," Leo muttered. "Just go be with your mother or something, give her updates."
"What do I want to talk to mum for?"
"Well, logically, if you're seeing your friend's death, she should know," Cleo suggested. "It might work better, you know. Avert catastrophe. In fact, I would suggest waiting by the gates for your Uncle to come. He should definitely know."
Hades looked strange. Serpens half-thought he would lash out but he just straightened himself up and said, "Well, I will, then. But… you should know, the future has been decided. It's set in stone, telling mum or Uncle will not matter anymore."
Hades left them, much to their relief. Leopold, Serpens knew, did not like Hades much either. Every time they got together, Hades predicted something absolutely horrible and- for a wonder- it never came to pass. His act even prompted his mother to have Apollo check him, but he insisted the boy was not a Seer. Hades was putting a ridiculous act up for some reason and it drove Serpens, Leo and Cleo mad at times. He annoyed Alabaster too. At least Serpens felt much better around those three than around Hades.
The kids finally returned to where their parents were. The sitting area was filling up. As they did every year, every month even, they were back at the small enclosure the old Guard kept for themselves. Scorpius and Albus were chatting away, Scorpius arguing to have a small pool- no, lake- dug up for themselves. Alexis finally met up with Lucy by the fountain before they went off in a separate direction. Scorpius stopped just off the terrace and motioned with his hand, "Those grasslands could be bought easily, Al, add the pool and be done with it."
"And by pool, you mean a small lake?" Albus asked sarcastically.
"Once we buy it, it's ours to use," Scorpius shrugged. "Big deal."
"I just don't think it's worth it," Albus said. "We enjoy ourselves just sitting, we don't need a lake between everyone."
The next arrival made Serpens jump. It was a rushing sound signaling the arrival of a Portkey. There arrived his cousins and his aunt and uncle. His father's sister, Lily. With her was the boyish-faced Alpha Greengrass. He always wore a good-natured smile, but he seemed to be in the middle of a talk with Lily.
"The idea of adding another room, it's just not conceivable," Lily told him.
"Well, what about the guests staying overnight?" Alpha asked. "Proxima doesn't exactly have a small family and"-
"Why does everyone want to add to this place, it's fine the way it is," Albus commented as he hugged Lily. Their kids appeared from behind Alpha and Serpens greeted them. The oldest of them was Hydra, who was around Serpens' age. Then came Canopus, Corona, Rigel and Ara. They were probably his favorite family, just because they appeared much more enthusiastic and hearted than the Malfoys or the Walladers.
Sometimes, after the meeting, Scorpius had family overnight. Alpha and Lily, Proxima and Simon, and now recently, Libra and Lucas, both of whom would reside in the Malfoy Manor's easternmost part. The Malfoy Manor was much more open under Scorpius than it ever was under his predecessors. "And we have enough rooms for the adults. Did I mention you're staying too?"
"Erm… family stays with you those nights," Albus said pointedly.
Scorpius grinned, "Great, go to your brother and tell him we're not family."
"Well, you tell Alexis that, she hoped to get home by midnight and pack Serpens' bags," Albus told him. "He's starting Hogwarts in a few days."
They had their seats in the very lounge where Lucy embraced him in a hug. His cousin now had her red hair worn the same as Alexis. Lucy set the tea on the table and opened the back door for the kids to run in or out, the whole area just a wide field. It ended in a beach but it was closed off, mostly for Muggles to enjoy. Some Guard members grew envious of the close proximity to a beach, and elected to have a pool made but nothing happened so far. The Malfoys had stayed with their kids, Leopold and Cleopatra. Cleopatra was the second girl in the Malfoy family born in centuries, the family now opening itself in a way it never had before. As Albus sat himself down beside Alexis, a loud squeal from Artemis A. K. Wallader sounded.
"Happy twentieth, guys," Simon said happily. "We brought our entire family. Reckon Amir is old enough."
"Because Simon placed himself under the impression that two is definitely old enough to wander the grounds," Proxima noted neutrally, nodding shortly as Scorpius took her bags for her. A House-elf that usually worked for the Malfoys took them away as more and more people showed themselves.
"And just as well," Alpha told Lily reasonably when she noted the same thing Albus was thinking. "It's a half-wedding. Why shouldn't they?"
"The place is big enough and the young ones will stay with us," Scorpius assured Lily as Lucy left with two House-elves to fetch the rest of the Hogwarts Guard. The party was finally getting under full swing and Scorpius disappearing meant that Albus owed Lucas a visit. The place was finally getting crowded. While the Guard met monthly, the kids joined once a year. This happened to be one of the days where the kids joined, especially since many were due for Hogwarts the very next day. Lucy returned with Hugo, Sophie, and the Scamander twins along with Lysander's old pen pal Lila. She was the only one who joined them at their celebration despite the fact she had done nothing in the battle. She was there by invitation. The grounds were chattering with kids now more and more of their friends started coming.
The path to the right outside the main flat led to a row of chalets. The left side was where Scorpius disappeared to and Albus and Lily took the other side at the end of the path. Inside the small motel, there, Lucas was muttering to himself. He did not look too good. His bow tie was in pieces, he was halfway through ripping apart his own dress robes, and he was still in his underwear, his pants laying forgotten on the floor with a tear at the seams. Albus could not help it. He burst out laughing as Lily nudged him into silence and hurried off to help him. "Doing alright?" Lily asked casually.
"No," Lucas mumbled. "My hair isn't lying flat, my bowtie is in pieces, my pants are ripped, the dress robes are torn, and all of this would be easier with my wand which is missing. And with no wand, I can't summon the damn thing back and don't get me started on"- he stopped, took a deep breath, and sighed. "I- I really can't do this."
"Sure you can," Albus said encouragingly as Lily summoned Lucas' wand which was hiding under a pile of papers.
"Lily," Lucas said suddenly as Albus started wetting his brother's hair and combing it. "How did you psyche yourself up to marry Alpha?"
Lily sighed as she recalled the memory. Albus actually looked up, "Do tell."
"Alpha and I met under very strange circumstances," Lily recalled. "He was afraid of dying alone and I was goo-goo eyes for Scorpius. He kissed me without me knowing while I slept, woke me up, I had a mental attack, and somehow I ended up here."
"How?" Lucas pressed.
"Honestly," Lily said as she fixed his bowtie and straightened his dress robes. "He grew up and so did I. We left each other well alone for a year or two before we realized that both of us grew up. And in case you forgot, Libra grew up too."
"Somewhat," Albus coughed, earning himself a nudge from his sister. "Mum and dad will be here soon," Albus told him. "You're gonna be fine. She's your best friend, isn't she?"
"She is, and I'm her only friend," Lucas sighed. "And Raphael is going to come pretty soon, too, and act as best man. We can't start without him."
Lily shrugged, "You wouldn't be if she wasn't so"- Albus nudged her back and she cleared her throat into silence. Lucas managed to show himself capable from there on out, Albus finally managing to comb his hair down and part it, and Lily cutting a knot in her brother's hair and giving him the best smelling cologne she could find. They left the room, letting Lucas continue in getting himself ready.
Albus and Lily stopped outside the door, looking down the corridor. They both knew what the other was thinking. The room at the far end of the corridor was tightly shut but they could vaguely hear voices talking. Lucy and Libra. "Twenty years and they're getting married."
"How old was Scorpius when he married Lucy?" Albus asked.
Lily had a guilty smile, recalling everything. The second wedding of the Guard, right after Mark and Aries. She said, "Twenty. Just like Alpha. Now I look back though, it is a rather young age."
"I guess it happens when we get out of a war," Albus muttered as they set off downstairs again. "We felt pressed."
"Lucas isn't at war though."
"He's friends with Libra, you don't call that a war?" Albus asked, earning another playful nudge.
The two walked back downstairs, talking mainly about the Ministry this time and its recovery. As far as Lily was concerned, the Greek crisis, however short-lived, was a war too, especially when she recalled her own abduction during it. And that was the event that spurred Lucas and Libra to start dating to begin with. At the very least, it distracted Libra. "So, that's my basic point," Lily told him quietly as they reached the ground floor. They stopped and turned to finish their conversation, "A war is a combination of battles and that's what it was. We did get violent sometimes. And we're not completely innocent either."
"Well, in the end, we did pay them back," Albus reminded her. "And it's over. Their Minister was a little militant though. I'll be honest I'm not sorry to see him go. At all."
"And we can thank- Scorpius!" Lily exclaimed as their friend walked down next.
Scorpius seemed to have heard, "I'm not sorry either. Come on, Lucas and Libra need a few moments to talk things out and decide how to handle their first few days together. Never met such a self-destructive couple. Libra actually wanted to call it off because she was no nervous."
"Lucas was on that point too," Albus remembered.
"Well anyways, everyone should be here now," Scorpius sighed. "You go in first, Al. And I think they're gonna squeeze you so brace yourself."
No kidding. Upon entering the enormous lounge, the entire Guard descended on him without mercy. Cherry actually squealed as she hugged him and Nate pat his back, sighing in content as he held a small glass of wine. Melvin embraced him tightly, Lorcan and Lysander raised his arms as if he had won a wrestling match, Lancet sat back against a chair with his eyes half-closed, smiling all over and enjoying himself. Roxanne whooped happily as she kissed his cheek. Mark, Alex, Eric, Fauna, and Aries all had small smiles, waiting their turn to hug him tightly. Not one day passed when Albus was not tightly embraced by someone, anyone, for whatever reason. He hadn't really finished anything, yet he led the effort that did. He directed a group that helped finish the war, he nearly died himself, his own group saw fewer casualties than the DA, and till now, he was still active. He still tried grinning modestly.
Mark and Albus hugged tightly, Aries actually clapped his hand in approval and Alex actually kissed his forehead. Upon receiving so many whoops, cheers, offers of wine which he turned down, and his own kids wringing his hands eagerly, Serpens actually grinning in hopes of attention as Albus' first born son, positioning himself beside his father. Cleopatra did the same with her father while Hades looked between the two curiously. Alexis embraced him tightly and kissed him on the mouth as if they were getting married again. He actually went red with her for the first time in years. So, he hugged her back.
The front door opened and in came Pierre next. He had a small smile on his face as he walked in with only his young son for company. Next came the Vulneromans, all three kids looking quite happy. Who walked in next was the Nott family, Neil and Sierra. Neil still sported a scar from where he was bitten and slashed but he held Sierra's hand tightly, very tightly as if a part of him inside was still, till now, afraid of letting go. Sierra held him back but with them were their two kids, Nero and Nelli Nott. "Alright, mate?" Albus asked quietly to Neil.
And Neil silently nodded, as quiet as ever he was, and said with the smallest of voices, "Somewhat."
And behind them was Sierra's brother, Seth Lean. Seth had changed in the past two decades. His face was somewhat neutral and stern but his eyes were no longer as empty as they once were. They did have emotion behind them, but it was not in any way positive. They were deep and threatening, almost cold. Only Albus really trusted him and he managed a small smile as he walked in. Close beside him was Maria. She blew out a sigh as she walked in first, and two boys clutched her hand. The more people walked in, the more the Guard cheered. Serpens ran to greet Seth's boy, Todd. The two stood, talking quietly. Next, came in Frank and Cherry. Hugo embraced Albus tightly and Lily even tighter, their relationship still running high and strong as ever.
Melvin sighed with his eyes rolling as some members sniggered. Apollo took a seat on a beanbag which he Charmed to float up easily. He still looked younger than anyone, his physical growth stunted as a result of his overly long life, aging very slowly. Yet, he still spoke quietly and in a soft voice his greetings. Nobody knew what he was up to in his private life. Serpens had rumor from Todd that Apollo was married with two very young kids but she never came, and he never said anything. Agnes Shafiq was not a member though they loved her company due to her incredible stories to tell her during her travels around the world. With Apollo was his very young kids Hephaestus and Hera, aged four and three respectively.
Finally, they sat down with the cake and wine, the kids sent out to the grounds as the Guard sat and talked like they always did. Catching up, telling stories of their adventures if they had any, and of course, celebrating the marriage of Lucas and Libra, the only two people who were actually more like honorary members, just because they too had their share of adventures, especially those that took up freelance jobs in the small bar Lucas and Libra ran for jobs the Ministry could not do. The one place of its kind.
"It's like I always say," Seth said neutrally as Albus took a seat. "Potters are Jinxed."
Albus' eyes moved on over to him bemusedly as Serpens walked outside alongside Alabaster. He was not exactly his cousin but for all intents and purposes, with Mark and Albus being foster brothers, they were raised as such.
"So, anyone heard about my escapade up Mount Kilimanjaro?" Nate asked casually.
"Who wants to hear of the contributions I made to Alchemical wandlore?" Maria asked.
"I could talk about my defeat of the Undead army racing through Africa last month," Aries threw in.
"I think the first thing we have to address is the defeat of the Nundu that terrorized the same area," Mark added.
"What were you doing there?" Fauna demanded. "Your kids were worried sick for a week. How am I supposed to explain that their mum and dad went on a suicide mission?"
"It was not a suicide mission," Aries scoffed as if that was the stupidest accusation she had ever heard of.
"If it was fully grown, we might've had trouble," Mark admitted. "This one was a young one. And we had about half the country's Auror force backing us up."
"Why a Nundu though?" Lysander asked curiously. "I had heard they reek of many different specimens of Ilbogs. They can actually kill an entire village."
"Yes, we like to call that its breath," Lorcan emphasized sarcastically. "It kills."
"You can't possibly think the breath alone kills," Lysander told him in what was supposed to be a reasonable tone of voice. "It'll have many different toxins of Ilbogs in it that cause such fatalities. Witches and wizards should stay away from them. We don't have the counter-curse yet."
"Erm… yeah," Mark said slowly, his eyes drifting over to Lysander. "We don't. But we do have the skills and curses ready and necessary to take them on. So, what we did was trick the Nundu into a false sense of security. Aries sent the bodies of the undead she had to attack. Vampires, Inferi, that sort of thing, and let them populate a deserted village I evacuated. You know how the Nundu likes to eat the dead. So, we poisoned the bodies and allowed them to walk around under Aries' spell."
"Insanely dark magic," Seth told Mark. "Just thought you should know."
"She wasn't controlling them, it was a Charm," Mark said quickly. "And I lured it to the village and provoked its deadly breath. Aries lifted the Charm and the Nundu thought it killed them all so it went in and ate them. The poison weakened it and then we were able to subdue it with a simple Conjunctivitus Curse along with some whacky spellwork from Aries."
"Reminds me of my hike up Kilimanjaro," Nate grinned. "But this one didn't have Nundus, it had some weird magical creature I wanted to talk to Lila about."
Lila Oxcraft, a red-haired woman with a couple of freckles and tails falling on either side, looked interestedly, speaking with a strong American, southern accent. She was there on invite from Lysander but nobody knew what sort of relationship they had. She spent most of her time in the States, managing the wide and large Oxcraft farms. She took any interest in rare creatures, hoping to be the first one to bring it into the farms and breed them. "What did they look like?"
"Like little walking rocks," Nate said frankly. "Looked like a cross between a spider and an actual rock."
"Or it could've been a Charm gone wrong," Lorcan suggested to her. "We could look into it though. Bring one to your farms for studying and breeding."
"Or both," Lysander suggested. The Quintapeds were a spell gone wrong, so might this."
"Then it's a breach on the International"-
"Lucy, honestly," Lorcan rolled his eyes.
"We'll go next month," Lila suggested. "I believe my brother Derek wanted a hike up a mountain so this might be a fine adventure."
"Alright, I'll jot it down on our agenda," Lysander said happily. "Lorcs, you coming?"
"The mountain air is"-
"Yes, you are," Lysander interrupted, jotting his name down too as Lila laughed at Lorcan's affronted look. Then, Lorcan looked up, "Just one question. Who was responsible for the Undead army to begin with?"
"Well, Neil put me up to this one," Mark smirked. "Posted the job in Lucas' freelance place. A vampire charmer by the name of Milo McPhee. He animated the Inferi and I told Aries about it and thought we'd take the job up. That's sort of why we managed."
Neil got pats on the back which just made his shoulders tense briefly upon contact. Sierra smiled at him and straightened herself up, forcibly reminding Albus of her way of dressing when she had stolen an artifact and tried selling it just one year ago. He looked up curiously, "So, did you enjoy your first year? Do we stay with your deal or do we… explore other options?"
"Do I have a choice?" Sierra asked in mock-surprise. "I was under the impression I either teach your infernal school or I go to Azkaban."
"You already served a year in school," Scorpius told her. "Serve another and we'll see about your additional year."
"Keep me in," Sierra sighed.
"She enjoyed it," Albus told a laughing Scorpius. "She just won't say it."
"She did enjoy it," Lancet smirked from the corner he was sitting. "And she's one of the best teachers th"-
"Lancet, shut your face or I'll show you how good a Dark Arts practitioner I can be," Sierra threatened.
"Simon, zip it up now!" Proxima demanded making Hugo jump. "Honestly, you had a glass. Somebody stop this guy!"
"Simon, leave some," Scorpius sighed. "We don't want any craziness tonight. It's the wedding. And you're staying over so cool it."
Simon smirked guiltily as he pushed the bottle of wine away. As he did so, Gabriel turned to Albus, "So, who saw the Quidditch game yesterday? Anyone reckon the Bats will claim this year?"
"No, the Appleby Arrows will massacre them," Hugo chimed in. "And if they don't, for the record, it's because we went easy on you cause Flarity is sick and they didn't replace him with the best reserve on season."
"Don't justify your loss before it happens," Gabriel sniggered.
"I'll go to support the Arrows," Albus volunteered. "That should give them morale. Gonna support me, Alexis?"
"Sorry, Al, I love you, but I love my Ballycastle Bats more," Alexis said sympathetically.
"Way to support me in my hour of need."
"We're gonna crush your team," Hugo smirked.
"You mean how you crushed the Tutshill Tornadoes last quarter? Or was it the other way around?" she asked.
The Guard whooped and oohed as Hugo caught Albus' eyes and raised his eyebrows over a smirk. Hugo had ended his Quidditch career two years ago but still played part-time, when he felt up to it. Both Albus and Hugo were very active in the field but the two of them also enjoyed Curse-breaking. Hugo seemed to read Albus' mind, "So, Peru next?"
"That's where Alexander told me it is," Albus shrugged. "We'll know it when we see it."
"It's in a bunch of ruins is all I kn"- Alexander was interrupted by a new arrival.
Lucas Potter stood uncertainly at the door of the lounge. Beside him was Libra Malfoy and they looked awkward but well-dressed. They looked ready but Libra had not yet put her gown on. Not yet. Scorpius turned slowly and Libra took a deep breath, "Are- are we ready?"
Lucy looked at her watch, "Fifteen minutes."
"But the guests will arrive soon," Scorpius added. "We'd better get ready. Alright, guys, it's been real. Get ready. Get the outside ready, light up the grounds, and make sure this lounge has sleeping bags for the tens of kids there are. The upstairs is already being tended by the House-elf so the family can stay. Oi, Al, Lily, help me a bit?"
"Need anything?"
The sofas and couches and beanbags all flew to the side at a wave of Apollo's wand and Aries conjured up sleeping bags. Exactly sixty-seven of them, one for each kid of the Guard. Luckily, the lounge was big enough. The entire Guard got to work immediately, readying the Manor as the additional guests would arrive soon. And Lucas turned to Libra. "Ready?"
"Don't back out on me," Libra told him in a small voice.
"Never. Will you?"
"Not on your life," Libra smirked.
"Alright, then, Libra Potter, let's go…"
These were the best moments of Albus' life. Better than adopting Mark as a brother, being pinned against the wall by Alexis as if she was about to kiss him, hearing stories from his Uncle Charlie, Christmas with his family, winning the Quidditch cup, or presiding over a Guard who was now so well-loved, Albus felt guilty receiving the majority of the praise. Albus would always love the moments with all his friends the best. He would live in constant contact with them, all of them loving him as he loved them. These days were the best and he would never, ever forget them. Ever. He loved them all.
Outside…
"Hades just has issues," Alabaster offered sympathetically. "If it means anything, I doubt you'll die. He just likes making predictions, it's really more guesswork. Uncle Apollo said it himself and he's the authority on Seers."
"It's not death I'm worried about," Serpens said as they watched over Ara Greengrass and Artemis Wallader playing in the grass and jumping in a pile of leaves. "It's where he gets those wacky ideas to begin with."
"I saw him readin"-
"Serp," a voice said quietly. Serpens didn't jump, he just turned. Todd Lean was standing, leaning against a pine tree. "Your cousin is here. Get ready."
Serpens sighed as he looked at the gates. Raphael Blackberry had arrived, looking really good. So that was it. The wedding would start, and then his Hogwarts career. That reminded him. "Any thought to the house you'd like to make?"
"Gryffindor," Alabaster smirked. "Of course."
"I hope I make anything but Ravenclaw," Serpens offered. "And Leo seems to think I'll make Slytherin cause of my name."
"Well, what would you like to make?" Todd asked as they walked the grounds towards the area where the wedding would be held.
"Hufflepuff, I guess. Or Gryffindor."
"Hufflepuff?" Todd and Alabaster exclaimed at once.
"What's this I hear about Hufflepuff?" Cleo asked, joining them from inside.
"Serp says he wants Hufflepuff," Todd provided.
"Shut it!"
"Serp's an idiot," Cleo scoffed.
"Serpens, you always called me by my name, don't stop now," Serpens told her.
"You have no problem with Todd calling you Serp," Leo reminded him.
"Todd is Todd, you're my friends!" he reminded them, making Todd raise his eyes bemusedly.
"Thanks, Serp. I'll remember that," Todd said with a tiniest of smirks.
"What about you?" Cleo asked Todd. "What house would you want?"
Todd was silent, not saying a word just yet. They watched as more and more guests started arriving. Now the gates opened up and other people aside from the Guard came in. Their privacy was beginning to be compromised. Todd answered with a single statement, "I wasn't aware I had a choice. I have ancestry, remember."
"So does dad and he was a Gryffindor," Alabaster said.
Todd had a smirk this time, "Oh, I never told you the story of how my father brought the snake out of the lion?" He proudly started recounting the story, to which Serpens actually enjoyed listening to, even if he was certain they were completely exaggerated. Was Todd serious? Did he really think they'd believe him? Or was there an ounce of truth behind his words? Serpens did not know for sure. All he knew was that if Todd loved bragging about his family so much, truth or no truth, he probably would do well in Slytherin.
Serpens' Hogwarts career would be brilliant. He had friends, he had family, and he had backup. Cleopatra had an arm on his shoulder as he broke off from his grandmother. As they took their seats and Serpens embraced his family, he was certain of one thing. Whatever happened the next day, whatever path was paid out before them, he could genuinely not wait.