74. What Happens Next

"It's over, Mum. You Know Who's dead. We won." Callie had Apparated to the nearest muggle town to find a phone and tell Susanna to get her arse back home as soon as possible. The woman had burst into tears when Callie called, and hearing her mother's voice for the first time in almost a year had left the girl a blubbering mess herself.

Once Callie had assured her that she was all right - that everything was going to be all right from now on - Susanna told her that she'd need a week or so to get things settled at the hospital before coming back. "I love you, baby," she cried. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mum. I'll see you soon."

In the meantime, she had joined in with the rest of the Hogwarts defenders to begin repairs on the castle. She stood in the entrance hall one day looking down at a pool of emeralds that had spilled from the broken Slytherin house point hourglass. I want one, she thought, recalling how she'd told Tracey she liked to collect things. She plucked up a sparkling green stone before returning the others to their place and mending the glass. One out of hundreds. Nobody'll miss it.

Family members of the deceased had shown up at the castle to identify their loved ones and bring them home for burial. Andromeda Tonks was one of them, and Callie was sure that if it hadn't been for her grandson, the woman wouldn't have been able to go on. Not only had she lost her only child and her son-in-law, but her muggle-born husband had been caught and killed two months prior while on the run.

"That poor woman," Hermione remarked with a heartbroken expression on her face. She and Callie and a few others were sitting in the Great Hall, and Mrs. Tonks had left Teddy with them as she went to have a moment alone with her daughter.

"I want to be there for the burial," Harry said. "And I ought to stay with her for a couple of days. Make sure she and the baby are all right."

"Go on, mate," Red replied, patting his shoulder. "We've got this."

Callie would've liked to have been there too, but she was waiting to hear back from her mum about when she'd be arriving in London. "Harry," she said, standing up and pulling the photo of Teddy from her pocket, "make sure Remus has this when he's buried. It was on him when he died."

He took the photo, and Callie gazed down at the blue-haired infant in Ginny's arms. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked. Callie nodded, and the girl stood up to hand Teddy over.

"Bloody hell, I think this is the first time I've ever held a baby," the Slytherin said.

"Then you're a natural, I guess," Hermione replied with a grin. "He seems to like you."

The newborn held his chubby arm out and grabbed Callie's finger, and she watched his Metamorphmagus eyes shift from red to yellow, calling to mind one of her mother's mood rings from the '70s. "You're special," she cooed. "Just like your mummy and daddy."

She could see a bit of Lupin in him as he smiled up at her, and her heart ached once again for the man who had been her first crush. Christ, he's really gone, she thought. And just like when he'd left Hogwarts in third year, she didn't get to say goodbye.

Struggling to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, she said in a shaky voice, "Somebody take him, please." Hermione came up and pulled the baby from her arms, and as Callie began to weep for her former teacher, Harry stepped over and brought her in for an embrace.

"He's gone," she said, crying on his shoulder. "They're all gone." Tonks, who had given her blonde hair and Liz Taylor eyes. Fred, who'd never failed to make her laugh, and who'd assured her that she was a good person, one of them, that night the D.A. had been caught. All the others...

Harry was rubbing her back in a comforting manner as he whispered, "I saw him the night of the battle. Remus." Then, even lower, "After he died." Callie pulled back and gave him a puzzled look. He went on, "He was there in the forest when I went to meet Voldemort. And my mum and dad and Sirius."

For just a brief second, she wondered if the boy had gone mad. But then she thought, Hell, stranger things have happened. "How is he?" she asked.

Harry smiled at her as he replied, "He's all right. They all are."

She leaned in to hug him again, and said, "Thank you. For everything." Then, shaking her head to herself, "Christ, how do you properly thank somebody for saving the whole God damn world?"

When he returned to the castle after spending a few days with Mrs. Tonks and Teddy, he took her aside and said, "I've figured out how you can thank me, if you're up for it."

She cocked a brow and joked, "You're not about to proposition me, are you?"

With a laugh, he replied, "Come on, now, be serious. I've talked to Andromeda. Lupin and Tonks made me Teddy's godfather, but they didn't name a godmother. I wanted to offer it to you."

Callie was dumbfounded. "Wh- Me?" she exclaimed, and Harry nodded. "Why me?"

"Well," he said, "for one thing, I know how much you cared about Lupin. Hell, you even saved that picture to make sure he was buried with it."

"Yeah, but... you're choosing me? Before Hermione or Ginny or anybody else?"

"There's another reason," he continued. "It's also my way of thanking you."

"For what?"

He hesitated for a second, then explained. "For saving Snape."

Callie scoffed, shaking her head to herself. "You're actually grateful that stone-brained son of a bitch still walks among us?"

"I talked to him," Harry said. "We've actually... come to some sort of an understanding."

Callie did a double take. Unbelievable. Apparently he'd called a truce with the boy who he'd hated for years, yet he'd rather be dead than to look at her "detestable face" again?

With a sigh, Harry went on, "I would've hated not having the chance to get to talk to him again, knowing what I know now." His expression turned pensive as he muttered, "I never had any idea that he..." Trailing off, he looked back at Callie and said, "Anyway, I don't know what's gone on between you two, but I am grateful that you went back for him."

Shrugging, she replied, "At least somebody is."

He took her hand in his as he asked, "So... will you do it?"

She couldn't believe he was offering her this. Godmother to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks' son? That was an honor she felt entirely undeserving of, but she'd promised Lupin that the boy would be okay. "You're sure about this?" she asked.

"Positive."

A small smile curled her lip as she said, "You know I'm going to be the one to take him for his first tattoo, right?"

Harry chuckled and remarked, "I feel like Tonks would appreciate that, actually."

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The fact that Harry and Snape had mended things between them gave Callie a bit of hope that the latter had calmed down enough to speak to her like a human being. He'd been released from the hospital wing, and according to McGonagall he was still in the castle. The woman had informed her, however, that he'd stepped down from his position as headmaster, and the Transfiguration teacher had assumed the role herself.

"But he hasn't left Hogwarts?" Callie asked.

"No," McGonagall said. "Frankly, I don't know that he has anywhere better to go."

Callie went down to the dungeons and knocked on his door. "Professor Snape?" she called out. No answer. "Come on, I know you're in there. Open the damn door." Still nothing. Throwing up her arms in frustration, she said, "So what, you're just never going to talk to me again, is that it? Why, then? Tell me what I did to piss you off so badly!"

Silence.

Sighing to herself, she went on, "This is bullshit. You're mad because I got the better of you. That's what it is, isn't it? That I got you in a position you couldn't get out of, and I forced the truth out of you. That you're not as untouchable as you thought." Once again, silence.

She banged her fist against he door and yelled, "For Christ's sake, Snape! Do you have any idea what I went through all those months when I thought you were one of them?! From the moment I found out you killed Dumbledore I was broken! I barely even cared that he was dead, I only cared that-" She cut herself off, realizing that tears had begun to fall down her face. Wiping them away, she went on, "I didn't wanna believe it. I refused to believe that you were capable of that. And when everybody else was mourning Dumbledore, I was mourning you!"

If he really was on the other side of that door, then he was continuing to ignore her. She leaned against it and slid down to the ground, thinking, I can sit out here all night, you stubborn bastard.

"I finally managed the Patronus Charm," she said. "Wanna know what did it?" She paused as if waiting for him to respond. "Finding out the truth about you. That very same night I finally got it." Just as she'd expected, nothing.

Despite the fact that she was simply talking to herself at this point, she went on, "I was a wreck. Between the Carrows, Grabbe and Goyle, the D.A... my mum, my bat... the whole bloody war... I was losing it, Snape. I had nothing left to hold onto." She paused, shutting her eyes as she thought back on that night. "Until I found out about you. It was the only thing that kept me going. I never would've gotten through all this otherwise. You saved me, too."

She gave it a minute, then said, "At least give me some sign you heard all that." For a moment, nothing, but then a house-elf, who she recognized as Saffron, appeared.

"Master Snape has ordered Saffron to tell you he's retired for the evening, ma'am, and that he wants nothing more to do with you."

Callie simply stared at the elf, before she got up on her feet and sighed. Hesitating, she stood close to the door and said, "If you're still listening... I know I'm not 'nothing' to you. I have never been just another student to you. And you know it too, Severus."

She stepped back and made her way off. One way or another, she was going to get him to talk to her eventually.

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Susanna Warbeck threw her arms around her daughter so tightly that the girl was surprised she hadn't broken bones. "Oh, my God!" the woman exclaimed, bursting into tears. "I thought I'd never see you again. These last ten months have been hell!"

"Yeah? Wait 'til you hear what I've been through," Callie replied.

They didn't go home - they went to Hogwarts instead. "I didn't know muggles could get in here," Susanna remarked, looking around the badly damaged castle. Reconstruction was still going on, and it was going to take a while before everything was back to normal.

"Ordinarily you wouldn't even be able to see it from outside," Callie informed her. "And there are charms that would repel you, but since I brought you to it..." She trailed off with a shrug. "Just like when Daddy would bring you to Diagon Alley."

"Ah," the woman said. "Christ Almighty, what the hell went on here?"

"Exactly that," Callie replied. And then she spotted McGonagall across the way. "Professor!" she called out, waving her over. "I'd like you to meet my mother, Susanna Warbeck. Mum, this is Minerva McGonagall, my Transfiguration teacher, and the new headmistress."

The women shook hands, and McGonagall said, "We've met before, actually. What was it-" she scrunched up her face in thought "-four years ago?"

Callie furrowed her brow and asked, "You have?" looking between the two.

Cocking a brow, Susanna replied, "You don't remember? The infamous slap?"

"Oh, right," Callie said, recalling how Dumbledore and McGonagall had met with her parents at the end of third year, after the latter had struck Callie for calling Snape a bastard.

"Not exactly my finest moment," the headmistress said, blushing. Then, to Susanna, "Dr. Warbeck... words cannot express the gratitude, and the pride, that I have for your daughter. You and your husband brought up one of the strongest, most courageous, outstanding young women that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She risked her life fighting for our cause. Not once, but twice. I myself wouldn't be standing here if not for her - she pushed me out of the way of a Killing Curse last year."

"Bloody hell," Susanna breathed, glancing over at her daughter.

"And let me be the one to inform you both," McGonagall went on, taking Callie's hand and giving it a squeeze, "that she - along with the rest of her fellow soldiers - will be receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class."

Callie's mouth dropped open. "Really?" she asked.

McGonagall smiled at the girl and explained, "For your exceptional bravery and dedication to the wizarding world." Then, she pulled Callie into an embrace and said, "Thank you."

The Slytherin introduced her mum to all her friends, then took her on a tour of the castle, asking if she could see the ghosts. "Uh-uh," the woman replied, looking around curiously. "Can you?"

"Oh, yes," Callie said. "That's my old history teacher over there. Good afternoon, Professor Binns!" She waved to the pearly white figure as he floated past them.

"By George, I'll bet it's been a century and a half since I've last seen a muggle!"

Smirking, Callie told Susanna, "He's delighted by you. Oh, and would you like to meet my house-elf?"

"Your house-elf?"

They came to a halt as Callie called out, "Puffy?"

Susanna jumped as the creature appeared out of nowhere. With a bow, he greeted, "Mistress Warbeck."

"And Dr. Warbeck," she said, gesturing to her mother. "Mum, this is Puffy. I got him from Mrs. Longbottom. He's sort of been my partner in crime over the last few months."

"Hello, P- Puffy," Susanna said, extending her hand apprehensively.

The elf looked from her to Callie, who said, "Go on, it's all right. Shake her hand."

He did as told, though he seemed a bit scared. It occurred to Callie that, as a house-elf, he'd probably never been offered a handshake from a human in his life. Summoning one of her blouses from the dormitory, she knelt down before him and said, "All right, partner, I'm going to leave it up to you - you can either be free or you can go back to Augusta. Your call."

There was a hint of sadness in his sapphire blue eyes as he asked, "Hasn't Puffy been a good servant to Mistress Warbeck?"

Smiling at him, she replied, "Puffy has been indispensable to Mistress Warbeck. But I don't want to own you. I don't want to tell you what to do. I want you to decide for yourself." She held the blouse out to him and concluded, "But I'm hoping you'll take this."

He kept still for a moment, eyeing the piece of clothing and looking as though he were debating with himself. But finally he reached out to claim his freedom, wrapping the blouse around his shoulders as he said, "Puffy is going to miss you, ma'am. But Puffy has been with Mistress Longbottom for nearly forty years. Puffy has come to love Mistress Longbottom."

"Will you let her pay you, at least?"

"No, ma'am. Puffy needs no incentive to remain with Mistress Longbottom. Nor will he allow himself to be sold back to her. He is going to return to his home of his own volition, so long as the Mistress will still have him."

"She will," Callie said. "And I'll come and visit you."

Though he'd been afraid to accept her mother's handshake, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Callie. "Thank you, ma'am. Mistress Warbeck has been kind and merciful to Puffy."

She kissed the top of his head and stood up, nodding to the elf as she said, "I'll see you soon."

He bowed to her once more, and Disapparated.

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Many aurors had been lost over the course of the war, and as a result, Kingsley Shacklebolt had decided to relax the requirements for new recruits to the training program. Ordinarily, one needed to have achieved at least five N.E.W.T.s, all with a grade of either O or E, in order to get in. But now, anyone who was of age and had participated in the Battle of Hogwarts was welcome to join.

Neville had jumped at the chance, along with Harry, Red, Seamus, Ernie, Susan, Padma, Michael, and Anthony. "When do you go?" Callie asked her boyfriend.

"As soon as possible," he told her. "Apparently the situation is pretty desperate. Shacklebolt told us to do whatever we had to and get down to the Ministry within the next few days."

Callie sighed, looking out over the grounds as they stood upon Ravenclaw Tower. "And what's training like?" she asked. "I've heard it's intense."

"Yeah," he replied in a somewhat dispirited tone. "The first few months are sort of an immersive experience. We'll be isolated from the outside world, focused entirely on training."

"Hmph," she breathed, shaking her head to herself. "And how long, exactly?"

He hesitated, his eyes on the ground as he said, "Six months."

"Bloody hell. Just when I thought we'd have some time together."

"I'm sorry," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I haven't officially signed up yet. The idea of being away from you for that long is the only thing holding me back."

She looked over at him, struck by that comment, but before she could respond he continued, "I don't suppose you'd wanna join, too? You're a hell of a dueler, and you're an Animagus, that'd come in handy."

"Probably," she agreed. "But I think I've had my share of fighting bad guys. I'm tired."

He bowed his head, remaining quiet for a moment, before he said, "Tell me not to go and I won't."

When she didn't respond right away, he looked up at her, and they simply stared at each other in silence before she put her hand to his cheek and said, "I don't wanna be the thing that holds you back." For the millionth time in the last two weeks, she felt her eyes moistening.

"Don't cry," he said. "Don't tell me to go and then start crying. That's only going to make me wanna stay."

"You aren't staying," she insisted. "No matter how much I cry." She paused to wipe a tear away, then took a deep breath as she continued, "You've always said you'd follow me anywhere. But you're not a follower. I saw that in the way you led the D.A. this year, the way you stood up to Voldemort. You're not the nervous little boy who needed me to hold his hand through Potions anymore."

Considering that, he said, "No, I guess I'm not." Then, taking her hand in his, "But I would've been nothing without you, Cal. You pushed me, you built me up, you made me better than I ever thought I could be. You made me feel like I was worth something when no one else did." He buried his fingers in her hair and concluded, "Everything I am is thanks to you."

She took a moment to study his face, to breathe in his scent, to savor the feel of his skin against hers, and then she pulled him in for a kiss, wondering how in the hell she was going to get through the next six months without seeing him or speaking to him. "I love you," she murmured, pressing her forehead again his. "And you're going to make an excellent auror."

"I love you, too. I always have."

"Just give me one more night, okay?"

He gave her a small smile and said, "I was hoping you'd say that." Then he nodded to the pocket of her robes and asked, "Are you ready?"

With a sigh, she replied, "Yeah." She reached in and pulled out the little box that held Bela's remains. Neville stood at her side as she opened it up and tossed the ashes off the tower, watching them dance on the wind and disappear. "Rest in peace, baby," she whispered.

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Winslow told her she was welcome to join the healer training program in August, despite the fact that she'd never sent in an application. The N.E.W.T.s had been postponed until July, and as long as she scored the necessary grades in the required subjects, he would have a spot waiting for her.

However, she'd replied that she had just spent seven years in school, and that she needed a break before she went for seven more. "Well," he said, "whenever you're ready, just owl me the word."

"I will. This won't be the last you see of me."

"I hope not. The Alchemy Room is calling your name."

She smiled and gave him a hug goodbye. He was on his way back to London. "I shouldn't be doing this," she said. "I still kind of hate you."

"Yes, well... you're not the only one," he replied in a somber tone.

"You're being stupid," she said as she pulled away from him. "You could give it a chance."

"Callie, we've been over this," he sighed. "I'm sixteen years her senior-"

"And what difference will that make when you're a hundred and she's eighty-four?"

"Bold of you to assume we'd be together that long. I'm married to my work. And she hasn't experienced anything life has to offer. She's not going to settle down at nineteen years old, and even if she did, she'd regret it. Believe me."

Callie folded her arms and gave him a pointed look. "Katie Bell," she said, "is in love with you."

"She barely knows me," he countered. "She spent all of two weeks in the hospital after she got her mind back. We talked a few times and I suppose she idolized me because I was one of her healers. But that isn't love - it's infatuation."

As he grabbed up his bags and made to get going, Callie said, "And it couldn't hurt to try and let it be something more."

"I'm not going to lead her on. Best to let things lie so she can move on with her life, try and find someone better suited for her."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "You're impossible."

"And you, Miss Warbeck, had best not go meddling in other people's private lives." She scowled at him. Holy hell, he had sounded just like Snape when he'd said that. "Now come on, love, let us not part on bad terms."

With a sigh, she said, "Fine," and extended her hand for a shake. "I'll come and visit you, if that's all right. You can show me the Alchemy Room again."

"Anytime," he said, nodding goodbye.

As he walked out of the castle, she thought, This isn't over. But at the moment, she had her own issues to contend with.

It seemed as though all her friends had everything worked out for them. Neville and Harry and the others had gone off to train as aurors. Hermione, Justin, and Dean - all of whom had missed out on seventh year entirely - were going to return to the castle to complete their education. Even the heartbroken Katie was planning a three-month trip to Paris to study art. But Callie, who'd chosen her path before even coming to Hogwarts, suddenly found herself directionless. However, if she had nowhere to go, then perhaps there was a chance that she might have somewhere to stay.

"I heard Professor Slughorn is retiring again," she told McGonagall when the two met in the headmistress's office.

"Yes, he is," the woman confirmed. "He only came out of retirement as a favor to Professor Dumbledore. Now that the war is over, he's looking forward to getting back to his travels."

"Lovely," Callie remarked. "I was wondering if his position has been filled yet."

The headmistress seemed taken aback by this inquiry. Hesitantly, she replied, "I offered the position to Professor Snape, but he turned it down in favor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts post."

This was news to Callie, who raised her brows in surprise. She wouldn't have expected him to stick around now that his double agent services were no longer needed.

McGonagall went on, "Of course, the Muggle Studies post is also vacant. On top of everything else, I've been in contact with everyone I know who has the qualifications to teach either subject. But few are keen on joining Hogwarts what with the tragedies that have occurred here the last seven years."

"Well, perhaps I can help you with that, Professor," Callie chimed in. "I'd like to apply for the job of potions master - er, mistress."

The woman paused, gaping at Callie. "I- I beg your pardon?" she stammered.

It was a long shot, she knew, but she had to try for it. Setting her collection of samples on the desk, she explained, "Ma'am, in this case is every potion I've ever learned about at Hogwarts. Close to a hundred and fifty, all of them brewed to perfection, by me. I've consistently gotten high marks in the class. I received a grade of O on my O.W.L., and I can guarantee you an O on my N.E.W.T. in July. Professor Slughorn will tell you I'm one of the best student potioneers he's ever seen.

"And I can teach," she went on. "I tutored Neville in the subject for three years, and I brought him from a bumbling mess to a fairly competent brewer. He can vouch for me." She paused, and then corrected, "Or, he could, if he wasn't currently in isolation at the Ministry."

"Miss Warbeck..." McGonagall began, sounding as though she were about to turn Callie down.

But the girl held her hand up and said, "I know I'm ridiculously young to have a teaching position, ma'am. But Severus Snape was only a few years older than I am when he got the job." Again, she paused, watching the woman consider all she'd said. "And as much as it pains me to say it," Callie continued, "he is tops in the field, and almost everything I know, I learned from him, so..."

The two were silent a moment, before McGonagall remarked, "I thought it was your ambition to become a healer?"

"It is, ma'am. Eventually."

"Then why...?"

Callie sighed, trying to come up with the right way to explain it. "Have you ever heard of... prisoners coming out of lockup," she said, "and they sort of have trouble readjusting to civilian life?"

The headmistress couldn't help but chuckle at that analogy. "Are you saying that Hogwarts has been like a prison to you? This past year in particular aside."

"No, ma'am," Callie replied. "Not exactly, I just..." She trailed off, shaking her head to herself. "I guess... I guess I'm just not ready to leave yet." McGonagall studied her a moment, and the girl went on, "Maybe it's the way it all ended. I don't want this past year to be my last memory of Hogwarts."

"I suppose I can understand that," the woman conceded. "But potions mistress... that's quite a responsibility for someone your age."

Callie hesitated, and then countered, "The battle was a responsibility. This would simply be me doing something I enjoy. I need to have something I enjoy again, ma'am." She opened her potions case and waved a hand over the dozens and dozens of vials, all of them different colors, different mixes of ingredients - crystals, plants, animal byproducts swirled together to make something... well, magical. "This is what I've been doing the last seven years. It's my thing." Gazing at the sparkling rainbow of glass bottles, she went on, "I think I've lost some of myself this past year. Everything's changing. I want to have something to hold on to."

She looked back at her teacher with an almost pleading expression on her face. After a moment, McGonagall sat back and said, "I'll speak with Horace, and depending on what he has to say, I'll consider it. But I can't promise anything, Callie."

The girl gave her an appreciative smile and replied, "Thank you, ma'am."

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By the last week of June, Hogwarts was - in a structural sense - almost completely back to normal. Callie was the only student remaining. Everyone else had gone home to their families, or gone on to start their new jobs or continue their education elsewhere. She sat at the edge of the lake with her bags at her side, looking up at the castle one last time as she waited for the train back to London.

"All righ' there, Callie?" Hagrid called out from off to the side.

"Never better," she replied in a far-off tone.

"Amazin', innit?" he remarked. "No one on the ou'side would ever guess wha' happened 'ere las' month."

"Nope," Callie agreed. Nobody in non-magical Britain would ever have any idea an entire war had been going on around them the last three years. Rest well, muggles, she thought. A boy whose name you'll never know just saved you all.

Looking up at the half-giant, she asked, "So what are your plans for this summer, Professor?"

Blushing slightly, he replied, "Olympe - Madame Maxime - invited me ter spen' a couple weeks wit 'er in the South 'o France."

"Hmm," Callie breathed, smiling to herself. "Sounds nice."

"What abou' you?"

With a sigh, she said, "Spend some quality time with my mum, visit my new godson. Take it easy for a while." And wait to find out if she would have a new job come September.

She didn't have to wait for very long, because McGonagall came out from the castle a few minutes later and approached Callie. "You're still here," she said. "I was hoping I would catch you."

Callie checked her watch and said, "Just in time, you are. Got about fifteen minutes 'til the train arrives."

"Then I won't keep you, dear. But I wanted to formally offer you - in person - the position of Hogwarts Potions Mistress."

Callie stared up at the woman, a wide smile spreading across her face. "You're serious?" she asked.

"I've never been one for shenanigans," the headmistress replied. "I would very much like for you to join our staff, Miss Warbeck." Reaching into her robes, she went on, "I have your contract here. You can read it over and owl it back to me."

"No need, ma'am," Callie said, taking it, conjuring a quill and signing her name. She stood up and gave it back to McGonagall, then extended her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

"As do I," the woman replied, shaking Callie's hand and then pulling her in for a quick hug. Once again, there were tears in the girl's eyes when McGonagall released her. With a concerned expression, the headmistress asked, "Callie?"

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she explained. "You and Professor Hagrid-" she indicated the large man at her side "-where the first two people I met at Hogwarts. Nice way to bookend it."

Caressing Callie's cheek in a motherly fashion, McGonagall smiled at her and said, "It's been a pleasure."

Grabbing up her bags, she turned to head off down the trail to Hogsmeade, then paused and looked out over the lake. "Slytherin's element is water," she mused, more to herself than to anyone else. "Hagrid, would you do something for me?"

"Wha's that, lass?"

"You brought me to Hogwarts across the lake. Would you take me back the same way?"

His black eyes were shining as he smiled down at her. "Cer'ainly," he said. He picked up her bags as if they were feather-light and set them in one of his little boats. Callie climbed in, shooting a wink at McGonagall.

"I'll see you on the first," she said, and the headmistress nodded to her.

Hagrid called out, "Forward!" and off they went.

As Callie drifted away from the place that had been her home for the last seven years, she smiled to herself at all the memories it held, and the future that would be waiting for her when she returned.

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Author's note: I cannot believe I just completed an entire, 74-chapter story. Thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, followed... you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Please let me know what you thought of The Only Slytherin. Reviews make my day :)

And, as I mentioned a couple of chapters ago, there's going to be a sequel to this story. If you're interested, I'll post a link to it as chapter 75 once I've got something published.

Take care :)