Chapter 34 - Epilogue

Five Years

"James," I began with a shaky voice, inhaling sharply and trying to keep myself composed. "For the first five years I knew you, I absolutely hated you."

My words earned severely chuckles from those who watched.

"But when I needed someone, it was you who was there for me, in the end. With you by my side, I learned how to love and grow. And you don't go through something like that without becoming attached to that one person. I stand here, before everyone, and promise to you that every day I will try to be worthy of your affection. In your eyes, I have found my home. And in your heart, I have found my love."

"Rosie," he said, brushing his long fingers over my cheek. His pet name for me warmed me, bring a faint blush to my cheeks. "You are the moon to my stars. You are the sugar to my coffee. You are the buldger to my bat."

The congregation laughed.

"You are my other half. I can't imagine being without you. And I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you." He held up his hand. "I pinky swear to love you forever. To walk by your side, to hold your hand, to guide you back to the light when you are trapped in the darkness. I love you, Rosalie."

The priest summoned the rings, which the best man Albus delivered, and had us slid the other's ring on. "I hereby declare you bonded for life. The groom may kiss the bride."

The largest smile that had ever graced my face found its way to my lips. With great exuberance, James pulled me to him and his lips met mine. The crowds of friends and family stood as they cheered, clapping for the both of us. But I couldn't hear them; my attention was only for James.

"I give you James and Rosalie Potter!"

Breaking away, breathless, he grinned and took my hand. As if he had just one a battle, he lifted up my arm into the air and I let a laugh bubble out of my mouth. Then, James wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me once more.

It had been done. I was married to James Potter.

It was the happiest moment of my life.

Seven Years

The flat was small and tightly fit. It smelled of mahogany and wet paints. With a smile, I ran my fingers over the freshly painted wall and grinned. "Wow, you and Freddie did a really fantastic job."

"Don't sound so surprised," James said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "But, yeah, we did do a pretty fantastic job."

"Show me our room?" I asked.

His eyes glinted with mirth as he led me to our bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, it was compact, yet it had a homey atmosphere. Our bed nearly covered the entire floor, save for a small space for the dressers and a pathway that outlined around the skirt of the bed. The walls were a light shade of green, and the bed comforter matched. The window, which claimed most of the wall opposite of the doorway, looked over the bustling city.

Sighing heavily, I plopped myself down onto the bed. James soon followed, stretching out his arms over his head. "Can you believe it? We're finally here, Rosie."

"No, I don't believe it. It's perfect."

Exhaustion rolled over me. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I'd laid down.

"Tired?"

"You have no idea," I grumbled. "You gain an extra thirty pounds and then you will know my pain."

He chortled and his hand found my stomach. "Hasn't even been born yet, and he's already being a little bugger."

"She," I corrected pertinaciously.

"He."

I threw him a look, but ended the bickering by not retorting. After a moment of silence, I wrapped my fingers around his and held my swollen stomach with a maternal pride. "Just another month, and we'll have a baby."

"Weird," James commented.

"A little." I turned my head, peering up at him. I noticed some stubble growing on his face, and with my free hand I ran my fingers down his jawline gently. "Are you scared?"

He sighed, also turning his head to face me. We were close enough that our noses were almost touching. "Maybe. I don't know. If Teddy can be a father, I don't see how I could be any worse."

"Your words inspire such confidence."

James laughed. "Yeah. They're going to have a hard time with Nymphadora. I heard her hair's already changing colors. When she's mad, it turns red. At least they have Andromeda to help out."

"And Victoire's pregnant again." Inhaling deeply, my chest rose and fell. "I wonder if she's going to have another Metamorphmagus."

"How many kids do you want to have?" he asked me.

"Let me give birth to this one first. Then I'll get you an answer."

"Because I would prefer to have a small army of children," James said fondly. "Maybe some of them would be ginger!"

I snorted with a smile on my face. "Yeah, okay. We'll see."

"So, I was thinking that we should name him Sirius," he continued. "Or maybe Arthur."

"If it's a boy, we are not naming him Arthur," I chided.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like that name."

"I'm offended."

"No you're not, you tosser." I slapped his arm. "Besides, it's going to be a girl, so we don't even have to worry about boy names." Contemplatively, I added, "How about we give the baby an original name?"

"What?"

"A name that hasn't been used," I said thoughtfully. "Break tradition a little bit. We could come up with our own name for the child. It doesn't have to be a family name."

He thought about it briefly. "I could do that. I like that idea."

I smiled.

"Did it hurt?" James asked.

"Did you not hear my screeches of pain?" I snapped. "Yeah, it was pretty fucking painful, pushing an infant out of my fucking-."

"Okay, no, don't use that word," James said, shivering slightly. "No, no."

Wiping beads of sweat from my forehead, I allowed myself to be swallowed up into my blankets and pillows. I waited with impatience for the healer to bring back our child, wanting to know with desperation the sex of the baby. I had waited nine months; I was done being patient.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter?" The healer trudged into the room, holding a bundle in her arms gently. "Are you ready to find out if it's a girl or a boy?" She smiled.

James stood up, peering at the baby. "What is it?"

I laughed, despite my state at the moment, at his choice of wording. "We're reading, Madame."

She delivered the child into my arms, and instantly I felt complete. It was like my heart had been missing a piece, and only the baby could have put it back together. With it in my arms, I was whole and so incredibly joyous. I forgot about the pain, totally disregarding it. Because as soon as I saw the child's face, I knew that no amount of pain would have kept me from it.

The healer said to James and me, "It's a baby girl."

"Fucking knew it," I said with a grin as I coddled the baby.

The woman seemed appalled by my language. James didn't even say a word about being wrong; he seemed entranced by her, the new addition to our family.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"What if I drop her?"

I smiled. "You won't. Go on, take her."

Tentatively, he scooped the little bundle into his arms. A smile claimed his features. "Hello, baby. It's okay, Dada's got you."

Something wet leaked from my eyes. I wiped my hands over my face; I hadn't realized I was crying. I didn't bother to compose myself, a pure happiness rooting itself within me, a happiness that couldn't be destroyed by anything.

"A name," he said lightly. "She needs a name. Gwenog."

"We are not naming her after a Quidditch player," I said to him.

"It was worth a shot."

I stared at her. She was sleeping, cradled in James' arms, tiny breaths puffing in and out of her mouth. He leaned over, so I could get a very good look at her face. It was too early to decide who she looked like the most, but she was absolutely the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. Maybe I was being biased, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Willa," I said decidedly. "Willa Potter."

His face contorted for a brief moment, at first evidently disliking the name. But, as he rolled the name on his tongue, he stopped his protest. "Willa," he repeated, trying it out. "Willa. I like it, actually. Willa."

"A middle name?"

"Willa... Ginevra. Willa Ginevra Potter. That way, we'll follow tradition just a little bit. And my mum won't chew me out completely."

"I came as fast as I could!" came a voice from behind us. I craned my neck to find a flustered Lily Potter straightening herself, cheeks tinted pink and hair blown from her face. Breathlessly, she said, "Where's the baby?"

James turned his body, showing the bundle to Lily. Just as she began to coo, another form entered the room. His turquoise blue hair gave away his identity and he grinned.

Handing off Willa to Lily, James embraced Teddy. "Welcome to Fatherhood!" Teddy shouted.

The nurse shushed him up.

"Oh, right." He grinned sheepishly. "Welcome."

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked me, holding Willa with a sweet smile on her face.

"Tired. But I'm alright." I reached towards her, and she let me take Willa into my arms. Nestling the newborn, I could feel her heartbeat against mine. The feeling was familiar to me; I had felt estranged without it.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Teddy asked James, and Lily turned to listen in.

"A girl," James said proudly.

"Her name?" Lily prodded.

"Willa Ginevra," he declared.

"It's perfect!" his sister squealed quietly. "James, I'm so happy for you!" She hugged him.

"Where's everyone else, then?" Teddy questioned.

"We wanted you two to be the first to arrive," I explained from my spot in my bed. "Because we have something very important to tell you."

"What is it?" the redheaded girl inquired, brown eyes widening.

"James and I have made you two Willa's godparents," I revealed happily.

Lily smacked James' arm. "No way! No way! Merlin's beard, I'm a godmother!"

Laughing at her reaction, I took a moment to observe my happy family. Cuddling Willa to my breast, my arms wrapped lovingly around her, I couldn't remember one moment before that had made me feel so utterly completed.

Twenty Years

The coal black Hogwarts Express whistled shrilly. Crowds of students and families swam around the train, the crowd thickening as more and more appeared on platform 9 and 3/4.

"Have you put your things on the train?" I asked Willa and Sirius.

They both nodded in unison.

Willa shouted, "I see Nym!"

On cue, Nymphadora turned and waved to Willa. Running to greet her best friend, they embraced, as if they hadn't seen each other in years, when the reality was they had seen each other just the night before.

"Where's Ethan?" Sirius pouted, crossing his arms. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Don't worry, he'll be here soon," I assured my only son. "You know Jared and Kate, always running late. Oh look, there's Auntie Rose and Uncle Scorpius!"

James, who was standing beside me, peered over the bobbing heads of the sea of strangers. A pair of arms were wrapped around his neck, and occasionally I would catch a glimpse of Hadley and her coppery hair.

"What can you see from up there, Hadders?" James questioned playfully.

The five year old hoisted herself higher. "I see a train!"

"Anything else?"

"It's a nice train."

"Good to know."

There was so much commotion that I found my head spinning. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my posture and tugged my family towards Teddy and Victoire. Willa and Nym chatted animatedly beside the two, the latter's hair a vivid purple.

After familial greetings had passed, Hadley climbed down from James' shoulders and tried to bud into the thirteen year old girls' conversation. Her hair, brown but tainted with Weasley orange, was tangled, but she had stubbornly refused to brush it that morning.

I held back a laugh as she vied for their attention.

"Has Andromeda already left for Beauxbatons?" I asked Victoire.

The blonde nodded. "Yes, she left earlier this week."

I made to reply, but the words left me as I strayed from her and my eyes found two familiar faces. Faces I hadn't seen in a very long time.

Dressed in handsome robes, her hair curled and pinned up, was Mariette. Beside her was Sophie Goulding, and in between them was a young child, most likely entering his first year of Hogwarts.

She caught my eye. We stared at each other for a moment, her eyes capturing me. Finally, she lifted her hand and waved gently, and the smallest of smiles upturned her lips. Slowly, I waved back, and she turned out of sight. Letting out a short breath, I looked down at my hands.

It was the first time I'd seen her in over twenty years. And she had smiled at me.

"Was that your sister?" James inquired, craning his neck.

Nodding, I sighed. "Yeah. It was."

The train whistled again, startling me. "Alright everyone, it's time to get onto the train!"

Willa bounded away from Nym and wrapped her slender arms around me. "Bye, Mum! See you at Christmas!"

I kissed her forehead. "Be safe. Be smart, Willa. Look after your brother, it's his first year."

"You'll be fine, Sirius," James said dismissively, ruffling his hair. "Unless you're put in Slytherin. Then we might have to disown you."

"James!" I snapped. "You can't just say that!" I held Sirius by his shoulders. "Listen to me, it doesn't matter what House you are put in. I used to think it did matter, but it truly doesn't. I was Slytherin, your father was a Gryffindor... who knows, maybe you won't be either. Maybe you'll be a Ravenclaw."

"Okay, Mum." Sirius gave me a toothy grin, and also hugged me.

"I'm going to miss you. You better write to me, you hear?"

"Yes, Mum," he groaned, pulling away. "Oh, look, there's Ethan! Bye Dad!"

Peeking through the crowds, I caught a glimpse of Kate and Jared. I waved to them as Sirius and Willa departed from me, and Kate gave me an eccentric wave in return, eyes widening and a happy smile appearing on her face.

"I want to go, Dada!" Hadley cried out, climbing up James to get a good look at her siblings as they climbed onto the express.

"Not this year, sweetheart," James said. "Wave goodbye to Willa and Sirius!"

Children flooded onto the train, and soon it jolted, the whistle blowing once more before it set into motion. Hadley flailed her arms as Willa and Sirius shouted their goodbyes in return. They positioned themselves in a compartment with Nymphadora, Ethan, and Cassiopeia Malfoy, whose blonde hair was a frizzy mess.

"Bye bye!" Hadley yelled.

The train started to roll away, and before we knew it, it had left the station. As the crowds began to dispatch, the Hogwarts Express now gone, I turned to James and Hadley.

"Ready to go home, Hadders?" I asked her.

"No," she said, crossing her arms. "Dada promised ice cream."

I gave him a look.

"How do you think I got her into the car?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I rolled my eyes.

A box sat at the edge of the bed, opened, its lid discarded on the side. I had rummaged thoroughly through it, and items were scattered everywhere. There were mostly photographs, but among them were plenty of other things. It was my Memory Box, something I had started years and years ago. It was a collection of things I held very dearly in my heart. Things I never wanted to forget.

There were photographs of my children, taken at different times in their lives. Willa, when she was four, covered in flour because she had been snooping in the kitchen. Sirius and his master collection of Chocolate Frog cards. Hadley's floating head, the rest of her body wrapped in James' invisibility cloak.

The girls were more like James, personality-wise, Hadley more so. Sirius was like me, in a lot of ways, for the better and for the worse.

I studied their faces in one of the pictures. It wasn't moving, like most photos in the wizarding world. It had been taken with a Muggle camera. The there of them were lined up, in height order, staring at the camera with smiling expressions. They all had different hair colors, something that had always amused me. Willa's was a light brown, Sirius' dark like mine, and Hadley's was the color of copper.

Sighing, I stashed it away. I dug up a picture of a family, from over twenty years ago. They wore stiff expressions, their clothes lavishing, their postures rippling an aura of superiority.

It was the Flints. Marcus, Calliope, Marcus the second, Mariette, and myself. It saddened me, knowing that three out of the five had passed away. Both of my parents had died before I could ever reconcile with them. A part of me hated myself for it, too.

My eyes swept over the image of me. I was fifteen in that picture; young and beautiful. But terribly unhappy. I looked angry, so angry. And I looked sad.

"Taking a trip down memory lane?" James' voice broke the tense silence. He leaned up against the door frame, arms crossed, watching me.

Nodding, I showed him the picture. "Just thinking."

He walked over to me, taking the photo and glancing at it, before putting it away. He sat next to me, and we both collapsed onto the bed, our shoulders touching, our legs sprawled out on top of scattered pictures.

James' hand wrapped around mine, and I averted my eyes to him.

"You're still pretty beautiful," he said, after a moment. "For an old person, that is."

"I am not old!" I retorted. "I'm only thirty seven! Which is... not old."

James laughed, lifting his free hand and tucking some hair behind my ear. "Is that a gray hair?"

I shoved him away as he chortled to himself. "Did you come in here just to make fun of me?" I fired. "Because if that's so, you're not allowed to hold my hand, wanker."

"I'm only teasing," he laughed. "I'm just teasing!"

"Well, I don't think it's funny!" I clamored, slapping him again.

Folding his legs, he faced me. His eyes traced my features; my eyes, my nose, my lips. He grinned, laugh lines creasing as he did so. And it dawned on me that, perhaps, we were a little old. Just a little.

"Come here," He offered, patting the spot beside him.

Begrudgingly, I sat next to him. "You're not allowed to call me old. Not unless you want to sleep on the couch," I warned him, readjusting my position next to him.

"Deal. Besides, I didn't really come here to talk."

"Then what did you come in here for?"

"Hadley's in bed, asleep. Willa and Sirius are gone..."

The suggestive tone cause a grin to sprout on my face, and I pressed my lips into his before he could say anything else. His hands cupped my face as we fell backwards once again.

A/N: And there you have it, folks. The end of Venomous. I actually might write up a family tree thing, just to clear up confusion and whatnot.

But, anyways, thank you so much for all of your reviews and continued support! This is officially my first finished multi-chapter fanfiction. Ever! WEee! Thank you so much!