Believe it or not, but this is the last chapter of this story! It's finally finished! It gives me a real sense of happiness and accomplishment to be able to mark this as complete.

This in unbetaed as of yet.

Hope you enjoy it and leave a review on your way out ;)

Chapter 27: Epilogue

"Ariana, would you please explain why your brother was literally on fire?" Marvolo asked, doing his best to make sense of the facts presented to him.

The second Dumbledore brother had walked in on them and had promptly lost his control and human appearance. He had transformed into a Veela like creature, except the flames hadn't harmed anyone. Once Ariana had calmed her brother down, or rather scolded him into behaving, he had become mostly human again. The only things that gave away his creature side were his youth and the feathers instead of hair.

For the life of him, Marvolo couldn't think of any Creature, or even Beast, that matched all of these characteristics. Had Dumbledore been Veela his flames would have burned instead of soothed. And Veela didn't have the gift of Eternal Youth. Ifrits typically didn't have bird features. There were no other associations between birds and fire in any mythology, magical or otherwise, except for… But no, that was impossible. It had to be!

He looked at the Dumbledore siblings, his beloved still reprimanding her guilty looking brother, and felt his whole world shift. "Ariana," he tried again. This time his voice got her attention and she smiled apologetically at him. "Beloved, when were you going to tell me that the Dumbledores are phoenixes?" he asked, keeping his voice deceptively calm.

Ariana blushed deeply, stunned Marvolo had figured out the family secret so quickly. Of course Abe had practically handed him all the facts on a silver platter, but still! No one had ever guessed correctly before. She didn't really know how to respond, luckily Abe was quicker to gather his wits.

"Solved the family secret, huh. Albus did always complain that you were too smart for your own good. Of course, he meant that you were smarter than him and he never could stand people outshining him. Not that I made it very difficult, should have prepared myself better…" Abe's voice trailed off. No doubt he was lecturing himself internally.

She couldn't quite repress a smile at seeing her favourite brother behave as he'd always done. Grumpy and sarcastic fit Abe to a t. Even as a teenager he had been an ill-tempered old man in a youthful body. Abe had cared more for animals and Beasts than human interaction, actively shunning people if he could get away for it. Ariana could only hope that he hadn't been completely alone over the years. The Secret created natural barriers and Abe really didn't need any more of those.

"So, Albus's phoenix was himself? Or was it just a normal phoenix he'd found somewhere and bonded with?" Marvolo asked with a frown.

Ariana gasped. "No! Please tell me he didn't do that! That he wasn't that far gone!"

She looked at Abe, desperate for him to tell her she was wrong. That he had found another phoenix to spend his life with. But Abe refused to meet her eyes and that told her everything she needed to know. She sunk to her knees, feeling sick. Her vision watered.

"It's all my fault," Ariana whispered brokenly. "If I had been more careful that day, none of this would have happened. My fault."

She felt her soulmate picking her up, saying something, but it didn't really register. The only thing she could think off was that everything was her fault. Papa, mama, Albus, Gellert, and Abe had suffered because of her. Even Marvolo had been trough so much that could be traced back to her. Because she had been so insistent to play outside.

"Ariana!" A smack on her cheek reached through the fog of her panic and brought her back to the present. Once again she was cuddled on Marvolo's lap. Abe stood in front of her and Marvolo was trying to glare him to death. Softly she touched her painful cheek before turning to Marvolo and bringing his face to hers.

"It's alright. I needed that," she said. The tension in his arms faded though the glare remained.

"It's not your fault, Ari." She wanted to deny, but Abe grabbed her hands. "Listen to me! It was not your fault! You were a child! Blame Father for not making sure the wards were up, Mother for not keeping an eye on you, or even Al for reading instead of playing with you. You are the only blameless person in this whole sordid history!"

"He's right, love," Marvolo reassured her. His magic cloaked her, calming her down completely.

She couldn't help but say, "But Albus, the fight…"

Abe cut her off decisively. "That's all on me. I confronted Al with his neglect of you and the fact his plans were frankly disgusting. I fired the first spell. Gellert reacted to me threatening his soulmate and before we knew it, it had turned into a full-blown battle. You stumbled into the middle, attracted by the sounds and colours. Gods, Ari! We thought you were dead! And each of us thought themself guilty of firing the fatal curse! It broke both of their hearts and both fully expected to follow soon after you. Al couldn't handle the pain or the guilt, and when he separated himself in an effort to dull his feelings, his bond with Gellert was damaged beyond repair."

They fell silent, each contemplating the absolute mess that was the Dumbledore's history. A postal owl swooped in and pecked Abe until he paid and took the newspaper. As the owl flew out he threw the paper on the bed, to which Ariana had relocated after scolding Abe. Curious and in need of distraction Ariana picked up the Daily Prophet. Seeing the article on the front page she gasped loudly and dropped the paper like it had burned her.

Blood pounded in her ears and she was gasping for breath. Her heart raced in her chest and she broke out in cold sweat as the picture transported her back to that awful place. She felt like throwing up, even as the edges of her vision blurred.

Then Marvolo's magic cloaked her and she felt safe again. She threw herself in his arms and buried her head in his chest. His strong presence kept her grounded as her days of that prison flashed before her eyes.

She ignored their pleas to tell her what happened in favour of curling up in her beloved's embrace. She couldn't deal with this. Not now. So she shook her head when Abe asked her what was wrong. Tried to focus only on Marvolo's magic, on the way their magic mingled together.

She heard from far away as if through water, Marvolo asking Abe for the newspaper. He didn't let her go though and she focused on that, instead of… She shivered violently, before pressing her face even harder against his chest. Maybe if she tried hard enough they would become one in body as well as in soul.

"Ariana," Marvolo coaxed softly. "Love, this woman. Is she the one who did this to you?" She knew he was talking about the picture. Words failed her, so she nodded against his chest. He'd understand.

And he did. He didn't let her go as he called for the nurse. Nor when the nurse poured some potions down her throat. And when she allowed darkness to claim her he was laying right beside her.

Dolores woke with a start. She looked around in confusion. This was not her comfortable bedroom, decorated in pink and lace. The walls were stone, clad with chains and moss instead of plates with kittens. She was restrained by one such pair of iron manacles. Her arms twisted at an uncomfortable angle. Nor was she wearing her new nightgown, bought specifically to seduce Cornelius. Someone had dressed her in old, ratted robes. They looked more like prisoner garb than anything suitable for the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic, she observed with cool detachment.

Footsteps echoed through the dungeon. And before long the new Lord Slytherin was standing before her. He smirked down at her. "Hello, Madam Umbridge. How do you find your new accommodations?" he asked.

She crinkled her nose and answered, still with that same unnatural calmness. "Quite inadequate. Surely an important Lord as yourself could receive his guest in a more suited place?"

"But of course. However, you are not a guest, Madam Umbridge. You are a prisoner, my prisoner to be exact," he responded, still with the same polite tone, as if they were merely discussing the weather.

"Excuse me? I'm not a prisoner. I'm the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic and his future wife. You have no right to keep me here like this." She tried to shout, but her voice refused to go louder. Her anger kept dissipating and really, he did sound very logical, didn't he?

He laughed as her inner struggle became visible on her face. "I'm sure you are wondering what is happening to you. I gave you a modified Calming Draught. One keyed to me. You are unable to feel anything beyond polite disinterest, unable to find my choices outrageous, and unable to express yourself as you would like to. How do you like being not only a captive, but a captive inside your own body at that?"

"Why would you do this to me?" she asked. It infuriated her that she was unable to get angry, but even that emotion slipped through her fingers before she could focus on it, hold on to it.

"Why indeed. Tell me, Dolores." The way he presumed to be on a first name basis should have been oil on the fire. "Do you remember this girl?" He showed her the picture of a pretty, blond girl.

"That is Ariana Dumbledore," she answered honestly, against her wishes.

"Correct. Oh, if you're wondering, I also gave you a modified version of Veritaserum." He smirked.

"Veritaserum is highly controlled by the Ministry. You have no business giving it to innocent people." Dolores tried to be indignant, but how could she when it was so logical to give her some?

"Ah. But that's the clincher, isn't it? You are not innocent. In fact, I sincerely doubt that anyone in your family line was innocent." She couldn't even deny it. "Now that we have established you know Miss Dumbledore, why don't we discuss your and your family's role in the events of the last century? For starters, why did you imprison Ariana Dumbledore?" he asked pleasantly.

"I merely kept up the work of my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. It was of the utmost importance we kept her asleep in the crystal coffin." He didn't seem pleased with her answer and she tried to make him understand. "You see the Dumbledore's tried to pass themselves off to society as a normal wizarding family. Even though Percival married a mudblood instead of my own great-grandmother. But that's not the worst. They, the males at least, were Creatures." Even with the Drought in her system, distain coloured her voice.

Lord Slytherin raised one brow. "Were they now?"

She nodded eagerly, misinterpreting his interest. "Indeed. My great-grandmother found out when she cursed the girl, Ariana, to punish Percival for refusing her."

"And how did she curse the girl?" he asked.

Thinking he would soon come around to see her side and congratulate her on her family's cunning plan, she babbled on. In her eagerness and induced calm state, she didn't see the warning signs of his body language.

"You see, she enchanted the girl to disrupt her control over her magic. After she had gotten three muggle boys to beat her up for displaying it in the first place. But then Percival arrived and she witnessed his disgrace, and she knew the sons must have it as well. At least he went to Azkaban," she finished with a sneer.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Why did she leave the Dumbledore's alone for such a long time? I assume she had more planned."

"Oh yes, however, her brute of a husband took her to the Continent for years. Only after his death was she able to return and complete her revenge. By then the oldest, Albus too many names Dumbledore, had become engaged." She scoffed. Why anyone would want to marry a Beast was beyond her understanding. "So she altered her plans. The youngest son was an prime target for an spell that heightened his anger and once they all got to fight it was easy to make the girl walk into the middle and fake her death."

"Why keep her imprisoned?" He really did ask all the right questions.

She preened. "She was to be a failsafe. Should the other two manage to build up their happiness again, she was to be used."

"You are a fool of the highest degree, Dolores Umbridge."

She looked up in surprise at the sudden switch in tone. But before she could express that an oppressive feeling of dread fell over the room. She panted as she curled up against the wall and shivered uncontrollably.

"My lord." A raspy voice addressed Lord Slytherin, who looked down at her with disgust and loathing in his eyes.

"Fenrir. Feel free to have fun with this one. Just remember to let out the Dementors when you're done. They are hungry." His voice was cold cruel.

"Thank you, My Lord," the werewolf answered before giving her a toothy smile. Dolores knew she should be panicking but the Calming Drought still prevented her from feeling anything but disdain for his filthy appearance and sharp, yellow teeth.

The screams wouldn't start until almost four hours after the Dark Lord left the basement in an abandoned mansion of one of his followers. One that housed the Greyback pack and temporarily also a horde of hungry Dementors.

Madam Umbridge's body was never recovered and the news of her disappearance after being fired from the Ministry in disgrace was soon forgotten. With no immediate family, her possessions were seized to compensate the Creatures she had harmed with her anti-Being laws. Not that plates with kittens and ugly doilies proved very valuable.

What wasn't quickly forgotten was the announcement of Lord Slytherin's courtship of Ariana Dumbledore. The papers were filled for weeks with the meagre details reporters had found about the youngest Dumbledore's reappearance and her whirlwind romance with the handsome Lord Slytherin. Lady Malfoy herself had confirmed their soul bond and the whole magical world watched with bated breath.

Many reporters bemoaned the intense need for privacy from the couple, as this meant that the required dates and gift couldn't be discussed. Even worse was the fact they had an intimate ceremony with only close friends and family present before taking a long honeymoon outside of Britain. For months the papers were filled with nothing but speculation about the particulars.

Until of course the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament came around and all the gossip connected with the champions…

It's possible I will write some post epilogue scenes if you ask nicely and I find the inspiration for it. But as it is, I consider this finished