Epilogue

TESS/THERESA

"Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know, singing . . ."

Alexa leaned forward in the car and tapped Tess on the shoulder. "Please turn this off."

"Come out upon my seas," Tess went on. "Why? It's a good song."

"It's not when you play it all the time," Sadie contradicted.

"It's not my fault it's on the radio constantly," Tess snapped.

"Girls," Indigo cautioned, taking a hand off the steering wheel to place it on Tess's arm. "Please stop arguing!"

"Okay, Mom," Tess said, resigning herself to silence. She looked out the window, into the cold, rainy, foggy Pennsylvania air. It had been a year since the Battle of Hogwarts, a Draco Malfoy-less year. Indigo had taken Tess in and they had moved to Pennsylvania to get away from all the Wizarding excitement. They still practiced magic in the safety of their own home, of course. Indigo had just decided to move away until everything calmed down a little.

They were driving through Honeybrook, which was just outside of Exton, on their way to the Muggle library. Tess peered out at the sidewalks, taking into her inventory every single person she saw. She'd seen the man in the gray suit six times in the last seven days (they went to the Muggle library a lot, and the post office), and was wondering if she'd see him again.

She didn't, but she did see someone in a black outfit: black dress shoes, black jeans, a black leather jacket, a black turtleneck, and a black hat over black hair. The build reminded her of someone, but she didn't know who.

And then she realized it.

"MOM," she shrieked, making Indigo yelp and pull the car sharply to the side of the road. "MOM LET ME OUT!"

"What for?" Indigo demanded. "Are you going to barf?"

Tess stared out the back window, watching the hunched figure walk further and further away. "No, let me out!" She jabbed the unlock button on the passenger door and snatched her wand off the dashboard, then skidded out of the car and took off running. As she neared the figure in black, she nearly shouted his name. But that might trigger the instinct to run away.

She pulled up beside him and pretended to look at a shop, taking in his features in her peripheral vision. Pale skin, dark eyebrows fixed in a half-glare, pointed face, and gray eyes. No one had gray eyes like that. No one but him.

Tess swallowed and stepped in front of him. "Excuse me, but is your name Draco Malfoy?"

He stared at her. "Who the hell are you?"

Tess tried not to feel hurt by this statement. It was definitely him. He probably didn't recognize her because she'd changed her hair, dyeing it a few shades darker and slicing it off at her chin. They'd both tried to change their appearances. She decided to answer truthfully. "Theresa Emily Mica Eleanor Olive Ingrid Wilford-Jacques."

He stared down at her. "How did you find me?"

"I wasn't looking for you," Tess snapped. "You're the one who walked away from me at the end of the battle. Did you realize how much it hurt?"

"It hurt me too," Draco said. "I wanted to make sure my family was safe, though."

Tess nodded. "Yup. I understand. And then you left, just BAM out-of-here-bye. What did you do to your hair?"

Draco reached up, fingering the dark strands. "I dyed it. So did you. Your hair, I mean, not mine."

"Tess," Indigo called.

"Look," Tess said hurriedly. "My mom doesn't like me hanging out with wizards other than her and Sadie and Alexa. Give me your phone number, your address, your email, whatever, and we can keep in touch that way."

"I don't have any of those," Draco said, glancing swiftly over his shoulder. "But I can meet you at the library any day of the week between one and six."

"Tuesday," Tess decided. "Meet me there or you're bacon. See you!"

She stepped around him and dashed back down the sidewalk to her mother and waiting adopted sisters.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE LYRICS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.

A/N: Oh, goodness, is it over already? It took me about three weeks to write and maybe two days to upload. You guys have been supportive and kind with your reviews, so just a huge thank-you to everyone who has read this. You're amazing! I hope to be writing again soon, so keep an eye out for my work, please! :)