EPILOGUE

They bought the pub—that ramshackle shell of a building where it all began.

The Muggle owner of the land had been incredulous that such a young couple would want to bury themselves away in the wild, lonely highlands, but perhaps he saw the haunted look in their eyes; he shook them warmly by the hand and wished them all the best.

Mrs Weasley, however, hadn't been about to let them get away so easily. With a mix of magic and plain hard work, she and the rest of Fred's siblings helped them patch up the pub, scrubbing away layers of dust and grime until the walls shone white in the sunlight and the building wasn't in danger of falling about their heads.

And then, after they'd christened it with several shots of firewhiskey, after the rest of the Weasley clan had staggered one by one into the Floo, Fred and Pansy sat together on the doorstep, drinks in hand, to watch the sun go down over the loch.

"I thought," Fred said after a little while, "that you wanted to go away."

When Pansy glanced at him sideways, he shrugged.

"You know," he said, expression guarded. "Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, where you can forget all of this ever happened?"

Oh. She remembered their conversation now, right in this very spot; it seemed almost a lifetime ago.

"We are in the middle of nowhere," she pointed out, making him tut and roll his eyes.

"You know what I mean," he said. He'd smiled as he said it, but there was a hint of tension in his voice, and she realised that he really was concerned that she might leave him. That she might decide he reminded her too much of the terrible things they'd witnessed, and walk away.

She cupped his cheek in her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised. "Not without you, anyway."

He exhaled, eyes softening visibly.

"Good," he said. "Because I'd follow you anywhere, love. You know that right?"

She kissed him then, because why would she want to go anywhere else, when everything she had endured, all that they had been through, it had led her to this moment? To him?

She drew back, reached up to brush that scruffy red hair from his face, and smiled.

"Right here is fine with me."

THE END

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please drop me a review to let me know if you did.