Hermione was taking slow, deep breaths, rolling her head side to side, and stretching her limbs. To Sirius, she looked like a prized fighter preparing for the championship bout.
"Hermione, you're incredibly calm knowing what's about to happen," Filius said, watching her.
"I've faced him before," she said, stretching her legs one final time. "I know what I'm walking into. This time however, he doesn't know that he's mortal."
Filius nodded, waiting for Kingsley's cue to start firing spells at the Death Eaters. Finally, after what felt like hours, but was merely seconds, the Potter boys felt the wards fall. "Now!" Kingsley yelled after a nod from James. Kingsley threw the front door open, and began firing spells at the Death Eaters quickly running to the door.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione yelled, disarming a tall Death Eater. "Stupefy! Incarcerous!"
"Avada kedavra!" Voldemort yelled, aiming for the witch that had taken down his strongest supporter still out of Azkaban.
"No!" Sirius quickly pulled Hermione out of the way of the sickly green spell, causing them both to tumble to the ground. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said, breathlessly. "Bombarda!"
One by one, the Death Eaters fell to their wands, all of them being disarmed, stunned, and bound. Finally, the only one standing was Voldemort. James raised his wand to the leader of the Death Eaters, as did everyone else.
"Stand the fuck down," Hermione growled. "He's mine."
"You do not scare me girl," Voldemort snarled. "You can't kill me."
"Can't I, Tom?" she replied lazily. "You're talking to the girl that traveled over twenty years in the past to kick your arse. You're talking to the girl that destroyed all your Horcruxes right under your nose. You're talking to the girl that killed you in ninety-eight. You're also talking to the girl that's going to splatter your remains all over ground in seventy-seven."
"How do you know about my horcruxes, mudblood?" he yelled, panicked. "Who betrayed me?"
"I know about the horcruxes beacause I hunted them down," she smirked. "You're mortal, Tom. Nothing can save you now."
Voldemort didn't reply, instead he began throwing every curse he knew at Hermione. Sirius and Regulus threw up shields in front of her, while Remus transfigured a stone into a wall in front of Hermione that absorbed the killing curse, causing the wall to explode.
"I'm done playing games," she snarled. "Avada Kedavra."
Voldemort attempted to shield from the curse, failing to realize she had muttered the killing curse. As the curse hit him between the eyes, he knew she wasn't bluffing when she'd said she destroyed the horcruxes. His lifeless body fell to the ground, his soul, dark grey with an angry red aura, rose from his body, searching for it's other parts. Finding none, his soul returned to his body, where instead of a grotesque mimicry of a man, lay a grey, wrinkled man.
"Incendio," Sirius whispered, pointing his wand at the dead dark wizard.
"He's gone," Alastor muttered, more to himself than anyone.
"Thank bloody fuck," James said, sinking to his knees. "Al, Kings, do you know the identities of the captured Death Eaters?"
"Yes," Kingsley replied, his baritone voice full of gratitude. "Severus Snape, Gregory Goyle, Corbin Yaxley, and Antonin Dolohov. Al and I unmasked them as they were stunned."
"Snivellus," Sirius growled.
"Don't, my love," Hermione muttered. "They'll face trial just like the others before them. Edgar Bones won't take too kindly to their actions today. We've dealt with Voldemort, let the Wizengamot deal with his lackeys."
Kingsley and Alastor cleaned up the mess the fight had left behind, taking the captured men to the ministry, and bottling up the remains of Voldemort, intending to hide them away so no one could ever attempt to revive him.
"Robby," Hermione called tiredly, smiling as the elf popped into the room, on guard. "You can relax, Robby. We've dealt with Voldemort. Please, bring our family home."
Robby nodded, hugged Hermione tightly, and popped back to Hogwarts to collect his family.
The family appeared before Hermione, all talking at once. Finally, Lottie screamed over everyone else. "Did you kill the bad guys, Mione?"
Hermione waited for the commotion to quiet down before answering the girl. "Yes, Lottie. Voldemort is dead and his remaining Death Eaters have been captured."
Lottie launched herself at Hermione, knowing in some way that Voldemort was the reason behind her parents and Lachy's parents' demise. Lachy, not really understanding what was happening, also hugged Hermione. He loved Hermione's hugs, especially since he knew his mummy loved Hermione too.
"It over?" Petunia asked, moving to Regulus to check him for injuries. "Voldemort is gone?"
Regulus nodded and kissed his girlfriend. "He is, we can live our lives in peace."
The months flew past following Voldemort's defeat, and before anyone knew it, it was December. Hermione didn't have to look at a calendar to know it was December first. The amount of Christmas decorations covering almost every inch of Potter Manor told her instead. Beginning on Halloween, Lottie had started a countdown to December first, after Dorea told her that Potter Manor was always decorated on the first of the month.
In the time since Voldemort's defeat, the members of their family that had been awarded Orders of Merlin, with Alastor and Kingsley receiving an additional award of six months' vacation, which they immediately took, both men deciding to take up residence at Potter Manor. The Death Eaters had also had their trial at the Wizengamot, each of them receiving fifty years in the highest security wing of Azkaban, The Wizengamot also chose to finalize Lachlan and Charlotte's adoptions that day, with Edgar Bones wanting the entire governing body to see what could have been taken from the family that day.
Charlotte Euphemia Potter and Lachlan Ian McGonagall were officially adopted with their family watching. The same man that had effectively sentenced four wizards to die in Azkaban was also the same man that delighted in helping Dorea and Minerva officially welcome the two children into their family. It was no secret that this was Edgar's favorite part of being Head Auror and Head of the Wizengamot.
Hermione was jolted back to the present by two small bodies jumping on the bed she still shared with the rest of the teens. "Mummy says everyone needs to get up or we can't go get our Christmas tree today!" Lottie said, emphasizing her point by jumping on the heaviest sleeper, Sirius.
"Tree Day!" Lachlan repeated over and over until every teen was up and getting ready for the day.
As soon as everyone finished breakfast, Dorea instructed the teens to Floo to the Three Broomsticks, where they'd then begin shopping for gifts before meeting at the bottom of the path leading to Hogwarts, where Hagrid had a Christmas tree stand set up. Lottie grabbed James and Sirius, demanding they take her with them because she needed help picking out a present for her mum, since it was her first Christmas as a Potter. Hermione laughed, reminding Sirius he also had shopping to do, before asking Minerva if she could take Lachy for the day, so he could pick out presents for his mum and family.
The group met up three hours later, everyone laden down with bags, but none more so than Sirius. "I think Lottie bought out most of Hogsmeade for her family."
"It's not even that much, Siri," the little girl said, crossing her arms. "Besides, most of those are stuff you bought!"
Three weeks later, on the twenty-first of December, Mipsy went into labor. Hermione, Lily, Petunia and Julia all assisted Dorea with Mipsy's delivery. Her labor only lasted two hours when their ears were full of the sound of a newborn elf crying. Lily cradled the tiny elf in her arms while Hermione and Dorea cleaned Mipsy up and helped the new mother change into a clean gown. Lily handed the baby to its mother when Mipsy asked for the rest of the family to come into the room.
"Patty and I bes wanting to ask Miss Hermione and Mister Siri to bes our baby's godparents," Mipsy said while nursing her baby. "Our baby Dobby bes so special, and he bes part of the new world without bad men."
Oh my god, we just delivered Dobby!
"We'd be honored, Mipsy," Sirius answered for the couple.
"Tilly bes in labor!" Robby said, suddenly popping into the room.
Three hours later, Patty, Mispy and Dobby were joined by Tilly, Robby and their daughter, Winky. "Miss Lily, Master James, wes like you to be Winky's godparents."
James and Lily quickly accepted, while Hermione's mind was still in overdrive, wondering what actually happened to the Potter elves when the Potters passed in her old timeline.
It was finally Christmas. Dorea and Minerva again sent the two youngest members of their family to wake up the teens. "It's Christmas! Jamie, Siri, Reggie, Remy, Mione, Lil, Tuney, Jules, wake up! It's Christmas!"
"Christmas!" Lachy screamed.
The teens all smiled, having set an alarm for six, knowing the kids wouldn't be in their room until seven, and en masse moved up and started a tickle war with the two young kids. "Mione!" Lottie screamed. "Presents!"
The teens laughed and went downstairs with the kids, marveling at the massive pile of presents under the tree Lottie had painstakingly decorated.
The elves, who were taking the day off on the orders of Dorea, gathered with the family, what they didn't know is every member of their extended family purchased each of the elves something, especially the babies.
"Mummy, can I pass out the presents?" Lottie asked Dorea.
"Why don't you and Lachlan pass them out? You can read the tag to him, and he can hand it to whoever it goes to," Dorea suggested.
"Yes! Come on, Lachy," Lottie said, holding the two-year old's hand. "Let's pass out presents!"
Hermione and Remus found out quickly that it's a Potter tradition to wait until all your presents had been given to you before tearing into them like mad. Finally, the last present was given to Winky, and the family all tore into their piles. Remus was touched by the gifts he received, a leather wand holster from Hermione, a voucher for a year's supply of chocolate from Honeyduke's from Sirius, who joked the sweet would be devoured in a month, a beautiful leather journal from Lily and Petunia, a broom servicing kit from James, a heavy winter cloak from his mum, a tailored tweed jacket from Evelyn and Michael, and three newly released defense books from Dorea. The last three gifts meant the most to him though, from Minerva and Lachlan, he received his exam results. "But I haven't sat the exam!"
"Just read it, Remus," Minerva replied, smiling. Inside the envelope was a note from Minerva, stating that the exam board had decided that everyone who was due to sit their exams that had even the smallest part in helping defeat Voldemort automatically received perfect N.E.W.T results. From Julia, he received a small book, titled My Werewolf, My Love.
"It's not some bodice-ripper cheap romance book," Julia explained. "I wrote it, hoping to show the world that werewolves can be in productive, loving, safe relationships."
Remus hugged his girlfriend tightly and kissed her cheek. He saved Charlotte's gift for last. Inside the small package was a drawing of a gray wolf, a small girl with black hair on his back, with the message "Lottie loves Moony and Remus" on top. Under the drawing, he found a stuffed wolf, no bigger than his hand.
"Siri told me that Moony was your wolf," Lottie said, climbing into Remus' lap. "He helped me find a stuffed wolf that looked like Moony. I wanted to show you that I'm not scared of Moony. I love Moony just like I love you, Remus."
The teary-eyed werewolf hugged the little girl he saw as a little sister. "I love you too, Lottie."
Hermione also received so many thoughtful gifts. Her favorite though, was from Lachlan. When the group had gone Christmas shopping, Lachlan insisted on leaving Hermione and going with Sirius, saying "Mione's present" over and over until Sirius understood what he meant. Inside the gift that Lachy had obviously help someone wrap, was a picture frame, with the saying "Best Auntie Ever", holding a memory still of Lachy riding on Hermione's shoulders, both smiling at whoever they were looking at. Hermione remembered that day fondly, it was the first time Minerva had let Sirius and Hermione take Lachy out on their own, the image she was looking at was their reaction to Sirius saying "I love you" for the first time to Hermione. Lachy, being only two, thought he was talking to the boy, and smiled just as brightly as the witch carrying him.
"Lachlan has insisted you're his aunt since that day," Minerva said fondly, looking at the photo. I've tried to tell him you aren't really his aunt, but he still insists."
"If I'm his aunt, then that makes you my older sister," Hermione said fondly. "And I'd be honored to be included in your family."
The rest of the family allowed the two witches and Lachlan to have their moment, only to be interrupted by Lily screaming minutes later.
"Tell me this isn't what I think it is?" she screamed, opening a small box. "James!"
Hermione and Minerva turned to see James kneeling on one knee in front of Lily. "I know we've only been together for a few months, but I can't imagine being with anyone else. You've stood by my side in battle, you went with us to kill a basilisk, you helped take care of my family when we fought Voldemort. I've watched you throw deadly curses at someone and come back and cuddle with a child and help two elves deliver their babies. I've even asked your father for permission, which he gave. Lily, will you marry me?"
"Yes, James, I will," she replied, kissing him deeply. The romantic move was interrupted by Charlotte. "Lily! That means you're my sister now!"
The day after Christmas, the Weasley family visited and exchanged gifts with everyone at Potter Manor.
From Molly, everyone received a Weasley sweater, knitted in their favorite color with their first initial on the front, as well as giving everyone permission to come to the Burrow anytime they wanted to visit, day or night. The teens had all gone together and purchased Molly two of every baby essential, knowing the ones she already had were passed down from other family members, along with gift certificates that didn't have an expiration date for down the road.
Bill, Charlie and Percy had all drawn pictures for their older friends, while Percy had convinced Arthur to purchase a collection of children's books from a muggle shop, as well as practice quills.
Finally, after hours of visiting, playing, and lots of food, Potter Manor was quiet as the Weasleys left, and the teens collapsed on their bed, exhausted.