This will be my last chapter of the entire Hogwarts Mystery Chronicles fanfic, followed by an epilogue. Now I know the Hogwarts Mystery Beyond expansion just got released, which goes into the main character's life as an adult outside of Hogwarts, but I've decided not to do a fanfic adaptation of that because I'm frankly burned out. But if there's a strong enough demand, I might reconsider it. Also for this chapter, I'm going to be doing my version of the side-quest where the main character talks to the ghost of Rowan. I thought it would be a nice bookend to the series, since it began with Rowan and so I feel like it should end with her. Once again, thank you so much for reading and supporting this fanfic all these years!
Chapter 50: The Last Goodbye
"Geez!" Claire said once the Apparition was over. "A little bit of warning before you Apparate someone, Moody! Just like the time when you grabbed me at the end of Fifth-Year."
"You'll get used to it," Mad-Eye Moody said.
Looking around, Claire realized she and Moody were standing at the train station platform in Hogsmeade. While she was looking around, she once again thought someone was standing behind her yet nothing was present.
"I'm actually here to offer you a job," Moody abruptly said, causing Claire to look directly at him. "There's…a division at the Ministry that works on the most difficult cases. It's called the Rare, Obscure, and Confounding Case Division, also known as ROCC, and they only accept the best. You can't talk about any case you work on, nor acknowledge the existence of ROCC since they operate outside of the Magical Law Enforcement's control. Interested?"
"You said they only accept the best," Claire pointed out. "Do I even qualify?"
"If you didn't, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. You have a proven track record for breaking difficult curses, and have a wide range of skills that would be useful to ROCC. They're looking for people who can solve the unsolvable, and you fit the bill quite nicely. Not many are offered this opportunity, Claire, so I would take it."
"What if I decided to be something else, like an Auror? Or a Curse-Breaker?"
"Fortunately, you won't be dedicated to one area of expertise in ROCC."
"So I can be anything I want, and all I have to do is not say anything about the cases I'm working on. But how does ROCC get cases if they're so secretive?"
"They usually get cases from other departments in the Ministry. I've even had to refer some tough cases to them in the past."
Claire thought about Moody's offer until she came to the answer she wanted. "All right, I accept ROCC's offer."
"I knew you would say that!" Moody beamed. "See you at the Ministry soon."
Just as Moody was about to Apparate, Claire stopped him. "Wait! Have you found my dad, or the amulet?"
"We couldn't find anything, so we've called off the search."
"You mean….my dad is truly dead, and the amulet's gone forever?"
"Never presume anything. But for now, I would suggest thinking about your future such as getting a new flat — preferably in London."
Once Moody Apparated away, Claire found herself walking along the train station until she came up to the iron bridge that rose over the rails. Beyond she could see the Hogwarts castle as the moon began to rise over the Black Lake.
"It looks like things did work out for me after all," Claire said to herself. "Not only did I get a job, but now I'm going to be moving away from home and experiencing life outside of Hogwarts. But should I move out? I mean, my brother still needs me."
"You shouldn't let your brother decide your life for you."
Flinching, Claire looked to her right. Standing next to her was Rowan, who was transparent looking two years younger than Claire was now.
"Rowan!" Claire exclaimed. "Is that really you?"
"Last time I checked, I'm still me," Rowan said.
Claire was about to hug Rowan, but noticing her transparency she refrained. "How long have you been following me?"
"Always, but I kept my presence hidden until today."
"So all those times where I thought I was being followed…that was you?"
"Yep!"
Seeing Rowan's smile made Claire feel her repressed regret over what happened in the Forbidden Forest. "I should've figured you would be following me, even after — "
"Please stop blaming yourself for my death," Rowan insisted. "I made my choice, and I accepted the consequences of my actions."
"Then, you're not mad at me for becoming Head Girl in your place?"
"Not at all! In fact, I was quite honored that you did. Because I knew you were doing it for me."
"Even though it was your dream…."
"But through you, I can live my dream since your name will be forever in Hogwarts' Trophy Room. Now as for your dream, you should definitely take that job with ROCC and move to London. It would be way more convenient since the Ministry's right there, and all your friends will be in the general area."
"You're right about that. But I don't want to leave my brother behind."
"Then take the weekends to visit him! I'm sure ROCC employees get some time off."
"Probably," Claire realized. Then she said, "I'm surprised you've only decided to show yourself to me and not Ben."
Rowan looked guilty. "I wanted to talk to him, but his bitterness over my death made me think it was best for me to stay away."
"Why?"
"Because my appearance would have thrown him further into despair."
Claire thought about Rowan's decision and realized she made the right choice. "Yeah, I could see that happening. Ben was already in a bad state of mind at that time, and if you appeared like you're doing right now…he might not have gained the courage he needed to lead the Circle of Khanna to victory."
"Exactly!" Rowan then moved closer to Claire and put her transparent hands around Claire's shoulders. "Now's the time to move on, Claire. But don't forget your past."
"Of course I won't," Claire said.
She hugged Rowan where she approximately was, and felt tears rolling down her closed eyes. Then when she opened them, Rowan was gone. But at her feet lay the scarf with the ball-shaped tassels, which Claire swore she had packed in her suitcase at Hogwarts. Picking the scarf up, Claire put it on and walked back to the Three Broomsticks.
To be concluded…
