Muggle Studies

Epilogue

Riding off into the sunset, folks!

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They stayed inside their room with William the whole time until they had to go back to Hogwarts. Thankfully, by then William had been allowed by the Ministry to also go back to his regular life in Bruges - and seemed better prepared for it too.

It hadn't all been fun and games in the last months since then, though. Plenty of people now recognised Nayme in the streets, especially in Hogsmeade, and a few of them did seem scared or even hostile towards her and, on occasion, Severus. It had been easier to shrug that off than she had anticipated.

Especially since they had both been acquitted by the Wizengamot - and awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class - and Shacklebolt had indeed come through with his promise to back them up, so the real hassle was taken care of swiftly. Also, there was talk of a political reform and a review of the Statute of Secrecy, just as they had hoped there would be.

Rita Skeeter's "Jerdespreet" hit the bookstores with a bang. It had been read through and approved by Nayme and Severus prior to publication, thanks to Hermione's influence over the animagus journalist ever since the Triwizard Tournament (aka blackmail; upon hearing about that, Severus had muttered something to the effect of Hermione perhaps having been sorted into the wrong house. The young witch had blushed but didn't seem to take it as an offense).

The students were delighted to contribute; McGonagall wasn't at all pleased by Skeeter's presence in Hogsmeade (as she was still banned from Hogwarts), but accepted it as part of the important process of breaching the barriers between muggles and magic folk.

When Minerva saw them for the first time since London, she had blissfully refrained from the infamous "I told you so" and simply ran to them and hugged them both for a long time, right in the middle of the main hall.

There were a few students around and, of course, Peeves flew by in delighted mockery - "How cute! Mother hen McGonagall and her chicks Snapie and Adamsy". When Severus shifted uncomfortably (like a child going "mo-ommm..." and squirming to get away from a public display of affection), she just pulled him closer and said, her scottish accent at its thickest, "Oh, just endure it, Severus Snape!" So he did, with a sigh, finally giving into it completely.

He was indeed beginning to enjoy that, he realised, to his utter dismay.

They had had a conference with the portraits in her office narrating their adventure in London; Skanderberg and Spore were particularly delighted that their input had led to such a successful turn of events.

Roz and Nick's wedding was really beautiful; at the end of the reception she saw Severus talking to Rosmerta's husband alone in a corner. "He wanted me to teach him," he explained when she asked him what that was about, later on. As she still looked puzzled, he added. "My... trick." He said. Nay choked on her champagne, laughing. She would never suggest it, but it should be a subject of the sex-ed classes.

That should be taught in the sex-ed classes. But he would never say it, or Nayme might ask him to teach the dunderheads himself. If no one else even knew how to cast a proper obice he was fairly sure he would be the only one to know how to have dry orgasms.

Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Ron were now safely back to their normal lives. During the summer, Molly had invited them for an evening in the Burrow with them all and it had been very pleasant - Severus had played chess with Ron ("He is indeed a decent player," he had remarked to her afterwards) and debated elven liberation politics with Hermione, and even talked about quidditch with Harry and Ginny, the latter having just been made captain of the Holyhead Harpies.