epilogue (5/5)
The summer months seemed to end abruptly as the morning of September first hit, sending the inhabitants of Shell Cottage into a frenzy. "Dad!" Georgia shouted from her bedroom overlooking the garden, "What did you do with my green flannel? I was going to wear it today!"
"Who says I did anything with it?" Bill called back, standing behind the island-counter in the kitchen and pouring himself and Eleanora steaming mugs of coffee.
There was a racket and a sudden thumping noise from Georgia's room. Bill and Eleanora raised their eyebrows at each other, then Georgia shouted, "You were the last one to do laundry!"
Bill sighed and set his mug down, starting towards the stairs. "Might've put it in your pile," he said to Eleanora on his way out. She shrugged and started adding cream and sugar to her coffee, gazing out the window as she did so. The day was warm and breezy, a light wind blowing across the beach and making the trees up on the hill sway back and forth.
Bill returned in a minute, saying, "It was in her closet. Have you seen her room lately? It's a mess."
"Well, we've got to start thinking of what we're going to do with it when she moves out anyway," Eleanora murmured softly. The fact that her daughter would be starting her final year at Hogwarts was just beginning to hit her. "Reckon she'll be moving out once she finds a job."
"Ahhh, I wouldn't bet on it," Bill said in a comforting voice. "I mean, I at least lived with my parents for my first summer after Hogwarts. Then I moved back after Egypt, so it's not like she'll be gone forever."
Eleanora nodded her head, still lost in thought. "Think she'll stay close? And visit us?"
"El-" Bill moved around the counter to wrap his arms around Eleanora's shoulders from behind and bury his face in her hair. "-El, of course she's going to stay close. We're a family. We're nothing like you were with your parents- she's not going to try and distance herself-"
At that moment, Georgia jumped the last four steps on her way down to the kitchen and landed catlike on the floor before joining her parents at the counter. "Ugh, will you two save all the gross stuff until after I'm gone?" she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee and pouring only a bit of sugar into it, the same way Bill took his. "Honestly, it's embarrassing."
Bill chuckled and looked up at his daughter, not removing his arms from around Eleanora. Then, in a half-joking tone, he said, "Georgie, you're not planning on abandoning us completely after school, are you?"
Georgia let out a derisive snort and then choked on her coffee for a second. "Are you kidding? I haven't the faintest idea where to go after school. You're going to have to put up with me for at least another summer." Then, muttering under her breath about them 'trying to get rid of her,' she went back upstairs to fetch her trunk.
"See?" Bill said consolingly. "She's not going anywhere."
"Except maybe Teddy's house," said Eleanora with a sly smile. Bill pushed her head playfully and let her go, moving back to his spot to finish his coffee.
Ten minutes after it was time to go, Georgia was still upstairs. "Georgie!" Bill called up to her.
"Hm?"
"Come on, we're going to be late!"
"We're- what? Oh- no!" There was a crash and silence for a split second, and then Georgia sprinted down the stairs, taking them two at a time, her trunk and broom hovering behind her. "Ready!" she said, landing her things safely on the ground and taking the handle of her trunk.
"I'll get your broom," said Eleanora. "Oh, and don't listen to anything Fred Jr. says about your quidditch playing. I'm sure you would've made captain if you weren't already head girl."
Georgia gave her mother a one-armed hug and a lopsided smile. "Oh, I know. I've been beating him at backyard games my whole life, so it doesn't really matter." Eleanora looked proudly at Georgia and they walked out to the beach behind Bill, arm in arm.
When they reached King's Cross Station, the first people they found were Percy and his wife Audrey with their two daughters, Molly and Lucy. Georgia gave the girls, who looked up to her completely, quick hugs before bouncing on the balls of her feet and scanning the crowd for people she knew. "Hey, Perc," Eleanora said, giving him half a hug. "How're things?"
"Good, good. I was just about to go over and talk to Hermione about this new bill we're working to pass at the Ministry," Percy said pompously. "Actually, I thought Daisy might be able to help us with that. She has regular lunches with Kingsley Shacklebolt, doesn't she?"
Eleanora smiled at the thought of the weekly lunches her sister had been having with Kingsley ever since the end of the war. Leave it to Daisy to remain friends with the Minister of Magic out of childhood attachment. "You'll have to talk to her about it. I think she said she might stop in to see the kids off before work, actually."
"I'll keep an eye out," said Percy, and Eleanora and Bill took the opportunity to step away from him.
"Oh!" Georgia cried, "Teddy's here!" She turned to Eleanora and Bill with an overeager expression. "D'you mind if I go-? I'll only be a minute."
Bill looked apprehensive for a moment, but he softened the second he saw how excited Georgia got at the mere thought of talking to Teddy. "Alright then," he said, surprising Eleanora immensely. "As long as you come back to say bye before you leave."
"'Course I will." And with that, Georgia ran off to talk to Teddy in a private corner of the station. Bill and Eleanora exchanged a look before turning to find the rest of their family. They quickly spotted a grouping of redheads and moved towards them, first hearing Lily and Hugo having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts. "If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "but no pressure."
"Ron!" Hermione scolded. Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn. "He doesn't mean it," said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Eleanora and Bill approached them and they did the usual hugs and hello's in greeting. "Where's Georgia?" Hermione asked Eleanora.
"Dunno. Off with Teddy somewhere. Oh, and keep an eye out for Percy, he's going to try and talk about work with you." Eleanora gave Hermione a dry smile.
"I don't mind," Hermione murmured, "It's probably about that bill we're trying to get through Kingsley. Could you have Daisy look into that one for us?"
Eleanora gave a noncommittal shrug and turned to where Ron and Harry were talking in low voices. "What's up?" she asked.
"Look who it is," Ron said in a low voice, nodding to the other side of the platform. Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of the group staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again. "So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."
"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"
"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."
At that moment, George appeared arm-in-arm with Angelina, Lee and Alicia close behind. "Hey," Lee said, throwing an arm around Eleanora. "Been a minute."
"It really has," Eleanora murmured, hugging him back. "We should go to lunch sometime, are you free tomorrow?"
"He's free all the time," Alicia said with a sly smile, "Please, take him."
Lee shrugged guiltily. "Daily Prophet's giving me time off because of the new baby. Driving Alicia absolutely mad."
Eleanora laughed and let go of Lee, pulling George into a tight embrace. "We should all do lunch, then. Sometime this week."
"I started telling Fred Jr. about the stuff we got up to at Hogwarts last night," said George with a grin and a nostalgic look in his eye. "Some of this stuff I haven't thought of in years. Remember the time you had Peeves haunt Fred and I, El?"
Eleanora chuckled and shook her head at the memory. "I was so annoyed with you two," she said, "Wanted to show you I was the better pranker."
"And I've got to admit, you succeeded," said George, ruffling Eleanora's hair playfully. "So lunch this week. We'll talk about everything." Lee and Eleanora nodded their heads, but were distracted by a sudden movement a few feet away.
"Hey!"James had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl, and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news. "Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing?" He turned to Bill and Eleanora with absolute relish in his eyes. "Snogging Georgia!"
"HA!" Eleanora cried, turning to Bill with a satisfied look. "I win!"
Bill's mouth opened slightly in shock, but then he laughed and shook his head, his red hair tumbling around his shoulders. "Going off of the word of James." Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny looked back and forth between them in confusion.
James looked indignant. "Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Georgia! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing— "
"You interrupted them?" said Ginny. "You are so like Ron— "
"No, it's a good thing," said Bill, glancing towards the other end of the platform in a half-joking-half-protective way.
"— and he said he'd come to see her off! And then she turned around and told me to go away! He's snogging her!" James added as though worried he had not made himself clear.
"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married," whispered Lily sarcastically. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!"
"He already comes round for dinner about three times a week," said Harry. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"
"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing a room with Al—Teddy could have my room!"
"No," said Harry firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished." He checked his watch. "It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."
As the younger children shifted off towards the train, Bill and Eleanora turned back towards the platform, scanning it for any sign of their daughter. At that moment, Georgia appeared in a breathless streak of auburn hair. "Sorry I'm late!" she said, her eyes gleaming with pure joy. "Got- a bit- caught up."
"Yeah," Bill said drily, "James filled us in."
"Ah." Georgia's face only fell slightly. "Right- well- I- uh... I really like Teddy, you know."
"We know, love," Eleanora said with a warm smile. "I don't mind it. Helped me settle a bet with your father."
Georgia's face split into a grin identical to Bill's and she threw an arm around Eleanora's neck. "I love you guys, you know that?" she said cheerfully, breaking away from Eleanora to hug Bill. "You're not mad about Teddy, Dad, are you?" she whispered apprehensively to him. Eleanora smiled. She knew the only thing that could sway Georgia's actions were her father's opinion on them. Eleanora and Bill weren't overbearing parents, especially Bill, so when he offered up any sort of strong feeling on something Georgia did, she usually took his advice.
"Nah, I'm not mad," said Bill. "I like Teddy too. We're having him over for dinner tonight, anyways, so I can give him the whole 'you hurt my daughter, I'll hex the living-"
"Bill!" Eleanora scolded at the same time as Georgia cried, "Dad!"
"Alright, alright," Bill said, holding up his hands in surrender.
The train whistle blew loudly and Eleanora reached out to give her daughter one last hug. "Just be careful, okay? We love you so much."
"Make sure you tell McGonagall hello for us," said Bill, "and have fun. You're head girl, so you can't get into too much trouble for anything you do. The trick is to always wear your badge and pretend you're on patrol."
"Yeah, and make sure you beat Slytherin in the quidditch cup, alright?" Eleanora said, "And say hello to Peeves for Uncle George and I."
Georgia raised her eyebrows at her parents, then gave them each one last hug. "I love you," she said as the whistle blew once again. "You're great parents, really. So weird, but so great." Then, the train started moving and she ran to leap onto it at the last second. "See you over Christmas!" she called over her shoulder as the hand of one of her friends reached down to pull her up.
Eleanora stepped back and watched the train pull away, leaning her shoulder into Bill's side. He wrapped an arm around her and she turned her head to kiss the side of his shoulder, breathing in the scent of peppermint and citrus, a scent that now just smelled like home. "She's going to be so great," Bill said, staring at the now-empty tracks with a proud sort of sadness in his eyes.
"Going to?" said Eleanora with a smile. "She's already the greatest person I know."
Bill's mouth twitched into a smile and he leaned down to kiss her. Eleanora reached up to touch his soft face lightly with her fingers, feeling the thin scars from where Fenrir Greyback had attacked him all those years ago, when she thought the war was the certain end to life as she knew it. Now, she could see she'd been wrong. Life would never be exactly the same, of course. She'd seen too much death and lost too many people to ever feel completely normal again. The beauty of her life was still there, though. Her quiet life in Shell Cottage, her long evening walks on the beach with Bill, cooking together with Bill and Georgia, or even just watching Bill and Georgia cook together or play chess or fake-duel in the backyard. Sunday brunches at the Burrow, and slow days at the apothecary, and spending as much time as possible with the friends and family she had left, the people she loved more than anything in the entire world. She broke apart from Bill and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling love fill her chest and spread to every inch of her body, so overwhelming that she felt she might cry.
"I love you," she whispered to Bill, and he could tell from her voice how astronomically much she meant it.
He turned to stare deeply into her brown eyes, his own blue ones reflecting all of the light in the station in the most beautiful array of shades. "I love you too," he said softly, and in that moment, Eleanora knew all was well with the world.
the end :,)