Chapter Seventy-Nine
Hester House, August 1st 2021
There is a nostalgia that hovers over Hester Grounds. Paths and corridors have ghosts of encounters, conversations and laughter; it is hard to walk these places and not feel it, the life that has taken place. The life that had ended, that had begun.
You could feel it all, soaking into your bones from the floors and walls and very air. And everywhere, the faintest whiff of lavender.
*
Sonia Bowen lay awake in her bed in Ivy House, listening to Charlie snore beside her. His bare back, freckled and scarred, called to her; she traced the constellations and scar tissue gently, pressed her lips to them.
He rolled over, smiling; he had the warmest smile, and Sonia was brought back to years and years ago. Charlie had rolled over, just like that, and smiled – said something about checking on Max, a baby then, or making tea. Maybe a comment on the weather. A hundred scenarios flashed through her mind, and each one made her feel warm and tingly inside.
"Good morning," he whispered, blowing one of his cherry curls out of his eyes. "Happy birthday."
Groaning, Sonia curled into his embrace. "I'm old now."
"Forty-one is not old!" he cried, peppering her face with kisses. "I'm almost fifty, am I old, too?"
She laughed and straddled him, lithe as the days of their youth. "You've always been old to me, cradle robber."
Gasping, he pulled her down for a kiss. "You used to have underwear with bows on them."
"Shut up and kiss me, yeah?"
"As you wish, my one and only love."
"Sap." She mumbled into his freckles.
"Little girl." He teased back, and they tumbled into each other and daylight.
*
Andrew Bowen was still sleeping when his wife woke up. Amara observed him dream, knowing there was still so much to do for the days festivities – but she couldn't stop watching him.
They had had a hard past few years, with Sonia disappearing, Ella and her funk – Robin being so sick. The book, that damn book. It took so much out of Andrew, out of their relationship, but Amara could never ask him to stop. It was something he had needed to do. And now it was done.
A soft sight left Andrew, and his eyes fluttered open to the light. "It's late." He mumbled. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"It's your birthday." She chided him, running her fingers through his thick blond waves. "You deserve a lie in."
"And what about you?" he teased, pulling her close. "What are you still doing in bed?"
"Enjoying my husband at peace."
"Am I usually not?" he asked quietly, brushing her hair back. She had cut it recently, shorter than ever before; he missed seeing her long, cinnamon plait swing behind her.
"No, you are...just, when you sleep – it all falls away, these past years." Amara smiled to show she was okay, she wasn't angry. "You resemble yourself before...before Hazel left. I miss the weightlessness of you at that time."
Andrew rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "She didn't leave Mara, she died." He squeezed her hand. "But I understand."
"I'm sorry." She cuddled closer. "I didn't mean to make you sad, on your birthday, too."
"I will always be sad." Andrew whispered. "But I am also the happiest man alive, largely thanks to you."
Amara hugged him close. "Happy birthday, Drew."
"Thanks honey," Andrew closed his eyes again, breathing in the warm, morning air. "For everything."
*
The lane leading to Hester House was shady, a tunnel of cool green light. Max and Teddy walked together, hands swinging and holding birthday gifts.
"Do you think we should tell them?" asked Teddy, squeezing Max's hand.
Max frowned. "I don't know; it might take the spotlight off them. It is Mamma and Uncle Andrew's birthday."
"I get that, but I really, really want to tell them – anyone!"
Stopping and pulling him close, Max kissed Teddy long and sweet. "Okay, but not a huge announcement. Quietly."
"Quietly, of course." Teddy grinned impishly, kissing him again.
"I mean it Teddy, quietly."
"Yes, yes! I heard!" he practically began skipping.
"This is serious Theodore!"
"But of course, Maxwell." Teddy stopped and kissed Max again, then laughed. "We're going to have a –"
"A what?"
They turned, mouths tightly shut, to see Ella and Forrest. "Oh, nothing." Max opened his arms to Ella, hugging her tightly. "We were just talking, jibber jabber, you know."
Ella looked suspicious, but let it go. "Right. Heading up to the house?"
"Yup! Nice to see you again, Forrest." Max held out his hand, and Forrest shook it. He was wearing a baggy cardigan even in August.
"You, too Max. How're the mandrakes?"
"Doing very well, thank you. That book you found me was very helpful." Max liked Forrest, and they had become fast friends. They had known each other a little at Hogwarts, and Max felt at peace knowing Ella had a safe, loving man to keep her company.
Ella linked arms with Forrest. "And the wedding, is everything in order for next week?"
Teddy laughed. "As ready as it can be."
They finished the walk up to the house, where others had already gathered. Minerva McGonagall sat in a wicker chair under some shade, talking with Kingsley Shacklebolt, while Elphias Doge read through a stack of papers. Rubeus Hagrid, now approaching his ninety-third birthday, was happily chatting with Winston and Rochelle on a gathering of lawn chairs.
"This party is crawling with old people." Ella muttered. "Are they all old friends of Nana Hazel?"
"I believe so," Teddy put his arm around Max. "Its like an Order of the Phoenix reunion or something."
"Maxxie!"
The little group turned their heads, spotting Sonia leaning out of a window – the music room. "Happy Birthday!" Max called, waving.
Andrew popped up beside his sister. "Max, Ted!" he had a loose tie around his neck. "Nice day, huh?"
"Lovely. Stay there, we'll come to you." Max turned to Teddy. "Shall we?" he asked, eyes glinting.
Teddy squeezed his hand and nodded. "Lets."
"See you later, Elle." Max pecked her cheek and the couple walked off.
Ella tilted her head, studying her cousin. "They have a secret."
"How can you possibly know that?" asked Forrest, baffled. He didn't have any siblings or cousins, had grown up mostly alone. He loved that Ella had such a large family.
"Just do." Shaking off the urge to pester, Ella tugged him toward the shade. "Come, I think Robbie's around here somewhere."
In the foyer, Teddy and Max bumped into Harry and Ginny. "Oh, perfect!" Teddy said, giving them a hug. "Do you have a second, both of you?"
Ginny fixed Teddy's collar, kissing his cheek. "Of course sweet. What's up?"
"Just a little birthday surprise, that's all."
They took the front stairs, Max snagging his father from Hagrid, Amara joining on the landing, and met the twins in the music room. The deep red walls brightened in the sunlight, and the piano shone. Andrew sat in Hazel's favourite spot on the window seat, the velvet cherry red cushions now worn from years of use.
"You look so handsome," Sonia said fondly, brushing a curl from Max's face.
Max kissed her cheek. "You look lovely, Mamma." It was true, too. Sonia had gained weight, her cheeks had a rosy glow and she seemed to just shine from within. Charlie was never far, and they always seemed to be holding hands, or just touching shoulders. Max imagined this is what they had been like before he was born, the happiness of a young couple.
"So, what's this surprise I heard of?" asked Andrew, Amara tucked under his arm. Her bouncy cinnamon curls brushed his chin, stubble growing from the day before. He ad adopted a permanent scruffy, academic look that suited him well. Thin, wire rimmed spectacles poked out of his shirt pocket.
"Well..." Max put his arm around Teddy's waist. "We're going to have a baby."
A simultaneous gasp filled the room, and Sonia jumped from her seat. "Oh, how wonderful." She held Max tight, and he was shocked to see tears brimming in her eyes.
"Oh, Mamma." Max felt her warmth in his arms and let her rest her head on his chest. Charlie gave him a smile that said it all from over her shoulder.
"A baby." Said Harry, shaking his head in disbelief, smiling and laughing all at once. "Seems like yesterday you two were babies yourself, babbling to one another."
"Not for another year, we need to find a donor. But we have a surrogate, she's amazing." Teddy accepted a handshake and a hug from each of his godfathers, seeing in their eyes that they were over the moon for him. "We've really, really thought about this – we want it."
Andrew brushed the tears from his eyes. "You two will make amazing parents."
"We had amazing parents to learn from." Teddy gripped Max's hand and took a deep breath. "We better get back to the party, yeah?"
They filed out of the room, Sonia last; she paused for a moment in the door, sniffing the air. "Lavender." She breathed, choking up.
"Did you say something, love?" asked Charlie, stepping back and offering his hand.
"No, nothing." Accepting it, they joined the party once more.
Hours later, when the songs had been sung, the lamps lit and cake eaten, Sonia and Andrew stole away. Up the kitchen stairs, quietly and without speaking. Downstairs their spouses, children and friends gathered to celebrate their birthday, and upstairs awaited the last words they would ever receive from their mother.
They opened the door slowly, letting it swing back; the overwhelming smell of lavender hit them. It was like having a hug as a little kid, when everything about your mother just enveloped you completely.
"You really haven't changed a thing." Said Sonia, brushing her fingers along the edge of Hazel's bed. "It's like she's still coming back."
Andrew closed the door and crouched by the dresser. "I couldn't bear it, to move anything."
"Crazy that we were born in here, huh?"
"I forget sometimes, that this is the same house that we grew up in." Andrew was fiddling with the panel, and it slid easily into his hands after a moment. "Come, look at this."
Sonia stooped to look; inside were a few old books, journals possibly, dried flowers and an old box. They carefully removed it and sat against the end of the bed, on the floor, shoulders touching. Andrew ran his fingers over the lid, constellations spelled made of mother of pearl embedded in the smooth wood.
Glancing over at his sister, Andrew hesitated. "Now?"
"Now."
Together, they lifted the lid; inside were several letters, all tied in a faded, velvet blue ribbon. On the top letter were their names, written in Hazel's looping script. Lifting them out carefully, Sonia slid it from the bundle; beneath it was one addressed to Max.
"How did she know?" Sonia gasped, tracing her son's name. "I mean – I hadn't told anyone."
"Mamma was good at that."
They stared at the letter, and Sonia nudged Andrew to open it; words were not needed. Carefully opening the envelope, unfolding the translucent paper – Sonia began to read.
April 31st 1998
Dear Sonia and Andrew,
I don't know how long it took you to find this letter, but I hope it wasn't too long. In a little while, I will take Charlie and you, Sonia, to your new home. In a few days, you will be married, and then in August – your baby will be born.
Andrew, you are so in love with Amara. I hope you marry that girl, she's perfect; just the right dose of adventure and love.
You are both so happy at this moment, and I am so scared – I can feel the storm coming, Voldemort getting stronger...it won't be long now. A final battle will take place, and I know by the end I will be gone. It was always meant to be this way.
There was a point in my life when this box held a knife, and I was going to kill myself with it. I was young, and out of my mind with sadness and unrequited love (I now look back at his and laugh a little, as you will at my age), and I wanted to die so badly. However, I knew if I did, another child would take my place. Now, years later, I am so glad I did not. I have lost so many people that I loved, but I had you two and it left a rosy glow on my world.
I want you to know – I loved your father, and he loved me. That love faded, and I grew to love another; someone who I knew had always seen me for who I was, would love you two like his own. I never got a chance to act on it, and I will regret it to this day. I pushed him away for a long time. He's gone now, too, and I know that he will be waiting for me wherever I go. Kids, life is not a story. I hope with all my heart that your own lives will be better after this, that your children will grow up safe and happy and loved.
You have heard me say this. I never thought I would make it past forty, but I hope you two will. You two fulfilled my life. I love you both, and be safe.
With love,
Mamma
The twins looked up, tears brimming and spilling down their cheeks. They collapsed into each other, shaking with sobs. After a little while they fell into silence, still entwined; it filled them up, and for the first time in since Hazel's death, they knew – she was okay.
"I know that somewhere...Mamma is happy." Sonia smiled up at her brother through her tears. "Don't you agree?"
Andrew nodded and hugged her tightly "She is finally free."
In the shadows, Hazel Bowen watched her children. A slight and content smile on her face, she turned and walked into the arms of the man she had always known to be her one love.
A/N: Well. That is the last chapter of Surviving in Harmony. The last chapter of the Bowen series. Holy moly.
I am so sorry it took me so long to get this up, I've just had an INSANE past month and a half. Don't worry too much, there is still an epilogue and I promise it will be up soon! Check back on...Saturday. Yeah, Saturday. Or maybe Sunday. I don't know, it will be up this weekend I promise!
Don't fret if you're worried you'll have nothing to wait for anymore! I recommend checking out my book Underground Angels, which is very long and almost finished. Or, if you like more romance than adventure (though UA has that, too) try Bloom, Shifting - its very romance! Or...you could keep an eye out for my upcoming series! Yes, SERIES! It is called the Sunrise Series, and you can check out drawings, dribbles, and more at sunriseseries.tumblr.com. Believe me folks, this is going to be one hell of a ride! I've been working on it a lot, even in the past month and a half.
Anywho! Check back this weekend for the epilogue, and I hope you enjoyed!
Question: Favourite SiH quote, or what was your favourite part of this last chapter?
Much love,
Rose
P.S I am actually so proud of myself this book over 300 fucking pages long.