EPILOGUE

 

 

Ten years later

 

 

Night was falling.

In the waiting room of a doctor’s surgery, a woman and a small boy about five years old were the only patients left. Then the office door opened, and the doctor accompanied a patient out, without paying attention to the woman, for he was giving to the patient the last recommendations.  After closing the door when the patient had left, the doctor turned to the woman … and burst out:

“Aunt Petunia! What are you doing here ?”

“It’s you, Harry ? But the surgery’s plate is marked ‘Granger !”

“Yes, H.J.P. Granger, Harry James Potter Granger. I’ve been adopted by Mr and Mrs Granger, and I studied Medicine in London. I’ve just settled down here for only a year. But come in. Is it for the boy ? Let me examine him. Is he you grand son ?”

“Yes”, Petunia replied.

“Lay him down on the table, and stay beside him”, Harry said, then to the boy, he went on:

“Well, my little cousin, what’s your name ? And what’s wrong with you ?”

“His name is Dick”, said Petunia.

“Apparently, you have no fever. But your belly … hum … not good, and how are the stools ?”

“Not really diarrhoea. But this afternoon he brought up all his lunch”, replied Petunia.

“It’s not very serious. I have here medical samples that will suit him well. It’s only a food poisoning. I’ll note here for you, how to give him the medicines, the doses and time. Now give me your news. How are uncle Vernon and Dudley ?”

“Vernon died five years ago”.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, and of what did he die  ?”

“Of a cerebrovascular accident.”

“Do you live in the district now ?”

“Yes, for nearly three months now, not here, on the other side of the bridge. Dudley did some stupid things, and we had to sell away the Privet Drive house, to pay the fines, attorneys fees, and everything…”

“And where is Dudley now, what is he doing and his wife ?”

“Dudley is in prison. As for his wife, she left him, leaving the boy behind. They are not married.”

“And your present house ? And what do you live upon now ?” asked Harry.

“It’s a hired flat, and I live on Vernon’s pension.”

“I see. Do you know the proprietor of  your flat ?”

“No. I got it through an agency”.

“I see. So, you live alone with Dick”.

“Yes.”

“How did you come here ?”

“By bus.”

“I see. As there are no more patients now, I’ll drive you back home … Oh, perhaps we’ll need a cushion for the little boy”, Harry added, looking at Dick.

Harry went into the house, and came back with a cushion. He drove out his car from the garage, and invited Petunia to get in, and then he sat the boy in the back seat on the cushion. During the trip, Harry learnt that Aunt Marge also was dead, not very long ago, of heart troubles, and that all her inheritance was also swallowed up by Duddley’s ‘stupidities’.

“Take care with Dick’s food, aunt Petunia ! Don’t give him too much fat, nor sweets” said Harry. “And, don’t force him to eat. To avoid obesity, it’s right now that you should be careful about what he eats.  Well, good bye, and don’t hesitate to come and see me if you have any problem .. And, aunt Petunia, you won’t have to pay house rent from this month on … but better, keep it for yourself, don’t speak about it to Dudley”, added Harry.

 

***

 

“Of course, Mother, with pleasure !” replied Harry. He put down the telephone, and called out:

“Dobby !”, and the elf appeared in front of Harry.

“My parents will be there for lunch, and perhaps I’ll invite them to stay, at least for this night, so they meet my friends who’ll come this afternoon. Do you have everything you need for the meals ?”

“Don’t be worried, Monsieur Potter”, replied the elf.

Harry was in Scotland, in Dumbledore’s manor.

Aberforth Dumbledore had died, of natural death, a short time after Voldemort’s down fall, leaving to Harry all that he possessed. Harry had equipped the manor with modern conveniences, electricity, heating, telephone etc… while respecting the manor’s architecture. He had also rebuilt the manor at Godric’s Hollow exactly as the photo he had found in the rubble.

 

 

“Good morning Mum, good morning Dad  !”

Harry was on the steps leading to the main entrance in front of the manor, greeting his adoptive parents.

“We are around here, and so, we thought of coming to see you. But we’ll leave in the afternoon”, said Mrs Granger.

“Do you really have to leave this afternoon ? I thought that you were still on holidays ? Come in, please”, said Harry.

“No, not really, but, let’s us say that we are a bit tired, and want to be home to rest”, replied Mrs Granger.

“Well, you’ll have a rest here; stay here some more days. You are at home everywhere, here, or at Godric's Hollows, or in Austria. Do you agree ?” said Harry, then he called out ‘Winky !’

And the elf materialized in front of Harry.

“Please, prepare my parents’ room near mine, and get the luggage up, and also bring the car into the garage” Harry gave orders to the elf, then turning to Mr and Mrs Granger, he went on:

“I’ll have some friends coming this afternoon. I’d like to introduce them to you. They are also very dear friends of Hermione too”.

 

***

 

“I’ll never grow tired of this panoramic view. It’s so beautiful and soothing !’ said Mr Granger. They were on the terrace behind the manor, facing a flowered bed, and a vast soft green scattered lawn, dotted with some white daisies and buttercups on a far away background in shaded tones of hills over hills till the horizon.

Then suddenly many people materialized on the lawn.

“Oh ! My friends”, said Harry to Mr and Mrs Granger, getting up. He jumped the steps down to the garden to meet his friends, and led them to the terrace.

“Here are my parents, Hermione’s parents”, said Harry to the newcomers. Then to Mr and Mrs Granger, he introduced:

“And here are Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour Weasley, Ginny Weasley Longbottom and Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour, Fleur’s sister. Sit down you all, Winky will rid you of your cloaks. Dobby brought us Madam Rosmerta’s finest oak-matured mead, Pumpkin juice and Butter-Beer and home-made biscuits. Help yourselves. The elves will take care of your luggage.”

Then turning to Bill, Harry scrutinized him with expert eyes, then said:

“They worked wonders at the Muggle hospital. I’m really very glad, and you’ve got back the little bit of eyebrow you had lost. It’s brilliant !”

“We thank you very much”, Fleur replied, and then turning to Mr and Mrs Granger she went on:

“My husband had been bitten by a werewolf.  His face was unrecognisable, slashed with scars. Last year, Harry recommended him to a surgeon he knew, who was very, very kind, (we did not pay a single penny, he did not want us to), and you see the results. The scars are nearly invisible. You can see nothing.

Fleur was very beautiful as always. ‘Even more beautiful than before, a matured beauty’, Harry thought. She was in Muggle dress and formed with Bill a very matching couple.  Crookshanks who had just made a round of caress against the guests’ feet under the table, jumped on Harry’s knees and settled herself there as if it was her favourite usual place.

“No, I see nothing, even now that you’ve mentioned it, I still see nothing,” said Mr Granger smiling.

“And your scar, Harry !” Bill cried out looking amazed, fixing at Harry’s forehead.

“Well, it has disappeared, without my knowing it. It was after Voldemort’s death, during many days I didn’t look at myself in a mirror, then one day, I woke up, and there was no scar left”.

“Woouuawh !” Ron let out, “Turn, so that we all can see !”

Harry took Crookshanks into his arms, got up and turned on himself for everybody to see, then he sat back.

“How is your mother ?”

‘She is fine. She is getting old. Since Dad’s death, she has never been able to recover the dynamism she had before. She sends you a big kiss.”

“That’s very kind of her. And Neville, how are your parents and grandmother ?”

“My parents are fine, nearly normal. You know, I discovered that my plant Mimbulus Mimbletonia has amazing regenerating properties for the nerve cells, and especially for the memory. I tried to associate these properties with other plants and found a formula for my potion. It worked well and my parents recovered their memory little by little.  Now, sometimes they have some lapses, but perhaps that’s simply because of their age too. I’m very happy. I’ve given the formula of my potion to St Mungo’s Hospital, and I’ve learnt that Lockhart and his victims also have regained their memories. Poor Lockhart, he has recovered in time to appear before the court for all his frauds ! He is completely ruined now. As for my grandmother, she still speaks of you dearly as always, but … now she sees me as a worthy grand son.  It was for all of us a great honour for having participated in that battle against Voldemort.”

“All the merit is yours. And does the post of professor of Herbology at Hogwarts please you ?”

“Yes ! It was my dream.”

“I’ve no doubt about it … I see that you are expecting an other baby; When is it due, Ginny ?” asked Harry turning to Ginny.

“It’s for the end of October, or beginning of November.”

“And the boys, how old are they now ?”

“They’ll be six years old, next month. Mum is really getting mad with them. She said they are Fred’s and George’s true replicas. There must always be someone behind them.”

“And what are you doing now, Ginny ?”

“Nothing, I look after the house, and the boys, all day long. It’s already very tiring !”

“She is lazy too”, said Neville in a whisper to Harry. “And…”

Ginny cast a significant look at Neville, and Neville fell silent.  Harry thought that Ginny looked terribly like Mrs Weasley, from every point of view. She formed with Neville a very harmonious couple. They were the exact image of Mr and Mrs Weasley as Harry still had in his mind. Then he wondered how he could have been in love with her, but he knew the answer.

“And Gabrielle, do you enjoy being at Hogwarts ?”

“Yes”, Gabrielle replied, “but I’m no match for you”, then turning to Mrs Granger she went on, “Harry had formed a student group of about thirty members. We named ourselves Dumbledore’s Army. Harry gave us lessons of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was an exceptionally talented professor. We’ve learnt much more from Harry than from the professor the Ministry had given us (Moreover, I’ve completely forgotten  his name now !) All of us here, except my sister and Bill, were members of the group, with Hermione too, of course. And now I have been professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at the school, for three years’.

“I’m glad to learn all this”, said Mrs Granger, smiling.

“All the D.A. members have got very good marks at the exams, Exceed Expectation and even Outstanding.”

“Yes, I’ve got Outstanding”, said Ron, looking proud.

“Brilliant ! And you, Ron, how is business ?”

“Fine. The Hog’s Head has another face now. You won’t be able to recognize it. Luna and I, we look well after the bar. Since Voldemort’s death, it’s peace, and all businesses all over the country are booming.  Fred and George bought the Zonko shop at Hogsmeade, and turned it into a branch of their joke shop in Diagon Alley. Their business is flourishing wonderfully.”

“Yes, I know that. I’m glad to see you all again, and learn good news from you all.”

“After the fall of Voldemort”, Ron went on, “we lost touch with you. Through Winky, we knew that you were in good health, but nothing else. Fred and George had from time to time news about you by your attorney, who said that you were in good health. And then suddenly your attorney contacted me to say that you gave me the Hog’s Head bar, and since then, I’ve been keeping in touch with your attorney to have news about you, I mean news, that is to say that you were in good health”.

“Yes, excuse me. That evening, I was down to the depths of despairs, I wanted to give up all, I no longer wanted to have any relation with the wizarding world. When Hermione’s parents adopted me as a son, I saw it as a lifebuoy in the middle of an ocean. I got mysely registered in a Muggle school, I skipped I don’t know how many classes a year, and after two years I was able to register at the medicine Faculty. And as it was done through modules, I have been able to do my medical studies in five years instead of six years, afterwards I spent three more years specializing in Cardiology and Paediatrics. I’m now lecturer at the Medicine Faculty in London, and I have a medical surgery where I give free consultations, as a general practitioner. Now, thinking back, I realize that if Hermione’s parents hadn’t opened their arms and adopted me that evening, I don’t know whether I could have been able to live on, and be here now to talk with you. Then turning to Mr and Mrs Granger, with watering eyes, Harry added: “Thank you again, mother, and thank you again, father. I would never be able to thank you enough, for what you did for me”.

 

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