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Back To The Beginning
🕑 Added 2022-12-25 12:17:00 +0000 UTCEpilogue-
“I am about to get married and you still smother me like I am two.” The man muttered amusement evident in his eyes as his mother fussed over him. The woman tutted, but couldn’t stop the smile that decorated her face.
“Quiet, Aurelius. Don’t tell me that I should stop fussing over you.” The woman slapped his arm gently. The young man chuckled as he shook his head. “Never. I like it, though I might seem a bit childish in front of Astoria.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Ashamed of your poor old mother when you are about to get a beautiful wife?” She joked.
“Old?” He snorted. “Bloody hell mum, you can remarry today and you will be the most beautiful woman in the room, hands down.” He looked around and could only see his family around as they chuckled.
“Please don’t tell Astoria I said that. I will not hear the end of it.” He cringed as the others laughed heartily.
“Well, you can tell your wife that she will always be the second most important woman in your life, after your mother. Do you understand?” She questioned sternly.
“Yes, mam!” The young man saluted, leading to more laughs. He could see that the woman’s eyes were about to shed tears.
“Oh, mum!” He hugged the woman gently as she shed some tears.
“You are all growing up very quickly. Just yesterday, you were just so small and running around the house. Today, you are about to be married.”
“I will always be your little boy, mum. You know that. It is true. You are the most important woman to all of us kids. Nobody comes close to the top.” He assured soothingly.
He noticed his father smiling at him from behind the woman. “Sorry.” He mouthed and the young man fought the urge to smile as he shook his head. He came up behind his mother and placed a hand on her shoulder. The woman recognized her husband and buried herself in his arms, leaving her son.
“Come on, Bell. Don’t cry. It is the happiest day of your son’s life. Do you want him to be sad today?”
The woman shook her head.
“No.” She extracted herself from her husband’s arms and wiped away the tears before she smiled.
“Don’t mind me, dear. I am behaving childishly.” She smiled. “Let’s go. Your bride has been waiting for this day.”
Harry watched the mother and son duo and he had to admit. Where did all that time go? His son was getting married today. The last of his children’s marriage.
He felt a soft hand encircle his arm. He smiled. "You are thinking the same thing aren't you?" Narcissa Potter questioned.
"How fast time has passed on." He chuckled.
"You three know me better than I know myself don't you?"
"Hm. That is obvious by now. Harry Potter's wives know him better than anybody in this world. Even himself." He loved it when she slipped back into her personality of a pure-blood snob. When she does it, it was a matter of attraction to him.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more Cissa. Three wonderful sons and two brilliant daughters." He sighed.
His children were his pride. The fact that it was this very scenario that he had always imagined in his future made this all the better. From a young age, he wanted nothing more than a family. A big family. He got what he wanted.
The two of them joined the rest of the family. He sat down next to Bellatrix and Andromeda and Narcissa joined him. It was a small event. Just their family and their close friends.
A tune was played, and Harry was roused from his thoughts to the entrance of the bride. He saw his son on top of the altar and he felt himself beam in pride as he watched his little boy getting married.
He was understandably nervous. Harry could relate. He went through this process three times and he could not hide his nerves even though he knew that his wives were deeply in love with him.
The bridesmaids were sent in and the first to enter was his daughter-in-law Daphne Potter. Wife of his son, Alexander.
Alexander was standing up there with his son, trying to calm his brother down. He smiled at his wife as she walked down the aisle.
He remembered Daphne Greengrass. She was in his year from where he came from. Alexander was a year senior than the girl and it was surprising that the two of them got together. He saw a mini version of Narcissa in the girl. Personality wise.
He still remembered the day when Alexander brought the girl home to introduce her. She was very nervous and scared, especially in the presence of Bellatrix. Of course, anything related to the kids had to be decided with Bellatrix’s approval. Of that, there was no compromise.
Bellatrix approved and four years later, the two had gotten married. She had taken well into the role of his wife, being the much-needed distraction in his very busy duration of being a Spook. Something that was a matter of great pride to The Potters and Blacks.
The next to walk in was Fleur Potter, formerly Delacour. She was the wife of his first son, Robert Potter. Narcissa and his firstborn. He was shocked when he learned of the relationship between the young Veela and his son. It was during the Quidditch World cup of 1994 and his son was on the security detail with his uncle James to the Minister and his entourage from other nations. That was where he met the young woman, along with her family. Allain Delacour, the minister of magic had taken up an instant liking for the young man and his ability to remain level-headed in the presence of his veela family.
The girl had taken a liking to Robert and had asked James if she could write to him. Robert was surprised initially, but he agreed to go out with the girl. He had liked the girl and that one date led to many more dates. They professed their love for each other and with the agreement of the two families, a few months later got engaged. Fleur was two years older than her husband and she was the oldest and most serious. Dora might be older, but she was more jovial and that was calling it mild. She was a downright prankster and she was pegged on by her Marauder uncles.
The matter of great amusement for Harry was the shyness of the girl around him. It has been several years and she was staying in the manor with them and yet, she was extremely shy around him and the family took great pleasure in teasing her about that, even her husband.
He caught the eye of the young woman and winked at her. She blushed and looked away and Harry chuckled. “You have to stop teasing the poor girl.” Narcissa chastised gently.
“Never. I need to have fun.” Harry grinned at her exasperated sigh. The tune picked up and finally, it was time for the bride. Astoria Greengrass, soon to be Potter, made her way down the aisle. Harry noticed the awestruck expression on his son’s face. He nudged his wife and nodded toward the young man. Narcissa giggled at Aurelius’s expression.
“I don’t know what you were so smug about, Harry Potter,” Narcissa questioned Harry seeing his expression. “Need I remind you of your expression at our wedding? Or all our weddings to be precise.” She questioned coyly. She smiled in triumph as her husband blushed slightly.
The two of them turned back to the ceremony as Astoria joined Aurelius on the altar. She could not keep the joy coursing through her body and her happiness could be felt around the air. Although Daphne was a surprise, Astoria joining her sister in their family did come off as a surprise. Needless to say, the sisters found their way to each other. Jonathan Greengrass pointed out that the sisters were very close to each other and barely stayed away from each other. Even now, they would continue to be close to each other.
Harry and his wives watched the ceremony unfold and welcomed a new member into their already huge household. Looking around the gathering and seeing the happiness and joy around the place brought back a sense of fulfillment to Harry.
His entire family had gathered here. The Potters. The Blacks. Still alive and together. Charlus and Dorea watched on happily as their grandson tied the knot. Harry never knew what happened to them in his time, but they had died. They lived on today. Alive and healthy and happy.
Arcturus and Melania were next to the elder Potter couple and seemed to be enjoying the event as much as the Potters were.
He surveyed Sirius, Remus and Peter seated not far behind. Sirius and Amelia had gotten married and were now the parents of two wonderful girls Asteria and Cassiopeia Black. Amelia and Sirius had come off as a shock to Harry, but he was happy. He could not have imagined a better husband for Amelia than Sirius. Sirius had to suffer twelve unfair years in Azkaban from his time. The man in front of him was a far cry from the man he had seen in his third year at Hogwarts. That brought joy to Harry.
Remus had turned around completely after meeting and marrying his wife, Aurora Lupin, formerly Aurora Sinistra. Harry’s astronomy professor. The woman taught Astronomy at Hogwarts over here as well and had been successful in bagging Remus who after much coaxing from Dumbledore and the others had relented and taken up the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Aurora revealed that she had a huge crush on Remus and couldn’t act upon it, being three years his junior.
Suffice it to say, the woman had been a boon in the life of Remus Lupin. He had grown out of the fear of him being a werewolf and causing harm to the others around him. He had grown confident gradually and was now well-loved by all the students in the castle.
They were now the happy parents of a young Edward Lupin who would soon be graduating from Hogwarts.
Peter Pettigrew left Hogwarts with a master in Potioneering and set up an apothecary in Hogsmeade. The man was one of the most in-demand potion masters in the country and his store was the best out there. He had taken a lot of time to come out of the effect his parents' death had on him, but Florella Parkinson stood beside him, his rock.
She was patient with him, taking care of him and all the while loving him more than any other had, and that had helped Peter come back into himself. Harry’s respect for Florella Parkinson grew sky-high when the girl walked out of her family and severed all her ties with them, just to be with Peter. That action was probably the bravest Harry had ever seen in his life and the girl earned his respect.
That just spurred Peter to get up and dust himself off. He knew that Florella lived like a princess and he made it his life goal that she would never suffer in her life. He made sure that she would not face any problems and his apothecary was the credit of his hard work.
Young Alfred Pettigrew was born a year after Alexander and Peter could not have been any happier. He was over the moon and that little boy brought so much joy into Peter’s life. So much more than anything.
Harry then noticed his brother and sister-in-law right behind his parents. James and Lily had married and within a few months, Harry Jr was born. Two years before he was born, that was one more change from his timeline regarding his life.
He was so like his father, the very same unruly mop of hair that James Potter was known for. Then there were the eyes. Lily’s eyes. The same eyes he had inherited from Lily.
The eldest of the Potter family youngsters and heir to the Potter family. James was over the moon with the birth of his child. The man had assumed all responsibilities of the Potter family after taking over from Charlus Potter as the next Potter Lord. Harry had no interest in that and made sure that it was conveyed to the rest of them.
Lily Potter being the lady of the family was not received well by the rest of the Purebloods, but nobody dared to voice their opinions fearing the ire of Harry Potter, the defeater of the Dark Lord.
Dorea and the other Blacks were hesitant at first. They might not hate muggle-borns, but they certainly did not expect this situation. They had come to accept it gradually and Lily had taken swimmingly well towards the traditions of the Potter family and the pureblood ways. Even though Dorea was the matriarch of the family, she encouraged Lily to step forward and lead the family and to this day, she had done it very well.
Harry Jr was the only child of Lily and James as they decided to not have any more children. The young man had grown up into a powerful person, a worthy heir of the Potters. Harry had trained all his children to be the best and Harry Jr was not exempt from the same. He grew up just like Harry’s own child.
He now works under his father as an Auror and that was a matter of great pride for James and Lily. The young man had gone on to marry Asteria Black, Sirius’s daughter. The two of them have been in love forever. Hogwarts sweethearts, their friends called them and Sirius and Amelia were happy with their union just as much as James and Lily.
The dancing was underway and Harry watched the bride and groom share their first dance as husband and wife. Many couples joined the dancing couple and Harry stood up, taking Bellatrix’s arm and leading her to the dance floor.
Just like always, Harry’s attention didn’t stray from his wife and Bellatrix didn’t take her eyes off her husband. They swayed gently to the tune that was being played.
“Happy?” Bellatrix nodded as she leaned into her husband. “Very. Very happy.” Harry hummed.
“I love you, you know that right?” He questioned and was rewarded with a beaming smile.
“Always,” Bellatrix replied happily as they were lost in each other's arms.
Harry then switched to dancing with Andromeda and his smile never did slide off his face.
The woman was the mother of two of his daughters. Nymphadora and Callidora, The eyes of Harry’s life. Two women who were just like their mother in every way that he could imagine.
Strong, intelligent, fierce, and beautiful. Just like Andromeda.
Harry remembered the day when he sat down with a fifteen-year-old Nymphadora and told her the truth of her birth. What shocked him then and still now, was the expression of the girl. It was nothing. He gave her information that would shock a person to the core and yet, the girl remained stubborn. She had then stood up and hugged Harry tightly, before declaring that there would be no other man that can ever replace him as her father. Not even Merlin himself.
But the young woman had not taken this lightly. As soon as she was out of Hogwarts and joined the Aurors as she had always dreamt of, she made sure that she found out the man who was responsible for her mother’s misery and made sure that he was punished severely. She made sure to break as many of his bones as possible and then proceeded to have him arrested for the crime he committed. Dora and Andromeda took great joy in seeing the now bald and ugly man who was sucked of his lavish lifestyle and put behind bars for the rest of his life.
His entire assets were distributed to Andromeda and Nymphadora equally.
As a parting gift, Dora had managed to sneak a spell without the knowledge of the others and made sure that the man would never have to use his nethers for the rest of his life.
Dora had always been the strongest of his children, but also the naughtiest of them as well. Professor Sprout was fed up with writing many letters to Harry and finally gave up when the girl would just go ahead and cook trouble all over again. That changed after the girl got married. A fellow auror from his wives maternal family, Felix Rosier. A good young man who loved Dora dearly.
Harry watched Callidora and Neville Longbottom dance, as he switched with Narcissa for a final twirl on the floor. The husband and wife shared a laugh at something he said and Harry was reminded of his old friend. Neville was a very shy boy and to say that one day he would be someone like this, a completely different man, he would have laughed. It was staggering to learn that a little bit of confidence can go a long way in a person’s life.
He had followed in the footsteps of both his parents and had become an Auror. Callidora chose to remain at home after her marriage to the Longbottom scion and neither questioned her decision. Neville was relieved by that. He would have not been at peace if his wife had gotten into something dangerous like him.
Everyone he had sworn to protect, had grown up happily and with their parents. The reason he had been sent back in time was achieved. This was what he wanted to see. This was what he made sure to see.
—-&&&------
Life carried on normally and Harry could not have asked for a more peaceful life. Nothing like Hogwarts ever came up in his life. No life-threatening adventures. No Animagus. No werewolves. No dementors. Just plain and simple. The best form of lifestyle he could ask for.
He stood in front of the dressing mirror in their large bedroom. The man who stared back at him from the mirror was far cry from the man he once was. Where his jet black hair fell smoothly once, had turned grey. His face had gained a few wrinkles along with signs of aging in his movements. He smiled at the reflection that greeted him back.
It was a reflection of a man well loved, well cared for, and satisfied. What was there to not be satisfied? A huge family that he had fought tooth and nail to protect had grown into a much bigger family. Children that had grown into wonderful human beings to society. Credit to him and his wives. Grandchildren whom he loved and spoiled equally. He had it all.
He walked over to the other side of the room which held many different pictures. He stood in front of the picture of his parents who smiled and waved gently at him. It had been four decades since they had left him. Charlus and Dorea lived a very happy and fulfilled life. They passed away together in their sleep at a ripe old age of a hundred and thirty.
Next to them were Arcturus and Melania. They had left even before the elderly Potter couple. Arcturus, just like his brother and sister, passed away with his wife together. Their deaths told Harry that they had been satisfied with this journey and they left together to begin a new one.
Although he would not show it, he missed them dearly. Not a single day goes by without him remembering just what these people meant to him.
Tears escaped his eyes and flowed freely. He didn’t know why, but he felt emotional tonight. The next picture was of his brother James. He had left him too. Too quickly in fact. A stray curse on one of his raids had taken his life much to his pain. He had soldiered on. He held the family together after he left and he made sure that his nephew and his sister-in-law were well taken care of.
It was not to be. Although Harry Jr was strong, the same could not be said for his mother. Lily had never been able to step out of her misery. She shrunk into herself and the vibrant Lily Potter was nowhere to be seen. They did all they could. Tried everything so that the woman could go back to how she was, but it was just not the same for Lily again.
She didn’t stay away from her beloved James for long. Four years later, she succumbed to illness and joined her husband on his journey far far away from here.
That did it. One after the other, all of his friends and family left him. It just happened too quickly. Remus, Peter, Sirius, Amy. They left so soon. He carried on. He knew he was not done. His family needed him. They could not be left without someone looking after them in those times. So he marched on. He marched on and he never looked back till this day.
Today, everyone he lost seemed to be calling to him. Seemed to be talking to him. He turned away from the photos and walked back to his bed. They had been with him every step of the way. They had promised a lifetime of togetherness and till this day, they held their promise to him. There they sat, watching him in concern, though trying to hide it as best as they could.
His Bell, Cissa, and Andi were just as beautiful as the day he had seen them. So beautiful. No one would dare to call them old. Not with him around. He joined the three of them in bed and sat down in the middle.
Bellatrix. His strength. She remains that till this day. There was never a day since she went weak, supporting him all the while when he felt the need to just give up. He was ashamed to admit it, but he was scared. He was scared many times and he would worry over it, just until she held his hand and assured him. Everything would just be fine.
He and Bellatrix tried hard for kids. There weren't any doctors that they didn’t consult. Both muggle and magical. They traveled wide to look for a cure, but for naught. She stopped trying one day. The sad Belltrix was never something that he thought he would ever want to see. He questioned everything in his life when he could not help the woman he loved, he felt like a huge disappointment.
He never expected this to change. Not after every place they looked in the Wizarding World. But for once lady luck decided to change things in his life and go his way. Lily, who never lost touch from the muggle world, even after her mother passed away after the death of Voldemort, came home excited one day and she introduced a world renowned specialist in muggle London.
It was then that they were introduced to Invitro Fertilization. Bellatrix was apprehensive. She never trusted anything muggle and even though that had mellowed out these days, she was totally against it until the Doctor and Lily had assured the success of the method.
She would have not gone through with it, but after everything they had tried, she decided to take a risk. It bore fruit. Six months later, Aurelius Potter was born. She had cried her heart out when she held the tiny infant in her arms. He brought back all the lost sadness from the Potter household. He brought back his Bellatrix.
Harry never really forgives himself for the pain she suffered. To this day, he curses himself for his short-sightedness. To this day, he punishes himself mentally for the pain his dear Bell went through. Even though he curses himself for all the pain in her life for those years, he is just glad that she finally found the one thing that she had lost in her life.
Narcissa, his brains. What he would do without her level-headedness, he didn’t know. She just knows him inside out. His every move. Every thought. He didn’t know what he did to deserve her. She just made him a better person. She was the backbone of the entire Potter Black family.
Narcissa might be the matriarch of the family, ruthless and cunning and perfect in every sense, but to him, she was always his princess. His lovely blonde-haired princess. One he would hide close to his heart and look after.
Andromeda and Harry developed a friendly relationship just for the sake of Dora. He never thought that he could love the woman like the other two, but he was so wrong. Andi was fabulous. The more he spent time with her, the more he understood that she was the best of both sisters. Agreement turned to dates. Dates turned to relationships. The relationship turned to intimacy. Intimacy turned to marriage. The two of them dated for three years before marrying. Harry enjoyed the journey that was their relationship.
Andromeda completed the circle. Made him complete. Full. The woman was the definition of bravery. The meaning of courage. The solution to every problem in his life.
To this day, he cherished every moment spent with his wives. He could not have been any luckier. He laid down and beckoned the three of them to join him.
The three women noticed the finality in his eyes. The three of them could feel it coming. Just like their husband felt. They felt the call. They offered him a huge smile of understanding and acceptance and snuggled next to him. Harry gathered the three of them in his arms and held them close to each other.
“I love you, Bell. Andi and Cissa. You know that right?”
The three of them sighed contentedly into his chest. “Always.” They whispered and drifted off to sleep.
—---&&&-------
Fleur Potter didn’t want to think of it, but she couldn’t push away the feeling of foreboding. For the arrival of something uncomfortable. She quickly went up the stairs of the manor towards her destination. She pushed open the double doors and stopped dead in her tracks.
“Papa…?” She whispered as she tiptoed towards the huge bed. She thought he was asleep. He and her mothers were asleep. She tried to calm her heart, but for some reason, she knew that she was lying to her heart. Lying to herself.
He still looked handsome. She was sure that her papa was more handsome than her husband ever was. He clutched his wives tightly and Fleur could make out the content smile on their faces. She saw a parchment lying on top of his stomach.
She picked it up, her hand shaking badly, and read through the content.
My Lovely Flower,
I know how you are feeling. I know that you would have sensed what was about to happen by now. I know that you would be the one that would come looking for me as soon as you felt it.
By the time you would have read this letter, I would have stopped breathing my dear.
I know you are angry. I know you are crying, but I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye to all of you, Flower. I could have not moved on peacefully seeing the look on your face.
I just wanted to let you know because it was the right time, dear. It was the perfect time to move ahead. Just know that I left happily, with the very essence of my life. My dear wives. They couldn’t stay apart from me for a second and they joined me as soon as I left. They promised me and they kept it. I am a lucky man.
Fleur smiled slightly despite the tears flowing freely.
Just know that I am happy, Flower. Tell the others that I am happy. I need you to look after my family. Look after my son. Look after my sons. Look after my daughters. Protect them with your heart and soul. I know you are just as able as my Bell, Cissa, and Andi. You are a very special my dear. Very special and I am proud to call you my daughter. My dear daughter, Fleur Potter.
Don’t cry, my child. Don’t cry and send me off. Your mothers and I need you to smile as you see us off. We lived our life to the fullest. We lived the happiest.
Be there for my family, daughter. Be there and when you join me up here until it's many many years into the future, I will be waiting to thank you.
Yours,
Papa…….
Fleur knelt next to the bed and placed the letter on the floor. She was aware of the arrival of the others as she heard the pattering of feet. She stared at the handsome face of her papa. Even in death, nothing could take away his looks.
She didn’t know how long she stared at his face, but she knew it was for a long time. She turned back to the tear-stained faces of her husband and in-laws and her children. She wiped away her eyes.
She placed the letter in her husband’s hand and asked for him to read it aloud. Everybody listened intently to the last word in the letter. The occasional sniffs and chokes were heard, but none cried, honoring the request of the man that spent all his life looking out for them and protecting them.
Fleur walked back to the bed, bent down, and kissed the forehead of the man she had come to love and respect more than her father. She smiled gently at him as she grabbed his hand, resting hers in his.
“I promise, Papa. I promise to look out for them till my last breath. I will protect them with my life if necessary. I love you, papa.” She said and with another kiss on his forehead, she left the room clutching the letter tightly to her chest. She had a send-off to arrange……..
—----&&&-------------
Hey guys….I would have written the ending before from few of the ideas I got, but I wanted the ending to be how I wanted and this was how I wanted it to be.
As the year comes to a close, I look back and I am extremely proud of what I have been able to create. Going forward, I will make sure that I am providing better fics. I want to get better and I expect that the curve is going up. I hope I have met your expectations and will continue to do so.
With this, we have come to the end of Back To the Beginning, but for me, this is just the beginning. We have many more to come. Thank you and merry christmas. See you in the New Year……
Comments
Robert
Strong epilogue. I hope that Fleur from Veela and a Lion can become as good a character as this Fleur was just in this small sample. Really well written here. The story definitely had its ups and downs and you finished it on a strong note for sure.
Darius Lillard
Loved this story. Such a great ending, I felt what fleur was feeling. Thanks for the story and I can't wait to see what you write next
