Prodigal Witch

Epilogue

The months after the third ritual were a whirlwind of activity, as everyone settled into their new lives. Hermione and her four Ancillaries secluded themselves in their home for several days. Then, Adrian, Draco, Marcus, and Theo each went back to their previous homes to pack their belongings. They chose rooms in the large house and Susan was tasked with decorating them to each wizards specifications. Rather than live amongst the renovations, Adrian took them all to the Mediterranean on his boat for a two week honeymoon of sorts.

When they returned, they had to deal with the trials against Ron for kidnapping Marcus and against Lisa Turpin for assault. They were also both charged with interfering with a Sorcery ritual, as Marcus was an established Ancillary candidate at the time of the kidnapping. It turned out that crimes against a Sorceress or her Ancillary were considered treason against the entire wizarding world and was punishable by death. Hermione, however, couldn't abide that penalty. Lisa was sick and needed treatment. Ron had at one point been a friend; also she couldn't do that to Arthur and Molly. In the end, Lisa was confined for life and treated for her obsession. Ron was sentenced to life in Azkaban, with the possibility of parole after thirty years if he was sufficiently reformed.

Things were rocky for the Weasley family because of Ron's actions. Business was down for George, Ginny was benched, and Bill was put on leave from Gringotts. Hermione made a statement supporting and absolving the Weasley clan of any wrong doing, which was helpful. Despite Hermione's show of support, Ginger was still harassed because she was closest to Ron and the most vulnerable. Her landlord voided her lease, she couldn't get a job, and she received enough anonymous threats that she worried harm would come to little Melody. Hermione insisted that Ginger and Melody come to stay in her newly renovated carriage house. Hermione liked the other witch, and she was grateful that Ginger had spoken up at the ritual as she had. That took a great deal of courage.

Ginger and Melody flourished on Hermione's little compound over the years. Ginger insisted on helping out as much as possible around the house and with Hermione's Sorceress work. Hermione encouraged her to get back into clothing design. It turned out that Ginger was really quite talented. After Hermione and Pansy were both photographed wearing things Ginger made, there was a real demand for her pieces. She had a particular flare for maternity wear, which was a real growth industry in the years after Hermione became Sorceress. Ginger stayed with Hermione's family longer than was required because she became an unofficial extended family member. She only moved out when she, finally, officially became a Weasley. Charlie stayed in England and ended up spending more and more time with his incarcerated brother's ex-girlfriend. It was a good match, a happy marriage, and a few years later Melody Weasley got a half-brother/cousin, Arthur Frederick Weasley.

Hermione set to work creating an Office of the Sorceress in Wizarding London. She hired Percy Weasley to manage everything. It took Percy and a staff of three more people to handle the requests, appointments, and appearances. Percy was a perfect fit and Hermione trusted his judgment, which was priceless. He liaised with the Ministry, foreign governments, and the sentient magical creatures like the Veela, Centaurs, and Merpeople. Percy enjoyed his job and reconnected with his old school sweetheart, Penelope Clearwater. They married and had two children, first Priscilla and then Prewett Weasley.

George Weasley never did marry or even have a serious relationship, but he was always incredibly social. He was a fixture at Hermione's home and, after many years, even Draco admitted that he quite liked the Weasley. George was also the favorite uncle of all the Weasley kids, which was no surprise to anyone. George did become a father, in a way, via donations he made to Luna Lovegood and Selma Turan. He was the biological father of Diana Lovegood-Turan and later to Nasir George Lovegood-Turan. The Lovegood-Turan household split their time between England and Turkey, and the children were fully embraced by the Weasley clan.