The Sortinghat's Mission

Epilogue

So...
this is it.

Thank you so much for all your kudos and comments. 

It have been fun writing these chapters, and I'm blown away over the amount of people that found it worth reading.
Thank you so much for your kind words <3

All love
Jenny

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Hermione was seated at the desk in her classroom on September 2nd, 1991, waiting for her class of first years. It was always thrilling having a new class to form. She loved teaching, probably more than Tom loved his politics, and that was saying something.

Their own kids were grown up, having kids of their own. They had a comfortable life, more money than they needed, and all the love and more that was needed to raise one's family. Having married Tom Riddle just out of Hogwarts was something she had never regretted. Their life together had been filled with happiness and love; three beautiful kids and each other as well as entertaining careers. Sure, they were well over 60 now, but they still had dreams and goals, for themselves as well as their kids and grandkids.

She could still remember the day he had proposed to her. It was new years eve of 1944. He had taken her to the Astronomy Tower, letting her know how he used to spend his birthdays there all alone. Hermione remembered she had felt sorry for him, her mind picturing a young Tom sitting there all alone with no one to share his birthday with. It was then he had told her how happy he was that she was with him now, and that he'd rather spend every birthday to come in her presence. He then proceeded with getting down on one knee, popping the question accompanied with a beautiful diamond ring. She had started crying heavily, nodding her yes through her tears and his relieved laughter.

As he put the ring on her finger, loud explosions of fireworks were seen, accompanied by cheers and laughter from both her friends and his. They had a hell of a new years eve party that night.

Tom deciding to marry her had wavered his group of friends' look on muggleborns and half bloods. If the heir of Slytherin wasn't scared to do so, neither would they. Lestrange had grafted hard for Millicent's affections, a pursuit that she held him to for a good two years before she finally accepted his proposal. They often shared dinners together.

Hermione had persuaded Tom to go into politics and take one of the million offers he had from the ministry; he had reluctantly accepted one after a while's contemplation and found himself loving it. She had as well taken up a post in the ministry, first as an employee of the department for regulation and control of magical creatures, secondly as an auror. She quickly became head auror within a few years. When Dumbledore became headmaster in 1965 she had gladly accepted a post as the defense against the dark arts teacher. A post she had held for 26 years now, and she wasn't planning on giving it up either.

It was these thoughts that consumed Hermione's mind when her class came crashing in through the doors. And in the lead were two people she knew all too well.

A small boy with pitch black, messy hair and eyes green as emeralds were staring at her hopefully. She could not help but notice how a certain lightning scar wasn't anywhere to be seen. Beside him, looking even more excited, were a taller boy with fierce red hair and blue eyes. He had a long nose speckled with freckles on it.

Hermione had thought she was ready for this day, but seeing them again so young and so full of hope, caught her off guard. These boys didn't have to live through the threat of a dark lord, they did not need to see their friends die in front of them, and they did not need to grow up all too fast. No. They would get a carefree childhood, filled with love from their living parents and siblings, they would attend Hogwarts and find it boring for once and they would get to grow up and become their own persons.

She felt tears preck her vision and swiftly composed herself. She couldn't scare two eleven year olds by crying the first thing she did upon seeing them.

It was a strange feeling, seeing her two best friends for a second time, all while they had no idea who they were for her, who she had been for them.

The class quickly took their seats, beaming up at her. This was one of the reasons she loved her post so much. It was one of many students' favorite subjects. She plastered a big smile on her lips to contain the nostalgia she felt whenever laying eyes on the two boys in the front seat and opened her mouth to say words she had spoken so many times before.

"Welcome to your first defense against the dark arts class. I am Professor Riddle."