The Founders

Epilogue

Kyra knocked on the door and stood back, waiting. It was the day before the summer holidays started and she was waiting outside of Headmistress McGonagall's office. She had spent the last few weeks spending all her time with Oscar, Grace and Alex.

It was a strange sensation just spending time together again, without having anything to research or train for. Kyra had visited the DADA library with Alex a few times, nominally to return books, but unofficially to have some privacy, away from Grace's inappropriate comments and Oscar's laughter.

It was also a foreign sensation to be able to be affectionate in public. It was the small things which tugged at Kyra's heart the most, like eating dinner together or a brush on the back.

They played quidditch together, to Kyra's chagrin, and a few of his new friends from Ravenclaw joined them. There was a boy called Aidan who kept heckling Alex each time he had the ball, making snarky comments in an attempt to make him drop it, and Kyra cheerfully joined in. It was good for Alex to know what true friendship was like, as she told him later than evening.

Kyra also visited her new greenhouse and started planning out what she would plant there when they returned in September.

Oscar would sit on the ground, making unhelpful suggestions, like gillyweed or illegal plants, the names of which he had specifically researched for this purpose beforehand. He thought he was hilarious, and Kyra mock glared down at him.

She had also started going down to the kitchens again, with Oscar and Alex. The first time, it was extremely difficult to enter the room again, for Alex as well. But Kyra was resolved to work through it before they left for the holidays.

The room still didn't comfort her like it used to, but Oscar liked having company while he baked, so she went down there enough that it stopped scaring her.

Alex sometimes went with her, and would stand beside the countertop that she was sitting on, fiddling with her robes and being generally distracting.

At night, Kyra would lie in bed next to Grace, and they would listen to Grace's CD's, talking and laughing late into the night. That morning, they had gone and sat on their bench for the last time that year, watching the sun stretch over the grounds and illuminate the water to pale blue.

"Come in," called a voice. Kyra abruptly snapped out of her musing and pushed open the heavy oak door. "Take a seat," McGonagall told her, not unkindly.

Kyra pulled out the one straight-backed chair opposite the desk and sat down, fiddling nervously with her fingers. "What is it that you wanted to ask me, then?" McGonagall asked, arranging some papers on her desk.

Kyra cleared her throat. "As headmistress, you have pretty close connections with the ministry, right?"

McGonagall nodded, fixing her with a look and frowning slightly. Kyra cleared her throat. "There was an article, a few months ago, published in the Daily Prophet. About Kat Carter's family, and the attack on their autistic daughter."

McGonagall nodded in comprehension, sitting back. "I'd like you to ask- to ask the Prophet to reprint the story, on the front page, and list all the names of the people involved. The family members and- and the attackers. And I want to create a petition, to put the attackers on trial. Is that possible?" Kyra asked. McGonagall nodded slowly.

"Yes, it's possible, Kyra." She readjusted her glasses and folded her arms on the desk. "I warn you, though, this won't be easy. There will a lot of opposition from powerful people. Are you sure that this is what you want?"

Kyra nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I think I've probably been through worse, anyway."

McGonagall nodded again, and smiled a rare smile. "Leave it with me, Kyra. I'll be in contact during the summer."

Kyra let out a breath of relief, her heart lightening, and stood up, picking up her bag. At the door, she turned to face the Professor a final time, looking at her earnestly. "Thank you, Professor. For listening."

She nodded. "Have a good summer, Kyra. We'll see you back here in September."