Redemption II

Epilogue

"This is it. Are you excited?" Hermione smiled gently running her fingers through the back of Firas' hair. The boy hadn't been near excited as his sister who was presently reading through her first-year potions text with her father. The two of them discussing better ways to brew the potions therein.

Firas made a soft noise in the back of his throat and leaned further into his mother. He had tried to be excited, he truly had and up until the point where they'd come to stand before the Hogwarts express he had been. Now his brow was lined with worry and fear of the unknown.

"Why can't you and Dad teach me? You're both better than anyone at that castle anyway..." He wrapped his arms around his mother's waist not wanting to be so far away.

Hermione chuckled softly and rubbed his back gently, "It'll be fine darling, they're not all bad. In fact, more than a few of them are my friends."

"Really?"

"Mhm. You remember Neville don't you? The man who helped your Dad get a few rare ingredients for the castle garden?" Oh, that had been a most amusing day. Hermione had refused to be the go-between, forcing Severus to actually swallow his pride and ask himself. He'd done so initially by letter, which she surreptitiously pre-read before sending it off before they actually had to meet in person and behave like civilized adults. Or rather, Severus had to act like a civilized adult. To her surprise, and Neville's, he'd actually thrown in a 'Thank you' nearly causing the young man to faint.

"Yeah, Dad doesn't like him..."

"Your Dad had to teach him." Hermione chuckled softly, pushing the boy's recently cut hair over his shoulder. How he looked so much like his father, "He's a very kind man, brave and strong. You'll learn a lot from him."

Firas furrowed his brows a bit doing the math in his head, "Did Dad teach you too?"

"He did." Hermione turned her head, smiling lovingly over at Severus, it was hard to believe how long ago that was.

"Did...Neville fight in the..." Firas lowered his voice glancing around for a moment, "War?"

"He did, he was brave. He saved many lives."

Firas smiled ever just so before pushing his face into his mother's chest. His sister and he had both been told—albeit without so much detail, about the second wizarding war. About the boy who had lived and the sacrifices made by so many on that night. That it had been the coming of a new age in which they now lived. Neither twin had asked much, though what they had had been answered truthfully and for their age. Now they were going to go to the school from which it happened.

"Hey aunt, Hermione."

"Renatus." Hermione smiled brightly at the rapidly growing teen, he'd definitely inherited his height from his father as she already had to tilt her head back to look at him properly.

"Firas nervous?" Renatus smiled down at the boy who huffed and turned his face away to hide his embarrassment.

"A little." Hermione pat the boy's back with a grin when he held her tighter.

"Well I know just the cure." Renatus grinned and gave Hermione a wink. He'd definitely picked up the same charms of his father though he looked strikingly like his mother. He'd cut his hair short this year, the lanky black locks falling rather nicely around his ears. It reminded her of Draco a little aside from the color.