The Birds and the Bears - Harry Potter Fanfic.

Epilogue.

Epilogue. 

Teddy's P.O.V

"I am pleased to award the House Cup to Gryfindor this year. Like their name sake, the students of that hallowed house demonstrated bravery and intelligence to such a degree as to earn themselves this award." Headmistress McGonnagal stands at the center of the head table, her face illuminated by the innumerable candles drifting about the air. Her voice fills the Great Hall and every occupant can feel her pride as she says "Our other houses are not to be forgotten however; Ravenclaw in second place, Slytherin in third and Hufflepuff in fourth place have each shown great prowess this year in their various vocations. As Headmistress I am proud to call you every one of you my students." 

"Another award needs to be presented before we can sit down and enjoy our sumptuous meal. Among you a few students deserve recognition for their special services to the school, when they helped to bring down the leviathan that threatened us so many months ago. Would each person please raise their glass to Theodore Lupin, Victoire Weasley, William Finnigan, Bobby O'Reilly, Manfred Bletchley, and Andrew Boot. These students have shown courage to the point of foolishness, and have saved our school from damage a beast of old. Thank you." McGonnagal raises her glass, then brings it to her mouth for a dainty sip. Everyone follows suit before rousing up a cheer. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables howl especially loud, and across the hall I can see Vic blushing heavily.

When the feasting begins she stands from her seat and glides over to my side. Bobby slides over to accommodate her on the bench as she sits by me. All my mates seem to have acquired a newfound respect for Vic. A still bandaged Manny passes Vic the sprouts, and Andrew inquires after her health. I grin broadly when Vic blushes harder, then throw an arm around her.

It took me until the end of March to get out of the hospital wing after our little adventure. It seems the combination of the leviathan venom and my fever scorched my skin severely. For the better part of the rest of the month I still looked like I overdosed on Pepper Up Potion, but after being doused in that goop stuff it is the best that could be expected. It is June now and both me and Vic are fully recovered.

She sits beside me her hair, which was all burned off by the reaction with the leviathan venom, is now about waist length. For a while after the debacle she looked like a small beautiful dandelion because her hair was so short and fine that it floated around her head in wisps. It gave me grounds to tease her which was quite enjoyable until she zapped me with her 'touch' thing and expressed her annoyance through the link. She has been practicing up on her Veela tricks and is quite proficient at most of them now. As of yet Vic hasn't been able to spit fire. Maybe it is because of her perpetual state of happiness over these last months but I don't envy whoever it is who brings out that particular element of her character.

Vic smiles up at me from her seat by my side and leans in for a kiss. We brush our lips together unashamedly, unhurriedly, and sweetly. It is a kiss that betokens many more to come, without the rush and fervor of our first few and with the certainty of love. I want to grab a hold of each moment we have together and never let go. This summer I am starting my internship at The Establishment for Magical Equality Liberation and Freedom. Because of that Vic and I won't be able to spend much time together, and then she'll be back at school meaning we will only see each other on Hogsmead weekends. I don't want to be apart from her, but I know we will weather the storm. With her it feels like a once in a lifetime sort of deal, like the muggles say we are playing for keeps.

"Where have your thoughts taken you, Teddy?" Vic laughs breaking me out of my contemplations. "Into the future, my love. Our future together."

Dear Readers,

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this whole story. This was my first fanfiction and by far the longest thing I have ever written. I have read many stories on sites such as this that have made me smile, laugh, get angry, and sometimes cry. I hope this story has evoked some of these emotions in you, and not just tears because of my shocking typos. I will be going through to weed out the worst of them and if you have found any that are particularly offensive feel free to drop me a line.

My shining acknowledgments go out to our illustrious J.K. Rowling, who is far and above my favorite author, and the lady who constructed the world in which this story takes place. It is a tale that was born of an extreme proclivity for nerdyness and a deep love for the Harry Potter books. I don’t know if I will write more fanfictions for you all to read but feel assured that I will be reading yours. A tip of the hat to all of the burgeoning authors out there, and a last sincere thank you to all my stupendous readers. Signing off,

TiberiusFish