𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥? 〚𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢 〛

Epilogue

Laying down in our backyard, I closed my eyes, letting the sun wash away the droplets of rain that were left on my clothes. 

I still found it hard to believe that the sun rose every morning, following the same ritual it had for thousands of years. 

My sleeve slipped, and without opening my eyes, I imagined the tiny scars that crossed my arms, forever reminding me of the curses I have fought. 

Aided by the soft summer wind carrying the smell of our newly renovated cottage, I managed to relax, falling into some sort of trance. 

My connection to the Order of the Phoenix had forced the ministry of magic to give me a week to recover from whatever trauma I could have been facing. 

I disagree with that decision. Working would have taken my mind off of the people I would never be seeing again. Now, with Draco gone, a selfish feeling of loneliness was filling me. 

Draco, gone. 

I smiled slightly. Saying it that way caused so much confusion. 

I had forced him to go back to Hogwarts and prepare his office for the start of the year, promising that I would be fine on my own. 

He needed to start living again, and the pure joy on his face when Professor Mcgonagall had asked him to teach potions and alchemy --a new subject at Hogwarts-- had been enough to make me smile. 

I breathed deeply, the salty scent of the sea calming me further. Oh how I had loved this smell the first time we moved here. 

After having fulfilled my promise to Draco to stay with him until he was comfortable with sending me to war, I had infiltrated the ministry of magic under a fake identity, acting as spy for the Order of the Phoenix. 

Unwanted memories of deaths and unfair trials filled my mind, soon followed by an unpleasant tugging at the back of my head. 

I shut everything down, focusing solely on what had happened after the battle of Hogwarts. I still hadn't put everything behind me. 

When Voldemort was taken down, I had applied as minister of muggle affairs and member of the jury. I wanted to be there to make sure every single death eater got what they deserved, and that no innocent would be punished. 

On the muggle side, I was known as a successful lawyer, although I had never attended law school, and worked alongside the muggle prime minister, helping him take into consideration the wizarding world, just as I did for muggles with the wizarding prime minister. 

I was respected and honoured more than I deserved. The true heroes of war were no longer there to collect gratitude. 

In a small corner of our cottage, Draco and I had made a wall to never forget those we had lost. 

Oh how lucky I was that my closest friends had survived the battle. I had sobbed shamelessly when wrapping my arms around Draco, Luna and Charles, amidst the great hall, surrounded by families that would only be reunited by death. The golden trio had survived, and so had Ginny, much to my relief. 

I made a mental note to check the calendar. 

I had lost count of days, but was certain Luna, Ginny and I were to go on a hunt for... some creature. I was ashamed to say I didn't remember what, but I longed for their presence. 

The calendar would also remind me of when I was to have supper with my parents, who had recently moved back from Australia. I was glad to have them back, hoping we would be able to spend time together and catch up on all the time we had missed.