Chapter 116: This is the end. Or is it?

The verdict had been unanimous. Voldemort was sentenced to the veil. To everyone’s surprise, in front of the arch of death, he finally displayed an ounce of reaction by fighting his guards off. Not to run away but to run straight into it. Albus theorized later that to Voldemort, the only thing that could make him stop feeling the remnant of the fatherly love Rick made him experience was to welcome his greatest fear. Death. Perhaps hoping his immortality (which he didn’t remember how he had achieved) from the horcrux would save him, not knowing they had all been destroyed.

Regardless, Tom Marvolo Riddle was finally dead for good and everyone celebrated even more.

The trials of his accomplices and followers was not as easy. Thanks to Voldemort’s confession everything was a done deal. No one escaped punishment. The problem turned out to be determining what punishment each culprit should receive.

Rick made a speech for the veil or the kiss for everyone. He shared he would prefer giving no mercy to the guilty and make sure they had a long and miserable life but that giving them mercy by throwing them through the veil would put an end to Voldemort’s movement for good. Twenty years down the line they wouldn’t be broken out again and start a third war. He preached for removing the cancer they were from the roots and finally be done with it so Magical Britain could change for the better.

The Wizengamot was stunned when, knowing the kind of friendship they had, Albus made a more tolerant speech. To let them all rot in a reformed and better secure Azkaban for the rest of their lives. His angle was to show they could do better as people and not be cruel and petty. To do justice and not vengeance. To show the new generations there were other ways than simply taking the lives of everyone and washing their hands.

In the end they both won and lost. Those that had gotten scott-free the first war receive a harsher punishment than those who went to Azkaban for the most part. The former got their personal asset taken by the Ministry and then yeeted through the veil. Amelia cried in private into Rick’s arms after personally sending Corban Yaxley through the arch of death. It had been cathartic. With Dolohov dying during the battle and Rookwood receiving the kiss for actively helping Voldemort returning, Yaxley had been the last member alive of the inner circle who had led the death eater raid on her family.

Until Azkaban was fully ready to be operational with the new upgrades, all guilty parties would be held in the Black Prison. Plenty of death eaters' associates had fled the country, however, and Amelia had offered bounties on an international level for them. She partially used the funds the ministry had seized to pay those bounties who were far from being meager. She argued it was poetic justice that those individuals’ arrest or death would be paid by their own money and the money they stole from their victims.

After justice was served, the commendations and reward came. Amelia made sure no one was forgotten. Plenty of Order of Merlin were given. Most were third class, a few seconds and an even lower number of first. Fleur and Viktor got a third class one for subjugating Bartemius Crouch Junior who was given the kiss too. They were even offered Magical British citizenship.

Among the first class three were given. One was for Rick for defeating Voldemort. One for Severus for his vital role in the victory. The last was attributed to Amelia herself after Bella called for it. The whole Winzengamot voted their support and Amelia was decorated by Chief Warlock Tiberius Ogden, since she couldn’t do it to herself. Her exemplary leadership and fairness was what made it possible and her popularity was through the roof. Very few laws she proposed, repelled or modified were not agreed upon.

The most important one in Rick and Lily’s opinion was the dissociation of the people afflicted with lycanthropy. They were now recognized as humans and not dark creatures. Normal citizens by all intent and aspects and more importantly by rights although they still needed to declare themselves as werewolves. While they, as people, were not dangerous, the wolves themselves were. The Potters proposed a law regarding the dealing of the werewolves. The employers would procure the wolf-eazy pills for their werewolves employees and it would be tax exempted by the Ministry. To make it easier for the law to pass, Lily revealed she had a breakthrough in her study of the disease. Not quite a cure but she had promising results regarding the possibility of the werewolves not transforming during the full moon and that as such the tax exemption would only be for a few years. She reminded everyone that lycanthropy spread throughout the bite of a werewolf and that if none transformed during the moon, down the line the disease would just disappear by itself.

Another law that passed which the Potters were happy about was the protection of the house-elves. Abusing them was now illegal and would be severely punished. They had argued with Albus' support, that to know the true character of someone you needed to look at how they treated their lesser. Only beasts and bullies would abuse someone weaker than they were and that as upstanding and civilized witches and wizards, such behavior was appalling. Playing on their pride paid off in the end.

Just after the school year ended, Lily and Rick released the results of their research and theories on everything they had been working on since they were students and didn’t deem it ‘family magic’.

Lily had worked out how to send messages through the communicating mirrors, which were renamed ‘comror’, and began selling them. Of course she credited Arthur’s for his idea and gave him a very small percentage of the revenue of each comror.

Rick presented his pensive projector which interested many. He also finally revealed his magical version of the television to the public. The prototype he had used during the triwizard tournament had proven itself to work and now the International Quidditch association was asking for a deal for it.

Rick had told them that muggles were looking at sport from the comfort of their home and that there was no reason it couldn’t be the same for quidditch instead of just listening to the wireless. They were hooked and so far it was just the logistic posing problems.

The married couple wasn’t the only one being published in prestigious magazines. Rose had made her own entry too with a design of a three dimensional alchemical circle whose purpose was to monitor better patients with complicated afflictions. The news had been quite the metaphorical bomb in the alchemist community and many Masters sent invitations to her for an apprenticeship once she was done with Hogwarts. Another effect was a new interest in the discipline. Madam Maxime even wrote to congratulate her and her findings and that she would be welcome to visit and maybe give a class on alchemy at Beauxbâtons, which was the prime magical school regarding alchemy in the world.

With the school year over and Voldemort dealt with, Rick and the whole family moved back to Lions’ Pride. He had fixed the damages the land had suffered during the battle over spring and it was now habitable again. The children were particularly happy to move back for the simple reason that Hogsmeade was right next to it. Of course they celebrated and with the good weather of summer, they had a big barbecue in the garden.

Lily, Rick, the Black sisters, Amelia, Rose, Susan, Draco, Hermione, Dumbledore and Remus were talking about the children's career once they were out of school next year.

“Are you still coming to work with me, Draco?” Andromeda inquired.

“I am, Auntie. More than ever after the trials at the beginning of the year.”

“You’re learning under Andromeda too? Why didn’t you say anything?!” Hermione interjected.

Draco was surprised too. “You want to work in the law? I thought you wanted to be the next Minister of Magic?”

“How can I ever become a Minister if I’m not well versed in wizarding law and its functionment?”

“Being an idiot?” Rick joked and everyone gave him a flat stare, Amelia and Hermione even glared. “I mean, Fudge was elected!”

“A competent Minister, Professor.” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Don’t ask Ame— Ouch!”

“Keep it up and more will be coming.” Amelia was threatening him with her wand raised, ready to shoot other stinging hexes.

“Spousal abuse!” Rick said and went to hide behind Susan, picking her up and using her as a shield.

“Uncle, put me down!” the redhead protested with a laugh.

“So your Aunt can put me down? Nuh-uh.”

“Sometimes I wonder who's the adult and who's the child.” remarked Amelia while she put her wand away back in its holster.

“I’m not a child. I’m just young. That’s a state of mind. It’s you who’s…”

“Go on. I dare you.” Amelia threatened.

Rick tried to find help from his lovers but found none, not even Bella wanted to pull him out from the hole he jumped head first into.

“Too serious. I swear you were already an adult before we even met.”

“I wasn’t! But someone had to babysit you! Mister-‘Gryffindor-Forward’-I-crucio-myself.”

“““What?!”” the children exclaimed but they were ignored.

Understanding he was not quite out of the pinch yet, Rick used his secret weapon for Amelia.

“My first time using the summoning charm!”

Amelia froze, then tried to maintain her composure then broke out into hilarious laughter before the dumbfounded look of everyone. She was laughing so hard she began to cry.

“See, Amy? You can never win against me.” Rick strutted smugly, releasing Susan to the ground.

“What happened?” Bella turned to Lily who shook her head.

“I have no idea what they are talking about.”

“Fortunately, I do.” Albus interjected, chuckling on his own. “The first and I hope only time Rick used the spell was during the winter break of 72.”

“Albus! Don’t sni-”

“Zip it.” Narcissa muted Rick with a silencio.

“He summoned a heavy potion book and was so happy to have succeeded in his first try that he forgot to catch it. The book landed squarely on his face with such a force, Rick ended up on the ground. Right in front Minerva and Fillius. He got five points for succeeding in doing the spell and five more for entertainment.”

Amelia was now folded in half having trouble breathing while everyone else was having a good laugh too.

“Oh! Oh! I want to see the memory of it!” Rose exclaimed.

“Of course I-”

Albus stopped talking when the ground suddenly began to shine. Everyone was on alert and drew their wand. A magic circle began to appear on the grass and on reflex Rick jumped away out of it only to be bounced back by an invisible force. Amelia, the only one of the group outside the circle, was casting spell after spell against the barrier but nothing worked. Others, like Sirius, James and Frank had dropped what they were doing and came to help but to no avail.

“That looks like…”

“Teleportation, dad.” Rose finished his answer. “I think we’re being teleported somewhere.”

Rick looked up to Amelia. “We have our comrors, we’ll be back.”

She nodded. “I’ll have the DoM on it. Be careful!”

“Everyone, be ready to defend yourself.” Albus advised as the circle finished itself.

When it was finally complete a bright white light shone so strongly they all had to close their eyes. They felt as if they were side-along apparating. They could tell from the air they were not outside anymore. The light quickly subsided and they opened their eyes to see where they were and who they had to curse for their situation.

“YOU!”

A spell came Bella’s way. As fast as lightning she redirected it and began throwing non-lethal spells at the group of people who had attacked. Rick quickly joined her.

“Wait! It’s Albus! Stop fighting!”

“But Kingsley!”

“Now!”

Taking a good look at the people in front of them, the group’s jaws reached the ground. In front of them was Kingsley Shacklebot, Nymphadora and another Remus, another Hermione, Moody, Fleur and the totality of the Weasley family minus Charlie and Percy. Finally stunned to the ground was Henry Dodderidge.

“What, in Morgana’s name…?!” Bella exclaimed, her wand still pointed at the group.

“Another me?” Remus was looking at his doppleganger with suspicion. His double looked awful with plenty of old scars and recent ones.

“Dad. I think we’re in an alternate reality.”

Rick turned to Rose and she pointed at the burned marks of the magic circle. Before he could take a proper look Kingsley confirmed it.

“You are. We summoned you, or rather Albus to assist us.”

“With what may I be of help, if I may ask?”

“Defeating You-know-who. That was what the ritual was about. Summoning someone who already defeated him.”

Everyone from the original world, even Albus looked at Rick who simply growled.

“Shit.”