Nineteen years had passed since the fall of the last Dark Lord, and life carried on.
Hermione was never seen again after that battle. Despite everyone's efforts to search the castle and its surroundings, all they found were some fallen students or Death Eaters along with many, many ashes.
Barnaby kept his promise to Snape, spending three years clearing his name completely. At that point, he released a new version of the Potions textbook, which took the potioneering community by storm.
So much so, that after extensive review and discussion, two years later, Severus Snape posthumously received a Second-Class Order of Merlin for his contributions to the field of Potions.
He even got his own Chocolate Frog card!
As time went on, people began to marry:
Harry and Ginny had three children: two boys and a girl.
Ron and Luna had twin daughters, who, much to their father's horror, were heavily influenced by their uncles Fred and George.
The joke shop, by the way, experienced an incredible boom in the years following its opening, becoming such a renowned brand that they were considering opening branches in other magical communities.
In addition, Ron opened a farm and established the "Red-Headed Pumpkin" business, which has become a highly coveted premium product for chefs, both Muggle and magical.
Draco reformed to some extent and married his friend Astoria Greengrass, with whom he had a son.
Neville took over Professor Sprout's position after her retirement and surprised everyone by winning the heart of Cho Chang. They had a daughter, and there were rumors that a second child was on the way.
The Ministry of Magic underwent significant reforms after Kingsley Shacklebolt was appointed as the new Minister, rectifying many outdated laws and actively promoting policies that greatly benefited the magical community with their strict enforcement.
Hannah Abbott became the new landlady of The Leaky Cauldron, and under Barnaby's wise advice, implemented a strict hygiene policy that tripled the daily clientele compared to all its years under Tom.
The success was so great that she renamed the place to The Gleaming Cauldron.
Due to the extreme reduction in the number of Dementors and their past aid to Voldemort, Azkaban ceased employing them. Now, they were as much prisoners as those they once fed on.
Voldemort's curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position ended with his death, and now there was a permanent professor for that subject.
"Tonks, you're going to be late for your lesson!" Barnaby called from the kitchen, where he was having breakfast with the rest of the family. "How is it possible that we have to go through this every morning?"
"Dad, should I go wake up Mom?" asked a six-year-old girl sitting in a high chair.
With her red hair tied in a ponytail, rosy cheeks, and her father's eye color, she was the physical embodiment of cuteness.
"Make sure to do a big, extra-high jump before landing on her," Barnaby joked as he wiped her little face.
"Yes!" the girl shouted with a triumphant tone as she climbed onto Sanshi's back, and together, they went upstairs. "The Ophelia Bomb strikes again!"
"Dad, Mom's going to scold you again for waking her up like that," a twelve-year-old boy said, trying to suppress his laughter.
He was essentially a male version of Tonks in her youth, except that he had Barnaby's eye color.
"Don't worry, Orion, your mother LOVES to be woken up that way," Barnaby laughed without the slightest fear.
"Sometimes you act like a child, Dad," said an eighteen-year-old woman with an exasperated yet amused tone.
She was the eldest daughter and had inherited her mother's Metamorphmagus ability, constantly changing her hair color at a slow pace. She had a robust and generous build.
"Only sometimes?" Barnaby widened his eyes, feigning alarm. "Aurelia, how could you say something so cruel to your beloved dad?"
"That's why I don't want to bring my boyfriend home," Aurelia rolled her eyes with a smile, remembering how her father and Calcifer had scared her ex-boyfriend so badly that his hair turned permanently white.
"Ophelia Bomb!"
"AAAHHH!!!"
"I think Mom's awake," Orion commented while spreading jam on the toast Lily had given him, just another ordinary day at home.
"I think even Grandpa must have woken up," Aurelia said as she checked the time on the wall clock. "I have to go to work; I've got an important sale to close today for mammoth cheese."
"Have a great day!" Barnaby waved as Aurelia kissed his cheek. "Does she really have another boyfriend?" he asked after she had left.
"They're still just flirting, don't worry," Orion betrayed his older sister without blinking.
The household hierarchy was simple:
Their parents, Sanshi – Lily, and then the kids in order of birth.
"I'm running late!" Tonks rushed in, adjusting her teaching robes to look presentable. "Barnaby, we're going to have a talk tonight about sending Ophelia to wake me up!"
"Sure thing," Barnaby wasn't fazed in the slightest and handed her the tray with her packed lunch. "Eat before it gets cold and then take Orion with you."
Although Tonks could live at Hogwarts while teaching, and Orion while studying, both preferred to stay home at night.
Setting privacy aside, their bathroom was a thousand times better than the castle's facilities for showering.
As for the argument... Barnaby always ensured Tonks wouldn't have the strength to continue, leaving her exhausted and asleep after a bit of "exercise."
It wouldn't be surprising if they soon had a fourth child at this rate.
Tonks blushed upon recognizing the look her husband was giving her, the silent promise she knew so well. She quickly finished breakfast and took their second son with her, not without kissing Barnaby and letting him ruffle the boy's hair.
"Mission accomplished!" Sanshi came in with Ophelia, who saluted.
"An excellent result!" Barnaby responded, returning the gesture and lifting the little girl onto his lap. "How about today we-?"
DING! DONG!
"Oh, hang on, someone's at the door," Barnaby handed the little one to Sanshi so she could hold her while he checked who was showing up so early in the morning.
He opened the door, and a pair of pointed ears came into view.
"Frieren!"
"It's been a while," the elf said as she entered at Barnaby's invitation. "I hope my arrival isn't inconvenient."
"Pretty ears!" Ophelia shouted upon seeing her.
Frieren blinked, noticing the child's familiar features and spotting a family photo on the table where Tonks and Barnaby were embracing their three children, with Sanshi and Lily at their side.
"Oh, wow," she said, widening her eyes slightly in surprise. "You have more of you now!"
"Hey!" Barnaby exclaimed while closing the door. "Why do you have to say it like that?"
Laughter echoed behind the wooden door.
THE END.
---------------
Phew, we've got another FF finished!
I remind you that it will be cut down after a while, but you can come back to it for free whenever you want by joining my Patreon community as a free member.
But let's talk about good things. I have at least three more ideas for other HP FFs, but let's change things up a bit for now.
If there are any ATLA fans out there, I have a Patreon-exclusive FF!
Upcoming projects? Well, I'd be working on Kirigakure for the Naruto FFs, although I'm having a bit of a block on a major part and I have to see how it develops.
I also have a lot of ideas for other universes, like Cyberpunk. Or maybe something different. I'm thinking about some long-form ideas involving One Piece, Toriko...
I'm short on time and hands!
In short, stay tuned and don't miss it!