Chapter 63
EPILOGUE
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Fifteen years had passed since the demise of the Dark Lord named Voldemort, and now few even remembered the Dark Lord whose name had once been the symbol of fear and evil.
The world had changed much in that time, and as he gazed at the Great Hall in front of him, he saw the students from various Houses intermingling with one another. They wore different uniforms, came from different backgrounds, but the division and prejudice that had once plagued his Halls was now all gone.
This had been a dream of his, and now it was finally fulfilled. Minerva sat beside him, while a young Lily Potter stood on the podium announcing the names of the first years ready to start their journey at the school.
She was one of Hogwarts' youngest Transfiguration Professors, and would soon be replacing Minerva as deputy Headmistress, who would be taking over for him.
"Are you sure about this, Albus?" Minerva asked from the side, and he had already made up his mind.
"I am," he whispered back, and much like the students, the teacher's table had changed as well.
It had grown longer for one, and now, for the first time, a centaur sat on the table as a faculty member. Firenze was a member of the Centaur herd from the Black Forest and had taken up a position as Professor of astronomy.
He was not the only non-human professor now, for a goblin named Friphok sat beside him, having taken over from Binns and teaching History along with the newly added elective of Gobbledegook.
There were a few other additions as well, and Horace had chosen to retire a decade ago. His position, though, had been filled by the rather quiet Regulus Black, who sat imperiously at the edge of the table.
"Is there anything I can say to change your mind?" Minerva asked, and he looked her in the eye and shook his head.
"We have grown old, you and I. It is time to let the young ones take over," and it was not as if they were seeking permission.
The Golden Generation. That was the term that had been coined for the graduating class of 78. They were students still, but their generation had been instrumental in bringing down the evil known as Voldemort.
And now that very generation was leading their world in various ways. Severus was one of the youngest Potions Masters and had developed a modified version of Wolfsbane that completely stopped the transformation if taken for a week before the full moon.
But this was not just his work. The potions were a result of a joint collaboration between him and Lily Evans, who was not shy about using her gift for Parseltongue to push for revolutionary breakthroughs.
The red-haired girl held two Masters in both Transfiguration and Potions, and was one of the most famous witches of their time. Her fame overshadowed her own husband's rather illustrious career as an Auror.
But none were as famous or well-known as her own twin brother. Alder Evans had cemented himself as a Hero after he had helped take down teh Dark lord known as Voldemort. He was the youngest ever winner of the Order of Merlin First Class, and he had not been shy about using influence to better the world.
The young boy had taken two years to travel the world after their final battle, and had wasted little time after his return to enter the Ministry as the Deputy Head of the DMLE. He had risen quickly after that and was now the favorite to replace the retiring Willian Buckbell as the Minister of Magic.
"Hogwarts will not be the same without you," Minerva added, and the two of them had given teh school more than half their lives, but now it was time to pass the torch.
"I won't be leaving Hogwarts," and Minerva frowned at that.
"What do you mean?" Albus had already retired from his various positions in the Ministry, though he still remained the Supreme Mugwump at the ICW. He was set to retire as Headmaster as well, but he was not quite ready to put down the wand yet.
He was old but no older than most witches and wizards, and with the new generation taking charge of the world, it was time for him to return to his passion for teaching.
"While I am indeed resigning as the Headmaster, the governors have accepted my request to let me teach an elective for the NEET students," and Minerva's eyes widened at his words.
"Alchemy," he answered, and he had long sought to revive the esoteric subject, but his schedule had never quite given him the opportunity. But now, with his lessened responsibilities, he could finally fulfill his dream.
"Alchemy?" He nodded.
"The subject has become a lost art over the decades, and I hope to see it revived," and Minerva nodded.
"So, you will be staying on as a Professor," she realized, and he nodded.
"Indeed," he nodded and gave her a smile.
"I will even have to call you Headmistress," and she shook her head.
"I would dare never ask," she countered, as Lily Evans took a rather familiar name.
"Gentian Evans," she announced, and a young blonde-haired boy stepped forward and gave their Potions Professor a smile as he took his seat at the table.
The hat had just touched his head when it roared back.
"Slytherin," and the sorting was a surprise to the school.
"Yes," the boy seemed rather enthused by teh choice, as he joined his friend at the table to the right.
"A Evans in Slytherin," Minerva gasped, and it seemed rather strange.
"I never thought that I would see the day," and the Slytherin cheered loudly as Alder Evans's son joined their table, sitting down beside a dark-haired boy.
"Well, didn't I say. Times are changing," and Lily Evans seemed shocked by the sorting as well, but she could not stop, and he saw a small smile erupt on her lips as she took the next name.
"Harry Potter," and Minerva smiled as well, as a dark-haired boy stepped on the stool as his own mother put the hat on top of his head, and this time the response was not instant.
"Gryffindor," it roared after taking a minute, and Minerva sighed in relief.
"Well, it seems like it has not changed all that much," she retorted, and he saw the boy give his mother a beaming smile as he rushed to join his friends on the Gryffindor table.
"Valerian Evans," and this time it was a girl who stepped forward, and though she was blonde and carried the name Evans, she had taken after her mother in all of her features.
She wore glasses like her cousin and had a book in her arms as she stepped up to the stool with sheer disinterest.
"I know exactly where she is going," Minerva added, and she was right, for the second teh hat touched her head, it roared instantly.
"Ravenclaw," and Dumbledore spotted a small smile on the girl's face as she joined her new housemates on the Ravenclaw table.
"I had really hoped to get at least one of them," and by them she meant Evan's twins, but it seemed as if Alder and Amelia's children were set on carving their own paths in life.
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So, I kinda forgot about uploading this fic at all! I had this put on my completed section, but I was reminded today that I had not uploaded it. I think I kind of lost track of things for some time because of my exams.
So, apologies for that.
Hope you guys enjoy this.
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PS: I don't have a new HP project at the moment; I am working on an Avatar fic currently, which is in serialization. Though I do have a very unique project in the works, which I think I will start putting out in a month's time.