trio epilogue
This is the end of the story. I am so sad to say goodbye to this family. They have lived in my imagination for so long. But it feels good to get some closure. To round things up instead of leaving them dangling in the midst of a bad dream!
Thankyou so much to everyone who has read the story and especially those who have left comments along the way.
Title: Evidence of Things Not Seen.
Chapter: Epilogue (word count - 800ish + art)
(previous chapter is here.)
Author: mrsquizzical
Series: This is part of the "All That They Had Not Lost" story.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Ship: Trio
Rating: MT (Mature Themes)
Author's Notes: Special thanks to maple_mahogany for listening to me agonise endlessly over posting this.
Art work: is by kath_ballantyne. The piece 'Family' with Harry, Ron and Miranda was initially done as a gift for me, and i later commissioned the other 3 pieces. I am completely thrilled with them. Please let her know if you enjoyed them. (NB they are not up for copying. I am clutching them tightly to my chest and saying "mine!".)
~*~
"OK poppet. You settle down now. Granddad will be in shortly to say good night."
Charlie reached up for a cuddle, leaning in to Granny's squishy bosom for a moment. She took in a deep breath through her nose, enjoying the smell of herbs and cleaning spells that followed Granny around. It made her feel comfortable and bed-timey.
Charlie squirmed back down against the pillow to get more comfortable. The photo album she was holding was heavy against her knees. There were lots of pictures in it, and it was a tradition that on her visits to The Burrow she would look at it before going to sleep.
There was another album, full of newspaper clippings and other things, that she wasn't allowed to look at. Not yet, anyway. When she was Older.
But this one, with the smooth leather cover and a vine design that Charlie would trace her finger along - up and around and then across and down - was always on her bed when she would come up the windy stairs after cleaning her teeth and saying goodnight to the mirror.
She would start right from the beginning: the photos of Daddy as a little baby, surrounded by The Uncles; some pictures of Aunty Ginny as well. She would smile at the chubby face and try and see if she could find her own face in her aunt's. Everyone always was telling her she looked like her, but Charlie couldn't really see it. Except for the Weasley hair.
Then there were some where Harry joined in. Photographs from school, and a few from The Burrow. There were an awful lot of pictures of Daddy and Harry with their brooms.
Most of the photographs of Mummy were moving like normal pictures did, but there were a couple of pages of Muggle Photos. Some of Grandma and Grandpa Granger; Mummy as a little girl. None at all of Harry though, which was strange since he had lived with Muggles and not known he was a wizard at all until he was eleven. (Eleven! Charlie still couldn't understand that. How could he not feel that buzzy hum of magic when spells were cast? And how did he cook dinner if he couldn't light the stove? It was all very mysterious. He never talked much about being little, before he'd gone to proper school, so she didn't like to ask.)
There were some new pictures this time -still ones- from when Charlie's little sister was born and them all in their new house. (Their new house was super. It was really big and had a lovely garden. They had been able to buy it because people kept dying and leaving Harry all their gold.) Grandad was very excited about the photos. He had set up a special Black Room to learn how to make them. Charlie had helped him, because she didn't need to use magic to do it. He had even let her take some of the photos. She was getting much better at holding it level and keeping the camera still enough to take a clear picture.
"What do you think then, Charlie-girl? Some nice shots there!" Grandad settled himself on top of the blanket, crossing his ankles and leaning on his elbow so that he could look at the album as well.
"I like this one," she said, pointing to a picture of her parents all snuggled up on the sofa. Mummy looked happy and Daddy was wearing Harry's shirt. Grandad coughed a little in the back of his throat and hmmmm'd at it, turning the page.
"Oh!" Charlie put her hand out (carefully on the edge of the page because she knew not to touch the photos or they'd smudge) and turned to smile at Grandad. "This one is my very favourite."
"Yes?" Grandad looked back at the page. "You look very pretty."
Charlie rolled her eyes. "That isn't why. It's just a nice one. Of us. My family."
Grandad smiled at her again. His eyes were so lovely and warm and wrinkled around the edges. He pushed his glasses back up his face, and bent over to kiss her nose. "It is a nice one. Of a very lovely family."
There were still lots of empty pages in the album. Charlie was looking forward to taking more photographs to fill it up. Maybe she could take the camera into the garden and take some pictures of her tree house. Or from her treehouse. Everything looked a little bit different from up there.
She yawned and snuggled down more into her pillow, and her grandfather picked up the album, closing it carefully. He waved his wand at the lamp and the light dimmed to a soft golden glow. Silver stars sparkled from the ceiling. He paused in the doorway, turning to check on her one more time. She was feeling rather drowsy now, ready to go to sleep.
"Night, Grandad," she whispered.
"Sweet dreams, Charlie. Goodnight."
~*~
thanks so much for reading. i hope you enjoyed it.
~Q~
Thankyou so much to everyone who has read the story and especially those who have left comments along the way.
Title: Evidence of Things Not Seen.
Chapter: Epilogue (word count - 800ish + art)
(previous chapter is here.)
Author: mrsquizzical
Series: This is part of the "All That They Had Not Lost" story.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Ship: Trio
Rating: MT (Mature Themes)
Author's Notes: Special thanks to maple_mahogany for listening to me agonise endlessly over posting this.
Art work: is by kath_ballantyne. The piece 'Family' with Harry, Ron and Miranda was initially done as a gift for me, and i later commissioned the other 3 pieces. I am completely thrilled with them. Please let her know if you enjoyed them. (NB they are not up for copying. I am clutching them tightly to my chest and saying "mine!".)
~*~
"OK poppet. You settle down now. Granddad will be in shortly to say good night."
Charlie reached up for a cuddle, leaning in to Granny's squishy bosom for a moment. She took in a deep breath through her nose, enjoying the smell of herbs and cleaning spells that followed Granny around. It made her feel comfortable and bed-timey.
Charlie squirmed back down against the pillow to get more comfortable. The photo album she was holding was heavy against her knees. There were lots of pictures in it, and it was a tradition that on her visits to The Burrow she would look at it before going to sleep.
There was another album, full of newspaper clippings and other things, that she wasn't allowed to look at. Not yet, anyway. When she was Older.
But this one, with the smooth leather cover and a vine design that Charlie would trace her finger along - up and around and then across and down - was always on her bed when she would come up the windy stairs after cleaning her teeth and saying goodnight to the mirror.
She would start right from the beginning: the photos of Daddy as a little baby, surrounded by The Uncles; some pictures of Aunty Ginny as well. She would smile at the chubby face and try and see if she could find her own face in her aunt's. Everyone always was telling her she looked like her, but Charlie couldn't really see it. Except for the Weasley hair.
Then there were some where Harry joined in. Photographs from school, and a few from The Burrow. There were an awful lot of pictures of Daddy and Harry with their brooms.
Most of the photographs of Mummy were moving like normal pictures did, but there were a couple of pages of Muggle Photos. Some of Grandma and Grandpa Granger; Mummy as a little girl. None at all of Harry though, which was strange since he had lived with Muggles and not known he was a wizard at all until he was eleven. (Eleven! Charlie still couldn't understand that. How could he not feel that buzzy hum of magic when spells were cast? And how did he cook dinner if he couldn't light the stove? It was all very mysterious. He never talked much about being little, before he'd gone to proper school, so she didn't like to ask.)
There were some new pictures this time -still ones- from when Charlie's little sister was born and them all in their new house. (Their new house was super. It was really big and had a lovely garden. They had been able to buy it because people kept dying and leaving Harry all their gold.) Grandad was very excited about the photos. He had set up a special Black Room to learn how to make them. Charlie had helped him, because she didn't need to use magic to do it. He had even let her take some of the photos. She was getting much better at holding it level and keeping the camera still enough to take a clear picture.
"What do you think then, Charlie-girl? Some nice shots there!" Grandad settled himself on top of the blanket, crossing his ankles and leaning on his elbow so that he could look at the album as well.
"I like this one," she said, pointing to a picture of her parents all snuggled up on the sofa. Mummy looked happy and Daddy was wearing Harry's shirt. Grandad coughed a little in the back of his throat and hmmmm'd at it, turning the page.
"Oh!" Charlie put her hand out (carefully on the edge of the page because she knew not to touch the photos or they'd smudge) and turned to smile at Grandad. "This one is my very favourite."
"Yes?" Grandad looked back at the page. "You look very pretty."
Charlie rolled her eyes. "That isn't why. It's just a nice one. Of us. My family."
Grandad smiled at her again. His eyes were so lovely and warm and wrinkled around the edges. He pushed his glasses back up his face, and bent over to kiss her nose. "It is a nice one. Of a very lovely family."
There were still lots of empty pages in the album. Charlie was looking forward to taking more photographs to fill it up. Maybe she could take the camera into the garden and take some pictures of her tree house. Or from her treehouse. Everything looked a little bit different from up there.
She yawned and snuggled down more into her pillow, and her grandfather picked up the album, closing it carefully. He waved his wand at the lamp and the light dimmed to a soft golden glow. Silver stars sparkled from the ceiling. He paused in the doorway, turning to check on her one more time. She was feeling rather drowsy now, ready to go to sleep.
"Night, Grandad," she whispered.
"Sweet dreams, Charlie. Goodnight."
~*~
thanks so much for reading. i hope you enjoyed it.
~Q~