Epilogue: The Goblin Queen

Two little girls were dancing barefoot on Potter Manor's garden as the wind blew leaves around the yard. Up in a balcony, Sirius was looking down with a smile. He was aware that by choosing Moony, he had given up any chances of having a biological heir. Padfoot knew that he could hire someone… but it just felt wrong. It would be akin to buying a child. He would never be pregnant, but from women's stories of risky pregnancies and loss like Emma's and from difficult deliveries like Neville's, he would feel like a tyrant imposing his desire to be a father on a woman in need. It would not do. Remy felt the same way.

Emma came out to join Sirius. Her wedding planner mode was finally starting to turn off a bit. Today was the big day. Emma was looking like a dream. Her hair was curled in glamourous waves. When she had taken all the women in the house to a muggle stylist, she came out with a long bob and elegant caramel highlights. Her makeup was done without magic but set to last with a spell. She was wearing a long, deep blue strapless dress with a slit that went up to her midthigh. The back of the dress had a deep 'V' cut.

Sirius turned and looked at Emma with a beaming smile.

"Goddess divine!" he twirled her around. "You have outdone yourself. Everything looks stunning. So elegant and cozy."

"Groom," she smiled and mock curtseyed. "I am glad you like the decorations."

"I don't mean just that… Everything is perfect! You managed to get everyone and everything we wanted. The food will be delicious, and the music is going to be fantastic. King Nagkrat is actually coming to Potter Manor. I don't think he has left goblin territories in decades. And he's bringing his mate the Goblin Queen," Sirius was genuinely shocked when Gringotts informed them of this.

"I hope they approve of the ceremonial area. It fits what their letter required, but I'm a bit nervous," Emma sighed.

"I am sure it will be perfect," Sirius squeezed her hands.

Narcissa was trying to cover up the remainder of her scars. Her bangs were out of the way, held by a clip. Emma, Narcissa, Andy, and Ianthe were all wearing the same dress. Narcissa had never shown so much skin in public. Luckily she and Emma had agreed to have wraps too, and she managed to close the slit so it would go up to her knee. Em would come to check on her in a few minutes to give her the final chronogram and the boutonnière that Draco had to wear. There was a knock at the door, and Narcissa looked at her watch. It couldn't be the doctor, she was unnervingly punctual. The only other person she was expecting in her room was Severus, but she was happy to see her sister at the door.

"Morning, Cissa!" Andy came in and hugged her sister. "You look gorgeous!"

"Ladies," Augusta said behind Andy. She was holding a small paper bag.

"Lady Longbottom, please do come in," Narcissa motioned at Augusta.

The older woman was looking formidable. She was wearing a light gray long ensemble with embroidered detailing on the hems of the skirt and the sleeves. Her cane was decorated to match her clothes.

"Sis, I am here to help you with that…" Andy pointed at Narcissa's forehead.

"Well, how about that? So am I," Augusta chuckled.

"What? Merlin! Did Ianthe teach you both the spell?" Narcissa gasped.

"Yes," Andy smiled.

"What spell?" Augusta asked, repositioning her glasses.

"It's from the Greengrass Grimoire. Amazing to heal scarring from burns. Ianthe tried, but her core was too weak to finish the job. I asked her about it the day Charlus and Dorea were found. She promised to teach me. Ianthe thinks that the spell should become widely available, and since she is leaving after the wedding, she wants me to work on doing just that… I have been practicing these couple of months because it takes a lot of precision, but I am ready now… May I?"

"Of course," Narcissa smiled and closed her eyes.

Augusta looked on at the spell-casting with interest. It was very complex, indeed, but the results were unbelievable. It was as if Narcissa had never been burned. Andy pulled Narcissa to the mirror.

"It's like…"

"Nothing happened," Andy smiled. "I know, right?"

Augusta touched the new skin in awe. "Well, I came here to give you something I have been working on, but I don't think that's necessary anymore."

"What is it?" Narcissa blinked.

Augusta handed Narcissa the bag. There was a glass jar with a sparling greenish paste. "It's an advanced burns salve."

"I can still use it... I have other scars. They just aren't that visible…" Narcissa trailed off.

Andy frowned.

Narcissa pulled up her dress. There were cigar burns up the back of her thighs.

Augusta felt her magic get cold. How she wished she could melt Malfoy with acid. "That bastard. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have Andy do the spell?"

"Well, if you need it to be tried on a person, I would like to be your test subject. Do I have to keep it on for long?" Narcissa asked.

"That would be helpful. Fifteen to twenty minutes should do it," Augusta replied. "Lay down, so I can apply it. Andy, be a dear and disinfect the area."

"Of course. Cissa, please lay down on your stomach," Andy asked.

Harry was helping Neville get used to Athena. Now the boy wouldn't jump away at her presence. The snake had taken a particular liking to Harry and Hermione. Athena was moving her head following Hermione and Luna as they danced. Luna had fallen in love with the reptile. Her dreamy eyes were now closed as she danced to the music that the band hired for the wedding was rehearsing. Harry watched as Mione's deep blue dress flowed as she moved.

The little embroidering on the dress' waist lavender sash glowed in iridescent tones as the sun hit them. Both girls had a crown of white roses on their heads. Their hair was down in curls that Eileen had helped their parents style. The young witches had become fast friends. Since they were close in age, they had a lot of things in common. Luna was a bit strange for Hermione's standards. But as Harry had said, "we are all weird." He was right. Luna had lost her mother.

As Daphne was a bit older, she was often bored with the children's chosen games, and Astoria was still too young to participate. The toddler had taken a liking to Draco. The two were walking across the rose garden, and Astoria giggled as Draco handed her a big rose after making sure there were no thorns in it. Daphne sighed. She didn't fit in with anyone in the house.

Lord and Lady Potter were looking at their garden with pride. The couple was dressed in their finest. Dorea approved of everything. The choice of flowers, the decoration, the band, the food… Emma Granger was something else. And to think, she had no magic to help her. The Lady nodded at her husband and went upstairs to hand out family jewels for the ladies of the house. She could think of no better gesture to make them feel welcome and at ease.

Charlus brought Lily and James's portrait to the garden. He sat down in one of the chairs next to it with a glass of firewhiskey. The Longbottom Manor elves brought Frank and Alice in their wheelchairs. Lily and James had been trying to help Neville's parents by talking to them for hours, sometimes they would blink or close their eyes. But other than that, they remained pretty much the same.

FLASHBACK

"Augie, dear, I don't want to speak out of place…" Dorea held and patted her friend's hand.

"You should never worry about that. Tell me," Augusta smiled sadly. They had been discussing everything that had been attempted to help Frank and Alice Longbottom. Sitting across were Minerva and Emma, who were serving tea and cake. They were at McGonagall's office.

"Alright, then, we have to explore other alternatives for your Frankie and Alice."

"What do you mean?"

"A human brain is a human brain. It has been proven, or so Emma tells me," Dorea looked at the doctor who nodded, "that there is no major difference between how a non-magical and a magical brain work. Except for mind magic. But neither of them practiced that," Dorea said, taking the cup Minerva handed her.

"It has?" Augusta looked at the doctor.

"I've been reading very obscure material that Andy has helped me obtain. There are no proven structural differences. I really think that we could potentially help them with non-magical treatments," Emma said with a small smile.

Augusta's eyes filled with tears. "Do you really think so? I don't dare to hope they can come back… I miss them dearly, but my Neville… He needs them. I have done my best, but I am aware that there are things only parents can do for their children… He misses them terribly. It is so sad because, just like Harry, Neville lost them too early for him to remember much."

"We know. But to get started, we need to get them out of St. Mungo's. I've talked to a friend who has treated similar cases. She recommends that while they are catatonic, being with family and in familiar spaces, can only make them feel more comfortable. She's an authority in the field, and she's willing to take their case. We would have to take them to sessions at least three times a week," Emma said in between sips.

"Are you willing to try?" Minerva asked.

"If there is just a tiny chance that things can get better, I want to do whatever it takes," Augusta said. They agreed to start working with the specialist after Sirius and Remus left on their honeymoon.

Emma was knocking on Narcissa's door, holding her makeup trunk. It should have been a bag, but the doctor loved makeup and now that she had people she could put it on, and a useful spell that could make it look fresh for hours, she had been purchasing even more.

"Doll! I'm here to do your makeup…" Emma was surprised when Andy opened the door.

"Hey, Em! Come in. Lady Longbottom is just finishing."

Emma frowned and thought, Finishing what?

Andy moved, and Emma saw Narcissa on the bed with her thighs exposed. There was a salve like thing that moved on its own over Narcissa's scars. It looked like separate slugs moving around that left a sparkly, gelatinous substance behind. Emma was perplexed. Where the slug-like thing had been, new, healthy skin appeared. Augusta used her wand to pick up the remaining paste slugs and to put them back into the jar.

"Perfect!" Augusta exclaimed with a broad smile. "It works! Did you feel any pain, dear?"

"No, just like a sticky cold feeling," Narcissa replied, staying still while Andy cleaned the new skin and pulled her dress down while helping her stand.

"Your forehead!" Emma exclaimed, noticing the clipped up bangs. "Ianthe?"

"No, Andy. Ianthe taught her," Narcissa replied.

"We need to talk about this Andy, you too, Augusta," Emma smiled. "But now, makeup!"

"Emma?" Dorea said from the door to Narcissa's room.

"Lady Potter," Emma smiled. Dorea was indeed the most royal-like person the doctor had ever met. She moved with such grace and elegance. "Is something wrong?"

"No, dear. I am glad you are all together," Dorea motioned at all the other women in the room.

"Why? Did something happen?" Emma asked, noticing the chest that Dorea was holding.

"Not at all. I want all of you to wear a set from the Potter family jewels."

All the women, except Augusta, gasped.

Dorea placed the chest on the bed and took out a blue jewelry box from within and gave it to Emma. "This one is for you. I hope you will like it. I thought it would fit your slender neck."

Emma opened the box and had to hold on to Narcissa. The set inside had to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. There was a beautiful choker style rivière diamond necklace with a similar bracelet and a set of elegant diamond studs. The clarity was insane. She was sure they would be heavy, and she was right. Emma asked Dorea to help her put it on. Once the jewelry was secured, and a feather-light charm was applied, Dorea offered a green box to Narcissa.

"I thought pearls would look best on you," the matron smiled.

Narcissa couldn't say anything. Pearls were given to people who were rare and very worthy. She was not expecting to be included. It was one of the utmost signs of respect, affection, and familiarity to give someone family jewels, even if they were given out as a loan. The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter was famous for its vast and valuable jewelry collection. Since they had always been on such good terms with the goblins, they had incredible goblin-made pieces.

"Lady Potter, I am so honored," Narcissa whispered, her eyes filling with tears. The pearls were a grayish blue and were arranged in a stunning torsade necklace. There were pearl stud earrings as well.

Dorea smiled. "None of that, dear. You are one of us now." Narcissa blushed.

"Now for you, dear," Dorea pulled Andy. "If my memory doesn't fail, you have always liked lariat necklaces, right?"

Andromeda nodded. She had no idea how Lady Potter remembered that detail. The matriarch took out a golden box and gave it to Andy. A stunning white gold lariat necklace with drop-shaped yellow diamonds at the end of each strand. The earrings were long and had a smaller yellow diamond drop at the end. Dorea helped her put it on, and Andy caressed the strands. It was probably one of the most expensive jewelry pieces she had ever worn.

"It's stunning, thank you!"

"Augie, I know you are not a jewelry person, but it's my sons' wedding, and you must at least wear this," Dorea took out an elaborate brooch that went great with Augusta's dress. Augusta smiled indulgently at her friend. She did like jewelry… but in private places and it always had a purpose.

Daphne watched with a bit of envy how Draco did everything Astoria wanted. Somehow he always understood what Astoria was saying better than Daphne or even their mom. As a toddler, she was always learning new words, but she still mumbled and babbled more than talked. Young Daphne was scared of having any more visions. Her mom had introduced her to Luna. Apparently, she had The Eye too, but Daphne found her too odd, too happy. She wished she could talk to an adult who was a seer.

Ianthe had promised to take her to see a famous seer in France. Daphne had grown fond of all the kids, but they were too young. She was an old soul. She wanted to have friends who were older than her. Friends that could teach her how to handle her gift… friends who could understand being different. Ianthe walked to her daughter, who was sighing once again. Before she could reach her, a teenage girl with hot pink hair and lavender eyes, who was wearing a dapper burgundy tux, sat next to Daphne.

"Hey, I don't think we've met," the teen smiled.

"Hi," Daphne whispered without looking at the girl.

"I'm Tonks. Why are you here by yourself?" Tonks entertained herself by changing her nails' length and shape.

Daphne noticed that. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a freak of nature," Tonks chuckled. "I'm a metamorphmagus."

"That's so cool! You can change anything about you?" Daphne looked at the older girl with genuine admiration.

"Yeah, in theory…" Tonks sighed.

"What does that mean?"

Tonks sighed and shrugged. "I'm still trying to figure this out… The other day I managed to turn my nose into a pig's snout. But then I had to be taken to St. Mungo's because I couldn't change back… And my mom is a healer, but she can't work on metamorphmaguses because our magic is weird, and until we control our powers, any abrupt changes can be very painful."

Daphne giggled, and Tonks frowned. "Sorry, I just kept imagining it."

"You and the whole school. It happened at Hogwarts, and now they call me Piggie…" Tonks kicked a stone away.

"That's so mean!" Daphne crossed her arms. "I'm scared people will call me names if I go to Hogwarts…"

"Why?" Tonks looked at the girl with interest. She was gorgeous, and if she recalled correctly, the girl was from a well-off family. There was no reason for anyone to bully her.

"You promise not to tell?" Daphne asked.

Tonks offered her pinky, amusedly, "I promise."

Daphne gave her her own pinky, and they shook on it.

"I have The Eye," Daphne blushed and looked away.

"Get out of here! That is the coolest magical gift ever!" Tonks squealed.

Daphne's eyes widened, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course, I'd love to trade mine for that…"

"Right back at you…" Daphne sighed. "I just wish I could know which things I see are real premonitions and which are just nightmares…"

"That sucks. Have you had any recently?" Tonks asked sympathetically.

"Yeah… I saw that something may happen today… but my mom thinks it's probably just me being nervous because this house is warded and secure… I don't know what to think."

"Damn… That's tough. Well, if it helps, you can always talk to me. Friends?"

"Friends," Daphne smiled

"Sweetie," Ianthe walked towards her daughter and put her hand on her shoulder "You need to go get changed. Where is your sister?"

"With Draco," Daphne replied. She nodded at Tonks, who winked, and then stood up to walk away.

"Hello there, what's your name?" Ianthe approached the girl. Before she could answer, Andy's voice resonated from upstairs.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda called her daughter from the balcony.

"Don't. Call. Me. Nymphadora!" Tonks replied angrily at her mother, her hair turning bright red.

"If you had come the first two times I called you, I wouldn't have to call you by your full name," Andy grinned.

"Come up here, clumsy," her father said affectionately. "We want to introduce you to Remus."

"Fine," Tonks sighed. "Call me Tonks, please, Mrs?"

"Greengrass, Ianthe Greengrass, Daphne's mother," Ianthe smiled. "Lovely to meet you, Tonks."

"You too," Tonks said as she rushed inside the manor, nearly falling face-first into the cake.

Remus was very excited but also very nervous… He hadn't seen Sirius for three days. It was a demand from the goblins, and Moony knew how painful their rituals were. It wouldn't do to ruin it because they didn't comply. Andromeda had been calling her daughter up so Remus could meet her. They hadn't met yet because the few times that Tonks had spent some time with Sirius, Remus had been locked in the cottage.

Remy was looking better than ever. His pearly gray suit highlighted his eyes. He was wearing an old-school deep blue cravat that was a pain to tie up. It took two more people to finish the knot. His shoes were deep blue as well. Charlus had loaned him beautiful white gold cufflinks, and Andy was placing his boutonnière on.

When Tonks went upstairs, she knocked, and when her father opened the door, and Remus turned around with a smile, Andromeda saw something she never thought she would ever see. Tonks looked at Remus from head to toe, blushed, and looked down. Edward Tonks side-glanced at his wife with a lifted brow. They were both thinking the same thing. Their daughter had a crush… on a man?! There should have been nothing wrong with that… Except that they always thought Tonks liked girls.

"Hello…" Tonks refused to look up.

"So, you are the niece that Sirius can't shut up about, huh?" Remus approached her.

She nodded. "I-I… It's nice to meet you, M-Mr. Lupin," she stammered. She tried to offer her hand, but as she moved forward, she tripped, and Remus caught her by her forearms with one hand.

He is so strong! She thought. He put her back to where she was.

Remus smiled. "Oh, none of that. In a couple of hours, we will be family. You can call me Remus… at least when we aren't at Hogwarts."

Tonks looked up at that. "Are you coming to Hogwarts?!" She looked at her mom in a transparent complaint for betrayal. Andy shrugged and mouthed, "It was a surprise." As Tonks saw the kind expression and his eyes, she felt her stomach fill with butterflies.

"Yes, I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Moony smiled. "I hope you like that subject."

"It's my favorite!" She giggled. Tonks was horrified. She didn't giggle.

"Then, I hope you will enjoy my classes," Remus grinned. "Andy, you didn't tell me she would be looking better in a suit than I would! I feel underdressed!" he laughed.

Suddenly, Tonks wished she had heard her mother and gone with the dress. Damn it!

"Sorry, Remus."

"Don't be. You look great. Really," Remus lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

Tonks' eyes shifted to match Remus' eye color. His eyes widened in response. "Well, how about that! You are a very gifted young woman!"

Tonks blushed scarlet. She was used to being called a girl an even an abhorrescent. The latter was a term that her mother came up with combining adolescence and abhorrent. She had never been called a young woman. Somehow she never felt like one until now. He is so handsome!

"T-Thank you," Tonks stammered.

The teen was saved from further embarrassment by Emma.

"Is this your daughter, Andy?"

"Yes, Nymphadora Tonks," Andromeda sniggered.

"Mooooom!" Tonks covered her face with her hands.

Emma knew a thing or two about teen crushes. One look at Remus, who was, of course, oblivious, and at Andromeda and Ed, who were having a bit too much fun, told her everything she needed to know. She was about to make up something so the girl could leave, but Remus beat her to it. He took Tonks' hand.

"You know… I don't understand why you don't like your name, Nymphadora."

"It's long and ancient and horrid!" she replied, marveling at how much bigger his hand was.

"It's so fitting for you, though," he chuckled.

"What? Am I horrid?!" Tonks paled.

"No! Not at all. It's just that nymphs, in nature, are beings capable of metamorphosis before they become adults, just like you," Remus smiled.

Tonks's eyes widened comically, and they went back to their usual lavender hue.

Emma added with a smile, "You know what else, honey? In ancient Greece, nymphs were deities of nature. If you look them up in Hogwarts' library, you will see that nymphs are usually depicted as beautiful maidens. So Remy is right, your mom tells me you have a magical gift that allows you to change your appearance at will and you are a beautiful young woman. If you think about it, your parents gave you the perfect name."

Tonks blushed and smiled. "I guess… but it's still too long."

"How about Nymph, then?" Remus suggested.

"Okay," she agreed right away.

Ed and Andy shared an incredulous look. They tried to convince her for years, a few minutes with Remus and Emma, and she was on board.

"If you all are ready, please go find your seats…" as everyone vacated the room, Remus made to follow, but Emma stopped him, "Not you, Remy. Sirius sent you something, and he said you have to open it in private… I am going to go make sure our belle of the ball is ready on time."

Emma handed Remus a small package that he hadn't even noticed. Before she left, he gave her a letter and a small box for Sirius.

"Tell him to read it in private," Remus blushed.

"Oh my God, you are both so freaking cute!" Emma gushed. She kissed Remus' cheek and left with the letter.

Remus opened the package. It was a box that had a set of beautiful pure gold rings inside. It also had a simple nylon cord necklace with a small vial at the end. It contained Sirius' blood. There was a little note that read, "My essence was, is, and always will be yours, Love, Sirius." Remus gasped as memories came back to him. When James and Lily got married, Padfoot and Moony had exchanged necklaces with a vial of blood. Remus' eyes filled with tears. That had been the only option they had back then: a token, a promise, and each other's blood.

Moony wished he could return the gesture, but he had no- He lifted the rings and saw that there was a necklace, ready for him to add his blood underneath. He immediately grabbed a letter opener from the writing desk and cut his palm. He filled the vial, closed it, and healed his small cut. Remy sighed. He couldn't wait to marry Sirius. He hoped his letter made it very clear.

"Boo, open up, Remy sent you something," Emma knocked as she said this.

Sirius rushed to open the door, "He did?!"

"Yes," Emma smiled brightly and handed him the box and the letter. "He said you should read it in private," the doctor wiggled her brows.

Sirius blushed. "Thanks, love."

"Are you ready?"

"I think so. Dan is coming to help me with my man stuff, you know the tie and such," Sirius chuckled.

Emma laughed. "Okay, I'll come get you before the goblins get here." She left, closing the door quietly behind her. As she walked towards the stairs, she saw her husband fixing his tie on a mirror. He looked very handsome. It reminded her of their wedding. Dan saw her and moved towards her, in the direction of Sirius' bedroom. She pulled him into the library and kissed him passionately. She ended up sitting on a table with Daniel standing between her legs.

"Love, as amazing as you look, and as much as I'd like to have my way with you right here, I have to go help Sirius," Daniel said huskily.

"I know," Emma smiled, "but he's busy reading a letter from Remus."

Dan had to hold on to the table tightly to keep his cool as Emma nibbled lightly on his ear.

"All this romance has me remembering our honeymoon…" she whispered. "Do you remember what we did in the study?"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically and kissed her hard, wrapping his arms around her small waist. He began to kiss her neck but stopped as he felt her necklace. "Well… This is some serious bling, love."

"I know… Dorea loaned it to me. Apparently, it's a huge deal to loan family jewels in the wizarding world. So, it's like she welcomed me to the family."

"Really? That's nice…" Daniel said with a sigh. He tried to step back, but Emma wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Oh, don't you give me that tone. Remus is busy, and there's no one here. We have at least ten minutes," she smirked. "But only ten, understood? I know I'll have to fix my hair."

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Tolanthe, could you please make sure that no one comes into the library for the next ten minutes?"

"Yes, Mrs. Granger."

Love,

Finding our way back to each other has been a wild ride. Padfoot, you are the most amazing boyfriend I could ever have. Don't listen to Snape. We are both canines… sort of. That makes us part of the same league. Regardless of what others think, you are the yin to my yang. If you were as serious -no pun intended- and as academic as I am, we wouldn't have lasted through Hogwarts. Thank Merlin, we are so different! Things are never boring with you.

We have seen pain and loss together. We have mourned together, cried together, and fought together. I cannot promise to be with you forever because, in the coming war, we may not make it through all the battles. Things will get very bad. I believe that Luna's prophecy is genuine. When things start to unfold, it will get awful very quickly.

I can promise to love you as long as I am still breathing. I will fight by your side until death to protect our cub. I will also protect you in battle, no matter what. Stop trying to talk me out of it. You are my mate. It is in my nature. I will slay whoever I need to in order to keep you and my pack safe. No regrets. Sirius, you have always been the dream I never dared to dream. Thank you for loving me, for making me laugh, for keeping me on my toes. Thank you for bringing so many wonderful friends to our lives. I can't wait to be your husband.

In the box, you will find a set of keys to the cottage. I don't expect you to move in with me permanently because I will spend a lot of time at Hogwarts. But I do want you to feel free to come over anytime. It is as much yours as it is mine, just like my life and my future.

Yours,

Moony

Sirius had to summon tissues. He was particularly vulnerable today. His love for Remus was growing by the second. Was that even possible? He sighed happily as he pocketed the keys. He conjured a patronus and sent a message.

"I am so glad you have no neighbors. I can't wait for our wedding night."

The goblins arrived. First, the guards, then, the royals. Martin was glad he had stayed for the wedding. This whole ceremony seemed like a once in a lifetime type of a thing. King Nagkrat came in walking shoulder to shoulder with his wife. The armor over their clothes glistened.

"King Nagkrat the Conqueror and Queen Gankra the Slayer," a goblin scribe announced.

Everyone in attendance bowed deeply. The queen seemed about as old as the king. She was dressed in a gold-embroidered white tunic. Her armor was gold, and she had a sword strapped to the middle of her back. Gankra was wearing formal combat boots made of dragonhide.

"May your enemies writhe in pain, and your heirs multiply your fortunes and your victories."

King Nagkrat beamed at his wife. She is strength, she is grace, she will cut you where you stand.

"You as well, your Majesty," Charlus responded. He had thrown his new wand to the feet of the royals. The other wizards and witches did the same. When a guard stared a little too suspiciously at Martin, he blanched and thought, when in Rome… as he carefully threw in his rosary beads over the pile of wands. Another guard looked at the beads with a puzzled expression. They smelled of strange clean energy.

"Lord Potter, Lady Potter," Nagkrat bowed his head. Gankra repeated the same motion. Then the queen took a step forward and hugged Dorea. One of the guards actually gasped.

"It has been such a joy to know you were alive, my friend,"

"Thank you, your majesty. We are glad to be back, and we are ready to make some changes to this sexist, outdated society and its laws," Dorea replied, squeezing her friend back.

The king and Charlus shook hands and palmed each other's back.

"Nagkrat, welcome to Potter Manor. It is your home too, if you ever need it," Charlus smiled and winked at the king.

"The same is true for goblin territories. You and your family are welcome," the king smiled, showing his sharp teeth, and he returned the wink, which made Minerva and Augusta share an incredulous look.

"Thank you, my friend," Charlus grinned.

"Where are my grooms? Let's get this started, shall we?"

"Your majesty, it is lovely to see you again. Please let us know when to blindfold the kids," Emma requested with a polite tone.

"Mrs. Granger, everything looks perfect. Thank you. I will let you know."

"Lovely jewels," the queen smiled at Emma. "House Potter, yes?"

"Yes, your majesty. Lady Potter loaned them to me for the occasion," Emma smiled back.

The queen smiled approvingly. This was the famous Mrs. Granger. She did not disappoint.

The ceremony had been a bit too gruesome for the Granger's standards. Thank God the kids were blindfolded! Once Sirius and Remus exchanged their beautiful, heartfelt vows, things got… bloody. The grooms had to make a cut on their tongue with a ceremonial dagger. Usually, goblins would just kiss to share blood with one another. Since Remus was a werewolf, this could not happen right away. He had his nose clogged by a spell to prevent his wolf from getting too excited. Once they cut themselves, their blood trickled to a small golden plate. When it was enough, Queen Gankra healed them and put their blood into a goblet. Then, the queen put on a silver thimble and mixed the blood. A dark smoke began to come out of the top of the cup.

"For those of you, unfamiliar with goblin ceremonies… We never ask if there are any objections because in a goblin wedding if anyone dares to object... that is the last thing they do," the queen smiled darkly as she handed the goblet to her husband. There were several chuckles here coming from the guards and nervous laughter from the guests.

"Before we say our vows, can we exchange something?" Remus asked.

The king nodded and his eyebrows shot up when he saw that the grooms exchanged two simple cord necklaces with a vial of blood at the end. He was more certain than ever of his decision to marry the pair. They were worthy of a goblin ceremony.

"Wonderful, now the blood has been cleaned," the King said. Emma and Dan shared a concerned look. Holding the goblet, Nagkrat said, "Hold each other's hands. Repeat after me. I, Remus Lupin, take your blood as a covenant binding us as a family unit for as long as I live with everything this entails."

Remus repeated the line with sparkling eyes and squeezed Sirius' hands.

The queen smiled and explained, "Your vows will differ because you decided to become a member of Lord Black's House as a Joint Head of House. By doing such, you accept all the rights and duties of such a position. Additionally, any debts or feuds the house declares or are declared against the House will directly involve you and any family which is a member of House Black, honorary or otherwise."

The grooms nodded and smiled. They had read all about it.

"I, Lord Black, from the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, take your blood as a covenant binding us as a family unit for as long as I live. My House is your House. My riches are your riches. My rights and duties are also yours. You have my life-long protection and support."

Sirius repeated after the king, barely holding back tears.

"Now, you will take half of the combined blood in your mouth and kiss to seal your union."

"Do they have to swallow?" Emma whispered in alarm to her husband. He looked a bit horrified and shrug. Wizards and witches looked as confused as she was. It was their first goblin style wedding.

The grooms took a sip each and kissed. Emma looked in shock as to how they did, indeed, swallowed the mix. All her medical training had her feeling concerned. The queen did say that the blood was clean, but how!? Once they had separated, King Nagkrat brought his staff over their joined hands.

"It is my pleasure, as King of the Goblin Nation, to declare my friends Remus and Sirius as a lawfully wedded couple." Rays of white energy came from the staff and wrapped around their hands. They put on the rings on each other. The king nodded. "We will now sign the paperwork. Lord and Lady Potter, I need your signature as their witnesses," he announced.

"Of course, your Majesty," the Potters replied. They signed three different scrolls with conspirational smiles. Why three? Emma thought with interest. Lily and James could be heard sniffling from their portrait. The photographers' flashes distracted the doctor as they were capturing every sweet moment.

As the Potters stood by to watch the grooms signed, there was a commotion.

"King Nagkrat, don't you dare sign that act!" Minister Bagnold came in, choking Amelia Bones and pressing her wand to Amelia's neck. Three Ministry officials were behind her. Two looked absolutely terrified of the goblins, but the third one looked defiant. She was wearing all pink everything and stood out like a sore thumb, but she seemed as ready to kill as the Minister.

The guards and all the elves who had been invisible up to that point immediately formed a wall protecting the grooms, the witnesses, and the royals.

"How did you get here? This is a private warded property!" Lord Potter demanded.

The kids pulled off their blindfolds.

"I am the Minister of Magic, and I have express permission from the Wizengamot to enter the premises by executive search order, which allows me into the wards by default. We were informed that you would be housing an illegal ceremony."

The guards pointed their spears at the Minister through the tactical slits between their shields. They were only awaiting a word from their king.

King Nagkrat and Charlus looked at each other and began laughing hysterically. Remus, Sirius, Lady Potter, and the Queen, smirked.

"I shall not be disrespected like this!" the minister pointed her wand at the king, and several things happened.

Amelia stepped on the woman as hard as she could while simultaneously elbowing her on the plexus. Killing any spell that was about to come as the minister struggled for air. King Nagkrat moved one of his hands and turned Bagnold's wand into ashes. As the minister was bent over from Amelia's hit, Madam Bones intertwined her fingers into a large fist and hit the minister as hard as she could in the middle of her spine, making her fall on her stomach. Amelia could be fired, but she didn't care. That bitch had it coming, she thought. You mess with the Head of Aurors, you get the criminal treatment. The ministry officials froze. Amelia immediately surrendered her wand and apologized to the royals. Putting herself flat down on her belly.

"Minister Bagnold," Queen Gankra frowned. "Long time no see."

The queen had moved her hands to make the minister stand straight. The minister paled a bit. "You! You cannot do this! This is not a goblin territory! You have no right! This is my jurisdiction!"

Amelia looked up at her with barely concealed rage. The Minister had lost her mind. In any case, it would be the DMLE's jurisdiction, not hers.

"I would address you respectfully, but you have disrespected our House. The Wizengamot's executive search order does not stand here. I am sure it is a forgery because there are three Most Noble and Ancient Houses here which should have been consulted," Lord Potter said this in an ice-cold tone.

"You do not deserve any mercy. I have been told of what you said when our children died. I know all about the way you treat goblins and elves. You do not deserve to be in the position you are in. You will leave this property voluntarily, or his majesties will make you," Dorea said in an equally icy tone.

"Make me? They cannot make me do anything! Their authority is null here, and-"

"Listen to me, you foul, despicable, revolting, dreadful woman," Lily bellowed from her painting, which shook with angry, barely controlled rage. Her husband had his hands on her shoulders, "Zip it before the Queen rips out your tongue. This is goblin territory now!"

"What?! How are you even here? What do you mean this is goblin territory?"

"We have just signed off the joint deed, Potter House is a formal Ally of Arms to the Goblin Territories of Great Britain," Charlus smirked. The Minister paled, as a copy of the deed, was flown to hover in front of her. It was legitimate. "Meaning, that we are goblin territory. As such, you are trespassing, and you have absolutely no power here. You have threatened the King and Queen of Goblins within goblin territory, and I don't have to tell you what that means, do I?"

"But she didn't know!" the woman in pink shrieked. The guests looked at her and shook their heads.

"If this was anyone else, we would be inclined to show her mercy. However, she is the Minister for Magic, and she cannot, under any circumstance, claim that she didn't know the law or the proper etiquette and as such, she should not have to abide by it," Dorea walked towards the woman with the grace of a queen. The guards separated their shields to let her through. "The Wizarding World copy of the deed has been signed and sealed by her. It now rests in the Department of Magical Records. That's how truly careless, lazy, and incompetent this minister is. She didn't even read the scroll she signed. I wonder how many other monumental transactions she has signed off on and not read. Oh wait, I know of at least another one. You signed off on the license for King Nagkrat to marry my children. How about that?"

The Minister got red with anger. She jumped towards Dorea, fully intending to slap her, but Harry and Hermione jumped in front of Lady Potter. They straightened their arms before them and pushed Bagnold back with a wave of magic. All the adult wand-carriers felt their cores shiver in respect of such raw power. It was so strong that the Minister landed over the woman in pink, who was several feet back.

"Don't touch her!" Harry yelled angrily.

James could be heard in the back, pumping his fists in the air, "That's my son!"

"Leave!" Hermione yelled, her hair floated and gave off sparks. "We don't want you here!"

Lily Potter smiled at the girl from her portrait. Her son was well-matched.

The elves stood in formation. They had decided to remain invisible before so that they could all protect a guest, and the others formed a barrier in front of the children.

"You is being wrong to comes. This is being an exclusive party, and you is not invited!" Jonsy snapped his fingers, and all the officials, except for Amelia (who had stayed in the same position all along) and the Minister, were tied up and unarmed. "King of Goblinsys, what should I do to this filth?"

King Nagkrat smirked and nodded at his wife. Queen Gankra came down the aisle slowly. She nodded at Dorea, who returned the gesture while looking in awe at her grandson. "It was a mistake coming here today. This event will be front-page news tomorrow. Everyone will see your blatant stupidity and disrespect. You are not fit for office. If this wasn't a wedding, I would slay you where you stand. People like you and Albus Dumbledore are poisonous weeds. You have to be ripped off the earth. We will take you to goblin court. Don't worry. The trial will be swift," the queen turned away.

Bagnold lost it at that. She growled a "You bitch!" to the queen, took out a dagger she had hidden, and attempted to stab Queen Gankra as she moved away. The Queen wasn't called The Slayer for no reason. She had gone to battle many times and was an excellent warrior. In one swift motion, she had unsheathed the sword at her back, and stabbed the minister vertically from underneath her jaw and up, killing her instantly. There was a general gasp.

A slight trickle of blood was coming from the dead minister's ears, nose, and mouth. Dorea barely managed to cover Harry and Hermione's eyes. So did Xenophilius and Augusta for Luna and Neville. Draco had covered his own face with Severus' robe. Astoria was asleep in her mother's arms, and Daphne cried against her mother. Her vision was real. Lady Greengrass hugged her and whispered an apology and soothing words.

"Lord Black, Lord Lupin-Black, Lord and Lady Potter, guests, I do apologize. I know this is a party," the queen said, snapping her fingers and vanishing both the minister's body and the Ministry officials. Since Potter Manor was goblin territory, her powers were unbound here. "However, the late minister did threaten my life, and as the queen of goblins, I am well within my rights to respond with equal force in goblin territory."

King Nagkrat levitated towards his mate and bowed his head to her. "My queen, watching you slay never gets old."

Gankra blushed and returned her sword to its original placement after cleaning it. "There will be a lot of backlash from this."

"And I shall stand and fight with you as I always have," the king replied with evident pride in his voice. "Madam Bones?"

"Yes, your majesty?"

"You may stand."

"Thank you. King Nagkrat, I am so sorry… I had no choice. She brought me here against my will," Amelia was a bit panicked about what would happen to her niece if the goblins decided to charge her too.

"We understand. We would like to give you our formal confessions after the party. We would appreciate it if you wait until we are inside Gringotts to notify the Ministry of what happened here," the king offered his hand to Amelia, who shook it.

"Yes, your majesty. I will do as you ask. The ramifications of this can be brutal, as you know. I will try to delay and hopefully prevent any violent response as much as possible," Amelia frowned. "The photos from the confrontation should be with you."

The queen nodded and looked at Xenophilius, who nodded. He would cooperate.

"Lord and Lord Black, our apologies. Please don't let this ruin this celebration."

"Not at all. I doubt the Minister will be missed," Sirius frowned darkly.

"You know… the whole wedding and a funeral concept… I thought it was a Hollywood thing," Daniel looked at the goblins with equal parts of surprise at how business-as-usual they were about killing a person and in awe at the queen's masterful use of her sword.

"Daniel!" Emma whisper shouted.

"Holy wood?" the goblin asked perplexed.

LATER IN THE PARTY

"Xeno," Dorea pulled him apart. "We would like to give you our statement regarding the wedding and everything that happened here tonight."

"I would appreciate that. Your statement on Dumbledore was an incredible sales day for us, not to mention most people who believed him before that don't anymore," Xenophilius smiled. "I never liked the Minister. She banned me from the Department of Mysteries, you know. All I wanted was to help my daughter..."

"Is something wrong with Luna?" Dorea looked at the beautiful, whimsical blonde who had all children dancing in a round, holding hands. She hoped the girl wasn't ill or at least that it wasn't serious.

"She has The Eye, but they don't believe me," Xeno sighed.

"Well, we do believe you. Pandora had something similar, too, right?"

"She had precognitive sight… not the same, but close enough, at least Dora would have been able to help her better than I can," Xenophilius' eyes grew misty. He made a gesture to the photographer who began taking pictures of the new married couple as they danced a slow song.

"You are doing your best, Xeno," Dorea squeezed his shoulder.

"I found the perfect place for us," Daniel whispered to Emma as they danced.

"What? I thought we decided to stay here," Emma lifted her head from her husband's shoulder to look at him.

"Yes, love… I meant a place to work. Remember that I told you I would ask my friend the broker?"

"He got a place with everything we needed?!" Emma smiled excitedly.

"Yes. It has taken him all this time. But it has everything we asked for. The rent is a little up there, but it is manageable," Dan kissed his wife's forehead. "I already talked to the king, and apparently he can help us hook the fireplace here to the fireplace in the office so we can go back and forth from here to there without any complications."

"No more traffic jams?! I love magic!" Emma laughed.

They swayed for a while.

"Is it weird that I don't feel the least bit bad about that horrible woman?" Emma whispered.

"No. From all accounts, the minister was an incompetent professional and a terrible person… What she said about the Potters… the way she treated the goblins… and the elves," Daniel wrapped his arms around his wife.

"She was a bitch. I just wonder what it says about us as humans if we turn so cold to death…"

"Love, we are going to war sooner or later. War is bloody. It's unfair. We cannot mourn for our enemies as we mourn for our friends. We would lose our minds. Take it from me. You know I did that back in the day, and all it got me was a prescription for sleeping pills and a lot of therapy," Dan said slowly. Emma nodded and kissed his neck, discreetly.

"Dan?" Harry pulled on Daniel's pant leg gently.

"Yes, son?"

"D-Do you mind if I c-cut in?" the boy looked up at him and offered Emma his tiny hand. Harry looked over his shoulder at his father, who gave him two thumbs up.

Emma melted. "He doesn't mind, at all. Do you, honey?"

Daniel shook his head and went over to Minerva, who was looking wistfully at Remus and Sirius. "May I have this dance?"

The usually stern Scottish woman looked up at Daniel with a blush. "With me?"

"Of course."

"I'd be delighted," she replied, taking his hand and bestowing him with one of her rare bright smiles.

Narcissa and Snape were barely swaying in place, looking at the grooms.

"I am so glad they could do this," Narcissa sighed with a smile.

"Me too. They look deliriously happy…" Severus dragged his words. His dance partner had learned to expect very dark sarcasm when he spoke like that, "It's nauseating."

Narcissa laughed delicately, and Severus chuckled. From her portrait, Lily looked her way with a serene smile. Severus' eyes met hers, and she nodded. She mouthed a Good choice with thumbs up. He smiled contentedly and mouthed back a Thank you. Lily responded by squeezing her eyes and crinkling her nose at him, her signature way to hug people from afar. He returned the gesture. Narcissa didn't notice a thing. She was a bit overwhelmed with the peace she felt since she had been growing close to Severus. Talking to Lily had helped. Now she really thought they had a chance to be happy together. The fact that Draco was thrilled about this development was the cherry on top of the proverbial cake.

Martin looked at Draco's happy face as the boy stared at his mother and Severus as they danced.

"Draco, wouldn't you rather go back to dancing with your friends? I am fine," Martin smiled.

"I know, but I like being here," the boy shrugged. He saw as Lady Longbottom tried to feed Frank and Alice the natural way unsuccessfully. Draco stared meaningfully at the three with a sad expression, "Martin, are your legs better?"

"Yes, they are. I will be back in a while," the priest replied while walking over to Augusta. He tapped her shoulder softly. "Augusta, may I help you?"

"It is no use. I keep trying just to feel like I am doing something…"

"Would you like to take a break? Maybe we can dance…"

Augusta straightened up and looked at the man, her coquettish persona awakening. "I thought priests cannot dance…"

"Well, we can… Although my dance skills may not be the best right now."

"That's alright handsome, as long as I can get pictures dancing with you to show off, I don't care if you step on my toes," Lady Longbottom laughed. Martin chuckled. He could have sworn the Lady's son had moved. But he decided he probably imagined it.

Once all the testimonies were taken, and the negative for the pictures taken were split, Remus and Sirius left for the cottage. Dorea had ordered the elves to rest. They wanted to clean everything right away, but their mistress insisted, and they retired to their treehouse. The king and queen had left after placing more durable wards themselves. Ianthe suggested to Lord and Lady Potter to use blood rituals to upgrade their security and they were considering. There were some ancient rituals and spells on it in their Grimoire, but they hadn't been used for centuries.

The following day, Martin left after a teary goodbye with a heartbroken Draco. He had a small suitcase that had been magically altered to contain the books and documents for the Pope. Ianthe had charmed them so only the Pope and Martin could read them using His Holiness' letter to link him to it and a bit of Martin's blood. A few days after that, the Greengrass family left. Daphne and Tonks exchanged addresses to write to each other.

AS THE WEDDING CEREMONY TOOK PLACE

Albus Dumbledore came out of Hogwarts' kitchens bathed in thick elven blood. He wished he could see Minerva's face when she requested her breakfast and got served the head of her personal elf on a platter. In the kitchens, Gellert picked up all the elven blood and body parts that were salvageable for their rituals and potions. He was starting to second guess about Albus' mental health. The Potter escape became an obsession. He decided to slay all elves in Hogwarts in revenge. Gellert chose to create a Plan B for himself if things fell through with Albus. He was, first and foremost, self-sufficient. I'll follow through with my plans with or without him.

Dumbledore had been on a downward spiral for a while. As he walked out of the kitchens, he licked his lips that were coated in blood. It didn't taste that bad, for inferior creatures. If the manuscripts he read were right, magical blood consumption would help him gain some elven skills. Could the same be true about goblins? Albus needed to know. He would live off of their blood regardless of the -what he was sure- would be an awful taste, provided that he could get benefits and enrage the miserable creatures. At least Gellert had been helpful and quiet. What he needed, less than anything, was for Gellert to tell him off.

Grindelwald had a cold fury that was legendary. His anger was quiet and mighty. Gellert's ability to compartmentalize any and all things that upset him or satisfied him was something Albus envied. Albus was never good at poker face. Gellert could stay silent and seemingly unaffected for years even, but when he blew up, it was in gargantuan proportions. No one and nothing was safe. Albus knew that Gellert was angry and that he would eventually have to face the brunt of his anger, but he had no choice. Their plans were too intertwined now. He needed to start organizing his exit strategy. As much as he cared for Gellert, their egos were both too big to play as a team and share the glory. There was a reason villains worked alone, sharing wasn't something they did.

Regardless, once Albus raided his old office and took out all he needed, Gellert was waiting outside.

"Ready?"

"Yes, I have everything I need," Albus nodded.

Gellert knew that Dumbledore was still a sentimental fool. If he played his cards right, Albus would be putty in his hands. Gellert took Albus's hand and squeezed.

"Let's get out of here, love. Our wards are starting to dissipate. We are lucky that the DMLE is so incompetent. Otherwise, they would have been able to tell I left Nurmengard a long time ago."

"She's on my kill list, you know?"

"Amelia Bones?"

"Yes."

"Let's discuss how we can accomplish that over firewhiskey, shall we?" Gellert winked and pulled Albus to their Portkey.

Albus blushed. "Let's. I don't feel comfortable with our pet sludge been left on its own for so long."

Gellert smirked in satisfaction. Albus's blush was a good sign. He was indeed a sentimental fool still. "Absolutely, anything you want, love."

A/N: You didn't really think I would deprive you of the wedding, did you? Lol. Thank you for reading! Part 2 of this story will be titled Tones of Gray. So keep an eye out for it. Stay safe! xo -Lux-