Epilogue

Epilogue

Three Months Later

Pomona sat at her vanity table studying her reflection as she brushed her chestnut hair until it shone. A smile flirted with her lips as the butterflies started again. She could not remember a time in her life when she had been so happy, and it was all because of the love she shared with Filius.

Today was her birthday, and even though they were not spending it alone as she would like, they would still be together. Closing her eyes, she sighed contentedly as her thoughts traveled back to the day they had confessed to each other. She had been so afraid. But then, so had Filius. Fortunately for them, they had some very good friends working in their favor.

"Filius?" she had asked as she lay with her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat while they held each other after he had told her he loved her and kissed her.

"Mmm?" he replied.

"What about Beauxbatons?" she had asked quietly and felt him tense. At that moment, there had been a knock on her hospital room door, and Albus had popped his head inside. Quickly, Filius rose to move away from her, blushing profusely.

"Ahh, she is awake, Minerva!" he said over his shoulder, pushing the door open further and allowing Minerva past him to enter the room.

Hopping down from the bed as they entered, Filius took his place in the chair next to Pomona's bed once more, looking guilty.

"Oh, Filius! I didn't see you there!" Albus exclaimed, reaching out to clasp the smaller wizard's hand in a hearty handshake when he stood up from the chair.

"Hello, Albus. Minerva." Filius nodded at the Transfiguration mistress, and she smiled back.

Turning to Pomona, Minerva asked, "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Right as rain, Minerva. Filius tells me Poppy said I need to stay here until morning. Once she comes tomorrow, I find out when I can come home," Pomona replied a little forlornly, gazing at Filius with longing.

Albus and Minerva exchanged a look.

"Oh, speaking of the school, that reminds me, Filius, I spoke with Madame Olympe earlier. She said to thank you for helping them find a suitable replacement for their Charms position. Professor Conrad is on her way there now," Albus informed with a smile.

"But, I thought..."

"It would seem your colleague was able to get her affairs in order already. Monica found a candidate for her cottage in time this morning to catch the second flying carriage to France." Albus smiled at his diminutive friend.

Filius looked stunned for a moment, but then a slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, that is wonderful!" he exclaimed, relief in his voice.

Minerva moved to the other side of Pomona and took her hand. "Mona, I am so very glad you are better." She squeezed the Herbologist's hand.

Looking up, Pomona smiled at her friend. "Me too," she responded, her eyes leaving Minerva's to find Filius' once more briefly. Gazing back at Minerva, Pomona added, "I am really looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts."

"Well, you just focus on your wellbeing for the moment. Hogwarts isn't going anywhere, Pomona," Minerva informed her, matter of fact.

Nodding, Pomona said, "I know."

"Well, Albus? I think it is that time." She looked over at Albus who had been talking with Filius.

His face fell. "Already, Minerva? But we just got here..."

"And Poppy said Pomona was not to move about too much until she could check her over in the morning, dear," Minerva said, taking two steps to stand beside him.

Sighing in resignation, Albus replied, "Very well. I know our Herbology Professor is in good hands." He smiled at Filius, a twinkle gleaming in his eye. He then stepped up to Pomona's bedside and took her hand. "My dear Pomona, it is good to see you feeling better."

"Thank you, Albus. And thank you for coming," she told him.

"Oh, think nothing of it, my dear. Well, shall we?" he asked, turning toward Minerva and offering her his arm. Moving to the door, Albus reached for the door handle.

Opening it to let Minerva proceed him, he turned to Pomona. "We will see you tomorrow, Pomona, dear. Goodbye, Filius," he said, raising his arm in farewell and following Minerva out into the hall.

Filius stood there looking at the door for a moment after it shut behind them, then looked at Pomona. "I guess I won't be going to Beauxbatons after all, my love," he told her, stepping next to the bed and taking her hand.

Raising it to his lips, he kissed it, then held it to his chest as he smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Sighing once more, Pomona returned to the present as a knock sounded at her door. Raising her eyebrows, she told her reflection, "Well, he's here." Rising, she carefully adjusted the strap of her peach dress robe, then turned toward the door to open it.

Filius stood on the other side, hovering from foot to foot and clutching a single, long-stemmed, red rose. When she opened the door, he raised it up in front of himself and presented it to her. "H-happy Birthday, Mona!"

"Oh! Thank you, Fil!" she exclaimed with delight, taking the rose from him and Summoning a bud vase with water from her tiny kitchen. Taking a moment to inhale the sweet fragrance of the flower, Pomona placed it in the vase, then sent it to settle gently on her table by the window.

A smile came to her lips as she watched Filius take in her appearance. "Mona my love, you look ravishing!" He twisted his hat in his hands and stepped forward when Pomona leaned down to brush her lips against his, flushing with pleasure at his words.

Taking his hand in hers, she tugged him forward. "Please come in. I have one more thing to do, and we can go," she said, turning away from him to sit in front of the vanity once more. Raising her wand, she swept her hair up off her shoulders into a haphazard bun as Filius laid his hat on the arm of a chair and moved to stand behind her, watching her intently. She could see his eyes alight as they traveled the neckline of her robe, guiding his vision to her shoulder.

"You know, Mona, as much trouble as it caused you, I must say I am very fond of your tattoo," he told her as his fingers nudged the fabric aside to offer him a better view of the musical heart nestled behind the peach folds of fabric. Leaning over and firmly grasping her other shoulder, he kissed her tender flesh. The feel of his touch sending goose bumps over her skin and causing her to suck in her breath. "Do you regret it?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder to look at her reflection in the mirror. "Getting it, I mean?"

Swallowing, she looked back at him in the mirror and shook her head. "No. I know you would never bind me to you in the way it represents, but I want you to know that it will never change... how I feel about you." She turned around to face him, and he stepped back slightly. Grasping his hands, she squeezed them. "I was surprised in hospital when you revealed how long you had loved me, but know it is not as long as I have loved you, Filius," she told him seriously.

His eyebrows rose. "But that would mean..." he trailed off as he gazed at her. "Even then?" he asked, unbelieving.

Nodding, she replied, "Even then. You see, I have always been bound to you by my heart. And while I have not always understood music, I do know it is powerful. It can even make my plants flourish. So the day of your presentation, as you explained the intricacies of music, I finally understood how it was all woven together around us. And even though it almost separated us, I am very content with my tattoo. Because it is an ever-fixed mark of the love we share."

"Oh, Mona..." his voice wavered slightly as he pulled her to him, their mouths finding each other and fusing as their eyes closed. Pressing firmly against her, his lips plundered hers when she yielded to him and moaned into his mouth. His hands came up to caress her face tenderly as he pulled her lower lip into his mouth to suck on it lightly. Releasing it, his tongue touched her lips, seeking entrance, then delving inside when she opened to him.

Tentatively, he explored her mouth, and Pomona felt heat rise inside her. Her hands traveled across his back and up into his hair, her tongue dancing with his and following his movements. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he pushed her back against the vanity, the wood biting into her side. Vaguely, she registered something clattering to the floor, and then, a steady tapping at the window.

They both ended the kiss abruptly to look over at the window, breathing raggedly. Filius ran a hand over his face as if trying to Summon a cooling spell, then reached over to straighten her. "All right there, Mona?"

She nodded. "What is it?"

Blushing, Filius cleared his throat, moved to the window, and opened it. A beautiful grey owl flew in carrying a brightly wrapped package. She landed on Pomona's vanity after dropping the gift directly in her arms. Pomona looked at the card and then looked over at him, frowning slightly. "It's from you?"

Filius turned more red, then nodded. "Yes. Truthfully, I am grateful for the interruption. A few more moments there and I think our friends would be missing you on your birthday."

Pomona flushed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"I-I wanted you to open it before we went out. I hope you like it," he told her as the owl nudged his shoulder, and he reached up to scratch its head. Summoning a treat from Pomona's desk, he fed the bird, then released it again while she turned the package around. After closing the window, he turned to her when she began to tear the paper from the box.

Looking over at him, she said, "Fil, you really shouldn't have got me anything. I have everything I ever wanted from you." She smiled at him then when he moved beside her and brushed her lips with his.

"I know, Mona, but it is your birthday. Just let me indulge you. I have not always been able to, so I wanted to do this right."

Pulling her gaze away from him, she focused back on the box in front of her. Lifting the flap, she heard a faint tinkling, then looked inside. Putting her hand to her chest, she drew in her breath, her eyes opening wide as they landed back on him. "Filius! I have heard of these but I have never seen one. Wherever did you get it?" she asked incredulously, reaching inside to pull out a small pot with a green tendril pushing through the soil. Turning the small plant around, she studied every nuance of the tiny seedling. When she tilted it slightly, it chimed again, taking her breath away. Gingerly, she got up and placed the plant next to the rose he had given her earlier, then turned to look at him once more.

"Taurean and Hugh helped me. During your stay in hospital, Taurean found a Herbology book in greenhouse three with a well-worn page." His eyes twinkled. "I took the book to Hugh, and he knew just who to talk to. I thought a music-box rose would make a lovely addition to your greenhouses. Hugh told me that as they grow, the tune becomes more defined and beautiful, especially if they are given love. I can't think of a better place than your greenhouses for such a plant. I thought, perhaps, we could plant it tomorrow... together."

"Oh, Fil, I don't know how to thank you," she told him as she slid down into a chair, tears coming to her eyes.

Crossing the room, he took her hand. "Mona, there is no need to thank me. It was my pleasure to get you such a gift. W-what...why are you crying?"

"B-because I'm so happy," she told him, her voice wavering.

Tugging on her hand, he pulled her into his arms. "Get used to it, my darling, because this is only the beginning," he murmured into her ear.

"Now, are you ready to go to the Three Broomsticks? I fear they may send a search party if we don't arrive soon," he told her gently, leaning back to study her face once more.

Lifting his hand to her cheek, he brushed away a tear with his thumb as she nodded and smiled back at him.

"Very well then, may I escort the most beautiful witch in the castle to her birthday celebration?" he asked, plucking his hat from the chair and offering her his arm.

His words made Pomona's heart soar with joy. Rising and taking his arm, she nodded. "Oh, yes, Fil, lead the way," she replied, shutting the door and locking it with a flick of her wand.

As they meandered through the castle and out into the courtyard, Pomona couldn't help but think of all they had gone through, and what they now shared. She was looking forward to whatever lie ahead.

Once outside the gates of Hogwarts, they clung to each other, preparing to Apparate. Gazing at the man who had held her love for so long, Pomona reached over and lifted his chin with her finger, then brushed her lips against his.

"I love you, Fil," she told him with love in her eyes, her heart swelling in a crescendo.

"I love you too, Mona," he replied.

A gentle breeze lifted her hair from her neck, rustling the leaves in the trees, and she shivered. "You know, I'm not sure if I hear music playing on the wind or if it is just my heart answering yours," Pomona said, hugging him.

"Actually, I think that may be Stebbins practicing his violin. But I do know you make my heart sing when I am with you, my darling," he told her seriously, leaning back to look at her.

They smiled.

Then, with a subtle pop, they were gone.

~~~End~~~