A/N: This is it, the final chapter of Trichromatic. Thank you all for being such awesome people and sticking with me as I wrote this behemoth of a story. Thank you to all the subscribers, reviewers, and readers. I appreciate you all for continually inspiring me and giving me nudges when needed. You have been fantastic.

Yours for the last time,

Late for the Sky

Quinn looked around him, his heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest. His parents had assured him that everything would be alright, but he wasn't so sure. He followed the tiny professor that had collected him and his fellow first years at the front doors after Hagrid had bought them there from the docks. The group of first years shuffled into the small antechamber off the Great Hall, talking quietly amongst themselves once Professor Flitwick had left them there to fetch the Sorting Hat and stool.

Quinn looked around the room, noting the large portrait that stretched from just below the ceiling to just above the floor and was half as wide on the far wall. A cheery-looking blonde woman sat on the couch that was painted there, one of her arms around the waist of the brunette next to her. Having grown up around Wizarding portraits, Quinn made his way over to stand in front of the large canvas.

"Hello," he said politely. "How are you?"

"Hello, young one," the blonde replied, startling those who were from the Mundane world who weren't used to talking portraits and moving pictures. "Welcome to Hogwarts. There's no need to be nervous; you'll have a wonderful time here."

"Thank you, ma'am," Quinn said with a small smile. "May I know your name?"

"Oh, I'm sure you already know it, but introductions are always useful. I am Helga Hufflepuff, and this lovely lady is my beloved wife Rowena."

That got the attention of those who were ignoring the conversation, though it was hard to do so in the confines of the small room. The rest of the first years crowded around the portrait, questions flying thick and fast. Helga was barely able to answer a few of them before Flitwick had returned to take the first years to the Great Hall.

"Don't worry, everyone, you'll be able to come back and speak with the Founders whenever you like," he told them cheerily. "Come along; let's get you all Sorted and settled."

Quinn followed the diminutive Charms professor out of the antechamber and into the Great Hall proper, taking in a deep breath when he saw the enchanted ceiling sparkling clear and lovely overhead. The group stopped in front of the teachers' table where the Headmistress, her hair now liberally streaked with gray, sat with a pleased smile as she watched them. Flitwick fetched the traditional three-legged stool and the Sorting Hat before setting the former down on the floor and then producing a scroll from his pocket. As each name was read off and then the student was Sorted, a picture was taken of them by an enchanted camera floating nearby so the iconic moment was captured for eternity.

The tension Quinn was feeling only grew as time went on, making him curse the fact that his name was so far down the alphabet. Flitwick finally got to the 'L's, and Quinn startled a little when he called out, "Longbottom-Potter, Quentin!" He stumbled forward, taking a nervous seat on the stool, barely getting a glimpse of the other students watching him before the Hat slipped down over his eyes.

'Ah. Hello, Mr. Longbottom-Potter,' the Hat said with a pleased tone. 'I've been looking forward to meeting you.'

'You have?' Quinn asked, surprised.

'Oh, yes. Your fathers did great things, and I have no doubt that you will do even greater feats. Now, where to put you? You'd fit in several Houses, but... Hmm... Yes, I think I know the one that will be best for you.'

'Which one?'

'Oh, I believe you'll do best in' "RAVENCLAW!"

Quinn barely had time to smile before the flash went off as his tie and robes gained the Ravenclaw colors. He hurried over to the Ravenclaw table, sending a smile his older sister's way as he went. Lyra sat at the Slytherin table, clapping just as hard for the other new students as she did for her fellow Serpents. Quinn took his seat, eager to see what was to come next. His photo popped into existence beside his plate after a few moments. A copy would be sent to his parents via owl the next day, but for now, he was content to look down and see himself being Sorted. He ran his fingers lightly over the surface of the photo, a grin forming as he did so. This was going to be good.

~/~

Wizened and gnarled fingers ran over the frame surrounding a slightly faded copy of that same photograph, a frown pulling their owner's mouth down when he noticed the increased trembling in the digits. A sigh left Harry as he stepped away from the picture. There were other pictures scattered about the office he was in, chronicling some of the most important moments in his life. The wedding portrait hung in a place of pride over the fireplace, his eighteen-year-old self happily beaming with his arms around Draco and Neville's waists. Pictures of each of their four children as babies, young children, freshly-Sorted eleven year olds, and adults littered almost every available flat surface, as well as pictures of their grandchildren and various other family members, both blood-related and not.

Harry sank into a leather chair near the fire, a soft groan leaving him as he did so. Merlin, he was tired. He looked up at the wedding portrait, a melancholy smile on his face. He'd had over a hundred and ten good years with his husbands before time and age had taken their tolls. Neville had been the one to go first, dying quietly from a stroke in one of his greenhouses one summer's day, and Draco had followed not long after later that winter after he caught a particularly bad case of pneumonia that wasn't able to be cleared up by either Mundane medicine or Magical potions.

That had been a month ago, and Harry doubted he had much time left himself. He didn't mind. He'd lived a long and full life, and had seen the Magical world go from a place of repressed ideas and blood-purists to a place where magic was celebrated regardless of the bloodline of the witch or wizard and where innovation had brought forth new and amazing inventions and discoveries. It was amazing and the Magical world was thriving like it never had in centuries.

Harry rubbed tiredly at his eyes, a yawn escaping him. A short nap sounded good right about then. Lyra and her two children were due to visit in an hour or so, and he knew he would need as much energy as he could muster to deal with them. Harry closed his eyes, settling in to sleep.

He opened his eyes to a surprising sight. He was standing in the middle of a desert made of black sand, with mountains far off in the distance. Harry frowned, noting that his usual compliment of aches and pains were nowhere to be found. A glance down at his hands make him jump. They were as unblemished and unwrinkled as they had been when he was eighteen.

"About time you got here! We've been waiting for ages."

Harry spun on the spot with a flurry of sand, eyes widening when he saw Neville and Draco sitting on the ground nearby, also back to their younger selves. They were playing what looked like a game of Exploding Snap, but the third member of their party... Well, to be honest, Harry was a little less surprised by his presence than his bondmates'. Death was sitting on the ground as well, a hand of cards clutched carefully in his bony digits. He laid a card on the top of the pile, but as both Neville and Draco were rather distracted by Harry's appearance, wasn't able to warn them in time before the cards went up in a small explosion that sent sand going everywhere.

Once the sand settled and the coughing stopped, Death got to his feet, brushing his robes off.

HARRY JAMES POTTER-BLACK. YOUR BONDMATES WERE SHOWING ME THIS DIVERTING GAME, he said. AN INTERESTING WAY TO PASS THE TIME, THOUGH I'M NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT THE EXPLOSIONS.

"It's part of the fun," Harry said right before Draco and Neville all but tackled him back to the ground in a combined hug that had him rocking back from the force. Once the greetings were over, Harry turned his attention back to Death. "So, this is it?"

Death nodded. THIS IS YOUR SCHEDULED TIME, he agreed. I SHALL WALK WITH YOU AS FAR AS I CAN, IF YOU'LL LET ME.

"Of course we will," Draco replied. "We're not fools. It would be an honor to walk with you, sir."

"Agreed," Neville added. "Thank you for waiting with us."

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME.

Death started forward, the three wizards quickly catching up to him. They walked side-by-side through the desert until they were lost from sight, heading on into the Great Ever After.