Epilogue

The Morning after the death of Gwyn App Nudd and Summer, there was a meeting in Dumbledore's office.

In the meeting were Minister of Magic Amelia Bones, Tom Riddle, Nimue, Harry Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Morgaine Le Fay Albus Dumbledore, and Puck. At sight of Morgaine, Amelia leapt to her feet.

"You," she hissed.

Morgaine regarded her steadily. "Me," she said icily. "I will not run anymore." An icy wind blew through the office, fanning her snow white hair out behind her.

"I could have you arrested as a danger to society. You are one of the most infamous dark lady in history."

"You could," Morgaine said loftily, "but what would be the point. I would be gone before they could do anything. I've allowed myself to be pushed around by the pure-bloods for too long. It's time I fought back." She glared right into Amelia's face.

"As for history, do you even know what the real history is? History is always written by the victors. Now, I admit that I did some terrible things all those centuries ago, but I didn't start the war that occurred. Did I have a hand in it, yes? Would I do it again if given the chance, no. I regret my actions, but all the regret in the world cannot change the past. Fourteen years ago, I was complacent. I allowed myself to be captured and locked in Azkaban. I will not do so this time. If you attempt to take me in, you will suffer."

"Is that a threat," Amelia said quietly reaching for her wand.

Bands of ice formed around her wrists. The bands spread into chains which drew her arms behind her, binding them tightly. Amelia stared at Morgaine, her eyes wide. She strained to break the chains of ice, but they tightened painfully. She ground her teeth together, but made no sound. She would not give Morgaine the satisfaction of crying out.

"No," Morgaine whispered, her voice echoing strangely. "It's not a threat, it's a promise."

Tom spoke up. "I think it would be best if you resigned minister," he said. "Do remember this; there were several witnesses in this room. Some of whom would have no reason to lie. If this goes to court, we never saw anything. All we saw was you trying to arrest a woman who has done nothing wrong."

"I could make you take Veritaserum," Amelia said. "You would be forced to tell me the truth then. As for doing no wrong, this is Morgaine Le Fay. Have you forgotten her history?"

"What has she done wrong exactly? She has lived amongst us for several years. Under what grounds would you arrest her? You could force us to take Veritaserum, do remember that it is controlled by strict ministry guidelines. How would you justify it to the public, hmm? After all, three of those witnesses are minors, and one is the former chief warlock of the Wizengamot. Before you say the public doesn't need to know, I assure you they would find out. If not by me then by someone else."

"Retire," Tom said almost gently. "You are too close minded and bigoted to do what needs to be done."

Amelia stared at the occupants of the office in disbelief before spinning on her heal and storming out of the room. After the door had closed, Dumbledore gave Morgaine a stern look.

"I do realize that the ministry hasn't been kind to you, but was it really necessary to threaten her? She is just going to come after you even harder now."

"Let her try," Puck growled. "The wizards need our help even if they don't know it yet. There is a lot of work to be done and not much time to do it. We have no time for a minister who is going to deny aid because of an issue of race."

"You didn't even tell her your idea."

"No," Morgaine said patiently. She gave Dumbledore a pitying look as if he were a child that just couldn't grasp the concept she was trying to explain. "In case you didn't notice, as soon as she saw me, she tried to threaten me. I expect she just thought I'd roll over and take it. That's not going to happen. I intend to do what needs to be done to protect my family. Elphame is a different realm. I have spoken to Vivienne. If they persist in treating us like second class citizens, we can always be a lot more selective in those we allow into our domain."

Seeing Dumbledore's frown. Tom hurried to reassure him. "No decision has to be made today. Luckily for us, we have plenty of time to change the minds of the Wizarding public. However, there is another matter to discuss."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked raising an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"The Triwizard tournament," Tom said. "What's going to happen now?"

Dumbledore glanced at Harry before turning back to Tom. "With Gwyn gone and you reformed, I really don't see a problem. Concentrate on ousting the Minister. Hogwarts should be safe for the time being. Morgaine is here. If you can somehow convince Amelia to leave her alone, we should be fine."

Tom nodded. "I'll take care of it. You have my word."

"Good," Dumbledore said. "Do not kill her. There has been too much death this past year as it is."

Tom frowned. "Very well," he sighed. "I will not kill her, you have my word."

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction before turning to Harry. "Will you be alright completing the tournament?"

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said smiling slightly. "It should be rather relaxing now that all the trouble is over."

"Now that we've got that taken care of," Morgaine said standing up. "I've got to go."

"Go," Harry asked looking concerned. "Where?"

Morgaine squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll be back in a few hours. I just have to meet with someone."

XXX

Morgaine sat across from Vivienne on Avalon's beach. The cool wind coming off the ocean blew her hair back. "I think this would be for the best. The mantles of Summer and Winter were created from the magic of the land. It's time they were given back."

Vivienne nodded. "I think we should combine the mantles and then split the combined mantle into three parts. A part will go to each court."

"Agreed," Morgaine said. "This will insure that the land of the Seelie is healed far faster than it would be naturally. I'm surprised Gwyn hinted at that information."

"Maybe he was trying to redeem himself a little. He may have been arrogant and had a God complex, but he thought he was doing what was best." She looked at Morgaine seriously. "Are you sure it is wise to bring the wizards here? Faerie food and drink will change the one who consumes it. Give it long enough and the wizard race will be changed permanently."

"I know," Morgaine said. "I don't necessarily like altering an entire race. It feels too much like what Gwyn was trying to do, but it's really the only option we have if we want to save them."

Vivienne touched her shoulder. "Gwyn wanted to kill them. We are trying to save them. There is a big difference. I do have another question for you."

"What's that?" Morgaine asked.

"Surely you are aware that not all of the wizards will come here? What will you do with the Muggleborns and what about the pure-bloods that don't want to leave?"

"We'll take those that are willing to come. Tom intends to take the goblins and all the magical creatures with them when they leave. As for the Muggleborns, he wanted me to talk to you about that."

"Oh?" Vivienne said curiously.

"Yeah, he wanted me to ask if the fae would be willing to take in the Muggleborn children. He knows that those children adopted by the fae eventually go native."

"True," Vivienne said. "I think there'd be some fae families that would be willing to do that, but why take them away from their parents? I assume that is what you will be doing. Don't you remember how you felt when James did that to you?"

Morgaine looked away from her sister's piercing gaze. "I don't like it either," she said defensively, "but it's the only way those children can be protected. Once the wizards are gone, there will be no one to teach them how to control their magic."

Vivienne nodded sharply. "What about the parents," her tone was clipped.

Morgaine winced. "Their memories will be erased. All records of the child will be erased. They will have no memory of ever having a child. The Mothers body will be returned to the state it was in before she became pregnant. All evidence that she was ever pregnant will be removed."

Vivienne closed her eyes. She breathed deeply. This idea of Morgaine's was terrible, but she could see the necessity. What life would a magical child with no training have? Assuming they lived to adulthood and gained a modicum of control, what were the odds they'd be accepted? The more likely outcome would be shunning by the other children and then government experimentation when their abilities were discovered."

"I don't like it," Vivienne said tiredly. "You are taking the parents child away from them without giving them a choice in the matter."

"It is the best of bad choices," Morgaine said. "Let's just say we take the children with us, how would their parents react to being in a place made of magic. Humans with no magic are unable to eat Faerie food without terrible consequences. Remember, they tend to party all the time and eventually forget about their old lives. What example would that be setting for the child?"

Vivienne said nothing. She stared out at the ocean for several moments. At last, she turned to face Morgaine.

"I think Nimue should be over that department. After all, she was adopted by the fae centuries ago. Who better to take care of the removal of the Muggleborns from the mortal world than her?"

"I'll talk to her," Morgaine said.

"Good," said Vivienne. "Now come on, we need to get to work with the mantles."

XXX

Several hours later, Vivienne and Morgaine stood at the edge of the Seelie land. Bare blackened earth stretched to the horizon. Birds circled overhead, looking in vain for a place to rest. Deer, cattle, and other grazing animals prowled restlessly across the earth. A Solitary squirrel scampered across the ground, chattering loudly.

Morgaine looked at Vivienne confused. "How did the animals survive do you think?"

Vivienne watched the squirrel pick up a rock in its pause before dropping it. "I think she probably willed the energy to just kill the elves and any other fae in the court, but leave the animals alive. You know that magic is intent based. Besides, all the fae that weren't inbred bastards had already left."

"Well," Morgaine said watching the birds circling. "Let's get this over with before the birds fall out of the sky from exhaustion."

Vivienne and Morgaine clasped hands. Stretching their other hands out in front of them, they turned their palms down towards the ground. A wave of energy swept across the land. The light accompanying the energy blinded them for a few seconds. When the light faded, Morgaine gaped.

Trees of every possible variety stretched their branches towards the sky. Lush green grass covered the land. A clump of grass moved and a surprised looking squirrel popped its head up. Seeing a pecan tree a few feet away, it scampered towards it, chattering happily. Before it got halfway, a hawk swooped down, grabbed the squirrel and settled in the tree to eat its breakfast.

"Well," Morgaine said as the hawk began to devour the still twitching squirrel. "I guess that's the law of the jungle."

Vivienne wiped a tear away. "I liked that squirrel," she said softly.

Morgaine rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said. "We've got to take the Morrigan's portion of the mantle to her."

XXX

The Morrigan leaned back on her throne reveling in the power that flowed through her. "Thank you," she said happily. "I appreciate this gift. She looked at the sisters shrewdly.

"The Seelie land has been healed?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yes."

"I assume that you intend to move the wizards there?"

Vivienne assented again.

"Good," the Morrigan said chuckling nastily. "The fae will breed with wizards and fill the land with their half-breeds. I cannot think of a better punishment for the inbred bastards. I just wish they could be here to see it."

Morgaine and Vivienne were silent. The Morrigan gazed at them in silence. "Morgaine," she said at last. "You will always have a place here if you require it."

Morgaine bowed. "Thank you Milady."

The Morrigan inclined her head. "You may go," she whispered.

XXX

As they returned to Avalon, Vivienne turned to her sister.

"Will you take her up on her offer to return to the Unseelie court?"

Morgaine stared straight ahead. "Harry and I have nowhere else to go. The Morrigan was kind enough to give us a place at her court. I see no reason not to take her up on her offer."

Vivienne glanced at her. "You could return here."

Morgaine wouldn't look at her. "I was banished, remember?"

Vivienne flinched. "I was wrong to do that. This was your home. I should never have banished you from it. You're my sister and I abandoned you for centuries. I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"You really hurt me," Morgaine said softly. "You were the only family I had left. I admit what I did was totally wrong, but you just kicked me out of my home. For centuries I wandered from place to place. Even when I stayed in Wizarding settlements, I had to move on after a few decades to prevent them from noticing I wasn't aging."

Vivienne stayed quiet. She simply listened as Morgaine let out the hidden pain of her heart.

"It's true I made a fortune over the past fifteen hundred years, but money won't bring you happiness. I never started to truly live again until I had Harry." She looked up at Vivienne. "I'd like to come home, but not yet. I think we should take things slow. I don't want to rush home before I'm ready, you know?"

Vivienne nodded. She drew Morgaine into a tight hug. "You'll have a home here when you're ready."

"Thank you," Morgaine said wiping a single tear off her cheek. She grinned at her sister. "I have to say you look a lot better with white hair."

Vivienne giggled. "And you look better with red." Clasping hands, they released the last of the mantle into Avalon. After the light had faded, Morgaine gave her sister one last hug. "I've got to get back to Harry. He'll probably be worried."

Vivienne stepped back. "Don't be a stranger."

"See you soon," Morgaine said.

XXX

Harry stared at his Mother. "Isn't that like kidnapping?"

"Technically, yes," Morgaine said.

"What about the adult Muggleborns that are already here?" Pansy asked.

"They will be given the same choice that the pure-bloods are given. We will not force anyone to do anything they don't want to, but they will have to realize the consequences of staying."

"I don't like the idea of stealing children," Nimue said quietly. "At least in the old days it was equivalent exchange. The fae took a child and left their own child in its place. This…" She threw up her hands helplessly. "This is just wrong."

"There is also the fact that this idea can be manipulated. I could see certain fae simply taking a child that they wanted regardless whether they had magic or not," Daphne said.

"How long will they be left with their parents?" Harry asked.

"They will be taken as soon as they're born," Morgaine explained patiently. "Please understand we do not want to cause the parents of the child any pain. We are simply trying to protect the children."

Nimue rubbed her temples. "Alright," she said finally. "I'll agree to this, but we don't begin this process until the wizards are moved to Elphame. That will give us time to come up with a different idea."

"Agreed," Morgaine said. "If you can come up with something, I'll gladly listen. I don't like this idea any better than you do, but it's the only way I can think of that will protect the children."

Nimue stood. "I'll get started right away."

They all watched as she strode from the room. "Do you think she'll find something?" Harry asked.

"I hope so,' Morgaine said. "I really hope so."

XXX

Six Months later

Dumbledore looked out the window watching the students play on the ground. The June sunlight bathed everything in a golden glow. He turned as he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he called.

Tom strode confidently into the office. Waving his hand, he conjured a chair and sat down. He leaned back in the chair and stretched like a cat after a long nap.

"Hello, Minister," Dumbledore said sounding amused. "How goes your first day at the job."

Tom groaned theatrically. "Remind me again why I wanted this job?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought. "Perhaps because you wanted to help the Wizarding world?"

"Right," Tom drawled. "Cutting through the red tape of politics is going to be far more difficult than I thought. I never really thought of how difficult it was going to be to convince all the wizards to leave. I just thought once I explained everything to them, they'd at least listen. After meeting with the Wizengamot, I see that I overestimated my ability to persuade people and underestimated their stubbornness."

"Giving up?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, I'll just have to try harder. I am going to have to present my idea to them in a different way. I thought once I got rid of my old followers everything would go smoothly, but not all pure-bloods followed me." He sighed. "Twenty years or so is all we have Albus. Not only do I have to move the witches and wizards of Great Britain in that time; I have to convince them that a move is necessary."

"Great Britain?" Dumbledore questioned. "Aren't you going to try and convince wizards of other countries that a move is necessary?"

Tom shook his head. "I'll tell them of my suspicions, but my concern is for the people of the United Kingdom. It will be up to the leaders of other countries to move their people."

"Can the Seelie land support all the Wizards?"

"Morgaine says it can," Tom said. "She showed me a map once. The Seelie land is as big as the UK and the Americas combined."

Dumbledore relaxed slightly. "But what about the Wizards from different cultures. Even if the land can support them, expecting them all to get along is madness."

"That'll have to be worked out as it happens. I don't have all the answers, Albus. This is not a story. Everything is not tied up in a neat bow. I'm just trying to give my people a fighting chance for survival."

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand and I'll help you in any way I can."

Tom rose. "Thanks Albus. I better get going. I've got a meeting with the Bulgarians in half an hour."

As he reached the door, Dumbledore spoke. "Right after our meeting at Christmas, Amelia dropped all the charges concerning Morgaine. She even gave her a full pardon. I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

Tom grinned mysteriously. "Isn't magic wonderful?" he asked. He opened the door and was gone. As the door closed behind him, Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

He liked this new Tom Riddle. He seemed more relaxed than he ever had. He would look forward to seeing how everything played out. He ran his fingers through his auburn hair. Thanks to Morgaine and Merlin he had a far greater chance of seeing that now. Tom was right. Magic was wonderful. It could even explain how an old man could get his youth restored. Who knew magical accidents could have such fantastic results? His lips twitched. That was the story they told the public anyway.

XXX

Harry and the girls stood on the shore of Avalon looking out at the ocean.

Harry glanced around at his friends. All the girls looked totally relaxed and happy. He grinned as he saw that Daphne had developed a tan. Seeing his smile, Daphne raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Avalon's been good for you," Harry explained. "You've got this nice little tan going on."

Daphne frowned. "I know," she said pouting. "It'll ruin my reputation."

"Never my love," Harry said magnanimously.

"Get a room," Ariana called.

Harry glared at her playfully before turning serious. He glanced first at Daphne and then at Pansy.

"How did you convince your parents to move here anyway?"

"We didn't," Pansy said. "Tom did. I guess that because we were your friends, he came to our families personally. It didn't take much to convince mine or Daphne's folks to move. Daddy's potion business had been floundering for years now. I think he viewed the move as a fresh start. Luckily for us, your mum was able to help them move their money here. Since Daphne's parents had roots here, both our families asked permission to move to Avalon." She glanced at Daphne. "I didn't know that Vivienne commanded for your family's fortune to be left alone. I bet that was a pleasant surprise."

Daphne's lips turned up slightly. "It was. Vivienne is fae though. She probably knew we would be back."

"Probably," Harry said. "The elves don't hold much for divination, but they do have hunches every now and then."

"How is your Mother and aunt's reconciliation going?"

"It's going," Harry said evasively. The truth was things were going slower than he'd hoped. He'd wanted to return to Avalon as soon as he knew his friends were there, but Morgaine was hesitant.

She didn't want to return while everyone still feared her. She wanted to at least be able to walk down the street without worrying about whispers and pointing. Harry hadn't liked it. He'd argued that it could take years before people reached that point. Morgaine had calmly explained that time was the one thing they had. She had agreed to start making trips to Avalon. They were staying for the Summer this time. Morgaine wouldn't be returning to the Unseelie court until it was time for Harry to go back to Hogwarts.

"It's strange," Daphne said. "We're living here, but we'll be going back to Hogwarts in September."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but it's our only option right now. Until the wizards of Britain move, Hogwarts will stay where it is."

"Do you think that'll happen before we graduate?" Pansy asked.

"I don't know, but I doubt it. It's going to take a decade at least before everyone is ready to move. Tom told Vivienne that he hadn't expected everyone to be so stubborn."

"But it will happen," Pansy asked anxiously.

"I imagine some will move," Daphne said, "but I don't think all will agree to leave."

"What will happen to the ones that stay," Ariana asked.

"They will have to adapt or perish," Daphne said distantly.

Harry said nothing. He merely continued staring out at the ocean. He thought Daphne was right. It would be optimistic to expect every wizard to move all their earthly possessions to Elphame. However, those that stayed would be forced to join the Muggle World.

Tom had already talked to the Goblins. Surprisingly, they'd agreed immediately to the move saying that they didn't care where they lived as long as they could mine the earth once they got there.

Harry felt Daphne take his hand. Her warm lips touched his cheek. "Are you alright," she whispered.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Just wondering about the future."

"Worry about today," Daphne advised. "The troubles of tomorrow will happen when they happen."

"What about the Muggleborns?" Pansy asked.

"Nimue has been investigating. She's been tracking the bloodlines of the Muggleborns. Surprisingly, a lot of their families have fae ancestry. She thinks the parents could consume faerie food without ill effect."

"So they may not have to take the children from their parents/" Pansy said happily.

"It's looking that way," Harry said smiling. "There's still a chance we'll have to do that with those families that don't want magical children, but Mum is hoping they can convince some of the parents to come here. At least they have a choice now."

"Enough talk," Daphne said. "Come on, let's go swimming." Without another word, Daphne took off running back towards her house to change.

Harry watched as his friends ran to get their swimming gear. He felt more relaxed than he had in years. Whatever happened with the wizards and the elves was future. For today, he was going to enjoy the time with his friends.

The End

A/N Well, that's it. This story is done. I hope you enjoyed it. Before you ask, there will not be a sequel. If anyone wants to pick up the story from here, let me know.

Till next time.

Wizmage