Epilogue: Possibility

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has ever read or reviewed Butterfly, or has added Butterfly to their favourites or alerts. I'm quite happy with thus epilogue, I tried to keep it real, a little bit cute but not unrealistically happy and fluffy. Congratulations to the 35% of voters who picked "They all live happily ever after...until..."

Warning: This chapter contains references to mental health and appropriate treatments and frequent sexual references.

2004 – Eight Years Since The Final Battle

"Daddy, daddy! Can we open the presents now? Please, please can we open them?"

Eight-year-old Rose Weasley bounced around her father, eyeing a box covered in metallic blue wrapping paper. Ron yawned, and bleary-eyed, he glanced at his watch. Rose had jumped on the bed in the guestroom where Ron and Hermione had been sleeping, pleading for her father to come down to the Christmas tree half an hour ago. Ron sipped at his coffee, annoyed that it was his wife Hermione, and not he, that had conveniently been in the shower as their daughter had bounded in.

"It's not even seven o'clock yet, Rosie," he said to his daughter, trying to avoid the look in Rose's blue eyes that always made him cave. "At least wait til everyone's up."

Rose pouted, but nevertheless remained in a cheery mood. She skipped over to the kitchen, where Harry was rifling through his fridge for something to eat.

"Happy Christmas, Uncle Harry!" squealed Rose, and to her delight the green-eyed man picked Rose up and spun her around. Over his goddaughter's giggles Harry wished her a happy Christmas as well, and let her down to the floor.

"Auntie Parvati!" was the second, equally excited-sounding squeal that left little Rose's lips. Parvati enveloped Rose in a warm hug.

"Hey, princess," greeted Parvati. "Merry Christmas! Have you opened any of your presents yet?"

"No," frowned Rose, "Daddy said I have to wait until everyone is awake."

Parvati walked over to Harry, who was now in the middle of spooning cereal into his mouth, and kissed him quickly.

"Hmm," replied the brown haired witch, "I suppose that's right."

She winked at Ron. Parvati figured he would tire of his daughter's constant nagging soon enough.

"Harry and I just finished in the shower, so you won't have to wait too long, Ron."

Ron looked a little sick.

"You and Harry – shower - " Here the red head made a face. "I don't care if this is meant to be your honeymoon period, watch what you say – there are children present."

Harry laughed, and to spite Ron, he kissed his new wife soundly. Rose giggled at her father, who pretended to gag.

Ron found a better sight in his wife coming down the stairs. Hermione wished everyone season's greetings before looking at the time.

"It's almost seven," noted the bright witch. "Lavender and Padma will be here soon, then?"

Harry confirmed this as he put his bowl in the sink and washed it. The twenty-five-year-old had been in the Wizarding World for around about fifteen years yet he still liked doing some things the Muggle way, even if it was as mundane as doing the washing up by hand and not by magic. As he took in the peaceful, snowy Christmas morning, Harry felt undoubtedly content. This year he and Parvati had opted for a small gathering at their house for Christmas, and lunch at the Burrow a few days prior had only made this seem more ideal. By the end of the day the pair were almost sick of hearing people wish them well on their elopement – after six years of engagement, people said, it was about bloody time that Harry and Parvati had finally gotten married.

Many a year ago, after Voldemort had been defeated and they were new in their engagement, Parvati had suggested that she and Harry wait until they were sure and ready to settle down before they actually tie the knot. Normally, twenty-two was a relatively young age to get married, and even if they had children within the next two years or so they would be considered to be quite young parents.

But of course, in the world of magical persons, this was not the case.

Once the war was over, Harry's fellow classmates were getting married at seventeen – eighteen for Ron and Hermione – and having a child or two by the time they were twenty-one. By Wizarding standards, Harry and Parvati were late bloomers, but they had enjoyed every minute of being young and, for a while, having little responsibilities. They had proudly paid off all their debts and had bought a two-storey house two years ago.

Parvati had quickly made her way up through the ranks of the fashion world, leaving her apprenticeship at Gladrags Wizardwear behind to start her own label, Storm. Harry had undertaken a teaching degree at a Wizarding University, intending to take over from Madam Hooch when she retired as Quidditch teacher. But his aspirations had turned him away from teaching at Hogwarts, and he now coached the Holyhead Harpies.

Harry smiled as he watched Hermione listen to Rose as she animatedly discussed what she thought Father Christmas had brought her. She had wished for books, of course; Rosie was every bit her mother. A knock on the front door led to Rose emitting another excited squeal as she rushed towards it. Opening the door she screamed, "Lavender!"

Parvati tore through the living room, her brown curly hair flying. She was almost as excited as her goddaughter. Parvati engulfed her best friend into a tight hug. Releasing Lavender, Parvati commented, "Wow, Milan did you some good."

Lavender's skin was perfectly tanned, and she her brown locks had been cut shorter and dyed blonde. She was had just finished her contract with the multi-million dollar Magique, a French line of beauty products and had completed a series of photo shoots in Milan.

Parvati admittedly had been worried about how she would find her best friend; Lavender's father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer just months after her mother had broken off their marriage and called for a divorce a year ago. Lavender had been forced to mediate her parents, pay her Dad's medical fees, keep her little brother out of her parents' mess and sustain her career all around the anniversary of Seamus' death. Eventually, with support from Parvati and Harry, she had gone on antidepressants, but hadn't reacted as positively as Harry had done four years ago; Lavender eventually had to give them up as she felt as though the types she tried made 'her feel like a zombie' – totally emotionless. It seemed her alternative remedies were working for her now, though, and for that Parvati was thankful.

Lavender's ruby red lips split into a big smile as she flicked her wand casually over her shoulder. A long line of presents transcended though the threshold and over to the three.

"Yeah, well, Milan did you guys some good too," winked Lavender. She then exclaimed to Parvati, "Hey! Nose piercing, I love it."

Parvati ran her hands over the small diamond stud and smiled. "Yeah, I had to do something Indian for the wedding or my grandmother would have freaked," she joked.

The little gathering of people slowly grew to encompass Padma Patil, her partner Anthony Goldstein, and their five-month-old baby boy Jacob. Then, finally, Rose was able to open her presents. As she was the only child old enough to coherently receive presents out of those gathered, she was shamelessly spoiled rotten.

Rose excitedly started eyeing off a large present wrapped in shiny silver packaging, until Hermione smacked her head with the heel of her hand. "I forgot the camera!" she cried.

Even though Hermione had been Deputy Head Auror for the past two years, she, like Harry, still ended up doing things the Muggle way. The curly-haired witch raced up the staircase to search for the camera rather than cast a summoning charm.

Parvati cocked her head to the side, intrigued by what she was seeing; a fulfilment of one of her nicer visions from when she was fifteen. Her smiled widely; she vividly remembered confessing to Harry that she saw herself in the vision, but not him, as they huddled up in Sirius' house at Grimmauld Place together, and had been stricken at the thought. But here Harry was, her husband, cooing at baby Jacob as he slept peacefully – a rare occurrence – in Padma's arms.

Hermione yelled down the stairs with a huff, "I couldn't find it, Ron!"

Parvati laughed. "I'll summon it, Hermione, don't worry."

"It's a special present for a special girl," Ron started saying and smiled, and Rosie giggled.

"Daddy, can we open it now?"

"We're just waiting for Mummy, sweetheart…Parvati, have you got the camera? Parvati?"

Parvati blinked, and felt content at the scene in front of her. It had been a long time, and now her visions were finally falling into place. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I spaced out. Accio camera!"

2006 – Eighteen Months Later

Parvati wrangled the uncooperative door open, finally. Her trip had out of the house had had its ups and downs – one of the negatives was being away from her baby. Luckily, she had left Mia in her mother's care.

"Mum?" Parvati called softly, not wanting to wake the baby if she was asleep. "I'm back!"

Parvati walked into the living room, and pulled up short at what she saw. "Harry, what are you doing here? And where's Mum? She's meant to minding Mia."

Harry was staring at a set of papers on his desk. "I sent Leah home since I was here, and Mia's asleep," he said awkwardly, pointing to the magical monitor on his desk. "I…I couldn't get to work today."

Parvati's insides froze.

"You had a relapse?" she whispered. He had been having symptoms of depression just before they had found out they were pregnant with Mia, but the news of their baby had seemed to alleviate them. He had suffered from it pretty badly for a while when he was twenty-one, and had been on medication for a good year along with seeing his counsellor. Harry had tried a couple of SSRI's before he found one that had worked.

Harry swallowed. "I think so."

He looked up at his lover, and noticed how she looked. "What's wrong?"

Parvati accepted that Harry didn't want to talk about himself for the moment, and changed the subject. "Pansy Parkinson, the stupid Slytherin from your Harpies PR team! Well, you know I had to duck into the Diagon Alley store to make sure Hannah got the right dress order, and Pansy walked in, demanding that she be fitted for a new gown. And, well, she took one look at me and said, "Honey, have you ever heard of exercise?""

Harry frowned. "You just had a baby, Par."

Parvati seemed angry at Pansy and at herself. "Six months ago!" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Yeah, and you've been stressed out of your mind dealing with my nightmares and Mia's colic. You haven't had time to worry about yourself."

"It's not fair," she argued crossly. "Hermione was back in shape after a month! And I'm a size twelve!"

"Size twelve isn't bad."

"I used to be a size eight!"

"Come on, Parvati-"

"What," snapped Parvati at last, furiously, "so you get to be negative but I don't?"

They stared at each other in tense silence.

Parvati turned away and stormed out of the room, a sob escaping her.

Harry found Parvati on the floor with her back against the kitchen cupboard, crying into her lap as she hugged her knees. Harry walked over tentatively and slid down til he was on the floor with his wife.

Harry placed a hand on Parvati's soft stomach gently, and she lifted her head. Her face was red and blotchy.

"You know I don't care what size you are, Parvati. I think it's wonderful that you have changed because of something you and I made together. …I'm really sorry about before."

Parvati nodded as tears fell down her face, and sniffed. "S'okay. I was in a shitty mood. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I was thinking about going back on my meds. What do you think?"

Parvati sniffed again. "They worked well last time. You don't zombie out like Lavender does. I think it's a good idea."

"I was thinking I might poison Parkinson's coffee tomorrow morning, too."

Parvati kissed Harry's cheek. "I think that's a great idea. So, how are you feeling?"

"Haven't been really hungry. I've hid a few nightmares from you, y'know, the normal Voldemort stuff…you've been exhausted, Par."

Harry stroked the side of her face. She looked as tired as he felt. He mustered up a grin for her. "No loss of sexual appetite this time, it seems," he continued. "In fact, we should have sex on the kitchen bench. Again."

"Mmm. Someone should pay you for all these brilliant ideas, Mr Potter."

Harry smiled as he started to undo her jeans buttons. His eyes were sad, and Parvati could see he was trying hard – something that always made her so proud. Even in the darkest of moments, he never truly gave up.

"You're so beautiful," he said quietly, and his stubble grazed her cheek as he moved to kiss her rose-coloured lips.

2010 – Four Years Later

"Mummy?"

Parvati couldn't tear her gaze from the eggs Harry was this close to finishing scrambling. It was already eight o'clock in the morning and she was starving. Harry was purposely teasing an eight-month-pregnant Parvati at the risk of making her snap at him relentlessly until she got food into her system.

"Wait a sec, Mia, your Mummy wants breakfast," Harry laughed, setting a quick cooling charm on the scrambled eggs before scooping up a spoonful and delivering it into Parvati's waiting mouth.

"Mmmm."

"Gee, I wish you'd made that noise last night."

Parvati narrowed her eyes at him. "Very funny, Mr Potter. I did make that noise and many others, multiple times, " she whispered so that Mia couldn't hear them. She then grabbed her share of breakfast and fed herself.

"Mummy?"

"Sorry, baby. Yes?"

Mia looked up from her cheese on toast fingers and smiled a toothy grin. "I'm gunna haff a bwuffah," she announced proudly.

Parvati almost choked on her eggs. Mia was going to have a brother? What? They were waiting until the baby arrived to know the gender! "Mia Avani Lily Potter, where did you get that idea?"

"I Saw it."

Harry frowned. "Did you dream about it, sweetie?"

"Noooowh," said Mia slowly. "I saw it. I woke up, and I was looking at Bunny, and then my room went all white. I fort Mummy had put the light on. And then I Saw Mummy telling Aunt Hermione that I was gunna have a bwuffah."

Harry's heart flew into panic mode, and his wife's face looked terrified. Could have Parvati passed on her psychic abilities to their daughter?

Little Mia appeared not to have noticed her parents' shock.

"Can I name him?" she asked curiously, her green eyes lighting up.

Parvati sighed heavily. "Maybe, Mia. This time it was going to be Daddy's job since I got to name you."

"But Muuuuuuuuuuummyyyyy…"

"Mia, come on, we gotta get ready for the wedding!" Parvati exclaimed happily, successfully distracting her daughter with the day's event – the wedding of Dean Thomas and Ginny Weasley. Parvati, Lavender, Hermione and Luna Lovegood were bridesmaids. "Let's go get dressed, hmm?"

Parvati led her daughter to her room, and shot Harry a baleful glare. 'You owe me breakfast' she mouthed, and then proceeded to poke out her tongue childishly.

"Muuuummmy, why can't I wear a gween dwess too?"

..::ooOOOoo::..

"I love these dresses," Lavender commented graciously before downing another on-the-tab champagne. Lavender loved alcohol – especially when it was free at wedding receptions. "You managed to find a colour that suits us all! Pale green! Who would have known?"

Parvati smirked. There was a reason Celestina Warbeck wore her designs to the Annual Wizarding Music Awards and why Ginny had begged her to design her wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. She was damn good at what she did.

"How's Robert, Lav?" she asked, changing the subject casually as she saw Sirius trying to convince Molly Weasley to dance.

Lavender rolled her eyes at the mention of her on-again-off-again boyfriend.

"Too concerned with himself. He uses the mirror more than me! I'm never dating a male model again. I swear, the only thing I can rely on to give me a good time is my vibrator. And of course, you have Harry and a vibrator."

"Yeah, but I live with a guy who talks about sport 24/7 and convinced my daughter she could be the next Gwenog Jones. Mia crashed into a tree the other day and I was the one who had to pick the splinters out and fix her broom."

Lavender quirked an eyebrow. Parvati relented.

"Okay, okay, I kind of have the perfect husband. Sheesh! With you I can never complain."

"Okay, go, complain away."

"My lower back aches and every time I try to See that I deliver the baby safe, my vision swims and I feel like throwing up."

"And they say gestation is meant to be a beautiful process."

Parvati snorted. "Do you remember with Mia how I broke out with acne?"

"That wasn't so bad, I was more scared when you threw up in labour and gave birth while leaning on a beanbag."

"Uh, why?"

"They never show that stuff in the Muggle movies, I was totally unprepared! Sweet Merlin, I swore to adopt that day."

They then burst into laughter.

Parvati's husband then materialised next to her. He bowed forward in an ostentatious fashion, flourishing his hand. "My dance partner has left me for another," Harry said in a fake-posh voice, his thumb pointing to Mia who was chatting animatedly with her Aunt Padma. "Care for a dance, milady?"

Parvati looked unsure. "My husband would never approve…"

Harry grabbed Parvati around the waist and supported her as he pulled her up standing from the chair.

"I like to live dangerously," he said, attempting and failing miserably to give Parvati a smouldering look.

Parvati giggled as Harry led her onto the dance floor.

Her big belly bumped against his gently as they swayed gently on the spot to the music.

"I'll have you know my husband is a Hungarian body builder who owns a whip," Parvati joked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Parvati Potter, you own that whip," he replied, which made her blush.

"Ginny looked lovely, didn't she?" Parvati said trying to keep the squeak out of her voice.

"You look lovelier."

"Harry, we're dancing awkwardly because I'm so huge."

"Puh-lease. You're hot, babe."

Pavati made a mental note to leave Harry tied to their bed next chance she got as punishment – he loved to tease her. "Pervert."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said with a winning smile.

Parvati marvelled at her husband. "You're on cloud nine, aren't you?"

"Drug free after three years, yes m'am I am," said Harry happily, which made Parvati giggle.

Parvati rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. "I hope it stays that way," she murmured, referring to his depression. It had been a long four years in regards to Harry's mental health – Parvati had confessed to Lavender more than once that both she and Harry were astounded that Harry had been progressing so well.

Harry shifted his arms as a new, slightly faster song started.

"Hey!" Parvati exclaimed softly. "This is the song we danced to in fourth year!"

"Uh, is it?"

Parvati laughed. "Trust you not to remember, Mr Potter."

"Well, I apologise profusely, Mrs Potter. Let's hope some French dude doesn't cut in."

Parvati laughed as Harry twirled her under his arm.

"So, I saw that you were talking to that Jaune woman before," Harry started casually, knowing exactly how much of a big name the woman was in the fashion industry.

Parvati's eyes widened excitedly. "She's interested in some of my winter designs! She especially loved the lightning bolt boots…"

Harry blushed. "You really love that trademark, don't you?"

"Uh-huh. It's so sexy."

Harry motioned with his head over to where their daughter had curled up in Padma's lap, sound asleep.

"I think we better go, soon, Mia's crashed." Harry yawned. "I think I might too. Being the best man is hard work."

..::ooOOOoo::..

Parvati gently lowered herself into bed. She smiled as Harry sleepily opened his eyes and snuggled closer to her.

"Hey, beautiful," he mumbled, thick with sleep. He snuggled his head into her upper arm.

"Heya, sleepy. Mia went to sleep okay?"

"Yeah, after I read Beauty and the Beast to her three times."

Parvati smiled at her husband through the darkness. "Night, Harry."

"Night, Par."

Parvati fell asleep quickly, content. But the contentment did not stay long; a dark and treacherous vision leeched into her dreaming.

There was fire everywhere.

Hogwarts was aflame.

Screams pierced the night; the candlelit windows were awash with bright cerise blood. Lording over the mayhem stood a man with dark brown eyes and steel grey hair. His lithe form was cloaked in deep black robes. Beside him, a young girl dressed in white was screaming silently. Blood was seeping out from a black strip that was choking her. He had his wand trained on her.

"I am the new Dark Lord," the man said, his terrible voice echoing through the halls and out into the midnight air.

The vision ended in a frightening blast of white light, as quick as a lightning strike, and Parvati awoke, screaming.

"Parvati!" Harry cried in alarm. Parvati opened her eyes to see Harry, pale, kneeling over her form. His bright eyes were worried. She was drenched in sweat.

"What happened? Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

"I-I had a vision," Parvati responded hoarsely. Her hands were shaking. "The baby's fine, and I'm just a little shaken."

At Harry's advice, she went to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

They silently mulled over her vision as they stood at the bench, moonlight dashed across the room.

"Hermione said there have been a few hints of resurgence," Harry concluded. He spoke quietly, careful not to wake their daughter. "The Dark Mark's been spotted at Bristol a few times, apparently."

"What are we gunna do?"

Parvati sighed as she leaned into Harry's touch.

"I'll Floo Hermione in the morning, and you can tell her about the vision," he replied quietly. "We might go see Kingsley, too."

"It's good to know this time the Minister won't be ignoring us," commented Parvati, referring to Kingsley Shacklebolt. She nervously bit her lip. "It's just…this all fits the prophecy. The one I made from sixth year? 'He will be defeated by he who has thrice defied him…He will be defeated by those who have been destined…He will be defeated….and They will rise again…'"

Harry cupped Parvati's face in her hands, and stared into his emerald eyes. She kissed him for a moment, and her lips lingered near his as he spoke.

"We're going to be okay, Par. You, me, Mia and the baby."

Parvati smiled at her husband, and despite the darkness looming ahead, she knew he was right. "Of course we are. You've got a Seer for a wife, you know."

Harry smirked, and kissed Parvati gently on the lips. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too. Always."

Author Notes Of Much Importance:
- There will never be a sequel written to Butterfly. I like that this story has a future that won't be written!
- Mia is Harry and Parvati's daughter's first name, pronounced 'Mee-yah'. It means 'my', 'wished for' and 'rebellion'. Her middle names: Avani is an Indian name meaning 'earth', and Lily is after Harry's mother.