Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 266: Retirement
Many years later…
James was sitting in his chair. Lately, he had been feeling more tired than usual, and now he could barely stand up from his seat.
He glanced at his reflection on the window. His face was filled with wrinkles, and his long hair was as white as paper.
'It is near… I can feel it.'
Death was finally catching up with him again, but James was not scared or worried about it… in fact, he was just relieved.
There was a knock on the door. He almost missed it due to having his mind occupied with something else.
"Come in…" he spoke as loud as he could muster.
A young man in his late twenties walked inside while carrying a stack of papers.
"Headmaster, I brought a list of candidates for the position of Potion Professor."
"Mmm?… what about Margarett?" James asked.
"Ehm… she retired last year, remember?" The young man stared at him with concern.
"Ah… yes. She did." His memory was not what it used to be. And it looked like he was now forgetting important things. "Sorry, but can you take care of it for me? I'm sure you will make a good choice."
The young man's expression grew more pronounced. "Grampa… are you feeling okay? Do you want me to call the nurse?"
James glanced back at the boy and smiled. He could not help but do so every time he saw him.
This was actually his youngest great-grandson, and his name was Harry James Potter.
Not only that, but he also looked exactly as James did during his previous life at his age, down to the vibrant green eyes.
The circumstances of his birth were nothing short of extraordinary.
Because you see… his mother was actually a descendant of Lily Evans, who ended up marrying one of his many grandsons.
At some point, James had lost track of all his descendants, because there were too many to count, but he paid close attention to this one and ended up taking him under his wing.
'Perhaps it was fate that a Harry James Potter had to be born at some point. So even with my meddling, it ended up happening anyway.' James had considered this many times.
Fate and prophecies had been an important part of his life, so it wasn't something he could ignore.
"Grandpa?" Harry called for him, noticing his absent eyes.
"Sorry… what were you saying?"
"Do you need me to call the nurse? You look a bit pale…" Harry noted.
James made a gesture with his hand. "No need for that. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
Harry didn't seem too convinced but still nodded slightly. "Okay, then get some rest. Leave the paperwork to me, and I will check on you a bit later, okay?"
"Sounds good." James tried to sound as reassuring as possible, given his poor condition.
Harry gave him one last look before leaving his office and closing the door.
James lay back on his chair and sighed. "I'm so tired…"
He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to take him back into the past.
Just like his first life, this one had been a long and fulfilling one.
Thanks to him, the magical world had progressed quite a bit, making everyone's life easier.
He ended up earning even more titles than Albus Dumbledore, and the name of James Potter became renowned everywhere. His legacy would live for many centuries after he was gone.
However, what James cared about the most were all the connections he had created in this life.
His friends, his wife, children, and grandchildren. As well as the many students he had educated over the course of his long life.
"Sirius…" His best friend kept living like a daredevil until well into his late forties, when he finally met a woman who could keep up with him and finally settled down. The two of them never had any children but lived happily until their later years.
"Peter…" He was one of the kindest people James had ever met. And much to everyone's surprise… extremely fertile apparently. He went on to have eight children, surpassing the Weasleys' record. He lived
comfortably with his massive family in a large house that James made for them off the coast of Scotland.
"Remus." The always calm and wise Remus. It took James a few years of work, but eventually he found a way to completely remove the curse from his friend, and many others afterwards.
The werewolf condition was no longer a life-changing affliction.
And it was thanks to this that Remus finally felt like he could live a full life. It did not take him long to find a woman to fall in love with. The man had never been short of candidates.
He went on to have a son and a daughter while he continued to work at Hogwarts as a professor.
"Bella…" His lovely wife had stayed at his side for almost eighty years, and he was grateful for every moment they spent together.
If someone had told him in his previous life that he would end up marrying Bellatrix and have a happy life together, he would have taken them as completely insane.
They never had more children after Violet, as they were both too busy with their jobs.
And soon after her graduation from Hogwarts, Violet went on to get married and give birth to a couple of twins, soon followed by another one. The girl wanted a big family, and she certainly got that.
At that point, they decided that Potter Manor was full enough.
James even had to repair the other three towers and expand them in order to house the families of his grandchildren.
Their daughter Violet was an old lady now, but was still around. She was now retired and living quietly at the Potter Castle.
James was happy that he didn't have to live to see her die as well.
'Hopefully… this time I get to see them all.' He thought.
"Master."
James heard a familiar voice call for him and glanced over at the window, where he saw her.
"Ultima."