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Winter, 2017

"Helga's mush – "

"Shh..."

"Mama!"

Deanna immediately silenced herself upon hearing her two sons shush her. She mouthed an apology to them before they continued tiptoeing on their way down the stairs. As soon as they arrived at the living room, they grinned when they saw Fawkes, already awake and waiting for them.

"Fawkesy." Deanna whispered and motioned the phoenix to come. The phoenix let out a soft cry and flew to them. Deanna looked behind her and let out a sigh of relief when there was no sign of her daughter and her wife. "Come on, let's be quick since it's freezing outside."

The group of four went out of their house and out into the cold as quiet as they could. Deanna held onto her two sons and clasped onto Fawkes' tail, the four disappearing in a moment. What they didn't know was that there was a pair of eyes watching them the entire time. A grin came onto her face for she caught them in the act.

"Oh, Mum's going to be pissed."

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After spending ten minutes out flying and playing Quidditch, the four returned home in time. They knew that Hermione always woke up at 6 so they made sure to do what they needed before then. Hermione hated it when they flew out and played Quidditch in winter while they loved doing so, and in their defense, Fawkes wanted to go too. So, they decided to sneak out instead. They wanted to do it this once.

"Mama, the wood." The middle child reminded her as they made their way to the entrance.

"Oh, right." Deanna whipped out her wand and wordlessly summoned wood from the forest so that they could say they just went out to get wood for the fireplace. She grinned back at her grinning children and the happy Fawkes before they continued on their way to the house. As soon as they opened the door, they sighed in relief when all lights were off as they left it. They started tiptoeing again towards the fireplace, keeping their silence when...

"AHH!" The three who snuck out screamed and Fawkes cried in surprise when a light suddenly opened behind them. They looked back immediately, and their faces fell at the sight. It was at that moment they knew... they were screwed.

Hermione Jean Granger-Dumbledore was standing behind them, her arms crossed and her face blank, while Dorothea Monique Granger-Dumbledore was standing beside her mum with a victorious smile on her face. Abraham Bryant Granger-Dumbledore was standing beside his mama, glaring at his older sister while the youngest, Kenneth Cole Granger-Dumbledore, was hiding beside his mama, scared of what his mum would say. On the other hand, Deanna Ariana Granger-Dumbledore was smiling awkwardly, trying to think of a way out of this situation.

"Good morning, love, Dory." Deanna moved towards them, holding up the wood in her arms. "I got some wood?"

"After you went and flew out?" Hermione asked in an icy tone, making Deanna pout and stop in her tracks. She glared at Deanna. "Deanna Ariana, you sit down and stay there."

Deanna just nodded and sat down on the couch, knowing better than to go against Hermione's words. Hermione then turned to her sons, going near them and patting their hairs. "Oh, you two are freezing. Boys, get up to your rooms and warm yourselves up. Do you want some hot chocolate?"

"We'd love that, Mum. Thanks!"

"Good morning indeed, Mum. Thank you."

Abraham and Kenneth grinned and ran up the stairs, just happy to have escaped punishment this time. They didn't want to clean the house on this cold day. Hermione ignored Deanna's flabbergasted expression then turned to Fawkes, her eyes soft as she patted his feathers. "You feel cold too, don't you, Fawkesy?"

When the phoenix cried out in agreement, Deanna was about to stand up and say something, but Hermione instantly turned back and sent her a glare, making her pout once again and stay in her position. The professor glared at Fawkes who simply smiled in response. The betrayal...

"Dory, can you please bring Fawkes to your room and help him warm up?" Hermione asked of Dorothea who nodded. "Thank you, love."

"Sorry, Mama, good luck." Dorothea patted Deanna on the shoulder as she passed by and Deanna could only send her a small smile in gratitude. "Come on, Fawkesy."

Fawkes let out a gleeful cry and smiled at Deanna, making the latter frown as she watched her eldest daughter and the phoenix go. Then, after her annoyance at the phoenix passed, the anxiety came back because she felt a burning gaze on her face. She broke Rule Number 1. Rule Number 1 in the Granger-Dumbledore house: Never go against Hermione's rules.

Hermione saw how Deanna was looking down and fiddling with her fingers like a little kid, and she had to bite her lips to hold back the smile on her face. 12 years into marriage and 14 years into their relationship, Deanna still was the same adorable ball of fluff that she was back in 1995. After a few moments, Hermione finally stopped staring at Deanna and summoned something with a wave of her wand.

"Merlin, Deanna." Hermione sighed as she moved towards Deanna, holding a blanket in her hand. "Are you a kid?"

Deanna's nerves disappeared with the wrapping of the blanket around her, and her anxious eyes turned soft as she felt Hermione wrap her arms around her small figure. She hugged Hermione back immediately and nuzzled her face into Hermione's shoulder. "Well, I'm supposed to be 89, but I'm only 32 so I guess you could consider me a kid at heart."

Hermione chuckled at that and hugged Deanna a little tighter. "I often wonder if you're my wife or my child."

"Hey!" Deanna looked up at Hermione with a pout. "I may be childlike, but I am your – "

Deanna was cut off with a swift kiss from Hermione, and the future Minister of Magic smiled softly, caressing Deanna's cheeks. "Yeah, you're my wife. That's why I can hug you like this, kiss you like this and... create miracles with you."

"Hermione!" Deanna blushed at her final words while Hermione only laughed and leaned her head against Deanna's affectionately. Deanna's eyes softened and she let herself relax into Hermione's embrace, the two of them just enjoying the peaceful –

"MUM! MAMA!"

"ABRAHAM, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The moment of tranquility was disrupted by the loud shouts and the thundering footsteps of their children. Deanna and Hermione looked behind them to see Abraham coming towards them with a letter in hand and Dorothea running after him with a murderous expression on her face, all while Kenneth was riding Fawkes calmly and the two of them flew towards Deanna and Hermione.

"Hello, Kenny." Deanna kissed the top of her son's head as Fawkes set him down on her lap before he sat beside Deanna.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked Dorothea and Abraham who seemed as if they were about to kill each other.

"Dorothea's got a boyfriend!"

"He read through my letters!"

The two shouted at the same time, and although seemingly impossible, Abraham looked even more gleeful while Dorothea looked like she was ready to kill him right at that moment.

"Stop." Hermione shook her head in exasperation. She really felt like she was taking care of four children. "Abraham, apologize to your sister for reading through her letters. And Dorothea, stop looking at him like that. He's still your brother. Go apologize, you two."

As much as they both didn't want to, both Abraham and Dorothea knew that they should follow their mum. Although begrudgingly, the two still apologized. "Sorry."

"Good, now come here." Hermione moved closer to Deanna to give space for Abraham while Dorothea sat on Deanna's other side, letting Fawkes sit on her lap.

"Don't worry, Dory, there's nothing wrong with having a lover." Deanna reassured her daughter right away, wrapping an arm around Dorothea. "Just bring Franklin over for dinner one of these days, yeah?"

Dorothea blushed at the fact that her mama knew who she was dating, but then again, her mama was also her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor so she must have known for a long time. But Dorothea only nodded in response and snuggled into Deanna's side with a wide smile on her face, happy to have an open-minded family.

"And you too, Abraham, you'll find your own lover one day." Deanna looked at her son who blushed as well, making Deanna's grin grow wider. "Or maybe you already have."

"N-No." Abraham's cheeks turned redder, and his older sister grinned widely while Hermione and Deanna laughed loudly. His crush on the little Wood was not obvious. Yeah, not really.

"But anyways, you two, enough fighting for now." Hermione looked at the two pointedly before smiling. "Why don't we watch a movie? I think I got a DVD of Beauty and the Beast. It's your mama's favorite book, kids, although she never got to read it because she kept staring at me."

Everyone laughed at Hermione's comment while Deanna nodded excitedly. "Well, Belle really looks a lot like you. Although you're so much more beautiful."

The tables have turned, and Hermione blushed deeply while their three children and Fawkes laughed. Cheesy badger. Hermione composed herself by clearing her throat, sneakily intertwining her fingers with Deanna's. "So, shall we?"

"YEAH!"

"Yes, please."

"I'd love to."

Hermione's four – sorry, three children, Deanna and Fawkes agreed right away, making Hermione grin before she waved her wand. The fireplace was set alight and the TV turned on with the movie playing.

As Deanna's eyes moved from the movie to Fawkes, her children and then rested on her wife, a soft smile came onto her face. Cold, fate and a twisted ex-lover. They have gone so far and gone through so much. However, everything was worth it because they finally had the future they always sought. As her father always said, it was love. Love, the most powerful force in the universe that led them to this moment. The love Deanna and Hermione had for each other was the reason why they were here today.

Hermione turned to look at Deanna and smiled immediately when she saw Deanna smiling at her. The two lovers never felt so happy and so warm before, but with their family of a lion, a badger, three children and a phoenix, they've got everything they needed. The five Dumbledore-Grangers and Fawkes snuggled into each other on this cold winter day, hearts and bodies warm. This was home.

They were home.

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I'm seriously at a loss for words, I can't believe we're done with Salvation after a year and a half. To be honest, this story was written impulsively after I started Balter because I couldn't resist the urge to write this plot. Salvation started only with knowing that Deanna was Dumbledore's daughter who would wake up from her slumber when Voldemort returns, and then, I found myself growing more and more immersed in this story when Hermione, Tom Riddle and the prophecy were added into the picture. And now, here we are at the end of Deanna and Hermione's story.

Out of all my works, I loved writing this story the most. Plot-wise and personality-wise, I love Salvation and Deanna Dumbledore with all my heart. Maybe, that was why I couldn't let her die as I had originally planned. Like you, I grew attached to her and her relationships with the other people around her. So, I couldn't help but end this story on a happy note. I hope it does make up for all the pain and tears this story caused, hahaha. It truly was a delight to write about Deanna and Hermione, from their first encounter to the pain they went through and finally, the future where they settled down with their three kids, sitting by the fire and talking about their lives.

As always, Salvation would not be here today if it weren't for you. Thank you for reading and supporting this story from the start until the end. From the hilarious scenes of Deanna's innocence and accidental flirting and Fawkes's interruption of some kisses to the development of Deanna and Hermione's relationship and the friendships made along the way to the pain and heartbreaking scenes of Deanna's death and Hermione's grief and finally, their reunion and their lives as Dumbledore-Grangers, I enjoyed every bit of it. My writing may not be perfect, but I am grateful for all of you for giving Salvation and all my works a lot of love. It's been a long ride, but it is one I wouldn't regret riding with all of you.

This is the end of Deanna and Hermione's story, the phoenix and the otter who found warmth and light in each other in this dark and cold world. Time may have been their enemy, but in the end, they got all the time they needed, a phoenix, three children and each other. Hoping to see you all in other stories!

Creating magic with words. kitkatgram.

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