Ten year old Jimmy Gardner glanced at the clock and wished for time to speed up. It was already late in the evening, but bedtime seemed so far away. It wasn't as if he wanted to go to sleep, he wanted his mother to finish reading him the book they had started a few weeks ago.

Actually, it was a whole series of seven books and his mother had been reading them to him every night for a year. Sometimes, they would read for hours just to get to a good stopping point. Jimmy never wanted her to stop, but after a while, she would always say that it was late and he needed to sleep. He would have taken the books and read them himself if his mother wasn't such a good storyteller. She acted out the characters and did their voices and everything. She made it seem like they were real people. It was too much fun when she read to him.

He looked over at his mom and dad, cuddled up on the sofa watching the television. When would their show end? When would she finish the story? He pushed his glasses up on his nose and continued with his homework. He saw his mother glance over at him. As if his mother could read his mind, she suddenly said to him, "All right. Go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up shortly and we'll finish the story."

He jumped down from the couch and rushed up the stairs to his room. His clothes were off and he had his pajamas on faster than lightning. He looked all over for his glasses case, but couldn't find it. He sighed and decided he'd just have to tell mom he'd lost it. He raced to the bathroom quickly brush his teeth, and ran back to his bedroom to await the conclusion of the best story he had ever heard. As he climbed into bed he saw that his case was right there on his nightstand. He must have just overlooked it.

His mother soon came into the room, walked over to the bookcase, and took down the large book off the shelf. She pulled up a chair next to her son's bed and began to read. It was a very exciting story about a boy named Harry Potter who was a wizard and went to a magical school. He had a terrible enemy that had tried to kill him many times. In this, the last of the seven books, Harry and his friends managed to finally defeat the dark Wizard and graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Jimmy listened to his mother with wide eyes.

"Ginny turned and went inside the house.  She couldn't bear to watch him leave.  Ron watched her drop her head as a tear fell down her cheek.  Ron knew that this would be hardest on Ginny, but it was hard for him and Hermione, too." 

" They watched as Harry headed down the street toward the Muggle world. They still didn't understand why he needed to do this, but they weren't going to argue with him. They had all grown up so much this last year. They had all lost a dear friend."

"Ron put an arm around Hermione and said, 'He'll be back. Don't worry.'"

"I'm not worried Ron. I'm just sad ...that it's all ending.'"

"He smiled at her. 'It's not ending, it's just beginning!'"

"They looked back at their friend who had changed so much. Not just physically, but emotionally. The loss of Harry's scar had changed more than his appearance. He was different.  But this was now a different world. A world where they didn't fear for their lives. A world where Harry Potter would always be 'the Boy Who Lived' ...with or without his scar."

Jimmy watched as his mother shut the book and smiled down at him. "That's it?" He wrinkled his forehead. "That's the end?"

"That's the end."

"What a stupid ending! Harry goes and lives with the Muggles? Come on Mom, there's got to be more!"

"Nope, that's the last of them."

"Well...what happens now? I mean...does Ron get to play professional Quidditch...or do he and Hermione get married? Does Sirius go work for the Ministry? And does Ginny end up with Harry?"

"I'm sorry but there're just no more books!"

He flopped his back down on the bed in protest. "Why did you read me this stuff if you knew it ended so stupidly?"

"I rather like the ending. It leaves so much open for our imagination!" His mother tucked him into bed and kissed him on the forehead. "Now, go to sleep and dream up a better ending for Harry and his friends."

She turned off the light and closed the bedroom door, leaving her son in a state of frustration. She continued down the hall to her own bedroom where she found her husband sitting up in bed reading a newspaper. He looked at her from behind those glasses and smiled.

"You know, I think I liked the older glasses better," she said as she began getting herself ready for bed.

"Nah, they were too big and clunky. I like these much better."

"But your other ones had so much character, Henry." She brushed through her long, red hair.

"Jenny, look at this!" He pointed to something in the paper. "It looks like Don is going to play for the cup this year! His team won the regionals!"

"That's wonderful. We'll have to have him and Harmony over to celebrate!"

She curled up in bed next to her husband and he put out the light. Wrapping his arm around his wife Henry said, "Did he like the story?"

"Yes, right up until the part where it ended and Harry went off to live with the Muggles leaving Ginny behind with Ron and Hermione." She played with a tuft of his black hair.

Henry looked over at his wife. "Did you tell him that Harry came back for her and that they got married and lived happily ever after?"

"No, how would I know a thing like that when the book ends after the last school year?"

"Because it's the truth."

"Well, I know that and you know that, but the books don't cover that part."

"Well they should."

They lay there quietly for a while. Jenny spoke softly. "When do think it will be time to tell him the truth?"

Henry sighed, "Well, he'll be getting his letter from Hogwarts soon enough. I suppose we'll have to tell him before that. Maybe while Earnest is here for a visit."

"I hope he'll be excited. I mean, it will be strange for him to find out that he's related to the characters he's been reading about, but I think he'll be happy to know how it all really ended."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that Henry Gardner ended up marrying Jenny, Earnest White works for the DMLE, and that Don did get to play professional Quidditch...after he married Harmony."

"Don't the books call her Hermione?" asked a sleepy Henry.

"Yes...and unfortunately, they make her sound fairly ugly."

"Don will be upset about that."

"Um hum..." She agreed and slowly drifted off to sleep.