The Black Tie Affair: Epilogue

The Black Tie Affair: Epilogue
Disclaimer: Same as always.
A/N: Okay.  The LAST chapter.  After this is posted, you can finally enter my challenge.  
On a different note, I got the inspiration for the title from the song "I've Got Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks.  No clue why I was listening to it, but one of the lines is "And ruined you black tie affair."  For some reason that sounded good, and thus this story got a title.
And for all of the deviants who wanted a bittersweet ending, you got it.
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Ken Ichijouji woke up to the sound of a radio.
The reception was horrible and the song was a classical piece he had never heard, but it was a radio nonetheless.  He wasn't in the Room of Requirement, that was for sure.  This room smelled too clean, and he was lying on a bed.  
How come a radio was working?
Ken cracked his eyes open, mind still foggy from his ordeal.  His fingers strayed to his neck; that's where the pain was originally.  Now there wasn't any pain, and his neck was bandaged neatly.  
His eyes went wide as he realized there was a Muggle IV in his hand.
"Good, you're awake," Madame Pomphrey said, smiling brightly. "You've been out for some time now, four days I believe."
"Four days?" Ken said, his voice crackly.  "The radio…the IV…how come they're working?"
"Isn't Muggle technology wonderful?" the nurse replied dreamily.  "With the combination of magic and these lovely electronics, our school has become much more efficient.  And it's all thanks to you and your former House-mates."
"Former?" Ken said as Madame Pomphrey gave him a glass of water.  Ken eagerly gulped it down.  "Did something happen? Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine," Della and Ian said as they walked into the room, Trimon and George in their hands.
"We were able to UnSort all of Hogwarts using your…interesting method," Professor Snape said as he and Madame Hooch also strode in.  Demi-Devimon and Owlmon were hovering near their shoulders.  Ken smiled as Wormmon ran across the room and jumped into his lap.  "It seems that electricity is now obtainable throughout the school."
"And so are these," Madame Pomphrey said, gesturing towards a Veggiemon wearing a nurse's cap.  Obviously it was her new digimon partner.  "Veggiemon's been so helpful; it's wonderful having another set of hands…well, vines…around here."
"So EVERYONE'S a DigiDestined?" Ken's eyes grew bigger.  "All of the school…including the teachers?"
"It seems so," Hooch replied.  "Thanks to Mr. Postings' lovely speech and guidance after everyone received their Crests, digimon and wizards alike are getting along splendidly."
"Where is JP anyways?" Ken asked, thinking he would come into the room soon.  "I thought he'd be here by now."
"Perhaps it's best that you explain it to him Severus," Madame Hooch said, leading Ian and Della out the door.  "We'll be in the Great Hall; I hear there are some not too bright Mothmons attempting to attack the floating candles."
"Fine," Snape said as he took a seat next to Ken's bed.  Demi-Devimon sat on his lap.
"What happened?" Ken demanded, his eyes narrowing.  The nurse had decided it was best to leave the pair of wizards alone.  "Where's JP?"
"He had to leave," was Professor Snape's response, his eyes downcast.  "It seems the Worlds Wide Works needed him to take on his position as a World Advisor immediately.  I'm sorry."
"No one thought of waking me up?"
"You were in too much pain."
"I don't care!  I didn't even get to say good-bye!"
"I think he realizes that you care about him."
"What about Jun?  How can he just leave her like that?"
"She'll get over him; just like she did over that Matt character."
"Like you got over whoever broke your heart?!"
Snape stopped for a moment, his eyes quivering.  Ken had hit a soft spot; that had been a real blow to his teacher's ego.  That was a bad choice of words.  
"Yes, I did get over the woman who broke my heart," Severus said simply.  "Just like you got over the fact that the Digimon Emperor is a part of you.  I am very happy with Emeline, and I'm sure Miss Motomia will find a suitable companion when the time comes. "
"Oh," was all Ken could muster.
"This is for you anyways," Professor Snape said, handing Ken a plain white envelope.  "Mr. Postings left it in my care for when you woke up."
"Thank you professor," Ken said, taking the envelope and reading its contents.
*********************
Ken,
Sorry I couldn't stay longer; the Works is a tyrant for punctuality and I know how important that is for a good career.  As you can probably guess, I got my final stamps and can now be a World Advisor.  It's a dream come true, I can tell you that much.
Thanks for giving me the best job in all the Worlds.  Not only did I help you guys; you helped me.  I haven't had that kind of job satisfaction in quite some time.  Tell Jun that I'll miss her, but like I said, my job takes me all sorts of places.
I know you probably hate me for going away, but duty calls.  You're a hero, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.  I hope I can be half the World Advisor you guys think I am, and I'll miss you all.
Oh, and if you're wondering if MaloMyotismon will come back, he won't.  Those bubbles I was blowing can contain vast amounts of data, including all of MaloMyotismon.  Circuitmon reconfigured the data into something else.  Needless to say, I have a REALLY cool digital watch now.
Tootles,
JP
******************
The ink was blotchy even before Ken had started to read the letter.  JP had been crying too.  Now he was, and he was crying A LOT.  Ken felt a reassuring hand, claw, and wing on his shoulder.
"He was a great apprentice," Severus said, smiling with tears in eyes.  "A good man.  Any World that gets him as an Advisor should consider themselves lucky.  Oh, and this Mr. Ichijouji, is yours."
Snape placed Ken's worn copy of "A Complete Idiot's Guide to Adobe Photoshop" in Ken's hands.  This was it; the book that had started everything.  It was the last piece of the puzzle.
"If you hadn't confiscated this, this entire thing would never have happened," Ken's eyebrows furrowed.  "You never would have found out about the Digital World, we never would have met JP, Godric would still be around…and all because of this little book."
"Something tells me this would have found its way to my desk," Snape smiled, patting the book and heading towards the door with Demi-Devimon is his wake.  "And I expect you in Potions' class come Monday morning; saving the world does not excuse you from classes."
Ken smiled as he watched his teacher and his partner leave the room.  For some reason, Professor Snape wasn't nearly as intimidating as he used to be.  Maybe it was a saving the world thing.  Ken opened the book's front cover and found a note in familiar, almost unreadable, scrawl.
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"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
"Closing Time" by Third Eye Blind.
Sincerely,
Alexander Severus Snape.
END!