Jason finally opened his eyes in the a wrecked car in the middle of the abandoned warehouse in which he crashed. The Car was nearly split in half, and Jason's vision was nearly smothered with the airbag on his face.  "Oh..." He felt like he had a very bad headache when he lifted his head. And when he looked in the cracked car mirror he could see his face all cut up. He looked down, he couldn't find his pistol anywhere, but he did find Colt's wood cracked as hell. "Shit." He thought. He looked over to his right. 

The right side of the car was wrecked and half of it was even missing. And where Danny should've been, he wasn't there anymore. "Danny?" Jason asked. There was fire that was all around him. Right as he took off his seatbelt he fell down and towards the ground floor. The Car lodged on the second floor of the Warehouse. 

And then Jason started spitting out blood. And he wiped some of the blood from his lips. And then he got up wobbly. Looking at the destruction of both the carriage and the car as both were slightly on fire. "No way Braga could've fucking survived that." He thought out loud. "But just to make sure."

He was now limping towards the wreckage of the carriage as their was shrapnel in his right leg. His cracked wand in his hand. But then he saw a shadowy figure. "Danny?" Jason asked.

There was no response. It had to be Braga. So Jason continued on ahead. But as he walked on, Jason then felt something in the back. A Hand. 

Braga! He grabbed Jason by the head. 

And Braga was breathing in heavy, angrily too. "You... motherfucker..." And he bashed Jason's head into a pillar forcing Jason down to the ground. 

Jason then started getting up. The wand out of his hand. But Braga was right there. Both men were battered, bruised and disoriented. 

"You just don't know when to quit! Do you, Baker?!" Braga roared.

"Go... fuck yourself, Braga." Jason said trying to throw a punch. But Braga who had his wand fully intact, shot a Leviosa spell at Jason making him float in the air.

"30 years of building a Criminal Empire, of planning, of manipulating. And in one fell swoop, it was all taken away from me. Not from a Pureblood, or a Halfblood, or a Mudblood, but a fucking No Mag who somehow got Magic of all fucking people!" Braga slammed Jason into the pillar with Depulso. And then also shot a piece of a metal rod into his stomach.

"Ah!" Jason fell to the ground, but then got to his feet. He tried to take another step forward.

"All you had to do was walk away, Baker! But no! You chose to stay! You chose to be a son of a bitch! Everything you did, all you sacrificed... it was in vain! All it led to was your fucking death!" Braga slammed Jason again to the pillar, he grabbed another piece of a metal rod and stabbed Jason right in it. 

"Ah!" Jason felt that one in his stomach. His vision was now starting to turn red. But he still moved forward. "It... it wasn't in vain. Your shit... is fucked." And he laughed. "And... you're never going to draw out any... gang violence again! I'm just a... kid from L.A. It's all about money and... fucking power! And you have shit now! Welcome to my World-!" But that led to another piece of rod that went right into his chest. 

"I've lost my power before, Baker! I can reclaim it again! You don't survive 30 years by being fucking stupid!" Braga snapped. "But you won't! And if for some reason I go down! Then you're fucking going down with me! So do the world a favor, and FUCKING DIE!" He slammed Jason into the pillar over and over. "ARE YOU DEAD NOW?!" He slammed Jason again. "HOW ABOUT NOW?!" He once again slammed Jason into another pillar and practically breaking some of Jason's teeth. An nearly all of Jason's bones in his body. But Jason still tried to lift his hand.

"Fuck it." Braga charged up his wand with a green energy. "Avada-" 

That was when he got shot in the shoulder again. It came from Danny who strapped off his Armor and charged at Danny, giving him a sucker punch to the back of the head, and then practically wrestled Braga like they were MMA fighters.

Braga retaliated with a head butt to Danny's head. 

Danny then tried to shoot Braga again, but Braga had managed to swat the pistol away. "Always creating an interference, No Mags. No wonder our world doesn't want anything to do with you!" He had put Danny into a head lock.

But Danny managed to grab Braga's arm. "Fuck you!" He stomped on Braga's legs and gripped the wand so hard that it broke under the pressure. He then launched a right hook on Braga's face. And then a left hook. All the while, Jason was down on the floor. 

He tried to raise his arm again, but Braga noticed and kicked him right in the face. Then he went back to fighting Danny with his fist, punching him right in the face, and then giving him a demolishing shot right into the gut. Danny retaliated with a kick to the dick. And to which Braga bit right onto Danny's shoulder. Danny yelled in pain. 

Danny then put more pressure on Braga's messed up shoulder. "Fuck... you!" Danny shouted again. And then Braga tackled Danny right to the floor. And at this rate, Danny was not going to make it. Jason could see a pistol. Danny's pistol and he tried to reach out for it. But it was too far away. And Jason couldn't use his wand to summon Accio.

"Come on. Come on." Jason begged as he tried to reach out for the pistol. Right as Braga slammed Danny to the ground and began punching him in the face repeatedly over and over. The Pistol had started to shift a little. "Please... please..." Then suddenly, the pistol had flown right into Jason's good hand. And then Jason with whatever strength he had left had managed to sit up, despite the fact that it caused his blood to spill out more. But he had to make this kill, he had to make this kill. So he sat up. He had a clear shot of Braga's body. And he took his shot. 

The pistol roaring as the bullet left the gun and traveled straight into the heart of Braga. Braga felt the shot as he touched where his heart was. And when he removed his hand all he could see was blood. 

Jason shot at least 4 more rounds into Braga's chest. Braga was now breathing in heavy. "You... shot me..." Braga then looked at Jason who was breathing in heavy. And it was where he was going to die. "F-Fuck... my life..." Braga said.

Jason then shot one more right into Braga's skull. And Braga dropped to the floor. The light going out of his eyes. The Crooked Man... dead. In an abandoned warehouse in Illinois. 

Jason breathed in heavy. The pistol dropped out of his hand, and then he collapsed to the floor. 

Danny moaned on the ground as well. He looked up to see that Braga was no longer punching him. But was instead on the floor dead from a headshot. And then Danny could see Jason on the ground. "Jason?" He asked trying to crawl to get to Jason.

"Is he... is he dead?" Jason asked his whole sight was dizzy.

Danny nodded his head. "You did it. He's fucked." He answered. "You did it, Jason." 

Jason smiled. "That'll teach him... to fuck with my... shit." 

"Just stay with me, Jason." Danny begged. But he knew that Jason was not going to make it out of this alive. "You're... you're gonna be alright." 

"Cut the bullshit. I'm a dead guy." Jason replied knowing that he was done for. He lost a lot of blood, and it didn't seem like any help was coming anytime soon. But Danny could still make it. He could last longer. "Listen... you gotta take care of Groot for me. And Maria and Dana too. Especially Dana. Even if she is a bitch. Maybe it won't be so bad. I'll get to see Mom again. Maybe... God in his infinite wisdom can find some understanding for me. I regret nothing. At least... at least I was able to do one thing right that helped everyone in my shit hole life." And he laughed again before coughing.

"You did more than that, little buddy. That made Danny smile as he held Jason's hand close to him. Then taking it away as he was exhausted and wounded as well. "You did more than that." He fell to the ground. "And I'm not leaving you. Rule Number One in the Army. Never leave a man behind." Danny said. 

Neither Danny nor Jason remembered anything after that. They were both inside the abandoned and destroyed warehouse. Until suddenly, a horde of Aurors apparated inside. While on the Outside, a whole contingency of Aurors and medical carriages were waiting. A team of Aurors entered the building to find Danny and Jason on the ground. They suddenly transfigured up stretchers to put Jason and Danny on. Levitating the stretchers on the ground.

Jimmy Ryder also got out of the carriages to inspect. He could see Braga dead. Maria and Dana also got out of one of the carriages. Dana gasping while Maria held her close. The House Elves also noticed and took off their helmets as Jason and Danny passed them by. Chelsea could also see and her eyes began water works. She had gotten to know Jason very well. And she fell into her Father's arms. Jimmy comforting her. And President Picquery could only watch on as Jason and Danny were lifted away. The Carriage taking off.

Indiana. Midwest Wizarding Hospital.

Jason woke up again in a hospital bed. His arm barely moving. But he started to rise, and he felt very weak and not really able to move. But a hand had gently touched his arm. Jason looked up and could see Maria Santiago next to him.

"Try not to move fast." Maria told Jason.

Jason grinned. "I'm alive?" He asked. "I thought I was a goner." 

"It was close. But luckily, the Healers were able to save you." Maria answered. She grinned at Jason.

"Well... that explains why I couldn't feel the burning of hell or the beauty of heaven." Jason replied. He then looked down to notice his chest was covered in bandages and some scars. He then looked at Maria. "Where are we anyway? Is this San Fran?"

"No. It's Indiana. Our Wizarding Hospital in the Midwest." Maria answered. 

"Wait. Where's Danny?" Jason asked. He remembered Danny being with him.

"He's fine." Maria answered. "He recovered a lot faster than you did." She stepped out of the way to reveal a healing and recovering Danny who gave Jason a thumbs up while on a Hospital Bed. And Jason could also see that Doug and Danny's wife were also there. 

"Hey, Jason." Danny greeted. 

Jason nodded. Then he looked at Maria. "Did... Braga... did he..." 

"He's dead." Maria confirmed.

"Good." Jason replied. "He got what he deserved." 

"That he did." Jimmy Ryder stepped into the room with Chelsea following him in. And he went over to Jason. "Morning, Jason." 

"Merry Christmas." Chelsea added.

"Christmas?" Jason asked. 

"Yeah. You were out for a few days." Maria answered. "Feliz Navidad."

And Jason banged his head on a pillow. He had been out for about 4 days.   

"Well... shit. I knew one day I'd wake up in a Hospital on Christmas. Doubt this is what I had in mind though." Jason admitted. "The President?" 

"She's safe. We got her out just in time." Jimmy answered. "I'm sorry this happened to both you and Jason. To think that the Crooked Man was Braga all along. And we nearly handed him the keys to the country on a silver platter." 

"Yeah. But in the grand scheme of things, we stopped it. So don't go beating up the dead bush, Jimmy." Jason said. 

"I always knew that guy was one asshole short of a choir." Maria commented. "Just goes to show how far and deep corruption go." 

"If it wasn't for you and Danny, Jason. We'd all be under the thumb of Braga. We owe you everything." Jimmy grinned. "Hey. You're a hero, kid. You hear?" 

"That's real nice." Jason replied. "The world is saved once again. Wahoo, hooray." He sarcastically said. "At least it's over now." 

"In more ways than once." Chelsea said. "Thanks to Braga's Death, his entire Crime Syndicate is dissolving." 

"At least Sam's spirit is avenged finally." Jason said. "Sorry you all had to sacrifice your Christmas for me." 

"Oh, don't be a whiny bitch." Maria shot back. "You're our friend, Jason. Once we knew that you were injured, well... we wanted to make sure that you were okay in your recovery." 

"Friend... that's nice." Jason grinned. He then looked over to his table and he noticed a bunch of get well cards, and some goodies. Most notably from Kowalski's Bakery.

"Sorry. We tried to get you Chocolate Frog Cards, but the Hospital doesn't want Frogs hopping all over the place." Chelsea explained.

"Yeah..." Jason sighed.

"Get some rest, buddy. We'll check on you soon." Jimmy suggested.

Jason turned to see Danny with his son, as well as his wife. And in turned smiled at that. A part of him really wished that he had that. But he had his friends by his side. They would have to do." 

M.A.C.U.S.A. Washington D.C.

Luckily, Jason wouldn't be alone in the Hospital that Christmas. He was visited a couple of hours later with some Christmas Cookies, a Christmas Ham, and some Potatoes to boot. Courtesy of the Ryders. And Jason loved it.

A couple of days after Christmas, Jason then found himself in M.A.C.U.S.A again and in front of the President. Once he had been able to check out the Hospital and was in stable condition. Now he stood in the presence of the President, and Ryder. 

"We owe you all our lives, Jason Baker." President Picquery informed. "On behalf of myself and my cabinet. We want to thank you for finally bringing an end to the Crooked Man. For real this time. You know." 

"It was a group effort. Really it was Maria, Dana, and Chelsea who saved the day. All Danny and I did was take down Braga." Jason pointed out.

"And that may have made all the difference." Picquery said. And Ryder nodded his head. "If anything this is my fault. I thought I could trust Braga. To think that he was behind everything all along. The things he did. He said." 

"We all trusted him." Ryder replied. "But this isn't the time to pity ourselves. It's been a rough ride for everyone. But we will recover, Madam President. We're Americans." 

Picquery nodded. "Well... that's that then." 

"So... what are you going to do at Secretary of Defense now?" Jason asked.

"He's in the room with us." Picquery answered. And she turned to Ryder.

"You want Jimmy?" Jason asked. "Not that I'm... doubting his skills or anything like that." He quickly said.

"He has the means to be the Secretary of Defense. Skilled Auror, good relations with the outside world, impressive resumé with dealing with a crisis. He's the man we want as Secretary of Defense." Picquery explained. 

And Ryder bowed. 

"You sure about that, Ryder? I thought you said fuck politics." Jason asked.

"I did. But... this is for the good of the country, and besides. I only say fuck politics when it gets in the way of getting the job done. And that's not going to happen with me." Ryder answered. 

Jason laughed. "Well that checks out." He said. But then he had another thought. "Well, what about the Auror Department?" 

"I've got a feeling it'll be in good hands with Maria in charge." Ryder answered. "It's all hands on deck now, Jason. We could use a guy like you too on the Auror team. You've got the means." 

Jason pondered. "You offering me a permanent spot with the Aurors?" He asked.

"You want it?" Ryder asked.

"I'm not stupid. I'm in." Jason answered immediately.

"Then wonderful. Welcome aboard permanently." Picquery declared.

"I don't think the Dark Wizards in America will have an organized Crime Ring like this one. But if they show up... we'll be ready." Ryder informed. "Especially with our new Auror. And of course, with his wand." He also pulled out Jason's wand, freshly restored.

"Woah. When did you... how did you get it fixed?" Jason asked.

"I know a guy." Ryder answered with a grin.  

And Jason grinned. He would be an Auror for the long run now. A champion of the people of America. This was his new life now. 4 months ago, he was struggling to make a living on his own. But now here he was... as an Auror with a stable job and a stable life. That wasn't bad for a kid from the Ghetto. "I'd better go get settled. Come on, Groot!" He walked out of the Office. Groot on his shoulder. 

"Guy with a Bowtruckle on his shoulder." Picquery commented.

"Sounds like a Newt Scamander 2.0" Ryder replied.

"5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone had shouted when the clock struck Midnight on New Years Day to usher in the New Year of 1995. 

Jason was with Groot, Chelsea, Maria, and Jimmy, Danny, Danny's wife, and Doug to usher in the New Year in Lakewood. Dana was in Ohio with her family to celebrate the new year. 

"Hey!" Jason yelled as he popped open the champagne bottle and shook it up to spay everyone. Which made everyone stand back. 

"Welcome to the New Year." Maria greeted to Jason. As both drank Champagne. 

Danny couldn't drink any of the booze. But he did have a glass of Sparkling Cider with his son. 

Jimmy had hugged Chelsea up as both celebrated the New Year. 

"Here you are, Groot." Jason had managed to get Groot some fairy eggs. Which made Groot ecstatic. 

"Ooh. Bowtruckle." Doug said as he looked at Groot.

"You should take Care of Magical Creatures when you get to 3rd Year, Doug." Chelsea suggested. "I mean... it's really good." 

"I'm thinking about it. I'm also considering Divinations." Doug admitted.

"Oh, don't take that shit-" Chelsea started.

"Chelsea. Language." Jimmy interrupted.

"Don't take that crap." Chelsea corrected.

"Better." Jimmy replied.

"Is it that bad?" Doug asked.

"You better believe it." Chelsea answered. "I did. Big mistake." 

"You know which classes to take, Jason?" Doug asked.

"Don't take Calculus." Jason answered considering he went to a public school. 

"No Mag school." Chelsea explained to Doug.

"You know, Jason. Since this is the new year. I've got these great ideas for the Auror Department into the new year. New Year. New me. That type of shit. You'll love it." Maria started saying.

"Ah. Maria. We can figure this out in the morning." Jason dismissed.

"It is the morning." Maria pointed out.

"When the sun rises." Jason corrected.

"Alright." Maria sighed.

"Happy New Year." Jason said to Maria.

"Happy New Year!" Maria replied both hugging. 

"Excuse me, Dad. I'm going to go wish Mom a Happy New Year." Chelsea said. 

"Sure." Ryder nodded his head as Chelsea got on the Contactu spell. 

That was when Jason looked outside to see fireworks from the window. A beautiful barrage of colors. Danny, Maria, and Ryder right beside him. "We won't be on these same missions in the new year." Jason pointed out.

"No. But we'll still be friends. Confusing, over the line of Wizarding and No Mag ruling friends." Maria countered. "And who knows what the future will bring." 

"Jesus. That sounds so cliche." Danny commented.

"Yeah. I know. But I couldn't think of anything original to say." Maria replied.

"Wow... what creativity." Jason sarcastically said. "I wonder what other boring shit awaits us in the future. Now I'm suddenly afraid." 

"Oh! The Standard Protocol. You're right to be afraid, Jason. Be very afraid!" Maria grinned. "And hey, you've got your wand back and restored."

Jason looked at his wand, now fully restored. "How did Jimmy get this wand repaired."

"I told you. I know a guy." Jimmy answered for Jason.  

Danny grinned. And the radio now started to play a tune. "The first dance of the new year. If you'll excuse me." And he started to walk away. "I'll tell you one thing, Jason. I'm getting too old for this nonsense." 

Jason turned to see Danny dancing with his wife. Maria went over to dance with Doug for the fun of it. And of course, Jimmy with his Daughter. That left Jason and Groot who continued to watch the fireworks from outside.

For the first time in a long time. The future was bright. 

THE END