AN: I do not own Harry Potter, that right belongs to the wonderful J.. The information in this story comes from the HP books. Words in bold are not mine but the creation of J..
Now on with the story.
Albus Dumbledore was completing some paperwork in his office waiting for his student Harry Potter to arrive. They were going on a quest to find another Horcrux, hopefully there would not be any trouble getting the dark object. The last thing he needed was another lasting injury, courtesy of Tom Riddle. Albus just finished the end of the parchment when a white flash caught his eye.
Instantly, his wand was in his hand and pointed to where the flash came from. With a spell on the tip of his tongue, Dumbledore approached slowly. What Dumbledore saw was two pieces of parchment, one rolled up and one in the shape of a letter. Dumbledore waved his wand towards both letters, muttering some diagnostic spells. When they turned negative, he sighed and put his wand away.
Picking up the letter, Dumbledore turned it over and looked at the seal. There on red wax was a P which was slanted slightly to the right, the stem of which was jagged like a lightening bolt and ending in a sharp tip.
Breaking the seal and then opening the letter, Albus started to read.
Dear Professor Dumbledore
You will soon be starting your journey to your next great adventure before this day ends, However I thought that I would ease your mind somewhat so you know that the sacrifices you have made were not in vane.
Yours Respectfully
A.S.P
Finishing the letter, Albus pondered what he had just read and wondered if his final plan would be set into motion sooner than he had hopped. Picking up the scroll of parchment, he once again broke the wax seal and looked at what was written.
"Epilogue:NineteenYearsLater,"
I hope the war did not last 19 Years, Dumbledore thought to him self.
Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September
Ahh September, a most wonderful month.
was crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road toward the great sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the redheaded girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm.
"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Harry told her.
Tears fell down his face. Happy that his student who he thinks of as a grandson finally had a family of his own.
"Two years," sniffed Lily. "I want to go now!"
The wonders of innocence.
The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Albus's voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamor; his sons had resumed the argument they had started in the car.
Once more tears gathered in his eyes at the mention of his obvious namesake.
"Iwon't!Iwon't beinSlytherin!"
"James, give it a rest!" said Ginny.
A perfect match, just like James and Lily.
"Ionlysaidhemight be,"saidJames,grinningathisyoungerbrother."There'snothingwrongwiththat.Hemight beinSlyth-"
But James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Potters approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, James took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.
"You'll write to me, won't you?" Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.
"Every day, if you want us to," said Ginny.
"Notevery day,"saidAlbusquickly,"Jamessaysmostpeopleonlygetlettersfromhomeaboutonceamonth."
"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Ginny.
"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Harry put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother."
Not another prankster, at least I won't have to deal with this one.
Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.
"Where are they?" asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.
"We'll find them," said Ginny reassuringly.
But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud, Harry thought he head Percy discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello. . . .
"I think that's them, Al," said Ginny suddenly.
A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Ginny, Lily, and Albus had drawn right up to them.
"Hi," said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.
Rose, who was already wearing her brand-new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him.
Hmm, pretty obvious whose child this is.
"Parked all right, then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confound the examiner."
"No, I didn't," said Hermione, "I had complete faith in you."
"Asamatteroffact,Idid Confundhim,"
Dear oh dear, he'll be in for it when Miss Granger finds out.
Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Albus's trunk and owl onto the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Supersensory Charm for that."
Back on the platform, they found Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother, having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.
"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "but no pressure."
"Ron!"
Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.
"He doesn't mean it," said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.
"Look who it is."
Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.
"So that's little Scorpius,"
Probably as pompous as his father.
said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."
"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"
"You'reright,sorry,"saidRon,butunabletohelphimself,headded,"Don'tgettoo friendlywithhim,though,Rosie.GranddadWeasleywouldneverforgiveyouifyoumarriedapureblood."
Albus chuckled to himself with this comment, knowing what arthur was like.
"Hey!"
James had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl, and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.
"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? SnoggingVictoire!"
Ahh, the power of love.
He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.
"OurTeddy!TeddyLupin!Snoggingour Victoire!Ourcousin!
At the mention of Teddy Lupin's name, Albus's eyebrows rose slighty. "I wonder.." Albus muttered to himself.
And I asked Teddy what he was doing -"
"Youinterruptedthem?"saidGinny."Youareso likeRon –"
"-andhesaidhe'dcometoseeheroff!Andthenhetoldmetogoaway.He'ssnogging her!"Jamesaddedasthoughworriedhehadnotmadehimselfclear.
"Oh,itwouldbelovelyiftheygotmarried!"whisperedLilyecstatically."Teddywouldreally bepartofthefamilythen!"
"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Harry "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"
"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al-Teddy could have my room!"
"No," said Harry firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished."
He checked the battered old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett's.
Ahh. Another person lost to us before his time.
"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."
"Don't forget to give Neville our love!" Ginny told James as she hugged him.
"Mum! I can't give a professor love!"
A most excellent student, if only on Herbology.
"Butyouknow Neville-"
James rolled his eyes.
"Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love. . . ."
Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus.
"See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals."
"I thought they were invisible? Yousaidtheywereinvisible!"
Yes, definitely glad I don't have to put up with a Potter prankster.
But James merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.
"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Harry told Albus. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats."
Ginny kissed Albus good-bye.
"See you at Christmas."
"Bye, Al," said Harry as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you're learned how. And don't let James wind you up."
"What if I'm in Slytherin?"
The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.
Harry crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry's three children, Albus had inherited Lily's eyes.
"Albus Severus,"
Two most excellent names, although Severus won't be happy about this.
Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who was now on the train, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
"But justsay-"
"-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matter to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
"Really?"
"It did for me," said Harry.
And i'm glad it did to.
He had never told any of his children that before, and he saw the wonder in Albus's face when he said it. But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents swarming forward for final kisses, last-minute reminders. Albus jumped into the carriage and Ginny closed the door behind him. Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward Harry.
"Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.
"Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me, I'm extremely famous."
Albus let out a mighty laugh at this comment.
Albus, Rose, Hugo, and Lily laughed. The train began to more, and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him. . . .
The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry's hand was still raised in farewell.
"He'll be alright," murmured Ginny.
As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.
"I know he will."
The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.
As Albus read this last sentence. more tears fell down from his face. Dabbing his eyes with the tip of his robes, Dumbledore rose and left the office to go meet his student at the oaken front doors. If the Headmaster had stayed for a couple more minutes, Albus would have seen the letter and scroll disappear in another flash of light.
The End.