Love's Journey : The Next Generation
A/N: New story from me. Enjoy, and I hope I get some positive feedback. Read on, my friends!
Chapter 1: The Beginning
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"Don, Reese, Joss, hurry up. You're going to miss the train if you don't get a move on!" Harry Potter called to his three children as he and his wife made their way through the crowded platform of King's Cross Station in London, England. The voice of his youngest and only daughter, Jocelyn Blaine, reached his ears, and she said, "Calm down, dad. We're not gonna miss the train. It's not even eleven o'clock yet" and the Irish accented voice of his oldest, Donovan Adam, said, "You know da', Joss. He always wants to be early. I think some of mam rubbed off on him, because he never cared about being early before." As he and his family were making their way to the invisible barrier between platforms nine and ten, someone going in the opposite direction bumped Harry, making him stumble into his wife, who, in turn, dropped her purse, making its contents spill onto the platform. She said, "Bloody hell" and bent to gather up the items as Harry turned and shouted after the guy, "The word is "Excuse me"…..bloody idiot". He noticed his kids standing near the barrier, waiting for them, and he waved them off, saying, "Go on ahead, you guys. I'm going to help your mother and we'll follow you." The three of them nodded and, one by one, they disappeared into the barrier onto Platform 9 & ¾.
Harry stooped and started helping his wife put her purse back in order, saying, "I can't believe some people. You alright, love?" and she shook her head, saying amusedly, "After all these years you still feel the need to protect me." Harry stood and pulled his wife to her feet, and as she said, "Thank you, honey" she looked up into his eyes and smiled, making him smile back. After almost 20 years of being together, Jamison Erin McGinnis still made Harry question his luck in having her. She was still strikingly beautiful, with a heart shaped face, slightly pouting lips, the beauty mark on her right cheek and her gorgeous ocean blue eyes. Her silky ebony hair, which used to be to the middle of her back, was the only thing she had changed; it was now cut to a length just past her shoulders, but still fell in waves and curls. Harry grinned and said, "Of course I still have to protect you, my love. You never know what dangers lurk around these crowded streets nowadays" and Jamie rolled her eyes and made her way over to the barrier, saying sarcastically, "Oh, yes. Some mean, vicious conductor could snatch me up as soon as you turn your back". She leant into the barrier, falling through, and looked around at the much more crowded Platform 9 & ¾, stepping to the side slightly as Harry emerged onto the platform as well. He then said, as they started walking towards their group of friends and family, "Don't say that, love. It could really happen, you know. I mean, after……….well….." and Jamie stopped abruptly, almost making Harry run into her. She rounded on him and said, "Forget about that, Harry, please. It's in the past. I'm over it already……you should be, too" and Harry let out a sigh and looked down at the ground, saying softly, "I know, sweetie. I have gotten over it, I really have………it's just that….. I'm still angry about it, and I've started thinking about it again because I'm scared that someone will try the same thing with Joss. She's my little girl……….I couldn't bear it if someone touched her in any way that was harmful." Jamie smiled and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, saying sweetly, "Harry, it's alright. I'm still angry about it, too; he took the one thing from me that I can never get back, something I wanted to share with you first. But, even though my virginity was gone before we first became intimate, I still take pride in knowing that I really, truly enjoyed it with you. You're the only one I'll ever enjoy sex with, because you're the love of my life."
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around Jamie's waist, leaned down and kissed her gently, saying, "You're right, love. Besides, Joss has got two very overprotective older brothers to watch out for her." Jamie added as an afterthought, "She also has Dante. He loves her and he'd sooner die than let someone hurt Joss" and Harry nodded and led her over to the group of people standing near the entrance to the train. Ginny and Draco Malfoy were standing with their son, Jason Ian, and their 6 year old daughter Jessica Faith, who was currently crying her eyes out because she didn't want Jayce to go. Ginny was holding Jess and was bouncing her, trying to soothe her, and she looked up and saw Jamie and Harry standing there watching them with interest. She smiled and said, "Jamie! Harry! Hey, you two" and she leaned down and whispered to Jess, "Hey, baby, look who's here" and she pointed at Jamie and Harry, making Jess follow where her finger was pointing. She squealed and immediately stopped crying when she saw Harry, and she held out her arms and said, "Mummy, I want Uncle Harry." Ginny laughed and handed her over to Harry, who took her and spun her around, making her laugh excitedly, and he said, "Hey, Jessie! " and started tickling her and she erupted into a fit of giggles, squirming in his grasp.
Joss suddenly appeared at Harry's side and said, "Hey, dad. Have you seen Dee and Dante?" and Harry scanned the crowd, saying, "They're coming now" and Joss started fixing her hair, smoothing pieces back and quickly growing frustrated. When her hair got cut, it acted just like her father's; it refused to cooperate and lie flat. She said angrily, "Oh, sod it" and Harry said, "Joss………" and gave her a warning look, making her say "Sorry, dad." Just then, Blaise and Luna Zabini and their fraternal twins, Deanna Iris and Dante William, walked up, and Harry said, "Blaise" and gave him a quick hug. He then said, "Luna" and hugged her and kissed her on the cheek and he hugged Dee and patted Dante on the back. Blaise greeted Jamie, saying warmly as he hugged her, "Jamie, you're looking lovely as always" and she smiled and said, "Nice to see you too, Blaise." Harry then signaled to Jamie, Blaise and Luna with his head to look to their right; they all did and smiled. Dante had walked over to Joss, picked her up as he hugged her, and set her back down before pulling her into a kiss. The two teenagers pulled apart and stood there smiling at each other, Joss blushing slightly as Dante affectionately stroked her hair. Dee shook her head and said, "Honestly….those two…" and a voice said from behind her, "Hey, Anna." She smiled to herself as she remembered that only one person called her Anna, and she turned and came face-to-face with her current crush, Joseph Weasley, Fred and Angelina Weasley's oldest son. Joseph, or Joey, as she called him, was very handsome, with a coffee colored complexion, dark auburn hair that reached his chin, and Angelina's chocolate eyes with Fred mischievous sparkle in them.
She suddenly got very flustered and said, "Oh, Joey, hi! How was your summer?" and he shrugged and said, "It was all right. How was yours?" and she said, "It was good, I guess." The whole time they talked, Dee was thinking to herself, 'Sweet Merlin, he's gorgeous!' and before she knew it, she had drifted into a daydream. She then vaguely noticed that he was saying something to her, so she snapped out of it and said, "I'm sorry, what was that?" He grinned and said, "I was saying that I…….I, um…" and Dee said, "You…….." He then finished, saying, "I like you, Anna. I like you a lot, actually. I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me on the train so we could talk." Dee quirked an eyebrow and said playfully, "Are you sure we'll be talking?" and he gave an embarrassed half-smile and said, "Yes, we'll only be talking, no matter how much I may want to kiss you." Dee chuckled and blushed slightly, saying, "Sure, Joey. I'll sit with you" and he said, "Great. See you on the train" and with that, he turned and went in search of his parents and siblings.
Dee made sure he was out of sight before jumping slightly in joy, and she ran over to her mother and said, "Mum….mum! Guess what?" and Luna said, "What, Dee?" and she said, "Joey just told me that he likes me! He likes me!" Luna smiled and said, "That's great, sweetie!" Dee smiled and said, "Isn't it, though?" and she went to tell Joss, leaving Luna, laughing slightly, behind her. Finally, it was two minutes to eleven, so all the kids exchanged last minute goodbyes before climbing onto the train. They all leaned out of the window and started waving to everyone as the train started to move, and Joss quickly yelled out, "Bye mum, bye dad! I'll see you guys at Hogwarts!" Jamie waved ad said, "Bye, Joss! We'll see you later!" and the train gathered speed and rounded the corner, falling out of sight. Harry then wrapped his arm around Jamie and said, as they walked back to the car to drive back home, "You ready for another year, love?" and she said, "I think I am. Are you?" and Harry shook his head and said, "Honestly, I don't even know. I swear if another of those Slytherin brats gives me any more attitude this term, I'm gonna personally kill the little f……" making Jamie say sharply, "Harry!!" He grimaced and said, "Sorry, love" and she just nodded as he opened the passenger door for her, and she smiled at him. He then walked around the car and got in and he buckled his seatbelt, started the car and pulled out of King's Cross, making his way down the street and back to Godric's Hollow.
The two sat in a comfortable silence, Jamie's left hand intertwined with Harry's right as they drove through the countryside towards Godric's Hollow. Once they pulled up, they climbed out of the car and went into the house and got their luggage, putting it in the sitting room. They then took advantage of their empty house and spent a few hours in their bedroom, getting some more "pleasurable" activities done. Once it was 20 minutes to six, they showered, changed clothes and went into the sitting room and over to the fireplace and Jamie grabbed a handful of Floo powder, tossed it into the fire and watched it turn green. She then said, "See you there, love", winked and she stepped into the flames, said loudly, "Professor Potter's quarters in Hogwarts" and she vanished. Harry then repeated the process, and before he knew it, he was standing in his and Jamie's private quarters in Hogwarts. The two both got unpacked and joined the others in the Great Hall, saying their hellos to their old teacher, Minerva McGonagall, who was now the Headmistress; Dumbledore had died about 5 years ago at the incredible age of 130. Most of the teachers at Hogwarts had retired; Professor Snape had retired to save his sanity, and Draco was now the new Potions teacher and Head of Slytherin House. Professor Flitwick had retired, leaving Luna and Blaise to be the new joint Charms teachers and double Heads of Ravenclaw, and Susan and Neville took over for Professor Sprout and taught their best subject, Herbology, and also became the new double Heads of Hufflepuff. Ginny had become the new flying instructor and referee for the Quidditch games, taking over for Madame Hooch, and Jamie and Harry were the new joint Defense Against the Dark Arts professors and double Heads of Gryffindor. Minerva had also named Jamie deputy Headmistress.
All of the gang sat and talked while they waited for the students to arrive, and faster than they expected, it was time for the students to start coming in. Minerva went out and greeted the new 1st years, and she brought them into the Great Hall and up to the front for the Sorting. The Sorting went at a leisurely pace, each of the gang clapping when a new student was placed into their respective House. Then, Minerva gave the start-of-term speech and after, everyone started eating. At the end of dinner, the Prefects for each House stood and the Gryffindor Prefects, Reese and Fred and Angelina's 2nd oldest daughter, Rebecca, stood and led the Gryffindors out of the Hall, followed by the Ravenclaws and their Prefects, Dante and Dee, then the Hufflepuffs and their Prefects, Sid and a boy that Harry and Jamie recognized as Zacharias Smith's son, and lastly the Slytherins and their Prefects, Pamela Nott and Brandon Avery.
Jamie and Harry then bade goodnight to Minerva and everyone and left to retire to their quarters. As they got undressed, Harry came up behind Jamie and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, placing soft kisses on her neck and shoulders, but she said, "Oh, Harry, not tonight. I'm still worn out from before" and she turned in his arms and laughed as he pouted childishly. He grumbled, "Fine" and he put on his pajama pants while she threw on a pair of boy shorts and one of Harry's old shirts. They crawled under the covers and Harry pulled Jamie to him and draped an arm over her waist while she laid her head on his chest. He said, "I love you, Jem. Goodnight" and she said sleepily, "Love you, too, Harry. Goodnight" and the two drifted off to sleep, wondering what the first day back to Hogwarts with their children had in store for them.