Count Every Moment
By: TheFifthCharmedOne
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Summary: -It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time you took to look back...- Post-war oneshots; all canon couples. H/G, R/Hr, D/A, N/H, etc.
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Chapter 1: Little Miracles
Summary: As the famed scarlet train rumbles out of the station, it's all he can do not to cry. Harry and Ginny send their youngest child to Hogwarts.
Harry Potter was woken quite abruptly to his youngest child jumping on the bed he shared with his wife, Ginny. She was screaming something very incoherent to them - and it was unintelligible because Harry was still mostly asleep.
"Mummy, Daddy, wake up, wake up! Today's the day!" Lily Luna Potter was absolutely thrilled. About what, Harry's still muddled brain could not discern, but she was very happy about something, that much he knew for sure.
"Lily, what are you doing?" Ginny's sleepy voice said next to him as she sat up, her scarlet red hair a bed ridden mess. The eleven-year old redhead stopped jumping and looked at her mother.
"Today's the day!" Lily squealed. "Today's the day I go to Hogwarts! I'm finally big enough!"
Ginny glanced over at her husband, who closed his eyes, a small, knowing smile on his face. He was still laying back, but he was very much awake.
"What time is it, and when do we leave?"
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At exactly 10:30, the Potters were out of the house and on their way to King's Cross. Lily was bouncing around in the backseat, looking around eagerly, as though she hadn't seen her neighborhood before.
She hadn't, Harry supposed, at least not in this way. In the span of a day she would go from being the only remaining Potter child at home to a witch, sorted into whatever House the Sorting Hat chose for her.
He noticed that Ginny's hand, palm up, was laying lazily across the space between the passenger's seat and the driver's seat. Harry, now driving with one hand, grasped it firmly. Ginny, sensing the new pressure, turned her head from the window and smiled at her husband, gripping his hand back with equal fervor.
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At 10:45, Harry, Ginny, and Lily were approaching that famed space, the wall between Platforms 9 and 10. Lily pushed her cart, her trunk a dark brown with her initials broadcasting in bright, intricate, gold lettering. A snowy owl with dark brown eyes twisted her head around in curiosity. Lily had named her Athena, due to her love of mythology. The owl slightly reminded Harry of Hedwig, who had died twenty-one years before in their flight from Privet Drive. He missed his owl terribly, because when humans failed him, she was a constant companion.
He tried not to dwell on deaths too much, because there was nothing he could do to change them, and he knew that. However, knowing this didn't stop him from still blaming himself for all the anguish...
"Harry..." Ginny's voice warned him, squeezing the hand she still held. She knew him better than anyone else, so she knew when his thoughts were turning toward the past. She wanted him to be happy - he wanted to be happy, too. So, with slight difficulty, he shook those cumbersome thoughts away. Ginny squeezed a bit tighter, and then let go, leaning down to put her hands firmly on her daughter's shoulders. "Are you ready?" A proud smile crossed her face.
"I've been ready for a long time." Lily replied. Harry smiled. "Are you going to follow me through?" Ginny looked up at Harry, who shrugged.
"Why not? For old time's sake?" Ginny nodded, a grin unmistakable on her face.
"We're still here," James Sirius Potter, the oldest of the three children, grumbled. He was going into his fourth year, and Albus Severus was going into his second. "Just because she's the youngest doesn't mean you can ignore us!" James sounded angry, but the smile on his face said that he really didn't care all that much.
"James, please. This is your sister's first year at Hogwarts, could you please be a little bit supportive?" Ginny asked. They had been in the car with Lily and their parents, though neither had been as excited. They had done this before, Lily had not.
"I am being supportive!" James argued. "Aren't I, Al?" James nudged his brother, who rolled his eyes.
"Sure, James, if you think you are, you must be."
"What's that supposed to mean?" James challenged.
"James, Albus," Ginny said dangerously, narrowing her eyes.
"We're going to be late!" Lily said impatiently, pointing to the clock. Indeed, it was now 10:52. The train would be leaving in eight minutes.
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Surreal was the best way to describe it. When Harry looked back on this moment, that was the only word that would fit. He watched James, Albus, and Lily give their bags to the conductor, his eyes out of focus from tears he wasn't quite ready to shed.
"Bye, Mum!" Lily hugged her mother long and hard. Harry knelt by his two sons, whispering to them.
"Make sure you watch over your little sister, boys." he said. "Promise me?" he said, looking at each of them.
"Course, Dad." James said easily. Harry, knowing his eldest son's mischievous tendencies, looked to his more responsible son. Albus smiled.
"I'll do what I can, Dad. No problem."
"Thank you." Harry smiled fondly. "Now, off you go." He hugged each of his sons and ushered them away. Lily ran to her father and he picked her up, holding her close. "Be good, my little Lily." he told her softly. He put her back on her feet. "I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy." Lily smiled and waved, running toward the train. It whistled loudly, signaling it was about to leave. 11:00 AM on the dot, as always. Ginny leaned her head on her husband's chest, tears in her eyes.
As the famed scarlet train rumbles out of the station, it's all he can do not to cry.
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A/N: Weeeeee! This was fun to write! :3 Next Gen is just awesome. I love them. :D I'll be updating this either when I can or when I have ideas, which kind of goes together. Hope you guys enjoyed it! :3
-Charmy