I know I know. The summary doesn't say much but its supposed to be as cryptic as possible. I do hope you enjoy.
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Chap 1: Ouch
Last day of Christmas break, 10:50 a.m. , King's Cross Station
The station bustled around with people. Albus Severus Potter pushed his trolley as fast as he could as he tried to catch up with his family. Everyone was rushing towards the ninth gate. Lily Potter was in front of the group alongside her mother, Ginny Potter.
"Come on, we are going to be late!" Ginny shouted behind her. "This reminds me so much of my first time travelling to Hogwarts."
"We can reminisce about past times later." Harry said. But there was a grin on his face telling her that he remembered. Then it drooped when it came to the final moments of the memory.
"Albus watch out!"
Albus tried turning the trolley but it crashed into a gentleman who had apparently appeared from behind a pillar. The man fell on top of the cases and then to the floor as Albus stopped the trolley. Onlookers stopped but quickly went back to normal when they noticed no one was injured.
"Oh my, sir, are you alright?" Albus said as he knelt and helped the man up. He looked up and watched as his mother and sister ran off without even looking back. Apparently they hadn't heard his dad shout.
'Yes yes I am, young man", the man said in a heavy American accent. "Thank you but I believe you may be in a hurry?" As he said this, he started to help Albus and Harry pick up the trunks and onto the trolley. The man was wearing a white suit with red tie and a long black overcoat like the ones worn during the 1920s. He was in his late 20s or so.
"I'm so sorry for this", Harry said. "He should have been more careful."
He looked at James. "James go with your mother."
Without a word, James maneuvered his trolley around the fallen luggage and ran off.
"No worries. I was the one who wasn't looking. Which platform are you departing from?" the man asked as he put the last of the trinkets on the trolley.
Harry paused. "Platform nine", he said carefully.
"Well I presume you should hurry. You were in quite a rush."
Oh yes. Come on, Albus. And say sorry."
"Oh right. Sorry about that." Albus said to the man.
The man laughed and said "Don't worry. I'm still in one piece. Hurry before you miss your train."
"Thank you!" he said and pushed the trolley with his dad as hard and fast as he could
"Your welcome! And be careful!" the man waved for a few seconds and then turned around and appeared to wait. "Silly boys."
He looked at his watch. It was 10:53 in clear digits and a red LED light to indicate it was A.M. "Darn when are they…." He stopped in mid sentence. He looked behind and cursed. "I am so stupid!"
And without another word he ran in the direction of Platform 9.
...
"What took you so long?" Ginny inquired as the two appeared out of the pillar and joined her.
"Sorry. I banged my trolley into a Muggle gentleman," Albus said. "He was very nice about it though."
"Yes. Apparently he was more worried about our train leaving. He was unlike any person I had met. Wizard or Muggle." Harry said. "Now that I think about it, it looked like he was American."
"An American Muggle was kind? Was he hot?" she asked smiling mischievously.
Albus cleared his throat. "Hi Mum. I'm still here," he said.
"Oh grow up, Albus," Ginny said. "Also tell me if you get a girlfriend."
"Mom!" Albus' face turned red as a tomato.
Harry laughed. This was quality bonding time. It hadn't been possible for years and yet in the mere days of traveling through time, Albus had changed into a different man. His social status remained to be seen but he got along more easily with the Weasley cousins and his siblings. He seemed more focused than usual. Harry guessed detention in school was helping the young lad considering the Headmistress had allowed the Albus and Scorpius to return to their respective homes during the Christmas break.
The train signaled loudly that it was about to leave. Everyone said their goodbyes and boarded the train. Since Albus didn't have time to put everything in a compartment before the train departed, he went to the door and waved at his family. They waved back and kept waving until the train went out of sight.
"Albus has...grown up," Harry said smiling.
"Of course he has," said Ginny. "He is your son, after all."
"Now." She turned him toward her. "About that memory." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"What about it?" asked Harry.
Ginny was about to say something when someone jumped on them from behind and wrapped their arms on their shoulders.
"Hey guys! Glad you weren't late. I thought your car broke down. That would not have been good." Ronald Weasley grinned at the two of them.
"Ron get off." Ginny said. She looked irritated.
"What? I can't hug my favorite sister and brother-in-law? That's just sad."
"Ron, she's just worried."
Ron sighed and took his arms off their shoulders. "Well, it's fine and dandy that the kids have gone. How about you come over to ours and we'll - what's that?" Ron pointed in the direction of the train.
Both Harry and Ginny looked back at the train. At first they didn't see anything unusual but then Harry noticed the black pole on top of the train.
"I don't see anything." Ginny said.
Harry kept staring at the train. Something felt familiar about the black pole. Wait that's not a pole, it's a person, he thought. He blinked and the figure vanished. Unsettled, he turned towards his wife and Ron, when he noticed they weren't there.
"Wha- guys? Ginny? Ron? Where are you?"
The platform turned gray and everyone disappeared. "What's going on?"
Then he heard them. The voices. Unwavering and persistent. "The end is near. The end is near."
The platform started spinning faster and faster. Harry felt dizzy and fell to the ground. His scar didn't hurt but it felt like his head would burst. And yet the voices wouldn't rest.
"The end is near."
"The end is near."
"All hail the lord of time!"
