Chapter 10- Epilogue

Happy Endings

"Daddy?" Lilly's voice caught my attention and I looked down at my small daughter. She looked so much like her mother, it was staggering. She was identical to the small Ginny I had met I this exact spot so many years ago. Just one year away from attending Hogwarts and wishing she could join her brothers there now. "Can I go over to Uncle Ron's tonight? Mummy said it was okay, but I had to ask you first."

I grinned down at her, and nodded. There wasn't much I could refuse my daughter. I just hoped she wouldn't realize that for a long time. "Don't torment Hugo too much."

She just grinned at me and skipped off to join the retreating Weasley's. I turned and looked down the train tracks. The Hogwarts Express was long gone, I knew that, but I still hoped for a glace at it. It was hard to let my children leave. James had been extremely anxious to get back to Hogwarts, he had been practicing Quidditch all summer and was anxious to keep his spot on the Gryffindor team. He was a Chaser, like his mother and Grandfather. He was also a troublemaker just like his namesake and I suppose me. We had many an owl from the Headmaster telling us about his exploits.

Albus was nervous, as most first years were. He was a quiet boy and I hoped that his cousin Rose would help him be a bit more outgoing. Although, in all reality they would probably spend all their time in the library. Rose was starting her fist year as well. Ron and Hermione had held her back a year due to an untimely bout with Dragon pox. She was exactly like her mother in looks and personality.

I felt a soft hand grasp my hand. I turned to look at my beautiful wife.

"They'll be fine." She reassured me. "You made it out of Hogwarts alive." She winked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Barely."

"Yes, But to my knowledge there are no "dark lords" after Albus or James."

I grinned and relaxed slightly. "If James keeps up after his namesake like he has been, we might have problems."

Ginny ignored me. Her gaze was across the platform. "Look." She pointed towards where we had seen the Malfoy's earlier. "Perhaps you should talk to him. It's been years since you've seen each other."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. "Only if you come with me."

"Is famous Harry Potter afraid of a little confrontation with an old enemy?" She teased quietly.

I glowered at her playfully and walked deliberately towards Draco and Astoria. Ginny and I waited patiently as they spoke with another couple quietly. The other couple had their backs to us and so it was a complete surprise when I recognized the voices.

"Saranna?" I asked loudly. The conversation halted and Saranna and Benji turned towards Ginny and me. Ginny yelped with glee and raced forward to give Saranna and then Benji a hug.

"Look!" Ginny said with obvious joy, "We're all back together! Who would have thought?"

From the corner of my eye, I could see Draco taking a step away from the group. I knew I felt no animosity towards him and it appeared as if Saranna and Benji had also forgiven him. It was only Draco who was uncomfortable.

"How about this," I started gaining the attention of both couples and my wife. "Our only child left at home is spending the night with her cousin so we have an empty house. I would be so pleased if you all would join us for some drinks."

Ginny beamed at me and nodded vigorously.

"We're…" Draco began, but was cut off by his wife.

"We're free tonight. Our one and only just left, and I think Draco could use that drink." She said primly, giving Draco a scathing glance.

"Of course we will! Our twin girls just left for the first time as well." Saranna answered for both her and Benji.

I gave them the address and we all apparated to our home.

"Wow," Benji said quietly as we all popped back into existence on the front lawn. The large house was situated just outside the limits of Godric's Hallow. It was a huge undertaking when I bought it right after Ginny and I had found out about James. I worked on it at night, after getting off at the Auror's department. It remained Ron and I's secret until a few weeks before Ginny was due, and that night I asked her to be my wife. Three months later Ginny and I were married on the lawn of our new home with little James nestled in safely in our arms.

"Wow is right," Astoria added. "I didn't know the Potter's were so well off."

"Thank-you." I replied, trying to ignore Astoria's not-so-subtle query into our wealth. "But let's go enjoy the inside."

I led them inside the house and walked directly to the left, into our formal dining room.

"Fire whiskey for old-times sake?" I asked with a wink directed at Ginny. She smacked my head as I passed her a glass of the amber liquid. I walked over to my favorite armchair after everyone had a glass, Ginny perched on the arm of the chair. I raised my glass. "To… Our children! May they have a great year at Hogwarts!"

"May they become fast friends!" Saranna added.

"And here's to the hope that Scorpius and James and Albus learn early on to be friends and not enemies." Draco added, a slight grin on his face.

I nodded and we all raised our glasses slightly and then took a sip.

It was quiet for a moment and then Draco cleared his voice. "I'm so sorry. For everything. For leaving without talking to you and for not telling you everything right up front."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Draco" Saranna said quietly. "Although it wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it did push Benji and I back together. I will forever be grateful for that." She smiled at Benji and he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Harry. Can you forgive me for leaving without so much as a word?" His voice had the familiar formal tone that his parents had always used. Yet, the note of superiority that had always colored his speech was absent. He sounded sincerely sorry.

"Of course." I answered.

"Well then. Now that the formalities are out of the way, what have you too been doing since then?" Ginny leaned forward towards Draco and Astoria. "We hadn't heard so much as a whisper about you two until a few weeks ago when you moved back! What have you two been doing?"

Astoria looked a bit taken aback. She must have been surprised by my wife and her lack of formality. Draco's face held a grin that I hadn't seen in years.

"Well, we moved to Germany right away." He answered as he sat back and got comfortable in his chair. He took a sip from his glass of firewhiskey. "This is very good." He lifted his glass towards me. I just nodded. "Astoria has family there. We got married and tried to blend in. It seemed that everyone knew who we were. Anyway, we got pregnant right away and then Scorpius was born. We decided to travel the world when he was young. We came back last month so he could spend time with Mother and go to Hogwarts." Astoria frowned at Draco and then turned to look at the rest of us.

"Scorpius is such a talented boy." She said with obvious pride in her voice. "He is very, very smart. He will most definitely be a Prefect and Head Boy. Slytherin with have never had such a member."

"I think he is going to end up in Ravenclaw. He is smarter than I was at his age." Draco practically beamed with pride. Astoria turned her head sharply and glared at Draco. I heard Ginny try to stifle a laugh with a fake cough. I turned to her.

"Do you need some water dear?" I asked innocently. She winked at me.

"No, no. I'm just fine." She said innocently. "Saranna, Benji how about you? What are you doing back in England?"

"I was asked to come over and help coach the Cannons. Plus, we wanted our daughters to be taught by the finest school that magic had to offer." Benji replied causally.

Saranna nodded. "Benji and I never had the opportunity to go to Hogwarts but we wanted our girls to! Krissy and Erika are little spitfires, just like me." We all laughed and Saranna continued on. "It was so cute; they were both so excited to go to Hogwarts. They aren't like normal children; they were so excited to meet new people in a new place."

"Sounds like they are just like you." Draco replied with a grin.

"Let's just hope they don't get mixed up with our James." I added. Ginny had been taking a drink and now the contents of her mouth were sprayed all over the floor. I cast a quick cleaning charm.

"Oh no." was all she could say.

"What?" Saranna asked with concern.

"Well," I said slowly. "Draco, you will understand this the best. But our son James is very much like my father was in school, and I suppose me as well. He has a knack for trouble. I don't even want to tell you the amount of owls we had from the Headmaster last year and that was just his first year!"

"If you hadn't given him that blasted map!" Ginny spouted. I just grinned at her.

"You let him hang around George all summer."

Ginny's eyes widened and she smacked her hand against her head. Then she started to giggle quietly and soon she was full on laughing.

"Oh… My… Merlin!"

I raised my eyebrow at her and she tried to keep a straight face.

"Sorry, sorry." She said to the rest of the group. "I've just realized what a rotten mum I am. Nothing to worry about."

Saranna had a wide grin on her face. "What have you two been up to then?"

I looked at Ginny and she motioned for me to speak.

"Well, I knocked up Ginny that drunken night you were all around. We got married about three months after James was born."

Everyone's eyes became wide with shock and then Ginny smacked me upside the head.

"Way to go Potter." She said jokingly.

"Well, it was all over the Prophet! Anyway, I went to work at the Ministry as head of the Auror's Department. Ginny here stayed home with James. The next year we had Albus and then the next year we had Lily."

"I went back to St. Mungo's just a few years ago, when Lily was old enough to attend Muggle school. We wanted our kids to be well-rounded so they all attended a private muggle school until they were old enough for Hogwarts." Ginny added.

"So are they all little trouble makers like you two?" Astoria asked with slight disgust in her voice. Draco glared sharply at his wife. I just looked at her coolly.

"James is. Albus is quite and studious, just the opposite of his brother, but has an honest and caring heart. And Lily is my little princess. She is strong and determined like her mother. I think she will be the strongest wizard of the lot."

Suddenly, three owls swooped in the window. One dropped a note in Draco's lap, one in Benji's lap and one in my own. We all quietly opened the letters. After a few moments we all started laughing. It was quite a while before anyone said anything. Finally, Ginny broke the silence.

"Oh Harry. He's corrupted them all! Even our little caring Albus."

I just shrugged and smiled down at the letter.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Potter,

I am writing to inform you that this evening during the sorting ceremony your son's were involved in an elaborate prank involving three first year students, Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy and Krissy and Erika Thomsan, daughters of Benji and Saranna Thomsan. The prank involved the poltergeist Peeves and a large amount of dungbombs set off underneath each table in the Great Hall. Each of the students was given detention with Professor Longbottom and will be helping him out in the Herbology greenhouses this Saturday. They will also be asked to help rid the Great Hall of the awful stench. We ask you to please speak with your sons as soon as possible to deal with this situation.

Thank-you,

Headmaster McGonagall

P.S Dumbledore's portrait hasn't stopped laughing yet.

A/N To my dear readers:

Thank-you all so much! I really had a blast writing this fanfic and the one before it. I love your input and it has really made a difference in my writing! So I want to really Thank EK! Without her, my writing would have so many errors! So in honor of you, I hope you noticed a subtle namesake. The other namesake was given to my dear friend Erica who, although hasn't read this, helped me with story lines.

I will be writing another HP story, it will be Lily/James though and I wont be posting it on here for a while. I'm going to try to write out most of it before I start posting. That and classes started and I should probably do well as it is my last year. :-p

But again, Thanks so much! and leave me one last review? ;-)

-Sarah