September 1st was sunny with a crisp chillness in the air and the Dursley household was a flurry of activity. Petunia and Vernon had driven down to see Joseph off to Hogwarts and the house was buzzing with excitement. Petunia insisted on taking picture after picture and Anna kept rechecking Joseph's trunk to make sure he hadn't forgotten to pack anything. Dudley checked his watch and saw that it was time to head out. The seven Dursleys spilled out of the house and piled into their cars to head to King's Cross Station. They made the short drive to the station and Dudley quickly found a trolley for Joseph's cart while the others looked for Harry and his family.

"I see them!" Diana said excitedly, pointing towards the main entrance. "Lilly!" she called to her cousin. Lilly turned around to see who had called her and quickly spotted Diana, waving back enthusiastically as the Dursleys made their way over.

"Ready?" Harry asked with a smile. Joseph nodded quickly, his face filled with excitement. "We'll need to go in small groups so we don't attract attention." The group quickly made their way to platform 9 and then Harry stopped and turned towards his relatives to explain how to get on the platform. "What you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten and believe that you won't crash into it." Anna looked slightly nervous and Ginny smiled at her.

"It's best to do it at a run the first time if you're nervous."

"James, take Simon with you and Albus you take Diana. Wait for the rest of us off to the side after you pass through." James nodded and motioned for his cousin Simon to climb onto his trolley. He then quickly pushed his trolley onto the platform. Albus motioned for Diana to do the same and quickly followed his brother once Diana was seated on top of his trunk. Harry motioned for Joseph and Anna to go next. They steeled themselves and then, with a reassuring glance and smile at each other, quickly walked into the barrier. Their mouths fell open when they realized that they had succeeded.

"Over here," James called to them from just off to their left. They quickly joined the small group and waited as Vernon and Petunia, Ginny and Lilly, and finally Harry and Dudley came through the barrier.

"Over there!" Lilly called out excitedly, having spotted someone she knew. The small group made their way over and stopped near Ron and Hermione, who turned when they heard trolleys approaching them.

"Hey, Harry," Ron greeted his best friend. "Brought the whole lot I see," he said with a smile. The Dursleys had spent the remainder of the summer getting to know the rest of Harry's family and friends and so they were well acquainted with Ron, Hermione and their children by this point. Everyone smiled and then the adults helped the children settle their trunks and cages into compartments, the Dursleys eagerly taking in the sights and sounds around them. It was one thing to know that there were many magical children who attended Hogwarts but it was another to see a train bustling with young witches and wizards and to see and hear them conversing with their magical parents. As they stepped out of the compartment they were in, a young girl stuck her head out of the compartment next to them and called to her mother in a slight panic.

"Mum!" A woman a little further down the aisle turned to look at her.

"Yes dear?"

"I forgot to pack Glendora's owl treats! I went to get one for her so she'd calm down some and I can't find them in my trunk!" The woman rolled her eyes and walked back towards her daughter.

"Honestly, Gerty, you always say you can't find what's right under your nose." The group made their way off the train and Harry checked his pocket watch.

"It's almost time," he informed everyone. The parents called their children to them for last minute hugs and instructions. Ginny gave James a stern expression.

"Regardless of the adventures your father, aunt and uncle had, behave yourself. And try to keep an eye out for your siblings and cousins. Don't badger them but don't let anyone bully them either. Understood?" James nodded but Ginny could see a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You'll write me won't you?" Lilly asked her father." Harry pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course we will sweetheart. And don't worry. It'll be Christmas break before you know it."

"Write me too," Diana said to Joseph. "I wanna hear all about Hogwarts and….well, everything!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. Joseph laughed and hugged her back while Simon nodded his head rapidly in agreement. The train whistle sounded and the children quickly climbed aboard. Harry securely shut the door and they all leaned out of it or nearby windows to wave to their parents. The Dursleys followed the train, waving, until they'd reached the end of the platform and couldn't see Joseph anymore. Anna had tears in her eyes when she'd rejoined Harry and Ginny.

"Does this get any easier?" she asked. Harry and Ginny shook their heads but they were smiling.

"It's never easy to watch your children leave you, but knowing that they're safe and off to have splendid adventures of their own takes some of the sting out of it." Harry took his wife's hand while Dudley took Anna's and Vernon took Petunia's. The six of them and Simon and Diana waited until the guard told them they could pass through. Once on the other side, they casually made their way to the main entrance.

"This changes everything you know," Dudley said to no one in particular.

"How do you mean Dudley?" Harry asked, casually glancing over his shoulder at his cousin. Dudley smiled.

"It was almost like karma decided we needed to change our minds about magic and so Joseph was born a wizard. And now we have a chance to be a part of two worlds instead of just the one." Harry and Ginny chuckled.

"Funny how that works sometimes," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Perhaps this is just karma's way of giving us all a second chance to be a family," Petunia mused.

"Then I guess we'll just have to make sure we don't take this second chance for granted," Harry told his aunt with a smile. Everyone shared a smile at Harry's statement, very much liking the idea of repairing and strengthening their family. If magic didn't have to be something bad or painful, maybe karma wasn't either.

THE END