Harry and Ginny Starting Over
Hogwarts Express
Emerging onto platform nine and three quarters James gasped, taking in the big red train which was belching steam steadily. Lily stopped her constant trail of chatting about the Holyhead Harpies latest match to stare in awe with Albus at the Hogwarts Express. The large circular clock that stood on the platform barrier read five to eleven. Harry loaded James' trunk onto the train along with his owl before turning to his eldest child. 'Be good James; Make sure you write to us when you get sorted, remember: it doesn't matter what house you're sorted in, we'll be proud of you anyway. We'll always be proud of you.' Harry said bending to hug James. 'Stay safe, please behave and remember Hagrid asked you to pop and see him after the first day of class if you don't see him in Care Of Magical Creatures. I love you.' Ginny said holding James, crying slightly. 'You're all grown up now; I remember when your Dad could hold you in one hand.' She wept. 'By Son, I love you.' Harry said as James was released out of Ginny's grip. 'James! Don't go please.' Begged Lily as she cried into his grey wool jumper: courtesy of Molly Weasley of course. 'Lily, you'll be joining in three years, don't cry so much! You're making me all soggy…' James laughed trying to cheer her up. Over Lily's head James high-fived Albus and did their special handshake. 'Keep her happy Al; she's going to be sad when I'm not there.' James said rather grown up all of a sudden. Lily clung to Albus instead as the clock chimed at the train conductor shouted all aboard. James boarded the train with a last wave and kiss on the cheek from Ginny and a handshake off Harry. 'Bye! I'll write to you!' James called as the train gathered speed. The train rounded the corner and the platform vanished from view. James walked down the train corridor and found a compartment with a blonde haired girl who was looking vaguely out of the window and a dark haired boy who was reading the Quibbler upside down. 'Hi Noah, Nellie. Can I sit with you?' James asked opening the compartment door. 'Sure, we were just discussing the new puzzle in the Quibbler; I think that if you hold it upside down it looks a bit like a toad on a leaf. But it's actually a hippogriff.' Nellie said indicating to Noah's upside down magazine. James smiled and joined his friends in the discussion.
'Come on Lily, the train has been gone fifteen minutes.' Harry said quietly to his daughter. They were the only ones left on the platform apart from the cleaner wizard who was cleaning the platform. Lily sat quietly staring at where the train vanished around the corner. Harry gently picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her out of the platform.
'Where do you want to go first Lily? Do you want to go to the market and get Dora a new dress? Or maybe get that nice stationary so we can write to James?' Ginny asked softly to Lily. Lily sniffed and hugged Dora. 'Can we get her a witch dress with a hat mummy?' She asked her eyes lighting up. 'Ok love, do you want to walk now?' Ginny said noticing they had been walking a while around Diagon Alley. 'Ok.' Lily said and Harry happily put her down. He'd been giving her a piggy back once they got out of the platform because she kept shuffling in his arms.
After buying Dora a new witch outfit with a little pointed hat in purple and Lily one to match in blue they set of to the new shop called 'Quills and Thrills' George had branched out and made a shop that made stationary and jokes. This appealed a lot to all age groups and apparently it was a big money maker. Inside the shop the walls were lined with shelves full of jokes and in the back of the shop was a stationary section. Lily pointed to a little pink quill which wrote in gold, silver, purple and pink. 'Wow, that's really good. So you just say what colour out of the four and it writes in that colour?' Ginny asked George who had just appeared beside them. 'Yup. Hey Lily!' George said picking up Lily and tickling her. 'Uncle Georgey!' Lily squealed happily. 'What are you looking for my dear?' George asked as he put her on his shoulders so she could see the whole section. 'Stuff to write to James with. Pink!' She replied pointing to a selection of young witch sets, the majority of which were pink. George obediently walked to the section and set her down on his knee so she could see.
After deciding for ten minutes between the purple and pink unicorn parchment and the silver and pink hippogriff parchment and the matching envelopes George suggested that she get both and that he would buy them as a gift for her. He also treated Albus to a set of midnight blue parchment with matching envelopes and a beginner's joke box. 'You don't have to, George.' Ginny said smiling at Lily and Albus' happy faces. 'It's nothing; they are my niece and nephew after all so I thought I'd treat them.' George said batting them away friendlily. Harry and Ginny thanked him before leaving the shop.