Years Later

Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road towards the great sooty station, the fumes of car exhaust and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly…

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Nineteen Years Later

"Mum, Dad, you'll write to me won't you?" asked a worried Rose.

"Of course Rosie," her father replied.

"Everyday if you really want us to." Her mother added.

"No, mum," Rose said quickly, "Just once a week is fine, isn't it?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. They remembered Hogwarts; the place where they'd had the times of their lives, even getting petrified by a basilisk was a fond (well, almost) memory for Hermione.

"Two years." Hugo sighed.

"You should have seen how your Aunt Ginny was when I got to go to Hogwarts!" Ron laughed.

Hermione and Hugo frowned at Ron, which made him laugh even harder.

"Did she kick someone?" Hugo asked hopefully.

"No, Grandma Weasley would have never allowed that." Ron smiled and nudged Hugo, to make his point.

"Ooh mum there they are!" Rose said excitedly, pointing through the mist to a family of five.

"Hi" said Albus, sounding immensely relived. Rose beamed at him.

"Parked all right then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did, Hermione didn't believe I could pass a muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No I didn't," she said, "I had complete faith in you."

Ron helped Harry lift Albus' trunk and owl on to the train, leaning in to whisper something. Probably admitting that he did Confund the examiner. Ron and Harry, who had just come back on to the platform, found Lily and Hugo having an animated discussion about which house they would be sorted into once they finally went to Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "But no pressure."

"Ron!"

While lily and Hugo laughed, Albus and Rose looked solemn. "He doesn't mean it." Hermione and Ginny said, but Ron had stopped paying attention. He caught Harry's eye and nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

"Look who it is."

Draco Malfoy stood there with his wife and son, dressed in a dark coat with his hair receding somewhat. His son resembled Draco as much as Hugo resembled Ron. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny starting at him, nodded curtly and turned away again.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank god you've inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron for Heaven's sake." Hermione said, half-stern, half-amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added "don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Grandad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."

"Hey!"

James had repapered; he had divested himself his trunk, owl and trolley, and was bursting with news. "Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!"

He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.

"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked teddy what he was doing-"

"You interrupted them?" said Ginny. "You are so like Ron-"

(Ron scowled at this remark, but Ginny took no notice)

"-and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!

Lily sighed something to Harry, who replied "He already comes around for dinner about four times a week, why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

The conversation ensued and Rosie turned to Ron saying, "Wow, Victoire Lupin."

Hugo stuck his tongue out, "what about Rose Malfoy?" he teased. She hit him with her jacket. "Don't hit your brother Rosie." Hermione called out to her daughter, "now, you got everything?" she asked Rose. She nodded, whilst being pulled into a hug by Ron. "You okay?" he asked his daughter. Rosie smiled unconvincingly. "Worried?" "Maybe," she said, "Dad, what happens if I'm a…Hufflepuff or something?" Ron smiled, "Listen, I want you to be a Gryffindor, but you don't have to be. You can go wherever you please Rosie. Even Mars." She grinned at her father. "Now go give your mother a hug."

The hugs and kisses were soon over, and the children were hanging out of the windows of the train for last goodbyes. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned to Harry. "Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus, as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.

"Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

Albus, Rose, Hugo and Lily laughed as the train began to move.

Hermione and Ron watched their child go, a mixture of feelings bubbling up inside. It had been nineteen years since they'd kissed on the Hogwarts battlefield, and he wouldn't have changed a thing.

Last chapter guys! *sob* wow, thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and favourited, and if you haven't… do it now! Please? :) (review being the key word here, *wink* *nudge*

You can go anywhere you please, even Mars :)