Epilogue
I knocked sharply on the door to the children's wing, a complex of bedrooms surrounding a playroom and a schoolroom. "Time to wake up!" I called, opening the door and rapping on the bedroom doors. "Come on now, up, you've got a train to catch!"
A sleepy face appeared in one of the doorways. "What…"
I grinned at the face. "Good morning, little crow."
"Oh, come on mum. Don't call me that at King's Cross."
"I'll call you whatever I want at King's Cross. Don't you want to see your brothers and sisters off?"
"Yes, but mum… really…" he rolled his eyes.
I looked up at Corvus, my eldest son. His normally straight, dark brown hair was mussed with sleep, his gray eyes still half-closed. He was tall and handsome, with a face like his father's and coloring like mine, but with gray eyes, going to be eighteen in December. The same age I was when I had him. He closed his door and reappeared shortly, in dark jeans and a dark red sweater, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He tossed his old Hufflepuff scarf around his neck, showing his house pride to see off his siblings, while I knocked on another door. Slowly, a little head peered out of it. She had a smaller build than any of her siblings, fairer skinned, with darker hair. "Hello," she muttered.
"Good morning, Gigi."
"I… I'll get dressed now." I could hear the nerves in her voice. I nodded. I knew she had been planning what to wear, what to say, how to act, everything, for weeks. She was a meticulous, careful child. I had been the same, though not quite as much as her. I had my youngest child pinned for a Ravenclaw. Ligeia Isidora Helena Malfoy had always been the most academic of the kids, constantly at her studies when everyone else was bounding with childish energy. Being the youngest, and a girl, she held a special place in my heart.
I made the rounds to the other four bedrooms. Evander, seventeen and a Ravenclaw, shuffled out of his room, running his fingers through his wavy blond hair. Sixteen year old Iridot was much less lethargic, struggling to tug a brush through her waist-length blonde ringlets, artfully tying a green ribbon around her head to keep her hair out of her face, and to match her Slytherin robes. Abraxas, fourteen and a Gryffindor, was positively bouncing off the walls. He was hurrying everyone along, except Corvus, who grabbed his little brother by the arm and put him in a headlock, ruffling his dark hair. When Abraxas wrestled free, he bumped into twelve year old Scorpius, and they both were sent sprawling onto the floor. Abraxas laughed it off, but Scorpius pulled himself to his feet quite seriously, his expression grave, carefully checking to see if his clothes were mussed. Finally, little Ligeia emerged from her room, carefully smoothing her new dress. I looked at the lot of them. Six children in eight years. Four boys and two girls. a Ravenclaws, two Slytherins, a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor, and one who hadn't been sorted yet. I smiled as Corvus placed one hand on Ligeia's shoulder. He was very protective of his littlest sister. Draco opened the door, tugging on his long black coat. "Are we ready to go, then?"
I stood on Platform 9 ¾, my arm around Draco's. I was trying to keep track of everyone, constantly looking around, calling for Abraxas or Iridot not to run off to their friends just yet. They were at that age. Evander and Corvus helped corral the younger children, like sheepdogs, keeping our group together. I felt a light tugging on my sleeve, and when I looked down, it was Ligeia.
"Mother," she said to me, pulling on the arm of my coat. I looked down at her and smiled.
"Yes, Gigi?"
"When does the train leave?"
"We still have ten minutes," answered Abraxas. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Scorpius was a little more subdued, and Ligeia was the most nervous of them all. I bent down and kissed the top of her head.
"You're going to be wonderful, Gigi."
"Thank you," she replied quietly, before looking up at Draco. "Father, what house do you think I'll be in?"
"Slytherin, I think," Draco said. I playfully smacked his arm.
"You're a clever girl, though, and I think that makes you a Ravenclaw." I laughed and looked at the three. "No, it doesn't matter what house you're in. Not a whit."
"No?"
"Not at all," I said. "Besides, you've got family in almost every house. You won't have to go it alone." I ruffled Scorpius's hair as well, which he quickly pressed back into place.
"You will make us proud, I know it. And the rest of you, keep making me proud." Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I kept them back, smiling. That is, until Ligeia pulled me into a tight hug, her arms wrapping around my waist. My lip trembled as I hugged her back, then as I pulled all of my children into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mother," came the chorus of voices. I embraced each of them and gave them a kiss on the cheek. The train whistled, and the kids scrambled onto it, finding a compartment and leaning out the window, Evander calling for his sister. Ligeia was still with standing next to me, clutching at my arm. I bent down so that I could look her in the eye. "Gigi," I said. "You are going to flourish at Hogwarts. You are clever, you are strong, and you can hold your own against that hoard of brothers of yours." She smiled slightly at that. I patted her hair. "Go on, dear. Write to me about all the wonderful things you're doing. Because you will do wonderful things. I know you will."
"What if I don't? What if I fail all my classes?"
"Then we'll disown you and you'll have to move to Belgium to avoid ridicule." I said, rolling my eyes at her. She giggled at that, and I smiled.
"You're going to be fine, Gigi."
"Thanks, Mother." She gave me a quick hug, and then slowly climbed the steps to the train, looking over her shoulder the entire way. I saw her face appear in the windows along with her siblings. I waved, and they waved back as the train pulled out of the station. I bit my lip and lowered my hand, trying not to cry.
Draco put his arm around me and hugged me tight as they boarded the train. When I looked around, I saw many familiar faces. Luna with her twins, Lorcan and Lysander, who were Abraxas's partners in mischief. Ron and Hermione Weasley, whose daughter Rose was entering Hogwarts as well. And just for a moment, I caught the eye of Harry Potter. His boy, Albus, was the same age as Ligeia. He looked at me for a moment, smiled, and nodded. I nodded back. Draco released me from his hug, looking around. The crowd was thinning.
"Should we get going, then, Jack?"
"Yes. Yes, we should go home." He took my arm, and Corvus followed close behind us as the people parted in a flurry of nods and bows. I looked over my shoulder to where the scarlet train had once been.
"She'll be alright," I murmured to myself. I hadn't realized that Draco had heard me. He clasped my hand.
"She will. She'll have her own adventure." He squeezed my hand and glanced back at Corvus, the first product of our strange courtship. "Like we had ours."
THE END
