Even though they had been back and forth between the house and Hogwarts for a few days now, Sev and Hazel insisted on taking Eileen to Platform 9 3/4 and sending her to Hogwarts "the proper way. Your father and I both did it, and we don't want you to miss out on the trip with your friends. We'll see you in a few hours, alright?" Hazel smiled, giving her daughter a hug.

"I'll see you soon," Eileen nodded, her face set. She'd been excited to go to Hogwarts, especially since she'd grown up hearing stories about the school. Some of her friends from magical families were going to be in her first year-class, and they had all spent the summer speculating on what house they would be in and what the school was actually going to be like. Some of them had older siblings who told stories of learning to fly, encountering wild creatures, and legendary trips to Hogsmeade.

As she packed, though, she had started to worry. Where was she going to end up? She'd seen parts of the school already - her parents had taken her with to help move some of their things into the dungeons. Her dad was taking over as Head of Slytherin House again, since Professor Slughorn (who had been incredibly enthusiastic to meet her and was already looking forward to having her in class) was more than glad to hand over his official duties so he had more time to research.

She'd met the other Heads of House there too. Her Aunt Minerva, who stopped by for most family holidays, was the Head of Gryffindor House. Her mum's friend Professor Flitwick was Head of Ravenclaw. And Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff, was one of the friendliest people she'd met in her short time exploring the school. All of them had wished her luck and said they'd be glad to have her in their houses.

"Go find your cousin Teddy," Sev said, hugging his daughter goodbye. Her cousin Teddy, a couple of years older, was in Hufflepuff. They'd seen him and his grandmother Andromeda further down the platform. Teddy's every-changing hair was currently blue, so he'd been easy to spot.

"I'll see you later, Dad," Eileen smiled, getting onto the train.

Nearby, a group of younger adults was whispering and pointing. Their own children were already on the train, at least those who were old enough to go to Hogwarts. "Harry, look! That's got to be him." Ginny elbowed her husband, pointing him towards where another couple stood. He was dressed in Muggle clothes, and his hair had started to grey a little, but there was no mistaking him.

The two of them watched as he met up with the woman Ginny had noticed a few minutes ago. A girl with dark hair stood between them with her trunk and an owl, saying goodbye. "There's no way..."

"You saw him die," Ron objected, rubbing at his eyes. "Harry, you said you saw him die. That can't be him."

"Oh, there they are." Luna floated over, her eyes on the couple that was helping their daughter onto the train. "I haven't seen them in ages. I do need to send over my bread pudding recipe."

"Wait, Luna, what?"

All eyes were on her now as Ginny asked what she knew. Luna gave them a look that asked how they couldn't have known. "Of course they're alive. They've been living in a little town on the coast. You never knew? I see them every Christmas at least. Professor Ashmore was best friends with my parents when they were in school. She's my godmother. As for Professor Snape, well of course they got married. Did you expect anything different? You should have seen them then - well, they're still as in love as ever..."

"Luna, how come you never told us?" Ron asked. He turned to his wife, his eyes widening. "Wait a minute, Hermione, did you know?"

Hermione gave them a knowing smile. "Working for the Ministry has its perks."

"You knew?" Harry and Ron were incredulous. Ginny knew better than to suspect any less, though. "And you never told any of us?"

"I did some digging when I got there, first to make sure my parents weren't on the list of Muggles that were reported dead," Hermione explained, looking between all of them. "But then I found this other list, and... they went undercover for a while, assumed Muggle names, and started writing books. We - everyone who knew - just kind of agreed to keep it quiet until they were ready to tell everyone themselves. Give them a quiet retirement and a bit of peace, you know?"

So much for a quiet retirement. As they watched, Draco Malfoy and his wife went up to the couple. They exchanged a few words while Harry and his group watched. "And they have a kid? That means he actually... and she... ugh."

"Really, Ron, what do you think they got up to all of those years they were together when we were in school?" Ginny whispered as they watched Malfoy and his wife talk to their old professors.

"It's just... it's Snape, is all. Not the kind of person you'd think -"

Harry cut him off by striding over to the four, stepping into Malfoy's conversation. "Professors?"

Malfoy stopped talking, glaring at them all. "Hello Aunt Hazel," Luna interrupted pleasantly, cutting the tension between them as she floated over. "You're all looking well."

"Hello dear," Hazel smiled, giving her a hug. "How are the twins?"

"Excited for their first year. So excited that they hardly care about what house they end up in."

The Malfoys made an excuse to walk away, and after a little while, Hermione dragged Ron away too. Luna followed, Ginny trailing in her wake to make sure their younger kids weren't getting into trouble on the platform. Besides, she knew Harry wanted to talk to them alone. Hazel drifted away for a moment, going to say hello to an old friend from the Auror Office. She knew that they needed space. "Professor -"

"Potter, though I may be returning to Hogwarts, I am no longer your teacher," Snape reminded him as they all waved to the scarlet steam engine. He had grown less vindictive over the years but still held Harry at an arm's length. But as they talked, Harry came to see how he had changed.

"Sorry, sir, er, how did you... I have to ask... You gave me all of those memories of my mother, but -" He glanced back to where Hazel was standing, Snape understanding immediately.

"Your mother was my best friend for years," he told Harry candidly. With a soft smile, he too looked down the platform, watching Hazel talk animatedly with her friend. "But that was something that would never be. It would have been wrong if it was, at least according to the best Seer of our age. I soon came to understand that as well. And I'm sure you know, Potter... some things are just meant to be. Your mother was family, but Hazel, Hazel was everything." Hazel reappeared at his side, Snape reaching for her hand. "Because of the regrettable thing I said to your mother, I became better friends with the love of my life." Harry knew this was coming, but he was still a bit taken aback by Snape's candor. The years had certainly changed him. "And in spite of all of the choices I made, she found her way back to me. We were married after the Battle of Hogwarts, and we have a wonderful daughter who is about to start her first year." He turned to give Hazel a kiss to underscore his point. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Sev is right," Hazel smiled. "It has been... quite the life, but things that are meant to happen will find a way to happen. Now Harry, we are returning to the school to teach, but if you and your friends could keep this fairly quiet for a bit, at least until the official announcement is made, we would appreciate it."

"Umm, yes. Not a problem," he agreed, still in awe of the fact that someone he thought was dead for years was now standing in front of him. "Of course."

As they went their separate ways, the strange encounter stuck in everyone's minds. On the way home, Harry and Ginny had to explain to their younger children who the two people were and why they were so surprised to see them. Ron was a little cross, but he understood why Hermione couldn't tell him. The Malfoys knew, of course. As did Luna and her husband Rolf. And Minerva McGonagall. And the now-Professor Neville Longbottom and his wife Hannah, they must know by now. And most of the other professors. Truth be told, most of their little village knew too. It didn't take them very long to put together the man's appearance, the tattoo on his arm, and the missing-but-presumed-dead man who was both slandered and heralded as a hero by the press.

Outside of the station, Hazel took Sev's arm, both of them vanishing from where they stood on the street. They were instantly transported to Hogsmeade. The little town hadn't changed at all since they had last seen it, still covered in snow. Hagrid waved to them as they made their way up to the castle. They passed the Shrieking Shack, now a quiet reminder of all of the terrible things that had happened in the town and at Hogwarts. Up through the gates they went, stopping by the marble tomb and the graveyard that had sprung up around it. As they turned away, Hazel took his hand, telling Sev that they had one more stop to make.

She led him to the stone by the edge of the forest, underneath the tree they'd studied under back in their school days. It had been weathered down by rain and snow, but his name was still clearly carved into it. Sev raised his wand, vanishing the stone into nothingness. "Excellent idea," he told her. "Now let's go get ready for the feast. I expect our sudden appearance will surprise more than a few people."