Elisabeth was far too excited to sleep. Her stomach was churning and her thoughts were moving so fast she didn't have a moment to think about them. She sat up in her bed and pulled on her clothes as quietly as possible. She crept down the stairs. Someone was sitting at a table in front of the fireplace and when she stepped off the stairwell he turned around.

"Hey Libby, what are you doing up?" her father called softly across the room.

"Can't sleep." She whispered back, moving slowly across the floor so not to let it creak.

"I understand," he said as she pulled up a chair at the table, "I'm nervous myself."

"What do you have to be nervous about?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I'm sending my little girl off to boarding school for the first time, it'll be the longest I've been away from her for my entire life, and on top of that I have to meet three million people that I never prepared my self to meet again. After I drop you off I will be seriously burned out and I still have to go to work."

"Aw, poor dad, what a nasty hand you've been dealt."

Harry shook his head, "You may be Susie's daughter but you got none of her sweetness. Zip, zero, zilch."

"Oh what? You're so sweet and sugary yourself."

Harry puffed his chest out. "Me man, me no need to be sweet and sugary, me need to be hard and tough."

Elisabeth poked him in the stomach and all the air came rushing out of his lungs, and he deflated.

"So who are these three million people that you didn't expect to meet again?"

"Oh let's see, Hannah Abbot, your mum's best friend. Cho Chang, my first real girlfriend, Seamus Finnigan-"

"Did all of your friends get knocked up on graduation day or something?"

"That's a crude way to put it."

"Well really, they all have kids my age and I'm eleven and you just turned twenty-nine. Pansy or whoever must have been pregnant when she was in school."

"The war broke out three days before graduation, most of us didn't think we'd survive so we had children so the world wouldn't become under populated or something. I don't know what we thought would happen to all these babies if we did die, there are so many orphans out there. Too many."

"Well why is it this big thing? I mean it's not like they're going to kill you or anything."

"Oh Elisabeth, it's so hard to explain. People, people thought I was some sort of hero. The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter. And then I left. After you do great things in a war you're supposed to stick around. You're supposed to let people buy you drinks, you're supposed to compare war scars. Nobody understood except Seamus. He doesn't have any children of his own but he takes care of Justin Finch-Fletchley's son. Justin was a friend of ours." He added. "Seamus left after the war, both of his parents died, he wasn't married, he didn't have any siblings so he took Caroline and went to live in Ireland. He still communicates with the magical world but, it's different." He smiled. "So, what do you have to be nervous about?"

"Dad! I have everything to be nervous about! I'm starting a new school, what if the other kids don't like me? They always think I'm weird."

"You are weird, at Hogwarts you'll be with people like you."

Elisabeth scowled at him. "What if I make a fool of myself?"

"I was worried about that. Ron and I thought we would have to wrestle a mountain troll to gain admittance into the school."

Elisabeth arched one eyebrow. "That's a wee bit far-fetched don't you think?"

"It was perfectly plausible then."

"Okay, gather up your tattered dignity."

"Excuse me, you are looking at the Wimbourne Wasps star Seeker."

"You'll have to exert yourself a bit more so you don't look old and decrepit next to your fifteen-year-old co-worker."

Harry's eyes twinkled mischeviously, "We could stick a replica of you in the stands, he would spend so much time trying to chat you up he would miss the game and I would be the star."

Elisabeth blushed furiously. "He was just being nice!"

Harry nodded and smiled. "A walk before everyone gets up?"

Elisabeth agreed and they set off through the nearly empty Diagon Alley. It was beautiful as the sun rose and they stood and watched until it was time to return to the inn for breakfast.

They ate the morning meal quickly and did a quick rake through of the rooms, making sure owls were in cages and nobody's pants were left behind, finally they packed into Ministry provided cars and headed to the station [almost] on time.

When the pulled up Harry took a deep breath before he stepped out of the car to help Elisabeth with her trunk.

They hugged and kissed the older Weasley's good-bye and walked into King's Cross Station. There were no incidents until they stepped through the wall and into the platform.

The moment they stepped through, viewing the scarlet steam engine, people swarmed around them.

Elisabeth was introduced to people so quickly she didn't remember their names. One or two women slapped Harry across the face and burst into tears but most of them throew their arms around him and kissed him.

Elisabeth couldn't help but remember the last three people who came over.

"Elisabeth I want you to meet my very good friend, Seamus Finnigan."

Elisabeth looked up at the man. He was not wearing robes but instead an oiled canvas work coat and a tweed scally cap.

"Fashionable as usual." Harry said, glancing at the heavy work boots.

"I try." Seamus replied, smiling. Then he looked at Elisabeth. "Not a drop of Susan in you." He said, shaking his head. "Damn good thing. She looked like a chipmunk." And that was her introduction to Seamus Finnigan. No fuss, no handshake, no hug. Elisabeth found she liked him very much. He introduced Caroline in the same no-nonsense fashion. "Elisabeth, my daughter Caroline. Somewhere over there. Just in case anyone asks if you were properly introduced. She doesn't like to be seen in public with me." He added, looking at Harry. "After all I did.twenty-three hours of labour."

"You didn't give birth to her!" Harry exclaimed.

"Man, you've never been in a delivery room with a woman in labour have you? A FRENCH woman in labour no less, didn't even know what she was yelling at me about. Ah! There's Caro." He said, before Harry could reply.

A tiny, fine-boned blond girl with wispy hair and almost transparent skin came over.

"Caroline, Elisabeth. Elisabeth, Caroline." Caroline nodded and smiled at Elisabeth. "Pleasant to meet you Elisabeth, would you like to come sit with me on the train?"

"I have some other friends I'll be sitting wih, I'l see you at Hogwarts though?"

"Of course! Bring your friends by my compartment, the more the merrier."

"Doesn't like people that one." Seamus said, watching Caroline's retreating back.

Harry laughed. "So why aren't you married yet Finnigan?"

"I was, for about a month and a half. Why aren't you?"

"Who were you married to?" Harry asked, incredulous.

"It doesn't matter, 'twas of political convenience, nothing more. Now why aren't you married?"

"Because he hasn't seen Cho yet." Ron piped up.

"Shut up!" Harry said through his teeth.

"You haven't! Well, I'll get her over here in a jiff, ta, mate, I'll see you again soon. Good-bye Elisabeth, Ron." He tipped his cap and disappeared before Harry could protest further.

"Ron! Jesus, what about Ginny? What about Sven or Jens or whoever?"

"You'll be forgetting Ginny, Harry. And Olof and Cho are long divorced. There she is now. I'll see you later." And he too melted into the crowd.

A moment later a tall, slim dark-haired woman appeared. Her face was completely European and if Elisabeth hadn't known from her name that she was Asian she never would have guessed.

"Cho." Harry said, he nodded stiffly and formally at her.

"Harry." She said softly. They stood akwardly and shyly for a moment.

"Cho, this is my daughter Elisabeth, Elisabeth, Cho Chang."

"Elisabeth!" The woman exclaimed, then stepped back, as though she thought that if she didn't hold herself back she would lunge forward and hug the girl, never letting her go. "Harry-"

"If you'll excuse me my daughter has a train to catch." Harry walked stifly ahead. "Cho." He nodded curtly at the woman and then looked at his daughter, standing confused in the middle of the floor.

"You won't win this time Harry. You won't." Her voice was ragged and Elisabeth found herself feeling sorry for the woman.

"Try me." Harry said coldly. "Lis, sweetheart, come on."

Elisabeth looked back at Cho, standing there, crying by herself before she turned to her father and followed him to the train.

The other children had said good-bye to their parents and were preparing to board the train.

"Good-bye Daddy." Elisabeth said, unsurprised by the tears starting in her eyes.

"Good-bye sweetie, I'll owl you everyday and make sure to send me a note telling what house you're in."

Elisabeth nodded, there didn't seem to be any more to say. "Be good honey, I'll see you at Christmastime." He kissed her quickly and stepped back while she boarded the train, calling good-byes to him, to Ron, to Lavender, to anyone standing on the platform.

The five children made their way to a campartment and sat down. All they could do now was wait.