This chapter takes place in 2010.

Jacen's Appearance: . /tumblr_luybvkOxkz1r6gi3no1_

4:

The Next Generation of Potters

Harry Potter was awake already but still in bed. He knew he should get up. His oldest child was going to be going to his first year of Hogwarts this year. It was one of the proudest moments of his life. Or at least when he actually went it would be. First they would need to go to Diagon Alley to get his things for school, which they were going to do today, if Harry and Ginny would ever get out of bed.

At the moment though, they were lying in bed, kissing. That was all they were doing, but it was enough. He loved waking up like this, loved her. After losing his parents, ten years of the Dursleys, and seven more years of dealing with Voldemort and his followers, not to mention the years afterward catching the leftover Death Eaters after Voldemort's final demise, it was nice to have an actual life. He even had a large family now, with a wife and three children, and Ginny's family adding to his. He'd even made up with his Aunt Petunia and Dudley, also giving him Dudley's children to add to the lot.

They paused in their kissing when someone knocked on the door. Ginny smiled at him as she pulled back. "We should probably get that," she said to him.

Harry just gave her a look. "I'm not getting up yet," he refused, causing her to smile even more. "Come in!" They always kept the door unlocked, just in case something happened, due to Harry's paranoia, but the kids knew to knock unless there was an emergency.

The door opened and eight-year-old Jacen came inside the room. He was already dressed, except for his shoes. Jacen wasn't their son, but they treated him like it. Jacen was actually a Dursley, one of Dudley's two children, but he'd been living with them for the past seven years due to Jacen turning out to be a Muggleborn wizard. Dudley hadn't known what to do with a wizard son, and had asked Harry to raise him instead. Harry had agreed. Dudley and his wife, Jane, still visited though.

"Are you two kissing?" Jacen asked them. "Cause that would be gross." He was definitely Dudley's son. He had had the same voice at that age. But with Jacen it was actually endearing. Jacen wasn't a bad kid, though he did get in trouble often, usual kid stuff though, except for one incident.

The incident had involved Jacen sending a couple of Muggles to an asylum. That had caused extreme trouble with the Ministry that had nearly caused Jacen to be forbidden to go to Hogwarts. Harry had been able to fix things as apparently Jacen had hurt the Muggles accidentally and in self-defense. The Muggles had been attempting to hurt Jacen and Lily due to seeing them use magic.

Harry motioned Jacen over to them. "Come on," he told the small boy. Jacen ran over and jumped onto the bed, lying between them. "Are you going to be good today? You promise?"

Jacen seemed to think about it. "Okay," he finally said. "I still don't want James to leave though." He had been attempting to sabotage Harry's son going to Hogwarts ever since James Sirius Potter had gotten his letter, but they'd spoken to him about it and he'd agreed to stop.

"I know," Ginny told him, hugging him. Even she treated Jacen like her own son. "But it won't be the last time you see him, you know." She looked at Harry suddenly. "I got the shower first." She got up, grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Jacen looked at Harry. "Lily's already dressed too. She's waking up Albus and James." He was pretty close with Harry's youngest children, Albus Severus Potter and Lily Luna Potter. Ironically, James was the only one Jacen didn't get along with, though they did have their moments.

Lily herself looked into the room then, seeming to be looking for Jacen. She was only a year older than him. "Albus is up and dressed," she told her father, but gave Jacen a secretive look.

Jacen got up immediately and ran to her. Harry stopped them before they could run off. "Hold up," he told them, causing them to pause. "What's going on?"

Lily seemed about to tell him, but Jacen covered her mouth with his hand playfully. "Top secret mission," Jacen told Harry. "Afraid you can't know. Yet." He and Lily ran off, laughing.

Harry shook his head. Jacen, Albus and Lily had formed a trio of sorts. That was a very dangerous combination. But who was he to judge? He, Ron and Hermione had gotten up to so much trouble back in the day it'd been ridiculous.

After Ginny finished in the bathroom, Harry went in himself. Once they were done, they went downstairs to see the kids all in the kitchen. They smiled when they realized that Jacen, Lily and Albus had apparently made James breakfast and was serving it to him. Albus was ten, so he'd be going to Hogwarts next year. When Albus and Lily went off to Hogwarts too, it was likely to be even worse for Jacen.

Ginny gave Jacen, Lily and Albus a look. "You three do know that you probably should have made him breakfast the day he has to take the train, right?" she said to them.

"We are," Jacen said, surprising James. James was the only one sitting as they served him breakfast. "But that would be his going away breakfast. This is his 'sorry I tried to sabotage you' breakfast."

James looked at his breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. "Okay, you're forgiven, you little squirt," he told him. "Thank you. All of you."

Albus held up his hands as he, Jacen and Lily just grabbed bowls of cereal. "It was Jacen's idea," he told James. "We just agreed to help him out."

"Yeah," Lily put in. "We don't like you that much." She gave him a smile though.

Jacen looked at James as the three of them sat down. "Neither do I," he claimed. "I'm just used to having you around. I'm planning to raid your stuff when you leave." James shook his head and just ate.

Harry and Ginny just smiled as they watched the kids, not wanting to interrupt them. They ate their breakfast afterward, then they all flooed to Diagon Alley. The kids were actually getting along, but with a lot of teasing, all throughout their time in Diagon Alley. Nothing really eventful happened till after they'd gotten all of James's stuff.

The only thing left to get was James's pet. He apparently just wanted an owl. They decided to stop off for something to eat first though. While waiting in a long line, James seemed to get extremely distracted. Harry and Ginny didn't notice this till they heard the others point it out.

Albus was the first to notice. "James likes a girl, James likes a girl," he said in a sing-song voice. "I really hope I never get moon eyes like that."

Harry and Ginny frowned and looked over to see what was going on. James was indeed holding stares with a girl. She looked to be about his age too, and seemed as interested in him as he was in her. Harry got somewhat distracted himself when he noticed one of the boys with the girl, definitely a Malfoy.

"I think it's cute," Lily told Albus sternly. He just stuck his tongue out at her teasingly.

Jacen raised an eyebrow as he watched. "Oh, yeah, it's cute," he said in a teasing tone. "I can see it now. James and this girl fawn over each other, and end up getting married, and having babies, one of these a boy that inherits James's moon eyes."

James broke eye contact with the girl to glare at Jacen. "You better stop," he told him. "I don't like her anyway. She's probably…." He trailed off as he turned back to where the girl had been. "She's gone…."

They all looked to see the girl was indeed gone, along with a few others. "She most likely Apparated home with her family," Harry told James. "You'll probably see her at Hogwarts."

They all turned their backs when it was finally their turn in line, giving their orders. "What would you like to eat, James?" He smirked when there was no answer. "If that girl is back, stare at her after you get your—"

"Daddy, James is gone," Lily suddenly told them.

Everyone spun around when they noticed that James was indeed gone. They looked around but didn't see him. "James!" Ginny called out, worried when he didn't call back to her. She looked at Lily, Albus and Jacen. "Where did he go?"

None of them could answer as they hadn't seen him leave.