"Alright, son, now no trouble this year, okay?" Draco Malfoy asked, his hand resting on his son's shoulder. Scorpius had shot up a few inches over the summer holiday and was now almost as tall as his father. In their matching black, three-piece suits with emerald green ties and their matching shocks of white blonde hair they could have passed as twins waiting on Platform 9 ¾.

"Don't worry, dad. I don't plan on having any wacky adventures! Besides, I have to concentrate on my O.W.L.s this year."

"That's right," Draco reached down and grabbed Scorpius' suitcase and passed it to his son, "Are you sure this will be enough? I can always send you some more clothes if you need."

"I'll be fine."

"Will you write to me at the end of every week?"

"Every week? Dad, I'm in fifth year, I'm not a child."

Draco smirked and shook his head.

"No, you're not a child but you are my child. Will you please write?" He pressed again. Scorpius resigned and nodded.

The two stood together for a moment in an awkward silence as parents and students filtered around them. The children piled onto the train as their parents passed them gifts through the open windows, along with items they may have already forgotten. A sleek, black cat weaved between Scorpius and Draco's legs and up into the train carriage, presumably into its owner's company. The smoke cloud passing over the Hogwarts Express caught Scorpius' eye and he followed the trail over his father's head and behind his back until his eyes met a familiar sight.

"Alright, Scorp! Looking smart!" Albus Potter called over to his best friend, waving his hand excitedly. Behind him stood his parents Harry and Ginny Potter, pushing between them three baggage trollies stacked high with various suitcases, boxes and two cages each with owls in them.

CRACK.

Scorpius spun around to see James Potter standing behind him with his arm around his younger sister Lily. Both were grinning broadly.

"Scare you, did we?" James asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes that Scorpius had occasionally seen in Albus' eye too. Scorpius shrugged and James pouted, clearly disappointed with the lack of a response.

"JAMES POTTER, WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT APPARATING? AND NOT ON THE PLATFORM!" Ginny yelled as she rushed over to him, heaving the luggage and her husband in tow.

"I'm just practising, mum. Big year what with N.E.W.T.s! I can't afford to waste a single second not apparating behind unsuspecting strangers." He joked. Ginny clapped him on the shoulder.

"You're just like your Uncle George, you know that! He was always sneaking up on me and Uncle Ron."

"Who do you think told me to do it?" James added with a devilish grin and dashed up onto the train carriage before his mother could reach him. Ginny extracted her wand from her coat pocket and waved it at the luggage, enchanting it all to fly after James onto the train.

Lily grabbed Scorpius' hand and smiled warmly at him before rushing onto the train after her older brother.

"She's got a bit of a crush on you." Albus chortled. Scorpius blushed a deep red and caught his father smirking ever so slightly.

"Is that all you're bringing?" Albus mused, tilting his head towards Scorpius' lonely suitcase in his hand. Scorpius shrugged and swore he saw his father shoot him an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"We should get on the train." Scorpius chimed in hastily and Albus nodded in agreement. "Bye, dad."

Draco reached out and pulled his son into a tight hug, they had gotten much better at hugging over the summer holiday. Draco had made it a mission to hug his son at least once a day; a practice that was as strange to Scorpius as his grandparents' habit of never hugging anyone. When Draco finally released his son, Scorpius climbed up into the carriage and turned to wave to his father and the Potters. Albus quickly begun to follow suit, but Draco caught the sleeve of his shirt.

"Albus?"

"Yes, Mr Malfoy?" Albus asked, a little nervous at being singled out by Scorpius' father like that, but feeling that much more relieved having his parents standing only inches away.

"Would you…look out for Scorpius this year? Make sure he doesn't get himself into any trouble?" Draco asked, shuffling uncomfortably on the spot. He wasn't at all used to asking favours of children.

"Of course, Mr Malfoy. I'll make sure he comes back in one piece."

Draco nodded gratefully and let Albus go as Harry and Ginny waved him onto the train too. A few more minutes passed in silence for Draco with parents occasionally greeting him before the train's engine whirred to life and its wheels begun to turn. As the carriages slowly rolled past them, Draco caught sight of Scorpius sitting with Albus, James, Rose Granger-Weasley and a boy he didn't recognise. He raised his hand to wave to his son who didn't notice him until he was almost out of sight and smiled at him, quickly dropping it back down so as not to seem strange.

Behind him, Harry and Ginny chuckled to themselves.

"Something funny?" Draco asked, turning around and frowning at the pair.

"Not at all, Draco. He's a good boy." Ginny commented, waving her wand at the empty luggage trollies which begun to wheel themselves away in the opposite direction.

"He is." Draco agreed, wringing his hands nervously, a habit he had picked up over the past year whilst worrying about whatever antics his son was up to.

"He'll be fine, Draco. You shouldn't worry so much." Harry added, putting his arm around his wife and pulling her close.

"It's hard not to worry."

"I know, but trust that the boys have each other and they can take care of themselves. Plus, James is a Prefect this year and even though he's not in Slytherin, I'm sure he'll look out for the pair of them." Ginny reassured him. Draco sighed hard, turning his head slightly to see the Hogwarts Express disappearing into the horizon, nothing more than a gleaming red dot in the distance now.

"How are you both?" Draco asked the pair, the words feeling a little strange coming out of his mouth. It had been a long transition in adjusting to friendship with the Potters.

"We're good, actually we have some news. We were going to tell Ron and Hermione but they had to get to the platform early so we didn't get a chance." Harry explained, squeezing Ginny's shoulder.

"Well, spit it out." Draco said impatiently.

"I'm pregnant!" Ginny squeaked, rubbing her belly. Draco's face fell on hearing the news but he mustered up a weak smile.

"Again? Congratulations are in order, I suppose."

"Thank you, Draco." Ginny reached out and rubbed Draco's arm in thanks.

"Don't s'pose you'd fancy coming to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, would you? Neville always offers us friend's discount; I'm sure Hannah won't mind." Harry added as an after-thought, remembering that Neville Longbottom's wife was much stricter than he about handing cheap drinks out to his friends.

"How could I possibly pass up cheap ale in a dimly lit hovel?" Draco said sarcastically, before adding a nod of his head to show that he was joking.

The three set off together down the platform towards the barrier back into the Muggle world, looking to all outside eyes a very strange trio.

"Tried dating recently, Draco?" Harry asked, the same devilish grin on his lips that both of his sons' possessed.

"Shut it, Potter." Draco snapped, half serious.

"I'm only teasing, but there is a witch down in Muggle Artefacts. I could set you up with her?" Harry continued to tease. Draco shot him an icy glare.

"Shut it, Potter." He repeated.

"She's bloody gorgeous. Nothing on you, of course, Gin." Harry added as Ginny elbowed him in the side, "I happen to know for a fact she likes you. Want me to talk to her for you?"

"Oh, please do." Draco drawled in a sarcastic tone.

Although if he was being quite honest, he wouldn't mind taking up Harry's offer.