Ok, this is the last chapter! Thank you for reading this, and I honestly hope that you liked it. I decided that I will make a sequel that details Scorpius's life at Hogwarts and his home-dealings during that time. It won't be posted for a day or two, but if you see something that has my name on it, that's probably it. I'll also denote it in the summary. You guys are seriously great and thank you again for reading this! :)

The Hogwarts Express hissed steam behind the small Malfoy family as they walked through Platform 9 ¾. Draco carried Scorpius's trunk, Astoria clutched his tiny hand in hers. Hundreds of families marched past, hurrying around, all trying to get their children aboard the train while saying meaningful goodbyes as well. Draco was proud of his wife—she hadn't cried yet. But he knew they were in for it the moment Scorpius would set foot on the train. They all stopped walking. He set the trunk onto the ground, turning to face his son. Scorpius suddenly looked so tiny compared to everything around them; all the other children, the train itself, the entire building. Astoria knelt down before him. "Do you want us to carry your trunk onto the train for you?" she asked, brushing her hand over his silky blonde hair. He shook his head. "No, thank you. I can handle it." To demonstrate, he lifted the handle of his trunk. After only a few seconds, his little arm faltered and it crashed onto the ground. She glanced at her husband. "Really, I'm fine. Once I get it going I won't drop it again. I'll pick a seat close to the entrance." Scorpius assured. Draco gave his son a nod.

It was hard for him—being out in public where so many of his peers were surrounding him with their own children. He still had his insecurities no matter how far behind the past was. As long as he just didn't see them…. The train whistled a short blast. Draco checked his watch. "Ten til eleven. You'd better get going if you want a good seat." he said, the weight of his words beginning to take a toll on his voice. He was really going to miss his little son. Astoria's eyes brimmed with restrained tears. Scorpius looked at her, attempting a watery smile. Draco knew that this was going to be a really emotional moment for him and his family, considering Scorpius was all that they had, and now he was leaving them. He looked back towards the train.

Instantly, his breath caught.

Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter himself were all staring at him in a group. It felt like all of the air had left his lungs, like the atmosphere was standing still. Images raced back to him: Potter refusing to shake his hand at the Sorting, Weasley's slugeating spell backfiring on the Quidditch field, Potter pointing a wand at him in the boys' bathroom at a time where he was most vulnerable, Granger on the floor beneath his aunt….Everything ached on him. His head spun. But Potter was looking at him differently—as if his very gaze was asking Draco if he was ready to be friends yet. Granger was also staring in a nonjudgmental way. Ron Weasley was the only one that still had an expression of disgust as he looked onto his former enemy, but Draco saw Granger elbow him in the ribs. He looked straight at Potter, deciding this would be the moment that could possibly change things around. He gave a curt nod. He could see from his expression that he understood that Draco was accepting his request for a new beginning from so many years ago. Draco turned away from them to hide the tears that were brimming in his eyes.

Astoria pulled Scorpius into a hug. "Will you write to me, Mummy?" he asked quietly. She nodded vigorously. "Of course we will, darling. Of course." Scorpius pondered this for a moment, then stood back to look her in the eye. "I'm going to write to you every morning, alright? That way we don't fall out of touch. I'll send a letter by owl at breakfast so it'll get to you quickly." he decided. Draco nodded. His son certainly was one to set a plan for himself. Astoria wiped her eyes. Scorpius turned to his father. "Goodbye, Daddy—oops, I mean, Father." He had taken to calling Draco a more formal name because he wanted to act older and more reverent. Draco shook his hand first, but broke down and ended up hugging him entirely. "I love you," he whispered into the boy's ear. He reached over and pulled Astoria into their hug too. "Malfoys stick together," he murmured to them through tears. Astoria nodded, squeezing his hand against the pain in her heart. Scorpius agreed with him, promising he'd uphold their standards. The train whistle blew again.

Ron Weasley crossed his arms over his chest. "So that's little Scorpius." he commented. Hermione sighed. "Look at that poor girl. She's so incredibly ill, you can just tell." she sadly said.

"I'd be sick too if I had to marry him,"

"Ron…"

"The kid too—looks just like Malfoy when we started. Except this newer model's smaller. Malfoy was more twerpy."

"Ron, please. That family's been through a lot. I heard that his wife was in St. Mungo's last year for several weeks."

"Probably because she's married to Malfoy."

"Ron!"

"So what? I was in St. Mungo's last year too!"

"Yeah, because you just couldn't assemble the backyard fence 'the Muggle way' like I'd said. Magically driving a stake into your foot accidentally does not compare with what she endured to get into St. Mungo's!"

Harry sighed; even though they were married, his friends were still the same. "What's wrong with her anyway?" he asked aloud. "She had a Dark curse set upon her by a Death Eater during the war. It's permanent, and it acts as a disease that feeds upon sadness and despair. One little slip of an emotion and she could be bedridden for days." Hermione answered, still as smart as ever. Ron let out a surprised whistle. "Wonder if that's changed him at all." Harry said.

"It looks like it. See how he's always holding her hand or touching her in some way? I'll bet he's trying to keep her stable since this is a sad day for her. You can tell by the look in his eyes—I think he really loves her. His son too; I've never seen him cry like that."

"I've only seen it once. When he was losing his mind and failing at being a Death Eater in the school bathroom. Other than that, he's held a pretty brave face all this time."

"She's got such a fragile beauty about her. I sent her a letter one day asking if baby Scorpius would like to have a playdate with Hugo and Rose, but she never answered. I kept trying. Never heard back once."

"She's probably been busy running a household and being so sick."

"Come on you two," Ron called. "The kids are getting on the train!"

Scorpius used all of his strength to haul his trunk up and drag it towards the Hogwarts Express with him. He turned and waved one more time at his parents. They waved back, tears soaking their faces as they kept an arm around each other. Scorpius stepped onboard. He told himself that he'd push through the weight and get a good seat, make lots of friends; but the trunk became too heavy in no time. He ended up sliding into a completely empty car after a stewardess put his trunk away for him. He sank down onto the seat, knowing that there would be almost no chance of anyone coming to sit with him. He was one of the last ones to board, after all. Scorpius looked out the window. He watched as his mother leaned over and became engulfed in a big, meaningful hug by his father. The two held onto each other tightly. The train lurched forward.

Scorpius stared out the window until his parents became an inscrutable black dot far behind him at the station. Once he could no longer see them, his heart felt heavy. He knew he would miss them terribly. Suddenly, the compartment door swung open. Scorpius whipped his head over. A black-haired boy stood there, staring at him. He entered without hesitation. "Are you in here all by yourself?" he asked. Scorpius nodded. He barely had any contact with other children in his life, and communication was already proving to be a fault in him. The boy smiled. "Why don't you come sit with us? It's just me, my brother, and my cousin. And a few of our friends, but they'll like you too." Scorpius shyly looked up. He didn't want to intrude or feel pitied, and he certainly didn't want to have to deal with that wretchedly heavy trunk again. "M-My things…" he began nervously. "It's alright. You can leave them in here. We're just down the hall a bit. I'm sure no one will take anything. And if they do…I'll rough 'em up!" the boy laughed, shaking his fists in the air. Scorpius giggled too. He stood up to follow this new boy wherever he'd lead him. "I'm Albus, by the way. Albus Severus Potter." the dark-haired boy said. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," the fair boy answered. The two briefly shook hands.

Once inside the new compartment, Albus introduced his friend. "This here is my big brother, James; that's my cousin, Rose; those two are twins, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander—their mum is Luna Lovegood, ever heard of her? Everyone, this is Scorpius Malfoy." The children greeted him welcomingly, all except for Rose, who simply picked at her fingernails quietly. Albus asked her what the problem was. She shrugged, finally saying, "My Daddy says I'm not supposed to be friends with you." Scorpius was taken aback. How could someone not like him when they hadn't even met him? James snorted. "Yeah but your mum said it was alright. Remember? She told your dad to stop acting like a jerk." he reminded. Rose pondered this, then nodded. "I suppose so. Alright, we can be friends. But I'm still supposed to beat you at every test." she informed. Scorpius gave a small smile. "You're on," he replied. Everyone rearranged themselves so their new friend could sit beside them. They talked, they laughed, and they ate snacks from the trolley. It was a very successful beginning—and one that their parents would have never believed to even be possible, back when they were on the same train just nineteen years previous.