NINETEEN YEARS LATER

Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road toward the great sooty station the fumes of car exhaust and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the redheaded girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm.

"It won't be long and you'll be going, too," Ron told her.

"Two years," sniffed Rosie. "I want to go now!"

The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Hugo's voice drifted back to Ron over the surrounding clamor; his sons had resumed the argument they had started in the car.

"I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!"

"Harry, give it a rest!" said Katie.

"I only said he might be," said Harry, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth—"

But Harry caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Weasleys approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, Harry took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" Hugo asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.

"Every day, if you want us to," said Katie.

"Not every day," said Hugo quickly. "Harry says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

"We wrote to Harry three times a week last year," said Katie.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Ron put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother."

Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Hugo winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring out of the Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which Harry had already disappeared.

"Where are they?" asked Hugo anxiously, peering at the hazy forms that passed as they made their way down the platform.

"We'll find them," Katie said reassuringly.

But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud.

"I think that's them, Hugh," said Katie suddenly.

A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Ron, Katie, Rose, and Hugo had drawn right up to them.

"Hi," said Hugo, sounding immensely relieved.

Roxanne, who was already wearing her brand-new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him.

"Parked alright, then?" Fred asked Ron. "I did. Angelina didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner."

"No, I didn't," said Angelina, "I had complete faith in you."

"As a matter of fact, I did Confund him," Fred whispered to Ron, as together they lifted Hugo's trunk and owl onto the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror."

Back on the platform, they found Rose and Will, Roxanne's younger brother, having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Fred, "but no pressure."

"Fred!"

Rose and Will laughed, but Hugo and Roxanne looked solemn.

"He doesn't mean it," said Angelina.

Catching Ron's eye, Fred nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

"Look who it is."

Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Hugo resembled Ron. Draco caught sight of Fred and Ron staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Hugh. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," Katie said, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Hugo. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a Pureblood."

"Hey!"

Harry had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.

"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!"

He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed in the lack of reaction.

"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing—"

"You interrupted them?" said Katie. "You are so like your father—"

"—and he said he'd come see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" Harry added as though worried he had not made himself clear.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Rose ecstatically. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!"

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Ron. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" said Harry enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Hugh—Teddy could have my room!"

"You and Hugo will share a room only when I want the house demolished," said Ron firmly. "Besides, I think his parents would have something to say if we tried to adopt him."

He checked his watch, much scuffed and battered since he'd received it for his seventeenth birthday, one of the only brand-new things he'd ever got.

"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

"Don't forget to give Hermione our love!" Katie told Harry as she hugged him.

"Mum! I can't give a professor love!"

"But you know Hermione—"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Outside, yeah, but at school she'd Professor Granger, isn't she? I can't walk into Potions and give her love…"

Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Hugo.

"See you later, Hugh. Watch out for the thestrals."

"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!"

But Harry merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Ron told Hugo. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats."

Katie kissed Hugo goodbye.

"By, Hugh," said Ron as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you've learned how. And don't let Harry wind you up."

"What if I'm in Slytherin?"

The whisper was for his father alone, and Ron knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Hugo to reveal how great and sincere that fear was. Ron crouched down so that Hugo's face was slightly above his own.

"Then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it?" Ron said quietly, so that nobody but Katie could hear and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Roxanne, who was now on the train. "If it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"It does?"

"It did for my friend Harry," said Ron.

His children all knew about Harry. His eldest was named after him, and all his best stories had Harry in them. (And Hermione, too, usually, much to her annoyance. She was their teacher now, after all; she didn't like them knowing about all the rules she'd broken or how many years she'd worked for Wheezes.)

But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents were swarming forward for final kisses and last-minute reminders. Hugo jumped into the carriage and Katie closed the door behind him. Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward their little family.

"Why are they all staring?" demanded Hugo as he and Roxanne craned around to look at the other students.

"Don't let it worry you," said Ron.

"It's me," said Fred. "I'm extremely famous."

Hugo, Roxanne, Willian and Rose laughed. The train began to move, and Ron walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Ron kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him…

The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Ron's hand was still raised in farewell.

"He'll be alright," murmured Katie.

As Ron looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly.

"I know he will."

All was well.

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support over the months and months this story has taken to come together!