Epilogue:

20 Years Later:

The fog around King's Cross station almost clouded his gaze entirely. Even so it was impossible to miss the scarlet-colored steam train that led to Hogwarts. Harry couldn't help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia as a young girl with his jet-black hair and Daphne's ice blue eyes grabbed his hand, tugging on it insistently.

"Dad," she whispered, still pulling on his hand.

Harry smiled at his youngest child and knelt so she could talk to him. Lily had always been very quiet and reserved, reminding Harry of himself before Hogwarts, although without the years of abuse. In fact, he'd done his very best to find the perfect middle point between his and Dudley's upbringings. Lily was their only girl, and was also the most internally focused of their children. She loved reading and soon Daphne had a fan in the form of her daughter. Lily read everything Daphne wrote, and would often discuss the points of the stories with her mother for hours at a time.

Orion was their eldest child, already thirteen and as excited as anyone to explore the school. Harry had received a few letters from Headmistress Mcgonagall that his son had taken to exploring around the castle at night, and had managed to find the entrance to the kitchens in his second year. It appeared that over the years Mcgonagall had taken a page from Dumbledore's book, as she found this more endearing than dangerous or deserving of punishment. He had dirty blonde hair that hung into his emerald eyes.

His middle child, Cyrus was named for Daphne's father, who had fallen to a heart attack when they were twenty. Cyrus was just entering his first year and while he had Daphne's hair and eyes, he had also needed glasses. He also was very like Daphne in attitude, dignified and fierce when needed. Harry had heard, more than once, the tale of Cyrus leaping onto a boy that was picking on his brother, and was at least twice his side.

Harry felt that Cyrus would go to Gryffindor if that story had any factor in it. Although he could see the boy taking a Slytherin seat almost as easily. Thanks to Daphne and himself, and to a lesser degree Tracey and Neville; the long-held animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor was all but abolished.

"What is it, Lily-flower?" he asked his child.

She pointed to a trunk on the ground, which Harry immediately recognized as belonging to Orion, who was sprinting towards a group of his friends.

"Orion-James!" called Daphne, using what Harry had dubbed the mom voice. "You get back here and grab your trunk now!"

Despite himself, Harry chuckled.

"I'm afraid you're doomed to have to watch your brothers for your life, Lily."

"The cost of being the only girl," said Lily, smiling softly at him.

Harry winked at her as Orion came jogging back to pick up his trunk, and Harry stopped him.

"Dad!" called Orion, exasperated. "My friends are all boarding the train!"

"And you'll have all year with them. But before you leave, take this."

He reached down into the shrunken bag he'd brought and pulled out his old firebolt, which was still one of the finest brooms on the market, although no longer quite top-of-the-line.

"Wow," said Orion reverently. "Dad… really?"

Harry nodded.

"I saw your quidditch matches last year and there's no way I'm letting you be undone as a chaser because you were using a cleansweep. This broom saw me through all sorts of trouble, and it will do right by you."

Orion nodded, taking the broom gingerly.

"Thanks dad."

"Now go, catch your friends."

The blonde boy nodded and jogged off, calling out to them and showing off his father's gift.

"Hey Cyrus," called a small voice, and Harry turned to see who was talking.

He soon recognized Astoria, Draco and their son, Scorpius. It was their son who had spoken, and he'd made good friends with his cousin being the same age as the boy.

"Hello Scorpius," said Harry, briefly hugging the boy before turning to his father. "Brother mine."

"Brother-in-law by marriage," said Malfoy thinly. "Honestly Potter I've not idea why you insist on trying to force a relationship between the two of us. I acknowledge that we are… somewhat related, but we will never get along."

"How do you stand your husband?" Harry asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh he's not so bad when he's not trying to show off," said Astoria, smiling and nudging Draco in the ribs. "Daphne, it's been too long since I've seen you!"

They hugged and Daphne kissed her sister's cheek.

"Yes well, the children are a real handful. I always thought I knew that they were hard to care for, but you really don't know until you have one."

"Too true," said Astoria. "I'm dreading the day Scorpius begins going through puberty."

"Orion's already a pain," said Harry, smiling as he hugged Astoria. "I often wonder why it was Daphne wanted three kids."

"As I recall husband," said Daphne, smirking at him. "You had a fair hand in that as well."

Harry shrugged, before smiling and kissing her on the forehead. It had been two decades since Voldemort and he'd had struggles he'd never imagined since then. He'd spent sleepless nights with crying children. He'd worried over his position in politics and collapsed into his bed more than laid down in it.

It had all been absolutely wonderful and he wouldn't have traded for the world.