Chapter Text
"Chin up," Draco instructs, hand on Harry's shoulder. "Just get a good head of steam going, then run on through. And don't stop on the other side, or someone else will come through and run you over."
"I know, Dad," Harry says, smiling brightly up at him. His hands are wrapped around the handles of his trolley, loaded up with all of his luggage and a cage with a small white owl in it. "Should I go now?"
"Go ahead," Draco says, stepping back. "We'll be right behind you."
Harry nods and turns to face the entrance to Platform 9 ¾, narrowing his eyes at it like it's a Snitch just out of reach. He takes a deep breath, then pushes off running, and Draco feels a swoop of pride in his chest as Harry disappears into the platform's entrance.
"Dad," someone whines, and Draco looks down into the pouting face of his three-year-old son. "Where's Harry?"
"Let's go find him, shall we, Regulus?" Draco asks, sweeping the boy into his arms. "Hold on tight."
Regulus holds on a little too tightly, if Draco's being honest, but he laughs loudly in Draco's ear as they jog towards the wall. They're through seconds later, just as Draco recalls from his own time at Hogwarts, and he looks around to find Harry even as he keeps moving.
He finds Harry's trunk first, Hedwig hooting tiredly at him from her perch. His son is nowhere near it, though, so Draco scans the platform, looking for the quartet he's certain he'll see.
Sure enough, Draco quickly finds his younger self laughing as he stands between Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, Harry grinning like the cat who's got the cream as he runs up to them. The four have grown up inseparable, and Draco remembers his own first days at Hogwarts, lonely in a way that Crabbe and Goyle never quite helped with.
It'll be different this time. Everything will be different.
"Hey there," Lily says, touching his elbow. Draco looks down at her to see that she's smiling warmly back at him. "I see Harry's lost his things but found his friends."
"As expected," Draco says, with a laugh. "Where's…"
Lily rolls her eyes before tipping her head at Harry's trolley. "Lindy is convinced that if she can climb into Harry's trunk, he'll take her with him and not even notice. She doesn't seem concerned about any spellwork designed to keep her from doing exactly that."
Draco glances to Harry's trolley, where he can just see his seven-year-old daughter's bright blonde hair poking out from between Harry's things. "We'll let him sort that out," he decides, shifting Regulus in his arms.
The train whistle blows, and Lily nods. "Right now, it seems," she says, turning towards the boys. "Harry! Come say goodbye and get your things on the train! You boys have the whole ride up to Hogwarts to catch up on your summers."
"As if they didn't spend most of it together," Draco says, shaking his head with a smile.
Harry runs back over to them, already chattering a mile a minute. "Ron says he wants to be in Hufflepuff just so he doesn't have to be in the same house as George and Fred," he says, grabbing the trolley handles. "Neville and I want Gryffindor, and Draco says he's going to ask the hat to be in Ravenclaw, and Theo will, too. But we promised that we'd all still be friends, no matter where we are."
Draco breathes in evenly and nods, eyes searching for his younger self. Lucius is smiling at Draco, a small but real expression, and Narcissa is being as overly demonstrative as he remembers his own mother being. Young Draco is smiling up at the both of them, and Draco's eyes wander around as he checks in on the people who have become his friends in the past near-decade.
Frank is helping Neville load his things onto the train as Alice holds onto the twins' hands firmly, smiling broadly as Neville waves and disappears inside. Molly Weasley is in full lecture mode, somehow keeping a better handle on her chaotic family than some parents with only one child to send off. There are the Parkinsons and Lina and Theo Notts=, the MacMillans and Abbotts, and Draco isn't looking specifically, but he still feels his breath catch when his eyes land on a tall Muggle couple with a small frizzy-haired little girl standing between them.
"Lily," Draco murmurs, not looking away.
Lily looks up from where she's adjusting Harry's glasses. Her gaze follows his, and she makes a small noise before taking Regulus from him and swinging him onto her own hip.
"Go," she says softly, smiling at him.
Draco swallows and walks towards the Grangers. He doesn't have a plan here, isn't sure what he's going to say, but soon enough he's standing in front of them.
"Hello," he forces out, giving them what he hopes is a friendly smile. "I don't mean to be rude, but it appears that you're a Muggleborn family. Is there anything you need help with?"
"Oh," the woman says, turning to him with a smile on her face. "That's quite kind of you, Mr…"
"Black," Draco says, offering his hand. "Caelum Black. My son Harry is in his first year."
There's a sharp gasp, and Draco looks down automatically.
"You're Caelum Black," eleven-year-old Hermione Granger says, and it's the same tone he remembers from his first year, high and a bit shrill, but filled with excitement. "You defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort. You're famous!"
Draco laughs lightly. "Well, that was a long time ago," he says, smiling at her. "These days I'm a journalist with The Daily Prophet."
"The wizarding newspaper," a man's voice says, and Draco looks back up. Hermione's father is offering his hand, an easygoing smile on his face. "I'm Daniel Granger, and this is my wife Emma. Our daughter Hermione has read every book on magical Britain that she could get her hands on since getting that letter last year."
"Well, that should be a great help," Draco says, shaking Daniel's hand. "History of Magic will be a breeze, at least."
"Is it true that it's taught by a ghost?" Hermione asks. "Or, oh, what about the Sorting Hat? And are there really things like dragons, or hippogriffs, or…"
Draco cuts her off with a laugh. "I don't want to spoil any surprises," he says. "You'll find all of that out soon enough."
Hermione nods, and Draco sees the spark of curiosity in her eyes as she turns back to the train.
"Hermione," Draco says, unable to help himself. She turns back to look at him, and he smiles again. "Some students are… they'll be rude about your blood status. If that happens, go right to a prefect, you hear? Or go to Harry and his friends," he says, pointing over to where Harry is giving Regulus a goodbye hug as Lily pulls a sulking Lindy from his trolley. "There are good people who will help you out with bullies. Don't try to handle it alone."
"Thanks, Mr. Black," Hermione says, giving a decisive nod. "I'll try to say hello on the train."
"Speaking of," Daniel says as the train lets out another ominous whistle. "Let's get your things loaded up, shall we?"
Daniel helps Hermione push her trolley away, and Draco turns to Emma. "If you have any questions, or any trouble, call my Floo," he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his business card. It's a hazard of his job, always having them on him, but for the moment he's grateful. "Or, if you've got a pen, I can write our home phone number on it. My wife is Muggleborn," he adds at her surprised look. "Our house is… rather blended."
"That would be lovely, thank you," Emma says, digging in her bag for a pen. Draco makes quick work of writing the numbers on the back of the card, then handing it over. "I'd imagine we'll be ringing you soon."
"We look forward to it," Draco says, smiling. "Now, pardon me, but if I don't get to Harry in the next thirty seconds, he'll be on the train without giving me a hug goodbye."
Emma laughs as Draco jogs away, and he feels settled, content in a way that the person he was a decade ago would never have thought possible. He gets back to his family with just enough time to grab Harry by the back of the robe and drag him into a hug.
"You be good," he instructs, looking into his son's bright green eyes.
"I will, Dad," Harry promises.
"And you look out for your friends," Draco adds. "And Muggleborns, if they need it."
"I will, Dad," Harry repeats, wriggling slightly. "Can I get on the train now? I promise I'll send Hedwig home tonight to tell you all about everything."
"You'd better," Draco says, letting Harry go and taking a step back.
Harry grins and steps back as well, then turns and dashes for the train. He turns back once he's in the doorway, waving madly at them before disappearing down the hallway, no doubt off to look for his friends.
Draco takes Regulus from Lily and then takes her hand, feeling Lindy lean into his side, and together, they watch the Hogwarts Express pull away.