Nineteen Years Later

                                    

                                          
Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was as crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbled across the rumbling road toward the great, sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing, the owls inside them hooted indignantly., and the brown-haired girl trailed tearfully behind her brother, clutching her father's arm. 
                          
"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Harry told her. 
                          
"Two years," sniffed Lily. "I want to go now!"
                          
The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Regulas' voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamour, his sons had resumed the argument they had started n the car. 
                          
"I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!" 
                          
"James, give it a rest," Draco sighed, clearly sick of his sons' squabbling.
                          
"I only said he might be," said James, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth-"
                          
But James caught his father's grey eye and fell silent. The five Potter-Malfoy's approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, James took the trolley from his father and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.
                          
"You'll write to me, won't you?" Regulas asked his parents immediately, capitalising on the momentary absence of his brother. 
                          
"Everyday if you want us to," said Draco. 
                          
"Not every day," said Regulus quickly. "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."
                          
"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Draco.
                          
"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Harry put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother."
                          
Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forwards, gathering speed. As the reached the barrier, Regulus winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged on to platform nine and three quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared. 
                          
"Where are they?" Asked Regulas anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.
                          
"We'll find them," said Draco reassuringly. 
                          
But the vapour was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud. Harry thought he heard Percy discoursing loudly on the broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello...
                          
"I think that's them Reg," said Draco suddenly. 
                          
A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Draco, Lily and Regulus had drawn right up to them. 
                          
"Hi," said Regulus, sounding immensely relieved.
                          
Rose, who was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him. 
                          
"Parked all right then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did. Hermione 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 Hermione. "I had complete faith in you."
                          
"As a matter of fact, I did Confund the examiner," Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Regulus' trunk and owl onto the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Supersensory Charm for that."