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 towards the great, sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts 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 blonde-haired girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her pops' arm.
"It won't be long and you'll be going too," Albus told her.
"Three years," sniffed Astoria. "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. Cedric's voice drifted back to Albus over the surrounding clamour; his sons had resumed the argument they had started in the car.
"I won't! I won't be in Hufflepuff! I'm not an old duffer!"
"Craig, give it a rest!" said Scorpius.
"I only said he might be," said Craig, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Huff-"
But Craig caught his father's eye and fell silent. The five Potter-Malfoys approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look on his face, Craig 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?" Cedric asked his parents immediately, capitalising on the momentary absence of his brother.
"Every day, if you want us to," said Scorpius.
"Not every day," said Cedric quickly. "Craig says most people only get letters from home about once a month."
"We wrote to Craig three times a week last year," said Scorpius.
"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Albus put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother."
Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forwards, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Cedric 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 Craig had already disappeared.
"Where are they?" asked Cedric anxiously, peering at the hazy forms as they made their way down the platform.
"We'll find them," said Scorpius reassuringly.
But the vapour was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud. Albus thought he heard Aoife discoursing loudly about broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello ...
"I think that's them, Ced," said Scorpius suddenly.
A group of eight people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Albus, Scorpius, Astoria and Cedric had drawn right up to them.
"Hi," said Cedric, sounding immensely relieved.
Sophie, who was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes, and Finn, James and Nat's son (it had been awkward between her and Albus at first, but they soon got over it) beamed at him.
"Parked all right, then?" Ryan asked Albus. "I did. Rose 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 Rose. "I had complete faith in you."
"As a matter of fact, I did Confund him," Ryan whispered to Albus, as together they lifted Cedric's trunk and owl on to the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Supersensory Charm for that."
Back on the platform, they found Astoria, Olivia, Finn's little sister and Andy, Sophie'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 James, "but no pressure."
"James!"
Astoria, Olivia and Andy laughed, but Cedric, Sophie and Finn looked solemn.
"He doesn't mean it," said Nat, Rose and Scorpius, but James was no longer paying attention. Catching Albus' eye, he 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."
Polly Chapman was standing there with her husband and daughter, a dark coat buttoned up to her throat. The new girl resembled Polly as much as Craig resembled Albus. Polly caught sight of Albus, Ryan, Rose, James, Nat and Scorpius staring at her, nodded curtly and turned away again.
"So that's little Angela," said James under his breath. "Make sure you beat her in every test, Finn. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."
"James, for heaven's sake," said Nat, half-stern, half-amused, "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"
"You're right, sorry," said James, but unable to help himself, he added, "don't get too friendly with her, though, Finn. Uncle Ron would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."
"Hey!"
Craig had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.
"Ben'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 Poppy!"
He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.
"Our Ben! Ben Fredericks! Snogging our Poppy! Our cousin! And I asked Ben what he was doing -"
"You interrupted them?" said Albus. "You are so like James -"
"- and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" Craig added, as though worried he had not made himself clear.
"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Astoria ecstatically. "Ben would really be part of the family then!"
"He already comes around for dinner about four times a week," said Albus. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"
"Yeah!" said Craig enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Ced - Ben could have my room!"
"No," said Albus firmly, "you and Ced will share a room only when I want the house demolished."
He checked the battered, old watch that had once been his father's, and Fabian Prewett's before him.
"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."
"Don't forget to give Lily our love!" Scorpius told Craig as he hugged him.
"Dad! I can't give a Professor love!"
"But you know Lily! She's your aunt!"
Craig rolled his eyes.
"Outside, yeah, but at school she's Professor Jenkins, isn't she? I can't walk into Arithmancy and give her love ..."
Shaking his head at his father's foolishness, Craig vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Cedric.
"See you later, Ced. Watch out for the Thestrals."
"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!"
But Craig merely laughed, permitted his father to kiss him goodbye, gave his pops a fleeting hug, then leapt on to the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.
"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Albus told Cedric. "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."
Scorpius kissed Cedric goodbye.
"See you at Christmas."
"Bye, Ced," said Albus, as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Lily's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let Craig wind you up."
"What if I'm not in Slytherin?"
The whisper was for his pops alone, and Albus knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Cedric to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.
Albus crouched down so that Cedric's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Albus' three children, Cedric had inherited Harry's eyes.
"Cedric," Albus said quietly, so that nobody but Scorpius could hear, and he was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Sophie, who was now on the train, "you were named for a boy my dad knew, whose death was terribly unfair. He was a Hufflepuff, and he was probably the most loyal, kind, hard-working and dedicated person you could meet."
>
"But just say -"
"-then Hufflepuff house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Ced. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Slytherin over Hufflepuff. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
"Really?"
"It did for Grandad."
Harry had never told his grandchildren that before, and Albus saw the wonder in Cedric's face when he said it. But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents were swarming forwards for final kisses, last-minute reminders.
Cedric jumped into the carriage and Scorpius shut 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 towards Albus (he did almost destroy the world at fourteen).
"Why are they all staring?" demanded Cedric, as he, Finn and Sophie craned round to look at the other students.
"Don't let it worry you," said Ryan. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."
Cedric, Sophie, Finn, Andy, Olivia and Astoria laughed. The train began to move, and Albus walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Albus 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. Albus' hand was still raised in farewell.
"He'll be all right," murmured Scorpius.
As Albus looked at him, he lowered his hand absent-mindedly and touched his husband on the shoulder.
"I know he will."
Nothing had pained the two for 19 years. All was well.
But Albus was having some serious deja vu.