Having a son had truly changed my life. I was no longer my first priority – Scorpius was, then came Astoria and thirdly, me. Everything I did, I did with him in mind: I was determined to raise him like a doting father should. Astoria had proven to be an excellent mother, her instincts and intuition always spot on. When he was five, Scorpius had even told me that he thought she was “cool”. Truthfully, raising a child, even through the hard and frustrating times, had brought us together more than ever; we just both loved him so much.
***
I let my eyes wander about Platform 9 ¾, only barely recognizing some people who had been to school with me and who had aged a lot. As I searched a little further, I couldn’t but straighten up and lay a firm hand on Scorpius’ shoulder. Potter – and the red-haired Weasley bunch. If any of their kids ever started some trouble with my son, I would personally have a word or two with them. I addressed Potter a curt nod when our gazes met, which I also intended as a warning.
Astoria hugged our son vigorously.
“Promise us you’ll write back,” she asked of him.
Scorpius seemed a little flustered and embarrassed, yet hugged her back anyway.
“Yes, mom,” he drawled. She had only been saying that for the past week or so. I chuckled to myself and when Scorpius looked up to watch me, I winked and he smirked.
“Have fun, alright?” I told him once his mother had let go of him, ruffling his blond hair with my hand.
“I sure will,” he said.
The red train blew off some steam as the sound of its horn filled the platform. Scorpius’ green eyes widened apprehensively.
“Go, go!” Astoria and I both exclaimed, handing him his trunk and his owl as we pushed him towards the moving crowd of students. He went on, only looking back once.
I held Astoria by the waist as we watched students board the train.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?” she asked me.
“He’ll be just great,” I assured her.
I kissed the side of her face as she smiled sadly.
“I hope he makes some good friends,” she sighed, resting her head against me.
“He takes more after you,” I said, “so he’ll be fine.”
I reached in the inside pocket of my jacket and took out a photograph. I handed it to my wife; her mouth opened slightly as she recognized it.
“I thought I’d lost it!”
It was the picture of her and her Ravenclaw friends, laughing. The one I had dubbed “Happiness”.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I’d kept it for moral support, but I don’t need it anymore.”
Astoria smiled and kissed me.
*
I boarded the Hogwarts Express, both eager and nervous. Dad had told me so much about the castle; I couldn’t wait to see it for myself. I knew, somehow, that I would like it there. I also knew that Dad and Mum would write often.
I waved them goodbye as they disappeared into a cloud of smoke, smiling.
*
The End.
A/N: A short and sweet ending and tadaa! That nineteen year gap is filled.
I hope you enjoyed the story; it was a lot of fun to write. It ended up being really different from how I had originally imagined it, but I’m not dissatisfied with the result! Foreshadowing has proven to be good fun.
Thank you very much for reading and thank you to those of you who leave very special reviews. I sincerely wish to thank you one last time.
Take care,
wings_of_shadow
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