The Most Difficult Of All Our Tasks

-- I have the feeling some of you wanted this story to continue, which I thank you for. But I suck at writing scenes that are basically lots of "I love you". It makes me very uncomfortable, so I figured instead of that I'd do this instead. SP



Epilogue – Eleven Years Later …



Harry and Severus stood on platform 9 ¾ smiling at five of their children who were shoving and heaving trunks and pets onto the Hogwarts Express.

Daniel waved cheerily at his fathers before disappearing into a carriage containing two red headed boys who grinned identically when they spotted Dan.



“Hey guys! Your parents around?”



The twins exchanged looks of happiness. “Mom finally had the baby!”



Daniel’s face beamed. “That’s great! So I guess your Gran saw you off?”



“Yeah, but she had to go, Granpop is in St Mungo’s – he tried to work out how to make a light bulb light up.”



Their conversation continued.



Mycroft stayed to help his sisters get all of their belongings on the train and then assisted them to find somewhere to sit.



Harry looked at the large clock hanging over the platform.



“Fifteen minutes to go,” he observed to Severus, who was holding hands with their youngest child, Jeremiah Frederick, who was eight.



“Pops!” Daniel called from his carriage, then seeing Severus’ glare of reproach, he added, “Ooops! Sorry, Professor,”



“What, Dan?” Harry asked, forestalling the lecture he knew was coming from Severus.



“I…er…hid Pop’s briefcase last night, for a joke. It’s …”



“…behind the gnomes’ holes in the west bank,” Severus finished tiredly. “Honestly, Daniel, do you think we’re complete fools?”



“Oh, er, no. Sorry.” He saw his younger brother’s sad expression. “Cheer up, Jez! You’ll be coming soon.”



“Wanna come now!” He sulked. “Gonna be boring.”



“What will be?” Ebony asked as she returned to the platform to say goodbye to her parents.



“All alone,” Jez grumbled, “now you and Case and Opal are going too.”



Flicking her long blond hair over her shoulders (it never failed to amuse her fathers that of the entire family, she was the only one who didn’t have black hair) she said in a knowing way, “Oh, you won’t be lonely for too long.”



“Why not?” Jeremiah asked and Severus wondered.



“Cos Dad’s pregnant again, of course, silly!” With this announcement she floated away to speak to ‘Uncle’ Dray and ‘Aunt’ Jack.



“Is this true?” Severus asked, surprised.



Harry glared at his daughter. She had really dobbed him in it. “It was meant to be a surprise for when we got home tonight.” He confessed.



Severus’ lips were curling into a smile, but he repressed himself sternly. Sighing, he commented, “You make it a very difficult task,”



“Oh I know,” Harry smiled softly, “but you do strive beautifully.”



For a few seconds they looked peacefully into one another’s eyes, until a loud retching noise disturbed them.



“Croft!” Daniel yelled, “Dad and Pop are being gross again!”



“Tell ‘em it’s too early in the day for that! They know the rule – not before nine o’clock.” Mycroft called back, before appearing at the door grinning. “Bye Dad, Bye Pops. I’ll take good care of Case, Eb, and Opal.”



“You might start now,” Severus observed dryly, “there remain but two minutes before the train leaves and Ebony is still standing on the platform.”



“Oh, hell!” Mycroft exploded. “Sorry,” he added before leaping out himself and flying along the platform.



“Hi Aunt Jack, Hi Uncle Dray! Good to see you.” He turned to his sister, “Come on, you need to get on board.”



“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. She waved goodbye to the Malfoys and followed her eldest brother onto the train.



Doors slammed and steam began billowing out of the engine’s funnel.



Suddenly Acacia was by one of the doors. “Pop,” she said, sounding upset, “what if…?” she stopped.



“It doesn’t matter to me what House you’re in,” Severus assured her. Harry stayed a few steps away. Acacia had always been more Severus’ daughter than his. “Even if it IS Gryffindor.”



“Hey!” Harry called, affronted.



“No, but really,” she started, but this time it was Harry who spoke, “Sweetheart, we don’t care. The hat’ll put you where it thinks best, but you can always ask it if you really want to be in a particular House.”



She nodded, slightly reassured. “Ok.”



The whistle sounded.



“See you this evening,” she said before hurrying to her seat.



Slowly, surely, the train pulled out of the station. Parents waved their offspring off, arms and hearts aching, smiles fixed.



Jack, Draco, Severus and Harry stood together as the train vanished. Jack wiped away a tear. “I’m going to miss Scorpius,” she sobbed.



Draco ‘hushed’ her and spoke to the other two. “You apparating or flooing to Hogwarts?” he asked.



Severus looked seriously at his husband. “We’ll have to floo now. Apparation will be too risky for the newly pregnant Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.” He frowned, but a smile was struggling to show itself. “And, well, I’ll tell you tonight.” He said, turning to Harry.



Harry grinned broadly.



Jack turned to Harry. “You’re not pregnant? God, do you two ever stop?”



Severus looked smug, “I just want to make sure we out number those dratted Weasleys.”



Draco nodded his understanding. “I keep trying to make Jack see the importance of outnumbering the Weasleys, but she doesn’t get it.”



Jack smiled. “Hmm, I don’t care about the Weasleys, but I’d like to out number the Snape-Potters.” She admitted, a cheeky grin on her face.



Her husband abruptly cleared his throat. “If you’ll excuse us,” he said and they vanished.



The two men stood silent for a moment. Jeremiah had run alongside the train, waving to his siblings, now he was walking slowly back, red faced.



“Ok?” Severus asked softly.



Harry nodded. For eleven years Severus and he had worked on the most difficult of all our tasks. All was well.



--Hope you liked. There will be one more update which basically covers all the pop refernces and the behind the scenes plotting that I worked out but never explicitly wrote. I'm assuming, as no one has asked me any questions, that the story makes some kind of sense! Let me know what you think! Good or bad. SP