Not Nineteen Years Later

A/N: The OC is not a main character.
*

“Look who it is.”

Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he watched the new Master of Malfoy Manor kneel down to talk to his son.

“So that’s little Scorpius,” said Ron under his breath. “Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother’s brains.”
“Ron, for heaven’s sake,” said Hermione, half stern, half amused. “Don’t turn them against each other before they’ve even started school!” She looked pointedly at Harry, who blushed, his old rivalry not forgotten.
“You’re right, sorry,” said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, “Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.”

Harry couldn’t help but cringe inwardly. Ron wouldn’t understand. Neither would Ginny or Hermione. In fact Harry couldn’t even understand why at that moment he felt the need to confront his curt friend, or rather acquaintance. Draco was still kneeling beside his son when Harry’s oldest son James rushed up, his red hair as wild as his namesake’s, and began excitedly talking about some sort of gossip. Harry watched Draco pat his son on the shoulder laughing and kiss him on the cheek roughly. Then the witch who Harry had assumed to be Draco’s wife ushered Scorpius toward the nearest entrance on the train and waved. She returned to her husband but instead of embracing began to talk very animatedly. She waved her hands wildly and Draco began doing the same. Harry assumed they must have been having some sort of argument. Draco was shaking his head with his hands on his hips. He heard his daughter’s voice drift over him.

“Teddy would really be part of the family then!”
“He already comes round for dinner about four times a week,” said Harry. “Why don’t we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?”
“Yeah!” said James enthusiastically. “I don’t mind sharing with Al-Teddy can have my room!”
“No,” said Harry firmly,” you and Al will share a room only when I want my flat demolished.”

He checked the battered old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett’s.

“It’s nearly eleven, you’d better get on board.”

Ginny began talking to James again, something about Neville, and Harry’s eyes wondered momentarily back to the Malfoy’s, who were then many steps apart. Draco’s wife looked livid as she advanced. Harry saw Draco take a step towards her, say something and then turn on his heels and walk away. His head downcast and his hands in his pockets looking, Harry thought, mutinous. It was a look he remembered well. The Blond was headed straight for them. Just then James, who had not noticed his father’s preoccupation with the goings on down the platform gave Harry a fleeting hug before leaping onto the rapidly filling train. Harry, who had just heard James comment about Thestrals to Albus, comforted his younger son. After Ginny gave Al a kiss, Harry said good-bye and hugged him.

“Don’t forget Hagrid’s invited you to tea next Friday. Don’t mess with Peeves. Don’t duel anyone till you’ve learned how. Don’t let James wind you up. And be nice to Scorpius.”
“What if I’m in Slytherin?” The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was. Harry remembered his turn under the sorting hat and crouched down so that Albus’s face was slightly above his own and smiled warmly. Alone of Harry’s three children, Albus had inherited Lily’s eyes.
“Albus Severus,” Harry said quietly, so that nobody could hear, “you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”
“But just say-”
“-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won’t it? It doesn’t matter to any of us, Al. But if it matters to you, you’ll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.”
“Really?”
“It did for me,” said Harry.

He was reminded again of his Hogwarts sorting and of the person who had influenced his thoughts on the house of Slytherin. He had never told any of his children before, and he saw the wonder in Albus’s face when he said it. But now the doors were slamming all along the train, and blurred outlines of parents were swarming forward for final kisses, last-minute reminders. Albus jumped into the carriage and Ginny closed 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 staring toward Harry.

“Why are they all staring?” demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students. Harry noticed the miniature Draco, Scorpius, saddle up to his son and begin talking. He was awash with worry for a second before he saw Albus laugh and begin animatedly talking back to the boy.

“Don’t let it worry you,” said Ron. “It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”

Albus, Rose, Hugo, Lily and even Scorpius, who had now firmly planted himself beside Albus, laughed. The train began to move and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son’s thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like bereavement, watching his son glide away from him…

He noticed Draco, ahead of him, had stopped his furious walk only a few feet away and had turned to wave his son off. The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry’s hand was still raised in farewell.

“He’ll be alright,” murmured Ginny.

As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightening scar on his forehead.

“I know he will.”

The scar had not pained Harry for 13 years. All was well…

Or as well as could be hoped for. He smiled at Ginny. He had been happy to marry her after the war but it had not lasted more than four years and now he and Ginny, although good friends, shared nothing more than custody of their three children. He watched her wander over to Ron and Hermione, Lily’s small hand still in hers. He turned, his mind made up, to walk over and visit with an old friend.

Draco was staring at the corner the train had just disappeared around, his back stiff and his fair hair kept shorter than his fathers.

“Scorpius looks just like you.” Draco turned slowly, appraisingly, toward his old school mate. His hair was not in fact receding as Harry had previously thought, only it was then so pale that in the sunlight it blended in with the rays. His eyes were still the steel grey Harry remembered and his black pea-coat was striking against his pale coloring.
“I could say the same of you and your son; I could spot that shaggy black hair all the way down the platform. Although Scorpius seems to like him.” Draco must have noticed the boys talking with each other. His voice was softer and warmer then Harry imagined it to be. He had thought vaguely that Draco would sound like his father, but Draco had proven how dissimilar the two Malfoy’s actually were during the war and the preceding trials.
“He does, doesn’t he? Thankfully Al is not as easily put off by first impressions as I was.”
“And Scorpius isn’t as prone to making bad ones as I was.” Harry smiled, he thought of their first meeting and with a flicker of regret he remembered all of their arguments and rivalries.
“How is the family, Potter?”
“Well, I suppose. James is a bit of a handful but Albus is terribly smart, he’ll do fine. Lily is a lot like her mother, she’s my youngest, can’t wait to start year after next.”
“Yes, you married Ginny Weasley, I had forgotten.”
“Actually we’ve divorced.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Was that your ex-wife then, who I saw you arguing with?”

Harry remembered Draco’s wife vaguely from a M.o.M. function they had both attended a couple years after the war. She was American, with green eyes, black hair and a pension for blondes with bad attitudes. Draco had been the natural choice when they met during the trials and they were married not long after himself and Ginny.

“She seemed upset.” Draco smirked and Harry wanted to laugh that he still had that trademark smirk.
“Yes she was, we were arguing about Scorpius’s schooling. She’ll be hearing from my lawyer shortly. If she thinks she can move the boy across that ocean she has another thing coming.” Harry knew that if Ginny had tried anything like that he would feel the same way.
“Ginny wouldn’t dare move the kids.”
“I would expect not, she’s a Gryffindor and you’re the Savior, I imagine you two get on very well still. Casey is a bit…different.”
“You mean more like you?” Draco smirked again, only this time Harry thought it looked more like a grimace.
“You could say that, yes.”

“Harry! You coming mate?” He heard Ron calling and when he turned around he saw the red head beckoning.

“I’d better go.”
“Well, see you around Potter.” Draco began to walk away.
“Er, Malfoy?” The blond turned around and inclined his head. “Would you like to meet for lunch or something?” Harry knew he was blushing but tried to shove his embarrassment aside. He was only asking the bloke to lunch, it wasn’t like a date or anything.
“Sure, firecall me. I’m still at Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, you know?”
“Yeah,” said Harry quickly before turning back towards his friends and jogging down the platform. He looked back once and he saw Draco watching him jog away and when he lifted his hand to wave Draco waved back.