September first came round scarily fast that year for Cassia Potter, and she'd never been more glad.

She'd dropped the name Malfoy years ago, adopting her husband's name instead. For her, it was a way to let go of the past, and to make a clean break from her family.

She smiled as she looked at her new family, however, as all five of them walked along the platform at King's Cross, looking for the barrier between nine and ten. She'd worked so hard to give her kids a loving, caring environment. And environment neither she nor Harry had had growing up, her most of all.

But they did. Her three beautiful, brilliant kids. Two older boys and one younger girl.

She and Harry had agreed on each name long before they'd been born.

Their first born was James Sirius, a name Harry had strongly advocated for and Cassia was more than happy to grant. A name celebrating both his father figures, both of the people who raised him to be who he was. And James certainly embodied this, as he was definitely the most sneaky and the most snarky of the bunch, Harry joking he got that from Cassia. He got his features from Harry, though, with black hair and pale green eyes. He was the spitting image of him. He was about to go into his second year at Hogwarts.

Their second born was Albus Severus, named after the two headmasters of Hogwarts that Harry and Cassia saw. They'd both agreed on this name, Cassia suggesting the first name and Harry the second. Albus was quieter than his brother, with brown hair, Cassia's blue eyes, and a passion for reading. He had Harry's demeanour more than Cassia's, and was loved dearly by both of them. He was going into first year this year.

Their girl was the last born, and she was the spitting image of her mother. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fiery personality. She'd been named Lily Draconia, the first name after Harry's mother, the second name after Draco, who'd almost sobbed when he heard Cassia had done that. She wasn't at Hogwarts yet, and had two years to wait until she was.

Lily was just like her mother, with her one liners that shut even James up, and her discovering the middle finger before she was six, thanks to Cassia's incessant use of it.

(Harry had later teased her for this, and she'd put it up at him).

But anyway, James, Albus and Lily were Cassia's, and she knew that she'd never ever treat them the way she'd been treated.

However, that didn't stop them from teasing each other, because as they walked along the platform, Albus squealed. "I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!"

"James, stop it," Cassia told her eldest flatly, rolling her eyes.

"I just said he might be," James flashed an innocent smile at his mother, but Cassia knew it all too well.

"Just stop it," Harry advised his son, taking his wife's hand.

As they reached the platform, Lily, who was sat on the end of James' trailer, hopped off, and the boy ran through the barrier with no hesitation, going straight through and onto 9¾.

Albus was slower, looking at the barrier and studying it, even though he'd been through it before. Harry exchanged a gentle smile with Cassia before going over and putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Together?"

Albus nodded, and the two of them ran through the barrier. Cassia smiled as she watched them go, so happy that they were able to give all this to their kids.

"Right, come on then," she said to Lily, who was next to her. "Let's go say goodbye to your brothers."

Lily sighed. "But I want to go to Hogwarts."

"I know," Cassia sighed. "You'll get to go in a couple of years, Lil, I promise."

Lily nodded with a smile, before running full pelt with her mother through to the platform, and meeting Harry and Albus there.

As they walked along the platform, trying to find wherever James had vanished off to, Cassia noticed Draco, with his wife Astoria and son Scorpius, looking at her with a smile.

Cassia smiled back. She didn't talk to her mother or father anymore. Her mother sent her a letter every Christmas, and Cassia sent polite replies back, but she wasn't letting her back into her life. Her father hadn't spoken to her in years, and she wanted to keep it that way. She still didn't understand how they'd evaded prison, but she wasn't letting her kids know them.

Draco, however, was a different story. He'd turned his life around, quickly apologising to Cassia and Harry and Ron and Hermione and Poppy and everyone else, and making an effort to be better. Cassia still wasn't the closest with them, but her kids knew their Uncle Draco, and cousin Scorpius, and did really love him.

"Uncle Draco! Uncle Draco!" Lily ran up to him immediately. "Mummy and daddy say I can't go to Hogwarts, can you please give me permission to go?"

"I'm sorry, Lils, I can't override your mother, otherwise she'd be very angry at me," Draco told the young girl, with a joking look at Cassia, who rolled her eyes.

Lily, meanwhile, huffed and turned back to her mother, annoyed. Cassia smiled as she looked to see that Albus was already chatting nervously with Scorpius about what house they would get put in.

"Right, we'd better go find Ron, Hermione and Poppy, but we'll see you later," Cassia said with a small smile at Draco. "Coming Lily, Al?"

Her two kids followed as they walked up the platform, pushing through the crowd to find their best friends.

They found them soon enough. Ron and Hermione were stood right next to Poppy with their daughter Rose, who was the same age as Albus and would also be starting Hogwarts this year, and Hugo, who was the same age as Lily. Poppy was stood next to them, hugging her daughter, Alice, who was also the same age as Al. Her son, Frank, who was a few years older, must've been on the train, as he was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Neville, because he taught at Hogwarts now, herbology. James, however, was with all of them, chatting animatedly with Hugo.

"Hello!" Ron said with a huge grin, as he saw the Potters, hugging both Harry and Cassia.

"Hey you lot, you all ready for Hogwarts?" Cassia asked the gang, who all nodded with a big smile.

Then, she noticed something. Albus hadn't actually continued the whole journey with them, he'd stopped a few metres away, and now Harry was kneeling down in front of him.

"Give me a second," she told Lily, who was already joining in on the conversation with James and Hugo.

She walked over to Harry and Albus, kneeling down beside her husband just to hear Albus say. "Dad... what if I am put in Slytherin?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Albus Severus Potter. You were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was the bravest man I've ever known."

Albus looked down, pressing his lips together.

"Do you remember how I told you I wasn't supposed to be in Gryffindor?" Cassia asked gently, and her son nodded. "Well... I was shamed for being there. Your grandfather, he... he sent me a howler, and it made me feel... terrible about myself. We'd never make you feel that way, Al."

Albus looked at her with a smile, saying. "Thanks, mum, but... just say that I am-"

"Then Slytherin House will have gained a wonderful young wizard," Harry told him. "But, listen, if it really means that much to you, you can choose Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

He'd never told anyone that before, including his wife. But Cassia didn't react at that moment, because she knew what he was telling their son was so special that she shouldn't interrupt.

"Really?" Albus asked.

"Really," Harry nodded with a smile.

As the train whistle blew, the three of them got up.

"Right, come here, you!" Cassia said, hugging James tightly.

"Mum..." he complained.

"Shut up, I'm not going to see you for five months," Cassia said with a smile as she let him go. "Have a great time!"

"I will," James said, giving his father a quick hug before jumping on the train.

Cassia grinned, standing next to Poppy as Harry and Albus came over.

"See you soon," Cassia smiled at Albus, hugging him tight. She whispered to him. "And no matter which house you get put in, we'll still love you. We'll still love you whatever."

She smiled as she stood next to Poppy, and Harry, Lily on her arm and Ron and Hermione on her husband's other side. All the Potter/Weasley/Longbottom kids had a compartment to themselves, and Cassia smiled openly as she watched them all chat amongst themselves.

So maybe she hadn't had the best deal in life, maybe she hadn't had the best childhood.

But she'd changed her hand and turned her life around, and she'd never been more happy.

As the Hogwarts Express headed off to the school, she fought against the happy tears in her eyes as she laid her head on Poppy's shoulder, gripping Harry's hand and tightening her arm around the daughter that resembled her so much.

She hadn't felt so unlike a Malfoy in years.

All was well.