There were several reasons why Harry Potter had been dreading his yearly trip to Platform 9 3/4. The first was that he hated saying goodbye to his children. After all the mayhem and deadly situations he got himself into while at Hogwarts, a part of him always feared that the last he'd see of one of his children would be their laughing faces through the windows of the Hogwarts Express as it pulled away from the station.

The second was that he always felt so old and tired as he watched them join up with their friends. James had left Hogwarts the year before, but he hadn't been able to get away from work to see his siblings off. I'm very new at Gringotts, he said. Besides, Uncle Bill would have my head if I left him to prep for his next trip alone.

Harry felt Lilly pull her ever-growing hand from his and watched as she excitedly ran down the platform to greet a group of girls who met her with open arms and high-pitched chattering.

The third, and perhaps the most crushing of them all, was that he wanted to get on the train with them.

Every time he dropped the children off at the Hogwarts Express, he yearned to go back to his Hogwarts days and experience the school normally, as a normal student, without the complications that came from being Harry Potter. With the smell of the steam coming from the train came memories of Halloween feats, snowball fights in the courtyard, the roar of the Quidditch pitch, the sense of danger that came with entering Snape's classroom...

Harry sighed as Ginny slid her hand into his.

"Lily just left her trolly here," she pointed out.

"It's fine," said Albus over Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at his son, who had grown at least four inches over the summer. At sixteen he was well over six feet tall - just a bit over Harry's height, which irked him only slightly. Albus bent over his sister's trolly, unstrapped her trunk, and carried it to the cargo hold of the train. Harry grabbed her second bag and followed.

"She's just excited is all," said Albus. "Most of her friends went away this summer."

"Well, so did yours," said Harry. He slid the bag in on top of the trunk. Both men stood up, and Harry noticed that Albus' eyes were darting about, though he tried to hide it. "I can't say it wasn't nice having all of you home for a while."

Albus nodded. In the last year, he'd calmed down and took the time to understand where his father was coming from. He tried to listen more than he talked, and Harry had much appreciated it.

"It was nice, wasn't it."

Harry smiled, his heart eased. A parent was never sure if their child tolerated spending time with them or if they actually enjoyed it.

"I just hope that we can have a good holiday with your brother this year," said Harry with a chuckle. "He's spent the last two Christmases visiting girlfriends, and I think I actually forgot to give him his present last year."

Albus opened his mouth to speak - probably to say that they should just stop buying James things since he'd be making more than all of them as a Gringotts official soon - but his words were interrupted by the grin that spread across his face. He'd seen something over Harry's shoulder, and whatever it was - whoever it was - had quite brightened his mood.

Harry glanced over his shoulder. It was easy to spot the Malfoys as always. Their hair stood out in the crowd.

"Oh, go on," said Harry. "I'll get your trunk. Just make sure you kiss your mother goodbye."

Albus smiled and hugged his father tightly.

"Thanks, dad."

"I'll see you soon," said Harry, placing a light kiss on Albus' temple before letting go. "Be careful. And write, even if it's just to let us know everything's okay."

Harry thought he heard Albus acquiesce, but he'd already turned to place a hasty kiss on his mother's cheek and give her a brief hug before disappearing into the crowd.

And with that, Lily and Albus were gone.

Harry took Albus' trunk and made sure it was in the cargo hold of the train before the conductor blew his whistle. A few of the train's staff walked down the platform, closing the compartments and ushering the stragglers into the train. As the crowd began to thin, Lily caught his eye and waved to him, blowing a kiss with one hand, her other on the arm of a friend. As he waved back, she was enveloped by the group of girls who laughed, climbing into one of the compartments.

In the distance, Harry saw Albus's mop of dark hair above all the others, and he saw Scorpius - slightly tan, and slightly sunburnt - tossing his trunk into the last open cargo compartment at the end of the train. He caught Albus giving Scorpius a wicked grin before the two boys all but bound onto the train, disappearing.

"And they're gone," said Ginny, resting her head against Harry's bicep. He wrapped his arm around her as the train's whistle blew and even more steam billowed from the front. He scanned the windows nearby but couldn't see his children, and sighed as the train began to move slowly from the station.

"I hate seeing them go," he said, "but at least they seem happy. I suppose that's all that matters."

"Oh, we had them all summer," said Ginny. She turned to wrap both her arms around his waist and tilted her head back to look at him. A bit of grey had began to peek out of her red hair around her temples, and Harry brushed a piece of it from her face. "Besides, there are some benefits. James will be working late, so we have the house to ourselves."

"Oh, yeah?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "And what were you thinking we'd do today?"

"Well," Ginny began. She had the same wicked grin James did. "I was thinking -"

"I didn't even get to see Albus and Lily," came Hermione's voice. Harry looked over to see her striding toward him, Ron in tow. "I wanted to at least wish them a good year."

"Oh, they know," said Harry. He kissed Ginny atop the head and let her go so she could hug her brother.

"Yeah," said Ron. "And I had some things from the joke shop for Albus."

"The last thing Albus needs is any help getting in trouble," said Harry, thinking of the mischievous look on his son's face. He sighed. "Save it for Christmas."

"I've got a rare afternoon off," said Hermione.

"Well."

A voice came from behind them. Harry hadn't quite learned not to cringe when he heard Draco Malfoy's voice unexpectedly, but when he turned around, his somehwhat-friend seemed to be wearing a smile.

"If the Minister for Magic happens to have the afternoon off, then I suppose I should treat you all to tea," said Draco.

Harry glanced to his family to see what they thought - if they had the time and the willingness - and saw that Ron was blinking excessively.

"That would actually be lovely," said Hermione. She was always quick with the olive branch.

"Yes, I think it would," agreed Ginny.

"Good."

Harry noticed that Draco wasn't wearing black for the first time in many years. Instead, he wore a blazer in a dark shade of green. It was a start.

"Besides, Potters," he said to Ginny and Harry, sliding his hands into his pockets and meeting Harry's eyes. "I think there's something we need to talk about."

Draco took them to a suitably hoity-toity tea room in muggle London. While Hermione seemed quite at home and Ginny was intrigued, Ron was a fish out of water. For a brief moment, he seemed to forget that his tea wasn't going to stir its self, and he just sat there, looking at his spoon.

"I think we've been secluded in the wizarding world a bit too much," said Hermione with a smile. Ron gave her a sheepish sort of look.

"So, Draco," began Ginny, folding her hands beneath her chin and looking at Malfoy. "What did we need to talk about."

Draco leaned back to allow the waitress to top off his tea. He'd consumed his first cup rather quickly, Harry noticed.

"Our sons," said Draco.

"What are they up to now," deadpanned Harry, all amusement gone from his voice. They'd had one blessed drama-free year, and he'd sincerely hoped for another one.

"Oh, nothing like that," assured Malfoy. He took another sip of his tea. "I've noticed Scorpius spending a lot more time writing recently. I'd noticed it last Christmas, but didn't think too much of it, but over the summer while we were traveling, he was using the owls all the time. I don't mind - there are plenty where we were staying -"

Ron scoffed.

"But it was constant. So I asked him who he was writing to. At first he said 'friends,' but I pressed. Frankly, I wanted to know if he had a girlfriend."

Ginny sat back in her chair, her brow furrowed.

"You know, Albus wrote a lot too."

"Yes," said Draco. "Exactly. Eventually, I pressed hard enough that he told me he was writing to Albus."

Harry looked at Ginny, confused.

"Is that a big deal?" Harry looked at each of their faces. "I wrote to Ron and Hermione over the summers."

"Once or twice?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.

"This was constant," said Ginny. "Every day. Sometimes more than once a day."

"And then, I started paying closer attention," said Draco. "Scorpius enjoyed our visits to the magical sites across the continent and Asia, I think, but he always seemed a bit anxious. His mood would improve drastically and completely whenever he'd receive a letter. And over the last week since we were home he was impatient - going for walks, packing well before he had to, checking thrice to make sure he had everything."

"Albus kept talking about him" said Ginny, as if she were agreeing with something Draco had said. "Little things. I'd buy a different brand of crackers and he'd say 'oh, these are Scorpius' favorite kind,' or Harry would talk about something at work and it'd be -"

"'Scorpius told me this, or Scorpius mentioned that'," finished Harry.

"Indeed." Draco's voice was flat, and he looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny. For a long moment, the three parents just looked at each other, until Ron broke the silence.

"I don't get it," he said. "What's the big deal."

"They're gay," said Harry, the truth of his son's behavior dawning on him. "Nothing wrong with that, it's just..."

"Unexpected?" Ginny sounded uncertain.

"Unexpected."

"I agree," said Draco. "Unexpected."

Silence settled on the table again until Hermione sipped her tea and set her cup down on the saucer delicately.

"Well, I guess this means I owe Rose ten galleons," she said finally.

"What?" Ginny turned to her. "Wait, did you have a bet on whether or not our son was gay?"

"No," said Hermione. "We've known they were for ages. The bet was on when you lot would figure it out."

Ginny and Draco stared, agape, as Hermione looked to Harry, grinning.

"To be fair, I lost because she had more faith in you."

Albus and Scorpius bounded into the train, shoulder, to look for a vacant car. Albus had both their school bags over his shoulder while Scorpius carried the cage of his new, sleeping cat Freya under his arm, their free hands between them brushing with each step. Albus could see Scorpius' smile out of the corner of his eye, and it was all he could do not to look. He knew that once he did, he was risking losing what semblance of control he had.

They moved in silence, dodging excited first and second years darting through the narrow corridor. A pack of young boys came running towards them, chasing flying sparks down the hall, and when Albus and Scorpius moved out of the way, Albus felt Scorpius' hand travel up the sleeve of his robe between them, brushing the sensitive skin of his inner arm.

He shivered, gritting his teeth behind his smile, and chanced a look at Scorpius.

They were nearly the same height now, though Albus was just a bit taller (at least for now), so their eyes met, green against blue. They stood there for only a brief moment as the first years passed, but it was enough for Albus to notice a few things, like the longer hair that fell around his neck and the shaggy fringe across his forehead. He noticed a summer tan, but still a bit of pink across the bridge of his nose and cheeks where a few freckles had sprung up, and the way his slightly darker skin made his eyes just... shine.

And the cologne, that was new. And intoxicating. Scorpius grinned at him as the last of the young ones passed, and Albus' mission of finding a compartment was renewed with a vengeance.

They kept walking, bridging one car to the next in silence, and Albus turned it all over in his mind. The fight they'd had last year at spring break over whether or not Albus was starting to ignore him for girls he didn't even really like. The silence they began their finals revisions in. The way Scorpius had broken down in the library late at night under the stress and finally - finally - started telling Albus that he couldn't handle everyone asking which girl he was taking to the end-of-year dance because he didn't want to take a girl at all.

He remembered his confusion. The two days of thinking where they both pretended nothing happened - when Albus tried to convince himself that he really did like Jenna, who he'd asked out a week ago because he thought he had to since she helped him with his Potions homework - and how they went to bed in silence each night without talking about their days.

And he remembered when they wound up in the dormitory at the same time one unremarkable evening a few weeks before school ended, each just looking for some quiet amid the finals frenzy that had taken over the Slytherin common room. He remembered Scorpius' anxious ranting that blended into an apology and the way his voice cracked - a combination of puberty and nerves - saying that he didn't want anything to change, and that not losing Albus as a friend was the most important thing of all.

'I just don't want anything to change,' Scorpius changed, his voice cracking a tiny bit in the middle. 'I had to be honest with you. I had to tell you the truth, but I don't want it to mean anything changes between us.'

Albus stared at him in silence, dumbfounded at what he'd walked in on, watching him pace back and forth, gesturing frantically as if it would help make his point.

'Oh, it doesn't matter, does it? That I'm gay? It shouldn't. You're friends with Rose and she's a girl and she likes boys, but I suppose that's different since she's your cousin and all, but it shouldn't matter, right? I mean, I thought about how I'd tell you for weeks, and I did it badly, I know and I'm so sorry, but it's just finals are hard this year and there's all the tests and this was just one more thing to think about and I just cracked, okay? I'm sorry.'

Scorpius' voice cracked three times in the middle, and Albus felt a wave of calm spread over him, and a smile spread across his face, not that Scorpius noticed in his self-induced panic.

How had he not seen it? And how had he not recognized what he was feeling all along? That his best friend was right there suffering in all the same ways he was, but that he'd buried?

I guess I am my father's son, Albus thought. The general lack of introspection.

Scorpius resumed his rant after a long breath and Albus folded his arms, watching him walk back and forth, back and forth. How hadn't he understood?

'It's scary. I'm already so different and I didn't want to subject you to the rumors, not until I had to so I waited. Why make you deal with it? It's my problem, it doesn't seem fair.'

'It's our problem,' said Albus, hoping it would be enough, but when Scorpius got like this, he didn't hear or see anything than what was spinning in his head.

'I just let everyone down in all these little ways and I didn't know if I'd be disappointing you too -'

Albus knew the only way to stop this was drastic measures, so he strode forward and grabbed Scorpius' hand roughly, gripping it tight, and cupped the side of his face with his other hand before kissing him.

Scorpius was cut off mid-word, but which word, he wasn't sure anymore. He just stopped thinking. There was all this warmth around him suddenly, and he was very disoriented, so it took him a moment to comprehend that it was Albus, smelling of grass and earth from the Quidditch pitch and the ink from notes left smeared on his hands. It was Albus, who he'd literally undone time for, and given up the kingdom he'd glimpsed just to save.

It was Albus who had his hand, and his face and his lips and his body pressed up against him - the only friend he'd ever had and the only person who'd loved him even though he didn't have to - and Scorpius melted as he kissed him back, just a little at first and then all at once, leaning into Albus as he leaned back, finding his own hand pressed into Albus' back and shoulders and in his hair, then under the back of his shirt - just a bit - to run his fingers across the skin just above his belt.

It seemed like an eternity and only a second until Albus broke away from him and pressed his forehead against Scorpius', his breathing heavy and labored, and Scorpius was afraid to open his eyes - afraid he might see regret looking back at him.

'Shut up,' Albus said. Scorpius had never heard him sound so raspy, but he knew he liked it.

'Just shut up, okay?' Albus' hand rested on the back of Scorpius' neck and he finally released his pseudo-death grip on Scorpius' hand, and for a brief moment while still in darkness, Scorpius was afraid that was the end of the moment, but Albus wrapped his arm around Scorpius' waist, holding him closer.

'I don't know what I'm doing,' Albus continued, his voice as shaky as Scorpius' knees felt. 'But I've never felt more relieved and... excited in all my life.'

Scorpius opened his eyes and there was Albus, staring back at him, just an inch away with his bright green eyes the shape of almonds and his hand still on the back of his neck.

Scorpius swallowed hard. 'I didn't want to lose you.'

Albus straightened for a moment and shook his head, releasing Scorpius only enough to push his disheveled hair back from his face.

'You're not going to lose me,' said Albus. 'No matter what.'

This time, Scorpius kissed Albus, slow and tentative and gentle - the way he'd always wanted to, with one hand in Albus' hair and the other resting on his chest, just above his heart.

Albus was done remembering. He'd been remembering all summer, and those last few weeks of school had given him blessed little to dwell on. He pulled open the last compartment door and found it thankfully vacant. The train was moving into the London suburbs now, and the beginnings of a rainstorm were starting to come down. He dropped the bags in the far corner of the compartment as Scorpius pulled the door shut. Before Albus could turn around he heard the distinct click of the lock, and the pulling of the shade.

When he turned around, Scorpius had put the cat's cage up on the shelf and he threw his robes down on the seat, beginning to loosen his tie, but Albus didn't give him the chance. He aimed for the seat when he threw his robes off but missed and they crumpled to the floor as he pushed Scorpius back against the door, pinning him against it, and kissing him with all the ferocity that had built up inside him the entire summer.

Scorpius reciprocated, his hands coming up between them to wrap around Albus' shoulders, which were somehow just a bit higher and a bit wider than he remembered them from a few months ago. His hands tangled in Albus' hair and he moaned against his will, pressing himself against Albus' body, though he had nowhere to move.

They kissed, and Albus couldn't breathe and he wasn't sure how he was still alive, but he couldn't stop. He pressed his lips into Scorpius', his tongue on the back of his teeth, tasting licorice and coffee. When one of them moaned he wasn't sure which one. He didn't have control over his own voice or his hands, for that matter, which had somehow found the inside of Scorpius' shirt and after a few moments, Scorpius laughed against Albus' lips until they broke apart. Albus didn't release him.

"Hi," Albus said breathlessly.

"Hi," said Scorpius, contentedly. He looked up at Albus and smiled. "I still have a bit of a sunburn."

"I'm sorry, I think," said Albus, grinning, giving Scorpius a bit of space that he didn't seem to want. Scorpius kissed him again for just a moment before burying his face in Albus' neck and closing his eyes. Albus bowed his head, holding Scorpius tight, and the pair swayed as the train turned and jarred under their feet.

"I missed you," said Scorpius, his arms tightening around Albus' neck.

"I missed you too," said Albus, turning his face into Scorpius' hair and breathing deeply. "So much."

They stood there in silence for a few moments longer until a particularly violent jostle from the tracks forced both boys to grab onto the overhead racks for stability. Albus looked at Scorpius, and then to the pet crate, which had begun to meow softly.

"You didn't tell me you wanted a cat," he said. There were uncharitable jokes to be made, but he held his tongue.

"Yeah," said Scorpius, pulling the crate down. Albus noticed his cheeks were still flushed with more than a sunburn, and he smiled with a bit of pride. "I actually found her in Tai Pei. They have something similar to Diagon Alley in their downtown, and she was just sitting there in the window, looking sad and forlorn -"

"And that's always the fastest way to get your attention," said Albus, taking a seat. Scorpius shot him a narrow-eyed look and pulled a white, shorthaired cat from the crate.

"This is Freya. Freya, meet Albus."

Scorpius sat Freya in Albus' lap and watched as the two sized each other up. Freya's tail moved from side do side languidly as she straightened up to meet Albus' eyes. Albus stared back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. They sat that way for a long minute, until Freya decided she wasn't ready to plot Albus' demise just yet, and leapt off his lap, sauntered over to the corner of the compartment, and laid down.

"Well, I guess she accepts me," Albus said, looking up at Scorpius who stood with this hands in his pockets, uncertainty on his face. It struck Albus as odd that, months later, it was he who was more comfortable with.. well, with whatever was going on, even though he was the last to catch on.

"What's wrong, Scorp?" Albus asked. He reached out in front of him and grabbed Scorpius' sleeve - his hand was just a bit too far away - and tugged at it. "Come here. Sit down."

Scorpius looked at him for a beat, distress making lines between his brows, before taking a seat beside Albus. The cat did not acknowledge his presence, but Scorpius gave her an obligatory pat on the head anyway.

"What's going on," Albus asked again. Scorpius took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment before taking Albus' hand in his own.

"What are we doing?" Scorpius asked, turning to meet Albus' eyes. "What is this?"

"This?" Albus asked, gesturing between them. "I don't know. It's us?"

"Is it? I mean... are we like, together?"

"We're always together."

"You know what I mean. I just... I don't know how my father would react," Scorpius said, his eyes sliding to stare out the window. The rain was coming down in sheets now, clouding the view of the cottages and hills. "He finally seems normal, after mom... and I don't know what he'd do or say."

Albus took a few breaths, trying to figure out what to say. Scorpius moved as if to pull his hand away, but Albus held onto it tight.

"I don't need public validation, if that's what you're asking," said Albus finally. "And it's really not anyone else's business, is it?"

"That we snog when we're alone," Scorpius asked, his eyes flickering back to Albus.

"Is that what this is?"

Scorpius was tentative. "N-no."

"Okay, then." Albus reached up behind Scorpius and ruffled the longer hair at the nape of his neck. "What's all this about?"

"I don't know," said Scorpius with a smile. He reached up and rubbed under Albus' chin where a patch of stubble was coming through. "What's all this about?"

"Hey!" Albus rubbed under his chin, pouting. "I worked hard for that."

"Sure you did."

Scorpius leaned into Albus, resting his head on his shoulder, letting Albus play with his hair absently until, after a long while, Albus' fingers went still and became heavy. Scorpius looked up and saw Albus beginning to nod off, his eyelids heavy as well.

"Hey," he said softly, extracting himself. Albus' arm dropped onto the seat and he looked around, dazed. "Switch with me."

Albus didn't argue. He gave Scorpius the spot in the corner where he settled in, and Scorpius let him stretch out across the seats - careful not to disturb the cat - and rested his head in Scorpius' lap with his long legs stretched out to the floor. Scorpius looked down at him as he closed his eyes and drifted off, studying the planes of his face and edges of his jaw as he carefully twisted Albus' dark hair around his fingertips.