The Children Can Start Their Lives

Author Note: Am I Joanne Kathleen Rowling? Nope, because I won't start my epilogue with 'Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year'.

Rose Potter woke up as the September sun gleamed its rays through her and Albus' bedroom window. She got a jolt in her stomach - she couldn't help it. It dawned on her that her two children - her pride and joy - were off to Hogwarts for the first time. She remembered all the lovely September firsts she'd experienced - and with a beam on her face, realised she and Al had been more than cousins for twenty-one years to the day. Rose slipped into her blue dressing gown with gold trim and slipped across the hallway to enter Zoe's bedroom - but just because Zoe was born first (twelve minutes older than her sister), it didn't mean she would get up first.

"Zoe, darling..." Rose whispered, running a hand through her daughter's black locks. "Zo, it's September first..." Rose murmured in the eleven-year-old's ear with a laugh. Zoe stirred and blearily opened her eyes. The brunette's hands ran over her head.

"What was that, mum?" she said, noticing Rose's blurry outline by vivid flaming hair.

"September first, darling!" Rose said. Zoe squeaked, and reached for her container. "Got them for you." Rose smiled, helping her daughter put in contact lenses. "Now how about we check on that sleepyhead?" the mid-thirties woman asked as Zoe muttered 'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts...' under her breath excitedly. Mother and daughter crept across the landing to open Melanie's door. "Alohomora." Rose cast.

"That is cheating!" Zoe giggled. Rose winked and tiptoed over to redheaded Melanie.

"Melanie... Mel..." Rose smiled, tickling her youngest on the nose. Melanie squirmed.

"Melanie Rose Potter!" Zoe gasped as Rose quickly shushed her, cracking a smile.

"Mmmm." a fragile mutter sounded from the bed. "Zoe, lemeloe." an intelligible one followed. "Too early." the ginger child finally said coherently. Rose had an idea.

"Mel, if you get up, you get yours and Zo's favourite." she promised, eyes shining. Melanie's eyes eased open at the prospect of salmon sandwiches.

"Salmon? You didn't use that to get me up!" Zoe protested as Rose offered a groggy Melanie her glasses. After blinking a few times, the sleepyhead stretched in her PJ's.

"You didn't need salmon. You needed another 's' word." Rose laughed. Melanie realised the day and clapped frantically as Zoe continued her 'Hogwarts' mantra.

"What's this?" Al asked - he had woken up and noticed the noise. "September first?"

"The girls get salmon sandwiches, we settled this. Don't blame me." Rose grinned.

"I blame you." he said, pointing an accusing finger. Rose did her innocent eyes.

"Why do you blame mum?" Zoe asked. Rose laughed, rubbing Zoe's hair. At this point, the little family started walking down to the living room of Grimmauld Place - Harry had given it to Al as a graduation present when he and Ginny moved into Godric's Hollow. Of course, Grimmauld was akin to the Burrow in its coziness now.

"I had an insane craving for salmon when I was pregnant." Rose murmured fondly.

"It was hell." Al grumbled. "Your Aunt Cynthia had to treat a certain someone for salmon addiction. I swear to this day that you two even smelled like salmon when you were born!" At this, Zoe and Melanie giggled like maniacs while Rose muttered 'total exaggeration' and slung an arm around Zoe, smiling - the brunette already reached her mother's shoulder at eleven. The expert Potioneer fought back a grin.

"You're so tall already, Zoe!" she muttered fondly. Zoe shrugged her shoulders.

"Dad's already told me that I might have his genes." she responded. Rose groaned.

"Rose, you're going to be looking up at her by their OWLs." Al laughed.

"Oh damn, I sincerely hope not..." Rose fake-whined. Melanie took pity on her.

"Aw, mum. I'll stay small so you can always be the taller one of us two."

"Thanks Mel. Just don't let Zoe sling you over her shoulder if she gets that chance."

"I promise." Melanie's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. Hermione had nearly been on the verge of happy tears when she saw that her second grandchild had inherited the Granger eyes. "And Zo won't get away with alliterative 'Midget Melanie' either."

"Time will tell." Al smiled - the last eleven years had been the best so far. "Now how about you two get dressed while I cook breakfast?" The girls' eyes gleamed with ecstasy and they bolted back upstairs. After breakfast, Melanie and Zoe poured over their parents' yellowing old schoolbooks with them, many laughs among it all.

"Hey, no cheating to look at our first-year text!" Rose chided. The twins pouted.

"Aww, Rose! How can you say 'no' to that?" Al pondered, smiling. Rose huffed.

"Easy. I invented that pout. They get all of it from me." she replied.

"Muuuum!" Zoe and Melanie fake-wailed in unison. Al burst out laughing.

"She's right, girls. Your mother's used that pout many times. Your Aunt Lily crumbled to it once, and she ended up wearing a green bridesmaid dress."

"It was down to white or green and I simply refused to look like a forest!" Rose said.

"Come to think of it, where is your wedding photo? I think Aunt Lily looks rather good in green." Zoe smiled. "And Uncle Lysander's blue cummerbund matches his eyes."

"Always one with the fashion sense..." Melanie mumbled. Zoe stuck her tongue out.

"Merlin... Uncle Lysander... you remember when we teased Lily mercilessly?" Rose asked. Al nodded, holding back a laugh. "James and Cynthia paid up nicely."

"As much as reminiscing is nice, I think you two-" Al grinned at his daughters "-would like to get going." he finished. Plural shrieks of joy were the response he got.

"I'm going to have the most adventures!" Melanie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Zoe elbowed her lightly, shaking her head at lightning-speed, raising her brows. But in that commotion, they failed to see they had a Floo call.

"Who's going to have the most adventures?" Harry's head, the mess he called hair heavily patched with grey and the occasional silver, asked as it poked out of the fire.

"I am!" Zoe and Melanie chorused, smiling. Their father sighed comically.

"Hey dad. Aren't you supposed to be going over reports for tomorrow?" Al greeted.

"Even the Minister can slack. And besides, they must be getting sick of me."

"Oh hardy-ha. And let me guess. The Auror Head and Deputy Minister can slack too."

"Got it in one." Harry deadpanned. Zoe and Melanie gasped. Their most revered family were pulling sick days! Their mother would be going mad! "And we're coming."

That remark from Harry changed the girls' opinion. "Yep, me, Ron and Hermione are popping by 9¾ and then lounging about Godric's Hollow all day." he finished.

"Sure you don't need picking up?" Rose had heard Harry and walked over.

"I'm still alive and kicking, Rosie. Sixty-one is hardly-" but Harry coughed. Rose gave him a look. "I'm fine. Need to kick up the Vitamin C levels." he said. "Ron and Hermione will-" another look from Rose "-come and pick me up, and they are spring chickens as ever. " Harry finished. Rose could be such a worrywart with health.

And soon enough, the family of four were at King's Cross. Zoe suddenly went white.

"You sure we won't crash?" she whispered, stressing the 'we' for security reasons.

"Of course. Neither of us have." Rose put her hand on Zoe's shoulder, smiling kindly.

"Geronimo!" Melanie grinned, running head-first. Zoe shook her head at Al and Rose.

"Wait for me, Mel!" she hissed comically, following. Their parents trusted them enough to let them go in first. The quartet soon saw the billowing smoke.

"Over here you lot!" Cynthia called. Al caught her ear followed her voice. A minute later, the blonde-haired hellion otherwise known as Sidney raced up to them.

"Hey Mel, Zo. Hello Uncle Al, Aunt Rose." James and Cynthia's eldest beamed.

"Hi Sid." Rose smiled. Zoe beamed back. "And the other criminals?" Rose teased.

"We resent that!" James and Andrea - Sidney's younger sister - hollered back.

"Oh don't mind them." Cynthia grinned as her husband and daughter walked alongside her. "They're just on a pranking ban. And this one..." she trailed and pointed to James. "...is trying to corrupt Andrea in every pranking way before she gets on the train. It's been his ambition since both she and Sid were born."

"They were born for it! My manic agility and Cynth's brains? Ideal!" James defended. "Well Sidney will look out for Andi, Zoe and Mel. Won't you?" Cynthia asked tensely.

"Of course." Sidney replied. This responded in hugs from the three girls. Suddenly a blue light materialised on site. The Golden Trio were back on their home turf.

"Surprised?" Harry asked, slightly broken glasses on his face as Sidney and Andrea hugged him. "I'm sure the newbies will master the spells quickly." he said as Cynthia mumbled 'overloading them with arrogance, Harry'. Hermione laughed at that.

"Of course I only tried to use simple ones myself, but they all worked for me. Example, occulus reparo!" she said confidently, muttering something afterwards.

"What was that? 'Having to fix his glasses for the zillionth time'?" Ron joked.

"Tsk, tsk, Hermione. Oh it's great to back here." Harry sighed nostalgically.

"I can guess. Only two years left for me." Patricia Lupin had walked over, her hair changing colour due to emotional override. Dominique ruffled her hair and grinned.

"Just think, you can buckle down and in a year you might get what you want."

"Head Girl..." Patricia smiled - it had been her dream since Neville had unexpectedly made her Prefect the year before. Harry turned to Rose.

"I suppose Lily and Lysander are turning up later?" he pondered.

"You know how Lily is with time. But she might pull out a miracle for Klaus' first year."

"And Hugo and Megan?" Harry asked, his eyes drinking in the historic sight.

"Should be here soon - no doubt Henry will throw a tantrum like Lily did years ago."

"Only a year for him." Hermione said. "Besides, Max is only a fair two years older."

"Pats! Put me down!" Melanie giggled. Hermione and Rose followed the voice to see Al laughing as Patricia's willowy figure, adorned with pink hair now, piggy-backed the much smaller Melanie, Patricia trying hiss a funny 'never!' into her little cousin's ear.

"There's your first adventure done, Mel!" Zoe laughed, as Patricia winked back at her. Putting Melanie down, the Lupin girl beckoned Zoe over to look the twins in the eyes.

"Now, I know that you two are skilled in wit and basics to get yourself out of trouble but if someone gives you a hard time, who's the one person you can count on?"

"Trusty cousin Pats." the twins chorused. Al saw as their admiration for Patricia made the older girl's eyes water and turn blue as she crouched to hug them both.

"Damn straight." the sixth-year said, cringing slightly as she heard Rose's hiss of 'Patricia Lupin, don't curse in front of my girls!' beside Dom's laughter. Hugo and Megan turned up a minute after with Max and Henry. Zoe and Melanie also knew Max, as a year older, would show them some ropes too. Soon enough, all the older students (Patricia, Sidney, Andrea and Max) were on the train. Rose glanced up at the clock. Ten fifty-eight. Al had seen it too. She looked into brown and green.

"Zoe Martha and Melanie Rose, of all that me and your father have done, you two are the things we are proudest of. Now let the Hat embrace your best qualities, make your own identity, and go enjoy those seven years." Rose had led the twins aside to make this little speech and was suppressing tears by the end of it. Al held her hand.

"I agree." he smiled. "I'm sure your older cousins will guide you, and Klaus will be in your classes, but mingle. We were grateful. We love you." he grinned down at them.

"Likewise." Melanie smiled back, while Zoe nodded. Rose hugged Melanie and then kissed Zoe on the head while Melanie jumped on the train. "Come on Zo!"

"Oi, I'm coming! Remember that I'm older, Melanie Potter!" Zoe repsonded childishly. And with that, Al and Rose's daughters boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time, twenty-three years after their parents' first journey. Rose was beaming, holding back watery eyes. Al hugged her. Harry, Ron and Hermione walked over to wave.

"Hey, they'll be fine." Harry said, putting a comforting hand on his niece's shoulder.

"I know, I know." Rose said. "It's just... it feels like yesterday I brought them home."

"That's normal, Rosie." Hermione said empathically, for tears had silently streaked down the redhead's face now. Rose rubbed her eyes with her arm, then looked at Hermione. For a second, her memory flashed to back being a newbie in her school robes, beaming back at Al when he was relieved to see her that September first. But now it was her children going off, and Al and her were frequently brewing away for St. Mungo's at Cynthia's recommendation. Al said her thoughts as she leaned on him.

"The children can start their lives." he said. Rose nodded. "You were right in that proudness speech." Al finished. And she was. Rose would've never changed a thing.

AN: And after nearly three years, 'Albus Potter's Normalcy is Shaken... Maybe' is done! If you're wondering about the Golden Trio, I imagined that by then Harry would be Minister whether he liked it or not, Hermione as Deputy, and Ron would've taken over Harry's former stand as head honcho of the Aurors. As for Al and Rose, I felt that I had to bring them full circle so there's nods to the first chapter and also one to JKR's 'Hallows' epilogue. If any readers who have stuck with me to the very end want any fourth-generation one-shots, I'll be glad to write them - let's face, that generation is very rarely hinted at anyway.