Chapter Text
Nineteen Years Later
"Shay, hurry up, we're going to be late!" Dean called over his shoulder as they strode across the platform.
"Comin'!" Seamus replied. "Just get her through, we'll catch up!"
Dean nodded as he pushed the trolley with one hand, the other clasped around the hand of a tiny eleven year old girl. They approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten and promptly disappeared. Seamus turned and put his hands on his hips, playfully glaring down at the sandy haired girl in front of him.
"C'mon, Birdie, we have to see your sister off!" he said.
Bridget twiddled her thumbs together. "But Da, I don't want her to go."
Seamus kneeled down in front of her and lifted her chin up. "I know, little bird. I don't want her to go, either, but she has to. Wouldn't ye rather say goodbye? Besides, ye'll be joinin' her in two years anyway."
Bridget looked up and nodded.
"Great! C'mon, then, otherwise we'll miss her!" he said, straightening up and taking her hand. Together they set off at a brisk pace and went through the barrier. It wasn't hard to find Dean: his husband's head was the one looming above everybody else's.
"I got Adelaide's trunk on the train already," Dean told him. "She's quite nervous."
Seamus ruffled the dark brown hair of his older daughter. "What's there to be nervous about, Del?"
"Everything," Adelaide mumbled.
"Ye're goin' to have the time of yer life," Seamus told her with a smile. "Right, Dean?"
"Absolutely," Dean said. "Be sure to make lots of friends so they can come 'round for Christmas."
"You mean it, Papa?" she asked happily.
Dean nodded and smiled.
"All aboard! All aboard!" someone called.
"Go on!" they told her.
Adelaide gave all three of them one last hug before darting onto the train. She appeared in the window of a compartment with two other girls and a scared-looking boy and waved at them as the train began to roll forward.
"Bye Da! Bye Papa! Bye Birdie!" she shouted.
Tears rolled down Bridget's cheeks as they all waved goodbye until the train disappeared from sight. They turned away from the platform and began to make their way to the barrier when Bridget exclaimed, "Lily! Hugo!" and promptly ran off.
They looked to where she was running and saw Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione standing on the platform with their younger children. The four raised their hands in greeting as Dean and Seamus made their way over to them.
"We should have them over for dinner soon," Dean said. "It's been a while."
"Al and Rosie started this year, right?"
"I believe so."
"Oh, and we should invite Neville and Hannah, too, we should. We haven't seen them in a couple months," Seamus said.
"Well, I'm sure Neville's busy teaching, but he could probably find one night off," Dean replied. "I'll write Luna and Rolf, too."
Seamus groaned. "Not Rolf, he bugs me."
"We don't get Luna without Rolf," Dean reminded him.
Seamus glowered and gave in with a sigh. "Alright, fine."
"Did you ever think our lives would turn out this way?" Dean asked as they approached the Potter-Weasley clan.
"What d'ye mean?"
"I mean us. Married with two kids," Dean said with a smile. "Did you think it would work out like this?"
"Well, maybe not exactly like this. I failed Divination, remember?" Seamus joked. "But, did I know it was all goin' to work out?" He smiled and pulled Dean down for a quick kiss. "'Course."