Prove You Have A Heart

Chapter 36

September 1st, 2015

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"Dad, hurry up, we're gonna miss the train!" Luke whined, tugging on his father's hand. Harry laughed, rolling his eyes at his son's urgency.

"We've got plenty of time, it's not even half past yet!" he pointed out lightly. They were too large a group to be discreet, but thanks to several well-placed notice-me-not charms they were undisturbed by muggles as they made their way towards the wall leading to Platform 9 ¾. Tony eyed it skeptically as they came to a halt in front of it, turning to his husband.

"So we just walk straight through it?" he checked, making Harry smile.

"Exactly that. Who wants to go first?" There was silence from the gathered group, and Harry sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Oh, honestly," Remus muttered. "We'll go." He tugged Bruce forward by the hand, their daughter skipping alongside them, her light blonde braid bouncing against her back. Emily was ten, and had been with them for four years, after her parents had been killed in an auror raid. Remus had taken one look at her while visiting Kingsley and had instantly fallen in love, and it hadn't taken long for Bruce to do the same. Due to his age, and the werewolf gene, it was impossible for Remus to bear his own children; Emily had been their little miracle.

The trio stepped forward, Remus leading his partner and daughter confidently towards the wall, stepping through without even a flinch. Harry turned to the rest of the group, raising an eyebrow at them. "Happy now? Come on, kid, let's go see if the others are here yet." He squeezed Luke's hand, and as they made for the wall, Tony joined them swiftly, hitching five year-old Sophia Lily Marie Stark further up his hip. She was squirming with excitement as they walked onto the platform, looking every which way at the crowds of people gathered. It was just as Harry remembered it; bustling with excitement and nervous energy, kids of all ages saying goodbye to their parents and happily greeting their friends after a summer apart. Turning back to check the rest of their group got through okay, he smiled at Remus, who jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"Everyone's over there, look," he pointed out, drawing Harry's attention to the enormous crowd of redheads further up the platform. Vicky was starting her second year, and was either loving or dreading Luke's arrival, depending on when you asked her. The pair still fought as much as they had when they were little, but now they only saw each other once a month or so it wasn't so much of a problem. Harry was expecting many calls home about his son's behaviour in regards to his 'cousin', especially if he ended up in Gryffindor with her.

"Brilliant, let's go." With Steve pushing Luke's trolley along, him and Natasha being the only ones not keeping an eye on kids, they headed for the group with Luke running ahead to go greet his Weasley cousins. Tony and Harry let him, keeping an eye on him as he was bundled in a hug by Charlie.

"When did our group end up with so many kids?" Tony asked wryly, making Harry laugh.

"When we all started growing up and settling down," he teased. The Avengers were still active, though they often worked alongside younger heroes, aware that most of them wouldn't be around forever. There were certainly enough around that they knew, should they ever need to retire, they wouldn't be leaving the world undefended.

"Alright, mate," Neville greeted brightly, coming to hug Harry as he grew closer. Luna leaned up to peck his cheek, then turned to Tony, kissing his cheek and immediately stealing Sophia from him, grinning at the girl.

"Hello little one," she cooed, dotting kisses on her face. "It's been far, far too long since I've seen you." Harry allowed his daughter to be kidnapped by his friend, making his rounds to greet everyone else. He hadn't seem them in a long time, and he'd missed them.