The rest of the summer was smooth sailing for the Potter family, enjoying what was left of the holidays before it was time for Harry to start his first year at Hogwarts, along with Neville, Ron, and Huxley. Harry had been attempting to spend some as much time as possible with his parents and his siblings, knowing that it would be months before he saw them again. And as the time approached for him to leave for Hogwarts, Harry had to admit (only to himself) that he was nervous. He had never been apart from his family for very long, maybe a couple of days at a time when he attended sleepovers and such, but nothing more than that.

He was thankful to have his friends were attending as well, but it wasn't going to be the same. On nights that he awoke from horrible nightmares, he knew his mother wasn't going to poke her head instead of his room to see if he was sleeping well. He wasn't going to be comforted by his father's reassuring words or sense of humour when James sensed he was feeling down. And he wasn't going to have Ilaria and Monte there to make him laugh with their silly antics.

The sad truth was Harry was feeling homesick before he had even left home.

When the first of September arrived, Harry found himself long awake before the rest of his family. Even Hedwig offered a side glance in his direction as he moved around in his bed. He debated whether to simply sit there and wait for others to start stirring, but after a few minutes, Harry found himself leaving his bedroom and heading towards his parents' room.

Renata and James were sound asleep when Harry cautiously poked his head into the room. The sound of his father's light snoring echoed about, while Renata was practically buried under the blankets. Harry made his way to Renata's side of the bed and nudged her arm lightly, knowing she was more likely to wake up than James.

Seconds later, her eyes fluttered opened and it took a moment before they focused on Harry.

"Harry, what are you doing in here? Is everything alright?" Immediately, her maternal instincts seemed to kick in, making her bright-eyed and alert instantly. "What's wr-"

"Nothing is wrong," Harry told before climbing over her and settling in the middle of the bed, " I just wanted to say good morning."

Renata was not easily fooled by Harry attempting to brush off his own nerves. He had to keep reminding himself that even if he wasn't completely honest with her, she would always know how he was truly feeling.

"Are you nervous about heading to Hogwarts?" Renata asked, rolling over so that she was facing him. She propped her head up using her elbow. "It's alright if you are, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I'm not nervous about going," Harry said, " I just don't like the idea of being so far away from all of you. I won't get to see you for a long time. I'm going to miss being home."

"And we're all going to miss you so much, Harry," Renata said softly, as she pulled him into a hug. "I don't think you realise how much your father and I have been dreading this moment. We want you to go off and have adventures. I know you're going to have so much fun with your friends, but we're going to miss you terribly. But you know what, we're always going to be right here when you get back. Your home will always be here, waiting for you."

Somehow, his mother always knew what to say, it had to be a magical ability of hers, Harry reckoned.

As Harry wrapped his arms around his mother in a hug, James stirred and looked at the alarm clock by the side of his bed, questioning why people were actually awake in the household. When he glanced over to make a comment, he could see Renata holding onto Harry, instantly sending him on a trip down memory lane. How many times Harry would sneak into his parents' bed for a nap. He would cuddle up to either one of them but always had one hand reaching out to touch the other parent to make sure they were there at all times.

James had to admit from the time that Harry's Hogwarts letter arrived, he was dreading the changes that were going to come to the household. He was more than excited for Harry to start his own adventures at school, especially since James had given him an extra task during his time there. However, he knew the home was going to feel weird with Harry's absence. Yes, he and Renata would still have their hands full managing Ilaria and Monte.  But the household was definitely going to feel different.

Eventually, Monte and Ilaria entered the room as they did every morning when they woke up early. As usual, they appeared highly offended that no one had bothered to wake them up, knowing there was a full-blown party taking place. They jumped into bed, Monte crawling over his father while Ilaria begged that she at least get to step foot on the Hogwarts Express to see what it looked like.

The Potter family spent the majority of the early morning together, and Harry's nerves and worries vanished slowly. Sure, he was going to miss his family, but they weren't going anywhere. They were always going to pick up where they last left off.

Before leaving the cottage, Renata had checked over Harry's trunk while James helped Harry manage Hedwig back into her cage. They were set to meet everyone at King's Cross Station and as James prepared the fireplace to use the Floo Network, Harry found his heart racing in his chest. The time was coming closer and closer, especially as Harry joined James and Monte in the fireplace. They left first with Renata and Ilaria following close behind.

When they arrived at the station, James waited until the family was reunited before heading towards the platform. Harry had heard stories about it, from Uncle Sirius to Fred and George, talking about running through the barrier. It was what separated the magical world from the muggle one. Ron said he had been through it a couple of times with his older brothers when they left for Hogwarts and it seemed scarier than it actually was.

Harry simply pushed his trunk along, following his father. Monte was sitting on James' shoulders, looking around as people passed along in every direction. Meanwhile, Renata was attempting to keep Ilaria close to her side, who wanted to approach a muggle and ask them a million questions. But they all came to a stop when they reached the barrier, having James turn to Harry with a smile.

"Alright, Harry, you're up. You get to go first."

Staring ahead, Harry wondered if everyone around him was suddenly in on some elaborate prank that would involve him running straight into a brick wall. With his trunk in front of him, if he made a run for it, he was going to knock himself out if the wall turned out to be solid. However, while he wouldn't put it passed his father for a prank, he had a feeling his mother practised a bit more mercy. And when he looked in her direction, she gave him an encouraging nod.

Taking a deep breath, Harry looked forward, peering over Hedwig's cage before he started moving towards the barrier. But the closer he got to it, it seemed he felt the need to pick up his speed and before he knew it he was running towards the barrier, and then through it.

An odd sensation washed over him as he passed through but a smile broke out on his face as he made it to the other side.

Only, he forgot the part about actually stopping once he made it through. Fuelled by the adrenaline that coursed through his veins, Harry was moving at the speed of lightning.

It was only when his trunk crashed into someone standing near the barrier did he actually come to a full halt. There was a yelp as the person hit the ground, including the belongings that had fallen from their own trunk. Harry froze in place, mortified at what he had done as he noticed a girl rubbing her backside while glaring up at him.

"What were you trying to do, set a speed record with that thing?" she questioned him. Harry quickly ran over, ready to offer his hand as he began apologising profusely.

"I'm so sorry, I was just trying to get through the barrier and I didn't-"

"See, Harry, you made it through just fine," James' voice sounded from behind him, leaving Harry red in the face from embarrassment. "I...Dr Mulligan? What are you doing here?"

Confused, Harry turned around to see that his father's attention was no longer on him, but on a woman that was walking towards the scene. She had auburn hair that was slightly greying near the roots and at her side was a tall man sporting a whimsical moustache.

"Mr Potter," the woman replied, " it's good to see you, it's been so long. I would say that I hardly recognised you but it seemed you hardly aged. I'll admit, I'm jealous."

Beside her, the man cleared his throat, leaving her to chuckle before introductions. "Sorry, you've never met my husband. This is Aaron and to answer your question, we're dropping off our daughter for her first year at Hogwarts. She was just here a minute ago. Marleigh?"

"I'm down here!"

Harry took a step back as the girl he had struck with his trunk raised her hand to notify her parents that she was closer than they realised. He didn't know who Dr Mulligan was, but by the way, his father reacted and how she reacted to greeting Renata when she finally came through the barrier, it was clear that they knew each other quite well in some way. Marleigh's father came over and helped his daughter to her feet, afterwards she brushed herself off with a huff and collected her things off the ground.

Meanwhile, Dr Mulligan was cooing over Ilaria and Monte. "Oh goodness," she said, "so that means..."

She turned and looked over at Harry with a smile. "Harry Potter, look at you, you've grown so much since I last saw you. As to be expected though since it's been years since I last saw you. You look just like your father."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, " but who are you?"

In the background, Marleigh snorted loudly at Harry's reaction to her mother's greeting. But rather than the woman explaining who she was, James intervened.

"Harry, this is Dr Eithne Mulligan," he told him, " she helped your mother and me a few years ago. You were too young back then to remember but you've met her before."

"Er...it's nice to meet you, Dr Mulligan."

"Oh nonsense, all of you stop being so formal and call me Eithne!"

Harry didn't have the slightest clue that he was talking to his parents' former therapist that had helped both of them through some of the toughest times. All he knew was that he had practically run over the daughter of his father's old friend.

He looked over in Marleigh's direction once more to see that she had missed one of her books from earlier. Walking over, he picked it up and held it out for her to take.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you with my trunk. I'm just...nervous about going to Hogwarts."

Pausing for a moment, Marleigh's gaze travelled over him before her hardened expression softened. She gave a half-eye roll before her a small smile appeared across her lips. Tossing her long dark curls over her shoulder, she finally took the book from him and sighed.

"You're forgiven...this time. But next time, try taking deep breaths next time you're feeling nervous instead of running people over with your trunk. In through your nose and out your mouth. Thank me later, Potter."