The chapter was small, but gave us such hope and insight into Harry Potter’s future. All of a sudden, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were seeing off their own children on the Hogwarts Express, with young Albus Severus, Rose and Scorpius about to embark on their first year. We’re sure you remember all that. But did you remember all the smaller nuggets of information we found out?

Teddy Lupin was kissing Victoire

After losing his parents as just a baby, a lot of Harry Potter readers were quick to notice that Teddy Lupin’s situation was a lot like Harry’s. It was nice to discover that Teddy seemed content 19 years later, especially considering he was spotted ‘snogging Victoire’ by a shocked James Potter.

It wasn’t long before it became clear that Victoire (‘Our Victoire! Our cousin!’) must be one of Bill and Fleur’s children. This was later confirmed by J.K. Rowling, and that Victoire was one of three siblings, the others being Dominique and Louis Weasley.

In the chapter, Lily pondered on how lovely it would be if they got married, making Teddy a proper part of the extended Potter-Weasley clan. In fact, from the epilogue in general we can see that…

Teddy had become really close to the Potter family

After professing that Teddy came over for dinner ‘four nights a week’ Harry off-handedly remarked that Teddy should just come and live with them. We know that Teddy spent his childhood with his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, but Harry seemed to have a close connection with him. No doubt Harry wanted to be as good a godfather to Remus and Tonks’s son as Sirius was to him.

Ron learnt to drive a Muggle car. Sort of

After not having much time for driving lessons while fighting Lord Voldemort, Harry and Ron had now learnt to drive. Despite having certain experiences with a certain Ford Anglia as a child, it was amusing to learn that Ron only passed his test thanks to Confunding his Muggle driving instructor.

Neville became Hogwarts Herbology professor

Neville was always partial to Herbology in the books, and the epilogue delivered the happy news that he had since landed what must be his dream job: he was Hogwarts’ Herbology professor. After years as a struggling student, we saw Neville flourish during the Battle of Hogwarts, even destroying one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. The fact he stayed so loyal to the school decades later is heartwarming.

Hagrid was still a close family friend

Neville wasn’t the only familiar face at Hogwarts – Hagrid was still there, too! After becoming one of Harry’s greatest companions during his time at the school, it sounded like the always loyal gamekeeper was about to become friends with the next generation of Potters and Weasleys too, and had even ‘invited them round for tea next Friday’.

Naturally, Draco Malfoy wasn’t (a close family friend, that is)

What a massive surprise: Harry and Draco didn’t turn out to be bosom buddies. Although, as we see in the epilogue, they were at least now civil. Yes, the pair didn’t exactly have a laugh riot at Hogwarts, but in adulthood it seemed the pair had an unspoken mutual, but at the very least, respectful dislike of each other.

He did, however, pay Harry the courtesy of giving him a curt nod when he saw him on the platform, nearly two decades after Harry, Ron and Hermione saved his life at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Albus was terrified of Thestrals

It sounded like Harry’s eldest son James had been having fun adding to Albus’s pre-Hogwarts nerves, teasing him about which house he’d be sorted into, as well as telling him about some of Hogwarts’ more otherworldly beasts. In particular, Albus seemed scared at the thought of Thestrals – the bony, horse-like creatures that only those who have witnessed death can see.

Rose had inherited Hermione’s intelligence

Having Hermione Granger as your mum must pile on the pressure somewhat, but by the sounds of a remark from Ron, Rose sounded like she’d picked up some of Hermione’s fierce intelligence. During the epilogue, the glimpse of Rose we got was of an enthusiastic future student just like her mother. She already had her Hogwarts robes on before boarding the train!

Slytherin house still had a bad reputation

Voldemort’s time in power may have long-since passed, but that didn’t mean that the reputation of his house had improved. Albus seemed rather nervous about the idea of being sorted into Slytherin, and had to be reassured by Harry.

Harry – who asked the Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin back in the day – seemed unconcerned about Albus being sorted into his once-rival house, showing just how much he’s matured over the years. It sounded like young Albus, however, had much to learn.

Every one of Harry’s children was named after someone he respected

Albus Severus was famously named after two headmasters of Hogwarts who truly resonated with Harry, but the names of his other two children also had sentimental value: Lily and James, named after Harry’s mum and dad, of course. Later on, J.K. Rowling revealed their middle names: Lily Luna and James Sirius, named for Harry’s friend Luna Lovegood and his godfather Sirius Black. It’s a very sweet thought, especially when you realise that Harry found a way to bring childhood best friends James and Sirius back together.

Albus, Rose and Scorpius started Hogwarts at the same time

With James Potter already at Hogwarts, and Lily and Hugo still too young, we saw that it would be Albus and Rose who would be starting their brand new adventure, alongside Draco’s son Scorpius. Could it be the beginning of a brand new trio? Or a brand new Malfoy-Potter rivalry?

Harry was still wearing the watch Mrs Weasley got him for his birthday

At one moment during the epilogue, Harry checked ‘the battered, old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett’s’. Fabian was the brother of Molly Weasley, killed during the first wizarding war, and Molly passed on this watch to Harry on his seventeenth birthday.

‘I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s and he wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back, but –’
The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan on to the floor.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

This moment was mentioned only briefly in the epilogue, but carried huge emotional weight if you remembered the scene where Molly gave Harry the watch, just as he was about to embark upon his quest to find Voldemort’s Horcruxes. The fact he still had it 19 years later was a true testament to Harry’s bond with the Weasleys.

Sometimes it’s the little things.