Chapter 17
Laughter echoed throughout the Potter house. It was Christmas Eve and everyone had arrived two hours ago. James and Fred were whispering something, probably planning a prank, while Hugo and Molly ran all over the house.
"How long will dinner take?"
"It'll be ready soon!"
Albus sat between Lily and Rose on the sofa. You could see that Rose was restless. Lily wanted to ask if she was okay, but she didn't.
James, Fred and Louis sat on the sofa across from them.
"Where have you been at Hogwarts lately?" Rose asked and looked at Lily, who immediately turned her head towards her. "What?"
"I haven't seen much of you lately. Normally you were in the common room a lot, but in the last few weeks you've hardly spent any free time there." Rose said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know, it's just like that."
Albus' gaze was also on Lily, who was visibly getting more nervous.
"Oh, Merlin, do you have a boyfriend?!" Roxanne squeaked and a grin formed on Dominique's face. Lily blushed. "No!"
"You definitely do," Rose grinned and gave Lucy a high five, who was standing next to her and listening with interest.
"You have a boyfriend?" James asked and Fred raised his eyebrows. "What is he like, is he nice? Mean? Do we have to tell him off?"
"I don't have a boyfriend," Lily said a little louder, and then Hermione and Fleur came into the living room. "Who has a boyfriend? "Nobody," Lily sighed and leaned back, folding her arms.
"Um, okay. The food is ready, kids. Come on, please," Fleur explained, pointing towards the kitchen. The teenagers stood up and followed Hermione and Fleur into the kitchen.
When they got inside, the adults immediately stopped talking. They had been discussing something that the teenagers apparently shouldn't hear.
For half an hour, everyone talked normally. About Quidditch, about job ideas, a bit about the future.
Until the Hogwarts topic came up.
"So... did you know that Albus is in a room with Malfoy?" Ron asked, with his fork in front of his mouth. Bill looked quickly at Ron before turning to the teenagers.
Hermione wanted to hex Ron at that moment.
But he didn't mean it in a bad way, and she knew that.
Roxanne sighed loudly. "Yes." Louis nudged her and Roxanne looked at him angrily. "What? Should we keep lying?"
"Maybe," Dominique hissed quietly at her so the others wouldn't hear.
"To put it another way: you all lied to us," said Percy and George crossed his arms. "Why?" Arthur asked, a little disappointed in his grandchildren. He showed it.
The teenagers didn't know what to say.
Sure, they did it because of Albus, but he didn't force them to. Somehow they did it voluntarily.
If they really wanted to betray Albus, they would have told the whole truth long ago.
But everyone knew that it would go really wrong at some point.
"Because of me. I told them not to say anything." After a short pause, Albus began to speak.
"But-" James began and Fred wanted to say something too, but Albus was quicker.
"If so, please be angry at me and not at the others," said Albus and Ginny looked at him sympathetically.
"Okay," replied Harry and everyone at the table became completely quiet. "Harry..." Hermione began but he shook his head. "He lied to us - to me. I said from the beginning that he should stay away from Malfoy. And he didn't even tell me that the two of them were sharing a room. I had to find out from Draco, damn it! From my enemy! Because my own son wasn't able to tell me the truth! I have the right to be angry with him. And I'll tell you again-" Now Harry looked at Albus. "I never want to see you talk to each other. You'll never be friends. But I think I told you that enough when I visited Hogwarts a few weeks ago."
"Harry, that's enough! You're angry, yes i understand, but please don't talk now. You're expressing things too meanly, you don't mean it that way," Ginny now intervened angrily.
"I'm talking to my son. Do you understand?" Albus nodded in response. He remained silent.
"Are you angry with me now?"
"Yes, damn it!" Ginny's voice grew louder. "Why do you think Albus is distancing himself from us? Have you ever thought about the reasons why he might do that?"
"What do you mean?" Harry crossed his arms.
"You both calm down now!" Molly demanded, but Ginny continued to talk.
"No matter what he does, he's doing it wrong in your eyes! You don't see that, Harry. You want to be better, don't you?"
Hermione stood up and moved towards Albus. "We're going to your room, Albus. You don't have to hear this." Hermione took Albus by the arm and gently pulled him along.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted, Hermione turned around. "No one is going with us!" Her voice was stern before she made her way into Albus' room.
In there, she leaned against the door and Albus went in. "Are they really fighting because of me?"
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and sighed. "Yes, but you know them both. They're making up again, it's just all a bit too much at the moment, you know? 6 years is a long time, Albus. Harry is just angry and disappointed. But that will settle down, Albus. He loves you, Albus. He just needs time."
Dad loves me.
"Thanks, Hermione. Can I talk to my son alone now?" Ginny asked quietly and Hermione nodded. "Should I wait outside the door with Molly, Fleur and Victoire?"
Ginny shook her head. "I'll come back down then."
Hermione smiled briefly at Ginny and Albus before turning around, closing the door and going back downstairs.
Albus' eyes became watery. "Am I really doing everything wrong?" His voice trembled.
"No, Albus." Ginny came up to him and hugged him. "I love you. Your father loves you, he just can't express it very well sometimes. But it will get better eventually, okay? He loves you so much. He's just hurt."
Albus nodded and sniffed into Ginny's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." Ginny pulled away a little. "Hey, do you want to go to Hogsmeade for a bit? Just the two of us?"
Albus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"
Ginny shrugged. "Is Scorpius Malfoy really good?"
Albus' heart started racing. He nodded immediately.
Ginny sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I don't like this at all." Albus was still confused.
"But I can give you an hour with him if you ask him if he can come to Hogsmeade quickly. On one condition: I'll go with you." She hesitated for a moment. "You want to see him, don't you?"
Albus nodded immediately. Speechless.
"But it's just between the three of us. Harry isn't ready for that yet. That would be too much, much too much. He wants to protect you," Ginny explained as she watched Albus reach under his pillow, pick up a letter and place it face down on the desk. He began to write on the back.
Ginny frowned. "He's writing to you? Voluntarily?"
Albus just nodded and Ginny shook her head.
-
"I'm going out with Albus! We'll be back in three hours at the latest!" Ginny called as she and Albus stood at the front door.
"Where to?" Molly asked and Lily watched her mother and Albus suspiciously.
"Spend some time alone. Sorry," Ginny explained and pulled Albus out of the house. "They'll all be so angry when they find out about this," Ginny whispered and Albus swallowed.
"Thanks, Mum."
Ginny put an arm around Albus's shoulder.
Albus was nervous. Really nervous.
So nervous.
When they arrived in Hogsmeade, they immediately went to the three broomsticks. Inside, the two spotted a blond-haired boy.
"Sorry, Mum." "It's okay," said Ginny and took a few steps back. Albus and Scorpius moved towards each other and immediately hugged.
They searched comfort in eachother.
Albus searched comfort in scorpius right now.
Ginny crossed her arms and watched the two carefully.
"Hey..." whispered Scorpius as they separated and Albus smiled.
Ginny hadn't seen Albus this happy in a long time. And that was what she noticed most now.
"I missed you," Albus murmured and Scorpius grinned. "I missed you too. But how are you? About your father?" Albus swallowed. "He's angry. A lot. But I can also understand it somehow. I lied to him....For a long time." He took a deep breath, and Scorpius immediately pulled him into his arms.
Ginny couldn't help but smile. Rosmerta was standing next to her at the bar. "You're not angry?"
"A little. But I can understand Albus," Ginny explained, and Rosmerta nodded slowly. "Can we get three butterbeers?" "Yes, of course."
"How much?" asked Ginny, but Rosmerta shook her head. "On the house. They both need peace and comfort, and that's what you're giving them right now. That's enough for me." She smiled at Ginny.
When Albus and Scorpius had finished speaking, the three of them sat down at a table together. Ginny began to talk to Scorpius. Rosmerta came by sometimes, but otherwise everything was relatively quiet and okay.
"Boys, boys. Come on, I have to show you a shop! You probably haven't seen it yet!" said Ginny and put her arms around the two boys.
-
Later, Albus and Ginny stood in front of the front door. "He was nice. I must say."
At that, Albus smiled.
"He's okay. I hope we're not mistaken," she added, but Albus wasn't angry with her. She was worried, but she tried to put her worries aside for Albus.
"He's good for you, Albus. I noticed that today," Ginny whispered before the two entered the house. Albus swallowed, following his mother in the house.
Inside, they immediately made their way into the living room. Albus tapped Lily's shoulder, who was sitting next to Rose. "Come with me." Lily nodded, stood up and quickly followed Albus into the kitchen.
"You'll probably tell me where you two were right now." Lily smiled and Albus began to tell her the story. "We were in Hogsmeade, with Scorpius."
Lily cried out for a moment and Albus began to smile.
"Oh, by Merlin!" Lily clapped her hands. "You must have missed each other. You must have missed him." Lily waggled her eyebrows and Albus' cheeks warmed.
"Yes, I did."
Lily squeaked and Albus quickly covered her mouth.
"Are you both okay?" Ron asked and Albus shouted back "Yes."
,,Oh, you're so in love."
That sentence made Albus blush even more.