Family
Albus was flying over London at night. He does not know why, He does not know how, but he s enjoying it immensely.
He weaves through the those big muggle buildings. “Apartment buildings” he thinks. He feels an odd sensation bubble through him…he feels free.
“ Ive missed flying like this. “ He thinks. Then his eyes widen.
He s never enjoyed flying, nor has he flown a broom in four years.
The scene abruptly changes and Albus is standing in an empty black room with runes on the wall. At the center of it, they were two keys that were floating in mid air surrounded in otherworldly purple glow. Not being able to retain his curiosity, Albus approaches it.
The keys were of two different colors, one was a beautiful yellow color, while its counterpart was made out of pure obsidian.They were both encrusted with purple jewels cut to look like triple moons, while the top had an ornate design.
As he approached, one key s purple glow immediately stopped and the darker key fell.
Albus barely managed to catch it, and as he was holding it, he noticed that the key s top lit up in an electric green color.
Dark mist envelops him, and he vaguely distinguishes a figure standing in the distance. As the shape of the person becomes clearer, he perceives a pair of golden eyes, much like his own staring back at him.
He tries to scream and everything goes pitch black.
Albus
Platform 9 and three quarters
December 20th
20 : 30
Albus wakes up with a start as the train pulled into the station. Across from him Scorpius is snoring softly. Getting to his senses, he quickly wakes Scorpius up and the two boys make their way off the train.
Before falling asleep, He has changed into his muggle clothing which consisted of a black hoodie ( his favorite ! ) a grey shirt and blue jeans.
“ So, “ Albus says teasingly. “ Did you sleep well ? “
“ Actually I did not. “ Scorpius grimaced “ I think that I slept the wrong way. My neck hurts.
What about you ? “
“ I-I “ Albus frowns. “ I don’t remember. “
They were enveloped with the students happy chatter as they climbed down the train.Scorpius and Albus were moving a little faster than the other students, because they wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. They moved fast, only stopping to collect Scorpius s trunk and owl, Perseus.
The duo soon went to stand next to the Chocolate frog stand on the platform.It was still in the station, yet far away from the eyes of the public. Albus s parents generally used this specific area to collect their children and so by extension the other Weasely s did too. Scorpius would generally hang out with his best friend until his father came.
“ Seems like we are first, for a change “ Scorpius commented.
“ Yea seems like we-“ Albus stopped talking and an annoyed expression came upon his features as a particularly loud voice was beginning to be heard.
“ Yea you should’ve seen the expression on her face when I told her that- OOOh look what we have here ! “
James Sirius Potter said when he saw his little brother. He was there with his best friend Fred Weasely the second, his twin sister Roxanne and their cousin Magnolia Dursley.
“ Looks like a pair of snakes got here before us ! “ James ruffled Scorpius and Albus hair in a ( friendly ?) manner.
“ James, you know how they feel about your noggies “ Magnolia said softly.
Dudley Dursley has a better relationship with his cousin nowadays, them being on good-enough (?) Terms. Magnolia and James met in the second grade and bonded over their love of sports. It was a big surprise and delight to him that Magnolia was a witch , because Albus overheard him talking to their mom that he was afraid that they would lose touch.
The only difference was that while James was loud and teasing and could be a little inconsiderate of peoples feelings, Magnolia was often the voice of reason and more empathetic towards peoples feelings.
“ Fine. “ James released his hold on his younger brother.
James was everything Albus was not. Easygoing, Mischevious, popular and got good grades. He was the Quidditch captain and won the house cup for Gryffindor.
“ Hey-“
“-Malfoy”
“ Amazing job out -“
“ On the field -“
Yesterday .”
Fred and Roxanne said in unison, black eyes alight with mischief.
“ Hello Fred, Roxanne “ Albus replied wearily.
“ Hello Albus “ They chorused.
The twins looked like a mix of their respective parents. They had light brown skin, with curly copper hair and black eyes. They were identical and if Roxanne had not put her hair in box braids last summer, they would have been indistinguishable.
Fred lifted his hand up as if to give him a noogie, but Magnolia s well trained hand stopped him.
“ Hey Snake, Aunt Hermione already picked up Hugo and Rose so we won’t see them.“ James informed his brother.
Albus s eyes narrowed
“ I told you not to call me that.”
James pretended he could not hear him and continued chatting with his friends.
Albus internally signed in relief, but he noticed that Scorpius looked slightly disappointed.
“ Sorry about that. You know how James is. “
Scorpius shrugged. He is used to James s greetings at this point, having spent a few holiday with them.
“ Hello,Scorpius. “
“ Merlin. “ Albus heard his brother mutter.
Draco Malfoy had the uncanny habit of appearing unexpectedly, but Albus and Scorpius stayed unfazed.
“ Hi Dad. “
Scorpius picked up his trunk and his owl cage and turned back to face Albus.
“ Remember what I said. Il see you after Christmas. “ Scorpius says. “ Bye Albus. “
“ See you later Scorp.”
Draco gave Albus a curt nod, and they were off. Albus watched his best friend leave the station, and turned to face his family. He noticed that his sister Lily Luna has arrived.
Lily was a lively, positive girl who could make people laugh when they were feeling down.She was very invested in fashion, and took great pride in her looks.She currently wore a white dress with pretty flower patterns.
“ Hi James ! “ She hugged her brother. Her red hair bounced as she talked.“ Hello Magnolia , Roxanne, Fred ! ”
“ Hey Albus ! “ She gives him a hug, albeit a very short one as she knows how her older brother feels about physical contact.
“ Where’s Scorpius ? I want to congratulate him on his win !” She look past him, brown eyes searching for him.
“ Oh, sorry to disappoint you Lil, but he just left. “
Lily looked disappointed. “ Oh Alright then. Il tell him next time I see him. “ Her attention shifts back to her brother.
“ How was your school week ? “ She asks.
“ It was…okay.”
Albus dimly registered Roxanne and Fred leaving with their parents and continued talking with his sister.
“ Mom, Dad ! “ Lily s brown eyes shimmered excitedly as she broke away from their conversation to greet her parents.
“ Hey Lils. “ His father said as his mother went to hug her sons.
Indeed their parents were standing there. Albus noticed that besides the fact that they look tired, but otherwise they look fine.
When Albus goes to greet his dad, he notices an excited gleam in his father s eyes.
“ Dad, you seem excited for some reason. “ Lily notices.
“ Oh ! Well yeah ! “ Harry stated. Then he clears his throat. “ Well…children you might remember the letter I sent you two weeks ago.
“ Was it the new relative that you said was going to spend the Christmas time with us ? “ Lily asked.
“ Yes ! And she s right here ! “ Harry gestures behind him and from behind a pillar steps out a young girl.
She looks about 10 years of age, and had curly auburn hair and pale green eyes which were framed by huge thin round glasses. She was wearing a pair of blue overalls over her striped blue tee-shirt, but the oddest thing about her was the faded pink heart-shaped hairclip in her hair.
“ Hello “ She said to the three stunned Potter children.
Lily broke out of her stupor first.
“,Merlin s beard, Merlin s beard, Merlins beard ! I HAVE ANOTHER COUSIN MY AGE !”
She proceeded to bombard the other girl with questions.
“ WhatsyournameWheredoyoucomefromhowoldareyoumynameislilyimsoohappy-
James interrupted her before she would scare the girl away.
“ Woah, sorry about that, my sister can be a little too much when she is excited. “ James slightly distanced Lily from the girl.
“ My name is James, this energetic girls name is Lily.What’s your name ? “
“ Daisy “ The girl squeaked out. Her hands never left the pockets of her overalls.
“ Hi Daisy, nice to meet you ! “ James extended his hand out for her to shake. After seconds hesitation she took it.
“ Nice to meet you too James. “
From afar Harry and Ginny were having a different conversation with Albus.
“ She s got a weird accent. “ Albus remarked suddenly. “ Is she not from here ? “
Albus did not notice the swift look his parents exchanged.
“ She s Australian. She moved here two years ago. “
“ Albus, why don’t you go over and introduce yourself ? “ Ginny says gently.
Albus looks at the little group huddled by the pillar. James and Lily were already striking a conversation with the girl.
———————
Four years ago
Second day of class
Flying class
“ Albus, I can’t believe this ! You were supposed to be in Gryffindor with the rest of us ! “
It was Albus s first day of school and the Slytherin and Gryffindors had combined flying class.
Rose was talking to him for the first time since his sorting into Slytherin. His parents sent him a letter congratulating him and that they would always love him no matter what house he was sorted in.
“ We were supposed to be together Albus ! In Gryffindor ! “
She was clearly very upset. Her and Albus were very close friends considering they pretty much grew up together. Albus was strongly clutching the broom, trying to not show how nervous he was.
“ But No ! Apparently you are an evil snake Albus Severus ! “ she shrieked and stormed off, leaving a surprised and broken hearted Albus in her wake.
————————
Albus
Streets of London
December 20th
21 : 15
Albus stared at the moving city from the backseat of his car window and shuddered slightly. He despised that one particular memory , but he understood that they were only eleven at the time and they mostly lived on the stories that the media and Uncle Ron told them that were not hundred percent accurate. )
Since that day, his relationship with Rose was a little rocky. With her straight up ignoring her the first year to awkward conversation during the few times they would meet during second and third years.If anyone saw them interact with each other, it would be hard to believe that before Hogwarts, the two were inseparable.
When his parents got married, they decided to use his fathers late godfather s house as their permanent residence. 12 Grimmauld place was previously magically altered to be invisible to non-magical folk. As Albus grew up, more additions were added to the house such as a garage, a backyard that the kids could play all types of games in.
They also modified the house a little and the once dreary house was now decked out in warm colors and a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Many things were moved around to suit their current needs, such as the second floor was modified to host their children s rooms + an additional guest room . ( The Potters did not see the use of a drawing room )
A few minutes later, the Potter family and their new addition parked their car in the garage of their house.
Among the happy chatter, Albus quietly took his backpack and went up to his room.
He quickly opened a pet carrier and a black cat quickly jumped out. Albus s cat , Circe was very much like her owner. She did not like small spaces, hated social interactions but unlike him she o so loved hugs. She had black fur and wide blue eyes. Albus found her near a trashcan in Diagon alley in the summer of his first year. They have been together ever since.
His room contained a four poster bed, a shelf with trinkets, a wardrobe and a window.His favorite part was the tree outside his window.It was sturdy enough to hold him and he could observe what was happening in the garden without being seen. His room was simple, unlike James s room which was Quidditch-themed ( with a small side of football from his primary school days.) and Lily s room was fashion-themed.
He learned that his new cousin s name was Daisy in the car. He did not approach her for conversation, not because he did not want to but because she was sandwiched between James and Lily, who were chatting up a storm and Albus never gets a word in edgewise.
Albus found it a little strange that his father invited her and not her parents, but he ll ask him that question later.
As he was in the middle of unpacking, his door slowly opened. Albus instinctively knew who it was.
“ Hello Dad. “
“ Hey Albus, do you need some help unpacking some of your things..? “ His dad asked.
“ No thank you.” He answered curtly.
“ Are you sure ? It would be-“
Albus cut him off. “ I appreciate your trying to help Father, but I would prefer doing this alone.”
“ Alright “ Harry shifts uncomfortably. “ Ill call you down for dinner then”
Albus didn’t perceive the hurt in his father s face as he closed the door.
—————————
Potter children
Grimmauld place
21 : 40
The remaining two kids were happily teaching Daisy how to play wizarding chess in the dining room when James spotted his father coming down the stairs with a hurt expression on his face.
James s brown eyes narrowed.
“ So it did not work ? “ James said. “ The snake shut you out of his den I’m assuming ? “
“ Don’t call your brother that “ Harry said wearily. “ Your brother said he wanted to be alone and I respect that.”
“ Yea, but it would not be a problem if he did not want to be alone all the time. In Morgana s name, That house messed him up.“ James hissed.
He ran his hand through his dark brown hair, a habit he inherited from his father when he was frustrated.
Daisy looked perplexed so Lily proceeded to explain to her the situation.
“ Albus rarely spends anytime with us anymore. “ She said sadly. “ He was always more introverted then us, but ever since he got sorted into Slytherin, he s been acting…different.”
“ Slytherin ? As in the house where people go to become evil ?” Daisy asked.
“ Ye-“ James started to say, but was cut off by his father.
“No.” Harry said, giving his son a meaningful look. “ Slytherin is a house with a bad reputation, that’s all.”
“ But that house is just plain evi-“ Harry gave his son a withering glare, and James stopped short.
“ Im going to make dinner. ll call you all down in half an hour.”
James waited for his father to get out of earshot to add “ Its ironic really. “His name is Albus, the name of one the greatest light wizard on earth, and he is a Slytherin !”
James proceeded to rant about his brother, unaware that Albus was watching him, hands gripping the wooden banister, who seemed to be a darker color than usual.
Albus clenched his fists. Why was he the subject of their conversation ?
Instead of climbing down the stairs and giving the piece of his mind, he goes into his room and after making sure that the door was locked, he opened his bottom drawer and took out his phone.
His father tried to modernize his family a few years ago by buying them all phones and installing internet in the household, but his mother and siblings ( as far as he knew ) never used any type of muggle machinery ( apart from the telly )
Albus opened his window and climbed into his tree. He liked this spot since it was comfortable enough for him to lay on, and the leaves were thick enough so he could observe whats going on in the garden unseen.
His phone was an old model ( iPhone 7 ) and he mostly used his phone to listen to muggle music. ( he would never admit it to anyone, not even Scorpius but he had an extremely soft spot for it. )So, safely hidden in the tree, he plugged his earbuds in and watched the world below.
———————————-
Albus
December 13th
Grimmauld place
21 : 50
A knock on his door jostled him out of his music. Hurriedly hiding his phone in his pillowcase, he scrambled to unlock the door to his very displeased mother.
“ Al, what did I tell you about your door ? “ She chided him.
“ Sorry mum.” He said sheepishly.
“ Well talk about that later.” She said. “ But its dinnertime.”
“ Alright. “ He says
Reluctantly, he follows his mother downstairs.
Dinner started off pretty awkwardly, since all basic conversation was shared during the car.
“ Soo…what s going on at work ? “ Lily asked.
Harry shot her a grateful look. He shares a look with Ginny and then leans in to his children and cousin conspiratorially.
“ So, there’s this new Quidditch exposition going on at the ministry in a few days and….I got us all tickets. “
No ones cheers were heard over James s hollering.
Albus on the other hand stayed seated and kept eating his food.
“ Oooh fun. Is Quidditch that game with the hoops ? “
All noise around the table stopped. James stopped hollering to give Daisy a horrified look. Albus snorted at his brothers facial expression.
“ Daisy Evans “ James began dramatically, “ Please don’t tell me that you compared Quidditch to basketball ? “
“ Uhh yea, is that a problem ? “ she said nervously.
“ Don’t worry. “ Albus whispered to her “ He s about to explain Quidditch to you.”
“ My dear Daisy , I must educate you in the matters of the great and holy ways of Quidditch ….“
While James was explaining her the rules of Quidditch, Harry leaned over to speak to his youngest son.
“ You know, we can also go somewhere else while James and Lily check out the Quidditch exhibit, there are other pretty interesting exhibits to visit while we are there. We could go together, just the two of us. “ Harry offered.
Being seen in public with Harry Potter was the last thing on his mind.
“ No I think ill stick with everybody else. “ Albus replied.
His father s green eyes dimmed. “ Alright. But let me know if you change your mind.” He said and retook his seat at the table.
Dinner ended a short time later, and it was Albus s turn to wash the dishes. He was dimly aware of the fact that his mother and father were still in the kitchen. That could only mean one thing.
“ Albus..we need to talk. “ His mother said.
“ We received a notice from the headmistress saying that you haven’t been paying attention in class and that you are being blunt and aggressive to everyone but Scorpius. Talk to us Alby” she said softly, using his childhood nick name” what’s wrong ?“
“ Im fine mom. “ Albus says placidly. “ Everything fine, I’m fine. I just got angry at someone who was trash-talking Scorpius.“
His parents exchanged a look.
“ Al, Are you getting bullied at school ?” His dad asks softly.
Albus s position stiffened and his emerald green eyes narrowed.
“ No. Im fine, can you please stop butting into my personal life ? “
“ Albus, we are your parents and its our job to make sure you are safe.” Harry says sharply.
“ Well I am perfectly safe so I don’t understand why are you so overbearing all the time “ Albus retorted. Albus would sworn he saw a white hair pop from his fathers greying head.
“ Albus we just want to know how your doing for once,” Harry says wearily.
Untold stories and emotions lay on Albus s tongue.
The urge to turn around and scream the truth in his parents faces grows so strong that he bites the interior of his cheeks so hard he draws blood. But he, he swallows his words down.
“ For the hundredth millionth time I’m fine. Now can you leave me alone and go talk to your perfect children instead of wasting your time on me ? “ Albus snapped.
Harry s face changes abruptly, from shock to anger to hurt and then sadness. Yet this time it is not him who spoke.
“ Albus Severus Potter go up to your bedroom. “ His mother says quietly.
Albus turns around and leaves. The older Potters can hear him stomp aggressively up the stairs.
Harry puts his head in his hands and Ginny turns around so her husband can’t see her shed a tear.
Albus walks down the hallway his face unreadable, unaware that a pair of angry brown eyes are watching him through the crook of their bedroom.