Albus Potter and the Pureblood's Secret

36. James’s Return

Dawlish had been right. Seeing Johnson interview Edward Fawley had successfully gotten Albus’s mind off of James, and continued to do so well into Monday night. Relieved to finally find out something he could actually tell his friends, Albus spent the evening discussing the possibility of Burke getting caught and sent to Azkaban with his friends in the Marauders’ Den.

“I think Johnson’s going to be really pissed Burke is in St. Mungo’s,” Rose said. “I mean, he’s put so much effort into this investigation. It’s been, what, months?”

Albus nodded. “At least.”

“And then he’s going to find out that the bloke behind the whole thing is dying in St. Mungo’s?” Rose continued. “Chances are he’ll die before he ever goes to trial, even if he was caught tomorrow.”

“And he’ll only be arrested if they find evidence,” Amanda pointed out. “It’ll be Edward Fawley’s word against Burke’s. A sketchy apothecary owner’s word against a distinguished potions master’s. Burke was careful. The only other people who know are in this room.”

Albus knew without asking none of his friends would turn Burke in. He’d done too much for Matt.

“The only physical evidence was here, at Hogwarts,” Amanda continued. “And that’s all gone now.”

“Who got rid of it?” John asked. “If it was Kendrick, then he knows.”

“It was Amy,” Matt said. “And she won’t tell.”

“Exactly,” Amanda said. “Assuming Burke kept no record of who he sold to, and required Fawley not to keep a record either, the only evidence is Fawley’s word. It’s not enough.”

“Then what will happen to Fawley?” John asked.

“No idea,” Albus said. Would Johnson still cut him a deal if his turning Burke in didn’t go anywhere? Johnson wasn’t the type to give up easily

“Do…do you really think he’ll die that soon?” Kaden asked quietly. He hadn’t said a word since Albus first brought up Johnson’s interview with Fawley. He was curled up at the end of the couch where Matt lay, staring at the opposite wall.

“I think so, Kaden,” Rose said. “He’s going downhill fast. Did he ever respond to your owl?”

“No,” Kaden mumbled.

“Send an owl to Amy,” Matt suggested as he sat up. “She’ll go see him and get a reply out of him.”

Kaden nodded. “Thanks.”

“So,” Albus began, wanting to get off the subject of Burke. It was too depressing. “I never asked you guys. What did you do in Hogsmeade over the weekend?” It had been the Valentine’s Day visit, which always led to interesting situations.

John, Matt, and Kaden all exchanged glances. “You should tell him, John,” Matt said, smirking. “After all, Kaden and I were just spectators.”

Albus raised his eyebrows and looked at John. “Well…? Who did you go with?”

John groaned. “Fine. And I didn’t go with anyone. Girls are too clingy during the Valentine’s Day Hogsmeade trip. They all want to go to Madam Puddifoot’s.”

“Hey!” Rose said. “Not all girls-“

“Did you, or did you not, go to Madam Puddifoot’s with Justin Brink?” John interrupted.

Rose turned bright red. “Yes. I did. And I had a great time, so shut up.”

John grinned. “Anyway, Matt, Kaden, and I went to the Hog’s Head instead.”

“The Hog’s Head?” Albus asked.

“The Three Broomsticks was really crowded,” John explained. “I thought it’d be too crowded for Matt.”

“Oh, don’t go blaming this on me,” Matt said. “You wanted to go there because you didn’t think the Three Broomsticks would serve you alcohol during a Hogsmeade visit.”

Albus laughed. He could see where the story was going. “Well, you’ve got a point there. James tried ordering firewhisky at the Three Broomsticks last year and they wouldn’t serve him.”

“Anyway,” James continued. “The place was empty. And I ordered a drink.”

Matt laughed. “You ordered about eight drinks in all. And you were the only one drinking.”

“You could’ve ordered one, too,” John pointed out. “I didn’t have to drink alone.”

Matt sighed. “I told you I can’t drink while on the anxiety potion. Burke said it would make me really paranoid.”

“More than usual?” John asked, smirking.

“Shut it,” Matt said. “And tell Al what you did after your sixth drink.”

“He’s going to hear about it either way,” Kaden added. “Either you tell him or I will.”

Albus now wished he had put off his visit to James until Sunday so he could’ve witnessed this.

“I may or may not have climbed up on the bar and sang Celestina Warbeck songs,” John muttered, not looking at anyone.

Everyone except John burst out laughing. Albus wished he could’ve seen it. He wished James could’ve seen it. It probably would’ve cheered him up.

“And is this why you said you were ill that night and on Sunday?” Albus asked once he stopped laughing.

“Yeah,” John muttered. “But I just want to say that Matt and Kaden are crappy friends for not stopping me.”

“They’d be crappy friends if they did stop you,” Amanda said. “Crappy friends to Al, Rose, and I.”

“I’m never drinking like that again,” John said, shaking his head. “Never.”

“If I had a Galleon for every time one of my cousins said that,” Albus said, grinning. “Well, I’d be able to supply you with enough alcohol to serenade us with Celestina Warbeck every night from now until we take our N.E.W.T.s.”

***

The week went by much faster than Albus thought it would. He held two Quidditch practices, both of which went better than expected. The team was quiet both practices, but they played well and all accepted Albus’s captaincy without question. Everyone agreed to hold Seeker trials on Sunday afternoon and Albus posted a notice on the message board in the common room. Within half an hour, all of Gryffindor was talking about it. The rumors that had been flying around for the past two weeks, regarding the possibility of not playing Quidditch again, were confirmed by that one simple notice.

On Saturday morning, Albus received an owl from his father telling him James would return to the castle shortly after dinner. He handed the letter to Lily, who then handed it to Cedric, and so on until it made its way to all the cousins, and thus all of Gryffindor. By lunch time, the entire castle knew James would be returning. Albus felt a little uneasy about James being the main topic of Hogwarts conversation again and wondered if he should’ve kept the letter to himself and Lily.

“He’s James,” Rose reassured Albus as they walked back to Gryffindor after dinner. “He likes the attention.”

“You haven’t seen him since the accident,” Albus pointed out. “I don’t know how much he’s going to like it now that he’s not James Potter: Quidditch Hero.”

“Okay, you have a point there,” Rose said. “But it’s too late now. And everyone would’ve found out he was back tomorrow.”

“Right,” Albus said as they reached the Fat Lady. “Vichyssoise.”

“That would be lovely right now,” the Fat Lady said as she swung forward.

Albus and Rose clambered into the common room, followed by Matt, John, Amanda, and Kaden. They didn’t often spend time in the common room, choosing instead to utilize the Marauders’ Den, but Albus figured James would go to the common room as soon as he returned and wanted to be there for him. Given it was Saturday night, he figured it would be crowded and chaotic.

What Albus did not expect to see in the common room was a large banner that said “Welcome back, James!” Nor did he expect to see crates of butterbeer, snacks, and the rest of the makings for what would, under normal circumstances, turn out to be a really good party. In the midst of the whole thing were Ben and Cedric. Albus pushed his way past a few first and second years to reach his cousins.

“What’s going on?” Albus asked them.

“Party,” Cedric said, grinning. “James deserves a good welcome back party.”

“Especially since Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny haven’t let any of us come see him,” Ben added.

“There’s a reason for that,” Albus explained. “Do either of you understand what exactly happened to him during that accident?”

“Yeah, he got a traumatic brain injury,” Cedric said. “But he’s better now. He must be, if he’s coming back to school.”

“He isn’t,” Albus said flatly. “The whole thing really messed him up and it’s going to take months for him to get better. He’s not going to want this party.”

“No offense, Al, but just because you wouldn’t want a party-“

“This isn’t about me!” Albus said.

“We know you freaked out at the club during Teddy’s stag night,” Ben added.

Were his cousins really that dense? “I swear to you, this has nothing to do with that. And please, call this off.”

“We couldn’t if we wanted to,” Ben said, shrugging. “People are expecting a party.”

Albus groaned. Maybe he could meet James at Dad’s office and warn him. If he really didn’t want the party, he could go to the Room of Requirement. Or, maybe it was time Albus showed him the Marauders’ Den. There wasn’t time to run it past Matt, John, and Kaden, but surely they’d understand. Albus scanned the crowd, but he didn’t see his friends anywhere. He lost track of them when he confronted Cedric and Ben.

The portrait hole opened and he crowd suddenly got quiet. Albus pushed past the first and second years again and saw James, standing frozen in front of the entrance to the common room. He looked exhausted, his skin pale, and skinnier than normal. In fact, he reminded Albus a lot of Matt after a full moon. James was leaning heavily on the wooden cane, which was in his left hand. His school bag was slung over his shoulder. His right hand twitched involuntarily every so often.

The crowd was silent for what felt like five minutes, but what was probably only thirty seconds. Then, it exploded with cheers. Shouts of “welcome back, James!” rang from everyone. Cedric and Ben shouted the loudest. The first and second years at the front of the crowd surged forward.

James stumbled backward. He tried to catch himself on the nearest chair, but his hand slipped and he fell. The cane clattered to the floor, but it couldn’t be heard above the crowd’s gasp. Albus rushed forward and helped James to his feet. He picked up the cane, handed it to James, and turned to the younger students.

“Get back, you lot!” he shouted.

Albus turned back to James. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

“James!” Cedric exclaimed, having reached the front of the crowd.

“Come on,” Albus said to James, ignoring Cedric. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

James nodded. He turned and climbed back through the portrait hole.

“James, mate!” Cedric repeated.

“Just let him go,” Ben muttered. “Let Al handle it.”

“Thank you,” Albus said, wishing his cousins had just listened to him.

The silence of the corridor was a stark difference from the din of the common room. When Albus emerged from the portrait hole he found James sitting down next to the Fat Lady, his eyes closed. He opened them when Albus stood in front of him.

Albus picked up James’s bag and slung it over his own shoulder. He offered his hand to James, who took it.

“Where are we going?” James asked.

“Room of Requirement,” Albus said. It was closer than the Marauders’ Den. “Sorry about the party. I didn’t know Cedric and Ben were going to do it until three minutes before you got back.”

“I- I just wasn’t expecting it,” James mumbled. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I usually like parties. But my head’s been hurting all day.”

“It’s okay,” Albus said. “Cedric and Ben will get over it.”

James nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Walking, it seemed, was taking all of his energy. It took them almost twenty minutes to reach the Room of Requirement and once there, James had to sit down while Albus paced to get the door to appear.

Inside, the Room resembled the common room, with squashy armchairs and a roaring fire, but on a much smaller scale. It also contained two four-poster beds. Albus wondered if it would be best for both of them to stay there for the night, rather than go back to the common room.

“I think it was a stupid idea to come back this soon,” James said quietly, once they were both seated in armchairs. “Maybe I should go back home.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Albus said. “You’ll only get better from here. And you won’t pass your N.E.W.T.s if you miss much more class.”

“I’ll fail them anyway,” James muttered. “I have to relearn seven years of magic left-handed by June. And hope the Ministry will get me a scribe to write my essays for me.”

“Don’t they have to?” Albus asked. “Isn’t it a requirement for schools to provide stuff like that?” Albus knew that Matt had some sort of special education plan that required the school let him make up any and all assignments he missed and that allowed him to leave classrooms whenever he needed, without having to ask permission.

“Yeah, but the paperwork takes forever,” James said. “It just…it makes me wonder if it’s worth it. Uncle George never finished his seventh year.”

“Because Umbridge had taken over the school,” Albus said flatly. “You don’t have that excuse.”

“What about this?!” James shouted. “Isn’t this a good enough excuse?”

“No, it’s really not,” Albus said. “You’re going to get through it.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t realize how damn near impossible it’s going to be. I feel like I just ran a marathon and all I did was walk from Dad’s study to the common room and then here. How the hell am I supposed to get to all my classes?”

“You’ll get stronger,” Albus pointed out.

James sighed. “Al, you know how you just get up and walk across the room and you don’t have to think about the individual little things you have to do to do that? You just do it. Same with writing your name on a piece of parchment. Or casting ‘Accio.’”

“Yeah,” Albus said, nodding.

“I have to think about all those little things now. When I walk, I have to tell my brain to pick my leg up and then put it down. And then pick up the other. And then the first one again. Then I have to tell myself to stop. And it’s the same with every single spell. Even the easy ones like ‘Accio,’ which I haven’t managed to do yet.”

“Oh,” Albus said. No one had put it exactly like that.

“Physically, there is nothing wrong with me except my right hand,” James continued. “I broke my leg in the fall, but one of the healers healed it instantly. Everything is fine. It’s all in my head. Literally. There’s something wrong with my brain so that it can’t tell my legs to move properly. And it feels like I’m going mad.”

“And that’s what the physical therapist is for?” Albus asked.

James nodded. “And an occupational therapist, too, for my hand. So I can hopefully hold a wand properly in my right hand again.”

“What do they say about coming back?”

“They think it’s a good idea,” James muttered. “I just…I don’t want people seeing me like this.”

“James,” Albus said quietly, “they don’t care. Did you see what went on in the common room just now?”

“They stared at me, completely silent,” James said.

“And then they cheered,” Albus reminded him. “You’re still their Seeker. No one we find tomorrow is going to replace you. Not really.”

James sighed. “They’re going to ask me about that match. About what happened up there. But I still can’t remember it. Healer Murdock isn’t sure I ever will.”

“Then tell them that. I’ll tell them that. The team will tell them that. Everyone’s on your side, James. You know that, right? People ask me every day how you are. They care about you.”

“I guess,” James muttered.

“Now,” Albus began, “I can’t imagine Mum and Dad just sent you back here without any sort of plan on how you’re going to manage. What did they say? And you’re only doing, what, four N.E.W.T.s?”

“Yeah. Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, and Herbology. Dad said I’m to leave class five minutes early so I can have a head start, and all the professors know not to give me detention for being late.”

“Good,” Albus said. “The professors saw it happen, James. And I’m sure Dad’s told them everything. They’ll go easy on you, and not just about being late.”

“And I’m not allowed to walk around by myself,” James added. “Dad will probably tell you that tomorrow. He doesn’t think I’d remember to tell you. Cedric’s in all of my classes, so he’s going to walk with me.”

Albus nodded. “There, see? You have a plan. You can do this. Anything else?”

“I have to check in with Madam Pomfrey and Dad at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night with Madam Pomfrey so I can get my potions. Healer Murdock won’t let me keep track of them myself, because of the memory thing. I can check in with Dad whenever. And if I get a migraine I’m allowed to leave class without asking, as long as someone goes with me.”

Just like Matt, Albus thought. “How long do you have to get followed around?”

“I think two weeks? Or three? I can’t remember. Healer Murdock is still afraid I might develop seizures and if I do someone needs to find Madam Pomfrey and Dad immediately. Same thing if I hit my head again, no matter how hard.”

Albus nodded.

“See how bloody complicated this all is?” James asked.

Albus smirked. “James. You’re Harry Potter’s son. Since when has anything not been complicated?”

James smiled. “Al, my life has been very uncomplicated up until now. You’re the one with the complicated life. Dueling evil wizards, getting kidnapped, catching fugitives in the Shrieking Shack. What’ll it be this year? Settling a prophecy someone made about you years ago?”

Albus laughed. “Very funny.” But it was true. Albus tended to lead a much more complicated life than James.

“What time are the trials tomorrow?” James asked.

“One,” Albus answered. “If you’re too exhausted to go-“

“No,” James interrupted. “I have to go. I have to see who’s replacing me.”

“Okay,” Albus said. “Do you want to just sleep here tonight? I’ll stay with you.”

James nodded. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

“Thanks,” James said as he slowly stood up. “I’m going to bed now, then. I’ve been going to bed earlier than Auntie Muriel lately.”

Albus laughed. “And you’ve got matching canes.”

James groaned. “Don’t remind me. She came to visit me last week, you know.”

“Auntie Muriel?” Albus asked.

James nodded as he climbed into one of the four-poster beds, letting the cane clatter to the floor. “All she did was rant for half an hour about how Weasleys are too obsessed with Quidditch. Then she demanded I get up and make her a cup of tea because she was sure Mum and Dad were making my injuries out to be worse than they actually are. Mum took her down to the kitchen after that. I think Mum was happy when she left.”

Albus laughed. “I think you’re her favorite, though. She wouldn’t have gone out and visited Lily or I if we’d been seriously injured.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” James muttered. He yawned and lay down on the bed.

“Night, James.”

“Good night, Al,” James said. “And thanks…you know.”

Albus nodded. It was strange being the one to look out for James for a change. Ever since they were little, James had been the one to look out for him. Despite all the teasing, James was Albus’s big brother and always made sure people knew it. But now, now it was Albus’s turn to be the big brother.

37. A New Seeker

If there was a time Albus was more stressed than he was the day of the Seeker trials, he couldn’t remember it. He’d made an almost seamless transition to captain during regular practices, but only his teammates went to practice and they tended to take place in the evenings, when the rest of the school was busy with homework or club meetings. They did not take place on Sunday afternoons, when the rest of the castle had nothing better to do than go down to the Quidditch pitch and watch Gryffindor replace one of the best Seekers the house had ever seen. Nor had he had to worry about James’s physical or mental well-being while running practice the previous week.

Albus could tell even before he’d finished breakfast that Seeker trials were not going to be easy. The entire school seemed to be talking about it, including the other houses. They speculated whether James would pick his replacement. They speculated who that replacement would be. They speculated whether Gryffindor would even find a suitable replacement. Then they speculated how much this would harm Gryffindor’s chances for the Cup. No one from any house seemed to think Gryffindor stood a chance at winning anymore and the Hufflepuffs especially were in a very good mood.

James didn’t say a word during lunch. He and Albus met Rose, Matt, John, Amanda, and Kaden in the Great Hall and James chose to sit with them rather than sit with Cedric, Ben, and Nathan on the other end of the table. Albus didn’t ask why. Then, he proceeded to methodically eat his lunch with his left hand, careful not to take anything that would require cutting with a knife and thus the use of both hands. He looked slightly better than the previous night, but still pale and sickly.

After lunch Albus, James, and John went down to the pitch, where it seemed everyone else was headed. The weather probably had something to do with it, since it was sunny and hovering just around freezing with very little wind. Those who were walking around on the grounds stared at Albus, James, and John as they passed, whispering to themselves.

“They’re all going to the pitch,” Albus muttered. “Why does everyone have to watch?”

“Because now the other houses have a chance at winning. Well, Hufflepuff does. Slytherin and Ravenclaw still don’t have much of a chance. But they’re all excited because there’s a chance Gryffindor might have a mediocre Seeker now. We haven’t since before Teddy,” John said.

“Not to mention they want to see me,” James muttered. He was walking very slowly, carefully maneuvering between rocks and small patches of ice. Most of the snow had melted during the previous week’s warm-up, but that only created mud that had yet to freeze. Albus still wasn’t sure it was a good idea for James to even go to the trials, but he didn’t say anything.

“They’ll be too busy waiting for me to screw up as captain,” Albus assured him.

“You’re not going to screw up,” James said. “It’s going to be easier than you think. Half the people who show up to try-out aren’t going to be able to fly around the pitch. You’ve been around for enough trials to know how this works.”

“But I’ve never seen Seeker trials,” Albus pointed out.

“That’s why I’m here,” James said. He put his cane down on a rock and stumbled. John caught him. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” John said. “My sister will probably show up, but only because she’s got a crush on James. She can’t fly.”

“Fantastic,” James muttered. “So after she attempts trying out she’ll come over and talk to me and not leave me alone.”

“Just tell her to bugger off,” John said.

By the time they reached the pitch it was nearly time for the trials to begin. James looked like he needed a nap after the walk. There was a very large crowd of spectators in the stands, some of whom started pointing at James when he walked onto the pitch. A smaller (but still decent sized) crowd stood near the goal posts closest to the changing rooms. They were all Gryffindor and all had brooms clutched in their hands. A few were first years and the tallest ones were fifth years. Albus didn’t see a single sixth or seventh year. The rest of the team stood a few yards away in the sidelines, huddled together in a circle.

“Do you want to sit down?” Albus asked James.

“No,” James said. “Let’s just do this.”

Albus had already warned the team not to overwhelm James with too much attention and not to ask him about what he remembered from the accident, so their reunion was short and sweet. Harrison asked James how he was and then, after a few claps on the shoulder, they were done.

Albus and James walked to the crowd of Seeker hopefuls with the rest of the team behind him. As soon as they reached them, the hopefuls stopped talking and stared. A few of the younger ones seemed surprised to see James, their mouths falling open. Albus noticed both Ashtyn and Hugo amongst the group.

“Are you still the captain, James?” one of the younger girls asked.

“No,” James said. “Albus is the captain. I’m just here helping.”

Albus turned to James, who gave him a small nod. “All right,” Albus said, turning back to the crowd. “First, we’re only looking for Seekers. Second, if you’re a first year, you can’t try out. Third, if you’re Hugo, you can’t try out.”

“Oh, come on!” Hugo shouted. A few of the first years grumbled similar sentiments.

“Aunt Hermione forbade it,” Albus said. “Go sit down.”

“Fine,” Hugo muttered. He and the other first years drifted toward the stands.

“The rest of you,” Albus began, “split yourselves into three groups. I’m going to have you fly around the pitch.”

The crowd cheered as the first group took to the sky. Albus watched them, looking to James every so often for reactions, but James’s face remained neutral. Most of the first group were fair flyers, but there were a few who wouldn’t make it to the next cut.

“What should I have them do after this?” Albus asked as the second group flew. “Should I release a Snitch?”

James shook his head, wincing slightly. He rubbed his forehead and turned to Albus. “No, you never release a Snitch until you have no more than five people left. There’s a reason there’s only one Seeker per team. If you sent all of them up there looking for a Snitch they’d just crash into each other. No, the next thing you do is have them play catch with a racquetball. If they can’t catch a nonmagical ball on the ground, they won’t be able to catch a magical ball in the sky.”

Albus nodded. He never would’ve thought of that. He drew his wand and conjured a lumpy racquetball. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. Rose could’ve done a better one.

After the third group finished flying Albus sent a few disappointed Gryffindors back to the stands, Ashtyn among them. She giggled when she walked past James. A few of them shot him dirty looks after he cut them, but he couldn’t have someone on the team if they couldn’t fly. He then conjured another racquetball and split the remaining people into two groups and had them play catch.

“See?” James said, nodding to a third year who’d dropped the racquetball three times in a row. “She’s not a Seeker. She flew decently, would probably make a good Chaser, but she can’t be a Seeker.”

It soon became apparent that very few of the Seeker hopefuls could catch the racquetball. After fifteen minutes of watching them, Albus began to wonder if there was anyone in Gryffindor who could be a decent Seeker. Even the rest of the team had noticed and were whispering amongst themselves. The crowd, on the other hand, only seemed to get louder with each passing minute.

“I think they’re nervous with the crowd,” Albus said.

“They’ll have to get over that,” James mumbled. “Matches have…matches have even bigger crowds.”

“You okay?” Albus asked, turning away from the games of catch to look at his brother.

James nodded, but his eyes were closed and he was swaying slightly. Albus took a step closer to him, so he could catch him if needed. He wished he was a good enough conjurer to conjure a stool. Maybe Janie could.

“Oi, Janie!” Albus shouted.

Janie jogged over to Albus, wincing as one of the younger potential Seekers was hit in the face with a racquetball. “Are any of them any good?” she whispered.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Albus said. “Can you conjure a chair or a stool or something?”

“I’m fine,” James muttered. “I don’t need a chair.”

“Yeah,” Janie said as she drew her wand. She muttered a spell under her breath, waved her wand, and a four-legged stool appeared out of the tip of it. It floated to the ground.

“Thanks,” Albus said. He guided James over to it.

“I’m fine,” James said again, but he sat on it anyway. “Make another cut.”

“If I tap you on the shoulder, leave the circle,” Albus instructed. “If I tap you, I’m sorry, you didn’t make it. Try again for another position in a few years.”

Albus cut ten or so of them and they joined the ever-growing crowd in the stands. The cheers and chatter amongst the crowd was now close to that of an actual Quidditch match. The pressure continued to mount and had surpassed the pressure Albus felt during his O.W.L.s last year. The team was there and James was there, but this decision ultimately came down to Albus.

Eight Gryffindors remained. Three second years, one third year, three fourth years, and one fifth year. Albus spread them out and had them continue throwing and catching the racquetball, this time with the rest of the team involved.

James now had his head in his hands. He clearly had a headache and needed to return to the castle, but Albus knew he wouldn’t until Gryffindor had a new Seeker. Even though Albus had James’s blessing, James still saw the team as his.

“How many left?” James asked quietly.

“Eight,” Albus answered.

James groaned. “Did the whole…bloody…house turn up?”

“Almost. None of the sixth or seventh years.” Albus had a feeling the sixth and seventh years, because they’d been at Hogwarts the longest and knew James, didn’t feel comfortable being James’s replacement. “Do you need anything?”

“It’s too bloody loud,” James muttered. “And why does it have to be sunny? It’s never sunny.”

Albus recognized the signs of a migraine from years of knowing Matt. Staying outside was not going to help James. “You’ve got a migraine, don’t you?”

James nodded. “It’s only going to get worse. But now you’ve got to fly with them. The whole team, and the eight of them. And you. You need to fly, too. Try to narrow it down to three or four. Then release a Snitch. When I tried out, it was whoever caught the Snitch got the position.”

“Okay.” Albus was hesitant to leave James on the ground while he flew with the potential Seekers, but he supposed he could keep an eye on him from the air, too.

Albus gathered the team and the potential Seekers and told them the plan. They took to the sky and the crowd cheered as loud as if they were beginning an actual match. Albus hovered above the rest as he watched how the eight potential players interacted with the rest of the team. After ten minutes, he had a pretty good sense of who he wanted the finalists to be and he signaled everyone to land.

The finalists were two second years and the fifth year. So far, the fifth year seemed to be the better flier, but Albus liked the idea of bringing someone younger to the team, since the rest of the team were all older. All three seemed very eager to join. One of the second years kept staring at James, which irritated Albus.

“Al?” James muttered. “Albus!”

“We’re almost done,” Albus said. “Three left.”

“I think…I think I’m going to…be sick,” James whispered.

This is what Albus was afraid of. Now what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t call off the trials in the middle, but the last thing James needed was to get sick in the middle of the Quidditch pitch in front of what appeared to be three quarters of the school. He wished Rose had come to the trials, but she’d decided to go to the library instead.

“John!” Albus called, jogging over to the rest of the team. He motioned for John to follow him, over to where James was sitting. “Take James to the changing rooms. Wait there with him. I’ll be there as soon as this is over.”

John looked apprehensive, but nodded. Albus helped James to his feet and he headed off to the changing rooms with John.

“Okay,” Albus said, turning to the team and the remaining three Seekers. “I’m releasing a Snitch. The first one of you to catch it will be our new Seeker. The goal here is to catch it fast. You don’t have to be fancy with it. Just catch it.”

Albus released the Snitch and took to the sky with the rest of the team. The three Seekers shot up into the air and started weaving in and out of the team. None of them seemed to use James’s strategy of hovering above the pitch to watch.

It took fifteen minutes, but Elias Graham, the second year who didn’t stare at James, came up victorious. Albus breathed a sigh of relief.

“Congratulations,” Albus said to him after they landed. “First practice is tomorrow night at seven.”

With a nod to the team, Albus shouldered his broom and ran to the changing rooms. The crowd had started to disperse and Albus could only imagine what they were chattering about now. Surely James’s exit from the pitch hadn’t gone unnoticed.

***

The changing room was pitch black when Albus arrived. He quietly shut the door behind him and locked it with the most advanced locking charm he knew, just in case any of the curious onlookers from the trials wanted to see what was going on. Albus lit his wand and carefully rounded the corner into the changing room proper. Once there, he saw a small bit of light emitting from the captain’s office. He walked toward it and once he was a few feet away, he saw John inside bent low over a miniature model of the Quidditch pitch. Little figures were flying above it on miniature brooms.

In the bank of lockers closest to the office James lay on a bench, his head on a pile of Quidditch robes and an eye mask over his face. His glasses sat on the arm of the bench. Albus couldn’t tell if he was asleep or not. He seemed all right, so Albus continued to the office and knocked softly on the door before entering.

John looked up from the model. “Hey. Trials over?”

Albus nodded. “Yeah, I picked Elias Graham. He caught the Snitch. Honestly, those last three were all about the same in terms of skill. And none of them are anywhere close to James.”

“Well, we all knew there wasn’t anyone who was as good as James,” John pointed out. “We’ll just have to practice a lot and maybe we can come in after Hufflepuff.”

“This is mad,” Albus muttered. “Honestly, I never wanted to be captain. I thought Professor Longbottom would offer it to Janie next year since I’ll already be Dueling Captain then. But James wanted me to do it. How could I say no?”

“You couldn’t,” John agreed. “But you don’t have to do it on your own. I’ve been strategizing for the past half hour.”

“Thanks,” Albus said, “for coming in here with James. He’s not allowed anywhere on his own.”

“Don’t mention it. Thanks for not picking my sister.”

Albus snorted. “I wouldn’t do that unless I wanted the team to lose. How is James?”

John shrugged. “I think he’s okay. I found a bunch of robes for him to use as a pillow after I failed to conjure one. I did conjure an eye mask, although it looks more like a weird shaped towel. He got sick as soon as we got in here, then laid down on the bench and hasn’t moved since.”

“I’ll go wake him up. We’ve got to get back to the castle.”

Albus left the office and walked over to the bench. He sat down on the end of it and shook James until he woke up. James pushed the eye mask off his face and sat up slowly, a confused look on his face. Clumsily, he reached for his glasses and put them on. Yawning, he turned to Albus.

“Al?” he asked.

“Trials are over,” Albus said. “We picked Elias Graham.”

James stared at him for a few seconds before realization dawned on him. “Oh. Sorry. Forgot where I was for a moment. Right. Elias. He…he should be good.” He sighed and stared at the floor. Hastily, he wiped his eyes with his left hand.

“You okay?” Albus asked quietly.

James nodded. “My head still hurts. It feels like someone’s driving a nail into it.”

“We should go back to the castle,” Albus said.

James groaned and leaned back against the bench. “Al, it’s going to take an hour to get back to Gryffindor. I’m still so dizzy.”

Albus wondered if it would be a better idea if they stayed in the changing room until James’s migraine passed. “How long do your migraines usually last?”

“Hours,” James said. “Last week I had one that lasted two days. It’s why I’m allowed to leave class whenever I need to and why the professors can’t give me detention for skipping.”

Albus nodded. Matt’s migraines never lasted that long. He never got them unless it was the few days leading up to a full moon, either. But Albus supposed migraines that were a result from brain trauma were different than those that were a side effect of lycanthropy. If James’s migraines normally lasted a few hours, they wouldn’t be able to wait it out in the changing room. He wished Apparition was permitted on the grounds. Then again, James probably couldn’t Apparate in this state.

“You need the hospital wing,” Albus said.

“The potions don’t do anything unless I take them at the first sign,” James explained.

“Then you should’ve gone when it first started.”

“Then I would’ve missed the trials,” James muttered. “Madam Pomfrey would’ve made me stay in the hospital wing.”

Albus groaned. “I could’ve done them without you.”

James flinched. “I- I know you could’ve. I just…wanted to be here.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Albus said quietly. “I just meant if you want to get better, you have to take your potions.”

“Healer Murdock doesn’t think the migraines are ever going to go away. They might get less frequent, but I’m always going to have them. There isn’t really a cure.”

“Oh,” Albus said. “But still. If you’d gone and taken the potions, we wouldn’t be stuck in this changing room.”

“We aren’t stuck. But the thought of going back to the castle is exhausting.”

“Well, come on,” Albus said, reaching down to pick up James’s cane. “John and I will help.”

James sighed. “Okay. Okay. I’m ready.”

38. An Adjustment

As James’s first week back progressed, the student body began talking less and less about his accident. After Cedric and Ben’s failure of a welcome back party, none of the Gryffindors dared bring up the accident in conversation if James or Albus or Lily or any of their cousins were anywhere nearby. Given the amount of Weasley cousins at Hogwarts, that meant people pretty much stopped talking about it. The other houses seemed to take their cues from Gryffindor and after Monday, spoke very little about James.

James, however, seemed to be secluding himself. When he wasn’t in class, he was in a back corner of the library, the lights near him dimmed courtesy of Miss Walsh. He ignored anyone who spoke to him, unless that person was Albus. Even Cedric and Ben seemed unable to get him to to speak. Albus was the only person James had any desire to interact with. Because of this, Albus found himself spending more and more time in the library and less and less time in the Marauders’ Den. His friends occasionally joined him in the library, but not always.

Friday night, the library was nearly deserted. A few fifth years occupied a round table near the circulation desk and one seventh year shelved books in the stacks, but other than them and Miss Walsh, the place was empty. Albus sat with James at the usual back table, his Charms book unopened in front of him. James’s books remained in his bag. His new, left-handed wand sat on the table in front of him.

“I think I have to drop Herbology,” James announced.

“Wouldn’t that only leave you with three N.E.W.T.s?” Albus asked.

James nodded. “Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense.”

“Have you talked with Professor Longbottom?”

“Not yet,” James muttered. “But he must know it’s coming. I show up at least ten minutes late every class-“

“You’re allowed to do that,” Albus reminded him.

“I know. But I can’t do anything in class. All the plants we’re learning about require two hands to care for. Most of them are dangerous in one way or another. I just can’t do it.”

“Talk to him first,” Albus insisted. “There’s only a few months left. You might be able to scrape a passing N.E.W.T. based off what you already know.”

“That’s the problem, Al. I can’t do most of the stuff I already know. All the stuff I did well before the accident I can’t do anymore.”

Albus kept forgetting that. “Right. Well, still, talk to him.”

James sighed. “Fine.”

Albus toyed with the pages in his Charms book. He flipped the cover open and then shut again. It felt like he was walking on eggshells around James. Matt would tell him to stop because Matt always hated it when other people did that to him. But Albus knew that stress and getting upset triggered James’s migraines.

“Cedric talked to me last night,” Albus began. He knew he had to bring this up gently.

James’s right hand twitched and he slid it off the table and into his lap.

“He and Ben think you’re avoiding them. They say that as soon as class is over you come here and tell them not to follow you.”

James said nothing. He picked up his wand and tapped it on the table. A few small, red sparks emitted from it.

“Why are you hiding out here?” Albus asked. “And why are you ignoring everyone except me? Cedric and Ben are the ones who are in your classes with you. You are going to your classes, right?”

James sighed. “I don’t know…it’s just different now. And yeah, most of them. I had to skip a few this week because I had migraines.”

“How is it different?” Albus asked, as softly as he could.

“I don’t know,” James said sharply. “Does it matter? Can’t I just hang out with you?”

Albus decided not to remind James of how for the past six years he’d pretended Albus didn’t exist at Hogwarts. “Yeah, of course. But don’t ignore Cedric and Ben. They think you’re still pissed at them for the party.”

James groaned. “I don’t care about the stupid party. It’s not that.”

“Then tell them,” Albus said.

“I will,” James said. He fiddled with the wand some more and this time smoke started emitting from it.

“Are you trying to do that?” Albus asked.

“No. Accidental magic is another temporary side effect. When I first woke up I accidentally blew up a flask of pain potion.”

“Maybe you should leave the wand alone for now,” Albus said, eyeing the very flammable books surrounding them.

“It’s supposed to go away soon,” James said.

“Have you checked in with Dad yet?”

James nodded. “Actually, I need to talk to you about that. He said I have another healer appointment next Friday. One o’clock. Will you go with me?”

“Isn’t Dad going with you?”

“Mum is meeting me there. Dad said it would be okay for you to skip classes.”

Albus shrugged. He certainly wouldn’t mind skipping Transfiguration for the afternoon. And he wasn’t likely to say ‘no’ to anything from James at this point. “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

“Thanks. They have to do more scans of my brain and hand. If my brain is healed enough, I won’t have to have someone follow me around constantly anymore.”

Albus nodded. As far as he could tell, James was already doing better. He wasn’t walking as slowly anymore and rarely stumbled over his own feet. It was hard for Albus to tell how James’s hand was because James still didn’t even try using it, preferring instead to do things slowly with his left hand.

That Friday was also the day before the rescheduled Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but Albus didn’t want to think about that. The outcome of the match would set the stage for Albus as a captain. If they lost to Slytherin, whose team was mediocre at best, Albus would never live it down. The team had been training hard and Elias certainly wasn’t bad, but Albus wasn’t used to an average Seeker. He was used to James.

***

“You have to see if you can find Burke!” Kaden exclaimed.

It was Saturday afternoon and Albus was in the Marauders’ Den with his friends, for the first time in what felt like ages. He’d spent the morning with James, who was now taking a nap in his dormitory. Albus had just finished telling his friends about going to James’s healer appointment the following Friday. Burke being at St. Mungo’s hadn’t even crossed his mind when James asked him.

“You could’ve gone when you visited James after he was first injured,” Kaden added.

“I kind of had other things on my mind,” Albus pointed out.

“I don’t know if Albus would even be able to get into see him,” Rose said. “They might only allow family in.”

“That’s what his Invisibility Cloak is for,” Kaden said. “Please, Al, you’ve got to at least try.”

“Of course I’ll try,” Albus said immediately. How much trouble could he really get in? If someone caught him he’d just say he got lost trying to find the tea room or something. “I don’t know how long the scans will take, but I probably won’t be allowed in the room during them, right?”

“Probably not,” Matt agreed. “They’ll make you stay in the waiting room.”

“And I’ll go look for Burke. Any idea where he’d be?”

“Probably the Janus Thickey ward,” Matt answered. “That’s where you go if, well…if you’re there until you die.”

Albus nodded. “But what exactly do I ask him?”

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to talk to you,” Rose said. “It depends on how far gone he is.”

Albus didn’t say it, but part of him sort of hoped Burke was too far gone to speak. Albus was willing to do this for Kaden, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t uncomfortable about it.

“Ask him who he sold his Polyjuice to,” Matt said.

“Don’t ask that,” Kaden said.

“How much money do you think he made doing that?” John asked.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Rose said.

“I couldn’t brew Polyjuice even if I wanted to,” John pointed out. “I’m only asking because who gets it when he croaks? His money, I mean. I’m guessing Matt’s parents paid him a whole lot to make that potion.”

“They did,” Matt said, not meeting anyone’s eye.

“So…who gets it?” John asked.

“I think he mentioned having a cousin or a sister once,” Kaden said.

“If I were him, I would’ve taken a huge, expensive trip before it got this bad,” Amanda said. “Can’t take the money with you.”

“He’s too obsessed with brewing to have ever done that,” John pointed out. “But I’m with you. If I knew I was dying and there was no way to stop it, I’d pick up and leave, assuming I had the money. Live big, right until the end.”

“But that would be accepting what was happening to you,” Rose said. “If you did that, you’d be acknowledging that you’d never go back. There would be some comfort in just continuing on like nothing had changed.”

“But everything did change,” John said. “You’d really keep going with your normal life? If someone told you you had a month to live you’d stay at Hogwarts?”

“Probably, yeah,” Rose said. “But none of us really know what we’d do because it hasn’t happened.”

“All I know is I wouldn’t want to spend my last days withering away in St. Mungo’s,” Amanda said.

“I agree,” Kaden said. “And I wouldn’t spend my last days at school.”

Albus didn’t know what he would do and he didn’t want to think about it. It made him think of James and how close he’d come to dying on the Quidditch pitch. Matt didn’t look too keen on the conversation either.

“Do we have to keep talking about this?” Matt asked. He looked vaguely ill.

“No,” Rose said. “And if this lot wants to keep talking about it they can do it elsewhere.”

“You can’t kick me out,” John said indignantly. “This place was left for me more than it was for you.”

Rose raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? Try me.”

John muttered something incomprehensible and opened the Transfiguration book in front of him. Albus had to stifle his laughter. No one crossed Rose.

***

Over the next week Albus continued to split his time between his friends and James, who spent every evening at his back corner table in the library. The impending rematch between Gryffindor and Slytherin loomed ever closer and Albus spent three nights on the pitch with the team that week. James attended all three practices, shouting advice from the sidelines. Albus wasn’t sure how healthy this was for him (physically or mentally), but didn’t have the heart to tell him to stay in the castle.

James did continue to improve. His coordination was significantly better and he no longer tripped over his own feet while walking. While his right hand continued to be useless, he was able to cast basic spells with his left hand. They weren’t perfectly executed, but they worked about half the time. Professor Longbottom insisted he continue with Herbology and provided more assistance so James was able to participate.

Despite these improvements, James continued to spend his free time either alone or with Albus. He preferred the library to the common room and rarely wandered the castle with Ben, Cedric, and Nathan. Meg often sat with him in the library, but she was beginning to grow tired of it. Albus patrolled with her Thursday night and she spent most of the patrol either ranting about James or feeling guilty about ranting about James.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Meg wailed after they told off two second years for trying to decorate suits of armor with ribbon. “I try to be supportive, but I only have so much patience.”

“It’s only been a month, Meg,” Albus pointed out.

Meg sighed. “I know that. But it feels longer than that. And sometimes, it almost feels like he’s back to normal, but then something happens that brings it all crashing back down. Like this morning. We were laughing at breakfast about something stupid and I saw just a bit of the old James. That mischievous glint in his eyes was there. And then I realized I’d forgotten my Charms book so I told him I’d run up to the dormitory and get it and meet him in class. He’s gotten a lot better with walking, but if he’d come with me we both would’ve been late. I figured he’d be fine walking to class. There were plenty of people left in the Great Hall and it’s not like the Charms room is out of the way. I should’ve just dealt without my book. I know he’s not supposed to be alone. It was stupid-“

This was why Albus didn’t like patrolling with Meg. She tended to ramble. “What happened, Meg? I’m not going to hate you for leaving him alone for five minutes.”

“Right. Sorry. I got to Charms and he wasn’t there. Cedonia started class and I stared at the clock. After ten minutes passed I excused myself to use the loo and went to search for him. I found him in the common room. He must’ve gone up there after I left. I asked him why he never showed up to Charms and he said he forgot. We’d literally just been talking about meeting in Charms and he forgot to go.”

Albus nodded. “Healer Murdock said that would happen for a while. The memory loss.”

“But it’s more than that,” Meg said quietly. “Those moments like this morning? When I can almost forget what happened? They’re rare. Usually he hardly says anything. It’s like his whole personality has changed.”

Albus nodded. He sort of felt the same way, but had been afraid to say anything. “He has to rethink everything now, Meg. His whole life was Quidditch. And that’s when he can think. Half the time he’s either got a migraine or one is brewing.”

Meg sighed again. Albus hesitated before glancing at her and as he suspected, her eyes were filled with tears. He didn’t know what to say to make her feel better because everything she’d said so far was true.

“I just- I just don’t know if I can handle it,” she said quietly.

Albus stopped. Meg kept going a few paces, then turned around when she realized Albus wasn’t next to her anymore.

“Are you going to break up with him?” Albus asked quietly. He wasn’t sure what James would do if Meg broke up with him.

Meg sniffled. “I-I don’t know, Albus. If I do, I’ll be the b-bitch who br-breaks up with the Quidditch s-star after he’s permanently injured.”

“Meg-“

“I don’t want to hear it, Albus,” Meg interrupted. “I’m going back to the common room. The patrol is over.”

“We’ve still got a half hour,” Albus pointed out.

“I’m head girl,” Meg said. “I can end the patrol if I want to.”

Meg wiped her eyes, turned around, and hurried off down the hall. Albus stood frozen in his spot, staring after her. What had he said? He hadn’t said a thing about Meg breaking up with James. Not a thing. He seriously hoped he wouldn’t be patrolling with her again for a long time.

***

After the previous night’s patrol with Meg, Albus felt incredibly awkward walking with James to the hospital wing before his appointment with Healer Murdock. Was he obligated to tell James about Meg’s doubts? Or would that be considered meddling? Would it help James? Or would it simply upset him? Maybe it would be better to wait until after the appointment was over.

“I patrolled with Meg last night,” Albus said as they walked. He did want to ask about the forgetting to go to Charms thing. “She said you forgot to go to Charms yesterday. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” James said quietly. “I just forgot. It was the first time someone didn’t walk with me to class and I just forgot to go.”

“You have to tell Healer Murdock,” Albus said.

“I know. But I remember other things. Weird things. Auntie Muriel’s birthday was two days ago. If you asked me, I could list every single of our family members’ birthdays. And the Goblin Treaty of 1612? Signed on February 26th. Anything with a number I can remember. But I can’t remember when my classes are or where I put things. I lost my Herbology book. Haven’t the slightest idea where it is. I can’t even remember the last time I saw it. Dad’s picking me up a new one.”

“That’s weird,” Albus agreed.

They reached the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them. Albus suddenly realized he’d visited the place more with James in the past month than he had with Matt.

“How are you feeling?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“Fine,” James said.

“Good,” she said briskly. “Flooing might make you dizzy. Be careful when you step out of the fireplace. Al, you can go first.”

Albus nodded. He walked over to the fireplace, took a handful of the Floo powder Madam Pomfrey held out, and stepped inside. He threw the powder into the flame and was soon spinning his way to St. Mungo’s.

The waiting room was a madhouse, like usual. There were two crying babies, one of which had grown horns. A man cawed like a crow every few seconds. A woman with an extra arm bumped into Albus as he stepped away from the fireplace. Albus watched her walk up to the welcome witch until the flames glowed green once more.

James stepped out of the fireplace, stumbled, and fell onto the floor, the cane clattering to a rest a few feet away. Albus picked up the cane and then helped James to his feet.

“Bloody floo,” James muttered. “I hope they give me the okay to Apparate today.”

“Come on,” Albus said.

Albus led the way through the crowded waiting room, past the welcome witch, and to the ground floor corridor. Healer Murdock had instructed them to go directly to his office, where they could wait for him away from the chaos of the main waiting room. Albus was grateful. The witch with the extra arm creeped him out.

Mum was waiting for them in Healer Murdock’s study. Healer Murdock was not there yet. Mum immediately embraced James in a hug and hurried him to a chair, where she proceeded to wipe all the ash off of his robes. Albus looked around the office. It was rather large, complete with a window, and very cheery. The bookcases were some sort of lighter colored wood and were stuffed to the brim with all sorts of medical books. A stack of magazines sat on the corner of the desk, the top one called “Magical Neurology.” Why was it professional magazines and journals had the most uncreative names? Behind the desk was a very expensive looking chair. In front of the desk were two leather armchairs, both of which were now occupied by James and Mum.

Albus wondered when he’d be able to sneak out and find Professor Burke. Honestly, he could probably leave now and Mum wouldn’t notice he was missing. She was still fussing over James.

The door opened and in walked Healer Murdock, who was quite punctual for a healer. He greeted all three of them, set a chart down on his desk, then sat down.

“How’s my favorite patient?” Healer Murdock asked. “School going well?”

James shrugged. “It’s okay.”

Healer Murdock nodded. “Right, right. It’s an adjustment. Well, let’s start with the scans. We can talk about your concerns while they’re developed. I have reports from both your physical and occupational therapists. We’ll need to discuss those as well. James, would you like your mother to come with us or would you rather she wait here?”

“Come with us,” James said quietly.

“Very well. Albus, you can wait here if you’d like or go to the tea room. I hear they’re serving double chocolate chip biscuits today. In the past they’ve been quite excellent.”

With that, Healer Murdock stood, picked up the chart, and led the way out the door. Mum and James followed. Mum looked worried. James looked ill. Albus wasn’t sure if that was from the Floo journey or from the prospect of the new scans and therapist reports.

Albus waited in the office for five minutes, scanning the titles of the books on Healer Murdock’s shelves (none of them looked interesting and a few looked terrifying), then checked the corridor to make sure his mum, James, and Healer Murdock were really gone, then left to find Professor Burke. So far, this was easier than he’d expected.

39. Captain Albus Potter

Originally, Albus thought it would be harder to walk around St. Mungo’s unnoticed than it was to walk around the Ministry unnoticed because neither of his parents ever had a high-powered job at St. Mungo’s. But as it turned out, everyone at St. Mungo’s was too preoccupied with their own business to pay any attention to Albus as he wandered around looking for the Janus Thickey ward. The healers all had their heads in charts, the nurses were running around looking harried, and the family members of other patients were only focused on their ill relatives. Albus did have his Invisibility Cloak, but hadn’t bothered to put it on.

Albus had no idea how long Healer Murdock’s exam and scans of James would take, but he doubted he could afford to be gone for more than a half hour or so. With a glance at his watch, he picked up his pace as he walked the fourth floor corridor. He’d intended to take a look at the floor listing near the welcome witch’s desk, but when he passed it was blocked by a wizard with a broomstick affixed to his rear.

He only had about twenty minutes until he needed to go back to Healer Murdock’s office or at least to the tea room so he could buy some evidence that that’s where he spent his time. Albus turned a corner and saw he’d reached the end of the corridor. Sighing to himself, he walked toward the stairs. Had he missed it? The fifth floor was the tea room and the psychology wing.

The door to the stairwell opened and Albus’s jaw dropped. Auror Johnson, escorted by a wizard in lime green robes, strode through the doorway. Albus ran into the nearest room, relieved it was only a supply closet. His heart pounding fast, he pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of the pocket of his robes and threw it over himself. After waiting two minutes to give Johnson and the healer a head start, Albus quietly opened the door and set off after them.

Whatever Johnson was doing at St. Mungo’s suddenly became more important than finding Professor Burke.

Johnson and the healer slowed their pace and Albus closed the gap between them. There was enough commotion in the corridor that Albus’s footsteps would go unnoticed.

“I appreciate this, Healer,” Johnson said as they stopped in front of a closed door.

The healer nodded, but he didn’t look pleased. “You won’t get anything out of him. And what would be the point if you did? He can’t go to Azkaban.”

“How long does he have?” Johnson asked.

“I cannot discuss that with you,” the healer said curtly.

Albus glanced at the sign on the door. It said ‘Janus Thickey Ward - Closed Ward.’ Professor Burke. Johnson was there for Professor Burke. Had Edward Fawley given Burke up?

The healer pointed his wand at the door knob, then opened it and walked in. Johnson followed. Albus hurried forward and caught the door just before it shut. He snuck in, hoping neither Johnson nor the healer would notice.

Curtains were drawn around all the occupied beds. The healer led Johnson to the bed in the far right-hand corner. He pulled back the curtains, revealing Professor Burke, propped up in bed. All the color had gone from his face and his formerly crazy hair was now cut short and matted down to his head. His hands, which rested on top of his chest, twitched every few seconds. A wheelchair sat next to the bed. There was a general aura of sickness around him, which Albus never noticed around James during his stay at St. Mungo’s, which made Albus feel vaguely uncomfortable.

“Burke,” the healer said. “Someone here to see you.”

Burke made no indication that he’d heard the healer or acknowledged his or Johnson’s presence.

“Does he speak?” Johnson asked.

“Rarely,” the healer said as he crossed his arms. “Go on. You’ve got ten minutes.”

Johnson looked at the healer, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to ask him to leave, then thought better of it and turned to Burke.

“Mr. Burke,” Johnson began, adopting his interrogation voice. “I was sorry to hear you had to stop teaching. My daughter, Meg, really enjoyed your classes.”

“Cut to the chase,” Burke grumbled. He spoke very slowly.

The healer snorted. Johnson looked taken aback. “Excuse me.”

“Cut to the chase,” Burke repeated. “You’re an Auror. Head Auror, if I’m not mistaken. My body might be crap, but my mind is as sharp as it was when I was your daughter’s age. I’m not an idiot. Now why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”

The healer laughed again and had to turn away to compose himself. Johnson sighed. “When was the last time you spoke with your niece?”

“Mila? Yesterday. Why? Has something happened?”

“In a sense. I’ve been building a case against a certain apothecary owner for selling illegal potions. He finally gave up the name of his supplier yesterday. You know what name he gave me? Mila Burke. Your niece. Thing is, I checked her O.W.L. marks. She failed her potions O.W.L. and never took a N.E.W.T. in the subject. Now, my first thought was the apothecary owner led us on. Wouldn’t be the first time. But, any Auror worth his salt looks into a person before dismissing them. And what should I find? That Mila Burke is the niece of the most famous, successful brewer of this century. Let me ask you, Burke, is that a coincidence?”

Burke said nothing, but didn’t avert his gaze. He stared Johnson right in the eye.

“Let me rephrase that. Are you and your niece providing illegal potions to an apothecary?”

“You can ask for an attorney,” the healer interjected.

“I don’t need an attorney,” Burke said slowly. “Do you know why I’m here, Johnson?”

Johnson said nothing.

“I’m dying, Johnson,” Burke continued. “And I am not going to make this easy for you. You are going to have to let my niece go twenty-four hours after you took her into custody, because you have nothing on her except that apothecary owner’s word. You’ll get a warrant to search her flat and you’ll find nothing. No potion ingredients. No invoices. No records. Nothing. Then you’ll get a warrant to search my house, where you’ll find many ingredients, but no records, no invoices. Next you’ll search Hogwarts. Kendrick will require you to provide a warrant. You’ll find nothing there because my living quarters were cleaned out months ago when I left.

“This will take at least a week because you have other cases you’re working on as well. You’ll still only have that apothecary owner’s word. But even if you do happen to find something else, some little scrap of evidence somewhere down the line, it will be too late. Because Auror Johnson? I am fading fast. The wonderful and intelligent Healer McGregor here believes I have two months if I am lucky. Auror Johnson? Correct me if I am wrong, but it would not be possible for this to go to trial before that even if I handed you a confession right here.”

Johnson’s mouth fell open. Healer McGregor burst out laughing. Albus grinned beneath the Invisibility Cloak, stifling his own laughter. Despite the fact that Burke clearly broke the law in selling illegal potions, Albus was rooting for him in this.

“Was I selling illegal potions to that apothecary?” Burke continued. “Maybe. Maybe not. But you’ll never know, Johnson. You will never know. The answer to that lies only with me, and in two months? It will die with me.”

Johnson nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Burke,” he muttered. With a nod to Healer McGregor, Johnson swept from the room.

“You, sir, are a man of mystery,” McGregor said after the door shut. “I’ll check in on you later. I’m late for an appointment.”

“In true healer fashion,” Burke said.

McGregor left, laughing to himself as he went. Albus waited a full minute after McGregor disappeared before pulling the Invisibility Cloak off himself.

“Bloody hell!” Burke shouted. “Albus Potter! What in God’s name….”

“Sorry,” Albus muttered. “There wasn’t really a good way to do that. I came in with Johnson.”

“What are you doing here? Judging by the Cloak, you weren’t invited by Johnson.”

Albus felt his cheeks redden. “Er, no. I’m here with my brother. I don’t know if you heard-“

“His Quidditch accident,” Burke said. “Yeah, I heard. Terrible, terrible.”

Albus glanced at his watch. He’d been gone for nearly an hour. Healer Murdock, his mother, and James were surely done with the exam and scans. “I haven’t got much time, but I promised Kaden I’d try and find you.”

Burke sighed. “Do give Kaden my sincerest apologies. I wasn’t expecting things…to progress so fast.”

“Er, how are you?” Albus asked.

“Not great,” Burke said quietly. “It won’t be long now. Today is a good day, but I’ve had days when I can hardly breathe.”

Albus nodded. The uncomfortable feeling, which had gone away during the brief interrogation, was now back.

“Now, if you don’t mind, Albus, I need a nap,” Burke said bluntly.

“Right, er, sorry,” Albus said. He wasn’t sure how to end the conversation. ‘I hope you’re feeling better soon’ wasn’t really appropriate.

“Goodbye, Albus Potter,” Burke said. His eyes were already closed.

“Goodbye,” Albus muttered.

Albus threw the Invisibility Cloak back over himself and left the ward feeling a lot more uncomfortable than he had when he first entered.

***

Albus’s mind reeled as he hurried up the stairs to the tea room. Burke had all but revealed that he did in fact sell illegal potions to Edward Fawley, but Johnson had nothing on him. And Burke was right that even if Johnson did have something on him, Burke would never live to see a trial. For all the effort Johnson had put into that investigation he’d see nothing from it. He could charge Fawley with selling the potions, but he wouldn’t get nearly as much time as Burke would if he weren’t dying.

But regardless of Burke’s fruitless efforts in putting the person behind the illegal potions trade behind bars, the fact remained that Burke had less than stellar morals and a complete disregard for breaking the law. Kaden had always refused to believe that Burke was selling illegal potions, but now Albus had proof. This certainly hadn’t been what Kaden had been hoping for when Albus said he’d try to find Burke.

The tea room was mostly empty when Albus arrived. He joined a short queue and bought himself a half dozen biscuits and a tea before going back to Healer Murdock’s office. Presumably, Mum was too preoccupied with James to worry much about where Albus was and wouldn’t ask questions.

However, when Albus arrived at the office, he found it empty. The door was slightly ajar, just as Albus left it. The scans must’ve taken longer than Healer Murdock predicted. Albus settled himself in one of the armchairs and set in on the biscuits.

Twenty minutes and four biscuits later, Healer Murdock walked in followed by Mum and James. None of them looked happy. James’s eyes were red and he looked exhausted. Albus made to get out of the chair, but Murdock motioned him back into it and conjured a third identical chair.

Albus offered James the remaining biscuits as he sat down in the conjured chair, but James shook his head. Albus noticed his injured hand was shaking a lot.

Healer Murdock sat down behind his desk, opened up the chart he’d brought with him (which Albus assumed was James’s), and folded his hands on top of it. He looked from James to Mum and back again. Albus hadn’t the slightest idea what was going on, but he presumed it wasn’t good.

“First the good news,” Healer Murdock said, adopting a much cheerier tone than his face displayed.

“See, James?” Mum said, taking on Murdock’s cheerful tone. “I told you there would be some good news.”

James gave no reaction. He continued to stare at the floor, his right hand shaking in his lap.

“Your brain injury is healing. There is significant healing since your last scans, which is a very good sign. I am confident we are passed the risk of seizures, which means you can walk around the castle on your own. I’ll also give you permission to Apparate again. After reading the report from your physical therapist and assessing your coordination, you can ditch the cane.”

“That’s wonderful,” Mum said, her voice still a higher pitch than normal. She reached over and squeezed James’s good hand.

James nodded. “No cane. That’s good.”

“Very good!” Mum said.

“And the bad news?” James asked quietly.

Healer Murdock sighed. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, James. I thought I would’ve seen more improvement in your hand. There was very little change in the scans from a month ago and the ones I took today-“

“So, this,” James began, his voice unsteady, “this is…permanent?”

“There are other spells we can try. And we will try them. But I don’t want to get your hopes up. I think it’s likely there will be some improvement, but probably not enough to perform intricate spells with that hand. If you’re lucky, you’ll see 40-50% range of movement. The neurological damage is greater than I originally thought.”

Mum let out a gasp. She squeezed James’s good hand again and shook her head. James gave a slight nod, but said nothing. Albus knew what he was thinking. Even after James’s TBI healed, this meant he’d never play Quidditch again.

“How is the pain in your hand?” Healer Murdock asked.

James shrugged. “Better. The potions work fine for it.”

“Good. You’re still getting migraines, correct? How often?”

James nodded. “Three or four a week.”

“They still might subside,” Healer Murdock said. “If they don’t decrease in a month, I’ll prescribe a different potion. I’m hesitant to give you anything stronger because most of the stronger potions have memory loss as a side effect-“

“Speaking of that,” Mum interrupted. “Is his memory loss likely permanent?”

“It’s hard to say,” Healer Murdock answered as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ve had patients who experience no memory loss after a TBI and others who can’t remember anything that happens afterward.” He turned to James. “What you described to me, about forgetting to go to class, I’m not worried. Your brain is still healing itself. What I’m worried about are new or worsening TBI symptoms. If you feel the memory loss is getting worse, send me an owl.”

James nodded.

“Here is some information on the round of spells I’d like to try for your hand,” Healer Murdock said as he passed James a small stack of parchment. “Read it over and send me an owl to set up the first appointment if you decide to try it.”

“I want to do it,” James said, without even looking at the parchment.

“James, you should read it over,” Healer Murdock said quietly.

“We’ll get back to you,” Mum said.

“Can we just go?” James mumbled.

“You’ve got another migraine, don’t you,” Mum said quietly.

James nodded and closed his eyes.

“Al, could you take him back to the castle?” Mum asked. “I’d like to speak with Healer Murdock a bit more.”

“Here’s some Floo powder,” Healer Murdock said, handing Albus a small packet. “James, send me an owl as soon as you’ve read that information. We’ll set something up.”

“Come on,” Albus said as he stood up and offered James a hand.

After a round of hugs from Mum Albus and James left the room. The walk back to the fireplaces was slow, but nobody paid them much attention. Albus supposed at St. Mungo’s, James fit right in.

***

The following day was Albus’s debut as Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain, in the rematch versus Slytherin. The weather could not have been more different from the weather at the previous match, which meant nearly the entire school showed up. They were probably also interested to see how Gryffindor would do without their star Seeker.

James, having recovered from the previous day’s migraine, accompanied Albus and the rest of the team to the changing room. As far as Albus knew, James hadn’t told anyone about the bad news he’d received from Healer Murdock. In fact, everyone assumed James was much better since he was no longer using the cane. The team seemed to be in good spirits and happy James was there, although Albus wondered if it would’ve been better if he didn’t watch the match.

After the team changed, Albus stood alongside James in front of them, unsure how or even whether to start a speech. He’d heard many captain speeches over the years, but never thought about what he’d do in that position. Samantha Meyers had been famous for her pre-match speeches. Georgia’s tended to end with her begging the team to do well. Bradley’s weren’t that memorable. James’s ran the spectrum from short and sweet to long and drawn out.

Albus turned to James, who had a Snitch clutched in his left hand. It struggled, beating its wings against James’s fingers. James nodded to Albus and Albus knew. It was now his turn.

“Whatever happens out there, just play your best,” Albus began. “I don’t know how things will go. None of us do. But if we all play our best, we can be proud of what we do, no matter if we win or lose.”

With that, Albus led the team onto the pitch. James, having put the Snitch back in the captain’s office, followed and walked reluctantly to the stands.

“Captains, shake hands,” Professor Oteski said.

Albus swallowed hard as he shook hands with Desdemona Cletus. She looked very smug, which made Albus all the more nervous. Professor Oteski blew his whistle and Albus kicked off from the ground.

Harrison Watts took immediate control of the Quaffle and managed to score the first goal three minutes later, which caused Albus to breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe they could do this without James.

Twenty minutes later Gryffindor was up by 80 points. Slytherin had scored one goal and rarely kept hold of the Quaffle for more than a minute at a time. Albus had scored four of Gryffindor’s goals and assisted on three others. His nerves were almost gone. They weren’t being slaughtered; they were even ahead!

But the thing about Quidditch was that it often didn’t matter how good the Chasers were. As long as the other team’s Seeker managed to catch the Snitch at the right time, all those points will have been for naught. And that was what happened when Albus took the Quaffle the length of the pitch in order to score Gryffindor’s tenth goal of the match.

Slytherin’s Seeker, Hunter Pucey, dove. Elias flew after him, but he was too far away to catch up. Pucey pulled out of the dive with the struggling, golden Snitch clenched in his fist. The Slytherin side of the stands erupted in cheers as Albus slowly flew to the ground.

“Pucey of Slytherin has caught the Snitch! Slytherin wins 160-90!” Nathan shouted over the crowd.

The rest of the team landed around Albus, looking dejected. Elias looked like he was about to cry. Albus suddenly realized that now he had to make some sort of other speech.

“Look,” Albus began, “we did our best. We all did. Pucey got lucky and happened to be closer to the Snitch. Elias, I know you saw it. And it was your first match. We’ll come back from this.”

“But if I just saw it sooner-“ Elias began.

“Don’t do that,” Albus interrupted. “You can’t change this match. We’ll practice more and win the next one. We’ve still got Ravenclaw to play.” He decided not to mention that Ravenclaw’s Seeker was now the second best in the school. “Go have a shower, get some lunch, and relax for the rest of the day. We’ve got practice scheduled for tomorrow. Let’s take a break until then.”

Albus scanned the crowd for James, but didn’t see him. He slowed his pace and let the rest of the team walk ahead of him to the changing room, as he thought about what he’d just told Elias. He wanted to believe it himself, but wasn’t sure he could. Maybe he’d made the wrong decision in choosing Elias. Would one of the other Seeker hopefuls have caught the Snitch?

When he wasn’t captain, the only person’s performance Albus had to worry about was his own. If the team lost, but Albus felt he’d played well, he was able to put the loss behind him. But now, it felt like the entire team rested on his shoulders. Elias’s performance reflected on Albus as a captain. Albus wasn’t sure he liked that.

40. The Break-Up

Albus looked for James briefly after showering and returning to the castle, but couldn’t find him. After lunch was Apparition lessons, so Albus decided to give it until after those before searching again. Healer Murdock had said James was okay to be on his own, so Albus tried not to worry.

Most of the sixth years had successfully Apparated into their hoops, although they varied greatly at how far they’d progressed after that. Albus was in the minority in that he hadn’t successfully Apparated at all yet. Matt kept telling him not to get discouraged, but it was hard not to when everybody else was so far ahead of him. Rose, Amanda, and John were all working on Apparating across the room.

“Did you ever find Professor Burke the other day?” Matt asked as Albus adjusted his hoop. Matt had now become Albus’s private Apparition teacher since he was the farthest behind.

“I did,” Albus said as he stood up. He hadn’t had a chance to tell his friends about Johnson’s interrogation since he spent much of the previous evening at Quidditch practice. “I found Johnson at St. Mungo’s and followed him to Burke’s ward. Johnson then interrogated Burke about selling illegal potions.”

“Seriously?” Matt asked, his eyes wide. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain it later, when everyone is around,” Albus said, lowering his voice. “But he pretty much said he did it.”

Matt gasped. “Did Johnson arrest him?”

“Burke didn’t confess. But anyone could’ve read between the lines. And he’ll be dead before it would go to trial.”

Matt nodded. “So Johnson is screwed with that.”

“Basically.”

“All right,” Matt said. “Give the Apparition a go. I think your main issue is you aren’t focused enough. It’s like Occlumency. You’ve got to clear your mind.”

“Because you were so good with Occlumency,” Albus muttered.

“Shut up,” Matt said. “Think of the three Ds. Destination-“

“Yeah, yeah,” Albus interrupted. “Just let me try it.”

Albus closed his eyes and focused on the center of the hoop. He pushed all thoughts of Burke, Johnson, James, and Quidditch from his mind. He didn’t think about Elsie or Boone or his internship. He thought of only the hoop. There was nothing he wanted more than to be in the center of that hoop.

All of a sudden Albus heard a loud crack and felt like he was being squeezed into an impossibly small hole, but as soon as it began, it was over. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and saw he was in the middle of his hoop. It felt like side-along Apparition, but different at the same time.

“You did it!” Matt exclaimed.

Albus grinned. “Yeah, I did. Finally.”

“Told you you’d get it,” Matt said. “Now do it again.”

Albus managed to Apparate four more times during that lesson. He didn’t try moving the hoop further away, even though Matt wanted him to. He preferred to bask in the success and try for a harder one next time. Rose, John, and Amanda were all still ahead of him, but he’d gotten over the biggest hump.

“Will you tell us all about Burke and Johnson now?” Matt asked as they left the Great Hall. “Kaden’s waiting in the Marauders’ Den.”

Albus checked his watch. It was almost three. He really should find James, but then again, he wasn’t James’s keeper. If Healer Murdock said James could wander the castle alone, he didn’t need Albus searching for him.

“Yeah, all right,” Albus said.

“Catch me up later, Al,” Rose said as she hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder. “I need to spend the entire rest of the afternoon in the library.”

“What for? It’s Saturday,” John said.

Rose sighed. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, John….” She hurried up the stairs ahead of them.

Albus laughed and led the way to the Marauders’ Den. Kaden was in fact waiting for them, his Transfiguration book open in front of him. There was also a stack of Chocolate Frog cards on top of the book, which seemed to be earning all of his attention.

“Put all that away, Kaden,” Matt said as he sat down on the couch. “Al’s got news about Burke.”

“You found him yesterday?” Kaden asked.

“Yeah,” Albus said. He then proceeded to tell Matt, John, Kaden, and Amanda every last detail of his encounter with Burke the previous day. John and Matt laughed during most of it, while Kaden and Amanda looked unsettled.

“I knew he was selling Polyjuice,” Matt said once Albus finished.

“He was only doing it to earn money to fund his research, which helped a lot of people,” Kaden said quietly.

“But how far should people go for that?” Amanda asked. “Is it okay to break laws for the greater good?”

The greater good. Albus could’ve sworn he heard that term before, but couldn’t place it. “Well, nobody died,” Albus pointed out.

“That we know of,” Amanda said. “There’s a reason potions like that are regulated.”

“Yeah, because then people can commit crimes while impersonating other people,” Kaden said. “And that’s bad, but it doesn’t kill anyone. And the Ministry can’t stop you from brewing your own Polyjuice.”

“That’s why the laws are so convoluted,” Amanda said. “But look at Professor Young. He didn’t die because of that Polyjuice, but his life was ruined. He got sent to Azkaban. He’ll never be the same.”

Kaden turned slightly green. “Right. But if it weren’t for Burke, Matt wouldn’t have his potion.”

Matt twirled a loose thread on the couch around his index finger. “True. But mine wasn’t funded by illegal potion selling.”

“But if Burke hadn’t been earning money somehow, he would’ve stopped brewing and then your parents wouldn’t have thought to ask him to brew your potion,” Kaden pointed out.

“There’s no point in arguing it,” John said. “It’s too late. And it’s not like Burke will be brewing anymore potions, legal or otherwise.”

This didn’t seem to make Kaden feel any better. On the contrary, it only caused him to turn whiter.

“Al,” Amanda began. “I don’t know if you’ve thought of this, but you realize we’re the only witnesses to Burke’s illegal activities? Us, and Rose. And I suppose Burke’s niece.”

Albus had thought of that, but he’d been trying to push it from his mind. “I know. But does it matter? Burke was right. He’ll be dead before a trial. And none of us want to get put on the stand.”

All the color drained from Matt’s face. “I- I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Don’t worry,” Albus said quickly. “Johnson has no way of suspecting we know anything. I think…I think the only one of us who might get questioned is Kaden, if Johnson somehow finds out he’s been helping Burke.”

“I don’t want to get put on the stand,” Kaden said.

“It’ll never go to trial,” Albus reminded him. He looked at Matt, who still looked very pale. “Remember, Burke is not going to make it to trial. I know that’s awful, but it’s true. They can’t do a trial for someone who’s dead.”

Matt nodded. “I know. It just…freaked me out for a bit. I can’t do that again.”

“Look, no one knows we know except us and Burke. If none of us tell, it won’t be a big deal,” Albus said. “I mean, none of you should even know that this is being investigated. If Johnson wants to interview Kaden, then Kaden will have to tell the truth. But the rest of us should be fine.” Albus didn’t want to say it aloud, but once Burke died, there would no longer be a case.

“Can we do something else?” Matt asked. He was still pale and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. “Play Exploding Snap or something? I can’t talk about this anymore.”

“Yeah, okay,” Albus said. “I think we’ve got cards in here.”

“We do,” John said. He walked over to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a pack from between two books.

After three rounds of Exploding Snap, the color returned to Matt’s face. Kaden still looked upset, but that was to be expected. The thing he’d been denying for months had now been proven correct. It would take a while for him to come to terms with the fact that his mentor was involved with illegal activities.

As John dealt the cards for a fourth round, there was a loud rap on the door. It startled all five of them and John dropped the cards, causing all of them to explode at once and cover their faces in ash.

Albus coughed, siphoned the ash off his face with his wand, and got up to get the door. He already knew it was Rose because she was the only one not there who knew about the room. Perhaps she’d gotten tired of her homework. Albus opened the door and there was Rose, looking worried.

“When was the last time you saw James?” she asked immediately.

Albus’s stomach turned over. “Before the Quidditch match. Why?”

“Meg is looking for him. Cedric and Ben haven’t seen him either. I told them he was probably with you, but he’s not, is he?”

“No,” Albus said. “Healer Murdock gave him the okay to be on his own, so I figured he was just taking advantage of that, but…. He’s not in the library? That’s where he usually is.”

“No, and I’ve been there since Apparition. He’s not in the common room or his dormitory or the Room of Requirement or the hospital wing.”

“Have you told my dad yet?”

“No,” Rose said. “I figured I’d ask you first, but maybe I should-“

“Let me go look first,” Albus said. “Has anyone checked the grounds?”

“No, but Al, it’s dark out and it’s below freezing.”

“Don’t tell Dad yet,” Albus said as he shut the door to the Den.

“What should I tell Meg?”

“Tell her he’s with me,” Albus said. “And can you conjure a cloak or something?”

Rose pulled her wand out of her robes, gave it a complicated wave, and a misshapen cloak that looked like it might fit Hagrid appeared out of thin air. Albus thanked her and threw it over his shoulders.

“Should I come with you?” Rose asked.

Albus shook his head. “The only person he wants around lately is me. Don’t ask me why.”

Rose sighed. “You’re his brother, Al. That’s why. There’s no pressure with you. He doesn’t have to try and pretend he can do more than he can or that he feels better than he does with you. He knows you’ll be there for him no matter how awful he acts.”

“But Ben and Cedric-“

“Are cousins,” Rose finished. “And cousins are great, but they aren’t brothers. It’s as simple as that.”

Albus nodded and hurried down the corridor. He checked his watch and saw it was just past five. Dinner was about a half hour away. If no one had seen James since the Quidditch match, he’d been gone for seven hours. Albus suddenly remembered that Healer Murdock had given James the okay to Apparate. James wouldn’t leave the grounds, would he?

A few minutes later Albus burst through the front doors and onto the grounds. No one stopped him because he was a prefect and because technically, the grounds weren’t out of bounds until curfew, even though no one in their right mind went out there unless they had to when it was this cold.

Albus lit his wand, but it didn’t provide enough light for a proper search. He had no idea if James had managed to cast Lumos with his left hand yet, but hoped he had. Out of instinct, Albus headed to the Quidditch pitch. A few of the stadium lights were on, which meant one of the other teams must have practice scheduled for later in the evening.

Halfway there, Albus noticed a someone hovering near the far goal posts. Immediately, Albus knew it was James. Groaning to himself, Albus pulled the cloak tighter and ran the rest of the distance. How could James be so stupid? He was flying only a month after his injury and completely alone. He knew better than that.

James didn’t notice Albus. Albus paused near the changing rooms, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to shout and startle James, lest he fall off his broom. Instead, Albus went into the changing rooms and grabbed a school broom. There was a Quaffle sitting on the ground nearby. Albus mounted the broom, kicked off, and flew over to James.

James was hovering, about twenty feet in the air. He clutched a Snitch (probably the same one from earlier) in his left hand, while he had his right arm hooked around the underside of the broom handle in an attempt to keep himself on it. He was staring off into the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

“James,” Albus said quietly once he was alongside him. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” James said. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Do I need to tell you how stupid this was? You aren’t supposed to be flying.”

“I’m not to play Quidditch. Healer Murdock said nothing about flying.”

“I think it was implied. And if you aren’t playing Quidditch, what are you doing with that Snitch?”

“I was going to let it go, but I’d never catch it again,” James mumbled. “I’ll never…catch one again.”

Albus sighed. “Let it go and hold onto your broom properly.”

“I can’t hold onto my broom properly,” James snapped.

“You’ll hold onto it more properly without that Snitch in your hand,” Albus snapped back. “You can either let go of that Snitch or you can ride on the back of my broom like a little kid. Your choice.”

“Fine,” James muttered. He let go of the Snitch and it flew away and out of sight. He gripped the broom in his left hand and brought his right arm up to his chest.

“Now, tell me what’s going on,” Albus said.

“I told you, nothing.”

“James, it’s bloody freezing out here. Just tell me what you’re doing so we can go back inside.”

“I-“ James began. “I…thought maybe I could retrain to be a Chaser…you know…after the TBI heals.”

Albus glanced at the Quaffle and then back to James, whose gaze was still focused on the Forbidden Forest. “So what happened?”

“I couldn’t throw it because I need my right hand to be able to hold onto the broom,” James said quietly.

Albus nodded. “Right. James…every position needs two hands. You know that.”

“I know,” James said, his voice cracking. “I know. It was stupid….”

“Yeah, it was,” Albus agreed. “Come on. Let’s go back to the ground.”

James nodded. He turned the broom and flew to the ground surprisingly well for having to do it one-handed. Albus followed him closely, his heart pounding the whole time. He breathed a sigh of relief once James was safely on the ground.

“Al?” James asked. “I sort of dropped my wand onto the pitch.”

“You what?”

“I tried to summon the Quaffle after I dropped it, but then my right arm slipped off the broom and I went to grab it with my left and dropped my wand in the process.”

Albus sighed, pulled his own wand out of his robes, and pointed it at the pitch. “Accio, wand!”

James’s wand came flying out of the grass and Albus caught it. He handed it to James, who stowed it in his robes. “Thanks,” he muttered.

“Want me to carry your broom?” Albus asked.

“No,” James said. “I’ve got it.”

“I didn’t see you after the match,” Albus said as they walked to broom shed.

“I…I didn’t stay to watch,” James said quietly. “I just couldn’t do it. When I saw you shaking hands with Cletus…I just couldn’t do it.”

“It’s okay,” Albus said. “We lost.”

“I heard. Don’t over think it.”

“I wasn’t-“

“You were,” James said. “It takes a long time to train a new Seeker. Give it time.”

Albus opened the broom shed and stuck the school broom inside. Then, the two brothers turned toward the castle.

“What did you do instead?” Albus asked.

“Walked around the lake. I listened to the commentary.”

“Then what did you do? No one’s seen you all day. Rose is worried. Meg is worried. Cedric and Ben are just confused, I think.”

James sighed. “I was in the Room of Requirement for most of the afternoon. Then I came here. I just wanted to see if I could do it, you know?”

Albus could understand that. Up until now, James just had people telling him he couldn’t play Quidditch. He didn’t have any direct proof he couldn’t.

“And now…” James continued. “Now I know. This is it. It’s over.” His voice cracked. “It’s really…it’s really over.”

Albus nodded, but didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything he could say. Nothing he could say would make James feel better and nothing he could say would make it any easier.

They walked the rest of the way to the castle in silence. Without the cane, James walked with an obvious limp, despite the fact that his legs were physically fine. Albus supposed it had something to do with how his brain retrained his legs to listen to his brain. James carried his broom over his left shoulder, having denied Albus’s earlier offer to carry it for him.

Albus opened the oak front doors and nearly jumped back in surprise when he saw Meg Johnson standing just inside. She looked like she’d been crying.

“James,” she said, rushing forward. “There you are.” She ran into James, crushing him in a hug, and causing him to drop his broom onto the ground.

“Meg,” he said after she let him go. “What’s going on?”

Albus picked up the broom, unsure of whether he should go or wait for James.

“What’s going on?” Meg shouted. “You disappear for a day and that’s all you have to say for yourself?”

James winced and rubbed his head. “Do you have to shout?”

“Where have you been?” Meg demanded, ignoring James’s request.

“Around,” James muttered.

Meg groaned as tears began to all from her eyes. “I don’t know what to do anymore, James. Seriously. I don’t. I’ve tried. I’ve tried to be supportive. But James, you’re a different person.”

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want me to tell you, Meg? I’m sorry I nearly died and now can’t do most of what I used to be able to do? I’m sorry I have to completely change what I’ve been working toward since I was a kid? I’m sorry I’m a wizard who can no longer do most magic? What, Meg? What do you want me to say?” He winced again and rubbed his eyes.

“I don’t know!” Meg exclaimed. “I just- I don’t know if I can do this!”

“Yeah, I get it,” James muttered. He walked a few paces to the left, so he was no longer in front of the door, and sat down against the wall.

Meg sat down in front of him. “Do you, James? Do you get it?”

“I do,” James said quietly. “You want to break up with me, but you don’t want to be the girl who breaks up with the bloke as soon as he gets seriously injured.”

Meg said nothing, but let out a wail and wiped her eyes.

“I’ll make it easy for you,” James said. “I’ll do the breaking up. I love you, Meg, but I don’t want to put you through this.”

“James-“ Meg began.

“You’re brilliant, Meg. You’re head girl. You’re going to be a healer. I wish you all the luck with that. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

“No, I’m sorry, James,” Meg said as she wrapped him in another bone-crushing hug.

Albus averted his eyes as they hugged each other, tears falling on both parties. He didn’t know if he should leave, but he still had James’s broom.

A minute later, Meg stood up. She wiped her eyes one more time, then ran up the stairs. James waited until she was gone, then looked at Albus.

“I’m sorry, mate,” Albus said as he offered James a hand.

James let Albus pull him up. “Don’t worry about it. To be honest? It’s a bit of a relief.”

Albus nodded. As he and James walked silently into the Great Hall for dinner, Albus hoped Meg wouldn’t schedule them for anymore patrols together. If she did, he was going to offer Rose just about any amount of money to take the patrol for him.