Albus Potter and the Pureblood's Secret

41. Quidditch Protocols

James’s breakup with Meg fueled the Hogwarts gossip mill for about two days, by which point the student body had thoroughly exhausted the subject and could no longer debate whether the two would get back together. Albus tried his best to stay out of these debates, but did try and kill any rumors that James and Meg would get back together. They wouldn’t. James would forever feel as if Meg was only with him because she felt bad for him and Meg wouldn’t be able to handle the fact that James had no future plans. Albus thought it was for the best, given that Meg was Auror Johnson’s daughter.

Following her initial breakdown after James cut things off, Meg seemed unfazed. Whenever Albus saw her, she was happy. She did ignore Albus completely during prefect meetings, which was perfectly fine with him. He also noticed the two of them weren’t signed up to patrol together anymore, which was also perfectly fine with him. Apparently the awkward went both ways.

James showed no emotion about breaking up with Meg. He continued to spend his spare time in the library hardly speaking to anyone except Albus. This worried Albus enough to think about talking to his father, but not enough to actually do so. He felt as if there was something James wasn’t being completely honest about, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Albus didn’t confess this to anyone, lest he be accused of obsessing over James as well as Elsie.

The addition of being Quidditch captain had resulted in Albus not being able to think about what Elsie was up to, however. It seemed as if being Quidditch captain was the thing that pushed Albus over the edge in terms of his spare time. His spare time was non-existent during the week and sparse during weekends. The time he used to spend relaxing with his friends in the Marauders’ Den was now spent coming up with ideas for practice and tactics for matches. He often did this in the library at James’s table, while James stared at his textbooks and made feeble efforts at learning left-handed magic.

Before Albus knew it, half of March was gone and the end of term suddenly loomed over the whole castle. The Easter holiday was only a month away and then, there would only be two months left. Albus was undecided whether he would go home for Easter or not. He’d never done it before, but this year James was going home since he had a whole slew of healer appointments that week.

“Are any of you lot going home for Easter?” Albus asked at breakfast Friday morning.

“No,” Kaden said immediately. “My parents are visiting Aunt Marge then. I told them I need to stay home and study for O.W.L.s.”

John laughed so hard orange juice came out his nose. “Good one. I’m staying here. None of us have ever left for Easter, I don’t think.”

“I was thinking I might this year,” Albus said. “Just because James is going home.”

“He’s not back to normal yet, is he?” John asked.

“No, he’s not,” Albus said, lowering his voice. He looked at James, who sat at the very end of the Gryffindor table with Ben and Cedric. Ben and Cedric seemed to be dominating the conversation.

“Are those new spells helping?” Amanda asked.

“A little,” Albus said. “He’s better off now than he was a month ago.”

“Albus, read this,” Rose said as she shoved a copy of the Prophet under his nose.

Albus took the paper and lowered it, so he could read it. It was open to the front page, which bore a title called ‘HOGWARTS GOVERNORS TO ASSESS SCHOOL QUIDDITCH RULES.’

“It says a bunch of parents have called for an inquiry,” Rose said. “Have you heard about that? Seems to me the parents most suited to make an inquiry are Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, but they haven’t said anything, have they?”

“No,” Albus said as he scanned the article. “They feel awful about James, but they both agree that Quidditch is risky, simple as that.”

“Read it,” John said.

“Following a Quidditch match that took place on February fifth at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during horrible weather conditions, parents of students at the school are calling for an inquiry into the school’s Quidditch policy. The match resulted in a serious injury to Gryffindor’s Seeker, James Potter, whose injuries include a traumatic brain injury and a shattered hand. It is unconfirmed whether Potter’s injuries are permanent. Potter’s parents, healers at St. Mungo’s, and Potter himself refused comment.

“Parents are understandably concerned. ‘It seems ridiculous to me that children are playing in such conditions,’ said Isabella Penfield, the mother of two students on the Hufflepuff team. Numerous other parents echo her concerns and have sent letters to Hogwarts Headmaster, Fabius Kendrick. ‘We hear your concerns,’ said Kendrick, ‘and we are working to address them. Hogwarts has always played by the Hogwarts Quidditch Protocols, but perhaps it is time for those to be adjusted.’ It is interesting to note that neither Harry or Ginevra Potter have voiced any concerns over the protocols.

“The school governors will hold a meeting this Monday at seven o’clock in the evening to address the issue. The meeting will be held at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and parents are encouraged to attend. For the Protocols to be changed, the Board of Governors will have to vote to do so, then draft new Protocols, then vote again on said new Protocols.”

“Can we go to that meeting?” John asked. “They can’t just change Quidditch.”

“If we wear the Invisibility Cloak, we can,” Albus said.

“Would it really be a bad thing?” Amanda asked. “If Kendrick had called off that match James wouldn’t have gotten injured.”

“It’s a slippery slope,” John explained. “If they can change the Protocols for this, who’s to say they can’t decide Bludgers are too dangerous and we stop using them? Before you know it we’ll all be playing Kiddie Quidditch. And then none of us wold be prepared for getting recruited by a team.”

“That’s why my parents aren’t up in arms over this,” Albus said. “They knew the risks when they signed James’s permission slip for Quidditch. And he was of age this year, anyway. He wouldn’t have even needed their permission. All these other parents, like Teryn and Maverick’s mum, they knew the risks when they signed. If they hadn’t wanted their kids playing in awful weather, they shouldn’t have signed.”

“True,” Amanda agreed. “Wait, does Kiddie Quidditch really exist?”

Albus smirked and exchanged a look with John. While he had played Kiddie Quidditch as a small child, Albus now found the concept quite entertaining. “Yeah, it does,” he said. “There aren’t many teams, but London has one so I was on that. The brooms only go about two feet in the air, the Bludgers are soft, and the Snitch is twice the size of a normal one and goes about half the speed.”

“It’s kind of adorable,” Rose said. “Hugo played right up until he reached the maximum age cut-off, which is eight. He was a lot better at that than regular Quidditch.”

“Still managed to fall off his broom, though,” Albus pointed out.

“Which is why Mum won’t let him play here,” Rose added.

“See?” John said. “Your mum isn’t calling for changes to Quidditch. She just knows the risks and won’t let Hugo play.”

“And my mum’s on the board of governors,” Rose reminded him.

“Good,” John said. “Hang on, Al, don’t we have practice Monday?”

“I’ll cancel it,” Albus said. “Don’t tell the team we’re going to the meeting, though. I’d rather not get in trouble for this.”

John nodded. “Yeah, they’d take away your prefect status.”

At this point Albus wasn’t sure he’d mind getting his prefect status taken away. It would free up some evenings. One thing was certain, he wouldn’t be able to keep this up next year when he’d be dueling captain, too.

“We need to get to class,” Rose announced as she stuffed the copy of the Prophet into her bag.

“The amount of jealousy I feel toward Matt about his lack of classes on Fridays is kind of terrifying,” John said as he slowly stood up.

“Full moon’s tonight,” Rose pointed out. “Don’t be too jealous.”

***
It soon became clear that the vast majority of the student body of Hogwarts was not in favor of changing the Quidditch Protocols. Within hours of the article in the Prophet, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had created buttons which alternated flashing ‘Keep Quidditch Real’ and ‘No Kiddie Quidditch.’ By the end of the day, every member of every Quidditch team had one on their robes, including both Maverick and Teryn Penfield. The attention drawn to their donning of the buttons was only surpassed by James affixing one to his robes.

By the time Monday arrived, the possible change in Quidditch Protocols was almost the only subject of conversation in the castle. Even the professors were enthralled by it. Albus overheard Callahan and Cedonia having a heated discussion while on his prefect patrol Sunday night. Callahan wanted a change in Protocols whereas Cedonia believed it was up to parents to decide whether their kids should play Quidditch or not.

Albus was very glad he and John had decided to sneak into the meeting. He didn’t want second hand information from the Prophet. He wanted to be there to hear it for himself. After all, he was now Quidditch captain. It was his responsibility.

“Why aren’t you having practice tonight?” James asked Monday night as they sat in the library.

“Er,” Albus began. He hadn’t told James of his plans to go to the meeting. “John and I…we’re sort of sneaking into Hogsmeade to go to that meeting.”

“I’m going with you,” James said immediately.

“But-“ Albus began.

“This is all happening because of me. I’m going. You can either let me go with you and John or I’ll go by myself.”

“This is not because of you,” Albus said. “It’s because of that freak weather during that match. And I don’t think you should-“

“I’m going, Al,” James snapped. “I’ll sneak off by myself.”

“No, don’t do that,” Albus said quickly. “You can come with us.”

James sat back in his chair, looking satisfied.

Albus glanced at his watch. It was nearly six-thirty. “Well, if you’re going, we need to leave now. John’s meeting me by the one-eyed witch.”

A few minutes later they found John, standing by the one-eyed witch and pretending to scrutinize a painting of a clump of trees. He turned around as Albus and James approached.

“James!” John said, surprised. “Are you coming?”

James nodded. “I can’t believe the two of you didn’t tell me about this.”

“Well, you know about it now,” Albus said. “Let’s go. It looks weird that we’re just standing here.”

Albus checked the Marauders’ Map and saw no one was coming in either direction, then John tapped the statue and it opened. John climbed in first, then James, and then Albus.

The passageway was pitch black. James tripped over something and fell on top of Albus before he had a chance to light his wand. Once Albus and John lit their wands, they were able to sort of see where they were going.

“James, light your wand,” Albus said.

James rummaged in his robes and pulled out his wand. “Can you light it?”

“You can’t do Lumos yet?” John asked.

“Lumos,” James said and his wand lit up.

“See?” John said.

“Where’s this meeting again?” James asked as they walked.

“The Three Broomsticks,” Albus answered.

“How are we getting from Honeyduke’s to the Three Broomsticks?” John asked.

“Er…” Albus began. He hadn’t thought about that, just about how they’d get from the castle to Hogsmeade.

“Honeyduke’s is still open,” James said. “It closes at seven on weekdays. The couple that owns it never asks questions when they see Hogwarts students there.”

“How do you know what time it closes?” John asked.

James shrugged. “Suddenly I’m really good with numbers.”

“Only problem is we aren’t all going to fit under the Cloak,” Albus said. “I think James should wear it. He’s going to attract the most attention.”

Neither James or John disagreed. While Albus believed it when he said James wasn’t the cause of the meeting, the circumstances of his injury were the cause of the meeting.

“You two will have to stay hidden,” James said. “If Aunt Hermione sees you, you’ll be in a load of trouble.”

Albus nodded. He expected the meeting to be very crowded, which would make it easy to blend in with the crowd. Plus, Aunt Hermione would be focused on the meeting itself, not whether two of her nephews had snuck into it.

Albus checked the map again before they opened the trap door into the basement of Honeyduke’s. Only a few dots were in the sweet shop, but if what James said was true, it wouldn’t matter. The three boys climbed out as quietly as they could, which wasn’t very quiet because James had a bit of trouble and wound up knocking over a box of blood pops.

“Sorry,” James muttered as he began picking up the blood pops and putting them back in their box.

“Let me do it,” John said. With a wave of his wand, all the blood pops flew back into their box.

Albus raised his eyebrows. “Did you do that nonverbally?”

John shrugged. “My mum taught me over Christmas. She thinks cleaning spells are the most important. It just means this summer I’m going to have more chores than all my sisters combined.”

“Come on,” Albus said, hurrying up the stairs. “It’s starting soon.”

No one in Honeyduke’s gave them a second glance. They went straight outside and walked quickly up High Street. As they reached the Three Broomsticks the wind picked up, winter making it known that it wasn’t about to give into spring just yet.

Albus handed James the Invisibility Cloak and he pulled it over himself before John opened the door, revealing a very crowded room of weeknight drinkers. Albus didn’t see anyone who looked to be on the board of governors or any angry parents.

“They must be in the back room,” John said.

Albus led the way to the back room, earning a few looks from people as he went. Perhaps he should’ve had Rose do a few appearance charms before they left, but that would’ve required them to tell Rose what they were doing, which they hadn’t.

The back room was just as crowded as the main part of the pub. The board of governors as well as Professor Kendrick and Professor Oteski were seated at a long table in the front of the room, while folding chairs had been set up in rows everywhere else. Every seat was full and a small crowd of witches and wizards stood behind them and in the aisles. Albus, John, and James slid their way to one of the back corners, where they could easily hide behind a group of tall wizards in flowing cloaks. John had to stoop over a bit and lean on the back wall to ensure his head was hidden, but other than that, Albus doubted Aunt Hermione would see them.

Albus didn’t know any of the other governors. Besides Aunt Hermione, there were two witches and four wizards. Aunt Hermione appeared to be the youngest. Albus tended to doubt the other governors had any kids at the school. Perhaps grandkids or even great-grandkids.

“Now that we’ve heard an overview of the current Quidditch Protocols,” the wizard with the least amount of hair said, “we’d like to open up the floor to hear your concerns.”

At least ten hands flew into the air.

“Yes, you in the front,” the bald wizard said.

“Why haven’t these Protocols been updated in the last century? I don’t understand why we’ve been using such outdated rules,” she asked.

“Because no one’s been permanently injured before this,” a man in the middle of the room interjected. “It usually takes a tragedy to spark change.”

“Surely someone’s been injured before this,” the witch said.

“Yes, but not permanently,” the man pointed out.

“Do we even know the extent of Potter’s injuries?” another wizard asked. “They’ve been awfully quiet about it.”

“Would you want your medical issues splayed across the front page of the Prophet?” someone shouted.

“I heard he’ll never be the same,” a witch said. “That his hand is permanently damaged and he’ll never be able to use it again.”

“Hold on, hold on!” Aunt Hermione shouted.

Albus was very glad James was wearing the Invisibility Cloak.

“This is a public forum to voice your concerns about the Quidditch Protocols, not a place to argue the extent of my nephew’s injuries. If you cannot stop yourselves talking about him, you can leave. Are we clear?”

A few people grumbled, but no one objected.

“Now, if you have a concern about the Protocols, please raise your hand,” Aunt Hermione said. “Yes, you in the back corner.”

A wizard in red robes stood up. “My daughter is on the Ravenclaw team. If new protocols aren’t put in place for weather conditions, I won’t sign her permission slip for next year.”

There was a chorus of “me either” from the crowd.

“But how will the decision about weather conditions be made? How much wind is too much wind? How much rain is too much rain?” another wizard asked. “Doesn’t it make more sense to leave it as is? Everyone who signed those permission slips knew the risk. If you don’t want the risk, don’t sign the permission slip. Potter’s parents knew that. You’ll notice neither of them are here.”

There was a murmur in the crowd, surely questioning the validity of Albus’s parents’ parenting skills.

“But that’s not fair to those children who want to play Quidditch but whose parents don’t believe it’s worth the risk of death,” the witch who’d heard about James’s hand said.

“Death? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?” a man said.

“James Potter could’ve died,” the witch said.

“Settle down, settle down!” Aunt Hermione shouted. “Now, to answer the question, the limits on weather conditions would be specified in new Protocols. They’d be developed by the board of governors with Professor Kendrick advising.”

“Doesn’t it say in the Protocols that the headmaster reserves the right to cancel matches due to extreme circumstances?” someone asked.

“Yes, it does,” Aunt Hermione confirmed.

“So, it’s not against the rules for matches to be canceled.”

“No,” Aunt Hermione said.

“Then why didn’t you cancel that match, Professor Kendrick?”

Professor Kendrick stood up. “I should have canceled the match. It was a judgement call and I made the wrong one. I am truly sorry.

A murmur went through the crowd. Albus felt James shift beside him. He turned and saw a few people jump aside, looking confused, as if someone invisible had shoved them aside.

“James?” Albus asked. He stuck his arm out where James had been, but felt nothing. “John, come on.”

Albus and John hurried through the crowd, of which Aunt Hermione was trying to settle down. They emerged into the main part of the pub and ran to the door, earning even more stares than they’d gotten when they arrived.

Albus lit his wand once they were outside and John did the same. They ran to the alley in between the Three Broomsticks and a house and saw James, being sick all over a small shrub.

“James,” Albus said as he hurried over to him.

“I need to go back to the castle,” James whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Albus asked, suddenly really worried. James had seemed fine earlier, almost his old self.

“Everything,” James said. “Did…did you know that Kendrick could cancel matches if he wanted to?”

“Well, I assumed so. He is the headmaster,” Albus pointed out.

“I never thought about it. But he could’ve, couldn’t he? He just didn’t because no one ever has.”

“Dumbledore did once.”

“Yeah, once. But other than that…no one ever does. Kendrick could’ve.”

“James, it was a freak accident. The chances-“

“I know, the chances were tiny,” James snapped. “The chances of me hitting my head that badly twice within two minutes were even smaller. And the chances of my nerves not reacting to magic? Even smaller. But the chances don’t matter because it happened. It happened and now I’m screwed.”

“Yeah, exactly. It happened. There’s no point in thinking about the what-ifs now. It’s too late. That’s what that meeting was supposed to be about. It was supposed to be about fixing things for the future, not rehashing and debating your accident. If I’d know that’s what people would’ve done, I wouldn’t-“

“You wouldn’t have what, Al?” James asked. “Wouldn’t have let me go? I would’ve gone on my own.”

Albus’s cheeks flushed. “Are you okay, though? You’ve just gotten sick all over that poor shrub.”

“My head is killing me,” James admitted. “I need to go back. I’m sorry. I know you and John wanted to stay-“

“Not if it’s just going to be people arguing about your accident. That’s pointless.”

James nodded. “We’re not going to be able to go back through Honeyduke’s.”

Albus groaned. “I hadn’t thought of that. We’ll have to wait by the doors until no one’s in the Entrance Hall.”

James rubbed his head and winced. “Let’s hurry up. My head’s only going to get worse.”

Albus and James met John at the entrance to the alley and set off for the path back to the castle. They kept up their quick pace until they reached the path, when James was hit by a wave of dizziness and had to sit down for a few minutes.

“It’s like hanging out with Matt before a full moon,” John whispered to Albus while James sat on a rock with his head in his hands.

Albus had been thinking the same thing. They waited quietly, Albus checking his watch every thirty seconds. The doors were locked at eight-thirty and he didn’t relish the idea of sending Rose an owl to let them in if they missed that deadline.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Albus startled and swung his wand around so it was facing the castle. The bushes next to the path rustled.

“Who’s there?” Albus said sharply. John stood next to him, his wand held up high.

“What’s going on?” James asked as he slowly got to his feet.

“Someone’s in that bush,” Albus said as he dug in his cloak for the Marauders’ Map. He shone his wand on it and scanned it until he found their own dots. About a centimeter from their own three dots, there was a fourth dot. It was labeled ‘Elsie Willinson.’

42. The Protest

“I know you’re in there,” Albus said as he pointed his wand at the bush where Elsie was hiding. “If you don’t come out I’ll go tell Professor Kendrick you snuck out of the castle.”

The bush rustled again and Elsie emerged, her own wand lit in front of her. “No, you won’t, because then you’ll have to explain why you were out here.”

“How do you know we don’t have permission to be out here?” Albus asked, hoping he’d gotten better at lying. “What are you doing, Elsie?”

“It’s not your business, Potter,” Elsie said.

“It is,” Albus said. “I’m a prefect.”

Elsie laughed. “Good night, Potter.” With a nod to all three of them, she walked in between Albus and James and continued down the path.

“I’ll tell Professor Kendrick!” Albus called after her.

“Sure you will,” Elsie said, without pausing or turning around.

Albus stared at her until she disappeared around a curve in the path. Whatever she was doing must have something to do with that cave and probably wasn’t quite legal because she was doing it in the dead of night. Albus had a sudden urge to throw the Invisibility Cloak over his head and follow her.

“She used to be so quiet,” John said. “Weird that her brother’s not with her.”

It was weird, although not as weird considering the conversation Albus overheard between Elsie and Felix in the cave in December. But John didn’t know about that.

“You’re going to follow her, aren’t you,” John said.

“I-“ Albus began.

“Albus, I really need to go back to the castle,” James interrupted. “I know you want to follow her, but I really don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.”

James. In the midst of finding Elsie, Albus had forgotten the reason they were heading back to the castle in the first place.

“And if I’m not in the hospital wing at nine for my potions, Madam Pomfrey will go looking for me,” James added. “So I’m going back. I won’t tell anyone you’ve gone off after Elsie, though.”

“No,” Albus said, shaking his head. “I’ll go with you.” He had to put James before his curiosity.

James had already set off down the path, but it didn’t take long for Albus and John to catch up. They walked slowly, Albus’s mind on Elsie the entire way back to Hogwarts.

“Are you going to tell Kendrick?” John asked as they reached the oak front doors. “About Elsie?”

“I’ll tell my dad,” Albus said as he checked the map to see if anyone was in the Entrance Hall. The coast was clear. “Kendrick’s probably still at the meeting.”

John pushed open the doors, which were luckily still unlocked. They hurried inside and tried to pretend as if they’d just come from the dungeons.

“Don’t tell Dad I was at that meeting,” James mumbled. “I’m going to the hospital wing.”

“I’ll walk you there,” Albus said.

James didn’t protest. John went with them as well, which wound up being lucky because James got caught in the trick stair and it took both Albus and John to pull him out. They reached the hospital wing shortly before nine and left James with Madam Pomfrey, who gave James the same look she always reserved for Matt when he was ill.

Once he and John left the hospital wing, Albus ducked into an empty classroom and pulled out the Marauder’s Map. He switched it back to the Hogsmeade page and scoured it for a dot labeled ‘Elsie Willinson.’ It wasn’t there, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was back in the castle. The cave was unfortunately just outside Hogsmeade, which meant it wasn’t on the map. Otherwise, Albus would be constantly checking it for the mysterious person Elsie was trying to bring there.

“Are you gonna go find her?” John asked.

“No,” Albus said as he switched the map back to Hogwarts. The Slytherin common room was too crowded with dots to even attempt finding Elsie’s. “It’s too late.”

“You would’ve followed her, right? If it weren’t for James?”

Albus nodded. It felt weird not following Elsie because up until that point, Albus had always chosen to satisfy his curiosity, even if it was slightly dangerous. Rose would be proud.

“You’re a good brother, Al,” John said. “I can’t see any of my sisters looking after me the way you’ve been looking after James if I ever got a serious Quidditch injury.”

Albus shrugged. James was his brother. He had to help him. Just like with Matt, Albus felt the need to help James. Not doing so would just be wrong. “James is stubborn. I’m the only one he’ll let help him. He won’t let any of our cousins and he’s even hiding things from Cedric and Ben and the three of them have been together constantly since they were born. It’s weird.”

“I don’t think any of us can understand,” John said. “So, are you going to tell your dad about Elsie?”

“Yeah,” Albus said. Elsie being out of bounds was only partly the reason, however. The other part was that his dad needed to know what Elsie was up to for the murder investigation. That was the main reason Albus wasn’t seeking Professor Kendrick out for this.

“I’ll go with you,” John said.

“No,” Albus said. “If you go you’ll get detention for leaving the grounds. There’s no point in both of us getting in trouble.”

“But we were both out of bounds,” John said. “James, too.”

Albus snorted. “Dad’s not going to give James detention. James probably won’t have another detention in what remains of his Hogwarts career. But he probably won’t give it to me, either. Not if I play the ‘I had to go to the meeting because of James’ card. I’ll see you back at the Den in a bit.”

John conceded and set off for the Marauders’ Den, while Albus left for his dad’s study. He passed Meg, who was patrolling with one of the Slytherin prefects, and avoided eye contact. He’d been doing a lot of avoiding eye contact with Meg lately.

The door to his father’s study was unlocked, so Albus went right in after knocking once. Dad was sitting at his desk, bent over a stack of parchment, and looked up as Albus shut the door.

“Al,” he said. “Everything okay? Is James all right?”

“He’s in the hospital wing,” Albus said. “He’s got another migraine, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Dad set down his quill and Albus sat down in the chair in front of the desk. “What’s going on?” Dad asked.

Albus took a deep breath. He was nearly 100% sure he wouldn’t get in trouble for going to the meeting, but part of him still didn’t want to tell. “I was at that meeting in Hogsmeade tonight.”

Dad raised his eyebrows. “The one about the Quidditch Protocols? I guess I should’ve expected that.”

Albus felt his cheeks redden. Was he that transparent?

“Was James with you?” Dad asked quietly.

Albus sighed. He’d promised James he wouldn’t give him up, but he was such a terrible liar. And Dad always seemed to know when Albus was lying.

“He was,” Dad said. “I should’ve asked him to come here during it. Should’ve known he’d want to go, too. What happened during it?”

“It was awful,” Albus answered. “Everyone just debated the extent of James’s injuries and accused Professor Kendrick of making a bad decision. Oh, and quite a few people think you and Mum are bad parents for not going to the meeting and demanding the Protocols be changed.”

Dad laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, Albus, I wish more than anything that match had been canceled, but I don’t blame Professor Kendrick. And I don’t think it would’ve been constructive for myself or Mum to have gone tonight.”

“James and I shouldn’t have either,” Albus said. “We left early and James got sick in the alley next to the Three Broomsticks.”

“I’m glad you were there with him. Now, I find it hard to believe you came here to tell me you snuck out of the castle.”

“Er…am I in trouble?”

Dad shook his head. “No. You know you shouldn’t have done it and now you learned a valuable lesson on how unproductive public forums often are.”

“And James?”

Dad sighed. “He isn’t in trouble either. But if there is another one of these meetings, and I’m assuming there will be, I wouldn’t recommend going.”

Albus nodded. “I won’t go to anymore.”

“Good. Now, I doubt you came here just to tell me you were out of bounds.”

“Er, no,” Albus said. “I have some…information for you.”

Dad raised his eyebrows. “Information?”

“About Elsie Willinson,” Albus explained. “I know about how I’m supposed to be spying on people at Hogwarts for you and Dawlish and Balladanis, and that’s why I got the Auror internship.”

Dad’s jaw fell open. He shook his head slightly, ran a hand through his hair, and closed his mouth. “Albus, who told you that?”

“Dawlish,” Albus answered.

Dad groaned. “What exactly did he tell you?”

“That you, Balladanis, Dawlish, Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron are trying to figure out who really killed Michael Sheldon. Dawlish thinks Elsie’s statement is false, and it is, because I overheard her talking about it a few months ago. But the entire internship program is a front for me spying on her and whoever else acts suspicious at Hogwarts and then I can go tell him about it while I’m at the Ministry.”

Dad’s face remained unreadable. He had always been really good at keeping a straight face, something Albus attributed to his Auror training, but it made Albus uncomfortable.

“Albus, I would never, ever use you for something like that,” Dad said. “It’s true that Balladanis, Dawlish, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and I are trying to solve the Sheldon murder on our own. But the internship program is something your aunt Hermione spearheaded with the sole purpose to prepare students for life after Hogwarts. It is not a front for you to spy on Elsie Willinson. John Dawlish is an incredible Auror and a valuable asset both to the Ministry, although they may not see it that way, and to the Sheldon murder investigation. But he tends to think of everything as a means to an end. He came up with the idea for you to intern at the Auror Headquarters in order to possibly get information out of you about Elsie Willinson, but it never would’ve worked without Johnson being on board with you interning. Any information you’re able to give Dawlish is a bonus, but I don’t want you to feel like it’s your duty. That’s why I didn’t want anyone to tell you.”

“But I want to help,” Albus said.

Dad smiled. “I know you do, but I don’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way. Don’t go seeking out information.”

“I won’t,” Albus said, hoping he sounded somewhat truthful.

Dad nodded. “Now, what information did you want to tell me?”

“Elsie Willinson was on her way to Hogsmeade when James and I were on our way back. I told her to go back to the castle but she didn’t listen. I think she was going to that cave where she and her brother argued in December. Did Dawlish tell you about that?”

“Yes, although he never revealed where he got the information. I suppose now I know. How long ago did you come across her?”

“Maybe an hour ago?” Albus said. “I had to take James to the hospital wing before coming here.”

Dad sighed and stood up. “All right. Thanks for telling me. I’ll take care of it.”

“What are you going to do?” Albus asked.

“I can’t tell you. But Al, you made a wise decision to come to me rather than following her.”

Albus averted his gaze to the floor and didn’t mention that it was only because of James he didn’t follow Elsie.

“You best get back to Gryffindor,” Dad said. “Good night, Al.”

“Night, Dad.”

***

Just as Albus’s father suspected, the meeting at the Three Broomsticks did nothing to quell the controversy over the possible new Quidditch Protocols. In fact, it did quite the opposite. The following morning an article appeared in the Prophet outlining the meeting. The reporter wrote nothing but the facts, but it was accompanied by an editorial by a wizard who called Professor Kendrick incompetent, and Albus’s parents neglectful. He then accused Albus’s father of having a stronghold on the school and thus Dumbledore was running the place from his grave.

Aunt Hermione, along with the rest of the board of governors, arrived two days later to meet with Professor Kendrick to change the Protocols. Word got around that this meeting was taking place in Professor Kendrick’s study and within minutes, a small protest was staged by the stone gargoyle. The participants were from all four houses and all years. Each Quidditch team was represented by at least one member. John and Janie were the only ones from Gryffindor. All carried signs that stated “No Kiddie Quidditch” or something of the like.

Albus walked in on it, having no idea it was going to take place, while on his way to the library with James. When the crowd saw James, they cheered. One of the Slytherins offered him a sign, but James didn’t take it.

“C’mon, James, join us!” one of the Hufflepuffs shouted. “If we don’t stop this they’ll have us playing with soft Bludgers.”

James looked torn. There was a time when he would’ve been leading this protest, but now he looked torn between fighting for something he believed in and wanting to get some peace and quiet in the library. He turned to look at Albus.

“If you stay, I’ll stay,” Albus said. “It’s your choice.”

James nodded. He looked at the crowd once more, then averted his gaze and walked away, headed in the direction of the library. There was a joint sigh from the crowd and then low whispering.

“He’s changed,” the Slytherin who offered James a sign muttered.

“Oh, come on!” John shouted. “So he doesn’t want to join. He’s still on our side. It’s just he’s already in the middle of this and he’s trying to keep his name out of the Prophet. Anyone who’s got a bad word to say about him will find a nasty surprise in their breakfast tomorrow.”

The whispering ceased immediately. The crowd returned to their pacing and chants of “No Kiddie Quidditch, Don’t change the Protocols.”

“Thanks, mate,” Albus said to John.

John nodded. “Want to stay?”

Albus shook his head. “I’m going to check on James. Then I’ve got a patrol.”

“This isn’t against the rules, is it?” John asked.

“I don’t think so. Just remind everyone to be back in their dormitories on time.”

Albus set off for the library, the sounds of the protest growing steadily muffled as he went. As soon as he first heard parents were in an uproar about the Quidditch Protocols, Albus knew they’d be changed. The students could object and protest all they wanted, but in the end, the Protocols would be changed. That’s why the governors were meeting with Professor Kendrick. They’d already decided to make changes and nothing would stop them now. Ultimately it was the parents who were in charge because if parents decided not to send their kids to Hogwarts, Hogwarts wouldn’t exist.

James was at his usual table in the back of the library, twirling a quill in his left hand while staring out the window. Albus sat down next to him.

“They all hate me,” James said quietly.

“They do not,” Albus argued. “Do you really think that?”

James shrugged.

“You’ve got to stop thinking this is your fault,” Albus said. “It’s not healthy. And it’s not true.”

“It’s just weird…” James said. “Two months ago I would’ve organized that protest. But now? I don’t even want to be there. It’s weird. I don’t know why.”

Rose would probably have some insights, but Albus doubted James would talk to her about it. “I don’t know either.”

“It’s just…Quidditch was everything, you know?” James continued.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Albus said.

“I know. And now it can’t be, but there’s nothing else,” James said quietly. “Mum and Dad are making me go see a shrink.”

“That’s…probably a good idea,” Albus said hesitantly.

“Dad told me I’m not dealing with this in a healthy way,” James added. “Well, he didn’t tell me that. I overheard him talking to Madam Pomfrey about it the other night. They thought I was asleep.”

Albus agreed with Dad, but he didn’t want James to know that. In a way, the fact that James was going to see a psychiatrist was a huge relief to Albus. Now he wouldn’t be the only person James talked to about his issues.

“I don’t know why everyone thinks I should be my old self. I was a Seeker. That was my old self. But I’m not anymore so I can’t be my old self.”

“James, you weren’t just a Seeker,” Albus pointed out.

“I was,” James said adamantly.

“When is your appointment?” Albus asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” James muttered. “The psychiatrist is coming here and I have to meet with him in Madam Pomfrey’s study.”

Probably after Matt’s appointment, Albus thought, assuming James would also be seeing Healer Norlam. And it would make sense for the same healer to cover all Hogwarts students who needed therapy.

“Bloody pointless,” James said as he set the quill down on the table. “I’m fine. I don’t need therapy.”

Albus sighed. “James, you spend every night holed up in the library. If you were Rose that wouldn’t be weird. But you’re not. You’re James Potter, and you holing up in the library is not normal. You’re not fine.”

James bit his lip and stared down at his unopened textbooks. “Is it that obvious?”

Albus nodded. “You said it yourself before the accident you would’ve been running that protest. And I get that you don’t want to be associated with that because the Prophet keeps dragging you into this Quidditch thing. But you’re still avoiding Cedric and Ben.”

“Because I don’t want to slow them down,” James said quietly.

“It’s been almost two months, James.”

“And I still get migraines all the bloody time. And my hand is still practically useless. And-“ James cut himself off.

“And what?” Albus asked.

“Nothing,” James muttered. He opened his Transfiguration book and pretended to read it. Albus knew he was pretending because it was upside down.

“If you’re hiding something from me, that’s your choice,” Albus said, a sickening feeling developing in his stomach, “but if you can’t hide anything from Healer Murdock, you need to send him an owl.”

“I’m not hiding anything!” James snapped.

Albus nodded, but the sick feeling didn’t go away. His instincts were generally good and right now, he had a strong feeling James was hiding something. He only hoped James would eventually tell Healer Norlam or Healer Murdock what it was.

“Keeping stuff to yourself is only going to hurt you,” Albus pressed. “If there’s anything-“

“Let it go, Al,” James interrupted.

Albus sighed and glanced at his watch. He was already ten minutes late for patrol. Rose was his patrol partner, but even she would only cover for him for so long. “I’ve got to go patrol.”

“Go,” James said.

Albus hesitated as he stood up.

“I swear to god, Al, I’m fine,” James said shortly. “Go patrol.”

With a nod goodbye, Albus reluctantly left the library and headed to the Great Hall to meet Rose. James was definitely hiding something and Albus wasn’t sure how long he should wait before telling his parents. He’d ask Rose. She never hesitated in giving her opinion, and more often than Albus liked to admit, she was right.

43. Loss

“Look, Al, it’s your call,” Rose said as she and Albus rounded a corner on the sixth floor corridor.

The two cousins had spent their entire prefect patrol discussing James and Albus’s concerns about him possibly hiding something. But Rose, despite her usual desire to psychoanalyze everyone, seemed at a loss about what to do.

“But do you think I should?” Albus pressed.

“I can’t tell you what to do,” Rose said. “If you’re worried, tell your parents. But you also have to think about what that will do to James’s trust in you. Right now, it seems like you’re the only person he feels safe confiding in. If you betray that trust, he might have no one.”

Albus had not thought of that. “Do you think I’m reading too much into it?”

Rose smirked. “You do have a tendency to do that, but I don’t know. I’ve hardly spoken with James in the past month. He only talks to you.”

Albus sighed. “You always know what to do about Matt when something’s going on with him.”

“Because Matt talks to me,” Rose pointed out. “But I’m glad James is seeing a psychiatrist. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I know it’s something.”

“And I keep thinking it’s got something to do with something he’s keeping hidden,” Albus said quietly. “I just can’t shake that feeling. I started wondering a few weeks ago, but then earlier tonight, when he almost told me something and then immediately shut up…it just doesn’t feel right.”

“Then tell your parents,” Rose said. “You’ve got good instincts, Al. You overanalyze everything and can be a bit paranoid, but you’ve got good instincts.”

“Does this mean you believe me about the Elsie thing?”

Rose groaned. “I thought you’d dropped that. No, I don’t believe you about the Elsie thing.”

Albus said nothing. He wished he could tell her about the conversation he’d overheard in December. It would be so much easier if he could. Of course, she’d just tell him to stay out of it.

Albus’s worry about James meant his curiosity over Elsie and her connections with Sheldon’s murderer had been put on the back burner. He still wondered what had ever happened with Elsie’s nighttime trip to Hogsmeade, but hadn’t bothered asking his dad.

Albus pondered Rose’s thoughts on James the following day, which meant he didn’t pay any attention in any of his classes. But all his ruminating proved unproductive because at the end of the day he still wasn’t sure whether to tell his dad. What he wanted to do was ask James how his therapy session had gone, but considering Matt never spoke about his own therapy sessions, it would be frowned upon for Albus to ask James about his.

It was impossible to gauge how the session had gone just by looking at James. He seemed no different, as he sat in the common room with Cedric and Ben, listening, but not contributing to their conversation. Albus supposed it was an improvement that James was sitting with Cedric and Ben rather than holing up in the library.

“I feel like this year is dragging,” Albus commented as he watched James from across the common room. “September feels ages ago.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kaden muttered, not looking up from his Herbology book. “How is it almost April? Once it’s April it’ll be nearly May and then it’ll be June and then O.W.L.s will be here.”

“You should’ve started studying earlier,” Rose said without a hint of sympathy.

“I planned to start studying plenty early,” Kaden muttered. “But in March June feels really far away. But in April it seems awfully close.”

John laughed. “You’re still starting earlier than I did last year.”

“That’s not saying much,” Rose said.

“At least now my excuse for staying here for Easter is real,” Kaden said.

“But the question is, will you actually do any studying during those few days off?” Rose asked, smirking.

“Just because you began studying for your O.W.L.s in first year doesn’t mean you have to enjoy this so much,” Kaden said.

“She started studying before that,” Albus said. “When we were eight she took Victoire’s books and pretended she was at Hogwarts over summer.”

Rose blushed. “Well, it paid off.”

“Are you lot all staying for Easter, then?” Matt asked.

John, Amanda, and Rose nodded. “Haven’t decided yet,” Albus said.

“I have to go home,” Matt said. “My grandparents are coming here to visit and I’ve got a healer appointment.”

“Your grandparents never visit here,” Rose pointed out. “Everything okay?”

Matt nodded. “Dad reckons they’re not sure how much longer they’ll be able to visit here since they’re getting older. Might be their last chance to travel this far. So my parents want me home.”

“That makes sense,” Rose said.

Two first years let out loud shrieks and jumped, stumbling over the chairs behind them. In their wake was a large rat, scurrying beneath tables. A few fifth year boys started laughing hysterically. Rose let out a sigh and vanished the rat with a flick of her wand.

Kaden groaned and stood up. “I’m going to the Den. It’s impossible to concentrate here.”

Rose laughed. “Those are words I never thought I’d hear come out of your mouth.”

Kaden sent her a dirty look and left without another word. As soon as he had disappeared through the common room door, Albus, Rose, Matt, John, and Amanda all burst out laughing.

***

After ruminating about it for the next two weeks, Albus decided to go home for the Easter holiday, as did Lily. Neither of them spoke to each other about it, nor did they consult with James, but all three met at the Hogwarts Express Thursday afternoon and sat in the same compartment. It was sort of an unspoken agreement that both Albus and Lily were there as an act of solidarity for James, even though neither of them could do a thing about his condition.

The Easter holiday was a short one, with the Hogwarts Express leaving after classes the Thursday before Easter and then returning to Hogwarts from London Monday afternoon. Since it was so short, hardly anyone ever went home for it, resulting in a very empty and quiet train ride. Everyone else on the train was younger than Lily, with most being first and second years. Albus hadn’t known this before, but at least one prefect was required to go in order to supervise the train. Since Albus had wanted to go home, he was that prefect.

The train ride was uneventful and Albus, James, and Lily were met at King’s Cross by Mum, who greeted them with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. None of them were pretending this was a visit for anything other than James’s healer appointments.

At James’s appointment the following day Healer Murdock would assess the effectiveness of the round of charms James had been receiving on his hand. No one had come right out and said it, but it was the appointment where Healer Murdock would tell James whether he stood a chance at improving much beyond where he was or whether this was it.

Once again James wanted Albus to go with him to the appointment, so Friday morning Albus had the unfortunate task of waking up at eight o’clock in order to make it to James’s nine o’clock appointment. Both of their parents were also going, but Lily had declined. James hadn’t expressed any desire for her to be there and she didn’t relish the idea of spending the morning at the hospital.

Albus had to side-along Apparate with Dad, making him feel like a little kid. His Apparition had gotten better, but he was still nowhere near ready to take the test, which he wouldn’t be eligible to take until June anyway. John had taken his a week ago, with the majority of sixth year, and passed. Amanda missed the age cut-off by three days and therefore wouldn’t be able to take the test until the summer. Rose, with her late August birthday, would be last to take the test, even though her Apparition skills were second only to Matt’s.

The waiting room was empty by St. Mungo’s standards, with only five other witches and wizards seated. Albus and James took two seats farthest from those five.

“Are you nervous?” Albus asked, even though he knew the answer was ‘yes.’ James hadn’t said a word all morning.

James shrugged and let his bad arm fall onto the armrest in between himself and Albus. Albus glanced at it and noticed something scrawled on it, a few letters peeking out from the underside of his arm.

“What’s that?” Albus asked, reaching for James’s arm.

James yanked his arm away, but Albus was quicker. Albus turned James’s arm over and looked at the underside, where what looked like a list of something was scrawled. Squinting his eyes and tilting his head, Albus tried to make out what it was, but the ink was smudged.

“What is this, James?” Albus asked quietly.

James’s cheeks reddened. “Nothing,” he muttered as he tried to twist his arm out of Albus’s grip. “Al, let go. You’re hurting me!”

Albus immediately let go and James tucked his arm into his chest. “Tell me, James,” Albus pressed.

James muttered something under his breath.

“Spells!” he shouted, then lowered his voice. “They’re spells, Al. Spells. Are you happy now?”

Albus felt a lump form in his throat. “Why do you have spells written on your arm?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. And he didn’t want the answer to be the one he was imagining.

“Why do you think?” James snapped.

Albus bit his lip and thought back to when he, James, and John snuck out of the castle to go to the meeting in Hogsmeade and James asked Albus to light his wand. But as soon as John had mentioned ‘Accio,’ James lit his own wand.

“James…you can’t remember spells, can you?” Albus said quietly.

James said nothing.

“James,” Albus prompted.

Slowly, James shook his head.

“Is this what you’re hiding?” Albus asked. He knew he was right. He hadn’t told his dad about his suspicions because he wanted James’s trust, but he’d been right.

“I haven’t been hiding it. Healer Murdock knows. He doesn’t know if it’s permanent, but it’s been two months.”

“That’s not that long,” Albus pointed out. “James…is this why you haven’t been doing much left-handed magic?”

James nodded. “Doesn’t matter if I ever get the hang of it because if I can’t remember the spells, I can’t do them.”

“Do Mum and Dad know?”

“Yeah. They’re the only ones. And now you. Nobody else besides the healers knows. I guess Dad may have told the other professors, but I haven’t told anyone.”

Albus nodded, but didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t imagine waking up one day and not being able to remember any of the spells he’d spent the past six years learning. No wonder James had seemed to have a radical personality change since the accident. It wasn’t only a lack of Quidditch he was dealing with, but essentially a lack of magic.

“What about nonverbal spells?” Albus asked.

“You still have to think the incantations in your head,” James pointed out.

“And it’s just the incantations you can’t remember?”

James nodded. “I know the wand movements for everything I’ve learned. Summoning charm, for example. I can do the wand movement but I haven’t a clue what the incantation is. And they don’t stick, no matter how much I try to remember them.”

“Accio,” Albus muttered.

“Accio,” James repeated. “Right. But I’ll forget that as soon as we’ve moved onto something else.”

“And there’s nothing the healers can do?”

“Nope. They’ve said all I can do is try and retrain my brain and hopefully with time that part of my memory will heal, but there aren’t any guarantees.”

Albus opened his mouth to respond, but then Mum and Dad reappeared and sat down on James’s other side.

“Healer Murdock wants all new scans,” Mum said. “He’s running a bit behind so he’s having a nurse come and get us for those. Then he’ll meet with us after. I’m afraid you’re in for a boring morning, Al.”

Albus shrugged. He hadn’t told his parents, but he was happy when James invited him to come along. He wanted to sneak off and find Professor Burke again to see if he could discover anything else new about his illegal potions business.

“Al, let’s go to the tea room,” Dad said as he stood up. He turned to Mum and James. “Do you want anything?”

“I’ll take tea,” Mum said. “Thanks, Harry.”

“James?”

James shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Albus followed Dad through the rows of waiting room chairs and into the lift. They rode the lift with two healers and a nurse, neither of whom said anything, and neither did Albus or his dad. When they arrived at the tea room, Albus noticed his father had that look on his face that either meant he was doing serious thinking or was about to give one of his kids a lecture. Albus hoped it wasn’t the latter.

The tea room was mostly empty. A witch in lavender robes sat in the back. She had a small girl with her, who had a coloring book open in front of her. The witch was staring off into space and not paying much attention to the little girl. Albus followed his father into the queue, where they bought three teas and a dozen biscuits.

Instead of returning to the lift, Dad took a seat at one of the many empty tables and gestured for Albus to sit across from him. Albus did so and busied himself with adding copious amounts of sugar to his tea. Dad stirred his own tea for a good minute before speaking.

“I’m very proud of you, Al,” Dad began. “You really stepped up these past few months. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I wanted to tell you again.”

Albus didn’t feel like he’d done anything out of the ordinary, but nodded all the same.

“But I wanted to talk to you away from James,” Dad continued. “No matter what Healer Murdock says after viewing the scans, James is…well, he’s not back to normal. I don’t know what he’s told you-“

“He told me he can’t remember any incantations,” Albus interrupted.

Dad nodded. “That’s his biggest obstacle right now.”

“But how is he going to do anything if he can’t remember incantations?” Albus asked.

Dad sighed. “We don’t know, Al. There is only so much assistance he can get on his N.E.W.T.s and even if he does manage decent marks…”

“He won’t qualify for much if he can’t do magic,” Albus said quietly.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Dad said. “And this is all weighing on him. It’s more than just Quidditch. It’s all piling on and it’s getting very difficult for him to deal with.”

“That’s why he’s seeing Healer Norlam,” Albus said.

“Yes. And some people, when it all gets to be too much, they lash out,” Dad continued. “Like me. But other people, like James, they shut down. It’s hard to say which is the healthier option.”

Albus didn’t know, either. He’d seen Matt do both, and neither one seemed productive.

“I guess my point is that I want you to understand how much your mother and I appreciate all you’re doing for James. He’ll never come out and say it, but you being there for him at Hogwarts during his recovery has been a real comfort.

“And that we’re not out of the woods yet,” Dad continued. “I don’t know what the next few months will bring, but James will appreciate having you by his side. It’s uncharted territory for us and for the healers.”

Albus toyed with his empty sugar packets for a few moments before looking at his dad. It suddenly struck him how exhausted Dad looked. Was that new? Or had Albus simply not noticed before?

“Dad?”

“Yes, Albus?”

“Do you…do you think James will ever be back to normal?” It was a question that had been in the back of Albus’s mind since the accident, but he’d been afraid to ask it. It was one thing to hear the percentages from Healer Murdock, but it was another to hear what his father, whose instincts were even better than Albus’s, thought.

Dad took a sip of tea before answering. “Normal? As in how he was before the accident? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think anyone can go through something like that and come through it completely unchanged. In fact, I know they can’t. But I believe he will come to terms with it, eventually. And physically? I have to believe he will.”

That didn’t really answer his question, but Albus didn’t push it. Instead, he broke one of the biscuits in half and took a large bite. The silence they lapsed into wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t comfortable either. The many possibilities of James’s recovery or lack thereof sat between them like a dense fog during a Quidditch match.

***

After Albus finished off two biscuits and half his tea, he told his father he was going for a walk. He wandered the hospital for half an hour, enjoying the fact that everyone there was either too busy or too absorbed in their own lives to pay any attention to the fact that Harry Potter’s middle child was walking aimlessly through the corridors.

Eventually he wound up on the floor where Professor Burke was staying. He ducked into a storage closet and pulled on his Invisibility Cloak before getting near the ward just in case Burke was getting interrogated again. Unfortunately he had to wait ten full minutes for someone to enter the ward, but when a nurse went in, Albus hurried in after her, the door only slightly hitting him in the back as he entered.

Albus froze in his tracks as soon as he got inside and looked around. The curtains were not drawn around Burke’s bed, which was empty and looked ready for a new occupant. A few yards away stood the same healer who had been short with Johnson when the auror accused Burke of selling illegal potions. With him was a girl who looked around Victoire and Teddy’s age with long, purple hair and black plastic glasses. Her face was tear-stained and her hand, which clutched a stack of papers, was shaking.

The door opened behind Albus and he skirted to the side so whomever came in wouldn’t run into him. He turned and saw Amy, dressed in forest green trainee healer robes. She walked over to the healer and the purple haired girl. Albus followed her.

“Excuse me,” Amy said. “Are you Mila Burke?”

The girl nodded. Mila Burke. Professor Burke’s niece. The one who was probably involved with his potions trade.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Amy said quietly.

“Were you- were you one of his healers?” Mila choked out.

“No. I’m Amy Eckerton. My parents-“

“-were the ones who funded that anxiety potion he created,” Mila finished, nodding. “Right. He loved that project.”

“I just wanted to tell you how much that potion changed my brother’s life,” Amy continued. “All of us -my parents, my brother, myself- we’re just so grateful.”

Mila nodded again. “Thank you.”

Albus stared as Amy and Mila embraced. With a nod to the other healer, Amy left as quickly as she arrived. Albus remained frozen to the spot, trying to comprehend what he’d just seen. Professor Burke was clearly gone. It was a bit of a shock. As much as Burke’s illness had been very real to Albus, it almost seemed as if Burke was too contrary and too much of a force to actually die. Despite that he’d been going downhill for months, him dying came as a big surprise.

The healer put his arm around Mila’s shoulders and guided her out of the room. As they passed, Albus got a good look at Mila’s face and noticed there was a steady stream of tears dripping down her cheeks. For as long as Albus had known Burke, he hadn’t thought of the man having a family or being anything besides a potions genius. But he must’ve meant a great deal to Mila. It struck him that in the end, everyone, genius or not, was merely a person. A mortal person, who would be grieved by their loved ones.

44. Change

After the healer and Mila left, Albus glanced around the closed ward. Three other beds were occupied, but their patients were asleep. Albus quickly shed the Invisibility Cloak and shoved it into his robes. Quietly, he walked to the door and turned the knob. The man in the closest bed stirred, but did not wake. Albus slipped out the door and shut it quietly behind him.

“Albus?”

Albus startled and turned around. There stood Amy, a look of disapproval that made her greatly resemble her mother, on her face. He thought she would’ve been long gone, but must’ve had something else to do nearby.

“Er, hi,” he muttered.

“What were you doing in there, Albus?” Amy asked as she walked toward him.

“When did he die?” Albus asked. Maybe if he got onto the subject of Burke Amy would forget to scold him.

“An hour ago,” Amy said quietly. “And don’t avoid the question.”

Albus sighed. “I was trying to visit him.”

“In your Invisibility Cloak,” Amy said flatly, raising an eyebrow.

“Er, yeah.”

“So you know you aren’t allowed to be in there without permission from a healer,” Amy said. She sighed, shaking her head. “Just don’t do it again. Why are you even here?”

“James had a bunch of appointments and wanted me to come with him,” Albus answered.

Amy nodded. “Don’t spread this around yet. Burke’s death. His niece will alert the Prophet shortly and that is how people will find out.”

“Can I tell Kaden?” Albus asked.

Amy sighed again. “I suppose you better. Better coming from you than from the paper. I need to get back to my rounds. Don’t go wandering into anymore closed wards.”

Albus nodded. He no longer had any reason to enter any closed wards. With a nod, Amy turned and walked down the corridor.

Albus took his time returning to the waiting room, thinking about Kaden as he went. This news would devastate him. Somehow, brewing enabled Kaden to turn his excessive amounts of energy into something productive. It almost grounded him in a way. Albus knew that Burke’s death wouldn’t prevent Kaden from brewing, but it would be different now.

The waiting room was considerably more crowded when Albus returned a short while later. The seats he, James, and their parents had occupied an hour earlier were now being used by a very tired looking set of parents and their small, green daughter. Albus scanned the crowd for his parents and James, but they weren’t there. Instead, Albus’s eyes rested upon a familiar blonde head.

Albus navigated his way through the crowd, dodging a wizard with a wand inserted in his ear and a witch with a forked tongue, until he reached Matt. The seats on either side of him were empty and Albus sat down in the one to his right. He was asleep, his head rested on his left hand. Albus gave him a sharp poke in the arm.

Matt jumped about a foot in the air, his eyes wide. “Bloody hell, Albus!”

“Sorry,” Albus said. “There wasn’t any good way to wake you up.”

Matt glared at him. “You could’ve not woken me up. What are you doing here?”

“James has appointments. You?”

“I have appointments,” Matt said. “Just routine stuff. Awful timing, though. Full moon’s tomorrow.”

That would explain why he was so annoyed about being woken up, Albus thought. “Well, I’ve got bad news.”

“Amy already told me,” Matt said. “About Burke, right? She told me right when I got here, about half an hour ago.”

Albus nodded. That must’ve been right before she went upstairs to talk to Mila. “I wonder what they’ll do for his funeral. He didn’t strike me as the religious type.”

Matt shrugged. “Whatever they do, my parents will probably make me go to it.”

“Kaden will want to go, so I’ll probably go, too,” Albus said.

“Albus, what a surprise!”

Albus looked up and saw Matt’s mum standing over them. She was smiling, but it was the sort of fake smile used to cover up anguish. Amy must’ve told her about Burke as well.

“Matt, honey, they’re ready for you,” she said. “It was good seeing you, Albus.”

Albus nodded. “See you later, Matt.”

Matt got up slowly and waved goodbye to Albus as he let his mum lead him through the crowded waiting room. Albus watched him leave, then focused his attention on the couple with the green daughter. She was now turning from green to blue. Albus wondered if she would then progress to violet.

***

It was another hour before James, Mum, and Dad returned to the waiting room. By that point the multi-colored little girl had turned not only violet, but also red, orange, and yellow, and was now green again. The expressions on Mum and Dad’s faces were hard to read, but James looked about as glum as he had when they’d gotten to St. Mungo’s two hours earlier. Albus did notice that he had a smaller wrist brace on.

“Well?” Albus prompted, when none of them said anything.

“Show him, James,” Dad said, a small smile appearing on his face.

James lifted his right arm. It was shaking worse than normal and Albus was confused as to why his dad was smiling about this. Confused, he looked at Dad, whose smile had grown. Mum was now smiling as well.

Slowly, and with much concentration, James squeezed his fingers together, until he was halfway to making a fist. It was more movement than Albus had seen him able to do since the accident.

“But-“ Albus began.

“Healer Murdock found another spell,” Mum explained. “It’s really experimental, so he doesn’t want to do it more than once, but it worked.”

“It’s still not back to normal,” James muttered, but he was smiling as well. “Healer Murdock doesn’t think it’ll ever be back to normal. He thinks this might be as good as it gets.”

“But that’s better than you could do this morning,” Albus pointed out.

James nodded. “He’s not sure whether it’ll last or not.”

“That’s what your physical therapy is for,” Mum said. “To keep that range of movement.”

“What about the memory thing?” Albus asked.

James sighed. “Still a mystery. Might come back. Might not.”

“Well,” Dad said, clapping James on the shoulder. “Let’s go back home. Maybe Lily will be up and we can all play Monopoly.”

Albus followed his parents and James to the small Apparition room, figuring the crowded waiting room was not the best place to tell them about Professor Burke and that he needed to go back to Hogwarts to break the news to Kaden.

Once they returned to Grimmauld Place, James retreated to his bedroom, claiming he felt a headache coming on. Albus wasn’t sure if that was true or if he was just trying to get out of playing a game. Mum was known for her competitiveness with Monopoly. The lack of noise in the house indicated Lily was still asleep, which meant Dad’s whole idea wouldn’t be happening anyway.

“Maybe later, Harry,” Mum said as James disappeared up the stairs. “I suppose I should get to work on that article as long as everyone else is sleeping.”

“Wait, Mum?” Albus said. “Dad?”

“What is it, Al?” Dad asked.

“While you lot were all with Healer Murdock, I sort of found out that…that Professor Burke died,” Albus said quietly. “Just this morning. I, er…overheard his niece talking to a healer, and then Amy showed up and I asked her and she told me it happened about an hour before we got there.”

Mum let out a soft “oh!” and sat down in the nearest chair. Dad shook his head, ran a hand through his already messy hair, and sat down next to her. Neither of them said anything for a few moments and then Dad spoke.

“He was very sick, Al.”

“I know,” Albus replied as he sat down in an armchair. “I knew it was coming.”

Mum nodded. “But it’s still a shock. Come here, Albus.”

Albus got up and walked to the couch, where his mother squeezed him tight. “I’m fine, Mum. Really. I’m more worried about Kaden. I’ve got to tell him. Otherwise he’ll find out from the Prophet tomorrow morning.”

“No,” Dad said as he stood up. “I’ll have to go to Hogwarts and break the news. I’ll call Dudley and see if he wouldn’t mind me bringing Kaden back here for the rest of the holiday.”

“Yes, that would be best,” Mum said as she finally let go of Albus.

Dad disappeared into the kitchen, where he kept the phone that he only ever used to contact Dudley and Christina. Ten minutes later he was on his way to Hogwarts to get Kaden. He planned on telling Kaden about Professor Burke’s death in his study and then Flooing back to Grimmauld Place with him.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Al?” Mum asked after Dad left for Hogwarts.

“I swear, I’m fine,” Albus said. And he was. Once the initial shock wore off, Albus felt sad, but not overly so. Burke was now free from the body that had betrayed him. It couldn’t have been an enjoyable last few months.

Mum nodded, then got up from the couch. “I’m going to get some work done.”

Once his mother left for her study, Albus tiptoed upstairs to James’s room. He knocked softly and opened the door when there was no answer. James lay on the bed, sound asleep, the only sound in the room his steady breathing. Albus glanced around the room and noticed how unnaturally clean it was. Mum must’ve cleaned it for him. Albus felt a pang of annoyance at this because Mum never cleaned his or Lily’s rooms. But it was gone as quickly as it came. He wouldn’t trade places with James even if it meant Mum would clean his room.

Quietly, Albus shut the door. Hearing faint music coming from Lily’s room, Albus crossed the landing and knocked on her door. It opened a few seconds later and Lily stuck her head out, then opened the door all the way.

“Hey, Al,” she said.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Of course,” Lily said, stepping out of the way.

Lily’s room, in contrast to James’s, was a disaster area. No fewer than five piles of clothes sat on the floor, another few jumpers were scattered on the unmade bed, and her desk was covered in books and disheveled pieces of parchment. The walls were mostly plastered with photos of famous Quidditch players and Muggle actors.

“How was the appointment?” Lily asked as she sat down on the bed.

Albus shoved a set of robes off Lily’s desk chair and sat down on it. “Not horrible, but not fantastic. Healer Murdock found another experimental spell and now James can move his fingers a bit more, but still not enough to do much. Healer Murdock doesn’t want to use the spell more than once, though.”

Lily sighed and leaned against the wall. “It’s just so weird. What if he’s never back to normal?”

“Honestly, Lily, he probably won’t be,” Albus said.

“It’s getting exhausting,” Lily muttered. “I mean, I get that we have to be there for him, but don’t you think it’s getting exhausting? Mum and Dad treating him like he’s made of glass and everything? Haven’t you noticed? They haven’t made him do anything. Like last night, when Mum had me set the table and then both of us do the dishes after dinner. And James did nothing.”

“But Lily, you need two hands to do dishes,” Albus pointed out.

“And Mum cleaned his room,” Lily continued, ignoring Albus.

“They feel bad.”

“It’s just weird, is all,” Lily said. “James was always so independent. He took charge. And now…now he’s not. And he doesn’t.”

Albus nodded. “I get it, Lily. But at the same time, think about what it’s like for James.”

“I know,” Lily said quietly.

Albus toyed with a purple scarf that was hanging on the back of Lily’s chair. “Dad’s at Hogwarts picking up Kaden right now.”

Lily furrowed her brows, confused. “Why? What happened?”

“Professor Burke died this morning. Right before James’s appointment,” Albus said quietly.

Lily’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, that’s awful. I mean, I guess everyone knew it was coming? He was really ill, wasn’t he?”

Albus nodded. “Yeah, but Kaden will probably take it hard.”

“It’s been a depressing year, hasn’t it?” Lily said.

“A bit, yeah,” Albus agreed. A bit of an understatement, Albus thought to himself. Matt had a nervous breakdown, Boone wound up wrongfully imprisoned, Burke had to quit teaching, James’s Quidditch accident, and now Burke’s death. It was way too much for one year.

“Next year’s got to be better, right?” Lily mused.

“Yeah, it’s got to,” Albus agreed. But next year would bring its own issues, with Albus and his friends having to decide what the next step would be. And N.E.W.T.s. He tried to imagine what he’d be doing a year from now, but couldn’t do it. His seventh year. It still seemed so far away.

***

“Funeral’s been scheduled for Saturday,” Dad said at dinner that night. “No chapel ceremony; just a graveside service. Small. He didn’t have much family, but those he did have don’t want a huge fuss.”

“Matt said his parents are going,” Albus said as he twirled spaghetti around his fork.

“I plan on going,” Dad continued. “Any of you are welcome to join me. You don’t have to, though.”

“Is Kaden going?” Albus asked, glancing at the empty seat next to him.

Dad sighed. “I hope so. It would provide closure. But it’s up to him.”

After returning from Hogwarts, Kaden had shut himself in Albus’s room and hadn’t emerged since. Albus made several attempts to talk to him, but Kaden never said anything other than ‘go away.’ Thus, Albus had been shut out of his room for the better part of the day.

“I don’t think I want to go,” Lily said quietly. She ate a tiny bite of pasta and then continued moving her meatballs around her plate. She’d been quiet all evening.

“That’s your choice, Lils,” Mum said.

“Me either,” James said, reaching for the water pitcher. “I never even had him as a teacher. Heard he was mad, though. No offense.”

Mum intercepted James, took the pitcher, and refilled his glass. She gave him a look, although Albus wasn’t sure whether it was in response to his comment or his trying to pour his own glass of water with his injured hand. James didn’t ask for clarification either, just continued eating.

Albus agreed with James, however. Burke was mad. But it was his madness that made him such a genius and enabled him to create the anxiety potion for Matt. There weren’t many brewers who offered their services for hire to individuals like that. It was very common for centuries, but in the past hundred years or so, people tended to get their potions from apothecaries after they’d been through proper ministry testing. But if Matt had waited for an anxiety potion to go through ministry testing and become available to the general public, he’d probably still be waiting and would’ve had a much harder time at Hogwarts.

Albus turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Kaden emerge into the kitchen. He resembled Matt after a full moon: disheveled, tired, and pale. Without saying a word, he sat down in between Albus and James and scooped himself a small portion of spaghetti and one meatball.

“Feeling better, Kaden?” Mum asked quietly.

Kaden shrugged. “When is the funeral?”

“Saturday morning,” Mum answered.

“I’m going,” Kaden said.

“You can come with me,” Dad said.

“I’ll go, too,” Albus said. He’d never been to a funeral and didn’t relish the idea, but he wanted to support Kaden.

Dad nodded. “Come to my study around nine on Saturday morning and we’ll all go together. Matt can come with us and meet his parents there.”

The rest of the meal was consumed in silence. Burke’s death and Kaden’s misery seemed to overcome all of them, even James and Lily who didn’t know Burke all that well. Kaden left the table before he finished his meager serving of spaghetti and James left as soon as his plate was clean, claiming he felt another headache coming on. That left Albus and Lily to deal with the dishes.

Lily muttered to herself about how James would never have to do another chore again, but one stern gaze from their mother shut her up.

“Consider yourself lucky you can do dishes,” Mum said as she put the leftover meatballs into the fridge. “And lucky you’ve got two functional hands.”

“You and Dad could have these done in seconds,” Lily moaned. “Can’t you just clean them with magic.”

“Doing it the hard way builds character,” Mum explained. “Nana Molly always made me help with cooking and clean up.”

Albus wasn’t sure why Lily kept complaining about doing chores the Muggle way. In her 15 years of life it had never gotten her anywhere. It was just how things were done in the Weasley family. You put in your 17 years of Muggle chores and then once you were of age that was that. Of course, Albus only had two months left as opposed to Lily’s two years.

Lily stalked off to her room as soon as the last dish was dried and put away. Albus headed up to his own room, where Kaden had sequestered himself. He knocked softly before entering.

Kaden was lying flat on his back on Albus’s bed, silent tears streaming down his face. He hastily sat up and wiped them off as Albus entered.

“Hey, how are you?” Albus asked as he sat down on his desk chair.

Kaden sighed. “Have you ever had anyone close to you die?”

“No,” Albus said, shaking his head. His paternal grandparents had, of course, died long ago. Nana Molly and Gramps were still going strong. Even Auntie Muriel was still doing remarkably well for someone her age.

“Me either,” Kaden said quietly. “Until now.”

“I’m sorry, Kaden.”

“It’s just…Burke got it. Everyone hates potions because it’s hard, but that’s what makes it so interesting. In Charms and Transfiguration all you have to do is memorize spells and wand movements, but potions you have to understand the theory if you’re ever going to get beyond O.W.L. level. And Burke got that. And he didn’t care that I’m just a kid. He always treated me like his colleague rather than his student.”

“You can still brew,” Albus pointed out.

“I know. But it won’t be the same. It never will be.”

“Things don’t stay the same, Kaden,” Albus said. “If they did, you’d still think you were a Muggle.”

Kaden smiled. It was gone in a flash, but it was there. “True. But I just wish this one thing…Burke being there…could have stayed the same.”

Albus had a whole list of things he wished stayed the same. But it was like he just told Kaden. They never did.

45. The Funeral

On Saturday morning Albus walked in silence through the deserted corridors, wearing his dress robes, with Matt and Kaden, to his father’s study. Kaden, who didn’t have dress robes, was wearing James’s set, which were much too long for him. They’d been unable to find anyone awake to perform a temporary hemming charm. Kaden didn’t seem to care, however. He barely noticed every time he tripped over them.

Dad was waiting for them, wearing his own set of emerald green dress robes. With the nearly identical robes, he and Albus looked more similar than ever before. He shut his study door and locked it behind him as soon as the boys arrived.

“There’s no Floo at the cemetery. We’ll have to Apparate,” he explained.

“Are the other teachers going?” Albus asked.

“Professor Kendrick and Professor Longbottom. Plus Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey, if she can get away.”

They set off for Hogsmeade. It was a beautiful spring day, the weather not representing what any of them were feeling. Birds chirped as they walked the path from the castle to the village and Albus noticed quite a few flowers poking their way through the thawing ground. Albus couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward the mountain above Hogsmeade, and its cave, and wonder if Felix and Elsie’s mystery relative was hiding there or not. The last Hogsmeade visit of the year would be in a few weeks, but Albus doubted he’d be able to sneak away from his friends in order to explore the cave.

Dad stopped as soon as they were outside the gates. He held out each of his hands. Albus took one and Kaden took the other.

“Matt, how good are you at Apparating to places you’ve never been?” Dad asked tentatively. “I can always come back for Albus.”

“Where is it?” Matt asked.

“Godric’s Hollow,” Dad said quietly.

“Burke’s getting buried in Godric’s Hollow?” Albus said.

Dad nodded and closed his eyes. The only time Dad ever visited his parents’ graves was Christmas Eve and he cried every time. Those were the only times Albus had ever seen his father cry.

“I’ve been to Godric’s Hollow,” Matt said. “Not the cemetery, but the town.”

Dad nodded. “Aim for just outside the borders. North end.”

His father squeezed his hand harder and Albus soon felt the familiar tight feeling of Apparition. Seconds later he landed in a field of grass. Just ahead lay the small village of Godric’s Hollow. Matt landed just behind them and fell into a steady pace next to Albus.

The village was busier than Albus had ever seen it. Men, women, and children bustled up and down the high street, going in and out of the little shops and restaurants that lined it. Dad walked fast, not pausing to take anything in, and the boys kept up with him. Albus knew his father didn’t want to stop to look at anything, that it was hard enough just being there at a time when he normally wasn’t.

A few minutes later they reached the small cemetery. Albus’s eyes immediately went to the spot where his grandparents were buried, but his father led them to a different spot on the opposite side, where a small crowd was gathered. As they neared it, Albus saw that his mother, Professor Kendrick, Professor Longbottom, Hagrid, Matt’s parents, and Amy were already there. Mila was there as well, her hair still purple, but her robes solid black. Half a dozen or so other, unfamiliar people, stood behind her. Once they reached the group, Albus noticed the coffin, which was plain dark wood. It sat next to an already dug hole.

They stood behind Matt’s parents and Amy. Mum stepped back a few feet to join them. Albus glanced at his watch. The service would start in about five minutes. Albus heard footsteps and he turned around to see Madam Pomfrey, along with Miss Walsh. The two stood behind them. Madam Pomfrey gave Kaden a reassuring pat on his back.

A witch in deep purple robes stepped away from Mila Burke and stood at the head of the casket. She held a book in front of her. The low murmuring from the half dozen people standing on Mila’s side stopped.

“Welcome. We are gathered today to remember the life of Edmund Burke: Son, Uncle, Potions Master, and Professor…”

The witch (Albus wasn’t sure whether she was a minister or not) continued, listing Professor Burke’s many life accomplishments which included a laundry list of invented potions and brewing techniques. Given the sheer amount of accomplishments, it would seem that working at Hogwarts was his “retirement.”

As the witch spoke, Albus watched Kaden, who seemed to be hanging on her every word. Yet nothing she said seemed to surprise him. He was nodding along with her, as if he already knew what she was going to say. Albus supposed to Kaden, Burke was like a famous Quidditch player. He knew everything there was to know about Burke

“We will now hear from one of Professor Burke’s former students: Amy Eckerton,” the witch said after she finished her speech.

Amy stepped forward to where the witch had been standing. She drew a piece of parchment from her robes and held it out in front of her. “I know you’re expecting me to stand here and proclaim what an honor it was to be Professor Burke’s student,” Amy began. “And don’t get me wrong; it was a great honor. But that’s not what I want to talk about today.

“Instead I want to talk about Professor Burke as a person. Too often we idolize those with true genius, which is exactly what happened when my parents approached me two years ago about finding someone to brew a specialized potion for my younger brother. They knew I was under Burke’s tutelage and had memorized his list of accomplishments. They wanted Burke to brew the potion and would do whatever it took to get it done.”

Albus glanced at Matt, but he didn’t seem at all upset by Amy’s speech. She must’ve run it past him as well as her parents.

“All they knew was Burke’s genius, that if anyone could brew a potion to help my brother, it would be him. And they were right, of course.”

Mila Burke smiled through her tears.

“But what they didn’t know was the reason Burke still took on special projects when so many brewers chose instead to work for companies or St. Mungo’s or the Ministry. If you asked him, Burke would say it was because of the red tape, the bureaucracy that got in the way of true creation. And yes, that was probably true. But there was another reason and that reason was that he cared. Every single one of his special projects helped a specific person. There was a personal connection with each potion.

“That, more than his genius, was how I knew Professor Burke would be able to create a potion to help my brother. It was that compassion that caused Burke to work until he no longer could to make that potion as perfect as possible. And when I look back at my time with Professor Burke, that is what I will remember. I’ll remember the compassion that drove him to be the best Potions Master he could be. Thank you.”

Amy returned the parchment to her robes and walked back to her spot next to her father. The witch leading the service stepped back to the head of the coffin.

“And now we will hear from Mila Burke, Edmund Burke’s niece.”

Mila hastily wiped her eyes and stepped to the head of the coffin. Her hand shaking, she pulled her own piece of parchment from her robes. “Thank you, Amy, for your kind words. Actually, I’m not going to talk about my uncle’s achievements either, because I didn’t know him as Edmund Burke, Potions Master. I knew him as Uncle Ed.

“Some of you may know this, some may not, but my mum died when I was eight. I never met my dad. When Mum died Uncle Ed, her brother, took me in. He was the closest I had to a dad. And no matter how many potions he had going, he always made time for me.

“I still remember shopping for all my Hogwarts supplies the summer before my first year. We went to buy my cauldron and he didn’t like the kind I was supposed to get, so he bought me one that was twice as expensive, and not at all what the list asked for. When I brought it to Professor Slughorn’s class that first day and set it on my table, Professor Slughorn looked at me and said ‘you must be Edmund’s niece.’ Uncle Ed never brewed in a pewter cauldron if he could help it.

“As I grew up, I began to understand more about the potions he created and what a legend he was. But no matter how many people told me what a genius he was, I still always thought of him as the man who took me in when Mum died, who stuck chopsticks in his crazy hair to make me laugh. He was Uncle Ed. And…and I’m going to miss him.”

Mila hastily wiped her eyes and walked back to her spot, not meeting anyone’s gaze. The witch who may or may not have been a minister took her position at the head of the casket once more.

“Edmund Burke will always be remembered as a caring, compassionate, and dedicated man. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and colleagues. Please raise and light your wands as the casket is lowered into the ground.”

Albus wasn’t sure whether he should raise his wand since he wasn’t of age, but it seemed awkward not to so he did it anyway. A few of the men standing behind Mila stepped forward and pointed their wands at the casket. It rose a foot off the ground and floated over the hole. The men levitated it to the bottom, then began levitating the nearby small pile of dirt on top.

A quiet funeral march began to play from somewhere, muffled by Mila’s loud sobs. A few of the others standing near her were crying silently. Kaden, Matt’s mother, and Amy had begun to tear up as well. Once the men had finished levitating the dirt, Mila sank down and knelt by the grave. The witch closest to her put her hand on her shoulder. Albus looked over at Kaden, whose tears were silent. He was staring at Mila, who didn’t seem to notice.

“The family wishes you all to join them for a funeral luncheon at Mr. Burke’s home,” the witch said.

“Do you want to go?” Albus asked Kaden.

Kaden nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

***

Never before had Albus given any thought to where Professor Burke lived. The man had lived at Hogwarts during his stint as potions professor and then at St. Mungo’s, but Albus never thought about where he had lived before Hogwarts. Once he saw the house, Albus realized potion brewing must’ve been a lucrative business.

“This is where Burke lived?” Matt said as they walked into the foyer. “It’s huge.”

“Didn’t you live in a mansion in Australia?” Albus asked.

“Yeah, but I thought Burke couldn’t afford to pay for a brewing assistant and that’s why he wanted to go work at Hogwarts.”

Albus had forgotten about that. He gazed around the lavish foyer, noting not one, not two, but three gargoyles and a small fountain. They made their way through to the parlor, where everyone seemed to be gathering.

“It’s probably a family house,” Albus said. “Most old wizarding families have estates like this that they pass down.”

Matt nodded. “That makes sense. That’s what my house in Australia was.”

Albus’s parents, Matt’s parents, and the other adults wandered off to a corner to talk, leaving Albus, Matt, Kaden, and Amy alone. Both Amy and Kaden still looked very upset.

“Did you know Burke lived here?” Kaden asked Amy.

Amy nodded. “I knew his family had a lot of money, but most of it had run out. Burke’s family…well, they’ve a history of being involved with the Dark Arts. Not committing terrible crimes, but in the trade of dark objects-“

“Hang on,” Albus interrupted. “You don’t mean that Burke is the Burke from Borgin and Burke’s?”

Amy cringed. “Yes, Albus, that is what I mean. But don’t go spreading it around. He doesn’t like to people to know. He didn’t want to get involved, so the Burke side of the business went to his younger brother. Mila’s mother was the oldest of the three, but she didn’t want the business either.”

“Was his brother there today?” Kaden asked.

“No. Burke told me they hadn’t spoken in years.”

“Then how did he wind up with the house?” Matt asked.

“It went to the sister, Mila’s mum,” Amy explained. “And she had an airtight will that ensured the house would go to Mila. So, technically, the house is hers, but since Burke raised her, it was his, too.”

Kaden nodded. “He never told me any of this.”

“I knew him longer than you, Kaden,” Amy explained.

“Excuse me.”

All four turned and saw Mila, her face streaked with half-dried tears. She looked like someone whose whole world was just upended. “Is one of you Kaden Dursley?”

Albus looked at Kaden, whose eyes had gone wide. Kaden turned to Mila. “Er, yeah, I’m Kaden.”

Mila nodded. “I need to speak to you.” She glanced around the room. “Privately.”

“If these three can come, then sure,” Kaden said.

Mila looked at Albus, Matt, and Amy in turn. “I suppose that would be okay.”

Mila led them from the room and through a short corridor decorated with portraits of whom Albus guessed were deceased members of the Burke family. They whispered as the five of them passed. Eventually Mila stopped in front of an oak door. She turned the knob and revealed a small, cluttered study. Once they were all inside, she closed the door.

There weren’t enough seats for all of them, so no one sat. Mila leaned against the giant desk and stared at Kaden, her expression unreadable.

“You’re at Hogwarts, right?” she asked.

Kaden nodded. “Fifth year.”

“Fifth year,” Mila whispered. She then turned to Amy. “And I think we were at Hogwarts at the same time. You were a Gryffindor, right?”

“I was a year below you, Burke told me,” Amy said. “But yeah, Gryffindor.”

“Slytherin,” Mila said. “Thank you, for what you said earlier. At the…service. It was really nice.”

“Your uncle was an incredible man,” Amy said.

“And you,” Mila said, turning to Matt. “He made the potion for you, right? He wouldn’t tell me what the potion did. Said it was confidential.”

Matt nodded. “Yeah.”

Mila took a deep breath and looked back at Kaden. “Kaden Dursley. I spent last night going over my uncle’s will with his solicitor. He didn’t have much, being cut out of the family by my grandparents. The house was already mine. My mother had just given him permission to take charge of its care until I became of age. But anyway…what he did have was years and years worth of research and half finished books. Half finished recipes, ideas for new cauldrons and ingredient preparation. And he…he left it all to you.”

Kaden’s jaw dropped. He stared at Mila for a full ten seconds before responding. “What? Why…why would he leave it to me?”

“I’m not a brewer,” Mila said. “My uncle didn’t have any kids of his own. He doesn’t speak to his brother. I was all he had.” She gave Kaden a wry smile. “It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I just wanted to meet you…I wanted to meet this kid who somehow captured my uncle’s attention.”

“But why not Amy?” Kaden asked.

“I already know what I want to do,” Amy explained. “I know what I want to research and what potion I want to create. I can’t continue Burke’s work.”

“Did you know about this?” Kaden asked quietly.

Amy nodded. “He told me a few weeks ago, but made me swear not to tell you.”

“This…this is bloody insane,” Kaden said. “I’m still at Hogwarts.”

“Of course,” Mila said. “And just because he left you everything, doesn’t mean you have to finish what he started.”

“Where- where is it all?”

“Here. He’s got a brewing room,” Mila said.

“I can’t take it now. My parents are Muggles.”

“I’ll store it here for as long as you need,” Mila said, her eyes filling with tears again. “I just wanted to tell you about it.”

“Thanks,” Kaden said. “Do I need to sign anything?”

“No,” Mila said. “It’ll be here for when you’re ready. Do you want to see it now?”

Kaden shook his head. “No. Not now.”

Mila looked relieved. She offered Kaden a small smile.

Albus wanted nothing more than to ask Mila about her involvement with Burke’s illegal potion trade, but knew it would be inappropriate. It didn’t matter now. With Burke gone, there would be no more illegal potion trade. But Albus couldn’t help but see the irony in Burke not wanting to associate with his shady relatives but then selling illegal potions with his niece.

***

“He just left you everything?” Rose asked as they relaxed in the Marauders’ Den later that night.

“Yeah, he did,” Kaden said. He rolled an empty ink bottle between his hands on the table, not looking at anyone.

“What about his money?” John asked. “Did he leave you that, too?”

“Classy, John,” Rose muttered.

“No,” Kaden said. “Mila got the money, although there wasn’t much of it.”

“Does Amy remember Mila from school?” Amanda asked Matt. “She seems so mysterious.”

“I don’t think so,” Matt answered. “Amy wasn’t the most social person in school and Mila was in Slytherin and a year older.”

“And she said nothing about selling illegal potions?” John asked.

“Nothing,” Albus said.

“Guess that’s one mystery we’ll never truly understand,” John said.

Albus nodded. Burke had essentially confirmed what he’d done while at St. Mungo’s, but Albus still would’ve loved to know the details. He sighed to himself and looked at the Quidditch play he’d just drawn out on a large piece of parchment. It was nothing compared to the plays James created. Gryffindor’s last match of the season was in two weeks and they’d be playing Ravenclaw. Chances were slim they’d make it into the Quidditch final, but Albus hoped they wouldn’t lose by an embarrassing margin.

“We going to be ready?” John asked as he leaned over Albus’s plans. He furrowed his brow as he looked at them.

Albus sighed. “No. Would you hate me if I decided not to captain next year?”

“You’re going to quit?” John asked.

Albus didn’t want to think of it as quitting. “I finished out James’s term, but I don’t know if I can do it next year. I’ll have N.E.W.T.s and I’ll be captaining the dueling team. I can’t do Quidditch, too. It’s one or the other. And then there’s tutoring.”

“And possibly being head boy,” Matt added.

“Not bloody likely,” Albus said. “And I don’t want to be head boy anyway.”

“I bet Justin Brink gets it,” Rose said. “He’s always picking up extra patrol shifts and he hasn’t ever gotten in trouble. I don’t think he’s ever even skived off class.”

“Sounds like you,” John said.

Rose blushed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It just means you’ll be head girl,” John said.

Rose blushed even more, but looked extremely satisfied at the prospect of being head girl next year. Albus knew if Kendrick named both Rose and himself as head girl and boy there would be an outcry, which meant Albus wouldn’t get it. Rose was a shoe-in. And that was one less thing Albus had to worry about for next year.