A/N: Here is just a quick little drabble between Harry and Al that was inspired by Father's Day. Pleaseplease review even though it isn't very long! And Happy Father's Day to all the daddys out there!

Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K.R., without whom none of this would be.

Always

Harry was being yanked out of sleep by a small weight on his chest. He opened his eyes blearily to see his son smiling down at him, bright green eyes full of excitement as he gripped his stuffed hippogriff.

"Well good morning, Al," Harry greeted his middle child, smiling fondly at him. This little boy was almost the spitting image of Harry as he was when he was five, minus the spectacles that made Harry's emerald eyes slightly less brilliant that his son's.

"Happy Father's Day, Daddy!" little Albus cheered, leaning down to hug Harry around the neck tightly.

"Why thank you, darling!" Harry laughed as he hugged his son back lovingly. He couldn't think of a better way to wake up on Father's Day, or any other day of the year, for that matter.

"Are mummy and the others downstairs already, Al?" Harry asked as he sat them up.

"Mmhhmm," Al replied as he sat and crossed his legs in front of his daddy. "But I wanted to see you first!"

"Well I'm very glad you did!" Harry said happily. "But why, love?"

"I don't know…" Albus replied slowly, looking down at his tiny feet.

"Albus, you can always talk to Daddy, you know," Harry urged gently.

"Jamie-said-you'd-rather-play-with-him-and-Lily-today-instead-of-me-because-I'm-not-your-favorite!" the little boy blurted out rather quickly, still looking at his lap.

"Oh Al," Harry said, frowning as he scooped him up into a big hug. "Don't you listen to that boy. How many times do I have to tell you that? He likes to cause trouble."

"But he said he's the favorite because he is the oldest and Lily is Mummy's favorite because they're both girls, so I'm just in the middle!" Al said as he pushed away from Harry to look up at him, slightly panicked.

"Albus, I promise that your Mummy and I love all of you just the same," Harry reassured him. "You know that you're Daddy's special partner! You're going to help me catch Dark wizards one day, aren't you?"

"Yes…" Al said hesitantly. "If you still want me to."

One of Harry and Albus' favorite games was to pretend that Albus was out helping Harry on his Auror missions. Harry gave him a pretend wand and would teach him simple spells to memorize and the proper fashion with which to brandish his wand. Albus would run around the house pretending to cast spells all day, sometimes wishing he really could stop his brother in his tracks. The little boy was already extremely intelligent and loved learning everything Harry could teach him, almost certainly knowing more than 7-year-old James.

"Of course I do, love! You're going to be a brilliant Dark Wizard catcher someday! And I'll always want you to be by my side, Albus," Harry told him seriously.

"Always, Daddy?" he asked, looking up at his father in wonderment.

Harry stared into his son's eyes for a few moments before he brought him to his chest in more of a clutch than a hug.

"Always," Harry sighed into his son's tiny neck. "I'll always want you with me, I'll always protect you as best I can, and I'll always love you, Albus Severus. Always."

Fin

I hope you liked it, and please review either way!