.:*:. Bubbles .:*:.
The first time he saw her, he was six years old.
His family was visiting his grandparents at the Burrow on a beautiful day in June. Soon after lunch, he grew tired of Teddy's ranting about Hogwarts, Victoire's dreamy sighs, Molly and Lucy's quarrels about ink density, Dominique's critique on her just-finished painting, Louis' cries that James and Roxanne had fed him a two-decade-old Puking Pastille, and Lily's whining about her doll.
So he left the Burrow by the back door and walked through the green orchard. He hesitated when he came to his favorite tree, wondering if he should stop and sit upon its branches, but continued to wander. Soon enough, he came to the edge of the orchard and gazed out at the seemingly endless green hills.
He found himself running out into the bright sunlight, bare feet thudding on the ground. The soft grass whispered in the slight breeze, and he heard several birds calling from the trees behind him. He closed his emerald-green eyes.
Curious smells drifted past his nose: freshly cut grass, apples, pears, dirt, and…soap?
He opened his eyes in time to see a soap bubble drift by on the wind. Reaching out with his right hand, he popped it, but several more drifted by. He spun around, looking for the source, and saw a girl shooting them out from her fingers. As he stood there watching her, she stopped twirling and fixed him with a glare.
"Stop popping my bubbles!" she shouted. He popped another one, just to spite her.
"Stop it!" she squealed while swatting at him, making him tumble down the hill. Once he was at the bottom, he looked up to see her brown eyes looking down at him. He sat up and said, "What's your name?"
She pondered his question for a minute. "I have lots. I'm Princess, Bunny, Sweetie, Missy—"
He sighed and interrupted. "Yes, but what's your real name?"
"Nadia Thomas."
"I'm Albus, but please call me Al. I hate my name!"
Her eyes widened. "I already know your name. All you Potters look the same."
He shook his head. "James has brown hair and Lily has red. They both have brown eyes. Grandma says Lily looks like Mummy when she was little and I look like Daddy."
She plopped on the grass next to him and took his hand. "I just meant that you look like your dad."
He lay back on the ground. The next few hours were spent talking and telling stories. Their hands stayed clasped until Nadia's father called her inside. She kissed Al's cheek and said goodbye before skipping off. He could feel his face flush as he walked to the Burrow through the orchard, trying to whistle a tune, but merely spitting in funny rhythms. Lightning bugs lit up the shadowy trees as he went back inside the house to the chaos that was his family.
Later that night, after he had fallen asleep, his dreams were filled with bubbles.