The locked door that separated Albus potter from the rest of the world, was also, quite ironically, his only means to communicate with it. Today, he found himself staring at it with an equal amount of trepidation and resignation. Today, he thought scathingly the great James Sirius Potter, Quiddich Jock Extraordinaire, Captain of the Tutshil Tornadoes had decided to bestow the honour of an audience with him, the overly-intellectual-soon-to-be-dead-socially Albus Severus Potter. How could I be more grateful, he thought.
Getting out on the street, he rechecked all the locks and enchantments on the house. Although he lived in a muggle neighbourhood, it would be foolish not to be overly cautious. Being the second son of Harry and Ginerva Potter, godson of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Weasley-nee- Granger, and now the Brother of James Potter II, he had had more than a few close calls with people intent on pasting his picture on the front pages of the Witch Weekly. One of his most embarrassing moments was when he entered the men's lavatory which served as the apparition point to the Ministry, and was surrounded by a gaggle of girls who each, in his opinion had not more than a few brain cells each By the time each reached the Atrium, he looked more bedraggled than the beggar outside Madam Milkins's . To his horror , that was the day his father was having his 50th birthday, and nearly the entire wizarding population of Great Britain had arrived to pay their respects to the famous(or infamous) war hero, and they got to see his son looking like he had wrestled with a couple of dragons.
That one episode was always the first topic of discussion at every Weasley family dinner for the next 5 months, which, as always was held at The Burrow. Molly Weasley still bustled with energy, although after a nasty trip over one of the omnipresent garden gnomes, and had severely injured her leg. Even after being cured completely, she was never quite as right again. Although she still had the energy of her younger days, she looked older now, with more than a few wrinkles and gray hairs on her forehead. Albus was the most sorely affected after molly's accident, because, to him, His Gran was the most resilient woman (after his mum and Aunt Hermione) he had ever known.
Mulling over his thoughts, he reached his brother's apartment. He grimly begin to compare the opulent 3 –storey penthouse and his own simple yet cosy muggle country home. Despite being so different fundamentally, both James and Albus shared a good relationship, with Albus being James's go-to guy for any problems he ever had. Still , that did not stop James from pulling Albus's leg as seen by his reply to albus's knock, "Hey , Its Mr self-proclaimed-nerd"
"Sod off , James" said Albus, taking off his coat, and hanging it on the coat stand, where he could recognise his father's and mother's coats too.
"Aww, is it the time of the month?"
"Stuff it , James"
"Coz if it is, I can give you a back rub"
"Kiss my arse"
"Ohh, someone's PMSing"
"Shut it, James"
"He's right James. You really don't know when to stop, do you?"
"True James, Joke's gone stale"
James scowled as the fiery-haired Ginny and Lily potter II entered the room. Out of the three children only Lily had gotten the flaming locks of the Weasley family
"Hey, Lily; Hey, Mum", said Albus, kissing them each on their cheeks.
"You're late, we've been waiting for an hour-and-a-half" his mum said disapprovingly.
"Come on mum, lay off. We're late for dinner .Dad must be waiting" said Lily, fixing her hair while looking n the glass behind the door.
Ginny conceded and the four of them walked to James's spacious dining room where their father was sitting.
Even at the age of 68, Harry Potter still looked an exceptionally powerful wizard. His lean, yet tough build from his time as an Auror still looked tough, although it was gradually leading to a slight widening of the hips, due to a few extra Treacle Tarts. His sharp, angular face was marred by a few lines and wrinkles, but the things that had not changed were his almond-shaped, Emerald-green eyes that Albus had inherited. They still as sharp and striking as ever, ever observant due to his days on the run and as an Auror .
He rose to greet his Son, who shook hands with him, after acquiring about his health. James jokingly suggested that he was getting old, at which he got a quick smack from his mum. After shaking his head at his son's immaturity, Harry suggested that they all go and start with dinner.
After dinner, James and Lily went with their mother to visit their God brother Teddy, leaving Albus and His Father alone.
Albus and his father sat comfortably in James's sitting room, sipping wine and chatting about Lily's job as a intern of Mr. Ollivander(who surprisingly still hadn't retired), and Ginny's as the coach of the Harpies.
For Albus, it was a refreshing experience, because he felt that his father was one of the most patient listeners he had ever come across. He was also fascinated by the fact that despite being one of the most talented wizards to be born in England, he still was essentially a very humble person, and also a very intelligent one.
After some time, James, Lily and Ginny returned, and all of them decided it was time to go. They all stood up and walked to the door, when Harry called Albus to him
"Al, I want you to come and meet me in my office tomorrow. There is something important we have to discuss."
He frowned. Whenever his dad called him to his office, it usually meant something he wanted to have a very serious conversation "Is everything all right, Dad?"
Harry assured him everything was fine, but what he wanted to discuss was not something they could talk about in public.