Father Figure
"School stuff?"
Albus Severus was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his family's drawing room, staring down into a box that contained brand new parchment, quills, and full bottles of ink. Albus made a face, looking up at his parents and hoping they were just playing a joke.
Harry chuckled at his youngest son's reaction to the first birthday present he opened. He knew exactly what Albus was thinking, and it was more of a gag gift than anything - after all, what eleven-year-old wanted to get parchment and quills for their birthday? - but also to make Albus even more excited about starting Hogwarts as well as opening his real presents. Harry was especially anxious to give his son the gift that was currently hidden in the back of the hall closet - the one he and Ginny were saving for last. Ever since James had gotten his owl on his eleventh birthday, Albus had been clamoring about having his own animal companion to take to school. Harry was greatly anticipating the look on Albus's face when he opened his dream present, which Harry found ironic, because it was really ultimately a "school thing".
"You're the one that wanted to open a present before everyone even got here," Ginny said. She was sitting in one of the armchairs with Lily Luna on the floor at her feet. Ginny was currently occupied with braiding her daughter's flaming red hair.
"Wish I was getting school stuff and going to Hogwarts," Lily mumbled down into her lap.
"School stuff doesn't count as presents," Albus said, pushing the box away. "I had to get that stuff anyway. What do you expect me to do - cut my fingers open and write on my desk in blood?"
"Ew," Lily complained, scrunching up her face at the image.
"You know that's really all they got you," James Sirius said. "You don't have anything else to open."
"Liar," Albus replied. "I saw a whole stack of presents in the kitchen."
"They're for me," James argued, leaning back on the arm of the sofa, raising his arms, and threading his hands together behind his head. He tilted his chin up haughtily. "'Cause I got such good grades this term."
Albus rolled his eyes. This was going to be one hell of a long summer. Ever since James had come home from school, he'd been doing nothing but going on about how amazing he was at everything he touched and how his teachers all said so. Actually, it was going to be a hell of a long school career for Albus, always having to live in his brother's shadow; as soon as he stepped into Hogwarts, Albus fully expected every single teacher there to begin singing James's praises to him.
"Fine, don't believe me," James said in reaction to Albus's expression. "It's the truth. I was just trying to prepare you when you didn't get any other presents."
"It's not the truth," Albus muttered, trying to sound confident and like he was writing off James's comments as nothing but nonsense. Deep down, however, James's taunts always got to him, and both he and James knew it. Not feeling so certain, Albus turned his head and glanced over his shoulder at his father who was sitting in the chair just behind him. "Is it?" Albus whispered.
"Of course not," Harry replied just as quietly, placing a hand on his son's head and giving his hair a ruffle. Unlike Harry's hair, Albus's always managed to return to lying perfectly flat against his head no matter how many times it was mussed. This always made Harry think that his youngest son was going to be quite a ladies' man when he got a little older. The thought made Harry smile and wink down at Albus.
Albus returned his father's grin before turning his attention back to the rest of the room, his head held much higher than it had been a moment ago.
Silence encompassed the room, which was quite unusual when all three of his children were gathered together. Since James had started at Hogwarts especially, the rivalry between him and Albus had grown to a new level, so Harry was rather enjoying the current and rare peacefulness. He loved all of his children dearly, but sometimes he wished they could bicker just a little bit less.
Then again, Harry supposed that that sort of thing was common among siblings. All he had to go by were his experiences with Dudley, which could hardly be considered normal, so he had long ago resolved not to judge his own children by those standards. But Harry knew very well that some siblings teased each other and fought, because he still clearly remembered everything Fred and George had done to their brothers and sister. Harry decided that it was nice to have a family that did some things at least a little bit normal anyway.
The silence didn't last, however, because Albus demanded impatiently for about the millionth time that day, "When's everyone getting here?"
"Shouldn't be too much longer now," Ginny said, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece as she finished off Lily's hair with an elastic band. "Hermione said two o'clock as long as she could get the kids into the Floo on time."
"Three o'clock then," Harry laughed. Hermione was one of the most organized people he knew, but for some reason, Rose and Hugo always managed to completely throw off her precise schedules. Harry wondered if they'd manage to show up to the Hogwarts Express on time on September first when Rose started as well.
"That's forever!" Albus moaned, letting his head loll about on his neck in exasperation.
"I don't get to go to Hogwarts for two whole years!" Lily complained. "That's forever and a half."
"Why don't you go on upstairs and get your Gobstones?" Ginny suggested to Albus. "I know you and Hugo have been looking forward to playing. That way, they'll be all ready when they get here."
"Yeah," James agreed, "ready for me to beat you both. There wasn't a single person in Gryffindor Tower who could beat me this year."
Not wanting to hear his brother launch into another speech about how great he was, Albus quickly got to his feet and turned towards the stairs. At least retrieving his Gobstones would save him a few moments of listening to James, but then, as if on cue to assuage Albus's growing boredom, a roar erupted from the fireplace. Albus turned back into the room, expecting to see one of the Weasleys, but he wasn't at all prepared for who actually stepped out of the flames.
It was Teddy. He was sporting bright orange hair for the occasion, a startling contrast to his usual and preferred color of turquoise. He almost looked like he could have been one of the Weasleys, especially since he had taken to wearing a dangling fang earring in his left ear. It had been a gift from Bill - something about being part werewolves and needing to be proud of that fact.
"Teddy!" exclaimed Harry, jumping up from his seat and nearly jumping over Albus in his excitement. "Please, please tell me you've heard something!"
"Not yet," Teddy said, running a hand through his hair to straighten it and to make sure there wasn't any ash stuck in it after the floo.
"Ugh!" Harry cried, covering his face with his hands. "They certainly are taking their good old time, aren't they?!"
"Er…Harry?" Teddy asked, staring at his godfather like a one hundred piece orchestra had just sprouted from his ears and began to play. "I only submitted my application last week. Gran said it can take much longer than that to hear anything, especially with an organization as sizable as the Ministry. You know that. How long did it take you before your application was accepted?"
Ignoring Teddy's question, Harry asked a few of his own. "Only a week? Are you sure? It feels like forever."
Teddy appeared to be on the verge of laughter. "Yes, quite. How long ago do you think I graduated for Merlin's sake? It's only the end of June. And then it took you ages of fiddling around with my application before you even let me send it off…"
Harry blinked. "Oh. Well, do you think I should see who else I can get to write a letter of recommendation? Another one couldn't hurt…"
"Don't you think ten is enough?"
"Not for my godson, no," Harry disagreed. "Besides, you're already at a disadvantage considering who your father was and what a bunch of close-minded Bundimuns that Ministry is made up of."
"Does that mean you're a Bundimun?"
Harry was speechless for a moment. "I…NO! Not me!" he cried, placing his hands over his chest. "How dare you call your godfather such a thing!"
"Harry," Teddy said around a snicker, "breathe." He placed his hands on his godfather's shoulders and said, "I think you've done enough, okay?" Teddy frowned, reconsidering his words. "And I don't mean that in a bad way. You know I'm grateful for everything you've done to try and get me in there. For trying to make my dreams come true. But maybe we should just wait and see? Gran reckons I shouldn't appear too desperate, because they might think that's suspicious. Anyway, with how much the Ministry loved my mum - you know, apart from marrying my dad - Gran thinks that should about put me on pretty even footing with everyone else. Plus, I already have a letter of recommendation from the Boy-Who-Lived! If that doesn't get me in, I don't think anything will. What more do they want?"
Harry pressed a few fingers to his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. Maybe just one more letter for good measure. I made a list of potential people I could ask…" Harry headed for the door, passing Albus on his way out and walking towards his study.
"Harry!" Teddy called, hurrying after his godfather. He hadn't even stopped to wish Albus a happy birthday. He didn't even seem to acknowledge him at all.
Albus stood in the door, watching their backs retreat down the hall. He hadn't even known Teddy was supposed to come to his birthday party. Of course, it seemed like a given, because Teddy was always around for their birthdays, but a tiny part of Albus had wished he would have been too busy looking for a job or something.
Ever since Teddy had finished at Hogwarts a month ago, he'd been around more than usual. Albus didn't know why he was surprised about that. Until Teddy found something else to occupy his time, it seemed pretty obvious that he would visit his godfather as much as possible. Albus didn't mind, and he normally loved when Teddy came over. Except that since Teddy's job search had started, Harry hardly seemed to be thinking of anything else.
Albus wanted just one day of his father's undivided attention without him fussing over helping Teddy get a job. Just one day when Albus felt like he was more important to his father than any of his godchildren. Albus knew that was selfish, but he couldn't help it.
Sighing heavily, Albus resumed his trek towards the stairs, but it wasn't with the intention of grabbing his Gobstones and returning to the party.
Harry hurried up the steps, wondering where on earth his youngest son had gotten to. Albus had been gone for nearly a half an hour. The Weasleys had arrived a while ago, and in the confusion, it had taken everyone a while to realize that Albus still hadn't returned to the party.
Albus had to know that his guests had arrived, because the children certainly weren't making any effort to keep their voices down. Rose and Lily were playing Aurors and Death Eaters, running around the house like a couple of maniacs, causing Ginny and Hermione to yell about them breaking something. Meanwhile, James and Hugo had taken to arguing about who was better at Gobstones, which Teddy was currently trying to break up.
Albus had been dying to see the Weasley children all morning, and Harry couldn't believe that he would deliberately be missing out on their visit now. Harry knew that something must be wrong, and he only hoped that whatever it was, it wouldn't spoil Albus's special day.
When Harry got to Albus's room, he saw that the door was standing slightly ajar. Harry raised his hand and used his knuckles to rap on it lightly. The door swung open a bit further, so Harry pushed it open the rest of the way. He spotted Albus sitting on his bed, his back to Harry, and his box of Gobstones on the mattress beside him.
"Hey," Harry said. "Everyone got here a bit ago, and Hugo wants to know what's taking so long with the Gobstones. I think James is driving him up the wall, going on about how he's the Gryffindor champion. Hugo is ready to make him put up or shut up."
Harry had been desperately trying to lighten the mood somehow, but it wasn't working. Albus didn't reply, nor did he even give any sign at all that he had heard his father. He continued to sit on his bed unmoving, staring off at something towards the bottom of the far wall.
"Hey," Harry repeated, furrowing his brow and stepping further into the room. When he came around the bed far enough to see Albus's face, Harry was taken aback. Albus's eyes were red and his cheeks were wet with tears.
"Albus…" Harry said, but he fell silent. He'd done everything in his power to give his son the best birthday in the world, considering that it was the last one he'd be celebrating before going off to Hogwarts. He had known that his son was upset, but Albus in tears was the last thing he expected to see, and Harry didn't have to think long about the cause. "Was it your brother?" he asked. "Was he giving you a hard time again? Because if he was…"
Albus immediately shook his head, rubbing at his face with the back of one of his hands. He showed no other signs of answering his father's questions.
"Then what's wrong?" Harry asked, concern growing in his voice. "What happened?" Albus still didn't speak, so Harry added, "I can't begin to fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong."
Albus only scowled.
"Albus Severus," Harry said firmly, "please tell me what's wrong. You're starting to scare me."
Silence filled the room for a while, and Harry waited patiently. Sometimes it took Albus a while to want to talk about something - especially something that had him so upset - and trying to force him there any faster only served to make him quieter still. After what seemed like forever, Albus finally whispered, "Why does Teddy have to be here?"
Despite his son's small voice, Harry had heard him loud and clear, and out of all the things in the world, that had been the very last response he had been expecting. Without even taking time to think about why Teddy's presence would bother Albus, Harry said, "He's my godson," as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"So is Hugo," Albus said bitterly, "and he's not here all the time."
Harry paused, his shoulders sagging slightly. He furrowed his brow and said, "Albus, we've talked about this. You know why he comes round so often."
Albus hung his head, staring down at his lap where his hands were clasped together. "I know," he muttered so quietly Harry barely heard him.
Sighing, Harry got moving again and closed the distance between the bed. He sat down next to his son and reached up a hand to push a lock of Albus's dark hair out of his eyes. "I…Teddy's been coming round here quite a bit since before you were born," Harry said gently. "I never knew it bothered you so much."
"It hasn't," Albus admitted. "I like Teddy, and I like having him around." Harry raised an eyebrow and Albus insisted, "I do! He's like the brother I always wish James was. It's just…ever since he finished at Hogwarts, it seems like he never leaves half the time."
"You know why that is as well," Harry said. "I'm trying to help him get a job at the Ministry. That isn't easy for someone fresh out of wizarding school with no previous work experience and the son of a werewolf to boot." Harry sighed heavily, putting his arms behind him and propping himself up with them. Then he stretched out his legs in front of him, looking down at his shoes for a moment.
"Kingsley really wants to get this new department up and running," Harry went on, choosing his words carefully. "Who better to help him than the son of Remus Lupin? Doesn't mean the rest of the Ministry likes it very much. They're trying to oppose him at almost every turn. I was trying to help Teddy with things that I think would look good on his résumé and seeing who else I could get to write letters of recommendation…"
"Cheater," Albus interjected teasingly.
Harry gave his son a sideways glance. "This is the Ministry we're talking about. They deserve to be cheated every once in a while, don't you think? Especially about this."
Albus snickered briefly, but then he stopped abruptly. He frowned, letting Harry know he was still upset.
"Al," Harry said, "I don't think I need to tell you why this is so important to me. I wish to Merlin that Remus and Tonks could be here to help their son with this sort of thing, but they can't be. The only other family Teddy has is Andromeda, and while I can't think of a better person to have raised Teddy's in his parents' absence, I want to help out as much as possible. That's what Remus and Tonks asked me to do when they made me Teddy's godfather. I said yes, and I take that very seriously."
The smallest smile ebbed at the corner of Albus's lips. "I know you do."
"This is very important to the both of us," Harry said. "This is Teddy's dream - to do something to help werewolves get more rights than they've had - and to be honest, it's one of mine as well. I almost saw Teddy's family destroyed, not by death, but because of how awful things were for werewolves. How awful things still are. Oh, they've improved significantly in the last nineteen years, but that doesn't mean they're great. Teddy and I want to make sure things like that don't happen to any other family."
"I know," Albus repeated, and it felt like he'd said the same thing about a million times over. He wished he could think of something else to say. In an effort to break up the monotony, he said, "I want things to be better for werewolves too. Remus was that important to you." He paused for a while and added, "I wish I could have known him."
"I do too," Harry agreed. Father and son sat in a companionable silence for quite some time. Harry thought that Albus was feeling a bit better, because he wouldn't have said two words if he was still angry, but Harry felt compelled to talk about Remus nonetheless. Perhaps because it had been a long time since he had done so. Harry still thought about Remus every single day, and sometimes, those thoughts just needed to escape.
"He was the only father figure I had at one time," Harry said wistfully, then a small laugh escaped him. "I don't think he had even intended to become that. If he had known I was going to look up to him in such a way, he probably would have run the other direction." Harry pressed his lips together, glowering at the unfairness of it all. "Perhaps the biggest injustice was how little he thought of himself, because of how much the rest of the world had pushed him down. Remus changed the world, I have no doubt about that. He changed mine, at least, but I can't help but think he could have done so much more if the rest of the world hadn't been so opposed to it."
Then Albus surprised Harry by asking, "Where do you think you'd be right now if you hadn't met him?"
It was something no one had ever asked Harry before, but something he'd thought about more than enough times to know the answer. "I don't even think I'd be alive. Or else I'd be living without a soul right now. It was his teaching me the Patronus charm that got me out of some very sticky spots, so I can safely say that none of you would be here if not for Remus - not you, or your brother, or your sister."
"Voldemort would still be here," Albus added in a minute voice.
"I never thought about that," Harry said, and he hadn't. Harry mostly thought about how Remus's presence in his life had impacted him, not the world as a whole, but Albus was absolutely right. "But yes, he would be." Harry shifted on the bed to face his son more fully. "But do you see why I feel so compelled to return that favor to Remus's son now? Remus changed my whole world. He came into my life when I had no one else to look up to. He taught me what it was like to have a father figure. I'd never had that before. All I had were a couple of relatives that hated my guts. That was all I'd known for eleven years. I never imagined that I would meet someone who wasn't even related to me by blood, and who would take over the role of the one thing I was sorely missing - a parent.
"Teddy has Andromeda, of course," Harry conceded, "and she's wonderful, but she didn't know Remus all that well. I think it's important that Teddy has someone in his life who can tell him about his father, someone who knew him, because that was something else that I didn't have for a very long time. When I finally met someone who had known my parents - you have no idea what a gift that was. That's all I want to do - to be able to share things with Teddy about his own father, just like Remus told me things about my parents that I'd never known before. How can I not want to be there for Teddy when his own father gave me so much? I want to help Teddy do what Remus made me do - become a better person."
"And I want you to do that," Albus said firmly. "I don't want you to think I don't. I know being there for Teddy makes you happy, and it makes him happy. I just…" He broke off, his gaze drifting across the room. He really didn't want to say what else was on his mind.
"What?" Harry asked. He knew that pushing Albus to talk didn't help, but Harry wanted to know what exactly was bothering his son so that he could help him to feel better as soon as possible. Harry leaned forward, trying to catch Albus's eyes. When his son still didn't look at him, Harry reached out and wrapped his fingers around one of Albus's much smaller hands. "Albus, please tell me what you're thinking."
Albus bit at his bottom lip uncomfortably. He felt horrible for what he was feeling, because it was stupid, and childish, and selfish. He knew it wasn't true, but he couldn't help that small, niggling doubt that kept poking around in his stomach like a worm. Albus wiped away the last vestiges of tears from face - he had long since stopped crying - and gave his father a pleading stare. When he spoke again, it was in a deadly whisper. "Sometimes it feels like you like him better than me."
"Albus…" Harry gasped, feeling his bottom jaw slacken, his mouth hanging open a bit. "That couldn't be further from the truth! I love you with all of my heart! You, your brother, your sister, and your mum are the most important things in the world to me! But just because I'm spending time with Teddy, it doesn't make me love you any less, nor does it mean that my love for you is diminished at all. It is possible to love more than one person, you know."
Albus nodded slowly, still not entirely convinced. "But…" He trailed off again, not sure how exactly to go about putting what he was feeling into words. After thinking about it for quite some time, he finally said, "I'll be going off to Hogwarts soon. Ever since Teddy finished, he's been here more and more, so…"
"So you think he's going to replace you once you leave," Harry said, realization suddenly gripping him. "That's why this is suddenly bothering you so much. It's not the fact that Teddy's coming around more than ever; it's the fact that you're not going to be around so much."
Throat too tight to speak, Albus nodded again. He'd finally gotten his father to put into words exactly what he was feeling. Albus wasn't the most talented person at doing that, and he often relied on other people to dig those things out of him. More often than not, it was his father that was able to crack it.
"Albus," Harry said determinedly. "Absolutely nothing is going to change between us. I promise. You can write us whenever you want, and we'll write you everyday if need be."
"Well, not every day," Albus said, even though that was secretly what he was hoping for. He knew James would tease him to no end about it, but Albus couldn't imagine going days without hearing from his parents. He didn't know how James managed it.
"Your brother doesn't have to know anything about it," Harry said, once again surprising Albus at how quickly his father could pick up on what he was thinking. "And even if he does find out, don't let him tease you about it. I'll have you know we wrote to your brother every day for the first month or so."
Albus snickered into his hand. He knew James would never admit to it, but it was nice to know that sometimes his brother wasn't as confident as he tried to pretend he was.
"And if you're worried about the other boys in your dorm, I'm sure they'll be getting letters from home every day as well," Harry said. "There's nothing wrong with that. Going off to school alone for the first time is scary."
"You weren't scared," Albus observed. "You were mostly excited."
"I was scared," Harry corrected, "but you're right - I was mostly excited. Just because I knew that what I was going to had to be better than what I was leaving behind. Didn't make Hogwarts seem quite so scary then. But trust me when I say that you'll be making friends, and before you know it, you won't even want to come home half the time. You'll be having so much fun there, and you won't want to leave them behind."
Albus couldn't see that ever happening. As much as his brother sometimes annoyed him, Albus loved his family for the most part. As excited as he was about starting wizarding school, he still couldn't see wanting to be there more than at home, because it was just that - his home. Albus didn't have a bad one like his father had growing up, one that he was desperate to leave behind. Aside from when his brother was teasing him, Albus had never felt unhappy at home. How could Hogwarts ever top that?
"It'll happen," Harry said, nodding, "and you'll be quite surprised when it does. Trust me." Albus still looked skeptical, so Harry asked, "Have I ever lied to you before?"
Albus didn't have to think long about that. He quickly shook his head no; he knew he could always depend on his father for anything.
"There you go." Harry smiled. "Besides, you won't be going to Hogwarts completely alone." When Albus opened his mouth to protest, Harry quickly talked over him. "And I don't mean your brother."
Albus's green eyes lit up at once, and that was the look that Harry had wanted to see on his son's face all day - the expression of complete and pure excitement. "You got me a ferret, didn't you?!" He bounced up and down on the mattress a few times, his mouth stretching into a grin.
"You'll see," Harry said slyly.
However, something else was still bothering Albus, something that his father hadn't addressed. His bouncing slowed, and his grin faded and warped into a frown. "But…" Once again, he found he couldn't form the words, so he hung his head instead, staring down at his lap again.
Harry tucked a finger under Albus's chin, pushing it up and forcing his son to look at him. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
Albus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's about the other thing you said. Once I'm gone, you're going to replace me with Teddy."
Harry shook his head. "Never. Teddy could never be a replacement for any of you. I love him dearly, but…he's not you. And you're not him. You both hold entirely different places in my heart for different reasons, so it's not even possible for one of you to replace the other. At all. It would be like trying to fit a hipprogriff in a cage meant for an owl. It can't happen."
"Unless someone shrunk the hippogriff," Albus pointed out. "Or transfigured it into an owl. Or enlarged the cage. Or-"
"Quit finding technicalities," Harry cut him off in a joking tone. "This is my heart we're talking about. The rules of magic don't apply to it. You can't change the way it feels - the way it truly feels - by waving a wand. It's just not possible. Anyway, James has been off at school for a whole year now. Do you mean to tell me that you think things between him and me have changed since he's been away?"
Albus considered this. That had never really crossed his mind. Mostly because he didn't spare his brother that much thought. "Well…I guess not. But Teddy only finished this year. He hasn't been around this much in a long time."
"And hopefully," Harry said, "he should be getting a job at the Ministry soon. Once he does, he's not going to have as much time to spend here anymore, especially with all the work Kingsley's getting ready, so I imagine things will go back to normal fairly quickly. Teddy will come over for dinner a few times a week, and that's about it."
"What if he doesn't get the job?"
"I refuse to believe that he won't. And he will if I have anything to say about it." Harry narrowed his eyes at the thought. "I'll have to do something not-very-nice to someone if he doesn't…"
"Dad," Albus giggled. He knew his father wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize his own job at the Ministry, but that didn't keep Harry from joking about it often. It always managed to amuse Albus when he did, so Albus knew exactly why his dad had done it. As much as it entertained him, however, Albus wished that his father would be entirely serious about this discussion.
"It's true, I will," Harry insisted. "But even if he doesn't, Teddy will be getting some sort of job in the near future hopefully. He's rather intent on making his father proud in that respect. But Albus…" Harry grabbed both of his son's hands in his this time, raising them up and down to emphasize his words. "Nothing anyone can do is going to change how I feel for you. Do you hear me? Nothing. I don't care how many hours Teddy spends here, or how many hours you spend at school. I don't care how many jobs I help Teddy get, or how many times you leave home. You're my son, and no one can ever take your place. It just isn't possible. Not Teddy or anyone else. There's a whole part of my heart dedicated entirely to you, and no one else can ever inhabit it. I love you that much."
Finally, the insecurity that Albus was feeling began to melt away, giving way to a genuine smile. "I love too, Dad."
Albus pushed himself up on his knees, wrapped his arms around his father's neck, and hugged him tightly. When he felt his father's arms come around his back, Albus buried his head in his own arm and squeezed his eyes shut. This was something he could never do if his brother had been around; James would give him hell for ages for being a nancy boy. Albus knew he shouldn't care, his father told him so many times, but he still liked to hug his father away from the prying and critical eyes of his older brother.
"Please believe me, Al," Harry whispered, rocking his son gently back and forth. "Nothing is ever going to come in between us. You said so yourself that I've never lied to you before, so there's no reason to think that I would go back on my work now, okay? I would never think of trying to deceive you in such a way."
"I know." Albus pulled away, wiping at his face again. Tears had sprung up in his eyes at his father's most recent words, and a few had spilled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry I'm acting so selfish. It's stupid to be worrying about this."
Harry shook his head in disagreement, then he used his own hand to wipe away a few of Albus's tears that he had missed. "There's nothing stupid about any of this. You were worried, and there's nothing wrong with that. Trust me when I say that everyone worries about similar things at one time or another. It's all a part of being human. And I'm glad you could talk to me about how you're feeling. You know you can always come to me, and I'll do my best to help you, whatever it is that's troubling you. Okay?"
"Okay," Albus choked out, and not because he was still upset, because he wasn't. His father had done his best to sooth Albus's fears, and he did feel much better. Except now, Albus was feeling overcome with emotions for his father.
"Ready to go back to the party yet? Everyone's waiting for you."
"Is my face red and puffy?" Albus rubbed at his eyes in annoyance. All he needed was to give his brother even the slightest hint that he had been crying; James would never let him live it down. What a horrid way that would be to remember his eleventh birthday party.
"Not at all."
"What are we going to tell everyone?" Albus asked next. James would certainly suspect why Albus had disappeared upstairs for so long. He was awfully good at figuring things out, even when Albus tried his best to hide them.
"The truth," Harry said, and for a moment, Albus was horrified. It must have shown on his face, because Harry smirked. "Not the whole truth, but we'll just tell them we were having some father-son time. There's nothing wrong with that either, especially on your birthday."
"Can I tell them you were giving me such an awesome present, you couldn't possibly give it to me in front of them, or they'd all be jealous?"
"Albus, that's not nice," Harry scolded gently. "After the conversation we've just had, you should know how awful jealousy feels. Do you really want to make someone else feel that deliberately?"
"If it's James, yeah."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course. I should know better by now. And no. If you don't like your brother telling you things like that for the purposes of upsetting you, you shouldn't do the same to him."
"That's no fun."
"But you know what is fun?" Harry asked in excitement. "Getting presents, and cake, and you and your best friend putting your brother to shame in Gobstones!"
"Yeah!" Albus exclaimed, grabbing up his box of Gobstones from his bed. He scrambled to his feet, held his Gobstones close to his chest, and hurried for the door, intent on making his brother shut up about his superior gaming skills.
Harry got up to follow him, but just before he got to the door, he paused. There was a collection of pictures on Albus's dresser, one of Harry and Remus among them. Colin Creevey had taken it during Harry's third year at Hogwarts, and it showed Harry in deep conversation with Remus about something. If Harry remembered correctly, Remus had been telling him for the first time that he had known Harry's parents.
Harry sometimes wondered if he was doing an all right job as a father and whether or not Remus and Sirius would approve. It was times like these - sending Albus off with a smile on his face when he had been in tears only moments before - that told Harry that he was doing everything right.
Harry smiled at the photograph in gratitude, thinking somewhere deep in the back of his mind that Remus, wherever he was, just might be able to see it.
The end