Chapter One: The Lightning Tattoo

Harry shifts uncomfortably. His eldest son is getting really annoying. James has been staring at him – not at him, actually, but at the scar on his forehead – ever since they sat down for dinner. This is the longest time that James has kept his mouth shut (except when he's asleep). Aside from being annoying, Harry finds it surprising. His kids never cared to ask about his scar or his history before. He doesn't even think they've noticed it before, much less take interest in it. But that's what James is apparently doing: noticing and taking interest in it.

Albus and Lily are talking about Hogwarts. Ever since Albus got out of the Hogwarts Express, Lily came running toward him, repeating over and over, "What was it like? What was Hogwarts like, Al? What was it like?" And Albus animatedly told her everything that happened from the very first day until the end of terms. Apparently, his story is not yet done.

Ginny, on the other hand, is watching James watching Harry.

Harry, his eyes narrow, picks up the pea on his plate with his fork. As he does so, James inclines his head to the side, as if looking for a better view of the scar.

Harry sighs exasperatedly and puts down his fork, a little harder than necessary. Albus, Lily and Ginny look up at him in surprise.

"Alright. Enough is enough," Harry says, irritated. "Why have you been staring at my...at me?"

Lily crinkles her nose, sensing a boring conversation. For her, at least. She turns back to Albus.

"Continue your story about Professor Binns, Al," she says, nudging his brother. Albus looks back at her and they continue their conversation.

"I was just wondering..." James is saying to Harry, still staring at the scar.

Harry waits for James to finish his sentence but it's left hanging. It's as if there's something in the scar that's very distracting to James. (Well, it's lightning-shaped. So maybe there really is.)

"James."

James looks at his father curiously.

"How did you get that scar?" he finally asks. "Wait, don't tell me. Was it a tattoo before?"

Ginny laughs.

"A tattoo," she repeats. "Now that's funny."

Harry gives his son a funny look.

"Why would I, with my sanity intact, put a tattoo on my forehead?"

James shrugs indifferently.

"Why not? I would." James grins. Then he catches his mother's eye, and he clears his throat instead. "I mean, it's the only idea I can think of. I've never seen a lightning-shaped scar in my entire life."

Ginny rolls her eyes and resumed eating.

"Maybe you had a tattoo before. And then Grandma and Grandpa Weasley didn't approve of it," James continues. "That's why you had it taken off so they would give you their blessing to marry Mum. That's it, isn't it?"

"That's ridiculous," Harry answers, resisting the urge to laugh.

"What's the story then?"

Ginny, seeing Harry's discomfort, stands up and picks up her plate. She puts it in the sink then she picks up Lily and Albus's too.

"James, are you done with your food?"

James looks at his untouched food and shrugs.

"I'm not hungry."

"Well, then, go to your room and wash up," she orders in her "Mum-ly" voice, as James likes to call it. "The same goes for you two, Al and Lily."

James takes one last look at the scar before standing up and going straight to his bedroom. Lily and Albus follows, still engrossed in their conversation.

As the kids disappear from view, Ginny sits next to Harry.

"When will you tell them?" she asks him, concern in her warm brown eyes.

Harry looks down at his plate.

"When I'm ready," he says. He hates having this conversation. What happened to him in the past is something he wants to bury and forget. Although he succeeded on defeating Lord Voldemort, although many people refer to him as a "hero", although he had confirmed his title as the Chosen One, it still makes him feel immensely guilty when he looks back and remember all those people who died for him...because of him. Snape...Fred...Tonks...Remus...Dumbledore...his Mum...his Dad...Sirius... It's nauseating just to think of it. It happened on his childhood. But even now that he's an adult, he can't bear thinking about it without wincing. No, he's not yet ready to tell his kids.

Ginny sighs and smiles understandingly.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but when will you be ready?"

Harry shrugs, very much like James.

"You have to tell them, Harry," Ginny tells him softly. "They have the right to know. It's better if they found out from you and not from anyone else."

"I know," Harry speaks with a slight edge to his tone. "Just...not right now."

Ginny nods as Harry stands up.

There's a knock on the door to Albus's room. Albus looks up from the book he has been reading. It is the Tales of Beedle the Bard which Rose made him borrow. She said her Mum, Hermione, gave it to her. To him it is very interesting, though of course, their own Mum had already told them the stories.

"Hey, James." Albus closes the book and sits straighter on his bed.

"Dad's being very secretive." James sits on the edge of Albus's bed with a huff.

"What makes you say that?"

"He won't say how he got his scar."

"Oh." Albus nods.

"It's pretty strange, don't you think?"

Albus shrugs.

"I s'pose."

James frowns at his brother's lack of response.

"He has a secret, I know it. And Mum's on it too."

Albus yawns.

James scowls at him.

"Why do you even care about that scar?" Albus says, opening his book again. "Maybe he got it when he was little. Dad did say that he was raised by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. And they made him wear his cousin Dudley's over-sized clothes. Maybe he tripped on the hem of his pants when he was walking on a rocky road. And the rock where Dad's forehead landed was shaped like a lightning."

James starts to grin.

"You really don't care, do you?"

"Nope. I'm sure Dad has a reason why he's not telling us everything from his past."

James rolls his eyes.

"You're right," he says when all he really want to say is, "Yeah, right. Speak for yourself."

Albus yawns again.

"I just remembered something," he says suddenly, a mischievous light entering his eyes. "Fred's owl came this morning." He stands up and takes something from the drawer of his nightstand. It's a folded parchment. He hands it over to James who starts to read it.

James and Albus,

How are you two? Things are getting really boring here. Rox is starting to get into my nerves. She's been talking nonstop about this guy in our year, James. (And believe me, you don't wanna know who it is.) And when I said "nonstop", I mean it in the literal sense of the world. She talks about him even in her sleep! I would know because I sneaked into her bedroom last night to put shaving cream on her hairbrush.

Anyway, what I really wanna say is that this morning, while I was looking through Dad's things in our basement...Guess what I found! Stocks and stocks of forgotten items from Dad and Uncle Fred's jokeshop. I meant to send you some but Mum saw me and she said, "Oh, how sweet of my Freddie to write a letter to his cousins." Oh, how I hate that name. Freddie. Eek! Makes me wanna puke. Anyway, you know how she is when it comes to pranks. So I'm just gonna send some of the items the next time Mum's not around.

P.S.: I should've written this letter sooner but I got a fever due to the Fever Fudge. You should try it some time. Saves me from all the chores.

Fred

"Wow," James mutters. "The last time I went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Mum wouldn't let me touch anything."

Albus nods knowingly.

"But now we'll finally have a taste of those - "

Before James can finish the sentence, Ginny walks in the door, carrying a pile of Albus's newly-washed clothes.

"Taste what, James?" She raises both her eyebrows, waiting for James's answer.

"Taste those...er..." James racks his brain for something...anything... "Pancakes! At last we'll be able to taste those pancakes that Rose has been bragging about at Hogwarts. She said Aunt Hermione taught her how to make one," he improvises.

Ginny leaves her one brow raised.

"Really? I didn't know Rose knows how."

"Me neither," Albus says, biting his lower lip.

"But she does!" James shrugs. "She said she'd send us one tomorrow."

Ginny smiles.

"How nice of her. Well, I, for one, would like to see what it tastes like."

She places the clothes on Albus's bed and goes out of the room.

James looks at Albus sheepishly.

"You know how to make a pancake?"

Albus shakes his head.

"Does Lily know?"

"I don't think so."

James groaned.

hey you! i'm about to post the 2nd chapter...maybe next week. :) if you saw some grammatical errors or wrong spelling of word, it's because i'm in a little bit of a hurry. and also because i was listening to my favorite songs while writing that's why i had some trouble concentrating. :)