"Psst, Scor, you there?"
Again there was no reply.
Albus Potter sighed. He'd been trying to fire-call Scorpius for the last half an hour to find out why he wasn't in school today. Al was only new to the school and Scorpius Malfoy was his only friend.
He sat down and tried to finish his homework. The words blurred on the page, making Al rub his eyes.
He tried to shut out the sounds of the arguing from upstairs. Merlin, would they ever stop? He got down on his knees and threw some Floo powder in again."Scor, it's me, Albus. You there?"
Scorpius' head appeared in the flames. "Hey Al, how are you? How was school?" he asked.
"Boring without you. I tried to hang around with Teddy, but his friends told me I was too little to hang around them," said Al.
"They think they're so cool, cos they're going to Hogwarts soon," scoffed Scorpius.
Albus heard the sound of a door slamming upstairs and he cringed. "What was that?" asked Scorpius.
"My parents are fighting...again," he sighed.
"Mine used to, too. Till they divorced," said Scorpius. "It's better now."
"My parents separated when we were in Australia. The divorce was supposed to be final before we left, but there was some kind of stuff up," said Albus.
"Is that why you all live together here?" asked Scorpius.
Albus shrugged. "Dad said this place is his and it will do till we find somewhere else. I think we're going to look at places tomorrow."
"Hey, the place next to me and Mum is empty. Wouldn't that be cool if we were neighbours?" said Scorpius, eagerly.
"Where is it? Dad doesn't want to live too close to the city," said Albus. " but Mum said it's more practical for work if she does.
"We live close to Devon. My Mum's family live in a small village there, so she wanted to be close," said Scorpius.
"What's the house like?" asked Albus.
"Um, it's not a house, it's an apartment. There's two of us on this side, and two at the back. Two storey, two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom. There's also a little courtyard out the back. Mum likes to read out there," said Scorpius.
"Sounds okay," shrugged Albus. "What's the address?" He could hear someone coming, so he wrote it down and quickly said goodbye to Scorpius.
Albus' mother came in, her face flushed. " How's the homework going?" she asked.
Albus shrugged. His mother came over to look over his work. "Albus, your writing is very messy. It's hard to understand what you've written. Try and take more care, sweetie."
Albus sighed, knowing his work was never good enough for his mother.
He hesitated. "Mum, I found some photos upstairs. They were of you and Dad, and a whole bunch of people."
"Oh? Let me see," she said.
He pulled them out of his school bag and handed them to her. "Why were they in your school bag, Albus?" she asked.
"I was supposed to bring a photo to school of my parents when they were young. Neither you or Dad have got any, remember, I asked you?" asked Albus.
His mother looked upset. 'Yes, well, your father was raised by his aunt and uncle and they weren't very sentimental when it came to your father, so there's no photos of him as a young boy your age," she said. Albus was seven, nearly eight.
"What about your parents?" asked Albus. He'd never known either of his grandparents.
His mother had tears in her eyes. "The photos are gone. All gone," she said. She tried to pull herself together. "You need to learn to write better than that, Albus Sirius," she said sternly. She quickly left the room.
Albus sighed. He was a failure at school and his mother knew it. She kept telling him to try harder, do better, and he did. He did try but it didn't do any good. He was dumb. Dumb, dumb Albus Potter.
His dad came in to get a drink. "Hey son, how's the homework going? Settled in at school all right?"
Albus shrugged. "I've got a friend now. Scorpius Malfoy."
His dad nearly spat his drink out. "Malfoy? Scorpius Malfoy? No way!" He burst out laughing.
Albus didn't know what was so funny. "Dad, are we going to look at some houses tomorrow?" he asked.
His dad nodded. "Yes son, we are. I'm meeting an old Hogwarts friend and she's got a list for you and me to look at."
"Not Mum?" asked Albus, almost sighing in relief.
"Your Mum is going to work tomorrow," said his dad.
"Dad, can we go look at this place? It's not a house, it's an apartment. Two storey and the bedrooms are upstairs. Oh, and there's a courtyard out back," said Albus, handing over the address.
"An apartment? Merlin, your writing is as bad as mine. Well, we'll speak to Parvati and see if we can swing by and take a look. An apartment would be better, no garden maintenance to worry about. Hey, what's that photo there?" he asked, picking it up.
"Who are all the people, Dad? I can see you and Mum. It looks like it was taken here, at Grimmauld Place?" asked Albus curiously.
"Yes son, it was. That's me and your Mum with the Weasley family. That there is Mr and Mrs Weasley. They had seven kids and-"
"Seven? Wow!" gasped Albus. He hated being an only child.
"The three eldest boys aren't in the photo. Their names are Bill, Charlie and Percy. Then came the twins, George and Fred, that's them there, and there's the youngest and only girl. Her name is Ginny," said Albus' dad. He smiled as photo Ginny waved to him.
"So who's that, then. Standing between you and Mum?" asked Albus.
"Hmm?" asked his dad, tearing his eyes away from Ginny. "Oh, that's-he's Ron. Ron Weasley. He was-"
There was a gasp from the door. "What are you doing?" Albus' mother asked furiously. She came over and snatched the photo out of Harry's hands.
Albus' dad sighed. "Hermione, it's just a photo of the Christmas we spent here at Grimmauld Place. I was just telling him who the people in the photo were."
"Have you seen any of them yet, Harry?" asked Hermione, almost fearfully.
Harry shook his head, "No, but I intend to go to the Burrow soon and see Mr and Mrs Weasley. I want them to meet Albus. Do you want to come with us?" he asked.
Hermione quickly shook her head. Harry sighed. "Don't you think it's the least you can do. They basically became our family, and Mrs Weasley always wrote to us. I think we owe it to her to visit, and you can see-"
"NO!" yelled Hermione. "I'm not going. N-not yet."
Harry stared at her. The tension in the air wasn't good, and it was as if they had forgotten Albus was there. "Fine," said Harry tightly.
"Fine," said Hermione, turning around and leaving.
Harry slammed the cupboard door shut, making Albus jump. "Dad?" he said, hesitantly.
Harry turned, seemingly surprised to see his son still there. "Oh, Albus, I, ah, sorry about that."
"You said the Weasleys basically became your family. What did you mean?" asked Albus. For as long as he'd known, it had been his dad, his mum and him. That was it.
"Well, I met Ron on the Hogwarts Express when I began at Hogwarts. We were best friends before even me and your Mum. In fact, the three of us were best friends. Ron came from a big, loving family, and when his mum found out I had no family, she invited me to her house the next summer, and sent me a knitted jumper for Christmas. She also sent me and your Mum Easter eggs as well as her kids. We, your Mum and I, often spent part of our summers together with Ron and his family. They, well, they were pretty great," said Harry, smiling sadly at the photo. All the Weasleys were waving, although Fred was making rabbit ears behind Ron's head.
Ron. His best friend. Sure, they'd had their ups and downs, but Harry got where Ron was coming from. He understood Ron's need to stand out from his brother's achievements and accomplishments, only to land Harry Potter as his best friend. Still, there wasn't a day went by that Harry missed his bestfriend. 'Oh Ron, why did you have to step in front of that curse. 'That decision changed all our lives and ended yours', thoughtHarrysadly.
Photo Ron shrugged, as if to say, 'no big deal'.
"I miss you, my friend," whispered Harry. "And she-she never stopped loving you."
Photo Ginny placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and smiled sadly at Harry. Then they all started waving madly at him.
"Dad, may I take it to school on Monday?" asked Albus quietly, after Harry handed the photo back to him.
"Sure, son. Now pack up your stuff and get to bed. I told Parvati we'd meet her at ten. We'll probably be out for most of the day," said Harry.
"Okay, Dad," said Al.
It was two in the afternoon the next day. Albus was sick of looking at houses, and he was sure his dad was too. "I'm sorry, Parvati, but that last one was just too big. It's only going to be me and Albus and I don't want to spend every weekend in the garden. Haven't you got anything smaller?" asked Harry.
"Not in a house, I'm afraid. Are you sure you don't want an apartment. I've got a couple available, you can rent for six months or a year. Longer if you want," said Parvati Patil.
"Dad, what about the one I told you about last night," said Albus. He looked at Parvait, his dad's old Hogwarts friend. "It's near Devon. Two storey-"
"I know the one," said Parvati, and she rattled off the address. Albus nodded. "It's only just come on the market. How did you you hear about it?" she asked.
"My friend from school lives close by," said Albus. Parvati nodded and they Apparated to the address; Albus clinging to Harry's side.
Harry looked around with interest. "How close are the shops?" he asked.
Parvati pointed north. "Just follow the path and they're about a five to ten minutes walk away. Shall we?" She gestured for them to go inside.
She waved her wand to open the door. "It's an open plan downstairs. Lounge, kitchen, bathroom, toilet. It opens to a courtyard at the back, not huge, but big enough for a small gathering. Upstairs is two bedrooms and a bathroom in between. Both bedrooms are generous in size," she read off the promotional parchment.
Harry looked around, thinking it was perfect for him and Albus. He wasn't interested in entertaining anyone, but the courtyard was cosy and surprisingly larger than he thought. He could see himself having a lazy breakfast out here while he read the paper. "So this wall separates us from our neighbours?" he asked, patting it.
"Yes. It's a single mother of one. No complaints from the former tenant about noise, and she's only been here for six months herself. I didn't handle the tenancy so I can't tell you any more. Why don't you go upstairs and have a look at the bedrooms. I'll be out front if you need me," said Parvati, knowing potential tenants needed to discuss certain issues.
Albus and Harry went upstairs. The master bedroom was quite large, and the smaller room was spacious too. "What do you think, Albus?" asked Harry.
"I like it. We don't need a lot of room, Dad, just for us. This is perfect," said Albus.
Harry ran his hand over his son's hair, so like his own. "I'm sorry, Albus. Neither your mother and I wanted things to come to this," said Harry, sadly.
Albus shrugged. "It's okay, Dad. I don't want you to fight any more. The sooner we go, the better."
"So, I'll tell Parvati we're taking it?" asked Harry. Albus nodded happily. "And I guess we'll need to go shopping. Want to start a list?" Harry magicked up some parchment and a quill. "You know, beds, lounge, dishes, that sort of thing. I'll leave you to it."
Albus jotted down things he could think of, as well as the things his dad had mentioned. When he ran out of ideas he stopped. He went outside and saw his dad and his friend talking.
He heard a a bell ring and turned to see Scorpius riding a bike and waving to him. "Al, hey Al, it's me."
Albus waved back. Scorpius rode up to him, smiling. "So, did you like it?"
Albus nodded. "We're taking it. Dad's just talking to the lady about it now."
"Cool," grinned Scorpius. "That's my bedroom up there. Yours will be across from mine."
"Cool," grinned Albus.
"Albus, son, I need to go to Parvati's office to sign some papers," said Harry. He smiled at Albus' friend.
"Dad, this is my friend Scorpius. He lives there," said Albus, pointing.
"Ah, now I understand. So I guess we're your new neighbours. Nice to meet you, Scorpius," said Harry. This was Malfoy's son? Merlin, he looked just like Draco, although his hair was a bit darker. When the sun hit it, it almost had a ginger sheen to it.
"Hello, Mr Potter. Say Al, maybe-"
"Scorpius Orion Malfoy, you were supposed to ride back to me!" A voice sounded from a short distance away.
"Uh-oh, that's my Mum. I forgot I was gonna ride here, then turn around and ride back to her," said Scorpius.
"Is she gonna be real mad?" asked Albus. He was sick of hearing parents arguing all the time.
"Probably not," shrugged Scorpius. They all turned to see Scorpius' mum turn the corner. To Al's surprise she was riding a scooter.
"Sorry, Mum," called Scorpius.
"It was my turn to ride the bike. You know I don't like the scooter as much as the bike," said Scorpius' mum.
"Mum, come here. You can ride the bike the whole way next time, promise. Mum, this is my best friend at school, Al."
Scorpius' mum lay the scooter down and took off her helmet. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to face them. "Hi Al, I'm…Harry?"
Harry's jaw dropped open. "Ginny?"
Albus and Scorpius looked confused. "You know each other?" they both asked.
They watched in amazement as Ginny leapt into Harry's arms, hugging him tight.
"Harry, Albus, is that you?" called Hermione, peering over the balustrade.
"We live under a Fidelias. Who else would it be?" asked Harry, sighing to himself tiredly. It had been a long day. "You better go up and get ready for bed, Albus," he said.
"Sure Dad," said Albus. He just hoped the next week went quickly, then he and his dad were out of there.
Albus passed his mother coming down the stairs. "You look tired. Harry, you shouldn't have had him out all day. Go on, son, go and get ready for bed. I'll be in to say goodnight soon."
Albus nodded and hurried off.
Hermione wandered down to the kitchen. Harry was sitting at the table, writing a list as he waited for the kettle to boil. "Harry, we need to talk."
"Hmm. Oh, yes, we do. Want a cuppa?" he asked. Damn, he better add a kettle to the list of things he needed to buy.
"No thanks. Harry, I wanted you to know I'm considering applying for the deputy Minister role when it comes up. Word is, Deputy Ballantyne is retiring soon," said Hermione.
Harry looked up. "That's great. Congratulations, it's what you've wanted for a long time."
"Yes, although it's all very hush hush at the moment. I hope I can implement some of the changes I made in Australia successfully here. The thing is, my hours will be quite long and erratic at times," she said nervously.
Harry sat back and crossed his arms. "I see."
"I'll need you to watch Albus for me. I know we said we'd split his care 50-50, and when you find a place I'll make sure I'm here more, but for now-"
"No," said Harry.
"Excuse me," said Hermione. She hated to be interrupted mid rant.
"We found a place today and we're moving out next weekend. I want primary custody of Albus," said Harry firmly.
Hermione gasped. "But-but we agreed…"
"No Hermione, you agreed. This, all this, you, me, it's always been your way, and I was the one who got screwed. You said yourself, you don't have time to look after your son. When you get settled at work, then we can discuss him spending time with you," said Harry.
"Where are you moving to?" she asked, still shocked.
"We found a two storey apartment near Devon. It's close to his school and the local shops," said Harry.
Hermione looked shaken. "I-I don't know when I'll find the time to find a place. I was hoping to stay close to the city," she said.
"You can stay here as long as you want. Albus and I shopped today for all new furniture," shrugged Harry.
"Stay here by myself?" asked Hermione, looking taken aback.
"Get a roommate. Get a cat," suggested Harry, getting back to his list.
"I don't have any friends," snapped Hermione.
"Then make some," said Harry, slamming his hand on the table. "Moving back to England is like starting fresh. I'm moving on, Hermione. You need to let go of the past and move on too."
"I can't," she whispered. "Coming home, it all reminds me of him.
Harry shook his head in resignation. "He's gone, Hermione, but you're not. You'll never be happy until you let him go. You've built his memory up to be something he wasn't. Infallible."
"Stop it, just…stop it," she said, shaking her head. "I've lost you. I won't lose him too. I can't."
"Funny, those were the same words you used when you asked me to marry you," said Harry.
"Harry, please," said Hermione, close to tears. She handed him the parchment that was in her hand. "Our divorce is final. It arrived earlier."
Harry took the parchment and looked at it. There it was in black and white. Marriage dissolved. The date was May second. Harry laughed at the irony.
Harry vowed if he ever married again, this time it would be for love.
A/N Hi, all. Are you hating me right now? I know a lot of my regular readers will HATE the initial pairings in the story, but I simply ask that you remember the title and the summary. There will be no major bashing of any characters, despite the divorces. Story is set mid May, 2008. Hope you give it a chance. Cheers