"Father this place is horrible." Alex pouted slightly and crossed his arms across his chest. "There are far to many people and it smells like grandmothers house."
"It isn't that bad." His father, Elric, scolded from behind him, urging the blonde into the alley, "You need school supplies, and this is the best place in London to get them all at once. So stop being a child."
Alex glared up at the man behind him. He got a smack to the back of the head in return, which made him promptly drop his arms and follow his father into the dirty alley.
His red eyes drifted around at all the shops and people as they walked, not paying much attention but enough that he could get around if he ever needed to come back on his own. Whispering and pointing caught his attention, and his fathers as well, as the two of them made their way up to a shop front.
"Little Albus is off to school." Alex heard one woman saying, "He looks so much like his father did at that age. Do you think he'll do as many great things?"
Overly curious now Alex had to get a look at this boy, well Alex assumed it was a boy since he had never heard the name before, who everyone seemed to be fawning over for some reason.
"If you do not intend to go inside then step aside and allow people who have better things to be doing in. I have no time to be fussing around." Elric demanded, making his presence known to the group who were crowding around the shop. Alex chuckled as they stared in surprise at the tall, tanned man behind them and hurried to move out of his way. New whispers began to form, most of what Alex heard was the women fawning over his father.
"Why must it be robes first? You know how much I hate people poking me with their wands to get measurements." Alex pushed past a woman who had stepped in his way behind his father. "Can't I get robes from our tailor father?"
"Not school robes, he doesn't make them and you know that." Elric gave the owner of the shop a kind smile when she told them to take a seat and wait for her to finish with her current customer.
Alex finally got the chance to see the boy that everyone outside had been talking about. The boy was ordinary looking, there was nothing special about him that Alex could see might cause whispers. The boy looked up at him from where he stood in front of his father getting fitted for robes. He gave Alex a small, shy, smile and lifted his hand slightly to wave.
"Hi, I'm Albus." He said with more confidence then Alex had thought he would have with how shy his smile had seemed, "Albus Potter."
"Alexander Butler. But I prefer Alex, as much as my father hates it." Alex responded, "Are you starting at Hogwarts?"
"Yea, it's my first year. I'm really nervous." Albus replied. Alex chuckled softly, "I'm nervous. I'm starting a new school in a new country. I have no idea what I should expect." He admitted.
Albus was distracted for a moment as he sighed in relief, finally able to take off the robes and step down off the raised platform. He brushed off his jeans and then stood straight again. "I didn't think you had grown up in England, your accent is strange. Where are you from?"
"I grew up in Australia. My father is English and my mother was Welsh, but they moved during the war. I don't think they ever expected to come back to England until I got my Hogwarts letter." Alex stepped up onto the platform when he was told to, looking defeated as he held his arms up so that measurements could be taken. "My father was surprised. I wasn't even born when they moved, so he assumed my name wouldn't appear in the book, he thought I would go to Melville and he would never have to return. He loved it in Australia."
Albus smiled a little, "Hogwarts is really cool. My dad has told me heaps of stories about it, you'll love being there I'm sure." He promised, glancing up when the bell above the door chimed. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Albus whispered with a laugh, making Alex laugh as well as he looked up at the man who he assumed was Albus' father.
"Dad, I want you to meat my new friend, Alexander Butler. He's starting in Hogwarts with me this year." Albus rushed excitedly, "He grew up in Australia, isn't that really cool?"
"Albus breath." His father laughed, looking up at the boy his son was pointing to, "It's a pleasure to meet you Master Butler, my names Harry."
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Potter." Alex said formally, finally able to lower his arms he held out his hand with a pleasant smile. Harry took his hand, just as Alex felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'm gone not even five minutes and you're talking to strangers. Honestly Alexander I thought I had taught you better." Elric scolded, looking up at the dark haired man his son was shaking hands with.
"Sorry father. Albus and I started talking, he's starting Hogwarts as well this year, and then his father turned up and Albus introduced us. I was only being proper." Alex dropped the hand in his and then glanced up at his father. "Father this is Harry and Albus Potter."
"A pleasure, Mr. Potter. I'm Elric Butler." Harry took the offered hand with a smile. "Didn't you go to Hogwarts while I was there? You were two years above me, and the Ravenclaw chaser who took the bludger to the head in my third year."
"That I was. I didn't think I would ever be reminded of that embarrassment." Elric shook hands with Harry and looked down at the two boys who had begun talking again, "Our boys seem to have taken a liking to each other. Perhaps you and your family might like to come dinner one evening before they head of to school?"
"That sounds like a good idea to me. Perhaps Thursday? They leave for Hogwarts on Friday morning." Harry suggested lightly, wrapping his arm around Albus' shoulder. Elric thought about it for a moment and then gave a nod. "That would be fine. Say six, that way the children can have some time getting to know each other before dinner."
"We'll be there." Harry promised, "I should go now though, Ginny is probably going mad trying to handle James and Lily alone. It was a pleasure to see you again Elric, and to meet you Alex." Harry offered a smile to both men.
"By Alex." Albus waved again as Harry lead him out of the shop. Alex waved after him and then looked up at his father. "Albus was really nice, and so was his father. Did you know him well at school?"
"No, he was a couple of years under me so we didn't see much of each other." Elric paid for the school robes that had been made while they waited and then lead Alex from the shop. "He was a very big part in the war though. Do you remember what I taught you about the one who defeated the dark lord?"
"He was only a student still, and he had defeated the dark lord while he was just a baby thanks to his mothers protection with her sacrifice. Was Harry Potter that man?" Alex looked a little awed, he had thought that the man who had defeated the dark lord would have been more like a pure-blood, proud and ambitious and flaunting his money and his talent. He didn't think the man would be so casual and easy to talk to.
"Harry had more bravery then most. He stayed and fought because it was expected of me, while myself and many others fled the country out of fear for our lives." Elric shook his head and sighed softly, "Wizarding Britain owe him a life debt, not that he would ever be the type of person to act upon such things."
"You're not weak for fleeing father. He was a madman, and he had already destroyed so many people's lives. You were protecting mother and aunt Eli when you left." Alex said softly, taking his fathers hand and squeezing it softly. While Alex had been raised a pureblood and taught how to act in social situations, he was soft and cared a lot for his father. "If it wasn't for you aunt Eli would have been killed."
"Thank you Alexander." Elric gave a gentle smile and messed his sons hair a little, "How about we get you your books and then we can stop for lunch and ice-cream."
Alex grinned widely and dragged his father through the crowd to where he remembered seeing the book shop.
"Father you're home!" Two near identical voices called, accompanied by the sound of fast footsteps. Only a moment later two energetic nine year olds barreled into the room, pushing each other out of the way in their haste to get to their father. "Mr. Jacobson was being mean to us." One of the twins complained.
"He was making us do really hard work. And then he got angry when Cameron accidently turned his hair pink." The second twin finished, crossing his arms over his chest. "He smacked Cameron, so I turned his whole face pink."
"William." Elric began, looking at his son with a stern frown, "How many times have I told you that you have to control yourself. You can't keep using accidental magic on people who are looking after you."
"But father he was going to hurt Cameron! Cameron didn't mean to turn his hair pink, and Mr. Jacobson got really angry at him. It wasn't my fault." William defended himself, looking incredibly stern for a nine year old with his arms crossed and his face scrunched up.
"Where is Mr. Jacobson now?" Elric asked with a defeated sigh. He would have to make sure he punished the two properly once he knew that the tutor and career he had hired was alright.
"He ran away when he heard you apparate back home. He said he didn't need to lose his job for doing something stupid and starting a fight with you, but next time he comes to look after us he'll make sure we pay for what we did." Cameron said with a small frown, glancing between his father and his twin brother. "Why couldn't Aunty Eli come with us when we moved? She was a lot better then Mr. Jacobson at looking after us."
Elric sighed softly, "There will be no dessert for either of you tonight, and you will both go to bed an hour early." He told the two sternly, "I will be having a talk with Mr. Jacobson tomorrow."
The two grumbled a little but didn't argue, "I'm sorry father." William said, looking up with a sincere frown. Cameron nodded, "Me too."
"I know you are. Now run along, you have to help Alex with the horses." Elric pushed them from the room with a small smile. He made his way to his study, and when he was finally alone he allowed himself to relax and think about the day.