A/N: Okay okay. So I don't even know about this. I had a ton of ideas and they just turned into random bits of Albus Potter's life. Idek. I will probably end up writing more with this, but all of my Next Gen fics are kind of one big mass of one shots. So okay.
Harry set his coffee down on the table, making a hardly audible click of glass hitting marble.
"Shh!" Ginny scolded, a very much awake Albus in her arms. Harry Potter's youngest son was three months old, therefore his wife, had not slept in three months.
It was hardly passed six in the morning and both parents had been up most of the night, and Ginny was unbearable on small amounts of sleep. Harry rolled his eyes.
"One small noise isn't going to wake him more than he already is, love." He stood and took the infant from his wife's arms, who was now glaring at him.
"Argue with me, Harry Potter, I dare you."
Harry sighed, smiling slightly. James was a tease, he had slept through the night from day one and hardly ever cried. Albus, on the other hand, did nothing but cry all night long, wanting to eat at least four times per night. Harry and Ginny had not been prepared for such exhaustion based on their first experience.
He kissed his wife on the top of the head, bouncing Albus on his shoulder.
"Go take a shower, Ginny. I'll keep him occupied. We're due at your parents' house at eight anyhow."
"I hate Christmas." Ginny mumbled as she moved towards the stairs.
Harry stopped her and pulled her into a hug, baby Albus still cradled in his left arm.
"This gets easier, you know." He told her, his chin resting on her hair.
"Like you would know that." She snapped back, and Harry swore she had tears in her eyes when she looked up at him, but she scurried up the stairs before he had a second to point it out.
Ginny closed the door to her and Harry's unnecessarily large bedroom and made for the bed. She wiped the single tear that had formed in her eye and sat down, burying her head in her hands. She sat there for all of two minutes before Harry knocked on the door and entered.
"Harry what- Where are the boys?" Ginny sprang up from the bed, wondering why on earth he would leave them downstairs alone.
"They're fine, I flued Ron and asked him to sit with them a moment."
Ginny snorted, not meeting her husband's eye "Might as well have left them alone."
"Ginny."
"I really do need to shower..."
"Ginny." Harry repeated, grabbing her arm this time to prevent her from walking away. She looked up at him and he was sure this time, that he saw tears welling in her eyes.
He wiped his thumbs under both of her eyes, collecting the moisture that was slowly building up there.
"What's wrong?" Harry whispered, genuine concern on his usually placid face.
Ginny laughed a cold, unamused laugh, "You care about me too much." She told him, wiping her own eyes again and stepping back from him.
"Part of marriage, Love, something in the vows, if I'm not mistaken." Ginny smiled a bit at that. "Ginny, in the entire thirteen years I've known you, I've seen you cry no more than ten times. What is wrong?" Harry stressed the last three words and Ginny sighed.
"Why are you better at this then me?" She asked, her eyes meeting his again.
"What are you talking about?" Harry wanted to know.
"Albus cries, all the time. It's nonstop, and nothing I do will make him stop. But then you..." Ginny trailed off, her voice cracking, eyes brimming with tears once again.
"You cannot honestly think you're a bad mother?" There was genuine shock in Harry's voice and Ginny shrugged. "Oh, come on. James adores you! All he ever wants is to be with you. And quite honestly, Rosie's face lights up when she sees you more than Hermione."
"Oh that's not true." She laughed a little at the absurdity of Rose preferring her to Hermione.
"It is, but don't tell her I said that."
"I'm serious, Harry. Albus always wants you, never me."
"He wants you when he's hungry." Harry chuckled but received a slap on the arm for that, but he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her once more. "Ginny, look at me."
She looked up, self doubt in her eyes.
"We're busier now than when James was that small. Both of them love you, you have to know that."
She looked down and shook her head slightly. "Maybe when he's a proper adult he'll prefer me over you." She laughed at his disgruntled expression and stuck out her tongue at him.
He bowed his head slightly and touched his lips to hers. "You know," he said, deepening his kiss and snaking his arms lower around her waist, "Ron's still downstairs and we don't have to be at the Burrow until eight."
Ginny giggled, "Harry, no. Hey!" She slipped out from his grasp and laughed at his pouting face. "I have to shower, it's almost seven."
"Right, I need a shower too. Might as well save time." Ginny laughed again, walking off to the loo.
"Go save Ron from your screaming son, Love. Be sex craved when he's asleep." Ginny had closed the door to the lavatory and Harry raised his voice so she could still hear, "Albus? Sleep? What house have you been living in?"
Twenty-Two Years Later
"ROSE WEASLEY! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, bloody hell." Rose rolled her eyes. "I swear to Merlin, if Al wasn't my best friend, I would not be maid of honor in this damn wedding."
"Yes you would." Dominique pointed out, "Because Jenny is your best friend too." Dominique was not in the wedding, but did not wish to be stuck at the Burrow with the rest of their family, who were most likely being ordered around and making wedding preparations by their grandmother.
Rose rolled her eyes again and started toward the room where the bride was currently prepping for her wedding.
"She bloody well won't be after today." Rose departed up the stairs intending to give Jenny a hard time, but instead found her sitting in the corner of her old bedroom of her parents' house, not in her wedding dress, almost in tears.
"Jenny what-"
"What if he backs out, Rosie?" Jenny looked up at her with the saddest eyes Rose had ever seen.
"Jenny come on. It's Albus Potter. The boy's never given up on anything a day in his life. And especially not you." Rose extended her hand, which Jenny took and stood.
"But if he does, I'll walk down the aisle and he won't be there and I'll look completely stupid!"
"Jenny stop. You're not allowed to cry today, remember? At least not until after my grandmother has taken hundreds of photographs of you."
"I'm being stupid, aren't I?" Jenny took a deep breath and turned towards her dress, which was hanging on the closet door beside her.
"You said it, not me." Rose smiled at her. Here I'll help you get the dress on.
Jenny had just stepped into her dress and Rose was tying the deep blue satin belt, which matched Rose and the other bridesmaids' dresses, around her waist when there was a knock on the door.
Lily was on the other side of it and had an anxious look on her face. "Rose, my Mum asked for you to pop into the Burrow for a few minutes."
"Why?" Rose lowered her eyebrows and jerking her head ever so slightly to Jenny, who was in almost full panic mode again. Lily understood without Rose's warning and put her hand on Jenny's.
"He's going to back out. He's probably already run off. I'm going to be lonely forever, oh my father is going to be so angry that they spent so much gold on this dress!"
"No! Jenny no, calm down!" Lily just about shouted over her soon-to-be sister-in-law. "Al hasn't gone anywhere. Mum just wants to talk to you about flowers, I think, Rosie." The cousins made eye contact for a split second but it was enough for Rose to know that her aunt did not want to see her about flowers.
"I'll go there now." She said, "Here, Lil, help Jenny finish up with the dress. Jen- No crying. Got it?" Jenny nodded and Rose apparated to her grandparents' house.
She entered to find literally every member of her family (apart from Lily and Dominique, who were still at Jenny's) in the sitting room of the Burrow.
She spotted her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry next the the stairs. Harry looked rather worried, while Ginny looked simply irate. All talking ceased when the mostly red headed family spotter her.
She look at her aunt, eyebrows raised and asked, "What's he done?"
"He won't come out of the bloody bedroom." Ginny told her, motioning to the door directly up the stairs, which she knew used to be her father's. "And I swear to Merlin if he doesn't come out in five minutes, I will blow up the damn door!" She shouted the last seven words up the stairs, to which she got no reply from her youngest son.
"Why not just unlock it?" Rose asked, confused.
"He charmed it, but we don't know with what, so we don't know the counter-charm."
"Dammit, Potter." Rose mumbled.
"I offered to just put on glasses and marry Jenny, but Abby disapproved." James called to Rose from across the room, referring to Abigail Longbottom, his on and off girlfriend for the last seven years and the mother of his six-year-old daughter. Generally, Rose would have laughed, but she was thinking only of her stupid cousin in the second floor bedroom, who's murder she was currently plotting in her mind.
Rose looked for Malfoy and spotted him, leaning against the wall next to James.
"I have a completely unreasonable bride on my hands, isn't this your problem? What with you being his best man and all."
Scorpius stood straight and threw his hands up, "I've tried everything, Weasley! You really think he'll listen to me, over you?"
Rose rolled her eyes shook her head at him, "Completely useless." To which Scorpius made a face, which she returned, and put her attention back to her aunt and uncle.
"Do you think you could talk to him?" Harry addressed her.
"Oh, I'll do much more than talk to him." She said, heading up the stairs.
Rose knocked twice on the door and said, "Al, open the door."
"Go away, Rose." Was his monotoned response.
"Albus." Rose said, her voice getting more cross by the second.
"Rose." Albus mimicked her tone and that was more than enough to set her off completely.
"ALBUS POTTER OPEN THE DOOR. NOW." she shouted through the door, bringing her fist against it for one, forceful rap.
"GO. AWAY." Albus shouted back at her.
"You really don't want to do this with me, Potter, there are so many things I could go tell your mother right now and I promise you she will not make your death as quick as I will! Open the door."
She heard her cousin grudgingly mutter something that sounded like a counter-charm to the lock on the door, which then clicked and the door swung open. There were cheers and wolf-whistles from downstairs and Rose entered the room, slamming the door behind her.
"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded of him. Taking in his appearance was strange. He looked wrong. It was as if he was a completely different person. His generally calm and happy demeanor appeared panic stricken and it almost looked as though he had been crying.
"You look pretty." He said, taking in her appearance, which consisted of the skintight blue dress with a white waistband and her perfectly curled red hair pulled back away from her face.
"Shut up, Al. What's going on? Why aren't you dressed and dear merlin why are you hiding out in my father's bedroom?"
"I was stupid to think twenty-two was an okay age to get married." He replied, sitting up on the bed and looking at her with a sad expression on his face.
"Al, come on. It's you and Jenny. There isn't a more perfect and disgusting couple on the planet. Well, except maybe Teddy and Vic." Rose told him.
He laughed and Rose saw a glimmer of her best friend. Albus Potter who smiled at least ninety per cent of every day and laughed at things that weren't funny. Above everything Albus Potter was, he was in love with Jennifer Logan and if he didn't pull his act together, Rose was not afraid to murder him.
"I can't do it, Rosie. I'm not, I just- I can't."
Rose stopped feeling bad for him the moment the words left his tongue.
"Can't? Seriously, Albus? You can't? You bloody can and you are going to because my best friend is in a state of utter panic because she is convinced you are going to leave her at the alter. And I have been sitting at her house telling her how absurd she's being but obviously she isn't that far off! And I swear to Merlin, Potter, if you do not get your arse downstairs and put your dress robes on I am going to throw you through the bloody window!" She was shouting again and everyone downstairs could undoubtedly hear her, but she didn't care much.
"Just leave it, Rose, alright?" His voice was back to being monotoned and unconvincingly calm and Rose approached him, not knowing what to do but physically hit him. It was rather satisfying, as it was her first instinct when her aunt informed her that he refused to leave the room.
"Blimey, Rose! Stop it! Ow, hey!" She stopped and glared at him, only because she didn't want to wrinkle her dress or ruin her hair.
"Go downstairs. Now." She said it calmly, but her voice shook with rage. "You are not allowed to do this to her. You are getting married because Jenny Logan is the sweetest and most wonderful person I have ever met and I refuse to let you throw away the last six years of your life because of cold feet! Now go!" Her voice got louder with every word and she started hitting him again and grabbed him, attempting the pull him out of the door.
"I swear if you do not leave this room right now I will tell your mother every last detail of your life and don't think I won't because I am not afraid to ruin your life, Albus Potter!" Rose was full on shouting again and her threat seemed to have worked, as Albus made for the door, opening it once more, and Rose pointed her wand at his back as he descended the stairs. The room was silent as they entered and Albus turned back to Rose with the most unpleasant look she had ever seen him give anyone.
"Don't think this is over, Weasley."
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry for forcing you to not ruin your fucking life!" She shot back, to which her mother and grandmother both said "Language, Rose!"
"He is your responsibility, Malfoy." Rose told Scorpius, moving to stand directly in front of him. "And so help me, if you so much as let him out of your sight for two seconds..."
"Alright, alright. You're not cross with me, remember?" Malfoy said, holding up his hands in surrender.
"I'm always cross with you." Rose said, quieter, so only he could hear.
He brushed his hand against hers for a split second and conspicuously lowered in his head to whisper in her ear, "You look beautiful."
"Stop." She whispered back. "We're not doing this today."
Rose turned back to her family. "Jenny will never know about this. Got it, James?"
James made an offensive hand gesture towards her and she made a face at him.
"Fred?"
"If you insist, your highness." Fred bowed to her and she snorted, rolling her eyes at him.
"I always knew you were my favorite." Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around Rose and she laughed.
"I'm everyone's favorite." She said quietly. Her aunt winked at her and whispered,
"Don't tell the others."
"Right." Molly began, "Rose, Dear, you need to get back to Jenny, you all need to be back here in twenty minutes, understood?" Rose nodded and disapparated back to Jenny's to collect her, Lily, Dominique, Amanda, Jenny's sister, and Lydia, the third bridesmaid.
Everything seemed well when Rose got downstairs. They had all apparated directly into the top floor bedroom, to avoid the idiotic groom catching sight of the nervous bride before she walked down the aisle. She spotted Malfoy standing alone outside of the kitchen door and walked up behind him, pulling on his arm. He was fully dressed now, in very handsome black dressrobes and a blue bowtie that matched the color of her dress. Rose hated to admit it, but he did look rather dashing.
She had only really noticed how good looking he was after they broke up, well, the second time, that is. After they parted ways the beginning of their seventh year, they got back together about two weeks before the end of term. After three years of dating and screaming at each other, they called it quits for good and have been strangely awkward towards each other since. But still, he was attractive, Rose just wished he would stop.
"Where is he?" She asked, not looking him in the eye.
"Your aunt and uncle and James are in with him now." Scorpius gestured to the kitchen door, where the gathering of potters must have been. "And I doubt he'll go anywhere with your aunt keeping an eye on him." Scorpius smirked and Rose shook her head.
"When did he get so screwed up? He's been in love with Jenny since we were fourteen, it's not as if he has any reason to doubt her now." Rose took a deep breath, not realizing just how stressed out and panic stricken she was herself, until he took her hand. She tried to pull away but he gripped her hand tighter, forcing her to look up at him.
"He doesn't doubt her. They're fine, alright? He's just being an idiot and he will get over it. Come on, you know that."
"He better not do anything stupid because I will murder him. And so will his mother. So will Jenny, come to think of it."
Scorpius smiled, releasing her hand, but not taking his gaze off of her.
"You can't avoid me forever." He told her.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Weasley."
"Malfoy." Rose mimicked his tone and he half smiled.
"I miss you, you know." He said, and it sounded so sincere Rose wanted to jump on him right there in her grandparents' mostly empty sitting room.
"Shut up, Malfoy." She said, shaking her head.
"Come on, Rose."
"You broke up with me, alright? Don't do this." She caught his eye for the first time all day and she desperately hoped he didn't see how sad they undoubtedly appeared.
"Rose..." He began and the kitchen door next to them started to open, revealing James, who had most likely just heard the entire conversation.
"I have to check on Jenny." Rose turned away from him and practically sprinted up the stairs.
Jenny seemed calmer than when Rose had left her last. She was just finishing the last little bit of her hair that had been shifted during apparition, when her father entered room. Bradley Logan was a tall man, balding with a round belly stretching his dressrobes. He let out a long breath when he caught sight of his daughter, who was, quite honestly, a vision of absolute beauty, in her wedding dress.
"Are you ready?" He asked, seeming a bit shaky on his feet.
Jenny giggled. "I am, Daddy. But you don't seem to be."
"Oh I'll never be ready for this, love." He kissed her on the cheek and began helping her down the stairs. Jenny had worn heels probably three times in her life and walking down the stairs was a difficult task for her.
The wedding party was to line up inside, next to the sitting room door that led to the backyard. A huge tent had been set up, with a long aisle between two giant blocks of chairs, leading right up to a beautifully decorated alter.
Albus had already walked down the aisle with his mother, which was his idea, to Ginny's surprised delight, and Lily and Fred were to follow. Lydia, the poor girl, proceeded with James, and Amanda with Lorcan Scamander. Rose had asked why Albus only included one of the Scamander twins, as he had always seemed equally as friendly with both. He had responded with, "I'm not putting a guy who's shagging my little sister in my wedding!" To which he and Lily proceeded to get into a shouting match about over Christmas dinner the previous year.
Rose and Scorpius were to walk down last, before Jenny and her father. It was the most awkward thirty seconds Rose could ever remember experiencing. The two had not been so close to each other since they broke up two years previously.
"You're walking too fast." Scorpius whispered, almost inaudibly, as they progressed toward the alter, arms linked.
"You're walking too slow." Malfoy rolled his eyes and slowed his pace further.
She looked at him and he muttered "Smile, Maid of Honor."
"God, you're annoying." They parted ways at the alter and Rose caught Albus' eye. His smile widened and he nodded ever so slightly. Rose knew he meant this as a thank you and she smiled back, squeezing his hand as she took her position next to where Jenny would be standing shortly.
The wedding progressed beautifully, Jenny and Albus were adorable and sickening as always, while Scorpius kept trying to catch Rose's eye, but she refused to look anywhere near him, and instead kept her eyes on her brother, who made amusing faces throughout the whole thing. The reception was in full swing when Albus tapped on his glass and the room fell silent, turning to the head table that consisted of the wedding party.
"Well, hello." He began, poor awkward Albus hated public speaking. "Jenny and I would like to thank all of you for coming today, and our wedding party for dealing with all of the madness that has commenced in the last year and half of wedding planning." An audible chuckle could be heard throughout the crowd as he continued. "But most of all, I really need to thank my mother." Rose saw her aunt's eyebrows raise at the gesture. "My whole life I really didn't think I would find a woman who could live up to the standards she gave James, Lily, and I, as a wife. I always questioned how my father got so lucky, but then I remember that he saved the world and that sort of put it all into perspective." More laughter filled the room and Ginny winked at her son, looking almost as if she would cry. "I mean, my point is that I never realized that I could find a woman that I would love as much as my mother, but I guess I'm luckier than you, Dad," Albus continued, looking at his father, "Because I didn't have to save the world, I just found an equally amazing wife on pure luck." Everyone chuckled again and Albus turned back to Jenny, who was now in tears, and smiled at her. Ginny walked to her youngest son and wrapped her arms around him for a full two minutes before letting him go.
"You grew up too fast." She whispered as she pulled away, kissing him on the forehead.
"Sorry." He said back, grinning at her.
The tent had erupted with applause and tears and music began playing again.
One year later
"I don't know what to do, Mum." Albus said, head in his hands.
"I know." Ginny replied, sitting next to her son, rubbing his back.
Harry sat on Albus' other side, looking more hopeless than Rose had ever seen him.
"She's going to die." Albus whispered for probably the three thousandth time that evening.
"No she's not." Rose said, her teeth clenched.
"Yes she is, Rose." Albus looked up, a glared on his face. "That's what they said, that the baby will be alright, but Jenny won't."
Rose felt tears spring back into her eyes. "Shut up, Al." She said, her voice cracking.
"You have to see her, Al." Lily spoke up. Albus turned on her.
"Who?"
"Evelyn." Lily kept eye contact with her brother, who was now standing directly in front of her.
"No, I don't." Was his response, his voice calmer than it should be.
"Yes you do." James told him. "No matter what happens to Jenny, she's your kid, Albus."
Albus just shook his head, pacing in the large empty room a Healer had escorted them to half an hour ago.
"Al..." Harry spoke for the first time since they entered the room.
"No, Dad. I'm not... I'm not going to look at her, I- I can't. I can't."
At this point most of their family and Jenny's had showed up to St. Mungo's and all were brought to this same little sitting room just around the corner from the nursery. Albus shook his head once more and exited the room, mumbling something about getting coffee.
"Rose."
Rose looked up at the sound of her name and discovered it was her Aunt Ginny who had uttered it. "Go with him? Please?"
"Me? Why me? I'm not- I'm not his mother, I'm not even his sister!" She said, gesturing to Lily.
"You're his best friend." Harry said.
"He didn't name his daughter after me or Lily, Rose. He named her after you. You love Jenny as much as he does. You're the only one who really understands." Rose thought back to when Jenny and Albus had announced to everyone that they had decided on a name. She remembered thinking Evelyn Potter was a beautiful name, but when Jenny said Evelyn Rose, it took her by surprise. As she and Albus had gone through a bit of a state only months before, she had not expected it.
"I don't know what to say to him." Rose whispered, lowering her head. "23 years and this is the first time I've had no idea what to say to him."
Ginny just shook her head, her eyes helpless, so Rose left through the door her cousin had just departed from. She found him sitting on the floor in a corner a little way down the hall. She wanted to cry at the sight of him. Happy, calm, and charming Albus Potter, resulted to huddled alone in the corner, shaking with what Rose knew were silent sobs.
She said nothing, but sat next to him, grabbing his hand and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Rosie..." He began, words failing to make their way out of his mouth.
"I know." She told him. "I know, it's alright, Al. I know."
"What do I do?" Rose caught his eye and immediately wished she hadn't. His face was empty. Drained of color, emotion and... Albus. Rose couldn't imagine he had ever appeared so lifeless.
"You go hold your daughter." Rose knew he did not want to hear that answer. She herself had not wanted to give it, as she knew if the situation were reversed, she would want nothing more than run in the opposite direction of that baby.
"I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"Come on, Rosie. You know you wouldn't be able to..."
"No, that's true, I wouldn't." Rose stood, pulling her cousin up with her. "But you're better than me. Come on."
She managed to get him to the nursery, but he refused to enter. He stopped abruptly outside the entrance and simply shook his head.
"Jenny's going to die." He whispered.
"It's your daughter, Al." Rose pleaded. "Just... Just look at her, please. I promise you'll change your mind."
After some pleading, Rose managed to get Albus in the room and they stood together above the cradle which held a sleeping Evelyn Potter. Albus kept his eyes on his daughter, Rose keeping hers on Albus, in case he went mad in a room full of newborns.
"She's really pretty." He said after what seemed to Rose, hours of staring at her.
"She looks like you." She smiled a bit, gazing down at the sleeping child.
"More like my Mum, I think." Albus told her.
"She'll be happy you think so." He met her gaze for a split second, turning to wipe at his overflowing eyes. "I can't do this." He said, "Not without Jenny, I can't... Not alone."
"You are the opposite of alone, Al." Rose said, shaking her head
Neither had noticed the door to the nursery opening behind them, causing both to jump at the healer's voice.
"Mr. Potter, your wife is awake."
A/N: Idk this is subject to change. Reviews are like lemon drops.
PS- I like lemon drops.
PPS- See what I did there?