Albus had never been overly fond of his father, but as time went on, he grew increasingly more terse with him. It wasn't that he was a bad father; Albus could have forgiven him for that. It was that he was only a bad father to Albus, and a rather good one to Jam and Lily.
He'd never wanted it to be like this, their relationship. The more distant Albus became, the more desperately his father reached out to him. Not only was it embarrassing to Albus, it wasn't fair for Harry... Only Albus had a hard time seeing things objectively in the moment.
"Alby," Lily gasped brightly, bringing Albus out of his sulkings. If anyone else in the entire world- with the possible exception of his best mate- ever called Albus that, they would get a nasty jinx. Of course, Albus was only good at magic when he was furious, anxious, or just generally moody. Which meant, rarely at school with Scorpius.
"Lils," Albus replied, putting a tan hand atop her ginger head. She grinned up at him, missing her front tooth and bottom canines.
"Jamie and you need to take me to Floreskeys," Lily declared.
"Fortescue's?" James asked with a grin. Lily gave a noncommittal shrug.
Similarly, if anyone else in their right mind ever called James 'Jamie', they'd get a right hook to the nose. Albus was lucky enough to get away with 'Jam' in return for being dubbed 'Al'.
James grabbed Lily's right hand, and Albus moved his hand from her head to her left hand, and she swung all four connected arms. Harry walked behind them quietly, and Lily turned her head around.
"Daddy!" She giggled. "You're not invited."
"I'm not?" Harry asked, surprised. "Then who's paying?"
Lily giggled again. "You!"
"How, if I'm not invited?"
"You gotta give Jamie the money! You can go get us some rooms at the Leaky Cauldron!"
Harry put one hand on Albus' shoulder and one on James'. "I'll get two rooms. Who sleeps with who?"
"I wanna sleep with Jamie!" Lily shrieked.
"I wanna sleep with James," Albus said. "Lily, wouldn't you prefer Dad? You haven't seen him in about a month."
Lily though hard for a moment, screwing her pretty face up, before nodding. "I wanna sleep with Daddy!"
"Alright," Harry chuckled and finished out some money before handing it to Albus.
"Why're you giving it to him? I'm the oldest." James asked.
"He's the most responsible," Harry grinned sideways at his eldest son.
"I'm the oldest!" James complained.
"Then act like it!" Lily squealed, and Albus laughed.
"Be nice, Lily. Behave, James. Al... Have a little fun." Harry ruffled Albus' hair as the young teen scowled. Lily giggled.
And then, their father was off towards the Leaky Cauldron, and the trio started off towards Fortescue's.
Lily swung her brothers arms dramatically, and occasionally, either boy would start counting down from three, and they would pick her up and swing her by her arms. She would laugh hysterically and afterwards, she would push her lips into one of the boys' hand.
The three siblings walked into the window-filled, gorgeous building of Fortescue's; the exterior was pale yellow, grand and huge, and the interior had sleek wooden floors, white stucco walls with wooden wainscotting and trim, the tables hand-carved wood, everything intricate and beautiful and expensive-looking, and old-timey.
Lily released her brothers' hands to skip up to the counter, her pale yellow sundress billowing out.
"I want the biggest, chocolateyest, sprinkleyest, nuttyest ice cream I can get," Lily said brightly, and Florean Fortescue smiled down at her.
"Is that so?" He asked. James and Albus, grinning and chuckling respectively, walked up to the counter.
"I'd like a peanut butter cookie ice cream sandwich," James said.
"Alright, and you, son?"
"I'll take two acai berry scoops in a tall waffle cone, please."
Florean smiled warmly at Albus, who paid. a few moments later, a teenage witch handed Lily her six-inch high chocolate cone, covered in sprinkles and nuts. She grinned unbelievably wide at it, then at Albus and James. Next, James was handed a giant cookie sandwich, both the cookie and the ice cream being peanut butter. After that, Albus got his fruit cone, two-thirds the height of Lily's cone.
The three walked into the sitting area and Albus nearly dropped his cone when he saw Scorpius sitting with his dad and a pretty House Elf, presumably Mawmie.
"What is it?" James asked his brother, who had stopped to stare. Could Albus somehow sit with Scorpius, alone?
Scorpius was looking down at a small bowl of french vanilla ice cream, and Mawmie was licking happily at what might be boisenberry. Draco Malfoy, however, hadn't touched a medium chocolate raspberry bowl, and noticed Albus staring immediately. He quickly studied the three siblings before gently nudging his son.
Scorpius looked up and saw Albus before grinning widely.
"Albus!" the blond exclaimed, and the tan boy's siblings looked between him and his friend. Scorpius waved him forward, and Albus started walking slowly toward the boy. His siblings followed, and Lily stole the seat beside Scorpius. James, of course, sat by her, so Albus was stuck with sitting next to Draco.
"Hey, Albus," Scorpius greeted with an impossible grin.
"Hey, Scor," Albus whispered.
"Dad, Mawmie, this is Albus, and these must be his older brother James and younger sister Lily, and this is my dad Draco- I don't really know what you should call him- and my House Elf, Mawmie."
No one spoke for a very long time. "What happened to your grandparents?" Albus asked as quietly as he could physically manage. Scorpius' smile dimmed a bit, and he took a polite bite of his dessert.
"Where's your dad? I've never met him." Scorpius asked.
"Daddy's buying us a couple rooms at the Leaky cauldron," Lily said, swinging her legs. "How come you knew me and Jamie's names?"
Albus studied his siblings' faces. Lily was content and curious, and James was uncomfortable and hunched over his cookie, digging into it. Draco Malfoy was watching him as if unable to stop, a rather disgusted look on his face, and Albus managed a chuckle. Malfoy met Albus' eye then.
"Sorry about him," Albus whispered. "We're still training him."
Draco's face softened with what may have been amusement.
"Because I'm Albus' best friend," Scorpius said. "He tells me everything."
Lily leaned over and grinned at James. "Alby's got a boyyyyfriend."
Albus scowled at Lily, and she straightened, looking down.
James looked at Albus and twitched his brow as if to say, you're supposed to tell me everything,
Albus shrugged and licked uncomfortably at his ice cream.
"Least he's a cute boyfriend," Lily muttered, and Scorpius raised both brows at Albus, obviously amused. Albus gave Scorpius that look,and the Malfoy grinned.
James coughed and nudged Lily's shoulder. "C'mon, Lily-Bily, let's go see if Dad needs help."
"But my ice cream-" Lily started.
"Will be fine, as it has a charm to keep it from melting."
With that, the oldest and youngest Potter sibling walked off. Albus scooted into the chair Lily had vacated.
"My... My mom and Grandmother..." Scorpius started slowly.
"They're gone," Malfoy said quietly. Scorpius nodded.
Albus sucked in a breath and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm not going to apologize, because I know how annoying that is, but I'm here for you," Albus said quietly. Scorpius got a weird, sad smile and nodded.
"So," Draco said after a short time. "My son is friends with Potter's." His voice was dry and kind of amused.
Albus grinned. "Yeah."
"Why is this weird?" Scorpius asked.
"Our dads hated each other," Albus looked at Scorpius, surprised. "You didn't know?"
"No," Scorpius said, almost embarrassed. Albus pushed on his shoulder with his own.
The four ate, Mawmie silent in between Scorpius and his father, chatting about little insignificant things. Albus found that he rather enjoyed Malfoy, and Malfoy didn't seem to dislike Albus too much. After they had all finished their ice cream, Draco bid his son goodbye and told him to meet him before sundown in his room, and left with Mawmie.
Scorpius and Albus wandered Diagon Alley for a while before they saw Harry, James, and Lily in Madam Malkin's, getting Lily fitted.
"Can I meet him?" Scorpius asked.
"Not tonight," Albus said. "Let's be alone today."
Scorpius nodded in understanding. "I'm here until the first,"
` "Me, too," Albus grinned.
"Let's go inside," Scorpius said when they were close to the Leaky Cauldron. "I've got my own room."
The boys headed inside forty-five minutes before Scorpius had to be back, and Draco waved them away tiredly. He was sitting at his desk, looking near death. The thirteen year old boys walked into Scorpius' room.
Scorpius hadn't unpacked his trunk, other than his bedding and a radio. Albus turned it on to a Muggle rock station; Albus' favorite. Scorpius laughed and plopped onto his bed. Albus followed and laid on his side, looking at Scorpius, who was on his back.
"Thanks for letting me know you're my boyfriend, by the way," Albus said.
Scorpius laughed. "It was your sister that said that, not mine."
"At least you're a cute boyfriend," Albus said with a wicked grin.
"Indeed," Scorpius grinned out. "Don't worry, Albus, you're a cute girlfriend."
"I'm not a girlfriend!" Roared Albus with a laugh. "And believe me, if I was, I wouldn't be cute."
"If I'm the boyfriend-"
"If you're the boyfriend who is dating another boy, he's still a boyfriend," Albus rolled his eyes. Scorpius sighed and poked Albus' forehead.
"This sensitivity is why you're the girlfriend."
Albus flipped Scorpius off and curled his arms around Scorpius and buried his nose into the crook of his neck.
"Creep," Scorpius laughed. Albus bit gently, and Scorpius pulled away.
"Don't you want me, Scor?" Albus said in a mock-falsetto. Scorpius laughed.
The two boys lay there for a moment before Albus moved onto his back, arms behind his head. A few minutes later, Scorpius curled up to Albus, his head atop Albus' nipple. The ravenhead moved an arm around Scorpius.
The dozed quietly until Draco knocked quietly at the door. Scorpius sat up and invited him in.
Draco gave the boys a weird look before clearing his throat. "Your dad's come looking for you, Al."
"It's Albus," Scorpius corrected as the tan Slytherin stood. Scorpius watched Albus walk out.
"Bye, Scor," Albus paused at the door.
"Bye, Albus."
Albus followed his father back to the doors, where James stood at one and Lily at the other.
"Lily, go play with James for a minute," Harry said. The girl ran at her eldest brother and jumped at him; he caught her and carried her inside.
Albus sighed and followed Harry into his room, not entirely sure what this was about.
"Lily and James told me about your friend," Albus said.
"Okay..." Albus said, a bit confused.
"My point is, you didn't."
"Sorry?" Albus pushed his hands into his pockets.
"It's alright," Harry said, as if Albus had actually meant it. "But I'm your father. I should know these things."
Albus shrugged. Harry sighed.
"I love you, Al."
"Love you, too."
Albus left and walked into his room, where James was on his back on his bed, feet in the air, Lily balanced on them with her belly, holding his hands, laughing hysterically. Albus pulled his shirt off and then his trousers, then rooted through his clothes and pulled on silver pj pants and crawled into bed.
Lily rushed to his side and tucked him in. He, despite himself, smiled. She grinned and kissed his nose.
"Go'night, Alby-Walby," Lily giggled. Albus rolled his eyes.
"Sweet dreams, Lily-Willy-So-Silly."
And then, she giggled and ran out of the room.
James got dressed behind Albus' back, then turned the light off and drew the curtains.
"Love you, bro," James said as he crawled into bed.
"You, too, Jam."
"Everything okay?"
"Relatively."
"Alright."
"Jam?" Albus' face screwed up as he peered into the darkness.
"Yeah?"
"I..." The new-teen hugged himself, unsure what he wanted to say, though the desire to speak was very strong in him. "I don't know."
"I'm worried, Al. So is Dad, and Lily, and..."
"I'll be okay," Albus said, confused. He was fine. Right?
"Good," James said quietly. Albus closed his eyes.