I don't own Harry Potter, just having fun while I can.
I am so sorry for taking so long in getting this done. I do hope you enjoy the last chapter. I know it might be a little short, but I do hope you enjoy it. I just can't think of how I wanted this to be as I lost all notes for it during a move. Even though it wasn't going to be that long to begin with.
Enjoy!
Other Side
Chapter Seven
Alban stepped out of the fireplace as his parents did the moments later. He looked to them, scared and afraid of what they would be talking about. For a moment he wished that he had died, so they would at least feel that satisfaction that Voldemort was truly gone, and the killer of their first born son would be served justice. Harry looked to him and smiled softly, he went over to his eldest and took him into his arms once more.
"Come on Alban," he said as he gently steered him into their cosy living room and settled him next to him on the sofa. Draco smiled to the two of them and settled with them both, Alban secured in between them,
"Right," Draco said as he took a breath, "I know that you think you were doing the right thing, but you really weren't."
"You may have a few of Voldemort's memories, of your previous lives memories," Harry said as he gathered Alban's attention, "But you don't have them all."
"What do you mean?" he asked meekly, no trace of their strong and clever son was there in that moment. They had a scared and frightened teen, avoiding contact with them.
Harry gathered him close, "During the final battle against Voldemort we offered him, or you, a chance to have a life where he would be loved and given a second chance at becoming the young man he could have been if things were different."
"Why would you do that?" Alban asked, shaking his head, "Why?"
"Because your papa could feel the remorse, the sorrow and the grief that Voldemort was feeling at what was going on around him. We don't know the reason for why he changed in the first place, to make him wish for people's deaths. But he changed back, it was as though he had come through a fog and were finally himself and was disgusted with it," Draco began to explain what he knew.
"Why would you give me the chance?" he stilled couldn't understand why they would do so, even if Voldemort had changed.
"Because he restricted the magic his followers were using, he stopped them from being able to cast a lot of more the damaging curses, while a few still died, we could have lost a lot more without that. Not only that, but he helped in a way, by letting me see what he was doing. I know that he could sense me inside your mind before, and he let me see all the plans that had been made," Harry told him, "Voldemort, showed me in that moment, that all he wanted to do was to atone, even though a part of him also wished he could have a second chance. He knew it would never happen because of who he was at the time. So your dad and I talked, and we decided to give Voldemort another chance," he finished his voice was soft.
"I'm voldemort though, why do you talk about him as though he is someone separate?" Alban then asked them, his voice quiet and soft, almost afraid of the answer.
"Because you stopped being Voldemort a long time ago, you are our son, you're our Alban, our eldest," Draco said as he moved closer and wrapped his own arms around Alban, giving him what comfort he could.
Alban nodded, trying to take it all in. He had been right he was voldemort, "I… I need to think," he said as he rushed out of their comforting arms and up the stairs to his bedroom.
Draco and Harry watched him go, they knew at that moment in time they would have to leave him be for a while.
XxXxX
Alban lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling, he sighed and rolled over, facing the wall. He closed his eyes to avoid looking at the pictures of his brother and sisters waving at him. He had been in there the most over the last couple of weeks, his parents had been in and out, talking to him and helping him bit by bit come to terms with the memoires he now held. He looked up as someone knocked on his door.
"Come in," he called out, hoping that it wasn't his brother and sisters again. He still was feeling a little scared about playing with them.
"Just me," harry said as he walked in, a soft smile on his face, "How are you feeling today?" he asked as he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.
"Okay," he said with a little shrug.
"You're not, since you decided not to play with your brother and sisters," he told him, "They miss you, they have permission to stay home each weekend to be with you, because they are worried."
Alban sat up on his bed and looked to his papa, "I know, I'm sorry, I'm…" he gave a little shrug, "A little scared."
"I know, but you don't have to be. We all know you love them to bits, so come down and play a while with them," he told him.
Alban gave a small smile. He got up and with Harry's encouragement he went down stairs properly for the first time since he had ran up there after he came home from the Hospital Wing. Harry and Draco smiled as they watched their eldest finally start to act a little more like he used to. They had a long road to go, but they knew they were determined to help Alban as best as they could, and to get him someone else that he could talk to.
End of School Year
Alban jolted a little in his seat as he looked over to his friend, "Can't believe it," he said as he stood up.
"I know, a whole summer of no school, though you did miss a lot of it," the slightly younger boy looked back to his best friend.
"I know," ALban smiled to him, "But at least I didn't get far behind," he grinned a little more as he began to gather his things and put them in the bag he was using.
"Yeah, but you had Mrs Weasley-Granger helping you," Derek groused a little.
Alban grinned, "My aunt loves me, and didn't want to see me fall behind," he told him as they then made their way out of the compartment.
"AL!" came a loud yell behind him. Alban turned and was almost knocked off his feet by his youngest sister and first year student Serena.
"Serena," he smiled to her, hugging her and putting her back on her feet, "Settle down," he chuckled.
"I'm so excited, so happy that the holidays are here," she grinned as she then rushed past him and off the train and onto platform 9 and three quarters.
Alban smiled and shook his head as he followed her. He looked around as he got off, seeing Jamie and Michelle as he did so, with Serena quickly heading towards them. He joined the three of them as they headed to their parents.
"Al, Shelly, Jay, Rina!" Harry yelled out as all four of his children went towards him, he gathered three of them into his arms and held them tightly, he had missed Alban, as the sixteen, almost seventeen year old had been able to evade his grasp.
It didn't last for long as Draco joined in and grabbed him and hugged him tightly, "Didn't think you would be getting out of it that easily?" he asked him, grinning.
Alban laughed and shook his head, "No I didn't think I would," he gave a sigh.
The last few months, since Christmas had been hard for the family. Though after the last five months of therapy that Alban had been going through had helped him immensely, in coming to terms with who he had been. It had been hard, and at times he was scared when the dreams came. But now he knew that he could go to his parents and they would be able to talk to him and help him through them.
Harry looked to his eldest, a large smile on the teens face and Harry couldn't help the grin on his own becoming larger as he watched his husband and eldest banter. It had taken almost two months for Alban to go back to school, but he had done well, and Harry could not be more prouder of the young teen. His family was truly whole again, he almost shuddered at the thought of how they had almost lost him, but he was back, and only needed to talk a few times a month.
Soon enough the family left the platform, ready for the holidays and spending time together as a family, along with their aunts, uncles, grandparents and the abundant number of red headed cousins.
Thank you all for reading, I do hope you have enjoyed this story. Thank you as well for all the wonderful reviews!
