After Ever After

They had to be quite the sight, Al thought. He had held high hopes for his family's first adventure into the public eye post-story, but that had all gone out the window once Jack threw himself upon the ground when he realized Hogwarts wasn't a day-school. His son now screaming and thrashing in his arms, Al wished, with no small amount of grief, for Rose. She would have been able to soothe Jack into his usual sweet self the moment he began to fuss. As he did his best to comfort Jack, Lynette, and her little sisters exchanged glances. Lynette moved toward Al and Jack. "Are you sure you want me to go now? I could–"

Al grunted as a little foot got him in the kidneys. Jerking his head in the direction of the Hogwarts Express, he said, "Go. I'd rather not have you miss the train because of your brother."

Lynette tightened her grip on her trunk, glancing toward the train. Then, sighing, she let go of it altogether and came to press a kiss to her sobbing brother's cheek. "I'll write you the first chance I get, Jack! Love you!" she shouted over his crying. Then, returning to her trunk, she took hold of it once more and yelled, "Love you, Dad, Laurel, Julie!"

"Girls, hug your sister goodbye," Al commanded as he readjusted his grip on the no longer kicking Jack.

The girls were all too happy to throw themselves at their sister. Sniffling, Laurel said, "We'll miss you!

Tears in her eyes, Julie added to her sister's proclamation with a heartfelt, "Everyday, Lynette!"

"Oh, you two!" Lynette exclaimed, squeezing the little girls tight in a one-armed hug. "I'll miss you the same."

After a few more words with her sisters, Lynette waved cheerily to Al and began her journey toward the train.

Once she disappeared among the throngs, Al put Jack down on the ground. His son, having worn himself out, was now rubbing at his red eyes and only hiccuping once in a while. Crouching down beside his son, Al said, "Lynette will be home before you know it."

Jack's face crumpled again. "No, she won't!" he wailed.

"I was always glad you and your sister were old enough to comprehend calendars when we sent James to Hogwarts."

Startled, Al couldn't stand fast enough. Once on his feet, he met the steady gaze of his father with a frown. "What are you doing here?" he asked, voice edging on hostile.

"Your cousin suggested I come offer moral support. It's not easy, sending off your first."

Al frowned. "Which cousin? And how they manage that?" he demanded. He didn't know which of them would have been able to convince Dad to come, especially after his sudden and fierce departure from Godric's Hollow. Add in his and Rose's relationship becoming public knowledge and persuading Dad to be anywhere near him felt like a nigh impossible task.

"Hugo, of course. He said you had something to ask me," Dad replied, a furrow coming between his brows. "Didn't he tell you?"

He pressed his lips thin. He was going to murder Hugo later. "No."

His dad sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, "I assumed he would have. Considering our… differences I thought he'd make sure you were comfortable with me coming here to meet you."

Pushing Jack toward his sisters to be looked after, Al scoffed. Did his dad really know any of his children, nieces, or nephews at all? "Do you know Hugo in the slightest? That's not how he works. Add in the high he's running off of from all the attention he's been getting lately and I'm sure he thinks he's doing us a favor."

"Oh."

Al scanned the crowds. Some people were watching him and Dad now, a few even whispering to one another. Not a good sign. "Is Mum around?" he asked, looking behind his father in the process.

"She's at home, making your favorite for lunch. She was sort of expecting that you'd come back with me," he admitted, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Glancing once more at the people around him, Al nodded. It was probably best he followed Dad out of King's Cross before someone got it in their heads to try and talk to him, Al, or one of the kids. "I'd hate to disappoint," he said.

Surprise colored his dad's face. "Really?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. His dad might be here because of a lie, but Al had been trying to work up the courage to go see his parents again. He wanted to talk to him, to Mum too, about the story that Hugo published. See if they perhaps understood a little better now and maybe even accepted him and Rose's love. "Yes, let's go." Motioning for his children to come close, he lifted Jack to his shoulders and took his daughter's hands.

-v-v-v-

Upon stepping into the oven-warmed kitchen, his mum stood up from the kitchen table and smiled. "Albus!" she cried.

He frowned. "It's Al, Mum."

"Oh, yes," she mumbled as she came to hug him. "Sorry, dear."

Accepting the embrace, Al had to force himself to relax. As annoyed as he was with her for calling him Albus, he knew she hadn't done so out of malice. It was reflexive and she'd even apologized. When he pulled back, Al gestured to his children. "Do you need help with getting anything ready for lunch? The kids are great helpers and Dad and I have some things to talk about."

Mum glanced to his rather glum-faced brood and grinned. "In fact, I do!" she exclaimed. "I made us cupcakes for dessert but have yet to ice them. I was thinking, maybe your little girls and Jack would like to help me?"

The children perked up immediately. They'd always loved baking. "I wanna help!" Jack shouted. "D'you got smarties? B'fore Mummy died we used to make smiley cupcakes with 'em."

Her eyes dimmed every so slightly, but she managed to keep her smiled fixed upon her lips. "Unfortunately, no. But I do have some Wizard candy you can decorate the cupcakes with," Mum said, taking Jack's hand and guiding him toward the kitchen table. "I think you will have fun tasting them and using them to decorate the cupcakes." She turned her attention to the girls, who still hovered close to Al. "Don't you agree, girls?"

Laurel looked to him. Al nodded. Raising her chin confidently, she said, "Yes, I think you're right."

Grinning broadly at Laurel and Julie, Mum said, "Excellent!" She then gestured for the girls to take a seat on the bench beside Jack, who was cooing at a bag of Fizzing Whizzbees, obviously pleased by what he was seeing.

"Have fun," Al told his children, before turning toward his father. "Where do you want to talk?" he asked.

His father looked to the staircase. "How about my study?"

Nodding, Al said nothing and let his father guide him upstairs. Following him into the room, he blinked at how different it was. "You remodeled," he remarked.

Dad smiled. "Last year. Your sister did it for me. She thought it was too stuffy."

Al tried to smile back at his father since he sounded so pleased by the change, but really he was quite sad. He'd always liked his dad's study. It may have been a bit crowded with stuff and undoubtedly victorian in style, but always warm thanks to the cherry-wood and gold curtains hung in front of the window. When he was little, Al used to spend hours reading in the old armchair kept by the door while his dad did paperwork. They'd never talked much during those hours holed away in his study, but Al had felt closer to his dad for it. Now that it was so different, it almost felt like his dad had wiped away those good memories… Wiped him away.

"So, since Hugo mislead me earlier, do you even have anything to want to ask me?" Dad questioned as he took a seat behind his desk.

Perching himself in the chair in front his dad's desk, Al replied, "He didn't mislead you, he lied, Dad. I never said anything about wanting you there."

Dad frowned. "Does it really matter?"

Al scowled. "Yes."

Crossing his arms, Dad grumbled, "Why are you trying to pick a fight, Al? I thought we were going to talk."

"We are!" Al snapped.

Dad just stared, unimpressed by him in every way.

It infuriated him. He hated that look. Standing up, he said, "This was a stupid idea. Look, I'm going to go. I'll pick the kids up around dinner–"

"Sit down, Al!" Dad shouted, now on his feet as well. Tone bordering on desperate, his dad pleaded, "I don't know why you're so upset all of a sudden. Won't you just talk to me?"

Al rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, considering his choices. After a few moments, he slowly lowered himself back down into the chair. He still needed to know his dad's thoughts on his and Rose's love. "Have you read the story Hugo put in that magazine about Rose and me?" he asked.

"Yes," Dad replied. "I still don't approve, but I… I understand a little better now."

He quirked an eyebrow, annoyed, but curious to see what his father meant by he understood better. "Oh? You do?"

His dad nodded his head in confirmation. "Your cousin is a brilliant writer, you know. He made it seem very natural, the progression of your relationship with Rose. I think I understand now, how you two could do such a thing. I also realize that the way we, your mother and I, and your aunt and uncle would have handled the aftermath of its discovery when you were young would have done nothing to help either of you." Eyes sad, he admitted, "I'm rather glad you two managed to get away, now."

Al absorbed this admission and felt a little lighter for it. Even so, he had to ask. "Why don't you approve even now? It's like I told you, we loved each other."

Dad sighed. "Al, you and Rose fell in love because you thought the world was full of people who could never really love you. If you'd talked to me or your mother, we would have helped you somehow. If you had, you would have never had to turn to your cousin for love."

"We were a couple of jaded teens. We didn't think anyone could help us. It's not like you or mum or anyone ever made it feel like we could talk to you, either. I tried writing you a time or two, in first year, about how I didn't like Hogwarts. Everyone kept expecting me to be just like you. But I wasn't. You just told me to persevere and promised that there would be people who would see me soon." Old anger gripping him, Al rose to his feet and shouted, "No one ever did! I was alway Albus Potter, Harry Potter's son. No one saw me. Except–" Blinking back tears, he felt all fury drain away as he whispered, "Except Rose."

"Albus…"

Wiping roughly at his eyes, Al asked, "Are you still going to try and tell me you could have made it better? Are you still going to say it was wrong to fall in love with the only person who really knew me? Because then you'd be the one who's wrong"

"Oh, son, how did we get here?"

He shrugged. He wanted to say things had been this way since he was born, but that felt too cruel. "I can't say," he finally said. "One day, every little thing added up and then, there was no fixing it."

"Are you sure? Not at all? Can't we at least try? I want to be a part of your life, a part of your children's life. I know your mother does too. So do your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron and the rest of the family, even."

"Dad…"

His dad reached across the desk and took hold of Al's hand. "Please, Albus. One last chance. Perhaps I'll find a way to accept your relationship with Rose with time if you're here to talk to me about your lives."

It sounded weak to his ears. But when Al met his father's gaze, the sadness he saw made him pause. A weariness he was becoming far too familiar with creeping over him, Al sighed. "One last chance, huh?"

Tucking Julie under her covers, he kissed her forehead. "See you in the morning, love," he whispered.

She smiled at him before turning on her side. Standing up, Al stretched his arms above his head before padding out of his daughter's room. Closing her bedroom door behind him, Al nearly jumped at the person standing across the hall. Scowling, he asked, "Don't you know how to knock?"

Hugo grinned. "What's fun about knocking?"

"Is this going to be a normal thing with you? Do I have to get my house warded against you popping in?"

His cousin pouted. "Come on, Al, it's just a bit of fun."

"Next time you do that, I could have my wand on me and hex you without even thinking. Do you really want that?"

The other man rolled his eyes. "You'll try, I'm sure. But you'll have no luck hitting me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Al demanded.

Grinning, Hugo said, "You'll only just begun to use your wand again and I bet your aim is just terrible."

"It is not!"

His cousin laughed. "Whatever you say."

Al kneaded at his temples. Hugo was such a pain. "What's brought you by?"

"You saw Uncle Harry today, right?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe," he replied.

Frowning, Hugo grumbled, "Don't play games with me now, Al. I need to know."

"Why?"

"Because!"

Al snorted. "That's a stupid reason."

"Please, Al, did you? It wasn't easy persuading him."

He eyed his cousin for a few second, finally, he said, "I did."

Elation followed by trepidation crossed Hugo's face. "How did it go? It didn't turn into a mess like the first time, did it?"

"I said I'd give him one last chance, to mend things between us," Al replied.

Hugo grinned brilliantly. "That's great!" he exclaimed.

"Why is that?" Al asked, wondering why this was such wonderful news for Hugo.

Confusion twisted his cousin's features. "Well, because of the kids. Grandma and Grandpa aren't getting any younger, neither are our parents for that matter and all of the cousins… They deserve to know the kids, and you deserve to have everyone around you. I know you're a great dad, Al, but even great ones can burn out. And, no offense, but you have a lot of kids. I don't know what you and Rose were thinking. Anyway, it'll be good, for you and them to have everyone around for support. It takes a village, as they say."

Al was once again surprised by his cousin's thoughtfulness. Hugo really had grown up, hadn't he? Perhaps he still liked to be the center of attention, but he had learned to think about others since he was a boy. "I should thank you, shouldn't I?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea, no," Hugo replied, grinning.

He found himself smiling back. "Thanks, Hugo."

Waving a hand, Hugo said with false humility, "Don't worry about it."

Al laughed, then, he asked, "I have an open bottle of wine downstairs. Do you want to come help me finish it off?"

"You know it!"

Pausing in taking the chairs down from the tables, Alvin straightened out at the sight of his wife coming out of the kitchen with her purse in hand. "What are you doing?" he asked. "We open in ten."

Pulling her arm into the sleeve of her jacket, Rosemary said, "I'm just running down the street to get some flour. We're out. Tuesday's shipment must have forgotten it."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather I go? You'll need to buy at least a half-dozen bags."

Smiling, Rosemary shook her head. "I can handle it," she said.

"If you're sure."

"Oh, I am," she promised. Then, blowing a kiss his way, Rosemary called, "Ta, my love! I'll be back soon!"

"See you!" Alvin returned. Then, unknowing of what the fates had in store for him and his wife, he returned to his task.

And this is the end of After Ever After. How do you like it? Lynette has gone to Hogwarts, Al and his family are on a path that could lead to them mending bridges, and he and Hugo are becoming good friends.

Thanks for reading this fic, I really appreciate it and hope you'll leave me with your final thoughts :)