I do not own Harry Potter and it is the copyright property of its owner(s).

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews, despite there being few. If your bothering to read this, you might as well give some constructive criticism! Whether you give good or bad feedback, it will be much appreciated!**

Chapter 36-A Stir of Thought and Emotion

"Al, you ready for the game?" John asked, as Albus walked into they're compartment. He had just gone and seen Rose, Lily and Elise. Rose would be staying with them also.

The game for the end of the year wasn't really a game, and was much like the train ride up. They just bought all the candy from the trolley that they could afford, and whoever ate the most won. They usually talked about the year and things like that, but Albus couldn't really say he felt like doing that. He decided to withhold the information his brother was being kept prisoner and his father being sought out by death eaters, because he didn't really even want to think about it let alone talk about it. He had not stopped worrying about his brother for the last four days.

As he began stuffing a third bag of Bernie Botts' Every Flavoured Beans in to his mouth, he suggested a game of chess to Colby, trying to get his mind off things. Colby was the only one of them who could put up a decent fight. Brian magically suspended the board in the air while they played.

"So you're gonna spend a whole week in France?" Asked John.

"Yeah, right on the sea. It's going to be fantastic." He said as his bishop unsheathed a tiny sword and decapitated one of Colby's tiny knights.

"Damn, didn't see that." Colby said. "Is anyone going to be there, or just you two?"

"Her brother and father won't be there, thank God, and her mother is going to be in and out. She owns the Flourish & Blotts in Paris." Albus replied.

"Queen to D seven!" Said Colby, as his queen pulled a dagger out of her pocket and stabbed a pawn in the chest.

Brian smiled. "Wow, two teenagers with a beach house to themselves for a week."

Everyone laughed.

After Albus had crushed Colby, they decided to have fun by releasing over fifty chocolate frogs in the compartment and trying to catch them without magic.

"Get it!" Brian exclaimed.

"Al, on your shoulder!" John shouted, when Albus immediately shot his arm around and caught it as it tried to leap away.

The room was filled with smeared chocolate. Brian had just caught the last one, when Albus whipped out his wand and aimed it very carefully but quickly at the frog that Brian was about to eat.

"Reducto!" He shouted, and the frogs chocolate innards drenched Brian's face.

"You nearly blew my face off!" Brian shouted.

Albus, John and Colby were in hysterics. "At least your good-looking now, what with all the chocolate covering your imperfections." Said John.

"We're identical, idiot." He replied, joking.

Just then, the compartment door slid open, and Lily walked in. "Hey guys." She said politely, before dragging Albus by the hand out of the compartment.

"Lily, what's going on?"

"Mum and Dad are having a shouting match, and I usually don't believe in eavesdropping, but I really think you ought to hear it." She said, holding an extendable ear in her outstretched hand. "It's about you."

George had invented a cloaking mechanism so it would be invisible when he slid it under the door. He put one end in his ear.

"... and he's not a kid anymore, Gin!" Said his father.

"Your asking so much of him, though! It's not his bravery that's in question here, he's faced danger before, Harry."

"So what is in question then?"

"Your asking him to do something he's never done before! Last time he was trying to break the barrier with someone, he lost five pounds of flesh!"

"He can do this, I know he can. He's so much stronger now-"

"This isn't some school test of his magical ability! Last time, he was trying to save his life and his girlfriend's life. This time, your asking him to transport half of his family into the lair of a group who's sole purpose is murdering his father! How do you think, 'Al, can you bring me right into the centre of everybody who wants to kill me?' sounds to him? He worships you, Harry, he looks up to you more than anybody, and your asking him to purposely risk both of your lives."

"But, Ginny, what about James?"

"It's not that I don't want to save James! But this is madness, he's our son! You can't possib-"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Yelled Harry back, and this was the first time he had raised his voice since Albus started listening. Suddenly, the direction of the conversation shifted. "Do you think I like having my son teleport himself into danger?"

"This isn't just danger this time, these people will torcher and kill him!"

"I KNOW! Listen to me, if anybody knows what's at stake here, it's me! Don't you think even for a second that I don't care about Al's safety, don't think that I care more about saving James! But this is the only way, and I will not let any danger befall my son. Either of them. Al can do this."

Silence fell.

Harry spoke again. "We are going to find James. We are going to end this war before it even starts. And I swear to you, Albus will not be hurt. He's my son too."

It was too much for Albus. He removed the ear from under the door, and stood up. Not wanting to see anybody, he perused through the aisles until he found an empty compartment.

They had really given him a lot to think about.

One thing was for sure, was that he had to do this. There was no more questioning himself, his abilities, there was no more try, there was only do.

Getting only himself in and out of the place would be easy, if that was the plan; the ward could not have been up for more than a few months, and it takes years to get stronger. It's a type of magic that strengthens over time, like the one defending Hogwarts, which had been up since the days of the founders.

His problem would be getting everyone in.

Obviously, they couldn't all go at once. Not only would it be too hard for Albus, they all wouldn't be able to get a hand on him at the same time for the side-along to work.

And once he was in, there was no leaving. He had to stay to help them fight, to find James, and to get everyone out afterwards. That would be the hardest part.

Albus had assumed that this was a rescue mission for the order and a assault for the Aurors, so they would have to find his brother quickly. Plus, he did not know whether they had any other prisoners.

"Al?" He heard from outside. It was Lily.

"Hey, Lily." He replied, trying to make himself presentable.

"They want you to go with them, don't they?"

"They want me to be the ticket in and out."

"And your afraid to go in or are you doubting your ability?"

Albus sat silent.

"Doubt, I guess." She stated.

"How do you know?"

"You know, Al, as much as you'd like to think so, I'm not stupid. In fact, I'm pretty clever." She laughed at herself, before continuing. "A few reasons; one, if you were afraid, you would have immediately insisted it's not because your afraid. It's basic boy instinct."

Albus smiled, acknowledging the truth in her words.

"Mum always told me that Dad wasn't respected because he was the bravest person of all time, but he had a very specific type of courage. No matter what kind of danger faced him, no matter what was at stake, if someone he loved were in danger, he would storm forward, relentless, reckless and determined. He would not rest until he felt his loved ones were safe." Albus had heard stories that fit with that, but never actually heard it said. "They called it his 'rescuing thing'." Lily finished.

"And?" asked Albus.

"I think you're the same. You're going to rescue James because you have to, and because you love him, and that is going to give you the strength to do this. You might not think you have it now, but you will."

Albus was speechless.

"So, what makes you doubt yourself?"

"Last time I tried breaking an anti-apparition ward that was up for only a few minutes, I nearly died. I was carrying one person. This time, I'll be going somewhere much farther, with more people, and in and out, on command, at least ten times. Probably more."

"Albus, what's wrong with you?"

He looked up his sister, confused, at her change in subject.

She continued. "You just fought off dragons, beasts, beat an impossible maze. You proved you were the best kid of any school in Britain, France or any of the eight or nine countries Durmstrang collects from. Why can't you do this?"

"I...I don't...That's not even the hardest part, though." Albus said, only partly answering her question.

"Well what is?"

"The hard part is the waiting. They want me to go sit tight in France for a week while my brother is captured, my father is being hunted down like an animal and none of our family is safe. I have to go pretend I'm having a great time with my girlfriend when in fact, I'll be worrying about almost everybody I know. But I can't tell her, because she'll feel guilty, and then you know how girls get, no offence of course. She'll get depressed, she'll try and comfort me and probably end up crying because I don't want to talk about it, then I'll be the one comforting her, and she'll feel even more guilty and it'll start again. I'm not saying that there's a problem with her, but-"

"But what?"

"It's just... it's basic girl instinct, I guess."

She laughed. "So, you're going to have to fight through the waiting. I know it'll be hard, but you'll do it. And when the time comes, you'll be called upon, and you'll do great. I know it, and you will too."

She turned and left him alone once more with his thoughts.