"Legerdemain"
"Chapter Six: The One with the Man Bun"
Lily chewed on her bottom lip as she stood in the parlor of Rayko's flat. She squinted as she looked at the various pictures on the mantle of Rayko's family and couldn't help but smile. She stopped at one picture in particular, or lack thereof. One frame was pictureless and Lily briefly wondered why he had taken the picture out.
Rayko had agreed to meet Albus and Scorpius officially first before her parents and tell them about the baby. She wanted Albus with her at the dinner when she told her parents everything. She needed the support more than she was willing to admit. She had been downright petrified of her father's reaction to the news of her being pregnant out of wedlock with a wizard she had met less than two months prior.
Telling her father she was in love was daunting enough. Telling him that she was also pregnant had her crippled with anxiety.
What if her dad was disappointed in her?
What if he was upset?
What if he wanted nothing to do with her child?
No.
She was being ridiculous. Harry Potter valued family more than anything else in the entire world. There's no way he'd disown her and not be involved in her child's life. She just hoped he was as excited for her as he was for Teddy and James when they announced that they were going to be fathers.
She tapped the bottle of Pinot Grigio against her thigh as she waited for her boyfriend to finish getting ready. His Quidditch practice ran over, apparently his Seeker had fallen off her broom and broken her arm. Rayko refused to leave until he knew she was all right after calling a Paramedic Healer to the pitch.
Rayko stepped into the parlor, holding a white box with a green ribbon as he tied it closed in his hands. He smiled at her and her heart did a little flip. She dropped her gaze to the box, her eyebrows raising above her glasses.
Lily gestured to the box. "What's that?"
"Uh, my mum and I may have baked a chocolate tart for dessert. I thought I should bring something? Make a good first impression."
"You've met Albus."
"We shared two sentences with each other, Elle, I hardly call that meeting someone."
He bent down, pecking her hello on the lips. She smiled tightly up at him, her grip tightening around the neck of the bottle. There was no reason to be nervous - especially since she was just telling Albus and Scorpius. They were the ones who she was least worried about.
"Albus loves you," Rayko reasoned, as though sensing her anxiety. "He's going to be excited… especially when we name him godfather."
"He's been in a terrible mood lately," Lily replied, her bottom lip finding its way between her teeth.
"Well, this should put him in a good mood!"
Lily smiled. "Albus hates kids."
Rayko's brow furrowed. "Doesn't he mind your nephews and niece?"
"Correction, he likes precisely three kids. He finds most other children insufferable. He dreads when our cousins will start to have kids. He thinks quite a few of them will be unbearably obnoxious because of their parents," Lily explained. "He especially thinks he's going to hate Rose's kids. Her new boyfriend is… an utter bore."
"Well, you're one of his favorite people. I'm sure he's not dreading you having a child."
Lily scrunched up her face. "Um… I'm not sure about that. He calls me insufferable and annoying every chance he gets."
"He will love our baby," Rayko insisted.
Rayko placed a hand on her belly, splaying his fingers and staring intensely at it like he expected a fetus the size of a blueberry to move enough to be felt.
"My mum wants to meet you," Rayko whispered, his eyes meeting hers. "I want to tell my family about the baby."
Lily sucked in a breath. "All right. Name the time and place."
"Tomorrow at six?" Rayko said, his face adorably unsure.
"That soon?"
"My mother is insisting," he said, his hand dropping from her belly. "She says that I've been entirely too happy and she wants to meet the young lady behind the smiles."
"Fuck it, Koko, let's do it. We tell Albus and Scorpius tonight, your parents tomorrow, and then my parents on Thursday. Then, next Friday, you'll come to Albus' twenty-first birthday dinner at the Burrow. Everyone will know then. No more secrets or sneaking around. Everyone we love will know."
Rayko smiled. Lily felt the anxiety ease just slightly in the pit of her stomach. Surely, if Rayko was so excited than she should be too. It would all be fine. She had absolutely nothing to worry about.
"We need to talk about seeing a Healer," Rayko commented as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "We should really get you checked out."
"I was thinking… how do you feel about going to a Muggle Healer? That way the press wouldn't even know we were together or with a baby."
Rayko's brow furrowed. "But their medicine isn't as advanced. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."
"Koko, Muggles have babies all the time and nothing happens."
"I don't like it, Elle. I want you to have the best care possible! Just… let's talk to our mums, all right? Get their opinion."
Lily sighed, nodding. She just didn't want a bump watch in the magazines about her. She had heard her mum talking about all the pictures that would wind up of her in the press at various stages of her pregnancies. They were by far the worst when she was pregnant with James.
Rayko pressed his lips to her temple before stepping around her to ready the fireplace. He allowed her to go first, an encouraging smile crossing his features. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the flames.
Lily stepped out of the fireplace and then brushed the soot off her skirt. Scorpius jumped up from his spot on the sofa. He pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek and leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"Albus is in a mood. Play nice tonight," he told her just as the fireplace sounded behind her.
She grimaced, her eyes glancing over at Albus in the armchair. "I forgot to mention that I was bringing Koko."
"Oh, Lily, tonight of all nights?" Scorpius asked as he pulled away and glanced over at Rayko with a huge smile on his face.
"Hello," Rayko greeted, waving slightly.
"Seriously, Lily?" Albus asked in an exasperated tone. "You couldn't ask us first?"
Lily shot Albus a glare and shook her head tightly from side to side. Albus didn't look like himself. He looked, well, homeless. He wore a pair of green Harpies jogging pants that clashed horribly with his Slytherin shirt. His hair was longer than it had ever been. He could actually put it in a little ponytail if he wanted to.
"Don't mind him!" Scorpius said in a high-pitched tone as he turned towards Rayko. "He's in one of his moods. It's his thing. I, for one, am more than excited to meet you!"
Scorpius pulled Rayko into a hug. Lily's eyes met her boyfriend's, an unsure smile gracing his features. She just smiled back. She'd absolutely kill Albus if he kept up his mood.
Lily crossed the room towards her brother. She understood now why Scorpius had asked her to dinner. It wasn't a fun social event but rather an intervention for her moody arse brother.
She bent down until she was eye level with Albus. She held the wine bottle not far from Albus' face and waved it in front of him. He growled and snatched the bottle from her hands and sat it in his lap.
"Are you stress-growing your hair?" Lily asked as she ran her fingers through his long hair, which was surprisingly a lot longer than it had been when they went ring shopping.
"What? No!" Albus snapped, slapping her hand away. "What is that?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "It's when you're so stressed out that your magic goes all haywire and grows your hair out at an alarming rate. Dad suffers from it."
"No, he doesn't. I have never heard of that before."
"Yeah-huh! Mum says she can always tell when he's stressed at work because his hair just grows like crazy overnight and gets even more unruly than usual. Ask her about it, Albus!"
Albus only rolled his eyes in response.
"Do you want an elastic?" Lily asked and ran her fingers through his hair again. "I could give you a man bun."
Albus swatted her hand away from his head, a scowl creasing deep on his forehead. Lily batted his hand away so that she could continue playing with his hair. She gathered up his strands and quickly pulled the bright purple elastic off of her wrist to secure his hair.
"Let go, Lily!"
"No, I'm almost – ah-ha! Got it! What do you think, Scorpius? I think he pulls it off very well. Maybe if he grows out the scruff, we can give him a full beard, make him look more hip? Thoughts?"
Albus yanked the elastic out of his hair and flung it at her. "Piss off."
"I thought the man bun was actually kind of sexy," Scorpius supplied.
"Albus, why are you letting yourself look like shit? You need to stop stressing. You need to stop being a moody arse," Lily told him as she stood up. "Dad is now watching Hidden Passions so he has something to talk to you about since that's the only thing you bloody-well talk about. It's obnoxious. It's always on the wireless at night. He's as obsessed with it as you are. It's just sad."
Albus rolled his eyes. "Can you be any more insufferable? I fucking hate you. Go home."
Lily's eyes widened. "Wow, maybe Dad's impression of you was more spot on than I gave him credit for."
"Your dad did an Albus impression?" Scorpius asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "You're kidding! I need to hear this!"
"He did and it was awful, but maybe I judged too quickly," she said. "He definitely used the word insufferable and fucking and even had the eye roll down pat."
Scorpius laughed. "I'm definitely asking him to see it."
"Jamie and Teddy would love it," Lily said, ignoring Albus' scowl.
"Go home, Lily," Albus interrupted.
"I'm not going home. We brought you booze and a ta-art," Lily said in a sing-song voice as she tapped Albus on the nose with her finger. "Let's get you nice and sloshed and bring out Fun Albus, yeah?"
"I'm not getting sloshed with my sister on a Tuesday," Albus replied dryly.
"Hmm, fine. I won't drink then. You can get sloshed with Scorpius and Koko."
"I'm not getting sloshed with your boyfriend, Elle."
"Fuck off, A."
"Let's eat dinner!" Scorpius shouted.
Lily rolled her eyes as she left her brother to sulk in his chair. She linked arms with Scorpius and Rayko. She steered them towards the dining room, silently fuming over her idiot brother. Maybe she should have kept her news to herself and found a new godfather for her unborn kid.
Lily and Rayko sat down at the table, sitting the dessert down in the middle. Scorpius apologized for not having a place setting for him and dashed off to grab one. Lily narrowed her eyes, waiting for Albus to join.
Rayko leaned over, his lips brushing against Lily's ear and sending a shiver down her spine. "I thought they knew I was coming."
"I must have forgotten to tell them," Lily replied with a shrug. "Ignore Albus. He's been a miserable git lately. Something something work blah."
"Something something work blah?" Rayko teased, his eyes sparkling.
Lily smirked as she pecked Rayko on the cheek. "Yes, it's a very accurate description of Albus' mood. He usually gets all bent out of shape over nothing."
"Maybe we should wait to tell them," Rayko suggested.
"No, Albus isn't stealing my thunder. I'll just tell Scorpius, and Albus can go fuck himself."
"Elle…"
"I can be just as stubborn as him," Lily said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Rayko toyed with a piece of her hair. "Oh, of that I have no doubt."
"We have a plan, Koko! Let's stick to it."
Rayko stared at her for several seconds before nodding. She grabbed his hand underneath the table, resting it in her lap. He leaned close to her as Scorpius rushed in to set a place setting for him, serving dishes levitating in behind him and setting themselves gently onto the table. Scorpius rushed out of the room and she heard him arguing with Albus.
Lily swallowed the growl in her throat. She had been anxious yet excited to tell Albus about the baby, to hear his thoughts on how their dad would react. He was being his normal moody self. She would have thought he'd be in a better mood if he was still going through with the proposal the following night on their anniversary.
Albus and Scorpius entered the dining room and took their seats across the table. Albus grabbed the wine that they brought and poured himself a large glass. Lily wrinkled her nose as he took a big gulp of the pinot, her eyes rolling.
"So, Rayko, I'm so glad you could make it tonight," Scorpius started as he began serving himself some food. "We've heard so much about you that I feel like I already know you."
Rayko smiled as he accepted the platter of chicken. "Likewise. I feel like I already have a good grasp on the two of you."
"So, Koko," Albus started and received a glare from Lily. "What is it that you actually do? The Prophet says you just live off your trust fund. Must be… nice to have no responsibilities or anywhere to be on any given day. What's your wake-up time? Noon?"
Lily pursed her lips and swung her leg forward to kick Albus in the shin but she was too short to make the connection. She slouched down in her chair and tried again, the pointy toe of her heel hit his shin and caused him to yelp. He glared at her and Lily only smirked back.
"Albus!" Scorpius hissed.
"No, it's fine and a fair assumption," Rayko replied calmly. "I actually run a nonprofit under a pseudonym."
Albus smirked. "Really? Under a pseudonym? How terribly convenient."
"You know what, Albus? Fuck off. I'm done here," Lily said and stood up from the table. "I came here to tell you and Scorpius first, because I thought the godfather deserved to be one of the first people to know but now I'm second guessing everything because you're being a moody arsehole!"
"What? Godfather? What the hell does that even mean?" Albus demanded.
Lily's bottom lip trembled and when Rayko grabbed her hand, tears spilled down her cheeks. "It means that I'm bloody pregnant! I wanted to ask you to be godfather because you're supposed to be my fucking best friend in this whole bloody world but you've been awful to me lately! Completely awful! I go out of my way to grab lunch with you all the time! Anytime you need my help, I'm there at a drop of a hat! I make sure to remind you when someone's birthday is coming up because you're terrible with dates! I've done my fair share of even gift shopping for you because you never have time or don't know what to get anyone! I do it all! I do it all for you, Albus, because you're my brother and my best friend and I love you, but I'm starting to realize that you just take me for granted! I'm just an annoying little sister to you! And I changed my mind, I don't want you to be godfather to my baby because you're selfish, Albus, you're completely selfish!"
The room grew silent, the tension thick in the air. Lily's chest heaved, her glasses fogging up from her tears. She sniffed, pushing her glasses up with one hand and wiping underneath her eyes with the other.
"Baby?" Scorpius gasped.
Lily righted her glasses as Rayko stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tugging her close to his side. She caught Albus' gaze to see him frowning, his wine glass midway to his lips. He sat frozen like a statue.
"Yes, Scorpius," Rayko replied, pressing his lips against the top of her head. "Elle and I are going to have a baby. We know it's sudden and it was unplanned, but we couldn't be happier."
"I'm sorry," Albus whispered. "I'm sorry, Lily. Really, truly sorry."
"Yeah? Too late, Albus. It's always the same with you. You don't care about anyone other than yourself," Lily snapped back.
Albus closed his eyes as he sat his wine glass down on the table hard enough that the liquid sloshed over the rim. "I do care. I care a lot. I just… no, there's no excuses. You're right. I've been a git to you this past month or so. You're always there and bubbly and trying so hard to draw me out of my moods and I'm just an arsehole. It's who I am."
Lily blinked. "You aren't always an arsehole. I just… something changed when we were kids, you know? You were never moody like you are now. It's not the whole Potter being a Slytherin thing, because I remember you changing before Hogwarts when you felt awkward being the only one to have been sorted into Slytherin."
"Why don't we give them some privacy?" Scorpius whispered and led Rayko out of the dining room.
"We were treated differently as kids, Lily. There was always a clear divide. There was Teddy and James and then there was you and me. We were always treated like the children, secrets and lies surrounded us," Albus started, his eyes piercing into hers. "I hated it. I hated how we were never told anything, how we were always the ones left out because we were younger."
Lily's brow furrowed. "I don't… I never saw that, Albus. Mum and Dad loved us all equally and treated us the same."
Albus dragged a hand through his hair and let out a slow breath. "No, we weren't, Lily. Do you remember when Dad went to rehab for that potion addiction?"
Her shoulders sagged. Vaguely. She could remember her dad punching a wall on Christmas, him yelling before storming out of the house. She could remember how she had drawn him pictures, made him gifts, and missed him while he was away for several weeks. Teddy came home from Hogwarts every single weekend for a while and she had slept in her mother's room. But he had come home and he was his old self again. It was like he had just been on a long mission for work and not some rehab facility.
"Yeah, I guess."
Albus licked his lips. "Mum would tell Teddy everything. Teddy would tell James. You and I were kept in the dark. I would hear second-hand information and bug James or Teddy to tell me the truth. They always skirted around what was going on, telling me half-truths or giving me empty reassurances. They got to say goodbye to him before he went into treatment. They said goodbye, Lily, and we were never given that courtesy."
Lily just blinked at her brother, she had never realized how much it had bugged him even all these years later. Maybe she had just been too little to fully understand what was going on.
"Albus-"
"No, Lily, it's why I'm… it's why I am the way I am. I'm a moody fucker because if I pretend that I don't care then I can't get hurt, all right? But you and me? Fuck, Lily, you've always been my favorite person, the only one who has never lied to me or kept things from me. You've always put up with my shit. Even Teddy, who is a bloody patient saint, gets exasperated with me at times. Never you. You're always there with a fucking smile on your face and…" Albus cleared his throat. "And I don't deserve you. I'm sorry, but maybe I'm not godfather material. You should ask someone who isn't… moody all the bloody time."
"Oh, Alby!"
Albus grimaced. "Don't call me that. You haven't called me that in years."
Lily ignored him as she rounded the table and pulled him out of his seat. She rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Alby!"
"Lily, I said don't call me that."
"I'll call you whatever I bloody-well want because I'm your favorite person."
Albus chuckled, hugging her close to his chest. "I'm sorry, Lily. This work stuff has really gotten to me. I'll tell you everything, everything. Please, just please don't leave me."
Lily pulled back, a huge smile on her face. "How could I leave you? My baby needs his godfather."
"Are you sure? Like really sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."
Albus sniffed, his head nodding. "Does Dad know?"
"Are you joking? Of course Dad doesn't fucking know, Albus. I wanted you there to help me tell him."
"You wanted me to be a buffer," Albus replied with his lips tugging.
"Duh!" Lily beamed. "Now, can we talk about the baby?"
Albus rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched up. "Yeah, tell Scorpius and your boy toy they can come back in."
Albus laughed and pushed her gently out of the embrace. She pushed him back before she went to the door and called them back in. She grabbed Rayko's wrist when he entered, pulling him back towards the table. He nodded at her before the two of them sat back down and continued loading their plates with food.
"Soooo who are you seeing for the baby?" Scorpius asked happily.
"I don't know. I wanted to be discreet. I actually thought about seeing a Muggle Healer," Lily replied.
"Fuck that! No Muggle Healer is going to deliver my godchild!" Albus protested. "Scorpius, you have to know someone. Hook her up!"
Rayko grinned. "Told you Albus wouldn't hate our child."
"My godchild is going to be perfect," Albus declared. "But the jury's still out on you, Krum."
"Duly noted, Potter," Rayko said with a grin. "Jury's still out on you as well."
Albus laughed as he grabbed his wine glass. "All right, I owe you an explanation about my mood lately. Let me start off by saying… I'm going to nail these fuckers where it hurts."
Lily only frowned as Albus told her all about Gareth Greengrass, Livingstone, the Inferi. He talked without taking a breath and leaving no room for questions or interruptions. Rayko held her hand in his as her entire body trembled. All she could think was what the actual fuck?
By the time he was finished, Scorpius was sheet white and Lily clutched Rayko's hand so tightly she thought she might have hurt him.
"So, that's why you've been… Albus! You cannot even think of going after him by yourself! Are you bloody insane?" Lily demanded. "You need to tell Dad!"
"I'm not telling Dad," Albus insisted. "Look, I'm not doing it alone… exactly. I have help. I just… I'm sorry, it's been a lot to deal with and I know it's not my fault that it's happening, but I feel responsible because I know what's happening and I haven't stopped it."
Rayko frowned. "You're not responsible for this, Albus."
Albus looked over at him in surprise.
"I know I don't know you very well," Rayko continued. "But Elle talks about you all the time and from what she's told me, you're not capable of this. This isn't your fault. It's something that's been happening in the Ministry since before you were even born. If you think you can end it, I applaud you. But I definitely don't think you should do it alone."
Lily nodded. "Yes! Koko's right, Albus! Please, talk to Dad about this or at least Jamie! Let them help you!"
Albus reached for his wine and took a long sip. "I have a few more things I need to work out first and then we'll see."
Lily wasn't sure she believed her brother but the fact that he had finally opened up and told her what the hell was going on was a huge relief. She felt lighter. She leaned back in her chair and offered a smile to Scorpius.
"Okay. In the meantime, how soon can you find me a Healer, Scorpius?"
The smile on his face made her grin right back, and Lily started to think that maybe this was the start of things turning around. Albus was out of his mood, she and Rayko were going to have a baby, and by the end of the week her parents would know everything.
Rayko had been right. Everything was going to be just fine.
Teddy held onto Remus' hand as they made their way through the corridors of St. Mungo's. It was Remus' four-year checkup, which couldn't have come at a better time in Teddy's opinion. The boy had been complaining of neck pain for the past few days, seemed more tired than usual, and was just crankier in general. Victoire had been convinced that it was merely a growth spurt, the scratch wasn't even a worry in her mind.
"Kids are littered with cuts and bruises, Teddy. They are little wild animals half the time," she had told him when he showed her the scratch that she had already looked at.
He signed Remus in at the front desk before leading his son over to the little table and chair set in the corner of the waiting room. Remus didn't sit at the table littered with toys. Instead, he sat next to his father on the small sofa and buried his face into Teddy's side.
It took only five minutes for them to be called back. Remus refused to move from the sofa, so Teddy hauled him up into his arms. Situating Remus on his hip, the two of them made their way to a scale. It took a few moments of coaxing until Remus stood grumpily on the scale while a magical tape measure flew around his body to get his measurements before they were led back to a small exam room.
After answering a few simple questions, they were told the Healer would be in shortly. Teddy helped Remus out of his shorts and shirt and put on a gown before hoisting the kid to sit on the table. Remus swung his legs, his socked feet kicking the table as they waited for Scorpius to arrive.
It wasn't long before Scorpius entered the room with a wide smile on his face. A big Hippogriff pin was fastened just below his name tag which was covered in various stickers.
"Remus Harry Lupin!" Scorpius exclaimed. "You're tall! I mean, I knew you were tall but the numbers are in. You are officially in the ninety-fifth percentile for height! That means if you would line up a hundred wizards your age, you would be taller than ninety-five of them!"
Normally, Scorpius' theatrics would have Remus falling back on the table in a fit of giggles. Except this time, Scorpius only received a very small and shy smile. Teddy couldn't help but frown.
"What? Goblin got your tongue today, Remus?" Scorpius questioned, his eyes glancing over to Teddy who merely shrugged.
"I think he's been under the weather for the past few days," Teddy explained. "He's tired and says his neck hurts. Vic thought it was just growing pains."
"Well, that won't do!" Scorpius said as he crossed the room and bent down in front of Remus. "We can't have your neck hurting you. I bet that's no fun, is it?"
"No," Remus whispered, his eyes on Scorpius.
"Now, let's figure this out. I'm going to tickle your neck. Is that all right?"
Remus nodded and Scorpius ran his fingers under Remus' jaw. He pushed and rubbed the kid's lymph nodes. With a frown, his fingers trailed down Remus' neck. He pulled out his wand and pressed the tip under the left side of Remus' jaw. A pale yellow light emitted. Teddy anxiously shifted, his arms crossing over his chest.
"There's a scratch on the back of his neck," Teddy supplied.
"Were you wrestling a dragon, Remus?" Scorpius asked as he peered around Remus and ran his fingers along the scratch.
Remus let out a very faint giggle. "No, Uncle Scorpius!"
"How about a Blast-Ended Skrewt? Those are very dangerous, Remus. You're lucky you didn't get your eyebrows singed off!" Scorpius exclaimed.
"You're silly," Remus concluded.
Scorpius pursed his lips as he pulled back and narrowed his eyes at Remus. "I am a very serious Healer!"
"Sure, Uncle Scorpius," Remus said with a soft smile.
"So?" Teddy asked anxiously, not being able to take any more of the playful banter.
"Well, I mean, being extra tired and having some aches and pains are consistent with growth spurts," Scorpius said slowly. "The scratch though seems to have fluid or something beneath it. I'm almost wondering if we could… pop it. I know that sounds so awful, but I think we need to extract the fluid before we can determine what we're dealing with, but I'd like to pop it to be sure."
Teddy frowned, not knowing if he liked the sounds of that. Remus seemed unperturbed by the news, probably not fully understanding the conversation happening between the two adults. Teddy sighed, carding a hand through his hair.
"Can you not pop it now?"
"Oh, no, no, I'd need to book a procedure room," Scorpius explained, his fingers running along Remus' jaw once more. "He's far too little and squirmy for me to attempt anything in the office."
"When can you book it?"
"Uh, well, I normally perform procedures on Mondays," Scorpius replied. "I can't get you a specific time right now, but I'll definitely get him in Monday, all right, Teddy? I promise."
"Thanks," Teddy replied with a tight smile. "What do you think could be the issue? Why would there be fluid underneath a scratch?"
"Hmm, it could be a number of things. I'd rather just wait for the procedure and not have you wait five days worrying about it."
"My wife is a Healer, Scorp," Teddy replied. "You don't think we're going to talk about it?"
"Well, then you two can discuss. I'm not sure and I don't want to put ideas in your head when I honestly am stumped," Scorpius said as he pressed his fingers over the scratch once more with a frown. "One of you can be in the room while we put him under to keep him calm since he's so little."
"I want to stay during the procedure," Teddy commented.
"That's against hospital policy," Scorpius explained, an apologetic smile crossing his features.
"It's your procedure room," Teddy argued. "I'll stay out of our way. You know I will."
"Teddy," Scorpius said with a sigh.
"We're family, Scorpius," Teddy stressed. "This is your nephew."
Scorpius' face melted at the words. He looked from Teddy to Remus, his brow knitting. With a heavy sigh, he agreed. Teddy beamed, clapping Scorpius on the arm. His happiness was short-lived when he glanced over at his son to see him slumped against the wall on the exam table, his eyes half closed. Reaching out, Teddy brushed his son's fringe off his forehead, causing the child to blink up at him.
The rest of the exam went off without a hitch, and Scorpius prescribed Remus a very mild pain potion to help with his aches and pains. Teddy tucked the folded progress report into his back pocket before scooping Remus up in his arms. They exited St. Mungo's through the back entrance and made their way through Muggle London. They were to meet Harry for lunch, and Teddy decided just to take the rest of the day off from work. Remus seemed too exhausted to drop him off at his Muggle nursery school, and Teddy didn't want to put the small child down if he was being honest with himself. A procedure. They were going to give his four-year-old potions and put him to sleep and… Teddy gulped. He didn't even want to think about it.
The very thought of a procedure struck fear in his heart. He could remember being sixteen and waiting in the uncomfortable hospital chairs with his family while they waited on news on Harry after he had been badly injured while on a raid. He could even remember just the past year pacing the waiting room as James underwent a procedure after a nasty fall while on the job, concerns of him being unable to walk again lingering in the air as they waited anxiously. He hated when his family was in the hospital, hated when they needed procedures done.
Teddy balanced Remus on his hip, his fingers brushing across the raised flesh on his neck once more. He just had to believe Remus would be all right. For now, he had to focus on the way his dad would react to the news. Harry Potter would be a nervous wreck at the very thought of his grandson being put under in a procedure room.
The thought of his father being a nervous wreck made Teddy smile. At least it gave him something else to focus on as five days seemed awfully far away when he wanted to comfort his son. He pressed his lips to Remus' temple, earning a small smile. It would be all right and now he just needed to keep that mindset so that he could convince his father of that.
Good luck, he snorted. He had a feeling it was going to be a long week.
Albus stared at the front door of Gawain Robards' home and shifted awkwardly. He didn't know how kindly Robards would take to him showing up at his house out of the blue and asking him questions about how he had accepted a few months' worth of money from Gareth Greengrass and what the implications were behind said money. What had Greengrass been researching then that he had attempted to get away with after the war?
Sucking in a breath, Albus knocked twice before he could chicken out. He waited impatiently, the folder of financial records tucked neatly under his arm. After a few short moments, the door opened.
Robards looked the same as Albus remembered him from when he was a child. He was tall with peppered curly hair. There was a long, thin scar that ran down his right cheek. His gray eyes were cold like steel and a permanent frown was etched onto his face.
"Can I help you?"
"Hi, Mr. Robards. I'm Albus Potter," Albus greeted. "I'm Harry Potter's so-"
"I know who you are," Robards snapped, shaking his head as though he found Albus ridiculous. "What are you doing here, Potter?"
Albus blinked. "I work for the Department of Mysteries."
Robards narrowed his eyes, standing up straighter. "And?"
"And I've been looking into Gareth Greengrass and the way he distributes funds from the department."
"There's a division within the DMLE that deals directly with financial crimes and investigations," Robards said lazily, leaning against the doorjamb. "I wasn't a member of that team, but you already knew that."
"I just want to talk about what I found," Albus replied. "And I think you know what I'm talking about, because you find it just as despicable as I do."
Robards crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Does Harry know you're here?"
"My dad doesn't even know I'm looking into this," Albus said honestly. "He's not taking payments but the Auror Department is."
Robards frowned. After a few seconds of staring at Albus, he slowly stepped to the side and allowed him entrance. Robards led Albus to the back of the house where the kitchen was located. With a few flicks of his wand, a kettle filled with water and started to heat on the stove.
"What did you want to know, Albus?"
"After the war, the Auror Department received payments from-"
"I refused the money," Robards snapped. "I told them that I wouldn't play ball."
Albus furrowed his brow. "What did they ask you to turn a blind eye to?"
Robards tapped his fingers on the counter. "Nothing specific. Just that their work could produce unsavory effects that shouldn't be investigated or charged criminally. I said I wouldn't turn a blind eye to criminal behavior, especially with how Kingsley was rebuilding the Ministry at the time. We were weeding out corruption, not cherry picking which corruption we kept and which corruption we did away with."
"You know the DMLE received payments until you became head of the department, right?"
"Excuse me?"
Albus took that as a no. He flipped through his paperwork and pulled out a few pieces of parchment covering the payoffs to the DMLE under Jacob Taylor who had been the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol before taking the job of head of the entire department after the war. Albus pushed them across the countertop.
"Kingsley, Jacob, and I all sat for a meeting to discuss Gareth Greengrass. We all agreed that his methods were not in conjunction with the Ministry of Magic vision we had in mind," Robards commented with a frown as he flipped through the pages. "I had no knowledge that he was taking bribes for the entire time of his tenure."
"Did my dad know?" Albus asked. "About the Department of Mysteries paying off departments? I know he helped reform Azkaban and had some influence in the Ministry after the war."
Robards laughed. "No, your dad didn't know. He was an eighteen-year-old kid who has dealing with a lot at the time. Kingsley and I walked on eggshells with him for a while, letting him explode and let off stream. I couldn't even imagine what he would have done if he found out a department was attempting to get away with whatever they wanted to get away with. I don't even know. We shut Gareth Greengrass down so quickly that we thought it was a non-issue. Apparently, Kingsley and I were wrong."
There was a lot to unpack with that statement. Albus definitely wanted to know about how they had shut down Greengrass. How did nobody know that the Head of the DMLE was taking payments for years? Why had they allowed Greengrass to keep his job after suggesting to continue corruption? First, though, he had been intrigued by the statements about his dad.
Albus frowned. "What do you mean? About my dad?"
He couldn't imagine anyone walking around on eggshells around his dad. Harry was always so mild-mannered and friendly. The only time that he had ever seen his father's wrath was when he would deal with reporters and the paparazzi. He could remember having lunch with him and Lily a few months back and their father had nearly broken a camera while screaming to leave his children alone. Albus always thought that Robards and Harry got along well.
"Harry Potter after the war was a very different man than he is now. The kid I met was damaged and reckless and wanted to take down every last bit of evil and corruption left over from the war. As far as I knew, he came into work and did his job - a damn good job at that. Went home to drink himself into an oblivion with your uncles, took some hangover potion in the morning, and was right back into work the next day."
Albus tried to reconcile this version of his dad with the man he knew. Harry rarely drank, especially around his kids. He wasn't damaged from the war as far as Albus could tell and, while he had heard about his dad as a reckless teenager, he wouldn't use that word to describe his father now. Harry Potter was a painfully nice man who doted on his kids, was borderline inappropriate with his wife in front of his children, and enjoyed quiet nights at home with his family.
"We're talking about my dad?" Albus inquired. "My dad doesn't really drink and he's certainly not damaged."
"It took gaining custody of his godson and your mother moving in with him to squash most of his demons," Robards explained. "I think the man that I know of is very different from the man you know. Rightfully or wrongfully so, Harry knows how to keep his troubles at bay."
Albus sighed, he didn't even know how to respond to that bit of information so he decided to change the subject and get back on track to what he originally came to talk about. "What exactly was said to Greengrass all those years ago?"
The kettle whistled. Robards stared at Albus for a few moments as though he were debating if he should engage in the conversation or not. He turned around, taking the kettle off the stove before levitating two teacups over to him and pouring tea in both.
"What do you take in your tea?" Robards questioned.
"Milk and honey," Albus responded, mentally pumping his fist.
A minute later, Albus wrapped his fingers around the warm cup. He glanced up at Robards who seemed to be staring at him again, his eyes narrowed and lips thin.
Robards cleared his throat. "What exactly are you hoping to gain here, Albus?"
"I want to take down Gareth Greengrass," he replied before taking a sip of his tea.
"Why?"
"Because Greengrass' little experiments have killed people," Albus replied, his gaze locking with Robards. "According to that paperwork, there's a bogus company that has funded an undisclosed project worth two hundred thousand Galleons. I think I have a pretty good guess what project that is."
"Give me the report," Robards demanded, slamming his tea on the counter.
Albus pulled off the top piece of parchment and slid it over to Robards. He snatched the parchment off of the counter.
Robards frowned as he read the document. "Did you go to your father with this?"
"No."
"Why?" Robards looked up.
"Because the Auror Department is implicated in this, right under his bloody nose. My brother is heading the investigation into this. I can't get them involved. I can't give any indication that they know and have Greengrass try to bury them with this, try to implicate them."
"You think Reed and Robins are dirty?" Robards asked, raising his eyebrows.
"One or both of them have to be," Albus insisted. "I'm guessing Reed definitely is by the way James has been ranting and raving about him assigning them a lack of resources in the investigation. I don't think Demelza is."
Robards heaved a sigh. "What does this involve?"
"Does that mean you'll help me on the down low?"
Robards jaw tightened. Very slowly, he nodded.
Albus smirked. "Inferi."
"Inferi? The recent attacks? I'm not following how the DOM is involved in that."
"They're altering the Inferi, making them think and feel. They are becoming strategic, analyzing people and their behaviors, plotting. From the few documents I've managed to swipe, they're being trained as a militant group. Someone is buying an army from the DOM, and they're paying a hefty amount for it."
"You have no idea who the buyer is?" Robards asked, his eyes flying back to the parchment.
"No, it's a bogus name. It's not registered anywhere in the wizarding world."
"Did you try the Muggle world?" Robards asked.
"I didn't… I don't know how I would even look into that," Albus answered honestly.
Robards touched his wand to the piece of parchment, duplicating it. He gave Albus back the original copy and kept the duplicated one.
"I have a few contacts that I can trust to look into this in the Muggle world. Discreetly, of course," Robards assured him.
"Thank you," Albus whispered. "Do you know what Greengrass said when I confronted him about all this?"
"I have a feeling it will only anger me but let's hear it."
"That Aurors are more brawn than intelligent. That the DOM has been getting away with this type of behavior for decades because Aurors are a bunch of reckless Gryffindors who have fun capturing dumb criminals."
"Gareth Greengrass is a fucking muppet," Robards seethed. "Fuck! He thinks he's going to get away with this? He thinks… give me a week or two, yeah? I'll have some fucking answers by then."
Albus just smiled as he took a sip of his tea. Between Draco and Robards, Albus had no doubt that they would be able to nail Greengrass' coffin shut for good. There was a part of him that was giddy at the very thought of Greengrass winding up in Azkaban, and Albus felt an odd sense of satisfaction to know that he was going to be the one to do it.
Ginny growled, her arm aching terribly. Pulling open the top drawer of her desk at work, she grabbed the pain potion and poured the correct amount into the cap. In one gulp, she drank the potion and slammed the cap onto the top of her desk.
Licking her bottom lip, she rubbed her bicep where the Inferius had taken a huge bite out of her. It had been nearly two months and her arm still ached on and off. She was sick of the pain potions, sick of the constant ache, sick of the intense pain that hit her like a Bludger when she overused her arm. She hated Inferi.
A knock on her door drew her out of her mood. She quickly shoved the pain potion into her desk drawer, because Merlin only knew who was on the other end. It could very well be one of the blasted gossip columnists who always seemed to pop into her office to chat but were really only trying to fish for a story. Did they honestly think she was that stupid?
"Come in!" Ginny called.
To her surprise and delight, Demelza Robins opened the door and held a carry tray with two teas. Ginny grinned, motioning for her to enter. It had been ages since her and Demelza had gotten together. Demelza had been so busy ever since she had been promoted.
"Mid-morning tea and bitch fest?" Demelza asked as she kicked the door closed behind her.
"Merlin yes! Is there something strong in that tea?"
"Fuck, I knew I was forgetting something." Demelza only smiled as she handed Ginny a cup before taking a seat across from her and kicking her feet up onto the desk. "You don't have a secret stash in here with all those imbeciles you work with?"
Ginny chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "You think I would, especially working in the same building as Rita Skeeter."
"Fuck me, I can't believe she still has a job."
Ginny shrugged. "People like gossip and she's the gossip queen. Although, I'm not sure outright lies can be considered gossip, so I'm not sure how she still has a job actually."
Demelza nodded, heaving a heavy sigh. "Can I bitch about your husband without ruining our friendship?"
Ginny's brow furrowed. "Uh, sure?"
"Your husband and your brother are fucking wankers, and I want to Avada them more days than I care to count lately."
Ginny let out a small chuckle as she kicked her feet up onto her desk next to Demelza's. She knew Harry had been stressed at work as of late. James had been heading the Inferi case with his partner with little department resources. Harry had been ranting and raving up a storm, using some very uncharacteristically colorful language against Reed. It hadn't been the first nor the last time that Harry seemed to regret taking the DMLE promotion. He missed being Head Auror, missed working on cases, missed being in the thick of the action. Now, he mainly did paperwork, went to court, and listened to department heads complain and ask for more funding.
"Is this about James' case and Reed not giving enough attention to it?"
Demelza rolled her eyes. "So, you've heard all about it then?"
"Harry is pretty upset about it all. I think Teddy and I being attacked with the kids only makes matters worse for him."
"I love my job, but I hate that my job is dominated by males who want to have cock fights all day long. Reed and Harry are fighting over who has the biggest cock right now."
Ginny winced. "Harry can be stubborn."
"Uh, you don't have to tell me that. He can be a right arsehole when he wants to be. He's rather good at it."
Ginny squinted. "Is he being an arse to you?"
"No," Demelza replied, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. "He's just putting me in the middle. Reed's my partner and Harry's my boss. Do I anger the person I have to work with every single bloody day or do I anger my boss?"
"Let me talk to Harry," Ginny offered.
"Fuck off, Ginevra," Demelza said with a chuckle. "You are not talking to your husband, who is my boss, about how I want to murder him."
Ginny shook her head, her eyes rolling. "You two are friends."
"Yes, we are friends. I love Harry very much. He and Ron are like the big brothers I never had. I love to tease them and pester them, but I would snap at anyone who would even dare think of hurting either of them. I would jump in front of a spell for them in a heartbeat. Except, this is different, Ginny. Harry is angrier than I have ever seen him. Reed is pushing back hard and, at this point, I think it's just out of spite because he feels like Harry is telling him how to do his job. I just don't want to be involved. I want to be neutral in the fight but neither of them are allowing me to be neutral."
"Is James close to solving it?" Ginny asked, her fingers tapping on the side of her takeaway cup.
"No, there's no evidence to go on. I mean, these Inferi just keep popping up. Reed's convinced they aren't… how much do you know about the case?"
Ginny smiled. "Purely off the record, practically everything. Harry's not very good at withholding the confidential information when he's too busy yelling like he's fifteen again."
"All right then, you know Reed's not entirely convinced that these Inferi are actually evolved then?"
"I don't know, Demelza. I'd never encountered Inferi before until that day we were attacked, but they weren't exactly what I anticipated them to be," Ginny said with a sigh. "I mean, it was eerie almost, how they were just casually walking down the street. It was like they only started to attack when they saw I had a wand. I pulled it out and I swear the one Inferius… growled when he saw it."
"I read that in your statement," Demelza commented. "Harry's siding with James, naturally. He wants more Aurors on the case to help, because honestly James and Hunter are just at one dead end after another. They can't figure out who is reanimating the bodies, they don't know the motive, and they don't know how they're altering them. It's peculiar."
"Well, I hung up my junior Auror badge a long time ago," Ginny commented with a soft smile. "I don't reckon Harry would take kindly to me polishing it off and trying my hand at it again. He's already peeved that James seems to be enjoying the job as much as he is."
"James is good," Demelza said. "He has the bravado to be an Auror. He's smart, he's personable, and he can sweet talk his way into getting information more than I would have ever thought possible. He has a way of putting people at ease and just spilling their secrets. Very charming."
Ginny couldn't help the spark of pride that radiated in her chest. James was a chameleon of sorts. Naturally, he was outgoing and talkative, but he could be serious and somber when it was demanded of him. James had the ability to be able to read a room and adjust his personality accordingly.
"He takes after me," Ginny said with a smirk, bringing her tea up to her lips.
"I was actually going to say he reminds me a lot of Ron," Demelza replied.
Ginny sighed. "Yeah, I see that actually. Does that make you want to die a little bit to admit that?"
"Merlin yes! Paying your brother any sort of compliment physically wounds me, Ginny! I mean, I may start breaking out in hives if I keep it up for too long."
Ginny laughed, her eyes sparkling. She just hoped for Harry's mental state that the Inferi case had a breakthrough soon. It was hard to see him so fired up yet helpless at the same time. Frustration had settled in long ago and she could tell he was close to his tipping point.
Ginny cleared her throat. Demelza came for tea and a bitch fest. Now that she had spilled her problems involving Harry and work, Ginny wanted to tell her all about Romilda Vane's latest gossip column that rivaled Rita Skeeter's and was bound to land the Daily Prophet in a slew of interesting libel lawsuits.
"If I see hives, I'll let you know," Ginny said. "So, do you want to hear the newest gossip about Vane and Skeeter?"
Demelza sipped her tea and leaned back in her chair. "Fuck, yes! Let me have it!"
Ginny put her tea down and folded her hands on her desk. It really had been much too long since she and Demelza had a bitch fest. She tapped her fingers on her desk as she spoke and when Demelza barked in laughter, she grinned back. Yeah, they had both really needed this.
Albus was late. Later than late. He actually felt like he was Lily-late, because he was so bloody late. He hurried into the restaurant, his gaze wandering around at the tables but not seeing his father. He swore as he went up to the hostess.
"Hi, I'm looking for an older man that looks kind of like me but he has glasses and his hair is super gray, like I'm talking you can barely see any black but his face doesn't look like he should be that gray but he is," Albus explained. "He probably asked for a table in the back."
The hostess nodded, giving him an odd look before leading him to the very back of the restaurant where his father sat with a cup of tea in front of him. He glanced up when Albus slid into the booth across from him, a small smile gracing his features.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No worries. I figured you may be when I went to the Department of Mysteries to pick you up but they said you weren't in," Harry replied.
"Yeah, I, uh, had to conduct an interview for work," Albus replied.
"I'm guessing you can't talk about it."
Albus smiled tightly. "No."
"That's why they put the mystery in the Department of Mysteries," Harry replied with a smile, his hands drumming on the table at his punchline.
Albus stared at his father, trying to reconcile the version of his father that Robards knew and the version he knew. Then again, Albus couldn't really see his father fighting in a war and it was even hard to imagine him battling dark wizards as an Auror. His dad was just so… nice. He vaguely wondered if James had the same issues since he worked with their dad.
"Lily's right, you are a major dork, Dad."
Harry looked amused, his eyebrows raising over his glasses. "Do I want to know what else my children think about me?"
"Honestly, I can tell you if you really want to know."
"No, I'm good. Thanks, Al."
Albus tried to stop himself from scowling and snapping. "Albus."
Harry blinked, his head nodding vaguely. "Sorry. Right. Albus."
"I just don't like nicknames," Albus felt the need to explain, for probably the millionth time since he was around eight or nine and just wanted to go by Albus.
He remembered when he started to feel like Al was a childish nickname, his little kid persona. He never minded it when he was small, cherished when his dad would affectionately say it with a ruffle of his hair or his mother saying the one syllable with such love in her voice. Except, when his dad went away for a month to be treated for an addiction, Al had become Albus. He didn't want to be seen as a little kid anymore who didn't get to even say goodbye to his dad like James and Teddy had. He wanted to be older, treated like his brothers. He thought if he became Albus, he would be seen as one of the older kids.
"I know," his dad said almost sadly. "So, you asked me to lunch, which is new. Normally, you and Lily grab lunch together. I was pleasantly surprised when I was extended the invite. I'm surprised your sister isn't here… unless she's running on Lily time again."
"Merlin, no, Lily isn't coming. I wanted a calm, quiet lunch," Albus explained. "You're very calm."
"That's better than dorky, I suppose," Harry replied. "Is something on your mind?"
"I, uh, well, I did my interview this morning and then I was taking the rest of the day off to do some stuff at home."
Albus grimaced. He didn't know why he was being so secretive to his dad about his plans for the rest of the day. His dad was probably the only one in the entire family who was capable of keeping a secret.
Albus sighed. "It's mine and Scorpius' anniversary and I'm going to propose."
Harry's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Albus, that's wonderful! I, um, are you asking for my help?"
His dad looked slightly panicked like he wasn't prepared to lend a helping hand. Albus could practically see the wheels turning in his head as though he were trying but failing to come up with something romantic.
"No! I have it all planned out, but thanks, Dad," Albus rushed, watching his father's face melt in relief. "Lily's the only one who knows besides you. So, you should feel honored and I ask that you don't tell anyone."
"You're not telling the family?" Harry asked, confusion crossing his face.
"Well, not until after. Don't you remember when Teddy got engaged? James told the entire family. I'm fairly certain Victoire knew before Teddy even popped the question."
Harry smiled. "Yeah, Jamie and your Uncle Ron are the worst when it comes to family gossip. They are definitely cut from the same cloth."
"I've threatened Lily to secrecy. I will literally murder her if she tells a soul," Albus said in a serious tone. "I'm not even joking. Like disembowelment kind of murder. I will lose it if it's not a surprise."
"The number of times I've heard you and Lily threaten to maim or murder each other is very concerning to a father," Harry commented.
"You're just lucky you didn't have any siblings."
The words left Albus' mouth before he could stop himself. He stared at his father's face, watching as his lips tugged down. Albus wanted to throw himself out a window for being so tactless. He might as well have said glad your parents died so young so you weren't cursed with dealing with an annoying little sibling.
"Maybe," Harry said softly before clearing his throat. "So how are you proposing?"
Albus dove into his plan, watching for his father's reaction to see if he thought it was good enough. Harry only nodded and smiled throughout the explanation, giving no indication what he actually thought about the evening he had planned.
"It sounds wonderful, Albus," Harry said with a smile when Albus finished.
"Yeah? You think?"
"Yes, I do. It sounds just like the two of you. Don't be nervous. The only thing that really matters is getting down on one knee and asking him to marry you. That's the moment he'll remember, when you open up the ring box."
"I think I can handle that part," Albus replied. "I mean, that's the easy part, right?"
"Um… considering I nearly capsized a small rowboat while I proposed to your mum, accidents can happen."
Albus smiled. "Yeah, I've heard that story. I thought you always blamed Teddy for hopping around in excitement."
Harry waved a hand. "Who knows. Maybe it was a combination. You're not proposing on a boat, are you?"
"Definitely not," Albus replied.
The waitress stopped by to grab their food order and deliver water. Albus grabbed his glass, as he glanced up at his father.
"Enough about me," Albus said. "Let's talk about our family dinner with Lily tomorrow night."
His dad's brow furrowed. "Oh, you're coming to that?"
"Yeah, Scorpius and I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Harry sighed. "What do you know, Albus?"
"Nothing, Dad, absolutely nothing," Albus replied, smiling into his glass of water before taking a sip.
"You're a terrible liar, Albus," Harry responded in his classic exasperated tone.
"I know, but Lily would murder me if I gave anything away."
His dad opened his mouth as though to argue with him when there was a buzzing noise that came from his jacket pocket. Albus craned his neck to see who was in the mirror when his dad pulled it out. Teddy's and Remus' faces shone brightly in the mirror. Harry discreetly pulled out his wand from his jacket pocket and cast a few privacy and Muggle-repelling charms so they would be left alone.
"Teddy Lupin," Harry said in the mirror.
"Dad, where are you?" Teddy asked.
"Yeah, Grandpa, where are you?" Remus' little voice squeaked.
Harry furrowed his brow. "Hello to you too. What's going on?"
"We were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago for lunch," Teddy replied.
"I want BANGERS, Grandpa, but Daddy said I had to wait for you and I'm so hungry and Uncle Scorpius only gave me a liquorice wand for being really, really good and still."
"I was? Oh, I was!" Harry's eyes rose to meet Albus' across the table. "I, er, I forgot. I'm so sorry. I'm with Albus right now."
"Oh, I see who your favorite is," Teddy said lightly. Albus could practically hear the smile in his voice.
"Grandpa, tell Daddy I'm 'lowed to have bangers since you forgots," Remus pouted.
Albus leaned over the table so he could pop his head into the top of the mirror. "We all know Lily is Dad's favorite, Ted. He thought she'd join us, because he asked where she was when I got here. He was severely disappointed it was only me."
Teddy snorted in the mirror.
"That is not true, Albus!" Harry hissed. "I don't have favorites. Now, Ted, I'm sorry I forgot. Do you want to come here? I'll have bangers ready for Remus by the time you arrive."
"No, it's fine, Dad. Enjoy lunch with your second favorite child," Teddy said in a very exaggerated tone. "I'll just wander to the Prophet and take Mum to lunch. She never forgets about me."
"Wait, Ted, come on. Remus had his appointment today, I want to hear about it!"
"Fine. We'll come over for dinner," Teddy said. "But you better make my favorite and no more bangers for Remus, Dad. He needs to learn to eat other food."
"You said I could have bangers for lunch!" Remus screeched.
"Good, Merlin," Albus muttered.
"Oi, do we talk to people like that?" Teddy said sternly, and Albus wrinkled his nose at his big brother's dad voice.
"Remus," Harry said in a low, serious voice. "You don't talk to your dad like that, yeah, mate?"
"Sorry, Daddy," Remus spoke softly, and Albus saw his little head bowing in the mirror.
"Grandpa will make you bangers for tonight."
"Dad! No!" Teddy protested.
"It's what he likes, Ted!"
"Yeah, well, I liked toad-in-the-hole and you and Mum refused to make it for me for ages," Teddy replied.
"That's different! You are our son. Remus is my grandson. I'm supposed to spoil him. If it makes you feel any better, I'll make you toad-in-the-hole tonight too."
Albus snapped his fingers, reaching out for the mirror. Harry sucked in a deep breath and shot Albus an annoyed look. He handed over the mirror and whispered, "Manners!"
"Oi, Ted, you should come tomorrow night for dinner too," Albus said after grabbing the mirror. "There's going to be hot cocoa there."
"No bloody way!" Teddy exclaimed, a grin flittering across his lips. "She's not. Is she?"
"Uh, yeah, she is. Trust me, you do not want to miss what else she has to say," Albus continued.
"What do you two know?" his dad demanded, but Albus ignored him. "I'm getting a little peeved with all of you."
"Is James coming?" Teddy asked, also ignoring their father.
"I haven't told him. You can do the honors," Albus replied.
Teddy covered Remus' ears. "Bloody fucking hell, I am so excited to solve the hot cocoa mystery."
Albus grinned. "I knew you would, mate. See you tomorrow."
The mirror disconnected and Albus handed it back to his father. Harry merely scowled as he tucked the mirror back into his jacket pocket before lifting the privacy charms. Albus just smiled at his father, probably looking like a maniac with how big his grin was. First a proposal and then Lily telling their parents about Koko Krum and their love child?
Maybe he was wrong, having siblings definitely had its perks. Sometimes. After all, things were looking up and Albus couldn't wait to see what else was going to go right.
I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I'm posting a day early because I have a crazy day tomorrow and don't know if I'll get around to posting. Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter! You truly made my weekend and got me out of my writer's funk. I really appreciate it! Don't forget to leave a review before you click out. Reviews to us fanfic writers are like gold, we cherish them and they keep us motivated to write so share some love.
I've heard your Rayko complaints and your Rayko love. Those that are bored or upset, I ask you to trust me because there's a reason I am portraying him the way I am portraying him and to kindly remember that we've only seen him through Lily's POV. She is young, lovestruck, and happy.
Special thanks to Bell for editing. Special thanks to Brie for being my constant throughout this journey and listening to me ramble about ideas and plots. I couldn't have done without her.