I Wish You Weren't:
Albus and Harry Potter
M.C. Deltat

"I just wish you weren't my dad!" Albus yelled.

Albus Potter ungracefully stumbled side to side as he waited for his dad's response. He could barely bring himself to look at his father's face; instead preferring to awkwardly play with the love potion vial that Uncle Ron had given him. Eventually, however, he forced his gaze up.

He knew what his dad wanted to say. And Albus wanted to be face to face with him when he finally said it.

Albus watched his father, Harry, slowly bring up an argumentative hand as he opened his mouth to shout back. However, to Albus' surprise, rather than saying anything, Harry only inhaled and exhaled; no words left his mouth.

After a few moments, a stern-faced Harry instead stood up and walked to door leading out of Albus' room. Albus watched Harry with bated breath, waiting for what his dad was about to do.

Instead of simply leaving, however, he instead edged it open a bit. "Ginny!" Harry shouted through the crack. "Go ahead and take James and Lily to the platform." He said nothing as Ginny responded. "No no, don't worry. Ill take Albus directly to Hogwarts myself." He paused again. "Ya, I love you too."

Harry closed the door and turned back to Albus. He promptly walked back into the room and took a seat. Before he could say anything however, Albus interrupted.

"What do you mean you are taking me to Hogwarts?!" Albus complained.

"Exactly what it means." Harry responded. That stern serious look never left his face; Not once. "Now sit. We need to talk."

"I won't be able to talk to my friend though. I promised to meet up with him on the express!" Albus continued. He stopped tossing the vial from hand to hand, instead began to grip at it tightly with his right.

"You will have the entire school year to see him. I will only see you for the next ten minutes. Now sit." He ordered.

Albus really didn't want to sit down. He didn't want to have this conversation and he didn't want to see his dad anymore. He just wanted get on to the Express and be away from this accursed family.

"Fine." Albus grumbled. He figured that he could make this talk go faster if he just sat down and got it over with. Evidently, Harry could tell Albus' discomfort however, and his face grew a little bit softer; a small tiny bit.

Both Potters sat, staring at each other, for several seconds. Harry opening and closing his mouth as he considered his words carefully and Albus who simply resumed playing with the love potion vial. Harry eventually looked at his old blanket, still at Albus' feet, and resolved himself.

"What do you want me to say?" Harry asked. "That I don't want you to be my son?"

"What I want," Albus began, "Is leave here and already be on my way to Hogwarts." The tenseness on his knuckles was evident.

Harry continued as if he said nothing though. "Well I won't say that. And do you know why?" Harry didn't allow Albus to say anything; although his son did try. "Because I love you. You are my son and I will always love you." He slowly mouthed out each syllable so that it was as clear as possible. "Nothing you could ever do, would ever make me stop loving you."

"Sure show it in a good way." Albus muttered.

Harry heard what he said, but pretended not to. "I'm sorry. What?" he inquired.

Albus exploded up in a rage. "YOU ARE NEVER HOME. YOU ARE NEVER THERE. AND WHEN YOU ARE." He fiercely pointed to the blanket. "YOU GIVE ME GARBAGE AND EXPECT ME TO BE THANKFUL FOR IT!"

Albus stopped shouting and just stood there, hyperventilating. He assumed his father would also explode in a rage after hearing the insult towards his childhood blanket; To be furious at Albus' casual dismissal of the gift Harry claimed to have put so much thought towards.

But once again, Harry didn't rise to anger. Instead, with a deep sigh, he raised one hand to take off his spectacles and then raised another hand to rub his eyes; his palm subconsciously inching up towards his scar.
Eventually, he lowered his hands and put his glasses back on. In a soft tone, Harry attempted to soothe his son. "Why do you think I work so hard Albus? Why do you think I spend so much time at the office and in the field?" he quietly asked.

Albus said nothing. He just stood and silently seethed.

"Because when I was a child, the people who formerly held my position were nothing but toddlers in men's clothing." Harry said. "When I was a child, I was forced to resist evil and brave dangers that no child should ever have to face. When I was a child, the world depended on me to bring down Voldemort." Harry continued. His voice grew introspective. "No one should have to face the problems I had when I was but a child. I do what I do because I want to protect my family; so that my children won't ever have to deal with similar demons." He finished.

"Huh," Albus scoffed. "Maybe James and Lily." He muttered under his breath.

"No Albus." Harry declared. "You too." He assured, "I love you just as much as them."

Albus' eyes began to water, but he fought back the tears as best he could. "How can you honestly say that when you give Lily her 'fairy wings', and James the invisibility cloak?"

Harry's eyebrow raised a tad as he asked back, "Do you want fairy wings?"

Albus couldn't fight back the chuckle as he answered, "No. Those are for girls." He pouted.

Harry, seeing the tears on his son's face start to fade away, pressed on, "And I am sure that James would share the cloak if you asked." He claimed.

Upon hearing that, the smile which was beginning to form on Albus' face promptly disappeared. A frown showed up instead; Not that Harry would have seen it, considering the current downward tilt that Albus' head was at.

"He won't though." Albus claimed. "He won't even talk to me anymore; neither will Lily." Albus' grip on the love potion vial tightened. "No one wants to talk to the Potter castoff. No wants to give the snake of the family a moment of time. They would just rather talk behind my back; Loudly." Albus bit out through clenched teeth.

Harry had to resist the urge to laugh. "Albus, do you know what I was called throughout my time at Hogwarts?"

"Hero of Britain. The One who lived. The Slayer of Voldemort." Albus dully listed out as if he was reading a grocery list. "Ya, Ya. I've heard it enough times already."

Harry nodded as he listened to Albus. "And in my second year, The Heir of Slytherin." He added. "Trust me, whatever you are going through, I went through as well."

Albus's rage grew after hearing that. "No one is allowed to have a problem near you, aren't they?" He asked. "Anytime anyone says anything, they get regaled with the 40 times that HARRY POTTER had to risk his life for the masses." Albus whined. "I had to kill a basilisk. I had to face a dozen dementors. I had to rob Gringotts." He listed. "Not everything has to be about you Dad. You don't have to one up someone every time they voice an issue."

"That wasn't my goal." Harry attempted to assure. "I promise you that isn't what I am trying to do."

"THEN WHAT?" Albus yelled. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Harry made sure to speak slowly; for Albus. "I want to show you that I've been through what you are going through." Harry explained. "I want you to talk to me." He promised.

"BUT YOU ARE NEVER HERE!" Albus shouted.

In Albus' rage, his grip on the love potion vial tightened and tightened. Eventually, the cheap vial could take no more and explosively shattered. Glass fragments and love potion washed over Albus' hand before dripping down onto Harry's old blanket.

"AHHH!" Albus cried out. "IT HURTS!"

"Albus, don't worry." Harry said as he jumped to action. He took his wand out of his holster as he leapt to his son's aid. With a wave, Harry non-verbally casted a healing charm on his son's lacerated hand.

Eventually, the pain dulled enough for Albus to regain his focus. With a muted exclamation, Albus said, "Ah, your blanket."

Harry ignored his childhood memento on the floor. "The problems you have now are important." Harry quietly assured. "And since they are important to you, they are important to me. Because I love you and I will always want you to be my son." Harry promised.

By now, Albus' hand was more or less fine. He pulled it away from Harry's tender grasp and squeaked out, "I wish I could believe that dad. I wish I could."

Harry attempted to assure further, but saw Albus take a few tepid steps back.

"Okay, then." Harry relented. "I think we have had enough. Take your suitcase outside and make sure everything is ready. If we hurry, I think we can make it to the train so that you can meet up with Scorpius."

Albus' eyes widened at hearing his friend's name but he said nothing. Instead, he hefted up his luggage and ran out of the door, leaving his room.

Now standing alone in his son's room, Harry absorbed the silence. He slowly looked down and carefully lowered to pick up his now, potion and glass ridden, blanket. The tears welling up in his own eyes only served to ruin his childhood memento further.