Never Too Late
Chapter 8: Anxiety
Harry walked out of his bedroom in the middle of the night. He had been there ever since he had gotten home. He dosed off, knowing that his children were already fed. He walked down the stairs to see his daughter lying on the couch asleep as the TV played a late night show. He quietly walked over to her and gently picked up his baby girl, cradling her to make sure she would not fall. Her eyes briefly opened as she smiled at her father. He carried her up the staircase where he heard the faint music coming from Alex's bedroom. He opened Lily's bedroom door, carried her to her bed, and placed her onto it while he covered her up with the bed spread that donned her favorite cartoon.
"Dad?"
"Yes, hun."
"I like her."
Harry couldn't help but smile. "I know you do,"
"You th-" She stuttered. She swallowed and tried again. "You think maybe you two-"
"I doubt it." He interrupted her. "Besides, we just saw each other for the first time in almost twenty years. Lets not worry about building a relationship." He kissed her on her forehead, "get some sleep."
"Love you, dad."
"Love you too." He closed the door behind him and went to Alex's door. He knocked on it and waited for him to answer. When no acknowledgment came, he went ahead and opened it. He peered inside his son's messy room seeing him lying on his bed with his back to the door. The lights were still on and his music was playing on a low volume. "You can pretend all you want, I know you are awake."
Alex rolled over onto his back, now staring at the ceiling where he had placed a poster of a band called, AFI. "I need to talk to you, son." Harry said. "It's about an incident while you were picking up your sister."
"They were picking on Lily."
"I know, but you should have done something less magical and a lot less obvious of what you are."
"What I am," Alex scoffed. "A freak."
"You are not a freak, Alexander." Harry said with a stern father tone. "If you are, then doesn't that mean Christopher is, or me, or Lily, or.your mother?"
Alex turned back facing the wall once more. Harry closed his eyes and turned away. The pain still lingered even from two years in the past. "I got the matter resolved." Harry finally added as he widened the opening, making his way out. "Be relieved that it came to me before my supervisor had seen it." With that, Harry closed the door behind him. His thumb and index finger massaged his forehead as he walked to his room.
Hermione awoke the next morning by Ginny shaking her. She abruptly sat up from her makeshift bed, nearly colliding her head with Ginny's. "Wha.what's wrong?"
"It's nearly 10," Ginny said anxiously. "We have to go downtown!"
Hermione sighed, it felt good sleeping in even though it was on the floor. There was no use in fighting Ginny though. She got up, grabbed one of her bags, and proceeded into the bathroom. Hermione started the water and turned on the shower when Ginny knocked on the door. "How long you think you'll be?"
"Give me a half hour," Hermione yawned as she started to undress herself. The hot water produced enough steam to fog the big mirror. She stepped into the shower and immediately felt relief as the water fell upon her skin. The sensation of the water relaxed her as the heat woke her up. She cleaned herself off with the soap Ginny had in there. A scent of lavender filled the moist heavy air.
Hermione turned off the water and stepped out onto a towel she had placed to prevent her from slipping. She dried herself off and dressed herself. She was in the middle of drying her hair when Ginny knocked on the door again. Hermione went ahead and opened it so she could enter. The room was still full of steam but it dissipated quickly with the door opened.
"So where do you want to go first?" Ginny stated.
"Go? Go where?"
"Shopping of course. This is the first time you've been to the states, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you have to go shopping. My old roommates drug me downtown my first weekend I was here and I love it to this day. Now its my turn to show someone." Ginny finished with pride in her voice. Hermione didn't want to imagine what she had gotten herself into.
They walked into the park around four in the afternoon and sat on a bench, overlooking the huge fountain. They had eleven bags between the two of them. "I can't believe how much stuff I got. I didn't expect to spend this much." Hermione said.
"Don't sweat it." Ginny replied, trying to comfort Hermione. "Look, you needed some new clothes. You can't go around looking plain all the time that's just too dull, especially here."
"I haven't really seen anything special, besides the fact that Alex could cast without a wand."
Ginny looked over at Hermione with a surprised look. "So his son is one too. What about the others?"
"I don't know for sure. I've only seen Alex so far. The spell he used was a powerful one though. I am surprised he could pull it off."
"He's definitely Harry's son if he is doing spells that are supposed to be out of his league. When did you see this?"
"Yesterday," Hermione said. "He rescued his sister from a gang of ruffians."
"Were they Muggles?"
"I believe so." Hermione said. As soon as she saw Ginny's eyes widened she continued. "But I took the liberty of erasing their memories."
"Still," Ginny gasped. "Its no wonder NADOM didn't show up."
"NADOM?" asked Hermione, she heard Alex say the same thing that day as well.
"North American Department of Magic. It is similar to the Ministry of Magic back home, but they run an even tighter ship, so to say." She explained. "Something like what Alex did would have gotten him in serious trouble. I wonder why they didn't show."
"So what is next on our agenda?" Hermione asked when something caught her eye. She peered up to see a group of teenagers, all dressed in dark baggy clothing and hair in unnatural colors with numerous piercings. One stood out from the rest. His brilliant emerald green eyes were noticeable from afar. His hair was let down, extending past his shoulders. It was Alex. Ginny followed Hermione's eyes to see the sight. Her eyes fixated on the same person. She turned back to look at Hermione.
"That's Alex."
"Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed looking back at him. "He is almost an exact copy of Harry, minus the scar of course."
Alex sat on the ledge of the fountain with the rest of his friends. He talked to the young woman sitting beside him with long blue colored bangs and short black hair. "So Xander, you still going to follow through on that promise?"
Alex smiled. "I don't see a problem that would cause me not to."
She returned a smile and moved her hand next to Alex's. He hesitated for a second then gently placed his on top of hers. No sooner as Alex felt contentment, he heard his name being called from down the park.
"ALEX!" yelled Chris as he ran towards his little brother. Lily was trying to keep up but stopped in front of Hermione when she recognized her. Lily's eyes were red and full of tears.
Alex quickly removed his hand from Nadine's and stood up. His brother approached him, revealing a face that Alex had seen a time before, two years ago. Immediately his eyes had widened.
"What is it? What is wrong!?" asked Hermione as Lily hugged her, sobbing.
"It's Dad!" she cried. "He's been hurt!"
Chapter 8: Anxiety
Harry walked out of his bedroom in the middle of the night. He had been there ever since he had gotten home. He dosed off, knowing that his children were already fed. He walked down the stairs to see his daughter lying on the couch asleep as the TV played a late night show. He quietly walked over to her and gently picked up his baby girl, cradling her to make sure she would not fall. Her eyes briefly opened as she smiled at her father. He carried her up the staircase where he heard the faint music coming from Alex's bedroom. He opened Lily's bedroom door, carried her to her bed, and placed her onto it while he covered her up with the bed spread that donned her favorite cartoon.
"Dad?"
"Yes, hun."
"I like her."
Harry couldn't help but smile. "I know you do,"
"You th-" She stuttered. She swallowed and tried again. "You think maybe you two-"
"I doubt it." He interrupted her. "Besides, we just saw each other for the first time in almost twenty years. Lets not worry about building a relationship." He kissed her on her forehead, "get some sleep."
"Love you, dad."
"Love you too." He closed the door behind him and went to Alex's door. He knocked on it and waited for him to answer. When no acknowledgment came, he went ahead and opened it. He peered inside his son's messy room seeing him lying on his bed with his back to the door. The lights were still on and his music was playing on a low volume. "You can pretend all you want, I know you are awake."
Alex rolled over onto his back, now staring at the ceiling where he had placed a poster of a band called, AFI. "I need to talk to you, son." Harry said. "It's about an incident while you were picking up your sister."
"They were picking on Lily."
"I know, but you should have done something less magical and a lot less obvious of what you are."
"What I am," Alex scoffed. "A freak."
"You are not a freak, Alexander." Harry said with a stern father tone. "If you are, then doesn't that mean Christopher is, or me, or Lily, or.your mother?"
Alex turned back facing the wall once more. Harry closed his eyes and turned away. The pain still lingered even from two years in the past. "I got the matter resolved." Harry finally added as he widened the opening, making his way out. "Be relieved that it came to me before my supervisor had seen it." With that, Harry closed the door behind him. His thumb and index finger massaged his forehead as he walked to his room.
Hermione awoke the next morning by Ginny shaking her. She abruptly sat up from her makeshift bed, nearly colliding her head with Ginny's. "Wha.what's wrong?"
"It's nearly 10," Ginny said anxiously. "We have to go downtown!"
Hermione sighed, it felt good sleeping in even though it was on the floor. There was no use in fighting Ginny though. She got up, grabbed one of her bags, and proceeded into the bathroom. Hermione started the water and turned on the shower when Ginny knocked on the door. "How long you think you'll be?"
"Give me a half hour," Hermione yawned as she started to undress herself. The hot water produced enough steam to fog the big mirror. She stepped into the shower and immediately felt relief as the water fell upon her skin. The sensation of the water relaxed her as the heat woke her up. She cleaned herself off with the soap Ginny had in there. A scent of lavender filled the moist heavy air.
Hermione turned off the water and stepped out onto a towel she had placed to prevent her from slipping. She dried herself off and dressed herself. She was in the middle of drying her hair when Ginny knocked on the door again. Hermione went ahead and opened it so she could enter. The room was still full of steam but it dissipated quickly with the door opened.
"So where do you want to go first?" Ginny stated.
"Go? Go where?"
"Shopping of course. This is the first time you've been to the states, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you have to go shopping. My old roommates drug me downtown my first weekend I was here and I love it to this day. Now its my turn to show someone." Ginny finished with pride in her voice. Hermione didn't want to imagine what she had gotten herself into.
They walked into the park around four in the afternoon and sat on a bench, overlooking the huge fountain. They had eleven bags between the two of them. "I can't believe how much stuff I got. I didn't expect to spend this much." Hermione said.
"Don't sweat it." Ginny replied, trying to comfort Hermione. "Look, you needed some new clothes. You can't go around looking plain all the time that's just too dull, especially here."
"I haven't really seen anything special, besides the fact that Alex could cast without a wand."
Ginny looked over at Hermione with a surprised look. "So his son is one too. What about the others?"
"I don't know for sure. I've only seen Alex so far. The spell he used was a powerful one though. I am surprised he could pull it off."
"He's definitely Harry's son if he is doing spells that are supposed to be out of his league. When did you see this?"
"Yesterday," Hermione said. "He rescued his sister from a gang of ruffians."
"Were they Muggles?"
"I believe so." Hermione said. As soon as she saw Ginny's eyes widened she continued. "But I took the liberty of erasing their memories."
"Still," Ginny gasped. "Its no wonder NADOM didn't show up."
"NADOM?" asked Hermione, she heard Alex say the same thing that day as well.
"North American Department of Magic. It is similar to the Ministry of Magic back home, but they run an even tighter ship, so to say." She explained. "Something like what Alex did would have gotten him in serious trouble. I wonder why they didn't show."
"So what is next on our agenda?" Hermione asked when something caught her eye. She peered up to see a group of teenagers, all dressed in dark baggy clothing and hair in unnatural colors with numerous piercings. One stood out from the rest. His brilliant emerald green eyes were noticeable from afar. His hair was let down, extending past his shoulders. It was Alex. Ginny followed Hermione's eyes to see the sight. Her eyes fixated on the same person. She turned back to look at Hermione.
"That's Alex."
"Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed looking back at him. "He is almost an exact copy of Harry, minus the scar of course."
Alex sat on the ledge of the fountain with the rest of his friends. He talked to the young woman sitting beside him with long blue colored bangs and short black hair. "So Xander, you still going to follow through on that promise?"
Alex smiled. "I don't see a problem that would cause me not to."
She returned a smile and moved her hand next to Alex's. He hesitated for a second then gently placed his on top of hers. No sooner as Alex felt contentment, he heard his name being called from down the park.
"ALEX!" yelled Chris as he ran towards his little brother. Lily was trying to keep up but stopped in front of Hermione when she recognized her. Lily's eyes were red and full of tears.
Alex quickly removed his hand from Nadine's and stood up. His brother approached him, revealing a face that Alex had seen a time before, two years ago. Immediately his eyes had widened.
"What is it? What is wrong!?" asked Hermione as Lily hugged her, sobbing.
"It's Dad!" she cried. "He's been hurt!"
