Five days after Albus had woken up, the Healers said that he could be discharged from the hospital. They evaluated his mental state and, to everyone's relief, concluded that he was completely sane. However, they warned Albus and his parents that psychological problems, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, may occur after what happened to him.

The tremors in Albus's hands were almost completely gone, and he needed to take the potion just for two more weeks. The main problem was the residual pain from the Cruciatus Curse. After trying different doses and potions, Healer Austen calculated the right basal dose of a strong analgesic potion, which should keep Albus free from pain for most of the day. He was given a small self-refilling flask of potion which he was to keep with him constantly and take every six hours. Unfortunately, even the strongest potion wasn't always enough, and Albus still suffered from breakthrough pains. In such cases, he was instructed to drink as much potion as he needed. His family, as well as Scorpius and Draco, were taught how to administer the potion in cases Albus was unable to do it himself because of extreme pain.

The morning he was going to be discharged, Albus was sitting on the bed in his hospital room, waiting for his mum, who was getting final instructions from Healer Austen. Ginny had come in the morning, packed Albus's things, and helped him dress. She said that Lily and James couldn't wait to have him back home, and that Harry was making his favourite meal. Family members were constantly asking when they could come to visit Albus. Everyone was ready for the reunion. Everyone except Albus.

His heart was beating madly in his chest and his hands were trembling, not because of the curse, but because he was terrified. He wasn't scared of going home, actually he couldn't wait to be back in his house where he knew every corner. What scared Albus was the upcoming journey between his hospital room and the Apparition zone.

In the few days he'd spent in this room, he'd learned its layout pretty well. He knew where the bed was, the cupboard with his things, how to get to the adjacent bathroom. And it was a small, enclosed space, so even when he got disoriented, he quickly found something familiar to situate himself. He couldn't get lost in this room.

But now he needed to leave the room and go to the Apparition zone on the ground floor. It was a long journey, in an open and unfamiliar space, full of other people. Albus knew that his mum was going to be with him all the time, but what if they got separated? What if he got lost? He didn't know the hospital; he hadn't been here before. What if he bumped into something and hurt himself? What if he fell down the stairs and broke his neck? What if-

Albus took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Everything would be fine. His mum would never leave him alone. He trusted her.

The door opened and someone came in.

"Are you ready?" his mother asked.

No, I'm not, thought Albus.

"Yes, I'm ready," he said out loud instead and stood up.

He heard a rustle as his mother took the bag with his things and a moment later felt her tapping the back of his hand with her fingers. He quickly grabbed her upper arm. Healer Austen said that it was the best way to hold a person who was guiding you.

"Mum?" Albus said quietly.

"Yes, darling?" He could feel that she was looking at him.

"You- you won't leave me alone, right?" He hated himself for being so weak but he couldn't help it. "You won't lose me?"

"That's what's been troubling you?" Ginny hugged her son tightly. "Of course I won't lose you. How could I?"

"You promise?" Albus asked, his face buried in her chest.

"I promise."

Relieved, Albus broke the embrace and grabbed his mother's arm again.

"Can we go?" Ginny asked gently.

Albus nodded and together they left the room. As soon as they stepped into the corridor, Albus tightened his grip on his mum's arm. He knew he would probably leave bruises on her arm but he was too afraid to lessen the grip. Ginny didn't complain.

The journey through the hospital was slow but uneventful. They used an elevator so Albus didn't have to worry about tripping down the stairs. His mum informed him every time they were taking a turn, walking through a door or through a group of people. Still, Albus felt lost and his only anchor was her arm. There was only darkness around him, and a lot of noises that made him disoriented.

Finally they reached their destination and Albus released a long breath of relief. Ginny grabbed her son's hand and on the count of three Apparated them home. A second later they were standing in the living room.

"Albus!" Before he could regain his composure after travelling miles in a blink of an eye, someone hugged him so tightly that he could hardly breathe.

"Lily," he said, and hugged her back. Her long hair tickled his nose.

"Lily, let Albus breathe," said Harry in an admonishing tone, though Albus could hear that his dad was smiling. The moment his sister released him from her embrace, he felt another set of arms around him, strong but gentle. He relaxed as his dad hugged him, and smiled. He felt truly safe.

"It's good to have you back home," Harry whispered in Albus's ear. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit tired," admitted Albus. "I need to sit down. I feel a little dizzy."

Harry guided his son to the couch and sat down beside him. Ginny joined them on Albus's other side. Sensing their concern, Albus sadly smiled.

"I'm fine, really," he said, trying to dispel their worries. "I'm just tired again. I know I shouldn't be. I sleep over twelve hours a day."

"That's normal," said Harry. "Your body and mind were put under extreme pressure. You need a lot of rest and sleep to regain your strength. So don't worry, you can sleep as much as you want."

Albus nodded and smiled. "But now I'm more hungry than sleepy."

"That's great because I made your favourite meal," said Harry, and he stood up, heading to the kitchen.

"Where's James?" asked Albus when he realised that his brother hadn't greeted him. "He didn't visit me in the hospital either. Not even once," he added, trying not to sound hurt.

The room went quiet. Albus could hear birds singing outside. He felt as if everyone in the room, except him, had suddenly had vanished.

"Are you still here?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, we're here." Ginny hurried to reassure him and took his hand. "James, he..."

"Did something happen to him? Is he ill or-"

"No, sweetheart, he's alright," Ginny said. "He just- Albus, I'm sorry, I tried to persuade him to visit you every day, but he just kept telling me to leave him alone. Today I almost begged him to come downstairs and welcome you back home but he didn't even look at me."

"Why doesn't he want to see me?" Albus asked, upset. "Is he still mad at me because of that silly argument?"

"We don't know," answered Harry, his voice travelling from the doorway. "We tried to talk with him but he didn't say a word. But I don't think your argument is the reason for that."

Albus shrugged, trying to convince everyone, including himself, that he didn't care. But in reality his brother's rejection hurt him a lot.

"James is an asshole," said Lily, matter-of-factly.

"Lily!" Ginny was outraged. "Don't call your brother such a name!"

"But it's true," Lily said innocently, making Albus smile.

"Alright," Harry cut her off. "Let's eat before the dinner gets cold."

After lunch, Ginny walked Albus to his room. He was tired so she told him to take a nap. But Albus didn't go straight to bed. There was one more thing he needed to do before he could rest.

He walked back and forth around his room, counting and trying to remember how many steps it was from the door to the bed, from the bed to the desk, and so on. He needed to learn every detail of the layout of his room, so he could move as freely as possible, without bumping into furniture. He intended to do the same for the rest of the house. He also organised things on his desk, giving everything a proper place, so he wouldn't have to spend ages looking for them. He thought that his clothes also needed some kind of organisation, probably by colour, but he obviously would need a help in that.

He was still organising his desk when someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Albus called.

The door opened.

"Hi, Al. May I come in?" It was unmistakably his brother's voice.

"James?" Albus asked surprised. He hadn't expected that. "Yeah, sure, be my guest." He said it politely but added a bit of an angry note at the end, for good measure. He knew why James was here and he didn't intend to make it too easy for him.

He felt James passing him and heard him sitting on his desk's chair. Albus sat cross-legged on the bed and waited for James to start speaking.

"What were you doing?" asked James after a moment of awkward silence. "I thought you were sleeping but heard you walking around your room. I came to see if you're alright."

"I was memorising the layout of the room. That's the only reason you came here? To check on me? I thought you didn't care," Albus said harshly.

"Albus, I do care about you."

"Really?" Albus asked sarcastically. "You didn't visit me in the hospital. You didn't greet me today when I came home. Yeah, that's really caring."

James was silent for a long time and Albus would have given anything to see his face.

"I'm sorry," James said finally, and Albus had to admit that he sounded genuinely sorry. "I didn't visit you in the hospital because I was scared."

Albus scoffed. "Scared? Of what? Of me?"

"I was scared and ashamed," James mumbled. "I was ashamed because I thought it was my fault that you left the house and was attacked."

"It's not your fault," Albus cut him off.

"I know that. Mum and dad explained it to me. But I was scared because I- because I didn't know how to behave around you, how to talk with you-"

"You're talking to me now. How are you doing it?" Albus's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oi, Albus, don't be mean. It's hard to explain, even to myself." Albus heard a strange, clicking sound, and after a moment he realised that James was playing with a pen. He often did that when he was nervous. "I'm good at jokes and pranks, but I never know how to behave around sick or hurt people. I get uncomfortable around them, I don't know what to say, how to comfort them, I'm afraid that I'll say something insensitive-"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Albus interrupted his brother. "But I'm still the same old Albus. I haven't changed even though I'm blind."

"I know," said James.

"Do you?" Albus was sceptical.

"I really do. I see that now. And I'm sorry it took me so long."

"You would have realised it earlier, if you had just talked with me," Albus pointed out.

"I know," James said. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I wasn't mad. A little angry but mostly hurt. I thought you didn't want to see me. That you rejected me," Albus admitted.

"No, I would never do that," James said vehemently. "I'm sorry, I'll try to be a better brother."

"Sure. We'll see."

"Albus, have some faith in me," James said. For a moment they sat in awkward silence, then James spoke again. "Okay, you said you were memorising you room, right? Do you need any help?"

"Actually, yes. I need to organise my clothes, preferably by colour. Obviously I need help with that."

"Yeah, sure," said James and Albus heard him getting up and walking towards the wardrobe.

"By the way, don't mess with things on my desk and shelves. Everything now has a proper place so I don't have to look for everything constantly."

"Right," said James and opened the wardrobe. "Merlin, Albus, almost everything is black, grey or green!"

"I'm a Slytherin, am I not?" said Albus, who was still sitting on the bed and playing with the dog toy Lily insisted that he kept.

"And I bet Scorpius said that you looked handsome in green and that it suited your eyes."

"James!" Albus blushed and threw the dog in James's direction.

"You always had a bad aim but now it's terrible," laughed James.

Albus grabbed a pillow and threw it at this brother. Judging by James's outrageous shriek, he hit him squarely in the head.

In the evening, after finishing his work on Albus's case and discussing his intentions with Ginny, Harry went to his son's bedroom. The lights in the room were switched off so his first thought was that Albus was sleeping and he would have to postpone their talk to tomorrow. But then Harry realised that Albus didn't need lights anymore. It was always dark for him. So he knocked lightly, waiting for response.

"Yes?" came his son's voice.

Harry opened the door and peeked inside. "Hi, Albus. You're not sleeping?"

"No, just resting. Come in," Albus said, sitting up on the bed.

Harry turned on the light, shut the door behind himself and sat down on the bed beside his son. He looked at Albus and smiled but his smile quickly faded when he realised that Albus couldn't see him. In the last week Harry realised how many emotions and feelings people expressed just through their faces and how hard it was to convey everything you felt just using your voice.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked Albus, smiling again and hoping that his son could hear that smile in his voice.

"Dad, you asked me this question half an hour ago," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "I'm fine. You don't have to check on me all the time."

"Did you take your potions today?"

"Yes, the potion for tremors in the morning and the pain potion just an hour ago."

"Did you have any pains today?" Harry asked concerned.

"No," said Albus, a little too quickly.

"Albus, please, tell me. Don't hide it from me."

Albus hesitated. "Yes, I had," he admitted with a sigh. "In the morning, before mum came for me. But I drank the potion and it quickly worked. I haven't felt any pain since then."

"How much potion did you drink?"

"Um- more than a flask," Albus muttered, almost like he was ashamed of it.

That was a lot. Normally Albus only needed half a flask to stop the pain attack.

"Albus, you know that you can drink as much potion as you need, right? Don't think that you drink too much or too often. It's important that you don't feel any pain."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks. And I'm fine now. Really."

"I'm glad," said Harry and became silent for a while, musing over his next words. "I'd like to talk with you," he finally said and after Albus nodded encouragingly, he added: "About the attack."

"Oh?" Surprise was evident on Albus's face.

"I understand perfectly if you're not ready and don't want to talk about it and I won't press you. But I'd like to- well, it's more than just a talk- though if you want to just talk, then I'm always there, whenever you need me- but now I'm asking you to-"

"Dad, say it already. What do you want?" asked Albus, almost sounding amused by Harry's struggle.

"Well, I'd like to hear your testimony." Harry paused, waiting for Albus's reaction, but Albus was just listening, no emotions on his face. "We had testimonies from eyewitnesses, we questioned many people who may have a connection to this case, but we still haven't moved forward in the investigation. Your testimony is vital and may help us immensely."

"If I tell you everything that happened, everything I saw, you'll be able to catch him?" Albus asked hopefully.

"I can't promise you anything but I believe your information will be the most useful." Harry unbuttoned his waistcoat, feeling more confident now, when Albus seemed to be fine with testifying. He had been afraid that Albus would freak out and wouldn't say a word.

"Alright. I'll tell you everything I remember," Albus said with a resolution.

"Thank you," Harry sighed in relief. "Normally an eyewitness gives a testimony at the Ministry, in an official procedure, but since I'm the Head of the Department, I can carry out the hearing here. I guess you'll be more comfortable in the house than in an unfamiliar Ministry room."

"Thanks, Dad. Going to the Ministry doesn't sound appealing at the moment." Albus picked up Lily's toy dog and started playing with it. For Harry it was a clear sign that he was nervous.

"Your every word will be written down by a special quill on an enchanted paper that you can't erase anything from," Harry explained. "And I may ask you strange and detailed questions. But if you want to stop, at any moment, just tell me. We can continue later."

"Okay, Dad. I'm ready," said Albus confidently, though Harry could see that his hands were shaking just a bit.

Harry summoned the quill and paper, and put them on the desk, where the quill positioned itself over the sheet, ready to write down every word.

"Just start from the beginning," he said gently to Albus. "From the moment you left the house in the evening on the 7th of August. Do you remember what time you left the house?"

Albus frowned. "About half past nine, I think. I went straight to the park, I like walking there to think or to calm down."

"Did you see anyone or anything suspicious on your way to the park?"

Albus thought for a while. "No, I passed a few people but I didn't pay them much attention. They looked normal though, nothing suspicious about them. They were all Muggles, I guess."

"And then you went to the park?"

"Yes, I was walking for about five minutes, and again, I didn't notice anything or anyone suspicious. It was a normal summer evening. And when I was walking down an empty path, I felt-"

Harry took Albus's hand and squeezed it tightly. His heart was beating madly as he was about to hear his son's version of the attack for the first time.

"Suddenly I felt an extreme pain. I collapsed into the grass and started shouting," Albus's voice was shaking but he carried on, filling Harry with pride. "The pain quickly stopped and when I looked up, I saw a man standing over me with his wand pointed at me."

"A man? Could you describe him?"

"I didn't see his face, he had a hood on. He was wearing long, black robes. He was about your height, thin, white, and I think he was rather young."

"And his wand?" Harry pressed.

"It was long and black," answered Albus.

"Did you hear his voice? Would you be able to recognise him by his voice?" The attacker made sure that the only person who had seen him, was unable to recognise him even if he was captured.

"No, he didn't say a word. He must have cast all his spells nonverbally."

"Alright. So you saw him and then-"

"I felt the pain again. And this time it didn't stop. It only got worse and worse. I don't remember much, it's all blurry. All I remember is that I was shouting, writhing in the grass, hoping someone would hear me and then-" Albus abruptly stopped. Harry waited patiently if his son would continue but Albus just hugged his knees to his chest and remained silent.

"We suspect that he cast a soundproof spell around you," Harry said. "That's why no one heard you."

Albus nodded but didn't say anything. Harry saw tears sparkling in his eyes.

"When Mr Parker found you, you were unconscious and there were no signs of the attacker. Did he leave before you fainted?"

Albus shook his head. "No, I was still under the spell when I finally lost consciousness."

"And do you remember the moment you went blind?"

"I had my eyes closed, and besides I was in so much pain that I could barely see. So no, I don't remember when exactly I lost sight."

"We're coming to an end. Just a few more questions. Are you alright, Albus?" Harry asked, stroking his son's hair.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry." Albus tried to appear strong but Harry could see that he was on the verge of crying.

"Did he- torture you continuously or did he do breaks?" With every question Albus's discomfort seemed to be growing and Harry felt worse and worse, knowing he was the reason of that.

"I don't remember exactly. It felt like I was under the spell all the time, but maybe he did breaks," Albus said, voice cracking.

"And did he use only magic? Or did he hurt you physically too, like beat you or- touched you?" That was a question Harry had dreaded to ask but he knew he had to.

"Touched me?" Albus raised his head and looked in Harry's direction, surprised. "What do you mean? Oh!" His expression changed to one of pure horror and disgust when he understood what Harry was asking about. "No. He didn't. No, no, no-"

Apparently a thought that the attacker could have assaulted him in some other ways as well, was too much for Albus. He hid his face in his knees, choked sobs shaking his small frame. Harry scooted over to his son and hugged him tightly. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as well.

"Albus. Al," he whispered. "It's alright. You can tell me everything. There's nothing to be ashamed of. If he did something to you, touched you or-" he couldn't bring himself to say that word aloud.

"He didn't, Dad. I promise," Albus said between sobs.

"Thank you, thank you," Harry said in relief, not exactly knowing who he was thanking. He embraced his son even tighter, wanting to protect him from all the harm in the world.

"I'm just so tired," Albus admitted quietly, after his sobs subsided.

Harry pulled back a bit, so he could see his son properly. Albus's green eyes, almost identical to his own, were brimming with tears, his gaze constantly shifting, but never landing on Harry's face. Harry still couldn't get used to the fact that Albus couldn't maintain eye contact during conversation any longer.

"I'm so tired of pretending that I'm strong and fine," Albus continued. "I'm not. And everyone-" he paused, looking uncertain and somewhat ashamed.

"Albus? Tell me," Harry encouraged him.

Albus took a deep, shaky breath. "Everyone thinks that I'm coping with all this so well, but- the truth is- all I want to do is- is lie in a bed and cry. I'm not fine."

"Albus, no one is expecting you to be instantly fine after what happened to you. You have every right to lie down and cry," Harry said. "And you don't need to pretend to be strong. You are strong. You're the strongest person I know. The fact that you didn't break under the torture shows your strength well enough. And when I see how well you cope with sight loss and effects of the curse – it amazes and inspires me every day."

"Inspires you?" Albus asked perplexed.

"Yes, you give me courage and determination to be just a bit as strong as you are." Harry took Albus's face in his hands and looked him in the eyes. Somehow, Albus's eyes landed directly on his own and for a precious moment Harry could pretend that Albus was seeing him again. "If I were you, I don't think I would cope with such a situation so well. Even if I didn't break under the Cruciatus, going blind would probably destroy me. You're exceptional, Albus."

"You really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it," Harry said fiercely. "Every single word. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Albus said, wiping tears from his eyes. "But why did he do it? Why me?" These were the questions that had been haunting him since he woke up.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but you know I can't answer these questions. Though I have a few speculations. The most obvious one is that he was a Death Eater, or a child of a Death Eater, who wanted revenge on me and knew that attacking my child would hurt me infinitely more than attacking me. However, we questioned many Death Eaters and found no trace of the attacker."

"Dad, do you think that- that Delphi may be behind that attack? That she wanted to retaliate for stopping her last year?" Albus asked anxiously.

"I thought about that too," Harry said. "I even visited her in Azkaban but she didn't say a word. She's kept in a single cell and all her correspondence is read by guards. And I was told that she hadn't written or received any letters during her imprisonment. So for now nothing indicates that she may have any connection to the attack."

"I thought it might have been her. It seemed logical," Albus said, a bit upset that his theory wasn't right.

"I agree. But we must think of other possibilities as well. It may have been a psychopath, an evil man, who just likes hurting other people. It is horrific but there are people out there who take pleasure in causing other people pain. Evil people. It will be even harder to find him if that is the case. We haven't heard of any similar attacks recently."

"Well, I hope my testimony will help you capture him. And quickly, before he hurts another person."

"We're doing our best. My team is working on the case all day and night. And your story is going to help us immensely." Harry ruffled Albus's soft hair. "Are you alright? I hope I didn't press you too hard."

"I'm okay, Dad." Albus smiled weakly. "I really needed to tell someone about this. I feel a bit better now. But if you don't mind, I'm quite tired. I'll take a shower and go to sleep, okay?"

"Of course. Do you need any help?" Harry asked, standing up.

"Maybe walk me to the bathroom? But I'll manage on my own with the shower," Albus stood up as well and grabbed Harry's arm.

"See, that's what I meant when I said that you were strong," Harry said proudly.

Ginny woke suddenly in the middle of the night. She turned to her husband, but Harry was deeply sleeping, snoring slightly. Not knowing what had woken her, she closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep again. But then she heard strange noises from the next room. She sat up and listened carefully. After listening for a while to whimpers and rustling of bedclothes, Ginny knew that Albus was having a nightmare.

She slipped out of the bed, tiptoed from the bedroom, not wanting to disturb Harry's sleep, and went to Albus's room. She opened the door and peeked inside, casting Lumos. Like she suspected, Albus seemed to be having a bad dream. He was tossing in the bed, whimpering and occasionally emitting a soft cry. When Ginny came nearer, she saw that Albus was soaked in sweat and he was gripping blankets so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Albus?" Ginny called softly, sitting on the bed. "Wake up, Albus." She shook him slightly and called his name a little louder.

Finally Albus woke up with a loud gasp. His eyes danced around the room and an expression of pure terror appeared on his face. He sat up abruptly.

"Albus, it's alright. You had a nightmare," Ginny said tenderly, taking his hand.

"Mum?" Albus asked in a choked voice. "I can't see anything," he added, panicked.

"You're blind, sweetheart. Remember?" Ginny said, trying to hold back tears.

An understanding appeared on her son's face when he remembered everything. He nodded and breathed deeply, calming himself.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. I'm fine. Go back to sleep," Albus said, twisting the blanket in his hands.

"You're definitely not fine. You're shaking." Ginny conjured a handkerchief and wiped sweat from Albus's face. "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

"Not really. Besides it's nothing new."

"You had nightmares before?" Ginny asked, worried. "You haven't said anything."

"I have nightmares every time I fall asleep. Even when it's just a short nap. It's almost always the same dream, about the attack, but sometimes I dream about Delphi and Scorpius too."

"Do you want a Sleeping Draught?" Ginny suggested.

"No," Albus said quickly.

"It'll help you to fall asleep and keep you from having bad dreams."

"I don't want to get addicted to that stuff," Albus said. "And it doesn't solve problem, it's just a temporary solution. I need to deal with the nightmares on my own."

"That's very brave," Ginny said, her heart swelling with pride. "But you don't have to deal with it alone. We're all here to help you. I know that you talked with dad about the attack today."

"Yes, and I want to talk with you too, just not now. I'm okay, Mum." Albus gave her a small smile. "I'll just go back to sleep."

"If you say so," Ginny said reluctantly, not fully convinced. "But if you need me, don't be afraid to call. I'll come immediately."

"Thanks, Mum. Goodnight," said Albus, lying down.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

Ginny kissed Albus on the forehead and tucked him in. She wished him pleasant dreams once more and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. After returning to her bed, she lay awake for a long time, listening for any noises indicating that Albus was having another nightmare. Thankfully, she didn't hear anything and finally fell asleep. She dreamed about happy times, before the attack, before the unknown man decided to hurt her son.