Telling the Truth
Kendra dropped by her neighbour's home to pick up her two youngest children, Al in tow. Katharine Prewett was worried out of her wits. "Is he OK? What happened? All the kids will tell me is that he was worried for their safety, and he made the mean Muggles attack him and leave Anna alone!" She said; her kind face concerned. Al found his voice. "Hi, Mrs P. I'm fine. Sweet Merlin, I didn't know Muggles could swing as hard as Beaters! Or cause as much damage. Not with a stick, anyway." He giggled uncontrollably. Katharine just nodded. "I hope you stay OK, Al. You might want to consider seeing a Healer." Kendra nodded. "Yes, we're going to. As soon as I get my kids home safely, and get the full story out of them, we are going to see a Healer about Al's injuries."
Al shot her a worried look. "We won't be telling them anything they don't need to know, darling," Kendra assured him. "And whatever you needed to tell us that had to be kept secret doesn't fall into that category." Al sighed with relief. A few seconds later, he was almost knocked over, as Ari tackled him in a hard hug. "Take it easy, Ari! I think you got a few bruises there," Al wheezed, hugging her back, before ruffling his brother's hair. "I'm fine, guys. Just a few bruises and scratches; nothing to worry about." He assured them.
Once they got home, Kendra fire called Percival. "Honey, can you come home early, please? Al has some things he needs to tell us about, and I think they may be urgent." Percival nodded. "Of course I can, Kendra. Family always comes first. Do you need me to pick up anything on the way?" Percival was certain his children could not possibly have finished their shopping trip. "Bread and milk, please. The rest can wait until tomorrow, we'll all go together." Kendra replied.
About fifteen minutes later, Percival apparated into the family home. "Ok, Kendy," He said, using his nickname for his wife, "where's the fire?" Kendra gave a weak laugh. "If only it was that simple, Percy. I've just found out that our eldest son is being possessed by something he refers to as 'nothing for us to worry about', and rescued him from almost getting beaten to death by a Muggle because Anna accidentally performed magic, and then couldn't do it again on command."
"Oooookay. The world has officially gone insane," replied Percival, before hugging his wife. "Well? Throw it at me, there's nothing this family can't deal with if it sticks together." He added, calmly. Al stared at him. "You're taking this better than you did the first time around," he said, quietly. "The first time around, when you found out what the Muggles did to Ari, you attacked them. You ended up in Azkaban. You died there." Percival turned to his eldest child. "What in the name of Merlin on a pogo stick are you talking about, Albus?"
Kendra, however, had an inkling. "First time around, Albus Percival? Does that mean you're a time-traveller or something?" Al stared at her, shocked, before spluttering, "How did you know? Why do you always know everything?" Kendra laughed. "I don't always know everything, Albie. That was a lucky guess, combined with a few things I saw before you slammed those shields into place. I was trying to figure out how some of them were possible, because they were so far in the future. Now it makes sense."
Al looked scared. "How much did you see, Mum?" "I saw someone shooting a curse at you; it couldn't have been Avada, because it was three shades too pale for that." Kendra answered. She was about to continue when Percival broke in. "There's a time-travel curse which matches exactly that description, Kendy." He looked at Al in fascination. "Son, did you know that what happened to you was going to happen today?" Al shook his head. "No, Dad. In the first timeline, we couldn't get there in time to protect Ari. The Muggles tormented her so badly she lost control of her magic. She never voluntarily used it again, but it would burst out of her when she was particularly emotional. You attacked the Muggles who had hurt Ari. You died in Azkaban. Ari lost control of her magic during a rage a few years later, and killed mum. Then a couple of years after that, when Ari was 14, she lost control again, during a wand fight between me and someone I had considered a close friend, and no-one knows who cast the curse that killed her."
Albus took a deep breath, and went into more detail, knowing he had to tell them everything. "When Ari lost control of her magic that horrible day she was attacked, you attacked the Muggles who did it to her. After your well publicised arrest and imprisonment in Azkaban, we moved from here to a town named Godric's Hollow to escape curiosity and speculation. We became secretive, hiding Ari because she was a danger to the Statute of Secrecy. People must have thought we were ashamed of her because she was a squib or something. As I became a student, I became ambitious. I loved to learn, and soon my thirst for knowledge overpowered my care for my family. I neglected Ari and Abe. Abe and I were at Hogwarts when Ari's rage killed Mum" Al was openly crying by now, but Albus ploughed on, recklessly.
"A few years later, I was already a well-respected young wizard, and a power-hungry prat. I justified my ideas and thirst for power and domination by saying that wizards had power that Muggles didn't, and those with power have a duty to guide, serve, and protect those without power. Gellbert, by friend, had no such qualms, although I failed to recognise it at the time, because I was so happy to have someone who understood me, and who shared my goals, or so I believed. After some time, we started making plans for world domination. We needed to set off in search of some magical artefacts. The Deathly Hallows."
Albus choked out the words, before forcing himself to continue. "All the time I was with Bertie, I was ignoring, and neglecting, Abe and Ari. I was openly cruel to them, by the actions and deeds I failed to do, because I was too busy gaining power and respect and standing in the community to worry about what happened to my family. I was brought back to earth with a terrible crash when Abe tried to force me to listen to some particularly unpalatable home-truths, and Bertie used the Cruciatus curse on him. Ari entered the fray, no doubt trying to protect me and Abe from Bertie. No-one knows who cast the curse which killed Ari. I was sent back in time at the age of 149…." Albus trailed off, unable to keep going.
"And you've been carrying all that guilt around, on top of whatever else you managed to do over that long life, for all this time, haven't you?" Percival finished. He didn't need to be answered; he knew that was his son's nature already.
"When I woke up this morning, I felt weird. My older self recognised today as soon as we walked into the kitchen this morning." Percival nodded. "I thought you went still for a moment. I just assumed you'd had a dizzy spell." Al smiled. "That was a convenient assumption for me, dad. But no, it wasn't a dizzy spell. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I knew today was the day Ari got attacked in the first time-line. I knew I had to have her with me at all costs, and I had to protect her at all costs.
Percival nodded. "I wondered why you seemed so desperate to keep them close this morning. I would have expected you to want their company, but I hadn't expected that level of desperation. Still, I don't blame you, Son. I would have done the exact same thing." He sighed, turning to his wife. "Can you guarantee that those Muggles won't be a problem to our kids any more, Kendy?" "I want to, but I don't think I can, Percy. Not even with what Al told me at the scene," Kendra replied, sadly.
Percival took this calmly, much to the surprise of his eldest son. "What? You're all safe, I don't have to go and yell at a Muggle for hurting my kids, and you wonder why I'm so calm?" He asked, laughing. "Relax, Albie. You're safe, and that's all that matters. However, since your mother can't guarantee those Muggles won't attack you kids again, if they feel like entertainment, I think it might still be a good idea for us to move to this Godric's Hollow. We'll all be safe, and we can still get you to Hogwarts, and it would be good to know that my kids won't be attacked every time they perform accidental magic." Percival said, smiling gently.
Albus blew out a deep breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "So, when do we start making plans? I'm glad I don't have to try an justify my dad being in Azkaban to Hogwarts this year, like I did last time. It'll be nice to be inviting and friendly to our new neighbours, rather than secretive and rude. And you're going to love Godric's Hollow, Dad. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Apparently it was Godric Gryffindor's home for some time. There's a large house on a hill just outside the village, named Godric's Keep. That's rumoured to be the house he lived in, and a Gryffindor family property."
Kendra smiled. "It sounds wonderful, Al. We'll start the preparations for moving, then. You guys have some more time to spend with your friends here, and promise them that we'll send them our new address when we move to the Hollow, OK?" Percival nodded. He trusted his wife's judgement about this, and he was proud of how brave and strong his kids were, even though he wasn't quite sure that was a good thing, as far as Albus went. The boy had a bad habit of hoarding guilt, and letting it eat at him. The last time it had gotten this bad…. Actually, no. There had been some bad times, but Percival couldn't really remember it ever getting as bad as it was now, as far as guilt and Al were concerned.
He knew he'd have to send his wife and younger kids off on an errand before trying to deal with it, he always had for the other times, and they weren't as bad as this one. 'Deal with it'… Well, frankly Percival preferred the severely emotionally drained son he knew he would be trying to help afterwards to the state Al was in right now. Merlin alone knew what the boy had managed to pile on top of all the guilt about what had happened to Anna, and all the side-effects. 'Yeah, this is going to be one doozy of a guilt-relief session. At least it can't kill us. I have no doubt at least one of us is going to wish it would, but it won't, and that's the only good news I can see right now. Oh yeah, and he's off to Hogwarts. Don't know how to deal with that. Hope he doesn't have a breakdown or something when he sees the place; he hasn't been back there in some years. And yet, the older half must think he was there only two days ago. Hell, that's confusing enough. I think I'll have dinner and go to bed.' Percival shook his head, trying to clear the morbid train of thought, before turning to speak to his family.
"Kids, help your mum with the dinner things, and then I think it might be a good idea to have a quiet night. We've had a weird, eventful day, and tomorrow may not be any better. Kendy, can I get you to take Anna and Abe out for the day?" Al looked a little confused, but suddenly got what Percival was trying to say.
"Dad's right, Mum. You might want to stay out for as long as possible, tomorrow's not going to be a day you guys will want to be home for. Maybe next weekend we could have a picnic or something. I think I want a quiet week, you know, get back into the routine, work out what Albus Senior can and can't do and say, work out why Albus Senior wanted to cast spells I don't think I've even heard of on those Muggle bullies- Disarming and restraining spells, nothing damaging or harmful- and seemed perfectly confident that I could do it without a wand or even words, that sort of thing." He gave a slight shudder. "A quiet night sounds really good, you know. Then we can deal with everything else in the morning." "Agreed" from Kendra. "Spag Bol for dinner?" "Sounds great." Replied her family, before dissolving into the organised chaos which generally happens when four people try to help prepare for a meal.