8. Home, Sad Home

When his month with the Pomfreys was up, Alastor and the others came into Willow House for lunch to find Augustus waiting in the kitchen, looking quite displeased. Alastor stopped short when he saw his father, the smile on his face fading rapidly.

"Hello, Father."

"Hello, B-Alastor," August answered, his voice cold. "Get your things, it's time to go home."

Alastor nodded before going into the guest room. He quickly gathered his things and bundled them into his trunk. His father was not happy with him for some reason and it would not be wise to antagonize him. While he was double-checking all the nooks and crannies of the room to make sure he didn't leave anything behind, Rremly came in.

"Al?"

"Yeah, Rrem?" Alastor asked, carefully tucking the book of plays Percy had given to him into his trunk.

"Is it really bad for you?" Rremly asked after hesitating a moment. "At your home?"

Alastor shrugged, not looking at his friend. "It's not real bad."

"But it's not good either," the other boy commented quietly; having heard what Alastor had not said.

Alastor sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Yeah, you're right."

"Is there anything the rest of us can do?" Rremly offered quietly.

Alastor nodded as he shut his trunk, and then look at his friend. "Write to me."

"Of course! A promise then," Rremly replied, nodding, that sweet smile on his face again.

At that moment, Augustus entered the room, looking angry. "Boy, what's taking you so long?"

"Nothing, Father," Alastor answered quickly. "I just finished packing."

Augustus glanced at the trunk briefly. "Come along, then."

"Yes, Father." Alastor grabbed one end of his trunk and followed his father from the room.

When he felt the other end of the trunk being lifted, he glanced over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw that Rremly was carrying the other end.

As soon as the family house-elf, Lolo, had taken Alastor's trunk, Augustus grabbed Alastor's upper arm and towed him into the study. He released Alastor's arm with a jerk, sending him crashing to the floor.

"You said the Gryffindors and Hufflepuff wouldn't be there."

"Well, they weren't supposed to be there," Alastor replied, slowly getting to his feet.

Augustus backhanded Alastor across the cheek, the ring with the Moody family crest on his middle finger breaking the bone. "You should have left when you realized they were there."

"No, Father." Alastor glared defiantly up at his father, ignoring the acute pain in his cheek. "They're my friends."

He found himself on the floor again, his other cheek throbbing, but not broken. "Find new friends."

"I can't change my friends as easily as I can change my socks," Alastor told his father quietly, but firmly.

Augustus glared down at his son before pointing at the desk, "Trousers down, hands on desk."

"Oh, Master Al, why do you do this?" Lolo asked as he tended to Alastor's broken cheekbone.

Alastor winced slightly as the bone mended. "I have no choice, Lolo. I can't give up friendships on a whim."

"But Master Al should try to please Master Moody," Lolo counseled, switching to the bruised cheek. "Like Master Aurie does."

Alastor made a sound of annoyance. "Aurelius, always Aurelius."

"Should Lolo punish himself?" Lolo asked, looking up at Alastor with scared brown eyes.

Alastor shook his head. "No, Lolo, you don't need to punish yourself."

"Is Master Al sure?" Lolo questioned.

Alastor sighed and headed for the door. "Yes, Lolo, I'm sure."

Alastor's next stop was his brother's room. "Hello, Alastor."

"Did you say anything to Mother and Father?" Alastor demanded.

Aurelius blinked, apparently startled by the abrupt question. "Of course I have. Are you referring to something in particular?"

"Did you say anything about Griffith, Percy, Belladonna, and Rremly being at Willow House?" Alastor asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Aurelius thought for a moment. "Well… I may have let something slip by accident."

"How would you know?" Alastor was puzzled. As far as he knew, Aurelius hadn't even known about Griffith, Percy, Belladonna, and Rremly.

Silently, Aurelius reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a stack of letters that Alastor recognized immediately. He'd sent them to Aurelius during his time with the Pomfreys. Aurelius flipped through the letters and pulled one out.

"Look at this one."

Alastor took the letter and read it in silence. Handing it back to Aurelius, he said, "You don't slip up, you do things deliberately. Why did you tell Mother and Father?"

"I didn't mean to," Aurelius looked contrite. "They asked about your friend Pomfrey and who his friends are. They caught me out."

Alastor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Great."

Aurelius merely shrugged. "Anyway, I still have some work to finish up."

Knowing a dismissal when he saw one, Alastor left his brother's room. The next month and a half was going to be absolute misery.

Alastor gingerly settled himself in his desk chair. His bottom was still a little sore from the switching his father had given him earlier. Looking at the roll of parchment in front of him, he loaded his quill with ink and began to write.

To everyone:

I'm sorry if Father didn't make a good impression. He...

Alastor crumpled that one up. He had no idea what the others thought of his father. No need to apologize for something he wasn't sure had happened. He pulled out another piece of parchment, loaded up his quill, and started writing again.

Hello all:

Just writing to let you know that I made it home fine. Stew, please thank your parents for letting me stay with you. I had a wonderful time and hope that it won't be the last...

No, that was no good, either. He didn't want them to think he was hinting at anything, even if he was. Sighing, he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, loaded up his quill, and began writing once more.

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I made it home in one piece. No troubles there, really. Stew, please pass my thanks on to your parents for letting me stay for the month. It was really fun and I enjoyed getting to know Poppy, Ro, and Percy's family. My favorite part was the Sunday afternoons.

I don't expect much to happen here between now and September. I guess I'll be seeing you at King's Cross. Maybe Diagon Alley. Who knows? Thanks for all the fun memories!

Alastor.

Alastor sat back and read the letter over. He nodded to himself. He didn't sound pathetic, didn't sound like he was looking for sympathy, and didn't sound like he was looking for another invitation to spend time with the Pomfreys again. Or even from one of the other families. He even sounded cheerful, though he felt far from it. He winced as he stood up, remembering why. Rubbing his sore posterior for a moment, Alastor walked over to the owl his mother had grudgingly bought for him.

"Vertu?"

He hooted softly, looking at him somberly. "I need you to take this to Stew for me, all right?"

The owl hooted again and held his leg out so Alastor could tie the letter to it. "Thanks, boy, I really appreciate it." He carried him to the bedroom window and watched him fly into the distance. Stewart would reply at least, and maybe Rremly.

Leaning on the windowsill, Alastor stared out at the night sky, almost wishing he could fly away himself. As he stared, a dark blot caught his attention. Frowning, he watched it grow larger. After a few moments, he realized it was an owl and it was headed towards his window.