WEDNESDAY

Albus laid out his paperwork into neat piles that made his quite happy because they were organised alphabetically. He liked it when things were neat. Albus was just a neat person. He left his desk as soon as the little clock above it began to sing, signalling lunch time. He stepped outside of his office and was surprised to see his brother standing there waiting for him.

James hesitated. "Want to go get lunch?" he asked.

"Ah, sure," Albus said in surprise.

"Okay," James nodded.

o - O - o - O - o - O - o - O - o - O - o

They had gone to an empty café in Muggle London, one of Albus' personal favourites. Al knew all of the best places to eat as being situated in Diagon Alley was like being situated in a city, whereas James worked at the Ministry. He was grateful that his brother had chosen a vacant venue. James and Albus had never really done this. His relationship with both of his siblings was built around the mischievous gene they had all inherited from their parents, while Lily and Al had a deeper and meaningful bond. But James still felt like he owed his brother this. It was odd that James felt that in times like these he was in fact the younger brother.

After they had ordered their lunch Albus placed down his menu and looked at his brother. Unlike Lily or Victoire or Rose, even though he knew that James was here for a specific reason he waited for James to make the first move or indicate a sign conversation. In a way James appreciated this and in another he didn't.

"I don't really know how to do this," James admitted.

Albus nodded. "I'm not in any rush," he said uncomplainingly.

"Okay," James said "I guess I just thought that we should do this. That it's the right thing to do because, well, you're my brother."

Albus sat patiently and while he could have interrupted him he didn't, he let James talk.

James was now really stuck with how to proceed. "I don't really know how to do this," he repeated.

"You can say whatever you need to say, or what you feel like saying, I don't mind. I'll listen to whatever it is that you talk about." Albus told him. He added, "Maybe start from the start."

Start from the start, James thought, he could do that. "How long have you known for?" he asked awkwardly.

"A while," Albus replied, smoothing out the tension "longer than Lily thought I didn't say anything to her, she figured it out by herself."

James felt confused. "Why didn't you say anything to her?"

"It wasn't for me to do," he said simply.

James was appreciative of that. "When?" he asked again.

Albus looked up as he thought. "You were about…eighteen, nineteen."

"How come you didn't ask me?" James asked.

Albus shrugged, "You would've told me when you were ready." James gave a sigh and Albus read his mind. "No, I'm not upset that you didn't tell me earlier." James nodded thankfully. After a while Albus asked, "When did you know?"

"I was fourteen and a bit," James answered.

Albus' calm face wavered slightly, "But–"

"–Yes, I know." James said cutting him off.

Albus continued carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously.

"What's there to talk about?" James asked darkly "I spent my last two and a half years at Hogwarts sleeping around with girls to try and straighten myself out. It didn't work, obviously, and it left me unhappy and behind square one."

"What did you think when you knew that you were right?" James asked suddenly.

"I thought that you didn't know yourself," Albus answered honestly "because…of all the girls."

James didn't say anything. Albus didn't press the subject. Instead he moved on, "So, Teddy."

James suddenly realised that he had gone from wondering about the conversations his other siblings had together a just few days ago to having one. "Yeah," James agreed. He sported a small, timid smile on his face.

"That I didn't know about," Albus confessed.

"It only happened three days ago," James told him.

"Oh," Albus said, surprised. "How long have you liked him for?"

"About four years," James replied.

"Wow," Albus said, taken off guard "Why now then? Why not earlier?"

James shrugged in embarrassment. "I didn't know that he was…" James decided to just say it "gay."

"Well neither did I," Albus said, smiling.

"What are you smiling for?" James made a face.

Albus' smile widened. "You can say it you know," he told his brother "I don't mind."

"Say what?" James asked in exasperation.

"Gay," Albus said. James blushed and looked at his brother awkwardly. This made Albus smile even more at his brother's discomfort.

"Kill the grin," James said looking stern but not being able to stop his smile.

"How are you comfortable with saying that?" Albus laughed.

"Because it's awkward!" James exclaimed.

"How is it awkward?" Albus asked sceptically, still laughing.

"Because we're both thinking about it!" James said.

"Thinking about what?" Albus asked. James gave him a look. Albus' eyes widened a fraction in realisation. "I was not thinking about that before you brought it up."

"Great," James said "Now we're both genuinely thinking about it." He blushed and looked in another direction.

Albus rolled his eyes in amazement at his brother's lack of openness. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Al!" James said, mortified.

"What?" Albus asked.

"You're so much like mum," James grumbled.

"Would you rather talk to her about it?" Albus asked knowingly.

"Merlin no," James said with a horrified look.

"Dad?"

"No way," James shook his head.

"Lily?"

James gave him an are-you-serious look.

"Victoire?"

"That girl already knows too much for her own good," James told him.

"Fine," Albus shrugged "don't talk about it." There was a silence as Albus' words sunk in and he waited them for them to work.

"We haven't…" James began and finished.

"Just make sure you do it right this time James," was all Albus said.

"Yeah," James said "I will."

After their food arrived James sighed, "What am I going to tell the others?"

"The truth?" Albus suggested. "I'm happy to talk to Rose, Lily and Scorpius if you'd prefer."

"Talk to Lily," James said "but only talk to Rosie and Scorp if they ask."

"I can do that," Albus nodded "and she understands you know."

"Who understand what?" James asked.

"Lily," Albus said "she understands why you're so protective around her, because you don't want her to make the same mistakes that you did. We both understand." He added, "You need to talk to mum and dad James."

"Yeah I know," he sighed "and…I'm glad that she knows how I feel now. And…Al?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks…for doing this."

"Of course," he smiled "I'm here for whenever you want to talk James."

"Cool," James smiled.