The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 2: Birthday Woes

A/N: Ok, so since we're on the home stretch, I'll be actively responding to reviews. Signed will get private responses unless it's a question that needs answering to everyone. Anonymous reviews will get public responses. So, response to Saviourn: Muggles may or may not enter the war. The Prime Minister knows so if he feels he needs involvement, he will send the troops. If they used a nuclear weapon, that would kill many Muggles too and defeat the purpose of fighting the Reservation. He might but it would be major, controversial, and the other Muggle countries would question the Prime Minister's sanity not knowing of the Reservation. In response to Judy: Thanks for your review. I only recently discovered Lee passed away. He will be missed and I guess I can now say I know of no actor that could successfully play my characters. Sad. More chapters come every four to five days. If I'm busy over two days, earlier. Without further ado: the next chapter…

In an unused room…

Proxima Greengrass watched from a window on the first floor, arms folded, as Scorpius and Lucy walked off. Hogsmeade no doubt. She was not sure how she felt about the village reopening. On one hand, it meant that Hogwarts had a direct supply and more people were protected but on the other hand, it meant that Incommodo was expanding his control little by little. A castle and a village meant he effectively had his own Kingdom now. The students, of course, were clueless but she knew what Incommodo wanted. She knew what vicious people like him thought of and how they reached their conclusions. In time, Incommoo would come to justify even murder and they would be clueless as always. Well, Proxima swore her life against him, the Reservation and whoever else Rojer worked for. Oh, how she hated her father.

She folded her arms as Scorpius and Lucy turned and disappeared from the gates. Oh, how she hated her cousin. And just when he was rising in her eyes the year before. Scorpius was a coward and she witnessed his cowardice firsthand when she was young. Alpha paid for his cowardice. Rojer was allowed to do whatever he wanted to his kids and the one person who could've stopped this, who could've turned Rojer in for murder and get him locked up was Scorpius and what did he do? He refused. She kept herself cool with her father in her first year but now- now he was responsible for more and she could no longer ignore it. Her father was a murderer and she would kill him. Herself. How anyone like Lucy could fall in love Scorpius, she had no idea. But she would tell if she had to. The Hogwarts Guard trusted him and if she had to, she would spill the beans and show him for the lowlife coward that he was.

He fought for Simon. Punished the students responsible. She thought he had a chance. She thought Scorpius had grown up, was willing to do what ad to be done to fight those who needed to be fought. And then he tried stopping her when his style of punishments did not work. And the one chance he had to kill Rojer, the one chance he had to set things straight and he failed. He watched as he continued his murderous streak. And why? Because he was afraid of what a naïve cripple like Mark Wallader thought? Was he stupid? Like his father couldn't bring himself to kill, neither could Scorpius and this was war. If they couldn't kill, why even jump headfirst into a battle where one side certainly had no issue? Were they all idiots? Just a family of idiots?

He did not deserve the Manor, he did not deserve the galleons he rolled in, the House-elves serving him, or even the parents he had. She wished he would have a daughter just as bad, to show him exactly what hell was like when one had to live through it every single day, when one had to step in front of her beaten brother because he was not strong enough to suit Rojer's image of an Heir. And in time, Proxima would see justice done. And her first step… to kill Rojer. And so help her, if Scorpius stepped aside one more time, she would make him pay dearly. And she would enjoy his suffering just as he deserved it. People thought she was hateful? Simon thought she was drastic? Some even thought that Alpha was a better person? Just they wait. If justice was hateful, then so be it.

The North Tower…

To win a war but with such drastic losses, the war may as well have been lost. That was what the Greeks called a Pyrrhic victory. The war could be fought, yes, but Apollo had foreseen victories of all kinds, a destructive stalemate, and even an endpoint where all sides cancelled each other out and only Muggles remained. Death was the endpoint of all. And he, Apollo, was Death's Messenger. Apollo had been everywhere in the castle. He hid within his father's robes during the summer, when Incommodo scoured the village of Hogsmeade, and he saw many students and their futures, their death dates, everything. Ah, he could not tell their death dates. If people knew their own deaths, chaos would reign mercilessly.

It was like a dream. A dream where a piece of information was never shown or told but simply a given in one's own mind, something you knew was truth without seeing it for yourself. A dream's given. He did not see a lifespan but just knew, just by seeing their visions, he knew what the dates of their deaths were. Albus Potter, his own sister, his father, his mother, and even those who called themselves the Hogwarts Guard. He knew who they were. The vision's given informed him. They would die with all those people around them, in battle, on their death beds… in many different ways, depending on how the war went.

Recently, Apollo saw a very disturbing vision. A tragic vision where the DA and the Guard did indeed win, but the price was so high, nobody could ever find happiness. A girl cradling a baby as she died against a wall with tears in her eyes, praying for the baby's future; one finally modifying his own memory to forget that which caused him immense grief, unable to move past it otherwise; one crazed girl murdering her own father, not in righteous anger but cold blood with no mercy or grief; her own twin becoming just as abusive as his father before him, a dark side few knew he had and a dark side that did need to be addressed; one would simply become a serial killer, and his friend would turn him in; and one simply ending his own life. The survivors would live short lives. Very short. Apollo was used to seeing bad visions but the details of this… it made his eyes tear up.

No. No, it couldn't happen. This was too drastic. He had to stop it. But could he? Was he even allowed? He was entrusted to the future's deepest secrets and he learned the wisdom of keeping his mouth shut. So, dare he forewarn them of this future? No, not yet anyway. It was not prudent. He would if he had to, but as of now, he would remain silent. The visions always changed. It always depended on the actions of the sides at war. Right now, it just looked like things were looking bleak. Without vision, he could not see with the usual Divination methods. He was stuck with his own visions, trapped in his own head.

It was terrible. This was the worst future he had seen. A future not worth living. They were fighting to avoid that sort of world, not bring it about regardless of who won. This future had to be avoided. This… this vision was a test. Would he act on this vision? Would he try avoiding it? Would he betray his own code? Was it time, perhaps, to alert everyone to the Crossroads of Fate? Trelawney, Albus, Aries, Mark and many others. Scorpius, his cousins, his family… he saw a future where the Malfoy family was annihilated, a future where only a girl was left, a future where only the girl and her brother was left, and a future where they all survived. The visions contradicted. That was it then. It was time.

And suddenly, his eyesight returned. His eyes slid up, rolled into their sockets and out of focus as he spoke so suddenly to himself. He was making a Prophecy. Trelawney slipped out of her seat, staring in fear at Apollo as he muttered to himself and to her.

She will come, the Royal Heir,

And take her brother, also fair.

And she would protect him but set his doom,

And he would relate and release the gloom.

Time will clash,

If eras will crash

The Relics of old for once clash.

The Crossroads of Fate shall once be known

And all negative futures, for once be thrown.

Some would heed, some would need,

Some would reject their one true creed.

Yet some would hear, and some would fear

And some would break futures far and near.

And all would walk the Crossroads of Fate,

And embrace the End, to them all, their mate.

Apollo's eyes finally slid back into focus. His vision returned for a split second before going white again. His blindness had just been extended for another few months. Trelawney stared blankly before falling unconscious by her own bottles of sherry. She would not remember this event when she woke up. And Apollo would repeat this when it was time.

In Hogsmeade…

In just a matter of two weeks, everything changed. Albus considered himself lucky that he still had things under control. He also knew that if he had never staged a talk with the Minister, Incommodo, he never would have managed to keep things under control. The casualties would be higher. After Incommodo's speech to the school, Albus spent most of his time in the Headmaster's office of all places. One of his friends, a boy who had been his friend for most of his life, took up responsibility at his twin's behest and became something of a figurehead. Lysander Scamander made a pretty good one too but he was exhausted most of the days and Albus knew it was too much for the boy to handle. Lysander was now a NEWT student. Thankfully, Lysander's only role was making sure the Headmaster's office was sealed against Incommodo.

For so many things had happened. Albus knew, two weeks later, that Lysander would keep at least the office. It was strange and this probably had never happened in the history of Hogwarts but Lysander had just become the youngest recognized Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, but only by title. The office opened only for him, like it sealed itself against anyone else, especially someone like Incommodo. The circumstances leading up to this were exceptional of course, and Albus himself needed to prod things a bit. It all started when, the day after Incommodo's speech where he put his name in as possible Headmaster, the school governors went on their way to discuss it when they were ambushed and killed. The students of course, refused to leave the school's relative safety, the Ministry increased tenfold the protection it provided the school, Hogsmeade was patrolled so frequently by Law Enforcement led by Ernie Macmillan and even the DA patrolled it.

Because most of the students refused to leave, Incommodo agreed that they would need to be taught, especially since the vast majority of students were there. Only the first year group was nonexistent. The Minister of course, wanted the acting Headmaster to willingly hand the office to him, as only the Headmaster could do, so he, as a more responsible adult could take power instead. That was when Albus did something daring. He disguised himself as the hooded masked individual who met Incommodo such a short time before and just his appearance made Incommodo think twice. It meant revealing to Incommodo that he had survived but there was nothing more for it.

The castle was sort of split this way. Lysander had the office and still commanded the employment of the House-elves but Incommodo had full control of subjects, grading, and the hiring and firing of teachers. Still, Albus did have the feeling that Lysander and Lorcan were switching places sometimes. This did not stop Incommodo though. The younger Scamander twin could not do anything beyond holding the fort. Though this meant Lysander did have access to the Headmaster's Pensieve. Meanwhile, Incommodo started writing up exams. What worried Albus was the absence of actual teachers. The students were there, Hogwarts as a sanctuary was under control but actual teaching power was not. They had Hermione and she was a perfect candidate to become Headmistress but she had DA work as well as Muggle Studies and she was not able to defy the Ministry's decision to close Hogwarts since Incommodo forcefully took it. Incommodo was there though and Albus had a bad feeling that the Minister did have something in mind.

The Minister being in Hogwarts meant at least one thing good though. Hogwarts and its grounds were given protections not seen since the first war against Voldemort. Anti-flight Charms were placed on every inch of the grounds that none but the Minister could break, Caterwauling Charms were placed to alert everyone to anyone being where they were not supposed to be, and the Minister himself unleashed a spectacular bit of magic that forced a person's wand from their hand and would fly away to a specific location upon the noise of a volume over a certain level, which complimented the Caterwauling Charm. Albus hated the Minister for sure, but he liked the protections that were placed. The protections could previously not be placed because the Minister had to actually be present for the effect to remain.

If the grounds were not enough, Hogsmeade was also protected and Neil Nott, who spied from the shadows there, told Albus that Incommodo was secretly talking some of the residents into being part of the Hogwarts Staff. Not that Neil spied often anymore. Albus was worried about the kid because Neil seemed to be skinnier and more deathly looking. Something was wrong with him and whatever trouble he had the previous year, though gone, had a drastic effect on him. Neil was frequently alone and spent some time in Mark's dormitory with the twins.

Many of the kids of Hogsmeade were also seen in what looked like Hogwarts attire so Albus also assumed that despite Hogwarts closing officially, Incommodo was still treating it as if it was open and still went to seek out first years. Albus was not sure how he felt about this. He guessed in the end, it was good because even Incommodo had an interest in seeing Hogwarts open but it still defied the guise of remaining closed. Albus guessed it may have been in label only, to keep the Reservation focused on other things.

To top things, the four house Heirs were forced to sneak to Hogsmeade in secret where McGonagall, their Animagus trainer, would train them. With Incommodo in Hogwarts, he could not know what was going on under his nose lest four students find themselves dead. Even Albus did not know where in Hogsmeade Seth, Alexis, Fauna and Fora snuck off too every week. He was just happy that the training did not stop. McGonagall had also fought in the battle two weeks before, leading suits of armor against the Reservation to great effect.

Speaking of Hogsmeade, there was just one day Albus looked back at the summer feeling good about. At the end of June was his seventeenth birthday and as he did something for her, Alexis chose to do something for him. As Hogsmeade was given additional protections by the Ministry in an effort to push the Reservation further back to beyond the mountains, the village was open sometimes once more. Albus had a feeling Alexis somehow arranged for it to be open on his birthday. Before Alexis took him though, they were stopped by Alexander who went red, shuffling his feet grudgingly before finally looking Albus in the eye. He sighed, "Welcome to the family, Albus Potter!" he said angrily, shoved a card into his hands, and stomped off.

Albus almost laughed as they continued on their way. Alexis muttered, "Ignore him."

"What was that about?" Albus asked.

"He- thinks you secretly popped the question," Alexis said, trying to sound casual.

"But I didn't!" Albus said, almost offended. "What gave him that idea?"

"Well," she said happily as they passed by Hermione and their old Professor Macmillan. "I might be wrong, but it might be because you were kinda, sorta saying that you never wanted to leave me that day, after the massacre."

"But we were in the moment," Albus blurted. "What does he expect?"

"Al, why're you yelling at me?" Alexis asked. "I'm on your side, remember? I sort of wish Alexander would lay off, actually."

They walked the pathway together, Albus in silence. Even with Alexis, he was always silent. Both Albus and Lily hardly liked speaking and when Albus spoke, he almost felt guilty. His brother was still dead and he was not coming back. Harry's blaming of him followed by him running off into the forest yet to return was weighing heavily on his mind. Alexis was saying something but Albus was hardly paying attention, which he felt even guiltier for. How could Albus be having fun, even with Alexis, so soon after James had died? He felt so terrible, he barely had time to grieve for his brother.

And what about Alexis? She had lost her father. Alexander was alone in the castle. Was she seriously ok? Was she putting up the same act? Were the two just lying to each other, refusing to acknowledge their true feelings of the matter? Refusing to go through the grieving process and just put it all behind them? That was not ok. Surely, surely, Alexis was hurting too, and if Alexis was hurting, then so was Alexander and if Alexander was hurting, then why the heck did Alexis ignore him for Albus? And Alexander thought that Albus popped the question? No way, Albus thought miserably to himself, knowing full well that if worse came to worse, Alexis would be marrying somebody else. As far as Albus was concerned, the only reason he was not actively pursuing an end to the dating part of their relationship and going for the next stage was because his days were likely numbered.

Albus was finally snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Incommodo's wispy voice. The Minister, it seemed, was still up to something. He was talking to someone who looked like a rabbit in appearance. Albus vaguely recognized him as Neil Nott's father, Theodore. He was looking uncomfortable too and Albus had a suspicion that Incommodo was intimidating him into something.

"Take a look at that," Alexis pointed.

Albus looked. Scorpius and Lucy were together, looking at a stall of books and necklaces. Lucy was grinning and blushing as Scorpius tried one on her and hung back to watch. Albus and Alexis stopped to watch too. The two seemed to be enjoying themselves and Scorpius haggled with the stall-keeper. Albus' attention was diverted by two red-headed figures coming up the road. "Alright, Lily?" Albus asked in a neutral voice.

"I am perfectly fine," Lily said haughtily, stopping and glancing at her former boyfriend and Lucy, another cousin she was close with. "I am as fine as a fifteen year-old girl can be when she lost her brother but even there, I have something Scorpius does not have."

Hugo glanced over, puzzled, "What's that?"

"An older brother and a great cousin," she said brightly.

"I dunno, Scorpius has a couple of cousins too"-

"Last I checked they weren't close so they hardly count," Lily brushed off.

"I dunn"-

"Hugo!" she said, going a little red. "I'm trying to make peace with this, can you please allow me?"

Hugo grinned guiltily, "Fine, then," and they walked off down the street towards the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, Hugo will be happy," Albus sighed.

"Why's that?" Alexis asked as they stopped by a couple of shops.

"He didn't like Scorpius dating Lily or- Rose!" Albus called as they wandered over to the stall.

Rose turned to him, folding her arms, "You took my brother back in time and nearly got yourselves killed. Don't talk to me." And she walked off, nose in the air.

"Hello to you, too"-

"Giveaways!" a blonde youth of around eight called from a side street down to the left. "Ten galleons a set, exports from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes now under temporary housing in Hogsmeade! Protect yourselves from all minor Curses, most moderate Curses and some major for the particularly lucky! Helmets, chest pads, arm pads and leg pads here!"

"What?"

"Why's it in Hogsmeade now?" Albus questioned.

"Need something?" the small boy asked.

Better yet, Albus thought, why was it being run by a boy? Where was his Aunt Angelina? "Where's the rest of the shop?"

"In Diagon Alley, its fate is pretty obvious considering the circumstances, need something?"

"But"-

"Need something," he said, getting annoyed.

"Al!" Scorpius called. "Need them? I can buy the sets if you like."

"What do they do?" Albus asked.

"Lancet, be nice," an older girl told him and this girl, Albus saw, had light brown hair and green eyes. She was in Hogwarts robes despite it not being the school year yet. Albus did not recognize her. She had a false cheery smile on her face, "Hi, I'm Cherry Goal. Muggle-born witch and wizard here. I'll be first year soon and I'm collecting funds to help my brother live here while I'm gone. We're selling these to people who obviously want to fight the war. We hear Hogwarts has loads of them. Know any?"

"Wait- Muggle-born? How do you know about the war?"

"The Longbottoms took us in when our parents were killed and we were hired by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," the boy, Lancet, said sardonically. "Are you helping or not?"

"You're talking to the right people," Scorpius grinned. "Ten galleons a set, huh? Al, remember how many we have in the Guard?" he whispered.

Alexis, who heard, recalled by memory, said, "Twenty-seven since Seth and his friends left."

"Is it polite to talk behind our backs?" Lancet asked Cherry.

"Not really, but people are terrible these days," she continued with a sweet smile.

"We'd need thirty just to stay on the safe side in case more want to join," Albus told him. "That's three hundred galleons. We can't…"

Scorpius also seemed split. The Malfoy Manor did have a personal Gringotts account as well as a safe with plenty of galleons but could Scorpius just walk in there and get it?

"The Malfoy Manor has a vault we keep during crises so Gringotts shutting down didn't affect us in the slightest," Scorpius said. "But… that is a lot."

"Wait it out," Albus told him. "We've managed without them before. If it turns out we can't go without them, we'll beg your parents then. Now is probably not the best time."

"I'll order them," Scorpius said to the kids. "If we do, we'd probably need about thirty."

Lancet stared and turned to his sister, "I thought you said people were terrible."

Cherry kept her smile up and just as Albus bade them goodbye, he overheard her say in a cheery voice, "Guess not! Don't you love being wrong?"

"What kids," Alexis sighed as Albus descended into thought again. What were Diagon alley residents doing there? And it wasn't every day two Muggle-borns were born in the same family, though not impossible as evidenced by his late Muggle Studies Professor. Were the kids ok here? Why did they hide in Diagon or Hogsmeade and not at home with their parents? Before he could dedicate more thought to the matter, he felt Alexis take him by the arm and lead him off to the side. The shop they were going around was Madam Puddifoot's teashop.

"I thought you hated this place," Albus mumbled.

"I do, we're going around," Alexis said shortly, stopping them in a shady spot between the shot and a grove of trees. The place looked rather nice considering it was at the back of a teashop that Alexis had said on numerous occasions she disliked. It was greener out there and the remainder of the houses was merely shacks set in the grove and beyond, looking like they had just been built. They sat against the wall of the teashop, Albus sitting with his knees facing up, staring at the ground between his two feet, mind wandering back to James.

"Looks like the village expanded," Alexis observed.

"People fleeing to the safety here, probably," Albus sighed, thoughts wandering again.

"Makes you wonder why Incommodo didn't do this a while ago," Alexis said with a small smile.

Albus did not answer but continued staring down. Alexis did not know what Albus knew and though Aries and Mark knew, Albus was sworn to secrecy under threat of impending doom. Albus would usually have gladly given up his own life to explain to Alexis everything but he knew it was on him to end Incommodo. Still, how could he do so? This was the sort of thing Alexis would solve, not Albus. He was not intelligent or clever. He just did what he always did, trying to get along in life, trying to live through one normal year of Hogwarts and not once, never, did he manage. His life was always constant worry. His one normal year was first year and he had Mark to worry about back then.

He looked up briefly to find Alexis had gone. He got up briefly and peeked through a window to see her in the teashop. He shrugged and slid back down against its wall thoughtfully. What did she want there? What did Incommodo want in the village itself? Why was he around? Why did he even open the village for visiting? Was he trying to invite the Reservation back? Albus barely trusted the Minister and he knew the man was up to something. What was taking Incommodo so long to announce his plans for the school considering he was still obviously working from it and it was still relevant to his plans?

And what was taking Alexis so long? He saw she was no longer in the teashop. Great, he thought dully. Maybe she abandoned him, deciding he needed time alone, perhaps. Well, good for her. She needed time alone too, clearly. Albus was incapable of helping her deal with her father's death when he had estrangement from his own father and a dead brother, not to mention a dead cousin and a dead Uncle to worry about. He felt his pockets absentmindedly and jingled the keys inside. His father had left those keys to Albus ever since the original DA headquarters was compromised. Albus now had access to so many houses, including the Malfoy Manor and Lily, who paid visits there several times last year, knew the exact way. He was hoping he would carry on using those houses Harry chose to use.

Slowly, he felt someone return to her place beside him. Seriously, did she really return? He sensed her shuffling about, a bag crinkling and something being taken out. He sighed as he sensed a talk coming.

"Al," she said calmly, grabbing his attention again. "You ok?"

Albus looked at her briefly and then sighed and went back to staring at the ground between his feet. "No."

"Want to talk about it?" she offered calmly.

"No."

Alexis then passed a small piece of strawberry cake topped with chocolate icing and a vanilla inside in front of him on his lap. He stared, freezing in place, a little surprised. And there he thought she left him. When would he learn? "Now do you want to talk about it?"

Albus really could not answer. Even if he talked about James, his troubles would be far from over. He could not tell Alexis the full truth, not about Incommodo and not about himself. But he could not abandon the fight either. He took the plastic fork from Alexis and dipped in to eat. After one bite, knowing he could not ignore Alexis' steadied gaze forever, he thought back. When Lucius died, Scorpius mourned by reminiscing his life. Would that help? Well, nothing else for it but to give it a try, "Wanna know what happened between me and James once?"

"Shoot."

"When I was four or five, I was sleeping in bed over the afternoon," Albus started. "Naps were really frequent for me. I always slept in the afternoon. That day, I guess- I can't remember what I did, something to do with James' first toy broomstick- I annoyed him and when he discovered, I went to bed already. So, he punished me. My blanket, the sheets underneath, they were Charmed to ch-choke me. I don't think he meant to. Probably underage magic, I dunno. I never asked him. I developed a fear of fabric though. I- well, I was forced to the floor for a year, uncomfortable, cold nights. Ultimately, mum and dad took me to St. Mungo's to deal with it. Even now, I sleep lightly, I wake easily, especially if the sheet moves suddenly. That's why I was always cranky when woken up against my will. And with Louis' prank on me involving using his Veela powers to make me kiss a girl, it's why I was never trusting of older kids than me. And you want to know the worst thing? What makes me feel terrible about it?"

Alexis, who listened to his tale quietly, held her gaze, not giving any indication of a yes or a no. She seemed a little pitying, making Albus feel worst. Just what he needed. For Alexis to pity him. It was second year all over again. Finally, she said quietly, "What?"

Albus sighed, feeling miserable now. "Till now, twelve years later, so long practically giving him the cold shoulder, James refusing to back me up in first year and making up for it in second year when he humiliated Mark into submission; so long suffering an estrangement from him, barely acknowledging his existence all because of some lousy event so long ago; even though James stuck by me after discovering what I did to Ridge; all that time and I did not once tell him what he needed to hear. Not once did I tell him that I- that I forgave him. Never."

Alexis stared right at him now. Her gaze was not out of pity, it was firm, like she had a set opinion on this, "Did you really?"

"I don't know," Albus said quickly. "I was so young. I still feel it. Till now, I feel it. I didn't even want a cat or a dog at home because I worried they might move the sheets and startle me out of bed. I probably never forgave him and… it wasn't until two weeks ago when I realized how much I loved him."

"You know, I never got along with him either," Alexis said sadly. "I… don't think he liked me."

"He probably didn't," Albus mumbled miserably. "Probably shut himself up for my sake."

"I'm sorry," Alexis muttered, looking down.

"You don't have to"-

"I put you down in fifth year," Alexis reminded him. "When I told you that what you did to Ridge was nothing compared to what I did to Alexander. I- I had no idea what you- I mean…" she sighed, "Looks like we both have histories with our siblings. I hope he'll make it through this."

"Want to talk about your father?" Albus asked, feeling slightly better, like a knot in his stomach was loose once again and he began eating again.

"No, but I will anyway," Alexis said quietly. "When the Death Eaters took over the school, my dad joined the rebellion. The Dumbledore's Army. He was- he was always part of your father's group ever since 1997. He was a fighter too. Strategized everything. He never revealed himself as Ravenclaw's descendant. No need to. He was not the Heir. I'm Ravenclaw's first Heir in generations. The only thing he passed on, the thing any House descendant passed on by now, was information as to where you would find the Relic. He would tell Alexander and Alexander would lead me because I am the only one who can wield it. Basically, Al, my father made me who I am. And do you want to know what makes me feel worst?"

"What?" he asked through mouthfuls, enjoying the cake and hitting himself for not having thought of something like this for her seventeenth.

"My daddy always taught," she said. "He taught Hogwarts during the year and Charms specialized schools during the summer. Mother was always abroad so I was the one raising Alexander. My father left me, trusted me with so many things and I blotched them all. I raised Alexander, I destroyed him, and now I try to fix him and just when I'm beginning to make some headway there, father dies and Alexander won't- won't leave his dormitory. I can't even use the Quill and mother is so scared of the war she dropped Alexander off at the end of fifth year and fled and dumped us here. I failed them both."

"Alexis, the last thing you did is fail the"-

"Al," she interrupted, looking straight at him. "When a responsible little girl like me is entrusted with caring for my brother because both mum and dad cannot do so, it is my responsibility and I did destroy him. I know it, he knows it, and daddy knew it. And Al, it is my responsibility to help him if it costs me my life. It is my responsibility to use the Relic and it is my responsibility to make sure my brother grows up in a safe environment."

"Alexis," Albus said, a small smile on his face now. "He entrusted you with a Relic. Just because it's hard to use doesn't mean you can't do it. Before you go thinking you failed him, why not try to utilize it? So long as it's with you, you did not fail him yet. Sound fair?"

"For now," he sighed. She looked over and noticed he finished his cake piece. She reached inside the bag once again but before Albus could react, she passed something else to him. A book, "Happy seventeenth."

Albus stared down in shock again. It was a book. She got him a golden-rimmed book with a black leather-bound cover and silvery letters over the top reading Casting Light on the Dark Arts.

"Pretty big book," she admitted as he opened it in wonder, staring at the contents and the way the words moved and flowed. "And cost me a hefty price but it's worth it cause I'm actually pretty sure it'll save your life one day."

It might, he thought as he saw the heading Soul near the bottom of the Table of Contents. "I never even heard of this…"

"I placed an international order to the States last year," she explained. "They sent it on after the siege ended. I've kept it safe ever since. The States studies this sort of stuff a lot so I thought they'd be experts at banishing the Dark Arts, considering they've had a fair share of Dark wizards and witches and heroes."

"Nice," Albus muttered. It seemed to have everything, like it read his mind.

Each chapter had subparts. Soul: How to Reverse a Horcrux, What Happens if it is Eaten by a Dementor, Soul-storing objects and their capabilities. That was not it either. Alexis pointed him to the other chapters covered, Dark Witches and Wizards and their Banes, and subparts for different Dark Witches and Wizards and who beat them."And see here, this'll interest you," How to Prepare for the Next Inevitable Enemy and Can the Dark Arts Cancel Each Other Out?

He smiled widely for the first time in a while and said, "You know, this may sound strange, Alexis, but I think you did save my life."

"Al, of course I did," Alexis told him as if he was selling her short. "If I can't help my brother, the least I could do is help you." And she gave him a kiss on the mouth before smiling at him, "Congratulations on making seventeen, Albus Potter. You grew up."