CHAPTER EIGHT

The holidays were proving to be less productive than Harry had hoped, or even expected. So far, he'd only seen James when they all sat down for a meal, and he was still struggling to recognize the blond as his own son. He occasionally saw Albus around, but the teenager was always busy planning something with Scorpius, and most of the time the two boys didn't even look his way when they crossed paths. Granted, they didn't really see anybody when they were whispering back and forth, but somehow the knowledge didn't make things any easier for Harry. And Lily was always either locked up in her room or contorted in a armchair over a book, which she seemed to go through faster than Hermione ever had, scaring him a bit.

All in all, the person he'd talked the most so far had been Draco.

"I think they hate me." The brunet mumbled one day, his head resting on the blond's chest, both of them still panting a little and slightly flushed from their previous activities.

"They don't hate you, Potter." Draco replied, trying to be as convincing as he could when his brain was barely cooperating enough to let him grasp the conversation the other man started. "They just need time to get used to the idea of having you around."

"I don't think so. I mean, I understand that I mean nothing to Lily, she was just a baby, but the other two... I raised them, at least a bit, you know."

The blond didn't reply, lifting a hand to play with the brown locks.

"You told me they liked Quidditch, so the other day I tried to talk to Al about it. I don't know how, but for five minutes he wasn't with Scorpius. I offered to take them to a game, I even offered to kidnap him from school for a weekend for it, and he said he'd rather not. I mean, what kind of parent would even suggest anything like that? Am I that desperate?"

"Potter, I don't know if anyone told you, but you can't expect them to have the same relationship with you they had before, and you can't force them to." He said seriously, ceasing the caress for a few moments and capturing green eyes with silver. "I know you feel like you missed out in so much you want to be in on everything, but they're - nearly all of them - teenagers now, and they need their own space. They need room to make their own mistakes, and if you try to impose on them... You'll just make things worse. I know it's hard, but when they're ready, they'll come to you."

"What if they don't? James clearly doesn't want anything to do with me. He doesn't even want to look like me, and his eyes when he sees me are just..." He let his voice trail off, searching for an adequate word.

"He's experimenting. It's good for him. But whatever it is that he's putting between you two, you'll have the chance to sort it out, you'll see."

"I think they're trying to keep themselves busy enough not to have to deal with me." He whispered quietly, looking down and tracing random patterns with his index finger on the alabaster skin.

"Since they went to school, all the boys have been like that, and Lily was reserved even before Hogwarts. You shouldn't worry too much, because we both know it's not a good thing when you start overthinking things."

"What do you mean by that?" The brunet asked with a smile, pinning the other man under him.

Draco laughed. "I seem to recall most of you little plans came from Granger's brain, and the ones that didn't... tsk, tsk..." He teased.

"Oh, you have no idea what you're talking about..."

Hours later, as he watched the night sky through the window, Harry tried to convince himself that Draco was right, that he just needed to give the children time. But time was running out; in just a couple of weeks they'd be back at school, and he wouldn't get to see them until the summer. It seemed far too long for his aching heart to take.

A couple of days later, as he wandered around the manor looking for something to do, he found his middle child sitting on his own, a book open on his lap but his eyes lost in the garden outside. Knowing chances like those didn't come often, he approached the boy and sat in front of him, but Albus didn't even seem to notice him.

"Hi, Al." He said after a few moments, hating the discomfort he was feeling. It was his own son, he reminded himself, there was no reason to feel that way.

"Oh, hi." He gave a little smile as their eyes met, before looking out again.

"It's quite rare to find you without Scorpius, you know."

"Mom is having him measured for some new outfits. I'm next." He explained.

"You two seem pretty close." He commented, trying to ignore the fact the boy, as he had with Draco, called Astoria his mother.

"We are."

"I hear you're close to your other siblings as well."

"Yeah."

"That's good." It was clear to Harry the boy didn't want to talk, but the brunet wasn't willing to let the chance escape and, a few moments later, he tried again. "How's school?"

"Fine."

"You have a lot of friends there?"

"Sure."

"You don't like to talk much, do you?"

"Depends on whom I'm talking to."

"I know it must be weird to have me here after all this time." He encouraged.

Albus shrugged. "It's good that you woke up."

"Yeah, I guess. Do you remember much of... what happened?"

"Just that one day you were there, then you weren't. I don't remember much from before I came to live in the manor."

"Do you like it here?"

"Yeah, it's home."

Harry smiled sadly. "I see."

"Look, it's not like I don't care you're here, it's just that, you haven't been, and it's weird to have you around. I mean, I know you're supposed to be my father and all, and you seem nice enough, but I already have a dad, and I'm not really looking for another one."

"Oh." Harry didn't know how to reply, and instead remained quiet, allowing his eyes too to turn to the window.

A few minutes of tense silence later, Scorpius's head popped on the door. "Mom says it's your turn, Al." The boy smiled, and then turned to Harry. "But, hm, if you're in the middle of anything-"

"No, I'm coming." The brunet replied smiling to the other boy as he dropped the book on the coffee table and the two walked away, the low murmur of whispers following them.

Harry sighed. Perhaps the boy was right. They already had a family, they already had parents, and just because now he wanted to claim his offspring back, it didn't mean that he should. Even if he was their father, after ten years' absence, what right did he have to barge into their lives and demand a relationship? They were all grown up now, they were perfectly capable of deciding whether or not they wanted him in their lives. Perhaps he should move out and get a life of his own.

"Hey, Harry."

Astoria's voice distracted him from his musings, and he forced a smile into his lips as he turned to her.

"I thought you were taking measures for clothes or something."

"Well, I just need to be there to decide on the outfits, color schemes and fabrics, not the actual taking measures part." She smiled kindly, walking his way. "I heard you and Albus were talking." Harry nodded. "Do you mind?" She asked, pointing to where the boy had been a few minutes earlier.

"No, go ahead."

"I just thought I'd come to see if you were okay. Draco says they haven't been too friendly."

"I suppose they're just being teenagers, it's not their fault."

"They haven't been rude, though, have they? Because if they have, I'll ground them-"

"No, no, nothing of the sort." He interrupted, worriedly.

She smiled warmly, and he did his best to reply. "I'm sure they just need some time."

"That's what they keep telling me." He mumbled.

"Well, it's true. And so do you, to get used to the people they are now."

"I know, they're so different!"

She nodded understandingly. "You know, Al used to visit you every month before Hogwarts, and he always went to St. Mungo's when he returned from school."

"Really?" He asked, his eyebrows arching. Maybe things weren't so lost after all.

She nodded. "Unfortunately, the others didn't follow his lead quite so much..." The two giggled. "It was hard for them to see you in that bed. It's hard for kids to understand that sort of thing. James didn't want to sleep anymore after the first time he visited, because he was scared he wouldn't wake up again."

"It was quite the burden for them." He shrugged minutely.

"They each reacted differently. James decided he wanted to be exactly like Draco, because he became the paternal figure around. That's where the blond hair comes from." She smiled for a moment, her eyes losing focus as the memories flooded her mind. "You should've seen Draco's face when he came back for Christmas during his second year, having just figured out the spell to dye his hair. Draco nearly had a heart attack."

"He wasn't a big fan of it, then?"

"It's not that he wasn't flattered, but he never meant to substitute you in any way."

"I know that. I guess it's just how things played out."

Astoria nodded. "In Albus's case, he and Scorpius formed this incredibly solid bond, which I'm still not too sure how far goes. The first night he spent here, we put the two next door to each other, and we found them both in Scorpius's bed the next morning. It seems Albus was scared and instead of coming to us, he went to him. They've been pretty much inseparable ever since."

"Well, it seems to me you managed to separate them alright just now." He joked, smiling weakly.

"That's because none of them can really stand it when I start talking clothes, and that way they only have to hear me for half the time." She smiled back before turning serious again. "Unfortunately for Lily, she was too young and though we took her to plenty of visits..." Though she didn't finish the thought, he nodded understandingly. "We told her all about you and your heroic feats, but after a while, she just lost interest."

"Well, I never found myself that interesting anyway."

"They might not see it, but they have a lot of you in them. I'm sure they'll realize it soon enough, and it'll be easier to bond with them." They remained quiet for a few moments. "Every year we have this traditional Quidditch match on Christmas Day. The Weasleys love the sport as well, and there are so many of them we get to have a little championship. Normally they're a few players short and some of the parents who'd rather watch are forced to play, but I remember you were really good at it, back in school. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you in their team."

"Yeah, hopefully."

"Hey, ma, they said they were done with me and needed you to-" Albus stopped himself, finally realizing he was interrupting. Scorpius was again by his side. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I can tell them that-"

"No, don't worry about it, honey. I'll be right there." She smiled at them. "Well, duty calls, Harry." She excused herself, standing up. He nodded. When she reached the door, she turned to him again. "Don't you want to have your measures taken as well? I'm sure you could do with some new outfits, I'd be glad to help you pick them out."

He chuckled. "Maybe some other time."

"Your loss." She smiled before disappearing.

At least now Harry had a plan.

Harry began regretting Astoria's offer about a new outfit as he met the others before dinner on Christmas Eve. They were all impeccably dressed in formal clothes when he saw them gathered at the living area, and quickly doubled back and dug out his own formal robes from the bottom of the wardrobe. As it'd been fitted for his fourteen-year-old self, it was short on the length and the sleeves, and he did the best he could to make it presentable before daring to join the others.

With all the talk about Quidditch and pranks played at the Christmas celebrations, a formal outfit was the last thing on his mind.

But it turned out dinner on Christmas Eve was as formal as a gathering could get, with only the Malfoys and the Weasleys present. Harry made polite conversation for most of the night, carefully observing especially all his nieces and nephews who were now so grown up. True to what he'd heard from Draco, the redheads and his own children didn't seem to mingle if it was at all possible to avoid it, and Astoria was the only one who went anywhere past the strictly polite with the Weasleys.

"Harry? Harry?" He heard Hermione call, and shook his head slightly, turning his eyes to her. Yet again he'd lost himself in thoughts watching the people around the table and missed whatever it was she was telling him.

"I'm sorry." He smiled embarrassedly. "What were you saying?"

"I asked what you plan to do from now on. I mean, I don't suppose you'll just be living here doing nothing all day, will you?"

"It's not like Draco doesn't keep me busy enough..." He mumbled under his breath, a slight smile spreading through his lips. At the confused look it got him, he let his lips curl higher at the brunette and amended his reply. "I've been trying to reconnect with my children, and I feel it's easier if I'm around and don't have anything else to stand in the way."

"And how's that going?" She asked, choosing to let the comment slip. A part of her brain insistently told her she didn't want to know what the brunet meant, and she instinctively decided to trust it.

"Not very well." He admitted, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head, a light shade of pink touching his face. "I can't blame them, of course, but I thought it'd be easier."

Harry regretted almost immediately having brought up the subject, because for the next forty minutes or so, the woman lectured him on all he should do - and how he should do it - to reestablish a relationship with the kids. By the time she finished, desert had already been served and he'd gone through it twice, hoping the sweetness would mild his growing irritation. He'd forgotten about that aspect of her personality.

The brunet couldn't have been more pleased when, not too many minutes after that, they all decided to call it a night, as the younger children were practically sleeping over their plates already, and after lengthy farewells, the manor became quiet again. As soon as they could, the four children slipped away to their own bedrooms, leaving the three adults standing in the living room with access to the Floo Network.

"So, what did you think?" Draco asked with a lazy smile, turning to Harry and stretching his arms over his head. Events with the redheads always made him excessively tense.

"It was certainly very different from what I expected." He admitted, looking from one adult to the other.

"I've heard holidays at the Weasleys were a lot more relaxed." Astoria smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll feel right at home tomorrow, though. It's sort of an agreement, Christmas Eve follows Malfoy's traditions, and Christmas Day, Weasley's." She explained before repressing a yawn. "It seems I'm more tired than I realized." She excused herself. "I'll head on to bed. Good night."

"Night." Draco replied with a smile before leaving a quick peck on her lips, and Harry switched his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable.

"Good night." The brunet mumbled when she looked at him. Astoria nodded with a smile before moving away.

"Now why don't I get you your Christmas gift?" The blond suggested naughtily once the woman was gone, looking hungrily at Harry.

The brunet blushed slightly. "I thought you didn't open your presents until morning." He replied teasingly.

"Trust me, what I have in mind shouldn't wait until morning." He half-smiled before turning around. "Of course, if you don't want it-" He began, taking a few steps in the general direction of the other man's room.

"I never said that!" Harry interrupted, hurrying a little to catch up and making the other giggle. "I'm not one to refuse presents, you know. I'm not that rude."

"I thought not." He whispered before suddenly turning, moving towards Harry and forcing the brunet to stumble backwards until he hit the wall. A small smile crossed Draco's lips before he pinned the other man against the cold stone, taking his lips unceremoniously and demanding passage with his tongue. Surprised, Harry complied, and the kiss was more dominating and passionate than gentle, but left them both breathless just the same. "I've been wanting to do that all night." He confessed at the foot of Harry's ear before gently biting the earlobe.

Harry only mustered a groan in return, his brain fuzzy with the sudden attack.

"I could have you right here, you know." The blond continued teasing, kissing and licking his way down the other man's neck.

The idea sent shivers of excitement down Harry's spine, and he felt Draco smile at the reaction. But a moment of lucidity was all it took and he shook his head, pushing the blond away gently by the shoulders and imposing some much-needed distance between them. "As much as I'd like that, I don't fancy the idea of being caught, least of all by one of the kids."

"The risk is part of the fun, Potter." He replied, pushing forward.

"I'm already having a difficult enough time bonding with my children, I don't need another thing to stand in my way." He insisted, dodging Draco's attempts to increase their physical contact. "My bed will do just fine for what you have in mind."

"But you don't know what I have in mind." He smiled hungrily, letting his eyes run up and down the brunet's body.

Harry blushed under the lustful look he received, and struggled to keep himself under control. "If it's a wall you need, there are four of them in my room. And in any other room with a closeable door." He replied, his breath catching slightly.

"Doors are overrated."

Draco pushed harder, and it only took a split second for the brunet to realize that, if he allowed the contact, he'd give in and they'd both end up very naked in the middle of the hallway. So taking advantage of the moment, he ducked under one of the blond's arms and rushed further down the corridor, headed to his own room.

"Might be, but you better hurry if you don't want to be stuck on the wrong side of mine." He teased, looking over his shoulder, and in no time he could hear Draco's steps echoing behind him.

As had been every time the two spent the night together, Harry didn't actually get much rest, and yawned his way through the modest breakfast he shared with the other two adults. The children were still fast asleep - or perhaps not; they hadn't, however, left their rooms yet -, and there was a strange serenity in the silence surrounding them. The calm before the storm, the brunet would find out when, just over an hour later, the guests arrived talking loud and making a mess in the usually very tidy manor.

Charlie was the first to arrive, tagging along with Bill, Fleur and their offspring. As perfect little hosts, all four kids were there to greet them, and everybody else who arrived after. Draco had certainly imprinted them with perfect Malfoy manners, Harry thought as he watched them. The guests gathered out in the garden, where two large tables had been set parallel to one another, with a perfect view of the Quidditch field further down. A hoard of brooms waited patiently to be claimed a few feet from the end of the tables.

"So, who's in the first team?" James asked excitedly, and Harry assumed it meant all the guests had arrived.

"We're in!" Scorpius and Albus chorused, joining the older boy, bringing their own brooms, which were clearly superior to the ones being offered to the guests.

"Hey, it's not fair to have you all in the same team!" Louis, Bill's youngest son, complained, choosing a broom for himself, and the three boys laughed.

"We'll lead team two, then." Scorpius decided, taking a few steps to the side.

One by one, the other guests joined them. In the end, the two teams were as such: James, Louis, Lily, Bill, Charlie, and George's kids, Fred and Roxie, to one side, and Albus, Scorpius, Harry, Ron, George, Hugo and Lucy, Percy's youngest, to the other. The first match lasted just over an hour, and the scoreboard was very balanced until Scorpius caught the Snitch, granting his team the win. With a promise to scramble the players before the second game, they joined the others at the table for lunch, excitedly going over plays they'd just performed, and moves they saw on World Championship matches that they'd been wanting to try.

Harry ended up sitting with Charlie, Bill and Fleur, and had very pleasant conversations which, gratefully, didn't involve him discussing and/or getting advice on how to deal with his estranged children. The oldest Weasley was still working at Gringotts, but now occupied a high position and was in charge of handling the interactions between the bank's different headquarters in different countries, which involved frequent traveling during most of the year. Now that they were alone the majority of the time, Fleur often came along with her husband, filling her days with sightseeing and some light shopping, and they often made little holidays of the trips.

Charlie, on the other hand, was still caring for dragons in Romania, though now he was chief of his own division, and was in charge of assessing the situation of potential new residents to the sanctuary and, if they weren't suitable (usually because the sanctuary was already operating at full capacity, and funds were still scarce), finding them new homes. It wasn't such a hands-on job, he explained, but he still got to spend time with the majestic animals, without actually having to deal with the less glamorous side of the work. Harry could see he was very happy with his life, even if he deflated a little when Charlie teased him about his lack of a personal life. The brunet made a mental note to stay off the subject with that particular redhead as much as he could.

Not long after they finished eating, the eager Quidditch players organized themselves into two different teams and were up in the air again. This time Harry was on the same team as James, and playing against his other two children. As the two were playing chaser, it meant interacting quite a lot, and Harry was happy that, at least for the moment, he wasn't being treated with the usual hostility.

Halfway through the game, James pulled the most impressive play of the day. He dodged an opposing chaser by turning upside down on his broom, on arm firmly wrapped around the Quaffle, only to be the target of a Bludger which forced him to hang only by his legs, and as the ball seemed particularly irritated by the miss, it turned around and came back, forcing the boy into a nose dive while he still struggled to stabilize himself on the broom. He was just a couple of feet away from the goal posts by then, and maneuvered from the dive straight towards Louis, who was playing Keeper, with another chaser on a straight line his way. Making no moves to avoid the apparently inevitable collision, he kept on ahead, deliberating ignoring the player who was now an arm's length away from him. Deciding it wasn't worth risking an injury, the blond boy got slightly out of the way with barely a second to spare, and with reflexes sharp as only a gifted player could have, James took a sharp turn to the other side and, once again turning upside down, he threw the Quaffle for a perfect goal.

The whole action didn't take more than a few seconds, and immediately his team erupted in loud cheers as they waited for Louis to recover the ball so they could carry on. Harry approached the boy and patted him on the shoulder.

"That was amazing, son." He smiled encouragingly.

"I'm not your son." James replied through gritted teeth, dodging the touch and turning around.

"Jamie, don't-"

"And don't call me that. Actually, don't call me at all, okay?" His tone was clearly irritated, and the brunet stood in place, unsure about what to do next.

"Don't talk to your father like that." Draco, who'd joined the second game, warned in a low voice, flying to join them.

"He's not my father." James grunted.

"James Sirius! I'm warning you-"

"No, Draco, it's okay, really." Harry smiled embarrassedly, trying to hide how hurt the words really made him.

"No, Potter, it's not okay. He knows better than to talk that way to anybody, and to you most of all." He replied decisively, turning back to the boy. "You will watch your tone and your words, young man, and you will apologize right now."

"Why should I?" He said defiantly, but avoided the silver eyes. He was torn between being angry at the brunet and hurt for disappointing the blond.

"Draco, it's okay, let's just go back to the game. I'm sure Jamie - James." He corrected himself. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, really, and he just needs time to get used to the idea of me being-"

"I don't need time." The boy replied, anger winning the internal struggle. "It doesn't matter how long it's been, you'll never be my father, Harry. You're not my dad, I already have one, and I don't want or need another."

"Jamie, I'm not trying to replace-"

"You couldn't anyway!"

"I know it's hard for you, but-"

"Hard? You know? What the hell do you know? You abandoned us when we were just little kids, and now you think you can just show up and claim back what you gave away? You think I'll just come running back after all this time?" His voice grew louder by the sentence, and all players were standing perfectly still, holding their breaths and trying to decide if they should stay or leave.

"James!" Draco said outraged. "Don't you-"

Harry reached out and touched the blond man's forearm. "No, let him say what he has to say." He said calmly before turning back to the boy, nodding an encouragement.

The change in attitude confused James for a moment, and when he spoke again, he wasn't yelling anymore. "You're not my father, Harry. Draco is. He was the one who was there when I had nightmares, when I got hurt, when I got into Hogwarts, when I got into the Gryffindor team. He was there when it mattered, and you weren't, and there's nothing you can do to make up for it now. It's too late. So stop trying, because it's pathetic, and it's annoying, and too bad if you lost your kids, but I already have a dad, so just go away already and let us get back to our lives."

"Jamie-" Harry started, but the boy flew away as fast as his broom would carry him.

"Potter, I..." Draco started, needing the other man to understand he never meant to take his place that way.

"It's not your fault." He smiled sadly, and movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. It was Albus and Scorpius flying after James. "It seems I ruined the game, huh?" He joked, looking at the other players who were all landing, silently making their way back to the tables to join the others. He tried to laugh, but all that came out of him was a strangled sound that seemed alien even to his own ears.

"I'm sure he didn't really mean that." Draco tried to soothe him, knowing there probably wasn't anything he could say that would help. "He was just upset and..." He let his voice fade, his eyes watching the people moving under him, cursing their presence that wouldn't allow him to be as close to Harry as he knew the brunet needed him to at the moment. "Things will work out okay, you'll see." He rest a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled the best he could, covering Draco's hand with his own. "Anyway." He said after a moment, trying to sound cheery. "Let's not let it ruin the holiday. And you have guests to attend to." He flew down, and the blond stayed behind for a few beats, before following him.

Inside the manor, the two thirteen-year-olds found James hurriedly packing an overnight bag with whichever clothes he could find: the jacket he normally left tossed over the couch, the two pairs of jeans he had, a crumpled button-down shirt which he quickly smelled before stuffing it into the bag, a couple of T-shirts, socks and underwear. The two younger boys stood by the door watching him for a few quiet moments.

"What are you doing?" Albus asked quietly, even though all three knew the answer already. He couldn't think of anything better to say, and it sounded friendly enough.

"I'll stay at Chase's for a while." He replied without looking at them, surveying the room to make sure he wasn't leaving anything important behind.

"It's Christmas." Scorpius added quietly.

"So?" James closed the bag and threw it over one shoulder, retrieving the wand he'd left on his desk.

"You should stay home. Mom and dad won't like it that you're not here." The brunet explained half-heartedly. He wasn't too keen on the whole family time thing either, but understood his parents' point of view.

"Yeah, well, too bad."

"Look, I know you're upset with everything that's happening, Harry being back and all-"

"What do you know, Albus? You're gonna tell me how I feel now, and how I should give him a chance and all that crap they've been telling us since we got back?" His tone rose, and even though they hardly ever fought, none of his brothers even flinched at the outburst.

"No, Jamie. I don't have any right to tell you how to feel, but running away won't change anything." His voice was more controlled than the blond's, but it was still evident he was altered. "I know it sucks that he's back after all this time wanting to pretend nothing happened, but it wasn't really his fault either, you know. It's not like he chose to stay in a coma for ten years!"

"Maybe not, but he can't expect to just show up and have us be his happy little family again, Albus! He freaking abandoned us, they both did, and now that everything's alright again-"

"They didn't abandon us, James! He spent ten years unconscious in a hospital bed and she's dead!"

"Well, they should've considered the risks when they left us behind that day. They should've thought of us and been more careful or-"

"They were out shopping. We were sick. They couldn't have known-"

"Why are you defending them anyway? It's not like they're our family or anything."

"But they are! They... were, or-"

"The Malfoys are my family. Draco is my dad, Astoria is my mom and the two of you and Lily are my siblings, but he's nothing to me."

"He's our father!"

"No, he's not! He was never there for any of us, and he can't pretend it makes no difference!"

"He's not trying to pretend anything, Jamie! He knows all that, and he's trying to be part of our lives now that he can!"

"Well, if you're so certain of that, why don't you go running back to him and you can be a little happy family again? I have a family already, and I don't care for another one."

Albus's eyes were filled with tears, and his jaw trembled slightly under the pressure with which he was gritting his teeth in an attempt to contain them. He took in a shaky breath, eyes fixed on his older brother, trying to think of a reply. A moment later, he'd run out of the room as fast as his legs would carry him.

Scorpius and James stared at each other for long moments, defying one another to say anything. The older boy's grip on the strap of his bag tightened as he considered simply walking out, wondering if the other boy would try to stop him and exactly which spells he'd be able to get away with if it came down to that. For a brief moment, he remembered how they'd never really fought before, how well they all got along and how now he was considering hexing his younger brother. It was all Harry's fault, he thought, feeling the anger bubble up inside him again.

The younger blond stood by the door just breathing, trying to get himself back under control. He'd always been friends with James, but his reaction to having his father back in their lives was completely out of proportion. Okay, so he didn't really know how it felt to be in the boy's shoes, so he stood back while his brothers argued, but Albus was crying when he left the room. And James had done that. And he couldn't forgive anyone for doing something like that.

"You apologize to him, James." He said quietly, with more authority in his voice than the other thought possible for someone so young. "You've gone too far this time. Go cool off somewhere, and when you come back, you apologize to him properly, and make sure to make it up to him." Before the other boy could say anything, he turned and left.

Shocked at what had happened, it took James a couple of minutes to recompose himself and get back to what he was doing. There were too many conflicting feelings inside him, too many of which resembled anger too much to make him comfortable, and the need to get away was the only thing in his mind. Without a second thought, he shoved his hand in the bag of Floo Powder by the fireplace and disappeared into the green flames.