Chapter Text
He had lost count just how many times he had that very same nightmare. Always, he had fired the Killing Curse with his victim's back to him, just like that fateful night. But recently, the victim had always been someone else, never Delphi. At times, it had been his brother James, pale and writhing on the ground from rounds of torture with the Cruciatus Curse. Sometimes, it was Lily, ghastly as a ghost. His dad had been there too. Little Nigel — not so little anymore — and his mother Claire. More often than not, it was Scorpius.
His eyes fluttered open. He was no longer sweating. There was an eery calm. A solemn recognition. The past was the past and it could not be allowed to dominate the presence. Those dreams, they had to mean something.
Delphi was gone. Casted, by herself no less, into the realm of the dead. They were, in theory, reconciled, for she did save his life in order to prevent the Horcrux-Tomb of Herpo the Foul from stalling them all into oblivion. She had her peace. She had her release.
And he could not keep living like this. If only lack of remorse and shame were the only things holding him back. There was so much built up rage with him, not to mention the litany of crimes he had inflicted in the past few years. He was perfectly cognizant of society. He knew he was deemed the most dangerous Dark Wizard in Europe. Maybe he really was. There was a certain relief that came with accepting just much he fucked up everything, despite his initial intentions in doing good. He could not just stroll into the Potter-Weasley household and pretend everything was all good, that nothing in the past nine years happened. No, no, no. He absolutely could! No man or woman, alive or dead could subject him to this! He was a free man. A freed man.
He had been working on breathing exercises and consciousness expansion. Ever since Greece, there was a constricted weight that was gone from his chest, but a dull pain lingered. His fingers quickly caressed the Locket.
And yet… France. Greece. Egypt. Japan. Russia. India. Spain. Germany. Methodically, he was erasing tangible records of his criminal traces. There would be no documents should they seek to try him (and even then he had cultivated enough alibis and allies to swing things in his favor). Slowly, he was hatching a plan to erase all the arrest warranties, all the wanted list namings… No one would convict him. No one would dare to. No Wizarding court would do so save for the British Isles.
There was a certain audacity in him believing that it was all down to England. The place where it all started. He was no longer bounded by her, nor her memory and, slowly, but surely, nor the guilty that it came with associating with her. He wanted to be free. For so long. But who was he? Who was Albus Severus Potter?
~X~
“Can you believe our little boy is almost fourteen?” James whispered to her as they took Nigel shopping around Piccadilly Circus. They met up James’s sister and her muggle boyfriend Freddy for an afternoon out. Normally, in circumstances such as this, Nigel would have joined their other children with Harry and Ginny, but Claire insisted now that he was old enough. Besides, he would be meeting with some friends later in London.
“How time flies…” Claire sighed. “I remember giving birth to him just yesterday…” There was a wistful nostalgia about her. Growing up, she would never have envisioned her current life, but it was, in a sense, everything she had wanted. Peaceful, comfortable, quiet, surrounded by loving family. Devoid of the Machiavellian mechanics of the Zabinis.
“I remember asking you out as if it were yesterday,” James chuckled. He had such sweet brown eyes.
A quick kiss.
“Ah yes, when we were Head Boy and Girl and had just confiscated a trove a firewhisky from unruly Fifth Years.” They had proceeded to down it together in the Prefect’s Bathrooms, which was not explicitly banned.
“So, you guys met each other from boarding school right?” Freddy asked. “That’s pretty cool. Lily told me she went there and so did the rest fo your extended family.”
“Yeah it’s the only major Wizarding school in England,” Nigel added, trying to chime into the adult conversation. He was growing so fast, her eldest son. “Although they have their own Wizarding school in America called Ilvermorny. It’s quite good too.”
“Well, where we send our kids will totally depend on Lily,” Freddy said, giving Lily a wink.
It was so obvious that Lily and Freddy were far too deep in love. They would definitely get married and have children, proceeding to enlarge the ever-growing Potter-Weasley clan. Little Nigel, by the looks of it, wouldn’t mind some cute little cousins. Throughout the years, he had gotten quite used to having younger siblings in the house and being a relative figure of authority, although recently Andy was becoming more and more unruly. And if Lily ever needed help Claire and James were more than happy to oblige.
“Hogwarts it is,” Lily declared. “Preferably in Gryffindor and on the Quidditch team. Seeker.”
“I think I know what this means!” Freddy noted. “Lily is thinking of taking me to a Quidditch game! Sounds fun!’
“James and I are going to watch the Holyhead Harpies next weekend. We got a private suite and would love it if you guys could join!” Claire offered.
~X~
The moment he entered the Auror headquarters, back at work after a rejuvenating and almost hallucinogenic break, his mind was set. The reasoning clicked together like clockwork. It was now or never. Neil Nott headed straight to the Head Auror’s Office, his breath rising sharply. They had little time to waste.
“Come in,” the Head Auror gently commanded after Neil’s knock on the door.
“Good morning, Sir,” Neil greeted the man curtly.
“I hope your short break from work was what you needed,” Head Auror Potter inquired politely.
“Yes, very much. The whole situation in Greece, though a relative success, was a lot to deal with. And, well, there were other reasons why I needed break. Burn out mainly. I haven’t taken a holiday in almost 3 years.” He stopped himself before he could ramble on too much. “Yet I must digress… For this is not why I approached you right now."
~X~
It was difficult for the Head Auror to restrain his emotions when concerning his second son— even after years of heading the Auror department. But he was trying. Neil had to stop himself multiple times when relaying the developments so far. Bit by bit, step by step. From the tumultuous events in Herpo the Foul’s tomb to the growing correspondences Neil had with Albus Potter. “I… Head Auror Potter, I know the developments are not ideal and that I should have came to you earlier. Yet you must know… he can read minds.”
Frowning, the man nodded. “Yes, from a very young age, Albus possessed that ability. It seems it has only grown.”
“I have good reason to believe that he is currently in England. I last… I last met him three days ago. He was... well, never mind, he was updating me about… about … someone I used to know. But he very much resided here. So it would seem.” Neil did not wish to look into the eyes of Head Auror Potter.
“I see,” the man whispered softly and Neil thought there was a forlorn look about him.
“But I think there is something we can do.” He could feel his heart beating against his chest as he pushed aside any doubts surrounding this risky proposition. "If we play our cards right, Sir, I believe we could possibly restrain him.”
The Hear Auror appeared deep in thought.
Shit, Neil thought. There was a chance his reckless words could end up getting him fired and then perhaps memory wiped once his paths crossed with Albus Potter again. That man was not the most dangerous and most feared Wizard in Europe for no reason; truth to be told, there was a chance that even if he was briefly caught, that they would not restrain him long enough in captivity. The conventional methods were perhaps insufficient.
For a brief moment, a terrible memory flashed by his mind. What if — what if the man before him—
“And you said you were the cautious brother?” The man before him asked.
“Most of the time, yes. Perhaps not now,” Neil noted, his hand reaching for his wand. If there was even the slightest chance—
Harry Potter noticed where his hand was going and sighed. “Has my son really terrorized you that much?”
Pausing rather awkwardly, Neil admitted, “Yes.”
~X~
“We have a plan,” Neil announced to the rest of the team, including Thomas MacLaggen, who, out of sheer boredom in his more senior and sinecure position, had insisted on more ‘field experience.’ “Yes, we have a plan to restrain and capture Albus Severus Potter."
“My brother?” Lily said, gasping.
“Um, yes. Exactly him.” Neil brushed that away. “Of course, Lily, if you feel that your personal emotions should conflict with this, your are perfectly welcome to opt out—“
“No, I want to be there.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it. I really want to be there.”
“Very well.”
“Me too,” Cynthia chimed in. “I think I… almost need to be there.”
“Count me in as well,” Thomas announced. “We need all the help we can get.”
“I guess this means we are in too,” Morrison concurred, nodding nervously at Tobias, who shrugged.
“Yes, yes, Head Auror Potter has also indicated that he would like to take part in this,” Neil said, before pausing, awaiting the shocked reactions from those around him.
“I mean it does make sense,” Morrison commented. “Yes.”
“We have to plan this real quick. The meeting point and time is literally tomorrow afternoon.”
“Wait — what?!” Cynthia sounded baffled. “Are we missing out on something?'
Neil signed. “So it would seem.”
~X~
There are weeks, years, where nothing seems to happen and then days where everything seemed to happen.
It started with a brisk morning walk, coffee in hand— dark, richly flavored coffee, with zero sugar additives or milk — and wind blowing in his face. Neil Nott had resigned himself to the fact that in a few hours, he could face his memory being wiped and that he would forget seeing the children running around the cotton candy stand, the cool feeling of the morning breeze, the annoying busker who wouldn’t stop playing his saxophone… Maybe that was not such a bad loss after all. There were worse consequences, such as —
“How do you do?” A man in a longboat greeted him, before transfiguring into a familiar face.
“How is she?” He inquired, trembling.
“You are hiding something.” A thin smile. Deep green eyes bore into his. Neil had had some practice with Occlumency but he found that it made more sense to obscure everything with memories instead of outright blocking any access. Outright denial generated its own suspicions.
“Don’t we all have our own skeletons in our own closets?” He matched.
“Aiding and abetting criminal women. Ah, the age old weakness we all have,” the man in front of him signed.
“I think it took a long time to realize that she was my first love… But … After much careful consideration, perhaps it was never meant to be.”
“And you are not worried about carrying regrets for the rest of your life?” A curious grin, calculated, the veil of sympathy was there but it was thin.
“Is it even possible to go through life with zero regrets?” Neil folded his arms, but was reassured by the presence of his wand in his pocket. It brushed against him. He knew it was there should he ever reach for it.
Eyes narrowed. Sighing, Albus Severus Potter drew his wand. “It appears that I have miscalculated. Though I must admit, your performance had little fault.” He flicked his wand and the bushes around them transfigured into Morrison, Tobias and Lily, except they were now bounded in red ropes, which seemed to hinder their movements, immobilizing them in a brief trance. It happened in such a minuscule of a second that it seems they were all caught off-guard “It’s the… loudmouth who would not stop blabbering. Internally of course.”
Morrison looked offended, if not also incapacitated and wide-eyed.
Neil drew his wand and was ready to parry away the first disarming spell. “That was uncalled for.”
“Ambushing me was uncalled for, Nott. You would do well to remember that.”
And then he felt it too, every nerve, bound, ligament of his body… he could no longer feel anything. Suspended in thin air, Neil nevertheless did not break contact with the source of the spell.
“REDUCTO!”
A blasting curse freed him from the grasp’s of Albus’s spell. It was Cynthia just in the nick of time. Before he could land on two feet, Neil fired a stunning spell at Albus haphazardly in order to get the man to jump out of the way.
“Enough hiding, Albus,” Thomas MacLaggen’s voice sounded as he and Cynthia materialized. Neil signed with relief. This had to mean further reinforcements were nearby as well.
“I’m not the one hiding,” Albus shrugged nonchalantly, surveying those before him with his penetrating green eyes. “And please don’t tell me you are putting the old group together again, Thomas, not after years of avoidance...”
A blast of bright blue light swung in their direction as Neil leaped out of the way while Cynthia conjured a shining white shield. Thomas headed straight for the air with bravado on his broom as he proceeded towards its source and fired a series of spells at Albus, who deflected them with casual ease.
Before Neil could steady himself Cynthia and Thomas were dueling Albus together. They were all seasoned Aurors, despite Cynthia’s long hiatus, and their chemistry together showed as they blocked, parried and combined their attacks. Meanwhile Albus dodged, deflected with ease and seemed to anticipate their very moves, scarcely conjuring pure attacks of his own. It looked like he way toying with them, Neil thought with unease. They probably needed his help.
“Rictemsempra!” Neil fired from behind as Albus jumped out of the way - and into the air, levitating above them, frowning, folding his arms.
Cynthia wasted no time with a silent Immobulus Maximus, which manifested in a stream of purple light that surrounded the target in concentric circles. Meanwhile, Neil observed Thomas uttering some indecipherable incantation. Suddenly, Neil knew what he could do to aid their efforts. While Albus was preoccupied with the two other Aurors, he dashed towards Lily, Morrison and Tobias. He had to free them up first.
The relief spread throughout their faces as Neil uttered the counter charm, which slowly spread throughout their bodies. Morrison started coughing vociferously as Tobias landed on his feat stoically. Lily appeared stunned by the sight before her, as streams of red, blue and purple light lit up the skies. “Albus!” She shouted. “Albus — please — please stop.”
“Be on standby for transformation,” Neil instructed Tobias, as the man nodded. “Morrison, Lily, we will aid Cynthia and Thomas.”
It had taken mere moments for Albus Potter to invert the entrapment spell crafted by Cynthia and Thomas as he re-directed the cage like structures towards them with almost effortless ease. His expression was now inscrutable, deep in methodical thought. They were almost like his play things, little pieces in a puzzle that one would direct, redirect and rearrange.
Neil fired another spell, another blasting curse at Albus, who blocked it and fired a stunner back at him.
“Albus, please!” Lily shouted above the commotion as Morrison tried to fire an unsuccessful disarming spell.
The scenario in front of him was not looking too good as Thomas and Cynthia appear encased in large impenetrable bubbles to which Neil had no inkling of any counter-charm to resolve. They were so close. Yet so far.
“Lily step aside,” Albus commanded as he landed in front of them. “There’s a little … snitch I need to take care of.”
“I’m not going anywhere, brother.” Lily folded her arms. Curiously her wand was not drawn. Her eyes were in pain; she was evidently fighting back tears. It looked like she wanted to hug the man in front of her, not confront or fight him. “Please… Al, please stop this…”
Without a word, Albus waved his wand and pulsating waves emanated from its core, immobilizing all around him, including Tobias, rendering the man unable to transform. Neil felt himself coil at this demonstration, unable to advance or retreat.
Plan A of capturing the man outright would not work, Neil realized. He had to think quick. He knew Albus could read minds so all that required was for him to lower his Occlumency shields. So Plan B it is.
Your father, he wants to meet you. Cafe Nero, near Kensington.
Those words were enough to make Albus pause, eyes narrowing. “Count this as your lucky day,” Albus spoke, his expression unreadable.
And then he vanished.
~X~
Harry Potter sat at a small table near the window, his fingers tapping lightly against the polished wood. Outside, the streets of London bustled with life, the golden light of late afternoon glinting off the streets. Inside, Harry waited with bated breath.
He had come alone, not out of bravery but because there was no one left who would—or could—accompany him. This was deemed a high-risk operation, a last chance failsafe. The Auror Office was fractured, his leadership hanging by a thread. The whispers against him had grown louder, with Hamish Granville spearheading a campaign to unseat him. He kept all of this away from Neil, who by all accounts, was a prudent and eager lad— and from his own daughter. The pressure had been building up for years and years. Yet Harry couldn’t focus on any of that now. This was personal.
The door to the café swung open, and Harry’s breath caught.
Albus Severus Potter stepped inside, his figure cutting an imposing silhouette against the warm glow of the street. More than a decade had passed since his son had fled, and the boy Harry once knew was now a man—tall, lean, with sharp features that seemed to mirror both his parents’ best and worst traits. His dark hair was neatly combed, his black coat pristine. Yet it was his eyes that drew Harry's attention: cold, calculating, and impossibly distant.
Harry stood awkwardly as Albus approached, but his son gave no indication of hostility. Instead, Albus gestured to the table.
“Shall we sit?”
Harry nodded, sinking back into his chair. A waitress appeared as if on cue, and Albus ordered a coffee and a pastel de nata. Harry, still unsure of his appetite, opted for tea.
The silence stretched between them, taut and suffocating. Finally, Harry spoke.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me.”
Albus shrugged, his movements almost languid. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Harry nodded, his lips twitched into a faint smile. “I read the news. Lately, Portugal had dropped you from its list of dangerous dark wizards. Their decision wasn’t a surprise. England’s the only place in Western Europe still labeling you a Dark Wizard.”
“And whose fault is that?” Albus’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but the words stung nonetheless.
“I fought against it,” Harry said firmly. “I’ve fought harder than you know to keep your name off that list.”
“Is that supposed to earn my gratitude?” Albus’s voice was soft, almost amused. “Because it doesn’t change the fact that your Aurors have been chasing me for over a decade.”
Harry exhaled heavily. “I never wanted it to come to this. But you’ve—”
“Done terrible things?” Albus interrupted. “Yes, I’m aware. I’ve read the stories. I’m sure Hamish Granville has some of them framed in his office.”
There was a bitterness in his voice that Harry hadn’t expected. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the waitress returned with their orders. Harry busied himself with his tea, watching as Albus stirred sugar into his coffee with deliberate precision.
Finally, Albus broke the silence. “I wear the Locket of Merlin,” he said abruptly, his fingers brushing against the chain around his neck. “It’s why your lot can’t trace me. The locket conceals all magical signatures—even the ones it shouldn’t.”
Harry’s gaze narrowed. “You’re saying it’s a Horcrux.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” Albus’s voice grew quieter, his earlier sharpness replaced with something akin to regret. “It was Delphi’s plan—her last attempt to anchor herself to this world. When I killed her to stop the ritual, the locket demanded a soul. Hers was gone, so it took mine instead.”
Harry felt a chill creep over him. “You—”
“I did what I had to do,” Albus said firmly, though his voice wavered. “She was going to destroy everything. I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Albus.”
Albus looked away, his jaw tightening. “Spare me the lecture. I’ve spent years trying to fix what I’ve done. That’s why I went to Herpo’s tomb—I thought I could reverse the ritual. But it nearly cost me everything.” He hesitated, his fingers tightening around his coffee cup. “If it weren’t for Delphi’s ghost pulling Herpo’s fragment with her...”
Harry didn’t press for more. Instead, he studied his son’s face, searching for the boy he’d once known.
“You’ve changed,” he said finally.
Albus smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “So have you. You’ve aged, Dad.”
The casual use of “Dad” caught Harry off guard, and he found himself smiling despite the circumstances. “That’s what happens when you spend your life chasing a Dark Wizard who also happens to be your son.”
Albus chuckled softly, and for a brief moment, the tension between them eased.
“Speaking of family,” Harry said, his tone lightening, “Nigel kind of worships you, you know.”
Albus raised an eyebrow. “Nigel?” He always had a soft spot for the child, the sweet, intelligent boy that made him feel normal, that reminded him of his deceased best friend.
“Yeah. He hasn’t stopped talking about the time you saved his life—not once, but twice.”
Albus’s smirk softened into something almost genuine. “The kid’s intelligent and reckless, but he’s got guts. Reminds me of James, actually.”
Harry chuckled. “He reminds me of you.”
They fell into an easier rhythm after that, reminiscing about old times and sharing stories about the family. Harry recounted a recent Christmas where Lily had enchanted the entire Burrow to sing carols, much to everyone’s dismay. Albus, to Harry’s surprise, laughed—a real laugh, free of the bitterness that usually colored his words.
All this time, Harry felt the weight of his wand in his pocket. He could try to end this right now, to apprehend his son and end this debacle facing him in the Auror office, all the years of pain.
But something stopped him.
For a moment, they were just father and son again, sharing a meal in a quiet café.
But as the light outside dimmed, reality crept back in. Albus leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable once more.
“You know this doesn’t change anything,” he said quietly.
“I know,” Harry replied. “But I’m glad we talked.”
Albus stood, leaving enough money on the table to cover the bill. “Take care of yourself, Dad.”
“You too, Albus.”
"And... go easy on your Aurors. They had a tough time today."
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Harry alone once more. Yet for the first time in years, Harry felt a glimmer of hope, despite the storm he knew would come right after.