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Albus made his way upstairs intending to collapse into his bed, curl up in a ball and sleep for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t until he reached his bedroom door that it all came flooding back. The blanket. The argument. The catalyst for this whole stupid situation.
Fighting a dark wizard and getting lost in time can make you forget a lot of things, but it doesn’t erase the words exchanged the last time he was here. Albus takes a deep breath before opening the door only to see the blanket still on the bed. Charred and dishevelled. Cleary thrown haphazardly to the side in his parent’s rush to come and rescue him. Everything else was left untouched; his book was still thrown on the ground by his bed, clothes still crumpled on the floor next to the hamper, a half-written letter to Scorpius sat on his desk. It was like a weird time warp.
Albus shut the door and quickly made his way to the bathroom before sliding down to the floor. Head in his knees as he combed a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath to ease the lump in his throat. He could hear his parents downstairs with his aunt and uncle, Draco and Scorpius having already made their departure to Malfoy Manor. Uncle Ron is trying to make Dad laugh whilst Aunt Hermione is scolding him for being insensitive. Albus couldn’t blame his uncle for trying, not when he couldn’t even start a conversion with his Dad without turning it into an argument.
“Where’s Albus?” he heard his Dad ask, his voice cracking on his name.
“Probably already asleep, he could barely keep his eyes open in the church” his Mum replied.
Last he saw his parents they were hauled up on the sofa, his Dad unable to focus on anything other than his breathing, so it was no wonder he hadn’t noticed him slip away. Not that he would have noticed on any other day either.
“Was he ok when he left?”
“As ok as he could be, I guess a good night’s sleep will do him some good. It will do us all some good” replied his Mum, seeming to stifle a yawn midsentence.
“I still can’t believe it happened” his Dad started, his voice becoming clearer and more confident “I can’t believe he did it. I just –“
Albus jumped up and stopped listening, running the tap cold before swilling his face, the cold biting as it brings him back to reality. Of course, his Dad was furious with him. The resident family screw up had gone and topped himself. Now not only was he the Slytherin Squib who couldn’t make any friends, but he was also the Potter who had gotten someone killed out of his recklessness and stupidity.
Using a towel to dry his face does little to help as the tears start building up. Taking the towel with him he walks straight past his room and towards James’. The room is a mess and an assaulting shade of red but the lack of emotional baggage makes the atmosphere almost comfortable. He doesn’t even bother changing clothes before climbing into the bed, the towel still firmly in his hand dabbing away at his face as the events of the night finally settle in.
Craig was dead. Scorpius had been tortured. Dark magic had nearly taken over. Albus had seen Voldemort in person. He had watched his grandparents die. His father had watched his parents die.
And it was all his fault. And it was all too much.
Albus burst into tears, his body shaking as his breaths became few and far between. Deep and hollow. Gripping the towel so tight his knuckles turned white, he stifled his sobs to make as little noise as possible. For once in his life hoping that he could remain invisible just long enough to prepare for what was to come. He had to talk to his Dad eventually but right now it would break him. Seeing the disappointed look in his father’s eyes would be the end of him.
Eventually, his lack of sleep catches up to him, curling on his side as he settles in for a fitful night. Cuddling Orval James’ old stuffed dragon for a bit of comfort.
--
“Albus!"
A slamming door wakes Albus with a fright as he hears footsteps running through the house. It’s only a matter of moments before his Dad bursts through James’ door and sees him curled up in bed.
“Oh thank god, Albus you can’t do that!” his Dad shouts, one hand steadying the doorway whilst putting his other hand over his heart.
Albus’ green eyes wide, peaking above the blankets towards the door. “I’m sorry Dad” Albus replies, his voice barely above a whisper. His lip starts to wobble as his eyes fill up again, being woken up with a fright doing nothing for his nerves of seeing his Dad.
Regaining his composure Harry slowly makes his way over to the bed, kneeling on the floor beside Albus’ head. He takes his hand and brushes it through the hair poking out the top of the duvet. “Why are you in here Albus, I thought you went to your room an hour ago?” he asks, still combing his hair in a way he hasn’t done since before he started Hogwarts.
“I tried too” he replied, his voice still uncertain and muffled by the towel still in his grip. “But it looks exactly the same”
It doesn’t take long for his Dad to put together the pieces “…the blanket” he whispers under his breath. He promptly looks to the ground, his hand coming to halt but remaining tangled in Albus’ hair. The moment becomes more uncomfortable as time goes on, his Dad taking deep breaths whilst still staring at the ground.
When he finally raises his eyes to meet Albus’ they are shiny with unshed tears. He takes his hands and cups either side of Albus’ face, gently using his thumb to brush away some stray tears before speaking. “I’m so sorry Albus. I didn’t mean what I said, I truly didn’t, and I know that it will take a lot more than an apology to make this right. But I need you to hear this” he squares himself and looks Albus directly in the eye “I love you so much son, there are not enough words to describe how much I love you. You’re my little boy and – and I’m so proud of you.”
Albus tries to hide under the covers but his Dad doesn’t let him, his hand still gently holding him in place. “No, no more hiding from each other Al. I think we’ve done enough of that already”
“But I heard you downstairs earlier, you were so angry” Albus replied finally breaking the eye contact they’d held for longer than was comfortable.
“I wasn’t angry” his Dad stated, letting go of his face to run his hands through his own hair with a sigh. “Well I wasn’t angry with you; I was angry with the whole situation and honestly? I was in shock.” He rose from the ground, his knee popping on the way to sit down on the edge of the bed. As the emotions of the past few moments died down, he became more awkward, grasping his hands on his knees whilst fiddling with his wedding band.
“The last time I saw Voldemort I knew it was going to happen, it was planned down to the date and time, and I knew exactly what I had to do. This was nothing like that and yet the stakes were just as high. The only thing I remember was this blind sense of urgency, an urgency to keep you safe. That was the first time I truly understood why parents did what they did.” Dad smiled into his lap before continuing “I would have done anything to keep you safe Albus. But you don’t need my help, if anything you saved me. It was you fighting alongside me that meant we won.”
“Dad I don’t think that I did anything special…”
“The blanket was genius, Albus. There’s no other way around it. You lead us there, you helped us fight her. That was all you, son.” Harry looked down at his son with a wide yet weary smile.
“But it was also my fault we were in this situation in the first place” Albus added quietly.
“Nobody blames you, Albus. You were manipulated by a very powerful witch. You are not to blame here” Harry looked at his son intently, not breaking eye contact. It wasn’t until Albus tried to hide a yawn that Harry chuckled to himself and began to stand up.
“Sorry I woke you; I think it’s time for some more sleep”
Harry turned to leave but was pulled back, Albus grabbing onto his hand before promptly letting it fall.
“Can you stay until I fall asleep please?” his voice so quiet it could barely be heard.
“Of course I can, scooch over a bit”
Harry leaned back against the pillows and allowed Albus to manoeuvre himself into a comfortable position at his side. He wrapped his arm around him before placing a kiss on the crown of his head.
“I love you, Albus”
“I love you too Dad.”
Harry never made it back to his own bed that night. He didn’t wake until early morning when he was jolted awake by someone shouting and slamming doors.
“Albus! Harry!” shouted Ginny.
“Next time I’ll leave a note” quipped Albus.