Raindrops on Roses

Chapter 30: The Last Summer Part 9: Scars

2024

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The atmosphere in the Potter household had been extremely tense for the last few days. James, when he wasn't at Quidditch practice, escaped it easily by going to Fred and Roxie's. He and Fred were both training for the Chudley Cannon reserves. Roxie was still looking for a reserve position but was working in the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop in Diagon Alley in the meantime. James and Fred spent most of their time flying or going over their training books - at least, that's what Albus assumed they were doing. James had recently broken up with Flora, and while Roxie had a mysterious boyfriend that no one had met yet, Fred had yet to form any kind of serious relationship.

Lily would have gone to Hugo's, but the vibe there wasn't much better. She mostly stayed in her room, reading her new NEWT-level books. She had achieved eight OWLs - less than Albus but more than James - and was still determined in her desire to be an Auror.

For Albus, there was no escape. Except for when he went to St Mungos to visit Scorpius, he was forbidden to leave the house. He didn't waste any time trying to argue that he was seventeen, and legally could do whatever he wanted. The look of disappointment on his father's face every time they saw each other was enough to silence any protest. Luckily this happened rarely, since Harry was very busy at the office. From what Al could gather, the Aurors were trying to use their new information to track down as many members of the Shadow's organisation as soon as possible, before news of the arrest spread all over the continent.

His mum was around considerably more, but he couldn't quite bring himself to have any real conversation with her. He knew she was just as angry as Harry was, by the brief way she spoke to him and the way she wouldn't quite meet his eyes. He wrote to Cleo and told her not to visit. No one had forbidden it outright, but he had no intention of subjecting her to the level of discomfort he now had to deal with.

He knew the hiatus would only last so long. The only reason he had not yet been punished was because of Scorpius and the fiasco over Uncle Ron's suspension, and his parents being busy. But he knew it was coming. His biggest fear was that they would ban him from Quidditch. He was determined that this year would be Ravenclaw's first cup win in four years, in his last year as captain. It seemed like the worst thing that could happen would be to have that dream shattered. A dark voice at the back of his mind reminded him that he deserved whatever his parents could throw at him. And if Scorpius had died, he wouldn't even have cared about Quidditch. He felt guilty now for worrying about it just because, by some miracle, his friend was still alive.

The day Scorpius was due to leave the hospital for the Leaky Cauldron, Albus woke up to find both his parents in the house for the first time in days. Instinctively he felt that the hammer was about to fall. With a sense of impending doom, he went downstairs. His father was sitting in the kitchen wearing an old T-shirt and with damp hair lying uncharacteristically flat from the shower. He looked exhausted. Ginny put a bacon sandwich in front of him and he smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, love."

"Well, you need some proper food, for once," Ginny said sternly. "It's not like you have any extra body fat to fall back on."

"Thanks a lot," Harry muttered.

"Morning," Albus said, shuffling into the kitchen.

"Good morning," his mum said. "There's bacon left in the pan if you want some."

"Thanks." He found a plate and some bread and started putting together his own sandwich. "Where's Lily?"

"Aunt Hermione's," Ginny replied. "And your brother has practice."