Leave Out All The Rest

The Potter Legacy

Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter 35: The Potter Legacy

POV: James

The world assumes that with parents like mine my life was the epitome of awesome—that I am awesome because they are, too (have been for so long).  Sure, that was irrevocably true, but they did not know more than the household names that were chanted from one corner of the world to the other.

Harry Potter: the Chosen One, the Savior of the Wizardying World, the Vanquisher of the Dark Lord, and Revolutionary Head Auror. Yeah, Dad was all of that, he was a superhero in my eyes and the eyes of so many others, but no one knew of his demons. He was more than the defeater of dark magic and injustice; he was stubborn, easily enraged, suspicious, depressed, and anxiety ridden. 

Ginny Potter (nee Weasley): Truest Gryffindor, D.A. member, War Heroine, renown Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and celebrated journalist. Of course Mum was magnificent and fierce, but she also came with limited patience, breathtaking anger-management issues, stubbornness, and an incline to kick arse now and ask questions later. 

Here I was, James Sirius Potter, their firstborn: caught between their good and their bad (but mostly their bad). 

My inherited suspicion was on the rise as I followed closely behind a group of witches. I knew if that suspicion won over my judgement I would be burning down a village in no time (something Mum would do). 

"How'd it go with McLaggen yesterday?" Freddie asked Louis as we continued to push our trolleys through King Cross station. 

"How'd you know about Coral?" Louis asked.

"Aunt Fleur told Mum," Freddie explained. "Well, more like yelled at Mum about it. Mum convinced her you weren't her bébé garçon anymore and you had every right to start dating. So, you know, you're welcome."

Louis scoffed at Freddie's remark, but still said, "Her parents were on holiday, so it was just Coral and her annoying little brother Conrad in that big house of theirs. Mum didn't know that, though; she just reminded me to be polite to the McLaggens and I told her I'd be the man she raised me to be."

Freddie let out a loud snort. "So, what? You just flew broomsticks for a few hours, babysat, and went home?"

"No. I slipped Conrad a few drops of Sleeping Drought every couple of hours. He was sound asleep by seven. After that, it was just me and Coral. You don't need the details of what came after, mate."

"I don't know to be impressed or concerned, really," said Freddie.  

Louis let out a laugh just as I pushed my trolley past them, heading for the three girls in front of us. Harper and Rose grunted out my name as I shoved them aside to line up with Emily.

"You're hiding something from me," I told her soon as she blinked green eyes in my direction. "Don't say you're not because Mum has been nothing but nice to me since the last time she saw you. And she's never nice to me."

Harper reached over to Rose, forcing her to slow down and fall back with Freddie and Louis. Rose protested, but still did not charge forward when Harper started whispering something in her ear. 

"We've talked about space, James," Emily muttered as she angled her trolley away from mine, adding a few steps of distance between us now. "I can't tell you everything I feel because I can barely comprehend it myself."

That felt like someone dove a sharp knife into my heart. 

"I know," I started to say in a low voice, "but somehow it seems like I'm the only person you can't say anything to. I'm aware I sound like a twat, that I'm making it about myself, but—"