Albus Potter and the Cursed Legacy | Scorbus

8. The Daily Prophet

Harry hated the first of September. It used to be his favourite day of the year. The day he finally got to leave the Dursley's for Hogwarts, his real home. 

But now that he was grown and had his own children and the day just upset him.

He and Ginny arrived home to a silent, empty house, which would have been a relief to most parents, but not to them. The house would remain empty for months on end. It wasn't until Christmas that their family would be one again.

Gone was the energy of the house. And he missed it. He missed the sound of pattering footsteps as the kids ran around. The laughter as they played games and made forts in the lounge. The toys that scattered the house from a long day of fun. He even missed the occasional tears of the children, when they'd run to him for comfort. But all that had slowly come to an end once his eldest had reached age eleven.

The kids began to grow apart, both mentally and physically. They went off to school and gained their own independence. They lived apart from one another. They no longer relied on their parents. James made his own friends at school, becoming rather popular among his year. Lily took up new hobbies that often occupied all her time. And Albus...

"I really messed up today, didn't I?" Harry sighed, rubbing his temples as he sunk deeper into the sofa.

Ginny sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, "Yeah, you did." She said, not trying to sugarcoat it.

"He's just so stubborn. Arguing with him is just so frustrating." He complained.

Ginny sat up to face her husband, "I don't think that Albus is the only problem here." She had always been the type of person to tell it as it was. While bothersome at times, it was ultimately helpful for Harry to hear things straight. His childhood had been filled with lies for his own good, but the only good it did was make things more confusing and frustrating to understand. He needed the truth, not some fibs to make him feel better, and Ginny was happy to give it to him.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "Well, you do tend to have a short temper. With Al, especially."

"He just knows exactly how to get on my nerves!" Harry tried to justify but he knew she was right. He hardly ever lost his temper with James or Lily in the way he did with Albus. In fact, he hardly fought with them at all. Albus, on the other hand, seemed to love making him sore and would do just about anything to provoke him.

Ginny took Harry's hands, toying with the gold band around his left ring finger, "Do you remember your fifth year, Harry?"

"Of course, what about it?"

"I spent a lot of time with you that year, and I noticed there was something different about you. You seemed more..." she searched for the right word, "combative. You always talked back to family and friends. You could be pushy and always tried to take matters in your own hands. Matters that were far greater than you could handle alone. You just didn't seem as happy as I knew you to be." She told him.

"Well, I was dealing with all that had happened during the Triwizard Tournament the previous year, of course I was a little on edge." He explained. Of all his years at Hogwarts, he tried to forget the events of his fourth year the most. He still could not think of Cedric without feeling the guilt flood his veins. He spent the whole next year dealing with the trauma. Even now, he wished there was something he could have done to prevented the death of the innocent boy.

"Don't you think that Al could be going through the same sort of phase? He is of that age."

At first, Harry was surprised to hear Ginny say that, "Al has had nothing to worry about! He didn't have to deal with Voldemort's return or dementor attacks. He didn't have to see his friend die before his very eyes."