Twists of Fate

Chapter 7: Hands on the Clock

Albus Potter was not the type of wizard to say, "I told you so." He was never the one to utter those four dreaded words. He was also never one to hear them. He was the kind that would say "Yeah you messed up, so how do we fix it?"

When talking about the well-liked Potter boy the words arrogance and egotistical were the furthest thoughts from anyone's mind—although they should have been the first.

What people often did not realize about the middle Potter was that he was a man with a pride and ego that could make anyone's neck stiff. Albus was too prideful to ever admit that he was at fault. If he weren't he would have been on his knees at Liz's doorstep the moment he accused her of infidelity.

When he accused Liz of being unfaithful he knew she would never be capable of something like that. She was busy working with Lily at the prophet. A job she dreamed of since she bought her first spell correcting quill.

Perhaps part of Al was jealous that Liz was able to follow her dream so easily. He regretted his accusation as soon as it was spoken, but the words were already out in the open. It was too late to take them back. So instead, he watched her walk out that door, slamming it shut tightly.

When Liz broke up with him, Rose was the only person he showed how he really felt. To the outsiders, it appeared as if he was fine and well recovered from the breakup. When in fact he was anything but. He could never let anyone know that he was wrong. He drank away his stupidity for a solid week, with Rose there as comfort, and began dating the next month. Girl after girl flooed in and out of his flat. With each new broad on his arm, he had everyone believing that he was happy living the bachelor lifestyle

Most assumed he loved this and lived life like it was a breeze; easy and carefree. For those that knew Albus Potter the best, they knew that he meant for his heart to be in the right place, but that it often got misguided by his worrisome nature, constant fears, and need to be right. This frequently guided him into unhappy situations.

Everyone, even Rose, assumed that he loved his job at the ministry. What they failed to know was that he detested it. When he applied to work in the ministry he didn't know what department he wanted, but no place in their right mind would turn away the son of the famous Harry Potter.

Al began working as the Junior Assistant to the Minister right after he left Hogwarts. A position his pompous Uncle Percy once held (a fact he never failed to remind Albus of whenever they had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting). He despised the work immediately. He knew that he was capable of much greater things, but he did not want people to think that he made a grave error in giving up his dream to be a healer. So he pasted on a smile, threw a few chuckles and jokes in here and there, and convinced everyone that he loved his job. It was all one big act. His entire life was just one big front.

A front he was preparing to keep up as he apparated to the Burrow for Scropius' welcome back dinner. The crackling of the fire burning underneath the cauldron surged into his ears as he stepped into the kitchen.

Grandma Molly was nowhere to be found. In her absence, the kitchen was fluent with movement. The handle of a ladle was swirling around, as it stirred the contents of the boiling cauldron. Gran's wacky clock hung proudly on the wall, now adorned with the hands of her grandchildren, as well as her children and their spouses. Dishes flew in and out of the cupboards, magically setting the large dining table. Plates clinked as they dunked themselves into the bubble-filled sink. Gran's rocking chair was tucked in the corner next to the stove, rocking away.

Albus ducked right as a mug flew over his head. The Burrow might have been crazy and hectic, but it was home. The place where he spent his summers and holidays growing up. Where he and Scorpius once broke his dad's old Firebolt by crashing it into the gardens. Where Al realized his dream of being a healer when Victorie was bitten by a gnome. It was a special place that gifted him with too many childhood memories to be referred to as anything besides home.