if the dark returns then my brothers will die [ginny]

[Deleted]

Graduation was done, and Albus was still trying to get over the fact that his father wasn't there to witness it. His conversation with James had been interesting - nothing like their previous interactions - and while Al knew he wasn't going to fix things with his brother, or the rest of his family, overnight, he knew that he wanted things to get better. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life resenting people until the day they disappeared. He needed to change, and the first step in that plan was officially withdrawing his application for the Auror program. He didn't want to be an Auror - his skill set wasn't charging into things headfirst and hoping that they turned out alright, and his temper could be disastrous in a field where a clear head was always necessary. Al wanted to change the world, but he needed to do it in a way where he could plan everything out beforehand, so that his emotions couldn't get in the way when the time came. He had started doing some research, and eventually settled on sending a brief letter to several companies that hired intelligence agents. Albus didn't imagine that telling his family members that he was going to be what was essentially a spy was going to go over well, since nothing he told them ever seemed to go over well, but he thought they deserved to know, and not be under the illusion that he was going to the Ministry every time he left the house. Al was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for his mother to come home from work or errands - he didn't know which - so that he could break the news.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

Slowly but surely her children were graduating, first had been James, and then recently it had been Albus. Now all that was left was to wait for Lily to graduate from Hogwarts, and all her children would leave the nest. It was upsetting, seeing as Ginny was still attempting to get to know them better than they all were going down their path, she cursed whoever removed her memories that fateful night and she hated it. She was sure everyone in her family disliked that she couldn’t remember certain things, though they were very supportive and tried to help her remember. And now with Harry gone, that was just another thing added on top of her children. She could tell that it had taken its toll on the children, and with each passing day that no news came nor did he appear at their front door, that hope was slowly fleeting. She felt bad for Albus the most, especially since he had to graduate without his father present in the audience, but she hoped that it wouldn’t affect him too much.

Today, however, was no different as she went to work early in the morning. She kept waiting for news, even as she busied herself with work at the Prophet, but slowly time trickled away until it was time to go home. Home was different without Harry, she barely got any sleep these days and sometimes found herself unable to sleep in the bed that she shared with Harry. But that didn’t matter, especially as she entered the home that she shared with her children and husband and made her way into the kitchen to grab a glass of whatever. However, she wasn’t expecting the sight that she entered, and that was her son sitting at the kitchen table. “Albus? You alright?” she questioned her son as she grew closer to where he was sitting, the glass of water she was going to get forgotten as she placed her bag down on the wooden table.

---

335 words ;; Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Al didn’t know long he had been sitting at the kitchen table before his mother came home from work. If he was honest, he didn’t really care how long it was – he needed as much time as he could get to steady himself, so that he wouldn’t be a coward and back out of the conversation he was going to have. Albus wished that he could smile at the notion. Him, Harry Potter’s son, a coward. It wasn’t really the truth, considering he only backed down when he knew he was going to fail if he didn’t, but the world at large seemed all too content to say that those who didn’t dive headfirst into every situation were cowards. That was part of the reason why he was concerned about his mother’s reaction to his announcement; that she would somehow see him as less because he had abandoned the notion of being an Auror to spy instead.

“That is what you named me.” Albus replied drily when his mother said his name. Probably not the best way to begin the conversation, Albus admitted, but he was still working on diminishing his sarcasm reflex, and he somehow doubted that he was going to be able to get rid of it completely. His mum asked if he was alright, and Albus lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Not really. Haven’t been since dad disappeared.” That was an unexpected level of openness, despite the fact that Al was trying to be better about his relationship with his family. He tried to backpedal a bit. “Do you have time to talk?” He asked.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

The dry reply that came from her son, nothing that sounded too much like a joke, made Ginny frown. Sure, Ginny didn’t remember having Albus or even naming him other than the stories she heard and the pictures she saw, she was slowly attempting to rebuild her forgotten memories, and sometimes she just felt helpless that she couldn’t remember. Did that make her a horrible mother? Hell—she didn’t even know how to thoroughly scold her children like her mother used to do, it was as if she were still a teenager in an adult woman’s body. And maybe she was – her memory did stop right after the Battle of Hogwarts. She didn’t say anything; she’d blame his tone of voice on the fact that they had no word on Harry yet instead she grew closer as he said that he hadn’t been alright since his father disappeared and her frown grew.

“I know honey, but just have hope that they’ll find him soon and bring him home,” she told her son with a nod of her head. When Harry was carried back ‘dead’ in Hagrid’s arms, she wanted to kill Voldemort with her own hands, but once he appeared alive and the battle began once more, she knew that he would always come back to save the day. “Yes—of course, I always have time to talk” she said as she quickly sat down at the table. Her arms sat on the structure, her fingers threaded together and she looked at her son with a small smile, “What do you want to talk about?” she finished.

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus’s mother said that she had hope that his father would be found and returned home, but Albus couldn’t share that sort of enthusiasm. Missing persons who weren’t found within the first two days of their disappearance were rarely found at all, and even rarer so were they found alone. His mother said that she had time to talk, and Albus gestured at the seat at the table across from him, even though his mother was making to sit down there anyways. She asked what he wanted to talk about, and Al figured that it would probably be best just to cut to the chase. “I told you and Dad that I wanted to go into Auror training when I graduated Hogwarts.” He began. He wasn’t sure if his mother remembered that, but Albus was fairly certain he had brought it up at least once since the whole memory fiasco, so he was going to assume that she did. “I don’t want to do that anymore.” Albus took in a deep breath, and let it out. “I’m going to be working as an intelligence officer for a private company.” It was the best way that Albus could think of saying the word ‘spy’, since the job title itself had a variety of connotations, and not all of them positive. Al had wanted to be an Auror, at least in some part, to prove that he could be just as good as his father, if not better, but he had realized that trying to in trying to get out of Harry’s shadow, he had just driven himself further into it. He was going to be beating his own path, far from what the other Potters had done before him.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

The moment she asked what he wanted to speak about he began talking, bringing up the fact that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an Auror, or at least, mentioning that was what he had told them. She nodded her head, while she probably didn’t remember the times he had mentioned it before her memory went goodbye, he had told her before, and she had heard it from Harry a few times. A part of her wondered what he was getting at, and the moment he said that he didn’t want to do it anymore, she was taken aback. Was it because that was what his father had done before his disappearance? Was he scared that he would have the same fate to befall him? She went to ask him, but he beat her to it, or at least, somewhat beat her to the punch and began explaining his reasons. He mentioned going to work as an intelligence officer for a private company, and she was even more taken aback. “What—what brought on this sudden change from Auror to an 'intelligence officer’?” she questioned, keeping the words he mentioned instead of saying ‘spy.’ It wasn’t her place to tell him what he should and should not do, he was an adult now, but she wanted him to be happy. She wanted all of her children to be happy, that was her goal in life.

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus sighed at his mother’s question. He had been hoping that she would be happy that she’d no longer have to worry about him being hurt in Auror training, or at least supportive of his choice, but it seemed like she wasn’t pleased with his decision, all because she couldn’t understand it. Albus didn’t want to go on a long rant about it all, but the change wasn’t exactly sudden. He had been thinking about it since early April, long before his father had disappeared and everything had fallen apart. Al didn’t think his mother would take kindly to being told that she was wrong, and the change wasn’t sudden, so he thought for a long moment before answering. “Dunno.” Albus said. It was his typical, evasive answer, and while he had been hoping to make up some ground in his relationship, it seemed like he was in a lose-lose situation. Either disagree with his mother and possibly start an argument, or continue to barely answer her questions and brush off her concerns about what he was doing with his life. “It’s complicated.” Albus amended. Neither answer was close to the whole truth, but maybe the second was close enough.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

Ginny quickly shook her head, “I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t agree with you. It just seems so sudden, it isn’t because of your father’s disappearance, is it?” she questioned with a small concern. “After everything I’ve been going through with your father’s disappearance, I’m happy that I won’t have to worry about losing you too...though this new job sounds just as dangerous.” The words came out in a blur as if she was ranting and going on another one of her tangents, but she didn’t mean for it to happen. New surprises with her children seemed to be coming out of the woodworks, and it worried her. While she couldn’t remember their childhood, it still felt like she was losing all of her children to adulthood. And now with Harry’s disappearance, she just wanted to shelter all of them – James and Lily included. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” she questioned before putting a small smile on her face, “I just want you to be happy Albus, that’s all I’ve ever wanted…and if this will make it so, then I’m happy you found something to fuel your passion,”

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus shook his head when his mother asked if his change in career plan was because of his father’s disappearance. “You can ask Lily. I was thinking about it back in April.” April was code for before Dad left in this conversation, in addition to being the literal month in which he had made the decision. Albus tried not to blanch when his mother said that she didn’t have to worry about losing him, too. She was aware that spies sometimes put themselves in dangerous situations, wasn’t she? Al wasn’t going to correct the misconception, especially if it meant his mother stayed on board with his idea, but he was a little wary of her thinking that. Of course, in the same breath, she seemed to realize that his job was a different kind of dangerous. Albus just hoped she wasn’t going to try to make him stay behind or something like that.

“I’m not sure of anything.” Albus answered. He was a teenager – the things he was sure of one day were dust on the wind the next day. His mother said she wanted him to be happy, and Al bit back a comment about how she hadn’t done much good at that for his years at school. His misery was his own damn fault. “It’s not my passion. But I want to survive.” Al paused. “I want Lily to survive. And James.” Especially Lily, though. Even in their one conversation at Hogsmeade, Albus was reminded of his fondness for his sister. He didn’t want her getting hurt.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

Ginny was a little upset to learn that she was the last to know about her son’s sudden change in profession, though she felt a little better that it wasn’t because of her father. She nodded her head, “I see – I’m glad that it wasn’t your father’s disappearance that changed your profession wants,” she said with a smile on her face. The smile, however, slowly disappeared from her face as he told her he wasn’t sure of anything and that he was only doing it for the survival of himself, and his siblings. “How—how will this profession—I’m sorry, I don’t seem to be following.” she said with a small frown on her face. Was he worried that she wouldn’t protect her children? Yes, the world was a scary place with all the attacks, but Ginny would do anything to protect her children. She’d die for her children, and yet here Albus was doing something that he seemed so sure would ensure survival. The way Ginny said it was as if her son wouldn’t survive and she realized it once it was already out of her mouth, and quickly she shook her head. These whole motherly conversations were still fresh to her. “You know I would protect you and your siblings from any harm, you know, that, right? What makes this job so special that it’ll do that job?” she questioned if anything being a spy or whatever sounded more dangerous.

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus just nodded when his mother said that she was glad his change in profession wasn’t because of his father. Even if it had been, was it really that bad to want to consider the fact that his father was missing when picking his career? It wasn’t like people were locked into the one job they picked forever. If he chose a profession, and his father came back, and everything changed, then would it really be so bad for him to switch jobs? It would put him a little behind, sure, but that wasn’t the end of the world.

His mother seemed confused by how his being a spy would help ensure his survival – and, more importantly, Lily and James’s. “The Aurors can be as good at fighting and whatever as they want to be… but it doesn’t mean anything if they don’t have information.” The Ministry didn’t have an espionage unit, and even if they did Al wasn’t sure that he’d want to work there, but the bottom line was that information was just as important as anything else in the war that he had found himself thrown into. Obviously something was going wrong in the Ministry, otherwise his father wouldn’t have disappeared, and the Purifiers wouldn’t be a problem. Al was going to guess that that something boiled down to a lack of information.

“Dad tried to protect us, too.” Albus replied quietly when his mother said that she would protect them. Fat lot of good it had done Harry, to try and protect his children – protect the world. “Don’t you think it would be easier for Lily and James to lose a brother than to become orphans?” That was what it boiled down to: Albus was expendable… and oddly enough, he didn’t mind.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

“But sometimes being the one with the information is a bad thing, being the one with the knowledge of plans gets you killed. Say, for example, you went after a group of wizard terrorist and learned their hideout; they would hunt you down and kill you before you shared that information. It doesn’t ensure your survival, it dooms it, and those around you in fear that you spilled to them first,” she said. The words that tumbled out of her mouth, they made her more scared than anything for her son and the life he wanted to live now. Her over-thinking just ruined a perfectly good conversation, or at least, in her mind. But he had to see that, that being the one with the cards wasn’t always a good thing even if it was a simple bluff. Ginny’s mouth closed tightly when Albus brought Harry into the mix of their conversation, bringing up that he tried to protect them as well, and while he was right she hated to think like that. She didn’t like the negative, even when it seemed to be the only truth.

“Albus—” she breathed out shaking her head, “It wouldn’t be easier at all…yes losing a parent is horrible, but losing a sibling is the worst possible thing in the word. When we lost Fred, it was the worst experience of my life, not only because I was devastated, but my entire family was. Seeing the faces of friends and family mourning over a life so young, it’s the worst thing. I’d die a thousand times over if it meant that you and your siblings got to live a full and happy life with families of your own,” she said almost tearing up.

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus shrugged when his mother said that sometimes being the one with information got people killed. Doing just about anything could get someone killed, so if he was going to die, couldn’t it at least be doing something that he chose, rather than something that he had forced himself into because he wanted to be a better Harry Potter? “They’d only know that I had the information if I was careless.” He responded to his mother’s anecdote. The underlying message was clear: Albus was not careless. He was a lot of things, but not that. When he wanted to pay attention to detail, Albus did. When he wanted to remain calm, he did. There were ways to avoid death – of course there were – and his mother’s extreme example did little to dissuade Albus from the path that he was already on.

“They don’t actually care about me.” Albus forced himself to say. Yes, he was trying to do better by his siblings, but as it was, he didn’t think they’d be as devastated as his mother thought by his passing. She brought up his uncle Fred – who always seemed to be brought up when conversation turned to the war – and Albus’s green eyes turned steely. “I would rather die for a cause than live forever knowing I might have been able to do something to help.” He said coldly. Albus wasn’t going to martyr himself for no reason, but if it came down to it, and he had to choose between himself and the cause he was fighting for, he was going to choose the cause. Ginny said that she’d die a thousand times over for him and his siblings to get full lives, and Al shook his head. “You don’t get to make that choice, though.” Albus was in control of his own life, and his mother couldn’t make it in his place.

Ginevra Molly Potter

[Deleted]

When Albus brought up the fact that they’d only know that information if he was careless, she opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. Yes, that was true. But even the people that weren’t careless easily were won over in favor of life, so much of that had happened in the past. “I wasn’t trying to say you were careless, but I—I see your point,” she said with a nod of her head. She prayed that Albus knew what he was doing because she grew more worried by the second. “Who doesn’t care about you? James and Lily? Bloody Hell Albus – why do you think that? They are your siblings; they love you no matter what…” she breathed out almost shocked by her son’s behavior. Was it the grief that he hides from her about Harry’s disappearance or was it something else? She felt like he was pushing her away, and she hated it. The coldness in Albus' voice took her aback, and she felt herself moving backward in her seat as if threatened by the cold that came from his tone. “Albus,” she breathed out after he said it wasn’t a choice she would get to make, and she felt like a dagger was placed thrust into her heart. She swallowed slowly, “If you want to see it that way, so be it. You may not think I have the choice in the matter, but there is always the choice to protect one's children even if they don’t see one…”

---

Albus Severus Potter

✪

[Deleted]

Albus was willing to abandon the line of thinking about his carelessness or lack thereof when his mother said that of course James and Lily cared about him, because he was their brother, and for some reason that meant they were obligated to love him no matter how much of an ass he was to them. And yeah, he had totally been an ass to both of them, on more than one occasion! “Just being related to someone doesn’t give you a carte blanche. I know plenty of kids who aren’t on speaking terms with their parents or their siblings.” Albus said, crossing his arms over his chest. Part of being in Slytherin was knowing kids of pureblood families, and of course, amongst those children were the ones who disagreed with their philosophies. His ex-girlfriend had been abused by her father, for Merlin’s sake! The whole ‘family must love each other’ thing was, frankly, bull, and Albus wasn’t afraid to say that. He wanted to earn James and Lily’s respect and love back, but that was the thing – it had to be earned, not given just because he happened to share the same parents as them.

Ginny said that there was always a choice in the matter to protect your children, and Albus just stared. “What, are you going to keep me from working?” He asked. He hoped that wasn’t what she meant, but Al didn’t want to assume, especially with how crazy the world had been lately. If she wanted to try, she was welcome, but Albus had made up his mind.

Ginevra Molly Potter