electro-shock blues | rosie

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

THE FURY BURIED IN ALBUS'S CHEST REFUSED TO let up. He left his home in Godric's Hollow, apparating right out in the street so that he left nothing but a gust of wind and dust in his wake. He landed in the city, his back against a cold alleyway wall as he pressed chilled hands to his flaming face and scrubbed until it hurt a little bit. Night had truly fallen and London was misty and damp, the air icy on his inflamed face.

When he gathered the strength to push himself off the wall and head out in to the street, Albus's eyes were bloodshot and wild. His hair in disarray from too many fingers ripping through it. His cheekbone still pink with fresh, shiny skin from the burn he'd earned just the day before. Along with the fading remnants of another on his flushed neck and chest. He did not look well as he traipsed across the street and entered the dimly lit entryway of a towering block of flats. Nor did he appear himself as he took the stairs two and three at a time, all the way up to the first place he'd thought of when he'd thought about 'escape'.

Albus's knuckles sounded tinny and faraway to his ears as he rapped them against the polished wood of Rosie William's door. It was almost one in the morning, but he hadn't thought about courtesy as he'd left his house. He'd only thought about the burning anger and resentment that made his vision waver dangerously. "Rosie..." His voice sounded hoarse to his ears, his forehead rolling against the wooden front as he slumped against it. "Rosie, I know it's late, but I need to- I... please let me in." His voice sounded desperate and off. She'd surely know there was something wrong just by his voice. 

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Rosie had been asleep. She was someone who valued her schedule and routine and went to sleep at 11 pm every night after a cup of mint tea and a few chocolate biscuits to curve her cravings for sweet things. So when Albus banged on the door to her studio flat in the city, she was slightly terrified but jumped out of bed anyway and wrapped her robe strings around her waist. The bottom of her pajama pants brushed the wood floor as she walked over and opened the door upon hearing the voice of her friend outside of her flat. She had certainly not been expecting him today. If anyone would call on her in the middle of the night, she expected it to be Brandon, but here was Albus. She unlocked the door and took in the sight of him. “Albus?” she asked, her eyes finally adjusting to the burns on his skin and the disheveled look of his face and hair. “What’s going on? What's happened to you?” she asked, stepping aside to let him enter the flat, using her wand to flick on the lights.

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

WHEN ROSIE FINALLY OPENED THE DOOR ABLUS let go of the breath he was holding. He wasn't sure he had anywhere else to go. Rosie had been his best friend for so long, and he needed to tell someone who would understand his point of view. Yes, his father was alive. But, he'd lied to them. Albus had only just been able to comprehend the full scale of his loss and he had returned. It felt like a betrayal.

"I-" He rubbed his hand across his face, pulling down the skin and at the scruff around his chin before he let his arm fall loosely at  his side. "It's my dad..." It felt like an echo from the first time he'd had to tell Rosie that his father was gone. But, this time it wasn't with the fear and uncertainty of his disappearance. It was with a simmering bitterness and a prickling annoyance for the loss of his own peace of mind. "He's back..." Speaking the words in to being felt different, and Albus blinked in shock.

Storming in to Rosie's apartment, Albus went straight to her living room. She had the comfiest sofa, and he just wanted to take the weight off his feet before he set off running again. "He knew what he was doing the whole time, Rosie." He threw himself on to the cushions, a stricken expression on his face as he searched for a reflection of his own anger in his friends face. Anything to anchor him in place. "He left mum- and... all of us." Swallowing roughly, he perched his arms on his knees and dropped his head in to them. "I'm so mad at him." 

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He’s back?! Rosie just watched Albus as he stormed past her and into her flat. She didn’t want to disturb her neighbors, who she suspected were mostly muggles, so she closed the door quickly to let the silencing charm she already had around her flat do its job. Albus went over and threw himself down on her couch while he explained that Harry Potter had known what he was doing the whole time. He had left them on purpose, with no explanation, and now was just back. “He’s back?” she repeated, almost unable to believe him. She perched on the arm of her own couch and watched Albus. Furry and confusion took turns dancing through her eyes. “Why did he leave then?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest, now thoroughly mad at the man as well.

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

HEAD BRACED IN HIS HANDS, ALBUS COULDN'T tear them away again. He didn't want to look at Rosie's face just yet, he wasn't brave enough, but he'd known he had to tell someone. Soon enough the papers would catch wind of the story and Harry Potter would be famous all over again. Not as if he'd ever been 'normal'. Albus had dealt with his father's persistent celebrity status his entire life. It had been worse when he'd been presumed dead. But, at least it had been consistent.

Albus dragged his head up, tongue in cheek as he finally looked at his friend when she spoke. Implored her to give him answers to how he was feeling. He should have been overjoyed, he'd known that's what his mum would expect of him. Lily and James, too. But he wasn't. The thing inside him was dark and slippery. He'd had to leave the house in Godric's Hollow before he said something he could never take back. With Rosie it was different, she knew him better than most. She knew how he could be.

"'The Greater Good'?" Albus said with simmering fury. His bottom lip caught in a sneer as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He had to lay low for a mission, or something." He explained for Rosie's benefit, believing only that she deserved a better answer, not his father. From his perch, he held the arm of the sofa and pushed himself over the edge, slumping backwards until he was laying on her sofa, his legs hanging loosely over one end. "We deserved to know." He said angrily. "I don't care why or how dangerous he said it was..." Albus's brows pulled together and he felt an ache at the back of his throat, his adam's apple flexed painfully. "He always puts it first..." He failed to elaborate. 

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Albus explained that his father had left for the Greater Good, something about a mission and having to lay low for it. Rosie shook her head, disgusted. She knew that Harry had never been Father of the year, at least not in Albus’s eyes, but abandoning his family, willingly, and then coming back and saying “sorry. This was more important.” Was despicable. Albus was right, they had deserved to know. Even if the rest of the world didn’t know, his family deserved to know that they he didn’t leave them for something better. Albus laid back on the couch and Rosie stayed where she was, but watched him. “Albus that’s awful.” she agreed. “I wouldn’t blame you if you never spoke to him again.” she admitted.

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

SO HIS FATHER WASN'T DEAD AND HE SHOULD be shaken with relief, but he's not. He'd grieved father deeply. It had almost ruined his life and aspirations. To the point that he almost gave up his internship to be closer to his mum, and Lily. And good thing he hadn't. How pointless it all seemed, half of the year wasted shedding tears for a man who chose work over his family. Rosie's voice was tense with disgust and Albus felt something release in his chest, easing in a sigh between pursed lips.

"It's going to be all over the papers soon," Albus grumbled, pinching the skin between his brows. This seemed almost worse than his siblings reactions. "People at work..." His nose wrinkled and he sat up suddenly, swinging his legs around to brace his elbows in his knees, head falling in to his hands. "I just wish my life didn't revolve around him for one second, you know?" He said viciously, but when he looked up at Rosie, his face was shockingly vulnerable. His eyes bloodshot, his hair standing on end. He looked on the verge of tears, of a looming breakdown. "I'm a selfish git, right?" He laughed hoarsely.  

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Albus said something that Rosie had known for almost the whole time that she had known Albus. He wished that his life didn’t revolve around his father. Rosie often wished that Albus didn’t feel like he had to live in his father’s shadow too. She kind of knew how that was, since her mother was a big Quidditch start in her own time, and since she was part of the war that his father lead, but she didn’t have it anywhere near as badly as Albus. Her mother would never do what Harry did to his family. “Have you ever thought of going somewhere else? Somewhere where no one knows your dad?” she asked. She always felt the desire to get away, to be somewhere new and to be around people who didn’t know her. That was one of the reasons she ran off to America. She wanted to figure out who she was outside of being Cho Chang’s daughter and the sweet little Hufflepuff girl that everyone knew her as. And she had. She had found Rosie. Who knew it would just take chopping off her hair to find her? "Thinking about yourself isn't selfish, Albus." she shook her head. "It's important."

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

PULLING HIS HEAD FROM HIS HANDS WITH A great reluctance, Albus's smile was sharp and devoid of anything sweet or kind as he looked up at his friend. It was ugly on his stretched and flushed face. "Every other bloody day." He grumbled, his mouth like a sneer as he sat back and shook his head, rolling his eyes skyward. He'd always resented the notion of moving away, though it appealed to him greatly.

"But, I mean, this Ministry has the best auror program..." It was like he was reciting words from a script as he'd had the same thoughts many times. "Mum barely remembers our names some days and-" He shook his head again, more firmly, as he stared at the ceiling pitifully. "I don't want to leave because of him, you know?" He twisted his head to look at Rosie and smiled, this time it was softer, but sadder. "Doesn't feel fair, you know?"

Rosie tried her best for him, she always did. That's why he loved her. Why he'd come to her first. Because she validated his feelings when he felt like he was being irrational. When everyone else might tell him to calm down. "Feels like it." He replied, gnawing on his bottom lip. "I should just be happy he's alive, right?" He didn't wait for a genuine reply because he was simply reiterating what he'd said before. "That's what they're gonna tell me." His tone was becoming tense again, reeling back over everything he hated about the situation. "I can't do that." He shrugged his shoulders, hopeless.

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Rosie was such a people pleaser, but after her trip and her little selfish act of rebellion in America, she had learned that it was okay to put yourself first. Because if you didn’t take care of yourself, you couldn't possibly take care of anyone else. She understood what Albus was saying about not wanting to leave because of him, but she also wondered if part of that was feeling like he needed to prove that he wasn’t like his father. If he left now, he would be walking away just like Harry had. Unannounced. Without explanation. Rosie knew that would eat at Albus. She nodded along while he spoke and she stayed fairly silent, letting him get his thoughts and feelings out. She knew that was mostly what he needed and mostly why he was here. He admitted that he couldn’t just be happy that his dad was alive and get over the fact that he walked away. “I wouldn’t expect you to do that.” Rosie admitted. “but even if you didn’t leave, you still don’t have to be around him, or them, if you don’t want to. If distancing yourself from them makes you happy and keeps you sane, then just focus on work and friends...” Hell he could even move in with her if he wanted to keep away from his family, she had the ability to make the flat bigger if she needed to.

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

ROSIE'S VOICE WAS LIKE A BALM TO ALBUS'S frayed nerves. He turned his face towards her instinctively, the pale look young and vulnerable in the low light. He nodded his head against the arm of the sofa, because she was right. Rosie was far more emotionally stable than Albus ever had been, her maturity exceeding his all throughout their time growing up together. Sometimes, it bothered him - made him feel inadequate - but tonight it helped him, grounded him in place. This is why he had come. To validate his feelings.

"Can I stay the night?" He whispered, tentative, as if she might tell him no. His nose scrunched and he itched it, dropping his gaze. "I didn't even ask what you're doing up so late." He muttered to himself, realising too late that he had been utterly selfish. "You're okay, right?" He stared at her, blinking owlish eyes without his glasses on. The corrective glaze he'd applied earlier that morning was beginning to dissolve and it was making them look glassy. He definitely wasn't about to cry. Absolutely not. He rubbed them until they hurt. 

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He asked if he could stay the night and Rosie nodded her head quickly in reply. As if she was ever going to tell him no. Albus had been one of her best friends really since the two of them had met, and she would do just about anything for him. Maybe even anything if the reason was compelling enough. “Yeah, of course.” she agreed. She’d be able to scavenge together enough extra linens to make a bed on the couch for him for the night. Her place was just a little studio, but there was always room for those she loved, even in the slightly cramped quarters.

He then noticed that he didn’t ask why she was awake right now and she smirked. “Someone came banging on my door…” she reminded him. She had been asleep when he came around. But it was exactly the type of thing that she would do: make herself available, at all hours, for a friend in need of an open ear. “I’m fine.” she promised him. She saw him rub his eyes and stood up. “let me find some blankets and stuff for you… Do you need anything else? I have some extra toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom.” she was always prepared for guests.

Albus Severus Potter

[Albus Severus Potter]

don't speak too soon.

30th of Dec 2024

CURLED ON HIS SIDE, ALBUS WONDERED WHAT he'd do if Rosie had said no. He didn't react to her easy acceptance outwardly, but his mind did. Turning over her generosity and how simple it was for her to give him a place to hide. He felt like a coward, but she didn't make him feel like that. No, that was entirely self-inflicted. He shut his eyes instead, almost as if he were going to fall straight asleep. He wasn't, after a second, they flickered back open.

With a tired snort, Albus rolled on to his back. She had a point, he hadn't exactly been subtle or thoughtful about his timing. Just desperate. There was no bite in her tone, though. She was used to this by now. His impulsive, emotional outbursts. A kettle boiling over, whistling as it did. "Nah, go back to bed." Albus mumbled, rubbing at his face. "I know where everything is." But, when she stood to leave him, he reached back over the arm of the chair and grabbed for her dangling hand.

It was a tentative hold, a gentle tug to stop her retreat, his fingers hooking around the side, thumb curling and pressing in to her palm. "Thanks, Rosie." He whispered, blinking up at her, his owlish eyes ringed with dark circles, the whites bloodshot. The thank you wasn't enough, but he hoped that she understood what he was saying underneath it. He said 'thanks', but he really meant, 'I don't know what I'd do without you'. He said, 'you're my best friend'. Except, he didn't, because he wasn't good at this sort of sappy rubbish. So, he let go of her hand and curled on to his side, burying his face in to her cushions with a gusty, exhausted sigh.

[END]

rose harriet granger-weasley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!