puzzle pieces of us left in the dust [james]

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His dad wasn't there. Albus had never once considered that his father wouldn't be there for his graduation from Hogwarts. He and his father had never had the best relationship - Al's sometimes short temper and constant feelings of inferiority didn't mix well with his father's need to save people - but Al hadn't ever doubted that his father had cared for him. It was just that they fared better when they weren't caring for each other up close and personal. Al knew he was probably being selfish, for just thinking about his dad when so many students from the foreign schools had been killed... but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, because the longer his father was away, the less sure Albus was that he was ever going to come back. "Missing in action" was the official classification, but that felt precariously close to "presumed dead". It consumed Al's thoughts as he walked the stage and received his diploma, feeling some mix between angry and sad and empty. His mother and brother were in the crowd - as was his sister, presumably, but Al hadn't been able to spot her - and after the ceremony was complete, Albus found himself with the rather uncharacteristic urge to go talk to them, rather than hide away in the shadows until they just left. Albus pushed his way through the crowd of people, watching as other kids had their fathers clasp their hands or give them hugs or do something. Al knew he wasn't the only one who was graduating without his father there, but it had all been so unexpected... Albus found himself a few steps away from his family, and suddenly realized he had no idea what to say. He halted, staring at the back of his brother's head as he waited for something poignant to come to mind.

@jams

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It was funny to think that just a year ago, James had been in the same position that Albus was today. Graduation. Granted, it was supposed to be a lot happier for both of them than it ended up being. Last year, graduation had taken place shortly after the kidnappings and the death of Ethan. So James's had been all that great. But now? Things were worse. More than a handful of young students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had been killed. And to top it all off, Harry Potter - Albus and James's father, was missing.

James sat in the crowd with his mother. He knew Lily was somewhere in that crowd with her friends. That's where he wanted her to be. Despite everything, he wanted his sister to be happy. He had a gut feeling that Albus would be taking this a lot harder. The air in the Great Hall felt very tense as each graduate walked across the stage to receive their diploma. There were happy parents, of course, but James knew the loss of the foreign students had to be weighing down on the seventh years terribly. And while Albus walked across the stage, James did smile proudly, but it felt so wrong without his father there, too.

After the ceremony, James stood with his mother in the crowd searching for family members to congratulate, but as he searched the crowd he wondered where Albus was. He was scanning the crowd slowly as he turned around and finally when he had, there stood his brother just a few feet away from him. James opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He looked down at his feet and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and slowly found himself moving in Albus's direction until he was within a comfortable talking distance. Even after he stopped, it was another moment before he finally raised his head to address Albus. "Congrats, Al," he finally said, albeit quite lamely.

Albus Severus Potter

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James saw him. It was obvious the moment his brother’s eyes met his, and Al wondered what his brother was thinking. He had never been much good at communicating with his brother – probably because in a lot of ways James was similar to their dad, who Albus had already agonized over his relationship with. Al remained rooted the ground, unsure of what to do, but to his surprise, his brother approached him, closing the distance between them in a few long strides. James was looking at his feet, and Al couldn’t blame him – their conversations didn’t normally turn out well, and James had no reason to believe that this one was going to be any different. Except this time, Albus was going to try – really try. His brother deserved at least that much.

“Thanks.” He answered quietly when James congratulated him on graduating. “Have you heard anything about Dad?” It was about the closest Albus was going to get to admitting that he was upset by his father’s absence, because he really didn’t want to complain about it or be admonished for being selfish when his father was much more to the Wizarding world than just Al’s father. It seemed unlikely to the new graduate that something would have happened without him hearing about it, but it was also possible that if something bad had happened, no one would want to tell him until after graduation. Albus rocked back on his heels, trying not to show any emotion so that James couldn’t see how scared he was for the answer.

@jams

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Things between the two Potter brothers were likely more bizarre and awkward than they ever had been. In the last two years, so much had happened to their family that nothing would ever really be the same. But it seemed as if James's relationship with Albus himself was still fairly the same. It shouldn't have comforted him, but the Gryffindor alum felt relief by it. At least there was one thing still constant in his life.

The corners of James's mouth curled into what he meant to be a smile when Albus thanked him, but it probably came off a lot more forced and pained than he had intended it to. James was sure he had never expressed so much emotion around Albus before. Growing up, James had always liked to come off as a hard ass who wasn't bothered by much. And that was likely a part of why their relationship was always so strained. That, and James got along far more easily with their father. James wasn't ever really sure where Albus and their dad stood, but he wasn't surprised when Albus asked where he was. He was their dad after all.

James took a moment to look anywhere but at Albus, taking in a deep breath before he looked at him and shook his head once. "No," he said quietly. "But Uncle Ron has people on it." Of course, Albus probably knew that. Everyone did. People had been on the case the moment he was found to be missing. James just didn't know what to say to his brother and he hated that fact. So many people had been there for him when Abby died and now that their father had disappeared, James had no idea how to be there for Al.

Albus Severus Potter

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Albus studied his brother’s face, watching as the corners of James’s mouth turned upwards. It looked like an attempt at a smile, and Albus had to resist the urge to narrow his eyes suspiciously. He knew that he hadn’t always been the best at communicating with his brother, and automatically assuming the worst of James while constantly mentally berating his brother for doing the same would be hypocritical of him.

Al didn’t bother hiding his face falling when James said there hadn’t been word of their father yet. Pretending that he wasn’t upset wouldn’t do anything other than lower his brother’s already low opinion of him. James said that Uncle Ron was looking for their dad, and Albus sighed. He loved his uncle, he really did, but he only trusted one person in the world to find his father… and that, incidentally, was his father himself. Harry might not have been the best at parenting his younger son, but he was spectacular at his job. “Dad would be able to find himself.” Al said, voicing his thoughts aloud in a whisper. “James… d’you think that…” Albus stopped himself before getting the entire sentence out. A small, treacherous part of him was whispering that if his father was alive, he would have come back by now. Even if he was captured by the Purifiers, wouldn’t he have battled his way out? The thought made Albus surprisingly emotional, and he pressed his lips together in a thin line to keep from doing anything he would regret.

@jams