Time After Everything || a Sequel to Saving Myself

XLIV

Erick Weasley hadn't been home in years. He hadn't been planning on returning any time soon, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to help Scorpius until he at least saw his sister again.

As Erick walked down the familiar road he had travelled down so often with Albus, he remembered what it was like before moving to Yorkshire.

He was nearly eleven, ecstatic for his upcoming year at Hogwarts. Violet, on the other hand, had been angry with him. She didn't seem to understand that he wouldn't just forget about her. But that seemed to have been proven true later on.

His mother had advised them to meet their neighbours, only hearing that they were a very wealthy wizarding family. If she had known who lived there, she definitely wouldn't have told her children to go meet them.

Violet had been skipping ahead of him, singing tunelessly. Erick told her sternly, "Don't do that! You'll fall and hurt yourself!"

She huffed but slowed to a walk, saying, "No fair. You get to do whatever you want." Erick had knocked on the door, seeing an owl fly out of a nearby window. Violet, her eyes wide, questioned, "Think there'll be a girl here? My age?"

"Dunno, " replied Erick. He shifted on the balls of his feet, waiting for the door to open. "Hopefully."

The door opened suddenly and a boy stood there, messy black hair and emerald eyes. "Er, hullo, " he said.

"Hi, " said Violet.

"Hello, " said Erick. "We just moved in to. . .the yellow house down by the lake." He pointed in the direction of his new home.

"Oh. I'm Albus. I live. . .here." He stuck his hand out and Erick took it, shaking as he had been taught by his father. Albus' grip was loose, he noticed. "A pleasure to meet you. Albus Potter."

"Potter?" Violet repeated. "As in---"

Erick cut in, knowing what their mother and father said about Harry and Draco Malfoy-Potter in their spare time. "I'm Erick Weasley. And this is my sister, Violet."

Albus Potter turned his emerald eyes to Violet, asking, "How old are you?"

"Nine, " she answered. "Do you have a younger sister?"

Albus shook his head but told her, "I've a younger brother. He's your age. But he's very shy."

"I don't mind."

Albus said, "Let me go get him." He shut the door, but appeared a moment later with a blonde boy at his side. His eyes were startling---grey and blue, contrasting well with his pale skin.

Erick frowned when he saw that the blonde was uncomfortable, only looking at Erick and Violet for a moment before looking at the ground. Albus' hand was on his arm, anchoring him to his side. "This is my younger brother Scorpius. Malfoy." He nudged his brother, adding, "Well, go on and say hello."

"Albus, I don't---" he began, but was cut off by a man that looked a lot like Albus appearing behind them, his eyes hard behind his glasses.

"What're you doing, Albus?" he asked, placing a hand on Scorpius Malfoy's shoulder. "C'mon, Scorp." And Erick hadn't seen him again before Albus had reintroduced them on the Hogwarts Express.

Erick stepped closer to the place he had called home for seventeen years and he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. He remembered all of the words that his mother had called him in the years leading up to her death. He remembered every single blow that his father had given him.

He stepped onto the porch, taking a breath. He pulled on the St. Mungo's intern robes that he had been holding on to, hoping that, if his father saw it, he would have been proud.