After All This Time

Albus Potter was twenty years old. He was sitting in his father’s study, looking through old pictures. His older brother James was getting married and Albus was looking for embarrassing childhood pictures to humiliate James with at the ceremony.

Albus cracked open a red leather album; he saw a familiar face. It looked like his younger sister, Lily, but it couldn’t be her. This girl had bright blue eyes, just like Albus. The man she was dancing with looked just like him as well.

“Ah, so you’ve found your grandparents.”

Albus turned around to see his father, sitting there, smiling. Only forty five, he was still going. Albus had no idea how he did it-he’d killed the most powerful wizard of all and still managed to skip around in his age.

“These are my grandparents?” Albus asked, eying them curiously.

Harry motioned for his son to sit down with him. “This is your grandmother, Lily, and grandfather, James. Your brother and sister are named after them, as you know.”

Albus touched the picture. “I look just like gramps.”

Harry laughed. “You have your gran’s eyes.”

Albus nodded. “You have the same eyes as well…and James has granddad’s hair and Lily looks just like gran and mum mixed together.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, she does.”

After a silent moment, Albus cleared his throat. “I want to know more about them, Dad.”

Harry smiled. “You’re in luck…your great aunt Petunia found these and gave them to me a few years back.” He said, walking to his desk. Taking out his wand, he unlocked the bottom drawer. Harry pulled out seven diaries; six were red leather with Gryffindor insignia, the last was a green cloth bound one. Next, he pulled out three smaller diaries; all red cloth bound.
Last of all, he pulled out a black leather bound diary.

“These seven are your gran’s diaries. The three red ones are your grandfathers, and the last is the journal of the man who is responsible for your middle name.” Harry said softly.

“How did you get all of these?” Albus asked, amazed.

Harry smiled gently. “It took quite a lot of searching…your gran’s were easy; great aunt Petunia had them. She gave them to me a couple years back. Your grandad’s weren’t that easy; I had to search through the rubble of my childhood home. Snape’s diary was given to me by Professor McGonagall, who had found it in the headmaster office of Hogwarts. With it was a letter from him to me, asking me to read is when I got older, hoping I would understand.”

“Understand what, Dad?” Albus asked.

Harry gave him a sad look. “If you read them all, you’ll understand. You’ll be able to put the pieces together.”

Albus picked up the first diary, the green cloth that belonged to his grandmother. As he immersed himself in the diary, he didn’t notice his father quietly leave the room.

I met a strange boy. His name is Severus Snape. Petunia and I were down by the field and she got scared when I did something on the tree. She says I’m a freak, but Severus says I’m special. He says I’m magical, that I can do things others can’t. That Tuney is ordinary, and I’m special.

I didn’t believe him until they came with the letter, saying I was a witch. Mum and Dad were so proud; Tuney was too jealous to care. Anyway, I’m going to a school called Hogwarts now. We’re getting on the train in a couple hours. Sev and I are going to be best friends at school-together forever. At least I’ll have a friend. I hope Sev and I are in the same house. He wants to be in Slytherin, but just the name scares me. I think Gryffindor is the best choice. I want to be in that house. I wonder if the sorting hat Sev talks about takes your thought in. I’ll have to ask him.

I’m a witch. I can’t get over that.

Anyway, Sev gave me this diary as a gift. He said we'd write down what happens during first year so we can re-read our adventures together. Wouldn’t it be wise, to have a diary for every year I go to Hogwarts? I think I’ll do that. Then one day, when I’m old, I can read the stories of my adventures to my kids, and perhaps my grand kids. That’s the dream, at least.

Sev says Hogwarts is the most magical place ever. Nothing bad can happen there. I think I believe him on that one. I’m too excited to go there. I feel like as soon as I go there, all sorts of magical things are going to happen. But of course they are, because it’s a school of magic!

Anyway, Mummy and Daddy are going to wake me up soon to go to the station, but I’m still awake writing. Tuney is jealous, but I don’t care. This is going to be the beginning of an adventure, I can feel it.