I just wanted to thank JK for her world, and her continued generosity with it! These are her toys! I own any OC's that appear, they're MINE ALL MINE! BWahahahaaah! Sorry little touch of megalomania there. So enjoy my take on the continuing saga of the epilogue to DH.

Puleeze R&R...I'm Lonely.

Albus Potter and the Year of the Badger

Chapter 6: Something Happened on the Way to Normal

The day was incredibly bright with few clouds overhead as they strolled through the Front Gate, between the winged boars, and out to the field opposite the lake, just beyond Dumbledore's tomb. Perfect day for flying Albus said to himself gloomily. He was sure he was about to be revealed to the entire class for what he really was. A coward. The familiar shame welled up inside him.

His dad was the youngest Hogwarts Seeker in over a half-century, and his mum was a famous professional Chaser, and he was terrified of flying.

It was just a jumble of swirling images when he dared think of the day when he first flew. He remembered the feel of his death grip on the broom, the wind in his hair and the moment when it all went wrong. James never admitted to it, even though he got grounded for nearly a year afterwards, but someone put a sticking charm on the broom, then hexed it to fly wild. Fred and James both where laughing hard at Albus' panic, but they ran behind him terrified as he zoomed straight into the orchard at high speed, and was dragged through several trees. It was one of the worst days in Albus' life. He was in St. Mungos for the better part of a month drinking Skele-Grow through a straw. James and Fred both waited on him hand and foot, showing that even though they never admitted to it they did feel guilty about something. Since that day, no matter what his dad or mum tried, he got a panic attack anytime he rode a broom alone.

And now that was precisely what he was going to be asked to do. Terror gripped his heart.

Rose knew, and she leaned over and whispered, "You'll be fine."

He nodded and gave her a brave smile, but he knew he was going pale as a Hogwarts ghost. He glanced over at Scorpius, and for the first time since he had met the boy, he saw him smiling. It wasn't a sarcastic quirk of the lips but genuine enjoyment. His hands seemed to be clenching a phantom broom and his gait had become confident and coiled like a spring. Albus didn't need to see him on a broom to know he was looking at a born flyer.

Of course he was wondering how their friendship was going to be affected when Scorpius realized he wasn't.

He saw from the badges of the other group that they where sharing this class with the Gryffindors. He couldn't help but compare the two houses as they mingled. There where two blond, muscular Gryffindor boys chatting easily, that hulking boy Michael Nedved was over to the side in conversation with Gaspar and Cormac, or at least Gas was in conversation with him! A little wide eyed white-blond girl with freckles was giggling with a smiling brunette, whose laughter echoed across the field drawing glances. Thor, the tall, thin boy, with the ponytail was quietly conversing with the only other person with a ponytail, who happened to be Rick Cresswell from the Hufflepuffs. As soon as everyone realised that Albus, Rose and Scorpius had arrived, all eyes and gossip shifted to them.

Albus knew in his mind that his sorting was unexpected, but seeing the focus he and his two friends were drawing drove the reality home. This other group of boys and girls standing around waiting for class to begin were, at one time, going to be his house mates, not the ragtag mixed bag of Hufflepuff. All of the Gryffindors looked confident and seemed to share a common thread, with the exception of poor Thor, that is. Albus had a stray thought that maybe he and Thor got switched, but when he saw the brooms on the ground that thought retreated, he definitely did not feel like a Gryffindor!

He made an abrupt turn to head back to Hogwarts, but Rose, expecting the move, looped her arm through his and spun him back.

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at them, getting used to the long established interplay between the cousins. "What are you two doing?"

Rose smiled sweetly. "Albus thought he forgot something, but I brought it with me." She handed her cousin one of the Calming Draught phials.

Albus looked at it dubiously. "Are you sure it won't poison me?"

Rose glared at him. "Professor Flint confirmed it was alright to use!"

Scorpius interjected, "Yeah, but Professor Flint is a certifiable nutter."

She shot him an evil glare. "You're not helping!" she hissed.

Albus, not wanting to referee another Scorpius/Rose fight, popped the cork out and downed the bright green liquid without further protest. It tasted like lime liquorice wands, as soon as it landed in his stomach, reassurance seem to circulate though his body. He felt, in a word, calm. He handed the phial back to Rose with a cocky smile that would have made James proud, and they strolled the rest of the way into the clearing like they owned it and the other milling students where guests.

Professor Krum was standing by a big box watching them as they arrived. He gave Albus a meaningful nod. As a family friend, he knew of Albus' uncharacteristic fear. But he obviously wasn't going to make a big deal of it. It was fine with Albus; as a matter of fact everything was fine with Albus!

"Class! Gather avound please," Krum barked, startling the sun baked, lazy students into action. They all crowded around expectantly.

"Since the Muggleborn Assimilation Act took affect, I have used this first class to teach those not born in the vizard vorld the game of Quidditch," he said with characteristic brusqueness. He opened the box and inside was a Quidditch set, one Quaffle, two struggling Bludgers, and a little Golden Snitch buckled in.

As Professor Krum began to teach the positions, Albus, long well acquainted with the sport in question, serenely studied the field they were in. It was as far from the Forbidden Forest as it was the Front Gate, and off down an embankment some safe distance away was the old Whomping Willow. Nasty as ever, he saw the tree swat a little bird as it flew too close, in his artificial calm he smiled as the feathers floated to the ground.

Albus's attention snapped back as a Quaffle hit him in the chest.

"Pay attention Mr. Potter." Krum grumbled.

Albus rubbed the sore spot on his chest then he tossed the Quaffle from one hand to the other a little, he had never realized how long his fingers where until he saw how he could actually palm it.

In his mind he recalled the event he and Rose called The Great Snowball Incident which occurred at the Burrow the previous Christmas.

Fred, James and Teddy had ambushed Rose, Albus and Dominique as they made their way back from visiting Aunt Luna. The ambush had taken place as they passed through the orchard. Caught unawares they where pelted mercilessly. Then Rose, red-faced and furious, yanked her wand out of her robes and cast a Protego charm, taking advantage of the fact that they where under parental supervision for a couple more months, something she couldn't do Hogwarts age. As snowballs pelted off of her shield, Albus staged a counter attack, flinging snowballs at Fred and James and Teddy with pinpoint accuracy and with a velocity that surprised even him. Fred, Teddy and James, decrying the sneaky tactics, retreated. Rose, Dom and Albus had celebrated like they won the Qudditch Cup.

Albus's musings ended abruptly when his eyes settled on the chest that held the Qudditch supplies. The Bludgers where struggling so hard that they where rattling the case.

"Not good." Albus murmured to himself.

Krum seemed confident that they where harmless, so much so, he wasn't even paying attention as he handed beater bats to the two athletic looking Gryffindors. "The spells on these Bludgers have vorn off a bit so they vill not be capable of much, don't vorry."

"Professor," Albus blurted, "I don't think those Bludgers are safe!" Krum gave a tolerant stare."I used them just last class, you vorry too much." With that he disengaged the buckle holding them in place with one foot. They shot out and up so fast they nearly knocked him off of his feat. His face crinkled in confusion before he realized, not only where those Bludgers not worn out, they where dangerous.

"Vun for the gate!" he yelled. "I'll distract them." he grabbed his broom, mounted and kicked off in one smooth motion.

The class turned to head back to the gate, only to see that it was closed. That was when the panic set in.

Professor Krum was too busy to call out any instructions and Albus knew if they bolted down toward the Whomping Willow, the Bludgers would be the least of their problems, and if they went too far into the Forbidden Forest, then they might lose students there. They were standing in no man's land. On the other side was the lake, the great squid waving lazily beside the big ship that doubled as Professor Krum's home. That, however, was twice as far away, and those Bludgers would have a lot of time to do damage. The large glass arboretum was closer, but didn't have an outside entrance on this side . He glanced up at the professor, Krum was good, maybe the best ever, but those Bludgers were taking after him with a vengeance! He swooped and turned and rolled but he was taking some vicious hits.

Albus had a moment of crystalline clarity. He couldn't just stand there and watch; he had to do something.

Rose was pulling her hair out staring up at the faltering professor, streaks on her face where she had begun to cry.

"Rose!" Albus barked. When she looked at him she looked at him he asked, "How strong is your Protego charm?

She looked confused for a moment but then her clever mind caught up. "I'm not sure. Not enough for the whole group." she said wiping her eyes, reaching for her wand.

"Gas!" Albus yelled, the round boy, who was nearby, jerked and stared at him. "Were you bluffing about that jinx?" Albus asked.

Gas looked confused, "J-j-inx?" Albus' was surprised to hear his voice calm considering how hard his heart was beating. "Stay with me Gas, this morning, were you bluffing?" Gas shook his head. "It's a Jellylegs jinx, Bludgers don't have legs to jelly."

Albus tried not to roll his eyes, as he waved him and Cormac closer. "Rose, teach Gas that Protego charm. I saw how he held his wand, he can learn it. Cormac, you're fast, you gotta run, and go get help."

Albus was surprised to see them all nod and immediately follow his instructions. Cormac paused before running off, he clasped a hand on Albus's shoulder. "Luck be with ya," he said with a strange solemnity, then he was gone. Albus was right about how fast he was. The little boy was covering ground!

"Scorpius," he called out.

Scorpius, who was focused on the drama above them, didn't hear him until Albus yelled his name again. "Krum needs help," Albus said. "Can you out-fly a Bludger?"

A look of determination crossed Scorpius's face. He rushed past the paralysed and panicking students and grabbed a school broom. He kicked off from the ground and rose like a rocket into the air. His body curled over the broom like it was a part of him. Albus watched him soar, wishing for a moment, that he could fly like that.

Scorpius arrived just in time. Krum took a shot to the back of the head that almost knocked him off his broom.

The woozy, disoriented, professor banked his broom away as one of the Bludgers attached itself to the tail of Scorpius' broom. The other Bludger lost interest in the professor and swooped down at the students. Rose had them organized around her and Gas. The Bludger began smacking off of their shields.

Gas wasn't as confident with his, but it was holding so far, although his face had gone red with the effort. Being first years the shields wouldn't last too long, but maybe long enough for help.

Scorpius, despite the slow school broom, was doing surprisingly well, pulling off some maneuvers that Albus hadn't seen before.

Under Rose's protection, Albus's eyes found Professor Krum, to his alarm, he realized the near unconscious man was going to be in the Whomping Willow within the next few moments.

Albus sprinted out from under the shield running toward the Willow, not sure what he was going to do when he got there. He had the Quaffle gripped in his left hand as he ran. How am I going to disable the Willow with just a Quaffle? He suddenly remembered his father's stories about that old tree. There was supposed to be a knot on the trunk near a place that used to be a door, before it got filled in. The Quaffle in his hand was a lot bigger than a snowball. That knot was a lot smaller than James, Teddy or Fred. He glanced up to see that the meandering semi-conscious professor was swinging ever wider, and soon to be in range of the Willows upper branches shortly. They seem to be quivering with excitement.

Albus reached the outer limit of the trees reach. A limb slapped down in front of him to let him know this. He circled desperately out of range studying the base. Finally he saw a large knot beside an old mossy pile of dirt piled against the trunk. Not even pausing to think, he reared back and slung the Quaffle. A few limbs tried to hit the red ball as it passed through but it was moving too fast, nailing the knot dead centre. The tree stopped dead just as Krum's broom got entangled in the upper limbs. He heard some shouts and turned. The Bludger, that had been attacking the students, was headed for him. Not seeing any other way, Albus pulled his last resort out of his robes. His wand.

That creepy, too knowing voice came unbidden to his mind:

"Made of Rowan, eleven inches, medium springy. It's one of wands I acquired from Gregorovitch's widow. I've never found the young wizard to whom it belonged, though." The man, speaking those words, was the old man Ollivander himself. His nieces and nephew ran the shop, but when he heard that Harry Potter's son was in the store, and had gone through every wand in stock, he came hobbling out. His bright silver moon eyes studyied Albus with a calculation to make your skin crawl. In his claw like hand, he carried a well worn slender box, from which he pulled out a long and tapered, intracately carved, dark wood wand. Albus' first thought had been that it was beautiful. Albus's hand warmed as soon as he came into contact, and his shoulder that was sore from swishing and flicking countless wands suddenly felt fine. He flicked it and so many sparks came out it set a workbench on fire. Ollivander had his wand already out and did an Aguamenti spell to put it out. Albus stared stunned at wand in his hand, in the carving: he picked out a monster. It had a lion's head, dragon's body, and a snake for a tail and breathing fire. "That wand, young man," Ollivander wheezed, "is the only Chimera scale wand I have ever laid eyes on, very powerful." He looked over Albus, to his father and said with an eerie finality, "I think we can expect great things from this son, Mr. Potter."

The wand in Albus' hand was singing with power up his arm; he was told it was his imagination, but it always frightened him. The only offensive spell he could remember was one that he had heard Kreacher use trimming the hedges out front.

He raised the wand and sighted down it, before he could change his mind, and bellowed, "Reducto!"

A jet of bright orange light burst from the wand nailing the rogue Bludger dead centre, reducing it to dust. The explosion sounded like a cannon shot.

He heard gasps and turned to see that the students had followed the Bludger down. The sound was still echoing through the clearing when another flash of light shot out and hit the remaining Bludger. It stopped chasing the now exhausted Scorpius, and dropped to the field below. Next thing Albus knew Professor Krum was being levitated expertly down to the ground. Following the stream of light he saw Professor Pharrel standing wand in hand with a sweaty Cormac. The balding man was waving them frantically away from the Willow with his other hand. "Come on, away from there, that knot doesn't paralyse that blasted tree for long!"

They all walked toward him, numb now that the sense of urgency was gone.

Scorpius grabbed Krum's now rider-less broom out of the branches, and brought it down to the ground with him. He landed to cheers and sudden acclaim.

Suddenly Albus's nerves, strangely absent, caught up. He hit all fours and lost his breakfast on the ground. He rolled away, onto his side and started trembling, and crying.

The magnitude of what had just happened, and what he had just done was passing through his mind.

Concerned students where hovering around him. Rose shoved her way through. She had seen his panic attacks before. "Back up! Give him some space!" she growled. Her hand rested cool on his forehead, "It's going to be alright Al," she said softly.

Albus took one glance at the eyes of his fellow classmates, and saw the same reverant look he had seen in the eyes of those looking at his father. No it won't, he concluded to himself as he curled on his side trying to remember how to breathe, Not for a Potter.

Thought for the Day: There was some discussion about the Hufflepuff common room a couple of chapters back. Some said, "The Cellar" sounds cosy, but like the Hufflepuffs got the short end of the stick. Another statement was that it sounded a bit depressing. JK said in an interview that she based the four houses on elements, Gryffindor/Fire/Bold, Hufflepuff/Earth/Loyal Hardworking, Ravenclaw/Air/Intellect, Slytherin/Water/Ambition. Their common rooms reflect these elements. She also described the Hufflepuff common room, but never set one scene there, showing an unconscious bias on her part, I think. So my thought is this, why wouldn't Helga, who was a gourmand and cook, base her common room in the wine cellar under the kitchen she loved? Why wouldn't a warm-in-the-winter, cool-in-summer space with earthen walls, dark woods and bright yellow and black ulpholstery, where "outcasts" and "left-overs" can bond and be themselves off of the beaten path, be an wonderful place? For a boy, who really just wants to be, wouldn't such a place resonate?