Isn't this supposed to be a freedom?

Aldan lounged in his room, glad the school year had finally ended. His first year had been hellish with getting caught by his brother, Sophia giving birth and even the wedding plans had been hell on earth. The twelve-year-old kicked his shoes off and faceplanted into his bed, scooting on his stomach until he could put his head into his pillow. He sighed happily. Damn it felt good to be back here.

He never thought he'd be living with his older brother a year ago. Well, almost a year. It was astonishing think of all the things that had taken place within the year and he reminded himself to owl Arsen Salvator about continuing their practice lessons or something. He also needed to talk to a few others he'd met before during the school year, not to mention figure out a way to break his vow without killing his magic or life. He grumbled and pushed his face back into the pillow, wondering if he could suffocate himself.

Ric had just received notice about all his students progress. He'd been fine until he got to his brothers. Skipping class? His own brother was setting a bad example. With a little growl he got to his feet and headed up the stairs.

"Aldan?" He asked tapping on the door. He didn't wait for a reply before barging in and throwing his file onto the bed. "Care you explain why my own brother isn't turning up for lessons?"

Aldan looked up at the knock to his door. He was about to open his mouth to grant access when his rude older brother barged in! He turned onto his back and sat up fully in time to see the file thrown on his bed. Scowling and opening his mouth to protest the cruel invasion of privacy, he looked down.

He fell silent.

"They got the wrong kid?" he suggested, picking up his file and finding the many leave of absences he had in his file. Oh boy. This wasn't looking good for him. He wondered why Sophia hadn't tattled on him considering she was one that he hardly showed up to. With Asric's class, he did do his best to attend so that Asric wouldn't notice.

He idiotically forgot Asric was the headmaster he supposed.

He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "Don't get smart with me Aldan. I wasn't born yesterday." He said picking up the file again to read it properly. "So why have you not been turning up for lessons? What is better than you getting an education?" He demanded to know. He took up the job as headmaster because it was important for all kids to get a decent education.

Asric was obviously ticked with him skipping his classes, but it was honestly maddening to attend a school where your legal guardian was the headmaster of! Asric was his only blood relative alive besides his other brother now, but Aldan still wished he didn't have to deal with this. He liked it during the summer when Asric spent the time to get to know him and school wasn't in the way.

"I got the wrong time table from the head of house?" he offered up, not really wanting to explain himself to the man. "Where's mini Ric?" he asked, changing the subject as fast as he could.

"You and i both know that can't happen. Magic is never mistaken Aldan. You'd know this if you bothered to turn up to your classes." He said tucking the file under his arm. "Now are you going to tell me the real reason or do i need to find the answers myself?" He asked.

"Don't change the subject."

"Why should it matter that I skip classes?" he asked, purely exasperated as he looked at Asric with a scowl. "Isn't this supposed to be a freedom? or are you going to make me give up my life for this with a vow like everything else? Am I going to be locked in the dungeons if I keep skipping?" Maybe it was because he'd been so frustrated by this unbreakable vow on him where he had to be purely loyal to Asric, or maybe because just last year he'd been leaving the house at all hours of the day to see the city before he'd been forced by Asric to actually stay in the house. He loved his older brother, sophia, and nephew but there was only so much he could take!

He stood up and faced Asric with a glare. "It shouldn't matter what i do with myself Ric! You're my guardian yeah but you're not my dad! You're my brother!" Brothers weren't supposed to be this bossy and demanding, that he was sure of.

He narrowed his eyes. "You know why im pushing you? Our parents had spent their lives making sure we'd have a great future. Whilst i never forgave them for shipping me away to some stranger and not telling me about you. I've made it in the world. They did good by me just as they did you. I will not let them die in vain just because you're too spoilt to care!" He said.

"Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do. It happens to us all. It's about time you grew up and realised the world doesn't revolve around you anymore. This is my house and its my rules! I wont have you wasting your life because you're too lazy to bother trying.

"Yeah well incase you haven't realised Aldan, father is dead and he's not coming back!" He spat. Yes he was his brother but he was also now his guardian. He was his responsibility and there was no way he was going to allow him to throw away his life.

"Fat chance their lives spent making sure that I did, getting themselves killed rather stupidly and never caring where the hell I went!" he hissed, the scar on his neck throbbing at the reminder that he'd been injured under his parents watch before. He was extremely offended that Asric thought he was spoilt. He could be defined as spoiled, yes, but he'd give it all up if his bloody family actually gave a damn that he was in muggle London from the time he could walk until the time his mother and father died! No one had been there to help him through the memory of being attacked, heightened by his eidetic memory.

"You're just like them! I don't give a bloody damn about your rules!" he yelled as he shot past his older brother, darting out of the room and for the front door. He'd run away back into muggle london if he had to, but he was tired of people exerting their stupid authority only when the wanted to and not when they had to.

He was sick of it.

"Leaving, laddie?" Sophia's gentle brogue proceeded her into the entryway. The woman made her way around the corner, carrying her small son. Baby Asric was asleep, small fingers curled in the fabric of his mother's blouse.

"Ye didnae even pack anethin' tae take with ye." Her brown eyes focused on him calmly, expression void of disapproval or reproach.

Sophia was in the entryway with his nephew, which slowed Aldan in his tracks. The sight of his nephew was always something that made Aldan stop, though this time he looked away, glaring at a wall. "I'm not going to take anymore orders from Ric. I'm tired of being bossed around." He crossed his arms, scowling, and dared Sophia to say anything against his opinion. His brown eyes looked at the sleeping baby for a second, looking back up into Sophia's eyes silently.

"I know a place I used to stay in since I was five. When my parents forgot I existed. I don't need to bring anything," he muttered.

Sophia gave a soft laugh. "I apologize," she said, "I just cannae help but notice how similar the two of ye are. Both so stubborn, an' neither one can see how much ye care fer the other." She gave him a gentle smile, then frowned thoughtfully.

"I confess I'm a wee bit confused, Danny, lad. When I first met you, ye were sad that the wisnae anyone tae notice what ye did or where ye went. But now... well, ye're brother is tryin' tae provide jist that, an' ye're angry at him fer it." Sophia gently shifted the baby so he was settled more comfortably. "Either ye want someone tae care an' give ye boundaries, or ye don't. You cannae have it both ways, Aldan."

She... had a good point. Aldan dropped his gaze to the floor, cheeks pinking at the reminder that he'd complained about being ignored and now that Asric was paying too much attention to him he was complaining about that. He knew you couldn't have both... but it was still annoying to have Asric on his tracks at every turn.

"Wasn't sad," argued Aldan. "I was just annoyed that every time I left the house, my parents wouldn't care if I fell into a ditch. I even fell into a grave hole once, had to get myself out of it." He looked up again, looking at Sophia for a second. "It's not that... But Asric seems to only want to correct everything I'm doing. Yeah I wanted someone to notice what I did... but I can't do anything anymore. So what if I skipped classes? It's my life, not his."

After a while to compose himself, Ric decided it was best to follow his brother but not before he heard what Sophia had to say. "You think i like being this having to do this? It's my job Aldan. To take care of my students, that includes you. Being my brother doesn't exempt you from the rules i have to enforce." He explained, moving to stand beside his wife.

"Want me to take him?" He asked holding his arms out for his son.

"Ah, such a trial tae be young and clever," Sophia replied lightly, gently detangling Collin's fingers from her blouse to hand him over to her husband. Once she hand, she brushed a hand fondly over the infants head, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. She smiled up at Asric before turning back to Aldan.

"I was a lot like you, actually," she confessed. "Oh, I didnae have yer very remarkable memory fer things, but I wis a clever lass - cleverer than many of my schoolmates. School wisnae a challenge fer me."

Sophia smiled a bit impishly, knowing that what she was about to say would surprise her husband as well as the boy. "I nearly failed fourth year. I already knew what the professors were on about, so why should I attend classes? Why should I bother tae do the work?

"School isnae a punishment, Danny, an' attendin' classes is required fer evereone," the woman stated. "I know how... dull they can seem, but ye jist hafta find other means of keepin' yerself occupied. It's not impossible. And school won't last forever. Promise."

"You nearly failed fourth year?" the Ravenclaw asked in surprise. Sophia was his sister-in-law and head of house, but he never expected her to have nearly failed her fourth year, especially with her penchant for catching Aldan nonstop in everything he tried hiding. At the mention of his memory, he shrugged. He loathed his eidetic memory only because he didn't want to be smart, he wanted to be talented, yes, but nothing more than maybe a ministry worker for muggles maybe, though Unspeakable had crossed his mind when he was younger.

"Do I really have to promise?" Aldan asked, grimacing at the remembrance of his other promises he'd already made. "Classes really are dull and there's a bunch of idiots in my class. What's the point in them?" He could probably test out of his classes without looking so long as he read the material anyways.