It's All in the Name

(i)Albus Severus Potter

Sometimes, Albus Severus Potter wishes he wasn't The Boy Who Lived's Son. He loves being Harry Potter's son, for sure, because Harry Potter tells him stories, teaches him the finer art of Quidditch and makes him hot chocolate when he's just had yet another fight with James. Being the son of The Boy Who Lived, however, is something entirely different.

They're so different, so vastly opposite of each other that Albus can barely reconcile them as the same man in his mind.

While Harry Potter agrees to teach James about Muggles playing soccer and tucks Lily into bed at night, The Boy Who Lived has pressing engagements; he's trapped in a whirlwind of meetings and parties where people with stale personalities sip stale champagne. They fawn over Albus like a puppy, patting his head with manicured nails and fake smiles, while The Boy Who Lived watches fondly, his wife at his side.

In these situations, they're not the 'mum' and 'dad' he cherishes; they're The Boy Who Lived and Conquered and Did Merlin Knows What Else, and his pretty little red-headed wife. They're calm and composed with hearty laughs that don't quite hit the spot, a flurry of flashy dresses and bow ties and, worst of all; they're nothing like the loving couple that yell at their sons for exploding fireworks at the dinner table.

Albus doesn't hate being the son of Harry Potter, but he sure hates being the son of The Boy Who Lived.

(ii)Hermione Granger-Weasley

It's all in the name, Hermione knows, and even though he's her best friend, she can't help but despise it.

"No, we're sorry," they say, faking apologies that irritate her more than anything else, "SPEW just isn't a feasible option at the moment." Then there's silence, and other motions – though why the wizarding population of Britain needs their own theatre companies, Hermione just cannot understand – and the general chatter that comes with such gatherings, a multitude of women comparing hair cleansing charms and boyfriends.

"What are you doing this weekend, Hermione?"

"Just the usual – paperwork, baking, Ron and I might go and visit Harry."

They fall all over her then, offering everything from cups of tea to advice on which concealment charms work best on pale skin; Hermione sits in the middle of them all, torn between resentment that she can't make her own name in this new dawn for the wizarding world and happiness at the fact that, just for once, she's been recognised. She knows it's not entirely his fault, he doesn't ask for this, he doesn't want this, but –

"You know what sick thing you were talking about before," one of the ladies says finally.

"It's SPEW," Hermione grumbles in reply; she knows they don't care, but surely they can at least get the name right.

"Yeah, well, maybe we can approve it, if the minister says yes." They don't even bother to hide their sudden change of heart. All of a sudden, there's paperwork being pushed across the table, cup after cup of coffee, and, in the midst of it all, Hermione can't help but wish she'd achieved this on her own.

(iii)Teddy Lupin

His grandmother tells him not to worry, that his mother was a Hufflepuff and a damn good one at that, his almost-uncle Ron tells him that Uncle Harry's first girlfriend was a Ravenclaw, not that they mention it much, especially in front of Aunt Hermione, and someone or other reminds him that Albus is partially named after a Slytherin, and yet Teddy can hear their silent chants: Gryffindor! Gryffindor!

When he slides the Sorting Hat over his head, it droops across his forehead, blinding him, and it's almost too much to bear.

He knows that Uncle Ron was a failure at Quidditch and Uncle Charlie got burnt by more dragons than he can remember and Uncle George didn't even finish school, and no-one even mentions what happened to his almost-aunt Ginny in her first year at Hogwarts, but then there's Harry, the best uncle in existence, even if he isn't really his uncle.

Uncle Harry, The Boy Who Lived, defeated Lord Voldemort, and Teddy can't even defeat Victoire in a game of chess, no matter how many times his knight rampages against the queen.

It's all silent and unspoken, but somehow he can feel the expectations of everyone on him, telling him that his almost-Uncle Harry was perfect and that he should be too.

(iv)Rose Weasley

Who are you?

It should be an easy question to answer, Rose thinks. "Hi, I'm Rose Annabelle Weasley, daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley, sister of Hugo, girlfriend of Scorpius Malfoy, best friend of Helena Georges, Ravenclaw and Head Girl."

"Ron Weasley, eh? Where have I heard that – oh, he was best friends with Harry Potter; he's your uncle, right?"

Rose nods. "Yeah."

It's all over after that, because no-one cares that she loves flying but hates Quidditch, that in seven years she's never gotten a question to enter the common room wrong, that she's been best friends with Scorpius since the day she met him, despite what she told her parents. To be honest, no-one cares about the fact that she's Rose at all.

They all care that she's the niece of Harry Potter though. Questions fly through the air like spells, each as impertinent and persistent as the next. And as much as ducks and she weaves and she fires insults and half-smart replies back at rapid speed, she can't hide from fame and disaster (they're exactly the same in her mind) forever.

"Who am I?" she says finally. "I'm Rose."

(v)Percy Weasley

It's the 'n' word that really irritates Percy Weasley. Nepotism; the one word he never wants to hear again if he can help it. The accusations are hidden beneath carefully constructed layers of whispered comments, each stacked up upon a tier, growing higher and higher until it topples. This tier topples too, not with a bang, but with yet another hurried whisper: he only got the job because his sister's married to Harry Potter, and we all know how much power he has in the Ministry, yes …

The truth is, Harry's been on vacation in Spain for the last week and doesn't even know who Kingsley's appointed as the new minister. The truth is, Percy's been owling international delegates for a month now to prove his determination. The truth is, it's got nothing to do with Harry Potter or nepotism and everything to do with Percy being the best for once, and he hates the fact that anyone would ever think otherwise.

A/N: This originally started with just the piece on Albus, and that got me wondering about how some of the other characters dealt with living in Harry's shadow, hence, this piece was born. Please leave a review, because I would love to hear your thoughts. However, you will need to bear with me in regards to review replies: I will send them, but for some strange reason, is not emailing me at the moment, and if it doesn't come to my inbox, it may take me a while to receive your review.