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Dinnertime at 12 Grimmauld Place started off as it always did, with Ginny Weasley shouting up for the third time from the basement kitchen’s stairs at her children to get their butts down to the table, and she won’t be so gracious the fourth time she had to ask. Harry Potter was setting the large banquet table with five place settings. It was lasagna night, so the kitchen smelt of warm pasta sauce and fresh bread.
Albus Severus Potter was the first to trudge downstairs. His nose was stuck in a novel. Ever since he had returned home from his fifth year at Hogwarts, the fifteen-year-old boy had spent more time in the pages of his numerous books up in his room than with his family. His hopeless mop of black hair was overgrown. He refused to let Ginny take him to the barber. He wore Muggle clothes – a plain grey tee and black jeans – anything to not stand out. He kept his head down as he took his usual seat at the table, ducking his head even lower when his father ruffled his hair.
Then came Lily Luna Potter, skipping every second step on her way down and landing with a flourish, singing, “Here I am!” She had her fiery red hair pinned up in curls framing her beaming freckled face. She was showing off a green dress with a multitude of blue ruffles that her aunt Luna had bought her. She spun around to make the dress flare outwards, spilling small flecks of iridescent glitter as she did so.
“Oh goodness, stop that,” Ginny chided her. “You’re going to get it all over dinner.”
Lily pulled a face at her mother. “You’re just jealous that Aunty Luna gave me this and all she gave you was some smelly face mud.” With a huff she hopped over to her spot beside Albus. “Whatcha reading?” She tried to pluck the book out of Albus’ hands. Albus was used to Lily’s nosy antics. He easily dodged her and then glared at her instead of answering her question. Lily wasn’t fazed. She simply shrugged and reached for a bread roll.
Ginny rested the enormous casserole dish filled with bubbling lasagna on the table with a tsk. “Where is your brother, Lily?”
Lily, through a mouthful of bread, managed to say, “Probably moping.”
Harry frowned at her as he filled the pitcher with cold water. “What for?”
“Because you didn't let him go out this evening.”
“Oh, right. That.”
On cue, James Sirius Potter arrived with a stormy cloud hanging over his head. Feet dragging dramatically, he managed to pull himself to the dining table, scrape the chair on the stone floor, and flop down on it after heaving a loud sigh. James was seventeen and, usually, the most explosive of the Potter children. That night, however, he sullenly tugged at a thread on his black jumper and frowned at his empty plate instead of acknowledging his family.
Albus finally closed his book and set it aside, next to his plate. Lily was already reaching for a second piece of bread, nearly knocking a cup over in her hurry. James picked up a fork and was stabbing it into the worn table, watching the tines dig into the wood. Ginny and Harry shared a look before sitting down as well. This was bound to be an interesting dinner.
The family served themselves, plating large helpings of meaty lasagna, healthy heaps of salad, and dinner rolls covered in melted butter, before digging in.
“Mmm,” Lily danced in her chair. “This is yummy!”
“Thank you,” Harry said with a modest bow. It was a family favourite, so they had to have it at least twice a month when the kids were home. It was also one of the few dishes that all the kids would eat without being picky. It was, after all, just a cheesy, saucy pasta dish. What’s not to love? He munched on the salad thoughtfully, then turned to Ginny to say, “I think I forgot the parsley this time.”
“Good riddance,” Albus muttered under his breath.
Ginny smirked at her son and didn’t comment. Instead, she asked Harry, “Did Ron say anything about their plans next month?”
“No. Why?”
“They were planning on going down to Seville for a week. Asked if the kids wanted to come along.”
“Yes, please!” Lily chimed in.
“Al?” Ginny prompted her middle child. “Do you have any plans for August? Would you like to go with Hugo and Rose?”
Albus never had plans. “Sure.”
Ginny didn’t press James. She knew how he got when he was ticked off at them. Over the past few years, Harry and Ginny had thwarted many of James’ plans to have a jolly good time, specifically when his jolly good time could lead to charred eyebrows from playing with illegal fireworks or breaking a leg flying through a hurricane. Unlike his younger brother, James was rather popular, charismatic, and foolhardy. He hardly spent a night at home anymore, not since he had passed his Apparition test last year. Ginny had insisted that he attend dinner that day, much to his chagrin as he had been invited to a N.E.W.T. Blowout party that would last all day and all night. He had tried his best to weasel out of family time, but Ginny had put her foot down. “We hardly get to see you anymore! Your father finally has a day off and you’ll be gone to Scotland in a week’s time, so we are eating a meal together for once, and that’s final.” James had been sulking since then, holed up in his room playing loud, moody music, and refusing to speak to anyone. Ginny had been pleasantly surprised that she didn’t have to physically drag him to the dining table that night. She was not about to push her luck by forcing him to talk as well. She supposed she should be glad that James was eating the lasagna instead of going on a hunger strike. Teenagers, they were such a handful.
She cleared her throat and tilted her head at Harry.
Caught unaware, Harry paused with his hand halfway to the water pitcher. “What? Now?”
“Yes, now.”
Harry pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair instead. “Right.” He glanced around the table, at Albus who was frowning at him, Lily who was happily munching on dinner, James who had successfully moved his salad from one edge of the plate to the other, and Ginny who was beaming at him. “I have something to tell you all.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “I’ve been offered the position of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”
James’ fork clattered onto the plate, Lily gasped, and Albus’ eyes grew wide.
“Now you see why I wanted all of you at dinner tonight,” Ginny said with an affected sniff.
James stood up abruptly, this chair toppling over on the stone floor, and he strode over to Harry in just two steps, stooped down to hug him. “Ha-Th-that's amazing!” he gushed. “Wow!” He squeezed Harry with all his might. “That’s incredible! Congratulations!” He was grinning when he finally let go and stepped back. “I knew you’d get the job one day. Didn’t I always tell you?”
Harry was still recovering from the shock of his son’s outrageous reaction. All he could do was laugh as he looked up at James. “I didn’t realize you were so invested in my career."
James suddenly seemed to catch himself. “Ah... No, I... I was just surprised,” he said as he brushed his jumper smooth and tried to look cool again.
Not to be outdone, Lily appeared by her father’s side a moment later and threw her arms around him as well. “Congratulations, Daddy!” she sang. James took the opportunity to slink back to his chair, pull it upright, and sit down once again, sliding deep into his seat. Lily pressed a kiss on Harry’s cheek. “You’re going to be great! Right, Mum?”
Ginny looked at Harry lovingly and nodded. “He’s going to be the best.”
“You deserve this, Dad,” Albus said with a small smile.
Harry waved his family off while blushing. “Alright, alright, that’s enough.” Once everyone had calmed down once again, dinner proceeded as before. Harry spent the next few minutes fielding Lily’s questions, telling her that yes, he will be traveling a lot for work, and yes, he will bring her along when he can during the summer, and no, they had not decided on who the next Head Auror would be, and yes, she will still get in trouble if she decided to use magic outside the house, even if she’s the daughter of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and no, he would not bail her out for any shenanigans she would get up to with Uncle George.
“Time flies, doesn’t it?” Ginny said with a contented sigh as she mopped up the pasta sauce with some bread. “Feels like just yesterday that you became an Auror, Harry. And now look at you all. Lily’s going into Third Year, Al will be busy with O.W.L.s next year, and James is starting his Mediwizard apprenticeship. I am very proud of all of you.”
“Say...” Everyone looked at James. He gestured vaguely with his fork and said, “What’s going to happen to the motorbike when I’m gone for the summer?”
Harry shrugged. “Nothing. Likely gather dust, as always. Why?”
James drummed the fork against his tumbler of water. “Maybe Ted can use it.”
Albus and Lily looked at their brother strangely. “Really?” they asked in unison. James flicked his narrowed gaze at them, and they snapped their mouths shut.
Meanwhile Harry hid his smile behind a napkin as he brushed crumbs off of his chin. “That’s very kind of you to offer, James.”
James nodded once. “Yes, I can be kind sometimes.”
“I’m sure Teddy would love to take you up on your offer.”
“I know.”
“Especially since you’ve never offered before.”
James took a measured bite of salad instead of replying to Harry’s comment.
The rest of dinner was spent with Ginny and Harry discussing the new ruling to ban the latest Cleansweep model from Quidditch tournaments, Albus wondering if his parents would consider expanding his room to make space for a proper library, Lily asking if she could pester Uncle Charlie for a chance to see some elusive dragon migration in the fall, and James insisting that he was indeed going steady with Olympia Munroe, which came as a shock to his siblings as she wasn’t exactly what they would call a looker.
After dinner, the Potters dispersed into their respective corners of the home.
Near one in the morning, James was sitting atop messy bedsheets, flipping through a Quidditch Weekly and smacking on grape-flavoured bubblegum. When the bedroom window slid open, he hardly spared a glance up. He blew a bubble as James Potter climbed up the window ledge. He yawned as James Potter got a foot stuck and landed headfirst onto the carpet with a loud thump. And he tossed the magazine aside as James Potter hurriedly stood up.
The two James Potters tilted their heads at each other.
“So?” James by the window asked.
“Went without a hitch,” James on the bed said.
James by the window heaved a sigh of relief. Then he kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed beside James. “Worth it,” he said, his voice muffled against the pillow. “That party was raging. My reputation would have gone down the drain if I had missed it.”
“Gotta watch out for that rep.” James hopped off the bed on light feet. “I'm off then. See ya.” He snatched the key for the motorbike from the messy table by the door.
Upon hearing the jangled of the keychain against the key, James picked his head up from the pillow with a bleary scowl. “What do you think you’re doing?” He began sitting up in bed.
“Oh, didn’t you hear?” James smirked as he spun the key in the keyring around his finger. “At dinner, you very graciously offered me your motorcycle.” His features slowly morphed, black hair lightening, nose lengthening, irises turning darker, skin becoming tanner, his body stretching upwards a few inches, his smile turning into a brilliant and very characteristic cheeky grin as Teddy winked at James.
James scrambled to get up, now tangling his long legs in the sheets in his hurry to lunge at Teddy. He toppled off the bed and let out a grunt. “Don't you dare!”
“Oh, I dare.” Teddy twisted the doorknob, then glanced back to add, "And you're going steady with Olympia Munroe now."
"WHAT?! I'D NEVER BE CAUGHT DEAD WITH-"
Teddy left James floundering on the floor and made a clean getaway, shutting the door quietly behind him to muffle the ruckus in the bedroom. Like taking candy from a baby. He whistled a jolly tune as he continued to spin the keyring around his finger. He had been after Sirius’ motorbike for almost ten years now. Finally, it was his. Well, at least for the summer.
“You seem rather pleased with yourself.”
Teddy froze mid-step just as he was passing the entrance of the drawing room, clutched the key in his fist and quickly hid his fist against the small of his back as he turned to meet Harry, who was sitting on a chaise lounge by large floor-to-ceiling window, curtains pulled back to reveal a bright, moonlit night. “I... uh... Why aren’t you asleep?” Teddy stammered.
“Come on.” Harry held up a bottle of Butterbeer.
Teddy’s shoulders slumped. “You knew.” He pocketed the key as he walked into the drawing room lit by a few floating candles. The warm glow showed a smile on Harry’s face as Teddy sat down next to him and accepted the drink. “Don’t tell Ginny,” he said before taking a swig from the chilled bottle.
“Hmm.” Harry wouldn’t. He was sure his wife would not appreciate the deception as much as he did. He cocked his head at Teddy as his smile widened. “I thought to myself, James seems awfully excited about my promotion. Almost as excited as Teddy would be.”
Teddy should have guessed that he had blown his cover by getting 'awfully excited' at dinner. "I couldn’t help it.” He adored his godfather. Of course he would be elated to hear that Harry was the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This was everything Harry had worked towards. “I really am very proud of you, Harry. You are going to do wonders.”
Harry wrapped Teddy into a warm hug. “Thank you.” He adored his godson just as much as his godson adored him. “That means a lot, Teddy.” He then pulled away but kept a vice grip on Teddy’s arms. “Also, if you crash that motorcycle, so help me Merlin, you will never, ever, ever be free of the body-bind hex I place on you, understand?”