Work Text:
Start of summer break before 6th year
"What's got Harry blasting Taylor Swift so early?" James asked, dropping a quick kiss to the top of Regulus' head as he made his way to the coffee pot.
"Heartbreak of some kind I imagine."
James hummed thoughtfully, taking the mug Regulus held out to him and filling it again.
"That's a shame" he replied, taking his seat next to his husband and picking up a few discarded pages of the Prophet to peruse. "I really like Ginny."
"He broke up with Ginny a month ago" Regulus said into his coffee cup before taking a quick sip. "I believe it's Cedric now."
"Cedric?"
"Mhm"
"Well then who was after that tall Hufflepuff boy?"
"No one. That's Cedric."
"Oooohhh" James says, turning back to the Quidditch scores changing on the page. He took an overly dramatic and way too loud sip of coffee, grinning over the pages when Regulus rolled his eyes fondly, right on cue.
Two weeks into summer break before 6th year
"Hey Da?" Harry called out as he jogged down the stairs looking for Regulus. "Can I floo over to Ron's?"
"As long as you're back before dinner" Regulus replied easily. "We only just got you home for summer and your Baba is already threatening to keep you home for 6th year because he missed you so much."
"Oh Merlin no" Harry half laughed-half groaned, taking some bread out to toast. "I'll definitely be back by then. We just wanted to play some 2 on 2 while Charlie is visiting.
"Oh?" Regulus said cassually, scribling a few things ontona grocery list. "Hermione get over her fear of flying then?"
"Huh?"
"You said 2 on 2..."
"Oh right, no. Ginny is there."
Regulus raised his eyebrows questioningly. Harry just rolled his eyes as he spread jam on his toast, his cheeks getting a little pink.
"Well... have fun" Regulus grinned knowingly.
Harry took a huge bite to keep from having to reply as he pinched a bit of floo powder from the mantle across the room.
"Love you!"
"Lub ooh foo" Harry called back, mouth still full.
"And rememeber to use protection!" Regulus sang out over the quick roar of the flames as they burst to life.
Harry grimaced and shook his head with a light groan and muttered, toast muffled "ew, Da!" before calling out the Weasley floo and disappearing into the green flames.
James came in the door a few hours later, a kiss for Reg, and asking after Harry.
"He's gone to The Burrow, but promised to be back before dinner."
James hummed in acknowledgement as he sorted through the post from that morning that was still on the table.
"Apparently Charlie is in town so he's gone to play Quidditch with Ron, him... and Ginny."
James set down the mail and looked up, interested.
"You think... Ginny?"
"He didn't say. Just turned crimson and disappeared through the floo."
"Hmm... he did use to have that crush on Charlie though."
"Charlie would never. Harry is a minor and-"
"No, no. I know that" James laughed. "I'm just saying if he was blushing it doesn't necessarily mean Ginny." James went back to sorting through the mail, vanishing a few things without even opening them as he continued. "Besides, Arthur was just telling me yesterday how Ginny was seeing a boy called Dean."
"Dean? Harry's dorm mate?" Regulus asked.
"Probably" James sighed deeply, a laugh escaping the end as ge rubbed his eyes behind his glasses. "Were we like this at that age?"
"You were. I was an innocent angel."
James snorted, his reply cut short as the floo lit up to let Harry through.
End of Summer before 6th year
"Ba, do we have any muggle money?"
James set the dishes to wash with a flick of his wand and an unsure hum, then walked over to rummage in his ministry robes by the stairs.
"A bit, yea" he said, eyeing the bills and realizing he had very little idea how much money it actually was. "Why do you need muggle money?"
"Cho's birthday is the first week back to school and I wanted to get her some of that instant hot chocolate Da made her that one time. She liked it a lot and can probably make it in the dorm with a little heat charm."
"Oh, Cho? It's been a while since I've heard that name-"
"Ba..." Harry groaned. "Can we not, please?"
"Yea, yea... We can go to the shop all together when da gets home" James said, grinning madly. "You know he would be disappointed if we went without him."
"Of course" Harry laughed lightly.
As soon as James heard Harry's door close upstairs, he called Regulus on his two way mirror.
"Cho" James said simply, not even waiting for a hello.
Regulus groaned deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No no no not again! That was Olivia Rodrigo for two solid months on repeat!"
"I know, babe" James sighed, half holding in a laugh, half just as exasperated.
"I had Drivers License stuck in my head for weeks, James! No one else I know even listens to muggle music, so I had to suffer alone!"
"Hey! I suffered!"
"Only by Harry being miserable. You love those songs."
"...yea, I really do."
"So, it's not Cho?" James turned to Regulus with a slightly confused look on his face.
"I guess not" Regulus laughed.
Harry had gotten on the train hand in hand with Luna Lovegood, of all people.
"I'll be honest, that one was surprising."
"I guess he and Cho really are just friends" Regulus replied, shaking his head fodly at James who was still looking utterly confused. "Oh don't make that face, J. You and Lil were friends in school after that whole debacle when you were convinced she was the love of your life... the wings that carry your snitch... the sun to-"
James barked out a laugh and wrapped an arm around Regulus' waist, cutting him off as they left through the barrier. "Oh Merlin! Please don't doom our son to my stupidity!"
November, 6th year
Prongs,
Harry was caught in the tunnel with Lucius' boy. Thought you ought to know in case Malfoy makes a fuss about it at the ministry.
-Moony
"Draco!?" Regulus said, confused and a little disgusted. "My COUSIN!?"
"In Harry's defense... you were disowned... they probably don't know they are technically related" James shrugged. He seemed wholly unbothered. "And only by marriage anyway, which we all know doesn't even count for purebloods."
"Fuck my life" Regulused sighed.
"If it makes you feel better... he will probably be with someone else next week."
"Don't slut shame our son, James!"
"I'm not slut shaming anyone" James laughed. "I'm just saying he's a bored teenager living in a magic castle with other bored teenagers. It's going to be fine."
"You're right. Ugh...." He plopped down in bed next to James and pulled the covers over his ear. "Merlin, you better be right."
Christmas (ish) 6th year
Hi Baba! Hi Dad!
Happy to be coming home for Christmas! I don't know if they asked you yet but Mione says her parents invited us to their house for a New Years thing. It will be all Muggles, of course, except some of the Weasley's might come. I hope we can go too. It sounds really fun. I was thinking about inviting Seamus? What do you think?
-Harry
"Who is Seamus again?" Regulus asked, passing James a bowl of rice.
"One of his dormmates I think."
"Right, that sandy haired boy."
"You think...?" James trailed off, eyebrows raised in question.
"They could just be friends. We've gotten this wrong many times."
James laughed lightly. "True, true. Fuck... are we that old?"
"You're that old" Regulus smirked. "I am a vision of youth and beauty."
"You really are."
Summer before 7th year
"I see we're going for another brokenhearted start to summer" James sighed, grabbing a coffee mug for himself and Regulus each.
"Keaton Henson this year though" Regulus shrugged. "His taste is maturing I suppose."
"That, or this one just hurts more."
"Oh Merlin don't say that, J! I can barely handle that he's up there probably crying as it is!"
"I know babe... I know." James gave Regulus hand a gentle squeeze. "Do we know who he was even dating this time?"
"I asked him last night" Reg nodded. "Seems he and Cedric were trying to give it one more go before Cedric left Hogwarts. It... obviously didn't work out."
James let out a deep sigh that rippled across the surface of the coffee he was clinging to. His heart ached. So did his husband's.
"Harry will be ok" he said, trying to reassure himself more than anything.
"Yea" Regulus agreed, clearly also trying to convince himself, trying to keep himself from wrapping his nearly 17 year old son who was taller than him up in a hug he could never escape from. "He'll be dating again in no time, I'm sure..."
"Well, he is my son" James laughed lightly.
"I think Harry has proven to be slightly more smooth than you were at his age, love."
James laughed again, louder. "The smoothness he gets from you. I was refering to the listening to sad music on blast at fuck-o'clock in the morning."
"Yes" Regulus grinned, "that he most definitely gets from you."