everlong | ariadne

[james sirius potter]

And I wonder

When I sing along with you

December 24, 2026
@ariadne

It was better than a forced family dinner and even better because James’ family was reunited once more. Well, at least for the most part. James visited the pub enough to know that his father spent almost all his time there, and his mother was still struggling a bit and glares from his brother across the table while his father asked him to pass the potatoes were not unnoticed either. But a party would be loud, and with lots of people here, it helped cure some of that awkwardness. Drinking directly from the small bottle of firewhiskey he’d pulled out of the inside of his blazer, James made sure that his mother and sister weren’t around to comment.

People were trickling in, and most of the noise originated in the living room of his family home while some walked outside for air, and some of the smaller children ran around. With a smile, he remembered those days—his mother shaking her head as they all got dirt and whatnot on their nicer clothes, but James wasn’t about to let Vivian or Harper beat him in tag. James roamed as he greeted his cousins, friends, neighbors he had grown up with, and whoever he came across. It was a comfortable environment for him, and in a way, the noise was comforting and energizing at the same time.

The Ministry had been working overtime since Hogwarts had fallen, and James tried not to linger on the thoughts or the things he had seen. Watching someone, he considered an older brother get injured and seeing those flames while being close enough to feel the intense heat. Thankfully Lily had found Albus and gotten out of the Castle. Making his way back to the front, his calm face lit up, and he grinned. ”There you are.” James walked over to greet Ariadne. Both their schedules had been a bit busy, especially when dealing with babies being born. It wasn’t a strict schedule, and James was often pulled away for overtime. ”Mum was just asking if you’d arrived yet.” James moved to help her out of her coat. ”I think she got into the wine early tonight.”

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[Deleted]

Ariadne was excited to attend the Potter family Christmas party this year. It had been several years since she had been to the family home and so much had happened in between. Still James' family had always been kinder to him than many people had in the past, and she always liked seeing them no matter the occasion. She had decided to wear a draped gold short dress that glittered and plunged in a rather low v for Ariadne's usual style of scrubs or sweats. She had been shocked when her sister had recommended her trying it on, but once she looked in the mirror she knew she had to have it. She didn’t know if it would seem too formal but for once, Ariadne didn’t abhorrently hate for some attention to be directed her way.

Her smile radiated as she saw James walk towards her. Where would she be without this man? She certainly wouldn’t have gained the confidence she had now, and she almost certainly wouldn’t have not one but three families to love. The Longbottoms had adopted Ariadne even though she had been 18, and from the beginning Hannah had shown her a warmth and caring nature that Ari had not been aware existed from a mother. And the Potters and the Weasleys had not judged her when James had brought her round to introduce them, and had treated her as a normal girl dating their son/nephew/grandson. She still didn’t know how to ever thank them for these gifts.

“Hi,” she breathed, leaning in to kiss him quickly before shrugging off her coat. She laughed as he told her Ginny was looking for her already. “Well we mustn’t let your mother drink all the wine,” she replied. She looked around at the crowds of faces, both familiar and unfamiliar to her and shook her head. “How many of these people do you actually know?” she asked, looking slightly nervous. She had always been locked away on the second floor if her parents were hosting parties of this size; she wouldn’t have known anyone there regardless, and the one time she was allowed to attend, she had feigned a headache and went to bed with an anxiety attack.

james sirius potter


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[james sirius potter]

And I wonder

When I sing along with you

December 24, 2026
@ariadne

There was a large grin on James’ face, which was not unusual, but it was the holidays! Time for close family and friends to spend time with one another. And, fingers crossed, there wasn’t a Potter that was maimed or missing this year. Still, even four years later, James never tired of looking forward to seeing Ariadne. Through the ups and downs and separations, they always drifted back to one another. The family had accepted her, not that James would have allowed anyone to remark about her last name. While he had been nervous at that moment, he was introducing a Lestrange to his grandmother, after all. It had gone over much easier than he’d thought.

The only other time he’d felt that nervous was after a chance encounter many months after he’d broken up with her, and he realized that he still loved her, but he had doubted himself on whether she’d take him back. Clearly, it had all worked out. As James took her coat, he noticed the gold sparkles of her dress, and the plunging neckline caught his attention quickly. Hanging it on the coat rack near the door, he turned back to her, thinking about her question. ”Erm—“ James scoped the room as he mentally tried to make a roster in his mind—but it was proving impossible due to the sheer amount of people and how much whiskey was in his system already. ”At minimum…anyone with red hair.” He smirked as he looked back at her. ”You look beautiful, by the way.” He spoke, leaning in to give her another kiss. They both really worked far too much.

His head turned quickly at the sound of someone falling. But someone had unluckily picked up the self-slapping spatula that Lily had brought home the previous month. The image of Albus fighting the thing still made James chuckle, as if a fully qualified Auror wasn’t incapable of handling a simple charmed object. ”Lily’s at it again.” James commented, turning back around after seeing his Uncle assist the poor individual. ”Can I get you a drink?”

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Ariadne's face flushed a light pink as James took in her outfit. “Did I do okay?” She asked him with a shy smile. James as usual looked like the perfect, floppy mess that he was. That smile could light up a room and give a boost to someone even in the poorest of moods. He noted that his relatives were the ones with red hair, of which there were many. “Thanks for narrowing it down for me,” she chided him, nudging his arm playfully. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched the relative who picked up a self-slapping spatula struggle to get it to stop hitting them and she shook her head. Lily was always the prankster of the family, even moreso than James in her opinion.

“A drink sounds lovely,” she replied, kissing him on the cheek before being called over by another Weasley relative. They asked the usual questions, including the ones about marriage and children, which Ariadne deftly avoided. She loved James with all her heart, but they were still young, and had gone through a lot more than normal teenagers going into early adulthood had been through. Plus, at least for now she got her baby fix from helping deliver them into the world. James reappeared and she took her drink with a grateful smile. “I’ve been here five minutes and I’ve already been asked when we’re getting married and gracing the world with more Potter-Weasley babies,” she confided in him. It felt…normal, for once; before James had vouched for her, the thought of another child with Lestrange blood coming into the world horrified everyone.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

And I wonder

When I sing along with you

December 24, 2026
@ariadne

It was unfortunate that Lily couldn’t actually join them that night. The timing of the full moon coincided with Christmas Eve. However, it hadn’t stopped her from conveniently leaving charmed items all over the house for the guests to find. James still found it endearing how Ariadne would blush or fidget when he complimented her. It reminded him of those days walking Hogwarts’ grounds just taking or walking down to the village together and when James had worked up the nerve to finally kiss her. ”More than okay.” James assured her with a bit of a lower voice, moving a bit closer into her space.

But trying to count all the redheads in the room and then trying to see who had been unfortunate enough to come across the charmed spatula had been distracting. Though he had no doubt that a mere glare from his mother would stop the perpetrators and even the charmed spatula in its tracks. James stepped away for a quick moment to the bar to grab Ariadne a drink. He asked for wine and more whiskey for himself. As he waited, James turned around and leaned against the bar, noting that one of his Uncles was talking to Ariadne. It still warmed his heart that his family had accepted her despite history. It meant more to him than they could ever know.

With a drink in each hand, he walked back just in time for his Uncle to excuse himself and walk away. ”So the usual.” James responded a little flatly, though sarcastically. The same questions came his way now and then, though he wasn’t sure how his own parents felt about it, and he wasn’t about to ask. James wanted some simplicity in his life with the world in its current state and the things they had experienced and seen. That simplicity they had lost at seventeen. And raising children was the exact opposite of simple. ”You probably shouldn’t let my grandmother corner you then.” He warned, a sly grin on his face. Molly Weasley had no problem reminding her grandchildren how many children she had brought into this world by their age. James had no doubt he wanted children one day. A large family was what he was accustomed to.

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Ariadne knew she didn’t have to feel awkward and embarrassed every time James complimented her, but it was second nature. She was never given compliments other than her mother saying what a waste it was to have her beauty but ‘no backbone’, so they really didn’t help all that much in her development. She simply wasn’t used to being called beautiful without a backhanded comment attached. James did make her feel beautiful, but she still had some adjusting to do, even years later.

She accepted the glass of wine proffered gratefully, taking a sip. A Weasley gathering was overwhelming on a good day when it was just immediate family, seeing as the Weasleys had seven children, and all but one had children of their own. Pull in other relatives, all with that trademark red hair, and it could get to be a lot. But with James there, Ariadne felt much less out of sorts. Plus he was one of the few black haired family members in attendance, which helped. “Your grandmother already got her asking done last time we visited her,” she reminded him with a smile. Molly Weasley had not been shy in mentioning that great-grandchildren were something she’d like to see before she left this Earth, but Ariadne had also felt a little bit of acceptance and warmth coming from her. Molly had been the one Ariadne had been most terrified to meet; how do you introduce yourself to the woman who killed your aunt? But she was kind and welcoming, which is all she really could ask for.

“I fear as though that generation has a very different mindset than ours does,” Ariadne said gently. “They took Voldemort’s rise to power as a sign to live for the moment and marry and have as many children as they were given. Whereas we see the world and want to make it better before bringing someone else into it,” she finished, taking another sip of wine. Ariadne had thought of having a child of her own - what girl didn’t once in awhile - but it had to reconcile with the fact that they would always be half-Lestrange, and the weight of carrying that bloodline. She wasn’t quite there yet, but it would come, eventually.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

And I wonder

When I sing along with you

December 24, 2026
@ariadne

James had never been shy about his thoughts, especially when it came to Ariadne. She was intelligent, funny, kind, and beautiful and had a sense of loyalty that matched his own. They agreed on many things, though, like any couple, there had been bumps in the road, and he was sure there would be more. James hoped that she believed him when he said the things he did. And especially now when various alcohols had reached his brain, and he wouldn’t have minded leaving the party early—a tempting thought. Spending more time with Ariadne, but there was the risk of death at the hands of his mother and grandmother. It was a shame their schedules didn’t overlap more.

”Of course she did.” James was not surprised. And even if he wasn’t at that stage in his life yet, the fact that Molly Weasley asked Ariadne Lestrange when she would bring the new generation of Potters into the world meant that she was accepted as part of the family now. Which left him with a warm fuzzy feeling, though in combination with some champagne he’d consumed earlier. ”I think you’re right.” Times were different even with all that had occurred in the last few years. ”But I think she just wants a hundred great-grandchildren to feed.” Molly Weasley would always happily feed not only her family but anyone who showed up at her doorstep. It was her signature warmth that attracted people and something that James admired greatly about her.

But Ariadne had a point. It was a different time, and his generation wanted different things. In his heart, he knew he wanted children and a family. For the entirety of his life, James had his brother and sister and a gaggle of cousins always around, and he enjoyed it because he never had to be alone.

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