Lets do Lunch ¦ James

[Ginevra Molly Potter]

Early September 2027

The Quidditch Season wasn't officially due to start back for another few weeks, but Ginny was already up to her armpits with events of all sorts. Launches, player trades, product parties and more press conferences than she could shake a stick at. Life had been busy to say the least. Hardly having time for herself, she had definitely not had time for her family. Even after trying to make time for them, it was difficult.

Today she had managed to just about squeeze some time in for a lunch date with her oldest son.

Ginny did this every now and then, as much as she valued time spent together as a family, she tried to make time for each of her family members individually. She needed it just as much as she knew they did. They were older and all had their own lives now, even Harry who she had settled back into life with quite easily, but still she needed to keep them close. Somehow, she thought, she'd squeeze the other two in sometime this week. (lily luna potter Albus Severus Potter )

Glancing down at her menu again, she pursed her lips and wondered what would satisfy her as she waited for James.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

What we've become

Is contrary to what we want

Early September 2027
Ginevra Molly Potter

The world seemed to have settled, although James kept an eye out. It was a habit as much as it was his job. Hogwarts had reopened, and truthfully he was a little envious that these younger students would have this brand new experience. The new structure was fascinating, and as he browsed a friend's course list, he realized how many of these classes would have been just fun to take. But he tried not to dwell on it, or the past for that matter. Whenever he did, James found himself in a bit of a spiral. He supposed he hadn’t realized until after the fire how much he always carried with him.

But everybody seemed busy, so when his mother reached out with a lunch invitation, James realized how fast the days had gone by since his birthday. As he walked through the doors, his eyes scanned the room for red hair. His mother was the easiest to spot as well as Lily in a crowd. James was easy to find only because of his height, and Albus—well, they had to keep a closer eye on him in a crowded room. So his eyes beamed green in the indoor light as he approached her at the table. ”Hi Mum, sorry I’m late.” James quickly greeted and kissed his mother on the cheek before sitting down. He was starving—but what else was new.

template by vee

[Ginevra Molly Potter]

Lost in the menu and overthinking whether she'd get the duck salad or prawn linguini she hadn't seen her eldest enter the restaurant, but as she looked up absent-mindedly to give her eyes a break from the text; his towering frame was obvious as he made his way across the room. Laughing under her breath she thought about it for a moment, neither herself or Harry were overly tall, but then she supposed some of her brothers were and that was where he must have gotten it from.

Pushing out from the table she gave him a peck on the cheek and a one armed hug "Hi love, it's ok. Thanks for coming" As busy as she was, she recognised her kids were the same, growing with lives of their own. While it made her sad to ruminate on, she was useless to them now really; in some ways it was rather exciting.

With a small smile she watched him sit and took a sip from her wine glass. "How are you, what have you been up to?" raising an eyebrow she kept it pointedly vague, a trick she had learned over the years. Let the kids tell you what they wanted first- she'd pry whatever else out of them later when things got more easy going. Glancing back to the menu she decided on the prawn pasta, wondering for a moment what James would go for. "Drink?" with another glance to him she called over a waiter with a polite half wave of an elegant hand.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

What we've become

Is contrary to what we want

Early September 2027
Ginevra Molly Potter

James realized it wasn’t often he spent time with his mother alone. Usually, the family was around, or Lily and his father were at the family home. More often than not, James would spend time with his father, which had always been that way. Lily, as usual, was all over the place like a rubber band shot at a wall; that wouldn’t stop no matter what charm you tried. Albus had always stuck close to their mum, knowing she would protect him. Especially from James and Lily’s latest prank. Despite all this, their relationship was good.

Immediately he began to scan the menu. So many choices. And they all sounded delightful, especially in his starved state. That was his own fault for skipping breakfast and heading straight to work. But when his mother asked a question, he looked up for a second before answering. ”Oh you know, mainly working.” His face clearly showed how the gears in his brain were turning at this decision. ”They let me help with some of the trainees this year.” Again, he paused to consider his options. ”What do you recommend?” James asked her. She had a knack for choosing something good.

He nodded. A drink sounded nice. Plus, he wasn’t due back for work for another two days. ”Things have been a little crazy. The Aurors don’t give us much warning when we’re needed.” James half expected to receive a summons during his time off for some midnight raid to break up an illegal dueling location or some dangerous criminal. One would think his own brother might throw James a bone now and then and give him at least a twenty-minute heads up. But he hoped not. Ariadne finally had an overlapping day off and Merlin knew their schedules never lined up.

template by vee

[Ginevra Molly Potter]

Without Lily and Albus' chaotic energy now, the lunch with James would be almost peaceful she assumed. Sitting back in her chair she surveyed her first born with a smile. Merlin they were getting so grown up; she was getting so old. A thought she didn't like to linger on too much, but sometimes when she looked at how grown they were it was hard to not think about. At the very least, she was pleased things with Harry had settled down and she was allowed to actually enjoy things now as they happened. No, she wasn't close to retirement and taking off to travel the world just yet, but to enjoy being in an adult relationship now would be nice. Dropping her eyes, she scanned the menu book and pursed her lips. "Their chardonnay does be nice, but I'm not sure it's really your thing love. They do scrumptious Pineapple mojitos though that might wet our whistles."

A more mischievous smile now danced behind her eyes. She hoped James wasn't going to be boring and have a dry drink. It was Wednesday anyway, surely the office wouldn't be too busy when he got back this afternoon. "But maybe you meant I should help to pick your food I suppose" her laugh was a quiet rumble as she looked back up to meet his gaze.

With a nod of acknowledgment, she listened to his woes "I don't think the Aurors always have great notice themselves to be fair. At least your Dad didn't always. Sometimes he'd be called out at all hours too, he always hated leaving us at night like that" recalling the memory, a smaller smile spread on her face now "It can be hard though. I know it can" busying herself from growing too deep or sentimental, she glanced down to the menu again.

"How's Ariadne?" with a raised eyebrow she decided to directly ask this time. James had never said much to her about his girlfriend, or even if she was actually his girlfriend. Ginny knew something was up obviously; she wasn't stupid, no, James just maybe wasn't as forthcoming with information as he once would have been. HARRY JAMES POTTER swore he knew nothing, but Ginny knew even if he did know something he likely wouldn't tell her out of loyalty to James. It left her no alternative but to go directly to the source herself, even if she still didn't have the gumption to look him in the eye as she interrogated him. 

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

What we've become

Is contrary to what we want

Early September 2027
Ginevra Molly Potter

James often forgot he was only twenty-two. So much had piled up over the past few years and even his last years of school that he felt beyond his years. That is until a family dinner was called, and he and Lily rolled up their sleeves to figure out how to pester their brother. His eyes scanned the menu but moved up to his mother as she spoke about the drinks. Pineapple mojito? That sounded refreshing, albeit not very 'manly' in some's book. It reminded him of when Yas had introduced him to mimosas. Deadly things. The concoction had snuck up on him rather quickly and was far more stealthy than whiskey in that regard.

The corner of his mouth upturned into a little grin, the lighting in here made his mother's eyes look very blue. He supposed his own would either appear dark or very green. It often changed with the light. "Well a drink is part of a meal, after all. A mojito sounds refreshing." But he was also starving, but that was never news to anyone. Maybe it was his large frame or energetic presence, but James was the light of his grandmother's life for how large his appetite was. His cousins would joke that one of these days, they'd be forced to roll him out of the Burrow without much he ate. The pasta was probably a good choice and would satisfy him for a bit.

"I suppose you're right. Wonder how Al is dealing with it." Albus was still a relatively new graduate. Maybe they didn't have him on those dangerous midnight raids yet. But James didn't speak more on the topic. Their mother was very protective of Albus, so it was not the right audience for comments on whether he was shining shoes or fetching tea. But then she asked about his girlfriend. They'd been together for quite some time, including when they'd separated a few years before. "She’s doing well, also working a lot.” The medical field was just as demanding, not to mention babies did not like to be born on their due date. James paused a moment. ”Our schedules don’t always line up, so it's been a little difficult to find a time when we both aren’t working.

template by vee

[Ginevra Molly Potter]

Ginny's brown eyes continued to scan the menu. She wasn't looking at it or seeing anything in particular. But even now, well especially now her children were older; she felt odd sitting and looking at them. Watching them tentatively. It was easier in a way to look away, to give them space. In every aspect of their lives, she supposed. It was hard for her. Meddling was in her blood, she was, after all, Molly Weasley's daughter. Striking the balance between being friendly enough to be told things, and being enough of a parent had always been difficult and at times she often found herself playing bad auror to Harry's good auror buddy. Much to her own annoyance.

But there were times like this when she hoped she was cracking the surface enough. Just enough to walk the line properly, perhaps teeter towards buddy auror as much as she could. The twitch of his mouth into a smile certainly filled her with hope anyway. "Well, you're a big boy so get what you want love" with a quiet laugh she buried her nose momentarily in her wine glass. Setting it down, she shrugged and gave James a pensive look "I do wonder sometimes.." she trailed off, her eyes unfocused, seeing beyond whatever was in the restaurant. It was only for a millisecond before she shook it off, and gave her son a smile again "But then I can only wonder. He tells me even less than you do. I think he's ok though. Your dad helps him as much as he could. I think he talks through things after with him as a sort of debrief. I think that's good too. Your dad didn't always have that I guess. He spoke to me after the big things, but then I don't 'get it' as he says" with a shrug she half smiled again "All I can do is be there for you all as it's needed. And that's what I do."

As James spoke, she listened. This time her smile was more knowing. "Merlin I know all about that. That can be difficult yes.. growing quiet for a moment, she eventually nodded again and added quietly "So long as you both still try, to make an effort. That's what counts Jamesy"

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

What we've become

Is contrary to what we want

Early September 2027
Ginevra Molly Potter

James chuckled at his mother’s offer of permission. Normally his colleagues would never go near a drink such as that or anything brightly colored. But James was happy to walk around with one of those drinks with the tiny umbrellas. Plus, Ariadne was always amused watching a six-foot-four man with a drink that had a little umbrella. But James' eyes moved up from the menu as his mother trailed off. Blinking a few times, he waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. He wondered if it was odd that Al had not updated their mother on what he was doing unless this was normal.

”Oh—he hasn’t written or dropped by?” James was surprised, and his eyes focused intently on his mother. Whether they looked dark like hers or bright like his father’s in this light, he couldn’t tell. Hazel eyes were known to change frequently. James doubted that Al was constantly talking to their father, but maybe he had just missed it all while burying his head in the sand and driving himself further in with work. ”Dad is…” James trailed off, remembering walking and talking about things with him all those times after he returned. He stared at the menu as he thought. ”He’s different since he got back. I know he’s trying to make it right.”

James offered up a cautious smile. The difference was good, or at least James liked to think so. He knew what he wanted to say but not the right combination of words. Hindsight and staring death in the face were a powerful combination. Powerful enough to dig oneself into a hole, and escape was impossible when you were weighted down with regret. It did make him wonder. He hoped Ariadne didn’t find him dismissive. She was always so patient when explaining her work to him since James had only basic and limited training in healing. Slowly a grin formed on his face. ”We do.” He assured her. ”She means a lot to me.” He added as he looked back at the menu. ”How’s the steak here?” He was starving to put it lightly.

template by vee

[Ginevra Molly Potter]

Her smile started off a lot stronger, reaching for her own drink she sipped and slurped before glancing back to James and his question about Albus. "Oh no" throwing up a hand she batted the idea away playfully. "Of course he comes up. He tries to get me to do his washing and steal our food. He'd never not come up" She could indulge in some of her own light jibing of her babied son with her eldest. "But he's careful about what he tells me. I think he thinks he doesn't want to worry me, but he forgets I already went through it all with your dad" she was midway through an overzealous eye-roll when James brought up Harry. She knew the glance at the menu was pointed, easier to avoid her gaze while James spoke about him. For a beat, she chewed at her lip and listened in uncomfortable silence. She knew James had a point of course, but it was just a difficult subject to talk about. Not that she had tried to shelter her kids from it all, it was just difficult to talk to anyone about it. Near impossible to put words to how she felt about the whole thing, to process it.

"Jamesy..." she started with a quiet sigh. Now it was her turn to glance down at the tablecloth. Her tone was low when she spoke again. "I know he is. And so am I. It's just.." Searching for words more carefully she half looked up at him, scared of what she would find when she looked at him. "We grieved so many people, after the war. Together. And then the next thing I was grieving for the one person that was always there with me, through it all. I ad to face it all alone. And I had to keep going for you lot. And then one day he was just...back..." Taking a sharp inhale of breath she paused before ending awkwardly "It's just been difficult to process is all."

Letting silence creep in, she reached for her drink and took a much bigger slug than necessary. With a small cough, she cleared her throat and glanced back to him with a half smile "Steak's good I think yeah"

james sirius potter