FIC: Many Precious Things [interlude 6]
May. 26th, 2009 05:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leashy_bebesTitle: Many Precious Things [interlude 6][wip]
Pairing: Teddy/James [but still not yet]
Rating: PG? Bits of swearing, I suppose.
Disclaimer: HP characters etc are not mine. Title is from an Elvis Costello song, When It Sings, and that's not mine either.
Words: 4500 [this part]
Notes: *blows dust off the story* Really sorry, guys. Hopeless updater, distracted by other things.
CLICK HERE to read from the start.
James opens his eyes, knowing that something had woken him up, but not sure what. Then he hears the door to the next room clicking shut and realises that he must have been hearing Al move about in his room for a while. A glance at the window shows James that although it's light outside, it's still fairly early. James groans and rolls over, burying his face in his pillow. He hates waking up early in the mornings because he can never get back to sleep. He loves sleeping in late, but as soon as his eyes open that's it, he's awake for the day. Bloody Albus and his bloody early mornings stalking the bloody post owls, James thinks, turning onto his back again and wriggling out of the tangle of sheets to sprawl in the cool air. In the vague way that they do, a dream starts coming back to him, a dream of flying around the garden, racing someone.
Teddy, he realises, he was racing Teddy. They'd done it for real a couple of weekends ago, after the now-prerequisite Quidditch training session to let Lily practice. In the growing dusk, James had challenged Teddy to a race. Twice around the garden, inside the apple tree, along the fence, outside the pine tree, back down the other fence and along the line of the house. James had won the original race fairly easily, but they'd carried on flying around for a long time, jostling and teasing each other, until it was fully dark. Then they'd drifted gently to the ground and stayed outside in the cooling night for a while, chatting idly and easily.
Except, James realises, that in his dream, they hadn't been chatting. Well they had at first, but then Teddy had reached over and taken hold of James' hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing James' fingers. And then -
Fuck, shit, bugger, and damn, James thinks mildly, yanking his pillow over his head. This...whatever it is that he feels for Teddy is just getting weirder. Of course at first, weird hadn't been a strong enough word; James had just wanted to die, mainly from the embarrassment. While Teddy was away travelling, before James managed to get himself caught up with that fucking Hufflepuff he had been miserable and confused and scared. Mainly because it had felt completely abnormal to have such a fucked up crush on someone that his own father refers to as 'son'.
It had been a different, bigger feeling than the ones he'd had for Jack, and although James doesn't like to think about it too closely - too much, too big, too ridiculous - well, he's always loved Teddy, hasn't he? He's said it, and written it a bit wonkily on Christmas and birthday cards since he could hold a quill. Not that James believes himself in love with Teddy. It would be physically impossible - not to mention mind-blowingly stupid - to be in love with someone who sees you as a little brother-type person. It just complicated things, that was all, especially when James was in that horrible scared phase.
And then there had been him. The Hufflepuff. Steven, although James would prefer to pretend not to remember his name, the bloody tosser. Still, leaving aside the way it ended up, and what that ending meant about everything that had preceded it, those few months of ignorance were actually pretty blissful. And then, afterwards, James hadn't had time to think about Teddy (or anyone else for that matter. Ever again, it had felt like) in any inappropriate ways, because he was too busy wishing with every fibre of his being that Teddy was just there, just to talk to. And then, strangely, it had actually been easier once Teddy had come back. He was still the same, still that person James had always known and relied on, and it seemed that James' desperate longing had faded a little into a wonderfully comfortable kind of friendship. Which isn't to say that James has gone blind or something. Teddy is still desirable.
Hell, Teddy is gorgeous, particularly - to James' mind at least - when he sticks to his own warm brown eyes and dark blond hair. He's tall and slim, deep-voiced and softly spoken. He's clever, he's funny, he's basically fucking perfect. So yes, James wants him. He just doesn't want him in that desperate teenage-crush way he had at first. It's as though going back to school for a few months and doing a bit of growing up - and yes, alright, in the privacy of his own head he can admit that even getting hurt by Steven might have helped a bit - It seems to have given him some sort of perspective. Because as well as being achingly fit, Teddy is also massively important. He has always been there for James, since they were both children. Merlin's beard, James even used to creep into Teddy's bed at night when he couldn't sleep and demand stories or conversation. But getting older changes things. It's not just about Teddy making him feel better after he's hurt himself anymore, or showing him how to do things he can't manage because his hands are too small or his body is too uncoordinated.
All the awkward conversations he would never dream of having with anyone else, for a start... James sometimes feels that he would hardly know himself at all if it wasn't for Teddy and the way he seems to make everything simpler and less frightening. He is always kind to James, always gentle and encouraging and quietly proud, and his friendship means far too much for James to get caught up in some stupid crush (even if it doesn't feel like a crush. James doesn't know what it feels like). And that is fine, all well and good, and for huge swathes of the time, James won't even think about it. But then something will happen, either a dream, or one of those increasingly frequent, increasingly perfect nothing-moments with Teddy, and he will be right back there being pathetic and desperate and all fluttery inside. Ridiculous, he decides firmly and swings his legs out of bed, scrubbing one hand through his hair before heading downstairs.
Dad has already left for work by this time of the morning, and Mum and Lily won't be up for a while yet, so it can only be Albus rattling around in the kitchen. Sure enough when James goes into the kitchen Al looks round all startled, already jumpy.
"Do you think it'll be today?" he asks, before James is even fully in the room. Albus is probably the only person in the family who hates early mornings more than James, but today he is awake and tense looking even now.
"What'll be today?" James asks, unable to resist teasing.
"James," Al says, looking offended.
"Oh, bloody hell. I think you got all Ts and they're still working out how to break it to Dad," James suggests.
"I hate you," Al huffs.
"You are such a charming boy," James says cheerily.
"Why don't you - "
"Oh look, post," James says, pointing towards the window behind Al.
"Ha bloody ha," Al grumbles.
"No, honest!" James says, stepping around Al to open the window. A Prophet owl swoops in and drops off a letter for Mum before flying straight back out, while a school barn owl lands on the table in front of Al, who has gone a terrible ashy colour.
"Oh - oh, crap," Al says, taking the scroll and sitting with it clenched in his fist.
"Oh just open it, you bloody pansy. Come on, before Mum gets here and makes a ceremony out of it."
"Huh. I'm the pansy," Al scoffs, or at least James thinks that's what he said, but the words are a bit obscured by the sound of Al tearing open his results.
"Well?" James says, a bit amused. Albus might be his younger brother and as such, automatically the bane of his existence, but even James can admit that he's clever. He'll pass his OWLs with flying colours, but has still been tying himself up in knots ever since the exams ended. That is something James just does not get. Once he's lost the ability to influence something, it's not really in his nature to spend all that much time worrying about it.
"Oh my god!" Al yells, jumping up.
"Good, then?" James smirks.
"In your face! Seven Os and two Es. I kicked your arse, bro."
"Lies!" James protests. "Gimme that!" He grabs the scroll and makes a show of examining it in detail. "Did Malfoy forge this for you?"
"Fuck off, James."
"Excuse me?" Mum says, appearing in the doorway in that way she has. Al whisks the paper out of James' hand and presents it to Mum with a flourish. Lily stumbles in bleary-eyed a split second before Mum starts screaming and the startled little jump she makes is completely priceless, even if James is the only one who notices. "Oh Albus, I'm so proud of you! Oh look at this! You clever creature, come here and give me a hug!"
"Mu-um," Al protests, wriggling. Mum laughs and stops shouting long enough to floo Dad at work and drag him home for five minutes. He's more restrained, but just as proud. By this time Lily has got in on the act and is congratulating Al too, trying to hug him.
"Yeah, well done, little bro," James concedes. "Now who did you get to Polyjuice into you for the exams? I might have to have a word with them about my NEWTs."
"Oh, James, behave," Mum says.
"Ah, he knows I'm only messing about," James protests.
"Well there's no need for it."
"It's okay, Mum. James is just jealous because I beat him."
"It isn't a competition," Dad points out gently.
For once Al and James are in total agreement as they turn to stare at him incredulously.
"Yes it is!" they both chorus.
"And I'm going to remind you every single day what a complete and utter failure you are," Al informs James sweetly.
"You should Floo Rosie," Mum says, and James and Al exchange a look. Mum insists on believing that Al and Rose are the best of friends just because they're in the same year.
"Why is it, mother dear, that Albus is allowed to talk to me like that, but I'm not allowed to give it back?"
"Because one, you always start it, and two, you're older."
"I don't always start it. And I'm not much older."
"Drop it, everyone," Dad interjects. "Listen, I have to get back to work. Al, I'm really proud of you. Owl Teddy and get him round tonight, we'll have a family dinner."
"Thanks Dad," Al grins and as Mum and Dad exchange a few words, James leans closer to his brother.
"Floo over to Teddy's instead. He's working at home this morning," he mutters.
"Huh?" Al mutters quietly.
"He'll let you Floo Scorpius."
"You think?" Al asks, brightening. "We were going to sneak off to Diagon Alley at lunch time, but..."
"Of course he will. Tell him I said hi."
"I will. James - ta."
"S'alright. Well done, kiddo."
"Thanks."
Al gulps down some breakfast in about two minutes flat and bounds over to the Floo, disappearing off to Teddy's flat. About fifteen minutes after that Mum heads into work for a few hours and James finds himself alone with his sister at the kitchen table. She looks at him over her glass of pumpkin juice, a ridiculously patronising look for his baby sister to be giving him.
"Rearrange your face," he tells her imperiously.
"Why don't you ever let Mum see you and Al being nice to each other?" she demands.
"What?" James asks, in the most offended voice he can muster. "I am never nice to that little Slytherin freak."
"You're so weird," Lily laughs.
"Ta, sis. What're you doing today?"
"Umm... I might write to Lou. Also, Aunt Angelina lent me a book on overcoming sexism in Quidditch and she'll go mad if it doesn't at least look skimmed when I send it back."
"What?"
"Oh," Lily sighs. "Long story. She thinks Crofts is sexist and that's why he won't let me on the team."
"That's the daftest thing I've ever heard."
"I know! Sexism, Potter-ism, it's all the same."
"Damn Potter-ists," James comments.
"I never expected shit to be harder cause of mum and dad."
"Ah, Lils. There're a lot of people that'd quite like to see us fuck up our lives just so's they could have a laugh at mum and dad. And even more people, like Crofts, who don't want to be accused of favouritism."
"Huh. I'm going to show him," Lily says determinedly. "Is Jack staying on the team this year?"
"Unless he's removed forcibly, I expect so," James nods.
"Good. He can back me up."
"Aw, Lil, everyone's going to back you up. I'll back you up."
"Doesn't count with the Potter-ists if it's another Potter," Lily points out.
"...Are you really bothered about this?"
"What? No. Nothing bothers me, Jamie," Lily says with a bright smile.
"Lils..."
"A bit," she admits. "Maybe. I just... This is my thing, and it's just sod's bloody law that it's also Mum's thing, and everyone thinks that it's only my thing 'cause it's her thing," she says in a rush, fiddling with her hair.
"No one with a brain thinks that, Lily."
"Yeah?"
"No way! You play a completely different position for a start," James says firmly. "Totally different role within the team. And anyway, you don't fly the same way as Mum, you're more like Uncle Charlie. And beaters are just generally far cooler than seekers."
"Yeah?"
"Absolutely. There's a definite seeker-bias in this family, it's up to you to overturn that."
"Thanks, Jamie. Going to come and help me practice, then?"
"Without someone on hand with a quick healing spell? I don't think so, little sis."
"Oh, James," Lily protests.
"No chance. I'm going for a shower, and then I'm going to lie in the garden and try to put down roots."
"Working on your suntan?" Lily teases.
"Yes. One day I'll get all the freckles to join up," James jokes. Lily looks down at her own freckled forearms and shudders exaggeratedly. "Precisely," James nods. "Which is why I will be lounging in the shade with a cup of tea."
"You have been spending far too much time with Teddy," Lily tells him. "Drinking tea. Doing sensible things like sitting in the shade."
"You're just jealous 'cause Teddy didn't take you to the fair and let you win a fish."
"A really ugly, bug-eyed fish."
"Garibaldi is beautiful, I won't hear you say another word against him," James says seriously, standing up with a stretch.
"Fine. Bloody hell, go and shower, and leave me with books about feminism to read," Lily scoffs.
"You're meant to like all that kind of stuff."
"Oh James. Obviously I'm a feminist. Doesn't mean that I think every problem in the world boils down to whether or not you have a dick."
"We're going to have to have a talk about your language, sis."
"Dick, dick, dick."
"I was referring to the f-word. Feminist. You know that's a really bad one, don't you?"
"Shut up. Go away."
"I'm gone. Enjoy your stirring lady-politics."
"Shut up."
Upstairs, James lets himself enjoy an extra-long shower, the water hot enough to turn his skin red and fill the room with steam. Despite how long he lingers in the shower, Albus is still not home when James finally gets back downstairs. In fact, James isn't sure when Al gets home because he completely loses track of time out in the garden.
Aunt Hermione - still caught up in her enthusiasm about his potions experiments - has given him a subscription to Potions, a journal published monthly by the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, along with a stack of back issues that she'd said were just lying around. James thinks they have the look of things that have been lovingly stored in perfect order rather than just left lying around. She's probably going to kill him, James muses as he folds down the corner of a piece about the theoretical possibility of a universal antidote to read later.
The sun is high overhead and the shadows in the garden are small and razor-sharp when Al walks over, drops a small carton of pumpkin juice into James' lap and throws himself down onto the ground.
"Cheers," James nods as he pulls the straw off the side of the carton and punctures the foil top, watching different colours ripple up the length of the straw as he takes a drink. "Teddy alright?"
"Yeah, fine," Al nods. "He says he'll be round about six."
"Cool. Mum still at work?"
"Yeah, she flooed around an hour ago, she's going to be in the office til about four."
"What'd you ask for for dinner?" James asks, unable to resist blowing bubbles into his juice.
"Cannelloni, and treacle tart."
"Good call, little bro," James nods.
"Listen, me and Lily are going down to the lake for a swim. D'you want to come?"
"Err - " James glances at the stack of journals, then at the bright blue sky. "Yeah, alright," he nods, finishing his pumpkin juice and getting to his feet, gathering everything into a heap in his arms. "So, you put down to do a Potions NEWT, right?" he asks Al as they walk back towards the house.
"Merlin's beard, James, can you not let me bask in my OWL glory for just one day?" Al protests, shoving James in the side.
"Right, sorry," James laughs.
"Scorpius is going to meet us there, by the way," Al says, a bit too casually. "Don't tell mum and dad, okay?"
"My lips are sealed," James promises. He excuses himself to run upstairs and change into a pair of swimming trunks, thinking idly about his younger brother's friendship with Malfoy. They're so close, even closer than James is with Jack. In fact, people at school are more likely to think Al is gay than James, and that's all down to how joined-at-the-hip he is with Scorpius.
When he gets back downstairs Lily and Al are waiting impatiently, Lily now dressed in a swimming costume with a pair of cut off jeans over the top, and Al wearing a similar trunks-and-t-shirt combo to James. The lake is about a fifteen minute walk away, and although it's not on their property, theirs is the only house nearby, and it is small enough to usually be deserted.
Today when they get there, Scorpius has already arrived and is sitting on a rock at the shallow end. Lily waves hello to him with a bright smile, kicks away her shorts and jumps into the water. James follows her a few minutes later, kicking out towards the middle of the lake and turning over to float on his back. He can vaguely hear Al and Scorpius talking, but the sounds of the birds seem louder, oddly amplified by the heat of the day. It's really peaceful, and James closes his eyes against the bright sun, red light painting the inside of his eyelids.
A while later he turns upright to tread water, glancing around. Lily is still floating in the water, and Al and Scorpius are passing a silver flask back and forth. Turning onto his front, James swims over to them.
"Is that booze?" he demands quietly.
"No!" Al says defensively, a split-second before Scorpius says the same thing coolly.
"See, I would have believed him," James says, treading water again and nodding at Scorpius. "Maybe you should let him speak for you in all things, Al."
"I tell him that," Scorpius says dryly.
"Hey!" Al protests, nudging his friend. "Don't gang up on me with that wanker."
"Here," Scorpius offers, holding out the flask to James, who boosts himself up on the rock next to Al and takes the flask.
"Ta," James nods. "See, Al? An unsolicited bribe. There's class."
"Your brother's crazy," Scorpius says in an undertone while James takes a healthy swig from the flask.
"Bloody hell! That's not Firewhisky!"
"No," Scorpius says, sounding a bit offended. "Firewhisky's very common, Potter."
"It's that stuff Uncle Charlie drinks," Al explains. "Dragon's Blood Brandy. Except I don't think this particular vintage was brewed on the sly in an old cauldron in a hidden corner of the reserve."
"I take it back," Scorpius says. "Your whole family's crazy."
"Oh yes," Al nods.
James passes the flask back to Scorpius who hands it over to Al.
"Don't get too pissed," James warns. "I am not explaining to mum."
"She'd blame you anyway," Al smirks.
"You're so lucky I'm not a grass, Albus," James says. "Going for a dip. See you in a while," James says, slipping off the rock and into the water.
By the time James has finished splashing about in the water with Lily, occasionally dunking her, Al and Scorpius are both pretty drunk. Scorpius carries it off better, lounging gracefully on the rock, while Al is red-faced and giggly, just like Dad after a few too many.
"Bloody hell!" James complains. "Mum really is going to kill me."
"You worry too much, Potter," Scorpius drawls. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Half past three," Lily says, consulting the watch James had left on the shore earlier.
"Bugger, I better go," Scorpius says, pushing himself upright and shaking his head as though to clear it. "Tripty?"
"What?" James asks, but there is a loud crack and a house-elf appears on the shore of the lake.
"Good afternoon, Master Scorpius. What is you needing?"
"Can you sober me and Al up a little, then take me back home?"
"Yes, Master Scorpius!" The elf chirrups, and snaps its fingers twice.
The boys' clouded eyes clear instantly and James can't help being impressed at Scorpius' resourcefulness.
"Damn," Al groans, obviously not pleased. "That was nice."
"Don't think we need to give your mother another reason to disapprove of me," Scorpius points out.
"Probably not," Al admits, getting to his feet. "Owl me?"
"Sure," Scorpius nods. "Bye Lily, James."
"Ta-ta," James waves.
"Bye, Scorpius," Lily smiles, and Scorpius reaches out to take the elf's hand. They both disappear with another loud crack, and James looks around at his brother and sister.
"Are we heading back yet?" he asks, and they both shrug.
"Might as well," Lily nods.
"Yeah," Al nods, sliding off the rock and getting to his feet, only a little unsteady.
Mum is already in by the time they get home and she banishes them from the kitchen so they troop back outside. Al sprawls on the grass, cheering loudly for Lily while she and James race each other for the snitch. It's not long before they are joined by Teddy who sits down next to Al. To even out the numbers, he cheers for James, vying to drown out Al's shouts, and James grins happily as he and Lily go into a dive at the same time.
A little while after that, Dad turns up, and it becomes a three-way race. The heat has started to go out of the day, and in the orange light of the sinking sun, James thinks he could carry on flying for hours. Although he never really wanted to try out for the Quidditch team, James does love the thrill of flight. Chasing a Snitch or playing a makeshift game of Quidditch is alright, but what James truly loves is flying without purpose, flying for the freedom and the lightness. As the light starts to dim, though, Mum calls them in for dinner, and James and Teddy gather up the brooms and snitch, returning them to the shed before hurrying into the kitchen.
Halfway through dinner, an owl swoops through the window and perches on the worktop behind Lily's chair. She turns in her seat and retrieves a letter from the owl.
"It's for Teddy," Lily says, looking curiously at the envelope.
"What's - oh," Teddy says, paling a bit as he takes the letter and glances at it.
"What's that, Ted?" Dad asks.
"Just - something from the office," Teddy says. "I'll be back in a minute."
He ducks out of the room for a moment and when he comes back the scroll is nowhere to be seen, and James can't read a thing from his face. He makes determined eye-contact with Teddy, hoping for some sort of signal, but Teddy stays irritatingly neutral. Given that Teddy submitted his article a couple of weeks ago, and the turnaround is usually fairly quick, James imagines that must be what the letter concerns. The meal can't pass quickly enough for James and when everyone is finally sitting back in their chairs, mum turns to Lily.
"Right, Lily, your turn to do the washing up," she says.
"Oh, but - " Lily protests.
"I'll do it," James offers, tapping Teddy's ankle with his foot.
"What?" Lily asks cautiously. "What are you up to?"
"Oh fine, do it yourself, then!"
"No," Lily protests quickly. "You carry on."
"I'll help you out," Teddy offers, obviously taking the hint, and they gather up the plates and cutlery.
"Well?" James demands as soon as the kitchen door has swung shut behind them, and Teddy looks like he can't hold back his smile anymore. He pulls the envelope out of his back pocket and passes it to James. On the front someone, probably Lorraine, has scored through the original address and written,
T,
This got here just after you left, didn't think you'd want to wait til morning.
L.
James pulls out the letter and reads the first couple of lines, about the journal being pleased to accept your submission for publication, subject to amendments as listed below.
"Teddy I'm so proud of you!" James says excitedly. "Tell Dad, you need to tell Dad! When's it published? How do I get a copy?"
"I'll send you one," Teddy offers, smiling his abashed, crooked smile.
"Come on, let's go and find Dad," James says enthusiastically, grabbing Teddy by the wrist and dragging him towards the door.
"Wait, wait a minute," Teddy says, pulling James backwards by his collar. "Not today."
"What?"
"Come on, James, it's Al's day today."
"But - " James starts to protest, because Al's got his OWLs, big bloody deal. It takes a very special kind of stupidity not to get any OWLs, and Teddy's news is much more impressive, as far as James can see.
"No, James. Our secret for a couple of days, okay?"
"Fine," James huffs.
"You always did like a secret," Teddy laughs, and James can't really deny that.
>>Next Part
Pairing: Teddy/James [but still not yet]
Rating: PG? Bits of swearing, I suppose.
Disclaimer: HP characters etc are not mine. Title is from an Elvis Costello song, When It Sings, and that's not mine either.
Words: 4500 [this part]
Notes: *blows dust off the story* Really sorry, guys. Hopeless updater, distracted by other things.
CLICK HERE to read from the start.
James opens his eyes, knowing that something had woken him up, but not sure what. Then he hears the door to the next room clicking shut and realises that he must have been hearing Al move about in his room for a while. A glance at the window shows James that although it's light outside, it's still fairly early. James groans and rolls over, burying his face in his pillow. He hates waking up early in the mornings because he can never get back to sleep. He loves sleeping in late, but as soon as his eyes open that's it, he's awake for the day. Bloody Albus and his bloody early mornings stalking the bloody post owls, James thinks, turning onto his back again and wriggling out of the tangle of sheets to sprawl in the cool air. In the vague way that they do, a dream starts coming back to him, a dream of flying around the garden, racing someone.
Teddy, he realises, he was racing Teddy. They'd done it for real a couple of weekends ago, after the now-prerequisite Quidditch training session to let Lily practice. In the growing dusk, James had challenged Teddy to a race. Twice around the garden, inside the apple tree, along the fence, outside the pine tree, back down the other fence and along the line of the house. James had won the original race fairly easily, but they'd carried on flying around for a long time, jostling and teasing each other, until it was fully dark. Then they'd drifted gently to the ground and stayed outside in the cooling night for a while, chatting idly and easily.
Except, James realises, that in his dream, they hadn't been chatting. Well they had at first, but then Teddy had reached over and taken hold of James' hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing James' fingers. And then -
Fuck, shit, bugger, and damn, James thinks mildly, yanking his pillow over his head. This...whatever it is that he feels for Teddy is just getting weirder. Of course at first, weird hadn't been a strong enough word; James had just wanted to die, mainly from the embarrassment. While Teddy was away travelling, before James managed to get himself caught up with that fucking Hufflepuff he had been miserable and confused and scared. Mainly because it had felt completely abnormal to have such a fucked up crush on someone that his own father refers to as 'son'.
It had been a different, bigger feeling than the ones he'd had for Jack, and although James doesn't like to think about it too closely - too much, too big, too ridiculous - well, he's always loved Teddy, hasn't he? He's said it, and written it a bit wonkily on Christmas and birthday cards since he could hold a quill. Not that James believes himself in love with Teddy. It would be physically impossible - not to mention mind-blowingly stupid - to be in love with someone who sees you as a little brother-type person. It just complicated things, that was all, especially when James was in that horrible scared phase.
And then there had been him. The Hufflepuff. Steven, although James would prefer to pretend not to remember his name, the bloody tosser. Still, leaving aside the way it ended up, and what that ending meant about everything that had preceded it, those few months of ignorance were actually pretty blissful. And then, afterwards, James hadn't had time to think about Teddy (or anyone else for that matter. Ever again, it had felt like) in any inappropriate ways, because he was too busy wishing with every fibre of his being that Teddy was just there, just to talk to. And then, strangely, it had actually been easier once Teddy had come back. He was still the same, still that person James had always known and relied on, and it seemed that James' desperate longing had faded a little into a wonderfully comfortable kind of friendship. Which isn't to say that James has gone blind or something. Teddy is still desirable.
Hell, Teddy is gorgeous, particularly - to James' mind at least - when he sticks to his own warm brown eyes and dark blond hair. He's tall and slim, deep-voiced and softly spoken. He's clever, he's funny, he's basically fucking perfect. So yes, James wants him. He just doesn't want him in that desperate teenage-crush way he had at first. It's as though going back to school for a few months and doing a bit of growing up - and yes, alright, in the privacy of his own head he can admit that even getting hurt by Steven might have helped a bit - It seems to have given him some sort of perspective. Because as well as being achingly fit, Teddy is also massively important. He has always been there for James, since they were both children. Merlin's beard, James even used to creep into Teddy's bed at night when he couldn't sleep and demand stories or conversation. But getting older changes things. It's not just about Teddy making him feel better after he's hurt himself anymore, or showing him how to do things he can't manage because his hands are too small or his body is too uncoordinated.
All the awkward conversations he would never dream of having with anyone else, for a start... James sometimes feels that he would hardly know himself at all if it wasn't for Teddy and the way he seems to make everything simpler and less frightening. He is always kind to James, always gentle and encouraging and quietly proud, and his friendship means far too much for James to get caught up in some stupid crush (even if it doesn't feel like a crush. James doesn't know what it feels like). And that is fine, all well and good, and for huge swathes of the time, James won't even think about it. But then something will happen, either a dream, or one of those increasingly frequent, increasingly perfect nothing-moments with Teddy, and he will be right back there being pathetic and desperate and all fluttery inside. Ridiculous, he decides firmly and swings his legs out of bed, scrubbing one hand through his hair before heading downstairs.
Dad has already left for work by this time of the morning, and Mum and Lily won't be up for a while yet, so it can only be Albus rattling around in the kitchen. Sure enough when James goes into the kitchen Al looks round all startled, already jumpy.
"Do you think it'll be today?" he asks, before James is even fully in the room. Albus is probably the only person in the family who hates early mornings more than James, but today he is awake and tense looking even now.
"What'll be today?" James asks, unable to resist teasing.
"James," Al says, looking offended.
"Oh, bloody hell. I think you got all Ts and they're still working out how to break it to Dad," James suggests.
"I hate you," Al huffs.
"You are such a charming boy," James says cheerily.
"Why don't you - "
"Oh look, post," James says, pointing towards the window behind Al.
"Ha bloody ha," Al grumbles.
"No, honest!" James says, stepping around Al to open the window. A Prophet owl swoops in and drops off a letter for Mum before flying straight back out, while a school barn owl lands on the table in front of Al, who has gone a terrible ashy colour.
"Oh - oh, crap," Al says, taking the scroll and sitting with it clenched in his fist.
"Oh just open it, you bloody pansy. Come on, before Mum gets here and makes a ceremony out of it."
"Huh. I'm the pansy," Al scoffs, or at least James thinks that's what he said, but the words are a bit obscured by the sound of Al tearing open his results.
"Well?" James says, a bit amused. Albus might be his younger brother and as such, automatically the bane of his existence, but even James can admit that he's clever. He'll pass his OWLs with flying colours, but has still been tying himself up in knots ever since the exams ended. That is something James just does not get. Once he's lost the ability to influence something, it's not really in his nature to spend all that much time worrying about it.
"Oh my god!" Al yells, jumping up.
"Good, then?" James smirks.
"In your face! Seven Os and two Es. I kicked your arse, bro."
"Lies!" James protests. "Gimme that!" He grabs the scroll and makes a show of examining it in detail. "Did Malfoy forge this for you?"
"Fuck off, James."
"Excuse me?" Mum says, appearing in the doorway in that way she has. Al whisks the paper out of James' hand and presents it to Mum with a flourish. Lily stumbles in bleary-eyed a split second before Mum starts screaming and the startled little jump she makes is completely priceless, even if James is the only one who notices. "Oh Albus, I'm so proud of you! Oh look at this! You clever creature, come here and give me a hug!"
"Mu-um," Al protests, wriggling. Mum laughs and stops shouting long enough to floo Dad at work and drag him home for five minutes. He's more restrained, but just as proud. By this time Lily has got in on the act and is congratulating Al too, trying to hug him.
"Yeah, well done, little bro," James concedes. "Now who did you get to Polyjuice into you for the exams? I might have to have a word with them about my NEWTs."
"Oh, James, behave," Mum says.
"Ah, he knows I'm only messing about," James protests.
"Well there's no need for it."
"It's okay, Mum. James is just jealous because I beat him."
"It isn't a competition," Dad points out gently.
For once Al and James are in total agreement as they turn to stare at him incredulously.
"Yes it is!" they both chorus.
"And I'm going to remind you every single day what a complete and utter failure you are," Al informs James sweetly.
"You should Floo Rosie," Mum says, and James and Al exchange a look. Mum insists on believing that Al and Rose are the best of friends just because they're in the same year.
"Why is it, mother dear, that Albus is allowed to talk to me like that, but I'm not allowed to give it back?"
"Because one, you always start it, and two, you're older."
"I don't always start it. And I'm not much older."
"Drop it, everyone," Dad interjects. "Listen, I have to get back to work. Al, I'm really proud of you. Owl Teddy and get him round tonight, we'll have a family dinner."
"Thanks Dad," Al grins and as Mum and Dad exchange a few words, James leans closer to his brother.
"Floo over to Teddy's instead. He's working at home this morning," he mutters.
"Huh?" Al mutters quietly.
"He'll let you Floo Scorpius."
"You think?" Al asks, brightening. "We were going to sneak off to Diagon Alley at lunch time, but..."
"Of course he will. Tell him I said hi."
"I will. James - ta."
"S'alright. Well done, kiddo."
"Thanks."
Al gulps down some breakfast in about two minutes flat and bounds over to the Floo, disappearing off to Teddy's flat. About fifteen minutes after that Mum heads into work for a few hours and James finds himself alone with his sister at the kitchen table. She looks at him over her glass of pumpkin juice, a ridiculously patronising look for his baby sister to be giving him.
"Rearrange your face," he tells her imperiously.
"Why don't you ever let Mum see you and Al being nice to each other?" she demands.
"What?" James asks, in the most offended voice he can muster. "I am never nice to that little Slytherin freak."
"You're so weird," Lily laughs.
"Ta, sis. What're you doing today?"
"Umm... I might write to Lou. Also, Aunt Angelina lent me a book on overcoming sexism in Quidditch and she'll go mad if it doesn't at least look skimmed when I send it back."
"What?"
"Oh," Lily sighs. "Long story. She thinks Crofts is sexist and that's why he won't let me on the team."
"That's the daftest thing I've ever heard."
"I know! Sexism, Potter-ism, it's all the same."
"Damn Potter-ists," James comments.
"I never expected shit to be harder cause of mum and dad."
"Ah, Lils. There're a lot of people that'd quite like to see us fuck up our lives just so's they could have a laugh at mum and dad. And even more people, like Crofts, who don't want to be accused of favouritism."
"Huh. I'm going to show him," Lily says determinedly. "Is Jack staying on the team this year?"
"Unless he's removed forcibly, I expect so," James nods.
"Good. He can back me up."
"Aw, Lil, everyone's going to back you up. I'll back you up."
"Doesn't count with the Potter-ists if it's another Potter," Lily points out.
"...Are you really bothered about this?"
"What? No. Nothing bothers me, Jamie," Lily says with a bright smile.
"Lils..."
"A bit," she admits. "Maybe. I just... This is my thing, and it's just sod's bloody law that it's also Mum's thing, and everyone thinks that it's only my thing 'cause it's her thing," she says in a rush, fiddling with her hair.
"No one with a brain thinks that, Lily."
"Yeah?"
"No way! You play a completely different position for a start," James says firmly. "Totally different role within the team. And anyway, you don't fly the same way as Mum, you're more like Uncle Charlie. And beaters are just generally far cooler than seekers."
"Yeah?"
"Absolutely. There's a definite seeker-bias in this family, it's up to you to overturn that."
"Thanks, Jamie. Going to come and help me practice, then?"
"Without someone on hand with a quick healing spell? I don't think so, little sis."
"Oh, James," Lily protests.
"No chance. I'm going for a shower, and then I'm going to lie in the garden and try to put down roots."
"Working on your suntan?" Lily teases.
"Yes. One day I'll get all the freckles to join up," James jokes. Lily looks down at her own freckled forearms and shudders exaggeratedly. "Precisely," James nods. "Which is why I will be lounging in the shade with a cup of tea."
"You have been spending far too much time with Teddy," Lily tells him. "Drinking tea. Doing sensible things like sitting in the shade."
"You're just jealous 'cause Teddy didn't take you to the fair and let you win a fish."
"A really ugly, bug-eyed fish."
"Garibaldi is beautiful, I won't hear you say another word against him," James says seriously, standing up with a stretch.
"Fine. Bloody hell, go and shower, and leave me with books about feminism to read," Lily scoffs.
"You're meant to like all that kind of stuff."
"Oh James. Obviously I'm a feminist. Doesn't mean that I think every problem in the world boils down to whether or not you have a dick."
"We're going to have to have a talk about your language, sis."
"Dick, dick, dick."
"I was referring to the f-word. Feminist. You know that's a really bad one, don't you?"
"Shut up. Go away."
"I'm gone. Enjoy your stirring lady-politics."
"Shut up."
Upstairs, James lets himself enjoy an extra-long shower, the water hot enough to turn his skin red and fill the room with steam. Despite how long he lingers in the shower, Albus is still not home when James finally gets back downstairs. In fact, James isn't sure when Al gets home because he completely loses track of time out in the garden.
Aunt Hermione - still caught up in her enthusiasm about his potions experiments - has given him a subscription to Potions, a journal published monthly by the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, along with a stack of back issues that she'd said were just lying around. James thinks they have the look of things that have been lovingly stored in perfect order rather than just left lying around. She's probably going to kill him, James muses as he folds down the corner of a piece about the theoretical possibility of a universal antidote to read later.
The sun is high overhead and the shadows in the garden are small and razor-sharp when Al walks over, drops a small carton of pumpkin juice into James' lap and throws himself down onto the ground.
"Cheers," James nods as he pulls the straw off the side of the carton and punctures the foil top, watching different colours ripple up the length of the straw as he takes a drink. "Teddy alright?"
"Yeah, fine," Al nods. "He says he'll be round about six."
"Cool. Mum still at work?"
"Yeah, she flooed around an hour ago, she's going to be in the office til about four."
"What'd you ask for for dinner?" James asks, unable to resist blowing bubbles into his juice.
"Cannelloni, and treacle tart."
"Good call, little bro," James nods.
"Listen, me and Lily are going down to the lake for a swim. D'you want to come?"
"Err - " James glances at the stack of journals, then at the bright blue sky. "Yeah, alright," he nods, finishing his pumpkin juice and getting to his feet, gathering everything into a heap in his arms. "So, you put down to do a Potions NEWT, right?" he asks Al as they walk back towards the house.
"Merlin's beard, James, can you not let me bask in my OWL glory for just one day?" Al protests, shoving James in the side.
"Right, sorry," James laughs.
"Scorpius is going to meet us there, by the way," Al says, a bit too casually. "Don't tell mum and dad, okay?"
"My lips are sealed," James promises. He excuses himself to run upstairs and change into a pair of swimming trunks, thinking idly about his younger brother's friendship with Malfoy. They're so close, even closer than James is with Jack. In fact, people at school are more likely to think Al is gay than James, and that's all down to how joined-at-the-hip he is with Scorpius.
When he gets back downstairs Lily and Al are waiting impatiently, Lily now dressed in a swimming costume with a pair of cut off jeans over the top, and Al wearing a similar trunks-and-t-shirt combo to James. The lake is about a fifteen minute walk away, and although it's not on their property, theirs is the only house nearby, and it is small enough to usually be deserted.
Today when they get there, Scorpius has already arrived and is sitting on a rock at the shallow end. Lily waves hello to him with a bright smile, kicks away her shorts and jumps into the water. James follows her a few minutes later, kicking out towards the middle of the lake and turning over to float on his back. He can vaguely hear Al and Scorpius talking, but the sounds of the birds seem louder, oddly amplified by the heat of the day. It's really peaceful, and James closes his eyes against the bright sun, red light painting the inside of his eyelids.
A while later he turns upright to tread water, glancing around. Lily is still floating in the water, and Al and Scorpius are passing a silver flask back and forth. Turning onto his front, James swims over to them.
"Is that booze?" he demands quietly.
"No!" Al says defensively, a split-second before Scorpius says the same thing coolly.
"See, I would have believed him," James says, treading water again and nodding at Scorpius. "Maybe you should let him speak for you in all things, Al."
"I tell him that," Scorpius says dryly.
"Hey!" Al protests, nudging his friend. "Don't gang up on me with that wanker."
"Here," Scorpius offers, holding out the flask to James, who boosts himself up on the rock next to Al and takes the flask.
"Ta," James nods. "See, Al? An unsolicited bribe. There's class."
"Your brother's crazy," Scorpius says in an undertone while James takes a healthy swig from the flask.
"Bloody hell! That's not Firewhisky!"
"No," Scorpius says, sounding a bit offended. "Firewhisky's very common, Potter."
"It's that stuff Uncle Charlie drinks," Al explains. "Dragon's Blood Brandy. Except I don't think this particular vintage was brewed on the sly in an old cauldron in a hidden corner of the reserve."
"I take it back," Scorpius says. "Your whole family's crazy."
"Oh yes," Al nods.
James passes the flask back to Scorpius who hands it over to Al.
"Don't get too pissed," James warns. "I am not explaining to mum."
"She'd blame you anyway," Al smirks.
"You're so lucky I'm not a grass, Albus," James says. "Going for a dip. See you in a while," James says, slipping off the rock and into the water.
By the time James has finished splashing about in the water with Lily, occasionally dunking her, Al and Scorpius are both pretty drunk. Scorpius carries it off better, lounging gracefully on the rock, while Al is red-faced and giggly, just like Dad after a few too many.
"Bloody hell!" James complains. "Mum really is going to kill me."
"You worry too much, Potter," Scorpius drawls. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Half past three," Lily says, consulting the watch James had left on the shore earlier.
"Bugger, I better go," Scorpius says, pushing himself upright and shaking his head as though to clear it. "Tripty?"
"What?" James asks, but there is a loud crack and a house-elf appears on the shore of the lake.
"Good afternoon, Master Scorpius. What is you needing?"
"Can you sober me and Al up a little, then take me back home?"
"Yes, Master Scorpius!" The elf chirrups, and snaps its fingers twice.
The boys' clouded eyes clear instantly and James can't help being impressed at Scorpius' resourcefulness.
"Damn," Al groans, obviously not pleased. "That was nice."
"Don't think we need to give your mother another reason to disapprove of me," Scorpius points out.
"Probably not," Al admits, getting to his feet. "Owl me?"
"Sure," Scorpius nods. "Bye Lily, James."
"Ta-ta," James waves.
"Bye, Scorpius," Lily smiles, and Scorpius reaches out to take the elf's hand. They both disappear with another loud crack, and James looks around at his brother and sister.
"Are we heading back yet?" he asks, and they both shrug.
"Might as well," Lily nods.
"Yeah," Al nods, sliding off the rock and getting to his feet, only a little unsteady.
Mum is already in by the time they get home and she banishes them from the kitchen so they troop back outside. Al sprawls on the grass, cheering loudly for Lily while she and James race each other for the snitch. It's not long before they are joined by Teddy who sits down next to Al. To even out the numbers, he cheers for James, vying to drown out Al's shouts, and James grins happily as he and Lily go into a dive at the same time.
A little while after that, Dad turns up, and it becomes a three-way race. The heat has started to go out of the day, and in the orange light of the sinking sun, James thinks he could carry on flying for hours. Although he never really wanted to try out for the Quidditch team, James does love the thrill of flight. Chasing a Snitch or playing a makeshift game of Quidditch is alright, but what James truly loves is flying without purpose, flying for the freedom and the lightness. As the light starts to dim, though, Mum calls them in for dinner, and James and Teddy gather up the brooms and snitch, returning them to the shed before hurrying into the kitchen.
Halfway through dinner, an owl swoops through the window and perches on the worktop behind Lily's chair. She turns in her seat and retrieves a letter from the owl.
"It's for Teddy," Lily says, looking curiously at the envelope.
"What's - oh," Teddy says, paling a bit as he takes the letter and glances at it.
"What's that, Ted?" Dad asks.
"Just - something from the office," Teddy says. "I'll be back in a minute."
He ducks out of the room for a moment and when he comes back the scroll is nowhere to be seen, and James can't read a thing from his face. He makes determined eye-contact with Teddy, hoping for some sort of signal, but Teddy stays irritatingly neutral. Given that Teddy submitted his article a couple of weeks ago, and the turnaround is usually fairly quick, James imagines that must be what the letter concerns. The meal can't pass quickly enough for James and when everyone is finally sitting back in their chairs, mum turns to Lily.
"Right, Lily, your turn to do the washing up," she says.
"Oh, but - " Lily protests.
"I'll do it," James offers, tapping Teddy's ankle with his foot.
"What?" Lily asks cautiously. "What are you up to?"
"Oh fine, do it yourself, then!"
"No," Lily protests quickly. "You carry on."
"I'll help you out," Teddy offers, obviously taking the hint, and they gather up the plates and cutlery.
"Well?" James demands as soon as the kitchen door has swung shut behind them, and Teddy looks like he can't hold back his smile anymore. He pulls the envelope out of his back pocket and passes it to James. On the front someone, probably Lorraine, has scored through the original address and written,
T,
This got here just after you left, didn't think you'd want to wait til morning.
L.
James pulls out the letter and reads the first couple of lines, about the journal being pleased to accept your submission for publication, subject to amendments as listed below.
"Teddy I'm so proud of you!" James says excitedly. "Tell Dad, you need to tell Dad! When's it published? How do I get a copy?"
"I'll send you one," Teddy offers, smiling his abashed, crooked smile.
"Come on, let's go and find Dad," James says enthusiastically, grabbing Teddy by the wrist and dragging him towards the door.
"Wait, wait a minute," Teddy says, pulling James backwards by his collar. "Not today."
"What?"
"Come on, James, it's Al's day today."
"But - " James starts to protest, because Al's got his OWLs, big bloody deal. It takes a very special kind of stupidity not to get any OWLs, and Teddy's news is much more impressive, as far as James can see.
"No, James. Our secret for a couple of days, okay?"
"Fine," James huffs.
"You always did like a secret," Teddy laughs, and James can't really deny that.
>>Next Part
