"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" The cry rang through the house of twelve Grimauld Place as a fierce red headed woman stormed up the stairs. "JAMES GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Mum, before you say anything else I think you should know that I love you?" A pair of brown eyes peered out from around one of the doorways followed by some messy black hair and then a boy with a small smile on his face and an air of confidence surrounding him.
"James, you are in serious trouble." Ginny glared at her son. He instantly looked to his shoes pretending at least to be humble. "Your brother is very upset. He worked very hard on that telescope."
"But Mum he said that I was just being stupid and bigheaded and I only asked to look in it." James looked pleadingly at his mother hoping his puppy dog eyes would win through.
"James he's your little brother and now I can't get rid of the black ring around his eye and he's crying downstairs." Ginny sighed seeing she was having no effect on James. "Your father can deal with you." She said before walking off leaving the little Potter boy to run back into his room happy that he had avoided trouble for the time being at least.
At ten years old James Potter certainly lived up to his namesake. Rarely a day went by when his name was not hollored by someone, when he was not being punished for something or when he did not have to deploy his puppy dog eyes to get him out of a sticky situation. James Sirius Potter really did nothing but get himself in trouble.
"Harry, your son's been at it again." Ginny said to her husband when he arrived in. She did not even bother to turn from the vegetables she was directing her wand at as Harry sighed.
"My son? He's as much yours as he is mine Ginny." Harry said. "He's only ever my son when he's in trouble, he's always your son when he's being praised." He laughed as his wife also laughing hit him with a wooden spoon and pointed him in the direction of their sons room.
"James, can I come in?" Harry knocked on the door before entering although no consent was gven from the small boy lying on his bed playing with the Snitch Teddy had given him after catching it in his first Quidditch game. "I hear you jinxed your brother."
"Accident" James mumbled grabbing the Snitch and sitting up.
"James, you and I both know you have more control than that of your magic. Don't lie to me." Harry said sitting on the bed beside his son. The boy moved towards his father and handed him the Snitch. "What's this for?"
"Punishment." James shrugged looking at him. The Golden Snitch was one of his most prized posessions, a gift that had more meaning than value and a sign that Teddy Lupin, whom he admired so greatly, was indeed his brother. "And tell Al I'm sorry but he called me bigheaded."
"Where you being bigheaded?" Harry asked knowingly and father and son laughed. "Here take this back, go down and apologise to your brother and Mum and we might just let this one go." James jumped off the bed and ran off but not before stopping to thank his father.
Harry knew he was too soft on James, always had been but when he looked at his son and saw his father's mischievous eyes staring back at him there was nothing he could do. The boy was born for trouble just like his grandfather plus if they punished him for every little thing he did he'd never leave the house.