Chapter 1

"Still the eternal bachelor then Charlie?" Harry asked as he joined his sons and their Uncle at the garden table, "Though this is the first time in how many years that you have turned up at the annual leaving for school party without a new date!"

"Well, you know me, I like to keep you on your toes."

"I thought that's what the women did to you," Harry chuckled.

"Ah my young brother in law that is where you are wrong, it is I who keep the women on their toes! Do you see me laden down with a wife and children? Unable to wear the trousers in my own home-"

"E-hem," Harry coughed in retort to the statement.

"Oh come on Harry, Ginny wears the trousers, Fleur wears the trousers, Hermione, Audrey and Angelina all wear the trousers, I am the only free Weasley among you all apart from Ginny and she's a girl!" Charlie guffawed as Harry rolled his eyes in defeat. "I am a free man, living a woman free life, except for when I need a little bit of TLC if you know what I mean," he went on winking at his nephews sat opposite him at the table.

James and Vernon laughed along with him and looked at their father who responded with, "I wouldn't have it any other way!" as his wife appeared and sat on the chair arm beside him, his hand slipped absentmindedly around her waist and she leaned into him lovingly. Charlie watched them feeling that very small pang of jealousy that crept into his heart whenever he saw how happy his sister and her husband were. Even though he knew his brothers were all just as happy in their marriages as Harry and Ginny were he always saw something extra special between the two of them and ever since the year he had lived with his sister and watched her go through heartbreaking sorrow he had always been a tiny bit jealous of their special bond. However a couple of dates with the same girl was usually enough to remind him that he didn't really want to settle down with anyone and he would go on with his usual routine of changing girls almost as often as his robes and enjoying every free and single minute of it.

"Tell Dad about the last one," James said coyly adding, "better wait till Mum's gone though!" and she looked at him disapprovingly before standing up and heading off to another part of the garden leaving the boys to listen to the tales of bachelordom.

"Your Dad doesn't want to hear those stories boys, they are for the eternally single ones like us!" he chuckled looking slyly at his three companions, "Speaking of which, are we off to the Cauldron after Mum's served us dinner tonight? I said I might go along and meet one of the new recruits who was coming home for the weekend, she started three weeks ago and if I might be so bold she would be worth getting to know a little better," he went on raising his eyebrows suggestively at the boys. "She just moved over to our team from Germany, she's English though and a very pretty young girl, said she might bring a few friends along too!"

The boys' eyes suddenly lit up and Harry rolled his own at them, "I swear this is not the best way to live your life you two or should I say three?" he said glancing at Charlie too.

"Yeah we know Dad, settle down one day and produce hundreds of grandchildren for you, but while we are still young there's no harm in looking is there?" James replied. He had always been and still was a little in awe of his Uncle Charlie who had never married and always seemed to have a good tale to tell about the women. As a child he had found it strange that Charlie was single and always seemed to bring a different girl to family gatherings but as he became a teenager and was allowed to be part of the conversations about his conquests he realised that Charlie was an idol, someone he wanted to be like. He always imagined that one day he would eventually settle down with someone but for the time being he was quite happy to play the single man about town and without being too arrogant about it he knew that he was a bit of a heart breaker with women. James had never had a serious girlfriend because like his uncle he did not want to be tied to one girl, the most he ever achieved was four or five dates with one girl before searching out someone else to spend his time with. He lived in a flat with his friend Salamander Longbottom and he enjoyed being able to bring a girl back to the flat; have a little fun and then send them on their way again in the morning.

"So I'll tell her we'll be there then shall I?" Charlie asked eying James and Vernon while Harry rose from his seat and set out to find his other children.

"Don't lead my boys too far astray Charlie," Harry warned, "I do want grandchildren one day!"

"Lily will give you those," he replied cocking his head in the direction of the old rope swing where Harry's only daughter was being pushed gently by her boyfriend and current new resident in their home, Raulph Krum."

"Not for a very long time I hope," Harry replied sternly giving Charlie a glare that clearly told him to stop reminding him that his baby girl was actually grown up and in love with a boy who they all knew she was sleeping with. Charlie chuckled as Harry walked away and then turned back to his nephews so he could regale them with more of his womanising stories.

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Slowly wrenching open his eyes James Sirius Potter reached out to draw the curtains of his bedroom window closed, the blinding sun was doing nothing to alleviate the thumping in his head caused by too much firewhiskey and ale and he knew that the only way to try and get rid of it was to sleep a little longer. Once the curtain was closed he turned over in bed and a thin white hand slid up over his shoulder, he cocked one eye open again and looked down at a mass of wavy blonde hair which was strewn across a naked body beside him. One glance around the room reminded him of the previous evening and he smiled cockily to himself as he remembered chatting up the pretty girl in his bed and managing to bring her home for a quick but satisfying shag. He saw her clothes strewn around the bedroom, bright magenta bra over his quidditch trophies on the shelf above the bed, matching lace thong on the bedknob at the bottom of his king size, skirt and blouse discarded on the floor and a pair of three inch black stiletto sandals left haphazardly by the door. James smiled cheekily to himself before moving the girl's hand back onto the other pillow and returning to his slumber hoping to alleviate the throbbing in his brain.

He woke a few hours later and found that the girl was now awake and stroking his shoulders with long fingernails, he groaned a little as he came round from slumber and opened one eye to see her, she had large breasts and a slender waist and he found himself instantly aroused by her. Smiling cockily at her he rolled her over onto her back and began to bury his face between her breasts while she giggled furiously, in all honesty the noise was quite annoying and James suddenly began to feel the need to be alone and nurse his hangover. He quite quickly pushed himself into the excited girl who was almost begging him to take her and within a few minutes he was spent inside her and laid on his back again completely satisfied but ready to get rid of the blonde who was smiling sickeningly at him.

James was good at pulling girls but found it hard to get rid of them the next morning as he hated to be to blunt with them, he tried not to come across as arrogant but once he had had his way with a girl he wanted to be alone and rarely felt like doing it again the next morning.

"Last night was fun," the girl said, what the hell was her name? James thought to himself, "And this morning too," she went on clearly hoping that they could do it again sometime.

"Hmmm," James replied sitting up on the bed and trying to find some underwear in the bedside drawer, he could remember what had happened the previous night even though some parts were slightly hazy but was not in a rush to do it again. After the usual feast provided by his Grandmother, he, his Uncle Charlie and his adopted brother, Vernon, had flooed away from the annual gathering to see the Weasley family children off to Hogwarts and into the Leaky Cauldron where they had met up with Charlie's new colleague. Joanna worked with him out in Romania but had been visiting home for the weekend, she was an attractive young woman in her mid twenties with thick, long brown hair and dark eyes. She was tall and had an athletic physique which was typical of Charlie's taste in women. She had brought along her younger sister, Maria, and her friend...what was her name?

The six new acquaintances had bought a bottle of firewhiskey and ensconced themselves in a dark corner of the Leaky Cauldron where they had wasted no time in emptying the contents. The blonde had taken quite a liking to James and after a few shots of the red liquid on their table James had found her sitting on his knee whispering into his ear. Having had about the same to drink in the pub before they turned up along with a few tankards of ale at the Burrow James had been rather susceptible to the girl and enjoyed stroking her long bare legs as she swung her arms around his neck and batted her eye lids in his direction. He had not needed much more persuasion to invite her back to the flat and he recalled leaving Charlie, Vernon and the two sisters at the table while they flooed back to his home, she, giggling all the way and he, hungry to have his way with her. The pair had stumbled through to the bedroom, laughing as they began to remove each others' clothes, and fallen naked to the bed in a drunken heap. James remembered having quite quick sex with her paying little heed to her own pleasure before collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep within moments of his head hitting the pillow.

"Don't get up yet," she said stroking his bare back with the fingernails and pouting...Sharon? Shauna? He was sure it began with a sh sound, "we could have a lot more fun if you stayed here!" Charlotte...? No.

"Sorry..." girl who's name I can't remember, "I...I have to go and see my...my sister, she's going back to school today and I promised I would call in at home before she left," he turned to look at the pouting face of Sh...Ch...Chantelle! That was it, "I'm sorry Chantelle, maybe some other time?" he muttered knowing that he would never see this girl again if he could help it.

"I hope so," she replied rather desperately and James groaned inwardly, the only problem with bringing them back to the flat was that they knew where he lived, he should get his father to help him make the place unplottable then at least they wouldn't be able to get back there again.

"Sorry to rush you," he said standing up and handing Chantelle her skirt and top from the floor, "but they'll be leaving at half past ten and I promised to be there before then," he glanced at the clock on the wall which showed nine fifty-five as he pulled on a pair of casual trousers and a quidditch shirt. Chantelle dressed slowly as James attempted to tidy up part of the bedroom wishing the girl would get a move on so he could have the flat to himself. Eventually she was ready and carrying her shoes in her hands she walked behind him to the flat door, "Well...goodbye then," James said as he opened the door for her to leave. She hung around in the doorway for a few seconds looking like she was expecting something so he leaned over to kiss her more to get her to leave than because he wanted to.

"So...I'll floo you sometime?" she said smiling and looking up at the dark haired boy through fluttering eyes.

"Er...yeah, yeah if you want, anyway I've got to go...sister to see off to school and all that, bye," he added smiling and closing the door on the now pathetic looking girl in his hallway. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door met its jamb and then leaned back against it running his hands through his hair and down his face. Remembering that he still had a bit of a hangover he walked away and within minutes he was stretched out on the couch with a copy of a wizard's magazine enjoying the silence with a glass of hangover potion beside him.

"Another lady fawning all over you then?" asked a voice from another doorway, "Honestly James I don't know how you do it," Salamander chuckled walking over to a matching brown leather chair beside the sofa, "every night a different one, and every morning another excuse to get rid of them! Won't Lily already be on her way to the station in a ministry car with your Dad?" he goaded and James threw a cushion in at his face which he managed to duck while laughing heartily.

"It's not funny," James chirped.

"It is, when it's every weekend James, I'm surprised there are still some women out there that you haven't slept with!"

"Hey we're not all the settle down types like you and Alby! Some of us are happy to be free to play the field a little!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," Salamander retorted.

"He bugging you about being in a relationship again?" asked a soft voice from Salamader's bedroom doorway behind the couch, "He's only jealous!" it went on, "You and Alby have found someone, Lily is deliriously happy and even Vernon is seeing someone regularly, even if he does try to hide it most of the time, our Jamesy is feeling all left out and trying to make himself feel better by sleeping with anyone and everyone," the voice taunted as a tall blonde came into view and sat down on the arm of Salamander's chair.

"Vernon's only seen that girl three times, he says it's not going anywhere."

"Ha," laughed Gloria, Salamander's almost live in girlfriend, "that's just what he tells you, he's been seeing her for nearly two months and almost everyday, he just doesn't want you to know that he's actually developing feelings for her, he can't let the boy's club down!" Her reward for the comment was another cushion which his head had been laid on but his aim was off due to the enormous hangover he was still suffering from and she just laughed at him.

"Hey, if Vernon wants to get tied down that's his prerogative, I'm quite happy with the way things are in my life thank you very much," halfway through that sentence the doorbell had rung and Gloria had jumped off the chair to answer it.

"What even if they come back to haunt you?" she teased turning around to look at James with wild eyes and a smirk on her face, she had spied through the peephole and seen who was standing in the corridor outside.

"Oh you have got to be kidding," James replied jumping to his feet and wincing at the throb in his head as he did so, "I'm not here, I'm off to Grimmauld place to recover, tell her I'll be out all day!" and with that he apparated immediately, if a little off balance, and landed on the doorstep of his childhood home seconds later where he intended to spend the rest of the morning recovering.

"Is it really her?" Salamander said back in their shared flat and his girlfriend broke down in hysterics as she opened the door to reveal Salamander's sister, Consuella, who had promised to visit that day. "You're evil," he laughed at her jumping from his seat to hug his sister.

"Well, it'll get rid of his whining for the day. James is a nightmare when he's got a hangover!"