Hands Off My Sister!
"Come on Al, it's Potter tradition. Teddy took me, we both took you-"
"Against my will" Albus added, cutting him off. But James carried on like he hadn't heard his younger brother.
"It's only fair that we take out Lils. Come on" He was currently stood in the doorway of Albus' room, pleading and trying to convince him to go clubbing with him, Lily and Teddy to celebrate Lily's eighteenth birthday. And had been doing so for the past five minutes.
"Then go, you don't need me to come too" Albus really hated clubbing. he never really was a party animal like so many members of his family. "And technically it's not Potter tradition if it was started by Teddy. As much as we consider him our brother, his surname is Lupin" he stated and James rolled his eyes.
"A minor technicality. Come on Al, It has to be all of us don't make me resort to blackmail" he pleaded again, not caring if he sounded like a child and not the twenty-one year old man he was.
"And what dirt do you have on me exactly?" he asked calmly. He knew he was the best behaved out of his siblings but he still couldn't help but wrack his brains for things his brother could hold against him.
"I'm sure Mum would love to know what really happened to Arnold"
Albus' eyes grew wide "I was seven!"
"And Mum really loved her pygmy puff"
"She's gotten over it by now"
"Do you want to find out for sure?" James asked with a cheeky gleam in his eyes. "Anyway someone needs to be our designated apparator; by the end of the night, I may be liable to splinch myself"
"So let me get this straight. You're guilt tripping and blackmailing me into going out to watch you and Teddy get our sister mindlessly drunk in a room full of paralytic muggles, staggering about to music I hate?" James nodded with a wide grin spreading across his face. "You are the best big brother ever" He added sardonically.
"I know" James proudly replied. Either ignoring the sarcasm or not catching onto it. "So are you coming?"
"Do I have a choice?" Albus sighed.
"Great. We're picking Lily up in an hour. Teddy's meeting us there. How he convinced Vic to let him go I'll never know" He explained as he began to leave the room to get ready.
"What in Merlin's name did I do to deserve this?" Albus quietly asked himself as he turned to his wardrobe.
"Oh" James exclaimed, with his head back in the doorway. Startling Albus in the process. You have the lovely job of convincing Mum that Lily will return in one piece. She doesn't seem to trust me with our sisters safety"
"Maybe because when you did this for me, I returned home barely conscious with a broken nose" The reason this happened was because James came up with the bright idea to lace all of Albus' drinks with vodka charmed to be tasteless so he wouldn't notice. Resulting in him being barely able to walk two steps without falling, and inevitably broke his nose on the curb less than two minutes after they left the club.
"Not my fault you can't hold your liquor. Now get ready" he said before leaving the room once again. Albus bit back his retort and reluctantly got ready. An hour later the brothers were walking into the house they grew up in.
"Finally you're here!" Lily, who had been waiting for them at the door exclaimed in relief. "Al could you please tell Mum that I will be fine? Dad said he's not getting involved and left to see Uncle Ron after we'd been arguing for an hour" she whined. Harry learned years ago not to get involved in arguments between any women with Weasley blood; he'd rather not face their wrath, especially Ginny's. James just looked at Albus and gave him a smile that said 'I told you you'd have to talk her round' which greatly annoyed him as he didn't even want to go out in the first place. But he couldn't resist his sisters puppy dog eyes. So, facing the wrath of Mum it was.
"She's not going!" Ginny bluntly stated as soon as her boys stepped over the threshold.
"Hello to you too Mum" came James' cheeky reply.
"This is not funny James. After the state you let Albus get into after his eighteenth I'm not letting you do the same to my little girl!"
"I love you too!"
"Not helpful Jamie" Lily admonished. "And Mum I'm not a child anymore" She whined.
"Go get ready, we'll handle this" Albus said calmly, and she obeyed after casting a wary look between her mother and brothers.
"You can make all the smart remarks you want James Sirius Potter but I will not let you get any daughter of mine horrendously drunk in an environment where anybody could take advantage of her!" James went to argue but was stopped by his brother elbowing him in the stomach and shaking his head in warning.
"Mum. Calm down" Albus said in a soothing tone. "I'm going. You know I don't really like to drink so I'll have a clear head and I'll keep an eye on Lily. Just let her come" Surprisingly Ginny actually calmed down a little. "It means a lot to her. I promise nothing bad will happen to her" She knew her middle child was the responsible one out of the three so she thought about it for a moment. Then turned to James.
"Empty your pockets"
"What?"
"You heard me" Groaning like a petulant teenager he did as he was told, placing his phone, wallet, keys, chewing gum, wand, flask and condoms onto the coffee table. Going bright red when the last items landed on the table. Ignoring everything else, Ginny picked up the flask she knew held a lot more drink that it appeared to.
"This stays here. You're not spiking your sisters drink like you did your brothers"
"Come on, like I need to do that to Lils. She knows how to enjoy herself without my help" James retorted. Which seemed to be the wrong thing to say entirely if the horrified look on Ginny's face was anything to go by. "What I meant was, that the flask was for me. The price of booze in some places is way too high so I thought I'd sneak my own. I'm sure Lil will drink responsibly under Al's watch" Ginny let out a breath no-one realised she was holding and visibly relaxed.
"Nice save" Albus muttered in amusement.
"Whoever it was for, it still remains here" She stated and James nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly.
"Does that mean she can come?" He asked hopefully.
"If you both promise to not let her out of your sight then yes"
"We promise" They replied in unison then turned as they heard a knock at the door. Albus opened it to see Teddy on the other side, who instantly engulfed him in a hug.
"Hey little brother, we ready?" He asked as he walked in the house to see James refilling his pockets and Ginny with a slightly worried look on her face, and greeted them both with the same hug he'd given Albus. "So where's that grown-up little sister of ours?"
"Teddy!" Lily squealed as she ran down the stairs and jumped on her godbrother, wrapping her arms and legs around him.
"Hi spider monkey" He chuckled.
"How come she never greets us like that?" James asked Albus.
"Because you're a prat and Al...well I don't know but you're still a prat" Lily answered.
"Well don't I feel loved" James retorted with an eye-roll.
Ginny walked over to him and affectionately ran her fingers through his hair.
"Oh, we do love you, we just know you too well" She said with a smile.
"Okay can we go now?" Lily asked impatiently.
"Yes and bring her back in one piece!" Ginny warned the boys who assured her they would.
"Please I can take care of myself"
They all hugged and/or kissed Ginny goodbye and headed out before apparating to the club. The queue wasn't too long so they were inside quicker than they initially thought.
"I'm going to the bar, do you want anything?" Teddy asked loud enough for them all to hear over the music.
"Malibu and coke" Lily replied.
"You know my poison" James said with a smirk.
"Al?"
"I'm not drinking"
"Come on let me buy you one?" Teddy pleaded and dragged Albus to the bar with him. "What do you want?"
"I'll have whatever you're having"
Teddy quickly got the attention of the bartender. "Hey, can I get one Malibu and coke and three JD and cokes please" The bartender nodded and quickly poured their drinks before taking Teddy's money and quickly turning to serve the next person. Teddy handed Albus his and Lily's drinks then picked up his and James' before going to find the pair. James was found chatting up a pretty redhead and a blonde friend and Lily was already on the dance floor.
When Teddy reached the oldest Potter, he gratefully took his drink before introducing the pair to his godbrother.
"Amy, Sam, Haaave you met Ted?"
"Hey" They both greeted with a smile.
"Hey, sorry about my brother. He's obsessed with a show that was on when we were kids"
"I thought I recognised that line. How I met your mother right?" The blonde, Sam asked.
"Yeah! you know it?" James excitedly asked.
"Yeah, my dad's a fan"
"He has good taste"
Teddy looked around and found Al back at the bar but couldn't see the littlest Potter and got a little worried. "Listen, I'm going to find Lily. It was nice to meet you both" he announced and disappeared into the crowd.
"Lily?" Amy asked
"My baby sister. Just turned eighteen. It's her first night out and my mum is crazy about us keeping an eye on her"
"Brother called Ted, sister called Lily, it sounds like your parents are bigger fans than my dad" Sam laughed.
"No, no it's not like that, just a happy coincidence" James chuckled. "My parents were more the sentimental types when naming us"
Teddy got through the crowd with ease and was happy to find that Lily was fine and enjoying herself on the dancefloor, so he went to join Albus who he realised was watching Lily like a hawk. "Ginny told you to not let her out of your sight didn't she?"
"Yeah"
"You need to enjoy yourself too"
"I'm fine"
"Come on, have a few drinks dance a little. You look a bit stalky constantly staring at her" Teddy stated with a bit of a chuckle and Albus rolled his eyes but complied, letting Teddy buy him a couple more drinks and drag him onto the dancefloor for a while until Teddy decided it was time to check up on James and wandered off. Albus then took his place, leaning back on his elbows at the bar watching his sister when a beautiful brunette with blue eyes walked up next to him.
"Hey cutie" She greeted in an american accent. "I'm Hannah"
"Albus" He replied, smiling politely but not quite taking his eyes off of Lily.
"Unusual, I like it"
"Thanks"
"So, have you been here before?"
"Not recently" at this she frowned, realising she was only getting closed answers.
"Not much of a talker are you?" Albus then realised he was being slightly rude and gave her more attention.
"Sorry" he apologised looking a little sheepish. "Where're you from?"
"California. Moved here five years ago. What about you? Ever travelled?"
"Only on family holidays" he replied and glanced back over at Lily for a few seconds. Hannah noticed and followed his eyeline.
"You like redheads huh?" She casually asked. "She's cute" Albus' eyes nearly bugged out of his head at what she was insinuating.
"What? No! no no it's not like that" he spluttered, slightly horrified.
"Come on we're both adults here, why else would you keep sneaking looks at her?"
"She's my little sister" he stated bluntly.
"Oh. Sorry I didn't mean to assume; I can be a little blunt sometimes" Her embarrassment was evident on her cheeks.
"No it's fine, really. I came to keep an eye on her because my brother gets easily distracted by pretty girls and alcohol and my other brother is more than likely making sure he behaves" he explained.
"Explains why you look like you don't wanna be here" she smiled.
"Clubs aren't my thing"
"You sound like my best friend, Peter. He hates coming out to places like this too. You'd probably get along"
"Yeah?" he asked, obviously intrigued.
"Yeah"
"Is he here?" he asked, looking around a little.
"He left just before I came over here" She informed him and then looked over at Lily and her smile vanished. The young witch was currently trying to push away a guy who was getting way too hands on. "Looks like your sister is in trouble" Albus whipped his head to look over at his sister and quickly looked around to see if James or Teddy had noticed but couldn't see either wizard.
"Stay here" he said before walking quickly through the crowd until he reached his sister.
"Stop! Get your dirty hands off of me!" Lily exclaimed and was blatantly ignored as the guy in question was persisting to try and kiss her as he groped her.
"I believe she told you to stop" Albus said in a tone that said he wasn't joking around as he yanked the guy off of his sister by his shoulder. He was a few inches taller than Albus and tried to use it to his advantage as he squared his shoulders and got intimidatingly close to him.
"I would get out of my face before I rearrange yours pretty boy" He threatened "Go get your own bitch" he added and continued to stare Albus down.
"I am NOT your bitch!" Lily snapped.
"You heard her" They were now slowly gaining an audience.
"You've got one more chance. Get out of my face before I break something. This is none of your business"
"When some dick starts groping my sister against her will, it becomes my business" it was a battle of wills as each tried psyching the other out by refusing to break eye contact or back down.
"Al just leave it, he isn't worth it"
"Yes run along Al" he said mockingly. "You're sister and I were in the middle of something" He then smiled a feral smile at Albus before turning back to Lily. Albus once again dragged the guy back and he turned around just as Albus' fist was coming forward and soon connected with his jaw, punching him to the ground.
"Albus!" Lily exclaimed more in shock than anything. In all her life she'd never known her brother to lay a finger on anybody.
"I don't think you understood so let me say it in a way your fickle muggle brain will process. Keep your hands off my sister!" Unfortunately, it didn't end there. The guy's two friends had seen Albus lash out and came to help their friend by instantly laying into Albus who Lily realised was holding his own pretty well. As they had now gained a large audience, James and Teddy finally realised something was wrong and went to investigate, noticing that it was three against one. The one being Albus, and instantly jumped in to help their brother who was beginning to lose. Of course they forgot they were wizards who could easily and inconspicuously hex them from afar and decided to do it the muggle way. James grabbed an empty bottle and smacked one over the head. It didn't break but it definitely got his attention while Teddy grabbed another thug and punched him across the face, leaving Albus with the guy he'd originally began with. Lily was screaming for them to stop and even tried to physically stop them, narrowly missing what would have been an elbow to the face while various members of the crowd were egging them all on. Soon enough, the bouncers arrived to the scene and broke them up before physically escorting them off of the premises.
"This isn't over!" Lily's attacker threatened once they were out on the street. Which of course had the little redheads temper flaring.
"I would advise you to walk in the opposite direction before I do something I regret" He eyes full of steely determination as she grabbed onto her wand in her pocket, ready to take it out if needed.
"And what exactly are you gonna do? You needed your big bro and his posse to come to your rescue back there"
"That's because we were in public. The street is more or less empty. Now walk away" she warned again, her eyes blazing.
"I'd listen if I were you" James piped up while Teddy silently watched, ready to jump in and prevent any more violence. Thankfully they heeded their warning and left.
"Ginny is going to kill us" Teddy groaned
"At least we're bringing Lils back in one piece" James shrugged, trying to ease the tention. "What happened in there? You never fight" He asked Albus who just glared at him.
"That sleazebag wouldn't take his hands off your pretty little sister" All turned their heads towards the voice.
"Hannah" Albus breathed. "What're you doing out here?"
"You know her?" The puzzlement on James' face at Albus knowing a beautiful woman would have been hilarious in any other situation.
"We met inside" she replied before Albus could speak; and looked at the three guys. "That is gonna hurt in the morning boys"
"What're you doing out here?" Albus asked, hoping he didn't sound rude.
"Clubs are not much fun after a brawl. You okay honey?" she asked Lily who still looked a little shaken up but nodded in reply anyway.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Look, we should probably head off" Albus said as he self consciously rubbed the back of his neck.
"But you are totally invited to come" James blurted out. Earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Teddy. Hannah just laughed at his straighforwardness.
"Whoa there cowboy. Here" She rumaged around her handbag for a pen and grabbed Albus' wrist and wrote down her number on his forearm. "We should hang out sometime, I like you guys" She smiled before walking away.
"You are calling her. I don't care what you say, you are calling her" James told his brother and received a scowl in response. Yep, James was in his little brothers bad books.
"Okay come on" Teddy pulled James away from their spot towards a safe place to apparate. "We'll meet you back at your place" He told Albus before apparating away.
"Come on Lil" he wrapped a comforting arm around his sister and followed Teddy back to the place he shared with his brother. They needed to figure out how to explain everything to Ginny because she was not going to be happy when she saw the state of the boys.
A/N: So, what do you think? Let me know in the reviews