Oh, this was fun writing! Didn't take too long; I had the idea planned out.
Okay, so I know James seems to be getting into a lot of trouble but... I figured he would be more like James Sr, what with having proper parents and a real growing up. Harry might've been, too, had James and Lily not been killed.
Anyway, please review, makes my day!
M. Sunshine
James was in a bad mood. It seemed like he was a lot lately. All mum and dad do is fuss over Al and Lily, he thought grumpily. This was not entirely true, though. Harry and Ginny spent time with all their children, and James often brushed them away when they asked if he wanted to do something. When they asked, he was far too old for such things. But when they were busy, James was always bored senseless. Now that he was a bit older, he really couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. It would be fantastic to get out of the house and spend his year in the legendary school of magic.
"But mum, pleeeease!" James whinged, trotting after his mother through the house.
"James, no." Ginny said exasperatedly. "I'm busy, and dad is with Al at the shops. You'll have to wait." James had been begging Ginny for almost an hour about being allowed to fly on his toy broom. As Harry was out, and Ginny did not have the time to supervise him, she had told him no. Obviously, that answer wouldn't do for the bored boy.
"But I haven't anything to do." He sighed, looking at her with his best puppy-dog-eyes. Ginny rubbed her temples.
"James, I know you're bored, and I'm sorry. But not right now, okay? When dad gets home you can fly on your broom, but until then you'll just have to find something else to do." Weekends were awful, Ginny thought. When she and Harry worked the same hours, the kids would stay with her parents or one of their uncles. She loved having them with her, but James was really stubborn.
"But mum…"
"No, James!" she stated firmly and then headed into the kitchen. James scowled viciously and then stomped up to his room, slamming the door after him, which made him feel just a little bit better. He slumped down on his bed and folded his arms defiantly, staring into the wall. It was so typical. Of course no one had time for him. He wished really badly that they could visit Hugo and Rose, but he knew if his mum didn't have time to play with him she would hardly have time to go and visit her brother. He was made even angrier when he realised his dad hadn't even invited him along with them to go to the shops. He'd probably had said no at the time, but still. Drastic boredom called for drastic measures, James mentally decided after a few minutes of sulking. Because, honestly, would his mum ever found out if he took a quick fly on his broom, chasing his toy snitch? Of course not! Why would she? He'd stay outside in the garden, and be really careful.
Nodding to himself, he jumped off the bed again, and made his way quietly through the house. He could hear Ginny talking to Lily from his sister's bedroom, and easily sauntered down the stairs and to the cupboard that held the family's brooms. Al had a toy one, too, but Lily did not, just yet. Ginny had argued that she was, in fact, old enough to have one, but Harry had said he would not have his baby girl flying around until she was older. Ginny had thought he was a hypocrite, and to that he had said: "I'll pass that one." And walked away.
James opened the door (which they never locked, as it had never been an issue) and grabbed his own broom, which felt soft and familiar in his hand. In a box on the floor, he found his toy Snitch (which was slightly smaller, and silver), which he also grabbed and popped in his pocket, before shutting the door again and making his way out into the back garden. Once out in the fresh air, he mounted his broom and kicked off. It rose, at the highest, six feet off the ground. He used to watch with clear envy when his father and uncles flew higher and higher, but figured he would just have to wait until he got a real broom for that. This was his second toy one, which was marginally larger than his first. He flew a few times around the mown lawn before letting the small silver ball go. It zoomed away and he spent several long minutes happily chasing after it. Eventually, he saw it whisk over to the house and straight in through the open window. He slowed down, and frowned thoughtfully. Hopefully, his mum wouldn't notice the Snitch flying around. Not that she would mind it, but she'd get suspicious and probably check if he was indeed flying without her there. So he would either have to get off the broom and run around the large house in search of it, or… Grinning mischievously to himself, he leaned forward and headed for the house.
Upon reaching the door, he stretched out a hand, opened it and flew inside. It had been years since he'd flown inside, and he wasn't really supposed to anymore, as he was a bit too big. He navigated rather carefully through the corridors, which held paintings and photographs on the walls, and made his way to the kitchen. The room was empty, and he did not spot his toy anywhere. Turning, he headed into the living room. There, above the coffee table, it was hovering contently. James leaned forward and stretched out an arm. Instantly, the Snitch moved away and started flying around the room, with James on it's tail. He was so focused on his task that he did not realise he was actually knocking things down in his mad hunt. Picture frames landed on the floor with small crashes, a vase broke in half on the soft carpet and the wooden chairs by the chess table fell onto their backs. It was all completely unintentional, but, of course, really stupid. After a few minutes, he caught the struggling ball in his right hand, and pulled to a halt, a victorious smile plastered on his face. He lowered himself to the ground, and as his feet touched the ground, he heard someone clear their throat. Whipping around, he found Harry standing in the doorway, his face showing disbelief and surprise. Behind him, Al was peeking around.
"James, what are you doin'?" the younger boy asked. "Why did you…"
"Not now, Al." Harry interrupted softly. "Come on; let's get these things into the kitchen." He gave James a look that clearly told him not to go anywhere. James looked around the room at the mess and sighed. For a bit of fun, he was probably going to have to pay a good price. It didn't take long until his dad reappeared, taking a good, long look around the room, before finally resting his eyes on his oldest son, still clutching his broom and his Snitch tightly. James tried to look apologetic, but it came out more like a small grimace.
"What do you think you're doing, James?" He said after a while, crossing his arms, his brow knitted together in a frown. James fidgeted. "Well?"
"I was just bored." He said after a while. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Why is it," he started, "That whenever you're bored it always seems to end in you breaking things." He was clearly bringing back the time when James had stolen his mother's wand and blown up part of the very same room they were now in. James thought it was highly unfair of him to get this old incident out.
"Not fair!" he said. "That was years ago!"
"It doesn't matter when it was." Harry said. "Why can't you just play with your other toys, and not get into all of this trouble for once?"
"Where's the fun in that?" James muttered.
"I don't care if it was fun or not! Can't you just find fun things to do without destroying half the house, as well as doing something you know well you are not allowed to?" Harry felt extremely frustrated with his son. He didn't really get angry. He wasn't that kind of person, at least not when it came to his children. But he tried and failed to understand why his son repeatedly was in the wrong, often with the excuse that he was bored.
"I didn't mean to! The Snitch flew in here so I followed it. I was just going to stay outside."
"Did mum give you the broom?" asked Harry. James shook his head slowly. "Did you ask her for it?" Another shake of the seven-year-old's head. "James, haven't I told you not to fly without permission? I know you're good at it, but something could happen, and then what?" James shrugged. "Not to mention that you have, yet again, made a complete mess out of this room." James snorted.
"You'll just fix it with magic." He said nonchalantly. This did make Harry angry.
"Just fix it with magic? What, so you think it's all right to break things because, oh, dad'll just fix it up again? Hmm?" He pressed. James didn't answer. "I will not have you thinking magic can fix everything, because you are sorely mistaken. There will be times in life when you will find that even magic can't help you, and you'd best be prepared. Do you understand me?" James nodded furiously.
"Yes, sir."
"Now, let's try this again… You knew you weren't allowed to use the broom, let alone use it inside. What made you?" James sighed.
"I was bored, I told you. I know it was wrong… But I had fun." He added with a wry grimace.
"Well I hope you think the fun was worth it." With a couple of determined flicks of his wand, he sent the pictured back to their rightful place, mended the vase and got the chairs standing straight. He summoned a chair over to him, and motioned for James to sit down. The young boy did as he was told, though rather cautiously. Harry took his toys from him, and another flick of his wand sent the chair spinning and scooting across the floor before stopping, facing the corner. James turned, his eyes wide.
"Really, dad?" he said.
"Really. Now turn around, I don't want to hear another from you, young man." Scowling, James turned and slumped in the chair. Harry sighed and walked out into the hall, just as Ginny came down the stairs, Lily trailing after her.
"Hi sweetie." Harry gushed, picking up the smiling girl into his arms hugging her tightly. She giggled, and kissed his cheek.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked, a small crease on her forehead. "I heard noises, but reckoned it was you."
"No, that would have been James, wrecking the living room again." Her eyes went wide. "It's okay, I've dealt with it." She raised her eyebrows and looked into the living room, almost laughing out loud.
"Honestly, Harry?"
"What?" he said innocently. Then he sighed, moving his daughter into a more comfortable position. "I didn't know what to do. I never had parents, I never did the whole mischief thing." Ginny snorted sceptically. "Well, at least not in that sense." He said with a small smirk.
"But putting him in the corner?"
"I thought it would be rather effective." He said matter-of-factly. "Of course, he won't be using his broom for the next week either…" Ginny rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Come on, Lily. Let's go with daddy and start making lunch."
