Sorry this took so gosh darn long, considering how fast I put the others up. D: The last chapter's giving me some trouble, but it shouldn't be too long in coming. Promise.
Woo! On the way to the end. Weird. This is the only chapter, besides the first, to not be written while listening to Can't Fight This Feeling. I'm telling you, my mind is weird. Haha.
THANK YOU for the reviews, "follows", and favs! You all get hugs! I'd give kisses, but that might become a little awkward. ;P
Disclaimer: Tis not mine, darlings. I write more towards the vampire/werewolf genre, myself. One day I WILL get my novel published! (and then sneak onto FFnet and write my own fanfiction... What? I didn't say anything! You heard nothing! Nothing! Obliviate!)
Winning at Everything
Chapter Nine: Cora Wins at Job Opportunities
(While James Wins at the Future and Harry Wins at Making Things Better)
Month Nine: Thirty-Five Weeks – July 10, 2022
James yawned walked into the sitting room. Albus was asleep on the sofa, a book setting over his face to block out the light. Lily was across the room with Hugo, both of them throwing light things on Albus. There was quite a pile on his little brother. James was pretty sure there were a couple of quills and some chocolate frog cards littered around him. Chuckling at his sister's and cousin's antics, he gave them a smirk as he headed for the kitchen. He found his mother sitting at the kitchen table, writing something.
"Hey Mum," he greeted.
Ginny Potter looked up at him with a welcoming smile. "Hey James. How was work?"
"Interesting," James replied. It was always interesting at his Uncle's store. The summer job Fred, Louis, and James had been offered was fun and would look good on a resume. Not that James really needed that. His father was the head of the Auror department after all. But Louis wanted to work with magical creatures and Fred wanted to take over for his father.
"I can tell. You look exhausted." Ginny smirked. "George didn't have you test anything, did he?"
She asked that every time he came home. "No, but Louis might have blue hair for a while."
"Accidental, of course," Ginny said, smirk growing into a smile.
"Of course," James agreed. "Where's Cora?"
Ginny sent him a sly smile that had him rolling his eyes. "She's upstairs. Your father wanted to talk to her."
James frowned. "Why?"
"He just wanted to know how she's settling in. You don't have to worry. It's my job to threaten her, and I've already done that a year ago," she said.
That did not relieve him. "You threatened her?" James couldn't help that his voice rose a bit.
Ginny waved a hand. "That's water under the bridge, dear."
James pointed a finger at his mother. "I'll speak to you later about this." Ginny just smiled serenely.
James walked up to the hallway and stopped by Cora's door. Ginny hadn't let them share a room, but James and his father had been working on trying to get the woman to relent. James was determined to have Cora share a room with him, especially when the baby came. Just because they were going to wait until the baby was born to have a wedding didn't mean they thought think of themselves as unwed. The wedding was only going to be for show, really.
He paused when he heard his father's voice. "It can be overwhelming."
Cora's voice came next, quiet, but a bit amused. "There's just so many people. And they're all paying me so much attention. I'm really only used to my brothers."
"Don't worry," Harry replied. "You do get used to it. I wouldn't have it any other way now. Just remember there's always a room you can hide in or people that you can have a 'private' talk with. Helping in the kitchen works too. James and I can cover for you whenever. Albus is the same way."
James smiled when he heard Cora laugh, even though he was confused. "Thank you, Harry."
The door squeaked slightly when James pushed it open. "Dad, stop hitting on my girlfriend. Mum's just downstairs."
Harry gave James a stern look, but Cora laughed. "Who says I'm not hitting on him?" Cora blushed immediately after she said it, giving Harry an embarrassed look that made James laugh.
His father shook his head and stood. "I'll leave you two to sort this one out," Harry said, clapping James on the shoulder as he walked out.
James walked to the bed and fell back onto it. "What did you and Dad talk about?"
"He just asked how I was settling in here with everything," Cora told him, laying herself back so she was beside him. James slipped an arm under her head.
He turned his head to look at her. "And how are you settling in with everything?"
Cora looked up at him with a flat look. "Like I've been telling you, I'm fine. There's just a lot of people all the time. They're all so nice. I didn't expect that, I guess. It's a little scary sometimes."
"I'll scare the big bad uncles and aunts away from you, if you need me too," James told her with an amused look.
Cora's hand lightly slapped him on the chest. "Shut up, I'm not used to big families. In my house it was easy to get lost in and get away from everyone. I don't know how to deal with people everywhere."
James frowned and turned onto his side. He raised himself up on an elbow and looked down at her. "Are you really okay here? Because if you're not just say the word and I'll use my trust to get us a nice flat somewhere in an instant."
Cora shook her head quickly. "I really do like it here, James. I'm not saying I want to leave or anything. You're family's really good at giving me alone time if I go up here. I love them already. Your dad was just telling me he knew how I felt. He got used to it, and I already am. It's just a little overwhelming sometimes."
"You do know you just have to say the word, right?" James told her seriously. "Any time you want to be alone just let me know and I'll tell everyone to get away." He didn't really understand it, but that didn't mean he didn't accept that Cora felt that way. The way her parents were meant that Cora had spent a lot of time on her own growing up. Her brothers also had personalities that were standoffish, though Jack seemed pretty sociable. James figured his family could be a bit much sometimes. Albus had been telling everyone to leave him alone since he had started talking.
Cora smiled softly at him. "Thank you," she said quietly. Her hand slipped behind his neck and twisted his hair between her fingers. Her head lifted up to meet his when he bent to kiss her.
A pecking at the window broke them apart. James sent the owls at the window a dirty look. They hadn't had much time to spend alone together since school had ended. Something was always breaking them up.
"I'll get it," James muttered. When he opened the window the two owls each dropped an envelope on the bed, then flew back out the window.
"It's our NEWT results," Cora said. She was sitting up and holding one of the envelopes carefully in one hand.
James kissed her on the cheek and picked up the other envelope. He sat beside her and gave her a grin. "Open them at the same time?"
Cora gave a shaky nod. "Okay."
James quickly opened his letter and read the contents. Seven NEWTs. He'd gotten an Outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures, DADA, and Charms. The others he'd gotten Exceeding Expectations in, which were Muggle Studies, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology. He couldn't help grinning to himself.
Cora laughed at his side. When he looked at her, she was grinning widely at the parchment in her hands. "I really didn't think I'd do this well," she said in awe.
James took the parchment out of her hands and handed her his own. It was just as he'd suspected, and it made him grin wider. Eight NEWTs. She'd gotten Outstanding in Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Herbology, while getting Exceeding Expectations in DADA, Muggle Studies, and Arithmancy. The last was an Acceptable in Divination. It made him just as proud of her as he was of himself, maybe more. She had been Head Girl for a reason. It certainly wasn't because she had a spotless record, that was for sure.
"I told you that you'd do well. You studied plenty," James told her.
Cora grinned up at him. "And look at you! You'll be in the training program for sure! You don't even need anyone to put a good word in for you!" She pressed a kiss to his lips.
James purposely didn't mention Cora's plans for the future, though she had a lot of options open for her. Before everything had happened she'd been planning to help her brother run the family business of apothecaries across Britain. She had been at a loss for what to do after her family had disowned her and was still trying to decide.
James stood and pulled Cora up with him, careful of her large stomach. "Let's show these off. Mum'll make cake."
Cora grinned. "Chocolate?"
James gave a wicked smile. "Triple fudge."
Cora laughed as they made their way down the stairs and to the kitchen. Ginny and Harry both cheered over the results, while Lily and Hugo gave their congratulations. Albus rolled his eyes, but smiled at Cora and slapped James on the back. Ginny agreed to make a triple fudge cake at James's request.
James and Harry started talking about the Auror Training Program, while Cora listened at his side. She made a comment every now and then, but was quiet for the most part, looking at the results in her hand.
"Cora, what are your plans for the future?" Harry asked lightly, once there was a lull in his and James's conversation. James winced slightly.
Cora frowned down at her results. "I don't know. I was going to take over a branch of the family's store, like Aunt Melinda did, but that's not possible anymore."
Albus, who had stayed in the kitchen after Lily and Hugo had left, spoke, "There's a lot you can do with those grades, you know."
"Yeah," Cora agreed quietly.
Harry sat back in his seat and gave Cora a serious look. "Once the baby's born that'll be a lot of work by itself, for both of you, but there's a lot of people willing to babysit. There's always open positions in the Ministry. Hermione's department is looking for people and so is Jacobson's. I don't know how much you'd like the idea of working with portkey regulation and such, but you've got the NEWTs for it."
James hid a smile as Cora blinked at Harry in slight astonishment. "I-I don't know. I've never really thought about working for the Ministry."
Harry gave her a smile. "You've got a while to think it over, whatever you want to do. I know from Dean that St. Mungo's always has classes available for people who want to go into Healing. It's completely up to you." He looked over at James with a small grin. "Not all of us know what we want to do by the age three."
James just gave a carefree grin, while Albus snorted. "Yeah, Al, like you're not already planning to become an Unspeakable," James told his brother. Albus responded with a rude gesture.
"Boys," Ginny admonished without even turning around.
Cora's voice was quiet when she spoke. "I think I'd like to be a Healer."
James smiled, while Albus and Harry smirked. It was Albus who said what the two almost identical Potters were thinking. "With this guy, you'll need to be a Healer."
James mirrored Albus's rude gesture, but Cora snorted and gave a large smile. James really couldn't stay mad when she looked so happy. The future looked bright.
