A/N

I own nothing.

I know the updates for my non-WolfStar stories have been lagging, and that's because I'm struggling for inspiration. I'm doing the best I can, and won't be starting new stories until I finish the ones I have happening now, so they will all get updated as soon as they are written.

I'd rather take my time to post what I hope is a good chapter, than to post something I'm very unhappy with because I'm rushing. Please try and be patient if you can (though I can understand what it's like when you like a story and you just want more and more of it)

:)

James followed Hermione into the house.

"Hermione," he said, as she paused in the sitting room. The girl turned around, her hair wild around her head from the water, not the tamer curls that they had been when he first spotted her outside.

"Mr Potter?" She replied.

He gestured to the sofa, and she sighed and sat down. He pointed his wand at the sofa, casting a warming charm, and then at her clothes, and then pressed his wand to her knee, so her skin would warm up.

"I really am sorry," he told her, once he had finished the spells. "It was stupid, I know it was utterly stupid. I should stick to pranking Sirius."

Hermione gave a small smile. "You weren't to know. But I hope this will be a lesson for you to think about things in the future."

"Yeah, maybe when I get to know you all better... are you afraid of heights?"

Hermione nodded. "Slightly, but not to the point of a panic attack, I just prefer not to be high up."

James nodded.

"Anything else?"

"You want to know everything I'm scared of?"

James nodded again. "That and your story during the war, I've heard lots, but I want to talk to everyone about what they went through, and I heard that Harry wouldn't have been able to do it without his friends... your name came up a few times, so thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" She asked, confused.

"For looking after my son," he replied. "It's not like I was able to protect him."

Hermione moved to the edge of her seat, taking James' hand.

"You done your best by taking him into hiding, and you're here now. You didn't choose to be in that coma, Mr Potter."

"You can call me James, if you decide to forgive me," he said, allowing her to hold his hand. It was comforting.

"James," she said, with a smile. "You didn't choose to be in that coma, and Harry managed without you. I know that if you were awake, you'd be there on the front lines not letting anyone close to Harry to try to hurt him, and you'd probably have ended up dead because people would risk everything for their children, so I think even with the losses that have happened, that you being in that coma was the best place for you."

James nodded. "I just can't picture it. My boy facing Voldemort."

"Well he did, and he came through it stronger than before."

"He's quite strong, isn't he."

"He is," she confirmed.

"So tell me what part you played in it?"

Hermione went to answer, when Harry came in. "Hermione, are you alright, I saw you were gone, and -" he paused at the sight of his dad.

"It's okay, your father apologised again, and we've been talking. Now sit down, Harry."

Harry obediently sat down.

"Don't you think you were a bit hard on James?"

"But he threw you -"

"And I appreciate you looking out for me, you know I'd do the same, but you were out of line, he's still your father after all, and you should treat him with a bit more respect. He done something stupid, and you can tell him he's wrong for what he's done, but you went past that."

Harry nodded, and looked at his father.

"Now, James hasn't said anything about it, so don't start thinking we were in here talking about you... not in that sort of way, we were talking about the war actually. James has apologised to me - outside and again in here, and I believe he is sorry, but Harry..." her voice softened as she looked at him.

He understood what she wasn't saying out loud. He had his father back, and this was all new. Not to argue with him.

"She's right, I was over the line. I just have grown so protective over my friends, and I shouldn't have said all that," Harry admitted.

"It's okay, you were right, I need to grow up," James said, watching Harry smile at him, before leaving the room again.

His eyes met Hermione's.

"Around Lily I always done my best to act like an adult, to the point that whenever I was home, it stopped being an act," James told her. "But when I was with Sirius and Remus, we'd always mess about. I need to realise that Lily isn't coming back, and I need to act like an adult for everyone else now. There is time for fun and games, but I need to try and be a bit more like Remus."

Hermione smiled. "The world could do with more men like Remus," she agreed. "But there is always time for fun, just not at the expense of upsetting someone else."

James smiled properly at her. "I can understand why you and Harry are friends. You are like the female version of Remus, selfless and always seeing the best in people, but with a temper."

"Remus doesn't have a temper."

"That's because he's good at controlling it, but when we pushed him to the edge, we would run because hexes would fly, and we were scared of losing valuable body parts."

"Did anyone lose anything?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Sirius was convinced Remus hexed him somewhere I shouldn't mention in front of a young lady such as yourself, but we all know that Remus wouldn't want to break that," he replied, and Hermione let out a slight laugh.

"So, I hear that this is all the calm before the storm? Is that true - should I be concerned that I'll wake up with tentacles where my legs were?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'll give you a free pass," she replied. "I think your main concern will be Sirius, I'm pretty sure he's plotting something already. Did you see the looks he gave you, he's defiantly plotting something."

James nodded at her. "Thanks for the warning," he said. "Should we get back to talking about the war?"

"Well, mine is quite long, though it's not as long as Harry's. Where should I start - what do you know?"

"Well, I know about your first year, how you became friends and the trials at the end. The second year, you were petrified after working out about the basilisk. I just want to know more towards the last couple of years of the war."

Hermione nodded. "Well, my parents were killed, and I was told that I could choose a member of the Order to take me in. Molly expected it to be her, and I love her and do see her and the Weasleys as my family, but as you said, I'm like a female Remus. I like to be on my own sometimes, I like the quiet of the library. Plus Remus had lost Sirius and he needed a friend, I think when I chose him he was shocked, but it made a difference. He wasn't alone, and we did become close, he became like a father figure, but he was still so lonely. Then Sirius came back, and it was like..." she paused. "Where I said the Weasley's are like family, they are the fun aunt and uncle, with all the mad cousins... Sirius and Remus were like my parents. They still are, not that anyone could truly replace parents, but it's nice to have an additional set that we can depend on."

"Which one is the mum?" James asked, eagerly.

"That's a hard one," Hermione replied. "What qualities does a mother possess that a father doesn't?"

"Patience?" James offered.

"Remus was the patient one, but some mothers are impatient and some fathers are patient, so that shouldn't count."

"With a girl - sex talks," James offered, with a shrug, struggling to think.

"Oh, that happened with Sirius," Hermione said, blushing as she remembered Sirius sitting her down and trying to have that conversation with her. "He didn't really pay much attention when I told him that my own mum explained that all to me when I was fourteen. Remus came in and rescued me from that conversation. I couldn't look at Sirius for weeks."

"Beauty tips?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying that I need someone to help me with my appearance?"

James looked worried. "No, that's not what I meant in the slightest," he began, and relaxed with a smile as she giggled.

"That would be Sirius, I've heard all about his hair routine, and I tried makeup, but he laughed at me. Remus scolded him. He wasn't trying to be nasty, he just made it clear that I should stick to just a little bit of basic make-up, instead of letting Ginny give me a makeover."

"Remus is sounding like the mother here," James pointed out. "Sirius is the embarrassing dad that's making you cringe, and Remus is the patient mother that's stopping the dad being embarrassing."

Hermione grinned. "Well, just watch them around the house and decide for yourself," she said. "Personally I think they'd make amazing parents if they ever decided to adopt, but I said that, and I don't think they'd ever consider that... but maybe things will change one day."

James nodded.

"So back to the war," Hermione said. "There isn't much to say that won't be repeating anyone else, except my time with Bellatrix Lestrange. We were captured by snatchers. Do you know what they are?"

"Yes," James replied.

"They caught us and saw Harry's scar, and brought us to Malfoy Manor. They weren't sure if it was Harry, as I hexed him so his face swelled up, hoping to disguise him slightly. They found Godric Gryffindor's sword on us, and the boys were locked up whilst Bellatrix used me as a toy to carve on." Hermione took off her cardigan and showed him her arm.

James looked sick at the sight of it.

I was crucio'd over and over, and it took a while for me to recover. When I did, we broke into Gringotts after a Horcrux, and escaped on a dragon. We jumped off that dragon into the sea, and I could barely swim. I think I associate water with that moment, where we were at the end of the battle and all the lives lost."

"Maybe I can't help with your fear of water, but would you come out on the broom sometime with me?" James offered. "I swear you'll call the shots. Higher, lower, faster, slower, go left, go right. You won't end up in the lake or on the roof, unless you wanted to sit on the roof."

Hermione considered it. "Maybe soon, when I'm happy to go near a broom again," she said. "Do you want to know anything else about the war?"

...oOo...

An hour later, they both walked outside, and James took the seat next to Sirius, as Hermione sat on the other side of Remus.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, and Hermione nodded. "Me and James were chatting inside, the air is cleared, I'm not mad at him, and I'm not getting revenge on him, I gave him a free pass from me."

"A free pass?" Sirius said, looking disappointed.

"Oh no, I told him that I wasn't going to do anything, but you might."

Sirius grinned. "That's alright then."

Again I'm sorry that this chapter is short. I just didn't want to leave you with nothing. I've got notes on the next chapter so hopefully it won't take a month until the next update.

Review please.

This chapter was for them to clear the air. The next chapter will be much longer (according to the notes of what's going to happen in it.)

For all those that thought that Harry was too hard on James in the last chapter, I hope you're happy with how this went. Harry is a bit stubborn I think, and the Potter men will talk properly about everything soon.