This was requested by cookyc, who wanted James trying to talk Jamie into a dress. Thank you for your suggestion, though I think it turned out a little more angsty that you requested. Whoops.

Just a reminder that if anyone else would like to put in a request, my inbox is open, and so am I. :)

…

"Jamie, are you ready yet? Come one, we're going to be late," James called sternly, knocking on the polished wooden door to Jamie's bedroom, before fidgeting with the annoyingly uncomfortable cuffs of his expensive dress robes as he waited for a response.

"No! I told you already, I'm not going!" came the vehement and childish reply, and the Auror needed to take a large, calming breath to stop himself from banging his head against the wood. He instead settled for gritting his teeth together as he clicked open the door and entered, frustration coming through in the form of a heated sigh at what he saw.

Jamie had sat herself in the desk chair, her thin legs pulled up and folded away beneath her like a cat, and a burning glare (that was directed at him) in place. To his mounting irritation, she was still rebelliously clothed in her day clothes (shirt and baggy jeans) with un-brushed, ratty hair and socked feet, whilst her arms were resolutely folded across her torso in the universal gesture of crossness. "I'm not going, and that's final!" she hissed in a low, venomous voice, as she shifted her burning gaze from him to the bed, and what was upon it.

James (swallowing down a biting retort) crossed to the mattress, and picked up the object of her offence, a set of dazzling red dress robes that had been laid out delicately upon the sheets. He held them out before him, offering them to her half-heartedly, but the teenage girl made no move to take them.

"Please, darling, you just have to wear them for a few hours. Just a couple of hours, and then we'll come straight home, I promise," he pleaded, running the soft material through his fingers. The fabric was a deep, royal red and was embroidered with patterns of swirling gold thread and tiny golden beads. He set it back upon the bed with care, and made the mistake of glancing at his watch, the little hands making him groan lightly, and he had to stop himself from running a frustrated hand through his carefully tamed hair.

Late as usual, Potter, he could already hear his boss say.

Jamie snorted. "Right."

"Please, darling," he said, not too far off from falling to his knees and begging. "I know Ministry dinners like this aren't your thing, but this is important. Fudge asked for you personally, and while normally I don't give a damn what that man wants, Scrimgeour is expecting us to come, and I can't refuse him, he's my boss. This is important, Jame, please." He briefly looked down at the dress robes upon the bedspread, then back up at his daughter, who was appraising him with narrow green eyes and giving the robes a dirty look. "And you know if it's the robes you're worried about, then you don't have to wear them. You still have those green ones, don't you? Or we can drop by Madam Malkin's on the way and quickly pick something else up-"

"It's not the freaking robes, dad!" Jamie cried out, springing from the chair in a bout of apparently pent-up frustration. "Well, it sort of is, but- well, it's about the whole stupid thing! Do you really think I want to spend my night talking to Ministry officials who'll do nothing but gawk stupidly at my scar and tell me how much I look like mum or you? Do you really think I want to be put on display like that, like some exhibit at a zoo in some pretty dress, and be expected to smile and laugh along with everyone else? I can't do that, dad, I'm sorry, but I can't!"

There was a few seconds of heavy silence, in which James' chest felt tight and his throat hard, while something seemed to glimmer in Jamie's eyes; unshed tears. Feeling, as usual, like a horrible father, he walked slowly towards her, and wrapped his arms around her slim body, not caring that he was messing up his robes in the slightest. She didn't sob onto his shoulder like he expected, but merely hugged neutrally back, chest rising and falling a little harder than usual against his own.

"Plus," Jamie finally said thickly against his shoulder, voice soft in comparison to the hardness it had taken on during her outburst, "Those robes look ridiculous, and there is no way I'm wearing those high heels anywhere." Then she gave a small laugh, and all the tension seemed to escape from her small shoulders.

"If by 'ridiculous' you mean 'beautiful', then yes, I agree completely," James replied with a soft laugh of his own, drawing back away to look at her. Jamie looked faintly surprised at the statement, and a tiny smile appeared. The water in her eyes had vanished, leaving no trace that they had ever been there in the first place.

"Beautiful? Are you sure we're talking about the same robes?"

"Not the robes. You, silly," he said, placing a hand on either side of her face and pulling her in so he could kiss her forehead, right on the bumpiness of her lightning bolt scar. "And if that's what you really think, then you don't have to come. I'll make an excuse for you, if you want. Say you're sick, or something," He let go and gave her a fond smile, which melded into a frown at the conflicted look that appeared on her face. "Jamie?"

She returned his frown, and took a step back away from him. "But- you said it was important, and I-I was just being-"

"No, it's fine, honey," he said firmly, with a smile, "I'd never force you to do anything you don't want to do." He caught one of her hands in his larger one and gave it a brief, reassuring squeeze, before turning for the door. "I'll lock the front door behind me. Don't leave the house, I'll be back in a couple of hours. Have a nice night."

He made it three steps down the hall before a muffled pattering of footsteps and a soft call of 'dad' made him turn around again. Jamie stood in the doorway of her room looking quite conflicted, her tongue flickering amongst her teeth, which told him she was trying to find the right words to say.

"You said it was important, and I'm just being selfish. That's not fair to you." She took a great breath of air that seemed to calm her greatly, before saying, "I'll come, for a couple of hours, and I'll try, dad, I'll try."

James, feeling quite proud and worried at the same time, asked, "Are you completely sure?" and she nodded resolutely. "Okay then, go get ready and I'll meet you downstairs. But only if you're completely sure."

"I'm sure, dad." She then turned back with a glowing smile in place, and gently closed the door behind her.

"And I'm proud of you, my beautiful girl," James said. He walked down the stairs to wait, not once glancing at his watch.