Trigger warning still applies.
James POV
"James," Mum finally sounded out. "Please tell me you did not get this young lady pregnant?"
"I'm sorry, Mum," My voice was just above a whisper but with the silence of the room, it was loud enough to be heard.
"James Sirius Potter! It's not me you need to apologise to!" Mum's voice was getting pitchy. She was beyond mad. "Sorry isn't enough really, is it? But have you said it to her?"
"Not enough," I muttered, reaching up to stroke Briar's cheek, trying to bring her focus on me. Mum got up and began pacing, chattering loudly about everything I'd done wrong, everything they'd taught me. Everything that would change, everything we'd need to do as a family.
"But of course, Briar - Do you mind if I call you Briar?" Mum stopped pacing, her voice softening as she spoke to B. B shook her head slightly, tears filling her eyes. "Don't you worry about anything, dear, anything at all that you need, it's done." Mum smiled softly at B, sitting herself back down on the chair. Dad came to stand behind Mum, nursing his glass of fire whiskey.
"So... erm... When is ... When is the baby due?" Briar's unshed tears started to fall. I used my thumb on her cheek to try and wipe them away.
"That's what you're here for." Uncle Neville said carefully. "There's been a situation, and it's escalated."
"Is the baby okay?" B let out a single, heart wrenching, sob. I couldn't find the words.
"The baby-"
"Imogen." Briar interrupted Aunt Hannah quietly.
"I'm sorry?"
"Her name," Briar said a little louder. "I called her Imogen." I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her. Her blue eyes finally met mine for the first time, and my heart swelled. "Is that okay?"
"It's beautiful." I nodded and shuffled myself closer.
"Imogen," Aunt Hannah started slowly. "Was born on the 28th October." The room hung in silence. Briar leaning into the support I was giving her.
"They adopted her out, right?" Mum looked from Aunt Hannah to Uncle Neville. "It's okay, its a reasonable choice," Mum's voice was laced with sadness as she tried to comfort us.
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Aunt Hannah started. But she didn't need to finish. Mum's face told me she knew. Dad knew. I'd take a guess that Dad knew as soon as Aunt Hannah started talking, if not then - when Briar interrupted. Mum said nothing. She just walked over to us, and took us both in her arms. I hadn't expected this. I'd expected her anger. I'd expected shouting. I'd even expecting name calling. Not cuddling and kissing my head like I was eight years old again.
Dad had left with Uncle Nev and Aunt Hannah for a short while before returning. He moved awkwardly on his return, sitting, then standing, then sitting again. Restless. Mum had stayed with us, muttering words of comfort that I tuned out, just thankful that Briar was accepting Mum's support.
"Where do we stand in taking them home, Nev?" Dad's voice was low and careful.
"Well obviously," Uncle Nev started. Even without looking I could hear him shifting awkwardly. "You can do whatever you like with James,"
"And Briar?" Mum sat up, turning quickly. A hand still on each of our backs. I continued watching B. She, predictably, sat a little back. Her eyes scraping over every inch of my mother's face, then looking over to my dad and doing the same. Even like this, even this upset, Briar Landon didn't take hand outs without suspicious. It was something I'd always enjoyed about her. I had to work to get her to trust I was doing something because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. She didn't tolerate half arsed gestures.
"Well she isn't your daughter." Nev went about his words carefully.
"And?"
"You can't exactly take someone else's child out of school without their permission." He sighed.
"But she's 17 - You are 17 aren't you?" Briar nodded at Dad. "legally, if she wants to come with us, there isn't much her family can say."
"It's up to Miss Landon then," Nev sighed and shrugged. All of them turned to look at us. I wanted to beg her to come home. Mainly because, at least at home, I'd know where she was all of the time. Briar looked at my parents slowly, Mum's hopeful eyes and Dad's concern.
"I can't afford to pay you back, Dad has control over my account."
"You will pay us nothing!" Mum scolded, squeezing Briars shoulders against her.
"And we'll deal with your dad at a later date." Dad nodded.
I thought being home would have been easier. But watching Briar sit on the family sofa, staring into the fireplace for hours while Mum fussed and tried to make her comfortable just hurt. Dad had left to return to work. Mum wasn't happy with him and they'd argued about it.
"So, what do we all fancy for tea?" Mum chirped around half past four as though the whole day hadn't happened.
"It's Thursday. Don't you go to Gran's on a Thursday?" Mum's eyes flashed at me, then darted over to Briar. Checking if she'd heard I bet.
"Don't change your plans for me, Mrs Potter." B smiled weakly at Mum. It was the first time she'd reacted to anything since we'd come home.
"Ginny, please," Mum waved her hand in the air at nothing. "No, no it's fine, Teddy said something over Stella's acting odd anyway,"
"Stella's always odd," I snorted.
"Honestly, you're doing so much - I can't ruin your evening too." Briar was standing now, trying to prove to Mum that she didn't need her fussing. "You all have a nice evening, I'm sure I can handle making a sandwich or something."
"No, no," Mum tutted. "If I have to deal with those two, we all do."
"Wont people ask questions?" Mum walked over to B and wrapped her arms around her.
"They can ask all they want," Mum nodded. "But Thursday is just us, Teddy and my parents."
Briar POV
I didn't stop looking at my feet while I stood in the front room of Mrs Potter- Ginny's childhood home. I appreciated Ginny's way of carrying on and not dwelling, though I couldn't lie, it hurt. My fingers wound themselves in and out of the small hole in my sleeve. Well it once was small, now not so much. James, to give him credit, stayed with me - awkwardly shuffling around a home I assume he was very familiar with.
"It's quiet." He said finally.
"Hm?" I looked up at him.
"The house -" he gestured around him. "It's not usually this quiet."
"It is when you lot give me five minutes to think," bustled in an older woman. She had a broad smile as she pulled Jamie into a tight hug. "Right, lets have a good look at you," She chirped and held him at arms length. "Well, nothing a good, home cooked meal wont sort out." She finished with. "Well hello dear," She turned to me with the same wide smile she'd given James. Her eyes crinkled in the corners and sparkled. She held out her arms to me and with a nod from James, I stepped into them. "I'm Molly," she said.
"Briar," She pulled away and looked me up and down.
"Now I just don't know what they're doing in the kitchens at that school," She turned back towards the door she came through. "Come, come. Nothing a good meal wont sort out."
James waited back for me. His eyes watching my every move. I couldn't look at him for long. I couldn't look at anyone for long. The pity in their eyes made my skin crawl. I didn't deserve their pity. I sighed and went through the door James's Gran had just left through, stopping suddenly on the other side. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was - it would never have lived up to the truth. A long, patched together table sat in the middle of the room taking up the majority of the space. Along one wall, under small cottage like window, wooden cupboards clung to the ancient plaster. The side filled with bowls and pans of food waiting for the table. In the large Belfast sink, soapy water sloshed around a few pieces of china already being washed by a solitary sponge. A great fire roared at the opposite end of the room and on two stools sat Harry and another man, I assumed to be Jamie's Grandad, chatting. Ginny appeared from a pantry behind me and gave my shoulder a quick squeeze while my eyes continued to dart around the room.
"Oh bloody hell!" a loud crash came from outside the kitchen door before it opened. Teddy Lupin stood looking rather sheepish on the other side. "Weren't attached to that bin were you, Gran?"
"One of these days," Molly muttered under her breath before she hurried off to assess the damage. Teddy stepped into the kitchen, his hair a playful shade of blue that clashed horribly with his robes. Healer's colours. He'd obviously come straight from work.
"How do, all!" He chirped and threw himself down on one of the wooden chairs that looked like it was far weaker than it actually was. It didn't take long for him to notice James. "Hang on... You're not supposed to be here." He tutted wagging a finger at James then gestured to the chair across from him. "Go on, what did you do this time?" With a grin. Although they might not be blood, James and Teddy shared far too many similarities. Though, I suppose that could be Teddy's unique abilities at work there.
"Ah well..." James took the seat, rubbing the back of his neck. It was something I noticed all of the Potter men did when under pressure.
"Briar, love, won't you sit yourself down?" Molly wandered back into the room. Teddy's eyes snapped over to me.
"Oh Jamie..." He smirked. "Got yourself a girlfriend?"
"She's... um," James stuttered and looked back at me.
"I'm not his girlfriend." I said quietly, but the whole room heard it. I chose a seat one away from James as if to prove a point. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate what he'd been doing for me over the last 24 hours, it was that I couldn't look at him and not feel his arms pinning me to the bed.
"Right then," Teddy sat back in his seat. "Whats this about then? Merlin, you're not pr-" A thunk was heard around the room as Ginny slapped the back of Teddy's head, stopping him in his tracks. "Right. Right." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"James, can you get drinks sorted?" Ginny called from the other side of the kitchen where she was helping Molly with some pans. I jumped up just as James rolled his eyes. "No, Briar, James can grab them, it's fine."
"Please?" Ginny sighed and turned towards me. "It's the least I could do." I just didn't want to sit and make small talk with Teddy and James. Or be bored listening to them talk Quidditch. She sighed again, her shoulders dropping, and pointed to a cupboard to the left of the garden door. I opened the creaking wooden door to find a large array of glasses, tumblers, wine glasses, goblets, mugs and tea cups. There was even a couple of shot glasses stashed at the back of the organised chaos. I busied myself arranging drinks while Mrs Weasley and Ginny loaded the table with bowls and plates of steaming food.
I tried to get away just putting a little of things onto my plate, to be polite, knowing that while it all looked and smelt delicious, and that Mrs Weasley had most likely been working hard all day on the meal, I would barely manage a mouthful. Eating had become hard. Not enjoyable anymore. I ran on coffee and air. However, Mr Weasley caught hold of the edge of my plate before it hit the table and piled creamy mashed potatoes, buttery carrots and another three slices of beef.
"It wont do you any good not to eat," He said softly as he placed it carefully in front of me before grabbing his own plate. He'd sat in the space between me and James that Harry had carefully skirted around. As we all began to eat, the kitchen door swung open.
"'Noon, Weasleys." The table muttered it's 'hello's. The figure in the black cloak called, letting themselves into the room and quickly shutting the cold out.
"Ew-ate!" Teddy accused waving his knife at the person. They turned their back as Ginny hit Teddy around the back of the head for the second time, to get rid of their cloak. She made me feel incredible under dressed. Lovely, blow dry curled hair that bounced wearing a tight suit dress that hugged every curve she had. She ruffled Teddy's hair as she took her seat next to him.
"I know," She tutted grabbing a spoon and serving herself.
"Malfoy keeping you late again?" Harry asked outright.
"Something like that," She nodded. She then looked around the table, noticing me and James for the first time. "Oh, company?"
"This is Stella," Teddy jabbed his knife in her general direction. "That's Briar." He jabbed it at me. Stella eyed me up for a moment, and I felt like I'd walked into a classroom full of people with nothing but a saggy bra on.
"Hello Briar," She said finally. The room lulled into comfortable chatter. Harry, James and Teddy talking Quidditch. Ginny asking Molly about other family. Me and Stella just sitting there. "I'm off next Tuesday." She said matter of factly.
"Oh?"
"There's quite a nice cafe near my flat," She nodded, taking a sip of her water. "We should do lunch."