Characters are the property of JK Rowling
Ginny wasn't sure what surprised her more – the reason her son had gotten in trouble, or having said son, her son Albie, snap at her. The anger on his face and in his voice reminded her or post-puberty James. Certainly not something to expect from eleven year old Albus.
As soon as she arrived in her house, Ginny climbed her way out of the fireplace and the stairs, up to the bedrooms. She stopped outside Albus' locked door.
"Would you care to tell me what exactly Victoire did that was so horrible, it warranted a cow hex?" she asked patiently.
The door swung open. "You just don't get it," Albus said sadly, all previous anger gone. "You really have no clue."
"Tell me, I would like to know." Ginny pleaded earnestly.
"It actually started right before we left for Hogwarts. Didn't you ever wonder why James was so excited to see Teddy? Didn't you wonder about him, even for a second?"
Now that Albus had pointed it out, Ginny did realize that she had speculated on that very subject – briefly – when Harry had parked the car and James all but shot out, leading the whole way to the platform, intent on seeing Teddy.
"Okay, so. This is how it happened."
Albus waited until the last minute for the train to leave with his parents. His brother, sister, and Weasley cousins were dispersed throughout the crowd. He was working up the courage to go over and talk to one of James' fifth-year friends, when all of the bravery drained away the moment he locked eyes with a young Scorpius Malfoy.
By sheer luck, the two of them were jostled and shoved together by the crowd and ended up next to each other. Even better, the young blonde didn't seem to be addled by nerves like Al, and struck up a friendly conversation.
Al was just starting to warm up when they were interrupted by a loud proclamation from his brother.
"- he's snogging her!" James repeated, looking around his family, desperate from some sort of reaction.
As the others began to gush happily, Al observed his brother. Nobody else seemed to notice the panic and despair in his voice as he urged someone, anyone to do something. Now that it was apparent that nobody wanted to stop them, James was glaring at the ground. He was shaking; his hair covered his eyes and his fists were clenched. A small whimper escaped his mouth that only Albus seemed to hear.
"James?" Albus whispered. "Didn't you tell Victoire that – "
His brother ignored him, looking up at his family. He agreed with whatever the girls said, forcing cheerfulness into his voice and engaging with some banter with his mom.
Albus kept a concerned eye on his brother. Nobody else seemed to be noticing what was going on aside from him. When James teased him about the thestrals, Al overreacted, hoping to bring a smile – a real one – to his brother's face. But James had fidgeted and run off on the train, leaving him no choice but to follow.
Ginny sat down on her son's bed, rubbing her temples. "So what I've gathered, all Victoire's done wrong is get together with Teddy, but what does that have to do with James?"
Albus sighed. It looked like he would have to spell it out. "Don't you remember what James told us last year at Christmas? He and Teddy sat everyone down and told us they didn't want to keep their secret anymore." At his mother's blank look, Albus growled in exasperation. "Their relationship! Mom, Teddy and James have been together nearly a year and half! Or they were before the accident and now Victoire lied and convinced Teddy that he's her boyfriend and James is heartbroken and he's just had to deal with it because nobody seems to notice or care that-"
Putting her hand up, Ginny cut off her son's rambling. In the silence that followed, she thought about what he'd said and looked back on what had happened. Now that Al had told her – actually, reminded her – of the problem, she realized what a big mistake she'd made.
James and Teddy had come out to their families, both the Weasleys and the Potters. The poor boys had been terrified but determined in their fumbled efforts to get the words out.
The Burrow was full of warmth, laughter, and fantastic smells. The Weasley women were in the kitchen, preparing enough food to feed ten Quidditch teams.
George and his son Fred were entertaining Teddy and James in the living room. Every now and then, there was a loud explosion or a bright flash of light emitting from their circle, where they were giving sneak peeks of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products. The rest of the boys were outside on their broomsticks, chasing snowflakes while the girls watched them, sipping cocoa.
As the time for dinner approached, everyone slowly filtered into the dining room, save for two. Ginny had noticed two faces missing from the sea of family. Looking around she spotted them still in the living room. Teddy had one hand on James' knee and was whispering to him urgently. To her concern, James looked – nervous? – as he leaned his head briefly against Teddy's shoulder.
"Boys?" Ginny called. "Everyone's waiting for you."
With a start, the two of them leaned away from each other and avoided physical contact throughout the entire meal. However they would make eye contact every now and then and share meaningful glances.
The meal lasted quite a while, as the family joked and laughed, having a great time. As the kids began to clear the table, James shifted in his seat. Glancing at Teddy, he cleared his throat.
"Um, so we have something to tell you guys…" he began nervously. Nobody paid him mind, each involved in their own conversations until Teddy called out.
"Hey! We have to tell everyone something!"
22 pairs of eyes snapped to the two of them and James gulped. "Teddy has something he wants to say!" he managed to say before hiding behind the older boy.
Teddy sighed and rolled his eyes, but the affection on his face was obvious. "Well, what James is trying to say is…"
Little Hugo Weasley chose that moment to start fussing. Victoire was closest, so she grabbed his hand and left without a word.
"James and I… well we're together. As in, romantically. We have been for about three months now and we decided we should tell you, before you guys found out, and…. Yeah." Teddy scratched the back of his head nervously, unaware of the myriad of colors flashing on his hair.
Complete silence followed his statement. James tried as hard as he could to lift his gaze from the table and make eye contact with his dad, but he couldn't. He settled on looking at Teddy. Teddy, whose idea it was to do this in the first place. Teddy, who made him realize he couldn't keep their relationship a secret anymore. Teddy who was worth it. Teddy, his Teddy.
More time passed that nobody said anything. James' anxiety grew so much he couldn't take it anymore. Looking away from his boyfriend, he looked instead at his dad.
"I'm sorry, Merlin I'm sorry. I didn't – but I didn't think and Teddy – well he's Teddy and I couldn't – I can't function if he's not – not around. I – we couldn't tell you because – Merlin I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry but please – please don't make me lose him. Please – couldn't – Merlin – Teddy – "
Harry Potter put one hand up to stop his son's rambling. James went completely pale, and Teddy squeezed his shoulder. At his touch, James relaxed slightly. A look of determination overcame the panic that had been on his face during his babbling.
Nobody dared say a word, all waiting for Harry's reaction. The former Savior gazed at the two of them, rubbed his eyes, and then looked again. James grabbed Teddy's hand with shaking fingers. Watching them, Harry knew he couldn't deny them this. How could he, when it obviously made them happy.
Harry stood up from the table, aware of everybody watching him. He spread his arms and said simply, "okay."