James sat in his office that morning tired. He had spent his last five nights half sleeping in a chair in the department of mysteries under his invisibility cloak to spy if anyone was foolish enough to go for the prophecy.
After the attack Arthur had he was more on his guard.
He had accepted to take the shifts from other members so he could also avoid appearing to the ball that he was invited. Didn't people learn? He had always caused mischief in this things, he couldn't believe they kept inviting him.
And because he felt guilty after he knew if he had stayed a bit longer maybe Arthur didn't have to take the wolf out on his own.
He stretched in his chair and as he was about to reach for another pile of paperwork, that seemed to have decided to triple itself overnight, why no one had told them about all the paperwork when they had decided to join the Auror department. He was ready to throw a fit when an amazing big shiny chocolate brown owl flew with a big basket filled with mouthwatering sweets, pasties , cakes and savoury bites and dropped it to his desk before bowing to him and flying away.
James looked in the basket curiosity. Such an expensive basket?
He picked a card from the top.
"Even if it's a bit late I haven't forgotten to thank you Mister Potter for you risking your life to save mine.
My gratitude can not be shown but I hope that basket with some of my favourite recipes will left you feel it.
A Very Grateful Not So Smart Damsel In Distress"
James felt a smile making his way to his lips. Damm what a thoughtful girl. And with humour too. They were hard to come now our days.
His stomach give a big rumble in the food in front of him.
His coworkers noticed the small feast and James always the good guy was willing to share. And the Auros always hungry and a bit brutes, attacked to help him finish it
After half an hour as James picked the last caramelised strawberries he found a note at the bottom.
"I also didn't forgot you drugged me.
Have fun!"
He got a dreading feeling in his stomach.
Just as he was to shout to take everyone's attention he opened his mouth to star spitting out small leprechauns that started to jump everywhere and break things.
Some of his coworkers were turned in giant canaries, some were cats and dogs, people had green and pink and blue and black polka dots every were, some were having small clouds of rain chasing them around above their heads, they were some small furry colourful creatures running around tripping people.
It was the dream of every prankster. He couldn't help it and he started laughing like mad.
By the time everyone was back to normal the auros department was a mess. Nothing was in its place.
This girl was definitely made for him.
He picked up the two notes and hide them in his inner pocket .
"Potter! Where is he!" His boss voice came loud and clear from the back of the office and James swore.
"I thought you had kept Black occupied at Hogwarts! I thought we could stop having to look behind our backs all the time! What was that monstrosity that just happened!"
His boss looked like he was going to have a stroke .
"It wasn't Sirius Scrimugher. I was the victim for an old prank I had played on someone." James said still smiling.
"Keep your childish games to your personal life Potter! This isn't a playground."
"Yes sir " James said as his boss turned to leave.
James returned to his home that evening and his parents could see in their son's face a new light.
Dorea holding Charlous hand in hers smiled knowingly to her husband and she left her two men alone.
They were some things to be shared only by men and she knew if she was around her son couldn't speak openly like he could now alone with his father.
"So James is there something you want to tell me perhaps?" His father asked him.
"Don't tell me my boss send you a report for my behaviour again? This man think we are still at the training program and not professionals in the job."
"Well I was going to ask you why you're name made a new branch in the family tree but that sounds like an interesting story to hear."
James choked in his fire whiskey. He jumped up eyes open wide terrified.
"Oh shit not now! I thought I had more time!"
His father raised his eyebrows in surprise at his comment.
"You mean you knew my son? And why didn't you tell us anything? We could have helped you with that! You know we are always here to help you?"
James feel back on his chair.
"I wasn't afraid to tell you dad. It's just so complicated. You have no idea how much trouble I found myself this time in."
"James we are Potters. We are always in trouble. And We never left trouble get in our way. So whatever it is just come out with it. Two brains are better than one."
"You say that now but I don't think you going to be happy with what you going to hear."
"James it's soulmates it's never easy. For some of us like me and your mother was easier than others, for others were hard and they had to go through a lot. Whatever it is I'm sure it's going to be worth it at the end."
James singed and rubbed his temples.
"She is younger than me."
"Well that's not a problem it never was in the wizardry world anyway."
"She is underage "
"Well you have to be patience then. The poor dear could get confused with her teenage hormones and the soulmate sings it would take her a while to come to you. What else?"
"Her father is dangerous." James said.
"James every father is dangerous when they have a daughter. Especially when the daughter is much younger than her chosen mate. I almost took your mother to elope before I asked your grandfather for her hand. And she was thirty years old then!"
"No dad he is seriously dangerous. He isn't your every day father either."
"As far as I am aware Grindelwald doesn't have a daughter so whoever it is it's going to be fine." His father said humour in his voice. It was obvious he didn't believe him.
"My soulmate is Harriet Riddle, you know, The Girl Who Lived? Also daughter of Tom Riddle? Leader of the Traditional Purebloods party? Last descendant of Slytherin, also known as Lord Voldemort from his earlier much more cruel leadership before he married Evans my muggle born class mate."
James looked at his father as he was slowly losing his colour and his mouth opened and closed slightly with out any sound coming out.
"Merlin and Morgana and the old gods to help you my boy. How did you managed that I have no idea."
His father said after a few moments of silence.
"What happened today? If you already knew what happened today to make your branch in the family tree to grow?"
"I had thought I wasn't going to see her again until she was at least sixteen so I thought there wasn't any danger confirming the bond. I didn't know it could happen from distance. All the stories we have known from the ancestors never mentioned that it could have been confirmed for away."
James stopped and took a sip of his drink.
"Today at work she sent me a basket with pranked food. She caused one of the biggest messes. It was brilliant. She is brilliant. Sirius always says so but I never fully believed him until today. And then i thought "Damm this girl is made for me" that must have formed the bond further."
"Well at least we can have someone to keep you on your toes I expect?"
His father found back his humours nature.
"This was just a lucky first time. Now that I know she is a prankster I will be more careful around her." He said somehow annoyed. A fifteen year old girl having managed to cause that amount of trouble so easily was a bit insulting in his legacy as a Marauder.
And let's not forget the fact that she turned the Magical Law Enforcement useless in less than half hour.
Thank Merlins wrinkled balls only he and his father knew now. His friends could have made his life so much harder.
"I have come to see that Sirius has taken a very close place in miss Riddles life James. You not only have to worry about her father. You and Sirius are brothers, he would be the best one to tell the truth first."
"Sirius loves that girl like a long lost little sister. He won't take it well either."
"What about Remus? He always is the most levelheaded of you four. And he Is her defence Professor the last five years. He could know a big deal for her. She is a prodigy at his class. Is a common knowledge in the wizardry world."
"I don't think Remus likes her to be honest. Every summer all four of us we meet for drinks more often than the rest of the year, and Sirius after he was playing her babysitter for the day, he could tell us about the pranks she had pulled in the school that year. And her boasting about how she could make Remus go wild in rage without having any evidence to get her on detention."
His father laughed out aloud. "Poor Remus to be in the place he put the professors in his school years! Karma my boy is justice! I can wait to see my future daughter in law to make the four of you go running. For all the people you pranked and they never got back at you."
James groaned and sat back on his chair.
"Don't worry my boy it will work it self out on the end. We do have Lady Luck on our side." His father said and he did him good night.