As Harry woke up, he saw his wife had sat on the other side of their eldest son. Looking at Hermione, he smiled, "Morning."
"Hi," Hermione replied, sitting up. "How's Jimmy?"
Harry sighed. "He was close to quitting, he told me last night, but after we talked, he's determined to stick it out."
"Well that's good, isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I think so." Harry said, getting up off the sofa. "I'm going to make us some breakfast."
"Okay, love."
Harry went into the kitchen and made Hermione and him some scrambled eggs and bacon. After eating, he washed up and headed back to the living room.
The three of them were silent for a while until Jimmy woke up.
"Morning!" He said cheerfully.
"Good morning, son. How are you feeling this morning?" Harry asked.
"Better than yesterday, thank you." Jimmy replied. "Where's Crookshanks?"
"I've fed him and cleaned his litter tray. He's come to say hello to you." Harry said, opening the door to show the cat in.
"Hey there, boy." Jimmy said, sitting on one of the cushions.
Crookshanks ran around the room, then jumped onto Jimmy's lap.
After spending some time with the cat, Jimmy stood up. "I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed, I think."
"All right." Harry said.
Jimmy nodded, and then walked up the stairs. The house was quiet for a few minutes.
"Did you tell him about Brazil?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I did. That's one of the things that changed his mind. That and the texts from the folks in the paddock. They're all very supportive of him." Harry said, "They said they'd be there for him if he needed it."
"So, he's going to be okay?"
"I think so." Harry shrugged. "I told him that I won't be around the Alfa Romeo garage as often after this week. He seems to think I'm preparing to go back to racing as a driver!"
"Is he serious?" Hermione asked.
"I think he was trying to get a rise out of me. I haven't told him yet." Harry grinned.
"Why don't you?" Hermione said, placing her hand on Harry's knee.
"I want to wait until it was announced. I mean, Helmut and Deitrich have spoken to Franz about it, and he's happy that they've agreed to his request. So, I guess now it's only a matter of time." Harry looked into Hermione's eyes.
"You could tell him..." Hermione said softly.
"No, I shouldn't. If I do, I'll end up having to explain why I was hesitant to take the role in the first place. I mean, I didn't really want it, but in a way, I still feel loyal to Red Bull Racing, and Franz is a good Team Principal over at AlphaTauri, but I can't exactly say no to Helmut when he asked me." Harry said, holding his wife, who was looking up at him.
Hermione rested her head on Harry's chest. "That's fair enough." She murmured. "But what will Jimmy say when you replace Franz? Won't he be angry?"
"I doubt it." Harry laughed, kissing her forehead. "Jimmy knows that my top three priorities are you, Red Bull and him and his siblings... maybe not in that order!"
"Oh, really?!" Hermione giggled. "I assume I'm number one!"
"Of course, dearest." Harry smirked. "I know that if you weren't, I'd be having to get used to that sofa...and not in a comfortable way! But I'm sure you'd give me the comfort I need anyway!"
"Mmmm..." Hermione purred.
Looking at his watch, Harry realised he needed to make a phone call, unaware that someone had heard their conversation
Jimmy walked out of the shower to see his sister, Rose, standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair.
"Hey." He smiled.
Rose turned around, smiling. "Morning Jimmy. You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting ready to go out. I'm going to speak to the team about yesterday, try and arrange for some sim time. I might be flying out tonight back to Switzerland if I can get it arranged. What are you doing today?"
"I'm meeting...a... friend" Rose said, trying not to go red. "Yep, a friend."
"Who is this bloke?" Jimmy asked, shocked that his sister was hiding the fact she was meeting someone.
"Just some guy I met this weekend. He's quite funny if I'm honest, even if he is a bit of a spoiled brat." Rose smiled.
"Really? He sounds like a real charmer." Jimmy said sarcastically. "Do you know much about him?"
"Yeah, he's from Wiltshire, lives in Milton Keynes, he's a bit of a git, but hey, at least he's not Malfoy.
Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Right...so, you're meeting him later?"
"Well, yeah, I suppose." Rose said, a little confused by Jimmy's reaction.
"Do you want to bring him round here?"
"What?! No!" Rose laughed. "We're just meeting for lunch. I'm not bringing him home with me."
"Ok," Jimmy said, looking at his sister. "Are you Ok? You seem a little nervous."
"No, I'm fine. I was just a bit surprised when you asked if I'm bringing him here. That's all." Rose replied.
"A bit surprised? A bit?" Jimmy laughed. "He sounds like a complete tool!"
"Whatever you say dear brother." Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you really knew him!" Jimmy insisted.
"I wouldn't!" Rose laughed. "He's a nice guy, really sweet. Well... that and a bit of an attitude. Reminds me of you at times!
"Oh, I'll get you back one of these days, brat." Jimmy teased. "Anyway, I'll see you later then?"
"See ya, Jimmy." Rose waved.
Jimmy got himself dressed and started to head downstairs when he heard his parents talking about his dad's new job. Hearing his dad mention Helmut Marko had the younger Potter curious, so he decided to eavesdrop on his family.
"But what will Jimmy say when you replace Franz? Won't he be angry?"
"I doubt it. Jimmy knows that my top three priorities are you, Red Bull and him and his siblings... maybe not in that order!"
'Dad's replacing Franz Tost at AlphaTauri? That must be one of the reasons why he didn't want to put me through the Red Bull junior program? Because he knew that one day he'd have to be my boss.' Jimmy thought, feeling shocked. 'To be fair, from what I had heard, Helmut is a tough son of a bitch to impress, and if Dad did impress him with his loyalty even after retiring, then good on the old man. Heck, Al impressed him at one stage!'
Jimmy made his way down the stairs and into the living room where he found his parents sat on the sofa.
"Hey Mum." Jimmy said, sitting next to his mum.
"Hi sweetheart." Hermione smiled, stroking her son's hair.
"So, Dad's got a new job?" Jimmy said, changing the subject.
"Yes, it's a big promotion." Hermione grinned. "It means he'll be away from home a lot."
"Mum, I hate to break it to you but that's what being a professional F1 driver is all about." Jimmy chuckled. "Being away from home a lot."
"Jimmy, he's not driving. Although I know he does miss it after he retired back in 2009, working with Helmut Marko at the Red Bull Junior Team has been great for him though. It's given him a purpose again, something to focus on that's not his driving days, but more importantly, it gives him a chance to spend time with you and Al in a way."
"So, what is it?"
"Your dad and I have agreed not to tell anyone until the announcement, there's the embargo obviously. But your father will be starting work at the end of July, right in the middle of the season," Hermione explained.
"Who is he replacing?"
"That's exactly it. We can't say who yet. So far only Helmut Marko and a couple of other people know."
"Wow! How exciting!" Jimmy exclaimed.
"Oh yes, very, very exciting." Hermione said, her smile widening. "Remember when you first met Helmut?"
"Yes, dad had signed with Red Bull, and Helmut was saying about how he wished he had Aunt Athy on the team as well, the legendary Potter siblings. I was only 6 then, just started on the karts." Jimmy said, remembering. "He watched me and Al once, when I was 8, and said that Al could be a future Formula One champion. Then gran died in the crash, and Al gave up karting."
"Gran would be proud if she was still here Jimmy."
"Uncle Marty used to say that Al and I reminded him of when dad and Aunt Athy were kids. They had this..." Jimmy paused, trying to remember the words the former F1 driver had used, "'passion and fire' he called it."
Hermione placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "Yes, they do. Your dad was a brilliant driver, and he'll be a brilliant Team Principal."
"So, dad's replacing Christian or Franz?" Jimmy asked.
"Franz, although your dad will be shadowing him and taking over at some races."
Changing the subject, Jimmy remembered something his sister said. "Mum... you know Rosie has got a boyfriend?"
"Yes, she told me last night in the car that she was dating someone, but not what his name was or anything."
"Well, from what she's described of him, he's a bit of a tool."
"James Sirius Potter!"