The Dreaded Talk
Summary: Follows directly after History Repeating it's Self. James gets the floocall from Lily that Harry and Ginny are dating and wants James to have the dreaded talk with Harry.
James sat in the stands, looking out over the Quidditch pitch. He observed Gryffindor's practice for a minute before turning his attention to his son.
Harry had inherited all the Quidditch genes from him, or so he claimed. Much to Lily's chagrin, Harry was just as a big of a Quidditch fan as James was. There was a Quidditch pitch in their back garden and Harry and James would never go to Diagon Alley without a visit to Quality Quidditch Supplies and never left without buying something.
James noticed just how carefree Harry was on a broom. Lily had claimed that he was going to make her white-headed before she should be. Harry wasn't reckless on a broom. Instead, he tried tricks at his own pace, much to Lily's dismay. Harry had been on a broom since before he could walk and Lily had Sirius to blame for that. The shaggy-headed man had bought every broom Harry had owned. James had accompanied Sirius the last two times when he bought Harry the Nimbus 2000 and the Firebolt.
James had taken it all in stride, especially the bragging rights of being the father of the youngest seeker in a century. Unlike Lily, who fretted and worried about Harry on a broom with players who were older than him, James was about to burst with pride. There wasn't a person in the Ministry that James talked to who didn't know Harry was the youngest Seeker in over a century.
James had a picture of Harry in his Quidditch gear and uniform from Harry's first year to now. When his fellow Aurors or anyone saw them in his office, they would say, "You must be so proud of your son." James would smile and reply, "More than words could say."
That was true, even beyond Quidditch. Harry was in the top ten of his class in terms of grades. Now in his fifth year, he was vying for the top spot in Charms and Transfiguration with Hermione and he held the top spot in Defense. Sirius and Remus beamed with pride watching Harry in the practical lessons.
James had said that Harry had inherited Lily's smarts, but he sometimes struggled in Potions. James claimed it was because of the teacher and not Harry.
James was brought out of his thoughts and back to reality at the blow of a whistle. Quidditch practice was over. He made his way down to the exit where he would wait for Harry.
"Hello James," Fred and George greeted in unison. James often wondered how Arthur handled the speaking in unison and finishing each other's sentences. He knew it sometimes got on Molly's nerves and irritated Ron and Ginny at times. Harry even said it got annoying after a while.
"Hello Fred, George," James returned.
"Dad? Is something wrong?" Harry asked, coming up from behind the twins, Ron following behind him.
"And hello to you too, Son. Nothing's wrong, I just thought I'd come up and visit," James explained.
"Okay," Harry said, slowly. He wondered just how truthful James was being.
"Go on and get a shower. I'll wait for you," James said, motioning to the tent.
Ten minutes later, Harry walked out of the locker room, freshly showered, damp hair, changed in his usual jeans and shirt with his broom over his shoulder. He walked over to where James was standing, waiting for him.
"That's better. You smelled like Sirius when he's turned into Padfoot and he just jumped in a lake."
"Are you saying that I smelled like a wet dog?" Harry asked. He knew this was friendly banter and as usual, he fell into James's and Sirius's trap.
They made small talk on the way back to the castle and to Lily's quarters. James didn't want to ask Harry any questions about his relationship with Ginny until they were in the privacy of Lily's quarters.
As they entered the castle, James noticed that Lily was waiting for them.
"Hello Gorgeous," He greeted his wife.
"Hello Handsome," Lily returned. They kissed briefly and then James pulled Lily to him and kissed her more firmly than before.
"Can't you two do that somewhere else?" Harry asked, looking up at the ceiling. He was thankful the corridor was clear at that moment.
James and Lily chuckled. "Alright, I'm going to head to the market. Remus is coming with me as he needs a few things as well. I'll back in an hour. Is that enough time for your talk?" Lily asked her husband, who nodded.
"It is. Be careful, dear," James whispered before he kissed her once more.
"I will." Turning to her son, she asked, "Do you need anything?"
Harry shook his head, stifling a yawn. "Sorry about that. No, I don't think I do," He replied.
"Okay, we'll have dinner in my quarters. Do you have any request for dinner tonight?"
"Can we have spaghetti? James asked.
"I second that," Harry added. Lily's spaghetti was one of Harry and James's favorite meals that Lily made. They both jumped at the chance to have it whenever Lily mentioned it.
Lily chuckled softly. "Alright, spaghetti it is."
She left her boys after giving them both a hug and a kiss. James and Harry headed to Lily's quarters. Helga the nurse let them in with the password that Lily hadn't changed, and the wards recognized James and Harry. James was relieved that the wards were still working on Lily's quarters.
James got a Butterbeer of the refrigerator and handed one to Harry. They headed to the sitting area where James thought they'd have their talk.
"How are classes going?" He asked after some time had passed.
Harry launched into filling James in how classes were going and how much work it had become in his fifth year. He told James about Hermione's insane study schedule and how he and Ron had often hidden out in the Marauder's quarters, also known as Remus and Sirius's shared quarters in an attempt to hide from Hermione.
"She's mad I tell you," Harry said when James asked why they had taken to hiding from Hermione. James roared with laughter when Harry told him about their latest attempt at escaping the crazed lunatic they called Hermione. They had hidden in Lily's quarters, studying themselves without their bushy headed friend.
"It was quieter. With Hermione, she'll start firing questions like what are the three main ingredients of some kind of potion."
James chuckled.
Changing the subject, Harry told James about Fred and George's new inventions and how he felt Sirius and Remus were doing teaching Defense.
"Sirius asked me if I was interested in tutoring in Defense. I told him I needed to think about it and I'd get back with him."
"He wouldn't have asked you if you didn't have the top grade in the class. But I understand why you need to think about it. You have Quidditch, OWLs to prepare for, and…..a girlfriend as well."
Harry felt his face flush.
"What is this I hear about you and the Weasley girl?" James inquired.
Harry choked on his Butterbeer. James pounded his back to help him.
"Are you alright?" James asked.
"Yeah," Harry croaked. "What do you mean about me and Ginny?"
"I flooed your Mum after your date. Her smile gave it away and I had a lucky guess. So how's it going?"
Harry launched into how the date had gone because this was the first time he had a chance to talk to James about the date. He nodded approvingly when Harry told him about opening and holding the door for Ginny and pushing in her chair.
"I had an inkling that the two of you would get together," James said. "But that isn't the reason your Mum wanted me to talk to you."
"Okay," Harry said, slowly and confused. "Then what is there…" He trailed off. "You're not serious." He groaned, falling back on the couch.
"I'm not Sirius, but I'm serious about this talk." James reached over and couldn't resist tickling the small patch of skin that was exposed when Harry flopped back on the couch. He knew Harry was ticklish on his stomach the most and often tickled Harry there when he needed to lighten the mood.
Harry jerked, moving away from James's tickling hand.
"How much do you know about girls?" James inquired, starting the conversation.
"I know where babies come from if that's what you're asking," Harry murmured, sitting up and pulling himself to the other end of the couch.
"Well, actually, I was more interested in if you knew how to keep that from happening," James said. "First of all, you're too young to be shagging anyone, unless you're taking matters into your own hands. In that case, you ought to clean up after yourself."
Harry's face erupted into a blush red as the shirt Harry was wearing. "Um, Dad…I learned that….. In the dorms….."
"Yeah," James choked, feeling a blush creep up his own face. "Anyway." He paused for a second, needing to process the information Harry told him. "Anyway, you're too young to…..well you know. And if you're too young, then your mother and I are definitely too young to be grandparents."
"I know that Dad," Harry interjected.
"But at some point, and probably sooner than I would want you to, you're going to and I'll sleep better knowing that I've told you how to protect yourself and your girl, whether it's Ginny or someone else."
"Alright," Harry sighed, wearily.
Taking a deep breath, James began, "First of all, there is a charm. For reasons I have yet to know, they don't teach it at school, and it's not really effective, because you would need to cast it right before. And well, it doesn't work very well if you're concentrating on it."
"Is this how you and Mum…" Harry trailed off, blanching.
"Got pregnant with you?" James guessed. Harry nodded. "No. Your mother had forgotten to take her potion. That's how we got pregnant with you."
"I don't need to know anything else and don't really know why I asked that….." Harry swallowed thickly.
"I'll teach you the incantation later," James promised. "There are also Muggle methods that do work well. The only problem is that you have to use them every time."
"And sex is something that's supposed to be fun?" Harry asked.
"Do I want to know where you heard that?" James inquired, wearily.
"I don't think so," Harry replied, softly.
"That is what they say," James said, dryly.
"Yeah." Harry nodded.
"Okay." James reached in his pocket and pulled out a small, foil-wrapped square from his pocket. He didn't miss Harry's slight squeak at its appearance. Holding it between his two fingers, he said, "This is a condom."
He summoned a banana from the kitchen and Harry didn't need to imagine what James was going to do with it.
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Harry repressed the sudden urge to wipe his sweaty hands down his jeans. After several attempts, James was satisfied enough that Harry could put the condom on the banana. The banana was now lying in between Harry and James.
Harry poked it with a forefinger, cautiously as if it would bite him.
"Um, Dad? You are going to banish that, right?" Harry asked. "I mean I don't think anyone will eat that after…." He trailed off, swallowing thickly.
James noticed Harry's slightly green face and quickly obliged, jabbing his wand at the now abused piece of fruit. It disappeared and Harry felt like he could breathe again.
"Listen, Harry…..Nothing is effective one hundred percent. Aside from doing nothing in the first place," James said, pausing slightly before continuing. "Try and do this with someone you really like and are not doing it just to get someone else's attention."
Harry nodded, the queasy feeling in his stomach was starting to go away.
"Harry, we just want you to be careful," James murmured. "You're young and I know that your hormones are acting crazy. You just need to be careful."
"I know, Dad," Harry groaned, inwardly wincing at his father's words.
"Harry, you're not a little kid anymore. It's obvious that you and Ginny have feelings for each other. Otherwise, you wouldn't be dating now. Your mother and I just want to be sure that you know what you're doing and are being responsible. We don't want you to feel that you have rush into anything. You're fifteen and she's fourteen, you have plenty of time."
"I know Dad," Harry repeated. He felt the flush taking over his face, turning his cheeks a dark pink.
"We don't want you or Ginny to get into a situation that you can't handle. It's easy for something to go wrong and yes, your Mother and I will always support you and be there for you no matter what. I can't say that we'll be thrilled if something like that happens now and I'm sure Arthur and Molly won't be either."
"I hear what you're saying, Dad. I do. I'm listening to you. Ginny and I aren't ready for that step yet and it might be a while or even a long while before we are ready. And if we reach that point in our relationship, I'll wait until she's ready. I don't want to push her because of what I want. I would rather wait until she's ready."
Harry's words surprised James. "I didn't know you've thought about it."
"I have since Ginny and I got together," Harry admitted. "We haven't really talked about it yet, but I've thought about and that's what I decided to do. Some of the guys I've over headed said they waited until the girl was ready for that before they did anything."
"So what you're saying is you'd let the girl be in control?" James inquired. "You're going to let Ginny be in control?" he clarified.
"I won't do anything unless she's ready for that particular step. Whether it's exploring each other's bodies while we snog," Harry blurted out, his blush creeping down his neck. "Or….what we've been talking about."
James nodded, approvingly.
"So, have you and Ginny kissed yet?" he asked with a smirk. He already knew the answer. He knew his son too well. He chuckled at the blush returning to Harry's face and extending down to his neck, this time a more pinkish red.
"We have, I kind of lost count," Harry said, smiling at the end, his face and neck aflame.
James smiled, listening as Harry talked about Ginny. He chuckled to himself, remembering when he and Lily were first dating. Now here they were, with a son old enough to date.
Where did the time go?
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Sirius barreled through the portrait hole and walked straight to the table without saying a word. He sat down in the chair and was about to grab a plate when a wooden spoon hit his hand.
"Ow."
"Go wash your hands and then maybe I'll let you eat with us," Lily ordered.
Sirius glanced at Harry and James on either side of him. Harry's head was on the table, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. James hid his amusement, but his smile was all Sirius needed to know that he found this amusing.
He got up from the table and headed to the bathroom where he washed his hands. He returned to the table and Lily handed him a plate of spaghetti and a roll of her homemade bread.
"What's the occasion?" Sirius asked.
Before he could get an answer, Remus walked through the portrait hole and headed to the bathroom. He returned a moment later and took the remaining empty seat.
"I could smell your spaghetti all the way down the corridor," Remus said, explaining his sudden appearance.
"Okay," Lily murmured. She handed him a plate of food and then passed him the bread basket.
"What brings you up here, Prongs?" Remus asked, taking the cheese from Sirius.
"I came up here and Harry and I had a little father-son talk," James replied. "The talk."
"Is it time for that?" Sirius asked.
"Well, if he and Ginny…." James trailed off at a look from Lily. Sirius said something softly that Lily had missed it. Harry had heard him and thought he said something about "whipped."
Turning to her son, Lily asked, "Do I have any reason not to trust you and Ginny here alone?"
"No. I already told Dad that, us having sex isn't going to happen any time soon," Harry said.
Lily dropped her fork, making a noise as it clattered against the plate.
"I could have gone my whole life without hearing you say that," Sirius said. "What happened to the little boy who loved to chase Padfoot around in the backyard?"
"He grew up," Harry replied.
Lily sighed, taking a deep breath. "Harry James, listen to me and listen very closely. I am too young to be a Grandma!"
"And hot," James added.
"I didn't need to know that," Harry groaned.
"Regardless," Lily continued, bringing the attention back to her. "If you do get Ginny or another girl pregnant out of wedlock, I will hunt you down and hex your bits off."
James and Sirius squeaked, Remus winced, and Harry didn't say anything but look at Lily, slightly frightened. They all crossed their legs at the thought.
"I wouldn't test her if I were you," James whispered to his son.
"I'm planning on not testing it," Harry stammered. He had learned from an early age to take Lily's threats seriously. He also knew his mother wasn't bluffing. He had seen her hex or jinx his father so many times that he had lost count.
Remus asked James when he planned on coming to speak with the seventh years who were interested in becoming an Auror and when he planned on speaking to the fifth years. James told him when he was available, but he would need to check his calendar and he would get back with him. Sirius asked him about what was going on in the office and what he had missed in the last department meeting.
Lily listened to the conversation that flowed around her, but her eyes were on her son. She felt like she had blinked and Harry was a little baby in her arms. She blinked again and he was a rambunctious toddler. She blinked once more and he was in primary school and then she blinked and he was heading to Hogwarts.
Now, Harry was fifteen and dating. She wasn't ready for this stage. But then she wasn't ready for any stage. She pressed forward and hoped that she was doing a good job as a mother.
"Who's ready for dessert?" she asked.
"What are we having?" Sirius inquired.
"Apple pie," Lily answered, getting up from the chair and collecting the pie with the lattice upper crust, bringing it to the table. It was one of her mother's recipes that she had mastered quickly. Her mother always made apple pie with the lattice upper crust. James and Harry liked it this way. She sliced the pie and pulled out five slices and, starting with James, she handed each person a piece of the pie.
"Lily, you're killing me," James deadpanned.
"How?" she inquired.
"Your cooking is what's killing me. I'll need to go to the gym tomorrow." Turning to Harry he added, "That's an insider's tip: marry a woman who could cook."
"Got it," Harry said, around a mouth full of pie.
"Harry," Lily warned.
Harry closed his mouth and quietly finished his dessert. He took his dishes to the sink and walked back to the table, stopping by Lily and giving her a hug.
"It was good, Mum."
Lily smiled and padded his cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. Do you have homework?"
Harry shook his head. "Not tonight."
"Okay."
Harry left to head back to his room, figuring he'd take advantage of Lily's library and look for books for his Charms essay that wasn't due for two weeks and his potions essay that was due next week.
When he found the books he wanted, he headed back to his room to read, leaving his family out in the sitting to talk.
Lily watched him leave and head to his bedroom. She smiled and turned around to talk to James about how the talk went and to ask him if she needed to fix Harry a potion.
"When we were talking about the charm, he asked me if that was how he had gotten here and I told him that Lily had forgotten her potion."
"James, I forgot the potion and you forgot the charm when Harry was conceived," Lily reminded her husband.
James smiled at his wife and then got up from his chair, heading to where he had dropped his bag when he flooed here from the house. He picked it up and opened one of the smaller compartments and pulled out two books. He laid one down on the side table beside the couch and the other he handed to Lily.
"Katherine dropped this off for you," he said, handing her the book. He picked the other book and headed to Lily's bedroom. He needed to think of a time to give the book to Harry.
He just hoped it would help Harry as much as it did him.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Harry laid sprawled on his stomach, reading the charms book from Lily's library, making notes of what he wanted to include in his essay. He had finished the reading for his potions essay and had put the book on his desk to take it back to Gryffindor tower with him.
He finished his notes as he reached the end of the section he needed and closed the book, folding the parchment and sticking it in his Charms textbook, making a note that it was for his essay. He tossed both books to the floor and laid his head on his cross arms.
There were a few things he wished he asked James when they had their talk. One of them was how soon was it to say I love you? When he asked Ginny to be his girlfriend, he had told her he was falling in love with her, but not exactly that he loved her. He also wanted to know if it was normal to feel the way he did when Ginny was around.
When he saw Ginny he felt like he couldn't get his breath, cheesy as it sounds, but her beauty took his breath away. When she smiled, his heart would flutter. When she looked at him, he felt butterflies in his stomach. He also got butterflies when she touched him. If he didn't get butterflies, he would his stomach flip.
It had gotten to the point where Harry wondered if there was a tiny person inside his belly doing gymnastics as it seemed like he was constantly feeling his stomach flip-flop.
Just thinking about Ginny made his stomach flip. He snuck a hand under his belly, monetarily wondering if he was getting sick or if just thinking about his new girlfriend was what was causing the flips and flops he was feeling.
Harry's thoughts were broken when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Harry called.
James opened the door and slipped inside with something like a book in his hand.
"There's something I want to give you, Son. Your grandfather gave me a copy and now, I'm giving one to you."
Harry sat up and took the book from James, reading the title
"Twelve Failsafe Ways to Charm Witches," he read. "Dad, what is this?"
"A godsend for every wizard," James replied, seriously. "I found it helpful with your Mum."
"Okay." Harry sat it in front of him and he asked James, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," James replied.
"How long did you and Mum date before you told her you loved her?"
James sat down in the armchair in the corner of the room. 'Wow, it's getting serious,' he thought
"Well, your mother and I had been dating for quite some time before we told each other I love you. I, of course, said it first. Granted, it was when we were trying to make it back to Gryffindor tower without getting caught and she had the brilliant idea of hiding in a broom cupboard until Filch moved to another part of the castle. I told her when we got back to the common room."
"If I didn't think it was too soon, I'd tell Ginny tomorrow," Harry admitted.
"Oh," James murmured while thinking, "He's got it bad."
"Did you feel anything physically…?" Harry trailed off. "When I see her, I can't breathe, almost as if her beauty takes my breath away. Cheesy, I know. When she smiled at me my heart flutters and feels like it's about to pound right out of me. When she looks at me, I get butterflies in my stomach and when she touches me…" He trailed off again. "If I don't get butterflies, my stomach flip flops and it's same even when I think about her."
"Correction, he's got it really bad," James thought. "Son," he began. "What you're feeling is normal, I felt the same way about your mother."
"When I first started feeling this way, I almost came close on having Mum check me over because I thought I was getting sick, especially when I would feel my stomach flip-flop. I'm almost positive there is a tiny human in there whose sole purpose to make my stomach flip flop when I would see Ginny."
James chuckled.
"It's normal to feel like way, Son. I assure you, what you're feeling is normal," James said.
Harry sat up from lying on his stomach, readjusting his shirt. He had been lying belly down on his bed for so long that there were imprints on his skin from the pattern of his quilt.
"Son, there's something else I wanted to tell you earlier and had forgotten."
"What's that?"
"You can come and talk to me if you feel you need someone to talk to about your relationship. Your grandfather was older and Sirius, well…..you know Sirius. I didn't really have anyone to go to for advice and I want you to know you can come to me."
"Even if when I'm sixteen and we're ready to have sex?" Harry asked, smiling cheekily.
"I do hope you're joking," James deadpanned.
"I am, Dad. You should have seen your face."
Lily knocked on the door and peeked into the room. "Am I interrupting?" She asked.
"No, just finishing up," James replied.
"Okay." Turning to her son, she said, "It's getting late and you have classes tomorrow."
Harry glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand, seeing it was after ten.
"Alright," Harry agreed. He sat the books on his desk and then returned to bed. Lily approached him first with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Good night, sweetheart. I love you," Lily whispered.
"I love you too, Mum."
"Good night, Son," James said as he ruffled Harry's head and then hugged his son.
"Good night, Dad."
Later in the night when James got up for a glass of water, he peeked in on Harry on his way back to Lily's bedroom.
His son was dating, when did that happen? James hoped that time would slow down as Harry was growing up too fast. First, a girlfriend, what came next? James shook his head of those thoughts as he returned to bed, his dreams filled with grandchildren, with black or red hair and green or brown eyes.
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The next morning at breakfast, Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet, while Ron read the Sports page. He looked up when Harry sat down.
"Where were you last night?" Ron asked, taking a bite of toast.
"Mum's quarters, Dad wanted to talk last night."
"What do you mean…?" Ron trailed off, realizing what Harry was referring to. He tried to keep himself from bursting into fits of laughter, because if he did, Harry might hex him.
"You mean he gave you the….." That was all Ron got out before Harry flew across the table, covering his mouth.
"I don't need everyone to know about it, Ron," Harry hissed.
"Good morning, Harry," Hermione greeted when she looked up from the paper.
"Morning, Mione. Anything new?" He asked, motioning to the paper.
"No," She answered. "Don't forget we have a study group tonight in the library before dinner."
"I'm meeting with Sirius about tutoring a few of the third years in Defense, so I will be late."
Ginny entered the Great Hall, sitting down beside Harry. She kissed his cheek as she sat down.
"Good morning, Handsome," She greeted.
"Hello, Beautiful. How did you sleep?" He asked.
They made small talk over breakfast in between requests of passing the platter of eggs and the toast.
"I hate to eat and run, but I need to return a book to the library and then I need to meet Professor Burbage about an assignment and then head to class. I'll see you at lunch?" She asked.
"Yes, we'll have a picnic under our tree. I'll bring the food and we'll meet outside the doors."
Ginny nodded. "Have a good day, Harry. Bye Hermione, Ron."
Harry watched her go, smiling. Turning back to Ron and Hermione, he finished breakfast and was waiting for Hermione and Ron. He didn't hear Ron ask Neville to hand him the fruit bowl.
"Banana Harry?" Ron inquired, trying to keep from laughing.
Harry jumped up and left the Great Hall. He couldn't look at the piece of fruit without being reminded of what his Dad did to one the night before.
Up at the head table, Lily watched her son, confused, wondering what had happened to cause Harry to abruptly leave the table. She looked down the table at Remus and Sirius. Remus was composed as he could, but he was smiling so big that Lily thought his cheeks were aching, almost as if trying to keep from laughing. Sirius was hunched over his breakfast, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. They both knew what James did with the piece of fruit the night before and would be taking the mickey out of Harry for a while.
She got up and headed to the table to find out what happened.
"What happened?" she asked when she approached the group.
"All Ron asked was if Harry wanted a banana and he left," Hermione explained.
Harry returned a moment later, realizing he had left his school rucksack on the bench beside him.
He picked up his rucksack, glaring at Ron, who was shaking in silent laughter. He waited until Lily had returned to the head table when he leaned over the table.
"I'm going to kill you," he said. Ron smiled, knowing there was no truth behind those words.
He made it up to Harry by sharing the chocolate frogs that came in Molly's care package that afternoon.
Harry was glad though that he and James had the dreaded talk. He would end up going to James a lot over the next few years about his relationship with Ginny. James was glad he had the dreaded talk with Harry and that he had told him he could come to him when he needed advice. But the true question is….Was James ready for it?