A/N: Please note moderators, that misspelt words like ‘sossy’ and ‘drewed’ are intentional. This story was previously rejected because the younger children were not speaking as someone their age should be.
James Potter = Mischievous
Ginny hummed as she worked. Putting oven mitts on, she opened the Muggle oven and pulled out a steaming tray of chocolate chip cookies and quickly placed them on the bench, wincing at the heat that burned through the mitts.
Taking her wand from the apron pocket and twirling it at the cookies, she performed a cooling charm on them and the steam disappeared instantly. Happy with the look of the cookies, she waved her wand again.
Ginny dropped the cookies one by one into a glass jar labelled Mum’s Lolly Jar. Harry had bought the jar when Ginny had been pregnant with James and it meant the world to her. She tapped the jar once with her wand, and grinned, satisfied with herself, and placed the jar high up on a shelf.
Twelve year old Teddy Lupin had been sitting on the kitchen bench behind her, taking in the smell of baking when he spotted the head of James Potter poking into the kitchen from the hallway. James had been watching his mother bake, and Teddy could see his hazel eyes reflecting James’s excitement. His black, messy hair fell down into his six-year-old face, but Teddy watched he shook it out of the way. He could tell something was up with James.
Teddy thought silently to himself, debating whether to alert Ginny to her son’s presence or not. After a small argument with the two sides in his mind, he decided to let James’s plan unravel. When Ginny gave the kitchen a look over and left the room to retire to the lounge room, Teddy followed but made a detour to the hallway where James was.
He had just turned the corner to see James creep into the kitchen, trying to make as little sound as he could. Teddy made his way silently to the door and pushed it open ever so slightly to watch. James was gazing up at the jar of cookies, his mind probably whirling with ideas of how to get the sweets.
But he can’t reach them, Teddy thought. James was probably thinking the same thing. Unless he got help. Rosie and Hugo were over for the day with their parents. And of course, he had his younger siblings, Albus and Lily.
He saw James’s face light up suddenly and, thankfully, he ran as fast as he could out the other exit from the kitchen. Teddy tip toed into the kitchen and opened a cupboard all the way. He pushed the few pots and pans over and climbed into the cupboard. He closed it, but left it opened a slight bit to watch what was happening. He waited for James’s to return, no doubt with his siblings and cousin behind him.
***
“But Jamsie, won’t we get in twuble?” asked the four-year-old Rose.
“Mummy doesn’t like us in the kitchen without her,” added Albus fearfully.
Teddy could see that James didn’t look discouraged. He simply looked at his younger sister Lily and his cousin Hugo, who were both two years old, and grinned.
“Lily, you and Hugo go out into the hallway and draw some pictures, and when you see Mummy, Daddy, Aunt Hermione or Uncle Ronnie coming, show them; it’ll keep them distracted.” Lily nodded enthusiastically. She loved to draw, even though they were usually only scribbles.
“Mama,” she said slowly, “like my prettiful drawings!”
Lily hadn’t been talking for that long but when she did, she spoke slowly and carefully, but however, used words that didn’t exist. Like ‘prettiful’.
Rose narrowed her eyes at her cousin and placed her hands on her hips. Teddy thought that she looked very much like her mother doing that.
“Jamsie, you can’t use Lily and Hugo like that!” she exclaimed. “They’ll get in twuble!”
Once again, James didn’t look at all discouraged to Teddy. He turned around and examined the kitchen carefully. He thought for a second before saying cheekily, “Don’t worry, Rosie, they’re protected by their cuteness. Look at Lily! Who can refuse her pink, puggy cheeks and red curls?”
Lily giggled as though on cue, it had to be the cutest giggle you ever heard. Hugo also gave a little smile up at everyone and Rose considered this. She couldn’t argue that point. People were always commenting on Lily and Hugo and what cute and adorable two-year-olds they were. She nodded, sighing and said, “Fine, Jamsie, I’m in.”
Albus looked at his siblings and cousins and gave in with a groan. James grinned and nodded to Lily and Hugo who hurried into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
Teddy crept from the cupboard and smiled, shaking his head. He understood that James couldn’t help but be mischievous; the gene had been passed down right through the Potter line, combined with a little Weasley DNA.
He stepped into the hallway where Lily and Hugo were colouring in their drawings happily. Teddy cleared his throat nosily and Lily looked up fearfully.
“What are you doing, Lily?” Teddy asked and Lily’s eyes opened wider.
Lily looked up and said in what she hoped was a convincing voice, “Not doing nufing, Teddy!”
Teddy raised an eyebrow and walked forwards. Lily’s eyes flickered to the dining room where James grunted suddenly.
Teddy bent down next to Lily who was trying to block his pathway into the dining room. Lily held up her drawing and thrust it towards Teddy, saying, “I drewed a prettiful picture, Teddy!”
Teddy ignored the picture and proceeded to the dining room and lent against the doorway. Teddy watched James, Albus and Rose struggle with a chair before he made his presence known.
“What are you doing?”
James, Rose and Albus froze. Teddy Lupin stepped into the dining room, an amused looked on his face. Lily poked her head out from behind his legs and looked tearfully at James.
“I sossy, Jamsie!’ she said, stumbling over words. “Real sossy!”
Teddy had to smile at her pronunciation of words like ‘sorry. She was so adorable. Tears sprung to her eyes and James knelt down beside her and tried to comfort her. Eventually, the tears disappeared and she was fine again.
She waddled but into the hallway but lost interest in her drawing soon and hurried off out of sight, leaving a Hugo there to draw happily.
“Hey, you’re no perfect son, Teddy!” James challenged the twelve-year-old. “I’ve heard Dad talking about what you get up to at Hogwarts!”
Teddy leaned against the wall and said, “I’m just watching, James, not telling.”
Teddy watched as James, Rose and Albus, with great difficulty and without his help, dragged, pushed and shoved the chair back into the kitchen and placed it against the bench. Teddy hopped up onto the opposite bench and watched them, amused at how they were going about getting the jar. Quite genius really.
Once on the chair, he clambered wobbly onto the bench and grabbed the jar of cookies successfully. He held the jar high above his head like a trophy before started down onto the chair again.
Trying to balance the jar in one hand and use the other to hop down was proving rather difficult. James’s hand slipped on the back on the chair and his legs buckled beneath him. Albus and Rose gasped as James tumbled to the ground from the chair and the jar shattered on the ground, sending cookies in every direction. But James seemed unhurt by his fall. He had fallen far too slowly and landed far too lightly than he should have. Magic.
Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione pushed open the door and hurried into the kitchen. Ginny let out a scream and ran to James’s side and insisted he stay still. Harry had pulled his wand out and was waving it over James. After a second, his face relaxed and he said, “There’re no broken bones, Ginny.”
Ginny took her attention off James for a second and gasped, “My jar!”
Rose and Albus hurried to Teddy who jumped of the bench. She grabbed onto his pants and held tight, tears in their eyes. “I never meant for it to happen,” James blurted out when he saw his mother was distraught. “But can’t you fix it with magic, Dad?”
Harry looked sadly from his son to his wife. He pointed his wand at the shattered pieces of glass and said clearly, “Reparo!”
The pieces jumped back into their rightful place and formed the jar perfectly. Ginny sniffled and picked it up with gentle hands. Harry put an arm around her shoulders and they turned to James. He hung his head, feeling their eyes burning into the top of his head.
“You fixed it, Dad,” James said hopefully. “It’s fine now.”
Harry sighed and Ginny shook her head and gave him a look. Harry bent down on one knee to James’ level and said, “It’s not whether I can fix it instantly with magic, James. It’s the fact that it was broken in the first place.”
James hung his head shamefully but looked up when Ginny placed a firm hand on his shoulder. She had a stern expression on her face, and he felt hot tears welling up in his eyes.
“You, mister, are going to go to your room for the rest of the day, and you’re grounded for the rest of the day except for dinner and to go to the bathroom.” She said firmly. “And I’m taking everything fun out of your room.” She added and his eyes became wide.
“Even Quidditch books?” he asked fearfully and when she nodded, he stamped his feet angrily.
Ginny pointed to the door and he grudgingly stormed out the room with Ginny tailing him, making sure he went directly to his room.
“Please don’t take my Quidditch stuff, Mum!” James could be heard from on the stairs pleading desperately. “Please?”
Ginny’s eyes flashed dangerously she said once again, “March, mister!”
A/N: Thank you to Fresca for her wonderful beta'ing!