The Life that Never Lived ? (Goblet of Fire)

THE WEIGHING OF THE WANDS

"Dad?" Harry whispered when he just kept sitting there, glaring down at the pages, and Harry finally realized he had been the only one not to say anything.

"Oh I am beyond pissed," he said at once with broiling tones. "I'm going to knock him a good one if I ever get the pleasure of meeting him-" his face twitched though, some old regret finally tampering down the tone, "but I'd be a right hypocrite if I sat here and gave somebody else the piss about doing this."

"Oh come on Prongs," Sirius whined, turning a still fiery look on him which drowned out his attempt at a joke. "That was years ago, we've gotten over it. I've admitted I deserved it."

"Still," James groused, shoving the book towards him without looking at anyone. "I made that mistake once before, judging someone just because they made a stupid bleeding decision. If Harry and Ron never make up for Ron acting like a royal prat, than so be it, but I'm certainly not going to say anything against him because he's said and done something stupid in regards to one of his friends."

"I, I really don't believe you," Remus gasped as he stared right at him, sure at any moment James was going to crack and start yelling and screaming along with the rest of them. "What Sirius did is much worse than this-"

"-Gee thanks Moony-" Sirius muttered under his breath.

James cut across both of them as he nodded, "that's true, and my point. What Ron's doing is wrong, and stupid, but I'm going to sit over here and hope he gets over it and apologizes more than curse him out about it." He clearly was not pleased at his own decision, but he still sat back with his arms crossed and a set look saying he was going to do his damndest to uphold that as long as he could.

Sirius looked from the book to his best mate like he wasn't sure who was giving him a turn more, but finally he decided to leave Prongs be for now.

Sirius hadn't ever been this mad at Ron before. He'd been angry at Hermione plenty of times, but at least he could wrap his mind around her. This was, petty, and so stupid! Anybody who knew Harry for a few minutes ought to realize he wouldn't have really done something like this, Ron had been his friend for over three years by now and hadn't stuck by his mate! He quickly pushed past the rather confusing feeling that he was technically this steamed over someone he'd never actually met.

"You shouldn't have to," Remus snarled under his breath.

Lily groaned, wondering how long this was going to last, holding out for hope that the two boys would make up.

James had to really fight down the impulse to make a crude gesture at people who weren't here. Couldn't they take a hint?

It really was sad that Harry had to watch them all tense in unease, clearly fearing yet another row. Surely at least Hermione would believe him!

"That's encouraging," Sirius grumbled, his eyes narrowing in thought as he tried to guess if Hermione would have started yelling at him at once like Ron would have, or would try to drag him somewhere private to shout at him for doing this.

"Oh thank Merlin," Lily sighed, slumping back into the couch in relief.

James sighed, wishing he didn't have a first hand account on that face, that it hadn't reappeared on his son now and this was all just a really bad joke.

"Unbelievably, I'd have rather just let Hermione keep going," Sirius snapped.

"What does she mean, not really?" Remus scowled. "Either he does and needs to pull his head out of his arse, or doesn't in which case I'd like to think he'd have come to apologize to you the moment reality came back to him."