Lion Heart³ | James Potter

twenty-one

23rd of March, Monday, 1981

(Soldier//James Arthur)

"JAMES!" Andrea screamed as loudly as she could.

A door banged open somewhere in the house. "WHAT?! What's wrong?" He rushed into the family room, towel covering his front and soap dripping from his hair.

Andrea ignored his state and turned back to Harry from where she was crouching on the floor. "Come on, Ometto. Show Dada what you can do."

Harry let out a little laugh, bouncing on the spot where he was clinging to the coffee table. "What's going – "

"Shush! You'll spook him." "He's not a deer in the forest, puffetta." Andrea turned with a bored look as James grinned proudly.

"Come, Harry, come to mama."

Harry let out a little laugh and then released himself from the table, stomping clumsily over to Andrea.

"HOLY FUCK!" James cheered, dropping his towel momentarily. "YAY!" Andrea cheered as Harry fell into her open arms. "You did so good, cerbiatto!"

She lifted him up and swung him around, the room filling with his laughter. James held his towel with one hand and ruffled Harry's hair with the other.

"You are the most talented baby in the world, my man." Andrea put Harry down again and jumped over James' shoulder, clinging on to him.

"He fucking walked! And he walked before Marly. We beat 'em!"

"Fuck yeah! We're the better parents!"

The towel slipped lower and James had to readjust Andrea before she fell as well but lucky Harry was the only one there to see him flash the room.

"We're the better parents! We're the better parents!" they started cheering, jumping around.

"What the hell is going – fucking hell James put your ass away. I don't want to see that!"

"Sorry Pads!" they called after him as he ran off covering his eyes.

As they calmed down, and James had dried off and gotten dressed, the rest of the house gathered together to head off to an Order meeting, Remus staying back with the kids.

"We'll be quick, Moony. I think we all need an early night today for what's coming tomorrow," Sirius reassured, kissing him goodbye.

"I'll Apparate over if anything comes up. Have fun, you guys."

One by one, they all stepped into the fireplace, a hand of Floo Powder ready to take them to Mad-Eye Moody's house. 

They seemed to be the last to arrive, everyone else already seated around the table.

Andrea grabbed Marlene's hand and pulled her to an empty seat when she saw her eyes linger in the spot beside Emmeline that Xavier always occupied. "It's not gonna happen overnight," she tried to reassure her, but even she was worried.

Mad-Eye walked in, quickly followed by Dumbledore, and the room became silent. The Headmaster looked around the room with a greeting nod as he always did, but Andrea did not like how his eyes lingered on Dorcas and Kingsley.

"I come bearing some bad news this morning I'm afraid." Marlene immediately grabbed ahold of Andrea and James' hands on either side of her, seeking comfort. Andrea tried to do her best to offer that to her.

"Xavier Thomas will not be coming back to these meetings, I'm afraid."

Andrea held her breath, waiting. "Why?" Benjy questioned, not a big fan of the patience game. He never was in Quidditch practice either.