KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ⇒ jegulus one shots

HOWLERS, HOWLERS, HOWLERS

"Mister Potter? There's someone waiting n the corridor," A petite midwife tells James softly, remaining mindful of the slumbering, tired dark haired boy with exhaustion written all over his sleepy features.

James looks down to his son, Flynn Atticus Potter, he was sleeping also. James had chosen Flynn while, in true Regulus fashion, Regulus had picked Atticus.

James sighs as he tucks Flynn into his small crib right next to Regulus' bed. He presses a soft kiss to Regulus' forehead before turning for the door. "Sleep tight, mama. Be right back," He promises before exiting.

James is met with a sour faced woman with eerily familar features whom he knows all too well. James clears his throat. "Mrs. Black," He retorts with a curt nod.

"I believe congratulations are in order, mister Potter," Walburga scoffs. "Well, how is he? Regulus?"

James nods slowly. "He's recovering. Not that it is any of your business," He says fiercely.

"And the boy? The baby? He is in good health?"

James stares at her for a long time before, "You're not coming anywhere near my son, Walburga," He warns. "And you sure as hell won't be near my boyfriend anytime soon either,"

Walburga attempts to intimidate him, James thinks she's trying to anyways, as she stares with stoney eyes. Both of her sons and evidently her grandson have inherited these eyes. "I thought you might have been reading my letters to my son. Not that those letters were any of your business,"

James knows instantly what she is doing. He has heard all about it from Regulus and Sirius. Walburga Black tends to manipulate people by stealing their words and tuning them back around by repeating them in her own context.

"I didn't read them until recently. He hadn't mentioned them until you started threatening our child," James defends. "He's our son. Neither of us are going to let you take him away from us. We have rights as parents-"

"My son is sixteen. He is far too young to be a mother. He isn't capable of taking care of a child. He is merely a child himself. I'll be doing you both a favor, mister Potter. The child will have a proper upbringing-"

"Like the one you gave both of you boys?!" James snaps suddenly. "You spent years traumatizing and crushing them, bloody suffocating them! And yet they've turned out wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" He shakes his head. "Regulus is perfectly capable of doing anything he pleases, that is one thing that we both know,"

Walburga seems to muse, her lip smirking upwards. James didn't think Walburga Black knew how to smirk. "You think I don't know that? That he is 'perfectly capable', as you put it?"

James stammers but Walburga proceeds. "He is well brought up, he's privileged; which makes me wonder where on earth he had to have gone wrong to find himself having your child? What failed Regulus that he has thrown his life away? For you, mister Potter?"

James scoffs loudly. "Nobody plans to get pregnant this young, but that doesn't mean Regulus won't go on to have a very successful life. He's brilliant, one of the cleverest boys I've ever met! There is no doubt in my mind that he won't go on to do amazing things. But for now, the amazing thing that he did is that he's gone through ten hours of labor, for our son, Mrs. Black,"

He had done it. James knows Regulus would be beaming with pride as Sirius smirked proudly. He had turned Walburga Black's words back on her.

Walburga scowls. "He's thrown away his entire future. He could've been-"

"Anything he wanted to be. He still has time for that. As youev said, he's young. But for now, he's choosing to be a mother; something you never chose to be," James snarls. "So stay away from both of them. Stay away from Regulus and stay sway from our baby. Stay away from my family, No more howlers, no more letters, no more contact. Your bloody howlers and letters overwhelmed Reg a lot," James pauses. "And I won't have him upset,"

"Mister Potter, my sons have turned their backs on me. For you," She pauses. "What is it about you? You and that," She wrinkles her nose. "That Lupin boy have stolen my sons from me. You've turned them into people they were not raised to be-"

"No," James interjects. "Remus and I did no such thing. We simply turned them into happy people. So yeah, maybe you're right then," He corrects himself. "Maybe we did turn them into people they were not raised to he. We made them see good in the world because their own family couldn't do that for them,"

Walburga stares grimly for a very long period of time and James fears she may hex him right on the spot but he's ready for it. He can take whatever hex she is willing to serve as long as she does nor get through the door behind him, for it leads to his very little family. After all, he's in the right place if he should find himself hexed.

Walburga shakes her head and suddenly she looks much older, perhaps looking her age for once. "You are a true lion, mister Potter," She tuts but James doesn't take any pride in it. It isn't a compliment, she is not complimenting him. "Fierce and protective. Well, I should just hope that little lion cub of yours will be informed of what he could've had should his parents have loved him enough to send him to live with his grandmother,"

"That isn't fair, Mrs. Black," James starts. "We aren't giving Flynn to you because we love him. Regulus and I love him so much and it's a shame you could never feel that towards either of your children because it's something else," He pauses. "It is something so very special and I've been thanking every lucky star in the galaxy since the moment I heard Flynn cry. Children are a blessing, whether they're born when you're young or not,"

"Very well, mister Potter," Walburga glares. She gathers herself, tightening her robes. "But do not say I didn't warn you. Regulus isn't like you or that Pettigrew boy. My boys are cold and cruel when they want to he. So enjoy your time while it lasts because Regulus will grow to resent you, mark my words. He will grow to resent you for trapping him in a futureless life!"

James thinks long and hard and eventually decides that it would make Regulus laugh very hard, and James loves to see his Reg laugh. So he opens his mouth with that cheeky James Potter grin bestowed upon his face and says, "Up yours, Walburga,"

He can hear her begin to shriek but he's already chuckled himself back into Regulus' hospital room. Regulus is in the middle of struggling to sit up but he looks eyes with James as soon as he enters the room.

"Hey, hey, love! Sit back down! You'll hurt yourself," James sighs softly as he approaches Regulus' bed.

Regulus shakes his head, reaching to pick up Flynn. "S-she's here to take him, isn't she?" He cradles Flynn to his chest, cradling his little head. "M-my mother? I heard her, James, I heard her talking out there," He nods towards the door.

James pulls back the duvet covers and shuffles in beside his son and boyfriend. He cuddles Regulus closer to him. "I told her to fuck off,"

There is a long silence before Regulus snorts himself into a fit of laughter. "No, you did not! James, what the fuck!" He wheezes. "Why would you lead with that? That wasn't all the conversation consisted off! was it?" He laughs.

James grins, stroking Flynn's tiny, chubby cheeks with his knuckles. "Course it wasn't. The start of it was just her being a cow. I told her there was no way I was ever letting her near my boys again,"

Regulus smiles tiredly. "Do you think she'll listen?"

"Well, I have reason to suspect she has never been cursed out before," James smirks as Flynn blinks at him with bright eyes. He gently kisses his son's tiny nose. "He's so gorgeous, Reg. M'so proud of you,"

"He really is, isn't he? He's perfect," Regulus agrees with a soft grin.

"Our perfect little boy,"

They sit in silence for a little while before Regulus clears his throat.

"So...." He trails. "By 'your' boys, you meant Flynn and I, right?"

"Yes?"

Regulus smirks teasingly. "Good," He kisses James hard.