A Force of Magic [HP Jamione fanfic]

Chapter 10: Reunions part deux

4th December 1998
8am
Potter Manor - Barnstone, Nottinghamshire

James opened his mouth to ask something, but was interrupted by the sound of loud heels clicking down the hall. Sirius shoved James behind Remus with a mischievous grin, so he was out of sight, and then leaned back against the table indolently. Remus just sighed and kept sipping at his drink.

Just then a beautiful woman stepped into the kitchen from the hall and jumped at the sight of them, "Oh!" She exclaimed, her hand fluttering to her chest, "I thought I'd heard the floo." She smiled happily at Remus, and then her eyes drifted to Sirius and narrowed dangerously. Sirius grinned. "Sirius Black!"

"Yes, Kitten?"

She huffed, and slapped him on the chest with the back of her hand, "How many times have I told you not to appear in my bloody kitchen half-dressed?!" She scolded, her voice rising with each word until she was nearly screeching.

"I think you'll have to tell me one more time, Kitten." Sirius said smugly, grinning when she made an inarticulate noise of rage.

"You will be the death of me, Sirius Black!" She ran her hands through her mane of wild curls, making them fluff up even more. She was dressed in a tight black skirt, and a violet blouse, her legs looking ridiculously long, especially for someone so short, in her sheer tights leading into matching violet high heels. James swallowed, and looked back up at her face, righteous in her fury. James wondered who she was, this woman so at home in his kitchen, calling it hers? Was Harry dating her? His eyes widened at the thought.

"But what a good death it would be, hey Kitten?"

She slapped him again, stepping past him to start making a drink. As she did she caught sight of James standing behind Remus and, before he could account for it, her wand was pressed tight against his throat. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, but her wand didn't waver. "Who the hell are you?" She growled, pressing her wand tighter when he shifted.

"'Mione." Remus said quietly, putting his hand on her wand arm gently, "He came with us. I promise you he's safe." She shifted her eyes slightly to look at Remus still keeping James in her sight. "We never would have brought him here if he wasn't."

She stepped back a tiny bit from both Remus and James, aiming her wand again so she had all three of them in her sights. "Remus, what did I reveal at my birthday that embarrassed me and you?" She asked in a tight voice.

"That you had a crush on me in your third year, when I was your professor." Both Remus and the woman blushed slightly, but again her wand hand didn't waver, moving slightly until she pointed it at Sirius. When he just grinned, she aimed it down a little more, pointing at his crotch.

Sirius yelped and covered himself with his hands as though that would make any difference. She smirked, but kept her wand pointing at him, "Who came with me to rescue you from the Veil?" She asked.

James watched Sirius swallow tightly, "Kingsley."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, though she didn't put away her wand, just turned it back to James. She peered at him for a long moment in silence, a look so reminiscent of James' mother that he shifted nervously. "Alright, so how the hell is James Potter back from the dead?" She finally asked into the tense silence of the kitchen.

There was a bit of spluttering before the whole story was blurted out over coffee the woman - Hermione James had found out - made. She'd finally sighed and lowered her wand at the end of the telling.