A Force of Magic [HP Jamione fanfic]

Chapter 26: Confrontations and conversations

11th October 1999
8pm
Potter Manor - Barnstone, Nottinghamshire

When Harry entered the dining room to discover it was just he, Sirius, Hermione, and James for dinner that night he exchanged an exasperated look with Sirius. He knew his godfather knew more than him, but even Harry - who was blissfully oblivious most of the time - had noticed the looks between his best friend and his father, even if James had been dating Amidala Fawley for a few weeks, and Hermione and Blaise actually seemed really rather happy together. There was just something about the way the two looked at each other, even when other people were in the room.

Sirius and Harry amused themselves chatting about the Quidditch league whilst James and Hermione got into a heated discussion about something or other that Harry had stopped paying attention to a while ago. There was an undercurrent of nervousness running through the room that turned out to be coming from James, as he spoke up just as Hermione was serving them all some ice cream she'd bought from Fortescue's earlier that day.

"I invited Amidala for drinks later this evening." He said with a small smile, anticipation in his eyes.

"What?" Sirius demanded, his head whipping 'round to look at his best mate so fast that Harry thought he might've injured himself. "Already?!"

"What do you mean, Pads?"

"I mean you've been dating the woman for about two weeks and you're already introducing her to the family!" Sirius waved around the room, including himself and Hermione in the family.

"Well, I thought you'd be happy for me, Pads! I want her to meet the people most important to me, 'cause if she doesn't get on with you lot there's not much point in me keeping dating her is there, considering I live with you tossers!" James gestured expansively, and Harry and Hermione both uttered small 'heys!' at being lumped in with Sirius, "I thought it'd be better to make it tonight when Tonks, Teddy, and Remus aren't here too, so as to not overwhelm her." James pushed his chair back from the table angrily, "She'll be here in half an hour, try not to be such an arsehole when she gets here, Padfoot." James stormed out of the room, leaving the remaining occupants sitting in silence for a moment.

"What the fuck?" Sirius uttered after a brief pause.

"That was weird, right?" Harry demanded of his godfather, "I've not seen him act like that before."

Sirius blinked a couple of times, then turned to look at Harry, and shook his head, "Yeah. That was really bloody odd."

Hermione was frowning, "It is rather soon," She finally said, "I didn't bring Blaise 'round until we'd been dating for three months, and even then you all already knew him, even if just in passing." The two men nodded, and they all shared worried and confused looks.

"Well. We'll bloody well be nice to her, and hope he's just really weirdly besotted really early on or something." Sirius shrugged, shoving a large bite of his cold ice cream in his mouth.

After they'd all finished their ice cream, they moved into the drawing room, unconsciously taking seats in the room in a defensive lay-out. When James walked in and saw how they were sitting he rolled his eyes. He made his way over to the sideboard Sirius had stocked with as many Muggle and Magical liquors as possible, and poured himself a drink. He watched his friends for a moment.

Harry and Sirius were sitting in armchairs either side of the sofa Hermione was on, facing an empty sofa. "Are you getting ready to interrogate her or something?" James snapped, taking a seat on the sofa opposite the three. He raised an eyebrow when they all looked a little shifty, and didn't answer. "Come on, guys. I really like her, can't you just be happy about that for me?" Hermione was the first to react, sighing and nodding. Harry and Sirius exchanged a worried look, but also conceded with nods.