One Last Try [HP Jamione fanfic]

16. State of Grace

A/N: I'm 25 chapters ahead now woo! So here's the next :) Hope you enjoy!

28th December 1974

The last two days had been surprisingly uneventful despite being spent with the Marauders. After James and Sirius had finally made their way down (fully dressed) on boxing day, and Remus and Peter had arrived through the Floo, Hermione had been given a sweeping tour of the large estate by the Potter heir.

Dinner was always a boisterous affair with the Marauders, but this night they all seemed to be determined to make up for Remus' exhaustion by being extra loud. Dorea Potter had shared a long suffering look with her husband, and they had both proceeded to try to ignore their son and his friends' antics as well as they could.

James was currently trying to fit as many potatoes in his mouth as he could, egged on by Sirius and Peter, Remus watching them with quiet amusement.

"Oh, honestly! Anyone would think you were all still eleven looking at you." Hermione finally exclaimed when James coughed and spat potato all over the table.

"James, please stop acting like a barbarian. You weren't raised in a barn!" Dorea snapped, giving up on ignoring him when he tried to splutter a protest to Hermione and potatoes fell out all over his lap.

"But, mum." He whined when she waved her wand and silently vanished the potatoes.

"Oh, hush, James. If you keep whining like a child I'll vanish the rest of the food from your plate."

James squeaked in horror and curled protectively around his plate. Sirius burst into laughter, curled over his own plate to protect it from the Potter matriarch's possible wrath. Peter and Remus both grinned at James' pout, and Hermione just rolled her eyes. She made eye contact with Charlus who was chuckling at the head of the table.

"I don't know why I'm friends with them, honestly." She bemoaned.

Charlus smiled wide, looking so painfully like his future grandson in that moment that Hermione's breath caught painfully. "And yet here you are, Miss Prewett. How curious." He winked, and chuckled some more when she sighed long-sufferingly.

The rest of dinner was a quiet affair now that the boys had been properly scolded. Dorea was the first to rise, looking down at her son and his friends, "Boys, please clear the table. Take everything into the kitchen, and then wash it up."

"Mum!" James exclaimed horrified, "That's not fair."

Dorea raised a red eyebrow at him, unmoved, "Consider it punishment for acting like a child. Hermione, dear, you don't have to help of course." Hermione nodded at Dorea, who smiled at her, and then sent a stern glare at her son. "I'll know if you try and use magic to help, or convince Hermione to do anything, James."

James pouted, but didn't say anything further. Sirius smirked at his friend, amused at seeing him scolded, even if he had to help too. Dorea sent one further stern look at James and the rest of the Marauders, "Hermione, if you'd like I have a book I thought you'd like to borrow." Hermione nodded with a smile and followed Dorea out of the room, to a chorus of groans from her friends.

When she came back downstairs ten minutes later, the boys were still in the kitchen. The dishes were piled on the side, and poor Remus was standing at the sink washing up, while James and Sirius flung soap at each other, and Peter lounged on a chair at the small table in the kitchen.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione exclaimed, "You're really making Remus do the washing up when it's the bloody full moon tomorrow?"

"Hermione!" James looked surprised to see her, sheepishly glancing over at Remus.