Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

The Truth of the Matter (James Sirius Potter)

So this has been posted a few days later than I would've liked, but I've been busy with work. But nevermind, here it is

This isn't edited, but I hope you like it 

Another hectic work day was coming to an end. My work day, starting strictly at 9 o'clock was packed with initial client introductions, check-ins with existing clients and discussing ideas for expanding the business even further. But, now that 5 o'clock was rapidly approaching, I was ready to unwind the day by sorting through the large stack of papers waiting for filing at the edge of my desk. As much as I hated to admit it because I knew I'd be teased to no end for it, organising the office was one of the best parts of my day. It meant everything was ready for when I came in the next morning.

Crossing my legs at the ankle, I tried to make myself comfortable in my office chair but really, it was difficult to do when I spent so long sitting in it. Reaching for the final paper at the bottom of my pile, I scanned it with quick eyes. It was enough to make me smile. Yet another happy couple, another successful match that I'd managed to make.

Standing from my chair, I crossed the room to the filing cupboard on the other side. Opening the doors, I searched through the alphabetised files and located the profiles of the two clients that I'd successfully paired together. Arranging them in a pile, I put the document I'd carried with me - a thank you letter addressed from the couple and inviting me to their engagement party - together with a precise sticking charm. Then, I made sure to file the collated documents with the other successful matches - at first, my matches had fit into a single folder, but now I was already nearing the end of my second folder. Returning the folder to its rightful place, I closed the cupboard and returned to my desk. On my way, I added another tally mark to the blackboard where I kept track of my matches; we were only a handful away from 100 couples.

I took a step back from the board, admiring the sheer number of tallies I'd made and tried to stop my grin from splitting my face in half. But really, I was on my own, so did it matter that I was smiling like a fool? Unwilling to let anything spoil my mood, I returned to my chair and plopped myself down in it with a slight laugh.

Rolling my chair under the desk again, I crossed my legs at the knee and realised that I'd managed to overlook another letter. Not letting myself become annoyed that I wasn't done with work as I'd previously thought, I reached for the envelope and turned it over, to look at the seal. I recognised the wax seal as one belonging to one of my female clients, one that was meeting a particularly finicky male client of mine for a first date last night. I'd been waiting for this letter.

Straightening up in my seat, I eagerly broke the seal at the back and pulled out the folded parchment. Before I unfolded the letter, I raised my eyes skyward and made a silent prayer to Godric, to Salazar, and to whoever was listening that it was a good letter. This was the fifth date I'd sent him on and each one before this had been a resounding failure. Godric, it shouldn't have been this hard to set him of all people up on a successful date.

Drawing in a breath through my nose, I steeled myself and opened the letter and started reading. I barely made it halfway through before wishing that I hadn't. It would have been so easy to tuck the letter back into the envelope, to stash it away for later, and yet, I couldn't. I forced myself to reach the end of, wanting to get to the bottom of the issue because Godric's ghost, it shouldn't have been this hard to set James up on with someone. And yet, it was an astronomically difficult task.

Forcing my eyes forward, I continued to read on, to take in the date from my client's perspective. She described James in a way I'd never known him to be; she said he was preoccupied as if his head hadn't been there, as if he hadn't wanted to be there. And Merlin, no one wanted that from someone they were on a date with. Yet, it was a way each perspective date with James had been described to me. The James I knew wasn't that sort of person, he gave his all to the person he was dating and he was a damn good date.