The New Marauders

A Very Happy Christmas

The Potter house was alive with festive energy, the scent of pine and cinnamon filling the air as snow lightly dusted the windows. James, for the first time in weeks, was bouncing around the house with an extra spring in his step. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Harry and Ginny. Usually, James was cheerful at Christmas, but this year, there was something more behind his lightheartedness, something that made Ginny curious.

As James passed by the living room, humming to himself and wearing a Santa hat, Harry exchanged a look with Ginny. She raised an eyebrow, silently communicating that she was going to get to the bottom of it. She set her tea down and called out to him.

"James, come here a sec," Ginny said, her tone casual but knowing.

James paused, turning toward his parents. "Yeah, Mum?"

"You seem... unusually cheerful this morning," Harry noted with a slight smirk. "Not that we’re complaining or anything."

"It’s Christmas, Dad!" James said brightly, as if that explained everything.

Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "It’s not just Christmas though, is it? Come on, James, we know you better than that."

James shifted awkwardly, the cheerful facade wavering for a moment. "I dunno what you mean..." he started, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Does this have anything to do with a certain girl?" Ginny asked, her eyes twinkling.

James blinked, his face flushing slightly. He opened his mouth to deny it, but then sighed, realizing there was no point in hiding it. His parents knew him too well.

"Alright, alright," James admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It’s about Mia."

Harry glanced at Ginny, and then back at James, leaning forward slightly with a hint of curiosity. "Mia Longbottom?"

"Yeah," James said, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably. "She and Daniel broke up a few weeks ago."

"Ah," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "That explains it."

Ginny’s smile grew. "And how do you feel about that?"

James shrugged, though a grin broke out on his face despite his attempt to play it cool. "I mean... it’s not like I’m happy they broke up. But, y'know... now things are... different."

Ginny chuckled softly. "You’ve been waiting for this for a while, haven’t you?"

James hesitated for a moment, then nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah, I have. I just... I didn’t want to get in the way while she was with him. But now, I dunno, maybe I have a chance."

Harry smiled, exchanging a knowing look with Ginny. "Well, don’t rush into anything," Harry advised, though his tone was warm. "But if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen."

"I know, Dad," James said, his confidence returning. "I’m not rushing... I just feel like things might finally fall into place."

"Good," Ginny said, her tone gentle. "Just be yourself, James. That’s all you need to do."

James smiled at his mum, feeling a bit of relief. "Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad."

As James turned to leave, Ginny couldn’t help but call out one more thing. "So, is this why you’ve been wearing that ridiculous Santa hat all day?"

James laughed, adjusting the hat on his head. "Maybe."

With that, he bounded off, his mood lighter than ever. Harry and Ginny watched him go, both smiling.

"I remember when you used to be that cheerful around Christmas," Harry teased Ginny.

"Careful, Potter," Ginny smirked. "Or I’ll start bringing up memories of your crush on me during Quidditch practices."

Harry grinned sheepishly, wrapping an arm around her. "Fair enough."

******

It was New Year’s Eve at the Potters', and James was pacing around the living room, glancing at the clock. The house was bustling with the sound of laughter and chatter, as his parents were already entertaining the early arrivals for the evening. However, James was waiting for his friends, minus Edward, who was at Sophie’s for New Year's. The rest of the new Marauders were set to join him soon, and he was ready to head upstairs to escape the noise of the adults and siblings running around.

Just as he thought about heading to his room, the door swung open, and Nate burst in, looking around the house as if searching for something.

"Where are the crisps?" Nate asked, without so much as a greeting. "You can’t have a proper New Year’s party without crisps."

James rolled his eyes but grinned. "In the kitchen, where all the snacks are, obviously."

"Well, let’s fix that, mate. Party supplies are critical!" Nate exclaimed as he made a beeline for the kitchen, completely focused on his mission.

Before James could respond, there was another knock at the door, and Sam entered with his usual calm demeanor. "Hey, James. Nate found the crisps, didn’t he?" he asked, shaking his head with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, he’s all over it," James chuckled.

A few minutes later, the door swung open dramatically. Standing in the doorway was Luke, who raised his arms theatrically and, in his best Gandalf impression, declared, "A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!"

James and Sam groaned in unison, but they couldn’t help but laugh.

"Alright, Gandalf," James said with a grin, "you can quit it now."

Luke shrugged with a smirk. "Hey, you should know by now that’s my entrance to every room."

Nate returned, his arms full of snacks, just as Luke finished his dramatic entrance. "What’d I miss?"

"Just Luke being... Luke," Sam said, taking a handful of crisps from Nate’s stash.

"Come on," James said, motioning toward the stairs. "Let’s head up to my room. It’s getting loud down here."

The boys made their way up to James' room, eager to escape the chaos of the crowded living room. Once inside, they collapsed onto the floor, spreading out the snacks and chatting about their holidays.

"At least it’s quiet up here," James said, leaning back on his bed, though the noise from downstairs still buzzed faintly.

They talked for about 15 minutes, lounging and munching on crisps, when they heard the familiar voices of more guests arriving. Through the noise, James recognized the sound of Professor Longbottom’s deep voice, followed by Mia and Frank’s lighter tones.

"Sounds like the Longbottoms are here," Nate pointed out, popping another crisp into his mouth.

"Yeah, and there’s Mia," James muttered, trying to act casual as his friends smirked at him.

Before they could tease him, they heard more voices—this time, it was unmistakably Ron and Hermione, along with Rose and Hugo. The house was filling up fast.

"Well, there goes the peace and quiet," Sam said with a grin. "We could go down and join them, or we could hide out here until midnight."

"I say we hide," Luke suggested, stretching out on the floor. "It’s safer."

"You just don’t want Hermione to start asking you about your homework," James teased.

"Exactly," Luke agreed, grinning as he grabbed another handful of snacks.

James sighed and lay back on his bed, a small smile creeping onto his face. New Year’s Eve was turning out to be a decent night, even without Edward. As the noise from downstairs continued to grow, he couldn’t help but think about how the rest of the night might go, especially with Mia now in the house.