How To Trust A Slytherin {#1 House Unity Series} James Sirius Potter

Chapter 1: Burnt Chicken

The sun began its descent on a late August night, painting the sky with a blanket of pink.
Harry Potter stared lovingly out of the window watching his wife, Ginny, laughing as she chased their three children around the garden, her red hair streaming like silk ribbons behind her. She reached their oldest son, James, first and began tickling him mercilessly as he begged her to relent, his face almost as red as his mothers hair and his deep hazel eyes flashing in the evening sun. Ginny soon caught up with her next son, Albus, who was howling in delight at his eleven year old brother's scowl. Harry shook his head in amusement, there never was a dull moment when his two sons were near each other.

Once Ginny had tickled all sense out of both of her sons she moved on, hazel eyes searching for her seven year old daughter, Lily. However those hazel eyes almost popped out of their sockets once she saw a glimpse of the fiery red hair and a glint of emerald eyes up in one of the trees. Lily Potter was staring down at her mother so smugly Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud. He had been so caught up in watching his family's antics he hadn't noticed the fact that the chicken he was cooking had begun to burn, on realising this he quickly scooped it out of the oven and along with it came a cloud of smoke big enough for his wife to notice and come storming back in leaving Lily with time to escape.

Once she was in the kitchen Ginny promptly asked her husband if he could do anything right, before he could answer James burst into the room and yelled, "NO!"

running back out with Albus hot on his heels, shouting "GIVE THAT BACK!".

The parents barely had time for a single chuckle before a red-faced Lily bounded clutching her brother's mangled, grey, old hippogriff toy and shouting gleefully "Ha Ha I have it now!" 

Moments later both of her brothers ran in and James began a fake coughing fit while Albus groaned at the sight of the charred chicken. "C'mon this is my last day at home before my first ever term at Hogwarts, at least get me something edible." James huffed while his father gave him a not so stern look and told him and his siblings to go wash their hands and he'd sort it  out.

Tomorrow James was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time just like his parents and countless others had before him. Unfortunately, much to their disgust, his little brother and sister were too young to take their places at this legendary school. When his Hogwarts letter at arrived by owl exactly 10 months prior on his 11th birthday he was over the moon. Of course he know he was going to get the letter but this had made it official and he hadn't been able to stop grinning for over a month after it had arrived, He was a Wizard!

Both his mother and father as well as his grandparents and the majority of his extended family had been and were incredibly skilled and extremely powerful and brave all of whom fought fiercely in the Battle of Hogwarts 17 years ago.

Unbeknownst to James, Al and Lily, their parents had been discussing this very topic shortly after dinner that evening. "Come on Harry we have to tell them the truth, James is going off to Hogwarts tomorrow and we can't have him hearing this from someone else the kids have a right to know, all of them." Ginny pleaded to her husband.

"But they're so young, Lily especially." Harry tried to reason before his wife cut him off...

"You know we can't tell James without telling Al or Lily and anyway you had dealt with far worse by the time you were their age."

Harry shivered at the reminder but finally agreed with his wife whose eyes were full of compassion for him and their kids. "Fine," he replied "everything?"

"Everything." Ginny returned before Harry leaned in to kiss his wife, the reminder of her soft lips had kept Harry going throughout the darkest times in his life and even after the war was over when Harry suffered from terrifying nightmares those hazel eyes were all he needed to calm him down.

James, Albus and Lily knew their parents had been involved in the second wizarding war and that their father was the one to finally defeat the dark wizard Voldemort. But they didn't know the more complex details such as their mothers possession and their fathers torturing pain at the hands of his scar. neither did they understand the true horror of watching someone you love die right in front of your very eyes and the way it haunted you for the rest of your life.

After walking into the living room all three children immediately picked up on their parents sombre mood. James would have usually made some kind of joke about the way his parents were holding hands but he decided against it and instead sat next to his father, Al sat on the floor in between his parents feet and stroked their ginger tom cat, Fred, while Lily cuddled up to her mother's side.