The Feast
Sitting at the Gryffindor table after years of being out of Hogwarts felt a bit weird. He had almost forgotten how uncomfortable these damn benches were.
Soon chatter in the hall after the sorting had stopped and James saw Albus Dumbledore stand up to the center podium to give his words before the speech, “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we start our banquet I’d like to share a few words with you! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!”
And then he sat in his chair, leaving the first years very confused. The rest of the hall just paid attention to the food appearing on the table infront of them. James reflected a bit that it was really easy to get used to how odd Dumbledore acted so of course the older years wouldn’t be surprised.
James easily got to piling his plate and started to eat. He didn’t think anyone would really talk to him but oh boy was he wrong. Maybe he hadn’t registered his last name as Potter when Harry was supposed to be the last surviving one-
Almost right after he started to eat, someone leaned over across the table at him to talk with him, “McGonagall said you were a Potter.”
James paused in eating his mashed potatoes to look up at the person. They seemed to be well built, a sort of sandy brown hair, and intense brown eyes. He would bet his invisibility cloak that this lad played Quidditch.
“Yeah, I’m Jivan.”
“Jivan eh? Not to be… I thought Harry Potter was the only Potter left-” He seemed to be stumbling over his words, obviously wanting answers but not good with emotions or sensitivity.
James laughs to himself a bit before he responds, he had luckily thought of a cover story before this, “Well Fleamont Potter had a brother, quite younger than him, Charlus Potter, who’s my dad. They raised me in America so I was kept away from everything. Does that answer your question…?”
The boy looked shocked for a second before that brought him out of it, “Right! Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch captain at your service!”
He fucking knew it!
“I love Quidditch, is your team any good?” This is good, it’s familiar grounds for him. Quidditch will always be something he could talk for hours about.
Clearly Oliver is the same way with the way his eyes light up at the question, “Of course we are! I have a training program so we can get even better but we’re pretty good! Lost to Slytherin last year but if we can find a seeker at tryouts this year we’ll be perfect for the year!”
James can feel a smile stretching over his face at that. It was good to see that the team had a competent captain. He could only look at his own captain his second year in disgust as he hated even being a broom. Merlin was he glad he was booted off by McGonagall.
“That sounds great Oliver!”
The two of them spent the rest of the feast talking about anything and everything relating to Quidditch.
Soon they had to stop though due to the food disappearing from the tables, signaling that it was time for the speech at the beginning of every year from Dumbledore.
James tuned out most of it, it was the normal stuff with the forbidden forest, quidditch tryouts, the normal things. Or at least it was normal stuff until he said, “And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.”
What the fuck?
In his head James made a silent bet with himself that at least half the school population would know what’s inside there by the end of the third week.
It was glossed over though as they sang the school song and were then sent off to their common rooms.
~~~
Soon James found himself and the other first year boys in the dorm, clamoring onto their beds after they all had changed into PJs.
James himself was half asleep before he heard a quiet, “Pssst!”
He opened one eye and looked towards the source, feeling himself wake up as he realized it was Harry in the bed next to him.
James sat up and looked at him whispering, “Hi?”
Harry looked at him for a few uncomfortable minutes before he whispered back, “You’re a Potter too?”
He felt his heart constrict painfully as he realized how confused Harry must be that he has someone in his family alive. James nods at him and continues to whisper, “Harry right? My dad mentioned he was brothers with your granddad… I grew up in America, we had to stay there for our safety.”
James saw Harry solemnly nod at that, as if that explained some things to him, and in a way he supposed it did, it just wasn’t the truth.
“Alright… Jivan,” Harry sends him a brilliant smile before he settles down to fall asleep.
James stared at Harry for a minute before he slowly laid down to fall asleep. That had been his first conversation with his son. Sure he had been there for Harry’s first few words but that… that was a whole conversation. It made a part of him ache remembering that.