One Shot: Harry/Ginny, James
Title: With a Little Help from a Plant
Rated: PG-13
Words: ~1700
Summary: Harry and Ginny catch James in an unusual bit of mischief.
Author's Note: Written for aggiebell90 just because. ♥ This story is a sequel to With a Little Help from Friends but I don't think you need to read that one to understand this one. I linked it anyway, just in case. ;)
James Potter was bloody brilliant if he did say so himself. Growing up with his parents, it was impossible to get away with anything. With Dad's being Head of the Auror Department, and Mum's ability to catch him in mischief before he even knew he was thinking of mischief, he always got caught. Except for that one time Uncle George helped him, but Uncle George wouldn't help him again after the way Aunt Angelina had reacted . . .
It didn't matter, though. This time James had done it all by himself. He said he was tired from Quidditch and went to bed early, but he stuffed laundry in his bed to look like a person and climbed out his bedroom window, shimmying down the tree, and Apparated to Rachel's house. Even though he was too young to get his Apparition license, he had arranged to take the class with his friends, so he knew how to Apparate. Since they had a magical household, nobody could tell who had Apparated, just that someone had.
Rachel was James' girlfriend, and he was pleased he had managed to keep anybody in his huge family from finding out about her so they couldn't take the mickey. Well, he'd told Fred, but he told Fred everything, and Fred told him everything, so that didn't count. He'd fancied her for most of the year, but only managed to ask her out a few weeks before term ended. Actually, she had asked him out, but even Fred didn't know that part of the story. And he couldn't very well ask to go see her if he wasn't planning on telling his family about her, so he had devised his ingenious plan for sneaking out.
He Apparated into Rachel's back garden-she lived in Hogsmeade, and they had gone there at the last Hogsmeade weekend-and climbed up a tree to her bedroom window. James knocked quietly and saw Rachel leap out of bed fully dressed. She opened the window and joined him in the tree where they had a brilliant snog before James Apparated back home before either set of their parents could possibly be awake to catch them.
James climbed up the tree outside his window, and pushed the window . . . well he tried to open the window, but it was locked. How could he be so stupid! He should have left the window cracked a bit. It was summer! Nobody would have thought having his window cracked was strange. He wondered if his parents had spelled the windows to lock automatically? Probably. They never let him have any fun. At least any fun they knew about.
James sat in his tree thinking. Could he sleep in the tree and just get up in the morning pretending he'd gone out early for a walk or something? Nah, his parents would never believe that. Al was the early riser, not him. Al might help him-he'd want payback later, Slytherin that he was-but he'd help, except James couldn't reach Al's window from his tree. And Al didn't have a tree or anything else under his window. The cat flap! That's how he'd get in!
James slid down the tree and crept around to the back door of the house. He saw the little flap that Tonks, their black and yellow tabby, always used. It wouldn't be spelled shut or anything because Tonks had to get in and out, right? James got onto the ground by the door. Merlin, the cat flap was small! He'd never thought Tonks was a small cat before. He put his head through the cat flap, and pushed against the ground with his feet. There was no way his shoulders were going to fit. James scooted back out and sat on the ground to think.
He had an idea! James took off all of his clothes except his boxers and pushed his clothes inside through the cat door. "Levigatus!" James said, waving his wand in a circle around his body. Uncle Charlie'd taught him the spell last Christmas, which he used to make himself slippery enough to get into crevices where some dragon species, James forgot which one, hid its eggs.
James ran a hand over his chest. He did feel slippery, and sort of oily. He tried the cat door again, and began to slide through. He held his breath until he was in past his shoulders, and they fit! He wiggled all the way through the cat door. The floor felt weird, and bumpy somehow, but he thought it must just be the spell. James stood up in triumph. He had succeeded!
Then he realized his boxers had not come through the cat door with him. That was not good. James turned around to lean out the door for his boxers and tripped. He had a split second of feeling himself falling and then knew no more.
***
Harry awoke with a start. "Ginny? Ginny, wake up! I just heard a thump noise."
"Hmm . . . It's probably just Tonks," Ginny mumbled sleepily.
"No, Tonks is here, curled up next to me," Harry answered, petting his cat.
Ginny was awake now. "Let's go check it out, then."
Ginny and Harry picked up their wands from their nightstands, quietly opened their door, and tiptoed down the corridor. Ginny stopped at Lily's room to check on her. She was sleeping soundly. Ginny saw her mussed red hair peeking out over the covers and watched the rise and fall of her chest.
Harry stopped at Al's room. Al was on his back, spread-eagled across the bed, wearing only boxers and snoring. Everything was fine there.
Harry and Ginny together quietly opened the door to James' room. They could tell immediately something wasn't right, and walked into the room properly. Ginny prodded her son's form in the bed. "It's not James." She pulled back the covers.
"Laundry! Merlin's bollocks!" Harry swore in a loud whisper.
Harry and Ginny proceeded to the top of the stairs, lighting their wands dimly so they wouldn't trip. When they reached the bottom, Harry said, "Be careful. Muriel's vines are out."
"OK," Ginny responded softly.
They stepped carefully through the house to avoid tripping over Muriel's vines, using their lit wands to look around for anything amiss. They saw nothing out of place until they arrived in the kitchen.
James was naked and unconscious on the floor, a pile of clothes near him, and one foot tangled in Muriel's vines.
"Looks like he got tangled in Muriel's vines, fell, and knocked himself out," Harry mumbled.
"But why is he naked?" Ginny hissed. "And does he look . . . oily to you? Neville suspects James has a secret girlfriend, but you don't think they're . . .?"
"I don't think so . . ." Harry whispered. "I think he snuck out of the house and for some reason decided to re-enter through Tonk's door, but couldn't fit so got naked?"
"I will never understand how the mind of a sixteen-year-old boy works. That still doesn't explain why he's oily, though."
"I guess we should fix the bump on his head and wake him up so we can ask."
Ginny knelt by James and healed the bump on his head. She ran a hand through his hair feeling for any more bumps.
"Mmm . . . Rachel . . ." James muttered.
"Well, that answers the girlfriend question," Harry chuckled.
Ginny glared at Harry.
"Sorry, I'll put on my best Menacing Auror face."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's hard to look menacing wearing nothing but pink boxers." She turned back to James. "James, it's Mum. Wake up."
James slowly opened his eyes. He saw his mum and his eyes widened with fear. He stuck his hand out the cat flap and began feeling around frantically.
Harry conjured a blanket and floated it onto James.
"Thanks, Dad," James mumbled sheepishly.
"Sit up slowly and make sure you're OK," Ginny said. "You hit your head." She helped the now-covered James sit up. "Head feel all right?"
James nodded.
"Good," Harry said. "Then you can tell us why you are naked on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night."
"You can give us the short version now," Ginny added. "We will hear the full story tomorrow, but please include why you are covered in oil and who Rachel is."
James sighed. "Rachel is my girlfriend. I didn't tell you about her because it's still new, yeah? And I snuck out to see her, but I couldn't get back in because the window had locked behind me, so I tried to come in through the cat flap, but I wouldn't fit, so I undressed and used the spell Uncle Charlie taught me, and I got in, but I guess I tripped and fell and hit my head."
"I'm glad you weren't hurt," Ginny said. "Go to bed, and we will discuss this in the morning."
James sighed again, but nodded. He secured Harry's conjured blanket around his waist, looked out the cat flap and found his boxers this time, and picked up the rest of his clothes. He lit his wand so he wouldn't trip again. As he reached the base of the stairs, he muttered, "I would have gotten away with it, too, if not for the bloody plant." James kicked one of Muriel's vines.
Harry and Ginny watched from the kitchen as a vine whipped around and smacked James' bum. James yelped and started running up the stairs pursued by the vine. They heard a few more smacks and yelps before they heard James' door slam, and saw Muriel's vine slither back down the stairs to join the others.
Harry and Ginny collapsed in giggles, which they muffled against each other's shoulders. Harry managed to speak through his laughter, "We'll have to tell Neville about his plant's rather interesting defensive mechanism."
"And I will need to have a talk with my brother about what he's been teaching my son."
Rated: PG-13
Words: ~1700
Summary: Harry and Ginny catch James in an unusual bit of mischief.
Author's Note: Written for aggiebell90 just because. ♥ This story is a sequel to With a Little Help from Friends but I don't think you need to read that one to understand this one. I linked it anyway, just in case. ;)
James Potter was bloody brilliant if he did say so himself. Growing up with his parents, it was impossible to get away with anything. With Dad's being Head of the Auror Department, and Mum's ability to catch him in mischief before he even knew he was thinking of mischief, he always got caught. Except for that one time Uncle George helped him, but Uncle George wouldn't help him again after the way Aunt Angelina had reacted . . .
It didn't matter, though. This time James had done it all by himself. He said he was tired from Quidditch and went to bed early, but he stuffed laundry in his bed to look like a person and climbed out his bedroom window, shimmying down the tree, and Apparated to Rachel's house. Even though he was too young to get his Apparition license, he had arranged to take the class with his friends, so he knew how to Apparate. Since they had a magical household, nobody could tell who had Apparated, just that someone had.
Rachel was James' girlfriend, and he was pleased he had managed to keep anybody in his huge family from finding out about her so they couldn't take the mickey. Well, he'd told Fred, but he told Fred everything, and Fred told him everything, so that didn't count. He'd fancied her for most of the year, but only managed to ask her out a few weeks before term ended. Actually, she had asked him out, but even Fred didn't know that part of the story. And he couldn't very well ask to go see her if he wasn't planning on telling his family about her, so he had devised his ingenious plan for sneaking out.
He Apparated into Rachel's back garden-she lived in Hogsmeade, and they had gone there at the last Hogsmeade weekend-and climbed up a tree to her bedroom window. James knocked quietly and saw Rachel leap out of bed fully dressed. She opened the window and joined him in the tree where they had a brilliant snog before James Apparated back home before either set of their parents could possibly be awake to catch them.
James climbed up the tree outside his window, and pushed the window . . . well he tried to open the window, but it was locked. How could he be so stupid! He should have left the window cracked a bit. It was summer! Nobody would have thought having his window cracked was strange. He wondered if his parents had spelled the windows to lock automatically? Probably. They never let him have any fun. At least any fun they knew about.
James sat in his tree thinking. Could he sleep in the tree and just get up in the morning pretending he'd gone out early for a walk or something? Nah, his parents would never believe that. Al was the early riser, not him. Al might help him-he'd want payback later, Slytherin that he was-but he'd help, except James couldn't reach Al's window from his tree. And Al didn't have a tree or anything else under his window. The cat flap! That's how he'd get in!
James slid down the tree and crept around to the back door of the house. He saw the little flap that Tonks, their black and yellow tabby, always used. It wouldn't be spelled shut or anything because Tonks had to get in and out, right? James got onto the ground by the door. Merlin, the cat flap was small! He'd never thought Tonks was a small cat before. He put his head through the cat flap, and pushed against the ground with his feet. There was no way his shoulders were going to fit. James scooted back out and sat on the ground to think.
He had an idea! James took off all of his clothes except his boxers and pushed his clothes inside through the cat door. "Levigatus!" James said, waving his wand in a circle around his body. Uncle Charlie'd taught him the spell last Christmas, which he used to make himself slippery enough to get into crevices where some dragon species, James forgot which one, hid its eggs.
James ran a hand over his chest. He did feel slippery, and sort of oily. He tried the cat door again, and began to slide through. He held his breath until he was in past his shoulders, and they fit! He wiggled all the way through the cat door. The floor felt weird, and bumpy somehow, but he thought it must just be the spell. James stood up in triumph. He had succeeded!
Then he realized his boxers had not come through the cat door with him. That was not good. James turned around to lean out the door for his boxers and tripped. He had a split second of feeling himself falling and then knew no more.
***
Harry awoke with a start. "Ginny? Ginny, wake up! I just heard a thump noise."
"Hmm . . . It's probably just Tonks," Ginny mumbled sleepily.
"No, Tonks is here, curled up next to me," Harry answered, petting his cat.
Ginny was awake now. "Let's go check it out, then."
Ginny and Harry picked up their wands from their nightstands, quietly opened their door, and tiptoed down the corridor. Ginny stopped at Lily's room to check on her. She was sleeping soundly. Ginny saw her mussed red hair peeking out over the covers and watched the rise and fall of her chest.
Harry stopped at Al's room. Al was on his back, spread-eagled across the bed, wearing only boxers and snoring. Everything was fine there.
Harry and Ginny together quietly opened the door to James' room. They could tell immediately something wasn't right, and walked into the room properly. Ginny prodded her son's form in the bed. "It's not James." She pulled back the covers.
"Laundry! Merlin's bollocks!" Harry swore in a loud whisper.
Harry and Ginny proceeded to the top of the stairs, lighting their wands dimly so they wouldn't trip. When they reached the bottom, Harry said, "Be careful. Muriel's vines are out."
"OK," Ginny responded softly.
They stepped carefully through the house to avoid tripping over Muriel's vines, using their lit wands to look around for anything amiss. They saw nothing out of place until they arrived in the kitchen.
James was naked and unconscious on the floor, a pile of clothes near him, and one foot tangled in Muriel's vines.
"Looks like he got tangled in Muriel's vines, fell, and knocked himself out," Harry mumbled.
"But why is he naked?" Ginny hissed. "And does he look . . . oily to you? Neville suspects James has a secret girlfriend, but you don't think they're . . .?"
"I don't think so . . ." Harry whispered. "I think he snuck out of the house and for some reason decided to re-enter through Tonk's door, but couldn't fit so got naked?"
"I will never understand how the mind of a sixteen-year-old boy works. That still doesn't explain why he's oily, though."
"I guess we should fix the bump on his head and wake him up so we can ask."
Ginny knelt by James and healed the bump on his head. She ran a hand through his hair feeling for any more bumps.
"Mmm . . . Rachel . . ." James muttered.
"Well, that answers the girlfriend question," Harry chuckled.
Ginny glared at Harry.
"Sorry, I'll put on my best Menacing Auror face."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's hard to look menacing wearing nothing but pink boxers." She turned back to James. "James, it's Mum. Wake up."
James slowly opened his eyes. He saw his mum and his eyes widened with fear. He stuck his hand out the cat flap and began feeling around frantically.
Harry conjured a blanket and floated it onto James.
"Thanks, Dad," James mumbled sheepishly.
"Sit up slowly and make sure you're OK," Ginny said. "You hit your head." She helped the now-covered James sit up. "Head feel all right?"
James nodded.
"Good," Harry said. "Then you can tell us why you are naked on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night."
"You can give us the short version now," Ginny added. "We will hear the full story tomorrow, but please include why you are covered in oil and who Rachel is."
James sighed. "Rachel is my girlfriend. I didn't tell you about her because it's still new, yeah? And I snuck out to see her, but I couldn't get back in because the window had locked behind me, so I tried to come in through the cat flap, but I wouldn't fit, so I undressed and used the spell Uncle Charlie taught me, and I got in, but I guess I tripped and fell and hit my head."
"I'm glad you weren't hurt," Ginny said. "Go to bed, and we will discuss this in the morning."
James sighed again, but nodded. He secured Harry's conjured blanket around his waist, looked out the cat flap and found his boxers this time, and picked up the rest of his clothes. He lit his wand so he wouldn't trip again. As he reached the base of the stairs, he muttered, "I would have gotten away with it, too, if not for the bloody plant." James kicked one of Muriel's vines.
Harry and Ginny watched from the kitchen as a vine whipped around and smacked James' bum. James yelped and started running up the stairs pursued by the vine. They heard a few more smacks and yelps before they heard James' door slam, and saw Muriel's vine slither back down the stairs to join the others.
Harry and Ginny collapsed in giggles, which they muffled against each other's shoulders. Harry managed to speak through his laughter, "We'll have to tell Neville about his plant's rather interesting defensive mechanism."
"And I will need to have a talk with my brother about what he's been teaching my son."