Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After the morning that Ginny and James parted ways,James’ life changed once again.

He accepted George’s job offer and moved into the empty flat above the shop. After the war, George couldn’t live there without Fred—the flat remaining unoccupied since then.

The first month was the hardest. James, finally alone by himself in this flat for the first time during this whole ordeal, was unbearable. His whole life, he had someone to rely on—his parents, friends, wife, and then Ginny. He had created a life…a routine based on the company of others, only to lose everyone again and again.

However, James knew Ginny was right.

Waking up every day in an empty flat was dragging James back into a dark place but he couldn’t avoid his pain any longer. He needed to stop using people as a buffer while ignoring his grief.

For weeks, he felt like he truly allowed himself to mourn his family. Alone in this solitary flat, he cried himself to sleep while mourning Lily, Sirius and Remus. He allowed himself to feel angry at Peter’s betrayal and not being there for Lily when she needed him most.

He felt as lonely as he had in the previous months when the pain and guilt had consumed him. Only this time, the wizard was truly alone. They weren’t living together anymore, and he couldn’t rely on her to bring him out of his dark mood. Every single night, he missed her. Ginny—the person who became his friend, his person—had left him too and he missed her. He couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways a relationship between them could work if she hadn’t pushed him away. Deep down, he knew she needed the distance, but he felt angry at her for abandoning him. Thus, James felt himself grieving her absence, too.

Having nothing else to do, James poured himself into his work with George. The way the wizard and his brain worked impressed him every day. Through George, James saw everything that was missing in his life. A fulfilling career, and a sense of purpose. Going back to being an Auror wasn’t an option anymore. If he planned to keep working with George, he needed to pull his weight and match George’s skills.

Every single waking hour, James was either studying charms and potions, or experimenting with creating new products. Slowly, he fell into a new routine—one that helped him to feel useful and made it so he would be able to stop drowning in his pain.

The grief was always present in his heart, but as the weeks passed, it felt lighter and manageable. It was at that point when James finally felt could enjoy his life as a 21 year old man. He was meeting new people and opening himself for new friendships. Regardless, each night it was Ginny who occupied his thoughts and dreams.

There were days in which the grief hit him harder, but that’s how grief works. The moment a person felt even a little happy, it hit you hard with guilt. With time, James began to recognise the signs. He saw them in George, too. No matter how much time had passed since his twin brother’s death, he mourned. Little by little, they learned to help each other.

As the holidays came closer, James felt ready to connect with his son again.

He wanted to salvage what was left of their relationship. When James reached out to Harry, James was surprised that he agreed to meet at James’ flat. But both knew they needed to keep their conversation out of The Prophet.

The meeting was as awkward as the other conversations between them, but they agreed to be honest with each other. James and Harry wanted the same thing—to be part of each other’s lives. Both acknowledged that, for Jamie’s sake, they had to work in their relationship.

Harry admitted how ashamed he felt of the way he treated Ginny and how his now ex-wife and his son deserved better. He had tried for months to fix things with Ginny, attempting to get close to her, and be there for his son, but Ginny hadn’t allowed it.

James stared at him in silence for a couple of minutes, trying to disguise his anger. There wasn’t a good way to express exactly how furious he felt with Harry. For the way he treated Ginny and how absent he was in Jamie’s life.

Of course, Harry should feel ashamed. He was attempting to do the bare minimum.

“I could never treat my son the way you’ve treated yours,” James muttered to himself.

Harry unfortunately heard what James said and lowered his head.

James noticed, and he realised he was treating Harry exactly the same, or worse. He wasn’t the dad thought he was. The father Harry knew when he was a baby was the father who ‘died’ during the First Wizarding War. This person who was in front of Harry was a stranger who had judged him from the beginning. Harry wasn’t a baby anymore, and he needed guidance in his life, not judgment and criticism by another person, much less by his own father.

James sighed, defeated. He couldn’t allow his feelings for Ginny to get in the way of his relationship with his son and future granddaughter.

“Harry, about Ginny…give her time. She needs it to finally heal. We all do, even you and Hermione. This whole situation was messy for everyone involved. Right now, the most important thing isn’t Ginny’s forgiveness, but your son. You need to take care of him. Jamie deserves to have his dad involved and present in his life. It doesn’t matter what type of relationship you have or don’t have with Ginny. It is not fair to him. If you don’t work on it and change, he’s going to grow up resenting you. The same way you resent me.”

Harry looked at him, eyes wide with shock at James’ words; those green eyes that still haunt James’ dreams and go straight to his heart. Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the words to reply until he simply said, “I’m sorry. I’m trying not to resent you. Doing my best not to be angry with you. All that happened…it’s not your fault. You appear here one day, and I just…” Harry shook and lowered his head, “Dad… fuck… I’m sorry. I really am.”

James stood from the table with tears in his eyes, and took a few steps until he was in front of Harry and hugged him. “I love you, son. I promise I’ll do better.” Harry nodded and promised the same.

Even though James hadn’t talked with Ginny in weeks, he couldn’t stop himself from buying Ginny and his grandson Christmas gifts. For her, a gold bracelet with her and Jamie’s birthstones, and for Jamie, he bought him a toddler broom. He felt excited when Christmas Eve finally arrived and he sent the gifts to Ginny and James. Maybe this was his opportunity to connect with Ginny again. He missed his friend.

The next day, he received a thank you note from her that read,

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

That night, James got drunk.

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

On the first anniversary of the day James’ time travelled, he took the day off work, planning to drink his weight in firewhisky alone in his flat instead.

Then he saw her owl in his window. James was so excited that he fell from the sofa trying to get the letter as fast as possible.

Ginny had finally reached out to James.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Without hesitation, James quickly replied to Ginny’s letter.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

All he desired was to spend time with Ginny and Jamie, but maybe Ginny still wasn’t open to something more.

His heart ached for her, and the distance she asked for many months ago has been unbearable, but he’d wait as long as she needed. Meanwhile, he couldn’t wait to see Jamie again and spend as much time as he could with his grandson.

On Saturday of that same week, Ginny dropped the toddler in the shop for a visit. James took the afternoon off and they went to Fortescue’s.

It was impressive just how fast a child grows in a short time.

After that first play date with the toddler, those play dates with Jamie became more frequent. James even offered to take care of him when Ginny had to travel for work—which she gratefully accepted, mentioning multiple times how much she trusted him with her son.

Ginny avoided meeting directly with him and used the shop as a drop-off place for Jamie, with their only form of communication being the letters they left inside of Jamie’s bags. It didn’t matter how much distance, or how brief contact they had, his feelings were there…still real. Ginny was right, he needed to have a life without her. James had learned how to be by himself and he was content with the life he had, but he wanted more.

James knew his relationship with Ginny was fragile, but he needed to help Harry mend his relationship with Jamie. He didn’t know if it was going to work, but he had to try, and he finally sent a letter to Ginny asking for permission to allow Harry to spend time with his son. Ginny agreed, but only if James was always present.

That’s how the three generations of Potters began to spend time together every week.

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

Working at the shop was like having a different adventure every day.

Creating magic and happiness with George filled James’ heart. Between his work, the occasional night out with George, Lee and Angelina, and spending time with Jamie, James felt happier and like he had a purpose.

One night they were working late on a new product when suddenly George asked, “What happened between you and Gin? You were spending every single hour of your day with her and when she finally got divorced, you moved out. Now you babysit Jamie a few times per week, but you're avoiding each other like the plague.”

James has been waiting for this question for a while. He chuckled and replied, “I’m guessing you asked her and she told you to fuck off. That’s why you’re asking me.”

George laughed and didn’t prod further. He was smart enough to understand they were both avoiding giving an answer, and he didn’t need to meddle in his sister’s life.

For his 22nd birthday, after a lot of George’s insistence, they went out to celebrate. Sneaky and meddlesome as George was, he took James to a Harpies game.

He was doing his best to pretend to be mad at George in front of Lee, Angelina, Charlie and Charlie’s boyfriend. He was a decent bloke named Theo, who works with Hermione in the Department of Mysteries.

He could only pretend to be mad for a few minutes, howver, because the moment he saw her in the air, his heart skipped a few beats.

This entire time, James hasn’t been to any of Ginny’s games. She had wanted time and space to heal and he had done his best to respect her wishes. His distance doesn't mean his feelings went away…he still loves her. He couldn’t stop if he tried. How could he? When she was the beacon of light in his life.

The entire match he only watched how Ginny played. Nothing else mattered. Voldemort could rise from the dead again and try to take control of the entire Wizarding World, but James wouldn’t stop watching her.

George gave him a side hug and whispered, “That bad, huh?” James couldn’t hide his feelings for her from his friend any longer and simply nodded. The red-haired wizard laughed and made an excuse to leave that James didn’t hear. All his senses were focused on watching Ginny fly.

George heaving left James alone with another red-haired wizard, but this one was much scarier. When James turned to Charlie, he was grinning looking at James’ scared face. Charlie let out a laugh at him and reminded James how scary Ginny could be. They shared a laugh and agreed.

After the game, the group waited outside of the team locker rooms for Ginny.

James saw her before she saw them, distracted from talking with her teammates. Before the match, he hadn’t seen her since the day he moved from Godric's Hollow. He thought it wasn’t possible, but there she was in front of him…positively glowing, happier and more stunning than ever. He also noticed she was wearing the bracelet and the necklace he gave her, and his heart warmed.

It was remarkable how much a person can change when they put themselves first.

George called out her, and James enjoyed how her face lit up the moment she noticed him and they locked eyes for the first time in a long time. James smiled at her. He had missed her more than he thought. Ginny quickly said her goodbyes to her teammates and ran towards them.

She hugged her brothers first and greeted everyone else, leaving James for last. Unexpectedly, Ginny hugged him. The action took him by surprise, but he quickly returned her embrace.

Still wrapped in a tight hug, he whispered in her ear, “Congratulations, Sunshine. When you’re on that broom, you’re unstoppable.” He felt her smile pressed to his shoulder. “I regret it took me so long to come to one of your games.”

In response, she hugged him harder and whispered, “You’re here now and that’s the only thing that matters. I hope you enjoyed my birthday gift.”

“The seats?”

“Yes, happy birthday, love.”

He lifted her off her feet and twirled a few times. They both couldn't stop their laughter at the unexpected action.

Ginny invited them all to a Muggle pub that she and a few Muggleborn teammates go to every time they are in the city. It’s the perfect place to celebrate their wins and hide from nosey reporters.

They were having the time of their lives. Ginny and James have been dancing the entire night. Getting closer with each song, until their bodies were grinding against each other.

James felt like he needed to calm himself down a little and told her he was getting drinks for them. He knew it was a weak excuse, but he didn’t want her to get the wrong impression.

Ginny saw through James’ excuse and went after him to drag him into the loo. She cast a Muffliato and Notice-Me-Not and quickly pushed him up against the wall.

James grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. There wasn’t any gentleness in their kiss—only pure desire and yearning. She jumped up and crossed her legs around his waist and James wasted no time turning them, putting her against the wall. He devoured her lips, and she circled her hips, looking for friction.

“James, please. I need you,” Ginny pleaded, and James’ knees went weak in response to her begging so beautifully.

“Gin, love…fuck, I miss you. But we shouldn’t. Not here—” Ginny interrupted him by biting and sucking his neck hard.

James continued, “Sunshine, please. Look at me. I know we both know how we feel about each other, but there’s too much to talk about before we get involved again. I want to do this right this time.”

Ginny whined in protest, but nodded in agreement.

They came out of the loo and went back to the table, not even trying to hide what happened, and everyone at the table grinned at the pair.

Later on, after saying their goodbyes and George telling them “good morning” with a wide grin on his face, they quickly apparated to James’ flat.

Once they arrived, James immediately went to his potion cabinet looking for two sober-up potions. Ginny moved into the kitchen and prepared two cups of tea. It felt as if they hadn’t spent months apart, sitting at the table drinking their tea in silence in the middle of the night.

James didn’t want to break the night’s magic by talking. At some point, they needed to do it, but he was afraid to ask for more than she was willing to give him. The silence made him feel safe and allowed him to avoid the grim reality his mind was painting.

Without saying anything, Ginny stood up from the table once their tea was finished, grabbed his hand, and guided him into the bedroom. James let her, just as he would let her do anything else she wanted with him.

“It’s late. Let’s better go to bed and we can talk tomorrow. We have been postponing this conversation for so long. It can wait until morning,” she whispered.

Ginny moved them to the front of the dresser and slowly took off his shirt, softly kissed his chest before taking hers off as well. In complete silence, they changed out of their clothing and got into bed. She moved closer to him, hugging him around his middle before laying her head on his shoulder.

The heat of Ginny’s body relaxed James, and he closed his eyes, focusing only on how her breathing felt through his shirt. He missed seeing her every day, waking up and being in the same house as her. Unconsciously, he traced his fingers up and down her spine. At the same time, Ginny drew circles on his chest, moving her hand up until it reached his neck and she was able to intertwine her fingers with his hair.

When he opened his eyes, the room was dark and the only source of light they had was the moonlight that came through the window and reached the bed. Even so, he could see a mischievous glow in Ginny’s eyes.

Simultaneously, they moved closer to each other until their lips touched. One of his hands grabbed her by her waist while the other cupped her neck and pushed his lips into hers. Ginny gave in to the kiss faster than James expected, and he felt how she melted in his arms in a way that reminded him of the first time he had kissed her. He growled, deepening the kiss, placing her against the bed before moving his body to press on top of her. They were kissing frantically and passionately, trying to make up for lost time.

Ginny moaned into his mouth and James’ body reacted like a reflex, pushing his erection into Ginny. “We should stop,” they both said at the same time and they shared a quiet chuckle. They kissed sweetly one last time and fell asleep with their bodies entangled with each other.

The next day, when James woke up early in the morning with Ginny beside him, he couldn't believe it was real and that it wasn’t all a dream. Ginny was still asleep when James began tracing along her thigh up to her hip, up and down on repeat. He needed the reassurance that it really was real.

Ginny sleepily murmured, “Good morning, James.” She turned around to face him, smiling the whole time. James had never seen that smile before. Her eyes still had the same sparkle he saw the night before. She grabbed James by his face and captured his lips.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” James replied after they broke apart.

Ginny’s eyebrows furrow. “Do you remember the first night you called me Sunshine? Did you used to—” and before she continued, James interrupted her, “No, never. That night was the first time I used it and became yours. Do you want me to stop using it?”

She shook her head.

The moment James was going to kiss her once more, her stomach growled, and she threw her head back to the pillow, groaning, and loudly said, “Breakfast?”

James smilingly agreed.

Once they made their way to the kitchen, they immediately started making breakfast together, and talking as if nothing had happened…as if they hadn’t spent the last few months apart.

James suddenly stopped in the middle of the kitchen to appreciate the domesticity they had and how he had missed it so much.

Ginny noticed and stared at him questioningly. “Is everything ok?” she asked.

James smiled and replied to her matter of factly. “I love you. For so long, I have been in love with you and I don’t want to wait any longer to say it.”

Ginny’s eyes filled with tears, but she had the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. “I love you too, James. Is it insane to feel this way about each other?”

James shook his head and started walking towards her. He grabbed her chin and moved it up, making her look at him. “Continuing to deny what we feel is what is truly insane, Ginny. I love you and I want to be part of your life in any way you have me.”

“I want you in all the ways humanly possible, James,” Ginny replied and kissed him.

James couldn’t believe that one of the worst mistakes of his life had given him so much happiness.

Yes, there was a lot to talk about and work on—together and individually. But if anyone can do it, it would be them. They met at the darkest times of their lives and created a wonderful friendship that led them to this moment: being deeply in love with each other.

James couldn't wait to share the rest of his life with her.

•☽────✧˖°˖FIN˖°˖✧────☾•