Summary: James, Al and Lily are growing up.
Rating: R
Categories: Post-Hogwarts
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: The Potters.
Published: 2014.08.16
Updated: 2014.08.17
Puberty Blues by Pottermum
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Author's Notes: Puberty Blues
Fourteen year old James Potter woke with a morning erection. He groaned, and looked at the clock. Eight thirty. He may as well go have a shower, and deal with the issue there. He decided he wasn't going to think about the cause of the erection. Then he scoffed. Yeah right! He'd had Alice Longbottom on his mind for a while now, and after yesterday, he couldn't think of too much else.
James blamed his parents. He and Al had arrived home for the summer holidays a week ago. Usually his parents had exciting travel plans made. One summer they had gone to the United States with Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose and Hugo to visit Disneyland, Sea World and the Grand Canyon. Another time they had gone with Uncle George, Aunt Angelina and Freddie to Bulgaria for the World Cup; Lily and Roxanne choosing to stay home.
Last year they had all gone to Alaska, and met up with Auntie Luna, Uncle Rolf and the twins Lorcan and Lysander to go camping and see the Northern Lights. James hoped this year they would go to visit Uncle Charlie in Romania. It had been quite a while since they had been to his dragon reserve.
However, this year, they were staying in England. They had lots of fun day trips planned; the Muggle cinema, the zoo, the beach. The Burrow was always lots of fun, especially with so many cousins, and friends who visited. James's girlfriend Amy was pushing for an invitation, yet he was hesitant. Sure, he liked to snog her, and she was pretty and all that, but lately, he came to realise he liked someone else. His childhood friend, Alice Longbottom.
James was sort of dating Amy, she called him her boyfriend; he just considered her a nice, pretty girl to snog. They mostly hung out with their friends, most of whom were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Then on day, James had come out from the change rooms after a training session, and found Alice talking with Brandon Finnegan. He stopped, intending to go and help Alice, when he saw them kiss.. A rage took over him, and he stormed off. He didn't know why he felt that way, he had known Ali his whole life. But now he was looking at, and thinking of her in a different way.
They had both got jobs in Diagon Alley this summer; he at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, and she at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. As it was quite a hot summer, James liked to stop in Florean's after work. Ali always gave him an extra scoop in his sundae. She would ask about his day, and she would tell him of hers.
The day before, Ali had stopped in at WWW, looking for a gift. James hadn't seen her at first, as he'd been helping a customer. Unknown to him, she'd watched him as he showed a young girl how to handle a Pygmy Puff. He showed her how to hold it, and stroke it. He told her she could brush it, and convinced her parents to buy the full range of accessories for it. James had rung up the sale and helped her carry her pet in it's new cage to the door. George had given him a pat on the back for making a big sale. James turned to find Ali coming out from behind a display.
“Hey, I didn't know you were here. Am I late for my ice cream?” he laughed.
Ali smiled at him. “No, I just stopped off for a gift. I was watching you with that little girl. You were really good with her. Did she really need all that stuff, or were you just trying to make a good sale?”
James blushed, cursing himself for doing so. “Uh, yeah, she does need all that stuff. I just remembered from when Lily got hers, do you remember Puddles? So I just suggested all of it. They didn't have to buy it all.”
“Do I remember Puddles? God, that thing peed on everyone-”
“Except Lily!” they said together, laughing.
“I bet Lily is excited about finally going to Hogwarts in September?” asked Ali.
James was reminded of just how long he'd know Ali. They had grown up together, their parents were close friends and her dad was now one of his Professors at school, as well as being head of Gryffindor House.
James heard Ali call his name. “What? Oh yeah, Lil can't wait, or Hugo, either. So, did you find what you were looking for, or do you need some help?” he asked.
“Nope, I got what I came for. So, I'll see you later, for your usual ice cream?” she grinned.
James smiled back. “Yeah, I'll be in about four.”
He heard his Uncle George calling to him, so he turned his head. Ali went to kiss his cheek, but he turned back, and she landed on his mouth. They both froze, their lips joined. It seemed perfectly natural for him to move his lips slightly, and so did she. It was a kiss that lasted less than ten seconds, before Ali jumped back.
“Oh, I'm sorry. Your cheek, that is, I was going to kiss your cheek, but you turned me on, I mean you turned around and, oh god, I'm sorry, I really have to go,” she said, all flustered.
“Wait, Ali, please? Damn!” cursed James, as Ali left. He went over to the counter.
“Was that Alice Longbottom, Neville's daughter? She's really grown up, hasn't she?” asked Uncle George.
“She's changed a lot just since school, Dad. Va va voom!” said Freddie, nudging his dad.
“Shut up, Fred. You shouldn't talk about Ali that way,” said James, vehemently.
“You going to see her after work, go get some ice cream?” teased Fred. George laughed and wandered back into the shop.
James shot Fred a look. “Yeah, what's wrong with that. She's hot, uh, I mean the weather is hot. An ice cream is nice after work. It's refreshing.”
“Uh huh. So's a cold shower, if you know what I mean?” said Fred, nodding his head at James's groin area.
James groaned, having hoped to keep his reaction a secret. He spent the rest of his shift reliving that kiss. He thought it would be embarrassing when he saw her later, but she acted as if nothing had happened, except for the blush on her cheeks. In fact, after she got his ice cream order ready, she came and sat down and had one with him. The sight of her licking her ice cream, of her tongue darting out, Merlin...
KNOCK KNOCK “James, how much longer are you going to be in the shower? It's been twenty minutes. Come on, breakfast is ready,” called his dad through the door.
James jumped slightly at hearing his dad's voice. He looked down, the problem was still there. It was either turn the water on icy cold, or take matters into his hands. He chose the latter, thinking about the kiss for the umpteenth time.
Another twenty minutes later, he ventured into the kitchen. He could smell the bacon, eggs and sausages as he was coming down the stairs, and his stomach rumbled. He silently sat at the table, observing his parents.
They were still in their pyjamas, which was unusual. Still, they were on holidays too, and it was the weekend, and nothing much was planned. While Harry was the main breakfast cook, Ginny was getting the plates and cutlery out, while making tea. Ginny was talking, about him, James realised.
“-in the shower for half an hour. What could he be doing in there?” asked Ginny.
Harry smirked. “Really? You really don't know what our teenage son is up to in the shower for half an hour? Think about it, Gin.”
Ginny gasped. “Oh, no, he's not, is he? Are you sure? You have had the talk with him, haven't you Harry?” she asked.
Harry came up behind Ginny and put his arms around, nuzzling her neck. James watched, fascinated. Usually at his point he or one of his siblings would say “Ew,” and force them to stop. Harry's hands disappeared into Ginny's top.
“Relax love, I told him everything I know. Well, age appropriate, of course,” Harry said, chuckling, then nibbling on her ear.
“Everything you know? Oh dear, I'm just remembering what you and Ron were like at fourteen. You know, you'll need to have the Talk with Al, this summer. Maybe I should talk to James, give him a woman's perspective,” said Ginny, thinking aloud.
James sat up straight. No friggin' way! It was bad enough when his dad talked to him about sex. No way was he going to listen to his mum tell him about it. Luckily his dad came to the rescue.
“Gin, he's fine. Now that he's out the shower, how about after breakfast you and I could go and take a nice long shower, together. You know, I soap you up and, oops, I drop the soap! Then I'll get to clean your-James, how long have you been sitting there?” demanded Harry, removing his hand from out of Ginny's pyjama top.
“Since you dropped the soap, Dad,” said James, winking at him.
Harry blushed, while Ginny was stifling laughter with her back to her boys.
“And you don't have to worry, Mum. Teddy filled me in on all the things Dad either left out, or didn't know himself,” smirked James, hoping for a little payback on his dad.
Ginny let out a big laugh, while Harry had his mouth open, staring at James in shock.
“Hey, what's going on,” yawned Al, coming into the kitchen. Lily followed, a bit more brighter than Al.
“Dad is going to have a nice talk with you later, Al,” said James, teasingly. Harry shot him a look.
Al sat up straight. “A-a talk. About what?”
James grinned. “Not A talk, THE Talk!”
“James!” said Harry and Ginny together.
Al paled. He put down his toast. “I'm really not that hungry any more. May I be excused?” he asked.
Nodding, Harry and Ginny watched him go, before turning back to James.
“That wasn't nice, James. It's something personal, between Al and me,” said Harry sternly. He turned to Ginny. “Do you really think he's ready for it, Gin. His reaction wasn't what I was expecting.”
“What's the Talk?” asked Lily, confused.
“Nothing,” said Harry and Ginny, together again. Smiling at each other, they continued their breakfast.
James mouthed the word 'Sex' to his sister, who wrinkled her nose in disgust. He grinned at her and took a sip of his drink.
“Rose got her period,” announced Lily.
James spat out his drink. Harry and Ginny looked in shock at Lily's announcement, then at James as he cleaned himself up.
“Okay, looks like it's going to be one of those days,” muttered Harry. He decided to hide behind the newspaper. James quickly left the room, shooting his sister a dirty look. Ginny talked to Lily about appropriate things to discuss at the breakfast table, and of keeping certain things private.
An hour later, a shaken Al left Harry's study. He left feeling more confused than ever. He wanted to ask his dad so many questions, but he hadn't really known how to start. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling. At least he knew wanking was normal, thank Merlin. He decided to go upstairs and think over again what his dad had told him. Maybe he could send an owl to Scorpius, see if his dad had said anything to him. Thinking about Scorpius made him feel better.
James finally decided to go and talk to his dad about his feelings for Ali. He wished he could have talked to Teddy, but he was away in Paris, with his girlfriend Vicky and her family. He would have been the perfect one to ask. Teddy was a great guy, an older brother to James in all but name. Still, this wasn't the sort of thing he could put in a letter, and Teddy was going to be away a lot of the summer. James felt he needed advice now. He went down the hall to Harry's study.
The door was slightly ajar, and James could hear his mum and dad talking. Well, talking and kissing. It didn't gross James out as much any more to see it, he kind of looked on it as a learning tool. His dad seemed pretty good at it, and his mum seemed to like what his dad did.
He heard his mum say “Al is different, Harry. You can't use the same spiel you used with James. Al is more sensitive, in fact, I've actually wondered if, ooh Harry, mmmmmm.”
James knocked on the door, and peeked his head around. His mum was sitting on the edge of his dad's desk, leaning over and kissing him. They pulled apart as James came in.
“Hey Dad, got a minute?” he asked.
Ginny got off the desk, kissing Harry again. “Lily and I are going shopping. We'll be home by lunch time. Then what do you say, we go to the Burrow for a fly?”
James nodded and smiled weakly. Ginny patted his arm as she walked past. “We can make plans at lunch time. Be back soon. Love you both,” she said, leaving the study.
James watched his dad watch his mum leave. He turned back to James, then blushed as he realised his son was watching him watch Ginny. “How can I help you, James?”
James fidgeted. “Well, Dad, there's this girl. I've known her for a really long time. Lately, I-I can't stop thinking about her. Yesterday, we kind of accidentally kissed, and now it's all I can think about.”
“Accidentally kissed? How does that even happen?” asked Harry.
“She was going to kiss me on the cheek but I turned my head back and her lips landed on mine,” explained James.
“And you liked it, the kiss?” asked Harry.
“I thought I was going to explode. I felt like fireworks went off in the shop, or something. I felt like my lips were on fire, and-”
“Okay, okay, I get the point. So what's the problem? Ask her out on a date. Your mum and I wouldn't mind if you wanted to invite her over, have tea with us,” suggested Harry.
“It's not that easy. There's this other girl at school, she thinks she's my girlfriend,” grimaced James.
“Why would she think you're her boyfriend, if you're not?” asked Harry, confused.
“Because we snog a lot, and hang out a lot. Usually we hang out with other people, like the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but sometimes it's just the two of us. And we snog,” said James.
“Well, I can certainly see why she thinks she's your girlfriend. James, where does this other girl come into it?” asked Harry.
“She's Amy's best friend. Amy is the girl I snog. Dad, I know it's wrong, and I keep thinking I'll break it off with Amy, but then she'll do something really sweet for me, like bring me a piece of treacle tart, even though I missed dessert because I had detention. She stayed with me in the infirmary when I got a concussion playing Quidditch. She's a nice girl, Dad. But she's not the one I want to be with,” said James passionately.
“Well son, you are going to have to make a decision. Either way, you are going to hurt one of these girls. This girl you want to be with, don't you think you are hurting her by being with Amy? And if you don't feel that way about Amy, you should break it off, so Amy is free to meet someone who does feel the same way about her.”
“But what if the girl I want to be with, doesn't want to be with me? Then I won't have any girl,” said James, stubbornly.
“Amy shouldn't be a stand in, James. I'm disappointed that you think that. Now, this girl you like, tell me about her?”
James smiled and thought about Ali. “She's pretty, she's so nice and kind, everyone likes her. She's got brown hair, and brown eyes, like melted chocolate. She's smart, she can fly, she- she's the best, Dad,” gushed James.
Harry's eyes twinkled. “Well now, that certainly sounds more like it. Does this young lady have a name?”
James ignored Harry's question. “I don't get it, Dad. I've known her forever, since we were little. Merlin, we used to have baths together. Why now, am I seeing her differently? It's like I woke up and wham! There she was, different but the same. I saw her with another guy, and I got a strange feeling inside me. Do you know what I mean?” asked James.
Harry smiled, thinking about Ginny. “Of course I do. I've known your mum since she was eleven, well, technically ten. I met her for a minute on the station as I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time. She wished me good luck. I met her properly the next year. She was Ron's sister to me then. Then wham! She told me off one day, while we were staying at Grimmauld Place. Made me sit up and notice her, and she became my friend. She was one of the strongest in the DA, and you know she came with me to the Ministry, the night we lost Sirius. I started to see how much we had in common, especially when she made it on to the Quidditch team. Then the next year, well, she'd changed. She'd grown up, and she had a boyfriend. I felt like I had a monster in my chest, every time I saw them together.”
“Yes! That's it exactly, Dad. Wow. So what did you do?” asked James.
“Well, they broke up. I was worried that someone else would ask your mum out, she was pretty popular you know. So I took an opportunity, and grabbed her and kissed her. The next few weeks were some of the happiest of my life. We spent time together, and I realised how special she is. Sometimes we'd talk for ages, sometimes we'd just enjoy being together. I couldn't take my eyes off her and-”
“Okay Dad, nice to see some things haven't changed. You still can't take your eyes off Mum, let alone your lips!” teased James.
“Sounds like your lips have been getting quite a work out yourself, James,” smirked Harry.
“Yeah, I guess now I get it why you and Mum still kiss all the time,” said James.
“And why it's always good to knock before entering our bedroom,” reminded Harry.
James had barged into their bedroom yesterday morning and got a bit of a show, as Harry and Ginny had also woken early and were feeling a bit amorous.
“Kissing is one thing, I can't believe you guys still do THAT! I'm outa here,” he said, blushing a Weasley red.
Harry chuckled. He still planned on doing THAT with Ginny for a long time to come. His stomach rumbled and he realised it was nearly lunch time. He headed out his study and headed for the kitchen. Al was coming down the stairs, and James was now laying on the couch, reading a comic.
The floo activated and Lily and Ginny stepped out. “Guess what I got at shopping? Bras!” she shrieked, pulling a couple of pairs out of her bag,
James and Al groaned. Harry blushed, as Lily thrust them into his hands. He turned to look at Ginny.
“Training bras, “ she whispered in his ear. “She's really quite proud of herself. Merlin knows, I just wanted mine to flatten down, so the brothers wouldn't make fun of me.”
'-and Daddy, I'm even wearing one, can you tell?” said Lily, turning on her side and sticking her chest out.
“Wow, that's great sweety! My little Lily is becoming a beautiful young lady,” said Harry, smiling at her.
Lily beamed and Ginny smiled at him. She knew it was going to be hard for Harry to see his little Lily grow up.
“Now, what's the plan for today?” asked Ginny. Everyone shrugged and looked at Ginny.
“I think I might owl Ron and Hermione, Hannah and Neville, Luna and Rolf and George and Angelina. How about a barbecue at the Burrow, we can fly, go for a swim in the lake, the kids can play games. What do you say, everyone?”
“Sounds perfect, love,” said Harry, pulling Ginny into his arms.
“Oh, I can't wait to tell Auntie Luna and Rose about my bras. Should I wear them when I go swimming, Mum?”
“No, sweet, just your bathers,” said Ginny, holding back a laugh.
“Can I invite Scorpius, Mum?” asked Al. Ginny nodded, so Al went upstairs to send an owl.
“See if he can stay the night,” yelled Ginny to Al's retreating back. Harry and Ginny then turned back to look at James.
James was thinking hard. Ali on a broom, Ali eating barbecue, sauce dripping down her mouth. Ali in a bikini, splashing in the lake. Ali's bikini top just happens to come undone and-
“James! What do you think?” asked Ginny.
“I think I need to go and have another shower,” muttered James, quickly leaving the lounge and heading upstairs.
He chanced to look back at his parents, and wished he hadn't. They were hugging and kissing, whispering to each other. Harry's hands reached around and grabbed Ginny's bum and squeezed. James mouth fell open and his eyes met Harry's. Harry winked at him, then turned his attentions back to Ginny.
James imagined hugging Ali like that. Hugging and kissing, his arms around her. Reaching down to squeeze her bum. James hurried upstairs behind Al. Merlin, he hoped there was no one in the shower right now!
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