" Are you sure you're gonna be fine?" Sirius asked for the hundredth time and James rolled his eyes.
" Yes padfoot i'll be fine can you calm down?" He said to his friend who was flocking over him like a worried mother.
" This is the first time i wont be spending all of Christmas break with you, what if something happens?" Sirius said in exasperation and James sighed.
" Padfoot i wont be alone. Calm down." He said and pat his shoulders, seeing Walburga Black greet Regulus with a smile and warm hug.
She spotted Sirius and James, them making direct eye contact and James' face dropped.
" She's behind me isn't she?" Sirius asked and James nodded.
He hates sending Sirius back home.
" Sirius, come." She called and he groaned.
He turned around, grabbing his trunk and turning around to his family.
" Floo call me." Sirius made the phone gesture and James nodded.
Walburga gave him one more sneer and James just watched his friend be dragged off to probably the worst break he'll ever have.
Normally Sirius always got out of going home, his parents didn't want him there anyway but this time it was different. They'd be visiting Sir Black, Sirius' grandfather who lives in Spain.
He's gathering his kids for Christmas and so all his cousins and everyone in the huge Black family will be attending.
It'll be hell.
" Ready to go?" Lily asked and James turned around.
Lily and Severus stood there with their trunks in hand, awkwardly lingering behind him waiting for him to be done.
" Yeah let's go. My chauffeur should be here." James said and the two looked at each other.
They both looked surprised and amused when James mentioned his chauffeur, wondering just how rich is James bloody Potter?
It took a few minutes to find him but the man that's been driving James around since he was a child came in view and he smiled at him.
" Good afternoon Mr. Potter."
" Good afternoon Ray." He nodded and the man politely guided them towards a space far from the train.
" Portkey sir." Ray pointed towards a paper cup sitting suspiciously neat on top of the trash can and James touched it with absolutely no hesitation.
Severus and Lily were another story.
" I assure you it's safe."
" Where does it lead?"
" South Britain."
" We're not driving?"
" It will land us where i parked the car, a few kilometers from the Manor." Ray explained but Severus still looked a little suspicious.
He looked at lily with the same I'll do it if you do it look he's been giving her for years.
She finally gave in and reached for the cup, disappearing in a split second. Not wanting to take any longer of Ray's time, Severus touched the portkey soon after.
When he finally got his footing and desperately tried not to fall over, he was in the countryside next to a very expensive, muggle car.
" My father loves muggle vehicles." James explained and Lily gasped.
" That's a porsche 914. It's crazy expensive." Lily touched the car in fascination and James shrugged.
" I know nothing of this stuff. Only that it was ridiculously expensive but my father didn't mind." He said and Ray opened the door for the kids.
" I'll take your trunks." Ray said and pulled out a thin, long wand.
The trunks started to shrink and assemble themselves neatly in the back of the car as they got into the backseat.
" Seatbelts please." Ray said as he sat down in the drivers seat, pulling on a pair of white gloves.
Lily marveled at the interior. Her father was a car fanatic and they always talked about the newest cars.
" I love the leather seats." Lily said and Ray nodded.
" Monty prefers leather over fabric. It makes it easier for me to clean too." Ray said and Lily looked confused.
" Monty?"
" Mr. Potter's father." Ray explained and she still looked at James.
" My dads name is Fleamont but everyone calls him Monty."
Severus and Lily both made a noise of realization and Lily felt a little embarrassed it took her that long to figure it out.
" Shall we go?"
———————————————————————————
When they arrived at the house it was gloriously impressive. The gardens were protected in a giant greenhouse charm that created a bubble over the entire backyard.
Every flower and every bush was in pristine shape, a gardener trimming the hedges as they pulled up. They saw a man sitting in the garden reading a book and once he heard the familiar grinding of gravel he turned around.
He broke out into a smile and stood up, book discarded.
The car went through the charm and into the driveway, the three of them feeling very warm suddenly.
" James! I'm so happy to see you." James' father, a tall slender man said and picked up his son as he hugged him like it was nothing.
He was smiling and slightly spinning the annoyed James as they embraced.
" Dad you're embarrassing me." James argued but Fleamont didn't listen.
" I'm just happy to see you." His dad argued as he put him down due to his sons complaints.
" You wrinkles my robes." James said and looked down at the now messy front.
It was hardly ruined but Ray took it off his shoulders and put it over his arm.
" I'll get it ironed for you."
" Thank you Ray." Fleamont thanked and James did the same.
The older Potter finally noticed the two teens looking at his house like it was a castle and smiled.
" You must be Lily and Severus. I've heard a lot about you." He said with a sweet smile that tilted to the left like James'.
" This house is amazing." Lily said absent-mindedly and James snorted.
" You havent even been inside."
" I dont have to be." Lily turned around to see more of the estate.
" Thank you for having us Mr. Potter." Severus thanked and Fleamont acted like his appreciation was nonsense.
" No need to thank me, James' friends are always welcome in our home. Shall we go in?" He gestured to the stairs and they nodded.
As they walked through the doors a house elf that looked like the healthiest elf Severus has ever seen popped up.
" Trixie has fixed up the guest room for Master James' friends. Trixie is afraid there's only one guest room." She said and Fleamont pat her head.
" That's fine Trixie, the boys can share one room right?" He asked and Severus nodded.
James felt his heart stop and restart when his father suggested it, completely oblivious to James' situation.
He's been freaking out over that night for weeks, so much so he hasn't let Severus stay over again since. He's insisted he's too tired for company even though every night without Severus felt entirely too cold.
" Of course." He said and walked away, Trixie disappearing into the kitchen after Fleamont handed her a galleon.
" Your father pays his house elves?" Severus asked and James nodded.
" Of course. We have two, they live in the guest house a little ways down. We like to give them their own space."
" That's really kind of your father." Lily commented and James shook his head.
" Common decency."
As they entered the lounge area on the way to their rooms James caught eye of his mother. She was knitting a scarf and talking to someone via floo and James crept behind her.
" Mum?"
" What the- oh! James you're here!" She said and stood up, hugging him by the shoulders.
James' head was cradled as she did a little swinging motion side to side.
As she pulled away she saw his friends and had a delighted expression on her face.
" Oh hello. You kids must be hungry, should i get Trixie to fix you something up? We have leftovers from breakfast if you'd like." She said and walked over to give Lily a big hug.
" Oh my you've grown. I love your hair darling." She said and Lily laughed.
" Thank you Mrs. Potter."
She then pulled away and turned to Severus with a smile.
" You must be Severus." She said and pulled him in for a hug, Severus bending down a little so it wouldn't be so awkward.
" Thank you for taking care of my son." She said quietly and as silly as it sounds, Severus felt touched.
She said it with such sincerity and appreciation it was hard to not let it go straight to his heart.
" Mum we're a little tired, we'll go up now." James said and she pulled away.
" Of course of course. Lunch will be ready in an hour or two, we'll call you down." She said and went back to her seat, her knitting needles picking up again.
James smiled and guided his friends past the door they came from and to an entrance on the other side of the room.
They went up a very fancy staircase with many moving paintings hung along the walls. There were a pair of knights dueling, a lot of philosophers and one painting caught their eye.
" Oh is that a painting of that beetle and bards story? The three brothers?" Lily asked and pointed at the only still portrait on the wall.
Three men, one with a wand, one with a stone and one with a cloak thrown over his arm stood. They looked just as intimidating and powerful as the items they held in their hands.
" Yeah. They're my great uncles. My ancestors really." He said and looked up at them.
The portrait was massive, the centerpiece as most of the moving paintings were scattered around this one.
" Are you serious?"
" Mhm. I don't remember how far back they are but the youngest gave his cloak to his child. They gave it to theirs and so on until my father gave it to me." He said and smiled at his friends.
Just when the Potter's couldn't get more impressive.
" Thats amazing." Severus mumbled again while they walked past it.
It wasn't long till they arrived at their room, Lily in the room down the hall from James'. Severus awkwardly put his trunk by the bed where James had put his and stood around.
He didn't exactly know what to do with himself in James' actual room in his home.
" What do you wanna do today?" James asked and Severus shrugged.
He sat down on his bed and was pleasantly surprised to see how soft it was. He felt like he was melting into the mattress.
" Oh my god this bed is amazing." He said and laid down, closing his eyes on instinct.
" I get my own bathroom?!" Lily burst in with a huge smile on her face.
" Yeah. All the bedrooms have bathrooms."
" Oh my god i love your house!" Lily yelled as she ran back to her room.
James laughed and turned back at Severus who looked borderline asleep. He poked him but Severus didn't even move.
" Are you dead?"
" If this is what i'd be laying on when i do i wouldn't mind."
James shook his head and walked away, putting his clothes into his closet. Lily walked in a few moments later and joined Severus on the bed, making the same comments about how soft it was.
His carpets were fluffy and thick, his bedsheets breathable but warm. He had a weighted blanket at the end of his bed because his doctor said it might calm him down and it did.
They sat around for maybe half an hour when a house elf, not Trixie popped in.
" Lady Potter wants me to call you for dinner Master James." She said and James nodded.
" Thank you Ella, we'll be right down."
She nodded and disappeared just as quickly as she came, James turning to his friends.
" You guys hungry?"
———————————————————————————
" So i hear you're a potions prodigy." Fleamont started as soon as they got settled in their seats and Severus was taken back.
" Um. I wouldn't say prodigy but it's very interesting."
" I heard what you've been doing in class, making a felix felicis from scratch? That's impressive." He praised and Severus looked down.
He wasn't used to compliments, much less from a renowned potioneer.
" Dad." James drawled and covered his face with his hand.
" What? It's cool." Fleamont defended.
" Severus is a prodigy. The potions never work for me but he always gets them first try." Lily furthered Fleamonts intrigue and Severus inhaled.
" I'm not a prodigy. I dont know who would think that."
" Well my son seems to. He raves about your potion skills all the time." Euphemia said easily and James went bright red.
" Mum." He said and she snickered.
" What? You talk about them all the time and now we finally get to meet them. Lily, i heard you're up for head girl next year?" She said and leaned her chin on her palm.
" Yes, my house teacher seems to think I'd make a good fit." She said and Euphemia looked so proud.
They spent most of lunch making impressed and proud comments to both of them, James getting embarrassed every time they revealed it was him who told them.
Severus and him shared looks across the table, stolen glances at made Severus smile at how James was getting exposed by his own parents.
Apparently he talks about them all the time.
" I'm so glad James has friends who take care of him. Sirius and Remus were good boys but they weren't much help after what happened were they?" Euphemia said and turned to James.
" I'm still friends with Sirius mum, don't speak of him like that."
" Of course not. Sirius is like a second son to us but all i'm saying is i'm glad you have Severus and Lily." She said and pat his back.
Severus gave an appreciative nod but looked down at his pasta. The rest of the conversation was made up of Lily and James' parents but Severus glanced at James every once in a while.
He didn't know why but his parents approval meant more to him than it should.