While the day had started off as a tragic mess of drama and chaos, Renata and James were glad to say that it ended on a much better note. With Harry having his company of Neville and Ron staying over for the night, Renata brought the boys in as it began to rain, while James decided to prepare dinner. Although he wouldn't tell Renata what he was cooking because he wanted it to be a surprise. Which was fine with her until she was booted out of the kitchen with the boys, as James didn't want any sort of help. The idea made her slightly nervous, but she decided to put full trust in his abilities. After all, she was a witness to how perfect the breakfast crêpes had turned out that he made in anticipation of her mother's arrival.
Perhaps if Alcina had allowed herself to have a taste of what James had made, she would have loved him right on the spot. Of course, that thought was far out there, but Renata could have her dreams. She was still carrying the disappointment in her mother for how Alcina had behaved during her visit. It made her want to reach out to her father and ask him if there was anything going on at home that she should be aware of because she never remembered her mother acting so cruel.
But then again, Renata had never gone against her mother's wishes in the past, she was practically always in Alcina's good graces, so maybe this is what her mother was truly like when she didn't get her way. Even though Renata had done nothing wrong, she still felt terrible for what Alcina had said to Adelmo and to James.
It certainly did hurt when Alcina basically called her a foolish whore for choosing James and Harry over a career as an Auror and not marrying someone back home, but she couldn't believe that Alcina would bring up Lily's death to strengthen her argument, nor would she not even greet her own son before degrading the state of his flat.
She had no idea what it meant for the relationship between her and her mother because if Alcina was going to act in such horrible ways, Renata wanted nothing to do with it. But at the same time, it was her mother and before all the drama had gone down, Renata would have liked to believe that they were relatively close. Yet, she wasn't sure anymore, the cold exterior that she witnessed convinced her otherwise. Her mother wasn't supportive of what made her happy or what made Adelmo happy.
It seemed Alcina Abate was just waiting for her children to make mistakes that would bring them "home" and back in her control.
Well, Renata wasn't interested in those plans, she had found her sources of happiness and she was planning on keeping them.
"Nanata," Harry called to her, drawing her out of her thoughts at one point. She was sitting in the living room with all three boys standing before her, Harry holding up a book for her to read to them. It seemed she had read every single book to Harry at least twice, but he never grew tired of them. As she took the book from his hands to look over the title, Harry took the opportunity to place himself in her lap.
He scooted down until he was in a slouching position before letting out a content sigh to let her know that he was extremely comfortable and that she was not allowed to move. Renata chuckled making a face before Neville and Ron took to cosying up in her sides to listen to the fairytale stories that were to be read.
"Alright, let's see what we're reading," Renata announced to the three before opening up the cover of Children's and Household Tales. "Ah, how about the Frog Prince?"
Neville scooted forward to catch a better glimpse at the illustrations before cheering to agree that it was his selection. Ron grumbled something as he wanted a different story, but Renata told them that they would all get a chance to choose.
As she began to read, she started off with her silly voices that made each of them giggle as they tried to mimic her, drawing the attention of James away from the kitchen. He was coming to tell them that the meal was ready, but he could see how focused they all were on the story that he didn't bother to interrupt. Instead, he made his way to the sofa, quietly sitting down to listen in on the story as well.
Of course, several times, Renata took to changing up the words of the scene so that she had an excuse to tickle one of the boys, or she would make a grab at them to give them a little fright. At one point, as she jumped at Ron, she caused James to jump as he wasn't expecting it. She turned to look over her should to see James trying to compose himself and look nonchalant.
"I didn't even know you were back there," she chuckled, " did I scare you?"
"No," James replied far too quickly," I just had a muscle spasm in my leg."
As Renata gave a shake of her head with a knowing grin, she watched as James' eyes trailed down to where Harry was sitting on her lap. She looked back down to see that Harry was lifting up the book closer to his face to get a better look at the pictures. A frown developed on James' face as he explained to Renata earlier that it seemed to be a Potter curse that all the males were blessed with messy hair and poor eyesight.
"It's not that bad, Mr...James," she corrected herself, earning herself a James' smile as he caught her slip. "You know, if he ends up getting glasses now, it could correct the problem so that he doesn't have to wear them later on."
"Yeah, my mum said the same thing about me," James said before pointing to his own eyes, "I'm telling you, Ren, it's a Potter curse."
"Well, let's see what the professionals say before blaming it on a Potter curse," Renata said, "who knows? Besides, why would your family be cursed with messy hair and bad eyesight?"
James gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess we had to have our flaws somehow since we're amazing in every other aspect."
It definitely seemed that James' confidence had not suffered any sort of blow from Alcina's visit as he flashed her a cheeky grin and a wink behind his frames. She shook her head at him again before turning her attention back to the book. Subconsciously, as she went through the pages, she ran her fingers lightly over Harry's messy hair, a smile on her face as it brought her into a state of relaxation as well.
With all the attention on Harry, Ron and Neville seemed to want to get in on the action as Neville grabbed one of Renata's hands and placed it on his head.
As James watched the scene unfold where all three of the boys were practically fighting for Renata to play with their hair, James couldn't help but feel bad for Neville. While Ron had his mother and father back home, Harry had James and Renata to care for him, it was really left on Augusta to care on Neville. James had no doubt that Augusta showed Neville love, but it probably wasn't anything near what Frank and Alice had shown him while they had all been in hiding.
And the cruel nature of it all was knowing that Neville regularly visited his parents in St Mungo's and yet, they had no recollection of who he was. They hardly showed any interest in Neville or anyone around them especially if something else had captured their attention for the day. Augusta had told Renata that she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to keep bringing Neville to the Ward if he was just going to keep getting upset when his parents didn't pay him any mind.
But at the same time, she didn't want Neville to forget that Frank and Alice were his parents, that they had sacrificed so much for him and others. It was such an awkward pain that Renata didn't know how to respond as she confided in James, but he didn't have an answer either. It was similar to the situation, where Molly found herself crying sometimes when she watched her sons Fred and George playing outside because it reminded her greatly of her brothers Gideon and Fabian.
It seemed the aftermath of the war had left so many in compromising situations where there was no easy answer present to help them. Fortunately, for James, Renata had come into his life in the most unexpected ways and had helped him during the toughest moments while also being there for Harry. But the others didn't seem so lucky with their situations and while Renata certainly helped with watching the boys for the day or offering a listening ear to Molly and Augusta, they definitely needed more.
However, it was nice to see Neville enjoy himself, make friends, and not be constantly reminded of what was missing from his life. And for Ron, he was able to get a bit of break from his siblings, while also giving his mother a break as she had plenty of things to focus on, especially with her older sons constantly causing some form of trouble.
It was nice that the Potter home became somewhat of a peaceful sanctuary to those that needed it. James figured that he wanted to have one evening soon where they hosted a nice dinner for the Weasley family and the Longbottoms, perhaps invite many of those that have survived, and were still recovering from the war.
"Dinner is ready," James announced at one point, bringing everyone to look at him, " are you ready to see what I made?"
He actually appeared really excited to share the meal with the group, even though he was certain that Harry, Ron, and Neville probably weren't going to be very big eaters. But he didn't care, he had other food on hand if they decided to be picky, but he was really interested in Renata's reaction. He had selected the meal in mind after talking to Renata and since her mother had been due to visit, he thought at the very least that Alcina would be staying for dinner.
But even if that was the case no longer, he was still anxious about what Renata thought about it.
As she entered the kitchen with Harry, Ron, and Neville in tow, Renata was led over to the stove area where the meal had been prepared and James waited for her response. She peered down before her lips parted in surprise before she turned to James.
"Did you make this?" she asked him. "Did you actually make Tortelli d'erbetta?"
"Yes," James nodded, " I made everything, even from scratch because you told me how important that is. So even the pasta is fresh. And I used the ricotta and I chose spinach as the filling, with a hint of nutmeg."
She couldn't even deny it to be playful as she found herself all too impressed by what James had accomplished. Was this even the same man that had attempted to give eggs baths? Now he was able to make one of her favourite meals that she enjoyed back when she visited Parma.
"Do you want to try one?" he offered, grabbing a fork for her. "You know, just in case it didn't come out as good as it looks..."
"I'm sure it will all come out tasting fine, but I'm certainly not going to say no to a bite."
James handed her a fork with a piece on it and Renata took a bite, a brilliant introduction with the buttery flavouring on the outside before she chewed it and was sent to a savoury depth.
"Wow," she said, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she went to speak, " you really outdid yourself, James. This is amazing! I can't believe you made this, I mean, I can...but still..."
With a proud smile, James turned to his meal and offered everyone to sit down as he began to serve them. As he made smaller plates for Ron, Neville, and Harry, the adults watched to see the reaction of the three. So far, it seemed whatever food was placed in front of Ron, he ate without a complaint. Neville seemed a little hesitant about trying it but after receiving an encouraging smile from Renata, he plopped one of the bites of filled pasta in his mouth. His chewing and swallowing appeared to be a good sign.
But then came the food critic, Harry James Potter.
With bated breath, James and Renata watched as Harry lifted up one of the little pockets of pasta and peeled it open to look at the contents inside. He didn't look very impressed when he spotted the spinach as he carefully picked out every little green bit he could. However, it appeared as though he was willing to try the ricotta as he grabbed a little bit of it and placed it in his mouth.
His eyes lit up for a few seconds before he peered back down at the food with such a puzzled look and then, he dipped his fingers into the ricotta again for another taste. And after that, it seemed Harry was sold as he went to grab his little fork to dig in properly.
"Would you look at that," Renata said with a smile, " he likes it."
"I think we have a pasta lover on our hands," James said as he joined them all at the table. "Might have to take Harry to Parma to stuff himself if it'll get him to eat more often."
"I think you both would like Parma," she told him, " it really is beautiful and you'll love the foods. What I've shown you, is nothing compared to what the professionals can make there. You really have to experience it for yourself."
"Well, maybe we should make plans to visit there someday soon," James offered, " we'll just make sure that your mother isn't anywhere nearby."
"Agreed."
When the late-night settled in, Harry, Ron, and Neville had all fallen asleep one after another and were promptly placed in their own beds. Renata seemed exhausted from the day as well as she called it an earlier night and went to bed as well in her room. Since it left James alone, he figured it wouldn't be a big deal to head to bed himself. With the sound of rain outside, it was easy for him to fall asleep and the household was quiet for the most part until the thunderstorm came rolling in.
Harry was woken first by a loud clap of thunder and in his wake, he managed to stir Ron and Neville from their slumber as well. With all three boys finding themselves in the dark of the room with the occasional flash of lighting that caused them to jump, they did not wait very long to push themselves out of the bed. Harry knew the way to Renata's room that was conveniently next door to his room, and led Neville and Ron in as well.
All of them climbed into her bed, not waking her as she continued to sleep on her side, but they all managed to climb under the covers with her. Harry was pressed into her back and once he felt the warmth against his own, he started to fall back asleep.
"Night, Mummy."
Of course, while the three boys made themselves comfortable in their sleep, it didn't mean that they were taking Renata's comfort into consideration. Ron and Harry were heavy kickers and Neville was definitely a boy who liked his space as he slept as he sprawled out. It was terribly uncomfortable for Renata as she kept moving around in her sleep to compensate, but eventually, the three of them just kicked her out of her own bed.
With a thud against the floor, Renata found herself suddenly wide awake and her lower back sore. A groan escaped her lips as she sat up and rubbed the part of her back that was throbbing but as she looked over her bed, she could see all the boys, sound asleep and comfortable.
"Glad to see you're comfortable, boys, in my bed."
While she wanted nothing more than to move them back to Harry's bed, she knew very well that with her luck, she would wake up all three of them. They needed their sleep and if they were sleeping through the storm outside, it was best to leave them. With a heavy sigh, Renata grabbed one of her pillows and made her way out to the sofa to sleep. Plopping down, Renata pulled the quilt from over the back of the sofa over her and closed her eyes.
Although just as she was forcing herself to fall back asleep, she heard the sound of feet shuffling in the dark. She lifted her head to see James, sleepily making his way towards Harry's room, probably going to check on him to make sure that Harry was sleeping through the storm alright. However, when he noticed that Harry and the boys were in the room, he moved to check Renata's room. Through the flashes of lightning, she could only see James grow confused as he found all three boys but didn't find Renata in there with him.
"They booted me out of my own bed," she called to him over the thunder. James immediately looked over in the direction of the sofa. "I rather just leave them there if they remain asleep."
"Well, you can't be comfortable sleeping on the sofa like that-"
"No, it's alright-"
"It's alright? Is that why you're rubbing your back like that?"
"I'm not rubbing my back because of the sofa, Harry and Ron kicked me out of my bed, Neville was no help. I fell to the floor and it's just a little sore. I can sleep it off-"
"Not on the sofa!"
The two of them were going back and forth about Renata's sleeping arrangements, as James insisted that she needed to sleep in comfort while Renata insisted that she didn't need much to be comfortable. However, James was not going to lose the argument as he made his way over and lifted Renata up into his arms. She put up a bit of a fight, thinking that James was going to take her back to her room and send Harry and his friends back to his own room. But she immediately became silent and still as James made his way to his bedroom.
"Um, James, I-"
"You can sleep in my room," he said, " I'll sleep on the sofa, it's only fair-"
"How is that fair?"
It was quiet for a second as James' arguing skills in the late hours weren't exactly up to par. "Because I said so."
Renata was placed down on his bed and while the bed was warm and soft, she let out a slight groan of discomfort from her back. Apparently, it was worse than she originally though.
"The floor really did a number on you, didn't it?" James asked. "Here, let me get my wand and we'll see what we can do-"
"No, James, really, we should be sleeping. I'll be fine. But I really don't want you to take the sofa. I don't care what you say, it's not fair."
"Would you be opposed to sharing the bed?"
Seeing as his question only filled Renata with pleasant shivers, it was safe to say that she did not oppose the idea.
"No."
It looked as though James was anticipating her telling him that they weren't going to be sharing the bed, but when she said she didn't have a problem with it, he turned around with a surprised look. She was still sitting at the end of the bed, facing him in the darkness as he made his way over.
"Well, why don't you lie down and get comfortable first," he suggested, " then we'll see what we can do about your back."
Renata crawled into the bed further, pulling the blankets over her and laid her head down on one of the pillows. Immediately, she got the strong scent of whatever hair product James used to wash his hair. She had no words to describe it besides fresh but it was soothing nonetheless as she closed her eyes. She could feel a dip in the mattress as James got into the bed with her, under the same covers and moved closer to her.
Just as Renata was about to ask him if he had enough room or if he wanted her to move, she felt the warm of his hand roaming over her back, trying to find the sore spot. As he neared the lower power, he felt her flinch at the sensitive area before he started massaging the area around it and then gently over the sore area. It hurt at first, even if she didn't say anything, but eventually, it became more than relaxing.
His thumb dug into all the appropiate spots, riding the curvatures of her muscles, allowing her to let out several moans or giggles depending on whether it felt too good or if it tickled. What had started out as a back massage travelled over her arms, shoulders, and neck, all the way down to her legs as James' massaged her thighs.
At one point, James could hear her let out a loud exhale, leaving him to lean closer to her to whisper.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "Let me know if I'm being too rough..."
She didn't answer, but she didn't tell him to stop either which made it seem like it was alright that he continued. His eyes were closed and with his hand touching her hip, it reminded him the night of their date where she had sat close to him after they danced and how he just wanted to hold her as close as possible to him. She seemed to crave the same amount of closeness as well as she continue to press the back of her body into him, lining the curvature of his body.
His hand trailed up, reaching for her hair that draped over her shoulder and pushed away towards the direction of the pillow. With her neck and shoulder exposed, James leaned forward and started pressing kisses into her skin.
Meanwhile, Renata was attempting to remain composed and calm, while internally, she had been screaming since he started massaging her back. Several times, she thought she was on the verge of losing it, but she had managed. But as he whispered in her ear and then decided to place kisses all over her backside, she couldn't take it anymore.
Turning around abruptly, she nearly crashed her face into his in the darkness, but she didn't care as one arm wrapped around him and pulled him right into a strong kiss.
It seemed that had been the cue that James was waiting for all along.
A/N: Warning for the next chapter, it will contain sexual themes.