p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"One Jump Ahead/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"12 years after Hermione Granger and the Magic Mirror…/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"It was a typical Saturday morning at 12 Grimmauld Place. James' mum was in the kitchen, cursing the oven for burning the French toast, and James' dad was in his office, finishing some paperwork for the Auror Office. As for James and Fred, they were sitting on the stairs, out of view, looking out on the sofa where the small coppery-red heads of Lily and Heather were just visible. Likely watching some Muggle program, James thought./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oi, Fred," James whispered. "Do you have the dungbombs?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHis fellow conspirator nodded, bright orange hair flopping into his face. "I nicked 'em from my Dad's backroom. They're a new kind: they change smells every few minutes; it's meant to drive people mad."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Wicked," James breathed. "All right. Give me one here, mate." Fred opened a small rucksack and withdrew a small purple ball, and James grinned. "Wish me luck, and if I get caught... hide the evidence."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe red-head nodded solemnly. "Good luck," he murmured as James, lithe as a cat, padded down the stairs and into the sitting room. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOn one wall stood a full-length mirror-thing (truthfully, James didn't know what it was, only that the one time he tried to touch it, his father nearly hexed him, and since then, there had been an Age Line surrounding it) and in the center of the room sat a cream-colored sofa. He turned his back to the mirror, and crept forward until he was right behind the girls./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's called a comedy, Lily," he heard his older cousin Heather say. "See how people are laughing?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive-year-old Lily nodded enthusiastically, giggling. "It's funny!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanJames watched the program for a few minutes, waiting for the perfect moment. And then, just as he was about to release the dungbomb and toss it right in-between the girls, he heard a shuffle of feet behind him, and he quickly stuffed the bomb into his pocket, scrambling his face into a look of innocence before turning to look behind himself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA woman, who hadn't been there just moments ago, was looking at him suspiciously, her eyebrow raised. "And what trouble are you up to right now, Mr. James Potter?" she asked, her eyes dancing. "Should I call your parents?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe woman had frizzy brown hair pulled back into a bun, and she wore a simple set of black robes, though as James looked more closely, he saw that the hem and cuffs had patterns of silver and gold thread. He frowned. He knew this woman... "Aunt Hermione!" James said, and he bounded forward to give the woman a hug. "We haven't seen you in ages!"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Auntie Hermione?" Lily shrieked from the couch. Leaping over the back, she ran fast as a shot straight into the woman's arms. "Where you been? Pick me up! Pick me up!" Aunt Hermione did as she was asked, spinning Lily around, setting her down as she saw James' parents walk into the room looking pleased but surprised./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hermione, it's so good to see you!" James' mum said, giving his aunt a hug. His dad did the same, muttering something into her ear, something which made Aunt Hermione laugh and made his mum swat his dad on the shoulder. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Why don't we go catch up in the kitchen?" his dad suggested after a moment, quietly. James' ears pricked up: That was grown-up code for 'we need to talk about adult things.' Then, turning to his youngest daughter, Harry said, "Lily, why don't you show Heather the new dolls you got for your birthday?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNodding vigorously, the five-year-old unceremoniously grabbed the hand of her older cousin and pulled her up the stairs, chattering the whole way. James felt his dad's eyes land on him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm going to go play a pick-up game of Qudditch with Fred," he said casually, heading towards the stairs as well. "Good seeing you again, Aunt Hermione." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce he was out of view of the adults, he doubled-back and met Fred at the bottom of the stairs. "Please... tell me... you... have a set... of Extendable Ears... on you," he said, panting./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFred only snorted, rolling his eyes at his out-of-shape cousin. "'Course I do. Do you think I'm some swotty prankster?" He withdrew a set from his pocket. "What are we eavesdropping on?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"My parents'... conversation... with Aunt Hermione," James said, clutching at his side and gasping for air. They were on the staircase just over the kitchen: From here they would be able to hear everything. Silently, they lowered the ear, which immediately blended into the color of its environment, and it slid to the crack of the door, wedged right next to the kitchen table, and the adults' conversation./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"... and Belle and Draco have a girl now, too. Of course, the last time you were here, you saw Scorpius, but little Cassiopeia is so adorable!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanJames heard his father chuckle. "You think any baby is adorable, Gin. Doesn't matter if it's actually cute or not." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAt his mum's protests, his dad and Aunt Hermione laughed, and then there was a pause in the conversation, full of thick tension. "What's wrong, Hermione?" he heard his dad ask eventually. "You've never come so suddenly before... not that we're complaining."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAunt Hermione sighed. "It's Adam. I... I thought that when we married, he would just be a prince in name, but he's been under severe political pressure, and the years have changed him. He's politically ambitious, and at times, it's been hard to live my life in the spotlight as his wife. And poor Isabelle... I can't have any more children, you know, and she doesn't have any friends her own age. As much as I hate to say it, she's well, ill-adjusted..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFor a second, James couldn't hear anything, and then he realized that Fred had pulled the Extendable Ear away from him. He gave his cousin a cross look. "What'd you do that for?" he whispered. Fred looked uncomfortable. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mate," he said, "I just feel like we're not supposed to listen to this." But James, ignoring his friend's advice and swatting him away, snatched the Extendable Ear and held it close. This was juicier than Merlin's panties, and he was em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"not/em going to let his cousin ruin this session of eavesdropping./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"... so he wants her to go to Beauxbatons when the time comes," he heard Aunt Hermione continue, "which is fine, but Hogwarts is my alma mater, and Isabelle overheard the argument. So, last night, when we were talking about her getting married..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hermione!" his mum interjected. "She's eight years old!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know," Aunt Hermione said grimly. "But Adam insists we discuss it. I told him that no daughter of mine will marry if she doesn't want to, and that was it for the time being, but I know that as she gets older, we'll have to discuss it again. There's a law in our kingdom that a woman cannot rule unaccompanied, and in order to secure the throne of the province as Princess Regent, Isabelle will have to marry before her eighteenth birthday."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's horrid, 'Mione," James heard his dad say, as though he had a heavy weight pressing on him. "I can't imagine if that was James or Al or Lily."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAnd finally, in a rare moment of soberness, James removed the Extendable Ear. "Yeah, I think I've heard enough." Pressing the device into Fred's hand, he walked away from the kitchen and the rest of the way up the stairs, heading towards Lily's room. He hesitated a moment outside the door before finally pushing it open, just a crack to peer inside./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHeather and his sister were playing with some elaborate clothing, Lily wearing a purple gown and crown and Heather wielding a sword, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJames felt old as he watched them. Out there, somewhere, a girl just like his little sister was sitting in a palace, not even aware that in a few short years she'd be married. He wished he could warn this unknown girl that she had to get married soon and tell her that she should run away. But he couldn't, unless.../span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanJames practically ran down the stairs, nicked a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkpot from his dad's desk and was about to scribble a quick note when he heard footsteps behind him. In his surprise, he splashed a bit of ink on his dad's paperwork and turned to see who it was. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;""What are you doing?" Fred asked, waggling his eyebrows. James let out the breath he'd been holding. Thank Merlin it wasn't his dad./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said lazily, tucking a bit of parchment, a quill, and a closed inkpot into his robes. "It's nothing. Really, Fred."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"Fred raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. They exited Mr. Potter's study and saw Albus on the stairs./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;""Listen," James said, seeing the adults were still talking, "it's practically summer, and we still haven't used your new broom, Al... how's a pick-up game of Quidditch sound? Fred, you can be ref, and then you can play winner."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe boys' eyes lit up. "Brilliant," said Albus. "I'm in."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Me too," said Fred. Then a wicked glint came into his eye. "Last one to the shed is a big, ugly troll!" he shouted, and all three boys bounded down the stairs and into the sunlit yard, Quidditch the only thing on anyone's mind./span/p