Orchestration

A/N: A prompt from the wonderful ThisIsMegz! She wanted to see Jamie bring a girl home, and I'm an absolute sucker for JamesSirius/AliceLongbottomII so you're all being exposed to one of my obscure little ships, because I love them!

Jamie held Allie's hand and tried not to think about what exactly his parents had in store for him tonight.

He and Alice Longbottom II had been childhood friends, it was hard not to be when they were born the same year and they saw each other nearly twice a month growing up. They were good friends, but not best friends. They were in different houses and as they grew so did their individual interests. But finishing up their last year at Hogwarts, Jamie had realized that somewhere along the way that childhood friendship and teenage acquaintance had changed. Between everyone they each had dated, between the moments of goofing off in the classes they had together and getting Allie's input for pranks, somehow, Jamie had ended up closer to Allie than any other friends he had, including Freddie; and right before NEWTS, Jamie had found himself alone with her in the back of the library and like an idiot he'd kissed her. Thankfully he was a very lucky idiot because she kissed him back. (And Uncle Neville seemed pleased when Allie pulled Jamie into his quarters, so Jamie considered himself a VERY lucky idiot.)

He'd walked off the train holding her hand and their parents all seemed ecstatic for them. Aunt Hannah had hugged him tighter than he ever remembered. His mum held onto Allie for almost as long, and his dad's smile had beamed.

But then, there was that look.

Jamie's parents' had a look. He first noticed the look when his parents would tell the kids there would be no ice cream that night, but he'd sneak downstairs and see them serving themselves ice cream after he and his siblings were supposed to be in bed. It was the look they shared when they had a plan in place for some amazing birthday or Christmas gift for one of the kids. It was the look when they were planning something, and that look was not what Jamie wanted to see when he had just introduced them to the woman he was now calling his girlfriend.

"Allie you'll have to come to dinner this weekend!" Ginny suggested as she pulled Lily and Al into hugs.

"I'd love that!" Allie had beamed up at him, and Jamie had to remember how to speak.

"I'll stop by tomorrow and fill you in on the details then," Jamie bent down and kissed her out of habit - if a habit can be formed in a matter of just under two weeks.

"Gross!" Lily cried and hid her eyes.

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Come off it, Lily. I know you've kissed a boy or two."

"Doesn't mean I want to watch you kissing," she stuck her tongue out at him and then moved to hide behind their dad.

"What's this about watching Jamie snog?" A bright head of turquoise hair walked up behind him and clasped his shoulder

Al smirked over at them, "Jamie and Allie are stepping out together."

"HA!" Teddy whooped! "Vic owes me an ice cream!"

"You bet on this?!" Jamie felt blindsided.

"What are big brothers for, Jamie," Ted ruffled his hair. "I'll see you all at dinner tonight. The boss man is a hard taskmaster." He winked at Harry who rolled his eyes in response.

But that was four days ago, four ominous days, in Jamie's opinion. He was certain they were planning something and no matter how many times he assured Allie they were, she laughed and told him to relax.

"I've grown up around your family Jamie; I know how they can be."

Jamie chose to still be nervous.

He pushed open the door and led Allie to the back garden where his family was already gathered.

"Allie!" Lily jumped up and wrapped her in a hug.

"Hi Lily," Allie laughed. "It's been four days sweetheart; you can't have missed me that much."

Lily laughed, "Maybe, but I'm just happy at the chance at getting another sister."

Jamie felt his face grow redder than his mum's hair.

Allie laughed and hugged Lily again, "I won't say it's out of the question."

Her face was covered by her hair and she didn't look at Jamie, but as she pushed her dark blonde hair behind her ear, Jamie could see the light blush to her cheeks. Suddenly the thought of being with her forever didn't seem quite as daunting - terrifying still, but not so impossible.

"We could definitely do with strengthening the numbers," Vic laughed and pulled Allie into a hug.

"Oi!" Teddy poked Vic's side. "You love your Lupin and Potter boys!"

Vic rolled her eyes but laughed.

Jamie grabbed Allie's hand and instantly Al groaned. But it didn't sound like Al at all, it sounded like...

Jamie suddenly felt a small surge of panic. Al's groan was almost identical to the groan Jamie used to make every time his parents had shown too much affection for his twelve-year-old attitude.

Oh no.

Maybe he imagined it? Maybe Al was just razzing him. He wrapped his arm around Allie's waist and guided her into a chair at the table. But instead of Al groaning, his dad cleared his throat in a very disapproving tone. But his face gave no indication that he'd made any such noise!

Oh no!

So this was what the look on the platform had meant. This was what they had planned. He would have bet his whole life savings that every member of his family had some action of Jamie's past self to do every time he so much as laid a finger on Allie.

Jamie wanted to die.

He was already trying to figure out how to handle moving from pretty good friends with Allie to now dating her. He knew he'd been a nightmare as a young teenager, mostly because he got a good laugh out of it. But he'd stopped about the same time he got his first steady girlfriend. This was just cruelty and he would bet more money that Teddy was behind most of it. Just because he had walked in on Teddy and Vic a time or two his first year didn't mean Jamie had been trying to intrude. He was ELEVEN!

Dinner progressed and Jamie was scared to look at Allie, especially when his family kept up their antics when Allie instigated physical contact. But then he noticed that she was starting to develop... a pattern?

Jamie turned tentatively to look at Allie; she subtlety winked at him.

Jamie was now very confused, but he started paying attention to the pattern she was setting and he realized it was sort of like...music... Allie was playing conductor to this ridiculous orchestra his family had created and he could have kissed her! He wished they could read each other's minds because he desperately wanted to tell her how amazing she was in that moment. Allie had the benefit of not needing to keep a conversation going on top of everything too. Allie had always been sort of quiet unless she really felt the need to say something, so no one expected her to talk. She had free reign to play his family as she pleased! Jamie bit his cheek to keep from laughing and ruining her game.

The game was almost enough to keep Jamie's mind off of exactly how she was playing him while making his whole family follow her lead.

He noticed her speed increase and he wondered what the shift was for. The 'music' didn't grow louder but it did seem to be culminating somehow. Then Allie pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately in front of his whole family and Jamie heard Lily cry out.

"Gross! Get a room!"

And Jamie couldn't hold back his laughter any longer as he pulled Allie closer and laughed against her lips.

When Allie pulled back she was laughing so hard tears were in her eyes.

"I think we just got schooled," Harry chuckled.

"Oh, but you were such a good orchestra!" Allie laughed and Jamie pulled her against him as he and his family laughed with her.

Vic smirked, "I told you Allie would see right through this, Ted. You got a whole ten minutes of Jamie squirming and then were played like a lute in Allie's hands."

Teddy ran a hand in his hair and laughed, "But those ten minutes were awesome!"

Ginny wiped tears from her eyes and stood up, "Let's get the table cleared and we'll get the treacle tart out."

Jamie stood and pulled Allie into him. "You are the most amazing woman on the face of the planet!"

Allie blushed just slightly and smiled up at him through her eyelashes, "It was ok then?"

"It was brilliant!" He kissed her again and laughed when Lily yelled through the kitchen window.

"Gross! Get a room!"