James and Sam exchanged glances as she quickly walked away from Harry, her expression one of fear as she bent her head low and walked passed him. He swallowed as his father mentioned his grandmother's Howler and hoped desperately that neither his Mum or his grandmum knew he wasn't as innocent as they portrayed him. It had never occured to him that his mother could walk in on him like his father had, maybe because Ginny was mostly a Quidditch referee and flying teacher so she was outside a lot.
He opened his mouth then closed it twice in a row, not one sound coming out as his brain tried to come up with an answer good enough for his father to buy. "Well.." he cleared his throat. "Quidditch practice? It was.. I mean I.." he shifted on his feet and mentally slapped himself. He should have known there would be a teacher doing rounds! "I.. needed to relax." he added tentatively. Surely his father knew what it was like, right?