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James woke slowly, not really understanding why his mind decided to wake up so early – 5 o’clock, really? – when his body was still so horribly tired. The duvet was warm and comfortable and the air surrounding him was cold. It was September, that nice time of the year when days were warm, bright and comfortable and the evenings and mornings were chilly and crisp. He had always kind of liked the cold. He sighed and opened one eye.
There she was. The most beautiful woman in the world; Lily Evans.
No, James reminded himself as a smug smile slowly moved itself over his face. Lily Evans Potter. His own Mrs. Potter.
Lily didn’t really like it when he called her that. Said it made her feel old – and ‘excuse you, I am not your Mrs anything!’ ‘Well, Lily dear, you did say your vows to me, so technically you are mine’ ‘In that case you are my idiot, tosser.’
Whenever she said that James thought that yes, he was her idiot and he would be her idiot for the rest of his life. He would be whatever she needed him to be, because she was truly the love of his life. There was no one he could ever love like he loved Lily. The way her eyes crinkled when she smiled; the way she hummed quiet little muggle songs whilst doing the dishes; the way that she couldn’t cook anything but beans and toast; the way that she looked at him.
He loved watching her sleep. Her red hair messy and mouth slightly opened and her freckled cheeks covered with a soft blush. Everything about Lily was perfect. She often told him that this wasn’t true but to James she was the definition to perfect. When he was younger he liked to call her sexy but he rarely did that now. It was as if the word wasn’t enough. Lily was more than sexy; more than fit. She was everything.
He wouldn’t have minded just laying there, watching her breathing, but something was wrong. James had woken up from something, but couldn’t quite figure out what. He tried to listen to the birds outside, when he realised what had awoken him.
A soft wailing was slowly finding his ears and he sighed deeply. No, there was one person that James loved more than he loved Lily. His son.
He gave Lily a kiss on her shoulder – she didn’t even wake, what kind of mother’s instinct is this? – before crawling out of the bed. It was so cold.
“Yes yes yes,” he mumbled as he padded across the hall to Harry’s bedroom. “I’m coming, Harry, I’m coming.”
The little baby – just about one year old – was standing in his crib with a look that would have made Salazar Slytherin himself broken hearted. His thick, black hair was messy from sleeping and his freckled skin caramel. He was chubby and when he saw James he started to make grabby hands. James giggled softly and picked up the small boy.
‘Looks just like his father!’ people always told him. James didn’t agree with this – his baby boy was the perfect match of himself and Lily, with brilliant green eyes and messy black hair and freckles and caramel coloured skin. Everything about this boy was perfect.
James gave Harry a kiss and smiled.
“Hey little man,” he said softly. Harry was still making upset noises. “Oh, baby, please don’t cry, you’ll wake mummy,” he whispered, even though he knew that wasn’t true, and kissed him again. “Do you need a nappy change?”
Harry did need a nappy change. So as the good father that James was – whatever Remus and Sirius thought – he went to change the dirty nappy.
So with a clean nappy and a happy, giggling baby he returned out of the bathroom. He was swirling and dancing with the giggling boy. His beautiful baby boy.
“You’ve gotten so big, you are such a big boy now! And soon Daddy’s gonna teach you all of the best pranks,” he said with a smirk and tickled Harry. The boy bounced in arms and giggled. “My little Marauder. You will be great one day! I promise you! I swear on all that is good.” He held Harry close and kissed his forehead tenderly. Wondered slowly if the baby understood what his father was telling him.
Even though he didn’t want to tell anyone – not even Lily – James was really worried for his son’s life. The war was ever so present and it worried James that Harry would grow up in a world so messed up like this. What if they won? What if the Death Eaters found them? He knew that whatever happened to him and Lily, Harry’d be safe with Sirius, with a bit of help from Remus and Peter. He wanted to watch Harry grow up – become the amazing grown up that James knew he would become. But the threat of that not happening was always surrounding them.
“Daddy’s never gonna let anything harm you,” he whispered quietly, and held Harry closer.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he heard a soft voice behind him. Lily was leaning against the doorframe and smiled at her two boys with that kind of adoration and love that can only be found from mothers. Harry made approving noises and reached out toward her. Lily started to close the distance between them and James followed suit. She kissed Harry’s cheek and let him grab hold of her index finger with her chubby hand before she and James kissed. They both tasted of morning and Lily’s mouth was still a bit swollen from sleep and James was so warm and comforting.
“I will keep it,” James said solemnly and looked at their baby. “I will make sure that nothing harms him. I have to.”
Lily smiled sadly. “As will I,” she said simply. They looked at each other before they leaned into each other and kissed again.
James wanted it to be like this forever. Everything was perfect in these moments. Nothing was coming for them, everyone was safe.
Lily wrapped her arms around James’s body and kissed Harry again. “Let’s go back to bed now,” she said and rubbed her nose against Harry’s, making the small boy giggle even more. “It’s way too early and way too cold, plus, Sirius and Remus aren’t coming to visit until like twelve, and it’s about six now.”
James grinned broadly. “That sounds like a marvellous idea, Lily dear,” he said and wrapped one of his arms around her waist and followed her to the bedroom. He kissed her head and looked adoringly at Harry, whom was giggling and talking nonsense while Lily nodded and hummed with interest. Harry loved talking – the problem was that he didn’t know how to yet.
But soon you’ll even be able to fly his broom by himself, James thought and his smile softened ever so much. Thank God his 15-year-old self couldn’t see him like this.
Lily sat down on the bed and let Harry go – the chubby boy giggled and crawled into the middle of the bed. The giggles never seemed to run out, but Lily just smiled and tickled Harry. She was cooing incoherently at him and talked nonsense – at least it was to James. If he knew Lily, she meant something with every syllable.
James was leaning against the doorframe and just watched them with a soft smile.
They were his life; his world. He wished everything would always be like this. He wished that this war could just end and he could give his son the life he deserved. Looking at that small, fragile boy made him think about the future. Soon Harry would be walking. Then he would say stuff that didn’t sound like it was made up. They would teach him how to ride a broom and those muggle things (a bite or something) that Lily talked about. They would bake him cookies (or well, James would, Merlin knows Lily couldn’t bake at all) and give him everything a child deserved. Everything.
“Are you just going to stand there, weirdo?” Lily said and smirked while Harry started to calm down slightly under the duvet. James smiled and walked over to the bed, under the duvet and pulled the warm baby boy closer to himself.
“C’mere, Harry,” he said and kissed the top of his messy black hair. “Daddy’s your favourite, right? Say dada.”
Lily huffed and scooted closer to the two as well. “Noo, Harry, love, isn’t Mummy much better than Daddy? Say mama, come on baby, ma-ma.”
But it was already to late. Harry had put one thumb in his mouth and the other hand in Lily’s hair and fallen to sleep. James giggled and reached out an arm to Lily. She smiled softly and moved closer, so they were lying close together with the small child tightly cuddled up in-between them. Lily stretched and managed to kiss James. They kissed for a while, careful not to wake up the sleeping boy in their arms. It was nice. More than nice – it was perfect.
“When were Moony and Pads coming over?” James mumbled sleepily, his eyelids growing heavy and his mind foggy. Lily hummed.
“I don’t know and right now I don’t care,” she muttered and tightened her arms around Harry and James – her two boys. “Let’s be honest James, this wouldn’t be the worst position that they’ve found us in.”
James snorted a quiet laugh and nodded. “I knew there were a reason I married you,” he said, jokingly. He knew that Lily rolled her eyes, though hers were closed.
“Yeah, now the question is why I married you,” she said, almost asleep. James smiled and kissed her softly, making her hum with approval.
“For my magnificent good looks of course,” he whispered with a tired smirk. “And my charm and my skill and my wits and my humour and my…”
“Well it certainly couldn’t have been ‘cause of your modesty…” Lily muttered, making James laugh again. “With a head that big it’s a wonder that you managed to do as well as you did in the quidditch field.”
James shook with quiet laughter. “My head’s not the only thing that’s big.”
“You are disgusting,” Lily said, smiling softly and shaking her head. “In front of our child?”
“I was talking about my heart,” he said with an eyeroll. (He really hadn’t been.)
“Yeah sure, mr Potter,” she said and James felt how her body shook with laughter.
“Of course mrs Potter.”
“You know that I hate it when you call me that.”
“Then why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh, shut up, you idiot.”
“Your idiot.”
“Why did I marry you?”
“You know you love me.”
“Yes. I really do.”