Pride and Joy
Title: Pride and Joy
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's, not mine.
Pairing: James/Lily
Rating: none
Feedback: I'm a comment whore.
Author’s Notes: This was written for prophet_elite with the theme of "pride." I have this love for the Marauders, so, you know, I've been writing a lot about them.
The slam of the front door jerked Lily awake, and her arms moved instinctively to wrap around the infant tucked against her body. Harry woke up as well and started to whimper. She shushed and soothed him, rocking him gently.
"James?" she called, pressing Harry close to her chest, her heart beating wildly.
It was then that she heard the voices, growing louder and coming closer.
"-still asleep, guys. Can't you come back later?"
"Come on, Prongs, we've been waiting two days!" a voice complained. "I want to see my godson!"
Lily's lips broke into a smile. "It's all right, James," she called. "I'm awake. So's Harry."
The bedroom door opened and three faces peered in, each of them beaming. James, Sirius, and Remus. As one unit, they pushed their way into the room and gathered around the bed.
Sirius' eyes were round. "He's so tiny! Why's he so tiny?"
"He's a baby, Sirius," Remus laughed. "Congratulations, you two, he's beautiful."
"I'm still miffed you didn't name him Harry Sirius. James is such a boring name," Sirius said.
"Hey!" James shoved at his shoulder.
"Would you like to hold him, Sirius?" Lily asked him.
The young man looked both terrified and excited by the prospect. James laughed and pulled a chair over. "Here, sit down." Sirius plonked down into the seat. James transferred the infant from Lily's arms to Sirius'.
He stared down at the baby in his arms as Remus moved behind the chair to watch from over his shoulder. Harry looked up at his godfather with big, innocent baby eyes, and blew a spit bubble. Sirius wrinkled his nose. "Gross."
Remus laughed, reaching over his shoulder to place a finger in Harry's fist. The baby gripped it and held on fast. "He's amazing."
"Hey, where's Peter?" James asked. "He should be here for this."
"He's got a shift for the Order. He said he'd be along afterwards," Remus told him without looking up from Harry.
Lily smiled. "James, take a picture of them, will you?"
"Oh yeah!" James pulled out his wand. "Accio camera!"
The camera came whizzing through the door and into his hand. He focused the lens on Remus, Sirius, and Harry, and snapped a photo. The bright flash caught Harry in the eyes. He scrunched his face and started to cry.
"Crying baby!" Sirius exclaimed, panicking. Harry was quickly passed from his godfather to his mother for soothing. Lily cradled him in her arms, and James snatched a musical rattle from his crib and handed it over.
Remus clapped Sirius on the shoulder. "We should go. With the two of you on maternity… erm, parental leave, we've been picking up more shifts at the Order. The Longbottoms are out too, they've had their son as well, so there are a lot of extra shifts right now." His expression was a little worn, and it was clear to the couple who was pulling many of those extra shifts.
Sirius reluctantly rose to his feet. Harry was quieting down, gurgling at the rattle that Lily was waving in front of him. "Yeah. I suppose we should go. We'll see you around, all right?"
James grinned at the pair of them. "Come back soon, and make sure you bring Peter along!"
"We will," Remus promised, dragging Sirius out by his collar. "Goodbye!"
They heard the faint popping sounds of the boys Disapparating outside the house. James settled down on the mattress beside his wife, leaning down to drop a kiss on her nose, followed by a kiss on Harry's nose.
"We really did create something wonderful here, didn't we?" Lily whispered, brushing her hand over Harry's lightly fuzzed head.
"We did," James agreed. "He's going to be amazing at Potions, just like his mom."
"And hopefully not so keen on jinxes, like his father," she teased.
"And the Longbottoms' son will be his best friend, I'll bet. Born practically at the same time! We should start arranging playdates."
Lily smiled and kissed Harry on the forehead. "I just hope… that Harry will have a world to grow up in. I'm so tired of the fighting, James," she said sadly. "I want it to be over with. For him."
"It will be over, darling. I want this world to be safe for our boy just as much as you do. We'll make sure that happens."
The young couple looked down at their beautiful baby boy, their pride and their hope, and felt comforted in the knowledge that even with so much evil around them, something this wonderful could exist. There could still be moments as pure as this. Harry yawned, blinked his clear, blue eyes, and grabbed a fist of Lily's hair to tug on.
"Oh, ow, Harry, let go," Lily said, gently releasing her hair as James laughed.
"He'll be a Seeker, I'll bet!" he said excitedly.
"Oh James," Lily sighed, smiling. "All babies grab their mother's hair."
"Yeah, well, he's really good at it," James replied stubbornly. He looked at his watch, and quickly kissed his wife and son. "I'm going to go start dinner. Anything you want?"
"Pudding," Lily answered with a grin.
James laughed. "I'll be sure to make it the main course." He bounded out of the room.
Lily looked down at her son, who yawned again and closed his eyes sleepily. Lily nestled him close to her body. She was still amazed by the bundle in her arms. "I promise you we'll make this world safe for you, my little darling. Nothing will harm you."
Tiny little moments of bliss.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's, not mine.
Pairing: James/Lily
Rating: none
Feedback: I'm a comment whore.
Author’s Notes: This was written for prophet_elite with the theme of "pride." I have this love for the Marauders, so, you know, I've been writing a lot about them.
The slam of the front door jerked Lily awake, and her arms moved instinctively to wrap around the infant tucked against her body. Harry woke up as well and started to whimper. She shushed and soothed him, rocking him gently.
"James?" she called, pressing Harry close to her chest, her heart beating wildly.
It was then that she heard the voices, growing louder and coming closer.
"-still asleep, guys. Can't you come back later?"
"Come on, Prongs, we've been waiting two days!" a voice complained. "I want to see my godson!"
Lily's lips broke into a smile. "It's all right, James," she called. "I'm awake. So's Harry."
The bedroom door opened and three faces peered in, each of them beaming. James, Sirius, and Remus. As one unit, they pushed their way into the room and gathered around the bed.
Sirius' eyes were round. "He's so tiny! Why's he so tiny?"
"He's a baby, Sirius," Remus laughed. "Congratulations, you two, he's beautiful."
"I'm still miffed you didn't name him Harry Sirius. James is such a boring name," Sirius said.
"Hey!" James shoved at his shoulder.
"Would you like to hold him, Sirius?" Lily asked him.
The young man looked both terrified and excited by the prospect. James laughed and pulled a chair over. "Here, sit down." Sirius plonked down into the seat. James transferred the infant from Lily's arms to Sirius'.
He stared down at the baby in his arms as Remus moved behind the chair to watch from over his shoulder. Harry looked up at his godfather with big, innocent baby eyes, and blew a spit bubble. Sirius wrinkled his nose. "Gross."
Remus laughed, reaching over his shoulder to place a finger in Harry's fist. The baby gripped it and held on fast. "He's amazing."
"Hey, where's Peter?" James asked. "He should be here for this."
"He's got a shift for the Order. He said he'd be along afterwards," Remus told him without looking up from Harry.
Lily smiled. "James, take a picture of them, will you?"
"Oh yeah!" James pulled out his wand. "Accio camera!"
The camera came whizzing through the door and into his hand. He focused the lens on Remus, Sirius, and Harry, and snapped a photo. The bright flash caught Harry in the eyes. He scrunched his face and started to cry.
"Crying baby!" Sirius exclaimed, panicking. Harry was quickly passed from his godfather to his mother for soothing. Lily cradled him in her arms, and James snatched a musical rattle from his crib and handed it over.
Remus clapped Sirius on the shoulder. "We should go. With the two of you on maternity… erm, parental leave, we've been picking up more shifts at the Order. The Longbottoms are out too, they've had their son as well, so there are a lot of extra shifts right now." His expression was a little worn, and it was clear to the couple who was pulling many of those extra shifts.
Sirius reluctantly rose to his feet. Harry was quieting down, gurgling at the rattle that Lily was waving in front of him. "Yeah. I suppose we should go. We'll see you around, all right?"
James grinned at the pair of them. "Come back soon, and make sure you bring Peter along!"
"We will," Remus promised, dragging Sirius out by his collar. "Goodbye!"
They heard the faint popping sounds of the boys Disapparating outside the house. James settled down on the mattress beside his wife, leaning down to drop a kiss on her nose, followed by a kiss on Harry's nose.
"We really did create something wonderful here, didn't we?" Lily whispered, brushing her hand over Harry's lightly fuzzed head.
"We did," James agreed. "He's going to be amazing at Potions, just like his mom."
"And hopefully not so keen on jinxes, like his father," she teased.
"And the Longbottoms' son will be his best friend, I'll bet. Born practically at the same time! We should start arranging playdates."
Lily smiled and kissed Harry on the forehead. "I just hope… that Harry will have a world to grow up in. I'm so tired of the fighting, James," she said sadly. "I want it to be over with. For him."
"It will be over, darling. I want this world to be safe for our boy just as much as you do. We'll make sure that happens."
The young couple looked down at their beautiful baby boy, their pride and their hope, and felt comforted in the knowledge that even with so much evil around them, something this wonderful could exist. There could still be moments as pure as this. Harry yawned, blinked his clear, blue eyes, and grabbed a fist of Lily's hair to tug on.
"Oh, ow, Harry, let go," Lily said, gently releasing her hair as James laughed.
"He'll be a Seeker, I'll bet!" he said excitedly.
"Oh James," Lily sighed, smiling. "All babies grab their mother's hair."
"Yeah, well, he's really good at it," James replied stubbornly. He looked at his watch, and quickly kissed his wife and son. "I'm going to go start dinner. Anything you want?"
"Pudding," Lily answered with a grin.
James laughed. "I'll be sure to make it the main course." He bounded out of the room.
Lily looked down at her son, who yawned again and closed his eyes sleepily. Lily nestled him close to her body. She was still amazed by the bundle in her arms. "I promise you we'll make this world safe for you, my little darling. Nothing will harm you."
Tiny little moments of bliss.