Disclaimer: Harry Potter shall belong to me only if Hell freezes over. I'm merely borrowing J. 's characters and weaving a story with them of my own.
MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY TO HARRY AND HIS CREATOR, J. LOVE BOTH OF YOU TILL DOOMSDAY (AND AFTER THAT TOO)!
Lily craned her neck, her eyes delighting in the vivid colours nature had splashed on the hills and meadows and took in the mountainous tropical paradise of lush green valleys and tranquil blue lakes, sparkling in the sunlight. She stared in speechless wonder at the royal Poinciana trees which marched along the road, their laden branches meeting overhead and their scarlet petals literally carpeting the road.
She smiled as James wrapped his arms around her waist and baby harry tangled his little fist in her fiery red hair, cooing gibberish in her ears. It felt good to be carefree, with the threat of war not looming over their heads anymore and then-
DING!
The alarm on the oven went off furiously, indicating that Harry's birthday cake had been in there for too long. The faint smell of something burning had her tumbling off the sofa where she had dozed off and almost tripping over her feet in her haste to remove the cake from the oven.
Grimacing at its burnt and smoking edges and lopsided structure, Lily suppressed the urge to scream bloody murder and tear her hair out. The only sound that soothed her were Harry's giggles and James' booming laughter as Harry rode the toy-broomstick Sirius had got him for his birthday. James looked like a proud lion when Harry somehow managed not to veer off course and into a wall.
Noticing his wife's distress over the smoking mass on the kitchen counter, James halted their little game and came over. Hugging her tightly, he whispered, "Lils, love, it is not that bad you know."
"But, James, I can't bake another cake. Those were the last of the ingredients left." She pouted.
"Hey, look, it's not as if that little tyke can eat it, so it's only us. And you know I could eat anything you prepared, even if it poisoned me. So no big deal. I'll help you make the icing if you'd like, while you go play with Harry. It'll help take your mind off this."
Nodding her head and giving him a small peck on his lips, she made her way out into the living room. The sight that greeted her instantly improved her mood. Harry was seated snuggly on the dining table, toying with and gaga-ing at the flowers in the vase, which seemed to have deeply captured his attention. When Lily lightly hugged him from behind, his face instantly lit up at seeing his mother and he turned his attention completely to her, talking to her enthusiastically in baby-language.
Meanwhile, James was having a tough time making the icing cream. He had all the ingredients required in a bowl, but for the life of his, he could not understand what he should do with the plug of the blender. Not wanting to disrupt his wife and his son's bonding time, he tried everything possible until he finally got it.
Grinning broadly at the cream he'd managed to make, he set about the task of covering the cake in it. Once it was done, he couldn't have been more proud of himself. He quickly went into the living room and dragged his wife back into the kitchen, laughing.
To say Lily was impressed, was an understatement. She looked positively delighted at the cake they'd baked. Kissing him deeply, Lily tasted a bit of the icing cream and promptly turned a vivid shade of red, a surprising shade of violet and three different shades of blue. She then proceeded to grab the spatula and chase him all around the house.
Harry instantly perked up at the sight of his father running around saying, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I thought that was sugar! I swear I didn't know it was salt!" and his mother chasing him around with a spatula. He clapped his chubby hands together and jumped on his bottom, giggling madly and almost toppling over the table with the force of his laughter.
"Dada!" he cried, and his parents stopped in mid step, staring at him with their mouths hanging open. "Dada! Dada! Dada!"
He was laughing so hard that he never noticed the way he sparkled for a moment and flash of violet light filled the room, though it didn't go unnoticed by Lily and James. Walking in the direction of the flash of light, they saw that the cake they had baked had turned a little bigger and that it no longer looked burnt. The icing did not even taste salty anymore. It was as though nothing had gone wrong at all.
It felt like the best day of their lives. Harry's first word and his first magic all in one day.
After they'd cut the cake and had cream all over their faces, they crashed onto the couch, Harry between them. They played together some more before Harry slowly drifted off to sleep, followed by James.
Lily smiled as she looked at the two most important boys of her life. This is how it should be. She thought. No war, no fear of death or losing your loved ones. I can't imagine what my life would be without these two. I'd give my life in exchange for theirs any day.
She smiled. For now, though, life was like a bed of roses, and she would like to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Happy birthday, Harry she thought, kissing his forehead lovingly and then her husband's before going to sleep herself.