Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of this story. I'm emotionally unstable. Aha joking! Love ya'll who read my stories! Stay Happy!
Harry was rudely awaked as the door to the master bedroom, creaked open and a small black, haired boy crept in. Harry turned and came face to face with a pair of small, hazel eyes. James clambered onto his Dad and pulled the covers of him. Harry groaned and looked at the wall opposite, of course, 6:30am, though Harry knew James couldn't stay asleep much longer. He was 5 years old today.
"Daddy," whispered James, "wake up, its my birthday!" His little face was aligned with excitement, telling Harry that James had already sneaked downstairs to see the huge pile of presents his parents had left him. Harry quietly shifted James so he could get up properly. He swung a bathrobe round himself and checked on a still sleeping, 1-week old Lily Potter. She was dozing, eyes fluttering between open and close, so Harry tiptoed out of the room, followed by James, so not to wake his sleeping wife either. Albus' door lay ajar and Harry noticed he was still asleep.
"Daddy! Look, presents!" whispered James, as he saw the big pile by the toy boxes, in the large living room. Harry nodded and grinned at his son. Although they he tried not too to much, Harry liked to spoil his children on their birthdays, for he had watched Dudley receive many marvellous gifts, as he himself, sat and watched. James made to open one in front of him, but Harry pulled him back.
"Not right now, wait till Mummy, Albus and Lily are awake" he told James, "They want to see you open them."
James looked longingly at the gift, before nodding and turning away, into the floo room, where his favourite toy was situated; his toy Nimbus 2000. Harry went into the kitchen and started to cook some early breakfast. The food started to make itself when a small pitter-patter indicated that Albus has woken up and was trundling down the stairs. Harry swopped him up and kissed him.
"Hey buddy, how did you sleep?" He asked the yawning boy, Albus just nodded, before pointing at the pile of presents in the living room.
"James birthday now" he said, in his little toddler voice.
"It is! He's 5! He's very grown up now." Said Harry. Even as he said this, he remembered when his first-born son was placed into his Dad's arms for the first time, bloodied and screaming from birth, and Harry painfully felt that time was going to quickly.
"Not that old silly Daddy. You are very old" Giggled Albus, poking his dad in the shoulder.
"Oi!" he said playfully, tickling Albus. Albus didn't move. He crossed his arms and looked at Harry, a Ginny-ish look on his face.
"Not ticklish"
"Not even a little bit?" said Harry, running his hands in all sensitive places. Albus just pushed his hand away.
"Nope"
Harry laughed and put Albus down, so he could play with his brother. He span around and continued with breakfast.
10 minutes passed, and all was still quiet. That was until, a tiny wail erupted from upstairs and footsteps above were heard.
"Hey James, Al, it looks like Mummy and Lily are awake!" Harry called through the kitchen. He heard James tiny cheer and he came running into the kitchen. Albus waited at the foot of the stairs and clambered into his Mums arms as she came down, feeding Lily.
"Hey Al!" She smiled, stroking his hair, looking around the kitchen. She kissed Harry before turning to a beaming James, his chest puffed out.
"And who's the birthday boy here then?" She joked, "Daddy? Are you getting even older?" She laughed, receiving a grimace from Harry.
"No, Mummy, ME! Not Daddy! I'm 5!" He leapt up and danced around the kitchen. Harry and Ginny laughed and Albus clapped happily.
They all sat down and ate breakfast; James' favourite treat, pancakes. James gobbled his up greedily as Harry helped Albus with his. Ginny had finished feeding Lily and kept glancing to the corner where she lay in her bassinet.
"Hey Al, look at this" said James, and he opened his mouth, so his family could see all his chewed-up pancake inside.
Albus looked appalled and looked bewildered at his Dad who sighed and pushed James' chin up.
"Don't do that James, it's disgusting."
"Just a joke" mumbled James, before swallowing the pancake. Ginny was watching, bemused at the scene, until Lily cried loudly. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, who was no creating sparks of different colours from his wand, much to Albus' and James' delight.
"Red!" yelled James.
"Blue" said Albus.
Harry just did both at once, which created a purple. Albus clapped again and James almost fell of his chair.
"Let's go open presents yeah?" said Ginny, who sensed imminent danger. James squealed and skidded into the living room, crashing into the coffee table. He picked himself up and placed a small-ish present, wrapped in gold and red paper, on his lap.
"You wanna open that one?" said Harry, plopping Albus down onto the sofa. He immediately clambered off to sit next to James. Ginny handed Lily to Harry, who cradled her. She was looking at him with big, warm brown eyes.
"Look!" James cried, as he unwrapped a big, soft dragon, from his Uncle Charlie. He held it up to his Dad, who took it and smiled.
"Wow! That nice of Uncle Charlie" said Harry, giving the dragon back to James. All the other family member would be giving James his presents tonight, at the Burrow, but Charlie was still in Romania.
After 1 hour of opening presents and testing them out, Harry went upstairs to get ready to leave for the Burrow. He gently put Lily on the bed, where she cooed and gurgled, and then he went to put on some clothes. He wore muggle clothes, but intended to put a cloak on over the top. Ginny was getting Albus and James ready, because she had already gotten ready before, and so Harry dressed Lily. He put her in a pink baby-suit, with little snitches flying around. He picked her up again and went downstairs. Ginny was putting cloaks on Albus and James and so Harry placed Lily in her pram. He then swung his cloak around himself, and picked up his, Ginny's and James' brooms. It was a tradition that they all played Quidditch when ever they all gathered at the Burrow.
"Daddy?" he heard Albus through the door way, "Daddy. Daddy, Mummy said that I can go with you and Lily now. She said James is fussy" He pointed through the door, to where Harry could hear muffled yells and protests from James.
"Gin? I'll bring Albus and Lily, yeah?!" he called. He heard a distant yes. "Oh, and I've got the brooms" he added. Ginny didn't reply but Harry knew she had heard. He picked up Lily and hugged her close; babies weren't supposed to be apperating if they were in the pram. Albus clung onto his Dads leg and the brooms were placed inside the pram. Harry was about to turn on the spot when Ginny skidded into the hall, pulling James by the hand.
"Wait" she panted, before clasping Harrys arm. The Potter's disapperated together, landing outside the burrow, where The WWN could be heard. A huge banner flashed, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES' across the front of the house. James squealed and ran into his waiting grandmother's arms. She kissed his head and waved at his parents and siblings. Albus waved back, before his uncle Ron came out of nowhere and swooped him up.
"Hey Al!" he cried, swinging the toddler around.
"Hello there Ron!" said Harry, "Once you've finished swinging my 2-year-old son around, I suppose you want to see Lily?"
"Wow! Yes, I forgot!" he said, putting Albus down and taking Lily from Harry.
"How can you forget your sister gave birth?" laughed Harry, picking up Albus.
"No, I suppose. It just didn't cross my mind" He looked at Lily. "She looks a lot like Ginny, I'd say. Just the eye shape." He remarked.
"I suppose so yes"
Rose came into view, being held by Hermione, who was also holding Hugo.
"Looks like you got your hands full Auntie Minnie" giggled James, tickling Hugo's hand. He laughed and pulled it away. He was 7 months old, and had a shocking wave if red hair, sprouting out the top of his head. Harry put Albus down to play and talked to Hermione.
"It does actually," he told her, "Do you want to put Rose down, so she can play with Albus?"
"I was going to anyway" Hermione said. She placed an almost 2-year-old Rose next to Albus who joined hands and hopped away into the garden. Hermione looked at them fondly before saying,
"Where is she Harry?"
Harry laughed and gestured towards Ron, holding a sleeping Lily. She walked over and stroked her head.
"She's gorgeous Harry"
Harry smiled proudly.
"I do hope Lily and Hugo get on as well as Albus and Rose" she said. Harry nodded. Albus and Rose were inseparable, having grown up together. Hugo was born at the end of September, so 7 months away from Lily's birthday. Hugo was looking at baby Lily and mumbled, "Babee" Hermione and Ron just looked at their son.
"What did you say Hugo?" said a shocked Ron, handing Lily back to Harry, so he could concentrate on his son.
Hugo pointed at Lily and said, "Babee." Ron looked temporarily shocked, before he cheered.
"That as his first word!" said Hermione, looking at Harry. Harry grinned and spoke to his nephew.
"Yeah, that's a baby Hugo. Now say her name. Lily." He said.
Hugo thought for moment before saying, "Lily"
Hermione was tearing up.
"Hermione! Why are you crying?" said a bewildered Ginny, who had just come over.
"Hugo just said his first proper word!" she cried.
"And…?" carried on Ginny.
"He said Lily!" Hermione said, bouncing Hugo up and down. Ginny smiled happily, then looked at Harry, who was standing looking very smug indeed.
"Why are you so smug?" she said to him, eye-brow raised.
"Me and Ron had a bet. I bet his first word would be Lily, and he bet his first word would be Daddy." Harry glanced at Ron, who was rummaging around in his pocket. He thrust 5 galleons into Harry's hand and
Kicked his leg.
"Oi mate I'm holding a baby" shot Harry, balancing on one leg. Ginny had quickly grabbed Lily from Harry's arms and was shaking her head.
"Typical. You bet on his first words. Of course you did." She said to herself.
That afternoon, after a good birthday buffet and opening of presents, the whole extended family went outside to play Quidditch, all except Molly and Arthur, who would be watching the young ones. James, Fred II, Victoire, Teddy Lupin, and Molly II were all begging the adults to let them join in.
"It is myy birthday" Harry heard James whine countless times. In the end, the adults only allowed Teddy to play, he was the eldest at 11 after all. James was calmed down after all the adults told him they would be flying really high and fast.
"But I w…w…want to go h…high and f…f…fasssst" he sniffled.
"Maybe later? Yeah?" Harry told him, "I'll take you on a ride on my broomstick and we shall go really high and really fast." James nodded and went to play with Fred II.
The Quidditch match went on for a long time, it was 4pm by the time they all came down, pink faced and sweaty. James ran up to his Dad and whispered in his ear,
"Let's go now." Harry nodded and went to tell Ginny where he was going. She nodded, and continued her chat with Fleur.
Harry pulled his son on to the shiny firebolt and pushed into the air. Harry held tightly around the middle of James' tummy and steered with his free right hand.
"HIGHER" yelled James, and Harry grinned, leading them up. James' hair was shaking in the cool breeze and Harry knew James would grow up loving the favourite wizarding sport. Harry slowed down and watched, as his first-born son pretended to steer the broomstick. He was loving this.
That night, when all the families had gone home, and the Burrow was tidied up, Harry sat on James' bed. James was slowly nodding off and Harry stayed with him until he did. Just before Harry left the room, James mumbled,
"Thank you, Daddy, I love you" Harry smiled,
"I love you too" He replied