For: Quidditch League Round 13, covering for Nami.
James cradles his young son close to his chest, humming softly as he tries to rock him to sleep. Harry gurgles contentedly, but shows no signs of tiredness. James grins as Harry waves his chubby fists in the air. His green eyes, Lily's green eyes, meet James's hazel ones and Harry's small face breaks out into a grin. He squirms as James attempts to lower him into the cot, forcing James to cradle him again.
James shakes his head affectionately, not really minding that Harry wouldn't sleep, just enjoying the time he got to spend with his son.
"Stubborn thing aren't you, Harry?" James speaks softly, a soft smile plays on his lips as his son giggles. "Just like your mother. She never does anything she doesn't want to, either; including going to sleep."
James tweaks his son's nose, laughing when Harry's stubby fingers latch onto his and he gurgles happily. His hands reach out and grab James's glasses, and James laughs again as Harry tries to replace them on James's face. Harry's shakes his fists, and the frames of the glasses nearly poke James's eye out.
James reaches for the glasses, but Harry grins and moves them as much out of James's reach as his short little arms can manage. James's lips curl up into a proud smile.
"You, my son, will make a fine marauder when you grow up, causing mayhem and havoc at Hogwarts just as we did. The son of James Potter, godson of Sirius Black, with Peter and Remus for uncles; raised by me, with tutoring from Padfoot, encouragement from Wormtail and the occasional scolding from Moony. You will make a fine marauder indeed, poor McGonagall, she thought us leaving was the end of her troubles," James tickles Harry, beaming as his son giggles and squirms, clutching James's glasses tight.
"Can I have my glasses, Harry?" James asks. Harry grins up at his father mischievously, and waves his arms around again, wanting to play. James chuckles.
"Alright, alright, you little jester. You think you're so funny, stealing my glasses," James tutted, mock seriously. He kissed Harry's nose and grinned. "I need to get dressed, so I'll put you in the living room and you can play with the cat, okay?" James takes Harry's giggles as a yes. He reclaims his glasses, relishing the ability to see again and he cuddles Harry again, kissing his forehead before laying him down on the floor.
Harry lies on the pile of cloaks that Lily and James placed on the floor instead of a rug. One of his favourite games was to roll himself up in them. The cat curled up next to the gurgling baby. James smiled, content that Harry would be safe for a few minutes while he got dressed.
James quietly makes his way upstairs, it was early yet. Only six in the morning. Harry had woken early and couldn't be coaxed back to sleep, so James had gotten up to deal with him, leaving Lily asleep.
Slipping into their bedroom, James tries to make as little noise as possible, not wishing to wake Lily. He smiles as he sees her, red hair splays out across the pillow, one arm underneath it and the other somewhere on his side of the bed. She's half kicked the covers off, with her odd, curled up way of sleeping. He tiptoes silently to where she is, and pulls the covers up so they cover her shoulders, and he kisses her forehead gently.
He still couldn't quite believe it, sometimes. James would wake up in the middle of the night and think this all a dream. He would think that Lily, lying next to him, was a dream. That Harry in his cot was a dream. He still couldn't believe that she married him. Then he'd look down, and see Lily curled up on his chest and hear the faint snores of his son, and James would remember that it was real. His wife was real, his son was real. It was all real.
Lily stirs a little in her sleep.
"James?"
Her sleepy voice is one of his favourite things about Lily. It's quiet, and husky. There's no worry in her voice, because she hasn't remembered that there is a war yet. James thinks she sounds adorable, as carefree as she did on her first day at Hogwarts, before she learned about the horrors of the Wizarding world. He smiles, she sounds so innocent.
"Go back to sleep, Lil," he murmurs quietly, running a hand through her hair and watching her smile, and lean into his hand. She opens her eyes slowly, and yawns.
"What time is it?"
He smiles again. "It's only six. Harry wouldn't go back to sleep. Stay in bed, I've got him."
Her brow furrows as her not-quite-awake mind tries to take in all the information. Lily eventually snuggles back into the bed.
"You just want Harry all to yourself," she teases with a smile. James grins, leaning forward so he could whisper into her ear.
"Are you calling me greedy, Evans? Accusing me of a dastardly plot to take Harry and run like some devious, intelligent, clever, ruggedly handsome pirate?"
She tilts her head so their lips are almost touching. James smirks.
"Something like that," she grins. "Although not so much intelligent."
James pouts. "Not intelligent?"
Lily pretends to consider for a moment before shaking her head.
"But you think I'm ruggedly handsome?"
Lily sighs in resignation. "Well I suppose you must be, to make up for your lack of intelligence."
James grins. "As long as you agree that I'm ruggedly handsome, I'll convince you of my intelligence another time when our son isn't downstairs waiting to be whisked off on my pirate ship."
He quickly kisses Lily, who hums contentedly, and gets dressed before going back downstairs.
"Harry?"
James frowns. He swears he left Harry on the cloaks on the floor...oh no, he realises. He put Harry in the invisibility cloak. He should have noticed the odd colour of the cloak earlier, should have taken that as a warning sign. It wasn't the first time he'd done this, but James knew Lily would murder him if she found out.
"Harry?" James calls out again, softly. He walks carefully into the room, unsure of where Harry is in the room and not wishing to accidentally step on him.
He is met with silence. Not even a giggle. James sighs. Hide and seek has always been Harry's favourite game, probably because he's so good at it. This wasn't going to be easy.
As James carefully treads around the room, he hums Harry's favourite song in the hopes of eliciting at least a giggle from the hidden boy. He takes small steps, wandering around the cosy room, gently nudging the air with his foot before stepping to see if Harry was there.
James smiles ruefully, the boy would make a fine Marauder one day. It's at times like these when he regrets teaching Harry the art of Maraudery.
"Okay, Harry, fun's over. You win! You can come out now," James calls out tentatively, wary of Lily's supernatural ability to hear things that she's not supposed to.
James stands in the centre of the room, having searched all of it and still not found Harry. Part of James is proud of his son's hiding ability, he knows Sirius would be. Sirius would find this whole situation hysterical, James thinks, but that's only because he's not the one who has to face Lily's wrath if she finds out.
Still no answer. Frowning, and just a little bit worried, James decides to try bribery. "Harry, mate, c'mon. I'll let you play on your broomstick if you come out!"
James chews his lip nervously. Lily was going to absolutely murder him, then resurrect him and murder him again. James shuddered at the thought.
Looking around the room James notices the dusty old arm chair tucked away in the corner. It was rarely used, and it blended in with the pale room which is why James didn't notice it earlier. There was enough space between the seat and the floor to hide a one year old boy. Smirking, James made his way over to the chair, confident that he had found his son. Lily would never have to know, and all would be right in the world.
"Ahah! I've got you now, Harry, little monster, Mr I'm-the-king-of-hide-of-and-seek." James grins as he bends down, comically shoving his head under the chair. It's dark in this corner of the room, so James reaches out his hands to try and find Harry.
"When I find you, Harry, and I will find you," James mutters, still searching. "I will do two things. First of all, you have to promise not to tell "I will do two things. First of all, you have to promise not to tell your mother about this incident. She can never know I lost you, again. She'll murder me, or worse, refuse to sleep with me. That would be a tragedy, Harry, we don't want that. Secondly, I am going to tickle you until you squeal as punishment. Got it? Now where are you, I was so sure you were under this chair..."
"Looking for something, James?"
Bugger.
James laughs nervously, and tries to crawl out from under the chair, banging his head in the process.
"Ow," he mutteres, rubbing his head as he stands up. He doesn't turn around to face Lily just yet, instead he desperately tries to think of a legitimate reason for why he was poking around the battered old rocking chair.
"Serves you right," Lily says knowingly. James feels his heart rate increase and begins to panic. She knows.
"I was, err, just trying to find my, err..."
He trails off; his usual flawless ability to lie had deserted him in the face of his wife.
"Son?" Lily supplied helpfully.
Sheepishly, James turns around, running his hand through his hair nervously.
Lily is standing in the doorway, holding a grinning Harry.
James' mouth drops open. That sneaky bugger.
"Guess who I found sitting half invisible in the kitchen when I got up to make my tea?"
James shifts from foot to foot. His eyes dart around the room looking anywhere but his utterly unamused wife.
Why didn't I think to check the kitchen? James mentally scolds himself.
Lily taps her foot impatiently. "You, James Potter, are an irresponsible, arrogant toerag."
When in doubt and facing an angry wife, use the charm. Always use the charm.
James grins arrogantly. "But you love me."
Lily rolls her eyes. "Merlin only knows why."
James's grin widens. "Does this mean you forgive me for letting Harry play with the invisibility cloak?"
Lily snorts, and places a gurgling Harry on the floor. "'Letting Harry play with the invisibility cloak'. Really, James? That's what you're going with? You lose our son and you try to cover it up as letting him play with the cloak?"
Harry giggles as Lily continues to chastise James.
That little bastards smirking at me, James thinks. James glares at Harry and mouths 'traitor'. Harry's grin widens.
James shrugs. "I wouldn't say that I 'lost' him per se..."
Lily looks incredulous. "That's not what you were saying earlier, Potter."
Damn it.
"Oh were using last names now are we, Evans?"
Lily rolls her eyes. James grins, seeing her resolve slowly starting to break down.
"If you're going to murder me, can we get this over and done quickly? You know, I have things to do and places to be...important stuff. I'm very popular you know."
"You call tinkering on that death trap with Sirius 'important stuff'?"
James looks offended. Secretly he's pleased at the change of topic. "It's not a death trap! It's a motorbike. And we're not 'tinkering'. Honestly, Lils, you make us sound like children."
Lily tuts. "I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work."
James raises an eyebrow. "What's that? Enlighten me."
Lily narrows her eyes. "You know damn well 'what', Potter."
"I really don't."
"You really do."
"Don't."
"Do."
"Don't."
"Do-argh stop it!"
"Stop what?" James asks innocently.
Lily stamps her foot, and pokes James in the chest. "You bastard, you're trying to distract me from yelling at you about Harry."
James grabs her hand and uses it to pull her closer so their chests are touching.
"Is it working?"
Lily glares at him. "Bastard."
James's grin widens and he slides his arms around her waist and pulls her closer again.
"I love you too, Lils."
"I don't forgive you, you know."
James continues smirking. "Mnhm, sure you don't."
"I mean it!"
"Right. I believe you."
James trails a line of kisses down her pale neck, teasing her, He can feel her pulse rate quicken and he knows he's won, despite what she says.
"James! Stop that! It's cheating!"
"I wasn't aware we were playing a game, love," James comments as he kisses the tender spot just underneath her earlobe. She inhales sharply.
Lily moaned as James bit down and sucked. He kissed his way back up her neck to whisper in her ear, "Forgive me, Evans?"
She arches her back, and winds her arms around his neck. "Bloody hell, fine, I forgive you, now bloody kiss me already before I go mad."
James grins. He won. "As you wish."
Then he kissed her.
A/N Please review/favourite:) Feedback is appreciated.