The Stories of Harry's First Words
"Come on Harry, Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" Lily said impatiently at an eight month old Harry sitting in a high chair mashing a banana with his fingers.
"He's not ready yet Lily" James told her comfortingly while levitating his and Lily's dinner plates into their correct spot in the cupboard.
"He is ready! He is the son of two awesome wizards! He should be able to say a little word!" Lily said in anger and Harry just continued squashing his banana and pushing some of it in his mouth with his little fingers.
"He'll say something when he's ready!" James told her, trying to calm her down.
Leave it to Lily to fuss over something like this. James didn't think it was too bad his son didn't know a word yet. As he always said "He'll do it when he can" because it was outrageous of Lily to expect him to say a word when he couldn't, Harry was smart. He could do most things babies his age could. "Padfoot's coming over for dinner tonight" James said hastily trying to change the subject.
"And he has entered the building!" Came a voice from the doorway and there was Sirius, after letting himself in, a big smile on his face.
"You knew it was me anyway!" Sirius said happily and James greeted him with a "Hey dude"
Lily just smiled. "And how's baby Harry doing?" Sirius said picking up Harry from his chair, after Lily cleaned the banana off his hands.
"Who's my favourite godchild? You are! Yes, you are!" Sirius said all happily and James laughed at how soft Sirius got when he was around Harry.
Then something completely unexpected happened making Lily's jaw drop in frustration and James and Sirius' in happiness. Amongst all the babbling Harry was getting on with he said one word "Pafoo"
"HIS FIRST WORD!" James shouted happily and Lily stared blankly.
"His first word was Padfoot? Why wasn't it mama?" Lily asked no one while Sirius could barely contain his excitement.
"His first word was my name! I'm so proud!" Sirius said happily and squeezed Harry even tighter.
Harry was happy from all the excitement and he starting shouting "Pafoo! Pafoo! Paffoo!" at the top of his lungs.
James took his son from Sirius, patted his head and said "Soon enough you'll have your own Marauder name!"
"He most certainly will not!" Lily shouted from the other side of the room, still angered by the thought that her child's first word was Padfoot even though, deep inside, she was proud he had finally said a word.
Sirius leaned over in James' ear and whispered "He seems like a "Wings" to me" and James nodded in agreement.
"Come on Harry, say "apple"! Apple, Apple, Apple, Apple!" Lily tried to coax her son into a second word that was more ordinary.
Harry, on the other hand, was contently playing with the "Apple, Apple, Apple, Apple" and throwing it around. Once hitting her right on the forehead making Harry giggle and Lily laugh lightly.
"How about Banana? "Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na" Say Banana Harry!" Lily tried picking up another fruit but Harry just played with that fruit as well.
"Oh for Merlin's sake! Can't you name anything in this kitchen?" Lily said in frustration before Harry piped up "Kitch!"
"Kitch! Your second word was Kitchen! Good job Harry! Good job!" Lily exclaimed excitedly before Harry pointed to James going out the door with all his quidditch gear on and his broom.
"Kitch!" Harry said happily and pointed to his father again.
"I think he's trying to say "Quidditch" not "Kitchen" honey" James said sheepishly and Lily wiped her forehead and Harry threw all the fruit he had been learning on the floor and laughed.
"What's this Harry? A dog! You say "Dog"! Woof, Woof, Woof!" Lily showed Harry the new picture book she got from the library in another desperate attempt to teach Harry a word that she wouldn't be embarrassed to tell the rest of the Order and Molly.
Molly's son Ronald had already learned a few words like "Ball" and "Mama" and "Dada" but so far all Harry knew was "Kitch" and "Pafoo". Harry, looking at the big, black dog in the book shouted "Pafoo! Pafoo! Pafoo!"
"Okay then, not dog. Let's try Pig! Oink, Oink, Oink, pig!" Lily said happily while Harry just bounced on her lap and poking the book with his little baby finger.
"Oh! Let's try dragon! Arrrrghh, dragon!" James said while entering the room, ruffling Harry's hair and sitting down on the other side of him.
"We are not teaching him dragon!" Lily told James off and laughed at him.
Harry then took off James' glasses, put them on his face and said "Kitch, Kitch, Kitch!" and made zoom noises.
Harry laughed again and was joined by James and Lily after. "Hey! Give those back!" James said and took them back from Harry, ruffling his hair again.
"James! His hair is already messed up enough! Something else he gets from you!" Lily said and turned the page of the book.
"Mouse! Look, you see the mouse Harry? Mousie mouse! Silly mouse!" Lily told Harry, tickling him at the "Silly mouse" part.
"Mouse!" Lily said pointing at the mouse.
James stopped, Lily stopped and it seemed as though the whole word stopped when little baby Harry pointed his little finger at the mouse and said "mmm.."
Could it be true? Was Lily finally getting the word she wanted? "Yes Harry, go on!" Lily encouraged and James just smiled.
"Mmm...WORMY!" Harry exclaimed happily and Lily sighed in frustration.
James laughed very hard. "It's not funny James!" Lily yelled at her husband.
"Yes it is! He can say most of my friend's names but not mine or yours! It's hysterical!" James said happily "Come on Lils, lighten up!"
Lily looked at him and started to laugh a little too. "Good job Harry, two more and you'll know the names of all the idiots I know!" she said and laughed.
Harry laughed too, though he didn't understand and it took James a moment to get it before he shouted "Hey!"
"Okay Harry, for the last time. Look, ball! Say "Ball" Harry!" Lily pointed to the little red ball she had in her hands.
Harry, who was preoccupied with the hem of his shirt played with that instead of listening to his mother which was driving her slowly insane. "Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball!" Lily repeated over and over but Harry wasn't listening and was now playing with the buttons on his jean overalls.
"Lils, I'm having the guys over for beer and a quidditch game!" Came the unmistakeable voice of James from the kitchen.
Harry was a year old now, his birthday was a week ago and he still hadn't learned a word his mother approved of yet. He could say "Pafoo", "Kitch" and "Wormy" which weren't really words but they were words to James so they were words to Lily.
"Alright, but don't make too much of a mess!" Lily shouted back and she heard James mutter a "No promises" before the door slammed shut and James had gone out to get his friends.
He returned with three men in tow, one named "Pafoo", one named "Wormy" and one who had not yet been named by Harry so we're just going to call him Remus. The men gathered in the basement where James had set up a TV, mini fridge for the beer and two couches. The group watched their Quidditch game in peace until Lily came downstairs, Harry in her arms and sat down. "So... What are you up too?"
"Shh Lils, trying to watch the game here!" James waved off his wife as the men raised out of their seat as the quaffle was shot but sat back down when it was blocked.
"But I think Harry's about to say mom!" Lily exclaimed happily and James shut the TV off immediately.
"Really?" Remus asked Lily because she had shared all of her first word woes with him.
"Really! You say "Mommy!" Harry!" Lily encouraged him, smiling anxiously.
"Mmmmm" Harry started and then he did it "Mommy!"
Well Lily just about went insane, James and Sirius broke out into applause, Remus and Peter smiled at Harry and Harry smiled harder than all of them. "Mommy!" he said again and pointed...
...To Remus. "He's trying to say "Moony" Lils!" James said and went into fits of man giggles.
Remus laughed, picked up the boy who was now shrieking "Mommy! Mommy!" and pointing to him and gave him a big squeeze. Lily just collapsed on the couch with exhaustion thinking to herself "Just like his father, stubborn like you wouldn't believe"