Written for the All Things Tragic Challenge for word prompt 'tamed', AU 'James or Lily lives' and pairing FrankAlice. This was really fun to do because I could work on my characteristics for Frank and Alice!
Frank waved his wand and Accio'd some cups. Pots and pans cleaned themselves in the sink and he made the tea by hand, pausing only to confirm that Lily took two sugars. "Here you go," Frank said, carefully placing their cups of tea down on the table that was splashed with the muggle paint Neville and Harry had played with a week ago.
"Thanks, Frank," Lily murmured, sipping her tea. "Not just for the tea, I mean. For everything - taking Harry when I had to go see my parents."
Frank waved her off. "Your family, Lily. Alice is Harry's godfather."
"I know… but you've got Nev already and the baby when it comes." Lily sighed. "I'd have taken him to Molly but her little girl's still a toddler, isn't she?"
Truthfully, Frank thought Molly Weasley was absolutely insane having a seventh child, even she said she was stopping after having this girl. While he and Alice were having another child they'd already decided three was the most they'd have. Nev, bless him, was so excited to be a big brother, which calmed Frank's nerves - some kids wanted to be only children, after all (he was an only child, and Alice, and they both didn't want their son to be lonely as they were).
Outside Nev and Harry squealed and if Frank had to guess, they'd found the water guns.
"You're allowed to need help, Lily. Nobody thinks down on you because of it," he told her firmly, patting her hand. He followed her green eyes to one of the pictures on the wall that had Alice winking from where sat on Sirius' motorbike and James laughing in the background. "We all miss him."
Lily only nodded, twisting her wedding ring, before Alice came into the room, swollen belly and all.
"Remind me why we didn't adopt?" Alice groaned as she sat down beside him. Frank only laughed. "Oh, Lily, I love you very much but your boy is wild! He tried to ride our dog like a dragon. And earlier he and Nev were putting pumpkin juice in their water guns and spraying them in their mouths."
"However will we tame them?" Lily wondered with a smile. "Tuney and I used to mess about like that. I hate to be a sob story but I wish we were closer, considering everything that's happened."
Frank took Lily's hand in his as Alice shook her head and said, "She doesn't deserve you, Lily. Everyone can see you're better than her and that nose she holds so high in the air I'm surprised she doesn't fall over all the time. Besides, what's happened is awful, obviously, but you've got a whole life, Lily. I miss James terribly but you're right - you aren't a sob story."
A cloud seemed to pass across Lily's face before she grinned, eyes bright. "Harsh… but helpful. And you say Harry needs to be tamed."
"The sorting hat almost put me in Slytherin, you know, though I doubt they'd appreciate a muggleborn." Frank laughed and leaned over to kiss his wife. He remembered that terrible night years ago when the Lestranges had come for 'information', when they'd barely gotten out alive. Alice beamed at him and Frank wondered how he got so lucky.
