**Disclaimer: All characters, locations, etc, belong to J.K. Rowling. Lyrics belong to Green Day**
Any who could call themselves a fan can recall the picture that Harry Potter had of his parents. A single photograph in a basic frame, it held forever a moment in winter in which Lily and James danced. The die-hard fans recall Lily's hat and James' gloves, but the couple themselves are the only two that know the story.
James could recall it all; he could tell it on any day to anyone, although he never did. But the day he went through the whole story to himself is vivid in his mind, even in death. The moment was captured for eternity in the lone picture that his son held.
He and Lily had so many false starts, so many times that it didn't work out. For years, he asked her out in vain. And then he stopped and got to know her first, but Lily, who had begun to like him back, thought it was over. Years of trying had been necessary, but finally they reached a crucial point.
James remembered this as he swung his wife under his arm on that day. As he held Lily close and they danced, he thought back to a time when she wouldn't even look at him. And a day that had changed it all.
"James?"
"Hm?"
"Why don't you ever ask me out anymore?"
He had glanced up sharply and spoken softly.
"I assumed you didn't want me to."
They have fallen silent, and James noticed the sad look on Lily's face. He had known he had a choice. He could try again and risk the pain that always came with her rejections, or play it safe. But the question could be the start of something amazing.
Another turning point,
A fork stuck in the road,
At the time, James had regarded it as a decision, but it really wasn't. Looking back, he realized that. Fate has stepped in, decided that they had waited long enough.
Time grabs you by the wrist,
Directs you where to go.
Lily had said yes, of course, and so it had begun. They were so different and yet fit together so perfectly. They were like a jigsaw puzzle: no two pieces are the same, and each on its own makes nothing, but put together they make something beautiful.
They were careful not to try to hard. They didn't question their relationship (at least James didn't…), didn't push their limits. It was easy and slow.
So make the best of this test,
And don't ask why.
Time had passed but nothing changed between them. They had finished Hogwarts and joined the Order of the Phoenix. Together they were fighting He Who Must Not Be Named, but always together. Even in the darkest moments, they found ways to still be JamesandLily. And as the years went by, they pulled closer and closer.
It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.
James pulled Lily in close as they danced on the ice. Even with his mind in the past, he was aware of Lily in his arms, aware of the diamond ring sparkling on her finger and what it meant.
Lily had been out on a mission for the Order with Alice Prewitt, now Alice Longbottom, for over a week. Whenever they couldn't go on a mission together, whoever remained home did something special for the one returning. And James knew exactly what he wanted to do for Lily. He'd wanted it practically his entire life, had been planning it for years. In fact, he already had a ring.
But, just like asking her to Hogsmede in Fourth Year, asking Lily to marry him was a huge risk. He had no doubt that she loved him; they'd been together for nearly three years, but she could always say no. She was a bit afraid of change, his lily.
But he'd asked her out in Fourth Year, and every year after that, and if he could do it then, he could do it now, risk or no risk.
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
It had certainly been the right choice He'd never seen Lily as happy as when he'd gotten down on one knee in his candle-lit dining room, his home-cooked meal on the table and slipped that emerald ring (the same color as her eyes) onto her hand. Unless, of course, it was at the wedding.
Oh, what a wedding it had been. Gold silk draped from every window of the James' parents' mansion. A huge pavilion set up on their grounds on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. The entire Order had been there; every guest dressed in yellow for luck. James had stood at the altar, a short, fat man on his left and the rest of the Marauders at his right. Sirius had a gleam in his eyes, and James hoped he knew better than to wreak havoc at his wedding. Lily would have both of their heads.
But the moment Lily had begun down the isle, James had forgotten all about Padfoot. He had eyes only for her. She was wrapped in a white silk dress with a fitted bodice that billowed into a wide skirt. Her red hair spilled across her shoulders and she clasped white roses in her hands. Lily's green eyes were locked with James' hazel ones the whole way down the isle.
Most of the rest of the day passed in a blur for him, thought in the future he remembered every detail. Lily's smile as she her vows, the her eyes never left his, the way he kissed for the first time as a married man.
In fact, he'd completely forgotten Sirius until his best man stepped onto the stage with Remus and Peter, and, to James' horror, began to sing. But when he looked at Lily, there were tears in her eyes. At the moment, someone snapped a picture, and the song became their song forever.
So take the photograph
And still-frames in your mind,
The picture was James' favorite, though Lily put up so many over the years. She took pictures all the time, and their little house in Godric's Hollow was covered in them. The walls were alive with movement even when there was no one inside of them. Pictures of the Order, their parents, Lily's friends, the Marauders, even Petunia, Lily's God-awful sister.
Hang them on a shelf in good health and good time,
Lily threw her head back and laughed as they danced. The way her body curved threw the little bump in her stomach into him, and he smiled.
James had spent most of his teen years telling Lily that she would someday bear his children. He'd never thought she was actually listening when he said this, but life was full opportunities to prove him wrong.
He'd been sitting in their small library, pouring over some maps and parchment Dumbledore had given him for the Order, and Lily had walked in silently, startling him slightly when she put her hands on his shoulders.
"Hey love," he'd whispered, kissing her hand. "I just have to finish reading these and then I'll come up to bed.
She'd nodded. "I know.
He'd stopped reading. "What's wrong?"
She'd smiled. "Nothing. It's just that you were right."
A grin had spread across his face. "I usually am. What about this particular time?"
Lily had leaned down, kissing his cheek and then whispered in his ear. "Remember when you used to insist I would bear your offspring someday whenever you thought I wasn't paying attention?
He'd gasped, turning around to look at her. When she nodded, he'd grabbed her in his arms and kissed proclaiming loudly that he knew it all along to stop his tears.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial,
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
That's what James remembered the day he and Lily danced in early March of 1981. There were other moments he remembered too, of course. Their first date, their first kiss, when James had introduced Lily to his parents at the end of the Easter holidays. He remembered the endless indecision he'd suffered before proposing, every conversation he'd had with the Marauders over the years, analyzing everything Lily did.
But James' nostalgia on that that snowy winter day was not the whole story.
There was the day in late July when James came home from a meeting to find Lily sitting on the couch, shell-shocked. He took her hands and asked her what on Earth was wrong.
Stunned, she replied, "My water broke."
He stood up in a flurry of action, sending a talking Patronus to his parents and the Marauders, calling Lily's parents on the fellytone, or whatever the blasted thing was called, taking Lily in side-along apparation so there was no chance of her getting splinched.
They arrived at St. Mungo's and James quite literally bought his way to the front of the line. He argued until Lily got a private room, yelled at Healers until she was comfortable, refused to leave the room until the Healers kicked him out for making too much of a ruckus.
He paced right outside the door with Sirius and Remus until he heard his baby's first cry. He burst into the room then, taking in his first sight of his new-born son. Sirius had come in right behind his best friend and made all the inappropriate comments. He'd even managed, in a roundabout way, to name the boy, making a joke about his hair, which, at the moment, was light brown. "Could go either way," he said. "Or both. He could be one hairy kid."
There were all the parenthood moments. Lily forced James to learn to change a diaper. Harry cracked his first smile, said his first word ("love" in reference to his parents), took his first steps, uttered his first complete sentence ("Mommy, Daddy, where's Padfoot?"), received his first toy broomstick. James treated his son with more love and admiration than most people ever thought possible. He spent every moment he could with him, taking him to his friends' houses and never leaving him behind.
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
Until the day he couldn't do that anymore. Until Dumbledore came and suggested they go into hiding. Until that day when the happiest time of his life ended.
Neither Lily nor James was happy in isolation, but they made the best of it. They had each other. They spent more time to together than ever, with Harry as well. Sirius visited, bringing them gifts and news of the world. But James watched as Lily's spirits fell and his heart broke. Through their engagement and marriage, his awe of her never faded; he still looked at her with the tender love he'd harbored as a teen.
Time passed again. They celebrated Harry's first birthday, the Secret Keeper changed from Sirius to Peter. Dumbledore borrow his invisibility cloak. The situation on the outside got worse.
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right,
I hope you had the time of your life.
And then he came.
Harry slept upstairs; Lily and James were listening to the wireless. They heard the slightest creak. The creak of their porch step. They looked at each other in horror. Peter would not have come this late without telling them. James sprinted to the front door and looked out. A black hooded figure stood on his porch.
"It's him Lily!" he called out. "Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off!"
He pulled his wand out and heard Lily thunder up the stairs. James' wand flicked, but He Who Must Not Be Named was faster, and the last thing he saw was a flash of green.
It's something unpredictable.
He watched from above as Voldemort walked up the stairs. His dead heart froze and broke as he watched his enemy turn his wand on Lily. He should have been in front of her. All he'd ever asked for was the chance to stand in front of her.
The green flashed and Lily fell like a stone. But she joined him momentarily. They looked on as Voldemort turned on Harry. Their souls clutched each other as the green light exploded and Harry… lived. James felt a burst of pride for his boy. Voldemort was mostly gone, Harry lived on, and he and Lily were together forever.
But in the end it's right.
That's the story the picture frame holds. Times were hard, the ending was not necessarily happy, but it's forever depicted in that photo. It's a story only James and Lily knew in full, the story that Harry Potter held in his hands.
I hope you had the time of your life.
AN: Well, hello there fantastic reader! A few of things before we part. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.
1. Lyrics belong to Green Day. The song is Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). If you didn't know that, you disappoint me. Go educate yourself in music.
2. I'm aware that some things don't quite fit with the time period/what is described in the series. I altered them slightly to fit my own purposes. Sue me.
3. The post is part of a writing challenge! It's a challenge called Project PULL, started by yours truly. The information is on my profile, so go check it out! It's never too late to join and I'd love to have you be a part of it.
4. For those already participating in Project PULL, we now have a forum! Check it out and meet other PULL participants. Also, thank you all so much for everything you've done to spread Project PULL. The success of this challenge belongs to each and everyone one of you.
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-Bookaholic711