Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :)

UnFair
written by ameo

It was a beautiful day in late June of 1981. The sun was shining and the sky was a magnificent blue. Peter, James, and baby Harry were together on a grass hill. James had laid out a red and plaid picnic blanket and was now sitting on it with the other two. James was attempting to get Harry to stand up on his own by holding his son underneath the armpits.

"James?" Peter spoke suddenly. "Why does life have to be so unfair?"

James looked up at Peter curiously, still holding his son up by the arms. "What makes you say that, Pete?"

Peter clicked his tongue a few times. "I was just wondering because…" he trailed off. "Well, you know--with how my mother is right now…"

James nodded in understanding. "Ah," he said, bouncing Harry up and down, who giggled happily. "I suppose life is unfair because…" he continued bouncing Harry, who kept giggling. "…well, I reckon if life was fair to everyone, Harry here wouldn't be cursed with my wild hair," he ruffled Harry's big head of hair fondly. "And Remus would be able to get a decent job."

Peter sat up straighter. "So you're saying that life is unfair for a reason?" he looked up at the cloudless sky and cocked his head to the side. "Well that's not fair." he mused.

James laughed, and Harry giggled uncontrollably. "You always had a way with words, Pete." He ruffled Harry's hair again. "Would you like to visit with your Uncle Peter, Harry?" James cooed. "Uncle Peter wants to visit with you."

Peter crinkled his nose. "No thanks, James, you know I'm not good with kids."

"Aw, come on Pete!" James urged. "Harry isn't a kid! He's an infant! If I can do it, you can."

"Will I have to do the baby-talk like you?" Peter replied, grinning.

James narrowed his eyes at him. "I do not baby-talk--I just speak in a really high voice."

Peter laughed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt…" he reached out and took Harry from James's hands. Harry immediately stopped giggling and looked at Peter with a curious expression on his face. "What's he doing?"

James paused. "I reckon he's deep in thought, mate."

"Can kids really do that, now?"

"I suppose so."

"Hmm," Peter said, staring at Harry, who was staring back at him with the same curious expression. "I wonder what he's thinking about."

"That makes two of us, Pete." James said. "But, like we were saying earlier, if life was fair we wouldn't be wondering what he's thinking, because we'd actually know."

"That's really unfair." Peter said.

"I see it as a blessing." James replied. "Why don't you bounce him around a bit, Pete? He looks like he's bored out of his mind."

Peter hesitantly bounced Harry up and down, and slowly a wide smile appeared on Harry's face. He clapped his hands, as if signaling for more.

Peter found himself smiling. "I think he likes it!" He rested Harry on his knee and began bouncing him up and down again. Harry was making a bunch of noise in delight.

"That he does, Pete," James laughed. "That he does."

And as Peter bounced little baby Harry on his knee, laughing along with his "nephew," who was indeed enjoying every second of it, Peter thought about everything. And he came to the conclusion that life was the meanest and most unfair being in the entire universe.