Silence lay over the park in Godric's Hollow. It was snowing, and a thin white blanket was already covering the trees and flowerbeds, the lawns and pathways. It was unbroken – almost. Two lines of footprints disrupted the soft smoothness of the landscape, growing steadily longer as two people continued on their way.
James and Lily Potter were walking in silence. James was worried; Lily had asked him to accompany him on this stroll, yet she had not said a single word since they had left the house. Something was up with her, and he wished he knew what it was. He did not like seeing his wife like this; with Voldemort on the loose there was already enough to be worried about. A shadow was lying over the wizarding world, and James was sick of it. All he wanted was one small moment of happiness, one minute in which he could forget the terror and the threat. And more than anything he longed for his wife to be safe. Safe, and sheltered, and happy, and unpreoccupied, and not tense and silent and worried like she was now.
He suppressed a sigh and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Lily leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled nervously up at him. "Here we are," she said quietly.
James looked around. They had reached a tiny square at the intersection of two pathways. Off to one side, a few feet away from the trail and surrounded by hedges, was a bench. James's heart began to glow with warmth as it always did when he looked at this alcove. This was the place where he'd asked Lily to become his wife.
Lily took his hand and pulled him over to the bench. They took out their wands to dry the wood before they sat down. As Lily turned to look at him, James noticed that her hands were trembling slightly – she had to be really nervous. He smiled at her, doing his best to look reassuring. Whatever it was Lily was upset about, he wanted her to know that he'd be there for her. He'd do anything.
Lily took a deep breath. "I've got a present for you," she said, her voice hesitant. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand. And no peeking!"
James obeyed, puzzled. Why would she be that nervous about a present? She knew perfectly well that he'd like anything she gave him, just because it came from her. He waited. He could hear Lily draw another slow breath, then she took his hand in hers and moved it, pressing it gently to something warm and soft and woolly.
"Open your eyes," she instructed.
James opened his eyes. The wool he had been feeling belonged to Lily's cardigan. His hand was lying on her belly.
For a second, James just looked at her. Then realisation came.
She was pregnant.
A wave of emotion seemed to break over James's head, pulling his legs away. Shock. Joy. Fear. Astonishment. Awe. Love. Pride. Admiration. Amazement… He just couldn't name them all. Lily was staring at him, her eyes wide and worried as she tried to judge his reaction. James felt tears well up in his eyes as he took her face in his hands and kissed her.
"Lily," he said, in between his sobs and kisses. "My Lily. I love you. So much. I love… I love you. Lily. I just… Oh, Lily!" And he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her beautiful hair, sobbing.
Lily pressed her face against James's shoulder as she felt the huge weight leave her chest. She'd been worried, so worried, although she knew they'd both agreed to having a baby. Often, men didn't mind the idea of raising a child in the future, but when they had to face the responsibility then and there they chickened out. Or they just agreed to have a child to please their wives, but didn't really care about the baby. Or they changed their minds in the time between their agreement and the time it actually happened. Or…
There were so many reasons why James could have taken the news badly. But no – none of them applied. James was happy. James was happy. And they'd have a child.
Lily felt a laugh rise up in her chest, pure and prickling and purling, a laugh of plain happiness. James was happy. And she'd have a baby. A baby! Tears began to flow from her eyes too, and she laughed and cried and clung to James as if he were the only thing to keep her from falling, flying, floating away.
And he was. In a way he was.
She pulled back, and saw that James was looking down at her through tear-stained glasses.
"I love you," he told her.
She beamed at him.
"And I love you," he added, running a hand ever so gently across her belly.
And Lily kissed him.