A tree called Prongs?
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A/N: Yes, another bit of James/Lily gardening fluff, this time for Father's Day!
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"What-?!"
James Potter stopped abruptly in the kitchen doorway. Abrupt stops were a common feature of his life, admittedly, but he didn't think he had ever before stopped abruptly because his wife and son were smiling at him through the branches of a large tree in a pot on the kitchen table.
"Happy Father's Day!" Lily sang out.
"Haaah-Da! Haaah-Da!" Harry echoed, drumming his spoon on his chair tray for extra emphasis.
Lily stood up, ducked round the branches and walked over to James. "You look shocked, Daddy Dear," she said solemnly, pulling gently him into the kitchen by one hand. "Had you forgotten?"
"It's hard to forget something Sirius has been actively remembering since Mother's Day, but, er-" James tried to find the right words. "Er- have I forgotten that large forests are traditional? Or is this some muggle Father's Day thing?"
Lily giggled, and then reached up to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "This is our traditional Father's Day thing! For you and Harry and I. After the Hundred Honking Daffodils on Mother's Day, I remembered that there was a perfect tree for you. We can plant it this afternoon; and then one next year, and the year after that, and in the end there will be a big Father's Day forest!"
She kissed him again – an action which lasted slightly longer this time, as James intercepted it en route.
"The idea of planting a tree with you is tree-mendous," he teased, when they broke apart. Lily groaned. "But," James persisted, "I see two problems. One: Sirius will cock his leg on it. Two: why is it specially suited to me? It's a tree."
"Ree!" Harry put in. "Ree! Daah! Ree!"
"A Tree called Ree," James sing-songed back, bending down to pull a face at Harry through the tree.
"A Tree called Prongs," Lily corrected.
"Prongs?"
"Prongs. It's a Stag Horn Sumach, and –" Lily held up a silencing finger " – the reason it is really, really suited to you also solves the problem of why Sirius won't do anything terrible and doggy on it. You see the fuzzy bark?"
"Like antler fuzz," James agreed, reaching for it.
"Don't touch," said Lily, smirking. "On initial surface contact, it's really really irritating!"
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