A/N: first of all, guys, I am so sorry for my long absence – I really had planned to have this story finished by now. But then Eskom, our country's wonderfully incompetent electricity provider, decided to cut our power for, I kid you not, five whole days. Needless to say, no writing happened then.
I'm going to see if I can finish this story once and for all before the family and I go on our annual Christmas holiday to the sea (fingers crossed I'll manage it, otherwise we'll all have to wait until January for that final chapter.)
But enough about me.
Now, as you know, I only have two chapters (including this one) of this fanfic left. Awful, right? I've absolutely loved doing this story. With that in mind, I can't quite bring myself to write another sad chapter. However, it can't be entirely happy either, given what happened in the previous chapter, so I've settled for a mixture. I hope you guys enjoy it!
"Wake up, lazybones," Lily's playful voice sang in his ear.
James groaned and buried his head in the pillow.
"I made waffles," she went on tantalisingly. "With that berry sauce you like so much."
"Really?" he asked, sitting up at once.
Lily smirked at him. "No, not really. But there is someone here who'd like to see you."
"Oh come on, Lily!" he complained. "You can't do that!"
"Too late," she said, looking uncannily like Marlene as she smirked down at him. "I already did."
He grumbled a bit more, but dragged himself out of bed and into a pair of halfway-decent robes.
Of all the people he had expected to see in his kitchen on a Saturday morning, Dumbledore was pretty much bottom of the list.
Yet there he was, looking as benign and grandfatherly as ever in a set of midnight-blue robes and a twinkly-eyed smile.
And he was eating a home-made waffle with berry sauce.
"Lily, you traitor!" he shouted, spinning to face his wife, who was licking some waffle batter off a wooden spoon.
She paused guiltily, the spoon half-way to her lips. "What?" she asked in a masterful attempt at acting innocent.
"You told me you didn't make any waffles," he said, advancing as menacingly as he could in a scarlet dressing-gown with little golden Snitches on it.
Lily was clearly trying very hard not to laugh. "Merlin, James, you're so dramatic. There are some more waffles in the machine."
James relaxed. "Oh, that's all right, then."
He walked over to the waffle machine – a Muggle invention that he had to admit was quite genius – and prodded it with his wand. "Is it ready yet?"
"No," Lily said patiently. "It's ready when the little light goes green. See, it's orange at the moment."
She muttered something under her breath, probably you'd think he would remember that by now – the sheer amount of times I've told him.
But her smile as she looked across at him was fond, and he knew that while she pretended to be exasperated by his ignorance of Muggle devices, she really loved him all the more for it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and James spun around guiltily, having entirely forgotten that he was even there in the first place.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't look too annoyed – rather, he was watching them both with the affectionate stare of a grandparent.
"James, Lily," he said, smiling across at them with just a trace of sadness. "I am so sorry to intrude –"
"Not at all," Lily said, waving him away. "It's a pleasure to have you."
"You are most kind," Dumbledore said, smiling at her. "And I must say, these waffles are simply delicious."
"Thank you," Lily said, blushing slightly, and James pressed a kiss to her temple, whispering "told you so" in her ear.
"What can we do for you, sir?" Lily asked, shaking James off and giving him a fond but mildly irritated look.
Dumbledore sighed. "I am afraid it is a question of what I can do for you."
James wrapped an arm around Lily, drawing her protectively close. "Oh?"
"Not so very long ago, I found out about a prophecy referring to, and I quote, the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord."
"Voldemort? But that's wonderful news!" Lily exclaimed, turning around to give James a delighted look, which he returned.
"It would be," Dumbledore said heavily. "But we believe the prophecy refers to a baby not yet born."
Lily's hand went instantly to her stomach, her face whitening. "I… I don't understand."
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches," Dumbledore quoted. "Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies."
Understanding dawned, and James held Lily closer still, placing his hands over hers on her round stomach. Thrice defied him – as of yesterday, that applied to them. And their baby, their Harry… his due date was at the end of July.
"B-but how can our son have the power to… vanquish the Dark Lord?" Lily asked, her hands trembling on her stomach.
"The prophecy states that he will have power the Dark Lord knows not," Dumbledore explained. "I believe this refers to love."
"Love," Lily repeated, cradling her stomach.
"Never underestimate the power of love," Dumbledore reminded them. "If nothing else, the events of yesterday afternoon should assure you that it is a force to be reckoned with."
"I won't argue with you there," James said. "But how do you know you can trust this prophecy? Divination is a very… uncertain art."
"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "However, I have every reason to believe that this prophecy is genuine."
James bowed his head. If Dumbledore thought the prophecy was real, that meant it was.
"All right," Lily said, and James was relieved to note that she had stopped shaking. "All right. So the prophecy is real. But how can you know for sure it refers to our son?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Very astute of you. I do not, in fact, know for certain that the prophecy refers to your unborn child."
Lily practically collapsed in her relief – James tightened his hold on her waist and murmured sweet nothings soothingly in her ear.
"However," Dumbledore said, the word falling like a hammer blow. "The prophecy could refer to your child, as I am sure you can see, so we must take prompt steps as to your safety."
Lily was nodding even before he had finished speaking. "Anything to keep him safe," she said fiercely, her fingers wrapping tightly around James's and making a cradle for her belly.
"Very well," Dumbledore said, nodding at her. "After due consideration, I have come to the conclusion that your best hope of protection lies in the Fidelius Charm."
"Sirius can be our Secret-Keeper," James said immediately.
Dumbledore hesitated. "Mr Potter, are you sure –"
"If we can't trust Sirius, who can we trust? He's Secret-Keeper," James said firmly.
"As you wish," Dumbledore said, nodding at them. "Professor Flitwick will perform the charm first thing tomorrow morning, if that suits you."
"Good," James said, rubbing his thumb gently along the curve of Lily's stomach.
"Another thing," Dumbledore said.
James and Lily nodded in unison, looking at him expectantly.
"Lily, you can no longer perform missions for the Order, and James, you will be limited to contact-free missions," he said. "I trust I do not have to explain to you how devastating it would be if Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters were to catch either of you."
James nodded reluctantly. He would miss going on proper missions, and he knew Lily would too, but if it meant Harry was safe, he would do it a thousand times over.
Dumbledore's smile was sad as he looked around the kitchen. "I wish circumstances were different, but I bid you farewell. I shall see you all tomorrow."
Tipping his hat at them, he turned on his heel and Apparated away.
James rested his cheek against Lily's. She sighed deeply, her breath tickling his ear.
"Do you think it means Harry?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know this."
Bending down, he put a hand on Lily's stomach. "I'm going to keep you safe. Both of you. I'll do whatever it takes."
A/N: so, what did you guys think? Myself, I can't believe this story is so nearly over – only one more chapter to go! And after the ending of this chapter, things are looking more serious than ever.
I hope I'll see you guys tomorrow for the final chapter of 31 Days, 31 Drabbles.