A/N: The fabulous stonecoldhedwig pointed out to a few of us that this year marks 40 years since October of 1981 and had the lovely idea of writing stories that include the phrase "40 years". Enjoy!
A/N: Your hint is 2006.
Tyyneys (Finnish: a state of serenity)
Lily smiled down at the sleeping baby, his dark hair sticking up in all directions.
"He's perfect isn't he?" James whispered as he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"I'm pretty sure it's our job to think he's perfect." Lily chuckled.
"Nah, he is. He's a lucky bloke too, what with your eyes and all."
"But your hair," Lily gently touched the soft strands and James slid his arms from her waist to her shoulders. "Nothing can compete with those genes."
"I was hoping for your gorgeous locks, actually," James ran his fingers through the strands of her ponytail, pulled back to keep little fingers from taking chunks out.
"Maybe next time, yeah?"
"I'll keep my fingers crossed," he kissed her cheek.
"What do you think he'll be like?"
"A Marauder certainly, he's a Potter after all."
"I thought that goes without saying." Lily laughed quietly, "But he's a bit of a serious little one, isn't he?"
"Like Remus, and you know that he was the most mischievous of the lot of us."
"Where do you think Remus got most of his ideas?" Lily smirked up at him over her shoulder.
"I always knew you were more than met the eye, Evans."
"Potter."
"Potter," James whispered as he brought his lips to hers. "When did they say they would be back?"
"They thought they'd be done and back by two."
James turned her around to face him, "He'll sleep, yeah?"
"If he's anything like his father he'll sleep for ages." Lily pulled James back to her lips.
"Perfect."
The baby slept on and James and Lily took full advantage of the peace while keeping quiet. But as the hour crept closer, the couple reluctantly made themselves presentable again.
Lily looked in the mirror as she ran her brush through her hair, pulling it back into the tie. Her face looked less like the seventeen-year-old girl that had first fallen in love with the boy that had grown to be the man standing behind her.
"Deep thoughts?"
Lily started and looked up at James who chuckled and moved to stand next to her.
"Sorry, love, you've been staring at the mirror with the brush part way through your hair for a solid minute."
"I was just wondering when we got old."
"Old?!" James scoffed. "Lils, we are not old!"
"We're not seventeen anymore, though." She finished with her hair.
"Yes and thank all the powers of the universe for that." James laughed, "But love, we're hardly old."
Lily went to answer when she heard the front door open.
"Mum! Dad! We're back!"
Lily kissed James, "In under fifteen years, Harry will be forty years old. We're getting old, my love."
"I refuse to be old," James kissed her deeply before releasing her and calling out to their son. "Be right there!"
Jamie came barreling up to them as they came into the front room. "Grandma! Look! Leg all better!"
Lily picked up her grandson and kissed his cheek. "Were you a good little patient for your doctor?"
Jamie nodded so fast she wondered how his head didn't fly off and set him down to enjoy his return to freedom. "She gave me a sucker!"
"Al do alright?" Ginny picked up his bag and began collecting the few toys that had been scattered before nap time.
"He was a breeze," James tossed her a toy and she caught it with ease.
"Thanks again for watching him," Harry snagged Jamie around the waist before he could jump from the sofa.
"Come on, mate," James pulled Jamie from Harry, "Let's go in the front garden and you can show me how fast you can run now that your leg is out of that plaster."
"I'll grab Al," Lily slipped back to Harry's old bedroom, still looking a bit like it did when he moved out after school.
Al blinked up at her as she shifted him out of the travel cot.
"Hey there little one, Grandma's come to take you to Mummy."
Al snuggled onto her chest and Lily chuckled as she kissed his messy hair.
"Careful, or I'll not give you back."
"I might go for that for a day or two," Ginny laughed and smiled at the two of them.
"We're always happy to take them," Lily slipped Al into his carrier and buckled him up. "As James likes to say, we're not old yet."
Ginny scoffed, "I don't think James is capable of growing old."
"Mum's not either," Harry smiled at her from the front door.
"Flattery will get the two of you everywhere." Lily gave Ginny a hug and then moved to Harry; somewhere over the years, when she'd turned around most likely, he'd grown taller than her.
"Good, because I'm thinking that Ginny needs a weekend sometime next month sans children."
"He's learned well," James laughed as he threw Jamie up in the air. "We'll be here when you need us, son."
Lily smiled as they helped load up the car. James was right, the two of them would be there whenever Harry, Ginny, and their boys needed them, and if that meant growing old, then it would be a fair trade.