The Legacy of Two Generations

by LadyoftheLake

Lily and James started dating in their last year at Hogwarts, but that is only the beginning. Now, what will happen to their notorious son? Rated PG13 for some language. Harry's 6th year has begun & new adventures. PreHBP. Please r&r :ON HOLD! For the

34. Part II Chapter 10

A/N: Here I am once more with another chapter. I'm glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you like this one just as much.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the HP world, only the plot and some of the secondary characters.



Chapter 10 ~ James' Ladies



Lily was happy to have the house all to themselves once more after all the house party guests had left. Remus, Sirius and Katie stayed longer, but they really didn't count as guests but as family.

James was more overprotective than ever now that he had nobody to distract him. Every morning she had to stay quiet and unmoving in bed a half an hour after waking up. The morning sickness was getting worse, and James' cuddling didn't help much.

Lily groaned one morning as she woke from sleep to find James looking down at her from a chair beside the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the moment he noticed she was awake.

"Sick." She said before flying off the bed and running to the restroom in her dressing room.

James ran behind her but by the time he got to the door of the restroom she was washing her face.

"Is there something you can take?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Not that I know off, I'll ask your mother and mine. Maybe they know of something." She said meeting him at the door. She glowered at him before passing beside him back to the bed.

James watched her get to the bed with surprise. Why was she angry with him for?

"I don't know why they call it morning sickness. I'm sick all the time, not just in the morning." Lily grumbled as she snuggled deep in the blankets.

"Perhaps the old Doctor will have a potion that we can do to help." James said.

"I hope so. I don't like being sick." Lily pouted.

James smiled. His mother had told him that Lily would be moody once in a while. He just hoped that he wouldn't be in the way when her mood turned bad. He really didn't want to see it.

He sat once more in the chair beside the bed. Lily had closed her eyes but was still awake.

"Are you going to just sit there the whole day and watch me?" She asked without opening her eyes.

"Yep." He said.

"Please go away, you are not helping." She said.

"But what am I going to do then?" He asked. He wanted to stay beside her in case she needed him.

"Go and see the Doctor ask him if he knows a way to help with my morning sickness." She ordered.

"Good idea. I'll be back soon." He said. He kissed her cheek and walked out of the room, happy to have something to do.

Lily just shook her head and settled in bed to rest for a while before she had to leave her bed once more.



James rode into town. The scenery was completely covered in snow. He could see some of the estate children playing in the snow on the fields and the gardens. He smiled at the sight, it wouldn't be long when his own child would join them and grow up in the land where he himself had grown up.

He had happy memories of the land and the people. His father was a prominent figure of those memories and he hoped to make his own happy memories with his children.

The doctor's house stood at the end of a small lane in the outskirts of the small town. The doctor seemed to be in as the chimney smoked and the aroma of pastries and hot chocolate reached James.

The old Doctor opened the door when James knocked.

"Well, young James, something I can do for you?" He asked with a large smile.

"Good morning Doctor, my wife sent me to ask for help." James said as he entered the small house.

"Oh? And what does young Mrs. Potter require?" Said the doctor motioning James to sit.

"Well, she needs some help with her morning sickness." James said.

"Ah. I have heard that she is expecting, I gather that it has been confirmed then?" The doctor said peering closely at James.

"She went to St. Mungo's when she was in town a couple of weeks ago. But I would prefer if you check her doctor, all this morning sickness business seems wrong to me." James said.

The doctor laughed. "It is always like that with first time parents. Not to worry, if she is having morning sickness it means that the child has made itself at home."

"Are you sure? Isn't there anything to help with it?" Asked James.

"There is a potion that has been known to help, unfortunately it doesn't work with all women, but I'll check her and see if will help her." The doctor said.

"Good. When should we expect you?" James eagerly asked.

"Hmmm.I should probably be there by this afternoon." Said the doctor.

James nodded. "Very well, I'll let Lily know. See you later Doctor."

James was much happier when he left the doctor's house. He hoped that the potion would help Lily, he hated to see her unhappy in any way.

He rode back to the Manor humming. Many neighbors greeted him along the way and he responded happily. He was really looking forward to the birth of his first child. He was sure it wouldn't be the only one.

He was glad to see that Lily was up and about by the time he returned home.

He found her in the family parlor with Mrs. Nichols discussing chores and menus for the following week.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked the moment Mrs. Nichols left the room.

"Yes." Lily said with a smiled. "Where did you go?"

"To see the doctor, he said there is a potion that can help with morning sickness, so he'll come and give you an examination to see if it would work for you." James said.

"Oh that is good." Lily exclaimed.

"He will be here this afternoon." James replied.

"Good. I will be ready for him." Lily said as she stood. "Come, Otty has prepared a fine meal for us.

James quickly followed her out of the room.



James was pacing the hall later that afternoon. It was almost time for the doctor to arrive and he was nervous.

"Will you stop pacing James, you are making the servants nervous." Said Lily from the top of the staircase.

"Sorry. I'm just waiting for the doctor." He said.

"Come to our room. Roberts will show him in when he arrives." Called Lily. James sighed and agreed to do so.

Roberts and the footmen stationed in the hall sighed with relief.

Lily led James to their private chambers and sat him in the small sitting room by the bedroom.

"Sit here. Minnie will bring some tea and snacks in a minute." She said.

"I'm not hungry." He said.

"James, there is no need to worry. I am fine. You'll see." Lily said sitting beside him.

"But what if things happen? The first pregnancy can be risky." James said with a worried look.

"But things are much safer nowadays. Prenatal medicine has advanced so much in the last decades. As long as the doctor examines me regularly there is nothing that we need to worry about. I'm sure we won't even have to go to St. Mungo's for the examination. Our child might even be born here in the estate, just like you and all of your ancestors have done in the past." Lily said resting her temple against his shoulder.

"Mum told you that I was born here didn't she? I know I didn't tell you." James said with a smile. "She always said that it made her feel safer to give birth here than in the hospital."

"She did say that. And I'm sure that we can get the best medical attention we would need." Lily replied.

"If that is what you prefer." James said kissing her ear.

Lily chuckled. "I do. I like the idea of our children being born in the land of their ancestors."

James smiled. "I like that too."

They stayed just like they were for minutes. Minnie arrived with the tea and pastries and still they didn't move.

Finally, Roberts announced the doctor in.

"Good afternoon my dears, I expect you are feeling better Mrs. Potter." The doctor said as soon as he entered the room.

Lily looked around the room, then she giggled. James turned to look at her with surprise.

"Every time I hear Mrs. Potter I think that they are speaking of your mother. I can't get used to the idea that I am Mrs. Potter now." She explained with a giggle.

James chuckled. "Well, you are Mrs. Potter, perhaps we should call you Young Mrs. Potter, so that we know who we are speaking of." He said.

The doctor heard their conversation with a smile. He had seen the young man in front of him being born, he had seen him grow up and he was happy at the thought that he would be there for the next generation.

"Well my dear, if you are ready we can begin with the examination." The doctor said.

"Yes doctor." Said Lily taking a deep breath.

"Do you want me to leave?" Asked James.

"No. Please stay." She whispered.

James nodded and accompanied Lily to the bed. The doctor was beside it waiting for them, his bag open and his wand sticking out on one side.

"I think it would be good if we take a look first. Let's see how the little tyke is doing." Said the Doctor with cheerfulness.

Lily looked toward the bag. "Can you do that? Shouldn't we be in a hospital or clinic for that?" She asked with curiosity.

"We should if you were muggle my dear." Smiled the doctor. "But you are not, so we will do it the easy way."

"In other words, we'll use magic." Said James.

The doctor nodded and grabbed his wand. He rolled the sleeves of his jacket and pointed the wand at Lily's stomach.

"Enfantus Oculous" He whispered and instantly a image appeared before them.

It was hard to make out what they were seeing at first but then a clearer imaged appeared. Lily gasped and stifled a sob.

"Oh James, there it is, there's our baby!" She exclaimed.

James said nothing, he stared in awe at the small form floating in front of them.

"Is he all right?" He finally said turning to look at the doctor.

"Indeed it is. In very good form, I must say." The doctor said, with his wand he made the image revolve on its axis. He looked at every inch of the image before he was satisfied and with a wave of his wand the image disappeared. "Everything seems in order. It's too soon of course to know the sex of the child, but I'm sure you won't mind waiting. Now, let's see how Young Mrs. Potter is doing." He said turning to look at Lily.

Lily was smiling brightly, she had seen her child for the first time and was excited about it. She really didn't mind that they wouldn't know the gender of the baby yet, but she had to say, to herself at least, that she would like it if it was a little girl.

The doctor took his wand once more and pointed it to Lily.

James stayed in the room while the doctor examined Lily, aware of everything that the doctor said. He sighed with relief when the doctor started to put away his wand.

"Yes, it seems that everything is in order. I will come once each month to do an examination, I will give the recipe for the potion to Otty, I'm sure he might remember it from the older Mrs. Potter's days. We'll see if it helps you with your morning sickness my dear." The doctor said, ready to leave the room.

"Thank you doctor." Lily and James said.

With a nod, the doctor left the couple and made his way to the kitchens.

Lily and James stayed behind. Happy in each other's arms.



The house was as excited as they were. Mrs. Nichols and the nursery maids had been working constantly in the nursery turning everything upside down looking for any things that had been stored after James' birth. All baby items were taken out and cleaned. The crib that had held generations of Potters was brought down from the attics, including a changing table and toy chests.

James came home from the fields one afternoon to find his wife in a middle of an argument with the nursery maids.

"I said I want the room next to ours readied, I don't want to repeat myself on this subject." Lily ordered.

"But ma'am, it is customary for the child to be in the nursery after it's birth." A maid said with hesitation.

"I do not care what the custom is, I want the crib and all the baby items to be taken to the room next to mine." Lily said stamping her foot with impatience.

"Lily, sweetheart, what is the matter?" James said with consternation.

"I want the baby to sleep in the room next to ours." Lily exclaimed.

"Are you sure dear, the nursery is well stocked and there will be maids aplenty to take care of him." James said.

"I don't care. I want my baby in the room next to ours." Lily exclaimed.

"All right." James quickly said at seeing how angered his wife was becoming, he was sure that wouldn't be good for the baby. "We'll havee everything moved to the room next to ours. See to it, please." He said with a nod to the maids and the footmen, who had gathered round the room to see what was going on.

The servants ran to do James' biding. Lily still looked angered.

"Humph!" She snorted before storming off the hall toward the parlor.

James followed closely behind.

Lily sat abruptly in a chair near the fireplace, and placed a throw around her shoulders.

"Lily dear, don't worry. Everything will be taken care of." James said kissing her temple.

"I just want my baby near me, that's all." Lily pouted.

"I know dear, we'll redecorate the room and put a door leading to our chambers." James said sitting beside her and hugging her.

"Thank you James." She said kissing him gently.

They were interrupted by a burst of giggles.

James sighed, and Lily silently laughed.

"Ok you two rascals, come out of behind that couch." James said turning to look at a couch at the corner of the room.

Two dark haired heads appeared from behind the couch. Eyes wide open, looking sheepishly at the couple.

"Hello Uncle James."

"Hello Aunt Lily."

Two muffled voices said.

"What are you doing there?" Asked James letting go of his wife.

"We are playing."

"Hide and seek."

"With nurse."

"And Mr. Hop." They said holding up a fluffy white rabbit.

"Why aren't you playing outside? I thought you were in the garden with Nurse." Lily said.

The girls rolled their eyes.

"She is looking for us."

"Outside. It is safer here."

They said in a tone that clearly said they had expected them to figure that out.

"I see." Laughed James.

"Where is grandma?"

"And Aunt Rose?" The twins asked stepping from behind the couch.

"They went to town, shopping." Lily said with a smile.

The girls nodded before running out of the room.

James smiled as he watched them leave. Lily leaned into his chest, leaning her head on his shoulders.

"Why don't we go upstairs and see how the redecoration of the baby's room goes?" Said James to Lily.

"Oh, yes. Let's go see it." Lily exclaimed before jumping up from her seat. She quickly left the room.

James followed her in a slower pace.



The town soon found out about the good news. There was a constant stream of visitors bringing gifts and their congratulations.

Lily sat holding court in the formal parlor every afternoon. James sat at her side. A smile on his face masking the boredom that constantly filled his mind.

Owls started to arrive daily. And to James and Lily's consternation, people always seemed to have an opinion on everything, from the name to how to raise a child.

"Why do they think that it's their place to give us all this advise?" Lily exclaimed after reading a letter from an old aunt of hers.

"Because they are old and think they know everything." Said a disgruntled James.

"James, really, that is no way of speaking about people." Chided his mother as they sat around the breakfast table one morning.

"Sorry." Mumbled James.

"Isoberius! What kind of a name is that? And why would I want to name my child with such a name?" Scoffed Lily, throwing another note into an empty plate in front of her.

"Isoberius? I don't think so." Said James, shaking his head.

"Have you two decided what to name the child?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"We haven't really discussed it." Said Lily, frowning down at a parchment in her hand.

"Well, you really should. It wouldn't do for the child to be born and you two not having a name ready." Said Mrs. Potter.

"I've been thinking about that." Said James with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh?" Asked Lily turning to look at him.

"Uh-huh, I think that it should be a family name. Specially if it's going to be a boy." He said.

Both Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Potter turned to look at him with surprise clearly evident in their faces.

"James!" Exclaimed Lily. "We don't know that it's a boy, it could well be a girl."

"No, I got a feeling it's a boy." James said.

Lily rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

Mrs. Potter smiled as did Mrs. Evans. "Aliaster said the same thing when I was pregnant with Elizabeth." Mrs. Potter laughed.

"Edward was the same." Chuckled Mrs. Evans.

"Don't worry Lily dear, all men want a son. That doesn't mean that they love their daughters any less." Mrs. Potter said.

"Humph!" Snorted James. "Of course I would love my child if it a girl."

"I know dear." Lily said patting his hand.

James sniffed with scorn.

Mrs. Potter laughed. "Never mind dear. You were saying about the name if it is a boy?"

"Yes, I said that it should be a family name." James said.

"And what name did you choose." Asked Lily looking at James closely.

"Well, I thought about my middle name, it should suit him very well." James said with a smile.

"Harold?" Asked Mrs. Potter.

James nodded, while Lily thought about it.

"It would work, Daddy's middle name was Harold as well." She said.

Mrs. Evans nodded her approval.

"Then it's settled, if it's a boy it will be Harold." James said happily.

"Maybe we should use Harry instead. It is a diminutive of Harold, and I always liked that name." Said Lily.

"Harry? Hmmm.yeah, that sounds good as well." Said James grudgingly.

"Harry James. I like that." Said Lily with a self-congratulatory tone.

"Oh, I like that too, Harry James Potter. That's settled then." James exclaimed.

Mrs. Potter laughed.

"What if it's a girl?" Asked Mrs. Evans.

"Hmmm.I like the name Daphne." Lily said.

"I'm rather partial to Lilian." Said James.

"James, that would be rather confusing, you know we will end up calling her Lily." Said Mrs. Potter.

"Well, what about Daphne Lilan then." James said.

"That would work." Said Lily with a smile.

"Well, that was rather easy." Said James.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans laughed.

"What is so funny?" Asked James.

"My dear, wait until that child is born, you might have another set of names ready by then." Chuckled Mrs. Potter.

James looked skeptical. "I don't think so. Harry James and Daphne Lilian it is." He said with a final tone.

"If you say so dear." Said Mrs. Evans as she continued eating, which had stood forgotten as they talked.



Spring was now at hand and Lily's body had began to change. James was constantly exhausted, trying to keep in pace with Lily's mood.

He had shut himself in his bookroom this sunny afternoon. He was lying on the day bed that stood in front of the window. His eyes were closed and a small smile on his lips.

This was the first time he had time for himself for a while. He had been all over town trying to find canned sardines that Lily just had to have for luncheon. He couldn't find some in the village. He had to apparate to the nearest city and go to a convenience store there.

He was almost asleep that he didn't hear the knock on the door, nor did he hear the door open a minute later.

Suddenly, he felt somebody nudging his chest.

"Go away." Mumbled James.

"Come sleepy head. You can't be asleep now." Sirius' voice said.

"Go away Sirius. I'm tired." James growled.

"Well, it's going to have to wait. I got a message from Dumbledore. He wants to see us." Sirius said.

James groaned and opened his eyes. "What now? What did Voldemort do?" He asked.

"Don't know. All I know is that Dumbledore wants to see us." Sirius said.

"Very well. What about Lily? Does he wants her to come as well?" James asked worried. If this had to do with Voldemort he didn't want Lily anywhere nearby.

"No. He said not to bother her." Sirius said.

James sighed with relief. "Good. Let's go." He said and led Sirius out of the room.



Lily sat in the garden with the twins, they were happily playing with each other as Lily sat on a bench. Lily smiled as she looked at them play.

She also felt very tired. She was now five months pregnant and her belly had started to grow. She knew that sometimes she would seem unreasonable and the smallest thing could make her angry. She sighed as she thought about it. Poor James, she thought, that he had to deal with her constantly.

She heard the laughter of the two little girls and smiled. Soon, the laughter of her own child would join them.



James and Sirius apparated in Hogsmeade half an hour after they left James' bookroom.

"Do you know what this is all about?" Asked James as both men made their way to Hogwarts.

"Nope. I only got an owl telling me to get you and to come to Hogwarts fast." Sirius said.

"Did you contact Peter or Remus? Are they going to be here?" James asked as they walked up the lane that led to the castle.

"I didn't contact them. I don't know where they are?" Sirius replied.

"I wonder what happened." James whispered.

"Well, it seems that it is something big. It certainly sounded urgent." Sirius said.

"Do you reckon it has to do with Voldemort?" James asked.

"Who else would we be summoned for?" Sirius replied. "That bastard is a pain in the ass."

James laughed. "I agree with you in that. I just hope Lily doesn't find out about this. But I don't want her involved at this moment."

"Lord no! It would be more distracting. How are you holding up? Katie said that Lily's mood change with the every hour." Sirius laughed.

James groaned. "Don't remind me. And she wants the weirdest things to eat. She sent me all over the place looking for sardines today."

Sirius laughed.

"Humph! Let's see how it goes for you when Katie gets pregnant." James said.

"Lud! I think I will go on a trip then." Sirius said with a mock shudder.

"She would kill you." James laughed.

"I know." Sirius replied.

They had arrived at the golden gates of the castle. They opened slowly and allowed them to enter.

The two young men walked quickly toward the castle doors. They were open. Classes were over for the day and there were students walking all over the grounds. Some looked at the two strangers with curiosity.

James and Sirius walked purposely pass the doors toward the corridor that led to Dumbledore's office. They walked fast and without stopping. Students saw them pass, some looked at them with surprise others with questioning glances.

They finally arrived at the statue closing the entrance to the office. They turned to look at each other.

"How are we suppose to go in there?" Sirius asked.

"Didn't he give you the password in the note he owled?" James asked. Sirius shook his head. James swore.

"Really Mr. Potter, this is a school, such language is inappropriate." A stern voice said from behind.

Both turned to look into the stern face of Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry Professor." James said sheepishly. Their former Transfiguration Mistress still had the power to make them feel like they were still in school and were about to get detention for some trick they did.

"Humph! I assume you are here to see Dumbledore." She stated.

"We are." Said Sirius.

"Very well. Lemon Drop." She said. The statue promptly moved and the entrance to Dumbledore's office was exposed. "He should be waiting for you."

"Thank you Professor." Said James and entered the cavernous chamber.

The office looked the same as it had before. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, stood on its golden perch at one corner of the room. The portraits of the old schoolmasters looked down at them with curiosity. But Dumbledore was not in sight.

"Sit down gentlemen." A booming voice said.

James and Sirius jumped with surprise and turned to look at Dumbledore sitting within the shadows.

"Pardon me for startling you." He said as he came into the light.

"That's all right Professor, we just didn't see you there." Sirius said.

"I'm sorry Mr. Black, I was lost in thought." Dumbledore said. "But please, sit." He motioned to the chairs in front of the desk as he sat into his usual chair. "I assume you are curious about the reason why I sent for you."

The two young men nodded.

"Does this have to do with Voldemort?" James asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "I fear that it is. You see, he has disappeared from sight. We are afraid that he is up to something." He said.

"What about the spies you have in his group?" Sirius asked.

"That is what troubles me. His followers don't know where he is either." Dumbledore said.

"Where was he heading to the last time he was seen?" Asked James.

"He was coming north, but he hasn't been sighted. But that is not the most troubling part, we will deal with him when the time comes. His followers have been left on their own, without leadership they have been out of control. The attacks in muggles and muggle-born have increased since he left. That was why asked you to come. Lily is the most known muggle-born socially, and there has been whispers among the Death Eaters to go after her. So far, your marriage to her and your connections to the Ministry has kept her safe, but they are becoming rather confidant." Dumbledore warned.

"Are you saying that Lily is in danger?" Asked James in horror.

"We are not sure, there are rumors of course, there are other victims in sight, more easily to get to. But it is a concern." Dumbledore said.

"Should they go into hiding?" Asked Sirius in a worried tone.

"I don't see the need at the moment. So far they are only planning, they are focusing more in the muggles and less talented muggle-borns. If it becomes a concern, then it would be best to go to a safe place, but precautions can be taken at the moment." Dumbledore said.

"What precautions?" James asked quickly. He would do anything to keep Lily and his unborn child safe.

"I have discussed this with the Ministry. A blocking charm will be performed over the area, no one will be able to apparate any where near the estate or surrounding area. I'm afraid that the fireplace will have to be blocked from the Floo network. With the blocking charm, you will be relatively safe, anyone wanting to get near the Manor will have to go through the village, and I doubt that a group such as theirs will be able to pass through without notice." Dumbledore said.

James nodded his agreement. "Will there be anything that we need to do?" He asked.

"It is better if Lily and the older ladies do not find out about this." Sirius said.

"I agree. There is no need to worry yet, these are all precautions." Dumbledore said.

James quickly agreed. He didn't want Lily to put herself in danger, specially with their child.

"There is nothing more. The Ministry has already performed the spell, the nearest apparating point is the city of Daniels, ten miles away from the village. I'm sure you will be able to find transportation from there." Dumbledore said.

"We can. Thank you Professor." Replied James.

"Take care young men. And take care of Lily." He called as the young men walked through the door.

"Will do." Called Sirius before the door closed behind them.



Lily was dressing for dinner when her husband walked into the bedroom.

"Where have you been?" She asked. "We looked for you all over the place. Roberts said you had left with Sirius."

"I did. He took me to meet a person who we might do some business with." James said as he walked into his dressing room.

Lotty had placed his clothes on top of a chair. A bath was ready for him and clean towels were set by the tub.

He immersed himself into the tub with a sigh.

"Tired?" Lily asked as she stood on the doorway looking down at her husband.

"Very. We had to go to Daniels and then walked all the way back." Said James scrubbing.

"Why didn't you apparate?" Asked Lily.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? The Ministry is testing an experimental spell in the estate, so a blocking spell was put in the area. Nobody can apparate or dissaparate, you'll have to go to Daniels to apparate." James said, keeping busy with the bath and avoiding Lily's glance.

"A blocking spell? Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Asked Lily somewhat surprised.

"Well, I had discussed it with the Ministry before we got married and I had forgotten about it. The experimental spell was not ready then, and it is now, they sent me an owl about it this morning, but I forgot about it." James said.

"Humph!" Snorted Lily. "Where is it going to take place, I suppose nobody should stumble into it."

"Lord no! Not knowing what would happen. They are using a remote area of the northern part of the estate. They will put spells around it to keep people out. Not to worry, they know what they are doing." Said James.

"Very well. I will inform the staff." Said Lily grudgingly.

She walked away and left James to his bath.

He sighed with relief. He hated having to lie to her but it needed to be done. He was going to keep her safe, whether she liked it or not.

He heard Lily leaving the bedroom. He quickly finished with his bath and stumbled out to dress. If he knew his wife, she would soon be telling his mother about what he just said and he would have a lot of questions from his mother to deal with. He wanted to be dressed when that time came.

Honestly! Was he completely sane when he agreed to live with all these women in the house?



The next day he decided to get away from the house. The fields were being prepared to cultivate and he thought it was a perfect excuse to be out. Sirius found him standing by the fields as his tenants planted the seeds.

"Decided to be out today?" Sirius asked coming upon him.

James turned to look at his friend before turning back to the sight in front of him.

"Yes. What are you doing here, I thought you were going to take Katie to see her family." James replied.

"She wanted to go without me." Sirius said with a shrug. "And I thought this was the perfect time to get our stories straight."

"What stories? Did you do something?" James asked turning to peer at his friend.

"No! Why do you automatically think I did something? I just want to know what you told Lily about the blocking charm, I want to make sure I tell the same story to Katie. It wouldn't do for us to have different stories, they will know something is wrong." Sirius quickly said.

"Lord no! A moody female is enough for me, thank you. I told her that the Ministry is doing an experimental charm and that they asked to use a portion of the northern part of the estate. And because it's secret they put a blocking charm on the estate and surrounding areas to impede anyone from showing up." James said.

"Hmmm.good enough I suppose." Responded Sirius. "I suppose Lily didn't need you to go looking for sardines again." He said with a chuckle.

"No, I bought two cases, just in case, you understand." James said with a smug smile.

Sirius laughed. "Well, at least it's not a weird craving, sardines are rather easy to come by and with a salad and rice on the side it tastes good."

"It would, if she ate it like that. Do you know what she did with them? She poured them on top of an apple pie. That is not my idea of a good meal." James sounded disgusted.

Sirius was shocked. "How could she do that? What a waste of a good pie. I tell you, she spoiled a good apple pie." He exclaimed.

James laughed. "I thought so as well. Not a very appetizing dish, let me tell you. But I was not going to contradict her, she could be very spirited sometimes."

"I can imagine." Sirius said in a commiserating tone.

The two young men left the tenants to their jobs and walked toward the house. The gardens were starting to bloom once more. The snow had completely melted, and the lake was clear once again.

James led Sirius through the kitchen, they stole some pie and cookies as they passed, Otty chided them as they walked by and left through the door leading to the main hall. They crossed the corridors, passing the family rooms and the formal rooms and closeted themselves in the book room.

They had settled themselves in the couches by the fireplace when there was a knock on the door. The housekeeper, Mrs. Nichols, walked in with a tray. Upon it was a pot of tea, two cups and a plate with biscuits.

"I thought you would like a light snack before luncheon." She said putting the tray in a small table beside the couch on which James sat on.

"Thank you Mrs. Nichols." Smiled James.

"I love you Mrs. Nichols, if I weren't married I would marry you on the spot." Exclaimed Sirius.

Mrs. Nichols blushed. "Oh you!" She giggled.

James laughed as Mrs. Nichols poured the tea. "Where is Lily? And the other ladies?" He asked as he took the cup from her.

"In the village. They went to see the seamstress, it seems that Mrs. Lily's dresses need to be loosened." Mrs. Nichols said happily.

"Oh." James sighed with relief.

"She was looking for you before they left. She wanted to see if you could get her some figs." Mrs. Nichols said.

James choked on his tea. "How does she expect me to get them, it's not time for them and they don't grow on the area. I would have to go all the way to London to get some." He finally said.

"Don't worry sir, we sent Martin for them. He was happy to get out of the house for a bit." Mrs. Nichols quickly said.

"Oh, good. I don't feel like walking for miles just for some figs. What does she want with them anyways?" He asked with curiosity.

"I'm not sure sir, she just said she wanted them." Mrs. Nichols said with a shrug and left the room.

Sirius was laughing silently on the other couch.

"Shut it Sirius! Let's see how Katie gets when it's her turn." James exclaimed.

"Oh that won't happen for a while. We discussed it and agreed that now wasn't the time. She says I'm too childish and I agree." Sirius said happily.

"You agreed?" James was skeptical.

"Yes, I'm not ready to have children. You might be, but not I." Said Sirius.

"Well, on that matter, we all agree." James said.

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed.

Roberts and his footmen working on the hall could hear the laughter coming from the bookroom. They smiled and continued to work, happy that their master was in good spirits.



The spring was in full swing. The gardens of the Manor had bloomed and everything seemed perfect. James spent all his mornings in the fields or in the stables making sure his crops and his cattle were in perfect order. Every afternoon he returned for a light luncheon and spent the rest of the day with Lily.

Lily was sitting in her bed one afternoon when James came in.

"Hello darling." He cheerfully said kissing her cheek.

"Hi." She said rather depressed.

James looked at her warily. What had happened now to make her so sad? He asked to himself. The last time she had been like this was because a bee had been killed as the gardeners worked on the flowers. Rather insignificant to the others, but she had been saddened by the incident. One that many had already forgotten, but James hadn't. He had spent long hours trying to calm her down and cheer her up.

"Something wrong sweetheart?" He asked sitting beside her on the bed.

"No." She sniffled.

James sighed.

He put his arms around her and pulled her toward him. She sat awkwardly against him. Her belly had grown during the past months and it didn't allow him to put his arms around her waist.

"Tell me darling, what happened?" He asked once more.

"I'm ugly." She said.

James was rather shocked. "Who said such a thing?" He exclaimed.

"Nobody. I saw for myself how ugly I am." Lily wailed before breaking down to sob.

"You are not ugly. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You are kind, and sweet and I love you. You will always be beautiful to me." He said.

"You are just saying that to make me feel better." She sniffled.

"No I'm not. I'm saying it because it's the truth."

"How could that be? I'm big! James, I can't see my feet. I want to see my feet." She wailed once more.

"Oh dear, it won't be for long. And think of what is happening. You are having our child. Our baby is growing inside of you. Here." He grabbed her hand and put it against her stomach. "Do you feel him? How do you think he would feel if he knew that his mother is sad because she says that he is making her look ugly?" He chided.

"It's not his fault." Lily whispered.

"Of course it's not, but is because of him that your body has changed. This is the most beautiful moment of a woman's life Lily. You are not just beautiful, you are gorgeous, and the mother of my child." He said kissing her temple.

Lily smiled. "I love you." She whispered.

"And I love you too. And him as well." James said kissing her belly.

Lily laughed. Her sadness forgotten.



He joined his mother and mother-in-law some minutes later. Minnie was in his room helping Lily to get dressed.

"Hello dear, everything is ready in the fields?" Mrs. Potter asked as he sat.

He sighed the moment his body relaxed on the chair. "Yes. We are all set. We think that we might have a better crop this year." He said cheerfully.

"Oh good." Mrs. Potter said.

"Is Lily getting ready still?" Asked Mrs. Evans.

James nodded. "I had to cheer her up a bit, she was rather depressed that she couldn't see her feet. Wherever she got the idea that she is ugly, I don't know." He exclaimed.

"Oh poor dear. I remember how terrible those times are." Said Mrs. Evans.

"Maybe we can do something to cheer her up. What about a party?" Mrs. Potter said, excitedly turning to look at Mrs. Evans.

"A baby shower. She has four more months, it would be the perfect time for one." Mrs. Evans squealed.

James groaned.



Sirius was waiting for him in the bookroom the next afternoon when James returned from the fields.

"What are you doing here?" Asked James the moment he spied his friend drinking his brandy by the fireplace.

"It's your fault I'm here." Sirius growled.

James raised his eyebrows.

"Whose idea was it to give Lily a shower party? I don't want to go to a baby shower, that is for women!" He exclaimed.

"Tell me about it. I told my mother that I wasn't going to be there." James sighed sprawling on a couch.

"What did she say?" Sirius asked.

"She said it was fine, that it would keep me out of their way." James grumbled.

"Good. We can go to town or something. I'm sure you and I will not be the only displaced mates on that day. Maybe we can have a party of our own." Sirius began to sound excited.

"Hmmm.it has merit. And mother did say to stay out of the way." James said thoughtfully.

"Of course it has merit. And the wives have nothing to complain about, they will be busy at this shower of theirs." Sirius said.'

James nodded. The idea did have merit, he didn't want to be here for the party anyways.

"Hmmm.James?" Sirius asked tentatively.

"Yes?" Asked James turning to look at his friend.

Sirius was frowning. "What is a baby shower? I mean, what happens in one?" He asked with curiosity.

"Don't know, never been in one. When Elizabeth had hers I was in Hogwarts, just heard about it in an owl. All I know is that gifts are brought for the mother and baby." James said with a shrug.

"What about the father? Don't they bring something for the father?" Sirius asked.

"I don't think so." James said.

"That is unfair. I mean to say, the mother didn't do the baby by herself, now did she." Sirius exclaimed. "Well, we do need a stag party then, bring gifts for you." Said Sirius with finality.

"If you want. I just want to be out of the house for the day." James said.

"Ask your mother for the list of the girls invited, we'll invite the men, see if they want to join us." Sirius said.

"Very well. You are telling Peter and Remus right? I know they are not married or have a girl, but still, I would want them to be there." James quickly said.

"When did it become my job to plan this party? You are the father." Sirius exclaimed.

"And it was your idea, therefore, you are in charge." Said James.

"Oh fine. I'll owl them then." Grumbled Sirius.

James nodded and happily started to think of the things that they could do on this party.

"Does Lily know about this shower?" Sirius asked some time later.

"Not that I know of, I haven't said a thing and she hasn't mentioned it. She would've if she knew." James replied.

"Hmmm.I suppose they want it to be a surprise. No wonder they chose today to meet and plan." Sirius said.

"Who?"

"Your ladies and Katie of course. Well except Lily, she left before we arrived. Your mother said she was in the village with the seamstress and then would pass to see the doctor. Something about a potion." Sirius said.

"I suppose. They better hurry, I don't think it takes too long. Unless she is walking and I don't think she would do so in her condition." James said.

"Yes, I believe she took Martin and the car." Sirius said.

"Are you staying for dinner then?" Asked James.

"I suppose we will, it is starting to get late." Sirius said looking out the window.

A car was heard on the distance.

"Lily is here. Maybe you should go and warn the others, I will hold her in the hall." Said James.

Sirius rapidly made his way to the family parlor while James stood by the door waiting for Roberts to open the door to his wife.

"Hello Roberts." Lily exclaimed in a happy mood.

"Ma'am." Roberts replied helping her with her cloak.

"Hello dear, had a good day?" Asked James walking toward her.

"Oh hello James, didn't see you there. Yes, quite a good morning. I went to see Madam Livine, she is making me a new set of robes and cloaks, these are not going to fit me in a couple of weeks. Then I went to see the doctor, mum was rather piqued this morning and I went to ask him if he had something for headaches." She chattered as she walked to James.

"I hope he had something for her." James said kissing her cheek and leading her to a bench by the wall.

"Oh yes, he gave me some herbs to brew for her. Did you know that his daughter will come to visit? He told me all about it over a cup of tea. He is so happy. Madam Pomfrey will not come of course, because it's so busy at Hogwarts now, but her sister will take some days off from her practice and will come." She chattered, taking no notice that James had maneuvered her to sit on the bench and not toward the family parlor.

"He must be happy indeed. Do you feel tired Lily? Maybe you should go and freshen up a bit before we go for our tea. I'm sure you will feel much better then." James said.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit fatigued. Maybe I should take my tea in our room. I will be rested for dinner then." Said Lily as James helped her up and they started up the stairs.

"If you wish darling. I will tell mother and yours, Sirius and Katie are here, but I'm sure they will understand, they will stay for dinner of course, so you can see them later." James said.

"Of course dear, it is better this way. You will tell Mrs. Nichols of course."

"Of course sweetheart. I will take care of everything. I will send Minnie to help you." James said as they arrived in front of the door to their rooms.

"Thank you dear, I do feel a bit tired. I hadn't thought of that before." Lily mumbled.

"Rest dear." James said.

"See you later." Lily said and walked into the room.

James sighed and returned down to the hall.

"That was brilliant!" Exclaimed Sirius as he stepped out from behind the stairs. "The way that you just made her think she was tired, boy, I bet she didn't even know how she got from all chatty to tired." Laughed Sirius.

James scowled at him. "Shut it Sirius. I knew she was tired that is all. Where are the others?"

"In the parlor room. They are waiting to see if Lily will join them for tea." Sirius said leading the way to the parlor.

"She is going to nap for now, she will join us for dinner." James said.

The two young men walked down the corridor toward the parlor while Mrs. Nichols went to the master bedroom with a tray for Lily. Lily was laying on the daybed. Resting for the day.



Sirius took his job of planning for the stag party seriously. He spent countless of hours owling invitations and making arrangements. Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans were only too happy to give them the list of the ladies invited. It was a good idea to keep them out of the house during the party.

Lily passed the days without noticing anything out of the ordinary. She spent her days resting and knitting. She had seen one of the village ladies knitting for one of her children and Lily liked the idea of having something for her child that she made herself.

"Feeling rested?" James asked one afternoon when he returned from the fields.

"Oh yes. I never thought that knitting could be so relaxing." Lily exclaimed with a smile.

A rocker had been brought into the room from the attics. Lily liked sitting there as she worked on the blanket she was making. The rocking of the chair made her morning sickness better, surprisingly enough.

James smiled down at his wife, he liked seeing her this way. He never thought that he would see such a sight.

"Are you going with me for my examination tomorrow?" Lily asked.

"If you want me to. I made sure that I have the morning cleared for you tomorrow." James said.

"Great, the doctor said that he could tell us the gender of the baby if we wanted to." Lily said with excitement.

"Do you want to find out?" James asked holding his breath. He would do as she asked but he was dying to find out if they were having a boy or a girl.

"Hmmm.I don't know James. One part of me wants to keep it secret so we'll be surprised when the time comes, but another part wants to know. It would save a lot of time, as we are getting the baby's room ready, it would be nice to know if we should use pink or blue." Said Lily, James was sure she was feeling torn by the decision.

James didn't say a word. His wife was deep in thought and he didn't want to push her. Besides, with her mood swings, she was capable of doing some major damage if he pushed too hard.

"I think it would be best if we knew. I can get all that is needed much easier then." Lily finally said.

James could've danced in happiness, but he didn't want Lily to know how much he wanted to know what they would be having.

"If that is what you wish dear." He said.

Lily smiled and continued rocking in her chair.

James left her to rest and made his way to the family parlor.

As soon as he reached the entrance hall, he could hear music coming from the music room. It was quite a while since somebody played one of the instruments. Lily used to practice her piano often, but after she found out about her pregnancy, she had given it up.

James stood on the door as he watched his two small nieces with his mother. They sat on the piano bench. One girl on each side of Mrs. Potter. She seemed to be instructing the small girls and they listened attentively.

He smiled. Sirius would call the ladies of the house, James' ladies and he didn't mind. They were his ladies, and he would take care of them as long as he could.

He stayed where he was, listening to the girls practicing. The ladies within didn't notice him at all, until after half an hour of practice when he applauded after they played a bit of a song.

"Uncle James."

"Uncle James." The girls squealed running to hug their uncle.

"Hello girls, you are getting good with your music lesson." James laughed.

"Where is Aunt Lily?" Both asked as one.

"Resting. Why don't you go to the nursery, I'm sure Nurse will be waiting for you to bring you tea." Urged James.

The girls nodded and ran out of the room. James turned to smile at his mother. She smiled and stood from the bench.

"Mother, I hope the little hellions are not tiring you." Said James kissing her cheek.

Mrs. Potter laughed. "No dear, they are behaving themselves." She answered.

"I'm glad." James said sitting on a chair at a corner.

"Where is Lily? I hope she is resting." Said Mrs. Potter sitting on the piano bench once more.

"She is. I left her in our rooms knitting." James sighed.

"Does she know about Saturday?" Mrs. Potter whispered.

"No. At least, she hasn't said anything on the subject." He replied.

"Oh good." She said excitedly. "Rose is in London now buying gifts and decorations."

James nodded. "We are going to the doctor tomorrow. You'll have time to plan then, there are only two days left for you to get things ready."

Mrs. Potter smiled. "Are you looking forward for your day in town? Katie says that Sirius has a lot of things planned for that day."

"So he says. He hasn't told me what he has planned, only the names of those coming." James said.

"Well, I hope you have fun. We'll take care of Lily for you." Mrs. Potter said.

"At least I won't have to go looking for a hard to get fruit." He sighed.

Mrs. Potter laughed. "Don't worry dear, it won't last long."

"I hope so." He replied.



The next morning was quite warm and sunny. A black car was waiting in the front entrance as James paced waiting for Lily.

"I'm ready." Lily said as she waddled down the stairs.

James quickly leapt up to her and helped her down.

"Thank you dear. Are we all set?" She asked as they reached the landing.

"Yes, just waiting for you." James said as he led her through the front door.

Martin, the driver, held open the car door as James helped her in. She settled herself in the seat and slid over, making room for James.

The drive to the doctor's house was short and quick.

The door to the small house was open and a young woman stood waiting for them.

"Hello Doctor Pomfrey, didn't expect you to see you now." Greeted James the moment he saw her.

"I came earlier than planned Mr. Potter." She said with a smile.

"I'm sure the doctor is happy to have you here." James said. "Let me introduce you to my wife. Dear, this is Doctor Pomfrey, the doctor's youngest daughter and Madam Pomfrey's sister. Doctor, this is Lily, my wife."

"How do you do?" Said Lily with a friendly nod.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Potter, my father has said great things about you. I hope you don't mind if I take over your examination for today, father is feeling a bit out of the weather." Doctor Pomfrey said.

"Oh I don't mind. I hope it's nothing bad." Lily said somewhat concerned for the friendly old doctor, whom she had become rather fond of.

"Oh, it's just a chill, as long as he rests and takes his medicine, he will be fine." The young woman said.

Lily smiled relieved and allowed James to help her into the house.

The house was rather small. A cozy sitting room greeted everyone who entered the house. The furniture was sturdy and comfortable. There were two doors at each side of the room, besides the front door. One led to a corridor, which opened to the public rooms in the house, the dinning room, the kitchens and the bedrooms. The other door led to the small clinic at the side of the house. A reception area opened up from the sitting room, three small rooms opened up from the reception room. Each of the three small rooms were furnished with the latest medical technology. An examination table was set at the center of each room, an X-ray screen (I don't know what they are called so I'm calling them that, if you know what is the proper name for it, let me know), and tables full of syringes, stethoscopes, gauze, and other items that could be used during an examination. Another room stood at the very end of a building, it was usually dark but it was here where an X-ray machine stood at one end of the room.

Doctor Pomfrey led James and Lily into one of the examination rooms. Lily was already used to this so she quickly made her way to the table and with James' help, climbed onto it. Doctor Pomfrey stood by the side of the table, a folder in her hand.

"I have been reading your file, so I would be prepared for today." Doctor Pomfrey explained when she noticed Lily looking at the folder. "Just in case there was something I needed to know. If you are ready, we can begin."

"Of course." Said Lily as she leaned back and lay on the table.

There was no need for any of the instruments lying at one of the tables. Instead, the doctor pulled her wand from a hidden pocket of her robes and held it above Lily. "Enfantus Oculus." She said.

James leaned in to watch closely at the image of the baby reflected above Lily's stomach.

"Now let's see how this baby is doing." The doctor exclaimed, and with a flick of her wand the image started to revolve.

James and lily were now accustomed to this procedure, and quietly watched as the young lady looked closely at the image.

"Everything seems to be in order. It seems to be growing at a normal rate." She said. Lily and James sighed with relief. "Do you want to know the gender of the child?" The doctor suddenly asked.

James turned to look at Lily with a questioning glance. She looked at him with a smile and nodded.

"Yes, please." James said.

"Very well. Let's see if we can get lucky and find out." The doctor said. With another flick of her wand, the image stopped revolving. She looked closely at the image once more and chuckled.

James and Lily turned to look curious at what had made her chuckle.

"Well, it seems that you are going to have a little boy." The doctor finally said.

"A boy?" Asked Lily excited.

"A boy!" Exclaimed James, leaning close to the image to look at his son. "Hello Harry!"

Lily laughed, she was so happy.

The doctor chuckled once more. "I see that you have a name chosen."

"Oh yes. This young fellow is to be Harry James Potter." Said James proudly.

Lily laughed, but said nothing. She was longingly looking at the image above her. Happy to see her son and knowing that it was healthy. She was a bit disappointed to find out that she wouldn't have a little girl. But she put the feeling aside, she loved her son as well, and she was sure that the little girl she wanted would soon follow. But for now, she was happy to look at the son growing inside of her and started to plan her future, everything revolving around the small child.



The young couple left with high spirits.

" - and when you can sit by yourself, I will teach you how to play Quidditch. You are going to be the best Quidditch player Hogwarts has ever seen, see if they don't choose you for the house team on your first year. You will be the youngest Quidditch player in a century!" James was talking to Lily's stomach as they drove home.

Lily was laughing as she heard the plans that James was making. "Really James, it won't be until he is old enough that he will get on a broom." She exclaimed.

"I was on top of a broom before I could even walk!" James said proudly.

"James, I will not have you teaching Harry how to fly until he can at least walk. I will not have you put him in any danger, he could fall and hurt himself." Lily said.

"But Lily, the soonest he learns how to fly, the better he will be, he won't be falling off the broom. There are some specially made for children you know, they don't fly very fast, they only hover about a meter above the ground. He won't hurt himself." James said.

"Humph! I still think it's unsafe." Lily replied.

"Tell you what." He said putting his arms around her and pulling her to him. "Talk to mother, she will tell you all about my exploits on top of a broom that can only fly a meter a minute, and you'll see how safe it is."

"Very well, but I really think you should wait until he is at least one year old." Lily said.

"We still have time to talk about it." James said, not promising a thing. He still hoped that by the time their son was born, Lily would be more open to the idea.

"Are you sure we should name him Harry? You won't change your mind?" Lily suddenly asked.

James turned to look at Lily with surprise. "Why? Do you want to use another name?" He quickly asked. He had already gotten used to the name of Harry James Potter, it had a nice ring to it, in his point of view.

"No, just asking. I don't want to have our son being born and have us fight about the name." Lily said.

"Oh, well, that won't happen, we have our son's name all planned." He said with a smile.

Lily smiled as well, and settled in his arms saw the scenery pass by.



They found Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans whispering as they entered the family parlor.

"Ah there you are dear, how did it go?" Asked Mrs. Evans in an uncommon loud voice.

Lily blinked in surprise a couple of times before answering. "Rather well. Everything is fine." She said.

"That is good." Mrs. Potter smiled.

Both women turned to look at James, who seemed rather excited.

"Something you want to say James?" Asked Mrs. Potter.

"We are going to have a boy!" He exclaimed happily.

"Oh that is good news." Exclaimed both ladies and stood to hug Lily.

"Isn't it? James here is already making plans to teach him to fly. Can you believe that he wants to sit him on a broom before he even walks?" Lily said.

"That sounds rather dangerous." Said Mrs. Evans with worry.

"Oh no, the kiddy brooms are rather safe, they do not fly very fast, they just float around. I used to put cushions on the floor whenever James climbed on one." Mrs. Potter said.

"Mum!" Said James rather embarrassed. Here he was trying to get Lily to agree to let him get a broom for his son and his mother was saying that he needed cushions to fly when he was a child.

"Oh I hadn't thought of that. I suppose that would work." Said Lily.

James sighed with resignation. If that was what would take to get a broom for his son, so be it. He would put cushions around the room when he put Harry on a broom. Hopefully, Harry would never found out about it.

"Very well, I will buy lots of cushions before I get him on top of a broom." He said.

"Thank you dear, that will be much safer." Said Lily kissing his cheek.

James just smiled. Oh well, he thought, at least she would be happy.

"Now dear, why don't you go and rest for a while. Luncheon should be ready in less than an hour." Said Mrs. Potter.

"Perhaps you are right, you will call me won't you?" Urged Lily as she made her way out of the room.

"Of course dear." Both ladies exclaimed.

James walked behind Lily, lots of plans for his son running through his mind.



Lily rested that afternoon, not knowing about the plans that were in progress for the next day.

James was closeted in his bookroom, looking over at some papers his agent had left for him to look over.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans were in the family parlor room whispering like young girls with a secret. And the servants were busily putting things in order for the next day, trying to be circumspect so Lily would not notice.

Dinner was a quiet affair, considering that the twins were sitting at the table with them.

"Uncle James." Said one of them quietly when dessert was served.

"Yes Cassie?" Asked James eagerly reaching for his spoon to eat the ice cream presented to him.

"How did the baby got into Aunt Lily's tummy?" Francie asked.

James looked startled. His ice cream forgotten for the moment. "Hmmm - well - " He didn't know how to respond.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans quietly chuckled, Lily laughed. Poor James, she thought.

The twins were looking up at James with a curious expression. James tried to speak but he couldn't. What was he to say? He run his fingers through his hair as he usually did when he was nervous or distracted.

"Don't worry dear." Said Mrs. Potter taking pity of her son. "I will tell them. Eat your desserts my dears and we'll go to the nursery where I will tell you a story." She said to the twins.

The girls smiled and turned their attention back to their ice cream.

James sighed with relief. Oh Lord! He thought, how was he going to handle it when his children ask him that question?

Lily smiled as she saw the relief in James' face. Poor dear, she thought before turning back to her meal.

When the plates were cleared and the remaining food taken down to the kitchens, Mrs. Potter took hold of a hand from each of the twins and led to the nursery. Mrs. Evans excused herself and retired.

James and Lily walked slowly to their chamber. James took care to help Lily along the way.

"Maybe we should put one of those eletators things, like the muggles have, so you won't have to climb the stairs." He said.

"Elevators, dear. But it would be such a waste after the baby is born." Lily said.

"Not really, it would help with the baby as well. Think about it. We will need to bring down carriages, bags and what not whenever we leave the house, and it would be much faster." James said liking his idea.

"Well, we can if you want." Said Lily. As she thought more about it, it was a good idea.

They slowly made their way up the stairs. Lily had to stop several times to rest. James stayed by her side waiting patiently.

"Perhaps you are right, we should get an elevator in here. I still have four more months and get tired easily, I can well imagine what it will be like when the time comes." Said Lily as they continued up to their chambers.

"I can get Sanders to start on it by Monday, if we use magic, it will take no less than a week for it to be done." James replied.

Lily nodded.

As Lily rested in their room, James entered the small room prepared next to theirs. A door had been opened from their room to this one, for easy access. James looked around. The walls had been painted light blue. Pictures of bears and Quidditch balls adorned the walls. The bears danced and played as the balls flew around in great speed. He smiled. He remembered how hard it had been for him to convince Lily and their mothers to include the balls in the decorations. But he persevered, and got his way.

A lush multicolored rug muffled his steps as he walked inside. A large wooden crib stood on the center, curtains hanging from the ceiling falling around it. The crib was old, but very dear to him. It was the one on which he slept as a baby, as many of his ancestors did, including his father and sister.

Chests full of toys lined the walls, a rocking horse and lots of plush animals sat at the corners, waiting for the child that would soon play with them.

James sighed in satisfaction and a wave full of pride invaded his body. He couldn't wait, he was eager to meet his son.



James rose early to a warm and bright day. Lily was still sleeping when he silently left the room. Sirius was waiting for him in the family dinning room.

"About time you made an appearance." Said Sirius with a yawn.

"It's early still, Lily is still asleep." Said James as he sat down to serve himself.

"The girls will start coming a little before noon." Announced Sirius as he grabbed a plate and started to pile it high with food.

James nodded. "Mother and Mrs. Evans are taking Lily shopping this morning and will return at noon or so to give the girls time to come."

"We should live as soon as we can. The boys are going to meet us in my house in a couple of hours." Said Sirius.

"What are we going to do?" James asked with curiosity.

"We are going to the Quidditch game and then we'll start the party at our return." Said Sirius.

"Really? I haven't been to a game for quite a while. Who is playing?" James eagerly asked.

"Appleby Arrows and Wimbourne Wasps." Sirius replied.

"That should be good." Said James.

Sirius nodded eagerly, his mouth full.

"Don't you ever eat before you come here?" Laughed James.

"I do, but somehow, I'm hungry by the time I get here." Sirius said.

"You are always hungry." James said.

"Not always."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are."

"Am-"

"You two are acting like children. Eat. And then you may leave." Said a stern voice from the door.

"Morning Mother." James greeted Mrs. Potter as she sat beside him.

"Morning dear, is Lily still sleeping?" She asked.

James nodded.

"Well, let her rest, there is a lot for us to do today." Mrs. Potter said.

"Well, we are done. See you later mum." James said kissing her cheek and pulling Sirius off the table.

"Hey! I was eating that!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You have eaten enough. I'm sure there is more in your own house." James was saying as both left the room.

Mrs. Potter laughed. "When will those two grow up?" She asked herself.



Lily awoke to find herself alone on the bed. The curtains had been drawn, allowing the sunlight to enter through the open windows. A tray with tea and toast waited by her side of the bed.

Lily settled the pillows behind her back and took the tray.

She didn't think it odd that James was not there, sometimes he would go on his own to roam the estate. She thought this morning was like that. She patiently ate her toast and drank her tea. Happy that the potion that the doctor had given her was working and her morning sickness wasn't bothering her.

She heard the door opened and she turned to see who her visitor was.

Minnie came bobbing into the room.

"Morning Mistress Lily. Will Mistress Lily prefer a bath soon after breakfast?" She asked as she went about the room putting things in order.

"Yes Minnie. I think I will." Said Lily.

Minnie quickly went to the dressing room and Lily heard the water running. Hopefully, she thought, this would be a good day.



"When will we leave for the game?" James asked for the tenth time that morning.

Those around him groaned. "Will you stop asking? We told you, we'll leave once Roger comes." Exclaimed Remus.

"Well, why is it taking him so long?" James said.

"Because, he had to visit a family member at the hospital." Peter repeated with a resigned air.

"You would think it was his son playing today." Frank Longbottom said as he sat by the windows.

All men present were drinking from the decanters on a table by the wall, loaded with snacks.

"Humph! That child will get to hate Quidditch, the way James goes on about it. He will scare that boy from ever sitting on a broom." A young man said with a laugh.

James glowered. " No Potter would ever hate Quidditch."

"So you say. But the way you get about the game, you scare the devil out of anybody, a child will be scared witless." Sirius said.

"Hey, you are supposed to be on my side." James exclaimed.

"You have to agree James. You get too obsessed of Quidditch. I don't think you would have the patience with a child who is just learning how to play." Said Remus.

"Fine friends you are." Scowled James.

"Well, at least Lily will be there to keep control of James." Said Peter, paying no attention to the frown on James face.

"I'm not that bad." Said James.

"Yes you are." Many voices said at once.

"Lord, I was never dry enough during Quidditch season at Hogwarts." Said Tobias Wood, the former Gryffindor keeper.

"Tell me about it. I don't know how I never got sick from all the training we got." Said Sirius.

"We needed to practice!" Exclaimed James.

"James, that's all we ever did! It's a miracle we had time to play our tricks at all." Sirius said.

"You are exaggerating." James said with a shake of his head.

"We are not." Everybody exclaimed.

"Let us hope that that kid of yours doesn't inherit that from you." Said Tobias Wood. "I know mine won't be like that."

James snorted.

There was a knock on the door. A servant opened and the men turned to look as the parlor door opened.

"There you are, why did it take you so long getting here?" James said as a blond, portly young man entered the room.

The young man looked surprised at James' tone. "I had to visit a cousin at St. Mungos'. Didn't anybody tell you?"

"We told him. He is just a bear right now because he wanted to leave." Said Remus.

"Oh." Roger Edwards said as he turned to greet those present.

"No time for that, we have to go." Said James.

"We might as well go. He is not going to relax until we get there." Said Sirius.

The others nodded resigned and followed James out of the room.



It was noon and Lily sat at a table underneath a large umbrella in front of the baker's shop.

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat Lily. You can rest for a while before we return home." Said Mrs. Evans as the two women waited for Mrs. Potter, who had stepped into the shop.

"I'm fine mum, I can get something to eat once we get home." Lily said.

"If you are sure dear." Replied Mrs. Evans.

"Yes mum. Have you heard from Petunia lately?" She suddenly asked.

Mrs. Evans pursed her lips in disapproval. "Not much. Just that Vernon has become director of his firm and their child will be born in a couple of months."

"Oh, should we have a party for her, do you think? I'm sure she would enjoy it." Lily said.

"No dear, she says that her sister in law is planning one for her." Mrs. Evans said.

"Oh, when is it. Do we have time to buy a present?" Lily asked eagerly.

"I don't think so dear. We'll send it to her, it would be much easier, and I don't think you would endure such a trip." Mrs. Evans said.

Lily frowned. Why couldn't they go? Surely Petunia would put aside their differences and make peace for the sake of their children, she thought. She was about to speak, but the door of the shop opened and Mrs. Potter stepped out with a large bag of pastries.

"I just couldn't contain myself. Those pastries looked so tempting." She said with a laugh.

Lily smiled as she stood. "Should we go then?"

"Yes dear, the car is waiting on the next street." Said Mrs. Potter leading the way.

Lily walked slowly behind. The memory of her sister still in her mind.

Martin, the driver, jumped up the moment he saw them approach and opened the door for them.

Lily was helped in and the older ladies followed.

The car was soon seen driving away from the village and turn to the lane leading to the Manor. Lily sighed and rested against the pillows brought for her comfort.

She had been here for less than two years, but it seemed like home for her now. She turned to look at the two ladies whispering at the other end of the car. She smiled. Both ladies had become bosom friends, as if they had known each other all their lives.

The house came in sight. The flowers had blossomed, the trees were green and lush, and the lawn was trimmed. In her eyes, it was perfect.

Roberts stood on the steps waiting for them. A pair of footmen stood beside him to help with the purchases.

"Everything all right, Roberts?" Asked Mrs. Potter as soon as she got out of the car.

"It is ma'am." Roberts replied with a bow.

"Oh good." She exclaimed.

Martin was helping Mrs. Evans out of the car. Lily waited patiently for her turn. The footmen had descended to the car and were taking all the purchases out of the trunk.

"Come Lily dear. I'm sure you are as hungry as we are." Said Mrs. Evans as the three ladies watched the footmen taking their bags into the house.

"Indeed. Maybe more." Laughed Lily as she led the ladies into the house.

Roberts walked before them, leading them to the formal parlor. Lily frowned in confusion, they usually used the family parlor room.

"There has been an accident in the private rooms Mistress Lily, we thought to serve here as things are put in order." Roberts said to Lily as he opened the door for her.

"Oh, thank you Roberts." Said Lily, her frown disappearing and stepping into the room.

A shout of "Surprise!" Made her jump.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she looked around. Most of her friends and neighbors were there, laughing and greeting her. A large banner on the window said. "Congratulations it's a boy!" On a table by the door leading to the dinning room were piles of presents.

Tears started to run down her cheek. "Oh thank you." She said before breaking down.

"Oh dear, it's all right." Mrs. Evans said taking her daughter in her arms. "It was a bit of a surprise I suppose." She said to the other ladies in the room.

Several women nodded, being mothers themselves and knowing how sensitive an expecting mother could be.

"Come Lily. Look at all this delicious food that Otty has prepared for you." Said Katie, taking her friend from her mother and leading her to the dinning room.

A delicious array of food was served on a table by a long wall. The large table had been taken out and replaced by three smaller tables surrounded by five or eight chairs each. A footman stood behind the table where the food was served, ready to help the ladies as they chose what they wanted.

Katie led Lily down the table, urging her to eat a little of everything that was presented.

"Really Katie, I don't need to eat this much." Lily exclaimed.

"Nonsense, you need all your energy, and that child of yours must have the appetite of his father." Katie said.

Lily laughed. "I think he will inherit that from James. Do you know that I haven't actually gained much weight? I mean that once the baby is born I will have no trouble losing the extra pounds. The doctor said that all the weigh I have personally gained is not much, maybe ten pounds at the most." Lily said.

"Poor Otty, he will have to work extra hard to cook for both James and the baby." Laughed Katie.

Lily chuckled and sat at one of the tables, ready to forget her troubles and enjoy herself.



"How did you got this private room?" James asked as the group of young men (and a few older men) sat around the room.

It was a large room. Large windows at one side of the room, slanted down so that everything below could be seen. In front of the windows were several chairs lined up, enough to sit ten people. Steps went up and another line of chairs was set.

Behind the chairs a large open space was cleared. Sofas and chairs lined the walls, a large table stood on one side with food and drinks served.

"Had to pay a pretty hefty sum for it, but it was worth it. You can see the game quite well from up here." Said Sirius leaning down on the window.

"And much more comfortable than the bleachers." Said Remus as he poured a drink into his glass.

"You didn't have to spend a lot of money for this." Said James turning to look at his friends.

"We didn't, everybody here pitched in." Said Peter.

All the men nodded.

"We wanted to be comfortable." Laughed Tobias Wood.

"And you don't have to pay for every person here. You could have up to fifty guests and you would still pay for the same sum." Said Frank Longbottom.

"In other words, it was much cheaper than buying the tickets for the whole group." Laughed James.

"Yep." Said Sirius.

"How long will this intermission last?" Groaned one of the men.

"It has only been ten minutes, Norman, it will start soon enough. Grab something to eat." Said Remus.

"Wonder what the girls are doing?" Asked James.

"Probably opening the gifts they bought and oohing and ahing over every little piece of clothes they gave Lily." Snorted Sirius.

"Is that what Katie bought? Clothing?" Asked one of the men.

"Yep, at least I think it's clothing." Shrugged Sirius.

"My wife bought a set of pillows. What kind of a gift is that?" Another man said.

"I wager it's embroidered with little bears and ducks, that kind of things." Scoffed Remus.

"Yes, full of little bears and owls." The man responded.

"Well, women like that kind of things." Said Peter.

"Yes, but this is a boy we are talking about." Said Sirius.

"My wife bought him a set of blankets, from the National Quidditch team." Tobias Wood said proudly.

"Now that is the kind of gift we want." Said James. Everybody laughed.

A whistle was heard and an announcement followed.

"Ladies and gentleman, the game will continue in two minutes, please take your seats."

"About time." Many of the men said.

Peter groaned.

"What?" Asked Sirius.

"Now I have to go to the restroom. I shouldn't have drunk too much water." Peter said as he walked to the small room at one end of the end of the hall. Laughter followed him out.



Lily was sat on a comfortable chair, surrounded by her well-wishers and the gifts they had brought.

"Thank you." Lily said once more as se held up the small blue robes.

"I didn't know they made wizard robes for babies." Said Mrs. Evans.

"Oh yes, they even have play wands." Laughed Mrs. Potter.

"I'm glad nobody bought one of those. They could be dangerous in the hands of our husbands." Laughed Katie.

The other women laughed. After tea and snacks were served, the women started to leave. Lily and Katie slowly took the gifts up to the baby's room.

"I think James will love these blankets more than the baby will." Said Katie.

Lily chuckled. "I think you are right. They are cute though, I like the colors." Said Lily as she held up the Quidditch blankets that she had been given.

"I like the pillows, these are cute." Katie said holding a pair of small pillows.

Lily smiled.

"When are you two going to start thinking about children?" Asked Lily looking at her friend.

Katie chuckled. "I don't know. We have not spoken about it." She said.

"Don't you want children of your own?" Lily said.

"I do. Eventually. I just don't think we are ready. Maybe in a couple of years." Katie replied.

"James is a little sad that little Harry will not have a playmate." Lily laughed.

"He just wishes his son to have a little prankster friend in Hogwarts." Katie replied.

"I truly hope that by the time he goes to Hogwarts, James will not encourage him to be anything but a good student." Exclaimed Lily.

"You better pray hard and long until that time arrives." Laughed Katie.

Lily smiled as she stroked her stomach.



James was sitting in the middle of the living room in Sirius' house. The other men were sitting or standing around him. A pile of packages were set in front of him.

"And this is from?" Asked James holding up a large box.

"Me." Said Tobias Wood leaning forward, eager to see what James thought of his gift.

James unwrapped the box. Inside lay a small racing broom. "Oh wow." He exclaimed taking the broom out of the box.

It was smaller than a regular broom. It hovered only a foot or two above the floor.

"Tobias, that's the latest model of baby brooms." Exclaimed Sirius looking at the broom with excitement.

"It is. I thought that the son of James Potter could not begin life without his own broom." Tobias said.

"I love it. I'm sure baby Harry will too." James said happily.

"He might, but I don't think Lily will." Remus said.

"And what did you bring?" Snapped Sirius scowling at Remus.

Remus laughed and pointed to a large crate underneath all the gifts. "I knew what Tobias had bought." He said with a mysterious tone.

Sirius and James took the crate from underneath the pile. James quickly opened it. I small trunk stood inside, richly decorated with images of Quidditch balls zooming across the wood. James opened the trunk and four Quidditch balls were found inside. All of them were made of foam, the snitch larger than the real thing, but smaller than the other balls. James took it out and the ball flew across the room at a snail pace.

The other men laughed.

"Well, that kid is going to be the best Quidditch player by the time he gets to Hogwarts." Laughed one of the men.

"Indeed. James here wants him to be the youngest player to be chosen for the house team." Said Sirius.

James happily looked at the balls and the broom. There were no better gifts for a boy, he thought.



It was almost time for dinner by the time James and Sirius returned to the Manor. Both had their pockets full.

They entered the house to find all the servants scurrying from one place to the other. Taking tables apart, taking large bags of paper out of the parlor, and bringing order to chaos.

"Did you have a good time?" Lily asked as she stood by the parlor room door.

James quickly turned to her with a huge smile. "The best." He said approaching her and kissing her cheek.

"Oh, I'm glad." She said smiling up at him.

"How about you. Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked, leading her to the family parlor to allow the servants to put things in order without them being in the way.

"Oh yes, the girls were really fun, and you should see some of the things they gave us." She exclaimed.

James laughed. "I have some more things as well. Our son will have the best." He said.

"Oh good, will you show me what you got?" Lily eagerly asked.

"Of course. We'll show each other what he got before we retire." He said.

Lily smiled once more. She couldn't be in a better mood.

Katie got hold of Sirius before he followed them into the parlor and whispering to him to get ready led him to the door.

"But I have some of his gifts in my pocket." He exclaimed.

"Well, give it to one of the servants. James and Lily should be on their own." Katie said.

With a sigh, Sirius got one of the servants to take all the shrunk gifts and quickly left the house in company of his wife.







A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. I have added a new doll in my webshots page of Pregnant Lily, http://community.webshots.com/album/45028991uBnciM visit sometime and have a look.

Thank you to all of you who reviewed, I truly appreciate all your comments.

(Kirbee01 - did you write the Prophecy Fulfilled ff? If you did, I really enjoy it)

Thanks for reading, and hope to have the next one soon. : )