In That Moment
A Harry Potter fanfic by Rosawyn
Harry was learning to crawl. He crawled too close to an end table and whacked his head on a corner. Lily heard his wails from the kitchen where she was making a cup of tea, and she ran to his side. Big tears rolled from his eyes, squeezed shut against the pain and frustration. His face was red from crying. She held him in her arms and rocked him, telling him it was okay now; she was there. Finally, he sighed and laid his head against her chest, quiet.
Brushing his hair back from his forehead, Lily saw a purple mark near his hairline. It was a scratch surrounded by a bruise. Looking at the mark, she suddenly felt a cold and inexplicable fear in her stomach. Her arms tightened protectively around him.
Harry squirmed in her arms and looked up into her face with a smile. He giggled and patted her cheek with one small hand. She smiled back and kissed his forehead gently. "I love you, Harry," she whispered. "I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. You make me so happy." He interrupted her by grabbing her nose, so she blew a raspberry on his cheek, and she squealed with laughter. They had both forgotten his bump on the head.
In that moment, as the sun filtered through the white curtains and pooled gently on the floor around them, everything was right. Everything was as it should be.
Of course, Harry forgot that moment. Babies that young never remember, no matter how hard they might try. But Lily remembered; Lily will never forget.