I'm Getting Older
Summary: It's Lily's birthday. As she enters the last year of her thirties, she reflects on the last few months.
AN: Yes, I know it's March and Lily's birthday was in January. But I (insert gasp here) misplaced this fic in my files on my computer and thought I had lost it. It was when I was clearing out I found it. I edited it and decided before James's birthday I would post Lily's birthday fic.
Here's to hoping James's birthday fic doesn't do a disappearing act on me.
Lily opened her eyes the morning of her 39th birthday to find herself in her and James's bedroom in Potter's Bar and not the bedroom in her quarters at Hogwarts. She remembered she had come home yesterday afternoon like she had been doing every Friday this year. She would come home for the weekend on Friday afternoon and would go back to the castle on Monday morning. This allowed her to spend time with her boys, clean the house, meal prep for the week so Harry and James could have something home cooked during the week, and to get away from the castle for a few days.
Minerva was more than understanding, knowing once this school year was up, so was Lily's contract. She had already found her replacement which Minerva was more than appreciative of.
Her friend Janice was going to be the new healer starting next school year.
Lily already had spoken with Healer Smoot, the Head of the Potions department. He was happy she was coming back on a full-time basis, filling in when she was needed as a Healer.
"Happy Birthday."
She turned at the voice, smiling at her husband. James looked older even without his glasses. The last year in a half had aged him, but he was still good-looking to her.
"Thank you, dear," She murmured before pulling him in for a kiss.
"You know we can…."
"Tonight, James. I don't know what Harry has planned."
James nodded, wrapping his arm around his wife. "Do you feel old?"
"Is this because next year I'll be forty?"
"Maybe?"
Lily snorted. "Remember when you told me you'd love even when we're old and grey."
"Yeah, I do. I also remember coming over to your parents one morning. Iris was cooking breakfast, dressed in her dressing gown. Harold tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to her saying 'this is your future.'"
Lily laughed. "And Mum threw a roll at him for saying that. Although Dad was right in a way. I look in the mirror and I see Mum."
"You're still beautiful though."
Lily smiled.
"Wonder what Harry has planned for the day."
"Who knows what he has planned. Just remember what you told Ginny when he planned her birthday and the outings to make up for missing their anniversary and Christmas."
"I know," she murmured. "I'll let him."
It was needless to say Harry was trying to make up for lost time with not just Ginny, but James and Lily as well. The trip to Ireland wasn't the only present for Mother's Day. Harry had given her. He had also arranged a spa weekend for her and Hestia. Harry had done everything from making the reservation to arranging transportation. Lily and Hestia had a wonderful time. They had decided to return to the spa Harry had picked again one day, making it an annual trip.
She couldn't wait to go back.
Harry had explained it was something to make up for missing her birthday along with making up for missing Christmas for Hestia. In addition to the spa weekend, with assistance from Sirius, Harry arranged for Hestia and Sirius to go back to Wales to see her family who still lived there. It was a surprise until they landed at the airport, meeting her cousin Gwenog.
Needless to say when they returned Hestia gave Harry a hug that could rival Molly Weasley.
To make up for missing Christmas, he had arranged for James and Lily to go to Paris for a weekend, covering them both.
Lily was brought back to reality when the door to their bedroom opened.
"Is it safe?"
James chuckled as Lily smiled softly.
"Yes, sweetheart, Come on."
Harry peeked in before he entered their bedroom with a tray. "Happy Birthday Mum."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Harry sat the tray down. On it was two plates of eggs, one had sausage, the other had bacon. There were two cups of tea along with a small plate with toast.
"What is this?" Lily asked.
"Breakfast," Harry replied. "Dad's plate is the one with the bacon."
"Thanks, Son." James picked up his plate, sampling the eggs before he got his tea.
'You didn't need to," Lily said.
"I know, but I wanted to."
Harry left his parents to have breakfast in bed on their own. Upon reentering the kitchen, Harry checked the chicken in the sink he had thawed out to make the chicken he planned on smothering cheese and spaghetti sauce over that night with pasta for dinner. He even went as far as making the homemade dressing to go with the salad he would throw together that evening.
It was one of Lily's favorite meals, chicken parmesan with pasta. It was Harry's as well and this was his first time making it himself.
The plans for the day didn't need any discussion. They were going into London for the day, her, James, Harry, and Ginny. She had told Harry when she was home the previous weekend to invite Ginny on their outing.
They would be back with plenty of time for Harry to get dinner ready that evening. Lily had asked for dinner at home with James, Harry, Ginny, Hestia, and Sirius. There was a still the slight pause when she would mention Remus and Tonks, stopping herself before she said them. There were still moments they forgot they were no longer with them, especially James and Sirius.
James took the plates down to the kitchen, passing his son as he stood at the counter.
"So what time is Ginny coming over?"
"I told her ten," Harry answered, adding his plate to the dishwater he had fixed on the other side of the sink.
"Do you have a present or…"
"Yeah, Ginny helped me pick out something two weeks ago when we went into London. Do you?"
"I have something I'm giving her tonight, but when we're out today if she sees something I'll get it for her."
James returned upstairs, finding his wife in the bathroom brushing her hair. He slipped behind her wrapping his arm from behind.
"You know, you're still just as beautiful as you were when you were seventeen."
Lily smiled, turning to look at her husband. "Are you trying to butter me up for something Mr. Potter?"
"No."
James kissed his wife's cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ginny apparated in behind the Potter's garage at half-past nine. She walked towards the backdoor, pushing her hair back behind her ears. She didn't make it to the door when it opened.
"Hello Ginny," James greeted.
"Hi James, how are you?"
"I'm good. Harry's upstairs."
Ginny took her coat off, hanging it on the chair in the kitchen. She walked around the counter, greeting Lily as she approached the stairs.
"Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you."
Harry came down the stairs while Ginny and Lily were talking. He came up behind her, kissing her cheek.
"Hi Babe," she greeted.
"Are we ready to go?" Lily asked her husband.
"Let's get a move on."
James had made lunch reservations at one of Lily's favorite London restaurants, The Wolseley. Lunch would be just him and Lily. Harry had brought up to James he hadn't picked a time for just him and Lily to celebrate her birthday. It was then decided that Harry and Ginny would go for lunch at a nearby restaurant, but would meet them for dessert after.
Since they were going in two different directions once they reached London, James and Lily were going to go in the Volvo, while Harry and Ginny were in the Jeep. The Range was still in the garage for repairs when James had driven it to work and was rear-ended as he was leaving London.
"We'll meet you on Oxford Street," James called before he got in the Volvo.
"So what is the plan?" Ginny asked.
"We're going to go to lunch, meet them on Oxford Street, spend a couple of hours shopping, and then come back here. Chicken is defrosting in the sink, the pasta is cooked and in the refrigerator along with the sauce. I just have to cook the chicken, warm up the pasta and the sauce….."
"What about a cake?"
"It's covered."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
"So how's your birthday been so far?" James asked, leaning back in his chair. They were in a quiet part of the restaurant with a few other patrons.
"It's been good so far." Lily smiled at her husband. "It's been better than last year."
James nodded. They didn't celebrate their birthdays last year when they were in hiding. Yes, they were with Sirius, Remus, and Tonks, but it wasn't the same. Harry had more than made up for missing their birthdays last year over the last few months. It was in the back of their minds last year they might not ever celebrate their birthdays with their son again.
"This is nice," Lily murmured. "How long has it been since we've done this? Go out and eat just us? Since….." She trailed off. "We've gone out and Harry and Ginny or Sirius and Hestia have been with us. Don't get me wrong I love having them with us, especially Harry and Ginny, but I enjoyed this."
"I'm glad you did. Maybe when your home after this school year, we can resume our weekly Saturday date nights," James suggested.
"I would like that. I would love anything if it meant spending time alone with you."
James paid the bill while Lily slipped into the loo. They walked back to the car, hand in hand, making small talk as they walked. James opened the door for Lily before he walked around to the driver's side, getting in.
As he pulled into traffic, he cleared his throat.
"I've been meaning to ask you, does it seem odd to not have Harry at Hogwarts?"
Lily smiled softly. "It does. I've missed having him up there with me. I've missed him coming into the hospital wing…..for a visit, not because he was sick or hurt."
James chuckled. "Well, I've gotten used to seeing him at work. The changes he and Ron have suggested…they are…" He stopped.
"I know you are proud. I am. And it helps that Kingsley values their option. Imagine if Rufus was still minister."
"For starters, Harry wouldn't even talk with him," James said. "Because of that whole thing of making Harry a Ministry poster boy, which he should have known better."
"He knew Harry since you joined the Aurors. Do you think he did the entire whole poster boy thing due to pressure from other officials in the ministry?"
"I wouldn't put it past them."
They pulled into a car park. James parked, got out, and walked around to the car where opened Lily's door. As they walked towards the street, James noticed the Jeep parked down from where he parked the Volvo.
"I see Harry and Ginny are already here."
They walked down the street to the small café that had a bakery attached. James opened the door allowing his wife to enter first. He continued to hold it open for an older couple.
"Thank you," the woman said.
James stepped in, finding his wife waiting for him.
"Mum, Dad, over here."
Lily turned to the voice finding Harry and Ginny at a booth already splitting a chocolate cake. The slices of cake were a good size. Harry joked Ron could easily eat a whole slice on his own. Harry sometimes could eat a whole one, but he often split with Ginny.
"We're not mentioning a word of this Yonas are we?" James asked, softly referring to the Auror training fitness instructor. He was from the Congo and worked with the Aurors who were working with him to pure exhaustion.
"Do I have a death wish? No, I'm not mentioning a word." He sighed. "Five more months, just five more months," he whispered.
"Then you would be free to work out in the gym whenever you want," James said. "I counted down the days I didn't need to use the personal trainer. Only Yonas wasn't the trainer then. It was a guy named Hans."
James went to place his and Lily's order. He came back with the same chocolate cake and a bottle of Coke to split with Lily. He sat down the cake handing his wife a fork before sitting down in the booth beside Harry.
Conversation shifted from the personal trainer to the letter Ginny had received from Gwenog Jones the previous week. It was telling her she would be in attendance at the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match in March and at the final in May.
Lily sat back, smiling as she watched James get excited about the possibility of Ginny playing for the Harpies. Harry had already gotten the days of the matches off. Since Ginny wasn't staying at Hogwarts, but at the Burrow, it allowed them to go to Hogsmeade whenever she wanted. They had gone last weekend when it was quiet and a non-Hogsmeade weekend for the Hogwarts students.
Of course, Harry never made a trip up to Scotland without visiting Minerva and Hagrid. He caught them both up with how things were going with working as an Auror even though he, Ron, and Neville were taking an accelerated version of training and would be promoted to Senior Aurors in June. They had the badge but had been mainly Headquarters bound, reviewing policies and procedures, but they did make it out to arrest a few Death Eaters and raid an old pub in Leeds where some were hiding out.
The list of wanted Death Eaters had gotten shorter since September.
"So how was lunch?" Ginny asked when Harry and James's conversation switched to a case Ron and Harry were assigned. James asked if there was an update and Harry was giving him the last information he could share. They were having a time pinpointing who the suspect was.
"It was good. How was yours?"
"It was nice. I told Harry we need to try and do this more often. A day date," Ginny said.
"They're different aren't they?"
"They are," Ginny agreed. "I told Harry while we're out I'm going to look for Dad's birthday present. It's coming up on the sixth."
"It is isn't it? Do you have any ideas?"
"No, not really." Ginny reached over with her fork, taking a bite of cake.
When they finished with the cake and Cokes, Harry and James went to pay the bill only ended with James paying for both. Harry tried to argue, but James insisted.
"So where do you want to go?" He asked.
"We're near Oxford Street," Lily realized. "Let's go."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Lily walked through the backdoor after James unlocked it with a handful of bags. They had hit a few sales while they were out and James had talked her into buying a dress she had been eyeing since they walked into the store. She and Ginny also looked at evening gowns for the Ministry Gala coming up in April. Lily had remembered it when they walked in and saw the gowns, telling James she was going to go look.
Ginny followed after Harry told her they would be in attendance now he was a Ministry employee. There were a few functions they would be able to skip, but this was the first Gala since Harry joined the Aurors and James mentioned he would need to go.
Neither Lily nor Ginny found a dress at the shop for the Gala, but they did find other stuff.
"You're spoiling me, James," She said, sitting down the bag that held her new handbag. It was a little more than she would usually spend on a handbag, but James had talked her into it as she kept coming back to it. James picked it up and took it to the till when Lily finally said she wanted it, but didn't want to spend the money.
"You deserve to be spoiled."
"This has better be the only present from you," She warned.
"We'll see about that."
Ginny walked into the kitchen with a bag in her hand. Harry followed behind her, carrying the rest. She had bought Arthur a model train set, knowing he would enjoy tinkering and playing with it.
She saw a dress she really liked while they were in a shop on Oxford Street. She went as far as trying it on after remembering Slughorn was having one of his dinner parties later in February. She twirled in front of the mirror, looking at the dress while Harry watched from the side.
When she came back from trying on the dress, Harry reached for it. Thinking he was going to take it back for her, she gave it to him. It wasn't until they were leaving and Harry handed her a bag she knew he had bought it.
"Harry, this better not be what I think this is."
Harry leaned over, kissing her softly. "I wanted to."
"Is this you trying to still make up for missing everything last year?" She whispered.
"If that's what you want to think of it as, yes."
Ginny knew there was no arguing. Harry was too much like James who would go to the ends of the Earth to make Lily happy. Harry would do the same to make Ginny happy.
She cupped the back of his head, kissing him. "Thank you," she murmured against his lips. "This had better be it. You're spoiling me too much."
"You deserve to be spoiled," Harry said, repeating his father's words.
Ginny put her bags in James's office for safekeeping. Besides the dress, Ginny had found a couple of pairs of jeans, a few new tops, another dress, and new pair of trainers along with the dress Harry had bought her.
She returned to the kitchen to help Harry get dinner ready.
"So want to clue me one what you got Lily for her birthday?"
"It's a surprise. Dad doesn't even know."
Ginny nodded as she began to piece together a salad, using her wand to slice carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
James walked down to the basement to get a bottle of wine out of the cellar. He stopped in the kitchen before he went.
"What are we having?"
"Chicken parmesan with spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread," Harry said.
"I was going to go down to the cellar to get a bottle of wine. Ever had any, Ginny?"
"I had elf made once, but not the Muggle kind."
"That's what I'm getting. I'll get the white." He headed down to the basement, returning a moment later to put it in the refrigerator to chill
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Not right now," Harry replied.
James left to head to his and Lily's bedroom, smiling as he realized his wife hadn't come back downstairs. As he walked up the stairs, a voice from the kitchen called, "Don't forget the silencing charm!"
Harry sighed in the kitchen. "I would need something stronger than wine if you didn't."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Lily came downstairs after showering and changing her clothes. She walked into the kitchen to be greeted with….
"Happy birthday to you…."
Lily closed her eyes. "I hate this tradition."
"Happy birthday to you...Happy birthday dear Lily….."
Lily turned around, hands on her hips as she glared at a smirking Sirius Black.
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Are you quite done?" Lily asked.
"Come on, Lily admit it. You love this tradition."
"The only person who loves the tradition is you," James said as he walked into the kitchen, dressed in a burgundy button-up shirt and jeans.
"And how is it that Harry gets passed over for the tradition."
"I did it for his first birthday and he threw a toy quaffle at me," Sirius explained.
"I always wondered how Harry got skipped," Lily murmured.
Hestia walked over, pulling her oldest and dearest friend into a hug. "Happy birthday, Lily."
"Thank you."
"One more year and you'll be forty!"
"Keep talking Black," Lily threatened, pointing her wand in his direction.
Sirius smirked as he walked over, pulling Lily in an embrace. "You know I enjoy teasing you?"
James opened a bottle of sparkling water, bringing it over to Hestia. "We were going to have wine until we remembered you were pregnant."
"You don't have to skip the wine because I can't drink any," Hestia said. "Although I plan on getting the biggest glass once I deliver."
"Do you know the gender yet?" Ginny asked.
"Not yet. I thought about being surprised but then I decided I wanted to know. Sirius wants to know."
"I don't care really."
"You wouldn't mind if the Black name died with you?" James guessed.
Sirius sighed, helping himself to the sparkling water. "I wouldn't mind a daughter or a son. I watched your relationship with Harry and I thought it would be nice to have a son of my own."
"I know you always said you would like to have a child of your own." James knew that. Although Harry had been like a son to Sirius, he wasn't his blood. Not that it mattered.
"Is dinner ready yet?" Sirius asked.
"It is," Harry confirmed.
They made their way into the dining room. Ginny and Hestia set the table while Sirius and James brought in the platters of food.
"Everything looks so good," Hestia commented. She patted Harry's shoulder as she walked to her seat.
As they took their seats, James announced, "I think we should start with our tradition of telling our favorite Lily memory of the year. I'll go first."
Lily eyed her husband suspiciously.
"It was when we went to the coast. We walked along the beach, got ice cream, and talked. I felt like I was young again. It was the first time I had seen you genuinely smile and laugh since…"
He didn't need to continue.
"I know," Lily murmured. "It was one of my favorite memories from the trip."
Hestia went next. "Mine was when you helped me find out I was pregnant. The joy on your face when I told you Healer Robbins confirmed the potion's results."
Lily smiled softly, reaching for her friend's hand, squeezing it. "I was thinking after everything we've been through, it reminded me that life continues. You and Sirius are bringing a new life into this world and I know you both will wonderful parents."
Sirius cleared his throat. "My favorite memory of Lily from this year is from Christmas. We went to Wilderness Woods to get our trees and it was like we had the old you back. Taking charge and going through about fifteen trees before you found the 'one'."
Harry and James glanced at each other. Lily smiled.
"It was nice wasn't it?" She asked.
"Is it my turn?" Harry asked. James nodded. "My favorite memory of you was after everything had calmed down and we went out to the pub for lunch. Dad was at the office and Sirius was with him. Hestia hadn't gotten back and Gin was helping George. It was one of the times we spent time together just us since…." He trailed off.
"I had thought about many things while I was gone and while I missed all of you, Gin maybe a little more, I missed you a lot. I even wondered if we get to do the mother-son dates again."
Lily sniffled. She stood up, pulling Harry into an embrace.
Sirius conjured a handkerchief for Hestia. She smiled at her husband, wiping her eyes.
"I'm thankful to still have you, Sweetheart," She whispered. It never passed her notice that she could have lost her son. She could be still grieving her son's passing. But he survived.
"I love you, Mum," Harry murmured.
"I love you too, Sweetheart."
Lily returned to her seat, sighing. "Ginny, you're next if you have….."
"I do," Ginny said. "It was when we went shopping before we went to the coast. I have Mum and she's great, but it was nice to talk to you about things I don't feel comfortable talking with her about."
Lily smiled at the girl she thought of as her daughter. One day, she knew Ginny would be her daughter by marriage and she couldn't have asked for a better one.
"Didn't you invite Andromeda?" Sirius asked.
"I did," Harry replied. "Teddy is teething and she hadn't gotten any rest. I was going to come over but she said she was fine. I'm going over in the morning to keep Teddy so she can get some sleep."
"Poor little guy," Hestia cooed. "She looked exhausted the other day when I was over."
As they ate, Hestia and Lily reminisced about her past birthdays they celebrated. Even when Hestia was away she still sent a gift and a card to her friend on her birthday every year. Lily did the same.
"Remember your seventeenth birthday?" James asked.
Lily smiled. "I do. It was on a Sunday. As seventh years we were allowed to go Hogsmeade on the weekends. I had two celebrations. One of which was with Hestia, Mary, and Marlene in the Three Broomsticks. We had Butterbeer and food. It was nice to hang out with the girls." Lily smiled softly as she reminisced. She looked at her husband across the table. "Then I went shopping for an outfit because when I went to meet the girls I was told to go to shopping for a new outfit. When we came back to Hogwarts, I was given a note to meet a certain raven black-headed guy with glasses to meet him in the common room in an hour."
James smiled. "I had planned it since before Christmas. Dad was the one who suggested I use an unused classroom."
"I walk in and there were candles, wine….it was romantic."
Hestia reached for a second helping of food. "Harry, this is good. You did a wonderful job."
"It is good," Sirius agreed.
"Is this Mum's recipe?" James asked.
"It is," Harry confirmed.
As they finished the meal, the conversation shifted to the new changes Kingsley was introducing, the trials of the recently captured Death Eaters, and the announcement of plans were already underway for a memorial for the second of May. There was a ceremony scheduled for the first of March to unveil the new statue that would replace the foundation and what was there during Voldemort's reign. It was to honor more than just the fifty lives that had been lost but to honor those who had been lost since the war began.
"I think it's nice it's not just the final battle being remembered, but the whole thing. Look at how many we had lost," James said.
"And how many we could have," Sirius whispered. Hestia squeezed his hand.
Lily looked down at her plate. It had never escaped her and James's notice they could have easily died that night. But they didn't.
"Members of the families are welcome," Hestia began. "I'm sure Minerva would excuse any of the students who had family….."
"It's okay," Ginny assured her. "I'll let George know."
James cleared his throat. "Well, shall we move to the family room for coffee, tea, and cake?"
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
"So, are we going to give presents now?" Hestia asked, leaning back on the sofa, her feet propped up on the ottoman.
"I didn't even think about presents," Lily admitted.
"Open mine first," James said, handing Lily a large bag.
Lily eyed her husband suspiciously. "Is this a prank?"
"No, Lily Flower, would I do that to you?" He asked.
"Yes."
Sirius snorted. "So what did Prongs get you?"
Lily sat down the bag, pulling out the tissue paper. Inside was a box. She pulled out the box, opening the lid. She froze.
"James, you didn't."
"I did," James replied with a smirk.
Inside the box was a dress Lily had been admiring in a catalog. It was a long dress with elbow sleeves. It was casual enough for date nights. It was peach-colored with silver accents on the neck and waist. There was more under the dress.
"What is this?" She asked, holding up an envelope.
"Look inside," James replied.
Lily opened the envelope and pulled out Portkey tickets to…..
"We're going to the Cayman Islands?!"
James smirked. "It's the honeymoon we've never got to have."
Lily sat the box on the coffee table, throwing herself at her husband. She kissed him soundly on the lips.
"Thank you," She murmured. "I'll let you know how much I appreciate it later." She whispered the last part.
"Here Mum," Harry handed her a small bag. Lily took it as she returned to her seat.
"What is this?" She asked, pulling out a small box.
"Open it," Harry directed.
Lily opened it, gasping when she saw it was a locket, similar to the one Harry had given Ginny for their first anniversary.
"I got the one that you can give two pictures. Dad is one side and I'm on the other."
Lily opened the locket. James was on one side and Harry was on the other. Both pictures were their official Auror photo.
"Harry, this is beautiful," Lily commented. "I love it. Thank you."
"There's more," Harry said. "But this is from Dad and me." He picked up a wrapped box that James had just brought in.
"You both are in trouble if this is what I think it is," She said. She unwrapped the box, using her wand to cut open the top. She looked inside and smiled.
"Need help?" James asked. He walked over, Harry followed behind him. Between the two of them, they pulled out a new large cauldron.
"You've needed a new one, now you can batch to make more potions than what fits in the caldron you have now."
Lily reached for her two favorite boys. "Thank you, my boys."
Ginny handed her a small box. "Harry helped me pick it," she said.
Lily took it, opening the box. She paused when she saw it was a beautiful scarf and two pairs of hooped earrings, one was more oval-shaped while the other was round.
"It's beautiful. I love the earrings. Thank you."
Hestia handed Lily her and Sirius's present. "This is from both of us."
Lily opened the box to find a picture of her, Hestia, Mary, and Marlene she hadn't seen in years. It was taken on their last night at Hogwarts many years ago. She looked up, tears in her eyes at her friend.
"Where did you find this?"
"I had found it when I was unpacking last summer. I had completely forgotten about it until I found it when I was sorting my and Sirius's wedding picture. I thought you would like to have a copy."
Lily reached over, pulling her friend in a one-armed embrace. "Thank you."
There was a new jewelry box under the framed picture. It was small enough Lily could use it when she was traveling.
"Thank you, everyone, for the presents. This has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had."
Hugs and some kisses between her and James were exchanged. When she reached her son, she pulled into an embrace.
"Thank you, sweetheart. For everything."
"You're welcome. Happy birthday, Mum."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Later that night while the house was quiet, Lily thought over the last year of her life. This time last year, she didn't know if her son was dead or alive. She had a somber day with James and Sirius in hiding. James had promised next year would be different.
It was different.
Harry was still here. While they lost Remus and Tonks among others, it was still a time to be thankful to have survived and lived another year.
She turned to watch her husband sleep. He slept better now. He didn't lay awake at night anymore, worried about their son or how long the war was going to last. If he did lay awake it was because of a case or something going on at work. He snored still, but Lily wouldn't change that if she could. As crazy as it might sound, it was comforting to her now.
She got up, slipping on her slippers and dressing gown before she left the bedroom. She walked quietly down the corridor to Harry's room.
She quietly pushed the door open, leaning against the doorway. Even though Harry was eighteen and considered a legal adult, this brought her comfort. Watching her son sleep soothed her. Sometimes she would look at movement in his chest or stomach to make sure he was alive. She had seen her son 'dead' once and didn't want to repeat that.
Quietly, she walked over to the bed where her son lay asleep. Gently as she could, she tucked the quilt around him, pushed his hair away from his face, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She was happy when Harry told her and James he planned on putting off moving out. She and James suspected he would when Ginny graduated from Hogwarts and they would move in together.
As long as he was happy that was all that mattered to James and Lily.
She walked back to her and James's bedroom. She would be returning to Hogwarts in the morning after making sure Harry and James had what they needed to get through for the week.
"What are you thinking about Lily Flower?" James asked, having woken up to go to the loo. He was coming back to bed when Lily returned to their bedroom.
"How I'm getting older."
James reached over, pulling his wife into his arms. "Would it make you happy to know I still think you're just as beautiful as you were when we were dating?"
"Are you buttering me up for something, Potter?" She asked.
"No, I'm serious."
Lily couldn't help but laugh, careful not to be loud to wake up Harry. "I still think you are."
"I'm not, I swear," James promised.
Lily settled beside her husband in their bed they had shared for almost twenty years. Snuggled up next to her husband, she went to sleep dreaming of the future.
It had been a great birthday, one last hurrah before her forties. She decided as she went to sleep, she would enjoy what the last year of her thirties would bring her.