Chapter Nine: Harry's First Birthday

It was officially Harry James Potter's first birthday. So now that he was a year old, it meant that he was no longer an infant and had graduated into being a toddler. The morning of Harry's birthday Lily decided to venture off to the grocery store (while she left Harry at home with his father) since she was planning on having an old family friend named Bathilda Bagshot come over to their cottage for lunch.

That's when suddenly she bumped into the person that she had least expected to run into on earth. For he had rather long and black greasy hair and rather dark blackish and brownish eyes. They were both reaching for the same peanut butter jar. "Severus?" She questioned him while widening her eyes with disbelief.

"Lily." He said inside that same state of shock and bewilderment. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to get some stuff for the sandwiches this afternoon. It's Harry's first birthday you know." She told him and that's when suddenly he realized that she must be talking about her son and all of the hurt and pain that she had married another man and given birth to his child the previous year had come back to him.

"Oh right,.. the boy." He said before heaving a sigh of sadness and disappointment.

"Well, you're more than welcome to join us if you'd like." She told him but he just simply shook his head at her.

"No, I don't think so. I wouldn't want to impose." He began before he glanced back over at her. "Just tell me one thing,.. who does the boy most resemble?" He asked her.

"Well James mostly,.." she began.

"Figures." Severus thought to himself even though he didn't say it aloud.

"but he has my eyes." She finished before placing her jar of peanut butter inside her shopping cart and walking away leaving him alone with his thoughts.

…

Lily, James, and Bathilda Bagshot started eating their sandwiches while Harry played on the living room floor as he had already had his lunch and the chocolate cake and ice cream hadn't been served yet. That's when suddenly the doorbell rang, and James had opted to get it. It had turned out to be a magic carpet with a rather long package on top of it that was from Harry's godfather Sirius Black.

"Harry! I got a present for you son!" James called over to him as he brought it inside and quickly shut the door behind him before Fluffy could get out. He then helped his son open his birthday present and it turned out to be a toy broomstick that only hovered about two feet off the ground which Harry was very eager to try.

Unfortunately, baby Harry was already going way too fast and before he could gain control of it he slammed it into a tiny table that contained a horrible vase that Petunia had given them and just barely missed Fluffy who let out a yowl and then quickly scampered away. James had noted that for Harry's speed he might make an excellent seeker one day as he was one himself, but the shattering of the vase had scared Harry and caused him to start crying.

Using her motherly instincts Lily quickly scooped up her son inside her arms and hushed him softly before carrying him down the hallway and into his nursery. Afterwards she sat down upon the rocking chair with Harry on top of her lap and cuddled him close to her chest and started to sing to him just like she had when he was first born.

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine." She sang. "From your head to your toes, you're so sweet goodness knows. You're so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine." She sang softly and then softly pressed her lips to his forehead and smiled rather warmly and lovingly at him as he drifted off to sleep inside her arms.