ii
.
"Harry, leave the poor cat alone!"
"Pulling its tail again?" Lily sighed, then, to Harry,Har added, "Be nice to the kitty, Harry."
"S'fun!"
"Not for him," she responded, gently prying the old cat's tail from Harry's chubby fingers and pulling a few of his toys closer to distract him.
"Poor kitty," James muttered, petting the cat softly to compensate for Harry's less-than-gentle previous approach. "Used to it by now, since Harry won't let up. We could always get him a dog. I feel like a dog would be more willing to play with him. Harry's lonely, Lils."
She skeptically raised an eyebrow. "There's no way we're getting a dog, James. We've got Sirius if he wants a dog."
"A real dog, Lily," James pleaded.
"He could easily pass for a real dog. Remember when I first found out about it?"
James fondly recalled Lily asking where James had gotten such a sweet dog, Sirius jumping onto her lap and licking her face (he still cringed at that) as she pet him.
"Harry could tell the difference, he's been around Padfoot so much."
"No, James."
Despite her tone, he could've sworn he saw her smile as she turned her back on him to catch Harry with the cat's tail in hand again.