You're not as fat as you imagine.

James Potter had a distinct soft spot for his wife so it was with slight worry that he wandered up the stairs towards their double bedroom to the sound of her sniffling. They were meant to be going to a fancy party at the Ministry and she was running 40 minutes late, which wasn't like Lily Potter at all. He had donned his smartest dress robes for the occasion and already felt incredibly uncomfortable in the high collared, deep maroon robes that his mother had picked out for him a couple of years ago.

"Lils?" He tentatively pushed the door open and flinched when her sobs only grew louder and more pitiful. She had been an emotional rollercoaster for a couple of weeks now and he didn't know what was going on with her; one minute she was fine, another she was practically a sex pest and then at another she would be inconsolable. Despite this, when he stepped into the room, the sight of his wife on the floor in near hysterics tugged painfully on his heart strings. Tears flooded down her face and her cheeks had turned a violent red with the exertion of her crying. He quickly crossed the room and sat on the floor, dragging her into his arms as he tried to sooth her. She had abandoned her lovely, silk dress and sat in her just as lovely underwear as she bawled her eyes out. He rubbed her back as she collapsed in his arms, all her strength seemingly abandoning her.

"Lily? What's wrong, sweetheart?" He pressed a kiss to her hair and shifted slightly so that she could properly snuggle into him. Her response was a despairing wail.

"I'm fat!"

James quickly had to find the will power not to laugh. If he laughed he was likely to get a slap or at least a well placed hex. She hiccupped in his arms but her tears were beginning to subside, her breathing had calmed and he marvelled at the fact that he could still have such an effect on the amazing woman he was cradling in his embrace. It seemed that all she needed was for him to be near her and she was soothed which was quite lucky because James had no qualms whatsoever about being as close to her as he possibly could at all times.

"You're not fat, love." She protested feebly but he held her tighter. "You are not fat. What's happened?"

"I can't fit in my dress. It's meant to just slip on and it got stuck half way. I feel like a whale."

"Lily." He moved her in his lap to look her in those amazing, red-rimmed eyes and spoke softly, urging her to believe the sincerity in his words. "You're not fat. Let's just get a different dress okay? Go and pick something else. It's probably been marked the wrong size by the shop, that's all."

"But we're going to be really late now and I have to re-do my makeup and I haven't got the right shoes and..."

"And it doesn't matter. Honestly, we'll be late. So what? They'll all just think we've been doing newlywed things."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her in a suggestive manner and she managed a watery smile that lead to her leaning in to kiss him slowly. Her kiss was made all the more intoxicating when she pushed her scantily clad body closer to his and he could feel her soft curves moulding to his body. He was quite glad he was sitting down because, after a kiss like that, he thought his knees might have given out had he been standing.

"I love you, James."

"I love you more." He swiped his thumbs against her cheeks and removed the tear stains from her face as he smiled softly at his wife. She rose gracefully from his lap, checking her hair once in the mirror before moving towards the wardrobe. James stood after her and playfully smacked her bottom before she got out of arms reach which resulted in a delightfully girly squeal that he knew she would deny making later. She was asking for it really; that woman had one hell of a sexy strut. He watched her appreciatively for as long as he could but when the wardrobe got in the way of his heated vision he glanced down at the dress on the floor. He bent to retrieve it and ran the material through his hands. It was a shame that it didn't fit because it really was a stunning dress; floor length, silk and the deepest green colour that James didn't think a name had been invented that would accurately describe it. As he put it back on its hanger, James couldn't help but notice a strange line down the side of the dress.

It was a zip.

Again, he resisted the urge to laugh and shook his head in silent mirth.

"Er..Lil?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you try undoing the zip?"

"The wha...?" Lily peered around the side of the wardrobe and he gestured at his new found discovery at the side of the dress. "Oh bugger."

Merlin, James Potter loved his wife.

~*~