He couldn't help but grin at her as she stood, fastening her earrings, whilst gazing at their wardrobe and her numerous pairs of shoes. James finished tying the thin laces of his dress shoes before he stood up shaking the legs of his slacks until they sat comfortably at his ankles. She jumped a little at his touch as his cold hands slipped through the back of her still open dress, resting just above her waist.
"Those," he whispered in her ear before proceeding to crouch down after she stepped aside, reaching for the ones he had suggested.
"Wedges?" she questioned him, holding out each foot as he tied the fabric around her ankles, before she stood up right once more. "Can you not just tell me where you're taking me?" she begged him like a two-year old, jumping up and down as she did.
"What would the fun in that be?" he argued, laughing as she proceeded to pout.
"Fine," she muttered, reaching for her clutch, "Let's go to the Weasley's…"
James chuckled as he felt the familiar tug behind his navel as she apparated them away to a little ways down the drive. "As much as I would love to see your bare back every moment for the rest of my life, I'd still like to think that it's for my eyes only," he told her as he grabbed her waist once more and tugged her back before she had the chance to walk any further away.
"Yours," she agreed, reaching for her long wavy locks to move them out of the way before the strands got stuck in the zipper. "And Sirius'…"
"I still have half a mind to murder him for that night," James grumbled as he fastened the clasp at the top of her dress before reaching for her hand, once more leading them towards the Weasley's garage.
"You could," she mused, "But then you'd end up in Azkaban and then Sirius and I would have to be married so Harry could continue to have a good father figure in his life after you were-"
"He is officially no longer allowed in a twelve foot radius of you."
"Twelve feet? Why twelve? Not that it's not-"
"I don't know it just was the first number that popped into my head."
"And how would that be enforced if you were all the way in Azkaban?"
"Alright-"
"Although I'd probably have to file for a special kind of marriage license because I think some would still find it cruel if I were to divorce you in your time of need…"
"Consider it-"
"Although on the other hand-"
"I'm not going to murder him!"
"Ah, there you two are," Arthur Weasley sighed as he greeted them with a large grin, poking his head out from the side door to their garage. "Sorry for the space," he apologized as he ushered them in to where Molly had cleared a space at the edge of one of Arthur's work benches, covered it in a table cloth and spread out a few platters of food.
"This is perfect," Lily was quick at assure both of the Weasley's as she stepped back from embracing Arthur in a hug before she moved into a short conversation with Molly that ended once James and Arthur took their seats.
"And you are absolutely sure you don't mind us intruding?"
Molly Weasley shook her head, a large smile flashing across her face. "Oh, not at all. Not at all. Arthur and I are so glad you thought to ask us, and the kids will be thrilled. Especially Ron and Ginny."
"And you're positive-"
"Take her on your surprise evening, James," Molly laughed at the younger woman, pushing her gently towards her husband who immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Gladly," James grinned before giving his wife a quick kiss on her forehead. "I know Lily has already expressed her gratitude, Molly and Arthur, but we just really want you to know how much we appreciate you doing this."
"It's an absolutely wonderful idea," Arthur told the younger couple, "We only wish we had thought of it sooner when some of our older ones were in school with their friends."
"But we didn't, and now we have the chance for those who are still in Hogwarts so there is no need to fret about the past," Molly sighed, "And now you two should get off before it gets too late," she smiled as she shooed Lily and James out the door, the four of them trying to move quietly to the apparation point as not to attract any attention from the Weasley kids still at home that evening.
"Thank-"
"Lily, we will see you next week to hash out the final details," Molly assured her.
Lily blushed, embarrassed at her own fretting. "Right, yes, we will see you then. Look for my letter for a place and time, and I'll call to let Emma know as well," she said before taking a hold of her husband's arm who had just finished shaking Arthur's hand. "Can you tell me now?" she questioned him with an eager smile.
"Not yet," he smirked in return before giving the Weasley's one last wave before apparating away.
The woods were dark where they landed, causing Lily to question their whereabouts despite her husband seeming absolutely sure of where he had taken them. He led her through the bush, quietly warning her when there was something before her on the ground and more than once picking her up to avoid her having to trudge through the expansive puddles that blocked their path. His head seemed to be pivoting from the path before them to her face; waiting anxiously it seemed for her reaction to what lay ahead. She thought more than once that she had been here before, but couldn't quite place her finger on it knowing she had been in the woods a thousand times before, many of those times with her father on their numerous adventures.
He wanted to jump like a child on Christmas morning when he saw her pause and smile softly yet warmly at the sight before them.
The lake before them was as still as she had ever recalled seeing it, and as dark as the night sky that was looming overhead, yet within it there seemed to be a thousand tiny lights, a perfect mirror of the old castle perched on the rocks across the way.
"It's like first-year," she whispered to herself more than anyone. Lily turned, squeezing her husband's strong hands. "You didn't just plan this today, did you?" she asked him, searching in his hazel eyes for a response.
He shook his head.
"Come on, I've something else to show you before the evening truly begins," he said before dragging her away. The path narrowed as they carefully made their way down the side of the bank. He crouched down when it became too hard to reach for her hand, letting her jump onto his back just as he had done so many times before.
"Close your eyes, please," he begged her when he finally set her down.
His wife looked at him quizzically for a moment before allowing her eyes to flutter shut, placing her hands over them as well for good measure. James placed his hands on her shoulders, leading her to the place where he helped her to sit down before he resumed his position before her and undid his handiwork around her ankles that he had tied up just hours before.
"No shoes?" she asked, puzzled by his actions.
"Eyes closed, Lily," he reminded her, moving her hands back over her eyes.
He chuckled a little when she jumped at the sound that her shoes made as they landed with a thud, but he quickly averted her attention when he led her towards the rocky shore.
"James-"
"I promise you I'm not going to push you in," he assured her when she seemed ready to freak upon contact with the water. "Now raise your right foot… that's it… now your left… there!"
"Can I open my eyes now?"
"Not quite!"
She stood their silently, trying to guess what it was her feet were rubbing up against as she listened carefully to James' movements. She shrieked, collapsing to her knees when the surface upon which she was standing was jolted unexpectedly and caused her to lose her balance.
"Lils? Lily?"
"Why are there-"
"Surprise?"
She looked at him in shock as she accepted his hand that he held out for her, quickly acquiring one of the two seats that were on the boat, afraid of nearly falling in once more. "We're you trying to make me make good on my promise and force me to go on a date with the Giant Squid by causing me to capsize in the lake?" she teased, leaning towards him.
"You are the one who always says that you never make a promise you don't intend to keep," he retorted, reaching for her hands.
She smiled, letting her thumbs massage the palms of his hands. "So, Captain Potter," she whispered to him, "Are you trying to recreate first year, make a better impression this time round?"
"I can't say that I am," he smirked, "Why would I when the one I made led me to everything I could have asked for from life?"
Lily pulled her husband close, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled at his bottom lip with her teeth teasingly before kissing him soundly as their boat began floating out onto the lake. "I- would- never- want- you- to- either," she said between kisses.
James smiled widely against her lips, bringing his own to that place just behind her ear that she loved so much and that caused her to make a sound that made him crazy. "If you- ah- keep this up," he said as she let her hands run along his torso then his thighs, "The Giant Squid will capsize us- oh- oh- for sure."
"Count on Hogwarts to have the sexual sea creatures lurking in its waters," she sighed, giggling as she pulled back with one last kiss.
"Back to this impression bit though," James said as he reached for the oars. "If I was that concerned, I could've just modified your memory," he smirked.
"I'm sure the Ministry will be glad to know that their employees are in no way, shape or form abusing their status," she muttered with a roll of her eyes at his remark.
"Never."
"So my memories of you have never been tampered with while I've been asleep?" she questioned with a smile slowly forming at the corners of her lips.
"I think you would know if all the memories you have of me we're all good that they had," he argued.
"Fair enough…so do I get a hint as to what the real evening consists of?"
"Where-"
"-would the fun in that be?" she finished his sentence for him.
"Exactly."
It was quiet as they half-sat, half-lay there in each other's arms, the smell of millions of old volumes filled with magical knowledge surrounding them combined with the fading aroma of fresh house-elf cuisine.
Lily's fingers played with James' as she tried once more in vain to uncover the reasons behind the various locations around Hogwarts that her husband had already dragged her that evening.
"I win," James smirked as he won the latest thumb-war. "Give up yet, on either front?"
"Would I be the person you married if I did?" she smirked at him in return.
James chuckled deeply, rolling his eyes with a shake of his head. "That you would not be," he agreed. "So what's your hypothesis for this place?" he questioned her as he gazed around the Hogwarts library until his eyes landed on hers once more.
She pursued her lips as she gave the place an inquisitive glance. "Recreating the night you proposed?" she suggested with a loving grin.
He shrugged. "You could be right," he told her with an even, unflinching expression.
"I'm not," she sighed, defeated once more.
"It's not a bad thought, only wish I'd-" but his sentence was cut off when his wife kissed him soundly on the kiss, knocking him backwards until she was half lying on top of him.
"I wouldn't want to recreate that night," she whispered against his lips, "It was already as perfect as it could have ever been."
"You call me tripping over my words and falling into the lake, perfect?" he questioned.
"Maybe memorable would have been a better word…" she teased, giving him another peck.
"Isn't every proposal memorable?"
She shrugged with a laugh. "I don't know about you, but I've only ever been proposed to once so I wouldn't know if they all are per say," she teased.
"Well they are, in case you're wondering. When Marlene and I were five she proposed to me in the garden on my parent's house. I don't think I'll ever forget that," he smiled fondly.
"So I should have thanked Marls for that evening instead, seeing as she gave you all the memorable pointers as how to propose to a person," Lily questioned. "Was there ever a wedding? I just ask because I need to know whether our marriage is actually valid…"
"You know what, I think there might've been. I don't think we're actually married. I'm truly sorry, Evans."
"You haven't even known that our marriage was false for a few seconds and you have already stripped me of my surname," she sighed.
"Well technically it wasn't yours to begin with," James corrected her.
"So you planned this romantic evening to tell me that your wonderful, amazing…perfect proposal all those years ago, before Harry, was a complete lie? And now I'm a single mother of an almost thirteen year-old kid?" she moped, wallowing as she turned her face away from his, trying to prevent his own expressions from putting her further on the edge of laughter.
"Whoever said I'd let you be single?" he said, guiding her face back to his. "Especially since I've been widowed for many, many years now."
Lily laughed sadly. "Well I can't say that I knew your ex-wife nearly as long as you have but I think it's safe to say that she isn't the type of person who would want her widow, who may or may not have had an extra-marital affair-"
"She had one too, so they cancel out," James assured her with a grin.
"Regardless," Lily teased, "I think she would've wanted you to be happy again."
"Well I think it's safe to say that she has gotten her wish a thousand, million, bazillion-"
"Bazillion?"
"Hush you," he said, covering her mouth with his hand. "Yes, a bazillion. Trillion, gazillion, times over."
"You are a bucket-full of sap, you know that," she blurted out when he finally removed his hand from her mouth once she licked it enough times for him to be freaked out.
"Have you had enough?" he asked her once she finally admitted defeat after he tickled her senseless.
She nodded, licking her lips.
"Perfect, let's go," he grinned, pulling her up with him.
"There's more?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," he said as he sprinted ahead through the library, more than enjoying the freedom of being in the school after hours, especially in the library where there was no Madam Pince chasing him done and shushing him for his loud voice in her 'sanctuary' as she had come to calling it.
He watched them as he spun her around many floors below, listening to the sound of his humming as he held her close and placed kisses in her long, dark auburn hair that had been half pulled back, he could tell from there. Her dress was short, and flowed out from beneath her breasts, which were visible from the deep V-neck of the black fabric that hugged that area of her body tightly. Her giggles that he had been accustomed to hearing for so many years echoed up the many levels of the old castle as she began dancing out of sync with that husband of hers, doing her own little moves as that man smiled widely at her for a few moments before she was back in his embrace.
"I have an idea," she exclaimed suddenly, startling both her husband and him from their respective gazes.
He stepped back into the shadow when he saw that she had taken off up the stairs, holding her hand out for that pitiful being to follow.
Lily grinned giddily as she and James raced up the stairs, her wedges not putting her at any disadvantage when she was a whole flight ahead of her husband much to his dismay. She stopped for a moment, giving him a chance to catch up and giving herself an opportunity to get her bearings in the winding maze that was the Hogwarts staircases. She thought she had seen something or rather someone as she scanned her surroundings, but thought better of it when she heard James' footsteps closing in.
"Lily!" she heard him call out a flight down when she had stopped at the floor they had been climbing towards all this time. She peered over the edge of the rail, giving her husband a little wave when their eyes finally met causing him to shake his head good naturedly as he continued to make his way towards her.
She saw him then when she looked up, glancing at him across the way still slightly hidden in the shadows of the corridor opposite where she stood. She smiled slightly at him, giving a quick wave that she dropped when James came nearer, her smile widening when he picked her up in one swoop and tossed her over his shoulder.
"I'm beginning to think that it was you that gave Harry all his boundless energy," James teased, smacking her backside playfully as he carried her through the torch-lit corridors of the teacher's wing.
"Can you put me down, already?" she complained, trying to swat back at him. "We're going to run into a staff member sooner or later and for some odd reason I have a feeling that my dress is scrunched up to an inappropriate height."
She grinned when he released her almost immediately after. "Only because I'm afraid of McGonagall chastising me," he said, gathering her hand in his. "Or running into-"
"Severus," she greeted him then as he stepped in front of them from an adjoining corridor, nearly running into Lily.
"Lily. Potter," he greeted in return, his voice only slightly cooler as he greeted James.
"How's your summer been so far?" Lily asked.
Severus shrugged. "I can't say that I don't enjoy not having to hear the shouts of students throughout the castle every day," he responded honestly. "Though I suspect that the house-elves reserve the best food for when the students are here."
"I'll just go find the broom in Remus' chambers," James said dismissing himself from the conversation as cordially as he could muster, giving Lily a quick kiss on the cheek before nodding at the man across from them and continuing on down the hall.
Lily smiled at her childhood friend. "Thank-you…for listening and trying," she said after a few moments, glancing down at her shoes as she awaited his response, brushing a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.
"I will teach my students as I see fit, but I-I-"
"I would expect nothing less. Just-"
"If he would only-"
"Severus," she sighed, touching his arm lightly. "It's not just because I'm his mum that I'm saying this, but he will exceed your expectations of him if you gave him half the attention that Slughorn gave you when you were a student."
"He gave you the same amount of attention if not more if I recall correctly," he corrected her.
She laughed. "That's still embarrassing to this day to think of," she said.
Severus grinned slightly. "He had a soft spot for his lovely Lily…" he teased.
"You're incorrigible," she grumbled.
An actual smile appeared on his face then as she shivered at the memories. He looked at her then, able to see her better than he had when he'd been spying on the two of them from above. She had a little blush on her cheeks that had become more prominent as a result of her embarrassment. Her eyes were drawing, surrounded by a thin line of black; her long lashes fluttering as she continued to laugh, recalling particular memories that the two of them shared. It was her dress though, and the way the deep neckline accentuated her breasts, the thin straps of the dress pushing them up ever so slightly as they crossed at the back creating a crisscross pattern that lay over the lace that covered what would have been her bare back. The dress was higher in the front than it was in the back, the front falling just short of her knees whilst the back stopped half-way up her the back of her shins. Her shoes that tied around her ankles made her legs look longer and slim, though he knew they were like that even when she wasn't wearing heels, recalling the way they looked in the shorts she had been wearing at the Quidditch championships not a few weeks back.
"I still can't believe he made you two pair together knowing how much you detested one another," he heard her saying, still laughing when he forced himself back into reality.
"Thought Black had more potential than he did," he muttered, trying to keep the happy tone of the conversation that she had set.
"When it comes to Potions I will agree with you in regards to his potential," she sighed. "So the food…is it bad now that the students are gone?"
Severus shrugged. "I don't think anyone could ever say that the Hogwarts House-Elves food is bad," he remarked truthfully. "It's just not as exciting-"
"I feel like half the excitement must come from hearing the gasps of the students as the food reveals itself each meal," she guessed.
"Perhaps."
"Well maybe if you have time you might come to dinner one night. In London," she suggested, glancing at the floor again.
"I'll see," he told her.
"Good."
"Got it!" James announced, coming up behind them, sliding his hand protectively around her waist. "Ready?"
"Well it was my plan, wasn't it?" she smirked at him.
"Mhhm."
"Maybe we will see you soon then?" she asked Severus as she began walking backwards away from the man.
Severus nodded once, causing her to give him a small smile before she turned on her heel with one last wave and tugged her husband behind her as they took off in another race down the stairs.
Her shrieks of laughter in between her screams made him chuckle deeply as he flew around whilst she hesitantly made her broom go a little higher from the ground than she had been just a few seconds before.
"It's all about muscle memory!" he shouted at her, as he flew through one of the three hoops.
She grumbled something incoherent then before she leaned a little more over the handle of the broom causing her to shoot forward in the sky toward where her husband was hovering in the distance.
"I told you-"
"If you want to remain upright I suggest that you don't finish that sentence, Potter," she warned him.
"Yes, Potter. I think it's safe to say that your son is going to be taken by surprise," he told her, ruffling her hair as he swooped around her.
"Are you just going to sit here all day or can we get this practice on?"
James grinned, tossing the quaffle that he had grabbed from the Quidditch shed at her, watching proudly as she caught it without losing her balance along the way.
"Ready when you are, Captain Potter," she smirked at him before shooting past him towards the other goals.
"You're asking for it now, Lils!"
"Knock-knock," Lily called out softly as she pushed the door to 12 Grimmauld Place open.
James closed the door behind them once he had stepped through, slipping off his muddy shoes easily while he held his arm out for his wife to balance on as she wrestled her way out of her own pair. He led the way to the first-floor where he assumed Harry would be, hanging with Sirius and Remus.
"I still can't get over how much brighter the whole place is, even with Sirius' grey colour palette," Lily whispered as they climbed the stairs, still relieved not to have to glance at the shrunken elf heads that had once lined the way up.
James nodded in agreement, squeezing her hand as they rounded the corner into the living room.
Hestia raised her finger to her lips when she spotted them in the doorway, getting up to approach them once she had properly marked her page in the book. She ushered her friends out of the room, closing the door behind them as they stepped into the dimly lit hall once more.
"Are you the only one home?" Lily asked, after giving her friend a quick hug.
Hestia laughed. "No, Remus is here as well but he's passed out a while ago, levitated him to his room once I was sure he was completely out."
"And Sirius?" James inquired.
"I think he said something about heading to Arthur Weasley's. Headed out shortly after Ron and Harry had showed up, thanks for the notice by the way," she teased.
Lily turned to James who went a little red as a result. "James," she sighed.
"Oh, don't worry, Remus and I had a blast hanging with him," Hestia stepped in quickly. "Remus was thrilled to have gotten to play Monopoly again. Sirius has been refusing to even humor him with a game."
"It slipped my mind to contact you lot," James apologized still.
"James," Hestia stopped him. "It's all alright. But enough about what happened here, how was your night?" she questioned them with a wink.
Lily smiled fondly at her husband. "He surprised me with a date at Hogwarts," she said still giddy.
"Well aren't you a romantic," Hestia teased James. "What did you do there?" she asked, taking a seat on one of the steps leading to the second floor.
"James asked Hagrid to borrow one of the first year boats so he actually apparated us to just outside the school boundaries in the woods on the far side of the Black Lake. And he had dinner served in my favourite nook of the library," Lily went on, outlining their date in detail to her friend, smiling at James every now and then in appreciation.
"So you were just flying around?" Hestia questioned once Lily had finished, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Yes?"
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing," James confirmed, unable to meet her eyes entirely.
"You are such a liar!" she shouted, jumping up excitedly.
"Hestia!" Lily sighed.
"Having a kid has done nothing to slow you two down, has it?" Hestia jumped around, pinching both of them as she did a little happy dance, her reporter skills proving useful once again. "Can we expect another little Potter running around anytime soon?"
"I think it's time we get Harry and go home," Lily said, turning away from her friend, her eyes latching onto her husband's who nodded in agreement. "Thanks again, Hest," Lily told her friend quickly before following James into the living room.
"Wouldn't think he's turning thirteen soon when you see him like this," James whispered to his wife who stood on the other side of the couch, gazing down at her sleeping son who was curled up on his side.
"Do you see his rucksack?" she questioned him as she rested her forearms on the couch's back, letting her fingers brush his hair to reveal the scar on his forehead.
James searched the room, walking towards the fireplace where the bag was found, passing it gently to his wife before leaning down and lifting his son's limp form up into his embrace. "Thanks," he mouthed to Hestia as he passed her on his way back down the stairs as Lily led the way back towards the front door.
"Meet you at home?" Lily confirmed once they were safely out of view in the dark park across the street from Grimmauld Place. She placed a kiss on her son's scar before giving one to her husband and disappearing from sight.
"Should we wake him so he can change?" James asked as Lily pulled back the covers on their son's bed so that he could place him between them.
Lily shook her head. "Day clothes have never stopped him from having a good night's rest before, I don't think they will tonight," she grinned, draping the duvet over Harry. She leaned down placing a kiss on the crown of his head before bowing out of the room, watching from the doorway as James continued to tuck their boy in.
"Are you alright?" James asked her when he was watching her step out of the dress that she had just let fall into a puddle around her feet.
She looked over her shoulder at him where he sat at the edge of their bed, undoing the buttons of his shirt. She nodded, smiling softly before continuing to strip out of her undergarments then slipping into her favourite silk nightgown and running to jump onto their bed, watching as her husband continued to strip out of his own clothes.
"You'd tell me if you weren't?" he asked, lying down next to her still in his slacks with his shirt undone.
"Always," she said, placing a kiss soundly on his lips.
James grinned widely at her, hurrying to shimmy his way out of his slacks, carelessly tossing his discarded clothes towards the hamper, before jumping onto the bed in a similar fashion as Lily had done. He let his hand trail over her cheek before he pulled her closer, placing a million kisses over her neck and collarbone.
"I'm beginning to think," she sighed as they lay there in the darkness of their room, "You should have thrown these in the hamper as well," she said as her fingers teasingly danced along the rim of his boxers.
"And you should've never gotten redressed," he said as he gently let the strap of her nightdress fall over the edge of her shoulder.
"Fix it then," she said, her eyes begging with his.
James held her tight against him, rolling them over so she was resting a top of him, her legs saddling his waist. He watched with glee as she raised her hands over her head and again as he slowly lifted the sleek fabric over the curves of her body, slowly revealing every inch of her.
"You are truly a remarkable sight to be able to look at, anytime of the day," she whispered in his ear as she tugged down his boxer shorts, using her feet to flick them off of his ankles and to an unknown place on their floor below.
"Completely yours," he promised her, running his fingers through her long hair.
She smiled as she kissed him, allowing him to roll them over once more until he was hovering over her. "Completely mine," she grinned greedily.
James chuckled deeply, causing her to squirm as the vibrations of his lips against her stomach tickled her more than his fingers ever could. "Could you pass me my wand from the table?" he asked as he trailed kisses between her breasts, making his way towards her belly button.
"The charm- I already-"
"Well weren't you a little optimistic," he teased her returning his lips to hers. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Good."
"Good."
"Kiss me."
"Yes, mam."
The smell of the London rain filled the house as it flowed through the open windows and terrace doors. It was eerily silent as Harry sat there, his notes and texts spread out on the floor while he wrote down his answers furiously. His mum had given him the weekend to complete the entirety of his summer work under the pretense that if he completed it at the beginning of the summer he would have better assignments to hand in at the beginning of third year as they would not be rushed to completion.
He stared at his potions essay completely frustrated and silently cursing Snape with every written word. He contemplated going to visit his mum and Remus at work, where he would undoubtedly receive a lesson that would explain more about potions in one go than he would in an entire year. Quickly grabbing some spare parchment and scribbling down a quick note he took off down the stairs before grabbing some floo powder and disappearing amongst the roaring emerald flames.
"Sir?" the matron at the front desk greeted him as he continued to wipe off his clothes.
Harry looked up at her in awe, appreciating that she didn't gasp or get excited by the sight of him.
"Can I help you?" she asked him, genuine smile lighting up her face as he approached hesitantly.
"Er, I'm looking for my mum's office," he told her, feeling a little silly that he had no clue where their office was. "Lily Potter," he added, realizing she wouldn't make the obvious association.
"Of course, Mr. Potter, would you like to wait over there?" she asked him pointing towards the small reception area, adjacent to her desk. "I believe she'll be returning from lunch soon, I've sent her a memo just in case. She might well be in a meeting…it's hard to keep track…"
He nodded at her then, thanking her for the information, as he was about to sit only to hear his mother's laugh sounding through one of the nearby corridors.
"Harry," she grinned happily, giving him a brisk hug as not to potentially embarrass him in front of the others that were wandering around the reception area. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" she asked him, searching his face for any signs for concern.
"I was hoping you might help me with potions," he quickly told her, holding up his books and parchment. He grinned as he watched his mum's face break out into a smile before taking the top piece of parchment that had the assignment neatly printed out on it. She led him past reception, her eyes hungrily scanning over Severus' instructions, smirking when she realized where he was headed with this. Harry watched as she smiled the whole way back, greeting healers and patients as they passed.
"Here we are," she said, stepping aside to let him enter her and Remus' little sanctuary in the craziness that was St. Mungo's all year round.
"You're- oh, hello Harry," Remus greeted him, as he moved round the wooden table where multiple cauldron's were boiling at once.
"Remus!" Harry grinned, giving the man a brisk hug before moving to take a seat in front of his mum's personal desk.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" the sandy haired man asked, placing his work down on the counter.
Harry glanced towards his mum in response. Remus followed his gaze to see the dark auburn haired woman grabbing a cauldron and ingredients while frantically reading a parchment in her other hand.
"Homework?" Remus guessed, chuckling. "What did he assign this year?"
He chuckled at the parchment that Lily handed him as she passed.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked, getting up to read the paper over the man's shoulder in hopes of uncovering the joke, completely curious as to how anyone could find potions even remotely funny.
"All I can say," Remus told him, still thoroughly laughing, "Is that it is a very good thing you have your mum here to help you…"
He looked at his mum who was finishing setting up the cauldron. She caught his eye once she noticed he had seen her smirking at Remus' remarks.
"Your father blew this potion up in third year as an act of revolt," she explained. "He was tired of being 'destined for greatness' as our potions master used to say. Professor Slughorn used to go on and on about how he would live up to his father, thinking that he would take over the Sleekeasy-"
"You never told me that!" Harry exclaimed, nearly knocking over one of the potions still brewing.
"Harry, be careful!" Lily exclaimed, still laughing. "I was sure we had mentioned that at some point. Your father I think has his hair so messy as a form of subconscious revolt as well."
"Ever the rebel Prongs is," Remus chuckled to himself.
"Yes, yes he is," his mother said fondly. "You'll have to ask your dad more about your grandfather later. No more avoiding potions," she teased, knowing full well it hadn't been his true intention. "So the Wiggenweld Potion."
"Sounds dreadfully awful," Harry grumbled.
"I realize that you're only supposed to write an essay about the effects but I figured that since you'll have to brew the potion this year anyways you'd be able to give it a trial run, not that I think that you'll need it though, sweetheart," Lily babbled on.
"You clearly have not paid enough attention to my potions marks," muttered Harry.
"Oh, I've been watching very closely, I assure you," she teased him, making her voice drop down a few tones as an attempt to sound stern, though Harry knew there was truth to her statement. "Ok, so what needs to be done first?" she asked him, sliding his textbook towards him.
He glared at the page. "Add salamander blood until the potion turns red."
She looked at him expectantly. "I'm not doing it for you," she explained to him, chuckling. "I'm here if you have questions and to explain the harder portions that will assist you in your essay, but other than that, this is all you." She watched as his hands nervously reached for the salamander blood from the pile of potion ingredients she had compiled for him.
Harry slowly but steadily dropped the blood into the potion, checking after each drop to see if it had turned red.
"What next?" his mother encouraged him once the potion had turned.
He went and picked up the stir stick, slowly stirring it until the potion changed to orange, just as the book instructed. He glanced down at the text again, reading the next step, grabbing the Salamander blood once again, stirring then adding more.
She watched smiling as he successfully followed and completed each step to the exact specifications. She waited for a few moments before after she noticed he had stopped looking at her between steps, wandering back to her own corner of the office where she would still be in eyesight if needed but could continue on with the tasks she had left prior to lunch.
"Does this look right?" Harry questioned a little hesitantly. He glanced towards where his mum had been standing, his eyes going wide when he realized she wasn't there. "Mum?"
"I'm coming," she chided, running across the office. "Harry, that's perfect," she beamed, checking it over once more.
"I still don't completely understand," he admitted once she had finished bottling it after claiming it was 'good enough for patients'.
Lily smiled softly at him, "I wouldn't expect you to just from brewing it. Here-" she started walking round the office with him in her shadow as she began explaining the potions uses whilst she went about brewing other potions.
"Evans!" Remus called to her, "They need Harry's potion down on the fourth floor!"
The dark auburn haired witch spun around with a large grin to face her son. "Scratch all of that, you are going to come with me and see everything first hand," she said as she excitedly rushed him towards the door, grabbing the potion when she ran back in almost having forgotten to grab it in the first place.
They both moved quickly through the halls till they reached their intended destination. His eyes focused in on the patients, only half listening to his mother's conversation with the junior healer.
"-And this is Harry," his mum introduced him to the young lady whose eyes had apparently been darting between the two Potter's for the duration of the conversation, signaled to Harry by his mum discreetly rolling her eyes behind the younger woman.
"It's an honour to meet you," the woman said quickly before darting out of the room.
"Would you mind lifting the patients head for me, sweetheart?" his mum asked of him, calling him to the other end of the room.
Harry reached forward, carefully tilting the man's head back until mum motioned for him to stop.
"It's important to make sure that the potion is going down the right path as the people who need this potion have been put to sleep for medical purposes. Under the right circumstances the potion should take its effect after a few minutes…" she said after she had administered it.
He watched his mum with intense curiosity as she did her checks, making sure every last drop had gone down the patient's throat, and still when she pulled her wand out for the second time to check the signs.
"Why did he go into a coma?"
She flipped through the man's chart. "Looks like a spell backfired quite harshly. There was some damage to his internal organs and his physical appearance which is why they gave him the potion that the Wiggenweld Potion reawakens," she muttered.
"How do they do that? Put him to sleep I mean…"
"Draught of the Living Death," his mum said, smiling as she glanced up at him, "Though you won't learn that until sixth year. That potion is kind of like the one the wicked stepmother used on Snow White, the one she put-"
"I remember the plot, mum," he said as he rolled is eyes. "But did you really just compare this to Snow White?"
"Perhaps," she sad, smiling mischievously.
"Mum!"
"Well you won't forget now, will you?" she tested him, already knowing the answer.
Harry shrugged. "It makes more sense than anything Snape's taught in the past two years…"
"So maybe I should suggest to Severus that he includes Disney references in his classes from now on?"
"No! No, absolutely not!" Harry sprang up from the chair.
She laughed. "How about I help you get ahead this summer then? Seeing as you won't let me talk to him."
"Pretty sure that was, dad," he reminded her. "I'd appreciate the extra help though. Anything to get Snape off of my back just a little bit."
"Hello?"
His mum moved then, the patient's chart in hand as she tugged a chair to the man's bedside and reached for his hand. She talked to the man in the soft, soothing tones that differed only slightly from the one's he remembered her using when he was sick when he was home. The man's brow furrowed as she started her speech, informing him of what had occurred and how he was fairing, but his face soon changed and a small smile began tugging at the corner of his lips, his hand patting his mum's hand as he grinned.
"Sweetheart, could you call the healer for me?" she asked of him when she glanced at him over her shoulder, partially blocking him from the patient's view.
"He's- you're-" the man stuttered, causing Harry to internally groan as he left the room. "I work in the Auror office with your husband," he finally managed to say when it was just him and Lily left in the room.
"We're you on duty when the spell backfired?"
"Something like that," the man chuckled.
"Do you have any family that you would like contacted?" she questioned him, once more flipping through his chart just as Harry came trailing in behind the healer.
"Just phoned them," the young healer said, effectively dismissing Lily. "Thanks for coming so quickly," he grinned at her, making Harry want to gag.
"Just doing my job. It was nice to meet you," she said, peering past the young healer's shoulder to give the patient one last comforting smile before leading Harry out of the room. "So I'm thinking stir-fry for supper."
"Is that you asking for my help?" Harry questioned her as the two of them wandered through the halls once more.
"Yes," she grinned.
"Why not," Harry shrugged, "At least if I'm helping it will be edible."
"I over cooked pasta once," she grumbled, "And you and your father will never let me live it down."
"Sounds about right," Harry teased her in return.
"Harry, is that Neville?"
Harry glanced up to see one of the boy's he shared a dormitory with nearly ten out of the twelve months of the year walking alongside whom he could only guess to be his grandmother up ahead.
"Hey Neville!" Harry shouted down to them, before his mother had the chance to tell him otherwise. "Everything all right?" he asked after running up to the Longbottom's.
The boy in front of him seemed timid, glancing nervously between his grandmother and his own two feet. "Er, hi Harry," was all he managed to get out.
"Hi Augusta," Lily smiled softly when she managed to catch up. "Hi Neville. How are they?" she asked quietly to the older woman, moving slightly away from her son in hopes of him not being able to over hear.
"The same," Augusta shrugged. "Neville, speak up why don't you. No need to be embarrassed."
"So something did happen?" Harry asked again.
"Harry," Lily warned.
"No, Lily, he should be proud," Augusta corrected. "Tell him, Neville, or rather let them come up with us."
"A-Alright…" Neville said nervously before turning and leading the small group away.
"Have everything?" his mum checked as they stood in reception.
Harry nodded, holding up his work.
Lily put her arm around her son's shoulders as they wound their way towards the main entrance, stepping out through the old boarded storefront window and merging into the oblivious pedestrian traffic on the street. Harry remained quiet as she navigated them through the streets, which unsettled her more than it would have if he had just asked the millions of questions that were running through his mind.
"You would have graduated from there this year," she spoke up as they came to a halt in front of the beautiful house in Chelsea that was home to the Sussex House School, the independent day school that they had sent Harry to until he left for Hogwarts.
"If I wasn't a wizard, where would you and dad have sent me in the fall?" Harry questioned her quietly.
Lily looked at him curiously, laughing a little in her mind at the thought of James Potter's son imagining a life outside of the wizarding world. "I think it was between St. Paul's and King's College at Wimbledon that your father and I were considering when you dragged us to those information sessions twice the year before you left to Hogwarts," she chuckled.
"Blame Ms. Fairfax," he responded with a grin. "I think Brandon is going to Eton…"
"When was the last time you spoke to Brandon?" she questioned, not recalling the last time he mentioned any of his old friends.
"I ran into him when I was in Hyde Park the other day. We talked for a while, he asked where I had gone to study…"
"What did you tell him," she asked, amused.
"I told him I was at my parents Alma Mater in Scotland, and that you had both wanted me to go there too," he explained.
She laughed a little at this. "Sounds all too familiar," she sighed, "That was my excuse too, except I was just going where my dad had gone…Petunia was angry that I had gone to Hogwarts and tried to say that I had been sent away to a special school but my parents didn't want her to resent me so they gave her the chance to chose to go anywhere she wanted after that…"
"Where did she go?"
"Wychwood, an all girl's school in Oxford. She boarded until she went for her sixth form at a day school in Chipping Campden, not too far from where we grew up and quite near to my grandparent's house."
"Great-grandma Ella and great-grandpa Robert?"
"You remember them?" she asked, smiling at him softly.
"A little, I remember running around their house and great-grandpa trying to get me to slide down the banister…and her cookies. He always wanted me to try to steal the cookies from the kitchen for him."
"He loved those cookies," she nodded in agreement.
"Do you still write to Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked her as they waited to cross the busy street.
"Sometimes," his mum responded wearily. "I haven't seen her in a year or so."
"Does she hate magic that much?"
Lily brushed some of her son's hair behind his hear. "Harry, you can't listen to everything your father says. Your aunt was my best friend in the whole world before I met Severus at the park that my mum's dad took us to when he watched us when we were young. Petunia I think was saddened that I wasn't turning to her for all the answers anymore, and I was young and excited by what Severus had to say. I hurt her, Harry, and your dad as hard as he tries doesn't see that side. He's too protective, and he never had the chance to know her before everything, and my parents when they passed, that didn't make it easier either…"
"Maybe someday she'll know how much you care, mum," Harry said, tucking himself into her embrace as they walked down the much quieter streets that made up part of their Knightsbridge neighborhood.
"Maybe, sweetheart. Maybe."
"Did you and dad go into hiding to protect your family?"
"You are our family," she told him, hugging him tightly. "Yes, but I don't think many knew about Petunia, besides my closest friends."
"And Peter."
"Yes, Peter, he knew too. And before you say it, Severus as well."
"Would Voldemort have gone after them?"
"Well aren't you just full of questions," she remarked, "I think he might've, but I can't be sure. Voldemort was not someone you could call predictable in his actions."
"Wouldn't Snape have told-"
"I don't think that he would, Harry. Dumbledore came to your dad and I the night we escaped and told us a bit, but he stayed after your dad had taken you to bed and said that Severus was on our side. Your dad knows, but he's wary. Rightfully too, but it's like your aunt. I knew him in a different light than either your father or you does. In time, sweetheart, you'll realize he would never put our family in danger, he's not heartless."
Harry wanted to question his mum further but his mum gave him a look that warned him otherwise. He reached forward, grabbing the keys from her purse in one swift move, amusing her as she had been searching for them blindly since they turned down their side of the square.
"Show-off," she grumbled as she threw the door open and let them in. "Bring your work back down!" she called after him when he took off up the stairs as soon as he had tossed his shoes carelessly on the mat.
She turned on the message-machine as she entered the kitchen. Opening the fridge, then the pantry when she couldn't find what she had been looking for. Her watch told her it was too late to run back to the grocer's making up her mind as she reached for the plastic package from the top shelf.
"Pasta?" Harry laughed a little when he wandered back in to see water boiling on the stove where he expected a frying pan to be.
Lily threw the dishcloth she was holding at him before she made her way to open the doors to the terrace. She walked out onto the porch, opening up the wicker chest to reveal to cushions for patio chairs that surrounded the small table along with the two chaise lounges. She grabbed the towel from Harry before making to wipe the various pieces of furniture off. "Come sit here and I'll help you get that essay out of the way. Might as well enjoy the sun before this week's forecast sets in…"
She watched for a moment as Harry pulled out his quills and grabbed a new sheet of parchment before getting to work. When a few minutes passed without him glancing up for her help she went in to check on dinner, watching once more as she stood by the stove, Harry perfectly visible through the window above the kitchen sink. He was still focusing intently, scribbling furiously when she brought the pasta out and placed it in front of him, only getting him to eat when she had to pry the essay and the quill out of his hand.
"I promise I will jog your memory if you forget in the short time that it will take you to eat your dinner," she promised, pushing his work further away.
"Thanks," he grinned up at her as he reached for his fork and began swirling the pasta around with it. "Well you didn't overcook it," he teased after taking a bite.
"It was once when you were six!" she exclaimed, causing him to laugh profusely.
"What is going on out here?" James chuckled as he threw his bag onto the kitchen table before making his way to the table.
"I'll grab you some supper," Lily said, smiling at her husband brightly as she got up from the table.
He grabbed her arm though before she had the chance to go too far. He pulled her to him, bringing her face to his. "Hi," he murmured against her lips before kissing her.
"Hi," she murmured back, kissing him once more, placing her hand on his chest as she did before going to fetch his dinner.
James chuckled at her antics as he took a seat next to Harry once he had moved his sons school stuff to the chaise-lounge. "Potions?" he asked Harry skeptically after glancing at the paper at the top of the pile.
"Harry came down to work after lunch," Lily explained as she set James' food in front of him. "He brewed the potion without a mistake-"
"Remus said that you blew that potion up when you were in third year," Harry said once he was done chewing.
James grinned, running his fingers through his hair. "Sounds about right."
"That annoyed with grandpa Potter?"
"Is that what Remus said now?"
"And mum," Harry informed him.
"You can't even be mad," Lily said before James had the chance to speak. "Because you did it to spite your father and you know it."
"Professor Slughorn asked for it, is all I will say," he grumbled before stabbing his pasta.
"It's a lot easier to work without Professor Snape breathing down my neck though, dad, telling me how poorly I'm doing at every turn."
"Just pretend that it's your mum doing that next time," James suggested, smirking at his wife. "It's what did it for- Lily!"
"Was that your leg?" she feigned innocence.
"I'll get you back for that later," he warned her. "Got a question for you, champ…"
"Alright…"
"I was wondering if you would like to come on a work errand with me tomorrow?" James asked Harry hopefully.
James watched as Harry's face lit up at the prospect. "Really? I can come?"
James nodded.
"Where is the 'errand' exactly?" Lily questioned, corking her eyebrow at her husband, knowing full well there were only so many places that an Auror would be sent on an errand.
He remained focused on Harry as he responded. "Azkaban."
"The Wizard Prison?" Harry questioned eagerly.
"Are you out of your mind?" she gasped. "No."
"Lils-"
"Don't."
"They can't hurt him, they're under tight guard," James reasoned with her. "He will be by my side or Sirius', ok, just my side," he corrected upon noticing her gaze, "I would never put him at risk. You of all people know that."
She looked between the two of them skeptically. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest as she considered the idea against her better judgment, though her decision was quickly made when she recalled her son's face when it was first suggested. "Alright."
"When you said, 'they can't hurt him', what exactly did you mean?" Harry questioned his dad.
"You'll see tomorrow, I'll explain it on the ride over," James assured him.
Harry looked to his mum for the answer but she shook her head.
"This is your dad's work, he'll be the one to explain it to you," she said. "I want your essay done tonight then if you're going tomorrow," she told him, getting up to clear the plates.
"I'll get them," Harry said, leaping up to grab the dishes from her hands and rushing them inside.
His parents looked at one another in shock. James pushed his chair back from the table, patting his lap for Lily to come sit. She scurried over to him, embracing the feeling that spread over her when he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. He kissed her for a moment before pulling back, brushing her hair behind her ear to keep it from blocking her eyes from his: her green, green eyes.
"Don't you do that to me again," she told him.
"I wasn't thinking, Lils. I was just so excited after Sirius suggested it," he rambled.
"James," she stopped him. "Just let us talk about it next time."
"Lils, he'll be thirteen at the end of the month," he reminded her.
"I haven't forgotten, I assure you," she said. "And if you are implying that I am babying him then you have it all wrong, James."
"I didn-"
"Those dementors give grown adults nightmares. Dumbledore himself would shiver in their presence. And-"
"There's the fact that he's our son and has had to face things that other's could only imagine," James finished her thought for her.
"And there's that."
"If you really don't want me to take him, Lils, tell me now," he asked her, searching her face as he ran his fingers over her cheeks.
She glanced over her shoulder at Harry where he stood washing the dishes, taking initiative like the almost teenager he was.
"He can go," she agreed softly.
"He will be at my side every second."
"I know," she told him truthfully, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"You had a good day then?" James asked after a few moments spent watching Harry clean up dinner from the patio.
"It was wonderful," she admitted, smiling widely. "It was so nice to have him want to be there with me. I miss him so much when he's away. I don't know how my parents did it."
"I'm pretty sure my parent's were pushing me out the door by the time September rolled around," James kidded.
"Mia loved you beyond words," she reminded him. "Your dad on the other hand-"
"Hey!"
"You know it's not true!"
"Have you gone back this year?" he asked her solemnly.
She shook her head. "No, not yet."
He held her tightly, rubbing her back comfortingly. "How about we take Harry up and we go visit next week, bring some flowers to plant?"
"Thank-you," she breathed into his neck.
"Anything for you, you know that, Lily. My wonderful, wonderful Lily," he whispered back to her just as Harry came back out.
They watched him once more as he gathered his books and bring them back to the table, open them up and attempt to start again.
"Effective way to administer," she reminded him, smiling softly.
"Are you alright, mum?"
"Your mum is going to be just fine," James assured him. "Back to your Potions essay, young man," he ordered as Harry leaned back over his essay. "You can't tell me that he's all me anymore," he teased his wife as they watched their son, taking quietly every now and then until Harry finished his essay.
"Can you check it over?" he asked Lily, sliding the parchment across the table to her.
She nodded, picking it up and holding it out so both she and James could read it over at the same time. Lily grabbed Harry's quill and scratched out a couple of lines before James suggested she cross out one more.
"It's excellent, sweetheart," she told him proudly, passing it back.
"Brilliant," Harry exclaimed, shoving it into the front of his textbook.
"Why don't you put that away in your trunk upstairs, Harry," James suggested. "Then maybe when you come back down we can all go and get ice cream in Piccadilly and catch a film?" James laughed when he saw how excited both Lily and Harry got at the suggestion. "I'll take that as a yes then."
"He seems out of it," James said, leaning towards her as they stood in line at the theater.
Harry stood off to the side of the line, staring off into the distance as far as they could tell. They had walked from Trevor Square to the Knightsbridge Bus stop outside the Harrods on Brompton Road, all the while Harry talking non-stop to them about his adventures with Ron and Hermione the day before. He had quieted down immensely when they boarded the bus, though both James and Lily had blamed that on the close proximity of so many strangers. But his quiet streak had continued when they got off and walked the short distance from the Old Church Street stop to the Cineworld Cinemas in Chelsea.
Lily turned guiltily towards her husband, biting her lip.
"What?" James asked warily.
"He saw Neville when he came to visit me today at work," she explained quietly, trying not to attract their son's attention, though James didn't think anything would snap him out of his trance at this point. "Augusta made Neville bring Harry with him to see Alice and Frank."
"So he-"
"Yes," she sighed sadly. "I tried to talk to him-"
"Do you mind waiting to buy the tickets by yourself?" he asked, glancing over her head towards their son.
"Go," she said, following his gaze.
He placed a kiss on her forehead before ducking beneath the ropes blocking off those in the line from the rest of the movie going patrons. He swerved his way through the crowd, startling Harry when he bumped into him suddenly, causing James to grin widely at his son's expression.
"Where's mum?"
"Still in line."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "And you left her in line because?"
"You saw Alice and Frank today," James said, cutting to the chase.
He watched as Harry's mouth formed into an 'O' before he turned his head from his father's curious eyes that seemed to be studying his every movement.
"Come on, let's go wait over there, out of the way," James said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and leading him through the crowd. "I know, because your mum told me already that you don't want to talk but I want you to talk to me," he said once they had found a place on an empty bench out of the way of the bustling crowd.
"What happened to them to make them-"
"Not able to be Neville's parents anymore?" James suggested for him. "They were ambushed after the war ended by some of Voldemort's most loyal followers," he explained, picking and choosing his words with the utmost care. "Sirius' estranged cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the ones who attacked them, along with her husband. They used the Cruciatus Curse on them for reasons no one could fathom and-"
"That curse caused them to-"
"Go insane. Yeah," James sighed. "It's one of the three unforgivable curses," he explained, "Use of any one of them gives you a one way ticket to Azkaban."
"Aren't the Auror's able to use them?" Harry questioned, recalling earlier conversations about work with his father and Sirius.
James shook his head. "Only in the most dire of circumstances. If it means life or death for us…and in war, sometimes the rules change then."
"Have you or mum-"
"We have."
"Have you ever put that curse on anyone?"
"No, only the killing curse," James corrected.
Harry nodded, trying to understand everything his dad had been saying. He glanced up at his father multiple times before returning his gaze to his hands. "Dad?"
"Yes, Harry?" James said, putting an arm around his son's shoulder.
"Would they have done that to you and mum if they had found us…again?"
"Probably," James admitted after he regarded his son's distraught expression for more than a few moments. "Professor Dumbledore made sure that wouldn't happen though, once he found us at your grandparent's old home."
"Why didn't he protect the Longbottom's then?" Harry questioned. "They were part of the Order. They had Neville just like you and mum had me-"
"Hey, are you two- definitely not ready," Lily said walking towards them excitedly but stopping short of them when she saw how confused both James and Harry seemed to be.
"I don't know," James said finally. "I don't know why he didn't protect them more."
"Alice and Frank?" Lily asked, her voice sounding small.
"Why didn't Dumbledore protect them like he protected you?" Harry asked her, sounding angry.
Lily was startled at his question, slumping onto the bench next to her son as she mulled the question over countless times in her head. "Professor Dumbledore was the head of the Order, he had a lot of people to look after already not even taking into account all the students that were still at Hogwarts as the war was reaching its peak, Harry."
"But he did offer to be the Secret Keeper for us," James said, in a daze. "I don't think he offered the same for Frank and Alice."
"That's because Frank wanted to be it for them, or ask his father-"
"I should've been it. Why did I ask Peter? Why did I convince you to let us use Peter?"
"That could've been you," Harry said, stopping his parents dangerously wandering thoughts.
Lily glanced at her son sadly, pulling him into a tight hug, running her fingers through his hair as she tried to use him to stop her own tears that were threatening to fall. "But it wasn't."
"You and dad almost died," Harry breathed.
James and Lily's eyes met over the top of their son's head at a complete loss for what to say.
"But we didn't," James said. "And right now we look like complete lunatics over here," he said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"He's right," Lily whispered in Harry's ear.
Harry glared at his father for a moment before letting himself break out into a grin, snatching the tickets from his mum's hand. "I'll go get the seats, you two get popcorn!" he yelled as he took off ahead after hastily throwing their tickets back at them.
"I envy his ability to snap out of it," James sighed, allowing Lily to help him up.
"It won't last forever," she told him truthfully. "We were both like that till we weren't, and we didn't have the world on his shoulders like he does."
"Let's not talk about that anymore, for tonight at least."
"I think I can agree to that," she grinned, leaning into his embrace. "So Azkaban…why?"
"I knew this would come up again," he grumbled before launching into his practiced explanation once more.
"-they are the guards of the Prison."
Harry looked at his godfather nervously as the Ministry boat sped at an unnatural speed across the water as it approached the towering prison that rose out of the sea like an iceberg, blending perfectly into the stormy clouds that surrounded it.
"You'll only see them from a distance, Harry. They won't come near us once we arrive onshore. There's no need to be frightened," his father worked to assure him.
"Besides the fact that you're going to an island where the entire population is made up of dark wizards who've gone plenty-"
"Padfoot! Who is that possibly helping?"
"I was just-"
"Don't," James warned, still trying to give off an air of calm as he spoke.
"Harry, it's only scary if you think of it that way. But if you look at it as an adventure, like a place to explore than it's not scary in the least. I would know," Sirius told him with a degree of solemnity in his voice as he looked on ahead.
A/N: I'm sitting her pondering why this 11,000 words can come so quickly after the last chapter that was near the same length yet half the time I can barely string ten words together to form a coherent sentence. Any thoughts?
Also if you have time, please review. And sorry if there was too much Lily and James, sort of fluff. I think it was fluffy but I'm not sure and now I sound like I'm talking about a dog...
Another note. Sorry for the potential spelling/grammatical errors. It's 1:10am where I am and well I've tried editing it a few times now and well my computer now looks like a thousand black and white lines where there once were sentences. So bear with me...Please.