In the last few days things were definitely looking up for him, and nothing could wipe the happy smile off the face of James Potter, Jr. His eyes kept crinkling mischievously, lips stretching in a wide smile, arms reaching out if not to embrace, at least to pat one's shoulder.
It was with this look on his face that James, the favourite of his large family, entered the living room of his house – through the front door, which did not happen often even with him, let alone the other Potters, the Weasleys, and most other relatives who generally preferred the fireplace.
He tossed his uniform bag on the floor by the front door, kicked off his sneakers, and pulled his T-shirt off over his head – all without breaking his stride. It was stifling outside; August had either decided to break all existing records in extreme temperatures or make James realize that Quidditch practice was not the worst thing that could happen to a person this side of Heaven.
The chap walked into the sunny kitchen, peered into the refrigerator, and took out a carton of juice, downing almost half of it in one gulp. He felt better now, almost great. The sun began to set outside the window, and James wished for it to get stuck somewhere below the horizon, to let them all breathe a bit of fresh air.
Potter returned to the living room, took out his wand, and sent light breeze sweeping over the room. On the chair he saw the shawl that Xenia liked to wear in the evenings. James picked it up and lay down on the couch, inhaling the floral fragrance of his wife's perfume.
His wife… They had been together for four years, and he never knew a moment's regret. From the first moment, when Scorpius Malfoy introduced him to his cousin who'd come from Greece to attend Hogwarts, James always wanted to be near her.
She was the only one who could calm him down, bring him peace, make him see reason, which was often so sorely needed back in his school days. And it wasn't even that Xenia Verdi (no, Potter, he liked that better) turned out to be a remarkable healer, who could see into the most intangible of human attributes – soul. He simply loved her, for no rhyme or reason.
Although, if reasons were required, he always had plenty: she saved his father, who had almost drowned in grief and guilt after their mother's murder; she helped find his sister after Lily had been kidnapped; she saved him – scores of times. She was the most incredible person he had ever known…
His stomach growled. Yet, ever since they started living together, he never had a meal if Xenia wasn't home. Not because he could not cook (he could go over to someone's house, his father's or Rose's, for instance, who would gladly feed him), but because he didn't want to eat without her. It was better to hold off a bit, and then cook supper together. This tradition was almost a year old now, and James never went against it. Since the evening she became his wife…
James smiled, stretching blithely on the couch and closing his eyes. Why, he simply could not recall their wedding day without grinning. What new husband could boast of his just-blessed new wife receiving an owl, informing her that one of her patients had taken a turn for the worse, and looking imploringly at her new husband, reluctant to leave, yet pulled toward her patient with her entire being? And, of course, James nodded in response to her plea, because he knew full well whom he had married. And he didn't just let her go – he went with her and spent the whole evening with a magazine in his lap while she, a white smock thrown over the wedding gown, was counseling her patient in a private room at St. Mungo's.
Afterwards, they received congratulations from Xenia's colleagues, and by the time they made it home, it was long past midnight. She tried to apologize, but he would have none of it: he had never had nor would he ever have a happier day in his life.
Still, today was no ordinary day, and that was why James hadn't stopped smiling ever since he received the formal offer to play for the "London Lacewings", one of the leading Quidditch teams in the British and Irish Quidditch League. He was happy and proud to no end, although he liked his present team quite a bit, felt accepted there, and had already made it out of the reserves; yet, being even a reserve player for the "Lacewings" meant a chance for a spot on the English National Quidditch Team. Had he ever thought that he would get that chance? And after only two seasons in the League!
He laid on the couch, thinking about how he would break the news to Xenia. He knew that she would be happy for him, as always. And tomorrow his father would find out and be proud as punch, because Harry Potter took his son's Quidditch career very close to heart, attended every game and afterwards, he and James analysed various points of the matche.
Albus Severus, this skinny creature, who knew very little about Quidditch, but who also never missed his brother's games (a.k.a. sleeping through most of them, only to wake up to the final ovations), would be jumping for joy, although the little brother understood Quidditch about a well as James – ballet. Hermione would smile.
And tomorrow he would also be telling Malfoy and Lily. His sister's reaction was easily predictable – after Xenia, she was his nearest and dearest. And Scorpius, his best mate for most of the last ten eventful years, would probably just hem – public displays of emotion were not his style; even the four years he and Lily had been together did not change him that much. But he and Malfoy would be able to go wet the good news…
Of course, Rose, his favorite cousin, has long been warning them that this kind of celebrating could lead straight to alcoholism. However, their school experience proved that they were safe from that. The main thing was to know where to stop, and Scorpius Malfoy knew that very well. His aristocratic upbringing has served them in good stead so far, and James was used to relying on his friend's judgement in many situations. Though a despised Slytherin, still… not completely lost for society, he is. It was a good thing that James took him under his wing back in his second year at Hogwarts; otherwise, who knows how this Malfoy Jr. would have turned out. And now he is quite all right, barely even green anymore, and besides, tightly bound to Lily Potter, which can only serve to Scorpius' benefit. Has served already… It was nice to feel like a saviour of Slytherin souls. Not many people could boast of that…
The sun turned a corner and stopped glaring him in the eyes, and James slowly drifted off to sleep, enjoying the slight breeze on his face. If you cannot eat, sleep – an important rule of survival at Hogwarts. He must remember to tell Albus about it, as he is already packing his trunk and gearing up to torment the teachers. James silently wished Professor McGonagall , the Hogwarts Headmistress and Professor Faustus, her deputy and Gryffindor Head of House to stock up on stamina and patience. They have had a whole three years' break from a boy named Potter. Let's hope for their sake that Albus, this little catastrophe with grand ambitions does not find himself a Slytherin best mate… With that cheerful thought James let himself fall asleep.
"Jim…"
He slowly opened his eyes at the sound of the beloved voice. Xenia was sat on the edge of the couch, watching him with a smile. Her eyes reflected the light of the candle on the end table. The room was dusky. He must have been asleep for a while…
"Hello," he smiled back, drawing her closer and kissing her on the lips. He took out the hair clip, and her golden hair covered them like a wave. "Why so long?"
"Working," she sat up straight, tossing her hair back. Xenia was watching him closely and tenderly, as usual, with a slight smile. Something about her was different today, but what? It was she – the healer of souls – who could easily put her feelings and intuition into words, while he merely sensed something unusual about her.
She reached out with a cool palm and stroked his cheek. He caught her fingers and pressed them to his lips, gazing at the golden-haired vision of a wife that Merlin had seen fit to reward him with (only for what?).
"I am pregnant," Xenia said quietly, looking into his still sleepy eyes.
It took James a second to process that, and then he sat up abruptly.
"Pregnant?"
"Yes," she said, without backing off, now face to face with him.
"You mean, we are having a baby?"
"Yes," he noticed that Xenia was fighting back a smile, probably from how taken aback he looked. He knew that she would not ask the stupid question "Are you glad?" – she wouldn't need to, since she could sense all his feelings – bewilderment, joy, fright, and whatever else – without unnecessary inquiries.
"We will be parents?" he repeated, just to ask something while this impressive news was settling inside him.
She nodded, letting herself smile and hug him, threading his mussed hair through her fingers. He could have prattled, jumped up and danced jig on the table, or crawled into the darkest corner of the house, terrified. Yet, the familiar feel of her arms against his neck did not let him run scared or wild. And he knew that everything would be all right.
His stomach growled, and Xenia laughed, pulling back. James frowned, suddenly realizing that nothing had really changed, everything was as before, except that their little world would soon grow to include another human being. It was scary, but James Potter was no coward, right?
"No reason to cancel supper, as far as I am concerned," he grumbled, catching Xenia in his arms and heading for the kitchen.