Watching Him Sleep

Summary: In the aftermath of the Quidditch World Cup, Lily wakes up from a nightmare. She spends the rest of the night, watching Harry sleep.

Lily's eyes snapped open as she shot up in her bed, breathing heavily and dripping with sweat. She had dreamed that Voldemort had suddenly become alive again and was after her son again. It wasn't a usual occurrence, but something usually triggered them. The last time was in the summer following Harry's second year when he had fought him again in the chamber. Of course, it took her a moment after each time she had the dream to realize that was it was. It's just a dream.

Once her breathing returned to normal, she looked to her right to find James sound asleep beside her. His breathing was even, his snores were quieter and not rattling off the walls like they usually were and he had a small smile across his face. He must be having a pleasant dream that didn't involve their son being killed.

She smiled softly at the sight, feeling a little bit better and relieved that she didn't wake him.

Knowing she wouldn't sleep, she got up and slipped on her slippers and dressing gown, heading out her bedroom and down the corridor to Harry's room.

She smiled at the Caution: This Room Belongs to a Teenager sign that she had found while out in London when Harry wanted to update his room when he turned thirteen.

He was now fourteen and Lily just wished that time would slow down.

She pushed the door open, careful not to make a sound. She slipped into Harry's room, surprised to find the lamp on his nightstand on and Harry asleep. Usually in the summer, even after he went to bed at eleven, he would stay up until three in the morning, reading a book or working on a summer assignment.

She navigated her way to Harry's bed, trying to keep from falling and breaking her leg. Harry's room was that of a typical teenage boy, messy. She started to pick up the clothes she knew for sure that Harry had worn that week and tossed them in the hamper.

Now she had a clearer way of getting to Harry's bed. She pulled out the chair from under Harry's desk and sat down in it once she was sitting beside the bed.

She smiles as she watches him sleep. Some call it creepy, but they weren't mothers and had lived through the horrors she and James had. It was while Lily sat there, watching her son sleep soundly, his breathing even, slow, and steady, that she wondered just how did time pass her so quickly.

Should she really be the mother of a fourteen-year-old?

To Lily, it felt like it was yesterday when she watched him take his first steps on wobbly legs. He was no longer the little baby who loved it when James sent out bubbles from his wand and watch as he popped them. He didn't cling to her leg and was shyer than any other child she ever knew.

Right before her eyes, Harry grew up. Like James, he was a Quidditch fanatic. If they were somewhere where Harry could use magic with consequences, James and Harry would do a little play duel, mainly seeing who can get the tickling charm passed the other's shields. Much to Harry's dismay, he was still just as ticklish as he was when he was a baby.

Lily watched her son as he moved to lie on his back, his mouth wide open, loud snores coming from it, one arm was slung over his head and the other was resting on his stomach. He had bunched the covers at the end of the bed like he usually did. It was either they were bunched at the foot of the bed or on the floor, depending on how restless Harry was that night or how much he moved.

Over the summer Harry had a long-awaited growth spurt. Granted, it was small, but he was now just as tall as Lily, if not an inch or two taller. Healer Morris confirmed it when she took Harry for his fourteen-year checkup that he had grown more than a few inches since his last checkup. Dr. Jacobs, the Muggle pediatrician Lily took Harry to, had said that Harry was average for fourteen and had predicted that Harry would almost as tall as James.

James was close to six feet tall. Lily concluded she would need a step ladder just to kiss her son.

Harry's height wasn't the only thing that changed that summer. He had taken up to exercising during the day, either on the ground or on the broom. He claimed it was to keep him from being stiff and sore after the first two Quidditch practices and he wanted to keep his weight down.

Glancing at her son's belly, she realized that it had lost the pot belly shaped or maybe it was because Harry was lying down. Thinking back, Harry had been shirtless earlier when he mowed the grass in the back garden in hopes of getting a tan. She noticed that Harry had lost a lot of the baby fat had been carrying around and instead was, according to James, building muscle tone.

She pushed back the stray hair from her son's eyes, gently as to not disturb her son's sleep.

Her mind went back to the day's events. James telling her what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. He has secured tickets for him, Harry, Sirius, and the Weasleys. Only Molly didn't go and the extra ticket was offered to Hermione, who, after much persuasion from Harry and Ron agreed to go.

In the dim light of Harry's light, she could still see the faded green and white paint that graced Harry's face since he came home. James had given Harry some extra pocket money for helping with the yard work the previous week before the World Cup and Harry spent a small portion of it on face paint that he can do himself.

James has snapped a picture of the finished product, making them chuckle the four green and white painted faces.

She had sent him upstairs to wash off the face paint, only to discover the soap wasn't strong enough to wash it all off. Instead, it just faded a bit. She would have him try again in the morning.

Harry shifted to lie on his stomach, making Lily pause for a second, afraid she had disturbed him enough to wake him. She watched the muscles in his back as repositioned himself to both arms under his pillow, his head turned to face Lily.

The snores returned to their normal volume, something that Harry had gotten from James and would deny if anyone told him.

Sitting there, watching Harry sleep took Lily back to Harry's first twenty-four hours in this world. She and James watched him sleep for hours, watching his chest move with each breath. Then when Lily couldn't sleep, especially after they went into hiding, she would watch Harry sleep through the bars of his crib.

The crib was one thing they were able to salvage from the house in Godric's Hollow. Remus and Sirius had cleared the house out of their personal belongings and all the furniture. James was able to recreate the kitchen that she had in Godric's Hollow in her kitchen here at Potter's Bar.

The one thing that puzzled all the healers that had seen Harry in the aftermath of that Halloween night was that he was able to sleep just as well as he did before Halloween. Lily had said it was because he was a good sleeper and had been sleeping through the night since he was nine months old.

When he was a baby, Harry slept soundly, like he did today. Lily could still see his soft little fist, moist from his mouth as he would hide the fact he was sucking his thumb. She could close her eyes and still see James sitting the rocking chair, another item from Harry's nursery that was salvaged, wedging his hands in between the bars and stroke the top of Harry's head and the black hair that was so much like his own.

Of all things, Harry inherited from James, Lily wished he didn't get his hair, at first. Then it grew on her and she realized that James's black messy hair suited Harry and made him cuter.

He managed to talk her into letting his hair grow out a little to see if it would help tame the beast that is his hair. The only problem with Harry growing out his hair is that instead of messy, it was shaggy. He finally let Lily do a light trim, but so far Harry had been proven right. But Lily had given it a year before Harry would tell her to cut it back to where it was before.

Noticing the time on the alarm clock said that it was four in the morning, made Lily think about the many nights she had stayed in this room with her son when he was sick. She had slept in here when he came down with the flu at ten and Wizard's flu at thirteen. How she had managed to sleep, she didn't know.

There was even a time that she moved Harry to the guest room so she can sleep in the bed with him. She could check his temperature, provide some comfort when his headache or stomach cramps worsened, and administer a breathing treatment or potions more easily. It was something she did when Harry was young and something she continued, even after Harry got older.

Outside of a simple headache or a stomachache, the only time Harry had gotten sick at Hogwarts, to the shock and surprise of the healers Lily works with, including Harry's own, was when he came down with the stomach flu back in the fall.

"He must have a strong immune system," a few of the healers commented. Lily knew that kids got sick, but Harry seemed to be the exception. The bout of the stomach back in the fall was the only time Harry ever was sick while at Hogwarts, unlike other students who got sick with colds and the flu.

If anything, Harry was healthy and Lily saw to it that he stayed that way. Even though it cost her chocolate frog, sometimes two, she made Harry take immunity potions.

"Mum?" Harry's voice broke Lily out of anything thoughts she might have had. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Realizing that Harry was awake, she replied, "I came in here to check on you." She stood up from her chair and sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. "What are you doing up?"

"Bathroom," Harry replied.

Lily got up to let Harry up and watched him walk into the bathroom. She wondered just how long Harry was awake. She didn't want to tell Harry about the dream she had, he didn't need to worry about that. She hoped that he wouldn't ask many questions about what was going on, as it were, James said that they didn't know.

Harry returned from the bathroom and sat down on the bed beside his mother.

"Are you okay, Mum?" He asked.

Lily smiled at him softly and nodded. "I am. I just thought I'd check on you."

"Are we still going to Diagon Alley today?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we are," Lily replied. "And then I'm going to Hogwarts to help Madam Pomfrey get the hospital wing ready. I'll let you choose whether to come with me or stay here by yourself."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Your Dad strengthened the wards on the place, so I feel comfortable for leaving you on your own for a few hours," Lily said.

"Thanks, Mum."

"Now, I think you better get some sleep." Lily got up from the bed to let Harry get back into bed. She tucked the cover around her son and then leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Mum," Harry murmured.

"Good night, Harry. I love you."

"I love you too, Mum."

Harry was asleep when his head hit the pillow, a testament to how tired he was when he was from the day's activities.

She watched him sleep for a few more minutes before she left Harry's bedroom and returned to her own. This wasn't the first time Lily had sat on Harry's bedside, watching him sleep and she felt that it wouldn't be the last. At that moment, Lily decided to cherish any time she got, watching her son sleep.

AN: Two years ago, I started this series and had published the very first chapter. Twenty-eight (with this one) chapters later and I am still blown away at how much you readers love this series. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, added this fic to your alerts and/or favorites, private messaged me some ideas and has read this series. There is more to come, including the first chapter of the squeal HWLP: After the Deathly Hallows. It will pick up right after the battle and then explore Harry's life after the war with his family and friends.