You're My Angel by anAnomaLy

Rating: PG
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Lily & James
Book: Lily & James, Books 1 - 7
Published: 21/02/2010
Last Updated: 21/02/2010
Status: In Progress

James comes home with a surprise for Lily, but their evening goes sour when he accidentally
offends his very pregnant and very touchy wife.




1. You're My Angel
------------------


It had been a month now since Lily Potter had been able to see her toes. Of course, they had
been small to begin with, so it had not taken long for her expanding stomach to swell to a size
that completely hid her petite feet. She did not, however, need to see them to know they were
there, because they had begun to ache after she had been standing for more than an hour's time.
Fortunately, this was nothing that a painkiller potion or a little massage from her very thoughtful
and understanding husband wouldn't cure. And speaking of her husband, it was nearly six
o'clock, and James ought to have been home nearly an hour ago. Dinner was almost ready too.


Rather than attempt to bend over her swollen stomach, she picked up her wand from the kitchen
counter and flicked it in the direction of the oven. The door opened and the pan of roasting
chicken floated out. Keeping her wand trained on it, she directed the pan to rest on the stovetop.
Lily was in the process of basting the chicken when the back door of the cottage burst open and
James raced through it, calling out in one breath, "LILY! LILY, C'MERE!"


Startled, she glanced over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow quirked as she asked,
"Whaaa?" He looked very windswept and incredibly giddy about whatever had him so excited,
but at the moment, her empty stomach was more important to her than whatever he so obviously wanted
to tell her, so she turned back around to continue basting the chicken and said, "Just let me
get this back in the oven, all right?"


But James was not to be deterred. As far as he was concerned, he had *the best* surprise to
share with her, and he was determined for his wife to share his excitement. So he urged again,
"I got something today, and you *need* to see it."


"Fine, fine," Lily countered, adding chopped leeks, carrots and potatoes to the glass
dish in which she was roasting the chicken. "But first I *need* to get this chicken in
the oven."


James put on his most pleading expression, eyebrows raised and eyes beseeching.


"Lily, honestly," he said, indicating the door through which he had just come.
"Come outside and have a look at what I got today!"


Lily sighed. It seemed her husband would not be satisfied until she had done what he asked.
Perhaps this shouldn't have surprised her. Their years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry had taught her that James Potter was astonishingly persistent. It probably would be best
if she just popped outside, commented on whatever it was that had him bouncing on the balls of his
feet, and then she would be free to return to making their dinner. She sighed. "Is it going to
take very long?" she asked, glancing back to the dish.


James' lips spread in a smile as he read the compliance on Lily's face.


"Trust me, why don't you?" he said, rolling his eyes. He reached for her hand,
feeling a sense of gentle comfort as she twined her fingers through his.


He could scarcely contain his excitement as he led her out the front door, down the two stone
steps that composed their stoop, and around the pebbled path to the side of the house where the
Potters' new car sat gleaming in the sunlight. All his efforts to surprise her where rewarded
when his wife gasped and froze in place, her eyes fixed on the object sitting in their driveway. It
took a few moments for the reality of what she was seeing to sink in; they had only ever casually
discussed purchasing a car, and she had had no idea that he was actually planning to do it. He
waited silently by her side as her gaze traveled over the shiny green vehicle, and grinned
excitedly, but a bit anxiously, down at her when she finally lifted her eyes to his.


"James! You bought a *car*?" she half-squealed, half-queried.


Though her eyes were still round with surprise, he could see by the tell-tale twitching at the
corners of her mouth that Lily was quickly becoming amenable to his impromptu purchasing decision,
so he pressed on elatedly, "I *did*! Do you like it? It's a 1979 MG Midget and it is
so much fun."


Lily, who knew almost nothing about car makes and models, was staring at the car again, trying
to gauge, based on the sleekness of its design and the pristine quality of its paint, how expensive
this particular car had been. Surely he couldn't have splurged *that* much. They had
decided back in December, when she first learned that she was pregnant, that they were going to be
much more careful with their funds. The plan was to leave James' vast inheritance from his
parents untouched and safely in their Gringotts vault so that their coming baby would be well
provided for as long as he lived. Thus far, they had done an excellent job of living solely off
James' salary at Copaken's Quidditch Supplies and Lily's at St. Mungo's. This car,
though..


"B-b-but, can we afford it?" she stuttered.


James' excitement did not lessen; his grin remained in place as he deftly assuaged her
worries, "Been meaning to tell you Ôbout that. I got promoted."


"Again?" she asked. The added income from his promotion to assistant manager a year
ago was what had allowed them to purchase the cottage in Godric's Hollow, but she hadn't
thought there was enough extra funds to afford such a new (and, she had to admit, very
nice-looking) car.


But James, who had secretly been planning this for a month now, was not in any way suffering
from buyer's remorse. He remained unperturbed that his wife was not so quick to share his
enthusiasm. It was cute, really, how concerned she was, especially with that tiny little wrinkle
that always appeared between her eyebrows when she was worried or confused about something. She was
flustered, just as he had hoped she would be when he first burst through the door with his good
news.


"Yeah, back in March," he answered her, "But I'm *telling* you, Lils,
this is a *good thing*. We *can* afford it because I'm working full-time and my
branch is doing really really well and we could use it anyway and why are you looking at me like
that?" His expression began to grow desperate as he continued speaking. She wasn't taking
this as well as he had thought she would. In hindsight, he wondered if, before planning to surprise
her, he should have taken into consideration the fact that she was six months pregnant and lately
seemed to be more moody than usual.


Lily, for her part, was not about to rail at him for his seemingly impulsive purchase. She
struggled with the proper response for several moments, before answering simply, "I just...
I'm just shocked is all." She paused, looking up at him and squinting in the April
sunlight. "Because we said we were going to be careful with money and all.." She trailed
off, trying to comprehend the new reality. "Just... wow!" All things considered, it
really was a rather nice surprise. And James had gone out of his way to surprise her with this,
obviously convinced she would be over the moon about his purchase. Now that the shock was wearing
off, she realized how momentous an occasion this actually was. "It's a really nice car
too. I like the color," she added with a wink.


"Well," James said, scratching a bit of stubble on his jaw, his casual posture
attempting to mask the pride he felt. "I figure we need a way to get the three of us around,
Ôcos carpets are banned and my broom won't hold all of us. And I promise I didn't blow our
budget- I bought it used and cheated a bit with some cleaning spells."


Lily beamed, impressed at his ingenuity. "Cleaning spells, eh?" she giggled. "I
guess it pays to be a wizard." She rested her hand on her swollen stomach a moment before
voicing her agreement. "You're right. I can't very well walk to the store anymore. And
it will be especially hard once I have the little one to tote around. Outside my belly, that
is." She smiled down at her stomach as if she could see the infant curled up inside.


James looked down at her, an expression of most tender affection on his face, and murmured,
"Only a few more months there, little spoon," using the nickname he'd given her in
reference to their favored sleeping position. He knew that she was happy about the pregnancy, but
he was also aware of how uncomfortable she sometimes got. He brushed a strand of hair away from her
face and smiled at her. "Okay," he began, the excitement at his new purchase trumping the
moment they'd just shared. "Can I take you for a drive after dinner?"


"Yeah..," she assented in distracted tones, while stroking her hands gently over her
belly. Unlike her husband, Lily was not so easily distracted from the thought of the new life
burgeoning inside of her. "He's been quite active today," she added.


"Well he wants to get out, I'm sure," James replied rather impatiently. He was
much more eager to get back out on the road than to discuss the day-to-day variations in her
pregnancy. Thinking of his tiny son's imprisonment in his equally tiny wife's belly brought
to mind his two-week stint on house arrest two years earlier, he added with complete sympathy.
"I sure would. Poor lil' bloke."


Glancing up at him, Lily laughed at the tormented expression on his face and said,
"He'll have to wait, though. But yes, a drive would be fun." She was about to turn
back into the house to finish making dinner when one particular feature of their new car caught her
attention. Her eyes darted between James and the cloth-covered roof of the emerald green coupe as
comprehension dawned. "Is it.. a convertible?" she asked.


A slow grin spread over James' lips and he leaned casually against the brick wall of the
cottage as he answered, "Mayyyybe."


This bit of information made the petite redhead much more excited about taking the car for a
spin. As she looked at her husband, an answering grin lit her face, and she agreed wholeheartedly
to his proposition. "Let's definitely take it for a spin then! But.." She paused as
her smile changed from excited to winsome, and her tone become more of a wheedle than an
exclamation as she asked, "After dinner, right?" Now that she had to eat for two, Lily
found that she grew hungrier more often, and she knew she wouldn't be able to enjoy a leisurely
drive on an empty stomach. James agreed to the compromise, and Lily relaxed, grinning once more.
"It'll be Harry's first field trip," she remarked.


"Harry's had several field trips. We rented a car to come here, remember?"


"Hush! You're ruining my fun here. Just pretend!"


Chuckling, he screwed his eyes shut, mimicking a little child playing make believe, then opened
them suddenly and exclaimed, "Ohmygolly HARRY'S FIRST FIELD TRIP! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE
IT!" His antics earned him a giggle from Lily, who grabbed his hand and tugged him back in the
direction of the door. "C'mon," she urged, "I'm making that chicken dish you
like so much."


This good news was enough to pull his attention off of his large and shiny new toy and onto the
meal awaiting him inside the house. "Yes!" he exulted, following her quite willingly back
up the path. But he was still feeling rather mischievous and the sight of his wife's
fantastically cute bum swaying to and fro just inches in front of him was too much temptation for
him to handle. Just as they stepped through the door, he reached out and goosed her, causing Lily
to jump and squeal. She had thought he was focused on dinner and his car; she had no idea he had
*that* on his mind as well. Peering over her shoulder, she asked archly, "I thought you
wanted to go for a *drive* after dinner.."


"I *do* want to go for a-" he began, cocking his head in confusion as he tried to
comprehend why she was suddenly looking at him *like that*. "Oh?" he asked, awaiting
an explanation. When none was forthcoming, he shook his head and stepped around her, into the
kitchen. "You've lost me with your feminine wiles."


"Never mind then," she replied, returning to the oven with a secretive smile on her
face. Picking up her wand again, she charmed the oven door open and checked on the chicken again.
Deciding that it still needed a few minutes, she shuffled over to the kitchen table and took a
seat. "So are you going to let me drive this new car too? Or are you going to be one of those
obnoxious men?" she asked James, who had taken a seat at the table across from her.


His lips twitched as he responded, "Obnoxious? Honestly, Lily, I thought we already had
that settled. I'm already cemented as the obnoxious one in the relationship." Before she
could agree too readily to his statement, he added, "And as soon as you can sit behind the
wheel, you can drive. As it is I don't think you'll fit." He regarded her belly fondly
and leaned over to pat it.


Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously at his last comment and she objected, "What? I can fit
behind the wheel of a *car*!"


Obvious to the danger he was in, James only laughed and asked, "Are you kidding?" His
laughing eyes met his wife's glittering green ones, which were now glaring the proverbial
daggers at him, and he realized in that instant that he had somehow misspoken.


"What? Are you trying to say I'm fat or something?" she demanded, growing more
outraged every second as his earlier comment echoed over and over in her mind.


She was angry. He could see that, but he didn't see why. What was this about her being fat?
He'd never said that! He was only making a teasing comment about her baby belly. "What?
You just have-.. Baby.. Harry..," he sputtered, trying in vain to convey to his irate wife
that he had meant no insult. "That makes you a little bigger than you used to be. That's
all."


Lily's eyes narrowed a bit more, and her tone was icy as she responded, "I can still
fit behind the wheel of a *car*, thank you very much."


"I still think you're wrong," James countered with a shrug, his mind still fixed
on the image of the rather small coupe he had purchased and the limited space between driver's
seat and steering wheel. Then, realizing that he had again misspoken, he quickly added, "But
it's not your fault or anything! You've got a belly, that's all."


By this point, Lily was too angry to speak. She could only sit there and glare at him, her eyes
narrowed to slits and her limbs shaking slightly with the force of her ire. With every word he
said, James was only digging himself a deeper grave.


He realized this a moment later and his chattering explanation died on his lips. Swallowing, he
attempted to maintain a lighthearted tone as he remarked, "You've got your shut-up-darling
face on."


This remark was ignored by his wife, whose mind was still fixated on his repeated assertions
that she was too fat to fit behind the wheel of a car. A *car*! Had he never seen her
brother-in-law, Vernon Dursley? That man was three times as big around as Lily was now, and he
still managed to drive his stupid, huge, showy car around Little Whinging! And yet there sat her
stupid, thoughtless husband, blithely declaring his certainty that she was too fat to drive a car.
The idiot! She wanted to rail at him and force him to admit he was wrong. Instead, she raised both
eyebrows and inquired in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh really? And how many other things are you
going to tell me I can't do because I'm too big?"


James, who had by this point cottoned on to how angry he had made her, recognized this comment
as a loaded question, to which he wisely gave no response. "Ope, there it goes," he said,
sighing and leaning back in his chair.


But Lily was too angry by this point to listen to anything he had to say. She was even too angry
to look at him, so she stood up and, with as much dignity as possible when your walk is more of a
waddle, she strode over to the cabinet to begin taking down plates, cups and silverware for dinner.
"You're right," she said viciously. "You *are* the obnoxious one in the
relationship."


"Listen," he pleaded, rising to his feet and crossing to stand behind her, "I
didn't mean that you're too *fat* or rubbish like that. You know very well I don't
think you're fat. You're pregnant." Lily ignored him and began muttering to herself
something about stupid, thoughtless men who just don't know when to shut up, but James pressed
on. "Li-*ly*. C'mon turn around. Let me explain."


His plea fell on deaf ears. She was furious that he had dared say something like that to her and
then insist that he was right. Whatever he had said next was sure to be something equally insulting
or stupid, and she did not want to hear it. It was as a defense mechanism, then, that she began
tossing snide remarks at him. "No, no. You've made yourself perfectly clear. Soon enough
you'll have to be enlarging doorways for me, as I likely won't fit in them
either."


By this point, James had had enough. He still couldn't understand how this whole thing
started, and, much as he loved his wife, he couldn't stand it when she was so touchy and fussy
like this. Based on previous rows, he knew she was only just getting started. Pregnant Lily was a
fussy Lily and, right now, he didn't want to deal with it. "Oh for the love of God, girl,
shut up," he cried, exasperated.


"Don't *tell* me to shut up!" Lily shrieked, slamming her stack of dishes
down on the table and whirling around to fix him with an irate glare.


"Stop being the martyr then," he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.


"I'm not being a martyr!" she countered, turning her back on him again and
stomping toward the stove with angry, jerky motions and a scowl on her face.


He took a deep breath, fighting to maintain calm, and answered, "Every time it's ohh
poor me, I'm too fat wah-wah... Listen. You know I think you're beautiful, and capable, and
wonderful. I didn't mean to slight you."


"You're right. I *am* huge. And I'm just going to get bigger," she
continued, ignoring him completely. "It's bad enough that I can't see my own feet
anymore and can hardly put on shoes. It makes sitting at a table awkward too, and now I can't
even drive a car!" The more she spoke, the harder she banged around the dishes and pots and
pans and the closer she found she was to tears.


James sighed. "You know what? I'm having a good day, and you're being silly, love.
So I'm giving you some space, and we can talk when you're done hanging around in your pity
puddle." And with that said, he stood up and retreated outside, determined to remain cheerful.
He had barely set foot onto the back porch when Lucy, the orange tabby kitten that had somehow come
with the cottage, appeared and began purring and rubbing herself against his legs. "Oh, hullo
Lucifer," he said, smirking at the nickname that Lily did not know he still used for the cat
of which he did not entirely approve. He nudged it with his foot, wanting very much to avoid the
allergy symptoms he often experienced whenever the little beast was around. "Bugger off,
you," he commanded, and Lucy looked up at him, mewing plaintively. He sighed, and bent to pat
the cat's head, defeated by the large and glowing eyes staring up at him.


Meanwhile, Lily was still fuming and banging around in the kitchen, trying her best not to
dissolve into tears of frustration over her stupid, thoughtless husband who was apparently unable
to understand why she found it so insulting that he insisted on claiming she was too big to drive a
car. And then he had told her she was in a pity puddle, for Pete's sake! She continued to throw
things around, hot angry tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Why had James insisted on being
so inconsiderate? It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.


James glanced at his watch and decided that a minute and a half was more than enough time to get
over a little fight. He headed back inside, blocking the cat from slipping past him with the heel
of his foot. He crossed to the kitchen, sticking his head inside.


"Are you done yet?" he asked of Lily. He took in her tense posture and angry movements
and found his answer there. "Guess not," he mumbled. In an attempt to make her laugh or
lighten the mood, he scarcely waited twenty seconds before popping his head in again.
"Now?" he asked.


Lily turned around and was met by James' inquisitive face. She glared at him, thoroughly
irritated at his resilient buoyancy. Did he not know how to read her, after all this time? She was
clearly cross. He responded by grinning at her. Lily frowned. "You're not *helping*,
James," she said, crossing her arms.


"With what?" he asked, perplexed.


"With my blasted pity puddle, you prat!" She scowled, turning back to the stove to
fidget with a dial. The sound she heard next was very unwelcome, indeed. James was laughing! At
her! She wheeled around, entirely frustrated with her thoughtless, inconsiderate husband. Here she
was, carrying his baby, and all he could do was poke fun at her belly and laugh when she was
cross!


"Aw, come on, Lils," James said fondly. "Can't you see the humour in
it?"


"It isn't funny!" she snapped.


"It is," he maintained. "If you'd stop insisting on proving me
right."


"Proving you right?" she sputtered. "I'm not-"


But James interrupted her. "Well, look. You're moping because I told you that you were
moping."


"I am not!" Lily cried, turning to charm the oven to cook twice as quickly. Her
stomach was growling, and the sooner she could have this meal over and done with and have James
leave her alone, the better. James sighed. Sometimes, he simply could not win. But he would make
one last effort to get Lily to see sense.


"Okay, so you're not. Then you're making a great ruckus for no reason? You're
super happy and all? Slamming pots around in a fit of giggles?"

"No! I'm just.. gah!"

James grinned, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "I win," he
said.


"Oh, *stop* it," Lily said, determinedly avoiding the heart-melting grin James
was casting her way.


James stepped toward her, reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately.


"My poor little overtaxed homebody," he said gently. Lily wheeled around, her
expression still furious.


"Oh, so I'm little now?" she said, jerking out of his reach. "Whatever
happened to being too fat to fit behind the wheel of a car? Which, for the record, has *never*
happened to anyone I know of."


"A-a-and this is when I leave again," James mumbled, sighing and retreating from the
room.


"Not even Molly Weasley!" Lily yelled after him as he exited the kitchen. "And
she had twins!"


James called back over his shoulder while on his way to the loo, "So I was wrong! But
there's no reason to get all ruffled about it!" He pushed the door open and shut it behind
him.


Back in the kitchen, Lily threw up her hands in frustration.


"I just-!" she began to retort, but suddenly paused as his words sunk in. She let out
a great sigh as she realized he was right. At least about the Ôruffled' thing. Cringing, she
turned back to the kitchen doorway. "James..?" she called out, mentally berating herself
for being so very irritable of late.


James looked as if he were headed to the gallows as he came back into the kitchen, which only
made her feel worse. "Hm?" he asked, wiping his hands on his jeans and scratching idly at
the back of his head. Lily bit her lip.


"M'sorry," she finally said. "I shouldn't have jumped on you like
that."


James had the grace to shrug. "S'fine," he responded. "I started it.
Accidentally, of course."


She tried to think of something to say to that, and couldn't. "I.. I just.." she
said, before turning back to stir the peas.


James sat down at the kitchen table, apparently exhausted with fighting for the moment.
"Er.. should I be doing something to help?" he offered.


Lily looked at him, at the figurative olive branch he was extending, and accepted it.
"Maybe you could set the table?" she asked. He grinned, sliding his wand out of the
pocket of his jeans.


"Done," he said, and plates, silverware and glasses came zooming from the
cabinets.


Still feeling awkward, Lily busied herself with stirring the peas. "What do you want to
drink?" she finally asked, breaking the silence between the two. James smiled up at her,
apparently quite doggedly cheerful.


"Water," he said. "But I'll get it."


Several minutes later, they sat at the table. James had eaten everything that wasn't a
vegetable, but Lily was still pushing around the peas on her plate. He looked over at her, taking
in her closed expression and furrowed brow. "What's the matter, Lils?" he asked,
taking a sip of water.


She swallowed. "Have you.." she began but stopped. "Well," she tried again,
but could not think of anything to say.


"C'mon," he cajoled. "I have intimate, carnal knowledge of you. I know
something's up. Just spill it."


Heaving a sigh, she finally voiced the thought that had been bothering her so much, "Have I
been *very* awful to you lately?"


So that was what was bothering her? He almost wanted to laugh, but James suspected that this
reaction would only get him back on her bad side again. Still, he couldn't resist teasing her a
bit, so he pretended to consider her question a moment before answering, "Not *very*
awful. Just the regular variety." Lily looked crestfallen and stared down at her peas, unsure
what to make of this statement, until he took pity on her and grinned. "I'm kidding!
You're *fine*."


Her head snapped up, and she looked almost desperate as she asked, "You're sure? I feel
like I'm always snapping at you, and I don't mean to. I just.. always get angry at the
littlest things, and I don't know why. I don't *want* to but.."


James reached for her hand where it rested on the table, his expression serious as he asked,
"Would I lie to you? If I say you're fine, I mean it. Okay?" Lily managed a small
smile and nodded. Giving her hand a squeeze, he said, "There now. No harm done?"


"I guess not," she replied. "So.. are we still going for a drive then?"


"Yeah," he responded, "even if you were still mad at me I was gonna hit you with
a Cheering Charm like you wouldn't believe and strap you into that car good and
proper."


Lily giggled; he appeared to be perfectly honest about this confession. "Really?"


"Though I might still...," he teased.


She squeezed his hand again. "You're wonderful, you know."


"I do my best," he responded, quite relieved that their little tiff was behind them.
"Love you."


One hour later, their dinner was finished, the dishes were done, the house was locked up and
James and Lily were a few kilometres out of town, racing down the country roads with the top of the
convertible down and exhilarated smiles on both their faces. James was not wearing a seat belt, and
Lily had either not noticed or was refraining from commenting. "So it's not a broom, but
it's pretty fantastic," he said, slowing down to a more respectable speed as they neared
the streets of Godric's Hollow.


"It is," Lily agreed, combing her fingers through her windswept hair. Driving with the
top down had made her usually soft red waves an unruly mess, but the feeling of the wind in her
face was more than worth it. "We ought to make a habit of this. Driving Ôround, I mean, since
the weather's getting nicer and all. And soon we'll be able to take Harry places!"


"That sounds wonderful," her husband responded, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.
"D'you still want to drive?"


"Ohhh yes!" she said, unbuckling her seat belt as James pulled over onto the side of
the road. He hopped out and hurried to the other side to help his roundly pregnant wife back onto
her feet, then took her seat on the passenger's side. Lily waddled around to the other side of
the car and wisely refrained from commenting on the fact that she actually did fit behind the
wheel.


"Shall we explore on the other side of town then?" she asked, putting the car in gear
and speeding off down the road. James nodded and reached for the radio button. Recognizing the
Aerosmith tune that was currently playing, he began singing along, only occasionally off key:
"You're my a-a-a-aaaaangel! Come and save me toniiiiight!"


A sappy little smile settled over Lily's lips as she turned to look at him. "Awwww.
They're playing our song!"


"Our song! Yes!" he responded absentmindedly, pumping his fist in the air as he
continued attempting to mimic Steven Tyler's vocal acrobatics. "We have a song?" he
asked a few moments later, having just realized what she said.


"Remember?" When he only looked blankly at her, Lily decided that he must have
forgotten that particular evening. "Sirius was blaring it at the bar one day, and we were
probably tipsy, and we were dancing around in circles in the back. You tried to serenade me with
it. And failed, I might add."


"Oh hush," James replied with one of his trademark, arrogant smirks. "You were
impressed. Don't lie."


"Oh yes," Lily responded in mock seriousness, "It was at that moment that I knew
I wanted to marry you and spend the rest of my life listening to *that*."


He looked at her for a few moments, a fond smile on his face. Their current banter was forgotten
as another, even happier memory arose in his mind. "On our way home from Marseille. That's
when I knew."


"Really?" she asked, her expression morphing into a smile just as sappy as the one on
his face.


James nodded. "You fell asleep on my shoulder while we were waiting for the Portkey. You
had a sunburn across your nose and you drooled on my shirt and I didn't even care."


Lily wrinkled her nose, rather surprised that this particular moment had caused such a momentous
decision on his part. "I did? Wow. You must love me bunches."


"More than you realize," he responded, then realized they were rather quickly
approaching a sharp curve. "Hey! Watch the road!"


"Whoops!" Lily giggled, turning her gaze back in front of the car and braking just in
time to drive safely around the curve. Both Potters looked at each other for a moment, then
laughed. James reached over to turn up the radio, and Lily stepped on the gas again, sending them
zooming off into the warm spring evening.




