Regained Moments

Chapter 5

Harry looked at it as it was held out, before looking to James, not knowing what to do. He had only been given something once, and that was by a stranger in the shops, and he had been locked in his cupboard for about a week because he accepted it. James was the person who was looking after Harry currently, so James was the person who had to give permission.

"Hm?" James asked, looking at the situation, Sirius holding the toy out to Harry and Harry looking at James. "You can take it if you want, Harry."

"Thank you." Harry said, turning back to Sirius and holding out both hands to take the stag.

"Just because you've done this doesn't mean I'm leaving you in charge of Harry or letting you carry him again, okay?" James said with a smile that seemed maybe a little sinister as he leaned towards Harry and Sirius over his bed. "Here are your clothes, Harry."

"Thank you." Harry said, grabbing the clothes, but not putting them on yet, looking at the people who were still in the room.

"We'll be in the common room waiting for you two." Remus said, dragging Peter with him as Peter had just sat back on his bed, not thinking about Harry, and giving Sirius a quick kiss as he went past.

"Okay, we'll be down soon." James said, waving at the three, before turning back to Harry. "You wanna take the stag with you or leave it here?"

"Wanna keep it with me." Harry mumbled, holding the stag close to him and half hiding his face in it.

"Of course." James said, ruffling Harry's hair.

-----

"All ready to go?" Sirius asked, looking up as James came downstairs carrying Harry, who was now dressed but still hugging the stag close.

"Would we be down if we weren't?" James asked, rolling his eyes and walking past them to the Portrait hole.

"Potter." Lily called from the stairs tot he girls' dorm. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, can Harry be there or no?" James asked, if Lily wanted to talk to him about what he thought she was then she probably didn't want Harry there, even if he wasn't going to tell anyone.

"I would rather not." Lily said, not looking at James and choosing to instead inspect a loose thread in the sleeve of her cloak.

"Sure, Moony, can you watch Harry while we talk? It shouldn't take long." James said, turning to the gentle giant who, until this year, had been one of the shortest of the group.

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at James as he handed Harry to Remus, Harry not making it hard to do so, but it was pretty clear from the way he was looking that he didn't want to leave James. Peter also gave James a pointed look about spending time with Lily alone, but James ignored both, knowing it definitely wasn't anything like their looks were implying, but he had a duty to her privacy to not tell them the truth.

"I'll be back soon Harry." James said, giving Harry a kiss on his forehead.

"This way." Lily said, leading James to a small gap with a window on the way to the 6th year girls' room, James following her meekly. "There are some things I want to ask about what you said last time."

"Of course, I mean, I understand it was a lot to take in." James said, his smile seeming a little strained.

"Then how could you accept it immediately?" Lily asked, honestly it had been something gnawing at her.

"Well, other than the fact I found him and he looks like me, Mme Pomfrey told me I was the dad and then gave me a lecture about it before finishing the spell, so I did get a more reliable person telling me than you, I'm sorry about that. Besides, I've kinda always wanted kids and he's cute." James said a little awkwardly. He was well aware that he was not the kind of person Lily would naturally trust about them having a future kid together.

"You said he didn't know I was his mum either, how come? I don't see myself abandoning any kid." Lily said, honestly she had a sinking feeling in her chest about what had happened to the future her, but she couldn't deny that she and Harry had similar eyes and she liked the name Harry for a future child she may have, but so far she wasn't ready to be considered a mother.

"In the future he's from both of us are... Well.... Dead..." James said, not looking at Lily, feeling uncomfortable about telling her they would die in the future. "Apparently the people who look after him said we died in a car crash, but from what he said he remembered I think we were killed by at least one wizard."

"Is anyone looking for a way to send him back to the future he's from?" Lily asked, it seemed like James wasn't trying to stop Harry from bonding with him which could be quite harmful if Harry ever needed to go back.

"Never. I don't know how muggles raise or teach their kids, but I think even muggles would agree that how they've looked after him is mistreatment. I'm not sending my child back to a place like that." James said firmly. "Also I am not blaming your family as they are at the moment, but I would be careful with them around him in case it makes him relive trauma."

"You haven't told him yet, right?" Lily asked, her hands hidden by her long cloak sleeves.

"That you're his mum? No. I'm not planning to tell him, if you want him to know you can tell him, otherwise it's going to be a secret between us and Mme Pomfrey. I won't tell anyone else." James said with a smile. "Well... If there's nothing else you want to say I think I should get back to Harry."

"How old is he?" Lily asked.

"Honestly? I don't know, I know he's in school because it was school that told him his name is Harry, but more than that I don't really know." James said after a pause, he hadn't asked Harry yet, and he definitely didn't want to ask in front of other people.

"That's all I wanted to ask, I'm not going to parent or babysit him yet, but I might start spending time with him." Lily said, walking away.

"Whatever you're both comfortable with." James said with a smile, rushing after Lily, overtaking her about half way down in order to get back to Harry more quickly.

Unlike last time James had left Harry in the care of someone else, everything was fine when James came back. Remus was sitting down with Harry in his arms, and keeping a half joking eye on Sirius.

"Hey, I'm back." James said, coming round in from of Remus to take Harry back.

Unlike when Harry was being passed from James to Remus, this time Harry reached out to James as he was being passed over, the stag still held tightly in his hand, hugging it again when he was back in James' arms.

"Hey baby, did you miss me?" James asked with a small smile, pressing a kiss on Harry's forehead.

"Yeah..." Harry mumbled with his head on James' chest, his cheeks a little pink. A day was too little time for Harry to get used to affection; not that he didn't like it.

"Now it's time for breakfast." James said with a smile, feeling warm and fuzzy inside at the fact that Harry was willing to say he missed James. James wasn't sure anything could make him stop smiling today.