by storyweaver24
He was lounging on the couch, idly flicking his wand at anything, when his wife breezed by him.
'I'm going to the shop,' she called over her shoulder as she pulled on a coat.
'Are you feeling better?'
'Yeah, I'll just be a moment. We need more milk.'
He squinted up at the ceiling, certain that he had seen two cartons in the kitchen, and shrugged. Maybe she needed to bake something. He didn't say anything when she came back half an hour later with no milk and only a bar of chocolate. Whipping past him again, she locked herself in the toilet and didn't come out.
Nor did he say anything that night when she pushed his hands away and turned on her side. 'Not tonight. I'm feeling ill.'
She woke him up in the morning with another round of vomiting, followed by a trek to the kitchen. He went down to see her happily munching on a bowl of porridge.
'You're up early,' he commented as he scooped out his own bowl.
'Couldn't sleep,' she said. He leaned in for a morning kiss but she moved her head away. 'I'm not in the mood.'
'For a peck?'
'Just… I don't feel like being touched.'
He sat back and looked her up and down. She gave him a blank look—the one he knew meant she was hiding something—and he sighed. 'Okay then.'
She danced around him all day, behaving weirdly and staring off into space. He didn't comment; he knew she would talk when she was ready. And talk she did.
'James,' she said that night as they were lying in bed, 'I'm pregnant.'
He pushed himself up on his elbow to look at her. 'What?' She turned her head and looked him in the eye.
'I'm pregnant.'
That couldn't be right. They were only twenty, not old enough to be responsible for someone. He was a soldier. She was a soldier. He said as much and she blinked.
'I know.'
'Besides, we've been careful—'
'Not enough.'
'Is that why you've been avoiding me all day?'
'I suppose.'
They lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
'We shouldn't bring a baby into the world when it's like this, Lily.' He didn't mean to say it out loud, but it slipped out.
'I know. I've already written Dorcas about potions.' She paused. 'To do otherwise would be irresponsible.'
'Yeah. It would. People are dying.'
'Voldemort is rising.'
'They need us to fight.'
'We can't have a baby.'
'No, we can't,' James said. She shifted, obviously thinking the discussion was over, but he saw a tear glisten on her cheek. 'Is that what you want?'
'Is that what you want?' she retorted. 'I thought we said it was irresponsible.'
'When have we ever been responsible?'
'I won't be able to fight.'
'Dumbledore'll understand.'
'I could still make Potions for the Order.'
'That's a good idea.'
'The Longbottoms are having a baby as well. It would be nice for them to have a friend.'
'Excellent.'
She looked at him, long and hard, for a moment. 'I want to have this baby.'
He smiled. 'Me too.' She nodded once and sniffled. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. As he stroked her hair, she cried against his shirt until they both fell asleep, exhausted.
And the next day, when it hit him, he burst into tears as well. He was going to be a father. He figured it was the happiest moment of his life.
James heard a crash resounding from the downstairs and found his wife kneeling beside an upside down mop bucket. Pursing his lips to hide a smile, he leaned down and helped Lily up and over to the couch.
'Are you all right?'
'Yeah, just felt like doing some cleaning.'
'I've heard of nesting, but this is a little ridiculous,' he said and was rewarded with a glare. 'There are perfectly good spells for cleaning and you insist on doing it the Muggle way?'
'I don't feel like I've done anything if I just wave my wand. Where's the hard work and satisfaction?'
James gave her a kiss on the forehead. 'You know, you are pregnant. You can relax for a while and not have to do work.'
'I'm bored!'
'How can you be bored? You're mixing potions for the Order day and night?'
Lily crossed her arms and pouted. 'But that's all I'm doing. Potions, potions, potions. I'm tired of staying in this house. I want to go on a mission.'
'Not five months pregnant.'
'Why?' she whined and he smirked.
'I think the t-shirts have to fit over your belly if you want to go on missions.'
'If that was the case, Cardaroc would have been out years ago,' she said, snorting. Her face fell after a moment. 'Am I really that fat?'
'Of course not. I was just teasing.'
Lily scowled. 'I feel ginormous. Like a whale. Or a balloon. A whale balloon.'
'That's an awful feeling.'
'Shut up, you tosser,' she said with an elbow to the ribs. 'You've been a lanky git your entire life. How would you know the feeling?'
'I have a good imagination,' he said, standing up. 'Shall we get to cleaning, then?'
'Actually… '
'What?'
'I just got comfortable. Can we take a nap first?'
James smiled down at Lily, her eyelashes fluttering and her hand resting on her belly, and sat back down. 'That's the best idea you've had in a while.'
She giggled and snuggled up into his chest, her breaths slowing down as she fell asleep. He wrapped his arms around her and figured this was the happiest moment of his life.
'I've got a surprise for you!' Lily sang, grabbing onto his hand. 'We've got to go now, or we'll be late.'
'Lily,' he protested, dodging the shoe she tossed at him, 'I've just got home! Can't I at least eat something first?'
'We'll pick up food on the way. I'm in the mood for chips!'
'Again?'
'I'm pregnant. Don't judge.' She wagged a finger at him and he pushed himself off the bed.
'I would never.'
They Apparated into a back alley and Lily wrapped her hand around his, towing him along. They stopped at a hospital and he rolled his eyes.
'A Muggle doctor, Lily? Really?'
'Hush,' she told him and turned her winning smile onto the receptionist. 'We're here to see Dr Smith.'
The lady waved them to the chairs and they sat. Lily hummed.
'What is going on?' he asked again but she didn't answer. 'And you call me the mischievous one. The baby's going to be all crazy and curious and you'll blame it on me, but I'll remember this and tell you it's all your genes and—'
'Lily Potter?' the nurse announced. Flashing James a smile, she made her way to the office, dragging him along. 'You're here for the ultrasound, correct?'
'Yeah.'
The doctor handed her a piece of clothing. 'Change over there, please.'
She disappeared around the curtain. James slouched against the wall and tried to ignore the awkward silence.
'Is this your first child?'
'What? Oh, yes. Our first.'
'How exciting.'
'Very.'
Lily came out and threw her clothes at him. He caught her hand and whispered another exasperated question that she waved off. Laying down, she lifted her shirt and the doctor rubbed some gel on it.
'What—'
'Look!' she interrupted, pointing to a television on wheels. A black and white picture that looked like a bunch of blobs appeared.
'And there he is! He looks healthy as can be,' the doctor announced, allowing a small smile. James straightened and leaned forward to grab Lily's hand.
'Is that…?'
'It's our baby, James! He's perfect.'
'I'll have the heartbeat in a minute.'
James stared at the picture. You could barely see the outline, but here it was. His child. His son. And there was the heartbeat—strong and loud. He wondered if Muggles didn't have a sort of magic on their own, to make this happen. He figured it was the happiest moment of his life.
The air in the spare bedroom was heavy with the smell of paint. The walls were painted a cheery yellow, with red and gold lions happily prancing around. Lily had protested them, but James was adamant.
'If he's going to be a Gryffindor,' said James, dabbing a dot of paint on Lily's nose, 'then he's got to get used to it.'
'What if he's not a Gryffindor?'
'That'll be fine too. But with his mummy's courage, how can he not?'
Lily laughed and swiped a stroke of yellow on his cheek. 'If I had known you were this good at sweet talking, I don't think I would have married you.'
'Please, that's what made you go out with me in the first place. That and my astonishing good looks. Which, I might add, our baby is bound to inherit.'
'My courage and your good looks,' Lily said as she pretended to ponder the thought. 'I'll suppose he'll turn out fine with that combination.'
They grinned at each other and went back to painting. James finished the last bit of detail on one lion and moved to the next.
'James,' Lily said quietly, 'are we crazy for bringing a baby into this world?' As she repeated his words from so long ago, it felt like a punch to his gut.
'Why?'
'People are dying and Voldemort's only getting stronger… what kind of place is that for a child?'
James set down his paintbrush and tugged Lily into his arms. 'It's a place that desperately needs hope.'
'What if he gets hurt?' She rubbed her belly, as she was oft to do when she was worrying.
'We'll protect him. He won't get hurt, I promise.'
'Okay.'
She wrapped her arms around him and let him hold her, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. He stroked her hair, feeling the tension ease out of both of them. Together, they could save the world.
'What was that?' he asked with a start, and she pulled back.
'A kick! The baby kicked!' Lily let out a laugh and James followed suit. 'And there again! Here, put your hand right there.'
He did, and felt the press of a tiny foot against his hand. And he laughed and she laughed and he figured this was the happiest moment of his life.
Her water broke during a Sunday dinner with the Marauders. Lily announced it to general panic. Sirius was screaming and then Peter was screaming and then James was screaming at the both of them to get her in the car we have to go NOW. Remus was driving because Sirius was hyperventilating because Prongs your wife is having a baby SHE'S HAVING A BABY I can do this I can OH GOD A BABY. Lily laughed in between her contractions.
'You're not even the father!' Lily had gasped, chuckling at Sirius. 'Why are you panicking?'
'Because a human being is about to come out of you. That's a little freaky!'
'Maybe but oh-!' She squeezed James' hand as another contraction hit her, her breaths coming out in little puffs. The four men in the car all looked at her nervously and held their own breath until she relaxed. 'How long, Peter?'
'Four minutes that time,' came the worried reply. 'They're getting shorter.'
'Remus, hurry!' ordered James and Remus complied, stepping on the pedal. Sirius nervously drummed out a beat onto the door and sent a worried glance over his shoulder.
'The baby's not here yet, Sirius.'
'Good.'
The three boys tried to bluster their way into the Emergency Room, but Lily ordered them out. 'You lot are useless in here. One of you is bad enough! Out.' James looked up from his pacing to give them a wave. They retreated, grumbling, and their protests could be heard all the way in the hospital room when Dorcas Meadows was let in and they weren't. But then again, Dorcas was also a skilled Healer and they were just good at shooting off spells.
And then Lily was shrieking in pain and James would have liked to put his hands over his ears but she had a death grip on his fingers. But really, there was so much agony in those cries that he could hardly bear it.
'I swear, we won't go through this again. We'll be extra careful and you won't ever have to give birth again. You're seriously laughing at me as you give birth? Will the ridicule ever stop?'
'Never.'
And then there was a baby in the room and Lily's hands went limp with exhaustion and they were laughing and crying because blimey. A baby.
'What are you going to call him?' she asked as she handed the boy to Lily. Lily stroked his face, examined his fingers and smiled.
'Harry,' she said, glancing over at James. 'Harry James Potter.'
'Naming him after the best, I see.'
'Maybe he'll inherit your Quidditch skills to go with the name, yeah?'
'That would be fantastic.' He appraised Harry briefly. 'That will have to wait until he's bigger than a Quaffle, perhaps.'
'Yeah.' They reveled in the silence, in the togetherness, in the first time as a family together. 'I reckon we should bring the other three in here.'
'They were unhappy Dorcas got to see him first.'
'Peter'll want to take pictures.'
'Let him,' James said, flicking her hair. 'You've never looked better.' She beamed at him for a moment, before adopting a pensive look.
'How upset will Sirius be when he finds out we didn't name Harry after him.'
'Very. But maybe the next one…'
'I thought you said—'
'Shut up, Potter.'
And as he held his son in his hands and looked around at the friends crowded into the delivery room—Sirius pretending like he hadn't panicked, Remus making faces at Harry, and Peter snapping a picture every five seconds—James figured this was the happiest moment of his life.