Lily felt ill as she watched the conversation before her. Sirius sipped at his glass of firewhiskey, his hand running aggressively through the shaggy mop of hair that fell into his eyes. James finished his own drink, the heavy glass making a loud noise as it collided with the table,
âTheyâre being irresponsible. Thatâs what it comes down to.â James said heatedly, his eyebrows knitted into a firm frown as he looked at Sirius across the table, his arm draped over the redhead beside him. Sheâd visibly paled throughout the duration of their conversation, but it had gone unnoticed.Â
âHow did they possibly think it was a good idea?â Sirius said, rolling his eyes as he took another rather large mouthful, before saying in a voice that was supposed to mimic Frank Longbottom, ââSay, Alice? You know whatâs a great idea? Bringing a child into the middle of a war.â I thought aurors were meant to be bright.â
Lilyâs hand fell unintentionally to her stomach as she looked down at the table. They were at the Orderâs headquarters in Whitby, and James had just spent the last ten minutes discussing with Sirius what an âirresponsibleâ and âselfishâ decision they were making by having a child. She felt sick, and for once it didnât have anything to do with the morning sickness.
She hadnât told James yet. And here he was, inadvertently revealing his true feelings about the situation; sure, it wasnât their situation, but it was as good as. She stood up quickly as she felt her eyes welling, blinking away the hot tears she moved quickly from the living room, and outside into the fresh, winter air. She shivered lightly, but the cold didnât bother her nearly as much as the conversation inside did.
It wasnât long before her husband found her, sitting outside alone on the back porch.Â
âWhat are you doing out here?â he asked, shivering slightly as he pulled his jacket further around him. She was looking down at her boots, as she quietly asked,
âIs that how you really feel? That itâs a mistake, for them to have a baby?â
He frowned faintly, âIâm just worried about them.â He said carefully, âAbout that kid, too. What if something happens to them, Lily? And they just have to leave their child alone in the world? Without anyone to look after them, to teach them about everything parents are supposed to teach their kids about⊠what if they just werenât there for it? Donât you think thatâs a little selfish of them?â he asked quietly, his hand rubbing her back absentmindedly as they sat side by side.
There was a weighted silence, before Lily spoke quietly, âBut what if nothing happened to them, James? What if they could be a family. What if they had a boy, and he looked just like Frank? But maybe he had Aliceâs hair or her eyes? What if he was the cheekiest kid to ever live? But he was also so incredibly spoiled? Because we all know that Frank would spoil that kid rotten. Heâd be a bloody trouble maker, because itâs in his blood, and Alice would complain; but secretly sheâd love that he reminds her so much of Frank. What if he was a prefect or Head Boy? Or Quidditch captain? What if he fell in love and got married? If nothing happened to them, James - Theyâd get to see all of that happen, theyâd get to be there for him, and theyâd get to love him every day for the rest of their lives, because he would be theirs, always theirs.â
He watched in awe as she spoke, when his eyes caught the hand that lay on her stomach. When she was finished, he swallowed thickly, cupping her face with his hands as he said gently, âI suppose youâre right, Lily. But I get the feeling youâre not talking about Frank and Alice, are you?â
The look in her eyes spoke louder than her words ever could have, yet she still managed to whisper out, âNo.â
He let out an unsteady breath as he asked, in the same soft tone, âAre we talking about you and I?â
Her head moved so fractionally that he almost missed it, but he didnât. He saw the nod. And it was almost as though the gesture happened in slow motion. All at once his stomach churned, his heart fell into his stomach and his palms felt sweaty. His brain was trying to process what she was saying, what it meant;
âSo youâreâŠ?â
She nodded, the expression on her face looked as though she was expecting him to run away or be furious. Though, he was to do neither.
âSo, weâreâŠ?
She nodded once more, her cheeks beginning to burn the longer he didnât react. His face immediately broke into a grin, and he kissed her tenderly, his hands still cupping her face as he whispered to her, âBrilliant.â
That was before the phrase, âIâm going to be a father,â flittered into Jamesâ mind, before he fainted into the snow.Â
[Requested by lightacandledontcursethedark - send your requests here]
222 notes
·
View notes