Apostrophe Ess

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-07-16T10:36:00

2006-07-16T09:39:22Z

Hey!

To new friends a big hello! *waves* To older friends I am so sorry I owe you replies to your lovely comments. *hugs*

I've been absent for a really long time. It's over a month since I posted an update in potterverse100 and I've not written a word for my summer challenge for far too long. Truthfully I think I'm going to be more or less absent for at least the next week, and perhaps a fortnight. But then, I hope, my head will become my own once more and there will be more fic!

Thank you for bearing with me. I will be back!!

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-13T21:46:00

2006-06-13T20:49:28Z

Title: Hands, knees and bumpsadaisy
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James/Lily, Harry, Sirius Black
Word Count: 694
Rating: PG-not much (For slightly smutty inferences)
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 20 - animagus. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: When there is a knock on the door Harry is delighted to see their visitor
Author's notes: For chocolate_limes who is not only snowed under with revision, but also made me do it.

Hands, knees and bumpsadaisy

“Was that the door?”

James looked up from the floor where he was sitting and playing a game with Harry. “What?”

“It sounded like the door. Would you check please? My hands are filthy.”

James chuckled. They’d worked so hard at fitting into the mainly Muggle suburb of London where their flat was that they’d started doing more things the Muggle way than was strictly necessary. “No problem.”

Lily moved out of sight of the door and used a wandless charm to clean her hands before walking from the kitchen, at the opposite end of the hallway, towards the front door. “Guess who’ll be pleased to see you,” she welcomed the large shaggy black dog who ambled in, wagging his tail quickly from side to side. “Harry,” she called, her arms out, as their small son wandered towards the hallway too. “Come and see.”

As always at the sight of his godfather, in whatever form he turned up in, Harry beamed as Padfoot lumbered over to him and nudged him gently.

“Time for a ride?” James suggested to his son and lifted him onto the dog’s back where a security charm kept him from falling off as Padfoot trotted around their small flat.

“Well,” Sirius said after he’d transformed back. “I get invited in but no mention of a bowl of water. Standards are slipping, mate!”

From her place in the kitchen Lily listened as the two men talked, and played with Harry at the same time. It was hard not to smile widely when Harry squealed with pleasure. She could imagine his little pudgy hands reaching out for his dad or his uncle, his green eyes – just like hers, poor boy – shining with delight.

“So what brought Padfoot to our door?”

“A bowl of water,” Sirius teased.

“Lil,” James shouted. “Have we still got that manky old dog’s bowl?” Turning back to Sirius he looked and raised an eyebrow expectantly, guessing that there was a story in there somewhere. “Come on mate. Mangy mutts don’t just turn up on respectable people’s doorsteps for no reason.”

“”And your point is?”

She heard them both laugh and Harry join in.

“There was this bird in the park,” Sirius started, “walking her dog.”

“Yeah?” James asked, sounding interested.

“So I transformed and went chasing after them.”

“Did she make a fuss of you? Pat you on the head, and smooth your hair from your eyes before stroking you down the side telling you how lovely you were?”

“Err, no.”

“No?”

Lily recognised the puzzled tone of James’s question.

“The dog wasn’t a dog.”

“Like you’re not a dog?”

“No, like I’m a dog and she was a bitch. A bitch in season. A bitch in season whose owner didn’t want this mangy old mutt – as you put it – having its wicked way with her.”

“James?” Lily asked quietly in the dark of the night.

“What?” he whispered back, turning over onto his side and casting a lumos .

“What Sirius said about being in the park.”

“You were listening, Lil?”

“Of course I was. Only, it made me think.”

“About dogs and bitches? It’s much the same as us Lil.”

“No. Not dogs and bitches. Stags and … stagesses.”

“The male is a stag, the female is a doe,” James reminded her. “But what about them?”

“Do you ever get attracted to a doe, when you’re a stag?”

“Not exactly. But it’s different.”

“Not much the same as us then?”

“It’s like Sirius said. When you’re an animal you get that smell in your nose and there’s little you can do about it.”

“So do you …” she used her hand to show what she meant and felt pleased when James did that smile he always did when she was touching him like that.

“Yes Lily,” James confirmed. “And let me tell you something.”

Lily giggled as he changed position to repay her attentions. “What?”

“Running with that bouncing off your knees all night is enough to leave bruises.”

“All night?” She pulled him closer.

“All night. I’ll show you if you want.”

“To your knees?”

James nodded.

“Really?”

“Do you want to see?”

Lily laughed.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-11T21:40:00

2006-06-11T20:43:15Z

Title: Poor Dorcas
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Harry, Sirius Black
Word Count: 946
Rating: PG (I think the mention of character death would come there)
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 23 - wands. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: It's a normal afternoon in the Potter household until James hears a familiar, and unwelcome, sound.
Author's notes: I apologise if the unvoiced question towards the end is frustrating. All will become clear in the next story chronologically (whenever that appears).

Poor Dorcas

“Who said daddy was too young?” James asked Harry, tickling his tummy playfully as he double checked the leak proof charm on his clean nappy. “Right down you go young man, but no disturbing mummy. She’s enjoying a bath. Okay?”

“Barf?” Harry’s voice had the tone of a question in it.

“Not you, silly. Mummy. Mummy’s in the bath.”

“Barf,” Harry repeated but James didn’t hear him this time. The hairs on the back of his neck were instnatly on edge, his mouth dry, his heart beating furiously. It was a good job they’d thought about this sort of thing, he’d have frozen otherwise. Within a second he’d picked Harry back up, moved the few steps from his tiny bedroom – not much more than a cupboard, Lily had said – and put him in the bathroom with Lily. Silently he mouthed to Lily to stay there until he said otherwise, and then shut the door, cast a locking and silencing charm on it and with his wand high moved towards the place the familiar unwelcome sound had come from.

Etiquette was that no-one Apparated into another’s home without express permission. James hadn’t given anyone permission today, and he was sure if Lily had she’d have told him. Yet someone had quite clearly Apparated into their front room. Slowly James moved forward, carefully placing his feet so as not to make a noise. The door to the front room was open a crack, in six steps, five steps, four steps, he hoped he’d be able to see something.

For a split second James failed to remember any challenging curses, hexes, jinxes or anything at all. He’d got top grades in Defence Against the Dark Arts only a few years before and here he was at the time when he was needing to protect his family unable to remember anything. Engorgio he said to himself and then cursed silently. What good was engorgio going to do? Expelliarmus, that was better. Impedimenta, better still. Avada Kadavra, if he absolutely had to.

At the door James looked through and saw a foot, the toe of which was tapping impatiently. Holding his wand he burst into the room, turned his wand towards the person and opened his mouth to cast a spell just as one hit him.

“Impedimenta,” he heard as he tried to fight it, to cast his own curse before it hit him. He knew he’d failed when the curse caused time to stand almost still. It was like he was like slow motion had taken over. He tried to move towards the spell caster, but his feet were heavy and would only carry him at the slowest speed. By his second footstep he could feel the curse lifting and knew he could breath properly again, amazed in his slowly moving world how his breath had held for so long.

“Sorry mate,” Sirius offered. “I thought I’d best get in first before you did something awful to me.”

“Padfoot!” James exclaimed. “Why are you breaking into my flat? Do you know you nearly gave me a heart attack and … and …”

“Calm down,” Sirius suggested, sitting down onto the nearest chair. “Sit down.”

“Let me go and tell Lil,” James suggested, worrying what she thought had just happened.

“No.” Sirius barked. “No James, sit down. Don’t tell Lily.”

“She’ll be thinking all sorts,” James continued, unaware of the grave tone to Sirius’s voice or the heavy look of his features. “And Harry’s with her.”

“I said no,” Sirius replied sternly. “Sit down. I’ve got to tell you something.”

Dumbledore had asked him to do this, to come to James and Lily and to pass on the news. Dumbledore had told him to ignore the unspoken rule about arriving unannounced and uninvited into another’s front room. He’d suggested that if neither of them were in there that Sirius waited quietly, didn’t make any attempt to look for them so as not to alarm them more than he had to. He’d said to be ready with a disarming jinx of some kind in order to protect himself and when Sirius had protested he’d told him how important it was that he did everything he’d asked, straight away and without argument. Rarely did Sirius feel the need to argue with Dumbledore, especially where the safety of his best friend, his godson and his best friend’s wife were concerned.

“What is it?” James asked, his eyes closing in puzzlement. Sirius looked disturbed, angry, upset, uncomfortable, awkward and many other things that he normally wouldn’t.

Sirius swallowed and James felt his throat join his mouth in dryness. “I don’t know how to tell you …” his voice faded.

“Moony?” James asked. “Has something happened to Remus?”

“No. No. Remus is fine. It’s not Moony. But,” Sirius took a breath and looked at his friend. “Dumbledore wanted me to tell you straight away. He’s killed one of us. Earlier today. James, I’m sorry – Lily is going to be so upset. Dorcas is dead.”

James looked uncomprehendingly at Sirius. “Dorcas is dead? Killed by –“ The penny dropped. “Oh.”

“Yeah mate,” Sirius replied.

“What was she doing?” Was she working on Order business? Was she tailing someone? Was she alone? Many questions ran through James’s mind.

“She was just out. Not working. She fought hard.”

“Do you think?” The rest of his question hung heavily between them.

James watched as Sirius nodded.

“Merlin, then –“

“Dumbledore wants to talk to you,” Sirius answered. “He thinks it’s time.”

“Okay,” James said weakly. “I’ll tell Lily, we’ll send him a note.”

“Sorry, Prongs.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Thanks for telling us.”

“Poor Dorcas,” they both whispered together.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-10T10:17:00

2006-06-10T09:20:25Z

Title: Hot temper
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James/Lily, Severus Snape
Word Count: 694
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 1 - pureblood. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: After an argument with James, Lily finds herself in Diagon Alley.
Author's notes: I don't write Snape, because I can't. His dialogue ... well, I'll let you read it and see.

Hot temper

“Evans.”

Lily stalled for the shortest moment at the familiar bitter sounding use of her name. As if a bad day couldn’t get any worse.

“Potter abandoned you has he Evans?”

She continued to walk purposefully. Purposefully where, she had no idea. She’d not actually come to Diagon Alley with the intention of going anywhere, she was here because it was the first place she’d thought of.

She and James didn’t often argue. They bickered a bit, but then that was par for the course, but not proper arguments. When they did they were usually solved pretty quickly, the heat from her temper and his stubbornness channelled into an afternoon closeted away, curtains pulled and a very large “do not disturb” sign at least mentally placed on the door.

Usually.

Occasionally her hot temper and James’s stubbornness refused to be channelled and anyway she didn't feel like it right now, what with the recently swollen baby bump she was getting used to carrying in front of her.

“Did you not hear me, Evans?”

Lily continued to ignore him, marching forwards but aware of the quiet of his whining, wheedling voice very close to her.

“My name is Potter,” she spat equally quietly, not turning her face from looking directly forwards, “not Evans. If you want to speak to me then use it.”

“Potter abandoned you now he’s had his way with you has he, Evans?”

Lily looked momentarily towards the sky.

“Left you when he realised your child was more mud-blood than –“

That was it. The anger she’d felt over the stupid argument with James that wasn’t about anything important, or even anything in particular, hadn’t gone away.

“My child, Snape, has a wizard father and a witch mother. I think that makes him a pure blood. Whereas you …” She’d stopped in her tracks, turned to face him eyes blazing her fury, “will always be a half blood. No matter what you try to do to change it. Friends can’t alter that, Snape.”

“Pure blood?” Snape fired at her, his own eyes blazing and his hand on his wand. “How can a mud-blood produce a pure blood?”

As Lily pulled her own wand, she felt a hand slip around her waist. “Are you going to take both of us on Snivellus? Or is a pregnant woman on her own in the darkest end of Diagon Alley as brave as you get?”

Snape looked at them – hatred pouring from his features. It wasn’t obvious that he’d stepped back, neither James or Lily noticed, but the gap between them was definitely larger now. Lily had felt like his long hooked nose was close enough to touch her, his breath from between those yellowed teeth invading her space and turning her stomach.

“Oh I’m much braver than that, Potter. Ask your so-called wife about my friends. She seems to be well up on the matter. Take it as a warning.” With a crack he had gone.

“What were you doing up by Knockturn, Lil?” James asked, pulling her to him and brushing her hair back from her face to look properly into her eyes.

Lily shrugged. She’d not realised that was where she was. “It wasn’t deliberate.”

“Come home?” James asked, brushing his lips on her forehead.

With her lip between her teeth Lily nodded. “You don’t suppose Snape –“

“No!” James stopped her. “Of course not. He’s just being his usual bullying self. Ignore him.”

She wished she was able. “I don’t know, he thought you’d left me because the baby –“

“Ssssh,” James comforted his wife. “I heard all of that.”

“You followed me?” Lily asked, her head tipping to one side.

“I love you Lil. Even when we are fighting that doesn’t change. And as much as you think you don’t need protecting, I want to do it.”

“Shall we go?” Lily asked, moved by his actions. She’d not thought twice about leaving their flat, putting some distance between them and she was equally to blame for the situation that made her do it.

“And …” James asked, lifting one eyebrow suggestively at the memory of how they usually settled their differences.

“That works so much better. Why not.”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-09T19:26:00

2006-06-09T18:30:13Z

Title: New father
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: MWPP
Word Count: 799
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 76 - Harry. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: Last night Lily had their baby, today James can tell his friends. Musch silliness ensues.
Author's notes: Another one I need to offer in apology to those people I've owed replies to for days. I am so sorry. June is a really hard month work wise, I'll be back to my usual diligent self in a couple of weeks. Also as I'm a lousy friend I missed a birthday or two, please can this say Happy Birthday in at least a temporary way for now?

New father

“A boy - Harry,” Remus repeated. “You wanted a girl, didn’t you?”

James shook his head, his big grin not going anywhere. He doubted it had even slipped when he was sleeping the few hours he had between Harry being born and him telling the lads. “No.”

“I thought it was Lily who wanted the boy,” Peter piped up, looking at James for confirmation.

“Neither of us minded,” James replied.

“But, she said –“

“Neither of them minded, Wormtail,” Sirius cut in. “So what was it like?”

“What was what like?” James replied.

“You know, Lil sprogging. Did she scream and yell and swear at you, calling you all the names under the sun as the baby ripped her into two and –“

“Sirius. Really.” Remus looked decidedly pale at the thought.

“No, it wasn’t like that. And Lil was amazing, so in control.”

Remus looked at James and wondered if the fact that today was the first of August and their baby had been born just before midnight the day before had sunk in. The baby, who James had said was to be called Harry, was born as the prophecy had foretold - as the seventh month died.

“But what was it like?

James picked up his pint and looked around the Leaky Cauldron before he continued, his voice dropped to a quiet tone. “Seriously, it was incredible. It was really hard work for Lily, and it was painful.”

“Go on,” Sirius prompted.

“Yes, go on,” Peter added.

Remus looked from one to the other. He was glad that Lily and the baby were okay, of course he was, and he could understand why James wanted to talk about it. Didn’t James always want to talk about anything that happened that was good? Like he’d gone on for hours when Lily had finally agreed to go on a date with him, told them over and over how magic she was when they first kissed, and then when he was building up to asking her to marry him they’d not heard about anything else for days. Talking about his son would be only natural.

“It took a few hours of Lil having contractions before they said she could push him out,” James began. “And then it took a few pushes before you could see anything.”

“Go on,” Peter encouraged.

“Then the mediwitch called me to come and see.”

“Yeah?” Sirius asked.

“I saw a little bit of Harry’s head just showing through ..” James hesitated to think of what word he was going to use. It wasn’t something he normally had to name and the proper medical word didn’t seem right, and the terms they might have used years before at school seemed childish. “ …her …”

“I think we get that, Prongs,” Remus suggested. Peter sniggered a little bit and Sirius seemed to be holding back a childish giggle of his own.

“And the bit got bigger and bigger till his whole head came out.”

“Just his head?” Peter asked.

“To start with.”

“For how long?” Sirius asked.

“I don’t know a minute or a bit less. Not long.”

“So Lil was laying there, on the bed, with a head sticking out of her …” Sirius couldn’t bring himself to use a term either; he gesticulated.

“For a minute, or less. And then the whole of him slipped out and he was born.”

“Is Lily okay?” Remus asked, not wanting to join in with the silliness that seemed to be building between the other two.

“She’s fine. And Harry’s fine. She’s got to stay in bed for the rest of today and if Harry keeps breastfeeding well –“ he stopped. “Sorry, did I just say something funny?”

“No James, I think the sun has got to certain of our friends,” Remus replied, looking at them and wondering just what they were up to.

“You don’t mind sharing then?” Sirius asked.

James rolled his eyes. “Will you lot grow up?”

“You’re getting boring mate, now you’re a responsible father,” Sirius replied and then joined in the enthusiastic grinning that James was doing. “When do we get to see him?”

“Tomorrow if you promise to behave,” James said, finishing his pint and standing. “You can come around for half an hour at three. Remus, if you like you can arrive at two and stay for tea. I’m cooking. But for now, I’m off to Mungo’s.”

Peter and Sirius had worried James would be depressed, what with the date and everything. They looked at Remus as the obviously very proud new father left them, out into Diagon Alley to Apparate to the hospital. The three of them nodded. It would come, James would realise, and then he’d really need them to be silly. They’d not wasted it today, it was practice.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-06T22:06:00

2006-06-06T21:11:46Z

Title: That old cooling charm again
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Ron/Hermione
Word Count: 348
Rating: PG-13ish at least, I think
Summary: Ron is pleased Hermione is accomplished at "cooling" charms!
Author's Notes: For books_freckles weekly challenge 56 - sunburn.

That cooling charm again

“Ow.”

“Don’t be a baby.”

“But,” a pause, “it,” another one, “hurts.”

“I said don’t be a baby,” Hermione chuckled, lightning her touch. She’d have thought by now that her red haired, fair but freckled skinned boyfriend would have learned that if he was going to spend any time in the sun he should use at least a factor thirteen protection charm.

“That’s better,” Ron sighed as she just touched his back and shoulders with her finger tips.

“Your back is done. Is there anywhere else?”

“We-ell,” Ron paused again.

“Ron?”

“The fronts of my shoulders are a bit sore too.”

“Let me see,” Hermione suggested, tucking her wand back into its pocket. “There?” she asked, running one finger downwards and watching him shudder as he gasped when her nail found the nub on his chest. Ron made a sound that was a mix of a garbled yes and a groan. “Or there?” She ran a finger from her other hand in the same way and continued to rub a nail over each one.

“Yes,” Ron moaned, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him as he laid back on the bed, one hand slipping up to hold her head to him while he kissed her long and hard.

The great thing, Hermione thought, about sitting out in the garden in little more than shorts and a bikini top was that they were dispensed with almost immediately when the need arose.

“Hermione,” Ron muttered as she stopped pulsing around him.

“Ron?” Hermione asked, her arms still under his shoulders while she regained her breath.

“You’re hurting me.”

“I am?” Hermione lifted her head and looked into Ron’s eyes. “How? Where?”

“My sunburn.”

“Oh,” she rolled her eyes and flopped down again.

“But the good thing is –“

“Yes?”

“You’ll have to do that charm again.”

“Which one?” Hermione asked teasingly, knowing quite well he meant the heat removing one as she slipped a hand between them and brushed her nail over his nipple once more.

“That one,” Ron grinned and crushed her back to him.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-06T21:00:00

2006-06-06T20:05:00Z

Title: In love and in lust
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Mainly James, but also Lily and Harry
Word Count: 748
Rating: G - yes really, despite the title!
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 9 - Love. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: As the tear that has formed in the corner of his eye slips over his cheek James considers what made this day possible.
Author's notes: I'm really trying to make these 100 stories link into one long one, but at the same time for each of them to stand alone totally unreliant on any other. The scene that is played out in this one isn't how I intended to treat it - I thought what plays out within might fill three or four stories. Maybe I'll write smaller snippets into individual ones later. Oh, and I haven't forgotten the serious implications of the time - that will come later, too.

In love and in lust

He hadn’t fainted. That was good. No, it wasn’t just good it was very good. Since the blood test they did on Lily at St Mungo’s right at the beginning he’d really worried he’d faint again and miss seeing their baby born.

Birth was … amazing. There was no other word for it. Incredible. They went into the room as two people, and now? Well now they were three people.

James stood and looked at his wife and his son. A son. He was really pleased they had a son. Just minutes ago they’d not had one, and he could have been a she and then, then he’d have not been a son.

He was so tiny. But he fitted perfectly in Lily’s arm.

James thought of the miracle that was their son emerging from the body of Lily. Nine months ago they’d made him, not knowing that was what they were doing, or even trying to. He’d just happened, meant to be. And then she’d carried him around in her, getting ever bigger and stronger each day until just now.

A tear formed in James’s eye and he blinked it away. The mediwitch had called him to look. He’d not wanted to at first, he really felt for Lily that she was having people looking at places that she only normally showed him, but she hadn’t seemed to mind. How would he have felt if he’d had his bits out there and people were staring at them?

He’d gone though to see what it was and there in a place that looked quite different to when he normally was focussed on it was a tiny sliver of shiny dark hair – their son’s head. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off then, he had to watch. The sliver became bigger and bigger until with a squeal Lily pushed the head out and there was part of a baby and it had a little face, and was covered in blood, but there was hair and it was really dark, and then all of a sudden she pushed again and he came slipping out onto the bed between her legs and Lily let out a sigh. A long, long sigh but not a sigh of pain or anything like that, a sign of deep satisfaction, a bit like she did when they did the sort of thing that put the baby there.

He’d held her so tight when they took him and cleaned him up, grumbling all the time that they couldn’t use magic, but had to do it the Muggle way. Lily had been firm about that. She wasn’t having any magical intervention to get the baby out, or to him when he was born. Having a baby, she said, was natural and she wanted it all done the natural way.

And now, the baby – their son – was dressed in a funny white robe thing and wearing a nappy and was in Lily’s arms and the mediwitch was showing her how to help him feed. The tear that was in James’s eye began to slip onto his cheek at the sound of the baby swallowing.

He had achieved something amazing, much harder than NEWT transfiguration, when he was a fifth year, but nowhere near as amazing as this. Lily had done the most amazing transfiguration of all times, she’d taken his seed – given to her in a mixture of love and lust – and presented him with a baby with no help from anyone, and now she was feeding the baby from her own body.

He’d wondered, when she’d said that she was going to feed their child the natural way as well, if he’d be jealous. If he’d look at their son, or daughter, and feel annoyed in some way that it was taking his place, but now he could see it, the small mouth latched onto her breast and her look of love and adoration as she stared down at the small head, he knew he’d never feel envy of his son with his wife.

“James,” Lily whispered, cautiously taking one hand from the bundle resting in her arms to hold out to him.

“Lil,” James answered as more tears slipped down his face.

“Come and sit with us?” She adjusted their position to make room for James beside her, and held her arm out to hold him too. “Harry James Potter and I, well we want you here too. We’re a family now.”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-05T20:03:00

2006-06-05T19:08:03Z

Title: Splendid synchronicity
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily/James, Harry, Sirius
Word Count: 763
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 92 - Diagon Alley. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: Harry is four weeks, three days, twelve hours and seventeen minutes old, and James and Sirius decide that Lily should go out to lunch.
Author's notes: For everyone I've owed comments to for the last few days - many apologies. The irony of the pause coming as I was congratulated on my diligence to answering comments has not passed me by!

Splendid synchronicity

Diagon Alley was, they’d decided, the only place they could visit safely – or as safely as it was possible to visit anywhere anymore.

“You go, Lil,” James insisted.

“But –“

“We’ll be fine. What could possibly go wrong? Three boys together.”

Lily stood in the small sitting room and looked about her. James and Sirius were sitting on the sofa, looking proud and pleased, even though she was quite sure the air they’d chose to promote was casual and confident.

“If you’re sure …”

“Lily, we’ll be fine,” Sirius assured her, his hand flying to pat the pram next to his side of the sofa where she normally sat.

“Well I’ve fed him, so he should be okay for a couple of hours and he’s got a clean nappy and he’s sleeping soundly,” Lily ticked off on her fingers. “But –“

“But,” James cut her off with a grin, “if he does wake up hungry then there’s milk under a cooling charm in the kitchen, and the instructions to warm it are next to it. The nappies are in the bedroom, and he likes to be rocked to get him to sleep.”

“Yes-“

“But only if he’s crying. If he’s not crying then he’ll go straight down with no trouble.”

Lily smiled. “Am I making a big fuss?”

“Yes!” Sirius suggested to her playfully. “And after all, if all else fails Uncle Padfoot can do tricks – he’s bound to like that. And don’t forget that Uncle Padfoot has a very good line in soothing babies by licking their faces and curling up next to them to help them sleep.”

It was hard not to laugh at Lily’s shocked face.

“Go,” James said. “He’s winding you up.”

“And you’ll send for me if-“

“Lily!” James stood from the sofa and moved to hug his wife. “He’s a small baby. What could possibly happen that two grown men – one his father, and the other … Okay, let’s forget the other,” he grinned and kissed her.

“Okay. Okay. I’m off. I’ll see you both later.” With a crack Lily was gone for the very first time since Harry had been born, alone in Diagon Alley.

“Well, Prongs,” Sirius was rocking the pram just a little bit harder than he had been when Lily was there.

“Are you wanting to wake him up?” James asked, amused.

“Well just long enough to hold him for a minute or two. Not so he’ll cry or anything.”

Harry James Potter, aged four weeks, three days, twelve hours and seventeen minutes opened an eye, closed it again, opened it once more, sighed, curled his legs up and with a grunt relaxed back into sleep.

“What was that?” Sirius asked.

“What mate?”

“The baby. Harry. What did he do?”

“I don’t know, what did he do?”

“He looked at me.”

“Yeah?”

“And made a noise.”

“Yeah?”

“And how can you bear that?”

“What?”

“He’s …” Sirius nodded towards Harry and made a face before holding his nose.

“He’s what Pads?”

“He’s done something, I think. In his nappy.”

“Ah! Why didn’t you say. You wanted to hold him. Pick him up and I’ll get the stuff so you can change him.” James watched with interest as his best friend, Harry’s designated godfather, held the tiny boy in his arms and attempted to remove his clothes. “You’re going to have to hurry mate. Babies get sore with all that next to their skin. Lil’ll have your guts for garters if that happens.”

What with the smell, worrying about the little floppy limbs that didn’t help him, and the crying that had started the moment Sirius started undressing Harry, he had the start of a headache by the time he’d actually changed the nappy. “How’s that?”

“Not bad considering it took you just over three quarters of an hour.”

“I’m knackered.”

“Here, have a butterbeer,” James suggested taking his son onto his shoulder and walking up and down with him while his sobs subsided.

“Everything okay?” Lily asked brightly when she Apparated back into the living room. Harry was asleep, in exactly the same position he’d been when she went out. James and Sirius were sitting in the same places on the sofa a few empty bottles around their feet, as the gentle sounds of sleep escaped their mouths in splendid synchronicity.

“Perfect,” she congratulated the room as she sat into the chair with a self-satisfied sigh. “Why did I worry? Maybe I will make visiting Dorcas for lunch a weekly thing.” Fondly, she smiled. How like James to answer her suggestion with a snore.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-02T18:36:00

2006-06-02T17:39:23Z

Title: Congratulations and silly names
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily and James
Word Count: 705
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 83 - fire. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: Now they're used to Lily being pregnant, James and Lily have to think about telling others.

Congratulations and silly names

“When do you think we should start telling people?” Lily asked James as the two of them sat in front of a roaring fire, a mug of hot chocolate each and a plate of toasted crumpets between them.

If he was honest it had been all that he could manage not to tell Sirius, Remus, or Peter when they first found out. But he agreed with Lily that they needed to take a bit of time to get used to the news themselves first. In different times maybe it would have been different; in the middle of a war having a baby might not be looked well upon. They were all working hard, fighting hard, to keep themselves safe and work towards finishing it, not adding more complications. “When do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Lily replied, taking a bite of her crumpet, glad that she could charm them so the butter didn’t drip down her chin or over her clothes. “It’s getting quite hard not to say anything sometimes. You know, to friends.”

James nodded. He understood that only too well. “When will it start to show?”

“I got a book – in Flourish and Blotts.” She pointed to it on the floor by her feet and then took another bite of crumpet. “Will you toast me another one please?”

James charmed the crumpet over the fire and then summoned the book. “You’re Pregnant, by Jess T’Ation. This is good is it?” he asked, not waiting for an answer but opening it up and flicking through the pages, pausing every now and then to read a sentence and then moving on. “About four months apparently,” he answered his own question. “When’s that?”

“Another month. But I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

“Then we’ll tell people,” James said with glee. “Whoops!” There was smoke coming off Lily’s latest crumpet, which he directed into the fire and started another one. “That is, we can if you want to.”

Lily nodded. She’d almost let it slip to Dorcas at lunch the previous week, and explaining why she wasn’t drinking anything stronger than butterbeer was getting tiresome. It would be good to tell them the truth. “What do you think they’ll all say?”

“There you go,” James passed her a newly toasted and buttered crumpet and watched while Lily cast he charm to save herself from grease stains. “I think they’ll be a bit shocked at first, then they’ll say congratulations or well done, or something smuttier, and then they’ll be pleased for us and start suggesting silly names.”

That seemed a fair appraisal. They’d been through those stages too. First of all the shock, though James had got over that and to the excitement stage almost straight away. It had taken Lily a little bit longer. They’d congratulated each other and then made not exactly smutty comments, but suggestive ones. She giggled at the memory. ’Can you pass me that, baby? Oh no, I forgot. It’s the other way around I gave you the baby.’ And ’Hey Lil, how do you fancy twins?’ James had given her one of those leers that melted her insides and travelled to places she’d not known existed a few years ago. Fortunately it couldn’t have resulted in twins; even as magical folk they weren’t that clever, but it had been fun pretending.

Then they’d got to the silly names. Potentia Persephone Potter, and Prius Perksome Potter being both two of the best and two of the worst at the same time. They’d laid awake in bed late at night and later the next morning snuggled together talking about all the possibilities and discovered there were lots of names they didn’t like, or that weren’t special enough for their baby, and not many they thought would suit her – or him.

Eventually Lily and James had become used to the idea of being parents, warmed to it and enjoyed the secret. It was getting time to let other people know though.

“How are we going to do it?” Lily asked, moving close to James.

“Same way as usual love, if you like,” James replied suggestively. “Then afterwards we can work out how we’re going to tell the others about the baby.”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-06-01T20:09:00

2006-06-01T19:09:44Z

Title: The Big One
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Ron Weasley and his fantasies, Bill Weasley
Word Count: 1,254
Rating: somewhere around an R (for wanking)
Summary: Having older brothers can be very useful at times. Why make your own mistakes when they've already made them for you?
Author's Notes: My 12 year old boy's brain has been at it again. Is it sad that I even sniggered at that comment?

The Big One

“You going out tonight little brother?” Bill asked with an amused look on his features.

“Yeah.”

“With Hermione?”

“Yeah,” Ron repeated, a grin crossing his face.

“Hang on a moment,” Bill suggested, taking his wand and summoning something. “There’s some good stuff in there. The sort of advice that should be passed down from brother to brother, if you know what I mean.”

With a wink he was gone, the magazine hovering in front of Ron. Wicked Witch magazine, he read appreciating the picture of the cover witch before he slipped into his room and shut the door behind him.

He had half an hour or so before he needed to go and get ready. What better to do than have a read?

The pages were not only well thumbed, but crammed with interesting looking articles. Bill hadn’t been wrong when he said there was good stuff in there. Ron flicked through before a particular headline caught his eye. Before the Big One: Don’t take our word for it, ten wizards give their advice.

Tonight wasn’t likely to be the 'Big One' with Hermione. But they’d been getting a bit more adventurous lately and Ron had high hopes of at least practicing some of what they had been doing already, even if they weren’t going to try anything else. Maybe there’d be something in one of these ten wizards’ advice that would be useful? A good tip wouldn’t go amiss would it? It would be nice to appear to know what he was doing, instead of fumbling a bit and being put right.

… and Top Tip number one, he read. Derwent Slipglugger, 23 from Surrey says take a tip from The Beater’s Bible, if you know what I mean. A bit of DIY before the ‘Big One’ and you’ll be all set. Don’t be too eager, take yourself in hand.

Ron sniggered and put the magazine down. He’d taken to a bit of DIY as Derwent put it on arriving home, he’d not considered it before he actually went out.

Climbing out of the bath and giving himself a bit of a rub Derwent’s words came back to him. He and Hermione weren’t going to get to the ‘Big One’ tonight, or for some time most likely, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a bit better prepared could it?

As he thought, his hand that was holding the towel was producing quite an effect on his cock. It wouldn’t hurt to try it. There was a bit of time, and it needn’t take long.

Ron shut his eyes as his hand closed over his erection and he started to stroke himself slowly. He had a few favourite scenes he enjoyed from time to time, perhaps it was time for one of them now.

He was somewhere dark and alone with Hermione. They were wrapped in each other’s arms and had got quite breathless with some snogging. His hand was moving towards her top and she was stopping him. ’Ron,’ her voice sounded a little bit nervous. I didn’t wear a bra. I hope you don’t mind. It’s just that skin on skin …

Ron let out a groan as his hand closed over her tit, as he thought of it in his dreams.

“Ron, is that you?”

He stopped his hand, opened his eyes and trained them on the door. The smallest hint of panic swept through him. That was Ginny outside and he was wanking to fantasies of him and Hermione, and he wasn’t actually sure he’d locked the door.

“Yeah.” He heard the door handle rattle and reached for the towel to wrap around his middle. “I won’t be long. I’m just … getting ready.”

“Don’t be. You’re not the only one who wants to use the bathroom, you know,” Ginny said, her voice fading as she turned and walked from the door.

He took a couple of deep breaths and dropped his eyes down. Just as he thought, he was still hard even after the panic of being caught by his sister. Where was he?

Eyes closed again he took a few moments as he got his rhythm back. Hermione was wearing a skirt, his hands were feeling her bum, as he thought of it in his dreams. He loved bums. He loved watching them wiggle as girls walked. He liked big bums that you could fill your hands with, he liked small bums that he could practically use one hand on both sides at the same time, but especially he liked Hermione’s bum these days. At one time, he’d have marked up Fleur’s as his number one bum, but since she and Bill were about to get married it didn’t feel right to think of her like that any more. These days his number one bum was Hermione’s. It certainly wasn’t big, but it wasn’t that small it would fit in one of his hands. Slowly Ron lifted her skirt, he could feel her breathe hot and damp against his neck as his hand slipped over her thigh and the swell of a cheek and cupped it in his hand.

“Uuuuh,” he moaned. “Oh yes.”

His hand was moving faster now. The familiar feeling was just starting to announce it’s arrival in his stomach. “Oh Hermione.”

“Ron?”

Oh go away, he thought, his hand slowing and his hips stopping their movement. “Mum?”

“What are you doing in there?”

Ron opened his eyes and looked down at his cock. Eager to the point of nearly bursting she’d probably not believe what he was doing if he told her. “I’m just getting ready to go out.” Even Ron could tell his voice was not natural, that it sounded awkward, uncomfortable and stilted.

“Is everything okay, Ron?”

“Yes mum. It’s fine.” He’d not moved his hand away this time, but he wasn’t stroking himself. Wanking while talking to his mum didn’t feel like the sort of thing that he ought to be doing. “Why?”

“Ginny’s wanting to get ready too. Can you hurry?”

“Yes,” he agreed. “I’ll do my best.”

He waited till he heard her footsteps disappear, the sound of the creaky step showing that she was well out of earshot before he started to move his hand again.

Ron, her voice was desperate now. Her hands were all over him, brushing against his cock, which was hard and keen - just like it was in his hand. You’re so hard, so big. I don’t know how it’ll all fit in. He was pressing his hips into her hand, just as he was working them hard against his hand. Hermione had noticed how big and how hard he was. She was clever, she knew everything. Can we try and see? You know, see if it will all fit?

That was it. He couldn’t hold off another minute now. Energetically he thrust into his hand, only opening his eyes to see himself come as he worked at himself until there was nothing left to work at.

“Have a good evening brother,” Bill suggested on the corridor from the bathroom to Ron’s bedroom.

“Yeah, I will.” Tonight was going to be a great one, he knew.

“And big boy,” Bill said with another of his trademark winks, the choice of words causing a little alarm in Ron. “Never fear, when the Big One does come along everything will just fit into place.”

“Yeah, thanks mate,” Ron answered. “And thanks for the magazine.”

He didn’t look around to see Bill silently laughing; he was too worried wondering how Bill knew what he so obviously knew.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-31T17:46:00

2006-05-31T16:49:42Z

Title: Old hag's tales
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily and James
Word Count: 757
Rating: PG-somethingish
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 82 - potions. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: There's a thin line between trying to beat the prophecy and doing something a bit silly. Lily has found it. (The last in the "Harry almost born" theme that seems to have been going on lately - for a while, anyway! Something new tomorrow.)

Old hag's tales

“What was that in aid of Lil?” James asked breathlessly, beads of sweat trickling from him. It wasn’t that he minded, far from it. Being greeted by the most gorgeous woman he’d ever known when he came in, a woman who obviously had one clear intention on her mind wasn’t something he had any intention of complaining about. It just wasn’t what he was used to the last few weeks and not something he’d expected with her in her current massively expanded condition.

Lily looked down at her husband, feeling triumphant, satisfied and quite exhausted. It was the seventeenth of July and the last day that she had been willing to try what they’d just done.

The swooping broom ride that James had taken her on two evenings ago hadn’t done it; nor had the spicy pumpkin pasties she’d made for tea last night. There was an old hag’s tail about a concoction of hellebore and riccinis kastorka that was supposed to do the trick, but the potion maker in Lily wouldn’t even let her consider it. It was true that hellebore could be used as a purgative, but it was also true that if handled improperly it could be poisonous. When mixed with riccinis kastorka, a relation to the castor oil plant that Muggles used for all sorts of healing things, it could be highly volatile and dangerous. Even if she could have mixed it herself, and she was the only potion maker she knew she would trust, she’d have not taken it. Her baby, their baby, was far too precious to risk. No, she’d rely on the natural old hag's tales, and if they didn’t work? Well, if they didn’t then nature would take its course.

When the time came, if it was as July moved into August as the prophecy had suggested, and theirs was the baby then what would be, would be. She and James and the rest of the Order would fight to finish the Dark Lord before their child was big enough to think of vanquishing him. There was plenty of time for that, after all.

“I’m going to have to lie down,” Lily explained to James, lifting herself to move beside him. “Move over.”

“Lily?” James asked. “I’m not complaining, please don’t think I am. I’d happily be met every night of the week in that way, but …” he paused.

“What?” Lily asked, looking into his face as he laid on his side looking over her.

“Was that one of your old hag’s tales?”

Lily wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “You’ve never asked me that in the past.”

“No!” James agreed. “But in the past you’ve not been working out the safest time to bring her into the world either.”

“Him.”

“Lil, be serious – for a moment?”

They both laughed at the irony of it. James telling Lily to be serious? That was worth remembering.

“It was the last thing on my list of safe things.”

“You call two on a broom swooping up and down at the speed and the angles we did, safe?”

“With you as the pilot, yes.” James had refused to let her fly herself and his broom was a good one, just about the best money could buy. It took them both easily even in Lily’s condition, with an added comfort charm on Lily’s part of the seat, once it got used to the additional load.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, how was that supposed to help?”

Lily grinned and wiggled her eyebrows again before she whispered exactly how into her husband’s ear.

“When will you know?”

“In a few hours. By morning? I don’t know. But that’s it now. If he doesn’t come after that, then I want to wait and see what happens.”

“Okay,” James agreed, pulling her close to him. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through. He loved feeling the baby moving inside her, watching his or her arms and legs moving to make Lily’s stomach into strange shapes. But walking around with a bludger slung between her legs couldn’t be much fun, and that was how she’d described it as feeling lately.

“Whatever, it’s not long now.” How many times had they said that lately?

Lily yawned and slipped down the bed, getting as comfortable as it was possible to be. “Don’t worry, I’ll wake you up if he wants his birthday today or tomorrow.”

“Night Lil,” James whispered a few moments later, feeling somehow that his words might be too late, she was sleeping already.

.

Chronological story order

2006-05-30T20:40:02Z

Because the prompt table doesn't follow a logical order chronologically, I decided to make a list of all my potterverse100 stories in exactly that order. And because one day there will (hopefully) be exactly one hundred of them, I've hidden the chronological list behind a cut!

Prompt 11: We’ll see
Prompt 83: Congratulations and silly names
Prompt 1: Hot temper
Prompt 28: Hot, fat and ugly
Prompt 62: What’s in a name?
Prompt 34: Percy filth
Prompt 85: Guessing games
Prompt 82: Old hag's tales
Prompt 9: In love and in lust
Prompt 76: New Father
Prompt 94: Splendid synchronicity
Prompt 51: Dragon hunt
Prompt 54: Am I stupid?
Prompt 89: Every cloud has a silver lining
Prompt 20: Hands, knees and bumpsadaisy
Prompt 23: Poor Dorcas
Prompt 65: By the light of the moon
Prompt 22: Red and gold
Prompt 68: We’ll be waiting

19/100

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-30T18:37:00

2006-05-30T17:40:29Z

Title: Guessing games
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Sirius, and Remus (most definitely separately)
Word Count: 927
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 85 - friendship (runs on from number 62 - nicknames). Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: After his and Lily's talk about the impending birth of their baby, James needs to get his worries off his chest. The trouble is that he's actually not very good at doing so.

Guessing games

“S’everything alright, Prongs?”

James felt a mix of guilt and relief at leaving Lily at home. She never begrudged him time out with his friends, ever. That probably was part of the cause of the guilt in a way.

“Get some drinks in,” he suggested to Sirius, deliberately not answering the question.

“Seriously mate,” Remus said in quiet tones when Sirius had gone to the bar and was obviously flirting like crazy with Madam Rosmerta. “Is everything alright.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Well. Yeah, it is fine. But I can’t help but be worried.”

“It’s understandable. You’re bound to worry.”

They both looked up at tinkling laughter at the bar. Madam Rosmerta might be years older than Sirius, but he had her eating out of his hand.

“I reckon I’m in there,” he suggested coming back to the table and slipping in between them. “Now, what did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Remus said.

Sirius looked from one of them to the other. “I’d say, if he hadn’t assured us to the contrary, that young Prongsie here has something on his mind. Something he wants to talk about, something he’s not quite sure how to broach. What would you say, young Prongsie?”

“Cheers?” asked James, lifting his pint pot and offering it to the others to chink against.

“It looks like it’s to be a guessing game then Moony. So, top of the list has got to be the blushing bride. How is Lily?”

“She’s fine,” James informed them, a little on edge at how quickly Sirius had honed in on the topic of his concern.

“And the baby?”

“Fine too,” James answered, nodding before he picked up his pint again.

“It can’t be long now, till he or she makes their way into the world,” Remus added, with an encouraging smile.

“No,” James agreed, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Between them in three questions they had got right to the heart of what was bothering him. But why was he feeling uncomfortable? Why didn’t he want them to guess? Wasn’t that why he’d suggested meeting them, and Peter, here in the Three Broomsticks, so he could talk about it without worrying Lily.

“I think,” Remus started looking at James apologetically and then towards Sirius, “that James is feeling a bit worried over something.”

“S’understandable,” Sirius suggested in serious tone before lightening the mood. “So what is it, unable to cope with the good lady wife’s demands? You know what I mean,” he said turning to Remus with a wink, “strange fads for food in the middle of the night. Early morning runs out to the Muggle all night store for garlic bread or shoe polish. That sort of thing.”

“No,” James chuckled, picking up his pint and taking a good mouthful before putting the glass down again and sitting back in his chair. “It is Lily though.”

“Go on mate. Spill. Get it off your chest,” Sirius said.

“It’s just when it comes out.”

“The birth thing. Not for the squeamish,” Sirius suggested.

“Well, that’s it. What if I can’t cope and I, well, I don’t know. You hear all sorts of tales, of blokes fainting for instance.”

“Like you did when she found out.”

“Or if there’s problems and something happens to Lily or to the baby. What if something happens to both of them?”

“James,” Remus said soothingly, tentatively moving his hand to rest on their friend’s arm for a comforting second. “She’ll be in good hands. Lily is young and fit. They’ve not suggested anything is likely to happen to either of them, have they?”

“Look mate,” Sirius added, before James had chance to answer. “Your worries are normal. You should have heard Andromeda before she had her baby. And Ted! Honestly, the way he went on. Everyone worries like that. You think of all the things that could go wrong, and then dwell on them. Think of afterwards, when Lily is holding a tiny little person. A person that you made with her. Or on second thoughts,” he looked at Remus with a grin and then back at James. “Only think of that little person if it looks like Lily, you’re depressed enough as it is.”

“So you think I’m worrying over nothing?” James asked them.

“I didn’t say that. I think your worries are natural, the sort of worries that every man goes through when he’s about to become a father.” There were other worries that Sirius would have understood more. Worries about the Prophecy and its link to the baby, worries about the times they were living in. He himself was extremely worried about the safety of the Potters, even if they didn’t seem to be themselves.

“Is Lily worried?” Remus asked. They’d not planned for her to get pregnant when she did. It wasn’t like she’d had chance to consider all of this beforehand.

“If she is then she doesn’t show it. She’s looking forward to it, to seeing what our,” he stopped himself from saying daughter, “baby looks like. I think she’ll be glad to evict it, get her body back to herself.”

“And to you mate,” Sirius laughed. “Look on the bright side, hey Prongs? Sooner it’s over and done with, sooner you can get back to normal again.” Sirius winked in over-dramatic fashion to James and then turned to look Madam Rosmerta up and down again.

James grinned and picked up his beer. It was definitely time for a change of subject. “So,” he said brightly, standing and slipping his hand into his pocket for some coins. “Who wants another drink?”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-29T14:17:00

2006-05-29T13:20:20Z

Title: What's in a name?
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily/James and soon to be born Harry
Word Count: 696
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 62 - nicknames. Prompt table here
Summary: The birth of the baby is drawing nearer. Alongside the excitement there are doubts forming in James's mind.

What's in a name?

“Have you wondered,” James asked Lily, “what her nickname might be?”

Lily smiled and struggled onto her side to face James. “Prongs the second?”

“Don’t be silly,” James retorted, the excited tone in his voice he had when he thought about the fact that soon – very soon – they would actually have another person here in their flat with them and be a family. “Girls don’t have prongs. That’s a boy thing.”

“I know!” Lily agreed, nodding tiny little nods in a very positive manner.

“What do you think of Rebecca?”

“Sounds a bit girly to me. What about Richard?”

“Lily Potter,” James exclaimed softly, lifting the covers to look at what was now a very large bump on the front of his wife. “That is no boy.”

At the feel of James’s hand resting on her stomach the baby kicked. “That’s where Muggles would disagree,” she replied. “If you were a Muggle father and had just got kicked like that you’d be congratulating yourself on having fathered the next England team striker.”

“Would I?” James asked.

“You would.”

“Muggle fathers want boys?”

“They want footballers. So yes, basically they want boys.” Lily’s voice was light hearted; she guessed that as many fathers wanted girls as wanted boys really. It was fun to tease James though, and he was so determined that their baby would be a girl.

“See that’s where we’re so much further forward with our thinking.”

“We are?”

“Yes! Quidditch players can be male or female. Think of the number of famous female Quidditch players there are. Muggles don’t have famous female football players.” His statement was as much a question as anything.

“No. They don’t, and to be honest I can’t think of any famous male or female Quidditch players, so I’ll take your word for it. If that’s okay?”

“We did ought to think of names though soon.”

“Yes. I suppose we did.” Lily laid her hand on top of James’s as it rested where the baby was still kicking him. “Boys and girls names.”

“What do you think of Sarah?” James asked.

“Sarah … hmmm, it’s not bad. Sarah Potter. It works.”

“Sarah Lily Potter, after her mum.”

“And for a boy?”

“You pick for a boy Lil,” James suggested, moving to press a kiss to her lips.

“Harry?”

“Harry? Yeah, I like that. Harry Potter.”

“Harry James Potter,” Lily repeated. “After his dad.”

“So,” James wriggled down the bed a little until his head was level with where their baby was. “Are you Sarah, or Harry?”

“Harry,” Lily laughed as the child kicked her in agreement.

“We’ll know soon.”

“We will. Not long now.”

“Lil –“

“Hmmm?” Lily asked, sensing a question in James’s use of her name.

He moved his head around to look up towards her, his head still resting lightly on their baby. “Does it worry you?”

“What?” There was a lot to worry her, to worry them. Ever since they’d heard about the prophecy it had been hard not to worry.

“You know. When the baby comes out.”

“The birth?”

James nodded and moved back up the bed, his head next to hers on her pillow. “I mean, it’s going to hurt a bit. Isn’t it?”

Lily smiled. “Yes, it’ll hurt a bit. But it’s hard to imagine what it’s going to be like. It’s not all wine and roses now though. When he sits on my bladder, or elbows me in my kidneys, or pushes his feet up into my lungs. All that hurts.”

“But,” James winced. “He seems quite big and he’s got to get out through somewhere a good bit smaller.”

“You said he.”

“I meant she.”

“Plenty of other women have had babies. And gone on to have more.”

“I suppose.”

“You’ll be there. The whole time.”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll be fine. Whatever.”

James slipped back under the covers and pulled Lily to him. Of course he’d be there the whole time and usually he’d agree that they could get through anything together. Something inside of him wasn’t sure it was going to be quite that easy this time. Something that wasn’t going to be convinced until he actually found out.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-28T17:28:00

2006-05-28T16:32:03Z

Title: Am I stupid?
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily/James and Harry
Word Count: 825
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 54 - food. Prompt table here
Summary: There are bound to be down days when there is a price on your head - aren't there?

Am I stupid?

It was hard not to laugh. In normal times James would have done. For Sneezing Salazar’s sake, in abnormal times he would have done. But something about the way Lily fought to stop her face crumbling stopped him.

“Lil?” James asked.

“Oh James,” she replied, her voice full of emotion, before she turned away.

He could picture her. Her lip would be between her teeth as she bit on it to stop herself from crying. James wondered what to do. He could go to her and stand behind, put one hand on a shoulder. He could carry on as if nothing was happening, and in a way he thought she’d probably prefer that. He could take over what she was doing and give her some time to compose herself. He could take her in his arms and hold her till it all got better, but then when would it all get better? How long would that take?

“Lily,” James whispered taking the first option, his right hand now resting on her left shoulder. “You need to try and relax.”

“I can’t,” she replied.

“Yes, you can. You must.”

“Will you?” she rested her head against his and settled back into his chest as his arm slid around her, no need to finish the question off. He’d know.

“Yes. I’ll clean him up. Go and sit down, we’ll be over in a minute.”

James watched as Lily walked to the settee and slumped into it. She’d not slept properly for days. Usually she was the stronger one of the two of them, keeping him going when he worried. She always seemed so convinced that everything would be okay, and it would – wouldn’t it?

“Come on, young man,” James said, a few quick spells having cleared the food from the front, the hair, the back, and the legs of their young son before he lifted him from his newly cleaned high chair.

“Lil,” James said again, sitting beside her.

“Where is he?”

“He’s fine. He’s tired, he was nearly nodding off. Here, I brought you this.”

Lily took James’s offering and blew her nose. “Do you think I’m really stupid?”

“No, of course not. Don’t be silly. I’ve never thought you were stupid. I’m not sure I understand though.”

“I just wanted him to be able to feed himself.”

“He will. When he’s ready. Just like he sat up when he was ready, and went onto solid food when he was ready, and –“

“I know all that,” Lily cut James off, taking his hand and moving it around her so she could lean into him. “But what if –“

James could feel his throat burning, and his eyes becoming uncomfortable. Even blinking rapidly wasn’t doing much to help. “Ssssh. Let’s not think of what ifs. We agreed.”

“James. What if we die and Harry can’t feed himself, or walk, or –“

“Lily,” James stopped her abruptly. “We’re not going to die. We’re going to protect him, and do everything that it’s possible to do to keep him safe. We’re not going to die.”

“But what if we did?”

James bit his own lip for a moment. “We’re not going to Lily. I want you to stop thinking like that. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for Harry.”

“But if we did?”

She was persistent and wasn’t going to be fobbed off. James swivelled around and lifted her chin so they looked, through two pairs of tear-filled eyes, at each other. “If we did then he has a Godfather, Lily. But we won’t.”

Lily didn’t even move to brush away the tear that spilled from the corner of her eye and made its way down her face. “I just want him to be okay.”

“He will be okay, he’ll be with us. But even if,” James added, to push away Lily’s protests, “he isn’t then Sirius isn’t stupid.”

“He doesn’t know how Harry likes to be cuddled before sleep.”

“He’d learn.”

“And he doesn’t know the exactly temperature he likes his milk.”

James didn’t answer. He was no coward, but he didn’t want to be thinking like this. Once he started, he was afraid he’d not be able to stop.

“And he doesn’t know all the songs Harry likes to be sung to him, or his favourite books …” Lily’s voice caught again.

“Come here,” James muttered, burying his head into her hair and letting his own tears fall now she couldn’t see. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Lily to see him crying, she’d seen his tears of happiness enough times. No, it wasn’t that at all. He didn’t want her to think he was falling apart when she needed him, just like she never fell apart when he needed her. “Come to bed,” he asked a while later when he could speak again.

Lily nodded. It might not make the world right again, but being in James’s arms always made it feel that way.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-26T18:14:00

2006-05-26T17:17:08Z

Title: Red and gold
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily/James and Harry (aged 15 months)
Word Count: 607
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 22 - house pride. Prompt table here
Summary: Shut away at Godric's Hollow the Potters take every chance for a bit of fun, or a reason to celebrate.
Author's Notes: Apologies about the absence of potterverse100 fics; it's been a busy few weeks. But here we are ...

Red and gold

“Does this remind you,” Lily asked, her teeth clenched around a piece of ribbon as she worked, “of decorating the Great Hall at Christmas,” she paused.

“What?” James asked.

“And,” she hesitated, adjusted what she’d been working on, removed the ribbon and turned towards him, “as fast as we worked Peeves moved everything, or undid it?”

“Err, not really,” James mumbled, retrieving Harry from where he’d walked towards the basket of decorations. “And, isn’t this the wrong colour?”

Lily took her turn in the useless response. “What?”

“This,” he held up what he’d been talking about. “No, Harry. You’ll hurt –“

“Too late!”

It was strange how since he’d been on his feet and toddling around everywhere he’d wanted his dad when he fell over or hurt himself. He still wanted his mum when he was tired, of course. It was like he knew he was grown up now, and the all boys together thing really counted to him.

“That’ll teach you,” James was saying in a soothing tone, as Lily took the opportunity of a few minutes to get on with the task in hand. A wand swish here, and a wordless charm there, and they were making progress. “What were you saying about Peeves, Lil? Harry wants to know.”

Lily laughed. “Are you saying dear heart, love of my life, my one and only, husband and father of my rather beautiful child that you’ve forgotten?”

“Your mother …cruel, heartless,” he muttered to Harry in a teasing voice. “But right nevertheless.”

“How could you!” Lily moved to the window and stood on a chair to stretch towards the top of it before summoning a few more bits and pieces. “That was the first time –“

“We kissed in public.”

“Your daddy’s a tease, Harry,” she replied with a smile, climbing down and standing back to admire her work. “I think we’re all done, don’t you?”

“Not quite. Like I said before –“

“What?”

“Isn’t this all the wrong colour?”

Lily looked around. They’d used traditional colours. “It looks okay to me.”

“Since when has okay been … okay?”

“What colour were you thinking?”

“Ow!” James protested towards Harry who was pulling his dad’s glasses down his nose and scratching his nails as he did so.

“Give him here,” Lily said, flopping down onto the settee beside them. “Are you beating daddy up?”

Harry grinned and started a chorus of “Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad.”

“Honestly, Lil,” James said, slipping his arm around her shoulder and holding her close. “It looks lovely. It’ll be a good evening. We can have a few games with Harry and then –“

“What were you saying about colour?” Lily asked, remembering their earlier discussion as she relaxed into James. It was a sign of the times. They were understandably concerned, distracted, unable to concentrate with everything going on, and yet on the other hand the days stretched endlessly in front of them along with the fear of never ending boredom.

“I thought red and gold.”

“Red and gold?”

“Yes.”

“Not orange?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Well,” James began, “it’s the whole Gryffindor thing. Orange is the traditional colour, but we’re all having to be brave.”

“Peter too,” Lily agreed.

“I just thought it was a way of showing him how we appreciate he’s not having an easy time either.”

Lily lifted her wand and watched as the ribbons turned to red and gold and the pumpkins became red with gold stalks, and rims to the eyes. “Bobbing red apples isn’t that odd, I suppose.”

James grinned. They’d have a brilliant Halloween, he just knew it; a time to remember for all four of them. Good old Pete.

The end

2006-05-22T18:42:56Z

Title: Love, Luck, Lust and Loss
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Minerva McGonagall (aged 31), Madam Rosmerta
Word Count: 2,436
Rating: PG something (character death)
Summary: It is December 1956 and Minerva sets out towards Hogwarts.
Author's Notes: A second story for millieweasley's history challenge **here**.

Exactly six months and over 67,000 words from the beginning, here is the final part of my story which tells one possible way that Minerva might have filled her years between leaving Hogwarts as a pupil and returning as a Professor. I can't quite believe that it's actually finished, but somehow it is.

Part: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one.

Part Twenty Two: The Epilogue, Part II

18th December, 1956

“Can I refill your glass?”

Minerva looked up into the face of the person who had just spoken to her. “Aye, it’s –“

“Gillywater, and I’m Rosmerta the new barmaid,” Rosmerta answered, a smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

The pub was quite full now, Minerva noticed as she looked around. There were people everywhere, standing in groups talking, sitting at the tables in companionable silence, pushing their way through the crowds to make their way to the bar.

It would be the cold weather bringing them in. Apart from the Three Broomsticks being a particularly welcoming hostelry with a comfortable atmosphere, there was a raging fire in the corner.

“You looked lost in thought,” Rosmerta offered when she brought the glass. “On your way up to the school are you?”

“I am,” Minerva answered, ignoring the first statement. She had no wish to reveal the thoughts she was lost in at that particular time. Her memories, especially the intimate ones, of Kiely weren’t something she discussed with anyone.

“New Professor?”

“Transfiguration.”

“Dumbledore will be glad. I’ve never known anyone as busy with all the things he does. I don’t know how he fits it all in.”

Minerva smiled, and passed over some coins. “I’m looking forward to it. Transfiguration is something every young person should become skilled in. Yourself?”

“Oh, I’m pretty good at transfiguring glasses into coins,” Rosmerta said with a laugh as she chinked the ones in her hand, turned and returned to the bar.

It was during February 1947 that Minerva took to drinking Gillywater instead of Butterbeer. Jocelyn, of course, had introduced her to it. Newly pregnant and incredibly excited about it, Jocelyn produced a bottle one evening when the two of them met to catch up with the latest news and make plans to actually prepare Minerva for her forthcoming nuptuals. Gillywater had properties, Jocelyn explained, that were beneficial to an unborn baby. It had been hard not to laugh. Newly pregnant, meant in this case (about two months pregnant) that there was little that even Gillywater could do to develop the baby’s lungs at that stage. It did taste rather nice though, and so had become a favourite.

Jocelyn finding herself pregnant and Minerva needing urgently a wedding dress had provided a fun day out for the two girls. As usual at first day light Minerva had untangled herself from Kiely, transformed into her feline form, left his flat from the little window and made her way back to her own.

Within a couple of hours, instead of starting her working day at the Ministry, she was at Jocelyn’s house in a neat Muggle neighbourhood, ready to go shopping to choose her dress.

“What colour?” Jocelyn asked.

“It’ll have to be white, of course,” Minerva had answered. Her parents would be horrified if she didn’t wear white.

With a single raised eyebrow Jocelyn caused uncharacteristic giggles from her friend. “White? Hmmmm … how inappropriate!”

“Really,” Minerva had retorted in mock shock. “Are you suggesting I am not pure, Jocelyn?”

“Actually, yes,” Jocelyn answered, and linked her arm into her friend’s and marched them along Diagon Alley to Madam Malkin’s robe shop. “We’re wanting a wedding dress, suitable for my friend here.”

Minerva’s blushes were assumed, by Madam Malkin herself, to be caused not by Jocelyn’s teasing tone of voice towards the colour of her dress, but the forthcoming post-marital ritual of consummation. “Have you known him long, dear?” she asked.

“Yes,” Minerva answered with a smile, casting a warning glance towards Jocelyn. “We met while working together.”

“Will you go on working after the wedding?” Madam Malkin asked, holding up dress after dress to shaken heads by either Minerva or Jocelyn.

“I, well … I like that one.” With a smile, Minerva took the dress and disappeared behind a curtain to try it.

“Will you?” Jocelyn asked, a little later as they walked in the bright cold February light along Diagon Alley.

“Will I what?”

“Carry on working?”

Minerva shrugged. “I suppose so, though maybe it’s time for a change of direction. I don’t want to be sent somewhere abroad again.”

“What about a house?” Jocelyn asked. “If you lived near us it would be wonderful.”

Minerva shrugged. They’d not thought beyond the day itself. Where they would live, or what she would do – though she was glad that Wizards didn’t adopt the Muggle custom of women giving up work to keep house. “There’s so much to consider. We’ll be okay where we are for now.”

“Where we are?” Jocelyn asked, her face alight with merriment again. “You mean you in your flat and Kiely next door in his.”

Minerva laughed, but divulged nothing. She’d not miss the trips around the garden fence in the pouring rain, or on icy frosty mornings. Waking up in Kiely’s bed, their bed, and not having to return to her own flat would be nice, and really about the only change in their normal day to day lives.

“Hmmm,” Jocelyn teased. “Just as I thought.”

“You can talk,” Minerva suggested, knocking her friend’s elbow with her own.

The rest of the day passed by with a constant handover of silver and gold and an equally constant receipt of parchment bags in exchange containing shoes, underwear, stockings, and other bridal accessories as well as some clothes for Jocelyn to expand into when the time came.

“We’ll see you later,” Jocelyn hugged Minerva as they made to part. “In the foyer at Rabnatt’s as usual.”

When Minerva and Kiely failed to arrive on time Blenheim ordered drinks from the bar and enjoyed sitting with his wife on the big squashy settee in the foyer where the four of them liked to meet up.

“And she’s wearing white,” Jocelyn said in mock disgust.

Blenheim laughed at his wife. She’d been only barely able to wear white herself. For all their determination to wait till their wedding night there was little that hadn’t come to pass between them, except perhaps the obvious. There was, as the Muggles liked to say, more than one way of skinning a cat and he and Jocelyn had learned several ways which stood them in very good stead prior to the big day. “Let’s hope she’s remembered the charm,” he suggested fondly, slipping his arm behind Jocelyn and tucking his fingers around her waist against her stomach.

“Oh I don’t know. A little friend for this one wouldn’t go amiss.”

“Sir?” the waiter asked. “Your table is ready.”

“We’re still waiting for our friends,” Blenheim explained, looking at his watch and then anxiously towards Jocelyn. “Can you give us ten more minutes please? I’m sure they won’t be long. They must be delayed, I’m sure they’d not deliberately be late.”

When the five minutes, the waiter’s compromise, had passed and then a second five minutes they stood, paid for their drinks and left the building. Blenheim suggested taking Jocelyn home and then making his way to Kiely’s flat to check that everything was okay. He was sure however carried away they might be in celebration of the purchase of Minerva’s wedding dress, that they’d not leave the two of them at the restaurant without good reason.

“Jocelyn,” he panted, running up the path and through their front door.

“I wish you’d Apparate sometimes,” she chastised irritably. “I’ve been worrying here. What happened? Why were you so long?”

“There’s no sign of them,” Blenheim panted. There were times when he wished there was a safe Apparition point in the neighbourhood, or that the Muggle neighbours didn’t think it was okay to just pop around for a chat and a cup of tea at all times. Appearing in the middle of the front room while Jocelyn talked about knitting patterns, or onto the landing just as Mrs Smithers next door emerged from the lavatory would just not do. “I’ve been back to the restaurant and they’ve not turned up there. You did definitely say Rabnatt’s and not Odin’s?”

“Yes, of course I did. Why would I say Odin’s? We used to go there with Alastor, not Kiely.”

“I know, I know,” Blenheim said, holding on to his side as he tried to get his breath again. He really wasn’t fit, that was something he ought to be right before he became a father. “I don’t know what else to suggest. Do you?”

“Get a glass of water, I’ll go and look.”

“You’ll do no such thing. If one of us is going out then it’ll be me. You get me a glass of water, I’ll go out again when I’ve drunk it.”

Jocelyn tutted, turned and stamped her feet on the way to the kitchen. Minerva was her friend, not Blenheim’s. She’d been the one to get to know the girl at school, and stay in touch afterwards. If it weren’t for her, he’d not know either of them and here he was trying to make out she was some sort of weakling unable to defend herself. She’d show him.

Her jaw set in defiance Jocelyn returned to the front room with the glass of water, more than tempted to tip it over her husband’s head. “Your water.”

“Jocelyn?” Blenheim held his hand out and winced at the tone of her voice. “I’m worried about them too.”

“Something’s happened. I know it.” Jocelyn said, as if to herself. “She’s been hurt. I can feel it. In here.” She rested her hand on her stomach.

“Sit down love,” Blenheim asked, his voice concerned. “Is it the baby?”

“No it’s not the baby.” Jocelyn turned to her husband, her voice clipped. “The baby is fine. It’s Minerva, something is wrong. We have to find her.”

“We stay together then,” Blenheim agreed reluctantly. “You don’t leave my side. Okay?”

“Blenheim –“

“Okay?” he asked again more firmly cutting her off before she tried to make a bargain about how it would be more efficient if they went their separate ways and met up later.

“Okay.”

Firstly they visited the restaurant again, there was no news of their friends the waiter told them. Then they went to Odin’s, to satisfy Jocelyn’s concerns that perhaps she had made a mistake without knowing it. Minerva and Kiely had not been seen there. Their flats were both in darkness, the curtains not pulled and no sign through the windows of anyone.

“St Mungo’s?” Jocelyn asked after they’d visited the Ministry to see if there had been an emergency and they’d had no time to send an apology to the restaurant.

Jocelyn would have walked right past the white faced, shaking, woman slumped on a chair if she’d not have recognised her hairstyle. Sinking to her knees she reached for Minerva’s hand. “Are you alright?”

“Aye,” Minerva nodded and then shook her head as a sob overtook her and she clung to Jocelyn, her head buried in the crook of her friend’s neck.

“The mediwizard wanted to know,” Blenheim reluctantly suggested some time later, “if you’d like to see him.”

Jocelyn looked up at her husband, her eyes pleading to know what had happened. What was wrong with Kiely? Was it Kiely they were talking about? She guessed so.

He shook his head miserably, his eyes offering apology.

Minerva didn’t reply. She lifted her head from Jocelyn’s shoulder and looked to Blenheim. “Do I?”

“Minerva?” Jocelyn asked, reaching to take her hand between her own.

“Blenheim. Do I want to see him?”

“Blenheim?” Jocelyn felt so confused. Why wouldn’t Minerva want to see her fiancé? “What’s happened? Is he hurt?”

Blenheim stood helplessly looking at the two woman. Minerva sitting on the uncomfortable looking seat against a plain grey wall, looking as if the life had been sucked from her but not quite enough to finish her off, while Jocelyn looked at him with the request to understand what had happened. He couldn’t believe that Kiely Goodwin was dead, was never going to laugh again, never hold his wife in his arms, never know the thrill of being a father. Dead as if life had just stopped, no signs of struggle, of being killed. Just a blank face, with the smallest sign of surprise upon it’s features.

“Another gillywater,” Minerva confirmed with Rosmerta. “I’d better make this one my last, I think. I don’t want to make a bad impression on my first day by arriving under the influence.”

“Coming up,” Rosmerta said, turning towards the bar. She’d heard quite a bit about the new Professor. Once or twice a week one or two of the Professors would come into town and visit for a drink. Dumbledore himself had reported of the new transfiguration teacher who was going to join them, and told of his pleasure in having some of the pressure of teaching lifted from him now he was busy at the Ministry with his work at the Wizamgamot and the International Federation of Wizards as well as his work at the school. There was no-one, he’d said, better qualified than Minerva McGonagall to take generations of students through the school while turning them into accomplished Transfigurers.

“Thank you,” Minerva said while handing over the required coins in exchange for her drink. “Will you join me in one?”

Rosmerta was tempted. She’d found out a lot about this woman since she’d heard of her appointment at the school. A word here, and a question there, and the successful barmaid could find herself in possession of the most interesting information. Looking at her she was just a normal looking woman in her late twenties or early thirties. No-one would believe she’d worked on a top secret and dangerous mission in another land, or that she’d lost her fiancée just before her wedding. Looking into her eyes Rosmerta didn’t see sadness but defiance and determination. She wasn’t a hard woman though, that much was obvious. “Firm and fair,” she found herself saying, meaning to have thought the words.

“I’ll try,” Minerva agreed. “You’ll join me?”

“Another time,” Rosmerta declared. “You’ll come down to the village with the other Professors?”

“Aye, I expect I will. And if you’re not going to join me now, then perhaps I should make my way to the school,” and the beginning of a new life she said to herself. It was time after all. Time to acknowledge the first day of the future and put the past behind her; Those memories there to be drawn upon and be happy about.

“Good luck.”

Minerva nodded in thanks for the wishes, picked up her bag and made her way towards the open door and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-20T21:45:00

2006-05-20T20:49:11Z

Title: Love, Luck, Lust and Loss
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Minerva McGonagall (aged 31)
Word Count: 2,595
Rating: R
Summary: It is December 1956 and Minerva sets out towards Hogwarts, not sure if she can quite finish her journey or no.
Author's Notes: A second story for millieweasley's history challenge **here**. I've been trying to finish this for the last three weeks, I think one more part now and it will be. I'm glad to finally be able to post another section.

Part: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.

Link to part Twenty Two

Part Twenty One: The Epilogue, Part I

18th December, 1956

On the cold December morning, the town of Hogsmeade was full of people stocking up on the sort of things they could only buy there. Children rushed in and out of Honeydukes spending the knuts their parents gave them for sweets. One or two wizards wandered in and out of Dervish and Banges, taking in an old dented cauldron, or bring out a magical instrument shining and just like new once again. Women carried long, thin bags from Scrivenshafts, more than likely containing a new quill, some sealing wax, or perhaps a rolled up supply of parchment. In all the bustle the tartan clad woman who strode towards the gates into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry didn’t actually cause any heads to turn, she wasn’t that striking a picture.

The two wizards who were making their way into the Three Broomsticks did stop for a moment to watch her. Her upright deportment, confident stride and professional standard robes made it hard not to. She was, it was clear to them both, a woman who knew what she wanted, and where she was going. A business woman at Hogwarts? The thought surfaced briefly in their thoughts, but was dismissed and easily forgotten at the delivery by the buxom young barmaid of their order of firewhiskey.

Neither of them had paused long enough on their own outing to the pub to see her walk through the gateway and turn to close it behind her. If they had, they’d have been surprised. For Minerva McGonagall, 31 years old, didn’t walk through the gates. She didn’t even open them. Instead she stopped, turned to face the village, looked once more over her shoulder along the pathway towards the school, and with hardly a moment to think strode even more purposefully to the Three Broomsticks where she ordered a glass of gillywater and sat at a corner table alone.

Almost exactly ten years before Minerva had sat at the same table, in the same chair. She’d not drunk the same drink, her liking of gillywater had come later. That day, she’d sat in the seat with a huge smile on her face, she was victorious. She’d sat there with news exploding in her thoughts, and waited for what seemed like an endless amount time as the second hand on the clock seemingly stood still.

Anyone that had observed her on that day would have seen quite a different person to the one in the pub today. Sitting at her seat her gaze had constantly flitted towards the door, and when it opened to allow the tall dark haired wizard to enter, she had jumped up and run to meet him. “I did it,” she had told him excitedly. “I did it.”

“That’s wonderful,” he’d replied to her, catching her as she almost jumped into his arms and then swinging her around. “I knew you would. Come on, let’s go and celebrate.” And without returning to the table for Minerva to finish her drink he’d turned her around, led her outside, his arm close around her shoulder. Outside they’d not noticed the cold, the chilling wind, or how the darkness was surrounding them; they’d been too much in love, too excited, too desperate to be together no matter what.

On her return from Italy, Minerva had moved into the flat next door to the one she’d previously visited where Kiely Goodwin, her soon to be fiancé, lived. Weekends, she’d negotiated with her parents, would be spent at home, in Scotland, and from there she’d be courted by Kiely in the proper way as they demanded. Away from London, in the week, she planned to be anything but proper.

Kiely was known by the neighbours to be a bit of a homebody, he rarely went out, and when he did he was without fail back in his flat at a decent time. To the older members of the community he was the sort of man they’d want their daughters to marry, to the younger ones he was an enigma. Many a young woman had found a way to stop him, talk to him. He had, in the past, before his attentions were taken by his colleague Minerva, McGonagall, taken one or two of them out to a dance, or to see a film at the local cinema. Once his eye had been taken however there was no hope for the local single women, he was for all intents and purposes taken, even if she hadn’t known about it at the begining.

They’d soon slipped into the life they’d planned. Long, hard working days at work, continuing to make their names – Minerva’s time in Italy had established her in all sorts of ways, she was in demand from all quarters within the Ministry – quiet evenings in, each retiring to their beds at decent times. Several neighbours thought it sweet that the couple shared the small tabby cat, which every night as Minerva’s light went off at bedtime, slipped through a small window, jumped onto the garden fence and padded around the perimeter of the garden, before meowing and being let into Kiely’s flat to spend the night. Each morning the small tabby cat, would retrace her footsteps greeting her mistress when she awoke. Those with eagle eyes would have noticed that within a minute of the cat returning home, the lights in her flat went on as Minerva arose for the start of her day.

Weekends were different. Mr and Mrs McGonagall had taken an instant liking to the young man their daughter had brought home to introduce to them. Kiely had flattered Mrs McGonagall about how like her Minerva was, and how she’d inherited her mother’s stunning eyes, and pretty hair. He’d always stood when Mrs McGonagall did, and moved to the door to open it to let her through. He’d made sure he was there to shift her seat into, or away from, the table, and had on the occasions they’d had serviettes shaken hers to drop it into her lap. Minerva had been impressed with the way he’d not only courted her, but also her mother. Mr McGonagall had enjoyed discussions with Kiely about the economy and the way it was improving things for his line of business, and had gladly taken the younger man to the local pub for a drink once or twice when he’d not arranged tickets to take Minerva to a concert, or to a production of a theatre company, or a film at the cinema.

It had been after a visit to the pub by the two men that he’d given Minerva a sign, one that she knew meant he couldn’t last a second night without her and Minerva had waited till she heard the rumbles of her father snoring to transform and slip through an open window to Disapparate to London and Kiely’s flat.

“What’s this?” she’d asked, finding the bedroom lit with the flames of a hundred candles and seen two glasses on the bedside cabinet.

“Patience, my love,” Kiely had teased her as he moved to slip her nightdress from her his hands stroking over the cool silk of her skin.

“Kiely Goodwin, I have little patience when you …” her words disappeared as he claimed her mouth, kissing her long and hard.

Their love-making on that occasion Minerva had never forgotten. Instead of the light-hearted and absorbing fun the bedroom usually provided them, they met each other in a powerful and emotionally charged coupling that was dominated by long and passionate kisses, with deep and slow thrusts which overpowered their senses at the same time; their climaxes happening together.

After a few minutes of deep breathing where each clung hard to the other, reluctant to separate, Minerva broke the silence. “Kiely?”

“I asked him.”

“For –“

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And he said he wondered why I’d waited this long. We can, if you want to, get engaged and set a date.”

“Really?” Minerva asked, turning on her side as Kiely slipped from her and onto the mattress.

“And we don’t have to wait a very long time if we don’t want to.”

“Do you?”

“What do you think?” She’d heard the glasses fill with the bubbling champagne ready to toast the momentus occasion. She’d only arrived back in her room and hurriedly ruffled her bedding as she climbed in to it, to make it appear that she’d slept there the night when her mother tapped lightly on the door.

“Minerva? Are you awake?”

“Mother. Is something wrong?”

“I need to talk to you, dear,” Shiela said in soothing voice, as she’d used when Minerva was young and unwell and she’d come to her in the night.

“Come in. What’s wrong? What is it?”

Sheila didn’t draw her wand to add light to the room either by parting the curtains or by lamplight. She sat lightly on the end of Minerva’s bed and after a pause cleared her throat. “There is something I need to speak to you about.”

“Has something happened? Something dreadful?” Minerva felt a tightness in her chest. She recognised the tone in her mother’s voice, one that had been there when she’d broken the news that her grandparents had passed away, one that was only there at terrible times.

“No dear,” Sheila offered, before clearing her throat. “It is my duty as your mother to come to you.”

“Oh?” Minerva sifted through any seeds of ideas she’d ever had of things that had been hinted at but never revealed.

“My darling,” Sheila started, most uncharacteristically. “There comes a time in every woman’s life when certain d-duties have to be,” she coughed again, “performed.”

Minerva sat in silence, still in the dark as to what her mother was alluding to. Duties?

“I remember well my own confusions and fears and swore I’d never leave my daughter in such an unprepared situation as my own dear mother, bless her soul, left me. Times were different then, things were certainly not spoken of. They’re hardly different now …” she stopped for a second. “I gave you the book.”

“The dusting charms, aye. Thank you, it’ll be really useful. I’ve tried one or two of them, but my little flat doesn’t get that bad with just me there.”

“Aaaah,” Sheila’s voice gave away her disappointment. She’d expected Minerva would cast aside the book. “Before long, I’m sure, your young man will wish to walk you down the aisle.”

Minerva smiled to herself, glad that they couldn’t examine the expressions on each other’s faces. Their discussion when they’d woken this morning was still fresh in her mind. Six weeks time, if it could be arranged, she would be Mrs Minerva Goodwin. She couldn’t say so though, for neither of her parents knew of, and certainly wouldn’t approve if they did, her night time trysts to share Kiely’s bed. “I would like that.”

“And once you are married. I’m just going to say this Minerva. I am going to embarrass you, and I’m going to embarrass me. And goodness knows if your father knew, I’d embarrass him too. But I don’t want you to be ignorant on your wedding night.”

Minerva searched for words. How did she tell her mother there was no need? That she was no ignorant virgin; her first experience long ahead of her. “Mother –“

“No. Please don’t stop me. Men, Minerva, have needs. You might think now that you have them too, and for a while –“

Minerva could almost feel the blush radiating from her mother’s cheeks as he uttered words and ideas that she’d probably never spoken of before. She hated herself that she let her mother go through with the description of a man’s most private areas as her mother put it, and the changes it undertook, and how he lost control when he’d taken what he wanted with no thought to her comfort or displeasure. Hearing her mother speak like this was one of the most awful things Minerva could think of. She was sitting in her own bed still quite able to conjure the memory of Kiely deep within her, moving slowly and deeply, stroking her until she clawed at his back and pushed her hips towards him, the experience overpowering her as she felt him release within her. “Mum,” she whispered, reaching out and touching her arm.

“I know. Everything in life has its downside, even marriage to a man who you clearly love. To start with he will be very keen, but very inexperienced and you may wonder what the fuss is about –“

Minerva remembered Jocelyn’s words of the Fillybuster’s fireworks, and then recalled the first time they’d ever made love, how quickly it was over for them both. Just as her first night home from Italy, they’d been unable to wait and taken each other in the hallway of his flat before retiring to bed and repeating it over and over through the night.

“Thank you,” she mumbled when Sheila coughed once more to let her know that she’d finished. “I’m sorry you had to tell me all of that.”

“I didn’t want it to be the shock to you, that it was to me,” Sheila said once again. “Your father and I had moved no further than some kisses when we married, though I know that times are different now and you young couples like to –“

Minerva shut off form her mother’s supposition that Kiely had probably touched her, and she him. It was too much. They’d never had such conversations. Sex had never been mentioned in the house in Minerva’s memory, and probably never at all even between her parents. She couldn’t imagine giggling in the darkness as something one of her parents suggested trying didn’t work, or worked too well and produced results that were so startling it was all over for a while anyway.

“You’ll read the book,” Sheila asked. “There are some suggestions for charms and of course, ideas for discouragement when needed.”

Minerva remembered the nightdress, currently in a drawer in the corner of the room, and failed to suppress a giggle. “Yes, I’ll read it. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”

“It’s understandable,” Sheila said, patting her daughter’s arm and taking the laughter as a sign she’d gone far enough for now. “Now, I’m going to go and get your father’s breakfast. We’ll see you in a little while. There’s no need to hurry, I’m sure you’ve plenty to think about. I’ll suggest a little tummy ache to him if he asks where you are.”

Later that night, poised above Kiely as his hands worked their magic on her breasts and she lifted and fell onto him, Minerva finally managed to extinguish the embarrassment of that morning.

“When are you going to ask me,” she asked, taking in a deep breath and biting her lip as she moved on him in such a way she was as close as she could be.

“Will …” Kiely panted, lifting his hips to meet her, “ … you mar- aaaarggghhhh …” he moaned and took her hips in his hand to pull her down once hard as they once again climaxed together.

“Yes,” Minerva answered, slipping her legs behind her to lie upon him. “I will.”

They’d bought her ring the next day, in their lunchtime, and travelled to Scotland to show her parents when they’d happily said they didn’t want to wait and would like to be married at the beginning of March.

Neither of them, of course, had counted on February.

68 - Spirit

2006-05-15T19:56:55Z

Title: We'll be waiting
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Lily (from the other side) and Harry Potter
Word Count: 647
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 68 - spirit. Prompt table here
Summary: In the future James and Lily are willing to do anything at all to be with their son.
Author's notes: I originally wrote this last year, but am including it now as one of my allowed pre-challenge writes. It's a really, really busy week without a second to be seriously creative, so hopefully this is better than nowt!

We'll be waiting

"James, James. Come quickly." Lily called to her husband who was leaning lazily against the wall. "The door, it has to be him. Come on."

*** ***

Both of them had waited for the day that Harry would arrive at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. Unknown to most (though they suspected that Albus Dumbledore would know) they’d sneaked in to live in a minor portrait in an almost forgotten corridor and set themselves up to guard over a cupboard containing incidental furniture from a disused Professor’s quarters. Over the years few students had passed by. Undeterred James had insisted that Harry would, that living with Sirius, his godfather, there was no way that he wouldn’t have the Marauder instinct. He turned out, of course, to be exactly right.

The corridor for a day or two had been a hive of activity. First Professor McGonagall, then Professor Dumbledore, and then Filch, had passed by. None of them had really changed Lily noticed on one of the many occasions she’d dashed back out of view as a pair of eyes bobbed their way. They were all a little older but still as sprightly or as ugly and annoying (in the case of Filch as James had corrected her) as they’d always been.

The last such visit had taken place just a few days before, when Dumbledore and Filch had installed a large object into a room nearby.

“It’s a mirror James,” Lily had told him flopping into his lap on the floor of the portrait when she returned from her afternoon walk. “A huge mirror, and I think you could work out how to get into it, if you wanted to.” The winning smile and the nuzzle into her husband’s neck, as usual, got Lily what she wanted. For a few days James used his knowledge of all things magical to make his way from portrait to mirror, and on succeeding was greeted with the view of a large room, disappointingly empty except for a further stack of old furtniture.

*** ***

“Happy Christmas love.”

“Do you think he’ll get it today?” James asked. His Invsibility Cloak would make a brilliant present for Harry; he’d wished all along that the instruction had been for him to have it this Christmas as a gift from the two of them.

“I don’t know. If he does I’m sure we’ll know though.”

The day passed unexplainably slowly. Perhaps because it was Christmas, or perhaps because they wanted so much to see Harry today, the first chance of seeing him on Christmas Day since his very first when they were all together.

*** ***

“James, James,” Lily called to her husband who was sitting in a corner of the room, inspecting his fingernails. “Come on, come and see.”

“Is it him?” He jumped up and joined Lily, his hand resting over her shoulder, to see a younger version of himself, very thin and with a nasty looking scar, looking back. “Wave to him, see if he can see us.”

“He’s coming closer James,” Lily said needlessly with excitement.

“Wave again. He’s talking to us.” Together they waved, and nodded towards Harry. Yes, they told him, they were his mum and dad.

Lily tried to lean out and hug her son, she’d missed that so much. Her arms had been empty for too long. Harry came forward, pressed his own hands against the glass. Could he see the tear fall down her cheek, or hear James coughing a little to clear his throat.

“That was nice,” Lily said afterwards, ages later when finally Harry had gone. “We saw him, like we wanted.”

“He’s great Lil, isn’t he?” James picked Lily up and turned in fast crazy circles with her till they were both laughing and ready to fall over.

“He is. Do you think he’ll be back?”

“Well be waiting if he does. Just like we always have been.”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-13T23:36:00

2006-05-13T22:40:28Z

Title: Ever-ready
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Ron/Hermione (all grown up)
Word Count: 1,773
Rating: R
Summary: She has such power over him that he is useless to resist, or rather bits of him are anyway.
Warning: Bad puns at the end. Here in the UK we have a brand of battery called Ever-ready. Do you have them elsewhere?
Author's Notes: inell issued an art challenge. Thank you to odella for the use of her work.

Ever-ready

Ron had been at least on the verge of hard all evening, and actually if he thought about it a good part of the day. It didn’t matter what he did he couldn’t turn his thoughts to mundane matters for long enough to have a settling effect on the rush of blood that had dominated his body.

He thought he’d got over this a few years ago. He thought those moments when without warning, the slightest thought of anything intimate gave him a raging erection. One that was all too obvious to anyone who happened to be looking at his groin. In all seriousness there probably wasn’t anyone paying particular attention to that area, no-one other than him anyway. Had he ever spent time looking at Harry, Neville, the twins, Charlie, his dad? Was he even the slightest bit interested in whether or not they were sporting a hard-on? No, of course not, and so it was likely that they weren’t interested in the behaviour of his nether regions either.

Actually that thought helped. The pressure dropped a little bit when he considered his dad with an erection. He didn’t want to think of that, not at all. Even if it was going to help him right now.

“Ron?”

He looked up. “Yeah?”

“I was wondering,” Fleur said with a smile, “if I could get you anyzing?”

“Oh,” he managed, the effects of his father’s trouser action were lost instantly.

“Maybe a drink, or something to eat?”

“No, I’m okay, thanks,” Ron gasped, carefully crossing his legs in an attempt to cover the new growth that would be all too obvious if anyone looked.

It was her fault. He knew, she knew. Not only did he know that she knew, but he knew that she knew that he knew. And what’s more, he knew that she was doing it deliberately, knowing what she did.

He was throbbing a bit now, pressed against the taut and restricting fabric of his trousers; denim was never very forgiving of this sort of problem, his cock was relishing in the way the zip was pressing over its head. Her eyes were on him, he could tell. He didn’t need to look to know that they were trained on his groin and enjoying the effects.

She’d pay. But that was exactly what she wanted. He knew that too. She wanted to make him pay. She wanted him to come to her later, desperate and needy, to push her back against the mattress and … if he thought about that then he was going to have a real problem and not the sort of one he’d want in the front room when everyone was there. No, not at all.

She only had to look at him lately in that way and he was behaving like he was thirteen again. Back in those days his cock was all to ready to alert him everytime something interesting happened. Padma Patil leaned over in potions, her top button open and her blouse flopped to reveal her small breasts, dark skin against the bright white of her bra. He’d hardly dared move from his desk the whole lesson the effect that had. In fact if he remembered rightly he’d stayed sitting there right till the end, until Harry and Hermione had turned from the door nagging him that he’d be late for charms and then he’d carried his school bag in just the right way to cover the fact that he was actually very hard, his trousers displaying that fact amazingly brazenly. Just like they were proud of it.

There’d been a time with McGonagall too, though he’d never admit that to anyone. She’d come to their table to watch some boring aspect of transfiguration and he’d noticed the obvious point of a nipple through the tartan of her robes.

“Mr Weasley!” she’d exclaimed in her very McGonagall sort of way.

“What?” he’d asked before adding. “Sorry.”

“I should think so Mr Weasley,” Professor McGonagall answered. “That’s hardly the way to behave is it? Perhaps you should come out here and show everyone, hmmmm?”

He’d blushed horribly before Harry had poked him, and Hermione had whispered, “Ron, you were supposed to be transfiguring it, not melting it.” Luckily it was the end of the day and he’d taken care of his not so little problem the only way he knew how at that time within a short while of leaving the classroom.

He couldn’t do that now though. Nor did he want to. No, she was going to see to it for him. Later, though hopefully not too much later if everyone obliged and went to bed at a decent time.

Annoyingly she was the first to get up and leave, to make her way to bed. She gave him one of those looks as she stood, her eyes lingering longer than was decent in the general area of the tops of his thighs. Within an instant he was hard again, the bulge noticeable. If he’d not been so restricted down there by the fabric then he’d have felt his cock twitch in appreciation as she licked the corner of her lips the second before she slipped through the door.

Years of living in this house meant Ron knew every squeaky step, every floorboard that creaked, every door that whined on its hinges; it also meant he could avoid them.

“I wondered how long you’d be,” she said as he slipped the silk over her eyes and tied it behind her head. “How have you managed this long?”

Ron took a sharp intake of breath. Her voice was connected straight to his cock, the seductive tones telling it that up, ready and harder than was comfortable was the right state to be in.

“I asked you a question, Ron?” she added, a smile playing at her lips. She might be blindfolded, but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t imagine his face. She could see the way his eyes displayed his need, how his lips were asking to be kissed. She could hear the effects she had on him. That was power and she had it. Total power by the expression of a sultry look.

Ron didn’t speak, he slipped a large hand beneath the pink satin of her nightdress and cupped one of her breasts in it, rubbing his palm over her nipple in slow circles. Standing behind her, her head tipped back he could see the effect it was having on her as her other nipple reacted just as surely as if he’d been paying his attentions there.

“What are you writing?” he asked eventually, having lowered himself to her height, his chin on her shoulder and his voice a mere breath in her ear.

“An article,” she answered between fast breaths as Ron’s hand moved and traced lightly up and down the inside of her thigh. “For work.”

“I’d best leave you to it then,” he offered, tantalisingly letting the tips of his fingers move for the merest second through moist folds and then withdrawing.

“Ron?”

He grinned. Her voice was telling him that she was as needy as he was. “I need to take care of something,” he whispered, taking one of her hands and pressing it fleetingly against his erection, tightly controlled by his jeans. “I won’t be long.”

“Ron,” her voice was soft, but desperate.

“Yes?”

“Don’t do that. I’m not really writing an article.”

“No?”

“No.”

“So?”

“So, Ron. Don’t tease me.”

“No?”

“Please.”

He couldn’t resist her voice when she said please. He’d dreamed for years that she’d want him to undress her, kiss her all over. He’d had many a schoolboy display of excitement when she’d brushed past him in potions, or leaned and whispered into his ear in Defence. He’d never thought it would be like this though. So good, so powerful. So playful.

“And you won’t make me spend tomorrow in such an embarrassing state?”

“No-one noticed,” she said, as she stood to turn and be swept into his arms for the few short paces to the bed.

“You did.”

“Yes. I did.”

“And I think Fleur did.”

“Ah, maybe,” Hermione giggled. Fleur had definitely noticed, she’d made comment in the kitchen a few minutes later. “Are you going to take this off me?”

Ron nodded, and lifted the nightdress over his wife’s head, dropping it on the floor as he easily took her back into his arms and placed her on the bed. She loved this game. Loved how she made him want her, need her, and she loved how he displayed that want so readily to anyone who cared to look.

“After all,” Hermione suggested, her voice sultry again as she raised her hips for him to enter her. “It’s what you’ve wanted all day.”

“Hermione Weasley,” Ron groaned as they slipped into the familiar rhythm that they loved so much.

“Yes?” Hermione asked, her eyes closed beneath the silk blindfold.

“What’s tomorrow?”

“Oh I don’t know,” she answered, her breath hitching as he rubbed so perfectly in all the right places as he thrust. “Maybe it’s your turn.”

Ron wondered if there was anything he could wear around his neck and accidentally drop outside the door for her to bring in. But before he was anywhere near a conclusion his mind blanked as it always did and was aware only of the little sounds she made, the way she began to tighten against him, the gasping breath she held just before she came and he was joining her, rocking his hips until he’d nothing left to give.

“Ron,” Hermione whispered, as she lifted her hand and easily slipped the fabric form around her head.

“Yes?”

“Could we do that again please?”

“Now?”

“Well, I didn’t see the first time, I’d like to know what I missed.”

Ron chuckled. “Now where did I start? Oh, yes I know.” He cupped her breast with his hand, and moved his palm as she liked it. Sure enough, just as if it was powered by magic, his cock stirred. “Do you know what you do to me, Mrs Weasley?”

“Oh I think so,” Hermione grinned, shifting down the bed. She’d wondered years before if he really was as large as he’d seemed shadowed by the classroom desks in their school days. Her inexperienced eyes had nothing to compare him with. Now she knew that yes he was. He wasn’t just large though, he was ever-ready. Hermione giggled at a thought - she’d always known Mr Weasley had a thing about batteries, she giggled as she wondered if it was something in their genes.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-07T18:48:00

2006-05-07T17:48:34Z

Title: Percy filth
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: pregnant!Lily/James with memories of the Evans family
Word Count: 815
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 34 - past. Prompt table here
Summary: Sharing her body with a large and wriggly baby meant Lily's nights were filled with thoughts and not much sleep.
Author's notes: This didn't turn out how I wanted it to, but hey! The idea came to me in the shower when for some reason I remembered the repeat of a television programme I'd seen some time in the past. The Lovers reminded me of the Dursleys. I don't know why!

Percy filth

Lily thought she’d be used to this, waking up in the night to go to the bathroom, and then going back to bed and not being able to sleep. It had been happening for weeks, and probably would for the next month or so. She couldn’t see anything was going to change before the baby was born.

She was getting used to his little ways, how he seemed to wake up at the same time every night to dance on her bladder, and then when she’d taken away that fun, to practice his wand work. That’s what it felt like anyway, the way his little arms seemed to be swishing and flicking amongst her insides.

Some nights the thought of what was to come overtook her attempts to get back to sleep. James would be lying beside her, the gentle noises of his breathing soothing no matter what the ‘to come’ entailed. Sometimes what was to come centred on the actual birth itself. The baby inside of her was taking up a lot of room now, in a month when he was due to be born he was going to have grown bigger still. The mediwitch at St Mungo’s had talked to them about ways of making the birth more comfortable, carefully avoiding words like pain. But Lily wasn’t interested in doing anything to intervene, she wanted her baby to be born naturally. No matter what it meant for her there was to be nothing to cloud his first days in their world.

Tonight Lily’s thoughts went towards her sister. Petunia had written soon after her honeymoon with Vernon telling Lily she was to be a mother, explaining that they were delighted they’d waited and that their child would be a honeymoon baby. Special, just as they’d hoped.

Lily giggled and James stirred beside her before turning over and slipping back into his breathing rhythm again. She was remembering a night when James had come to take her out, a night in the holiday from Hogwarts. Petunia and Vernon had been somewhere too and arrived back to the Evans’ family home a little after James had returned with Lily.

They’d heard the front door slam, and Vernon huff and puff down the garden path and out into the street, from their place hidden behind a tree by the gate to the back garden. Goodnights were never a simple peck on the cheek for James and Lily, they put a lot more effort into their goodbyes. The weather had been warm, Lily remembered, and they’d not worn coats or anything -perfect for easy access to skin.

“Petunia, no.” Mrs Evans was saying when happily Lily slipped through the door into the hallway. She’d intended to go straight to bed, not to sully the way she was feeling with discussion with anyone, but something about this told her it might be interesting to wait a while.

“But I’m telling you, it is disgusting.”

Lily heard her dad cough and stand. She dodged out of the way as he left the room and went into the kitchen, no doubt to put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea.

“I trust Lily,” her mum had said.

“But in the front garden. With him. It’s not as if she’s got a proper boyfriend.”

“Petunia, I have told you. Just as you are free to go out with Vernon, Lily is free to go out with James.”

“But Vernon is a gentlemen, he acts properly …”

“Petunia. What are you saying?”

Lily sat on the stairs, she could hear her father moving around in the kitchen and imagined him feeling a bit embarrassed by the theme of the conversation. He was never one to enjoy conversations of that nature.

“I’m saying they were doing things in our garden.”

“Things, Petunia? What exactly do you mean?”

“Things that they shouldn’t be doing.”

“Like what?”

Lily sniggered. Petunia she suspected would have liked to have done things too. She doubted Vernon had ever hitched her top out from Petunia’s skirt, yet alone run his hands over the skin beneath it.

“Like …”

“Well?”

“Like …”

“Petunia?” Mrs Evans’ voice was getting angry, Lily could tell.

“Percy filth,” Petunia finally spat, her voice full of anger and envy.

“Your time will come,” Mrs Evans had comforted her eldest daughter. Lily was sure there was a tone of amusement contained within her mother’s words though she’d not waited knowing that Petunia would storm from the room and towards the stairs.

“Lily,” James said in the morning turning to face her.

“Mhmmm?” she asked, sleepy from her middle of the night memories.

“What are we going to call her, the baby?”

“Shouldn’t we wait and see what he looks like?”

“Only last night I dreamt,” he chuckled and moved closer to snuggle into his wife.

“What?”

“You wanted to call her Percy.”

Lily laughed.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-06T17:26:00

2006-05-06T16:31:15Z

Title: Dragon hunt
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Harry, and Lily Potter
Word Count: 642
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 51 - books. Prompt table here
Summary: When James is left babysitting, Lily never knows quite what she'll come home to.
Author's Notes: Thank you to manynames for reading out We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury in the middle of Waterstones while I scribbled down the rhythms. Also thank you, and apologies, to the two authors whose idea I have shamelessly stolen.

Dragon hunt

“We’re going on a dragon hunt,
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day
We’re not scared.

Oh no! A maze!
A tall windy maze.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no! We’ll have to go through it.

Left, right
Left, right
Left, right.

We’re going on a dragon hunt,
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day
We’re not scared.

Oh no! A lake!
A deep, dark lake.
We can’t go over it
We can’t go under it
Oh no! We’ll have to go through it.

Swim, swim
Swim, swim
Swim, swim

We’re going on a dragon hunt,
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day
We’re not scared.

Oh no! Snivellus!
A slimy, greasy snivellus
We can’t go near him
We don’t want to touch him.
Oh no! We’re going to have to hex him.

Clean hair
Short nose
White teeth

We’re going on a drag-”

“James!”

“Look Harry, mummy’s home. We’re having a story Lil, do you want to join in?”

“So I see,” replied Lily, who had when she’d come into the flat been quite impressed that James was reading to Harry. It made a change from the game with the dragons they usually played, and which if Harry was too tired sometimes made him grumpy and fractious.

“So, are you going to join in?”

Lily looked at the two of them. Sat on the floor, James had Harry sitting in between his legs. The book was in front of them and around them were placed all the things from the story, all charmed to jump into action at the right time. The dragon roared softly and breathed fire every time James mentioned it, the cauldron had bubbled when he’d said lake. She’d not seen how James had provided for the maze, and it had been all she could do not to laugh at the way one of Harry’s teddies had transformed from what was an ugly portrayal of Snape into something much nicer.

“I’m not sure,” Lily stated sitting down beside them, ” that we should be indoctrinating our son when the person in question is teaching at the school he’ll go to one day.”

“Aww, Lil,” James complained. “We were enjoying it. It’s our new favourite game, isn’t it Harry?”

Harry gurgled and pointed to the teddy, which Lily noticed, started to grow back some dark, greasy hair.

“Please tell me you did that, James.”

James grinned. “So, are you going to join in?”

“And it wasn’t Harry?”

“Come on, Lil. He’s a baby. He can’t do magic, can you Harry?”

Lily looked from James to Harry, and Harry to the teddy. Nothing happened.

“A tall mountain cave
One ridged back
Two glittering eyes
Big shiny scales
It’s a dragon!

Back past Snape,
Across the lake,
Through the maze.

Get to the front door, charm open the door,
Up the stairs, oh no forgot to charm shut the door.
Back down the stairs,
Back up the stairs.
Into the bedroom.
Into bed.
Under the covers.
We’re not going on a dragon hunt again”

“He likes books,” James said when they’d finished reading together and had time to laugh at the end.

“Yes!” Lily replied.

“Especially if they’re full of dark creatures, hmmmm Harry?”

“Yes,” Lily answered again. “You know, I never thought I’d come home and find you two reading together.”

“Ah, Lil, you do me down. Harry and I are going to be doing this for years. I can’t promise you’ll like the books we’ll read together in a decade or two though.”

“Maybe by then we’ll have a Harriet as well.”

“Maybe,” James agreed, his eyes glinting. “Perhaps Harry will go to bed soon and we can talk about that a bit more.”

“Perhaps,” Lily agreed. She’d like that too.

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-06T11:29:00

2006-05-06T10:32:22Z

Title: Hot, fat and ugly
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: pregnant!Lily/James and Sirius Black
Word Count: 726
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 28 - weather. Prompt table here
Summary: Living in London had seemed ideal until now, and right now to Lily it seemed impossible.

Hot, fat and ugly

London wasn’t just hot, it was unpleasant. For the first time since they’d seen their little flat, and fallen in love with it as a first home, Lily questioned why they’d chosen to live here.

Cooling charms were all well and good, but they weren’t as refreshing as a cool breeze. It was impossible to get comfortable, however hard she tried.

With the windows open in the front room, and the window open in the bedroom, and all the doors opened, it was just possible to get the faintest breeze flowing through their basement rooms. But with the windows mainly below pavement level they got fuel fumes from the Muggle cars that drove up and down, more than fresh air.

Sitting on the settee in the front room got the best of the breeze, but wasn’t doing much for her back this morning, laying on the bed was more comfortable in one way, but just too hot in another.

“If only we had a garden,” she muttered to herself uselessly. They didn’t have a garden, basement flats never did, and even if they had she couldn’t safely use it. Not these days.

That was the trouble with the London squares too. They weren’t safe, especially on her own. If she was being watched, and she had no idea of knowing whether she was or not, then she didn’t dare step outside the front door.

No, Lily was trapped. Hugely pregnant and trapped in an airless flat, on her own with no-one to talk to except a baby who not only couldn’t hear her, but preferred squashing her bladder, and kicking her in the ribs and generally taking up more room than he was entitled to take up in someone else’s body.

“Lil!” James breezed in through the front door. “Where are you?”

“In here,” Lily called out, finally settled on the settee. “I’m not getting up, I don’t think I can.”

“Guess who’s come to see us?”

“Snivellus? Musidora Barkwith? The Minister for Magic himself?”

“What’s wrong?” James asked. Lily’s uncharacteristic tone was bordering on the sarcastic. He’d hardly heard her use that for years now. “She’s not …” he pointed to her stomach with a concerned look. What if Lily was having the baby? Now!

“No, he’s quite happy where he is for now.” She thought of saying worst luck, but changed her mind. If he wanted to be in there, then that’s where he was best, she knew that really.

“What’s wrong then Lil?” James asked, as Sirius slipped into the room behind him.

“I’m hot, fat, ugly, and I can’t get comfortable. I can’t even get cool, yet alone comfortable.”

“Well Lil,” James grinned. “I’d agree that you’re hot, but I’d dispute fat and ugly. Strongly. In fact,” he dropped his voice, “If Sirius here wasn’t around I’d be more than willing to show you how strongly I dispute it.”

“Too much information, mate,” Sirius offered from the door. “Though I could go if you like?”

Lily looked from one to the other. Did either of them really think that in the state she was in right now she was looking for an opportunity for that in this heat? “It’s okay. One of you can get me a drink, if you like though. Or even better still, find a way of cooling me down.”

“The rush of air blowing back your hair?” Sirius asked.

“Yes.” The idea sounded bliss.

“The chill that only comes from flying so high you think you can’t go any higher.”

“If I thought I was safe on a broom,” Lily answered wistfully.

“Pumpkin juice, fresh from the fridge,” James told her, offering her the glass.

“Drink up Lil. I’ve got something to show you.”

Lily looked at her drink, then out through the window at the blue, blue sky. “Outside?” Sirius nodded. Could she even be bothered to move? Now that she’d finally got comfortable. “I don’t know-“ she began as the other person, the one inside who decided exactly how Lily was spending her days recently, changed position again, and she had no choice but to sit up in order to breath. “What is it?”

Sirius grinned at the thought of the beauty he’d left outside against the pavement, gleaming silver and black, with the best flying charms a wand could cast. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

apostrophe_ess @ 2006-05-04T19:55:00

2006-05-04T18:59:15Z

Title: Every cloud has a silver lining
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily, with James and Harry Potter
Word Count: 598
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 89 - drink. Prompt table here
Summary: Normal life being out of reach because of the Prophecy, James and Lily make the best of their time with Harry. Accidents, however, can happen.

Every cloud has a silver lining

There are benefits in any situation. Every cloud has its silver lining after all. Even the fact that James and Lily couldn’t lead normal lives had its upside.

How many couples enjoyed just about every minute of their young son’s life? How many fathers witnessed the first smile, the first tooth, the first time their baby sat up. How many would be able to see them take their first step?

It was true that both James and Lily did work for the Order of the Phoenix, but then so did other couples with small children and they had to go to work as well.

When times were such that they had to make themselves look upon the bright side – and there were such times - then there was nothing better to cheer them up than the thought they were spending more time with Harry than they might under other, more normal, circumstances.

Mornings, between breakfast and Harry’s regular sleep, were one of Lily’s favourite times. They’d taken to spending an hour on the floor with the small boy, who could sit up, crawl, and was showing the signs of wanting to stand, playing with his toys.

He had a full set of animated dragons that roared and breathed the tiniest flames of (quite safe as it was magical) fire. James loved the dragons. They were his favourite toy to play with.

Harry’s toy box also contained books. Try as she might to get Harry to listen to stories it was impossible when James was offering so much fun with the dragons. Often it was just easiest to sit back and watch her two boys having fun, then when Harry was tired she’d pick him up, cuddle him, and tell him a story.

“Would you like a drink?” Lily asked James, as Harry roared with laughter again at the dragon rearing up, breathing fire, and James jumping back with mock surprise at it.

“Please Lil. Do you want a drink Harry?” He looked at the small boy who had his arm stretched out and was opening and closing his hand into a fist. “That’s a milk for Harry, a pumpkin juice for me, and whatever you’d like yourself.”

Lily grinned as she walked into the kitchen. Despite everything they were so lucky to have this fun little boy.

“James?” she called, looking at the milk she’d dropped on the floor when she’d heard a shriek. “What happened?”

“It’s okay, Lil.” James was standing with Harry in his arms, a patch of blood on his shoulder. The little boy was crying and looking desperately for his mum.

“Ssssh,” Lily told him soothingly, rocking him.

“He was trying to stand up. And put his weight on the side of the toy box. It flipped and caught him on the mouth.”

Harry had calmed enough to let Lily look. “It’s only a small cut, but a lot of blood.”

“Will he be okay?” James asked, his voice full of guilt. He should, he knew, have been more careful and not let him stand like that.

“He’ll be fine. It’s stopped bleeding now.”

“Will he have a scar, Lil?”

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t think so.”

“Sorry, Harry.”

Lily looked at her baby, and then kissed him better – again. “Oh James,” she said, holding out one arm to her husband, who was looking and sounding devastated, as she cuddled their son with the other. “He’s going to be fine.”

“No scar?”

“No! He’s still perfect.” And anyway, she thought, even if he did have a scar, Harry would always be perfect to her.

I believe it's midnight in the Czech Republic - yay!

2006-05-01T22:00:12Z

Happy Birthday to the lovely nimerha, I hope you have the most wonderful day. You certainly deserve it, hon. *hugs hard*

So, in honour of your birthday this is for you! I hope you like it.

Title: By the light of the moon
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: Lily, with James and Harry Potter
Word Count: 460
Rating: G
Summary: At Godric's Hollow, Lily isn't sleeping. By the light of the moon, she thinks a little.
Author's Notes: nimerha gave me the wonderful artwork that is the background to this journal at Christmastime. I love the expression on Lily's face in this art, wistful, sad, thoughtful, and yet still quite determined. I don't think this very short story really does it justice. Please go and look at the original on my journal, rather than the smaller version contained within this post.
Prompt: This also works for prompt number 65, Full Moon, for potterverse100.

By the light of the moon

The moon looked different in the country. Brighter, fuller, bigger even.

Lily stood at the window, the curtains open. As naked as she’d stepped from their bed. No-one could see in, after all. No-one knew they were here, no-one knew where here was.

It was wrong to be so down, so sad. They were going to be safe now, Harry was going to be safe. That was the important thing, their son, their baby.

She’d not slept properly, again. Neither of them had. She’d felt James move from the bed a little while ago, and heard him go to Harry’s room. She’d give them some time together, let James cuddle his son for a while.

The small clock on the wall said it was 3am. 3am and they were all awake. They’d have to do something about this, sort out some sort of structure to the day, for Harry’s sake at least. He needed his sleep, he needed routines, he needed ordinariness.

Ordinary? How would they ever be ordinary again?

That’s stupid talk, Lily, she told herself firmly, looking once more to the moon and then turning to the door to fetch her dressing gown, and then in turn to the stairs.

“Hello, you two,” she attempted as brightly as she could, standing behind the sofa where James was talking softly with Harry.

“It’s mummy,” James said to Harry, who looked up and grinned his green eyes shining out in the dark room illuminated only by the moonlight. “I was just telling him, Lil, about Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius, and Uncle Peter.”

“Oh,” Lily replied softly, resting her hands from behind him one onto each shoulder. “We should be careful there, we don’t really know what’s going on. Everyone is stressed, James. People see things, and imagine things, they’d not see or imagine, at other times.”

“Not that, Lil,” James replied. “I was telling him about other nights like tonight.”

Lily cursed herself for being so stupid. She’d been so caught up in her own concerns for their safety, especially Harry’s, she’d not thought beyond these four walls for days.

“What did he think?”

“That one day he’ll come with us. Daddy stag and Harry stag, isn’t that right Harry?”

“Shtag,” cooed Harry. “Daddy shtag.”

“See Lil?”

“Daddy shtag,” Harry continued, “daddy shtag.”

Lily moved and sat with them on the sofa, slipping into James’s arm. She wondered if Sirius and Peter were out there with Remus tonight, if they were missing James as much as she was pleased to have him with her. She wondered if she was wrong for being so selfish, for wanting him there beside her.

“We’ll have company tomorrow,” James said after a few minutes. “Peter’s coming.”

Lily smiled. That would be nice.