*A/N: Ok. So, this little thing has been a nightly process. I'm still in "university" mode and am awake til 1-2 in the morning and don't wanna wake the parents by watching TV. I usually reread my work a million times, but please forgive any mistakes! Thanks and please read and review!*
*Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!*
*Just a Twinkle*
"Ughhh!" Lily groaned as she rolled out of bed. Her back hurt and she had hardly gotten any sleep. She was finding it harder and harder to get a good night's sleep recently. Every which way she turned, something hurt or she couldn't breathe. She was trying to be as normal as possible, but she didn't know how long her act would hold anymore. She'd called her mother to ask how to remedy the problem, but all she got was a subtle and not so gentle "Suck it up and deal. Every woman goes through it." She knew her mother had never been a very accepting person, and still refused to accept that her daughter was a witch and married to a wizard. However, even after the fiasco at Christmas, Lily hoped that the idea that her daughter was having a baby would smooth things over. Unfortunately, it had only caused the rift between Lily and her family to grow even bigger. This baby dashed any hopes they had had that she would "see the light," leave James, come home and be normal. It caused Lily great pain every time she thought about it, but she never felt alone. She had James and the Potter family. James' mother had become one of Lily's greatest confidantes, and in a sense, her second mother, so Lily knew she could ask her anything.
Picking up the pen next to her, she scratched a little note to her mother-in-law. She tied the note to their owl, Churchill, and petting his head, told him to go to the Potters. The bird cooed softly and flew away obediently. Lily smiled as she watched him leave. She remembered the story behind Churchill. He had been born in the Hogwarts owlery. No one noticed he was there, not even the other owls, until James went up there to send a note one day. James picked him up and brought him back to the Head room. Lily was there studying when she saw James walk in with the little bird. He was tiny, jet black, and quite malnourished. That bird became their project. They brought him to all their classes, under a silence spell, of course, and basically babied him until he was old enough to take care of himself. When it came to a name for him, James knew exactly what he wanted to call him. "Churchill, because I read a book on that Muggle diplomat once and like the name!" he had exclaimed. The name stuck, and Churchill had been with them ever since.
Lily's nostalgic moment was interrupted by a flutter of jet black feathers on the window sill. Churchill had
returned with a note tied to his leg. Lily recognized the lettering on the note to be that of her mother-in-law and
eagerly grasped the note, ripping it open with the ferocity of a small child on Christmas present. When finally she
opened it, she read it quickly.
Lily,
It's nice to know that you two are still alive. Send an owl once in a while, alright? Anyway, about the lack of sleep, there isn't much in the way of advice that I can give you. It's one of the hardest things to come with pregnancy. I figure it's a precursor to the actual child when, instead of getting only a little sleep, you get NONE at all. However, that won't happen to my grandchild. He'll be perfectly behaved and sleep 12 hours a night. Maybe it's a grandmother's wishful thinking, but he'll be a good kid, I know it. Anyway, must be off. I'm trying valiantly to defend a freshly baked pie from the pastry pillager commonly called Mr. Potter. Wish me luck as it's going to be an epic battle! Owl me if you and Jamie are free on Saturday evening for dinner! Love you!
Ellen
Lily smiled. "Oh, how I love my in-laws" she said, scratching Churchill on the head "She's right; he will be a good kid. I promise that." They had found out two weeks prior that they would be expecting a baby boy in mid-July. James was ecstatic and had set about to make the new nursery a little boy haven. Lily had picked out all the furniture by then; though there seemed like little left to do, James kept finding little things to make it more boyish. All Lily could do was laugh; her husband was like a kid in a candy store when it came to his son.
Suddenly, a large brown owl made her way onto the window sill. Lily knew that the bird, Minerva, named after the famed Professor McGonagle, was James' best friend, Sirius Black's owl. A note, quickly scribbled, basically asked if the couple was free on Friday to have dinner with him at a new restaurant in Diagon Alley. Lily wrote quickly that she didn't foresee any conflicts, but would let him know if something came up later on week. Tying the note to Minerva's leg, she sent her off and made her way to the bathroom to ready herself for the day.
~*~*~* Later that week~*~*~
"That's it! I believe that I am the most despised professor at Hogwarts!" James stated smugly, as he walked into the bedroom. "I gave a pop exam this afternoon, and not a single student told me to have a nice afternoon after class. It's not like it was a difficult exam! If they did the reading, they would have been fine!" He continued, pulling off his robes and throwing them on the bed.
Lily was propped up on the bed, trying to solve a crossword puzzle. She had gotten a book of them the last time she went to visit her parents and did one each night after work. Looking up at James, she giggled. "You are such a hypocrite! You spent seven years at Hogwarts trying to cause the professors as many headaches as you possibly could and now that you are getting a taste of your own medicine, you can't handle it!" She continued to giggle wildly at the good natured glare that James bestowed in her direction. "Don't forget," she said between fits of giggles, "we have dinner with Sirius tonight. You'd better go take a shower and wash all the professor-ness off of you before we leave" Putting down her quill and crossword, she got off the bed with great effort. The littlest things were becoming a project these days. Trying her shoes, buttoning her skirts, and pulling up socks all took triple the time they normally took.
"Oh, right." James said, helping his wife off the bed. Taking her into his arms, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, grabbed his robes, and walked into the bathroom. Lily looked to the closet despondently. She hated getting dressed and contemplated just going in sweatpants and blaming her appearance on the baby. "I could so get away with it." She muttered, opening her closet.
*~*~*
Lily and James had made it to the new restaurant/bar, "The Three Broomsticks" with five minutes to spare. Looking around for Sirius, they were greeted with a "LILY! JAMES! OVER HERE!" from across the restaurant.
"Since when did my friends become so loud?" James whispered to Lily as they made their way to the back of the room. Both were, again, completely mortified at being named publicly
"Don't kid yourself. You guys have always been like this!" Lily whispered back in a giggle. James nudged her softly in the side and then took her hand.
"Prongsy boy! How's life?" Sirius said jovially greeting his best friend. Not waiting long enough for an answer, he turned to Lily. "Mother Potter! How is my favorite mother to be?" He asked, reaching across the booth to hug Lily. Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius' nickname for her but answered that she was well.
James got in the booth first and Lily followed. This arrangement had been concocted in the beginning of the pregnancy to accommodate for Lily's frequent trips to the restroom. They chatted for a while, catching up on all the local happenings from Sirius when the waitress came over and took their beverage orders. Sirius ordered a butterbeer while James and Lily both ordered large iced pumpkin juices. Upon realizing that he was the odd man out, he quickly changed his order. The waitress rolled her eyes, but hurried off to fetch the drinks.
"Sirius," Lily said turning serious suddenly, "James and I…well, we'd like you to be our son's godfather. Would you do that for us?" She looked at him imploringly. She and James had discussed this at length. Lily, truth be told, would have preferred Remus, because of his mellowness. However, in her heart, she knew that if anything ever happened to them, Remus, because of his condition, would never be able to take care of a baby. She loved him, but needed to do the proper thing for her child.
"Me? You want me to be your son's godfather? Are you sure? I mean, I would be glad to, but James…Lily…do you really trust me that much?" Sirius asked. He was, for the first time in his life, completely serious. At this, James took over.
"Yes. We would trust you with our lives if we ever needed to, so it was an easy decision. We know that if, Merlin forbid, something ever happened to us, you would raise this baby as a strong and loving human being. So, yes, my friend, we want you to do it." He looked intently at his now completely silent best friend.
After a moment of silence, Sirius got up from his seat and extended his hand to James. "There isn't anything I would rather do in the world. I am honored you trust me this much." After shaking James' hand, he walked to Lily, kissed her cheek and embraced her. She turned her head to him and whispered into his ear "And we love you that much too."
Sirius looked back at her and smiled. By the time all the emotions had died down, their food had arrived and they continued their meal happily.