It had been a month now since Lily Potter had been able to see her toes. Of course, they had been small to begin with, so it had not taken long for her expanding stomach to swell to a size that completely hid her petite feet. She did not, however, need to see them to know they were there, because they had begun to ache after she had been standing for more than an hour's time. Fortunately, this was nothing that a painkiller potion or a little massage from her very thoughtful and understanding husband wouldn't cure. And speaking of her husband, it was nearly six o'clock, and James ought to have been home nearly an hour ago. Dinner was almost ready too.
Rather than attempt to bend over her swollen stomach, she picked up her wand from the kitchen counter and flicked it in the direction of the oven. The door opened and the pan of roasting chicken floated out. Keeping her wand trained on it, she directed the pan to rest on the stovetop. Lily was in the process of basting the chicken when the back door of the cottage burst open and James raced through it, calling out in one breath, "LILY! LILY, C'MERE!"
Startled, she glanced over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow quirked as she asked, "Whaaa?" He looked very windswept and incredibly giddy about whatever had him so excited, but at the moment, her empty stomach was more important to her than whatever he so obviously wanted to tell her, so she turned back around to continue basting the chicken and said, "Just let me get this back in the oven, all right?"
But James was not to be deterred. As far as he was concerned, he had the best surprise to share with her, and he was determined for his wife to share his excitement. So he urged again, "I got something today, and you need to see it."
"Fine, fine," Lily countered, adding chopped leeks, carrots and potatoes to the glass dish in which she was roasting the chicken. "But first I need to get this chicken in the oven."
James put on his most pleading expression, eyebrows raised and eyes beseeching.
"Lily, honestly," he said, indicating the door through which he had just come. "Come outside and have a look at what I got today!"
Lily sighed. It seemed her husband would not be satisfied until she had done what he asked. Perhaps this shouldn't have surprised her. Their years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had taught her that James Potter was astonishingly persistent. It probably would be best if she just popped outside, commented on whatever it was that had him bouncing on the balls of his feet, and then she would be free to return to making their dinner. She sighed. "Is it going to take very long?" she asked, glancing back to the dish.
James' lips spread in a smile as he read the compliance on Lily's face.
"Trust me, why don't you?" he said, rolling his eyes. He reached for her hand, feeling a sense of gentle comfort as she twined her fingers through his.
He could scarcely contain his excitement as he led her out the front door, down the two stone steps that composed their stoop, and around the pebbled path to the side of the house where the Potters' new car sat gleaming in the sunlight. All his efforts to surprise her where rewarded when his wife gasped and froze in place, her eyes fixed on the object sitting in their driveway. It took a few moments for the reality of what she was seeing to sink in; they had only ever casually discussed purchasing a car, and she had had no idea that he was actually planning to do it. He waited silently by her side as her gaze traveled over the shiny green vehicle, and grinned excitedly, but a bit anxiously, down at her when she finally lifted her eyes to his.
"James! You bought a car?" she half-squealed, half-queried.
Though her eyes were still round with surprise, he could see by the tell-tale twitching at the corners of her mouth that Lily was quickly becoming amenable to his impromptu purchasing decision, so he pressed on elatedly, "I did! Do you like it? It's a 1979 MG Midget and it is so much fun."
Lily, who knew almost nothing about car makes and models, was staring at the car again, trying to gauge, based on the sleekness of its design and the pristine quality of its paint, how expensive this particular car had been. Surely he couldn't have splurged that much. They had decided back in December, when she first learned that she was pregnant, that they were going to be much more careful with their funds. The plan was to leave James' vast inheritance from his parents untouched and safely in their Gringotts vault so that their coming baby would be well provided for as long as he lived. Thus far, they had done an excellent job of living solely off James' salary at Copaken's Quidditch Supplies and Lily's at St. Mungo's. This car, though..
"B-b-but, can we afford it?" she stuttered.
James' excitement did not lessen; his grin remained in place as he deftly assuaged her worries, "Been meaning to tell you Ôbout that. I got promoted."
"Again?" she asked. The added income from his promotion to assistant manager a year ago was what had allowed them to purchase the cottage in Godric's Hollow, but she hadn't thought there was enough extra funds to afford such a new (and, she had to admit, very nice-looking) car.
But James, who had secretly been planning this for a month now, was not in any way suffering from buyer's remorse. He remained unperturbed that his wife was not so quick to share his enthusiasm. It was cute, really, how concerned she was, especially with that tiny little wrinkle that always appeared between her eyebrows when she was worried or confused about something. She was flustered, just as he had hoped she would be when he first burst through the door with his good news.
"Yeah, back in March," he answered her, "But I'm telling you, Lils, this is a good thing. We can afford it because I'm working full-time and my branch is doing really really well and we could use it anyway and why are you looking at me like that?" His expression began to grow desperate as he continued speaking. She wasn't taking this as well as he had thought she would. In hindsight, he wondered if, before planning to surprise her, he should have taken into consideration the fact that she was six months pregnant and lately seemed to be more moody than usual.
Lily, for her part, was not about to rail at him for his seemingly impulsive purchase. She struggled with the proper response for several moments, before answering simply, "I just... I'm just shocked is all." She paused, looking up at him and squinting in the April sunlight. "Because we said we were going to be careful with money and all.." She trailed off, trying to comprehend the new reality. "Just... wow!" All things considered, it really was a rather nice surprise. And James had gone out of his way to surprise her with this, obviously convinced she would be over the moon about his purchase. Now that the shock was wearing off, she realized how momentous an occasion this actually was. "It's a really nice car too. I like the color," she added with a wink.
"Well," James said, scratching a bit of stubble on his jaw, his casual posture attempting to mask the pride he felt. "I figure we need a way to get the three of us around, Ôcos carpets are banned and my broom won't hold all of us. And I promise I didn't blow our budget- I bought it used and cheated a bit with some cleaning spells."
Lily beamed, impressed at his ingenuity. "Cleaning spells, eh?" she giggled. "I guess it pays to be a wizard." She rested her hand on her swollen stomach a moment before voicing her agreement. "You're right. I can't very well walk to the store anymore. And it will be especially hard once I have the little one to tote around. Outside my belly, that is." She smiled down at her stomach as if she could see the infant curled up inside.
James looked down at her, an expression of most tender affection on his face, and murmured, "Only a few more months there, little spoon," using the nickname he'd given her in reference to their favored sleeping position. He knew that she was happy about the pregnancy, but he was also aware of how uncomfortable she sometimes got. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and smiled at her. "Okay," he began, the excitement at his new purchase trumping the moment they'd just shared. "Can I take you for a drive after dinner?"
"Yeah..," she assented in distracted tones, while stroking her hands gently over her belly. Unlike her husband, Lily was not so easily distracted from the thought of the new life burgeoning inside of her. "He's been quite active today," she added.
"Well he wants to get out, I'm sure," James replied rather impatiently. He was much more eager to get back out on the road than to discuss the day-to-day variations in her pregnancy. Thinking of his tiny son's imprisonment in his equally tiny wife's belly brought to mind his two-week stint on house arrest two years earlier, he added with complete sympathy. "I sure would. Poor lil' bloke."
Glancing up at him, Lily laughed at the tormented expression on his face and said, "He'll have to wait, though. But yes, a drive would be fun." She was about to turn back into the house to finish making dinner when one particular feature of their new car caught her attention. Her eyes darted between James and the cloth-covered roof of the emerald green coupe as comprehension dawned. "Is it.. a convertible?" she asked.
A slow grin spread over James' lips and he leaned casually against the brick wall of the cottage as he answered, "Mayyyybe."
This bit of information made the petite redhead much more excited about taking the car for a spin. As she looked at her husband, an answering grin lit her face, and she agreed wholeheartedly to his proposition. "Let's definitely take it for a spin then! But.." She paused as her smile changed from excited to winsome, and her tone become more of a wheedle than an exclamation as she asked, "After dinner, right?" Now that she had to eat for two, Lily found that she grew hungrier more often, and she knew she wouldn't be able to enjoy a leisurely drive on an empty stomach. James agreed to the compromise, and Lily relaxed, grinning once more. "It'll be Harry's first field trip," she remarked.
"Harry's had several field trips. We rented a car to come here, remember?"
"Hush! You're ruining my fun here. Just pretend!"
Chuckling, he screwed his eyes shut, mimicking a little child playing make believe, then opened them suddenly and exclaimed, "Ohmygolly HARRY'S FIRST FIELD TRIP! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT!" His antics earned him a giggle from Lily, who grabbed his hand and tugged him back in the direction of the door. "C'mon," she urged, "I'm making that chicken dish you like so much."
This good news was enough to pull his attention off of his large and shiny new toy and onto the meal awaiting him inside the house. "Yes!" he exulted, following her quite willingly back up the path. But he was still feeling rather mischievous and the sight of his wife's fantastically cute bum swaying to and fro just inches in front of him was too much temptation for him to handle. Just as they stepped through the door, he reached out and goosed her, causing Lily to jump and squeal. She had thought he was focused on dinner and his car; she had no idea he had that on his mind as well. Peering over her shoulder, she asked archly, "I thought you wanted to go for a drive after dinner.."
"I do want to go for a-" he began, cocking his head in confusion as he tried to comprehend why she was suddenly looking at him like that. "Oh?" he asked, awaiting an explanation. When none was forthcoming, he shook his head and stepped around her, into the kitchen. "You've lost me with your feminine wiles."
"Never mind then," she replied, returning to the oven with a secretive smile on her face. Picking up her wand again, she charmed the oven door open and checked on the chicken again. Deciding that it still needed a few minutes, she shuffled over to the kitchen table and took a seat. "So are you going to let me drive this new car too? Or are you going to be one of those obnoxious men?" she asked James, who had taken a seat at the table across from her.
His lips twitched as he responded, "Obnoxious? Honestly, Lily, I thought we already had that settled. I'm already cemented as the obnoxious one in the relationship." Before she could agree too readily to his statement, he added, "And as soon as you can sit behind the wheel, you can drive. As it is I don't think you'll fit." He regarded her belly fondly and leaned over to pat it.
Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously at his last comment and she objected, "What? I can fit behind the wheel of a car!"
Obvious to the danger he was in, James only laughed and asked, "Are you kidding?" His laughing eyes met his wife's glittering green ones, which were now glaring the proverbial daggers at him, and he realized in that instant that he had somehow misspoken.
"What? Are you trying to say I'm fat or something?" she demanded, growing more outraged every second as his earlier comment echoed over and over in her mind.
She was angry. He could see that, but he didn't see why. What was this about her being fat? He'd never said that! He was only making a teasing comment about her baby belly. "What? You just have-.. Baby.. Harry..," he sputtered, trying in vain to convey to his irate wife that he had meant no insult. "That makes you a little bigger than you used to be. That's all."
Lily's eyes narrowed a bit more, and her tone was icy as she responded, "I can still fit behind the wheel of a car, thank you very much."
"I still think you're wrong," James countered with a shrug, his mind still fixed on the image of the rather small coupe he had purchased and the limited space between driver's seat and steering wheel. Then, realizing that he had again misspoken, he quickly added, "But it's not your fault or anything! You've got a belly, that's all."
By this point, Lily was too angry to speak. She could only sit there and glare at him, her eyes narrowed to slits and her limbs shaking slightly with the force of her ire. With every word he said, James was only digging himself a deeper grave.
He realized this a moment later and his chattering explanation died on his lips. Swallowing, he attempted to maintain a lighthearted tone as he remarked, "You've got your shut-up-darling face on."
This remark was ignored by his wife, whose mind was still fixated on his repeated assertions that she was too fat to fit behind the wheel of a car. A car! Had he never seen her brother-in-law, Vernon Dursley? That man was three times as big around as Lily was now, and he still managed to drive his stupid, huge, showy car around Little Whinging! And yet there sat her stupid, thoughtless husband, blithely declaring his certainty that she was too fat to drive a car. The idiot! She wanted to rail at him and force him to admit he was wrong. Instead, she raised both eyebrows and inquired in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh really? And how many other things are you going to tell me I can't do because I'm too big?"
James, who had by this point cottoned on to how angry he had made her, recognized this comment as a loaded question, to which he wisely gave no response. "Ope, there it goes," he said, sighing and leaning back in his chair.
But Lily was too angry by this point to listen to anything he had to say. She was even too angry to look at him, so she stood up and, with as much dignity as possible when your walk is more of a waddle, she strode over to the cabinet to begin taking down plates, cups and silverware for dinner. "You're right," she said viciously. "You are the obnoxious one in the relationship."
"Listen," he pleaded, rising to his feet and crossing to stand behind her, "I didn't mean that you're too fat or rubbish like that. You know very well I don't think you're fat. You're pregnant." Lily ignored him and began muttering to herself something about stupid, thoughtless men who just don't know when to shut up, but James pressed on. "Li-ly. C'mon turn around. Let me explain."
His plea fell on deaf ears. She was furious that he had dared say something like that to her and then insist that he was right. Whatever he had said next was sure to be something equally insulting or stupid, and she did not want to hear it. It was as a defense mechanism, then, that she began tossing snide remarks at him. "No, no. You've made yourself perfectly clear. Soon enough you'll have to be enlarging doorways for me, as I likely won't fit in them either."
By this point, James had had enough. He still couldn't understand how this whole thing started, and, much as he loved his wife, he couldn't stand it when she was so touchy and fussy like this. Based on previous rows, he knew she was only just getting started. Pregnant Lily was a fussy Lily and, right now, he didn't want to deal with it. "Oh for the love of God, girl, shut up," he cried, exasperated.
"Don't tell me to shut up!" Lily shrieked, slamming her stack of dishes down on the table and whirling around to fix him with an irate glare.
"Stop being the martyr then," he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not being a martyr!" she countered, turning her back on him again and stomping toward the stove with angry, jerky motions and a scowl on her face.
He took a deep breath, fighting to maintain calm, and answered, "Every time it's ohh poor me, I'm too fat wah-wah... Listen. You know I think you're beautiful, and capable, and wonderful. I didn't mean to slight you."
"You're right. I am huge. And I'm just going to get bigger," she continued, ignoring him completely. "It's bad enough that I can't see my own feet anymore and can hardly put on shoes. It makes sitting at a table awkward too, and now I can't even drive a car!" The more she spoke, the harder she banged around the dishes and pots and pans and the closer she found she was to tears.
James sighed. "You know what? I'm having a good day, and you're being silly, love. So I'm giving you some space, and we can talk when you're done hanging around in your pity puddle." And with that said, he stood up and retreated outside, determined to remain cheerful. He had barely set foot onto the back porch when Lucy, the orange tabby kitten that had somehow come with the cottage, appeared and began purring and rubbing herself against his legs. "Oh, hullo Lucifer," he said, smirking at the nickname that Lily did not know he still used for the cat of which he did not entirely approve. He nudged it with his foot, wanting very much to avoid the allergy symptoms he often experienced whenever the little beast was around. "Bugger off, you," he commanded, and Lucy looked up at him, mewing plaintively. He sighed, and bent to pat the cat's head, defeated by the large and glowing eyes staring up at him.
Meanwhile, Lily was still fuming and banging around in the kitchen, trying her best not to dissolve into tears of frustration over her stupid, thoughtless husband who was apparently unable to understand why she found it so insulting that he insisted on claiming she was too big to drive a car. And then he had told her she was in a pity puddle, for Pete's sake! She continued to throw things around, hot angry tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Why had James insisted on being so inconsiderate? It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.
James glanced at his watch and decided that a minute and a half was more than enough time to get over a little fight. He headed back inside, blocking the cat from slipping past him with the heel of his foot. He crossed to the kitchen, sticking his head inside.
"Are you done yet?" he asked of Lily. He took in her tense posture and angry movements and found his answer there. "Guess not," he mumbled. In an attempt to make her laugh or lighten the mood, he scarcely waited twenty seconds before popping his head in again. "Now?" he asked.
Lily turned around and was met by James' inquisitive face. She glared at him, thoroughly irritated at his resilient buoyancy. Did he not know how to read her, after all this time? She was clearly cross. He responded by grinning at her. Lily frowned. "You're not helping, James," she said, crossing her arms.
"With what?" he asked, perplexed.
"With my blasted pity puddle, you prat!" She scowled, turning back to the stove to fidget with a dial. The sound she heard next was very unwelcome, indeed. James was laughing! At her! She wheeled around, entirely frustrated with her thoughtless, inconsiderate husband. Here she was, carrying his baby, and all he could do was poke fun at her belly and laugh when she was cross!
"Aw, come on, Lils," James said fondly. "Can't you see the humour in it?"
"It isn't funny!" she snapped.
"It is," he maintained. "If you'd stop insisting on proving me right."
"Proving you right?" she sputtered. "I'm not-"
But James interrupted her. "Well, look. You're moping because I told you that you were moping."
"I am not!" Lily cried, turning to charm the oven to cook twice as quickly. Her stomach was growling, and the sooner she could have this meal over and done with and have James leave her alone, the better. James sighed. Sometimes, he simply could not win. But he would make one last effort to get Lily to see sense.
"Okay, so you're not. Then you're making a great ruckus for no reason? You're super happy and all? Slamming pots around in a fit of giggles?"
"No! I'm just.. gah!"
James grinned, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "I win," he said.
"Oh, stop it," Lily said, determinedly avoiding the heart-melting grin James was casting her way.
James stepped toward her, reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately.
"My poor little overtaxed homebody," he said gently. Lily wheeled around, her expression still furious.
"Oh, so I'm little now?" she said, jerking out of his reach. "Whatever happened to being too fat to fit behind the wheel of a car? Which, for the record, has never happened to anyone I know of."
"A-a-and this is when I leave again," James mumbled, sighing and retreating from the room.
"Not even Molly Weasley!" Lily yelled after him as he exited the kitchen. "And she had twins!"
James called back over his shoulder while on his way to the loo, "So I was wrong! But there's no reason to get all ruffled about it!" He pushed the door open and shut it behind him.
Back in the kitchen, Lily threw up her hands in frustration.
"I just-!" she began to retort, but suddenly paused as his words sunk in. She let out a great sigh as she realized he was right. At least about the Ôruffled' thing. Cringing, she turned back to the kitchen doorway. "James..?" she called out, mentally berating herself for being so very irritable of late.
James looked as if he were headed to the gallows as he came back into the kitchen, which only made her feel worse. "Hm?" he asked, wiping his hands on his jeans and scratching idly at the back of his head. Lily bit her lip.
"M'sorry," she finally said. "I shouldn't have jumped on you like that."
James had the grace to shrug. "S'fine," he responded. "I started it. Accidentally, of course."
She tried to think of something to say to that, and couldn't. "I.. I just.." she said, before turning back to stir the peas.
James sat down at the kitchen table, apparently exhausted with fighting for the moment. "Er.. should I be doing something to help?" he offered.
Lily looked at him, at the figurative olive branch he was extending, and accepted it. "Maybe you could set the table?" she asked. He grinned, sliding his wand out of the pocket of his jeans.
"Done," he said, and plates, silverware and glasses came zooming from the cabinets.
Still feeling awkward, Lily busied herself with stirring the peas. "What do you want to drink?" she finally asked, breaking the silence between the two. James smiled up at her, apparently quite doggedly cheerful.
"Water," he said. "But I'll get it."
Several minutes later, they sat at the table. James had eaten everything that wasn't a vegetable, but Lily was still pushing around the peas on her plate. He looked over at her, taking in her closed expression and furrowed brow. "What's the matter, Lils?" he asked, taking a sip of water.
She swallowed. "Have you.." she began but stopped. "Well," she tried again, but could not think of anything to say.
"C'mon," he cajoled. "I have intimate, carnal knowledge of you. I know something's up. Just spill it."
Heaving a sigh, she finally voiced the thought that had been bothering her so much, "Have I been very awful to you lately?"
So that was what was bothering her? He almost wanted to laugh, but James suspected that this reaction would only get him back on her bad side again. Still, he couldn't resist teasing her a bit, so he pretended to consider her question a moment before answering, "Not very awful. Just the regular variety." Lily looked crestfallen and stared down at her peas, unsure what to make of this statement, until he took pity on her and grinned. "I'm kidding! You're fine."
Her head snapped up, and she looked almost desperate as she asked, "You're sure? I feel like I'm always snapping at you, and I don't mean to. I just.. always get angry at the littlest things, and I don't know why. I don't want to but.."
James reached for her hand where it rested on the table, his expression serious as he asked, "Would I lie to you? If I say you're fine, I mean it. Okay?" Lily managed a small smile and nodded. Giving her hand a squeeze, he said, "There now. No harm done?"
"I guess not," she replied. "So.. are we still going for a drive then?"
"Yeah," he responded, "even if you were still mad at me I was gonna hit you with a Cheering Charm like you wouldn't believe and strap you into that car good and proper."
Lily giggled; he appeared to be perfectly honest about this confession. "Really?"
"Though I might still...," he teased.
She squeezed his hand again. "You're wonderful, you know."
"I do my best," he responded, quite relieved that their little tiff was behind them. "Love you."
One hour later, their dinner was finished, the dishes were done, the house was locked up and James and Lily were a few kilometres out of town, racing down the country roads with the top of the convertible down and exhilarated smiles on both their faces. James was not wearing a seat belt, and Lily had either not noticed or was refraining from commenting. "So it's not a broom, but it's pretty fantastic," he said, slowing down to a more respectable speed as they neared the streets of Godric's Hollow.
"It is," Lily agreed, combing her fingers through her windswept hair. Driving with the top down had made her usually soft red waves an unruly mess, but the feeling of the wind in her face was more than worth it. "We ought to make a habit of this. Driving Ôround, I mean, since the weather's getting nicer and all. And soon we'll be able to take Harry places!"
"That sounds wonderful," her husband responded, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "D'you still want to drive?"
"Ohhh yes!" she said, unbuckling her seat belt as James pulled over onto the side of the road. He hopped out and hurried to the other side to help his roundly pregnant wife back onto her feet, then took her seat on the passenger's side. Lily waddled around to the other side of the car and wisely refrained from commenting on the fact that she actually did fit behind the wheel.
"Shall we explore on the other side of town then?" she asked, putting the car in gear and speeding off down the road. James nodded and reached for the radio button. Recognizing the Aerosmith tune that was currently playing, he began singing along, only occasionally off key: "You're my a-a-a-aaaaangel! Come and save me toniiiiight!"
A sappy little smile settled over Lily's lips as she turned to look at him. "Awwww. They're playing our song!"
"Our song! Yes!" he responded absentmindedly, pumping his fist in the air as he continued attempting to mimic Steven Tyler's vocal acrobatics. "We have a song?" he asked a few moments later, having just realized what she said.
"Remember?" When he only looked blankly at her, Lily decided that he must have forgotten that particular evening. "Sirius was blaring it at the bar one day, and we were probably tipsy, and we were dancing around in circles in the back. You tried to serenade me with it. And failed, I might add."
"Oh hush," James replied with one of his trademark, arrogant smirks. "You were impressed. Don't lie."
"Oh yes," Lily responded in mock seriousness, "It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to marry you and spend the rest of my life listening to that."
He looked at her for a few moments, a fond smile on his face. Their current banter was forgotten as another, even happier memory arose in his mind. "On our way home from Marseille. That's when I knew."
"Really?" she asked, her expression morphing into a smile just as sappy as the one on his face.
James nodded. "You fell asleep on my shoulder while we were waiting for the Portkey. You had a sunburn across your nose and you drooled on my shirt and I didn't even care."
Lily wrinkled her nose, rather surprised that this particular moment had caused such a momentous decision on his part. "I did? Wow. You must love me bunches."
"More than you realize," he responded, then realized they were rather quickly approaching a sharp curve. "Hey! Watch the road!"
"Whoops!" Lily giggled, turning her gaze back in front of the car and braking just in time to drive safely around the curve. Both Potters looked at each other for a moment, then laughed. James reached over to turn up the radio, and Lily stepped on the gas again, sending them zooming off into the warm spring evening.