July 28, 2007

Happy Birthday to You!

Where the thought of their grown children is anything but reassuring, James tells a pharmacy employee a thing or two, and Harry and Draco enjoy some 'ake.

*** This chapter title is, obviously, the traditional happy birthday song. Also, a few more things:

1) This chapter is dedicated to aquila_star and tyedyedchicky for just being amazing. Thanks, guys.

2) Fanart! Tessa emailed us this amazing picture of pregnant Dorcas before she chopped off her hair. Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D!

3) We don't know if any of you are into RPing, but Vixx and I are opening a completely original RPG, and are looking for good, strong players. You'll find all the game information you need here, and the rules and application here. We'll probably be starting up somewhere in the realm of June 1.

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"Okay, so.  The plastic magical baby play land bollocks is set up in the back yard," James said brightly, walking into the room.  "I also put out all the lawn furniture so everyone will have somewhere to sit and such.  And the meat is marinating next to the barbe.  I'll put it on as soon as people start arriving.  And that is one bloody brilliant cake.  It's huge and beautiful, and Harry is going to love throwing it around and smushing it in people's hair.   Personally, I hope he goes for Narcissa."

"Lovely," Lily said distractedly, putting the last bit of blue icing trim on the cake's bottom edge.  She'd been preparing salads and grown-up desserts and other things all morning, and she was tired, but she still wasn't finished.  It was amazing how much planning went into a one-year-old's birthday party, and Lily was not looking forward to the day when Harry could request exactly what he wanted.  "I need you to run out and grab me a few extra things, while I get Harry ready.  The list is on the fridge, there."

"No problemo.  Our little man is going to celebrate in style," James said, grabbing the list and kissing Lily quickly before grabbing his jacket and walking out the front door.  He glanced down, scanning the list as he pulled his car keys from his pocket and then froze.  Turning around and promptly walking back inside, James called, "Lily?  See, the red wine and tofu burgers, I get.  There's just... uh.  One little... pregnancy test.  Pregnancy test?  Really?"

Lily looked up from where she was wrapping syran wrap around the top of a bowl of potato salad.  "I think so," she said.  "It's that or I've got a very exaggerated stomach flu.  I've been in and out of the bathroom all morning.  I even threw up in the garbage can once."

"Really?" James asked again, and then, grinning, moved forward and swooped Lily into his arms.  "That's fantastic!  That's... Lily!  Another baby!"

Lily was excited, but a little upset at the same time.  She'd finally managed to land herself a job, and arrange everything with Rachel for Harry... now she'd only get to work a little while before having to stop again and take care of an infant and a toddler.  Not that she didn't love the idea of giving Harry a sibling, but she just hadn't wanted to do it so close together.  "Go on then," Lily said, kissing James lightly on the cheek.  "Everyone'll be showing up soon, and there're still things to do."

"Hey," James said softly, brows furrowing in concern.  "Come on, now.  What's wrong?"

"I'm tired and nauseous," Lily said.  "And I want to have another baby, James, but they'll just be so close together.  And then work... they'll probably let me go once I'm too pregnant to work anymore.  They have the right to refuse a contract while I'm still on probation..."  Lily sighed.  "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Hey, look, I know you want to work and all, but at least my salary is enough to live off, and you could go back right after," James said, feeling bad that she felt bad.  Not to say he wasn't a little disappointed she wasn't more excited--another baby!--but her points were valid, and he'd do his best to fix it.  "Or I could ask for a leave from work, if you wanted.  For a few months, and stay home with Harry and the new baby so they'd still have a parent about while you worked.  We'll figure it out.  You know I'd do anything to make you happy."

"I know, love," Lily said.  "Now go on, really.  And hurry up.  I'd like to take it before the party."

"Sure, of course," James said, and kissed her on the cheek.  "Back in a flash.  You won't even notice I'm gone.  I swear!"


***


"I can't say that pregnancy tests are really my forte," the guy said, uncomfortable, tugging at his collar.  "I mean, a lot of women buy that one," he added, gesturing to a blue box, "But other than that... I mean.  You know."

"Yeah, yeah," James said, absorbed in reading the information on the back of three different boxes he was juggling.  "But which one is most accurate?  I mean, which has the lowest rate of false positives?"

The pharmacy guy laughed awkwardly.  "Well, I mean, if you really want to be sure that your girlfriend's not pregnant, best take her to a doctor, mate."

James, so focussed on reading the stats (did they really need to put it in such small writing?), took a moment to absorb the guy's words, and then looked up suddenly, affronted.  "Well!  I'll have you know that these are for my wife, and I'd rather make sure she is pregnant, actually, and not just sick with a bad bout of flu.  So.  So there.  And I think I'll take all of them and let her decide, since you obviously can't help me.  Ring me through."

"Sorry, uh," the guy said, taken aback by James' need to stand his ground.  Christ, wasn't he a little young to be married?  "I'm not a cashier, dude.  Till's over there."


***


"Oi, Lils, I'm back!" James called and made for the kitchen.  "Oh, hello Alice, Frank.  Hi Nev, buddy, how are you?  Good to see you all.  Bags, bags everywhere or else I'd hug.  Sorry I took so long, by the way.  These bags are for the kitchen, and I'll just take this one upstairs."

Alice blinked, not even able to get a word in edgewise, and laughed as James set a couple of the bags down and then bustled out of the room again.  "Goodness, I've forgotten how exhausting James can be.  I don't know how you do it.  Is he like that all the time?  Like a whirlwind?"

"Only when he's high on himself," Lily said.  "And I hate to be a bad hostess, Alice, but I'm going to go take care of that thing I told you about.  I'll send James down as soon as I can.  Hopefully no one else'll show up until.  Well."

"You just take your time, sweetie.  Neville is having fun looking through all the cupboards he can reach in search of food.  He'll be content for at least another forty five minutes," Alice said sweetly, and shooed Lily out.

"Is she all right then?" Frank asked Alice after Lily'd left the room.  "She looks quite tired and stressed."

"She's fine, Frankie," Alice said, pecking Frank on the lips and then smiling.  "She has a lot on her plate, is all.  She might be pregnant.  Mum's the word, though, until she knows for sure and decides if she wants to start telling people."

"Well then," Frank said, surprised.  "A lot on her plate indeed."

Upstairs, Lily slid into the bathroom.  James was waiting for her with the test box in his hand, looking nervous.  "Harry's not being a very enthusiastic birthday boy," Lily said, trying to distract herself.  "He woke up fussy, let me change him and put on his clothes, then went back to sleep again."

"Maybe he's nervous about growing up," James said pragmatically, and then pointed at the two other boxes on the counter.  He handed her the one he'd been re-reading.  "I think that one's the best, but couldn't decide for sure.  You pick."

"I'll take this one then," Lily said, looking at the writing on the box, but not reading it.  "You know, the last time I took one of these things, I was alone in the loo at school.  Would you believe I tore it apart and screamed at it when it came up positive?"

James' face crunched all up with regret.  "I'd have done it with you, you know.  I mean, obviously not the actual test.  But I'd have sat with you.  That's what boyfriends are for."

"So many irrational things were going through my head when I first thought I might be.  I was so scared to tell you.  I was afraid... and it sounds stupid, especially now, but I was afraid you'd leave me, or tell me you didn't want it."

"Oh Lils," James breathed and pulled her into his arms.  "You're freaked this time too, aren't you?  Beyond just... job worries."

"Yeah," Lily answered, returning the embrace.  "Just... Christ, James.  It was so hard the first time, and Harry's only one... We've grown up so much because of him, and I love him so, so much, but we're only 19.  It's just.  It's scary.  We hardly have time to act our age, James."

"I know.  And you know I'll be with you every step of the way.  We'll just face it as a family," James said softly, and then cracked a smile, hiding it in her hair.  "I'm sorry, though.  It's my fault.  I'm just... too much of a stud."

"Stud?" Lily laughed.  "You're so transparent, James.  You're giddy and excited and smiling.  All right.  Let's do this.  We have a party to host."


***


Harry was sitting up in the crib waiting for her when Lily went into the nursery to get him.  He lifted his little arms to her and she gathered him up with a smile, and patted his bum.  "Oh Harry," Lily sighed, as he leaned into her and went to stick his thumb in his mouth.  Lily caught him, reached to the dresser for a soother and stuck it in his mouth.  "You know what I was doing almost a year ago today, Harry?" Lily asked, sitting down in her rocking chair and holding him close, not quite ready to go downstairs.

"A year ago, around this time, I was lying downstairs, and me and Daddy, and Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius, we found out we were going to have you and we had to rush to the hospital," Lily said in her soothing, story time, mummy voice.  "And you were in a big hurry, Harry.  You didn't give Mummy and Daddy time to say hello.  You caught us by surprise."  Harry blinked up at her, sucking in on his soother.  Lily smoothed his hair down. "Having a baby is a scary thing," Lily continued, smiling down at him.

"When they put you in my arms, Harry, it was the most amazing and intimidating feeling.  You didn't cry, you just blinked at me, and wriggled around..."  Lily kissed Harry on the top of the head.  "And now you're going to be a big brother.  You're going to have a little brother, or a sister, and Mummy and Daddy get to have that wonderful feeling all over again," Lily said.  "Maybe someday you'll have lots of little brothers and sisters.  Would you like that, sweetums?"

Harry nestled into her chest again, and Lily laughed.  "No, I suppose you'd love to be spoiled to death, wouldn't you, birthday boy?  Speaking of birthday's, Mummy needs to stop procrastinating and get you down to your party.  You only turn one once, little man."


***


Lily had gone downstairs to find James entertaining not only the Longbottoms, but the Weasleys as well.  They'd invited Molly and Arthur, and they'd brought all seven of their children.  James was looking a little shocked at the sudden influx of people, but Fabian and Gideon were there, herding the little creatures around with the ease of men who'd seen them at their worst and knew this was nothing.

Caradoc and Marlene were there as well, and though Caradoc seemed content to stand off to the side, Marlene was right in the thick of it, scooping Bill into her arms and tickling his attention away from the cake on the counter.

Shortly after, Sirius and Remus arrived with smiles and kisses and presents for Harry (a large truck with a handle so he could walk behind it to push it around from the both of them, and the extra little gift of a noise maker from Sirius and earplugs from Remus).

Edgar and Dorcas arrived then, with Ed's niece Susan, and she and Neville shyly offered each other various toys, much to the amusement of all the adults.  Narcissa and Lucius were the next, and last, to turn up, very nearly on time, and both the parents and little Draco were dressed to the nines, as usual.  Narcissa said she'd arranged for the present--a mobile, handcrafted by some French artist neither of the Potters had ever heard of--to be delivered on Harry's actual birthday (Saturdays were better for parties, and so Lily and James had arranged the party for the 28th instead of Tuesday the 31st).

The house wasn't small, but it certainly wasn't built for so many people, and they all made their way out back.  The lawn was decorated with lanterns and balloons, and they all enjoyed a nice meal prepared by James on the barbecue.

Soon it was time for cake, and Harry, as predicted, loved it and immediately dug his hands right in, turning and smearing it onto Draco's head gleefully.

Draco looked at Harry, then at the adults, most of whom were laughing, except for Narcissa, who looked a cross between displeased that her son was covered in cake, and amused that her son was covered in cake.  Practically every inch of Harry was wearing blue icing, and he was giggling and saying, "'Ake!  'Ake!"

Draco, after a moment of trying to decide if it was funny or horrid, burst into angry wails, and reached his little hands into his cake covered hair.

James snickered.  "He's not very hardy, is he?  You'll have to bring him over more often.  Harry'll toughen him up."

"My son doesn't need toughening up.  He needs friends who aren't ruffians," Narcissa retorted, but she was still hiding a smile.

"You do realize you're talking about one year olds?" Remus pointed out, smiling.

"Yes, but just wait until they're older," Lily mused.  "Imagine us all in 15 years," she said.  "Imagine us all as parents of teenagers.  You too Edgar, Dorcas.  I wonder what sort of relationships we'll all have with one another then, and what our kids'll be doing."

"Probably the same things we were doing when we were 15 and 16," Edgar said.  "And that's not altogether reassuring."

Molly burst out laughing.  "Not altogether reassuring?  Perhaps you lot don't remember the full extent of it because you were the teenagers in question, but goodness!  There were police involved, and secret societies, and sneaking about and breaking laws.  You'd better hope your children aren't quite as outrageous a group you lot were, or you'll be grey before you're thirty!"

"We weren't that bad, Molly," Fabian piped up.  "We were just... spirited kids, that's all."

"Spirited?" Dorcas snorted.  "We're all fu-- uh, we were all menaces, we were."

Dorcas had already been shouted at for her language (and she didn't listen to very many people, but Molly Weasley was a force of nature, and it was just easier to listen, Dorcas thought), and so she was attempting to censor herself, at least around so many little ones.

"I want more cake!" Charlie shouted suddenly.  "Can I have more cake?"

"Me first!  I'm older!" Bill said, holding his plate out and practically climbing on the table to get closer.

"Something tells me your kids are going to be just as, ah, spirited as we were.  Are.  What's with all this past tense?  We're still ruddy menaces, thank you," James said, smiling widely.

Just then, Draco apparently decided he didn't like being ignored, and if he wasn't going to get attention for crying, he'd do it the way Harry had.  So, he scooped up what was left of his cake in his little fist, and smeared it right in Harry's face.

Harry, for his part, just laughed and said again, "Ake!  Mo' ake!"

Chapter Twenty-Six <-- Chapter Twenty-Seven --> Chapter Twenty-Eight