Stolen Time

Watching and Waiting

xxxxxx

'Let me go, Lily!' James strained against Lily's grasp, struggling to free himself.

'What do you think you're going to do, James?' she snarled.

'I don't know!'

'There's nothing you can do,' she declared.

James sagged against her, making Lily stagger a little under his weight. James was a good eight inches taller than she was. 'He's crying...' he whispered. 'He's crying, and they're not doing a damn thing to soothe him...' He rocked against Lily, his breath harsh in her ears. 'How can they just leave him like that?'

'I don't know...' Lily's murmur was anguished. She longed to cradle her baby, to cuddle him against her and quiet his cries.

xxxxxx

'Look at him go!' James crowed. 'He's a bloody natural!'

'Wish you could be there, don't you?' Lily slid her arms around his waist, her head resting against his shoulder.

'He's brilliant,' James breathed. 'He ought to play for England someday.'

xxxxxx

Lily sat huddled in the middle of the rug, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her baby - not so much a baby now - had just faced death in the face. And lived once more. It wasn't the scene at the graveyard that made her want to weep. It was hearing his raw, grief-stricken sobs. They echoed in her bones.

She envied Molly Weasley, able to comfort Harry, when it should have been her.

xxxxxx

James flinched as a firm smack landed on the back of his head. Sirius ducked, a smirk gracing his nearly-too handsome features. 'Stop it,' Lily commanded.

'I wish someone had given me that for my seventeenth birthday,' Sirius whistled softly. 'Didn't know he had it in him.'

James pointedly checked his watch. 'Bloody hell...' he said appreciatively. 'That's my boy...'

'Aw...' Sirius growled in disappointment. 'Ron always did have rotten timing.'

Lily's eyes popped open. 'Can I look now?'

'Yes,' James assured her. 'Ron interrupted.'

'Thank Merlin for small blessings,' Lily muttered. It had gotten far too passionate for her taste. They were still children, for goodness' sake.

'Got to wonder, Prongs, old boy... How far do you think they'd have gone if they hadn't been interrupted...?' Sirius muttered in an undertone.

xxxxxx

Helpless.

It made Lily rage inwardly. This sense of utter helplessness. She watched as Harry's nightmares grew worse and worse, as he plunged into ever-widening gulfs of guilt.

And she was unable to do anything.

It wasn't fair. Mothers should be able to do something.

xxxxxx

'Did you ever think he'd be getting married?'

'You mean when he was spitting up all over my last clean jumper?'

'Yeah.'

'No.'

James was silent for a moment, listening to Harry recited his vows to Ginny. 'I like her,' he murmured.

'So do I,' Lily replied, her breath catching as Harry slid Ginny's ring onto her finger.

'I love you,' James said, tipping Lily's face up, and dropping a soft kiss on her mouth.

'I love you, too.'

xxxxxx

'James!' Lily ran through the valley. 'James! It's a boy! It's a boy!'

'It's over?'

'Yes!' Lily beamed with joy. 'He's perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a head of messy black hair.'

'Hiya, Grannie,' James teased.

'He did what?' Sirius yelped.

Snape allowed a small smile to grace his features. 'Seems he named his child after me.'

'Is he spell-damaged?' Sirius growled.

'In case you forgot,' Snape drawled bitingly. 'I made it possible for him to destroy the Horcruxes, and thus destroy V-v-v-v-voldemort.' Snape glanced over his shoulder out of habit, still not comfortable saying the name.

'Fine,' grumbled Sirius. He glanced slyly at Snape. 'But his firstborn is named after me,' he crowed, unable to resist the urge to get in the last word.

'Oh! God! My eyes!' James clapped a hand over his face.

Remus glanced at James in bemusement. 'Dare I ask?'

'No. Just wait until Teddy gets married and shags his wife on his kitchen table,' James muttered.

One of Remus' eyebrows rose slowly into the hair that flopped into his eyes. 'Could have... Well, I was going to say I could have lived my whole life without hearing that, but seeing as how I'm dead...'

'Could have lived the rest of Teddy's life without hearing that,' suggested Tonks. 'And you should talk,' she added.

Remus coughed and blushed, looking abashed. 'Yes, well... We're talking about Harry now, aren't we...?'

'Our granddaughter's getting married...'

'Yes, she is.'

'Not sure I agree with her choice of spouse,' James grumbled.

'Oh, hush you. He makes her happy.'

'I suppose.'

Lily dug an elbow into James' ribs. 'If Harry's fine with it, you can be fine with it, too.'

James sighed. 'She's as beautiful as you were on our wedding day...'

'Lily, wake up...'

'What?' she mumbled sleepily.

'He's here,' James said simply.

'Oh, Ginny...' Lily sighed with a hitch in her breath. She'd grown to love the feisty woman who held her son's heart in her hands, and had done so steadfastly for decades. 'She'll be devastated.'

'I don't think she'll make him wait long,' James commented. 'Let's go.'

They stood at the edge of the valley, watching their son wend his way toward them, the conflicting emotions of unease, wonder, despair, and hesitant joy bombarding them in waves from the young man. Harry came to a stop in front of the pair, his mouth opening, but no words emerged. He fell into his parents' arms, the missing piece of his life settling gently into place.

Lily and James' arms wrapped around Harry, Lily's hand stroking Harry's untidy black hair in wonder. It had been white mere hours ago.

'Welcome home, son,' James murmured.