"Today's the day!"
"Today's the daaaaay!"
"It's finally happening, for sure this time."
"I'm so excited!"
"He's going to freak out!!"
Lily beamed as she snapped her fingers, instantly conjuring a bowl of popcorn, and plopped down on the sofa beside her husband. "What are you most excited for?" she asked James as he turned up the volume.
"Minnie to tell Harry that we aren't bloody drug addicts," James scoffed.
Lily narrowed her eyes, anger tight in her chest. "I hope someone curses Petunia to hell and back for that one."
"Oh, Minnie will," James said confidently. "As soon as Harry tells her what your damn sister said, Minnie's going to rain hellfire down on them."
"Good." Lily didn't like to think that she was a vengeful woman (spirit? ghost?), but she'd spent ten years watching as her son lived the worst kind of life.
And it would finally, finally, end today.
Because today was the day that Albus sent McGonagall and Severus to go deliver Harry's Hogwarts letter and her poor baby would finally have a home. He could make friends. He could be safe. And for the love of God, he could finally eat.
Lily couldn't wait to see him at the first feast, she hoped he ate everything in sight.
"Shh, shh!" James shushed her even though she hadn't even spoken. "Look! They're walking up to him now!!"
Lily tossed a handful of popcorn in her mouth and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, eager to hear every single word spoken.
They saw Harry sitting on a park bench, alone and dirty and probably hungry as usual, and Lily could have cried to see how Harry watched the kids running around playing with their siblings and their parents.
Her baby deserved that.
Her baby should have gotten a whole houseful of brothers and sisters and he should have gotten his parents.
Lily hoped someone killed Percy Weasley's pet rat really bloody soon and really bloody viciously.
"Mister Potter?"
James grinned a little when he saw Harry jump up and immediately glare at Snape.
He stopped grinning though when poor Harry stuttered through a terrified denial of wrongdoing.
It wasn't funny at all anymore.
"Why would we arrest you?" McGonagall asked Harry, sounding shocked after Harry accused them of trying to lock him up.
"He's so scared," James murmured sadly to his wife.
Lily nodded in miserable agreement.
They watched Severus introduce himself, immediately setting Harry off.
"Professors, eh? 'M not fallin for it. I'm not mad and I'm not goin' to your Hogwarts. Go. Away."
James let out a startled laugh. "Bloody hell, did he just imperious Minnie?!"
Lily certainly didn't find it so funny. "Yeah, James, hilarious. Now he's stuck with Severus. And I told you that Harry was using imperio. Remember that kid from the shelter? Harry made him walk out in to traffic after he got done abusing our son."
"Well that little bastard certainly deserved it. I wish it had been a bus instead of a car that hit him," James muttered darkly. "Oh, shit. Snape's pissed now."
"Mr. Potter, enough of these games. We are not here because we believe you have a mental deficiency, although judging from your lackluster appearance and less than stellar manners, that is debatable. Rather, we are here to deliver your Hogwarts acceptance letter as you have deemed yourself too important to return from your little friends' homes to receive it from your relatives. Minerva, give the boy his letter so we can be finished with this tedious task."
"Fuck him!" James howled. "Our son does not have mental problems, Snivellus, he's god damned homeless, you greasy arse!"
Normally Lily might feel just a little bit of sympathy for her old friend, but right now she was just as angry as James.
"Unhand my son!" she yelled, throwing popcorn at the tv as Severus grabbed Harry's arm and obviously scared the hell out of him. "I swear to God, Sev, I will kill you!!"
Lily actually growled as Severus began dragging her baby across the playground while Harry stuttered and stammered through a plea to be let go.
This was not how she wanted her son to be introduced to the world of magic.
"Oh. My. God." James' eyes went comically wide behind his glasses and Lily choked on the popcorn she still had in her mouth. "Did you see that?!"
Did Lily see her son just stun Severus, leaving him out cold on the edge of the playground and slip away with a smug little smirk on his cute face?
Hell yeah she did.
"Ugh!" Lily ground her teeth in frustration as Harry began jogging through the crowds of families, obviously trying to put as much space between himself and Severus as he could. "James! He didn't get his letter!"
"Son of a bitch," James scowled, earning a smack from Lily just as it always had.
***
"HE'S ON THE BUS!" James yelled to Lily. "Hurry, babe! Hurry!! Snape is on the bus with Harry now!!"
James chuckled as Lily dove head first over the sofa and folded herself up like a kid on the rug in front of the TV.
"What did I miss?" she asked breathlessly.
"Harry found some money and he looks like he's having a good day," James dutifully informed her.
It was their agreement. Whenever one of them left the house, the other one watched over their son. Lily went to go visit her parents for a bit, but thankfully she made it back in time for what James hoped would be Harry's last day of homelessness.
Because, god damn, he'd left his son a bloody fortune.
James hadn't appreciated having money when he was a kid. In fact, he was a spoiled little shit. But James was so overwhelmingly grateful to his brilliant father, and his grandfather before him, for building such a vast amount of wealth that James' son could finally get out of poverty.
He hoped Harry bought as many stupid, pointless, silly items as he could when he got to Diagon Alley. He hoped Harry bought a whole new wardrobe and finally felt like he owned something.
Because seeing his son clutch a single muggle note with a wide smile and eyes hollowed out by hunger was causing James as much pain as any of the other horrible things he'd seen his son deal with in his life so far.
If anyone deserved to be a spoiled little shithead, it was his Harry.
"I suppose you think you're clever, do you boy?"
"He is clever, you fucking git," James scowled. "I'd like to see you survive all this time on your own."
"Hush," Lily scolded him. "Harry's upset."
Probably because Snape looked like a bastard.
"Are you truly so idiotic to be showing such a blatant disregard for the Statue of Secrecy in front of a bunch of Muggles, boy?"
"As if he knows what muggles or the Statue of Secrecy is," Lily yelled, despite just telling James to be quiet. "Open your eyes, Severus!"
"Oh, Harry's pissed now," James grinned, seeing Harry snap right in to feral mode after slyly sizing up Snape.
"What 'zactly 'sir' do you want from me? 'Cause I don't got any money and my parents will be wantin' me home real soon."
Oh.
That hurt.
James and Lily exchanged a look of misery at Harry's lie. As much as James would kill to be able to hug his son, hold his son, protect his son, he didn't want him to join them at their quaint little cottage in the sky just yet.
He could wait for Harry.
For years and years and years he would wait for his son.
He just wished that people would quit trying to send his son to his arms prematurely.
"Potter, unless you have began referring to your relatives as your parents, I am well aware your parents died almost 10 years ago and thus are not anxiously waiting for your arrival home."
"Finally," James muttered. It was cruel, seeing Harry get news like that on a dirty bus, but damn he was sick of seeing his son approach every strung out man on the streets with dark hair hoping that one of them was James. James didn't want his son to think he was some drug addled bum who dumped him off with Petunia, but more than that- he didn't want his son to keep hoping to find him one day.
He could see how much it hurt Harry every time his hope was crushed.
"If he grabs our son one more fucking time," Lily snarled as Snape grabbed Harry's arm and wrenched him off the bus. "God, for someone who feels so terrible about what he did, he's certainly being a bastard, isn't he?"
James held his tongue.
But, yeah. Snape was being a bastard.
Okay, wait. Snape was a bastard, but he was a bastard who was buying Harry lunch. And god knew that Harry needed a meal in him.
"I don't got no money to give you for the food," Harry muttered to Snape with a heavy blush.
"Good thinking, baby," Lily said encouragingly. "Keep that money."
"He'll have plenty more soon," James said hopefully. The first fifty damn letters didn't get to Harry, even though James and Lily held their breath every time an owl flew to their son, but surely even Snape would make sure Harry got it this time.
James grinned when Harry very evasively, very cunningly, sidestepped Snape's question about how he knocked him out when they met at the park.
He bet Harry would be a hell of a card shark if he ever got a chance to play with someone other than the little brats in the shelters that robbed his kid while he slept.
"There's their food," Lily said, jumping up and snuggling in to James' side on the sofa. "Finally."
Harry didn't immediately start eating though. Instead he glared at Snape. "You sure that after this I won't owe you nothin'? 'M not going to eat this then you try and ask for some sort of favor from me?"
"Our poor boy," Lily said softly. James threw an arm around her and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling sick to his stomach as his son felt the need to ensure that he would be allowed to eat something without having to trade himself for it.
He wished Remus would get his head out of his depressed arse and go transform in downtown London on the next full moon. Just absolutely destroy every disgusting muggle who put their hands on his son.
And then, oh he didn't know, maybe talk to Harry? Sure, James didn't make him godfather, but he'd damn well expected Remus to be Uncle Moony to Harry after he died.
And he'd been disappointed ever since.
Peter was a traitor. Sirius was in prison. And Remus never once tried to check on Harry.
Some fucking friends they were.
Lily let out a sigh of relief after Snape assured Harry that the only thing he wanted in exchange for lunch was some answers.
James privately hoped that Harry ate his lunch without telling Snape a damn thing. But, at the same time, James wished Harry would tell Snape everything and maybe someone would finally help his kid.
It shouldn't have been so emotional, watching their son eat lunch, but the last thing they had seen Harry eat was a half-empty package of crisps out of a dumpster. So, yeah. It was a big moment really.
Lily laughed when Harry gave Snape an incredulous look when Snape mentioned owl post.
"I don't understand what Severus doesn't understand," she said. "I swear it's like he thinks he's talking to some spoiled pureblood kid who knows all about magic."
"Because Snape's a moron," James said. He kept his arm securely around Lily and leaned forward when Snape finally mentioned Hogwarts and wizards to Harry.
"So it is magic that I can do?" Harry breathed. James saw the spark of joy hidden deep in Harry's perfect eyes and finally felt a smidgeon of peace in him.
It had been a long ten years of watching his son's miserable life, but finally Harry would get to join the magical world that he was born to be in.
Finally.
"What all, exactly, can you already do, Potter?"
"Don't tell him everything," James said. "C'mon, Harry, don't spill all your secrets."
James didn't care what vow Snape made to protect Harry, he didn't trust him.
For good reason, obviously.
"He's going to," Lily murmured, nodding towards Harry's face that was lit up with joy. "Watch."
Sure enough…
"I can make things move without touching them. I can make people and animals do what I want. I can talk to snakes. I can move different places just by thinkin' about it. I can take away my cuts and bruises and make myself warm when it's cold out. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me… I can make them hurt if I want."
Because James' son was a bloody genius.
Also, a little bit terrifying.
"Sev's shocked," Lily smirked smugly. "Bet you didn't think he'd be so awesome, did you?" she taunted the television.
"Do you think he'll see it?" James asked Lily anxiously. "See what Harry's saying?"
"I don't know." Lily bit her lip as Snape talked to Harry about how Hogwarts would help him control his magic better. "Damn. I hope so."
"FINALLY!" James shouted, thoughts of Snape picking up on Harry's shit life temporarily pushed from his head. "He's got it!"
James and Lily high-fived as their son finally got his letter to Hogwarts.
"S-sir.. does this Hoggywarts have any charity funds for kids with no money?"
"Potter, firstly, the prestigious and advanced school for witches and wizards is called Hogwarts, not whatever nonsense name you just spewed. I regret that your relatives did not inform you, but when you go get your supplies from Diagon Alley, I believe a trip to the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, will enlighten you to your very much non-impoverished state."
"You're rich, Harry," James yelled at his son. "Go spend all the gold you can!"
"I hope he goes crazy," Lily grinned. "I hope he goes right now!"
James did too.
But, oh… oh, no…
"You said that my mum and dad are dead? Are ya sure?"
"Oh, baby." Lily's eyes got cloudy, as they always did when they watched their son, as Harry finally learned the truth about the two of them.
James and Lily were solemn and silent as Snape, almost accurately, explained to Harry how they died.
James wished he hadn't thrown Sirius under the bus, but maybe Sirius shouldn't have acted like a bloody madman when the aurors showed up to the explosion. Then Harry could be living with Sirius, spoiled and happy, instead of on the streets.
"He's going to cry," Lily sniffled as Harry's eyes welled up with tears.
"Good," James said softly. He didn't want his son to be upset or unhappy, but Harry hadn't cried in years. It wasn't healthy.
And even Snape couldn't be so much of a bastard to ignore a kid crying over his dead parents.
But Harry pushed his tears away, and politely thanked Snape for the information.
Lily snuggled a little deeper in to James' side, and James tilted his head down to hers as they watched Harry carefully make his way from the little diner to a thrift shop.
"Oh, red trainers," James chuckled a little as he saw what Harry spent the money he found on. "Those will look good with his new red ties."
Lily, apparently, seemed to find that the absolute peak of high comedy, because she laughed so hard she rolled off the sofa.
"What's so funny?" James asked her incredulously.
Lily was still gasping with laughter as she looked up at him. "James, you can't honestly think he's going to Gryffindor?"
James puffed his chest out indignantly. "Harry's brave as hell, Lils. Look at what all he's done! What all he's survived!"
"Yeah." Lily grinned up at him from the floor. "Awfully cunning of him to become so self-sufficient and resilient, isn't it?"
James' eyes widened as he looked down at her. "Damn," he swore. "Harry's going to Slytherin, isn't he?"
"Yup." Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Just think, love, we'll have to wear green scarves on game days if Harry joins the quidditch team."
James rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, causing green and silver scarves to appear on both their necks. "Go snakes," he grinned. "Do you really think he'll play quidditch?"
Lily turned to watch Harry leave the thrift shop, making his way to the Leaky Cauldron after long last. "I guess we'll wait and see," she said. "I kind of hoped he'd be a Hufflepuff though."
James didn't really care which house his son went to, as long as it was inside a home.
But he kind of didn't hope his son would be a Hufflepuff. Even Slytherin was better than Hufflepuff.
"Here it comes!" Lily suddenly squealed as Harry came to a stop outside the Leaky Cauldron.
James beamed as Harry squared his little thin shoulders and lifted his chin arrogantly before strutting inside the pub.
Thank god. Finally.
"Oh, shit," James whispered.
Harry was almost immediately swarmed by people and started panicking.
"Severus should have gone with him," Lily said sadly.
Yeah, he should have. Then people would be too disgusted to bother their son if he was hidden next to Snape.
The two of them watched as Harry's face got paler and paler as more and more people approached him and tried hugging him and shaking his hand.
"Albus better give him the fucking cloak the second he arrives," James growled. Harry wouldn't be being bothered by people if he could just disappear beneath the cloak. And, maybe, Harry would have his mum with him if James had the cloak on the night they died.
Damn Albus.
"Straight to the bank, son!" James cheered when Harry finally got someone to open the passage to Diagon Alley for him. "We aren't losers, I swear!"
"Pft, speak for yourself," Lily grinned with her eyes glued to their sons very excited face. "I never did have a job, did I?"
James smiled like a sap down at his wife. "Course you did, babe, you were a trophy wife."
Lily laughed and smacked his leg. "Shut it, you."
The two of them were glued to the television for the rest of the day, ignoring the quiet little knock on their door from one of their friends, as they got to witness Harry's journey through Diagon Alley.
They both laughed when Harry went to Fortescue's and smirked when the man working the counter tripped over his feet to get 'Harry Potter' an ice cream cone.
"Oh, god, he's got your humility," Lily teased James. "He's going to be such a little snot. I can't wait."
James couldn't either.
"Who is that?" James squinted at the television when Harry entered the store for his robes and there was another boy in there. He looked familiar, but…
"I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ugh. Lucius' son.
"That your real name or your street name?"
"Oh my god," Lily giggled at their son. "To be fair, Draco is a stupid name."
"Definitely not as good as James," James winked at his wife, preening a bit as Harry unknowingly used his name as his 'street name'. "Better than Ares though, good thing we didn't let Sirius name him, eh?"
"I- I don't even- what in Merlins name is a 'street name'?"
"Nevermind then, 'M Potter, Harry Potter."
"Please do not let him befriend a little baby death eater," James groaned.
Lily didn't say anything. She just wanted her son to have a friend.
"Take that!" James jumped to his feet when Harry summoned his jacket without a wand right in front of Lucius' son. "That's my boy!"
"Shut up, you toerag," Lily laughed. "Oh! His wand! James! His waaaaaand!"
James knelt down on the floor next to Lily, trying to get as close as possible as Harry made his way to the wand shop.
Not that he needed one.
Harry was so incredibly powerful.
Obviously because his son was a badass.
A powerful badass who just blasted Ollivander in to the wall.
"Oh, Harry." Lily sighed heavily. "He won't hurt you, baby."
"How's he supposed to know that?" James asked with a heavy weight on his chest. "Everyone else does."
James' frank words took some of the sweetness from watching Harry finally get a wand (apparently none of the first seventeen liked him much).
Though they did both perk up as Harry made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron and rented a room to stay in until September first.
If James couldn't be there, providing his son the life he deserved, at least he'd left him enough gold to keep him housed.
He just wished that gold could buy some love and kindness for Harry.
***
"JAMES! HURRY!" Lily screamed. "RUN!"
She heard James trip down the stairs, but she couldn't take her eyes off the tv to check on him.
He was a ghost, or something, though, he was fine.
It was Harry who was having an important moment.
"What is it?" James leapt nimbly over the sofa and landed right next to Lily. "What's happening?!"
"Look!" Lily was beaming as she pointed at the red-headed girl chatting with her baby in a library. "She just told Harry off for doing magic outside of school."
"So?" James was squinting at the tv as the girl tried explaining the laws to their son. "Fuck her, Harry can do whatever he wants."
"My name's Susan Bones, what's yours?"
"It's a friend," Lily sighed. "I think they're going to be friends."
James shifted over and slung his arm over Lily's shoulders. "I mean, she's a cute redhead, maybe they're going to be more than friends. That could be our future daughter in law."
Lily rolled her eyes at James, as if Harry gave a damn about girls right now. Her poor baby probably needed years of therapy before he could even begin to understand a relationship.
"Ugh, maybe not," James laughed as little Susan started talking about the DMLE and raising Harry's hackles. "Man, I almost hope nobody tells him about my job, Lils. I'd hate for him to be disappointed in me."
Lily ignored him as Harry tried explaining what cops were to Susan.
"Well, they go and arrest people and lock 'em up. Sometimes they rough ya up for no reason just cause they're bored and don't like ya. They ain't supposed to arrest good people, only bad ones, but they do whatever they want."
And Harry would know.
Lily was glad the TV's in the afterlife were indestructible, because she threw quite a few quickly conjured rocks at theirs every time Harry approached a cop and got nothing but abuse from them either through overtly aggressive treatment or outright neglect.
Harry earned the right to hate cops.
They were lucky that Lily was dead, or she'd be burning down their precinct.
Harry and Susan chatted for a moment while she explained what her aunt, Amelia, did.
"I miss Amelia," Lily said sadly as she thought of her old friend. "I hope Harry and Susan become friends. Amelia isn't blind, she'll help Harry find a real home."
She felt her heart breaking as Susan described how amazing Amelia was, which was nothing but the truth Lily was certain, because poor Harry looked crushed.
"I bet he wonders why Susan got Amy and he got fucking Petunia," James said morosely. "It's not fair, Lils. We did everything right."
They did.
They made a will.
They set a godfather.
They had a secret keeper.
They gave up their social lives to go in to hiding.
They gave up their lives to protect their son.
And nobody had done a god damned thing for him since.
"Oh! They are friends!" James smiled as Harry and Susan set up a time to meet again the next day. "There's no way that Amy won't see that Harry needs help. Amy's awesome."
Lily nodded absently as Harry dashed quickly from the library to the Leaky Cauldron.
She hated that Harry couldn't even make a friend without having a rough go of it.
She hated how hard her baby's life was. She hated how, as famous as Harry was, nobody seemed to care about just Harry, the boy who needed help.
Except…
"What's he doing there?" James mumbled as they watched Severus slowly approach Harry in the pub and take a seat two barstools down from him. "Harry's just made his first ever friend, he doesn't need any bullshit."
Lily hummed a little thoughtfully. Severus didn't look like he was there to harass Harry, which meant, hopefully, he was there to help him.
"Why'd ya wanna find me?" Harry asked Severus hotly.
"Good question, son," James nodded next to Lily. "Find out what he wants, then crucio the stupid git."
"James!" Lily smacked James on the arm, pointlessly really. Nothing in the afterlife hurt, physically.
The tv held quite a bit of emotional and mental anguish though.
"I simply wanted to speak with you before we lose our privacy to Hogwarts in a few days," Severus said calmly.
"What's he really want?" James murmured suspiciously.
Lily thought of Severus' childhood. She hadn't understood it, not really, when she'd been a kid, but now…
"Maybe he gets it," she breathed, leaning forward anxiously.
"Firstly, I would like to know why you are currently residing in an inn?"
"Well, sir, is that something I have to talk with my teacher about when it's the summer holidays?"
"He's so sassy," Lily chuckled quietly.
"Good," James grinned. "Don't take any shit, kid."
"Oh! James! I think Severus suspects something!" Lily leaned forward even more, her eyes glued to the little boy and the man on the screen as Severus offered to trade questions back and forth with Harry. "C'mon, Sev, help him, damn it."
"When was the last time you saw your relatives?"
"Oh." James and Lily exchanged a quick look.
"We missed something," James grimaced. "How did he figure it out?"
"Maybe he went there?" Lily suggested. "We should check his channel later."
"Terrific," James scowled. "Let's watch the Snivellus channel."
"I don't wanna answer that one."
"I believe you may not realize that I may hold quite a bit of information you might be interested in. So I will tell you something, for free, that may incentivize you to answer my questions lest you get your own questions rejected. I knew your mother, Lily, and we were close friends for over half her life."
"He's going to help him for sure," Lily said slowly. "He never would have mentioned me if he was going to treat Harry like shit, James."
"You think?" James squinted at the screen. "Well, fingers crossed then. Maybe Snape'll send Harry in Amy's direction, eh? She can find him a suitable guardian."
"AH! HE TOLD HIM!" Lily shrieked when Harry told Severus he hadn't seen his relatives in years. "JAMES! HE SAID IT!"
"I heard!" James laughed joyfully. "Here," he clicked his fingers and two champagne flutes popped up for them, "to finally getting Harry off those streets!!"
Lily clinked glasses with James as Harry asked Severus what she was like.
"I hope he makes me sound cool," Lily grumbled a little.
"She was brilliant and funny and was a good singer. You will hear many people tell you of her kindness, and she was excessively kind, but Lily also had a fiery temper and could hold a grudge worse than anyone I knew. She held a grudge against your father for six years because he insulted me on our first train ride to Hogwarts."
"You knew my Dad too?!"
"Noooo," James wailed, his celebratory drink forgotten now. "Lils!! He's going to make our son hate me!! Don't ask Snape about me, Harry!! Wait until you get to Hogwarts and ask Minnie!!"
Lily grimaced in empathy for James. It would be terrible to have the kid you bullied and fought with be the one to tell you son about you, but…
But Severus made her sound pretty cool, so she couldn't really care much about James just then.
"With whom have you been residing for the last three years?"
"W-would you promise not to take me back to them if I tell ya?"
"If he takes you to them, kill them, Harry," Lily muttered. "Just grab a knife and kill them."
James gave her a look out of the corner of his eyes. "Lils, he's a damn magical prodigy. Our kid doesn't need a knife. AK them, Harry!"
"That's painless," Lily scoffed. "They should suffer."
She wanted Petunia and Vernon to feel the misery Harry did under their 'care' tenfold.
She kind of hoped that Severus did it.
He was singularly creative in his curses in just the way that Petunia deserved.
James grinned and tossed an arm around her shoulders, hugging her tightly to his side. "God, I love you."
"Love you— oh, shit!"
"I, Severus Tobias Snape, do solemnly swear on my magic and my life, that regardless of what Harry Potter answers me I will not return him to Petunia and Vernon Dursley's home. So I have spoken, so mote it be."
"Holy fuck balls," James breathed. "He's going to help him."
Lily felt a small bit of warmth flare in her chest for her one time best friend.
That is how you honor her memory.
"He trusts him," Lily whispered after Harry told Severus how he'd been homeless for years. "James, Harry trusts him."
"Damn. He usually has better instincts," James said with a roll of his eyes.
Lily hummed. She thought Harry's instincts were perfect.
"Go Sev," she whispered quietly.
"Oh, good." James chuckled and ran a nervous hand through his hair after Severus said he was satisfied with Harry staying at the Leaky Cauldron until school started. "I thought maybe he was going to let Harry stay with him or something."
Lily laughed and shook her head at James. "Severus hates kids," she said. "He hated kids when he was a kid. He'd go find Remus or cure Alice before he took Harry home with him."
"Yeah, well—"
James was cut off by their son's soft little voice. "What was my dad like?"
"Here it comes, I can't watch, babe." James covered his face with his hands, peeking between his fingers. Lily reached up and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing it reassuringly as she intertwined his fingers.
"He'll hear good things about you at Hogwarts," she said softly. "It'll be okay."
But then Severus shocked the hell out of both of them…
"I was never friends with him like I was your mother. However, I can tell you that James Potter was a talented flyer who played Quidditch for Gryffindor for five years. He also made friends easily, was fond of pranks, excelled at Transfiguration, and most witches at school found him charming."
"That…" James blinked owlishly at the television. "That wasn't bad at all," he said quietly. "Makes me sound a bit shallow, but…"
"But not like the bullying prat you were?" Lily suggested with a true smile for both her old friend, her beloved husband, and her perfect son.
"Yeah." James nodded slowly. "Wow."
The two of them tilted their heads curiously as Severus asked Harry if he had plans for the next day.
What…?
Oh.
"I believe it would be prudent for you to obtain suitable attire before attending Hogwarts next week. I would hate for you to not have the same basic amenities as your classmates."
"Are you sayin' my clothes ain't nice enough for Hogwarts?"
"Good call, Snape," James said seriously. "Who knew Snivellus had a heart, eh?"
"I did," Lily grinned.
She also knew that Severus had a nasty little streak of cruelty, could be a selfish bastard, and had more cunning in his pinky nail than most people had in their entire bodies.
But she thought maybe that was what Harry needed to help him get his life on track.
"I once started Hogwarts dressed in clothes that did not fit me and were more suitable for the garbage than they were for school. It made me a target for whispers, gossip, and jokes which in turn made what should have been the happiest years of my life markedly less than happy. I am aware that you purchased robes but it would undoubtedly make your interactions with your classmates easier if you had leisure clothes that you could wear proudly."
James looked horribly uncomfortable as Severus compared himself to Harry in such a way.
"Hurts to think you would have bullied our kid, hmm, love?" Lily said waspishly.
"I…" James' eyes watered up and Lily took pity on him and wrapped her arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.
"You grew up," she told him quietly. "And… and I think Severus did too."
James gulped loudly, but jerked his head in a wide eyed nod.
"Plus, your grandmother took me clothes shopping when I was a teenager, the summer before my fourth year, and I believe she would be pleased to know I am repaying the favor."
"I didn't know that," Lily said with a frown. "Why did Mum never tell me?"
"Go ask her when Harry goes to sleep," James mumbled. "I'm going to get pissed with Marlene and Dorcas and re-evaluate my entire life."
Lily snorted, then grimaced as Harry's eyes narrowed at Severus on their screen. "He's going to freak out."
Sure enough…
"What kinda bloody game are ya playin' with me? 'Cause 'm not just gonna be 'so bloody grateful' for your help that I'll let ya do anythin' ya want to me. I found some new curses and I'll use 'em."
Lily and James both roared with laughter at that.
It wasn't really funny, Harry being so terrified of adults, but he was just so tiny and cute compared to Severus!
Lily knew her son was deadly, thank God, but he looked like an innocent little kitten with his big eyes and sweet face.
"Alright, alright, we get it." James rolled his eyes as Severus very patiently explained his intentions to Harry. "You're not a nasty little perv, just a greasy git."
Lily gave James a sharp look. "He's helping our son, James. It's a damn sight more than anyone else has done."
"I know." James' deflated a bit. "But… but I wish it was us, babe."
She did too.
"I believe your mother was intelligent and cunning enough that she would find a way to return from the grave to haunt me if I allowed her son to wear rags from the garbage bins to the sorting feast."
"I mean you didn't have to insult him," Lily scowled. It wasn't Harry's fault that he got his clothes from the garbage.
"And it's not like we didn't try," James added.
They did try. They tried for a year to try and find a way out of their afterlife and back to their son. Then, the first time Vernon struck their son, they tried again with renewed efforts. And again when Harry moved from the Dursley's to the streets.
There was no escaping death.
"If I go with ya, will you make another promise? Like before?" Harry asked Severus very softly.
"What's he going to ask?" Lily murmured.
James sighed. "Something terrible, I'm sure."
After Severus agreed to consider it, the two of them watched and listened carefully as Harry took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself.
"Would ya promise not to touch me?"
"I can't," James cried, jumping to his feet. "Lils, I can't. He thinks- he thinks…"
"I know." Lily's eyes felt wet as she reached out to the screen and tried to stroke her finger across her baby boy's scarred cheek. "I hate this."
Having unfiltered access to Harry's life was both the greatest joy of the afterlife and the worst curse.
They could see every smile their baby rarely showed, but they could also see every horrifying moment of his life.
Their baby was only eleven and he'd already been through so much. He'd faced horrors as a child that Lily hadn't even considered as an adult.
But…
But they listened to Severus agree to take a vow to not touch Harry in a way to cause intentional pain or injury and the two of them parted ways for the night with plans to go shopping together the next morning…
Maybe there was finally someone to help their son.
Finally.
"He's going to bed," James sighed. "I'm going to go see the girls, are you coming?"
"Hmm, no," Lily said softly. She moved from the floor to the sofa and conjured a pillow and blanket. "I think I'll lay down."
James looked between his son on the television, curling up in a rented bed, and his wife, laying down despite her inability to actually sleep, and smiled before dipping his head down to kiss Lily's head.
"Love you," he said.
Lily tried to match her breaths to Harry's and imagined she was laying beside him. "I love you."
***
Knock, knock!
"I'll get it!" James yelled to Lily. He rushed to their door and threw it open with a wide smile. A smile that widened even more when he saw Marlene and Dorcas standing on the doorstep.
Marlene had her long blonde hair braided in pigtails with blue ribbons intertwined in them. "Today's the day!!" she sang. "Go Ravenclaw!"
"You're a lousy Lion," Dorcas scoffed good-naturedly. She had her curly black hair braided similarly to her girlfriends, except she wore gold ribbons in hers. "No way James' son isn't a Gryffindor."
James cleared his throat and sent a pointed look at the Slytherin shirt he put on. "We're thinking a snake, actually."
The girls' mouths dropped open and they exchanged a long look before breaking out in to grins and shouldering past James.
"This we have to see," Marlene laughed. "Come on, Potter, order some lager and let's watch the sorting!!"
"Come here!" Lily called to them with a laugh. "Harry's primping! It's adorable!!"
The girls rushed to join Lily in the theater style sitting they arranged for the day while James lingered by the door, spotting a set of identical red-heads in identical yellow sleeveless shirts rushing down the sidewalk toward him.
"We're not early again, are we?" Gideon laughed, flashing a bright white smile as he ran up and clapped James on the shoulder.
"I told you Harry was too young last year," Fabian scoffed, clapping James' other shoulder. "Go Hufflepuff, eh, Jamie?"
"He's going to Slytherin," James said with a confident smile. Was it weird? Sure. Did James care which house his son was in, as long as it came with a bed, safety, and friends? Not at all. "Come on, hurry up, apparently Harry's primping and I'm missing it!"
The twins laughed and followed James to the sitting room. James jumped in a seat beside Lily, right up front directly in front of the wall-to-wall television, and the twins sat behind them while the girls sat beside Lily.
"Aww! He got new glasses!" Fabian laughed. "He looks a little less dick-ish!"
James swatted at him over his shoulder before adjusting his own glasses. Personally, he thought Harry's silver square rimmed glasses suited his little face perfectly.
"Turn on his thoughts!" Marlene cried, waving her quickly obtained pint in the air. "I want to hear what he's thinking!"
Lily obliged her quickly, clicking the button on the remote to put Harry's thoughts on the closed captioning.
The six of them watched as Harry painstakingly picked clothes for the day and they read it as Harry pulled his robes and bag on.
Today's the day.
"Today's the day," Lily echoed with a grin.
Harry had no sooner arrived on the platform before there was another soft knock on the door.
"Come in!" James yelled, unwilling to miss watching his son's reaction to seeing the train for the first time. He grinned as Harry's eyes widened, obviously impressed, then quickly narrowed to a more casual look of boredom.
God his son was awesome.
"Hello. Is today the day?"
James and the others looked over their shoulder to see Regulus standing nervously in the sitting room doorway. Regulus had his hair brushed neatly and a green Slytherin quidditch jersey on- the green match to James' own beloved maroon.
It was an odd friendship they struck up when Regulus met them at the entrance of the afterlife. First, James tried to strangle him. Then, Regulus beat the hell out of him. Then, they went and had a few drinks, shared their stories, and wound up the best of mates.
Sirius would lose his mind if he saw it.
"Yep, you're just in time," James grinned. He gestured to the seat beside him. "Pull up a chair and order a drink. How's Sirius?"
"Crazy," Regulus said drily. "Did you guys see Sev—"
"Yeah, yeah." James waved his hand and watched Harry use his wand for the first time to levitate his trunk to the storage rack of his compartment. "He's not such a piece of garbage, hush now."
Regulus snorted and conjured a glass of something that was undoubtedly expensive as he got cozy in the seat beside James.
"Oh…" the three girls let out quiet cries as Harry settled in to his own seat, peering out the train window, and his captioning broke all their hearts.
I wonder if my dad would have bragged about me to the other parents? I wonder if my mum would have cried when I left?
"Of course she would have," Marlene said as she threw her arm over Lily's shoulder. "Lily's a big 'ol crybaby."
Lily sniffled in tearful agreement.
"And all we do is hear about you, kid," Gideon laughed. "'Harry did more accidental magic today.'"
"'Harry did magic on purpose today!'" Fabian said.
"'Harry escaped the police station today!'"
"'Harry killed a guy today!'"
The other turned and raised their brows at Regulus, who shrunk back a little but raised a single snarky brow back at them. "What?" he said, lifting his chin arrogantly. "I was quite proud of him."
James glanced at Lily before grabbing her hand reassuringly.
They had been too.
But it wasn't as if it had been an ideal situation.
"Incoming!" Fabian cried, breaking the sudden tension of the memory Regulus brought up.
"Ronnie!" Gideon yelled as his nephew slid open the door to Harry's compartment. "Oi! James! Tell your kid to get his wand out of my nephew's face!"
"He's lucky Sev told him not to carry his knife," Lily murmured as she watched Harry decide if Ron could sit with him or not. "Be a nasty shock to get stabbed on the train, wouldn't it, Gid?"
"Sev again, is he?" Gideon grinned while Ron took a seat across from Harry.
"Shh!" Dorcas shushed them as the boys started talking.
"How many brothers do ya have?" Harry asked Ron.
"Toooooo fucking many," Fabian laughed. "I think mum forgot to have the safe sex talk with Molly."
James chuckled and listened as Ron listed off his brothers for Harry. He felt a familiar twinge of sadness at the wistful look in Harry's eyes as he exclaimed over Ron's large family.
"We would have had nine kids," James whispered to Lily.
"You just wanted your own quidditch team," Regulus scoffed.
James cuffed his head playfully. "You could have had one too, and my little Potter's would have kicked your arse."
"OH MY GOD!" Dorcas yelled and jumped to her feet. "He's got Peter!!"
James' jaw dropped as Ron pulled a fat grey rat with a missing finger from his shirt pocket.
"KILL HIM!" James yelled at Harry. "Kill him, Harry!!"
"Kill the rat! Kill the rat!" Fabian and Gideon chanted.
Harry didn't hear them though, and he was focused on the entirely wrong thing in James' opinion.
"What'd ya do to Charlie?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, Ollivander said ya won't get any good magic if ya use someone else's wand and then I read how a wand only lets ya really use it if you beat the owner in a duel, or kill 'em. Ya didn't kill him, did ya?"
It was fine, to kill someone. But dumb to do it to your own brother just for a wand, especially if you could do magic without it.
"He thinks everyone can do wandless magic," Regulus laughed while James smiled smugly. "He's going to be so confused in his first year classes."
"Oh Minnie is going to loooooove him," Dorcas sang.
"I didn't kill Charlie! He got a new wand when he graduated, cause his was worn out, and he gave me his old one!"
"Oh."
Ron just got a little less interesting.
James howled with laughter as Harry's interest in Ron abruptly diminished. "He's going to be such a monster," he said fondly.
"A right terror," Regulus agreed.
They listened to the boys chat for a few minutes, and James was proud when Harry told Ron about not owning any new clothes until recently. He was pissed that the first set of new clothes Harry had came from a muggle store and were bought by Snape, but proud that Harry shared something personal with Ron.
"Who's that?" Dorcas whispered when Susan opened Harry's compartment and immediately scolded him for pointing his wand at her.
"Elaine's daughter, Susan," Lily whispered back. "She lives with Amelia. She's Harry's first ever friend."
"Awwww," Gideon and Fabian cooed simultaneously.
"Wittle Harry has a fwiend!" Fabian said, wiping a fake tear from his cheek.
The boys could be as dumb as they wanted, but James and Lily had waited ten years to see their son make a friend.
"We should have invited Elaine," Marlene said quietly.
"We will next time something cool happens if they stay friends," James assured her.
"Oh! It's Frank Junior!" Dorcas suddenly squealed as Harry again pulled his wand on two more kids coming into the compartment. "Aww, look how cute Neville is!!"
James saw Neville, and the girl who was arguing with his son, but Harry was loads cuter than Frank's boy.
"I like her," Regulus smirked as the new girl doubted Harry's ability to summon Neville's missing toad. "She's a bossy little twit, isn't she?"
"Harry's about to show off," James smirked. "Watch."
"Might wanna move," Harry told the girl with a matching smirk to James' own.
The seven spirits cheered happily as a toad came flying down the train and right in to Harry's hands before being passed over to Neville.
"Look how impressed Ron is," Gideon snorted. "One little summoning charm."
"One silent and wandless summoning charm," James corrected him smugly. "So piss off, Gid."
Regulus laughed so hard he looked ready to wet himself when the bossy girl, Hermione, introduced herself and the little caption popped up with Harry's thoughts:
I'm never calling her that. For one, she's rude. For two, it's a bloody mouthful.
"He's so arrogant!" Regulus cried. "I love him!"
James did too.
They listened with greedy ears as the five kids settled in and began chatting about their families (all of them, aside from Ron, were only children), then talk turned to careers before the compartment door opened again.
Next year I'm locking the bloody door after I get on, Harry thought angrily as he pointed his wand at the new kids' face.
"Next year you'll ride with your new friends," Lily said softly.
"And you'll do it every year," James smiled. Then he groaned as he recognized the little brat that joined them. "Not Draco again!"
Regulus smirked over his drink at James. "Look, Jamie, our kids are going to be friends."
"Draco isn't your kid," Dorcas scoffed.
"He's my nephew," Regulus said haughtily with his nose in the air. "So it's like he's my kid."
James glanced at Regulus and felt a pang of empathy. Regulus was the youngest of their group, only eighteen as compared to Marlene's nineteen, Dorcas' twenty, James and Lily's twenty-one, and the twins' twenty-five.
If he wanted to pretend Draco was his son, then fuck it.
Regulus went out as a secret little legend. He could call anyone he wanted his kid.
… except Harry.
He was James'.
Harry began bemoaning the police after Neville quietly said that his parents had been aurors, driving a small stab of grief in James' chest as he thought being a Hit Wizard had been the absolute greatest career possible.
Grief that left for amusement as Ron muttered that Draco's parents certainly weren't police.
"What 'bout you then, huh, Draco? Is your mum or dad a cop?"
"Er- what's a cop?"
"Muggle Aurors," Susan told Draco.
"Oh. Er- no, Potter. My parents are not aurors."
"Good to know, they got their priorities right, don't they?"
James choked on his drink and Regulus thumped his back while the twins screamed and the girls all giggled.
"He's so oblivious!!" Dorcas snickered. "Oh my god, Marlene, I'm so glad we didn't leave any oblivious offspring behind."
James spared a quick look to Marlene and thought she looked a bit wistful actually, but he wisely said nothing about it. Instead, he listened as the kids began arguing over which house Harry would go to.
"Hufflepuff!" the twins yelled, taking turns in ruffling James' hair.
"Gryffindor!" Dorcas cried.
"Ravenclaw," Marlene grinned.
James and Lily exchanged a knowing look.
Regulus scoffed and picked at his nails. "Slytherin, obviously," he drawled.
It was pretty obvious. And it only got more so when Harry pulled his wand on the trolley lady and Hermione scolded him for it.
"You can't keep threatening everyone who opens the door!"
"Can too," Harry said at the same time James and Lily did.
"She'll never serve him again," Fabian chuckled. "That lady holds a damn grudge. Remember when we stole some pastries and she caught us, Gid?"
Gideon laughed, "Yep. She'll still be bitching about it when she joins us one day."
"But Harry didn't have breakfast," Lily fretted softly. "What if he's hungry? It's a long ride!"
"He'll get dinner soon," James assured her. "Think of how great the feast is going to be for him."
Lily bit her lip and nodded. "Let's order whatever he has, okay?"
James wrapped an arm around her. "Okay, love."
Their group got quiet as the train arrived and the kids made their way to the castle. Harry kept up a careless look of boredom on his face, but his shoulders were tense and his thoughts were swinging between being impressed by the castle and feeling suffocated by the crowd of first years around him.
"It's time," James said happily when Minnie pulled out the Sorting Hat and it sang its song. "Last minute bets, boys?"
"Well Ronnie's a Gryff for sure," Fabian said. "All Molly's boys are."
"I think Hermione's a Ravenclaw," Regulus said.
"Neville seems like a Puff," Gideon chuckled.
"Susan could be a Lion," Dorcas said thoughtfully.
"I bet Harry's a hat stall," Marlene smirked. "He's rather complex, isn't he?"
James wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but the sorting started and he couldn't argue over it.
"Bones, Susan!"
"Elaine was a really nice girl," Regulus said quietly. "I imagine Susan will go to Hufflepuff like she did."
Sure enough- "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"We got one!" Gideon cheered.
"You were Gryffindor's," Lily chided them with a grin.
"Puffs at heart," Fabian winked.
'Granger, Hermione' went to Ravenclaw, drawing a loud cheer from Marlene.
Then 'Longbottom, Neville' was called and they all fell quiet as they waited to see where Frank's boy went.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Frank would be proud," Fabian said with uncharacteristic solemnity.
James conjured up a couple glasses of scotch and gave the twins each one and they held a silent toast to Frank and Alice.
James wished that someone would put them out of their misery; let them join the rest of them in the afterlife where they could actually watch their son. Anything was better than the state they were in now.
"No surprise there," Regulus smirked as 'Malfoy, Draco' was quickly put in Slytherin.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" James yelled. He snatched the remote from Lily and turned it to an impossibly high volume as 'Potter, Harry' was called to the front.
Did he know where Harry was headed? Yes.
Did he desperately want to hear it anyway? Also yes.
"Old Albus looks nervous," Gideon whispered while Harry and the hat talked quietly.
James ignored whatever Gideon saw on Albus' face as he timed Harry's sorting.
Marlene coughed quietly at the five minute mark, proving her right about Harry's likelihood of being a hat stall.
"Bloody hell, what's taking so long?" Fabian grumbled at eight minutes.
"Harry's arguing," Lily laughed, pointing at Harry's captions. "He thinks having separate houses is stupid."
Can't I just have my own house? Like… Potter-World, or something? I'm one of a kind.
"Yeah you are, son," James laughed.
"Arrogant like your daddy though," Dorcas scoffed with a teasing smile.
"Shh!" Lily leaned forward. "Here we go…"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Regulus cheered and clicked his fingers, conjuring refills for everyone and changing their shirts all to green. "Go Slytherin," he smirked.
Go Slytherin, James supposed.
Lily ordered up dinner for everyone, matching exactly what Harry hesitantly chose from the feast, and everyone talked happily while Harry ate and showed off to his new housemates.
"Oh!" Regulus perked up and smiled widely as the meal began winding down. "Jamie, did I ever tell you about the first night traditions in Slytherin?"
All the others, who were all Gryffindor aside from Marlene, gave him curious looks.
"No…" James said slowly. "What happens on the first night in Slytherin?"
Regulus smirked. "Your son's about to be a legend, I'm sure."
And, holyyyyyy shiiiiiit, was he right.
After Snape got done with his delightful little speech ("Sirius Black, a mass Muggle murderer from Gryffindor" made James clench his jaw until his teeth ground together, especially since Peter was in Ron's pocket and heard the whole damn thing), a prefect began talking about duels and James saw his son's face light up.
"Ten galleons that the first kid challenges Harry," Gid whispered to Regulus.
"That's a suckers bet," Regulus rolled his eyes.
"I've got ten galleons that says Harry challenges someone," Marlene said. "Look how excited he is."
James' stomach clenched as an older kid immediately stepped forward and challenged Harry, but Lily laughed softly at Harry's look of utter delight.
"Brill," Harry drawled.
"Oh he is going to kill him," Dorcas laughed brightly. She snagged a bag of popcorn out of thin air and began snacking on it loudly. "Murder number two for our lovely little killer."
"I'm his second, who's yours?" Ron demanded.
"Go Ronnie!" Fabian cheered. "Show 'em how Prewett men fight!"
"As if Harry will need a second," James murmured. "He's wicked strong."
They all seemed to hold their breath as the prefect called for the duel to start and the older boy started taunting Harry.
"Where's your wand, little Potter? Did you give up already?"
"'M sorry. 'Suppose I forgot you must need yours."
Gideon and Fabian laughed so loud that James couldn't hear what the boy glaring at his son sent, but it didn't matter because Harry moved before it even touched him.
"Daaaaamn." Dorcas whistled while Marlene and Regulus cheered. "James, you got any fae in your family? Harry's way too smooth to not have some in his blood."
"Dunno," James mumbled, distracted by his son. "Maybe. I'll ask dad next time I see him. WOAH! Beat his ass, Harry!"
Lily screamed when the older boy sent a crucio at their son and James gripped his drink so tightly he was surprised the glass didn't break.
And Harry laughed.
"He's quite mad," Regulus chuckled quietly. "I love him."
"THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!" James yelled, jumping to his feet as Harry struck the boy back with a silent and wandless curse that had him screaming in agony.
"KILL HIM!" Lily yelled, also on her feet.
"And you wonder why Harry's so violent," Marlene whispered to Dorcas with a grin. "Gets it from these two, he does."
"D'ya give up, little boy?" Harry whispered to the older boy after he was disarmed and panting on the floor.
"No mercy!" Regulus shouted.
And Harry didn't show any. Before the kid could answer, Harry whipped a knife from his pocket quick as anything and cut the boy down the side of his face.
"YES!" Lily punched the air. "Go, baby, go! That'll show them to fuck with you!"
"That's our boy!" James crowed happily. "God, he's so damn cool."
"'M I done? G'night then."
"Holy shit," Fabian laughed as Harry sauntered off, quickly followed by Ron, Draco, a dark skinned boy with black curls, and a little pale boy with brown hair. "He's going to have a whole little gang of crazy ass kids."
"He has friends," Lily said happily. "Finally."
James didn't say it, but he saw Harry's pleasure as he saw his dorm for the first time and ran a hesitant hand down his comforter. He was glad his son looked to be making friends, but damn if he wasn't more happy to see Harry had a bed.
The others trickled out, all with congratulations to James and Lily, while Harry laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling on the television.
Regulus promised to stop by more often, the twins told James to remind them when Harry's first flying lesson came up, and the girls made them swear to tell them how Harry's first day of classes went. Then Lily changed the seating back to the usual oversized sofa and James cuddled up beside her while they watched Harry.
"I miss him so much," Lily whispered in the dark when Harry's internal thoughts finally disappeared and he fell asleep.
James didn't have to reply, she knew he did as well.