Lily and James wouldn't, couldn't, didn't leave their house for days.
They didn't dare even get up to answer their door when their friends came.
How could they?
The first night Harry had been expelled, they had to watch as their son made his way to downtown London, traveling the familiar roads and trolleys with ease before curling up behind a dumpster in an alley and sobbing his heart out.
Everyone else abandoned their son- they certainly wouldn't.
Lily selfishly wished that she could sleep- that she could have skipped seeing her baby boy, the little 6lb5oz boy she delivered, let his endless tears mix with his blood on that night when he slit his wrists open, but she didn't.
She stayed awake, as always, and sang softly to Harry as she let James hold her and wondered if her baby would be joining them soon or not.
At this point, Lily nearly wished he would. Eternity with his mum would be better than the life of misery he was leading.
She just wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be okay and have it not be a lie.
It should have been awe-inspiring and truly magical witnessing Harry heal when his eyes began to close and his breathing began to slow— had any child ever been blessed by magic such as Harry?
But Lily felt a pang of disappointment in knowing that Harry had to continue on with his horrible life instead of joining them and reuniting their tiny family.
The next morning when Harry woke up, confused and disoriented and blinking at his magically healed wrists in disappointment, James abruptly yelped and jumped to his feet.
"I'll be back!" he yelled before he turned on his heel and ran out their front door.
Lily didn't spare James more than a brief split-second of curiosity. Instead, she watched as Harry tried to rob a convenience store of bread and jam from beneath his cloak.
Someone tripped over him and Harry went pale white and began trembling so hard he stumbled over his cloak as he ran out.
Harry was pacing across the road from the Leaky Cauldron, silently arguing with himself, when James returned.
"Here!" James hauled a telly in to the sitting room and clicked a remote at it. "Aha!" he cried, gesturing grandly to where Severus was arguing with Draco and Blaise. "We needed two tellys and the twins only need one," he boasted smugly. "Let's see if Snape can fix this, eh?"
Lily didn't want to look away from her baby, but Harry turned away from the Leaky Cauldron with a scornful thought that Albus would find him there, so Lily snuck a quick glance at Severus.
"Is Potter's trunk in your room?"
"Yes, sir. That's why we were so worried- his trunk was here but his bed was gone!"
Lily's eyes flicked back to her son as he walked aimlessly down the pathway, his hands in his pockets, his head low beneath his cloak.
"I can't watch him, I have to watch our baby," Lily said tightly.
James slung a reassuring arm over her shoulder. "I'll watch Snape, you watch our son."
"I love you," Lily said to him as she did just that.
James pressed a kiss on her head. "And I love you."
They found a, if not easy, then simple, but routine in the days that followed:
Lily cried while she watched her son slum through London- starving, cold, lonely, and sad.
James growled and muttered while he watched Severus search for their son- desperate, frantic, worried, and angry.
And at night, when Harry wept or slept and Severus raged or researched, they compared their notes.
"Harry won't use his cloak to steal food, he thinks someone will catch him and Albus will find him. He can't- he hasn't been doing magic since that night."
"Susan screamed at Snape again today- she told him he was useless and she was going to kick his arse if he didn't find Harry soon."
"Harry- Harry's in bad shape. He kept walking by that road where the call girls hang out. He didn't stop… but he's starving, James."
"The staff is furious- the papers say Harry's missing and Albus won't consider looking for him, he thinks he's at your sisters."
"He didn't want to, but… but… he was hungry."
"Severus' patronus changed."
Lily looked in to her husband's pained eyes, her interest temporarily caught on both that seemingly insignificant bit of news and the unprecedented usage of Severus' first name by James. "What?"
James' eyes were swollen as he watched their son get in a screaming match with a gang of muggle boys in a park. "It's a fox," he said flatly; emotionally exhausted and miserable. "Severus thinks it's Harry. He thinks Harry's eclipsed you as the person he cares the most for."
Lily looked at Harry's telly in time to see one of the muggles knock her baby to the ground while another knocked the wind out of him with a well-timed kick.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Lily and James clung to each other and cried on Christmas Day- the knocks and sounds of their friends entirely ignored.
James broke down when Severus searched a muddy bank for Harry, at an old man's suggestion, and missed their son by minutes.
"Severus thinks he's looking for a b-body," James whispered.
Lily shook her head as Harry crept along an empty alley and stuck his head in trash bins, searching for bits of food. "He's alive," she whispered, "but…"
"But is it really better there?"
Lily wanted to smile when James described Harry's friends' protest in the Great Hall during the feast. She wanted to feel full of righteous anger as they did, but she was too full of grief and worry for her baby.
"Lily!" James shout broke Lily from her reverie as she watched her son cough and shiver until his teeth chattered as he lifelessly slumped against a brick wall beneath his cloak. "He's found him! He's done it!!"
Lily sucked in air, her lungs protesting as if she hadn't done it in two weeks, and looked from Harry's telly to Severus' with rapid fire turns of her head.
"He did!" Lily saw Severus standing in the same alley Harry was slumped in.
"Potter, it is Professor Snape, would you please remove the cloak."
Lily didn't expect Harry to answer, as beaten down as he was, but he surprised her.
"Go away."
"He doesn't mean it," Lily breathed as she read Harry's thoughts in the bold text on the telly. "He… he wants Sev to help him."
"But he won't ask for it," James pointed out.
Lily watched as Severus marched up to Harry's hiding spot and yanked the cloak off him. "Sev won't make him ask," she said.
And he didn't.
But, oh, did Harry try and push him away; testing his trustworthiness.
"You could take points I guess... Oh wait, no you can't. Maybe give me a detention then? Oh, no, you can't do that either, can you? YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING! Why? Because FUCKING DUMBLEDORE FUCKING TOOK MY WAND AND EXPELLED ME AND NOW MY MAGIC ISN'T LISTENING TO ME! I AM ALONE!"
"I would like to offer you a safe space to reside until I can have Albus' decision to expel you reversed."
"I'm not interested. There's some whores a few blocks east that might take you up on your offer though."
James let out a pained groan while Lily bit down on her thumb to keep from screaming.
Severus pled and bargained with Harry- so thoughtfully and kindly in just the way that Harry responded to- and Harry tried to keep him at arms length.
"You shouldn't help me. I-I don't deserve it. I d-don't even think I'm a wizard anymore."
"No one can take your magic," James told their son quietly. "It's in your blood, always."
"It's the occluding," Lily said while Severus tried to puzzle out what could have caused Harry's emotion driven magic to quit responding to him. "He's doing it all the time, trying to keep himself from feeling anything."
Harry tried to ignore Severus as he gently questioned him, but Severus was as good at reading people as Harry was, likely better even.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
Harry's lower lip trembled and Lily read the pain in Severus' thoughts.
It was one thing for James to tell her that Severus' patronus changed- that he loved their son. It was another thing altogether to see Severus prove it as he cajoled Harry into accepting his help- it was more meaningful.
Lily desperately wished that Harry understood the significance of Severus' patronus when he showed it to him that night, but both Harry and herself were distracted by Severus' mention of Lily's own patronus shift.
"Why would her guardian go from something strong and fast like a cheetah to a damn baby deer??"
"A patronus will change its form based on a deep emotional shift. I believe the obvious shift in her case, was the birth of her much beloved only child."
She loved me enough that I changed her magic?
"I love you more than anything," Lily assured Harry. "I always have and I always will."
"Lils." James gave Lily a solemn and sober look. "You can't trick a patronus."
"Right…?"
James pointed at Severus' fox on the telly and his eyes filled with tears. "He loves Harry. Someone- someone there loves our son."
While Harry slept that night, after Severus gently broke down the mental barriers Harry blocked his magic and his emotions with, Lily and James cried over their son finally having someone who loved him and could actually show it.
***
James didn't know if he wanted to laugh, scream, or cry.
Severus and Amy did it.
They absolved Petunia Dursley's guardianship and Amy gave Harry packets of prospective families who wanted to take over his guardianship—
James saw Amy's own packet in the mix and not Remus'.
but Harry didn't even look at them. He fidgeted on Severus' sofa and mumbled in his lap.
"Can I have Snape?"
Can. I. Have. Snape.
Just four little words, but if Harry was asking someone for something- then it was something his son wanted deeply.
And James did something that he later blamed on the fact that he never got to grow or mature past twenty-one- he went to Regulus' quaint little one bedroom house ('I don't like houseguests') and got pissed on his endless cabinets of liquor he had for display.
"What kind of shit life did I leave behind for my son?" James asked morosely as he stretched across Regulus' sofa with his head on Regulus' very bemused lap. "I'm the worst parent ever. I just died. And now- now Severus is gonna raise my kid because I'm a shit parent."
"And because you're dead," Regulus added helpfully as he idly toyed with one of James' curls. "It is qui.te diffi.cult to ra.ise child.ren wh.en yo.u're dea.d. You could ask my mother, if she weren't burning in hell."
James tampered down a laugh and squinted drunkenly up at Regulus. "Your mum wasn't dead when she raised you though?"
"No, she was," Regulus said seriously, "just on the inside, you see."
It wasn't even a pep talk.
But it did leave James feeling a bit better by the time he made it back to his place the next morning.
It was a slight balm to the wound of Harry's expulsion from Hogwarts to watch him be head-hunted by other schools.
It was not a balm to see Harry begin to spend a lot of time with Lucius Malfoy as the two of them played politics.
But…. But Juliana Zabini's frequent appearances on the telly in those days was a balm to even Lucius' presence.
Juliana adored Harry- and she was trying to kidnap him it seemed like. She sweet talked Harry into meeting with the Italian Headmistress for their school of magic, then sweet talked the Headmistress into setting up a portkey program so that Harry could maintain a permanent residence after classes and on weekends.
And Harry, poor Harry, had no shields against that woman's charms. Hell, James had no shields against it besides his wedding ring and his utter devotion to his wife.
Regulus came back over the day that Harry went shopping with Narcissa Malfoy.
"Your son is a menace," Regulus said cheerfully. "Did you see he went to Gringotts this morning?"
"Oh, Reg, why don't you come in?" James rolled his eyes at the way Regulus just sauntered in his house. "I could be shagging my wife, you know."
"On the sofa?" Regulus sounded scandalized. "Dear Merlin, did they not provide you with a bed, James?"
James grinned at Regulus' shock- poor bloke died before finding out that sex doesn't only have to be in the dark in a bed. "I lost my virginity on the dorm floor," James told him.
"Ugh." Regulus crinkled his nose up. "Poor Lily, you could have at least moved to the bed for her first time."
James grimaced at the reminder that he lost his virginity to Lily- she did not lose hers to him.
"Why's Harry a menace?" James asked after clearing his throat lightly. "He just got some gold to go shopping?"
Because Harry thought he needed to bribe Severus into letting him stay with him. Which was so horribly sad.
"He had Albus removed from the Black vaults," Regulus said cheerfully. He squinted suspiciously at the sofa James was on and conjured a tea towel to lay on the cushion before sitting down- drawing another short laugh from James.
"So?" James shrugged and crossed his arms. "Fuck Albus."
Regulus scoffed. "The Black vaults have always had two names listed- it keeps them out of the ministry's hands in case the owner dies without naming an heir."
"Oh." James felt rather dim suddenly. "Well, Harry named an heir, didn't he? Draco."
"He did." Regulus beamed and seemed younger than usual. "My mother would be so happy. Harry is a menace, Jamie, a true menace."
James shook his head at Regulus and watched Harry furnish Severus' home with Narcissa. He liked to watch Harry shop, it was fun seeing his kid waste a fortune on furniture, he just wished that Harry's little captions weren't worried about 'earning his keep' and 'keeping the score even'.
It was much funnier watching Harry magically repaint Severus' house. Regulus and James both laughed their arses off when Harry squinted the the walls in Severus' bedroom and muttered to himself 'I think he likes black…'
***
Lily gnawed anxiously on her fingernails on the night that Severus went back to his house to discuss Harry's guardianship with him.
She knew Severus cared about Harry- but Severus could still be a cold bastard and she really hoped that he wouldn't be because Harry didn't need that right now.
Lily laughed when Severus was shocked by Harry's redecoration of his house and she grinned when Harry said that he spent Sirius' gold to do so.
"Harry could spend Sirius' money on buying Severus a Russian call girl and I'd rub it in his face when he gets here one day," James muttered darkly, apparently rather disillusioned by his friends.
Which Lily thought was a bit unfair in Sirius' case. Sirius did go get Harry, Regulus told them so. It wasn't Sirius' fault that he thought Albus knew something he didn't when he had Hagrid take Harry to Petunia. And Sirius certainly could have handled the Peter situation differently, but Lily knew sometimes that vengeance could burn away common sense.
If Sirius hadn't went to Azkaban, Lily imagined that he would have raised Harry and spoiled the hell out of him with nonstop affection and gifts.
She sometimes thought Sirius' life was the most tragic of those they left behind, aside from Harry's of course.
"Why Russian?" Lily asked curiously while Harry anxiously watched Severus inspect the changes he made to his home.
James grinned and shrugged a little. "Mum always said Russian women have 'loose morals' and dad said they can 'suck a mean c—'"
"Enough," Lily laughed, smacking James' leg. "Fleamont is shameless. Oh! Here it comes!"
"I talked to Madame Bones and Minister Fudge today about picking a guardian..."
"Don't be a bastard, don't be a bastard," Lily chanted under her breath. "Be cool, Sev…"
"For the first time in your life," James added.
"I also spoke with Madame Bones this morning. She informed me of your request and I accepted. What did the Minister say to you?"
"Ice cold cool!" James cheered. "Harry's so shocked!!"
That's it?! No- hey you have to clean the house or sleep in the broom shed or anything?!
"That's it?!"
"That is it."
"Time to celebrate!" James cried. He conjured a bottle of the wine they'd had on the wedding night and poured them each a generous glass. "Here's to our son finally having a home!"
"Here's to our son finally having a competent guardian," Lily said as she clinked her glass to James'.
James muted the telly and gave Lily a warm smile with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "You know… Reg was rather shocked when I told him that people shag in more than just their bed," he murmured. "Would you care to try out our sofa, Mrs Potter?"
Lily checked and saw that Harry and Severus were just having dinner, so she waved her hand and sent both telly's to another room before waving her hand again and transfiguring their sitting room to a romantic starlit beach.
"The sofa is old news," she told him as she changed her blouse and skirt to something that made James' eyes pop. "Let's see if we can't get sand in positively indecent places."
They were making a good go at it and were quite literally wrapped up in each other when the banging of the front door off the wall startled them- as did the shriek that followed.
"AH! OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" Elaine stood in the doorway with her back now turned to them and with her hands needlessly over her eyes.
Lily didn't shriek at Elaine's interruption, but James developed a full body blush before jerking away from Lily and quickly covering them both in the most ridiculously thick clothing.
"Can we help you?" Lily sighed since it didn't seem as if Elaine were going to be leaving any time soon.
"There was another attack at Hogwarts," Elaine said with her back to them still. "Susan's quite inappropriately pleased. I thought you'd want to know."
"Oh!" James summoned the telly while Lily switched their room back to a more conventional sitting room. "You can look now," she told Elaine. "We're dressed."
Elaine turned slowly and peeked between her fingers before sighing and lowering her hands. Lily rolled her eyes at Elaine's blush and patted the sofa beside her.
James flicked on the telly, switching from Harry's channel to Susan's-
"There's been another attack!" Susan beamed at Severus in his office before throwing her arms around him and hugging him for all it was worth.
Was Lily thrilled that another attack meant her son could return to the school with his friends? Yes.
Did Lily laugh until tears welled up in her eyes as Susan thought to herself how fit Severus was beneath her hug? Also yes.
James grimaced and excused himself while Elaine sputtered.
"Susan has a little crush on Snape," Elaine said with a look torn between horror and amusement. "She thinks he's charming."
Severus could be charming, in his own way, when he cared to be.
Lily thought it was high time someone saw that- she just wished Susan were an adult so she could cheer that girl on.
Instead, she watched as Harry's friends chatted with Harry for a few minutes then trailed back to their dorms, all in high spirits with hopes that Harry would be returning to them soon.
Elaine gave Lily a curious look after Susan climbed in her bed.
"Hey, Lily?"
"Hmm?"
Elaine coughed quietly and sent a furtive look around the empty sitting room before leaning closer to Lily and dropping her voice to a whisper. "Why- how- what position was that?"
Lily raised her brows at Elaine and shook her head with exasperation.
God save her from sexually repressed women.
***
"Alright, Harry, be cool," James murmured the morning that Harry was meant to meet with Albus. "You're innocent and they know it now, no need to—"
"We're suing Dumbledore."
"Yessss!" Gideon laughed and high-fived Fabian. "This is going to be hilarious."
"It's not funny," James said hotly. "Harry doesn't need to go pissing Albus off."
Regulus quirked his lips up in a grin. "Jamie, you may have missed it, but your son did threaten to kill the man. What's a few galleons after that?"
…yeah. Fair enough.
James settled in to the sofa with a pint while Harry stressed himself out in Severus' kitchen—
Harry's kitchen.
Because Harry lived there now.
It hadn't been approved yet, but James heard Amy assure Severus that she could get his guardianship approved. She told him that Harry could ask for any guardian in the world and Minister Fudge would make it happen.
So… so maybe Harry playing politics with Lucius and holding interviews with reporters after Juliana coached him was useful.
James watched with interest when Severus showed up, handing Harry a white box that held a pair of posh (and expensive) dress robes.
"I'll pay you back."
"Harry's going to insult someone with that attitude," Fabian said. "Poor kid can't accept a gift, can he?"
"Harry doesn't like feeling indebted to anyone," James said just as Harry said that exact thing to Severus.
Severus was cunning, James could easily admit it. He seemed to understand 'Harry-speak' in a way that even James occasionally couldn't. James would have struggled to find a way to get Harry to accept a gift, but Severus just dressed it up as if Harry were the one doing him a favor by accepting them.
If it didn't mean that Harry finally had someone that cared for him and understood him, it would be infuriating.
James silently raised a toast to Severus when Harry blurted out his worries that Albus would hurt him and Snape didn't even blink before telling him:
"If he attempts to legilimize you or otherwise intimidate you then you only have to give me a signal and I will ensure he never does again."
As he said- if Severus weren't the best thing that had happened to Harry since James before died, it might be infuriating.
***
"You must be so proud," Dorcas told Elaine. "Susan's so wicked awesome, I wish she were my daughter."
Lily hummed in agreement as she smiled hugely at the banner Susan had hung up for Harry 'WELCOME BACK HARRY!' on it.
"I am… confused," Elaine admitted. "Susan's rather violent… and… she's a bit mean."
Lily laughed. "Who cares? I adore her, I think she's brilliant."
"She's got a foul mouth," Elaine said slowly. "I don't think Amelia keeps her on a very tight leash."
"Pft." Dorcas shook her head. "Women don't belong on leashes. Susan's a feminist icon, I can't wait for her to hit puberty."
Elaine didn't say anything, so Lily listened as Harry argued with his friend Hermione.
"The Muggleborn students are terrified and some of them are talking about withdrawing."
"Not my problem. Muggleborns didn't have an issue with me being expelled, did they?"
"They sure didn't," Lily agreed. "Fuck those muggleborns."
Marlene, who was also a muggleborn, nodded in vehement agreement. "Not Hermione though," she said quickly. "Hermione cared about Harry's expulsion. I watched her over break, poor girl couldn't even flirt with Theo she was so worried."
"Flirt with Theo?" Lily asked, her eyes brightening. "Does Hermione have a crush then?"
"Oh yes." Marlene laughed and began eagerly telling Lily all about the things she'd missed while Harry was expelled.
Harry's friends were better than a soap opera.
"JAMES- oh." Fabian pulled up short after bursting in the sitting room and seeing Lily sitting by herself a couple evenings later. "Where's James?"
"Regulus invited him to go flying," Lily said. She grinned as she gestured to the telly. "He's going to lose the plot when he finds out he missed Harry dueling."
"Yeah he is." Fabian laughed. "Scoot over, Evans, and switch to Fred's channel. It'll be much more interesting than Harry's."
Lily shrugged and did it as Fabian jumped over the sofa and sat beside her. Harry had set up a rematch with the Weasley twins for that night and she very desperately wanted to see him pay them back for breaking his arm and exposing him as a parslemouth.
"Here it comes," Fabian grinned as they watched Fred and George enter the Slytherin common room to boo's and insults.
"I don't know why they'd want a rematch," Lily said with exasperation. "Harry's going to kill them."
"Oh, I think Fred just wants to hear Harry talk to a snake again."
"What do you want if you win?"
Your hand in marriage and eternal love, nothing major.
"We need your snakey powers for a project."
"What the fuck?" Lily laughed while the boys settled the terms for the duel. "Fabian, tell your nephew to quit ogling my son."
"Can't," Fabian told her as he wrapped a friendly arm over her shoulders. "Fred's got a little crush, I'm afraid."
"Why?" Lily curled her lip up as she realized that she didn't actually like Fred's crush one bit. "Because Harry's famous?"
Fabian wasn't put out by her cool tone at all, he just laughed and nodded toward the telly where the duel started. "Nah. Because Harry's terrifying."
And, watching Lily through the filter of Fred's thoughts, she could completely agree.
Harry was terrifying.
She loved it.
Harry was toying with them, taunting them and watching the spells they used.
"You guys fight good together, but it makes you vulnerable and weak," he laughed.
"Yeah? Suppose you don't have anyone you'd be cut open for?"
I would have heard if Harry Potter was seeing someone…
"Fuck off."
Smooth.
"Ah," Fabian waved his hand and watched as Harry cut one of the boys' face. "He's young, Freddie, wait a couple years and try again."
"Or never," Lily said drily. "Harry is a baby."
Fabian must have finally noticed the look in Lily's face because he stayed quiet as Harry eventually finished off the twins by disarming them then flipping them in the air and dangling them upside down.
It was ironic, seeing their Slytherin son use one of James' favorite spells against a pair of prankster Gryffindor's.
"I could kill you with a flick of my wrist."
Boy and I would die a happy bloke.
"Friends?"
I think I love you.
"No thanks, but if you ever decide to join a gang- let me know."
I don't know what a gang is, but I am ready to join.
Against her better judgement, Lily did smile when the twins left the Slytherin room and Fred sighed at his brother.
"I'm going to find Andrew…"
George raised his eyebrows. "Sex or mischief?"
"Neither." Fred shook his head. "I'm going to break up with him."
George glanced back at the Slytherin entrance and laughed loudly. "It'll never work, Freddie. He's probably not even gay."
"Unrequited love is still love."
By the time Fabian left and Lily switched it back to the Harry Channel, Lily was smiling just a little.
It was cute, seeing a kid crushing on her son.
Annoying, but cute.
"The Dursley's hated me and they kicked me out. I think... I think most people will hate me eventually. And then I'll just be alone again, won't I?"
Wait. What the hell had she missed?!
Harry had been in the common room, smirking and celebrating with his friends. Why was he in Severus' office now with his eyes clenched shut and his thin face pale?
Harry's thoughts were no help.
She's right. And he'll see it, then he'll get rid of me and I'm going to be alone again… alone… alone…
"Who's right?" Lily whispered. She swapped to Severus' channel quickly, hoping his thoughts could clear up whatever Lily had missed.
This is not about Ginevra Weasley, this is about the guardianship.
What did the Weasley girl say to her son??
"You believe I will eventually come to hate you and force you out of our home."
Harry nodded curtly and unclenched his fist before clenching it again.
Easily resolved.
Lily's jaw was still hanging open when James returned with windswept hair and pink cheeks.
"You'll never— what happened??" James eyes flicked frantically from between Lily's face and the telly where their son was now sleeping. "Lils, babe, what happened?"
Lily shook her head, still in disbelief. "Harry dueled the Weasley twins and Fred has a crush on him."
"Oh yeah," James chuckled. "I meant to tell you about that."
"And then Sev gave Harry his house. Deed and all. He just signed it over."
"What?!"
***
James had never laughed as hard as he did on Valentine's Day.
"You better get dressed, we told the girls we'd be there soon," Lily reminded him when she saw that James was still sitting on the sofa, laughing his arse off.
"Susan- Susan- she- she sent Harry a valentine!" James howled, actually sliding off the sofa from the force of his full body laughter.
"Aw!" Lily cooed and looked at the telly. "Really?"
"Lils." James swiped at his face despite the lack of tears that should be there. "It sang to him, in front of everyone, and Severus gave her points for it."
"That's amazing," Lily laughed.
"It gets better- Harry said the next person to send him a Valentine gets crucio'd."
Lily's smile didn't diminish in the slightest. "I should have crucio'd you when you sent me that singing Valentines Day howler."
James got up from the floor and stretched before stepping over to his wife and dipping her low and kissing her deeply. "You loved it," he winked.
Lily sputtered a denial, but she blushed just as prettily now as she had then.
***
Lily occasionally had both tellies running at the same time, so she could watch Harry and Severus both.
Occasionally she'd invite Elaine over and they'd watch Harry and Susan both, but mostly Lily liked to watch her son and her old friend.
Tonight though… tonight Lily was torn between laughing and crying at Harry's absolute endless sass.
"What's he done now?" James asked as he plopped on the floor beside Lily.
"He… he found a cursed diary, apparently Luna had it…" Lily said slowly. "And he told Sev that it was a 'real riddle to him'. He was going to give it to him, but some little god damned heathen stole it from Harry's trunk before he could, destroyed his stuff too, I might add."
Bloody little brats.
"And?" James quirked a brow at the telly while Harry and Sev discussed Luna's possible inflictions from contact with the diary.
Lily's lips were twitching like mad as she tried to give James a solemn look. "Love, the diary was imbued with Voldemort's spirit, or something. Harry wrote in it, Voldemort wrote back."
"What?!" James eyes went wide and he stared hard at their son. "Wait… he told Severus it was a real riddle to him?"
"Yeah," Lily nodded. "'Riddle me this', he said."
"Lily…" James had never looked so serious before. "Someone's going to kill our son for his sass one day."
Lily thought of how Harry's housemates were terrified when Severus threatened to leave Harry in charge of punishing the culprit who destroyed his trunk and stole the diary. "I don't think so," she hummed. "Harry's rather terrifying."
Lily and James held a party the next day- inviting everyone over to celebrate Harry's newly cemented guardianship.
"Here's to Harry finally having someone in his life," Lily cried, raising her glass high.
"And here's to Severus never having to spy again, filthy traitor that he is," Regulus smirked before downing his scotch like a professional.
"You're a traitor, love," Marlene reminded him.
"Of course I am," Regulus sighed. "And now Severus has joined me. I simply need to recruit Barty to truly reunite the old gang."
Lily grimaced at the reminder of Barty Crouch Junior, as did the twins who had been quite close to Frank before they passed. But Albus already tried to ruin Severus' guardianship—
"We may be able to find another to take over the boys guardianship… Molly Weasley would be thrilled to take in the boy. Or perhaps even Remus Lupin? You would only have to sign the consenting forms."
—she wouldn't let the celebration party be ruined.
Lily checked on their son, smiling to see Harry sleeping so peacefully in his dorm, and then slipped over by James and the girls.
"Albus threatened to fire Severus for taking over guardianship, and do you know what he said?"
"What?" Dorcas grinned, as amused by James' gushing tone as Lily was.
"He said 'then I'll withdraw Potter and we will leave'!" James laughed. "Can you believe it? My son and Severus are a package deal!"
"I never thought we'd see the day that James Potter would be happy that his son is moving in with Severus Snape," Marlene giggled.
"Bah! It's weird, but Harry's a bit weird, so it works." James waved his hand airily while Lily wrapped an arm around his waist. She was overflowing with pride for all three of her boys, really.
Harry for asking for Severus.
Severus for accepting Harry.
James for accepting both of them.
She wasn't blind or stupid, she knew it hurt James to see Severus take the role of 'adult male caretaker' in Harry's life, but James was also mature enough and loved their son enough to see that Harry desperately needed it.
Which truly made Lily love James all the more.
When the others left that night, Lily cuddled in to James' side and kissed his sweetly. "I'm so proud of you," she murmured. "You're a good man, James Potter."
James gave her a cute smile- shy and sweet. "Think I can trade that compliment for that lingerie again?"
Lily laughed and obliged him— the only perk of dying so young was that her husband was eternally twenty-one and brought his libido to the afterlife.
***
"He's so conflicted," James sighed sadly the next morning as he ate breakfast in front of the telly. "Harry- he isn't going to hurt you."
"Snape would never hurt you," Susan echoed James' exact thoughts.
James really did love that girl.
It was supposed to be a good morning- Harry was supposed to find out the guardianship was approved and be thrilled about it. Instead, Harry read the paper with his friends and progressively became more and more upset. James doubted if Harry even knew why he was upset, his thoughts were indecipherable to the closed captioning.
"I think he just doesn't know what to expect," Lily said quietly as she cut up her fried eggs. "He's probably just worried."
"Yeah." James watched as Severus confronted Harry about the guardianship and couldn't get Harry to verbalize why he was upset. "I just want him to be happy, Lils."
"He will be," Lily said confidently. "He just has to get through this rough patch."
In James' opinion, their son's entire life had been a rough patch.
It didn't get any better, either. Six days after Harry's guardianship was approved— six days of Harry being filled with anxiety and Severus finally breaking and consulting a muggle mind healer— Hermione and Theo confronted Harry and told him they think the monster attacking students was a basilisk.
"Told you so!" Regulus cried smugly.
Lily gave Regulus a horrified look that had him reeling his triumph in slightly. "I mean, ahem… Aah, yes, I thought so as well." He nodded at the telly. "Excellent work you two."
"Can you imagine what all we could do with a pet basilisk?"
"Oh, god." Lily covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stifle her giggles. "James, he's mad."
"No! You are not going to adopt a basilisk that could kill us with only its eyes!"
"At least Draco's got his head screwed on right," James chuckled before cutting himself off. "Wait- did I just say that?"
"I've been saying for years that Draco is brilliant," Regulus sniffed. "He's quite like me."
"How do you kill a basilisk, besides using the crow a rooster?"
"We can't kill it! Basilisks are incredibly rare!"
James raised his eyebrows pointed at Regulus, but Regulus only shrugged as he inspected his nails.
"He isn't incorrect," Regulus drawled.
"Course not," James scoffed. He listened as Harry suddenly changed his tune from 'basilisks would be a great pet' to 'it's worth a bunch of money dead? Let's kill it then'.
"I thought you didn't care if Muggleborns were being petrified."
"Mione, I didn't say it like that. I wouldn't care if it was purebloods that were being petrified either. You know that I don't care about that bloodline nonsense."
"I don't want anyone to be attacked. Just because you don't care about anyone else doesn't mean the rest of us don't."
"No need to be bloody rude," Lily scowled at Harry's friend Hermione. "He does too care for people you little brat."
Regulus leaned towards James. "Does she frequently argue with preteens on the telly?" he asked out of the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah, but I do too," James whispered.
Regulus nodded at the telly where Harry was defending his choice of words and arguing that they shouldn't kill the basilisk until it attacked one more person so they could be shot of Albus. "That's why your son is a lunatic," he said. "He inherited it from you two."
"We aren't killing the basilisk right now or finding the Heir as long as they leave us alone and that is that. We need the basilisk alive long enough to attack one more student so we can be rid of Dumbledore."
"Well if we aren't killing a basilisk then are we gonna play cards or not?"
"Yeah," James grinned as his son relaxed and lost himself in a poker game once more. "He probably did, poor kid."
James and Lily relaxed from the anxiety that news of a basilisk in the same school as their son had given them and were simply watching happily as the kids played poker and Regulus conjured himself up a snack.
Or- James would have relaxed, had his son not just mentioned how 'brill' it would be to kill the basilisk with a sword.
"Draco's dad had a sword, I bet he'd loan it to me."
"Lucius definitely would," Regulus smirked.
To quote his awesome and terrifying and impulsive son:
'Brill'.
***
"Oh, no," Lily groaned at her son. "Don't fight with Susan, Harry, she's the best!"
"Why are they fighting?" Marlene asked casually.
They were both dedicated to pretending not to notice James and Dorcas having an outrageous food fight in the room behind them.
As long as nothing landed in Lily's hair- her husband could be as immature as he wanted.
"Susan wants Harry to talk to Sev about why he's upset and pulling away from him, and Harry—"
"Doesn't want to talk about his feelings?" Marlene interrupted with a knowing smirk.
"Wroooong," Lily sang. "I don't think Harry knows what he's feeling. And Sev's mind healer agrees with me."
"A mind healer? I've never heard of a wixen mind healer? Is that like a counselor?"
"Er… yes?" Lily said hesitantly, not entirely certain she knew what she was talking about. "And he's a muggle, but he's supposed to be a child expert, so… so Sev just didn't mention any of the magic stuff."
"Hmm…" Marlene watched as Harry and Susan sniped rudely at each other then she looked at the other telly where Severus was watching Harry with a thoughtful frown. "It's rather odd, seeing Severus Snape care so much for mental health."
Lily was about to open her mouth and defend Severus- explain how he'd always been a good person at heart, even if she didn't realize it for a while, but then a stray cupcake hit her in the side of the head and she got distracted as she and Marlene ganged up on James and Dorcas and drowned them in the most absurd foods they could find.
Dorcas finally waved a white flag when Lily threw frog spawn soup on her.
She wished Harry's problems could be resolved with a food fight every once in a while.
***
"Lily, I promised him."
"Too bad."
"Just during the match!"
"Nope."
"That's not fair! I went and got the bloody telly!"
Lily raised a thin red brow at James that said more than any words could. He cleared his throat and tried to give her his best pout. "Please? Reg wants to watch Draco and I want to watch Harry. We can switch back to Severus afterwards."
"You could have started with please," Lily grinned. She switched the Severus Channel to the Draco Channel and James settled in beside her as he waited for everyone to come over and Harry's second ever match to start.
"I've got to run to my dorm for my money. I'll meet you guys in the stands!"
"I'll save you a seat."
"Aww," Lily cooed at Hermione and Theo. "Draco thinks they like each other."
James read Harry's caption and snorted. "Our son thinks Hermione should run fast so she doesn't miss the match."
"That's because he's adorable and oblivious," Lily laughed. "Here comes Sev, do you think Harry'll open up to him?"
"On a game day?" James shook his head with exasperation at Lily. "You can't talk about your feelings before a match, Lils. He's gotta stay focused."
"Draco, Harry- good luck today."
Both boys registered the fact that Severus called Harry by his given name instead of his surname. But where Draco shrugged it off, assuming it was a natural progression of Harry and Snape's 'queer relationship', Harry became suspicious.
Am I Harry now because he's pissed?
"What kind of sense does that even make?" James muttered.
"Probably logic only Harry would understand," Lily sighed. She nestled in to James' side and her eyes were soft while she watched their son.
"Harry, will you walk with me to the pitch?"
Harry glanced over at Susan quickly;
D'you think he'll kill me??
Susan smiled and nodded which made Harry scowl.
"Course, sir," Harry said, rather bravely since he was under the impression Severus might kill him.
The first of their friends and family knocked on the door as Harry and Severus were walking to the pitch.
"It's us!" Gideon grinned as he threw the door open before James could answer it. "Aww man," he shook his head at his brother with what seemed like faux-disappointment, "they're dressed this time."
James went red at the reminder of Elaine's intrusion that someone, probably Lily's gossipy self, clearly told the twins about.
"That doesn't mean anything," Regulus squeezed between the twins and haughtily made his way inside. "They shag on the sofa."
If Regulus thought that was going to lead to anything other than the twins mercilessly teasing him until his pale cheeks were glowing red with embarrassment- he was wrong.
Fabian was in the middle of a story about shagging a bloke in the middle of a pub, without any disillusment charms, when he was interrupted by Minnie on the telly:
"Severus!"
"What's got her all worked up?" James asked, sparing a glance for Severus and Harry.
Lily shook her head and pointed at Draco's telly where he, Ron, Blaise, and Theo were headed to the Slytherin dorms instead of the pitch.
"There's been another attack."
"Shit." James spun around the look between the two tellies properly. "Why would anyone do this??"
"Because they hate muggleborns?" Gideon suggested dryly.
Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. "James means 'why would they do this on game day?'"
And since that is exactly what he meant, James winked at his wife.
"Let me know if Dumbledore expels me again, yeah?"
"I will not allow that to happen."
"You don't think he will, will he?" Lily suddenly asked James.
"Er… no… I don't know."
Albus did not suspend Harry.
Instead, James, Lily, the twins, Regulus, and James' parents got to watch on the newly returned Severus Channel as Albus was suspended and Harry paced in his common room- anxious without even knowing it was his friend Hermione who was attacked.
"Harry's going to freak out," Fabian murmured. "Snape's a crazy bastard."
"Snape shoulda been a Gryffindor, I sure as hell wouldn't wanna tell the kid it was his friend who got attacked."
Neither would James, honestly. Especially not after Harry told her he hoped there'd be another attack.
Harry got what he wanted- there was an attack, Albus was gone, but he wasn't going to be especially happy about it.
"Showtime," Regulus smirked when Severus walked in the Slytherin common room and the students all went silent. "Who thinks that Severus will be the next to join us?"
"As if Snape being nice to one kid redeems him from being a scumbag death eater for years," Gideon scoffed.
Regulus raised a single, incredibly unimpressed, brow, but Effie glowered at the pair of them before their argument could continue.
"Language," Effie tsk'd. "My word."
"Everyone be quiet!" Lily yelled, ignoring the offended looks from James' parents. She squeezed James' hand so hard it should have hurt. "Here it comes."
"The petrified student is Hermione Granger."
"AAH!" Effie shrieked as a candelabra exploded above Severus' head.
"SAY IT AGAIN. WHO WAS IT?"
"Fuuu…dge," James breathed, catching himself last second. "He's going to explode."
"Poor Harry," Lily sighed.
"Poor Severus," Regulus muttered.
"You said she'd be fine! YOU SAID YOU HOPED SOMEONE GOT ATTACKED!"
"Why is the Nott boy saying that?" Fleamont asked James. "Why would our Harry say he hoped someone was attacked?"
"You're getting it out of context, Dad," James assured him quickly. "Harry didn't actually want someone to be attacked—"
"He really did though," Regulus smirked.
"Is that helpful, Reg?" James hissed over his shoulder at him. "Is it?"
Sometimes he wondered if the almighty mystical beings that sorted them to this cozy afterlife made a mistake in placing Regulus there.
Sure, he had a shitty childhood and made some bad decisions and ultimately sacrificed himself in an effort to redeem himself- but Regulus was also a dick.
At a minimum, James didn't believe Regulus when he said his sorting here had been instantaneous. James' took a while, longer than Lily's anyway, so there was no way that Regulus instantly got 'afterlife' when he died.
Dick.
"Oh ho!" Fabian barked out a laugh and jolted James from his remembrance of the day he died. "Harry's going to be piiiiiiiiiissed."
As they all saw Severus stun and levitate Harry, preventing an entire cave in of the dungeons probably, even Effie didn't admonish Fabian for his language.
Harry was going to be pissed as hell.
And Severus knew it too:
You've already knocked him unconscious, you might as well drug the boy without his consent as well. Truly exceptional work here Severus.
James ushered his parents out quickly, certain that his son was about to truly upset his grandmother, but the twins and Regulus made themselves comfortable for the inevitable explosion.
"This isn't a game," Lily scowled at the twins when they began better on Harry's reaction.
"I mean…" James shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Hermione will be fine. Yeah, Harry's about to be pissed, but I'd rather see him destroy Severus' office than himself."
"And I just want to see him destroy Snape's office," Gideon winked.
"I don't have any other friends or else I'd be with them," Regulus said deadpan. "Harry's waking up."
"What the fuck did you do? Where- How did I get here? What did you do?!"
"Good call on making your mum leave," Fabian laughed as Harry began yelling at Severus. "Poor lady- her heart couldn't take such foul language."
"However did she survive when Sirius lived with you?" Regulus asked curiously. "I think his first word out the womb was 'damn'."
"He just didn't swear around Mum," James said while Severus explained to Harry why he'd stunned him. "She would have washed his mouth out with soap and he knew it."
"You knocked me out to take me to a private spot? How original."
"Ugh." James groaned and barely resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.
Severus you unforgivable moron.
It's not like James had thought of the first place Harry's mind would go either- so it probably wasn't unforgivable.
"No, Harry, not for any nefarious purpose, I assure you. I was concerned for the safety of your housemates. I—"
"If you wanted to be alone with me, then why do you need a shield, sir?"
"Holy mother of Merlin." Regulus' eyes lit up while Lily made a noise of distress after Harry tore down Severus' shield with a twitch of his pinky. "I think your son may actually kill Severus."
James tilted his head a little at Regulus. "Aren't you and Severus friends?"
"Hmm…" Regulus tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm not sure. I convinced him to brand himself to a maniac then thought I was betraying my friends alongside said maniac before I died only to discover that Severus meant to betray our group as well. I'm not sure where that leaves our friendship."
"In the bloody—"
"Harry, I am trying to help you. I am not going to hurt you."
"Severus, I don't want your help."
James laughed and then laughed a little harder at the furious look Lily gave him. "What?" he cried. "It's funny! Harry mocking Severus can still be funny even if I'm rooting for Severus!"
It was really funny.
And so was Severus trying to subtly get his wand out and Harry calling him out on it immediately.
"Don't need a wand for a friendly chat, do ya?"
"You are incredibly dangerous and not in your right mind. You are upset and I am ensuring you do not attack me as a misplaced target for your anger at Granger's attacker."
"'Misplaced target'? Mione's attacker didn't STUN AND KIDNAP ME DID THEY?"
I did not kidnap him. The child is more dramatic than Potter Senior ever was.
"Awe, the first nice thought Severus has ever had about me," James laughed. He went ahead and conjured up some crisps while Harry snarled at Severus.
Lily could glower all she wanted; there were too many times when their son had been defenseless and unable to fight back. So, sure, Severus wasn't exactly a good target right now, and yeah James was a little worried that he'd throw Harry out on his arse for whatever insanity his son was about to do, but overall James enjoyed seeing his son full of fire and fight.
It was better than the hopelessness that filled him for too long.
"Don't need a wand if you're not going to hurt me, right?" Harry disarmed Severus in a blink and caught his wand and began twirling it in a callously casual way.
"Daaaaaaamn!" The boys all cried simultaneously.
"Nobody disarms Sev!" Regulus said excitedly. "Oh, Jamie, I'm afraid I love your son."
"Potter! My wand, now! You are dangerously close to being in an incredible amount of trouble."
"I don't care about being in trouble. I need to find the Heir and I need to save Hermione. I am fine and I need you to leave me alone."
It was weird- seeing someone's thoughts as they were imperio'd. Severus' thoughts seemed to be arguing with himself about leaving Harry alone or not leaving him alone. He shook it off quickly though and glared so hatefully at Harry that James actually did begin to worry for his son.
"I would appreciate you not attempting to use an Unforgivable on me."
"Worth a shot. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't want your help. I don't want you around me at all."
"What happened to wishing for me to be your guardian and keeping you from returning to your doting relatives or your charming alleyways?"
"Fuck you!" James spat, tossing a quickly conjured quaffle at the telly and watching it bounce off Severus' oversized nose. James' quaffle was quickly followed by two more quaffles from the twins.
Lily was scowling, but didn't look nearly angry enough. James cleared his throat and pointedly looked at their son's pale face and trembling hands and Lily sighed.
"Sev always acts like a prick when his feelings are hurt," she said. "I'm not defending him—"
"Sounds like it," Fabian muttered.
And since James agreed, he turned back to the telly.
"I apologize Harry, that was cruel and I did not mean to say it."
"But it's what you're thinking, isn't it? You just agreed to all of it because you feel sorry for me, right? I don't need your pity. I'm- I'm going to fix Mione and I'm going to talk to Theo and you can... you can have your house back if you want and I can figure something out, okay?"
"What house?" Gideon asked.
"Severus gave him his house," James said absently. "Shut up."
"Harry I do not want the house back. It's yours. I do not want to sign over your guardianship, but if, for any reason, you feel you cannot trust me and that's what you want, then I'd do it."
It would hurt, but if it was best for the child, then I will do it.
James hated when Severus was being noble- it made it hard to remember he just threw his son's abuse in his face.
"Because you don't want it?"
"Of course I want it, you foolish child. I would not have done it if I hadn't wanted to."
"Because you were in love with my mum, right? So you think this is how you pay her back?"
It was suddenly so tense in the sitting room that James imagined you could cut the air with a knife.
Regulus coughed- covering a laugh.
James ground his teeth so hard it should have been painful.
The twins exchanged raised brows and Gideon mentally wished they had left when Effie and Fleamont did.
And Lily buried her face in her hands.
James really, really, hated Snivellus sometimes.
"I need some air," James said abruptly while Harry yelled at Severus on the telly. "Lily, tell me what happens."
James fled from the room before Lily agreed, but he knew she would. And the moment his feet touched the pathway, James went to the first place he could think of—
"Mum, I'm telling you, there's Harry- having a horrible day, and what does Snivellus- ouch!" James picked his head up from where it had comfortably been laying back against his mum's legs and he rubbed his head despite the lack of actual pain. "What was that for?"
Effie gave James a hard look- the same hard look he always got when he was in trouble. "You will not call that man 'Snivellus', James Fleamont. Severus is taking care of my grandson. You will treat him with a modicum of the respect he has earned."
"Mum, not you too!" James scowled. "He threw it in Harry's face about- about Lily's sister and Harry being on the streets! Because Harry 'hurt his feelings'! Harry's a kid, how's that fair?"
"How is it fair for you to mock a man from the afterlife?" Fleamont asked from the chair across from Effie. "Severus isn't here to hear your childish insults, James."
"Oh, but I have to listen to him wanting my kid and loving my wife?" James asked while the prickles of tears stung his eyes. "It's soo fair that he gets to be with my son and tell my son about my wife and that's supposed to be fair?"
"Of course not," Effie said. She stroked James' hair gently and guided his head back to relax against her legs again. "Darling, none of this is 'fair', but that's no reason to behave childishly."
"She's right, James," his dad said sternly. "Severus can say he loves Lily all he wants, but who did she marry? Whose child did she bear? Whose child did she sacrifice her life for?"
His.
James jumped up and kissed his mum's cheek and nodded at his dad before rushing out of their house in a much better mood than he had arrived.
"I'm sorry," he immediately told Lily, who was curled up on the sofa watching their son lay in his bed in his dorm. "I'm a jealous prat, Lils. I'm sorry."
Lily rolled her eyes, but she also scooted over and held the blanket up in an invitation so James could snuggle in beside her.
"You're my jealous prat," she said softly. "I love you."
James basked in the love of this goddess of a woman for a while as they cuddled and whispered sweet nothings. Eventually though, when the telly flickered and pictures of a snake intermixed with a fox came on, James asked her what he missed.
Apparently quite a bit- which should teach him not to dramatically storm out of his house in the middle of his son having a meltdown.
Severus told Harry about his patronus.
Harry told Severus about the basilisk.
Severus made Harry promise not to go looking for it alone.
And Harry thought about the loophole Severus left him.
Awesome.
***
"LILY!"
"Elaine!"
"Your son has a sword!"
"Right…"
"And they're in a girls loo looking for the basilisk's hideout!"
"Right." Lily looked at her telly where Harry, Susan, and Draco were chatting with Moaning Myrtle.
Elaine huffed and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Aren't you concerned?"
"Not… really?" Lily shrugged and propped her feet up on the footrest. "What are the odds that they find the chamber that's been hidden for hundreds of years?"
"Where exactly did you see the eyes?"
"Somewhere there."
"Oh." Lily frowned as Harry and his friends rushed to examine the sinks that Myrtle pointed at. "I'm wrong, I suppose." She gave Elaine a bright smile and patted the cushion beside her. "Our children are rather intelligent."
"Much to their own detriment," Elaine said huffily as she took the seat beside Lily. "Why can't they—"
All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please.
That… that didn't sound good.
Lily sent off a quick and distracted patronus to James- if there was another attack, James would want to be here to see how/if it affected their son.
"Uh oh." Lily laughed nervously at Harry's sudden caption:
I've got an idea.
"Historically, he doesn't have great ideas," Lily explained to Elaine. "So…"
I can fit in that wardrobe then I can hear what's going on…
"That's not bad," Lily said, relieved as Harry climbed in a wardrobe in the teachers longe.
No, it was bad.
In a way that only her clever boy could achieve.
"Hey, babe. Hey, Elaine. What's going on?"
The two women turned horrified, wide-eyed, looks on James just as Regulus came sliding in the house with an outrageously wide smile on his face.
"They're going to go kill the basilisk!" he cheered.
James spun around and gawked at Regulus. "WHAT?!"
Regulus didn't lose his (entirely inappropriate) smile at all- if anything, it grew in the face of James' discomfort. "They. Are. Going. To. Kill. The. Basilisk," he said slowly.
"WHAT?!"
***
James wasn't even able to sit he was so stressed.
Lily sat in the middle of the sofa with Elaine and Regulus on either side of her. Marlene and Dorcas sat on the floor in front of them. The twins sat in the matching armchairs that they always conjured for themselves.
And James paced.
Frantically.
hissss…. hiss…
"We did it!"
"No." James groaned as Harry successfully found the entrance to the chamber where the deadly basilisk lived.
Why, why, did he have to curse his son with bad hair and impulsivity?!
"Lockhart, you're up!"
"See, James? He's not entirely stupid! He has a sword and an imperio'd idiot!" Regulus said brightly. "What could possibly go wrong?"
James snarled, entirely too stressed to listen to Regulus make light of the worst situation Harry had ever willingly gotten himself in.
They all watched with baited breath as Harry sent Gilderoy down the pipe and followed behind Ron.
"I thought Slytherin was about self-preservation?" Marlene murmured.
"Apparently it's the house of snake hunters," Dorcas murmured back.
James personally was starting to think it was the house of utter idiocy.
You ran around with a werewolf… James' mind reminded him.
Which was really just further proof that poor Harry's idiocy was genetic.
"Basilisk Bait in the front."
"You don't have to sound so upbeat. There is a murderous basilisk down here."
"Yeah, this is a rescue mission mate."
"He looks so excited, like he's trick-or-treating for the first time," Gideon laughed shortly. "He doesn't even give a damn about my niece, does he?"
"Your niece is a twit," Lily muttered with her eyes glued to the telly with such focus that James doubted she was even blinking.
He couldn't watch to check because he also couldn't look away from their son.
This is brilliant.
James had a sudden desire to go apologize to his parents for every dangerous thing he ever did in his life.
"He's faking!" Fabian howled when Gilderoy fell over suddenly. "Don't call for—"
It was a good thing James didn't blink or else he would have missed Gilderoy tackling his son and snatching the sword right out of his hands.
"I will fucking kill you," Lily hissed.
James jumped over the back of the couch, between where Lily was clutching Elaine like a comfortable blanket, and put himself on the floor directly in front of the telly with wide and terrified eyes.
If Harry didn't kill Gilderoy- James desperately wished Severus would.
Gilderoy stood above his son- his tiny little 5' tall son who weight maybe 85lbs- with Harry's sword in his hand and pushing on Harry's throat.
James swallowed convulsively and prayed as hard as he could.
Not today. Not now. Not like this…
"It'll be a tragedy that Potter here got mixed up with the likes of Mister Malfoy. Seems as if dark magic runs in families and Malfoy lured Potter and Weasley…"
Villain monologues are boring.
Lily made a strangled noise behind James while he groaned.
"He's so dumb…" James whispered. "How can someone be so intelligent and so painfully stupid?"
"We've been saying that about James for years," Dorcas whispered over her shoulder to Regulus.
Harry had a plan though- James could see it in his eyes as he ignored Gilderoy's plans on killing his fucking son and blaming Draco. Harry glanced over Gilderoy's shoulder to Ron and that was that.
It was all they needed.
Ron jabbed his wand at Gilderoy, taking his attention off Harry for a moment, and Harry struck out at his ankle with his trusty pocketknife, lodging it deeply and driving a howl of pain from Gilderoy.
"DESTROY HIM!" Marlene screamed, jumping to her feet when Harry caught his sword and was now the one standing over Gilderoy with it aimed at his neck. "FUCKING DESTROY HIM!!"
James almost couldn't hear his son over Lily and the other witches chant of: 'KILL HIM. KILL HIM.'
"You were going to kill me with my own sword? Blame it all on Draco? Huh?"
"KILL HIM. KILL HIM. KILL HIM."
"We can work together Harry! Think of the fame! The riches!"
"But sir, you're about to be so famous."
"KILL HIM. KILL HIM."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP," James bellowed. "I can't hear!!"
The girls fell silent and James felt Lily's hands settle on his shoulders as they watched their son hold a man at sword-point.
Gilderoy was desperate. He licked his lips and tried to talk calmly despite the perspiration betraying his fear, "You're not a killer."
"You're wrong."
Holy Mother of Merlin.
Harry drove the knife through Gilderoy's neck like a spoon going through cream with a passive and detached look of interest on his face.
He didn't look like someone taking a life- he looked like a curious kid experiementing.
It was terrifying.
It was exactly what Gilderoy deserved.
Regulus' eyes were wide and wondrous. "If your son doesn't marry Juliana, I'd like your blessing to ask for his hand when he joins us one day. Actually," Regulus held his hand up as Harry calmly bent down and dislodged his pocketknife from Gilderoy's ankle, "most vows are 'til death do us apart', so I'd like that blessing either way."
James looked over his shoulder at Lily, his lip twitching with the effort to hold back a smile in what was an alarmingly serious situation.
"Our son really said 'fuck magic I've got a sword', huh?"
Lily was gaping at the screen that she had just been screaming at moments ago. "He…" she blinked quickly at Dorcas. "Did my son just slice a man's neck open with a sword?"
"Yeah. And I think he's covering his impulsive arse now," Dorcas said lightly as she nodded towards the telly where Harry was acquiring Unbreakable Vows from Ron and Draco.
Lily tilted her head at her son for a long minute before breaking out into a sudden smile and conjuring a large glass of wine. "Go, baby, go!" she laughed. "James, let's start a board: 'Enemies Harry's Killed'."
James laughed and snapped his fingers, a large chalkboard appearing on the wall above the telly with bold text:
Enemies Harry's Killed: III
"We'll take it down when our folks visit," James winked.
"What do we do with his body?"
"We bury him."
"Easy does it, Potter," Fabian murmured softly as he stared intently at the telly. "Just a soft wave of magic, a few boulders will do it, just don't—"
James loved his son- he loved his son more than he had even known he was capable of loving anyone or anything- but his son blew up the cave and James had to admit that his son was a moron.
"You guys stay here, shift some rocks while I'm gone. I'm gonna go kill the basilisk."
"Harry- wait- I can try and squeeze through! I need to save Ginny!"
It wasn't funny, but James did grin a little when Harry rolled his eyes.
"I won't forget to save her."
"Mate, listen, I, er, well I know sometimes family stuff is weird to you, yeah? But Ginny is my sister. And she's more important than killing the basilisk or the Heir, okay?"
"Mm, think you're wrong there, Ronnie," Regulus said airily. "Killing the basilisk is Harry's top priority."
"Harry wouldn't leave an innocent little girl to die, no matter how horrid she is," Lily said hotly. "Merlin, Reg, Harry's a sweet boy."
"A sweet boy who just stabbed a man in the throat," Elaine pointed out. "Should- should one of us go see if Gilderoy is coming here?"
"Not it!" Fabian cried quickly.
"Oh, I'd love to!" Regulus offered quickly. "I doubt he'd be such a quick sort, we aren't all so black and white, but I'll go give him a bit and see if he doesn't pop up, hmm?"
"You do that," James said distractedly as Harry told Ron that he and Ginny both would owe Harry another favor if he saved her life.
Harry was cut-throat.
Er… no pun intended.
"James…" Lily whined a little and crawled around James, squeezing between him and Marlene, and gripped his arm tightly. "I don't like this."
hiss… hisssss… hissss.
James watched the chamber doors open- undoubtedly leading to either the basilisk or the heir- or, with Harry's damn Potter Luck, probably both.
"Me either."
***
"Wake up, wake up. Ron is gonna be pissed. Wake up!"
Lily was clutching James' arm as another teen walked up on her son while he was trying to wake Ginevra Weasley on the wet floor of Slytherin's Chamber.
Lily wished Regulus hadn't left because she didn't recognize the teen in the Slytherin robes, but she knew Regulus would.
"She won't wake."
"Damn, look at those reflexes," Dorcas said after Harry spun around and had his sword pointed at the boy in the blink of an eye. "I would have gotten my wand, personally, but he's got style with that sword."
Lily couldn't tell Dorcas that her baby didn't need his wand because Lily was busy not breathing while her baby argued with the boy.
…the ghost? wraith?
The teenage memory of Voldemort that was preserved in a diary.
"Tim Riddle, pleasure to meet you in person."
"Even if he kills Harry, I think it was worth saying that," Fabian said seriously. "Harry's a cheeky bastard."
It wasn't funny and Lily hissed to convey that message while she clung to James' arm and watched her son argue with Voldemort.
Okay… Harry saying that he was the greatest wizard to ever live was a little funny. Her baby was the greatest wizard, Lily just prayed he'd continue to live.
"We could work together you know, if you wanted to be partners. Kill Dumbledore, reshape the Wixen world. You'd have to give up on the blood purity nonsense and we'll still need to kill adult you, but if you want to leave here alive it's your only choice."
"I wish he'd quit trying to team up with bloody Voldemort," James muttered.
"Hear, hear," Marlene scowled.
"He's trying to give a second chance and he specifically said they'd have to kill Voldemort," Lily defended their son. "It's not like he's trying to become a death eater."
"Only because he's too arrogant to become a follower," Gideon said with an impish grin. "Little less arrogance and young Harry would be sporting a disgusting tattoo."
"Who's getting a disgusting tattoo?" Regulus asked as he rejoined them.
"Not Harry," Lily said hotly. She spared a quick look over Regulus' shoulder and saw the doorway was empty. "No Gilderoy?"
Regulus shrugged and folded his long legs up beneath himself as he sat beside Marlene. "Either his sorting is taking quite some time or he's headed to hell," he quipped carelessly. "What did I miss?"
"And soon, little Ginny Weasley, the Heir of Slytherin, will be no more and Lord Voldemort will rise again."
"That's a real riddle to me, because I don't think Ginny's related to Slytherin at all, is she?"
Oh Lily adored her son.
But she was also fairly confident that his sass would get him in trouble one day.
"Please, please, tell me that's Tom Riddle," Regulus grinned.
"It is, I think Harry's trying to irritate him into a duel," Elaine whispered tightly. "He's very brave."
He was.
"And a bit stupid."
He was also that.
Oh. Lily's heart ached for the Weasley girl when Voldemort stood there and laughed about how he possessed her and forced her to commit horrible acts. Then she remembered that same girl had been nothing but rude to her son since his first day back from his expulsion and she tried to force herself to not care.
The twins were furious though.
"Kill him, Harry!" Gideon shouted. "See if that sword works on him!"
"You talk too much."
Do all bad guys talk so much? Should I start preparing speeches?
"Riddle me this, Tim, where's the basilisk? I came to kill it and I'd hate to disappoint my friends."
"'Riddle me this'," Gideon laughed loudly. "God, Jamie, if you ever get sick of him, I'd like to adopt him."
"You can't." Fabian smacked Gideon. "If we adopt him then Fred can't marry him, dumbarse."
"You and I could become the most feared wizards to ever live."
"As partners?"
"I'm leaving," Dorcas said abruptly, jumping to her feet with a look of disgust at the telly. "Lily, if 'Timmy' kills your kid today, maybe let him know to stop TRYING TO TEAM UP WITH VOLDEMORT."
Lily spun her head around and glared at her friend. "Piss off. Harry's twelve. He's trying to survive."
"HE IS DEBATING ON IF KILLING THAT GIRL IS WORTH GETTING A POWERFUL PARTNER!" Dorcas yelled with a gesture to Harry's captions. "This isn't messed up to anyone else? Voldemort killed his parents, killed all of us—"
"Not me," Regulus said brightly. "I think I was a suicide technically."
"—and Harry's going to join him??"
"Get the fuck out." James got to his feet and pointed to the door. "Harry doesn't have the luxury of having someone tell him this shit, Dorcas. He's confused, probably scared, and—"
"And wishes that he hadn't given Ron his word on saving Ginny?" Marlene asked coolly, getting to her feet and standing by her girlfriend. "Excuse us for being a little put out that your death eater son—"
Lily had her wand out before Marlene could finish her sentence. "Get out, now," she said, jabbing her wand pointlessly at Marlene. "My son IS NOT A GOD DAMNED DEATH EATER!"
"Personally, I don't see what the fuss is about," Regulus murmured to a very bemused Elaine. "The death eaters used to be an elite and intelligent group before all the arrests and murders."
"Everyone shut up!" Gideon roared. "Look!"
Lily turned to the telly just in time to see Voldemort call for the basilisk and Harry clench his eyes shut and hold the sword up high.
I forgot I'd have to fight the basilisk blind.
Oh, her brilliant, adorable, idiotic baby.
***
"TURN, SON!" James shrieked. "Oh, RUN!"
Harry was running- directly toward the basilisk with his eyes shut and his sword drawn.
Did Harry look cool as hell? Yes. Absolutely.
Was Harry absolutely barking mad? Yes. Absolutely.
The basilisk was going to kill Harry.
James was pacing again and Lily was chewing her nails to the nub.
Harry just took a blind swing at the basilisk, to the soundtrack of teenage Voldemort's mocking laughter, when a silver patronus came trotting up to Harry. Harry didn't see it approach, but he stilled for a moment while it spoke.
"Call for your acquaintance, what he gives you- I need you to trust me and take immediately. There is one for each of you that must be taken now. Your friend will be awake in less than four hours- you can be there when she wakes if you allow your acquaintance to bring you to me. Be safe, brat. Come back."
"Sev sounds scared," Lily murmured.
"I'm bloody scared," Gideon said.
"MAVIS!" Harry, working on his hearing alone, darted away from the basilisk to the side of the room. "Don't open your eyes," Harry said as soon as his elf-friend popped to his side.
"Drink this and be coming with Mavis!" the elf squeaked as it pressed four vials in Harry's hands. Harry, in the biggest moment of trust that James had ever seen his son show, drank one immediately and pocketed the others.
"Can't," Harry said. He gestured wildly toward where Ginny Weasley's body lay. "Grab her and take her to Snape then come back."
"Did he forget that Mavis can't find Ginny with his eyes closed?" Elaine asked softly.
"Probably," Fabian said. He was on the edge of his chair with his hands clutching at his red-hair tightly. "God. I've watched death eater duels less stressful than this shit, James."
Shockingly, as horrifying as this was to watch, it actually wasn't the most stressful thing that Harry had done on the telly.
Which was something at least.
Or- it would have been- until Mavis managed to pop away with Ginny, returned and Harry sent him for his friends- and then…
"NO!!" Lily screamed. "HARRY!!"
James tried to breathe through his nose and calm himself while his son staggered from the basilisk fang now lodged in his arm.
"It was probably antivenom that Snape sent," Elaine said quietly.
"Which won't help if Harry bleeds to death," Gideon pointed out, much to James and Lily's dismay.
Not today, not today, not today…
"YES!" Fabian jumped to his feet and clapped when Harry, entirely blindly, slashed his sword at the basilisk and cut its eyes. The basilisk let out a wounded noise and Harry carefully peeked one eye open.
As soon as he saw that the basilisk's eyes were damaged, Harry narrowed his angrily and lunged forward with the sword- driving it right through the mouth of the basilisk.
"Damn it!" Regulus scowled and conjured a drink that he threw back quickly. "I had hoped that making the basilisk a pet was still on the table."
James had no idea why he'd befriended Regulus.
And also he was beginning to suspect that idiocy was a universal problem- not just Slytherin or Gryffindor specific.
"It doesn't matter," Voldemort taunted Harry as he staggered and fell to the ground. "You'll be dead soon, the girl too. The Great Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, dead at my hands."
Absolutely fucking not.
"I think he'll live to be an old man just from spite," Fabian chuckled.
Harry wobbled and caught himself before toppling over, and his eyes caught on the diary that started all of it.
If I'm dying, so is he.
"YES!" James cheered when Harry yanked the fang from his arm and stuck it deep in the diary.
"NO!" Lily yelled. "His arm, James!!"
James had been watching as the ghost thing began disappearing and didn't notice that as soon as Harry pulled the fang out of his arm- the blood began pouring from his son's body like an open faucet.
James couldn't even form words. He just sofa and sank down to his knees beside the sofa where Lily was shaking with fear.
Her hand snaked over and grabbed his.
James didn't know when, or how, his son would die one day, but he knew this much: when it happened, James and Lily would be a unified front to witness it and greet him.
"House elf to the rescue!" Elaine smiled widely when Mavis popped back in to the chamber and grabbed Harry's arm and disappeared with him. "Mavis is a dear, I didn't know elves could be so friendly."
"That's because you never met Kreacher," Regulus said with a fond smile. "Kreacher was the greatest. He was like the brother I never had, you know."
"You had a brother," Fabian chuckled, relaxing back as they watched Harry pop in to the headmaster's office.
And how Albus got reinstated in the time Harry was battling a basilisk, James didn't know, but he hoped someone cleared it up soon.
"Aah, he's fainted again," Gideon said, waving nonchalantly at the blank telly screen. "Still though, I saw Snape in there, so he's likely to wake up soon, isn't he?"
Just because he was right- didn't mean that James didn't toss a bludger at his head with all his might.
"I'm starting to think that Harry would still be violent even if they hadn't died," Elaine whispered to Regulus.
***
Lily walked slowly to Dorcas and Marlene's flat the next morning, thinking carefully over all that happened.
Harry killed a basilisk.
Harry debated on joining Tom Riddle as partners, but ultimately chose his friendship with Ron instead.
Harry nearly died, again, and Albus told him that James and Lily would be proud of him for what he did.
Lily drew herself up tall before knocking briskly on her friends' door.
"Hey." Dorcas looked uncertain and wary when she answered the door, Marlene's face peeking over her shoulder. "About yesterday—"
"About yesterday," Lily said coolly, interrupting her, "I want to make something perfectly clear to the both of you. I understand that it's hard seeing people make decisions that none of us would have, but," Lily stood as tall as her 5'10" frame could, "I don't give a damn if Harry joins the death eaters. I don't give a damn if Harry becomes the next Dark Lord. I don't give a damn if Harry decides that Voldemort is the sexiest thing he'd ever seen and starts shagging him. I want my son to survive, to live, to grow and mature, at any cost." Lily's eyes flashed and she curled her upper lip at Dorcas, a cold sneer that her son imitates perfectly. "You don't understand because you're not a mother. If you can keep your opinions about my son to yourself- then I'll see you tomorrow for tea. Ta."
Lily turned on her heel and stalked off with her head held high.
Severus told Harry that Lily would be proud of him, and he was right.
She was.
She was so unbelievably proud of her son for surviving all that he had so far.
And she meant every word that she said to the girls. If it meant Harry survived- then she didn't give a damn how many death eaters he converted, how many times he offered to partner up with Voldemort, or what he did.
Severus was also correct that Harry would be grounded if he went after another basilisk with a sword.
She did desperately hope that shagging Voldemort wasn't next on her wild child's to-do list though, even Fred Weasley would be better than Voldemort.
***
"Only your kid would have the kind of crazy luck to kill a basilisk, destroy some freaky diary of Voldemort's, get bitten by a basilisk, live, and get a special award to the school." Gideon laughed and shook his head. "Harry Luck should be bottled, be worth more than Felix Felicis, it would be."
James thought of his own life- married to his soulmate, created the most amazing person in the world, dead at twenty-one.
"It's Potter Luck," James told him with a grin. "Crazy luck comes with the crazy hair."
"Poor Harry," Fabian chuckled and conjured up another round of drinks for them all.
Regulus ran a finger around the rim of his glass. "Do you think next year will be as exciting as this one was?"
James frowned as Regulus described his son's tumultuous year as 'exciting'. "I hope not," James said drily. "Sorry to disappoint, Reg, but I'd like my kid to have a normal year."
If anything could be normal about his son moving in with Severus. Severus who Harry trusted, apparently.
Regulus sighed heavily, dramatically. "Pity," he said. "I suppose you're right though, Jamie, nothing can top a basilisk."