Lion Heart³ | James Potter

eighteen

31st of July, Friday, 1980

(Perfect//Ed Sheeran)

"He's so small. he mostly just looks like a potato with eyes," Sirius whispered, running his finger gently over the newborn's tiny nose.

"Hey! That's my kid you're talking about!" James scolded him from his spot next to Andrea. Andrea turned as sharply as she could in her exhaustion, shooting her husband a look.

"You're newborn? It's funny 'cause I don't remember him coming out of you."

James kissed the top of her sweaty head and hugged her tightly. "OK, fine. Our new-born. Now give me my son back."

Sirius did so, gently passing on the tiny human to James again, Andrea slowly falling asleep next to them. "Fix his little hat," Andrea mumbled, barely staying awake. James did so, grinning brightly down as the baby scrunched his nose, falling slowly asleep just like his mother.

Peter caught the nose scrunch just as James did. "Look at that, he takes after his mummy."

"Harry bunny-nose-scrunch Potter," Remus chuckled quietly.

When they heard no comeback from Andrea at the statement, Sirius poked her cheek to check if she was still with them. When no reaction came, all four of them got up as silently as possible, leaving her to rest.

They stayed silent on their way down the stairs, only speaking when they met Monty and Mia in the family room.

Monty looked up from the cloths he was magically washing after the long labour upstairs. "She out?" James nodded, letting Mia take her grandson off him. "Yeah, she could barely keep her eyes open," he smiled.

Sirius could see James was just as exhausted as Andrea upstairs. He tapped Remus' shoulder, gesturing with his head towards the front door. Remus and Peter both nodded.

Sirius stood and clasped James on the shoulder. "We're gonna head off, let you all settle, but we'll be back tomorrow alright?"

James nodded. "Yeah, we'd like that."

Sirius pulled him in for a very tight hug. "I'm proud of you mate. Congratulations."

James hugged him back just as tightly. "Thanks, man. And you too."

The three other Marauders headed off, letting James collapse onto one of the couches in the family room. Mia put Harry down in his crib next to him, leaving the two alone as she and Monty headed off to bed.

It had been a long day at Potter Cottage.

James reached into the low crib, resting his hand on top of the sleeping baby. "Those three guys, they're your uncles; Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail. Right now, I'm a bit angry at them 'cause they're being a bunch of dicks."

He looked around to make sure no one heard him swear to the newborn. He was in the clear.

He stroked his thumb over his tiny chest, his breathing going even as he continued to sleep.

"But trust me, they will love you just as much as mummy and I do. They will be a part of your life from day one and we're all super lucky for that. Cause we're gonna need all the help we can get."

Harry James Potter slept soundly to the sound of his father's voice, a voice he had heard tell him many stories through his mothers belly.

"Sleep tight, baby Potter. You're gonna do brilliantly."

-//-

1st of August, Saturday, 1980

Andrea sat on the edge of the bed, glaring at the dresser six feet ahead of her.