Jily Oneshots (pt2)

Unfolding

by matrixaffiliate on archiveofourown.org

"This feels weird," Lily looked at James as they unpacked another box.

"Well, it is sort of strange to be in the Potion Master's private stores and not be worried about being caught.

"I can't believe Slughorn's retiring." Lily sighed and put another of her books up on the shelf.

"I can," James gave a short bark of a laugh. "The war took its toll on all of us. His nerves aren't what they used to be. At his age, I wouldn't want to deal with these hellions either after all that."

"Just you wait," Lily grinned over at him, "As soon as the Transfiguration position opens up, I'm putting in your name."

"I'd be a lousy professor, Lils, and McGonagall won't ever retire," James shook his head before snagging Harry around the middle and turning him away from the box of glass vials.

"That's exactly what I said when I told you they'd offered me this position," Lily smirked at him.

"Yes, and the difference is that I'm right," James smirked at her from the box of dried potion ingredients he was unpacking. "Besides, if I taught here too, what would we do with the house?"

"We'd live in it." Lily laughed. "We've talked about this; I'm coming home every night."

"Yes, with a stack of papers that need grading that's so high it won't fit in the chimney when you floo out." James' smirk was wide across his face and his eyes were full of mischief.

Lily turned to Harry, "You see how mean your daddy is to your poor mummy?"

Harry laughed and toddled over to her side, arms high to be picked up. Lily reached down and put him on her hip before kissing his cheek.

"I'm going to miss being home with you all day, though."

"Don't you worry about that," James came over and wrapped her and Harry in his arms. "We'll be underfoot now and again."

Lily found out as the school year progressed that James and her had very different definitions of the term "now and again."

It felt like every spare moment, James and Harry would come tumbling out of the floo in her office and Harry would run on little legs to hop up into her lap.

"Mummy!" Harry came barreling at her, cookie tin in hand. "We bing you cookies!"

"You brought me cookies?"

"Yes! Because it's Haoween! And Haoween needs treats!" He pushed the tin into her stomach as he tried to climb onto her lap.

"And because it's just about time for you to set all this work aside and enjoy yourself." James came and sat on her desk.

Lily looked at the still five-inch-tall stack of papers on her desk.

"Come on, you know you'll finish these up with no problem tomorrow, and I happen to know that you are all set on your lesson plans for the next year."

Lily looked down at sweet Harry in her lap as he tried to open up the cookie tin, and then she looked up at James. "Alright, but tomorrow I have to finish these."

"Bring them with you," James jumped up and pulled Harry from her lap, still trying to get his little fingers to open the cookie tin. "You're not coming back to work until Monday."

"You think so?" She asked, even as she waved the papers into her bag.

James came up and wrapped his free arm firmly around her waist and brought his mouth to whisper in her ear.