I'm Glad I've Got You (Lily x James)

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The little cottage in Godric's Hollow was very homely and all the rooms inside were small. James, being so tall, always struggled to walk through the low door frames but Lily had always loved it there and so the size never really bothered them.

James stood and looked around the cosy living room. Is it clean enough? He wondered, knowing that Lily would try and tidy it up herself when she came down. The last thing he wanted was for her to injure herself so every morning he'd dust and clean as best as he could.

James stared wistfully at the pictures of Harry and Ginny waving on the mantle as he rearranged the photos of their young grandchildren. He smiled. Nostalgia filled him like a cup of warm tea and he sighed. It'll do, he agreed with himself as he heard the creaking floorboards and footsteps coming from upstairs.

"Good morning, my Lilypad," he told his wife affectionately as she hobbled down the stairs. He offered her his arm and she gripped it tightly, allowing him to lead her into the living room; where they both sat down in front of their old TV. They had matching armchairs placed side by side They were accustomed to sitting there for most of the day watching the muggle programs contently or just talking and reminiscing with each other. Enjoying each other's company.

"Good morning, James," she replied, with a weary smile. Deep lines now traced her forehead and framed her shining green eyes, while wafer thin skin was tightly stretched over her pale face. The beautiful auburn hair she used to possess was now a soft silver, threaded with flecks of brilliant white. Although she was very old, and her looks had somewhat faded, she was still beautiful. At least, that's what James always thought.

James took out his wand and waved it, causing two cups of steaming hot chocolate to appear on the small table in between them. "Thank you, deer," Lily muttered, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. James let out a croaky laugh as he ran a bony hand through his dark hair. Habits never seem to die, she thought.

He had not gone bald yet and was unlikely to; he had been lucky. The black hair he once had, had thinned and lightened to a dark silver. However, he did not look as old as he should have done. Then again, he never had. The only thing that had deteriorated was his eyesight and, because of it, his signature rectangular glasses were now almost an inch thick. Despite this he smiled and Lily noticed how his bright eyes still held that youthful spark, that she so dearly loved. She reached out a shaky hand and James grasped it tightly in his own and they sat and sipped hot chocolate, hand in hand, in silence. Just like they always did.

Neither of them said anything for a long time . The only sound was the steady ticking of the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. Molly Weasley had given it to them a long time ago, on their 30th wedding anniversary. The clock had several hands but two of the names stood out against the rest.

"Harry" was delicately traced onto the largest hand and pointed to a word that was written in beautiful letters, "loved" and next to it Ginny's name, engraved carefully onto a hand, pointing to "safe". They loved the clock as it always gave them piece of mind that their family and friends were not in danger. Lily checked it every night and day and James was often caught glancing at it when he thought Lily wasn't watching him.

However, it wasn't always a sign of happiness. A pang of sadness and guilt shot through them when they looked at it and saw the few hands that were separate from the cluster of loved ones at the top. Opposite the many names that hovered over "loved, safe and home," were a few hands who never moved. Sirius Black's name was forever fixed on "gone but not forgotten." Even Snape's name was there, stuck on "lost" and Remus and Tonks were always pointing to "At peace". It had broken their heart when Harry first bought Teddy to stay and he'd asked what "At peace" meant.

Lily sipped her drink before turning abruptly to look at the mantle. She was reassured as she saw the photos watching her, grinning faces looking back and the grandchildren waving. She and James sighed happily. They both laid their heads back on their chairs and sighed, their fingers still tightly entwined.

"I'm glad I've got you, Lils," he whispered. Lily did not look up but answered quietly,

"I'm glad I've got you, too, James."

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Wrote this quickly to show Lily and James old and cute because they never got the chance to be when THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE! *sobs*...

But thanks for reading/voting/commenting if you did! I really appreciate it and it always brings a smile to my face! :)

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