It has been over a year since the murder of his wife, Lily, and James Potter wishes every day that it is simply a nightmare that he will wake up from. Unfortunately, it isn't and in the wake of her death, James finds himself as a single parent to th...
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The day at the beach ended with James, Harry, and Renata working on an extravagant sand castle that would eventually be washed away by the approaching tide, long after they had left to return home. But for days following, the sandcastle lived on in Harry's dreams as he remembered the day at Botany Bay fondly. He and Renata could gladly say that their first experience at the beach had been absolutely perfect and they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
It was full of swimming, laughter, plenty of sand, and more importantly, nothing bad had happened. They had all returned to the Potter household, fairly exhausted and they all slept soundly through the night. Since then, there seemed to be a relaxed atmosphere that washed over the home.
Every morning was filled with the pleasant smells of breakfast, Renata and James taking turns to cook, even though James insisted on cooking nearly every single morning to prove himself. However, Harry didn't really care who was cooking the meal, he was just glad that he was able to enjoy his time with the two. His father seemed to be in an increasingly better mood every day. There weren't any signs of rough nights of sleep plagued by nightmares. Instead, he would walk out to greet them with a smile on his face, especially whenever he looked at Renata, not that she really seemed to notice the way he looked at her.
Each day he walked out, hoping that it was going to be the day where she stopped addressing him as Mr Potter. He was disappointed each time, but he still carried on as if it didn't bother him in the slightest. After all, it wasn't that big of a deal, and one could just be thankful that Renata seemed to be in a more relaxed state as she found herself not having to be on guard all the time.
Overall, things were better and Harry wanted it to continue that way, too young to voice how he truly felt, he couldn't tell either adult how upset he was when they were upset. He hated when his father looked sad and he hated it when Renta looked scared. He preferred both of them greeting him with bright smiles and happy voices. He was young, but he could tell the difference when they were genuinely happy or when they were just putting on faces for his sake. There was a difference in their smiles, but also a difference in their eyes that maybe they didn't think he would catch onto.
But that's what Harry tended to focus on the most, the eyes of the people he cared about because they told him so much more. Before Renata had come into their lives, James would put on a smile on his eyes would droop looking as if he was terribly sad and sometimes tears would fall. However, now when he smiled, Harry could see the same happiness in his father's eyes that should have been there before.
He had gone back to calling Renata "Nanata" but on the occasion, he would slip and call her "Mummy." Harry didn't mean any harm by it, he didn't understand why Renata looked so frightened when he did call her it, maybe because it wasn't her real name? The concept of his father's fragile mind didn't even come close to crossing his mind, but that's what Renata feared. That while everything was going so well in the household that something would happen that would make it all go to hell in a handbag.
