Frigus . Sirius Black (Mortem BOOK 2)

chapter seventy-five

August 10th, 1980 - James and Lily's Home 

It had been ten days since Harry was born. Ten days of late-night crying, diaper changing, unpredictable feeding schedules and complete and utter exhaustion, and James and Lily would not have it any other way. Sure, they missed being able to sleep through the night, not having to deal with dirty diapers, and being able to actually take a bath without worrying that the tiny being wrapped in blankets in the other room would stop breathing for no good reason, but every time they felt as though maybe, just maybe, they weren't really cut out for this, their son would laugh out loud, or babble something incoherently, or do anything, really, they fell in love all over again. 

Thankfully, Alice and Frank's son, Neville, had also been born on the same day as Harry, in St. Mungo's, and so the new parents had someone to go to whenever they felt overwhelmed. It wasn't easy, what with both Lily and James's parents having passed away, but Frank and Alice were more than happy to lend an ear out and listen. 

James filled his mug with his third coffee of the day, despite the fact that it was only eight in the morning, grabbing a cup of tea for his wife as he moved back into the living room. He leaned against the door frame, watching with a small smile on his face as Harry slept soundlessly in his carrier, with Lily rocking him gently, her eyes never leaving the baby's face, "Here you go, love," he whispered, handing her the cup 

"Merlin, I miss coffee," replied the witch, leaning into her husband, "I'm about to drop asleep where I'm standing," 

"I know, love, but it's just the first couple of months, and we could always hire someone to-" 

"No, James. We've been over this, we don't know who's working with who-" 

"I know, I know. But you're exhausted, flower, and with me going back to work today..." 

That was another thing bothering James. Unfortunately, the war waited for no one, and while he and Lily were locked inside the home, spending time with their son, the war outside raged on, and James needed to return to the Auror office. He hadn't wanted to, not feeling safe enough to leave his family at home alone, but he knew the Aurors needed the numbers, and Lily had urged him herself. 

'Ensure the world is a safe place for your son', is what she had told him, and James knew he would lay down his life to ensure his son didn't have to grow up in the war. Still, he wished he could've had more time, it was too soon, Lily was still recovering from the birth, and Harry- He was so small, physically speaking. He knew newborns were tiny, but by Godric, he never imagined just how much. He didn't want to go- 

Lily drew him out of his thoughts with a kiss on the cheek, "Go, don't worry about us. We'll be fine," she insisted, "Nephera herself put up the wards around here, and if anything happens, I can send a patronus to any of the Order, and they'll be here within seconds," 

He nodded, still not getting up from the couch, his eyes still not leaving the baby's sleeping form, "You're sure," he asked one final time 

"Yes, James. We'll be here when you come home, now go so I can sleep. Merlin knows how soon it'll be until he wakes up again," 

The curly-haired wizard nodded, kissing his wife once, before pressing a kiss on his son's head, where tufts of brown hair, as unruly as his, had already started to spurt. With one final glance at them, he left, electing to walk until the floo-point instead of apparating there instantly, needing some air to clear his head. 

He lit up a cigarette, relishing in the burn of the smoke travelling down his lungs. He had never been as dependent on them as Remus or Sirius, mostly smoking socially, but the stress of the past year had caused him to turn to the vile-smelling sticks for some sort of reprieve. He could no longer smoke at home, not while Lily was pregnant and especially not with Harry there, and so he had to limit his cigarettes to when he was outside.