Harry Potter and the New Bloom (A Marauders AU)

The Vauxhall Astra

Harry awoke at first light on his birthday morning to find his Uncles had snuck off at some point during the night. Harry's Dad was still there on the bed, sound asleep, head thrown back against the pillows, his glasses askew, one leg hanging off the side of the bed and the rest of him looking as though he'd fallen from a great height and landed on the bed with a kersplat. Harry smiled, noticing that James had done up his golden snitch pyjama top buttons off by one and, as a result, an eyelet at the bottom was empty of a button to put through it. Harry was still tucked up against James, the brand new broomstick laying across the pair of them, pale daylight coming in through the curtains in the window. He could see on the glass it was raining.

"Oh no, not rain," Harry murmured, staring at the streaks of water across the window panes. His hands clutched onto the handle of the Nimbus 2000 on his lap and he frowned and sat up. A he did he felt James shift beside him.

James yawned and stretched, twisting his torso. He blinked sleepily through his crooked glasses, smiling at Harry. "Morning, Harry," he said, and once again he added, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks Dad," Harry said.

James glanced at the window, "Oh no is that rain?"

"Yeah, it looks it," Harry said, upset. He looked at the broom stick on his lap.

James sat up and adjusted his glasses, pushing the frames up the bridge of his nose, his hair falling into the messy place that it always settled in - an effortless style, just like Harry's own. "Well," he said, "A little rain never hurt anyone, but still - it's not ideal. Maybe we'll eat breaky and if it's still raining we'll run by Diagon Alley first, then try out the broomstick this afternoon - rain or shine. But we'll give it a chance to clear up that way. What d'ya think?"

Harry smiled and nodded,  "Yeah, that sounds brilliant."

They got up and James followed after Harry down the hall to the stairs, passing loads and loads of framed pictures. Harry when he was a baby eating cake smashed across his high chair tray. 

Harry at the zoo, meeting a giraffe keeper named Mike and his giraffe Abigail. 

There was James carrying Harry on his shoulders at the Quidditch World Cup in 1984, when Oliver Kent had been named most valuable player on the team for England when they took the match. 

There was Sirius and Remus in Costa Rica on their tenth wedding anniversary, each holding up a golden pineapple and wearing tropical shirts. 

Sirius, Remus, James and Harry at a Queen concert, Harry wearing a tiny little shirt that said FREDDIE'S SHORTEST FAN. 

There was Harry with a little backpack, going to a muggle elementary school with his best mate, Ronald Weasley, waving beside the ginger haired boy as they were dropped off by Ron's Uncle, Bilius. 

There was Harry and Snuffles playing fetch.

Sirius in front of the record shop he owned in London - a hot pink and black striped logo on the store front that read Black's Run-Out Groove.

There was Remus with his graduation cap and diploma, carrying his old briefcase across the stage at his University.

And then there were the old photos, the ones on the stairs, the ones from James and Lily's wedding, Lily smiling as she looked up at an absolute shower of rice - Sirius and Remus there, too, grinning and smiling merrily, wands raised in a V as the newlyweds ran through... 

There was Lily, flushed and holding Harry, laying in hospital, exhausted-looking from having just finished the delivery, Harry's little face still red and crunched with his first cries.