Marauders - Always - Part One

A Lovely Night

The onion was forgotten in all the commotion as Lily and James told Remus and Peter all about their little miracle, but honestly the onion didn't make that big of a difference in the end. The dinner was still delicious with or without it and all the more so because every few minutes through the entire meal someone else would suddenly exclaim their disbelief and excitement about the soon-to-arrive Prongslet - Sirius most vocally of all.

"Can't you just imagine? Me with a tiny ickle Prongslet?" he swept imaginary tears from his eyes. "OH - what an uncle I shall be! He'll come out begging for his uncle Padfoot."

"Yes, begging him to shut up, most like," James laughed.

"I can't wait to hold him," Lily said dreamily and Dora grinned and turned to her daughter-in-law hugging her and smiling conspirationally.

"He or she will be very lucky indeed with the pair of you," Remus commended James and Lily.

"Very lucky!" Peter nodded, "And they'll have all of us, too!"

Dora told them her plans for a little romper she was knitting, complete with a tiny cap that would go with it. Sirius blathered on about seeing to it the baby was raised on the best jokes and pranks while Remus wondered what book ought to be the first one they start off the library with and Peter wondered what baby food tasted like.

James sat back and watched his friends reacting to the news, listened as they bursted with excitement and joy and made plans. He watched Lily's cheeks pinken with excitement and his mother's glowing face. Things seemed to move through his consciousness in slow motion, as though he were watching a film that shimmered 'round the edges a bit. He'd had that feeling before - always during important moments, he thought, looking back, the ones that kept him sane and made him feel most joyful when he recalled them, the memories that mean tthe most to him. He savored it, savored the moment as it was being made.

"What are you grinning about?" Lily whispered, leaning over to James, her fingers running across his back and shoulders as she hugged him.

"How thankful I am for my life," he answered and he turned to her and kissed the side of her head, right in the warm, soft bit of her temple.

It was a lovely night, and when the night was getting late, Sirius fell asleep on the couch, sprawled across James, Peter, and Remus's laps. Dora and Lily were in the chairs. Peter and James had drifted off with their shoulders touching, heads leaning against one another, and Lily and Remus were discussing a book they'd both been reading when Dora yawned and excused herself off to bed, pausing to kiss James on the forehead on her way out of the room. She brushed his hair up from his foreheand and pressed her lips to the span.

"Night mum," he murmured so sleepily that it was certain he wouldn't recall the kiss even a moment later, just like he'd always done as a child when Dora and Charlus had checked on him on their way to bed each night.

When she'd gone upstairs, Remus and Lily's conversation on their reading died away and they sat in silence, listening to the crackling fire. Remus remembered the night of the Full Moon when he and Lily had sat together in this very room and had a very similar time together with the other three asleep in their various positions. She'd been so good to him then, listening to his worries and thoughts about the werewolves and comforting him as best she could...

"Lily?" he said quietly.

"Hmm?" she mused, hand running over her belly. For now, there'd been no change to it and she slouched in the chair, imagining and wondering what it might be like once it grew. She couldn't wait for all the little evidences of Harry to start appearing.

"You've heard of figure drawing, yeah?" Remus asked.

Lily was still half-focused on her imaginings. "Mhm," she mused.