Caspar - The Half Blood Princess

Chapter Two - Unexpected surprises

Over the next few days, with Lily's help, Severus transformed his biggest bedroom into a nursery. They decorated the walls in two different shades of soft, light yellow and white, horizontally split by a white wooden border before hanging pictures of different cartoon style animals, shrouded in a white wood frame. After they'd laid the 'top of the line' plush cream carpet, Lily forced him out of the house to go shopping for, what seemed like, absolutely everything.

"Does James not mind you spending so much time with me?" Severus asks as they walked around a large muggle baby shop.

Lily had been wondering when the subject of James would be broached. "Not at all; he wants me to be careful but he knows that we were good friends for a while and I explained the situation to him so he understands, well," she laughs "he understands the best that he can. He's offered to come over to help assemble the furniture; thinks he's a pro at it since he, Sirius and Remus did Harry's nursery."

"I think I'll pass" Severus sniffed, eyeing up the rows and rows of baby booties "I don't really want all three of my childhood bullies in my home and-"

"I'll make him leave Sirius at home" Lily promised, keen for her husband and best friend to get together and reconcile their boyhood differences "please, Severus?"

Severus turned to look at Lily and saw how desperate she looked. "Fine" he sighs heavily "but only James." They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, Severus watching as Lily plucked items of clothing off the shelves and adding them to the trolley, before he says, "you're having a boy then?"

Beaming, Lily nodded. "Yes and we're calling him Harry after James' grandfather, Henry. Have you thought of any names yet?"

"No" he admitted, a little sheepishly "I guess that I'm behind on everything."

"It's fine" she assures him "everything you need to do can be done before her arrival. What do you think of this?" She holds up a pink frilly dress which Severus grimaces at.

"Does everything need to be pink?"

"Of course not" Lily grins, holding out another dress.

Severus didn't even dignify her request with an answer; he just took control of the trolley and began wheeling it toward the tills.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked Lily as they exited the shop, both laden down with bags. She hadn't complained but she looked as though she was struggling.

"I'm fine" she waved him off. She then saw him raise his eyebrows at her and sighed "ok, no, my ankles hurt and I really need to find a bathroom."

Nodding, Severus guided her into a deserted alleyway before pulling out his wand; he then quickly shrank the bags down so that all twelve of them could fit effortlessly into his pocket. "The furniture will be arriving this afternoon" he tells her "so we still have time if we're not done here, after you've found a restroom that is."

"I think we've done all the shopping we can, for now" she replies "but I am a bit hungry..."

Severus smiled, as much as he hated shopping, he was glad that his friend was willing to spend time with him again. "I know just the place" he announces, offering her his arm.

They arrived back at his house to find James Potter sitting on his doorstep. Despite his unruly black hair and glasses, the man looked good, a fact that always infuriated Severus. "I hope you haven't been waiting long!" Lily states, embracing her husband.

"I haven't" James promised, smiling at his wife, before looking at Severus and noticed how uneasy the man looked. "Severus" James stepped forward and held out his hand "I know that there isn't much that I can say to erase our school days but I am sorry and I'd like to put it behind us."