Jily one-shot - At the beach
It was a nice day to go to the beach, James thought as he walked behind Lily a picnic basket in one hand and a large blanket in the other. He followed her down the busy street up to the beach, the salt air fresh in his lungs.
He could see Lily's hair waving in the light breeze when a small chubby hand joined it, pulling at the red strands. He grinned and laughed lightly, watching as Lily scolded their child for yanking her hair. She turned her head to face James upon hearing him laugh and scolwed.
They made their way onto the beach and picked a rather secluded spot by the sea, away from most of the muggle families who'd had the same idea as Lily and James that morning. James placed the basket down on the hot sand before spreading the blanket out across the floor.
Lily placed Harry down on the checkered blanket that James had set down on the sand before helping James unload the picnic food. They took out a few sandwiches wrapped in clingfilm and two bakewell tarts. Along with a little baby pot of food for Harry and the bananas he loved to eat so much.
They hadn't brought anything elaborate, just a few simple things to eat. It was just a pleasant day. James bit at his sandwich chewing at as Lily started a light conversation, the two laughing and joking together as their baby wriggled around on the mat.
Harry crawled to the end of the mat and punched his chubby little fists into the sand, giggling as two dents formed in the ground. He looked round at him parents proudly as the small indents on the sand he'd made and they laughed, causing him to giggle cutely even more.
Harry, flopped forward onto his stomach and began to crawl his way through the soft warm sand before James scooped him up and pulled him into a tight hug. "Who's my boy!" James asked giddily, standing up so as he could swing Harry around. He threw the boy into the air before catching him swiftly, the boy giggled but Lily was less than impressed. "James!" She scolded, "you might drop him!"
James looked at Harry then back at her, the two of them wearing that roguish/boyish grin she loved so much. He face relaxed into a warm smile. It was just simply impossible to stay mad at the two boys. Her two boys.
Harry squirmed in James' grasp, eager to be on the floor once more. He crawled to the edge of the mat before shoving his feet into the sand, wriggling his toes amongst the hot sand and giggling once more.
"Let's make a sand castle," James suggested as he readjusted his glasses. He looked over at Lily and she nodded. "Now that sounds like a wonderful idea, don't you think Harry?" The young boy looked around when he heard his name and clapped his chubby hands together, bobbing up and down in his place.
"Oh isn't he just adorable!" Lily cooed, scooting closer to her husband and son as James dug his hand into the sand. James muttered a spell under his breath and Lily looked at him panicked swirling her head around to check that they hadn't been seen by any unsuspecting muggled. James laughed at her indignant expression and continued the spell. Watching in delight as his sons eyes tracked the swirling sand with a mixture of awe and amazement on his little face. Harry's eyes lit up and he squealed in delight as the tendrils of sand entwined to form an intricate castle.
Lily cowled at James for a moment, folding her arms in a huff before she realized no damage had been done. Sometimes she felt like the only adult in this family, but she supposed that was part of the charm of it. A warm smile graced her lips as the three stared at the castle.
Lily thought it looked vaguely familiar, when she realised why. James had created Hogwarts castle in the sand. He'd made their first home. The place they shared their first kiss. It was perfect.
Such a perfect gesture, she wasn't sure why but tears pricked at her eyes. She was overwhelmed with a sense of happiness. She finally had the family she'd wished so hard for. James snaked his hand into hers, placing his fingers through her own and squeezing her hand before looking into her eyes in a loving manner.
The moment was priceless.
