Better than all the rest

James Potter, 17 years of age, and basically the best person you will ever meet. Gryffindor Chaser and Captain, bloody brilliant Quidditch player, handsome, windswept, talented, clever, hilarious and altogether fun to be around. Oh, and Head Boy, as well. Gryffindor for the cup!

[jamesie-james-blog]

hey loves,

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've not been lying when I've said how busy I am. Unfortunately, and I know this is shitty because I LITERALLY just got back, I'm going to have to withdraw from this roleplay. My heart's just not in it anymore, as much as I love you all to pieces, and you deserve a James that's not going to keep crapping out on you. Not to mention that my life's about to get impossibly BUSIER with finals coming up. Sigh. It's been lovely to rp with you all, and to get to know you outside the rp. Sorry again.

Love, Katie

P.S. - a special sorry to Rebecca, who is still my best Lily ;A;

[jamesie-james-blog]

lovelylily-e replied to your post: Dear James,

AWW :( Is lily meant to know yet?

ooc: no one knows. James has been hiding :P

[jamesie-james-blog]

Okay, I understand you were a bit nervous and all but going AWOL for the whole day doesn't cut it! I woke up late and you'd gone and I'm about to go to sleep and you're still not here. What's going on James? Are you really that concerned about this project? I'll likely be sleeping when you get to bed but a cuddle would still be nice -Lily x

[jamesie-james-blog]

Alright, Prongsie. I know you have the tendency to... freak out about things. But I think Lily would really appreciate having you around right now. Also, so would Moony and I. She's getting irritable and has set up camp in our dorm.

[jamesie-james-blog]

Your smile's like expelliarmus: simple but disarming.

*grins* thanks, anon.

[jamesie-james-blog]

Dear James,

Your mother is sick. She doesn't wish me to tell you, but you should know. The Healers have said there's nothing else to do for her. They've given her six months. If the situation changes, I'll write you again, but try not to worry yourself in the meantime. She's comfortable, and you'll see her at Easter.

Love, Your father

[jamesie-james-blog]

&

[lovelylily-e-blog]

Lily grinned and sidled into him, looking up “Good, I’m glad you like it” she said but didn’t say any more because her mouth was covered by his. It felt like an age since she’d kissed him properly and not just a chaste peck in between a class or in the common room with all of their friends. 

Lifting her wand without pulling away she drew the thick curtains around then and relished in the cosy feeling it brought to them. The dorm wasn’t cold but being enclosed made her just a little more comfortable that Remus or Sirius wouldn’t wander in on them snogging like mad. 

James’ mouth was hot and wet, just like lily liked it, and she responded with soft, caressing movements against his mouth. Letting her hands move from her sides, Lily let one hand slip around his neck and hold him against her.

[jamesie-james-blog]

It started out soft, the way (though he'd never admit it) James generally preferred, just sweet caresses and soft movements. His hand that had been holding her head to him relaxed a bit, stroking through her soft hair instead, and he arched his neck at the feeling of her hand there.

He hummed out a soft noise of appreciation through his nose and pulled her closer, so that she had a leg on either side of his lap. One hand came up to rest gently on her hip as he moved to deepen the kiss.

[lovelylily-e-blog]

She said nothing but kept reading on, watching the two boys interact with each other. James still seemed uncertain but she could feel him loosening up with Sam in the crook of his arm. The toddler, on the other hand, was making quiet gurgles along to the story as if he was reading along and reached a chubby hand up to wave in the air. 

Reaching her hand out, Lily gave James’ knee a reassuring squeeze, “You’re doing great” she promised and moved closer to the two of them so she could see their faces. 

one of Samuel’s fingers latched onto the corner of James’ glasses and he tugged at them, pulling them from James’ face. Lily couldn’t help but laugh as she pried the frames from his tiny tight fist. 

[jamesie-james-blog]

"Oi!" James complained loudly, though it was with a grin on his face and a laugh in his voice as Sam wrenched his glasses from his face. He chuckled a bit, and then hesitated; he didn't have a hand to get them back with, which was unfortunate. Thankfully, Lily did it for him. He grinned at her in appreciation.

"Okay he's sort of adorable," he allowed, grinning lopsidedly. "So is this all we do all week? Just hold him and read to him? Because that seems like something I can handle."

[lovelylily-e-blog]

“You do?!” Lily said a little too excitedly. “I’d never heard of them before. I mean…i had fairytales but not like these, just muggles princes and princesses” she said and grinned up at him. He was watching her with the oddest look on his face and when Lily looked back to the baby she saw he was too. 

Lily pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead and shuffled up onto her knees, placing the book down on the bed and turning to James. “That’s it, keep your hand like that. He’s quite strong though so don’t worry about supporting his head anyway. He’s just tired” and Lily reached forward to place the toddler in James’ arms. Sam’s big blue eyes shifted from Lily to James and back again before opening his mouth and gargling loudly. “See! You’re doing fine!” Lily said and grinned.

[jamesie-james-blog]

"Princesses and princes?" James repeated dubiously, looking at her like she was mad. "That sounds boring. Merlin, I heard Babbity Rabbity and The Tale of Three Brothers and The Fountain of Fair Fortune. How can they be good with no magic?"

When she placed the baby in his arms, it wasn't quite right, so he shifted the small body a bit closer to his own.

"Oh," he said. The baby fit in his arms rather better than he'd been expecting. He looked up at her with a bit of tentative happiness on his face. The baby - Sam, he reminded himself - looked up at him and started making weird noises. Triumph decorated James's features. "This isn't so hard."

[jamesie-james-blog]

&

[lovelylily-e-blog]

Lily frowned at him as he rubbed his head. She was wanting tomorrow to hurry up and come around so that he could realise this wasn’t half as big a deal as he thought it would be. “I like Samuel too. He could be Sam, or Sammy?” she asked trying to keep the conversation light and cheery. 

“And the plus side is that we have five days of no classes, you have to be looking forward to that? And I’m staying here for the next week too. Like… in here, with you and Sam of course, but he won’t be here until tomorrow” she reached ip to press her lips against his. “But I thought I would come a day early and get settled in” she kissed him again, smirking against his mouth.

[jamesie-james-blog]

"Sam'll work," James sighed, trying for a grin because he could tell that he was ruining her buzz about this assignment and that wasn't fair to her at all. If she wanted to be excited about a screaming, crying poop-machine, then so be it. He wouldn't stop her. His grin became a little more genuine as she reminded him that they got the five days off classes, and that they did in fact have a whole night in front of them by themselves.

"Good idea, probably," he responded, smirking. He met her next kiss halfway, a hand coming up to tangle in her hair and hold her head against him, already eager, because he had a feeling this'd be the last time they'd get to do this for five whole days, and that really was not okay.

[lovelylily-e-blog]

His voice was shaky, definitely shaky. And his hands were all trembling and she was sure she could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He was really this stressed out? Wow. 

“Come on, sit down” Lily said in a quiet voice, the same cooing, sickly sweet tone she had been reading the book in. “I found this in the library; wizarding fairytales. He loves them!” she motioned down to the grinning child and then back to James’ uncertain look. 

As he sat down, Lily wriggled over to him and tucked herself and the baby in his side, not stopping reading aloud from the book. “Do you want to hold him?” Lily asked, taking a pause from the story.

[jamesie-james-blog]

James followed Lily's instructions and watched in fascination as she rearranged herself so easily, the baby looking as though he was meant to be in her arms. Somehow she was holding him in one arm and the book in the other and James was sure that if it had been him, he'd've dropped it already.

"You went looking for them in the library?" James asked with a grin. "I could recite you Babbity Rabbity if you really wanted me to. I remember it from when I was a kid."

She continued to read and James watched, entranced, because the baby was actually behaving itself, eyes blinking heavily as he looked up into Lily's face as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his tiny little life. Then she asked him if he wanted to hold him, and after a deep breath, James nodded. He reached out his arms, trying to mimic the cradle that Lily had created. "Alright. How do I - ?"

[jamesie-james-blog]

&

[lovelylily-e-blog]

“James you’re going to be fine” Lily reassured him. She had to admit, she hadn’t been expecting James to be like this. She thought he would be confident and cocky; not terrified. “What are you not good at, James? Nothing. You’re good at everything and you always have been.” 

Lily was sure he’d change his mind about it once he’d seen the baby but she was still worried that he’d go into hiding for the next five days; taking three hour long quidditch practices each day or even going to the library. “It’s just that we’re in the castle now and there’s teachers everywhere. I think they’re hoping that if we get practice now then in the future we’d be able to handle it better. I mean, not we…I mean…everyone” she could feel her cheeks going red and buried her head in his chest. 

“I think it should be a traditional name? Like… Samuel? Oscar? Adam?” 

[jamesie-james-blog]

"there's loads of things I'm not good at," James admitted with a grin, pushing his specs up his nose. "Singing, for one. Following rules. Baking. Not so great at Charms and Herbology."

He heaved a great sigh and closed his eyes, pressing against his forehead with his fingers. He'd likely be excited if it were a child. James loved children. He actually had this grand scheme in his head where he taught his son to be a Quidditch Player, shared with him the Potter Tips for Charming Witches, passed on the Cloak and the Map - but a baby was not a child. A baby couldn't talk, thought that peek-a-boo was the height of entertainment, cried and pooped and cried and pooped and that was all there was to them.

"Samuel's a nice name," James said at last.

[lovelylily-e-blog]

Lily was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. Sitting in front of her was the cutest, most adorable thing she’d ever seen. She’d collected the child that morning and so far hadn’t left it for more than a second by itself. He had the bluest of blue eyes and thick dark hair. He looked shockingly like James. It was James’ bed she was sitting in. Lily had decided that if she had to spend the next five days somewhere she would most like it to be in James’ dorm and it would stop him running too far. She was almost certain that he wouldn’t stay far away if he knew Lily would be sharing his bed. The baby had been awake all day and Lily’s reading had told her that by 16 months he still be napping in the afternoon and she guessed that was why the boy’s big round eyes were getting heavier and heavier. Lifting him into her arms; lily pressed her lips to his head and let him lie back in the crook of her elbow. At her side was a copy of fairy tales she’d found in the library. Opening it up, Lily started to read Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling Stump.

[jamesie-james-blog]

James ran a hand through his hair. He was standing outside his dormitory, listening to the sound of Lily's voice reading Babbity Rabbity, and trying to work up the courage to go in there. He was cursing himself; this certainly wasn't Gryffindor behaviour. He was James Potter. He could do pretty ymuch everything, except sing, cook, draw or Herbology. But the thought of how poor he was at Herbology was not encouraging; surely a baby was more complicated than a plant.

Nonetheless, James felt bad for having avoided her all day, and at long last he took a deep breath and pushed the door open, walking towards his bed and hanging his head bashfully.

"Hi," he said, trying for a grin. "This him, then?"

He sat down beside her and looked at the little lump in her arms. It wasn't really that small, all things considered, but it still just sort of looked like a big fleshy lump. With disturbingly messy dark hair.

[jamesie-james-blog]

&

[lovelylily-e-blog]

Lily had closed her eyes and sat listening to the sound of the shower next door but she barely registered when it had turned off and she only realised when she felt the bed sink down under James. Opening her eyes, Lily smiled and shuffled into his side. “Oh merrrllliiin” she muttered and let one finger train from the base of his neck, right down his middle. She only stopped above the waistband of his Pyjamas and lingered there for a second before letting her hand rest on his chest. 

“It’ll be good if you do, but I have to admit all these extra practices are no fun” although she always managed to find plenty to do when James was off being busy, it annoyed her that she couldn’t flounce off to his dorm and find him. 

“does the whole team hate you yet?”

[jamesie-james-blog]

James stayed perfectly still as she trailed her finger down his chest, fighting the shiver that threatened to wash through him and preening under the attention. He smirked at her and subconsciously threw his chest out a bit, rubbing a hand through his hair. At length he fell backwards onto his back, pulling Lily with him so that they were laying together.

“Probably,” he said with a sly grin. Several insults and dark mutters had been thrown his way, as well as a Bludger at one point (he suspected Sirius, but hadn’t seen). “I figure it’s the sign of a good Captain. Besides, after we win the match they’ll love me again, though. And you just wait ‘til the cup is ours.”

[lovelylily-e-blog]

Lily settled into him and rested her head against his shoulder. “Slytherin are doing quite well with points you know. You better beat them in the next match or we’ll be losing soon” she said. But Lily didn’t want to talk about the house cup; it was boring. “why don’t you want to talk about the baby?” she said in a slightly concerned tone. Lily had to admit it was odd. They’d only been together a few months and despite the baby not really being theirs, it was a scary thought. “We need to come up with a name that’s not just a list of the marauders”

[jamesie-james-blog]

"I know," James grimaced just thinking about it. "Peter's been giving me a hard time. Keeps saying that as Head Boy I should be in control of that. You're lucky. A younger me would have listened to him."

And then the conversation turned back to the baby. He had to admit, though, with the adrenaline from Quidditch not quite faded in his limbs, and the peace that a shower always brought, and the fact that she was in his arms, he was much calmer than he had been.

"You don't understand," he sighed, rubbing her arm with his hand. "I've never even held a baby. How am I supposed to keep one alive for five whole days?"

James frowned. "It's a good name, I think. You've shot down all of mine. You think of one, then."

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

Summer just hit me.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

James, you will not.

[jamesie-james-blog]

You're right. You're right. I won't mess up. I've got this. I'll be good at this. I'm good at everything. Okay. I've got this.

Thanks for the pep talk, Mac. Gotta go find Lily.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

Summer just hit me.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

You- James we’ve had them since midday.

[jamesie-james-blog]

I know. I’ve been, er, busy.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

James! Go and see him!

[jamesie-james-blog]

But I don't waaaaaaaannaaaaa. I'll break it. I'll ruin it, I know I will. It's better for everyone that I just stay away.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

Summer just hit me.

[marymariemacdonald-deactivated2]

You- James we’ve had them since midday.

[jamesie-james-blog]

I know. I've been, er, busy.