They say it's your birthday. We're going to have a good time. [Pre-dated to March 27]

[doeinbloom]

Since Sirius and James told her about The Nook, the quaint house in the country her son resided in during his time in Darrow, Lily has plotted and planned. In the way James spoke of the place, she knew instantly that he longed to live there. To absorb what he can of the same air Harry breathed, when he was here. So though that first trip out had been difficult, nearly impossible, really, what with the way Lily had burst into tears at the first sight of the living room, her son's things scattered about as though he might walk through the door any moment, she kept coming back in fits and bursts, sometimes with Sirius and James, sometimes by herself.

Two weeks before James' birthday, she took Sirius aside and they began plotting. Sirius helped keep James distracted, giving Lily time to sneak away and make the trips necessary for them to move into The Nook. She decided with Sirius that the best surprise they could give James was moving into the place, and to throw a surprise birthday party at the house along with it.

Lily took the time and care to make sure she kept all of Harry's things. She arranged for them all to be placed in one of the four bedrooms, a sort of shrine in the hopes that Harry might show up on their doorstep. For the most part, she kept the furniture in the living room as is. She sold the dining room table and chairs, replaced them with a set that better suited her and James' taste. She spent as much of her spare time as she could buying and arranging furniture; of painting rooms and decorating them to make the place feel more like their home in Godric's Hollow. She added to the spells and charms about the place, increasing security and adding warmth, coziness to their new home.

Finally, on the day of James' birthday, everything is set. She employs Sirius once more to distract James, while she Apparates and charms all of their belongings in their flat to the new place. She hurries to cook, clean, and set up decorations in Gryffindor colors, red and gold. She arranges everything in the backyard; she has charms ready to protect everything in case of rain. She'd spoken with a local witch, who informed her that she could find Firewhiskey and other drinks from her world at a place called the Beanstalk. She'd spoken with the owner, and now she has one table loaded with a variety of drinks, both from her world and Muggle, charmed to chilled perfection. Another table holds the food, a wide variety of all of James' favorites, including desserts.

She's set up the record player with speakers, using her magic so that the perfect song plays just when it's wanted most. There's a space set aside for dancing, as well as a table off to the side for presents, which Lily has already started to stack with some of her own. Fairy lights float throughout the party, each one a kaleidoscope of gold and red. She charms the whole of the house so that it smells different to each individual, matching their favorite scent that reminds them of home.

Finally, she sets up the banners and ribbons, the banners charmed with letters that dance and move. And she waits for James to arrive.

Comments

[bloodandflowers]

Kell is a little hesitant about his gift. He believes he's made a working model, but it will take the particular wand wielding magic that James, Lily, and Sirius use to be certain, so his gift is yet untested.

He's wrapped it, as is the custom, but the shape of the curved Pensieve is obvious despite the colorful paper when he presents it quietly to James. "I studied the books of your world when making Sirius' wand," he says. "I believe I've made a Pensieve. I don't have many memories of Harry while he was here, but you are welcome to them all." Kell hesitates, realizing he's forgotten the proper custom. "Happy birthday."

[isolemnly_swear]

James hasn't spoken to Kell all that often, so he's a little surprised to see him here. He is Sirius's friend however, and James is pleasantly surprised when he approaches. Even more so when he hands over a gift of some kind.

"You didn't have to get me anything," James says when he takes it, a little surprised at the weight of it. He hadn't really expected presents from anyone except Lily and maybe Sirius. But then Kell tells him what it is without James needing to unwrap it, and James feels awfully touched. It would have been enough that Kell thought to give him a gift at all, but this gift... James hardly knows what to say.

"Kell," he starts, looking down at the wrapped Pensieve and back to Kell again. "This is... I can't thank you enough, really."

[bloodandflowers]

"Thank me when it works," says Kell with a small, pleased smile. He's almost certain that it will, even if he knows his own memories won't be much. "Perhaps Sirius can add his as well - they spent so much time together. He looked after Harry like his own."

Kell looks around the home that had once been Harry's, wondering if it's painful to reside here. "Can I ask a personal question?"

[isolemnly_swear]

James knows that Sirius had done his very best to make sure Harry was safe and looked after, and he's eternally grateful for it. Sirius is his best friend but there's a reason they named him Harry's godfather, and it's clear he rose to the task once he was given the chance. James only wishes they all could have gotten that chance, to watch Harry grow up like they were supposed to, see him through his first day of school, his quidditch match, his first date.

They didn't get any of that, but at least Sirius had some time with him here before he was taken away again. James makes a note to ask him, knowing that his friend will be more than happy to share his memories in any way he can. He's already done his best to tell James verbally everything he remembers, but the Pensieve will be even better.

"You just offered to give me your memories," James points out, a small smile on his lips. "I'd say that earns you a personal question."

[bloodandflowers]

"It's quite personal," says Kell, but he continues before his nerves can fail him, looking around once for Lila. She's all the way over by the drinks with Lily, and Kell exhales. "At home, you and Lily started a family. The way Sirius describes your world, you're still quite young. How did you know you were ready?"

Kell's brow furrows. "How did you know that Lily would agree?"

[isolemnly_swear]

It's definitely not the question he'd been expecting. James isn't sure what exactly he was expecting, but it's not this. No one has ever asked him for relationship advice before and for a moment James isn't sure how to answer. In school he'd been mooning over Evans since first year, practically; any other passing fancy was exactly that. After school everyone had been too preoccupied with the war to ask him too many questions about the whys and hows of his relationship with Lily.

"Twenty-two today," he tells Kell, and the novelty of that still hasn't quite worn off. He's not supposed to make it to twenty-two, but here he is, dark wizards be damned. "I didn't know," he admits, shrugging a little. "But there was a war on and I knew I loved her and I'd regret it if we didn't try and give it a shot while we still could. We got married at eighteen."

He knows there are people who had thought them foolish, marrying in the middle of a war, but that's precisely why he proposed in the first place. If he only had a handful of days left to spend on Earth he intended to spend them with Lily Evans. "She could very well have told me to sod off," he says, smile creeping back, "but it was better to ask and have her say no than not ask at all."

It's clearly not an objective question at all, but James isn't going to push for detail if Kell doesn't want to elaborate.