Current mood:	sick
Entry tags:	bathilda bagshot, fic, g, gen, harry, james, lily

fic: Birthdays and Broomsticks G, Harry, James, Lily
Title: Birthdays and Broomsticks
Prompt:Little Harry, riding his broom around the house, any genre
Author: dead_sexydexy
Rating: G, fluff
Word Count: ~2100
Characters: Harry, Lily, James, Bathilda Bagshot, and a broomstick sent by one Sirius Black
Warnings: Ugly vases destroyed, a cat unintentionally terrorized, a one-year-old with vocabulary and enunciation that are a wee bit advanced for the sake of easier reading.
Notes: written for Negroperro as part of the Holiday Exchange on Immeritus.
Beta: plynn78
Comments and Concrit: Are always welcome.

Birthdays and Broomsticks



Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Harry.
Happy birthday to you!"

James, Lily and Bathilda sang at the top of their lungs to Harry, who was wiggling, giggling, and clapping his hands together in his high chair. The one year old alternated looking at the tiny chocolate cake sitting in front of him, one emerald green candle burning in the center, and eyeing the adults singing to him.

"Go on Harry. Blow it out," James encouraged after they'd finished singing.

Lily snapped a picture with an instant camera just as Harry smashed one tiny hand into the cake. They all laughed and watched him squish the creamy frosting and moist cake in his chubby fingers before raising it to his mouth and tasting.

James blew the candle, out concerned that Harry's next swipe might take out the candle and burn his son.

"Mmm, mmm," Harry said, reaching for another handful.

Bathilda turned to Lily, "You're so clever dear, baking Harry his own little cake to enjoy."

"Thank you, Bathilda," Lily replied as she directed a cup of tea and a plate of Bathilda's favorite cookies and finger sandwiches in her elderly neighbor's direction.

They all enjoyed their tea, but watching Harry destroy his cake was the highlight of the afternoon. After he'd eaten his fill Harry began to drop handfuls of cake over the side of his high chair.

"Uh oh!" he'd exclaim with each drop, looking over the edge to see his cake splattered on the kitchen floor.

After the fourth attack, Lily vanished the cake from Harry's tray and the floor.

Harry looked at the newly cleaned tray, "Food bye-bye! Food bye-bye!"

"That's right, young man," said James in a mock stern voice. "If you mess up Mummy's floor, Mummy makes food go bye-bye."

James cleaned Harry up and pulled him from the chair. "It's time to open your presents little man," he said as he put Harry down and watched the boy toddle his way toward a small pile of gifts on the coffee table.

"Which one should he open first, Lily?" James asked.

"It doesn't really matter," Lily answered. "Just give me and Bathilda a minute to get in there before you let him start. I want to get more pictures."

"You get in there and let the child get started," Bathilda urged. "I know I'm old and slow. It won't hurt anything if he opens something before I get there."

Lily smiled and moved to the doorway between the kitchen and sitting room where she could see Harry and James.

Before Harry reached the pile of gifts, their sleek black cat, Midnight, caught his attention. "Meow, meow," he called as he toddled toward her. The cat, familiar with Harry's rough attention, streaked from the room and out of sight. James lured Harry back toward the gifts by shaking a present at his son.

The first package Harry attacked was from Petunia and Vernon. Lily had been surprised they even remembered Harry's birthday. The present was carelessly wrapped in newsprint that was wrinkled, ripped, and obviously something dug from the dustbin. Lily didn't bother to take a picture of this one. Harry tore into it to discover a mismatched pair of baby socks that had obviously been used by Petunia's large son, Dudley. James gave Lily a look over the top of Harry's head. She shrugged and made a face that made it clear he needed to just ignore the slight and get on with the other gifts.

The next present Harry grabbed was from Remus. Remus sent a note of apology that it wasn't new, but he knew Harry would grow to love it anyway.

When Harry picked it up, James said "That's from Uncle Remus, Harry."

"Aaahoo, aaahoo," Harry howled as Lily snapped another shot.

Bathilda, who had made her way into the room, shook her head in confusion, but James laughed heartily. "That's right Harry, aaahoo!"

Harry had a little trouble tearing into the meticulously wrapped package, so James got him started and Harry pulled out a book that turned out to be a copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard."

Harry promptly put the book in his mouth and began chewing on a corner. Lily rescued the book, offering another present to distract Harry.

"That one's from Auntie Bathilda," she told Harry.

He looked at the elderly witch sitting in the room and said, "Bada! Bada!"

"That's right Harry," the old woman beamed. "That's a gift from Bada." Turning to Lily she said, "It's really one of those gifts that's more for you than him, dear. But one day he might appreciate it."

Lily snapped several shots as Harry tore into the maroon and gold paper and found a toddler sized table setting in sterling silver with his initials engraved on the handle. He dumped the utensils on the floor and played with the box they came in until James got his attention by waving the next gift in Harry's direction.

It was a rather long package, wrapped in paper emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest. Harry saw it and immediately began to roar like the lions on the paper as he took the long package.

"That one's from Uncle Sirius," Lily laughed.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Harry barked and began crawling as fast as he could toward the door, so excited he forgot he could walk.

"Oh no, you don't," Lily scooped Harry up, kissing his cheeks and hugging him to her. "Uncle Sirius couldn't be here today, baby. Open his present."

"No woof?" Harry asked.

"No woof," Lily confirmed. She hoped she was hiding her own disappointment from Harry well enough to keep him from dissolving into tears. She plopped him down on the floor in front of the gift once again and got ready to take more photos.

Harry started opening the present and James' eyes began to gleam with excitement, "I knew it Lily! It's a b-r-o-o-m!"

Lily shook her head in mock exasperation, "That Sirius, I swear he'll send a motorbike for Christmas."

James busied himself helping Harry get on the broom, "You can fly Harry, you can fly."

"Fly! Fly!" Harry squealed, walking around the room with the broom between his chubby legs.

Lily laughed as she clicked off a few more shots.

"How do you get the blasted thing to fly?" James wondered aloud.

Rolling her eyes at Bathilda as she pulled a piece of parchment from the remains of the wrapping paper, Lily said in a stage whisper, "Men. You'd think they're allergic to instructions."

After scanning the instructions, she murmured the spell to activate the broom and watched as her son slowly rose a few feet into the air.

He hovered there a moment, James close at hand should the boy lose his balance, and then screeched in delight, "Me fly! Me fly!"

Lily was so wrapped up in Harry's excitement she almost forgot to get shots of her son's first time on his own broom.

James gently guided Harry to lean forward and the broom moved forward with him. Harry suddenly leaned left and zoomed out of James' grasp, crashing spectacularly into a large, bogey colored vase hidden in an unlit corner of the room.

"Uh oh!" exclaimed Harry and Bathilda in unison.

"Oh no," James sighed deeply. "It's a disaster, Lily. He's destroyed that horrid vase your sister sent last Christmas."

"I think I'll survive the heartbreak," Lily laughed. She quickly directed the broken shards into the nearest dustbin.

"Did you see how fast he moved?" James asked with excitement as he moved to guide Harry away from the shards of glass. "He's a natural. A natural I tell you. I bet he intended to hit that vase."

"Maybe so," Lily laughed.

"Here," James said taking the camera and pushing Lily toward Harry. "You always take the pictures. Get over there and let me get your picture with Harry."

Lily moved over to Harry, forcing him to hold still while James snapped several pictures. She let him go and they all watched as Harry flew circles round and round the room, laughing and squealing with joy the whole time. Just as James was about to suggest they try letting him fly out in the garden, Midnight appeared in the doorway.

"Meow! meow!" Harry screeched then took off straight toward the poor cat.

Midnight let out a screech too, and darted back through the kitchen and down the hall with Harry following as fast as the broom would allow. James and Lily ran after them.

James rounded the corner to the hall in time to see Midnight bang into the doorframe as she tried to escape into the study. Harry reached her as she shook her head, a little dazed from the collision, but the cat recovered her senses before Harry could half fall half climb off the broom and get a proper grip on her. Midnight managed to dart to safety under a settee.

"Meow bye-bye!" Harry whined to James, pointing to the settee where the terrified cat was hiding.

"Poor Midnight," Lily shook her head, picking Harry up and carrying him back to the sitting room. When he realized his broom was being left behind, he began crying.

"Fly! Fly! Fly!" Harry bawled at the top of his little lungs.

Lily sat down in a mahogany rocking chair and tried to console her son. "Shush, Harry," she cooed as she rocked. "You can fly again when Daddy gets the cat and brings your broom back."

Bathilda chuckled and gave Lily a 'been there done that' look as she got up and started across the room. She stopped as she passed by the screaming Harry and kissed the top of his head, "There, there, Harry. You'll have plenty of time for fun." She straightened up and spoke to Lily who was attempting to stand up, "Stay where you are, dear. I can show myself out. I had a lovely time."

Lily settled back, repositioning her screaming son as she did so. "Thanks again for coming, Bathilda. Sorry for the noisy ending."

"Think nothing of it, dear," Bathilda reassured. "It's to be expected when one separates a boy from his new broom."

Bathilda left and Lily began singing a lullaby to Harry. Slowly his screams turned to little hiccoughing gasps and the lids to his emerald eyes grew heavier and heavier until he fell asleep. Lily stayed where she was for several minutes marveling at how much Harry had grown and changed in just a year's time. Her emerald eyes were glistening with tears when James walked back into the room with the broom, but no sign of Midnight.

"That bad?" he asked.

Lily shook her head, "That wonderful." She stroked Harry's unruly hair and kissed his chubby cheek before standing up.

Together they walked upstairs and lay Harry in his crib. He began to squirm and fret as if he might wake. Lily thought she heard the words 'fly, fly' trying to form, but a quick flick of James' wand caused the same soothing lullaby Lily had sung earlier to flow from a large black stuffed dog, aptly named Padfoot, in Harry's crib. Harry squirmed his way to the toy, snuggled against it, and grew still.

Smiling down at Harry, Lily whispered to James, "It looks like Sirius wins the favorite gift award again."

James grinned and nodded, "He'll be thrilled to hear it."

After one last look, they left the room and padded back downstairs. Lily pulled some parchment and a quill from a kitchen drawer. "I think I'll write Sirius now. He was so disappointed he couldn't be here in person. Maybe hearing how much Harry loved his gift will cheer him up."

"That's a great idea," James agreed. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "I think I'll go and see if Midnight is ready to come out from under the settee yet."

"Good idea," Lily chuckled.

She wrote Sirius, adding the snapshot James had taken of Harry on the broom to the envelope. When she'd finished, she sealed it then attached it to the leg of a non-descript brown barn owl and sent the bird on its mission.

After watching it disappear into the darkness, Lily tiptoed back upstairs to peek in at Harry. James tiptoed up behind her, encircling her waist with his arms and resting his chin on her shoulder. They smiled broadly at Harry. He was still snuggled up against his Padfoot toy making what sounded like small woofing sounds in his sleep.