Chapter Text
James could be considered a rather lucky boy; he was very lucky because he usually got what he wanted and the whole life treated him well.
His mother always told him he should be careful and maintaining that luck wasn’t easy; he had to work it every day and choose where, how and with whom to use it. James didn’t see it that way. He didn’t feel the need to, because he’d never had any problems since he was born.
He was his parents’ miracle; he was the most loved and spoilt child ever to set foot in the House of Potter. He was handsome and charismatic, athletic, and although he didn’t excel at school, he was very, very good. James had it all by the age of seven.
His luck increased when he started Hogwarts. He was popular —the golden boy of Gryffindor, the crush of almost the whole school, the Auror who would soon wipe out the Death Eaters, or the new star the national Quidditch team had been waiting for; it didn’t really matter, because he was James Potter.
His time at school only served to reinforce the idea that he was immensely lucky. Everything had been perfect —even the end of his rivalry with the Slytherin prodigy confirmed it.
Although he’d certainly had his doubts, because even though he had the best luck in the world, there were times when he hesitate. From the very first day he saw Severus, sitting on the other side of the Great Hall eating a chocolate cake at the Slytherin table, he knew he’d found his soulmate, and normally James would have no trouble trying to charm someone with his smile or his jokes, but with Severus it was difficult to get close, especially when people kept getting in the way.
The first obstacle was Sirius, his best friend, who had an irreparable contempt for Slytherins; but after a few chats, James managed to convince his friend that he and Severus were the perfect couple; that, and the exhaustive presentation he gave over several weeks on ‘The great romantic similarities between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. How this has a positive impact on the wizarding world in both the short and long term.’, he recalls that it was exhausting, but worth every bloody second.
The second obstacle was Severus’ friend, Lily Evans. The girl, in Sirius’ words, was a nuisance; she was always glued to the lad, and whenever she saw James approaching, she’d almost start barking and snapping at him, so Severus ended up getting annoyed by his presence too. Evans was no fan of the approach James usually took to woo, as she put it, his best friend; and although he could see Evans’ point about his unconventional tactics, James found himself thinking, for the first time, that girls were obnoxious.
The third obstacle, and the one he considered the most difficult, was that Severus belonged to the house that believed in blood supremacy. James had nothing against Slytherins in general; after all, his mother had been a member of the House of Snakes; the problem lay with the people in Severus’ immediate circle; Nott, Mulciber, Avery, and, most annoyingly of all, Lucius Malfoy. In his early years, James had been determined to separate Severus from the snake quartet by any means necessary; however, at the time, he didn’t know how to approach him without ending up in a row with the lads.
James was exhausted, his first year hadn’t been as brilliant as he’d thought it would be, yes, he’d made his best friends, and yes, he’d gained some popularity amongst the lads, but he hadn’t managed to get close to the one person he really wanted to be with, Severus; so when he got home that first summer, he didn’t hesitate to throw himself into his mother’s arms and, between sobs, explained how his supposed immense good luck had vanished overnight, because nothing had turned out as he’d hoped.
His mother calmed him down, reminded him of all the good things that had happened to him, and looked after him throughout the holidays. For days on end, she explained how he could approach a Slytherin, what sort of humour was usually well received, and what sort of gifts he could give Severus without arousing the boy’s suspicion about his early courtship. His father, for his part, took him on a lads’ outing before he returned to Hogwarts and gave him some of his best advice on how to win Severus over. James returned to school with renewed vigour.
And although his second year wasn’t the best, there had definitely been a huge improvement compared to his first year.
His third year was much, much better. After months, Severus had allowed him to sit next to him during the hours he spent in the library —and when he put it into perspective, the boy spent almost every day and all hours in the library, so in reality he was allowing James to spend the whole day with him. He was beside himself with excitement when he realised this. Whenever they were in the same lessons, James always tried to beat Evans to a seat next to Severus, and although he didn’t always succeed, every time he did, he could see a shy smile on Severus’ face. The best moment was when he interrupted a conversation Severus was having with Avery and, instead of shooting him murderous glances, Severus simply sighed. James saw this as a clear sign that Severus was falling head over heels for him.
Over the years, James came to realise that his luck had never actually left him; it had never abandoned him. It had simply, as his father put it, taken a break. His mother disagreed with this; she tried to explain to him that he could actually lose all his luck if he didn’t look after it properly and if he wasted it on silly things, such as trying to get away with his mischief.
For a while, James didn’t really take it very seriously. A few months earlier, he’d turned twenty-one, and he had everything he’d ever dreamed of. He had the best job in the world as Quidditch player number ten; he’d married his soulmate, Severus Snape —now Potter; they’d moved into a grand mansion on the outer edges of Scotland and were discussing having an heir. James couldn’t believe how lucky he was.
But, as his mother always said, James should have been more careful.
It all began that very day, when he woke up and his neck felt stiff. He tried not to make a big deal of it, and when he went down to the kitchen, Severus was already there having a cup of tea. They spent the morning laughing softly and chatting about silly things; and when it was time to go to training, his husband kissed him goodbye. And although he’d tried to ignore the twinge, the blow he’d received for not being able to turn his head in time had made the pain worse. The morning training session was quite gruelling, so much so that he thought he’d collapse in the changing rooms.
At lunchtime, the day took a turn for the worse when a group of teenagers tripped and ended up spilling several fruit milkshakes all over his white shirt; when the lads started apologising, James was on the verge of brushing off his annoyance —after all, it was a sunny day, it wasn’t cold or raining like it had been the day before, and he could always head back to the gym for a good shower. Just as he opened his mouth to say it was fine, a car drove past him and splashed all the mud from the road onto him; some of it ended up in his mouth.
When the lads tried to say something, James just gave them a look and they decided to run off. James was angry, because now not only was he dirty and disgusted, but his neck was still aching. At the end of lunch break, his teammates looked at him in surprise when he arrived, and even his coach looked at him with suspicion; it wasn’t usual for him to turn up covered in mud and smelling of strawberries.
The day didn’t get any better. The afternoon training session was worse than the morning’s; having been unable to eat or shake off the sticky feeling left by the fruit, James spent five hours of his day suffering. He’d been knocked down by several bludgers, his teammates were shouting loudly, and the coach had given him a disappointed look.
The real pain came at the end of the day. He was just about to have a nice, well-deserved shower, he’d even lathered his hair, when as he turned on the tap, no water came out. It seemed that being part of the best Quidditch team in the country didn’t guarantee him water to shower with after a very sweaty day’s training. James could have sworn in languages he didn’t even know, he was so furious and flustered.
With his stress levels reaching an all-time high, James stormed out of there, heading straight for his parents’ house, because the day wasn’t over yet —no, sir. His mother had made him promise to sort through some bloody clothes, the reason for which he didn’t really understand, especially when it was so easy to buy new ones if you had the money, but his mother had insisted, and James might have been having the worst day of his life, but a promise to his mother was an unbreakable promise.
Still covered in mud and sticky with fruit, James knocked on the red door; it wasn’t even three minutes before he was met by his mother’s wide, surprised golden eyes, as she took in one of the most embarrassing and humiliating sights her son had ever presented.
“James!” his mother squealed.
“Hello.” his tone was weary; he didn’t really feel like doing anything, his day hadn’t been easy, and all he wanted to do was get home, have a very long bath and go to bed, snuggling up with Severus.
His mother didn’t keep him waiting and tried to invite him in.
“No, thanks Mum,” he sighed. “I’ve just come to pick up the clothes and I’m leaving; not planning on staying.”
His mother looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of resignation. “Right, give me a moment, Jamie.”
James stood outside the house, the door open and the lights on; the smell of home-cooked food made him feel uneasy. His parents’ house looked so cosy, with no nagging or careless teenagers —just a sanctuary where, no matter what he did, everything would turn out all right, yet even so, the best thing in his life was missing: his husband, Severus.
Resigned, he was just about to turn round to sit on the stone steps at the entrance when his father appeared, coming out of the living room with a book in his hands; his dark eyes looked at him in surprise and he didn’t hesitate to approach.
“James, how have you- what was happened?!”
James sighed. “A bad, very bad day, Dad.”
His father shook his head as he leaned against the door, taking off his reading glasses. “Jamie, Jamie. How much of your luck have you used up lately?”
James frowned; he felt tired, and his father was making him stand there in front of the house. “What’s that got to do with it?”
“You know what your mum thinks about that,” he sighed, and in a tone he was trying to make sound like his mother’s, he recited, “You should look after it and choose when-”
“When to wear it. I know.” he tried to run his hands through his hair, but they just got tangled up in his unbearable curls; he was starting to feel exasperated. “It was just a bad day, that’s all.”
His father looked at him and shook his head. “If you say so.”
James was about to retort with something sarcastic, but luckily his mother returned with a yellow box in her hands; it was far too small to hold an adult’s clothes.
“Oh, Fleamont, you must have dragged Jamie into the bathroom if you bumped into him.”
His father burst out laughing whilst his mother merely shot him grumbling glances. James sighed again.
“Mum, I told you, I’m not staying.”
His mother shook her head, disapproving of the situation, and handed him the box—but not before casting a repelling charm on it. “Don’t open it until you’re with Sevie.”
“Why?” His mother was now giving him a stern look, silently challenging him to answer; James preferred not to make her angry. “Understand.”
Taking the box and saying his goodbyes, he set off for home. Once inside the guards of his home, which were bristling with protective spells, James began to feel better; he was finally in his sanctuary. He chose to knock on the door and wait for Severus to come and let him in rather than simply walking in; he knew his husband didn’t like dirt, and James looked as though he’d just stepped out of a bin bag. He didn’t have to wait long before Severus appeared at the door, wand in hand, thinking he might be about to face an intruder. Great was his surprise when the person standing before him was a very grubby version of his husband, whom he remembered having seen off that morning looking spotless.
His dark eyes scanned him and he quickly cast several cleaning spells; James loved the moments when his husband could be so practical, because if he had to put up with the stickiness of the fruit for another minute, he might just change his lifestyle and go mad. With the mud and smoothie stains gone, James decided to go inside, where he was warmly welcomed by Severus’ lips. When the kiss broke, James was quite surprised; the Slytherin was well known for despising anything that wasn’t spotless, and although he was aware of his husband’s spell-casting abilities, he also knew he wasn’t gleaming —or at least not enough to meet his partner’s minimum standards.
“Don’t get your hopes up, you look really grubby… downright disgusting, even,” his expression was cold and judgemental. “but I thought it might cheer you up.” his cheeks had flushed pink and a small smile was playing on his lips.
Oh, how James loved his husband.
It didn’t take him long to head upstairs and hog the shower; it had been quite a tough day, but it didn’t matter anymore —he was home, his husband was cooking dinner, and James would simply have to spend the night in his arms. After washing three times, he came out wearing a pair of black cotton trousers, and the smell of food filled the whole house —it was beef stew, his favourite.
They spent the next two hours eating and chatting about the potionist’s work, how his Master’s degree was going, and their plans for the future —discussing the budget and the ideas they had for the new chemist’s shop he was planning to open in Diagon Alley. James listened attentively to every one of his husband’s ideas and smiled at every sign of excitement he could detect in Severus. Dinner passed quietly and joyfully.
Back in the living room, where Severus had asked Goblet to prepare a soothing cup of tea, they spent a few minutes reading before James brought up the subject of the mysteriously small box of clothes his mother had made him collect.
“I almost forgot —Mum gave me the box, although it’s very small.” he got up from the comfortable armchair to go to the entrance and pick up the pack that had been left behind on the way to the bathroom. When he returned to the living room, Severus had already closed his book and was sipping from his mug whilst waiting for James to open the box. “She told me I couldn’t open it until I was with you.” Severus raised an eyebrow. “I know, I’ve no idea why.”
James sat down at Severus’ feet and, as he lifted the lid off the box, he felt his husband’s curious gaze over his shoulder. Without further ado, he opened it and removed the wrapping; his eyes widened instantly and he could hear Severus’ gasp of surprise. James, too, was quite taken aback by what met his eyes.
Inside the box was a small set of cream-coloured cotton items:, a pair of tiny socks and a little hat; at the very bottom was a note.
May enjoy good health, happiness and good luck.
Welcome to the House of Potter.
James knew that the matter of an heir was not up for debate; he was well aware of the responsibilities that came with being a member of a pure-blood family and, above all, the burden he bore as the only son. He knew full well the story of how difficult it had been for his parents to conceive, and although he rarely spoke of the subject, he too felt the fear of not having luck on his side when the topic of children came up.
The prospect of an heir did not fill him with dread, quite the opposite, in fact; he was just as excited, if not more so, than his parents at the thought of little Potters running about the house, and of celebrating Christmas and Yule with his parents in the company of his children and Severus; he was absolutely thrilled at the idea of having children, but he also knew it hadn’t been a straightforward matter with Severus.
His husband had told him time and time again that it wasn’t exactly the right time to have children, that they could wait a few years before starting a family, and James didn’t see the problem with that, because he’d never actually said no to him; he’d told him to wait, and those were completely different words and intentions. So he was quite taken aback by his mother’s urgency; James had spoken to his parents on their wedding day about how he and Severus would wait before even attempting marital duties; they hadn’t even been married for a year, and his mother had thrown his words out of the window.
He turned to look at Severus, wanting to make him see that it wasn’t his idea; he wasn’t the sort of husband who’d say he’d wait only to ignore it later; James was a man of his word, but when he turned to look at him, his eyes widened once more.
Severus had a lovely, broad smile spread across his face; he was gently handling the socks and had a beautiful twinkle in his eyes.
“You’re not angry…” James whispered after a few seconds.
Severus looked at him and let out a soft chuckle. “Of course not, why should I?”
“… because it’s too soon (?)” his tone was questioning, unsure whether he’d answered or had ended up asking a question.
“I don’t think it’s that soon.”
And James’s eyes were starting to sting from squinting. “Isn’t it?” Severus shook his head. “But- but I thought…” he stammered. “You sa- said we should wait.”
“Of course we should wait; when you told me you wanted five children, we were fifteen.” Severus looked at him with those eyes that clearly said ‘you’re a fool’.
“You could have been more specific!” James retorted.
Severus rolled his eyes and let a smile begin to form as he stood up and knelt down beside James; at his level, he let his arms wrap around his husband’s neck, and in the softest, most flirtatious tone, he ended up whispering. “So, Mr. Potter, don’t you want to start practising for having five children?”
James’s cheeks flushed; the slight, subtle annoyance that had been beginning to well up in his chest was completely forgotten at the sight of those jet-black eyes gazing at him with such love.
“Bloody hell, of course I do.”
It wasn’t long before they began a session of hungry, desperate kisses —but above all, kisses full of affection and respect. James had been dreaming of the day Severus would decide to start having children with him; it had always been his greatest dream to build a large family with his soulmate, and today seemed to be his lucky day.
His hands slowly stroked his husband’s black hair whilst he could feel the other’s hands moulding the muscles of his back, and in the dim light of the living room, James laid his husband down on the carpet. They spent several minutes on the floor until Severus interrupted to lie down on the largest and longest armchair in the room; the autumn chill was beginning to set in, and the armchair faced the unlit fireplace directly.
The day had started very badly for James, but the evening was turning out to be magnificent. Severus began to run his hands down James’s chest until they reached the top of his trousers; without waiting long, he pulled them down. James didn’t waste any time either, unbuttoning his husband’s black shirt.
They were already almost naked, and as he felt the slight tremors in the dark-haired man’s body, James covered both of them with a blanket they kept in the living room. They were both laughing, whispering tender words and caressing one another; the minutes passed, and just as James was about to slip his hand between his husband’s legs, the fireplace, which had been extinguished mere minutes earlier, now blazed with green flames. James didn’t hesitate to cover his husband’s pale body and, in desperation, searched as quickly as he could for his wand; when the intruder appeared, he relaxed —it was Sirius.
“Prongs!” the Black heir emerged from the fireplace, looking rather flustered.
“Damn it Sirius, what are you doing here?!” James demanded, rather irritated.
Having regained his balance, Sirius caught sight of Severus wrapped in blankets, his bare torso clearly visible, and James with his own blanket draped over his hips, which made him burst into a thunderous laugh. It didn’t matter that Sirius was clearly the intruder in their private plans; Severus’s cheeks turned bright red as he tried to cover himself as best he could; the least embarrassed was James, who merely sighed and ended up sitting down even though he hadn’t found his wand.
“Sirius, what are you doing here?” James repeated, a little calmer but no less angry.
Wiping a few small tears from his eyes, caused by his uncontrollable laughter, Sirius cleared his throat. “Right, right. You won’t believe what’s just happened.”
James knew that smile that spread across Sirius’s face all too well; it was the same one he’d been wearing for the past seven years whenever he was about to tell a story full of unnecessary details that would go on for hours. And although he’d normally be keen to hear whatever gossip Sirius had unearthed, he also had a problem between his legs and an engagement involving Severus that he neither intended nor wanted to miss.
“Can’t it wait?” asked James.
“Although I’d like to give you some privacy so you could…” his eyes drifted to Severus, who merely replied with a defiant glare. “sort out your business, this can’t wait.” his words were final.
Severus was about to get up to fetch his clothes because if his husband’s bloody best friend had no intention of leaving, he’d prefer to be fully dressed in his presence; however, the sight of the green flames flaring up again in the fireplace stopped him.
“Sirius Black, you can’t just leave like that!” from the flames emerged an angry Remus who, unlike on other days, was this time dressed in a rather smart, ironed white shirt and dark black dress trousers; he looked quite elegant.
“Monny?!” shouted James.
“Oh… hello, James. Severus.” Remus nodded in their direction, his cheeks flushed, having realised the compromising situation the married couple found themselves in. Severus grew even angrier.
With his patience running thin, Severus made another attempt to rise from the armchair, but was stopped in his tracks when the green flames once again engulfed a beautiful Narcissa outside the fireplace. The blonde’s eyes quickly scanned the living room of the Potter house, and she simply raised an eyebrow in Severus’s direction.
“Bless Godric,” he heard his husband whisper beside him, and Severus could well understand his irritation.