"Liam."
"No. James?"
"You have got to be kidding me! We are NOT naming our child James!"
"And why ever not? I thought James would be a bloody decent name!"
"It's hard enough that your name is James, James. Don't give me that look, you know I'm just joking. Goodness, one blow to a man's ego and they fall to pieces. Seriously, we need to come up with a decent name!"
James took one look at his wife as she held their son while he slept. He paced back and forth in the nursery as he did think seriously about the name of the babe. It was three days past his birth and they returned back to their home in Godric's Hollow with their son still named "Baby Boy Potter". As that as a thought, he turned towards Lily, "I've got the perfect name! It's simple to remember and we won't have to change any of the records!"
"If you're thinking of naming MY son, 'Baby Boy' you have got another thing coming, James Potter!" Lily threatened,
"He's my son too!"
"Yes, well I could very well name him Severus if you do not take this serious!"
Immediately James' complexion paled to resemble that of the first snow of December. In the amount of time it took for his face to turn white, it turned red with anger as his eyes narrowed dangerously,
"If you ever think to name our son - MY son - after that sniveling, sneaking -"
"I was just joking James."
"I will hex you Lily! I don't care if you just delivered me another child, I will hex you!"
It was her turn to grow angry. She stood up from the wooden rocking chair, walked over to the babe's crib and gently laid him down. After assuring herself that he was still sound asleep, she turned back to face James and effectively shoved him out of the nursery. Following him into the hallway, she closed the door behind her and brushed past him.
Silently, he began to follow her down the stairs, he was but halfway down the stairs, a foot behind her when she suddenly swung back to face him, a finger pointed directly to his nose,
"Lils.. calm down."
She opened her mouth as if to yell at him and he shut his eyes tightly, preparing to shield himself from the barrage of words. However, when it didn't come, he opened his eyes and found himself alone on the staircase. After taking a second to get his barrings, he continued downstairs and eventually heard noises coming from the kitchen. Braving himself, he entered.
Lily stood at the kitchen counter, shopping carrots when James entered. She didn't look up from her work an didn't speak a word. Tentatively, he approached her,
"Lils," he moved a hand towards her shoulder but before it made contact, she swirled to face him, the knife in her hand pointing towards him. Immediately, he withdrew his hand for it just missed being sliced off from her knife.
"You were joking right?" He looked at her quizzically, "He's not 'another child' right? He's your first..." She bit her lip to stop its trembling.
He exhaled explicitly, "Lils, I was joking about that. Just like you were joking about naming him after Snape."
"Who says I was joking?" She muttered angrily as she returned to her carrots.
He came up behind her, his hands stilling hers as he placed a kiss on her head, "Well, I was joking."
Lily sighed heavily as she dropped her knife and turned in his arms until her head laid on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her frame, "I know you were," she muttered into his shirt, "I don't know why I overreacted. I blame the hormones."
"Don't blame them, I love the hormones." James said softly as he nuzzled her forehead,
"You would after last night," she grinned, "But we still need to name him."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"No Snape business?"
"None."
"Okay. How about you think of a name you want to name him and I'll think of a name?"
"I like that idea," She said as she extracted herself from him to continue cutting her carrots.
After a moments silence, Lily glanced up at James who had proceeded to sit down at the kitchen table with his chin resting on his hand, elbow proped up on the table top.
"What are you thinking of?" Lily inquired, "I hope you're thinking of a name..."
"Oh, I am. I assure you, dearest, I am." James said with conviction, "I'm actually going through favoured family members for inspiration."
"That's an interesting idea, naming him after a favourite person, perhaps I'll do the same," Lily smiled to herself as she grabbed another carrot to chop. "So, what names have you drawn from your family?" She inquired while chopping,
"Well, there is Uncle Spar, but I'd doubt you'd like his name," James said,
"Spar is an odd name..."
"It's short for Sparticus."
"Oh..." she grew silent,
"That's why I just called him Uncle Spar."
"Who else is there?"
"I have a Great Aunt Ratia."
"Let me guess, short for Horatia?"
"I knew there was a reason why I married you," He grinned, "Ever the smart one, you are."
"Love, I don't think this was such a great idea anymore," Lily admitted as she dumped her chopped carrots into a pot of hot water.
"I didn't think so either, I just thought it was fun to pass the time," James explained as he got up from the table, "I already had a name four days ago."
"And you let our child go home nameless!?" Lily exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air,
"Ah, not nameless dear, he did leave as 'Baby Boy Potter'," James reminded gently,
"James Potter, I ought to -" She paused as she felt a ringing in her ears. Shooting one last glare at her beloved husband, she left the kitchen and bolted to the nursery.
When James finally reached the nursery, he found Lily rocking the baby once more. When his cries finally ceased and he was once more contently sleeping in his mother's arms, Lily sat down in the bay window of the nursery. James smiled warmly at Lily as he approached her and leaned against the wall, opposite to the side of the window where she sat.
"So what name did you pick out for him?" Lily asked finally as she looked up at him, returning his look of pure love.
"Harry... what do you think?" He asked, his expression suddenly turning worrisome,
"I love it." She said as she reached out a hand to him. He took it and she kissed his hand.
"Have you thought of a name?" James inquired hesitantly, not wanting to rush her decisions.
"Actually, I haven't been all innocent in this either," He raised a curious eyebrow, "I had a name picked out already as well. I just wanted to see your grief over me suggesting Severus."
He rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "And how long, did you have this name picked out, dearest?"
"A few years or so," she admitted shyly as her gaze suddenly pulled away from his and looked out the window.
"Oh?"
"Yes. I've known for quite some time what I wanted my first son to be called. Even before we were together," she said softly, "I wanted to name him after someone I admired deeply for so long and grew to love."
"This isn't after one of your Hogwart's crushes is it?" James inquired, feeling slightly jealous as he released his hand from hers. He crossed his arms over his chest, "It is, isn't it? You're going to name our son after a Hogwart's crush!"
"Yes. I am." She looked at him, "Darling, you're looking jealous."
"I am not," he said petulantly,
She stood up and placed their son back in his crib before returning to James' side. She took his hand in hers once more and pulled it to her lips. She looked up at him, her eyes smiling, "There was no one I liked other than you. No one I ever loved but you. I want to name him James. I always have."
His heart felt as if it were bursting at its seams as he felt the previous jealousy slip away, "We don't have to, I recall you rejecting it earlier when I suggested it. It was only a suggestion, we don't have to."
"Well, if you feel that way, we could name him Severus instead," she said with a shrug of her shoulders as she turned to leave.
He grabbed her hand and turned her back to him, "I lied, I want to give him the name you picked," he said as he held her face between his hands,
"Good, because I wasn't going to name him anything else."
He kissed her for a moment before she pulled away, "He shall be named Harry James, under one condition."
"Anything, love."
"If you let the name of our child get to your head, I will promptly change his name."
"Oh? To what, praytell? I hope not to a certain Slytherin's name?"
"No. To his real father's name, Remus."
"Sorry dearest, I shan't fall into your little trickery. If I recall correctly, little Harry James was conceived the night of a full moon," James smiled smugly,
"That's what you think," Lily smirked back at him,
"Oh? Well, I guess I shall have to rectify that problem and conceive another child with you to assure myself," James said suggestively as he tilted his head closer to hers,
"Indeed." She muttered as she involuntarily closed her eyes, but felt nothing. Opening her eyes, she found James staring into Harry's crib. She turned around to also gaze down at their child. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her temple,
"I love you."
"And I love you," she sighed peacefully as she leaned back into his strength as they continued to gaze down at the sleeping baby.
Later, in the evening, Lily peered into the nursery to find James asleep in the rocking chair, Harry securely held against him. She felt an infinite warmness enter her as she watched the father and son for a second. Quietly, she crept in and gently took Harry from James without either of them stirring. She placed him in his crib.
"Grow up big and strong dear," she whispered to the sleeping baby, "I've given you quite the name to live up to. You're father will be proud of you."
"I already am." James said as he slowly got up from the rocking chair and joined her at the crib, "Harry James Potter... One day, you'll be a great wizard."
Lily silently agreed as James wrapped her in the circle of his arms. Together, they watched their son as he slept while they were filled with hopes and dreams for his future.
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