27. Muffliato

Lily sipped her Butterbeer, and reflected miserably on her world. This cottage. Were they ever going to get out? Lily didn't mind so much for her, but James was starting to crack. He didn't want to let on, but Lily knew. He was trying to hold it together for her and Harry. She glanced up from the kitchen counter and looked towards him, slimped on the sofa, looking into space, listening to the portable radio. There had been nothing but news of Voldemort's rising. Still, he continued to gain followers and strength, and the Order were remaining stagnant in their attempts.

"Alright Lily?" Sirius asked.
Lily nodded. "I want to do something special for James' birthday. I'm sure you both had big plans for how you'd spend your 21st birthdays, but we can't do anything." That was bothering her. She couldn't plan a spectacular party for her husband.
Sirius looked across at his best friend. "He's deaf, isn't he?"
Lily smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "He has early-onset Muffliato," she joked hollowly.
Her state of depression was understandable, but that didn't make it easy for Sirius. His own 21st was quiet, but he also had his freedom.

30. Oppugno

"Oppugno," James heard a male voice say, followed by something lightly hitting him in the nose.
"Oppugno," he heard again. This time he looked up in time to see Sirius pointing his wand at James with a cookie flying towards him.
With quick reflexes, James grabbed the cookie before it had a chance to hit him again. He bit some off and was instantly gratified. "Mmm peanut," he said, throwing the rest in the air to catch in his mouth.
"Happy Birthday Prongs," Sirius said.
"When did you get here?"
"A few hours ago, mate. Been helping out."
"What was I doing?" James was baffled that he hadn't heard him come in. And concerned.
"Don't worry, darling, I cast a silencing charm on you."
"Oh, don't worry she says. Just throwing random charms at me, are you? What's next, you'll throw a Densaugeo at me?"
Lily smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Just come in here and see what your wife and best friend have been doing."
He followed her into the kitchen, which had been transformed into a cookie house. "Merlin's great big-"
"Oi!" Lily warned. Harry was on the floor, busily drooling on the wall.
"Impressed?" Sirius asked.

21. Langlock

A muffled scream woke Lily with a fright. For a moment she felt disorientated as she'd been pulled from a deep stage of sleep. The muffled scream sounded again, and her motherly instincts kicked in. Thoughts of Voldemort standing over his crib flashed through her mind. No, it couldn't be.
Faint sounds of laughter pushed through those thoughts, but they didn't seem to belong. Laughter and muffled screaming. The combination sent goosebumps over her skin.

Until she recognised the laugh.
"James," she cried out, descending the stairs two at a time.
"In here," he said casually.
Through the archway and into the living room she staggered. "Wh-what's happening?" There was her Harry, who could barely open his mouth. "What happened to him? Why can't he open his mouth?" Lily fell to her knees, trying to inspect her son's mouth. "Did you langlock him or something?" Of course he wouldn't. Would he?
She pried her son's mouth open and a river of drool fell from his mouth along with something brown. "What is this?" It bobbed in her hand above the saliva she had caught.
"It's just salt water taffy," James said. Had she seriously accused him of jinxing their son?

44. Stupefy

All week things had been tense. The parents showed no change in their affection and interactions with Harry, but towards each other they were short and cold. Barely a conversation had been spoken between them, and there hadn't been any physical contact. No hugs, no kisses.

It all came to a head when Lily tripped over James' pyjama bottoms. "Can't you pick up after yourself?" she snapped, picking them off the floor and throwing them at him. "Merlin you're so lazy. All I do is clean up after you!"
James rolled them up and threw them back on the floor, not quite feeling the escape of anger that he felt. "Well what a perfect wife you are," he mocked.
"You're a TOE RAG! I wish I could stupefy you right now. I hate feeling like the mother of two children."
"Get over yourself Evans. Who cooks the meals? Who... who pays for all of our deliveries?"
"Evans?" She echoed, unable to stop the tears from being produced. "Why did you call me Evans?"
James realised all too quickly what he had called her. "Babe, I'm sorry." He pulled her to him, letting his embrace speak the words he couldn't.

25. Mobilicorpus

At 9-months-old he was starting to stand, but was not yet able to walk. Even if he had, he wasn't going to be walking in his sleep. His heavy, sleeping body was curled up on his mother's chest, rising and falling with Lily's deep breathing. She, too, was asleep.
James stood in the doorway watching mother and son sleeping, peaceful. Asleep, they were rarely in hiding. All of the adventures were to be had in their dreams, and James didn't want to disturb that. The longer they were in hiding, the worst he, at least, was sleeping. Claustrophobia and restlessness kept him awake and pacing at night. What he wouldn't do to go outside and pace. But to do that would risk his family and their safety.

Trying not to wake his sleeping baby, he flicked his wand at him, moving him gently in the air and into his own bedroom, lowering him into his cot. "Goodnight Harry," he said as softly as possible, tucking the blankets around him.

18. Incarcerous

People came sometimes. Not always, most of the time it was just the three of them in their cozy cottage in Godric's Hollow. Filling their perpetual days with repeated conversations and jokes, avoidance, constantly thinking up new ways to keep Harry occupied, having fun, and learning. There were days when James and Lily tried not to fight, biting their tongues. There were happy, joyful days, but there were also the bad days. Fights, tears, tantrums.

The worst time was just after visitors left. Minutes or hours spent in company, laughing, hearing and discussing new things, seeing someone other than each other. But when they left, there was a period of depression. The post-visit blues.

"Well, at least it's not Azkaban," James said.
"Yes. We're not in the Dementor's company. Just the effects of it."
James put his arm around his wife. How was he to cheer her up when he was feeling the exact same way?
"Home is the prison we make it," she cried.
"What else can we do? If it was just us two we would be out there fighting, but this isn't for us, it's for Harry."
Lily nodded. "For our Harry." So he could live.

39. Riddikulus

"No, it's okay Peter, come in." Lily opened the door.
"I-I j-just nee-needed t-to see you. L-Lily and... and..." he turned, picking the skin raw from around his hails. "James."
James frowned. "It's okay. I'll get us drinks."
Lily placed a gentle hand on Peter and guided him through to the kitchen, passing the living room on the way.
Peter let out a whimper, shooting his gaze from Harry, who was playing quietly on the floor, to the kitchen.
"What's the matter?"
Lily was always so kind.
"I'm-m just nervous about... about... w-well everything that's happening. I'm s-so scared, I'm-m not sleeping and when I do I have n-nightmares. And I can't stomach f-food." Lily had noticed he was losing weight, of course, but hadn't thought it was more than stress. He was acting entirely discombobulated, and Lily wasn't sure what she could say or do for him to help.
"Do you want to stay here the night?" She tried to offer him a reassuring smile. "It's safer than anywhere else."
Peter swallowed. Hard. Nodded.
They got the couch ready, and Lily sang as she tucked the sheets in. 'Don't be scared... just cast... riddikulus...'

32. Peskipiksi Pesternomi

"An infestation of pixies?" Sirius chuckled.
"Well you wouldn't be laughing if your nine-month-old was dropped from the ceiling by a pixie!" Lily snapped. Harry was now sound asleep in his bedroom, door closed, charms in place to ward off the pixies.
"Every time we get rid of one, another one pops out of nowhere. I don't know where they're hiding, we've checked everywhere. Believe me." What James wasn't saying was that they had all the time in the world to check where the pixies were hiding, if they were. Although it seemed they were able to come and go as they pleased, much like the Potter's friends. Unlike the Potters.
"I'll speak with the order, see if anyone there knows a good spell to get rid of them."

Three days later, arriving for the scheduled grocery delivery, Sirius arrived holding a box.
Lily took the bags to unpack, putting everything away in automatic mode. "What's in the box?"
Sirius grinned and pulled out a cat. "Nobody knew anything good, but Frank suggested a cat. Said he remembered one of the cats at Hogwarts having the time of its life chasing the little devils."
Lily grinned from ear to ear.

15. Hurling Hex

There wasn't a quiet tinkling shatter of the glass vase breaking. No. It fell from a distance, making a very loud shatter.

"HARRY!" Lily screeched.
James clutched at his chest. "Merlin, you sound like your sister when you scream like that." He knew that was the wrong thing to say.
Firstly making sure Harry was okay, Lily picked up the Daily Prophet from a week ago and threw it at her husband. Being that it was flung at his head, and he ducked, it landed face up to the sports page. "Hmm," James said. "Hey, Lil, someone on the English National Team is in a critical condition at Mungo's." He sat down to read the article out loud.
"Dear, that's awful. Hurled from his broomstick in the middle of a match? I wonder if... well, if it was done on purpose."
"You mean a hex?" James was frowning. The thought of someone doing that to a player during a match was deplorable.
"Well, yes." Lily looked surprised at him. "You know, like the kind of thing you lot would do to Severus."
"Hey!" he said, standing up. His outside voice activated. "We never would have done anything in a match."

40. Secrumsempra

"Well he's working undercover, we know that much," Sirius spat.
"He is not the spy. I trust Remus," Lily interjected. She didn't want her friend's name to be thrown around like this, and not in her own home.
"Lily, Lily, he's working with the wrong side. He's with them every day, underground. Who else could be giving away our intel?"
She rolled her eyes. "We are talking about the same Remus, right? He's loyal to us."
"He's a coward, and you know it."
Lily shook her head, but James interrupted. "Mate, we don't believe it's him. We trust him, just like he trusted us with his secrets."
"What, old Sectumsempra face? He's playing dirty, with new scars each month. Do you know the kinds of people he's gallivanting with? Greyback for one."
"He's on official order business. He's not giving away our information, he's getting theirs."
"He hasn't got anything!" Sirius roared, receiving a shush from Lily. Shaking the anger off, he continued. "Look, I'm just saying to be careful. Please! I don't want you to put your trust into someone that will betray you. It's a serious decision."
"What about you?"
Sirius shook his head. "I'm too obvious."

36. Reducto

"Pawn to G3," James said.
An excited squeal from Peter.
"Uh p-pawn t-to A3."
"This is boring Peter." James could see exactly how he was going to win. Peter's moves were predictable. He didn't think, he just did.
"W-we can p-play something else James."
James ran his hands through his hair, messing it up in frustration. "I don't want to play a stupid game!"
Peter shied back. "W-well I d-don't know w-what else we can do."
"Reducto!" James cast, his wand whipping in a beak shape.
The chess pieces pinged off the walls, the ceiling, the board destroyed. But the look on Peter's face made the action seem immediately foolish. One of his oldest friends let out a whimper and James put his wand carefully onto the table.
"Sorry Peter," he mumbled. "I'm just so sick of being here."
Peter nodded. "Well i-it wo-won't be f-for long now."
James looked at him, glad to think about the end. "We can only hope." But he couldn't decipher the look on Peter's face. It was a certainty, perhaps. Like he knew they would be coming out of hiding soon. His friend wanted it almost as bad as they did.

50. Waddiwasi

"What's mama doing?" James cooed at baby Harry.
"Mama is scrubbing this ruddy crevice out."
She heard a chuckle from behind her. "What crevice are we talking about here?"
Lily shot him a look before going back to it with her toothbrush and pipe cleaner. "Between the wall and the oven. It's disgusting James, how do we get so much food in here?"
"Eh, it happens. One of the greatest mysteries in life, I suppose. Why are you doing it with a toothbrush though?"
"It's the smallest brush I could find." Besides the pipe cleaner, of course. "It's not like I can go out and purchase something smaller," she muttered.
"Uh Lils. You do realise you're a witch, right?"
Lily sat up with a suddenness that jolted Harry.
"I'm such an idiot." She reached up to the kitchen counter to grab her wand, and pointed it to the crevice saying "Waddiwasi."

A giant, furry glob of something shot out and stuck itself on James' t-shirt.
"Ewwwwwwww," he moaned, holding back a retch of disgust.
Lily cracked up laughing at her macho husband fussing over a little bit of mould on his t-shirt.
"I'll get you for this," he said.