kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Harry bit his lip, unsure what to do. He was deliriously happy to be with his parents тАУ at last тАУ but he also missed his da, and he felt bad about leaving behind the man who was so obviously devastated, if the heart-rending sobs were any indication. "I тАУ I don't know," he said at last. "I want to stay with you, but I don't want to leave my da тАУ I mean Professor Snape тАУ either."

James smiled at him and gently pushed Harry's glasses up his nose. "You can call him your da, Harry. I don't mind. I'm glad he was there for you when I couldn't be."

His mum smiled and nodded. "Harry, it will never make us unhappy if you find other people who love you like we do. We'll only be unhappy if you don't have people who care about you."

"What should I do?" Harry asked helplessly.

Lily folded him into her arms and pressed a kiss onto his head. She wasn't as тАУ erm тАУ squishy as Auntie Molly, but she still felt awfully good. "Sweetheart, it's your decision. We will always, always love you and be with you, no matter what."

Harry perked up. "Really?"

James grinned. "Yup. Just like we were there to see you grab the snitch at your first Quidditch game тАУ even without a broom!" He nudged Lily. "I told you he was a natural!"

She rolled her eyes. "James, you said that when all he did was use your broom as a teething ring." She looked back at Harry. "But we have always been there with you, Harry. We saw you when you were so unhappy with that bi- erm, horrible sister of mine and her whale of a husband and pig of a sonтАж"

James made oinking noises, much to Harry's glee. "Did you see what Hagrid did to him?"

"I only wish he had turned Vernon into Shamu and left him to suffocate on the floor of that horrible hut!" Lily snapped.

Harry blinked and scooted a little closer to his dad. His mum was fierce when she got mad тАУ just like Auntie Molly! James tugged Harry onto his lap and draped a comforting arm over him. "We saw you making friends with all the other kids тАУ Ron and Hermione and DracoтАж Did you know that Neville used to come over for play dates when you were both babies?"

"Yeah?" Harry asked in surprise. "I didn't know that!"

"Oh, yes, you used to love to take your baths together," Lily said fondly, oblivious to Harry's choking noises of mortification. Okay, do NOT mention that to Neville!

"Erm, when you say you watch over me, you don't mean you watch me all the time, do you?" Harry asked, abruptly realizing that some of his activities were definitely not something which he wanted to share with an audience, let alone his parents!

James sniggered until Lily shot him a Look. "No, no, Harry. We don't peek at private times тАУ we just watch over you when you're out and about."

"Oh. Okay. It doesn't really matter; I was just wondering," Harry's tone was elaborately casual to conceal his overwhelming relief.

"Yeah, Pronglet. We know that a guy needs his privacy," his dad reassured him with a wink. "But we do like watching when you're setting up a prank тАУ like the one on the 'Puffs? That was definitely Marauder material!"

"Or when you do something nice, like help Neville with his Charms assignment," Lily put in. "Or when you and Sev are having breakfast together."

"And we saw how тАУ" Abruptly James frowned, and with a quick tug he had Harry sprawled face down across his lap.

"Hey!" Harry yipped as his nose ended up smooshed into the fuzzy blanket. "What's - OW!" He let out a loud yelp as the first of several hard slaps landed on his bum. "Ow, Dad! Stop! Ouch!"

He squirmed and protested, but James held him in place until he had delivered a dozen sound swats. Once he was released, Harry scrambled to his knees, both hands flying to his insulted posterior. "That hurt, Dad!" he complained indignantly.

"It was intended to," James retorted sternly. "Didn't Snape tell you to go to your tower? And didn't you disobey him so you could stick around just to eavesdrop? And then didn't you rush into the room and get captured rather than going for help when you heard he was in trouble?"

"Oh. Well, yes," Harry admitted sheepishly

"You know better than that, Harry James," his father scolded. "You're old enough to listen to your da and do what you're told. What has Snape told you about putting yourself in danger? You earned yourself a good smacking with that behavior."

Harry hung his head and pouted. It wasn't fair. He was dead тАУ well, nearly тАУ and he was still getting walloped. It didn't seem right to have to go into the afterlife with a sore bum. Wasn't getting AK'd punishment enough?

Besides, smackings were for little kids. He was twelve, for Merlin's sake. Even his da hadn't whacked him for ages, not since he'd nearly followed Voldemold's snake into the Chamber, and that had been way back last year when he was only an ickle firstie! His dad should know better than to use such a babyish punishment on himтАж especially one that stung so much. Harry rubbed his smarting backside and felt very sorry for himself.

James rolled his eyes and pulled his pouting son into a hug. He'd known he was going to be pants at discipline. "I suppose it's my fault anyway," he sighed. "The reckless genes are pure Potter."

"Really?" Harry asked, peeking up through his fringe. He'd resisted the hug at first, but he couldn't yet manage to stay mad at either parent, not even just after getting spanked.

James nodded, eyes twinkling a bit like Dumbledore's. "Yes, though even I never called Voldemort 'a sick fuck', let alone a '*****'."

"Da said it was okay to use that kind of language to Voldesnort," Harry said quickly. "Just not anywhere else."

He was relieved to see both parents seemed more amused than horrified by his choice of words. "I told you that teaching him the phrase 'sod off' when he was so little would have long term effects," Lily told James, giving him a poke in the side.

"Did you really?" Harry asked his dad, delighted.

James laughed. "Sure did! Well, it was your mum's fault really," he teased. "It was her idea to have Petunia and the piglet visit. I just made sure you were prepared."

Harry laughed so hard he nearly choked.

"So you see, Harry, those Potter genes will get you in trouble every time."

"Did you get in trouble a lot when you were a kid, Dad?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Oh, yeah. Padfoot hasn't told you half the stories yet. We used to get into some real scrapes, and my dad wasn't nearly so soft on us as Snape is on you," James said, giving Harry a poke in the tummy. "Sirius and I got slippered so often one summer, I practically forgot how to sit down."

Harry grinned. He didn't mind the whacking so much any more. It was practically a tradition for Potter men.

Then gentle fingers were under his chin and his face was being pulled around towards his mother. "I hope you've learned your lesson, Harry," Lily said firmly, "and if you do go back, you won't be so silly."

"No, Mum," Harry agreed softly. He would have promised anything just to see her smile at him.

"Good," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Harry squirmed into a slightly more comfortable position, off the spots where James' hand had fallen hardest. "If I do go back, Da will probably wallop me too. He hates it when I do something stupid or dangerous or disobedient, and this was all three," he sighed, sounding as pathetic as he could.

As he'd hoped, he was instantly engulfed in two sets of arms. He did his best to keep the happy smirk off his face as both parents clucked and fussed over him.

"I think you're worrying over nothing," Lily smiled at him. "You know Sev is a big softy, and he'll be too busy hugging you to punish you."

James nodded. "Why do you think I whacked you?" he asked. "Now Snape won't have to feel obligated. You've had your punishment, right?"