I always wanted to do finish an epilogue for this story and I finally finished it as a gift for James' birthday! Thanks to everyone who'd ever read this story and sent me messages about it. I never imagined people would fall in love with Hufflepuff James Potter but I'm so glad y'all did.

Lily Potter wanted cupcakes and not just any cupcakes.

No, she wanted her husbands killer, double-chocolate chip cupcakes served to her on a silver platter and dripping with peanut butter icing. She wanted his butterbeer cupcakes that he always baked by pouring a whole damn bottle into his recipe. She wanted her wedding cake, the one with icing infused with firewhiskey.

She wanted all those cupcakes delivered to her work office by said husband, wearing nothing but an apron and his specs. Saying goodbye to her inhibitions she admitted to herself that she'd lick the icing off the cupcakes and the husband, right in broad daylight.

Of course, Lily Potter's daydreams were just that, and instead, all she had in front of her were carrot sticks and a half a ham sandwich. It was rather disappointing when compared to her imagination.

Lily sighed deeply and glanced at the edge of her desk. Next to her name plate, the clock ticked slowly on her desk as she put her chin into her palm, her elbow keeping everything propped up. The calendar mocked Lily, she still had four whole days until James was back from his work trip. Lily grabbed a carrot stick and shoved it into her mouth angrily, wrinkling her nose as she chewed.

It tasted like cardboard.

Lily was not a cook, not even a little bit. All kitchen prep was normally left in the capable hands of her dear husband, James, who could cook the best vegetarian chili she'd ever had. He also had a knack for cupcakes, of course, and Lily craved his baking whenever he was away.

He'd only been gone about a month, this time on a trip to America. Lily worked in the charms department and never traveled farther than the misuse of muggle artifacts office. James, on the other hand, worked in the curse breaker department and traveled at least twelve weeks out of the year. Lily hated it. James didn't mind it as much but he always said that he was getting close to quitting. He'd taken the job for fun and now it was just getting in the way of their time together, something James needed as much as Lily.

Of course, he was a bit more independent than she was without him. When James was away she ate like shit, felt like shit, and was generally moody because James wasn't going down on her on Saturday nights. Lily was a woman, she had wants and needs. Despite her best efforts, James was a pro at her needs by now and she needed him like a cupcake needed icing because without icing a cupcake was just a fancy muffin. Lily would much rather have her husband, her adorable vegan cupcake.

And a month without him?

Lily was calling it the month from Hell in her letters to him, something he swore always made him laugh. He'd write her back, drawing crude stick figures of what they'd be doing if he were there. Lily felt bad for the post people that might get a peek at some of the letters James sent attached to their owls leg. Still, she wouldn't ask James to stop for anything because his letters were a small piece of her week, helping her make it without him.

Lily sighed again and played with a carrot stick. Lily normally didn't eat much when James was gone because she never wanted to cook, but the last few weeks without his cooking hand had been a little ridiculous. Even pasta, Lily's regular go-to, tasted like worms as it traveled down her esophagus. Just thinking about it, made her feel sick again.

Lily pushed her lunch away from her face and placed her head in both hands. Closing her eyes, Lily dreamed of James' firewhiskey cupcakes and the sweet brownies he made on Sundays to go with ice cream. She normally had a sweet tooth but now, after a month without James' baked goods...it was out of control. Every second of every day, even when she felt like throwing up when she tried to make breakfast and burned the eggs, all that Lily wanted was for James Potter to waltz through the door with his trademark smile and infamous smiley-face cupcakes that he'd once baked to try and win over Lily's best friend Marlene.

"You're not eating your lunch again?"

Lily's head shot out of her hands as her boss, Emmaline Vance, waltzed through the door with a salad in a plastic container and a quirked brow aimed at Lily. Lily glared down at her ham sandwich before answering Emmaline.

"I hate sandwiches."

Emmaline laughed and placed her salad on Lily's desk. Everyone in the office knew Lily was a shitty cook and hardly ever ate when James was out on travel.

"When does your husband get back from New York?"

"Next week." Lily felt a sigh of relief escape her mouth.

"Good," Emmaline said, "you're starting to look a little pale and skinny."

"It's my stomach." Lily mumbled, "it's been protesting my cooking."

"Everyone's stomach protests your cooking, Lily."

Emmaline ripped the cover off her salad and just then, Lily got a a strong whiff of anchovies. Lily had never moved so fast. One minute, she was leaning back in her chair casually and the next minute she was heaving up what little food she'd eaten into a waste bin. Emmaline practically had a heart attack, racing over to grab Lily's hair and pull it away while Lily emptied her stomach. Tears stung Lily's eyes and she let a small sob escape as Emmaline patted her back.

That was how the Head of the Department, Richard Knott, found the girls and he called the healers right away at Emmaline's panicked intrusion. By the time the healers were there, Richard and Emmaline had Lily sitting on the floor. Lily was clutching her stomach, feeling absolutely disgusted with herself and she never wanted to smell fish, ever again. Richard had his wand blowing cooled air on her neck, which felt amazing and Lily thanked him wearily as a healer in a bright blue jacket knelt down in front of her.

"She was fine and then she just—" Emmaline was talking to the healer standing up.

The healer in front of Lily was staring into her bloodshot eyes warily, "Hullo, I'm Healer Robert, do you remember your name?"

"Lily Potter." Lily whispered, feeling woozy even after losing everything left in her stomach.

"What happened Lily?" The healer put a wand to her temple and she felt a bit of the stomach rumble subside.

"Emmaline and I were talking," Lily recalled, "and then all of a sudden I just had the overwhelming feeling like my eggs from this morning were going to make a reappearance."

"She was throwing up when I got here." Richard told the healer.

"She hasn't been eating." Emmaline voiced her worries out loud, "her husband's a curse breaker and he's been gone to America for a month."

Lily managed a small laugh as she thought of her doting husband, "no one tell James that I got sick on the job, or he'll never leave on a work trip again."

Not that she wouldn't mind if he quit his job at all, but that was selfish Lily talking.

The healer pressed a palm to her forehead, "you're really flushed and seem stressed, Mrs. Potter. What's been going on at home?"

"Of course I look stressed!" Lily turned a sassy eyebrow on the healer, "My husband's been gone for a month and I have run out of edible food to survive. I don't know how I ever lived without him. I might die if he doesn't come back next week."

The healer smiled at her, "I can assure you that we won't let you die, Mrs. Potter."

"Well that's a relief." Lily said grumpily as her stomach continued to churn.

"If I remember your husband from school, I'd prefer to remain in his good graces."

Lily tilted her head at Robert, "you knew my husband?"

"He was in Hufflepuff with me." he admitted, "I was a few years older than Potter, but I never forgot when he won us that crazy Quidditch match against Gryffindor."

Lily hummed in agreement, "you'll never meet a better Quidditch player than my husband."

"Or a finer baker." The healer said as he took her pulse, "he used to leave his butterbeer cupcakes on finals week for everyone in the common room."

"We met through his baking actually." Lily said casually, thinking back to when he'd swaggered into Gryffindor's common room with a tray of firewhiskey cupcakes, "he baked Gryffindor cupcakes as an apology for whipping our arses on the pitch."

Robert laughed, "that's hilarious!"

Lily sighed as her stomach rumbled again and she leaned forward a bit in response. The healers noticed her touchy movement and glanced at each other. The woman healer nodded at Robert, confirming whatever he'd asked her with his eyes.

"Am I going to survive?" Lily asked.

Robert chuckled, "I do believe you will, but your blood pressure is still a little high. Mind coming to the Healers office for a spell?"

Lily tried to protest that she was fine but Emmaline demanded she go get a more in depth check up. Robert and Richard supported Lily as she stood up. She wobbled a bit, making Robert wrap an arm around her waist. Robert, the other Healer named Taylor, and Lily made their way to the Ministry's health ward together.

"You were in Gryffindor then?" Robert kept the conversation going as they walked.

"Yeah," Lily ribbed at her stomach as they walked, "I met James when we were about fifteen but we didn't start dating until sixth year or so, after he'd won me over with a few of those cupcakes."

Robert smiles, "it's amazing you two are Hogwart's sweethearts. Any kids yet?"

Lily shook her head, "he's gone so much and we really don't want to start a family until he's home more."

"I always forget curse breakers travel a lot."

"He's starting to regret taking the job."

"It's why that department has such a high turnover rate." Robert nodded as they entered the medical ward.

The hospital was mainly used as a place to report on the job injuries, Lily was the only one in the Hospital that afternoon. A few other healers waved as Robert sat her down on a cot and started doing a full body examination.

"Does it feel like cramps?" He asked, "or does it feel like your stomachs churning?"

"Both?" Lily said unhelpfully, "I got one whiff of Emmaline's anchovies and lost it."

Taylor perked up from where she was writing down Lily's symptoms, "do you not like fish?"

"I don't like anything right now, to be honest." Lily said "the last two weeks it seems all I've done is crave my husband's baking. Nothing else sounds good."

Taylor smirked over her clipboard, "his cupcakes are that good, huh?"

Robert explained, "Potter was known for his cupcakes in school. He should've been a baker, not a curse breaker."

Lily rubbed her stomach some more, recalling Hogwarts memories filled with cupcakes and laughter. A pang shot through her heart. She missed her husband. Tears pricked in her eyes and she pouted, not believing she'd thrown up at work all because James wasn't around to cook for her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to Robert, "I'm so embarrassed! It's probably just my anxiety. I haven't been sleeping well with James gone."

"You haven't been sleeping?" Taylor our down her own now, scrutinizing Lily, "are you tired?"

"Constantly." Lily promised the healer, "but I just toss and turn. Sometimes I wake up feeling sick. It's so bizarre."

"Any weird mood swings?"

"No," then she paused, "maybe, yes."

"Roberts you can stop examining her."

Lily watched as Taylor lowered Roberts arm, a small smile on her face. Roberts looked at his partner, clearly confused. Taylor turned back to Lily, her blue eyes narrowed.

"Is there any possibility that you could be pregnant, Lily?"

Lily shook her head, "I take a potion."

"Before and after sex?"

"Before?"

Taylor shook her head, her brunette hair falling a bit into her eyes, "the potions aren't always one hundred perfect effective, especially if you only take it once."

Lily felt all the blood rush from her face at that, "what?"

"I'm going to need you to sit still."

Taylor had her own wand out now and was pointing it at Lily's groin. Lily felt suddenly sick again as she looked down at her stomach.

She couldn't be pregnant.

Not yet.

But she and James had been particularly active before he'd left and maybe, just maybe she'd forgotten to take the potion all together. A string of curse words flew through Lily's mind as she tried to remember if she'd taken the potion the last time they'd had sex, right before James left for America. Taylor was moving her wand back and forth across Lily's abdomen, little white trendles of magic seeping through Lily's robes and against her stomach. Taylor suddenly pulled her wand back, like she was caught on something, and the white strands pulled away from Lily.

The magic strands turned green and Lilys fingers were digging into the cot.

"What does that mean?" Lily squeaked, eyes wide.

Taylor's eyes lifted to Lily, "Mrs, Potter, you'll want to start looking into baby prams."

Lily's hands lifted to her face, her fingernails digging into her cheek, "I'm pregnant?"

It explained it all.

The mood swings.

The sickness that lasted almost all day.

The cravings for not just James' cupcakes, but for James himself.

She was pregnant.

They were going to have a baby.

A literal, drooling and sticky fingered bundle made of half James and half Lily.

"I can't even bake a cupcake," Lily deadpanned, "and now I need to raise a child?"

Taylor and Robert both laughed. Taylor placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, forcing Lily to look up from her hands. Taylor's expression was filled with nothing but kindness.

"I'll get you an appointment with my midwife." Taylor said, "she comes right to your house and helps you every step of the way."

Taylor and Robert gave her a few medical tips and tricks for the morning sickness. Taylor had spare robes that she let Lily change into, promising her that the morning sickness would get better by the second trimester. Robert had a list of vitamins and potions Lily should start taking for the baby.

Her baby.

Lily's head was still reeling when she got back to the office. Emmaline was waiting for Lily at her desk. The salad had long since been thrown away, thankfully. Lily didn't even bother sitting down, she just stood in the doorway of the office like a zombie, baby pamphlets in her hands.

"Need to take a sick day?" Emmaline asked kindly, "I don't mind."

Lily nodded and stuffed the papers into her robes. Lily gave Emmaline a little wave before practically running back out of the office. Lily hardly remembered how she got home, only realizing when she was home that her stomach was once again, begging for food.

Lily stalked into the brightly lit, wood covered kitchen and started wrenching open cabinets to find food. There were canned beans. She found a bit of fish in the freezer that almost made her puke again so she slammed the freezer shut promptly. In the cool box she found a bit of chicken but she'd heated it up only to chuck it in the bin.

Giving up, she sat in the kitchen table, her legs dangling down to the floor as she considered her predicament. She stared down at her stomach and curiosity got the best of her. Lily began unbuttoning the robes until she was staring at her pale stomach. It looked the same, if only a little round, but she'd thought she was just bloating.

"I can't even feel you." Lily placed a hand on her abdomen softly, pressing down only to feel nothing but fat, "are you the reason I've been wanting nothing but cupcakes the last three weeks, my sweet little cupcake?"

Suddenly, Lily's shoulders dropped as she realized how nervous she was. Almost twenty years old and she couldn't even bake a proper cupcake without her husband's help. Hell, she couldn't cook a proper anything without his help. What would their kid think of a mother who couldn't cook for her child? Lily's specialty was toast and jam. The kid couldn't eat that for the rest of its life.

Determinedly, Lily walked over to the pantry in her bare feet and underwear. If the neighbors passed by and saw her baking like this, oh well, Lily was sure they'd probably seen worse through the sitting room windows when James forgot to close the curtains. She reached up high to get down the recipe book filled with James' familiar scribble. She was going to make a cake for her kid, or at least try. Some part of Lily was determined to master the art of baking.

If she could master baking, then maybe she might be able to master the art of raising a child too.

Lily got to work, following the recipes and mixing flour into eggs and eggs into sugar. By the time she was done the batter, her hair was dusted in white and her stomach had flour hand marks where she kept reaching to feel the baby while she talked.

"Your daddy loves baking," Lily said out loud, "but maybe if I learn, you'll let me make a few of your birthday cakes too."

The first batch of cupcakes was a horrid mess. She had no idea what went wrong but they tasted like shite when she tried the first one from the oven. Defeated, Lily poured the rest of the batter down the sink and tossed the excess cupcakes out to the birds. She knew they were bad, when even the birds avoided them.

She sent an owl in to Emmaline that she was going to need another day off. Emmaline granted her two days and made Lily promise to get some sleep. Lily wished she could say she slept normally but instead, she slept in small bursts on the couch before attempting another recipe. Pies, cupcakes, and even James' mothers batata harra. She was trying everything. Lily used to wonder why James loved to cook and she started to realize it was because it helped focus her brain on something other than her baby. She could put a actual bun in the actual oven and control how it came out. A relief, considering all the pamphlets on baby's born with genetic diseases and painful disabilities.

"Good things come to those who bake." Lily told her baby as she mixed up a new chocolate batter she'd found in James' notes, "that's the Potter family motto, so you'd better start memorizing it now."

As she tried to bake, she imagined what their baby was going to look like. She daydreamed about thick black hair and James' hazel eyes. She wouldn't mind a carbon copy of the man she loved, especially if their kid got his smile. Lily's favorite part of James was his adorkable smile.

By her third day, attempting to bake one of James' many cupcake books, Lily had settled into a state of mind that allowed her anxiety to start fading back into it's less abrasive form. She'd baked so many cupcakes that she ran out of trays to put them on and now she was settling for stacking cupcakes on top of each other.

It was while balancing another set of his butterbeer cupcakes on top of his chocolate cupcakes, that James Potter walked through the door in the kitchen and came to a halting stop. Behind his tortoise shell glasses, his hazel eyes were assessing the abundance of cupcakes and his wife in the middle of them all. She was wearing his apron and covered in flour. He slowly shut the door behind him, eyes wary.

"What's going on?" His voice was wary, acting as if Lily's actions were worrisome.

And they probably were, since it was the first time she'd baked alone since they'd met at fifteen. Whenever she baked, it was at his side, and he normally only let her wisk and sift. Lily brushed her hair back from her face wildly, her enthusiasm shaking her to her very core as she called out James' name and bounded over to him.

Once her lips were on his, James relaxed. He dropped the travel tote in his left hand so he could wrap his fingers up into her hair and mold her mouth firmly to his. Lily deepened the kiss, her own flour covered hands gripping together behind the base of his neck.

A month had been too long, for the both of them.

Lily's jumped up and her ankles hooked behind James' back. His free hand was digging into her arse as he sloppily carried her over to the kitchen table and sat her on top of it to give then both more support. Lily kissed James until her lips were aching, amongst other things. His large hands were tracing every part of her body, as if memorizing it. He leaned his forehead to hers, breathing in carefully as they reveled in each other's company.

He leaned closer when she pressed a tender kiss to the side of his face, "I can't believe you're actually baking."

She smiled into his skin, "I want to learn how to cook and bake just like you."

He chuckled and slowly pushed his hips forward into hers, "that might be the sexiest thing you've ever said to me."

Lily pushed her fingers through his hair, all the soft curls snagging lightly at her fingers, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you more baby," he promised, his fingers starting to peel her robes up her legs, "I dreamed about you every night."

Her ability to speak was drawn short when he kissed her, his tongue drawing her mouth open with little strokes. Lily helped him take off her apron, the tie on the back of her neck proving trouble for both of them. She unbuttoned his robes, her hormones throwing caution to the wind and ready to fuck him right then and there. She was about to use her toes to shimmy down his pants when the oven timer when off.

"My cupcakes!"

She just about launched through James. He laughed as she scrambled to find the oven mitt so she could pull out her newest cupcake batch of pumpkin spice cupcakes. She set the cupcakes on the counter to cook and turned off the oven before turning and finding her husband staring at her with nothing but passion in his darkened hazel eyes.

"So what brought my personal fantasy to life?" He asked, crossing his arms across his bare chest, "why are you baking us out of house and home?"

Lily blinked at him hazardously, her fingers pulling through her auburn hair, "well, you might want to sit down for this."

James cocked an eyebrow but sat down on the edge of the table, clearly focused. Lily wrung her hands in front of her as she considered the best way to tell James she was pregnant.

"I was trying to bake." Lily motioned around to all the cupcakes, "it was helping me think."

James' smile was all teeth, "told you that it's good therapy." He tilted his head even more, "but why so many cupcakes? Got a lot of thinking to do?"

"About nine months of thinking to do, in fact."

"Nine months is oddly specific."

"It's a countdown."

James scoffed, not catching on, "what on earth are you counting down too?"

"You leaving your job to stay at home with me."

"Is that it?"

"Well one of us will have too leave work and become a stay at home parent."

"Pardon?"

Lily pointed to her stomach, "Pregnant."

James just stared at Lily, comprehension there but rendering him speechless. Lily stepped nearer to him, waving a hand in front of just face. He looked more in doubt than she had.

"You're bluffing me." James' voice was filled with raw emotion, "I mean you can't be pregnant, you take that potion!"

"Apparently," Lily said, placing both her hands on his thighs, "it's not always one hundred percent effective and I might've gotten distracted that one night in the shower..."

James' face remained screwed up in concentration. Lily watched the shifting colors in his hazel eyes. Traced his lips with her eyes. She snuggled in closer to his warm body.

"Pregnant?" He repeated in awe, "your sure?"

"Positive."

"And it's definitely mine?" his eyes were playful, "You didn't cheat on me with my best mate while I was gone a whole month?"

"All I've been doing is craving your cupcakes and barfing up anything meat related so I'm one-hundred percent positive this baby is yours, you stupid vegan," Lily said sassily, hitting his arm as he laughed, "I lost it at work when I smelled fish. Threw up all over the office."

James grinned, "we're about to become a full-on vegetarian household aren't we."

"Not if I can help it." Lily said, "this baby will love bacon, even if I have to force feed it."

James put both hands on her stomach in wonder, "A dad, how you do reckon?"

"I know." Lily said, agreeing with his shock, "I almost passed out when the Healers confirmed it at work three days ago."

James' hands dropped, "you've known for three days?! You didn't owl me?!"

"I wanted to tell you in—oof!"

There was no more talking, James was kissing her again and this time her fingers were stripping him down in a little less than a minute. Her clothes were coming off too but the flour stayed, covering James too as they snogged heatedly. Another minute later and they were scrambling down the hall, loudly murmuring sweet nothings along the way. James was always particularly affectionate when he came back from work travel, but as they lay on the sheets together, he paid particular attention to her entire stomach and abdomen. He kissed every inch of her that he could reach, showering her (and their baby) with love.

"I take it you're happy?" She asked as she arched herself into his body.

"I've never been more happy." He said, lifting his lips from her bare stomach.

Lily reached out to rake her fingers through his wild hair adoringly, "I'm so happy too, if not a little scared, of being a parent."

James kissed her stomach again before climbing up so they were nose to nose. He kissed her slowly, assuredly. Lily's mouth traced his jaw lovingly when he broke away to grin at her.

"We're going to be great parents!" He said excitedly, "another Potter, set loose on the world!"

"Minerva will retire." Lily giggled into the crook of his neck, "the minute our little cupcake gets sorted into Gryffindor, she'll put in her notice."

"Gryffindor?" James pulled back suddenly, a challenge arising on his face, "why can't she be a Hufflepuff?"

"Who doesn't want to be a Gryffindor?"

"Who doesn't want to be a Hufflepuff?" James nipped at her playfully, "we have the common room right next to the kitchens!"

"Screw the kitchens, Gryffindor has the better Quidditch tea—" James purposefully moved his fingers elsewhere to turn her words into a hitched breath.

"You were saying?" He asked sweetly, as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Fuck that feels good." was all she managed.

She'd definitely missed him while he was away. He was touching her just how she liked, working her up with long, smooth strokes. His fingers were calloused from work, adding an extra sensation that she could never match working on her own.

James' fingers continued their dirty work as he leaned over her, eyes hazy, "I'll bet you fifty galleons that our little cupcake, as you called her, sorts into Hufflepuff."

"Sixty." Lily disagreed heatedly, and he slid his fingers into her so that her back arched up into his touch.

"You don't think I'll win this, with my fingers between your legs?" he asked, knowing very well he was driving her mad.

"She's a-a-Gryffindor." she gasped breathlessly.

"Sixty five galleons."

"Just fuck me."

He added pressure and she moaned loudly, her head pressing into the mattress and her nails digging into his scalp. She didn't know if it was the hormones or the fact that he'd been gone so long, but she was overwhelmed by his persistent touch. James didn't stop, not until she was writhing under his touch, calling out in relief as her body relaxed around his hold. James waited until her eyes fluttered open and then he licked his fingers right in front of her, like they were covered in icing.

"Hufflepuff." He said cockily.

Lily hated him and loved him all at once.

The pregnancy only got harder as the first trimester progressed. Lily stopped craving everything, including sex and cupcakes. She lost ten pounds despite gaining a little pouch to her stomach. James seemed more nervous than her by the second month and was stress baking. The neighbors, their friends, and family all questioned the abnormal amount of baking the Potter's were doing.

Well, James was baking...Lily stayed far away from the kitchen.

The second trimester was better. Lily's appetite was back in full, much to James' excitement. He baked her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Not long after her appetite for food came back, so did her appetite for James. They both spent their weekends mostly in bed together, not that James seemed to mind.

Lily finally started showing in a way that wasn't easy to hide at about four months and that's when they told everyone. Their best mate Sirius cried when they asked him to be godfather. Lily's sister sent them an ugly blanket that Lily would never use. More and more baby gifts started flying in from all over the country and James put in his notice at work. They had a sizable fortune sitting in the bank they would live off of until their baby was old enough and they both felt comfortable working again.

By month five, the heated debate between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff grew. Even though James' whole family had been in a Gryffindor except him (and the late and missed Mia Potter) he was adamant that the child would go into Hufflepuff like he had.

Lily called bullshit, "this baby will literally have a mostly Gryffindor bloodline running through her veins."

"That doesn't mean anything." James scoffed, "the sorting hat put me in Hufflepuff despite my father being in Gryffindor. And his father before him."

"That's only because you hero-worshiped your mum."

"And?"

"What if our baby worships her mum?" Lily asked with a smirk, "I wasn't put in bloody Hufflepuff. I'm a Gryffindor through and through."

James rolled his eyes as he kneaded his dough, "if it's a girl...won't she be daddy's little cupcake?"

Lily leaned back in her chair, her hand pressed to her ever growing belly, "and what if its a boy?"

James started forming his loaf as they argued, "a boy?" he scoffed, "everyone knows when you crave cupcakes through your pregnancy that means you're having a girl."

"Sure it does," Lily pat down her stomach heartily and suggested, "we can go to the muggle doctor and find out to end this little debate?"

James wrinkled his nose, "now where's the fun in that? I want it to be a surprise."

"It would certainly make naming our little cupcake much easier." She sang, feeling the baby kick as she did so.

"It's already got a name," James said and Lily complained out loud as he started listing off all the nicknames he's given it the last five months, "Cupcake Monster. Baby Prongs. Sirius and I are big fans of Elvendork, because it's unisex."

"Cupcake Monster and Baby Prongs aren't unisex?" Lily couldn't help it, she was giggling into her palm as James continued listing names.

"James JR is a favorite. Grindylow. Albus Dumbledore."

"We are not naming our baby Albus Dumbledore." Lily said, still laughing so hard that it hurt her sides, "and don't even suggest Fleamont unless you want the baby to spend the rest of its life hating you."

"Fine, Fleamont and Albus are out." James twisted to send her a twinkle of a smile, "But Grindylow's still in?"

Lily tossed a dish towel at him.

Because they could not decide on a theme for the baby shower, Sirius and Peter thought it'd be hilarious if they made it half Hufflepuff colors and half Gryffindor. Sirius was calling the baby shower the 'War of Two Houses' and Peter had somehow sewed Gryffindor and Hufflepuff banners together so that the roaring lion was also part badger. The effect was comical. Everyone at the party placed bets on which house baby Potter would be sorted into. A majority picked Gryffindor, mostly because they all liked to watch James start petting Lily's stomach and giving the baby 'fifty six reasons you'd want to be in hufflepuff' lectures. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily all voted Gryffindor and James called them traitors.

Harry James Potter was born in the seventh month of the year. July 31st, to be precise. He had his mother's green eyes and his father's hair. Most importantly, Lily noted that as Harry got older, he had her smile and James' booming laugh. He also loved cupcakes and hated his banana baby food. She'd never thought she could love anything as much, if not more than James, and Harry proved her wrong. He was a quiet baby, a troublesome toddler, and a wild child. He was the perfect mixture of Lily and James. So much so, that neither of them really knew what house he'd be sorted into.

They still took bets though, just out of earshot of Harry.

James and Lily weren't the only ones wondering what Harry would end up being sorted into. Apparently, according to Remus who worked at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Minerva McGonagall (Gryffindor's Head of House) already claimed Harry for Gryffindor's Quidditch Team. Pamona Sprout, however, threatened to duel Minerva and pay off the sorting hat to ensure Hufflepuff got another star player for the Hufflepuff quidditch team.

"I keep reminding them that it's all dependent on what the hat see's inside Harry's head." Remus chuckled one day over tea and one of James' vanilla cupcakes, "but I can only suggest Harry will end up a Slytherin just to spite all of you so may times, before Minerva threatened to have me fired."

Harry's eleventh year and September 1st came much more quickly than Lily and James could have predicted. They packed up all his school things, surprised him with a o to write home with, and carted him off the the train station. Lily only kissed Harry about a dozen times and James hugged him about a dozen more times than that. Watching Harry board the train was one of the happiest moments of Lily's life.

"I can't wait to hear where he ends up." She told James excitedly once they'd made it back home to their quaint cottage.

James sat down on one of the old rickety wooden kitchen chairs with a smug grin, "ready to lay up sixty five galleons when we get the patronus from Remus?"

"We only gambled sixty five galleons?" Lily snorted.

"I wrote it down."

"Well you'd better pay up because Harry's going to Gryffindor."

"You sound so sure."

"I'd wager one hundred galleons and loser has to do dishes for a week." Lily pinched James playfully.

"Eighty galleons and I get to top for the rest of the week." James said wickedly, winking her way suggestively.

Lily challenged his deal with a better one, "Eighty five galleons and you lick me out like I'm one of your firewhiskey filled cupcakes for the rest of the week."

James half laughed as his lust filled eyes swept over her body, "You have a fucking deal, Gryffindor."

"Get ready to lose, Hufflepuff."

Lily shook his outstretched hand, grin poised and ready to win.

They sat at the table that night, waiting for the inevitable patronus that Remus had promised to send the moment Harry was sorted. Lily was on the edge of her seat, nervous as the day she found out she was pregnant. James was nervous too, he wouldn't stop cleaning his glasses and ruffling his hair. The anticipation was killing them and James's hand was getting higher and higher on her leg.

She knew it had to be soon, the news would come.

"It doesn't matter who wins." Lily reminded James as the clock clicked closer, "we'll love him no matter what house he's sorted into."

James sent her a impish smirk, "will you still be saying that when I win?"

"In your dreams, Potter."

"In my dreams," he leaned closer to her ear, "we've already found out and you're already under me on the bed."

Lily finally jumped onto his lap from her chair, her patience wearing thin. Screw the gamble, she just wanted to turn his prideful smirk into a hearty moan against her mouth. They were halfway through peeling James' robes off when a silver orb appeared in the room. Lily almost fell of James' lap to twist and stare at the orb that turned into a silvery wolf patronus.

Remus had sent news.

"Congratulations." Remus' voice echoed through the kitchen, "Gryffindor got another Potter!"

Lily's hands punched into the air and James laughed into her chest as she cheered. Harry, her little cupcake, was going to be a Gryffindor like his mum, grandfather, and uncles. James' handed traced up her bare arms as she celebrated in his lap.

"A Gryffindor!" she exclaimed as James brought her hands down to her sides, "Potter, pay up."

"Get on the table."

"I have a feeling I'm going to love having this house to ourselves until Christmas."

They were like teenagers again, lost in pure and utter bliss and because Lily was feeling so generous, she let James get his side of the gamble as well.

The next day, they got the official letter from Harry, announcing his sorting into Gryffindor. Lily stuck the letter to the fridge lovingly because, at the bottom of the letter, Harry had drawn a little cupcake with a lions face etched into the inked icing. James grinned when he saw it on the fridge, a testament to Lily's win. He asked her if she wanted him to bake some firewhiskey cupcakes in celebration and they both settled into baking together, happy and in love.

With a Hufflepuff baker for a husband and a brave little Gryffindor for a son, Lily didn't know how life could get any sweeter.