A Good Man

"James, calm down," she said, trying to remain calm herself.

"I will not calm down! He's trying to tell me that my son may be nothing more than a sacrificial lamb, a pawn in some crazy game, and you want me to calm down?" he yelled, his anger and frustration building after the couple's most recent talk with Hogwarts' headmaster.

"James, I'm sure that's not what Dumbledore meant-"

"How else could he mean it? He thinks he can just order us around, plan everything about this whole fucking war-"

"James, please!"

"I won't be treated like a child, Lily!"

Suddenly, a cry broke out from above them. They sighed with the realization that James' rant had woken up their infant son.

"Then you'd better stop acting like one!" she hissed, turning to head upstairs.

He gently placed a hand on her arm. "I'll get him."

She sighed. "You'd better not upset him anymore, or I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? Leave me? Love, you've been threatening that for years, I'm beginning to think you won't actually follow through with it," he said, a smirk returning to his handsome features.

James walked into his son's room and gently lifted the teary baby from his crib. "Hey buddy. Sorry I woke you." Harry's cries began turning into whimpers as his father rocked him. "It's okay. Daddy's here, he won't let anything happen to you."

Harry began sucking his thumb, a habit Lily desperately wanted to rid him of. James was more lenient on this, however, and ignored the offense. He kissed the top of his head and said quietly, "I won't let anything happen to you." As if he understood, Harry looked up at James, his eyes shining with tears. James looked into Harry's eyes, Lily's eyes, and continued, "I will die before harm comes to you or your mother. I hope you know that." He looked down at the boy and sighed. "Of course you don't know that, you can't exactly understand what I'm saying, can you? But it's true." He gently pulled Harry's thumb from his mouth and watched those bright green eyes he'd come to love flutter closed.

James rocked him for several more minutes, and even after he was sure the baby had fallen asleep, he held him in his arms, reassuring the child that his father was good for his word. Once he put Harry back to sleep, James headed back downstairs and found Lily in the kitchen, staring into a mug of tea.

"You shouldn't bother with tea leaves, you were always rubbish at divination." He walked over and pulled her into a strong embrace. "I'm sorry I lost my temper, Lil. I wasn't angry with you, and I shouldn't have yelled like that. You don't deserve it."

"Look, James, I understand your frustration. Don't you think I feel it too? But Dumbledore hasn't steered any of us wrong yet. I trust him."

He nodded into her thick locks. Quietly, almost imperceptibly, he whispered, "we could leave."

She pulled away to look into his eyes. "Leave?"

"Run away. Take Harry and go somewhere safe."

"James, you'd never leave here. You're far too stubborn for it." He smiled, knowing he'd been defeated. "Besides, if all the good men ran away, the bad men would always win." She kissed him softly. "And I married a good man," she whispered against his lips.

"Well, I married a great woman," he said, kissing her again.

"Don't you forget it," she said with a smirk.