Happiness in Reverse

For Yazzy, the biggest Jily fan I know. I hope it does your favorite characters justice and maybe even makes you smile. Thanks for being your wonderful self!

Warnings: Canon character deaths, minor mentions of sex

"There are no happy endings

Endings are the saddest part

So just give me a happy middle

And a very happy start."

Shel Silverstein

THE SADDEST PART

A sharp pain shot through James as the wards around the cottage collapsed. He could feel the blood drain from his face—this could only mean one thing.

"Lily! Take Harry and run!" James screamed as he fumbled about, searching frantically for his wand.

This isn't happening. This can't be happening, he thought. This was supposed to keep them safe!

His fingers closed around his wand as the door was blasted free of its hinges and crashed to the floor. James quickly transfigured the coffee table into a giant stone slab and managed to scramble to his feet before it was blasted to pieces.

"Stand down, Potter," Lord Voldemort commanded. "I'm here for the boy. Just step aside, and I promise to make your death fairly quick. I'll even spare that pretty little Mudblood of yours—I hear she's quite powerful despite her heritage."

"You won't touch a hair on their heads," James growled.

Voldemort barely gave him time to raise his wand before shooting off another beam of angry red light. James dove behind the sturdy old couch and then tried to shield himself as it was splintered into toothpicks by the sheer power of the spell. Without another thought, he leapt to his feet and began fighting for his life.

The pair dueled for what felt like either hours or only seconds, James couldn't tell. He was forced to keep the stairs to his back—gotta keep them safe, gotta keep them safe, he chanted internally—which severely limited what he could do both offensively and defensively. But that didn't stop him from giving as good as he got. Eventually, tired and too slow, James caught a Bludgeoning Hex in the chest and fell to the ground like a broken doll. Wheezing painfully, he tried to raise his wand against the wizard now standing over him.

"Look at me, Potter," Voldemort sneered. "I want to watch the life leave your eyes when I kill you."

James set his jaw defiantly and clenched his eyes shut. Happy memories of his life with Lily and Harry swirled through his mind. He choked back a painful sob. Merlin, he was terrified for them both, and angry at himself for not keeping them safer.

Vaguely, he heard Voldemort say something, but it was like his ears were filled with cotton. James knew the end was coming, and quickly. He summoned Lily's smiling, beautiful face to the forefront of his mind. He wished desperately he could hold her, kiss her, make love to her again, to revel in the overwhelming happiness she gave him one more time. And then his mind went dark.

A HAPPY MIDDLE (part one)

"Why is it so difficult to clean your shoes off before you come back inside?" Lily screeched.

"It's just a little mud, Lily," James grumbled. "It's not like I—"

She cut him off. "It's like you've tracked in half the garden! I swear every time you go out there you—"

"—bring in more mud than I leave, I know," he griped. "You've told me a thousand times. Must be pushing a million by now. And it only takes two seconds to clean up, for Merlin's sake!"

"I wouldn't have to clean it up or keep harping on this if you'd just listen to me for once!" she cried.

The two stood locked in a silent, warring gaze for a long moment. They barely noticed Harry toddle in.

"Hawwy Mum!" he giggled, tugging at Lily's skirt.

James and Lily looked down to see that Harry's dark hair was now the same vibrant shade as his mother's, but he hadn't stopped there. Harry had put on one of Lily's skirts, looped one of her lacy bras over his head, and smeared her lipstick all over his face.

James broke first, wrapping an arm around his middle and clapping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle his laughter.

Lily grinned at her son. "Very pretty, Harry. But I think it's bath time. Can you go to the bathroom and wait for Mummy?"

Harry nodded and sped away, his giggles trailing behind him.

James and Lily locked eyes again, and their smiles faded a bit.

"You know," Lily said, "he pulls off that shade of pink quite well. He's a very pretty boy."

James pulled her into a hug and nuzzled the top of her head. "Hmmm, not as pretty as you, though."

"Sorry for screaming at you," she whispered. "I just… I feel like I'm going crazy stuck in this house. I know you are too and that going out in the garden helps you. I'm sorry I fussed about a little mud."

"I'm sorry for not listening to you. It only takes a moment to clean my boots off before I come inside. I swear I'll do better," James promised.

Lily dropped a kiss on his cheek before pulling away. "Well, I'd better go wash that off Harry. It's Muggle lipstick, and it will stain."

James smacked her lightly on the butt and smirked. "Better get to it then. I'd hate to see my favorite bra ruined."

"Don't get cheeky, Potter. It won't work with me." She tossed a grin over her shoulder as she sashayed away.

James cleared away the mud with a flick of his wrist, chuckling to himself. This isolated life, away from the entire rest of the world, was so incredibly hard. But as long as he had Lily and Harry, it would all be okay. To be with them, to keep them safe, would always be worth it.

"Prongs, I reckon you've got to be the happiest wizard in the world right now," Sirius said.

James stared down into his son's big green eyes—so innocent, so trusting, so much like his mother's—and felt his heart swell. He thought nothing could compare to the day he married Lily, but this… He'd never felt so much. He was so excited to finally meet his son, so proud of Lily's strength throughout pregnancy and labor, so terrified that he would be a horrible father, so filled with love for his wife and this tiny human in his arms. The mere idea of "happiness" was far too small to describe what he felt right now.

"I am the luckiest man alive," James breathed, running a hand over the baby's downy black hair. Over Harry's black hair. Just like his father's. Just like James's.

"James, darling, why don't you introduce Harry to his godfather?" Lily suggested.

Sirius walked over and stretched out his quivering arms.

"Don't you dare drop my son, Black," James muttered. Instinctively, Remus conjured a large chair and ushered Sirius into it before James carefully placed Harry in his arms. James watched as Sirius stared in wonder at the newborn. Remus perched himself on the arm of the chair, waiting almost patiently for his own turn. Peter was somewhere in the hospital, searching for snacks.

James walked back to where Lily lay in bed, exhausted but smiling. "You are so incredible, you know that?" he murmured, brushing a kiss over her parched lips. He grabbed the glass of water beside her bed, and she took it gratefully. Together, they watched their best friends coo and make faces at Harry.

"It's so surreal," she whispered. "I've known I was a mum from the moment I found out I was pregnant. But this is just so…"

"Unbelievable," James breathed.

Lily nodded. "I'm just so afraid now. What if I'm no good at this? I don't want to be a terrible mother."

"You'll be wonderful," he assured her quietly. "You've managed to keep the four of us alive and out of Azkaban for long enough to handle anything. Besides, you're the most caring, intelligent, wonderful person I know. Harry's lucky to have you for a mum."

"And I'm lucky to have you on this adventure with me," she murmured.

James dropped yet another kiss onto her sweat-soaked hair. "I think I'm the lucky one."

Bursting their little bubble of intimacy, Remus stood and handed Harry back to James. "We really should get going. Lily, sweetheart, please get plenty of rest. James can handle a few dirty nappies."

As he opened the door, Sirius turned back to James with a grin. "I just realized what this means!"

"That James and Lily have brought another life into this world and that there could never be a more perfect product of their love for each other?" Remus suggested warily.

"Well, yeah, but also that James finally has definitive proof that he shagged Evans!" Sirius crowed.

James was quite glad he was holding his son because his first instinct was to blacken Sirius's eye.

"Remus…" Lily growled.

"Way ahead of you, Lils," Remus sighed before slugging Sirius's arm.

"Hey!" he cried. "That hurt!"

"Wanna see what else hurts?" Remus taunted.

"Bye James! Bye Evans!" Sirius cried before dashing out the door.

Remus shot them a grin and followed hot on his heels. The two new parents could hear what sounded like the incantation for Stinging Hexes followed by small yelps echoing down the hall.

Smirking, James placed Harry back into Lily's arms. She brought him close to her chest and leaned down to nuzzle his hair. As she did, her hair fell down in a red curtain, blocking James's view. He tucked it back behind her ear and gazed down at the two people for whom he would be anything, give anything, do anything. These two beautiful, precious people who were his entire world.

James concluded that, before this moment, he'd only thought he'd known true love and happiness. Anything before this paled in comparison.

Sirius elbowed him in the ribs. "Ready, Prongs?"

James swallowed thickly. "Born ready, Pads."

The charmed string quartet segued into the Wedding March, and James stood up as straight as possible and squared his shoulders. He trained his eyes on the back of the tent, trying desperately to breathe normally.

After the longest ten seconds of his life, an angel appeared at the other end of the aisle.

She strode confidently and gracefully down the aisle with Remus on her arm. It had been no surprise when she'd asked him to give her away. As much as Sirius was James's brother and kindred spirit, Remus was hers.

When they reached the groom, Remus kissed her cheek and placed her hand gently in James's. "Take care of her," he whispered.

"You know I will," James tried to reply, but the words were caught in his throat. Instead, he nodded and clapped the werewolf on the shoulder.

James found his eyes drawn back to the vision in front of him. Her straight red hair cascaded down her shoulders, shimmering in the candlelight, and her long white dress flowed gently down to swirl about her bare feet. She had flowers in her hair and smelled like James's favorite perfume and looked so proud and poised in front of the crowd.

But James honestly didn't care one bit about any of it. He was too absorbed in the curve her lips, smiling up at him, and her shining eyes, filled with nothing but love, excitement, and pure joy.

"I thought you weren't going to cry," Lily mouthed.

Only then then did James feel the tears running down his cheeks. Cheeks that already ached from smiling so much, and the ceremony hadn't even begun.

Reluctantly, he dropped one of his hands and wiped them away. "Sorry, love. I'm just so damn happy," he breathed.

When people asked him later about the ceremony and reception, James could honestly say he remembered very little. Not the vows, not the dancing, not even the cake. The one thing that filled his mind about the whole day was that she was finally his, forever, until death did they part. He had reached the pinnacle of happiness. No feeling could ever top this one.

AN2: Two more chapters to come! There's "A Happy Middle (part two)", which is finished, and "A Very Happy Start", which is currently in beta. Thanks for waiting with me!