Cautiously, he looked over the rim of his coffee cup. Nope. Still not safe to approach the warzone.

He sighed. Ah well, in for a penny, in for a pound as she always said.

Rubbing his eyes from a mixture of fatigue and nerves, he cleared his throat, again surveying the woman sitting directly across from him. Looking directly away from him. Quite deliberately.

'At least give me a clue!'

That earned him a good glare – oh, if looks could kill! Promptly ignoring her husband, Lily Evans Potter rose from her seat at the breakfast table and stalked out of the kitchen and into the living room where her son lay napping in his cot. James, needles to say, was left sitting at the table, as confused (if not more so) as before.

Sighing, James followed her to his son's side. 'Lily! At least tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it!'

'How can you not know? How is it that you - Head Boy in his seventh year at Hogwarts, top of our transfiguration class, general genius - JAMES BLOODY POTTER, DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DID? Merlin, I married a clotpole!'

She continued to glare as James blinked owlishly behind his glasses, startled at her sudden outburst. You'd have thought after 7 years of boarding school in the same year and house and 3 years of marriage, he really should be used to her fiery temper. If only because he'd been on the receiving end of it more times than he could count.

He was still scratching his head when there was a knock at the door.

Shooting him one last glance of undisguised fury, Lily stalked out of the living room. Moments later James heard a familiar voice greet his wife and then a familiar head popped around the door.

'What did you do?'

James grinned, but his smile quickly faltered when he realised what his best friend had just said as way of a greeting.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he asked 'What do you mean? I didn't do anything!'

One jet black eyebrow quirked, 'And Lily's just imitating an erupting volcano for the fun of it is she?' Sirius Black retorted.

James sighed. 'I don't know, mate. She's been like that that since this morning. I woke up and she was all smiley and happy and as soon as I asked her if she wanted some coffee she went beserk! You'd think I'd asked her to use Harry as the bludger in a friendly match or something.' He buried his face in his hands.

Sirius burst out laughing – not even stopping when James paused in his despair to shoot him the dirtiest glare he could muster.

'Glad to see my pain brings you so much happiness. WHAT? What's so funny?' He asked when Sirius only laughed harder.

'You-you don't know what you did? You really have no idea do you? Ha ha ha! And to think! You chased this girl for about seven years! You'd think you'd remember the day she FINALLY put you out of your misery and married you! Merlin Prongs, you're worse than me.' And with this, his best mate doubled over laughing, his long black hair forming curtains around his face.

An unforgivable curse is a bad thing on the average day but right then, James honestly considered performing one on himself. HOW could he have forgotten their wedding anniversary? He couldn't exactly use the "busy with work" excuse or the "too much to do" excuse because they'd been in hiding for just over a year now – there wasn't that much to do in their little cottage.

'Kill me, Padfoot. Just off me now.' This seemed too much for Sirius apparently because the next thing James heard was a thunk as his best mate fell to the floor in fits of glee.

'Harry, NEVER expect your dad to remember your birthday. Your mum and you can go off for the day but daddy here is just going to forget it. Try not to feel unappreciated.' He managed to choke out from his position next to Harry's cot on the floor.

A little boy, holding onto the sides of the cot, looked over the edges at his godfather and giggled.