Life After Graduation

“Home sweet home,” Lily said when they walked into their flat, Figaro in one hand and one of their suit cases in the other. Bending down Lily let Figaro go before going to the bedroom to unpack everything. James returned a few minutes later with the last of the bags before collapsing onto the bed with a sigh. “I am ready to go back,” he said resting his head on a pillow as Lily sorted through clothes and gifts that they had bought themselves as well as friends.

“We will go back for one of our anniversaries,” Lily said with a smile as she threw dirty clothes into separate piles to be washed. “Figaro!” She called as she rattled a maraca, the small cat came bounding in at the noise and Lily threw it on the ground laughing as he tackled it.

James grabbed one of the piles that Lily had finished taking it to the laundry room and starting it before coming back and grabbing the rest.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile before walking out of the bedroom to take a seat on the sofa. Lily and James had set up special working in their house so they could have some muggle inventions such as the telephone so Lily could call her parents easier, as well as a television set since James was fascinated by it, and he liked to watch it when he had nothing else to do, plus it was easier to keep up on death eaters when they attacked muggles with the news.

Grabbing the remote James began to flip through the channels as he watched Figaro out of the corner of his eye playing with his new toy.

“Our top story of this evening is…” and James kept flipping before the picture he had seen and what the newscaster had said fully processed, quickly he flipped back lowering his arm to his side to watch.

“A family of five was found dead this morning in their home on the outskirts of London, a neighbor was concerned when he heard a series of loud bangs,” and the channel quickly cut to an older gentleman giving an interview.

“Me and Martha were asleep when I first heard it, it was a series of loud bangs, though they sounded nothing like a gun, least nothing I ever heard before so I called the police,” he said before pointing over to the house. “They had always been a bit weird in the clothes they wore, but they were as nice as pie to us.”

“The Finnigan family consisted of Janet and Seamus as well as four children, though the oldest one of them, Katie, no longer lived at home. Their next of kin has been informed and you can check your local newspaper or contact Katie Finnigan to find out when and where you can pay your respects.” The camera then switched from the woman to the man next to her, “in other news…”

James quickly changed the channel to a game show before sighing, “it is getting worse Lily,” he said quietly as he looked at her curled up on his arm.

“I had classes with Katie,” Lily said quietly, “I feel horrible for her. Losing her whole family in one night, I would not know what to do with myself.”

James removed his glasses to rub his eyes setting them down in his lap, “I remember her, she was in Hufflepuff, real nice girl. Her two sisters were in the same house as her, but her brother was in Ravenclaw.” After rubbing his glasses a bit on his shirt to clean them up he shoved them back on his face.

They sat and watched the game show for a while and when the phone rang Lily ran to get it. “Hey mum,” she said when she removed it from the hook before disappearing into the kitchen. James knew that she would be a while so he rose from the couch throwing in the next load before drying and folding the first load. Shoving them into draws he began to remove the clothes he was already wearing until he was down to his boxers. Wandering over to the kitchen he popped his head in to see Lily wrapped up in the cord of the phone chatting away, winking at her he disappeared back into the bathroom.

Lily bit her lip when he appeared at the door, even after being with him for over a year, and they were married now; he still managed to give Lily butterflies. She walked over to the door when he disappeared and watched him slip into the bathroom. “Sorry mum what?” Lily asked, for those brief moments she had completely ignored what her mom was saying.

He finished in the shower drying off his body and his hair a bit, he wrapped a towel around himself before grabbing the next load of laundry. Finishing it up he pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms fresh out of the wash before wandering back to the kitchen. “Still on the phone?” He asked Lily before rummaging around in the fridge. There was hardly anything in there though since they had not gone shopping before they left for their honeymoon. Grabbing the milk he opened it to take a whiff, “oh God,” he said instantly capping it again throwing it into the garbage. Moving over to the cupboard he found a bag of unopened chips shoving some into his mouth, “hey mum!” He said with a mouth full of chips.

“She says hello,” Lily said with a laugh before grabbing a few chips from the bag. “Alright mum, I will talk to you later, love you too…James says he loves you too, I swear he likes you more then he likes me…yes mum…I will…goodnight.”

With that she hung up the phone before taking another bite of her chip, “how was your shower?” Lily asked him before ruffling his hair a bit.

“Good I feel much better,” James said as he carried the bag out of the kitchen with him keeping out of reach of Lily who was trying to grab at it from the side.

“No fair you are too tall,” she said jumping trying to get the bag as he held it above his head, still unable to get it.

“You can have it if you give me a kiss,” he said puckering up his lips and squishing his face.

Lily sighed as if it were a great burden, “fiiine,” she said leaning up on her tip-toes to kiss him and when he lowered the bag she grabbed it and ran around the other side of the couch before taking a seat.

“You have to share,” James said jumping over the couch rather than walking around which would have only taken three seconds longer.

“No,” Lily teased curling over to the side hiding the bag under her as James jumped atop of her, though he was careful not to hurt her as he reached around for the bag, but no dice. Thinking quick his hands went instantly to her sides as he began to tickle her.

“S-stop!” Lily said squirming as the bag fell to the floor. “They are right there,” she said pointing when he gave her a moment to breathe.

“Yeah, but this is more fun,” James said before tickling her once again, he was ticklish as well, but only when it came as a surprise otherwise he could ignore it.

Lily fought back writhing and laughing as she tried to get away, eventually he let up and she laid still on her back panting one arm dangling off the side of the couch. “You are horrible,” she said smiling.

“Well you stole the chips I had to get them back somehow didn’t I?” James asked as he balanced himself above her a wide smile on his face. He leaned down to kiss her lightly before sitting up and grabbing the bag once again.

Watching him Lily sat up once he was up and took a handful as James began to flip through the channels again. “You are such a brat,” Lily said as Figaro jumped on her lap and pawed at her chip, obviously wanting a piece.

“The only cat I have ever seen that likes chips, of course we get the mutant,” James said with a smirk as Figaro began to chomp on the piece.

“Of course, it is only us,” Lily said.

“Wait until we have kids, they are going to be just as weird,” James said nonchalantly when he lowered the remote to the arm of the couch, smirking a bit to himself.

She of course heard what James had said and saw the smirk on his face. He of course knew Lily could not wait to have a child, especially with the way the world was today, you never knew if you were going to have a tomorrow. For now though she could wait, at least another year so her and James could save up more money since children were expensive.