Chapter Text
James laughs at Sirius's impression of Minnie, knowing his godmother is a stern woman, but most of his attention is on the witch lying in his lap rather than the pretend ine beside him.
"Oi, Prongs! You're staring all wide-eyed at Lily again!" Padfoot complains.
"You were waxing poetry about Moony's hair not five hours ago, mate. Back off." James snorts, his fingers carding through Lily's hair.
"Moony and I have been dating for three years, and we're all gay for him!" Sirius argues, falling back against said werewolf dramatically.
"I've been told I have an animal magnetism." Remus deadpans.
"See! We're all gay for Moony!"
Marlene scoffs and throws a pumpkin pasty at Sirius, "Remus is his own sexuality, and it is universal."
"Ah, yes," Lily giggles, and it's the best thing James has ever heard, "The Society of Mooners for Moony." She sighs dreamily and turns her head in his lap, batting her eyes at Remus, "Won't you love us, Remus, dear?"
"I'm afraid my heart belongs to the hyperactive mutt in my lap with Devil's Snare-like tendencies." Moony sighs as said mutt in question wraps himself around Remus.
Everyone laughs and goes back to enjoying one of the last days of warmth before Scotland's usual bitter cold kicks in and keeps them all locked inside unless it's Quidditch.
Rain, hail, thunder, lightning; nothing stops Quidditch.
James leans back on one hand, the other still playing in Lily's hair, and looks out across the glass-like surface of the lake, nothing disturbing the calm.
Except...
"Oi! Does anyone see that?"
"See what, James?" Mary asks curiously.
"On the lake. Something's floating in the water." James responds, pointing at said dark shape. "It looks like a person."
"Come off it, Prongs, you're mad."
"No, he isn't, Sirius." Peter mumbles, "I see it too."
That's all the confirmation James needs. He slips out from under Lily and strips down to just his pants and uniform slacks before quickly wading into the water until it's deep enough for him to swim.
He gets to the body fairly quickly and starts dragging her small form along with him to shore. She's wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt instead of robes, luckily. Robes would've made her ten times as difficult to pull.
"I need my wand!" James yells as soon as they reach shore, while his friends stare in shock. "Hurry!"
Sirius runs over with said wand, and James immediately snatches it, casting one of his mum's spells, which expels water from the lungs. He knows CPR, too, but the spell is more reliable.
The girl coughs and chokes up what looks like a gallon of lake water, and James carefully helps her sit up, "Easy, I got you."
She gives one last cough and sinks back onto James' waiting arm, her head tilted back so he can see her face. The sight of her makes him feel an overwhelming sense of pride, worry, and love, and he doesn't understand it.
Acid green eyes open and lock on him, shock and confusion evident in her gaze, and flutter shut once more, only giving her time to whisper one word before she falls unconscious. "Daddy?"