If anyone told James Potter that months and months ago that he would find himself in the situation of caring for a woman that he had fallen madly in love with, he would have deemed them mad and brushed them off. The thought of him loving anyone outside of Lily had never been a thought to cross his mind before and the idea that he could actually move on with his life after the war was something he never saw coming. But it had all happened and was still in the process of happening because every day, he seemed to fall in love with Renata Abate a little more.

Even though it was under the conditions that she was in hospital recovering from a horrible ordeal, he found himself looking forward to every visit to see her. Some days, she wasn't in the best of moods but that was okay because there had been days where he wasn't in the greatest of moods either and she had still remained at his side. They kept each other company and even helped each other with the little things that they failed to notice.

Such as Renata fixing Harry's shirt when he came in wearing it inside out because James had dressed him too fast or her pulling out pieces of food out of his hair that Harry had thrown during a breakfast adventure. Or such as the time where Renata complained that she was having trouble sleeping at night because she hated being alone in the room.

James knew that feeling all too well and to accommodate her needs, he brought in his mint green jumper that she liked and Harry had brought in one of his teddies that he was willing to part with temporarily for her to use. Sometimes she would wear the jumper, other times she would cuddle it along with the teddy bear, but either way, they allowed her to get to sleep at night. It was all the little things that they did for each other that made the passing days grow easier.

Harry played his role too, especially that morning as he climbed into James' bed and shook his father's arm until he stirred from his slumber. Thinking something was wrong, James immediately sat up and looked around, only to see Harry in his pyjamas staring at him as he held onto one of his toys. Glancing over in the direction of his alarm clock, James could see that it was eight o'clock in the morning, right on the dot.

"Harry, what are you doing up right now?" James yawned as he rubbed his eyes. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Shaking his head, Harry grinned before standing up on the bed with a proud look that definitely gave everyone a much-needed reminder that he was, in fact, the son of James Potter.

"Harry maked breakfast for Mummy!"

Confused at first as to what Harry was saying, James narrowed his eyes for a moment, only until it registered past his sleepy state that Harry was telling him that he had made breakfast for Renata. It seemed like a very sweet gesture, enough that it brought James to smile until he wondered just what exactly did a three-year-old attempt to make for breakfast without any adult supervision?

Immediately, James jumped out of bed, lifting Harry into his arms who squealed in delight thinking they were playing some sort of game. He raced out into the kitchen to find that Harry had set out a pot of water on the kitchen table and with all the vegetables that had been left out on the counter, he had placed them in. There were whole potatoes, florets of broccoli and cauliflower, large amounts of the spices that Harry had been able to open on his own.

Also included were whole bars of chocolate that James had picked up to send to Remus at one point when he got to send out a package to his friend. It seemed that anything Harry could get his hands on at the moment had found its way into the pot of water for his "breakfast meal." Which also served as a good reminder that Harry was at the age where he was going to get into anything and everything he possibly could.

"I maked the soup!" Harry clapped his hands and proceeded to take a bow over his work before looking to his father for approval. "Go see Mummy now?"

Unable to hold back his laughter, James looked into the pot once more before looking back at Harry.

"You did such a good job with putting all the ingredients in the pot, Harry," he said in an encouraging tone, " but we haven't cooked the soup yet. Poor Mummy hasn't been getting the best food at St Mungo's, so why don't we make her something really special and bring it to her?"

Harry had managed to spark a good idea for James because Renata had been absolutely miserable when it came to feeding time because she hated the food that was given to her at St Mungo's. She didn't complain about it, often telling herself that she should be thankful for a meal, but did it have to be so damn bland? Did the people of St Mungo's not understand the concept of spices or flavouring? Not that she told any of them that, but James could just see it on her face most days.

But she was eating solid food and she was eating in on her own, maybe she wasn't up to eating large meals, but he didn't see why she couldn't enjoy a little bit of soup from home.

"Let's get dressed, " he told Harry, " we'll head to the markets, pick up everything we need to finish the soup and after we make it, we'll bring it to Mummy, alright?"

There was no protest from Harry's end as he darted out of the kitchen to head to his room to get dressed, ready for the cooking adventure.

Since Harry had unloaded a good amount of potatoes into the pot, James figured they could easily make a potato soup for Renata. That would probably put her in good spirits and it was nice to have warm soup, especially since the days were getting cold, even more so at night. Taking out several of the recipe books that Renata had collected and kept in the household over time, James started sorting through them until he came across a recipe that he figured Renata would enjoy.

Once he was showered, dressed, and ready to go, he made sure to check that Harry's attire was on properly before the two of them headed out with the list of ingredients that they would need. While Harry was fully capable of walking on his own, James didn't take a lot of chances when they were out in public of having Harry just walk on his own, especially in the recent months.

Normally, when Renata was with them, she would hold Harry's other hand and there would be at least two adults to keep anyone back who decided to get too close. Even though it had been nearly two years since the incident that gave Harry his scar, there were still people who didn't understand boundaries. They wanted to get up close and personal to see the scar and James couldn't stand it. It didn't help that James had been covered in the news, bringing the Potter name back in the spotlight.

With the investigation going on surrounding Alcina Abate and the Academy, his name was often brought up as he had been involved in the takedown of the operation. People, most reporters for the Daily Prophet, constantly wanted to interview him since they couldn't get into St Mungo's to interview Renata or Adelmo as they wanted to. They harassed him and Sirius for any information they could get but James would just kindly brushed them off. Seeing as he was involved in that chaos and was the father of the Boy-Who-Lived, the news was painting him as some sort of saviour.

It came across as so odd that people would attempt to glamourise such a tragedy, wanting to turn it into the next big story for profit. He shouldn't have surprised, but James did find himself disgusted that people wouldn't allow them to just live their lives in peace. Renata and Adelmo were recovering and thankfully St Mungo's acted as a sanctuary, shielding them from people who didn't care how insensitive it was to ask, they just wanted all the details. They didn't care that Renata had no intention of actually killing her mother, she had just been fighting for her own life and that had been the result.

They didn't care if the two along with others from the academy were traumatised by what had happened to them, some of them uncovering years of abuse that they weren't even aware of, to begin with. No, the only thing the media seemed to care about was getting the coverage of the stories.

Who would be the first to interview the Abate siblings?

What was the worst story of abuse that they could publicise for the public to read?

What dirt could they dig up on Alcina Abate after her death?

And yet, while James hated it, he knew that life all too well, because, after that night on Halloween, the media showed that they didn't care about him or Harry, they really only cared about the story. Some of them would approach James when they saw him, rush him with questions pertaining to Lily's death or wondering why he hadn't been home at the time. They would try to get pictures of Harry, try to get the best pictures of his scar, even if the way they did it frightened the child and caused him to cry.

Thankfully though, there were people who despised the media just as much as James did and he found them to be all over. When he entered the market area, anyone who came over trying to ask questions or get a photo was immediately kicked out by the vendors. So James was definitely happy to shop and support the small businesses there and Harry loved it too because he shared the memories of visiting there so often with Renata.

The toddler would keep to the same practices of exchanging kisses on the cheek with some of the vendors in greeting. All of them knew James and Harry by then and always looked forward to seeing them, whether they bought something or not. Often, they would ask how Renata was doing, they didn't need explicit details or anything of the sort, they just wanted to know if she was getting better, along with her brother.

James would share a little with them, telling all of the vendors that she was working hard so that she could come home soon and a lot of them just left it at that. But others would offer little gifts for James to bring with him during his visits, such as freshly cut flowers, and plants to brighten up her room on the days where she was feeling low.

"What brings the Potter gentlemen here today?" one of the vendors, Patty Sampson greeted Harry and James. She was bundled up in several layers, rubbing her hands together as the tents were being set up around them to provide warmth.

"Well, we're actually making soup potato soup to bring to Renata today," James answered, " we have plenty of potatoes and-"

"What kind of potatoes?" Patty asked them. "What kind are you using for the soup?"

"Um," James scratched the side of his head as he held Harry in his other arm, " they're yellow-"

"No, no, no," the witch shook her head, " you're going to want russet potatoes, much better for potato soup. They'll work out to be much creamier in the long run."

At the sound of James making soup for Renata, it appeared as though the other vendors became interested and were all working together to provide him with the best ingredients for the meal. They left Harry in charge of the carrots and James was to carry the rest after they paid and were on their way home.

When they arrived back at the flat, James was just making his way up the stairs with Harry to open the door, when they heard a bark in the distance. They glanced over to see Enzo racing over in the direction, with Sirius in his human form running after him. Rather than going inside, James and Harry waited until Sirius made his way over as Enzo came over to greet them, especially Harry, who requested to be placed down on his feet.

"Damn dog," Sirius huffed before making a face at his choice of words, " he's been acting like a lunatic all morning."

"It's probably because he's been spending too much time around you," James countered with a grin.

"Very funny, Prongs," Sirius said, " but I suppose you haven't heard, but Adelmo is set to wake up today. Well, actually, he woke up this morning but they're going to allow limited visitation. I'm sure Renata is probably going to be the first to visit him but I'm hoping I can get just a minute in there to just say hello or whatever stupid thing comes out of my mouth at the time. He probably won't be awake for very long, but I was wondering if you could watch over Enzo while I headed over there? He doesn't like being left alone."

The two men peered down where Enzo was scratching at the front door and whining to gain access inside.

"I think he really misses them," Sirius pointed out, " both of them, you know? I know Adelmo said he wasn't the biggest fan of dogs, but I know that he loves that little thing like hell."

"I guess the same could be said about you," James teased only to be playfully pushed, but he opened the door, allowing Enzo to race in with Harry chasing after him. He turned back to see Sirius, who looked quite anxious to get going.

"Go on," he told him, " Enzo can stay here. Harry and I are going to be cooking until the afternoon anyways before we go over to see Renata, so it works out perfectly. Hurry up, go see him! Tell him I said hi and tell Renata we'll see her soon."

"Will do!" Sirius replied quickly before he disapparated from the scene, leaving James there for a moment. He was sure that Renata was thrilled that her brother was awake, so that would keep her occupied for most of the morning until he and Harry arrived later bearing soup.

Inside, he could hear Harry letting excited little-chirping noises while Enzo barked about, leaving James curious as to what they were so worked up about. Wanting to join in on the laughter, he entered the home, setting the bags aside for the moment, so he could remove the extra layers he had been wearing. He was pulling the jumper over his head when he heard Harry whisper something and he and Enzo had fallen silent.

"Shhh, quiet voice."

Finding Harry's choice of words slightly creepy, James quickly yanked off the jumper only to nearly stumble over the bags by his feet as he caught sight of Renata standing at the end of the hallway, holding Harry in her arms.

Enzo was standing on his hind legs, his paws resting at her knee as he wagged his tail happily in her presence, while Harry had his arms wrapped around her neck tightly. James was at a loss for words when he saw her standing there, wondering if it was one of his dreams that he had been having on a nightly basis. He shared so many dreams where Renata was home and they were just doing day to day things, only to wake up and realise that it was always a dream. He had to wonder if this was one of them.

However, Harry looked over at him, a bright toothy grin on his face. "Mummy is home! Mummy is home!"

Renata followed his gaze and saw that James was inside, bringing a gentle smile to her face to greet him.

"Hello there," she said in a soft tone, " how are you this morning?"

"Y-y-you're home? You're actually home?!" he asked in bewilderment. "But I was there...and yesterday...no one said that...I don't understand-"

She started laughing at his confused rambling before she started walking over to him. When she came to stand before him, Renata lifted up her hand and playfully pushed back his hair, similar to the gesture that he often did with her hair to keep it out of her face.

"I'm home," she reassured him, " this is real, not a dream. I'm home."

Even if it turned out to be a dream, in the long run, James didn't really care and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity to hug her. He had felt her hand run through his hair and that certainly felt more real than anything, leaving him to rush forward and pull her into a strong hug, along with Harry, who was caught up in the middle of the two. He didn't say anything for a minute or so, just holding onto her and Renata seemed to get lost in his embrace as she used her free arm to wrap around him and hold the back of his shirt tightly.

"If I knew you were due to come home today, I would have been there to help you-" he began after pulling away but Renata shook her head.

"I know you would have," Renata chuckled, " but then it wouldn't have been a surprise like I planned it to be. I found out a couple of days ago that they were getting ready to discharge me, but I asked them not to say anything because I wanted to surprise you and Harry. I told Sirius during one of his visits and he agreed that he would help me. It was perfect timing that you two seemed to be out for the morning when we arrived, Sirius was supposed to distract you by ringing the doorbell so I could sneak in through the back, but I guess there was no need."

"W-we were out getting things from the market," James informed her, " Harry and I were going to make you soup and then bring it over. But wait, Sirius said that he was in a rush to visit with Adelmo because he woke up-"

"That's true, he woke up very early this morning and Sirius was there during that moment as well as myself," Renata said, " but Adelmo is kinda like me, he's been in and out all day with sleeping. So, Sirius had some time to spare to put our plan into place."

"But you're actually here to stay?" James questioned. "You're going to be staying here now?"

Renata met his gaze. "If you'll have me."

As if that would ever be a question to cross James' mind, of course, he wanted to have her stay, there was no doubt about it. With something comparable to a nod, he leaned in and kissed her while Harry took to making a face and covering his eyes.

"Of course, of course," he whispered against her lips, " I want you to stay here. This is your home, you made it a home for all of us. I'm just so glad you're here and I'm waiting on that moment where I wake up to that alarm clock going off, reminding me that it's just a dream."

"James," Renata said after placing Harry down, who quickly darted off with Enzo to escape the affectionate scene, " you don't have to be asleep to live a dream."

Truer words couldn't have been spoken during such a time and James was willing to hold out the hope that he was living the dream, rather than sleeping through it. Renata showed him the discharge summary to show him that she was really allowed to go home and she hadn't broken out from St Mungo's, not that he was making that assumption.

At the same time, James didn't know what to do because he found himself pulling Renata into multiple hugs, he had kissed her a half a dozen times since he had walked through the front door, and he just kept looking at her as if any given second she would disappear. Renata could see his inability to focus on anything but her and she knew that he was worked up, so perhaps the surprise wasn't the best thing for her to do, even if she had good intentions. To distract him from his state, Renata looked over in the direction of the bags that he had left by the door.

"So, what kind of soup were you going to make me?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

"Oh!" James nearly jumped to stand straight and make his way over to the door. "Harry and I were going to attempt potato soup. The vendors at the market were extremely helpful in helping me pick out everything I needed. Did you know that some potatoes work better than others? I didn't know that. I thought that the ones we had were going to work. Oh, you should have seen Harry's attempt at soup this morning. Whole potatoes and chocolate bars? What a feast, right? And I-"

James rambled on and on, his voice shaking as he was trying so hard to keep his composure that she was actually there with him. If he had been given notice, he would have been at least somewhat prepared and he would have things ready for Renata to come home. But he felt so caught off guard that he wasn't sure how to properly function. There were so many things he wanted to tell her and they didn't have shit to do with potato soup.

With his back turn to collect the bag of items, he didn't hear Renata coming up behind him and as he turned around he found her standing in front of them. Harry and Enzo were in Harry's room as Harry was overall content with the idea of his mother being home that he could play in peace, which left the two adults alone.

Before the incident at the birthday party, James remembered that while he and Renata had been together, things had still been considered somewhat awkward as they were testing out the waters of the relationship. But her time in the hospital and everything they had been through had turned James' thinking around.

He had gone from thinking of what life would be with Renata to not being able to imagine what life would be like without her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm really glad you're home, believe me, it's just really unexpected. I don't know what I would really do to prepare you coming home if I was given notice but-"

James stopped talking immediately as he saw that she was just smiling at him, not saying anything. She was wearing his mint green jumper and it reflected in her eyes along with the light that made the blue look like it had lighter swirls swimming around. Her face had colour once more, rather than the paleness he had become used to in the hospital. And even though she had been beautiful during her stay in the hospital, he was even more beautiful because she looked happy and comfortable to be home.

Just seeing her happy was everything he needed in order to blurt out what had been on his mind for so long but he never knew when was the right moment to say it. He questioned himself over and over, was it too soon? How would she react? Would she say it back? But none of that mattered at the time because there was no going back once the words passed through his lips.

"I love you."