James Potter eyed the pale green walls of the St Mungo's waiting room sourly. They were probably supposed to be soothing, he reflected, but they just made him want to get up and start pacing. Or maybe it was the waiting that was getting to him. He had never been one for sitting around.
He hadn't thought much of it when Lily had first complained about being tired. They were working hard, after all, uncovering information on You-Know-Who's activities, defending and hiding his would-be victims, generally trying to be as annoying and disruptive to him as possible. But things had gradually gotten worse - Lily reported stomach cramps and nausea, and often ended the day an exhausted, weepy mess. Thus, today's visit to St Mungo's.
The healer had introduced herself as Angela, and had promptly bustled Lily off to an examination room almost immediately on their arrival. She had asked James if he wanted to accompany his wife, but memories of Sirius' teasing remarks on 'girl problems' had proved more than his imagination could handle, and he had opted for the waiting room. Now, his patience utterly exhausted, he was regretting it.
His third attempt to construct a scale replica of Hogwarts using pamphlets from the rack in the corner - no magic allowed - was interrupted by the reappearance of Healer Angela. The pamphlets slid to the floor as he leapt to his feet.
"It's alright," Angela said with a smile. "You can see her now."
"But... what's wrong with her?" he demanded, confused. Is she going to be alright?"
Angela did not reply, just beckoned for him to follow her. Swallowing his apprehension, glad for the chance to finally do something, he did so.
Lily was lying on a bed in the examination room. Her face was pale, but her eyes shone. In fact, she almost seemed to be glowing. Lux fever, James wondered, or perhaps a new variety of the luminescent flu?
"Lil?" he began, then couldn't go on. What if it was something terrible? With all the trouble with You-Know-Who, he'd laughed at the thought that something as mundane as illness could bring them down, but what if? And it would be just like Lily to be brave for him and smile as if nothing was wrong. What if?
Lily frowned; obviously his face had betrayed his thoughts. "It's alright, idiot," she said fondly, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "I'm going to be fine. In fact, I've got something to tell you."
Angela stepped forward, wand raised. She waved it in a curiously complex gesture over Lily's stomach, and muttered a few syllables that James didn't catch but thought he recognised. He watched as the tip of the wand began to glow a soft blue.
It didn't match the walls, he thought. They were the same green as in the waiting room. And who in their right mind thought that was a soothing colour? And why was he thinking about walls again when Lily was talking, telling him something he already knew but couldn't quite comprehend, because the wand-tip had glowed and it was blue and Merlin's earlobes they were going to have a baby...
"Surprise," Lily murmured, grinning from ear to ear.
"Gah," he managed helpfully. "I... you..."
Eventually he managed to pull himself together, at least enough to speak in complete sentences. "So, a baby boy, eh?" Just saying it out loud made it seem so much more real.
Lily nodded, her grip firm and warm on his hand. "The first of many," she said, a wicked glint in her eye. He choked a bit at that - he was still getting adjusted to the idea of the first one. Then again, this was nice; him and his wife, together, bathed in the blue glow that signified the start of their family. He could get used to this.