"Push, Lily! Push!" The small room in St. Mungo's was filled with screaming.

It was summer. Remus was home from his teaching post, so when Lily called to say she was in labor, he was free to take her. The others hadn't been so lucky. Even her own husband was stuck at work. "I'm so sorry. There's a war going on. I won't be able to leave for at least another hour. I'll try to be there as soon as I can." He sounded so apologetic.

"One more push!" Lily screamed and threw herself back on her pillow, exhausted. The nurses wrapped the baby, and laid him on his mother's chest, then left.

"He's beautiful," she sighed.

"and hairy."

"Hairy?"

"Yeah, I thought babies were supposed to be bald. He almost looks like he needs a haircut."

She laughed. "Harry. It's a good name. Harry like his father."

"Only during my time of the month." They stared at the infant, who had fallen asleep on his mother's chest. "Lily. Lily, we have a problem."

"What problem? He's healthy. Healthy, beautiful, and hairy."

"He looks like me." It was true. Even on his red, elongated face, you could see a little Remus. "It has to be don't done, Lily." They savored the last few moment, when they could pretend they were a happy family, a normal family. Then, Remus pressed his wand again the baby's nose. His eyes opened. Big green eyes that peered up at him. He said the spell.

Black crawled up the tuft of light brown hair, his square jaw rounded, and his nose grew so slightly ("Like Pinocchio," he thought, "living a lie."), but his eyes remained constant, never changing, just staring up at him, wider then he would have thought possible and the most brilliant shade of green, just like his mother's. A tear rolled softly down her cheek.

"It's better this way," he kissed her forehead, and broke down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. If I wasn't what I am, I could marry you and that stupid half-breed law wouldn't even-"

She put a finger against his lips. "I love you for who you are, and your condition is part of that. He is your son. I don't care what he looks like, nothing will change that. He's your son, our son."

He smiled through his tears. He picked up his son and held him in his arms for awhile before placing him gently in the small crib next to the bed. "You need your rest," he kissed her softly. "I'll come back to check on you." He left, humming to himself.

She drifted off into dreams of the future, a smile on her face.