Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything to do with it, except perhaps with strange workings of my mind, which at times has a lot to do with aforementioned masterpiece… I'm rambling.

A/n: One-shot centering around Harry's birth. It will change PoV throughout, so don't be confused. One thing… A couple of my friends are doing this thing where you can e-mail them- rather, one of the HP characters (any generation)- and they will answer you back as that character. It'll be really cool! The address is hogwartsexpressmugglenet.com. Do it!!!!! Oh, and read their fics, too (orangepenguin and kitty london). They be kewl. Moving on… Ok, one more thing… The first Sirius/James dialogue was done by orangepenguin, so if it seems better then the rest of the fic, that's why. She took over the comp. while I was in the bathroom.

The Dawn of Evening

…

"James, I think today might be the day."

James Potter looked up at his wife and smiled. "You've been saying that for days."

Lily continued to look dead serious. "I know, but this is different. I feel… anxious. And excited at the same time. Like something big is about to happen."

"I'll get the midwife and the Order on standby." He bent over and rubbed Lily's swollen belly. "So, are you finally ready to show yourself to the world, little one? Well, not the world, but a huge chunk full of people that care about you."

Lily frowned sternly and slapped her husband's hand away. "Stop it, James, you might make him nervous." The two of them laughed over this, standing up from the breakfast table. James went upstairs to use the fireplace in the bedroom to contact their midwife and Lily made herself comfortable on the living room sofa.

Placing her hand on her stomach, she moved it in slow, gentle circles. She felt the baby inside of her stir slightly, and it made her smile. It had been a perfectly joyous pregnancy- everyone had been so supportive, especially in times where having babies was not exactly advised. People argued that it would replace the population when You-Know-Who had killed off everyone else, but… Morbid thoughts such as that were running rampant these days. Whether a good idea or not, Lily was the happiest she had ever been. It was a bright summer day, the last in July in fact, and nothing was going to spoil her mood.

James came galloping down the stairs, and Lily shook her head. She didn't think that man could go anywhere without running. He sat down at the end of the sofa, taking his wife's foot in his lap and began massaging it.

"Guess what, Lily? Alice had her baby this morning. It's a little boy that they called Neville. If you're right, then the boys will share a birthday! That'll be fun, won't it?"

However, Lily had ceased to listen. She was distracted at that moment by the excruciating pain of a contraction. This was the real thing, not the false labor pains she'd been feeling throughout the week. She sat up and grabbed James's hand, taking deep even breaths until relief came.

James timed the next contraction and the time in between, and they determined that they were five minutes apart. He helped his wife to her feet.

"Alaina said to call her when they're three minutes apart… she said walking around helps." Lily nodded that she knew, and made her way to the bathroom. When she had finished in there, she walked to the kitchen to continue the dishes. Every time a contraction hit, she timed it with her watch. Occasionally she walked around the room. When they were three minutes apart, she called to James, who went into the living room and lit a fire in the grate. He contacted their midwife, Alaina, along with Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Albus Dumbledore, Marlene McKinnon, and James' best friend, Sirius Black. Sirius was the first to arrive.

"Evans! So, the time's finally come, has it?" Lily shot Sirius an annoyed glance. He had never gotten out of the habit of referring to her using her maiden name, just as he had at school. Even so, she returned his hug with sincere warmth. Sirius had become her strongest rock these past few months, with the exception of James. She was as fond of him as she had been of any of her family (her mother and father had died the previous year, one right after the other), and more so then any she had still living. They broke apart as another contraction hit her.

"Sirius, thanks so much for coming."

"What? How could I miss this?" he turned to James, who was pacing nervously over by the window. "So, how's the father-to-be?"

James and Sirius walked slightly away from Lily, who had just sat down on the couch as the next pain came shooting through her abdomen. "The father-to-be?" James asked quietly. "Well, nervous, excited… I don't know, I'm just ready for this to happen."

"You mean you're ready for this pregnancy to be over?" Sirius smiled.

"Well…yeah. You know Lily's been crazy for the past few months."

"Oh, don't worry, they're all like that."

James's head jerked around sharply, "How the hell do you know?"

"Um…" Sirius looked uncomfortable, and then laughed. "No, not what you're thinking, I was just there at the birth of my despicable cousin."

"Sirius, you were four."

"Well, I just remember… You know I liked Bellatrix's mother. That is, before she found out about me being friends with you…"

James lightly punched Sirius in the arm, and he winced, ironically at the same time as Lily did. The contractions were becoming closer together now. Alaina popped into the room at that moment. She nodded curtly at James and Sirius and walked straight to Lily, helping her to stand.

"Come on, dear, lets get you up into bed. You two, come here and help me."

Sirius and James came over. James got hold of his wife's left arm, while Alaina took her right. Lily having no more available limbs, Sirius, feeling a little left out, followed behind. Someone had to catch her if she fell. They made it up the stairs and into the bedroom without incident, however. Sirius followed briefly, but soon grew uncomfortable . This seemed like such a personal thing. He turned to go, but Lily called him back.

"Wait, Sirius. You're just as much a part of this family as any of us. Please stay."

Sirius hesitated, and stayed. His best friend's wife was having a baby, after all.

…

James anxiously paced the room. The labor was progressing well, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going play the nervous father. And he didn't even have to act. He supposed that most fathers felt this way right before their baby was born. Sirius was leaning against the wall, staring out the window. He looked as nervous as James was.

Lily cried out at the pain of the newest contraction. James rushed to her side and took her hand, not saying anything, just letting her know that he was there. It lasted longer then the others had.

"Ok, Lily," said Alaina, "at the next contraction, I want you to push, alright? As hard as you can."

Lily nodded, and relaxed. She had to build up enough strength for the homestretch.

"James."

James turned, startled, to the midwife.

"James, would you like to help deliver this baby?"

He turned to Lily, to make sure she was alright with it. She had big, exhausted smile on her face as she nodded again. He smiled back and went to wash his hands. When he came back, Sirius had taken his place beside Lily. James went to stand by Alaina.

…

Outside the door, Remus was also pacing. Peter was chewing his fingernails, a nasty habit that everyone had tried at some point to break him of and failed. Marlene was somewhere cleaning up, or something like that. Remus's footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. James had said that Lily was doing well, but everyone was uptight anyway. James had certainly looked like he was.

Suddenly, there was a loud "pop" behind his back, and he turned to see Dumbledore standing there.

"How is she doing?" he said.

Remus stopped pacing. "James says it's going well… It should be any minute-" he was interrupted then by a loud scream from inside the bedroom.

…

"Push, Lily! You have to push!"

Lily screamed with the pain, putting her back into the push. She was clutching Sirius's hand so hard that he thought that more second and she would have snapped some of his bones. Alaina hold her to relax then, though, and she loosed her grip on his hand.

"Sorry- Sirius-" she panted.

"Oh, don't worry about it," he said, "you're in more pain then I am."

"Ok, next contraction, push as hard as you can," interrupted Alaina.

Lily steeled herself, taking deep breaths. Sirius took a moment to look at James. He had never seen his best friend so excited, or so nervous. James had never been anxious about their multiple pranks at school, or detention. But he was now. And Sirius didn't blame him.

The pain hit. Lily screamed again as she pushed, once again crushing Sirius's hand. The other one this time. He could sense the pain she must be feeling right through her hand, and he wondered why she had chosen to go through all of this. There were potions to guard mothers giving birth from the pain. But Lily had chosen instead to have a completely natural childbirth.

"Push, Lily, push!"

Lily pushed. Hard. Sirius could see the veins in her forehead bulging out. Sweat streamed down her face, which was flushed with effort.

"I see the crown. Keep going, you're doing great…"

James was squatting, ready to catch the baby. His baby. His and Lily's baby. Sirius almost shook his head. There was a time where he wouldn't have believed it, James and Lily, married. And having their first child. He squeezed Lily's hand, urging her on. She was still crying out in pain, and tears were streaming down her cheeks, mingling with the sweat.

"I can see the head," said James, in a faint, almost disbelieving voice. "And a shoulder…"

Lily pushed harder, motivated by her husband's voice. Sirius was in awe of the power that she was showing, the strength. How did men ever think that women were weaker then they?

James was smiling, a huge, bright smile as he brought his child into the light of the bedroom, into the world. Alaina took the baby into her arms, slapping its backside, flushing mucus out of its nostrils as James held a bowl to catch the placenta. The baby gave a great cry as it took its first breath, and Sirius didn't think he'd ever heard anything more beautiful.

Alaina turned back around after she had cut the umbilical cord, with a grin on her own face. "You have a little boy," she said simply. James's face got, if possible, even brighter. Lily was sobbing, not with pain, but joy. Sirius could feel tears forming in his own eyes. He stepped back as the baby was given to Lily to hold for the first time.

He had a head of black hair already. He was small, but he was sending up a cry would make any banshee jealous. Lily was positively glowing. James went to stand beside her, looking at his son's face.

"Lily, he has your eyes…"

"Yes. But he looks just like you. Let's call him James."

James shook his head. "No… James doesn't fit, somehow. Besides, how confusing would that be?"

Lily nodded. "You're right. But what should his name be?"

James thought about it. "How about Harry, after your father? He had those same eyes, as I recall…"

"Yes, let's call him that," she said. "Harry James Potter." She whispered to James for a moment, and when she had finished, he motioned to Sirius.

"Come here, Sirius. It's your turn to hold your godson."

As Sirius stood there, with his godson Harry in his arms and his friends all around him, he felt that he must be the happiest man alive. Well, except James, of course. He gently gave Harry to Remus, who held the child a bit before giving him to Peter. The last was Dumbledore.

He gazed at Harry for a long while, sensing the troubles that the child would face. But there was no need to mention anything now, not amongst the happiness of birth. Another time, perhaps.

…

A/n: Yay! Dun, dun, DUN!!! This was a one-shot, so no more chapters. Please review, though, and maybe you can find it in the kindness of your heart of read some of my other fics. Please?!?!?!