I know I'm not alone when I say that Deathly Hallows made me extremely depressed. So many deaths... So sad. But here I go, writing another story in hopes of getting my spirits back up. This one goes out to Dobby, who I just couldn't fit in, no matter how hard I tried. I'll write one for him later...
Disclaimer: Everything is JKR's. Don't sue me, kay?
"It's today! It's today!" sang a very excited Lily Potter, dancing around looking like an six year old. She seized James's hand and dragged him over to the edge of the cliff on which she and the eight other people were standing.
"I know!" James said a little exasperatedly, following his wife to the edge and peering down. "Padfoot! Moony! Come over here!"
As James and Lily laid down on the stomachs, their heads poking out over the edge of the cliff, they were joined by two more men and a woman, all three of whom dropped themselves to the ground like Lily and James.
"Isn't this exciting?" the young woman who had joined them took Moony's hand in her own.
"It most definitely is," Remus Lupin replied, smiling as his eyes turned to his wife's face for the briefest of moments, before looking back over the cliff.
"So, boy or girl? What do you reckon?" A handsome man with shoulder-length black hair spoke now. He was wedged in between his two best friends, Remus and James, and looking excited.
"Boy," James answered immediately.
"Same here," Lily and Remus both agreed.
"How about you, Tonks?" Sirius bent forward a little so as to see the woman next to Remus better. "Well," he interjected hastily, "I suppose I'd better stop calling you 'Tonks,' now that you're married."
"Don't you worry, Sirius," the young witch waved this away with her free hand. "I still answer to it, anyway."
But before she could answer Sirius's question, Nymphadora Lupin was joined on the ground by an older man with mismatched eyes and a chunk missing from his nose.
"What're we all staring at?" he asked gruffly, peering over the edge of the cliff as well. Comprehension dawned as soon as his eyes met the scene below him. "Ah, yes."
"Hello, Alastor," Lily said jovially.
"Wotcher, Mad-Eye," Nymphadora released Remus's hand and straightened up so as to give the newcomer a brief hug. Mad-Eye gave a small grunt, and awkwardly patted her on the back. When she released him, he looked slightly relieved. His magical blue eye whizzed around, staring at each person in turn, while his normal eye remained fixed on the scene below.
"Where's Fred?" Lily suddenly asked, straightening up from her spot on the ground. "I thought he would have joined us by now."
James looked behind him just in time to see a spectacular array of brightly colored fireworks go off. Tapping Lily's shoulder, he gestured to the sparkling lights. He had no need to, however, for at the exploding noises, the entire group had turned round.
"Hello, everyone," Fred Weasley bellowed over he noise the fireworks were making. "Thought I'd set a few off to celebrate properly." He laughed as he threw himself onto the ground next to Mad-Eye Moody.
"But nothing's happened yet," Remus protested.
"I know," Fred winked. "Those were just the before fireworks. Just you wait until it's all over. There'll be an even bigger show then."
Everyone exchanged glances, some excited, others slightly concerned. Fred had obviously not changed a bit. He had let off at least a hundred fireworks after his sister had gotten married, and it took four hours for them all to properly disappear.
"Hello, everyone," a softer, older voice echoed Fred's welcome. Everyone turned to see the magnificent figure of Albus Dumbledore striding towards them through the fireworks. "I hope no one minds; I brought a friend."
Behind him, another shape took form. Severus Snape, looking out of place, was following the ex-headmaster of Hogwarts, carefully avoiding catching anyone's eye.
"Hello, Sev," Lily said kindly, smiling warmly up at him.
"Hello, Lily," Snapes's voice was little more than a whisper. He and Dumbledore settled themselves down on the ground next to Lily, deeming that the safest place for Snape to be, given his history with all the others present.
"I hope we have not missed anything," Dumbledore commented, peering down off the cliff.
"Oh no," Lily assured him. "You're right on time."
Now everyone was watching the scene below. Although it was more than just miles and miles of air that separated them from the bottom of the cliff, they could see and hear everything, as plainly as if they had been watching from the ceiling.
"Harry, I'm scared," The nervous voice of a young woman came to their ears, and Lily gripped James's hand like a vice.
"You'll be fine, Ginny," the young man assured her, leaning over her hospital bed to kiss her forehead. Ginny reached up and grabbed Harry's hand in her own, trying to smile.
"You'll remember this forever, Ginny," Molly Weasley spoke up from the corner, where she was standing with her husband, Arthur.
"I know, Mom," Ginny said, taking a deep breath. She placed a shaking hand on her enormous stomach. "I just wish it was all over."
And in a few minutes, it all was. Ginny let out a moan, and Arthur rushed out of the room to fetch a Healer. The Healer came bustling in, and a minute later, a small, squirming figure was in her hands, wailing.
"It's a boy!" the Healer exclaimed, and Ginny let out a cry of delight, tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry squeezed her hand, smiling broadly. A minute later, and the newborn baby was in Ginny's arms. Harry, Molly, and Arthur all crowded around the hospital bed, looking at the tiny baby.
Fred let off more fireworks, so the nine people watching from above had to strain to hear Ginny's next words.
"He looks like you, Harry," she said, looking up into her husband's face.
"What are you naming him?" the Healer asked, pulling a quill and an official-looking document out of her pocket.
"James," Harry said quietly, his expression softening.
"Sorry?" the Healer had not heard him.
"James Sirius," Ginny said loudly.
"Sirius?" Harry frowned slightly at his wife, confused. "But I thought we agreed that we would name him James Frederick."
Molly Weasley burst into tears beside him, turning so as to bury her face into her husband's shoulder. He put an arm around her shoulders, his expression hard to read.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to have more children," Ginny joked, causing her mother to laugh through her tears.
"Congratulations, mate," Sirius pulled James into a one-armed hug, laughing jovially. "You're officially a grandfather!"
James smiled around at everyone as Lily cried next to him. Turning to look at her, he laughed at her tears and kissed her.
"We're grandparents!" Lily said tearfully, flinging her arms around James's shoulders. In the background, Fred let off more fireworks. Nymphadora had pulled both Remus and Mad-Eye to their feet, and the three were jumping around in some kind of dance, Remus looking exasperated and Mad-Eye shocked at her actions.
When she released James, Lily turned to see Severus extending his hand.
"Congratulations," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.
"Thanks, Sev," she smiled, hurling herself forward and enveloping him in a hug. Shocked, he simply put a hand on her back, unsure what to do. James looked as if her wanted to pull her away, but instead turned his back on the two and began talking with Sirius.
"Why do you reckon they made his middle name Sirius?" Sirius asked James, looking slightly confused. "Like Harry said, I would have expected something different, like Frederick."
"He loved you, Padfoot," James laughed at the look on his best friend's face. "Yes, he did. And I know you loved him too. You were like his father, since… well…" He trailed away, his smile fading slightly.
"Well, may I say that it is an honor to have your grandson's name be mine," Sirius said in a mock-formal voice. James laughed, and turned back around, relieved to see Lily had released Snape and was now talking to Dumbledore.
"So, who wants to bet that Ron will call James a midget?" Fred shouted, to an uproar of laughter…
Two years later, the same nine people were all assembled on the cliff's edge again, looking down on a very similar scene. James and Lily were holding hands, as were Dora and Remus. Snape was between Lily and Dumbledore again, looking uncomfortable. Fred and Sirius were laughing over Fred's new pile of fireworks, while Mad-Eye looked on disapprovingly.
All looked down the cliff at Lily's cry.
"Promise not to change the name this time, okay?" Harry laughed, stroking Ginny's sweaty forehead.
"No worries," Ginny said, half-smiling half-grimacing. She was lying in a hospital bed, one almost identical to the one she had lain in two years previous. Harry stood by her side, looking nervous and excited. Molly and Arthur Weasley were both present as well, their arms entwined.
"James is hoping for a little sister," Harry reminded his three family members. "He asked me if I could get him one at the baby store."
"You never know," Ginny was breathing deeply now. "But I have a feeling it's another boy."
"You know, a mother's instinct is almost never wrong," Moll Weasley piped up, smiling at her husband. "I remember every time Arthur would tell me that we'd get a daughter, but I always knew that I'd have another son. Except you, of course," Molly squeezed her daughter's arm.
"Who watched all of us when you were in the hospital, Mum?" Ginny asked.
"Sometimes your Auntie Muriel," Molly shrugged. "But I remember having Xeno Lovegood and his wife watch Bill and Charlie."
"Ron and Hermione'll take good care of James," Arthur reassured Ginny. "Well," he added with a laugh, "Hermione will anyway."
"It won't be long until she's here," Ginny smiled. "What is she now, seven months?"
But before Ginny's question was answered, she let out a gasp of pain. Harry grabbed her hand, squeezing it for support. Arthur gave a shout, and the same Healer who had been there two years ago came bustling through the door. Within seconds, a new wailing baby was in the Healer's hands.
"A boy!" the Healer exclaimed, passing the baby along to Ginny, who took him into her arms.
"He's beautiful," Molly exclaimed, bending over the bed to get a better look at her grandson. The new baby, who had seconds before been crying loudly, fell silent, blinking around at all of them. It was then that all four of them were able to see his face properly.
"Blimey," Arthur breathed, looking directly into the baby's tiny eyes.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, looking up into her husband's face, which, she was surprised to see, was streaked with tears.
"He has her eyes," he choked out, as Ginny wordlessly passed the tiny boy into his father's arms. The baby looked up into Harry's face, his eyes not moving from Harry's.
"It's like looking into two tiny mirrors," Harry thought, rocking the baby gently.
"Could I ask for the baby's name?" the Healer asked tentatively, obviously reluctant to interrupt.
"Albus Severus," Harry said, his eyes not leaving his son's face for a second.
"What?" Severus Snape has straightened up, his face white. All eight of his companions were also looking at him, confused. Fred Weasley was holding onto his wand in one hand, a firecracker in the other, having been about to set it off.
"Albus Severus?" the Healer repeated, though it was more a question than a statement. Everyone's attention turned back to the family below.
"Yes," Ginny assured the Healer.
Shaking her head slightly, the Healer scribbled this down on a clipboard that had appeared out of thin air. When she had finished, she stepped forward, and asked, "Excuse me, but may I ask you something?" Her voice was quiet and she looked as if she expected all four of the adults to attack her.
"Of course," Ginny said immediately, making the Healer look slightly relieved.
"Well, you may not remember me, but," the Healer began, but Harry interrupted.
"You were the one who helped when Ginny gave birth to James." He had passed Albus back to Ginny. Albus's eyes were closed, and he closed a tiny fist on his mother's hospital robe.
"Yes," the Healer nodded, then continued. "Well, I remembered that you named your first son James Sirius. This name was explainable enough," she nodded respectfully at Harry, "but what I was really wondering about was the name of this son." She gestured to the baby in Ginny's arms.
"That's a good question," Harry murmured, catching Ginny's eye and winking.
"That's a very good question!" Snape yelled from above. The eight others made shushing sounds at him, so they could hear the answer.
"Well, Albus should be explainable enough," Harry began, looking at the Healer expectantly.
"Yes, of course," she agreed at once. "The greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever known. But," she looked nervous, but continued, "please correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe your son has been named after Albus Dumbledore's successor, Severus Snape."
"You are correct," Ginny smiled at the Healer's bemused expression.
"I was under the impression that he was a…" the Healer took a deep breath before whispering, "Death Eater."
At this, Albus began crying again. Ginny began gently rocking him in her arms, making soothing shushing noises.
"He was most definitely not a Death Eater," Harry said firmly. "He was a spy for our side posing as one of Voldemort's," the Healer gave a small squeak, "supporters, or, Death Eaters. His loyalty to our cause kept many wizards, witches, and muggles safe, especially the students under his care as headmaster. He was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
Severus Snape was, again, looking around at the eight people around him, lost for words. Not a single one of them seemed to know what to say, but then, surprising everyone, Sirius walked over to Snape and extended his right hand.
"If Harry can call you the bravest man he knew, who am I to hold a grudge?"
Snape looked taken aback, but he extended his own hand and grasped Sirius's firmly. The handshake lasted little more than a few seconds, but in those few seconds, two men reached an unspoken forgiveness. When the men's hands fell back to their sides, James was there next to Snape, extending his hand as well.
"What can I say, mate?" James was smiling. "My grandson's named after you." Snape looked nervous, expecting James to start raving that this new grandson should have been named after someone else, like Remus or Fred, but James shocked everyone by pulling Snape into a very brief, one-armed hug.
Then Fred, obviously thinking that he had postponed his celebration enough, let off all his fireworks with a deafening bang.
PS. Every time you see a plane in the night sky and its lights look like headlights, think of Fred, driving that Ford Anglia up to the big house in the sky. Or maybe it's Sirius on his motorbike. You choose.