A « tip-tip » was heard at the window. He got up from his chair and walked the short distance to it, only to see a beautiful white owl fluttering impatiently outside it.
This could only mean one thing. He excitedly opened the window and let the owl in. The bird zoomed in and flew all across the room before settling up on the table and waiting for the wizard to rip the letter off from his leg. The man opened the envelope at once.
Dear Padfoot,
I have the honour to –proudly- announce -with solemnly- that since yesterday –the 31th of July- you are officially a godfather. Our son Harry was born in the afternoon at Saint Pancras, a Muggle clinic (Lily chose it because she was born there too, but I can tell I'd have much rather she delivered our Harry safely at home). Lily and Harry are both alright.
I've known you for such a long time, my dear Sirius, but I can say that I really didn't expect you to be there when my son is born.
I mean, with all the stupid stuff we've done, who could have said 10 years ago that one of us would be in love enough to be a father, and the other would remain cool enough to be a super godfather?
Anyway, Lily and Harry are going home tomorrow – I forced things a little at the Muggle clinic, nothing better than a good stay at home for a little baby wizard – so you are impatiently expected anytime you want.
I'm so glad you are my son's godfather!
Your friends, Prongs
Upon reading the hastily written parchment, a wonderful sensation of joy and harmony invaded Sirius. He hadn't seriously been that happy since the day he came to live with the Potters when he left his parents for good. For a moment, he just contemplated dreamily the few words scribbled down by his best friend.
He smiled at the words "who could have said 10 years from now that one of us would be in love enough to be a father". He could have said that. He could have told from their first day at Hogwarts that James Potter had fallen desperately and irreversibly in love with Lily Evans. He could have told that every time Lily was around, his dear Prongs changed into his much mature, serious counterpart, James. Except at some unconsidered moments of his life (like that time when he was very mean to Snivellus Snape), James had been extremely careful to be a normal and pleasant man when he saw Lily.
In the end, it didn't count, because Lily had finally given in to her continuous refusal of James' approaches after a particularly foolish attempt from him to get Snape expelled. But then again, Snape had called Lily a Mudblood, and James had been ready to fight him and get himself expelled to defend Lily.
Lily had spent the last few years trying to find Snape excuses for his mean behaviour towards Muggle-born, and it was James who made her realize that Snape's feelings, instead of being just a result of the influence of the stupid friends of the Slytherin, were a sum of every element in Snape's life: his education in a family of Pure-Bloods, the way his father treated him, the way he was treated by his friends since childhood because of his particularly ugly appearance…
Lily was too nice, Sirius thought. But she finally opened her eyes and saw the brightness of James, that's what counts! And today they are the parents of a little baby!
Sirius decided to get the owl to go home to James, and after managing to make the owl fly away by throwing some owl treats in the air outside the window; he put on his travelling cloak and got out of his apartment.
He jumped on the motorbike parked in front of the building and pressed the invisibility button after making sure that no one was around.
He kicked the motorbike start and it rose in the air at once, making Sirius laugh delightfully. Flying had always been a refreshing sensation for him.
He set off towards his destination almost mechanically. He was so used to this route that he really didn't take notice of anything anymore. But he was never indifferent to the amazing view from London that he got to see once he was high enough in the air. The sky was getting darker and all the lights were already burning bright in a 20 square kilometre-area. It was like being in a gold mine.
However, the wonderful lights were soon replaced by large patches of dark green, sometimes enlightened by the white dots of sheep grazing some 500 meters under Sirius.
He soon felt the refreshing air of sea coming from both North and South –right and left of him. Some patches of light were dispatched here and there, and there was no way of knowing what they were: towns, villages, of mere hamlets. But Sirius all the same soon began to get down towards a spot of light on the top of a hill. There were maybe 30 houses in the village, with a small church and the darkest patch of his graveyard besides.
Sirius landed in front of a beautiful two-storied cottage, with balloons attached to the fence in front of it.
He smiled at the sight of the blue bubbles dancing in the wind. Must be Lily's idea, he thought to himself.
He parked the motorbike just next to the white gate and jumped over it, landing in an unkempt grass, with gardening tools lying all over. James didn't have much time to do the garden these days.
He walked up the alley and knocked on the door, which opened seconds later on a corridor as unkempt as the garden outside.
A powerfully built, handsome young man with dark, messy hair was standing on the threshold. He seemed to take some time to realize who was standing there.
"Sirius! I was just wondering why you sent the owl without an answer! I was starting to worry!"
"What the hell, my friend! You just had a baby and you're worrying about you old friend? Relax, mate!"
"There's a war going on here, Sir'", James recalled gravely.
"Yep, I know, but I call an armistice tonight! To Harry!" Sirius responded with his usual casualness.
"Yeah, to my son…" James' eyes sparkled with the awe Sirius only saw when Lily was around. "Come in, let's celebrate this!"
The two men shut the door together with a kick of their foot.