A/N: This was written for the Build a Zoo challenge. For the dad elephant, I needed to write about James Potter.

The house was the most peaceful it had been since Lily had felt her first contraction, and James could breathe easily for the first time in hours.

In some ways, it was incredible that it was the evening when Lily had gone into labor in the morning. Time felt both like it had dragged on and like it had flown by as Lily passed through each stage of labor, from the first contraction to the afterbirth.

It had been a lot.

James couldn't wrap his head around it. He smiled down at a sleeping Lily, brushing her hair away from her forehead. She looked as exhausted as he expected someone to be after delivering another human being into the world. Over the previous months, he'd thought he'd prepared himself for seeing her do it, but in the moment, he hadn't been able to believe it was happening. He wasn't sure he could have done it himself.

There had been numerous times when James had been impressed with his wife, but that day was probably at the top of the list.

Turning to his other side, James looked into the wooden bassinet they'd kept next to their bed for the past two weeks, waiting for it to be of use. Inside, Harry slept, looking very different from the screaming infant who had entered the world.

Even when he'd been screaming, James had loved him of course, but it was nice seeing him peaceful, his tiny chest rising and falling with each breath. It was easier to observe him closely when he was like this, and James was discovering that he loved discovering new characteristics he had missed before.

For each new feature he discovered, James could trace it back to him or Lily. Sometimes, he was certain his attribution was correct; other times, perhaps he was only seeing things. He was sure Harry's nose, as small as it was, was reminiscent of his father's, and the realization made his chest ache.

It had been hard to accept that his parents would never get to meet their grandson. From the time he'd fully realized what it meant to have parents who were advanced in age when he'd been born, he'd known there was a likelihood they wouldn't be around for this part of his life, but it hadn't made it easier when they'd passed.

Knowing Lily's parents weren't there either made it harder. The thought of it made James frown down at Harry for the first time.

He wanted to do everything in his power to make his son's life wonderful, and he wished he had the power to give him back all four of his grandparents. Then again, James reminded himself, he'd never known any of his grandparents either, and though he did sometimes wish he'd met them, he didn't harbor resentment towards the universe for taking them away.

He hoped Harry would grow up with a similar feeling, not missing them too terribly much. At least he would have his parents and his adopted aunts and uncles. (James didn't think he'd miss Petunia, especially not once he was old enough to understand why they kept him away from her.)

Reaching into the bassinet, James stroked Harry's head softly, holding his breath until he was certain the action wasn't going to wake the newborn. With a content sigh, he continued to watch his son, resolved to do everything in his power to make his life the happiest it could be no matter what came next.