Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.
AN: Ooh, I've had the stupid "Smile, You've got French's" theme stuck in my head all week, and I haven't seen the commercial (or the TV, for that matter) since, what, March?!!! *screams and pulls out chunk of hair* Anyways, I know that it is common knowledge that either Harry's middle name is James or rumored to be, but I don't care. In my story, his middle name is NOT James. You'll survive.
Also, I'm really sorry, guys, but just don't think I could handle trying to write the full time of the pregnancy, so I just summarized it. And the birth stage is NOT something I know about, so the process is fairly brief. I have tried to make this longer. Oh, I must sound so pitiful. I say that every time, don't I? Ah, vell. Read on.
Shadow Child
Chapter Six: Thy Fearful Symmetry
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, London, England Thursday, July 31, 1980, 9:00 P.M.
"Nursing time," the brunette woman called from the doorway where she stood, wheeling the baby cart into the room.
Lily looked up and smiled warming at the lady. She held out her arms.
"Here you go, dearie."
Lily's newborn son lay in her arms, head resting in the crook of her elbow. His tiny hands flailed above him as he reached for nothing in particular.
"We'll need his name now," the older woman prompted.
"Yes, of course." Lily turned to James. He nodded his approval. "Harry Braeden Potter," she announced. They had decided on this, her and James. One name from each side of the family- it seemed fair enough. Harry was from his side. It was a shortened form of Harold, but both of them agreed- Harold was not a good name for their child.
Braeden was a name from Lily's Irish side. It actually meant "from the Dark Valley," and in the light of all that had happened, the name seemed a perfect fit.
"What else is on there?" Lily inquired about the birth certificate.
"Oh, just the usual. You know, weight, height, sex, birthplace, parents, those kinds of things." She began to elaborate, informing Lily. "It is your first child, I presume."
Lily confirmed it with a shake of her head.
"The child weighs seven pounds, three ounces and is nineteen and one-fourth inches tall. I will need the parents' names. I already have yours Mrs. Potter. Would Lillian Christine Evans be correct, in the maiden form?"
"Um, yes ma'am." Lily smiled with pride.
James then asked, "Do you want the biological father or the one who plans on raising the child?" It was asked shallowly, as if something was stuck in his throat, yet with a touch of ice.
"The biological one, sir."
James looked like he was sitting on nails yet trying not to show it.
The nurse looked at James with pity in her eyes. "Sorry, sir," she apologized, as if it were her fault.
"It's nothing," James said so coldly, that Lily shivered involuntarily, and shifted little Harry closer to her body, where he sucked away happily.
Lily knew it was her turn to speak, as James obviously was unable to do so. "The name would be Tom Marvolo Riddle. And is there any space at all that you could put my husband's name?" she added.
James looked up at her gratefully, but the small smile was wiped off his face when the woman told them that, no, there was no extra place on normal birth certificates for two fathers' names. It seemed that she no longer felt as warmly to the new family now that she knew there were three parents for the child.
The woman seemed to glare at Lily, as if asking why she would have an affair and then convince her husband to take her back, for that was certainly what the woman must have thought.
Lily watched the woman leave and then turned to James. He picked up her hand and kissed it.
"I love you, Lily," he told her.
And thinking back to the past months, Lily said more warmly than ever before, "I love you, too."
* * * * *
London, England; December of 1979 to August of 1980
The previous months had been chaotic. After Lily had found out she was pregnant, the first thing James had done was support her, even when they found out the baby was not his. Having seen the child though, Lily didn't understand how Harry wasn't her beloved husband's. They both had black hair and, well, that was all that was alike.
So maybe it was Riddle's child. Both Lily, Tom Riddle, and Harry had bright green eyes. Riddle had black hair also, just like Harry's. But James would be the one to raise Harry, the one Harry would call "Daddy," the one Harry would love and adore. Not Riddle. Never Riddle.
The first three months of her pregnancy, Lily had been through morning sickness, colds, headaches, dizziness, and bleeding gums, to list a few. The tiredness had been overwhelming.
The second three months were fairly easy. Lily had had regular check-ups with her midwife and the muggle Ultra-Sound had let Lily know how the child was doing.
Through all this, James had been quiet, tending to Lily with utmost devotion. When the young couple had found out that the baby would be a boy, James panicked for some reason and went out of the house to talk to Dumbledore.
It turned out that he was extremely worried about what Voldemort had in store for his unborn son, especially since boys had more power in the Dark Side. Without Lily, they had planned safety procedures and such that would protect the family for the Dark Lord.
Lily had been upset at first, but slowly she adjusted to her feelings being more sensitive, something that went along with the pregnancy.
The Marauders had been lots of help during those nine months. The support they had showed was incredible, too. Sirius was going to be Harry's godfather, and he being Sirius, he was always bringing it up. If Sirius ever married, his wife would become Harry's godmother. That was only planned, though, because they knew that Sirius would never marry. It just wasn't him.
Harry's due date was July 23. Lily had been having trouble with insomnia and breathing in the last few months. Everything seemed stressful, even though she was on maternity leave from her job.
She and James had created the birth plan and had packed the labor bag by the twelfth, for their son could be early. Everything had been in set up by the fifteenth.
Around the twentieth, Lily had a sudden urge to clean around the house and was starting to experience pre-labor contractions.
By the twenty-seventh, Lily had begun to feel worried. A trip to her midwife, though, assured her that, yes, the baby was late, but there was nothing she could do about it.
On the twenty-ninth, Lily felt suddenly alive like she hadn't in weeks. They Marauders and her had spent the evening partying- without alcohol.
Around six of the clock in the P.M. on July 30, Lily had started the first step in labor. James had rushed her to the delivery room, where Lily spent over fourteen hours in labor, before finally being presented her newborn son.
He had just been clean by the skillful nurses in the area and was a perfect peach color. It was her son, James' son. But then she thought for the first time what James was thinking and how he was coping with the birth of "their" son. They had talked that night, until the nurses insisted Lily slept, for she would only be allowed to sleep for two hours at a time, so she might as well take advantage of her allotted time.
The Marauders had come and Harry had been passed around with the nurses eyeing the young men warily, especially young Sirius, with his long black ponytail and tough-guy-cycler clothes. Remus' somewhat ragged clothes didn't go too well in the hospital either, and little Peter's watery eyes seemed to linger on Harry longer than the others. Peter watched Harry closely, as if the boy might escape, and Lily felt extremely maternal with him around. She even requested that James make the guys leave.
The nurses' relief was enormous as a sigh was heard throughout the room as the guys left. It was the thirty-first of July, eleven A.M., a little under three hours after the birth of Lily's first son.
Now it was the second day of her stay at the hospital. She had forgotten her toothbrush, but it hadn't really mattered.
When Lily had first held her son in her arms, she had felt no connection what so ever to the small being that she had helped create. Slowly, her mind had begun to connect the crying and hungry babe in her arms to the perfect child image she had created in her mind.
Lots of cards had been sent; lots of flowers had been received. Yet it was the end of the third day, and that had meant packing up.
The room was bare once again and Lily slowly trudged out the door of the hospital with Harry in her arms. James walked in front of her, happier than she had seen him in days, as he carried her luggage out to the car.
The baby's room had walls which were a pale baby blue with a trim of sailboats around the ceiling border. A fairly large crib with an adorable pastel green plush elephant and light yellow blanket rested in the corner. James came up the steps.
"Is it perfect?" he asked.
Lily strolled over the where the crib lay and set Harry into it, nestling the elephant in his arms. Then she turned to her husband and whispered, "Perfect," before kissing him smoothing on the lips.
* * * * *
London, England, 4439 Kirkland Drive; Saturday, September 27, 1980, 4:15 P.M.
Stephanie Granger smoothed down her daughter's newly grown hair. It was September 27, and a baby girl had recently taken her place among the Granger family. For on September 19, Hermione Warren Granger had been born.
Mrs. Granger was actually not married to Mr. Granger yet. She was in the final process of a divorce and was carrying her previous husband's baby, yet living with her soon-to-be husband. Because of this, the baby was given Emory Granger's last name, although Stephanie's first husband was allowed to give their daughter her first name. It was something the three adults had agreed to.
The day had been going on forever. With a constantly hungry baby, Mrs. Granger could not find a moment's peace. Mr. Granger had aggravated her when he said, "I know how you feel," for she knew that there was no way he could understand how she was feeling.
That was why she had found a baby group so comforting. It was basically a place where young mothers meet and talked about their pregnancy or how life was at home now. It felt good to have someone to talk to who understood exactly what you were going through.
Most of the mothers listened and nursed their child while the more active mothers blabbed on and on about this and that. Stephanie was one of the quieter ones.
The babies there varied from one week of age to one year of age, although the majority were somewhere in the middle. In this circle that she had joined, there was a more middle-aged looking mother with deep depressions under her eyes, an extremely young mother with flaming red hair, and a kind- looking mother of a set of twins who were the saddest looking children Stephanie had ever seen, and that was just a few of the group members.
Stephanie listened to the talk:
"My husband just doesn't understand what it's like to have an infant clinging to you every second of the day. But he's at work all day. He knows nothing about my child." This woman had mirrored Stephanie's thoughts in the first sentence, but apparently had not so good a communication with her husband.
"Is it normal for my little Asia to be wanting milk every hour? Is that normal in baby girls?" another asked.
One wondered aloud, "How should I prepare Laqueta for when I go back in to the office?"
And someone replied, "Every other night you should prepare a bottle of breast milk for when the child minder is there. That's what I did for my Ethan."
Everyone had a tip they wanted to share, a story they wanted to tell, or a question they wanted to ask. And for every question, you would receive at least five replies.
It was here that Stephanie felt at home. It was here that she released her feelings. And it was here that she met Lily Potter.
* * * * *
The Dark Forces Headquarters; Monday, August 4, 1980, 7:00 P.M.
"A child has been born," Sybil Trelawney predicted, knowing that it was true. Even if it was not what the Dark Lord wanted, it was a prediction, and with how many babies were born per minute, she had to be correct.
"Where."
"In England."
"Where," her Master repeated. He knew that she did not know. He knew.
Trelawney quivered. She did not know. How was she supposed to predict the future? It was hopeless. Just like all the other things the Death Eaters had made her try. She was a waste of time. But she had to reply something to show her Master that she knew she had failed yet another test, even after being trained by the best Divination teachers in the world.
"I don't know, sir, I mean, Master," but it was too late. The blow hit her in the face, and she blanked out for a minute.
But in that minute she saw something, and subconsciously she said, "The child of destruction has been born unto this world. His presence has graced the good and the bad. He is heir to the greatest of all Dark Lords."
Voldemort stared at her with new interest in his eyes. He had never seen someone made a prediction in such a rigid form. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. They were back to normal again.
"I'm truly sorry, sir, uh, Master," she corrected.
But Voldemort did not hit her. "Trelawney," he said instead, "You are my new assistant Divination professor."
She looked at him with disbelief. "Me- how- what did I- huh?" she concluded.
Her Master was now confused. How did she predict it if she did not know she had? "You don't remember?"
Truthfully, Trelawney shook her head no.
"Well," Voldemort started anyways, "You don't need to remember. As long as I know it." He smiled smugly.
"Master," she questioned, "what did I say?"
"Oh, nothing of importance," He replied with an air of I-know-something-you- don't-know. And with that, Voldemort left the room thinking about his newly born heir, as Trelawney muttered to herself about lunatics.
Voldemort and Wormtail had planning to do.
* * * * *
London, England; July 31, 1980 to October 24, 1981
The next year flew by fast. The first week had been awful. Little Harry woke up so much during the night that Lily ate her heart out with worry. It soon turned into postnatal depression, where Lily felt guilty for bring this baby into the world because she felt she would not be a very good mother. She also felt anxious, irritable, and confused.
But soon everything fell into pattern [AN: please excuse all the "woulds"]:
5-6 A.M.: Harry would wake and Lily would take him into bed with her and James to give him a feed. Then they all would go back to sleep.
6-7 A.M.: Harry would wake again and be very lively and active.
7.30 A.M.: Lily would get up and dressed while Harry played, lying on a mat under his 'baby gym'.
8 A.M.: Harry would be given another feed - he generally was fed every two or three hours during the day, then Lily would put him in his bouncy chair while she would get on with other things.
9-10 A.M.: Harry would have a nap.
11 A.M.: Harry and Lily then went out. Lily felt she would go crazy if they didn't get out every day, so they always went to the "Young Mother's Club," for a walk, to go shopping, or to call on friends.
12.30-1 P.M.: Lily would have some lunch and Harry would have a feed.
2 P.M.: Although Harry slept for a while during the afternoon, most of the time he was awake and wanted attention. Lily sometimes put him into a baby sling and walked around with him, talking to him or singing while she attends to domestic chores.
6-7 P.M.: Lily, or James if he's home, would give Harry his bath. He enjoyed it now, so he had a bath every day.
8-9 P.M.: Recently, Harry had started to go to sleep earlier in the evening - usually about 8 P.M. On average he only would wake twice for a feed (around midnight and three o' clock) during the night.
Soon that plan changed a little. Lily was back at work from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Lily was nervous. How was she supposed to trust her child minder with her precious son?
The first day back at work was nerve-racking with Harry on the back of her mind. The other workers were all disappointed that she hadn't brought the child, but were thrilled when the child minder stopped by with him at lunchtime like Lily had requested.
At two months, Harry was learning games like "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake." He would also try to grasp at the carpet, attempting to pick up one of the patterns.
Around three months he would coo and try out vowels on his tongue.
At five months he was saying things like "gegegegege" and "mamamamama." He could also laugh and show dislike by then, and Lily and James wondered if his paternal parentage had anything to do with his extremely quick learning ability.
By seven months, Harry was calling his parents "mama" and "baba," for he couldn't pronounce the "D." He also could understand his name and words like "no," which when he heard that, he would continue what he was doing all the more vigorously, pressing Lily's buttons how only he could.
By ten months he understood commands and his vocabulary had begun to increase. He thoroughly enjoyed the books and nursery rhymes full of moving pictures that his parents read to him.
Also at about ten months, Harry began to crawl, and was moving about quite quickly. He began to gesture for what he wanted, and usually got it.
By one year Harry was saying words and trying out sentences. Once he learned to walk, the child minder's payment was raised quite a bit.
Throughout this time, the Potters had been living at Hogwarts, the only safe place anyone could think of where not even Voldemort could touch Harry. The Marauders visited more often, especially Remus since he did not have a job to go to.
Sirius tried to spend time with Harry, being his godfather and all. Harry loved to be around this strange man whose hair was as fun to play with as Mommy's was.
Time flew. Harry's first birthday came and went. Lily was sorry that Petunia still had not contacted her. She knew nothing of what was going on in her sister's life and Petunia still had not replied to Lily's message about Petunia's new nephew.
It was almost All Hallows Eve. Last year the family had been over cautious and refused to take Harry out. This year, however, Voldemort had still not come, so they had decided to take Harry out this time. But it wouldn't happen. One of Dumbledore's spies had tipped him off on the fact that Voldemort was going to attack the family on All Hallows Eve while they were outside of the castle's protection. So it was then that they all began to plan how best to protect themselves, and came up with the Fidelis Charm.
* * * * *
The Dark Forces Headquarters; Thursday, October 22, 1981, 7:00 P.M.
"I WANT THAT CHILD! WHY DO I NOT HAVE HIM? WORMTAIL! ANSWER ME!"
Wormtail quavered under Voldemort's deathly stare. "I don't know, Master."
"OH YES YOU DO! YOU'RE A COWARD, A FOOL, A LIAR! YOU CAN'T STAND TO SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND'S SON GIVEN OVER TO YOUR ALL-POWERFUL MASTER! WHAT A FOOL YOU ARE, WORMTAIL! I WANT THAT CHILD; I WILL GET THAT CHILD! YOU JUST WATCH. I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYMORE!" And so Voldemort cursed Wormtail out of his office, the petite man stumbling out the door.
Yes! I'm happy with that! It's longer and, and, and, I like it! Review, please. And read ALL author's notes
AN: In everyone's review, I would very much appreciate it if you all would please include which summary you think would attract and interest people more. The summary also has to fit the storyline, but I will work on that part. If anyone has a summary of their own they would like to submit, they may feel free to do so. I would appreciate it though, if those people would also vote for one I have put up. I will consider all, but as most of you do not know my entire plot, some suggestions may not fit correctly.
Also, please tell me if you have on opinion on which day of the week is best to post on, for the most success with readers and reviews alike. I will try to learn from this. The summaries are below and for those who find this story by the summary, it will change either this time or next. I'm experimenting with them at the moment, but I would still like everyone to vote.
1. (Original Summary) There is a secret about Harry Potter that has been kept well hidden for many years. Only five people know it, two of whom are dead. This secret concerns Harry's parents. Are his parents really who he thinks they are?
2. A child has been born into shadow. Parents taken by the Dark Side, but in different ways, this adolescent has the power to change the fate of the world, for better, or for worse.
3. Secrets can be kept secret. Mysterious happenings can be kept mysterious- but not forever. Nothing can stay unchanged. No one can remain untouched. Not the secrets, nor the people they concern.
4. The shadow of the Dark Lord drew close many years ago. It draws close again. Its target is innocent, pure, carefree, and most of all, unaware- but not for long.
5. Many long years ago, something happened, that only a select few knew of. Of those remaining three, all will act. They will finish what was started those long years ago. And they will start the finish with the fourth person- the person who does not know; the person who does not understand; the person who cannot accept. For accepting, would mean the end of everything, forever.
More author's notes: The first person to tell me what the irony of the day I set Harry's due date to is wins twenty points to their house, so duh, you have to tell me your house. If you don't know, then go take the sorting test at http://www.harrypotter.com. Or be original. Make one up. :)
Everyone HAS to go look up the name Braeden at http://www.babynames.com. It fits the story perfectly! I love that name (now)! =)
Extra Disclaimer: The baby pattern of a normal days comes almost directly from http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/article.asp?article=73. It is not mine. It belongs to that company. All the baby information on this page is from that site.
Thank yous:
Nagini: hmmm, I've never tasted monkeys.
angelhitomi: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Catalina: I hate those pop-ups, too. Thanks for the compliment!
Shades: Oh, I'm so sorry! I hope ff kicked the other person off.
Lissa.F: You really think it has mystery?! Wow!
Gia: Yes, I am going to show Harry in it. About two more chappies after this one and then the fifth year starts. Also, I am trying to keep this as close to the book as possible, so it depends on how the story flows on whether it will be an AU or not. I hope you other questions have been answered.
_______: Oops, sorry for the delay. The chapters will only come out once every one or two weeks.
Death Eater: *blushes* Oh, really? Thanks!
Googooliebokee: Did I spell that right? Thank you for the correction (and the compliments).
Now, review, peoples!
AN: Ooh, I've had the stupid "Smile, You've got French's" theme stuck in my head all week, and I haven't seen the commercial (or the TV, for that matter) since, what, March?!!! *screams and pulls out chunk of hair* Anyways, I know that it is common knowledge that either Harry's middle name is James or rumored to be, but I don't care. In my story, his middle name is NOT James. You'll survive.
Also, I'm really sorry, guys, but just don't think I could handle trying to write the full time of the pregnancy, so I just summarized it. And the birth stage is NOT something I know about, so the process is fairly brief. I have tried to make this longer. Oh, I must sound so pitiful. I say that every time, don't I? Ah, vell. Read on.
Shadow Child
Chapter Six: Thy Fearful Symmetry
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, London, England Thursday, July 31, 1980, 9:00 P.M.
"Nursing time," the brunette woman called from the doorway where she stood, wheeling the baby cart into the room.
Lily looked up and smiled warming at the lady. She held out her arms.
"Here you go, dearie."
Lily's newborn son lay in her arms, head resting in the crook of her elbow. His tiny hands flailed above him as he reached for nothing in particular.
"We'll need his name now," the older woman prompted.
"Yes, of course." Lily turned to James. He nodded his approval. "Harry Braeden Potter," she announced. They had decided on this, her and James. One name from each side of the family- it seemed fair enough. Harry was from his side. It was a shortened form of Harold, but both of them agreed- Harold was not a good name for their child.
Braeden was a name from Lily's Irish side. It actually meant "from the Dark Valley," and in the light of all that had happened, the name seemed a perfect fit.
"What else is on there?" Lily inquired about the birth certificate.
"Oh, just the usual. You know, weight, height, sex, birthplace, parents, those kinds of things." She began to elaborate, informing Lily. "It is your first child, I presume."
Lily confirmed it with a shake of her head.
"The child weighs seven pounds, three ounces and is nineteen and one-fourth inches tall. I will need the parents' names. I already have yours Mrs. Potter. Would Lillian Christine Evans be correct, in the maiden form?"
"Um, yes ma'am." Lily smiled with pride.
James then asked, "Do you want the biological father or the one who plans on raising the child?" It was asked shallowly, as if something was stuck in his throat, yet with a touch of ice.
"The biological one, sir."
James looked like he was sitting on nails yet trying not to show it.
The nurse looked at James with pity in her eyes. "Sorry, sir," she apologized, as if it were her fault.
"It's nothing," James said so coldly, that Lily shivered involuntarily, and shifted little Harry closer to her body, where he sucked away happily.
Lily knew it was her turn to speak, as James obviously was unable to do so. "The name would be Tom Marvolo Riddle. And is there any space at all that you could put my husband's name?" she added.
James looked up at her gratefully, but the small smile was wiped off his face when the woman told them that, no, there was no extra place on normal birth certificates for two fathers' names. It seemed that she no longer felt as warmly to the new family now that she knew there were three parents for the child.
The woman seemed to glare at Lily, as if asking why she would have an affair and then convince her husband to take her back, for that was certainly what the woman must have thought.
Lily watched the woman leave and then turned to James. He picked up her hand and kissed it.
"I love you, Lily," he told her.
And thinking back to the past months, Lily said more warmly than ever before, "I love you, too."
* * * * *
London, England; December of 1979 to August of 1980
The previous months had been chaotic. After Lily had found out she was pregnant, the first thing James had done was support her, even when they found out the baby was not his. Having seen the child though, Lily didn't understand how Harry wasn't her beloved husband's. They both had black hair and, well, that was all that was alike.
So maybe it was Riddle's child. Both Lily, Tom Riddle, and Harry had bright green eyes. Riddle had black hair also, just like Harry's. But James would be the one to raise Harry, the one Harry would call "Daddy," the one Harry would love and adore. Not Riddle. Never Riddle.
The first three months of her pregnancy, Lily had been through morning sickness, colds, headaches, dizziness, and bleeding gums, to list a few. The tiredness had been overwhelming.
The second three months were fairly easy. Lily had had regular check-ups with her midwife and the muggle Ultra-Sound had let Lily know how the child was doing.
Through all this, James had been quiet, tending to Lily with utmost devotion. When the young couple had found out that the baby would be a boy, James panicked for some reason and went out of the house to talk to Dumbledore.
It turned out that he was extremely worried about what Voldemort had in store for his unborn son, especially since boys had more power in the Dark Side. Without Lily, they had planned safety procedures and such that would protect the family for the Dark Lord.
Lily had been upset at first, but slowly she adjusted to her feelings being more sensitive, something that went along with the pregnancy.
The Marauders had been lots of help during those nine months. The support they had showed was incredible, too. Sirius was going to be Harry's godfather, and he being Sirius, he was always bringing it up. If Sirius ever married, his wife would become Harry's godmother. That was only planned, though, because they knew that Sirius would never marry. It just wasn't him.
Harry's due date was July 23. Lily had been having trouble with insomnia and breathing in the last few months. Everything seemed stressful, even though she was on maternity leave from her job.
She and James had created the birth plan and had packed the labor bag by the twelfth, for their son could be early. Everything had been in set up by the fifteenth.
Around the twentieth, Lily had a sudden urge to clean around the house and was starting to experience pre-labor contractions.
By the twenty-seventh, Lily had begun to feel worried. A trip to her midwife, though, assured her that, yes, the baby was late, but there was nothing she could do about it.
On the twenty-ninth, Lily felt suddenly alive like she hadn't in weeks. They Marauders and her had spent the evening partying- without alcohol.
Around six of the clock in the P.M. on July 30, Lily had started the first step in labor. James had rushed her to the delivery room, where Lily spent over fourteen hours in labor, before finally being presented her newborn son.
He had just been clean by the skillful nurses in the area and was a perfect peach color. It was her son, James' son. But then she thought for the first time what James was thinking and how he was coping with the birth of "their" son. They had talked that night, until the nurses insisted Lily slept, for she would only be allowed to sleep for two hours at a time, so she might as well take advantage of her allotted time.
The Marauders had come and Harry had been passed around with the nurses eyeing the young men warily, especially young Sirius, with his long black ponytail and tough-guy-cycler clothes. Remus' somewhat ragged clothes didn't go too well in the hospital either, and little Peter's watery eyes seemed to linger on Harry longer than the others. Peter watched Harry closely, as if the boy might escape, and Lily felt extremely maternal with him around. She even requested that James make the guys leave.
The nurses' relief was enormous as a sigh was heard throughout the room as the guys left. It was the thirty-first of July, eleven A.M., a little under three hours after the birth of Lily's first son.
Now it was the second day of her stay at the hospital. She had forgotten her toothbrush, but it hadn't really mattered.
When Lily had first held her son in her arms, she had felt no connection what so ever to the small being that she had helped create. Slowly, her mind had begun to connect the crying and hungry babe in her arms to the perfect child image she had created in her mind.
Lots of cards had been sent; lots of flowers had been received. Yet it was the end of the third day, and that had meant packing up.
The room was bare once again and Lily slowly trudged out the door of the hospital with Harry in her arms. James walked in front of her, happier than she had seen him in days, as he carried her luggage out to the car.
The baby's room had walls which were a pale baby blue with a trim of sailboats around the ceiling border. A fairly large crib with an adorable pastel green plush elephant and light yellow blanket rested in the corner. James came up the steps.
"Is it perfect?" he asked.
Lily strolled over the where the crib lay and set Harry into it, nestling the elephant in his arms. Then she turned to her husband and whispered, "Perfect," before kissing him smoothing on the lips.
* * * * *
London, England, 4439 Kirkland Drive; Saturday, September 27, 1980, 4:15 P.M.
Stephanie Granger smoothed down her daughter's newly grown hair. It was September 27, and a baby girl had recently taken her place among the Granger family. For on September 19, Hermione Warren Granger had been born.
Mrs. Granger was actually not married to Mr. Granger yet. She was in the final process of a divorce and was carrying her previous husband's baby, yet living with her soon-to-be husband. Because of this, the baby was given Emory Granger's last name, although Stephanie's first husband was allowed to give their daughter her first name. It was something the three adults had agreed to.
The day had been going on forever. With a constantly hungry baby, Mrs. Granger could not find a moment's peace. Mr. Granger had aggravated her when he said, "I know how you feel," for she knew that there was no way he could understand how she was feeling.
That was why she had found a baby group so comforting. It was basically a place where young mothers meet and talked about their pregnancy or how life was at home now. It felt good to have someone to talk to who understood exactly what you were going through.
Most of the mothers listened and nursed their child while the more active mothers blabbed on and on about this and that. Stephanie was one of the quieter ones.
The babies there varied from one week of age to one year of age, although the majority were somewhere in the middle. In this circle that she had joined, there was a more middle-aged looking mother with deep depressions under her eyes, an extremely young mother with flaming red hair, and a kind- looking mother of a set of twins who were the saddest looking children Stephanie had ever seen, and that was just a few of the group members.
Stephanie listened to the talk:
"My husband just doesn't understand what it's like to have an infant clinging to you every second of the day. But he's at work all day. He knows nothing about my child." This woman had mirrored Stephanie's thoughts in the first sentence, but apparently had not so good a communication with her husband.
"Is it normal for my little Asia to be wanting milk every hour? Is that normal in baby girls?" another asked.
One wondered aloud, "How should I prepare Laqueta for when I go back in to the office?"
And someone replied, "Every other night you should prepare a bottle of breast milk for when the child minder is there. That's what I did for my Ethan."
Everyone had a tip they wanted to share, a story they wanted to tell, or a question they wanted to ask. And for every question, you would receive at least five replies.
It was here that Stephanie felt at home. It was here that she released her feelings. And it was here that she met Lily Potter.
* * * * *
The Dark Forces Headquarters; Monday, August 4, 1980, 7:00 P.M.
"A child has been born," Sybil Trelawney predicted, knowing that it was true. Even if it was not what the Dark Lord wanted, it was a prediction, and with how many babies were born per minute, she had to be correct.
"Where."
"In England."
"Where," her Master repeated. He knew that she did not know. He knew.
Trelawney quivered. She did not know. How was she supposed to predict the future? It was hopeless. Just like all the other things the Death Eaters had made her try. She was a waste of time. But she had to reply something to show her Master that she knew she had failed yet another test, even after being trained by the best Divination teachers in the world.
"I don't know, sir, I mean, Master," but it was too late. The blow hit her in the face, and she blanked out for a minute.
But in that minute she saw something, and subconsciously she said, "The child of destruction has been born unto this world. His presence has graced the good and the bad. He is heir to the greatest of all Dark Lords."
Voldemort stared at her with new interest in his eyes. He had never seen someone made a prediction in such a rigid form. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. They were back to normal again.
"I'm truly sorry, sir, uh, Master," she corrected.
But Voldemort did not hit her. "Trelawney," he said instead, "You are my new assistant Divination professor."
She looked at him with disbelief. "Me- how- what did I- huh?" she concluded.
Her Master was now confused. How did she predict it if she did not know she had? "You don't remember?"
Truthfully, Trelawney shook her head no.
"Well," Voldemort started anyways, "You don't need to remember. As long as I know it." He smiled smugly.
"Master," she questioned, "what did I say?"
"Oh, nothing of importance," He replied with an air of I-know-something-you- don't-know. And with that, Voldemort left the room thinking about his newly born heir, as Trelawney muttered to herself about lunatics.
Voldemort and Wormtail had planning to do.
* * * * *
London, England; July 31, 1980 to October 24, 1981
The next year flew by fast. The first week had been awful. Little Harry woke up so much during the night that Lily ate her heart out with worry. It soon turned into postnatal depression, where Lily felt guilty for bring this baby into the world because she felt she would not be a very good mother. She also felt anxious, irritable, and confused.
But soon everything fell into pattern [AN: please excuse all the "woulds"]:
5-6 A.M.: Harry would wake and Lily would take him into bed with her and James to give him a feed. Then they all would go back to sleep.
6-7 A.M.: Harry would wake again and be very lively and active.
7.30 A.M.: Lily would get up and dressed while Harry played, lying on a mat under his 'baby gym'.
8 A.M.: Harry would be given another feed - he generally was fed every two or three hours during the day, then Lily would put him in his bouncy chair while she would get on with other things.
9-10 A.M.: Harry would have a nap.
11 A.M.: Harry and Lily then went out. Lily felt she would go crazy if they didn't get out every day, so they always went to the "Young Mother's Club," for a walk, to go shopping, or to call on friends.
12.30-1 P.M.: Lily would have some lunch and Harry would have a feed.
2 P.M.: Although Harry slept for a while during the afternoon, most of the time he was awake and wanted attention. Lily sometimes put him into a baby sling and walked around with him, talking to him or singing while she attends to domestic chores.
6-7 P.M.: Lily, or James if he's home, would give Harry his bath. He enjoyed it now, so he had a bath every day.
8-9 P.M.: Recently, Harry had started to go to sleep earlier in the evening - usually about 8 P.M. On average he only would wake twice for a feed (around midnight and three o' clock) during the night.
Soon that plan changed a little. Lily was back at work from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Lily was nervous. How was she supposed to trust her child minder with her precious son?
The first day back at work was nerve-racking with Harry on the back of her mind. The other workers were all disappointed that she hadn't brought the child, but were thrilled when the child minder stopped by with him at lunchtime like Lily had requested.
At two months, Harry was learning games like "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake." He would also try to grasp at the carpet, attempting to pick up one of the patterns.
Around three months he would coo and try out vowels on his tongue.
At five months he was saying things like "gegegegege" and "mamamamama." He could also laugh and show dislike by then, and Lily and James wondered if his paternal parentage had anything to do with his extremely quick learning ability.
By seven months, Harry was calling his parents "mama" and "baba," for he couldn't pronounce the "D." He also could understand his name and words like "no," which when he heard that, he would continue what he was doing all the more vigorously, pressing Lily's buttons how only he could.
By ten months he understood commands and his vocabulary had begun to increase. He thoroughly enjoyed the books and nursery rhymes full of moving pictures that his parents read to him.
Also at about ten months, Harry began to crawl, and was moving about quite quickly. He began to gesture for what he wanted, and usually got it.
By one year Harry was saying words and trying out sentences. Once he learned to walk, the child minder's payment was raised quite a bit.
Throughout this time, the Potters had been living at Hogwarts, the only safe place anyone could think of where not even Voldemort could touch Harry. The Marauders visited more often, especially Remus since he did not have a job to go to.
Sirius tried to spend time with Harry, being his godfather and all. Harry loved to be around this strange man whose hair was as fun to play with as Mommy's was.
Time flew. Harry's first birthday came and went. Lily was sorry that Petunia still had not contacted her. She knew nothing of what was going on in her sister's life and Petunia still had not replied to Lily's message about Petunia's new nephew.
It was almost All Hallows Eve. Last year the family had been over cautious and refused to take Harry out. This year, however, Voldemort had still not come, so they had decided to take Harry out this time. But it wouldn't happen. One of Dumbledore's spies had tipped him off on the fact that Voldemort was going to attack the family on All Hallows Eve while they were outside of the castle's protection. So it was then that they all began to plan how best to protect themselves, and came up with the Fidelis Charm.
* * * * *
The Dark Forces Headquarters; Thursday, October 22, 1981, 7:00 P.M.
"I WANT THAT CHILD! WHY DO I NOT HAVE HIM? WORMTAIL! ANSWER ME!"
Wormtail quavered under Voldemort's deathly stare. "I don't know, Master."
"OH YES YOU DO! YOU'RE A COWARD, A FOOL, A LIAR! YOU CAN'T STAND TO SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND'S SON GIVEN OVER TO YOUR ALL-POWERFUL MASTER! WHAT A FOOL YOU ARE, WORMTAIL! I WANT THAT CHILD; I WILL GET THAT CHILD! YOU JUST WATCH. I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYMORE!" And so Voldemort cursed Wormtail out of his office, the petite man stumbling out the door.
Yes! I'm happy with that! It's longer and, and, and, I like it! Review, please. And read ALL author's notes
AN: In everyone's review, I would very much appreciate it if you all would please include which summary you think would attract and interest people more. The summary also has to fit the storyline, but I will work on that part. If anyone has a summary of their own they would like to submit, they may feel free to do so. I would appreciate it though, if those people would also vote for one I have put up. I will consider all, but as most of you do not know my entire plot, some suggestions may not fit correctly.
Also, please tell me if you have on opinion on which day of the week is best to post on, for the most success with readers and reviews alike. I will try to learn from this. The summaries are below and for those who find this story by the summary, it will change either this time or next. I'm experimenting with them at the moment, but I would still like everyone to vote.
1. (Original Summary) There is a secret about Harry Potter that has been kept well hidden for many years. Only five people know it, two of whom are dead. This secret concerns Harry's parents. Are his parents really who he thinks they are?
2. A child has been born into shadow. Parents taken by the Dark Side, but in different ways, this adolescent has the power to change the fate of the world, for better, or for worse.
3. Secrets can be kept secret. Mysterious happenings can be kept mysterious- but not forever. Nothing can stay unchanged. No one can remain untouched. Not the secrets, nor the people they concern.
4. The shadow of the Dark Lord drew close many years ago. It draws close again. Its target is innocent, pure, carefree, and most of all, unaware- but not for long.
5. Many long years ago, something happened, that only a select few knew of. Of those remaining three, all will act. They will finish what was started those long years ago. And they will start the finish with the fourth person- the person who does not know; the person who does not understand; the person who cannot accept. For accepting, would mean the end of everything, forever.
More author's notes: The first person to tell me what the irony of the day I set Harry's due date to is wins twenty points to their house, so duh, you have to tell me your house. If you don't know, then go take the sorting test at http://www.harrypotter.com. Or be original. Make one up. :)
Everyone HAS to go look up the name Braeden at http://www.babynames.com. It fits the story perfectly! I love that name (now)! =)
Extra Disclaimer: The baby pattern of a normal days comes almost directly from http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/article.asp?article=73. It is not mine. It belongs to that company. All the baby information on this page is from that site.
Thank yous:
Nagini: hmmm, I've never tasted monkeys.
angelhitomi: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Catalina: I hate those pop-ups, too. Thanks for the compliment!
Shades: Oh, I'm so sorry! I hope ff kicked the other person off.
Lissa.F: You really think it has mystery?! Wow!
Gia: Yes, I am going to show Harry in it. About two more chappies after this one and then the fifth year starts. Also, I am trying to keep this as close to the book as possible, so it depends on how the story flows on whether it will be an AU or not. I hope you other questions have been answered.
_______: Oops, sorry for the delay. The chapters will only come out once every one or two weeks.
Death Eater: *blushes* Oh, really? Thanks!
Googooliebokee: Did I spell that right? Thank you for the correction (and the compliments).
Now, review, peoples!