Sixteen years ago

"Oh Lily! He's so beautiful!" Celestia exclaimed as she bent over the cradle and peered into the brilliant green eyes of her best friend's son. The boy smiled back at her with a look of wonder.

"I would swear to my grave he looks like his father." came the reply.

"But he has your eyes." she answered shortly before turning her attentions back to the infant, "how perfect; how absolutely innocent. This world is new to him, not like it is for us." Celestia's smiled faded some before she forced it firmly back into place.

Lily Potter looked out the window in front of the sink full of dishes she was washing. The sun shone brightly on the green earth below as the birds trilled the same songs they had sung for many years. And yet, even in all the beauty, Lily saw the truth. The sun was hot and bitter to the earth, and the birds nothing more than twittering fools.

"Was it like that once for us, Celest? Was the sky beautiful without the lingering fear of Lord Voldemort?" Lily sighed and turned back to her dishes, feeling the dazzling green eyes of her best friend burning into her.

"It still is beautiful, Lil. You just have to look harder."

Lily huffed, but made no reply. After a few moments, Lily felt Celestia's eyes leave her and the dark-haired girl turned back to entertaining the infant.

"What I would give to go back a few decades. Back to when the world was new for us as well. Back when I had my sister...."

Celestia's heart turned to ice at the mention of Petunia Evans Dursley. She turned to face her friend.

"She made her choice Lily. No one else did it for her." the bitterness in Celestia's voice went far deeper than her heart, it spawned from deep within her being, her very soul.

"I know." Lily replied softly.

From inside the cradle, the baby gave of soft whimper. Lily and Celestia both turned their attention to the child as he began to cry. Lily walked over and gently lifted him into her arms.

"There, there love." she soothed, patting the whimpering babe as she rocked him.

Celestia smiled.

"I wonder...." Lily trailed off, her eyes on her son.

"What?"

"Was it wrong for James and I to bring him into this world?"

Celestia observed the look in Lily's eyes for a moment, a look of motherly concern mingle with worry and confusion, before walking over to embrace her friend.

"We'll win this war someday. And when we do, Harry will have the chance for a wonderful life. You'll see. And by the way," she added with a devilish grin, "you were right. He does look like James."