James was truly taken aback by these words. Perhaps the harsh reality of the situation had finally stuck him, or perhaps he was simply shocked by the severity of Sirius's words. Either way, he didn't want it to seem as though he was acting for his own selfish reasons.

"It isn't like that," James muttered.

"Well, then how is it? Because that's how it seems to all of us!"

"Sirius, I can't just sit idly by and watch as things happen! Everything seems to be falling to pieces, and I want to do something about it!"

"Darling, we all understand that," Lily started, "but it's just that. well, maybe it is too dangerous now."

"Great, now you're against me too," James said.

"No, I'm not," Lily said, moving onto the defensive.

"James, look at it this way." Sirius was obviously trying another approach now. "I told you I would keep you informed of anything that happens, right?" James nodded. "Well, you can keep doing research on things. and thing about that big project you started?"

"That's true. but Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"She already knows about it."

Lily nodded and sighed. "We discussed the matter yesterday."

James looked over at Lily and the pair made eye contact. "I'm going to need to buy some things for that, you know. Chances are it'll have to be from Knockturn Alley though, Diagon probably won't have what I need."

Lily shuddered at the very thought. She knew that Knockturn Alley was probably one of the least safe places James could go, but also that it was of no use to argue with him about it.

James turned his attention back to Sirius. "So who has Alastor recommended to replace me, anyhow?"

"Frank."

"Frank? Frank Longbottom?"

"None other. Apparently Dumbledore went to Moody with the suggestion before anyone even knew what was going on with you. Frank has been looking for something new for a while now, and things just kind of worked out. He did score top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and in most of his other classes at Hogwarts."

"I know."

"Well, James, he was in for Head Boy until you swooped in there," Lily said.

"That's true, but still. It's Frank!" James was shaking his head in disbelief.

As the weeks passed, things started to settle down and gain some normalcy in the Potter household. James was diligently working on setting up a laboratory in the basement while Lily was trying to make various improvements to the house. It was during one of her cleaning spells that she ended up knocking on the laboratory door.

"James?" she called. "Can I come in?" For some reason though, there was no answer. So, she knocked harder. "James! Are you ignoring me?" She was growing annoyed now. "Well fine then, I'm coming in!" She threw the door open, expecting to find James in there, but so wrapped up in his work that he didn't notice her. Instead, she found the room to be empty. She looked around making sure that he wasn't in there, and then noticed something that was missing. "The invisibility cloak." she whispered.

Chapter 41: Hidden Treasure

"There has got to be something around here somewhere," James whispered from under the protection of his invisibility cloak as he fumbled through various drawers and boxes in Lucious Malfoy's study. "Where else could he be hiding these things." And then he heard a familiar voice.

"I'll just get that book for you then, shall I?" Narcissa Malfoy said with great sarcasm in her tone.

James could hear her footsteps getting closer and hid himself under the desk, even though he was invisible. No sense in letting her bump into me, he thought to himself as Narcissa came clamoring into the study.

"Honestly, is that elf worth nothing around here? Can't Dobby get anything right, ever? We ought to sack that worthless elf one of these days." she muttered to herself. "Where is that blasted thing. Oh, here it is!" She grabbed something off of one of the shelves, and James saw that it was an old, leather-bound book. Allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, he stepped out from under the desk and followed Narcissa through the door, which she had left open, and into the sitting room where she re-joined her husband. She then heaved the book at Lucious Malfoy's chest. "Here you go, darling," she said, glaring at him all the while.

"My dear, perhaps it would be best if you sat down and relaxed for a while. We wouldn't want anything to happen to our dear baby before it's time," Lucious calmly told her as he opened the book. "You could end up like that mudblood Lily Potter, after all."

James had moved to an area behind Lucious so that he could see what was inside the book, but when he heard these words, it was almost too much for him. James's eyes grew wide and he could feel himself beginning to fume at these horrible words. No. Don't attack. Nothing will be solved by killing Lucious, no matter how tempting it may be.Just remain calm and in control.

"Honestly, Lucious. Do you really think that I am that foolish? Really."

"So sorry, my dear, to insinuate anything like that. I was simply trying to point out that we must be careful with the actions you take now, given your fragile condition."

"The way you're talking you would think that I suffered from some sort of disease. I'm pregnant, Lucious. That's all!"

Deciding he had heard enough for now, James started to tiptoe away from Lucious and out of the room. Before he did though, he saw Lucious pick up a quill and begin to write something in the book. Even stranger though was the fact that the book was writing back. Even though James wanted to stay and see what the book was saying, he thought it would be best to wait for another time. He was certain that if anything else was said about Lily, or himself, that he wouldn't be able to control his actions.

When James finally apparated home, he found a distraught Lily waiting for him. "Before you start, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, okay?"

"Where have you been?" she yelled. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? You didn't tell me that you were leaving, and then not only do you leave, but you take your invisibility cloak with you, so you could be doing god knows what, god knows where! What if something happened to you? What if you were rendered unconscious while wearing that cloak? What then? Huh? Any thoughts?" James was about to say something but thought better of it. "I didn't think so! Don't you even care what happens to you? Because for some reason, I certainly do! And I refuse to raise a child alone, do you understand me?"

The expression on James's face suddenly changed. "What did you say?" he asked cautiously.

Lily's face softened as well. "I said I refuse to raise a child alone."

"You mean- So you're." James stammered.

"Pregnant," Lily finished for him. "Yes, I am."

James fell down onto the chair that was luckily behind him. "And everything is-"

"Perfect," Lily smiled. "Couldn't be better."

James then jumped up and crossed over to Lily. He lifted her in his arms and started spinning her around. "We're going to have a baby!"

Lily was laughing and nodding. "Yes, we are. But, please, I beg of you. Put me down."

"Right, right, of course." James set Lily down on the couch. "How long have you known?"

"Not very. A couple of weeks now, I suppose."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"Well, you've had a lot on your mind, and I wanted to be completely sure. Yesterday, that's where I went, to the doctor I mean."

"Lil, that's just, I mean, I can't believe it! This is perfect!" James took the seat next to Lily on the couch and gave her a kiss. "Things are definitely looking up."

"I know," she agreed. She kissed his cheek. "So, what would you like to do tonight?"

"I have no idea."

"Lil, that's just, I mean, I can't believe it! This is perfect!" James took the seat next to Lily on the couch and gave her a kiss. "Things are definitely looking up."

"I know," she agreed. She kissed his cheek. "So, what would you like to do tonight?"

"I have no idea."

Lily and James ended up sitting on the couch in those same spots for most of the night talking about and planning for their new baby. In fact, it wasn't until dawn that they decided to head up to bed.

"James?" Lily said as they walked up the stairs to their bedroom.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can we not tell anyone about the baby just yet? I mean, just in case."

James kissed the top of her head. "Nothing is going to happen this time. I will personally see to it."

Lily climbed into the bed and was followed by James. "I hope not. I just don't think I could handle going through that again."

"You're not going to have to. It'll be fine. Just wait and see." He kissed her again. "Night, baby." James then scrunched down on the bed and kissed Lily's stomach. "Goodnight to you too."

Lily couldn't help but smile, and nor could James.

It was now the middle of November, Halloween had come and gone, the holiday season was fast approaching, but none of this had any effect on Lily. Instead, Lily found herself rushing to get ready to meet Jem for lunch. Today, Lily decided, was the day that she would inform Jem of her pregnancy. It was very surprising that she and James had managed to keep it a secret for this long, and she thought she might burst if she didn't tell her best friend before the holidays.

"James?" Lily called.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm leaving now!"

"Alright, have fun and good luck!"

"Be good and don't get into any trouble while I'm gone!" Lily didn't wait for his response. Instead, she disapparated to Diagon Alley where she would meet Jem.

"There you are!" Jem said, standing up from the table outside of The Ostrich Feather, a small café.

"Hello to you too!" Lily giggled.

"You look fabulous, darling, simply fabulous," Jem told Lily, putting on fake airs. The two friends kissed each other's cheeks and then sat down.

"I am famished!" Lily said as she opened the menu. "What sounds good."

The two friends chatted for a bit until their waiter came by and took their orders. It was when Jem reached for her glass of water that Lily noticed something new on her wrist.

Lily pointed to Jem's charm bracelet. "Where'd you get that one?"

Jem blushed slightly, but quickly recovered. "It's kind of a long story. Anyway, how are things going? Is everything alright with James not working?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's just being himself. Still getting into plenty of trouble without meaning to. And then Sirius brings him in on these meetings. It can't be good, but hopefully it'll all turn out well."

The waiter then came by with their food and, after thanking him for it, Lily and Jem continued to talk while eating.

"How are things going with Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Quite well actually. He's really good with Aaron too, but not nearly as good with him as Remus is. It's surprising how close those two are."

And then, it happened.

"I have something to tell you," Lily blurted out at the exact same time that Jem said "The most amazing thing has happened."

The girls looked at each other and started to laugh. "You first," said Jem.

"No, you," Lily insisted.

"Sirius proposed."

"I'm pregnant."

"What!" they both exclaimed.

They both sat there silently for a few minutes, each eying the other, waiting for her to speak. Finally though, Jem broke the silence.

"So, we were out to dinner a couple of weeks ago, and it was just really sweet and romantic. You know, candles, nice bottle of wine, things like that. When dessert came, he pulled out a gift box. Inside it, there was this charm. At first I just thought it was sweet, you know, a little silver flower. But then he said to open it. I didn't know how, of course, so he had to show me, and look at it! Isn't it beautiful?" Jem took off her bracelet and held out the charm for Lily to see. Quietly she whispered something, and to Lily's amazement, the charm did in fact open.

Lily nodded. "It really is." The charm was in the shape of a small silver rosebud, but, when opened, you could see the rose in full bloom, with its petals made of rubies. "How does it work though?"

"Apparently it's a charm, no pun, that has been in Sirius's family for generations. He said that his grandmother gave it to him on her deathbed, saying to give it to the woman he loves. Just a simple incantation."

Smiling, Lily said "It was only a matter of time before we saw how sentimental Sirius could be."

"It really was incredibly sweet. And how could I say no? Why would I say no? Anyhow, enough about me. Tell me about the baby! When are you due? Is James alright with this?"

"Well, I'm due in July, and James and I are both thrilled. You're really the only person besides us, and Gran of course, who knows. We just thought it might be best to wait, you know?"

Jem knew all too well how hard things were for Lily and James. "Of course," she nodded.

"Anyway, we've decided that it should be alright to start telling people now. Precautions will be taken, of course, but soon enough it will be a hard thing to hide."

"Well, despite everything else, I do hope that Sirius and I are as happy as you and James are."

Lily smiled. "We work hard at that, you know." She winked at Jem. "So tell me, when are you planning on getting married?"

"We were thinking of waiting for the spring."

"Oh, definitely. I can just see you having a beautiful April wedding, with all of the new flowers. it will be perfect!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Jem smiled at her friend. "Oh! And speaking of weddings, I have something for you!" Lily gave her a puzzled look as she pulled out a narrow box, wrapped in silver paper. "This is for you and James, I know it's not much, but still."

"Oh, Jem! You didn't have to do this."

"Rubbish! How many times do you get to celebrate your first anniversary? Just don't open it until you get home and James is there too."

"I promise."

Lily could hardly wait to get home and open up the gift with James. As soon as she arrived home she called out for him. "James? Where are you?"

"I'm upstairs! Down in a minute!"

"Hurry!"

"Alright, I'm here. What's so urgent?" James asked.

"Look! It's our first anniversary present!" Lily's eyes were bright with excitement. "Let's open it."

James slid into the seat next to her on the couch and kissed the top of her head. "Let's see what it is," he smiled.

Chapter 22: Looking Back

Lily carefully removed the silver wrapping paper and removed the lid from the box. Inside they found what appeared to be a calendar. James picked it up and smiled at the picture that was on the cover. It was of him and Lily at their wedding, smiling and waving. He then flipped it open to the month of January.

"Oh my god! Look at that!" Lily exclaimed. She pointed to the box labeled January 7th. Inside the small box was a picture of her and James in their 4th year at Hogwarts labeled First break-up. They couldn't help but laugh. Then they saw on January 19th another picture, this time from their 5th year of them both in Gryffindor quidditch robes, labeled First Quidditch Game Together.

"I remember that! You were our reserve chaser, and then, who was it? Whalen! That bludger broke his nose and you had to play."

"What else could be in here?" Lily asked as she flipped through the calendar to see what was in the month of September. Sure enough, once she got there, she found what she was looking for. "September 1," she read.

"God, we were so young," James sighed. Sure enough, there was a picture of them together on the Hogwarts Express for the first time with the caption saying Love At First Sight. Then the box for September 18th caught James's eye. First Prank, it read. He burst out laughing when he saw the picture of Lily with plaid hair. "I almost forgot about that!"

"And I wish that I had." she said, pretending to be upset with him. Unfortunately, then she looked down and saw it. The box labeled September 24th. It had a picture of Claire in it, and was labeled Beloved Sister Passes On.

James was speechless. He simply sat there with his arm around Lily staring at the calendar. Then, suddenly, with his other hand, he flipped the calendar to May. He looked at May 29th and found what he was looking for. A picture of Angelica was there with the label A Guardian Angel is Born. Lily rested her head against James's shoulder and wiped a tear away from her eye. They then looked at the following month, June, and found a picture of Marilyn there, on June 19th, smiling and waving at them. Always Watching Over Us, the caption said.

Lily and James continued to look through their present for the next hour or so, laughing, for the most part, at the various memories Jem and Sirius (and apparently Remus) had put together for them from their days at Hogwarts. Lily found the one labeled First Slap to be particularly humorous.

By the time they made their way up to bed, both Lily and James were exhausted. Having spent the better part of the evening reliving memories, the couple felt that they had definitely earned the right to a nice relaxing night of sleep. Before going to bed though, they did make sure to hang the calendar up in their kitchen, on the month of November, since it was the 15th now, to serve as a daily reminder of the life they have led together, and the things that would come.

The following morning, Lily was surprised to wake up and find James's side of the bed empty. Now what's that boy gone and gotten himself into, she thought to herself. Just as she was about to sit up and get out of bed though, the door flew open and James appeared, holding a tray.

"Happy anniversary," James said, grinning from ear to ear. He crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed.

Lily smiled. "Happy anniversary to you too." She took then took a better look at the tray James had and her smile disappeared when she saw what was on the tray. "You cooked?"

"Really, Lil. Do you have to be so childish? Just enjoy it!" James insisted.

Lily remained skeptical. "You try it first."

James rolled his eyes. "Fine then." He took a bite of the eggs he made and promptly grabbed the napkin and spit them out. "Okay, maybe we should skip breakfast." He got up to put the tray down on the dresser but Lily stopped him.

She had noticed the rosebud in the vase with a gold ribbon tied around it and a card leaning against it. "May I have my card?"

James smiled again. "Of course," he said, handing it to her.

Half expecting something to jump out of the envelope and into her face, Lily was quite surprised to find what appeared to be a traditional card there. She carefully slid it out of the envelope and smiled as she read the front of it. For My Beloved Wife, On This, the Anniversary of Our First Year of Marriage. She then opened the card. Before she could read what it said though, a small brass key fell out of it and to the floor. She looked from the key to James and back to the key again. "Is that what I think it is?" James smiled and nodded. "Where is it?"

"In what will soon be the nursery. I though that would be the best place for it," he said. But Lily didn't hear anything he told her past the word "nursery" for she had rushed out of bed and through the door. Once she made it to what was to become the new baby's room, she saw it.

"Mother's old toy chest." Lily breathed.

"I actually had to hunt down your sister and fight with her for nearly a month to get that. She didn't seem to want to part with it, but I figured that was more out of spite than any real sentimental value."

Lily nodded as she ran her fingers over the wooden chest and carefully sliding the brass key into the lock. "She never liked this thing, said it caused her to have nightmares. She was always imagining that monsters lived in it or something."

"So you like it?"

"I love it, James! Thank you so much!" Lily jumped up and gave James a kiss.

James couldn't have been more excited by Lily's reaction. "I really wasn't sure if you'd like it," he said foolishly.

"Oh, James, how could I not? I wondered what had happened to it." Lily's expression suddenly changed and she turned to face James again. "How is my sister?"

"She's the same, well, perhaps worse now since she married that other awful muggle-"

"Vernon," Lily interrupted, thinking back to when she knew him as a child. "He and 'Tunia deserve each other."

"You're right about that. They also deserve whatever bundle of wretchedness they bring into this world."

"You mean?"

James nodded. "She's pregnant too. I'd love to see what would happen if that child of theirs turned out to be magic," he said grinning.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "Don't even say that. Anyway, enough about them, and back to us. I have something for you as well," Lily told him. Her eyes twinkled as she led James out of the nursery and down to the kitchen. She opened up the pantry and pulled out a tin labeled wheat flour. "I knew you'd never think to look in here," she explained as she opened the tin and retrieved a small parcel from it.

James's eyes were bright with excitement. "What is it?" he asked anxiously.

Lily laughed. "You'll just have to open it to find out, won't you?"

Not wanting to waste another second, James tore the wrapping paper off of the package and quickly pulled the lid off of the small gift box. Inside he saw an old pocket watch. "Thanks, Lil," he said, somewhat puzzled. This, his confusion, made Lily smile even wider.

"You and I have been spending entirely too much time together," Lily began.

"Oh, 'happy anniversary' indeed," James cut in.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I say that because our gift ideas are very similar. You gave me something of my mother's, and I you something of your sister's." James continued to look at her skeptically. "That was Claire's while she attended Hogwarts," Lily explained. "A very interesting little tool she and her friend devised to cause trouble. much like your Marauders and the Map."

James's face lit up. "What's it do?"

"It just brings you what you want. For instance," Lily picked up the device, opened it and then said "my wand." James watched in awe as she reached her hand in and retrieved her wand from within it. "Claire told me they used to use it to steal keys and things from Filch's office."

James grinned. "And she always tried to make me feel guilty for causing trouble at school. Thanks, Lil, really." He hugged his wife to him and kissed her.

"She would have wanted you to have it, I'm sure," Lily said. "Now, what are we going to do today?"

"First, you are going to get dressed. And then we're going to London for the day. Don't worry; I've got everything all planned out. You'll see." James said reassuringly.

Although she remained skeptical of James's plans at first, once they arrived in London, Lily gave in and had a wonderful time. The pair played the role of honeymooning tourists all day, starting with their arrival at Kings Cross by muggle train. This was very amusing for James, for he had only ever been there for Platform 9 ¾. Fascinated by what Lily called the Tube, James would have happily remained on the Underground all day. He was, however, inclined to change his mind when Lily threatened to divorce him if he didn't "move his ruddy arse above ground."

From that moment on, Lily genuinely enjoyed herself. They went shopping in various boutiques along Oxford Street, saw Buckingham Palace where Lily insisted on getting a picture of them waving at the Royal Family ("But James, Charles might actually be there looking out!"), had lunch at a sidewalk café, and finally walked through Madame Tussauds Wax Museum before heading to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley to apparate home.

"I'm just going to make a quick run into Gringotts," James said, "Just to exchange some more money."

"That's fine," Lily told him. "I'll run in and visit Mr. Ollivander." James gave her a confused look. "I just need to ask him something."

"Fine. I'll meet you back here in a half hour, alright?"

"Sounds good," Lily said, kissing him goodbye.

Lily watched James walk down the cobblestone street and into the pristine white building that was Gringotts Wizards Bank. She smiled to herself as she thought how lucky she was. Of course, when she turned around to walk toward Mr. Ollivander's Wand Shop, the smile faded from her lips.

"Severus?" Lily whispered. "What on earth has happened to you?"

The figure standing in front of Lily was barely recognizable as the friend she remembered from Hogwarts. Snape was wearing robes that were tattered and torn, and it looked like they might have even been singed. He was even paler than usual, his eyes sunken in with dark circles around them. He smiled faintly at the sight of Lily and reached out for her, his hands worn and bony. She rushed over to him and hugged him, more out of fear that he would collapse in the middle of the street than to give him a proper greeting. Very carefully, she guided his worn out frame over to a café.

Once they were seated, Lily asked again "What happened?"

"I can't say," Snape told her. She gave him an angry look. "No, really. I'd tell you if I could, but that's just it. I don't know exactly." He coughed deeply and then grabbed his forearm. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Of course, anything."

"Don't say anything to anyone about this," he paused for a moment, and thought about his request. "Don't say anything to anyone about this, except Dumbledore. Can you do that for me? Contact him?" Lily nodded, but was still confused about what was going on with him. "Here," he tore off a piece of paper from a napkin on the table and scribbled something on it. "Tell Dumbledore that he can find me at this address. He'll know what to do. Now I've got to go before anything else happens."

"But, Severus. what's going on?"

"All will reveal itself in due course." He jumped up from the table and kissed Lily on the forehead. She couldn't help but wince slightly at the touch of his cold, dry lips on her skin. Snape didn't seem to notice though. "Goodbye, and thank you, Lily. You are a true friend."

Before she could say another word, Snape had disapparated, and not a moment too soon. James was walking down the street and over to Lily.

"Hey baby," James said. Lily heaved a relieved sigh upon hearing his words. This meant he hadn't seen Snape. "How is Mr. Ollivander?"

"I decided against going in to see him today. maybe I will on our next visit here."

James sat down at the table with Lily. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. Just a little rundown, that's all." She forced a brilliant smile. "We were all over the place, and it just tired me out. I guess I can't keep up nearly as well carrying this baby around."

James laughed. "We should probably head home anyhow. It's almost time for dinner."

Lily looked at him nervously. "You're not going to cook again, are you?"

James shook his head. "Why would you suggest such a thing?" He winked at her.

"Thank goodness. I wouldn't want to end up eating blue soup or anything like that."

"Don't worry. let's just go home, ok?" Lily nodded and the couple disapparated.

When Lily opened her eyes, she was shocked to find that she hadn't apparated to her own living room, which is where she had planned on going. "James?" she whispered.

"Over here, Lil," he said, causing her to turn around cautiously.

"Surprise!" shouted 100 people or so. Lily broke into a huge grin as she realized where she was. Sirius and Jem's new house. They had thrown her and James a surprise party for their anniversary.

Lily and James were very excited to see all of their friends gathered together in celebration of their first anniversary. In fact, the last time they had seen many of them was a year ago at the wedding itself. Jem had truly outdone herself with this party. There were all sorts of food, ranging from traditional muggle dishes and sweets to what seemed to be the entire inventory of Honeydukes sweet shop in Hogsmeade. There were sodas, punch, pumpkin juice, wine, champagne, beer. the menu was endless.

About an hour into the party, everyone had settled down a bit and was sitting (or standing) and chatting. It was at that time that Sirius decided to tap his beer bottle with a fork to get everyone's attention. This of course didn't work though, so he ended up grabbing Jem's wine glass out of her hands and dodging her blow to his chest.

"If I could have everyone's attention please!" Sirius called out. "Peter! This means you! Stop talking!" Peter blushed. "Thank you! As I was trying to say, the last time we were all gathered together was exactly 1 year ago, and well, I gotta say it, damn. None of us thought that you guys would survive a year alone together. We all saw what you were like in school, so how you manage day after day without any supervision- that's just mind-boggling." Everyone laughed, mostly because they agreed with what Sirius was saying. "Anyway, today we're here celebrating the fact that you've both survived a year together. It's been a rough one, I know, but things can only get better. I mean, after all, you do have that new baby to look forward to!"

Everyone gasped and looked from Sirius to Lily and James. Lily had gone pale and James sat there stupidly with a wide grin on his face.

"Thanks for ruining the surprise," James said once the crowd had gone back to chatting in small groups.

"Well, I figured, we're amongst friends," Sirius said.

"I can't believe you did that!" Jem shouted.

"What's the big deal?" Sirius asked, genuinely confused as Jem dragged him out of the living room.

Their clique had separated from the rest of the party and was now lingering in the kitchen. It was Sirius, Jem, Lily, James, Remus and Peter. Jem was shaking her head and Peter was biting his nails nervously.

"Well, we weren't going to tell everyone yet, that's what the big deal is," James told him.

"I'm sorry, I thought that it was good news."

"It's alright. We would have told them anyhow," Lily assured him.

Sirius beamed. He knew that once he had Lily on his side it was only a matter of time before everyone else joined in.

Jem looked at Lily and James very apologetically. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have told him in the first place, but-well, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's okay, really," Lily insisted. "It's fine."

"You're sure?"

"Positive," chimed in James. He put his arm around Lily's shoulder. "So when can we expect the presents?" he grinned.

"You mean we have to buy you two more stuff now?" Remus joked.

"Damn straight! This one's gonna be a boy, so I'm expecting a baby quidditch set for him. nothing with frills or ruff-" James was interrupted by Lily slapping his chest with the back of her hand.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Just ignore my husband, he's slightly out of his mind," she laughed. Everyone else joined in too. James just stood there looking rather sheepish.

"Do you know if it is a boy or girl?" Jem asked.

"Not sure yet. It's still too soon to tell, but we have a strong suspicion."

"W- well, c-c-con-congratulations," Peter stammered.

Everyone looked at Peter strangely. "Thanks," Lily replied.

"Anyway," Remus said, breaking the awkward silence that had taken over. "The three of us," he gestured to himself, Peter and Sirius, "have a special present for the 4th marauder and his bride."

"Oh god." James began.

"It's nothing too bad. You'll see," Remus grinned. "Back in a sec!" Before another word was spoken, he ran off, with Sirius close behind him.

It took a few minutes, but soon enough, the two of them returned. Between them there was a very large levitating package.

"What on earth is that?" Lily asked, staring at it in awe.

Sirius lowered the parcel onto the floor and said, "Open it and find out." He, Remus and Peter were all grinning.

James and Lily walked forward and carefully removed the paper from the package. James then pulled out his wand and used it to remove the box. Neither he nor Lily (nor Jem for that matter) could believe their eyes at what stood before them. It was the Mirror of Erised.

"Do I want to know how you got this?" Lily asked cautiously.

Remus was beaming with pride. "I think so."

"You've got to tell me." James said.

"Well, I still have your invisibility cloak," Sirius started.

"What? Why do you have it?"

"Oh, right." Sirius looked to Lily for help.

"I asked him to bring it to Dumbledore for safekeeping. We don't need you getting into more trouble." Lily shook her head and changed the subject quickly. She could tell that James was not too pleased by her decision. "So how did you get the mirror?"

"Well, we kind of snuck into a certain person's home and took it."

"You stole the Mirror of Erised?" Jem shouted.

"It was already stolen. We were just liberating it and returning it to its rightful home," Remus said simply.

"You are kidding, right?" a nervous Lily asked.

"Of course they are! The fact of the matter is we bought it for you two, and that's that. So enjoy it!" Peter grinned.

"Granted it took some hunting," Sirius said.

"And haggling," Remus added.

"But we finally managed to get it. Just don't expect anything else from us for a while," Sirius told them.

"Thank you so much!" Lily exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around Sirius, Remus and Peter, pulling them all in for a rather uncomfortable hug. She then kissed them each on the cheek before letting them out of her grasp.

"How does it work?" Jem asked, looking at the elegant frame and into the mirror's glass.

"You have to be really careful with it," Lily replied. "I've read about how this works. it's just a matter of standing in front of it. But apparently you can get lost in the mirror."

"Lost?"

"It is said that the mirror shows you your deepest desire, what you think will make you truly happy," Lily explained. "I read that people have been known to waste their lives looking into the mirror. rather than actually living them." Her gaze wandered from her friends to the inscription on the mirror.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

"What?" James asked. "What's wrong?"

Lily shook her head, almost as if snapping herself out of a trance. "Nothing. So, what shall we do now?"

"I know what I want to do! I want to see what the mirror has in store for me!" Sirius declared, grinning from ear to ear. He pushed James aside and stood in front of the mirror. "Well, I'll be damned."

"What do you see?" Jem asked, no doubt hoping that it would involve her somehow.

"I don't think it's working," Sirius stated flatly.

"What do you mean?" asked a very curious Lily.

"I see me. Here. In my jeans and shirt, with all you guys around. It's just us." He turned to Lily. "Do you think it's broken?"

Lily smiled and rushed to Sirius, giving him a big hug. "You are the perfect one, aren't you?"

James was taken aback by her action. "Hey now, there's no need for that. Just because he's happy with himself. I'm sure I am too. Let me have a go at it." James shoved Sirius aside and looked into the mirror.

Chapter 23: Inspiration

Unfortunately, James did not find the same jovial sight that Sirius did. Instead, he saw something that made his eyes grow wide with amazement. He stood there, for what seemed to him like hours, nodding and mumbling to himself.

Everyone was staring at James and wondering what he was seeing. Lily even tried to gently tap his shoulder to get his attention, but it didn't work. "James," she whispered. "James?"

Suddenly James closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Did you see something? Anything good?" Remus asked.

"I think so," James said, smiling weakly. "We'll see what good it does."

Lily was eyeing him as if she knew exactly what he was up to. "Just promise to be careful, knowing you, you'll try to accomplish whatever the mirror showed you. Be very careful with it, ok?"

"Of course I will, Lil. You can bet your life on that," James said. He gently kissed Lily on the top of her head.

"Well, look at that," Remus said, turning back to the mirror. Peter was standing in front of it, standing tall and beaming with pride. "Oy! Peter! What do you see in that thing?"

"What? Oh, n-n-nothing im-important," Peter stammered, assuming his usual slouched position.

"You looked like you were having a pretty good time there," Sirius said. "Finally got laid?" He winked at Peter before yelling "Ow! Watch it" a second later, when Jem smacked him.

"Ignore him, Peter," Jem said apologetically.

"I know," Peter replied. "He's al-always been like that."

"So what did you see then?"

"Just getting p-p-promoted and p-praised by my. boss," he said stupidly.

"Come on, Lil," James said. "It's your turn." Taking her hand, James led Lily in front of the mirror. Lily looked as though she was dreading what she might see, but a soft smile spread across her face once she looked up. "What is it? What's there?"

"It's us, James. and Harry."

"Harry?" Peter asked.

James waved his hand impatiently, not taking his eyes off of Lily. "We've decided to name the baby Harry if it's a boy. What are we doing?"

"Oh, James, he's so handsome! Even if he does have you hair." she giggled. "Graduating from Hogwarts, with all of us there. you and me." Lily began to choke on her words. A lump had formed in her throat. "And our parents. our whole family gathered there congratulating him and us." Her eyes had misted over and she turned away from the mirror, walking into James waiting arms.

James stroked her hair and kissed her head. "We'll get there, you'll see," he whispered.

"It looked so perfect," she whispered back.

"And it will be."

"That is the most darling thing I have ever heard and seen!" Jem sobbed. She pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose. "You two are so sweet." She gently hit Sirius with the back of her hand. "Why can't you be more like him?"

This, of course, caused Lily to start laughing. "You don't want that, Jem. Trust me."

James pretended to be offended and everyone had a good laugh. They forgot the melancholy feelings that had been in the room seconds before.

"What are we all doing in here anyhow?" Sirius asked. "There's a party going on out there, and it's for you two. Hadn't you best return to the rest of your guests?"

Lily nodded and James said, "You're right. Let's have some fun!"

And that's exactly what they did for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Lily woke up to the sound of a gentle tapping on the bedroom window. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see a delivery owl there with a copy of the Daily Prophet in its beak. Careful not to disturb James, she crawled out of bed and opened the window. The owl flew in and dropped the newspaper into her hands. She took 3 knuts from the top drawer of the dresser and dropped them into the pouch on the owl's leg. Once that was done, the owl promptly flew away.

"What was that?" James groaned.

"Just the Daily Prophet delivery, honey. Go back to sleep."

"Why is the Prophet coming to our bedroom window? Shouldn't it be delivered to the back door, like it usually is?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Lily told him. She carefully unfolded the paper and her question was answered.

Lily fell onto the bed, causing James to jump upright and catch her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Look!"

James took the paper from Lily and began skimming the headlines.

Daily Prophet

Special Edition

Ministry of Magic Finally Apprehends Catherine Lestrange, by Rondah Lapine.

"Oh my god," James whispered. "After an embarrassing loss for the Ministry of Magic," James read aloud "sources at the Ministry tell your very own Daily Prophet reporter that Catherine Lestrange, one of the first followers of You-Know-Who, has indeed been apprehended once again. Hopefully our diligent Ministry officials will do a more impressive job this time in keeping her in custody. Her husband, Edward Lestrange, was captured earlier this year and sentenced to a life at the hands of the Dementors of Azkaban. No doubt a similar fate awaits his wife."

"Go," Lily breathed.

"But-"

"James, go. I know you want to be there. Don't worry about me I'll be fine. Just go."

James kissed Lily on the cheek and jumped out of bed. He hurriedly put on a set of robes and just as soon as he said "Goodbye," he disapparated.

Lily curled up on the bed and clutched James's pillow to her chest. "Please let him be alright, please. We need to get through this." Tears filled her eyes and she cried into his pillow.

James apparated right into Sirius's office. "When were you going to tell me?" he demanded.

Sirius shook his head. "I didn't find out about it until about 10 minutes ago either. This was all Frank's doing. So calm down, and let's see what we can find out, ok?"

The two of them headed down the hall toward Mr. Ocran's office, but when they got there, he wasn't sitting at his desk. Instead, the head of the department, Mr. Crouch was sitting, looking through some papers.

"What are you doing here?" James asked, somewhat exasperated.

"I will ignore your improper tone, Mr. Potter, given what has happened. Also, I will ignore the fact that you are here when you were expressly told not to be. To answer your question though, Mr. Ocran has been relieved of command. He no longer has a job here at the Ministry."

"Why the bloody hell not?" roared Sirius.

Crouch's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "What did you say to me?"

"You heard me. Why the hell was Ocran fired?"

"Managerial differences," Crouch spat out. "And you could stand to lose that attitude, Mr. Black, if you know what's good for you." He stood up from behind the desk and slammed a file shut. "I expect that you would like to be in the room for Mrs. Lestrange's sentencing."

Sirius and James could tell that he wasn't expecting them to answer, so they simply followed him out of the office and through a narrow passageway that led to one of the Ministry dungeons.

When Lily saw that Catherine Lestrange had been captured, she was relieved for two reasons. First was the obvious reason that the person responsible for the death of her sister-in-law would finally be brought to justice. Second, knowing that James would be occupied at the Ministry with the details of Lestrange's trial, Lily decided that this would be the perfect, if not only, opportunity for her to see Dumbledore and deliver the message Severus had asked her to.

Quickly throwing a coat on over her clothes, Lily apparated into Hogsmeade, which was the closest location to Hogwarts. Once there, she snuck up to the Shrieking Shack to take the shortest path she could think of onto the school grounds: via the Whomping Willow. Making sure that she had something to hit the knot on the tree with to freeze it, she quickly made her way through the old passageway.

Once Lily got through the Willow, she quickly walked up to the castle's front doors. Once inside, and judging by the sounds she heard, Lily concluded that everyone much be in the Great Hall for lunch. She found her way there instantly, the doors echoing throughout the room as she pushed them open. Unfortunately, as she did so, everyone in the Hall fell silent and turned their heads to look at her.

Lily could feel the tears stinging the back of her eyes, but she did her best to blink them back. Somehow, through all of this, she managed to make eye contact with the Headmaster, who nodded at her knowingly before standing and whispering something to Professor McGonnagal, who looked shocked and even raised a hand to her mouth before nodding in response to whatever Dumbledore had told her. Dumbledore then excused himself from the head table and walked over to Lily, ignoring the curious looks and questioning whispers circulating the Hall, and gestured for her to follow him.

While leading Lily through the various hallways, Dumbledore remained silent, which Lily was most grateful for. Once they reached the entrance to his office though, he broke the silence by stating "Raisinette," to which the wall replied by opening up and allowing them to pass through. Dumbledore opened the door to his office and gestured for Lily to sit down. He then walked around his desk and found his own seat.

"I had a sneaking suspicion that you would visit me today," Dumbledore told her, "and that is why I stayed behind, even though the Ministry asked me to attend the Catherine Lestrange trial. I trust that James is there, however?" Lily lowered her eyes and nodded. "Well, perhaps now we can discuss certain things that we could not in his presence. What is it that has brought you to me today?"

"Severus. Severus Snape," Lily said.

"I was very afraid that those would be two words to come out of your mouth," Dumbledore sighed. "What have you heard about Severus?"

Before Lily knew what she was doing, she told Dumbledore all about her encounter with Snape in Diagon Alley.

"And he handed you this address before he disapparated?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir." Lily was near tears. "He sounded horrible, as though he was expecting to be attacked at any moment."

"No doubt he was, Lily. I expect that James has told you what your friend has been up to this past year, correct?"

Lily looked up at Dumbledore, genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "It seems that Severus has made the mistake of joining the forces of Voldemort. Judging by his actions though, both concerning you I might add, he has seen the error of his ways. I will do as he wishes and meet him here."

"Are you sure that's wise, sir? If he really is in league with Voldemort."

"I will be able to take care of the situation, I am sure. It all will turn out right, I promise you," he told her soothingly. "You had best head home though, I'm sure James will be requiring your support once he returns."

Lily nodded and began to rise from her seat. A thought then crossed her mind though, causing her to sit back down. "Professor?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"You said that Severus's actions both had to do with me. Did you mean that time when I was in the hospital?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I told you that it was he who brought the potion that cured you, as well as who it was who wished you harm."

"I remember," she whispered. She then raised her gaze to meet Dumbledore's. "Do you think he's trying to make things right?"

"One can only hope for as much. For now, leave him to me. Go home, and get some rest." Lily couldn't help but notice that the twinkle had returned to his eyes. "We would all like for you to deliver a happy, healthy baby."

Lily smiled for the first time since their meeting. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways, just as you have yours. Hagrid will escort you safely into Hogsmeade, where I presume that you will return home from."

"Yes, thank you."

"Of course, Lily." Dumbledore stood, and Lily did the same. She turned to leave the room, but quickly changed her mind. Before leaving, she wrapped her arms around Dumbledore in a big hug. He held her to him for a moment, kissed the top of her head, and then released her. "Thank you," he said.

"I'll see you soon," Lily told him. She then started to walk out of the office.

"Lily?" he called after her. "Never underestimate the power of love. It can do wonders," he smiled. "And be sure to send an owl to your Gran. She misses you!"

Lily grinned. "Thanks again," she said, just before leaving his office for good.

As promised, Hagrid met Lily by the castle doors and escorted her back to Hogsmeade. They then said their goodbyes after Lily both insisted that Hagrid come for tea one day soon and promising to visit with the baby once he was born.

Lily received quite a shock when she apparated home. James was actually there already, and he was fit to be tied. Furniture was overturned, paper and bits of parchment were scattered all over the place. There was even shards of glass scattered over the floor.

"I take it things didn't go so well?" Lily asked calmly. James couldn't even answer her. The only noise he made was a sort of grunt. Lily reached out to touch him, but he quickly pulled away. "James, talk to me. Please?"

James looked up at his wife and immediately fell to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Lily ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She could feel him shaking in her grasp, from an odd mixture of rage and suffering.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No, no." Lily said, beginning to rock him back and forth. "It's alright. Look." She pulled out her wand, and with a simple flick of her wrist, everything was back to normal.

"It's not that, Lil. I'm sorry for everything."

"What do you mean?"

"For getting you involved in this. everything that's happened, it's my fault!"

"That's not true. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one who Voldemort is after. If anything, I'm the one to blame for our losses."

"No," James said sternly. "If I had just been more prepared, then none of this would have happened." His expression suddenly changed. "You weren't there. You didn't hear her."

"What happened?"

"Crouch actually was going to give her a chance. He was going to give that bitch a second chance. Said he would go easier on her if she would give information about her fellow Death Eaters and the whereabouts of Voldemort. Of course, she refused. She insisted that she would never betray him, that she would die for him. She even said that she believed he would save our world. bring our kind back to the power that is rightfully ours, she said. Can you believe that?"

"And Crouch?"

"He sentenced her to Azkaban, naturally. Personally, I think she should have received the Dementor's Kiss straight away, but he didn't decree it, but she will rot away there, just like her husband and every other piece of treacherous vermin that crosses to the Dark Side."

Lily sighed and nodded her head. "I know, honey, I know," she said. She then lifted herself up off of the floor and offered her hand to James, who took it and pulled himself up as well. "Come on," Lily sighed, "Let's get you off to bed."

"Lil, I'm really not tired. just upset."

"Even so, I think it's best. I'll make a sleeping potion for you. Maybe when you wake up you'll feel better."

James woke up at 4 am with a start. As if by some sort of reflex, he jerked himself up, so that he was now sitting. He fumbled around clumsily for his glasses with his right hand and for Lily with his left. When he didn't feel her lying beside him, he really started to worry. He grabbed his glasses and put them on, looking frantically for his wife.

"Lil?" he called nervously. "Where are you, baby?"

"You're up!" Lily breathed. She was standing by the bathroom door and James noticed she was gripping her stomach. "It's time. St. Mungo's. My water broke."

Chapter 24: Harry Potter

"Oh, god! Are you sure?" James threw the covers aside as he spoke, leaping out of bed and hurriedly throwing clothes on.

"Quite sure, James. It's not a false labor, not this time." Lily forced a laugh. Two weeks earlier, to the day, on July 17, Lily and James had made their first trip to the hospital, only to leave empty handed, and a bit embarrassed.

"Have we got everything?" James asked, trying to keep a level head.

"The bag is right there, no! Don't trip on it!" Lily shook her head and giggled as James accidentally walked right into her hospital bag. "Scarlet has been sent, so Sirius and everyone will know to meet us there."

"Jesus, Lil. How long were you going to let me wait before waking me?"

"Can we discuss this later? I'd rather go now. besides, the contra- aahhh!"

"What? What is it?" James rushed to Lily's side and took her in his arms. She was breathing very heavily, trying to use the different breathing techniques she had learned, but not doing so well at it.

"I. need. drugs. do. you. under. stand?" Lily was now wringing his collar.

"Well, I suppose that's our cue to leave," James muttered before disapparating.

By the time Lily and James arrived at the hospital, Sirius was already there (and pacing around like a madman) along with Jem, Remus, Peter, and Aaron (who was sitting in one of the chairs doing a puzzle).

Other than tonight, and the similar scenario two weeks prior, the past few months had been fairly kind to the 5 friends. While Voldemort had been gaining support, nothing he did seemed to directly affect anyone in the Potters' circle of friends. Jem and Sirius had finalized wedding plans (festivities to take place in September), Aaron was happier than ever before, with a real family now, and even friends (other children from magical families), Peter was always busy helping out his friend Augustus at the Ministry, and even Remus had settled back into every day life. James had continued to do his research experiments in the lab he built in his basement, and Lily kept her word to Dumbledore and visited Victoria as often as she could. Now, with this birth, things were really beginning to come together.

James was still carrying Lily in his arms as he rushed past their friends and made his way to the nurses' station. "Hello? Anyone alive back there?" he called.

"James, calm down," Sirius said, walking up behind him.

"I think it's time James. Do something." Lily said, tears filling her emerald eyes.

A nurse suddenly appeared with a wheelchair for Lily. "Set her down here, please," she requested.

James did as he was told, but refused to let go of his wife's hand. He looked up at Sirius and everyone else, smiled slightly, and said, "I'll be back soon," before he was led away by the nurse.

Lily was crying and grabbing onto the cuff of James's sleeve. "James, it hurts, make it stop! Please tell them to make it stop!"

James was very worried about Lily, and upset with the nurse for not doing anything. "Aren't you going to help her?" he exclaimed.

"The doctor will be right in," the nurse curtly told him. She then closed the door to the delivery room.

A second later, a very familiar face entered the room with a loud pop. "Dr. Voyles! Finally!" James said.

Dr. Voyles had a large grin on his face. "And how are we feeling, Lily?"

"Not so good. It really hurts, a lot," she cried.

"Well, how about taking a sip of this," Voyles said, summoning a small goblet and offering it to Lily. "It's just a potion to ease your pain and accelerate the birthing process."

Lily grabbed the goblet from his hand and drank it down in one gulp. From the moment it past her lips, she began to feel a great deal better. "Thank you so much, Dr. Voyles," she sighed happily. James was very thankful too. Now that Lily was no longer in such pain, he could take his nearly broken hand back.

"Well, now that that is taken care of, let's have a look and see how close we are," Voyles said to the couple. After examining Lily he told her that she wasn't quite ready yet, but that it should take place rather soon. He then left the room to give Lily and James some privacy.

"James, your hand, are you ok?"

"It's fine. Nothing that a trip to the nurses' station won't heal," he said lightly. Lily giggled. "What's so funny?"

"I can barely feel anything below my waist," Lily said, giggling again. "Is that ok?"

James couldn't help but smile. "I think that just means that the potion is working."

Dr. Voyles returned 20 minutes later to check on Lily. It seemed that he walked in just in time, for the potion was beginning to wear off, or so Lily thought. In reality, all that was going on was that the baby was ready to be delivered.

"Once more push, Lily. That's it, just one more and that'll be all, I promise," Dr. Voyles told her.

"Come on, baby. You can do it," James said encouragingly, despite the fact that Lily was nearly breaking his hand again.

"I- hate- you- James- Potter! Never- touch- me- again!" Lily was saying through clenched teeth.

James looked very hurt and concerned. The nurse in the room noticed this and smiled. "Don't worry about it," she whispered. "They all say that." She then winked at James, who nodded nervously.

"That's it, Lily, that's it." Voyles was saying.

There was silence for a moment that seemed like an eternity, and then it was suddenly shattered by the cry of a baby.

"You have a son!" Voyles declared.

"How's he look?" Lily whispered. She didn't have the strength to sit up any more, and had since fallen back onto the delivery table.

"Perfect," James said, grinning from ear to ear. "Can I hold him?"

"Certainly you can," the nurse said, smiling. She handed the small baby, now bundled in a blue blanket, to James.

"He has your eyes," James whispered.

Lily opened her eyes and looked at her new child. "He has your nose." She held her arms out for the baby, and James carefully handed him to her.

"Have you decided on a name?" Voyles asked.

Lily and James both nodded. "Harry," they said at the same time.

"Our little Harry Potter," Lily sighed, tickling the baby's chin.

Dr. Voyles returned to check on the new family. "How is everyone? Lily, do you feel alright?"

"I couldn't be better," she told him, smiling her winning smile.

"I'm glad to hear it." He then turned to James. "James, you might want to go out to the waiting room and inform your friends of the birth. They're all growing rather anxious as I refused to say anything, assuming that you would prefer to be the one to tell them the news."

James broke into a wide grin. "I'll be right back." He kissed Lily's forehead and then Harry's, and rushed out of the room.

It turns out that not only had Sirius returned to pacing around the room, but Remus, and even Peter now joined him. The three kept knocking into each other, as they were all on different courses. Jem was now sitting and playing with Aaron, although it was obvious that her attentions were elsewhere. When James appeared though, everyone froze and looked up at him expectantly.

"Everything is fine. Lily did great, the baby is beautiful and healthy. he has Lily's eyes."

"And?" Jem prodded.

"Harry. Harry James Potter." James tried, but for some reason he just couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. "I have a son!"

Everyone rushed over to James. Sirius slapped him on the back, Peter shook his hand, Remus patted his shoulder, and Jem hugged him. Everyone was congratulating him.

"Where's Miss Lily?" Aaron asked quietly.

"She's still in the room with the baby," James answered.

"Can we see her?"

"I- I don't know. Let me check, ok?"

Aaron nodded, as did everyone else. "Hurry though, we want to see the kid!" Sirius winked.

James returned barely two minutes later and gestured for everyone to follow him. He led them down a hallway and into the room where Lily was sitting up in bed holding a little blue bundle in her arms.

"Hi," Lily said quietly, the smile never disappearing from her face.

Jem rushed to her side and gently brushed the hair away from Lily's eyes. "You look really good," she said. "And so do you!" she practically squeaked at the baby. "You are both so lucky."

"Don't hog him," Sirius said. "Let's all have a look."

"Sirius, hush!" Jem hissed. "He's sleeping." she now had a dreamy sort of expression on her face that made Lily giggle.

"Do you want to hold him?" she offered.

Jem's face lit up. "Of course!" She very carefully took Harry from his mother's arms and cradled him in her own. "Look at you," she whispered. "You're darling little face, and those hands. Look at the little toes!"

Sirius, Remus, James and Peter all rolled their eyes. "Women," Remus muttered, causing James and Peter to snicker.

"What was that?" Lily asked, pretending to be very annoyed.

"Nothing," Remus responded quickly. "Can I see the baby now?"

"Just be careful with him, Remus," James said, punching his shoulder lightly.

Jem handed Harry to Remus, who seemed to melt instantly. "This one's gonna be just like you, James, I just know it."

James grinned proudly. "I certainly hope so." This, however, cause Lily to roll her eyes.

"How about letting his godfather have a go, huh? A little respect is definitely missing for the most important person in the kid's life," Sirius declared.

"Right," Lily smiled. "How foolish of us."

Remus bounced the baby over to Sirius, whose face also softened the second he held Harry in his arms. "Okay, listen to me, Harry. I am your godfather, and nothing will ever change that. When your mum and dad are being annoying, you come to me and I'll handle it, ok? Deal?" Sirius gently shook Harry's hand. "Good." He was now grinning as well.

"How about giving him back to his dad," James said, extending his arms out to take Harry in them once again.

"Yeah, sure, I guess. It's not like you can't hold him any old time that you want," Sirius teased. "And what about Peter? He hasn't gotten to give little Harry here a proper hello!"

"Th-that's alright, Sirius. I'm n-not so good with babies," Peter stammered.

"If you're sure," James said. Peter nodded. "Then back to daddy with you," James grinned.

Just then a nurse entered the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are over. Anyone who isn't a new mum or dad, or baby, needs to leave."

"Couldn't we just have a few more minutes?" Remus asked.

"Mother and baby need their rest," the nurse insisted. "They should be ready to go home tomorrow though, so I'm sure you can all continue to celebrate then."

"Thank you," Lily told her. She then turned to look at everyone else. "Thanks for coming, and we will see you all tomorrow, I'm sure."

In truth, Lily was grateful for the nurse shooing everyone out of the room. She was very tired after her long day, and wanted some time alone with Harry and James.

The following morning, Lily was feeling very excited about returning home with Harry. "Do you think he'll like the nursery?" she asked James nervously. "Maybe we should have changed the colour of the wall paper back to the light green."

James smiled. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm sure Harry will be perfectly happy at home with us. I mean, honestly, who wouldn't, Lil?" Lily laughed lightly, which pleased James since that's what he had been hoping to do. "Besides, he'll be in our room for the first few weeks anyhow, so we can gradually introduce him to the rest of the house."

"You're right, I know you're right. I'm just being silly, aren't I? Mummy is being a silly girl, yes she is!" Lily said to Harry, who was gurgling happily.

Suddenly, the smile on Lily's face faded and a confused expression took its place. "James?"

"Hmm?"

"How are we getting home?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't apparate with Harry."

James smiled. "Oh! Don't worry about that. I've arranged it. We're being picked up by a Ministry car. Should be here any minute."

Sure enough, within five minutes time, the Potters found themselves in the back of a Ministry car on their way home. James sat with his arm around Lily, who was holding Harry, who was fast asleep from the moment the car door closed.

Lily was very relieved to be home once again. Beyond that, she was ecstatic to find that Jem had been kind enough to prepare several meals for her and James and left them in the freezer. Lily and James both smiled when they saw that there was a banner hanging in the living room that said "Welcome Home Harry!" flashing in bright red and gold letters. On either side, there was a Gryffindor lion.

"Don't you think they're getting a little ahead of themselves?" Lily smiled.

"It's never too early! You think our son wouldn't be in Gryffindor? After all, he is already on the list for Hogwarts."

"I know, I know," Lily sighed. She then lifted Harry out of his carriage and showed the banner to him. "See? Everyone is very excited about you! They're already trying to teach you school spirit and House pride!" Harry just yawned and wiggled a little. Lily smiled. "I'm going to go lie down with him for a while, I think. I feel fatigued."

"And understandably so. I'll be up shortly to check on you, just need to pop into the lab and get a bit done."

Over the course of the next week, Lily and James found that they had to readjust their lives to make even more room for Harry. After a few days though, they got used to his schedule for feedings and sleeping, somehow managing to change their own habits to match his.

Lily woke up early on the morning of August 7th and quickly got dressed. No sooner had she buttoned her blouse though than Harry started to cry. "I guess it's time for your breakfast, huh, little guy?" she said. Lily reached down into Harry's cradle and lifted him up, carrying him over to a chair by the window. "Let's try not to wake daddy up though, he's had a long night." She then undid her blouse, readjusted herself, and began to feed the baby.

"Morning," James said groggily.

Lily smiled. "I didn't think you were up yet. Sorry."

James yawned. "It's ok. What time is it?"

"Nearly half-eight."

"What are you doing up so early?"

"I'm taking Harry to meet Gran today, remember?"

"Mmm hmm. That's right, sorry." He yawned again. "He eating alright?"

"Yeah, he's a hungry little man this morning, aren't you?"

James sat up and smiled. He reached over for his glasses. "You really are beautiful, you know that?"

"James, shut up." Lily laughed. "I'm half dressed and have a baby attached to me. That does not make anyone beautiful."

"I think that's where you're wrong. You look wonderful right now."

Lily blushed slightly. "Well, thank you." Before she could say anything else though, Harry started to cry again. "All finished, are we? I'd better get him ready. We're to be there in 20 minutes." Lily stood up, Harry still held tightly in her arms, and walked over to James. "Hold him for a minute so I can fix myself up?"

"I'll even get him ready to go for you," he winked.

"Why are you so good to me?" Lily joked.

"Just lucky, I guess! Now, come on Harry, daddy's going to get you dressed. You've got an excitingly boring day-"

"James!"

"Ahead of you!" James grinned as he carried Harry out of their room and into the nursery to get him ready.

It took some time, but eventually Lily was ready along with Harry and his baby bag. Once the goodbyes were said, Lily carried Harry out into the taxi that was waiting for them. She would have to travel by floo powder to get to the Palace, and since their fireplace was not connected to the floo network, this involved going over to Jem & Sirius's house to use theirs.

Lily and Harry finally made it to the Palace of the Prophets, only about 15 minutes late. Victoria was standing by the fireplace in her office waiting for them, with a warm smile lighting up her face. "Lily, my dear child," Victoria said as Lily materialized in the fireplace. "And this must be our little miracle," she said softly. "May I?"

"Of course!" Lily carefully handed Harry over to Victoria and then set the baby bag down.

"Such a small child with such large responsibilities," Victoria whispered. "But you will live up to every expectation, I am certain of that." She then kissed Harry gently on the forehead.

If Lily heard what Victoria just said to Harry, she showed no sign of it. Instead, she continued to brandish her smile and busied herself getting a bottle ready for Harry. The rest of the day was a very enjoyable one, Harry was introduced to the other prelates, all of whom were very anxious and excited to see him, none more so than Victoria however.

When it came time for Lily and Harry to go home, Victoria held the baby in her arms once again, only this time, much to Lily's surprise, she pulled out a small dagger and pricked Harry's forehead. She then pricked her own finger, and blended their blood. "You are now guarded by your ancestors," she whispered. She then kissed Harry goodbye and handed him back to his mother, who she also kissed goodbye. "Be sure to come back again soon, alright, dear?"

Lily forced a smile. "Of course, Gran." She then turned back to the fireplace and left with Harry the way they had arrived.

Chapter 25: True Colors

"James?" Lily called once she walked into their house. "James? Are you here?"

"I'm upstairs, Lil!" he called back. "Just got out of the shower! Down in a minute!"

Lily shook her head silently as she walked into the living room and dropped the baby bag onto the couch. She then set Harry down into his baby chair with a pacifier, and collapsed onto the loveseat. She just couldn't get what Victoria had done out of her head. Instead, she kept replaying it over and over in her mind.

"Heya sunshine," James said brightly, leaping over the back of the loveseat and landing next to Lily. He gave her a light kiss. "How's Gran doing?"

"She's good. she was very, er- excited to finally meet Harry," Lily said, sounding somewhat dazed.

James picked up on this right away, of course. "What happened, baby?"

"I don't know, exactly."

"What?"

"Look at Harry's forehead."

James got up from the couch and walked over to Harry's chair. He very carefully lifted him up (Harry was asleep) and noticed a small cut on his forehead. "Where did he get that?"

"Gran."

"I don't get it."

"She did that to him. She first cut him, and then cut herself. Then she said something about him being protected by ancestors? I don't know, I didn't quite catch it. The really strange thing though is that Harry didn't cry at all. It was almost like he knew what was going on and wasn't scared."

"Well, I'm sure she wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Maybe she just knows something that we don't."

Lily sighed. "That's what I was afraid of." Lily paused, opened her mouth as if to say something, then quickly closed it again.

"What is it, Lil?" James asked, rocking Harry gently in his arms.

"I- I," Lily shook her head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Lil, please. Don't be like that. Tell me."

Lily took a deep breath. "I had that vision again. the night I gave birth to Harry. The same one. that even you saw. What if, I mean, maybe Gran knows more than she lets on." She shook her head again. "Of course she does, that's what she is, a seer, but what I'm trying to say, what if she was helping Harry. helping him to live up to some prophecy?"

"I'm sure she was," James whispered.

The following days went by without any major occurrences, as did the weeks. Before Lily and James knew it, it was already the middle of September and the beginning of fall. Along with Harry, they had gone to Diagon Alley to meet Sirius and Jem, in addition to Remus, for lunch.

Harry was lying happily in his carriage, reaching for his foot and trying to fit it into his mouth. Everyone that the Potters walked by had them stopped so that they could admire the child. And as usual, the smiles never left their faces.

"Oy! James! Over here!" Sirius bellowed.

"There you are! It's a madhouse out here today!" James shouted back. He and Lily quickly made their way across the crowded street with the carriage to meet their friends. "What the hell are all these people doing out here anyhow? School is in session, isn't it? And don't people work anymore?"

"You're one to talk, James," Sirius said, hitting his friend on the shoulder.

"That was not by my choice. Seriously though, what's going on?"

"There was just a meeting," Jem started. "About the whole situation with you-know-who."

"Oh, for god's sake, Jem, call him Voldemort," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

Jem sighed and shook her head. "Anyhow, there was another attack last night. People are really starting to worry."

Lily looked nervously at James, who nodded slightly and squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Lil. I promise."

"I know," she whispered. She then took her hand back and lifted Harry out of his carriage. "Could you hand me his bottle out of the bag?"

"How has our little man been doing?" Jem smiled.

"Wonderfully," Lily answered as she started to feed Harry.

"He hardly cries any more, and even sleeps through the night now. It's hard to believe," James added

"And guess what! He's trying to teach himself to roll over. It's just too precious."

Sirius and Remus were rolling their eyes. "Okay, enough of this mummy and daddy talk. Let's order some food," Remus laughed.

The next hour was actually very enjoyable for everyone. The streets slowly began to clear, and the five friends enjoyed a good meal together. Harry sat quite contentedly on Lily's lap, and then James's, looking at different things and watching people as they walked by. He seemed particularly fascinated by an owl that was sitting across the street and staring back at him.

And then it happened. The shadows on the cobblestone and buildings began to grow longer, and a darkness seemed to be stretching across the sky. Everyone looked up, awestruck. Everyone that is, except Harry. His gaze was now fixed on something else. Remus.

Just as James said, "It looks like a solar eclipse," Harry let out a cry.

"What is it, sweetie?" Lily asked her baby, looking down from the sky and at Harry who was in her arms. That's when she saw it. "Remus!" she shouted. "No!"

Everyone else at the table turned instantly. Jem's eyes were wide with fear, as were those of other people surrounding them. Remus was changing. He was transforming into a werewolf.

Not even wasting the time to blink, both James and Sirius jumped out of their chairs and grabbed their friend. They dragged him away from the café, away from the street, and into a back alley. Remus was just about completely transformed, snarling and trying to bite his friends. He no longer seemed to have any control over his senses. His teeth were barely a centimeter away from Sirius's wrist when suddenly it was there no longer. Instead, a large black dog was in his place, snarling and clawing at the now fully changed werewolf. On his other side, James had already taken the shape of a beautiful stag. The two animals somehow managed to circle around the werewolf and eventually were able to control him. They led him further away from the crowd, each hoping that the screams and other noise everyone was making back on the street wouldn't draw his attention.

The eclipse didn't last very long, and once it was over, Padfoot, Prongs and Moony were all back in human form. Remus looked rather sick, so Sirius decided it would probably be best if they apparated back to James's house and waited for him to return with Lily, Harry and Jem. James of course agreed, and once his friends were safely out of Diagon Alley, he made his way back to the café where he had left his wife, child and friend.

"Did you see that?" Jem was still shouting. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was near convulsing between sobs. "All those years. why? How? How dare he!" She kept running her hands through her hair, as if brushing it out of her face even though there was nothing to be moved. Harry had been placed back in his carriage, and he was fine. Lily however was trying to calm her friend down. Unfortunately she was not very successful. "And he left! Can you believe that! They both did. with that- that thing."

"He's not a thing, Jem," Lily interjected. "It's Remus, he's our friend-"

"He is no longer any friend of mine! Imagine the gall! Hiding something like that! And for all those years. If Dumbledore had any idea."

"Jem, that's enough," James said, walking up in front of him. "I'm going to take you to our house, and we'll discuss this there. Alright?" Jem reluctantly nodded. "Lily, you take Harry home. You'll be alright on your own, right?"

Lily nodded. "We'll be fine. Don't even worry."

James sighed. "Good. We'll be there waiting." He kissed both Lily and Harry goodbye and then took Jem's hand. The two of them then disapparated to the Potter home.

When they arrived, Jem was appalled to find Sirius leaning against a kitchen counter talking to Remus, who was sitting at the kitchen table with mug of coffee in his hands and a blanket over his shoulders. This wasn't just any blanket though. This was a blanket that Jem had given Lily at her baby shower. "Get my blanket off of that werewolf!" she shouted.

"Jem!" Sirius yelled back. He had fire burning in his eyes.

"I can't believe you!" she yelled again. "Look at what he is! What he could have done to all of us!"

"He is our friend, Jem."

"And one that you shouldn't talk about as if he's not here," James added, sitting down next to Remus.

"It's ok," Remus said. "Let her get it out."

Jem shot him a look of pure hatred and disgust. "I don't need any support from you, werewolf."

Just then the door opened and Lily walked in with Harry. "What's going on?" she asked once she saw everyone in the kitchen.

"They're actually defending him! Can you believe that, Lily? Defending a werewolf!"

"I can believe that, actually."

Jem looked at Lily as if she were crazy. Everyone was now staring at her, waiting for her next move. "You're all mad."

"No, we're not," Sirius said, moving toward her. "If you'll just listen."

"To what?" She looked around the room again. "You knew," she whispered. "You all knew and didn't say or do anything? He could have killed all of us!"

Remus finally spoke again. "Jem, please. You don't understand."

"What is there to understand?"

"A lot," he said softly. "Jem, Dumbledore knew. I was bitten when I was very young-"

"And he still admitted you to Hogwarts?"

"With certain precautions, yes."

Jem shook her head. "I don't care what you say. A werewolf has no place in the civilized world. Leave us. Get out!"

"Jem, calm down," James said. "Remus is not going anywhere."

"Then we are!" She grabbed Sirius's hand and started walking out. Sirius however, refused to move. "What are you doing?"

"I'm staying with my friends."

"You would rather stay here? With them?"

"You're damn right I would."

Jem shook her head in disbelief. "You will choose. Them, with the werewolf, or me. What's it going to be?"

"Them."

"What?"

"You heard me. Unlike you, I value my friendships. I think it's time for you to leave us. Goodbye, Jem."

Nobody could believe what Sirius had just said. Jem let out a small noise that sounded like a cross between a scream and a squeak. She then turned and walked out of the kitchen, stomped her way to the front door, and slammed it behind her.

Remus turned to look at Sirius with sullen eyes. "You didn't have to do that," he whispered.

"Yes, Moony, I did." Sirius's voice cracked as he spoke. "Today she showed her true colors, that's all." He sighed. "I'm just glad that I found out now, before it was too late."

Lily walked over to Sirius and gave him a big hug. "If you need anything."

Sirius held Lily for a moment before replying. "I'll be fine."

Remus suddenly stood up. "This can't happen again."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"It never even occurred to me before that a solar eclipse would have this affect on me. and out in public no less."

"Remus."

"I've got to go. Really, this time. It's just too dangerous."

"Where would you go?" Lily asked nervously.

Remus shook his head. "I don't know. Somewhere that I won't be a danger to anyone but myself."

"Well," James began, "before you go anywhere, we all need to talk." Sirius and Remus looked at him quizzically. "With Peter," he finished.

"Why? What happened?" Sirius asked.

James looked at Lily who met his eye. She then lowered her eyes and nodded solemnly, swallowing hard before leaving the room to tend to Harry.

"What is it?" he asked again.

James sighed. "We need to wait for Peter. All will be explained then."

Sirius and Remus exchanged uneasy glances before nodding.

"When will he meet us?" Remus asked.

"Tomorrow evening. We'll see you both then." James then led his friends out, locking and bolting the door behind them.

"Professor Dumbledore will be here tomorrow night as well," Lily quietly told James.

"But how-"

"The fire," Lily explained, "I got a hold of him while you were talking to the boys."

"Are you sure we need him here?"

"I really do think it is a good idea. You've been working with him, he knows what's going on. Also, it will give him the opportunity he needs to take care of Harry."

"Do you really think-"

"It must be done."

Judging by Lily's tone, James thought it best not to press the matter further.