A/N: I'm not going to be here to upload the story tomorrow so rather then not upload it till Sunday, I desided I'd upload a little earily for you all! R&R!

Chapter 3

A New Beginning

As happens sometimes when you're expecting a child, you can go into labor unexpectedly. Such a thing happened when Sirius, James and little Harry where at the park. Harry had been alone in the house with his mother helping her clean the living room when she suddenly gave a cry.

'What? What is it?' asked Harry, instantly on alert. It was a quality that still hadn't left him since he'd left his old life.

'My water just broke!'

'Please tell you just mean a water balloon or something.'

'No', said Lily shaking her head. 'My water for the baby. Great... James just left! See if you can catch him!'

Harry nodded and ran to the door. He wrenched it open and looked around wildly. James and Sirius weren't anywhere in sight. Harry swore under his breath and slammed the door shut.

'Their gone', he said rushing back into the room. Lily was sitting down in the rocking chair and there was a large puddle of water on the floor. Harry swore again and ran both of his hands through his hair, totally panicking. Lily wasn't much better off.

'My due date isn't for another month', she said breathing hard. 'This baby can't come yet!'

When he had been allowed to watch TV with his aunt, Harry had been forced to watch soap operas and reality programs. Maybe they could come in handy, if he had no other choice...

'Can't we just Appearate to a hospital or something.'

'No', said Lily shaking her head and holding her stomach. 'James and I decided to have the baby at home like we did with Harry. Ouch!'

She leaned forward as she had a contraction. Harry held her hand as it came and went, nearly having his hand break as she gripped it painfully.

'OK, er...' Harry hit his head trying to think quickly. 'Come on.' He grabbed her hand and helped her out of the rocking chair, water trailing out of somewhere Harry didn't want to think about. He led her to the master bedroom and on the way she had another contraction.

'Wait a moment', Harry gasped as she gripped his hand again. 'You're contractions should be further apart then they are!'

'Harry was out in two hours', hissed Lily in pain. 'This little one shouldn't be any different.'

'Great.'

Harry helped her on to the bed and knew the part that was coming next wasn't going to be much fun. Harry pulled at his hair, trying to delay the moment, but his mom decided to ask the question he didn't want to find out.

'How many centimeters am I dilated?'

Harry gritted his teeth in nervousness.

'Can't you, like, check that yourself in a mirror or something?'

Lily gave him an incredulous look.

'Are you kidding me? No, I can't. You have to check.'

If Harry could have been anywhere else, he would have been anywhere else. As Lily wiggled her wet underwear off, she had another contraction and accidentally ripped them off. She shrugged and threw them aside. Squirming and completely grossed out, Harry bent down and pulled back the dress Lily had put on that day. Then he suddenly realized he didn't know the metric system.

'How much is ten centimeters?' he asked Lily. She motioned towards a chest of drawers.

'There's a metric ruler in there because James didn't know either when delivering Harry.'

Harry rushed over to the draw and ripped it open. At the bottom of the draw, passed the socks and underwear, was a yellow ruler. On the ruler were lines placed about a pinky width apart. Harry gasped at the ruler then looked at Lily.

'You're supposed to push a baby out of this small of a hole?'

'Look, I said I was having a kid. I didn't say it was easy! Now go get some towels from the linen closet, come back and measure.'

Harry left the room and grabbed the towels like he was told. As he entered the room again, he heard a crash from downstairs. Harry rounded on Lily.

'Is the Fidelius Charm still on the house?'

'Yes.'

Harry saw a knife lying on top of another chest of drawers.

'Where did that come from?'

'James keeps a knife up here in case things get beyond magic', Lily answered shifting her position. She didn't seem to have heard the noise. Harry grabbed the knife.

'Stay here', he told her. 'I heard something downstairs. It may be nothing but I want to check it out.'

Lily nodded bewilderedly. Harry gripped the knife and turned to the doorway to see a cloaked figure step into the doorway. Harry held the knife so it was visible to the stranger.

'Who are you?' Harry asked. The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he pulled off his hood and revealed a pasty face and small watery eyes. Harry's heart filled with rage.

'Peter?' Lily whispered in surprise from the bed.

'You', Harry hissed hatefully. Wormtail smiled and pulled out his wand. Harry realized he had no clue where his was. So, instead, he lunged at Wormtail and pinned him to the floor. The wand was knocked clear out of his hand. Harry didn't look to see where it went. Instead, he held the knife under Peter's throat.

'James?' whispered Peter, looking almost confused. 'James, please...'

'I'm not James', Harry hissed. 'I only look like him.'

Peter was beginning to whimper in fright.

'What?' hissed Harry with malice. 'You scared because you've just met you masters killer?'

Peter's eyes widened in shock and fear.

'Ron, let him go.'

Harry whipped his head around and saw Lily staring at him. In her eyes there also burned hatred but there was also pity.

'He doesn't deserve to live!' Harry roared. 'He nearly killed you!'

'But he doesn't deserve to die either, because he didn't kill us', said Lily as calmly as she could. 'Let him go.'

Harry turned back to look at Peter. He had let Wormtail go once, and it had lead to Voldemort's resurrection. But he obeyed his mother. He threw the knife aside and grabbed Wormtail by the scruff of his neck. Harry had grown since the last time he'd seen Wormtail so he towered over him. Wormtail didn't even try to resist Harry. Harry marched him down the stairs, through the kitchen and threw him out of the door. Wormtail landed in a rose bush, scratching himself open. Harry didn't care. He closed the door and locked it, then rushed back up to his mother.

Harry, without a word, checked how many centimeters she was dilated.

'How can you be dilated seven centimeters?' Harry asked her. 'You just broke your water not even half an hour ago!'

'Witches have less labor time then muggles', Lily hissed in pain. 'It's some sort of magical thing witches have.'

'Oh.'

Harry kept the knife close by should Wormtail try to visit them again. He took one of the towels he'd grabbed from the closet and placed between his mother's legs. When the baby was out, he would clean it, then wrap it up with this towel. Harry was still on edge but Lily seemed strangely clam.

'You can relax for a little while Ron', she said. 'It's going to be a little while yet.'

Harry nodded and sat back, still on edge a bit. He hoped James, Sirius and Little Harry would get home soon.

The last three centimeters took longer then the first seven had. It took about another half an hour, but to Harry that was still too quick. James needed to be here for this...

'Well? Am I ten centimeters or what?'

Harry sighed.

'You're ten centimeters...'

'Good, because I was going to push anyways! This kid is coming out!'

Lily sat up and began to push. Harry looked down and saw the top of a head beginning to slide out. He held out his hands ready to catch the little one. Just then the front door slammed.

'Hello?' called James.

'Up here', Harry shouted back, now cradling the newborn's head. James charged up the steps quickly followed by Sirius and Little Harry. James crashed into the room and when he saw his wife, sweating and pushing, he instantly went to her side and held her hand. Sirius got a glance of what was happening and led Little Harry back downstairs to distract him.

The shoulders were now out.

'One last push Lily, that's all I need!' Harry said.

'Come on Lils', whispered James encouragingly. Lily groaned then pushed again. The little one slid out and Harry saw it was a girl. He cleaned her mouth of the stuff that was found inside of a mothers womb and then wrapped her up in the towel as she began to cry. There was no umbilical cord, but if the little one was crying, then everything must be all right.

'It's a girl', Harry said, handing her to James. Harry was sure James wouldn't want him holding the little one. But James refused to take her.

'You've earned it to hold her', he said and for once, he smiled at Harry. 'You could have left Lily alone in labor, which I thought you would do. But you didn't. Instead, you helped her deliver the baby. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you've also earned my trust.'

Harry grinned and looked down at the baby girl, who was no longer crying. Instead, she looked up at Harry with her big, blue eyes.

'So what's her name?'

'Hailey', answered Lily. 'We decided on Hailey before Harry was born. If Harry had been a girl, we would have named him Hailey.'

Harry nodded and looked down at the little girl again. Harry suddenly realized, with a bit of a shock, that the day was March 29th, five years to the day when Harry had come back to save himself and his parents.