Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the process of the ingenious creation of Harry Potter.

At the heart lies…

Chapter three: The Baby

Sirius and five other aurors waited outside an antique, Victorian home. Two of them waited by a set of windows while Sirius and the other two waited in the bushes on the other end of the house. He hated volunteering now. His best friend's wife had just gone into labor and as Godfather he felt he should be there.

"Sirius, pay attention," one of his partners hissed. Sirius mouthed an apology but the auror wasn't paying attention. He instead had his face staring back into the window where two men wearing black cloaks and masks instantly appeared. There was no doubt these men were death eater. They both took off their cloaks to reveal dark sweaters that were at least one shade lighter then black. The man who was closer to the window through his cloak to the other man and walked towards the stairs that were closer to where the other aurors were. The second man stayed behind just long enough to put them in the closet before following his friend up the stairs.

"Damn," The auror that was silent whispered. "We have to hear what they're saying." Sirius looked back in to the window and saw one of the aurors on the other end of the house take his index finger and point up.

Sirius looked up and saw a tiny ledge big enough for one person to stand on right outside a window. There were no way for anyone to climb up and Sirius felt that it would be stupid to apparate up there.

"Brian, levitate me up there," he whispered to the man next to him. The auror nodded then reached into his pocket for his wand. He pointed it at Sirius and whispered the incantation.

He felt his feet leave the ground. Levitation was like nothing he had ever expected. His wait seemed to shift back and forth and a couple of times he must have flipped in the midair. When he reached level with the window he jumped on to the ledge and gripped the side of the house.

He pressed his body against it and peered into the window. There were twenty death eaters kneeling in a circle around a tall man with horribly almond shaped eyes that could belong to no other man then Voldamort. His skin was a paper white and he could slightly see the veins in his face. He could also see his lips moving but no sound came out.

"Crap," he mumbled. He pushed his back against the wall again before any one could notice him. He gripped his wand and pointed it at the window. "Souncein," he whispered. Suddenly through the glass he could here the faintest of voices.

"-Come forward," Voldamort commanded. A dark haired woman with deep brown eyes walked towards the center of the group and bowed before her lord. She was 17 only two years younger then Sirius. "Did you know," he said loudly to the audience of death eaters, "That I sent this young woman to kidnap the Longbottom child?"

Sirius gasped. That was his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Not only did she fail her mission, miserably but now I'm being told that Potter's whore is giving birth!" He shouted. He then turned his attention to Bellatrix. "You failed. Not only do we still have to kill the first brat but now we have a second one to deal with! Crucio!" His cousin let out a blood-curling scream. "Find the mudblood. Find her and kill her with that brat."

"Yes sir," the death eaters said in unison.

James stared down at his wife. She was screaming her head off and several doctors had to come to keep her on the hospital bed. After a couple of hours of this, Lily was finally worn out and James was allowed to hold her hand again without fear of her breaking his fingers. Looking back at her earlier he recognized her screaming and crying as that he heard in the cave with Sirius.

The doctor whose name is Gregiles stood at the end of the bed next to several nurses who were scurrying around with medical supplies. Lily was breathing really fast and was gripping James's hand like she was afraid he'd disappear.

Lily didn't say anything but her eyes spoke everything. She looked like she was dieing and James didn't want to see her like this but he couldn't bring it to his heart to tear his eyes away from her and show that he's afraid.

There was a muffled crack that snapped his attention to the doctor. Dr. Gregiles gaped at Lily's vagina. Amniotic fluids were spilling out of it along with solid white matters that were stained red from the blood. He was having trouble identifying what it exactly was. There was another crack from inside her and she let out a piercing scream.

"What the hell," Dr. Gregiles mumbled.

"What's going on? What's wrong with my wife?" James yelled. Lily seemed to be growing faint. James quickly turned his attention to Lily, "Lily, oh my God, Lily, don't close your eyes. Dr! Dr!" James called but she didn't seemed to hear him.

A sudden buzzing sound wrung through the room. A nurse rushed to Lily's side and began to check her eyes.

"Oh my God!" She whispered. "Dr, hurry up with that baby!" she yelled. James suddenly felt cold as the nurse walked a wall and stroked a mirror that hung from it. Fog began to drift across. When it cleared, the nurse practically yelled for back up doctors. "Get him out of here." She commanded to another nurse. The nurse walked over to James and began to pull him over to the door.

"Come on," she said as James tried to resist her.

"No!" He yelled, "What's wrong?" Doctors came in and immediately went to Lily's bed.

"I believe she's having an aneurysm and she's having white matter, like very thin bone coming out, almost like an egg shell-," the nurse said to one of the new doctors. That was all James heard before the door closed behind him.

"I'll ask you to wait here or in the waiting room until were finished," She said. Her voice was calm as if nothing big was happening and it just ticked him off. How could she stand here calmly while his wife and unborn child in there dieing?

He didn't have the strength to do anything so he just stood there and leaned against the wall. The nurse gave a sympathetic glance before rushing back in side. As she opened the door James was again bothered by the sounds that had come out. He was all alone now.

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Jack and Charla Potter, along with Anthony and Georgia Evens rushed into St. Mungos. Sirius who had witnessed the death eaters meeting was running as fast as he could to the main desk.

The receptionist gave him a pleasant, slightly amused smile. "Hello-"

"Where are they? What room?" He yelled. Everyone else finally caught up with him. They gave him a worried glance. None of them had expected that Sirius would go crazy over Lily's pregnancy, than again, none of them knew what Sirius heard.

"Hold on." The woman behind the desk smiled, "I'm gonna need the patient's name."

"Lily Potter," Remus supplied.

The woman began looking down the row patient names. She paused near the bottom. "Oh," she said. She looked up and gave them an emotional look before it quickly disappeared. "No visitors, I'm sorry."

"What? They don't want me back there? Where does it say that?" He tried to take the parchment away but she quickly grabbed it back.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the woman's voice suddenly got stiff and guarded, "But no visitors." Her eyes traveled over the company behind Sirius, "Can I have some names, please?"

"Sirius Black, This is Remus Lupin, Jack and Charla Potter, Anthony and Georgia Evens, and Peter Pettigrew, were family and friends of James and Lily. Please its important that I at least speak to James."

"And see our Grandchild," Said Georgia. There were nods of agreement.

The receptionist gave them a pitying look. "I don't know about the baby and Mrs. Potter is definitely not ready for company but I can have someone get Mr. Potter for you,"

"I guess that'll do," Sirius mumbled. The receptionist motioned for a nurse to go gather James and told the family to go wait in the waiting room.

The room was large and over crowded. There was only one seat left and by the time they got there a man wearing a purple cloak had taken it up.

"What's taking so long," Sirius complained

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Remus whispered when they found a less crowded corner.

"Something important, 'Moony'," Sirius exaggerated Remus's nickname. "I have to tell James."

"Padfoot?" there was a weak voice from behind. They all snapped their attention to James who was standing next to the nurse.

The nurse turned her head to James and whispered, "Would you like somewhere private to talk?"

"James nodded, "Thank you, please."

The nurse nodded then patted his shoulder before leading the group down a hallway into an empty office.

"I'll come back in 10 minutes," she said before leaving.

"James, Voldamort is going to attack you, Lily, and Harry." Sirius rambled out.

"What?"

"Who?" Asked Anthony and Georgia asked.

"Voldamort," James said, "He's an evil wizard who hates muggles." The two muggles looked confused but seemed to understand that Voldemort was evil. Charla walked over to them and wrapped her arm around the two. "Lily . . ." he couldn't continue.

"James," Jack said. James scrunched his face up and broke out into sobs.

"Lily, she had an aneurysm," Everyone's face took on a look of horror.

"Oh, James, I'm so sorry-" Sirius said.

"I don't know if she's alright or not, Harry wasn't even out when she had it."

"Oh James," Jack said, "I don't-,"

"Don't worry," Remus said, 'Magical remedies are more modern now. I'm sure Lily will be fine." But his voice betrayed him.

James nodded, "They also had some complications with Harry. They found . . . eggshells in her fluids." He was silent as looked back on what the doctors had said; "The doctors were confused as to what to do-"

"Mr. Potter," Everyone turned to the door to the office. The doctor, who entered as James was told to leave, stood at the door.

"Yes," Said both James and Jack.

"Your wife is awake. She's fine but," he paused. James felt so happy that any moment he felt he was going to catch on fire.

"Its your son. I think you had better see this." The doctor led everyone to Lily's room and opened the door for James to enter. Remus was about to enter but the doctor blocked his way. "Family only, I'm sorry."

"Sir," James said. He walked over and stood next Remus, "They are family," The doctor nodded and moved out of the way.

James walked over to the bed and saw Lily holding a bundle in her arms. She wasn't smiling. She was just staring down at it with an almost confused, scared look on her face. She looked up and saw everyone there and gave a relieved sob.

"Oh, James," she cried.

James walked to her side and kneeled. "Is Harry ok? He's all right, right?

"Oh, James," She said. She held the bundle of blankets out to him, "He's healthy… we think."

James took the blankets and smiled when it wiggled but something was wrong. The baby wasn't breathing like a normal baby. In fact it was more a raspy inhale/exhale thing that sounded all too familiar for his liking. He slowly moved his hand to wear the blanket covering its face was. He ignored his family who were just a few feet behind him waiting for him to unveil the baby so they could hug and coo him.

The blanket was removed and he let out a gasp and almost dropped the baby, if he could call it that. Instead of a pink, monkey-like, plush doll he was expecting what he was staring had a long neck and a narrow snout. It had pale white eyes and black scaly skin. Beginning from its throat to the tip of its tails, it had a red patch of smooth skin on its stomach. On the top of its head it had to pearly slightly round horns barely an inch long growing out of him.

"It's a dragon," Lily said quietly. James heard a gasp from his mother-in-law but he ignored. "What kind, were not sure."

James just gapped at Lily. He looked back down at the reptile. He realized why the raspy noise sounded so familiar. It was what he heard when he touched the crystal. It was the same size as a normal baby except it was probably stronger. Unlike most babies he was already wiggling its limbs and moving it's head around. It was kind of cute, he had to admit, in reptile, dragon way. He supported his head as he handed it back to Lily who gently took it in her arms. James turned to his family who were quietly watching in the background. He opened his mouth to speak but got distracted when one of the nurses suddenly ran out of the room. He watched her curiously before turning back to his family.

"James," He turned back to his wife, "can I talk to you alone?"

"S-sure," He turned to his family and nodded to the door. They understood and left, dragging the nurses and doctors away. James turned back to Lily to see her still staring at the dragon.

"I saw this," she said not looking up, "In the second prophecy. There was a boy and a dragon." James sat down on her side of the bed.

"What do you want to do with . . . it?" he asked.

"I want to keep him," she said. Finally she looked up. There were tears welling in her eyes, "When I was having him, he had hatched inside of me." She paused and stared at James face trying to read it, "His shell scratched my insides pretty bad. That's why the birth was so hard."

"I don't understand," He said.

"James, I can't have anymore children. Harry will be the only child I'll ever have." Harry started to squirm. Lily adjusted her arms so she held him with one arm and used the other and opened the end of the blanket so his tail could come out.

She stared at James when a nurse walked into the room, "I'm sorry Mr. Potter but visiting hours are over," She moved aside so the door way was open and James could exit. The nurse smiled, "Ok, Mrs. Potter. Time to put err, Harry in his crib. Mr. Potter I'll show you where he'll be sleeping." She levitated him out of Lily's arms and began to move out of the room into the hallway.

She led him down the hall in the opposite direction as the child ward. It was an empty hall. James turned his head to the squirming dragon. He was finally able to see the whole body and noticed a trail of spikes down his back. He also noticed that he had a set of wrinkled wings pressed to his back. He could see him moving his back muscles constantly trying to get the wings to open but to no avail. He moved his hand to the creatures back and helped unfold the wings.

"Mr. Potter," the nurse said, "That thing- Harry will be sleeping in here." She pointed to an empty room. She quickly waved her wand and the lights immediately turned on. "We all thought it best that he sleep away from the other babies, seeing as he is particularly dangerous to them. He'll stay here until we figure out what to with him."

"Wait," James said, "He'll becoming home with us. My wife wants to keep him."

"Mr. Potter, he is a wild animal, a dragon, mind you. It's illegal." She said. She floated Harry on to a bed. "Ministry of animal control will be here tomorrow to decide what to do and most likely send him away to live with a colony of his kind."

James admitted it was pointless to fight. The nurse was right and keeping a dragon was stupid and dangerous. In the end he would probably eat them.