A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad to see that most of you were pleased with Harry's birth! Believe me, I was a nervous wreck writing it. I think it's one event that everyone has a specific image of in their minds – it was a lot of pressure to present my version!

Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it!

I don't own Harry Potter.

The Hardest Conversation

You will understand in time
- Masquerade, The Phantom of the Opera

Dumbledore opened the August first issue of the Daily Prophet with trembling fingers. This was it. This was the last day he would need to read the birth announcements with fear in his heart.

He took a steadying breath. He would read the announcements, see that neither the Potter nor the Longbottom baby had been born, and then he could relax. After today, he would know that both babies would be born in August. The mystery of the identity of the "one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord" would remain, but that could be solved in time. Right now, the Potters and the Longbottoms were his main concern.

He turned the pages until he found the birth announcements. He skimmed quickly, only reading last names.

His heart sank as he saw the first one. Neville Longbottom had been born on the last day of July.

"Born as the seventh month dies," he muttered to himself. "I suppose that the last day of the month certainly qualifies for that distinction." He sighed. "I need to talk to Frank and Alice. Neville is in a great deal of danger."

He was about to close his paper when another birth announcement caught his attention. Harry Potter, too, had been born on the thirty-first.

He had to read the announcement three times before he could acknowledge it. How could it be? How could the two little boys share their birthday? Only one would possess the power to triumph over Voldemort.

"Both of them," he whispered. "But how . . ." His voice trailed off as he remembered the last part of the prophecy. "And he will mark him as his equal," he muttered.

Voldemort would attack the baby he believed to be a threat. He would choose the child who he felt to be, as the prophecy had said, his equal.

Dumbledore pressed his fingertips against his temples. The Longbottoms and the Potters were in more trouble than he could have dreamed. He had to warn them.

"I'll give them some time with their babies first," he said to himself. "They need to have time to enjoy being new parents."

He nodded, but the worried look did not leave his eyes. They had to know what they were facing – and soon. He looked at the calendar on his desk.

"I have to tell them soon," he muttered. "This can't wait too much longer. They have to know what they're facing – they have to be prepared to defend their children."

"Lily, he really is the sweetest thing I've ever seen."

Lily smiled as she looked at Olivia, who was hanging over the side of Harry's hospital basinet, making faces in an attempt to amuse him. Lily and Harry were going home shortly; Olivia had come to help Lily pack. She had yet to do any packing, however. She had spent all her time playing with the baby.

"Thanks, Liv," Lily replied. "He's a sweetie."

"I can't get over how much he looks like James," Olivia continued.

"His mother said that Harry looks almost exactly like James did when he was a baby," Lily said. "She was actually a little disturbed by it."

"I can see why," Olivia grinned. "He even has his daddy's hair!" She reached down to smooth the baby's soft hair. Like his father's, it merely bounced back up again. "Sorry about that, Harry. Maybe you'll be better at dealing with it than your dad is."

"I like it," Lily smiled. "I've always liked it on James, too. I think it gives them character."

"As long as you're all right with it," Olivia said.

Lily tossed the last of her clothes into her bag. "How are things with you and Greg, Liv?"

"Fine," Olivia said, looking up from the baby. "Do you think I'm withholding news about our relationship?"

"No," Lily said slowly, "I'm just surprised that I haven't seen him since Harry was born. I mean, you've been here everyday, but he's never been with you."

"Oh," Olivia replied. "Well, I suppose that's my fault. I didn't tell him that I was coming here when Sirius woke us all up to be here when you were in labor. I figured Greg would want to sleep – and, really, that was a time for friends, not for my new boyfriend. And since then, I just thought that you wouldn't want to entertain visitors."

"Liv, you and everyone else have been here at least once a day!" Lily laughed. "I think I've certainly had my fair share of visitors."

"Yeah, but that's different," Olivia replied. "We're like family. I know that you're completely comfortable with all of us. But you haven't known Greg very long. I didn't want you to have to feel like you had to act differently when he was here with you. I think you've been through enough that you deserve to just relax for the next few weeks."

Lily smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Liv. But if you want to bring him over to meet the baby, go ahead. I'm sure that Harry would like to get to know him."

Olivia smiled. "Thanks."

"You don't need my permission to bring your boyfriend to my house, you know."

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know, Lils. I mean, you haven't exactly warmed up to him."

"Oh, Liv," she sighed. "I guess I just really wanted to see you with Sirius. But if Greg makes you happy, then that's good enough for me."

"He does make me happy," Olivia replied with a smile. "He's just – he's sweet. He's nothing like Sirius."

"Are you saying that Sirius isn't sweet?"

"No, not that. Sirius is sweet, too. But Greg's so totally different from him . . . I had a hard time getting used to that at first."

"Different in a good way?"

"Yeah, I guess." A far-away look came into her eyes, and she smiled softly. "Do you know what I really miss sometimes?"

"What?" Lily asked softly.

"Sometimes I miss the debates that could turn into screaming matches that could turn into snogging sessions. Sometimes I miss the unpredictability. Sometimes I miss the spontaneity." She smiled helplessly. "Sometimes I miss Sirius."

"Oh, Liv," Lily sighed.

"Is that terrible? I really care about Greg – I think I might even be falling in love with him – but sometimes I miss Sirius so much that it makes my throat ache." She swallowed. "What's wrong with me, Lily?"

"Nothing," Lily said firmly. "Sirius was your first love, Liv. He was really special to you. I think he's always going to be with you on some level."

Olivia nodded slowly. "I'm not saying that I want to leave Greg to go back to him."

"I know that. I never thought that you wanted that."

"Good." She sighed again. "Don't say anything to anyone, all right? Can this stay between you and I?"

Lily smiled, and looked over at her sleeping baby. "No. But it can stay between you, Harry and I."

Olivia grinned, and leaned over the baby again. "Right, Harry, you need to keep this conversation to yourself. No telling your friends what Auntie Olivia just said, all right?"

A knock sounded on the door, and it pushed open. James stuck his head in.

"Special delivery," he grinned.

"James!" Lily exclaimed. "Does this mean I get to go home?"

"You're all signed out," James grinned. He opened the door fully, and pushed a wheelchair into the room. "And here's a little parting gift for Harry."

Lily gasped as she looked at the huge teddy bear that was riding in the wheelchair. "Where on earth did that come from?"

"Harry's grandma bought it for him. She thought it would look nice in his nursery, since we used all that teddy bear stuff to decorate it."

"I'm sure it'll look great in there," Lily said. She laughed. "But, James, it's bigger than he is!"

"I know," James grinned. "But it's cute, don't you think?"

"Adorable," Lily agreed. "I just don't know where we're going to put it."

"We'll find space," James promised. He parked the chair, and crossed to look down at his baby. "Well, Harry, it looks like you're on your way home. Are you excited?"

Harry gave no response as he continued sleeping. James looked up with a grin.

"I guess I'll have to take that as a yes."

Lily smiled, and came up beside him. She put her arms around James, and laid her head on his shoulder. "He's amazing, isn't he?"

James pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. "Amazing," he repeated in a slightly choked voice.

Olivia quietly cleared her throat. "Do you guys need my help anymore, or should I get back to work?"

"I think we're all right," James said, looking at her over Lily's head. "We'll have everyone over in a few days to spend some more time with Harry."

"Take your time getting settled in," Olivia replied as she picked up her purse. "Harry's going to be with us for quite some time. There's no rush to have everyone over."

"Thanks for all your help, Liv," Lily said.

"You're welcome," Olivia smiled. She crossed to look at Harry one last time. "You take care of Mum and Dad, all right, sweetheart?" she said. She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I'll see you all soon."

"Bye, Liv."

With a parting smile, she Disapparated. James kissed the top of Lily's head again.

"Are you ready to go home, Mummy?"

"Definitely," Lily smiled.

"All right, then," James grinned. He waved his wand to shrink the teddy bear down to a considerably smaller size, and placed it in Lily's bag. "This wheelchair is all yours."

"I can't just Apparate home?"

"We have to Floo," James replied. "Unfortunately, Harry can't Apparate yet."

Lily grinned. "I can't wait to get him home." She lifted him out of his cradle. He squirmed but did not wake as she adjusted him in her arms. "He's a good little sleeper, isn't he?"

"He gets that from me," James grinned.

Lily shook her head. "Awfully quick to claim his positive characteristics, aren't you?"

"Well, I think we can agree that he has my hair."

"He has a lot of you in his appearance. Weren't you listening to your mum the night he was born?"

James grinned, and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, at least we know that he's handsome."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly," she muttered. She sat down in the chair. "I'm ready when you are."

James picked up her bag, and began to push the chair forward. "Let's go home."

Lily was sure she had never had so much fun as she did showing her son around his new home. She and James carried the baby through each room of the house, telling him where they were and what they would do there. Harry, who was now awake, listened attentively to the voices that he was quickly learning to love.

"And here's your room," Lily said as she opened the door of the nursery.

"What do you think?" James asked as he carried the baby inside the room. "Do you like it? Mummy and I spent forever trying to decide what you'd like. We can change it if you'd rather have it decorated differently."

"James," Lily laughed, "I really don't think Harry's ready to make decorating decisions yet."

"He might be," James insisted. "What if he doesn't like the teddy bear theme we've got in here?"

"Then your mother is going to be heartbroken," Lily smiled. "I think it's going to be a few years before he starts telling us what he wants in his room."

"I suppose," James agreed with a smile. "Well, Harry, Daddy needs a drink. What do you say we go back down to the kitchen to get a glass of water?"

Lily smiled again, and followed her boys back down the stairs. James stopped short as he reached the kitchen, and Lily nearly ran into him. As he started moving again, she saw the reason for his surprise – a large owl was perched on the table.

"That looks like a Hogwarts owl," she commented as James passed the baby to her.

"I know," he said, stepping forward to take the letter attached to the bird's leg. "I'm just surprised. I got my start of term notification last week."

Lily shrugged as the owl, relieved of its burden, took off through the open window. "Open it."

James broke the seal on the letter, and began skimming it. He frowned slightly as his eyes moved back to the top of the short message.

"It's from Dumbledore," he said. "Listen to this."

"Dear James and Lily,

"First let me congratulate you on the birth of your son. I am certain that little Harry will be a source of joy to you for many years to come.

"There is, however, something related to your child that we need to discuss. I would like to meet with both of you on 10 August in my office at ten o'clock in the morning. If this is a problem, please let me know.

"Again, my congratulations. I hope to see you on the tenth.

"Sincerely,

"Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore"

Lily looked at James with questions in her eyes. "What on earth is that all about?"

"I have no idea," James said. He read the letter again as though searching for answers. "What could we possibly need to discuss with Dumbledore about Harry?"

"I don't know," Lily said. "Unless . . ." Her eyes widened as a terrifying thought came over her. "No, never mind. That can't be it."

"What?"

She shook her head, not wanting to speak her fears. "It can't be."

"Lil, we've got nothing here. There are no bad ideas right now."

She drew a deep breath. "What if he isn't magical?"

"What?" James asked in shock.

"What else could Dumbledore want to discuss with us?" Lily asked fearfully. "James, our baby must have been born a Squib! You know that Dumbledore and McGonagall have records of every magical baby that's born – they must have seen Harry's birth announcement in the Prophet, and then realized that his name wasn't recorded as a wizard!"

She felt herself beginning to panic. She had not realized how much it meant to her to have a magical child until that moment. She wasn't sure how she would handle knowing that her baby wasn't a wizard.

"Lil, calm down," James said firmly. "I'm sure that's not it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Come on," James smiled. "With us as his parents, there's no way this child isn't a powerful wizard."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You've always thought far too highly of yourself, Potter."

"No, I'm serious!" James said quickly. "I'm not trying to be conceited; I'm just trying to think logically. When you consider all that you and I have done in our lives, it's pretty apparent that we're powerful wizards. Why wouldn't our child be?"

"I'm the daughter of two Squibs," Lily shrugged. "Does parentage determine power?"

"I don't know." James reached up to clutch his hair. "Look, we're not going to know until we talk to Dumbledore, so there's no use panicking yet. We'll send him a reply to let him know that we'll be there, and then we'll deal with whatever news he gives us when he gives it to us."

Lily nodded, and kissed her baby's forehead. "James, if he is a Squib, do you think we should -?"

"Stop right there," James said, cutting her off. "We'll decide what to do when we know for sure that we have to."

Lily nodded, and hugged Harry closer. She knew what it was like to grow up "different" from the rest of the family. She had never considered that her son would have to go through a situation similar to her own. She hoped that he would be strong enough to meet the challenges that lay ahead of him.

On the tenth of August, Lily and James took Harry for his first visit to Hogwarts. They Flooed into James's office; neither of them had access to Dumbledore's fireplace. They were both rather nervous as they walked through the long, empty corridors from James's office to that of the Headmaster.

"It's going to be fine," James said. He shifted Harry to one arm so that he could take Lily's hand.

"I hope so," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Listen, Lil, even if he is a Squib, he's still our son," James said bracingly.

Lily turned to look at him. "Can you honestly tell me that you won't be disappointed if Dumbledore tells us that Harry's not a wizard? That you won't be disappointed to learn that your son will never attend Hogwarts? That he'll never have a wand? Never play Quidditch? Never fully be a part of our world?"

James drew a shaking breath, but did not reply. He knew that Lily knew what his answer would be. Yes, of course he would be disappointed.

"It's going to change a lot about our lives, James."

"We'll deal with it when we need to," James said. They reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. "Acid pop."

The gargoyle moved, and they began the last part of their journey into Dumbledore's office. Lily bit her lower lip. She needed to be strong. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, drawing up her strength and bracing her mind. She was prepared to face whatever news the Headmaster gave her.

The moving staircase stopped, and they stepped off. James and Lily both stopped short as they looked through the open door of Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was not alone; Frank and Alice Longbottom were sitting with him. Their baby, Neville, was cradled in Alice's arms.

"Ah, James and Lily," Dumbledore smiled. "Right on time. Please, come in and sit down. Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," James said as they sat down.

"Lily?"

"No, thanks," she said. She looked from Dumbledore to the Longbottoms and back.

"Well," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "thank you all for coming this morning to meet with me. It is wonderful to finally have the chance to meet your babies. I've already met young Neville – and who is this strapping young man?"

James grinned, and offered the baby to his employer. "This is Harry."

"Well, hello there, Harry," Dumbledore said, taking the baby. His eyes twinkled as he looked down at the little boy, and an expression of joy crossed his face. "I must say, you're quite a handsome young man." He looked up at James with a wink. "He looks rather like his father."

James grinned, and nodded. "My mum was a little scared by how much he looks like I did when I was a baby."

"I can understand why."

After playing with the baby for a few more moments, Dumbledore gave him to Lily. He looked at both couples with concern in his eyes.

"I should tell you all why I've asked you to come here today. I must admit, it's not an easy thing to say."

Lily held her breath. Were Neville's magical powers also in question?

"Your children are in grave danger," Dumbledore said slowly.

"Danger?" Frank asked. "Is it because we're Aurors? If that's the case, we can hand in our resignation tomorrow."

Alice nodded. "We won't do anything to endanger Neville's life."

"No, it has nothing to do with your careers," Dumbledore said. "Remember, James and Lily are not Aurors."

"Is it because we're Order members?" James asked tensely.

"No," Dumbledore said. "It has nothing to do with what you've done. It has everything to do with a prophecy made before your sons' births."

"A prophecy?" Lily asked blankly.

Dumbledore nodded, and drew forth his pensieve. "Here, let me show you."

He touched the surface of the bowl with his wand, and withdrew a memory. A woman none of them had seen before was soon before them, revolving slowly as she spoke.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not . . . And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . .The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ."

"But I don't understand," Alice frowned as the memory sank back into the pensieve. "What does that have to do with Neville and Harry?"

"One of these two boys will be the one to vanquish Voldemort," Dumbledore said simply.

Silence fell over the room. The four young parents stared at him in disbelief.

"How can that be?" Lily finally asked. "How can one of these little babies – babies who have not even begun to develop their powers – be the one to vanquish Voldemort?"

"As the centaurs would say, the stars have aligned to give them this special blessing and curse," Dumbledore said with a sad smile. "Consider the conditions of the prophecy. First, it states that the baby would be born to parents who have thrice defied Voldemort. All of you have defied him three times in battle."

James and Lily exchanged a glance. As their past battles ran through their minds, they slowly nodded. They had, indeed, defied Voldemort three times.

"Second, it says that the baby would be born as the seventh month dies," Dumbledore continued. "Both Neville and Harry were born on the last day of July."

James's words from the night of Harry's birth filled Lily's mind. Peter had asked what the baby's birthday was. James had told him July thirty-first. "He only made it by about forty minutes, but it's enough."

"But you said that it will only be one of them," Frank said. "If they both meet the criteria, how do we know which on it is?"

Dumbledore sighed, and folded his fingers together. "That, I'm afraid, is the decision of Lord Voldemort himself."

"What?" Alice gasped.

Dumbledore nodded. "The final condition for determining which boy will vanquish Voldemort states that the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal. We can assume, therefore, that he will attempt to attack the baby he considers more of a threat – more his equal."

"Does he know of this?" James asked.

"Part of it," Dumbledore said slowly. "One of Voldemort's spies overheard the first half of the prophecy. It is safe to assume, then, that he knows that a baby born at the end of July to parents who defied him three times will be his downfall."

"But he doesn't know that he must mark him," Frank said.

"No," Dumbledore said. "Which I assume means that he will attempt to destroy both of your children."

Lily sucked her breath in quickly. "You mean he's going to try to kill our babies?"

Dumbledore looked at her with eyes full of sorrow. "Yes, Lily, that is exactly what I mean."

Lily felt as though she had been slapped. She couldn't believe that less than an hour ago, she had been concerned that her son might not be magical.

"Did that one line say that the baby will have power the Dark Lord doesn't?" James asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "We have a very powerful young wizard on our hands."

"But the very last bit," Alice said, her eyes shining with tears, "'neither can live while the other survives . . .' what does that mean?"

"The one with this power must defeat Voldemort or be defeated by him," Dumbledore said, sorrow etched across his face. "I'm so sorry to have to bring you this news."

"What can be done?" James asked quickly. "We cannot let our children fall victim to this prophecy – not without a fight."

"The easiest course of action is to go into hiding," Dumbledore said. "Train your children in battle, and wait until the boys have grown older before exposing them to the threat of Voldemort's power."

James and Lily exchanged a glance. They were both thinking the same thing: they were not ready to give up their lives to hide from a distant threat.

"Are there no other options?" Frank asked.

"There are always other options," Dumbledore said. "But the most important thing you must do is to protect your children to the best of your ability. I would also advise you to name guardians for them in the event that something should happen to you. It should be someone you trust to protect them at all costs."

"What do you make of all this?" James asked.

He and Lily were back in their kitchen. Harry was sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. She looked down at the baby, then up at her husband.

"It's completely unbelievable – yet I have no choice but to believe it," she said. "How on earth did this happen to our little boy?"

"I don't know," James said, running his hands over his face. "But it happened, and now we have to deal with it. We have to decide what we're going to do."

"Maybe I'm just being stupid, but, James, I don't want to go into hiding," she said slowly. "I don't want Harry to have to grow up like that. I want his life to be as normal as possible."

"I agree," James said. "If things get to be too much, we can talk about going into hiding. But for now . . . We just have to decide how we want to live our lives."

Lily looked at him nervously. "We're going to have to change some things."

"Such as?"

"I'm going to quit the Prophet," Lily said in a rush.

"What?" James whispered. "Lil, you've worked so hard to get where you are with the paper. And you love your job."

"I know," she said, tears gathering in her eyes. "But I love Harry more. My job is so high-profile, and all that Minnie and I do is so controversial – it's not worth the risk, James. I'll quit and stay home to be Harry's mummy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

James nodded. "All right, then. That's one decision made."

Lily swallowed, trying to think of something other than her lost employment. "I heard Frank and Alice saying that they're going to name Frank's mother Neville's guardian if something happens to them."

James nodded again. "Yeah, I heard them say that, too."

"Harry's going to need a guardian, James." She swallowed again. "The only family I have left is Petunia, and I don't think that she's in a position to defend him against wizards like Voldemort."

"There's my mum," James said. "But I don't want to ask her to do that."

"You don't?" Lily frowned.

James shook his head. "My mum is a powerful witch, but she's also . . . If something happened to Harry while she was in charge of protecting him, she'd never forgive herself. She's already shattered over my dad dying – I don't even want to think about what would happen to her if something happened to Harry in her care."

Lily nodded. "We need to choose someone really powerful to care for him – someone we'd trust with our own lives."

"Sirius," James said at once.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Sirius. He's one of the most powerful wizards I know, and he's trained to fight dark wizards. You know him, Lil. He'd die before letting anything happen to us – and that includes Harry."

Lily nodded slowly. "He's the perfect choice," she agreed. "There is no one I'd trust more than him to be my son's guardian."

"We need to make sure it's all legal," James said. "What do you say we make him Harry's godfather?"

Lily smiled. "I think that's a brilliant idea."

James smiled. "Excellent. Now we just have to ask him."

"Sirius?"

Sirius stopped just before walking into his office, and turned to see who had called him. He smiled as he watched Olivia walk toward him.

"Hey," he said. "What's going on?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." Sirius couldn't help but feel hopeful. Did she want to give their relationship another try? He had been thinking quite a bit about it recently, and was sure that he wanted to. He opened his office door fully, and looked inside. "There's no one in here. Come on in."

Once they were both in the office, Sirius closed the door and put a silencing charm on the room. Olivia unfolded the parchment she carried in her hands.

"I have orders from Moody," she said without preamble.

"Okay," Sirius replied, trying to hide his disappointment at their topic of conversation. "Where are we going?"

She rolled her eyes. "We have patrol duty in Diagon Alley. Can it get any more boring?"

Sirius grinned. "Hey, at least we won't be in the office. We have to be thankful for small mercies."

"I suppose. We're supposed to Apparate there immediately."

"All right," Sirius agreed. "See you in front of Ollivander's, then?"

"Why Ollivander's?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"All right. See you there."

Within moments, they were together outside the wand shop. Olivia folded the parchment again, and shoved it into her pocket.

"Now we just have to patrol," she said.

"I think we can handle that," Sirius said.

They began walking around together on the main street of the town. Both held their wands in their hands, prepared to defend themselves if necessary.

"So, how have things been?" Sirius asked as they walked.

Olivia looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Is there a reason you're acting like we never see one another?"

Sirius grinned. "I feel like I haven't seen much of you since Harry was born."

Olivia smiled. "Have you seen him recently?"

"You mean in the week that he's been home?"

She grinned. "Yeah, that."

"No, not yet," Sirius admitted. "I want to go over there, but I don't want Lily to have to rush back into entertaining."

"I know what you mean," Olivia replied. "She told me that we're all welcome anytime, but I still don't want to impose."

"Exactly." He paused, trying to decide how to ask what he wanted to know. He decided to just go for it. "How are things with you and Greg?"

"Fine," Olivia said evenly. "Don't get your hopes up, Black. I'm still with him."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What did I say to suggest that I wanted you back? I was just making conversation."

"Yeah, right," Olivia teased. "You know you want me."

Sirius looked at her critically. "I've had you."

"Sirius!" she cried, shrieking with laughter. "You can't say stuff like that!"

"It's true," Sirius grinned. He sobered, and smiled again. "You know, Liv, we were really great together."

Realizing that his mood had changed, Olivia, too, calmed down. "Yeah, we were," she said softly.

"I really thought things would work out with us."

"Sirius, I have a boyfriend," she said warningly.

"I know that."

"Are you sure?"

He sighed. "Olivia, I know that you can't be mine – at least not for now."

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a new voice.

"Sirius Black!"

Olivia jumped. "Did your pocket just scream your name?"

"Sort of," Sirius grinned, wondering how James could have such awful timing. He pulled his mirror from his pocket, and saw his friend's face looking at him. "Hey, Dad," he smiled. "What's going on?"

"Can you come over?" James asked. "Lily and I wanted to see you."

"All right," Sirius agreed. "Liv and I are patrolling in Diagon Alley right now, so I'll just come over when my shift ends."

"Perfect," James replied. "We'll see you then."

"See you," Sirius said. He waited until James's face had faded from view, and put the mirror back into his pocket.

"Looks like you'll get to see Harry again soon," Olivia smiled.

"Looks like," Sirius echoed. Concern darkened his features. James didn't often summon him over for a chat. "I wonder what that's all about."

"Well, you don't have to wait too much longer to find out."

As soon as their shift ended, Sirius made his way to James and Lily's house. He knocked on the door, which was opened by James.

"Hey, Padfoot," he smiled, opening the door wider. "Thanks for coming over."

"You know, you have the worst timing of anyone I know," Sirius said in reply.

"What are you talking about?"

"Liv and I were having a pretty heavy discussion when you started screaming for me."

James raised his eyebrows. "What kind of heavy conversation?"

"I got her to admit that we were good together."

James frowned. "I thought you were over her."

"Yeah, well . . ." Sirius grinned. "I guess I'm not."

James shook his head. "Well, do you mind if we discuss this at length another time? Lily and have something we really need to talk to you about."

"Sure," Sirius said, instantly shelving his own issues. "What's going on?"

"Let's go find Lily and Harry," James replied.

He led Sirius into the living room, where Lily was sitting on the couch. Harry was sleeping in a cradle across the room from her.

"Hey, Little Flower," Sirius smiled, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she smiled. "Thanks for coming over."

"Sure," he said easily. He crossed the room to look down at the baby. "Hey, champ," he smiled. "How do you like your house? Are Mummy and Daddy treating you all right?"

"Believe me, he is our little prince," James smiled. He sat down next to Lily, and took her hand in his. "Sirius, we want to talk to you about Harry."

"What about him?" Sirius asked, looking up from the baby.

James smiled uncertainly. "Sirius, you are, in every way that counts, my brother. Along with Lily, you are the person in this world that I trust above all others – even more than I trust myself at times. Lily and I have talked about this, and we've decided . . . If something were to happen to us, we'd like you to take Harry, to raise him for us."

Sirius's eyes widened. "What are you asking me?"

"We're asking you to be Harry's godfather."

Sirius looked down at the baby, then up at his parents. He blinked as he felt tears pressing against the back of his eyes. "You want me to be his godfather?" he whispered.

"Yes," Lily said. "But before you agree, there's something else that you need to know."

"What's that?"

James drew a deep breath. "Lily and I were just informed this morning that Harry is potentially the subject of a prophecy about Voldemort."

Sirius frowned. "Come again?"

"Professor Dumbledore just called us in to tell us about a prophecy that was made before Harry was born. It says that the one with the power to vanquish Voldemort would be born at the end of July to parents who had defied Voldemort three times."

Sirius looked down at the baby again. "Are you saying that Harry will be the one to defeat Voldemort?"

"Maybe," Lily said. "It could be him or Neville Longbottom – Frank and Alice's son."

"How do we know which one it is?"

"The prophecy says that Voldemort will mark him as his equal."

"So he's going to attack one of them?"

"Yes," James said. "But he doesn't know that part. He just knows that one of them has the power to defeat him. So, he'll likely try to kill them both."

Without realizing what he was doing, Sirius put a protective hand on Harry's cradle. "So you're telling me that Harry is in a lot of danger."

"So are James and I," Lily said. "That's why it's so important to name a guardian who we trust to be strong enough to defend our baby. We want you to be his godfather, Sirius, because we know you to be an extremely powerful wizard, and because we know that you would do anything to defend us – and we assume that extends to our son."

"It does," Sirius said firmly. "Yes. I'll be Harry's godfather."

"Are you sure?" James asked. "We're asking a lot of you, Sirius."

"I know," Sirius replied. "I know exactly what you're asking me." He drew a deep breath. "I pray that I'll never need to, but should something happen to you, I'll do everything in my power to protect your little boy." He reached down to touch Harry's head. "As long as I have breath in my body, I will keep him safe."