A/N: Thanks much for the reviews! You know, even though only FIVE of you reviewed out of the 125 that read it, I'm still happy. Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it! Well, here's the chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter Two
Remus snapped his head in James's direction, ignoring the smart remark he received from Sirius. "Well, don't just stand there, Prongs! Do something!"
"Why do I have to do something about it, Moony?" James said heatedly, jabbing his thumb in Sirius's direction. "It's most likely his, anyway!"
"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Oh, come off it, Padfoot; he's probably right."
Sirius scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "What makes you say that?"
"Geez, I wonder where I get this idea?" Remus said sarcastically, tapping his index finger on his chin. "Perhaps it's because all the women you bring home. You were bound to get one of them knocked up eventually!"
"What girls? I hardly ever bring women back to the flat!"
"Then explain why you came barging into my room last night with a girl on each arm, asking me if I wanted to accept your extended offer of, and I quote, 'sharing the love'."
Sirius launched himself into a loud reply as James's hearing was drone out, nothing penetrating it but the infant's wails. He stared, long and hard, at the baby's twisted face, which was turning redder by the second. There was something about this baby that gave James a strange felling…almost as though he was connected to it somehow. He was startled by this emotion and blinked, the little boy's --at least he assumed it was a boy- face, gleaming out of focus.
Without thinking, he stepped out into the hallway and grabbed the pumpkin seat. James's breath caught in his throat as his fingers squeezed the handle while his friends bickered in the flat; he barely heard a word of it. He glanced down at his side and stared, wide eyed, at the baby, as it continued to howl, from what, James didn't know.
He hooked his foot around the strap of the black bag beside the pumpkin seat and dragged it inside. He closed the door with his foot, which snapped shut loudly, causing his two mates to stop their argument and turn their attention to James.
Sirius raised an interested brow at James's odd behavior as the latter set the pumpkin seat down on the coffee table, his hazel eyes glued to the baby's face. Remus and Sirius closed their maws immediately, watching James with partial amusement.
"Uh…James, what are you, er, doing?" asked Sirius.
James looked up at his friend through his glasses and said, "Shutting this 'thing' up, as you were begging me to do just a few minutes ago." He pushed the handle back until it clicked and, uneasily, glanced at Remus and Sirius as he placed his hands underneath the infant's body, lifting it up out of the seat. James held it awkwardly at first, causing the baby to scream louder.
Sirius clapped his hands over his ears again, muttering something under his breath about how hangovers and babies don't mix while Remus's face twisted in discomfort. James snapped his head up, his body froze in shock and cried, "Well, don't just stand there! Help!"
"What are we supposed to do, Prongs?" Sirius questioned.
"I dunno!" James set the baby back down in the pumpkin seat, hoping that it screeches would subside, but, alas, they increased. "What usually makes babies shut up?"
Remus and Sirius turned to each other, gave one another a glance, turned back to James and shrugged. The latter rolled his eyes. "Thanks for helping," James mumbled irritably.
"Well," Remus said, taking a tentative step forward, "If I remember correctly, normally holding them makes them stop crying, but apparently, not in this case, as you don't know how."
"You think you can do better?" James challenged. Remus sighed heavily and held his arms out. James passed the infant to him quickly, causing Remus to roll his eyes in annoyance. James swear he heard Remus mutter "Typical", under his breath as he shifted the baby around in his arms, holding it close to his chest.
For a brief moment, the baby stopped crying and blinked at Remus a few times. The werewolf took into mind the greenness of the baby's eyes. But just as quickly as the infant stopped howling, it erupted into a new shrill like wail and Remus turned his head up.
Sirius watched the exchange, shaking his head. Finally, once the baby started sobbing again, he stepped forward. "No, no, no. You're both doing it all wrong; here, Remus, give me the baby."
"Why?" asked James and Remus at the same time.
Sirius smirked, "Because people are always telling me I have a way with children."
"Who on Earth would let you touch their children, Padfoot?" James questioned incredulously.
Sirius's mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. James smiled, triumphantly, as Remus handed the infant to Sirius, a relieved look on his face. The same thing happened to Sirius that occurred when Remus took the baby from James, only the baby screeched louder. The three sighed in exasperation.
Remus raised a skeptical eyebrow, an amused look on his features. "A way with children, eh, Padfoot?"
Sirius elbowed Remus in the ribs. "Sod off, you prat." He turned to James, "And if you're so good with children, Prongs, then you take the blasted thing."
James sighed heavily, "All right," he held out his arms, "give me the baby." Sirius passed the infant to James and he shuffled it into a more comfortable position, both for himself and the baby.
He bent his arm so that it was supporting the baby's neck, as his mother had always scolded him about when he held his little cousin, and placed his other hand underneath the baby. James cradled the infant close to his chest, readjusting the blankets so they were tucked tightly around it's body. Oddly enough, the baby's cried began to subside into small whimpers. James glanced up at his friends, grinning triumphantly.
"Thanks Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, "You finally got that thing to shut up!"
"You're talking too loud, Padfoot," Remus scowled, "And for the last time, that thing you are continuously referring to is an infant. Do I have to remind you ever thirty seconds?"
"No!"
Remus rolled his eyes, "That was a rhetorical question, Pads."
"Yeah rig-…wait, what?"
They faced each other and began taunting one another like children on a playground. James rolled his eyes in exasperation and glanced down at the baby in his arms. Its small body felt odd against his chest, as though it belonged there. James slowly swayed side to side, shushing the infant under his breath; the babe's tear-filled eyes began to drift shut.
From the looks of it, the baby was a boy, though he couldn't be sure. He recalled once when he went to the Muggle grocery store around the corner with…her and he had mistaken a woman's baby for a male, when it was actually female. He tried to suppress his laughter and mutter an apology to the woman, but he found himself incapable and ran out of the store, offending the woman highly.
Shaking his head and chuckling softly, James snapped himself back into reality, smiling softly when he glanced down at the infant when it made an odd, content sound. He jerked his head upward towards Remus and Sirius, grinning.
"See," Sirius said brightly, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "I know he had it in him, Moony. I knew he did."
James offered a small, amused smile before returning his gaze back down to the infant. He suddenly became aware of something that hadn't been apparent before. He, uneasily, glanced up at his friends and said warily, "Uh…guys?"
Remus and Sirius glanced up at their friend. "Yeah," they answered simultaneously.
"I know this may sound stupid, but…whose is it?"
Sirius furrowed his brow in confusion. "Whose is what?"
James nudged his head toward the bundle of blankets in his arms. "The baby…whose is it?"
"That's not a stupid question at all, Prongs," Remus said, "It's actually a very good one."
"So, how are we gonna know whose baby it is?" Sirius asked.
Remus turned to James, "Did you check that baggy thing for some identification, like a birth certificate or anything."
James shook his head whilst pushing his glasses up his nose. "No, I didn't have the chance, what with you two bickering like a pair of first years and the initial shock of the whole situation." The infant stirred slightly, stretching out its arms and legs. James couldn't help but smile when the baby yawned widely.
"Padfoot and I will look for something that may help us identify which one of us the baby belongs to."
"Why can't I help?"
"Because you have to make sure the baby doesn't wake up." Remus said, plopping down on the couch and pulling the black bag on his lap. Sirius nodded, murmuring under his breath about how people were constantly telling him what to do and that he wasn't a child. He and Remus began searching through the diaper bag for anything that would help distinguish who the infant belonged to.
While the other two kept up their probing, James continued to stare in a daze state at the baby sleeping in his arms. The odd feeling came back. He tried to draw his eyes away from the infant's face, but found it very hard indeed.
"Found something!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly. James's eyes snapped upward and he saw that Sirius had an envelope clutched in between his fingers. There was slanted, cursive writing on the front, but it was simply addressed to A Marauder…
Sirius set it down on the coffee table and James gently eased the baby into the pumpkin seat, praying to Merlin that he wouldn't wake it up; the baby didn't stir. Sighing inwardly, he sat down on the couch only to have Remus squish in beside him.
They stared at the envelope for a long time as a million thoughts rushed through James's mind.
What if it was his? What the hell would he do? He had to work as an Auror--well, actually training to become an Auror- at the Ministry, be a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and be a father!
As if his job wasn't enough, many benefits came along with it. James and Sirius, along with Remus, were the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors; and he loved it. If the baby was, in fact, his, then it would definitely get in the way of his social life.
You see, James liked to party; and not the type of partying where you dress up, drink cocktails, and talk about politics with people who do nothing but gossip about you. No, he liked the loud, pulsing music of Muggle nightclubs; dancing shamelessly with women he would never see again, nor remember; and drinking any and every type of alcoholic beverage until he was seeing three Moonys instead of one. The only thing that James did not enjoy about partying were the nasty hangovers, and he was currently getting over one wild night. James sure as hell was happy that he got the baby to 'shut up' as Sirius had kindly put it.
But, James realized, he was being selfish, which he was known for. If the baby was his, he would have to give all that up…but the problem…was he willing to?
"Well," Remus said, glancing from Sirius to James and back again. "Who's gonna open it?"
Sirius swallowed a lump in his throat and James moved his eyes to Remus. Beads of sweat were collecting at Remus's temples and James sighed softly. He reached forward with a shaky hand and grabbed the envelope off the tabletop.
"Who's it addressed to?" Sirius asked.
James shrugged. "It doesn't say specifically. It only says A Marauder."
"I'll open it, James," Remus said, taking the envelope from James's quivering hand. The latter nodded softly, allowing the parchment to slip through his fingers lightly.
Remus began to open the envelope when James interrupted suddenly, "Wait!" They stared at him, sending James a questioning look. "I think we should make a pact."
"A pact?" Sirius asked, "But why?"
"Would you let me explain?" James pressed crossly, sending a wary glance at the napping infant in front of him. "Anyway," he continued, not waiting for Sirius to respond. "What I was saying is that we should make a pact: no matter whose baby it is, we help them in anyway we can to raise it. And not just 'Oh, I'll warm the bottle up' or whatever, but I mean actually helping out; you know, the changing, the feeding, and everything that goes with it," He glanced uneasily between Remus and Sirius, "So, what do you think?"
Remus placed a hand on James's shoulder and smiled, "I think it's a good idea, Prongs, maybe one of the better ones you've had in a while."
"Well Padfoot?"
Sirius stared at them in disbelief. Sure, if the baby was his, which he highly doubted, as he had always been careful (James would have laughed at this if he had voiced it), he would take full responsibility, but if not…
"I'm not sure,"
"What do you mean, 'I'm not sure'?" Remus inquired dubiously.
"That's just what I mean, if the baby's not mine, then I don't want to give up my freedom to take care of that bloody thing!"
James rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Typical."
"Excuse me?"
"I said typical. It's typical that you're thinking of no one but yourself, Padfoot. In case you haven't noticed, the world doesn't revolve around you and your overly large ego!" James felt like a hypocrite for pointing this out to his friend, when he had been thinking it only moments ago.
Sirius scoffed indignantly and snatched the envelope from Remus's hand, giving the werewolf a nasty paper cut. "Ouch, Padfoot, you're such a prat!" Remus said, bringing his finger to his lips and sucking the blood away. Sirius snickered and Remus smacked him on the back of the head. James rolled his eyes.
"Would you two please stop acting like a bunch of immature first years and actually open the goddamn letter!" James questioned loudly.
"Geez, Prongs, don't get your knickers in a twist," Sirius said. He ripped the envelope and pulled the folded piece of parchment out of it. He froze suddenly, as he was about to unfolded it and swallowed dryly.
"What's wrong now?"
"I don't want to read it, Prongs," Sirius blurted, handing the letter to James, "You open it."
James turned to Remus, his eyes searching his friend's face, hoping to find some sort of sign that the werewolf wasn't doing to make him open it. Nothing. "Prats," he murmured under his breath in annoyance, "Well, Pads, the only way I'm reading it is if you agree to the pact."
Sirius whined, "Do I have to?"
James nodded firmly, "Yeah, it's the only way." He stole a glance at the baby and suppressed a grin.
Sirius groaned loudly and sighed defeatedly. "All right, I agree." They all shook hands and made a 'Marauder's Promise', like they did in their school days.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, James unfolded the letter and began reading. His face paled noticeably as he read the salutation, but he persisted to read the writing on the parchment that was so familiar to him. Once he was finished, he glanced up at his friends, his expression impassive.
"Well, Prongs?" Remus eased uncertainly.
"Read it allowed," Sirius suggested.
James nodded. "All right," he cleared his throat and proceeded to read the letter:
"To my only Marauder,
I can't believe I'm doing this, dropping a baby off on your doorstep, but I had no choice. I am unable to take care of our baby, as my job and the other pressures of life have finally caught up with me. I feel horrible for doing this, as I have never told you of our child. I can't hold a steady job because of the little tyke, nor do I have enough money for us to get by comfortably; hell, I barely have enough for myself.
You must understand, I love our baby with all my heart, but everything from work to the baby has taken it. I'm doing this for my and the baby's own good. I trust that you will be a good father towards the baby. If I know you like I think I do, I know you can do this and you will be the best father ever. Everything you'll need for a few days is in the diaper bag, you know, where you found the letter. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, even if it doesn't come naturally, and I doubt it will."
James stopped reading suddenly. A dry lump formed in his throat, his mind racing. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest, his breathes delayed.
"Prongsie," Sirius said tentatively, "Who's it from?"
James swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed softly, his hands shaking. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he started reading again.
"I hope you won't hate me forever, I just need time off from our son.
Lily"
"Lily!" exclaimed Sirius and Remus. "As in Lily Evans!"
James nodded meekly, "Yes," he said in a small voice. "But there's more.
P.S. Our son is three months old and his name is Harry James Potter. Everything you'll need for about a week is in the diaper bag. I'm sorry if this is a sudden shock to you, James, but you have to know sometime and, as the Muggle saying goes; there's no better time then the present."
A/N: As all other authors beg and plead for you readers to do...REVIEW! Please! At least six reviews gets an automatic ticket to the next chapter!