Chapter 26

"Arrrghh!" Lily yelled as her contractions were getting closure and closure together. "I will kill you James Potter!"

James's eyes bugged out, "I thought you gave her numbing spells? Why does she want to kill me?"

The nurse chuckled, "A lot of women in labor say things they would not normally say while in labor."

"Oh, buy why? I though this was suppose to be a very special day?"

"Special day my arse!" Lily screamed after one of her contractions were done. "You try squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of a whole the size of a pea!"

Lily started to have another contraction and she had taken James's hand hostage.

"Ow!" James cried.

"Hello Mrs. Potter, The Healer said smiling from ear to ear. "How are you doing?"

"How the hell do you think I am doing?"

The Healer nodded, "As to be expected.

"Sir," James stepped up. "Sorry about her language…"

"Use to it by now, happens everyday."

"Shut your trap, Potter!" Lily snapped.

"Well let's see how much longer until you see your baby," the doctor said raising up the sheet. "Only five more centimeter's to go."

Lily's contraction had stopped and she quit screaming. "What!" She asked very surprised, "But I thought…"

"You will be here for a while, Mrs. Potter. I will come back later and check on you."

Lily sighed, "What time is it James?"

"Wow, after one."

"No way."

"Yes, guess it is a good thing that I packed myself a bag."

"You will stay, won't you?" Lily asked with hope in her eyes.

"Of course beautiful," James chuckled kissing the top of her sweaty head. "I am going to tell the others that it will be a while."

"Okay," Lily smiled. "Hurray back though."

"James!" Amelia yelled as she jumped out of her chair which made Sirius fall onto the floor.

"Oy! Wass a matter with you…hey Prongs! Is baby Prongs with you?"

"Do you see a baby Padfoot?" Remus asked looking at his friend oddly.

"Hey where is Wormtail?" James asked noticing on e of their friends were missing.

"Couldn't get a hold of him," Sirius answered.

"His mum had no idea where he was," Remus said shrugging his shoulders.

"It is going to be a while, Lily is only five centimeters dilated." James told his friends.

"That's not bad," Amelia spoke up. "You are half way there and you guys have only been here three hours."

"When we got here she was already four centimeters dilated."

"Oh," Amelia's face fell.

"I will let you guys know when she is closer, but they think it will me a while."

"That is fine, we will come back tomorrow." Amelia said grabbing Sirius and Remus's arms as to leave.

"Sleepover at my house!" Sirius yelled.

"Merlin Amelia, what have we got ourselves into having a sleepover at Sirius's house?"

"I have no idea," Amelia said honestly.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Sirius yelled as he came in with a pillow in each hand and began to beat Remus and Amelia upside the head.

"Sirius stop it!" Amelia screeched. "Stop it!"

The next morning, Frank Longbottom spotted three of his very close friends walk into the main doors of St. Mungo's.

"Sirius, Amelia, Remus! How nice of you guys to come and visit Alice and Neville so early this morning, it isn't even nine yet."

Sirius frowned, "You didn't hear?"

"Huh?"

Amelia rolled her eyes, "Of course we came to see Alice and Neville. I am guessing you didn't hear…"

"Hear what?" Frank asked completely dumbfounded.

"Lily went into labor last night."

"What!" Frank's eyes bugged out, "James didn't…"

"I am guessing she is still in labor."

"Oh."

"James said he would contact us as soon as she was about to give birth," Remus spoke up. "Or if we were too late then after the baby was born. We came up here to see if she had given birth yet."

"Obviously she hasn't yet," Sirius pointed out.

"You're right," Amelia nodded. "Is Alice up?"

"She fell asleep about thirty minutes ago, Neville didn't sleep well last night. So in other words none of us really got any sleep. In fact Alice was sending me home to get a few hours of shut eye, then I am bring my mother up here."

"We will stop in to see you guys later on then," Remus offered.

"If you want I can show you him through the nursery window."

"That would be wonderful, where is…"

Meanwhile...

"Mrs. Potter, the baby's head is crowning." The Healer spoke.

"What does that mean?" James frowned looking from Lily to the Healer to the nurse.

"The baby is coming," the nurse spoke.

"Lily I need you to push," the doctor spoke.

"No," Lily moaned. "I am too tired, hell I have been in labor for ten hours!"

"The baby will die if you don't push."

James turned to Lily, "Love you need to push."

"I'm tired!" Lily whined.

"I know," James said kissing the top of her sweaty head. "Don't you want to see your baby?"

Lily bit her bottom lip and nodded her head.

"You have to push so we can see your beautiful baby boy, but if you don't then our baby will die."

Lily nodded, knowing what she needed to do. "Okay."

Lily began to push and scream at the same time. When doing this she was squeezing James's already sore hand even harder then she had all night. In which James was screaming with his wife.

Lily sighed and threw herself back into the many pillows behind her.

"Good Lily," the Healer said looking up at her. "Just one last good push."

"I can't, I can't." Lily began to cry as a nurse was wiping Lily's forehead with a cold rag.

"Please Lily," James turned to see a very tired Lily. "For the baby."

"Okay," Lily nodded. "Okay, for the baby."

Lily screamed, James screamed because of the pain in his hand, and then what happened next surprised them all.

There was a little scream that they had never heard before and a cry.

The Healer looked up at the both of them and smiled, "A very healthy baby boy."

"Even for being almost three weeks premature?" Lily asked a bit worried.

"Yes."

"I want to hold him."

"Just a moment," the Healer said handing the baby off to the nurse. "She is going to clean him up and make sure everything is okay and he is fully developed. Then he will be all yours."

Just like the Healer promised Lily, the nurse came back with a bundle wrapped in baby blue. "Here is your bouncing baby boy," she said over his cries.

As soon as he was in his mother's arms, his cries died. Lily pulled back the blanket over his face and both new mummy and daddy gasped. He looked just like James. A head full of black hair.

"Poor kid looks just like me," James chuckled. Then he leaned down and kissed Lily, there was a love there for her that he had never felt before. He had loved Lily more than anything in the world, and now he held that love for two people. Lily had given him their beautiful son.

"He's beautiful," Lily said with tears in her eyes.

Just then the little baby opened his eyes and the new mummy and daddy gasped again.

"Merlin, Lily!" James gasped, "He has your eyes."

Lily felt her heart swell up even larger than it had when she first looked down at him. As handsome as his father, but he shared his mother's eyes.

"What should we name him?" James asked, "We still hadn't figured it out."

"I know," Lily said looking up from her son for the first time since he had been placed in her arms. Lily looked James straight in the eyes, "Harry."

James's throat got dry, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Lily smiled. "Your father was a great wizard, but most of all he was a great father and husband. Besides he looks just like your father and you."

"Why not Blake?"

Lily shook her head, "He doesn't look like a Blake. Don't you think Harry suits him?"

James looked back down at his son and smiled, "Your right. Harry does suit him. Then James leaned down and kissed her lips, then rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Giving me our beautiful son, and naming him after my father."

Baby Harry began to cry and young mummy and daddy were clueless as what to do.

"He is probably hungry," the last nurse in the room said before leaving the new family alone together.

"Of course," Lily smiled and pulled her hospital gown down just enough to feed her newborn.

"You are beautiful, you know that right?" James asked looking in awe at his beautiful wife and new baby.

"Once I am done feeding him, why don't you contact the others?"

"I'll do go do that now."

Lily nodded, "By the time you get back we will be done."

"I love you Lily Potter."

"I love you too James."

James leaned down to kiss his infant son, "I love you Harry…"

"Harry James Potter," Lily said smiling and taking in the glow of motherhood.

James ran out into the waiting room, getting ready to Floo to Sirius's house which he figured he would get a hold of Sirius and Remus. Then they could get a hold of Amelia and Peter. So James was really surprised to see Sirius, Remus, and Amelia in the waiting room.

"Guys?" James asked.

"James!" Amelia said jumping up which made a napping Sirius, whom had been sleeping in her lap fall to the ground.

"Amy!" Sirius growled, but then he looked up. "Prongsie! Baby?"

James smiled from ear to ear and Remus walked over to get in the conversation with all of his friends, "He's here."

"Yay!" Amelia said smiling from ear to ear.

Sirius began to dance around.

"What did you name him?" Amelia asked.

"Oh no," Sirius's eyes bugged out. "You guys didn't have a name picked out yet."

"You didn't?" Remus asked.

"We didn't," James said shaking his head. "But when Lily held him in her arms a name just came to her and then his entire name came to us."

"So what did you name him?" Remus asked.

"Harry James Potter," James said with a fatherly-glow.

"Beautiful," Amelia smiled.

"Dad would be proud," Sirius said speaking of Harold Potter. "You are so cocky, gave that poor kid your name as a middle name."

"That was actually Lily's idea."

"I want to see him!" Amelia demanded.

"Okay," James nodded. "Follow me," all three friends followed.

"James!" Someone yelled from way behind them.

James, Amelia, Sirius, and Remus all turned around to see none other than Peter Pettigrew.

"Where have you been?" Sirius asked, "I tried to get a hold of you all night! Lily went into labor!"

"I just got your message from mother," Peter said honestly but he had actually found out about Lily going into labor from Lord Voldemort the night before. "She hasn't had him yet?" Peter asked crossing his fingers that James's child with that Mudblood would be born August first, and the Dark Lord would not find the child a threat. As much as Peter hated Lily, he did truly still see James as a brother.

"She gave birth about five minutes ago," James said going to hug his friend.

Peter's stomach dropped. "Congrats," Peter lied. He honestly wanted the Potter baby to not be born until the next day, he didn't really give a damn about the Longbottom baby because he truly never really cared for Alice nor Frank. Peter pulled back and he had already felt all the color leave his face, lucky for him no one noticed because he was already so pale. "What did you guys name him?"

"Harry James Potter," James beamed.

"Your dad would be proud, great names James."

"I figured he would, but the name was all Lily's idea."

"Well I should be going…"

"Course not," James said throwing his arm around Peter's shoulders. "I was just bringing the others to Lily and Harry's room. I want you to see my son."

"Of course," Peter nodded as he was sweating bullets.

"Lily!" Amelia said running in and saw the little blue bundle in her arms.

"Hi," Lily said very sleepy.

"Tired?"

"You bet," she chuckled. "It all goes away when I look at him," Lily said turning her attention back to her newborn son.

"Can I hold him?"

"No me first!" Sirius said running across the room and getting in between the two women.

"Ever heard of ladies first?"

"So," Sirius shrugged. "Godfather coming through! I get first dibs!"

"Fine," Amelia laughed at his baby face.

"Can I Lil?"

"Of course," Lily smiled as she went to hand Harry over. "Support his head."

"I know," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I was almost a father, after all." Sirius looked down at the sleeping baby, "Hey little man! You are going to have the Marauder name live on and I shall call you baby Prongs!"

"Oh boy," Lily said rolling her eyes.

"Give me Harry, now!" Amelia demanded.

"Fine," Sirius stuck his tongue out maturely at his girlfriend. "I am his Godfather so I get to hold him anytime I want."

"You would think the two of you are three year olds," Remus laughed.

"Perfect for each other," James smiled. "Don't you think Pete?"

"Yeah," Peter gagged.

"He's so tiny, smaller than Susan." Amelia said holding the little baby.

"He was three weeks early," Lily pointed out. "The Healer gave him a clean bill of health, he just wanted to meet his Mummy and Daddy early. He couldn't wait to see us and honestly I could wait any longer to meet him."

"Me neither," James said sitting in the chair next to his wife's hospital bed.

Baby Harry sighed in his sleep and his eyes just fluttered a bit, "Lily!" Amelia gasped, and then she looked up at her good friend. "He has your eyes."

"I know," Lily said smiling from ear to ear. "I love James's eyes, but I was really hoping that he would get mine. It's a family trait, but not many of my relatives really had it. I did, Mum and Grandma Rose."

"Looks just like James though," Remus said looking over Amelia's shoulder at the newborn.

"Poor kid," Peter chuckled.

"Whatever," James rolled his eyes.

"He's beautiful," Lily smiled.

"Thank you love."

"I was talking about the baby."

"Oh."

"Here Lily," Amelia said going to give baby Harry back to his mother.

"Do you want to hold him?" Lily asked Peter.

"No, babies don't like me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Peter said aloud but in his head he was really saying. 'I am not touching that nasty halfblood!' "I have to get going anyways."

"Already?"

"Yeah, Mum needed me at the house." Peter lied again.

"Okay," James said going to hug his very close friend. "Come stop by and see us sometime, hell seems like the only time we see you is at the Order meetings."

"Okay," Peter said before he left.

"Would you like to hold Harry, Remus?"

"You sure?"

"Of course," Lily smiled at her old friend.

"He has been a bit weird lately, hasn't he?" Amelia frowned sitting across the room at the little dining room table that was also in Lily and Harry's hospital room.

"Now that you mention it," James nodded. "Peter isn't around nearly as much as he use to be."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "You know how Peter is about bullies though, hell if you and Remus hadn't felt sorry for him our first year at Hogwarts he would have never been a Marauder. He was never really Marauder material."

"Really?" Amelia asked, "I always actually wondered that in school."

"So what does us taking him in our first year at Hogwarts have anything to do with Peter never being around?" Remus asked holding baby Harry.

"I think he is afraid of the spy." Sirius spoke up.

"It can't be one of us," Lily pointed out. "We have all been close and none of us would turn our backs on one another."

There was a knock at Lily's hospital room door that awoke her, "Come in."

Alice's wheelchair rolled her in with a little blue bundle wrapped in her arms, "Were you sleeping?" Alice asked once the door was closed and she was side by side with her best friend.

"Yes," Lily yawned. "Harry didn't sleep very well."

"Oh I'm sorry, I could come back…"

"No," Lily waved off.

"Where's the baby?"

"The nurse took him a little earlier, she should be back with him soon. She had said she wanted me to get some sleep, for some reason he just isn't sleeping at all. I mean I know infants wake up at all hours of the night."

"Sorry."

"Quit saying you are sorry," Lily waved off. "I have been napping about three hours anyways and I really want her to bring him back now. You know he's been with me for eight months and it's weird not to have him right here with me right now."

There was another knock at the door and Lily yelled to the person to come in.

"Hello Mrs. Potter, how are you feeling?" A nurse said walking into the room with a little blue bundle in her arms.

"A lot better, thank you."

"It's no problem and here is little Harry."

Lily took her newborn back in her arms and she felt a warmth rush over her. The nurse left the two new mothers alone.

"Harry?" Alice asked with a smile upon her face.

"Yeah," Lily said smiling from ear to ear but not looking up from her little boy's face. "It just seemed to fit."

"Is it a nickname?"

"No," Lily shook her head. "Harry James Potter."

"You named him after Harold, didn't you?" Alice asked.

Lily looked up and shook her head, "I knew how much Harold meant to James and when I looked down at Harry…well the name just hit me."

"I like it," Alice smiled.

"You named him?"

"We stuck with Neville, I like it. Frank liked it, actually it was the only name we agreed on. Neville Franklin Longbottom."

Alice got out of her wheelchair and climbed in bed with Lily and they switched babies, "He is beautiful Lily."

"So is Neville, my goodness he looks just like you."

"Harry looks like James," Harry awoke from his short slumber and looked up at Alice in which she gasped. "Lily!" Alice turned her head from the newborn to her best friend, "He has your beautiful eyes!"

"I know," Lily blushed. "I was really hoping he would and I see Neville has your eyes too."

"It seems so perfect, our babies will grow up together and be best friends!"

"I know," Lily nodded smiling from ear to ear.

"Our babies are so beautiful," Alice said as they switched back. "I still can't get over Harry."

Lily smiled, "Looks just like his father but he has his mother's eyes."