The Beginning of Things

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the ideas associated with it. I'm afraid J.K. Rowling does and I am just telling the story the way I believe it could possibly play out.

Lily Potter began to fidget as she sat waiting. She couldn't believe that her entire future came down to the next few moments. She sat deep in thought as to what a baby would mean. She wasn't against the idea after all her job was to work with children. She loved being daycare supervisor at the ministry. She just wasn't sure that she was ready to play caregiver for a child of her own. She thought as long as she was being perfectly honest with herself she ought to admit that the thing that surprised her the most was that they were dealing with this so soon after they had gotten married. She had thought that it would be some time yet before they had to deal with something like this. A year and two month was not the planed time period, however, life rarely heeds the will of mankind. So here Lily was sitting in her new, yet sparsely furnished, cottage style house in Godric's Hollow waiting to find out if she would indeed be a mother. Needless to say she was more than a little excited at the prospect.

As Lily sat pondering her pending motherhood her husband was trapped within his own thoughts. His mind also dwelled on how the course of their life could change within the next few minutes. Although, he had to admit that he had had a life altering moment like this happen to him before and that it had turned out for the better. It had happened the day that he had met Lily Evans on their first train trip to Hogwarts. Now even he had to admit that saying he fell head over heals for her right there and then, as Sirius told it, was a bit of a stretch. He did, however, in that moment know that this was someone he needed to know. He did not know, however, that he would spend the next three years of his life trying to figure out why she had an effect on him. Nor did he know then from fourth year on that he would spend nearly every waking moment trying to get her to go out with him. Looking back James realized that he was drawn to Lily by some unknown force that to this day he could not identify. Yes he had known it all along; Lily on the other hand, had needed some convincing. James was drawn away from this train of thought by the, "ding" sound of an egg timer.

As Lily and James Potter were finding out that they would be parents in a little less than nine months time, Albus Dumbledore was interviewing a candidate for the divination post. He was unsure he wanted the subject to continue at all, seeing that it didn't seem to have any validity to it. Yet, fate has a funny way of intervening in these matters. Albus Dumbledore was driven to meet this applicant due to her lineage. Professor Dumbledore went and paid Professor Trelawney a visit out of respect to the legend of her great- great- grandmother. What he ended up hearing that cold rainy late November night would end up turning the tide in the war against Voldemort. As he prepared to leave he became the only person to hear the prophesized downfall of the Dark Lord in its entirety. However, there had been another to hear the prophecy as well before the spy could be thrown from the bar. This meant that although Voldemort knew of the prophecy he did not know all of it.

And with that it had begun, Albus Dumbledore's greatest challenge. He was now left to find this child that would be born at the end of July. He was facing the problem of Voldemort knowing of the prophecy as well. Bearing in mind that time was of the essence Dumbledore narrowed down the chosen child being born to parents in the Order of the Phoenix. The only couple that he could think of that fit the description was none other than the infamous Longbottoms. They had recently told Albus that they were expecting a baby in the late July, early August time frame. Now came the difficult task of telling them that their baby was being targeted by the most notorious dark wizard in a century.

"A baby! Oh Lily, I just can't believe it's true. We're going to have a baby." James said as he held his wife in a deeply protective embrace. Although he wouldn't be the first person to come to mind when you thought of a family man, he felt he was ready for this. A baby that was the result of the love that he and his wife shared. James looked forward to the day that he could corrupt the baby into a little version of himself (with the other Marauder's help of course). A child that he could pass down the family legacies to, like the map and the invisibility cloak. This baby would grow into a person the Slytherins would come to hate.

"James, do you really think we are ready for this? I mean we haven't been married that long. Not to mention we don't really know what we are doing. We are both orphans which means we have know one to show us how to raise a baby. We are new members of a secret society whose sole purpose is to bring down the most evil wizard in centuries, and I am just one person against the four famous Marauders. I mean do I even have a chance of not having my sweet baby corrupted."

"Lily relax, I know that we have only been married a little over a year. I also know that we are young. However, you are the most responsible woman I have ever known and if anyone ever stood a chance a preventing the Marauders from corrupting their child it is you."

"It's not just the morals behind raising that baby that bothers me. It's other things as well. Like are we financially secure enough to have a baby. We have only been out of school for a couple of years James. We are still making our start and…"

"Lily, I know that we don't make a lot of money right now. Sirius and I knew that we wouldn't when we started our own Auror agency. Still we have more than enough money in the vault to get by on for the rest of our lives. So would you just stop worrying about all of this and let yourself be happy."

"I guess that we do have eight months to figure everything out don't we. I don't suppose there is any way of getting out of making Sirius godfather is there?" Lily inquired looking in to her husbands eyes with a playful look on her face.

"I don't see anyway around it. Besides Sirius is a sweet, sympathetic, caring individual. He is the perfect choice."

"I wish I could figure out how to get this motorbike how to go faster. I mean for what I paid for it, it should be able to go faster."

"Sirius Black, this bike doesn't need to go faster; in fact it needs to go slower. How did you convince me to get on this thing the first place?" Eleanor Thistle inquired from behind him.

"You happened to fall victim to my unique charm. Besides we are nearly there so there is no sense playing the name game now." As Sirius parked the bike on the ground next to Lily and James's place he couldn't help but notice just how different his Ella was from the women he normally dated. Ella as her friends liked to call her was average height with brown shoulder length hair. She was a little over weight but it didn't look bad on her. Her most interesting feature by far, however, was her eyes. They were a unique colour that he had never seen before. The closest colour he could think to call them was lilac.

Ella could be described as a nice shy girl. She worked at the Wizard Museum in London. Sirius had always gotten along with Ella; however, he had never really figured her as being his type. As a result he never felt like romancing her until lately. She had gotten into a really big fight with her parents a little while back and decided to leave home. She didn't have anywhere to go as she didn't want to impose on Lily and James. Sirius had decided he needed a new roommate after James had moved out thought it made sense that they live together. Lily on the other hand had convinced anyone who would listen that they would make a perfect match and that there was something between them that neither would allow themselves to see. It was beyond hope to convince her otherwise so Sirius had had fun with it. Ella on the other hand due to her shy demeanor was a little less inclined to join in.

Yet recently Sirius had begun to see what Lily was talking about. Lately he would rather spend an evening in doing something with Ella than go out on yet another meaningless date. He was falling fast and hard for Ella and had even surprised himself when the idea of marriage went through his head.

"Fell victim to your charm, how long did it take you to come up with that crummy line?" Ella asked, "I wonder what was so urgent, that they couldn't wait until tomorrow to see us about."

"Don't know. James was sort of cryptic when he flooed me. Probably just wanted me around to liven up their evening and you to keep me in check."

"Should we tell them our news? I mean that we are a couple and all. I just want to get it into the open. I feel like were lying to them by not letting them know."

"Do we really have to? I mean Lily is going to get all I told you so on us and I don't think I could handle that." Sirius said as he helped her of the enormous bike. Besides after everything they put us through while they were finally hooking up, they owe us some leeway."

"Sirius we are in a serious relationship here, do you really want that to be built on a foundation of lies? Besides they may not have taken the easy road but at least they arrived right?"

"I suppose your right we can tell them tonight if you want to."

"Tell who what? James inquired as he opened the door for two of their closest friends.

"Well you'll have to wait and see," Sirius said as way of greeting. "I mean if you want to hear our news you'll have to tell us yours its only fair for summoning us here at this hour."

"I told you we should have waited until tomorrow," Lily said as she came in to the family room.

"Oh come on you wanted to tell them just as much as I do. Besides it's not like I invited everyone just Sirius and Ella. I mean I could have invited Remus and Peter as well." James replied as he came over and sat down next to his wife.

"Tell us what," Ella inquired as she took a seat. "Come on tell us and we will tell you our news."

At this Sirius groaned knowing he would never live down the fact that Lily had been right about who he would end up with. Yet he agreed with Ella it was time they got it out into the open. That didn't make it any easier to do, however.

At Ella's remark both Lily and James looked at each other and smiled before turning back to address their friends questions. When they did it was plain to any fool how they felt about the issue, blissfully happy.

"Lily and I are having a baby," James finally managed to blurt out after a moments silence.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you guys," Ella squealed as she ran over to hug Lily.

"Congrats mate," Sirius said with an open grin on his face. "I really can't believe you managed to get Evans to marry you never mind procreate with you. I guess this really is proof that just about anyone can have a baby."

"Thanks, I think. Listen the other reason we wanted you here is because we want you to be the baby's godparents."

"Of course we will. I'm just so honoured you asked."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Sirius replied.

"Oh, so what is your news that you wanted to tell us?" Lily inquired.

"Well, here goes nothing." Sirius replied preparing himself for the evitable reply to their news. "Ella and I are officially a couple. We have actually officially been a couple for about three months now."

"You don't say," Lily replied with a smirk on her face. "Who could have seen that one coming?"

Ella smiled as she turned to Sirius, "At least she didn't say I told you so."

Not yet we still have an eternity to get though Sirius thought to himself.