Ch. 40 - Harry

July 31, 1980

Emmeline called out sick from work and had been pacing about the front room on and off for hours now. Humorously, she'd been treading the same exact path: around the coffee table, behind the armchair, through the kitchen, up to the sink where she'd momentarily stare out the window, then back again.

If Remus were here, he would've thought this amusing; but he was still gone. This trip for Dumbledore had been exceptionally long. He sent her a patronus whenever he could to let her know that he was fine, but they did not do much to quell her anxiety. She wouldn't sleep well again until he was home safe.

Marlene, however, did not find the pacing amusing at all. "I am this close to a leg-locker curse Emmie, I swear to Merlin," she snapped from her seat at the kitchen table. "You're driving up my blood pressure."

"Like it wasn't already going to be up today," Emmeline countered, abandoning her course and flopping onto the sofa.

Her anxiety was at a peak today; early that morning, she'd received a patronus from James letting her know that Lily had gone into labor. She had already been over to the house to drop off a small breakfast for them, and James (though nervy out of his bloody mind) assured her that all was going smoothly. Marlene had floo'ed over from her parents' shortly after nine, and now, at two in the afternoon, nearly seven hours into Lily's labor, Emmeline was beginning to worry. She wondered if perhaps she should drop back in to see how things were going, but at the same time, she did not want to disturb the soon-to-be parents. So, she got back up to pace instead.

"Sweet Rowena, you're gonnae have marched the distance of the West Highland Way before this is over," Marlene quipped derisively.

"I'm sorry, I can't sit still. I'm going mad over here."

"Sirius will let us know when we can go over. Until then, we just have to wait. Patiently."
"Easier said than done…" Emmeline rounded the corner of the armchair and went back to her spot by the window. "Does it normally take this long?"

"I don't know. You'd think with magic, they would've figured out a quicker process for this by now. Can you imagine? Trying to expel something the size of a quaffle from your lady garden for hours?"

Emmeline shuddered at the thought, recalling the physical and emotional trauma that had come with miscarrying something the size of a strawberry. Birthing a quaffle was unfathomable. "...I just hope Lily's alright."

"Lily's tough as nails, she'll be just fine. Honestly, I think I'm more worried about James," Marlene chuckled. "Have you ever known James Potter to be patient? If you're going mad from all the waiting, imagine how he is."

"I suppose-"

They were interrupted by Sirius, who had just apparated into the entryway. The sudden intrusion startled Emmeline, prompting her to whip out her wand and instinctively lob a stunning spell. Sirius narrowly dodged the blast and stared at her, wide eyed.

"Merlin's beard, Em! Jumpy, are we?"

"Sorry!"

Marlene rose from her seat. "In hindsight, you probably shouldn't've-"

"The baby?" Emmeline blurted impatiently.

"...You do remember that you almost knocked me on my arse just now, don't you?"

"Sirius!"

"Lily and the baby are fine! I came to tell you, he's just arrived a little while ago!"

He.

Sirius watched with mild amusement as Emmeline dashed past him and ran out the front door without another word. He turned to Marlene. "She knows she can apparate, right?"

"Let her run," said Marlene, shuffling past him to chase after Emmeline. "It'll do her good to get the nerves out!"

Scoffing at the prospect of choosing such a primitive means of transport, Sirius shut the door behind them and began to run too.

Emmeline sprinted all the way to the Potters' cottage. When she reached the door she reared her pace, not wanting to cause a ruckus with a dramatic entrance. Instead, she took a moment to catch her breath, which gave Marlene and Sirius the opportunity to catch up to her.

"He's a tiny little thing," Sirius panted, opening the front door to let them inside. "Small as a mandrake, but far cuter. I don't think I realized how small they were, babies."

Emmeline got a good look at Sirius' face. "Have you been crying?"

"Of course he has, you big softie," said Marlene, pinching his cheek. He recoiled from her grasp.

"Piss off, the both of you."

Emmeline smiled and followed Sirius up the stairs. The door to Lily and James' bedroom was slightly ajar, so he knocked lightly before entering. The midwife came to the door and opened it fully for them to come in. When she stepped aside, Emmeline got a good look at the new parents.

They say that new mothers look radiant; that they glow. Emmeline did not know how utterly true this statement was until she saw Lily Potter with her little boy, hardly aware of anyone around her, wholly fixated on the new life she held in her hands. Even with her complexion glowing bright crimson, and her brow dampened with sweat, she was incandescent. James sat behind her, supporting her exhausted body with his, enshrining the Madonna and child. And just like that, two became three.

When Emmeline entered the room, James looked up at her with a massive, stupid grin, his face still wet with tears. "He's perfect," he said adoringly, inviting Emmeline and Marlene to come closer.

Marlene remained glued where she stood, taking in the scene before her. "Oh Lily, you absolute wonder," she breathed, leaning into Sirius' embrace. "You've done it."

Gingerly, Emmeline crept towards the bed and sat on the edge so that she could get a better look. Lily had her lips pressed against the infant's forehead, whispering "You are so loved, you are so loved," over and over like a mantra. It wasn't until she felt the new weight on the mattress that Lily really registered Emmeline's presence. She beamed at her.

Resonating James' assessment, Emmeline simply whispered, "He's perfect." She was in awe of the tiny creature, gurling calmly against Lily's breast, and could do nothing but stare at him.

"Told you so," James said proudly.

"We've named him Harry," said Lily, gently stroking the top of her baby's head with her thumb.

"It's perfect," Emmeline reiterated. "He looks like a Harry."

"That's what I said too," said Sirius.

Lily looked back up at Emmeline. "Do you want to hold him?"

Her smile vanished instantly. Emmeline suddenly felt the most unqualified she had ever felt in her life, and did not know what to say. Of course she wanted to hold the baby, but in her mind she was neither equipped nor worthy to take such a precious thing in her arms.

Sirius sat down beside her. "If it makes you feel better, I held him a bit ago and there was no catastrophe, so I think you'll be just fine."

"Except Sirius made my poor son cry," Lily teased him.

"Did not!"

"Then he cried," added James.

"You're both still loopy."

"If you're not gonnae hold him first, I will," Marlene offered, eagerly leaning over Sirius.

"...Alright." Emmeline agreed to take the infant with excited apprehension, holding out her arms as Lily leaned forward to hand her the swaddled bundle.

"Just be sure to support his head and neck," James instructed, repeating the midwife's directions to him like a parrot. Emmeline resisted the urge to poke fun at his new fatherly authority.

Bloody hell, he was small. The weight that was placed in her arms was far less that she had expected. Harry wriggled in opposition to being passed off, but grew more peaceful as Emmeline drew him nearer to her body. "Wow," she exhaled aloud without realizing, marveling as the baby reached out and latched onto her index finger with his little hand.

The infant in her arms dredged up a pang of remorse inside of her, and she had to swallow the lump rising in her throat. "Remus would be absolutely smitten." Harry merely kicked his small feet in response.

It was then that Emmeline realized just how abundantly impressed she was with Lily Potter. For giving birth, yes, but also for her courage. She intrepidly brought this beautiful child into a world that had made Emmeline run away when she learned of her own pregnancy. Emmeline reached out with her free arm and clasped Lily's hand tightly. "You're extraordinary, do you know that?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

Lily smiled graciously and squeezed her friend's hand. "All I know is that I'm glad he's here."

"Canna see the bairn now?" Marlene asked impatiently, kicking Sirius off the bed and taking his place.

Emmeline held Harry up a few inches so that Marlene could get a better look at him.

"Oh," she squealed. "Aren't you just a magnificent wee thing?"

James and Lily looked on lovingly as their best friends fawned over their son.

Marlene's bottom lip began to quiver. "...Can I?" she asked, extending her arms towards him. Obliging her, Emmeline gently handed Harry off to Marlene.

"Make sure you support his head-"

"Don't be daft James, everyone knows that," Marlene snapped, overcome with emotion. "Oh, you two made a very nice baby, they're not all this bonnie you know!" she blubbered. Emmeline wiped the tears from Marlene's cheeks before they could plop down onto Harry's forehead.

"We've asked Sirius to be the godfather," James announced, still admiring his son. Sirius beamed with pride, and Marlene just melted into a further puddle of tears.

"Oh Merlin help us, he's doomed," laughed Emmeline.

"Hush," Sirius chided as he leaned over Marlene's shoulder to observe his godson. Emmeline had not expected Sirius to be so fond of children, and was pleasantly surprised by how he looked down at Harry with such love in his eyes.

"James?" called a meek voice from the doorway.

"It's alright Peter, you can come in," Lily beckoned him.

Strangely, Peter wore an expression as though he were attending a wake rather than the aftermath of a birth. He inched cautiously towards the bed to peek at the newborn in Marlene's grasp, but kept his distance.

"Well?" said James, "He's handsome like his dad, no?"

"...He's quite small."

"Wormtail, have you ever actually seen a baby?" Sirius derided him as if he hadn't said the same thing just minutes before.

"Not this close." He was hardly close - while Marlene and Emmeline made silly faces at the newborn (who was much too young to appreciate them), Peter stayed away from the group, his hands in his pockets and his eyes daring only skittish glimpses of the baby. Not that he would have otherwise been comfortable with such an intimate situation, but he seemed purposefully detached.

Sirius was far too absorbed with his new title to be privy to this. "I'm the godfather, did you hear? Just like Marlon Brando."

Emmeline lifted her head from the baby and cast a judgmental glare in his direction. "Bloody hell Sirius, I hope not like Marlon Brando. Did you even see that film?"

"No, but the posters were wicked," he replied, which earned an exhausted chuckle from Lily.

The midwife must have interpreted this as a pity laugh. "Alright, baby and his mother need a rest. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to take your leave."

A sly grin crept across Sirius' face.

"...Alright then, just call me-"

"Don't say it-" James tried, but it was too late.

"Dadfoot."

Groans ensued.

"Alright, now I really must insist that visiting time is over," said the midwife, this time with far less feigned sweetness.

"I don't think she liked my joke..." whispered Sirius.