Chapter 2
The next thing Harry knows after that conversation is blood, some sort of liquid, shouts of encouraging and wails.
Lots and lots of wails that seem to hurt his throat and lungs, he wonders why someone's wailing hurts him as if he's the one who is-
Oh. It is Harry himself who is wailing.
Quickly he shuts up and struggles to open his tiny unused eyes, his baby muscles straining under the pressure of it for the first time.
Green.
That was the first thought in his mind as he looked up at the green, green, green eyes staring down at him in awe and adoration. Love practically pouring out of them and suffocating him so much that his lungs constricted and tears leaked out of his eyes. Slowly his eyes roamed over the rest of the features of his mother, his mother. Even with sweat-soaked hair sticking to her face and tears leaking she was still the most beautiful woman he had seen.
An indescribable sob bought his attention away from her and towards the man standing in the doorway, eyes wide and hand gripping the doorknob tightly. On quivering legs James Potter stumbled into the room, trembling hands reaching out to touch his hair like he thought his son wasn't real, as if he would disappear if he wasn't touching him.
"Lily…" James said, love and happiness and hope and fear misting his eyes and throat.
"Is that…Is that…" He seemed unable to choke out any more words.
"Me…Meet our..our son. Our son, James, our son." She sobbed out. Hands clutching the newborn to her chest tightly. Harry winced slightly, the unexpectedly tight embrace hurting his delicate bones. A startled cry escaped his tiny lungs, Lily hurriedly pulling back a little as James ran over.
"What? What? What is it?" He asked panicked.
"Nothing at all Mr. Potter, he is just a bit startled." A familiar matronly voice called out from the side. Harry tried to move his head to place the familiar voice, unfortunately, he was after all a newborn and didn't have any control over his motor functions.
"Madam Pomphrey…." Lily began solemnly, her eyes focused on every moment of her son's.
"When…When was he born?"
James's arm came around his wife's shoulders. Both of them coiled in anticipation.
Pomphrey's eyes dimmed, a sadness enveloping her. "I'm so sorry my dears, just before the first of August."
As despair wrecked his parents at their luck, Harry's eyes closed, his vision becoming blurry, just making out two smudges in the corner of the room, one black one white.
The next time Harry woke up it was to see the striking face of his godfather smiling at him lovingly.
The sudden memories of him falling through the veil. The despair he felt at his last chance of a family slipping away. The pain, pain, the pain of that moment hitting him so hard that his small body unable to handle it burst into tears. His godfather's face startled and then panic flashing in his eyes.
"James! Lily!" His immediate cry bought more tears as the regret of his family's unlived life pushed more pain and agony into him. The names disarming him to an extent he didn't realize was possible.
Hurried footsteps sounded as his parents came into view. Immediately Little Harry lifted his hands, silently asking to be held up. His father complied, lifting him up and bouncing him slightly, a half concerned half-soft smile on his face.
"What's wrong Prongslet? Did Padfoot scare you?" His father's light teasing voice asked as he tried to calm him down.
"I did not!" Sirius's offended voice said.
"Oh for God's sake James!" Lily exclaimed playfully before taking her son from his arms.
He quieted down as he listened to the conversation around him.
"Yes my dear Lily flower." He grinned down at his wife and son from his 6'2 height. "My dear Lily, what do you even see in him? You should have married me, would have given dear old mum a right heart attack." He said wistfully. "Obviously my undeniable charm." His father retorted. "What charm?" A lean sandy haired man said as he strode into the room. He made way towards him and leaned down to kiss Harry on the forehead, a fond smile on his face, love shining in his amber-wolf eyes."Hello love." He said fondly and picked him up, swinging him up and above. A happy laugh bubbling out of him. A content feeling settled into his heart, love overwhelming him for his family who never got to have a happy life before this.
Is this selfish? He wondered for a moment, no one else got to live again, no one else got a second chance.
No. No, he decided. He deserved this, plus he is planning on making sure the war doesn't happen at all, so he is doing the correct thing.
With new determination, he put all those thoughts behind him and decided to enjoy his new life, which should have been his from the start. His eyes took in the bantering of his family around him, everyone talking, laughing, cooing at him, and passing him around. That night when he went to sleep for the first time in his life, he had never felt such happiness or love before and he vowed to make sure that it always remained this way.
