HARRY POTTER WLoF REWRITE PART 2 CHAP 11

Moria stretched as she returned to the dressing room, intent on changing out of her Healer uniform. She was exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. Due to there being a sudden influx of injured witches and wizards being sent to Mungo's, her shift was incredibly long and tedious. She was glad to be heading home right then. Just as she was about to open her locker, Chelsea stopped her. The moment she glanced at the other woman, Moria groaned.

"But I'm just off my shift."

"It's just one person. None of us can get to her at this moment and she's insistent on being treated right now."

"Who is she?"

"I don't know." Chelsea responded, shrugging. "The Head Healer is the one who told me to go get you before you left."

Moria groaned again before nodding pulling her sleeve back on.

"Just this one person." She retorted coolly. Chelsea nodded before handing the folder. Moria rolled her eyes and glancing at the room number. She walked over to the room quickly, opening the door, still looking down opening the file. She looked up and froze as she connected with sharp ice blue eyes, greyed hair. Inwardly she groaned as the glare sharpened and the woman looked at her with so much indignation that it stifled the busy atmosphere mere inches behind Moria.

Walburga Black stared at her, almost analyzing as to where she had seen Moria before. Moria in turn just stared at her boyfriend's estranged mother, one who had recently lost her youngest son and husband. Walburga's eyes narrowed.

Oh this was bound to be fun.

---

Lily stood up again, heading to the bathroom, causing James and Sirius to chuckle.

"That's the fifth time in the hour."

"Well excuse me, your son using my bladder as a football." Lily yelled out from the bathroom, causing James laughed loudly this time. Sirius chuckled, taking a gulp of his water, before glancing at his friend.

"So, how is the dad to be?" Sirius asked with a bright grin. James offered a grin.

"Excited, nervous, happy…a lot of stuff."

"You'll make an excellent dad Prongs." Sirius replied. "Count on it."

"Well you'll make an excellent godfather." James interjected. Sirius shrugged, leaning against the island, a grin spreading on his face.

"As long as Moria's there to keep me in line." He stated nonchalantly. James chuckled, almost in agreement. While Moria would tolerate pranks and things, even the amount of stuff that would probably occur prank wise when the youngest Potter would get older, she did have a line that she wouldn't allow anyone to cross. That had been proof enough when Sirius had told her what had happened during their fifth year between him, Snape and Remus and she had smacked him hard on the back of the head hard enough for him to see stars and had a headache for several hours which Moria had refused to heal as well as refusing to give him a potion. James grinned and then looked at Sirius thoughtfully.

"So have you asked her yet?"

Sirius was silent, but his face grew red and he glanced towards the counter, suddenly interested in its surface. Apparently that was a no. James groaned lightly, glaring at his best friend.

"Merlin, you sure are procrastinating on this, aren't you?"

"Oi!" Sirius snapped. "Sorry if all of us aren't as quick when it comes to asking."

"Hey, don't blame me." James retorted with a grin. "I would have thought that you would have asked her earlier, if just to beat me at something."

"You do realize that if Lily or Moria get wind of that comment we'll both be sleeping on the sofa, right?" Sirius asked, an eyebrow rising as the front door opened and closed. He didn't think too much of it as Moria was due to be returning home. Lily apparently having finished with the loo walked out and the men could hear the redhead greeting her friend.

"Hey Moria, how was wo-! What happened to your face?" The sudden change in pitch, the friendliness shifting into panicked confusion, had both men looking up, Sirius's brow furrowing as they walked out, glancing into the parlor.

"Work was fine. And it's nothing bad." Moria stated walked out of the shadow, rubbing the side of her face. Sirius stiffened as the kitchen light finally illuminated what the dim dusk shadows of the entrance hallway had not.

Five clawed marks had been carved from the base of Moria's ear and just under her right eye all the way down her cheek, inflamed, almost angry looking in the harsh lighting. It had scabbed over a bit, though he could see that it had bled slightly before it had been healed, and the smallest scratch, which had probably belonged to the thumb, was nearly faded. But still, there it was, someone had clawed Moria.

Someone had hit Moria.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Sirius asked, walking quickly over to Moria and angling her face into the light. She rolled her eyes, immediately regretting this as a small wave a pain throbbed through her cheek. She gave a pointed glare at Sirius, though it was more of an amused look mixed with an annoyed one.

"Your mother saying hello." She remarked dryly. Sirius's hand froze on her cheek, a look of surprise sliding into his eyes.

"My mother did this?" He asked incredulously. Moria sighed tiredly.

"She wasn't exactly the happiest of women when she found out a half-blood was going to be performing the examination. But she was…compliant…for the most part. Midway through, however, she remembered who I was, shit hit the fan right then." She explained, pressing her fingertips to her cheek and gave him an amused smile. "I thought you were kidding when you told us she screamed like a banshee."

Sirius was just staring at her, shock written on his face. James noticing this, looped his arm around Lily's waist, guiding her back to the kitchen, allowing the other couple some alone time. Moria seemed to notice, though Sirius was oblivious. Gently he ran his thumb over the scratches.

"What else did she do?" He asked. She looked at him. "I know my mother, she wouldn't just scratch you."

"Sirius, it's alright. The scratches were sort of my fault anyways. Really should have been paying attention."

"What did she say?"

"Oh the usual. How dare I walk her presence, that I sleep with her bastard son, that you should have keeled over by now, I'm a blood traitor's whore, daughter of a mudblood…" Moria remarked, cocking her head to the side. "Etc., etc. You have a way of pissing people off, don't you?" She commented. He let out a low breath and a curse intertwined. She chuckled and forced him to look at her, giving him an even smile.

"Don't worry about it, alright?" She replied. "They were just words. Words I've heard multiple times when I fight against Deatheaters. It's not the worst that's happened to me."

"But the scratches-"

"Are just scratches. I honestly think she's losing her mind at this point."

"Like she hadn't lost it before?"

"You know what I mean. Losing her youngest son and husband the same year? I think her mind is unraveling. Honestly the way she was acting before she remembered I was involved with you should have had me on edge. She seemed…I don't know…jittery. Like a caged animal. It was pretty clear she wasn't exactly happy being there during one of the busier days."

"Pity." He remarked coolly. "Still didn't mean she should have hit you."

"I know that…but all things considered, it could have been worse."

"How could it have been worse?"

"She could have used her wand on me." She placated. He was silent and though she spotted him relaxing a bit, it didn't make the anger vanish completely. So she gripped his face and kissed him softly, him immediately returning the kiss with fervor.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" She murmured against his mouth after a minute. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He let out a low breath, before she felt him nod. She smiled, pecking his lips again. "Now I'm going to go find that stupid healing potion so that way you don't panic every time you see my lovely face."

"You had a healing potion here all this time?" He asked, amused. "Why was it, every time I was hurt, you healed me yourself?"

She offered a bright smile and a laugh. "Who knows, maybe I just can't keep my hands off of you." He emitted a bark-like laugh and pulled her to him, kissing her again.

---

There was screaming. She remembered that. The green glow of curses being thrown all over the place, the echoes of fighting bouncing off of the walls. She remembered that too. What she didn't remember was being hit. The last thing she remembered was her world growing white in an instant and then darkness blanketed her vision.

"Moria."

She flinched at the name, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to figure out who had called her.

"Moria."

The caller was more urgent now. It was male, she realized, and panicked. She opened her eyes an inch, closing them, before forcing them open. She stared above her and saw several figures in her vision. She stiffened, trying to summon any strength left to find her wand. A hand gripped her wrist in a gentle fashion.

"Moria? Moria, it's us." The voice repeated, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Finally the shapes began to sharpen and clarify, revealing three men that she knew well. Remus, James, and Sirius. They all looked relieved; however Sirius seemed to have a mixture of panic and relief across his features. She offered a grin, though it was weak and probably butchered as she tried to sit up. Sirius helped her up, his features not softening a moment. There was still panic, granted she couldn't blame him.

"…alright so what did I get hit with? Stunning or Punching Hex?" She grumbled, rubbing her throbbing head, wincing as pain traveled through her skull.

"Why does it matter?" Sirius asked roughly. Moria shot him a pointed look.

"So I can know if it was the spell or my skull hitting a wall that is causing me to feel like I was used a gong." She retorted dryly and immediately regretted it as he felt him straighten, his expression darken. She glanced at James and Remus, and for once James actually took the hint, nudging Remus away. She looked at Sirius, her expression light.

"Sirius, I'm fine."

"You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days." He remarked dryly, pulling her to him. It was like a broken record. Green spells flying, Moria being thrown, her slamming into the wall and crumpling to the ground in a heap. She had been so still and for a few brief, terrifying seconds, he had believed that she had been hit with the killing curse.

"Sorry." She responded softly, apparently too exhausted to argue. "I'll try to prevent that."

"…I should have had your back."

"You had James's back. That was good enough."

"But-"

"If we had come back without James, Lily would have murdered the both of us. And she could have pleaded momentary insanity due to hormones. No sane woman in Wizengamot would try her for that." Moria remarked, offering a smile. "But like I said, other than a headache, I'm fine."

"…I thought you were dead." He finally commented, his grip on her tightening. She angled her head to observe him. "I saw that green light just a few seconds before that, then you crashed into that wall, and didn't try to move when you fell to the ground…" He trailed off. She sighed, settling a bit further into his grip, before gripping his hand.

"It didn't though." She replied, her voice soft. He glanced at her, and she felt him relax a bit. She closed her eyes and offered a soft chuckle. "So…James and Lily figure out any names?"

"Harry. Harry James Potter." He replied, thankful for the change in topic.

She looked at him, an eyebrow rising as she smiled. "Harry?" she asked. "Interesting."

"Does it sound bad?"

"No. Just interesting. Simple." She remarked a smile on her face. "I think it's nice."

"Figures James would have his son have his name as the middle name." Sirius remarked, finally relaxing. She laughed.

"It seems to be a common theme for the Wizarding world, Sirius Orion Black." She teased. He made a rumbling sound in the back of his throat, intertwining his hand with hers, and the pair sat there, observing the scene around them.

---

Moria was reading a book sitting on the sofa when she heard a noise. Glancing up she saw Sirius come in, a tired look on his face. With a groan he sat on the sofa, sliding down to where his head was lying on Moria's lap. She lifted her book and looked at him.

"Hello." She greeted and he responded with a grunt. "Rough day?" She asked, chuckling softly

"Oh you have no idea. Three fights in ten minutes. I swear, I love Quidditch, but not when I'm one of the ones that have to do crowd control for a match."

"Well, think of it this way. I'll end being stuck with the drunks who thought they were God and ended up injuring themselves or the belligerent drunks who think they're the next sex god."

"No offense, I hope you get the former of those two options." He murmured his eyes opening slightly. "Especially with what happened last time." He added. She smirked. Last time had been a memorable bar fight. Sirius had dragged a raging drunk to Mungo's who had a broken nose, a black eye and had originally been retching on Sirius's shoes, much to his displeasure. The poor bloke didn't really fare much better in the hospital. He seemed to fancy brunettes. Unluckily for him, the moment he had smacked Moria in the rump with one hand and groped her with the other, had been the exact time Sirius had just passed by, about to say goodbye to Moria. Needless to say, the poor bastard had ended up with another black eye, and this one none of the healers even touched. She laughed at the memory, setting her book down onto the table next to her before kneading her fingers through his hair. As always he growled appreciatively and she could feel him relaxing even more.

"Heh. You are such a dog."

"Your point?" He responded. Seconds later they saw a silvery form of a stag enter the room and Moria heard Sirius groan. It wasn't like he didn't mind James…but he was already exhausted. She laughed softly as Sirius sat up, clearly annoyed. But their mood changed in an instant as the patronus began to speak.

"Get here as soon as you can…Lily and I are going to have to go into hiding.

Voldemort is after my son."

---

Moria and Sirius arrived at Lily and James's home within seconds of the Patronus disappearing.

"Prongs! Are you two okay?!" Sirius asked, not even waiting to knock on the door. Moria didn't even retort a comment about how rude it was. James looked up from the sofa of the living room, offering a weary smile, before it slowly fell back into a frown.

"Where is she?" Moria asked and James numbly pointed towards the bedroom. Moria glanced at James before going to the bedroom. Sirius stared at James in shock.

"What do you meant that…that bastard is after your kid? Lily hasn't even given birth yet." Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore told us…"

"But why?!" Sirius hissed out. James swallowed.

"I can't give you the specifics yet. But I can tell you this…it has to do with a baby that is born in July by parents that defied Voldemort three times. That would mean it was either us or Alice and Frank. And Dumbledore thinks he's narrowed his target to us." James explained, his throat closing towards the last part and he swallowed roughly again.

"Flitwick is coming to teach Lily how to do the Fidelius charm. But we need a secret keeper." James said before looking straight at Sirius.

"And we were wondering…if you would be it."

---

Moria knocked on the door, though she would have considered it pointless as she was already opening it. Lily was sitting on the bed her arms wrapped around her waist protectively.

"Lily…"

"My baby…my little baby. He doesn't deserve this." Lily whimpered, looking up at her friend. Without a seconds thought, Moria went over to Lily and drew her friend to her. Lily then broke down into tears, sobbing openly into Moria's jacket.

"We'll stop him Lily. I promise you." She said and ran her hand over Lily's head, trying to comfort her. Lily sniffled.

"Professor Flitwick is coming to teach me how to do the Fidelius charm. We're already asking-!"

"Don't. Don't tell me who your Secret Keeper is going to be." Moria said and Lily looked up Moria in confusion.

"You know me. I'm always getting into trouble. If I have a run in with Deatheaters…they'll be bound to think that I know who the Secret Keeper will be. And they'll try anything to get me to talk. It's better that I don't know." She explained. Lily was silent, before nodding. "In any case, it looks like I'll be your midwife." Moria stated and Lily looked at her, her eyes owlish.

"Lily…going to Mungo's would endanger both your lives. Especially now that they'll be after the baby. Chelsea and I will help with the delivery. Okay?" Moria asked and Lily swallowed before nodding again.

"Everything will be okay. I promise Lily."

I promise.

---

Moria sighed as she brushed her hair back. It had been nearly a month since the declaration of Lily and James being forced into hiding. Now they could only leave either by floo, or apparate…which she wasn't exactly sure was the best thing for a pregnant woman to do. Currently she, Lily, Alice, Chelsea, and Bryn were at Chelsea's family home. Chelsea glared at her as she sat down in the chair adjacent to Moria's.

"You know you could be helpful."

"And do what?" Moria asked, an eyebrow rising. "We have all the necessary stuff to get ready for Lily and maybe even Alice to give birth. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know…entertain your friends. Lily's been a zombie and Alice has been a worrywart since they got here."

"Lily found out a month ago that her unborn son is being hunted down by a madman that wants everyone who defies him dead, and Alice knows that it could have been her child. What the hell are you expecting?" Moria shot back and Chelsea flinched.

"I know, I know. But this stress isn't healthy for either of them. Especially with them nearing their due dates." Chelsea said.

"I know…but I can't magically take the stress away from them." Moria replied blandly. Suddenly they heard a crash and both looked up as they heard Lily yelp in surprise. They both withdrew their wands and rushed downstairs.

"Alice! Alice what's wrong?!" They heard Lily call out and skidded around the corner to see Alice leaning against the kitchen counter, gripping her stomach, Bryn and Lily trying to support her. Geoffrey looked confused from his seat, his head angled to the side.

"Alice what's wr-" Moria began to say but nearly fell as she slid on something. She looked down to see a puddle.

"Oh…OH! NOW?!" Moria said looking up at Alice who nodded rapidly her grip tightening on the kitchen counter. Moria and Chelsea quickly went into healer mode and both took positions on either side of the woman, supporting her back.

"Okay. Let's get you to one of the spare bedrooms." Moria said and with that they slowly managed to get Alice to a bedroom they had made for delivering.

"Glad we made more than one."

"Yup. Being prepared always makes life easier."

"If you even say 'constant vigilance' I'm hexing you." Moria remarked dryly. "We hear that enough from Moody."

"I was more going for the 'always prepared' ideal. Besides if you hex me, you'll have to deliver the baby yourself." Chelsea stated as they helped Alice into the bed, Moria grumbling. Bryn entered a few seconds later, Lily waddling behind her as Chelsea checked Alice's dilation.

"Uh oh."

"What do you MEAN uh oh!?" Alice shrieked.

"I mean that your baby is coming a hell of a lot quicker than normal first time mothers. You're already in active labor." Chelsea observed. Alice's eyes shrunk in shock, then she looked at Moria.

"Frank-"

"I'll go get him." Lily said and Moria gave her a look.

"You're just as pregnant as she is Lil. You aren't going out right now."

"But-!"

"I'll go." Bryn interrupted. "Just tell me where to find him."

"He's…he's out with the other guys. I think at one of the pubs in Diagon Alley." Alice remarked and Bryn nodded before rushing out, being careful to avoid the puddle that was still on the ground. She would clean it up later. Now she needed to find Frank.

"Come on Geoffrey." She added, picking up her son. Holding him she left the house and took off down the street.

"Well Alice. Ready to be a mum at..." Moria checked the clock "Around 7 o'clock at night?" she asked. Alice nodded, her eyes bright.

"Have to say…for a first time Mum, Alice is sure going into a really fast labor." Chelsea stated offhand. Moria rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure if that's really a bad-"

"Oh-oh." They soon after heard Lily say and both the healers looked up in confusion.

"Lily? What's-" Moria began to say but trailed off when she saw Lily gripping the door frame with one hand, holding her stomach with the other.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

---

"So…you two are almost dads? How do you feel?"

"Personally? Bloody terrified." James said and Frank nodded. Sirius smirked.

"I can see that. But don't worry. You two will make awesome dads." Sirius said with a shrug. Both men blushed slightly, and were about to retort when Remus blinked then stared through the window.

"Bryn?" he said, mostly to himself but caused everyone to look. They saw Bryn rushing around looking around, Geoffrey clutching her blouse. Remus got up quickly and hurried out of the pub, followed by the others who quickly walked (more like ran) to Bryn.

"Bryn! What's wrong?! What-" Remus began to ask.

"ALICE! BABY! LABOR! NOW!" Bryn panted. It took the men several seconds to try and decipher the message. Frank than turned a sickly white color.

---

Chelsea looked up when they heard the door open then close quickly, followed by the door opening again and more footsteps rushing in.

"Alice! Love!?" They heard Frank call out.

"Upstairs." Chelsea said and they heard footsteps rushing the steps. Frank was the first to enter and immediately went to Alice's side who smiled weakly at him.

"Hey…it's time." She said weakly. Frank smiled.

"Hey. Where's Lily?" James asked as he entered and Chelsea heard Alice growl slightly at James, before suddenly gripping Frank's hand as another contraction hit. Chelsea glared at James. She really didn't need James in here as Alice began the start of the second stage of labor.

"The room next door."

"Why?" James asked dumbfounded.

"Because you idiotic git, she's gone into labor too."

"…WHAT?!"

---

"You and Alice just had to go into labor around the same time." Moria scolded teasingly. Lily offered a smile but winced.

"At least Alice's should be over soon. I still have a long way to go." Lily stated. Moria smiled.

"You're going to be a Mum, Lily."

"Heh. I know. It's a-"

"Lily?!" They heard and looked to see James rushing into the room.

"Hey." Lily said simply. James automatically went to his wife's side.

"Lily! Lily, are you okay?! Do you need anything?"

"James-"

"Are you hungry?"

"James-"

"Thirsty?"

"James-"

"Someone to beat up?"

"For the love of Merlin James, SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Lily yelled out. Moria inwardly groaned. This…was going to be a long and painful labor.

---

The five or six hours turned out to be little over seven and another one of pushing so far, which in comparison to other first pregnancies was a short labor. But it felt like days for Lily, weeks maybe–amazing how time passed so slowly when one prayed for it to pass as fast as possible. She had no clue how Alice had managed to do it so quickly and had given birth to a 5 pounds 8 ounces and 18 inch baby boy, perfectly healthy. She wanted James in there now, but Chelsea had kicked him out, just as she had done with Frank early on, but Frank had gone back in after the birth was complete. Dimly she could see in the light under the bedroom door darkening and brightening. He was pacing right outside, like a guard on duty.

"My knight in shining armor." She thought weakly, before screwing her face in pain. Sweat and tears covered her face as she breathed erratically before the pain ripped through her again. She was so tired, exhausted. She pushed once more and, seconds later, she felt herself her back hitting the pillows again. She clenched her teeth. Emotions flood deep inside her like they were forming a whirlpool. Part of her wanted to beat James up to a bloody pulp for getting her pregnant, for making her need to go through that, while the other wanted to kiss him and declare her love for him just for being there – and it confused the hell out of her.

"She's exhausted," she heard Chelsea saying worriedly. Her voice seemed incredibly distant right now – like he was in the opposite side of a very large room. The voices seemed to blur and soften down to a murmur as the sudden instinct to push overfilled her senses. Instinctively she bore down and tried to breathe. She could hear now the sudden calling out from Moria that sounded reminiscent of 'that's good. You're doing real well!' Pain came again, and the urge came once more and she started to push again. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the blanket that she was lying on. She'd had no idealistic fantasies about the process of childbirth, but like so many women before her, she had hoped that it wouldn't be as bad as she heard.

And like all the women before her, she was wrong.

Another scream erupted as she bore down again. She could feel pain, excruciating pain. She didn't know if she was crying or that was sweat sliding down her face. She didn't really care right then.

She had read dozens of books about pregnancy, and a few on the actual delivery of a child. Even so, the pain was unimaginable. Whoever had written those books HAD to have been a bloke…because no sane person would describe the way labor actually felt if they had gone through it. . Bryn had been right. The pain was indescribable. Words were indescribable. Another push and she heard the Moria state the baby's head was out. She pushed again as hard as she could, praying that she could deliver the baby quickly. After another push, the baby's shoulders were out, and, despite her exhaustion, she put all of her strength into one final push. She screamed again, but the sound didn't register in her pain and worry filled mind.

What if the baby was hurt, because of something she had done?

What if he hated her?

What if Voldemort won and claimed his young life?

No. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't-

Slowly the sound of her own scream died out, and she flopped backwards onto the pillows breathing heavily. The ringing in her ears slowly died out, and the ringing was replaced by another sound…a sound that erased any signs of her exhaustion from the forefront of her mind, nearly passing out in relief when she heard the outraged squall from the newborn.

The world became less blurred and she blinked until she could see Moria approaching her, holding a blanket-wrapped crying bundle that was squirming around angrily. Moria herself was smiling brightly, and her eyes seemed to be slightly glassed over.

"It seems you have a healthy baby boy here," She explained. "Nineteen and a half inches and seven pounds."

And suddenly, the months of odd food cravings, the hours of backaches, the emotional outbursts, the labor, all seemed meaningless as she was handed her son, cradling him to her chest.

He was wrinkled and red, his eyes clamped shut as he screamed at the top of his lungs, loudly protesting at entering this cold world in exchange for leaving the warm safe one he had grown in. His dark hair was matter firmly on top of his scalp. She felt tears—not of pain—slide down her cheeks as she smiled at him.

"Hello Harry …hello my son." She whispered, kissing his temple softly, as she grazed his tiny fist with her index finger. Her soft hushing softened his cries, and he slowly blinked, opening his eyes just a crack, and staring at her, most likely not seeing her, but the thought that he knew who she was enlightened her. She continued to stare at him, oblivious to Moria who cleaned her, then excused herself. She opened the door and gave a tired nod to James, who rushed past her. Moria glanced at them and then smiled, closing the door and allowing her and James some alone time with their son, neither parent paying her any heed that they had heard her as they looked at her. Their son. Harry had finally quieted down, staring at his mother, whimpering softly as she continued to stroke his cheek. Delicately she kissed his forehead.

"Poor little thing." Lily thought, cradling the baby closer. She assumed it must be a shock leaving the little warm world he'd lived in for the past nine months and enter such a big and cold one. With a smile, Lily looked at James, who seemed completely awestruck.

"Merlin, I…" he wasn't able to finish, completely speechless. "I really don't know what to say. I think I got brain-freeze."

"'Hi' would be a good way to start," Lily told to him, with a smile on her face.

James sat on the edge of the bed by her side. He looked down at their newborn son, using his finger to touch the baby's tiny fist. "Hi, there, little guy," he whispered with a wide smile on his face. "I'm your dad."

The baby grasped his finger, making Lily smile and place another kiss on his forehead before turning to her husband. "James…he's here. Our Harry is here."

"I know…blimey, he's handsome."

"He has your hair." She remarked softly.

"I know…poor thing."

She chuckled softly. "Do you want to hold him?"

He looked unsure. "He looks so fragile…"

Lily shook her head. "He's not. You'll do okay. Get your arms ready," she told him before, very carefully, passing him the newborn boy.

James moved stiffly at first but, after a few seconds holding his son, he realized Lily was right, the boy was not as fragile as he'd imagined. He got up and paced around the room with Harry in his arms. The feeling of holding his newborn child was certainly one the best experiences he had had in his life. He prayed that this wouldn't be the only time. If they only survived long enough…He shook his head to clear his mind of that and looked up at Lily with a grin. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"I think I have a little idea," Lily replied, smiling back. "Go on…go show him off to Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I know you want to. Just come back."

"Always, Love."

---

The sun had just started to peak out above the horizon when Sirius and Moria returned home, it was getting lighter outside, and a few birds were singing, greeting the morning sun that would make its way above the London rooftops in no time. Though Sirius was exhausted, Moria was barely awake, held tightly by Sirius so she would splinch herself. He glanced at her with a soft smile.

He had never seen her in full on Healer-mode. Partial healer mode? Of course; especially when it came to him and the rest of the Marauders. But full on was rare whenever she was at home. But he had watched her walking quickly back and forth between both rooms as Chelsea hollered out instructions for Lily and she would explain to Chelsea why or using that spell should or shouldn't be used. She had barely said anything snarky or in humor during that time. It was rather amazing to watch. She shifted again, one hand tiredly gripping his shirt.

"We're back, Love." He whispered softly, kissing her forehead. She murmured a reply, though he couldn't understand what she said, nuzzling his shoulder tiredly. He chuckled

"You're exhausted."

"Gee…wonder why…could it be the fact that I helped deliver two babies into this world?" Moria asked, sleep evident in her voice.

"And you did a wonderful job." He commented setting her on the bed. She smiled, sleepily, stretching and trying to cover a yawn.

"Was that a compliment Mr. Black?" She murmured in question, her eyes half open. He smiled, kissing her forehead gently.

"Yes it was." He remarked soothingly, turning to stretch and to pull off his shirt. "Let's go to bed, Ms. Prescott." He added before noticing she had fallen onto her side, already asleep. He smiled gently and then slowly pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her jacket, before gently pulling off her shoes. She made no comment and no protest as he moved her into a more comfortable position on the bed. He sat there for a few brief moments, watching her sleep. One of the few times that she looked so innocent, as though nothing in her life that had hurt her actually happened.

"I love you, Moria." He murmured, kissing her cheek before lying down next to her, and like her, fell into a deep sleep.