"Can't believe it about Harry's broomstick," Ronald Weasley was muttering, shaking his head as he and Hermione left along with the others that Madam
Pomfrey had kicked out. "Nothing so terrible should ever happen to a Nimbus 2000!"

"Well what about what happened to Harry?" Hermione said pointedly. "His wellbeing is a good deal more important than some broomstick, Ronald."

"Course it is!" Ron said as the two of them walked on down the hallway, "But c'mon 'mione! That broomstick was wicked! Now how is Gryffindor supposed to win the cup?!"

Remus Lupin stepped out from the corner 'round which he'd ducked when he heard Harry's friends emerge from the hospital wing.

He hovered uneasily in the corridor, hesitating, walking up to the door confidently, and then backing down, circling 'round and pacing about. When he had been at it for some time, he finally took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

Pale moonlight came in through the high vaulted windows, pooling around the beds and painting everything blue. Remus looked about as he stepped into the long room, limping as his knee ached, and walked over to Harry's bed.

Harry was asleep.

Remus glanced back over his shoulder, but he and Harry were alone, and he inched closer, feeling his palms go clammy with nervousness. He swallowed as he arrived at the bed side. Harry's glasses were folded up on the night stand, set among a wild assortment of chocolate frogs, flowers, and cards from his many mates and admirers. Remus picked one 0f the cards up and looked it over.

Remus smiled at the childish drawing of a snitch on the front of the card, a magically moving stick figure doodle of what must be Harry catching the snitch and knocking several weeping dementors in the head with a bludger. Inside, it read Get better soon Harry! From Colin.

Remus put the card back down and looked at Harry's still face, the way his features set themselves when he was asleep...

"Come on then, pass the animal crackers 'round... lemme have a lion!"

"You always do the lion you git!"

"I like the lions, though!"

"Here, do a donkey on account of you being an ass!"

"Quiet you lot - look. James fell asleep." Remus had interrupted Peter and Sirius fighting to point at James's knackered form.

Sirius had stared across the dorm at him, threw the bag of crackers to Peter, and grinned evilly, "We should spellotape a great horn to his head - then he'll be a Pottercorn."

"A Pottercorn!" Peter had giggled, nearly rolling himself clear off the bed.

Sirius moved like he was actually going to go and do something to James, but Remus stopped him, catching onto the back of his jumper. "Hang on! Don't disturb him."

"What? Why not! You'll let a perfectly good pranking opportunity go to waste? You think for a second, Rey, that he would let it go to waste on you?"

"Dunno," Remus had said, "But he looks too peaceful to disturb. Just look at him..."

He'd looked exactly like Harry did now...

"Isn't he so precious?" Lily's voice was scarcely above a whisper. "He looks so much like his father, doesn't he?"

Remus had nodded. The baby lay across Lily's chest, the dim Mungo's lighting barely illuminating her rosy face. James had been asleep then, too, passed out in a heap in the chair in the corner of the room, glasses askew, limbs hanging over all sides of the chair, one leg propped up on the shaggy black dog that lay half-tucked under the bed Lily lay in.

She smiled sleepily, her finger rubbing the baby's cheek. "I love him so much, Remus."

Remus nodded, his throat constricted with emotion. "He's perfect, Lily," he whispered, then added, "You and James did a good job."

"I know!" she said, grinning proudly.

Remus held out a finger and gently ran it along the baby's arm. "What did you name him?"

"Harry James Potter," Lily said.

"That's a wonderful name," he answered thickly.

Lily's eyes studied Remus a moment. "You want to hold him?"

"Hold him! Me?"

"Yes! Of course, you! Don't tell Sirius, though, I told him he had to wait... he argued on the grounds of being godfather, of course..."

"Of course," Remus said. "Wouldn't expect less of him."

"Well?" Lily smiled, "Do you want to? He's your godson, too, after all.... and you're far less clumsy." Her eyes twinkled, even as tired as they were.

Remus nodded, though he was scared. Lily gathered the blankets up 'round the baby and Remus bent over and the transfer was made, Harry James Potter rolling into Remus's chest with a tiny little baby sigh... Remus's hands carefully cupped the tiny body, holding him close...

"Pretty amazing, isn't he?" Lily asked.

"Extremely amazing," Remus whispered, feeling like he couldn't breathe for all the love that was swelling up in his heart.

Lily smiled, watching Remus holding Harry, her eyes slowly blinking into sleep... and Remus lost track as minutes turned into hours, just holding and holding and holding the tiny bundled up mixture of two of the people he loved most in the entire world.

Remus felt so many emotions rush up inside himself as he looked down at Harry. He reached down and carefully swept Harry's hair back from his forehead.

The scar was there, bright and awful against his complexion.

He stared at the scar, feeling a pit in his stomach, and took a sudden step back, knocking into a bed tray and only just caught it just in time before it crashed to the floor. He glanced nervously back at Harry, worried he'd woke the boy up, but Harry slept on as though nothing had happened.

"Who's there?" Pomfrey called from her office, and the light flicked on.

By the time she had emerged from the office to check the ward, though, it was empty - and the only thing looking over Harry Potter was the moonlight.