-A little backstory for this little story -
For my very first semester of college in 2015, I went to Belmont University. I was required to take a freshman seminar course, of which they had a plethora of options. My ears perked up when I overheard the day before registration that one of the seminar options was a Harry Potter course! I couldn't believe what I had heard - it was too good to be true! But I scrolled through the different course listings, and to my delight, I spotted the Harry Potter class - with only two spots left! I scribbled down the CRN and course number. When the clock struck eleven in the morning on registration day, I was a gleefully scheduled for my very first college course: Harry Potter and the Hero's Quest.
I found this course to be a little like going to a superhero movie midnight premiere. Eagerly, you grip tightly your tiny ticket in your hand and approach your theater. When you walk in and round the corner you see people around you, some dressed up, some not, some in heated debate and conversation about the newest character to appear while the other grin while crunching on a handful of buttery popcorn. You find your seat and you take a moment to realize that everyone around you in that room has something in common: You're all there because you love superheroes.
In this case, it's the world of Harry Potter. Rather than a theater, we get to sit in a modest, bleak classroom with our desks and chairs in a rectangular shape. We didn't know each other, but there was a kindredness in the air of that little classroom not commonly found on the first day of school.
Over the course of this seminar class, I studied the roots of characters' names, archetypes, different kinds of story arks, themes, and all sorts of marvelous things! I read other classical literature pieces, wrote three essays all based around the context of Harry Potter, and our final was a fan fiction we would get to read aloud to the class. This I was very excited about. I found myself lost in research, checking dates and facts and character relationships and asking random Google questions to be as thorough as I could. When I finally sat down to write it, I completed it in one sitting! I smiled at my work, glanced at the clock, and realized I had three minutes to sprint across campus to my Motion Pictures class!
All this to say... it was fun and truly a joy for me to take this class and write this little story. I'm very glad you are here choosing to spend a few moments reading it! All I ask is that you enjoy it! (Oh, and read it in your mind with an English accent. :))
It was a cold, cloudy night in the middle of February.
The moon was high in the sky, contently shining brightly over a little town. A wolf howled in the distance, unfortunately lonely. The soft wind tousled the hair of the trees. It was cold enough for it to snow, as it normally does this time of the year. However, it didn’t. The snow would wait a little bit longer. The cloudy night was interrupted by gray smoke rising from the chimney of a warm home in Godric’s Hollow. A hidden, little piece of happiness. Unlike the lonesome wolf amongst the nearby hills of the forest, there was jolly company in the cozily cramped, yet warm, home.
“You boys aren’t getting into any trouble over there, are you?” Lily scoffed from the kitchen. She was making a small pot of coffee. The coffee wasn’t for her, however. She wasn’t planning on staying up for much longer. There, she thought. Just enough for James and Sirius.
Lily knew that Sirius and James would talk for a whole night if they could. She was going to let them have their time. She, on the other hand, was going to enjoy a nice bath and book to begin reading, maybe one that she had always wanted to start, and would eventually forget to finish, like every other book. Lately, Lily didn’t have much time to read anymore. Reading was something she loved to do. But now, there were too many things to worry about: staying hidden, being careful not to use magic too often, staying in the house, and staying away from Voldemort. The thought saddened her, however, it was quickly dismissed because the coffee was ready. Lily poured the coffee equally into each cup. Hmm, she thought. Maybe a little more for James, as she poured the remainder of the coffee into his cup.
“Like brothers, the two of you...” Lily slowly walked into the living room, carefully balancing two, fresh cups of coffee in each hand. James and Sirius were laughing and smiling. Lily must have just missed the punchline.
“Oh, Lily I could have helped you with that-you have to let me help you,” James said as he hurriedly stood up to take the cups of coffee out of her hands. But Lily had already placed them on the coffee table and stood up. She brushed her hands together twice and twice on her legs. Her eyes were delightfully green and happy to help. She wanted to make them happy, let them enjoy the rest of their night.
“Don’t you start now, James. I’m perfectly capable of carrying things.” Lily gestured to her stomach. She was beaming, rather glowing. Her stomach looked as though a little quaffle was hiding under her shirt.
“I just want you to be careful.”
“I am. You can help me later. But for now, you two enjoy your night. I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Sirius. And thank you so much for the toy broomstick. The baby is going to adore it.”
“Thank you for the coffee and the lovely evening.” Sirius responded, raising his cup slightly. Lily kissed James on the cheek, placed her hands on the bump of her stomach, by force of habit, and gracefully glided out of the room. James eyes followed her until she was gone.
“She always gives you more coffee. I think she has something against me...”
“Nah, she just likes me more.” The two of them laughed, James admitting its truth- the coffee part. James knew that Lily was so grateful to have Sirius in her life. He was almost as close to Lily as he was to James. Almost, but not quite.
Sirius was glad that she liked the gift. He was going to be an uncle, well, not an uncle by blood. But either way, he was ecstatic that his best friend was going to be a father. Sirius decided then and there that he was going to spoil that baby rotten.
“Lily doesn’t want me to tell anyone this yet,” James said in a hushed tone. Sirius naturally leaned forward, a little closer, so only they knew. “But how could I not tell you-”
“Tell me what?” Sirius felt his nerves tighten a little. James quickly looked over his shoulder and back at Sirius. He took a deep breath.
“It’s a boy.”
Sirius was automatically relieved and overwhelmingly joyful. “James- that’s wonderful! Brilliant! A boy! Oh, James he’s going to be just like-“
“Shh!” James was supposed to tell the news together with Lily but he just couldn’t wait
any longer. “Thank you, thank you. Just act surprised when we tell you later, okay?”
Sirius made the corniest surprised face, not at all authentic. “How’s that?”
“We’ll work on it.”
“A boy...” Sirius laughed to himself. “Have you decided on a name?” He asked anxiously, taking a sip of coffee.
James nodded, smiling. “Harry. His name is Harry James. Lily insisted that he have my name for his middle name, and well, what father could disagree with that?”
“Harry James. A strapping, young name.” Sirius echoed him. He paused, looking at his cup. “You’re going to make an excellent father.”
James looked up and smiled sincerely. He released a deep breath. His eyes were smiling too, yet they were accompanied with worry. “Thank you. To tell the truth, believe me I am so happy, so excited for the baby, but I’m scared. Like, what if I mess up? What if I’m not a good father?”
“You are a brilliant wizard. You’re a Gryffindor! You have bravery in your blood. You are an excellent husband, always loving and caring for Lily. And I have no doubts, at all, that
you will be the best father to Harry. What’s to fear?” Sirius paused, seeing James slightly less
worried. “Something tells me that he’s going to look a lot like you.”
James blushed and retorted, “And what about Lily?”
“Hmm, maybe he’ll have her nose. Or her jaw. Maybe her pretty teeth, unlike your horse of a mouth...’
“My teeth are perfectly fine, thank you very much.” James responded jokingly, followed by his hand reaching up to his mouth, just to make sure.
“Alright, alright. Maybe he’ll have her eyes or something.”
“Yeah,” James sighed. “That would be lovely.” He hesitated for a moment before whispering, “There’s something else.”
“Yeah?”
“Lily and I have decided to make you Harry’s godfather.”
And it was in that moment that Sirius had forgotten everything. Every care, every burden in the world. He forgot about the war. He had forgotten about the hiding, the sneaking around. He had forgotten about death eaters. He had forgotten about Voldemort. All Sirius Black could think was that he was going to a godfather. He was going to be a part of a family, one he loved, and one that wanted and loved him back.
“It would be...” Sirius smiled. “the greatest honor.”
The cry of the wolf howled again, subtly entering the Potter home. The two of them looked over at the window, seeing the moon at a distance. Sirius stood up, “Well, I better go
help Moony. I can tell it’s been a rough night.”
“I can come, too-” James tried his best to be persuasive.
“No, that’s alright. I got this one. Go, be with Lily and Harry. They need you. Oh and, give Harry my love, will you?” James smiled and agreed.
Sirius let himself out of the back door. Remus’ howl was louder this time. Padfoot began his search for the lonely wolf, down the wet streets of Godric’s Hollow, and into the forest, thinking only about his new family, and a little baby boy named Harry James Potter.
