Hero of the Story || James Potter x Hermione Granger Fanfiction

50 | the world is brighter than the sun now that you are here

"We'll send you a Patronus, mate," Sirius reassured.

James stiffly nodded his head and tore through the huge expanse of their living room. He wanted to get out as fast as he could just to calm his nerves, but when a loud cry of a newborn reverberated off the walls of his house, he faltered.

"Was that—"

The crying was wild and incessant and without much thinking, James was scrambling upstairs. He was out-of-breath when he skidded in front of their bedroom. But before he could yank the door open, it opened itself. Mary slipped out and closed the door behind her. James paled at the blood stains on her lime green robes, which wasn't left unnoticed by the Healer.

"Sorry," she whispered, removing any stains on her robes with a swish of her wand. Behind James, the others had already clambered up, excitedly waiting for the news.

"Well?" James impatiently asked.

Happy tears suddenly welled in Mary's eyes as she broke into a huge grin. "Oh, oh, congratulations, James!" she gushed out. "He's lovely and... and he got your chin and nose but his eyes..." A few tears slipped down her cheeks, her beam widening. "He has his mother's eyes."

"And Hermione?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Oh, Hermione's fine," she reassured, haphazardly wiping her tears away. "She was so strong and very brave too! She's a little tired but... but oh, why am I keeping you all from going inside?"

James didn't waste a moment and tried to dart past the Healer, but Mary suddenly placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Hold on," she said. "Give me a few seconds. Labour is a bloody business and I don't want anyone of you to faint from the sight of its aftermath."

She disappeared inside and James heard a litany of spells. Just when he'd almost cracked from impatience, Mary pushed the door wider and ushered them inside. "Come in!"

His eyes immediately landed on Hermione. His wife was propped against the headboard of their bed, marvellously tired judging from the beads of sweat on her forehead and her pale skin. Hermione's blue eyes met his as soon as he stepped inside. Her eyes were glistening with tears and despite how exhausted she looked, the smile on her face was wide and blinding.

"Hi," he croaked out.

A tear slid down from Hermione's eyes. "Hi," she whispered in return. She then shifted her arms and that was when James noticed the small bundle hugged against her chest. She met his eyes once more and added, "Meet your son, love."

He was beside her instantly, bending down so that he could peer at the babe in her arms. The baby was impossibly wrinkly and red, with a few tufts of black, messy hair peeking out of the white blanket wrapped around him.

"He's so... he's so small," he softly said. He lifted a finger and brushed it against the baby's cheek. This prompted his eyes to slowly open and James huffed out a laugh, tears also welling in his eyes. He beamed brightly at Hermione and added, "He has your eyes."

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.

His face turned splotchy red. "I-I don't know how to hold a baby," he confessed.

"It'll be all right," she reassured. "Just make sure to support his head and try not to jostle him too much. It has been a tiring day for him too."

James immediately cradled his arms against his chest as Hermione transferred their baby into his arms. His arms stuck out at an odd angle, unwilling to move to a more comfortable position in fear of letting him go.

"You're doing great," Hermione said, lifting her hand to brush the wisps of dark hair from the baby's forehead.

The bespectacled wizard stared down at the baby's wide, blue eyes, disbelieving that a few minutes ago, he was inside Hermione's womb. "Hi," he breathed out, grinning widely when a tiny yawn broke out from his mouth.