Harry watched as his mum shouted at his dad, who was frantically dashing around the room, gathering rare books and stuffing them into the blue bag his mum had been preparing. He didn't understand what was happening, only that his mother was clearly in a great deal of pain, and he desperately didn't want her to suffer. His father finally finished collecting everything and went to his mother, intending to lead her to the fireplace, but she angrily yelled at him again.
"James! Don't leave Harry alone!"
"No, of course not..." his father replied, scooping him into his arms. "Now, let's go, Lily... We can't wait any longer."
"If you weren't so damn clumsy when you get nervous, we'd have been at St. Mungo's ages ago," his mother reproached him, as she threw something into the fireplace and shouted.
"And I thought the bad temper of childbirth wouldn't be repeated," his father muttered, mimicking his mother and shouting in return.
It was Harry's first time going to such a place. Normally, his mum never took him to locations that were far away, and he couldn't help but try to take it all in. It was strange; there was so much white everywhere and a great many people. He saw some individuals take his mother away, and he began to struggle in his father's arms.
"Mummy... Mummy..."
"Hey, Prongslet," his dad said, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, Mum has gone to a place where your little brother will be born, but you'll be able to see her again soon... Well, do you want to see Brian?"
"Yes."
"Right... Then you have to behave like a big boy and wait for Mummy. When Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony arrive, you'll stay with them so I can go in and be with Mum. Okay?"
Harry nodded happily and watched as a woman dressed in white approached his father and began asking him questions. He understood almost nothing, but it seemed very important, so he remained silent and waited for his father to finish. He remembered that Mum always scolded his dad and Uncle Padfoot for interrupting Uncle Remus, and he didn't want to be scolded himself.
When the lady in white left, his father began pacing back and forth, nervous, and looking at the door impatiently. He had placed Harry on the floor and given him his favourite stuffed animal to play with, but Harry still didn't stray far from him.
"Excuse me, sir," said one of the ladies in white. "If you wish, you could leave the child in our crèche service... that way you could join your wife."
"Thank you very much for the offer, but it won't be necessary. His godfather is coming, and he'll be able to look after him while I'm with my wife."
"Whatever you wish, sir," she said before walking away.
His father looked again at the door where his mother had disappeared, and was about to start pacing back and forth once more, when a hand on his father's back made him stop in his tracks and turn to see who it was. Behind him stood two men: one was tall and dark, and looked at them with pale, smiling eyes; the other was of average height, had amber eyes and light brown hair, looked very tired, but seemed happy.
"Prongs, Prongslet!" exclaimed the dark-haired man, quite happily.
"Padfoot, Moony!" his dad said, relieved. "I was waiting for you..."
"Oh, Prongs, I feel so flattered... you've been waiting for us even though Lily is in labour... I'm so happy..."
"Sirius!" Moony scolded him gently. "Don't be like that... Go on, James, give me Harry and go in."
"Thank you," he said, passing the boy over.
"And how's Lily, is she in the same mood as last time?" asked Sirius, grinning.
"Worse. I don't know why, but she's in a really foul mood. Well, wish me luck..."
"Right... don't let her skin you alive!" Sirius laughed boisterously.
At that, Moony gave him a disapproving look, nodding towards the boy, who looked at his father with a mixture of fright and curiosity, as James entered the room where his mother had gone a while before.
"James Michael Potter! Damn you, I'll kill you with my own ha...!" His wife's voice was heard just as the door opened, causing a frightened look from their son.
"Don't worry, Harry, nothing will happen to your dad, or your mum," Moony said reassuringly.
"No?"
"No... you'll see."
Albus Dumbledore sighed as he ascended the silver spiral staircase that led to the territory of the Divination teacher, Sybill Trelawney. He had no choice but to speak with her; he couldn't allow things to continue as they were. "Sybill? I need to speak with you."
"Director... I was expecting you..." the woman said in a soft, mysterious voice. "Please, do sit down... would you care for a cup of tea?"
"Yes, thank you, Sybill."
The woman rose and began to prepare some tea with the utensils she already had in the classroom for her divination classes. Once it was ready, she offered him a blue cup with the steaming liquid and a little sugar. A cup that the old man accepted before adding two more spoonfuls of sugar.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Director?"
"Don't you know?" asked the old man, amused. "I thought you might know with your gift."
"Of course I could," said the woman proudly. "If I wished to know. Director, we cannot allow fate to guide our hand... My gift has shown me that you would come to see me... although I did not allow it to show me why."
"Well... in that case, let's talk, Sybill. You cannot continue with this habit of predicting the death of your students... I don't think that's the best way to conduct your class."
"If it is what the Fates show me, who am I to deny them? It is my duty to communicate it to the unfortunate person who has been assigned such a fate."
"Sybill, realise that you scare them," the old man tried to reason with her. "They're just boys and girls, and in the current climate, it makes them fear that Voldemort will show up in Hogsmeade the next time they have a visit."
"They must know the truth."
"Sybill, realise that every time you tell a student they are going to die, it not only affects your class and their excursions, but also their character and the rest of the classes. Last year there were a few months of hysteria in all the courses due to your statements, and this year the same thing will happen... I'm asking you not to tell them anything about all that."
"But Director, it's my duty as a Seer...!"
The old man did not want to listen to all this nonsense again about it being her obligation and was about to get up and leave when he saw his teacher stiffen and her breathing become erratic... Scared that something was happening to her, he approached her.
"Sybill?"
"The White Phoenix... The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord... the one who possesses the power to do the impossible... born of love, carried by one who defied death four times... The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord is already here."
The teacher's voice had been deep and strong; so different from the one she usually used... That made him jump in surprise... What had just happened? Perhaps... Maybe Sybill Trelawney had just made a true prophecy?
"Excuse me... what were you saying?" the woman said again in her mystical voice. "I'm sorry, Director, I think I fell asleep."
"No... it's quite alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do."
"Of course, Director."
The old man hurried out of Trelawney's classroom and into his own office, pondering what had just occurred. Once there, he took out his Pensieve and, after extracting the memory of what had happened, he went inside to view it again.
Yes, it was a prophecy, that was clear... but it was necessary to decipher who this child who had just been born was... although the odds were slim... the only clue he had was that his parents had defied death four times... How many young couples had achieved such a feat? As far as he knew, only one: The Potters... besides, if he was not mistaken, the baby they were expecting was about to be born... yes, there was no doubt, the youngest of the Potters was the one destined to defeat Voldemort...
"Fawkes... I think I'm going to pay a visit," the old man murmured before getting up and leaving his office.
In St. Mungo's maternity ward, Remus watched the child in his arms sleep. It was perfectly normal that he had fallen asleep; they had already been almost five hours into labour, and that, for a child of just over a year, was far too long. He sighed, looking up when he heard a loud noise a few feet away from him. "Sirius, do you want to be still? If you keep making such a fuss, you'll wake up Harry."
"He's asleep?" he asked in amazement.
"He's been asleep for more than an hour... Where do you have your head?"
"Well, on my shoulders, of course," said the smiling man, feigning innocence. "I wonder how much longer the labour will last..."
"I don't think it will last much longer... I don't think James will take long to come out with the baby." A slight movement in his arms made him look down, where Harry was looking at him with sleepy eyes.
"Brian?"
"No, Harry, not yet."
The man smiled at the displeased look the boy gave him in response... If he were the boy, he would also be tired of waiting... especially considering the vast difference in the concept of time between a child and an adult.
"James!" Sirius's exultant cry echoed.
"Shhh! Don't scream, Padfoot!" the man scolded him, cradling a bundle in his arms.
"Here," Remus said, approaching the boy.
"DADDY!"
"Hey, Prongslet..." his father chuckled. "Who wants to meet your little brother?"
"Me!"
The man smiled as he gently pushed aside the blanket that wrapped the baby a little and revealed the tiny infant. The boy looked at his younger brother in amazement, while the rest of the adults also looked at him attentively.
"I see that he hasn't inherited your hair, but Lily's," Sirius laughed. "I'm glad... It's enough that poor Prongslet has that terrible cross."
"Sirius!" James complained good-naturedly.
"And what is he going to be called?" asked Remus.
"Brian Leonard Potter," the father replied proudly.
"Good name."
"Thank you. Well, I think I'd better go in and leave this little guy for the nurse to take care of. Besides, Lily must already be in the room."
"Mummy?"
"Yes, Harry, now we'll go see Mum." His father laughed before entering the room and leaving the baby with the nurse.
The group left the waiting room to go to the room where Lily was already resting and waiting to see her children. When they opened the door of the room, Lily was already waiting for them, very pale but smiling, her eyes shining with joy.
"MUMMY!" The boy's voice rang through the room as he tried to get out of Remus's arms to run to his mother.
"My boy," Lily said, stretching out her arms. "Have you missed me?"
"You!" said the boy, hugging his mother tightly.
"Me too, my life. Tell me, have you seen your little brother?" To that question, he replied by nodding his head very enthusiastically in the affirmative.
"Yes."
As they talked, a nurse entered the room, bringing the baby and smiling at the scene of the mother with her eldest son. In her profession, she had seen many things, including parents completely forgetting about their other children when a new little one was born. It was always a joy to see conscientious parents, who did not leave aside the eldest of their children, especially when he was so young.
"Mrs. Potter... here is your son," the nurse said, chuckling softly before placing a crib next to her bed with a small, red-haired baby inside. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call us."
Lily smiled and nodded before taking her young son in her arms and proudly showing him to her school friends. Although she felt a little sad that her older sister had not come, at least Harry had been there.
"May I?" said a kind voice, causing everyone to look at the door.
"Professor Dumbledore!" was the general exclamation.
"Please, I have said many times that I am no longer your teacher, nor your Headmaster. Ahhh... that's little Potter. What's his name?"
"Brian," Lily answered softly.
"May I hold him?" said the old man, and he waited for the woman to place the baby in his arms. "He is a beautiful child."
"How did you know Lily was in labour?" asked James, surprised.
"I went to your house first, but as there was no one there, I tried my luck here at St. Mungo's. I wanted to speak with you."
"Has something happened?" asked Lily, a hint of fear in her voice.
"Nothing bad, nothing bad at all..." the old man chuckled reassuringly. "You know that last year I hired Sybill Trelawney for the position of Divination, right? I had to discuss with her a somewhat annoying habit she has developed in her classes... Well, the thing is, while I was talking, she went into a trance and delivered an authentic prophecy... and I am quite sure that Trelawney's prophecy speaks of little Brian."
"What does the prophecy say?" James whispered, leaning closer.
"It announces the arrival of the 'White Phoenix'; the person who will have the power to defeat Voldemort."
"But why Brian?" asked Lily in turn, her eyes wide.
"Because it gives a small description of its parents, and those are you. You are the ones who fit the conditions of the prophecy."
"Then Brian..." Sirius began, his voice hushed.
"He will become the saviour of the wizarding world," Dumbledore said very seriously, his gaze sweeping over them. "It is very important that this information does not leave this room and that Brian is protected at all times... When he reaches a suitable age, we will begin to teach him everything he needs to fulfil his destiny."
James smiled at his wife, who in turn smiled back at him as she hugged their little baby to her chest. She let herself be embraced by her husband and laughed at Sirius's excited antics and the silent scolding Remus gave to the merry troublemaker.
It was a happy scene, but no one noticed that they had unintentionally set aside little Harry, who from his position on the ground (where his father had left him when Dumbledore named the prophecy) looked at them with sad eyes, seeing that they no longer let him participate in the joy at the arrival of his little brother; His parents had forgotten about him.