Harry watched as his mom yelled at his dad, who was frantically moving around the room, gathering rare books and stuffing them into the blue bag his mom had been preparing. He didn't understand what was happening, only that his mother was clearly suffering, and he desperately didn't want her to feel that way. His father finally finished collecting everything and approached his mother to guide her towards the fireplace, but she angrily shouted at him again.
"James! Don't leave Harry alone!"
"No, of course not..." his father replied, scooping him up 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 retorted, tossing something into the fireplace and shouting a destination.
"And here I thought the bad temper from childbirth wouldn't repeat itself," his father muttered, mimicking his mother's shout as he followed her.
It was Harry's first time going to this particular place. Normally, his mom never took him to locations that were far away, and he couldn't help but try to take in everything around him. It was strange; there was white everywhere and many people. He saw how some people took his mother away, and he began to struggle in his father's arms.
"Mom... Mom..."
"Hey, Prongslet," his dad said, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, Mom has gone to a place where your little brother will be born, but you'll see her again soon... Well, do you want to see Brian?"
"Yes!" Harry eagerly replied.
"Okay... Then you have to behave like a big boy and wait for Mommy. When Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony come, you'll stay with them so I can go in and be with Mom. 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 quiet and waited for his father to finish. He remembered that Mom 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 to pace back and forth, visibly nervous, and looking impatiently at the door. He had set Harry down on the floor and given him his favorite stuffed animal to play with, but Harry still didn't stray far from him.
"Excuse me, sir," one of the ladies in white said. "If you wish, you could leave the child in our daycare service... that way you could join your wife."
"Thank you very much for the offer, but it won't be necessary," his father replied. "His godfather is coming, and he'll be able to take care of 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 once more when a hand on his back made him stop in his tracks and turn to see who it was. Behind him stood two men: one was tall and dark-haired, looking at them with pale, smiling eyes; the other was of average height, had amber eyes and light brown hair, looked very tired, but also appeared happy.
"Prongs, Prongslet!" the dark-haired man exclaimed quite happily.
"Padfoot, Moony!" his dad said, equally joyful. "I was waiting for you..."
"Oh, Prongs, I feel so flattered... you've been waiting for us even though Lily is in labor... I'm so happy..."
"Sirius!" Moony scolded him, giving him a disapproving look as he nodded towards the boy. "Don't be like that... Go, 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?" Sirius asked with a smirk.
"Worse. I don't know why, but she's in a really bad mood. Well, wish me luck..."
"Okay... don't let her skin you alive," Sirius laughed, earning another sharp look from Moony.
At that moment, Moony gave Sirius an even more disapproving look, nodding pointedly at 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 loudly as the door opened, causing a frightened look from their son.
"Don't worry, Harry, nothing will happen to your dad, or your mom," Moony reassured him gently.
"No?" Harry asked, still a little wide-eyed.
"No... you'll see."
---
Albus Dumbledore sighed as he climbed 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 simply couldn't continue like this.
"Sybill? I need to talk to you."
"Headmaster... I was expecting you," the woman said in a soft and mysterious voice. "Please, sit down... Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"Yes, thank you, Sybill."
The woman rose and began to prepare some tea using the utensils she already had in the classroom for her divination classes. Once it was ready, she offered him a blue cup filled with the steaming liquid and a small sugar bowl. The old man accepted the cup before adding two more spoonfuls of sugar.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Headmaster?"
"Don't you know?" the old man asked, amused. "I thought you might know with your gift."
"Of course I could," the woman said proudly, "if I wished to know. Headmaster, 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 visitor."
"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 their years. Last year there were a few months of hysteria in all the years 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 Headmaster, 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 became erratic. Fearing something was happening to her, he drew closer.
"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 asked again in her mystical voice, her eyes vacant. "I'm sorry, Headmaster, I think I fell asleep."
"No... it's quite alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."
"Of course, Headmaster."
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 immersed himself in it to re-examine the vision.
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 normal that Harry 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."
"Is he 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. "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 get 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."
Remus smiled at the sulky face the boy made at his answer... If he were the boy, he would also be tired of waiting... especially considering the great difference in the concept of time between a child and an adult.
"James!" Sirius' exultant cry echoed.
"Shhh! Don't scream, Padfoot," Remus scolded him as James cradled a bundle in his arms.
"Here," Remus said, approaching the boy.
"DADDY!"
"Hey, Prongslet..." his father laughed. "Who wants to meet your little brother?"
"Me!"
The man smiled as he pushed aside the blanket that wrapped the baby a little and showed the little one. 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.
"And what is he going to be called?" asked Remus.
"Brian Leonard Potter," the father replied.
"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."
"Mum?"
"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 and with eyes shining with joy.
"MUMMY!" The boy's voice ran through the room as he tried to get out of Remus' arms to run to his mother's.
"My boy," Lily said, stretching out her arms. "Have you missed me?"
"You!" said the boy, hugging his mother.
"Me too, my life. Tell me, have you seen your little brother?" To that question, he replied, 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 along with her eldest son; in her profession, she had seen many things, including the fact that parents completely forgot about their other children when the 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 is so young.
"Mrs. Potter... here is your son," the nurse smiled before placing a crib next to her bed with a small red-haired baby inside. "If you need anything, do not 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 his older sister had not come, at least with Harry he 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.
"May I hold him?" said the old man, and waited for the woman to put him in her arms. "He is a beautiful child."
"How did you know Lily was in labour?" asked James.
"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 talk to you."
"Has something happened?" asked Lily, frightened.
"Nothing bad, nothing bad..." laughed the old man. "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 that she has developed in her classes... Well, the thing is, while I was talking, she went into a trance and uttered an authentic prophecy... and I am quite sure that Trelawney's prophecy speaks of little Brian."
"What does the prophecy say?" James whispered.
"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.
"Because it gives a small description of his parents, and those are you. You are the ones who agree with the conditions of prophecy."
"Then Brian..." Sirius began.
"He will become the saviour of the wizarding world," Dumbledore said very seriously. "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 at him as she hugged their little baby to her chest, and let herself be hugged by her husband and laughed at his excited Sirius' antics and the silent scolding Remus gave to the merry troublemaker.
It was a happy scene, but no one noticed that they had unintentionally put 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.