35. Quietus

James felt a trickle of sweat drip down his face. He paced back and forth feeling utterly helpless. Lily had been yelling all morning, in pain, at frustration, in fear. Nothing James did helped. Him just being there seemed to set her off.

He detected another contraction as the volume of her cries amplified.

It kept getting worse as the day progressed. They had notified Dumbledore who had notified the healer, a trusted member of the order, who would assist to deliver the child. The two arrived in haste, with the healer organising all the tools she would need.

"Mr Potter, is everything alright?" Dumbledore asked, worried by the look on James' face.
James turned and shook his head, then nodded. "Y-yes, all fine. I just don't know what to do. It's so loud! I can't do anything!"
Dumbledore gave a nod, and placed a hand on James' shoulder. "Everything going to the plan?" he asked the healer, who nodded.
"I can't think, I just can't think," James said, lifting his wand.
Another cry of pain sent him over. "Quietus," he said, pointing his wand at his own wife, whose cries immediately quietened.
"Mr Potter!" The healer shrieked. "Finite!"