This is dedicated to my lovely Jily secret santa, Jenna, aka oursaviourdeanwinchester on tumblr. Merry Christmas!
BRIIIING!
Lily woke with a start to hear her telephone ringing loudly. James stirred in the bed beside her. She took a moment to watch him sleep, rubbing her eyes; it was the only time he was ever still, quiet. Lily loved his energy, but sometimes it was nice to see James so peaceful. Only when he mumbled something along the lines of "Telly... answer..." did Lily pick up the phone.
"'Lo?" she slurred groggily.
"Liiiilyyyy." moaned the voice on the other end. Lily instantly knew who it was. On the phone was Lily's best friend, Marlene McKinnon.
She sighed. "Mar, I didn't teach you how to use a phone so you could call me at –" Lily looked at her clock "- 2:47 am."
"But it's important!" Marlene protested.
Lily's head dropped to her hand not holding the phone, where she massaged her temple. "For 2:47 am, it better be important."
She got up off the bed, careful not disturb James again, and slipped on her robe. Tiptoeing out of the bedroom , she stole one last look at her husband. As Lily stepped out onto the balcony of the small flat that she and James shared, the cool London air woke and refreshed her. For a moment, she forgot about Marlene on the phone.
"Lily, are you still there? Did you fall back asleep? I bet you did, what a rubbish friend, I told you it was important..."
Lily put the phone back to her ear. "No, I'm still here Marlene. Now, what is it that's so significant you had to call me in the middle of the night to tell me? Please don't tell me it's because your owl's gone missing again..."
"No, Lil, it huuurts," Marlene groaned.
"Where? What hurts?" Marlene didn't respond for a moment. Lily grew worried. They were in the middle of a wizarding war; although the magical community they were living in was protected by every spell possible... Lily didn't want to think about it. She sighed again of relief this time, when Marlene replied.
"My... uterus."
"Oh my god, are you pregnant? Is that even supposed to hurt? Marlene, talk to me."
"No, don't be stupid, Lily. I'm not pregnant, it's just cramps."
"Okay, good news. So then why are you calling me? I'd like to get back to bed."
"Lily, I've never had cramps this bad before! I need a spell, or a potion, or something, anything! Anything to stop this stupid pain. Ugh, why do we go through this? You'd think as witches we would've discovered some cure for periods. But nope, every month. Every damn month." Marlene ranted.
"That might be because they've been off discovering more useful things." Lily said sarcastically. She could hear her friend muttering on the other end. "And since I grew up with muggles, we're gonna have to do without magic."
Marlene made a sound of disbelief. "You've already made me use telephones to talk to you... now we half to do more muggle stuff?"
"Mar, it's safer to talk via telly – Voldemort and his followers don't understand muggle technology, so it'll be harder for them to intercept. Plus, it's a lot faster than owl." The redhead explained.
"Okay, okay, thanks for the lecture, I'd like my cramp remedies now!"
Lily raised her brows. "Oi, bossypants, I'm the one helping you, remember? Okay, let me think... what's your favourite kind of tea?
"Chocolate peppermint."
"Go make some, then. Tea always helps me. Do you have a hot water bottle?"
After some shuffling around on the other line, Marlene replied. "Yeah, mum gave me one, it's here somewhere... ah, found it."
"Good. Can I go back to bed now?" Lily asked hopefully.
Marlene paused. "Wait, so that's it?"
With pursed lips, Lily retorted "Yeah, that's all I can come up with at 2am, Marlene. Sorry."
"I, er... okay, thanks hun. Are we still on for tomorrow?" The two girls had planned to go shopping out of town the next day with a few of their other friends.
"If I can get myself up in the morning."
Lily hurried back to bed after putting the phone down. She fell back asleep instantly, but woke multiple times before it was light outside. There was something bothering her, way at the back of her mind, in her subconscious. It was annoying her, all she wanted to do was sleep. Her conversation with Marlene had touched on something stressful, but Lily wouldn't be able to put her finger on it until mid afternoon on December 7th, 1979.
If you had been wandering around a small wizarding community in Sheffield that day, you would've spotted four girls giggling and having fun whilst perusing various shops. Four giggling girls, plus Lily Evans. All day, no matter how hard she tried to have fun, Lily couldn't shake the feeling that had been plaguing her the previous night. Three of the girls: Alice Longbottom, Evalynne Copper, and Juliet Baker, paid no mind to the redhead in distress. Marlene McKinnon, however, hung back with her as the three others paraded ahead.
"Love, what's wrong? You've been detached all day, I know something's bothering you." Marlene asked, concerned about her friend. "Did I keep you up too late? The tea and water bottle worked really well, by the way."
"No, it's nothing to do with you, Mar." She turned to look at Marlene. "I dunno what's going on, I've just got this really weird feeling, like something's going to happen, or it's already happening, or something. I just don't know." Lily struggled to explain herself.
Marlene looked confused. "Okay then... So when did this feeling start?"
"Mmm," Lily bit her lip, thinking. "I guess it was after I talked to you last night."
The blonde's brow furrowed. "Oh, so it was me, then. Did I say something wrong?"
"Mar, I already told you it wasn't you. It's not really something bad, it's just... different. Stressful different. Like something's about to change."
She nodded. "Well, change isn't always bad. Change can be good, right? You found out you were a wizard. You got married, that was a change, and it was good."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Don't look so down, then! It's a happy day. And, on the bright side, you don't have disgusting cramps like me." Marlene smiled and hurried to catch up with her other friends. They were talking about the hot sales clerk who had helped them with their dresses in the store they left a few minutes ago. She had just turned to gush to Lily when she realized her friend wasn't beside her.
Lily was frozen in place a few metres back. She had dropped her bags from the hand that was now pressed against her mouth. The girl looked to be in shock. Marlene ran back to her and grabbed her shoulders.
"Lily! Lily, what's going on?" When she didn't reply, Marlene shook her slightly. "Talk to me!"
"Oh my god." Lily finally responded. "Mar, I... I didn't realise it until now, but... you called me last night about your cramps and I didn't know what about that bothered me... it wasn't the fact that you woke me up, or complained to me... it was..."
"What, Lily, tell me what's bothering you." The look in Lily's eyes frightened Marlene more than what she was saying. At this moment, Lily looked like a deer caught in headlights. She was in shock, Marlene could tell. "We'll work it out, whatever it is, you just have to talk to me, okay?"
"Marlene, I haven't had cramps in a couple months."
She stepped back from Lily. "What, that's it?"
"No," Lily said shakily, "I haven't had cramps... in a couple months."
"I'm not getting the point. Are you bragging? You had me really worried there, Lil!"
"Marlene!" She could tell Lily was close to tears. "I haven't had my period in... too long."
Marlene shrugged. "So you skipped a month, it happens all the time."
"No," Lily shook her head, "I can feel it. It's different."
She looked Marlene in the eyes.
"Mar, I think I'm pregnant."
It was a few hours before Lily and Marlene got to St. Mungo's, as their friends were very keen to continue shopping. After going through the traffic to get back into London, the girls arrived at the magical hospital. The stern looking witch at the reception desk waved them in the right direction: up three levels and through a maze of complicated corridors. As they walked, Lily peeked into rooms to see all sorts of injuries and maladies. She stopped looking, however, after seeing a poor wizard covered in large, basketball sized blisters.
Finally, they came to a small waiting room with doors lining one wall. There were no empty chairs, as they were all occupied by witches in various stages of pregnancy. The witches ranged from flat stomachs to small bumps to full size bellies. Most were accompanied by their significant others, one of which, by the shocked look on his face, appeared to be muggle. Lily's stomach filled with butterflies and her stress increased.
Lily was brought back to reality by Marlene tugging on her sweater. "Lily, they've called you three times, let's go." Marlene led her into the room on the far right. It was white and bare, save for a chair, a metal table with various bottles and trinkets, and a short, stout woman in what Lily guessed were wizarding doctors' robes.
"Just sit, dear," the which said in a voice that instantly calmed Lily. "This will only take a second. I'm Dr. Hallovale, by the way."
Lily sat in the chair, Marlene by her side. It wasn't very comfortable, but she paid no mind. Her insides were flip flopping. What if she were pregnant? What would James think? What would he do? Would he leave her? James was loving, but he was only 19, barely out of school... He had matured a bit, but was it enough?
Her doctor pressed something up against her abdomen. It was cold. Lily looked down to see the witch with a stethoscope. Or, at least, it looked like a stethoscope, except it was bright orange and making a quiet whirring sound. It was also connected to a small screen. After 30 seconds of gliding it around her stomach, Dr. Hallovale straightened up and stepped back. Lily bit her lip, so hard she almost drew blood, and glanced up at Marlene.
You okay? Marlene mouthed.
Kind of, she mouthed back.
Marlene put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
"Hold this for a sec," Dr. Hallovale told her, handing her the screen, which was now disconnected from the stethoscope. "Tell me when it flashes." With that, she went back to her table and began cleaning the instruments that were on it.
"Well... now we wait, I guess." Marlene said, leaning against the wall.
"We could've just gone to a muggle doctor, you know. Or bought a birth test."
"Nah," Marlene shook her head, "muggle tech takes too long. It should flash soon anyway – ah, there it goes."
The screen in Lily's hand flashed orange, the same colour as the stethoscope. "Brilliant," Dr. Hallovale said excitedly, "let's see what's going on in that tummy, yeah?" She took the device back, brought it up to eye level, and smiled.
"Well love, looks like you're pregnant!"
Lily's jaw fell open. Her heart was going a million miles an hour. She was pregnant. In her body, right now, there was a baby. A small person, growing peacefully. All stress vanished and she was filled with a warm feeling, a feeling of pure love. She stood up and hugged Marlene.
"Oh my god, Lily! You're having a baby!" Marlene squealed. "This is so exciting!" She started jumping slightly.
They were broken apart by the sound of Lily's doctor clearing her throat. "Congratulations! If you'd like to know the gender, you can come back in a couple weeks. Now, if you'll just exit this way..."
Lily was in a blur. The anxiety that had previously filled her was replaced with joy and excitement. In less than a year, she would have a baby. At this moment in time, she couldn't think of anything greater. A daze surrounded her, until she realised Marlene was talking to her. They were sitting in the back of a cab, a muggle cab. All the wizard buses had been shut down – the drivers were too afraid of dark witches and wizards. "Sorry, what were you saying, Mar?"
Marlene looked a bit hurt that Lily hadn't been paying attention, but recovered quickly. "I was asking you how you're going to tell James!"
Oh. James. Lily was so wrapped up in herself that she'd forgotten all about her husband. How was she going to tell James? How would he react? "Erm... I dunno. Mar, what if he's not happy? He is only nineteen, and he's James, I mean, he's not the most mature. Oh my god Marlene, what if he leaves me?" Voicing her worries out loud did nothing to help with Lily's stress. If anything, it made it worse.
"He's not going to leave you, hun, don't be silly! He's mad in love with you, like, proper in love. As immature as James is, I doubt he would ever leave you." Marlene told her. "He would die before that happened."
Through a forced smile, Lily said "Yeah, I guess you're right..."
The girls spent the rest of the cab ride in silence. Marlene was probably right, but Lily wasn't so sure. Something in Marlene's voice said that she wasn't either.
"Just tell him." Marlene urged her as she got out of the cab. "Rip it off, like a bandage."
Anxiety and stress plagued Lily all evening as she waited for James to get home from his training. After Hogwarts, James went on to train to be an auror. He didn't really qualify, but with the war going on, the Ministry was taking all it could get. Lily was constantly worried about James, as he came home each night with a new bruise or cut, but he was always alright in the end. Lily had to remember that. What about this time, though? Could James handle a baby?
She paced around the flat, making tea that she then burned her tongue on. Lily opened windows and closed windows, started eating an apple then threw it out, and switched from the bed to the sofa to the armchair multiple times. She tried reading but couldn't focus on her book. Finally, just as dusk was falling, James came home.
"Lily," he called out. Lily could hear him rustling around by the door, taking off his shoes and hanging his coat.
"In the bedroom," she told him.
James laughed. "Thanks, love, but I just got home from work. Not really in the mood. Maybe later?" He continued to go, telling her about his day of training, walking around the flat, then finally coming into the bedroom, where Lily was sitting on the edge of the bed. By the look that she gave him, James instantly knew something was wrong. He hurriedly sat down beside her and put his arm around her, giving her a quick hug before pulling away. He looked in her eyes, vivid green and now watery with tears.
"What's wrong, Lily?" he asked seriously.
Lily didn't know where to start. "James, I, er..."
"No," he said. "We're not doing the thing where you draw out your explanation so that it causes me to become increasingly anxious, ok? Just... tell me."
Okay. I can do this, Lily thought. Just rip it off like a bandage, like Marlene said. Lily opened her mouth, but struggled to find words.
James was rubbing her back. "Come on, love."
Tell him. "James, I'm pregnant." Her voice cracked.
James looked at her, eyes open wide. The silence that held for a few seconds was stifling. She wanted him to say something, anything. Silence was always worse than the worst possible thing someone could say. After a minute, James stood up.
"Merlin..." He broke out into a wide grin, which made Lily's stomach lift and her heart flutter. "I'm gonna be a dad! Lily, oh my god, this is great!" He picked her up off the bed and spun her around. Putting her down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. Lily was speechless, and apparently so was James.
"Really? I just, I thought, I dunno, you would leave... or something."
"That's ridiculous. This is wonderful, wow. This is... amazing. There is one thing, though," James told her, "now that we're going to have a family of three."
"What?"
James grinned again. "We're going to need a bigger house."