Lily sat back against the window sill, propped up by her arms and looking out into the garden. It was a lovely summer day she thought, but calling for a maid to help her up would take too long and it wasn't like her condition advocated it. She was in her ninth month of pregnancy, belly swollen but made up for by her radiant skin and smile. Still, it was hard to stand up anymore and the way people stared made her reluctant to ask. Being sixteen with child wasn't the best situation but it wasn't the worst either. After all, her family wasn't poor and her son wouldn't be fatherless, not once she told James. He would love their baby like she did, Lily knew, would introduce him to Wizarding Society and maybe even marry her someday. No, there was no reason at all she shouldn't be having a child, even if he wasn't planned like a baby should be.
"Rosey," She called, "Rosey, darling?"
"Yes, Miss Evans?"
"Be a dear, Rose, and go grab me a hair ribbon." Lily pointed towards her vanity, where a wide array of bows and clips hung out of an open drawer. It had been awhile since she decorated her room, the last time back when she had her heart set on dancing, dark furniture accented with pink quilted satin and scraps of lace.
"Yes, Miss Evans. Have you taken your prenatal vitamins today, Miss Evans?"
"Oh, Rose, don't be such a bore." She laughed, looking over at her uneasy maid. Rosey had been uptight since they hired her, a month or two ago, to look after Lily until the baby was born. It was so much trouble to do things for herself now that she had rather taken advantage of the poor girl.
"Miss Evans-"
"Don't worry, lovely, I had them with lunch but honestly, have some fun, won't you?"
"Yes, Miss Evans." She agreed, coming around behind her to tie the ribbon in her hair. It spilt over her arms and down her back, curling almost to her waist and making her look like a bit like a pre-Rapheale painting.
"What's the date?" Lily asked, knowing it only to be the end of July. There wasn't much point in keeping track but if she was doing the math right it should be around her due date, close enough that what she'd been writing off as Braxton Hicks might soon mean a trip to St. Mungo's.
"The 30th of July, Miss Evans." Rosey told her, thinking back to the calendar her mistress kept pinned to the door.
She ran a hand over her stomach, praying, though it had been years since she was spotted at a Church, that this baby would be on time. The last thing she needed was being overdue, on the bed rest Healer Eacnung had threatened her with.
"You couldn't fetch me some water, could you, Rosey?"
"Yes, Miss Evans."
Lily sighed, trying to turn a little bit to keep the light out of her eyes. She was so uncomfortable now, with her large stomach, a thing she'd never gotten used to. Before, she had been little, weighing barely a hundred pounds but she had shot up in the last few months, being told her weight could hurt the baby. That was something she definitely didn't want, not drinking for nearly half a year, taking a semester off from school, and then to have it come down to her not being the proper weight.
"That's right, lovely." She said, putting a hand on her belly, feeling him kick. "Your mummy's positively dying to see you."
"Your water, Miss Evans." Rosey said, pouring her a glass from the silver pitcher she kept on her nightstand.
"Thank you, Rosey. You can set it over there and come talk with me." Lily motioned with her hand, "It's awfully boring staying here by myself."
"Would you like to go outside, Miss Evans?"
"Not really, Rosey, but maybe you could put some music on."
"Do you have a preference, Miss Evans?"
Lily went over the big Muggle hits in her head. She'd been a bit out of the loop until this summer, when she'd been at home often enough to know that disco was in and bubblegum pop hadn't been since at least Second Year. Merlin, she used to love it.
"How about," She paused to think, "Sugar Sugar?"
"Yes, Miss Evans."
"Fantastic-"
She closed her eyes tight as another of those strange painless contractions hit her. They hadn't started hurting until the last couple of weeks, but her Healer hadn't seemed too concerned, telling her it bothered some witches more than others.
"Mer-Cor," Lily said, slowing her breathing, "I didn't think it would hurt like this."
Rosey stood nervously, playing with the hem of her dress, "Do you need anything, Miss Evans. Should I call your mother, a doctor?"
"A doctor?" She wrinkled up her nose, "No, of course not and Mother's in London besides."
"Very well, Miss Evans, but I do think-"
"Rosey, will you be quiet and help me into bed?" She snapped, looking irritated. It was harder to be nice when it felt like someone was stabbing you with a red hot poker in the belly.
"Of course, Miss Evans."
The young maid sighed, helping Lily up and over to her large wooden bed. Healer Eacnung had said it was alright to lie down when she was having Braxton Hicks and lately, it had been making the pain go away, something she was thankful for.
"Thanks, Rosey."
Lily smiled at her, lips thin as she swung her feet up on the bed, leaning back against the pillows. It still hurt a little but not as much, and she could relax now, getting as comfortable as one could with her thickened waist line and belly.
"Would you like to take a nap now, Miss Evans? Shall I turn down the lights?"
"I don't think I'll be getting much sleep, darling."
"Yes, Miss Evans. Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"I'm alright at the moment." She told her, almost cheerful, though in truth all she cared about was getting this thing out of her, the sooner the better. It had been nice being pregnant for a little while but there was nothing pleasant about the third trimester. She was all out of proportion, her stomach bigger than ever but the rest of her was at a stand still, meaning she ached all over and changing positions took more effort than she had in her.
"Hurry up already, lovely." She muttered,
"Yes, Miss Evans?"
"Oh! I wasn't talking to you, Rosey, dear." Lily said, splotches of color appearing on her cheeks, but then again, talking with your baby must be pretty common. She did it all the time and some of the books she read had even encouraged it.
"Of course, Mi-"
"Ah-" She squealed, as the wetness seeped into her clothes, the bedding, turning it all into a disgusting mess. "Eww!"
"Miss Evans-"
"Oh! Eww!"
"I'll go call for a doctor, Miss Evans, or an ambulance or-" The frenzied maid continued. She wasn't much older than Lily and certainly knew no more about these sorts of things.
"No, Rosey," She squeaked, "Don't."
"Why not?"
"I-" Lily said, stuttering, apparently not thinking straight,"Um... Fine. Get a doctor."
"Very well, Miss Evans." She turned on her heel, glancing back nervously as she walked through the door.
"I-Oh, darling. We need to get out of here." She told her stomach, summoning her bag, packed last night, and leaning against the bed post as she tried to stand. She needed to get to her stash of Floo powder on the mantle so she could go directly to St. Mungo's. It was one of the few magical traveling options left open for a witch in an advanced a pregnancy as hers.
Reaching for the little container hidden inside an old pair of ballet slippers, she took a pinch and through it into the fire, watching it turn green as she clutched a lamp for support.
"St. Mungo's!" Lily called, stepping into the flames and hoping to dear Merlin she wouldn't fall on the hospital's floor when the spinning stopped.
Not more than a minute later, Lily stepped out of the fireplace unharmed and dusting herself off, scanning the floor guide as quickly as she could.
"Hmm," She bit her lip, moving out of the way, "Not the first floor, no- There we are, the sixth, over by the t-tea shop. Lovely..."
Gathering up her bags, she made her way over to the lift, an almost unbearable pain shooting through her abdomen as she leaned back against the wall, her breath coming in short gasps.
"O-Oh, that does hurt." She whimpered, biting her lip. Inside with her was a girl with what looked like tentacles sprouting from where her arms should be, as well as her father and an older looking woman who seemed to be a Healer.
"Are you quite alright, Miss-"
"Evans. Lily Evans." She said, forcing a smile on her face, one hand clutching her belly.
"You'll want the sixth floor then, Miss Evans, the Maternity Ward. Though- Have you been here before?"
"I, um, the St. Mungo's Bazaar... a few appointments with Healer Eacnung."
"Healer Eacnung? She's out at the moment, I'm afraid, came down with Scrofungulus."
"Oh, dear. Well, um-" Lily mumbled as the lift doors opened. She had never been happier to see the inside of a hospital, not even the time she had broken her arm, playing in the park with Pet. Her sister, she remembered, had had a baby not too long ago either, with that horror she called Vernon. She'd have to have a visit soon, though Merlin knows there'd be hell to pay. Petunia'd as soon have her in the house as a raging Hipogriff.
"Hi," She said breathlessly, reaching the counter, "I'm, um, Lily Evans and-"
"Right this way, Miss Evans." A plump witch, who rather resembled a wren, said, "Now, who did you say your Healer was?"
"Healer Eacnung."
"Oh, dear. She's-"
"Out with Scrofungulus, I've heard."
"Yes, well, no matter, dear. Magical births are down this month, so I think we can spare Healer McMillan."
"Is that so?" Lily said faintly as she sat down on the bed. The room smelled medicinal, like something she'd brew up in Potions class or the Hospital Wing back at school.
"Have you thought of any names yet, dear?"
"I've decided on the middle name but I'm torn between Harry and Auguste."
"Lovely names, dear. Will anyone else be arriving?"
"I don't think so, no." The witch looked at her oddly, "I'm a Muggleborn, you see."
"Is the father a Muggle too or-"
Lily hid her hand under the pillow, uneasy, feeling the witch look over it as she searched for a ring. Well, what did she expect, married at sixteen? Then again, she was having a child, something that she was reminded of every twenty or so minutes at the moment.
"He's not, no."
"He's magical then? A Wizard?"
"A pure-blood actually." She told her, looking up at the ceiling. It was white, with boring evenly-spaced tiles. In short, a hospital ceiling.
"Oh? What's his last name. I'm a Gamp, dear, might know him."
"I-He's a Potter."
"Really? Very old family, dear Dorea is quite gene-"
Lily tuned her out, her face scrunching up as she felt another contraction. They were getting pretty unpleasant and as her water already broke- Why this woman wasn't getting a Healer she couldn't figure out. Surely, there was somebody...
"I-Healer-"
"Yes, of course, dear." The woman said nervously, walking out the door as fast as Rosey had an hour before. She wondered what her maid had done, on realizing she was gone, and all that underage magic too. She was sure to get a letter from the Ministry, like the one James had in Third Year, when he was so eager to show her that new spell he learned.
"Hello, Miss Evans." A voice clipped as an elderly witch walked into the room. "I'm Healer McMillan, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." Lily said, smiling weakly as she held out her hand, thinking how downright odd this was, and wishing to dear Merlin that she had told James instead of running away. He'd be here with her now, holding her hand and covering her with kisses. She knew he'd be.
"Now, Miss Evans, how long have your contractions been going on for?"
"A couple of hours."
Healer McMillan nodded as she took out her wand, "And since your water broke?
"An hour or so."
"Well, then, I don't think you're too far along but-" She ran the wand over her stomach, muttering something incomprehensible, "Oh, dear. Are you sure those contractions only started a couple of hours ago? Maybe they were farther apart in the beginning..."
"I-I thought it was a couple of hours but, um, it could have been earlier."
"And this is your first pregnancy?"
"I- Yes, it is..."
"You haven't terminated a pregnancy, given the baby up for adoption- miscarried even."
"No, I haven't." Lily told her, irritated. She wasn't a tramp; plenty of women were single mothers these days, though most of them not at sixteen.
"Can you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?" The Healer asked, appearing not to notice.
"Um, a seven?"
"And what would a ten be?"
She shrugged, "Getting shot or something, I guess."
"Shot?"
The plump little witch leaned over, whispering something to Healer McMillan, the effect being that she was a Muggleborn.
"Ahh..." Lily breathed out as she felt another contraction, wrinkling up her nose, "Can't I get some potion or-or something?"
"Potion? Certainly not, Miss Evans; it could harm the baby." She snapped, not bothering to look over at where Lily lay, still staring at the ceiling.
"But it hurts so bad!"
"It could harm the baby, Miss Evans.
"Oh, dear, but..." She whimpered, though the pain was beginning to subside. It wasn't that she wanted to hurt her baby, not at all, but she'd always heard hospitals, Muggle ones anyway, gave you some sort of pain medication.
"You'll start pushing soon enough, Miss Evans."
"I-When?"
"Soon enough." That was all she told her, making Lily wonder if she'd ever give birth. Sure, it'd only been a few hours but they'd been eventful at least. Now, she was in a hospital room, wearing an old nightgown, and completely utterly bored.
Again, there was a pang in Lily's chest when she thought of how James should be here with her to see his son being born and to hear about it from her, not when she went back to school or-or Merlin forbid, from the Prophet. He'd never forgive her then, not when she could have told him face to face... Merlin, this was all so messed up.