Awful, thought Sirius when for the third time this week he had to eat half-burned and half-raw (both at once) scrambled eggs. If he weren't so impatient, he'd maybe try and make it once again from scratch, but he just sat at the table with his plate and a slice of bread in his hand. It shouldn't bother him, as he was a bachelor, but he was too used to clean house and meals prepared by house elfs to now just accept all the filth and disgusting breakfasts. Unfortunately, living on his own instead of motivate him to work motivated him to just visit James more often and benefit from that.

Maybe I should get married as well. If she cooked as good as Lily I wouldn't have anything to complain about. He snorted at that. As if there was ever any chance that he, Sirius Black, would get himself a lovely little family that he could come home to, and that his home would smell of fresh bread and apple pie. He winced, and not because of the disgusting eggs.

Although James didn't seem to suffer from being married. He was lucky that he met such a good girl, otherwise it probably wouldn't work. If anyone could help the Prongs Sirius knew from school settle down, it was Lily. She wasn't like bitchy wives from the jokes one tells over some ale. She was full of compassion, always ready to take care of someone or teach a lesson if someone was being a moron (the latter Sirius knew from painful experience). She was just the kind of woman that you can spend long, happy life with, and James definitely deserved that.

On the other hand, his current situation wasn't that colorful. He moved out from his parents after he and Lily got married, meaning to start their independent, happy life, but soon after that the Potters got sick and, in the end, died.

It's over a month now. Sirius glanced at the calendar on the wall in front of him. First few days were the worst, but recently it seemed like James got a little better and slowly getting back to normal. Of course, he wouldn't be getting there today nor tomorrow, but Sirius hoped he will improve with the passing time. At least he had Lily and his best friend close.

Speaking of friends... Sirius reached for the letters his owl had brought this morning. The one from the Order could wait, he really wasn't in the mood now. The one from Remus should be more interesting. Blah blah blah... Right, so he goes away for a while again, and of course he won't tell where or what for. At least he wrote that he leaves for a week. He'd been disappearing more often recently, and he didn't like sharing the details, which Sirius didn't like. Was Remus hiding something? Didn't he trust them anymore? He could tell them about the werewolf thing but he couldn't say what exactly he's got to do now? Something was not right here.

There were some bills as well, and nothing from the Blacks, but Sirius wasn't really disappointed since he hadn't expected anything from them. The last letter was short and just a bit unnerving.

I'll be at yours at two. Be sure to have alcohol.

James

It didn't sound like a friendly meeting. Not to mention that two o'clock was a bit of an early hour for drinking. Something must've happened. But in that case, why didn't James come to him at once? Strange. Even stranger than Remus' behaviour. Apparently all of his friends had some mysterious things and only he was staying behind. That thought saddened him a little, so he quickly shook it off and got up.

Waiting for the hour of the meeting dragged on for an eternity. He didn't even know what had he been doing, but he was extremely relieved when he heard the door to his flat being opened and he went to meet James. His friend looked as if he'd drank something already. It wasn't the handsome and merry James that every girl looked at and every boy wanted to be friends with. This James was... just devastated. That was the only way to describe it. Sirius hadn't got a chance to even ask what had happened, he got his answer immediately.

"Lily is pregnant," said James in a husky voice. Sirius felt his eyes widen.

"So where's that alcohol?" His guest smiled faintly and went to the kitchen, where he sat in one of the chairs and threw his jacket on another. Sirius quickly cleaned up the remnants of his breakfast (he didn't have it in him to do it earlier) and put a bottle of rum on the table before sitting himself. In that situation most people would probably say "congratulations" but judging by James' face, it wouldn't be the best reaction. Besides, Sirius knew himself it wasn't a good moment for a baby.

"How long?" he asked instead while his friend pouring himself some alcohol.

"Seven weeks."

Sirius watched James drink half of the glass at once. He started to count. "So the baby will be born..."

"At the beginning of August. We've already counted," finished James.

"Well, then Moony wins the bet. I thought you'd get that before turning twenty."

Prongs smiled in the same way he had smiled at the door. It wasn't a happy smile, but Sirius was glad nonetheless for any kind of smile.

"In other circumstances it would probably be funny, but now... Merlin..." James took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Everything is fucking up, Pads. Death Eaters everywhere, my parents are dead, and now Lily pregnant, and I'm just nineteen, as you noticed. We both are." He sighed. Sirius used accio to get himself a glass.

"How did Lily react?"

"She's terrified." James put on his glasses. "She worries about everything. How will we manage on our own, if we'll be safe, if the baby will be safe, if she will carry it. At least she doesn't have to think about money, but that doesn't really improve anything. What we need most cannot be bought." He looked somewhere left. "I couldn't really tell her that, but I regret it happened. No baby, no problem. Life would go on. Maybe we would think about it some day, but for fuck's sake, not now..."

Sirius sipped his drink and bit his lower lip, looking at James. The silence between them was ringing with unspoken words.

"You know what I'm thinking about," he said eventually, and James nodded.

"I know. But Lily doesn't want to do that. Neither do I, not really. I would be happy, honestly, if only it wasn't now..."

"You're repeating yourself," Sirius interrupted. "It happened, that's it. If you're not gonna get rid of the baby, then there's nothing you can do. But it's not the end of the world. Quite the opposite. And you'll be alright! The Order will function without you, and you've got me and Remus..." Sirius felt bad for even thinking it, but he wasn't really sure Remus could be counted on anymore.

"I know, I know..." James agreed, even though it was evident that the words hadn't really helped him. "That's what I told her. That we can't change anything, that we've got friends and the money, that it's going to be okay. I had to try to cheer her up somehow. But when I got a chance, I went out to think and now I'm here. How am I supposed to help my wife if I don't feel like I can do this? I'm not ready to be a father yet..."

"The fact you're saying this means you know what a responsibility that is." Sirius was surprised himself that he said something so smart. James looked surprised as well. Well, good. Listening to Everything will be alright probably wouldn't help him, he had to be shocked with something new. "Anyways, you're not yourself now. James would never doubt himself only because two marks appeared on some stick." Sirius even now had to brag about how much he learned from Lily about the Muggles' practical inventions. "Get a grip, okay? Once you're sorted, everything will be fine. I've known you for some time now and I know you did worse things than changing nappies. If you're feeling alright, then behave like it, and show Lily that the world isn't ending. And if you aren't, then at least pretend and fake it 'till you make it."

This time the smile on James' face seemed warmer and more honest.

"Thanks, mate," he said. "It's good to know I can count on you."

"You betcha." Sirius looked rather smug. "And you'll see, little Fleamont will count on his awesome uncle Sirius as well."

James snorted. "We don't even know if it's a boy and you've already got a name?"

"Why, you don't like it? It's nice, traditional. Your middle, and your father's first. Everything fits."

"I'm not naming my son Fleamont. I suffered enough when you started calling me that."

Sirius seemed to ignore him altogether. "And it would be cute, like Flea; we could be inseparable. Is there a feminine version?"

"I'm not naming the baby Fleamont!" repeated James.

"I don't think there is something like Fleamonce, but maybe Florence or..."

"I am not naming him Fleamont!" James finally laughed. "Maybe you could wait and see what the mother thinks of it before you plan everything, right with the baby's career?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Okay. I will hear Lily out, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up my own ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it." they both knew about it well enough.

Another hour passed like this. They drank a bit, talked a bit, but mainly Sirius was trying to cheer James up, hoping it would help him cope and take care of the problem. He wished optimism would be enough.

"Thanks for letting me come by," said James, preparing to leave.

"I didn't let you. You just said you'd come."

"Thanks anyway." James smirked in a way that always made women swoon. Sirius involuntarily answered with a similar smile.

"You're welcome. You know my home's your home."

James hugged him as always when he made his goodbye.

"Remember it works both ways."

"I do. Tell Lily I'll be at dinner tomorrow."

"I think she's already figured it out."

James left and managed to wave his hand before Sirius closed the door and leaned against it with a heavy sigh.

Who would've thought that during wartime the biggest tragedy would be not death, but new life.