Ten weeks.

It came to no surprise to her when James and Sirius all but dragged her to St Mungo when they noticed she had been feeling unwell for two days; feverish and stomach aches attacking her at random intervals.

Initially she had agreed with the Healer who waved off her symptoms as a little stomach bug, but Sirius bodily threw him out of the room and demanded a competent Healer to see to his sister instead of that uneducated idiot.

When the leading Healer had come to defuse the situation, Sirius had laid all the ways the first Healer had been wrong; displaying all his knowledge of Healing magic and causing said Healer to take her complaints a lot more serious and performing various tests.

It had amused both her and James that even as a disinherited Black, he could still make people do what he wanted if he set his mind to it.

But even so, she had been sure she was just coming down with a simple bug and they were overreacting until the leading Healer returned with such a solemn expression all three of them had immediately tensed.

And with good reason as Sirius had been right in his assumptions it was no simple bug.

The Healer spoke of rare and ancient viruses, carriers of genes and how it was not remotely dangerous until she had gotten pregnant with a similar carrier; a long story short, she was to take the antidote and let the baby be aborted or she would die trying to have it.

A revelation that had left her in deep discussion with James.

"No."

"James..."

"No! If there is any danger to you then it is a no, we could always try again, but I am not losing you.

Growling annoyed, Lily clenched her hands as they'd been arguing for the last half hour as she wanted this child, her child, even if it would kill her, but James refused to listen.

"This is our only chance at a child of our own, James. You heard the Healer; the cure will leave me barren. I could survive this if I just take it easy," she pleaded.

"You heard the Healer," he shot back. "It's not an option. It's either you or neither as you won't make it to the end. I want this child, too, Lil. And not just because I need an heir. But if you keep this baby it will kill you and I won't stand by and let that happen."

"It's not a given that I will die, there's just a big chance," she argued, turning to Sirius in hopes of gaining his support as he'd been silent since the news had been delivered. "Siri?"

Looking up at his name, he blinked confused until she asked for his opinion.

"I agree with James that it is not an option to lose you. It might not be a given that you will die, but taking into account that you are already sick at the mere three month mark, it is near impossible that your body will be able to support you to the end of your pregnancy."

He trailed off and James grunted in agreement before Sirius raised a hand. "But I also agree with Lily. This is your child; your only chance at a child of your blood. But more importantly than that, he deserves a chance at life."

"That's not really helpful, Siri," James sighed, blinking when Sirius moved to the door and glanced outside before closing it, casting a Muffliato.

"There isn't a choice for you, not really. Either we lose the baby or we will lose both of you in your attempt to try."

There was logic in his words that Lily really didn't want to hear and she opened her mouth to object when he silenced her with a look.

"I'm not finished yet. What if there was a way to keep both of you alive? Would you take it, even if it meant you wouldn't be carrying your own child any more?"

"What are you talking about?" James asked confused.

"I'm pretty sure you will have heard of a Lunar Ritual?"

"That is very dark and ancient magic, Siri," James frowned even as Lily shook her head. "And impossible to use even if we'd want to because a possible carrier would have to be a close relative and I don't see Petunia doing that for Lily, even if she had the required magic for the spell to work."

"It is difficult, but not impossible."

"It is a vow of trust, loyalty and utter devotion, Siri. None of which applies to Petunia Dursley," James reminded him and Lily waved to get their attention as none of what they said made any sense.

"In the old days, the darker families created a spell that would protect their bloodlines in case the Heir's partner was not trusted. It allowed a loyal close relative to basically steal the foetus and act as a carrier. Due to the shared gene pool already present, the child would not get any significant genes from the carrier, which is why it has to be a close relative to perform the spell."

"Why have I never heard of it?" Lily asked.

"Because it is considered to be very dark magic since they used it to cripple opponents by stealing their heirs to be."

"How do you know about it?" Lily shook her head as the answer already came to her, remembering his upbringing. "What use would it be to steal an heir to be that way?"

"Because they could kill the child upon birth or use it against the family in the long run," James ran a hand through his hair. "What I don't understand is why we are even discussing things that aren't usable."

"That is where you are wrong," Sirius shifted.

"How am I wrong? That woman is not a possibility even if we would want to use her."

"I wasn't thinking of her."

"No," realising where Sirius was going, James shook his head fiercely. "Absolutely not."

"Who were you thinking off?" Lily looked at Sirius confused.

"Me. James and I are cousins through my grandfather and his mother, so we are related. But more importantly, our gene pools match because James blood adopted me personally into his family with our parent's consent."

"I didn't do that for you to risk your life like this," James growled.

"What blood adoption?" Lily waved him off, staring at Sirius.

"I ran away from Grimmauld place Christmas of fifth year; convinced I was pretty much worthless and unwanted everywhere. James forcefully reminded me that I was an idiot and had a family in him. To make sure I would never doubt my place again, he performed a blood ritual, making us blood brothers. Officially I do not carry the Potter name, but to magic itself, I am James' little brother."

"A close relative with a matching gene pool," Lily took a deep breath as she began to understand what Sirius was saying.

"Exactly."

"You are nuts if you think I'm agreeing to this," James bit out. "Not only is it extremely dangerous, you would be giving up your own choice in an heir of your own since our baby would automatically be named as such. Not to mention that you would be burdened with carrying a foetus for six months."

"You named me his godfather, isn't it in my duty to do everything in my power to protect my godchild?"

"In the events of our deaths, yes! James exclaimed upset.

"If I am not mistaken, then that is exactly where Lily is going right now. She will die to protect her child."

James spluttered as the harsh, but true words and Sirius sighed. "I am well aware of what I am offering and you know I can't have children, they made sure of that a long time ago. You agreed when I told you I wanted to perform a blood adoption ritual once the baby is born to give him the added protection of my bloodline and make him my heir as well. So that is not an issue."

James didn't look convinced at all and Lily stared at the two of them uncertainty as Sirius reached forward to take his hand.

"Who has ever said that a godparent's duty only starts once the baby is born? As I see it, there are two choices. We either lose both of them in her attempt to have him or we try to ritual and actually have a fairly solid chance of keeping both of them alive."

"You are truly serious about this?" Lily whispered as she tried to remain objectively and think this through before jumping into it with both hands.

"I am," at her hesitation he turned to her with a faint smile. "I promise that I would be really careful with your child, Lil."

"That is not something I even question, I trust you completely," Lily waved that off. "I'm just worried about you, will it cause you harm?"

"Not as far as I know," he answered honestly, not giving her false reassurance.

"If we would decide to do this, how would it work?" she tried to keep the hope flaring in her squashed down, not daring to hope for this miracle just yet.

"I would have to suck the baby out of your bellybutton with a straw; drain you of your blood while dancing around under the full moonlight and push it into mine."

For a long moment, Lily could only stare at him in utter horror; until James choked out a laugh despite his tension and Sirius' stony expression broke into a smile.

"That was horrible," James coughed. "Even for our standards."

"It was," Sirius readily agreed. "But it broke the tension. We just need to cast a spell, perform a small ritual with blood and drink a potion. And it might be a good idea to be sitting down while we're doing so."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to assume we'll pass out and it's less painful to just fall over than to drop from a chair."

"Have you thought this through at all?" James asked. "How would you handle the birth?"

"I've thought about this the entire time you guys were arguing. My best bet would be caesarean section, but we'd have time to discuss those options. I've already read all the baby books so I know what I could expect and I'm pretty sure I can count on your help."

"If we do this...and that is a big if, we would have to keep it a secret from everyone," James looked horrified that he was even considering the idea and he sat down on the edge of the bed heavily.

"Because it is dark magic?" Lily asked as Sirius sat down on the chair and squeezed his hand in comfort.

"It isn't just dark; it is borderline and very illegal."

"How illegal? Thrown into Azkaban kind of illegal?" Lily asked worriedly.

"The Kissed on capture kind of illegal," Sirius admitted. "We all risked a long time in Azkaban to become Animagi to help Remus. I don't see the difference."

"I do," James choked out. "Five years in Azkaban or losing your life is a very big difference."

"I'd prefer the latter," at the words, James' head snapped up to stare at Sirius in disbelief before he deflated as he seemed to consider Sirius' words and nodded slowly.

"But if we do this right, we won't get caught and that's not even an issue," Sirius lightly said.

"What makes you possible think I would ever be all right with you endangering yourself like that?" James growled as fear etched into his every essence. "I refuse to let Lily risk her life like that...how could you even think..."

"James, we don't know if it will be dangerous. What I know of the ritual never mentioned any danger to the carrier beyond being murdered by opponents," seeing that didn't really comfort James, Sirius knelt down before him, slipping his hands in James'. "How about I promise to be completely open about how I feel at all times?"

James swallowed as he visibly debated with himself; his expression one of pure agony that Lily didn't fully understood until he spoke.

"You swear...you solemnly swear that you would tell us the truth about your feelings? You swear that you will let me take care of you, allow me to keep you safe and protect you; without argument? You swear...you..." James choked on a sob and Lily realised that he was terrified what this would do to Sirius. How it could hurt him on James' watch.

"I solemnly swear that I will try. I will try not to argue even if you drive me crazy with over protectiveness. I will even let you run any weird cravings I might get or let you rub my feet if they swell up."

James' mouth twitched even as he tightened his grip. "Are you truly, absolutely and utterly sure about this?"

The fear was now mixing with a hint of hope that Lily could understand wholeheartedly as this meant they might be able to save their baby.

"I am. I want this little Prongslet as much as you two do, James."

"I'm noticing that," James pulled Sirius into a fierce hug.

"How are we going to do this if it's illegal and we need to keep the both of us hidden?" Lily was able to see the unsaid consent in James' gesture as he held his brother tightly.

"I've come down with a rare variation of a contagious Muggle disease; something you have already had as a child. You; against Healer's advice you have decided to try and have your baby anyway. And because that means complete bed rest for you and I am no danger to you or your unborn child, we've decided that I can keep you company during this time as I am unemployed anyway," he squeezed James' hand.

"It will allow James to leave any mission they put him on regularly since I cannot leave the house due to the contagion; something he's not in danger of getting either because he's been in close contact with Muggles as a child himself and has already had it, too."

"That's brilliant," James nodded. "And it is believable because you have been coughing and sneezing your head off during the last Order meeting last week."

"Only due to your mis-aimed pepper prank," Sirius chuckled. "But that is where I got the idea."

"What about Remus, Peter and your parents?"

"We will need Mum's help as a retired Healer. She could take care of Sirius and the baby medically," James said.

"True. I would prefer it if Remus and Peter didn't know about it, though. Not because I don't trust them completely, but for their own safety," Sirius admitted. "James has very strong Occlumency shields, neither of them does. If they knew and are captured while on a mission, they would try to keep the information hidden and be tortured because of it. I refuse to endanger them like that."

"I agree. Both would indeed keep our secret; but it would be dangerous for them to be involved in this. When the two of you disappear for so long, it will call the attention of both sides and if Voldemort feels like we are trying to hide anything; they'll be the first targets. The fewer people involved, the better," James nodded.

"Won't Remus be suspicious if you don't come home for six months?"

"Lil, he hasn't been home since before you revealed you were pregnant. He's been sleeping in the second bedroom for over three months now."

"I know, who do you think kicked him off the couch and into that room? But he still went home occasionally, right?"

"Not really. I've been keeping you company so much because my own house is too empty with Remus constantly on long term missions. James has been picking up some spare clothes for me after his work so he could swing by now and retrieve all I might need. He could tell Remus I'm staying with you both to sit out the illness so neither of us will be left alone," Sirius sighed. "I hate lying to him, but he's barely home and won't really miss me anyway."

"And I could keep him company on the full moons that he might be home. It is only for six months."

"So...are we doing this?" Sirius looked at James for confirmation.

"You truly are sure? What if you get hurt unexpectedly?" Lily asked the question she knew was on James' mind.

"I won't lie; I don't know what might happen, if there will be trouble or not. But I am sure that I want to do this for you; for my godson. I am sure about this," he directed the last part at his best friend as they both knew she'd asked for his benefit as he had always been overprotective of him and this wouldn't sit well with that instilled desire to protect him from harm.

"Okay...let's do this," James agreed after a long moment, taking a deep breath.

Upon reaching their agreement, they quickly discharged Lily against the Healer's wishes and returned home before James and Sirius set out to collect the ingredients needed for the old potion.

They took the precaution to travel around the country to pick up them up so even if someone saw them buy something at one place, they'd not put the pieces together of what they were after. And while he was at it, Sirius made sure to be seen looking ill, sneezing and coughing while trembling fiercely to help plant the roots of their cover story.

Once they had gathered everything, Lily set out to brew the necessary potion on Sirius' instructions; having it ready by the time evening fell.

"What else do we need?" she asked once Sirius had confirmed the potion was indeed done and lowered the fire below the cauldron to a minimum.

"A bowl, a ceremonial knife, cushions and a straw," Sirius grinned, making Lily laugh as James set out to gather the mentioned items from various rooms.

"It might be smart if you both kneel down onto a pillow and I spread several more around you, less chance you might hurt yourself if you should indeed collapse."

Agreeing to that, Sirius placed the empty bowl between them while James gathered pillows and spread them around before sitting between them.

"Shouldn't we alert your mum before we do this? So she can keep an eye on us?" Lily asked.

"Better wait. She won't agree with our choice right again and we'll lose precious time trying to convince her," James disagreed.

"All set, ready?" Sirius held up the knife.

Taking a deep breath Lily nodded and with a small wince she watched Sirius slide the knife through the palm of his left hand. Blood quickly welled up as he squeezed and let it flow freely into the bowl while starting to murmur a very long and complicated sounding spell under his breath.

He handed the knife to Lily, who followed his example and let her blood drop into the bowl too, trying not to grimace at the sharp stab of pain.

She turned her attention back to Sirius for the next step, only to see his right hand outstretched for the knife and carefully she placed it in there, not daring to try and turn it with one hand.

So she blinked surprised when he folded his fingers around the blade and pushed his skin into it as he pushed his hand back slowly, grimacing.

Once blood was also dripping from that hand freely he expertly turned the knife in his hand and held it out to James, who took it without a word to slide his left hand open with a painful wince.

He then entwined his bleeding hand with Sirius' right one and held out his own right hand to Lily and understanding that the particular way they were slicing their palms was part of the ritual, she quickly took the knife from him so that he could slide his right one open as well.

At his indication, she passed the knife into Sirius' bleeding left hand so that she could do the same before James entwined their hands and Sirius took her right; holding it in place when she made to move it towards the bowl as well.

Aware they shouldn't talk, she held back her questions and simply watched as the boys moved their entwined hands above the bowl; squeezing slightly to combine their blood as it fell down before James tugged on her own and she let him pull it above the bowl; repeating their action before Sirius did the same with her right.

While Sirius had explained it wasn't strictly necessary for James to be included; they had agreed that it would strengthen the ritual as the freely given blood and already existing blood bond between the two would boost the spell and give both the baby and Sirius extra protection.

Sirius and James released her hands simultaneously, not needing a word between them as her husband Summoned the cauldron from the fire while Sirius lifted the bowl, not paying attention to his still bleeding palms.

With a nod Sirius let their combined blood drip slowly into the dark purple potion while James stirred.

Under normal circumstances she would be more involved when it came to potion making, but she knew nothing about this potion and it was too dangerous to let anything go wrong.

So she just watched closely as they prepared the next step, stirring and adding the blood until the potion turned silvery blue.

Unexpectedly both men smiled as Sirius stopped muttering and straightened the bowl.

"He's still healthy," he commented, placing the bowl back on the ground.

"So you are sure it's a boy?" breathing out relieved at the knowledge her baby was still healthy, Lily smiled at the blue potion.

"Yes, if it was a girl the potion would have turned a golden pink," smiling Sirius squeezed her hand before he picked up two silver goblets, embossed with the Potter family crest.

Dipping them into the cauldron to fill them he looked at James, who raised his wand and touched both of the goblets with the tip of his wand while murmuring a blessing, nodding when the potion remained unchanged.

Turning to her Sirius held up the goblets. "Tip your wand against both to give your blessing as a witch and the mother."

Doing as told she looked hopeful when the potions began to glow brighter, gasping as they glowed brightly when Sirius gave his own blessing before setting them down.

"It's ready," he confirmed what Lily had already realised and she looked up to him.

"You are still absolutely sure?" Choking out a laugh as Sirius only raised his eyebrow; she nodded and took a deep breath. She had known they were trying to save her baby, but it only now sunk in what it truly meant.

She would lose it, even if they didn't do this and the only reason he had a chance was sitting right across of her, waiting patiently. Without Sirius, their baby would never see the daylight or take a single breath.

He was willing to risk himself to help them save their baby; to protect him and give him a chance. Him...their son; the son of his best friends and a wave of gratitude washed over her as she looked into his warm grey eyes; flushing any regret she felt at not being able to carry her baby herself away as she nodded and raised her goblet.

"We need to drink at the same time?" She said in answer, trying to show him how much this meant to her with her eyes alone as she didn't think she would be able to voice something that had no words and he wouldn't accept anyway.

"You have to drink first. Now might be a good time to warn Mum, James. I don't know what'll happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry and she can immediately monitor us that way," he advised.

"Right," James hurried of to the fireplace, returning moments later. "They are on their way."

"Ready?" raising his goblet, Lily nodded and brought it to her mouth, grimacing at the coppery, metallic taste invading her mouth, but she forced herself to ignore the nausea that rose with it and emptied it as soon as she could before placing it down.

A sharp pain shot through her once Sirius raised his own goblet and she didn't pay attention to him emptying his as it increased momentarily before passing as quickly as it had arrived.

Frowning, she looked down at her stomach before a loud clattering made her look up in time to see Sirius had let go of his empty goblet and was almost folded double in pain, James kneeling down beside him and holding him up as he clearly couldn't do it himself.

"Is he..." alarm rushed over her as he collapsed against James; going boneless in second and she moved instinctively to crawl over to him, but that single movement was enough to blacken her vision.