Fun Fact: While writing this chapter I listened to Can't Fight This Feeling from the Rock of Ages Soundtrack on repeat. I regret nothing. ;D

Also, I swear none of these people are alcoholics. You're just catching them at the wrong times. Promise. There's a mention of once-sided AlScor in this chapter, but it's just used as a joke, so you can ignore it.

Disclaimer: I forgot this last chapter! OH NO. Well, I do not own Harry Potter. Really. I do own Cora, but I'm willing to share. Promise.

Winning at Everything

Chapter Two: Cora Wins at Christmas Presents

Month Two: Seven Weeks Pregnant – December 27, 2021

James had only been to Cora's home three times. It wasn't that her parents didn't like him, but her brothers weren't his biggest fans. Trevor Bobbin had been four years ahead of them in Hogwarts in Hufflepuff and hadn't really liked any of James's old pranks. Jack Bobbin, friends with his brother or not, was a Slytherin and didn't want his big sister messing around with a Quidditch rival. It made visits awkward and Cora had mostly visited with the Potters and Weasleys instead.

James had been understandably confused and slightly delighted when Cora had invited him over two days after Christmas. He hoped she had liked the present he had sent her. There had been a lot of thought put into it. He'd practically melted when he had seen she had gotten them both tickets to see the Falmouth Falcons during the summer.

Since James had taken after his father with reacting horrible with floo travel, it wasn't a surprise that he stumbled quite a bit after being spat out of the fire place. What was a surprise was Trevor Bobbin pulling him up by the collar of his jumper and pulling him close to his face.

Trevor had been the most accepting of Cora and James, so it was a bit of a shock to see twenty-one year old look so harsh towards him. "You do one tiny thing to hurt my little sister, Potter and not even your famous daddy can save you. Understand?"

James's eyebrows rose. It had a been a long time since someone had mentioned his father in a threat against him. "Er, I understand." He did, kind of. If anyone ever hurt Lily, it would be a long time until a body would be found.

The older male pushed him away. "Good. Cora's in the dining room. I'll be right here the whole time, so don't try anything." Then he folded his arms across his chest and became silent.

James was beginning to get a little nervous.

Nervous turned into worried when he stepped into the large dining room. Cora sat at one of the many chairs at the table, munching on biscuits. What worried James was how tired she looked. There were bags under her eyes and a look that said she had been sick recently. Unlike the other times he had seen her at her home, she was wearing a large gray t-shirt and long red pajama bottoms, while her hair was pulled up into a sloppier bun than usual. There was something wrong with Cora and James was immediately concerned.

"Cora?" he called, walking towards her. He frowned when her head shot up and panic flashed across her face. It was gone in a instant, replaced by a sad look he couldn't place. "What's wrong?"

She motioned him to sit in the seat beside her. Once sitting, she leaned into his side and buried her face in his chest. There wasn't much James could do except hold her and worry. He loved the girl and felt a bit helpless since he didn't know what to do to make her feel better.

"It feels like everything's wrong," came her muffled reply.

Ice settled in his stomach. "Come on, not everything can be wrong, Cor." His hand traced circles over her back, while his chin rested on the top of her head. A bit of hair tickled his nose, but he didn't mind. "Slytherin hasn't won the House Cup yet, so that's still right. I also remembered to put my shirt on the right way this morning." His mind eased a bit when he felt her chuckle.

"I love you so much, James," she told him softly.

He took a deep breath. "Almost as much as I love you, Cora."

Cora pulled away and gave him a dead serious look. "I found out I'm pregnant."

It didn't make sense at first. Just a jumble of words that held no meaning. His mind struggled and stumbled over the words for a long moment.

"Wh- Pregnant?" Did his voice just crack?

Cora hugged herself. "Yeah. I found out yesterday."

"H-How are you pregnant?" Cora gave him a look. If he couldn't see her shaking he would have actually thought she was angry. "I- The Quidditch party?" When did his voice get so pathetically weak? He was a Potter; he was strong than that.

She nodded. "This is why I shouldn't drink. I forget important things like clothes and contraceptive charms," she said in one breath.

James let out a breathless laugh. He didn't think he would ever forget the end of the year party in sixth year where Cora had drank too much and left the bathroom without a shirt. She'd been saved by Samantha Thomas before she could catch too much attention. James had been too busy laughing. Fred had gotten a picture for him.

James had always known laughter made the world better, and this time was no exception. He pulled Cora into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay. The world needs more Potters."

Cora's answering chuckle was wet. "You're amazing James."

"It runs in my family."

Later James walked Cora up to her room, then made his way to the fireplace to floo home. Trevor was gone from the room, but James didn't question where he had gone. When he picked up the floo powder, he swore he meant to say "Grimmauld Place." Instead "Lupin Cottage" slipped out of his mouth and he was spun away.

Teddy Lupin was relaxing in the sitting room when James stumbled out of the floo. He gave James a curious look, probably wondering what the seventeen year old was doing at his house unannounced. It wasn't unusual for one of the Potter siblings to stop by randomly, James more often than most.

James took a moment to straighten his clothes and right his glasses before blurting out, "Cora's pregnant."

The silence was thick as amber eyes locked onto hazel. Teddy finally responded. "You're not serious?"

James gave a halfhearted smile and fell into an armchair. "My middle name's Sirius." He put his head in his hands and laughed weakly. He was pretty sure he could fall apart a little bit at the moment. There was no one he had to be strong for in Teddy's cottage. "Where's Victoire?"

"She's out with Dominique. What do you mean 'Cora's pregnant'?" Teddy asked. The man sat up straight, no longer looking relaxed.

James sent him a sharp look. "What do you think I mean? Cora's pregnant. With my kid. A baby."

Teddy's turquoise hair faded to light gray. "You couldn't just have a normal time at Hogwarts, could you? Harry's going to have a heart attack, and Ginny will kill you, you know that right?"

James laughed a little hysterically. "Oh hell, I have to tell my parents." He hadn't even thought of that. His mother really would kill him.

"Didn't I teach you charms for this kind of thing?" Teddy ran a hand through his hair, making gray bleed back into turquoise.

James shrugged. "Creevey smuggled in some firewhiskey. We forgot about it."

"We'll tell Harry first. He'll be able to calm down Ginny enough so that she'll only maim you," Teddy told him. It seemed the older man was becoming more lighthearted by the moment. Good for Teddy; James was seconds from freaking out. "I'll go floo him."

"Now?" James voice did crack with that.

Teddy stood with a smile. "We'll tell him when you're freaking out. He'll feel more sorry for you and the punishment won't be so bad. Haven't you learned anything?"

Hours later James was sitting in the unused flat above Weasley Wizard Wheezes. His dad, Uncle Ron, Teddy, Granddad Arthur, and Uncle George were with him, sitting around a table and playing muggle poker. Arthur was the only sober one, but ironically the one who had lost the most.

After Teddy and James had told Harry and the elder Potter had calmed down, Teddy and Harry had gathered the people in the room. Mostly it was to help James and Harry relax from the news. James had been told by his father it was the last time in a long while that James would be able to do something like that, and was obligated as a father who loved him to make sure he got one last night before his mother grounded him until his child was eighteen.

"At least Mum'll be happy," Ron slurred. He was amazingly good at the poker game despite being one of the drunkest. "Her first Great Grandchild."

Teddy, hair black to show solidarity with the Potters in the room, pressed his face into the table. "I swear every time I'm at the Burrow she gives me these looks like I should have already had eight kids. I'm twenty-four. That's not possible."

"Hey, I was twenty-three? No, four, twenty-four when I had James," Harry pointed out in defense.

Arthur patted Teddy on the back. "Molly just wants more babies around the house. Don't think much of it."

"Happy Christmas Grandma, I'm preg- Er, my girlfriend's preg- pregnant!" James stuttered out, caught between groaning and laughing. "I always wanted to graduate Hogwarts with a bang."

"I think that's the problem, James. Too much banging," George commented through snickers. James hit his head on the table in front of him, mirroring Teddy.

Harry groaned and took a large gulp of the liquor in his glass. "I really don't need to think 'bout that any more than I have to, George." He gave a blurry stern look at James. "At least I don't have to worry about Al getting a girl pregner- pregnant while still in school. It's because I didn't name him after a ma- maraker- a troublemaker."

James laughed loudly. "Dad, you'll never have to worry about Al kn- knocking up a girl. He's too b- busy checking out M- Malfoy's ass." Ron spit out his drink, George choked on his, Arthur made a high pitched sound, and Teddy laughed just as loudly as James.

Harry had a horrified look on his face. "Where did I go wrong with my brats- er, kids?" He looked to Ron. "I could understand if he wants blokes, but... but a Malfoy. I'm going to have nightmares."

Ron shook his head. "I don' know, mate. Ask 'Mione. She knows everything."

Harry nodded in agreement. "She does, doesn't she? Why isn't she hear with us?"

"Cause Hermione'd be forcing us to take sobering draughts," George told them. He threw an arm around Arthur's shoulders. "That's why I love you, Dad."

A wave of something like nostalgic depression flooded over James. He looked to his father and blinked against tears that felt like they would come up at any moment. "You're the greatest, Dad. I want to be just like you and Granddad Arthur to my kid."

Harry looked at his son and blinked his own eyes like he was keeping back his tears. "You'll be a great dad, James." He threw his own arm around his son's shoulders.

Despite both of them being completely drunk, James almost believe him.