A/N I am so, so sorry for the delay in writing this! I started a full time job in January, the day after I started this fic, and that takes up a lot of my time and energy. I also need to make studying a priority as that always falls by the wayside, and writing is always bottom of the list. I did start writing this a couple of days ago, while babysitting at about 10 at night, but ended up deleting a large chunk the next morning. But it's finally done! Thank you all for the lovely reviews.


It was Ron, surprisingly, out of Lyra's two best friends, that guessed Lyra had a secret. A very specific secret. While he had been mere months old when his mother had become pregnant with Ginny, the Weasley children had several cousins, several of whom were born while Ron was young, and the others were old enough to bear children themselves when he was starting Hogwarts.

Ron was a Weasley, after all. He knew pregnant women.

Lyra's hand every so often drifted to her stomach. Her smile had changed. Her eyes had a glimmer of something they had never had before. She absolutely glowed with confidence and love. She moved more carefully, and seated herself down more delicately than before.

He did not discuss his suspicions with Hermione, for he could of course be wrong. He was convinced he wasn't, but as Lyra hadn't yet said something, and Hermione hadn't voiced her own suspicions to him, if she had them, he felt it would be embarrassing to all if he was wrong, and an invasion of her privacy if he was right.

He was, of course, right.

Lyra told both he and his girlfriend her news fairly soon after telling Sirius, Remus and Tonks. They were seated in the flat that the couple rented together, and when Lyra joined them she seemed almost shy, but joy suffused her voice when she told them she was to be a mother.

Ron beamed, and exclaimed "I knew it!" before he enfolded her in his arms. He couldn't help but find it strange that his friend and his brother were to have a child together, but since their friendship began Ron had never seen her happier and so he was overjoyed for the pair of them, even more so that he was to be an official uncle to his best friends child, rather than just an honorary one.

It was Hermione who was more cautious. She voiced her well wishes, but quietly so. While Ron was pleased, and had surprisingly guessed, Hermione had been unaware. She was older than Lyra, almost a year her senior, and she could not help but feel slightly appalled that her friend was pregnant at such a young age when she couldn't imagine herself being a mother for several years yet.

"Congratulations" Hermione offered, and she smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. Still, she hugged Lyra just as eagerly as Ron had, and she didn't voice her concerns until after Lyra had left, several hours later.

The instant Lyra left their flat, Hermione turned to her boyfriend. Her eyes were flashing strongly, and Ron had a sudden feeling of foreboding.

"I can't believe she's pregnant! She's so young! She's younger than both of us Ron. I don't think she's ready to have a baby.. I know I'm not." She told him sharply. Ron was lost for words. He felt pulled in two very different directions - on the one hand he wanted to support Hermione and be on her side, and on the other he was very happy for Lyra and Charlie and wanted to show that.

But he felt that perhaps on this occasion Lyra was in the right, if it could be considered so, and he eventually told Hermione so. She wasn't pleased, and so he watched helplessly as she stormed off.

Ron knew Hermione liked being right. He also knew she liked others knowing she was right. Normally he agreed with her because he did recognise that often she knew best, but in this case he was absolutely certain that she was wrong.

He couldn't see anything wrong with Lyra being pregnant. She was married, happily married, she seemed ecstatic about becoming a mother, she wasn't struggling for money, she had a supportive family around her, and he could be an uncle again.

He was already an uncle to Little Victoire, but the age difference between him and his older brother meant that he and Hermione didn't often socialise with Bill and Fleur. So although he loved his niece, he didn't see her as an important part of his life. He knew Lyra spent a lot of time with Fleur though, and was also comfortable chatting with Bill and his contemporaries as well. Lyra seemed well equipped to become a mother as she was so used to caring for Victoire, and Teddy, that she was already comfortable around babies. But her baby would definitely be his niece or nephew. He would see it more often, he would be more involved in its development, and although Ron knew he wasn't ready for a child himself, not only was he ready for a niece or nephew to become a part of his life, he knew Lyra was absolutely ready to become a mother.

Why Hermione was so against Lyra bearing a child, he could not understand. He still did not understand later, when she returned to their bed. Her half hearted attempt at an explanation confused him further, although he eventually managed to surmise that part of her issue was that Lyra had not told them, and that he had guessed while she hadn't. The former issue was waived by Lyra having announced it to them that day, even if others had known first, and the second could easily be explained by that while Ron was a Weasley, had grown up with many siblings and several cousins, had witnessed many pregnancies, Hermione was an only child, who had a few older cousins but none her own age or younger, and none had yet produced a child. Hermione had no friends from the Muggle world, her only friends being those she met at Hogwarts, and out of those, Lyra was the first to become pregnant.

But Hermione remained adamant that she was right, and eventually they fell asleep in silence. Although Ron knew of her discomfort, nobody knew the full extent until she next saw Lyra.

Two days later was a large meal at the Burrow, to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather. It was an excuse to get the entire immediate family and several of their friends around, in part to celebrate Rons birthday, a couple of weeks before. But he always celebrated with just his friends, and so his family didn't get to enjoy the day together.

In the sun, they could. Everyone had friends there - from a few of Bill and Fleur's, to Fred and George's friends, Charlie and Lyra had friends there, Percy had brought his quiet girlfriend, Ron and Hermione had invited Neville and Hannah, and Luna and her boyfriend Rolf, had come as Ginny and Oliver Wood's guests. Arthur and Molly had other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Their annual party was always loud and raucous.

But this years was worse.

Everyone was laughing and chatting and mingling with their family and friends when above the chatter rose Hermione's loud voice.

"Just because your parents had you when they were twenty doesn't mean you have to do the same!"

Silence quickly settled thickly among the guests and they all turned to look at Hermione, who was staring at a white Lyra. Charlie pushed his way over to his wife's side, and she looked up at him. The tears in her eyes broke his heart and he pulled her into his arms, glaring at Hermione as he felt Lyra lean into him. The instant Hermione opened her mouth, he silenced her with a quick,

"I think you've said enough, don't you?"

The threat in his tone forced her to flush and Hermione quickly retreated, passing many unsympathetic people on her way in to the house. Charlie led Lyra away, passing Fleur, who smiled sympathetically as she pressed a handkerchief into his hand.

The other guests murmured quietly amongst themselves until they returned, not wanting to speak louder under the umbrella of tension that had formed at the Burrow. They could see the Potters talking to each other on the far side of the garden, Charlie, stroking Lyra's cheek in an effort to reassure her, and they could see Hermione standing in the kitchen, unable to rejoin the party but unwilling to leave without Ron. And in the middle stood several fuming people. Sirius and Remus both looked savage, while Tonks' hair was a sanguine red, stood on end and bristling with the rage she couldn't contain.

When Lyra felt able to return to the gathering, it was hand in hand with Charlie, who squeezed her hand as they stood together.

"Is it true?" Neville eventually asked, breaking the thick silence that had yet to be truly permeated. Lyra could only nod, barely meeting his eyes. Her green eyes were dull and her skin still pale, and most of those who truly loved Lyra felt another wave of anger on her behalf.

"Congratulations" Neville said gently as he approached his friend, drew her into his arms, "you're going to be an amazing mum". With his words, Lyra finally smiled, and it was as if the sun came out after a long, grey day. Charlie nearly sagged in relief at the sight, the absence of her smile always made him feel like there was something missing in his life. Whenever he saw her smile, one would always instinctively blossom on his face. With the two Potters cheerier, the strange tension finally dissipated, and congratulations and talk of babies soon filled the air.