The group splits when we enter the Great Hall and Lily, Kragan, Leah, Riley, and I sit together at the Gryffindor table whispering amongst ourselves during the sorting. The Hugo Weasley isn't sitting far from us and shoots glances our way every so often. Finally all of the first years have been sorted and the Headmistress Mcgonagall gives the same speech every year before telling us to tuck in. Riley and Kragan both snag t-bone steaks and boiled potatoes and dig in. I know I should probably be super careful with what I eat but at this point I don't know what that means so I grab a little of everything and eat until I am full. Lily is a vegetarian so she plates a salad and some fruit and decides to have some treacle tart for dessert. Leah grabbed a few slices of ham and pickled cabbage (sounds bad tastes good) with some lemon sherbet. We eat and laugh (it's a wonder what else we have to talk about) and groan, patting our invisible food babies, making our way up to Gryffindor tower. Leah tells us the password ( snot grass ) and split again, Riley and Kragan on the left, Leah, Lily, and I on the right.
The three of us are the only sixth year girls in Gryffindor this year (one thing going right at least) so it is finally quiet after the long journey and dinner. I glance over at Leah who is unrolling a poster of the Irish international team and trying to hang it straight.
"Kragan not made a move yet?" I ask Leah who rolls her eyes at me a tell all signal.
"He remains oblivious but we did write a bit this summer and he hasn't gotten back with what's her name yet so that's good yeah?" I nod remembering the fling Kragan had with a Slytherin seventh year whose name I can't remember, how weird Leah was when Kragan hung out. It didn't take much for the rest of us to put two and two together, not Kragan though.
"Relationships are messy Leah, best to tread carefully you don't want to end up like-" Lily broke off before she could finish sending a guilty look my way.
"It's Kragan though, he has to be the most open guy I've ever me, I doubt he would be more than I could handle." Leah pointed out missing Lily's mistake. "I guess I will just have to wait and see." I toss Lily's Pj bottoms that somehow got into my trunk onto her bed before pulling on my own.
"So you know what happened with Hugo on the train right?" I ask Leah deciding that keeping it from her would be pointless. Her eyebrows are lost in her bangs now, I never talk about Hugo voluntarily.
"Yeah you need to get him a test or something? What is that about anyway? Why you of all people? If I had an ex I would not ask for a favor like that." Leah asks and I blush at how close she gets to figuring it out on her own.
"Yeah umm…. I actually need to tell you something that has to do with that, Hugo I mean." I look down at the floor now trying to form the words differently, wishing I didn't have to say them at all.
"You aren't getting back with him are you?" I look back up at Leah then, stunned.
"Uhh no? I don't really know maybe but only because I'm pregnant." Leah's jaw is moving but no words come out, she reminds me of a pet fish Nolan had when he was younger. Glub glub glub, silence.
"Well shit!" Lily laughs at the cuss word and I can see her relax on her four poster.
"I know!" I groan.
"And It's Weasley's?"
"Without a doubt."
"Damn that's rotten luck."
"My sentiments exactly." I sigh fixing my braid to distract myself. Lily lets out a snort before sitting next to me.
"You are going to have all kinds of weird cravings like pickle juice for breakfast ohhh that would make a good bet game Leah!" Lils eyes are sparking at the idea and I roll my eyes.
"I don't care what I eat so long as I can hold down pumpkin juice this kid owes me that much." I proclaim and my roommates break into a fit of giggles before eventually settling down to sleep.
The next morning the sixth year dorm is buzzing, Leah and I have been up for a half hour, being morning people. Every now and then Lily would moan and roll over, refusing to get up until we rip off the covers and nudge her out of bed. Lily moans again before stumbling towards the bathroom. Leah and I share a look of amusement, good to see things aren't awkward between us now.
"Hurry up Lil or we leave without you" Leah mock warns her receiving a
"Bugger off" slightly muffled, through the close door of the bathroom connected to our dorms.
This year I planned on taking all of the same classes I had taken last year, apart from potions as I only received an E on my OWL's. Now that I won't be playing Qudditch this year and possibly next year as well I likely need to cross off Pro Qudditch off my list of potential careers, sigh. I am taking all the courses I need for my backups, working with magical creatures in the ministry or as a prof here. Grubbly-Plank took over for Hagrid when he retired but even she is nearing retirement age now so Hogwarts might be looking into a new Professor for that position by the time I am finished with school. now even my backup plans look like they might be out of reach, oi that's depressing. Lily finishes in the bathroom and we head out to the great hall, meeting Riley and Kragan on the way and taking our usual seats at the end of the long Gryffindoor table, closest to the staff table. I poured some pumpkin juice in my goblet before passing it along to Lily along with a parcel containing the pregnancy test. We worked it out this morning that pretending the package got sent to the wrong person would be the most believable excuse for why Lily would give it to Hugo. Lily tosses the parcel to Hugo, sitting a few seats away with a "your owl brought that for you Hugo" before resuming her porridge eyeing my pancakes with disdain. She doesn't say anything about it though since I haven't had the chance to clue our other mates in on the bun situation. When most of the students have finished eating Professor Longbottom started handing out everyone's schedule approving or disapproving the sixth years as he goes. He merely glances at mine before giving me a jolly
"Good good Miss. Lachlan on you get" and handed mine over, I have a free period right away this morning while everyone else has Herbology and they make their way out onto the grounds. I wave them off and the others from their various tables and make my way to the Hospital Wing.
Madame Bones, the new matron nurse after Madame Pompfrey left years ago, smiles warmly in greeting. She knows me fairly well because I often get injured from qudditch or visiting one of my mates (Marley is a fan of Muggle fist fights for some reason but often loses them.) She is a portly woman with her reddish brown hair up in a bun under a cap. She was in the same year as the golden trio in Hufflepuff, a little younger than my parents. Her eyes sweep my body, looking for a physical sign of an injury, before asking me what's wrong.
"I got pregnant over the summer." I must say she handles the whole thing rather well, not even blinking an eye before she clears the closest cot with the wave of her wand and asking me all sorts of questions. I answer all of them to the best of my knowledge, knowing her oath of confidentiality prevents her from speaking about this to anyone who doesn't need to know. The whole thing feels so real now that I can hear the heartbeat and see the baby (the picture shows what position the baby is in if it moves.) She tells me about my options and what I would need to do for them each in turn.
"Unfortunately it may be too late to perform an abortion now that you are so far along and so young, I wouldn't recommend that for you, so adoption or self raising would be your best bet. Have you given any thought to what you would like to do?" She stops her long monologue to look at me, I am suddenly very uncomfortable, I have no idea what I want to do. I just shake my head, unable to form the words in my head. "Well there is still time to figure it out of course but I recommend you give these a read as they will give you an idea what will happen either way." She hands me a small stack of books that I stuff into my sack without looking at them. "I will need to see you again in a few weeks for a follow up so make sure you come in again soon." She puts her hand lightly on my shoulder "I know it feels like a lot now but there are people you can lean on, just ask." I nod my emotions twisting again as I made my way out of the Hospital wing and towards the transfiguration classroom for my first lesson.
L: My god El why didn't you ask someone to go with you? Must have been super awkward.
E: yeah it was and she was just there telling me I have options, but adoption is the best one, like way to be objective lady.
Leah: so you haven't a clue on what you will do then?
E: none, she made it seem like I should give the baby up, like there is no way I can possibly raise it myself, how would she know? I could be a great mum!
L: don't think on it too much El
Leah: yeah you have what 6 months? Plenty of time to make up your mind.
El: do you lot think I could do it? Raise the baby I mean?
…
L: not really the right people to ask El
Leah: we are all kids here, we are not meant to think about this until we graduate at least.
El: great vote of confidence mates I mean really.
Leah: I support you fully and whatever, but, if it were me I couldn't do it.
L: me either
El: Prof coming
Leah vanished the evidence before the Prof could see and we all resumed the note taking, grinning at each other and the rest of our mates scattered around the room.
After lunch Kragan and I have a free period so we head to the library to work on the essay we got for transfiguration. We work and talk quietly for a while, the librarian is a lot better than the stories I heard about her predecessor. I learned that he never really got with anyone over the summer, focused on quidditch. Kragan is captain of Gryffindoor team for two years now and wants to hold trials for a new seeker to replace the one who left last year.
"Buchultz has a good eye but not the best flyer that I've seen." He tells me, Buchultz is in our year and has tried out for the team every year since our second.
"He might just make it this year." I tell him, rolling up my essay, now finished.
"I mean maybe but I know there are better seekers than him everyone knows he prefers keeper but obviously I have one already" he gives me a pointed look " so it isn't likely."
"I can't play this season Kray."he laughs like I have just told a joke, until he sees how serious I am.
"Wait what?why?what?" I can see him start his captain freak out so I cast muffliato on us so no one would notice if he started shouting.
"I am going to tell you something and I would prefer if you not tell anyone else, even the gang." He nods looking worried now. "I got pregnant when Hugo and I had sex last year."
"Wow"
"Yeah"
"Crap El"
"I know, I'm in deep shit."
"You ok?" I laugh at that, fastening the snaps on my sack.
"Parents are raving, apparently I am due in April. Only a few people know about it." He doesn't look surprised by my parents response, they don't like my friends much either for some reason.
"THW know?" I shake my head no.
"If I keep the baby I might tell him but there would be no point if I give it up for adoption." He doesn't respond to that, returning to his essay, rolling up his parchment.
"So you really can't play huh?" I shake my head, casually bumping my shoulder to his.
"If it helps I don't like it either but hey I can be drill coach and help with the plays, conditioning, the others will have to hate me for all the killers I can make them run Instead of you." I smile at him, he throws his head back and roars with laughter.
"Lil will kill you before she lets you tell her to run killers." I am laughing to now, shoving him away when he started imitating Lily throwing a tantrum.
"If it's all the same to you the team could definitely use support if we have to lose our glue for a year." I roll my eyes but can't help but be thankful for how easy he is taking this. I swipe at my eyes, annoyed at all the hormones making me over emotional.
Kragan raises his eyes at me I swat his shoulder and tell him off.
"You wanker don't read too much into it." The bell rings and we make our way to charms for the next lesson. "So you know who would be a great seeker?" I ask as we round the corridor.
"Who?" he asks waving at Sarah, Ingrid and Marley who were coming from the other direction.
"Leah" I tell him with a straight face, he looks puzzled at that.
"Le? I didn't even know she played, has she told you she plays?" I snicker at him, Leah has six older brothers and lives on an estate that has 20 acres and their own pitch out in the backyard. I slept over over there once and all they did for fun there was something quidditch related.
"She's like the Pele of seekers Kray." I nod in greeting to Ingrid, Sarah, Marley and now Riley as he sat next to Kragan at the desk on my left.
"Who we talking about?" Leah asked from the desk behind me, pulling out a spare roll of parchment for notes.
"You" I tell her smirking at her, I swear she turns white as a sheep at that.
"Who is Pele?" Ingrid asks tightening her Slytherin tie (being pureblood she doesn't know much about Muggle culture.)
"Don't worry about it the point is Leah's a great seeker and should definitely try out this Friday, god knows she would be a good contrast to some of the lesser types that show up every year." I inform Kragan and he nods, everyone else just stare at me.
"What?" I ask Lily who raises her brows in response.
"Since when do you rip on other people El?" Sarah asks from her seat next to her sister.
"Yeah wake up on the wrong side of the bed much." Ingrid teases, I roll my eyes, damn these mood swings!
"Yeah sorry didn't sleep that well." No one looked like they believed me very much but the Prof just walked in calling our attention as the lesson began.
