Eight months later, Elizabeth was sat at home, helping herself to Pink Coconut Ice, resting the box on her bulging stomach. Popping one of the sweets in her mouth, her eyes drifted to the curtains, which were tightly pulled over the window. Sirius had been determined to protect Elizabeth and their unborn child from the day he found out she was pregnant, and had asked her not to leave the house unless he was with her. However, Elizabeth had managed to convince him to allow her to have friends round since she entered her third trimester. It was usually Lily who came around, as she was also pregnant, but only three months, so she was still able to walk without waddling.

There was a knock on the door and Sirius came down the stairs, smirking at Elizabeth as he passed.

"Who is it?"

"Sirius, it is I and Lily Potter," Remus' voice seeped in through the front door. "We are here on Elizabeth's request. The last time I saw Elizabeth, she was eating strawberry and liquorice ice-cream and is certain that your child is a girl."

"That's definitely Remus," Elizabeth said casually, crunching on another piece of Pink Coconut Ice.

"You think our child will be a girl?" Sirius whispered and Elizabeth smirked, before nodding at the front door, reminding him that they had guests.

"Lily?" Sirius called out.

"The last time I saw you, Sirius, you and James were debating who would be the better father, and you both think your children will be boys."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her husband but chuckled, knowing that they could debate the gender of their baby at a later date. Sirius unsealed the door and allowed Remus and Lily to pass, both of them smiling broadly at Elizabeth, who stretched her legs out and sighed.

"I would get up, but it's proving difficult these days," she said brightly. Lily giggled and hugged her as best as she could, manoeuvring around her bump.

"How do you feel?" she asked, stealing one of the sweets.

"Like an oversized Puffskein," Elizabeth moaned, but she smiled anyway. "Remus, how are you?"

Remus smiled, sitting next to her on the sofa, his greying skin looking slightly worrying in the lamp light.

"Have you been brewing potions, Elizabeth?" he asked, sniffing the air. Elizabeth knew he was avoiding answering her question but didn't press the issue. She nodded and gestured towards the kitchen.

"Just been making some Draught of Peace," she said, glancing at Sirius, who kept checking the clock on the wall. "I might need some around when the baby comes."

"For you or the baby?" Lily joked. "Because if that child is anything like you or Sirius, it is going to have a wonderful temper."

Elizabeth playfully slapped Lily on the leg, screwing up the empty sweet packet as Sirius looked at the clock again.

"Sirius, you can go," Elizabeth said quietly and Sirius' head snapped in her direction, confusion in his eyes. "I know that you're meeting James, so just go. Lily and Remus are here now, so I'm not on my own."

"How did you know I was meeting James?" Sirius asked and Elizabeth paused, furrowing her brow.

"You told me, didn't you?" she asked slowly and Sirius looked confused again, rubbing his eyes.

"I must have done," he said, although he didn't look convinced. "Are you sure if I go, Beth? I'll only be an hour."

"Go," Elizabeth said, nodding her head and smiling weakly. Sirius bent down and kissed her softly, lingering on her mouth.

"I won't be long, I promise," he whispered and after grabbing his cloak, he left, making sure that Remus sealed the door behind him. Elizabeth's smile fell from her face almost the second the door was shut and she sighed, heaving herself off the sofa.

"Lizzie," Lily warned but Elizabeth ignored her, slowly walking to the kitchen, which still smelt faintly of aconite. The odour must have been familiar to Remus, who stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, his head slightly cocked.

"Elizabeth, I told you not to," he said bitterly. "You have no idea what brewing a potion like that could do to the baby."

"Remus, the baby will be here any day now," Elizabeth said sternly, rummaging in a small cupboard, "and I would like you to be well enough to enjoy spending time with him or her. And, as I am the only person you know who is capable of brewing the Wolfsbane potion…"

She found the jar she was looking for and handed it to Remus. It was filled with a dark liquid that seemed to emitting a pale blue vapour out of three holes in the lid.

"Now, that's enough for two days," Elizabeth said, resting against the work surface and rubbing her stomach, "so you'll have to come back for some more once you've run out. And, remember not to add sugar, otherwise it won't work."

Remus nodded, and thanked her, although he looked rather grim as he pocketed it.

"Well, at least you've found something to occupy yourself when you're here by yourself," Lily laughed from the doorway, and Elizabeth raised her eyebrows.

"Are you kidding?" she said, smirking. "Sirius doesn't leave me in the house alone. Every time he wants to nip out for a loaf of bread, he considers contacting Dumbledore to see if he'll mind coming around to look after me."

Both Lily and Remus laughed as a twinge struck Elizabeth's stomach. She winced and frowned, but the other two luckily hadn't noticed.

"Elizabeth, go and sit down," Lily offered, waving her wand at a cupboard. Three mugs flew out and landed neatly on the counter. "I'll make some tea."

Elizabeth nodded and waddled back out, snatching up a fresh packet of Pink Coconut Ice as she passed. Remus helped her down onto the sofa as Lily came out, the three mugs of tea floating behind her.

"So, how are you and the baby?" Lily asked, settling down on the opposite chair, tucking her legs up. "Any idea what he or she will be like?"

"Well, I'm certain we're having a girl," Elizabeth said, taking her floating mug of tea out of the air. "I'm not sure why. I just have a feeling."

"Have you decided on any names?" Lily asked, sipping her tea. Elizabeth shook her head slowly.

"We've been so occupied with the missions that Sirius has been on," she replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Despite being promised her husband would always be around, Sirius hadn't been able to stop himself from agreeing to assignments that Dumbledore sent him on. "It's tradition in my family that the first born girl has a name beginning with an E."

"Are you sticking with that tradition, considering you don't talk to your family anymore?" Lily asked delicately and Elizabeth nodded.

"I just can't think of any that I like," she admitted, taking a scorching sip of her drink. "I liked Elisa for a while, but then I went off it a few weeks ago."

"What about Elinor?" Lily offered. "Emmy?"

"Ebony?" Remus suggested, moving from the doorway and resting on the sofa with Elizabeth. "Evelina?"

"Electra? Elle?"

"Estelle? Esmeralda? Esme?"

Elizabeth felt a sharp stab to her stomach and gasped out in pain.

"I think we have a winner," Remus said happily as Elizabeth grabbed his hand hard. "Whoa, calm down, Elizabeth."

"Remus!" Elizabeth gasped as another jolt flew through her. Remus' smile froze as he watched Elizabeth close her eyes and her grip on his hand grew tighter.

"Wasn't that just a kick?" he asked, uncertain, and Elizabeth violently shook her head as her stomach started to tighten.

"Lizzie!" Lily said sharply, getting up, spilling her tea everywhere. She grabbed Elizabeth's arm and firmly pulled her to her feet, but as agony seared through her again, Elizabeth doubled over and fell to the floor.

"Argh!" she yelled, stinging tears jumping to her eyes. She threw out her hand, desperate for something to hold on to. "Lily!"

"Remus, go and get the Draught of Peace from the kitchen!" she heard Lily command, and as Remus rushed away, she dropped to her knees and grasped Elizabeth's hand.

"Lily, help me!" Elizabeth moaned, going very red in the face. "I need Sirius!"

"I know you do, Liz," Lily soothed, not even wincing when Elizabeth crushed her hand, "and once I've got you comfortable, I'll send Remus to go and find him. But right now, I need to focus on you, all right. Now, can you stand?"

Elizabeth shook her head, panting intensely, fighting back the urge to cry. Lily grabbed her wand from the chair and pointed it at Elizabeth.

"Locomotor Elizabeth," she muttered and Elizabeth suddenly felt herself lift into the air. Lily guided her to the sofa, slowly flipped her onto her back, and gently landed her soft cushions. Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly as the pain eased slightly, but her legs suddenly felt very damp.

"I'm going into labour, aren't I?" she groaned to Lily as Remus rushed in, carrying a white liquid in a goblet with a silvery vapour slowly rising from it.

"Elizabeth, drink this," he said, resting next to the sofa and handing her goblet. She eagerly took it from him and gulped down the potion, relishing the warm feeling as it gushed down her throat.

"Remus, you need to go and find Sirius," she heard Lily say and managed to regain her focus in time to see Remus grabbing his travelling cloak and rushing out of the door.

"Colloportus," Lily muttered, briefly pointing her wand at the door, which sealed itself immediately. She turned back to Elizabeth, who was now experiencing agonising pain again. Her back was searing and she felt far too hot. However, the potion was beginning to kick in, and her anxiety fell away, all negative thoughts disappearing.

"All right, Liz," Lily said, taking hold of Elizabeth's hand again and rubbing it soothingly, "I'm here. Remus has gone for Sirius so he'll be here soon, I promise."

Elizabeth nodded, not understanding why Lily looked so flustered. Everything was fine, wasn't it? She felt fine, so why was her friend panicking? Elizabeth smiled blissfully, ignoring the pain of her back, and the terror that was fighting to get to the front of her brain. She had nothing to be scared about. Yes, her baby was coming and her husband was nowhere to be found, but she was in good company. Lily would look after her.

"Lily, can I have a Pink Coconut Ice?" Elizabeth asked dreamily, pointing at the unopened packet at the bottom of the sofa. Lily nodded, grabbing the bag and quickly handed a cube over.

"Lizzie, how to you feel?" she asked, uncertainly but Elizabeth gave her a vague smile, nodding her head as though that answered the question.

A few hours later, and after several more sips of the Draught of Peace, as it kept wearing off, Lily was sat on the end of the sofa, directly between Elizabeth's legs. Panting and puffing, no longer being able to ignore the searing pain, Elizabeth dug her nails into the sofa as another contraction cursed her.

"All right, it's time to start pushing, Liz," Lily said just as a pounding bang from the front door echoed through the house. Like a shot, Lily was on her feet, her wand pointing at the door.

"Lily, let me in!"

"That's Sirius!" Elizabeth gasped happily, and looked at her friend to unseal the door. However, Lily didn't move.

"Prove your identity!" she yelled back and Elizabeth heard her husband swear loudly.

"Lily, let me in now!" he shouted, pounding on the door.

"Prove your identity!"

"Lily, let Sirius in," Elizabeth panted, closing her eyes. "Please, let him in."

"Lizzie, we can't forget security," Lily said sternly as Sirius swore again.

"My name is Sirius Black and my wife Elizabeth is currently in labour with our child, who is almost certainly a boy, and Beth thinks he will probably inherit both of our tempers, mine of which is not happy right now, and if you do not let me in this minute, I will break this door down!"

Elizabeth smirked through her pain. She could almost picture him outside, shouting angrily through the sealed door.

"Lily, that's him!" she gasped, squeezing the sides of the sofa.

"Sirius, is there anyone else with –" Lily started but Sirius hammered on the door again.

"LILY, OPEN THIS DOOR!"

At that moment, pain exploded all over Elizabeth and she started screaming, ripping shreds of material out of the sofa with her nails. Defeated, Lily unsealed the door and Sirius rushed past her, straight to his panting wife.

"Beth!" he cried, grabbing her hand and kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry!"

"Sirius, just keep talking to her," Lily ordered as James and Remus came in, the latter sealing the door again. "Give her some more Draught."

Lily went back to her position at the bottom of the sofa as Sirius handed the goblet over to Elizabeth, guiding the liquid into her mouth. James and Remus stared at the three of them, both of them with wide eyes, unsure what to do.

"James, you might want to watch this," Elizabeth giggled as Sirius took the goblet away from her. "Lily will be going through this in a few months."

James' eyes widened further and as he watched Elizabeth grunt and groan, he went slightly green. Lily glanced at him and Remus, who hadn't moved from the middle of the room.

"Guys, I don't think that Lizzie wants spectators, so James, could you go and grab some warm towels, and Remus, get Lizzie's nightdress. She'll be needing it soon."

Both of the men, despite being able to quickly fetch their items by magic, disappeared from the room; Elizabeth suspected they didn't want to witness this.

"Argh!" she screamed again, crushing Sirius' hand. She was exhausted and yet still felt as though nothing bad was going to happen, most likely due to her wonderful talents as a potioneer.

"All right, Lizzie, on the next one," Lily said quickly, lifting Elizabeth's dress, "you need to push."

Elizabeth nodded, glancing at her husband. Sirius' face was filled with mixed excitement and terror, his eyes darting between Elizabeth and Lily. He squeezed his wife's hand encouragingly and kissed her, and Elizabeth prepared herself. She waited for the agonisingly familiar pain to paralyse her, her eyes filling with tears, and just as James and Remus walked back into the room, she started pushing, screaming loudly and bruising Sirius' hand in the process.

"You did it, Liz!" Lily gasped, holding up a little bundle as Elizabeth gasped for air, sweat covering her forehead. Sirius beamed, kissing his wife again and again, his hand turning white as Elizabeth finally released it. Lily took the warm towel from James and wrapped the baby in it, just as a piercing cry filled the room.

"How is he?" Sirius asked, and Elizabeth swore she saw tiny tears in his eyes. Lily grinned wickedly as she delivered the baby to Elizabeth's arms.

"Sirius, you have a beautiful healthy baby daughter," she said happily.

"You're kidding!" both Sirius and James asked, as Elizabeth gazed at her daughter. Lily was right; she was beautiful. Her pale skin was almost luminous in the lamplight and there was a small amount of black hair growing on her small head.

"I told you we would have a girl," Elizabeth whispered, holding the tiny child close to her. The baby snuffled and opened her eyes, looking up at her exhausted mother.

"Wow, they're just like yours," Sirius whispered, peering over Elizabeth's shoulder. "Bright blue."

"What are you going to call her?" James asked, grinning at the new parents. Elizabeth shared a glance with Remus, who smiled back, his eyes bright in the light.

"Is Elisa still on the table?" Sirius asked quietly but Elizabeth shook her head.

"I like Esme," she whispered and their daughter snuffled again, moving slightly in her mother's arms. "Remus suggested it earlier, and the second he said it, this one decided it was time to be born."

Sirius stayed silent and Elizabeth knew he was testing the name out in his mind.

"Esme Elizabeth Black," he said slowly and smiled. "I like it."

"I think it's a great name," Lily assured them, her green eyes filled with tears. "It really suits her."

"She's perfect," Elizabeth said softly and kissed the top of Esme's delicate head. "Absolutely perfect."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lily nudge James and Remus and the three of them retreated into the kitchen, no doubt to give Elizabeth and Sirius time to bond with their new daughter.

"You're not disappointed by having a girl, are you?" Elizabeth asked quietly, stroking Esme's soft cheek. It felt so precious and she suddenly didn't want anyone in the house. She wanted to cocoon this wonderful little girl and protect her from the invading outside forces.

"Are you kidding?" Sirius whispered back, kissing Elizabeth softly. "Look what we did. We made this life. I don't care what she is; she's ours and nothing and nobody is ever going to hurt her." He looked Elizabeth in the eyes, staring into what seemed like her soul. "Elizabeth, she couldn't be more perfect. I'm so proud of you."

He kissed her again and warm tears dropped from his eyes onto her cheeks, warming her heart thoroughly. They both gazed at their daughter, taking in every exquisite feature. Elizabeth pulled her closer, closing her eyes and kissing her forehead.

Suddenly, several vivid images filled her mind. Elizabeth and Sirius on their wedding day; Elizabeth finding out she was pregnant; Elizabeth telling Sirius they were going to be parents; both of them finding out Lily was also expecting; Elizabeth vomiting into a toilet cubicle with Sirius holding her hair back; Elizabeth brewing potions to help ease her sickness…

"Beth?"

Sirius' worried voice pulled Elizabeth back to the present moment and her eyes snapped open.

"What happened?"

Elizabeth glanced at him but she couldn't help looking at her daughter, whose blue eyes stared back at her.

"I don't believe it," she whispered, her eyes widening as the truth dawned on her. "Sirius, kiss her."

"What?" Sirius was evidently confused. "Beth, are you feeling all right?"

"Just kiss her."

Despite obviously thinking his wife was going insane, Sirius bent down and gently kissed his daughter on the forehead. Elizabeth instantly saw his eyebrows narrow and his eyes went vague, and knew he was experiencing past events in his mind. She impatiently waited for the images to stop and Sirius to be pulled back to present time, unable to stop a grin from sneaking on her face.

"What just happened?" Sirius asked, leaning back and looking from his wife to his daughter and back again. Elizabeth started giggling quietly, so she wouldn't alert the others in the kitchen.

"Did you see memories?" she eagerly asked Sirius and he nodded. "Did they all have a connection to Esme?" Again, Sirius nodded.

"What does it mean?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"I think she's a Legilimens," Elizabeth whispered back, her eyes darting to the kitchen door.

"I thought you had to have a wand to perform that spell," Sirius asked, but Elizabeth happily shook her head.

"No, you can be born with it," she said in an excited hushed voice. "It's a rare ability, like a Metamorphmagus, but people who are born with it can enter other people's minds and see their thoughts and memories. That was probably why I could tell we were going to have a girl – when I was pregnant with her, we were connected."

"And, that's how you knew I was spending the evening with James," Sirius said slowly. "You temporarily had her ability to enter minds, so you must have accidently seen my thoughts."

Elizabeth nodded, excited.

"And, I'll bet she's also an Occlumens," she said, a scary thought entering her head. "Which probably means we'll have difficulty guessing what she's thinking if she's in trouble."

Sirius smiled, kissing Esme again.

"She's the daughter of a marauder," he chuckled. "She's bound to get into trouble."

They stayed silent for a few seconds, just collecting their thoughts and imagining their life with their special daughter.

"Sirius," Elizabeth said slowly, as yet another worrying thought struck her. "I think that, for now, we keep this to ourselves."

Sirius furrowed his brow but didn't say anything, allowing Elizabeth to continue.

"You-Know-Who can only perform Legilimency and Occlumency with the aid of a wand," she explained slowly, "and I don't think it would be safe for Esme if people found out she can do it freely. Just for now, I think we should keep this to ourselves."

Sirius thought for a moment, his eyes flickering to the kitchen door. Elizabeth knew that he told James everything, and it would probably be difficult to not shout about his daughter's special talent. Resting a tired hand on Sirius' face, Elizabeth kissed him softly.

"Please, sweetheart."

One look at Elizabeth, holding their precious child in her arms, exhausted from the birth, and Sirius nodded his head, not willing to fight against his family.