They were all sitting at the table, chatting animatedly at the same time- Lily wondered how on earth they could hear each other.
"How're you feeling, Lily?" Remus asked, remembering his pregnant friend.
"I'm doing okay, thanks. How are you?"
"Well, you know-," He shrugged, and she smiled sympathetically. Sirius laughed and clapped Remus on the shoulder.
"Still looks like a mad rabbit with a disease every moon, but we've gotten used to it," He said loudly, laughing.
"Shut up," Remus said softly, trying to stop his lip from curling into a laugh.
"I'm surprised Dumbledore doesn't have Aurors stationed in your living room, James," Peter piped up, leaning back in his chair.
"I was surprised at that, myself," James muttered, obviously not in favor of how the conversation was turning. "He's so damn protective-,"
"James!" Lily called from the corner of the kitchen, where she was placing nineteen candles on a seven-tiered cake. "He just cares about us…"
"What does he think, we're going to go out on the streets and start telling people where we live? We're not stupid, and he knows Peter's our keeper. "He turned to face his friends. "Dumbledore just makes a fuss out of everything."
"James, just last year-,"
"Just last year I was a student, Lily, and if I started bloody cursing Dumbledore out during class, what do you think would have happened?"
"Lily, that's a very beautiful cake you've made," Remus butted in, trying desperately to change the subject., but his friends were not to be distracted. James seemed to have forgotten his cheery mood from earlier, and his attention was only focused on Lily.
"Stop it, James," Lily snapped, stabbing the cake with an orange candle with much unneeded force.
"Just admit that you think he's being unreasonable," James challenged, and Lily felt Sirius' hot stare on her flesh. "I know that you agree with me-,"
"You know what, James?" She flung the last handful of candles to the ground. "I don't think he's being unreasonable. I would much rather be stuck here and know that we're safe."
"Peter, why don't you go help Lily with the candles…" Remus tried again to stop them, but they were having none of it.
"We would be fine out there! There's no one out to get us!"
"THEY"RE AFTER OUR BABY, DAMMIT!" Lily shouted, clutching her stomach protectively. "WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT JUST US ANYMORE, JAMES? WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY, AND THEY WANT TO KILL IT!"
Her voice was hoarse, and she was unsure if any of them had been able to understand her when she shouted because of it. She was becoming hysterical, all of the emotions from the past three months coming undone, breaking through the wall she had built up so well for so long. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop soon.
"WE WOULDN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO THE BABY!" James shouted back just as hysterically, not standing up to face Lily at eye level. He pushed back his chair, and ignored Sirius's hand trying t pull him back into his seat.
"YOU UNDERESTIMATE THEM, JAMES! JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'RE SO BLOODY TALENTED AT EVERYTHING-"
"I'M AN AUROR!" He bellowed back. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF ANY DEATH EATERS-"
"IT'S NOT JUST THE DAMN DEATH EATERS ANYMORE, JAMES! VOLDEMORT IS AFTER US-,"
"IF I CAN TAKE DEATH EATERS, WHY CAN'T I TAKE VOLDEMORT AGAIN? AFTER ALL, ACCORDING TO DUMBLEDORE, HAVEN'T I ALREADY DEFIED HIM THREE BLOODY DAMN TIMES?"
"You disgust me," Lily hissed, her voice dropping to an unusually low octave. At the sudden change of pitch, the room fell silent. "You are so damn arrogant, James. Why can't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Because you're not making sense!" He persisted, his voice rising with each word, but after a sharp look from Sirius he dropped it.
" It's not just us anymore, James," Tears were forming in her eyes. "We have another person to protect now. I can't throw caution to the winds and play by chance anymore. Everything's changed."
He was silent and Lily could tell he was trying his hardest to keep his emotions in check. She continued.
"It might not be just us anymore, but if he's after our baby then what's the difference?"
