Chapter 9: A new branch on the tree

I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Warnings: discussions of gender identity and psychological issues relating to it. I apologise in advance for any possible misinformation concerning the topic. Also discussions of mpreg and the hows of it.


No matter what was happening in his life right now, Orion was a man and would always be a man.

I am a man. My name is Orion Arcturus Black, my date of birth is the 17th May 1929, and I am the only son and youngest child of Arcturus Sirius Black and Melania Melissa Black nee Macmillan. I was Sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts, and I was made Prefect in my fifth year. I'm married to Marcus Alexis Black nee Greengrass, and we're going to have our first child in a month's time. I'm a happily married man.

It was a little depressing he had to say that so often to calm down, but life had always had a tendency to go sideways when he least expected it.

As much as it truly pained him to admit it – and it did pain him, because being a father was something that he'd dreamed about for years – this pregnancy was almost making him resent his unborn child. Every time he looked at his engorged stomach he felt physically sick, shuddering at the sight of his body stretching beyond what it should to accommodate his growing child. He wanted his baby, of course he did, but he didn't want to be pregnant anymore. He hated it.

Men weren't built to conceive children. That was a fact, no matter how many supposed 'solutions' had been found in this case for decades. Women carried children and men sired them. It didn't matter what someone's sexual orientation was, children were conceived with a man and a woman, plain and simple.

Of course, some people had decided that magic could overcome this.

Originally some idiot had spread the idea of using potions to switch one's gender in order to have a child and this method had been used for years before someone else decided to improve upon this idea in their own 'brilliant' way. Orion wasn't entirely sure who claimed the 'success' of helping same-sex couples have their own biological children or when in this manner, but the imbecile had clearly only considered the physicality of such a fact without any of the associated psychological consequences being factored in. Though to be fair, even he had thought it to be a genius idea before he'd subjected himself to it.

Men couldn't conceive children, but someone had decided that if that wasn't an issue, then two men or two women could have children without turning themselves into the opposite gender. If people could turn into animals as an Animagus, or partially transfigure their body into animals for certain tasks, then why couldn't the reproductive system of the body be transfigured into that of the opposite sex for the purpose of having children?

It turns out, it can.

A strange and convoluted combination – that Orion honestly hadn't paid attention to in the midst of his anxiety to have a child – of human transfiguration, tying the spell into a rune anchored on a piece of jewellery in constant contact with the skin, then several potions to kickstart fertility and improve the health of the human body, then voila, a man can physically conceive and carry their own child without having to involve a woman.

This also held true for two women wishing to have a family, though the process was infinitely quicker as they didn't have to have male genitalia for the entire pregnancy, just long enough to actually conceive. Considering how quickly magical couples – either a man and a woman, two men or two women – could conceive using a fertility potion, a couple consisting of two women were largely unaffected by the entire process.

This was not the case for Orion.

Orion was a man and had never had a problem with his body growing up. He was slim and muscular, with narrow hips and a flat stomach, facial hair when he deemed to grow it out, not to mention the obvious package hidden inside his underwear. His sex life with Marcus was entirely based on reciprocity seeing as they were both men with the same equipment and physical capabilities, and he was quite happy to be one of the fortunate few in their society who could say they enjoyed sex and exploring his spouse's body during their intimate moments.

Unfortunately, right now his body was everything it had never been and everything Orion had never wanted it to be. His face had gained a soft roundness from the weight gain, his ankles were swollen and sore, his hips were actually curved and far wider than he was used to, and of course his abdomen had been slowly expanding over the past eight months, skin stretching taught over the bump as the baby inside kicked him and assured him of its presence. That didn't even get into the female genitalia he was currently sporting.

It felt wrong.

He'd never felt so sick and disgusted with himself seeing this … transformation take place. His body was a vile amalgamation of male and female, and more than once he'd actually thrown up after looking in the mirror at himself. He was a man, yet this body wasn't a man's body. It wasn't Orion's body, and he hated himself so much that he'd holed himself up in his personal suite ever since his stomach had been too large to conceal.

This wasn't him and he was repulsed by it, ashamed to let anyone see him in this state. He knew his family was excited for the main line to carry on, but not one of them seemed to have the faintest inclination of his declining mental health. The past two Lord Blacks had been adamantly homophobic and ensured that the only marriages that occurred were between men and women. Nobody in the House of Black before him – in recent history, at least – had been allowed to wed someone of the same gender, and certainly none of them had embarked on this ridiculous process of a pregnancy between two men.

None of them could truly understand what he was going through, indirectly or directly, so their excitement was understandable considering they only really saw his pregnancy as that of any ordinary woman. They didn't get it.

His body had admittedly been somewhat intriguing for a few days after the procedure, but when it came to actually having sex to conceive he'd had to swallow down bile, disgusted with the idea of being intimate using a body not truly of his own. Yes, he'd looked entirely the same when dressed as he ordinarily did, but clothes did nothing to disguise the unnaturalness below.

They'd used a conception potion instead.

Having Marcus donate seed just to get him pregnant was horribly informal and he'd felt cheated. Their genuinely loving marriage had been reduced to a clinical procedure just to ensure the continuation of the Black name, and he'd never felt so much self-hatred at that time. Not that it hadn't gotten worse of course, because obviously taking a potion to conceive wasn't too difficult to deal with. No, that honour went to the realisation that if he couldn't bear to even look at or touch his own body, then he definitely couldn't bear for his husband to do so, either.

Marcus was so kind and understanding throughout the entire pregnancy, but if anything that made Orion feel worse. Marcus should be furious, annoyed, hell, even disgusted himself that his husband was now this freakish mix of whatever the Healers had done. In some ways his husband's complete acceptance made Orion resent him. Marcus seemed so unflappable and unaffected by the entire pregnancy, yet Orion had been turned into a recluse by his body growing and changing and looking like a woman when he was a man. Orion's emotions and hormones were all over the place, his body was coming up with all sorts of different ways to introduce new pains and things to torture himself mentally with, yet the man he married simply smiled genially and told him that everything would be okay and how it was perfectly acceptable to not want to be intimate at this time.

Orion didn't know if Marcus' seemingly-unconditional understanding made him want to rage at the man or curl into a ball and cry.

He'd never been the most extroverted person in his family, but this pregnancy had well and truly kicked him into the category of 'hermit'. He hated seeing himself so why would he want anyone else to see him like this? He'd been reduced from a proud and dignified son of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black to a man that threw a lamp at his mirror so he didn't have to see his own reflection.

He took a deep breath and let it out shakily as he opened his eyes, pulling the covers off him and sitting up. He swung his legs out of the bed, making sure his oversized jumper was fully covering his stomach and diminishing its size as much as possible. He'd been sleeping far more than he ever had, and far more than any of his pregnant female relatives had done.

Depression, his mind supplied bitterly. All he'd ever wanted out of life was a man to love and children to raise, now his body had essentially betrayed him; his husband had been sleeping in a separate bed for months and he was ambivalent at best concerning the child in his stomach.

Orion stood up and made his way across the room to his personal bathroom, pausing outside the door as his pulse started to race as it did every time he came to this room. Either he had to relieve himself and come face-to-face with his lower extremities being those of a female, or he had to undress to bathe and deal with his engorged abdomen – the root of all his problems.

He took a deep breath and began his usual mantra to centre himself. I am a man. My name is Orion Arcturus Black, my date of birth is the 17th May 1929 ...

He prayed things would get better after the birth.

They had to.


Lyra didn't think she'd ever been so worried about Uncle Orion as she was right now.

The man had always had an unusual abundance of common sense and composure for their family – it was actually quite sad to think that those things were considered desirable traits rather than part and parcel of the Blacks – but his recent letters were just so … monotone and lifeless.

She knew that he'd been suffering with the pregnancy, anyone with two eyes could figure it out, but the problem was the people of this time period weren't nearly as well-versed in psychological illnesses, disorders, conditions and such as in her original lifetime as Harry. The twenty-first century was leaps and bounds ahead of the nineteen-fifties when it came to mental health, and Lyra knew full-well what the problem was despite never having experienced it herself.

Gender dysphoria.

Uncle Orion very firmly identified as a man yet his body currently had parts of the female anatomy and was actually pregnant, his body experiencing every single moment of gestation, from the physical to the psychological to the hormonal. The man obviously viewed conceiving and carrying a child to be something only for women, and being trapped in a body not of his own or even looking anywhere close to his gender identity was playing havoc with his mind.

The issue was that all of the research and scientific publications and even self-help leaflets wouldn't be created for decades, meaning Uncle Orion was stuck in this situation and would more than likely be a victim of Postnatal Depression after the pregnancy if things continued in the same vein. Lyra knew the condition intimately, Gin having been simultaneously numb and terrified after Lily was born. Their daughter had been a month early and the birth was awful, both mother and baby nearly dying from blood loss and a lack of oxygen, respectively. Harry had been close to having daily panic attacks himself at that point, and after months of Mind-Healer visits for both of them they'd decided against any more children. Three had been enough.

There was no fountain of knowledge for Uncle Orion to draw on to help him, and even if Lyra were to explain to him what he was going through there wasn't enough research for her to be able to get away with describing his situation. How on earth would she get away with mentioning everything considering there was barely any material to draw from? He'd think she was nuts.

Lyra honestly didn't quite understand her godfather's repulsed attitude towards his own body, even if she knew she had more cause than anyone to empathise with him. She grabbed her clothes and made her way into the adjoined bathroom to their dorm, walking into one of the enclosed shower stalls and locking it with every spell she could think of. Slytherin wasn't exactly a neutral House.

The girl stripped down and carefully placed her clothes in the hamper which would eventually be emptied by the house-elves when they washed everyone's clothes. "Thank you, elves of Hogwarts." There was no reason not to be polite, manners didn't cost anything.

She turned to the full-length mirror on the side of the stall and looked at her naked reflection, noting how utterly different she looked from her life as Harry Potter. Pale alabaster skin as opposed to the slight tan of before, soft curves in place of lithe muscles, long curls reaching past her hips instead of a windswept bird's nest, and of course the obvious differences such as a pair of breasts and the lack of a penis.

Focusing her grey eyes on her chest and the startlingly different genitals she now possessed, Lyra tried to find some sort of disgust or feeling of wrongness in the body she now had. She'd lived over half a century in a male body, had to deal with horrendously-embarrassing wet dreams and awkward moments of spontaneous erections as a teenager, then the realisation that her sex life was unfairly easier as a man compared to her wife, but now having to deal with being in the body of a preteen girl she honestly didn't mind. Yes, having periods was disgusting and every month her stomach felt like it was being used as a stress ball by a mountain troll, but from what she'd gathered her feelings didn't differ that much from other girls her age.

That was another thing, why didn't she have a problem referring to herself as a girl? Was it because everyone else called her a girl? If people started calling Lyra Black a boy then she'd probably shrug and carry on with life as usual. Or would that be, he'd shrug? Lyra was Lyra, and Lyra was Harry. Either name didn't really matter, and on some level she'd never really defined herself by what she was supposed to do based on gender. Lyra could call herself a man or a woman without either feeling wrong. Boy, girl, man, woman, female, male, Lyra honestly couldn't look at any of those labels and feel a strong resonance with one of them in particular.

Lyra was … Lyra.

Lyra narrowed her eyes and delved into the many memories of their past children and the conversations with them. The children of Harry and Ginevra Potter had always been very open with their parents as per their wishes and had happily divulged more modern topics of discussion with them. Lyra knew full well that she'd been told all sorts of gender identities and catch-all umbrella terms for people that refused to limit themselves with constricting labels. She blinked and her eyes widened. Ah, that's it.

Genderqueer. A term for identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine and exist outside of the binary. People that exhibit a combination of masculine and feminine traits, or neither … Is that me? Lyra took a second to ponder the question. As Harry, she had of course been exclusively referred to as a man but honestly it had neither felt right nor wrong. Harry was Harry, and Harry never had a problem with people defining him by his biological sex. It was much more infuriating to be constantly judged by the public concerning a fickle celebrity status rather than gender expression. Lyra was still Harry in some respects and still preferred to be defined by personality rather what body she had, and she had no problem using female pronouns when she had a female name, a female body, and was constantly referred to as a daughter of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

No matter what anyone said, Lyra was Lyra more than Lyra was a woman or a man.

The twelve-year-old looked into the mirror once more for a few seconds before shrugging and climbing into the shower. The human body and its capabilities never really bothered her, it was more the human mind that pissed her off, particularly when people were ignorant or superior because of their own backwards-arsed beliefs. The human mind could be amazing or terrible in another person, but in your own body it was your own worst nightmare.

Like Uncle Orion. She frowned and sighed as she stood under the spray of hot water, trying to figure out how to help him. Over time the magical world had eventually realised the disturbing correlation between same-sex couples that had children via the potion/transfiguration way and the rise in mental health disorders and had firmly discouraged such an endeavour among those who chose it to continue their family lines. (This method was actually far more prevalent in families with money considering the process was far more expensive than the average couple could afford. Rich pure-bloods really are self-entitled, Lyra thought. They assumed that because they were rich they could have what they wanted rather than enduring a heterosexual marriage which they'd hate. Money was everything, as per usual.)

When Gender dysphoria became a widely-understood topic amongst Mind-Healers, they'd been adamant that the practice of same-sex conception stop, and it had once Hermione introduced the magical world to the idea of muggle surrogacy with all the grace and tact of a bull in a china shop. (It'd been one the most entertaining Wizengamot sessions Harry had ever seen.) Soon enough, a combination of hiring people to either bear or sire children and then blood-adopting them after birth became the new norm, and Mind-Healers were ecstatic with the drop in numbers of clients with problems such as depression, dysphoria and even suicide. Thanks to certain blood-adoption potions entirely re-writing one half of a child's DNA, the result was a child that was entirely blood and magic-related to the same-sex couple, without the parents suffering from any of the associated psychological ailments that came with transfiguring one's body to something they didn't identify with.

But would they do that now? Lyra wondered about the people of this time and snorted. They were all so wrapped-up in their own opinions and lives, and it would take someone extraordinarily powerful to get the self-absorbed arseholes of their world to take notice and look after their own.

Someone like Granddad Arcturus, her mind supplied slyly. Lyra froze in the middle of washing her hair and considered it. For all the House of Black had a reputation for being murderous, psychotic crazy people – a reputation that wasn't entirely undeserved, as much as it pained her to admit – the current Black family consisted of people that genuinely cared for one another as family. Arcturus ensured those under his purview wouldn't be married off or used against their will, Aunt Cassi happily blackmailed and/or destroyed the livelihoods of those attempting to hurt their House, and from what she'd overheard of her dad's muttering during the summer months, she had a very good idea of who exactly was responsible for Andrei Bole's body being sent back to his family looking like a jigsaw puzzle, complete with coloured outlines. (Alphard Black had a very twisted sense of humour, and that was putting it politely.)

The point was, the current Blacks all had a tendency to go to astonishing lengths, regardless of morality or ethics, in order to help the family if they needed it. Perhaps if she wrote up at least some of what she knew of the topic, mostly focusing on Uncle Orion's poor health, he'd look into doing something about it? Only time would tell, she supposed.

She was hoping nothing horrendous would happen in the meantime; she hadn't been lying to Aunt Dorea when she said that men carrying children are at a higher risk of complications during the pregnancy. Stress, anxiety, possible depression – which her godfather was definitely suffering from, no doubt about it – they all affected a person's innate magic, and unlike a witch carrying a child naturally, a man under the effects of the pregnancy magic couldn't freely use their own magic in case it negatively affected the pregnancy, causing anywhere from an early birth, complications during the birth, or even their magic completely lashing out and reverting their body back to normal and killing the baby.

Lyra hadn't had such horrible nightmares in a while.

The girl sighed and shut off the water, wrapping a towel around her as she padded outside the shower stall. The Slytherin bathrooms looked like a line of simple shower stalls from the outside, but were magically expanded on the inside to house a shower, changing room and dressing table. It was fairly elaborate for such young school girls, but considering what sort of families the Slytherins usually hailed from, it wasn't that big of a surprise.

She changed into a simple yet elegant black dress made of Acromantula silk, the material sliding down her body like liquid. It pulled in at the waist thanks to the wonderful – she wasn't being sarcastic at all, of course not! – corset underneath. The dressed fell to an inch above her ankles, had long sleeves flaring just past her wrists, and a conservative neckline that rounded her neck just past her collarbones. The outfit was finished with polished black boots that laced up to her calves. She wasn't one for wearing things like this – honestly, she missed the jeans and teeshirts of the next century – but her crazy aunts would no doubt find out if she failed to correctly represent the House of Black in public.

Lyra flicked her wand and watched in the mirror as her curls dried and smoothed instantaneously before lifting and arranging themselves into an elaborate bun. Another flick had a deep purple comb and a few diamond clips fasten themselves into her hair and hold it in place. (Being a father to a girl that loved playing with her hair had come in quite handy.)

She stood up, making sure she didn't have a hair out of place before making her way back into her dorm and through the winding hallways of the Slytherin dormitories. Walking determinedly through the common room, she gave a brief but respectful nod to Eleonora Fawley and her companions without pausing. She had too much to think about without getting pulled into a random political discussion that more than likely wouldn't even be something she gave two shits about.

It didn't help that it was the thirtieth of October.

Tomorrow was the anniversary of James and Lily Potter's murder, and even if it hadn't happened yet – the two them not even having been born – it was still an event that defined who she was immensely. She might be the daughter of Alphard Black and Margot Caron – whose family didn't seem to care one bit about her existence – but nearly every single characteristic or personality trait she exhibited could at least indirectly be traced back to their murder and her subsequent placement with the Dursleys. Lyra knew that had Harry been raised by James and Lily he would have turned out completely different, but it was being raised by people that despised and feared Harry that led to him developing into a Slytherin with enough self-preservation to embrace his Gryffindor side for his own well-being.

The anniversary of the murders, Tom Riddle hanging over her head like a miasma of doom, trying to navigate snake politics, and the fact that Orion was miserable and in pain and quite possibly about to give birth to the Sirius Black of the future. All of that was swirling around in her head and screaming at her to do something, yet really and truly not one of those situations were something she could find a solution to and fix. Everything was a mess.

God, I need a potion for this migraine.

With that thought she seamlessly switched her path from the library to the hospital wing. She'd hit the books afterwards to see if there was anything she could use to convince Arcturus of her idea, but for now she needed to be able to actually think straight.

There had to be something she could do for the people she loved.


Orion sat up and gasped, dropping the glass he was holding and not paying the slightest bit of attention as it smashed into pieces on the floor. He had more important things to worry about.

Like the contractions that meant he was in labour.

I can't do this. Just the thought of lying in bed and physically pushing a human out of his body made his stomach roil with nausea, the sick feeling only adding to the sharp pains and making him feel worse. He knew that this was the final hurdle so to speak, but the idea of going through this part of the birth made something in him rebel. If he did this he didn't know how he'd cope afterwards, and he didn't want his entire marriage and life as a father to fall apart before it had really begun.

He didn't want to hate his own child.

Because he probably would. He hated this pregnancy, he hated his own naivete when he agreed to carry his own child, and he hated himself so much because he'd started to resent his own family, his own spouse and baby, during the past several months. He couldn't do this, and though he knew the alternative was more dangerous he refused to have a so-called 'natural' birth. He couldn't.

"Kreacher!"

The bulbous-eyed elf appeared in front of him. "What can Kreacher be doing for Master Orion?"

"Fetch Healer Proudfoot, my father and Marcus," he bit out with a wince. "Immediately."

"Yes, Master Orion."

When he was alone Orion slammed his eyes shut and started taking deep breaths, trying to deal with both the physical pain and his panic at the idea of his situation. I'm not supposed to be feeling this, I'm a man! Men don't do this, why did I ever think this was a good idea? How do the others deal with this?!

"Orion!" He looked up to see Marcus and his father rush in, both men looking just slightly worried, though in large part they looked excited and in awe. Orion wanted to curse them at the sight.

Marcus bent down and gently took his hand. "Healer Proudfoot's just on his way, he's picking up the supplies for the labour and then he'll be here."

"It might take a while," Arcturus mused. "Both times Melania was in labour for over ten hours."

Orion snapped.

"I AM NOT GIVING BIRTH LIKE THAT, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Orion roared before wincing in pain at another Merlin-damned contraction. He narrowed his eyes and shot a truly venomous glare at the other two men, viciously satisfied at their shocked faces.

"For fuck's sake, the two of you are supposed to be some of the people closest to me, yet neither of you seem to have even noticed how much I despise this situation! This," he gestured erratically at his stomach with wild eyes, "is not me! I'm a man. Men aren't supposed to be in this situation! Do either of you have any fucking idea what it feels like to be trapped in a body not your own, to feel disgusted when you catch sight of yourself in a mirror, to feel nauseated when your own spouse comes closer because you feel like a failure?!"

He slumped and swallowed painfully, whispering brokenly. "Do you have any idea what it's like to resent your own unborn child because they're ruining your body? I can't take this anymore, and I can't lay there for hours giving birth only to come out the other side hating my own child for making me do that. I can't.

"Please don't make me carry on like this."

Familiar, yet painfully-unfamiliar because of the past months, arms came up to wrap around his shoulders gently as if he was made of spun glass, before tilting his head forward so it was resting on a muscled shoulder. Orion practically dropped forward, the confession having drained him of energy, and he rested his head on his husband's shoulder and let the tears fall. I'm a failure.

"I'm so, so sorry, Orion. I knew you weren't feeling great but I had no clue it was like this. I should have realised it was worse than it seemed, I should have kept close and discussed it with you. I … I failed as a husband, and I'm so sorry."

Before he could refute Marcus' words – he wasn't the one with such despicable feelings towards their child – he felt a large hand rest on his shoulder and he raised his head. His eyes met the same molten silver he'd inherited and took note of the pain and guilt in them, the shame buried within making Orion oddly happy. He was being listened to, accepted, and despite his emotions still being all over the place his feelings were being validated. It was … freeing.

"Son. Nothing can make me push you to something you despise, and if avoiding childbirth in that manner will help you, then I'm all for it. I should have researched the process more before allowing it to happen, and I cannot fully express my regret in this matter.

"I don't care how many Healers and Mind-Healers I have to pay, you will get through this both physically and mentally, and then you'll be able to experience the joys of being a parent. I don't say this because you're a Black, I say this because you're Orion and you've always been strong in every sense of the word."

His father looked at him with a soft smile not often found on his stern face. "I have no doubt you can do this, Son."

Arcturus Black, Lord of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, famed Curse-Breaker and feared politician, believed in Orion not because of their esteemed bloodline, but because he was his son.

If the acceptance and belief of the two most important men in his life wasn't enough to give him hope, he didn't know what would.

The sound of footsteps roused the three men and they turned as one to the doorway, Marcus standing in front of Orion as if to shield his husband with his larger frame. He felt a stab of guilt hit him at the same time as a contraction and felt doubly worse at the treatment of Marcus. I'll have to make it up to him. He winced again. After this mess, anyway.

Healer Proudfoot walked in, back straight and face set in determination. "Lord Black, Heir Black, Heir-Consort Black. I do believe it's time for the next generation to be born."

Orion cut in firmly. "I'm having a caesarean, Healer Proudfoot."

The older man with greying-brown hair studied him with narrowed coal eyes for a few seconds before sighing. "I can see this isn't something you'll be persuaded from." He turned to Arcturus. "In order to perform the surgery on your son, I'll need more Healers here to assist. Will you adjust the wards to allow them entrance to the manor, Lord Black?"

His father nodded seriously. "I will."

"Very well. I will momentarily return to St Mungo's and fetch an adequate support team and return in less than five minutes. I shall be back shortly."

With that, the Healer marched back out the room and presumably to the fireplace to assemble his team. Orion was still struck with how his thoughts were being treated. He knew his family cared for him and his happiness – a stark contrast to the running of their family before – but neither his husband nor Marcus had been in his situation before so knew nothing of why he despised it so, yet instead of acting as if Orion was blowing things out of proportion they immediately claimed guilt and acquiesced to his demands. If he wasn't in so much pain he'd be more confused.

A hand came to rest on his head, fingers carding through his hair. He looked up to see Marcus gazing down at him looking as besotted as he had on their wedding day. Orion had been far too lucky to be blessed with a husband that still wanted to be close to him after half a year of avoidance.

"When I was fifteen, Cas thought it was funny to dose me with a potion and change me into a girl for a week. As you can imagine I was far from impressed, though thankfully it was the summer holidays and I didn't have to be anywhere. My parents were furious with my brother, worried that the potion might mess with my magic or something. The problem was the antidote took a month to brew and none of the local Apothecaries or Potioneers they knew had any in stock, so the result was I had to wait the week for the potion to fade and hope for the best."

Marcus paused with a frown. "I had a week in a body not of my own and I hated it. A week. You've had to deal with this for months by now, deal with the fact that your body is not only not yours, but is also carrying and nourishing another human at the same time. I don't blame you for feeling so wrong and disturbed. I know that I honestly couldn't do it, and the fact that you've got this far to give us our own child amazes me."

He bent down and cupped Orion's cheeks in his hands. "While I feel completely wretched that I didn't figure out the problem, figure out that my own husband was feeling so awful, I can't help but feel so immensely proud of you for doing this to give us a family to love and cherish. We're going to have a beautiful child to raise and teach, all because of you.

"I love you, Husband."

Marcus leaned forward and sealed their lips together, pushing what felt like every ounce of his love into Orion. He couldn't help but latch onto the taller man, leaning into him and latching onto his support and love like a lifeline. He was still terrified and felt sick, but knowing the other father of his baby was there with him made him feel like he could breathe easier.

"I'm still here, by the way."

Orion pulled back sharply at the dry tone, face flushing with what he knew was a deep red at the amused yet mocking words. Well, this is embarrassing.

"Just in case you'd forgotten."

Merlin, but Arcturus Black could be an arsehole when he wanted to! His father was currently smirking at his blushing face, while his traitorous husband was currently looking skywards with a bland smile as if he had no clue what was going on.

Orion opened his mouth to say something rather unsavoury to the older Black before Healer Proudfoot strode back in accompanied by three other Healers who began setting up equipment in the room. Oh Merlin, this is actually happening.

A hand squeezing his caught his attention and he turned to see a look of pure encouragement in his husband's green eyes. I can do this.

"Heir Black, if you may."

As he stood up and shuffled his way over to the bed with the Healers he kept repeating that new mantra. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

He lied down on the bed and watched the Healers wave their wands over his body.

He sincerely hoped his mantra was true.


"I can't believe the git wouldn't let anyone tell us what happened."

"The birth of a future Heir is an auspicious occasion which often happens in secrecy."

"What part of 'we're family' do you not understand, you sanctimonious bastard?!"

"I don't think this is quite the right time, you know …"

As the sound of the bickering behind her escalated, Lyra felt her patience literally snap and she spun around with a glare of fury, unknowingly adopting an expression disturbingly-similar to those of Cassiopeia and Lycoris Black during of their infamous 'death duels' they staged whenever they got bored.

In other words, she looked terrifying.

"ENOUGH! I have had enough of you lot bickering like a bunch of irritating toddlers while bitching about being left out of the loop! In case you imbeciles hadn't noticed, we're actually now in Black Manor so we can find out the truth. On that note, Uncle Orion and Marcus were entirely within their rights to withhold the information of their child from us until we returned from school, and now we're here I will NOT have your arguing ruin either the atmosphere or Uncle Orion's recovery simply because you're unable to control yourself, do I make myself clear?!"

Her cousins all nodded at her rapidly, their heads bobbing up and down frantically while looking at her with wide, fear-filled eyes. The Prewett, Weasley and Crouch siblings were all suspiciously silent in the wake of her rant and Lyra huffed a breath, turning back to the door of the sitting room while muttering under her breath about annoying teenagers.

Honestly, did they think she didn't care about Uncle Orion? He was her godfather, of course she was worried! Yes, her father and grandfathers had all written to her and assured her of the health of both father and baby, but she hadn't had anything specifically from Uncle Orion, and in any case written words paled in comparison to seeing them in person.

All she knew was that her godfather had given birth and that both he and his baby were healthy. While that might be the case physically, she was still worried about his mentality after the birth. How would he feel knowing that his child was the cause of his body changing and messing him up over the past several months? Would he resent the baby? Or would seeing his own child make Uncle Orion love them regardless? Just being assured in a brief letter wasn't enough to assuage her fears.

The sound of hard soles caught her attention and she looked over at the door just in time to see Gran Melania walk in beaming and looking as if she wanted to bounce around giddily while laughing. Apparently becoming a grandmother again, but for the first time because of her son, was a rather happy experience for the woman, and that was putting it lightly. She looked like she'd been hit with a permanent Cheering Charm.

The woman turned to her and smiled widely. "Lyra. Orion has requested that you go in and see him first. The rest of you will get a chance afterwards."

After addressing the other cousins, there was a bit of good-natured grumbling though it was clear none of them meant it. Everyone was fully aware that Lyra was close to Orion and that it made sense for her see her godfather first. Which she would have anyway, with or without their agreement. Excuse me, the best Defence student at Hogwarts in two separate lifetimes despite a change in magic? I'm bloody awesome and I could easily make them change their minds.

She stood up and grinned at the older woman, her expression belying the mounting anxiety within at the realisation she was about to come face-to-face with the truth.

Sirius or no Sirius?

Lyra mechanically walked out the sitting room and down the hallway to her godfather's suite, pausing outside to take a few deep breaths and calm herself. It's okay. No matter what happens, you'll always remember your godfather Sirius and how much he loved you. Being born again or not will never change that.

She let out the air in her lungs and nodded to herself before raising her hand and knocking on the door before she could change her mind. There was a second of silence before she heard a clear voice inviting her in, and she steeled herself before pushing the door open and walking inside, softly closing the door behind her.

It seemed as if her godfather had gotten bored of spending all his time in bed, and the front room she was in was covered by an assortment of blankets and cushions from where the man had seemingly made a nest for himself outside his bedroom. The room was as spacious and gorgeously-decorated as usual, but all her attention was taken up by the man sat on the sofa cradling a small form wrapped in a white blanket.

Lyra felt her heart thud at the sight of the newest Black and her newest cousin. This child was going to determine whether or not she went to bed with a grin or in tears tonight, and she hated herself for thinking like that. She wasn't going to lie to herself, though; even if she'd be happy with the child regardless, it would still feel like her heart was being crushed if it wasn't him.

The girl pushed her maudlin thoughts away and smiled brightly. "Uncle Orion. How are you?"

"Lyra," he said finally tearing his eyes away from his baby with a small grin. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. Did you want to meet your newest cousin?"

She nodded calmly, her appearance belying none of her inner turmoil as she strode forward towards the man and child. Lyra could feel the blood rush in her ears and tried to remember this child was always going to be her cousin no matter what.

Orion leaned forward with the bundle in his arms and adjusted the blanket so she could see the sleeping infant. A tiny face with facial features that blended Orion and Marcus perfectly, pale skin indicative of the baby's Black heritage, and a thick head of curls that looked identical to the ones on her godfather's head.

Blonde curls.

"Meet my daughter, Aludra Marciana Black, born on the 4th November."

She could feel her breath catch as she froze, but before the icy feeling of dread and disappointment could fully settle in her stomach, another voice cut in from the doorway to her left and interrupted the start to her inner breakdown.

"And this," said Marcus, walking in with a giant grin spread across his face as he held another child, "is our son.

"Meet Sirius Orion Black, born on the 3rd November, 1959."

Lyra blinked bewilderedly down at the tiny, so tiny form of her own godfather from before and gaped, completely uncaring if the two men took offense to her lack of manners. She could see where Sirius would eventually have a slim nose and strong jaw like his adult self, his lips looking soft but not feminine. In her mind's eye she could easily see this fragile infant growing up and transitioning into the handsome man that would essentially become a carbon copy of Orion Black.

Sirius was alive.

She could feel herself start to tear up, ecstatic and so relieved that one of the men she'd loved most in any lifetime had a chance to live again, this time unburdened by all the shit he'd gone through before. This Sirius wasn't the son of Walburga, he wasn't a part of a Black family falling apart at the seams and stabbing each other in the back at any given opportunity, and he wasn't the son of a man out of his mind on love potions.

He could be happy.

And he's going to be if I have my way, Lyra thought viciously. The other Sirius had had a terrible life and was fucked over way too many times to count, but even so he'd still done his best to try and help Harry in any way he could. The man had been half-insane from Azkaban yet he'd tried to remove a threat to Harry's safety, tried to explain to him about the war and treat Harry like a man while also like a child in need of affection, and that didn't even get into rushing into the Ministry of Magic to save his godchild despite the chances of being sent back to the very hell he'd escaped from before. Sirius Black hadn't always handled things well, but at the very least Lyra had never doubted the man's love and intentions as he tried to protect Harry.

This time, she'd protect him.

And her. Lyra looked over at the child sleeping on Uncle Orion and felt nothing but bemusement. She'd been convinced she would either get Sirius or an entirely new child from this pregnancy, yet instead she had both at once. Lyra had someone she loved and cherished from her old life to look after as well as an entirely new person she had no preconceived notions of. This little girl was solid proof that things were well and truly changing for the House of Black, and Lyra was thrilled at the chance to have a cousin she could learn about as they grew.

She blinked for a few seconds before meeting her godfather's eyes with a confused frown. "Wait a minute, did you say they have different birthdays? How did that happen?"

Orion snorted and shook his head. "While I didn't give birth naturally, the operation didn't happen until very close to midnight. As it happens, Sirius was born quickly but made things difficult for the Healers as he kept screaming and wiggling for attention, so Aludra didn't come into the world until after the clock struck twelve, leaving her with a different birthday. Or so I've been told."

Lyra bit her tongue before she could break down laughing. Even from birth Sirius was an attention-seeking brat, and having an entirely different parent wasn't enough to change that. Some things were just meant to be.

"Marcus, did you want to call the other kids in? I think they should meet their cousins before they burn down the manor in their excitement."

The blonde man laughed loudly then leaned down to kiss his husband chastely before walking over to Lyra and unceremoniously dumping his oldest child in her lap with a smirk, clearly expecting her to freak out at having to hold a baby. In response she lifted a brow in challenge then carefully but effortlessly adjusted Sirius so his head was supported in the crook of her elbow and his blankets were wrapped securely and comfortably around his body.

Marcus pouted. "Well, that's not fair."

"Of course not," she drawled with a playful smirk. "It's not as if Cissa's been living with me and my father since she was born or anything. Of course I've never cared for an infant."

(Cissa was certainly a more believable excuse than, 'I was the father of three children and the grandfather of eleven, I know damn well how to hold a baby, moron.')

"Oh, right," Marcus murmured as he grinned sheepishly. The man poked his tongue out at her as she rolled her eyes at him before heading out to find her school-aged cousins so they could meet the newest Blacks.

As the door closed, Lyra looked down at the baby in her arms and studied him once more, beaming as the infant woke up and blinked slowly before settling unfocused, baby-blue eyes at her for a second. God, he's cute.

Then he screamed.

Yep, just as loud as the other Sirius, she thought with a wince.

As Lyra helped her godfather wrangle two crying babies, she wondered how else things were going to change in the future. It couldn't be stranger than a brand-new child appearing, surely.

She considered that thought before blanching and shaking her head. Better not jinx it.

The girl grinned at baby Sirius. Not with this family, anyway.


A/N: Hello again!

So, like I said at the start, I'm sorry if anything I said about gender identities or dysphoria was incorrect, or the way I displayed it was. I haven't experienced anything like this so I can't sit here and say with certainty, 'this is entirely accurate and I'm right, no matter what you say.' Not only would it be conceited and arrogant, but I know full well these situations seem to manifest differently for different people, so trying to box everything into one description is not only narrow-minded, it's just plain offensive. Long story short, I'm sorry if I got things wrong, and we should all strive to be accepting and open-minded instead of judgemental arseholes lol :D (Not kidding, though.)

The whole genderqueer thing in terms of Harry/Lyra is something I do headcanon for Harry. He's spent years being neglected at the very least by the Dursleys just for having magic, then was constantly being called a hero then a liar then back again just for surviving the Killing Curse or supposedly leading people astray with the Voldemort thing, and was then seen as a hero for defeating Voldemort. I always thought Harry would see himself as 'Harry' rather than any particular gender identity. Even as a child he said, 'I'm just Harry.' Harry was Harry as far as he was concerned, and I brought this into Lyra's situation considering Orion's mentality. If Orion was going to be used to explore the topic, then why wasn't Lyra with their unique situation? That was my thought process, anyway.

In terms of the mpreg situation, I wanted to try and put my own spin on things at least for this story. I have other stories where I've gone the whole, 'it's magic, so why not?' route, but I honestly wanted to just do something different here. Sorry if you disagree or don't like it, but I think we all know by now that men don't get pregnant in real life, nor did they in canon. There is no right or wrong way to go about mpreg considering it doesn't actually exist.

And finally and most importantly ... Sirius is here! I was originally going to just have him be born again as normal, but I suddenly got this idea of Lyra seeing another child and being crushed before seeing Sirius. Also, Sirius having a twin. Can you imagine their antics? Sirius having a sister the same age as him and the Marauders. It's going to be insane lol.

Anyway, sorry about the long notes, but I wanted to elaborate on a few things. Quick question though, I've mentioned in this that Lyra is bisexual, but would you guys at least want to know whether the final pairing is het or fem slash? A few people have mentioned they don't want to invest time in this story if it ends up fem slash, and while I think Lyra's final partner doesn't really matter, some do. I want to keep their identity a secret considering how long it'll take to get there, but knowing their sex is something I'm willing to divulge.

Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time.

Happy reading!