Remus looked warily at Lily.
"So James, I see you found this as an opportunity to tell Lily where you go once a month. Did you get to the part yet that you go to? Or maybe you want to refrain from telling her since, of course, she seems prejudiced against my kind."
"No Remus, that's not it. I …" Lily stammered, trying to gloss things over, but Moony's voice was strangely high pitched as his anger rose.
"Or maybe, Potter, you just wanted to disassociate with me, seeing as leaving once a month to turn into a stag has become too much for you."
"Moony would you shut up I didn't mean it like that!" James hollered at his livid friend.
"Honestly, not being a good Godfather just because I was bitten! I would congratulate you James, but I think that would break the roof, seeing as it barely contains your already huge ego!" Lupin yelled, losing his temper completely. Stalking out of the room and slamming the door, James turned and faced Lily.
"He sounds a lot like you used to." Prongs said with more anger than intended. Lily glared at him and left to get the now shrieking twins.
He sat down and started massaging his temples. James was tired already, and it was only noon. Probably doing better than Lily. Being pregnant can't be easy. Of course, finding out Lupin's a werewolf and I'm an illegal animagus isn't helping it. Standing up, James decided to go talk to Sirius, seeing as he could use a good laugh at the moment.
Sirius, however, was not in a laughing mood. Lupin had already stopped by, and Black was just as furious as him.
"What the hell were you thinking, saying that about your second best mate!" Even when angry at Prongs, Padfoot couldn't resist reminding him he was his first and foremost friend.
"It was an accident okay! Lily was insulting you and I got angrier than intended. Besides I didn't mean it that way." Snapped James.
"Well what the hell did she say to make you say that?"
"She said she didn't want our baby to be a man whore like you."
"Well the twins she has will only be around for another six months. It won't be that important to have a Godfather. It's not… even… wait did you say baby as in singular?" Sirius's brain was just beginning to process what his best friend has just said.
"Baby as in singular. As in Lily is pregnant for real this time."
Sirius stared blankly at his friend, until a yelp startled him out of his stupor.
"Lily is pregnant? Oh my gosh AHHHHHHHHH I have to go talk to her! AHH THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Lexi screeched and started knocking on the wall. James, baffled at first, thinking she had finally lost her marbles, got an explanation as a different voice spoke.
"What now Lex?" said the voice. It was Roxxi.
"ROXXI COME ON LIL IS PREGNANT!"
There was silence, and then a loud banging of doors as the two rushed next-door shrieking with joy, running back to grab their children. The glares they gave the boys told them that the girls didn't trust them for a minute alone with their precious kids.
"Mad aren't they?" mumbled Sirius, shocked and deaf at the display they had just witnessed.
"And so are you James, but I guess since I heard the whole story, I'll forgive you. On once condition: you have to let me hex you and you will clean the apartment for me." Said a voice behind the two. The third Marauder had joined them, and was smiling.
"Done deal, Moony. Good to have you back!" James whapped his friend on the back, causing him to stumble forward.
Giving him a look, Lupin stood and dusted himself off. " I'm glad. Roxxi is a slob, and I've been looking for a good maid. And there's a uniform with your name on it."
Paling slightly, James groaned at the prospect of having to clean Remus's apartment. Especially in a stupid maid's outfit.
Laughing, the three walked down to the Great Hall, which had been decorated for the day.
Giant trees were covered with gold and silver baubles. Real faeries flitted around the room, occasionally letting off a shower of sparks. Mistletoe adorned every doorway, and unwitting couples were giggling as they quickly pecked each other's lips. Dumbledore sat primly at the high table, and unknown to the Marauders, was fixing James with a piercing stare.
"So, what shall we do first? Seeing as you only have a few more months of freedom before you're going to be cleaning puke, Prongs." Teased Sirius.
"I've got everything already planned out." Lupin revealed. James and Sirius turned to him with astonished eyes.
"Bloody hell Moony. Since when do you even willingly go along with these escapades, much less plan them?" asked James.
"Since I decided that I might as well leave Hogwarts with something worth mentioning on my record."
"Besides the fact that you're a werewolf and run around Hogsmeade with your illegal animagus chums once a month?" Sirius said sarcastically.
"More worthy of your pranks, my obtuse friend."
"Do I look fat and angular to you Moony?"
"He's calling you stupid, dumbass."sniggered James.
Sirius smacked James hard in the stomach.
"Okay, point taken." He said, gasping for breath.
Lily POV
Lexi and Roxxi came screaming with delight into the flat. Lily set the girls down carefully, which proved to be a good idea. Lexi wrapped her in a huge bear hug, leaving her gasping for breath when she finally let go.
"Oh my God Lily! Why didn't you tell us?" exclaimed Roxxi.
"Because I wasn't ready. Besides you two can't keep your mouths shut for longer than a minute. It would be over the entire school and London in a few hours!" Lily explained,
"You mean Lexi can't keep her mouth shut for a minute." Retorted Roxxi.
"Hey! That's not true! It's more of an hour." Lexi defended herself, turning pink all the same.
"So back to the baby. What are you going to name it? When are you due? Are you even keeping it, much less having it? " Roxxi said this all in rapid succession.
"Most importantly is James going to help you with it?" piped up Lexi. Both girls stared at Lily.
"No idea, end of July, hell yes I am not going to have an abortion! God Roxxi honestly you know me better than that! And yes he is. He fainted when I first told him, but everything should be fine. Dumbledore even offered to let me stay at Hogwarts until James and I can get on our feet." Lily absentmindedly conjured a cup of coco, and the sparks caused her ring to glimmer.
"Lily, what is that rock doing on your finger?" wondered Lexi, barely containing her excitement.
"Don't be obtuse (It's Remus's word it means stupid, she explained, seeing the confused look on Lexi's face). James obviously proposed and… OH MY GOD LILY EVANS IS ENGAGED TO JAMES POTTER AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Roxxi and the girls suddenly broke into a screaming fit, jumping up and down.
"How?"
"First he gave me these beautiful pajamas, which I guess I won't fit into in a few months." Lily's face looked suddenly sullen as the repercussions of having the baby began to sink in.
"Come on Lily, you know how happy this is going to make you. And you and James getting engaged, that is something special. Now are you going to plan this wedding alone or do your friends get to help?" Lexi, picking up on the downcast mood, had said the right things. Lily perked up instantly.
"Actually the gold pj's he gave me got me thinking. I thought gold would be so pretty for bridesmaids dresses, matching you guys perfectly." Lily's eyes started to brighten, and the girls immersed themselves in wedding plans.
Dumbledore's POV
James was laughing and talking with his friends, no doubt planning another prank. Dumbledore sighed. The caretaker and many of the teachers were still trying to clean up after the last one. It had been particularly nasty. Gryffindor had lost a match to Slytherin, and it angered the four boys them most. That night, they had tailed a group of Slytherins back to their common room under the invisibility cloak. As the last student straggled up to bed, the whole common room had been redone in a very rude fashion. Pictures of the Slytherin team had been put up, all showing embarrassing things from sucking on a thumb while they slept to a particularly rude one showing one of them seducing multiple girls. The walls had been painted red and gold, with a lion that took up nearly the whole side of one. It had not been a quiet morning, and there were still complaints of Slytherins hexing unwitting Gryffindors.
He's still so young, has so much to learn and mature. He isn't ready for the responsibility of a child. He can barely take care of himself! Mused Dumbledore. There was a different, even more pressing thought on his mind though. It had to do with a job interview he had just been to.
