A/N: Don't own, don't sue, and please do review! Thanks. Enjoy! I'm on a roll this week! Well, it is homecoming week at my high school, which generally means a lighter load of work. Yeah!
Chapter 11
"It's so hot."
Lily Potter sat fanning herself on the deck of the restaurant, her pale cheeks flushed pink from the heat. She took a long gulp from her glass of lemonade, hoping it would cool her down a bit. She grimaced, adding, "It's not supposed to be this bloody hot in London. Even if it is July. It's actually almost August for Merlin's sake!"
Starr rolled her hazel eyes affectionately at her best friend. "Shut up, Lils," she advised. "You're ruining the mood here."
Lily frowned and muttered something about complaining if she wants to under her breath. Starr simply rolled her eyes yet again, knowing that pregnant women were known to be quite hormonal and moody. "How are you feeling, Starr?" Lily asked in concern, cocking her head of red hair at her friend.
"I'm okay," Starr shrugged, wincing at Lily's obvious reference to her miscarriage back in January. "I'm getting along okay. Sirius is a big help. And you and James and Remus and Peter, too, of course."
"And… how is Sirius dealing with all of this?" Lily questioned, again cocking her head at her.
Starr sighed loudly, wishing she wouldn't bring this up. "Same. We're getting through this together. But do we really have to discuss it?"
"Oh, sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I was just wondering."
"It's okay, Lily," she said, waving her hand about. "You're my best friend. It's just kind of… still a touchy subject, you know?" Lily nodded in understanding.
"That makes perfect sense," she replied. "So… how are you and Sirius doing?"
Starr beamed at her. "Other than that, we're doing fine. I'm really glad we… er, eloped instead of waiting for the war to be over."
Lily returned her friend's grin wholeheartedly. "I'm sure you are," she said knowingly.
"What about you and James?"
"We're doing well, too, thanks."
"That's good." Starr watched as a strange look of pain crossed her friend's face. "Lils? What's wrong?"
Lily frowned and looked down at herself, her mouth dropping open as she did so. "Starr?" she said uncertainly, biting her lower lip.
"What is it?" she asked urgently, standing up to help Lily.
"I think m-my water broke."
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"Where is she?!"
James burst through the doors of the waiting room at St. Mungo's, black glasses askew and hazel eyes wide. "Where is she?!" he repeated, looking around the room frantically. Several people in the waiting room looked alarmed at his appearance.
Luckily, Starr quickly spotted her panicking brother and hurried over to him. "Breathe, James," she advise him, linking her arm in his and leading him down the hall. "Lil's in a room down this hall; she's doing just fine."
"The baby hasn't been born yet, has it?" he asked nervously as they walked down the hall together.
"No," Starr shook her head.
James heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. Lily would absolutely kill me if I missed our first child being born."
Starr chuckled. "Right you are." She led him into a room at the very end of the hall. Inside, a weary-looking Lily was lying on a hospital bed, sweating and panting for breath.
"Lily!" James pulled himself from his sister's grasp and rushed to his wife's side. He brought her sweaty hand to his mouth and kissed it sweetly. "How are you?"
She shrugged noncommittally. "I'm getting on okay," she said. "The contractions are the only things that really hurt." She suddenly whimpered and screwed up her face in pain, tightly shutting her eyes.
"What's wrong?" James asked in concern.
"Another contractions," Starr told him gently. She looked at the chart at the end of Lily's bed. "I think she's about ready to give birth. I'll go get a Healer."
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"Boy or girl, Remus?"
Sirius, Starr, Peter, and Remus were sitting in the waiting room, excitedly awaiting the birth of the baby Potter. Remus considered for a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Boy," he said finally, looking rather pleased with his decision.
"I say girl," Sirius challenged, raising a black eyebrow at his friend. "Willing to bet on it, Moony?"
"Wicked," he agreed, nodding his head of sandy brown hair. "Ten Galleons."
"You're on." They spit into their hands and shook each other's, sealing the deal. Starr shook her head, wondering how she was going to handle the three Marauders if Lily and James's baby didn't hurry up and get born. She paged through the magazine she had taken from the rack in the waiting room, pausing only when a title caught her eye.
"Starr?" Sirius whispered softly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. His hot breath tickled her lobe and she resisted the urge to giggle loudly.
"Yes?" she questioned, turning to face him. He had a familiar mischievous smile playing on his lips and she could only wonder what he was thinking…
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, one of his hands reaching up to cup her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. Her hazel eyes fluttered closed and she forgot about everything except for him, and this kiss…
She pulled away and leaned into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her hot breath blossomed against his skin, sending shivers of pleasure up and down his spine. Her lips brushed against his skin, as she nipped a bit at it, coaxing a barely audible moan from his lips.
"Ahem."
A loud cough caused them to spring apart. James was standing there, a bemused smile playing on his lips as he took in the sight of his sister and his best mate. "I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said, smirking at the pair of them.
"Oh, shut up, Prongs," Sirius groaned, rolling his dark eyes at him. "What's the news?"
James beamed, the entirety of his extremely handsome face lighting up as he did so. It was a genuine smile, the corners of his eyes wrinkling jovially. "The baby's been born," he said. "It's a boy!"
