I don't own Baby! the Musical, Gilmore Girls, Romeo and Juliet, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Lord of the Rings or Facing Danger.

Based on chapters 37 and 39 of Facing Danger.


Chapter 11: Louder Than Words

"What do you think he'll–"

"Who says it's a he? It could be a she!"

"Will you stop calling our child "it"?" Roger demanded in exasperation.

"What else do you want me to call it seeing as we don't know the gender yet? Which I might add, is your fault."

He ignored her last remark. "I dunno. I wish you could be gender neutral in English."

"Well you can't. In the meantime we'll have to think of something unisex."

"Elvendork?"

Lena giggled. "Absolutely not. I won't subject my child to a name like that, even temporarily. Heaven knows it might stick and that would be child abuse."

Roger chuckled. "I agree. How about Ainsley?"

Lena shook her head. "No...Ashley?"

"Evelyn?"

"No, absolutely not."

"Aidan?"

"That would be rather confusing."

"True." Roger chuckled. "We can't even agree on this."

"Will we ever agree on anything?"

"Probably not."

"At least we agree on that."

Roger laughed.


"I don't think I could handle being Cruciated," Maya said as they walked out of Defense the next afternoon.

"Neither could I. I'd spill everything. I'd even make things up to keep them satisfied."

"Me too. Of course I wouldn't be able to do it to anyone else either."

"Are you sure? Even if they were hurting Lee or Graham?"

"I...I don't know. Isn't the whole difference between us and them that we won't do anything like that?"

"I suppose. But at some point we have to do some things we don't like. The Muggle guns and tamer spells won't stop them from using lethal spells on us."

"No, but we aren't supposed to do anything to seriously hurt or kill them, just incapacitate them. Besides, if you start acting like them, then they've won."

"I suppose," Lena said, though she wasn't exactly convinced of this logic.

"Would you really use them?" Maya asked, eying Lena with something akin to fear, as though she'd never seen her before.

"Yes," Lena said immediately. "I'd be hesitant to use the Cruciatus, but if I had to, I probably could. And I wouldn't object to using the Imperius." Maya's face clouded. "But I definitely wouldn't be able to kill anyone though. Unless I absolutely had to."

Lena wasn't sure if she imagined the flicker of relief that crossed Maya's face.


The DA was staring at Harry with a mixture of wariness, shock and surprise.

"You want to put a Tongue-Tying Jinx on all of us?" Macmillan asked.

"Only so you can't tell anyone what you're doing. Not that we don't trust you not to," he said, his eyes flickering briefly to the back corner of the room, to Chang no doubt. "But we can't be too careful."

"But everyone knows about the DA and they know we're in it," Elayne said.

"Oh we won't hide the DA's existence or it's membership," Harry explained. "We're just going to keep them from finding out what exactly we're doing, so we can have the element of surprise and not allow the Death Eaters to find ways to outsmart us."

The DA was nodding in agreement now. Yes that sounded like a very good idea.

"So unless there are some objections..." he paused. There were none. "Good then that's what I'd like to do today."

By the end of the meeting, Lena wasn't so sure she liked the idea after all. The sensations associated with the jinx were rather unpleasant.


Lena and Roger were in the almost-empty library studying, or trying to in her case. After several unproductive minutes, she slammed her copy of Muggle 'Law & Order' - Complete Guide shut, making him jump and drop is quill.

"What were we thinking?"

"About what?" he asked looking at her in complete confusion.

"'About what?' The baby," she hissed.

"What about the baby?"

"Will you stop?" she all but shrieked.

Seeing the vulture-like librarian approaching, and wanting to avoid a confrontation, Roger dragged Lena from the library and into the nearest corridor.

"Lena, what's wrong?"

"Why are we bringing a baby into this world? Are we completely mad? Why would anyone do that to a baby? We're in the middle of a war!"

"Lena, love, where is this coming from?"

"What do you mean 'Where is this coming from'?"

"You were fine until now."

"Well, I'm not fine now! I don't want the baby to grow up like this," she said gesturing around them.

"Maybe the war will end before the baby's old enough to remember anything."

"What if it doesn't? What if our child will have to live as we have?"

"Then we'll have to make the best of it."

"How can you be so...calm about this? It's like Farewell to Arms for Merlin's sake!"

"I was hoping you'd think of something a bit more cheerful with a happy ending for mother and child."

"Well the only things I can think of are The Scarlett Letter, Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon, none of which are happy endings, especially for the mother, though Hester Prynne doesn't die in childbirth or kill herself. But that's not the point!" She began to pace. "What if we die? Both of us, or either of us? I know we have our parents and our sisters and friends but I'd like to see it – him – her – will you please just say yes to finding out the gender, I'm going mad – grow up..." She stopped pacing and looked up at him. "I finally understand why you were so upset when... I feel so stupid now."

"Don't," he said gently.

She began to pace again. "Why not? I'm the one who's pregnant and it takes me this long to realise it! You figured it out weeks ago..."

"Lena..." He hesitated. "I'll admit that my concern for the baby was my main impetus to keep you out of the front lines...not that you aren't important to me," he added hastily.

"I understand."

"But I never thought about you – us – dying..." He sat down, resting his chin in his hands, looking a bit shell-shocked.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should've thought of that sooner. But please don't try to be heroic."

"You mean do what Maria Theresa or Gracy O'Malley did and make an impassioned speech to the government with my newborn in my arms or have the baby on the battlefield?"

"This isn't funny."

"No, it's not. Those women were barking mad."

"Glad you think so."


Defense lessons were getting much more gruesome as the weeks progressed. Lena longed for the days of studying horklumps and nifflers.

"At least Inferi–"

"What's an Inferni?" Arti asked.

"Inferi," Lena corrected, trying not to giggle.

"Bewitched corpses," Maya explained. "They're bewitched by a dark wizard to do their bidding. You-Know-Who used them in the last war. They're rather disgusting and powerful too. You wouldn't want to come into contact with one. It's unpleasant."

"To say the least," Lena muttered."

"How?" Arti asked, looking between them with a mixture of fascination, horror and a hint of delight that scared Lena.

"You really don't want to know," Lena assured her.

"Yes I do," Arti insisted.

"Here then," Lena said, opening her Defense textbook to the appropriate page and slid it across the table to her.

"That's one of the most disturbing things I've heard of." Arti said a few minutes later looking pale and ill. She shoved the textbook away with such force that it nearly fell off the other end of the table.

Lena had to resist the urge to smile smugly and say "I told you so."

"At least can't suck out your soul," she said.

"True, but they can still do a lot of damage. Weren't you listening to what Professor Longbottom was telling us?"

"I was until I realised if I heard anymore I'd lose my breakfast. Those pictures weren't helping either."

"How do you get rid of 'em? Can you even get rid of them?" Arti asked.

"Fire magic," Maya explained.

"Incendio would work on something like that?" Arti asked incredulously.

"Yes," Maya said, nodding. "Professor Longbottom said that fire magic would destroy an Inferius. Other spells like binding magic won't. I don't think anything like Aguamenti would either. But fire magic would."

"Are you sure Incendio would work?"

"Yes, but I think Fiendfyre would be the best," Lena said. "It is cursed fire after all."

"I suppose," Maya said doubtfully.

"See, this is why we need to learn things other than the tamer spells we're taught. If we're going to be confronted with something like that–"

"Who's to say we are?" Maya demanded.

"You-Know-Who used them in the last war! What makes you think he won't this time? And he won't restrict them to battles either. He's sure to use them against Muggles and wizards alike. At least we're learning how to conjure Patronuses for when we come into contact with dementors."

"Why are you insistent that these things are going to happen?"

"Because I hear my Housemates boasting about what they'd like to do to the likes of us with such creatures at their disposal. And I have no doubt that they'll have the chance and use it to their advantage. We're rather good at that you know. Which is why using the Cruciatus or Imperio would be tame compared to the things they'd be doing."

"I can't believe you!" Maya cried.

"What?"

"Wanting to use something like this! It's Dark magic!"

"I know that! But the other side won't restrict themselves as we do! We've got to learn some way to counter it!"

"I can't listen to this anymore," Maya said, before gathering her books and leaving Lena and Arti alone.

"What?" Lena snapped as Arti gazed at her.

"I'm not saying I disagree with you, but..."

"Oh, not you too," Lena said in exasperation.

"But she's got a point! What makes us different from them is that we're not willing to sink to their level!"

"How else will we stop them then?"

"By being smarter."


They were sitting in a secluded corner underneath the balcony in the courtyard, the collars of their robes turned up against the February wind. Roger had been worried that the chill might be bad for her, but relented when she said the fresh air would do her some good, though he'd insisted that she take his cloak as well as her own.

"What do you think she–" Roger

"He," Lena corrected.

Roger sighed and Lena was sure he was resisting the temptation to roll his eyes. She bit back a giggle. "– look like?"

"Whatever he looks like, I hope he has your brains."

"Mine? What's wrong with yours?"

"Nothing. Yours are better." She thought for a moment. "He'll maybe have my smile and your hair. He'll maybe have your athleticism and my charm. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Right Roger? Roger? Roger? Roger!"

"I'm thinking." He turned back to her. "She'll maybe have my lips and your eyes" He ran his fingers through her tousled tresses, twirling a few strands around his finger.

Lena smiled. "For a boy that's a perfect pair." Roger rolled his eyes. She ignored him. "What else?"

Roger grinned, leaning back, his eyes wandering up and down her body. "I'm picturing my hips and your thighs."

"That is very unfair!" She shoved him, glaring.

He caught himself on his hands. "My brains and your brawn."

"Oh funny. You've got much more of both than I do..."

"Are you complaining?"

"Most definitely not. Especially when it comes to the latter..."


"Several of you have asked about becoming Animagi," Harry said at the end of a DA meeting during the last week of February. The Room of Requirement filled with excited buzzing. "While I agree that that would be a good idea and if you want to learn, this is one thing I can't teach you."

"But you lot know how!" Cornfoot said. Murmurs of agreement followed.

"We know how, yes," Harry agreed. "But we had help from Professor Lupin and Professor Black. We couldn't and shouldn't have done it on our own. A lot of things could have gone wrong. I mean Hermione might have gotten partly stuck in her form and had fur on her face." Nervous chuckles swept across the room as Hermione glared at him. "Besides, we can't exactly have all of you going to research how to become Animagi or everyone would know what we were up to. Not to mention, some of you have exams coming up soon. And most of you aren't ready to do this yet anyway."

"He sounds like Hermione," Arti said as most of the DA groaned. Lena laughed.

"At least Roger doesn't do that."

"Maybe I should." He tugged at her ponytail playfully.

"If you would like to find out your form, we can tell you how to do that. The spell is Revelaro Animalis. You cast it on a mirror and there'll be animals running by. The one that stops and makes eye contact with you is your form."

Excited chatter broke out, which quieted as Harry continued.

"Several others of you have asked about learning how to cast a Patronus, which we unfortunately we never got to last term. That I can teach you. We'll do that within the next couple of weeks."


There was a mad rush to the door at the end of the meeting so that everyone could find the nearest bathroom to perform the Animagus Revealing Spell.

"Let's go use Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Arti suggested.

"Good idea."

So Lena, Arti, Anne and Elayne all went downstairs to the second floor.

"Why does everything important in my life happen in the bathroom?" Lena asked.

Arti and Anne laughed as Elyane looked quizzically at them.

"Not everything, I hope, Arti said, raising her eyebrows.

Anne hastily covered her mouth as she snickered.

Lena glared at Arti, smacking her upside the head. "No not everything."

Luckily Moaning Myrtle was nowhere to be seen when they arrived.

"Elayne, why don't you go first," Arti offered.

"No, you go."

"No, really, go ahead."

Elayne raised her wand and pointed it at the mirror. "Revelaro Animalis!"

To the rest of them nothing seemed to have happened, but apparently Elayne could see something they could not, for she stared intently at the mirror. Her eyes stopped moving after a minute and she looking pleased as she gazed at the image until the spell was broken.

"A frog," she said, smiling. "A little tiny one. It's really cute."

"That suits you," Anne said.

Anne found that her Animagus was a beaver.

Arti went next. "I'm a raccoon."

"All right, looks like I'm last. Revelaro Animalis!"

She stared at the foggy mirror as several animals ran across the surface. The animal that looked at her was a fox. The fur was red except for the lower back which was silver, and the feet a half of the leg, which were black, which made it look like it was wearing socks, and the tips of the ears, which were also black. The eyes were yellow.

"What're you?" Elayne asked.

"A fox. Rather fitting I think."

"We sound like something out of E. Nesbit's Fairy Tales," Anne remarked.

"It does," Elayne agreed.

Lena giggled.

"What?" Arti asked.

"Nothing."

"No, really, what?"

"Nothing." Lena giggled even harder. Arti glared. "Fine, fine. You do realise that foxes prey on raccoons, right?"

Arti growled slightly. "Why?" she demanded, looking heavenward. "Why do I always have to be...inferior?"

"Because you are?"

"I suppose," Arti said resignedly. "Hey!"

"If I had green on my fur, I'd have House colours," Lena mused.

"You should know better than to say such things aloud," Arti said with a smirk.


"What's your form?" Roger asked later that evening.

"A fox. Apparently a red-tailed fox of some sort."

"I'm not surprised."

"Neither am I. Yours?"

"An eagle."

"Luck that you and Adrian can fly. The rest of us'll have to run."

"Why? What's he?"

"A bat."

Roger snorted, biting his lip.

Lena grinned. "Apparently I'm not the only one who finds that funny."

"Don't tell him, but no, you aren't."

"Have Lee and Maya had a row?" Arti asked at breakfast.

"I don't know. Why?"

Arti nodded toward the Gryffindor table. "They don't look too pleased with each other."

"You're right, they don't. I hope they're all right."

"You don't think they're going to break up, do you?" Arti asked, looking worried.

"I hope not. Oh, that reminds me."

"Yes?"

"Remember how you were bemoaning the fact that my Animagus is a fox? Lee's and Maya's are worse for your form."

"Oh? What are they?"

"A wolf and a cougar respectively."

"Oh dear."

"I promise we'll try not to eat you."

Arti did not appreciate the humour.


The day that the DA finally started working on Patronuses, Lena was reminded of how the sixth-years had looked when they had first begun learning how to cast spells non-verbally. Frustrations mounted as predictably, the Ravenclaws were the first to master the spell. The most that the rest of the students had managed was to produce puffs of silver vapour.

"You'd think someone like her would have a less pretty Patronus," Arti whispered as Cho's swan soared around the room. Lena grinned, only half-listening.

"Remember," Harry said as he walked among them, "producing a Patronus here where we're safe is completely different from facing a dementor."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Chang, watching her swan Patronus soar around the "They're so pretty!" Lena rolled her eyes.

"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," said Harry with more patience than Lena would have been able to, especially given who the statement was directed at.

"How would we practise then?" Blaise asked. "It's not like we'd want a dementor here."

Lena shivered. Arti squeezed her hand and Roger patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I used a boggart when I was learning," Harry explained.

A boggart was also not something she wanted to confront. She was glad to see that she was not the only one who wasn't too thrilled with that particular idea.

"How do you do it?" Lena demanded of Roger whose hummingbird Patronus flew around her. "What do you think of?"

"You. Both of you." Lena's heart melted.

"What do you think about?" she asked Arti and Adrian.

They both blushed and glanced at each other, then turned quickly away.

"N-nobody," Adrian stammered. "I mean, nothing in particular," he amended. "Quidditch. Yeah, Quidditch."

Lena turned her head to Roger with a raised eyebrow. They smiled knowingly at each other. Neither Arti nor Adrian noticed.

"But that still doesn't solve my problem," Lena said morosely.

"Stop thinking so hard about it."

"That sounds counter-intuitive coming from a Ravenclaw."

"Trust me, don't think. Well, think of something happy, but don't think otherwise."

Lena thought of the first time she had heard her son's heartbeat.

"Expecto Patronum!" Again the silver vapour. Lena hissed in frustration. Her only consolation was that Arti hadn't managed yet either.

It took them several more attempts before the silver vapour became something more.

"Look!" Arti cried excitedly, gesturing at the indistinct shapes that appeared.

Lena grinned. "I wonder what they are."

"You'll find out soon," Roger said encouragingly.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, Lena's crane was chasing Arti's moth and Roger's hummingbird around the room. Adrian's crow joined them a bit later.

"Between my Animagus and my Patronus..." He sighed. "Why can't they be more...?"

"Masculine?" Lena suggested. "Fierce?"

"Yeah," Adrian said nodding fervently.

"I think they're perfectly lovely," Arti said.

Lena hid a smile behind her hand at Adrian's satisfied look.


"I swear, I just need to lock the two of them in a broom cupboard for a few hours."

Maya laughed. "They're like Ron and Hermione, except they don't row all the time."

"Really? They do? All the time?"

"Well, almost, but more often than not."

"I suppose I should be glad they aren't like that then."


They were studying dementors in Defense. Neither Lena nor Maya had been looking forward to that particular lesson. Of course, they were thankful not to be studying werewolves.

"At least now we both have something happy to use as memories for a Patronus."

"Yes." Maya smiled.

Lena chewed on her Sugar Quill. "If dementors feed on your happy memories and leave the bad ones, how would that be bad for Death Eaters? I mean, they enjoy torturing and killing people. So how would what the rest of us consider bad memories affect them?"

"Well..." Maya said thoughtfully after a moment. "Those memories wouldn't be something the dementors make them remember. They'd remember their failures, the humiliation, and no doubt torture they endured, they'd remember the deaths of their friends," she spat out the word as though it had a vile taste. "And the day V-Voldemort fell."

Lena nodded. "I don't suppose they could cast a Patronus, could they?"

"No. You need to be able to love to cast a Patronus and none of them love anyone but themselves, like typical Slytherins." Maya glanced at Lena but she wasn't offended. She gestured for Maya to continue. "Or more like typical pure-bloods. So they wouldn't be able to. I mean, they don't love anyone right? Even their spouses, what with their arranged marriages and the fact that they marry for duty and purity of blood and not for anything so trivial as love or affection. 'As if love has anything to do with marriage' as Mother said."

"That's so sad."

"Yes. But they don't know anything else."

"How did you?"

"Mostly from Aunt Voni and Uncle Par. And Graham and Bernie. Without them I'd be the wife of some stuck-up idiot and having his children by now." She shivered.

Lena shuddered. "That would be horrible."

They went back to writing their essays before Lena broke the silence again.

"I hope Professor Longbottom teaches us how to do the Imperius Curse when we get to studying it."

"Selena!"

"What? I only want to Imperius my Housemates to go drown themselves in the lake."

Maya burst into a fit of hysterics.


"How is it March already?" Lena asked, looking at her watch.

"What? It is?" Arti asked, looking panicked.

"Yes."

"Oh no!" Arti moaned. "How am I going to finish revising before I have to actually sit my O.W.L.s?"

Lena yawned, stretching. "While I would love to help you solve that problem I'm going to bed. You should get back to your studying."

"Fine," Arti grumbled. "Oh, great."

"What?"

"I think I've already forgotten everything I read in the last two hours."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have. In fact, I may have forgotten everything that I've ever known. Child, what be your name?"

"Study," Lena said as she staggered off to bed.


In the middle of the first week notices appeared in the common rooms, announcing that Apparition tests would occur on April twenty-second and extra practice sessions would take place in Hogsmeade. Lena was very glad that she didn't have this to add to her load.

"A month and a half and I can Apparate!" Maya said excitedly as they walked to Transfiguration the next morning. "Legally, I mean. That is if I pass my test."

"Of course you will!"

"How can I? I haven't even managed to Apparate once yet!" she cried in frustration.

"Don't worry," Lena said soothingly. "Took me weeks to learn how and you only get to practise an hour a week."

"Not that it'll really do any good until we go home. But it'll be nice to be able to do it."

"Makes visiting people much easier. Not that that's going to be a problem for you."

"True." Maya smirked. "Mother and Father would be scandalized."

"I assume that's part of why you're doing what you're doing."

Maya grinned devilishly. "Oh yes."


Lena, Roger, Maya, Arti, Anne and Lee were in the library after dinner studying when Roger suddenly looked up.

"All right, I'm ready."

"For what?" Lena asked in confusion. The others looked up curiously.

"I'm ready to find out the gender of our baby. This ambiguity is driving me mad."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Ravenclaws."

"What can I say? I like it when there's a clear answer to things."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arti demanded, jumping up. "Let's go!" she cried, grabbing Lena's hand and dragging her to the door.

The five girls plus Roger stampeded out the door as Lee followed more slowly behind them. Lena stopped a few feet outside. Arti, who was still running, nearly yanked Lena's arm out of her socket. Anne skidded to a halt behind her.

"What?" Arti demanded.

"You can't all come with me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's going to look rather suspicious if all of us ran into the hospital wing together, or even if you were all waiting outside, it'd still look odd."

"I suppose," Arti conceded, pouting.

"All right, see you in the kitchens in a few minutes."

The hospital wing had never seemed so far away.


"You're having a–

"Just one, right?" Roger asked.

Madame Pomfrey chuckled. "We'd have known for quite a while if you'd been having more than one, and I'd definitely have told you."

Roger looked relieved.

"You're having a boy," Madame Pomfrey announced.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Roger." Lena blinked back tears. "A little boy, just like you."

"You were right." He looked misty-eyed himself.

"Are you disappointed?"

"No. How could I be? Now can we please pick a name?"

Lena decided that she wasn't going to ruin their happiness by pointing out that their child's lack of a name was mostly his fault.


"Well?" Arti demanded almost before Lena and Roger had gotten into the kitchens.

"Well what?" Lena asked.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Arti asked in exasperation.

"I don't know," Lena said biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look on Arti's face.

"Lena!" Arti whined. Lena laughed.

"Come on, stop being mean," Roger said.

"Oh, fine."

"I'm glad someone likes me."

"He doesn't have to live with you." Before Arti could reply, Lena said "It's a boy."

Roger looked a bit annoyed at the ensuing shrieking, but he was grinning madly.

"I'm going to have a nephew!" Arti cried, grabbing Anne's hands. The two began an odd little dance around the kitchen, nearly knocking over several of the house-elves who let out squeaks of surprise and rushed out of the way.

"Shh! Not so loud," Lena hissed, though she was trying not to laugh.

"If Meghan Black can scream the fact that she was going to have a brother across the entire Great Hall, I can damned well let the entire kitchen know!"

"All right, all right," Lena acquiesced. "But please don't trample the house-elves."

"Oh...sorry," Arti said, blushing as she looked around at them.

The house-elves assured her in their high, squeaky voices that they were perfectly fine.

"I wonder what he'll look like," Anne mused.

"Whatever he looks like he's going to be adorable," Maya declared.

"Of course, we're all a bit biased." Lena was glad to see that Maya looked genuinely happy. She had been afraid that Maya would be jealous or resentful, but so far, her fears had been unfounded.

Maya giggled. "Just a little bit."

"This calls for a celebration," Anne declared.

Barely were the words out of her mouth, when the house-elves came bearing platters of food and drink.

"Hear, hear," the others chorused.


As the weather began to warm up, Lena and Maya began taking walks around the lake. It gave them a chance to be alone and outside which they both enjoyed.

"I love Roger and Arti but it's nice to get away from them for a while."

"I know. I love Lee...but there are days I'm not sure he loves me."

"Maya, how can you say that? Of course he does!"

"I shouldn't have to burden him with this. With me."

Tears welled up in Lena's eyes. "You aren't," Lena assured her fervently.

"I mean did he really ask me to marry him because he loved me–"

"Yes."

Maya ignored her and went on. "–or did he do it out of pity?"

Lena wanted to scream. Or cry. Or throw things. Or all of the above.

"He loves you. You should see the way his eyes light up and how happy he looks when he talks about you or to you or when you walk into a room."

Maya's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.


"She thinks he doesn't love her. I know he does. But she won''t believe him, or me. And it makes me want to cry. Merlin, she's so miserable..."

Arti hugged her. "I know you want to help, but I'm not sure there's anything we can do."

"I know." Lena sighed. "I hope someday they'll both be happy. They deserve it."


Roger met her outside the Transfiguration classroom looking terribly excited. He grabbed her around the waist, and twirled her around, grinning.

"Roger what–?"

"Zachary," he said quietly without preamble before Lena could ask him anything.

"What?" Lena stared at him in confusion, still slightly dazed.

"I think we should call him Zachary."

"I like that. That's a perfect name."


"Why Zachary?" Arti demanded patiently in the common room later that evening.

"Because we like it."

"But why? Every time I hear my nephew's name I'm going to think of Zacharias Smith."

Lena chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't think of that. Though I think this one's going to be much cuter than the other one."

"That's very true. And hopefully a lot less annoying."


"I did it! I did it!" Maya cried excitedly.

"Did what?"

"I Apparated!"

"Congratulations! And I assume you didn't Splinch yourself."

"No! I'm all in one piece." She grinned. "McLaggen did though."

"Good. Most of my Housemates haven't managed even that from what I understand. Too bad they can't make you repeat a year if you don't pass your Apparition test."

"You'd do anything to get rid of them wouldn't you?"

"Just about. Thank Merlin he's not in the DA. Vane is bad enough." Maya giggled. "See? I told you you could do it. You'll pass your test with flying colours."

"Even if I don't, Lee can Side-Along now. But it will be nice not to need to rely on him just to go somewhere."


Arti and Lena were sitting on Arti's bed. Rather, Arti was sitting against one of the bedposts and Lena was lying on it, her hands on her stomach.

"He should kick in a few weeks."

"Really?" Arti asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"He's probably already kicking but I just don't feel it yet."

"You know, most of the time I forget you're pregnant."

"Lucky you," Lena said dryly. She smiled ruefully. "Though to be honest, so do I, since I don't look pregnant yet really, and I spend most of my energy trying to make sure no one finds out. That is until I start having cramps or feeling nauseous or whatever else. I wish I could be happy about this, but... Not that I'm not, but it's more complicated than I ever thought it would be." She sighed heavily.

"Do you regret it?" Arti asked quietly.

Lena was silent for a moment, chewing her lip. "Sometimes," she said slowly. "More for his sake than mine – ours. He'll be born to parents who are barely adults, into a world at war, in which said parents will be heavily involved...it's a horrible thing to do to a child. What if we don't survive?"

"Don't say that!"

"Why not? It's an entirely reasonable possibility that either or both of us could die. Then what have done but bring a child into this world but to abandon him."

"You wouldn't be abandoning him," Arti said fiercely. "If you died, if, not when, because you won't. I won't let you." Lena smiled at her sister's tenacious protectiveness.

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," Lena said quietly.

"So do I," said Arti gravely, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."


The sixth-years were walking to the greenhouses for Herbology, glad to not have to walk through snow, or too many large puddles anymore.

"Maya?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any plans for the Easter holidays?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, with N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s coming up, I'm assuming Lee, Roger, Adrian and Arti will want to stay here and I think I'd like to go home, so I was wondering if you were going home and if you wanted to get together over the holidays."

Maya smiled. "I'd like that. It would be nice to get away for a while." Then she frowned. "But what about...?"

"You could get some of that potion, couldn't you?"

"Yes..."

"Then I don't see a problem." Maya nodded, though she seemed unconvinced. "But if you want you could come back here that night if you want."

"I think I'd like that better to be honest," she said apologetically. "It's all still so new..."

"That's all right, Whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me."


"Father's going to be disappointed that you're bringing Maya home."

Lena looked at Arti in surprise. "Oh? Why?"

"Not because it's Maya. But it's yet another woman."

Lena laughed. "He should be happy that I'm dating and you will be soon so there'll be more men in the house. Not to mention my son."

Arti nodded. "He should."


"Are you sure you're human?" Lena asked Roger after a particularly grueling DA meeting. "I mean, I'm barely able to handle my classwork, the DA and Potions Club, and here you are, a prefect, Quidditch Captain in the DA, not to mention that it's N.E.W.T. year too. Yet you still manage to help me with my homework. How do you do it?"

Roger shrugged. "Talent? Joking aside, of course I'm going to help you. You're pregnant. You've got enough to deal with. The least I can do is help make things easier."

"Of course the part you like the best is that my chest is bigger," Lena said with a smirk.

"I'd be lying if I said no, and you'd hit me if I said yes."

"At least you're honest. And frankly, it's nice to feel appreciated at a time when I'm gaining weight every minute and any little thing makes me want to cry, which thankfully has yet to happen in class. At least my morning sickness is gone. So if my chest getting bigger is a way to keep me attractive to you, when I'm feeling like a beached whale, I'll take it."

"How can you say that? No matter what, you are beautiful and I love you."


"I know your birthday is coming up," Lena said to Roger as they walked back from the library late one evening during the last week of February.

"You don't need to get me anything. Having the baby and going through all this with you is enough."

Why did he always say things that made her want to cry. She hoped it was just being pregnant and that this was not a permanent state. "I'll have the baby five months after your birthday, that's a bit late. I have a present for you. Or rather, I will, but you'll have to wait until I come back after the Easter holidays."

"Oh? Does that mean I won't get anything before then?" he asked, pouting.

"Greedy little...I never said that..."


"Kill me, please," Adrian begged at dinner. He had just come in from Quidditch practise and was still in his mud-spattered robes.

Arti gazed at him and muttered under her breath

I will never be satisfied

Till I behold him – dead.

Lena nearly choked on her pumpkin juice, spraying it across the table onto Pansy Parkinson's roast beef. Parkinson glared at her, letting out an exclamation of disgust which she ignored. Adrian gazed at her quizzically while Arti giggled.

Arti patted her on the back as she turned to Adrian and asked "What's wrong?"

"'What's wrong?'? 'What's wrong?'? I've never had so much homework in my life! And on top of Quidditch and the DA...I have no idea how I'm going to get it all done."

"You'll get it done, don't worry."

"I hope so. Or else I'll have to do this year over again like Montague because I won't pass my exams."

Arti did not look terribly disappointed at the prospect.


The March Hogsmeade weekend was on the third Saturday. Knowing that Maya's birthday would fall during the Easter holidays, Lena wanted Maya to have something to enjoy so she discussed her idea with Lee and they decided to organise an early birthday party for her at the Three Broomsticks.

"How come you've never thrown me a party?" Arti demanded.

"Yeah," Roger and Adrian said both turning to her with mock-accusatory expressions.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Adrian, your birthday's not during school. And what about presents?"

"That doesn't count," Arti pouted.

"Oh hush. Besides, it gives me something to do while you all are revising for your exams. You are, aren't you?" she asked, giving Arti and Adrian pointed looks.

"Yes, of course," they replied hastily, in tones that didn't fool Roger and Lena.

The DA of course wanted any excuse to party so it hadn't been too difficult to gather a sizable group together. Graham and Natalie were only second years, but Lena didn't see any reason why they couldn't come as well.

"How?" Arti asked.

"The same way Roger and I snuck into Hogsmeade for my birthday."

"You're encouraging then to break rules?" Lee asked in mock-horror.

Lena stuck her tongue out at him. "Hypocrite."

"Guilty as charged," he replied with a grin.

"You still haven't told me where that is. I'll come with you and you can show me."

The three Slytherins and Gryffindor made it to the Three Broomsticks without incident to find everyone save Maya and Lee waiting. The pair arrived a few minutes later.

"What? How?" Maya asked staring at them in surprise as everyone shouted happy birthday to her.

"It was mostly Lee and Selena's idea," Katie yelled over the noise.

"For me?"

"Yes, all for you," Lena said, trying not to sound sarcastic. "Unless you have an evil twin who's been masquerading as you for six years."

Maya laughed as Lee guided her to an empty chair and sat down beside her.

Lena ordered a cherry syrup and soda while almost everyone else ordered a butterbeer or in some cases, something a little stronger.

"I feel bad that we're–"

"Don't," Lena said, waving off Maya's concern. "You're supposed to be enjoying this, not worrying about me. But I do get an extra slice of cake."

"Deal."

Several hours later, everyone was filled to the gills with food and sweets. Lena later wondered vaguely how any of them managed to get back to the castle of their own volition.


"I don't think I've ever been this reluctant to leave Hogwarts," Maya said as she and Lena boarded the Hogwarts Express. Only a quarter or so of the students were going home as the fifth- and seventh-years were staying to revise for the N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s.

"Me neither," Lena agreed. "Though it'll be nice to not have my sister at home."

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to have siblings."

"Most of the time they're your best friend but there are quite a few occasions when you want to rip their head off. Of course, that goes both ways."

Maya giggled. "I hope things work out when Lee and I move into the twins' shop."

"I'm sure it will. At least there'll never be a dull moment."

"That is definitely true."


Lena collapsed onto her bed before undoing the Concealing Charm. Maya settled herself at the foot of the bed.

"It's good to be home."

"Yes it is," Maya agreed.

"No DA, no classes, no exams... Though so far it hasn't been as bad as it could have been. Roger's been a great help. And Arti and Adrian too. I don't think we've gone this long without wanting to kill each other." Maya laughed. "It's true! There are times I wonder why no one's noticed I'm pregnant. And then I remember that I'm Concealing. And then there are other times I panic because I think I've forgotten to Conceal."

"That would be bad."

"I dunno. Sometimes I think to hell with it, it'd be less stressful that way." She sighed with content. "This is going to be lovely. I don't have morning sickness anymore and my mood swings aren't as bad. And I won't feel guilty about going to bed at eight. And no parties, for once. I love that most about the Easter holidays."

"Me too."

"Not that you'd be going to any of them now in any case." Maya nodded smiling broadly. "I'll have to see if Mother and Father will let me skip them now that I'm of age. Although I suppose with the baby I wouldn't go anyway." Lena grinned. "I'm starting to really like being pregnant."

Maya laughed. "Are you sure you didn't get pregnant on purpose?" she asked, eyes sparkling mischievously. Lena threw her pillow at her.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I've been going on about me. How are you?"

"It's all right. I'm fine. I'm grateful to Professor Snape for making Wolfsbane, and Lee and you and everyone else for being so supportive and helpful. He's there with me every month and he always gives me a back rub afterwards and helps me get to sleep. I don't know what I'd do without him, and you."

Lena shook her head. "I haven't been much help. I feel selfish worrying about myself all the time."

"You pregnant. You have your and your son's needs to worry about. Just not turning your back on me is enough."

"Never."

"Besides, you always do help me," she said.

"How?" Lena asked in surprise.

"By your cheerfulness," Maya replied.

"I do?"

"Yes, you do."

"I'm glad I can do something for you." Lena squeezed Maya's hand. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"I know. Thank you. Really."


"Happy birthday!" Lena cried, bursting into Maya's room late in the morning of the twenty-fifth.

"Thank you."

"How does it feel to be of age?"

"Not any different from yesterday really."

Lena laughed. "I didn't either. It wasn't as though I wasn't using magic over the holidays before I turned seventeen."

"You know, I've been thinking about that."

"What about it?"

"Underage half-bloods and pure-bloods can use magic over the holidays because they have at least one magical parent. The Ministry will know that someone's using magic, but they won't know who, and, as there's an adult in the house, they can't do anything. It's only if the parent prevents their underage children from using magic that'd prevent the children from doing magic." Lena nodded. "But with Muggle-borns, it's different. If they use magic over the holidays, the Ministry will know."

"I never thought about that. I've always taken it for granted that I can do magic outside of school without any consequences."

Maya nodded. "I wouldn't have thought about it either except that I was talking to Graham and Natalie a few weeks ago and she was telling me that she tried some magic over the holidays during her first year to show her parents what she could do and she got a letter from the Ministry."

"That is rather unfair," Lena agreed. "Although I do see some justification, since Muggle-borns tend to live in Muggle areas and using magic would violate the Statute of Secrecy. But that would only be if they used magic in front of Muggles who didn't know they were witches and wizards, right?."

"I'm not sure. Would it still be a breach of the Statute of Secrecy if they used magic in front of their parents, who know their children are magical?"

"Why would it be? It's not as though you can hide something like magic from someone's parents or guardians who live in the same house. Muggle-borns do accidental magic too, don't they?"

"Yes, Natalie says she did. And everyone was relieved to find out about magic when she got her letter and had someone come to explain it all to them."

"Is that how they do it?"

Maya nodded. "The professors deliver the letters to Muggle-borns to explain everything. It'd be odd to them have an owl come with their letter. They wouldn't know what to do. They'd probably think it was a prank."

Lena nodded. "I suppose." She furrowed her brow. "I wonder how much of their families the Muggle-borns tell. If they told everyone that could be a lot of people, but that would be a hard thing to hide, wouldn't it? If their relatives wanted to know what they were learning at school and you can't very well tell them they're learning magic. But they wouldn't know all the things Muggle children would be learning would they?"

"Probably not."

"And for that matter, wouldn't the existence of Muggle-born children and wizards and witches marrying Muggles be breaking the Statute of Secrecy?"

"I suppose. But without marrying Muggles we'd have died out, especially if the proper pure-bloods refuse to marry blood-traitors. And marrying Muggles keeps us from having more inbreeding."

"I suppose. Still..."

But before she could continue, Maya got up abruptly. "It's my birthday. Can we please stop philosophizing?"

"You started it."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!"


"Can I open my eyes yet?" Maya asked for the umpteenth time.

"No," Lena said, laughing. "I'll tell you when. We're almost there." After a few minutes, they stopped. Lena released Maya's hand, stepping back. "Now you can open them."

Maya gasped at the sight that greeted her eyes. Before him was a full picnic laid out under the apple tree. Lee was leaning against the tree, a huge smile on his face. Lena watched grinning as she ran into his arms and he spun her around, both laughing.

"How?" Maya asked when she could speak. "Did you come home for the holidays?"

Lee shook his head. "I got special permission to leave today."

Maya twisted in his grasp to face Lena. "Did you know?" she demanded.

"Not until yesterday morning."

Maya looked satisfied and turned back to Lee. "What about your exams?"

Lee chuckled as Lena shook her head in exasperation.

He shrugged. "I'll still have time to revise. Besides, if I'm going to work at the shop with Fred and George, there's no reason I'll need Outstandings or anything. Not that I'm not going to take them seriously," he added at Maya's quelling glance. "Is this really the time to be discussing my academic future? Isn't there something more important to talk about?"

Lena turned away and walked back toward the house, leaving the two alone and feeling, for some strange reason, a stab of jealousy at the pair.

When Maya returned later that evening, her expression said it all. Lena did not need to see the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand to know what had happened.

"He said he wanted to make it official," Maya explained.

"It's about time!"

"I quite agree."


Maya returned to Hogwarts for the full moon, leaving Lena alone with her parents for the first time in a very long time.

"Nice to have you to ourselves," Father said as they relaxed in the sitting room after dinner. "We won't have to deal with you and your sister both trying to talk at once." Lena and Mother laughed. "Your letters aren't very informative."

"Well, I can't exactly tell you everything. I still can't really."

"Oh?"

"We've got a Tongue-Tying Jinx on us so we won't be able to tell others exactly what we're doing," Lena explained.

"Oh." Father looked a bit unsettled. "But can you tell us something about what you've been doing the last three months?"

"Yes. I can show you. I'll be right back." She started to get up. "Maybe not. Accio Potion Piece!" It came flying down the stairs across the room and into her outstretched hand. She handed it to her father who stared curiously at it, turning it in his hand. "It's based on a Muggle water gun," Lena explained. "It's like a wand that shoots water out of it."

"Like Aguamenti?"

"Yes. Muggle children play with it. You pull the little – no, don't touch it!"

He dropped the potion piece in surprise. It slid across the floor to Lena's feet. She picked it up. "Sorry. It's just, this isn't something to play with. Or use lightly. As Neville Longbottom said to us, 'This is not a toy'," she said gazing at her father with a slight frown. "We've modified them with extra chambers for various potions to use against the Death Eaters. Don't worry, we're not looking to kill them. We'll let others handle that. We're just looking to incapacitate them."

Her parents looked relieved.

"How have you been involved in all this?" Mother asked.

"Blaise and I are in the artillery. We were part of the group that researched what potions to use," Lena said proudly. "Some of them took quite a while and lots of experimenting before we got them right. But I think we have the basic idea now, though things might change at some point."

Father nodded. "What about the others?"

"Arti and Maya are skirmishers. They're apparently so good that they can look bad, which is what they're supposed to do. I'm not sure how that works, exactly but..." She shrugged. "Adrian and Roger are in the Flying Squad. Colleen, Elayne and Matt are medics, which is made up mostly of the younger students...I think that's everyone."

"Speaking of Maya, she's coming back tomorrow?"

"I think so."

"What does the Flying Squad do?"

"They're to quote Harry, 'the ones everybody expects to save the day' They're going to be popping in and out of the battle. As are the medics, who won't actually be fighting."

"How? Those you've named as medics are much too young to be Apparating."

Lena smiled. "That I can't tell you. Suffice it to say we've figured out a way to do it."

"And you thought this up all on your own?"

"That Harry and his friends devised. Other things each of the different groups thought up, though we did come up with a few ideas together."

"That is remarkable," Mother said. Lena half-expected her to start taking notes.

"It certainly is," Father agreed.

"And you've been all right through all of this?" Mother asked, looking at her with concern. "You haven't been overtiring yourself?"

Lena shook her head. "I told Harry and his friends about the baby so they're making sure I'm not doing too much. And so is Roger," she added ruefully. "No one else knows yet, though I wish I could tell them, I'm going mad making sure I'm Concealing myself all the time."

"It's up to you if you want to tell people."

"Part of me wants to, but I know it's not a good idea. But it would make things so much easier if I wasn't so jumpy all the time. This can't be good for the baby."

"Probably not. But it might be worse if you had to deal with your schoolmates knowing."

Lena nodded. "I thought so too. Though we took care of most of the people who were part of the problem," she said with a grin.

"Do I want to know?" Father asked.

"Probably not."

"All right, then don't tell me."


"I'm almost sorry to go back," Maya said.

"Oh, make up your mind, will you?" Lena asked in mock-exasperation. "First you don't want to leave and now you don't want to go back. Which is it?" Maya laughed. Lena smiled. "I know what you mean. Part of me doesn't either. Though it will be nice to see everyone again."

"It will."

"Going back in September is going to be completely different with Roger, Adrian and Lee gone. And then it'll just be Arti, Graham and Natalie the year after that."

Maya nodded. "At least the younger students will be safer for a little while longer."

"I hope so."


"You've hardly gotten any bigger over the last five months and you come back from the Easter holidays and you're fat."

"Well, hello to you too," Lena said with forced patience. "Maybe I should have stayed home if this is the welcome I get."

"Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"I know." Lena chuckled. "Ollie said the same thing when he saw me. Of course he hasn't seen me really since I got pregnant so he was understandably surprised. It was adorable how excited he got when he found out he's going to have another cousin."

"How is everyone in that branch of the family?"

"Very well. They missed you, especially the children."

"I'm glad I wasn't forgotten."

"Selfish aren't you?"

"I'm a Slytherin, of course I am."

"They're all happy that they'll see more of us when we're done with school. The adults are of course trying to keep the children from realising there's a war."

"What about our Muggle relatives? Do they know?"

"I'm not sure if they've been told. It'd be hard to explain I suppose."

"It would."

Lena looked down, running a hand over her stomach. "He should kick soon."

"Really?" Arti squealed. "When?"

"He probably already is now, I just don't feel it. But I will within the next couple of weeks. And he's already sucking his thumb too."

"This is so exciting!"


Roger unwrapped the package and stared at the contents for a moment.

"They're pictures of the baby," Lena explained.

"What? How?"

"Aunt Áine brought me to a Muggle Healer over the holidays. She somehow managed to find a Muggleborn witch which was nice since I had no idea what they were going to do and I didn't need to hide the fact. It's called an...oh I don't remember what it's called. But Muggles have a way – don't ask me how I don't understand it – of seeing the baby from outside."

"Did it hurt?"

Lena shook her head. "No, not at all. It was cold and tickled though." She took one of the sheets from him, setting the rest on the table and put it up against the window. Light filtered through it, making fuzzy white shapes visible against the black background. She took his hand. "See?" she said tracing his finger along one of the lines. "That's the head, the nose, the mouth, the neck and an ear..." she said tracing his finger along the outline as she spoke. "And this," she set down the first sheet and picked up another, "shows that the baby has all ten fingers and toes." She set down the second and picked up the third. "And this last one has most of him. See, the spine and his head and most of his leg."

"Mm-hm."

"I've been thinking that wizards should have something like this. It's nice to have something physical to look at–"

"Lena?"

"Hm?"

"Don't ruin the moment."

"I was–"

She dropped the sonogram as Roger made it impossible for her to continue speaking.


Lena shuffled sleepily into the common room around two on Monday morning, to find many of the other fifth- and seventh-years still awake. Arti and Blaise were sitting at a table in the corner covered with books.

"What are you doing up?" Arti asked in surprise.

"Can't sleep," Lena said, pulling up a chair. "First I'm tired by eight. Now I can't sleep. Can't I please make up my mind? I have Muggle Studies t-in a few hours."

"As long as you're awake, can you help me with my homework?" Arti asked, her eyes wide and pleading.

Lena groaned, burying her head in her arms on the table.


"Where's Vane?" Lena asked Blaise after their DA meeting that night. She was exhausted and ready to go to sleep. "I didn't see her in the artillery today."

"You didn't hear?" Arti asked in surprise before Blaise could respond.

"I haven't been here," Lena pointed out.

"Oh right."

"Nice to know I was missed." Arti stuck her tongue out at her. "What happened?"

"She decided used the Love Potion the artillery uses in an unintended way, despite the fact that Harry told us that they were short-term for that very reason," Blaise explained.

"On whom?"

"As if you need to guess," Arti said scornfully. "She's been eying Harry all year."

"No!" Lena stared at the younger two, wide-eyed.

"Yes. Well, she tried."

"Is she mad? Harry and Ginny're engaged! Or as good as. What do you mean 'tried'?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I think she was trying to use the Love Potion on Harry, except that Nigel got in the way."

"Who's Nigel?"

"Nigel Wespurt. Little Gryffindor boy that looks like a Weasley and acts like a Creevey."

"Ah. And she got caught?"

"Of course she did or she'd still be here because they wouldn't have known it was her."

"Gryffindors. They have no stealth."

Arti giggled. "Don't let Harry hear you say that."

"I won't. I assume they've asked her to leave. Or did she leave of her own accord?"

"I have no doubt they kicked her out. She's not the type of person to see that what she did was wrong."

"That's true. Good. One less annoying person to work with. Thank Merlin she isn't in my year. Now if we could just get rid of McLaggen and the majority of my House, I'll be very happy."

"I couldn't agree more," Arti said emphatically.