Disclaimer: We don't own it… we just wish we did.

A/N: Hooray, another chapter! And only a few months in between! Sorry about the wait, my life's been kinda hectic, what with work… and not having the internet. So without further ado, Chapter 21!

Chapter 21

Alyce took one look at the calendar that morning and instantly began freaking out. She'd had freak outs like this in the past (nobody's perfect), but, seriously… two weeks? Two weeks late. For most eighteen year olds, definitely not a good thing. But, for Alyce? The most terrifying thing imaginable… and she was Bellatrix Lestrange's pincushion for a short while.

She wasn't sure how she was going to tell Sirius, if he hadn't already noticed the lack of monthlies. She needed Lily.

"Lily!" she cried, dashing into the packed Great Hall at breakfast time, her open robes flowing behind her, doing nothing to conceal her lace nightie.

"Professor Fyre, is everything alright?" Minerva asked, standing from her seat. Alyce's sprint for the staff table slowed to a jog, a walk, before finally coming to a stop as a blush spread like wildfire across her cheeks and she realized exactly how many people were now staring at her.

"Ev… everything's fine, Headmistress," Alyce said, pulling her robes tightly around her. "No trolls in the dungeon or anything. I- I was just looking for Professor Kacufrakus."

"Perhaps next time you should take your wardrobe into account, Professor," Minerva said, emphasizing the last word.

"Yes, Headmistress," Alyce said, bowing her head before catching Lily's eye and nodding towards a chamber off of the hall. Lily nodded, and Alyce quickly disappeared through the door. Alyce cast silencing charms around the room as soon as Lily closed the door, not even looking at her until the charms were finished.

"Alyce, what's going on?" Lily asked, her face full of concern.

"I'm pregnant," Alyce said simply, studying her footwear.

"What?" Lily asked. "Are you sure? We've been through these scares before."

"I haven't done the diagnostic charms yet, but I've never been two weeks late before, and Sirius and I have been boinking like bunnies since June, and I don't know what to do." Her words all came out in a rush, her eyes still studying the intricate pattern on her slippers.

"Do you want me to go with you to Madame Pomfrey, sit with you while she checks?" Lily asked. Alyce shook her head.

"I don't want anyone else to find out until I've had a chance to speak with Sirius, hence the silencing charms," Alyce said, finally looking into the eyes of her best friend. "Could you do it?"

"You want me to run the charm for you?" Lily asked. Alyce nodded.

"You're the next best at charms after me," Alyce said. "And I'm too nervous to do it myself."

Lily pulled out her wand, muttering to herself, and waving it over Alyce's lower abdomen. A soft yellow glow began to emanate from the wand tip, and Alyce gasped, her eyes the size of saucers.

"Well, congratulations," Lily said. "Though you may want to go to Madame Pomfrey once you've talked to Sirius, have her run it again just to be sure."

"What am I gonna tell him?" Alyce asked, mostly to herself. "How am I going to tell him?"

"Hey," Lily said, pulling her into a hug. "You love him, and he loves you. You guys'll figure it out."

After a good tear-fest with Lily, Alyce went back to her and Sirius's quarters to put some real clothes. Luckily, there were no classes today, so she didn't have to worry about anything other than grading papers, which could be done later, so she headed of to her favorite spot, knowing he'd come find her eventually.

She wasn't out there alone long, but she wasn't found by who she was expecting to find her.

"Alyce?" came a voice from behind her. "You okay?"

"Hello, Draco," she said without turning to look at him, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"What makes you so certain something's wrong?" she asked.

"This is your favorite spot to come and cry," he said. "I've saw you out here a lot sixth year. I was ashamed to admit, even to myself, that I knew a few of those times you were crying over me."

"It wasn't over you, you know," Alyce said. "Well, not exactly. It was over what you'd told me you had to do. Did you ever find out that I went to Dumbledore right after you'd told me what your mission was, how you had no choice but to kill him or see your family die?"

"No," Draco said, shocked. "What happened?"

"He told me not to tell anyone, but he was dying anyway," Alyce said. "He had a failsafe in place, so that you wouldn't have to do it."

"Huh," he said, staring out into the waves of the lake. "I thought I was so clever, but he knew all along." Alyce grinned.

"You'd've had to get up pretty early to get one over on him," she said. "And I remember how you like your weekend sleep-ins." Draco smiled, nudging her with his elbow.

"So, you gonna tell me why you're sitting out here all alone?" he asked. Alyce sighed.

"I've got to tell Sirius something, and I'm not sure how he'll take it," she said.

"Is it something bad?" Draco asked.

"No, not bad," she said. "But still… incongruous. And it's something big, but I don't know if he'll be happy."

"You want some advice?" he asked. Alyce raised an eyebrow.

"Advice from my ex, who doesn't even know the whole situation? Sure," she said with a shrug.

"Just tell him," Draco said. "The man's quite obviously over the moon for you. And if it's not something bad, I'm sure he'll take it in stride."

Alyce smiled at him, pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks, Draco," she said.

"Anytime, Yank," he said, standing up to leave. "Anytime."

It wasn't even thirty seconds later that Sirius walked up to her.

"What'd Malfoy need?" he asked, plopping down next to her, picking up a few pebbles and tossing them into the lake.

"Actually, he was giving me some advice," she said.

"I shouldn't be jealous over that hug, right?"

"Draco's my past, Sirius," Alyce said. "He's a good friend now, but that's all he and I will ever be. You're my future."

"So what is it he thinks I'll take in stride?" Sirius asked, dropping the rest of the pebbles and turning to her.

"I'm pregnant, Sirius," Alyce said, staring at her knees. "We've got nine months to grow up and become responsible adults to take care of the precious thing that's currently growing inside of me.

Sirius?" she asked, finally looking over at him. His eyes were glazed over, his shock written all over his face.

"But… what… how… huh?" Single syllables seemed to be the only things capable of passing his lips.

"We've been going at it at least three times a day since June," she said. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Are you… are you sure?" he asked.

"I had Lily perform the charm," Alyce said. "I want to go to Poppy, but I wanted to tell you first. But, yeah, I'm pretty sure." Sirius shook his head slowly, as if waterlogged, and stood, offering her a hand.

"Then let's go be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt," he said, not releasing her hand until they were back in their quarters an hour later, a confirmation from Poppy foremost in their minds as they made love.