Don't own anything except OC's.

Chapter 21. Naught boys books, new friends and Natalia McLaggen

"So you wrote every single one down?" I asked in awe as I flicked another page of Carly's notebook.

She giggled. "Yep. Well, maybe not every one, but the ones I know about. I'm sure they've kept things from me in the past few years."

"We haven't kept anything from you, Carl," Derrick piped in. "We wouldn't dare."

"Especially with Ethan around," Freddie muttered. "He can't keep secrets to save his damn life."

Ethan looked offended. "Hey, I kept the on about you accidentally hitting on a man in—oh, shit."

Freddie whacked his head repeatedly off the table as every set of eyes turned to him.

"Freddie," Rose leaned forward seriously. "Do you have something to tell us?"

He looked up and glared, his forehead slightly red. "Shut up, Rose. It was an accident."

"Are you sure?"

"He looked like a girl from the back," he cried. "I swear."

"He did," James agreed. "I was there. He had really nice hair."

This time he got the weird looks.

I decided to stop the conversation there and handed Carly back her 'naughty boys' notebook. We had arrived at Hogwarts a week ago. Our first night back we had devoured our welcome back meals and then went straight to bed. I had forgotten how much I loved dorm room at Hogwarts and fell asleep straight away, the fullness of my stomach and my aching eyes giving me the best nights sleep I'd had in months. However, the next day I had lessons again, so my good mood quickly disappeared, but didn't it always? I had asked Carly about her notebook this-morning and she had given it to me the moment the words left my lips. It was actually funny to read about things the boys did at thirteen. They were even trouble makers then.

The boys weren't as bad as I thought. Sure, they were annoying and obnoxious most of the time, but they could also be caring and sweet. I would probably push them into the Black Lake to fight the giant squid after spending the day with them, but a few (broken up) hours were okay. As always, Dom and Carly were funny and kind, and it was even better now that we didn't have the awkwardness of James leaving hanging above our heads like an acid cloud.

James and I were… well, James and I. We still fought about the stupidest things (we had a massive argument about what was the best fruit the other day), we still snapped at each other and then silently made up without really trying. He was like a tattoo, sometimes you love having it, other times you hate it and just wish you could scratch it off and never see it again. I still couldn't bring myself to trust him… though I was working on it, really… kind of.

A big part of me wanted to trust him with everything and for us to be able to talk about our fears during the pregnancy, yet there was still a little nagging in the back of my mind that screamed "DON'T TRUST HIM YOU STUPID BITCH!". I hated that voice, but I couldn't stop myself from listening to it. What if he left again? Or if he just wanted interested in my thoughts and feelings and made fun of me behind my back? Even worse, what if he told people? I could barely stand my best friends knowing, never mind strangers.

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat so much fruit and vegetables before, Callie," Coco said as I popped another grape into my mouth.

"Yeah, I have to eat healthy and all that now," I muttered, disgruntled that I couldn't have my usual English breakfast with extra sausage. I glanced at Coco's bacon sandwich longingly for second. "I'm seriously hating Healer Thane for that one by the way."

James rolled his eyes, "You hate everyone, Callie."

"Not true and also very mean."

"You'd hate a puppy."

"Not even Voldemort hated puppies, James. No one hates puppies."

"Except you."

"Well, your face looks like sick."

"What? That doesn't even make sense."

"As much as I love this," Rose motioned between James and I dramatically, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're going to be late for class."

"We've got fifteen minutes," Dylan muttered through a mouth full of food. "That's loads of time."

"According to Rose, five minutes early is late," Coco shrugged, hopping to her feet. "We've gotten used to it over the years."

"More like we had to get used to it or Rose would have a heart attack," Scorp laughed as Rose attempted to hit him. "Or faint."

I took hold of my bag and flung it over my shoulder whilst shoving strawberries into my mouth.

"Are you not saying bye?" James shouted after my retreating back.

I give him the finger. There, that was my goodbye.

As I was opening my notes for Charms a picture glided across the table slightly as it fell from the paper. It was my scan picture. I had thought about burning it to hide the evidence but then realized how stupid I was being and tucked it into my pocket. It didn't come out of the pocket until the first day of school when I was about to walk down to breakfast and noticed that I didn't have it with me. It was weird but I felt sort of… lost without it near me. I tucked it into my bag for safe keeping and it hadn't left there since. I don't know why I insist on having it with me at all times, but it felt like something I needed with me. Like a lucky mascot or something.

I snatched the photo from the table and tucked it into the back of the back as I wrote in the middle pages. After Charms we went to Transfiguration in which Albus turned a chair into a lion and was chased for twenty minutes before anyone could stop laughing enough to help him. Even the teacher nearly wet himself. I was halfway to the Great Hall when I felt around my bag for my Charms notes for Al to borrow and couldn't find them.

"Shit, I must have left them in 'figuration," I cursed. "I'll go and get them."

"Want me to come with?"

"Nah, you're too hungry to be good company."

"Hurtful but true. See you in the hall, then."

I raced back to the lesson because I was so hungry the tables were starting to look appetizing. I searched for five minutes and found nothing. Panic started to set in, had I lost it?

"Looking for this?"

The voice startled me so much I whacked my knee off the table leg. The person cackled and I got up to glare at them, my stomach dropped when I saw Natalia McLaggen stood near the doorway holding my Charms notebook.

Fuck.

"I found it in my lesson," she smirked devilishly. "It's very… interesting."

"In what way? Did you find some words you didn't understand or something? I could explain what smart means if you like. It's something your not."

"Oh, hahahaha."

Nice to know my funniness is appreciated, to be honest.

"I meant the picture in the back," she snapped, ripping my scan picture from the back.

Double fuck.

She grinned at my shocked face. "Care to explain?"

"It's not mine."

"Funny. The book says Callie Denison on, and the picture says property of Miss. Calliope Denison on the back," she looked at the picture in fake interest. My heart started to pound and roar in my ears. "Are you telling me they're two different people?"

"Yes."

The sad thing is, she looked like she believed me for a second.

"Shut up, Denison," she snipped after contemplating what I said for several moments. "I know it's yours. The question is, who's the father?"

I mentally patted myself on the back for not putting 'property of Calliope Denison and James Potter, fuckknob extraordinaire who really needs to learn how to use a condom and not impregnate innocent girls' like I was going to. I wrote it on his instead and when he showed Lily last week she laughed for an hour straight until she was practically choking on the floor.

"You can shove the photo up your arse if you think I'm telling you."

I could steal James' photo and keep that one under lock and key in my dorm room. I was never going to take it out again. Merlin, why did I insist on being stupid all the damn time?

"Honestly, I couldn't give a shit who the father is," she shrugged and I believed her. She handed me the photo and notebook and I quickly shoved them both into my bag. By the look in her shining brown eyes, however, I knew this was far from over.

"What do you want?" I asked rather reluctantly.

"I've seen you're getting chummy with James and his friends lately," he lips quirked wickedly. "And I want you to help me get back together with James."

"Are you joking?"

"No. He's mine, Callie," she got in my face literally growling like a wolf. "If I can't have him no one can. And I'm guessing you don't want him, right?" she questioned, her voice turning innocent and sweet as if daring me to say I liked him.

"Right," I lied.

"Good. I knew it anyway, he wouldn't like someone like you." I took this as a compliment somehow. "He likes me, I know he does, he just needs to see that. And considering you're boning Albus on the side and I think up the duff with James' nephew, you can talk to James about getting back together with me."

I neither confirmed nor denied Albus as the father. If I confirmed it, she was sure to tell her friends about the latest Potter scandal, but if I denied it she could figure out that I was knocked up by her ex-boyfriend who, by the looks of things, she still liked. I hated to imagine what she would do to me if she found out about James and I, she'd probably beat me up with a table leg or something equally as disturbing.

"And if I refuse?" I said, mostly because I didn't want James to be with her. Not that I would be jealous or anything I just didn't want Natalia around me.

LIAR!

"Then I'll tell everyone about your problem," she eyed my stomach. "And I made a copy of your photo for proof, so you can deny it all you want but I'll get the last laugh one way or another, Denison."

I took a deep breath. She wasn't going to back down for anything more or less than James. I would offer her money, but I had none to give. I would tell Albus or Rose or even James, but that would only end in Natalia getting hurt and telling everyone about me anyway. Yet, if I did as she asked she would get back together with James and actually, you know, be around. He would be all happy and lovey-dovey with her while I sit with them looking like a beach whale. She could be my child's step-mother… that thought alone made me want to throw up.

No matter what option I chose there was no good outcome. I raked my brain for a potential loophole in the plan… there was none. I had to give up, I had to do as she asked or I was going to be bombarded not only with the Hogwarts students but the whole wizard world. The press would follow me around, fan girls would be threatening to kill me and chase me around the castle with their pitchforks and fire sticks, I would be a complete failure and everyone would see.

"I'll do it," I burst suddenly, surprising not only her but myself, too.

"Brilliant," she chirped, stepping away and winking at me. "I think we could be great friends, Denison."

I refrained from drowning myself in the Black Lake at the image that popped into my head of Natalia and I being friends. Merlin, I'd rather be pregnant with triplets—NO, no! I take that back! Shit, the Gods were going to make it triplets now, weren't they? Dickheads.

She skipped out the room and paused at the door to wave at me, her face stretched into a bright, fake smile. I waved back, dreading the day she found out I was pregnant with James' kid and not Al's. I imagine that to be the day I die.

I ditched lunch and the rest of the day to mope around in my dorm room on my bed. I played a Celestina Warbeck CD and cried along to the tune holding my teddy-bear and scan photo.

It wasn't until an hour later did I realize how pathetic I had become. There was something terribly wrong with you in the brain area if you enjoyed Celestina Warbeck CD's. That's right, pregnancy was officially making me crazier than Coco. It was a frightening thought to fall asleep to.

Thoughts?

Sorry I haven't updated for a long time but I've had exams for the past two weeks and I've been revising none-stop. School comes before my writing, unfortunately.

Thank you to anyone that reviewed, alerted and favourite, you're the best!

-Laylax