Disclaimer: I'm pretty positive we are not the owners of this stuff. I'd never complete a book if that was the case.
Baby Blue's Author's Note: So, what's going on guys? (dodges the projectiles sent her way) Yeah, I'm a pretty terrible person I understand that. It's been quite a while, has it not? Anyways, I'm sorry and I will definitely try not to let it happen again. Kudos to Amulet Girl for helping me through this and making me write!
So review and let us know what you think please! We'll keep you updated if you leave a signed review and need a question answered or anything. Thanks!
"Reconcile Me"
Alexa's Point of View
Victory was sweet. The phrase had never been more correctly used as I walked around the library Wednesday afternoon. I had been waiting for the last few classes of the day to finish up while I sat in the Common Room during my free period. James had been moping about something or another regarding Quidditch; and having been with the boy all day, I decided that I needed a break. So I had strolled on down to the library.
It was mostly deserted as I walked through the doors. Giving a short nod to Madame Pince, I went to the far back corner of the room near the Restricted Section. Earlier in Defense against the Dark Arts, we had been uselessly taking notes when I came up with the idea. So I asked around, casually of course, and found out the spell that I would need to enter the section of the library that was largely off limits.
Making sure no one was around; I pulled out my wand before tapping the top window pane of the door to the forbidden room. Who was I to know that you actually had to be a prefect to get in this part of the library? It's not like I spent a lot of time in here. That's probably why my grades weren't the best, but I chose to bullshit my way through papers or just have someone fetch the book for me. It's also probably why I get weird looks from Madame Pince every time I come in here.
Anyways, so I tapped the top pane and whispered, "Dissendium." The pane basically leapt aside, and while the pane waited patiently on the inside, I snaked my hand through the space and twisted the doorknob from the other side. When the door creaked open very loudly as if to announce my arrival, I flinched with my hand caught on the other side. After I was positive no one was going to come ninja me from the shadows, I pulled my hand back through and slipped inside.
The pane of the window jumped back into place, sealing me away from the outside world. After the door was firmly shut, I looked around the area slowly. A certain chill had entered the area but I shook it off as I made my way down the aisles of books. What I was looking for was a particular section, titled Human Anatomy. It promised to have all things good in the section of babies, baby making, and how to tell if you're pregnant. Besides, all the other books we had looked at before had only served to discuss the baby, not the mother. And as much as I wanted it to happen, Lyla did not want to have a Cyclops baby.
Taking another look behind me, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. As I was rounding a corner, however, I ran straight into something cold, wet, and feeling of death. "Fucking crap," I yelled out as I stepped back from the ghost I had just run through. Pulling a hand through my hair, I tried to rid myself of the ghostly remnants while looking up at the ethereal being.
It was just now starting to reform, and from what I could tell it was the Bloody Baron. "What the hell, Baron? Why are you in the freaking library?" I asked in an annoyed voice while looking around the shelves to make sure no one had heard me and was lurking around. "And why are you following me?"
Peering down at me, the Baron raised a ghostly eyebrow. Great. Now he was mocking me because he could raise an eyebrow like I had always wanted to do. Bloody ghost; literally and figuratively, I guess. "I seem to have lost my horse and figured that the library shelves would be a wonderful spot to ambush him should he coming running by here. The better question is what are you doing in this section whilst you are not a prefect nor do you carry a permission note?"
"I am not having this conversation with a ghost. Just mind your own business. Please, just try to stay out of my way before I get anymore of your ghostly guts in my hair." Shivering, I edged past the ghost and down a few more shelves. He was, however, keeping time with me as he floated above my head and the shelves. He would clearly be able to be seen up there and I winced when thinking what Madame Pince would do if she found me in the beloved Restricted section. "Could you at least get down from there? You're going to give away my position."
Regarding me coolly, the ghost fluttered to the ground before floating backwards in front of me. "Students these days have no regards to respecting the dead. Who is your Head of House, young mistress? I would like to report the misconduct of a student!" He raised his voice with an evil smile. There was movement from somewhere inside the library causing me to dive behind a shelf in order to hide myself.
"What do you want?" I asked while peeking out from behind the over that the shelf provided. No one was in the brightly lit room of the restricted section, and from what I could tell; there were no shadows around either. "Is must be gossip; you ghosts are more catty than the girls in fifth year."
He seemed to take pride in this accusation and he rose up a few feet in the air. "I would in fact like to know what was going on between Hogwarts' newest professional and the sixth year Lyla Parker." I let my head hit the back of the shelf of books. Did everyone in the whole bloody castle have nothing better to talk about?
"Nothing is happening between them, Baron. I know this for a fact; because she is my sister so just float on if that's all you wanted." I snapped at him. He looked offended before peering closely at me.
"You're Alexa Parker? What, my dear, may I ask are you doing in the library? There were tales of your being deathly allergic to school work." He laughed loudly in a strange cackle that was answered by some type of whine from a few shelves over. "My beloved steed!" The shout was all I heard before he disappeared through a shelf.
I was still pouting as I came upon the shelf I wanted. "Even the ghosts think I'm a bad student." I muttered while I climbed onto a ladder that was hooked onto the top of the shelf. "B is for baby; P is for pregnancy. " I continued to argue with myself. Sliding down to the P's, I grabbed the first two books I could find on pregnancy. Then I slid back to the B's and got a few more.
Gathering the books in my arms, I hopped down from the ladder and made my way quickly from the deep catacombs of the library. The door was unlocked as I went through it, and I made a mental note to make sure I locked it back next time I came in here. Not that I would need books from the restricted section anytime soon. I nodded to a few people as I tried to be inconspicuous while I made my way to Madame Pince's desk.
Slamming the books down on accident, Madame Pince looked up when she heard the loud noise. Once again, she looked surprised to see me. "Miss Parker." She said in a clipped tone when she noticed the books I had laid out were in a haphazard condition.
"Is it such a rarity that I would be in the library by myself? Perhaps I needed something."
"Well, of course. What can I do for you?" The older woman asked through raised eyebrows. Frowning, I motioned to the books lying before her.
"I'd like to check these books out for studious purposes." I stated. She looked at me as if I was kidding her, and then began to check the book titles. Her eyebrows rose even higher on her forehead before she frowned deeply. The lines on her forehead began to crease deeper and deeper as she continued to read.
"May I inquire as to what you need these books for? I haven't had a student check these out in almost ten years." My own eyes widened as I looked at the dusty books. Shit; what kind of magic had I checked into? Was it forbidden to learn a pregnancy spell? Shaking my head to rid myself of the stupid thoughts running through my head, I searched my lies diligently to see what I could use.
I smiled to reassure her while gesturing around grandly. "Well, I am doing this project in Muggle studies about the way Muggles learn about science in school." I lied soundly. Hell, I didn't even take Muggle studies. "In the section we're doing now, we're learning about human anatomy and the fact that our bodies go through vast changes when they grow during pregnancy. Did you know that some of your organs shrink to half their size due to the baby's head pushing everything out of the way? It's like they're swimming around inside of you."
My smile grew even wider, and probably even creepier, while Madame Pince looked ready to expel her last meal. "Yes, well, that's simply fascinating. Have the books back by Monday, alright dear?" She said while handing me the moldy books and waving her wand over her ledger. Just to test the old woman, I stuck around for a moment.
"Are you sure you don't want to hear about the wonders of baby tails and Cyclops babies?" I asked in an overtly excited voice. If possible, her pale complexion became even pastier. "Well, okay! See you later, Madame Pince." I blurted out before I burst into laughter and skipped out of the library. She couldn't even compose herself enough to yell at me for running out of the library or yelling.
Like I had told myself before; victory was sweet. That was, however, until I ran into someone for the second time today. Unlike the first time, which had only happened a few minutes ago, I reminded myself, this body was definitely still alive. As my books scattered all over the floor, I brushed my bangs out of my eyes to see someone bend over to help me.
"You gypsy," I said when I recognized the gray eyes staring back at me with silent mirth. Holding my books in his hands, Sirius stood in front of me with his patented 'I'm super awesome' smirk plastered on his face. "Is it your goal to continuously bash me to the floor? Can you not wait to get this," I gestured to my body, "That you have to mow me down in corridors?"
Laughing, he extended a hand to help me off the floor. I gladly accepted and when he pulled me up, I held onto his hand as we walked. "I was actually looking for you when you came and mowed me down. And I believe you're the one who can't keep their hands off me." He smirked again, the dimples in his cheeks being revealed.
"Sure, sure. That's what you always say. How'd you know where to find me anyways?" I questioned as we turned another corner. The Bloody Baron was up ahead on his 'trusted steed,' and he tipped his hat at me gallantly as he watched us walk by. "Bloody ghost," I muttered, eliciting another bark-like laugh from Sirius.
"Well, class ended and I was making my way to the Common Room when James jumped out from the shadows at me. He's been freaking out about the upcoming match against Hufflepuff lately, even though it's like two weeks away, so I was kind of expecting him. But I digress; he told me if I was looking for you, resistance was futile. And then he mentioned the library and basically mauled Marlene as she walked into the Common Room."
I nodded my head. "He has been a bit sketchy lately. Probably because he should be able to play again soon and he doesn't want to kick my sweet skill off the team." I shrugged with a smirk.
"That's it exactly, Alex. How did you know?" Sirius asked in a semi-sarcastic way. Elbowing him in the stomach, I broke free from his side and walked in front of him. "You know you're just jealous. And what exactly were you doing in the library anyways? Checking out books seems a bit crazy even for you."
Remembering the books, I turned quickly and tried to snatch them from his hands. He was too quick, though, and held them above his head as I stood in front of him. About a foot too short; even if I jumped it was pointless.
Smiling serenely, I fluttered my eyelashes at him cursing the fact that I hadn't put on make-up today. Mascara was always an effective method on stubborn boys. "Bestest boyfriend in the whole-wide world, could I please have my lovely little library books back?" He seemed to think about it for a moment before smiling back at me.
"I don't think I'm in the mood to fall for your charm today." He said in the same sickly sweet voice. I stopped my fluttering, probably looking like I was going to have a seizure more than cute, and pouted. He groaned before closing his eyes. "The pout isn't going to work either."
It was time to pull out my final weapon. If this didn't work, Sirius was going to see the book titles and I was going to be screwed. Grabbing his belt buckle, I pulled myself up to his face. "Sirius," I asked him and he cleared his throat. "May I please have my books back?" Lowering his hands, I took the heavy books after placing a quick kiss on his lips.
"And you called me the gypsy." He said while pulling me in for another kiss. This one much longer and much more mind-blowing than the first. After a minute, we were separated as someone cleared their throat from behind Sirius.
I looked around Sirius, who was muttering about never being alone, to see Lyla and Blair standing outside the entrance to the Common Room. "If it's all the same to you, we'd like to be able to enter and leave without having to see you two exchange tongues." Smiling sheepishly, I pulled out of Sirius's hold and then dragged Blair and Lyla with me.
"Just the people I wanted to see." I said while Sirius yelled that he wasn't finished yet. Holding the books out in my hand, I looked victoriously between my two friends. Both of their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and suddenly I felt as if I had done something wrong. "Guys? Everything alright?"
Lyla looked around frantically, while dragging us away from the Common Room entrance. "Alexa, I can't believe you had the nerve to check those books out! What if someone saw you? What if they begin to ask questions? What if," She went to continue but I held up a hand to stop her,
"Lyla, stop fronting. No one saw, and the only one that could have would have been the Bloody Baron, Madame Pince, the Bloody Baron's horse, and Sirius." I rolled my eyes like it was no big deal while her eyes got even bigger.
"Madame Pince?!" Lyla screamed.
"You showed Sirius?!" Blair yelled out next.
"Damn girl." I said while rubbing my ear drums. "Listen, Sirius picked the books up off the floor but didn't see the titles. Madame Pince had to know because she was in the freaking library and you kind of have to check the books out. Seeing as it's her job she had to mark them down. Plus, I made up some sweet lie about how I would be using it for Muggle studies and by the time I was finished she didn't want to hear anything else."
Feeling proud of myself, Lyla put a hole in my pride again. "You don't even take Muggle studies." She annunciated each word, acting as if I didn't comprehend what classes I did and did not take.
"I know that, idiot. But Madame Pince doesn't." Blair shrugged as if to say, 'what can you do,' but Lyla didn't look convinced. "No one is any wiser on this situation than we are, okay? So stop worrying. We're golden."
"Yes, well we won't be for long if we don't get out of the corridor." Blair muttered and we all looked around the empty space. Frowning, she took off for the seventh floor of the castle leaving Lyla and I to follow in her wake. When we made it to the wall where the Room of Requirements would be, Lyla took charge and began to pace back and forth before the wall.
Finally, a door appeared and the three of us stepped through it. "Lyla, really?" I asked as I looked around the room. It had three chairs around a table, a fire, and no windows. It was about as dark as her mood at the current time.
"Would you rather I just turn it into a bedroom for you and Sirius after we're done?" She snapped and I was a bit taken aback. She never yelled at me like that. Lyla always had her temper under control. I could feel my own temper rising in response to the shock of her yelling at me.
"I'm sorry that you might be pregnant and that Remus is pissed at you, but my business is my business. Just because Sirius and I are responsible," I started off. Soon, however, Lyla had cut me off with a laugh.
"Sirius? You? Responsible? I beg to differ." She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip into her mom stance while looking at me with challenge in her eyes. I opened my mouth to retort, but Blair stepped between the two of us.
"We don't need you two fighting over stupid things right now. There are more important things than sibling squabbles. Or did we all just conveniently forget that there may be a baby inside Lyla and we have no idea how to find out?"
I took my seat at the table, pulling out a chair roughly and then falling into the cushion. Blair took the seat across from me, while Lyla stood facing the door as if she wanted to bolt. When she turned around to look at us, her face was composed and she sat down at the table while pulling a book towards her. Blair and I followed her lead by taking the other two remaining books and beginning to leaf through them.
Recognizing that I had gotten stuck with one of the baby books, I began to peruse for pictures of pregnant women. I couldn't help my wince as I thought of my stomach becoming that bulbous. Sneaking a glance at Lyla, it was easy to see that her stomach was just as flat as ever. Trying to imagine her stomach like that, I looked down to see what month of gestation the picture from. My eyes bulged out of my head while I read the caption.
During the second trimester, the baby begins to develop facial features and response to outside stimuli. Woman at left (top) is six months along.
"What is it?" I turned my attention back to Blair who was looking at me from over the top of her book. I slapped the cover closed quickly so the picture would be buried. No one, including Lyla, needed to see the possibilities of what she could become at six months pregnant.
Shaking my head, I smiled falsely which I'm sure they caught. "Nothing; there's really nothing relevant to the spell in this book. Do either of you have the second book on pregnancy?" I asked while Lyla dropped her book and sighed.
"This is pointless. I doubt I'm even," She paused before saying the word. Then she moved on, as if saying the word might make this situation even more serious. "I don't even need to take the test. We should just take these books back to the library before Madame Pince checks up on your story."
"Lyls," I said while putting my hand on her own. Yes, she had been mean to me earlier, but she was going through more than I could imagine right now. "My story is going to be legit, so don't worry about that. Now, sit down and let Blair and I do the work. You need to take the test if only to clear your mind of all the drama this would cause."
As Lyla was sitting back down, Blair slammed her book down and pointed her finger to a word. "I found it." She whispered while motioning to the diagram of a woman doing the spell. Our heads turned towards my sister, who had become about two shades paler in a span of seconds.
"I think I'm going to pass out," She whispered while scooting her chair out and putting her head between her legs. I jumped up automatically and knelt down next to my sister while running a hand over her back. She started to shake with silent tears and I held onto her while she cried.
"We could wait," Blair offered up with a false hope in her eyes. "It's not like the spell is going anywhere and there really isn't a rush if you think about it."
I continued to rub Lyla's back as she cried a bit harder at the mention of the spell. When she looked up, her face was tear-streaked, little black smudges set under her lashes from her make-up. Her eyes were still watering and spilling over, but she shook her head violently. "I need to know the outcome of this, no matter what. Could one of you try on yourselves first?"
I exchanged a glance with Blair before picking up the book and looking at the diagram. While swirling my wand around my midriff like the woman in the picture, I said the spell. "Scoprire gravidanza," There was a weird feeling like my insides were extremely hollow and then my stomach felt hot. Lifting my shirt, I saw that there was a bluish light coming from my abdominal area. Checking the book, Blair looked at me and smiled.
"Not pregnant; which was to be expected." She performed the same sequence of events on herself with the same result. Lyla seemed to get more anxious as Blair pulled her shirt back down and held her wand loosely in her hand. "Lyls, can you do it?"
With a shaking sigh, Lyla rose from her seat and then looked down at the spell book and the woman on the page. The pregnant woman in the picture looked happy, excited, like she couldn't wait to be pregnant. She also wasn't just sixteen years old with a year and a half of schooling left and her whole life before her. Not to mention she probably had a husband that she wasn't fighting with and whom she was ready to have kids with.
Lyla said the spell and we wait within the short period of time for her to get the results. As her eyes widened, she reached down and lifter her shirt up. We all gasped while staring at her glowing stomach. "Oh, my god." She whispered.
It was blue.
She wasn't pregnant.
I sank into my chair, relief basically spreading through my body like a drug, while Blair started to cry and Lyla sat in her seat in shock. I watched my sister close her eyes and smile while tears leaked through her eyes. It was a false alarm. She wasn't pregnant. The relief in the room was palpable as we sat with our thoughts for a moment before saying anything.
"I need a drink," I said and before me appeared a shot glass and a bottle of Firewhiskey. I thanked the room mentally while pouring myself, Blair, and Lyla a drink. "Thank god," I said as I downed the shot. Blair muttered the same and followed my lead, while Lyla just looked at it.
"I can't drink anything right now," She said while she was still processing the information. Looking up quickly, Lyla reached over and slammed the book shut; the spell and diagram disappearing amongst the hundreds of other musty pages. Then she looked at us each with an unwavering gleam in her eyes. "We never mention this to anyone, understood? Not Sirius, not James, and under no circumstances do we tell Remus."
"I agree." I told her and then vanished the books to my trunk with my wand. Thank god for having a good Transfiguration tutor again. I had finally mastered the vanishing and appearing spells. This was like fifth year stuff but whatever.
"I'll never breathe a word," Blair swore. We each stood from the table, and took turns doing our standard wrist grasp and turn. It was like our own unbreakable vow without the spell. Before we left the room, we gave each other a swift, tight group hug and then wiped our eyes. I hadn't noticed earlier but we had all been so caught up in the moment that we had cried with relief. We opened the door and stepped outside holding hands while making our way to dinner.
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," James said as I walked into double Potions class the next day. I made a face and looked at my friend as Blair rolled her eyes and thwacked him on the head. Searching the room for my lab partners, I turned my attention back towards James and Blair.
"What's he on this morning, Blair? Uppers; downers; a combination of the two?" I looked back over to James who was twirling his wand around in his fingers, making the stick of wood shoot out red sparks every now and then. He gave me a wicked grin, and then as if he wasn't paying attention at all, shot a spell that sent Lily Evans' skirt flying as she sat down. Covertly, and through a smile of her own, Blair reacted by slipping her foot under James's chair and sending him to the floor.
When he looked up, she giggled behind her hand and then shrugged. Turning back to me, she answered my previous question. "He found my notebook full of Casablanca quotes in my room and has taken it upon himself to fit them into daily conversation where it is not only unsociably acceptable, but not befitting of the situation."
"You know that that quote fit perfectly. You're just mad that you didn't think of that one first." James said, now off the ground and sitting back upright in his chair. After running a hand through his perfectly crazy hair, he put an arm around Blair's back. Then he turned his overtly happy attention on me. "Besides, Sirius is looking for you and he doesn't seem too happy. So this quote next quote is going to fit perfectly."
Rolling my eyes, I looked towards the back of the classroom where Sirius had just walked in and caught his seat as Lyla pulled it out for him. My sister looked, well, there wasn't really a word for it. I'd either say exhausted, relieved, and just overwhelmingly sad. It hurt my heart to see her like this, but I had the feeling that with the Baby gate drama being over she would be able to focus back on her relationship with Remus.
Directing my attention back to James, I asked him, "And what quote would that be?" Together we turned towards his best friend, who looked over at the same time. My eyes widened when I took in the dark gray irises of my boyfriend. James had been right before; he didn't look too happy. It also seemed that, unfortunately, that anger or whatever it was happened to be aimed towards me.
I felt a comforting hand on my wrist as Slughorn came in and called the class to order. "Here's looking at you kid," James whispered as I gathered my bag up on my shoulder and walked to the back to take my seat. When I took my seat between Lyla and Sirius, Lyla had already started to take notes while Sirius sat back in his seat with his arms crossed staring at me unnervingly.
When I finally caught his eyes, he whispered from the side of his mouth, "We need to talk," and my heart went into overdrive. If he was going to break up with me right here, in this Potion's classroom while Slughorn was going on about Bee whore's or whatever it was, I was going to get up and shove a cauldron down his stupid throat. Especially after we had just had sex and for once the drama wasn't on us.
Biting my lip, I nodded and instead of reaching for his hand and playing footsie for the whole class period, I got out a piece of paper, my quill, and began to write. Granted what I was writing had nothing to do with the class and everything to do with my best friend that was sitting across the room from me, but at least if Slughorn asked it looked like I was doing something.
Note days in class were so pointless to me. It was like half of the people with brains had checked their cognitive reasoning at the door and had decided to conk out. And the lessons were always so heavily weighed down with the name dropping that Slughorn did that they were basically pointless until we got to the practical uses of whatever potion we were supposed to be brewing that week.
Biting the tip of my green pen, I put the pointed end to the yellowed and crinkled paper that we had modified to allow us to write notes that would travel onto the recipients' specialized parchment. Actually, we had to give James and Sirius the credit for this one. Those boys were just too smart.
Blair, I need you to do some scouting, or just ask James, and figure out why Sirius thinks that we 'need to talk.'
Less than three seconds later, the hot pink lettering of Blair's perfect script was appearing on the paper as Slughorn went on with the magical properties of the sweet-grass root. And not the kind that people were so keen on smoking.
If he said he needed to talk to you it could be about the rumor that's been circulating about you since you strolled into the library yesterday afternoon. James said he overheard some people talking.
Snorting out loud, I huffed and almost threw down my pen in frustration but then couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to tell Slugs if I did, so I just took a breath and began to write back.
Can people just get over the fact that I was at the library? Occasionally, yes, I do like to read and do a bit of studying. Otherwise I wouldn't be passing my classes. And unlike my dear sister, I can't just sleep with the professor. J
If you're going to write these notes, Alexa, then you need to make sure to leave me out of it. Especially because you know that I never have and never will sleep with a professor. Isn't that your fantasy anyways?
Uhm, I think this goes without saying, Alex, but you just got burned by a well placed teacher/student fantasy. How does that feel?
I have to say that I am honored to have been served such a sweet dish of ass kicking. BUT back to the original topic; what the hell is this rumor going on about me? I already disproved the one that said I couldn't read or that Sirius and I just go in there to consecrate the Restricted Section.
Oh! I hadn't heard that one. Give me a second and I'll get the Intel off James.
Huh, the one about the not being able to read thing was started by Remus and I. Just to let you know.
Opening my mouth in disbelief, I looked over at Lyla and gave her a 'what the hell' look. She shrugged and then went back to taking actual notes while pointing back to the table where Blair was writing more in her dark bold print.
Well, as unhelpful as my thickheaded boyfriend can be at times, he said there were some rumors going around about you and Sirius and a little Sirius.
How would people know about Little Sirius? We decided to leave him at home with mum and dad. I wrote, really confused as to what was going on. It was Lyla next to me who started to practically hyperventilate at the thought.
Not in that way, Alexa; they think that you're….up the duff so to speak.
Widening my eyes and looking at what she had just printed once, twice, and a third time, I looked swiftly to Sirius who was staring at my stomach covertly. Whipping my head back around to look at Lyla, then across the room to Blair, I put my pen to my paper and wrote as quickly as I possibly could.
No, no, no. That's completely off base. It was Lyla that was pregnant! I was just doing a good deed for my sister. This is going to ruin everything. And I'll kill the Bloody Barron twice if he's the one that started the damn rumor. Him and his stupid ass ghost horse! Who was it, Blair? And don't play coy and act like you don't know! What are we going to do about this?
Alexa. Deep breath. In and out. Now, listen, I'm not sure who started the rumor and if it was the Bloody Barron then I'll help you because he's just a pervy old ghost, but before you freak out about that you need to stop and think. Isn't it better that people think that it's you that is pregnant and not Lyla? Then they won't be spreading rumors about her and Professor Wolfe and she can get back on the right track with Remus!
But what about Sirius and I? Am I just supposed to write our relationship off as collateral damage to the cause? I love you to death, Lyla, but I'm not sure if I can do that unless I know you're going to man up and go balls out with Remus.
I'm rolling my eyes at you. And I'm not going to ask you to do that, Alex. Just think rationally for a moment and stop breathing like that or Sirius is going to think you're dying. We just need to explain to Sirius that this was all just a huge misunderstanding. That you checked out those books for Muggle Studies and some bitchy girl or ghost yes, or ghost, is just trying to screw your relationship over. Stick to the original story and whatever you do, don't tell him the books were for ME!
And don't act like a complete fool when you do so because it's obvious when you lie. Okay?
If he doesn't kill me first then I'll stick with the plan. Let's pray that I live to be seventeen girls.
Well, we'll always have Paris. - James
I'm going to kill someone.
Trying not to be too concerned with the fact that James may have read more than half of our conversation, I stowed my paper and quill in my bag and looked over to Sirius who was leaning back in his chair and watching Slughorn sit at his desk. Manning up, I took a deep breath and put my hand on Sirius's arm. His gaze turned down towards me, and I motioned him to lean forward which he did.
"Can you cause enough of a distraction to get us out of the classroom now? I think I know what's going on and I'd really rather settle it now instead of leaving it until later." I whispered quickly as Slughorn turned towards his multiple chalkboards to write down a few more notes. Catching my gaze and staring silently with his mouth shut, Sirius nodded once before looking over to James.
As if he had felt his stare on his back, James turned around to look at Sirius who mouthed something which caused his eyes to light up. Shaking his head vigorously, he reached down and rustled around in his bag before grabbing something dark and small. Rolling it out on the floor, James sat properly in his chair while folding his hands over his lap. I watched in slight horror as the ball on the floor continued to spin, faster and faster, until suddenly the room went dark in a puff of black smoke.
Someone's hand connected against my wrist and I found myself being pulled out of the classroom while Slughorn yelled at everyone to remain calm until the smoke cleared. Finally, once we were out of the darkness and into the damp dungeons, Sirius dropped my wrist and continued to walk. I stalled for a moment before following him through the winding corridors, deeper into the castle than I had been before.
"Sirius, please wait." I said timidly and as he stopped, I walked a little faster to catch up with him. When I was right behind him, I stared up at the back of his head while trying to summon what little courage I had. "Listen, I know you're upset, but some silly little rumor shouldn't affect our relationship."
Turning around, he looked down at me while folding his arms. "I shouldn't have to find out about something this major through a rumor." He said darkly and I had to fight extremely hard not to roll my eyes. Grabbing his hand, I placed it on my stomach and held it there firmly while he stared.
"We just had sex. My stomach is still flat. We used protection. There is no way in hell that I could possibly be pregnant right now." Removing my hand from his own, I let him realize that what I had said was true while he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were much lighter and held an apology instead of anger.
"So, I can be a real idiot sometimes." Using the hand that was covering my stomach to wrap around my waist, he pulled me closer to him. Leaning down, he brought his lips to hover over my own while I put my hands on his shoulder. "But I hope that you can forgive me." He continued, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.
"I love being the one to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket." I let him know as I closed the space between us. It took only a moment for me to realize that this had been easier than I had originally thought possible. Smiling, I pulled back from Sirius and wrapped my arms around his toned stomach to hold onto him tightly. If I could just distract him for long enough, he would forget all about those…
"What exactly did you need those books for, anyways?" He asked while we stood holding onto each other in the middle of some abandoned corridor in the darkness of the dungeons. Closing my eyes, I spoke into the fabric of his school sweater vest.
"Well, I had a project in Muggle Studies that I had to work out. It was about the dangers of pregnancy on the body and how muggles deal with it. You know; just the usual school stuff." Trying to make it into not that big of a deal, I tugged on Sirius's tie, trying to get him to focus his attention on something other than this topic.
Looking down on me, Sirius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, and what period do you take Muggle Studies?" He asked in a curious way and I started to panic a bit more.
"Well, Mondays and Wednesdays I have it during," Thinking hard, I tried to remember what his own schedule looked like. "Just during the day, in the afternoon." I was grasping at straws, but trying to recover as I smiled winningly. "Let's just forget about this though; I'm thinking of a better way to spend our time."
Smirking again, Sirius let me drag him along until we reached the double turn. Then we stopped again and he laughed. "Alexa, love, you don't take Muggle studies."
"Yes," I insisted, "I do."
"No," He argued, "You don't. I take Muggle Studies; during the afternoon on Mondays and Wednesdays."
Feeling my mouth dry up, I turned to my smirking boyfriend and looked up slowly. "Are you sure? Because I sit in the back and it wouldn't be that hard to actually miss me. Plus, I leave early some days and I'm sure that you skip that period occasionally to do stuff and," I continued to ramble, my mouth getting ahead of my brain and only stopped when Sirius put a finger to my lips.
"You have every class with James on those two days. Don't try to argue because I know. And second off, you just described me when you talked about that class." If possible, my face turned even more scarlet than it already was. Putting my head on his chest with a groan, I tried to suffocate myself in the soft fabric of his sweater.
"You stalker." I mumbled, and he laughed while putting his arms around me. "So you caught me. I checked out the books, yes, but not for myself and not for Muggle Studies."
"Then who'd you check them out for, if it wasn't for you?" Sirius asked, clarifying the fact that it definitely wasn't for me. I sucked in a breath, trying to think about what to say and how to get out of answering this question. Then I opened my mouth and started to ramble.
"Let's see, it definitely involved the library, which explains the books. But getting there was a struggle. I think I was kidnapped by a couple of bears. That was it, yeah. And then the Bloody Baron came along and just assaulted me with these books, and I had to take them as he was throwing them at me. Then his trusted steed ran me out of the library where I met you. So all in all," I took a breath, looked up into his disbelieving eyes, and then opened my big mouth again. "I checked the books out for Lyla."
Throwing my hand up to cover my mouth as if that would help anything, I looked up to Sirius's astounded face. Bringing his face down to eye level with me, my eyes widened as I tried to convey the importance of my next statement. "You may tell absolutely no one about this, do you understand me? Absolutely. No. One."
Sirius nodded his head slowly, backing up towards the wall in the corridor to prop himself up. "I can't believe that Remus is going to be a father. He's not even seventeen." He was practically whispering and I went to stand next to him to fill him in on the whole situation.
"He's not, actually. It turns out that Lyla isn't actually pregnant." Patting him on the arm, I let him pull me down with him as he sat on the floor, his bag and my own pooling next to us. "We used a spell from one of those books to figure it out."
"And you're positive those books were legitimate, right? Because sometimes spells like those are just made up to make people feel better when they could be completely wrong."
Well, if that didn't make me feel better, I'm sure he had a bag of bricks somewhere that he could drop on me. "Actually, we know it works because Blair and I tried it out first." Sirius looked at me expectantly and I smiled. "As I said before, Mr. Black, you are not going to see any mini-me's running around any time soon. Least ways, not from me."
Rolling his eyes, he pulled himself off the ground and then extended his hand to help me up. Hugging me tightly before picking up the bags, Sirius wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he lead us back to the main corridor. "Well, love, you know that you're the only one for me and I'd surely hope there aren't any mini-me's running around. How would it look for you to be a pedophile as well as pregnant?"
"Excuse me, but I believe that you are the cradle robber, are you not? Aren't you getting ready to be legal at the end of this month? Which means that any," I paused to think about the correct words while Sirius looked down at me, "Extracurricular activities we partake in are illegal. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted I assume."
Without warning, I was pressed against the wall in corridor. Laughing, I looked into the gray eyes of the non-father of my non-existent child. "Well then, we better get down to business now."
"Right here; in the corridor? It's a bit risky, isn't it?" I asked with mock seriousness while tugging on Sirius's tie. We both laughed and then I slipped between his arm and the wall. "I guess we'll just have to wait until later. You shouldn't have let me go." Winking, I continued to walk and Sirius groaned and followed me.
"You are such a tease," He said playfully, swatting at my ponytail as I walked.
"And you are a hormonal boy. I can't help but play to your weakness." Catching his hand, I entwined my fingers with his. We walked in a contemplative, but not uncomfortable silence, until we got to the main classrooms and I stopped him. "But really, Sirius, you can't tell anyone about what I told you."
"Not even James," He said with conviction and I nodded solemnly.
"Not even James."
After spending the day fending off angry fan girls that were moping about as if I'd killed their favorite pet, murdered their family, and then thrown all their beloved make-up off the Astronomy tower, I decided to retire to my dorm early. Flopping down on my bed, I put my hand over my eyes and sighed. It was as if suddenly the whole Lyla and Professor Wolfe being friends thing had blown over and now the other Parker sister was being thrown into the spotlight. And it was a type of spotlight that I didn't want.
Had it not been for Lyla, Blair, and Sirius intervening throughout the day, I probably would have killed more than one person. The stupid side comments, people staring none too politely at my stomach, and the crying fan girls had been just about too much for me to handle. Rolling onto my stomach and pushing my face into the pillow, I heard the door open as my roommates walked in. As the bed shifted, Blair's perfume wafted around the closed area that my bed and curtains encased.
"Well, I think that we can give you a gold star for effort, but we may have to deduct a few points on form after you practically bit that girl in the Common Room." Blair commentated as I let out a groan and rolled back onto my back.
Looking at Blair, I frowned and narrowed my eyes. "She accused me of locking Sirius into an abusive relationship. I have apparently become pregnant with his spawn just to make sure he never leaves me for someone 'of a higher caliber.' That girl deserved it." I huffed while the toilet flushed from the bathroom and Lyla came out.
Smiling for once, she went over to her dresser to get her pajamas. "If you had to admit though, it was pretty hilarious, don't you think?"
"Maybe for about two seconds. It gets old having to restrain myself from launching something across the room. I was allowed one breakdown, right?" I asked facetiously, not expecting a reply but getting one anyways from my brunette friend who was still sitting on the end of my bed.
"Yes, well, perhaps you should have thought about that before you went and shackled Sirius to the bed." With a lewd wink, she hopped off my bed and went to get her own sleep attire.
Letting out an 'ew' and rolling off my bed as well, I went into the bathroom with my friends and turned on the water to get it hot. "We are so not into the kinky stuff. It would mess up Sirius's hair." I told her before sliding a band into my hair to push it off my face. The blonde ponytail hung straight, not long enough to reach my shoulder blades anymore and I shook my head a little to watch it move back and forth. It was still weird having shorter blonde hair.
As Blair covered her face in a sticky goo that was supposedly good for reducing pore size, Lyla spit into one of the sinks as she brushed her teeth. She caught my attention as she rinsed her mouth and then stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm really grateful that you are letting people think that you're the one with a baby instead of letting people know about my pregnancy scare." Putting her toothbrush back in the holder, Lyla tried to shake off the shivers that came down her arms as she said the words out loud.
"I'm an equal opportunist, Lyls. Once you and Remus make up, though, I will be expecting retribution." We smiled at each other through the mirror and I commenced washing my face. After rinsing my face and then patting it off, I reached for my toothbrush and had just began to give myself rabies by using too much toothpaste and scrubbing viciously when the blue-faced Blair screamed.
Whipping around, I stabbed the toothbrush into my cheek while I looked at my friend. It was hard to take her seriously with the mud-mask on her face, but her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. "What is it, Blair?" Lyla asked while rubbing abandoning rubbing in her moisturizer. It left white streaks over her face and I almost laughed until Blair started to talk in the fast way she did when she was excited, scared, or just had something to say.
"Tonight's the full moon. You won't get to make up with Remus in the morning because he'll be too sick. And James and Sirius are going to be out there with him tonight. I remember James saying something about how it's always bad if Remus is stressed or if something has been happening." She paused and looked at us. As foam dripped a bit on my hand from the toothbrush hanging out of my mouth, I let what she was saying sink in.
"I didn't tell Sirius good luck. Hell, I completely forgot about this. I was just so caught up in myself and my problems that I forgot." I said through my mouthful. Spitting into the sink, I rinsed my mouth out and hung my toothbrush back up.
It was Lyla that I was most worried about as she sat on the edge of the sink and put her head in her hands. "The last time Remus and I really talked I told him I didn't care what he did. That if he didn't trust me then he could go and leave and I wouldn't care; I was scared and confused and he thought Luke was more to me than what he really is," She removed her hands and looked at us through bleary eyes. "What if something bad happens to him and the last thing I said was that I didn't care?"
Wrapping my arms around my sister, I let her put her head on my shoulder. "The boys will keep him safe, Lyls. They won't let anything happen to him and when this is all over tomorrow you can see him in the Hospital Wing."
"But what if they can't control him? What if they get hurt? James said that he gets worse when he's stressed. Well, I've caused him a lot of stress lately. And this is my entire fault!" Jumping out of my arms and of the sink, Lyla wrapped her robe tighter around her and slid her feet into her slippers while rubbing in the left over moisturizer on her face.
As she left the bathroom, Blair and I followed quickly on her heels. "Where are you going, Lyla?" Blair asked while Lyla reached the door to the dorm. Lyla turned quickly and looked at us with a determined look in her eyes. "I'm going to meet him before he leaves." She said simply and then walked out the door. Blair and I looked at each other before I slid my feet into my own slippers and grabbed a dark green jumper that was most likely Sirius's to put on over my sweat pants.
Running after my sister, I jumped down a few stairs to find the Common Room eerily empty. With no one around, the Boys dorm was the next logical place so I headed up the stairs. When I reached the sixth year dorms, however, no one was inside except for Lyla.
There was pounding on the stairs behind me and I looked towards the door hopefully, but it was only Blair who came skidding to a stop, her hair still piled in a mismatched bun on top of her head, the mud having been hastily removed but some still on the sides of her cheeks.
"They're gone?" She asked with a huff. Nodding, I went and sat down on Sirius's bed, pulling the mirror off the side table and praying that James had his matching pair.
"Marauder's secret," I told my friends as they crowded around me on the bed. "James Potter." I said firmly and there was noise on the other side before James face came into view.
"Alexa? What are you doing with Sirius's mirror?" He asked bewildered as I heard Sirius's voice in the background asking why James was checking his reflection. The mirror shook for a minute and then both boys filled the small reflective surface.
"Ladies; any particular reason you have decided to grace our dorm with your presence while we are not there?" Sirius asked smiling and raising an eyebrow at us. My breath came easier as I saw that the two boys were safe, but I was still a bit worried as they were moving and appeared to be outside.
"James Potter this is not funny." Blair cried slightly as James pretended to check his hair. "Why did you let me forget that it was a full moon tonight? You were just going to sneak out and when you weren't around tomorrow I was going to freak out."
"Bear, I didn't know that you had forgotten," James said in an apologetic, low voice that melted Blair's heart.
"You didn't even let me say goodbye. What if something were to happen to you?" She asked while grabbing the mirror from my hand to hold it closer. Fake retching noises came from the side and then Sirius was back on the screen before it could get sappy again.
"Alexa, we'll be back tomorrow morning early. You're welcome to stay in our dorm, but I'm going to need you to put Lyla on." I took the mirror back from Blair and looked one more time at Sirius while handing the mirror over to Lyla.
"Promise me that he'll be okay," She demanded while gripping the mirror as if it was going to spring from her grasp. "You need to let him know that I love him and that I'm sorry and that he has to come back in one piece. Promise me, Sirius."
Running a hand through his wind-tousled hair, Sirius nodded as the wind howled and the moon's reflection shined on behind Sirius "We won't let anyone get hurt tonight. It's just going to be a routine night. We'll be back before you know it. And you know that he loves you too, right Lyls?" Sirius asked while giving her a small smile as Lyla nodded tightly and tried to hold back her tears.
"Come on, Pads. The passageways open." James's voice came from somewhere behind Sirius and Sirius nodded.
"Well, ladies, we'll see you soon. Alex, I love you." I blushed and then rolled my eyes while he continued to talk. "Oh, and Lyla and Blair, you know I love you all too. Just don't spread that around."
"Padfoot!"
"Right. Bye!" Sirius said and we called out our last farewells. As the screen went back to being a normal reflective surface again, we sat in silence for a few moments. It was odd to be in this dorm without the presence of one of the guys and I closed my eyes as worry for Sirius, for James, for Peter, and especially for Remus, took over. They were going out into the freezing night air, even though it was the beginning of March, to run around as animals with a werewolf. Even though I knew they did this once a month since fifth year, it still worried me. They had come back last time bruised and worse for the wear.
"At least this time Madame Pomfrey is around, right? And she's loads better at fixing people up than we are. Plus, they've run around and done this before so she knows how to handle it." Blair convinced herself and Lyla made a noise of assent before getting up and going over to Remus's bed. She ran a hand over his pillow, smoothing it out before pausing. When she turned back towards us, she nodded firmly, putting her hands on her hips.
"When this is all over, I'm never fighting with Remus again. I don't care what it takes, but mark my words; no professor, no stupid rumors, no pregnancy scare, and no anything will ever stop me from making this work between us." She looked so determined and so sure that I couldn't do anything but agree with her. If there was one couple that could make it, that would make it, they were it. "Okay, we're sleeping here tonight. I'm assuming that James and Sirius will wake us when they get back so we'll need our sleep if we're going to do this and go to classes."
Agreeing with her, I slid into the covers of Sirius's unmade bed while Lyla folded Remus's covers back with care. Blair hopped off my borrowed bed and went over to James's slightly made/slightly thrown together bed and jumped under the covers. Breathing deeply, I inhaled the comfort of that familiar smell and then hugged the pillow tightly. If we believed everything would be okay, then it would be.
Closing my eyes, I listened as the breathing around me slowed. Turning over, it was impossible not to open my eyes and look out the window at the glaring moon. It was mocking me and I could hear Lyla sigh from across the room. "It'll be okay," I whispered into the dark. Whether she heard me or not, I wouldn't know because within the next few minutes I had closed my eyes again and fallen asleep.
"Alex," There was a slight brush on my forehead and I loosened my death grip on my pillow while turning away from the noise. "Come on, Al. Get up," Opening one eye, I saw a dark figure seated at the edge of the bed. As the figure came into focus, I realized it was Sirius. Suddenly, I was wide awake. Basically tackling him, my arms wrapped around his waist and I hugged him tightly. His rolling laughter rumbled through me as he slid into the bed next to me. Keeping my hold on him, I brushed his hair from his eyes checking his exposed skin for any injuries.
"You're fine, aren't you? James and Remus too?" I asked and he nodded while stilling my frantic touch by taking my hands into his own. Placing my head on his chest, I closed my eyes and willed myself to not cry in relief. "You actually kept your promise," I whispered in astonishment and he laughed again.
"It's rare, but sometimes I do things like that. Speaking of, Lyla is in the Hospital Wing. Remus is fine and unconscious like he usually is after this, but he'll wake up with a full memory and will be fine tomorrow. Prongs is in the bathroom being checked by Blair because apparently Poppy doesn't know what she's talking about and he could have internal bleeding. And aside from a bruised ego, Peter is soundly asleep in his bed with the curtains closed. All in all, it was a successful outing."
"And what about you," I asked while sitting up a little to hover over him. "No internal bleeding, no bruised ego; the hair is a bit mussed, but I like it this way." I said running a hand through his blown out ebony locks.
"Anything to please the missus," He said cheekily and I shook my head while laying back down and snuggling against him. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm tired and need my beauty sleep. So don't molest me during the night. It wouldn't be good form with others in the room."
"That ruins my plans then," I said in a mock sad voice. Turning my head, I gave him a small kiss on the underside of his jaw. "I'm glad your okay, Sirius." He made a 'mhm' noise and then gathered the covers around us with his eyes still closed. The door to the bathroom opened and James came out, sans shirt, grimacing slightly as he touched his side.
"You'll be fine," Blair whispered before coming up behind him and holding onto him from behind. Watching the look of stark relief on Blair's face and the loving one on James's face, I smiled to myself before closing my eyes as my friends went to sleep around me for the second time that night. Now if only Lyla and Remus could get it together, all would be right with the world.
Amuletgirl's Author's Note: Hey there all you beautiful people! Was that not just a marvelous chapter? Granted, I had to use threats to get it to you, but it is great all the same. I will work diligently on the next chapter and should get it done within the week, if school doesn't kill me first. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review!
Peace and love.
