"Lil? Is that you?" came James's voice from downstairs. She heard his
footsteps coming up the stairs and into the bedroom. He sat down next to
Lily on the bed and put a hand on her back.
"Lil? Are you alright?" he said quietly.
Lily turned over and wiped her tears away. She shook her head.
"What happened?"
"It... It was Mason... He... he tried to..."
Lily saw the anger rising in James's face.
"What, Lil? What did her do?" he said loudly. "He didn't... didn't try to..."
Lily closed her eyes and nodded.
"THAT LITTLE FUCKER!" James shouted and he jumped up immediately.
"James... please," Lily pleaded. "Please don't..."
James stopped and took a deep breath. "I'll be back soon, okay, Lil?"
"James, no! Don't!"
"No - the asshole is going to pay for what he did!"
"James, please! I... I have to tell you something!" Lily said.
"It can wait Lily," James said. He pulled his cloak on from out of the wardrobe. Lily got off the bed and grabbed James's hands.
"This is really, important James," she said.
"Alright, Lil. What is it?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant, James."
James stood there for a moment trying to hang on to the words Lily just said. "Are you serious?"
Lily smiled weakly and nodded. "I was going to tell you this morning, but you weren't here and I had to be at work... I was going to tell you later tonight when I would have gotten home, but... Under certain circumstances..."
James ran his hand through his hair and stared at Lily again, expressionless.
"You're not mad, are you?" Lily asked.
James raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Why the hell would I be mad?"
"You're not saying anything!"
James looked down and bit his lip. He looked back up at Lily, and hugged her so suddenly that Lily jumped. He lifted her off her feet and kissed her. Once he put her back down, he whispered, "We're going to be parents..."
Lily grinned broadly. "Oh my God... We broke the plan. It's a little earlier than we expected."
"So? I think we're ready!" James said, grinning too.
"I know... we are... This is going to change everything..."
"You know what the first step in preparation for having a child is?"
"What?"
"Quitting work," James said in a serious tone.
"James... I - I can't," Lily started. "I love my work, and -"
"I know you love it, even with that asshole Mason guy, but working in a stressed manor while you're carrying a child is not going to be easy, Lil. I see you suffering from work day by day, and it won't get easier when you're pregnant."
Lily hesitated for a moment and took what James had said in. "Er... I will quit - but not until I actually start to... I'm pretty sure I can handle this - if I can't then I will ask for fewer hours..."
"Maybe you should start out simpler. Ask for fewer hours now, and then if you feel like it's too much or not enough, we'll decide from there," James said. Lily smiled and nodded.
...Meanwhile...
"Master! More information has been gathered, my Lord!" a croaky voice from under a black cloak with a hood said.
"What is it?" came a cold eerie voice.
"The young girl - the girl you were interested in - we have learned more!"
"Well?"
"You were correct when you said her last name was not Potter. She has married the man Potter - and she is carrying his child."
"You are sure of this?"
"Most certainly!"
"Very well, Hendron. Bring her to me the next time you are alone..."
***
The next day, Lily woke up feeling just as she had done on her wedding night - happier than she'd ever been in all her life. She quickly changed for work and went downstairs. James was already up. He was sipping tea with his nose buried in the Daily Prophet.
"You ready to go?" James asked.
"Yeah - you?"
James nodded. He held Lily's hand and gave it a squeeze before the two of them Apparated to the hospital. Lily led James down the hall and she knocked on an office door.
"Come in," sounded an irritated voice from inside.
"You wait here," Lily said to James as she went into the office.
"Oh," Mason said, "Mrs. Evans."
"Potter," Lily corrected him automatically.
"Right," Mason said, and he forced a weak smile. "I just wanted to, er, apologize for last night -"
"No need," Lily said abruptly. "It's in the past."
"Right," Mason said again. "Now - you wanted to see me about something?"
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about giving me fewer work hours," Lily said.
"Fewer work hours? Well, Lily, I'll see what I can do, but this won't be helping your promotion," Mason said.
"I'm not too concerned about that anymore. I don't plan on working here too long, so I thought I might as well stop stressing myself. Good day, Mr. Hendron," Lily said. She turned to the door and opened it.
"Wait! Er - Lily, one more thing before you leave," Mason said. Lily hesitated, but turned back to face Mason.
"And that would be?"
"Er - well, I was just going to ask if you'd, um, if you'd fill out a slip requesting the fewer hours," Mason said.
"Is it mandatory?" Lily asked.
"Well, no, but... It would make my job a little easier," Mason said.
"Then it's not necessary," James said from the door. He came in and stood next to Lily. "A little work will be good for you, Hendron. You can get your mind of things they shouldn't be on."
Mason glared at James. "That's fine. Just a request, not a bother."
James nodded his head slightly and led Lily out the door.
"Thanks," Lily whispered once they were down the hall.
James nodded, still frowning. "That guy is such an arse! I'll bet you anything he would've tried to pull another stunt if you signed the slip. I'm just glad you won't be working as much. Now - we've got some friends and family to tell the good news to!"
"I think your father already knows. He was quite concerned when I got sick," Lily said.
James chuckled. "He probably did know!"
"Why do you say that?"
"He owled me at work to tell me about a potion he was making, and as a post script, he said 'Congratulations'. I had no idea what he meant until you told me," James said.
"Ok, first things first, we'll go and see Sirius," Lily said. They Apparated to Sirius's house and entered. The TV (Sirius had insisted on getting one ever since he first witnessed it at the Potter manor) was on loud, including some extremely loud rock music from upstairs.
"Sirius?" James called.
"In here," Sirius called from the den. He was lying on the couch in his boxers, looking half asleep.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked.
"Trying not to fall asleep yet," Sirius said sleepily.
"Since when do you listen to rock music?"
"It's not mine - Darlene is in the shower. She loves anything loud," Sirius said. He chuckled for a short moment and then blushed slightly.
"Why are you trying to stay awake? It's morning!"
"We stayed up all night, and we promised we each other we wouldn't fall asleep until later tonight," Sirius said.
"Well, we have some news that will keep you awake," James said, trying to hold his grin back.
"Yeah - and what's that?" Sirius mumbled.
"Lily and I - we're going to have a baby."
"Yeah, you're - what?"
Lily grinned and nodded.
Sirius sat up and stared at Lily and James with wide eyes. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes!" James rolled his eyes. Sirius looked back and forth from James to Lily.
"Oh my God!" Sirius said. "This is... brilliant!"
Sirius got up and gave Lily a long, warm hug. He turned to James and grinned. "Unbelievable. I never thought I'd see that day."
James smiled even wider and he gave his friend a long hug as well.
"I cannot believe it! I'm going to be a uncle - so to speak," Sirius said.
"An uncle? To who?" Darlene asked. She came down the stairs wearing pajama pants and a tank top, her hair still wet from the shower.
"Lily's pregnant!" Sirius said, looking extremely excited.
"Oh my God!" Darlene squealed. She gave Lily a hug as well. Darlene turned to James and grinned.
"Wow, Potter! I'm impressed! I never would have thought you'd make it this far!"
"Well - thanks, I guess," James said.
"So! What's the baby's name going to be?" Sirius asked.
James chuckled. "It's a little early to be planning that far ahead, don't you think?"
"You guys have to be thinking about this! And it's never to late to start turning that guest room into a nursery," Sirius said.
"Sirius! Relax! When we need your help on this, we'll give you a call." James said. "Unless you're out on a date with one of your boyfriends."
Sirius glared at James. "You should talk! You obviously had something going on with Snape since he was so talkative about you!"
James and Sirius looked at each other through narrowed eyes for a moment and then burst out laughing.
"Snape! The greasy old git - I forgot about him!" James laughed.
"I know!" Sirius said. "Poor old bloke - he'll never find someone."
"Ha! He's probably never even had a date!" James said.
"And let the Snape bashing begin," Lily muttered.
"Oh my God - remember the last prank we pulled on him? That was rich!"
"Phew - we learned so much! Snape hates you more than anything in the world," Sirius laughed. "AND he loves Lily!"
Lily shuddered in disgust. "Please don't remind me, Sirius!"
"Ok - we'd better be going now," said James. "We're going to go and tell Remus the news."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sirius said.
"What? Why?"
"He's with Krystle," Darlene said.
"So?"
"So!" Sirius mocked James. "They're occupied!"
"Alright! Way to go, Moony!" James said, and he gave Sirius a high- five.
"Okay, we'll go and see your father first," Lily said, rolling her eyes.
"That's fine. Okay, Sirius! We'll see you later - good luck with the staying up," James said.
"Thanks," Sirius yawned.
"You two have fun," James said before he and Lily Apparated to the Potter manor. James opened the door and he and Lily walked the length to Harold Potter's study.
"James, perfect!" Harold said from his antique desk. "I was expecting to see you two soon - what with the news and all."
"Oh, so you do know, then?" Lily smiled.
"Ha! Know? I've been expecting this to happen for the past month! I knew you two wouldn't be able to stick to your little plan," Harold grinned.
"How did you -" James started.
"Know?" Harold finished his question. "I had a plan of my own when your mother and I were having you - now that was a plan that went to hell."
James stuck up his nose and shook his head. "Too much information," he muttered.
"So do you two have any arrangements yet?"
"Nothing yet, no," Lily said.
"Start basic first - naming the kid," Harold said casually.
"Names? But we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl!" James said.
"That's why you start planning - you shouldn't have this stuff all loaded up at the last of the nine months," Harold said as if James wasn't thinking properly.
"I think we'll have plenty of help with all the details," Lily said. "Sirius was almost as excited as James was."
"Well, we should probably head to Remus's place," James said.
"What you don't think they're... not anymore?" Lily asked, glancing at Harold.
"Er - There's a side to Remus you don't know about, Lily. He comes off as this really... romantic guy - but I know exactly what he'd be doing right about now," James said, blushing.
Lily stifled a laugh. "Oh, I see. In that case, why don't you tell the rest of the class?"
James blushed even more. "He's probably lighting his cigarette right now."
***
Krystle yawned, stretched, and pulled on her housecoat. She heard Remus in the bathroom, singing off-key to the buzzing of his electric razor. Remus emerged from the doorway with a huge grin on his face.
"You like?"
"Aww!" Krystle squealed. "You have to keep it like that - you look so sexy!"
"Ah, Remus? You've got a little something on your chin," James grinned. "I think it's some form of... shit..."
"Ha, ha! Very funny!" Remus said. "What? You don't think I can pull off a goatee?"
"I think you could," James smirked, "But it doesn't look like hair... It looks like some form of... shit..."
Krystle huffed and threw a pillow at James. "I don't think you should talk about shitty hair styles, James. It looks like you went for the world record today!"
James blushed and instinctively tried to flatten his hair.
"Hey, now - don't blame James for his hair," Lily smiled. "His father gave it to him - so James will probably give it to our child..."
Remus's eyes popped open. "Your chi- you're...?"
Lily and James both grinned and nodded.
"Oh my gosh!" Krystle squealed. She leapt up and gave Lily and James both a hug. Remus still stood in the doorway, trying to find some words to describe his feelings.
"You're -?"
"Yes!" James laughed.
"Well what do you know!" Remus grinned. "They can swim!"
Lily and Krystle burst out laughing as James blushed and frowned.
"This is so great!" Remus said. He gave James a hug and Lily a peck on the cheek.
"Okay, we'll leave you two alone now," James winked.
"Ah! I was going to say the same thing to you! Go celebrate!" Remus said.
"Okay, we'll see you guys tomorrow," Lily said. "Dinner at our place?"
"Sure!"
***
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"COME ON PETTIGREW! OPEN UP!"
Peter stumbled out of bed and ran to the front door. "What? What do you want?"
"Same as always, Mr. Pettigrew! We want some information on Harold Potter," came a voice from underneath one of the cloaks of the two people at the door.
"I already told you last week," Peter said sharply, but you could tell he was afraid. "I'm not in contact with the Potters!"
"Well you'd better get in contact, Mr. Pettigrew! This is the only use we have for your miserable excuse for a life!"
"What do you want to know?" Peter asked reluctantly.
"Everything. Get the information about Mr. Potter's potion; get his son's job positions, and get any possible information about Mrs. Potter."
"When?"
"We'll keep in contact, but if you do not help, don't expect to live. Don't expect to die, either. Lord Voldemort will have something particularly different in store for you..."
***
"Lil? Are you alright?" he said quietly.
Lily turned over and wiped her tears away. She shook her head.
"What happened?"
"It... It was Mason... He... he tried to..."
Lily saw the anger rising in James's face.
"What, Lil? What did her do?" he said loudly. "He didn't... didn't try to..."
Lily closed her eyes and nodded.
"THAT LITTLE FUCKER!" James shouted and he jumped up immediately.
"James... please," Lily pleaded. "Please don't..."
James stopped and took a deep breath. "I'll be back soon, okay, Lil?"
"James, no! Don't!"
"No - the asshole is going to pay for what he did!"
"James, please! I... I have to tell you something!" Lily said.
"It can wait Lily," James said. He pulled his cloak on from out of the wardrobe. Lily got off the bed and grabbed James's hands.
"This is really, important James," she said.
"Alright, Lil. What is it?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant, James."
James stood there for a moment trying to hang on to the words Lily just said. "Are you serious?"
Lily smiled weakly and nodded. "I was going to tell you this morning, but you weren't here and I had to be at work... I was going to tell you later tonight when I would have gotten home, but... Under certain circumstances..."
James ran his hand through his hair and stared at Lily again, expressionless.
"You're not mad, are you?" Lily asked.
James raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Why the hell would I be mad?"
"You're not saying anything!"
James looked down and bit his lip. He looked back up at Lily, and hugged her so suddenly that Lily jumped. He lifted her off her feet and kissed her. Once he put her back down, he whispered, "We're going to be parents..."
Lily grinned broadly. "Oh my God... We broke the plan. It's a little earlier than we expected."
"So? I think we're ready!" James said, grinning too.
"I know... we are... This is going to change everything..."
"You know what the first step in preparation for having a child is?"
"What?"
"Quitting work," James said in a serious tone.
"James... I - I can't," Lily started. "I love my work, and -"
"I know you love it, even with that asshole Mason guy, but working in a stressed manor while you're carrying a child is not going to be easy, Lil. I see you suffering from work day by day, and it won't get easier when you're pregnant."
Lily hesitated for a moment and took what James had said in. "Er... I will quit - but not until I actually start to... I'm pretty sure I can handle this - if I can't then I will ask for fewer hours..."
"Maybe you should start out simpler. Ask for fewer hours now, and then if you feel like it's too much or not enough, we'll decide from there," James said. Lily smiled and nodded.
...Meanwhile...
"Master! More information has been gathered, my Lord!" a croaky voice from under a black cloak with a hood said.
"What is it?" came a cold eerie voice.
"The young girl - the girl you were interested in - we have learned more!"
"Well?"
"You were correct when you said her last name was not Potter. She has married the man Potter - and she is carrying his child."
"You are sure of this?"
"Most certainly!"
"Very well, Hendron. Bring her to me the next time you are alone..."
***
The next day, Lily woke up feeling just as she had done on her wedding night - happier than she'd ever been in all her life. She quickly changed for work and went downstairs. James was already up. He was sipping tea with his nose buried in the Daily Prophet.
"You ready to go?" James asked.
"Yeah - you?"
James nodded. He held Lily's hand and gave it a squeeze before the two of them Apparated to the hospital. Lily led James down the hall and she knocked on an office door.
"Come in," sounded an irritated voice from inside.
"You wait here," Lily said to James as she went into the office.
"Oh," Mason said, "Mrs. Evans."
"Potter," Lily corrected him automatically.
"Right," Mason said, and he forced a weak smile. "I just wanted to, er, apologize for last night -"
"No need," Lily said abruptly. "It's in the past."
"Right," Mason said again. "Now - you wanted to see me about something?"
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about giving me fewer work hours," Lily said.
"Fewer work hours? Well, Lily, I'll see what I can do, but this won't be helping your promotion," Mason said.
"I'm not too concerned about that anymore. I don't plan on working here too long, so I thought I might as well stop stressing myself. Good day, Mr. Hendron," Lily said. She turned to the door and opened it.
"Wait! Er - Lily, one more thing before you leave," Mason said. Lily hesitated, but turned back to face Mason.
"And that would be?"
"Er - well, I was just going to ask if you'd, um, if you'd fill out a slip requesting the fewer hours," Mason said.
"Is it mandatory?" Lily asked.
"Well, no, but... It would make my job a little easier," Mason said.
"Then it's not necessary," James said from the door. He came in and stood next to Lily. "A little work will be good for you, Hendron. You can get your mind of things they shouldn't be on."
Mason glared at James. "That's fine. Just a request, not a bother."
James nodded his head slightly and led Lily out the door.
"Thanks," Lily whispered once they were down the hall.
James nodded, still frowning. "That guy is such an arse! I'll bet you anything he would've tried to pull another stunt if you signed the slip. I'm just glad you won't be working as much. Now - we've got some friends and family to tell the good news to!"
"I think your father already knows. He was quite concerned when I got sick," Lily said.
James chuckled. "He probably did know!"
"Why do you say that?"
"He owled me at work to tell me about a potion he was making, and as a post script, he said 'Congratulations'. I had no idea what he meant until you told me," James said.
"Ok, first things first, we'll go and see Sirius," Lily said. They Apparated to Sirius's house and entered. The TV (Sirius had insisted on getting one ever since he first witnessed it at the Potter manor) was on loud, including some extremely loud rock music from upstairs.
"Sirius?" James called.
"In here," Sirius called from the den. He was lying on the couch in his boxers, looking half asleep.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked.
"Trying not to fall asleep yet," Sirius said sleepily.
"Since when do you listen to rock music?"
"It's not mine - Darlene is in the shower. She loves anything loud," Sirius said. He chuckled for a short moment and then blushed slightly.
"Why are you trying to stay awake? It's morning!"
"We stayed up all night, and we promised we each other we wouldn't fall asleep until later tonight," Sirius said.
"Well, we have some news that will keep you awake," James said, trying to hold his grin back.
"Yeah - and what's that?" Sirius mumbled.
"Lily and I - we're going to have a baby."
"Yeah, you're - what?"
Lily grinned and nodded.
Sirius sat up and stared at Lily and James with wide eyes. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes!" James rolled his eyes. Sirius looked back and forth from James to Lily.
"Oh my God!" Sirius said. "This is... brilliant!"
Sirius got up and gave Lily a long, warm hug. He turned to James and grinned. "Unbelievable. I never thought I'd see that day."
James smiled even wider and he gave his friend a long hug as well.
"I cannot believe it! I'm going to be a uncle - so to speak," Sirius said.
"An uncle? To who?" Darlene asked. She came down the stairs wearing pajama pants and a tank top, her hair still wet from the shower.
"Lily's pregnant!" Sirius said, looking extremely excited.
"Oh my God!" Darlene squealed. She gave Lily a hug as well. Darlene turned to James and grinned.
"Wow, Potter! I'm impressed! I never would have thought you'd make it this far!"
"Well - thanks, I guess," James said.
"So! What's the baby's name going to be?" Sirius asked.
James chuckled. "It's a little early to be planning that far ahead, don't you think?"
"You guys have to be thinking about this! And it's never to late to start turning that guest room into a nursery," Sirius said.
"Sirius! Relax! When we need your help on this, we'll give you a call." James said. "Unless you're out on a date with one of your boyfriends."
Sirius glared at James. "You should talk! You obviously had something going on with Snape since he was so talkative about you!"
James and Sirius looked at each other through narrowed eyes for a moment and then burst out laughing.
"Snape! The greasy old git - I forgot about him!" James laughed.
"I know!" Sirius said. "Poor old bloke - he'll never find someone."
"Ha! He's probably never even had a date!" James said.
"And let the Snape bashing begin," Lily muttered.
"Oh my God - remember the last prank we pulled on him? That was rich!"
"Phew - we learned so much! Snape hates you more than anything in the world," Sirius laughed. "AND he loves Lily!"
Lily shuddered in disgust. "Please don't remind me, Sirius!"
"Ok - we'd better be going now," said James. "We're going to go and tell Remus the news."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sirius said.
"What? Why?"
"He's with Krystle," Darlene said.
"So?"
"So!" Sirius mocked James. "They're occupied!"
"Alright! Way to go, Moony!" James said, and he gave Sirius a high- five.
"Okay, we'll go and see your father first," Lily said, rolling her eyes.
"That's fine. Okay, Sirius! We'll see you later - good luck with the staying up," James said.
"Thanks," Sirius yawned.
"You two have fun," James said before he and Lily Apparated to the Potter manor. James opened the door and he and Lily walked the length to Harold Potter's study.
"James, perfect!" Harold said from his antique desk. "I was expecting to see you two soon - what with the news and all."
"Oh, so you do know, then?" Lily smiled.
"Ha! Know? I've been expecting this to happen for the past month! I knew you two wouldn't be able to stick to your little plan," Harold grinned.
"How did you -" James started.
"Know?" Harold finished his question. "I had a plan of my own when your mother and I were having you - now that was a plan that went to hell."
James stuck up his nose and shook his head. "Too much information," he muttered.
"So do you two have any arrangements yet?"
"Nothing yet, no," Lily said.
"Start basic first - naming the kid," Harold said casually.
"Names? But we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl!" James said.
"That's why you start planning - you shouldn't have this stuff all loaded up at the last of the nine months," Harold said as if James wasn't thinking properly.
"I think we'll have plenty of help with all the details," Lily said. "Sirius was almost as excited as James was."
"Well, we should probably head to Remus's place," James said.
"What you don't think they're... not anymore?" Lily asked, glancing at Harold.
"Er - There's a side to Remus you don't know about, Lily. He comes off as this really... romantic guy - but I know exactly what he'd be doing right about now," James said, blushing.
Lily stifled a laugh. "Oh, I see. In that case, why don't you tell the rest of the class?"
James blushed even more. "He's probably lighting his cigarette right now."
***
Krystle yawned, stretched, and pulled on her housecoat. She heard Remus in the bathroom, singing off-key to the buzzing of his electric razor. Remus emerged from the doorway with a huge grin on his face.
"You like?"
"Aww!" Krystle squealed. "You have to keep it like that - you look so sexy!"
"Ah, Remus? You've got a little something on your chin," James grinned. "I think it's some form of... shit..."
"Ha, ha! Very funny!" Remus said. "What? You don't think I can pull off a goatee?"
"I think you could," James smirked, "But it doesn't look like hair... It looks like some form of... shit..."
Krystle huffed and threw a pillow at James. "I don't think you should talk about shitty hair styles, James. It looks like you went for the world record today!"
James blushed and instinctively tried to flatten his hair.
"Hey, now - don't blame James for his hair," Lily smiled. "His father gave it to him - so James will probably give it to our child..."
Remus's eyes popped open. "Your chi- you're...?"
Lily and James both grinned and nodded.
"Oh my gosh!" Krystle squealed. She leapt up and gave Lily and James both a hug. Remus still stood in the doorway, trying to find some words to describe his feelings.
"You're -?"
"Yes!" James laughed.
"Well what do you know!" Remus grinned. "They can swim!"
Lily and Krystle burst out laughing as James blushed and frowned.
"This is so great!" Remus said. He gave James a hug and Lily a peck on the cheek.
"Okay, we'll leave you two alone now," James winked.
"Ah! I was going to say the same thing to you! Go celebrate!" Remus said.
"Okay, we'll see you guys tomorrow," Lily said. "Dinner at our place?"
"Sure!"
***
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"COME ON PETTIGREW! OPEN UP!"
Peter stumbled out of bed and ran to the front door. "What? What do you want?"
"Same as always, Mr. Pettigrew! We want some information on Harold Potter," came a voice from underneath one of the cloaks of the two people at the door.
"I already told you last week," Peter said sharply, but you could tell he was afraid. "I'm not in contact with the Potters!"
"Well you'd better get in contact, Mr. Pettigrew! This is the only use we have for your miserable excuse for a life!"
"What do you want to know?" Peter asked reluctantly.
"Everything. Get the information about Mr. Potter's potion; get his son's job positions, and get any possible information about Mrs. Potter."
"When?"
"We'll keep in contact, but if you do not help, don't expect to live. Don't expect to die, either. Lord Voldemort will have something particularly different in store for you..."
***