DISCLAIMER: I don't own James Potter, Al Potter, jealousy, scans or freaking out. I do, however, own Libby Fletcher and Jabby Baby. :)
When James Met Libby.
James Sirius Potter has no idea why he's telling the story of how he fell in love. He's not even romantic! Falling in love went against everything he believed in … but it happened. And he invites you to listen if you dare. :James/OC recommended reading with GIR and CGIR NextGen:
Chapter 36: When James heard a heartbeat.
"Yes, yes, we're super adorable and everything," Libby was saying, currently stretching her arms up in the air before moving to curl up into a ball. She plonked her head down in Rose's lap, throwing her legs out over mine, as she added, "Can I go back to sleep now? Child-rearing takes it out of you."
"But–!"
"I gave birth a week ago," Libby grumbled, nudging me with her foot. "Give me a bloody break! SLEEP time."
Rose and I just exchanged amused looks over Libby's slumbering form. Then, Rose said softly to me,
"So. That was your worst mistake, huh?"
"Just leaving Libby in the middle of all that and running away," I nodded. "Still regret it, reckon I always will."
"But you were terrified!" Rose tried to reason. "C'mon, Lib, work with me," she added, poking said Libby in the shoulder.
"Mmmm …" she murmured, eyes shut.
"See, she agrees with me!" Rose said, cheerfully.
I just snorted at that. "Yeah, I know, Rosie," I said, then. "I get that it was what I needed at the time. But I still wish that I hadn't have left her! I wish that I'd been strong enough, I guess. I don't know, I s'pose it doesn't really matter in the long run, but it's still something that eats away at me, y'know?"
"Don't worry, think of it this way," Rose grinned. "Now, you'll be all prepared for the next one!"
I think I just choked on thin air.
"Don't EVEN joke!" I cried.
Sooo … I suppose you all just want me to just skip to the good stuff, don't you? Like when my amazing baby was born, for instance (see? I TOLD you we'd get to what happened last week, eventually!). But the thing is … so much other stuff happened during those months before hand. I mean, there was telling everyone, the time Libby accidentally got stuck in a wardrobe, when my dad yelled at me, that one time I nearly killed myself …
And hell, I'm sure you all must want to know what happened with Fred and Emma!
So … here we go.
(Feb, 2030)
"HA! Yep, sure!" Al basically laughed in my face. "Good one, mate! Pregnant, oh man …"
Bloody hell. We've only told one other person so far, and as you might've been able to tell, it was going swimmingly. Currently sitting together in Al and Bea's cosy lounge with steaming mugs of tea, Bea and Libby exchanged looks while my little brother continue to … um, laugh himself into a coma?
Honestly! Like it's so impossible!
"AL!" I insisted. "I'm not screwing with you or anything, this is real! We're having a baby!"
"See – you – you keep sayin' that," Al snorted, rubbing his eyes. "but I know you're just having me on! You must be, otherwise the world's bloody imploding or something!"
"Al," Bea said gently to her husband, tugging on his arm. "He's telling the truth, ok? Libby's already told me, I helped her not freak out! It's why she's been sick almost since she got back from Italy, yeah?"
Al stared at Bea like she was mad. "But … but …" he said, uselessly.
"Gee, your support is impeccable, bro," I rolled my eyes, setting my tea down on the coffee table and trying not to sound too put out. I mean, I knew this would be tough to believe, but c'mon! Al's my baby brother, surely I hadn't done so much insane shit over the years that even he wouldn't believe me? What would it take, putting a screaming baby in his arms?!
Ohhh, don't imagine things like that, James. Great, now I feel woozy …
Al turned to look at me in bewilderment. "You … you and Libby really are …?"
"Trust me, mate," Libby shot her friend an amused grin, shifting across the sofa cushions so she could punch him on the shoulder. "Totally pregnant. I should know, I checked about half a dozen times before I believed it myself."
"But – PREGNANT?" Al cried, suddenly leaping to his feet. Libby looked kind of startled – Merlin knows that it takes a lot to get my brother worked up – but Bea just snorted in exasperation, taking a sip of tea instead. "I'm going to be an UNCLE?"
"Uh, yes?"
"OH MY GOD!" Al practically screeched, before suddenly leaping at me.
I think he might've cracked a rib!
"Jesus, bro!" I gasped as Al hugged the living daylights out of me. "Lighten up! I need to still be alive when this kid is born!"
"I can't believe this!" Al said, after finally stepping away with only a slight glance in apology. "And YOU knew, all this time!" he added, throwing an accusing hand in Bea's direction. She held up her hands in defence.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't say!" she said. "This was for James and Libby to tell – I didn't tell you, I didn't even tell Rosie or Scorpius."
"But – OH MY GOD!"
"Yeah, you said that already," Libby snorted.
Al suddenly turned to look at her. "Oh, my gorgeous girl!" he cried, before jumping back onto the sofa so he could throw his strangle-hold around Libby as well.
We'd figured that it was only fair to tell my brother first, seeing as Bea was about to go spare from keeping it from him. I mean, I'm talking about a couple who even tells each other when they're peeing … well, probably. It's Al and Bea, I think we've all got a pretty accurate picture of them in our heads! It certainly wouldn't be Al Potter without some sort of mental break. I guess I should've expected this!
I exchanged a look with Libby over Al's shoulder, and she grinned back. Yes, we were still ok. No, there was no way in utter HELL that we were ready for ANY of this, but what the heck, am I right? There's kind of no going back now! Sometimes, it really would strike me how strange this all was, and how it didn't even feel like it was real; Libby barely looked any different, apart from perhaps being paler than usual from vomiting her guts out every morning.
Shit, we hadn't even been together a whole year! Like, who the hell does this, right?
"… but you're seriously having a baby?" Al said then, thankfully pulling back from Libby before he could squeeze the life out of her. "Like … just on a whim, or because you wanted to see what all the fuss was about?"
Libby just snorted, while I threw my armchair cushion at his head. "It was an accident, ok?" Libby explained. "We didn't mean for it to happen, it just sort of … did."
"Oh, man …" Al collapsed back into the sofa, green eyes wide. "Do Mum and Dad know?"
"Mum does," I admitted. "Dad, not so much. I think we were both kind of afraid of telling him, actually. There's no knowing how violently that man could explode!"
"I swear, he wouldn't be mad at you, James," Bea said, so matter-of-factly that it was almost impossible to not believe her. "Maybe shocked, because hell, even I was! And you might not have planned it, but I'm sure he'll support you."
"I'm not quite sure how you do that, Miss Beatrice Leigh," I snorted.
"Do what?"
"Sound so confident, whereas your husband looks like he might just pass out …"
"I do not!" Al was quick to put in, but his eyes were closed and he had flung a forearm over his face, still leaning back heavily into the cushions. "Ohhh, man, this is intense … WAIT!" he threw his arm away, nearly lobbing Libby's face in his enthusiasm. "When're you due?!"
"Does this mean you're ok with it?" I asked.
"OK WITH IT?" Al cried. "No wonder you're still not married, James – you don't need me to be 'ok with it'. You don't need anyone to be OK WITH IT. You just need people to accept that it's happening and shit man, I get to be an uncle! I'm bloody hysterical!"
Libby and I exchanged laughs, before she answered, "Tenth of October."
"Blimey, that's like, basically seven months away, since we're almost in March already–"
"What in god's name …?"
The amused voice was coming from the hallway. The four of us suddenly turned to see that Rose and Scorpius had finally joined the party, a jacket thrown on over Rose's Healer robe, and Scorpius with his bag still over his shoulder. Both of them had clearly hightailed it straight here from work. Rose was holding a note in her hands and she held it up for them to see.
"We got your owl," she said. "From the looks of things, we're late to some kind of pyjama party?"
"Nope, better!" Libby said, moving to the edge of the sofa, glancing up at one of her best friends nervously. "Well … I hope. James and I sort of have something to say."
"What is it?" Scorpius asked, moving forward to stand next to his fiancée.
"Well," Libby exchanged a glance with me, and I nodded that she might as well go ahead. "Rosie, Scorpius … I'm pregnant."
It took all but two seconds to get two of the best reactions yet.
Scorpius's mouth fell open, while Rose quite suddenly (and spectacularly) broke into some sort of victory tap dance on the spot.
"OH MY GOD, I KNOW, I KNOW!" she shrieked. "IT'S SO EXCITING, RIGHT? FINALLY, I CAN TALK ABOUT IT, AHHHHH!"
"Wait, wait!" I cried, while Rose jumped forward wildly to hug Libby over the sofa, blatantly leaving behind a still bewildered Scorpius. "You … KNEW?"
"Oh, please," Rose scoffed, waving a hand as she nudged Libby over and sat down on the sofa with her. "Of course I bloody knew! I've known basically ever since you got back from Italy."
"Seriously?" Libby asked in amazement. "How on earth–? Rosie, I didn't even know!"
"Ahem," she coughed, gesturing to the lime green robe she was still wearing under her jacket. "Healer, remember? I did an impromptu exam on you when you first got sick at the Potter house. C'mon, all the signs were there! I had my suspicions from the first moment you got dizzy, and it was glaringly obvious the moment I got my wand out. But I knew it wasn't my place to say anything, since it wasn't an official examination. I had to let you find out on your own. Still, I got you to come in the next day, remember? That potion I gave you was actually a pre-natal supplement, I just … uh, didn't tell you. Sorry about that. You have to trust me though, it was torture, not saying anything!" she added while Libby just snorted, shaking her head.
Scorpius suddenly stormed forward then. "I can't believe you kept this from me!" he said in outrage.
"Welcome to my world, mate!" Al agreed, the men uniting together. "My own wife found out before me, and she didn't say a word!"
"Al, I've barely known for 24 hours," Bea snorted. "If I may remind you that by Rose's story, she's known for almost 4 weeks."
"Oh, way to get me in trouble!" Rose complained.
"Eh, I'll talk to you about this later," Scorpius shot Rose a look, which my cousin only rolled her eyes at. He must have decided that it wasn't worth getting into a row over, since he then shoved everyone up on the sofa – and seriously, it was starting to get crowded now, what with Al, Libby and Rose currently occupying it – and sat himself down between Libby and Rose.
"So this sort of thing actually happens, then?" he asked, looking half awkward, half interested.
"Scorpius, mate, I love you," Libby said. "but you're gonna have to explain that one."
"Oh, don't mind him," Rose waved off, moving to sit more comfortably on the arm of the sofa behind her fiancé. "He's just in shock because the idea of two people having a baby without being married is like, unheard of in the Malfoy family."
"Well, it is!" Scorpius said in exasperation, glancing up to face her.
Rose smacked him on the shoulder then and snapped that he should be more sensitive … however, Libby was busy laughing. "Oh, Scorpius, you adorable thing!" she giggled, before moving and throwing her arms around him. Scorpius was a bit jolted at first, but eventually, he caught onto the fact that he should be hugging his good friend back. "You really make me laugh, sometimes!"
"I'm confused …" Scorpius said from over her shoulder in a slightly muffled voice.
"Scorpius, it doesn't matter that they're not married," Rose said, rolling her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time behind him.
"I know that!" he insisted.
"Not sure you do," Libby sniggered, pulling back.
Scorpius just sighed, though I noticed that he held Libby's hand, tightly. It made me smile. "I dunno, it's just, the Malfoy's are an old family, Libby," he told her. "Very particular and very traditional. It's been drilled into me for a long time that life goes a certain way: you meet, you fall in love, you get married, you have kids. In that order. I know it doesn't always happen that way, but it's never happened to someone so close to me before …"
Libby just smiled at Scorpius, squeezing his hand back. "That's fair enough, mate."
"But – I mean," he added, hastily. "This baby will be cute, right?"
I snorted. "I certainly hope so."
"All babies are cute!" Rose said, determinedly.
"Oh, I don't know," Al put in, then. "Maia from across the office from me brought in her baby once, and he was kind of the creepiest thing I'd ever seen! It was the eyes, mate, they wouldn't stop staring … uh, I mean," he coughed, noticing Scorpius' rather scared look, and Libby and I probably glaring at him. "Your baby will be ADORABLE!"
"Look, don't get me wrong, Libby," Scorpius added then, shaking his head at his (stupid) best friend. "I am one hundred per cent supportive! I mean, I love all you guys! It's just gonna take me a while to wrap my head around it, yeah?"
"Just the fact that you haven't gone off at me is support enough," Libby said matter-of-factly, before promptly hugging him again.
It was soon after that hug when Scorpius suddenly found himself trapped in the midst of the girls, Bea basically shoving Al out of his seat so she could take his place next to Libby. As the girls started excitedly shrieking and chatting away (Scorpius looking more and more uncomfortable, yet kind of secretly fascinated, by the second) Al stood up from where Bea had pushed him.
He met my gaze and jerked his head towards the front hallway of his home. "C'mon then, mate," he said.
So I followed my little brother.
I'll admit, I don't make the time to see Al as often as I should. We're quite different people, and for a long time, were at completely different stages in life. While yeah, I love him and all that shit, I'd also envied him for a long time as teenagers, and only recently had I started realising how great it was to actually have my brother around! Like … he might be a bit of a dork, but Al's a cool dork, ok? We sat down together near the bottom of his short staircase, leaning elbows on knees and for a long moment, just listening to the high-pitched chatter from the lounge.
"I'm just gonna come right out and say it," Al said then, and I turned to look at him. "I'm effing jealous."
I stared for a moment. "You want to feel my inner terror?" I said. "Go ahead, take it, bro!"
"I'm serious, James," Al said, glancing up at me. While he was very careful to stay good-natured and light, there was that hint of steel in his tone. Huh.
"What d'you mean?"
He sighed, glancing up the stairs behind him. I did so as well, and I wondered if he was imagining the same thing I was: a tiny person, toddling along on unsteady legs, climbing down the stairs with a bump, calling out something like, 'Dadddddy!' It was a terrifyingly vivid image, one that I couldn't get out of my head! I might have been the oldest out of the Potter children, but c'mon, that never meant I was the most mature one! Why is this happening to ME?
But maybe that's what Al means.
"Look, I don't exactly want kids now," Al started slowly, looking back at his knees once more. "Like, I've only been married seven months, I want at the very least a year as a base before we get to that! But … I've always wanted kids. Ever since I was little, I knew that that was the kind of person I was. You remember, right? While you and Lily got into your domestics, I was always the mediator, the one who sorted things out, the one who handled shit and I knew that I was supposed to be a father from a young age. And now that you get to do that first, without even meaning to … I'm trying very hard not to stab you in the eye, I'll have you know."
"Well," I breathed out, trying not to laugh. I'm still not entirely sure how serious he was being with that threat, after all. "This is a first!"
"Come again?" Al asked, glancing up.
"Al, I've been jealous of you pretty much my whole life!" I said, half amused, half exasperated. "You've always been better at being a Potter; you've always had your life sorted. Even Lily's had a more interesting life than I have! I can't even begin to imagine a world where you want what I've got! Are you ever planning on talking to Bea about this?"
"Of course," Al said at once. "She's my wife, I tell her everything! Not that she does the same …" he added in a grumble, shooting a mock glare at me.
"Oh, come on, not her secret!"
"Still!" Al managed to joke. Then, he met my gaze and continued, "Hey, I'm sorry, James. I'm not trying to purposefully bring you down, just … kind of explain. I mean, Bea and I are on the same page. We met young, fell in love young, got married young. We're both sure that it's time now to just figure out our lives together for a bit, before adding babies to the mix. But I can't help it, James! I just love children, and I want one so badly that I just …"
Want what I have. Blimey, this is surreal!
"Well, how about this?" I said as he tapered off. "When mine is born, I give you permission to babysit all the time?"
"Why do I get the feeling that I would probably regret that?" Al snorted.
"Aw, go on," I grinned. "I mean, best this kid has at least one bloke in his or her life who's got their shit sorted!"
Al gave me a look at that, before promptly punching my shoulder from across the stairs. "James," he said, sounding almost like he was scolding me. "Things might be insane right now, but you will get your shit sorted! Because you love that woman back there, and us Potter men provide for our women! You know that you can do this … right?"
I glanced up into his green eyes, and I'm sure all he must've seen was doubt.
"I don't know," I admitted.
"You CAN!" Al insisted at once
"But this has never been who I am!" I cried. "C'mon, Al, you said it yourself! YOU are the one who's always wanted kids, never me! I never considered it, never even thought I'd be the one to have a serious relationship, let alone kids and marriage!"
"But now?"
Now … oh, Merlin, now there was a loaded question.
"I …" I began. "I'm starting to think that this baby might just be the best thing that's ever happened. And that scares the bloody life out of me."
Al grinned. "Good answer, James."
"Really? Sounded shitty to me."
"Everyone would be scared with something like this," Al said. "but you still reckon it'll be ok! Not a single thing about that is shitty. And yes, I'm still mostly jealous … but I have to say, mate, I think you'll be a fantastic dad."
Y'know, I think I may have bawled on the spot … but shhh, this never leaves this staircase, ok?
"… we have to tell your dad at some point," Libby said, tugging on my hand. "It's not like I can just suddenly turn up with a baby one day and say, 'Oh, yeah! This is your grandson!'."
"I know!" I insisted. "And I know it has to be soon, Mum's going nuts not being able to say … but I'd rather be reassured that he won't, like, faint or anything first. Besides," I added, shooting Libby a look. "you still haven't told YOUR family!"
"I told my brother!" Libby countered.
"Not the same as telling your parents!" I argued immediately. "Kevin gets to be an uncle, but your parents are the ones who suddenly realise that they're a whole generation older than they originally thought … but that reminds me, how did your brother take it?" I added, once we reached Libby's office.
She was finally going back to work after taking the last couple of days off. The morning sickness had been particularly rough for her, if the last month and a bit was anything to go by, but thankfully she was able to come and work once more. In a rare moment when my training was only a half day thanks to marketing and sponsor meetings this morning, I was glad that I was able to drop Libby off at work.
Plus, there was a girl here that we were anxious to see.
"Kevin … basically squealed like a little girl," Libby snorted, collapsing at her desk as I perched on the edge next to her. "Thought I was joking at first, actually. Then, when he figured out I was serious, he shrieked something so high-pitched only dogs would be able to understand! Then he hugged me, in between telling me to warn you that he's going to hunt you down as soon as he gets time off, so he can punch you in the face."
"Ah," I said. "Brilliant! Nothing like a healthy punch to the face to get the heart racing!"
"You really worry me, sometimes."
I just laughed, nudging her leg with my own. "After the scan tomorrow, ok?" I suggested. "By then we'll have a lot more information and something to at least share with them. Tomorrow, we're telling them, ok? Otherwise we'll seriously keep putting it off until the baby is actually here."
Libby hesitated for a moment, before holding out her hand. "Deal!" she said, quickly. "Before I change my mind!"
"Trust me, you're not changing your mind!" I insisted, shaking her hand. I then readjusted so I was holding it instead. "D'you want me to be there when you tell them?"
"I'm fairly certain my mother would attempt to curse you dead," Libby noted.
"Fair point. I've got bugger all ideas about how my dad will react as well, so probably best we just go our separate ways after the scan. And, y'know, meet back at home if we're both still alive …"
Libby laughed, but it was incredibly nervous sounding; she tugged on my hand before pressing a kiss to it, "Oh, godddd, James …" she exclaimed. "How did we end up here? SERIOUSLY, how?"
"I thought we covered this!" I joked. "What with the Never Let James Pack Again thing–"
"Y'know what I mean," Libby used her other hand to smack me round the head. "A year ago, we were barely even friends! I think two years ago was when I tried to hate you! I just have no idea how the universe works, sometimes–"
"Universe is a fickle thing, Libby, mah friend!" a loud voice suddenly came from the person striding into Libby's office. "We'd bettah embrace it! Oh, hey, James!" Emma grinned at me from underneath all that brown hair of hers, quite possibly looking even frizzier than usual this morning. "What brings you to our humble offices this mornin'?"
"Dropping Libby off, making sure she doesn't keel over," I grinned.
"I hear that," Emma nodded, glancing at Libby as she dumped several large files on top of her desk. "You better not be comin' back before you're healthily! I got my eye on you, girl. Oh, and that's a present from our boss," she added, gesturing vaguely to the pile on her desk. "Artefact files from Italy to be reviewed and signed off. Welcome back, mate!"
"Gee, thanks," Libby snorted, letting me go to start sorting through the files.
I waited a couple of moments, my heart kind of starting to race. It seemed that Emma could tell that I was wanting to say something, since she was waiting patiently against Libby's desk. I was waiting for Libby to meet my gaze; however, she continued to just sort through her files, and it wasn't until I nudged her once more when she glanced up at me.
"What?" she said.
I just jerked a head towards a rather bemused looking Emma.
"Oh, right!" Libby said, looking up at her friend. "Emma – I'm pregnant."
And she just went back to her work.
I'm gonna just throw out a guess here, but I'm thinking that Emma quite possibly stopped breathing for a moment. "You're WHAT?" she cried.
"Mmm … y'know …" Libby muttered vaguely under her breath, until Emma slammed her hands down on top of her desk, staring at Libby from over top of it.
"LIBBY!" she yelled.
Libby glanced up and finally caved; she burst into a bright grin. "Right, yeah," she said. "James and I are kind of … having a baby."
"OH MY GOD!"
"That was my reaction!"
"You're serious, righ'?"
"Absolutely, I swear!"
"What – but – I can't BELIEVE this!"
"Neither could I!"
"JESUS, LIBBY!"
"I KNOW!"
"AHHHHHH!" That was basically when Emma abandoned all pretences and literally jumped over Libby's desk so she could hug her. Libby laughed, catching Emma around her waist as I just tried to unblock my ears from ringing.
"But how did this – you didn't PLAN this, right–?" Emma was shrieking from over Libby's shoulder.
Libby had been forced to her feet in order to not get crushed by Emma and her weight. "Trust me, this had never been part of any sort of plan!" Libby said, giving her friend one last squeeze before pulling back. "It's sort of what happens when you forget your birth control for a month. But … I don't know, I think I'm actually kind of getting excited about it, now."
Emma just threw her an awed look before suddenly catching sight of me, lurking still at the corner of Libby's desk. "YOU–" she added.
"Oh, geez, Em–!"
She basically tackled me.
"I'm sorry!" Emma cried, even though she was still hugging me, Libby giggling behind us. "I'm seriously sorry if my crazy enthusiasm is freaking you out – this is a good thing, right? – but I've always gotten excited about this sorta thing and OH MY GOD, can I be called Auntie Em?! PLEASE?"
"Lib?" I practically gasped.
"Emma, you can be called anything you like, so long as you leave the father of this baby alive along enough to actually meet his child!" Libby said, taking hold of Emma's shoulder and gently pulling her back.
"Sorry," Emma apologised once more. "JUST, OH MY GOD–!"
"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" another female voice suddenly cut in. A round face with messy blond hair glanced around Libby's office door in confusion, and both Libby and Emma turned to face her.
"Sarah, SARAH!" Emma cried, practically jumping up and down. "You'll never guess–! LIBBY'S PREGNANT!"
"Seriously? Holy shit, Lib!" Sarah yelled.
"I know, right–! Oh my god, I'm so sorry …" Emma suddenly added, turning to look at Libby with utter horror on her face. "I didn't mean to tell, I hope that's ok, I'm honestly sorry …"
Libby just gave a sigh with a slight smile on her face. "Ah, well, people were going to find out eventually, I s'pose," she said. "James, you don't mind?"
"So long as no one tells my dad first," I shrugged.
"In that case," Libby threw her arms wide into the air. "Yeah, Em's right, Sarah! I'm having a baby!"
Aaaaand, that was when I lost the girls to a bunch of insane screaming. Not that I didn't love them, but LORD, they've got some lungs on them! I watched Libby and Emma run to meet their work colleague and friend, the three of them unable to help from talking over one another in their haste, and while I adored Emma's support for us …
… how could she seriously be so excited? So sure that this was a good thing, so sure that this wouldn't get messed up somehow? Because I sure as hell wasn't sure.
I don't think I was sure about anything at the moment.
Luckily, the shrieking didn't go much further beyond the office. Libby might have just been one person in the grand scheme of things, but the Wizarding World was a small place and my dad was famous: news can travel bloody fast around here! What with one of my uncle's being a high-up leader of the Cursebreakers, it was highly possible that my dad could accidentally find out before tomorrow if word got out!
And I really think this needs to be something he hears from me.
Eventually, the girls calmed down long enough for Sarah to remember that she needed to get back to work, and Libby to think back to the wonderful files she now had to sort. Emma came and hugged me once more as Libby moved back to her desk. "Again, I apologise for that quite frankly embarrassing display of estrogen," she said, pulling back. "Oh, and the whole blurting it out thing. Seriously, I really need to learn how to shut it sometimes."
"Aw, you wouldn't be our Emma otherwise!" I grinned.
"Are you actually ok, though?" she added, glancing back at Libby in acknowledgement. "I mean, I get this has to be something huge … did you faint? Oh, please, tell me you fainted!"
"I did not!" I said.
"… though he did have to sit down rather hastily," Libby smirked.
"Oi! Quiet, you!" I said, throwing an accusing hand in her direction.
She just snorted, shaking her head as she went back to her work. Emma sighed then, voicing that she should really be getting back to her own job as well, lest their boss find some excuse to fire her. But it was just then when I realised something, and I suddenly added,
"Oh, before you go," I gave Emma a teasing sort of smile before nudging her arm. "Could you just promise me that you won't mention anything to Fred, yet? We're slowly working through telling people, and I'm kind of working my way up to him, still."
"Sure," Emma shrugged.
On any other day, I might have just accepted that as an answer and moved on … but for some reason, it just didn't sit right with me. She might have sounded as light and carefree as ever, but deep down, there was still an incredibly passionate girl underneath all that … and despite the fact that I'd only met her last September, I was starting to get to know my Emma rather well. Something was up!
"Em," I said, slowly. "You're, like … ok, right?"
"Course!" Emma said, looking at me like I was mad.
"James?" Libby added confusedly from over at her desk.
I shrugged. "Just making sure, is all," I said. "I mean … Em, you'll tell me if I ever need to kick Fred's arse, right?"
"Oh, bloody hell," Emma rolled her eyes. "Shoulda known that was what you're on about."
"I'm serious!"
"Well, so am I," Emma said, mock disapproving. "Emma Terry can do all the arse-kicking she needs by herself! But yes … I'll tell ya if I need you."
"All I ask," I smiled.
I had no idea why I was so nervous.
It was just a scan! A simple scan to check on the baby and make sure everything was ok. It was normal, it was going to happen every so often until October, it was all going to be fine … but I still felt like I was about to throw up.
Sitting in the ground floor maternity waiting room, Libby was jiggling her leg next to me. I'd hazard a guess at that she was more nervous than I was, but I suppose I'll give her that: she's the one who's carrying this thing inside her! I really don't think any of this has really hit me, yet. I spoke hastily to Mum this morning through the fireplace, and she had mentioned that for Dad, he hadn't really realised the full extent of the situation he was in until I was actually born and in his arms.
"… Jesus, don't pass out, James!" Mum had cried then, apparently noticing my slightly woozy expression at that through the flames.
"Don't worry!" I had squeaked. "I'm fine! Totally fine!"
"James, I swear, you and Libby will be absolutely ok," Mum had nodded, determinedly. "Do you want me to come with you this afternoon? I can get work off–?"
"No!" I had quickly cut in. "Don't worry, Mum! I can look after Libby, we'll be fine–"
"James, I wouldn't be there just for Libby," Mum had given me a pointed look.
"What – aw, no, I don't need looking after!"
"James," Mum had rolled her eyes. "You look like you're about to throw up."
"Well, what do you expect?!" I had cried. "I'm still getting through this day by day, I don't know what on earth's going to happen, Libby's all over the place, and I have no idea if I–!"
"JAMES!" Mum had been forced to holler over me. "Look … just, keep taking this a day at a time, ok? If it gets you through, then just think of this as the next stage. Don't think of what comes after. Just concentrate on getting through today. Look after Libby, but don't forget to look after yourself as well. Ok?" she'd practically growled.
"Ok …" I'd answered, weakly.
So I'd eventually managed to reign in the immense panic by taking Mum's advice and concentrating on just getting through this scan. Be there for Libby – take care of yourself! I mean, sounds easy in theory, right? So I'm fine! Totally fine, and there was absolutely no reason to be nervous at all!
"Ms Fletcher?" a Healer called.
Oh, shit.
Libby reached out and took my hand, squeezing hard. I was grateful, since her contact was the only thing that actually got me to my feet. Together, we approached the Healer. She was waiting for us with a file just outside the doors that apparently led down a corridor full of examination rooms and offices. "That's me," Libby said once we were close.
"Follow me, and I'll introduce you to Healer Cowan," the curvy and rather formidable looking woman told us. "I am Healer Sharpe, the head of this ward."
"Ah," Libby exchanged a raised eyebrow with me, clearly grateful that we weren't being left with this rather intimidating harpy. "Lovely to meet you!"
It's kind of funny, though, the little things that freak you out, and the others that actually calm you down. While the walk down the corridor did wonders for my mental health – unfortunately, just not positive wonders – meeting our midwife, Healer Cowan, was actually surprisingly soothing!
"Ms Fletcher, Mr – Potter, was it?" Healer Sharpe began, as she knocked on an exam room door before opening it, stepping inside. "I'd like you to meet–"
"Bethany?" I ended up cutting over her, exclaiming loudly when I noticed the Healer who had stood up to greet us. "No effing WAY!" I said with a laugh. "You work in maternity now?"
"James!" Healer Bethany Cowan cried, holding up a hand and slapping me a high-five. "Haven't seen you in MONTHS! How's it going?!"
"… you know each other?" Healer Sharpe said with a sigh, eyeing the two of us like a hawk.
"So it would seem," Libby said, clearly amused. "I take it you met when you were volunteering here?"
"James was our best cleaner, no joke!" Bethany grinned. Then, she turned to her boss and quickly said, "Oh – this isn't going to be a problem, ethics wise, is it?"
"You are free to request that a different Healer is assigned to Ms Fletcher, if you feel like your personal relationship may hinder your ability to do your job," Healer Sharpe said. "Other than that, there's no rules against it. You may even find that you are more comfortable with each other, since you already know each other."
"Ah, well I reckon we'll be cool, right James?" Bethany said, shooting me a grin. "Only if you are ok with it as well, though," she added in all politeness to Libby.
It was quickly decided that all involved were still ok with the arrangement, and thankfully, Healer Sharpe left soon afterwards. As we were sitting down, I hastily muttered to Libby whether she was really ok with it, but she had just scoffed and waved it aside, while Bethany twitched her wand, causing our file to float across the room to her waiting hands.
"Please," Libby rolled her eyes at me. "I know you didn't sleep with her, if that's what you mean. You didn't start volunteering here until after you realised you were in love with me."
I found myself snorting with laughter at that.
"… so!" Bethany had breathed out, once we were all seated. Libby was still clinging to my hand rather tightly, and while the presence of my old friend Bethany was great to have, I was afraid that the 'informational' posters up on the walls were starting to freak me out again. I'm sure that they all had a purpose, but I'm also fairly certain that I didn't need to see how the cervix could open that wide!
"I'm very terribly sorry, but I'm gonna be a bit unprofessional to start with here, 'cause I have to know," Bethany said, her pretty brown hair tied up in her usual ponytail. "Last time I saw you, James, you were turning me down for someone that was a bit complicated …?"
"Ah, well," I got where she was going at once. "Yeah …" I glanced at Libby, the both of us smiling despite ourselves. "she was complicated back then. Not actually married, so we kind of still are now, really."
"So this is her!" Bethany said, excitedly. "Nice to officially meet you – Healer Bethany Cowan, your midwife for the remainder of your pregnancy, if you have no objections, once again?" she added to Libby.
"No, I don't mind," Libby said, smiling as she accepted shaking Bethany's hand. "Officially it's Liberty Fletcher, but feel free to call me Libby. Soooo you hit on James at one point, then?"
"Oh, well yes," Bethany cringed, sheepishly. "but that was a while ago, and if it's any consolation, he was quite clearly into someone else at the time – you, apparently," she added, now looking amused. "I think he was rather shocked, couldn't say no fast enough!"
"Ah, Bethany," I said. "Definitely missed you."
"In that case, shall we just get into it, then?" she asked.
"Fire away!" Libby said, now with grim determination.
Since Libby had been rather – er, shall we say stressed? – on her last visit to St Mungo's (which is what happens when pregnancy is confirmed to you only five minutes earlier) the Healer hadn't performed a full medical exam to ensure that Libby was like, healthy and everything. Therefore, I had to do a lot of waiting around behind a screen with nothing but 'helpful' pamphlets to comfort me … they were actually not that helpful, which I'm sure you can imagine. I even considered giving myself breathing room and going to see if I could find Rose somewhere in this hospital while I waited. But in the end, no matter how panicked I was, I knew that Libby was worse. Every now and then, she would just call out to me, and I'd answer her back, like she just needed reassurance or something.
She was basically the only thing keeping me sane at this point, I swear!
But, eventually, it was time for Bethany to actually scan for our baby.
"Don't worry, this spell is really simple," Bethany explained as Libby sat back down in her chair next to me. "You don't even need to lie back or lift your shirt or anything. When I cast it, the image will be projected up on that screen there," she explained, gesturing to the white screen which she had pulled down, thankfully covering the poster of the helpfully labelled parts of a woman's reproductive system. "So don't worry, just relax. You ready, Libby?"
"Go ahead," Libby answered, reaching for my hand once again.
It didn't take long, though I'll admit that at first, I had no idea what I was even seeing. The image was in black and white and though it was very clear, I know that I peered for what seemed like a bewildered age before eventually, I had to blurt out:
"Uh … what the hell is that?"
Libby snorted rather loudly as Bethany calmly explained that we were looking at the inside of Libby's uterus, and that the image on the screen was our baby's head. I turned my own head to the side, peering once more, but … good bloody god, I was going to be the worst father ever! I couldn't even tell where my own child was! "I don't see it!" I complained, and Libby tugged on my hand.
"Calm down, mate," she said. "That's the head there, ok? We're looking at it from the top!"
"But … oh," I inwardly hit myself. "That suddenly makes more sense."
"Don't worry, we'll get to see all angles," Bethany said, wand carefully pointed at the screen. She muttered under her breath then, and suddenly, a thumping, beating, sound filled the room. "And now sound!" she said, triumphantly. "Congratulations, James and Libby – your baby has a regular and strong heartbeat."
I think Libby and I had simply frozen.
Never had one sound been so terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It was … completely surreal. I think, up until this point, I hadn't really thought about the baby like they were actually there. It was more just a situation we'd landed ourselves in, and up until now, all of my attention had been on Libby. But now … I think I was starting to realise that there was a lot more to this. Like, knowing about it was one thing, but actually seeing it, hearing it, was something else entirely!
I think I was being waaaaay too fascinated with all this than I was really supposed to, since Bethany took all of my probing questions with amused exasperation. Nevertheless, she was happy to keep answering.
"… that's amazing, they develop so fast! Ooh, how do you get it to switch angles?" I asked eagerly.
"Magic that only five years of Healer training would allow you to understand," Bethany snorted over the sound of the heartbeat. "But here, look – you can see the body now, and those are his or her feet–"
"Oh my god, Libby!" I said excitedly, tugging on her hand. "Libby, look! Our baby's feet! This is amazing–! Wait, Libby?" I suddenly added.
It seemed that, in my eagerness, I'd forgotten to notice that Libby had actually failed to respond in any way since we had first heard our baby's heartbeat. Now that I actually properly looked at her, I realised that she was sitting and staring at the image on the screen, her face having gone deathly white. I realised that her grip on my hand was so tight, I feared that my fingers may soon fall off. I said her name once more, rather half-heartedly, and thankfully she jerked at the sound, turning to face me.
"… are you ok?" I asked, quietly. Bethany, I noticed, discreetly stood from her chair, maintaining the scan from behind the curtain that had now been drawn, instead.
Libby was still staring at me with those wide and frightened eyes.
"I'm pregnant," she said, faintly.
"Erm, yes, that is the situation that we've currently been dealing with for almost a WEEK now …" I said, confusedly.
"No," Libby shook her head. "I mean … I'm PREGNANT."
"Not sure where you're going here–"
Aaaaand, she promptly burst into tears.
Well, I'm bloody useless at this, aren't I?
"Jesus, are you ok?" I cried.
"God – James!" Libby let me go so she could hide her face, tears streaming as she just spectacularly burst into sobs. "I'm – I'm sorry – it's just – I can hear it! Him or her, I mean – they're actually in there, I'm actually having a baby! I'm not just sick, I'm not just stuck in some freaky dream, it's really happening! SHIT–!"
She choked on another sob then and I think the term 'freaked out' wasn't even going to cover it anymore! I hastily moved to kneel down in front of her, reaching up and gently tugging on her hands. She allowed me to pull them away from her face, though she was still openly crying, and in the end, there was nothing I could do but wrap my arms around her. "Libby …" I murmured as I hugged her waist, Libby just throwing her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder. "It'll … like, it'll be ok …"
"I know," she gasped against my shirt, voice slightly muffled. "I know, I … god. I'm sorry, James," she added, taking a deep and shuddering breath. I squeezed her tight for one moment, before pulling back.
"Hey," I threw a hasty grin at her. "You've done a lot worse than cry on me before! I think it's fine, Lib."
"Oh, geez …" Libby sniffed, wiping at her eyes as I slowly moved back to my chair next to her, though I made sure to keep touching her – a hand here, fingers sort of curled together there. "It just totally hit me then! Like, I'm pregnant, I'm actually going to have a baby! It's going to be here in October, and I've got no bloody CLUE what I'm doing!"
"You think I do?" I snorted. "We're in this together, ok?"
"Easy for you to say," Libby said around her red eyes and still tear-stained face. "You haven't had an earth-shattering moment of realisation, yet!"
"Yeah, I'm sure that'll come soon enough, don't you worry," I told her. Trust me, I was thinking of nothing but!
We were quiet for a few moments then, myself conjuring up some tissues so Libby could wipe her face, the two of us content to simply sit in silence and listen to the steady beat of our baby's heart. In was then that Bethany apparently seemed to judge that it was safe to reappear, since that was when she came back out from behind the curtain, throwing us an encouraging smile.
"It's normal to feel a lot of anxiety and stress, Libby," she said gently, sitting back down. "You'll get used to the idea, I promise."
"Thank you," Libby said, thickly.
"You just tell me when you're ready for the rest of the scan, ok?"
"Oh, I'm ready," Libby said determinedly, squeezing my hand, tightly. "I want to see my baby."
A/N: I am still on prac, but I got this chapter out today, because I realised that it is the 10th August: one year ago today, I posted the prologue for WJML! Well, technically for me it's the 11th August (silly time zones) but not the point. Happy anniversary, Jabby! Can't believe I've been writing this story for a year. :D
So don't worry, Harry's reaction will be in the next chapter! Initially, it was supposed to be in this one, but I got a bit carried away, here. So Al, Scorpius, Rose, Emma and Kevin know - next will be Harry and Libby's parents. Since things are so intense at the moment, I feel like things aren't as light and carefree as this story usually is - we all know that the unofficial third genre of this story is DRAMADRAMADRAMA, after all! - and I do apologise for that. However, hopefully once James and Libby actually wrap their heads around it, we can get back to that fun-loving Jabby that we all know and love. :)
Thank you SO MUCH for your reviews! You are all being so amazing and supportive and I hope you all liked this one! Please let me know what you think.
I LOVE YOU ALL!
Until next time -
- Moon. :D
PS. Also, I don't claim to know a single thing about pregnancy really, so please don't take anything I say as hard and fast truth. I'll do the period math again and double check all the google and stuff, but if I have gone wrong somewhere, feel free to correct me/point it out! I apologise in advance for any mistakes I've made. :D