The weather has been so wonderful lately that I've been writing outside! I hope you all feel this chapter is good, I know it doesn't have a lot of Lily but I really wanted to see what the people around her were doing and this sets the stage nicely for some more things to play out. The next chapter will be lots of Lily and will have a REALLY special moment—hopefully it'll be up by the end of the week

Song: "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5

Chapter 35: Just Call My Name and I'll Be There

"School is important Lily, you only have a few weeks left and trust me, after N.E.W.T.S, seventh year is smooth sailing." Albus reasoned and to his right, James scoffed.

"What is she pops the baby out in the middle of Transfiguration class?"

"Ew." Lily said, shuddering.

"James," Ginny rolled her eyes. "At least attempt to be helpful."

"I do not want Dean Thomas delivering my granddaughter." Harry said firmly. James and Ben snickered and Ginny rolled her eyes at him.

"Can we please get back to the real question here?" Lily asked, exasperated.

"It's really whatever choice is best for you, Lily," Ginny repeated for the tenth time that hour. "For you and the baby, whichever keeps the two of you healthier is the right choice. Ben, what do you think?" Ben shrugged.

"Same thing I suppose. Whatever keeps my girls okay." He took Lily's hand and she breathed deeply.

"I want to finish out the year." Lily said. "I promise to stay as relaxed as I can, you can all owl Hugo and put him up to babysitting me." The family took a minute to process it.

"If you feel anything out of order at all-" James started.

"I'll come home immediately." Lily promised. James didn't look convinced and Lily knew he would never quite be able to shake his overprotective streak. She looked at Ben next who was looking supportive, yet nervous. "It'll be okay." She promised and he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm going to have Hugo owl me daily reports."

"Weekly." Lily bargained.

"Twice a week." Ben said and Lily nodded. "Sold, to the pregnant witch in the hospital bed!" Everyone laughed and a Healer came in the room.

"Miss Potter, we can help you change back into your clothes and you may be discharged." She was a young Healer, probably still in training, and looked awe struck at the family in the room. Lily always forgot they were famous.

"Okay, thank you." Lily answered and the healer nodded and walked out. "One more thing," she said to her family who were starting to exit the room. "Albus," Albus stopped and turned, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah?"

"If there is any time to tell me it is now while I am lying here in a hospital bed. Al, who in Merlin's name is your date to James' wedding?" James and Ben laughed and Albus shook his head.

"You're ruthless Lils. And I'm still not telling."

"So Ben, I'm thinking that maybe you should hold off a few weeks to pop the big question. Just cause there's a lot going on." James reasoned. The two were walking down the streets of London later that afternoon after saying goodbye to Lily, who was returning back to school.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Plus, I still have to ask your dad for permission. Figure I'll give him a chance to actually hit me since he never got to when I was dating Lily or when I got her pregnant."

"Neither did I, now that I think about it." James mused. "And I've gotta get that in soon, I can't be going around punching you when you're a father. Inappropriate for the kids."

"Speaking of," Ben wiggled his eyebrows. "Your bachelor party. Emma begged me not to get you a Veela but I really don't see the harm, I told her you only get married once."

"You're the best man for a reason." James said, slapping him on the back. He got a little more serious. "You reckon Lily is doing the right thing, then? Going back to school?" Ben hesitated and the sighed.

"Even if it's a mistake, I can't really stop her, can I? The girl, much as I love her, tends to do what she wants. I used to think you were the only one who could ever change her mind."

"I used to be." James slightly chuckled. "She'd throw a fit at mum, a less of one at dad, but then for me she would just smile and say 'okay'. And then she started dating you. And now she doesn't listen to me at all. Thanks a lot, prat." James was teasing but Ben realized the truth in his statement. Before he and Lily started dating, Lily never did anything that would make James cross with her. She could be stubborn with many others but when it came to James she always trusted his judgment, even if blindly. But not so much anymore. Though Lily still respected James and went to him for advice, she was becoming her own person and trusting herself more. Ben smiled when he realized she also trusted him more, valued his opinion over others.

"Shit, I should have convinced her to stay, shouldn't I have?" Ben mentally kicked himself. "She's going to push herself to stay in school, to finish the year, especially after that stupid article." The Prophet had not published a word about Lily's pregnancy (a large portion of the staff and its sponsors were related to her after all) but Witch Weekly had run an article about it a few weeks back. Ben remembered the anger he felt as he read the article.

POTTER PRINCESS IS PREGNANT!

The rumors are true, seventeen year old Lily Potter, daughter of the famous Harry Potter, is well over a few months pregnant. Lily is in her seventh year of Hogwarts and is expecting a child. Is Miss Potter married? The answer is no, but sources have confirmed that twenty one year old Benjamin Amherst, an Obliviator for the Ministry and her boyfriend of a mere few months, is the father.

"Ben is practically Lily's brother," Adella Bumbles, who graduated Hogwarts with Ben, said. "He used to stay at their house all of the time. Like Emma used to." Adella refers to Emma Warrington who is engaged to the elder James Potter, Keeper for Puddlemere United.

A Potter falling for an older brother's best friend? Sounds like history is repeating itself.

No word yet on the barely-of-age Lily's plans for the baby, how the family is handling it or if Ben will even be sticking around.

For comments, please write to Romilda Vane.

Ben thought he and James were angry at the article, but nothing could have compared to the rage of Harry. He personally went over to the editor's office, demanded his daughter stay out of the papers and told him that he could inform any sponsors of the paper that Harry would be pulling his funding from their business if another word about Lily was even muttered.

Not another word was mentioned and Ben flooed to Hogwarts (he was never more lucky of McGonagall's soft spot for him) to make sure Lily was okay. Ben had always loved and respected Harry, but it had infinitely grown after hearing about the editor confrontation. Ben knew that if it ever came down to it, he'd do the same for his own child. He knew that and the baby wasn't even born yet.

"…so I don't even know if they're coming." James said in disgust. Ben had completely zoned out during James telling him about Emma's parents disapproving of the wedding, but the last part shocked him.

"That's fucked up, it's their daughter's wedding." Ben said. "Though I don't know if my parents would come to mine. They get…uncomfortable around magic, ya know?" James nodded and at that moment he had never felt more lucky to be a part of his family. Sure they could be loud and everyone was always in each other's lives, but they were always there. They always showered each other with love and support. James supposed that was why people like Ben, from a family that never even tried to understand him, Emma, from a family that practically disowned her after her sorting into Gryffindor and even Scorpuis, who came from a family that never once told him they were proud of him, found a family in his own family. Whatever happened in his life, James could count on his family and his best friends and there was comfort in knowing they would always have his back.

"Aunt Ginny?" Victorie Lupin stepped out of the fire and into the Potter's kitchen carrying a large bag.

"Victorie!" Ginny said excitedly, coming into the kitchen. "What in the world-"

"Isabelle's infant clothes, I went through them and packed them up for Lily. It's so great she's having a girl, I can always give her hand-me-downs."

"And I bet that she will appreciate them, what with your similar tastes." Ginny smiled and the two went into the sitting room. "I remember you getting these when your mum threw you your baby shower."

"Oh Merlin, that was the coldest day of the year, I was freezing and the last thing I wanted to do was leave my cozy apartment. Then I get to my parent's and the whole place was decorated in pink! It was lovely. And I think you may remember this one…" Victorie pulled a pale yellow onesie out of the bag that had golden snitches all over it.

"James' first outfit!" Ginny exclaimed, holding it up. "I can't believe it made it through all of my children and Isabelle."

"And now your granddaughter will wear it." Victorie said, smiling. "Keeping it in the family." Ginny returned the smile and her eyes softened.

"Thank you so much for everything, Victorie. You've really been wonderful with Lily, she needs you a lot more than she lets on. I think she's terrified of parenting, though she tries to be brave for Ben and everyone else."

"And he's probably doing the same thing." Victorie nodded. "I'll admit I was shocked when I heard Lily was pregnant, but I really think she's going to be okay. After all, she had a great mum to learn from."

"How are you holding up, Gramps?" Ron asked, looking at the piles of baby clothes on the sitting room couch. He and Hermione were over the Potter's for dinner and when they had arrived, Harry was standing in the middle of his sitting room, staring at the little pink clothes.

"I'm not above hexing you today, Weasley." Harry told him and Ron grinned.

"You know what I was thinking about the other day? Remember when you told me that Ginny was pregnant with James?"

"How could I forget? You almost punched me in the gut. Which was a bit surprising, being as you were fine when you saw us snogging in the common room and even sort of happy when I told you I was going to propose to her. And then you almost leapt across the kitchen table. You were mental."

"Something bizarre snapped in me." Ron agreed, glad Harry was able to chuckle at the memory. "Mind you, I got a chewing out by mum, Hermione and Ginny."

"As you should have!" Harry laughed. "Thankfully once we found out it was a boy you had such big plans for him to be the greatest keeper in Britain that you didn't care."

"And I was right, wasn't I?" Ron boasted. "I don't know why I remembered it but I was just thinking…I mean you think that you drop the kids off at King's Cross when they're eleven that you've done what you can…but your job isn't over. The whole parenting thing…it's for life."

"I think that's the point of it mate," Harry said, not sure where Ron was going. The two were silent for a few minutes, both absorbing the spoken and unspoken things said before Ginny called out to them and they went into the kitchen to find themselves in the middle of a discussion on what the baby would call Ginny.

"I mean I really don't think Grandmum is all that bad," Hermione tried to reason.

"But it's what the kids call my mum." Ginny explained. "If the baby starts calling me Grandmum it'll feel too weird, I'll feel a lot older than I should!"

"I'm far too young to be called a grandfather." Harry spoke up.

"You can always just have the baby call you The Chosen One." Ron quipped and Harry groaned.

"Maybe Granddad isn't so bad."