TWENTY-FIVE

Friday, 13 November 2020; twenty-two weeks

Wednesday night, they had ordered pizza and ate together in the living room once the crib was finished. Hermione was pleasantly surprised at the ease the three of them felt around one another. She had expected some sort of awkwardness from Sirius knowing about them, but there wasn't much. If anything, it relaxed him around her and vice versa. Whereas they were once Harry's father and godfather, they felt like friends now. It set the bar high for if other people found out, but realistically she refused to let her hopes get that high.

When James and Sirius set about cleaning up before he took his leave for the night, Hermione had gone upstairs to get ready for bed. She didn't make it any further than the room they had allocated for the nursery. She was standing at the crib, staring down at the bare mattress; one hand on the white of the railing, the other on her stomach. The longer she stared, the more she could see him. Their son. By the time James found her, coming to wrap himself around her, his chin resting on her shoulder, she was imagining their son asleep in the crib, tucked in with a favorite stuffed animal for comfort.

It was such a vivid picture in her mind that, had she and James not decided to go forward with their relationship, would have terrified her. Instead, she simply relaxed into his embrace and hummed in approval. She wasn't sure how long they had stayed there, but when she was finally ready to leave, they went directly to his room where she spent the night thanking him for her surprise with more than just a kiss.

While they ate dinner together on Thursday, they discussed going out shopping that weekend. That night, she did what she did best and lost herself in hours of research, making sure she had an airtight list about what she needed to have before the baby arrived. When she felt as though the list was never going to end, James was there to keep her from entering a full blown panic attack. It worked for a little bit, until she realized that most women got what they needed from hosting a baby shower. That was something she wasn't planning on broaching with anyone considering everyone was still under the impression she was going through with an adoption.

The only thing that shut her brain off was James taking her notebook away, tossing it out of reach and burying his face between her thighs. Even she had to admit defeat and give in to his methods of distraction.

As they settled into one another on the couch after dinner on Friday to relax, James received a call from Harry. On instinct, Hermione moved away from him, propping herself up against the arm one cushion over. She couldn't hear Harry; only James' responses to whatever her friend was saying on the other side. After saying something about meeting around ten, James hung up and looked over at her with a frown before pulling her back to his side.

"What was that about?" she asked, smiling at the way his arm tightened around her, as if to keep her there should she try to move away again.

"Harry got himself a new projector and sound system for the family room. We're going over there so I can help him install it properly."

"We?" she questioned.

"He said to bring you along to keep Ginny company and that once it was put together, he wants to have us stay for dinner and a movie."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Bet I know what he's going to choose."

James groaned. "What is it with you kids and the Avengers?"

She couldn't help but chuckle under her breath. "Well, I can't speak for Harry, but for me, it's Loki."

James twisted to look at her, his brow quirked, hazel eye sparkling with amusement. "Got a thing for the manipulative, self-serving bad boys?"

She sucked her lip between her teeth and released it slowly before turning and maneuvering herself to straddle his lap. "For fantasy purposes, yes." she muttered, ducking in to nibble at his bottom lip. "In real life, it's more the slightly older, protective dad types." She smirked against his mouth, a whine coming up from the pressure of his hands cupping her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples beneath her shirt. "Like Ironman."

He laughed into her mouth as he lightly pinched her nipples before rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers. "If it gets you this worked up, feel free to call me Mister Stark tonight."

Her cheek slid against his, her teeth catching the lobe of his ear. His hips arched up, the feel of his arousal hitting against her already dampened core. "That won't be necessary, Mister Potter," she breathed against his ear before she traced it with her tongue. "When I come, I only want to be thinking of you."

His groan made her shiver, right alongside his breathy, "Fuck," before he pushed forward, getting to his feet with her still in his arms. Her laugh turned into a moan as he carried her upstairs to his room and fulfilled her every desire for the rest of the night.

Saturday, 14 November 2020; twenty-two weeks

By the time James and Hermione had actually gotten out of bed the next morning, they were already late. Made even later by the shower he insisted they take together. One that lacked very little in the way of actually getting clean. And when they did arrive at Harry's, Hermione felt at odds with herself. It was the first time in all their years as friends that she didn't want to be there. It was hard enough to spend time away from James, it was bound to be worse spending time together while pretending he meant nothing to her. To have him so close and yet untouchable felt like asking her to do the impossible.

The only thing that gave her the strength to carry on was the squeeze of James' hand as they pulled up to Harry's house that morning. The way his darkened as he told her he understood and that they could do this.

They had to.

The fallout was far too risky.

Though it didn't stop James from throwing caution to the wind as he pressed her up against the closed garage door before they rounded the corner towards the front porch. Didn't stop him from cupping her face between his hands and leaning in to capture her lips for a searing kiss. Didn't stop him from whispering promises about making it up to her later so long as they just got through the day.

The day was made a little easier as Harry and James started right away, the two of them retreating to the family room. With them occupied, Ginny compiled her grocery list and commandeered Hermione to go to the store with her. With nearly half the day spent apart, it was easier to make it through the second half.

When they returned from the store, Sirius was there to help. Hermione had to bite back a smile when she learned that James had invited him over shortly after she and Ginny had left. While part of her felt bad that he found it too awkward to be around his son while alone, the other part found it somewhat amusing. And as Sirius came out to help carry the groceries in, he let her know that he shared the same sentiments.

It was later that afternoon when Ginny and Hermione retreated to the kitchen to start prepping for dinner. She was trying a new recipe she'd found online and it was a bit more complicated than she was used to. In true Ginny fashion, she wanted to take her time to make sure she got it right.

"If I can do this, I can do Thanksgiving," Ginny said when Hermione had asked why she'd picked that recipe.

With the holiday less than two weeks away, she knew how Ginny felt. Two years ago she and Ron had volunteered to host. Hermione had found out almost immediately that she was not cut out for cooking large meals. Then again, cooking in general had never been her strong suit. This year, Ginny had volunteered when her parents decided they were going to visit Charlie in Romania.

"I'd volunteer to help you with Thanksgiving, but-"

"You can pull your pregnancy card all you want, but you are coming over to help me prep," Ginny said without even looking at her as she scrounged her kitchen for the ingredients.

"Ginny-"

"My parents and Charlie won't be here. Bill and Fleur are going to visit her family. Fred and George might come over, but they're making the rounds to their in-laws as well. Percy still hasn't given me an answer, but he never does and always shows up. You know Ron will hit as many Thanksgiving's as he can. That just leaves you, Sirius, and James."

"My parents-"

"Are more than welcome, but you know they probably going upstate like they always do."

Hermione sighed, knowing there was no way of getting out of it. "Fine," she muttered, glancing down at the recipe again before measuring her first ingredient.

"Did you want to invite the adoptive parents?"

Hermione went still, the breadcrumbs dumping all over the counter. She waved off Ginny's attempt to help her and set about to clean up. She scanned the room, making sure Harry wasn't around to hear her say, "I'm keeping him."

Had Ginny not set down the casserole dish right before Hermione spoke, it would have been dropped, shattering all over the floor. "What?" Her eyes were wide with alarm as she made her way to Hermione, taking her hands in hers. "When did you change your mind?"

She told her about the day she was supposed to sign papers and how she had spoken to Theo since. She also took the opportunity to tell Ginny that she wasn't just staying at James', she had officially moved in for the foreseeable future. She saw the flicker in Ginny's eyes as she absorbed the information, but wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Ultimately, she let it go and pulled Hermione into a hug.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked. "We can go shopping."

Hermione smiled and shook her head, feeling slightly guilty. She and James were planning on going tomorrow since they had come over here instead today. "I'm actually going with my mom. It was her suggestion and I could use the alone time with her."

Ginny nodded immediately. "Of course! I'm sure there's a lot to get, so if you don't get everything, let me know and we can do another trip."

"I'd like that," Hermione said, trying again with the breadcrumbs.

In true Ginny fashion, she wasted no time in asking, "So, can I throw you a baby shower now?"

"I'll think about it," she answered, a smile playing across her lips as they went about making dinner.

Sure enough, Harry chose the first Avengers movie to christen the new home theatre system. Hermione couldn't help but seek James' gaze only to quickly avert her gaze as her thighs clamped together having remembered their conversation from the night before.

Hermione had been the first to sit in the family room after dinner, having been kicked out of the kitchen when she tried to help clean up. Ginny was soon to follow, the boys having done the same to her. She sat with Hermione on the couch, browsing through Pinterest for nursery ideas until they boys joined them. Then she moved to the loveseat across the way where she would eventually curl up to Harry.

James sank onto the cushion to Hermione's left and it took far more energy than she had not to scoot over and lean into his side. Both of them tensed when he slung his arm over the back of the couch, but relaxed after a moment when they both came to the same conclusion that this wasn't really out of the norm. James frequently sat with his arm on the back of the couch while he sipped at the beer he held in his other hand.

No one paid any mind to the action. In fact, it wasn't until Sirius made a remark for her to scoot that drew Harry's attention. He frowned when Sirius said she shouldn't be afraid; that neither he nor James would bite unless she asked nicely. She laughed and waved it off, trying her best to ignore the question in Harry's eyes that tightened the knot of guilt in her stomach.

If he wasn't happy about an offhand comment that appeared to be too familiar between her and Sirius, there was no way he was going to take the truth of her and James well.

The feeling of unease gave way to another form of discomfort once everyone was settled and the movie started. In the dim light of the room, James became bolder, his hand shifting closer to her so he could twine her curls around his fingers. The light touch kept shivers shooting up and down her spine continuously; the tingle at the base of her spine matching the one between her thighs.

When it got to be too much, she pushed herself to her feet, excusing herself to use the bathroom. She took longer than necessary as she tried to get her body to simmer down. When she did leave, she went to the kitchen for more water. The moment she reached for a glass, Harry was there, getting it for her.

"Thanks," she said, smiling before heading to the fridge to use the built-in water dispenser.

"Can I ask you something kinda weird?"

She hoped her moment of stillness went unnoticed before she nodded, glad that her back was to him. "Sure."

"Is there something between you and Sirius?"

The laughter started as quiet, but ended up being so loud she wondered if the others wouldn't pause it to check on her and Harry in the kitchen. She turned to him, tears in her eyes, hand over her mouth as she shook her head. "Why on earth would you think that?"

His cheeks turned beat red as he raked a hand through hair and averted his gaze. "You two have just… I don't know. You've never been that close and lately…"

"I don't know if you realize how often he comes over to see your father," she said, trying to keep her voice level. "If I didn't know Sirius was a serial womanizer, I would be the first to think the two of them-"

"Gross," he said, holding his hands up between them to get her to stop. "Don't put that image in my head."

She snickered again and took a sip of her water. "Well then don't put images of Sirius in mine," she chided before nodding towards the living room.

He followed her with an apologetic smile. He returned to his spot next to Ginny and Hermione between James and Sirius. Only this time, she let herself be a bit closer to James than before. She saw the grin he tried to hold back when she dared a glance his way. He wasted no time in returning his hand to her hair, this time letting his fingers brushing against her skin on occasion. And with a secretive smile of her own, she let him.

A/N: Okay, but really, I was on a Marvel kick when I wrote this and this chapter was 100% self-indulgent. But I'm sure you guys are okay with that ;)

Also...they're American in this so yes, there will be Thanksgiving.