December 1978

"Maggie, it has to be the perfect ring," Sirius said, frowning as he looked through the glass of the jewelry counter.

Margaret stared at Sirius with a bemused smile. "Sirius, my brother is not a woman in case you're forgetting," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, I know, but it has to be perfect," Sirius said, waving Margaret off. "It's my Moonbeam, my Moonpie – he can't just have any old ring."

"Well, don't get him something in gold," Margaret sighed. "Get him something in silver."

"Silver?" Sirius asked, looking at Margaret with wide eyes. "Why silver?"

Margaret gave a small shrug. "Well, you know Remus," she said cryptically. "Hates most things, but he'll find it funny. You know, silver because it's meant to…"

Sirius's brows knit together with his confusion before understanding took over his face. "It's a wonder you're not one of us, Maggie," Sirius said with a lopsided grin. "What would I do without you?"

"Well," Margaret laughed nervously. "Will you be all right for a mo'? I want to go look at a few things."

"Yes, go – I'll be a while," Sirius said, waving his hand again and turning his head back towards the rings, tongue sticking out between his teeth.

"Bloody hell," she muttered, shaking her head. Margaret had no idea how Sirius managed to get her out of the house just before Christmas, but she didn't mind. She still hadn't told anyone other than her mother that she was pregnant yet, and it would be a good time to finally tell Sirius. Hope was absolutely over the moon, just like Margaret thought she'd be, and she was the one who suggested buying the baby their first outfit. It would be a sneaky little way of telling Sirius and would give them all a jump start on things they would need. Hope was worried that it was far too early to tell anyone, but Margaret was hopeful – it was a risk she was willing to take.

With a shaky breath, Margaret browsed through the aisles of the children's department, searching for the perfect outfit. She was tempted to buy one of the cute little Christmas dresses she found, but Margaret had no idea if the baby would be a girl. Margaret grimaced at the looks she was getting from older women as she walked through the clothes, but she tried to ignore them. They didn't know her story or why she was looking.

It took Margaret a few passes through the department before settling on a yellow, newborn bodysuit with the words "I love Daddy" on the front. It was the closest she would get to a neutral option, not wanting to get something for a boy or a girl just yet. She made her way back towards Sirius, not surprised to find he was still looking at rings.

"Still haven't found anything?" Margaret asked conversationally.

"No," Sirius said, frowning as he studied each ring. "They all look the same, but they're all so different." He looked over at what Margaret was holding in her arms, and his face twisted slightly. "What's that?"

"Oh," Margaret laughed, her face flushing slightly. "It's, er, a baby outfit."

"Who's having a baby?"

"Well, you know," Margaret said with a shrug. "Me…possibly."

Sirius snorted, turning back to the rings. "Is it mine?" Sirius asked, barking out a laugh in sheer amusement. When Margaret didn't respond, Sirius straightened up. "Daisy Mae?"

Margaret gave Sirius a sheepish grin, lifting the outfit and turning it out to show the words on the front. "Merry Christmas?" she offered, stomach fluttering with nerves as Sirius stared at her. His eyes darted from the outfit to Margaret's stomach over to the rings and then back to the outfit.

"It's…you're pregnant?" Sirius asked, hand coming up to point at her stomach. "There's a baby? And it's –?"

"Yours and Remus's, if you were still planning on having children. I know with everything going on –"

"Of course we're still planning on children! You're serious?"

"No, you're Sirius, and I'm pregnant," Margaret snorted. She began to laugh as Sirius swept her into a hug. "This little one is all yours. I'm not ready for a baby, but if you two are…well, they're all yours. Mum already knows, and she's chuffed to bits."

Sirius let go of Margaret with a dumbfounded and thrilled look. He looked at the rings again, lost for words. "A baby," he finally spat out with a gleeful giggle. "Oh, Merlin. Mags, please help me pick out this bloody ring for Remus because I can't think at all."

Margaret smiled, looking into the counter, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she looked. She stabbed her finger onto the glass moments later. "This one," she said. "The silver one with the rough outside. It'll be perfect for Remus."

Sirius's smile grew wider, and he purchased the ring. With ring wrapped and bagged, he turned back to Margaret, bending down to talk to her belly. "Now, let's get you your future Christmas gifts, Princess," Sirius said excitedly. "You are going to be the best dressed little girl in the world with everything you could ever want. Oh, Merlin – a baby!"

"You don't even know that it's a girl yet!" Margaret laughed as Sirius grabbed her hand to pull her back towards the baby clothes.

"Yes, I do! And Emma's going to be an absolutely spoiled little thing," Sirius said over his shoulder.

"She already has a name?"

"She had a name before she was even really a thought. Certainly well before I ever even asked you to be our surrogate," Sirius grinned. "Little Emma Hope Lupin – sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Margaret laughed, "yes, I suppose it does."

Margaret sighed as Sirius let go of her hand when they made it to the baby clothes. Without a second thought, Sirius rushed off to find anything and everything he could find, picking up the tiniest dresses to show Margaret. It wasn't the shopping trip she expected to have, but she was glad that it was.

"I told you that you were going to be spoiled," Margaret said down to her stomach. "You are already so loved. Now we just have to hope that you're actually a girl and your Daddy isn't going to buy you a bunch of dresses that you'll have to wear anyway."

"I heard that, Daisy Mae! Emma is most definitely a girl, and she is going to look absolutely darling in all of the dresses I buy her!"

Margaret certainly hoped so.