Chapter 7

„Mara, I'm sorry, but you really can't play Quidditch anymore."

„Oh, so now you're telling me what I can and can't do," I told Fred poutingly.

„You know I would never do this, but this is just too great a risk for the baby, and you know it," he said with a patient tone. Sadly, that only made me mad, even though I knew it was wrong. Damn hormones!

„Fine," I finally mumbled back. „I hope you know that Gryffindor will definitely lose now."

Fred laughed. „Oh, I know, but I would gladly not win the Quidditch Cup if it means you two are safe."

My anger disappears and is replaced with pure adoration for this man. I kiss him lightly on the lips. The past month had been my best yet in 1996. Fred and I had been building up our relationship, I have become really close to Ginny and the trio. I've also finally come to terms with being pregnant and finally feel a sense of excitement for the impending arrival of my child. Fred's been a big help with that, talking about baby names with me and how good a mom he thinks I'll make. We've also decided that today was going to be the day to finally tell people. He even gave me the opportunity to say it was his, but I didn't want to lie anymore. I wanted to tell my closest friends the truth. The whole truth. And to be fair it wasn't like I slept with Voldemort, I know technically, yes, but at the time he was different and he hadn't, at least I think he hadn't been a murderer. Best not to think about that for too long.

Once I had finally persuaded Parvati and Lavender, Hermione's and my dorm mates, to go to the library to finish their essay, I hexed the stairs so that Fred, George, Harry and Ron could join Hermione, Ginny and me in our dorm. I was so nervous when they all started to look at me expectantly, no doubt wondering why on earth I wanted to talk to all of them so secretively.

„All right, first of all, thanks for coming, guys," I start lamely. I cleared my throat. „Well, ehm, so I've been keeping a secret from you." I took a breath and Fred took my hand. „I'm pregnant."

I got really quiet, you could hear Ron's jaw crack a little as his mouth dropped open and Hermione let out a gasp. George was the first one to say something. „So you two are having a baby," he asked raising his eyebrows.

„Well, no. Not us two." Everyone looked more confused if that was even possible. Especially Harry looked like he had just been presented with a really hard arithmancy problem.

„You see when I was back in 43 I had been with someone. We bonded over a particularly difficult potion assignment and before either of knew it, we started becoming friends and, well, eventually more."

„Well congratulations, Mara. I'm sure you'll be a great mom," Ginny said smiling and the others nodded in agreement.

„Maybe you should hold off with your congratulations until I've told you who the father is," I say and took another deep breath. „I want you to keep in mind that we are, or I guess, were both 16 and he wasn't who he is now. The guy I was seeing, his name was ... Tom Riddle."

This time I heard Ginny gasp and it was Harry's jaw that dropped to the floor.

„Wait ... Hold up a second there, Mara, you're ... you're pregnant with Voldemort's baby?" George said sounding like he couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry.

„I know, right," I said trying to lighten the mood, but no one reacted. „Did I use that phrase right?", I asked Fred, who had started teaching me some "slang" as he called it. „Yes, honey, just not the right moment."

„But then what happened?", Harry asked. „I mean I find it very hard to believe that the same girl who is pregnant with Voldemort's child accidentally gets stuck in another time."

„You're right, he did kind of cause this whole mess. So, I was granted a time turner, to take more classes, and when I went to use it for the first time, I just remember him pointing his wand at it and then the world started spinning and I landed here, he must have cursed it or something," I explained.

„Did he know you were pregnant?", Ginny asked.

„No, I never had the change to tell him, after we ... you know, he closed himself off completely and wouldn't talk to me anymore."

„Dickhead," George commented.

„I mean, yes," I laugh. „But I think he was really afraid of his walls coming down, of actually feeling something, I think that's why he cursed the time turner, to not be tempted to give in to emotions. But what do I know, maybe it's just wishful thinking that he wasn't always evil."

After a couple of hours of everyone talking about the situation and also how I perceived Tom in Hogwarts, we were abruptly interrupted by Parvati and Lavender's giggling when they returned from the library and understandably wanted to go to bed.

I, on the other hand, really didn't want to sleep yet and Fred and I sneaked out to the Great Lake, which was absolutely stunning at night.

„I'm really proud of you, you know, a lot of people wouldn't have told the truth about that."

I look up at Fred. „I couldn't have done it without you," I say and kiss him.