Harry Potter and the Bun in the Oven

Nervous. Agitated. A lot of terms came to mind as Luna Lovegood sat in St Mungo's, twiddling her thumbs. There was a term that she did prefer though, one that her fiancé was particularly fond of.

Luna was absolutely shitting herself.

She was late. Yes. That kind of late. And, as one would guess, she found herself feeling rather ill every morning, nauseous to the point of puking more than once – the Kneazles at the animal sanctuary she where she worked weren't too happy when she puked into their litter box. Twice. As she wiped some of the puke from her chin, at that moment, she had a realisation. "Oh. I'm pregnant."

And so she got permission from her boss to Floo up to St Mungo's and have an impromptu check-up. And it was in the waiting room for the maternity wing that she sat twiddling her thumbs, waiting on results from a blood test. She looked around the room, agitated still and trying to calm herself. Posters of pregnant ladies and expectant couples alike dotted the wall, and she couldn't help but smile at them; she imagined herself and Harry in every one, though the nervousness still flicked across her mind, occasionally glancing down at her stomach.

"Miss Lovegood?" the same healer who'd examined her, a kind young woman who'd introduced herself as Healer Stern, poked her head through the door of an office. "Your results have come back."

Luna shifted nervously and played with the end of her plait, looking up at her then following the healer into her office. She tried to smile, but felt more like she was screaming inside. She subconsciously rubbed the top of her finger where the Healer had taken a drop of blood from; she'd been promised that it wouldn't hurt, but it was still sore at least half an hour later.

The Healer came back in to the office and sat down across from Luna, giving her a warm smile. "Now, your results have come back, like I mentioned, and I do have some news."

Luna's breath caught in her throat, and she blurted out a rapid "ohmywordimpregnantarenti" prompting a small laugh from the healer.

"Exactly right. Congratulations Miss Lovegood, you're expecting." she replied quietly, smiling at Luna's jaw slowly dropped. "At a glance, we'd estimate you to be around eight weeks along, give or take, so you're still within the first trimester."

Luna rubbed her face and felt a flood of emotions as she tried to mentally ground herself; first, raw excitement. She felt her internal monologue screaming "OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO BE A FECKIN' MOTHER!" repeatedly until another penny dropped and her excitement turned back to nervousness, like it had in the waiting room. "Oh God… I'm going to be a mother."

"I understand it's a daunting prospect Miss Lovegood, but if I remember rightly from when we did the test, you mentioned that you and your partner were hoping to have children in the future anyway."

"Oh aye. Thank goodness the wedding is in three weeks. We never imagined it to happen this fast though; we thought it'd be at least some time next spring that we'd… be expecting." Luna sighed. "Um… are there b-booklets that I can take home and have a read of?"

Healer Stern nodded and waved her wand towards a pile on the other side of the office, levitating a handful of small booklets to Luna. "These are just a few of the standard booklets we give out to expectant mothers; A Guide to Wizarding Motherhood, Charming Childcare, the usual kind of thing. Have a read of them at your leisure. Let your fiancé have a read too, it'll help bring him up to speed. Do you have previous childcare experience? Babysitting and the like?"

Luna nodded and folded the booklets away into her shoulder bag, smiling at the image on the front of Charming Childcare, being suspiciously reminded of a photograph of Harry and Teddy. "Aye, Harry's godson comes to see us a few days out of the week, occasionally stays the night. He's around six though, so he's far from a baby."

"Oh, that should be fine. It'll help get you and – Harry, was it? - up to speed anyway, it'll do well for when your own child gets to that age too. Out of interest, would that be Harry Potter?"

Luna smiled and nodded again. "Aye, that's him."

"Ah, he was a few years below me in Hogwarts. Always remember him being quite nice. Are you planning on telling him when you get home?"

"He's not changed much, if I'm honest. And no, not right away at least. I have a bit of an idea brewing on how to tell him..."

By the early evening, Luna's nervousness had started to fade like the sunlight, and she found herself in the front room, wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa and reading the booklets she'd gotten earlier. "Apparition and portkey by pregnant witches is permissible though not recommend past thirty-six weeks, at which point the only recommended travel is via broomstick or flying carpet; the latter is the preferable choice out of the two. Travel via Floo is permissible at all stages and is the recommended way to get to St Mungo's when labour is underway..." Luna read aloud, scratching the back of her head. "Hmm." She thought to herself. "Will have to ask a loan of Daddy's old carpet..."

Luna was about to start reading again when she heard the fireplace flare up, and managed to hide the booklets down the side of the sofa by the time Harry stepped out, in the midst of brushing himself down of the ash. About to say hello, he stopped in his tracks and smirked.

"That's my jumper, isn't it Luna?"

Luna looked down and giggled softly. "Oh… so it is."

"I'm not going to get it back, am I?"

"Not a chance."

Harry shook his head and flopped down next to Luna on the sofa, planting a kiss on her cheek and laying his head on her shoulder. "I got your Patronus message, you were sick at work?"

Luna nodded and started playing with Harry's hair affectionately. "Aye. Came home early as well."

"Oh sweets… is it something you ate? You've been a bit unwell for a week or so now. Do you want to bin off having a fish and chips tonight?"

"You think I'd miss fish and chips night for a dodgy stomach? What do you take me for Harry?" She said in faux-shock, leaning to plant a kiss on his forehead. "How was work?"

Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Had to sit in on my first parole hearing. Wasn't a Death Eater thankfully, poor sod, so he's out on probation. Funnily enough, moving all the Dementors out of Azkaban made the non-severe offenders more likely to actually reform, who'd have guessed?" Harry kissed Luna's cheek again and sighed. "Glad to be home though. When do you want dinner?"

"About an hour or two? Feeling quite hungry actually… might want more than the usual." Luna sighed and rubbed her stomach. "Feel like I've had a bit more of an appetite lately. Like I'm eating for two or something." She looked out of the corner of her eyes at Harry… hoping he'd take the hint.

"You're not getting my bloody portion again Luna. I only got half my portion last time." Harry snorted.

"Ah, I forgot… he's dense." Luna's inner monologue said, and she felt herself suppress a smile. This would be interesting, trying to tell him. "Don't worry about that sweetheart. Just get me the usual… and, two lots of onion rings this time."

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Two? You must be starving… two it is." Harry gave her yet another kiss on the cheek before giving her a tight hug, gladly reciprocated. "Now… fancy a cup of tea?"

"Oh, lord yes."

Harry smiled into the hug, then after pulling back, he flicked out his wand to the kitchen, hearing the kettle start to boil. He turned back to Luna, amused at her expression. "What is it sweets?"

"You really are a lazy fecker sometimes, aren't you?" She said without a hint of seriousness, her arms still around Harry's neck.

"Well… it's been a long day, I've missed you like mad, and I fancy a cuddle for a bit before I have to get up again? Is that a good enough reason Miss Lovegood?" Harry smirked and pulled Luna onto his lap, chuckling at her little squeak of delight.

"I think that's a perfectly valid reason to stay on the sofa for a few minutes Mr Potter." She whispered, and she gently pressed her lips to his before nuzzling his neck and tightening her arms around his neck. "Telling him about the baby can wait..." She thought to herself. "Right now I just fancy myself a decent hug."

Friday ended as it did every week, with Harry and Luna enjoying fish and chips, a horror film and an inhuman amount of hugging, and Monday came entirely too quick; with Monday, came the Burrow Christmas party. Luna felt the same sort of anxiety as last year; with elements from three or four different families, the house was hectic.

Clutching Harry's arm as they walked down the dirt path to the Burrow, she felt butterflies flit across her stomach again, and like last year, she stopped in her tracks just a few yards from the front door.

Harry arched an eyebrow as he felt her stop, and he turned to her, immediately pulling her into a hug. "Are you nervous again?" He kissed her forehead as she nodded into him, and leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Listen sweets, I'll tell you what I said last year; any problems with anyone, come get me or Molly, okay?"

Luna nodded into the hug again and got on her tiptoes to give Harry a kiss, before starting to walk on towards the house, leaning her head on his arm. "Getting anxious when I don't need to be is a bit irritating, if you couldn't tell already."

"It's not exactly rational, I'll give you that. But I can't go out without getting scared shitless of being mobbed, so… I empathise." He moved his hand down and linked his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand gently. "Just remember what I said."

Luna was about to respond when the door to the Burrow opened, and a young boy with a shock of neon-red hair sped out from the house and clamped around Harry's leg, prompting a fit of giggles from Luna. "Sweetie… I think someone's happy to see you."

Harry chuckled and got down to Teddy's level to wrap him in a hug. "Hello matey, you doing alright?"

"Yeah! Victoire's been annoying me all bloody day though!"

"Teddy, language!" Luna chastised, failing to hide the smile on her face. "Has she been playing 'kiss chase' with you again?"

"Yeah, she's a pain in the bum. Missed you Auntie Luna..." He trailed off and went shy, burying his face in Harry's shoulder and having his hair turn a soft blue hue. "Oh, and you Uncle Harry. Keep Victoire away, will you?"

Harry tapped his chin in a 'thinking' pose and gave Teddy a grin. "You're forgetting the time that you let Victoire catch you, aren't you? Remember, on Bonfire Night? When you thought I wasn't looking?" His smile got wider when Teddy went red – hair and face – and audibly gulped.

"Oh… oh yeah." he mumbled before burying his face in Harry's shoulder again, beyond embarrassed. Harry simply kissed the top of his head and gave him a squeeze, before turning to Luna.

Seeing Harry carry Teddy around was far from a rare sight for Luna, but in the light of her news on Friday, she saw the scene in a different light. For a few seconds, Luna didn't see Teddy in Harry's arms, she first saw a different child; a young boy with sandy blond hair and Harry's eyes, looking over at herself with adoration. Then a girl, with black hair but her own features nuzzling into Harry's chest. She was lost in that daydream until she felt something on her leg, and heard Harry's amused voice calling to her.

"Sweets? Earth to Luna?" He chuckled, smirking at the slight blush pinking Luna's cheeks as she knelt down to pick Teddy up into a hug.

"Sorry sweetheart. I was… I was miles away." Luna gave Harry an embarrassed smile as she kissed Teddy's cheek.

"I was just saying, we should probably get inside. Bit nippy out here. On the plus side, Molly's probably finished the cooking, so we won't get asked to help this time."

Luna felt a short spark of inspiration and thought herself to be incredibly clever as she said pointedly "Aye… maybe there's a bun in the oven." Harry's look of confusion both annoyed her and caused her inner monologue to howl with laughter. "Luna, he is DENSE! You know this already, hints won't feckin' work!"

"Uh… yeah, hopefully. Those rock buns were nice last year… you coming?" He gestured to the door and held out his hand. Freeing one of her hands while keeping Teddy close, she took it and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course. And I think Teddy wants to play with Victoire again, doesn't he?" She giggled at Teddy going all embarrassed again, and outright laughed when he nodded and buried his face in her jumper. "Don't worry… we won't tell anyone how much you fancy Victoire, okay?"

Teddy looked up and just nodded again, mumbling "Okay..." as his hair turned a darker, Ravenclaw blue. Luna kissed his forehead and hugged him closer as she followed Harry into the Burrow, thinking to herself "Next year… it'll be our own little one in my arms."

An hour or so had passed since Luna and Harry had arrived, and already they had been force-fed some of Molly's food – Harry making particular note of the rock buns, much to Luna's irritation – subjected to some more muggle technology worship from Arthur – "Now, tell me about this thing called a dee vee dee? I remember Xenophilius saying he loved your 'collection' of them!" – and watched with highly amused grins on their faces as Teddy pretended to trip over when being chased by Victoire, and THEN pretending to be embarrassed when Fleur noticed Victoire peppering Teddy's face with kisses.

Giggling as Fleur 'scolded' the pair of them, Luna was brought out of her amusement by Ginny bringing over a drink. "Oi, Lu, get this down you. I tried this beer last time I was out with Wilda from the Harpies; very nice, if a bit strong. You like your stouts, right?"

Luna took the glass without thinking, and very nearly took a sip before remembering. "Aw… feck. Sorry Ginny… I can't."

Ginny, curious, raised an eyebrow. "Luna Lovegood, the girl I've gotten hammered with numerous times since you and Harry got together, refusing a pint? There's something up, isn't there? Come on, spill; has he got the bike outside, is he forcing you to ride home while he passes out in the side-car? Again?" She pressed, her arms folded.

"Ah… no, we apparated here. Did think about bringing the bike a-actually, but… no, not because of that at all." She replied, scratching the back of her neck nervously. She'd not told anyone else yet about the pregnancy, and she did want to keep the possibility of Harry finding out low… but she remembered how close she was with Ginny, and how terrible Harry was at getting the hint. "Okay… I'll tell you. Don't tell Harry though, alright?"

Ginny made a zipper motion across her lips. "Your secret is safe with me Lu. Now, spill. I planned on getting a bit tipsy with you tonight, and I want to know why my plans have been scuppered."

Luna blushed softly, and couldn't manage to get any words out, so in possibly one of the most vague yet obvious ways possible, she simply pointed to her stomach a few times, and raised her eyebrows as if to say "Take a wild guess."

Ginny's eyes narrowed, and they flicked up and down, from Luna's stomach back up to her face at least half a dozen times, before her eyes shot open in realisation. "Oh." She said rather simply. "Oh… I see. I can see how that does indeed limit you in terms of getting a bit tipsy." She nodded towards Harry, in the middle of a laughing fit as he watched Teddy get rugby-tackled by Victoire again. "Does Speccy know yet?"

"No… I'm trying to hint at it, but he's slow off the mark." Luna shook her head and shared a knowing look with Ginny. "I think if I keep hinting, he'll realise by the time I… need to get it out."

Ginny managed to keep a straight face for all of five seconds before she started snorting, her face creasing as she fought to keep some form of composure. "Y-yeah. Harry has always been a bit lacking in the 'understanding vital hints' department. Do you even think he'd be able to tell once the kid is off at Hogwarts?"

It was Luna's turn to stifle giggles now, and she had to hold on to Ginny's shoulder to keep herself upright. "He'd be asking me as we dropped them off at Platform 9 ¾ "Who's Teddy's new friend? He looks a lot like you!"" She shared a fit of silent but raucous laughter with Ginny until the ginger of the pair went stony all of a sudden and pointed towards the kitchen door.

"In there, now. Tell me everything!"

Ginny pulled her through to the kitchen and shut the door behind them, taking seats on either side of the kitchen table, and leaning forward excitedly. "Right woman, tell me everything. When did you find out? How far gone are you?"

"Oh… oh, I found out on Friday. I was sick at work again and my boss just sent me up to St Mungo's. The healer said I was about, eight weeks gone? I'll probably show while I'm going down the aisle…" Luna smiled as she patted her stomach.

"Aww, that'll make the photos so lovely! Oh, wait… will your dress fit?"

"Aye, I'm using Mummy's old wedding dress. It's very flowy and open, I think it'll be fine."

"I'll still be on to do the make-up right?"

Luna smirked. "If you must. You think that'd change just because I got up the duff?"

"Hey, some girls get a bit weird when they're pregnant. You though… I reckon you'd end up downright bloody normal." Ginny giggled as she took a soft kick to the shins. "Aww, but I'm bloody happy for you. I know you and Harry do a lot for Teddy as well so you've got some practice in. Tell me, your mum's old dress… does it have pockets?"

Luna snorted and broke into giggles. "Oh my word, yes! That was the first thing Daddy told me when he pulled it down from the attic. "Oh, Moonbeam, I thought I should mention it has pockets, your mum kept a bag of walnuts in there and snacked on them throughout the ceremony."" She drawled in her least terrible Welsh accent, provoking more giggles from the pair.

They had just started being able to breath again when Molly poked her head through the door and offered Luna a warm smile. "Oh, there you are dear." She shuffled in and pulled the kitchen door shut behind her, holding something rather obviously behind her back. "I've been looking for you for a few minutes now, I have a gift..."

Luna stiffened up and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Oh Molly… You don't have to-" She started to say before Molly raised a finger to stop her.

"Luna, you're family, I'm going to do gifts for you whether you like it or not. Now, it's something I think you'll rather appreciate..." She trailed off as she placed the package down in front of Luna, taking a seat next to her. "Go on." She motioned towards the package.

Luna looked between her and Ginny a few times, reaching out to the package upon Ginny's own gesture towards it, and she started to slowly unpacked it from the wrapping paper. Her breath caught in her throat and she found herself smiling as she unfurled, similarly to last year, a cardigan in perfect Ravenclaw blue, with a finely stitched golden L on the front pocket. "Oh Molly this is lovely!" She gave Molly a hug and pulled back, also giving one to Ginny as she'd moved around to sit on Luna's other side.

"That's not all dear… it stretches." Molly smiled at Luna's quizzical expression, and leaned in. "I put a charm on the wool, which I had to design myself, and it's designed to stretch to fit the shape of your body without stretching the actual material. Like, if you put on a bunch of weight. Or… if you're expecting."

Luna started to resemble a goldfish as her mouth opened and closed without a sound, only making vague mumbling sounds before Molly chuckled and started to explain.

"Luna, I've been pregnant six times and given birth to six wonderful sons and…" she motioned over Luna's shoulder to Ginny, who was covering her mouth to stifle giggles. "…a daughter. I could tell when you and Harry visited for breakfast the other day that you were expecting; not much gets past me. To be honest, I'm not surprised. In fact, I thought you were going to get pregnant last year, I lost a bet with George on that actually."

Ginny found herself cracking up at that and snorted into her hand, outright laughing as she noticed Luna's blush slowly spreading across her face. "You knew I was pregnant, didn't you Ginny?" She asked, the smile audible in her voice.

"Oh yeah. That whole thing with the beer was just a set up, I found out off Mum. I helped her pick out the wool as well, so I had a hand in making that cardigan too." She pulled Luna into a hug and mumbled into her ear "I hope you like it, Mum spent ages on it."

Luna hugged Ginny back and simply whispered "Cheers." before turning to Molly and saying "Thanks ever so much Molly. It's damn near perfect."

"My pleasure dear. I'll make a cup of tea for us, I'm getting parched. I'm curious… does Harry know yet?"

Luna gave Molly a knowing look and smirked. "I've tried, but he's terrible at getting the hint. Oh I love him and I know I'm getting married in about a month, but can I just say how dense he is with anything subtle?"

"Oh yes. Dear me, he's wonderfully clever but when it comes to anything beyond the bare-bones truth he's… not the sharpest quill in the collection." She said as she filled the kettle, hiding a smirk of her own.

"Alright Lu, I'm gonna go and get a pint and go gloat about beating the Cannons to Ron. See you in a bit, yeah?" She gave Luna another short hug before heading off, letting Harry in after she left, Teddy in his arms.

"Oh, there you are sweets!" Harry beamed over at her and gave her a kiss as he sat down, placing Teddy on his knee. "I was looking for you. Teddy wants to know if we still have this toy hippogryff at home."

"Yeah, I was trying to find Harvey at home and Nana Andie said I left him with you last week." He said with a yawn, bleary-eyed. "I know I'm a big boy now but sometimes I want a cuddle with Harvey."

"Oh poppet..." Luna pulled him from Harry's lap into hers and kissed his head as she hugged him. "Yes, he's still in your bedroom at the house, I kept him on your pillow. You're still coming over on Christmas Day aren't you?" Teddy nodded as he hugged Luna back, nuzzling into her chest. "Well then, you can come get him then, is that okay?

"T-that's fine Auntie Luna. Victoire wants to see him as well, she wants to borrow him and then she'll let me have her toy kneazle for a bit."

"Ooh, sharing your toys with Victoire… things are getting very serious between you two, aren't they? Maybe at mine and Uncle Harry's wedding, you two can get married as well!" She teased, watching Harry snicker and accept the cup of tea from Molly.

Teddy blushed and had his hair change from his normal cool blue to scarlet red again, nuzzling harder into Luna's chest. "I'd rather just be the page boy if that's alright Auntie Luna. I don't want to kiss her when everyone can see either."

"No, you just want to wait until no one else is looking, don't you matey?" Harry said after a sip of tea, guffawing as Teddy's hair turned redder than Ginny's and he groaned in embarrassment. "You're just a romantic like your Uncle Harry aren't you?"

Teddy turned to Harry and glowered for a second before cracking a smile and giving the smallest of nods, prompting a ruffle of hair and tighter hug from Luna. "Are you getting tired poppet? Want to go upstairs? I'm sure Uncle Harry will read you a bedtime story still if you want one, even if you are a big boy."

"Okay. Night night Auntie Luna." Teddy got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before sliding off and getting up into Harry's arms and waving to her, yawning widely as his hair colour slowly turned back to a soft blue.

Harry finished his cup of tea and leaned over to give Luna a short kiss when he noticed the cardigan on the table. "Ooh, is this a new thing from Molly? Ooh, a cardigan!"

Luna looked at him and gave him a sly smile. "Oh aye! Molly went and put a charm on it too, so it won't stretch if I, say, gain a bit of weight, or I find that I'm expecting." She said with arched eyebrows… hoping to whatever was up there that he'd bite.

"Expecting what?" He looked at her quizzically, not noticing the subtle defeat behind her eyes, nor the giggle fit Molly burst into as she left the room to hide it. "To get bigger? I remember you said you were getting hungry again but I thought that was… anyway, doesn't matter. I'm gonna go read Teddy a story. See you in a bit sweets."

Luna accepted the kiss as he leaned down but groaned in annoyance when he'd left the room, putting her head on the kitchen table. "How many times to I have to tell you woman… DENSE."

By the time Christmas Eve came, Harry and Luna felt nothing short of exhausted. With a wedding in three weeks, a Christmas dinner to plan and at least half a dozen last-minute gifts that Harry rushed about to get due to his knack for procrastinating, having a day entirely to themselves was a relief… among other things.

By the time the time the sky turned dark, Luna and Harry had accomplished nothing short of nothing, aside from eating eggs on toast, hugging on the sofa and throwing treats to their cat Minnie, which served to quell the frustration Luna had built up over the past week… almost.

Simply dropping hints about being pregnant wasn't enough, much to Luna's irritation. "He's INTELLIGENT, yes… but he's shit with hints, you know this already woman." her inner monologue would tell her every time she tried to let him know, and she fought an urge to pull her hair out whenever she realised how dense he was. Which over the course of this week, had been at least once a day.

She had some more ready though. Hints that were certain, in her mind, to make sure he actually can put two-and-two together. Nothing major, just something that was hinting in the most obvious way possible. And when it came to the end of their annual Christmas Eve horror film – "I thought we should watch Black Christmas this year, it was one of my favourites that my friends in Bristol showed me." – that Luna reluctantly pulled herself from Harry's arms to trot the last few hints out.

"Um… Harry?" She said nervously, fiddling with a button on her cardigan. "I… remember last year, when you said about you doing something every Christmas Eve, and g-giving them an early present."

Harry turned from flicking off the TV with his wand and gave her a small, warm smile. "Yeah. To show that I really love them. I haven't forgotten if that's what-"

Luna held up her finger to interrupt him. "Sorry… but that's not what I was going to say. I… I want to do the same thing, for you." She watched Harry's mouth drop into a small 'o' shape and he sat there, quiet. "I've got a few gifts actually."

"Oh sweets… you didn't have to do that. You know how I am about having gifts..." Harry pulled her into another hug and kissed her cheek, sniffing.

Luna hugged back and felt a few tears prick at the corners of her eyes, giving him a forehead kiss as she pulled back. She noticed some tears in Harry's eyes as well, and softly wiped them away with her thumb. "I haven't even given them to you yet sweetheart..."

She drew her wand from the loose bun in her hair and whispered a quick accio, grabbing two soft-looking packages out of the air as they drifted towards her, and she wavered for a second before handing them to Harry with a smile on her face.

"These are… part of the overall present. I want you to work it out when you see them, and I… I hope you like them at the very least. Hunted high and low for them. Diagon Alley has a surprisingly small amount of clothes shops that don't just do robes, did you know that?"

Harry snorted and leaned over to give Luna a peck on the lips, before looking back down at the packages. "Thanks sweets…" He trailed off and started to open the first, slightly smaller of the packages. Being careful not to rip the paper, he gently pulled the spellotaped parts open and unfolded it to find… a shirt. A very small shirt in fact. Suspiciously small, small enough to fit a baby, or… "Is this for Minnie?"

Luna stared blankly at him, before giving him a flat "What?"

"This little shirt, is it for Minnie? I didn't think she'd be the kind of cat that'd like wearing clothes, and..." Harry lifted up the shirt to show Luna. "'I Love My Dad'… it's IMPOSSIBLY cute, quite twee though, isn't it? Not that I mind, I quite like twee. That's actually lovely… thank you again sweets." Harry leaned across to give her another kiss, paying no attention to the horrendously irritated expression working its way across Luna's face.

"You're welcome." She grunted, giving him a stony expression, only softening when he turned to look over at her and link his hand with hers. "And… the other present. This one is very on the nose… much like the last one… so if you can't work it out…" she shrugged. "If he can't work it out, hope the little one takes after you." drawled her inner monologue, forcing her to hide a smirk.

"I like a challenge." Harry grinned and squeezed her hand, prompting her to shuffle up closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder, looking down as he worked to open the wrapping paper. Luna's expression turned from the stony expression it was to something warmer, and another smile worked its way across her face as Harry unfolded the package to reveal…

"Boxer shorts." Harry sounded puzzled, though the smile was audible in his voice.

"Aye. Boxer shorts. And!" She perked up and pointed to the images dotted across the boxers. "Salmon."

"Salmon?"

"Yes! Salmon. Do you know why I picked out the salmon pictures in particular?"

Harry looked at her blankly for a second, and Luna could swear she heard the cogs in his brain turning. She was hoping he'd work it out, that he'd connect the dots, and she could feel her heart swell until he opened his mouth.

"No idea sweets. None at all."

Luna sighed and rubbed her face with her hands in exasperation. "Okay. Look at the salmon. They have a talent. Something they're VERY known for. What do salmon, especially Pacific salmon tend to do? Remember all the images of salmon basically jumping into the mouths of Kodiak bears?"

"They swim upstream?"

"Yes! Yes Harry, they swim upstream. They swim upstream to their spawning pools." Luna gripped his hand tightly, her look turning excited and… slightly frazzled. "So salmon, are for lack of a better term, strong swimmers, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry slowly nodded, some possible fear in his mind as he watched Luna get a tad frenzied. "Strong swimmers. Got it. And that relates to me how?"

Luna gritted her teeth, and her eye twitched. "I'm saying Harry, that you have strong swimmers. Very strong swimmers."

"Strong swimmers? But… but the last time we even went swimming was that skinny dip in the Weasley's pond. Remember, you wanted to have a look for plimpies and we got a bit distracted."

Luna blushed as he reminded her of that night back at the end of summer. "Oh yes… yes, we certainly got distracted. BUT!" She sparked up again, turning to face him. "That's not the point. I'm trying to tell you something Harry. Something quite important. All this week, I've been trying to tell you and for the love of all that is holy, you've not bitten on anything I've told you." She put her hands on his shoulders and dug her nails in. "You have strong swimmers. I'm expecting. I'm late, I'm up the duff, I'm eating for two, any of these phrases apply here Harry dearest."

Harry swallowed and a bead of sweat started to trickle down his forehead, past his scar, under the bridge of his glasses and rested on the tip of his nose. He really had no idea what Luna was referring to, only that it was incredibly important. He said with trepidation… "Um… I really have no idea sweets."

Luna's eye twitched again and she moved her hands from his shoulders to his shirt, yanking him closer and pressing her forehead to his, breathing heavily. Through gritted teeth, she spat "HARRY. YOU DIPSHIT. I. AM. PREGNANT."

As Luna sounded out those last few words, Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest. Did she really just say she was pregnant? "Um… what?"

"Say 'what' again Harry. I dare you. If you can't grasp basic English then I hope to whatever is up there that the little one takes after me even more. I've been trying to tell you for a feckin' WEEK at this point Harry, since Friday! Why do you think I was sick? Wait, don't answer that, you'll probably think it was food poisoning still! You EEJIT!"

Harry was still stunned, still floored. Even he heard the cogs turning in his mind as he thought, and he gently pulled Luna's hands from his shirt, and linked his fingers with hers. "Y-you're pregnant."

Luna sighed, and nuzzled into his neck. "Yes. I'm pregnant."

"When did you find out?"

"Last Friday. I went to St Mungo's after I was sick at work, and had a test while I was there. Found out that I was eight weeks gone, give or take."

"Eight weeks… oh. Oh that'll be when..." Harry blushed. "You'd had that bad day at work."

"Aye. And you bathed me. Then carried me to bed. And that's when… well, it must be when it happened. It has to be."

"That wasn't the only time that week that we… you know..."

Luna looked up at him with her dreamy expression and breathed out a soft "Shagged?" prompting Harry to crack a small smile.

"Yeah. That's one word. Fucking hell… you're pregnant." He whispered. His tone wasn't shocked or flat any more. It was still shaky, but for a different reason. The flat shock in his voice was replaced, rather soundly, by a quiet, reverent awe. "You're pregnant. I'm gonna be a dad."

Luna wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged into him tightly. "Aye. You're going to be a dad. I'm going to be a mum." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before burying her face into the crook of his neck, tears starting to come again.

"I'm gonna be a dad." Harry started to grin. Grin so impossibly wide it hurt, almost as if it was going to tear his face open. He pulled Luna into as tight a hug he could muster and up onto his lap, smiling harder as she let out a soft squeak. "I'm gonna be a bloody dad." he sniffed and reached up to move his glasses and wipe his eyes. They sat together in each other's arms for a few minutes, the only sounds being the clock ticking, their shared quiet sobs, and the cat snoring softly on the armchair opposite.

Harry pulled back and gave Luna a soft kiss and pressed his forehead to hers again, this time in happier circumstances. "Sounds about right actually."

"What does?" Luna sniffed, stroking Harry's face affectionately.

"I propose last year on Christmas Eve… you tell me your pregnant this year. Is Christmas Eve going to be us one-upping each other in gifts?" Harry snorted, collapsing with Luna against the sofa in a fit of giggles, still locked in a tight hug.

"Aye… that sounds like a laugh actually." She wiped her eyes and shifted to get comfortable on Harry's lap again. "Sorry about blowing up then. I was a bit wired and-"

Harry put a finger to her lips. "No apologies. It's common knowledge that I don't exactly do 'subtle'. Next time though sweets… just bloody tell me."

Luna giggled softly and kissed his cheek. "No problem Harry Potter. No problem at all."

"Makes my gift seem a bit shit by comparison actually." He pulled out his wand and cast a non-verbal accio, willing towards him a necklace. A necklace of Butterbeer corks. "Made this for you the other day. Keep away the Nargles and that."

Luna's smile grew wide enough to match Harry's, and she straight away slipped it around her neck, looking down at the corks. "I only had one cork on my old necklace." She mused, before looking back up at him. "Thank you sweetheart. You made it?"

"Yeah." replied Harry, scratching the back of his neck. "It was a total bastard to get the thread through the corks, but I did it. Put a warming charm on it as well, so you'll never feel cold around your neck while wearing it. A bit basic, but I remembered you hadn't had a necklace like that in a long time, so..." he shrugged. "How did I do?"

"Fucking perfectly Harry. Absolutely fucking perfectly. Now shut up and kiss me again."

Harry obliged, and they sat on the sofa until well past midnight, warm, and beyond elated. If last year's Christmas Eve proposal was just the beginning of their story… then tonight was the start of chapter two. And neither of them could wait for the next one.

AN: This was a labour of love. I had so much fun writing this one shot and it's so impossibly sweet it can give a person diabetes, which is the aim if I'm honest. I want to thank the great people in the r/hpfanfiction Discord channel for their help and support; Jenorama, coco oil shots, Pashow, wordhammer and Emerald, I am very grateful to you all.

I hope you all read and enjoy, and if you don't, that's fine, I get that my stuff is really syrupy!