James POV

Three weeks had flown by in a blur. October hit me with a wave of orange and pumpkin spiced everything. But I only had one thing on my mind. I had heard random snippets of information. Like I knew she was due around the end of January. Rose had told me that one. I knew her family didn't know yet. Sam had told Freddie that one. And I knew the dad was some muggle who stripped in a bar in Soho - apparently. Polly was having great fun spreading that piece of information around. I knew that being near her, looking at her or even thinking about her right now hurt. It felt how I imagine the cruciatus curse would. Somewhere in my rational mind, I knew she didn't belong to me, she never had. I never had the balls to make that move. I shouldn't be pissed at her for sleeping with someone else. But the irrational side was seething. I could feel the anger bubble and roll in my chest at the mention of her name. Which right now - happened a lot.

Yet again, I found myself in 'our' room. But not with her. My hands moved along a slender pair of legs. But they weren't as toned as hers, they were longer too. The body kept making stupid, gasp-y noises whenever I moved or changed the pressure in the slightest. They sounded fake and I really wasn't into it. I broke away to see two big brown eyes staring up at me.

"Jamie?"

"Look, Cindy-"

"It's Sadie."

"Yeah, Sophie-"

"Sadie"

"That one," I was getting frustrated now. "This just isn't working."

"What?" She squeaked. A mixture of anger, fear and annoyance moved across her well made up face. "I can do something better..." she trailed off and played with my collar before dragging her nails down the front of my shirt, dropping herself to her knees before she began grappling with my belt buckle.

"Wait!" I grabbed her hands, but she fought against me. "Sylvie, stop, it's not working." I turned and left her there, on her knees.

I knew as I walked away, that that whole situation was going to come back and bite me quite royally on my arse. I just didn't expect that time to come as soon as breakfast the next day.

Freddie and Sam had saved me a seat for when I eventually wandered down for my Saturday morning bacon butty. They carried on their conversation about something or nothing, not noticing me quietly joining them. Then Freddie sat up straighter and nodded his head behind me. Before I could look I heard it. The click of those stupid little kitten heels Polly always wore.

"So, Potter," She drawled. "I hear you're having a little trouble getting it up without me." Her little harem of banshee's cackled behind her. Sam choked on his orange juice and showered Freddie in it. I didn't look up from my plate. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I heard another click, her stepping closer. Then I felt her hand on my shoulder. "If you apologised," she leaned into me, her lips grazing my ear. "I'm sure I could help you out with that."

I suddenly didn't want my breakfast. My stomach churned over and over. I stood, not really knowing what I was doing. But winging it always seemed to do me good.

"I'm fine," I said, rounding on her. "Any problems I may or may not be having, say more about the skills of the company I was keeping than about me." I tried to move away from her, wanting desperately to get out of what was now becoming a very stuffy Great Hall.

"But you know how good we are together James," She drawled with her hand on my neck.

"Polly, it's over," I sighed and went to move her hand away.

"You're really going to turn down a final chance with -"

"Oh for fuck sakes," I heard from the Ravenclaw table next to us. "He said he's not interested Parkinson." I looked slightly to my left to see who was calling Polly on her bullshit. Sitting there, with her blonde curls in a high pony, very little make up on and a simple black dress, looking a stark contrast to my very over the top cousin sitting next to her, was Briar Landon.

"Whoring yourself out isn't classy," Dominique's sheet of silver hair shimmered as she nodded in agreement with Landon. The room seemed to drop ten degrees and I could feel Polly tense beside me.

"I only see one whore here." She sneered over at the pair, then turned on her heels and left. Her gaggle of morons following her quickly. My eyes locked with those baby blues for just a millisecond before she turned back to her minimal breakfast and her conversation with Dom.

My heart was thudding by the time I reached the dorm. I needed a shower, a cold one.

I hid away from my friends for the rest of the day, using the excuse of needing to go and study when they returned to the dorm looking for me. I did go and study, but only after a couple of hours out on my broom. I gathered together a small collection of books that would have made Aunt Hermione proud before checking them out and wandering down the corridor of alcoves to find somewhere quiet, private and away from the sniggering that had followed me around the castle all day. I swung open a curtain and dumped the books on the table before I even looked.

"Hi,"

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you -" I looked up. Landon was sitting there, her own pile of books and parchment in front of her, now somewhat disrupted by my arrival. "I'll just go."

"James," she said softly while I tried to repile the books. "There's plenty of room." I stopped what I was doing. I closed my eyes and held my breath before letting it out and flopping down on the bench across from her. We worked in silence for some time. Landon scribbling almost non stop over her parchment with her usual Pheasant quill - she said they reminded her of home - and I was turning pages with out much progress. I mean I was reading what was there, but I wasn't really reading it at the same time.

"Ouch!" I was at Landon's side before I even registered what was happening.

"What's wrong?" I put my arm around her on instinct, my heart racing at her scrunched up face and the hand on her ever so slightly rounded stomach. It felt like hours, but eventually she put her spare hand on my arm and her face relaxed.

"Just braxton hicks," she laughed softly. "I think."

"So I don't get to be 'midwife Potter' today?" I grinned back at her. As angry as I was at her, being around her always felt easy.

"Not today!" She giggled. "God, could you imagine what the rumour mill would do with that one!"

"Urgh," I moved my arms from around her and dramatically threw myself back onto the bench. "I am done with rumours today."

"Oh, you should hear the latest on my situation," she smirked at me, her quill and essay forgotten. "James," she said with a serious face and reached out for my hands. "you should know... I'm carrying your baby brother or sister." My heart sank. Then she fell back laughing at me.

"That was cruel."

"Some fifth year asked me what it was like in bed with 'The Chosen One'." She was still laughing.

"Def not my dad's then?"

"What do you take me for Jamie!?" she giggled and swatted my arm. I felt a smile pulling at my lips.

"I can beat that anyway."

"Go on,"

"I've got a limp dick."

"I should hope it is," she eyed me suspiciously.

"'James Potter needs Pecker Up Potion'." I mocked a headline with my hands. "Seriously, the amount of girls who've offered to 'help out' is insane."

"You're a good looking guy," she shrugged.

"One even asked if I'd like for her to 'give it mouth to mouth'."

"Merlin!" She leaned back onto the table. "They've actually no shame have they." A small wince passed over her lovely face.

"Another one?" I reached for her hand out of impulse.

"No," she shook her head. "Kicks."

"What?"

"Here," she took the hand I was resting on top of hers and dragged me back around onto her bench. She shuffled slightly then placed my hand against her stomach with hers on top. It was firm, firmer than I was expecting. We waited like that for a couple of minutes, but those couple of minutes were more than enough to confirm that while somewhere inside I was seething at her, most of me wanted her back. Then I felt it. A little push against the taught skin. Then another, this one clearer. "I've never let anyone else feel." She whispered. I pulled her into my chest with my free arm and we stayed sitting like that, feeling her baby move for hours.

"It's amazing how fast this has grown." I eventually said, my thumb rubbing her belly on it's own accord.

"Well, to be fair, I think baby moved a bit more forward last week." she sighed. "I could still button my jeans until Wednesday."

"I'm sorry, B." She turned her head to look at me with those confused eyes. "I was in the wrong, we weren't exclusive. I... I don't have any right to be angry about this."

"Thank you." She whispered and pecked my cheek then got up to leave. "Hey, James?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a healer appointment on Friday at two," She was looking at the cover of one of the books I brought to the table. "I was wondering if you'd come with me?"

"Me?"

"Well my family aren't speaking to me and Dom's scared in case someone tells her dad she was at the clinic and he jumps to conclusions." I didn't say anything. "No, I was silly to ask, forget I did-"

"Friday at two." I nodded at her, committing the date and time into my memory. "I'll be there with bells on."