Tonks couldn't help but chew on the inside of her cheek. She couldn't help it, she hated hospitals. Hated them. Who even likes them? Not her. Definitely not her. In her defence, her most recent bouts with the place hadn't exactly been pleasant. Not that being in the hospital for any reason was ever pleasant but hers had definitely been higher on the unpleasant scale. See? She was so worked up that even her thoughts were babbling.

Anyway, being cursed by your legitimately crazy Aunt who wanted to kill you was not a good way to end up in St Mungo's. Nor was having to visit a close friend in here because they were bitten by a freaking, giant snake! Yeah, she didn't exactly have the best experiences with hospitals...

At least this time she wasn't here because she was injured or visiting anyone injured. Technically, it was for a far more pleasant reason. If you count as getting a glimpse to the inside of your stomach as pleasant. Personally, Tonks didn't know what to think of that. She should be excited, shouldn't she? And, don't get her wrong, she was. She was. But she was also nervous.

What if there was something wrong with the baby? Their baby. Remus was here too, right beside her. Waiting.

They had deliberately waited until the last minute to leave for their appointment, to avoid potentially drawing attention to themselves. Tonks had deliberately made her hair a dark brown and given herself non-descript features. Nothing that stood out. A forgettable face.

But they still had to wait and Tonks tried not to think of the people who were milling about who might recognise them. Would they be the wrong people?

"It's going to be fine," Remus told her softly.

"Are you trying to reassure me or you?" Tonks teased him gently.

"Both of us," he admitted freely.

She liked this Remus. This sharing of his feelings before they became too big. It was nice.

"Our baby is going to be okay, isn't it?" She checked with him.

Though, how he would know was beyond her. It wasn't like he could see into the future.

Before he could answer her, the door to the Healer's room opened and they were ushered in.

"Healer Morris," the woman introduced herself. "I will be your midwife."

"Tonks and this is Remus," Tonks said, pointing to her husband.

"So, you're pregnant?" She was asked, as she was handed some forms to fill out.

Her personal details, date of her last period, whether she had any health issues. All that good stuff.

"Yeah, about four months along?" Tonks said hesitantly, briefly touching her stomach.

That was hers and her mother's best guess anyway. The only spell they knew just told her if she was pregnant and that's it. She was really just going off her last period.

Of course, the Healer knew more spells and cast a quick on at her stomach. Remus clenched his fists when Healer Morris did that, probably stopping himself from seeing it as a threat. The Healer didn't seem to notice this.

"Hmm," she said, looking at the results on a bit of parchment. "Yes, I'd say you're about sixteen or seventeen weeks along."

Huh. It was weird hearing that said out loud. Even though they sort of already knew that.

"You're a bit late for your first appointment," the Healer said slightly disapprovingly. But then continued in a brighter tone, "better late than never, though!"

"Uh, yeah," Tonks said, suddenly feeling awkward and giving Remus' hand a squeeze. He gave her a reassuring squeeze back. "I thought that it was time to get a check-up."

"Between nine and twelve weeks is really when you should have your first appointment."

"Oh."

She hadn't known that. No one had told her. Her mum hadn't told her!

"It's important to get started on nutrient and vitamin potions early if needed," Healer Morris continued.

"My dad, he's, he's a Healer," Tonks stumbled over her words. "Got me the right potions and everything."

Healer Morris was thankfully nodding approvingly.

"Good. I'd like a list of those that you're taking to make sure it's everything you need and in high enough amounts."

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Tonks went to her jacket to check for the list. She kept it on her just in case she was the one to buy them instead of Remus, on the extremely rare chance that she was in Diagon Alley. There was only two on there, now that her nausea was tapering off (thankfully) and Healer Morris nodded approvingly at them.

"Those are the right ones," she confirmed and Tonks and Remus let out a sigh of relief.

Not that they thought her dad would give her the wrong ones or anything but it was nice to have these things confirmed.

"Let me check if you're lacking in anything before, I make any changes."

Those checks were easy enough done and it turned out that she only needed to take one potion now - one for folic acid and iron (she was borderline anaemic). Less potions to drink were always a plus, even if she did feel kind of like a vampire with the iron one. Hey, it wasn't her fault the potion was bright red and smelled metallic.

"You should be feeling your baby move within the next three or so weeks," Healer Morris told them brightly.

"Really?" Tonks asked sceptically.

This early? Was the baby even big enough to make movements? Was there something wrong with her baby if it wasn't big enough to make movements? Was it too small? Or something eleven wrong? Wait, she had already thought that.

"Yes. Well, moving is probably not the right word at this stage," she amended. "You won't be feeling the stereotypical kicks just yet, the baby isn't big enough..."

"Should it be big enough?" Tonks interrupted. "Should it be bigger by now?"

"Oh, no, Mrs Lupin," Healer Morris quickly reassured her. "Your baby is right on track. I meant that the bigger the baby gets the bigger the movements it will make. At this stage you'll start to feel something like bubbles or pops where it is."

"Bubbles?" Remus repeated in confusion.

It was a good thing he did too or else she would have said it and Tonks did not want to come across as the only confused one here.

"That's how most people describe it. You'll know it when you feel it."

Both of them gave the Healer a doubtful look. Bubbles? Really?

"I can get you an image of your baby," they were offered. "An ultrasound so you can see what it looks like right now."

Of course, Tonks wasn't going to turn that down! She and Remus nodded rapidly.

A purple glow appeared over her stomach, which she didn't pay much attention to because she was completely distracted by the rapid 'thud-thud-thud' noise seemingly coming from her.

"Is that?" Remus asked in awe.

Healer Morris smiled at them. "That's your baby's heartbeat."

"Wow," the both said in unison.

It was so fast and little. That was her baby doing that?

"Is kt supposed to be that fast?" Remus asked.

"It's perfectly normal," they were reassured. "Also, here is what your baby looks like."

A piece of parchment was produced with an image on it. Was it odd to be somewhat disappointed by the image? Tonks had been expecting something a bit more huma-like. Not the blob with a head and vague limb shapes poking from it.

"It's beautiful," Remus breathed and Tonks felt a rush of affection towards him.

She squinted at the picture. She supposed it was kind of cute. In an alien way. It was all a bit surreal, really. That was inside of her? It was still such a weird thought.

"It looks like an alien," she told him.

"Dora!"

"It does!"

Healer Morris laughed at them. "Normally it's the father who says something like that and the mother is cooing over the baby," she explained.

"We are definitely not normal," Remus said with a wry grin.

"Nope," Tonks agreed. "It's a little alien but it's our little alien."

Remus chuckled and shook his head at her. The Healer looked like she didn't know what to make of themselves she decoded to move the conversation along.

"You can keep that picture, if you like. Also, baby should be able to hear you in the next week or so, it's ear bones will be developed enough to do that."

"It will?" Tonks asked in amazement.

She knew that people talked to their bumps and all that but the baby could actually hear them? The human body was just weird.

"Yes, so you can talk to it all you want and it will hear you. Some people even sing or read to it."

Remus looked inordinately pleased at that. Tonks figured that that meant she was going to be hearing a lot of books being read in the near future.

Somehow, Tonks was okay with that.