Chapter 15: Advent of Harry
James was pacing nervously back and forth in St. Mungo's Appended Maternity Ward, his hands clasped behind his back.
"If you keep stomping about like that, you'll wear a path in the floor," Sirius warned from his prone position on one of the waiting-room sofas. "You're waking up all the babies…can't you hear them?" Sure enough, there was the unmistakable sound of crying in the background. Whether this sound was inspired by James's energetic strides or by another source altogether, however, no one knew. James threw him a dirty look without slowing down.
An attractive nurse walked briskly by, holding several clipboards. Sirius's eyes lit up and he left abruptly to follow the nurse down the corridor and out of sight.
Remus, who had just gotten in from Fiji earlier in the evening—it was now half-past eleven o'clock—rolled his eyes. He was sitting in a comfortable-looking armchair, reading an old copy of the Prophet. He looked more tired than usual. While James continued his frantic pacing, Remus let his head rest against the back of the chair. The past few months had been hellish—while wolfsbane had been a brilliant discovery, researchers were still conducting experiments on it, and nothing definite was to be known about the herb's uses yet. He was trying hard not to get his hopes up—but it was so difficult…
Peter returned from the hospital's dining hall, bearing a tray laden with snacks and cups of steaming tea. His small eyes flickered over James, who had collapsed into a chair with his head buried in his hands, and Remus, who had opened his eyes, though his head was still resting against the armchair back.
"Where's Sirius?" Peter asked, doling out the tea and biscuits.
"Pretty nurse. Walked by." Peter nodded knowingly and sat down with a Quidditch magazine. Just then, Sirius came back into the room, whistling nonchalantly. His long hair was mussed, and his right cheek was an angry red colour, which Remus noted immediately with a snicker.
"Resisted your charms, did she?" Remus was laughing outright. James, who had raised his head when Peter had handed him a cup, was grinning, though there was still a strained look in his eyes. Peter still looked confused, and James had to make a move at his own right cheek before he finally caught on.
"I should think not," Sirius said, piqued. He lowered a side of his collar, revealing some telltale lipstick marks, and smirked. "The mediwitch walked in on us."
"So she, what, slapped you to make it seem like it was unwelcome advances on your part?" Remus said, still smiling.
"No," Sirius had a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Er…well…the mediwitch…that is, erm…"
Just then, he was shoved aside. The force of it sent him hurtling into the opposite wall. A young, pretty witch in white uniform robes walked by, glaring at him.
"Oh, Merlin," Remus sighed. Peter's mystified expression slowly cleared into an appreciative grin as James got up to slap Sirius on the back. "I can't believe you got involved with the nurse and the mediwitch…"
"I can't help it if they all want me," Sirius said, arching an eyebrow suggestively.
"Ugh, save it, we don't find it attractive," James said, beginning his pacing again. "Grotesque, more like. What's taking so long??" He glanced at the clock. "We've been here since NOON!!" His voice was getting steadily louder. "What's the point in having magic around when you can't bloody USE IT WHEN IT'S NEEDED??"
Remus and Sirius together had to wrestle James back into his seat before the nurses walking by—who were sending some pretty evil looks their way—decided to throw him out. Sirius grinned charmingly at them and said, "His wife's in labor. First time." The nurses smiled at him and gave James some sympathetic glances.
"I should've stayed with her," James said suddenly, a wild glint in his eyes. "I should've stayed with her and held her hand!" He clutched at his incredibly untidy mop of hair. "Why didn't I stay!!!!"
"Because the mediwizard forced you out," Remus replied, brushing his own hair out of his eyes. His mouth was threatening to quirk into a smile. "Said you were too excitable, that Lily was better off in there without you making things worse."
As if on cue, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sniggered.
"You—you call yourselves my fri—" Suddenly James was bent over nearly double in pain.
"Here we go again," Sirius said, shaking his head.
"You all right, old chap?" asked Peter concernedly. "Killer, sympathy pains, aren't they? You feel like you're giving birth, Prongs?"
Another coordinated chortle.
"Shut—" gasped out James, before he curled up in a ball on his chair and whimpered softly.
"Sorry, James," Remus said at once, completely sympathetic. He might not have gone through sympathy pains before, but the full moon was just five days past, and he could still remember the pain of transforming all too clearly. "Hang on, it shouldn't be much longer, should it?"
"We don't know—" Sirius began, before the cube on the table began beeping. The mediwizard's voice came from it, loud and clear. "She's about ready, Mr. Potter. Just a few more pushes, and you'll have a baby boy."
Three men breathed a collective sigh of relief. James was too busy groaning.
At long last, just after the clock clicked over to 12:01am, July 31st , the mediwizard's voice came back over the box. "Congratulations, Mr. Potter. You're a father." James keeled over and crumpled into a pitiful little heap on one of the sofas as his three friends whooped and attempted to slap him on the back. They dragged him back up moments later to exchange masculine hugs and pour forth their jovial congratulations.
A nurse finally came out and beckoned to James, who—though ashen and still somewhat sweaty—managed to look excited and alert. The mediwizard's voice sounded over the box: "Follow the nurse; she'll bring you in to see your wife and son."
"All right!!" exclaimed Sirius. The three men thumped James on the back and helped him up, giving him a nice, solid shove toward the nurse. He stumbled a bit, but regained his footing and followed the witch down the corridor, without even bothering to throw his friends a last glare.
The nurse led him through a maze of doors and hallways into an immaculate room where Lily was propped up in bed. Her hair was a big red mess, and there were faint marks on her cheeks from tears. Visible signs of exertion and fatigue were on her face, but nevertheless, it glowed as she gazed down at the bundle in her arms. She cooed softly, running a wondering finger gently down the infant's cheek.
She looked up when James entered the room, and smiled at him, dazzlingly.
Pale and shaky, James merely stood just inside the doorway, staring at his wife and at the blankets in her arms. He felt dazed. As things slowly slid back into focus, his vision cleared and he saw Lily smiling at him. It was the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face—and he knew, as he stumbled across the room towards that smile, that the emotions sparkling in her eyes were mirrored in his own face.
By the time he reached Lily, he felt like his cheeks would burst from smiling so hard.
"Hold your son," Lily said softly. He nodded obediently. Wordlessly, he held out his arms. She carefully fitted the baby into the crook of his arm, and watched as he deftly cradled the infant's head in one hand as he gazed sideways at him.
The baby was pink; his eyes were still squinted nearly shut, and their color was indefinable. James suspected, from a brief glimpse he got, that the eyes were blue. He felt slightly disappointed—he'd been expecting green, like Lily's, or at least brown like his own. His heart soared again, however, when he noted the tuft of untidy black hair on the baby's head—it looked exactly like his. He could feel his face near cracking from his grin.
Settling down next to his wife on her bed—being especially careful to disturb neither mother nor son in doing so—James handed Harry back to Lily, kissed her lightly, then draped an arm about her shoulders and encircled both her and the baby with his other. He found himself, once settled, holding his whole family in his arms—and realized that the feeling was unquestionably the best he'd ever had.
If only he had to summon a Patronus now. He could face down all the dementors in Azkaban.
Back in the waiting room—
"When do we get to go in?" asked Peter. He was fidgeting in his seat—he'd just finished the last of the biscuits.
"Dunno," Remus replied, brow furrowed. The newspaper he'd been reading was scrunched up in his hands—the people in all the wizarding pictures were crowded in small corners, trying to avoid being bent, and making obscene gestures at him. He didn't notice.
"I want to seeeeeeee my godsoooonnnnn," whinged Sirius. He was lounging on a sofa again.
"You can come see the baby now," the mediwitch from before allowed grudgingly.
The three men leaped up and took a running start in the direction James had gone. They skidded to a stop when they saw the way the hospital employees were seething at them, though, and meekly followed the mediwitch back.
"Godfather rights!" Sirius called, as soon as they were in view of James and Lily and little Harry, all three of them snuggled in Lily's bed. James laughed, and Lily reached out with Harry in her arms, to hand him to Sirius. Harry began to wail as soon as Lily held him out, as though he knew he was being handed off to an unstable stranger.
Sirius was surprisingly gentle with the baby. He cradled Harry in his arms cannily, as though he'd been doing it all his life, and patted the baby's black hair a bit. The look on his face was—complete enchantment. He rocked to and fro a few times, still staring intently at the baby. Harry, who seemed to understand that he was in the arms of someone who loved him, quieted almost at once.
"Well," Sirius said, when he finally looked up at the others. He was grinning and his eyes were suspiciously bright. "He certainly has your hair, James." He looked over at Lily. "Good luck getting a comb through that mop."
Everyone laughed, though James aimed a light kick toward Sirius from his position on the bed. Remus and then Peter took turns holding the baby, then handed him back to Lily when he began fussing.
"Time for feeding," Lily said. "If you don't mind, boys," she looked at all of them pointedly.
"Yeah, get out," James said bluntly. "Show's over."
Sirius smirked, then threw the couple an innocent look. "But I want to see Harry feeding! Why can't we see?"
"Yes, why can't we?" Remus added, throwing an arm around Sirius's shoulders.
"Yeah!" echoed Peter. Sirius put his other arm about Peter's shoulders.
"I think we deserve a viewing," Sirius said indignantly. "We waited the whole time Lily was in here and had to help James through his labor—I mean, sympathy pains."
James herded them all out of the room in the midst of their complaints and closed the door securely behind them. He turned to see Lily already feeding Harry; his face softened, and he went back to join them on the bed.
The next few days were filled with the rush of owls with congratulations and gifts. Friends poured in to see the happy family. McGonagall actually wiped tears from her eyes, and Dumbledore looked extremely pleased when Lily offered to let him hold the baby.
The Potters had packed up most of their belongings during the last month of Lily's pregnancy; with the help of Dumbledore, James had found them a new lodging—in a place called Godric's Hollow. He told Lily he'd purchased a small cottage there, and that they would be moving there permanently after she returned from the hospital.
Accordingly, the family settled down in Godric's Hollow after Lily was well enough to leave St. Mungo's—which, given magical technology of the time, was still astonishingly soon. The cottage was a lovely place; even Lily, who had wept bitterly on leaving their old home, had to admit that it was beautiful. The garden they had was filled with wildflowers of every variety, which bloomed all year round with the aid of magical gardening and lent a sweet scent to the air in and around the dwelling.
Lily was still on leave from work; James, on the other hand, had begun the arduous task of working from home, as per Dumbledore's suggestion. He often complained—not very forcefully, as he loved being home to watch Harry—that it meant he would miss all the action and instead partake of more than his fair share of monotonous form-filling and parchmentwork.
Harry was growing and changing quickly enough to more than compensate for lack of goings-out, however. He was a smart, alert baby from the beginning, with an uncanny way of gauging his parents' moods and an astonishingly powerful ability to assert his own strong emotions through uncontrolled magic.
It was a cool day in January and the Potters were in their kitchen, eating breakfast. Suddenly, Harry let out a faint noise over his mashed turnips—Lily had insisted on giving him "healthy" baby food—and the whole bowl flew through the air and dumped itself in the sink.
"Look at him go!" James was beyond excited. "Diggory says his Cedric almost made his milk tip over at supper last week…said he didn't want to drink it…and he's a couple years older than Harry! Just wait till I tell him about this!" He picked Harry up and crowed at him, "You beat out Cedric, what about that, eh?"
Harry gurgled in response, laughing toothlessly.
James winked back at his son. "Yeah, Gryffindors can beat Hufflepuffs any day, no problem."
"James!" Lily cried, indignant. "Don't you go instilling some sort of House discrimination in my son!" She snatched up a napkin and began cleaning Harry's high-chair, which had splatters of turnip on it. "And he's supposed to eat this—he's got to, to follow the healthy baby diet! It says so in—"
James threw her a hurt puppy-dog look. "He's my son too, you know." He tossed Harry in the air, earning himself squeals of delight. "Aren't you, Harry? You don't like turnips much, do you? Well, Daddy doesn't like them either, and Daddy knows Mummy probably doesn't really like them too much herself. You smart boy, to get rid of them all by yourself! You'll be Head Boy, just like your Dad! And yes, you're going to look exactly like Daddy, but with Mummy's gorgeous eyes, aren't you?" He threw a sidelong glance at Lily as he caught Harry and set him on his shoulders. "Do you know, I'm glad his eyes are such a lovely green…"
"Oh shut it, you," Lily laughed. "You said that just to get back in my good graces."
"Well," James said, kissing her lightly as Harry clutched at his father's messy hair, "it worked, didn't it?"
The couple laughed and finished with breakfast. It was a lovely day.
Their family time was interrupted by Sirius.
The rumble of his flying motorcycle could be heard from a long ways off. Because of the invisibility charms Sirius had set on it, the vehicle and its rider would not be seen until he pulled a certain gear; the roaring of the motor, he assured Lily, sounded just like jet planes and wouldn't alarm the Muggles living nearby.
Sirius finally came into view, getting off his motorcycle, which he'd landed in the tulips.
"Oh, Sirius," Lily sighed, looking at the poor smashed flowers. "When will you learn to land that thing somewhere other than the flower garden?"
Sirius smiled apologetically and levitated the motorcycle a few feet away. "Sorry, Lil, I always forget." He then turned to James, who was still holding Harry. He smiled, and held out his arms for the baby, who was already eagerly squirming in his father's arms.
James handed Harry over reluctantly, though smiling, and Sirius took his time zooming Harry about the room. Harry shrieked with delight.
"You know," Sirius said, when he finally put Harry down amidst protests from the baby boy, who wanted to continue flying, "Harry just loves flying. What position d'you think he'll play on Gryffindor team? Chaser like his old Dad, eh?"
"Well, yeah," James said, picking Harry back up. "Either that, or Seeker."
"Seeker?" Sirius said, in slight disbelief. "Why Seeker? No offense, Prongs, but you were awful at finding the snitch…"
"Harry's got my genes, too, you know," Lily interrupted. "He just might be a Seeker prodigy." She smiled lovingly at Harry, and began talking to him in baby-tongue.
James rolled his eyes at Lily's unintelligible language, but turned to Sirius happily. "Lily's quite good at catching the snitch. You should see her fly." Sirius quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. "And I think Harry really will be a good Seeker—he always finds the toy snitch from that toddlers' set he's got faster than I do…"
Sirius smirked. "That's not so hard, James."
"Shut it." James smacked his friend lightly. This led to a small scuffle, during which Harry grinned widely and laughed, seeming to enjoy the spectacle.
When they'd finally all gotten calmed down, and were lounging about in the sitting room, Sirius brought up the reason he'd come.
"There's been news," he said, a dark shadow flickering over his face. "First off—you did hear about the Boneses, didn't you?"
Evidently, they had not.
"Will and his wife were found—tortured within an inch of their lives. Cruciatus was used repeatedly, same as with the McCormacks. Even after the Ministry got them back and took them to St. Mungo's, there wasn't any hope...the family is having a small memorial service next week."
Lily gasped quite audibly and clapped a hand over her mouth. James simply sat, dumbstruck.
"They haven't found the Death Eaters responsible," Sirius continued. "Though some people've been saying it might've been led by Rosier and Wilkes. Two Death Eaters if I ever saw any..."
"Couldn't be." James finally found his voice. "Our Aurors caught them in a raid last week. Moody himself did the spells to...well, to take care of them."
A lengthy silence ensued. Finally, Sirius picked back up. "Voldemort's been said to be tracking you two even more closely than before. You'd better be on the lookout—put up some more wards about the house, don't leave Harry unattended, you know how it goes. Lucky for you the Unplottable and Unsearchable spells were performed by Dumbledore himself. By the way, he says for you to go talk to him tomorrow, whenever you have time."
Growing increasingly worried with every word Sirius said, the couple arranged to see Dumbledore the next afternoon. The rest of that day was spent in relative peace, however, as the Potters and Sirius sat back and relaxed, watching Harry's antics and applauding his summoning of the toy snitch from across the room (Says Sirius, "James!!! You should tell Diggory!!!"). Sirius left them late in the afternoon, while Harry was still napping, declining an invitation to stay for dinner in favor of a date with a veela (who he claimed was actually very nice and not looking for a serious relationship). Before he got on his motorbike, he turned one last time to the couple that was seeing him off. His expression softened as he gazed at them.
"Tell me if you need my help…for anything," he said seriously.
"We will," James replied.
Lily's eyes sparkled with tears—moved by the exchange. Sirius noticed, and quirked a grin.
"In case you need to go on a second honeymoon and Harry needs a place to stay." His grin widened. "I could take him around…show him the sights…Harry'd like pubs…women love babies…"
The couple made several mock-angry gestures at him; he just laughed. As they settled back to wave their smiling goodbyes in their blossoming garden that day in January, they truly looked like a beautiful young couple ready to take on life and all it had in store for them.
"Come again," James smiled.
"But first, cut your hair," Lily indicated Sirius's near-shoulder length tresses and made a chopping motion. "You're setting Harry a bad example…imagine if he wanted to grow out that mess of hair he got from his father!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius replied, laughing. He waved jauntily as he kicked off into the sky and promptly vanished from sight. The rumbling faded rapidly into the distance until all that was left was the chirping of birds who roosted in the perpetually warm garden, and a line of absolutely flattened tulips. James tossed an arm over Lily's shoulders as they went back inside.
"You know, he's got a point," he said, giving her a suggestive look. "We should go on a second honeymoon."
"James, of all the times to be thinking about a trip!!!" Lily was putting Harry's Baby Quidditch Set away. "I can't believe you! What with everything that's been going on lately, Dumbledore wanting to talk to us, and us having to move, and—"
"What do you think of giving Harry a little brother or sister?"
"I don't care if you—what? Ohhh, no, you don't! I don't think so—" her voice was muffled, then silenced.
The rest of the afternoon was whiled away in a pleasing intimate manner which would be ruined by description. Let's just say that Baby Harry woke up to a pair of very happy, very tired parents.
The Potters set out by floo from the nearest wizarding establishment the next day, and lunched in Hogsmeade before taking the walk up to the castle. They arrived at Hogwarts shortly after noon.
Dumbledore greeted them in his office grimly, though his eyes softened when he saw baby Harry. "His name's been down on the list for Hogwarts since he was born," he confided, as he touched Harry's little head in an odd show of paternal affection. "Getting to the matter at hand, however—" Dumbledore sighed wearily. "We still have a few lingering doubts, but we do have a good idea that Voldemort is going to be targeting you, James, and now Harry, very soon."
Lily, surprisingly calm, clasped Harry closer inadvertently as she asked, "What should we do, Albus?" Her jaw set and a determined look came into her eyes. "I know of something I could do to protect Harry…but I'd rather not have to resort to that." Her glance became pleading as she looked into the Headmaster's face. "I want us to stay safe together. What would you suggest?"
Dumbledore frowned. "There are various things you could try," he said, consideringly. "Though the safest, most foolproof way to ensure your safety would be the Fidelius Charm."
Lily knew what it was right away. "You mean—going into hiding, finding a Secret-Keeper…"
James had caught on by then. "The secret in a single living soul…But are you sure that the Fidelius is foolproof?" He glanced at Lily, who nodded slightly and turned toward the headmaster.
"I can't help remembering Trelawney's prediction," Lily said quietly, stroking Harry's unmanageable hair. "About the secret not being safe."
Dumbledore looked extremely thoughtful. "It would be only temporary," the older wizard said, finally. "Until we find the person who's been relaying information about the two of you." His blue eyes were serious behind the spectacles. "I would like to say now that I will gladly be your Secret-Keeper, if you so wish it."
The couple was momentarily stunned by the generous offer. Lily burst out first—"Oh, no, Professor! We couldn't possibly!"
James seemed to agree with her completely. "You're far too important in this battle against the Dark Order, Albus," he added. "If we do use the Fidelius Charm, Voldemort will suspect that you suggested it to us. You'll naturally be first on his list to corner—and he may be able to find a way to, despite…everything." He shook his head resolutely. "The Order of the Phoenix and all of our side simply can't spare you, Albus. You've taken far too much responsibility upon your own shoulders in this already." He looked over at Lily; the two of them seemed to be communicating through their eyes, and after she nodded slightly, he turned back to the headmaster. "We'd ask Sirius, of course. He would give his life rather than betray us."
"Are you certain?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Yes," James replied, without hesitation.
"All right," Dumbledore agreed, after a pause. "I will help you perform the spell; the Secret-Keeper only has to be present for the last part, and I trust that the former Head Boy and Girl are competent to do that on their own. Simply think it over, and when you have come to a decision, let me know."
Lily and James both bowed their heads. Baby Harry had fallen asleep while the adults were talking, and was sucking on his fist. His parents gazed at him adoringly, then raised their heads.
James voiced what the both of them were feeling at the moment. "As long as it keeps him safe."
Notes:
Alright guys. This is the final pre-written chapter. The ending's not very cool, but that's okay for now. After this—well, I do have a bit of a conclusion mapped out, but someone who pre-read it said it just didn't cut it, so I'm rewriting, adding more stuff, and thinking up an entirely new chapter so I don't cut out *quite* as much chronologically, etc. Sooooo….it may be a while before that one comes out. :) Depending on how procrastination works me. We shall see, we shall see.
everblue3 – Instead of talking about your comments at the moment, I am going to tell you a story. Today I went to see Better Luck Tomorrow, that Asian-American movie that everybody keeps raving about, instead of studying for my Japanese exam. I was sorely disappointed. It wasn't a good movie…slightly disturbing, but not really great. Then I came home and told some people what I'd thought of it—and they were outraged! They kept saying stuff about how it was a good departure from the stereotypical Asian-American genre (I was unaware that this genre existed, but hey…), and how it was great for a low-budget film, blahblahblah. Okay. I can see low-budget influencing cinematography and the special effects and whatnot. But who ever heard of low-budget being an excuse for skimpy dialogue??? The writers have brains, have they not? I rest my case.
Anyway. I am very very very grateful that you took the time to review while it was so early, though it was a shame that you were TOO LAZY to get warmer clothing and therefore froze as you were typing. ;) Nah, I love your reviews and I really am pretty darn ecstatic that you took the time (before breakfast and therefore pre-cognizance!) to read my chapter and review. I am also sorry I turned your stomach with the raspberry stuff. Actually I can see myself eating something like that when I'm pregnant. To me, it doesn't sound that bad…I could see it actually being good if manipulated the right way. Hm…then again I have weird tastes. About the sweltering heat…well, I just figured it seemed pretty darn hot that one summer when Harry was lying outside in the lawn. And in the preview of #5 when Harry's lying out in the flowerbed or something. You do know what I'm on about, don't you? Or is this again a figment of my overactive imagination? The drills bit—well, that's for the Marauders to know and snigger about, and us to guess at. :D Not sure what to do about the James/Gryffindor/Voldemort thing simply because Emmyjean blew me away with her rendition of it and now anything I attempt will only bring me everlasting shame. Hrm.
Jessey Hicks – I'm glad you liked the last chapter. :D You know what, when I read the first few chapters of "Because You Gave Up On Me First" I was so outraged and pissed off at the James in that story that I refused to continue reading it! I can't help it…I just love fluff! And that was DEFINITELY not fluff!!! He was such a jackass! Anyway, I think it does say something, though, that I got so worked up about it. The author did an excellent job making James a stupid prick, at least in the beginning. I hope he's turned out better. Anyway, I checked out "The Last Potter"…it was really good! I'd never seen it before, and I really ate it up! I even added it to my favorite stories list :) So you've gotten me hooked! :D Anyway, that was semi-irrelevant. I hope you liked this chapter as well…thanks so much for reviewing! :D
Lady Ani – I'm glad you liked! I'm also glad you're reading this and that you took the time to review—thank you! I know how it feels to be swamped with work. Come to think of it, I should actually be working now…hrm….
Princess Pixie ice – Thanks for another happy review! :D Your comments made me crack up… "old stankin voldemort AGAIN...lil rotten egg"….hahahahah!!! Love counseling and stress relief? I'm so sorry…I know something about how that feels too…sometimes I feel like I'm playing free private therapist to a bunch of people. Bah! Don't let it get you down. :)
KirbeeDesirae – I'm putting off a visit to the dialogue center, then. I *have*, however, been reading your work… "When Dawn Breaks the Night" I really like your take on Lily's personality—it's very original and I like her spunk. :D I'll get around to reviewing it when I'm done with my schoolwork (argh, that could be sometime in May for all I know, blaaaaaaaargh). Till then, just know that I'm lurking around reading the chapters as you spin them out and continue writing :D Thank you so much for continuing to review! And do watch An Affair to Remember—definitely worth your time! ;)
Kellie – Have no fear…I have several ideas for more stories simmering on the back burner in my brain for now. I probably won't get to them till summer break, meaning sometime around mid-May. There are a couple more left for this one, though, so hang in there…:) Thanks for reviewing again! :D
water pixie – Thanks for reviewing!!! Your comments made me "awwwwwwwn" and feel really unworthy, but it was still great reading them (I was grinning like a loon). 'fact, I'm still grinning like a loon. You see what you have done. :D
yoriko sakura-chan – This *is*, unfortunately, nearing the end. But again, fear not! Because I still have more to write after. Not exactly a sequel but I've got something cooking. We shall see. Thanks for reviewing! :D
Prankster Queen – THANKS! Haha…really, thanks for reviewing!!
rosezgarden – I'm sorry I took the pregnancy too fast…I wasn't too sure what else there'd be to write about, you know? Seeing as how I've never been pregnant, myself. What's done is done, though, until a rewrite…but I'm lazy so that might not happen for a while. (A long while.) ;D Either way, thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it and thought the taking it fast was still done in a good way! No, I'm not from England…I think I wrote this in the Disclaimers chapter, whew. It feels weird trying to use slang I'm not used to…tisn't mine own. Either way, here is an update, and I'm apologizing now for the next one's lateness (because I know it'll be late!). Till then, then. :D
