"James, I need to talk to your wife." Sirius said urgently as he came running into their office.
"I'm busy Sirius. Ludo Bagman has been accused of passing on information. He's alright for now but soon he'll get convicted. I swear, if anymore quidditch players start going-"
"Prongs! April isn't talking to me!" Sirius said loudly. So loudly that a few people turned around to look at them from their cubicles and offices.
"What do you mean she's not talking to you?" James asked, "That's impossible, she loves you."
"I tried to talk to her yesterday but she put a silencing charm on me and disapparated to Merlin knows where. I think she went to yours."
"Yeah, she came round quite late last night to see how Lily was." James said recalling April's visit.
"Did she say anything about me?" Sirius asked.
"You'd have to talk to Lily." James said.
"That's what I said in the first place." Sirius said. They had gone round in a full circle. James laughed.
"Oh yeah." James didn't know why but he felt slightly childish today and he just couldn't concentrate on his work. Something about Lily's illness aroused some suspicion in him and it made him feel weird. After three days Lily was still looking a bit peaky. She had gone into work but today she decided to take the day off. Everyone in her office was more then sympathetic which made James feel a bit uneasy.
"Where is Lily?" Sirius asked.
"At home. She's still ill." James said frowning, his good mood gone like magic.
"Ok, I'll go and see her." Sirius said turning. James put a hand on his shoulder and forced him into a seat.
"No, I'll go. If the girls did say anything about you I don't think Lily will want to talk to you about it." James was wrong however. There was a knock at their door and Lily appeared at the door.
"Hi." She said. She looked a bit better then she had.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be at home." James said going to Lily's side and giving her a quick hug.
"I felt a bit better. I was on the way to the office but I need to talk to Sirius." Lily said. Sirius straightened and looked at Lily.
"Is it about April? Has she said anything about me?" Sirius asked.
"Yes she has and she's worried."
"About what?" Sirius asked. Lily turned and closed the door to their office and turned to Sirius.
"Have you been cheating on April?" Lily asked. Sirius looked at Lily shocked.
"No, why? Does April think I've cheated on her?" Sirius asked standing up.
"Yes she does. Someone told her, she wouldn't tell me who, but someone told her you'd been cheating on her. She was crying for ages yesterday." Lily said seriously, "You haven't cheated on her have you because if you have-"
"No I haven't cheated on her. What bitch told April-"
"Bastard I believe." Lily said.
"What bastard told April that I was cheating on her?" Sirius growled. "I'm going to go and find her now."
"No, I wouldn't. She's having an assessment." Lily said. "If you barge in on her assessment she'd kill you. If she passes she'll have permission to perform the killing curses." Sirius went pale and sat down.
"I'll stay here then." He said.
"As long as you haven't cheated on her." Lily said. She turned to James. "And you." James looked slightly surprised "Have you never heard of washing up? Just because I've been in bed for a few days doesn't give you permission to leave dirty plates everywhere." James frowned.
"Oh that." James said uncertainly. "Sorry but I used to have a house elf to do all that-"
"I am not a house elf" Lily said. She didn't really know what was wrong with her. Her temper was a lot shorter then it usually was.
"No, I'm just saying, I'm not used to doing dishes." James said quickly. Lily nodded and smiled.
"I'm glad I got all that off my chest." Lily said happily. James looked at her worriedly.
"Are you ok?" James asked. Lily smiled and nodded.
"Other then the constant feeling that I'm going to be sick I'm fine." She said. Sirius frowned. Lily was not fine. She was never this happy so quickly after being angry at James.
"What day is it?" Lily asked Sirius.
"Halloween." Sirius said uncertainly.
"Ok, I'm going to work now. I'll be home at about usual time hopefully." Lily said.
"Ok" James said smiling slightly uncertainly. He gave Lily a quick kiss and she left for her own office.
"I'm no expert because I don't live with her or anything but she's a bit too happy today isn't she?" Sirius asked.
"Definitely." James said.
* * * *
"I passed my assessment." April said greeting Lily at Dumbledore's mansion in Devon. Lily grinned.
"That's so good." Lily said. April gave Lily a happy hug. "I thought yesterday you thought you were going to fail."
"I did, but I just pushed Sirius out of my mind and thought of you and Jenny and I did alright." April said happily.
"Oh yeah, Sirius didn't cheat on you." Lily said. Lily felt her stomach turn and her good mood evaporated.
"He didn't?" April asked hopefully.
"Nope" Lily said. They went into a room filled with Witches and Wizards. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were sitting at a long table that was lined with chairs. There was a chair between Sirius and James and they were talking animatedly. James did some random hand movement.
"Hi." April said smiling. Sirius turned around.
"Hi April." He said smiling.
"Is there anything new?" April asked,
"I don't know. The meeting hasn't started yet. Apparently Dumbledore is stuck at the school for a few minutes because some sixth years think they have the right to fill in the place of the Marauders." Remus said smiling.
"No one can beat the Marauders!" Sirius bellowed. April and Lily laughed. April sat in the seat between Sirius and James.
"Move up." Lily said to James. He reluctantly moved further away from his friends and Lily sat in the place he was just sitting in. Just as everyone had settled down slightly Moody stood at the head of the table.
"Now Dumbledore can't be here right now because he's having some troubles with his students. He-" the fireplace erupted into flames and Dumbledore stepped out of the fire absolutely spotless.
"Sorry I'm late." Dumbledore said with a smile. He was quite tall with a great deal of long silvery hair and an equally long silvery beard. His blue eyes glittered behind his half moon spectacles. "I'm afraid that the school is trying to mourn the group of students called the Marauders." Dumbledore said looking at the four boys Lily and April sat with. James and Sirius grinned and Remus gave a smile. "Now I have called this meeting because two of our number was nearly killed a few days ago by Lord Voldemort himself." Dumbledore said. Lily felt James' hand on her thigh under the table.
"I'm please to see that they are still here with us. Lily." Dumbledore said smiling. Lily smiled but felt her stomach twist again and felt like being sick. "Now there were four aurors there on the day but unfortunately two cannot be here. Alistor, could you please give your account of the day and your analysis of the attack." Dumbledore sat in a large seat while Moody stood up again.
"Well on the day in question we had received a tip off that Voldemort might be active in London during the day so all the aurors were on alert-" Moody carried on his account of the day.
"I don't feel well." Lily whispered to James. James looked at her worriedly as she fought down the urge to be sick again.
"Don't worry, just hold it in." He said. Lily nodded, she was visibly paler then she had been that day.
"So we were passin' Downing Street, where the muggle Prime Minister lives when Lily Potter came out of the Prime minister's house-" Lily stood up.
"I'm sorry." She said. She put a hand to her stomach and bolted out of the room. James and April watched her go worriedly. James was about to stand up.
"James sit down please." Dumbledore said.
"Sorry, she's been a bit ill recently." Dumbledore nodded and looked at a woman across the table with a plump happy looking face. She had medium length brown hair and she was sitting next to, who James knew to be, her husband.
"Quite alright, Alice could you please go and attend to Lily." Dumbledore said to the woman. She nodded and got up and left the room. "Alistor please continue." Moody continued his account of the day. After April had to give her account.
Lily rushed to the loo and just managed to lift the lid as her dinner came up. After it came up she retched a few times but nothing else came up. She felt a hand on her back and she jumped slightly. She looked up at the woman standing over her.
"Oh, Alice." Lily said. Lily leant an elbow on the toilet seat and pressed her forehead against her hand.
"Don't worry Lily, I'm going through exactly the same thing." The woman said smiling.
"Going through what?" Lily asked.
"Morning sickness." Alice Longbottom said.
"Morning sickness?" Lily said, "That's ridiculous, to have morning sickness you'd have to be-"
"Pregnant?" Alice asked. Lily stared at Alice in shock.
"I can't be pregnant." Lily said. "I'm eighteen, I've just left school. I'm working I can't be pregnant."
"There's no point denying it. Yes you're younger then I am but it's destiny, fate." Alice said. Lily felt the contents of her stomach coming up again. She stuck her face over the loo and she watched the remnants of her food come up. Alice sighed and massaged Lily's back slightly to help her.
"I can't be pregnant." Lily said. Lily thought it over "Now I have called this meeting because two of our number was nearly killed a few days ago by Lord Voldemort himself. I'm pleased to see they are still with us. Lily." Dumbledore had said. Two of their number, Dumbledore must know. That thought made Lily be sick again and she took a few gulps of air before she felt strong enough to stand up and wash her face. She rinsed out her mouth and stared at Alice in the mirror.
"Are you pregnant as well?" Lily asked turning to face the older woman. Alice nodded
"We're expecting in mid-July." Alice said. Lily frowned. It was Halloween that meant in about nine months time it would be July. "Don't be scared." Alice said pulling the scared Lily into a hug. She was pregnant, Lily was pregnant, that was impossible. James and Lily had used the contraceptive spells almost every time they'd slept with each other. Almost. Lily cursed herself. She wasn't ready for this responsibility yet. Why was she having a child at eighteen! No she'd be nineteen when she had the actual child but it didn't offer much comfort.
"It's just a big thing to absorb." Lily said slightly dazed. Her eyes wandered everywhere as Alice let go of her. Lily always liked order and being in control. The only time she lost control was when she was with James but even then she had some control over him but now she had this baby. A baby that would take over her life forever. Lily's initial reaction was to scream but after about fifteen minutes of Alice trying to calm Lily she thought it wasn't going to be a bad thing. The baby would need her and Lily felt a sudden warmth towards that feeling, she was going to be a mother. Lily smiled slightly and Alice beamed.
"There's that smile." Alice said.