Lily squirmed in her seat and glanced across the table at Alice, who smiled at her. This was the second Order meeting since Halloween. Last time had been too soon, and she had not yet been sure, but three days ago the potion had bubbled and changed from dull grey to vivid green when she had added the drop of her blood. Alice had confirmed that she, too, now had proof of her pregnancy. The time had come to make their announcement.
Peter's voice droned on. "… so when that didn't work, I went back down into the sewer and tried the branch to the north…"
Lily rolled her eyes at James beside her, and they exchanged grins. Annoying as Peter could sometimes be, like now when he seemed to feel compelled to covey every tiny detail of his latest spying mission, she was fond of her husband's friend. He had come into his own these last few months, finding his gifts of such great value to the Order.
She remembered when Dumbledore had called the five of them, herself and the four Marauders, into his office, the day before they were scheduled to ride the Hogwart's Express back to London for the last time. He told them about the Order of the Phoenix, and invited them each to join. She giggled inwardly remembering the stunned look on James', Sirius', and Peter's faces when he had calmly explained that he knew their secret status as Animagi, and needed their talents in the fight against Voldemort. She hadn't been surprised that Dumbledore had known. Although the three of them were so careful of their secret she sometimes wondered if James would have ever told her, if she hadn't found out back during sixth year, when she still thought of him as an arrogant bully, and the two of them had found themselves captured and imprisoned by Death Eaters. She had been glad enough then, surprised as she was, to see James' form twist and stretch into that of a graceful stag, who stepped daintily out of the ropes that had bound his human wrists and ankles.
James' stag form was seldom useful for spying against Voldemort; Sirius' dog was somewhat more so. But it had been Peter's ability to transform into a rat that had proved priceless to the Order. A rat could slip unobserved almost anywhere, and his sharp hearing could pick up information unobtainable any other way. Almost everything they knew about Voldemort's plans and strategy came from Peter's spying missions.
Her thoughts were brought back to the present as Peter sat, and Dumbledore asked if anyone else had anything to present before he adjourned the meeting. Amid the murmured no's and shaking heads, she rose to her feet, James standing beside her and reaching out to grasp her hand. Across the table, Alice and Frank also rose.
"I… we… James and I… we have an announcement to make." She swallowed as the eyes of all the Order members turned to her. She stole a glance at Dumbledore, sitting calmly at the head of the table, then quickly looked away, focusing instead on the surface of the table in front of her, where a drop of spilled tea flickered in the reflected lamplight. "We… are going to have a baby."
Stunned silence met her words. Alice broke it. "Frank and I also have an announcement. We, too, will be having a baby."
Astonished mutters ran around the table. Across the table, Caradoc Dearborn leaped to his feet. His pale face was red under his black hair. "What?" he exclaimed. "How can you do this to the Order? Of all the irresponsible, foolish…." He rounded on Alice. "And you're an Auror! Don't you know we're in the middle of a war?"
Lily didn't know Caradoc well, but she had occasionally felt a faint dislike for him. That feeling now crystallized to blazing anger. How dare he make such a scene? She had anticipated a certain amount of unhappiness from her fellow Order members, but nothing like this!
"What business is it of yours?" she cried, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "You leave us alone, you arrogant, hateful…"
He turned back to her. "It's the Order's business! Maybe you haven't noticed, but we have only a handful against You-Know-Who's legions. And now we have even fewer, because a couple of silly girls go and get themselves pregnant." He turned to Mad-Eye Moody, slouched in his chair next to Dumbledore, a faint smile on his face, though his eyes never ceased their restless roaming about the room. "You know I'm right!"
Moody shrugged. "Why so surprised, Caradoc? I knew it was inevitable sooner or later. What do you expect? True, it's inconvenient that it's both of them at once, but the Order can get by without them.
"We can still serve the Order!" Lily blinked hard against the tears that threatened to form in her eyes. It was not like her to cry when she was angry. Damn hormones. "Maybe not quite as much as before, true, but still…"
"You won't be able to Apparate…"
"That's a myth, Apparation is perfectly safe until at least eight months…"
Other voices joined in, supporting one side of the argument or the other. The babble rang out for a few more moments. Then Dumbledore rose to his feet, and with a gesture stilled all the voices around the table.
Into the hush he spoke. "I need not remind you that we do Voldemort's work for him when we allow dissension turn us against each other." Lily blushed and looked down. "What do we fight for, if not the hope that our children will be free of the evil we face? Whatever adjustments we must make in the Order's work, we will. This is good news." He stepped to Lily's side and enfolded her in a gentle embrace. "Congratulations, my dear." He shook James' hand, then moved around the table to congratulate Alice and Frank. Returning to his place he looked around at them all with a twinkle in his eyes. "Now, does anyone else have anything they wish to say? No? Well, then this meeting is adjourned."
Lily sighed in relief and sat down. The Marauders clustered around James, broad grins on their faces. Sirius thumped him on the back. "Way to go, Prongs! Looks like the full moon's not the only night you've been having fun. Just kidding, Lily," he added hastily, seeing her green eyes snapping at him. "Congratulations!"
Remus shook James' hand, then turned to Lily. "So, when is the baby due?"
"End of July, or beginning of August, probably. Although it could be as early as mid-July, or as late as mid-August. Did you know…" She launched into a long explanation of the intricacies of calculating due dates, fueled by a desire to share what she'd learned in her extensive reading. Remus listened patiently, although she knew that behind her the other three were probably rolling their eyes.
Across the table Alice and Frank were surrounded by their own cluster of well-wishers. Gradually the babble of voices quieted as one by one the Order members departed. Lily was tired and ready to go home when she noticed Hagrid hanging back bashfully nearby. She smiled at him, and he came up.
"I couldn't leave without sayin' congratulations to the two of yeh." He pumped her hand, them James'. "It couldn'ta happened to a nicer pair. I reckon any child of you two's bound to be sumpthin' special. If there's anythin' I can do for yeh, just let me know. An' I'd be happy to… well, once he's old enough… or she, mind you… well, I was wonderin' if you might sometimes trust me to… well, babysit, if you take my meaning."
Lily threw her arms around his waist and hugged him, as the suppressed tears finally broke though. "I'd trust you with my life, Hagrid, and the baby's too, and you know that very well. Don't you think I won't remember your offer. Although you might lose your enthusiasm, after changing a few dirty nappies."
Hagrid patted her awkwardly on the back. "Aw, can't be any worse'n housebreaking Fang, now can it? You take care of yerself, now." Lily released him and watched him make his way around the table to congratulate Alice and Frank.
Turning to James, she saw that no one else waited to speak to them. Weariness dragged at her. "Let's go home." He nodded assent, and they quickly gathered their things and Apparated back to Godric's Hollow.