1Chapter 2: Back Home

Julie Potter apparated on the outskirts of the wizarding village known as Godrics Hollow. Pearly tears ran down her redden cheeks. Claps of thunder rolled in the distance. She couldn't help but notice the weather was mirroring the feelings of pain and dread inside her. She was about to step up to her brother's doorstep, her twin brother, and tell him the truth she had been hiding from him for six years.

She could see James and Lily's house from a distance. It's warm and inviting glows seemed to emanate through her body. The rain began to pound down on her like a thousand tiny hammers. A chill ran down through her bones as she continued to walk. She tried tightening her cloak around her, but as it was drenched with rain it helped very little.

As she approached the doorway, she heard the tinkling laughter of Lily. Sirius was serenading James with a loud drunk song. It sounded like a family shared Halloween.

Julie knocked on the door. The handsome face of her brother appeared. "Julie!" He shouted. "What has happened to you? Are you all right? You're drenched."

Lily hurried over to where she was standing. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. Steam began to issue from it and Julie was dry again. Her face was still puffy. She was still crying.

"C'mon Julie, say something." James was in a state of panic as he led his sister to the sofa. He sat down with her. Lily rushed out of the room to make a pot of tea. Sirius sat down on the other side of her. He had conjured a towel and began to dab at her face. Julie pushed his hands away. She was not yet ready to let Sirius touch her. She leaned over and buried her face into James' shoulder. She wailed like a banshee into her brother. She felt safe in his arms. She knew he would never let any harm come to her.

Nobody said a word. Lily had finished the tea and carried the tray into the room. She sat down in the armchair opposite the scene.

When Julie finally resurfaced, she reached for a cup of tea. She began to sip at it. She sat the cup back down on the saucer. "I'm sorry," she said to James. "There is something that I have to tell you. You are definitely not going to like it." She looked down at her ring, which had turned a somber black. "I have just come from Severus Snape's house."

At the mention of Snape's name, Sirius grabbed at his traveling cloak.

"Sirius, please sit down." Julie continued with her story. "It is not his fault I am in this state. James, I am in love with him."

"What are you saying?" James shouted at her. She could see all the color had drained from his face.

"I am saying that I and Severus have been romantically linked, since we were 15 years old. I love him but I left him tonight. He is You Know Who's right-hand man. It became too dangerous or me to keep seeing him. I ended our relationship."

Sirius and James began to rant and rave about Snape. They bashed everything from his appearance to his attitude. They went on and on making plans on how best to make his life even more miserable than it already was. After a few minutes of this show of overwhelming emotion, Lily tapped on James' shoulder.

"James don't you think that maybe you should check to see how your sister is feeling?"

"Julie I'm sorry. It's a shock. That's all. I'm shocked."

Lily grabbed a hold of a still standing Sirius' arm. She was truly afraid of the answer she would receive, when she asked her question. "Is that all Julie?"

Julie shook her head. New tears began to drip down her cheeks. The world was spinning and she felt dizzy. She felt like she was about to be sick. This is what she was truly afraid of telling James. With Sirius standing there looking at her like a beaten puppy, it made it doubly hard. "I'm uh," she began. The words got caught in her throat. They began to suffocate her and she began to stutter wildly. Finally she whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Lily let go of Sirius' arm. He went sliding down the floor. He had a stunned look of horror on his face. Julie had never seen him look so hurt.

James looked as if he had swallowed something very large.

Lily lifted Julie off of the sofa. She led her to the guests' bedroom and searched the closet for her night clothes. "Listen." she said in a very motherly tone. "You know you can stay here as long as you need to. James will be very supportive of you and the baby. He'll be calm in the morning. I swear."

"And Sirius?"

"They're both just in shock. Everything will be better tomorrow. I promise."

"I didn't like seeing that hurt look he had on his face. I have always cared so deeply for Sirius. I never dreamed I would hurt him like that."

The rainy Halloween night melted into a dreary and overcast November. Like the weather outside Julie felt saturated and weak. Last night seemed to go on forever. She knew the morning would bring with it the effects of her secret. She couldn't sleep with thoughts of what Severus' next move would be. She couldn't even close her eyes without that haunting look Sirius gave her wending its way into her brain. She saw him constantly. Why did that bother her so terribly?

Julie roamed around the familiar settings of the guest bedroom. She was still afraid to face James, but managed to find her way into the living room. She saw Sirius sleeping off the alcohol of last night on the sofa. She bent down over him and shook him slightly. He slowly opened his eyes to find her looking down on him.

"What's up? Why did you wake me?"

"Your feet are on my favorite part of the sofa."

Sirius cracked a patented smile and moved his feet so Julie could sit down. "I'm sorry I freaked out last night." Sirius told her. "It just came as a shock. I mean, we're friends, right?"

Julie nodded her head. "Yes, of course we're friends. You've been inseparable from James. I grew up around you. I love you."

"I'm here to help you Julie, anyway that I can. I want you to marry me."

"What?"

"You're in danger, but not if everybody thinks that the baby belongs to me. You can avoid awkward questions and you go on to lead a halfway normal life.

"Yeah well something tells me that a life with you wouldn't be anywhere near halfway normal."

"Does Snivellus know anything about the baby?"

She shook her head and looked into his dazzling gray eyes. "I couldn't do it. He would be killed."

"Like that would be so terrible"

"Sirius."

James walked in the sitting room to find Julie and Sirius staring at each other. He tousled his hair a bit and smiled at them. "What's going on here? Where is my breakfast?"

"I'm on it." Julie said. She got up and walked out of the room without another word. She heard Sirius calling after her that the discussion wasn't over. She felt as if her brains had been fried. It was crazy for Sirius to want to marry her. She just broke down in the sitting room a few hours ago. She just poured her soul about her love affair with Severus Snape, their mortal enemy. What was he playing at? She knew he was always telling her she was his soul mate, but to actually come out and suggest marriage; when she had never accepted any of his advances?

With a flick of her wand potatoes began to jump out of their skins. She began to fry bacon and eggs. Her mind was racing and twice she caught the sleeve if her dressing gown on fire from the stove. She couldn't help but think that Sirius had made a valid point about the marriage. It seemed the logical thing to do, to let the wizarding world and the order believe that she was having Sirius' child. She knew there was know hope for her relationship with Severus. She knew he would love the baby beyond all measure, but he would be surely killed if he who must not be named were to find out. Was it worth letting him believed Sirius got her pregnant? Was it easier just to make sure he didn't find out about the baby at all? It would be so much easier to just never have to see Severus ever again. She didn't love Sirius, not in the way he wanted her to, but could she? Love was so stupid.

James, Sirius, and Lily entered the kitchen. "Why didn't you wake me Jule?" Lily said, stifling a yawn. "You're the guest."

"Puh-lease Lil" Julie said. For the first time in several days she let out a genuine laugh. "When have I ever been a guest?"

"Well, it smells really good," Lily said sniffing at the air. She and James sat down at the table where Julie was setting the food.

The four of them sat at the table eating themselves through 2 helpings of the delicious breakfast. When their bellies were much fuller Sirius reached his hand across the table and grabbed Julie's hand. "Well," he said, "did cooking breakfast give you time to think about what we talked about?"

"Of course!" She snapped. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"What are we talking about?" James asked innocently, sliding to the edge of his seat.

"James maybe we should…" Lily began, but James held up his hand to stop her.

"Julie." Sirius said, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Yes." She said plaintively. After a moment of pause she began to speak again. "I thought about it. You make a valid point. Merlin help me, but yes. Yes Sirius I will marry you." A devilish grin slid across her face.

Sirius' gray eyes glistened with happiness and he jumped out of his chair. He pulled Julie across the table and swept her up into his arms. He kissed her softly and she felt she would die with the emotion of it. Sirius kissed like no man had ever been able to do before. Her head swam with the thought of him breathing his soul into her.

James stood up looking extremely puzzled and scratched his head. "Wait a minute," he said, "what just happened here?"

"James." Lily piped up. "I think they're getting married."

Sirius and Julie looked over at James. "What do you say Prongs? Fancy giving her to me?"