The Babies Meet the Parents

Summary: Six women fall pregnant at six different times and three Marauders are born. What about the remaining three? Who are they? Twelve lives are about to be changed…forever.

Disclaimer: The stupid erasable pen company wouldn't let me invest in them, but to 'make it up' to me they gave me a free complimentary pen, but when I took it to school it ran out of ink in the first hour. Stupid company. Therefore because of the loss of my pen I only own a couple of pennies, a packet of gum, a piece of lint and a dust ball. Now I'm off to shops to buy a packet of Minstrels.

Note: Aaralyn and I have returned to the wonderful world of school! By wonderful I mean exhausting. So updates might not be as frequent, 'cos I'm not sure about Aaralyn but when school rolls around I tend to get an annoying case of writer's block…My eyes hurt and my head feels heavy at the mo, so just be glad I finished this chapter!

Despite all the bad things that have happened to me this chapter has actually ended up being one of my bigger chapters. How'd that work?

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Written By: Savaria

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Date: 10th March 1960

Chapter Ten: Remus on a Rainy Day

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Ashley Lupin prided herself on being well organised. In her opinion somebody had to be, as her husband turning into an organised man would be the day that pigs would fly…without magic. Every date, every birthday, every appointment, everything that mattered was recorded in Ashley's neat hand on a large calendar that she could see everyday. She prided herself on not missing anything, not matter how small it was.

So Ashley was well aware that today was her due date.

Russell had asked her if he should stay home that day, to make sure if the baby did decide to come she wouldn't be alone. Ashley had waved him off, explaining that if her waters did break she'd leave a note on the kitchen table and head off to the hospital in their entirely reliable car. So Russell had left the house that morning close to a nervous breakdown. Ashley couldn't believe how funny he looked.

After he'd left Ashley finished her everyday chores and then settled herself down on the sofa with a pair of knitting needles. Her mother had tried to get her into the art of knitting, but Ashley would readily admit that she was about as good at the art as a snail. But still she found herself attempting to knit a little blue bootie for her baby. She didn't know the gender of her child but she sensed it was a boy.

After trying for 20 minutes to knit the little bootie she decided that she didn't have the patience to continue (as the bundle looked like the family rabbit had attacked it). She opened a drawer and stuffed the bundle into it, pushing the drawer shut harshly. She sighed, yawned, eased herself off the sofa and headed towards the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich.

She was searching in the cupboards for some ham when a 'pop' sounded behind her and warm, safe arms enveloped her. She jumped briefly when she heard the pop but relaxed as she smelt the familiar smell of her husband.

"You shouldn't go around sneaking up on heavily pregnant women Russ," She said playfully as she turned to look her husband in the eye. Russ smiled.

"I'll remember that for next time," He replied. Ashley looked at him slyly.

"Who says there is going to be a next time?" She asked. They looked each other in the eye and they both smiled.

"So, are you going to be okay?" Russell asked. Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"Russ you have about 4 more hours until you finish officially, I'm sure I'll be fine," She replied. Russell hugged her gently and then stepped back, disappearing with a 'pop'.

Ashley smiled and turned towards her unfinished, un-hamed sandwich. She suddenly didn't feel very hungry anymore.

After putting the unfinished sandwich in the fridge ('No use wasting perfectly good food,') Ashley returned to her place on the sofa. She flipped on the television and started to watch it before she felt her eyes become heavy. She settled herself onto a comfortable position on the sofa and fell asleep.

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When Ashley woke up she was aware of a slight wetness originating from down below. She blinked before registering what exactly it meant. She felt like groaning or squealing.

She quickly jumped in the shower, called the hospital to let them know she was coming and wrote a note to Russell. She put it on the kitchen table where he could see it and headed towards the key rack. She grabbed the car keys and hopped in.

She pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the hospital. She turned on the radio and hummed along to the song that was on, she scowled as heavy droplets of rain started falling from the sky.

She turned the car into one of the long, winding country lanes that lead to the nearest city and was about 5 miles down it when she car began making noises of protest.

"Oh come on car," Ashley muttered as she urged the car to continue. It continued making noises before suddenly stopping. The lights on the dashboard went out and the radio turned off. Ashley groaned and lightly banged her head on the steering wheel.

'Stupid stupid car,' She thought. 'Entirely reliable my as-' She stopped as a contraction hit her. 'What on Earth am I going to do now?' She thought as she lent back in her seat and stared at the water cascading down the windshield.

Walking back home or too the hospital was out of the question, and she had unfortunately chosen a road that nobody really went down.

So unless anybody stumbled across her she was well and truly screwed, and as another contraction came she groaned, very screwed

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Russell Lupin sat on his chair in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures shuffling papers maniacally. His colleague, a young man by the name of Aaron Coventry, watched him nervously from the corner of the office. Russell kept looking at the fireplace, the door or his watch. Usually waiting about a minute before checking again.

Aaron walked around the office delivering drinks to all who requested something before walking tentatively towards his boss' desk. Russell glanced at Aaron as he stopped before him.

"Sir, are you okay?" Aaron asked as he set a warm cup of coffee in front of the older man. "You came back from your break looking more paranoid than usual,"

"Are you saying I'm paranoid Coventry?" Russell asked lightly, cradling the cup of coffee in his hands despite the warmth. Aaron smiled nervously.

"No of course not! It's just…just…" Aaron stuttered. Russell chuckled and gestured for the young wizard to take a seat.

"My wife's pregnant-"

"Congratulations,"

"Thank you. The baby's due today and I'm sick out of my mind with worry," Russell stated. "She says she's fine at home alone but I want to be there should anything happen,"

Aaron smiled kindly and waited until his boss had finished having a sip of his coffee before answering.

"My sister recently had a baby," Aaron stated. "She was lucky to have the baby relatively on time but sometimes babies can be late, so your baby might not be born until tomorrow, or the day afterwards, or the day after that, or the day after-"

"You can stop now Coventry,"

"Sorry sir,"

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When the rain had stopped Ashley decided to go for a little walk in the empty field next to the car. She had come to the conclusion that no car would be coming anytime soon and that she'd wait until the hourly minibus (a bus that was so small it was hardly considered as a bus,). She walked purely to ease the discomfort she was feeling.

She carefully calculated when the minibus would come as she trudged over the damp green grass. She winced as a contraction came and breathed in the way she had been taught.

She straightened up as the contraction left and continued walking until she came to a soft-looking dry spot underneath a large, pretty tree. She sat down and looked at her surroundings, still keeping an eye on the time. The fields around her held the bright look of a just-rained area and the sky was blue. She looked at the beautiful tree and for some reason tried desperately to remember the name of it but failed.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a particularly bad contraction. She breathed quickly until it passed. She checked the time to discover the bus would be coming in 5 minutes and that she'd better start walking back. She struggled to her feet and was about to start walking when her legs decided that they didn't want to walk and they buckled. She landed on her knees in the spot she was sitting in before. A contraction hit her.

'Oh dear me I am in trouble,'

The sound of the minibus trundling up the lane confirmed that statement, it continued up the lane and no matter how much she yelled it didn't come back.

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Russell stumbled out of the fireplace in his house after being forced to return home early by his concerned co-workers, (after his spilt his coffee all over a young woman who had some forms for him to sign his friends at work had literally ambushed him and all but threw him into the floo system). He brushed the soot off of him before he went into the last room he saw his wife in, the kitchen.

His first thought upon entering said room was that it was empty. No Ashley in site. He was about to leave the kitchen when a smudge of yellow caught his eye. He walked up to the kitchen table and picked up the yellow sticky label that was stuck to its surface.

He read the note and his face drained of colour. He stuffed the note into his pocket and concentrated on the hospital. After a few moments of intense colour swirling Russell was standing in a secluded corner of the hospitals car park, behind a small hut-like building.

He sprinted across the car park until he came to the front door of the maternity department (amazingly he didn't come close to getting run over despite his mad dash). He rushed inside and ran up to the front desk where a young muggle woman was sitting filing her nails.

"I'm looking for my wife," He gushed. The woman looked up at him uninterestingly.

"Name?" She asked in a dull, bored tone.

"Lupin, Ashley," He exclaimed. The woman typed the name into the database slowly. She looked at him with a blank face.

"An Ashley Lupin phoned in about an hour ago but she never arrived," The woman said. Russell felt the bottom of his stomach drop out and his blood go cold.

'What if something's happened to her,' He thought as he thanked the woman and headed back outside. He was displeased to find that it had started raining again. 'Please make her be alright, please…'

He headed back to hut-like building and disappeared behind it before thinking solely on Ashley. He felt his magic respond and before he knew it the world dissolved into colour.

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Ashley felt like killing something as a painful contraction hit her. She dug her nails into the ground beneath her until the pain receded. She felt tears roll down her cheeks as she realised that she'd have to go through this alone, wet and alone.

A pop signalled the arrival of the one person in the world that Ashley wanted to see.

Russell rushed up to his wife's side.

"Oh Russ," She cried as she flung her arms around him. Russell rubbed her back and soothed her.

"Darling, I need to apparate home to phone an ambulance, I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," He said.

"Don't leave me," Ashley said in a desperate whisper.

"Only for a few minutes," Russell replied, gripping her hand as a contraction gripped her. She nodded stiffly and he disappeared with a pop. Ashley groaned as another contraction came and she gripped the ground again. Russell appeared a few moments later looking like a lost sheep.

"I've called an ambulance," He stated. Ashley gripped his arm.

"This baby isn't waiting for an ambulance," She replied through gritted teeth. "This baby wants to come now,"

Russell went whiter than before…if that was possible.

"What do I do?" He asked panicky. He winced, as Ashley's nails dug into his arm, courtesy of another contraction.

"Deliver this baby Russ," Ashley growled. Russell gulped.

"Dear, if I'm going to do that then I'll need my arm back," He replied. Ashley moaned.

"If I can't have a stupid epi-whatever then NO," She groaned, but she let go of his arm anyway.

"Okay okay," Russell said, trying to stay calm. "Just breathe in and out, in and out. That's it, good girl, then you wait until the contractions are two minutes apart before you start pushing. I think,"

Ashley shot him a pointed look. "I think two minutes past ages ago," Russell nodded.

"Okay, so push," He suggested.

"I. Am. Pushing," Ashley growled.

After gentle coaching and instruction the cry of a newborn baby pierced the air.

Russell cradled the newborn in his arms clumsily as he fumbled for his wand to help him cut the umbilical cord. Ashley was crying.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" She asked. Russell cut the cord and handed Ashley the baby, quickly taking of his jumper and drying it with a drying charm. He wrapped the baby in it and moved closer to his wife and child.

"A little boy," He whispered, staring into the teary eyes of his new son. Ashley cried and cradled the little boy closer.

"My little boy," She sobbed. "My perfect little angel," The baby looked at her and Russell.

"Heya kid I'm your Daddy," He whispered, running his finger gently down the baby's head.

"What're going to call him?" Ashley asked.

"We both like history, so perhaps something historical?" Russell suggested. The dull sounds of a siren sounded in the distance and Russell was suddenly aware that the rain had stopped. He helped Ashley shakily to her feet and led her towards the road gently.

"How about…Remus?" Ashley suggested. "One of the founders of Rome," Russell nodded.

"And John after your father?" He asked. Ashley nodded. They arrived at the roadside as the ambulance showed up and Russell, Ashley and the new baby Remus John Lupin were ushered into the van.

Russell felt oddly content sitting in the moving ambulance and as he sat with his arms protectively around Ashley and Remus he thought about how right everything was going.

"Russ," Ashley whispered.

"Yes dear?" He replied. Ashley looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Never put me through that again, okay," She asked. Russell smiled and nodded.

"No need, I've got all I'd ever want here," He said. Ashley smiled and agreed with him.

Everything was perfect. He H

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I wanted something different for Moony…me and Aaralyn went through a whole array of places before we finally agreed on that field…

I just had one of my braces out ( I can also tell that I wrote a bit of this with a headache because of the spelling mistakes…My spelling's been kind of iffy today, I keep forgetting the order of words and proper titles (eg. Great Expectations made it to Great Purple and something else I was writing went from 'lie' to 'lullaby'. Ugh)

Anyhow here's chapter 10! Please review!