Mary made her way through the doors of The Order's safe house, the sound of screams echoing through the house from the top floor. Alice and Fabian sat side by side on the couch in the living room, jumping up with relief when they laid eyes on Mary.
"What happened?" The witch demanded, her medical kit hanging over her shoulder.
"We got ambushed," Fabian confessed. "He was being cocky, took on three Death Eaters at once. By the time we got them off of him he was nearly dead."
"Christ," Mary cursed, rubbing at her weary eyes. She'd been forced out of bed only ten minutes ago, Alice's Patronus rousing her and Reg.
"We got him here as fast as we could, Kingsley is up there with him…"
Mary rushed for the stairs, Fabian and Alice following behind her like two children afraid of the monster they'd just discovered under their bed. Sirius' yelps of pain were deafening as Mary turned into the bedroom off the top of the stairs. Kingsley was leant over the injured patient, pressing a cool cloth to his forehead.
"I haven't been able to get him to calm down," The Auror told Mary as she moved towards the side of the bed.
Sirius had his eyes closed, his hair and clothing soaked through with sweat. He had lacerations around his hands and ankles as though they'd been bound with barbed wire. She felt at his abdomen to find two broken ribs.
"He's going to be okay," Alice clarified, "right?"
"He's going to be off his feet for a few days but he'll recover just fine," Mary assured everyone, the whole room sighing with relief. "I'm going to take a lucky guess and say they had him under the cruciatus curse for quite a while, probably why he's so delirious. I'll take care of him. You should all head home, get some rest."
"We'll sleep here," Kingsley told her. "Just in case." Mary didn't mind the company. She hated tending to patients alone anyway.
"You'll holler if you need anything?"
"Get to sleep Al," Mary ordered her friend, watching the three tired soldiers make their descent from the room.
Alone with her patient, Mary went quickly to work. She spread ointment over Sirius' ankles and wrists, watching as the wounds healed in a matter of seconds. Still writhing in pain she pressed a bottle of sleeping draught to his lips. There was little she could do to erase the effects of the cruciatus curse other than putting him to sleep until the burning pain that rippled through his body quieted.
With that, she decided that she'd deal with the broken ribs in the morning when Sirius would be a more compliant patient. Until then, Mary settled into the armchair in the corner of the room, curling up with the blanket that had been draped over the back of it.
She kept her eyes on Sirius, who was sleeping peacefully for a man who had previously been screaming out in pain until her eyes could no longer stand the weight of being awake. Slowly they dropped shut, sinking into sleep.
She was roused a while later when she heard someone moving through the room. Expecting to see Sirius trying to lift himself from the bed, Mary peeked her eyes open to see Marlene crossing the floor towards the bed. She sat on the edge near Sirius, stroking his hair affectionately. The sleeping drought's effects having begun to wear off, he opened his eyes.
"Hi," he said to her weakly.
"You took quite a hit, huh?"
"Still breathing, though."
Marlene kicked her shoes off, climbing onto the bed beside him. Sirius rolled over into Marlene's arms, his head pressed against her chest.
"Thanks for coming," he whispered to her, both beginning to doze off.
"Of course."
It was hours later, as morning light slipped in between the curtained windows, that Mary woke. Marlene had disappeared – as though she had dreamed her – and Sirius sat up in bed, looking as though he was heavily contemplating climbing out.
"Don't even think about it," Mary warned him. He looked startled by the reminder of her presence, his grey eyes wide with shock.
"I have to take a piss," he informed her graphically. "Unless you'd like me to just wet the bed?"
"Twat," she muttered under her breath, exiting the room to grab reinforcements. Kingsley helped Sirius out of the bed, assisting the young man down the hall towards the bathroom. When he returned to the room Mary got to work reapplying healing ointments and administering potions to manage the broken bones.
"You took quite the beating last night," Mary said as she did her work.
"You're telling me."
"Can I say something without getting my neck bitten off?"
"You can try," he shrugged.
"Don't be a bloody hero." Sirius appeared startled by the statement. "There's a lot of people counting on you if you haven't noticed yet." Mary's mind returned to the image of Marlene climbing into bed with Sirius during the night, holding him in her arms protectively. She couldn't begin to imagine what his death would do to her. Not after she'd already lost someone she loved so tragically…
"I know she'll never say it herself," Mary reasoned. "But she loves you. I see it and so does everyone else. Just think about that the next time you feel like getting a little too cocky."
Mary assumed her words had made an impact, simply due to Sirius' unusual silence. She finished up her work feeling rather accomplished and made her way back downstairs for a shift at work.
It was late morning when Alice returned to her home in Brighton. The house was quiet, Frank off to work. Alice had been counting on the place being empty, allowing her to slip inside without any questions asked. She made herself a pot of coffee, took a warm shower, and wiped away the reminders of last night.
When she finished, freshly clean and changed, she proceeded to pull the potion bottle that she'd got from Mary out of her purse.
"I need to ask you a favour," Alice had explained before her friend had slipped out that morning. "Something that I need to stay strictly between us."
"Oh god, are you sleeping with Everett Jenkins again?"
"Please shut up," Alice begged, trying to remain serious. "I need a pregnancy test."
"WHAT?"
"Confidential! Remember?" Alice snapped at her friend. After a few moments, Mary composed herself.
"Okay," she nodded. "Yeah, let me just…see what I have…" She rummaged in her bag, an endless pit of medical supplies, producing a small potion bottle.
"It's similar to the muggle tests but much more accurate," Mary explained. "You'll pee in this," Mary handed her the half-full vial of clear liquid. "If it changes red after five minutes then you have your confirmation, if not then you're safe."
As Mary pushed past her to leave, Alice left behind with one of the most important answers of her life, the young witch panicked.
"What's the accuracy?" Alice called out.
"One hundred percent either way."
This was not how Alice had planned this. She'd expected she'd at least be in her twenties before she was having children. Not a nineteen-year-old soldier fighting a gruelling war. She left the now full vial on the bathroom counter, leaving the room to get some space. She couldn't just sit there for five minutes or she'd go mad.
Why had they been so stupid? There'd been so many times Alice had known they should use protection but they'd been lazy. It was easy not to care when a baby seemed a far-off prospect. It wasn't as though they'd been trying but they hadn't really prevented it either. They'd been foolish. Newlyweds lost in the comfort of domestic bliss, forgetting their lives were not that simple.
Alice's palms sweat and the contents of her stomach curdled as they clock seemed to take hours to mark five minutes. When it was finally time, her feet seemed cemented to the ground. It was difficult to drag herself towards the bathroom, as though gravity held her back.
She stepped inside, her eyes closed at first, holding off the news as long as she could. There'd be no second guessing once she opened them. She either was or she wasn't, no chance for a mistake.
Alice bit down hard on her bottom lip, finally conjuring up the guts to open her eyes. Her answer was clear. Rested before her was a vial of dark red liquid. She pressed a hand to her stomach eyes filling with tears.
There was no going back now.
Lily had been surprised when she'd received a letter from Petunia asking if she'd be willing to meet up on Wednesday afternoon for tea. It was out of the ordinary for her sister to waste time on communication. Lily had jumped at the idea that, perhaps, Petunia was inviting her out to announce that she was leaving Vernon.
"Don't get your hopes up," James had warned his wife as he watched her get ready. "Likely she just wants to sit you down and insult our lifestyle for an hour." Lily knew it stung whenever Petunia criticised the life she and James had together. He hated any suggestion that he was holding Lily back from what would truly make her happy.
"Yeah, well, I'd much rather our so called lazy lifestyle than a boring secretary job that would make me want to pull my hair out." She leant in for a quick peck, James beaming.
"You'll be back for dinner, though?"
"If I'm not home for dinner than my sister has definitely, murdered me and you should waste no time sending out a search party," Lily insisted.
Now, sitting in a half full café on a London high street, Lily found herself regretting the decision to even come out. She was beginning to wonder whether her sister was going to show when the bell above the door rang and Lily looked up to see her thin frame making its way through the entrance.
"Oh," Petunia said flatly, "you're here. I came late since I assumed you wouldn't be on time, as usual." Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
The two exchanged small talk while they both read over the menus, finally placing their order: two cups of Earl Grey and a platter of teacakes.
"You're probably wondering why I called you," Petunia began, hands folded on the table top. "I've got news."
"Oh?" Lily inquired hopefully. She was on the edge of her seat, waiting to discover her sister had finally ended this terrible phase of her life.
"Vernon and I are expecting."
It took a few moments for the words to settle in. Expecting? Lily thought. Expecting what? When the reality sunk in, she felt bile creep up her throat. Her sister was nowhere near leaving Vernon.
"Wow," Lily muttered. "That's great." It wasn't really. Lily hated the thought of a child running around with Petunia's beady eyes and Vernon's full figure but she hadn't much choice in the matter now.
"Yes, well, I'm almost at the three-month mark. We've begun telling people now, Vernon's parents and such. Marge is very excited to be an auntie."
Lily didn't bother trying to fake any excitement on that account. She knew well that she would be lucky if she were even able to meet Petunia's baby. No, it was unlikely Vernon would allow any "funny" people around his kid.
"You must be excited? Starting a family and all."
"Yes," Petunia nodded, placing a hand against her stomach in acknowledgement. "Hopefully the first of many."
"You always said you imagined having three. One boy and two girls."
"I forgot about that…"
Lily hadn't. She could still hear a younger Petunia announcing proudly that she'd have herself a nice big family. A perfect family, like the one she'd grown up in. Her parents had always been proud to hear that.
"I just thought you should know," Petunia explained, "since…after all…"
"I'm the only family you have left?" Lily realised that maybe, in the midst of announcing their happy news to all of Vernon's relatives, Petunia had felt she was missing out on the same experience. With no parents left to share her news with, Lily was the only blood relative remaining.
"Yes," Petunia shrugged, pretending the statement was meaningless to her.
"I'm happy for you Tunney." Her sister flinched at the use of her childhood nickname. "You deserve this." Lily meant it too. Just because she didn't always understand her sister didn't mean she didn't love her. Watching her succeed was a privilege.
The waitress came over with their tea and cake, placing everything down on the table with a proud smile, as though she'd feared she might somehow mangle the job. Lily stared across the table at Petunia, who had preoccupied herself now pouring her cup. It was the first time Lily had seen her since the reading of their mother's will. Little between them had changed in a year. They exchanged only Christmas cards and even those felt cold.
"What?" Petunia asked. She looked up to notice her little sister staring.
"Thank you," Lily said. "For wanting to tell me your news."
Amy and Alex had come by Marlene's place with Franny. The young girl was no longer a baby, old enough that she was walking (and occasionally running) without any assistance from the adults around her.
"Okay, here is the address of the inn we'll be staying at," Amy explained, passing a sheet of parchment with the information along to her sister. "If anything happens—"
"It will be fine Amy," Marlene assured her for the hundredth time, bouncing Franny on her hip. The one-year-old was staring at her parents with curiosity. "I've had Fran before."
"Make sure you give her dinner at—"
"If you outline one more rule I'm going to faint on the spot," Alex told her. He was growing impatient. He'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes as his wife fretted over their baby. It was the first night they'd be spending away and Amy was undoubtedly nervous.
"Don't have that boyfriend of yours over…"
"Goodbye Amy," Marlene said, shutting the door in her sister's face. Alone, she turned to Franny with a smile.
"We're going to get up to all sorts of trouble aren't we?" She cooed to her niece.
"Momma," Franny repeated, pointing towards the door.
"No momma tonight darling, just your Auntie Marley."
Marlene loved being an aunt. She got to be first on the babysitting list and she was able to spoil her niece without ever worrying about the consequences. What did she care if Franny got spoiled? She didn't have to deal with the tantrum that would take place the next night.
The two girls spent the afternoon travelling Diagon Alley, doing some early Christmas shopping. Marlene bought Franny a book that she planned to read to her that night. When they finally returned home after a busy few hours it was past five and the toddler was eager to eat.
Marlene was halfway through prepping the chicken strips and peas Amy had left for her to feed the young girl when she heard the front door open.
"Have you got something to tell me, McKinnon?" Sirius teased her. He entered the kitchen, his cheeks rosy from the cold. Franny, who'd been sitting impatiently in her high chair, began to smack her hands against table excitedly, spotting Sirius.
"Puppy! Puppy!" She insisted.
"You always get her all riled up," Marlene tisked.
"You're just mad that she likes me better than you."
"Well then, I suppose you'll be making sure she eats all her vegetables tonight," Marlene smirked, sliding the plate of food in front of her niece. Sirius didn't argue with the duty. He took the seat beside Franny, helping the young girl with the bigger pieces of food.
He always seemed to have a way with Franny. Whenever she seemed inconsolable or grew bored, Sirius would pull a trick from up his sleeve. Marlene thought it funny. If ever there was a person who seemed likely to be terrible with kids it was Sirius. Yet, he was the opposite. A natural really. She'd never bothered to ask him whether he saw himself becoming a father one day, she'd always just assumed the answer would be no.
"Mary forced me to stay cooped up in that bed all day," Sirius told her. "Just got to leave an hour ago so I could finally go home and shower."
"It's hard when people care about your health."
"It's hard when your friend is a pain in the ass," Sirius corrected her.
Marlene put a plate of food down in front of him – a quick pasta she'd whipped up – joining the table.
By the time Franny was finished eating she was eager to see her "doggy" and Marlene was eager not to have a full-blown tantrum take place her during her first overnight visit.
"Okay, okay," Sirius agreed, pulling the toddler from her high chair and carrying her into the kitchen. Marlene joined, grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge to keep the adults occupied. It had been a few hours and she was already exhausted by Franny's need for constant entertainment. She couldn't fathom how her sister managed.
Marlene sat with Franny on her lap and watched as Sirius transformed into Padfoot right before their eyes, becoming a big, black, shaggy dog. Franny giggled, clapping her hands excitedly as he ran around the living room and nudged her with his nose.
"Ride! Ride!" Franny cried out, forcing Marlene to place her onto Sirius back so that she could ride him around the living room as though he were her own personal horse. Marlene found the whole scene rather funny, laughing at Sirius as he was forced to bend to a one-year old's will.
When Franny was finally off of him he pounced on Marlene, who shrieked as he licked her across the face leaving her covered in slobbery dog kisses. Of course, Franny found the whole thing hilarious, watching as Marlene rolled onto the floor trying to avoid Sirius.
Hours later, once Sirius had transformed back into a human, Marlene lit the fire in the fireplace, all energy drained from Franny, who had finally fallen asleep.
Sirius and Marlene sat side by side on the couch, staring at the tiny child who had passed out on the cot across the room. Her chest rose and fell softly, tired out from all the excitement of the day.
"You're going to fall asleep on me," Sirius warned Marlene, whose head rested on his shoulder, "and then I'm going to have to carry you to bed."
"So what," Marlene grumbled, too comfortable to consider standing up.
"I'm still recovering from a near-death experience."
"Don't remind me."
While they did a good job giving each other freedom in The Order, it didn't mean Marlene liked to think about Sirius throwing himself into harm's way.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'm okay, though. Still breathing."
"I don't know how after three hours of this kid."
"It's definitely not easy."
"Do you think you'd ever do it?" Marlene asked suddenly. She regretted the question the minute it came out of her mouth. It wasn't as though she was thinking about having kids anytime soon. She didn't know if she ever wanted that.
"Have kids?"
"Yeah."
"I always figured I wouldn't," Sirius admitted. "After the upbringing I had."
"Makes sense…"
"It might be nice, though after this war is over and done with. To have a family one day…"
"After a healthy amount of wild drinking and impromptu vacations, of course," Marlene reasoned. She reached over for Sirius' hand, clutching it in her own.
"Oh definitely."
Marlene rolled onto her back, legs dangling over the edge of the couch, head rested in Sirius lap. She stared up at him and he down at her, both smiling.
"Why?" He asked, stroking her hair. "Do you want children?"
"Maybe," Marlene shrugged. "One day."
"Yeah? We'd have pretty cute kids."
That made Marlene laugh so hard she worried she might wake the sleeping monster across the room. After a brief moment of silence to make sure they were safe, she looked up at Sirius once more.
"Yeah? My hair and your eyes?"
"I beg your pardon, there's a lot more going on here than just these eyes," he informed her with an air of arrogance.
"Oh, of course, my mistake darling."
"Not to mention they'd be a world star Quidditch player with both of our genes."
"Very true."
"And a little too smart for their own good."
"Now you're just being cocky," Marlene warned him. She pulled herself up, pressing her lips to Sirius'. They made a good team that was for certain. Whether they were fighting off evil or trying to tire out a toddler, they always seemed to have each other's back.
"Let's go to bed," Sirius whispered to her. They pulled apart, Marlene eyeing Franny to make sure she was truly asleep. She strung an extra blanket over her niece and rested a glass of water by her side in case she woke up in the middle of the night.
By the time she'd joined Sirius in the bedroom he was already changed from his clothes and buried deep beneath the covers.
"You waste no time," she chuckled, climbing in with him. She hadn't time to say another word before his lips were upon hers, her hands pinned to her sides.
They made love that night in a way they never had before. Usually, it was filled with passion and desire, neither able to keep their hands to themselves. This time felt different. Marlene felt that as they connected there was more to it than simple attraction. There was a future, something they could see together, an acceptance that they had chosen each other for better or worse.
"Marlene," Sirius whispered afterwards as she lay in his arms. Marlene had her eyes closed and her body perfectly relaxed as she lay on the verge of sleep. Too tired to respond she kept quiet, faking sleep. "I love you," he continued.
James had spent his day sorting through boxes of things they'd gathered at his parent's home. He found places for them around the cottage he and Lily shared, his heart heavy with the memory of them. He couldn't escape the desire he still had to rush to their house whenever he had a problem he couldn't quite sort out himself.
He kept most of that buried within. Despite the rare moments with Sirius or Marlene, James didn't much want anyone else to see the deep scar the loss of his parents had left. There was an emptiness within him each morning when he woke up and swallowed the hard truth that he was afraid to share, especially with Lily.
Lily, who despite all the pain and suffering she had endured, soldiered on. She still managed to smile each morning, carrying a light around within her, one James didn't quite feel he possessed.
He pulled a picture frame from the bottom of the box, one of him as a young boy. His mother watching with a smile as he blew out his birthday candles on his fifth birthday. Marlene sat in the chair beside him, her blonde hair in pigtails. His father must have taken the photo as he was noticeably absent, his mother carrying enough joy on her face for the two of them.
"My little miracle boy," James could still hear her whispering into his ear. "You're the greatest thing we've ever done."
The front door swung open just as James settled the photograph on the mantle, carrying in a strong winter wind with Lily.
"You will never believe what I'm about to tell you," she warned him, stringing her coat up before entering the room.
"Your sister is secretly a lesbian and has decided to skip off into the sunset with Marge?" James couldn't pretend it wasn't a scenario he'd very much enjoy.
"Don't we all wish. Oh no, my sister did not tell me she's leaving her oaf of a husband." Lily stood before the small bar in the corner, pouring herself a drink. "She's pregnant! My sister is having Vernon bloody Dursley's baby." With that announcement out of the way, Lily took a heavy gulp from her glass of whisky.
"Well isn't that…something."
"My sister! A mother!"
"Well, they have been married over a year—"
"It's ridiculous! She hasn't a maternal bone in her body." Lily was pacing now. Tracing the room back and forth. James watched with a hint of amusement from the mantelpiece. "Seems about right. While I fight night and day against people who want to see muggles put in their place my sister has the luxury of having a bloody baby!"
"Very selfish of her," James agreed. Lily missed his sarcastic tone completely, too lost in her own world of rage.
"I mean…I just…" Finally Lily gave up. She collapsed down onto the couch with a big exhale. James watched as what seemed like a hundred different emotions flashed across her face, finally settling on remorse. "I feel like this is it," she explained. "I'm never going to get my sister back…"
James realised that, perhaps, Lily's desire to find out she no longer had a brother-in-law had to do with more than a simple dislike of the guy. Vernon was a large obstacle between Lily and her last living family member. While Petunia had put a wedge between them herself, Vernon did nothing but encourage this distance.
"It's shit," James concurred, coming to wrap an arm around his wife. "There are a few reasons Vernon Dursley isn't my favourite person but his treatment of you reigns pretty high."
Lily rested her head against James' shoulder, passing him her drink without a word. With both of their parents gone, they'd become each other's family. It meant needing to come up with a whole batch of new traditions. Christmases and Easters where they'd no longer have their families to return to.
"I can't replace your sister. I wish I could. I hope that you know how many people in this world love you, though. Our friends would put their own safety on the line for you. That's not a small thing."
"I know," Lily agreed, taking James' hand. "Most days that's enough just…"
"Not right now." He understood. It was impossible to replace the space that family left in your life when they were gone. No amount of love and friendship could bandage the wound.
Alice was sitting in the living room, waiting for her husband's arrival home from work. The house was dark, as she'd been frozen in place so long the thought of flicking on all the lights had been beyond her. She had on only the lamp beside the couch, illuminating the tears which flowed freely down her cheeks.
It was half past five when the door finally swung open, the sound of Frank's footsteps making Alice's stomach sink like a stone.
"Al? Baby?"
"I'm in here," she struggled to get out clearly.
"You will never believe what happened today." Frank turned the corner into the living room. He paused before taking another step towards her, noticing Alice's distraught condition.
"What's wrong?" He asked, rushing to her side. "What happened?"
She continued to cry, burying her face in her husband's chest as her hands shook. It was difficult enough for her to accept the news, let alone say it out loud.
"I'm pregnant Frank," she admitted in one big breath. "I took a test today…I've been feeling funny all week and I…"
"Hey," he wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay."
"I thought maybe I was just imagining it but my period has been late and my boobs hurt and…" there were too many ands for Alice to continue on. Instead of speaking she lay there in Frank's arms, letting him calm her down until words were possible again.
"You don't need to be upset," he promised her. "We're going to be okay."
"We're nineteen!" She reminded him.
"Twenty by the time we're parents," he smirked.
"Not funny!"
"If I were married to anyone else in the world I might be scared," he told her, his hands pressed to her cheek. "You're the strongest person I know Alice, I've seen you do much harder. We can do this. I love you." His words of comfort only made her cry more. "So it's a little earlier than we expected? It's not as though we were opposed to the idea…"
"A few more years might have been nice."
"True, but we've got the ability. We have the house and the spare rooms. You know my mother will be willing to babysit whenever we need." Alice hadn't yet considered the joy Augusta would probably have upon hearing the news.
With the comfort of Frank Alice felt a small weight lifted off her shoulders. They could do this. They'd been married over a year and had been together for long before that. They'd been through hard times and good. They were ready. Perhaps it could've waited a few years but Alice couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement when she pressed her hand to her still flat stomach, knowing what rested inside.
"Are you okay?" Frank asked with concern, his arm wrapped around her. Alice hadn't felt okay all day, not until now. Sharing the news with Frank, being reminded of the teammate she had in him, it made everything easier.
"Are you happy?" Alice countered. Frank looked surprised by the question, his mouth hanging open for a second before spreading into a smile.
"Yeah," he answered. "I am...I love you, Alice," he moved in closer to her. "I love you so much."
Her lips pressed into his with great force, all of her pent up worry and fear from the day draining.
"I really needed to hear that," Alice admitted as they pulled apart, her forehead pressed into his.
There it was, the beginning of their family.
