A/N: Lol long time no see. I don't even use this account anymore, but I suddenly got energized for this story and I felt the urge to write more. I've always had a clear idea about what I wanted to do with this story and how I wanted to end it, and I think I'm ready to get back to it. I know that most of you guys who used to read this most likely have either left this site or lost interest in this story or maybe in Harry Potter as a whole, but that's alright because I write first and foremost for myself. If any of you are still reading, then welcome back! I hope you enjoy.

Months pass at a rapid pace, the seasons coming and going so fast they seem to all blur together. In the blink of an eye, it's 1979; the last year before the turn of a new decade. For the muggle world, it's nothing extraordinary. The passage of a new year doesn't mean much. But to the wizarding world, it's a painful reminder that the war is still dragging on.

That's not to say the past few years have been completely absent of joy. Even in times of war, people find solace wherever they can. It's just a little harder to come by these days.

Guinevere finds her joy in people. Simple things like a cup of tea with her friends or dancing to records with her boyfriend make her forget that the world is falling down around them, just for a moment.

Then she'll receive news of another death or patch up a friend after a duel and that fragile peace is shattered. She's afraid, but not for herself. Despite the constant threat she's under as a muggleborn, she's never been afraid for herself. She's afraid she'll have to watch as the people she loves are picked off one by one.

That's her constant fear. But right now, she's feeling a whole different kind of fear.

"So, exactly how many days late are you?" Dorcas asks, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Lily grips the edge of the bathroom sink so hard her knuckles turn white. She'd been acting strange and withdrawn all week, until today when she asked all the girls to come over to her house and pulled them straight into her tiny bathroom to break the news to them.

"11 days," Lily whispers.

Guinevere's eyes widen. She had hoped that maybe it had only been a day or two and Lily was just overreacting. Of course, it can never be that easy for them.

"Maybe it's stress," she supplies. "Or your diet. I know you end up skipping meals a lot because of your schedule, and that can affect your cycle. If you eat more veggies, then maybe you'll—,"

"Guin," Lily interrupts. "You can lecture me on my eating habits later."

Guinevere obediently shuts her mouth.

"Let's not panic yet," Marlene soothes. "I brought the potion you asked for, so we can find out for sure."

"Wait," Guinevere says. "You told Marlene before me?"

"Yeah, why did she get a heads up and we didn't?" Alice asks.

Lily looks up from the sink to glare at them. Her pale skin highlights the bags under her eyes, making her disapproving gaze even more terrifying than usual. She doesn't even have to say anything in order for Guinevere and Alice to simultaneously look down at the floor.

"According to the witch I got the potion from, you'll have to pee in a cup first," Marlene instructs her.

Lily bends down and opens one of the drawers below her sink, taking out a clear cup full of a yellow liquid and placing it carefully next to the faucet.

"Already done."

Dorcas scrunches her nose up in disgust.

"You stored your own pee in your bathroom cabinet?"

Lily huffs in frustration.

"It's not a hobby of mine or something, Dorcas!" she exclaims.

Marlene squeezes herself in-between Dorcas and Lily, clutching onto the potion vial. They're packed together like sardines in this cramped little bathroom. Guinevere doesn't know if she's sweating because of their shared body heat or if it's just the suspense. Either way, there's a palpable sense of dread filling the room.

A pregnancy right now is as good as a death sentence, and they all know it, even if they won't say it.

"So how does this potion work?" Lily asks, running a shaking hand through her hair.

"If you're pregnant, it'll turn green. If not, it'll turn red."

Lily nods her approval for Marlene to go ahead and pour the potion into the cup. The sound of the cork being pulled out of the vial echoes throughout the tiny room. It's a small vial, probably only 10 drops of liquid. But the process of it being poured into the cup still seems to happen in slow motion.

Guinevere looks away, unable to watch long enough to see what color emerges. Next to her, she notices Alice doing the same.

A few moments pass. No one makes a sound. There's no gasps of horror or cries of joy. They're all still, too stricken with fear to make a single move. It's a childish thought, Guinevere knows, to believe that if you can't see something, it means it's not real. But they're all so young, practically still children themselves. Even if there wasn't a war going on, having a baby would just be irresponsible.

Finally, Lily breaks the silence.

"I can't look at it. Please, someone do it for me."

At first, no one volunteers. None of them want to potentially be the bearer of bad news. But Guinevere remembers conversations she and Lily had back in first year, planning out their lives after graduation. Lily would be the godmother of her children, and Guinevere would be the godmother to Lily's children. Guinevere assumed that was just a far-fetched dream, but if it's happening now, she should be the first to know.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Guinevere sighs.

She looks up from the floor cautiously, scared of what she's about to see.

It'll be red, she tells herself. It's red. It's red. It has to be red.

Her eyes land on the cup and all she sees is a dark, unmistakable green. Her heart stops.

"It… It's green. Lily, you're pregnant."

She feels Alice stiffen next to her. Marlene lets out a gasp. Dorcas sighs deeply. But it's Lily's reaction that she's the most concerned about. The already pale redhead has turned a ghastly shade of white. Her entire body trembles like a leaf, and Guinevere can't remember ever seeing her this terrified.

A long silence follows as all the girls try to gather their thoughts. What is there to say, Guinevere wonders? Would it be insensitive to say, "I'm sorry"? Would it be even more insensitive to say, "congratulations"?

"We're at war," Lily whispers. "And I'm pregnant."

Marlene lets out a watery laugh, and Guinevere realizes she's crying. Whether it's from joy or from sadness, she doesn't know. But knowing Marlene, it could be both.

"This is supposed to be a happy moment," she whispers through tears.

Guinevere digs her nails into her palms. There is nothing, absolutely nothing happy about this moment.

"You're not keeping it, right?" Alice prompts.

Lily glowers at her.

"I haven't decided yet, but I don't need anyone telling me what I should or shouldn't do."

"Lily, c'mon," Alice pleads. "You're barely nineteen and you spend most of your time either fighting Death Eaters or getting patched up after a fight with a Death Eater. You can't bring a child into this!"

Privately, Guinevere agrees with Alice. Just the thought of raising a child in such an awful world with an uncertain future makes her head hurt. It would be irresponsible. Cruel, even.

"Alice is right," Dorcas says. "Raising a kid is hard enough, but in war time? It's damn near impossible. You can't afford to be pregnant right now!"

"Pregnant? Who's pregnant?"

The girls all whip their heads around to see a very confused looking Sirius standing in the doorway. The room becomes silent enough to hear a pin drop. The boys were all supposed to be gone today. Order business, that was all the girls knew. They hadn't even bothered to close the bathroom door. Now Sirius is looking between all of them, searching for an answer in one of their faces but finding none. Finally, his eyes land on the dreaded pee cup.

Guinevere briefly wonders if Sirius even knows what it is. Wizarding world pregnancy tests are a bit of a mystery to her, and she knows she's Sirius's first serious girlfriend. He's never had a reason to need one. But when his eyes go wide as saucers, she knows the answer.

Immediately, he whips his head around to look at her. The sheer amount of fear on his face catches her off guard. His big grey eyes plead with her to tell him it isn't hers.

"Who's pregnant?" he repeats, this time with more urgency.

"Not me!" Guinevere insists.

That's all she offers. She doesn't want to break news that isn't hers to break, but Lily quickly intervenes.

"I am," she admits in a quiet voice.

Guinevere watches as the tension slowly drains from his shoulders. He lets out a long, relieved sigh. Lily shoots him a glare that he doesn't see.

After his brief moment of relief at the knowledge that he won't be a father anytime soon, he freezes up again, staring at Lily as if she's grown another head. It seems the reality of the situation has set in for him like it has for the girls.

"Wait... you're pregnant?" he asks, as if he didn't hear what Lily said not even a minute before.

"Who's pregnant?"

The girls all groan in frustration as Remus and Peter enter the room, looking just as confused as Sirius was. The little bathroom is starting to become uncomfortably cramped, and the girls all squeeze together next to the toilet.

Might as well invite the whole damn Order while we're at it, Guinevere thinks. It'll save Lily from having to send out announcements.

Again, no one answers. Remus and Peter turn to Sirius, silently asking him what's going on. But Sirius, like the girls, keeps his mouth shut.

"Oh for the love of – I'm pregnant!" Lily shouts.

"Y-You're pregnant?"

The room yet again falls into a hush as yet another person appears behind Remus and Peter. Standing in the doorway is a very shocked, very pale looking James.

Guinevere looks at Sirius. Sirius looks back at Guinevere. Sirius looks at Remus. Guinevere looks at Dorcas. Dorcas looks at Marlene. Marlene looks at Lily. Lily and James are focused on each other.

The tension in the room is so thick that Guinevere feels it constricting her throat so much she can hardly breathe. Or maybe that's because of the sheer amount of people packed into the room, sharing the same oxygen. She debates on whether or not to flee from the situation. This feels like it should be a private conversation between James and Lily, not something to be played out in front of an audience. But she can't think of a subtle way to make her escape.

From the uncomfortable expressions on her friends' faces it looks like neither can they.

James pushes past Remus and Peter, then past Sirius, until he's face to face with Lily.

"You're pregnant?" he repeats in a whisper.

Lily takes a deep breath, her fists clenching and unclenching by her side. Guinevere recognizes it as a sign that she's gathering up her courage. It's not something that happens often. Usually, Lily's supply of courage never runs low. She's a Gryffindor through and through. But there's a big difference between facing a Death Eater and facing a pregnancy. The Death Eater sounds more appealing at the moment.

There's a long pause where James and Lily are just staring at each other, and Guinevere looks over to see Marlene holding her breath beside her. She suspects the rest of them are doing the same.

"I am," Lily confirms. "And before you say anything, just know that this is my decision to make, and I've decided to keep the baby."

Alice looks at Guinevere. Guinevere looks back at Alice. Guinevere looks at Marlene. Marlene looks at Peter. Peter looks at Sirius. Sirius looks at Guinevere. Once again, Lily and James don't take their eyes off each other.

Only a few minutes ago, Lily was unsure about what she wanted to do. Guinevere was silently hoping she would decide not to keep the baby. None of them are in the position to be raising a child. It's stupid, it's reckless, it's...

Everything that Guinevere would be too scared to do.

But Lily has always been braver than Guinevere.

"I understand if you don't agree," Lily hastens to add. "You don't have to stick around out of obligation. I can raise the baby on my own and –,"

"What are you talking about, 'if I don't agree'?" James interrupts. "Lily, of course I want to keep the baby."

Guinevere can faintly hear everyone in the room drawing in a nervous breath.

"You do?" Lily whispers.

"I do."

Lily blinks quizzically at him, as if she'd been expecting an argument. Guinevere can't imagine why. James loves Lily with all his heart and all his soul. There's no way he wouldn't love any child that came from her.

"But... we're in a war," Lily states, as if James didn't know that fact. "We're nineteen. Neither of us have jobs, all our time is spent helping the Order, we're in danger every second of every day, we –,"

James cuts her off with a chuckle, taking her face in his hands with the utmost gentleness.

"Hey now, you were the one who was ready to raise this baby all on your own, and now you're trying to talk me out of it?" he jokes.

Lily gives a huff, but Guinevere can tell there's no real anger behind it.

"No one is ever prepared to become a parent," James insists. "Sure, our situation is a little... difficult, but we'll manage somehow. We always do."

One of his hands drifts down to rest on her still flat stomach reverently, looking at it in awe.

"This baby...," he trails off, as if he's searching for the right words. "This baby is a blessing. It's the only good thing to come out of these shitty times we're living in."

He raises his head up and Guinevere is alarmed to see tears starting to form in his eyes. She wonders if she should avert her gaze, but when she glances over at Marlene, she sees her still looking at the couple with tears in her own eyes.

Guinevere looks back to Lily and James.

"This is a reason to keep on fighting, so that our baby can grow up in a better world," James insists. "This baby is hope. Of course I want it."

He pulls Lily into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair.

"This is the happiest day of my life," he murmurs.

He disentangles himself from her arms just enough to look around at all his friends jam packed in the room with him. The biggest, cheesiest smile that Guinevere has ever seen is spread across his face.

"Hey, everyone!" he announces. "I'm gonna be a father!"

Finally, the silence that had befallen the room is broken. Joyous noise erupts from all corners. Alice and Peter clap. Marlene lets out a little cheer. Sirius gives James a proud clap on the shoulder. Dorcas and Remus even give each other a hug, both bursting with happiness for their friends. It seems all the trepidation everyone felt not even an hour before has been forgotten.

Guinevere forces a smile onto her face, but she can't squash the sense of dread growing bigger and bigger inside her stomach. If she was scared about their futures before, that fear has only doubled in size.

"Congratulations, mate!" Remus laughs.

"Let's hope that poor baby doesn't come out looking like you," Sirius jokes.

"Shove it, Padfoot," James protests. "I'm very good looking. Just ask Lily. That's how I landed her in the first place."

He looks down at Lily, his eyes instantly softening.

"Right, Lils?"

Lily raises an eyebrow, but like her husband, she can't seem to wipe the smile off her face.

"Actually, I married you so that any future children of mine would inherit your Quidditch skills."

"So my Quidditch skills do impress you," he prods.

Guinevere sucks in a deep breath and takes a step towards Lily, gently placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. Lily turns to her, breaking out of James's embrace. Guinevere gives her a soft smile, and she's surprised to realize it's a genuine one.

"I'm happy for you," Guinevere says.

When Lily raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing her, Guinevere hastens to say, "No really, I am."

Despite her fear and the craziness of the daily lives and all the unknowns waiting for them in the future, Guinevere is happy. She's scared – terrified, even – but she's happy. This is what Lily wants. Guinevere just needed a moment to accept it. Already, her friend seems to glow in the way people always say pregnant women glow but that Guinevere has always been skeptical of.

"You better be, because you promised me in first year that you would be my baby's godmother."

Just the fact that Lily would trust her to take such a major role in her child's life means more to her than her friend could ever know. She hopes with all her heart that nothing will ever happen to James and Lily that will result in Guinevere having to raise the baby herself, but she's flattered nonetheless. She already knows she's going to love this baby as much as she loves its parents.

"I'd be honored."

The events of the day leave Guinevere and Sirius so exhausted that it takes all their energy just to change into their pajamas before they fall into bed that night. Stevie Wonder lays curled up at the end of Guinevere's side of the bed as usual, refusing to budge. She just lets him lounge across her feet, not bothering to do their nightly song and dance of Guinevere moving him to his cat bed and him jumping right back onto her bed.

"I still can't believe it," Guinevere mutters.

Sirius doesn't even open his eyes.

"Can't believe what?" he asks, his words muffled by his pillow.

"James and Lily are having a baby," she states.

The fact Lily is going to pop out a living, breathing, tiny little human in less than 9 months is finally beginning to settle in, and some of her earlier fatigue is beginning to wear off.

"They are," he agrees. "Can we go to bed now?"

Guinevere rolls her eyes, laying her head down so close to her boyfriend's that their noses touch. That finally gets Sirius to open his eyes, and he peers at her in annoyance. She gives him a triumphant grin. They've made annoying each other into a sport since first year, and that didn't change when they started dating.

"C'mon, Sirius, you have to admit you're a little shocked they're actually going through with this," she prods.

Sirius lets out a sigh, finally accepting that Guinevere isn't going to let him sleep. He sits up and Guinevere rolls back over to her own side of the bed.

"Of course I am," he admits. "It's not something I would do, but if they're happy, then I'm happy for them."

Maybe she should be disappointed to hear that Sirius wouldn't react like James did if she got pregnant, but she isn't. Having a baby in the middle of the war is the last thing she would ever want to do, and she can't imagine the kind of strain it would put on their relationship if Sirius wanted a baby that she didn't. She's glad they're on the same page. Not that she ever thought they wouldn't be. Sirius has never struck her as the fatherly type.

She's reassured by the fact that she knows exactly how Sirius would react. Because she's already seen it.

She can't repress the little laugh that bubbles up inside her. Through the reflection of the moonlight on his face, she can see Sirius furrowing his brow, looking at her strangely.

"What?" he asks.

Guinevere shakes her head, a few more giggles escaping.

"I'm just remembering how panicked you looked when you walked in and thought I was the one who was pregnant," she teases.

Sirius groans and slips his pillow out from underneath his head, throwing it at her. She catches it with ease, laughing even harder.

"Bugger off," he mumbles "You would have been panicking too."

She can't deny that. If she was panicking at the prospect of her friend having a baby, she thinks she may have fainted dead away if it had been her.

"Yeah," she agrees. "Having a baby isn't something I'd do right now either."

They slip into a long silence, neither of them making any effort to go to sleep.

"Do you want kids someday?" he asks suddenly.

She looks over at him, expecting to see that wicked grin of his that indicates he's just teasing. He looks back at her with a completely straight face, just a tad bit of curiosity in his eyes. It startles her. The only time she and Sirius have even broached the topic of children is when they discussed what methods they would use to prevent having any.

"I don't know," she admits. "I've never really thought about it."

Sirius gives her a disbelieving look.

"Never? Not even once?"

She purses her lips, thinking about the question.

When she was much younger, back when she still wore pigtails and firmly believed in cooties, she drew pictures of what she imagined her future children would look like. She can't remember what she thought their hair color and eye color would be or even how many she would have, but she knew she wanted kids. She took such good care of her baby dolls, she thought real babies would be just as easy.

The older she got, the more this dream died out. It became a distant thought, a "let's cross that bridge when we get to it" kind of thought. Her goals morphed into what career she would have in the future or where she would live. Then the war started, and all thoughts about a future halted. Now she focuses on getting through the present.

"I mean, every little girl thinks about who's she's gonna marry or how many kids she's gonna have," she dismisses. "But I've never seriously thought about it. What about you?"

Sirius tears his gaze away from her to stare down at their sheets. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was nervous.

"I've never really thought about it either," he murmurs.

They fall into another silence, this one slightly more tense than the other.

She's been dating Sirius for over a year, and she's just now realizing she's given little thought to the future of their relationship. They moved in together out of convenience, neither of them treating it as a big step. They dodge any questions about when they're going to get engaged. Even the thought of marriage makes Guinevere tense up, much less the thought of children.

She knows it's because she's scared. It's the same kind of fear that almost prevented her from dating him in the first place, the fear that her friends nearly had to slap out of her.

"Maybe one day," Sirius murmurs. "Years into the future."

He pauses for a moment.

"Lots of years into the future," he adds. "At least ten."

A soft smile stretches across her face. When she actually allows herself to think about it, a future with Sirius sounds... nice. She already gets to fall asleep next to him most nights – unless one of them is busy with Order business. And she already gets to wake up to him most mornings – unless one of them still hasn't come home from Order business. She never feels more at peace than she does when they're sitting together in their living room, sharing a cup of tea and listening to a record playing softly in the background. She doesn't think she could ever get bored of a lifetime of him letting her rest her head in his lap while she reads a book on a Sunday afternoon.

She's tired of being afraid of happiness.

"Yeah," she agrees. "Maybe."

A soft, uncharacteristically unguarded smile appears on his face. She wonders if he was picturing those late nights and early mornings and lazy Sundays with her too. She wonders if she feels like home to him, just like he feels like home to her.

He starts leaning in to kiss her when a scratching on their bedroom window makes them both jump.

"What the hell –?" he chokes.

Guinevere springs into action, grabbing her wand from the side table and stumbling out of bed.

"Lumos," she whispers, the tip of her wand illuminating the windowpane.

Her shoulders slump in relief when she sees it's only an owl; a barn owl that she recognizes as belonging to the Longbottoms. Whatever their message is, it can't be that urgent, or else they would have sent a patronus. She grumbles her disapproval at sending a letter this late at night as she opens the window for Barnum to fly inside.

Guinevere grabs the letter from his claws, ripping it open and scanning the page. It's short and sweet. Only one line. She has to read it again, and again, and again before the words finally sink in.

And when they do, oh boy. She's suddenly exhausted.

"It's from Alice," she tells him, still staring blankly at the page.

"What does it say?"

She sighs, crumpling the letter up and throwing it on the ground.

"It looks like James and Lily's baby is going to have a playmate."