Chapter 5

Hogsmead hadn't changed at all. From what I could tell through the store windows even the shop owners were mostly the same, just older. I walked along the snowy street and already saw Fred waving at me. He was standing in front of "The Three Broomsticks", apparently still the go-to place for Hogwarts students.

„Hi," I say a little breathlessly.

„Hi," he says back and we stare at each other for a minute. It was cold enough that our breath was visible and it mingled in the space in front of us.

I felt my cheeks grow hot and the corner of his mouth turned up.

„Let's go in."

This had definitely been the best date I had ever been on. Fred seemed to be the least complicated person I had ever met and he always knew what to say to make me laugh. In fact, I was still laughing when we were exiting the pub.

„I can't believe you got your brother to think he was a parselmouth," I laughed.

„Yeah, well, to be fair, Percy was never one to pass up an opportunity to think he was better than everyone else, so he was an easy victim," he said grinning.

„Still, I think it's rather impressive," I look up at him and we stop walking. Just at that moment, it started snowing again and the light from the twinkling lights in the snow windows reflected in the snowflakes. Our breath was mingling again and I saw his eyes dart to my mouth. I stepped a little closer and put my hands on his chest, while his wandered to my neck, they were still warm from holding the hot butterbeer we had earlier. I felt like a fairytale princess when he leaned down and almost chastely kissed me. I felt my heartbeat speeding up and when he started deepening the kiss I happily obliged.

It had been a magical day. At first, I couldn't stop smiling to a point where people were looking at me weird in the common room, but today was also my first ultrasound appointment and soon the nerves were getting the best of me. While I was excited to see the baby, the fact that it was a secret seemed to be the other shoe, the one that I really didn't want to drop. Because how do you tell someone you just started seeing, that you're having someone else baby. Oh, and not just anyone, but the psychotic dictator threatening to take over the world. I knew this secret had a time-limit, I mean I would be showing in what 2, 3? Maybe 4 months if I was lucky. Should I tell him now and hope he was okay with it, should I wait?

Still not knowing what to do about this, I was lying on one of the beds in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey was waving her wand above my abdomen.

„It looks like the fetus is in perfect health, Miss Thompson," she told me and smiled kindly at me. I wished Hogwarts had some muggle technology, I think an ultrasound picture would have really helped me realises how real this baby is, but no I just get some wand-waving over my uterus.

„But I do have to encourage you to finally let your teachers and classmates know. I have not told anyone, since it isn't my secret to tell, but people are going to find out eventually and I'm sure it would be a lot less stressful for you if you had a good support system," Pomfrey told me before leaving.

On my way back to the common room, I thought a lot about her words and I knew she was right, the urgency of it was especially clear to me though, when I came back to the common room.

„Mara! Why haven't you told us?", Ginny said excitedly from her seat on the couch, which she couldn't leave ever since hurting her knee really badly in the last Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.

I paled. „What ... what do you mean?", I asked and George came up to me. „That you literally won a trophy for scoring the most points in a single Quidditch game as a chaser for Gryffindor back in 42!", he said grinning.

„Looks like we have a chance to win the Quidditch Cup after all," Fred whispers in my ear, as he hugged me from behind.

„This is absolutely brilliant," Harry contributed. „You'll fill in for Ginny, right?"

I knew I shouldn't do this. I knew that this was unbelievably risky for the baby, just one rogue bludger... But I also wasn't ready to tell them. I didn't even know where to start when thinking about how to tell Fred. And anyways I was a really good flyer. Like scary good. I would just be extra careful and everything would be fine. I told myself that at least.

„I would love to play."

A couple of very tiring training sessions later it was finally time. My first match in 96. Ravenclaw against Gryffindor. As we were mounting our brooms I could feel my adrenaline kicking in. I really hoped that it would be as quick a game as it usually was with Harry playing as seeker. The first time I saw him catch a snitch in what felt like 5 minutes I thought it was luck, then when it happened every single game, I knew that he had true talent.

„AAND, YES! THOMPSON SCORES THE FOURTH GOAL FOR GrYFFINDOR!!", Dean commented very passionately. I grin. It felt so good to be back in the air. I felt like I was born for this. Wind rushing through my hair, Quaffle in hand. I was really good at this. In a risky manoeuvre around the Ravenclaw chasers, I had passed the Quaffle to Angelina, a bludger came shooting towards me, I zigzagged around it, dove under the hoops at the end of the pitch, and mid loop around them Angelina passed me the Quaffle and I easily scored another goal. Dean was just about to announce it when Harry was zooming across the field toward the snitch, which he easily caught.

„GRYFFINDOR WINS!!"