A/N: Special thanks to my Beta, lozipozivanillabean. Enjoy!

xxxxvii.

we did not give up on love today

(Orpheus by Sara Bareilles)

December 25, 1979

Hermione heavily sat down at the top of the toilet lid, a disbelieving laugh flitting out of her lips. Her hold on the pregnancy test was limp, and try as she might, she couldn't blink away the double line projected on the stick. Even when her vision swam with tears, the lines were still clear as day, and Hermione didn't know what to do.

Merlin and Morgana, she was completely and utterly fucked.

A teardrop landed on the pregnancy test and she took a soft sniff, haphazardly wiping her tears away with her free hand.

She couldn't believe this turn of events. Here was she, painfully accepting that Harry Potter might not exist in this world, with her only consolation being that he would never go through the same horrible experiences he had to endure her previous lifetime.

And then, fate decided to pull off the grandest trick in the whole universe and terrifyingly, irrevocably, found a way for Harry to still be born in this new future she had singlehandedly created. Even though the babe inside her uterus was but a bloody speck with constantly dividing cells, Hermione already had this inkling that this would be Harry. Granted, a different Harry Potter but still Harry Potter.

She emitted another strange sound, a cross between a laugh and a sob, and immediately banished the proof away with just a wave of her wand. A part of her was ecstatic that in the end, Harry Potter would still find a way to be born into this world. But another part, the biggest part, was terrified that she'd still bring him into chaos, with Voldemort prowling the streets, reigning terror over the Wizarding World.

Hermione mentally berated herself for forgetting to cast a simple contraceptive charm when she'd lain with James. She'd been too distracted by his eyes and his touch, riding the throes of pleasure that made everything around them simply not matter.

Now, now the product of their carelessness was only a few months away and Hermione had already conjured worst case scenarios that did not help her frazzled nerves. The prophecy, the scar, the deaths… all of them hung heavily on Hermione's shoulders and the initial surprise, and admitted reluctant elation, upon discovering she was pregnant disappeared. All that was left was genuine dread of what tomorrow may bring.

"Hermione?" Peter's voice called out from the other side. "What's taking you so long? Dinner's ready!"

She slowly stood up from the toilet seat and removed any signs of crying from her face with a spell. Hermione grimaced upon seeing her reflection in the bathroom mirror, and forced a small smile she hoped would be passable.

"Sorry," she said, yanking the door open. Peter furrowed his eyebrows and frowned at her, but Hermione had already ducked her head and strode towards the kitchen.

The overwhelming smell of their Christmas dinner made her nauseous. She knew that something was wrong with her the moment she gagged at just the smell of fried chicken and had merely brushed it away as feeling under the weather. When bloody toffees made her vomit with their sickening sweet smell, Hermione firmly believed this was something else entirely. When her menstruation was a week late, Hermione had pieced everything together. She knew she could just cast a simple spell to confirm her suspicion, but she was too nervous she might botch it up and end up hurting herself or the baby – if ever there even was one. Which was why she'd ventured to the nearest shop and bought a fail-safe, Muggle pregnancy test kit instead.

Truthfully, she hadn't been surprised when the pregnancy test confirmed her fears.

Hermione thickly swallowed and shakily smiled at Anya, pointedly ignoring the multi-coloured food her mother had worked hard to prepare the whole day.

"Is everything all right, sweetheart?" her mother asked, noting how pale she'd become.

"I'm all right, Mum," she murmured. "I'm just a bit nauseous."

"Nauseous?" Peter worriedly echoed, occupying the seat across from Hermione.

Hermione flashed a small smile to soothe their worries. "I think I stayed up too late reading," she smoothly lied. "I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Her brother snorted and rolled his eyes. "We've already both graduated but you're still an unbelievable swot," he pointed out. Hermione lightly glared at him in return, but Peter just rolled his eyes again.

"Studying may still be helpful for your future career, you know," she snarled back.

"Speaking of which, how was your application with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" Anya amicably asked.

"I was scheduled for an interview after the Christmas holidays but…" Hermione expelled a soft sigh and wryly smiled at her mother. "Something came up. I think I might not apply after all."

"What? Why?" Peter asked, surprised. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

With a baby coming, who could still be potentially marked by an evil wizard, Hermione was bloody well sure she'd be kept busy until Voldemort was defeated. But of course, her brother and mother couldn't possibly know that. "I'm… keeping my options open. I mean, I can just open up my own bookstore in Hogsmeade or something so…"

Anya reached forward and held Hermione's hand. "Whatever you want to do with your future, you know that we're going to fully support you, love, right?" Anya squeezed her hand as an added comfort, and Hermione tried her very best not to burst into tears. Perhaps, the pregnancy hormones were already acting up.

Her mother then noticed how empty her dinner plate was. "Why aren't you eating?" she gasped, hastily piling various meat and mashed potatoes onto Hermione's plate. The strong smell of onion wafted into her nose and Hermione had to bite down her bottom lip to stop herself from gagging.

"I-I'm not really hungry," she said, discreetly pushing away the plateful of nauseating smells. Anya looked scandalised by her refusal to eat, so Hermione hastily grabbed a few chocolate chip cookies just to appease her mother. At least chocolate didn't make her nauseous. Yet.

Anya still looked worried and Hermione persistently assured her she'd eat later if she got hungry. Her mother sighed and relented, already quizzing Peter about his work and Mary.

With her mind preoccupied with her pregnancy, Hermione wasn't able to notice the suspicious look in Peter's eyes. She only realised that he was on to something when he volunteered to help Hermione wash the dishes after dinner.

"You've never voluntarily washed the dishes!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed. Peter snorted and merely grabbed the clean, dripping plate from her hands and wiped it dry.

"What's really wrong, Hermione?" he insisted. "Mum may have dropped the subject because something's obviously bothering you, but I can't." He deeply frowned and pointedly looked at her pasty skin. "You don't look good either! Come to think of it, you've been under the weather for days. It's a little disconcerting."

Despite her nervousness, she managed to crack a smile. Auror training had really developed Peter's observational skills. Hermione actually braced herself for Anya's questioning, having seen the worried glint in her mother's eyes throughout their meal, but Anya bid them goodnight and retired to her room. She didn't expect that Peter would catch on and interrogate her like the proper Auror he was.

"I'm not some dark wizard for you to bloody interrogate, Peter Pettigrew," she lightly admonished, but the teasing glint in her eyes wasn't left unnoticed by Peter.

"Something's wrong," he persisted, unamused by her teasing. "What is it? Is it something about the ministry? Is it why you've decided to ditch your interview for the Creature Department?"

Hermione paused and mulled over her options. Should she tell him or should she keep this to herself first? She wondered if James should be the first one to know, but one look at Peter made her believe her brother would be extra incorrigible tonight and wouldn't rest until she cracked.

A wry smile appeared on her face, knowing full well he'd discover it anyway. "Fine," she said with an exasperated sigh. She jutted her chin at the breakable plate in between his hands. "But you may want to put that aside first."

Peter snorted. "I'm not going to break this, whatever you tell me, Hermione," he said, followed by a chuckle that was far too nervous to be normal.

The corners of her lips twitched into a small, fond smile. "Fine, you stubborn berk," she said. "I'm pregnant."

"See," Peter calmly said, waving the plate in the air to prove a point. "Just because you told me you're pregnant doesn't mean I'm going to—" Words died from his lips when his blue eyes widened in shock, finally digesting Hermione's revelation. His grip slackened and the poor plate crashed down in the sink, shattering into various pieces.

"I told you so," she said with a soft snort.

Peter didn't seem to hear her and started to emit strangled noises, none of them even making any sense. Hermione was worried she had broken her brother but Peter glanced at Hermione and finally squeaked a question, "Whose?"

"What kind of a question is that?!" she laughingly cried.

"I-I mean… how—"

"Do you honestly want me to answer that stupid, stupid question, Petey?"

His eyes had filled with tears as he took a deep shuddering breath. "Holy shite, Hermione," he sobbed, grasping on both of her shoulders to turn her fully. Her eyes had filled with tears too, a shaky smile slipping on her pale face. "No wonder you've been— I mean, you looked disgusted by Mum's food and… and you were always so tired. I'm— holy shite, does James know?"

She shook her head, a few tears escaping from her eyes in the process. "I just found out today," she confessed. "But… but I felt something different weeks before. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say I'm already a month and a few weeks pregnant." She expelled a watery chuckle and brushed away her tears. "James will be over the moon." When his grip on her shoulders tightened, Hermione released a sob, the gravity of the situation once again lying heavily on her shoulders. "But… but how can we be so stupid? In the middle of a bloody war! We haven't destroyed all of the horcruxes yet and… and Voldemort is bloody fucking alive." Her hands gravitated down to her still small abdomen, terror clearly written on her face. "This is disastrous. Truly, undoubtedly, terrifyingly disastrous, but James, that bloody berk, will be so happy. I can already imagine his face."

Her tears had increased, fear now trampling the other happy emotions she was feeling. Peter's shock morphed into genuine worry. "You… you're not happy about this?" he pointed out.

"Of course I'm happy about this!" she vehemently exclaimed. "Pregnant! With a baby! With James." A silly grin briefly slipped on her face, but it faltered almost immediately. "But… but like I said, this pregnancy will be disastrous. You won't—" She shakily turned her head away from his worried, blue eyes. "You won't understand."

"Why?" Peter insisted. "Is it because we're at war?" When she still refused to look at him, Peter crashed her against his chest and tightly held her. "Hermione, you're surrounded by a bunch of reckless, stupid Gryffindors. I'm sure everybody will fight tooth and nail just to keep you and that growing baby safe." He paused as a hysterical laugh escaped from his lips. "A baby! I-I'm going to be an uncle!"

Hermione's heart clenched at his transparent happiness, remembering how his cowardly counterpart had singlehandedly caused Harry Potter's life of misery. Granted, she trusted her brother with all of her heart. Peter had already proven to be someone who was kind, who would give love freely, and fiercely protect the people he cared for, even if it meant he would die. But the thing was, Hermione had no idea if the prophecy would even be spoken by Sybil Trelawney in this timeline. And if she ever did, would Harry still be chosen by Voldemort as his equal? And would she… would James…

Raw fear seized her whole. Worst case scenarios conjured inside her head again and she didn't realise she was shaking until Peter's hold tightened around her. "Hermione?" he worriedly asked.

Hermione glanced at her brother's face and before she could stop herself, she softly asked, "Have I ever told you about my best friend? The one who reluctantly burdened the war on his shoulders all because of his stupid destiny?"

Peter's eyes widened. "You've… you've never talked about him," he whispered. "We thought… well… it was painful for you, so we never pried. All we knew was that you love him very much. Like a brother."

"Like a brother," she hollowly echoed, tears steadily streaming down her face.

Truthfully, Hermione was surprised such words came tumbling out of her mouth. But perhaps, after her confession to James about Harry, she thought it wouldn't hurt for the others to start knowing about her best friend too. Now that her mind was filled with memories of Harry Potter, Hermione couldn't seem to stop herself from telling him to Peter. "His name was Harry Potter," she said, her voice cracking as a small, sad smile appeared on her face.

"Potter?" Peter gasped, his brows furrowing in surprise.

"Yes," she added. Her eyes steadily met Peter's glistening eyes. "He was the son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter, born on July 31st, and grew up neglected by his aunt and uncle."

"Lily—"

She tightly closed her eyes as more words spilled out from her mouth. "He was Sorted into Gryffindor and he was the youngest Seeker Hogwarts had ever seen. He was… he was… The-Boy-Who-Lived, rightfully coined as such because on the night of October 31st, Voldemort paid a surprise visit to his family's house with every intention of murdering him. But Harry's parents loved him very, very much, and Voldemort murdered them because they were in the way." She took a deep, shuddering breath, sobs racking her body and she tightly clutched onto Peter. "Vol-Voldemort tried to kill Harry but he survived. Harry was the only known wizard to survive a Killing Curse."

Peter's hold on her slackened. "Murdered?" he breathlessly whispered.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and saw the thick tears in his eyes. "James… he was…" Peter couldn't seem to force out words and Hermione glumly nodded her head.

The horror on his face made her more firmly believe that Peter wouldn't dare betray his best friend. "There was a prophecy, you see," she softly continued. "As far as I know, there hasn't been a prophecy uttered yet. So… so things aren't certain. But…" She placed her hand on her stomach again. "I-I'm scared, that it might happen, that my child will live another miserable life in this bloody world all because of a selfish, evil bastard. And I can't let that happen. I can't, Peter."

Peter took a sharp intake of breath and harshly gripped her shoulders. "You can't die!" he vehemently declared. "You can't, Hermione." He crushed her against his chest once more and sobbed in her hair. "I'm going to protect you. We're going to kill that bastard before he touches you, or James or… or your baby. I'm going to make sure of it!"

His impassioned promises had flabbergasted Hermione. Wide-eyed, she pulled away from Peter to stare at him, noting how his eyes were already red-rimmed from his crying and there was snot dripping down from his nostrils. He looked ridiculous yet resolute, and Hermione's face crumpled with overwhelming emotions, trusting her brother with her whole heart.

"What in Merlin's name are you both crying about?"

The Pettigrew siblings swivelled their heads towards the kitchen door in surprise. Anya's brows were furrowed and there was worry in her eyes. Hermione and Peter briefly exchanged glances and before Hermione could come up with a half-arsed excuse, Peter blurted out, "Hermione's pregnant!"

"Peter!" she cried in indignation. Peter looked properly shame-faced and muttered an apology under his breath.

Hermione realised Anya hadn't responded to his blurted revelation and nervously, she directed her eyes towards her mother. Unadulterated shock painted her pale face, and Hermione braced herself for their mother's infamous Selwyn temper to appear.

But then, Anya surprised her when she broke down into tears and flew into her arms. "Oh! Oh, my daughter!" she cried.

"You're not… you're not mad?" the brunette tentatively asked.

"Mad?" Anya exclaimed. "Goodness, sweetheart, I've been pestering both you and Peter to get married for years just so you can pop out grandchildren for your poor mother." Her eyes glittered, shooting a glance at Hermione's engagement ring. "You've made me infinitely happy when you told us you've agreed to marry James. And now! Pregnant! Oh, my sweet, sweet daughter."

Hermione's eyes filled with more tears, burying her face against Anya's neck. She wanted to tell her she was scared, for her baby's future, for James's future, but she didn't have the heart to worry Anya now that her happiness was palpable.

She felt Peter's strong arms wrapping around her and her mother, joining in their embrace, and a fraction of Hermione's fear dissipated away. She lifted her eyes and met Peter's resolute gaze. She lifted her hand and placed it on Peter's arm, squeezing it in gratitude, and mentally vowing to herself that she would do whatever she could so the old Harry Potter's life she knew would never be realised. She would bloody well make sure of it.

December 26, 1979

"Honestly, Peter, I'm pregnant. Not incapacitated." She rolled her eyes when Peter petulantly frowned. "I can still Apparate myself to Hogwarts, thank you very much."

"There won't be side effects for the baby?" he asked.

Her annoyance blew away with her sigh. "No," she reassured, slowly shaking her head. "I'm still in my first trimester. It would be very dangerous if my due date was near. But for now, it's safe."

"Are you sure? What if you splinched yourself and—"

She rolled her eyes once more and Apparated on the spot, unwilling to stay and listen to his worried yammering. Peter rematerialised almost immediately, a glare in his eyes. "Hermione," he growled.

She simply gestured at herself. "See. I'm all right," she pointed out matter-of-factly.

His frown deepened. "You really need to go to St. Mungo's to get yourself fully checked," he insisted. "I can owl Mary so that she can assist you. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to help you, Hermione."

A fond smile appeared on her face, remembering the enthusiastic witch. "I'm sure she will be," she said. "But later. We have a horcrux to destroy today, remember?"

Peter sighed and wordlessly grasped onto her elbow, already leading her towards Hogwarts.

As they trekked through the pathway that would lead back to their school, nervous anticipation for the destruction of a horcrux trumped her fear for her baby's future. They were going to destroy another horcrux, which was one step closer to defeating Voldemort. She would think about her pregnancy later.

When they neared the entrance of the school, Hermione was surprised the Marauders were accompanied by other people. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out, furrowing her brows when the Snapes gave her a small smile while Regulus tipped his head in greeting.

"I missed the last one," the Black heir said. "I'd rather not miss this one."

"Or, you miss me," Sirius pointed out, depositing a heavy arm over his younger brother's shoulder. "There's no need to be shy about the truth, Reggie."

Regulus scowled and tried to shrug his arm away, but this only made Sirius cheekier, wrapping his other arm around his waist. The younger of the two shot Hermione a silent plea for help, but she was enjoying how Sirius was making him flustered too much. Instead, her eyes swept towards her best friends and she asked, "What are you doing here?" again.

"Potter invited us," Lily said with a half-hearted shrug.

"James invited you?" Her eyes widened as she looked at her embarrassed fiancée.

"The more the merrier, Whiskers," he merely said, already striding forward to pull her away from Peter. But her older brother wasn't budging, however, his hold on her elbow tightening in retaliation. James shot him a confused look while Hermione gave her brother a warning glance. She knew Peter was annoyed that he'd knocked her up before they'd gotten married, but he was being bloody incorrigible right now.

They engaged in a glaring contest until Peter relented, his jaw tensing while he let Hermione's arm slip through his grip.

"Did something happen between you both?" the bespectacled wizard asked, a bemused smile on his face. "The Selwyn temper is off the roof!"

"Nothing," she ground out and pulled James away, lest Peter blurted out that she was pregnant for everybody to hear.

They all strolled inside Hogwarts, loudly reminiscing about their Hogwarts years. Hermione amusedly noted even Regulus was engaging with their conversation, even though his answers were cold and clipped. But this had delighted Sirius very much, and Hermione could see that the younger Black was trying his very best. A small smile bloomed on Hermione's face, happy that Regulus was making an effort.

She was content in listening to their conversation, not in the mood to talk at all. She inevitably thought about her pregnancy again, and after darting a quick glance at the oblivious wizard holding her hand, Hermione wondered if today would be the right time to break the news. The people she cared about the most in this world were all conveniently gathered today after all. Perhaps, after they'd destroyed the next horcrux, she could reveal her pregnancy.

James suddenly ducked his head and peered at Hermione with worry. "Is something wrong, love?" he whispered for only her to hear. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Not really in a chatty mood," she said, one corner of her lips twitching into a small smirk, remembering a similar memory.

He quirked an eyebrow and neared his face, his lips now a hairsbreadth away from her ear. "Say," he started, "maybe you'd fancy to drop by Potter Manor later? The cabin's still very much unoccupied, if you must know."

She thickly swallowed, his fingers lightly digging into her hip. The bloody git was smirking suggestively and with a light glare, Hermione replied, "Aren't your parents back home from Italy?"

"I can sneak you in with Pokey's help," he seriously answered. "Our house-elf is fond of you, so I'm sure that won't be a problem."

The suggestion was tempting; the warmth pooling between her thighs was already enough answer of how much she'd missed him. But they had a far bigger problem right now, and Hermione knew she'd be ridiculously distracted by it all throughout the night, even if James tried his hardest to demand her sole attention to focus on him.

"Not today, love," she whispered, smiling apologetically at his disappointed frown. Her smile grew bigger when she heard Peter noisily clearing his throat, a stern glare on his face.

James pulled away from Hermione, just enough to be acceptable for Peter, and threw an innocent smile at him. Her brother heavily sighed and turned his attention back to Sirius, who was excitedly recounting his last mission for the Order.

"Is something wrong with Wormy?" James lowly asked. "What has gotten his knickers in a twist?"

Hermione merely snorted in answer.

They finally arrived in front of the gargoyle statue guarding Dumbledore's Office. Remus murmured the password that sprang the statue alive, revealing the revolving staircase that would lead them to the office.

When Dumbledore permitted them entry, the Headmaster's eyes twinkled in amusement when they all clambered inside. "I wasn't expecting such a huge group," he said as they arranged themselves in such a way that they wouldn't be cramped.

"Sorry, Headmaster," Remus blurted out.

The old wizard merely waved his hand then kindly gestured at the displayed horcrux on the table. Helga Hufflepuff's Cup sat on top of the table and Hermione slightly shivered, remembering her misadventures with Regulus that had led them to stealing the Cup.

"I still can't believe you broke into Gringotts just to get that," James softly murmured, his hazel eyes dancing with mischief.

"It wasn't easy, but it was definitely better the second time," she whispered in reply.

His eyes widened, looking at Hermione like she'd grown another head. "You've done it twice?" he breathlessly asked.

"Err… once as Hermione Granger," she explained. Cheekily, she added, "On a bloody dragon, mind you."

James looked ridiculous, like a fish out of water, before he huffed out a laugh and draped an arm around her waist. "I knew you were the truest Marauder of us all," he gleefully pointed out.

"Still not a compliment," she said with a smile.

"Any volunteers?" Dumbledore then asked, returning their attention at the horcrux. Regulus surprisingly strode forward, a determined look on his face.

Dumbledore kindly smiled at the Death Eater. "By all means, Regulus," he said.

Sirius passed him the pouch containing the basilisk fangs. With one, mighty thrust, the Cup cracked in the middle. Hermione found it easier to watch this time as a billow of black smoke hissed out of the broken horcrux. Regulus had gone sickly pale and Sirius had to drag him away. Even Lily and Sev were deeply disturbed by the smoke that formed the Dark Mark. Hermione reached out to hold Lily's hand, which the redhead smiled at gratefully.

"Well then, Merry Christmas to you," the Headmaster jovially announced, as if moments ago there wasn't a dark artifact sitting on his desk.

They were all dismissed and Hermione shot towards the door, effectively blocking them from exiting.

"Move out of the way, Pettigrew," Sev drawled, an amused smirk on his face.

"Actually," she deliberately started, "I have something to tell you guys before we leave."

Peter's neck snapped towards her direction and he met her eyes. She noticed the question in them and Hermione gave the tiniest nods. Peter quirked an eyebrow then latched his gaze onto James, a small smirk on his face.

"Should I leave for you to discuss an important matter?" Dumbledore called.

Hermione's cheeks reddened, momentarily forgetting the fact that they were in Dumbledore's office and the said wizard was standing just behind his desk. "Err… you may stay, Professor," she hastily said. "I-I'm sorry. This won't take long."

There was mild curiosity in his blue eyes, his half-moon spectacles twinkling merrily as he calmly sat on his chair and laced his fingers together.

Her eyes then swept towards James, who looked slightly concerned at the nervousness on her face. Hermione took a deep breath and flashed a shaky smile. "I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant," she announced.

No one had moved after her hasty revelation. Hermione held her breath, waiting for an outburst. Peter was the only one who looked like he was breathing, the smirk on his face changing into a full-blown smile at how flummoxed she had made everybody.

Lily was the first to crack, shrieking bloody murder when she launched herself into Hermione's arms and sobbed against her hair. Sev actually managed to brightly beam, gathering both witches into a hug. Tears prickled in Hermione's eyes, softly laughing as she patted Lily's back in comfort.

"Holy shite," Sirius gasped. "Holy shite. Remus! Hold me! I think I'm going to faint."

The werewolf rolled his eyes and pushed the melodramatic wizard away. Sirius had broken into a litany of expletives as he tried to prop himself upright by heavily leaning against his younger brother. Remus and Regulus were actually the only ones who looked marginally calm, albeit wide-eyed with surprise.

Her eyes lastly landed on the father. James had grown very, very still. All the colour on his face had drained, his mouth was ajar, and his hazel eyes were wide and almost bright green. Distractedly, she noticed how Dumbledore had waved his wand just in time to nonverbally push one of his armchairs right behind James, who then fell down on his bum. Sirius was now loudly cursing against James's ear, his grey eyes crazed and suspiciously shiny.

Hermione started chuckling at the craziness she had caused. This had shot James back onto his feet, already stomping towards Hermione in huge strides. Severus calmly pulled Lily away from the brunette and set her aside, allowing James to launch himself towards Hermione in a bone-crushing hug.

Tears now poured from Hermione's eyes as she clung to James. "Err… surprise," she weakly whispered against his ear.

James gently moved Hermione away from him and stared at her in disbelief. "How— I-I mean we haven't even done it many times!" he cried, loud enough for everybody to hear in this room. "Well, I know we did it several times that day. And there was that one time in your bedroom. I'm not sure if the one in the Drawing Room counts, though, but—"

"Shut up, James!" Hermione hissed as she covered his running mouth with her hand. Her cheeks turned splotchy red and refused to look at the others in the room.

His words died down as his face crumpled, eyes shining with happy tears behind Hermione's hand. She felt his lips stretching into a wide smile and Hermione huffed another laugh. "You idiot," she said. "I knew you'd be over the moon."

James yanked her wrist away from his mouth just so he could give her a kiss. She smiled against his lips, placing her hand against his wet cheeks to pull him close.

"Oi, not in front of me," Peter complained.

"I'm going to be a godfather!" Sirius cried, swinging an arm over the couple.

"You? I'm going to be the godmother!" Lily sobbed, shoving Sirius away just so she could embrace them.

The two had broken into loud bickering, with Remus and Sev trying to appease the boisterous pair. Regulus, highly amused with their antics, smoothly suggested that perhaps he'd be assigned as the godfather, so that there wouldn't be any fights at all, but Sirius and Lily teamed up and loudly pointed out they'd have to hex him good if it meant there would be less competition.

Hermione was beaming brightly, as the whole group caused a ruckus inside Dumbledore's Office. Entangled in various arms from the people she'd come to truly love in this world, Hermione placed a hand against her still small stomach, silently vowing that this baby would grow up surrounded with so much love and warmth, such that her own version of Harry Potter had never received.

-ooo-

Later that night found Hermione sitting on the steps outside their house, eyes trained on the Apparation spot nearby. After profusely apologising to Dumbledore for causing an uproar in his office, Hermione excused herself, reasoning out she was dead tired and wanted to rest. This had obviously worried them all, but Hermione assured them she was just feeling under the weather with all the pregnancy hormones and shite.

James had refused to go home, however. Hermione met Peter's eyes, who then understood her silent plea and apparated back home without her.

"I'm going to tell my parents today," he resolutely declared.

"Don't you think we have had too much excitement today?" she asked, smiling at how stubborn he looked. But James persisted, insisting it would be best if they discovered it sooner rather than later. She suggested going with him to Potter Manor, but James refused, thinking it would be best to talk to his parents alone in case they didn't take the news very well. In the end, they agreed he'd break the news to his parents alone and then he'd come over to the Pettigrew household to tell her how it went.

Hence, here was Hermione, sitting outside their front porch on a cold, wintery night. Anya and Peter had long retired to their bedrooms, and Hermione wondered if things hadn't gone well with James's revelation.

She was about to stand up and just wait inside when her eyes caught sight of James apparating nearby. His eyes widened when he saw she was outside waiting for him, a deep frown on his face as he broke into a jog.

"What are you doing outside?" he admonished, already shrugging off his thick cloak to drop over Hermione's shoulders. "Merlin, Whiskers, it's freezing!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat back down on the steps. "I have magic," she reminded him. "I can make myself warm." To prove a point, she pulled out her wand and murmured a Warming Spell at James's form.

James frowned disapprovingly and settled on the stone steps beside her. Hermione chuckled at his ridiculous worry, already inserting her hands inside his pockets to keep them warm. Her smile grew as she grabbed a fistful of toffees and pulled them out from the pocket.

"I don't think eating one is a good idea," he pointed out, his hazel eyes darkening with a meaningful glint.

Hermione snorted and deposited them back inside the pockets. "The smell of toffees actually makes me a bit nauseous," she confessed with a scowl. "Bloody pregnancy really messed up my senses."

His eyes softened in worry, and Hermione smiled to appease him. "How'd the revelation go?" she asked. "Did your parents take it well?"

"It went surprisingly well," he answered. "I was expecting to get reprimanded, to be honest. Mum's warned me before we should get married first before producing a Potter heir, so if she was incensed at discovering I'd knocked you up, that would be understandable." He widely grinned and gripped her hand. "But they love you very much, Hermione. I think they've been quite fond of you ever since they discovered you'd hexed me with the Bat-Bogey. Mum reprimanded me but it was ridiculous because she couldn't stop smiling. Dad's very supportive, of course."

"That's good to hear," she said, blowing out a sigh of relief. "I was worried they'd be mad."

"Like I said, they love you very much," James replied. He then expelled a laugh, his hold on her hand tightening. "I'm going to be a father. How bloody insane is that?"

He was brimming with so much happiness that Hermione couldn't help but smile. James didn't need to know about her pregnancy fears right now. She'd find the right time to tell him about everything she'd told Peter yesterday. For now, she just wanted him to be happy.

"Would you rather the baby's a boy or a girl?" she softly asked instead.

"It doesn't matter as long as the babe's yours," he cheekily replied. When Hermione snorted at his ridiculous answer, he grinned. "But, if I can really have a choice, I'm hoping our baby will be a girl."

"A girl?" she echoed, surprised. She was half-expecting him to answer a boy, just so he could turn him into a proper Marauder and teach him pranks that could get him into trouble.

"I've always been a little jealous of Peter," he confessed. "Since he had a younger sister to dote on." His grin broadened at her widened eyes. "I'm constantly surrounded by brothers, Hermione. So, I thought having a daughter will be nice." His eyes strayed towards the inky sky, his smile turning fond. "If our baby is a girl, I'd like to name her Stella."

She matched his smile. "Star," she said.

"Yes," he said, his cheeks turning red. "She's going to be the brightest star. I'm sure of it."

"I love it," she concurred. She squeezed his hand tight, prompting him to glance back into her eyes. "And if the baby's a boy?"

James ruffled his hair and chuckled. "I've been dead set on having a girl first that I've never really thought about a boy's name," he revealed. "But, Mum once told me I was almost named a different name, but Dad had insisted he'd like me to be a 'James' instead. So, I promised Mum I'd name the Potter heir as such, just to appease her."

A lump formed in her throat, her heart thudding in anticipation. "And the name is?"

"Harry," James said, his eyes turning heavenward once more so he was unable to see how Hermione's eyes had filled with tears. "Harry James Potter. It's got a nice ring to it, yeah?"

A tear slipped down Hermione's eye as a small, almost sad smile appeared on her face. "Yeah," she echoed.

The smile on James's face faltered as he glanced quickly at her face. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyes growing wide upon noting the tears in her eyes. "Why are you—" His words were left dangling as his jaw drop, clear disbelief and understanding now written all over his face. "Bloody hell, was your best friend named—"

"—Harry?" Hermione gave him a watery smile. "Yeah. The one and the same."

If it was more possible, James's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "You don't think the baby growing inside you is—"

"—him?" A few more tears slipped down her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure but I think that's a possibility. A huge one, in fact."

"Bloody hell," James echoed breathlessly. "Well, that's just… just weird."

She lightly laughed at the odd expression on his face. "Tell me about it," she said, pressing her hand against her face to brush away her tears.

His surprise melted into deep concern as he ducked his head closer to her face. "Are you all right, Whiskers?" he worriedly asked. "It's— I know it was careless for us to even forget a simple Contraceptive Charm. I mean, blimey, a baby! In the middle of a dangerous war!" He peered at her above the rim of his spectacles, a deep frown on his face. "But, are you all right? You said you've just started to let go of your past. It's just… everything's suddenly going too fast."

"Too fast?" she repeated as a small, forlorn smile bloomed on her face. "No, James. I'm… I'm afraid everything's moving at its proper pace. I'm the only one who's been stalling."

She then slowly pressed a palm against her still small abdomen, worry now apparent on her face. "And now with this pregnancy I…" She paused and thickly swallowed. "I'm scared of what this may mean."

"What do you mean?" James worriedly asked.

Hermione blew a soft sigh. 'So much for wanting to keep him happy today,' she thought. But James, of all people, deserved to know. "There was a very important prophecy back in Hermione Granger's time. About the birth of a person that can vanquish the Dark Lord. Simply put, a prophecy that may bring Voldemort's downfall. And it was about Harry."

The bespectacled wizard froze. "What?" he breathed out. All the colour drained from his face as he reached forward and pressed his palm against her abdomen. "And you think our baby—"

"Nothing's certain," she hastily appeased, hating how terrified James looked right now. "As far as I know, there isn't even a prophecy. Maybe there won't even be any."

She shakily placed her hand on top of his and resolutely held his gaze. "A lot of things had already changed because of my presence in this timeline," she said.

James gave her an almost sad smile. "Nothing's certain, love," he echoed. "What will we do if there is still a prophecy?"

"Then we fight," she vehemently replied, even when tears streamed down her eyes. "We fight."

A/N: Don't tell me you never saw this one coming hahaha. I mean, a lot of you had been theorizing this even before James and Hermione got together lmao. Besides, I've dropped various hints in the previous chapter. The date, blatant omission of any mentions of contraception… yeah. I'm not sure if you've noticed it yet, but I really love leaving small, important details throughout the story disguised as insignificant dialogues. If you're wondering how this story will end, well, let me tell you that I've already dropped various hints hahaha.

So yes, now wow, I was wide-eyed with your lovely reviews. Things had been really stressful for me for the past few weeks hahaha. Since we're still under quarantine because of this pandemic, I have no other means for my mental outlet. But thank you! You've all been really kind. Really, I love your impassioned reviews! I know I'm actually doing something right if I'm making you very emotional just from small scenes hahaha. It just had been a really tiring month for me hehe.

See you tomorrow!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe

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