2 YEARS LATER

"You can't keep holing yourself up like this," Hermione remarked carefully from the open door of my bedroom.

"Of course I can," I declared self-righteously pulling my blanket down to meet the cautious eyes of my flatmate. "Merlin, you're already treating me differently."

"It's only natural that I do." Rolling her eyes, Hermione walked into my bedroom and sat down on the edge of my bed, "I was the person you called for when your period was late and I was the person that held your hand the entire time when you were waiting for the test result. It's only natural that I treat you differently because you are different now."

I moaned pitifully at her words, drawing the blanket back up above my head. She sighed before reaching out to pat my head above the blanket, as we fell into silence.

"What do I do?" I asked eventually, peering out at her once again. My eyes reflected the fear I felt inside and I saw the emotion echoed in her own – she had no clue what to do either. "Godric, the battle was just over a month ago, I'm only 18 and I'm, I'm –"

"Pregnant," she finished for me when it became clear that I wasn't able to, "You're pregnant."

"Yeah, that." I let out a deep sigh, rubbing a hand across my face, "I don't know what to do and I'm so bloody scared."

"Scared that Seamus will tell you not to have the baby?" she probed gently, "Or that he'll want it?"

"I don't know," I moaned, burying my face in my pillow. "That he'll choose one of the two options and I'll be disappointed either way? Merlin, I'm only 18; why is this all happening so fast? I'd always thought I'd have to face this situation in my late 20s, maybe even my early 30s. Not at bloody 18."

"Wait," she said suddenly, making me look cautiously towards her, "Didn't he come around the flat yesterday? And weren't you going to tell him?"

"I did tell him." With a sigh, I pushed the blanket away from me and sat up against the headboard. Snagging one of the pillows, I brought it to my lap and played with it as I avoided her eyes, "Or rather I just threw the bloody test at him and let him figure it out himself."

"And? What did he say?"

"That he needed to think." Raising my eyes to hers, I watched her eyebrows pull together in disbelief. "I know, right? Part of me hoped that he'd make the decision for me but he was just as clueless I was and now I haven't heard from him since he left the apartment."

"Maybe you should think about what you want," she suggested quietly, "Do you want to keep the baby? If you want I can get Mrs Weasley to come over for a chat?"

"No," I exclaimed quickly, "that woman will have a fit when she finds out and she'll have me married off to Seamus by any means necessary."

Hermione tilted her head curiously, "And that's a bad thing?"

"It is if we get married only because of the baby. Those sorts of marriages, more often than not, turn sour and I'd never be able to live with that." Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the headboard and let out a deep breath, "If we end up breaking up a little further down the line, then I'd rather that we remain on friendly turns then go through a messy divorce." I was silent for a while, thinking over what I had just said and laughed at how ridiculous this situation was, "Merlin, just listen to me."

"So, what is it that you want to do then?"

"I don't know," I admitted, "And it terrifies me because if I do have this baby, then I don't know if I'm going to be able to raise it on my own."

"You won't be on your own," Seamus declared confidently from the doorway and I met Hermione's eyes with my own wide ones.

"How long has he been there?" I asked her, watching as she rose from the bed and gestured for Seamus to take her place.

"A while," Seamus answered the question for her, as Hermione left the room and shut the door behind her.

He hovered a little awkwardly by the bed before sitting in the space Hermione had just vacated. Reaching out to take my hand, he held it between both of his.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly, searching out my eyes.

"It's too early for there to be any morning sickness," I said quietly, "if that's what you're asking."

"It's not." He shook his head, using one hand to push some of my hair out of my face, "How are you feeling? As you know I heard you talking to Hermione and whatever decision you take I'm going to support you one hundred percent."

"Godric's ghost," I swore gently as I met his eyes, "who'd have known it would have taken this sort of situation for you to act like the mature one in the relationship."

He smiled a little, eyes gently drifting downwards until they settled on my stomach. I sobered a little. "I figured that you've done enough panicking for the two of us."

"Maybe." Licking my lips, I linked my fingers through his and stared down at our joined hands. "Merlin Seamus, can't you just tell me what to do? Make the decision for me."

"We have to make this decision together," he said seriously and I nodded knowing that he was right.

Biting down on my bottom lip I admitted cautiously, "I don't think I can get rid of our baby."

He let out a whoosh of breath, taking me by surprise. "Thank Merlin."

"You're – that's alright with you?"

"You don't realise how relieved I am to have heard you say that," he admitted as he pressed a kiss to my temple.

"So, where do we go from here?"

"It looks like we're raising our baby together," he smiled reassuringly, "And although I've heard your opinion on marriage, I do plan on eventually putting a ring on your finger; when you'll let me."

"Just because I'm pregnant, you don't need to –"

"I want to," he cut in, "And I have done since I realised there was a chance we'd die during the battle. I'll even take veritaserum and swear it to you again, if you don't believe me."

"It's alright, I believe you."

"Good." He took his hand out of mine and unzipped his jacket a little.

Reaching inside, he pulled out a stuffed rabbit and handed it to me. I stared down at the rabbit that I placed in my lap and ran my fingers softly across the white fur. Seamus outstretched his hand, brushing his fingertips gently across one of its ears.

Almost 8 months later, in a St Mungo's maternity ward it was the first toy placed into the crib besides our sleeping son. I watched from the bed as Seamus brushed his fingers across the fine hair on the sleep babe's head, the ring on his finger catching in the light.