Trials and Tribulations
Summary: Harry Potter knew he was going to get shocked when he visited his parents graves. He knew that'd he'd see family he never met; like grandparents, uncles, and aunts. But one thing he didn't know was that he was going to meet his sister.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any profit off of this fanfic.

Chapter Thirteen: Barmy

"I'm fine!" Lily hissed. She felt like this was the billionth time she answered this question. They were sitting in McGonagall's classroom, and she was sitting with Elizabeth and Alice. A half eaten banana was sitting in front of her. She was staring at it, hoping that this would stop her from seeing Alice and Elizabeth's exasperated looks.

"Lily, we know you're not. It's been weeks since this started. It's almost Christmas break," Alice retorted. "You can tell us if something is wrong."

'I don't want to worry you.' Lily thought. She picked up her discarded quill and began rereading the answers to her test questions. Class was nearly over, and Lily did not want to have this conversation with them again.

Elizabeth gave Alice a cross look. "Lily," she hissed.

A bell rang, and all quills were dropped. McGonagall came around and collected the tests. Lily took this time to unpeel the rest of her banana and eat it. She got a weird stare from Violet. Lily shook her head. 'How can they not tell I'm pregnant? I'm huge.'

McGonagall picked up Lily's test. She was the last person to have hers collected. She sighed and took a bite of her banana.

When McGonagall returned to the front of her desk, she looked at her class. "Attention everyone! That means you too, Black."

Sirius looked up from the conversation he was having with Remus.

"Since today is the last time I will actually teach you before you leave for break, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and Happy New Year." Her eyes traveled over everyone in the class.

Everyone was giving her weird looks. They had a few days before break actually started.

McGonagall smiled. "Professor Dumbledore has decided to give everyone, from today…right now, no classes. Why, I have no idea, but you won't be taught by anyone until after break."

Sirius jumped into the air, fists above his head, screaming and dancing. "Yes! No Binns! No Slughorn! Yes!" He danced for a few more seconds, and then he sat down.

The corner of McGonagall's mouth was twitching, as if she were resisting the urge to laugh. "Black, I'd appreciate it if there were no more outbursts like that in my classroom."

"No problem Minnie," Sirius said. He began laughing, along with the rest of the Marauders.

McGonagall gave him a look. He stopped laughing, but James and Remus laughed at him.

A few minutes later, the bell rang. All the students began to get up and leave, except Lily. Another spasm had gone through her back, and she was trying to ignore it as she ate the rest of her banana.

"Are you going to stay here for the rest of the day?" Alice asked.

"No." Lily rolled her eyes. She picked up her bag, and stood up. She winced as she shouldered it.

Alice stood behind Lily. "You need to go to Madame Pomfrey if your back is hurting that bad Lily."

"I'm fine," Lily said. She walked out of the classroom, and was met with the Marauders. Peter was there too, and they were talking in hushed tones.

"Lillian Evans, I will pick you up and carry you to the Infirmary," Elizabeth said, pulling out her wand. "You are not going to suffer any longer."

"Elizabeth I'm—"

"I knew it! Frank was right. We'll walk with you Lily," Sirius said.

"And I'll take your bag," James said, after noticing that it was nearly dragging Lily down to the ground. He pulled it off her shoulder, and unzipped it. "How many text books do you have?" he asked, alarmed. "There's enough for like ten classes."

Lily just glared at him. She crossed her arms over her chest, and stomped away in the direction of the Infirmary. The Marauders, Elizabeth, and Alice followed.

"I don't understand why you think I'm incapable of dealing with just a slight amount of pain," Lily said, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm not a porcelain doll."

"But you are pregnant," James retorted, running up to her. This caused several people to look at them. He wrapped his arm around her. "I know you're tired of being the center of attention, but when you're like this, we can't help it. I promise once you're fixed," Lily gave James a look of disapproval for his words. James just shook his head. "Anyway, we'll leave you alone." He kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, whatever," Lily said, sounding serious and joking at the same time.

"Sure."

James turned around and noticed that no one was following him. "Where'd they all go?"

Lily looked too. "I'm not sure." They stood in the corridor for a moment, and then Lily began walking forward again. "Onward to the Infirmary," she mumbled.

They walked to the Infirmary in silence. Lily was trying to decide if she should be grateful that someone was making her go to the Infirmary, or if she should be furious that someone was making her go to the Infirmary, and they were following her too. James could see the thoughts in Lily's eyes, because she was walking with her head forward, her eyes narrowed, so he kept to himself, deciding that silence was the thing that was needed for the moment.

When they got to the Infirmary there were a few students already there waiting to be checked. James sat down in a chair behind a first year, and Lily stood beside him. She had refused the chair that he offered her, because it would be too hard to get back up.

About fifteen minutes passed before Madame Pomfrey got to them. She looked at James since he was the one sitting down. "Are you sick again Potter?" She felt his forehead for a temperature.

James shook his head, shaking her hand off in the process. "It's Lily this time."

Madame Pomfrey looked at Lily and felt her forehead. "You're not running a fever. Do I need to get Madame Jacobs?" she asked.

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It's just my back, it's bothering me loads, but not as much as everyone else, and he wants me to get it checked." She looked pointedly at James.

"Have you been doing any strenuous exercise or lifting?" Madame Pomfrey asked, making a note to thank James for making Lily come to her.

"My bag's heavy. It has all my things for school in it." She opened her bag after taking it from James and showed Madame Pomfrey all the books in it.

"That may be the problem. I'll give you a pain relieving potion and the pain should be gone in a few minutes," Madame Pomfrey said. "But you need to start carrying a lighter load with you throughout school. That's a long day with that much to carry."

Lily nodded her head. Madame Pomfrey went to her office to get the pain relieving potion. Lily sighed and began tapping her foot. James just watched with a bemused expression on his face. 'She seems almost moody.'

He chuckled to himself. Lily looked at him, an eyebrow arched. "What are you laughing at?"

James shook his head. "Nothing." He stopped laughing and looked away from Lily.

Lily gave him a look, knowing he didn't see it, and continued tapping her foot. She glanced at her watched and noticed that Madame Pomfrey had been gone for quite a while. She was about to comment when she returned a moment later. "Madame Jacobs said to contact her if the pain continues." She handed Lily a goblet.

Lily frowned as she drank the potion. 'Why don't any of these taste good?' Finishing her potion, she handed the goblet back to Madame Pomfrey.

After making sure Lily wasn't running a fever, she released Lily and James from the Infirmary.

They walked down the corridor for several long minutes in complete silence, and then James said, "So…break started." He shoved his hands deep in his pockets and struggled to keep both straps to the bags he was carrying on his shoulders. One shoulder was sagging incredibly lower than the other.

"Yep," Lily replied. She was relieved that her back pain was gone but she felt a little guilty seeing James carry his bag and her much heavier one.

"What are we doing?" James asked. Lily arched an eyebrow. She had never heard of James consider them a we, and had always been a you or a me. "I think earlier you said something about me meeting your parents during the holiday."

Lily looked surprised. "I did?" James nodded his head. She frowned slightly, and then put a hand on her forehead, shaking it. "I did."

"Is that bad?" James asked. He stopped and Lily walked forward a bit before stopping to look at him.

"No…well…yes." James frowned at Lily's words. 'She doesn't want me to meet her parents now? Is it because our row?' "You see…my parents—I don't know how I could have forgotten to tell them—" Lily shook her head in despair and was quiet for a moment. James waited patiently for her to continue. "My parents don't know yet. How're they going to get over the shock? What if they don't get over the shock? Why couldn't Dumbledore have told them?"

"Shock…" James said slowly.

Lily nodded her head. "My parents have a deep set belief in things, like no sex before marriage and whatnot, and I've always respected that so I've never thought of doing something against them…They're not going to be happy at all…not at all—and with Petunia!"

James sighed. "That may be a problem." Lily squeezed her eyes shut, silently berating herself. "But, my grandparents don't know about it either, but I don't think they'll go as barmy—" James wasn't sure barmy was the best choice of word, with the glare that Lily sent him.

"My parents aren't barmy!"

"I didn't mean that they were barmy…their behavior—"

"They are not barmy," Lily said, emphasizing the last word. James could tell she was beginning to get livid, he could see it in her flushed cheeks and she just seemed to be cackling with energy.

James sighed. "They're not barmy…"

"Thank you." She gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, and then she was gone, not telling James where she was going, or what she was doing.

xoXoXoXox

Lily sat alone in the Library, pieces of parchment surrounding her. A few of the pieces were balled up, and some were scribbled on.

For the last hour and a half, Lily had been trying to write a letter to her parents. She hadn't accomplished anything, except wasting parchment and ink.

'Billionth time's a charm.' Lily thought. She stared at her hand, trying to will it to write.

Mum and Dad,

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't written you all school year. I've been very busy with Head Girl duties and whatnot.

The summer session with the younger students went well. They were quite polite, and they weren't hard to teach at all. I've talked to McGonagall, and she said that the students had benefited a lot from the classes they took.

Lily shook her head. 'I'm really bad at delaying the facts.' She held her quill above the parchment for a moment, and watched as a drop of ink from the tip of her quill landed on the parchment. It resembled a black tear as it fell, and it splattered on her parchment. 'Such thoughts will not do any good.' Lily thought reprimanding herself. She felt tears in her eyes from thinking.

I have some news to share with you. I don't know how to say this. I know this is going to surprise the both of you, but I think it's best that you read this together, so get mum, or get dad. Sit down too, that would be a good idea as well.

'You may need to call an ambulance as well, and probably a few doctors, and don't try to find the floo powder in my bedroom, it's locked away quite safely.' Lily stared at her hand as his began to shake. She took a deep breath, and continued writing. 'It would be so much easier face to face.' She thought.

I'm going to have a baby.

I'm already in my second trimester. It's just about my fifteenth week.

Lily took a deep breath because her handwriting was becoming a bit shaky. It had been a long time since she got pregnant. Her parents were probably going to be angry that it took her this long to tell them.

I'm really sorry that it's taken this long for me to tell you. I've been going through a lot at school, with homework and…well, with everything else. I know you're going to be upset with me, but please hear me out; I wouldn't change my position for the all the money in the world. Sometimes things happen…and this is one of those times where I think it was destined to happen…

Do you remember me talking about James Potter, the Marauder? I didn't quite fancy him much in the passed. Well, I'd like to invite him home for Christmas, if I'm still allowed to come home of course, so you can meet him. He's changed a lot and he isn't as infantile as he was before, honestly.

'How can I put that in a letter? I hope James doesn't read this…'

Lily stared at the parchment. She was running out of things to say, things she should say at least. 'How should I end it?' She thought. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was nearing dinnertime.

Using that as her excuse, she continued on.

It's getting close to dinnertime, so I have to go and get cleaned up and everything. It would be a bit unusual for the Head Girl to skip a meal.

Hopefully I'll get a reply soon.

Love, with all my heart,

Lillian

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: …I'm updating at a regular pace now…I'd do it daily, but it's going to dwindle down by next week…That's when my 6 hours of band camp start…

Love,
Bob Bennit

Thanks for the Reviews and Have A GREAT Day!