Chapter 34: Responsibility

Sirius, half ran back to the common room, he rushed out the password and managed to compose his usual casual grace as he stepped into the common room and made his way over the boys dormitories.

Ignoring the fawning girls and the jealous boys, he reached the door to the dormitories and pulled open before turning sharply and muttering the password into James room.

They were all there, James, Peter, Remus and Lily. He scowled at Lily before sinking into a spare armchair and placing his head in his hands. "Did you know?" He said to the room.

Lily answered, "Only because I figured it out."

"I overheard a conversation between Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall and Marlene in the Hospital wing." Remus said quietly and James glared at him.

"Know what?" James asked, eager to find out what Marlene had told Sirius and why Sirius was glaring at both Lily and Remus.

"Marlene's pregnant." Sirius said, looking at the ground.

James whistled, "Wow mate, congratulations." He turned to Lily and gave her a peck on the cheek, "you are forgiven for not telling me."

Lily smirked and accepted the kiss. Looking over at Sirius she frowned, "Shouldn't you be happy?"

Sirius didn't know what to think. He had never wanted commitment, yet here he was, one year and four months down the line, still in a steady relationship, that had so far been practically perfect in every way. He'd had a crush on Marlene for years, and had tried and failed (much like James had with Lily), he hadn't really dated anyone else but he knew selfishly that if he dated Marlene his mother might start to appreciate him more. Then he realised he didn't need his mothers' appreciation and when he finally started dating Marlene, he knew, right then that there was no way he would let her near his family.

Although he had proposed to her – quiet stupidly, without thinking, he was relived when James saved her from answering, with Marlene, he wasn't looking for marriage or children. He knew his mother well enough, that if word came about Marlene was pregnant with his child, then she would stop at nothing to get her hands on it. Possibly even give it to his cousin Narcissa and Lucius, who were currently trying for a child.

He felt like laughing, he knew it was mean, but the irony of it all, millions of people everyday try to have children, yet two eighteen year-olds, who aren't trying, can have a child at the most inappropriate time.

He stood up, he was dimly aware that Lily had asked him a question, and without knowing what that question was he just nodded. He was conflicted, he wanted to protect Marlene, but to do that he needed to stay away, he also needed time to think.

He'd always known, deep down that he didn't want kids, he was too much of a kid himself and he was scared he wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility and as selfish as it may seem he didn't want the responsibility, he liked being carefree, that's why he joined the Order, that's why he ran around with a werewolf once a month, he was eighteen, still young and apart from his exams (which weren't that big of a deal for him) he had not a care in the world. Now he had two.

Lily and James watched as Sirius left the room and glanced at each other.

"Either he took it really well and is completely and utterly speechless, or he took it really badly and is completely and utterly speechless." Lily reasoned glancing back at the door expecting it to open and gave a small gasp of surprise when it did actually open.

Marlene stood in the hallway her hand on the door as she pushed it open, her eyes watching the retreating back of Sirius as he climbed the stairs to his dormitory.

Sighing she stepped into the room, sunk into the very armchair Sirius had sat in and placed her head into her hands.

Peter laughed at the similarity of the two seventh years. "Congratulations." He said once he had controlled his laughter and gave a hiccough instead.

Marlene smiled at him. "Thanks Pete," she said before turning to Lily and James. "You know what the first thing he said to me was?" Four heads where shaken and Marlene continued. " 'Who's the father?' That just proves he doesn't trust me right? I expected him to not trust me but I didn't expect that question." She shrugged and stood up. "He says he needs time to think, I'll give him as long as he needs. I'm just going to carry on as normal."

Lily stood up as well and gave her a hug, "how normal are we talking?"

Marlene shrugged, "normal enough to beg for your help in that Herbology essay, I can't get my conclusion right."

Lily smiled and nodded.

With a wave over their shoulders at the other three they left talking in hushed whispers.

James sat back and ran his hand through his hair - a gesture he hadn't done since he had started dating Lily. "It seems our little Padfoot, needs a good talking to about responsibility and trusting those he loves."

Remus looked weary, "James, leave him to work it out by himself. If you interfere..."

"Moony, mate, what if he chooses wrong? We need to at least influence him to choose right. There's a baby Padfoot on the way, In twelve years Hogwarts is going to see a pure-marauder and not an apprentice that we've been training."

Peter nodded, eager to back up James claim, Remus however rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. Standing up he said; "Whatever, but Marlene said he needed some time, lets compromise and give him both the advice and the time."

Happy with that James nodded. He would give Sirius the lecture in the morning, a good nights sleep was plenty of time.

"You have a responsibility to, Marlene, to us and to your unborn child, you can't just ignore her and pretend like it never happened, you can't just regret everything and completely block it out. You have a -"

"Responsibility, yes, James I get it. I got it the first five times you told me." Sirius sighed, a whole week had passed and still he hadn't thought about it, he didn't know what to do and James wasn't helping with the speeches on responsibility.

James sighed and decided to change tactic, "Are you coming to Quidditch practise?"

"Have you managed to convince Marlene not to play?"

"No, she is so stubborn it's unbelievable how stubborn she is. Even if I locked her in a broom cupboard she'd still find a way to play. Worrying about her playing Quidditch is a responsibility." James added on a side note.

Sirius rolled his eyes and continued to eat his dinner in silence.

Marlene and Lily came laughing along the table at that moment, and James dropped any responsibility remarks he had been hoping to say. Still laughing the girls sat down and piled food on their plate. James saw the sly glance Marlene gave Sirius, but apart from that she completely ignored him.

"Maybe you shouldn't play tomorrow." He said over the table to her. Marlene stopped her laughing with Lily and glared at him.

"It's Quidditch, what could go wrong? I'm pregnant not ill." She added as an undertone.

Sirius shrugged, stood up and left without another word. Marlene sighed.

"He can be a right jerk, sometimes. Don't get me wrong I love him to bits, but if he doesn't buck up then I'm going to have to make the decision myself and I really don't want to do that."

"He had a point Marl, maybe you shouldn't play tomorrow, you have a responsibility..."

"Gee James, I also have a responsibility to the team, I can't let you down, where are you going to find another seeker and train them, in less than twelve hours... well two, because they need sleep."

"I'll be Seeker." James said. "I did it once in third year when you were ill and I can do it again. Lily can be the spare Chaser."

Lily spluttered and nearly chocked on the piece of pasta she was chewing. James tapped her lightly on the back.

"I don't fly." Lily said, giving her boyfriend a stare.

"You won't have to, all you'll have to do is hover close to the ground and I'll get everyone else, to ignore you. To be able to play we need a full team of seven, all those seven players don't have to play, they just need to be on the pitch."

Marlene shook her head. "James, I'm playing and there is nothing you can do to stop me." Standing up she took one last swig of her juice and turned to leave. "I'll see you on the pitch for practise."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget how stubborn she was?"

"No, I hadn't realised what an idiot she was. Come on, I'm going to teach you how to hover."

"I don't fly."

"You might have to, come on, eat up."

Lily rolled her eyes and finished her meal slowly, she knew Marlene and no matter what happened she would play Quidditch, she also knew James and he wouldn't stop until he had a back-up plan. It just annoyed her that she was his back-up plan.

"Sirius what are you worried about? It's been a week." Remus had left shortly after James had dragged Lily off for hover-lessons. He had found Sirius sitting on his bed, looking at photos.

Sirius sighed and placed the album back on James' bed, "I'm scared of losing her."

"Which you will do soon, if you don't come to a decision."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why? Because pure-blood politics is too complicated for a half-blood, half-breed like me?"

Sirius looked up into the blue eyes of his friend, his own grey eyes were flecked with surprise.

"Since when have you let politics and ethics rule your life? You may think you're the black sheep, but why don't you turn it the other way and say you're a white sheep in a family of Blacks."

"Clever." Sirius managed a smile.

"Wars do funny things to people, they bring people together and they can tear people apart, don't let you be the latter. A wonderful thing has happened and you're only dwelling on the cons. Every cloud has a silver lining."

Sirius nodded. "You're right. You're too clever for your own good sometimes. You should teach, you'd make a great professor. Also when push comes to shove, you should take your own advice."

Remus frowned. "My refusal to date is because of who I am, not because of my family status. Don't turn this around and start having a go at me. This is about you."

Sirius stood up and pulled Remus into a brotherly hug. "Thank you. Why couldn't you have knocked this sense into me earlier instead of allowing James to harp on about responsibility?"

Remus smiled. "I believe Marlene is in the library."

"She'll be at Quidditch practise?" Remus confirmed with a nod of his head. "I'll see her there."

A/N: None is mine and please review anybody wanna come in my suitcase? Lol.