QLFC : Round 6
Position : Seeker
Team : Kenmare Kestrels
Prompt : The song of the seven
Word count : 1620
Trigger warning : Unexpected teen pregnancy (+18), talk of abortion, a bit of rude language
Thomas Wood is a character of my own invention. He is the son of Oliver Wood and Katie Bell.
Two little blue lines… That's all it took to turn her life upside down in a few seconds.
Pregnant. She was pregnant. She was eighteen and pregnant!
Lily had always been a bit of a wild card. As the youngest child of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, she always knew she had big shoes to fill and acted out a lot during her teenage years. It did not help that all her cousins seemed to have everything figured out while she had no idea what she was supposed to do with her life, despite her love of Quidditch.
But this? Pregnant while she was two months away from her NEWTS? No one saw it coming, not even herself. She only suspected something was wrong when she threw up the morning after Easter, added to the fact her period was late. Fortunately, she still had a few days before going back to Hogwarts, so she had sneaked away to a muggle pharmacy, not wanting anyone to recognise her. She knew the media would have a field day. She could already see it: "Lily Potter pregnant at eighteen, is Thomas Wood really the father?"
What was she supposed to do now?
Her mother was going to murder her, and her father would be so disappointed. What would Thomas even say? He was on his way to a successful Quidditch career, following into his father's footsteps. How were they supposed to raise a child? How did this even happen? They were always careful! Would he stand by her? She hoped he did, but the life of a Quidditch player was not exactly stable. There was a reason her mother had stepped down shortly after having kids. At the thought of her own acceptance letter from the Holyhead tucked in her drawer, a single teardrop fell from her eye, and she mumbled to herself: "I guess I can kiss my Quidditch career goodbye, now."
oOo
Eight years separated Victoire and Lily. As the eldest cousin in the Weasley-Potter clan, Victoire sometimes held the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Since a very young age, she had taken care of her cousins and broke their oh-so-many fights. Everyone went to her to complain, and she was known as the fair one, the one who would judge right from wrong. Lily herself could remember many instances where her child-self had gone to complain about Merlin-knows-what to Vicky.
It was probably why her first thought had been to go to her. Victoire did not even have time to offer her a cup of tea that Lily was breaking down in her kitchen.
"Do you know far along you are?" Victoire asked, when Lily had calmed down a bit.
"Perhaps a little more than a month. My period is late by a few weeks only."
"You've got to see a doctor, Lil. You've got options, but only if you act fast. If you don't want to tell Harry and Ginny right now, I could take you…"
"Right now, I'm panicking. I can't even think straight! One second, I'm thinking about getting an abortion, and the next I feel like a terrible person for even entertaining that idea! I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"
"Listen, I can't tell you what you're supposed to do. You need to figure that out. But what I can tell you is that there is no right or wrong, in this situation. You just have to do what's best for you and the baby. Sometimes it is an abortion."
"But Vic…"
At Lily's shocked face, Victoire smiled.
"Don't get me wrong, I love my little Marcus and I have no regrets. But I was already twenty-one when I got pregnant, I had a job and, Teddy and I were planning to get married. You're in a different situation. I will never judge you if you decide you're not ready. It's your body and only you get to make that decision."
"I should probably talk to Thomas, right?"
"It would probably help," Victoire said while squeezing her hand. "But seriously, Lil'. No one gets to sit and judge right from wrong, beside you. Whatever you decide to do, it will be the right decision."
oOo
The months following the discovery of her pregnancy had been chaotic, full of ups and downs. Her discussion with Victoire had given her the courage to have a serious discussion with her boyfriend and then her parents. Saying Thomas Wood had been shocked was an understatement. He had been so shocked that he had disappeared from the face of the earth for 72 hours. Harry and Ginny, on the other hand, had taken the news better than she would have thought. Of course, they had been shocked too. But faced with Lily's panic over her boyfriend's disappearing act, Ginny had taken matters into her own hands and showed up at Oliver and Katie's house unannounced. She returned with a sheepish Thomas in tow. No one in the Potter household would ever forget the (threatening) stern talking Harry had given him.
From there, everything had luckily fallen into place. Thomas had come to terms with the situation, faced his responsibilities, and they had decided to move in together. Of course, dealing with the media shitstorm had been a nightmare, but their respective families had been nothing but supportive. Everyone wanted to make sure that, while the situation was quite unconventional, the baby would be loved and cared for.
Now, four months later, Lily was surrounded by her cousins in an informal get-together. The seven Weasley girls had taken over the living room of Victoire and Teddy's flat for a quiet girls' night a few days after Lily announced the baby was a girl. The wine was flowing freely, except for the mother-to-be of course, and so did the laughter and gossip.
"I'd like to propose a toast!" Roxanne squealed, having had one too many.
"A toast to hoping that baby girl doesn't become an alcoholic like the rest of you?" Lily quipped.
"Ha! You're one to talk! How did you get pregnant again?" Lucy snorted.
"Hey, you little…"
"GUYS!" Roxanne cried.
Everyone laughed and Roxanne started pouting, until Victoire had to intervene.
"Alright, alright. Let the girl speak."
"I just wanted to say that… You're about to embark on a wonderful journey, Lily. No matter the circumstances, you're going to be a mum. And we know you're scared, but we just want to tell you that you don't have to be. I'm pretty sure Thomas and you are going to ace this parenting thing. Besides… You have us. We're here for you, always."
Lily felt her eyes watering and jumped into Roxanne's arms to hug her.
"I haven't said it enough but thank you guys. I don't know what I would have done without you, you're the best girl cousins a girl can have. That baby is going to be so loved…"
The other six girls rushed around Lily, hugging her, while careful not the hurt her.
"Let's be real, we're going to be AMAZING aunts!" Dominique shouted with a laugh after a few seconds, cutting through the emotional moment.
"We already are to Marcus, aren't we?" Molly said, turning to Victoire, who chuckled and nodded in response.
"That's not the same thing!" Rose cut in. "This one's going to be a girl."
"That's right. We're going to have a little baby girl to spoil…" Roxanne softly murmured.
The room fell silent again, as the realisation settled in. But soon enough, laughter and voices echoed through the room, as they moved to another topic.
Lily, however, could not help but zone out, as she admired the six women by her side.
Victoire, as the eldest of them, had always been the one to help her determine right and wrong. Even though at the end, Lily had decided to keep the baby, Victoire had been that person who constantly reminded her that it was okay not to be okay. Lily knew she would teach the same thing to her unborn baby girl.
Molly, who was named rightly after their grandmother, was probably the most caring and maternal of the seven of them. She was the official Weasley babysitter. Lily knew she would give plenty of love to her unborn baby girl.
Dominique was the kind of girl who would fight everyone tooth and nail to keep her family safe. Lily knew she would always protect her unborn baby girl.
Rose was the natural leader among them. Just like Hermione, she always knew what to say and how to read a room. She was smart, ruthless, and wise at the same time. A deadly combination that helped her become one of the best lawyers in the magical world. Lily knew she would perfectly guide her unborn baby girl.
Lucy was the one who worked the hardest among them. When she set her mind to something, she did not rest until she completed the task. Lily knew she would inspire her unborn baby girl.
Roxanne was their light. She came into a room and brought light and joy with her. She was always up for a good time, and she believed that your dreams could never be too big. Lily knew she would prove that to her unborn baby girl.
A sigh of contentment escaped her as she looked at the six women who had helped make her into the person she was today. Together, she was sure the seven Weasley girls could do anything. This was the best family she ever could have wished for. And that was what she wanted to tell her unborn baby girl. Just close your eyes, you shall not fall. Your family will always be watching.