Chapter 25

"Do you want to see him?" Luna asked as she walked out of the labour suite to her son who had remained in the waiting room for the last twenty three hours, pacing up and down, dozing occasionally and listening to the cries coming from the delivery room. He couldn't bare to be with Gloria but as she had had no one else around his mother had agreed to help her through the labour and Sal had agreed to stay at the hospital until it was over. He had heard her calling for him during the throws of pain but he had remained adamantly outside, he would be a gentleman and see her when the ordeal was over but then he knew that he would walk away from her and try to rebuild some of his life.

"No," he replied shaking his head, he knew the baby was not his and Gloria had at last confirmed it, he didn't want to see it as it was not a part of him. "Thanks Mum," he went on kissing her cheek, "I just...just couldn't."

"Understandably," she answered rubbing his arms, "everything is fine, the silly girl didn't harm the baby with her potion, Healer Walker says there is no trace of dittany or gillyweed in the baby's blood."

"They've taken his blood?" he asked.

"They always do darling, and if you still want the test you can have it."

"No, no...I know he's not mine and that's okay." He smiled at his mother, "A boy?" he asked.

"Seven pounds exactly," she went on, "they've probably taken him away now if you want to see Gloria."

He nodded his head and approached the door slowly peeping inside to make sure she was alone then he stepped into the clinically white room and stood at the door looking at the drained girl in the bed. "Salamander," she said quietly.

"Congratulations," he whispered taking one step towards her.

"Thank you," she replied croakily, "do you want to see him?"

"No, I don't need to, I don't want to. I just came in to say...goodbye."

"Oh," she returned looking away from him, "right."

"I...I wish you well," he went on, "but I don't want to see you again. Goodbye Gloria." Salamander turned to walk out of the door, this was the closure he wanted from her, now she had given birth he wanted it all to be over, he couldn't go through the discussion again, he just needed to go.

"Salamander," she called as he was about to close the door behind him, "I'm sorry," she said and then turned back to the window so that when he looked at her she didn't see.

"I forgive you," he whispered.

"You do?" Gloria gasped looking back at him in awe, "Really?"

"I have to," he replied, "if I don't forgive you and forget then it will eat away at me and the hatred will turn me sour. I have to move on now, without you."

"I...I...thank you," she returned as he closed the door and he heard a soft sob from the other side. A healer was approaching the room with a white bundle in her arms but he walked purposefully past her and then his mother, who he smiled at briefly before going over to a floo port so he could go home, to his flat, away from Gloria, and away from the life he had thought he was doomed to live.

The fireplaces whizzed by as he travelled home and thought about everything that had happened, he was tired and relieved and desperate to be alone. That was not to be however, when he stepped out of the fireplace he was bombarded by James who was frantically pacing up and down their living room. "What's going on? Where have you been? Has Gloria had the baby? Is it yours?"

"Whoa James, slow down," he said straightening himself up and looking at his friend.

"Sorry, I just couldn't find you and Gloria was gone so I assumed there had finally been progress so..." he gabbled looking at Sal with wide eyes.

"Gloria went into labour, I was at St Mungos, yes she's had the baby and...no it's not mine," he sighed and James looked at him in shock, "it never was and she knew all along." James' jaw almost hit the floor at the last bit of news and he had to sit down on the sofa before he fell over.

"What?" he asked and Salamander smiled at his reaction before grabbing them both a butterbeer from the fridge and settling into the armchair so he could share the whole story with his best friend.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later they flooed into the Leaky Cauldron after drinking their fridge dry, they had only had three bottles each as it had taken Sal a long time to tell the whole story and James had listened in awe at the way Gloria had tricked him. Once his friend had discovered the truth and found out that there was no beer left he had insisted that they go to the pub and have a few more, perhaps even toast with a few firewhiskies. He had not been sure how to approach the question of how Salamander felt now that the baby wasn't his but prior to flooing out he had plucked up the courage to ask and his friend had replied, "Relieved."

"Two butterbeers and two firewhiskey chasers," James announced as he reached the bar of the pub, "we have something to...celebrate?" he asked looking at Sal who nodded and smiled back. "Celebrate," he repeated fiddling with the change in his pocket and producing enough money to pay for the drinks. "Hey look, the girls are here," he added pointing into the corner and nudging Salamander who turned to follow the line of his finger. At the end of it he saw one of the larger booths which contained six bodies, Annemarie, Dominique, Holly, a light brown haired man who he didn't know, Rose and the man he had seen her with the previous month. His heart sank, he was finally free to be with her but he'd lost her to someone else now and there was nothing he could do, it was too late. They were sat beside each other at the table with Dominique on Rose's left, it was cramped in the booth and she was shoulder to shoulder with him looking comfortable and happy, at least one of them was he thought. "Come on," James uttered thrusting the bottle and chaser at Salamander before grabbing his own and heading into the corner of the room. Downing the shot in one Salamander winced and then followed his friend over, if he avoided them he would look childish, even though he was free he had to respect that Rose had moved on with her life. It was neither of their faults but he wasn't going to announce to her that he was now free and she could have him back, he would never be that arrogant.

"Guess what?" James shrieked as he reached the table and all six sets of eyes turned to look at him.

"What?" they asked in unison not having spotted Salamander walking sheepishly behind him yet.

"Gloria's had the baby," he yelled steeping aside and bringing Sal into full view, Rose's heart lurched when she saw him and then did so again as she realised the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived. "And-" James went on but Salamander cut him off swiftly.

"And it's a boy," they all cheered as James pulled his head back and looked at Salamander curiously.

"Congratulations," said Goran assuming it was something to be celebrated.

"How's...Gloria?" Annemarie asked quietly.

"She's tired, she was in there for twenty three hours," he smiled.

"Is...is it..." Rose coughed and tried to ask but her words were stuck.

James took another deep breath to answer the question but Sal jumped in ahead of him, "We're having the test this week," he told them and James shook his head in confusion.

"But I thoug-"

"We'll know soon enough," Sal interrupted again and the bemused James took a swig from his bottle, "Now I came to have a drink with my flatmate, so I hope I don't offend you all ladies, and gents," he added nodding at Roman and Goran in turn, "but I need to wet the baby's head with James."

"Of course," Rose replied on behalf of them all, "let us...know when you..." Salamander nodded his head at her and then had to turn away, he couldn't bare to see her with another man and when he and James had returned to the bar he sat with his back to them as James ordered another round of chasers and looked at him with a curious expression.

"What the hell was that about? Why didn't you tell them the truth, especially Rose, she's been waiting for..."

"As long as I have, I know but I don't want her to feel any obligation to me when she knows it isn't mine. I had to leave her to get on with her life and now," he turned and glanced in her direction to see that she was still sat very close to the dark haired man, "she's doing that."

"What him?" James asked, "He's not..."

"He is," Sal replied.

"No," James went on, "he can't be, how would you know? They're only sitting together."

"I've seen them...together," he explained.

"What? When?" James asked picking up the fresh shot of yellow liquid that Tom had just placed on the bar for him.

"I..." Sal sighed, "I flooed in to see her in the early hours of the morning a couple of weeks ago and they were...on the sofa..."

"Oh," James said softly glancing back at his cousin and her companion, "but they don't look as if they..."

"Trust me," Salamander said, "but it's fine, it's what she should have done long ago, it's what I wanted her to do and I'm happy for her, really I am. She couldn't wait for me and I didn't want her to but I just don't want to..."

"Hang around them just yet?" James asked nodding his head in understanding. He still wasn't convinced that Rose and the bloke were actually together but Salamander had been through enough in the last twenty four hours and he didn't want to push him into anything yet. He was free now and there was plenty of time for him to talk to Rose.

"Let's just head back to the flat," Sal suggested, "I'm wiped!"

"Whatever you want," James answered picking up his bottle and ordering a few to take out from Tom. He felt happy to have his friend back and was willing to do whatever he wanted for a few days in the hopes that he would become the Salamander Longbottom that he used to be before Gloria had ripped him apart.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They didn't stay long," Dominique commented after she had watched Salamander and James floo back out of the pub, "mind you he's probably shattered, twenty three hours? I'm glad it wasn't me!"

"I know, can you imagine?" Holly asked and they started a short conversation about childbirth which made Roman and Goran rather uncomfortable for a few minutes until a flooing sound followed by whoops of joy interrupted them and made all six turn their heads.

"Have you heard? Have you heard? Have you heard?" Consuella squealed as she ran across the pub towards her friends, she had been searching for them all at their respective houses and had hoped that they were all together at the pub so she could share her news.

"Yes, we heard," Dominique replied smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Isn't it fantastic?" she cried hugging a bemused Goran who was nearest to her.

"Er...yes," Dom stuttered glancing at Rose who had been a bit shell shocked ever since Salamander had told them. "Sal's just been and told us, it's a boy right?"

"Who cares?" Consuella squealed.

"Huh?" Dom returned looking confused, "Who cares? If you don't care then why are you so excited?"

"Because that bitch's claws are out of my dear brother for good!" she replied looking a bit confused.

"What?" Rose interjected.

"The baby, it's not his!" she answered nudging Goran in the ribs so he squashed up against Holly and Annemarie.

"But he said they hadn't done the test yet," Rose went on looking mystified.

"They don't need to do the test do they?" Consuella went on, "Hasn't he told you?"

"He told us that it was a boy, that she'd been in labour for twenty three hours and that they were doing the test this week, that was all," Dom explained looking from Rose to Consuella who's face was looking ecstatic.

"I don't understand," she replied, "he knows that it isn't is, it never could have been. The little whore has been lying all along, she was barely a month gone when she told him." The four girls at the table gasped audibly, "She shagged some random bloke that she met here after she'd seen you," she glanced at Rose, "and Sal together and she got herself up the duff! She had no idea what his name even was so she decided she'd play on Salamander's sensitive and upstanding side and claim that it was his. She's been complaining about being uncomfortable and overdue for the last two weeks while taking a dangerous potion to bring on premature labour."

"Oh Merlin," Dom shrieked, "the evil little..." she drifted off and turned to look at Rose who still had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Why wouldn't he tell...m- er...us?" she uttered.

"I don't know...oh..." Dominique replied looking from her cousin to Roman and back again.

"Oh," the new man repeated as realisation dawned on him too, the babbled conversation had finally cleared up the confusion he had had about Rose's ex boyfriend and he had caught on quite quickly.

"What?" Rose asked looking at him.

"Me," he replied, "being here with you...after..." he looked at her through his hair and she blushed a little as she recalled Sal flooing in on them at her house.

"Ex...excuse me," she said immediately standing up and practically climbing over Roman in her eagerness to get out. "I should...go and..." but she grabbed her cloak and disappeared into the fire before anyone could say another word.

She bounced out of the fire at her destination making her cousin, James, nearly jump out of his seat. "Rose," he said dropping the bottle of butterbeer from his hand onto a table beside his chair, "what are you...?"

"What's going on James?" she asked briskly, "Consuella's just bounced into the bar saying the baby can't be Sal's and he knows it, why didn't he tell us? Why didn't he tell me?"

"Why do you think?" he replied softly.

"Because of Roman?" She asked, "But we're not together, he's just a friend."

"Sal said he'd seen you...together," he coughed, "at your house."

"Well...well yes I...I suppose he did but it was nothing. We were...and Sal flooed in but then I couldn't...I couldn't go through with it," she admitted looking down as she felt herself blush , "And besides even if it had been something more why wouldn't he tell me anyway?"

"He just wanted you to be...happy he thought you'd moved on and he didn't want you to feel obligated to him."

"Obligated?"

"To go back to him just because the baby wasn't his, he still loves you but he told you to move on and he thinks you have so he..." James explained drifting off.

"Where is he?" she asked quietly.

"He went straight to bed," James replied nodding his head at Salamander's door, "he was wiped out after staying up all night at St Mungos."

"I should talk to him," she went on walking to the bedroom door and touching the knob hesitantly, "I don't feel obligated to him, I feel obligated to myself to be with him, if he still wants me."

"Of course he wants you Rose, he loves you so much, these last few months have killed him."

"I know," she nodded thinking about their few precious encounters during that time.

"Is Annemarie still at the pub?" James asked as she carefully turned the door knob.

"What?" she replied as he distracted her from her thoughts, "Oh, yes well she was when I flooed out just now."

"I think I'll go and meet her, let you...have the place to yourselves," he said standing up and heading to the fireplace as he drained the contents of his bottle, "and Rose?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Make him smile," he went on softly.

"James!" Rose shrieked at her cousin looking wildly around for something to throw at him.

"I don't mean like that...well like that as well if you like!" he chuckled raising his eyebrows, "I mean it's been a long time since he was happy," he concluded smiling sincerely at her.

"I know," she replied gently opening the bedroom door as he smiled at her and disappeared into the green flames.