Chapter 29

Olivia knew she should have savored the content feeling she harbored for the past three weeks. She knew she should have pretended the first few months at Hogwarts hadn't existed, and relished in her happiness with Sirius while she could. Olivia knew better. She looked at her face in the mirror and frowned. Something was wrong, the shadow had been following her and she felt the ever present danger hang over her like a swelling cloud.

After the death of James' parents it seemed a quiet had formed over the school. More families were disappearing, more lives were being ruined.

Olivia tried to pinch color back into her cheeks, but gave up after only a moment. She turned away from the placid image in front of her. She was pale, ragged looking and tired. The whole school was on edge and she felt even worse than she looked. For the past few days she had been experiencing the most horrible, mind numbing headaches imaginable and she couldn't bring herself to tell Sirius about them. She tried to smile again, being with him had been her light in the gloom.

The door opened and Lily came in with a weary expression. "Olivia, you look terrible." She said instantly.

Olivia frowned. "Gee, thanks."

Lily bit her lip and looked her over. "Are you alright?"

"What's the news?" Olivia waved her off and sat down on her bed.

"More students are leaving for safer hiding places. I've heard some are travelling as far as the Americas." Lily sat down next to her friend and sighed. "Don't they know this is the safest place they could be?"

"Yes but, we can only stay here so long. We have two months to be exact."

Lily shook her head, "I can't imagine Dumbledore would kick us out."

Olivia looked at her friend skeptically. "He has to Lil, it's the end of the school year and it's policy. Summer break happens for a reason." Olivia looked as Lily absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach. "You told him haven't you?"

Lily looked away. "It hasn't come up."

"Lily, you HAVE to tell him!" She said heatedly. Olivia stood up and glared at her, hands on her hips. "You know as well as I do that it's selfish and it's not fair to him."

Lily crossed her arms. "I'll tell him. I will. I just-"

"What could you possibly be waiting for?" Olivia asked with wide eyes. "Lily, he's already asked you to marry him, which you are only too happy to oblige. So what is it?"

Lily looked guiltily at her feet. "Everything that's going on, this whole thing. The killings, the missing people, what if…what if I lose him?" Lily looked up with tears in her eyes.

Olivia sighed and sat down again, grabbing Lily's hands. "You have to tell him. I know you're scared, but you have to. Especially if you're going to marry him Lily. What are you going to tell him if you wait? You're going to start showing you know."

Lily bit her lip and nodded. "I know, I know. I'm just so frightened."

Olivia hugged her. "I am too. I'm frightened for you."

"I think I've gotten past the worst of it so far though. No more morning sickness!" Lily said, trying to sound cheery.

"It's been almost four months hasn't it? It's the first week of April now."

Lily nodded. She smiled genuinely as she thought of Christmas. It was the one memory she'd hold in her heart forever.

A look of pain flashed across Olivia's face. She felt the pressure build in her head again.

"Have you told Sirius about your headaches?" Lily asked with concern.

"Why does he need to know?" Olivia snapped, holding her head, trying to suppress the pain.

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Well there's the pot calling the kettle black." She said haughtily. "I think he has a right to know."

"A headache is not a human life, Lily." Olivia argued. The pressure was subsiding, it was only a small one this time.

Lily put her hands on her hips and glared at her. "Look, I'll go tell James if you go tell Sirius."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to indulge in your petty games Lily. This is different."

Lily frowned again, her eyes looking watery.

Olivia looked firmly at her. "Don't you think for a second that by crying will get me-"

Lily burst into tears. "All I'm trying to do is help!" She sobbed.

Olivia threw her arms in the air and cursed. "James is bloody stupid if he hasn't figured this out yet." She mumbled. Lily had certainly been hard to talk to for the past few weeks. Olivia should have known better, it was like walking on eggshells around her. Lily was blubbering on and Olivia began to feel guilty.

"Damn it." She sighed. "Why do I have to tell him? It's only a headache!"

Lily wiped away her tears and sniffled. "Because you just- you just have to!" Her lip quivered again.

"It's like I'm talking to a bloody child." Olivia glared. "Fine. I'll bring it up in conversation with him."

Lily narrowed her gaze as she pulled out a handkerchief to compose herself. "Bring it up?"

Olivia pursed her lips. "Fine. I'll TELL him."

Lily smiled brightly and stood up with a bounce. "Thank you!"

She flounced out of the room as if nothing happened and Olivia stared after her. "That little weasel." Olivia whispered to herself.

The mood in the castle had steadily grown more depressing. James was fiddling with a fray on the corner of his robes absentmindedly as Remus continued to pressure the group into studying.

"Really, we should be doing our potions homework, I can't see why you lot aren't even trying." He was saying.

Sirius picked up his potions book and chucked it across the common room and looked at Remus angrily. "Are you mental?"

Remus was startled. He was no stranger to Sirius' dark moods, but it was different when it was turned on him.

"Calm down mate." James said evenly.

Sirius glared. "This is stupid! Study? When there's a war going on outside these walls you want to pretend like schoolwork is important?"

Remus looked down at his hands. "I'm just trying-"

"Trying to what? Ignore the obvious? You're the last person I would expect to go delusional in a time like this!" Sirius was breathing heavily and looking manic. James tried to step in but Sirius growled at him, his inner beast coming out.

Remus shook his head. "I just want to restore some normality, I'm not ignoring anything." He said calmly.

Sirius kicked the table, flipping it over and upsetting all the books on top of it. In a rage he stormed out of the common room, leaving the other three boys visibly shaken.

"I've never seen him like this." Peter mumbled from the corner.

James shook his head. "I haven't either Peter." He looked at Remus and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"He's just under a lot of stress." Remus said with a nod. "I know it's nothing personal."

James frowned. There had to be something else, he could feel it. He saw movement by the stairs and noticed Lily coming slowly towards him like a frightened mouse.

"What on earth was that about?" She asked timidly. James ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. Peter and Remus began picking up the mess as James took Lily by the hand and walked out of the common room.

The hallways were deserted, and an eerie gloom had settled over the atmosphere.

"Where do you suppose he's gone?" She asked, looking around curiously.

James sighed. "Probably the shack to tear things up. He's been acting strange lately."

Lily bit her lip. "I think we all have."

James looked at her with a smile. "You look lovely today." He said softly.

Lily blushed, but said nothing.

James prodded her gently. "It's like you have this…glow about you."

Lily stopped in her tracks as all the color drained from her face. She looked up at James with wide eyes.

He laughed. "You thought I didn't know?"

"Did everyone know!?" She wailed, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

James put his arms around her lovingly, stroking her hair. "I knew when you came to breakfast about a week ago and ate kippers like you had never eaten before."

"I was hungry." Lily defended weakly.

James pulled her away to look pointedly in her eyes. "You hate kippers."

Lily looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

James gave her a squeeze. "I knew you couldn't have hidden it forever. I wanted you to tell me in your own way."

She looked up at him and frowned. "But I didn't tell you at all, and now Olivia doesn't have to tell Siri-" Lily snapped her lips shut and pressed them together so tightly they turned white.

James held her by the shoulders and looked at her with a narrow gaze. "Tell Sirius what?" He asked calmly.

Lily shook her head. "Nothing."

James let his arms drop and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "She's not pregnant too is she?" He asked.

Lily shook her head. "I'm not saying a thing, this is how I got into trouble last time!" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Lily this is no time to play games!" James said with wide eyes.

Lily crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "So it's more important that Olivia is pregnant and not me then?" She asked heatedly.

"So she is?" James asked.

Lily stamped her foot. "I didn't say that!"

James kissed her forehead and brushed passed her, heading straight down the stairs to go after Sirius.

Lily stared after him with wide eyes. "Uh oh."