Chapter 30

James wasn't sure what to expect when he walked into the shack. He had imagined Sirius in an angry rage, ripping the furniture to shreds. James walked cautiously into the living room area and found Sirius sitting on the couch, placidly staring out of the window.

"You ok mate?" James asked quietly.

Sirius shrugged and said nothing.

"You know, that was pretty unnecessary to snap at Remus like that." James crossed his arms.

"You don't have to chastise me like a child James." Sirius said without moving.

James sat down on the arm of a broken down arm chair across from his friend and sighed. "What are we going to do then?"

Sirius finally broke his gaze away from the window and looked at James. "What is there to do? We have to leave, but where do we go?"

"There's that place my parents left me. We could all-"

Sirius cut him off. "We can't all live there. You and Lily are getting married, I don't know about the others but I do not want to be a part of your honeymoon." Sirius smirked.

James chuckled. "So that is what you've been thinking about? Where everyone is going to go after Hogwarts?"

Sirius frowned. "Of course it is. I'm especially pissed off that no one else has either."

James shrugged. "We have time-"

"No James. There is no more time. The time is now." Sirius stood up and began pacing. "We have to take action."

"You're not thinking about joining the war are you?" James asked his friend.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do? Let Voldemort take over and win? I can't just sit here like a sitting duck when I could be helping!"

James slowly realized what Sirius was saying. "You're going to leave." It wasn't a question.

Sirius shrugged. "I want to, I feel like I have to but there's Olivia-"

"You can't leave her now." James said frowned. "I know why it's so hard for you to make the decision mate, Lily told me. I just can't let you-"

"Lily told you what?" Sirius asked curiously.

James looked at his friend. "About the baby. Look if we're going to have families we can't go running off to war."

Sirius lost all his color and hit the floor before James could say another word.

Olivia found Remus and Peter in the common room talking to each other quietly in a corner. She eyed them curiously and looked around the rest of the room. They were alone.

"Where are James and Sirius?" She asked.

Remus and Peter quickly exchanged glances and didn't directly make eye contact with Olivia. She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze.

"They uh….they went, uh…" Peter fumbled.

Remus nudged him and Peter chuckled nervously.

Olivia pursed her lips. "Where are they?"

"Nowhere in particular." Remus said in a pitch a tad too high.

Olivia's lip twitched and she turned to Peter. She stared at him, unblinking. He shifted nervously under her gaze and picked at his collar. Peter began to sweat.

She never let go of his gaze.

It didn't take him long to crack. "Gah! I can't take it! Sirius stormed off and James went to follow him."

Remus glared at Peter.

"Where?" Olivia inquired.

"The shrieking shack." Peter sighed as his breathing slowed back to normal.

Remus whacked him over the head.

"Don't follow them." Remus turned his gaze to Olivia but she was already exiting through the portrait.

"Are you proud of yourself?" Remus asked Peter with a frown.

Peter stared at his feet.

Remus took off after her, meeting her just before she got to the staircase.

"Wait! Whatever they're talking about it's between them!" He said quickly as he grabbed her elbow.

She frowned. "Then why are you treating this like a big mystery? Why can't I go and talk to him?"

"Well look what happened last time!" Remus said defensively.

"Yes but they're out there, and you're in here." She said with a smirk.

Remus frowned. "Sirius is…in a mood."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Because I've never had to deal with that before."

Remus shook his head. "It's different this time. He's been getting worse."

Olivia opened her mouth to retort but a sudden gripping pain began to steal over her mind.

"Olivia?" Remus asked her.

Remus looked fuzzy. He was getting further away as the blinding pain began to cripple her senses.

"Oh no." She moaned. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and Remus caught her before she tumbled down the stairs.

He looked around helplessly. Remus gingerly scooped her up into his arms and carried her as quickly as he could to the hospital wing.

When he was shooed out of the wing, he leaned against the closed door and shut his eyes. This was not going to go over well with Sirius, he thought to himself with a sigh. Remus remembered Lily had gone back to her dorm after her talk with James. He ran as quickly as he could to find her. Lily would know what to do.

She was coming up the stairs with a bowl of apples when he ran up to her. She looked at Remus and then the bowl in her hand, then back to Remus quickly.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, almost forgetting what his hurry was.

"Nothing." She said too quickly. "I uh…wanted a snack. What's wrong?"

Remus shook his head, "It's Olivia."

Lily frowned. "Where is she?"

Remus opened his mouth to answer but a sound came from below. Lily and Remus turned to look.

"Why didn't she tell me?" The two heard the weak voice float up the staircase. Remus and Lily watched James and Sirius come into view. Sirius was white and James was helping him up the stairs.

"What on Earth happened to you?" Remus asked as they all met at the top of the stairs.

James patted his friends shoulder. "He didn't know." He said to Lily. "I didn't know that he didn't know."

Lily cocked an eyebrow, confused. "Didn't know what?"

"About the baby." James said.

Lily looked at him curiously. "Of course he didn't know, I didn't tell anyone."

James sighed. "Lily how long have you known? Olivia should have told him sooner."

"Why would Olivia tell him? I told her not to say anything!"

Remus and Sirius stared at the couple, thoroughly confused.

"It's his right to know!" James persisted.

"You sound just like Olivia! And I don't understand why you're so concerned with Sirius knowing, it took me this long just to tell you!"

"Lily, I know you're just trying to protect your friend, but just because you didn't tell me about OUR baby doesn't mean you should encourage Olivia to hide hers from Sirius."

Lily put up her hand. "Wait a minute, what are we talking about?"

James wiped his face with his hand and sighed. "Sirius and Olivia."

"Then why did you bring up the baby?" Lily put her hands on her hips.

"Because it's their baby." James said, getting irritated.

"You're having a baby too?" Lily asked Sirius with wide eyes. "Olivia never told me that!"

Remus finally interjected. "Wait a moment. Who exactly is having a baby? Why didn't anyone think to tell me!"

Sirius sat down at the top of the stairs, feeling woozy again.

James waved his arms, completely frustrated. "Olivia is having a baby, that's what you told me earlier!"

Lily looked around, "Me? I didn't say that!"

"In the hall, before I went after Sirius. You said she was pregnant." James' eyes were wide.

"No I didn't." Lily insisted. "You went off after him before I could tell you that you weren't listening properly AS USUAL." Lily crossed her arms and glared at him.

Sirius stood back up in a flash and looked at James.

"So she's not pregnant?" He asked, a shade of red rising in his cheeks.

James rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I…uh-"

Sirius grabbed James by the shirt collar and Lily jumped in to pull them apart.

Amidst the commotion Remus' eyes widened as he remembered what he was supposed to tell Sirius. "OH right! Olivia's in the hospital wing!" Remus said loudly.

Lily, James and Sirius all turned to face him.

He smiled nervously. "Just…thought you should…know."

Sirius dropped James and ran in the direction of the hospital wing.

Remus turned to Lily and James. "So…I guess congratulations are in order?"

Lily punched him in the shoulder and ran after Sirius, James close behind.