Chapter Forty-Nine
Panic and Stress
"Woah."
"I know."
"I mean ... your family-"
"-I know-"
"-Have issues." Caleb finishes. I grin.
"I know."
Caleb reaches out with one hand and pulls me down until I'm lying on the bed beside him, flush to his side. His dorm room is empty for now and we are taking advantage of that delighful fact.
"What time is it, Caleb?" I ask him. We have been up since before six and I'm so tired. He rolls over and looks at his clock.
"Almost twelve." He tells me, and buries his face in my neck. I giggle then frown.
"James will be meeting Frockler about now." I whisper. Caleb sighs.
"Try not to think about it, Brown-eyes." He leans back to look at me. I groan and roll over onto my belly so that I'm half on top of him.
"I can't" I pout. Caleb leans close, teasingly close to my lips, and grins wickedly.
"Would you like me to distract you?" He murmers. I barely nod before he smashes his lips to mine with a groan.
Powerful. Passionate, oh so passionate. And different to all the other kisses we've shared. Probably because we're on a bed. I fall onto his chest, unable to hold myself up anymore, and suddenly he flips us around so that he's holding himself over me. I open my lips to his tounge and he deepens the kiss.
We kiss for... - I don't know how long, it could've been forever. Then Caleb pulls back and looks at me for a moment. His violet eyes are darker, his cheeks slightly redder, and he grins at me again. I melt. He leans down and I re-close my eyes, waiting for a kiss I never recieve. Instead I feel his warm, wet lips against my neck, under my left ear. I shudder and gasp.
He pulls back.
"Is this ... okay, Brown-eyes?" He whispers, licking his lips. I am lost for words, so I simply nod. He kisses me once on my lips, then a trail of kisses down my cheek, all the way to the hollow of my throat.
Oh wow, I'm properly snogging a boy. He's kissing my neck! Oh wow! Unable to hold it in, I groan, and I feel his laugh vibrate against my neck. Then I hear another laugh from the doorway.
"Well, well Potter ... I suppose we're even now." Mutters Scorpius Malfoy. Even for what? I can't think straight. Oh yeah, catching him and Rose in the act. Caleb glares at him and I stand up and brush imaginary dust off of myself, trying to regain my dignity. Caleb sits up on his bed.
"What do you want, Scorpius?" He mutters. Malfoy raises his eyebrows and laughs.
"In case you've forgotten, Fernby, this is my dorm room too." He says light heartedly and struts over to his perfectly made bed.
"Oh, sorry, it's just we thought you would be with Rose." I smile. He visibly pales but shrugs. He smooths down the non-existant creases on his duvet. Caleb laughs at me.
"C'mon, Lil, let's go get some lunch." He says, standing and holding out his hand for me. I take it, throwing a casual smile over my shoulder to Malfoy. If he's with Rosie now, I better get use to him. He winks back at me, but it's more playful than sleazy.
"Bye Malfoy." I wiggle my fingers at him and he mimics my actions.
"Bye Potter."
We walk down the stairs hand in hand, in silence. I don't quite know what to say about what just went on and the tension hangs in the air. We turn to look at each other, stopping in the middle of a hallway.
"So-" We say in unison, and then burst out laughing.
"So-" Continues Caleb, "I just - it- I wasn't out of line, was I Lil? I mean, I didn't move too fast or -or-" I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on the mouth.
"No." I whisper. Because while it was unexpected, and left me feeling odd, it wasn't anything I was uncomfortable with. He smiles, nods once and we continue to the Great Hall. But we don't make it in.
At the entrance we are almost run over by a bustling sandy-haired 6th year storming out of the hall. I recognise him, but his name escapes me.
"Hey, watch it, Mate!" Shouts Caleb, but the guy either doesn't hear him,or is just ignoring him. I suspect the latter.
We turn to enter again and this time it's Molly who sends me stumbling backwards. Tears are streaming down her face and people from inside the hall are pointing at her, whispering.
"Carter, wait! Please! Nick!" She shouts, chasing after the boy with the light hair. Now I remember him - Nicholas Carter, Hufflepuff Chaser, Class-clown and, apparently, an all-round nice guy. Not really who I would expect Molly to be friends with, and yet he is clearly the boy she had to tell before everyone else. She stops chasing him and bends over grabbing her knees. She makes a strangled noise.
"Molly? Mols, are you Ok?" I run over to her. She's really crying now.
"No." She whispers, her voice cracking. She looks at her stomach. "I - Lily, I think I need to go to the hospital wing. Like, now." She looks so scared. And no wonder. If something is wrong with that baby...
"Let's go." I say. And I support most of her weight as we make our way up the stairs.
"Molly!? Are you ok?" Calls Al from across the room when he sees us. Madame Pomphrey waves her wand and the curtains around his bed swoosh shut,"Hey! That's my cousin!"
"What's wrong Miss Weasley?" She asks, her eyes scanning Molly's baby bump.
"It-it hurts. And this morning - there-there was a little blood, but I read that was normal so I - I ignored it. Merlin, I felt weird and I ignored it. I'm-I'm so sorry. Merlin, I'm sorry." She sobs, apologising to nobody.
"There's no need to apologise. Just remember, in future you cannot always rely on books, Miss Weasley. You must trust the feelings that your body gives you." Murmers Madame Pomphrey, preoccupied by helping Molly onto the bed and raising her shirt from her stomach. She spreads some kind of gunky grey potion onto Molly's belly and lays her hands flat for a minute. Molly reaches out and grabs my hand,looking up at me with her big,scared eyes. I smile in what I hope is a comforting way, but to be honest I'm terrified.
Then Madame Pomphrey smiles lighty and waves her wand over the gunk. It rises off of Molly's belly and swirls in the air, mashing together, forming a 3D shape. A baby. It wriggles in the air, curled in it's little ball, the whole image beating like a heart. I smile at Molly. This is ... incredible.
"What's happening!?" Shouts Al. We don't answer right away and I can hear him start to clamber out of bed.
"Everything's fine, Mr Potter, and I swear if I see you get out of that bed for even one second, I will glue you to the bed and liquify all of your meals." Madame Pomphery calls to him. I hear him clamber back into bed.
"Everything's fine?" Asks Molly, hopefully. Madame Pomphrey allows one of her rare smiles.
"Your baby is fine,Miss Weasley. As I suspected, the pain you were experiencing is stress related and is a condition not at all rare amongst preganant women - especially first time Mothers. Thankfully it has not distressed your baby -this time- but you need to stay calm and rest, Miss Weasley. Also your baby is a little small which could have made it more 're lucky, this could've been much worse. Do not ignore your body." She scolds Molly mildly. Molly still looks worried, though better.
"And the blood?"
"Also common. Could be related to the stress. Which is why I recommend you go home and stay on bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy. I know your exams are this year but I'm sure the school can-"
"-Will going home be better for my baby?" Interupts Molly.
"Yes." Nods Madame Pomphrey.
"Then I'll do it. Anything." Whispers Molly. I grin at her. Also your baby is a little small which could have made it more serious.
"Okay then. I can give you a potion that you should take once a day, and I'll have to floo your parents to come and get you. Will they be able to get you this evening?"
"I -um- I think so." Answers Molly. Madame Pomphrey is back to bustling around us, as if there were two of her. Our heads whip back and forth comically as we follow her movements, not really registering what she's saying.
"Good. You may stay here until they arrive. How is the pain?" Now she's pouring potion into lots of little bottles at super speed.
"Okay. Better, I think." Molly shrugs. She must realise she's still squeezing my hand,because she lets it go with a sheepish smile. I wiggle my fingers.
"Good." Then Madame Pomphrey turns to me, "You should go for lunch now, Miss Potter, I won't have you fainting on my watch. Go - your cousin is in good hands."
"But-" I complain. She frowns at me so I stop short.
"I'm sure your family will have heard about what's happened by now. Word travels fast in this school. You should tell them what's been going on." She tells me in her no-nonsense voice. Then I think of something.
"Okay. Just ... I have one question..."
"Yes?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" I ask, not trying to hide my excitement. Merlin, I really want to know.
"I do." She replies.
"And?" She turns to me with a twinkle in her eye.
"And you'll find out in 4 and a half months, Miss Potter."