Hi all! I think this is a very important chapter! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Chapter Twenty-Four

The afternoon before the Quidditch season officially opened, Adair was knocking at the door to her brother and Katie's flat when she knew the latter would be at a shift at the hospital.

"Oh hey," Oliver said when he opened the door, looking comfortable in a pair of black sweatpants and a scarlet England jumper. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Adair said, following him into the sitting room. She glanced up at the giant framed, moving photographs from her brother and Katie's wedding before she sat down.

"What's going on? This seems ominous," Olive said, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa from his sister and turning to look at her.

"I won't be at opening day tomorrow," she said. "I'm taking the season off."

"'Taking the season off?'" he repeated. "What the bloody hell do you mean?"

Adair chewed on her bottom lip, listening to her heart pound in her ears. Truth be told, this was the conversation she had been the most nervous about having.

"Adair," Oliver prodded her when she didn't answer.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

Oliver just stared. "I don't think I heard you correctly," he finally said.

"You did," Adair assured him.

"Then I am bloody confused, I must admit," Oliver said a little harshly.

"Things are different now," Adair said.

"Are they?" Oliver returned quickly. Deep down, he had never forgiven Charlie for how he had treated Adair after their first World Cup appearance. He knew the entirety of the story and understood that his sister was not nearly faultless, but Charlie had done so little to understand where his sister might be coming from in her decision.

"There's been so much time since then," she insisted. "We've talked about everything," she continued, omitting the part about how this pregnancy would also be a total surprise to Charlie. She couldn't think of that or tell her brother when he was clearly so frustrated with her.

"Well you seem to have it all figured out then," Oliver said, shrugged and leaned back against the sofa. "It was nice playing with you."

"I'll be back," Adair replied, hurt, though she also didn't know if that was true.

"Sure you will," Olive folded his arms over his broad chest. "That seems to be the norm among our set." He rolled his eyes.

"Mum did."

"Mum had something to prove," Olive replied harshly. "And you don't, do you? You've already won a World Cup. What's left? Nothing but to retire into obscurity with a baby on your hip. Typical."

ooooOoooo

"Professor Weasley! Professor Weasley!"

Charlie had his back turned to the door of his classroom, writing notes on the blackboard for his end of day, seventh year class.

"What Murphy?" he asked, turning to his desk and flipping through the textbook. He glanced up at the Gryffindor Quidditch captain before turning back to the board.

"Where's Adair?"

"Adair?" Charlie turned back around.

Murphy slammed Seeker Weekly down on his desk. "The reporters are all over it. She wasn't at the opening day press conference or practice."

"What?" Charlie dropped his piece of chalk and studied the tabloid. Murphy was right. Adair was nowhere to be seen in the moving photos from the press conference and practice and there was speculation on where she was.

"'Coach Williams and her brother, Oliver Wood, did not answer questions about Adair's whereabouts. There has been no statement from the Chaser to explain her absence,'" Charlie read to himself.

"You don't know where she is?" Murphy looked up at Charlie.

More students filtered in and began to take their seats.

Charlie shooed Murphy to his desk and then began class. He could hardly focus. Adair hadn't said anything to him that morning about not feeling well or not going to opening day. As a member of the team, it was imperative she be there. He did his best to teach through it, but his head was spinning, mind drawing up the worst conclusions.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he dismissed his class a half an hour early. He could be seen sprinting down the lane towards Hogsmeade so that he could Apparate back to their flat.

There was a crowd of photographers and reporters outside the door to their building when Charlie came barrelling around the corner.

"Charlie! Charlie!"

"What's going on with Adair?"

"Is she here?"

"Is she taking the season off?"

"Was she traded? Let go?"

Charlie maneuvered through the crowd and entered the building, taking the stairs two at a time until he was at their door.

"Adair!" he yelled as soon as he was over the threshold.

Adair blinked awake in their bedroom.

"Adair!"

Charlie froze in the doorway when he saw her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Why aren't you at opening day?"

"I'm tired," she replied.

"Tired? I don't understand," he shook his head. "Explain. Now. I've been worried sick when I saw the tabloids." He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Adair fluffed the pillows behind her and sat up. "I tried to think of a good way to tell you this, but I didn't come up with anything. And now here we are."

"Tell me what?"

Adair took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I'm pregnant."

Charlie froze. "Come again?"

"I'm having a baby." Adair took his hand in hers. "We're having a baby."

He stood up and paced around the room. "I can't have heard you right," he said, not looking at her. "You can't be pregnant. We're both taking a potion to prevent such a thing. Like we decided to do when we got back together."

"We were," Adair conceded.

"What did you do, Adair?"

"After we won the World Cup I thought that might be the next move for us," Adair replied, realizing she was not going to get the reaction she had imagined.

"You didn't think you should talk to me about such a momentous decision? This will change our lives forever, Adair. Do you realize that?"

"I thought this was what you wanted," she said. "I thought that if it happened it happened and if it didn't, I would play again. I don't know."

Charlie sat down heavily on the bench at the foot of the bed with his back to her. He put his head in his hands and then ran them through his hair.

"That's a very lackadaisical way to to look at this. 'If it happened it happened?' You were just rolling the dice with our lives on a whim? You can't make a decision like this on your own," Charlie said lowly. "So much has changed since we went through this the last time. I'd reconciled myself to not having a baby. Ever. You can't go back and forth on a whim, Adair!"

"Now I don't understand," Adair said, emerging from the blankets and crawling to the foot of the bed. "Charlie, I thought you wanted this. I thought you put it aside because I said I didn't want it."

"I just can't believe you wouldn't talk to me. It's not just your life, Adair." He turned around to where she was kneeling. "What if I want to go back to the sanctuary? Just because you've accomplished everything you wanted to, you think I should be done as well?"

Adair was silent. She had truly not thought of such an occurrence. She had let her own happiness blind her and she had done exactly what Charlie had done to her all those years ago.

"I'm sorry," Adair whispered. Her head was spinning and she was afraid she was going to be sick. She hadn't experienced any morning sickness yet, but she was afraid her luck had run out.

"I don't know what to say here, Adair." Charlie wasn't exactly mad, but he was shocked and confused and hurt.

"Charlie…," she began, but she clamped a hand over her mouth and leapt from the bed, sprinting for the bathroom.

"Adair?" Charlie followed her, finding her crouched over the toilet bowl, heaving.

He knelt behind her and gathered her long, fair hair in his fist.

No matter what he was feeling at that moment, Charlie wouldn't let her suffer alone. He couldn't do that to her again.

When she was through, Adair rested her elbows on the toilet seat and put her head in her hands trying to catch her breath and settle herself.

"How far along are you?" Charlie asked quietly, rubbing her back in circles.

"Two months," Adair replied, hoarse. She stood and went to the sink to rinse her mouth out and brush her teeth.

Charlie leaned against the vanity with his arms crossed over his barrel chest.

"I wasn't thinking past how excited I'd thought you'd be," Adair said quietly, not looking at him. "But if you're not, you don't have to be a part of this."

Charlie studied her. Her head was down and she was looking into the sink.

"I need some time to think about this," Charlie responded.

Adair still didn't look at him, but only nodded.

He went into the bedroom to pack a bag. Adair followed him and stood in the doorway to the bathroom. "Don't tell anyone," she said, looking down at her feet. "In case…" she trailed off.

Charlie hoisted his beat up canvas bag over his shoulder. "I won't." He looked at her once more before he left the flat, battling the photographers and reporters once more on his way to the alley where he Apparated.

ooooOoooo

Without Quidditch, all Adair could do was pace around her flat. She wasn't ready to leave and face the mob outside or risk being seen, not that anyone could tell why she wasn't playing, but she didn't want to face the questions.

Friends had been owling her and she assured them that she was fine, just taking a leave of absence.

She itched for a Firewhiskey, but that was no longer an option, so instead she continued to walk around and around until she was tired enough to fall into bed.

For three days, she did nothing but pace, nap, and try to ease her stomach with the lightest foods she could put together for herself. Nothing stayed down.

On the third afternoon, she sat in her living room with her feet on the coffee table, looking down at her flat stomach.

She had certainly not intended on raising a child alone, but she had seriously misjudged Charlie's reaction. She wasn't going to put herself through what she had the first time. If he was no longer interested, she would manage on her own.

Something had clicked inside of Adair when she had found out she was pregnant. For most of her life, she had thought she hadn't wanted to be a mother, that she wasn't capable. But she had finally stood up to her own mother and with that had come the realization that perhaps she could be different.

ooooOoooo

"Is my old room available?" Charlie asked, standing in Professor McGonagall's office.

The old woman didn't look up from the parchment she was reading over. "I'm sure we can find you something, Weasley." She signed her name with a flourish. "I thought you were living out of wedlock with Adair Wood, though. Is something the matter there?" She finally looked up at him, arching a brow.

Charlie considered his answer. "I don't know," he finally said.

"Well if it's only going to be temporary, the Room of Requirement will suffice."

Charlie nodded and headed for the door.

"Oh and Weasley?"

"Yes Professor?"

"Where was Adair today? Is she not playing this season?"

"It doesn't look like it, Professor."

ooooOoooo

Charlie finished the school week and then returned to their flat. There were still a few photographers, but the crowd had thinned considerably. He assumed that meant that Adair hadn't yet left.

He knocked on the door and waited.

Adair checked to see who it was. Several people had come knocking, including Ginny, while Adair had been holed up, but she had pretended to not be home.

"You don't have to knock," she said, when she pulled the door open, wearing sweatpants and a cotton t-shirt, hair piled on top of her head in the messiest of buns. "You live here." She glanced away. "Or you did."

Charlie dropped his bag by the door. "You didn't want to talk about this before you made the decision, but we have to now," he said by way of greeting.

Adair nodded and followed him into the sitting room. He took a seat on a chair and she curled up in the corner of the sofa.

"I didn't mean to make you feel trapped, Charlie," she said quietly. "Like I said, I thought you would be excited." She ran her fingers through her blonde hair. "But if this isn't something you want anymore, I can do it on my own."

"There's no doubt in my mind that you could, I just never thought you wanted to be a mother," Charlie replied. "You literally said those words to me."

"I know. And I didn't think I did, but so much has changed in the last few years." She stared at her hands in her lap. "What I actually didn't want to do was be a mother like mine. And I've realized I don't have to be like her. In so many ways already, I'm not like her. Motherhood could be different for me too."

Charlie nodded his agreement. "I've always thought you would be an incredible mother."

Adair gave him a small smile.

"What do you want in the future outside of a baby, though?" Charlie asked. "Are you going to play again next season?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Everything will be entirely different a year from now. I'll be a whole new person and I don't know where Quidditch will fit into all of that. Like you've said, I've accomplished everything I wanted to. If I go back, it will be for the love of the game and nothing else."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"What about money? I'm not sure I can pay rent here if you're not going to work."

"Charlie," Adair began. "We should've discussed finances a long time ago. You know how much money I just made for the World Cup. I've been playing for a long time. I don't have to play ever again if I don't want to. I never overspent. In the beginning of my career, I saved as much as I could and invested. And there will be more sponsorships and other opportunities that come along even if I don't play. My parents still make deals here and there. We'll be fine. If you want to return to the sanctuary, we can make that happen," Adair said. "It's my turn to be a little more flexible."

"You and the baby would follow me to Romania?"

"I don't know about that," Adair replied. "But you and I have never done anything traditional. There are ways that we can make this work without having to do what everyone else has done. If you're interested, that is."

Charlie nodded. "I want to be a part of this," he said quietly. "And I'm happy for now at Hogwarts."

Adair couldn't help the huge smile that took over her face.

Charlie grinned back at her and beckoned for her to join him. When she stood, he pulled her into his lap and buried his stubbled face in her neck.

To her surprise, he laughed, but it sounded watery.

When Adair pulled away, Charlie wiped at his eyes. "Bloody hell, I can't believe we're doing this," he said.

For the first time, Adair let her own excitement brim over as tears filled her eyes as well. "I love you," she said, kissing him deeply. Her hand covered his as it pressed against her stomach.

ooooOoooo

"My family is driving me mad, Adair," Charlie exclaimed when he got home from teaching. "Ginny showed up in my classroom this morning."

Adair was lying prone in their giant bathtub with an ice cold washcloth over her eyes. Another couple of weeks had passed and her symptoms had only gotten worse.

"She's worried that you're hurt or that we broke up," Charlie said, sitting on the edge of the tub.

"Neither of those things ever stopped me from playing before."

Charlie snorted. "Fair enough."

"They're your family, Charlie. We can tell them whenever you like."

"Does Oliver know?"

"The whole team knows," Adair said. "Sworn to secrecy." She hadn't yet told Charlie about her conversation with her brother and how devastating that had been.

"Your parents?"

"Only if Oliver told them."

Charlie nodded.

"I don't really understand the big deal about telling your family. We're hardly the first of your siblings to procreate."

Charlie sighed. "No, but we're the first to not be married when we do it."

Adair finally removed the washcloth from her eyes and looked at him. "What?"

"It might be…controversial," Charlie shrugged.

"How would it be controversial?" Adair asked. "Surely your parents don't think we've been living together and sleeping in separate rooms this whole time."

"No…"

"So what's the difference if there's a baby or not if we've been shagging either way?" Adair pulled the plug from the drain and stood as Charlie handed her a towel. "I don't think you give them enough credit."

Charlie rolled his eyes at her crassness. "I'll invite everyone over for my birthday this weekend," he shrugged.

"That is exactly what I feel up for," Adair said sarcastically, wrapping the towel around her and going to the vanity to moisturize and brush her hair.

"Do you feel up to going into the bedroom?" Charlie asked, stepping behind her. He kissed her neck and held her hips.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," she replied.

Charlie muffled a laugh in her hair. "I hope that isn't because of me."

"Depends on how you look at it," she replied, turning in his arms.

"Can I do anything?" He pushed her sweaty hair away from her face.

"I don't think so," Adair replied, resting her forehead on his chest.

"All of this will hopefully be over soon," Charlie said. "I was doing some reading and you should get your energy back in the next month or so."

"You were doing some reading?" Adair arched a brow.

"Someone has to know what's going on," Charlie said defensively.

"Charlie," Adair took his face in her hands. "It's my body. I know what's going on." She moved his hands from her hips to her lower back and instructed him to knead.

"So a dinner this weekend?" she asked wearily.

"A dinner this weekend."

ooooOoooo

"I'm not going to make it," Adair said, lingering in the kitchen, beginning to feel nauseous once more.

She assumed it was because of the food smell, but it also could have been the impending announcement to Charlie's entire family. It was the first real announcement she'd made besides to her own brother.

"Well get out of here," Charlie replied with his back turned as he stirred vodka sauce on the stove.

Adair had ventured out of their apartment only a few times to run a few errands once the reporters had stopped staking out the place and so the night of Charlie's birthday dinner, she had put real clothes on and she felt so uncomfortable and nauseous.

"You could just tell them."

"Not on your life," Charlie laughed.

Adair sighed and went to make sure everything was in its place and that the bar cart was ready to serve their guests. She itched for a Firewhiskey, but it would be another six months until she could indulge.

A half an hour later, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in, come in," Adair ushered part of the guests into the flat.

Harry, Bill, and their children came in, trailed by Angelina, George, Ginny, and Fleur.

Charlie wrapped an arm around Adair's shoulders as he came to greet his family.

Ginny looked Adair up and down. "Oh," she said, slightly disappointed. "You're just pregnant."

Fleur stood behind her nodding. "So that 'ez why you are not playing."

Adair shook her head. "One: how did you know and two: why do you seem disappointed?"

"Do those hurt?" Ginny asked, gesturing at Adair's chest. "You're about to bust out of your sweater."

"Ginevra!" Adair exclaimed. "Yes, they hurt terribly."

George moaned as he walked by on his way to the bar cart. "Those were the best part."

Charlie shoved his brother at the same time Angelina cuffed him on the back of the head.

"You also look like you haven't slept in a month or had a decent meal."

Charlie raised his hands. "I've tried."

"Poor thing," Fleur sympathized.

"I'm not disappointed," Ginny said. "I'm excited. I just thought there was some big drama keeping you from playing."

"Ever the reporter," Adair smiled.

"Well congratulations," Ginny said, hugging Adair tightly.

"Mum doesn't know," Charlie said.

"Oh this will be fun," Bill said, joining the conversation, squeezing Adair's shoulder.

"That's what I was trying to tell Adair, but she thinks Mum is progressive."

Not a minute later, there was another knock and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Percy and Audrey, Ron and Hermione and all of their children entered.

Charlie had set up a corner of the sitting room for the children with games, crayons, and other toys to entertain the kids while the adults socialized.

"Happy birthday, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, kissing Charlie's cheek.

She turned to Adair. "What is going on? Why aren't you playing?"

"Let's sit down to dinner and talk about it," Charlie said, ushering everyone toward the table. There was an elaborate Italian feast laid out on the adults table, while the children were treated to spaghetti and meatballs.

"Well out with it," Mrs. Weasley said, once everyone was seated and had passed around dishes to fill their plates.

Charlie reached for Adair's hand on the table and she placed hers in his.

"You're engaged!"

Adair glanced at Bill, who had bit his lip and was staring at his plate, trying not laugh. Immediately, she realized just how wrong she had been in her thinking.

"Um, actually, no," Charlie said, taken aback. "It's still good news though. We're having a baby!" He smiled around the table and everyone else congratulated them, but his mother went stony.

Adair thought she would be sick from the smell of the food and the silence that eventually fell over the table.

"It's a little out of order, don't you think?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"It was unexpected," Charlie said, which wasn't untrue in his case.

"The whole world is going to know about this," Mrs. Weasley said.

Adair nodded. "That is likely true."

"Are you going to get married before you go public?" Mr. Weasley asked. "What kind of example are you setting for other young people?

Adair was surprised that he had spoken up, but he was the patriarch of a family where all six of his other children had done things 'correctly' and followed in their parents footsteps.

"We haven't talked about it," Charlie said.

"No," Adair said at the same time.

Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow. "No? Adair, what do you mean?"

"I think it's a terrible idea to get married because there's a baby. What if we're not compatible?" Adair replied, even though that wasn't why she didn't want to get married.

"Well you were compatible enough with Charlie to make the baby."

Harry choked on a penne noodle and reached desperately for his glass of wine as George pounded on his back theatrically.

Adair wasn't normally one to get flustered, but her face got very warm.

"You don't have to be married to raise a child," Charlie said, reaching for Adair's leg under the table.

"And there is nothing about a wedding, which is really just a big, obnoxious show for friends and family, that will make us any more devoted to each other than we already are," Adair said, beginning to feel quite irritable with the conversation and her general discomfort. "Nor will it make us better parents or more loving toward our child," she snapped.

"Let's just enjoy the rest of Charlie's birthday dinner," Bill said.

After a long moment of very uncomfortable silence where Charlie and Adair both looked at the table, smaller conversations broke out around the table. Percy asked Charlie about teaching that semester and Adair was asked about Oliver and Katie by Angelina, though they could both feel Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys' eyes on them throughout the rest of dinner.

When it seemed like everyone was making moves to leave, Adair rose.

"I'm not feeling well," she whispered, leaning over Charlie.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and nodded.

Everyone departed, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley lingered at the door.

"This isn't right, Charlie," his mother said.

"Maybe it wasn't right for you, but we're going to figure out what's right for us," he said firmly, leaving no room for further conversation.

There you have it! I wasn't ever sure we'd see this couple here, but I'm excited that they are. Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see during this chapter of their lives!

Happy reading,

Avonmora