Something was different that day. Cass didn't know what but she could feel that the world had somehow... shifted.

It was late March so she wondered if it was just a byproduct of seeing her parents in a couple of weeks. She hadn't seen them since they'd dropped her off at the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. Although she missed them, she couldn't help but wonder if they were the reason her mind felt on edge and her stomach kept flipping. Was it because Enzo was coming with her and her parents would be meeting him? No, they'd corresponded with Enzo through letters and already loved him. Was it the train ride home? The idea of being on the winding tracks made her nauseous but it didn't make her nervous.

So why did it feel like her world had altered—like there was a new star in her solar system and she had unknowingly begun to orbit its gravity and not her own?

"Are you sure you're okay?" Margot asked as she held Cass's hair back as Cass vomited the remains of her dinner the night before. "Do you think you have the stomach flu again?"

"Maybe," Cass said as she wiped her mouth with little energy. She took a few deep breaths, willing herself to feel normal again. Then, she brushed her teeth and followed Margot out the door. "I don't think it's the stomach flu. Wouldn't I be throwing up all day if it was?"

"Yeah, probably. Maybe it's your period? Mine always makes me super nauseous."

"That has to be it," Cass said. "I haven't started it yet but I'm sure I will any day."

"If it makes you feel better, whatever you got is making your body look banging. Have I told you how good your boobs have looked lately? And your ass is incredible. I'm so jealous."

Cass laughed and grabbed her friend's hand. They walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat down at the Hufflepuff table and Cass quickly began gorging herself on all of the pastries in front of her. Her bouts of sickness had made her so hungry lately. She was certain that she could eat the entire table's worth of food in front of her and not be full.

"Jeez girl, slow down," Margot said with a laugh. "You're going to throw up again if you keep eating that quickly."

Cass glared at her and to her surprise, Margot actually recoiled. Cass wasn't exactly known for her intimidation. Was something different this morning?

Things just keep getting weirder and weirder, she thought. Whilst in the middle of her third croissant—which tasted incredible—she felt a kiss on her cheek. "Hi, sunshine," Enzo's warm voice said. For some reason, the sound of it soothed Cass's nerves more than normal. She felt it wrapping around her like a warm blanket that she didn't want to come out of. "I can't stay for long but I just wanted to say good morning."

Cass felt the thundercloud return. "Where are you going?"

Enzo's eyebrows scrunched together. "Quidditch practice, baby."

For some reason, the thundercloud controlled Cass. Every strike of lightning inside of her was one she had to fight to keep from releasing. The storm roiled on within her and try as she might, she couldn't help but get lost in the winds. "Fine," Cass said before quickly standing up. "Enjoy your Quidditch practice."

She stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving behind a flabbergasted Enzo and Margot. As she left, Cass heard Margot say, "I'll go check on her. I'm sure it's nothing you did."

Of course it's something he did, Cass wanted to snap. We were going to hang out this morning before class!

But Cass stopped herself just as she ducked into the girl's lavatory. What was she doing? This was Enzo. Her Enzo. He loved Quidditch and he hardly spent as much time playing as he used to. Why was she acting like such a fucking bitch over something as silly as Quidditch? Enzo didn't deserve that.

"I'm a terrible girlfriend," Cass said with a shaky voice as she looked in the mirror and stared at the woman who was being a total nightmare to the man she loved. Her eyes burned with tears that quickly began to fall. They streamed down her face like little twin waterfalls, wrecking everything in their path. The thunderstorm inside of Cass had been replaced by a monsoon.

"Oh Merlin," Margot muttered just as she stepped inside the lavatory. Her arms wrapped around Cass in a comforting hug, which was odd because Margot normally hated hugs. Cass was the hugger. Why did everything in the world feel so weird?

Margot stroked her hair. "Sweet girl. What's wrong? Why'd you snap at Enzo like that?"

"I don't know," Cass sobbed. "I'm so terrible."

"You're not terrible. Everyone lets their emotions get the best of them. Enzo wasn't even upset. He was just worried about you. All you have to do is apologize and you two will be more than fine." Margot smiled reassuringly. "You two will go right back to being mushy and disgusting within an hour."

Cass shook her head, not because she didn't believe Margot—she knew she and Enzo would be fine as long as Cass never did this again—but because she was so ashamed of herself for behaving like that. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"What do you mean?" Margot asked, sitting them both down on the floor of the lavatory. Cass was just glad that the stones seemed clean.

"Something feels different, Margot, and I don't know what. But I know something is wrong and it scares me." Her lip trembled. "I'm so tired. I can't stop getting sick. I feel so angry and so sad all the time. I wake up every day wondering which emotion I'm going to have to fight. I can't stop eating and I— Oh, Merlin."

Cass scrambled off the floor over to one of the nearby stalls. She just barely made it in time to avoid getting vomit everywhere. The sound of Margot's boots clicking was the only thing she heard other than her retching. Margot scooped Cass's curls off her neck and rubbed her back.

When she was finally done regurgitating everything, Cass sat back on her heels. Margot said nothing. She just grabbed onto Cass's arm before finally muttering, "Come on."

Cass didn't know where Margot was leading them. Well, not at first. It didn't take much for her to begin to recognize the hallways leading to the Hufflepuff dormitories. Cass felt relieved when Margot pushed the door to their dormitory.

"Sit," Margot ordered. Cass, too upset with herself to argue, listened. She lay down on the bed with her knees tucked against her body, willing herself to stay awake even through her extreme exhaustion.

"What is it?" Cass said when she noticed Margot's uneasy expression.

"You have to promise not to get mad at me, okay?" Margot said, biting her lip.

"I promise."

Margot winced. "When were you supposed to start your period?"

"March 12th," Cass said quickly. "I'm only a couple of days late."

Margot winced again before shaking her head. "No, Cass. Today is March twenty-sixth. You were supposed to start two weeks ago. Is there any chance that you could be—"

"No! I take my birth control. I've never missed a day. Not even..." Cass trailed off as everything in her body stilled. It felt like all of the blood had rushed out of her, leaving her with a cold, empty shell.

"Not even when?"

"I was sick," Cass whispered. "I was vomiting. I took my pill right before I threw up one day."

Margot gasped but she quickly composed her features upon seeing Cass's worried expression. "Did you and Enzo have unprotected sex that day?"

Slowly, Cass nodded. "Many times."

Margot gasped again. "Okay, so let's talk this out. You're two weeks late on your period after you had unprotected sex with Enzo a few weeks ago. You've been getting sick every morning, you're tired, you're moody, you couldn't seem to remember the date and I'm guessing that's not the only time you've been spacey, and you've been eating a lot. Have I missed anything else?"

The air Cass gulped felt like it was passing through a barbed-wire fence. "I feel different, Margot. I've thought something was different in me for days and the only thing that seemed to help was seeing Enzo. His voice makes the anger in me settle, like everything will be okay."

"Well, that's your baby daddy," Margot muttered under her breath. Her eyes widened at Cass's panicked expression. "But we don't know that's what it is! You have to take a test, and I'm guessing they don't have a lot of those at Hogwarts. I can write to my sister. She won't tell anyone."

The thought of taking a test and seeing two positive lines made Cass feel like she was going to throw up again. A part of her was joyous at the idea of having a child, especially Enzo's child. She'd always wanted to be a young mom because it was her dream, and she knew how quickly life could be taken. If she had her way, she would have had her kids very soon after leaving Hogwarts.

But now? Now, while she was still in school and could face the judgment of her peers and teachers? Now, while she had no job, no home, nothing? Cass had no clue how her parents or even Enzo would react. What if they scorned her and left her alone to raise the baby? What if she was a terrible mother? What if she couldn't do this?

Margot must have seen the worry on Cass's face. "Cass," she said in a soft voice. Margot sat on the bed and hugged her friend, the big spoon to her little spoon. "We'll get through this. There's nothing saying the test will be positive. And even if it is, I'm not leaving you. Your parents won't lose another daughter. And Enzo sure as hell isn't going anywhere."

Cass sniffled. "You think so?"

"I know so. He's completely head over heels for you." Margot stroked her hair. "Don't worry. I'm going to take care of all of this."

. . .

True to her word, Margot really did take care of everything. She must have guessed Cass's fragile mental state because she insisted that Cass stay in their room for the next few days. Cass didn't fight that because she didn't want to. She was exhausted so the extra naps she took during the day were helpful and the lack of classes meant that she had extra time to think about her future. If the test that Margot's sister was sending turned out to be negative, nothing changed. If it was positive, Cass had a plan. She'd tell her parents at Easter and Enzo hopefully before then. "Hopefully" because she would definitely need to work up the courage to do that. She didn't need to worry about finishing out at Hogwarts because there were only a couple of months left and Cass could push through until then. She couldn't apparate if she was pregnant but she could talk to Dumbledore about using the floo in his office. If Enzo or her parents didn't stick by her, she'd still be okay. She and the baby could hide out in the muggle world and get a job while Cass trained on the side to become a healer. They could get a nice little flat in a small town and Cass could heal people from her home. It wasn't her dream life but she and the baby would be happy and taken care of. Knowing that the worst-case scenario still ended up with her holding a little miracle in her arms made Cass feel better about the whole thing.

Margot brought Cass all her meals (and even some snacks). She made raspberry leaf tea that she insisted was good for her sister when she was pregnant. They read parenting books together and tried to learn about everything they'd need to know in the meantime. Enzo tried to come visit but Margot shooed him off. Unlike before, she didn't budge about letting him in. Cass could hear Enzo's frustration in his voice but she didn't want to see him. She didn't trust her emotions around him right now and he didn't deserve the harsh treatment she gave him before. It was better that she isolated herself and tried to prepare for what she was sure was a possibility.

Something—no, someone—was inside her, growing inside her belly. Cass didn't know how she knew but she just knew. She was hyperaware of the little bean that was slowly becoming a part of her. Cass didn't know whether the idea thrilled or terrified her.

Cass had decided to take a walk outside during one of the class periods—knowing no one would be out in the hallways to see her—when Margot came running with a package in her hand. "It's here," she panted. Cass nodded solemnly before taking the package to the bathroom

It was pretty easy to take the test. Cass just had to pee on the little stick and, lately, she had to pee all the time. She and Margot chatted idly by the sinks as they waited the fifteen minutes the directions instructed. A little hourglass sat on the sink. All too soon, the sand ran out. Cass's stomach sank.

"It's time," she muttered. Cass stared at the package where they'd tucked the test, neither of them willing to watch and see if the lines changed. Cass grabbed the package and held it in her hands. This was it. This was the moment when her life changed. This was the moment when she learned that her dreams were coming true early. This was the moment when she learned that her instincts were correct. This was the moment she looked at the test. Cass grabbed the little stick and—

The door to the lavatory opened. "Get out!" Margot said to the terrified third-year Gryffindor girl. The two of them were alone again.

Margot nodded at her. "Whatever happens, I'm here."

Cass took a deep breath and pulled out the stick.

Only to see two little lines.

Anddddd this is the moment when I might lose some of you lol. I know a lot of people hate pregnancy tropes but I'm hoping you still give this one a chance because 1) Enzo will be hot as a daddy. DILF, am I right? 2) This has been Cass's dream since the beginning for those of you who remember so it's not really a *surprise* 3) We can see all the Slytherin boys as uncles, which will be hilarious and 4) Because the pregnancy didn't take up a majority of the story. My Ao3 folks knew this was coming because I added it to the tags but for the rest of you, it might be a little bit of a surprise (unless you picked up the hints in Elio's story and the others' epilogues).

So I hope you're still loving it, thanks everyone for sticking with it :)