The Aftermath (Sequel to The Fifth Marauder) (BOOK 2)

Hiding

"Tell me you know the gender, please."

"Not yet. In about two more months, Jade." Lily smiled and I kissed her growing bump.

"Please be a girl. I want to spite your father." I whispered. "I just got back from visiting the Weasleys and guess what?"

"She's having another boy?" Lily asked and I nodded.

"Yep. And she already made me an aunt. I'm still waiting for the girl." I shrugged and leaned back on the sofa. "Frank and Alice are also expecting. Why the fuck is everyone getting pregnant in the middle of a war?"

"Oh please. It's only a matter of time before we see you with a baby bump." Lily smirked and handed me some tea.

"As if, Lils." I rolled my eyes.

"Think about it, Jade. A little Black running around and chasing little Potter, Weasley and Longbottom. I know it's been on your mind for a while."

"It's been on both of our minds. It's just tough, you know? With Mum and Dad gone, Prongs and I selling the Manor, and the Order, we've barely had time to sit down and properly talk about us having a baby." I shrugged.

"I'm just hearing a lot of excuses, honestly." Lily taunted and rolled her eyes.

"I wanna have a baby, Lils. Just not now when we're at a peak in the war. Besides, Pads and I are still young. Let me turn twenty first and then we'll talk."

"I'm just saying. You're gonna be pregnant one day. You'll see." Lily smirked.

"Maybe one day."

...

"Pads, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, umm, yeah. Go back to bed, love." He mumbled. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my wand.

"Lumos maxima. You and I both know that I barely sleep these days. Tell me what's going on or I'll make some veritaserum to make you tell me what's going on." He sighed and sat up.

"I had a nightmare again."

"About?"

"You." He said tearing up. "It felt so damn real, Jade. At first it was all happy and shit, but then things started to get real dark."

"Wanna tell me or you wanna forget?" I asked and started to play with his hair.

"You we're about seven months pregnant with our second child, there was no war and you were a curse breaker just like you always wanted. Moony and I were aurors, Prongs was playing for the Magpies, Lily was head of magical enforcement, Wormy got a job at Gringotts and we were all happy. We were all so happy, sunshine. Lily was expecting too. We were all living our dreams and we couldn't be happier. That's when things started to get dark. One by one, they all started disappearing, starting with our eldest. It was a little girl no more than five years old. We named her after Andy and she was the cutest little princess in the world. She had my eyes and your raven hair and Moony was the godfather. After her was Prongs, followed by Lily and Moony, Wormtail was next. After that you had a miscarriage and disappeared. And that's when I woke up. I couldn't bear it anymore sunshine." Sirius started to cry and held me tighter. "I can't beat the thought of losing you like that. It was horrible."

"I'm not going anywhere, Pads. I might ask for death but I'm not dying yet."

"Promise?"

"I swear on my life."

...

"So it turns out that the Longbottoms and us are going into hiding." James mumbled and took a shot of firewhiskey. "We're only leaving to go to Order meetings and that's it. I can only go on select missions until Lily gives birth."

"What the hell did I miss last meeting?" I asked extremely confused.

"Supposedly there's a prophecy that will bring an end to him. A child born by the end of July will be his downfall. At least that's what Dumbledore said." James shrugged. "I already did the math with Frank. Lily's due the end of July, same with Alice."

"And Molly's kid?"

"By March so she's safe." James downed another shot and looked at me. "This fucking sucks. That's my kid, Didi. It's not even born yet and they're sending him/her to the slaughter. It's bad enough that I almost lost you, I can't lose my kid too."

"You won't lose the baby, Prongs. We'll all put our lives on the line to make sure that never happens." I sighed and took the bottle from him.

"We're not even twenty yet and we're acting like fucking thirty-year olds. This fucking sucks. I don't want anything to happen to my kid, Jade. You should've seen Frank yesterday. He was in hysterics and telling Dumbledore where he should stuff his wand. Minnie's face was priceless." James chuckled.

"I can see it now. 'Mr. Longbottom, that's not proper behavior.' By the way, where's Lily?"

"With Pads at Diagon Alley. Enjoying her last moments of freedom before we're forced to lock ourselves up." James sighed and laid his head on the table. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to be a happy family. You and Pads with a little Black running around, Lily pregnant, Moony and Wormy seeing someone and Marlene and the girls being the aunts that everyone loves. That's how it's supposed to be. When the hell did it all go to shit?"

"Around our fifth year when I almost died." I shrugged and James gave me a glare. "It's the truth!"

James sighed and started to cry.

"That's my baby, Didi. The heir to the Marauder legacy. With his/her crazy Dogfather Padfoot, the loving and badass godmother Vixen, uncle Wormy spoiling him/her, and rational, yet slightly crazy, uncle Moony who will teach him/her valuable life lessons alongside Lily. And me making sure Pads doesn't teach my kid things that could get him/her killed." James cried and I pulled him into a hug trying to calm him down.

"Such as dangling from a chandelier?" I chuckled and played with his hair.

"Exactly! That baby's going to be the heir to all of our Marauder glory, Didi. That's what I want. And thanks to that bald rat I might not get that."

"James, enough. Little Potter is not going to die on our watch. We won't let that asshole take him."

"And the Longbottom kid?" James sniffles and regained his composure.

"We'll defend both kids until our last breath." I smiled and wiped his tears.

"Promise?"

"I promise."