minnow // sirius black

twenty-nine

29 :  little black

In late July, Lily and James both decided to visit me.

Sirius had to go to a randevu point to meet with them. They decided on a small diner in Godric's Hollow, and as soon as Lily and James were there, the three squeezed under his cloak and did their best to safely make it to the cottage.

When they came through the front door, Dean stepped in front of me, just until he saw that it was Sirius, and then bid the four of us goodbye. He was going home for the next two weeks.

Dean left as James and Lily came to give me hugs. They were both surprised by how large my stomach now was, and asked when she was due.

"Sometime in September," I smiled as I rubbed my stomach. "Arlo says there is no way of knowing exactly when, since she's so large already, and I'm so tiny. She might even come before the end of August."

"So, based on math, she's likely to either be the oldest in her year, or the youngest."

"One or the other," I smiled as James sighed. "Which is really better?"

"I know being the oldest in the friend group has its perks," Sirius snorted. "We usually get to chose the activities, and we get to legally do magic first."

"Being the youngest is also advantageous," I retorted. He snorted. "It is!"

"You get to open Christmas gifts first, that's it."

"Well... I get to go first on board games."

Sirius snorted as I pouted.

We all sat in the living room, Lily and James with their backs to the kitchen, while I lounged across from them on the part of the sectional sofa that kind-of resembled a bed. Sirius sat beside me, a hand comfortably glued to my stomach.

It would've been a perfect scenario, a sister and brother with their significant others, as well as all of them being friends with one another.

Would've been a perfect scenario, happiness and joy.

Except for the war lingering on the horizon, the constant death, as well as the fear that was imprinted into their hearts.

Our hearts.

"So, how's Mum and Dad?" I asked, looking at James with a small smile.

"They're alright," James shrugged. "Kind of at that point where they constantly look at me, and then each other, with sadness because you and I have grown up."

"Oh, that point. The sad parent with adult children point."

I moved my hand in a circle on my stomach. I wondered what the hardest part of being a mother would be. Getting past the screaming baby days, the insufferably annoying toddler years, the years of discovery followed by the pre- and teenage years, or them growing into an adult with a life of their own? 

If any of us survived that long.

I desperately wanted to watch my baby grow up, and I wanted to experience all of the screaming and disastrous messes. I wanted to witness her fall in love, have her heart broken, get married and have her own children. I wanted to watch her make those decisions, whether she wanted to get married or not, have children or not, or even whether she wanted to fall in love at all. 

I wanted to be there. To support her, give her the endless love that she deserves. Love her and care for her just as my mother has done for me.

"So do you have a name picked out?" Lily asked, and I looked at Sirius.