A.N: Chapter nine. I don't own harry potter or the characters. I am skipping to Christmas. I have other harry potter stories on my account if you want to read a story but have caught up with this.
Dahlia POV:
Over the last month and a half, I have become close with all the seventh years. Not as many Slytherins but a few. They regularly ask Fred and me to Hogsmeade or to do something on the weekend. It's the last week of school so no one is interested in doing any school work. So we have got creative and decided to do a practical lesson with classes and told them to meet us in the entrance hall when they have a lesson. We have seventh years now and they had finally all got here.
"Right, none of you want to do work on the last week of school. You want to have fun. So we thought we could learn and have fun. We are going to split the class in two and you are going to get five minutes to plan before having a snowball fight. It will test your aim and dodging ability. You are going to be doing it completely muggle way though," Fred explained.
"We will be watching to keep score if you throw one at Fred he might join in, but I won't be," I tell them smirking. "This will be your lessons the rest of the week as long as the snow is still here and the further into the week you will incorporate magic as well." We split the class in half based on the register and it is soon war.
I watch the class and had put a spell on them to know how many times they got hit. Which was a lot for most of them. They had all got too used to shielding themselves. Forgetting to duck and dodge. It took until near the end of the war for them to remember. When they come back in I get Fred to cast a drying charm on them and an elf from the kitchens to bring them some hot drinks. Once they are warm enough and get told their results they all went to their next class. We do the same with all our classes even in the first years. As it can count as a lesson but would keep them entertained and easier than trying to get them to concentrate on a lecture as most other professors are doing.
~~~
By the end of the day, Fred is exhausted from participating in all the fights. We are back in our rooms relaxing until dinner when there was a knock on the door. We look at each other confused as we don't get many visitors at this time usually our wards go off near the office. "Come in!"
Sirius, James, Remus and Peter entered. "Here for some prank advice?" I ask. They nod. "And that's my cue to go do something else so I can at least not have to lie when I say I didn't know what you were planning," I remark dryly before getting up and going to the kitchen. I just finished making my sandwich of jam, marmite and pickles when another knock sounds. I go out to investigate and see Lily, Marlene, Mary and Alice.
"Hi, girls. What are you doing here?" I ask confused.
"Daliah what is that?" Remus asks before anyone else can, scrunching up his nose probably able to smell the weird combinations.
"Don't judge me Remus, baby cravings. It is jam, marmalade and pickle sandwich," I tell them. They all look disgusted at the thought. "Trust me not something I would normally eat."
"Anyway, we were here because we wanted to give you an early Christmas present for the baby," Marlene interrupts coming forward with a gift bag.
"You didn't have to," I tell them with a smile.
"Love, it's a present for the baby. I don't think he or she would appreciate you turning down a gift," Fred says plucking the bag out of Marlene's hand and opening it. "Aww, that's so cute." He holds it up and it's a small onesie that says my mummy is magical with fireworks that explode on it. I burst into tears. "What's wrong love?" Fred asks worriedly coming over.
"Hormones ... everywhere. I love it ... I don't even know why I am crying. Ignore me," I say drying my eyes.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you guys," I say wiping my eyes. "It's really sweet."
Lily smiles, "There is another one as well." Fred looks in the bag and pulls it out, he reads it before grinning and showing me. It says I'm cute, mum's hot, dad's lucky. I grin.
"Aww that cute, and true," I grin picking it up. "I would have put Fred is sexy but I suppose you can't put that on a onesie." Fred grins smugly wrapping his arm around my waist.
"Dahlia your hormones are showing again," Sirius sings, "They are just horny this time." I grin and pull Fred for a kiss while flipping SIirus off.
I shrug allowing Fred to hod me, "I am allowed to think my husband is sexy." They all laugh and stay with us until dinner talking about what they plan to do over Christmas as they are going home for the holidays.
~~~
The Christmas holidays pass quickly with Fred and I relaxing around the castle or in our rooms. We got some little gifts from some of the staff. I got Fred a notebook that you can add parchment to for his jokes. All his notes with George he had brought with him were put in along with what he worked on with the marauders. Fred got me some clothes that have an undetectable extension charm and will grow as I do so I don't have to worry for later. He also got me a cute bracelet that will match the silver band he got for the baby that he will engrave when they are born.
~~~
When school starts again it was nice as the castle seems more lively, it is the best way to be in the castle as everything is more animated. As decided we started counter curses with the seventh years in preparation for duelling, along with a few healing spells. They are always handy to know for real life as well as duels. You never know when you might need some quick medical attention. It is amazing to see who is a natural for these spells and who had an instinct of what to do when someone is injured. This helps show who would be good at high tension jobs because of their instincts in stressful situations. Obviously, they want to see what I am like in a duel, I had to tell them to wait until after I have the baby as I don't want to bring it any risk, which they understand. Magical children are cherished after all so no one wants to risk anything that might harm them.
The next noteworthy thing happens a week into February when all the seventh years come into the lesson and the girls are talking animatedly and the boys looked a mix between sick and excited.
"Alright, what's going on?"
"Oh, Dahlia it's so exciting. Headmaster Dumbledore announced we would be having a valentine's day ball," Marlene answers.
"Wow, I forgot about Valentine's day," I replied shocked.
"What! How?"
"Just do. Suppose I have to find you a present now," I say directing the last part to Fred.
Fred smirks and teases me, "I mean you don't have to." I just roll my eyes at him.
"As exciting as this is we still have lessons to do so let's get to it." The class groans slightly, obviously wanting to talk a little more but we have a lot to cover.
~~~
On valentines day I woke up to Fred with a rose in his hand. The rest of the day he gives me eleven more roses, each in a place that is important to us in the castle. The students don't get that correlation and think he is giving them to me randomly during the day. The girls don't find it any less romantic. Fred and I had been told we have to supervise the ball as we are teachers, as well as enjoy it.
The ball is on a Saturday, throughout the day I have many girls come in questioning any beauty charms I know until I have to get ready. So I just give the book to Fred and go to get ready telling him to look in it when the next girl asks. I had brought an off the shoulder dark red dress that hugged my figure and shows my bump, which is quite big now. The dress has a train behind it that goes just past the floor so it isn't too long, I decide to add petals from the roses Fred had given me on Valentine's day to the dress randomly. Luckily I had decided to add lots of comfort and stability charms to my pair of heels so that my feet won't be sore. My hair s in a simple updo which I had put a few of the rose petals and pins with pearls on the end in the updo. When I come out Fred smiles brightly at me, "You look gorgeous as always darling."
"You look handsome, yourself," I tell him. He is in form-fitting black robes. He takes my arm and leads us to the great hall. We arrive before most of the students and decide to go in and sit at the staff table. Once all the students and staff have dinner Dumbledore moves the tables and a band started to play. Fred gets up and offeres me his hand.
"Would you care to dance my beloved?"
"Why of course."
So we walk to the floor and start to dance as well as we could with my stomach in the way. In the end, it is easier to just sway with Fred against my back with me leaning on his chest. We stay there for two songs just enjoying each other's company for a while as it isn't often we do things like this. Soon we decide to get refreshments and actually pretend to supervise. Fred and I end up talking to most of the students and staff. A few giggling girls ask Fred to dance and he is perfectly polite and indulges them. I was asked by a few brave boys.. Though we dance in the traditional hold as to how Fred and I dance is much too initimite for a student and teacher to dance to. It was fun but I always had a break in between each dance for some rest.
When my parents and their friends come up to us, I get asked by Sirius. "May I just say Dahlia you do look lovely."
"Thank you. Fred helped." At his questioning look, I explain, "The flowers he gave me are the petals."
"Ahhh. Nice touch. How long have you two been together?"
"Since the start of my fourth year and his sixth. He asked me out and that was it. Some people thought we were rushing into things, but we have gone through things that bond you to someone for life. But I wouldn't change a thing as it brought us closer," I tell him smiling while looking at Fred.
"Yeah, you two have given everyone something to want. Not just the girls, the utter love and devotion in some of the looks you share, everyone wants that. It's nice to know it is out there," he tells me softly.
"I didn't even realise we did that."
"Really!" he replies shocked. "Every time you enter the room Fred immediately looks up and whenever you stand next to each other he is always holding your hand or arm wrapped around you. Same for you and him."
"Been paying attention, have we?" I tease.
"No." he laughs. "But girls in the common room talk loud," he grins. I laugh nodding knowing just how true that is. Soon the song comes to an end and we walk back over to the group.
"May I say, Mr Black, you danced impeccably well and I had to fight myself not to come over and steal you away from the lovely Mrs Peverell," James says exaggerating and joking with him.
"Why thank you, Mr Potter. And I must say if you had I would have taken you up on your offer. You are utterly irresistible," Sirius plays along. Lily and Remus roll their eyes at them both. We all laugh at them.
~~~
I have been doing less magic every day now and with my due date in less than a week Fred isn't letting me do much even if it doesn't need magic. I told him I wasn't feeling up teaching today and decide to go down to the kitchens and talk to the house elves and walk around the castle talking to portraits in between lessons. At the end of the day, I explain this to Fred when he worried when I wasn't in our rooms and he calms down, luckily. I might have had to hex him if he hadn't.
It is Friday night dinner had started a few minutes ago. When I know. I get up, put my napkin on my plate and start walking out without a word, slowly this gained everyone's attention. It was very unusual for a teacher to leave through the front of the hall doors if they had to leave during dinner. "Dahlia?" I hear Fred ask. When I get to the doors of the great hall I turn around and raise an eyebrow. "Where are you going?" he continues.
"To have our baby. Come on," I tell him, making the hall quieter than it was, if possible, then walk out. It takes a few moments for the words to sink in before everyone is in action. I keep walking.
I find out later quite a large majority of the students had tried to follow me before the could Dumbledore had sealed the doors of the great hall only allowing Fred out. He had to order the students to their common rooms and promised that word would be sent as soon as I had delivered the baby.
It took seven hours of pain and sweat but finally, our baby had arrived. We have a baby boy. We have decided to call him Nicholas (Nick for short) James Peverell, we will tell everyone else that the babies middle name is George until we leave. The Head of houses informed their house of the news at 2 in the morning as apparently many have managed to stay awake. I have to stay in the hospital wing until the morning just to get a good rest and so Poppy can check nothing went wrong.
~~~
It didn't take long for Poppy to declare me fine and that it is safe for me to move around. We get Nick dressed and bring what we might need and come down to breakfast. Fred goes in first. I hear him announce that I am coming in with the baby and ask not to mob me and if they want to see the baby we will be in the classroom all day and to come to visit but not too many at a time. When I come in everyone is watching and there is a loud aww from the room. I smile at them all and walk up to the table. I have my breakfast and so Fred can eat his I hold Nick after as he did for me. The teachers all ask how I am and that if we need anything to come and ask. Soon breakfast is done and I leave for the classroom, as we haven't yet put anything in there for the preparation of lessons with the baby. We make a little area at the back of the room with a cot and some toys so that the baby would be able to play or sleep if need be.