"Are you sure you want to practice on me?" James asks.
Sirius nods, determined to get his winning speech to Kate right. James clears his throat and sits down on the edge of his bed. Remus puts his book down to watch the scene unfold and Pete sits eagerly waiting for the performance.
"Kate! Can I speak to you?" Sirius asks to James.
James stands up and crosses his arms, "And why would I want to speak to a no good lying small dick cheat like you?!"
Remus and Pete start to roll around their beds, laughing. Sirius snarls at his best mate and rolls his eyes. Pete face plants the floor with a thud, unable to stop laughing at James' comment.
"Obviously, she wouldn't say that!" He stresses, rolling his eyes, "I can whip it out for you all if you want.Take it seriously, Prongs."
"Fine."
"Kate! Can I speak to you?" Sirius asks James again.
James rolls his eyes, placing his hands on his hips, "And why would I allow that? Hmm? Oh wait! Let me get a prop!!!"
"What?" Sirius frowns, watching as his friend grabs his pillow off his bed and shoves it up his pyjama top. James smiles proudly, Remus and Pete besides themselves with laughter.
He fake rubs his pillow bump and raises his eyebrows, "What do you want?"
"To apologise for everything." Sirius says, closing his eyes to remember his lines, "I should never have kissed Mary. I should have been there for you the moment I realised the baby was mine. I'm sorry, Kate."
James pretends to wipe away a tear and sniffles, "Shes going to have to forgive you. That was so emotional." He responds sarcastically.
"Piss off." Sirius laughs rolling his eyes, "There's other stuff I want to say to her, I just can't repeat it to you."
"Why not?" Pete asks, climbing back into his bed.
"Because you'd all roast the fuck out of me and I'd never hear the end of it."
Sirius spent the next few days rehearsing his speech in mirrors, whilst trying to catch a moment alone with Kate. He stayed in the common room, ensuring he's the first one there in the morning and the last one at night. He doesn't understand how she keeps slipping past him but he's determined to talk to her one way or another.
Remus had reported back to his fellow marauders that same evening after his chat with her in the library, repeating everything that came out of Kates mouth. Sirius had to prove himself to her, as a responsible parent and as someone who genuinely did love her.
He had started to allow himself the thought of winning Kate back, getting hopeful at the idea of being a family with her. Having a second chance at the family thing, his way. He would be nothing like his parents. He'd spend the rest of his life protecting them both.
Far too often, his innocent thoughts of the future would turn into his usual horny and frustrated thoughts. He couldn't help but fantasise about screwing her. He hadn't ever stopped really and found on multiple occasions he was imagining her when balls deep in another girl. But now he had vowed to just use his left hand to relieve himself, another way to prove to Kate he was maturing.
Kate was his addiction. His constant high. Like all addicts, he went through withdrawal without her next to him. He was addicted to Kate, every thought and feeling in his mind was about her. His brain itched for a daily glance of her, and it frustrated him to no end if for some reason she wasn't in class or the Great Hall.
Finally, after 8 days of hogging the common room waiting for her- he finally caught her. It was 5:02 am when she emerged downstairs in her school uniform. Her shirt tightly fitting around her bump, she looked surprised to see Sirius, despite his best efforts to capture her alone all this time.
Sirius' heart starts hammering against his chest, he doesn't know what to say. His nerves getting the better of him. She always had that hold over him, the only girl in school that could make him loose his natural charisma and wit.
"Don't walk off!" He blurts as she tries to go around the sofas to the door, "Please just talk to me."
"What do you want? You're usually snoring away at this time." She sighs, resting her arm across the top of her stomach.
Sirius tilts his head admiring her growing her stomach, his heart leaping at the sight. His eyes unintentionally wander to her chest, his dick jolting I'm his pants, "Did your tits grow?"
"Unbelievable."
Kate rolls her eyes and starts to walk towards the door, Sirius side steps to block her leave and looks into her eyes pleadingly.
"Sorry I'm just really fucking nervous." He ushers, "I had this whole speech planned, I knew exactly what I was going to say but now I've forgotten everything. I even practiced with James a few times to get it right but-"
"Okay." She shrugs, "You have two minutes because I have somewhere I need to be."
Sirius inhales sharply, bracing himself to explain everything in two short minutes, "okaysoimsorryforwhatIdididontlikemaryshesannoyingandclingyandishouldnthavekissedherbutididntknowyouwaspregnantandithoughtyoudidnt-"
Kate holds her hand up to silence him,"I'm going to get you stop right there. I have no fucking clue what you just said."
"I'm sorry."He mutters looking at the floor nervously, "For it all. I don't like Mary. I like you- well no, actually I fucking love you. I regret kissing her more than anything. I thought you didn't feel the same, I don't expect you to forgive me or understand. I just- opening up to you like that just for you to not say anything.. I felt so angry and so hurt..I guess I just-"
"Can't handle the rejection." Kate finished savagely, "I wasn't rejecting you. I just wanted to tell you about the baby first..incase you decided to runaway from us."
Sirius glanced at her, "I get it.. to be honest, I don't know if I would've ran away or not."
"You avoided me long enough, even though you knew he's yours. I think that tells us you would've run away."
Sirius blinks once then twice in surprise, "He?"
Kate smiles softly, "Yeah."
"Wow.."Sirius chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief, "Our son.."
He edges closer to Kate who steps back, he feels his heart fall and burn in his stomach. She had never stepped away from him before when they were alone. He looks into her big blue eyes, his stomach tightening at the sight of her.
"Will you let me be part of this?" He whispers a lump getting caught in his throat, "I know I'm an immature stupid fuck up but I really do promise to try and do right by him."
Kate nods slowly, "I'm not a bitch,Sirius. Of course, you can be part of his life."
Sirius presses his lips together, he doesn't know how to feel. He wanted to be part of both of their lives, he wanted both of them. He looks down at her bump, running his fingers through his long wavy black hair.
"No one can know I'm the Father, at least not yet. That shit I told you about my family.. I'm scared of what they would do if they found out about him."
"They can't hurt you anymore, you're safe at the Potters." She whispers softly, offering her most reassuring and comforting smile.
"I know." Sirius whispers, looking guiltily at the floor, "It's not me I'm scared for- it's you two."
********
"Pregnant girl coming through. Move it!" James and Pete yell as they drag Kate through the corridors to her next class.
Sirius groans, "Fucking embarrassing."
"How long do you think it'll take for the school to realise James isn't the Father?" Remus smirks, adjusting his bag over one shoulder and Kates bag over the other.
"As soon as he realises that's what people are saying." Sirius laughs, "Then they'll move onto the Gryffindor Casanova."
"Shud it." Remus mutters, "Everyone knows that baby ain't mine."He frowns, "Don't they?"
"I'm surprised more people don't think I'm the Dad." Sirius shrugs absently.
"As long as Reggie doesn't find out you're both safe." Remus reminds him gently.
Since Kate and Sirius' heart to heart a few weeks ago, the baby had gained not one but four extra parents. Every single one of the Marauders made a huge fuss in protecting the 'Mini Marauder.' James singlehandedly ended all bets, Pete ensured to stock up on extra snacks in the common room, Remus would offer to carry things for her and Sirius would give her back massages in the privacy of the common room late at night.
Kate was no longer alone, she always had a marauder or two accompanying her and keeping Sirius updated throughout the day. He got Kate to himself, when no one else was around. She'd slowly but surely started to trust him again. They returned to their old ways -not entirely. But little things like stealing glances at eachother from across classrooms, butterflies swarming their stomachs whenever they thought of the other. Sirius was very certain that this was love.
He'd called it off entirely with Mary, much to her dismay. She would cry for hours in the girls dorm, making Kate feel incredibly guilty. She often shot metaphorical daggers at Sirius as he laughed and chatted with his friends, completely unbothered by their breakup. If you could even call it a breakup if you weren't ever really dating.
James untucked Kates chair in the classroom, "You alright? Need water or anything? He's not in an uncomfortable position right?"
"He's fine, James." Kate replied sternly, nodding for him to go and take his own seat.
Lily, Mary and Marlene stared with their mouths hung open. Even Lily had assumed James genuinely had eyes for only her, but here he was suddenly acting like Father of the year!
Sirius wandered in behind the others, stealing a glance at Kate and smiling to himself. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her back in his life. He knew he had to gain her trust back, and he would. Their son was going to have the best life with the both of them. He would ensure of it.
James frowned glancing at Kate for the 50th time, "Does she look too warm to you?"
"She's fine,Prongs." Remus repeats rolling his eyes.
"Errrrr sorry for being concerned about-"
"Well well," Came Snapes desolate tones as he joined around the Marauders table, "Can't believe you finally moved on from Evans."
James blinked, "Excuse me?"
"I thought you were going to be a virgin for the rest of your pathetic little life." Snape hissed, smirking at Kate.
"What a virgin like you, ya mean?" James scoffed, "Get your fat nose out of our business."
"Or what?"
Remus stands to his feet towering over Snape, "Or I'll let the wolf come out to play."
Snape gulps anxiously, "Y-you wouldn't."
"Try me."
Snape scarpers back to his own table, looking nervously at Remus for the rest of the lesson. Remus had vowed never to use the wolf as a weapon, but he felt fiercely protective of the baby as did the rest of the Marauders.
********
"Hear me out!" James yells again excitedly, "What if we call him, Marauder, and then we can continue the legacy outside of Hogwarts when we leave!?"
"That's literally the worst name you've suggested so far." Sirius laughs shaking his head, "Well,second worse after James."
The four Marauders and Kate are sat in the common room in the early hours of Saturday morning, Kate his cuddled in between Sirius' legs, her head resting on his chest as he cradles her growing belly, he's waiting to feel a kick or something.
"I think Sirius the second would be grand." He nods confidently.
Kate shakes her head, "I don't think we can name him before he's even here."
"What about Moony?" Remus grins teasingly, "I am the best Marauder. I was actually friends with Kate before all this."
James scoffs, " but I'm the best friend of the one who planted the sperm-"
"Do you have to say it like that?" Pete groans, turning white at the turn in conversation.
"You're actually the Father according to half the population of Hogwarts." Sirius laughs, shaking his head at James.
"What?"
Remus tries to hold back a laugh, "You haven't heard? Everyone thinks you're the Dad because they've all seen you helping and worrying."
"Oh no!" James groans, glancing at Kate, "Not that it's a bad thing! I'm basically 1/4th of the Dad-"
"1/4th of the Dad?" Sirius frowns, looking at the Marauders and shaking his head, "That is not how this works."
"Sure it is!" Pete says agreeing with James, "We're all in this together."
"You bunch of virgins." Sirius snickers, "When a girl and a boy get together-"
Pete covers his ears, "Don't want to know."
"Can't we be the cool Uncles instead?" Remus asks James.
"Not sure about the cool part." Kate laughs, Sirius smiling down at her lovingly.
"That's my girl." He whispers, kissing her on the top of the head.