-Sirius Black-
The first thing I saw when the green flames melted away was McGonogal's thunderous gaze waiting for us in Dumbledor's office.
As quick as possible we all tumbled out of the fireplace yelling for her to seal it off and to her credit she did it without yelling, without tearing us apart. She just flew over and with a flick of her wand and a muttered spell a gold wraught-iron gate appeared over the fireplace, metal that severed the link between us and the rest of the world.
We stood there, looking at the sealed off fireplace, only the sound of our ragged breathing breaking up the silence.
"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing!"
We turned to face the music.
"Professor, I can explain..." James began, holding up his hands in a surrender.
"You damn well better explain why you would throw away every piece of protection we have ever given to you. Every sleepless night we have spent guarding your rooms because the dark lord chose you!" She growled, sounding the most serious I have ever seen her been.
"Well?" She demanded as we stood in scolded silence. "Explain!"
"We had to know, Professor." It was Stella who spoke, who stepped forward with somber eyes. "We had to know our place in all of this, why he wanted our death so badly. When he left us the prophecy record we knew that was our only way of finding out. To find our own."
I expected a flurry of McGonogal anger, or in the very least for her to say something but she didn't. She just looked at us with wide searching eyes, trying to understand.
It was Dumbledor who spoke.
McGonogal hadn't even given us the chance to realise he was in the room, but there he was standing on the steps before his desk looking at us over his half-moon spectacles.
"Did you find it?" He asked, his voice careful.
Stella nodded.
"And did you find what you were looking for?"
"Not exactly." James replied. "I mean we did, but it wasn't what we were expecting."
Dumbledore smiled at that, but it came out more like a grimace. "Nothing ever is, Mr Potter."
"What did it say?" McGonogal asked, still trying to understand.
There was a breath of hesitation as we all tried to find the words to explain. Lily took one for the team.
"A baby. The baby of..." I saw her eyes flicker to James as she paused, before saying "two of us. Is going to be the end of Voldemort."
Another breath of hesitation as McGonogal and Dumbledor comprehended her words.
"Two of you?" McGonogal finally spoke, echoing Lily.
"Yeah. Two marauders. So basically James and I or Stella and Sirius are gonna produce an extra-special Voldemort-fighting fetus. It didn't say who." Lily answered, some of her frustration at the situation leaking into her words, making her dry and sharp.
"Oh my. So that's why he's after you." McGonogal breathed.
"He can't leave anything to chance. Told us that himself when we walked right into his trap and barely walked out." Lily laughed without humor.
Stella had been so quiet through all of this that it unnerved me. I looked over at her, trying to gauge what she's feeling but I can't see her face, she's looking at her feet.
"He was there?" Dumbledor asked sharply.
"Waiting for us. If it wasn't for Stell making that earthquake we would have never gotten out of there." Remus stated.
Dumbledor let out a long sigh.
"I have to send a message to Fudge, let him know what happened. You all..." He turned, pausing to look each of us in the eye. "Go back to our rooms, get some sleep. We'll deal with the consequences of this in the morning."
We didn't need to be told twice, each and every one of us drained- physically and mentally. James tucked an arm around Lily's waist, to support himself more so than support her. I tried to catch Stella's eye but hers were still on the ground. Remus coaxed her forward with a hand on her arm and she shuffled after him slowly. Pete's thoughtful eyes urged me forward, to not wait and so I didn't.
I turned, my feet moving me toward the door and that's when she spoke.
"Sirius and I had sex last night."
Fucking hell.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, frozen in the aftermath. Then all eyes went to Stella. McGonogals eyes were wide with shock and Dumbledore's were unreadable while Stella's were finally off the floor, flickering between the two professors.
"So we're telling people." I stated, but no one shared in the amusement.
I don't think Stella even heard me because she just kept talking her voice getting more scared and more frantic by the second.
"Could I be...? It was the first time and it was only once but could I be? And if I am does that mean...? The prophecy, could it be? Could I be pregnant?"
She was crying now, the word 'pregnant' coming out in a strangled sob. Fear settled around my heart like a vice, not at the thought of her being pregnant but rather at the thought of what that could mean. Voldemort has come before before and if she's pregnant he'll come again, twice as hard.
"Oh shhh," McGonnogal hushed, swooping forward and gathering Stella into her arms.
"Didn't you hear Professor Dumbledor? Get to bed." She ordered at the rest of us.
I didn't move, deciding to exclude myself from the instructions. I can't leave her, not now. Though the others moved, quietly moving out the door and down the stairs, James's eyes meeting mine before he slips from few, a thousand different things he wanted to say, translated in that look.
When they were all gone but three of us, McGonogal finally notice me, unmoved.
"Mr Black..." She sighed and I heard the words she didn't stay. I knew she was seconds away from telling me to go.
"I won't go, Professor. I won't leave her." I shook my head, my words firm.
"Is it possible? It's barely been twenty-four hours but could I be pregnant?" Stella continued, her ocean eyes stormy.
"There is a poltice that can tell. I'm going to need Slughorn and a tuft of your hair." McGonogal responded.
Stella wasted no time it ripping out of tuft of her golden hair and handing it to McGonogal whoo flew out of the room, leaving us two standing across from each other in silence.
"Stella." I said softly, after a moment.
She shook her head, her eyes wet.
"Wait." She whispered.
And so we did. We waited.
When McGonogal came back she was lighter on her feet than when she left.
"You're not pregnant, Stella." She announced, everything about her relieved.
I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
"The potion rings true, we ran it twice and don't worry I was discrete. Slughorn knows nothing." She continued, moving over to where Stella stood.
"But may I suggest if you're going to be engaging in extra-curricular activities, for goodness sake use protection! Until you're ready to bring a child into this world." She finished, and it was only then that she noticed Stella's frozen form.
Her expression was strange, her gaze on the floor once again and her soft face seemed almost... crestfallen.
"Mr Black, why don't you take Stella back to the common room? It's been a long night and you should both get some rest. Yo're all excused from morning classes, I'll let your teachers know." She instructed, her stern expression, softening.
"Thank you, Professor." I said quietly, acknowledging her with a respectful nod before moving forward and ever so carefully touching the tips of my fingers to Stella's arm.
It was that light touch that snapped her out of her daze. She mumbled a 'thank you' to McGonogal before making a beeline for the door. I followed her without hesitation.
We didn't talk the whole way down the stairs from Dumbledor's office or in any of the corridors leading to the common room. I understand. I she needs space I'll give that to her.
But just as we were about to part ways at the bottom of the stairs to the dormitories, she spoke.
"Sirius." She called my name and my heart swelled.
I turned to see the storm of emotion residing behind her ocean eyes come to the surface.
"I don't know why I'm crying." She whispered.
"Oh Stell." I sighed her name and returned to her, my hands coming up to skim her arms.
"I don't know why I'm crying for a baby that doesn't exist. I don't know why I'm wishing it did exist." She choked out, a rogue tear escaping down her cheek.
"It's okay." I told her but she shook her head, her searching eyes looking up.
"No it's not, because this is the good outcome, we're standing in it. We're not meant to have a baby right now, I know that but I can't help..." She trailed off.
"It's okay." I repeated, my hand reaching up to cup her cheek. Her eyes flickered to mine.
"It's okay to be sad. It's okay to realise you want something you never knew you wanted and Stell, let me tell you something." I paused, making sure she was focusing on me.
"We're gonna have a baby one day. A fucking badass baby that's gonna kick Voldemort's ass or just hypes up James and Lily's kid while they kick Voldemort's ass. Either way, we're gonna have a baby one da, when we're ready and it's right and all that we have left to do is love it. Okay?"
"Okay." She whispered, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile. Her glassy eyes shining.
"Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
She leaned in and kissed me. I can feel her smile against my lips as they move against mine and it's like she's slipped underneath my skin. Like honey, goddamn honey.
I pulled away before I lost myself in her, smiling a lopsided smile at her. Her cheeks were pink and her hands lifted up to touch them.
"Get some sleep." I told her.
"Okay." She whispered.
She halfturns away from me but then decides better and moves back to me, pulling me in for another scorching kiss. I stop her before she can.
"Stell..." I groan, tilting my head back and gathering my strength to resist her. "If you kiss me again, we're not gonna get any sleep."
She laughed, and I released her hands that I had intercepted as they had made their way to my throat, neck, hair.
"Get out of here." I told her.
She smiled.
"Goodnight Sirius."
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AUTHORS NOTE
Something a little shorter I know but I think I make up for it with the quick update and the fact that the last one was so long!
One more full chapter to go! But don't worry because the epilogue is more of a series of epilogues in which I will be doing my own rendition of October 31st when Voldemort kills James and Lily so, buckle up.
Don't forget to vote and comment because it means the world to me!!!
*loves*
-J xx