Announcement

Lily sat on the stiff chair, fidgeting with discomfort and impatience. “How long does it take to read a blood test?” she addressed James, who was equally nervous.

“They said it would be a few minutes for any spell to take effect. I just hope it’s done soon,” James replied, not pausing in his pacing back and forth.

The couple had been waiting for twenty minutes at St. Mungo’s for the result of Lily’s blood test. After two weeks of nausea and a high fever, Lily had opted to seek medical help.

A healer came out of the back room. Lily and James both looked at him expectantly, but he continued on without even looking at the two of them.

“How much longer can it be?” Lily asked again, looking nervous. The longer it took for the test to come back, the more worried she became about what could be wrong with her.

“Mr. and Mrs. Potter?” a healer poked her head out into the waiting room.

“Yes, we’re right here,” James replied, helping Lily to her feet and following the healer into another exam room.

“I have the results of your blood work. Your hormone levels are highly increased,” the healer explained.

“What does that mean? Is she going to be okay?” James interrupted.

“Everything is fine. Congratulations, you’re going to be parents,” the healer announced with a huge smile.

Lily and James looked at one another in surprise. As the shock wore off, grins lit up their faces. “We’re going to have a baby,” Lily said happily, still barely able to comprehend what exactly had happened.

After talking with the healer about what steps needed to be taken, and setting up an appointment for another visit in a few weeks, the couple left the hospital with beaming faces and happy hearts.

“Just wait till I tell Sirius about this,” James beamed. “He’ll be so excited!”

“James, it’s still very early. I don’t think that we should be telling everyone just yet that we’re pregnant,” Lily interjected a voice of reason.

“Yes, but, it’s Sirius. He should be the first to know,” James explained.

“I was thinking that maybe we should tell our parents first,” Lily said, not believing how incredibly close her husband and his best friend could be for him to want to tell Sirius first.

“Okay, we’ll tell our parents first,” James said dejectedly.

Lily smiled at the childishness of her husband. She thought how loving and kind he would be with their child. But part of her also knew how indulgent and childish that he would be.

“Do you think the baby would like a Comet or a Shooting Star better?” James asked his wife as she dialed her parent’s phone number. Lily just smiled at how well she knew her husband.

“You never know, the baby could turn out to be more studious, like me,” Lily teased James as the other line was ringing.

“Hello?” the voice on the other line answered.

“Hi Mum,” Lily replied.

“Oh Lily, it’s so good to hear from you! How are you dear?” Mrs. Evans answered her daughter. “John, it’s Lily,” she said to her husband.

“Hi Lily,” John Evans picked up the other phone.

“Hi Dad, how are you today?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. My cough has been acting up, but everything’s going well,” John answered. “How are you?”

Lily smiled, knowing how happy her parents would be when she told them the news. Her dad’s doctors didn’t think that he would live much longer, so it would be great if he were alive to see his new grandchild.

“Mum, dad, James and I are going to have a baby!” Lily said quickly.

The two of them gave collective gasps. “Oh honey, that’s wonderful. I can’t believe that you and your sister are going to have babies at the same time,” Julia Evans said excitedly.

“What?” Lily asked, surprised by what her mother had said.

“Petunia didn’t tell you that she’s pregnant?” Julia asked.

“No, she didn’t. Congratulations to her,” Lily replied, a little angry. She was upset that once again she was being overshadowed by her older sister.

“Oh, just imagine if you both have little girls. Or little boys. The two of them would be close cousins,” Julia said with a smile in her voice.

“Maybe,” Lily said doubtingly. If Petunia and her enormous, rude, bigoted, ugly… husband ever felt the need to once again acknowledge Lily as a member of their family, they would never be able to wrap their minds around the fact that her and James’s child would be magical.

“Oh, dear, I wish we could talk with you longer, but your father has a doctor’s appointment in a few minutes. Can we call you later?” Julia excused herself from the conversation.

“That’s fine. We need to talk with James’s parents anyways,” Lily replied. Even though talking with the Potters would not require the phone, Lily’s parents were still more comfortable with not knowing too much about the magical world.

“Okay, you have a good day sweetie,” Julia said.

“Take care,” John added.

“You too Mum, and I hope your doctor’s appointment goes well Dad,” Lily replied. She hung up the phone and turned towards James, who had been sitting looking through a Quidditch catalog the entire time.

“I can’t believe that Petunia has to be pregnant too. Why can’t I just have something all to myself for once?” Lily fumed.

“Don’t worry about it. Our kid will kick their kid’s…”

“Don’t say it. There will be no foul language in this house any longer. It’s not a good example for the baby,” Lily admonished her husband.

“…butt,” James finished lamely.

“Thank you. Now shall we call your parents?” Lily advised.

After talking with the Potters, and getting an appropriately excited response for Lily, the two of them sat contemplating about the changes the next nine months, and then 18 years, would make on their life.

“Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?” Lily asked James, her head resting on his chest, enjoying the warmth and comfort she received from him.

James looked into Lily’s eyes and instantly saw them on a little boy with jet-black hair and features that looked uncanningly like his own. The picture then morphed into a little girl with red hair and dark brown eyes.

“What do you think about a little girl with red hair and brown eyes?” James asked.

“That sounds perfect,” Lily replied, and snuggled closer into her husband’s arms.