The Other Potter

Part 1

Dorea knew that having James so late in life would cause problems but she would never regret having her little bundle of joy, her once in a lifetime baby. She and Charlus had tried for decades; potions, spells and rituals but nothing had worked until finally she had admitted, only to herself, that an heir to the Potter family may have to come from somebody else. The very thought broke her, she loved her husband, a marriage which everybody thought would fail had blossomed from teenage romance to something truly magical. It had been just when she was giving up hope, one last fertility ritual she told herself, that she had found herself expecting. The pregnancy had been hard, her magic drained and body weakened, but when she held her son, her husband's heir, it was worth it. Recovering from his birth had been difficult, she felt weak, her magic strained even without sustaining the baby which led her to her current placement.

She had lied to Charlus, telling him to watch James while she was going out to get a few bits for his first birthday that was quickly approaching. She didn't want him fretting over her any more than usual, the man was the love of her life, but he was sometimes too much, for weeks he had been hovering over her, his worry smothering but she knew it came from a good place. So instead of shopping, she found herself sitting alone in St. Mungos, waiting to be told what was wrong with her.

"Lady Potter," the healer said, drawing her from her thoughts.

"Healer Abbot," she greeted, the man had been her primary healer throughout her rough pregnancy.

"I've been over your results and had them checked over by another healer," he started, the words causing a fissure of dread to build inside her, a number of magical diseases conjuring up in her mind; Dragon Pox, Morgana's Fever, Troll Foot.

"And the results?" she asked, thankful for her pureblood decorum making it so she could mask her growing fear.

"You're pregnant."

The words didn't register for a moment, out of all of the possibilities she hadn't expected that.

"Pregnant?" she clarified.

"Just under 4 months."

"How?" she asked, allowing a slip in her mask to show.

The healer laughed good naturedly, "Surely my lady, I don't need to explain the mechanics?"

The question made her smirk; she had always liked Abbot, a Ravenclaw a few years ahead of her in Hogwarts. He had been one of the few who had supported her and Charlus when they had gotten together. Although she couldn't call him a close friend she was friendly with him and both Potters preferred him over any healer.

"Quite. I clarify, how? As you're more than aware of the difficulty I had conceiving James. It took decades and a multitude of potions and rituals and the pregnancy was from day one difficult, yet I've not noticed this one beyond my magical and physical weakness."

The statement made the healer pause and Dorea noted his pensive look before it was masked; such obvious show of emotions would have had him skinned had he been a Slytherin.

"Lady Potter... Dorea," the use of her given name made her start and the dread that had slowly vanished reappear, "as a healer, as your friend, I must inform you that this pregnancy will be risky if you choose to carry it out."

"If I choose?" she questioned, abortion was forbidden in magical Britain unless circumstances where dire; Yes they happened under the table in places such as Knockturn alley and nearly every pureblood was taught home remedies to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but to be offered an abortion at St. Mungos was nearly unheard of.