Is this the life you chose yourself, or just how it ended up? Is that the yard you pictured when you closed your eyes and dreamed of children in the grass running through the sprinklers? Being somebody's wife, or were you living in another life?
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Truly, they should've seen it coming.
August finished and before anyone knew it, September and October had finished as well. Halloween of 1979 involved an absurd amount of alcohol and a large group of adults gathered at the Potter manor — all of which had previously been Gryffindor's.
Sirius, James, and Ascella had regretted their late night of drinking when they had to get up for their jobs early on the morning of November 1st.
It was now December 15th.
Ascella sat in her office alone at lunch, since Dumbledore had James and Sirius out on some undercover mission for the order.
She sipped on some ginger ale, a muggle drink that Lily had introduced her to, whilst going over paperwork. Ascella set the papers down and rubbed her temples for a few moments before reaching over her desk, grabbing the container of pasta that Lily had sent to work with her.
She popped the lid off and waved her wand over it to warm it up. The smell made Ascella feel a bit queasy, though she brushed it off as some illness she must've caught.
It was that possibility that prompted Lily to introduce Ascella to ginger ale and force saltine crackers into her diet along with tons of water.
Ascella grabbed her fork and went to take a bite, but almost immediately felt beyond sick to her stomach. She grabbed the rubbish bin just in time to throw up.
She immediately felt better, but she couldn't stay at work. Ascella knew she should've listened to Marlene when she told her to stay home from work, but she was stubborn.
Ascella cleaned up the mess in her office and left without telling anyone, apparating home.
Marlene was sat comfortably on James and Ascella's couch when she arrived. "You're home early. . . And you look like shit."
"I appreciate your kind words." Ascella grumbled, flicking her wand so everything would go back to where it was supposed to be.
"But seriously, are you okay? You don't look too well." Marlene got up off the couch and approached her friend, examining her closely.
"Have you eaten?" "I couldn't, I got sick Marls." Ascella admitted.
"I'm going to get Lily, she might know what to do. Have her muggle techniques been helping?"
"Yeah a bit. . . But I'm fine, probably just some common muggle cold that I contracted when Dumbledore sent us to Versailles."
"I'm still getting Lily, you can't stop me. . . And go brush your teeth."
It in fact was not just some common muggle cold. It was something similar, but not.
"So wait, Ella, if you're pregnant. . . Then that means that you and James did the deed."
"Please don't say it like that!" Ascella begged.
"You did the deed! With Potter! Oh Merlin, Alice needs to know! I'm at a loss for words!" Despite being at a loss for words, Marlene didn't shut up until James and Sirius arrived at the house two hours later.
Lily and Alice practically had to drag Marlene up the stairs so she couldn't spoil the moment for her friends. Frank followed as reinforcement, just in case the chaotic blonde broke free.
The moment James found out, he went through various stages of emotion, all of which Ascella had felt as well. Excitement, nervousness, self doubt.
He eventually settled on excited, which lifted her mood considerably.
Sirius on the other hand, went through the five stages of grief within the span of thirty seconds.
He too eventually landed on excitement.
"There's a baby Prongs in there." Sirius said for the millionth time in the past hour, poking Ascella's stomach gently. A couple weeks ago, she had thought she was just bloated, which was always common for her, so she let it slide without much thought.
It made much more sense now.
"How do you know it's not a girl? There's a large possibility, you know? My side of the family is notorious for producing daughters when the lords ask for heirs."
"I just know it's a little Prongs." Sirius admitted.
"Well, I'm team girl, or shall we call her mini Bones?" Dorcas asked. "Alright then, let's make a bet shall we? Four galleons each in a pile. . . Winning team splits the money, deal?"
A chorus of 'deal' went around the room, with Marlene being the first to place four galleons on the table. "Boy." She declared.
Lily followed, placing four down. "Girl."
Alongside Marlene and Sirius — James, Remus and Frank voted baby Prongs. Then, along with Dorcas and Lily — Alice, Peter, and (reluctantly) Ascella voted mini Bones.
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Later that evening, once their friends left, James and Ascella were in bed unable to sleep.
James drew little patterns on his wife's stomach with his index finger. "I hope you know you're out of the war." James said, breaking the silence.
"I can't abandon my responsibilities."
"You're not abandoning them, you just have new ones, more important ones. As do I. . . Keep yourself and our child healthy, Ella, that's all I ask of you. . . I'll do anything to ensure the safety of not only you, but any future children of ours."
Ascella sighed lightly and kissed his cheek. "Fine, I'll step down, however, I'll still be present at the order meetings and I will not leave the Ministry until I can't handle the work."
"You are one stubborn woman." "You love me for it." "I really do."
