The Last Horcrux

Phoenix

Draco and Dudley apparated to the alley behind Spinner's End where they met Remus and Sev coming out the gate.

"How is he?" Draco asked Sev.

"I'm fine," said Remus. 'I'm...." He closed his eyes, put a hand to his back, and leaned heavily against Sev, breathing hard and wincing. "Damn, that hurts!" he groaned. He gripped Sev's arm, hard, while Sev rubbed his back. After another minute he seemed to recover. He opened his eyes and straightened up. "Back labor," he said, shaking his head.

"Let's go," said Sev, anxiety writ large on his face. "The boys are fast asleep inside. We didn't wake them. Thanks for coming at such short notice."

"No worries," mumbled Dudley.

"They'll be fine," said Draco. "Owl us when there's news."

"Yeah,'' said Sev distractedly. He flung his arm across Remus' shoulders and with a loud pop of apparition they disappeared.

*******

Sev and Remus arrived at the abandoned storefront that was the entrance to St. Mungos. Sev felt desperate to get inside, but there seemed to be something wrong with the mannequin that let people through. "He's in labor!" Sev shouted at the plate glass window. "We need to get into the male pregnancy ward, now!" Beside him Remus groaned and clutched his belly. Fuck! What was wrong?

"I work here!" shouted Sev desperately. "Let me in!!!"

"Not so fast," came a female voice behind him. A chillingly familiar voice. Sev turned and looked in horror at Bellatrix Lestrange. She was backlit by a Muggle streetlamp. Pettigrew stood beside her.

"But.... you're dead!" Sev said stupidly. He stared at her for a split second, unwilling to believe his own eyes, then he grabbed Remus and pulled him behind some trash cans as a stunner left Bella's wand. It exploded on the brick wall above them. Sev fumbled desperately for his wand. He tried to shield Remus with his body but Remus already had his wand out.

"Stupefy!" Remus cried. With the reflexes of a trained fighter he cast a stunner at Bellatrix and Peter over Sev's shoulder, then bent double in another contraction.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!," said Sev, freeing his wand from his robes and casting a stunner. What the fuck was happening? He should never have let his guard down! Never! "Stupefy!" he cried, narrowly missing Peter's head. He ducked behind the trash cans as another stunner crashed into them with a hollow rattle. Remus got off one more stunner but Sev didn't even look to see where it had landed. He grabbed Remus by the arm and apparated to the one place he could think of that they could go.

********

He took them to the Muggle birthing center in London, where they had gone for their ultrasounds and amniocentesis. He stood outside the door of the clinic, ringing the bell frantically. The young midwife who answered the door took one look at the state of Remus and hustled them in.

Once inside it was all bright lights and efficiency. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out. The midwives seemed very calm. They laid Remus on a cot and put the ultrasound probe on his belly.

"There, dearie," said the midwife in a cheerful voice. "The baby's in a good position with a nice strong heartbeat. This is your second, you say? She'll be out in no time, judging from the look of you. Now if you'll just slip off your underwear, Mrs. Lupin, I need to check you."

Remus, panting between contractions, looked at Sev in horror. They had hastily applied a glamour while ringing the doorbell of the birthing center but there was no disguising what lay beneath Remus' robes.