Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

54

O N E

   Y E A R 

       L A T E R

Regulus has been 'dead' for over three months now and it has truly been the best three months of his life. Nothing could ever go wrong. Right. Right? 

Wrong.

He looked over his sister, who was bawling her eyes out uncharacteristically on the floor of the bathroom. Touch has always been a well touchy subject for the Black siblings, but especially Regulus who was still mentally recovering from the swarm of inferii that had nearly dragged him to the bottom of the lake. He cursed himself for not being able to give her any sort of comfort. 

James and Sirius were both on their own separate missions and Remus was away with the wolf packs on orders from Dumbledore, who didn't know about the youngest Blacks change of heart. James was following a lead on a certain horcrux that Regulus presumed to be hidden somewhere in or around Hogwarts and Sirius was doing something for the Order.

His sister was crying her eyes out on the bathroom and truly Regulus thought this was more uncomfortable than the thousands of dead hands clawing at his skin. 

"Er - Liz?" he said with his cheeks starting to bloom a bright red from embarrassment. His words failed him as that was all he could muster.

Her face was red and puffy from the tears but she didn't even try to fix it when she realized he wa there. When he had appeared on their doorsteps just under four months ago, she had sent a bat bogey curse so harsh that he sneezed bats for weeks. Now, the charms kept him safe and from being spotted by everyone in the wizarding community, except for the few visitors the Potter home received. Mainly Sirius, who had lived there for months after the sudden and unfortunate death of Monty and Mia Potter shortly after the group had graduated school. 

"I fucked up big time, Reggie," she said with a wobbling lower lip. 

"It can't be that bad--" he started before he saw the white stick in his sisters trembling hands. The white stick with two bright pink lines. The one that said she was definitely pregnant with a baby Potter. 

"We were drunk on Halloween and he looked so handsome and we must've forgotten the charm," she said with tears leaking out the corners of her eyes. He remembered that party, it was to celebrate both the holiday and his older brother's birthday. The new year was approaching so she would have only been a couple of months. 

Another factor to consider was a new prophecy that had been announced not so long ago about a boy born at the end of the seventh month. The Death Eaters, who had been none stop trying to kill people, had been targeting any pregnant person since the word had spread around the community. People were spying around the hospitals, specifically the maternity ward, and killing anyone with the baby in their uterus whether the due date was around July or not.

Regulus thought that was a bit ridiculous since why was a grown man so concerned about a baby? 

"Um.. what do you want to do about ... it?" 

"James and I talked about it but I didn't think it would happen so soon," she said. "Or the fact that it could be due around fucking July because of course that would happen to me."

"You could get an abortion," he said with a shrug, taking a sit on the floor with her. There shoulders were close but not enough to touch.

She looked conflicted for a second before she shook her head. "No," she muttered. "I don't think I do. I just hate that it has to be like this."

He didn't understand her or her reasons but he nodded in understanding. The baby didn't matter to him, not as much as his sister. In fact, if it were his decision he'd give her the abortion just to keep her safe. It was sad to him that he hated the little fetus for the danger he brought upon his older sister. 

Regulus would respect her choice because it was something he had to do to prove that he wasn't like his parents. 

He wasn't like his parents.

Not anymore.

******

James and the Grey Lady had a really good conversation before he went and found the diadem in the Room of Requirement. He felt really good and giddy as he walked through the door of their home that held his fiance - a new development - and her 'dead' brother. 

"Regulus! I found the horcrux you mentioned," he yelled as he bounded up the stairs to find the pair on the floor. One crying and one uncomfortable.

"I'll take it and you talk to her," he whispered and rushed out of the bathroom with the cursed object in his hand. He stared after the rushing boy for a split second before he looked at the love of his life staring at him with her wide grey eyes on display. Fear shown through them as she hid something behind her back.

He sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her and feeling just how stiff she was. "What's going on, love," he pressed a gently kiss to her head to bring her some sort of comfort.

"impregnant," she said so quietly and quickly that he was sure that he had missed it.

"Say again?" he wished he was wrong, but couldn't stop the excitement that leapt into his heart. James Potter was born to be a father.

"I'm pregnant," she looked up at him with her eyes wet with tears.

He wiped them away and held her close to him. The end of the world was nearing for the everyone outside of those walls. Inside, James felt as if life had been breathed back into him. He swore that he could feel a little bit of his parents with him at the moment.

"It'll be alright, Liz. Whatever you want or need, I'm here," he whispered to her with the biggest smile on his face.