Following the events of the same universe where Juliet Potter and Remus Lupin fell in love, the insouciance has faded into misery as all parties prepare for the war, willing to pull any card to win a war from which none will truly come out victoriou...
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February 1979
"I'm not sure about this."
"I am."
"Baby, listen-"
"Remus, they gotta know, I'm four months along now, and we can't tell them on the day the baby decides to pop out."
"They're gonna notice the bump by then."
"Are they? I'm sorry, are we still talking about my oblivious and idiot brothers? They're going to think I put on weight." She pouted, looking down at her slightly showing belly. "Wait a minute, did you just call me fat!?"
"No!" He denied immediately, then added. "They won't think you put on weight either."
"Okay, you're right, they won't. They probably won't even be able to tell the difference, which is why we need to tell them. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. It's perfect!" Juliet clapped.
"You want to tell your brothers you're pregnant on Valentine's Day?" He snickered.
"Well, yeah, they're single, so at least they'll have something to celebrate." She shrugged.
"Can't we do that later? I'd rather take you on a date and also be able to meet our baby instead of being murdered."
Remus was very nervous about telling his best friend that he had gotten his twin pregnant. James is very dramatic. Either way, there's going to be an overreaction.
"You're scared." His girlfriend teased him.
"I've got good reasons to be. Hell, if I had a sister, I'd be mad too if he impregnated her."
"Fair. But, let's bet." She grinned. "You think he's going to murder you, I think he's going to cry."
"Oh yeah?" He smirked. "You're on. What happens if he does both?"
She paused, thinking. "Tie."
~
Juliet was very excited about Valentine's Day. The entire house thought the couple had plans, which they didn't specifically, just because they didn't feel like doing much. Though, Remus still got Juliet red tulips when she woke up.
Madam Pomfrey had scheduled Juliet for an ultrasound a few days prior. Her boyfriend accompanied her, of course, and he noted that it was pretty similar to the muggle way. Juliet stared at the moving picture of the baby in her belly for a whole hour.
She was getting used to it. The pregnancy. The morning sickness was getting better, and it felt a lot less stressful. She also started calling the baby "bean." Said it was an affectionate nickname she had for it, and Remus just went along with it.
And so, she approached her friends, who were all gathered in the living room, playing a card game on the night of Valentine's Day, after coming back from the walk her and Remus went on.
"James, I got something for you." Juliet grinned.
Remus, knowing it was time, sighed, put his cards down, and leaned back in his seat, trying to prepare.
"A gift for me?" James exclaimed excitedly.
"On Valentine's Day?" Sirius scowled.
"You shush." She glared and then handed her brother the box.
James opened the box and exclaimed joyously when his eyes fell on the mug. Now, if there was anything at all that Juliet would ever like about her brother (or at least, that she would admit to), it was how excited he always was about any gesture he received.
"You got me a mug!"
So, she waited patiently until he read what was written on the coffee mug. A challenge, really, she wasn't sure he could read.
But apparently, he could, since his jaw fell to the floor. His mouth agape, he looked between his sister and the mug in complete shock. The room was silent, and the others were still waiting to know what was happening.
"You!" He pointed at his best friend with a glare, standing up.
"There we go." Remus said, looking at Juliet.
Then James turned to his sister with teary eyes. "You!"
"Me!" She grinned.
"I need a moment." He held the cup up to hide his teary face behind it.
"Told you." Juliet smirked at her boyfriend.
"Okay, what's going on?" Pandora asked, looking around the room.
James breathed in, composed himself before bringing the cup down, turning it around to show everyone what had been written on it while he cried. "I've been promoted to uncle."
"I'm pregnant!" Juliet announced, more excited than the last time she said those exact words.
There were exclamations of shock and joy made all around the room the second everyone indeed read the inscription on the mug that said, "Promoted to Uncle."
"Again!?" Regulus scowled. "Keep it in your pants, for Christ's sake."
Regulus was very grumpy when he first got woken up by baby Cedric's cries. It was really just one night. Afterwards, Daphne and Amos put a silencing charm on their door.
"You're just jealous you didn't get a mug." James sniffed, caressing the mug like it was the dearest thing to him.
"I don't know about him, but I am." Sirius whined, sulking in his chair.
"Yeah, okay, I didn't forget about you." Juliet rolled her eyes playfully as Remus threw a mug at him, which Sirius threw himself on in order to catch it.
"I'm an uncle!" He jumped up, yelling.
"Seriously? We had this conversation already." Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose, looking down at the baby minding its business in his carrier.
Juliet threw an apple at his face, which had him yelping in pain and everyone else to laugh.
"I will kill you and gladly go to Azkaban for it." James muttered in Remus' ear, who jumped up because he hadn't noticed him moving to his side.
"Baby! Tie!" Remus called to Juliet, with a scared look.
"Oy, you oaf, what'd you say to my baby's father!" Juliet pointed at her twin, accusingly.
"What- All he said was 'tie'!?" James frowned in disbelief.
Daphne laughed. "James, apologize. You do not want to make a pregnant woman angry."
"Yeah, bro, you don't." Amos nodded, sighing as though he had been in pain all along, and receiving a smack in the head from his girlfriend in response.
Juliet smiled, watching everyone surrounding Remus after he pulled out the ultrasound picture, pointing out which feature would end up like which parent and what the gender could be.
She was new to this, and she had a whole lot of other worries, but at least she knew that her baby would be loved no matter what happened.
* * *
Regulus being anti-baby and secretly loving babies pt.2
