War is Over

25.

Evan held my hand as he helped me down from the counter. I'd decided I needed to dust the top of the cabinets. He refused to leave me alone.

"He talked to Cas." He said. I nodded.

"I know."

"Marlene is pregnant." My jaw dropped. I stared at him blankly for a moment.

"What?"

"Mhm."

"Congrats?"

"Not mine."

"Who's?"

"Sirius."

"You're lying." He laughed lightly. I pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, he followed me.

"No. Black and Lupin wanted a baby, Marlene obliged." My jaw dropped again. "They're telling everyone at dinner tonight. I just couldn't keep it in anymore, I had to tell someone."

"Did Marlene and Sirius...?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't ask questions."

"I'm going to ask so many questions." He laughed.

"I don't think you'll get answers."

"Oh, I'll demand answers."

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"So, yeah. I'm having a baby, but I'm not." Marlene announced. Barty, Regulus, James, Lily and Pandora all stared at her with their jaws open. Marlene looked at me, then Evan. "You fucking told Nova!"

"I couldn't keep it in anymore!" She rolled her eyes.

"She was the one person I actually wanted to tell Evan, are you kidding me?" I grabbed Sirius' hand under the table as she scolded Evan. He gave mine a squeeze.

"I'm happy for you guys." I told them. Moony grinned.

"Babies all around." Barty cheered. I laughed.

"Our girls will be best friends." Luna squeezed Remus' shoulder, his eyes lit up.

"Girls?"

"Panda! You have to stop doing that!" Reggie scolded. I smiled.

"Our girls." I told Sirius. He beamed.

"Our girls." Moony leaned his head on Sirius' shoulder.

"Cassiopeia Lupin-Black." He whispered. I felt myself tear up.

"Cassiopeia and Elenora." Siri told me.

"Cas?" Marlene asked. Sirius shook his head.

"No. Cassie." He told her. Marlene smiled.

"You could call her Cas, she'd like that." She told them. Sirius shook his head.

"Cas is Dorcas. Always." Moony told her. "We could never take Cas away from her."

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"What changed your mind?" I asked Marls as we sat on the couch while the boys took shots. She shrugged.

"Figured it might be the only chance I've got." I shook my head. "Cas is gone. She's the only person I've ever loved, only person I'd want to have a kid with."

"Nah, plenty of lads would have a kid with you." She laughed. "You said you didn't want to be a mum."

"I won't be a mum." I gave her a look. "It's for them. Sure, I'll pop her out, but she's not really mine." I nodded.

"That's sweet of you, Marls."

"Don't go thinking I've gone soft." I laughed as the boys walked back in the room.

"I would never." I laid my head on her shoulder while she stroked my hair.

"So we're all doing the dad thing." Regulus said as he plopped down on the other side of me. I smiled.

"Not me!" Evan piped up. I smiled.

"Right, not you two." Reg shrugged. Barty turned deep red. "Oh, what? Are we not allowed to talk about you two being an item?" I nudged his ribs with my elbow.

"No, I mean, you are." Barty defended. Evan looked between him and me. I gave him a look.

"He'd prefer if you didn't though." Evan muttered. He cleared his throat and stood up. "I, uh, I'm gonna head up for the night." I looked between Barty and Reg. I heard Evan's door close. I shook my head.

"You're right idiots, huh?" Marlene scolded as we both stood up. Lily followed us, she turned to look at Barty.

"You're a right git. He puts himself out there for you left and right and you can't even acknowledge he's your boyfriend. Dickhead." She told him before we all headed upstairs. I knocked lightly on Evan's door.

"I'm alright." He called. I cracked the door open. He was curled up with a pillow clutched to his chest.

"You're not." Marlene told him as she walked in. He shrugged.

"That was a proper dickhead move." Lily told him. Her accent came out when she was angry, and drunk. She was both.

"He didn't mean it." We all sat on his bed. Marlene cuddled close to him.

"Doesn't matter what he meant. Only what he said." I told him.

"He's been on his own for how long, he doesn't know."

"You two were together in school just fine." Lily pointed out. He shrugged again.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted. Both girls looked at me.

"Right then, tell him to sort it out or get out." I told him. He gave me a small smile, I grabbed his hand. "I'm not kidding, Ev. I'll go to bat for you. You've done it for me enough times. You deserve more than mixed signals."

"I feel like one of the girls." He said with a little laugh. We all smiled.

"You are, mate." Marlene told him. Lily laid her head in his lap. A moment later a soft knock came on the door. I hopped up and peeked my head out. Barty stood staring at his hands. I glanced behind me and stepped in the hall.

"You better come with an apology." I warned. He nodded.

"Look, you lot have had plenty of time to adjust back to the real world, adjust to other people. I'm freshly back, Potter. I need a minute." I gave him a look before placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Crouch, I like you. I do, but Rosier holds a place in my heart that you'll never be able to take. Fix things and act right or leave him alone." He nodded. I opened the door and called for the girls. They both stepped out and gave him a look.

"Take care of him." Marlene warned. Barty nodded. We headed back down the stairs. Lily curled into James' lap, while I curled up next to Reg.

"You know every circus doesn't have to have your monkeys." He told me as he kissed my head. I nodded. I looked between my brother, sister in law and best friend before I patted his leg.

"Just this circus, and only these monkeys."