Chapter Twenty: Cradle of Betrayal

* “So Lily, what did the healer say? You never told me?” Lily and James were content to be lying in their own bed, safe in their own apartment. For both her job and James’, the apartment was much more convenient than apparating back and forth between her house, so they had decided to return there after their third encounter.

“Well James, there’s good news and bad news.”

“What?” James looked at Lily, who had her head resting in the crook of his neck, her hand atop his bare chest, and her soft auburn hair splayed about them like a cover. “What’s the good news?”

“I’m not sick.”

“You were throwing up.” James pointed out, tweaking her nose. “That’s pretty sick to me.”

“Yes, but for a woman like me, it’s quite normal.”

“Normal?” James eyed her dubiously. “Alright then, what’s the bad news?”

“We’re going to have to move back to my parent’s old house. This place isn’t nearly big enough for three of us.”

“Three? But Lily, there’s only you, and me?”

“And the baby.”

“Oh, of course. And the baby…baby? B-A-B-B-Y? Baby? The little tiny kids that coo and need diaper changing?” He asked in awe.

“That would a baby.” She smiled.

“You mean, you’re…? We’re…? I’m…? I’m going to be a dad?”

“Yes sir.” Lily nodded, rolling over and looking at James fully. “That isn’t going to be a problem I hope?”

“No! Oh Lady Lily, it’s wonderful! A baby! We have to tell everyone!”

“Absolutely.”

“Names, we have to pick names!” Lily laughed. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know yet, and probably won’t for quite a while still. But the due date is late July, if that helps. Maybe Sirius is right; maybe Alice and I will have our babies in the same week! Wouldn’t it be great?”

“Can we name him Sirius if it’s a boy?” James grinned, and Lily frowned.

“I am not naming my son after that scoundrel!” Then she laughed. “But he can be Godfather, how’s that? I think Sirius would do wonderful with a child, and with Ara by his side, where could he go wrong?”

“He’ll love that Lily. Thanks.” James smiled warmly at his wife. “Have I told you how much I love you lately? Or how beautiful you are? Or how much I want you?” His warm smile became devilish.

“James!” Lily yelped. But it was too late; he had caught her, and wasn’t planning on letting go any time soon.

>>>)(<<<

“Where is Professor Dumbledore tonight? He never misses a meeting.” Frank asked jovially.

“Something about meeting a new Divinations teacher, Trelowny maybe? No, that can’t be right. It was something along those lines. Anyway. He didn’t really want to keep the program going, but he thought that as long as she had a famous grandmother with the seeing talent, he’d give her a go.” Ara answered him.

“Seeing is highly overrated, may I remind you?” Lily added airily.

“Lily, that isn’t what your muggle friend Bill the bus driver told me you thought. He said you were very superstitious when you were living there.” James taunted her. She blushed, caught in the act of hypocrisy.

“Well, anyway…”

“So sorry I’m late.” Dumbledore walked into the room at a blistering pace. “I’ve just had a most disturbing experience, and will take a moment to recoup.”

“What happened Professor? That seer not any good?” Peter squeaked.

“On the contrary. A prophecy has just been born I’m afraid, and it was very alarming. Nonetheless, shall we begin our meeting?”

“James and Lily were successful in their quest, we’ve all heard by now. The Book of Perils is locked tightly away in the restricted section here in the Hogwarts library.”

“Though I still think putting it in a glacier would have been safer.” James interrupted. Lily laughed, but no one else quite understood the context of the joke.

“At any rate, the book is safe, and we know Voldemort is currently laying low due to his embarrassment during the fight.”

“He should.” Lily nodded.

“Any other news? No? Good!” James blew through everything else. “I want to make an announcement.”

“The last time he made an announcement, it was something goofy, like St. Patrick’s Day. What is it this time?” Remus laughed.

“I’m having a baby!” He cried out, ignoring Remus’ smart remark. People around the table broke into laughter instantly, and James looked around, not quite understanding why. “Don’t you all get it? I’m having a baby!” They laughed harder.

“Congratulations James,” Lily kissed his cheek. “On your baby!” James blushed, finally realizing the slip in his diction.

“I meant to say Lily’s having the baby, and I’m the dad.” He nodded happily. “And he’s going to be named Harry!”

“Harry?” Lily looked up in amusement. “So it’s definitely a he, and his name is definitely Harry hmm? I have no say in this?”

“Well, you can pick clothing and diapers.” James offered. Lily smacked him lightly.

“Thank you dear, whatever would I do without you?” She added sarcastically. The meeting ended soon afterwards, and Dumbledore barely spoke more than three words the whole time. However, afterwards he asked if Lily and James and Alice and Frank would stay.

“What’s wrong Professor?” Alice asked, a crinkle of worry etched deeply into her forehead.

“Earlier this evening I witnessed the birth of a prophecy. This prophecy included both the Dark Lord, and a child who was born in the end of the seventh month.” Lily and Alice exchanged glances.

“At the end of July, you mean.” Alice prompted him. “Like our children will be.”

“One of your children may very well be the child of the prophecy. Which one, it is not clear. But it was quite clear that the Dark Lord himself would choose and mark the child whose parents had three times before defied him.”

“Mark them? How?” Frank asked.

“I do not know. I only know this: unless you go into hiding, your children, and your very lives, may be at risk.”

“Professor, you want us to hide? We’ve never hidden before, not even after the threats Voldemort made upon us.” Lily clarified.

“This was quite different Lily. This time it is not you deciding your fate, but a chain of events left to fate.”

“How long will we need to stay hidden, exactly?” James asked.

“Until your children are no longer children.” Dumbledore sighed quietly, and Lily could read the sadness that plagued his features.

“Frank, Alice, do you have a place you could go?” James asked.

“My aunt’s house in Scotland.” Alice nodded. “You do to, right?”

“No one knows about my parent’s old house except the people in the Order, we can go there I suppose.” Lily said, rubbing her stomach where her growing child lay.

“But there are certain spells that can find us, aren’t there?” James asked. “Even if no one knew where we were, they could still find us, hunt us down, couldn’t they?”

“True. But if you have a safekeeper, then no one will ever be able to find you until they tell where.” Dumbledore’s sad eyes sparkled.

“Sirius. If he’s going to be Godfather to Harry.” Lily had to grin at James as he spoke, so confident, so sure of his son to be.

“Alright. We’ll use Sirius.” Lily nodded. “I would trust him with my life.”

“Professor? I’d like a dear old friend of mine to be the safekeeper. I’ll have to get in touch with him though.”

“Very well. When you are ready, bring him back here, and I will help you to perform the spell- it’s a very complicated spell.”

“Alright. We’ll see you soon Professor, goodbye!” And the Longbottoms left. Lily and James remained a while longer, then James spoke.

“We’ll perform the spell with Sirius by tomorrow Professor. Thank you for the warning. Even if we didn’t like hearing it.”

“I am sorry my boy, my dear girl.” Dumbledore’s face was wrought with despair. “I wish this had never been brought upon you, but I could do nothing about the prophecy, nor about fate.”

“It’s alright Professor, we understand. We’ll see you soon, I hope. Goodbye!” Lily called over her shoulder as James led her out. “James?”

“Hmm?”

“Can we stop by Hagrid’s on our way out? I’d like to say goodbye.” James nodded, tight lipped. Lily suddenly stopped, and James stopped with her. “James? Everything will be all right. You’ll see, we’ll all be just fine.” James took her petite hand in his and brought it to his lips. Lightly he kissed her knuckles.

“I know it will Lady Lily. Anything with you will always turn out all right. Come on, let’s go see that giant of a man.” Lily giggled, and they continued their stroll to Hagrid’s hut.

Hagrid, who had been out chopping wood in the deep snow, saw them coming and ushered them quickly into his cabin. James pulled up and armchair, and Lily sat in his lap, her head resting against his shoulder and they explained to Hagrid that they had to go into hiding from Voldemort.

“I cann’ think o’ a better thing to do with that scoundrel on the loose.” Hagrid told them seriously. “At least I’d know you was both safe, and so was little Harry there.” Hagrid grinned, pointing to Lily’s stomach. She blushed, and James grinned.

“I feel the same way. Anyway, Sirius is going to be our safekeeper, and tomorrow we’re leaving, so we just wanted to say goodbye.”

“And thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Hagrid, you’re responsible for James and I being a couple. You’re responsible for me not thinking I’m a freak, and for James realizing he loved me. And you helped knock some sense into him when we all thought he was a lost cause.”

“Hey, I resent that.” James pouted. Lily silenced him with a peck.

“All in all, thanks for being our friend Hagrid.” Lily stood and gave the large man as big a hug as she could muster. When she pulled away, Hagrid had tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

“Awe, Lily, you always knows just what to say to make a man want to cry!” He choked. She grinned, as did James.

“Well, we have to get going. It’s getting late, and I want Lily asleep by eleven.” James sighed.

“I’m not a child James, I know when I need to go to sleep.”

“But you’re carrying a child, and I’m just looking out for you. And him.” He smiled at her softly, and her cross face lightened.

“Alright. We’re going to get going. Goodbye Hagrid, and thank you again for everything.”

“Be seeing you Hagrid!” James waved as they stepped out into the cold night.

>>>)(<<<

“Are you sure you want me to do it?” Sirius asked. The only people in the room were the Marauders and Lily. Even Ara had been excluded from the meeting. Actually, she had been busy and unable to attend. Still, for Lily and James, it was too many people as it was.

“Yes Si, we want you to watch over Harry, and we want you to keep our secret. We trust you with our lives.” Lily smiled.

“Padfoot, come on. I need you to do this for me? Please?” James asked. “We’ve been friends all our lives, you, me, and Remus. We’ve kept Remus’ secret for this long, haven’t we? How hard would it be to keep this one too?”

“James, Lily, you know I’d do anything for you. Of course I’ll do it.” Sirius nodded. Remus looked out the window.

“I’m going to go check and make sure no one can hear what we’re doing.” He said. Lily and James smiled.

“Thanks Remus.” The blonde boy blushed slightly, and stepped outside to set up a circle of protection while the delicate and secret spell took place.

“Wait!” Sirius cried before James could begin the spell.

“What’s wrong Si?”

“Padfoot?”

“I can’t do this.” Sirius sat down, head in-between his hands. “It isn’t that I don’t want to, believe me I do. It isn’t that I can’t, because I could. But James, Lily, Voldemort? He knows I’m your best friend. He knows I’m the one you’ll tell your secrets to. I wouldn’t tell him anything if he tortured me, but a little bit of a truth serum? I can’t fight the magic. He’ll know where you are instantly. You need to find someone else, or it’ll be your downfall.”

“Oh Sirius.” Lily breathed. She fell to her knees in front of him.

“I’m sorry Lily. I just don’t want to be the one who kills you because they knew it was me who had the secret.”

“Padfoot.” James whispered. For so long he and Sirius had been friends. They had grown up together, played together as babies. They had learned to become animagus together to help Remus. They had lived through Hogwarts, girls, and auror training together. But he was right, James knew. For the first time ever, Sirius wasn’t going to jump head long into something stupid, no. He was thinking, and his thinking might have saved all of their lives. Still, James wished more than anything he could have used Sirius as the safekeeper.

“Alright. Peter, you’re the one then.” James nodded.

“I, I am?” Peter whispered? It was just like James to rope him into something he didn’t want to do, something that might ultimately get him killed! But he couldn’t betray his friend, could he?

“Peter, will you do it then?” Lily looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “Please?”

“Alright, I suppose.” Peter agreed.

When Remus walked back into the room half an hour later, he found the four of them lying asleep around the room in awkward positions. He convinced himself he didn’t want to know what had gone on, and commenced in waking everyone up.

“Now that everything is nice and safe, I guess this is it, huh? And Lily, you’re barely even three months pregnant. I have a feel I won’t get to see Harry for a long time.”

“Remus, don’t be silly. We’ll visit you all once he’s born. We can’t stay cooped up forever!” Lily laughed.

“I’m here, did I miss anything?” Ara flew into the room, landing her broom and running over towards Lily. She grabbed the redhead in a giant hug and held her close. “Don’t go?”

“You know we have to.” Lily told her quietly. “I promised that I would come visit after Harry was born, is that good enough?”

“Good enough would be that you don’t get yourselves killed.” Ara snapped. Then she frowned. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to leave!”

“We’ll miss you two an awful lot.” Sirius added, his eyes downcast. He felt horrible for turning his best friend down in his hour of need, but he knew he had done the right thing.

“Thank you all for everything, you’ll never know what it’s meant to us.” Lily felt tears threatening.

“Marauders, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail? Thanks guys. Bye Ara, be seeing you!” And Lily and James apparated before their eyes.

“They’re gone.” Ara whispered. “I can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem real.”

“But it is.” Sirius nodded grimly. “I have a bad feeling, something isn’t right. My bones aren’t settling right. Ara, I have a bad feeling.”

“Come on Si, let’s go home.”

“Padfoot, tomorrow night there’s a full moon.”

“I’ll be seeing you then Moony.” Sirius called behind himself.

“Well Peter, will you be coming?”

“Of course.” Peter submitted. “I could never betray a friend.” *

~~~There’s one more chapter, hang in there! Much love, Vixen~~~