When the four friends entered the common room that night after Hermione was released from the hospital wing she was immediately embraced by Lily, who she happily hugged back.
"Are you feeling okay? Who poisoned you? I'm sorry I didn't visit today but I needed to go to classes and…" Lily rushed.
"Lily, if you would like to know what happened then you could follow us to our room." James said, cutting Lily's rambling off.
Hermione had decided that she should probably tell Lily the truth as well as a lot of it concerned her. Or Harry.
"Okay." Lily agreed as she let go of Hermione.
The five of them walked up the stairs and entered the boys' bedroom, which still had four beds in, even though there were only going to be three boys sleeping there from now on.
"Are you okay, Hermione?"
"I'm fine, Lily." Hermione replied as she sat on Sirius' bed with him. No one sat on Peter's bed, James and Lily sat on James' and Remus sat on his.
"Where's Peter?" Lily asked, looking confused when the boys' facial expressions changed to angry ones.
"He got expelled." Hermione told her.
"What? Why would he get expelled… unless…?" Lily said as a look of understanding crossed her features. "He's the one that poisoned you. Why would he do that?"
"Because he's a Death Eater." Sirius growled.
Lily looked shocked.
"No, he can't be. Peter's so kind, and…"
"Lily, he is a Death Eater. Not only has he poisoned Hermione, with the intention to kill her because she knows how to destroy Voldemort, but he's also tortured Severus and Regulus, because they refused to become Death Eaters, and he has killed someone. He admitted to it under the influence of Veritaserum." James informed her gently.
"He tortured Severus?" She whispered as tears filled her eyes at the thought of her best friend being tortured.
"Yes. I'm sorry Lily. We were wondering if you could get him and Regulus to meet us some time, we want to apologise to Severus, for everything we've done to him, and for what Peter did to him, and Sirius needs to talk to Regulus." James replied.
"O-Okay, I can try."
"Thank you, Lily." Remus said.
"I also need to tell you the truth about me, you're probably not going to like it. But you have to promise never to tell anyone. The boys know already, but it concerns you as well and I think you need to know, to protect yourself."
"I promise." Lily assured Hermione.
So, Hermione told her everything that she had told the boys, she mentioned Remus being a werewolf and the three others being unregistered animagi because the boys had said it was okay to share their secrets with Lily, she also didn't know how to explain what happened any other way; and by the end of it they were all crying. James was holding Lily, trying to comfort her as she cried for their son.
"I'm sorry, Lily." Hermione cried.
Lily turned in James' arms to face Hermione, and it was then that Hermione realised that she had a hand on her belly, probably because she was thinking about Harry.
"It's not your fault Hermione. But thank you for trying to save us, a-and our son."
"He was my best friend. He deserves a better life. He deserves parents, and love, and care. I'm sorry that your sister didn't give him that."
"Petunia hates me, and everything to do with magic. Did we not have a will that stated where he had to go if we both died and Sirius wasn't able to look after him?"
"I don't think so. But it was the only place he could go in order to be protected from Death Eaters. But hopefully this time it won't happen because you'll know that if you need a Secret Keeper then Peter isn't the best person to choose. And he is no longer friends with you, so that should mean that you're okay."
"What… What was Harry like?" Lily asked, and they all looked at Hermione, curious as to what the little boy was like.
"Well, he looked a lot like James, but he had Lily's eyes. He was an excellent Quidditch player, he got onto the Gryffindor team in first year because he caught a Remembrall for our friend Neville and Professor McGonagall caught him doing it, she made sure he got on the team and even brought him a broom, the fastest broom at the time, it was the first present he received since before you two died. He was so brave, he had fought Voldemort a number of times over the years and had defeated many creatures. He always put everyone else before himself and was always very adventurous. He was smart too, but I always felt like he held back a bit in lessons, probably to do with his relatives, they told him he couldn't do better than their son in school, so he always had to pretend to be stupid, I think that might have passed on through Hogwarts as well. Though, he was very good at Defence, he got top marks in our third year thanks to Remus' wonderful teaching skills. You also taught him to cast a corporeal patronus, and I saw him cast one a few times, he was particularly good at them, it's form was a stag." She saw James smile brightly. "He was kind, and caring. He always had a knack for finding trouble. Though, he didn't purposely look for it, trouble found him. He hated bullies, probably because he was bullied at home and school before Hogwarts. After the Triwizard Tournament he gave Fred and George, the pranksters of Hogwarts in my years, his winnings because he didn't want them or need them. He tried to get Cedric's parents to take them, but they refused, telling him he deserved it for bringing Cedric's body back with him. But instead he gave his winnings to the twins so that they could open the joke shop they wanted to open and had been inventing things for for years. He always cared more about others than he did about himself. He was a good person and a good friend. And I'm sure he will be all of those things, and more, when you raise him."
They were all smiling sadly at her, still crying as well but not as much.
"He sounds amazing." Lily whispered in awe, her hand still on her belly, as if protecting Harry even though he wasn't even in there yet.
"He was amazing. And I'm sure he will be just as amazing when he is born."
"Though, that does mean that you and Prongs need to get together at some point, hopefully soon, then get married, and pop out Prongs Junior as soon as possible because I want to meet him." Sirius joked, causing them all to laugh as they wiped their eyes with their hands.
They spent the rest of the warm Wednesday night talking and laughing about random things, the Marauders happily welcoming Lily as part of the group, and Lily happy to be with them. Lily and Hermione went to their room in the early hours of the morning, hoping to get at least some sleep before their lessons the following day.
…
The next day, in the hour between the last lesson and dinner, Hermione went to see Minerva for another discussion. She found her new mother sitting behind her desk in the Transfiguration classroom, marking essays, but Minerva looked up when the door closed behind her daughter, smiling at her.
"How are you feeling today?" Minerva asked her daughter, worried.
"I'm fine. I was just… I was wondering if we could talk." Hermione responded nervously.
"Of course we can. Do you want to talk here or in my office?"
"Your office?" Minerva nodded and led the girl through the door in the back of the class and into the comfortable looking office. They sat on the sofa by the fireplace, facing each other.
"How are the boys?"
"They're fine. Still angry at Peter, and upset about what I had to tell them, but they'll be fine."
"Good. What did you want to talk about?"
"I, um, I…"
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, I just… I understand why you're waiting, I really do. But I…"
"Waiting for what?"
"To try for a baby."
Minerva looked shocked, but curious also. "Why are we talking about Albus and I waiting for a baby?"
"It's just… I mean, I completely understand why you're waiting. I know what can happen if you have a baby in times of war. But, I mean, I'm here to save you as well as everyone else. And I don't know if I will be able to save you from that curse, because I know that it is highly unlikely for me to be able to save everyone. And I want to save you, so that you can have the children that you want. But I was thinking, I mean, just in case I can't save you from that curse, maybe you could try for a baby now. That way you will have a child of your own, instead of just me, if I can't save you. I know you love me like I'm your own daughter, but I'm not, and I don't want you to be hit by that curse and not have the one thing you've always wanted. I know you'll have me, but I'm not enough. I know we have three years before you get hit by that curse, but, relatively speaking, three years isn't a long time, and we don't know where half of the horcruxes are, and we haven't killed the basilisk yet or anything so we have nothing to destroy them with. Then there is actually killing Voldemort himself, and either killing or imprisoning his followers. I understand why you're waiting, but I think you should try for a baby now. That way I won't feel as bad if I can't save you. And you might feel slightly better, knowing that you already have your own child, I'm not saying you will feel great, but you will already have a child and that might help ease the pain slightly because you won't have no children of your own at all. And I researched it, there are ways of hiding a pregnancy, so you can be pregnant and no one except the people you want to will know. I just… I don't want your life to be ruined because I couldn't save you." Hermione finished, noticing the tears in Minerva's eyes. "I would also feel better knowing that I am changing things, and that things are different, and will continue to be different. I know that Peter is no longer here and that he can't get back in because dad warded the school against rat animagi. And I know that he can't hurt anyone here anymore because he isn't friends with the Marauders anymore. And that maybe James and Lily will live, and be parents to Harry for longer than a year and three months. Or that they will get together sooner, get married sooner, or have Harry sooner. And that Sirius might not end up in Azkaban, and Remus might not be alone. But I need to change your life too. I need something different, other than the presence of me, to happen in your life. That way I can think that I might actually make a difference, I might actually be able to save you, at least, partially. I need to change things so that less people live rubbish lives, so that less people suffer."
"Hermione, Albus has already agreed to let me go on the least dangerous missions, the ones that are less likely to involve battles. And he…"
"What if it was one of the least dangerous missions that you were hurt in? What if there was a smaller chance of a battle but they found you and that is how you were hurt? That's not enough for me. I need to know that you will be alright. I need to know that if I can't save you, you at least have the one thing you always wanted first. I understand why you're waiting, I would be scared too. But I need to know that I am actually doing something to help. That I am actually making a change to your lives. That I am actually doing what I came here to do. And what's the harm if you get pregnant now, if you have a baby now, and I can save you, if you aren't hit by that curse. Then you can just have more children. I've always wanted siblings. But I can't just sit back and know that I'm not making any real changes to your life, that I'm not helping you. I need things to be different so that I know that you're okay, that I might actually be able to save you."
Now they were both crying as they stared at each other.
"I'll think about it." Minerva whispered as another tear leaked out of her eyes.
"Okay. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I understand. But know that you are making a difference. And know that no matter what happens, I will always love you as if you are my own daughter."
"I know. I love you, too."
Minerva smiled at her daughter before pulling her into her arms.
They stayed like that until there was a knock on the door, followed by Albus entering the room to find his two favourite girls hugging each other with tear stained faces.
"Are you two okay? You missed dinner. Why were you crying?" He asked, worried.
"We're fine, we were just talking." Minerva replied, not knowing what else to say.
"I'll leave you both to it. I'll go to the kitchen on the way to the common room." Hermione said, untangling herself from her mothers' arms and standing up.
"The boys took some food to the common room for you, I believe." Albus told her.
"Okay, thank you. See you tomorrow." Hermione responded before leaving the room.
Albus looked at his wife, worried.
"Are you okay?" He questioned as he sat next to her on the sofa, facing her. "What were you both talking about?"
"I… Can we try for a baby?" Albus looked shocked as he heard his wife ask this question.
"B-but…"
"I know we decided to wait, and why we decided that would be a good idea. But I want a baby so bad, and Hermione… She doesn't feel like she'll be able to save me, or everyone that she is here to save. She wants to know that she is making some real changes in our lives so that she feels like she can save us, that she can save me. She wants us to have a baby so that, in case she can't save me, we'll have a child of our own, then she won't feel as bad, and we won't feel as bad because we'll have a baby. She wants us to have a baby so she feels like she's making some real changes and might believe that she can save me. And I want a baby, I have done since we got married, and I've wanted to be a mother since I was a child. But I understood why you wanted to wait. I wanted to wait for those same reasons, but I don't think I can wait much longer. Hermione is right, what if she can't save me and we don't have any children of our own? Yes, we'll have her, she'll always be our daughter, but I've always wanted to get pregnant, and give birth to a child, my child, our child. Then raise that child. What if I get hit by that curse and I can no longer do the one thing I have always wanted to do? It would break me, it did break me in her timeline. But we have the opportunity to change that. I know there is a chance I won't get hit by that curse, but there is also a chance that I will, and I don't think I would be able to handle it if I got hit by that curse and didn't already have a child of my own. I need to do this. I need to have a baby, Albus, our baby. And there are ways of hiding a pregnancy, Hermione researched them. And we are fully capable of protecting our child, so are our friends. Please, can we try for a baby?" She explained before he had the chance to refute the idea.
Now that he thought about the idea of having a baby at that moment he didn't mind it. Even though he was scared out of his wits at the thought of something happening to their child, and to Hermione. But he wanted a child just as much as she did.
"Okay, we can try for a baby." Minerva beamed at her husband's response.
"Really?"
"Yes. I want a baby, too."
And she kissed him, passionately. "I love you, so, so much, Albus Dumbledore."
"I love you too, Minerva Dumbledore." He replied before picking her up and carrying her through to their private quarters and to their bedroom, where he gently placed her on the bed.
And soon, they were trying for a baby.
…
When Hermione arrived at the common room she was dragged to the boys' dorm by her fellow Marauders and Lily. They sat in the same places they had the night before and Sirius put some food in front of her.
"Are you okay? You look like you've been crying." Sirius asked, worried.
"I'm fine. I just had a heart to heart with my mum." Hermione answered as she started eating a sausage.
"What about?" Lily pondered.
"Why I'm here, among other things."
"On Saturday, we're meeting with Severus and Regulus to discuss Peter and other things." Remus informed her. "I know you haven't really met them but do you want to come?"
"Yes please. Have you figured out what you're going to say to your brother yet, Sirius?"
"No, what do I say to him? I spent most of the summer with James, Remus, and… we spent some of it with Peter. Then I find out that someone who I thought was my friend tortured my brother. My family hate me enough as it is, but…"
"It'll be fine. You'll figure something out." Hermione supported, patting his hand with hers as a comforting gesture as she tried to ignore the sparks shooting through her as their skin touched.
For hours they talked about nothing in particular; classes, the holidays, music, pranks. Whatever really came to mind. Lily was feeling more at home with the group of friends, and they were enjoying her company more and more. Hermione just hoped that she was doing enough to allow them to live better lives.