Chapter 1
Lily Evans had been the safe choice, despite her blood status. James had been pining over her since first year, and only succeeded in winning her favour in seventh year. They'd dated ever since then, their relationship known only to their closest friends, and, now, they were married.
Regulus Black was his dirty little secret. They had been together in every way but publicly since James was a fifth year and Regulus a fourth year. Regulus was a member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, a Slytherin, and the younger brother of James' rival in school- Sirius Black. James had all but threatened Regulus into keeping their relationship a secret. He couldn't have anyone know he was consorting with the enemy.
That's what Regulus should have been, in the end. An enemy. Regulus Black was a son of the main line of the Darkest Pureblood family in Britain, and James Potter was the Heir of a blood-traitor Light Pureblood family. When James was still in school, he pledged himself to joining the illusive (and illegal) Order of the Phoenix the moment he graduated. That same year, Regulus pledged himself to the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Only Regulus didn't bother waiting until he left Hogwarts.
James should've ended his relationship with Regulus the moment he saw the Dark Mark on his arm, if not before. At the very latest, he should've ended it when Lily finally agreed to go out with him. He definitely should have ended it before himself and Lily got married.
But he didn't.
James was an Auror, and he told Lily he was working late hours when he visited Regulus. He told Regulus he was on Order business when he stayed home with Lily. Neither had to know the truth. James was happy, content. He knew this wouldn't work forever, one day the war would end after all and his marriage would be declared, but that day had not yet come to pass.
Himself and Lily were married in early July 1979. War time. Families were being killed every week, and James was desperate to sire an Heir. If he died without one, the Potter family's main line would die out. Lily agreed, though she had wanted to wait a few years until she completed her Potions mastery but she had never seen her husband so worried before.
The only issue now was that they really had not found much time to try and conceive- leading James to take drastic measures.
______
"So," Regulus drawled, "Let me get this straight. You want an Heir immediately, from me, yet you don't want a soul to know? How does that work, hmm?"
"It won't be forever! Only until the war ends. No matter who wins, we'll be protected. If the Dark Lord wins, I'll be spared as a Pureblood. If the Order wins, then no one knows you're a- what you are, and I'll protect you. No matter what, we can tell everyone. You've talked about it before, Reggie, there's those potions you can take to be able to carry a child-"
"Jamie, stop. I can't carry a child in war. It's too obvious, too dangerous. I'm an Unspeakable, for Merlin's sake, my work alone is far too dangerous. Something could go wrong any day, the child could die. Not to mention the raids."
"Then a surrogate, please, anything. I just- I can't let my family die out. You know the importance of blood, of family, Reggie. Better than anyone else does."
"Ooh," Regulus cooed, mockingly, "Hit me right in the blood supremacist, why don't you? Fine. Okay. We need to prepare samples, and I'll call in a favour for a surrogate and prepare the ritual."
"Who?"
"Pandora."
"Malfoy? Why her?"
"Because she's still one of my best friends, Jamie, funnily enough. Has been since we were six. Not that you bother to ask about anything to do with my life these days."
"Because we're on opposite sides of a war! I can't know who you're in contact with, just like how you can't know who I'm in contact with!"
"Pandora is not involved in this war, which I've told you multiple times. She's merely working on getting accepted into her Potions Mastery and staying out of it all, which I've also told you. Besides, being a Death Eater is a very small part of my life. You should at least ask how work has been, or my family, or how that sodding gala mother dragged me to last week went."
"I'm not having this argument, Reggie. Please. Will I need to be here for the ritual? Malfoy will need to swear secrecy vows."
"No, you won't have to be anywhere near a scary Dark witch, don't worry. I mix the samples together, perform the ritual, spell the sample into Pandora's stomach and boom! Pregnancy."
"She doesn't know about me, does she? She can't know about me."
"Of course not."
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"Are you sure about this, Reg?" Pandora asked, later that same night, "It's not like you to give in to Potter's demands like this, and I can't actually see the outcome like I usually can. I know it'll be okay, but I don't know what will happen..."
"It's fine, Dora. I want this. What's more important is if you're sure about this."
"I told you I'd be your surrogate one day the moment you told me you didn't fancy witches," she assured him, grinning. The smile slipped off her face, "It's just... how do you know he isn't just using you to get an Heir? How do you know he won't run off with the baby when they're born? He tells you these grand stories of how you'll be together after the war, but will you really?"
Regulus sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Truthfully? I don't think we'll be together forever. I still reckon he'll get with that Mudblood, Evans, one day. He's always been obsessed with her. But he won't take the baby. I didn't explain the intricacies of the ritual."
Pandora gasped, "Regulus Arcturus Black! You didn't!"
"I did. It's my contingency plan, of sorts. He only asked if he had to be here for the ritual, so I told him no. Obviously, without him here pouring magic into the ritual, I'll be the primary parent. The baby will still be biologically his too, but magic will side with me. The baby will have more Black features, and more of my family's gifts than his."
"He didn't ask, so you didn't tell. Oh, Reg, you devil you."
"Yes, yes. I know. I'm utterly brilliant, a Slytherin through and through. You ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be."
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The ritual was a success, as Regulus informed him back in August, and Pandora Malfoy was officially carrying his child. His and Regulus' child, as his brain reminded him. It was early November, now, and James still had six months to work out what exactly he would do when the baby was born.
Would he leave the baby to be raised by Regulus as a Black, merely granting the baby the title of Heir Potter in secret? Would he find a way to convince Regulus to hand over the baby, pretending he found them orphaned and insisting on taking them in? What if Regulus didn't want to hand over the baby? Would he have to use more sinister measures? If it came to that, Dumbledore would surely help him. Another child raised by the Light was always going to be a success.
It was these very issues that James was pondering in his study one evening as he completed dreary paperwork. He was interrupted from his train of thought by Lily bursting into the room, beaming with glee.
"You alright, love?" he asked.
"James! I'm pregnant! Look, I went to a healer today and everything! I'm three weeks today!"
James' blood ran cold.