At 9-months pregnant and ready to pop any day now, one would expect their husband to be waiting them hand and foot, but no, my husband was off playing quidditch in the World Cup.
So, I may have told him to go, that Barty, Evan and Pandora could take care of me, as long as he didn’t miss the birth. James kept insisting that he could miss the next few games and trainings to be there for me, saying ‘it won’t be the same without you on the sidelines cheering for me anyway Reg’.
Now with the contractions starting, James was off in Berlin, currently playing a game that had only just started I was regretting letting him go. He had called me no more than an hour earlier to check in before his game. It was about 6pm in the UK when the game started, Barty, Evan, Pandora, Lily and Mary were all in our small apartment living room live-streaming the game. Remus and Sirius had gone with James so he would still have people cheering him on and I was so jealous.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I said as I wiggled to the front of my chair before attempting to get up. It was a struggle, using both the armrest, table and Pandora to get up, because the size of my stomach made it hard to get up.
Pandora stayed with me saying she needed something from the bedroom, but halfway down the hallway I stopped walking. I had felt liquid dripping down my leg, Pandora who had walked a few extra steps, looked back at me.
“You okay Reg?” Concern clear on her face. A shooting pain went through my stomach before I felt even more liquid running down my leg, into my socks, forming a puddle on the ground.
“Um… yeah, I didn’t make it,” I said looking down at my feet Pandora’s eyes following mine down to the floor.
“Oh Reggie! Its okay, accidents happen all the time, why don’t you go have a shower to clean off? I will grab you some new clothes,” Pandora said grabbing my shoulder. I nodded very embarrassed, vomiting became normal, but I had never wet myself before, and this was in front of one of my best friends.
I grabbed a clean towel from the hallway cupboard outside of the bathroom before going inside. I set the water and let that start to heat up. I got my clothes from Pandora and just after shutting the door I got a lightly painful cramping sensation in my lower abdomen. I was weird but I wanted to shower quickly so I could watch as much of James game as possible. I did how ever hate getting out of the warm water, and the stupid fact that it was so hard to dry off with my baby bump in the way. However, the thought that I could be having all these final moment before birth was weighing heavily on my mind.
Walking back into my living room, I stopped in place my breath leaving my body as I saw a close up shot of my husband holding the quaffle as he raced towards the goal, his glasses all wet and his hair waving in the wind, the look of concentration on his face. He passed the quaffle to a player coming up behind him as he ducked behind the goal, before his team mate shot the quaffle into the goal scoring their team another 10 points.
Breaking my attention from the screen I felt the same pain as the bathroom groaning and putting my hand on my stomach. ‘What was happening?’ I thought rubbing my stomach.
“Regulus?” Evans voice rang out, full of concern, both the girls next to me rubbing my shoulders.
“Yeah?” I said looking up at Evan.
“Are you okay?” He asked me lifting up from where he was laying on Barty.
“I’m not sure,” Answering honestly, before James was back on the Tv taking all my attention.
“Oi, Reg, stop staring at your husband and listen to us,” Lily said smacking me up the back of the head.
“Hey!”
“Regulus, how long have you been in pain for?” Lily asked, she is a doctor at St Mungo’s and my mid-wife.
“Not for long, just since I got up for the toilet,” I said, leaving out the discomfort I had been feeling for the last few days and wetting myself earlier.
“Right, and what type of pain are you feeling?” I quickly went on to tell her my pain, and the cramping sensations.
“Well you are at full term so this could be contractions or Braxton hicks, you just need to keep an eye them, and when the pain get worse or they get closer together then you will need to go to St Mungo’s,”
“Yes, Lily I remember,” I said sarcastically but gave her a hug anyway.
“This better be Braxton hicks, my husband is in a whole other country right now,” I said tears starting to form in my eyes as the two girls lead me over to the couch to sit down, while Mary went to get me a glass of water.
“Hey mate, I am sure James will make it in time, doesn’t this whole thing normally take a while anyway,” Barty chimed in, and he was right, it always take a while to get things moving.
“Right okay, well lets just watch this game shall I,” raising the glass Mary had got me, everyone else raising their alcohol filled drink. Merlin that is what I needed right now, that and my husband but I could have neither, I wouldn’t harm our child like that.
The game should have been over within the hour, but with such an evenly matched team, or weak seekers the game hadn’t ended. All the players looked exhausted but kept fighting to make sure they would come out on top. This was the only time I wished that James team lost because, if he won, he would go party and we would never be able to reach him.
Our child was coming today, if the seeker didn’t grab the snitch now then I would go over there and do it myself. Thank Merlin, just after I thought it James seeker spotted the snitch and went diving for it, the other teams seeker right on his trail. It was intense, James team scored a goal, then the snitch was caught. Everyone was on the edge of their seats watching the dramatic chase to finally end the game after an hour and a half of playing.
James won his first Quidditch World Cup! I was over come with joy for my husband, there were shouts throughout the room, before I doubled over in pain again. Crying, both Lily and Barty on the phone trying to get in contact with my husband but seeing as the game just ended in their victory, I doubt anyone will be able to get a hold of them any time soon.
This was unbelievable we hadn’t even gotten to the worse of it, and my child was kicking me, I was cramping, I had to worse pain shooting around my body every 10-15 minutes, but it would last for ages, I had most of my support team with me but was missing my baby’s dad and my husband.
I can’t believe I had told him to go, what head space was I in when I pushed my husband to the porky knowing I would 9 months pregnant with his child. Oh, Merlin help him when he arrives back in the UK because I will kick his ass.
“Why did I let him leave,” I said after my contraction stopped, tears starting to drip down my cheeks.
“Because you knew that it would be a game, he would want to be apart of, and you were right,” Lily said, her thumb grazing my cheeks wiping away the tears.
“Yeah mate, you said he could go because you didn’t want to hold him from his dreams,” Barty said still on the couch with Evan.
“I know that,” I said, “But now I just want my husband, here and now, to help me. How was I supposed to know that today would be that day, out of all days,” I grit my teeth.
“Can someone hand me my phone?” I said to the group with an outstretched hand, my wish was granted by Pandora.
I was going to call my husband myself, and if he didn’t answer he would be in a huge amount of trouble.
“Hey Reg, you know the James can’t answer any phone calls, he is still on the pitch,” Evan pointed out.
Right, well time to call my brother to get his best friends ass down here ASAP.
I found Sirius contact in my phone and dialled it, it rang and rang and rang and rang, when I heard his voice a sighed with relief only to hear his voice message come through instead. Oh, now I can kick someone.
“Sirius, you answer your fucking phone now, you leave you 9 months pregnant brother at home, while you watch said brothers husband play Quidditch and don’t have the decency to answer the phone. To hell with you….. wait no sorry, I am just mad, you see I have started going into labour and I need to bring James back home…. Please?” and with that I hung up the phone, only to dial Remus’s number.
“I swear if they are too busy making out to answer my call, I will kill them both,” I gritted looking at my friends. I also got Remus’s voicemail and now I was pissed, but that only lasted until my next contraction. Which conveniently fell right when Sirius called me back, so I held my phone out noting that someone grabbed it before gripping the couch hard, my knuckles turning white.
“Hey mate, did you get Reg’s voice mail,”
“I can’t believe we won!” Came Sirius voice.
“Yeah no me neither mate,”
“We’re going to party so hard tonight aren’t we Rem,”
“No, hey, Sirius you three need to come back home now!”
“Sorry Reg, I can’t hear you, we will get home tomorrow,”
“No!!! Sirius, James will miss the birth of his child by then!” Barty screamed into the phone.
“okay bye Reg,”
“What a fucking asshole,” Barty said chucking my phone onto a free chair.
“That’s it, I am going to get my husband,” I said trying to stand, Mary and Pandora held me down, not that I would have been able to get up anyway.
“No, you will not!” Lily yelled, “Regulus you are in no shape to be fluing anywhere but the hospital so you will stay on this chair or the bathroom until that time comes,”
Everyone’s attention in that moment is turned to the Tv were James’s voice rang out,
*
“So, James Potter, new chaser to the team this year, how have you found it so far?” The interviewee asked, moving the mic to James.
“Oh, I have loved the experience so much, I have been so lucky to get to know these incredible people, play my dream and hopefully make many people proud,”
“Yes, and it has been heard that your husband and you are expecting a child soon,”
*
“Right now,” I grumbled.
*
“Haha yes that’s right, I am extremely luck to be here, our baby can be coming any day now. I truly am so I am very blessed my husband allowed me, or more forced me to come and play another winning match to put us through to the finals matches with a new baby on the sidelines for the next game hopefully,”
“Well that is wonderful news James, we will let you go to celebrate with team mates, friends and that husband of yours,” he left James chuckling.
*
At that I was hit with another contraction, lily breathing me through it, when my phone started to ring.
“Hey James, this is Mary,” Mary said, answering my phone.
“Oh, Hey Mary, I was just ringing Reg to let him know we won,” James said.
“Oh, trust us, we all know, we watched it live from your apartment,” She said smiling.
“I do remember Reg mentioning that, I hope it was good to watch. I have a celebration to get off to but let Reg know I will call him back later, yeah?”
“No James!” but it was too late, James had hung up leaving me all alone, how he didn’t hear my cries was beyond me.
“The changing room did seem really loud,” Mary said trying to call James back.
“Crouch,” I yelled.
“Black,” He yelled back, now that was why he was one of my best friends.
“I need you to go find and detain my husband and bring his stupid ass back to the UK to help me deliver our fucking baby!” I screamed.
“Eye, eye. Can I use physical and verbal violence? Not much because I know you will want to whoop his ass, but I need to expel this anger,” he said with begging eyes
“No!” I said, “Do not harm my husband,” I said with a slightly crazed grin.
With that Barty was gone to fetch my husband.
Over two hours since my initial contraction they had moved fast, now between 8-10 minutes apart and my magic was going crazy. Popping gars and lights flickering, levitation, fires that were very quickly put out. I knew this could all be solved with the presence of my husband, but he was still no where so be found.
Phone calls had been made to the club, Remus, Sirius, Barty, a few of his close friends but no one seemed to care or do anything. We decided to send Pandora after the four missing men, knowing she is the least likely to be distracted by parties, drinking and hot girls seeing as her women are here.
Lily, Evan, Mary and I moved to the bathroom when the stretching started to get too painful, and when I started to feel really hot and couldn’t cool down. Dang it James Potter where are you. Lily decided it was best sit in the bath tub with some luke warm water in the bottom, I declined, and she listen to my wishes. Wands were all on the sink and phones in the middle of our circle.
Pandora called after 15 minuets of her search saying that she had located the part but could find James, Remus or Sirius. We had discovered that Barty in all his rage left his phone behind and couldn’t contact us, so we left that a while ago.
Rounding out on three hours of labour and the contraction of my fucking magical child I was at 6 minutes between each contraction and they all felt like they lasted years. Lily was documenting the times Mary was helping me breath and in between we were all talking about our excitement to meet the baby, the match, how much trouble people were in.
Pandora had come back after finding Barty at a random bar in Berlin, to say I was furious was an understatement. Pandora and Mary went back to look for the boys while Barty was taken out of the bathroom with Evan and into a guest room per my request. There was just two left in the moment, that kept getting ruined with the pain of my child trying to escape my insides.
“Lily please, just get this child out,” I begged, I had felt and endured some bad stuff, but nothing amounted to this, every contraction felt worse than the last, my vagina was burning, and my heart was broken.
“Reg, you are doing so well, this is a lot faster than a typical wizarding baby, but it is also days faster than a muggle born baby,” I sighed with relief at hearing that.
“Lily,”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think James will make it, will it make me or him a horrible person if he can’t show?” I said head in my knees.
“Oh sweetie, James will make it, he always does, this just gives you plenty of reason for punishment, like waking up when the baby screams in the middle of the night or has a poo in their nappy,” That made me laugh. “And as for it making either of you bad people, I don’t think so. You wanted James to play the game he loves most, you didn’t lie to him, saying the baby wasn’t coming when it was or anything like that. These things are unexpected and supposed to be a surprise, he loves you and the baby with his whole heart and will make it for the birth, I can feel it,” and with that she pulled me in for a tight hug before another round of contractions.
“Hey Love,” Lily said into the phone.
“Yeah, Reg and I are heading into St Mungo’s now, I honestly don’t think we have much longer,” Lily said standing up and putting her hand over the speaker.
“I’ll be right back Reg, then we are getting to the hospital so you can finally meet your baby,” lily said, her eyes sparkling in excitement and anger.
Yelling could be heard from the hallway, but I didn’t care enough to listen. My phone brightened up with Remus caller ID, I couldn’t reach it, so I had to scoot over to the phone pile to grab it.
“Do you think he’ll answer?” came a voice on the other end.
“Not sure, I would expect him and his mates to be partying just like us,” Remus voice echoed through the phone.
“Remus?” I questioned.
“Good reg, you picked up,”
“Yeah I did, I have been trying to reach all of you and I could never answer you,”
“Haha, we’re out partying with the team, your husband is currently dancing on a table and we wanted to know if you wanted to see” Sirius shouted through the phone.
“NO! I DON’T WANT TO SEE A FUCKING VIDEO OF MY HUSBAND. I NEED HIM HERE NOW!” I yelled feeling another contraction coming.
“Wow someone is in a mood,” I heard Sirius snigger.
“OF COURSE, I FUCKING AM IN A MOOD, ALL OF MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU FOR OVER A FUCKING HOUR,” Merlin please help me. “I AM IN FUCKING LABOUR AND AM ABOUT TO GO TO ST MUNGO’S TO DELIVER JAMES POTTER’S CHILD AND YET HE ISN’T HERE,” There is silence followed by a ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ then.
“Shit Reg, why wouldn’t you tell us sooner, like by text or something,”
“YOU WANTED ME TO FUCKING TEXT… AHHHH,” I said as the contraction hit, fuck I hated this.
Lily came back in starting the timer, Mary and Pandora and her phone and Sirius and Remus on my phone, all yelling about something with an angry Lily telling me to breath and rubbing my arms. Leaving me to cool down enough to walk she picked up my phone staying seated in front of me.
“SIRIUS AND REMUS LUPIN-BLACK, YOU GET YOU BEST FUCKING FRIEND DOWN TO ST MUNGO’S RIGHT FUCKING NOWSO HE CAN HELP HIS HUSBAND,” she yelled through the phone, it was hot, “I SWEAR IF HE IS TOO DRUNK TO PARTICIPATE, STAND, TALK OR ANYTHING I WILL KILL YOU ALL BEFORE REGULUS GETS HIS CHANCE. I RECKON YOU HAVE A MAX OF 15 MINUTES AND THIS BABY IS BREATHING,” she hung up the phone and looked at me.
“Are you okay,” she said hugging me again, before grabbing my hand, “lets get you to the hospital and pop some pain killer into you, shall we?”
“Yes, fucking please lily, you are my goddess and saviour,” I said, and she grabbed my hands ready to pull me up and onto my feet.
The walk to the fire place was so odd, I was feeling light headed, in pain and crying. Lily had grabbed our phones, wands, wallets, bags and everything else in seconds, my legend. The flue made me vomit upon exit like it had for 9 months, apparently, we were an expected arrival and I was sat in a wheel chair and rushed off to my room. Lily stayed in the lobby and Pandora was waiting with Mary in my delivery room, to be with me until everyone got shooed out.
*
I was waiting in the lobby for Remus, Sirius and James to arrive and find Regulus. Upon seeing me they all ditched the visiting station and went straight to me, they walked right past expecting me to start leading the way.
“Before we do that, we must have a chat,” I said walking in to meeting room and holding to door open expectantly.
“No, no, Lil’s I will miss Reg’s birth if we don’t go now,” James Potter said, slightly wobbly on his feet but nothing the Regulus would hopefully look past.
“Inside,” I said, glaring a them, the all went in and I closed the door.
“Now, all three of you seemed to miss the most important phone calls of your lives because you wanted to celebrate a win for Quidditch. I honestly don’t know how you James, didn’t ring your husband to check in on him as soon as the game was over,”
“He told me he was feeling okay when I called before the game,” he said head held low.
“And he was, until you started playing then he went into labour, still not wanting to miss a minuet pf you playing. He then wanted to travel to the very field and kick our ass,” I said.
“on a scale of 1 to 100 how fucked are we?” Sirius asked.
“OHohhooh oooooo,” I laughed, “You are all higher than 1000 at the moment so I wish you all the very best, we do have to get the husband to the delivery room now, or you will miss the birth of your child and there will be no blaming it on me,” I said shooing James to Reg’s room.
*
“AAAHHHHHh, FUCKING HELL!” I yelled through another contraction this one lasting longer, “Were on merlins earth is my husband at!” I yelled.
“I’M HERE!! DID I MISS IT??” James Potter yelled running through the door.
“You’re doing very well Mr. Potter, just keep breathing you should be ready to push very soon,” Said the doctor at my feet, “Ah Dr. Lily Evan, he is all prepped and should be up to pushing very shortly, glad you could make it Mr. Potter,” My other Doctor said before stepping out of the room.
“Oi,” I yelled out, “What do you think your doing standing at the door, how can I kick your ass from, ahhhh,” I yelled before blacking out.
“Ve!….. Love?... Reg,” James was leaning right over me grabbing my face with his hands as Mary shock me.
“I’m okay, I’m okay, as for you though,”
“I am so sorry love, I didn’t know you were in labour, I am so sorry I nearly missed it,”
“Regulus, with you blacking out, and your accidental magic, I would highly advice switching to a C-Section to be safe,” Lily said.
“Lily I have come this far already, I can do this natural birth,” I said.
“Okay then, when you feel your next contraction, I need you to push, with everything you’ve got,” Lily said disapprovingly.
I breathed in and out, looking into James eyes, finding a calmness in them, in the storm that this day had turned into. When I felt my next contraction coming a grabbed for James hand and a squeezed in like a life line. This was pain beyond anything else, I knew it would be worth it though, with our baby, alive, health and breathing.
“Good job Regulus keep pushing that’s it, and relax, we are going to do the exact same thing for every contraction from now until this baby is out,” I sighed and let go of James hand.
“Merlin babe you have a grip don’t you,” he said rubbing his hand.
“Go to hell James Potter, you nearly missed the birth of our only baby, so you can deal with it,” I said smacking him.
“Yes, sorry your right Love,”
“Good, now give me back your hand,” I said as another contraction came, I pushed with all my might, gripping onto the bed and my husband like my life depended on it. When I said my vagina hurt before I was not prepared for this whole experience. It felt like it was on fire as my baby stretched my insides so he could get out.
“Keep pushing, keep pushing, and relax. You’re doing so well Reg, the baby’s head will be out after the next push, do you want to feel their head?” Lily asked my looking excitedly.
I shook my head, but James brought my hand down with his. Touching my baby’s head was wild, it helped to know that things were happening, I was doing it, we were doing it. Our baby had so much slimy hair and their little head and it brought everyone in the room to tears, unfortunately the moment didn’t last as another contraction came along and I started pushing.
Lily was right, one push and our baby’s had was out, the small child wasn’t crying yet which was good because I don’t think I could have handled that much stress. I laid back in the bed, I felt so tired and I wasn’t even done yet, there was still the shoulders to push out then apparently our child would just slip right out.
“Reg, baby, your doing great, can you open your eyes for me?” James said running his hands through my hair.
“I can’t, I just want to go to sleep,” I said, that was how I felt, the stress of the day was just all too much.
“No, no, you can sleep as much as you want later, but right now you have a job to finish, to get this baby out,” James said encouragingly.
Another contraction started and I knew I had to push to fight for this baby, now more than ever but I just lay there and screamed through the pain. My magic breaking a water jug and making the lights flicker.
“Regulus listen to me,” lily said leaving my feet to be where Mary was standing, “I know your very tired and just want this to be finished, and it almost is but I need you on your next contraction to push. Its just the shoulders left, your nearly done okay,” she smiled down at me before returning to her seat in between my legs.
Opening my eyes and opting to not break my husband’s hand I grabbed onto the sheets and beared down on my next contraction. It took a while and our baby was crying and slipping right from me and into a towel in lily’s arms.
Looking up at James who had tears in his eyes, and the biggest smile I have ever seen on that man. Holding onto his hand I smiled back, tears falling down my cheeks. Our baby crying in the background as James kissed me, it was perfect.
“You did it Love,” James said resting his forehead on mine.
“That is never happening again, sorry but that is our only child,” I said, and James just laughed at me.
“Whatever you want Reg,”
James and I stayed like this until Lily came over with our child.
“James, Regulus, would you like to meet your son?” Lily asked, our child wrapped in a blanket.
“We have a son?” I asked breathlessly, “Jamie we have a son!” Now more excited.
“Yes, we do Love, and he looks so sweet, you did such a good job,” James beamed.
“Here Reg, do you want to hold him?” Lily asked handing him to me anyway.
He looked perfect, a full head of brown hair, a splitting image of his father with light grey curious eyes.
“I can’t believe this little guy spent 9 months in my stomach just to look exactly like James,” I pouted but in reality, I wasn’t upset at all, it was all I could have asked for.
“Does your son have a name? You were both so secretive with names,” Mary asked us from next to Lily.
“Yeah, he does,” James answered, I was too lost looking at this little James in my arms, “His name is Harry Fleamont Potter,”
“Oh, that is so cute! Welcome little Harry,”
It was such a nice moment with my new family, before all the friends and family came in and don’t get me wrong, I was happy to see them all, but I just wanted to spend some time with my new family then go to sleep. I had torn a bit, was bleeding and in pain but maybe a family distraction would be good.
“Hey Reggie,” Sirius said standing near the bed, “I am really sorry we didn’t answer anyone’s calls our phones were on silent,”
“Yeah you should be, I really needed all three of you and your weren’t there, you weren’t answering and when you did answer the phones you all cared more about the game,” I said not at all impressed, “James I honestly expected more from you, like you said in your interview I could have given birth at any time and yet you still didn’t call me, see how I was,”
“Reggie, I am so, so, so sorry, I was going to call you but the feeling in the locker room was so good, I didn’t think that I would nearly miss something so special,”
“Well to make it up to me your getting up to the Harry when he wakes up at night for at least the first two months,”
“I can do that,” James smiled, “Now can I hold our son or are you just going to keep him for yourself?”
I handed James his son who was nearly instantly stolen by Sirius, then Remus, Mary, Lily, Pandora, Barty, Evan, Effie, then finally getting back to James when he started to cry.
My poor husband looked heartbroken that his son was crying, we could only give Harry formula because I had chopped my boobs off years ago. It meant now James could feed our son and I could sleep, finally.
I happily drift to sleep with the sweet sounds of my husband and baby, all our friends and family leaving and waiting to come to our home to reunite with our newest member.