***5 September 1986***

Severus and Harry stepped out of the Burrow, greeted by a smiling Molly and her youngest son Ron.

Severus put Harry down and Ron game and grabbed him by the hand and ran off pulling Harry behind him. "Harry! You have to come and see! Dad's going to put up a Quidditch pitch tomorrow!"

Harry managed to turn and wave with his free had before being dragged out of the house, "Bye, Daddy," was all he had time to say before disappearing out the back door and into the garden with his red-headed friend.

Severus waved him out the door more than he had waved goodbye. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, trying to desperately nurse the headache throbbing behind his temples. With his other hand he took the shrunken book from the inner pocket of his teaching robes and handed it to Molly.

"Here…take it back…I never want to see that infernal thing again?"

"I take it you read him the book then, Severus?" Molly said as she spelled the book to full size and it levitated back to its proper place on the top shelf.

Severus nodded, "I thought we were past the discussion last night," he lamented. "I was taking a sip from my morning coffee when Harry asked me over his breakfast 'Do babies come out of mummies the same way they go in?'" Severus rubbed his still burning nose. "Needless to say my initial response was not entirely dignified…though Harry found it entertaining...He asked me to 'do it again'."

Molly put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle. "I'm sorry to hear that, Severus," she said sounding more amused than sympathetic.

Severus was only five minutes late when he arrived for breakfast. The entire staff was already seated, Minerva to Albus' right and Lucy at his left. She was lazily slicing a banana into her morning porridge. The potion Poppy gave her for morning sickness had been effective.

Albus was quick to notice Severus' haggard condition. "Severus my boy…your eyes are completely bloodshot…have you been drinking?"

Severus plopped himself in an empty chair next to Lucy, the staff had picked up that the two take nearly all of their meals together.

He was too tired and irritable to answer Albus without jeopardising his employment…Lucy came to his rescue. Apparently, she felt a guilty for Severus' present state.

"Uncle Albus…that's a terrible assumption to make," she said as she added cream to her porridge. "Your eyes are glazed…have you been eating doughnuts?"

Giggles and snickers arose up and down the staff table.

Severus finally spoke up as he dolloped marmalade onto his scone, "Try using the words 'penis' and 'vagina' in a conversation with a six year old boy at six-thirty in the morning, and see how well you fare coming out the other side."

"Oh…then you had 'the Talk' with young Harry, did you Severus?" piqued Professor Flitwick. "Bully for you for having the courage while the boy is still young." The majority of the staff was still not aware of Lucy's pregnancy and intended resignation.

Severus took a drink from his second cup of coffee. Lucky for him it managed to stay down his throat rather than come out his nose once again. He certainly did not feel courageous.

"From the look on your face, Severus, I take it you did not intend to have this conversation so soon?" observed Minerva.

Severus shook his head, "The boy had questions."

Lucy covered her mouth with her napkin and started to choke on a piece of banana.

Severus slapped her hard on the back and dislodged the offending fruit.

"Are you alright my dear?" Albus leaned over and whispered.

She nodded, "Fine, Uncle Albus…Thank you, Severus," she muttered into her glass of water before she took a deep drink.

Once the drama was over, the conversation went back to Harry's biology lesson.

Minerva commented, "Better you should tell him at six than thirty-six."

"Thirty-six may have been preferable," Severus mumbled.

"And just how old are you, Severus?" inquired Albus with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Twenty-six," Severus replied dryly. He had a sinking feeling he was about to become the butt of one of the Headmaster's bad jokes.

A smirk quivered across Albus' lips. "Perhaps we should arrange a sit down between you and Arthur Weasley in ten years time."

With the exception of Severus and Lucy, the entire staff table erupted in laughter. The entire student body looked up from below, wondering what the big joke was.

Severus had been harassed enough by Harry's questions that morning that he was beyond caring that Albus and the staff found his misery amusing.

Lucy on the other hand, had no hesitation over putting Albus Dumbledore in his place.

"Oww!" Albus said as he jumped a little in his chair and rubbed his smarting thigh.

He looked over questioningly at Lucy who was holding up the fork she just jabbed him with.

"Behave yourself, Uncle Albus."

***7 September 1986***

Aberforth stood behind his bar drying out the same flagon for the last twenty minutes. There were only three people in his pub at the moment. Hagrid was sitting at the bar enjoying a bowl of stew the size of a medium cauldron and his third pint of the day.

In a dark corner sat a blonde couple whose pressed and scrubbed appearance looked out of place in Aberforth's establishment. These two, Aberforth was not about to take his eyes off of.

"LUCY, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" the man flung his chair back as he erupted.

Lucy jumped up from her own chair, her wand at the ready…refusing to show fear.

Before Kenneth realised it, he had Aberforth's wand embedded in his cheek from behind and a half giant scowling over him.

"If you want to leave with your face attached…I suggest you leave in peace now, Musgrave," Aberforth hissed.

"It's okay, Pawpaw." Lucy said calmly, putting out her hand to lower his wand. "Kenneth promises to be a good boy...," her eyes narrowed as she looked at her former lover, "Don't you Kenneth?" Her smile was unnaturally wide and her voice, sickeningly cloy. The warning was unmistakable.

Kenneth nodded contritely and picked up his chair and slowly sat back down, his eyes sifting between Aberforth and Lucy.

"Just see that you remain civil," Aberforth warned. He completely lowered his wand hand, but did not put it away. "Hagrid and I are right here if you need us, love," he said more gently to his granddaughter.

"I'll be fine, Pawpaw," she assured as she sat back down. "Now…where were we before you decided to throw a hissy-fit…Oh…yes…I want you to leave me and the baby alone."

"Lucy…please…I promise…I'll make things right again between us," he was pleading.

"No, Kenneth," she said firmly. "I don't care what you say...you're not going to persuade me otherwise."

"But Lucy…it's my child too…I want the chance to be a father…I swear I'll take good care of the both of you. You will want for nothing…"

"…But a life!" she finished the sentence. "Kenneth…your idea of keeping me happy is keeping me barefoot and pregnant for the next ten years."

"Darling…you have always wanted a family," Kenneth tried to reason.

"You know I wanted to wait! And DON'T call me 'Darling'."

"But Lucy…I am the father…aren't I?" he asked suspiciously.

"That is precisely the kind of thing that put you in this position," Kenneth knew damn well he was the father; he was only trying to hurt Lucy because she was hurting him.

But like it or not, Lucy thought Kenneth did have some rights as the father. "Look…" she said in real sympathy… "I need you to stay away during my pregnancy…"

"But…"

"Just shut up and listen to me," she said irritably. "I need you to stay away during my pregnancy…the stress you bring…I can't handle it right now…" She closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her breathing. "But after the baby is born... if you manage to remain civil, we'll discuss some form of visitation or even joint custody," Lucy said more calmly.

"I do not wish to be a 'weekend dad'," Kenneth said bitterly.

"Well that's all well and good… but for the time being you're going to have to be happy with what you get."

"Are you angry with me because you became pregnant? Is this what this is about?" he asked hotly.

"I became pregnant because I trusted you," she bit back. "However, I had made my decision to call off the engagement before I even found out. I'm not going to marry you just because you knocked me up. It would never work out."

"Kenneth things were already bad enough…," she could hardly go on with this conversation. Lucy was shaking her head in disbelief over what Kenneth had done. He had denied nothing. "I had to trust you to do right by me…And I did trust you because I loved you…but I don't trust you anymore." Her voice began to quiver from her anger over Kenneth's betrayal. "I don't love you anymore."

Kenneth stood up and leaned against the table for support…the words at dug deep he was teetering between heartbreak and murderous rage. "Did you fall in love with someone else?"

She stood up and bravely faced him though her eyes were sad. "No Kenneth…but I fell out of love with you."

Lucy was trudging back up the hill to Hogwarts with Hagrid as her guardi…erm…companion.

"Are ya sure to be alrigh' there, Lucy?" Hagrid stopped when she did to catch a breath.

"You know…I'm really beginning to tire of that question," she said aloud to herself. Lucy's petite size had always made her seem more fragile than what she was. Now that she was pregnant and the news of it revealed at last night's staff meeting…she knew she was going to hear a lot more of it. Why did everyone think she was made of glass?

She was grateful that Hagrid had not picked up her ire. After all…he was only concerned. "I'm sorry Hagrid…I'm quite alright…just a little emotionally exhausted."

"I canna' say I blame ya'," Hagrid said kindly. "Tha' Musgrave fellow seems a righ' bit dodgy ta me…How'd he ever become a diplomat?"

"He knows exactly what to say, when to say it, and whom to say it to," Lucy said bitterly. She felt like a complete fool.

Hagrid looked down and smiled at Lucy. "Don' go beatin' yourself over things ya canna' change," Hagrid said. "It'll all be righ' as rain in the end, you'll see."

Lucy smiled up at her old friend. She couldn't help it. Hagrid had always been able to make Lucy smile because she had never known anyone to be as true and genuinely kind as the half giant.

"Hagrid?" she asked slyly, "You don't happen to have any rock cakes do you?" She always though Hagrid's rock cakes were under-appreciated. All one had to do was soak them in tea for five minutes and they were absolutely divine.

"There's a lassie tha' knows a good thing," his chest puffed out appreciatively. "Jus' made some this morning…I take it you'll be wantin' tea then."

"As long as you let me play mother," Lucy had to stop again. She and Hagrid stared at each other as they tried to stifle their laughs at her unintended pun. But try as they might, they could not hold it in.

Because of Hagrid's booming laughter, Lucy thought for sure they could be everywhere between Hogwarts and Hogsmead, which only made her laugh harder.

She wasn't even laughing at her stupid joke anymore. She was laughing because she felt she could. It was cleansing.

Lucy felt like she had finally rid herself of the ten ton dragon that had latched itself onto her. When their laughter had finally died down, Lucy closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. She could feel the sun kiss her cheek and she smiled to The Maker. It had been too long since she had felt this happy…this free.