Reputation Ruiners
Title: Reputation Ruiners
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Emmeline Vance, Neville Longbottom, Sirius Black, Alice Longbottom, and others.
Word Count: 367
Summary: Babies change things.
He’s so small in her arms she’s afraid she’ll somehow break him. It’s ridiculous, she reminds herself, but then she’s standing in St. Mungo’s (without completely breaking down) holding Alice and Frank’s baby boy while Lily and James work on delivering another just down the hall. So, ridiculous seems to be the theme for the night.
She’s the first one to hold him that isn’t family, if only because she was standing closest to Alice. Sirius, Remus, and Peter are all crowded around her. She knows they’re all hyper aware, in anticipation of Harry’s birth, but each of them is looking intently at Neville. Dorcas is there too and Moody as well, for some reason. Frank and Alice’s families are outside in the waiting room, having been kind enough to make room for visiting friends for just a while.
She’s in awe of him. He’s so tiny, so soft, so beautiful. Emm can’t seem to wrap her mind around him.
He and Harry are both accidents, she knows, but they seem to be the best accidents to have ever come into existence. Harry hasn’t even been born yet. She never thought she’d wanted this, but she’s suddenly rather in love with the sleeping, wrinkly, pink baby in her arms.
Without even thinking about it she starts talking to him, having enough sense to keep her voice low. “Hey, there. You don’t know me yet, but my name is Emmeline.” He’s asleep and it’s all very odd, but it seems to make perfect sense. “But, you can call me Emmy, once you learn how to talk.”
“That’s hardly fair.”
She blinks up at Sirius. She’d almost forgotten they were in the room. She catches Alice’s tired, fond look.
“Why should he just be allowed to call you Emmy? Some of us had to earn that privilege.” He’s giving her a strange knowing look and she really doesn’t want to think about Sirius’ strange looks right now. When he holds out his arms she carefully passes Neville on to him. “Lucky little brat.”
The smile on her face is decidedly not ice-queen material. She knows automatically that these babies will do nothing for reputation.