FONTAINE MANOR/ST. MUNGOS

Summer was over, and suddenly, autumn had begun. The leaves on every tree on the property of Fontaine Manor had turned orange, then red, then brown, before falling off completely. And it was beautiful.

As Halloween got closer and closer, Anna-Lee's stress grew.

"English, I don't want Madeleine to be born on your birthday." The American said one afternoon, when she and Sage lounged on the couch while Noah was at work.

Sage glanced over at Anna-Lee, eyebrows furrowed, and placed her palm on her swollen belly. "I'd prefer her to be born on my birthday, honestly. Little lady would take some pressure off of me, at least." She said with a teasing smirk.

Both women gasped slightly when the baby kicked, and Sage, so far away from the emotionless, cold girl she used to be, found herself tearing up.

"She's been doing that a lot lately. Kicking me, right in the ribs." Anna-Lee said, softly smiling. "She's gonna be strong-willed, I can tell. Just like her Auntie Sage."

They were quiet as the baby's movement slowed and eventually stopped.

"Hey, Sage?" Anna-Lee said in a strained voice.

Sage's eyes snapped to meet her friend's. "Don't tell me you—

"I think my water just broke."

There was a flurry of movement as Sage used magic to pack Anna-Lee's hospital bag, and they conversed hurriedly while onesies and blankets and pillows flew through the air.

"Did you decide whether you wanted to go to St. Mungos, or a muggle hospital? It's up to you, but Nana always said that pregnant women who go into labor often can't control their magic." Sage said, rambling due to her nerves.

Anna-Lee breathed loudly, practicing her exercises. "St. Mungos. Definitely St. Mungos. Don't need to start the Salem Witch Trials all over again." She hissed through her teeth, grabbing for Sage's hand suddenly. "But Noah can't get into St. Mungos—he's a No-Maj. Sage, you're going to have to hold my hand through this. I can't do it alone."

Sage froze, the objects in the air falling to the ground. "You want me in the room with you? While you're giving birth?"

"Don't be dumb. Of course I do. I don't think the Healers could handle it if I screamed bloody murder at them, so I gotta scream at you." Anna-Lee said, and she laughed despite herself.

☾

Several hours later, Anna-Lee was fully in labor, and the poor Healers did their best to calm the mother-to-be and make sure she didn't stress herself too much.

Apparently, stress was bad for a baby. Sage had learned that throughout the past nine months.

The room smelled like lavender and something earthier, more sweet, that Sage remembered faintly from her time in the Slytherin dormitory. It smelled like damp earth, she realized. She found comfort in that scent, but it dawned on her that Anna-Lee had never been in Hogwarts, and could not get that same ease from it.

"Alright, darling. It's time to push. Are you ready?" The Healer assigned to the Michaels baby asked in a soft, sweet voice.

Anna-Lee scoffed, brown hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. "Fuck no. But I don't have another choice, so..." She said in a cross voice.

The Healer, with graying hair and wrinkling skin, laughed. "Now, sweet girl. Time to push." Her eyes flickered to Sage. "Miss Fontaine, now would be the time to hold her hand."

With a scream of pain, Anna-Lee did as she was told, squeezing Sage's fingers so tightly that even she hissed with discomfort.

"You're doing brilliantly." Sage said weakly, wondering how in the world women had done this for millions of years voluntarily, and sometimes, in her mother's and grandmother's cases, done it multiple times, if it really hurt this much.

"Shut the fuck up." Anna-Lee shouted in misplaced anger.

Sage snorted at her American friend's sudden fury, so different from the sweet-tempered, kind woman that she was used to.

Two dozen pushes later, and a new life arrived in the world.

"Sage, meet Madeleine." Anna-Lee whispered softly, a beautiful baby girl with sandy brown hair and the greenest eyes Sage had ever seen in her arms. "And Madeleine, meet your godmother."

Sage was thoroughly crying then, tears rolling shamelessly down her cheeks. She was stunned speechless, and all she could do was stroke baby Madeleine's delicate cheeks and thank Merlin that she was lucky enough to have a part in raising this angel.

Anna-Lee just smiled.

Sage had been quite feral when the two had met, rough and sharp around the edges. And when her brother had died, she had grown even sharper, cutting anyone who dared to come near her.

But somehow, over the past five years, she had been loved into softness. The combined efforts of Sirius, her friends, and even Anna-Lee herself had worn down those edges and smoothed them out.

warm and fuzzy chapter to prep yall