alicealongbottom

[alicealongbottom]

Today had been the day that they'd been looking forward to ever since she had found out she was pregnant. They'd talked about it at length, lying in bed together and wondering who their son would take after. And now he was finally here and he was perfect. The cutest baby she had ever seen. She couldn't stop staring at him. Her tone soft as she spoke to Frank. "He has your eyes."

@franklongbottom-fm

[alicealongbottom]

"Good, because then I would have to throw some of my ice cream on you and I would hate to have this deliciousness wasted." She joked, her tone teasing. With him being Molly's brother she did not doubt his ability to handle a pregnant woman the right way. "I am doing well. Ready to meet the little guy. Yes. I have been strongly advised to go take my maternity leave. And Frank feels much better when he does not have to worry about something happening to me."

It had been an early morning for Fabian, getting some early shopping in before getting to work. It was quite the surprise to find Alice in front of the ice cream parlor already having an ice cream while this was certainly not the time for it yet. A grin was on his face when he was caught looking at his friend. "I am not judging." The man paused for just a moment before continuing speaking. "Okay, maybe I am a little but as a not-pregnant-man, I suppose I can't judge about it at all. How are you doing, Alice? Have you had to give up work yet?"

[alicealongbottom]

"He gets whatever he wants. I'll have to work on discipline once he's old enough to understand it." She chuckled, taking another spoonful of her ice cream. It truly was delicious. Neville was a genius and he was yet to be born. "Only a couple of weeks left. I can hardly believe it.. I don't know if you can ever be ready... I've been told we'll feel ready once he's here... Hopefully that's true."

Aurora raised her hands in mock surrender, a smirk tugging at her lips as she leaned casually against the nearby wall. "Who am I to argue with a baby’s demands?" she said, eyeing the ice cream cone with mild amusement. It had been too long since she had seen Alice last. Her gaze softened as she took in Alice’s rounded belly, a flicker of warmth crossing her face. "Baby must be here soon-ish? Are you and Frank ready?"

[alicealongbottom]

"I don't know and I sincerely hope I will not be the person that proves that theory to be true." She loved a sweet treat at the end of the day, it was a great way to brighten an otherwise bleak day and in the times they were in they needed all the positivity they could get. "I'm nine months pregnant now. Merlin, that feels weird to say. My healer thinks he should be here in the next few weeks."

“I doubt it, who can lose their taste for desserts?” New mothers needed desserts more than anyone else. Two months into the experience and Felicity knew it more than others. “He’s two months old now, though it feels like four. How far along are you?”

[alicealongbottom]

"While I do hope he'll be here sooner than later, but what matters most is that he will be healthy, I do not care about anything else." She knew Frank was the same way, smiling adoringly at him as he kissed her stomach. Their own little family. They had dreamed about this for so many years and now it was becoming a reality. "It's hard to wrap my head around. He's been here, but not actually here for so long now, I know holding him for the first time will feel so surreal." Once again she wondered who he would take after more.

“Apparently I arrived two weeks late, so hopefully he’ll take after you instead.” He bent over to kiss his wife’s stomach. “We’re aiming for punctual okay, Nev?” He told his son, even though the baby couldn’t really hear him. That didn’t matter. “Merlin bless her for that. Mum said she would bring us by some nappies and a high chair as well. I can’t believe he’s almost here now.”

[alicealongbottom]

"Well then I am sorry for assuming. I may be a little sensitive at the moment." She winced, her tone apologetic as she smiled at her friend. She was glad that she ran into Hestia, she felt like they had not seen each other in way too long.

"That is very kind of you, I would love that. We can get some drinks with it as well and catch up properly."

Hestia had stopped short, about to open her mouth to greet the other when those words had floated over, causing a sharp grin to appear on her face. “Oh, Alice. I know better than to judge you for such cravings.” Or anyone else, for that matter. When it came to such things, the judgy she would leave with the person in question.

“In fact, why don’t I treat you to some ice cream the next time you feel like having some!” Hestia smiled; the invitation open for the other to take whenever the mood would strike. - @alicealongbottom

[alicealongbottom]

"On that we are in complete agreement. I love sugar and ever since I got pregnant I've started to love it even more. I did not know that that was possible." Alice admitted with a laugh. Her healer friends all said the same thing, that she should listen to her body and give the baby what he craved. "Oh of course. Just let me know and I will pass it along to him as soon as he gets here. Thank you for keeping me company. It was lovely to have you here. You're always welcome to stop by."

It was an odd feeling to see everyone around him finding their footing so quickly after Hogwarts, surely it'd been some years now but he still felt so young and mostly lost. He didn't have big plans for his life just yet, but everyone seemed to be embarking on a certain path, one that had them happy. Peter could tell his friends were actually content with the way things were going for them, even amidst the war, and while he couldn't really see it for himself-- he tried to be supportive of them. "There's no such thing as too much sugar." The wizard said with a chuckle, offering Alice a small smile, before looking down at his watch and realizing just how late it was. "I'd love to wait around for Frank a bit longer, but I do have to get back to work. Think I can leave the message with you instead?"

[alicealongbottom]

"Frank is the best husband I could ever ask for. Not that I doubted him for a second. He does everything for me and the baby. He can't wait to be a dad." She had this longing look in her eyes, missing her husband despite only seeing him this morning. She knew he was looking forward to be a dad and how much time he spent preparing for it. It was adorable. "That's very kind of you to say, thank you. We will certainly do our best to be there for our son, no matter what. I want him to always know how loved he is. Sorry- I'm rambling. I'm just excited to finally meet him."

"Thanks," he replied shortly. He could tell by her tone that she felt bad for her questioning but he wasn't in the business of comforting people who had caused him discomfort. Luckily, he was also the type to brush over it quite quickly. "How's Frank holding up?" he asked. Sirius would be planning his journey to another planet if he found out he was having a baby, but Frank and Alice were in quite a different place than he was. "You'll be great parents."

[alicealongbottom]

"I like that way of thinking." She chuckled, a smile playing on her lips as she took another bite of her ice cream, stifling a sigh due to how delicious it was. No matter how many times she's had it, it always tasted just as good as she remembered it.

Never having been one of those birds, it was quite an oddity for Charity to be up and working this early, only one reason for her to be out and about. The manor was a mess and she couldn't stand it any longer, the need to be out and about stronger than usual. She couldn't help but chuckle as the witch coming from the other side of the street mentioned the baby. It wasn't something she was familiar with but she was quick to dismiss her worries. "No need to justify yourself, ice cream's alright at any time of the day and whoever says it isn't should be judged instead."

[alicealongbottom]

"Oh I hope I won't have the same issue with desserts when the little guy is here." She chuckled, her hand resting on her stomach. It seemed like he always knew when it was her hand and immediately he kicked. Alice couldn't help but laugh. "I doubt he even wants to consider the possibility of less sweets in the house." She smiled back at the brunette. "How old is your baby now?"

Flick didn’t talk about her pregnancy often. She’d spent most of it at the Estate, avoiding scandal and the chance of ruining her family name. Seeing Alice made her wish she hadn’t. Alice was glowing, happy, totally unashamed. Flick couldn’t help feeling a tad jealous.

“Mine wanted pickles. Merlin I can hardly stand the sight of them now I eat so many.” She confessed.

[alicealongbottom]

"Neither can I, but luckily we won't have to wait much longer. Let's hope he's a punctual fellow." She was already impatient to meet him, but the most important thing was that he was healthy. So she would be patient for a little while longer. Alice couldn't lean her head on his chest if she tried, her stomach too big between them now. "There's still so much we need to do before he's here- Ela said she would stop by soon with some of Oliver's old clothes. So that we can look through and decide which ones we want for Neville."

“I can’t wait to see what he looks like, who he takes after.” Frank said, wrapping his arms around her. It was harder to do now and he hardly minded at all. “I know everything will go so fast once he’s here and we’re barely sleeping, but waiting is the worst part.”

[alicealongbottom]

"We shall have many playdates with the two of them." Alice smiled, genuinely looking forward to it. She had always liked Lily and James and thought them dedicated Order members. They were right on their side, fighting for the best cause, a better future for their children. "What's the worst craving you've had?"

𝐰𝐡𝐨   𝐰𝐚𝐬   𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐲   𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫   𝐭𝐨   𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞   ,   though   slightly   behind   alice   in   dates   ,   there   was   probably   few   who   understood   as   much   as   she   did   .   hand   poised   over   the   swell   of   her   midsection   ,   she   could   only   grin   .   toothy   and   full   of   grins   .   “   i   cannot   judge   you   ,   this   child   has   the   potter   appetite   ,   i’ve   eaten   things   much   worse   than   ice   cream   .   ”   she   jokes   so   softly   ,   head   tilted   softly   .  

[alicealongbottom]

"We just have to keep our eyes open." She agreed, refusing to give up hope. It was the only thing they had left, hope that soon the tides would change, hope that they would find something, hope that the good side- the right side- would win in the end. Good conquered bad, she was a fundamental believer of that. Even if hope was hard to come by at times, she did her best to hold onto it with an iron grip. Not just for her family and baby Neville, for everyone.

Alice checked every corner, every bookshelf, every wall that looked suspicious with a anti concealment spell. They didn't have all the time in the world but the time they had they needed to use wisely.

When Ted had been frozen, even if for a moment too long she rushed over to him, but he managed to drag himself away before she reached him. She let out a relieved sigh. "And you thought I was the one we needed to worry about." It was better that he took it, the danger of most of the things here was that the buyers and sellers were more familiar with it all. She smirked back at him when they had finally found something useful.

Something that proved it came from a crime scene the aurors investigated. That was a sign, there had to be more here, maybe in the past, maybe in the future. This place was connected to the death eaters like they thought it was. She catalogued things, writing things down with her quill in the notebook she had brought.

"Don't touch it." She warned. Thinking for a moment. "This has to be important." There was this spell she had read about, to secure things that a simple alohomora couldn't break. After a few minutes she remembered lifting her wand to the cupboard, careful to stay the spell right, watching proud when it opened up, turning back to Ted. "Is this what I think it is?"

[alicealongbottom]

"Alright. Message received loud and clear. I'm sorry if I overstepped. Consider this topic closed." She grimaced, her tone apologetic. She hadn't meant any harm in her inquiry, only asking out of genuine concern. Still she understood his point of view. "Not fast enough. I wish he was here already." In the dark world they were living in now she was clinging to the one good thing happening. "We found out at the first scan. We wanted to find out the gender as soon as we could, made it feel more real."

"I'm saying it," he said with a slightly unamused laugh. He was so sick of people prodding, putting their noses in when most of them hadn't spoken to him in months. It felt like most of them were just using them for gossip fodder, not that they cared how he actually felt or fared. "That's coming up fast," he smiled slightly. About when James and Lily were due as well, he was pretty sure. For members of the Order who would now care more about their children than anything else. "You know it's a boy then?"

[alicealongbottom]

"I get it too and we haven't even had him yet." She admitted with a laugh, leaning into him. Alice couldn't wait to hold their baby in her arms, look at his little face. "I wish we could fast forward the next two months."

“It used to boggle my mind, how Molly and Arthur could want so many kids. Now I definitely get it.” Frank said. He still had his notes from his talk with Arthur tucked into the inside pocket of his coat. It felt like the safest place for them. He'd already read them through several times. “Merlin, I can’t wait until he gets here.”

[alicealongbottom]

She could tell he was listening and paying attention to what she was saying about pregnancy which she found endearing. He seemed like a sweet guy and Alice felt that she had a good gut instinct about people. "I won't pry. She will tell me when she's ready." She already knew Molly was pregnant, but who else could it be? "Frank's mom said I've been having too much sugar, but there's no such thing." She grinned, taking another bite.

Peter was taking mental notes of everything the witch was sharing, following her words with a nod of his head. He was surprised to see how many things there were to consider and he felt lucky not to be the one about to become a father so young. "Yeah, you know her, but it's not my secret to tell." He offered with a small smile and a shrug of his shoulders, certain that Lily would want to share the news herself, their kid would be around the Longbottom kid's age. It all seemed to be moving so fast, the sugar quill offer bringing him out of his thoughts. "Oh yes, I can never say no to sugar quills." The wizard said as his smile grew bigger, grabbing one and taking a bite as well.

[alicealongbottom]

location: diagon alley status: open to anyone

While Alice was normally a very patient person, it was different when it came to her pregnancy, she was too excited, too curious about her baby to sit back content and wait until he was born. There was still so much to do until then, they had about two months to go. While her cravings were less strong now, this morning she had gotten the intense desire to get ice cream. Who was she to deny her baby what he wanted? So there she was, walking through diagon alley early in the day with an ice cream cone when she felt eyes on her. "Don't judge me. He's been wanting ice cream for days now."