Rain on February 10

"It's been five months."

"No, Nymphadora, that's not going to work…"

"I told Sirius."

"You—"

"He said he'd gift us a mountain so you'd have a place to transform at night."

"Nymphadora, wait…"

"I told my parents too."

"Nymphadora…"

"My dad's very curious about whether I'll give birth to a little werewolf. My mom even wrote to Professor Snape for the Wolfsbane Potion recipe."

"Severus knows?" Lupin's voice sounded resigned.

"He called you an old bastard."

"Yes, well, he's not wrong…"

"I also told Dumbledore."

"You've told a lot of people, Nymphadora."

"Dumbledore said I could take maternity leave. Perfect timing."

"Let's get married, Nymphadora."

Lupin's voice was soft, almost choked with emotion. Joey and Flami, eavesdropping from a distance, felt their eyes well up. Even Fred and George, usually so mischievous, were silent.

"Remus, you're old and poor," Tonks said, her voice no longer playful but tinged with tears.

"I can take a youth potion. I'll find a way to make money…"

"You rejected me so harshly earlier. Are you proposing now because of the baby?"

"Because of the baby, yes, but more because the baby's mother is you."

"Fine. When you're not drinking, you talk like this. I prefer the drunk version of you—more straightforward!"

"Nymphadora, will you…"

"Of course, I will! Who else would fall for an old, ugly, poor coward like you?"

"Thank you, Nymphadora."

"Wait, this cockroach looks weird…"

"Crunch." The sound of metal being crushed came through the earpieces, and the four eavesdroppers quickly removed them. Moments later, Lupin and Tonks appeared before them.

"Shapeshifting. We'll learn that this year, haha," Joey said nervously, trying to deflect.

"What are you doing here?" Lupin asked, his tone stern.

"Nosy little brats!" Tonks growled, rolling up her sleeves. "I ought to hex you all!"

In the end, Lupin managed to calm Tonks down, but the twins had to hand over all their prank supplies as compensation. Tonks declared it their "baby fund."

---

Back at the castle, Joey was buzzing with ideas. "We should make something like Polyjuice Potion but shorter-lasting! Imagine being able to turn into someone else for just a minute. It'd be a hit!"

"Great idea," Fred said, "but where would we get enough hair?"

"We could ask celebrities for cooperation," Flami suggested. "If they provide their hair, we could give them a share of the profits."

Joey's eyes lit up. "We could start with Krum! Imagine every boy wanting to be Krum for a minute!"

"I don't want to be Krum," Fred muttered, though he was too confident to feel jealous.

---

Later, Flami pulled Joey aside and handed her a small bottle of potion. "Contraceptive potion. Drink it."

Joey's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Did Fred use protection?" Flami asked pointedly.

Joey's blank expression said it all.

Flami sighed and poured the potion into Joey's mouth before she could protest. Then she handed Joey a handful of colorful condoms. "Girls need to protect themselves," Flami said firmly.

Joey stuffed the condoms into her pocket, her face burning. Dinner was a tense affair, with Joey constantly guarding her pocket. Fred, noticing her odd behavior, grew suspicious.

---

After dinner, Fred cornered Joey on a secluded staircase. "What's in your pocket?" he asked, pulling out the condoms before she could stop him.

Joey's face turned crimson. "They're… for you!"

Fred's eyes sparkled with mischief. "We've got contraceptive potions. I'll make some for you."

"Flami already gave me one," Joey said, rolling her eyes.

Fred's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Joey. I should've thought of that."

Joey kissed him lightly. "You're forgiven. Now go figure out how to use those."

---

A few days later, Joey found herself marveling at Fred's… enthusiasm. "You're insatiable," she muttered, though she couldn't deny she enjoyed it.

Fred grinned, rummaging through potion ingredients with George. "You're the one who can't keep your eyes off me."

Joey blushed but didn't deny it. She was on lookout duty while the twins "borrowed" African tree snake bark from Snape's storeroom.

"Keep your eyes on the Marauder's Map, Joey," Fred teased. "What's so interesting about my chest?"

Joey stuck out her tongue. "I can look at my boyfriend wherever I want!"

The three of them laughed as they left the storeroom, their bag full of ingredients. "I think we left enough for Snape," Fred said, grinning. "Unless he wants to prank someone."

Joey doubted Snape would ever prank anyone, but she kept that thought to herself. For now, she was just glad their heist had gone smoothly.