Reviews are appreciated. Flames will be used to burn the hairs off Dumbledore's ass.

Disclaimer:I do not Own MGS or HP. They belong to their respective owners. Lawyers can get on with their lives now.

Ignorance. It is a folly humanity has suffered for many a generation. One thinks they know something, and then when it blows up in their face, because in actuality, they did not, they wonder why.

I thought I knew my body. It seems I was wrong.

Pregnancy can be tricky for some women; where in the first few weeks, symptoms can escape notice. As it had been my first time, I hadn't even known I was pregnant, never getting morning sickness and writing the fatigue off as Dumbledore sending me on too many missions for his Order of the Kentucky Fried Chicken. That was… until after a mission gone sour.

It was supposed to be a simple thing. In, retrieve the locket, out. But, as luck would have it, the Dumblebee sent us in as a pack of death eaters were sweeping the area. The resulting firefight cost our side three good witches, and as we drew back, I was hit with an unknown curse. It hadn't done anything right then, or so it had seemed. It wouldn't be until later, when James and the boys had gone for the weekend, that I would regret my oversight.

It was a long, bloody night; and in the end, I suffered a miscarriage. It may have been a hallucination, but as I cleaned the blood away, I could have sworn I saw a tiny body amongst the mess. When James returned home, it was as if I had never been pregnant at all. Not that he'd noticed either. He had been just as busy as I'd been.

If James noticed my sudden depression, he didn't bring it up. He had his smart moments, rare as they were. After that night, I just felt… empty. My child died inside of me because I was careless. No matter how I tried to perk up, the lingering sense of failure would drag me back down into that same slump. No matter how James tried; whispering sweet nothings to me as he lay with me for what little time we had together. It was no use. If he noticed our wine bottle becoming lighter, he said nothing.

It was mid-November when my friend Alice finally twisted my arm into a weekend out with her. She always did know when I was in a slump. She was just intuitive like that. So I allowed myself to be whisked away to who knows where for a weekend of drinking and clubbing.

"Lily, whatever it is, you should let it go!"Alice said gently as she fixed my hair. I tried to protest, but she wouldn't hear of it, "You've lost weight and color. Look at you! You're like a god-damned vampire! We're here to relax! Forget about your troubles for a few nights and enjoy yourself. Here, there is no war. Here, may Frank forgive me, we're not married. Okay?"

I opened my mouth to protest again, then closed it, thinking. Perhaps this is what I needed.

"Alright."I conceded.

"Good!"Alice chirped jovially, "Now let's make you gorgeous!"

Oh boy…

"Come on, Snake, lighten up! It'll do you some good!"Kaz pestered for the umpteenth time that day. Quite frankly, I was starting to consider giving in just to get him to shut up. He's giving me a damn headache.

"Look, Kaz. I know you mean well, but I just don't have that kind of time. As my second in command, you should know this! There is paperwork to be done, files to sort, orders to give, recruits to organize and missions to be carried out. I'm under enough stress as it is without having to worry about how many fights you'll start over stolen girlfriends, should I take a short vacation."I explained, giving Kaz a meaningful glare. He chuckled nervously. He was obviously still smarting from the ass kicking he received from the incident with Armadillo.

"Boss, listen. You're tired. You've been taking mission after mission, and the men are getting worried. Even Strangelove's noticed. Hell, she even lectured the medical staff about the detrimental effects of stress on a soldier's health. If you don't voluntarily take a break, Lobster will more than likely tie you down in sickbay next to Amanda, and that won't help you any."At the thought of Lobster's overbearing clucking, I was seriously considering taking the weekend off. From the annoyed screeching and squawking audible from sickbay every so often, Amanda isn't too thrilled with him.

"Take a break. Go somewhere nice. Hit a club. Pick up a chick or two. Live a little!" Kaz swung an arm around my shoulders, squeezing just so. I sighed in a put upon manner. Somehow, Kaz always seems to get his way. He's lucky I like him. Tricky bastard.

"Fine, I'll go for the weekend. Happy?"I grumbled. Kaz jumped away from me and cheered.

"Yatta! Great!" As he did a slight victory dance, I smiled. Kaz is such a child at times.

"So when do I leave?"I asked. Kaz halted his dancing and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the staff quarters.

"In an hour! Time to get you some civvie threads!"

I stumbled along after him, not used to being hauled around like that, my eyes sort of bugging out in blatant surprise.

"Kaz! Hold on a minute! KAZ!"

The girls laughed and giggled as they mingled with the crowd of dancing and grinding bodies. As drinks were consumed and songs pounded through the club, Lily and Alice lost each other somewhere around midnight. Lily was sober enough to know what was going on, but drunk enough not to care.

While she was at the bar, a man caught her attention as he sat a few stools away from her. A soldier, by the way he held himself. He was young, somewhere in his mid to late twenties, and handsome, with wild brown hair that fell into his startling blue eyes. The dark green dress shirt fell open at the top, giving a teasing view of a strong chest. Fitted jeans were tucked into laced combat boots. If she concentrated through the haze of the alcohol, she could catch a whiff of sandalwood.

The scent, coupled with his rugged looks… Her alcohol riddled mind was telling her one thing.

Jump him.

After some time at the bar, Snake was reasonably drunk. Fire whiskey will do that to a person, you see. Though as drunk as he was, you would think he wouldn't notice the pretty redhead staring at him from the end of the bar.

Wrong.

Snake was perceptive, even at the worst of times.

He could feel her eyes drift to him repeatedly. He even felt her gaze follow him down to the dance floor the lone time he went down to it.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and he met her gaze; ghostly blue boring into emerald. After downing the last of his drink, Snake shot her his most charming smile before standing and approaching her.

"I've noticed you staring at me since I got here. Would you like to dance?"He asked her. Now that he got a closer look at her, he could feel his heart quicken. This girl wore little make-up. The green dress she wore fell just above her knees, matching her eyes perfectly. The crimson highlights in her hair danced under the lights of the club. She was an angel, if he'd ever seen one.

"Sure!" She chirped.

Three songs later, they were back at the bar.

"So what's your name, angel?"Snake asked.

"Lily Evans. You?"Lily's eyes shone with a hazy curiosity. Snake paused for a moment, taking a drink of his whiskey.

"Jack Hayès."

They continued to drink and talk. Soon enough, the bartender deemed them thoroughly smashed and called a cab for the two.

Upon arrival at their hotel, Lily finally got her wish. She jumped him in the elevator. Not that he complained much.

With the way the rest of the weekend went?

He wasn't complaining at all.

Mother-base was at the bottom of the ocean a mere week later, Snake in a coma in which he would remain for another four years.

Nearly two months after her little vacation, Lily found herself walking out of St. Mungo's hospital with a smile on her face. She'd gone in, thinking she had a case of the stomach flu; when in actuality, she was pregnant. Delivering the news as soon as she got home, James was ecstatic and their friends congratulated the soon-to-be parents.

From then, Lily's smile didn't seem so forced. This time, she wouldn't let her child die.

She gave birth alone, when the time came. Just like the night of her miscarriage. The fear of a stillbirth was quelled with by the squalling of a healthy newborn. Exhausted, Lily held her baby girl close and smiled. One cleaning spell later, the babe was free of any unsightly fluids. The new mother observed all that was her daughter. From the tiny button nose, to the little feet.

Medium brown strands of hair brushed the palm of her hand, and when the baby opened her eyes, Lily's stomach just about fell through the floor.

Blue. An oh-so familiar haunting blue.

It was then that her weekend in New York came flashing back with a force. With how many times in the course of two days that she'd slept with Jack, she shouldn't really be surprised; yet hadn't the man said he was sterile? Her gut twisted.

This wasn't James' child.

Lily clutched her baby to her chest. James couldn't find out. There was no guarantee that he'd accept her. She couldn't risk it, Gryffindor courage be damned. The infant let out a soft noise, her blue eyes glued on her mother's green ones. Making a decision, Lily drew her wand and tapped her child's brown hair. Black ink spread from the crown of her head, taking over all of the brown. Blue eyes turned a green shade. The magic settled, leaving the illusion of a perfect blending of her and James.

"I think Kazue is a fitting name. You are my little blessing, after all. James may find it odd, but he'll agree. "Lily conversed to the now sleepy child, "Perhaps you'll meet your birth father some day. It's a small world. James will understand someday."

Five hours passed before James and his friends returned. By then, Lily had given into her exhaustion, and Little Kazue was taking her second nap in her bassinet. Examining his newborn daughter, he felt warmth spread in his chest.

She was perfect. And he couldn't be more proud.