No one can know about Lavender. The Carrows certainly can't know, nor Snape or Yaxley or any of the other Death Eaters roaming around the school. Neville and Parvati can't know either, because what if they're tortured into telling? No, no one but Seamus can know about Lavender. And Seamus needs to know because he needs to protect her. She cannot be allowed to be tortured and hurt and whipped and crucio'd anymore. It's even more dangerous for her now than it ever was before.

Seamus takes the pain for Lavender instead; he makes her hide in the Room of Requirement while he goes to class and stands up to the professors. He lets himself be beaten and tortured because he knows it could be Lavender. Lav has to be safe, above everything else.

He's contemplated telling McGonagall, but that's dangerous too.

Now, it is night time, and the other hidden students are sleeping lightly in hammocks, always with one eye open and their wand clutched tightly in their hand. There is no other choice. Seamus has slipped into Lavender's hammock and hugs her tightly, kissing her temple. He runs a strong, calloused hand over the scars covering her neck and chest and slips his other hand under her shirt so it can rest on her now rounded stomach. She isn't showing much yet, but soon she will, and then the others will know. He rubs the soft skin and whispers into her ear.

'What about Ciaran, for a boy?' he says. In the light of the candles floating around the room, he can see her smile a little.

'Yeah.' She lays her hand gently on top of his, and together they massage her slightly swelled belly. 'I like Lochlan too. What about if it's a girl?'

'Granuaile. Or Grace, it's the same thing. Fiercest woman in all of Ireland, Granuaile was. She was a mean sea captain, and she's described in a book called Finnegan's Wake! I mean, our Finnigan is going to be spelled with an 'I' and that Finnegan is with an 'E', but still.'

'Shh,' she breathes. 'Don't wake the others.'

'Oh, sorry.'

'I love how excited you are,' she murmurs, squeezing his hand. Seamus kisses the back of her neck tenderly and with his free hand, traces lazy patterns on her breasts. 'Sea?' she says quietly, uncertainty and fear hidden in her tone.

'Yeah?'

'We're going to get through this, right?'

'We're going to fight, and we're going to live, and then we're going to go home to Ireland. You're going to give birth to our baby, and we're going to get married. A big fancy wedding, like you've always wanted. And Lav?'

'What?' she says breathlessly.

'We're going to live happily—' He kisses her temple. '—ever—' Her shoulder. '—after,' he finishes, pressing his lips to her ear. She shivers.

'I hope so. God, I hope so,' she says, and they fall asleep to the sound of snores and muffled whimpers of pain.