Your breath came in short bursts as you raced down the corridor, your footsteps echoing loudly against the stone walls.

“Tom! Pineapples!” You screamed.

You didn’t slow as you burst into the common room, the door slamming open with a bang that startled the group of boys lounging inside.

Lorenzo raised a curious eyebrow. “Pineapples?”

Tom didn’t immediately react. His eyes remained fixed on the chessboard in front of him, where Blaise had been his opponent. He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together as he spoke, his voice calm. “She gets cravings.”

You groaned in frustration. “Pomegranates! Grapefruits! Nectarines!” you shouted.

Theodore let out a bark of laughter. “She’s ordering a fruit cocktail,” he said.

Your mind raced, spiraling as panic built inside you. Which fruit was it? Which bl00dy fruit was the code word?!

And then, you remembered it.

“PEACHES!” You screamed again.

Draco, who had been half-asleep on the sofa, jolted upright. “Peaches?” he asked.

Tom’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. The calm, composed mask he always wore cracked, and he shot to his feet, the chess pieces scattering as his fingers brushed them aside.

“Peaches,” he repeated. “The baby. The baby is coming.”

Mattheo was already laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over in amusement. “Tom shaken to his core. This is priceless!”

Draco groaned, standing up and stretching lazily. “Of course, this happens now. It always has to be an event, doesn’t it?”

Tom’s gaze snapped toward them. “Stop talking and move,” he said. Then, his attention shifted back to you, softening ever so slightly. “We’ll get there. I’ve got you.”

He wrapped an arm firmly around you, his other hand steady at your back as he guided you toward the door.

As the two of you stepped out, the others scrambling to follow, Mattheo’s voice echoed behind you, full of laughter. “Peaches! This is fantastic! I’ll never look at fruit the same way again!”

Tom glanced back briefly. “If you don’t hurry up, you’ll be left behind.”