The Experiment

CHAPTER ONE

Crabbe looked up from his breakfast as Goyle lowered himself into his seat. Draco didn't even look up from his newspaper as Goyle poured himself some orange juice but remained with an empty plate in front of him. Crabbe looked and eyed Goyle closely, but Goyle just shook his head. He really didn't want to talk about it.

Ron returned to his table, his eyes locked on the Slytherin table. Hermione noticed and eyed him carefully. Ron slid more food onto his plate and took a huge bite, then began to explain while using his fork to gesture towards him:

"I don't know what Goyle has but I don't want it. Guy just hurled his brains up from the sounds of it," Ron said, shaking his head before swallowing.

Hermione grimaced, "I would too if I had to see you doing that."

"I doubt he took his food with him to the bathroom, Hermione, but you should really stop doing that," Harry whispered, glancing behind him, "He looked off yesterday too, but I don't know how long it's been going on."

"Sounds to me like he should actually go to Nurse Pomphrey like a normal person," Hermione scoffed as the boys eyed her, "What? I have no sympathy for either of those buffoons. They keep trying to cheat off me in Potions when we do written assignments. I'm sick of it and I wish they would both get a stomach bug or whatever's wrong with them."

"They have bugs in their stomach?" Ron asked with a disgusted look, though he still shoveled yet another bite of food into his mouth.

"Sorry, Muggle terminology, though I'm sure wizards and witches still experiences problems with their stomach that cause vomiting, diarrhea, or both at times. In my experience, we call it the general 'stomach bug,' though there are a lot of scientific causes. Seeing that they both tend to steal from the kitchen and take it back to the dungeons, I'd say cross-contamination is their downfall here," Hermione explained, the light in her eyes fading as she realized Harry had followed her most of the way but Ron didn't follow at all.

"You lost me at that cross stuff, Hermione," Harry admitted, looking back behind him along with the others on his side of the table as Goyle hightailed it out of the Great Hall and back to the bathroom.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. I'm sure it was nothing," Hermione said flatly.

Back at the Slytherin table, Draco finally noticed something was up and looked away from his periodical, "What's his bloody problem? He owes me an assignment."

"He's sick or something," Crabbe shrugged. "What kind of assignment? Maybe I can help."

Draco laughed, "Neither of you are reliable help! I don't know why I even asked him in the first place. I'll just wing it," Draco said, pulling out a scroll from his pocket as well as his quill and inkwell.

Crabbe just shrugged and kept watch on the door, but Goyle didn't return for the rest of breakfast.

The Slytherin common room was silent as Crabbe and Goyle returned, both of them taking to a pair of armchairs next to the fireplace so they could warm themselves up. When they were sure Draco wasn't going to follow them in, and that they were completely alone in general, Crabbe turned to Goyle.

"Everyone saw you this morning. It won't be long before the faculty makes you go to Nurse Pomphrey to figure out what's wrong with you. You might as well try to figure it out now," Crabbe said, looking back to the fire, "So, what all's been going on with you?"

"In the mornings I feel sick, and the smell of breakfast just set me off this morning. I was hungry, but I couldn't stay in that room. It was awful, but hard to explain. That's never happened to me before," Goyle responded, turning to Crabbe, "I don't know what it means but I looked at a medical book in the library. It was primitive but the symptoms don't really change."

"Symptoms for what?" Crabbe asked.

Goyle eyed him until he turned towards him, then he leaned over and whispered, "I think I'm pregnant."

Crabbe laughed, "You're a dude! You probably picked up something from Potions or Herbology, or something. But pregnant? No, no, no, you're a guy. That doesn't happen to us, and you'd barely be past puberty anyway. And you'd have to have sex. We're all virgins in here."

"I'm just telling you what I found out," Goyle spat, obviously upset. When Crabbe turned, Goyle was crying uncontrollably. Goyle sat back in alarm, "What? I mean, I didn't mean it, but I've never seen you like this before."

"Well maybe you'll believe me then because this keeps happening too, and I keep feeling sick, and I feel heavier!" Goyle cried, wiping his tears but deciding to move to the bathroom just in case anyone else came in. Crabbe remained in the common room alone, keeping an eye out in case someone did. No one came in, but he didn't want to run the risk of anyone seeing his friend like this.

The next morning they were all back in the Great Hall for breakfast. Snape seemed particularly keen on their table, his eyes landing there every minute or so as the students mingled with sleepy looks over the spread.

When Goyle left the table to rush to the bathroom, Snape followed. Crabbe swallowed nervously as Draco, as always, sat oblivious to the world, but others were definitely concerned. Snape's extra attention was not a coincidence, meaning someone had to have said something about Goyle's behavior.

At the restroom, Goyle vomited a few times before sitting up from the toilet. He felt like he was done, but he wouldn't be sure until he got back to the Great Hall and tried to sit through breakfast again.

But when he opened the stall door, Snape was waiting for him. He eyed him carefully as Goyle washed his hands, but when he finished drying them and tried to head back to the Great Hall, Snape shook his head and led him over to the Hospital Wing. Once there, Madam Pomphrey nodded, "I've been expecting this one. Come, sit."

"I think I'm pregnant!" Goyle blurted out.

Snape managed to keep a straight face, but it was clear that he was skeptical. Madam Pomphrey managed to stay professional as she looked him over. Without missing a beat she said, "Well, we'll find out what's wrong. Tell me your symptoms."

Goyle told the nurse, who nodded, aware this sounded a lot like pregnancy. To be sure, she decided to give him the test anyway. This was something that had never happened at Hogwarts before, at least to a male student, but she knew to be careful. Besides, if the boy thought he was pregnant when he was really just having stomach problems, she needed to debunk his theory so she could replace it with her own.

Snape followed her to the lab after the blood was drawn. Even in the wizard world, this was the best way to test for pregnancy hormones, though a potion was used to find said hormones. Snape watched as the sample changed colors, and as the color shifted, all color left Madam Pomphrey's face.

"The boy was right," she whispered, "but I don't see how it's even possible. A pregnant male student? This is unprecedented."

"I'll look into the situation. Can you give him something for the morning sickness? The entire school is talking about him enough as it is," Snape whispered.

"I'll do what I can but...according to this, he's three months alone. It won't be long before his unexpected weight gain starts looking more and more like a baby bump," Madam Pomphrey whispered, shaking her head, "I won't know what to do then. School won't let out for quite some time, and by then, the baby will be born."

"How?"

"Magic, Professor. It's the only way," Madam Pomphrey sighed, returning to Goyle, "You were right. I'll give you something for the nausea and vomiting, but it's up to you to figure out how this happened. Have you consumed any strange potions, treats from strangers, Weasley items?" Madam Pomphrey asked with the seriousness of a drill sergeant.

"I don't think so. But wait, I was right? How?" Goyle asked.

"As I said, it's up to you to help us find out. Dumbledore will be told, but we'll do our best not to tell a soul. We make no guarantees that the student body won't find out. You're three months along and will start showing soon. I'd get your robes altered in Hogsmede next week, enough to last you the entire nine months," Madam Pomphrey replied.

Goyle was dumbfounded, but he accepted treatment and left the Hospital Wing. Class was already in session but he joined it as if nothing was wrong, when in reality everything was wrong. How in the world did he end up pregnant?