"Love is our resistance

They'll keep us apart and they

won't stop breaking us down

Hold me

Our lips must always be sealed"

-"Resistance", Muse

The Resistance

Chapter One

Ophelia Pomfrey could pinpoint the exact moment that Mrs. Weasley began to treat her differently. She could also tell you exactly when her baby bump began to show. Granted, these two moments were interchangeable.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry were the only ones who knew that she was pregnant, at least, in the beginning. Harry was the only one who knew who the father was.

There had been a rather uncomfortable period where Ron hadn't spoken to Ophelia except to tell her when dinner was, or that he and Ginny were going to go play a game of Quidditch with the twins.

Mrs. Weasley had been so generous and warm, upon Ophelia's initial arrival. She'd cooed about how lovely it was to see her, and was she still seeing that secret admirer of hers? The woman had tended to Ophelia, telling her that it was too bad that she had such a terrible flu.

When the morning sickness had subsided, Ophelia took to helping out around the house. The aching feeling of guilt drove her to overcompensate, but Mrs. Weasley, although trying to be just as friendly and accepting as only two weeks ago, remained distant and awkward.

Some nights, Ophelia fell asleep, rubbing just under her stomach, thinking how strange and alien it was that a living thing was slowly growing inside her. She hadn't had any thoughts to terminate the pregnancy- that would be just one more thing she'd have to hide from the people she cared about-, but all the same, she felt no sudden sense of maternal joy.

Whatever person was inside her, they were the closest thing she had to Severus Snape, and, for that, she resented them.

Other nights, Ophelia forgot about her pregnancy altogether and fell into a violent storm of tears and uncontrollable shaking.

For the last year since Ophelia had become friends with Harry and his friends, she'd wanted to be strong and brave like them, but she knew she'd always be so much weaker than them.

No matter how she tried to look at it, her life was falling apart, and there was only one person to blame.

"Snape."

"Hmmph. What?!" Ophelia raised her head off of the kitchen table, looking confused at the Weasleys who were deep in conversation around her.

"Oh, dear, you've fallen asleep at the table again," Mrs. Weasley tutted. Her tone wasn't cold, but there was a subtle hint of disappointment in it.

"We were just talking about the news. Hogwarts has a new headmaster."

"What? Who?" Ophelia rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Snape," Ron grimaced.

"Oh," Ophelia's lower lip quivered, but she held back anything that was fighting to come out, "I suppose that...makes sense."

The Weasleys gave her a skeptical look in unison.

"I only meant, from You Know Who's point of view," Ophelia mumbled.

There was toast on the table, and blackberry jam. She looked at it in disgust.

Two days ago, she'd thrown the jam jar, that she'd kept since Christmas, against the Weasley's shed wall.

"Ophelia, tomorrow is the big day. Are you still up for it?"

Ophelia frowned. She was tired of being treated this way.

"I'm barely a month in, I'm perfectly capable."

Mrs. Weasley blinked heavily, her mouth slightly popped open.

"I'm sorry," Ophelia sighed. She was almost ready to blame mood swings, but that was a blatant lie.

"I'm just worried, about a lot of things."

"Fair enough," George smiled, and Fred winked, "you're a ticking time bomb."

"Well there's that," Ophelia gave them a glare, "and then there's all this business about collecting Harry."

"Well we're all nervous, dear, but we've prepared as much as we can. Dawlish 'let slip' that Harry will be moved a different day. That will give us an advantage, I hope."

Ophelia nodded, staring out the window at the rolling hills of Ottery St. Catchpole, but didn't feel reassured in the slightest.

She knew that Voldemort was much too clever for them, and so was Snape.

"Today's the day," Hermione breathed. Her voice quivered only slightly, but her eyes were hard and determined.

She and Ophelia were sitting on the small deck coming out of Ron's room. He and Ginny were downstairs, getting ready with the others.

"I'll be happy to see Harry, but..."

"I know," Hermione nodded firmly, "we have to start thinking of the future."

"I know the wedding is coming up, and everything else. But I'm anxious."

"We all are," Hermione sighed, patting her friend's back, "there's...so much happening right now."

Hermione's eyes traveled to Ophelia's baby bump. Ophelia knew that her friend was trying her best to be supportive, but, like everyone, wanted to know what had happened.

Everyone wanted to know how Ophelia goody-two-shoes Pomfrey had ended up pregnant at nineteen years old.

"Listen, Hermione...I want to tell everyone...who the father is, but...,"

"It's your body, Ophelia, do what you want. We're just concerned for you."

"Harry knows," Ophelia blurted out, blushing.

"Why does Harry know?" Hermione furrowed her brows.

"It's a long story, it has nothing to do with trust," Ophelia faltered.

It might have something to do with trust. Everything had to do with trust now.

Ophelia wasn't sure what to say.

"But I'm afraid that you're not going to like me very much if I tell you everything."

"Ophelia, we're your friends, we'll like you no matter what."

Ophelia bit her lip sharply, tasting the subtle copper taste slowly ease into her mouth. Her lower lip was teared to bits at this point.

"Well I'm going to go check on the Polyjuice potion one more time. Meet you downstairs?"

Ophelia nodded distractedly.

Here we go, she thought.

"You're taking him over me?!" Ophelia cried, gesturing at Mundungus Fletcher, the slimy little man next to her.

"Sorry sweetheart," Mad Eye Moody growled, "we can't risk anything in your condition, or something like that."

Ophelia sighed defeatedly.

"It's fine," Ginny grabbed her friends hand, drawing her onto the couch, "if anything goes wrong, we're going to need your healing skills."

"Right," Ophelia shook her head bitterly.

Moments later, Ophelia watched her friends leave her, and felt an empty aching in her chest.

"Mrs. Weasley, Ginny," Ophelia took a deep breath, "after all this, I'm going to tell you everything."

Mrs. Weasley's face flushed and she shook her head, rapidly distracting herself with tidying up the house.

"That's really not necessary, dear-"

"No, I want to," Ophelia assured the woman, "you've been so kind, having me in your household, and I don't want you to feel that I'm taking advantage of your or lying to you. Besides, what I have to tell you is probably a lot more important than you would think."

Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"Well, if that's what you want, dear, then we will be happy to hear you out."

With that, Mrs. Weasley muttered something about preparing them some dinner, and went into the kitchen.

"It's okay," Ginny smiled, "come on, let's help make dinner."

There was a crash, and the girls thundered down the stairs.

Hagrid was collapsed on the carpet, and Harry was bent over, breathing heavily.

Ginny rushed to his side, looking like she might wrap her arms around him, but held back. Ophelia knew her friend was struggling to remember that she and Harry had broken up in June.

"Harry? You are the real Harry?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, wiping her hands on her dress, "What happened? Where are the others?"

Ophelia gulped, wondering the same thing. She knelt next to Hagrid, feeling his pulse and nodding.

"What do you mean? Isn't anyone else back?" Harry wondered.

"You're the first," Ophelia muttered, "help me here, Ginny, won't you?"

Hagrid ran a hand over his face, making an incoherent grumbling sound.

"How you feeling Hagrid?" Ophelia smiled softly at the big man.

Harry hastily explained what had happened.

"Don't have any brandy, do you Molly?"

Ophelia gave Hagrid a sceptical look.

"For medical purposes," he defended himself.

Mrs. Weasley went off to look for some, and Ginny explained that Ron and Tonks should have been back by now, but had missed their portkey.

"I'm they'll be back soon enough," Ginny added, though sounding uncertain.

Ophelia shook her head and searched through her healing materials.

"Mum!" Ginny shouted, and suddenly Lupin was supporting an unconscious George, and dragging him inside.

Ophelia ran to his side, bringing him to the couch and lying him down.

"What's wrong with him?!" Mrs. Weasley squealed, seeing her son covered in blood.

"It's his ear," Ophelia immediately realized.

She wiped the blood off his face and searched for bandages and ingredients for a poultice to ease the bleeding.

"We've been betrayed," Lupin shook his head, panting, "They knew we were coming."

They all shared a look of dread, and Ophelia pressed her lips firmly together as she tended to George. She had a good idea of who had done it, but she wouldn't bring it up now.

"Will George be okay?" Harry asked Ophelia, kneeling next to her.

"He can't get his ear back, if that's what you mean," she sighed, "but he'll be alright soon enough."

"Hi by the way," Harry greeted wearily, "looks like you're starting to show."

"Yeah, looks like it," Ophelia avoided his eyes, pressing her poultice harder against George's ear.

"Do they know?"

Ophelia squeezed her eyes shut, "not yet."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Lupin came by, looking at George in pity.

"Snape's work," he said.

"Snape?!" Harry nearly choked.

Ophelia's eyes sprang open, and her hand began to shake.

The others began to come in, when Fred ran to his twin brother's side.

"How do you feel, Georgie?" Mrs. Weasley whispered, brushing her son's hair out of his eyes. George was just beginning to wake.

"Saintlike," George murmured.

"What?"

"Saintlike...I'm holey...geddit?"

Fred laughed dryly, and Mrs. Weasley burst into tears.

"Hey," George reached for Ophelia's hand, "thought I wasn't your type, Pomfrey."

Ophelia smiled fondly, "I don't think I have a type anymore, Weasley."

"Well, thanks for helping me out," George muttered, drifting back to sleep.

Ophelia sighed.

"Trust me, it's the least I can do."

They sat patiently, sitting on assorted furniture and the floor, faces all looking gaunt and expectingly at Ophelia.

They were still aching after Mad Eye's death, and she could sense that they were tired, upset, and slightly mistrusting of each other.

Certainly they were going to hate Ophelia after she told them the truth, but if she waited any longer, she would get herself into even more trouble.

Lupin cleared his throat, "Ophelia, I'm sure whatever you have to say is important, but we all have things we must do. Bill and I want to collect Mad Eye's body..."

"I'm sorry," Ophelia sighed, "it's just hard to explain..."

"I want to start by saying," Ophelia stood, and looked each person in the eye, "that I admire and respect every one of you, all for different reasons."

There was an uncomfortable mutter across the room.

"And I know that whatever little trust you had in me before, will be gone soon. So right now, while it still means anything, I just want to let you know..."

She rested her hand under her stomach.

"That I'm sorry, and that I didn't mean to hurt any of you..."

Her eyes sought out George, and the bandages that bound the side of his head.

"Did you betray us?" Ron could no longer keep his question in.

Ophelia bit her lip.

"Shh," Harry elbowed Ron in the side.

Ophelia wanted to hug Harry Potter and thank him for everything, but she knew she had to continue.

"This baby...," she took a deep breath, "whoever they are...they're father isn't a good man."

She looked at the floor, trying to muster some courage. If only she were half as brave as any person in the room.

"I made a mistake. I guess I was young and naive. I...still don't understand a lot of what happened, but...I fell in love with a man who told me that he wasn't perfect. I knew that, but I...," Ophelia saw the confusion on everyone's faces, "but I didn't understand what he meant."

"Severus Snape isn't perfect," Ophelia added, refusing to see her friends' reactions, "turns out he's far from it," she laughed darkly, "I don't know what happened. But I loved him."

I still do, she thought to herself.

"You're telling me," Ron gapped, "that the man who knocked you up, is the same man who knocked my brother's ear off?"

"He killed Dumbledore," Ginny's voice quivered, looking betrayed and disgusted.

Mrs. Weasley's face grew very very pale.

"Hey," Harry stood up, "she didn't know. She was there with me that night."

The room grew quiet, and Harry held Ophelia's hand tightly.

"She fell for a man who manipulated her trust, and now she's stuck here, pregnant and alone. We've all done things we regret, I know I have," he glared at everyone, "but we're all in this together, no matter what. I think Ophelia deserves some sympathy and understanding."

"Of course," Hermione agreed, though her face rather pale, "we don't blame you Ophelia."

Mrs. Weasley ran to Ophelia side, throwing her into a fierce hug.

"I'm so sorry," the woman whispered, "I never should have judged you."

"I'm going to sodding blow that man to pieces,"George spat.

Lupin shook his head, and Tonks gave Ophelia a look of sympathy.

"What a prick," Bill's hands turned into fists.

Ophelia gave them all a small nod of gratitude, but her heart was beating even faster.

They don't understand, she thought, they don't even know what happened. Ophelia wasn't manipulated or coerced. Something was wrong.

"Dear Ophelia,

There is so much I need to tell you. But you must understand that this is a very complicated situation: so many things and people are at risk. I can't tell you it all now. But you must understand that, in my past, I made a lot of mistakes that I am still paying for now. I'm trying to make things right, but, in order to do that, I must keep my secrets as secrets.

I know you're looking for me right now. I didn't stand you up on purpose, but I needed to leave. I don't know exactly how tonight is going to turn out, but I can assure you that it will be difficult for the both of us. I can't force you to do anything, and I wouldn't want to. But I hope that I can count on you to do one thing: trust me. I know I'm a hard man to love, and especially a hard man to trust.

But no matter what you see or hear in the next few days, know that it's not what it seems. I love you,

Severus Snape."

She'd memorized the letter.

So what now? Ophelia wondered, how was she going to move on?