Written for:
Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition: Training Club
Round 3 - Keeper - a pandemic
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Scavenger Hunt
Write about Your OTP
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: 2017 Event: 365 Drabbles
First Line - The worst day of my life started like so:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Insane House Challenge
Restriction - Only Gryffindors
Warnings for talk of abortion.
If Only We Had Known...
xXx
The worst day of my life started like so: I woke up, yawning and stretching my hands above my head.
I look at my new husband and smiled at how cute he looked while he slept. I stood up and walked to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony, that overlooked the pool.
I never thought North America would be a good honeymoon destination, but I was enjoying myself. And I knew Harry was as well.
I slid the door open and a mosquito flew in, biting me right on the nose,
I blinked, slapping at my face, cringing at the sharp pain.
I shrugged it off when I heard Harry waking up.
You all might be thinking, 'What's the big deal? So you got bitten by a mosquito. It's a tiny bug. Who cares?'
Well, at first, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. In fact, I fell into bed next to Harry and quickly forgot about the pesky little insect. It wasn't until later that I learned the truth.
We were in Miami, Florida, and what we didn't know was they were in the middle of a pandemic, a Zika virus outbreak. And I had no idea how bad it could actually be, and I had no reason to go to a Healer and get checked.
It was nearly six months later that I learned the truth. It started out as a happy occasion. I came home from the magical law office, and Harry came home from his day fighting bad guys with the other Aurors.
I was so happy, and I just couldn't wait to tell him. I knew he'd be as happy—probably happier than me—about the news. As soon as my eyes landed on his figure in the doorway as he closed the front door, I smoothed down my dress and blurted, "I'm pregnant."
Such joy spread across his face as he raced to me and wound his arms around my body, holding me close as he giddily swung me around.
"I'm going to be a dad!" he hollered. I had never seen him so free with his emotions, not even on our wedding day, and it was such a beautiful sight. I hoped to continue to see such beauty from him when our baby was born.
When my feet touched the ground, I continued, "I have an appointment with a Healer in two days. It's a standard checkup. Not a big deal. Do you want to come anyway?"
He looked at me like I was crazy to even ask. "Of course I do. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
In two days time, we walked hand-in-hand into St. Mungo's, and we were seen quickly. Every now and then, I did enjoy the perks of being a war heroine, although I didn't make a habit of it. Harry wouldn't approve, and normally, I didn't like getting special treatment, but I was just so excited about the baby, and I didn't want to wait in a line to see the Healer.
Maybe I shouldn't have been in such a rush, though, because everything came crashing down around us during the appointment.
"The Zika virus?" Harry asked. "What's that?"
The Healer looked at us with such pity. "It's a Muggle virus. It's spread by a mosquito. Were you overseas recently?"
I shared a look with Harry. "We went to North America for our honeymoon. I was bitten by a mosquito one morning, but it was just one mosquito. How can one minuscule bug cause a virus?"
"Unfortunately, it does happen, and the virus can be passed down from a pregnant woman to a fetus."
I swallowed, protectively covering my stomach. "My baby?"
"Isn't there some kind of treatment? A potion? A spell? There's no way a Muggle virus can cause such damage to a witch and a magical, although unborn, baby," Harry said, his hands clenched into fists on his lap.
The Healer didn't wear a look that bestowed hope in my heart. "Magic does wonderful things, but it can't fix everything. And there are some Muggle illnesses that don't have a magical treatment yet, and the Zika virus is one of them."
I threw myself into Harry's arms and buried my head in his chest. If we hadn't gone to America, this wouldn't have happened!
I looked at the Healer from the protective cocoon Harry was presenting. "What's going to happen to our baby?"
"It may not affect your child at all, but there are different things that might happen. It can cause birth defects and neurological problems in a child, including microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome."
"English, please," Harry harshly demanded.
"Microcephaly is a condition where the brain doesn't develop properly, and it results in a smaller than normal head. Often, people with it have an intellectual disability, poor motor function, poor speech, abnormal facial features, seizures, and dwarfism. Guillain–Barré syndrome is a rapid-onset muscle weakness. It can also be life-threatening with 15% developing weakness of the breathing muscles, requiring mechanical ventilation."
Tears formed in my eyes. It all sounded so bad. "What do you recommend?"
"We can treat you for the virus but not while you're pregnant. I'd recommend abortion, and once you're giving the clean bill of health, you can get pregnant once again and next time, there will be no complications.
Harry held me tighter. I felt his pain. The idea of killing our baby…
But would our baby have much of a life if he developed these problems because of the virus? Maybe it would be kinder to let him or her go before they suffered the pain of all that.
I looked into Harry's eyes. His eyes reflected my own turmoil. We had a lot to figure out.
xXx
(word count: 966)