TITLE: Forever Indebted
AUTHOR: Cosmic
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: AUTHOR'S HOME PAGE: AUTHOR'S JOURNAL: R (bad language, serious issues)
STATUS: Complete
CATEGORIES: Mpreg
PAIRINGS: No main pairing. Mentioned pairings: HG/RW
CHARACTERS: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Severus
WARNINGS: Mpreg. Attempted suicide. Dark-fic. Evil!Snape.
SPOILERS: No.
SUMMARY: Harry owes Snape a number of life debts and now Snape is going to collect.
AUTHOR'S NOTES 1: This story is an entry in Misconceptions: Harry Potter Mpreg Fuh-Q-Fest Wave 4 (http/ hpmpregfqf. design-of-decadence. net/
Challenges: - Challenge 49. Harry owes Snape a number of life debts. The demanded payment? One baby per life debt. The story must include this sentence: "A life for a life Potter, you owe me and I intend to collect." Submitted by: Starzy
Pairing(s): None
Holiday(s) Birthday
AUTHOR'S NOTES 2: This fic is quite a bit darker than all my other mpregs. Although I write the fics, I always find it highly doubtful that Harry, while still young, would be all that happy about an unplanned pregnancy. An unhappy pregnant person is something I've wanted to write for a while, so that's what this fic deals with. It has a very, very nasty!Snape.
BETA: Jen (thank you always!)
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Forever Indebted
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Part One
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Along with a multitude of letters and gifts Harry Potter received a simple, hand-written note delivered by a Hogwarts owl on his twentieth birthday.
Mr. Potter,
Turning twenty means turning into a true grown-up. I have saved your life six times since you started at Hogwarts – and that is counting only the truly severe ones. Now that you are old enough, I am going to collect the life debts you owe me. A life for a life Potter; you owe me and I intend to collect. Arrive at Hogwarts tomorrow at ten. I will meet you at the main entrance.
Severus Snape
Potions Master of Hogwarts
At twelve o'clock the day after his birthday, Harry stormed into the apartment Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley had moved into after finishing school.
"Harry!" Hermione said, standing up from her place at the kitchen table. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"
"Snape!" Harry spat. "He's what's wrong!"
Hermione's eyebrows creased together in a frown. "What did he do now?"
"He gave me a birthday present!" Harry yelled.
Hermione raised an eyebrow instead. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Oh no, you don't understand," Harry said, pacing back and forth. "This isn't something I wanted from him, ever."
"Harry, what did he give you?" Hermione asked.
"He gave me a fucking baby!" Harry yelled.
Hermione frowned deeply. "What are you talking about, Harry?"
Harry, his face red and his hands shaking, gave Hermione the note he'd received the day before. She took it and read it quietly, the frown deepening.
"He gave me a fucking baby," Harry repeated, his voice now low and trembling. "He said I owe him several life debts and that's how I'm going to repay him – by giving him heirs. Six fucking heirs."
"But—" Hermione started, her eyes wide as she stared from the letter and then at Harry. "But you said he gave you a baby – are you already pregnant?"
Harry stopped for a moment and all the anger and all the tension seemed to flow out of him. He sank to his knees on the floor. Finally, he whispered, "Yes."
Hermione's eyes widened again and she kneeled before Harry, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh Merlin," she mumbled.
She rocked him and he shook against her.
"He gave me a drink when I got there today," Harry whispered. "Then he explained what he was going to have me do, how I was going to repay him his life debts. I said that I— that I didn't want to, of course. He just— sneered at me and said that it was too late, that the drink was a potion and it had— it had a mix of his genes and mine and— and it will— alter me— so that—"
Harry buried his head in Hermione's shoulder again, unable to continue. She didn't need him to finish explaining; she'd read about the potion. It would alter Harry's insides, creating a tiny womb, which would grow as the baby grew. From the womb, the birthing canal would start growing as well and it would open up Harry's body in the seventh month, so that his body could get ready for the birth. She was certain that Snape had explained all of this to Harry.
The bastard.
Harry had been trying to get his life back on track since Voldemort's defeat a little over a year ago and was only now getting his head above water again. He'd had the toughest life out of anyone she knew and still, Severus Fucking Snape had to choose him to be his brood mare!
Hermione was truly seething.
"Come on, Harry," she whispered to him and helped him off the floor. She took him to the small guestroom and made him lie down. She took his shoes off and then she pulled the cover on top of him. "Rest for a while, Harry. I'll be back soon."
She Apparated to just outside the Hogwarts gates and then stomped angrily all the way up to the castle, down to the dungeons where she knocked on the door for a short second before blowing the doors of their hinges and storming inside.
"Severus Snape, come out here you weakass fucking wanker," she said. Hermione didn't swear very often; only when she was truly pissed off – and she was truly pissed off now.
Snape strode out. His eyebrow rose and his lips curled as he saw what she'd done to the door. "Miss Granger."
Hermione levelled her wand at his heart. "You have no idea how much I'd like to A-K you right now, Snape."
"I suppose the Potter brat has come to you to whine?" Snape asked, sounding bored and unimpressed by her.
"Why are you so hell-bent on destroying his life? He's not a student anymore; he's not doing anything to you!" Hermione yelled at him, her wand still raised.
"He owes me a life debt, Miss Granger. Several, actually. Now, even a Muggleborn such as yourself should know that a person can collect a life debt any way he or she wants. This is the way I want to do it. Besides – a life for a life is a fair trade, wouldn't you say?" His voice was drawling, bored.
"No, I wouldn't say that," Hermione said. "Harry never asked for you to save him and I'm betting that he didn't want you to do so at least one of the times that you did."
Snape's sneer deepened. "Perfect Potter never had a death wish – why would he? He has everything."
"You know, Snape, for someone as smart as you, you really should learn to do some information digging before you jump to the wrong conclusions," Hermione ground out.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" snarled Snape.
"I am sure you'll find out sooner or later," Hermione said, "now that you are so intimately linked, you will have to get to know each other."
"I will have to do no such thing," Snape said. "He will go through pregnancy and deliver the baby, whom will then be delivered to me. This will be repeated five times over and after that, I will consider his debts to be repaid."
"You are inhumane," Hermione spat at him. "And what are you going to do with the children? Turn them over to some nanny to bring them up?"
"Of course," said Snape. "You do not fool yourself to think that I will have time to care for the brats myself, do you?"
Hermione just stared at him, horrified and disgusted. Then she said, "Tento halitus."
A beam shot out from her wand out through the window. It reappeared in the next second and surrounded Snape before disappearing into him. He bent over double.
Panting, he looked up at her, his eyes wide. "What did you do?"
"Just a little nifty spell I learned," Hermione spat at him. "I hope you have a nice nine months, Professor."
"You did what?"
Harry was sitting up on the bed in the guestroom looking quite bewildered at Hermione.
"The Tento Hali spell," Hermione explained, a small but evil smile on her face. "Just to make sure that Snape feels just what a joy it is to be pregnant."
"And it gives him all the bad parts of my pregnancy?" Harry asked.
"Well, it doesn't give them to him – you'll still have them," Hermione said. "But it'll duplicate them and Snape will feel them."
"The morning sickness?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Hermione said. "The morning sickness, the bloated feeling, the food cravings, the sore chest—"
"Okay, okay," Harry said, looking suddenly pale. "No need to continue. I just realized that I'm going to go through all of those things."
Hermione smiled softly at him, taking his hand. "Don't worry, Harry. You'll be okay. Ron and I will be here every step of the way, okay?"
Harry nodded, still looking quite pale. He chuckled nervously. "I still can't believe you did that. That you dared to go to him and hex him like that."
"People do crazy things when they're pissed," Hermione smiled, happy that Harry was looking better. She had yet to tell him about Snape's plan to have the children raised by nannies; she didn't think it would be a good idea to bring up while Harry was so unstable.
"I've never seen you that pissed," Harry said.
"No, but you've never done anything quite as disgusting," Hermione said.
"You should be careful, though," Harry said. "Snape's pissed at you now. It might be good if you got some sort of protection against him."
Hermione smiled. "I might do that." She stood up and continued, "I need to run some errands and I'll be back in a few hours. You're very welcome to stay if you don't want to be alone. Ron will be home in a little while, I believe; he's just at the Burrow to say good bye to Ginny before she leaves for the States."
Harry shook his head. "I think I need to be alone for a while. I just— I don't know. I need to think for a bit."
Hermione smiled. "Just don't overdo it."
Harry grinned and Hermione could see some of the old Harry in that smile. "I won't, I promise."
Two weeks passed and Harry almost started forgetting the whole thing. Almost, except for the nagging feeling that never left him, telling him that something was different inside of him now. He could feel it sometimes; the sudden, sharp pain as something within him moved to make space for the life now growing inside of him and other times when it was just a low, insistent ache that wouldn't leave him alone.
When two weeks had passed since his birthday, Harry started experiencing morning sickness. The only thing that got him through that was the fact that he knew Snape lying bent over the toilet as well, throwing up just as much. It made him smile for a second, before the next wave of nausea hit him.
Still, he lived his life normally. Harry had a desk job at the Ministry of Magic that he'd gotten only on the credentials that he was the Boy Who Lived. He didn't need to work at all, really; the money his parents had left him combined with the money that flowed in through the fund the Ministry had set up for him, for the donations people gave, was far more than enough to cover his expenses. He, in turn, donated most of the money to charity.
"Harry, are you awake?"
Harry looked up to see Angelina Johnson standing in front of his desk.
Harry shook his head to clear it and nodded. "Of course. What do you need?"
"I just need you to go through these reports and have them back for me tonight," she answered and gave him a stack of papers. "I don't think they're in order; that Creevey boy was the one who got them for me in the first place."
"Oh," Harry said. "No problem, I'll fix it."
Angelina smiled at him, concern written in her eyes over how odd he was acting, but left without a question. Angelina was sweet and a good boss.
Harry gasped as he felt another sharp stab in his stomach. It felt like something was twisting around and his hands balled into fists as the pain intensified – and then it let go of him, just as suddenly.
Harry rested his forehead in his hands. How in the world was he supposed to do this? He didn't want this child – but he would never make it through the pregnancy if all he felt towards the thing was hatred. It would consume him, render him as he had been a few years ago. He didn't want to go back to being like that again. But he couldn't love the child; Snape would take him or her away as soon as he or she had been born and Harry would never watch them grow up. He would only be Snape's brood mare, carrying his children until Snape decided he didn't want any more. For Harry knew that if Snape decided that he wanted more than six children, he would be able to demand it. He had saved Harry's life on more occasions than that.
His shaking hand moved from his forehead to his stomach. His fingers felt cold as he touched the skin. His stomach was still as flat as ever, even slightly rippled now that he had started working out. Harry knew that it would be many weeks until he started showing. He wondered what it would feel like.
Sighing deeply again, Harry picked up the reports and started working.
Harry spent many a night at Hermione and Ron's place. They had still not told Ron what was going on, but Harry spending time at their flat was not unusual, so he didn't notice any difference. Harry still didn't know how he was supposed to go about telling his best friend something like this, especially as he usually didn't even want to admit it to himself.
Hermione spoke to Professor McGonagall every now and then and she told Harry that the Professor had told her during their last meeting about the Potions Master's new, odd illness that he refused to speak about. Harry wasn't sure what he felt about it; most of all, he didn't want to think about Snape at all. Thinking about him always made him think of the pregnancy – and it was so much easier if he didn't think about that at all.
"Would you like some wine, Harry?" Ron asked, holding out a bottle. "A very nice Chardonnay, I have here."
Harry looked at Hermione for a second. "No thanks," he said, "I've decided to cut down on the alcohol."
Ron's eyebrows rose. "Cut down on the alcohol? Why? You've never been a big drinker as it is."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I just don't feel the need to drink anymore," he lied. Truthfully, he'd very much like to drown himself in liquor. Maybe then he'd forget about Snape and the pregnancy and the baby that was going to come out of him in eight months.
"Okay, Harry – your choice. And more for me," Ron said with a grin. "Hermione, love, would you like some?"
"Please," Hermione said, holding out her glass to him.
Harry watched with a small smile on his face as the two friends kissed and took a sip of the wine. They looked every bit as much in love now as they had been when they'd first gotten together. Harry looked down at his glass of water, wondering if he would ever find anything like it. Who could possibly want a brood mare – someone who was to be impregnated by a man who loathed him? Besides, it was at least six years until the last child was born – if Snape was happy at that point. Harry wondered if he'd even still be alive at that point.
"Harry, Harry, you're zoning out on us," Ron said.
Hermione smiled slightly at him. "You look tired. If you want to go to bed, the guestroom is available."
Harry nodded. "I think I'll actually take you up on that."
He said good night to his friends and went to the guestroom, where he crept under the covers and fell asleep instantly.
The now familiar feeling of nausea awoke him. He got up out of bed and ran across the hall to the bathroom, where he threw up any and all content of his stomach. He sat back, panting.
"Harry?"
Ron's tired voice came from the doorway. Ron's hair was standing on end and he looked barely awake.
"Harry, what's wrong mate?" Ron asked.
Harry looked up at him tiredly. He knew that there was nothing he could say that wouldn't make Ron worry, so he opted to just tell him the truth.
"I'm pregnant."
Ron blinked owlishly. "I think I'm still asleep because I'm sure I just heard you say that you're pregnant."
"You heard right," Harry sighed, getting off the floor now that the nausea had passed.
"But— you can't be," Ron said. "You haven't had sex in years."
Harry noticed that Ron didn't reflect on him being a pregnant male. It was some proof that male pregnancies were, although not common, at least existing in the Wizarding world.
"Thank you for that reminder," Harry muttered. "I'm not pregnant through sex, I'm pregnant through potion."
Ron looked at him and then his eyes travelled to Harry's stomach. "You don't look pregnant."
"That's because I'm not that far along yet," Harry said quietly.
"But— who? Why? I didn't know you wanted a family already," Ron said, looking thoroughly confused.
"I don't, Ron," Harry sighed. "Someone else wanted heirs and as I owed that person a few life debts, he decided that this would be the way I repay him."
Ron looked him in the eyes again. "Fuck," he said simply.
"Yeah," Harry said.
"Who?" Ron seemed to tired to string together longer sentences. It was too early in the morning for him to be up and Harry wondered if this wasn't the perfect time to tell him everything. Ron didn't seem so prone to throwing a fit at the moment and although Snape deserved every fit anyone could muster, Hermione had already hexed him once and Harry didn't want to have to deal with more angry people.
"Snape," he said.
It seemed like the coin suddenly dropped and Ron roared, "Snape?"
"Ron! Ron! Don't! Your girlfriend has already hexed him good and proper, you don't have to get angry," Harry said.
"I don't have to get angry?" Ron shouted at him. "That greasy bastard has knocked you up because you owe him a life debt or two and I don't have to get angry?"
"No," Harry said. "Besides, you'll wake Hermione up."
"Too late," Hermione said, walking down the corridor to Harry and Ron. "I'm already up. Question is, what are you two doing up?"
"Morning sickness," Harry explained at the same time as Ron yelled, "That bastard Snape knocked Harry up!"
"Yes, honey, I know," Hermione said. "I've already hexed him."
"You knew and you didn't tell me? Why didn't you tell me about this? Oh, I'm going to murder that son of a bitch," Ron said.
"Ron, language," Hermione said sharply. "Let's go sit down, shall we?" she continued, dragging the two men with her to the kitchen.
"You didn't tell me! Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked again.
"Because I didn't want her to, okay?" Harry said tiredly.
"But why?" Ron asked. "I'm your best friend, or at least I'm supposed to be."
"You are my best friend," Harry said. "I just— I don't want to face it and admitting it to you is doing just that – facing it. I just— I can't handle it yet."
"But I'm supposed to help you," Ron said.
"Like you're helping him now with the fit-throwing?" Hermione asked.
Ron turned to her. "You know what, if you were pissed enough to go and hex a Hogwarts professor, then I really don't think that what I'm doing comes anywhere close to the fit you threw," he said.
Harry and Hermione stared at him. The room was quiet for a few long seconds before they both started chuckling. Ron looked from one to the other, confused, but joined the bubbling laughter after a moment. Then Harry's laughter turned into tears and both Ron and Hermione wrapped themselves around Harry, trying to comfort him.
"I can't do this," Harry sobbed. "I just can't. I can't love the baby because I don't want it and I won't get to keep it, but I can't go through this pregnancy without feelings for it either."
Hermione rubbed his back. "I know, Harry. But you'll find a way, I promise. And we'll help you, okay?"
Harry nodded, burying his head in Hermione's shoulder.
"At least now I know why you didn't want the wine," Ron said softly, patting Harry's back.
Enjoy? Review! Part two will be up soon.