Disclaimer – The original Harry Potter characters and the world of Harry Potter are not of my own invention and I do not claim ownership of them. KC.
She only just reached the girls bathroom in time and vomited violently into the closest toilet bowl. She then collapsed on the floor in front of the lavatory once the last of her breakfast had resurfaced. However by this stage Moaning Myrtle had swooped down from the ceiling and was giggling with glee at her misfortune.
Why did she have to get sick in her seventh year, she thought as Myrtle hovered merrily overhead. She didn't have the time to run off to the bathroom after breakfast every day.
"Beth?" a voice called softly from outside the bathroom. "Bethany, are you alright?"
Moaning Myrtle greeted the blond haired girl at the door.
"She has been entertaining me all week!" the ghost proclaimed vindictively and flew out of the bathroom cackling nastily.
Beth stood up slowly, feeling weak, and flushed the toilet. She exited the cubicle to see her friend and fellow Ravenclaw, Susie Day, watching her with a concerned look on her face.
"I think I should probably go and see Madam Pomfrey soon," said Beth, crossing over to the basin to wash out her mouth. "It's been more than a week since I developed this flu."
"Are you quite sure it is the flu? I mean, are you sure it isn't anything else?" asked her friend, her eyes wide.
"I don't think so. If it was food poisoning it would have passed by now and it wouldn't be…" but she didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't be? Could she? She met Susie's turquoise eyes with her own blue ones and they shared a look of concern.
Susie placed the last of the ingredients into the now bubbling cauldron.
"That's everything," she said, reading the recipe from the potions book. "Now all you have to do is pour your sample into the potion and it will turn one of two colours, red if you are pregnant and blue if you're not."
Beth stared glumly at the murky potion she was stirring. This was not a potion she wanted to test in her seventh year.
"You do it," Beth croaked, handing her friend the small phial. "I can't…"
"This is so different from how Muggles test for pregnancy," said Susie, who was Muggle-born. "Well apart from the urine sample," she continued, screwing up her nose as she poured the phial's contents into the cauldron. "That part's the same."
The two girls watched nervously as the potion began to bubble. Then the potion changed colour.
When Beth entered the Great Hall, she immediately spotted her boyfriend sitting with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They had obviously just come from a practice session as their Quidditch robes were covered in mud and their broomsticks were underneath their seats.
She made her way over to the Gryffindor table and Dylan noticed her immediately. He sprung up from the table and scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around slightly. He was well-built and burly which made him a very strong Keeper for the Gryffindor team.
He placed her back on the ground and gave her a quick peck on the lips, receiving groans of annoyance from his friends.
"Geez, Wood, get a room!" said Dylan's best mate, Harley Small, who slapped him on the back.
"Only if the captain tells me to," retorted Dylan. "But, oh wait, I am the captain so shove off, Small."
With the name of Small, Harley was in appearance the complete opposite. He was taller than Dylan, which was impressive, and incredibly lanky. But this made the dark haired boy a very good Beater.
Harley smirked at Dylan before sitting back down at his large plate of shepherd's pie. But then it was the Gryffindor Seeker, a fifth year boy with untidy black hair and glasses, who jumped up from the table next. They watched as he sprinted after a pretty red haired girl, also from Gryffindor, who was leaving the hall.
"Love is in the air…" hummed Harley teasingly, stuffing a large forkful of pie into his mouth. "I swear the day that Potter successfully gets Evans to go out with him will be the day I eat my broomstick!"
"I wouldn't be making claims like that when you won't follow through with them, Small," said Susie who had made her way over from the Ravenclaw table. "She will change her mind one day, I'm sure of it."
"How very sweet of you, Susan Day," Harley said sarcastically, using Susie's full name in an attempt to annoy her.
And it worked too as she snarled at Harley before giving Beth a harsh look; a look that told her to get on with it. Dylan must have noticed this look too because he met his girlfriend's eyes.
"Did you want to talk to me about something?" he asked Beth.
"Ah, yes. But not here," she replied softly.
"Okay, I'll meet you in the courtyard after dinner."
Beth found Dylan throwing pebbles into the fountain in the courtyard and she shuffled towards him. He beamed when he saw her approaching and her heart sank. How was she going to tell him?
He gave her a tender kiss before giving her a questioning look. It was now or never.
"You remember the last night we spent together in the Leaky Cauldron before we came back to school?"
"Of course I do," he replied lovingly, brushing a strand of her dark wavy hair out of her eyes.
Her throat closed up; this was going to be really hard.
"Well I… I mean, I am – "she stuttered, breaking into a sweat.
But she didn't have to finish because Dylan's brown eyes grew wide and he took a step back, as if to balance himself.
"You're pregnant," he whispered and she nodded in confirmation.
He ran his hand through his golden brown hair and he looked away. She could feel tears coming and she choked out a sob. Burying her face in her hands, she let the tears fall.
Dylan immediately comforted her by wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close. She sobbed into his chest, probably staining his shirt with her tears. But he didn't shift away until she had finished crying herself out.
"I'm going to keep the baby," she said quietly once she had regained her composure.
"And I will support you one hundred per cent," he replied, still holding her close to his chest. "We are in this together."
He lifted her head so that his brown eyes met her blue ones and he kissed her passionately, reassuring her. They had been dating for three years now and they were able to communicate with each other not only through their words, but through their actions.
However they were not able to say anything else to each other because Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and the head of Gryffindor House, discovered them.
"Dylan Wood and Bethany March!" she exclaimed loudly, making them both jump in fright. "It is almost dark! Go back to your common rooms at once!"
"I am so hungry!" grumbled Beth as she fell backwards into her chair in the library. She and Dylan had been studying in the library together but Beth was now overcome by the growling of her stomach. She wouldn't be surprised if others could hear it too.
Dylan looked up from his Charms homework. "We could go down to the kitchens to see if we could get some of those left over sandwiches we had at lunch?"
"I don't want sandwiches," she whined. "What I really want is… watermelon!"
"Watermelon?" repeated Dylan, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You do realise it's winter, they aren't in season at the moment."
"Of course I do!" she snapped. "But that doesn't stop me from craving it.
Dylan looked sympathetic. "I'll go down to the kitchen and see what they can whip up," he said and got up from the table.
She immediately felt guilty for disturbing him from his homework. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "You don't have to."
"No, it's fine," he smiled and gave her a light kiss. "I'm happy to go, it's the least I can do for the one who is carrying my child."
Beth looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed at her slightly bulging belly. It had been a little longer than two months since she had learnt of her pregnancy and only Dylan and Susie knew of her condition. But she knew she wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer and she was dreading the looks she was going to receive from the other students. Would the professors ask her to leave the school? What were her parents going to say when they found out?
Susie had helped calculate with her that the baby would be due around the end of May, beginning of June. To Beth's relief, this meant that the baby would come after she had graduated. However this still didn't mean she would be able to hide her pregnancy from the rest of the school; her protruding belly wouldn't do this for her.
She pulled on another jumper in an effort to hide the small bulge and she left her dormitory in the Ravenclaw tower. As she walked past the Charms classroom on her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, a hand shot out and pulled her into the room.
"What the –"she exclaimed and turned around to see Susie, Dylan and Harley.
"Hello Preggas!" greeted Harley cheekily and Susie punched him in the shoulder.
"You told him?" Beth asked Dylan disapprovingly.
"He's going to help," said Dylan glancing at his friend as if to remind him why he was there.
"Of course I am!" Harley exclaimed, pretending to look hurt at Dylan's glance. "I'm going to help you with your little figure problem."
Beth looked at him blankly.
"I have something that you will find will come in handy," Harley said as he dug around in his bag. Then suddenly he pulled an item out of his bag and shouted "Tadaaa!"
It was a small grey sweater.
"This beauty," Harley said, throwing it to Beth "has a very powerful concealment charm on it. It will stay the same size no matter the wearer or what's underneath it."
"I've been using it to smuggle food out of the Great Hall and back to my dormitory," he continued and Beth screwed up her nose. "But don't worry, it's been washed. If you wear this, your condition will go unnoticed by everyone."
Excited at the thought, she took off her school jumper and pulled on the sweater. Her torso lost all shape and to her delight, her small baby bump had disappeared.
"As long as you wear other pieces of clothing over the top, no one will suspect a thing," Harley added, looking very proud of himself.
"Thank-you," she breathed and she put on her school jumper again.
"Well, my work here is done!" Harley said, slapping his hand together. "See ya later, Preggas!" he called before sprinting out of the room and out of reach of Susie's punch.
She slammed her Potions book closed in exhaustion and buried her face in her hands, feeling very close to tears. She was studying late that night in the almost deserted library in the hope to catch up with her studies and homework. She had fallen behind quite a lot, due to becoming exhausted quickly in her current condition, and she was feeling quite overwhelmed with the amount of work she still had left to do.
Dylan, who was keeping her company while she studied, immediately sat down next to her to comfort her. She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed deeply to prevent the tears from falling down her face.
"I don't even know why I'm still persisting with this," she said tiredly. "I mean, it's not like my N.E.W.T. scores are going to get me anywhere anymore."
"Why do you say that?" questioned Dylan.
"Because of… this," she replied quietly, patting her concealed belly.
"Why would that change anything?" he asked her, looking confused.
"Well once the…" she looked around to make sure no-one was listening, "baby is born it's not like I can have a career."
"Of course you can!" Dylan exclaimed. "Just because you're going to be a mother doesn't mean that you have to give up on your dream of working at the Ministry. Sure we won't be able to work the way we want to but it doesn't mean we can't do anything. I've come to grips with the fact that I won't be able to play Quidditch professionally but I can always work in the Wizarding Sports Department at the Ministry. If that's what it will take to be able to support you and the baby then I will do it."
"I don't want you to give up your dream," she said weakly, feeling the tears resurfacing. "You have wanted to play Quidditch professionally for as long as I can remember."
"I'm not giving up on my dream, I'm just putting it on hold and embracing a new dream," he said smiling sweetly. "Our family is my new dream."
"I need to rest," Beth told Dylan and he helped her lower herself to the ground on the bank of the lake. It was a beautiful spring day and they had been walking the grounds of Hogwarts. However Beth was more like waddling rather than walking now as she was eight months along in her pregnancy. The sweater was also now very tight around her large belly but it was still performing well by hiding it from the world.
Once she was settled comfortably on the grass, Dylan sat down next to her and Beth noticed him biting his lip in an attempt to hold himself back from saying something.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
"I know that you wear the sweater to prevent us from ridicule but… it might seem selfish, but I feel like I am missing out."
"I don't understand…"
He turned to face her. "What I'm trying to ask is… well, could I…" he struggled.
She smiled sweetly at him, understanding what he was trying to ask, and pulled up her school jumper. Then rolling the sweater up under her armpits, she exposed her large belly.
Dylan caught his breath and froze is wonderment. Beth, seeing his hesitance, picked up his hand and let it rest on her protruding stomach. Her skin tingled as he smoothed his hand across the large bump and they smiled lovingly at one another.
"I want to you to know that I'm in this for the long haul," Dylan said to Beth, still caressing her belly. "I couldn't be happier than I am now, here with you. This family we have started, even as early as it is, is where I'm going to stay."
Her heart swelled at his words and she placed her hand on top of his.
Then suddenly she felt the baby kick and by the look of delight on Dylan's face, he must have felt it too.
The school was buzzing with excitement on the day of the Quidditch final. Gryffindor was up against Ravenclaw which was great fun for her and her friends. As Beth and Susie were from Ravenclaw and Dylan and Harvey were on the Gryffindor team, they had all participated in a humorous rivalry over the last couple of weeks, teasing each other about their houses.
Beth had sought Dylan out before the game to wish him luck and to wave a Ravenclaw flag in his face. Then she and Susie walked, or in Beth's case waddled, towards the stands.
They were just reaching the steps when Beth suddenly froze and clutched her large concealed belly. Susie quickly moved her out of sight of the other students and just as they were reaching the area under the stands, Beth felt her water break.
'No! Not now!' was the first thought that came to her mind 'It's too early!'
It was still two weeks before her N.E.W.T. examinations and six weeks before she graduated. The baby was coming very early.
"What do we do?" asked Susie, looking panicked.
But they knew there was only one thing they could do; she would have to go to the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey quickly laid out a bed for Beth after Susie told her what was happening. She was muttering angrily while she folded the sheets into the corners of the bed and when Beth removed the concealment sweater, letting her belly protrude outwards for all to see, the nurse cursed angrily.
"You silly girl!" she growled. "You should have notified me as soon as you found out. I could have given you a potion to relieve your pain during the labour but it is too late now. You are going to have to brave through it."
"What about the other medication that Muggles use during childbirth?" Susie suggested, "Couldn't she take some of those to stem the pain?"
"Muggle treatments are weak!" Madam Pomfrey grumbled. "They hardly do a thing. Her best bet would have been to take the pre labour potion but as she was silly enough to hide her pregnancy, I can no longer help her."
Beth, seeing that she was already agitated enough, changed into a hospital gown that Madam Pomfrey provided her without a word and she sat down on the bed.
"Miss Day, please go and notify the Headmaster and Head of Houses immediately as to what is occurring," Madam Pomfrey directed and Susie hurriedly turned to leave.
"Wait!" Beth shouted after her, "Could you let Dylan know too. He would want to be here."
The pain was excruciating. Her contractions made her cringe and scream and she soon had sweat dripping down her face. She was already exhausted and it had only been an hour since she had arrived at the hospital wing.
Susie had returned promptly after delivering her messages and Beth was glad to have her there for support. But where was Dylan?
Another contraction made her seize up and she gripped Susie's hand tightly. It ended quickly and she collapsed back onto the bed.
"You are almost there," said Madam Pomfrey. "For your first pregnancy, this is a very fast labour."
It was only few minutes later when Madam Pomfrey told her to start pushing. She felt a slight inkling that she should wait for Dylan to arrive but the overpowering pain told her to get it over with.
She strained, still gripping Susie's hand, and cried out in pain. Then suddenly a tiny baby came into the world, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Both Beth and Susie collapsed into tears; Susie's of relief and Beth's of exhaustion. Madam Pomfrey took the baby away to be cleaned up and when she returned, she placed the now bundled baby boy on Beth's chest.
Beth looked down at her little son, laughing and crying with happiness. Already Beth could see that he resembled his father, with his big brown eyes and a full head of golden brown hair. He was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen.
Beth was cradling her baby boy in her arms when she suddenly heard shouts coming from the corridor outside.
"Let me in!" she heard Dylan's voice shout. "I have the right to be in there, I'm the father!" Beth couldn't help but smile at his demanding yet proud tone.
"Poppy, let the boy in. He won't bring harm to either of them." This time it was Dumbledore's voice and Beth heard Madam Pomfrey mutter in disapproval.
She heard the doors open wider and Dylan came sprinting into view. He was all muddy from the game and his hair was sticking up on end. He stopped short of the bed at the sight of Beth holding the little bundle in her arms. His eyes grew wide and he stood dead still for a second. Then his mouth broadened into a wide smile and he made his way over to the side of her bed.
Beth watched as Dylan looked at his son for the first time. His eyes were full of love and he stroked the baby's cheek softly with his fingertips.
"He is the most beautiful…" she heard him breath softly and he met Beth's eyes. He kissed her tenderly before laying down next to her on the bed.
"I'm so proud of you," he said to Beth lovingly. "I wanted to be here when it happened but I wasn't told until after the game. I ran straight up here."
Beth looked up from her son to see the Heads of Houses (Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn), Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Susie and an equally muddy Harley watching them from the end of the bed. To her relief, they all had looks of delight on their faces.
"So what are you going to call him?" asked Susie, leaning towards the little baby.
Beth looked up at Dylan. "It's up to you," Dylan said to her. "I'll be happy with whatever you choose."
"I've always liked the name Oliver," Beth suggested, looking back down at her son again.
"Then Oliver it is," Dylan agreed, stroking the baby boy's head. Oliver yawned widely and stretched out his arms. His tiny hand met Dylan's and he clasped hold of it tightly, to his father's delight.
"He is definitely going to be a Quidditch player," Harley piped up. "Just look at that grip! He will be a Keeper for sure."
"Just like his father," Beth smiled.
She shared a quick, silent conversation with Dylan before turning to their friends.
"We would like you two to be his godparents, if you agree that is," she said to Susie and Harley. They both immediately looked flattered.
"Of course!" they said at the same time. But then Susie screwed her nose up at Harley, probably at the thought of him being the godfather to her godmother.
"Oh come on!" Harley smiled, nudging her in the ribs. "It won't be so bad having me around," he continued and Beth saw Susie blush at his contact with her.
Oliver was then passed around to everyone in the room before coming to rest in Dylan's arms. Beth's heart filled with love at the sight of him cradling their son and she knew that she would be happy as long as she had them.
"Miss March," Dumbledore addressed her, stepping forward, "I will arrange for you to sit your N.E.W.T. examinations from here in the hospital wing, that is if you still want to sit them."
"Yes I do. Thank-you, Sir," Beth thanked appreciatively.
"And I think it would be wise for you and little Oliver to be housed in the Hospital wing for the rest of the year," he continued. "How does that sound?"
"I am more than happy to stay here," she replied turning to tickle her baby's stomach.
"What about you, young man?" Dumbledore asked Oliver, as if the baby would be able to reply.
But Oliver simply squeaked loudly and threw out his hands, causing the group to laugh loudly.
"That settles it then," Dumbledore said, smiling at the baby. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Oliver Wood."
I hope you have enjoyed my story and I would love to receive a review or feedback from you on my writing. Please check out my other stories that I have published and new ones will be coming soon.
KC.