Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.
"It was a mistake," said Ginny, shifting in her seat a little. "I'm not even twenty-two yet. I didn't plan on getting pregnant."
Sitting across from her, Harry felt only numb. From her words, he knew that nothing would ever be the same. His heart thudded dully in his chest, functioning as the only reminder that this was really happening.
"Harry? Harry, say something, please."
He lifted his head a little, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. They were watering as the silence stretched on, and Ginny's hands were clasped tightly together in her lap.
"It's not mine, is it?" he said quietly.
She looked down at her hands and shook her head. When she spoke, her voice cracked. "I – I can get rid of it, if you want."
Harry supposed he had only himself to blame. When he came home from an Auror mission, all he wanted to do was sleep. Besides, Ginny was often gone because of the Quidditch team, so their schedules hardly coincided. The one and only time they'd had sex had been several months ago. He'd been nervous about it, but Ginny had been kind and gentle as she guided him through the process. Though she'd never said anything about it, he knew that, unlike him, it wasn't her first time.
"Harry?" Ginny pressed again.
Jolted from his thoughts, Harry raised one hand and weaved his fingers through his hair. She wore a pained expression as she watched him.
"I – I need some time to think about it."
She swallowed. "Yeah. Of course. I understand."
They sat in silence for another few long moments before she pushed herself off the sofa.
"I'll just – I'll leave, and you can let me know when you decide, yeah?"
Harry nodded without looking at her. Ginny hovered for another moment and then showed herself to the door.
He stayed still for a long time after she left, his mind whirring as he tried to find the best solution. Until now, he would have been willing to do anything for Ginny, but he didn't think he could raise someone else's child. It would be different from raising Teddy, who was his own godson. At the same time, he felt it was a bad idea to cast aside his relationship with Ginny. The Weasley family had done so much for him, and he didn't want to lose them.
"James Sirius," Harry muttered to himself. "Everyone would think the child was mine with a name like that."
He paused, trying to think of a name for a girl but reaching nothing beyond Lily. Then he tried to imagine how the child might appear, which turned out to be fruitless since he didn't know the identity of Ginny's lover. Instead he pictured what his and Ginny's children might look like.
Harry laughed bitterly to the empty room. For some reason, he could only imagine a boy who looked exactly like himself and a girl who was a clone to Ginny.
"Whiskey," he told himself. "That's what I need. Because alcohol is always the answer, right?"
There was no one to respond to him, for which he was actually grateful. Standing, he went down to the cellar to find a bottle of firewhiskey. Maybe the warmth of the alcohol would abate the iciness that was spreading through his veins.
After fetching the bottle, Harry plonked himself into a chair by the empty fireplace. Then he shifted a little bit, trying to get himself comfortable before he got himself properly sloshed. The furniture in Grimmauld Place, however, was unforgiving, and he eventually conceded defeat to it.
"Michael Corner."
Harry let out an undignified yelp. Twisting around in his seat, he saw Ron leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed and his brows pulled in as he watched Harry. It suddenly occurred to Harry how much Ron and Ginny looked alike. They even shared most of the same interests.
"Oh God," Harry said aloud. "I'm in love with you."
Ron's brows rose. "Just how much have you been drinking?"
"None," Harry replied crossly. "I was just about to start. Care to join?"
"God, yes," Ron said, moving further into the sitting room and throwing himself down into the chair opposite from Harry. "Pour me a glass, would you?"
With a flick of his wand, Harry summoned a glass that he filled. Ron softly shook his head as he took the glass from Harry, looking amused as Harry raised the bottle of firewhiskey to him. Harry downed a big gulp before prompting Ron.
"Michael Corner – is that the guy with whom she cheated?"
Ron's lips pressed together in a slight grimace and he lowered his glass. He stared at it, twisting it around in his hands as he avoided eye contact.
"Keep in mind that this is by word of mouth," he said quietly. "Ginny told Luna who told Neville who told Hermione who told me… You get the idea." He paused, pulling in and then slowly releasing a deep breath. "Corner was the one who took Ginny's virginity, back when we were off camping and Snape turned the school into an internment camp. Then, recently, not finding enough, er, sexual stimulation with you… She got with Corner during the game last month."
Guilt made Harry's chest tighten. It really was his fault, then. His relationship with Ginny had always been rather platonic and more like a friendship than anything else.
He turned away from Ron and knocked back another large gulp of firewhiskey. Perhaps if he made no noise and pretended he didn't exist, everything would go back to being the same as it was this morning. When he glanced at Ron, he noticed the skin bunching around Ron's eyes, and quickly looked away again.
"Albus Severus," Harry said suddenly. "That's a good name, right? Two guys who ruined my life for the kid who ruined my relationship."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ron smile waveringly. "Oi, don't blame the poor kid. He's just the product of bad choices. If it's a he, that is."
Harry snorted loudly. He was finally starting to feel a light buzz. The warmth had spread through his body, making his limbs tingle, and it was a strangely good feeling compared to the numbness from earlier. Now all that was left was filling the emptiness in his stomach.
"I'm going to get crackers," he announced.
"Alright," Ron said, stretching in his seat. "I'll take some, too."
With a wave to him, Harry exited the room. It wasn't until then that he realized he would have to go downstairs. He blinked at them, trying to focus his vision which was blurring at the edges, and cautiously took a step forward while holding onto the candelabra on the wall for support, ignoring the slight clicking sound it produced. Everything was falling apart in Grimmauld Place and Harry hadn't ever gotten the drive to fix it.
At the bottom of the stairs, he was surprised to see the door closed. Harry stared at it, frowning. He could have sworn he left it open. Shrugging to himself, he pushed on the door and stepped into the kitchen.
Then he stopped.
At the table sat two men who were nearly identical in appearance. One of them was standing, and Harry, with a slightly sluggish mind, recognized him.
"I'm not nearly drunk enough for this," sighed Harry.
Those were his last words before Sirius Black fired a Stunner at him.
AN: Ever notice that James is the only kid whose appearance was never described? We even know more about Rose (red hair) and Hugo (bushy hair) than James.