CHAPTER THREE

Harry and Oliver exchanged glances as the test was administered. Both were irritated about being pulled out of class, but Harry was also relieved. He'd been feeling strange too lately, so if he was in the Hospital Wing, he would finally know for sure if he was or not. Oliver Wood, who had felt just fine, was disgruntled, but neither of them said anything as they waited.

Dumbledore appeared just as Madam Pomphrey emerged from the back. They both approached the boys, but it was Madam Pomphrey who spoke, "The two of you are expecting. It seems there was a...prank pulled and you were given pills that made you pregnant."

"How am I pregnant? When me mum was expecting she vomited up everything. She said those were the worst nine months of her life," Oliver argued.

"Every pregnancy is different for each person, but you are both pregnant, three months to be exact," Madam Pomphrey nodded.

"Either way neither of us wants to be pregnant. Who pulled this prank and why would they do such a thing?" Oliver demanded firmly.

"We believe they were under a delusion, so it wasn't really a prank, more of an experiment," Madam Pomphrey said, but it was clear that she was slipping. Even she was unhappy about this, and Dumbledore's silence showed he was unhappy too.

"Well neither of us wanted to participate, I'm sure!" Oliver hissed. "I want a...what's it even called?"

"It's called an abortion, but I'm afraid I can't do that right now. I've contacted the Ministry of Magic because this is a crime, and until they arrive, I can do nothing of the sort," Dumbledore said firmly. "I want the two of you to go to my office to wait for them to arrive."

"Please tell me you've at least caught whoever did this," Harry muttered as he stood up.

"Yes, yes we have, and I'm hoping they face swift action for this crime. Until the Ministry sends us someone, we'll have to wait. They should be here within the next few hours," Dumbledore said, watching the boys leave. Dumbledore sighed heavily, "I hope the Ministry can do what Oliver wants."

"I believe that would be the best punishment in this case, to get rid of all of this and find out where Draco got those pills. Those are the real criminals," Madam Pomphrey spat, rushing off to her office and slamming the door behind her.

Dumbledore sighed. He felt the same way.

The Ministry of Magic had a mini-hearing in Draco's office, the official listening to the evidence, then Draco's plea about why he would do such a thing. He didn't have many answers about the pills, despite numerous questions about them, and a second room search didn't reveal anything about them.

But it was clear that the only one who wanted the babies they were expecting was Draco, and that was a problem. These were young boys, students at the best magic school in the land, and none of them were ready to be proper fathers. Their parents likely wouldn't be interested in the children either, especially in Harry Potter's case, as his aunt and uncle had already proved to be disinterested in him as well.

It was daunting, and the Ministry of Magic official had no clue what to rule. It was clear that Malfoy was at fault here, but they needed to find out what kind of pills he ordered and how they worked. Tests were needed, and the only real ruling the official could provide was that the boys needed to be brought to Ministry of Magic Headquarters for further inquiry.

"I do not agree with this," Dumbledore argued, eying his young students, "Three of these students are deeply bothered by this entire ordeal, and I will not have them evacuated from school entirely if they have done nothing wrong. Unless you can assure me this is what they want, I refuse to let you take them."

"I'll go but only if you can get rid of this thing," Oliver Wood said firmly.

Goyle shook his head, "I don't know where I stand yet. I don't know if I want this baby or not."

"I'm with Oliver. I'll go with them if they can help cure us," Harry said, standing to emphasize his point.

"No! Those children will love you endlessly for the rest of your days!" Draco screamed. Snape cast a nonverbal spell, and suddenly even if Draco spoke, you couldn't hear what he was saying.

"You have no say in the matter," the Ministry official said firmly, turning to Dumbledore, "I'll ask that Goyle join us as well. The journey will give him time to think about what he wants to do."

"Goyle, is this what you would like to do?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Yes, I don't mind it. Potter and Wood are probably right about this. I'm just so hormonal right now," Goyle whispered, his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes.

"It's official then, Dumbledore, I'll be taking the students with me. Would you like someone to travel with them?" the official inquired.

"I'll go. This ordeal started with my house and I should oversee it until the end," Professor Snape replied.

Dumbledore nodded, "Very well. I want hourly updates on the situation, and I want a full report when this is done to let me know what happened. I have a right to know as the one in charge of these students' well-being."

"Very well," the official nodded, joining Snape on the side of Malfoy. Together they carried him out of the castle while Goyle, Harry, and Oliver followed them out. When they reached the drive, a magical carriage awaited them. It was roomy inside, allowing plenty of distance from the angry and flailing Draco. It was still a moving prison, but it gave them time to think about what was happening, and how they were going to get out of this situation.

The Ministry of Magic took the boys to a small courtroom deep within the building. There were windows that allowed moonlight to come in, but otherwise the room was dark and smelled old and musty. The boys were left alone here with Professor Snape, who paced the floor while the boys sat and contemplated their fate.

"The smell of this room is making me sick," Goyle announced after a few minutes. Snape said nothing but they way he nodded slightly was a sign of agreement. None of them could believe this was where they were being housed, and with the suspect in question, who was still tied up and sat across the room.

"How long is this going to take?" Oliver asked after more time had passed. Even Professor Snape was growing anxious as time passed. None of them knew how long they had been there, but by now it was hours. Snape wondered if anyone was keeping Dumbledore up to date considering they weren't saying anything to them.

Finally after a long wait, the boys were taken to an infirmary area. By now the Ministry was empty with very few people walking around. They finally understood the imprisonment, but none of them were happy about the situation, especially when the medical tests began. A mix of magic and Muggle experiments was used to see exactly how far along the boys were, what their chemical makeup was, and what was going on with their bodies. Malfoy fought them, but it was clear he was the furthest along.

Snape watched everything, and after a few hours, he decided it was time to demand answers. He found the agent responsible for their case just outside the infirmary and confronted him about the situation:

"I want to know what's going on here! We've been here for hours and I still have no idea what's going. Please tell me that at least Dumbledore has been getting the updates he demanded," Snape spat.

"Calm down, Severus. We're doing all we can, but by remaining quiet, we're keeping this from spreading. You see, there's a problem here," the agent whispered.

"What kind of problem? I'm aware they're pregnant and that should be physically impossible, so you're going to have to be a little more specific," Snape replied angrily. He was so fed up, so the agent was careful to be blunt and swift.

"We kept them so we could keep others from seeing them, but the preliminary tests are contradictory. The pregnancy tests, both ours and the Muggle type, show the presence of pregnancy hormones, but when we used the Muggle equipment to look at the fetuses, well, there's nothing there," the agent murmured.

"What does that mean? They're pregnant but they're not?" Snape guessed.

The agent nodded, "Exactly, but I think it's the magic working. We're trying to be thorough, but...while we do this, there are others discussing the case. They agree that Malfoy needs to be held accountable for his actions, and they also agree that if the boys want out of this situation, they should be allowed to. I want to send Wood and Potter away for the operation. Goyle is still undecided, so he can wait, but he must decide within the next week. According to laws, we cannot do the procedure, legally, past that point."

"That means that Malfoy is too far along for the abortion," Snape whispered. He shook his head, "Malfoy wanted this, but what his father is going to think will change everything. I'm assuming we'll have to contact them eventually, especially if he's charged with a crime."

"I'll ask Dumbledore for his opinion on that matter during our next update, but Wood and Potter are to be moved as soon as we get a vehicle prepared. There is no reason for this to continue for them, and we'll speak to Goyle about the matter. Do you want to stay here or go with the others?" the agent asked.

Snape shook his head, "I have to stay with the criminal in this case. Contact Dumbledore. He might want to send someone else to go with them."

The agent agreed, then he went off to do his tasks. Snape returned to the infirmary and sat nearby while tests continued. Draco continued to fight, but Harry and Oliver seemed fine now. They were preparing to leave, Snape realized, and he wondered if Goyle would decide to join them before they even left.

But when the agent arrived to take them away, Goyle remained in the infirmary. Outside, McGonagall was there to join the boys on their journey, and Snape found himself wanting sleep. There was nothing more he could do for the night, so he acquired a bed near his students and went to bed.