"I'm breaking up with you."

"What?"

"I'm breaking up with you."

Quinn was so proud of how she could keep her calm demeanour even when she was breaking up with someone who was supposed to be the father of her baby.

She knew she had to do it that morning. Her baby bump was becoming more and more apparent. She knew Finn would think this was a cause to stay together, but she knew so much more than he did. The only problem she had was that they were out in the courtyard. Anyone could walk up and know what was going on.

"But… what about the baby…?" Finn asked, sounding concerned and confused.

"So you don't care about me, only the baby?" Quinn persisted, and this caused Finn to be quiet.

He had so much attention focused on the baby, he was pouring all his energy into just stressing out about it. It had almost made his love for Quinn evaporate. It didn't help that Rachel Berry wouldn't get out of his head. After years of bothering him, she suddenly just spent these last two months totally clammed up. He knew Rachel, and he knew that meant she was up to something. Now, he couldn't believe what was happening to him.

When he didn't answer, Quinn sighed.

"You only love the baby, and I don't plan on keeping her. So it's over, Finn."

Finn's mouth moved, but no sound came out. He was just floundering, not sure what to do. Quinn pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows as if to say ''Well, you brought this onto yourself."

Just as Quinn thought she was done, Noah Puckerman walked up, looking full of pent up anger. It was obvious he had been eavesdropping. Quinn suddenly felt the very neat, clean structure she'd made out of her and Finn's breakup crumble to the ground. Her mouth opened much like Finn's.

"What's up, guys?" Puck said in a way that made it apparent he knew exactly what was going on. He was itching to put his arm protectively around Quinn's shoulders. He hadn't talked to her in a few months, he respected how she wanted her privacy, but now that her stomach was inflating something seemed to awaken inside him and he wanted to be around her and support her. Quinn inched away from him. Finn's eyes darted between them.

"Oh, I just walked in on something private. Sorry," he said, sneering. He looked as if he was going to back away from them and return to his business, which Quinn was grateful for. She knew how protective Finn could be as well. But suddenly, Puck turned to face Quinn. He reached out and put his big, warm hand on her shoulder. Her heart fluttered in that way she absolutely hated.

"You ok?" Puck asked, his voice low and soft and very, very comforting and Quinn nodded, trying to smile at him. Everything she tried to keep calm just got complicated, and she just wanted to collapse into his arms. It wasn't because they were Puck's arms, but because he was big. She could just lean in and rest her head against his chest and take in the smell of him and his arms would wrap around her and make her feel safe.

His eyes darted down to her belly just long enough for Finn to see and understand.

"You know?" Finn asked, in shock. Quinn saw this to be a precursor to anger. Puck did too, he actually liked Finn. Quinn was what was distancing them.

"Yeah, I know. What do you think?" Puck asked, seeing an oncoming fight and running to it head first. Quinn took a step back from him, looking rather scared. Seeing her fearful made both of the boys even angrier at each other.

"Why did she tell you?" Finn asked an ugly snarl on his face. Puck almost laughed.

"Dude, she didn't need to tell me."

Within the next two seconds, both boys had their wands out and were aiming them at each other. Quinn didn't know what to do, and for the first time in her life she couldn't do anything to stop the situation. She forgot everything she knew about being soothing and kind, she forgot how to calm down boys or herself, she couldn't even cast a shield charm on one of them. All her memories had flown away.

"Hey!" a bossy, loud voice cried out and three people walked over to them. Finn recognized all three of them. Puck looked a bit confused, and Quinn heaved a sigh of relief and shook a bit.

Rachel marched up to them and put her hands on her hips. Hermione Granger had her hands folded over her chest and she looked a bit angry at them. Kurt Hummel just looked exasperated and a bit embarrassed. Finn found a bit of comfort in seeing Rachel and Kurt, who was soon to be his step-brother. They didn't talk a lot, but they had spent time together. But a million familiar faces wouldn't be able to calm him down then.

Why didn't Quinn tell him?

Why didn't Puck tell him?

Why couldn't they trust him to know things that important?

He couldn't believe he had just lost a girlfriend, a best friend, and his daughter all in one. He didn't want to believe it; he wanted it to be a dream.

"You know there's no fighting on school grounds!" Rachel said, trying not to look at Finn, trying not to blame him.

"Rachel, I think we're walking in on something private…" Kurt said, tapping Rachel's shoulders. Hermione's expression softened at Kurt's words.

"Is that true?" Hermione asked to the group before them.

Puck and Finn were both beyond words, but Quinn nodded and suddenly she seemed much shakier than before. She bit her lower lip, and Kurt could tell what she was doing to herself actually hurt. He cringed and he and Hermione walked over to Quinn, who seemed unable to move without help. Kurt willingly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and started whispering little soothing words in her ear, Hermione walking just a bit behind them, rubbing Quinn's back soothingly and looking genuinely concerned for this girl she'd never met. Rachel felt a sudden rush of pride towards her friends.

Rachel turned to face the boys again. "I don't know what's going on here, but you two need to think about what you did to make that poor girl feel that way," she said angrily.

For a very painful moment her eyes connected with Finn's, and in that moment both of them were very, very vulnerable. He looked like he needed to lean on her, and she wanted to help him so badly. But she knew everything about it was wrong, so she turned on her heel and walked off.

Rachel caught up to her friends and the Slytherin girl, who she had seen around the common room but never really talked to. They were in the same year even, but Rachel just never stopped to talk to her. She thought the girl's name was Quinn.

"What happened back there?" Hermione said, looking a bit anxious. Rachel suddenly felt awful for liking Finn; she realized that this was probably his girlfriend… or ex-girlfriend, by the looks of what just happened. Rachel hated herself for feeling excited Finn was now single. Her mind darted back to the love potion in the bottom of her trunk. Tomorrow night, she thought.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Quinn said, trying to regain her formal dignity. Kurt shrugged.

"You're Finn's step-brother, aren't you?" Quinn said, looking at Kurt the way a little girl looks at a new doll. Her eyes were shining with want and desperation for a new friend. Kurt noticed and was not threatened. He knew the position to fill with her now.

"I am. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm on your side, whatever it is. Finn can be an utter moron. He doesn't know what he's doing most of the time."

Quinn sniffled.

"Tell me about it. I know a boy who rather acts like Finn; he doesn't know how to treat girls at all." Hermione said, jumping into the conversation. Quinn almost smiled. Rachel was eerily silent the rest of break.

The other three spent the rest of the break talking about how boys are dunderheads.

"Hermione, you said you would, you promised! You promised, and it's the right time! You want Ron to like you, right? He doesn't even look like he wants to be around Lavender anymore, you want to give him that little extra push, right?" Rachel persisted, and Hermione was becoming irritated fast. They were alone in the Great Hall at night, and Hermione was feeling anxious about breaking the rules.

"I know! It might be the right time for you to confuse Finn even more than he is already, but I don't want to go down that road with Ron… yet," Hermione said, crossing her arms. Rachel's eyes searched Hermione up and down before she sighed.

"Fine. Fine, if you feel that way. But I'm going to stick to my commitments and go through with this plan," Rachel said, looking up at Hermione. Hermione puffed up with anger and looked down at Rachel.

"I love Finn," Rachel confessed in a quiet voice. "And I don't just want to manipulate him. But sometimes, that's the only way to make people see sense. I know you love Ron. I see the way you look at him. And you miss Harry too. You miss hanging out with him. I know Kurt and I are your second choice of friends. You're going to grow old with those two, no one can deny that. But if you hesitate, Ron's going to go and find someone else! And you're going to have to sit around and watch him raise kids that aren't yours and you'll be jealous forever. Harry's got his own thing going on, but you and Ron were meant for each other. But wait too long… and he'll be lost forever."

Hermione's deepest concerns about Ron were verified and she held out her hand.

"Give me my share of love potion." Hermione said, her voice low. Rachel looked at her with concern and took out the love potion, pouring about half of it into a different vial and handing it to Hermione.

"I hope you're wrong," Hermione said quietly.

"So do I," Rachel said.

Hermione walked back to Gryffindor tower and lay in bed, unable to cry. She thought about the love potion for all of the next day, and what Rachel was planning to do with it that night. She looked at both Ron and Harry with new eyes, and felt grateful she knew where the kitchens were. Dobby was a cheerful elf to talk to.

000

That night, Rachel walked up to Finn in the halls as he was heading to dinner. He looked empty and broken.

"Hello Finn. I… I wanted to talk to you," she said. Something like hope shone in Finn's eyes suddenly.

"Sure," he said, and didn't argue as Rachel took him to a little hidden corridor Hermione had shown her.

He didn't even mind that Rachel grabbed his hand. Rachel pulled a big tapestry away to reveal a little wooden door. She opened it, her heart pounding, and Finn had to lean down to go through. There was a wide, empty corridor there. While Finn was still sad about Quinn and her baby girl, he was impressed that Rachel had found that place, or so he thought. Rachel led him over to a little table she had set up in front of a loveseat. She sat down, looking up at him in a way that indicated he should do the same. He sat down, and Rachel offered him some Butterbeer she had already put on the table. He just held it in his hands for a minute before Rachel said, "How are you?"

"What?"

"How are you? You looked so upset the other day, with Puckerman and Quinn Fabray… was she your girlfriend?" Rachel asked softly. Finn chuckled in a way that implied that absolutely nothing was funny to him right then.

"Was," he said, and Rachel reached up and rubbed his shoulder as a way of saying she was sorry. She felt guilty about what she was doing, but not guilty enough to stop. Finn took a sip of his drink. Rachel tensed up in her seat.

"So are you… um, how are you feeling?" Rachel asked, trying to sound cheerful and casual. Finn shrugged.

"It was kind of… it was kind of a big loss," Finn said. Rachel looked down at her feet.

"She was very pretty," Rachel mumbled, wishing Finn would drink more. He took a big gulp, and Rachel felt a pang go through her chest. Guilt mixed with anticipation. Finn only had half of his glass left and Rachel noticed he was looking at her with new eyes when she allowed her eyes to travel upward.

"I bet you're really going to miss her. If she's a lot to lose…" Rachel said, finally looking up at Finn.

"Th-there are other fish in the sea, I guess," Finn said, downing the rest of his glass. There was a silence that was only tense for Rachel and then Finn said "You look really beautiful tonight."

Rachel grinned and blushed. "Thank you, Finn," she said quietly. Finn inched a bit closer to her.

"I've never noticed it before, but you have really pretty eyes," Finn said, a little grin appearing on his face. Rachel was full on smiling then, her heart pounding.

"I'm kind of starting to think… maybe loosing Quinn isn't too bad. Since I wasn't good enough for her and her kid… maybe I need someone else…" Finn said, and Rachel's bliss stopped like a muggle's car screeching to a sudden halt.

"Her- Her kid?" Rachel asked. She looked at Finn intensely, and Finn rolled his eyes.

"Quinn's pregnant?" Rachel asked, her eyes widened dramatically and her heart felt as though it dropped into her stomach. No one at Hogwarts had gotten pregnant before graduating.

"But I might as well not have known for all the stuff she told me," Finn said resentfully, but suddenly became cheerful again. "But I don't want to think about her. I really like you, Rachel…" Finn said, and Rachel's emotions were suddenly tangled in each other, confusion, pity and shock here mixed with love and happiness and she knew what she just heard would ruin her night.

"Rachel, would you like to go out with me again?" Finn asked suddenly, looking at her with big eyes, smiling. Rachel's mouth opened and closed. "There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, I can take you, I'll buy you whatever you want…" Finn said, looking eager and desperate all at once.

"I think it got cancelled, Finn, and isn't this a little soon? And… are you the father?" Rachel asked.

Finn shook his head. "I just want to forget about Quinn. She has Puckerman. And now all I want is you."

Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel, and she squirmed out of them. She suddenly didn't feel so comfortable. Finn looked extremely heartbroken when Rachel pulled away from him.

"Rachel, please go out with me. Please," He pulled his wand out of his pocket and waved it. A bouquet of flowers appeared. Rachel hated herself for feeling flattered.

"Really Finn, that's very sweet, but I don't think… you just broke up with Quinn yesterday…" Rachel stuttered, hardly knowing what to think anymore.

Finn waved his wand again, and a silver ring appeared.

"Finn!" Rachel said shrilly, but Finn picked up the ring and dropped to his knees in front of Rachel, knocking the table behind him over. He didn't even blink.

"Rachel Berry, will you be my girlfriend?" Finn asked, holding the ring up to her as if he was proposing.

Rachel's heart was beating so fast it felt as though it was in her throat. She took the ring from him and slipped it onto her finger. Finn looked happier than she had seen him in a very long time. All year, in fact. Even when they were dating and that broke her heart a bit.

"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, Finn. In a few weeks. When you're not on love potion and you've forgiven me and you're over your breakup… I'll be your girlfriend," Rachel said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

She smiled a bit sadly at him, regretting slipping him that damned potion and feeling very embarrassed. However, Finn only seemed to hear that Rachel would be his girlfriend and he leapt back onto the couch and kissed her. His hand was cupping her face and he was kissing her in a way Rachel had only dreamt of being kissed before. When Finn pulled away from her, Rachel was completely frazzled. But she was smiling, and that's all that mattered to him. He kissed her again and again, and Rachel looked happier and happier every time. That made Finn's heart beat so fast he didn't know what to do but make her happier.

They left the hidden hallway around one in the morning, and Rachel thought it wasn't a total loss.

"Rachel, I have a bone to pick with you," Finn said to her in the corridor next day. He pulled her aside as they were walking to class. Rachel had been dreading this; she knew it was going to happen.

"Did you sneak me love potion?" Finn asked in disbelief. Rachel didn't know whether to lie or tell the truth.

"Yes, I did Finn, but-" Rachel started, ready to start lying like mad to make this work out.

Finn, however, cut her off. "You know that was really uncool, right? I told you something Quinn really wanted to keep quiet, and you made me like you when I really… I'm not ready for another relationship. I don't want to have to deal with you right now, Rachel. That was a really, really bad move."

He stalked away angrily, and he couldn't help thinking about how he just knew Rachel was a better person.