I attempted to smile genuinely as I approached the Gryffindor table and saw two yellow lilies waiting for me at my usual seat.

My Miraculous Melody,

I look forward to seeing you after Quidditch this morning. You are beautiful. You are wonderful. You are special.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Oliver

Hermione chuckled as I gawked at the note. I smiled, hoping she believed my fabricated excitement. As I sifted through her thoughts, I realized she had believed me, I was grateful. Hermione had been so concerned about me since Draco and I officially ended our relationship. But it was near impossible for me to escape the heartache I was feeling. Every time I looked at Draco I was reminded of the abrupt end to our relationship. He looked so distraught every day now.

As our baby continued to flourish I found myself missing Draco more. I contemplated giving up trying to be strong and begging him to forgive me. I wanted to be a family. I knew I wasn't alone in this pregnancy but no one else mattered when I couldn't have Draco. I often wondered if the baby would look like him. If it would have his eyes or smile, I shuddered as I stopped all thoughts about Draco. I risked bursting into tears if I thought about him too much.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were talking animatedly to each other as I put food onto my plate. Harry was watching my every move, he was beginning to edge closer to figuring out the truth. I feared telling him but I wanted to do it before I was too far into my pregnancy. But every time I tried to tell him, I found myself losing my nerve. Harry already had so much to deal with, this could easily send him over the edge.

I listened as my friends spoke and tried to stay engaged but I was far too distracted. My mind was being pulled in several different directions at once. Right now I found myself really craving Oliver's presence, whenever I was with him my mind felt completely at ease. He never mentioned Draco, he wasn't even anywhere in his thoughts. He only talked about my baby if I brought it up first, and only said things that he knew would make me happy. Draco had been exactly right, Oliver was completely dedicated to making me happy.

According to Draco, Oliver was my perfect match and why he had ended our relationship. And the more time I spent with Oliver, the more I realized that Draco was right. Oliver was everything I could have hoped a partner would be. He was so kindhearted and loyal, he was at my side as much as he possibly could be, even when he had other things to do. He was always so concerned about my wellbeing and never his own, he was so selfless. He was everything I could desire in a potential husband and father for my child.

But my heart truly longed for the complete opposite, Draco. Draco's life was dangerous and unstable; he could only worry about his life and his allegiance to the Death Eaters and what was expected from them. I completely understood that his life depended on following the Death Eaters and I wanted our child to know Draco someday so I had to accept what he needed to do to stay alive. My head began to spin as I remembered the pained look on Draco's face when he finally revealed his Dark Mark to me. He felt so ashamed of himself, he despised the Death Eaters. Tears began to well in my eyes as I shuddered at the memory.

I tried to only think about all the pleasant memories I had with Draco. How complete I felt in his arms, how only his touch could surge deep desire through my veins; I'd never felt anything like that before. During the entirety of our relationship I could hardly handle being apart for any period of time. It was crushing me to be away from him now. Even with all the secrets, unwise decisions and inherit danger, I couldn't stop loving Draco. As complicated as our relationship was, I only wanted him. I loved him more than I could ever love anyone else in the world. And Draco had done the most selfless thing I had ever known a person to do; he sacrificed his happiness to secure my own. He let me go to be with Oliver because he felt that's what would make me happiest; he couldn't have been more wrong but it brought tears to my eyes whenever I thought about his chivalry.

It was heartbreaking to be away from Draco and to have to put on a facade of happiness to appease everyone else, but what I wanted most was to keep my baby safe from harm. That alone was what gave me the strength to stay away from Draco; knowing I was protecting our baby from the life that had been forced upon him. I knew in my heart that Draco would forgive me for this because I had secured our baby's safety, even if meant having to lie to him about the best thing that would ever happen to us. My hand dropped to my fluttering stomach, the baby loved to hear happy thoughts about Draco.

I was stunned out of my thoughts when I felt a grape hit me between the eyes. I leaned over the table and punched Ron in the shoulder, he almost fell off the bench from his violent laughter. Oliver's glowing thoughts consumed me as he sat beside me and quickly kissed the top of my head.

"What's so funny Ron?" Oliver inquired, a low chuckle resonating in his throat as he watched Ron.

"Mel is a complete nutter these days. OW! Hermione!"

Ron gaped at Hermione after she stomped on his foot. Hermione smirked at me and I smiled back. Oliver laughed as he patted my leg reassuringly, even though Ron was completely right, I had been nothing but distracted lately.

Harry watched me carefully, hoping I wasn't overthinking Ron's comment. I shook my head at Harry's thoughts. As I stared into his caring eyes, I knew I had to tell him about my baby. Harry had confided in me so much over the last six years, keeping my baby from him felt like a betrayal against our friendship. I would tell Harry and Ron as soon as we were in private. I was surprised by the sudden tension that had lifted off my shoulders. I knew I would feel so much better once I didn't have to hide my pregnancy from my best friends anymore, even though I was still wary of how they would react.

After breakfast was over, the five of us stood up from the table to go back to the Gryffindor common room. Draco's gaze from the Slytherin table instantly captured my attention. I was surprised when his lips formed a small smile, I waved slightly to him hoping it wouldn't upset him too much, his smile grew wider. I felt Oliver's disgruntlement as he pulled on my arm out of the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione were a few paces ahead of us as we walked to the common room, their incessant chatter echoed through my ears.

"Thank you for the flowers Oliver." I said as I held the flowers between my fingers. "You really didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did Valentine. One for you and one for the baby." Oliver whispered.

"You are so thoughtful Oliver, thank you."

Oliver reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. I sighed inwardly, not wanting him to hear my discomfort. Because in truth, I was comforted when Oliver held my hand tightly but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea, I knew how much he loved me.

"So is there anything special you'd like to do today love? We can do whatever you want."

"Well, I was actually planning on telling Harry and Ron about the baby today. It's time. But we could do something after that if you want."

"Of course, we'll meet before lunch. Good luck Mel."

I nodded and Oliver kissed the top of my head before leaving me with my friends. They slowed their pace as I walked quicker to catch up with them.

"So Mel? How are things going with Oliver? You won't get in trouble will you because he's not an actual professor right? What does he even do all day? I see him all over the place." Ron asked genuinely.

"Well we could get into trouble if we were in an actual relationship, but we're just friends Ron. As for his job, he's assisting Madame Hooch with Quidditch and flying, so he's not technically a professor yet. He's actually singlehandedly started a program for the younger students to learn the fundamentals of Quidditch, since most are too young to try out. It's quite rare to find someone so young who can play, other than Harry of course." I said as smiled to Harry. "Madame Hooch is hoping to start a younger division of teams so they can gain some actual experience and with Oliver's help it might actually be done."

"Damn, that's impressive Mel, good for him. Is he going to go back to Puddlemere once his knee heals up?"

I shrugged my shoulders to Ron because I wasn't sure what Oliver's plans were. He had said he didn't want to risk permanently injuring his knee but he left me before for Quidditch, I was certain he could do it again. I trembled at the thought of him leaving me again. I held my stomach tightly, trying to focus solely on my baby's heartbeats, it calmed me instantly.

The four of us reached the common room and I was thankful to find it empty. I would need privacy to tell them about my pregnancy, I didn't want the rest of the school to know, even though I knew they would find out eventually since my stomach was swelling more every day. I feared what my schoolmates would whisper about me and I feared their thoughts even more.

Ron sat leisurely on the couch thinking about the upcoming Quidditch match while Harry was thinking about something much more serious. Dumbledore was putting a lot of pressure on Harry lately. Nerves formed in my stomach immediately, I didn't want to put more pressure on him.

Hermione reached for my hand and we sat down on the floor in front of Harry and Ron. They were immediately troubled by this, Harry more so than Ron. Harry knew something was going on, he had sensed it for weeks. Hermione squeezed my hands, she was eager to have everything out in the open, she hated secrets.

"I know you both have been so worried about me this term, especially the last few weeks. And there is something I need to tell you about, but it's really hard for me to say."

They were sitting on the edge of their seats now, nearly falling off the couch. Their minds were considering all the possible things I could be telling them, their hearts were pounding.

"I promise you everything is okay and I'm okay. But I'm pregnant."

Harry stood up fiercely from his seat on the couch, his hands clenched into fists, he was shouting angry thoughts in his mind. He wanted to murder Oliver for this. He hadn't realized that Draco was actually the father. Ron's mind was completely blank and he looked to Hermione, his shoulders relaxed once he saw her smile.

"Harry, Oliver isn't the father." I murmured.

The tension was extremely uncomfortable before Harry comprehended my words.

"That-that-prick-got you pregnant!" Harry screeched.

Harry was wailing incoherently as he paced the common room. His hand held tightly to his wand in his pocket, he felt the urge to run from the common room and hex Draco. I stood up quickly from the floor and sped to the door to prevent Harry from leaving.

"Just wait a minute Harry, you know you would regret it if you hurt Draco. He doesn't even know Harry and I'm not going to tell him anytime soon, for obvious reasons. Everything is going to be okay."

I held Harry's face between my hands and looked him directly in the eyes. He was crying tears of rage and anguish. Ron and Hermione were watching in complete surprise, neither of them had been expecting Harry to respond so emotionally.

"How can this ever be okay Mel?" Harry whispered through his sobs. I leaned my forehead against his as he steadied his breathing.

"I need you Harry. I need all of you. I can't do this without you three."

Harry moved out of my hands and dropped to his knees, his eyes fixated on my stomach. He cautiously raised his hands and gently placed them against my budding stomach. He pressed his face against it, feeling completely overwhelmed by sadness. I ran my fingers through Harry's hair, hoping it could comfort him. Hermione and Ron sat beside Harry, also focusing on my stomach, it was visible to them now. They sat quietly for several moments staring at me. A colossal burden had been lifted from my shoulders, all my best friends knew of my pregnancy now, my smile grew wider as I felt acceptance enter their minds.

I left Harry, Hermione and Ron alone in the common room. I was certain they would be continuing the conversation about me but I was alright with that. I needed their support and if that meant they had to talk about me behind my back until they came to terms with my pregnancy, than it would be worth it. I knew they would never say anything too harsh about me, but I couldn't say the same about Draco. The four of us had spent the morning and a majority of the early afternoon discussing my baby, they all had so many questions for me but as I answered them their faces seemed to soften. They all could see how brave I was, until I thought about Draco again.

I forced Draco to the back of my mind and continued walking towards the Great Hall to meet Oliver. My tense limbs relaxed once I saw him leaning against a column, an open book in his hands. He hadn't noticed my approach until I snatched the book from his hands. He wobbled backwards, I had taken him by surprise.

"Hmm, Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" doesn't seem like your kind of novel. I thought "Moby Dick" or "Lord of the Flies" were your favorites. I never knew you liked love stories."

"Well, this one is about a strong-willed heroine whose love is completely catastrophic. It reminded me of someone that I know." Oliver teased.

"Yes I'm well aware of the plot Oliver. That book is among my many others. It's a classic. 'Jane Eyre' also refuses to compromise herself; I like to believe that is one of my many astounding attributes as well. Excellent choice though Oliver. But you didn't have to get me a present, you already spoil me too much."

"You have this book already? Of course, I should have known. You probably have every book in the world. That's what I get for trying to surprise a telepath."

"Oh Oliver, it's the gesture that means something. This book will go right alongside my other one."

Oliver smiled and enveloped me in his arms. I loved when Oliver held me, the warmth of his kind heart felt like a thermal blanket swaddled around my entire body. I smiled into his shoulder and held tightly, not wanting to let go. In Oliver's arms it felt like I was completely safe, like all the upcoming troubles I was about to face didn't exist.

Oliver kept his arm clasped tightly around my shoulder as we walked towards my tree. When we reached it there was a small blanket spread across the grass along with a small basket of food. He held my hands securely as I sat down against the trunk, even though it was completely unnecessary because my stomach was nowhere near big enough to make it difficult for me to sit down. Oliver was too much of a gentleman to let me struggle in the slightest way. He laid his hand on top of mine as we both leaned against my tree; I tried to shift nonchalantly and move my hand from his.

It was killing me to allow Oliver to have these false hopes of a future together. But I also couldn't stand to have Oliver leave me because I needed him, and the only way to keep was to make him believe I reciprocated his feelings; I didn't think he'd stay with me otherwise. I would lie awake in my bed night after night as tears poured from my eyes as I pondered all of Oliver's constant daydreams. He continuously fantasized about us walking in a park, the two of us pushing a small baby carriage, the wheels clicking against the stone walkway, the bright sun peeking through the talk trees, it was always a perfect day. And in each of his daydreams, Oliver was always wearing a gold wedding band and a matching band on my finger too.

I had to force myself to stop thinking about it so I wouldn't burst into tears in front of Oliver because of the unbearable guilt I felt. It was absolutely necessary to conceal my pain from Oliver, I didn't want to make him miserable too. I couldn't stand hurting another person so badly. But I knew I would inevitably make Oliver miserable, because the first moment I could, I would choose Draco. That I was certain of. Oliver's love would never be enough, he wasn't Draco.

"Are you alright Mel? You haven't said a word."

"Yes, I'm fine." Though I really wasn't. "Just grateful that you took the time to do all of this for me. You didn't have to."

"Yes I did. You deserve to have a wonderful Valentine's Day."

My smile faltered as I looked into Oliver's eyes. He caressed my cheek with his thumb, my stomach twisted into knots, the guilt was overwhelming me. My mind was racing, Oliver was so overjoyed, but this moment seemed so familiar. Suddenly I remembered how special he had made my birthday, I choked on the breath I was inhaling and tried to disguise it as regular coughing. Oliver had done something similar for my birthday, telling me I deserved it, right before he left me. My heart stopped mid-beat, I didn't want him to leave again. I hoped he wasn't trying to distract me and then tell me bad news.

Oliver stared at me with worry pouring from his eyes. I smiled weakly at him as he dropped his hand from my cheek and reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. As he held it up to take a picture of us, I immediately moved away from him and stood up. This was my special spot with Draco, where we had our picture taken. I wouldn't taint this memory of Draco by replacing it with one of Oliver, the pain was too much for my heart to bear now.

"Oh come on Mel, don't be camera shy. Wait-what's wrong?"

"Just stop Oliver, please. I can't-do this anymore."

"Do what Mel?" Oliver asked nervously, already knowing what was coming.

"I can't pretend anymore. I can't pretend to be happy anymore, I can't pretend that I love you. I can't stand hearing your beautiful thoughts about me when they won't ever happen. This is too much."

"You don't love me? But-but-all this time-I-thought that-"

"I am so sorry Oliver. You don't have any idea how much I hate myself for this. You are an amazing person. I hope you can forgive me someday. But-I-I have to go."

I wiped the tears from my eyes as I turned to leave Oliver in his devastating disappointment.

"It's Malfoy isn't it?"

I didn't have to respond to Oliver, he already knew. He had always known, but he hoped so badly that I could love him again. The pain consumed him completely as I walked away from him as quickly as possible.