"January 18
"Dear Mum,
"Is there anyway that you could get me out of Hogwarts for a few days? Just a weekend? I swear nothing is wrong… but I don't think I can handle this anymore. Harry is 2 months away from his due date and at this rate I'm not sure the castle will survive.
"Are all pregnancies this bad? Because I'm thinking Luna and I may never have children if that's the case. Not that I'm planning on children anyway.Not that I want children with her. I mean if we decide to continue our relationship, which we haven't discussed, and we decided to have children, also not discussed, then we may have to reconsider that choice. Probably still worded poorly, but I am not the subject of this letter and neither is Luna so back on track…
"Harry is going crazy. You can't say anything around him without him becoming snarky and I think Tom said something that he regrets because he's being more cautious than the rest of us. So a few days away sounds wonderful. Yes?
"Besides that school is going well, I don't think Professor Snape hates me nearly as much as he used to. I think that's probably because he doesn't have to deal with me in class anymore. Draco and the rest are doing well, Hermione actually asked after you yesterday and sends her best wishes with this letter. She's coming around to the idea slowly, but maybe you two will get along alright eventually.
"Hope to hear from you soon!
"Neville Orion
"P.S. I'm thinking of getting a name change, what do you think?
"P.P.S. Harry just blew up my candle because Blaise misspoke and used a 'forbidden word'.
"P.P.P.S. About that trip home?...
"P.P.P.P.S. Blaise says that he wants to come too if I get out of here.
"P.P.P.P.P.S. So does everyone else."
(0,0)
"January 20
"Dear Mother,
"How are you? I know you sent me a letter a while ago and I'm only now responding, but it has been a hectic few weeks. Neville just sent a similar letter to his own mother and I thought now would be an ample time to make my own request.
"Is there any way- any way at all- that you could bring me home for the weekend? Or send me to China? I would even appreciate you sending me to bloody America at this point. Pardon my language, but I think you would understand the necessity if you were here.
"As you know Harry Potter is pregnant. However, he is worse than any pregnant female I have ever met. Seriously. Someone sneezed today and Harry nearly hexed them for making too much noise. Yesterday he almost smothered a first year who fell and scraped his knee, I think Harry was convinced that if he hugged the child tight enough they could heal the scrape. The kid didn't even cry until Harry started squeezing him to death. The day before that, Harry blew up a candle because I said 'mud'. It was raining so I was like, 'I feel bad that Filch has to clean up all this mud.' And before I knew it-BOOM!- exploding candle and lecture.
"I realize you think I'm being over dramatic but I have a photo I'm enclosing of Harry freaking out. The younger Creevey took a photo in honor of his brother and Harry totally flipped. Then he started crying when he realized that he scared the young kid and then started apologizing frantically for something… I ran at that point.
"So a break from Harry Potter would be much appreciated. If you could manage. Or send a letter to Snape asking for permission for me to leave the school this weekend. Maybe I could write it, then all you would have to do is sign it. I'm open to any ideas you have as well.
"Hoping you are well (and far away from pregnant teenagers),
"Blaise"
(0,0)
"January 23
"Dearest Father and Darling Mother,
"Would you mind terribly if I ran away from Hogwarts? Just for a few days I promise. Then I'll come back but this is seriously getting to be a problem.
"You remember my dear friend and the mate of the Dark Lord? Yes? Well then you remember that he's a teenager which means he is trying to work through all of his teenage hormones and emotions while caring for a mate who looks twenty but is really like seventy some years old.
"Plus, as you also know, the teen is pregnant. Which means he is dealing with all of the pregnancy hormones, plus high levels of estrogen (that's what muggles call the emotion inducing hormone related to female actions and bodies). However it means that the teen is struggling with a lot of emotions right now, which I believe directly confirms my previous request for you to get me out of here!
"I know you think I'm over reacting, but he has made several of the younger years cry these last few days, either because he's so freaking adorable when he stands around with a small smile on his face, or because he just told them to get the hell away from him.
"Yesterday he turned my hair red because I said something. I'm not sure what it was. It probably had something to do with the fact that my Defense homework was too long and I just wanted to go to bed. We always complain about our homework load, it's tradition! But the important thing is that my hair is still red and no one I have talked to can find the counter. Even McGonagall failed to change my hair back to blonde for more than two minutes.
"So please, please, please get me out of here. Just for a few days? Is that really all that much to ask considering the situation?
"Besides all of that, I am doing fairly well. I hope both of you are alright. Slytherin is in the lead for the Quidditch cup. Their new seeker isn't as good as me but he's better than the new Gryffindor Seeker.
"Hope to hear from you soon (very soon),
"Draco"
(0,0)
"Headmaster?"
Draco, Blaise, and Neville walked into the headmaster's office with mixed excitement and apprehension. Maybe it was about those letters they sent. It only made sense, after all, what else could it be about? They didn't think they had done anything wrong, at least not recently, but who knew why the man had summoned them.
"Thank you for coming." The man told them with a small half smile.
All of the boys felt their hearts speed up and fly into their throats as their stomachs dropped through the floor. Whatever it was that was making Snape smile was sure to be bad news for the three boys.
"Please take a seat," As the boys maneuvered to sit, the professor kept talking, "Now. It has come to my attention that you all have been having some… trouble handling Harry's pregnancy. You all apparently wrote your mothers and I was given very explicit instructions on how to handle it."
All three of the teenagers were practically bouncing with excitement. All three of them were going to be let out of school for at least the weekend. Maybe before any one got permanently injured.
"However, I hope that those instructions will not be necessary." Snape did his best to hide his satisfaction when all of the boys quite literally collapsed with disappointment.
"But sir?" Unbelievably it was Neville who spoke, "Don't our mother's know best? After all they only hope to take care of us."
Snape's smile was anything but kind, "Let's see how you feel after you have heard what they have to say. I was given very explicit instructions and you will all follow them. Am I clear?"
Nods all around. Including one head of faded pink hair, Severus smirked at the sight.
Snape handed the first letter to Neville, "Read it out loud."
Neville flipped it open and his eye's widened, " 'Dear Sons, All of us have decided to respond as a single entity as we all were affected the same way by your letters. You seem to be having some trouble with Harry Potter's pregnancy and we can all understand exactly-'" Neville frowned, "It stops there."
Suddenly Blaise found himself with a letter in his hands, "Read it out loud."
"It looks like it just continues off of the last letter, 'exactly what it is that Harry is going through. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for trying to run away from him when he needs you all to be there for him. You have no idea what that poor boy is going through, and it seems as if all of you are simply-'"
A letter sat in Draco's hands, "Simply goading him with things that you know bother him. Even if you didn't do it on purpose you must know that Harry will be a little less able to control his emotional responses to things that affect him. He will be extra happy one day, and easily angered the next. You should help him through it instead of making it all worse with your own problems. So 'no' we will not be allowing you to leave the school for a few days or a weekend. There will be no trips abroad and you will help your friend through this. Sincerely, Mum, Mother, and Mother.'"
They all blinked at each other. Who would have thought all of their mom's would have come together in a single letter to yell at them.
"I got a letter from them myself. They told me in no uncertain words that I was to-" his eyes skimmed the paper in his hands, "yes, here it is- to 'Tie you upside down by your ankles and leave you there until all of your bodily fluids had dripped out of you noses before chopping you into bits and feeding you to the thestrals' if you didn't stop antagonizing Harry or if you continued to try and find a way out of the situation."
Neville looked like he was about to pass out and Blaise and Draco also looked a little peaky.
"Do you still think your mother knows best, Mr. Longbottom."
Neville nodded frantically, "And as such I am going to go apologize to Harry right now and see if there is anything that I can get him."
"Me too."
"I'm right behind you."
Snape smirked into his suddenly empty office, "Who knew mothers could be so good at terrifying their own children?"
When Snape appeared in the hallways later that day smiling, many small children were reported as being seen "running for cover."
(0,0)
Harry was so thankful that he had friends who were willing to put up with him. Today he had actually used a charm that made it look like Malfoy's hair was on fire. He didn't actually set the boy's hair on fire because the smell was horrible but the look on the blonde's face had been priceless. The three boys were always going to grab him something, occasionally even asking him if there was anything he wanted, which was a little strange.
Harry had a plan to thank all of them. First he cleared it with Snape then he sent letters off to the parents of the children involved. This way there would be no complaints or problems for the teens.
The pregnant boy pressed a hand to his stomach and grinned when he felt an answering kick as the last letter disappeared over the skyline.
Now he only had to worry about why Severus had been smiling yesterday. More importantly, why had the man laughed outright when he had explained his plan? No matter whatever put the man in a good mood was worth it. He hadn't even had to bribe the man into agreeing.
It was always great to have friends especially when he was still waiting for Tom to figure out what exactly it was that he should be doing in regards to their relationship. They were sleeping together still but most of their other displays of affection had come to an end. Or a pause at least.
He just didn't understand why the dominate mate in his Tom was so worried. Harry was apparently a sufficient carrier and able to defend their children or else he wouldn't have made Tom wait fifty years to meet his mate. Seriously, how many times had he beaten the Dark Lord? Even if some of them were given over to luck instead of skill, how likely was it that anyone else could do better?
Anyway, the point was that he had some pretty amazing friends who were there even when he was trying to get his mate to see sense. He hoped that they would all like the treat that he was getting them. They all deserved it.
(0,0)
"February 4
"Malfoy,
"I don't really know how to say this, but I think that was the best way to start. Mostly because I want you to know that I really understand whatever you choose to do after I tell you this. If you never want to see me again I will totally understand.
"Last night my brother decided that it would be a brilliant idea to go out and celebrate some anniversary that he made up in his head, by getting smashed. I was the self-designated sober one. This way I could make sure that George got home in one piece. That worked great until my own twin (who I have disowned, well not really but I wish I could) decided to spike my drink with one of our as of yet untested products.
"Long story short, I went home with someone last night and woke up with a pounding headache on their bedroom floor. With my clothes lying in the hallway. I know my brother didn't mean any harm, and I never meant to hurt you which I am sure this has.
"I understand no matter what you do and I hope that whatever that is you are happy. I just wanted to tell you this myself before it got around to you any other way.
"Nothing left to say other than I am so very, very sorry. Stay well and I hope that your schooling is going fabulously well.
"Take care,
"George."
(0,0)
"What do I do Hermione?"
The girl blinked at the blonde, "About what?"
Her question was answered with mumbling and pacing. With a sigh the Head Girl placed down her book and tucked a bookmark in-between the pages. It took several minutes but eventually the teen figured out what he wanted to ask.
"Okay so what do you do if you are not really mad at someone about something but you probably should be?"
Why is it that boys never make any sense? She took a deep breath and put a small smile on her face. She patted the couch and waited for the Slytherin to sit down.
"Now. What are you talking about, Draco?"
"Say someone did something unforgiveable but it wasn't really their choice they were … I don't know… 'drugged?' I think that's what you call it," Hermione nodded, "But they still did it. And it's horrible and you should be pissed off beyond all reason but you just feel… sad?"
Hermione huffed, "Well I'm going to make a few assumptions here. One- that this is about you and George just because of how upset you are getting. Two- that this means it was a potion that influenced him. And three- you still care about him despite what he did."
Draco shrugged, but Hermione took that as confirmation.
"With that in mind I have two questions for you. What was the potion he was drugged with? And how did it affect his actions? After that you'll know whether to be really angry or not. You just need to fill in the pieces."
Draco disappeared into his room moments later and the door locked with a click. Hermione shook her head at the teen's dramatic tendencies and slid her bag over her shoulder. She needed to talk to Flitwick about one of the homework questions. She wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be about a single charm or the series of charms all by the same spell maker.
She slipped out of the door pausing to nod at the portrait as it swung closed behind her. The wolf was really becoming one of her favorite portraits in the castle. Somehow it always knew just how to look at her to make her feel a little better about her day.
She moved down the hallway at a swift pace hoping that Flitwick didn't have too many students to talk to. Loud footsteps were echoing through the halls. She started to search for the culprit only to have the person run into her.
She found herself sitting on the floor and watched as her bag came crashing to the ground beside her.
"Hey!"
Hermione's voice echoed through the halls even as her stuff clattered to the floor. The oaf had run into her around a corner. Bets were that he wouldn't even stop to help her. Too busy, or more likely too late to class, to do so. She wished she could just give the jerk a piece of her-
"Sorry, 'Mione."
Hermione froze at the sound of that voice above her. She reached to grab her things as quickly as possible shoving them into her bag and refusing to glance up. The Gryffindor barely controlled her flinch as a pale hand reached into her vision.
"Here you go."
Hermione muttered a thanks and grabbed the two quills and offered parchment. Within seconds she was moving down the hall and around a corner. She heard the voice calling her name echo down the halls as she fled.. She kept moving until she reached her dorm and figured that she didn't really need to meet with Flitwick, it was more of a clarification than a real question anyway.
Some Gryffindor she was.
That boy was going to be the end of her insanity. Every five minutes she alternated between wanting to kill him and wanting to forgive him. Today was a good example of that fear of being too close to actually yell at him.
The white wolf moved closer to the front of the portrait and gave a low whine. Hermione softly smiled and wished, not for the first time, that the wolf would come out so that she could pet it.
Curse Ronald Weasley.
She sighed and pulled out her homework. Anything to distract her, she set a quill to paper with a focused grimace. Arithmacy was a fun subject in theory. However that didn't mean it was an easy one. As she crossed off another number and drew another angle she couldn't help but think about the last year. How much of it was her and how much of it was the potions?
She may never know for sure. But it was something that occasionally kept her up long after the last piece of parchment was folded and put away. But the numbers only hinted at the future. The 'what-ifs' were only wasting time and driving her nuts.
She placed the tip of her feather against her lip and winced slightly at the taste. Something had spilled on it. Making a face she resolved to wash it off before giving up on her homework with a yawn. Apparently facing the red headed teen had been more exhausting than she thought. With a sigh she moved to her own engraved door and slipped inside.
(0,0)
At dinner the following day, Hermione and Harry looked on with amusement as Draco Malfoy got a Howler from one Narcissa Malfoy. They had all gathered in the head common room to eat as a break from their studies and the loud Great Hall. The howler definitely made two of the Gryffindors much more relaxed. The contents were short and sweet but she managed to make three boys pale with the few words that the letter spat out.
"DRACO MALFOY. YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HAD BETTER REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS THIS WEEK. IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO DISSAPOINT US WE WILL ALL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THAT PROMISE. AND IF SEVERUS DOESN'T I WILL COME DOWN THERE MYSELF. I DON'T' CARE WHAT YOUR REASON IS. UNDERSTOOD?"
All three boys nodded slightly before the letter tore itself to pieces before the group. Of course the letter hadn't shown up with the morning mail because no one would want the Malfoy reputation tarnished by a howler. Even if it was so ambiguous that only the three boys seemed to have any idea what was going on.
Harry wondered what it was but he was a little more concerned about how they were going to like their gift. He wasn't giving it to them quite yet but he was very excited to see their reactions. Especially when he saw them stressed or worried about something. He had talked to a bunch of people to find the best options for each of them and only hoped that they would think the same thing.
(0,0)
It was approaching Valentine's Day but that seemed a little cliché. So he had decided to do the surprise the week before this way they had a day to spend with their special someone's no matter who it turned out to be this year. Everyone had gathered in Harry's and Tom's quarters per Harry's request and each of them were handed an envelope.
"I got these for you guys to thank you so much for being here for me the last few months even when I know that I have been unbearable for most of the last few weeks. It's great to know that I never have to worry about you guys leaving me and forcing me to go through these challenges by myself."
The boys shifted and looked at each other. But Harry assumed it was because they had been complaining about him for months now. They had probably been trying to be secretive about it, but when conversation stops the instant you step into a room it's usually not that hard to figure out what the topic was.
He handed over four letters to the group, Hermione had already gotten hers because he had wanted to get her opinion on the gift. She had given it a very enthusiastic thumbs up before hugging him. The raven was proud that he managed to make the girl speechless.
Silently they all opened their envelopes and Pansy was the first to react.
"Oh Merlin! Harry you really didn't have to but I'm not going to say no. Please say Hermione got one too?"
Harry nodded and the Slytherin actually squealed (they swore to keep it secret under penalty of death) and launched herself at the boy.
The envelope was gripped tightly in her hand as her arms wound around his neck. Several profuse apologies for things said years ago and a bunch of 'wait until I tell…'s later and the dark haired girl was out the door. She returned not a second later wrapping her fingers around Hermione's wrist and dragging her out of the room. Presumably towards the Slytherin common room to do all of the 'telling'.
The boys still hadn't said anything. Harry began twisting his fingers. Tom, the mom's, and Hermione had all said that the teens would like the gift. Why weren't any of them saying anything? Maybe they didn't like it. They must realize that Harry had needed to pull the 'I'm famous' card in order to get them. Were they jealous that they couldn't have gotten any, even with the Malfoy family's connections?
Harry couldn't take it anymore, "You guys don't have to go. I mean, I know it's a little girly if you aren't into that kind of thing but I thought you might like it. If nothing else it's a chance to get out before the craziness of the next few weeks…"
"Harry…" Neville swallowed but continued on, "You really got us a weekend pass to the brand-new, exclusive, all-inclusive wizarding resort? Like actually got us these ridiculously outrageous gifts to thank us?"
"Yeah?"
"That's amazing, Harry and I know I love them, but I'm afraid… Ican'tgo."
Harry blinked at the rushed words from one of his oldest friends, "Why not?"
Blaise spoke up before Neville could answer, "We are… worried about you mate. I know that you are technically a month out from your due date, but since when do children arrive on schedule?"
"What does that have to do with it? You will each get a portkey that will bring you back the moment my labor starts if you want one."
"I'm afraid we can't go, none the less. It is a dangerous time to be care free and such. I don't want to know how mother would react if I came home with anything less than 'Acceptable'." Blaise rose to his feet leaving the envelope on the coffee table in front of him, "Much better to stay and study."
"My mother too." Malfoy spoke up though his eyes lingered on his own weekend pass where he had set it on the table, just out of reach. He shook himself and rose to his feet moving towards the door."
"And I really don't want to upset Bella if I can avoid it. I know that she and her family have always been big on good marks." The Gryffindor joined the Slytherins on their way to the door.
Harry nodded, "I guess I understand. I'll leave them with you guys in case you decide to go."
"No!" Malfoy's shout had the four other men in the room looking at him in shock even as the three teens moved to the door, "I mean, you might as well give mine to someone else…"
"Mine, too."
Blaise nodded his consent silently, holding open the door for Neville before stepping through himself.
"If you guys are sure…"
"One hundred percent. I don't even want to imagine what the consequences would be if I went." Draco smiled at the teen. And suddenly the door shut behind him cutting the mated couple off from the rest of the castle.
With a sigh Harry gathered the envelopes and placed them on the mantle above the fireplace.
(0,0)
"Mother?"
"Mum?"
"Mother?"
The three voices rang out in unison as the three boys once again entered the headmaster's office.
"Sit down, boys. Your mothers asked special permission to talk to you and seeing as the problem is one I dealt with in part it was granted. Now sit down, be quiet and listen."
The three sat.
Narcissa broke the silence first, "When I told you to not think about the content of your letters to us, I did not mean that you were to leave Harry feeling like a worthless person."
"What?" Neville spoke as the other two blinked at her in confusion.
Bellatrix took up the lecture, "That boy fire called the three of us and asked if we would be interested in taking the tickets that our sons had given up. Naturally we thought he was joking. Why would our sons give up a chance like that?"
"You said-"
The tall Italian woman broke into the conversation, "We told you to behave and not think about running out on him. There were no small side comments telling you that you had to give up anything you wanted for him."
"Harry gave you permission to go because you have been wonderful to him. And I think it is your duty to go and accept the acknowledgement."
"You mean…" Neville faltered but looked right at his mother, "You think that we should go…"
A frighteningly in sync eye roll and head nod later the three boys were out the door and obviously looking for the raven haired Gryffindor.
Snape looked almost amused when the adults were left alone in the office, "You know you had the exact same results in your letters. They were out the door within seconds of hearing your words. Parents have a strange power over their children." The black eyes were wide and almost impressed as he glanced at the rest of the group.
Narcissa and Bellatrix shook their heads in amusement, "You do realize that you could do the same thing with Harry, right?"
"Not at all. The teen was and still is smitten with the idea of his father, the mutt, and the werewolf. He would never think of me as his parent." A brief pause later he hurried to add, "And neither would I."
"He may not ask, but think of at the manor when he spent most of his free time with you. And now how he visits as much as he can and always talks to you when you see each other in the halls. They may only be fleeting moments to the two of you, not even worth mentioning, but everyone else notices."
(0,0)
"February 7
"Draco,
"I'm hoping that will not be the last time I write your name for your eyes. I have to admit that I was glad you were not going to ignore me on principal when I sent my letter to you.
"I don't really know how the potion affected me. As I said we hadn't tried it out yet. The idea was to kind of drop inhibitions while raising cognitive awareness. So far the only thing that I know for sure happened was the lack of inhibitions. I don't remember what happened that night so I really cannot help you beyond that point. Obviously the cognitive awareness either didn't happen or was only temporary in every sense of the word.
"How is school going? How is Harry? I know he says he's fine, but we all know how he can be bitten by a basilisk and still be 'fine' so how is he really? Are you ready for your holidays? Do you have any plans?
"Fred and I are planning on doing nothing really at the moment. Mostly working in our store and I'll be hanging around at the shop while he wanders around trying to get Daphne to speak with him. It's a tad ridiculous actually.
"Yours no matter what,
"George
Another handwriting was on the end of the letter, strangely similar but enough different to notice.
"P.S. My brother is too lame to say this outright but he wants to know if you'll spend the holidays with him and myself this year. Just Easter if you want since it's only a week. You have like a month to think on it, but I doubt he'll ask unless you basically invite yourself over first.
"Give my best to everyone,
"Fred"
(0,0)
"February 8
"George,
"I hope you realize that you make it next to impossible to hate you, right? I should be furious that something happened between you and another person, but I'm not. I don't like it. In fact I will admit to 'shuffling morosely through the common room'- Hermione's words not mine- but I can't be angry with you. You told me yourself and I genuinely believe that you did not mean to do what you did. Although I hope Fred avoids slipping anymore potions in your drinks.
"School is horrible as usual but no more so than normal. A bunch of tests and papers and experiments and projects, but nothing too crazy. Harry is doing well as far as I can tell. All of us, especially Harry, are desperate for the pregnancy to be over. Except Tom, I think. As the time of the birth gets closer he stands closer to Harry. I think he's still afraid that Harry will leave him after the birth of their child. The nitwit has yet to realize Harry genuinely loves him.
"You are going to have to tell me this basilisk story. I really think that it is one that cannot be made up and, knowing Harry, probably isn't. Maybe I could spend a couple of days with you over the holidays and you could tell me some of those stories. I don't want to be a bother but I could probably see about staying with my parents or Blaise during the holiday. I think they expected me to stay at Hogwarts and apparating all over Britain wouldn't be good. Maybe I could just floo to your place in the morning and back to wherever in the evenings?
"In the meantime though- Harry gave me two passes to go to 'A Wonderful Solstice'. It's that brand-new resort of sorts not too far from Hogwarts, I'm sure you've seen the articles and such about it. Anyway, I guess I was kind of hoping that you wouldn't mind going with me? This weekend maybe? It'll be a lot of fun and give you a chance to relax without worrying about work and family and such…
"Impatiently awaiting your reply,
"Draco"
(0,0)
Draco woke to the sound of someone knocking quietly on his door. His name carried through the wood as well as a familiar voice pleaded with him to 'please wake up.'
He stumbled over to the door still half-asleep to see one Blaise Zabini outside. It was only seconds later that the door was shut and Draco found himself being shoved over to his bed before a silencing charm was cast at the door.
"Thank Merlin. I thought you would never wake up."
"Zabini. You do realize that it is currently a quarter till too damn early to be awake?"
"Whatever, it's almost 4am Draco."
"Yes. And I was enjoying a very pleasant dream about my boyfriend before you woke me up. Do you mind leaving until a decent hour so that I might get back to said dream?"
"I don't want to hear about your fantasies, Dray. What I really want is for you to tell me who Hermione is seeing."
Draco blinked, "She's not seeing anyone. Not since she found out the Weasel was giving her a love potion. The girl is a little worried at the moment."
"Then why did she say she couldn't come to A Winter Solstice with me?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "She does have her own ticket you know."
"Yes. But I had hoped we could go together, give the other tickets to another couple or something."
"Did you ever think that maybe she just had other plans? Or that maybe she just doesn't like you?"
"She has to."
"You've been turned down before Blaise, get a grip."
"It's never felt like this, Draco. Never felt like this…"
Draco sighed and conjured another bed, "Why don't you try to sleep here tonight? We can talk about your girl problems in the morning."
"Alright. But I don't know if I can handle being left like that. I can't Dray."
"And you won't. I'll be here the entire way if it comes to that. In the meantime- sleep. Everything looks better in the morning.
(0,0)
"Hermione?"
"Draco."
"You know, I got a visit from a very distraught Slytherin last night."
"Blaise?"
"Yup."
"And?"
"Why exactly did you turn him down? He likes you. I know you like him. I figure it's probably related to that red-headed monster…"
"What happened to your Slytherin slyness? Sneaking around to get answers? Are you going Gryffindor on me?"
Draco smirked, "Hardly. I have recently discovered that any sort of cunning is lost on a Gryffindor. Much better to ask it in a language you understand. Straight forward and simple."
"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're hilarious."
Draco waited, "You're not going to get out of this by distracting me."
Hermione sighed, "Yes I like him. No I'm not seeing anyone else. No I will not go with him as a couple to the resort."
"Okay, final question- why?"
"Because I have plans with Pansy, Daphne, and Tracey. Of course, I've never actually talked to Tracey before but I've liked all of the other Slytherins far better than the Gryffindor girls I've met. Plus, Pansy really wanted to introduce me to 'the girls'."
"Really? You just had other plans?"
"Really. Although the fact that he came up and said- and I quote- 'So since we're all going to the resort this weekend, and you're single, and I'm single, we should go together. See you at the floo around six on Friday?' Did not really help his case. At all."
"So you'll go out with him if he asks?"
"I'll probably say yes, but promise me you won't say anything? I don't want him asking me out just because he knows I'll say yes."
Draco nodded and barely hid his smirk, "I promise that I will not speak of this conversation to Blaise until you and he are in a relationship."
Hermione nodded.
Draco smiled and headed over to his own room where he pulled open the door revealing one Italian Slytherin.
"Is that better, Blaise?"
Blaise blinked at him, "Is what better? Did she say she'll go out with me?"
Draco frowned, "Didn't you hear?"
Hermione spoke up, "There's an impenetrable silencing charm around both of our chambers. I put it there so we can have some privacy. This way no one can hear something they're not supposed to."
"You mean it's specifically targeted to who we want to hear things?"
Draco seemed shocked, by that announcement.
"More like it can keep people from hearing things. Since I didn't want anyone to hear about it, all doors were warded."
"That's amazing."
Blaise frowned, "Can you please tell me what she said?"
"When did you cast it?" Draco's eyes were lit up with some mix of awe, annoyance, and disbelief.
Hermione smirked, "About two seconds after you mentioned a distraught Slytherin coming to you in the middle of the night."
The blonde scowled, "You really need to stop hanging out with Slytherins."
(0,0)
"Draco? Will she say yes?"
"Look, I can't tell you. I promised her and she may have tricked me, but the promise is still there."
"…But will she?"
The blonde dropped his head onto the table, "I guess you'll just have to ask and find out."
(0,0)
"Say, Hermione?"
"Yes, Blaise?"
"Do you think you might want to-Pansy wanted me to see if you would eat dinner with us tonight? Something about this weekend?"
"Oh. Yeah I'll be there, thanks Blaise!"
(0,0)
Everyone in the castle knew that Blaise was attempting to get up the guts to ask the brunette out again. That was probably the most amusing part of the day for everyone. Every day the dark-skinned Slytherin would walk up to Hermione and find something else to talk to her about.
Besides that, all of them were aware Draco and George were officially not breaking-up or still unofficially together. Whatever they were calling it, they were still a couple in everyone's minds. Despite Draco's protesting that they had not decided to be boyfriends yet. Yeah, no one really cared.
They also all knew that Draco had a wonderful belated Valentine's celebration with George at A Wonderful Solstice. The last week and a half had been a mix of mooning over their weekend and bragging about the fact they were spending the Easter holidays together.
While the head girls and one of the head boys had been gone along with many of the eighth years, Harry had stayed back and needless to say that poor Harper had spent a lot of time escorting a moping Harry around the castle. The teen was still wary of walking around by himself and he had not quite expected that having all of his friends gone at once would be this boring. Tom had tried to help but some things you just had to do with your friends.
So while the others had been having a great time, the Gryffindor had been miserable. Needless to say he was sick of hearing about it. Harry found himself suddenly unbelievably popular when he finally snapped and told the blonde to sit down and shut up about it.
"You know you're just jealous that we're going out."
Harry had only rolled his eyes, "Oh yes, that's why I broke up with him last year and am currently pregnant with another man's child. I am obviously still infatuated with the red headed twin. How did you know?"
His voice had been flat enough that many of the listeners weren't sure whether or not to take the statement as sarcastic. Snape had fought against the proud smile at Harry's tone and the reactions of others. A fight he had ultimately lost.
The resulting huff from the young blonde Slytherin had been the start of a silence on the subject of George between the two ex-rivals. Which meant a majority of the school population avoided being near the Ice Prince of Slytherin unless Harry Potter was in sight. A very ironic twist if you thought about it.
(0,0)
"Hermione?" The bushy head of hair turned to Blaise Zabini.
"Yes?"
"I was- Did you understand the Charms homework?"
Hermione nodded, "Why? Do you not understand something?"
Blaise shrugged, "Can you help me with it?"
Hermione smiled at him, "Stop by the library tonight? Before dinner?"
Blaise nodded and walked off. Hermione rolled her eyes, eventually he would be able to ask the question he really wanted to. But it didn't look like that day was today.
(0,0)
It was the last school day before Harry was going to be going on bed rest. No homework, no stress, only small movements around his room at least until he gave birth. And then it would probably be two weeks after that until he was going to be well enough to return. Mostly because they were all thinking a caesarean would be the best way to get the child out.
It was the safest way to handle it because it would cause much less pain than any 'natural' birth would. Plus with magic he would heal faster and possibly not even have a scar as a result. Tom wasn't too key on it but had agreed when Harry had said that was how he wanted to do it. Any other course risked their child and that was the last thing that Harry or Tom wanted.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that Harry would be leaving in the middle of the term.
Which of course meant every single one of the teachers were giving tests to see what all needed to be covered before they could move onto new material, and they had all chosen this week to make sure Harry was as caught up as possible. And as of right now, Harry was running late and he had barely sat down at the Transfiguration desk as the bell rang.
McGonagall's voice cut through the sound of rustling paper as everyone dug for parchment and a quill in their bags. She gave Harry a sharp glance but let the rushed entrance slide in favor of repeating the topic for today's essay. Thankfully she had given them a few days to prepare several different essays and today they only had to write about the one on the board.
Harry dug through his bag. Parchment, check. Ink, check. Quill, che- wait a minute… More rustling, followed by a glare from several classmates and the professor… Damn.
"Hermione?" A head nod as the bushy hair bent over her paper, "Can I borrow a quill?"
The girl's left hand reached into her bag before absently tossing the requested item in his direction. The scratching of her quill never ceased or broke stride as she scribbled line after line onto the parchment.
Harry's muttered thanks went unnoticed as he pressed his own quill to the paper. After about five minutes his brain paused and the feather brushed his lips as he tried to re-focus his train of thought. A few more lines and his brain grew foggy. Harry shook it off and added another fact to his paper before frowning at it. That didn't make any sense. What was he talking about the function of briar roots? He shook his head and frowned when the room continued shaking. Dropping the quill into his bag, he rose to his feet to ask McGonagall if he could go to the hallway for a moment. Maybe a new space would help him clear his head.
He'd barely made it to his feet when the world once again tilted. Feeling the familiar sensation he closed his eyes but with no luck. The room gasped at once as Harry fell forward onto a cushioning charm before meeting with blackness.
(0,0)
"He's pregnant, Professor Riddle. You cannot honestly say that this is unexpected. He was in here several times earlier this year for a similar situation."
"But that was months ago, and because the baby's magic was searching for mine. Why did he faint now?"
"He's under a lot of stress. He's tired. It doesn't look like he's been eating properly. And in case you've forgotten, he's pregnant."
Harry blinked through the fog and focused on the voices, trying to ignore the fact that he was in the hospital wing yet again.
"I know. But why now?!"
"If you want to know what has put him in this situation I suggest that you sit quietly until he wakes, then after my examination, you may ask him yourself."
Harry fought for his voice, "I'm awake…"
It was a little rough, the words barely understandable to Harry's own ears, but apparently it got the meaning across well enough. The curtain that had been around his bed was instantly pulled open and Harry found himself with a Tom leaning into his personal space.
"Are you okay? What happened? Why did you pass out? Was something wrong? Do you think the baby's okay? Are you sure nothing was injured? Could the child be injured? You need to stop doing things like this. You are going to give me a heart attack and contrary to common belief I am still too young to die- especially like that. Damn, how could you do that? Do you want some water? Should he drink water? Are you okay?"
The questions were directed to Harry, Poppy, and somewhere in between. Neither of them were able to get a word in edgewise. Harry mustered up all of his strength to bring one arm up off the mattress and to Tom's obligingly close head. The sudden weight had Tom's face coming even closer to his and the teen used the opportunity to effectively cut off the man's words.
"Well at least I know that rumor is true. I'm assuming Jaywing knows that you are the father because she is your healer for the pregnancy but I must admit I would much rather find out these facts from my patients rather than gossiping ghosts in the future."
Neither of the dark haired males had anything to say to Poppy's announcement.
"Harry is fine. The baby is fine. As the carrier Harry will probably be a little tired and disoriented, however he should be fine for a meal in the Great Hall before the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow."
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey. Are you sure that this was because of the pregnancy?" Harry smiled up at the woman.
The woman huffed in annoyance, "Yes I am sure. There is little else that could cause such a reaction, and in a state like yours, with the pressure you are under… I was not surprised to hear that you were being brought in to the hospital wing."
Harry chewed his lip, "I'm sorry to ask this but… you're sure the baby's okay?"
The matron's eyes softened and she smiled lightly at him, "The baby is fine. I know you don't want to know the sex quite yet, but let me assure you that your child is growing healthy inside of you. It seems to be right on track and will be here in about the three weeks that we were expecting."
"You mean they'll be here on their due date? Like actually?"
Poppy smiled, "I make go guarantees but it seems very likely at this point."
The two bonded mates smiled at each other to know that their baby would be here very soon. And Harry was delighted to know that soon this whole pregnancy thing would be over. Lately there had been good days and bad but usually it was the latter. And today had actually been one of the good days. Well yesterday had been, until he'd apparently passed out for most of it. Oh no.
"You said Hogsmeade is tomorrow?! I missed two tests. What did my professors say? They're going to be so mad, they told me that my pregnancy was no excuse since I chose to participate in classes. Or at least as long as I could be. What am I going to do? I can't afford those awful grades right now. And-"
This time it was Tom who shut Harry up. The kiss was brief but Harry blushed anyway at the contact.
"You'll be fine. Minerva loves you and came in here to assure me that you would do extra credit to bring your grade up and Slughorn still thinks you are walking on the moon even though your grades aren't as good as they used to be. You'll be fine."
Harry nodded slowly and blushed as he saw Poppy's raised eyebrows.
"Dinner will be starting in a few minutes. You have time to get cleaned up before you head down, if you like. I will see you in the Great Hall and eating decent food in twenty minutes or I will be up here to drag you down myself. Understood?"
Harry nodded. The matron gave Tom a stern look, "You as well."
Tom nodded. The matron gave a single firm nod in response before turning to walk down the row of beds and out into the hallway.
Tom waited until she had disappeared before crawling into the bed next to the teen. He wrapped his arms around the small body and held him close to his own. The Gryffindor relaxed into the taller man and let the heat invade his still fuzzy mind.
The silence had settled fully around them. The soothing sound of Tom's breathing brushing against his ears. The teen pressed closer to him before Harry collapsed slightly and went to move away from his mate. The grip tightened around him and he looked up into brown eyes that looked stressed and just as worried as he had sounded earlier.
"Where are you going?"
"You heard Madame Pomfrey, and I want to take a shower before she comes to drag me down."
"You still have a few minutes. She gave you twenty after all."
Harry snorted, "Which means I have ten before she comes back to harass me."
Tom knew he was right and Harry felt the arms tighten momentarily before he was released and pushed off of the bed. Harry fumbled slightly and turned to glare at the man. Tom smirked.
"You may have to get up, but that doesn't mean that I do."
Harry rolled his eyes but had to reach out and grab the nightstand when the room started to spin. By time the room had stilled he realized his mate had pulled him down to sit next on the bed.
"Are you okay?"
Harry started to nod then shook his head before pausing and just shrugging instead.
"I don't know. Just still feeling a little out of it."
"Do you want me to cast a cleaning charm for you?"
"No. I really need a shower. Cleaning charms just don't do the same thing."
Tom nodded and stood up to help Harry rise himself, "Alright then."
Harry made it all of two steps before Tom was steadying him again as the room struggled to right itself. He gave a sigh and leaned into the taller man.
"Maybe a cleaning charm will work for the moment."
Tom tried to smile at the teen's humor but the worry in his eyes made it fall a little flat.
(0,0)
"Hermione?"
Blaise walked into the library with quick steps. He was shushed by the Madame Pince before he spotted the head of hair at her usual table.
"Hey. I heard about Harry, is he okay?"
The girl nodded. Blaise went to sit next to her and noticed red-rimmed eyes.
"She's sure he's okay?"
Another nod. The dark teen reached a hand out to squeeze the thin shoulder reassuringly. At the light contact the girl sat up straight. Half a second later Blaise found himself with and armful of Gryffindor. It was with a small smile that he buried his face in her hair and held her tight.
"He'll be okay."
(0,0)
Harry was escorted to the meal by Severus, Tom, Poppy, Draco, Hermione, and Blaise.
He was guided over to the Slytherin table and sat between Draco and Hermione with Blaise on her other side and Pansy sitting across from him. Even Daphne, Astoria, and Tracey were sitting by him. Five seconds later Neville and Luna were shoving Slytherins aside to sit on the open side of Pansy.
Every five seconds someone asked Harry if he was okay. Was he feeling alright? Did anyone know why he fainted? Was his special person avoiding him? . No. No. He was fine. No he wasn't hungry. Yes he would be at Hogsmeade tomorrow. Once again, it didn't take long for Harry to break under the pressure.
"So Hermione did you give Blaise an answer yet?"
She was stopped by his question in the middle of dumping more peas onto his plate, "An answer to what?"
Her tone was warning but Harry ignored it, "You mean he still hasn't asked you? Wait until I tell Cormac. He's been dying to ask you himself ever since-"
"Hermione?" All eyes turned to Blaise, "Would you go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"
Everyone stared in shock as the Italian finally managed to ask the question he had been attempting to ask for weeks. Even Hermione was caught off guard. Somehow she only took a moment to blush and nod. A soft 'yes' falling from her lips. The table cheered for the two and Harry took the few moments to clear his plate.
Not a minute later, more peas had magically appeared. Harry scowled as he pushed them around the edge of his plate.
"Harry? Are you alright?"
With a groan Harry dropped his head onto the table. Next time he would think of a better distraction.
(0,0)
It was Hogsmeade weekend. The last one Harry was going to be able to go on until the baby was born. And he was going. No matter how many times Tom tried to convince him otherwise. It would be just fine, not to mention all of his friends and half of the staff were going as well. Plus, who would even think about trying to attack him in the middle of the day while surrounded by witnesses?
Tom was protesting all of his rational arguments with comments on Harry's lack of sleep due to the baby. And fatigue, because of the baby. And his appetite, because of the baby.
"Look, I am going to be trapped in our rooms for the next three weeks because of this baby. I will wear the portkey you gave me back to the manor, and I remember the spell to get to our sanctuary. I promise I'll be okay."
Tom started to protest but took a deep breath, "You really want to go?"
Green eyes blinked in shock, having expected another rant or reason for him not to go, "Yes. It's going to be my last chance to be a semi-normal teenager before this baby. Is that alright?"
"I guess I can understand that. Just please be careful. If you start to feel tired, just head on back. Or send me a note and I'll come get you."
"Right cause that won't draw attention at all," Harry rolled his eyes but quickly conceded, "I promise. I'll send you a note if I am on my way back so that you can meet me at the gates, okay?"
Tom nodded. Harry noted that his mate still looked anxious about something, "Just promise me you'll be safe. Come back safe."
Harry paused in the door way and turned back to see his mate looking unbelievably pale. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck. Pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
"I love you, Tom."
And Harry disappeared out the door and down the hallway, not ready to hear Tom's response. Be it good or bad. Sure the man had proposed to him and accepted Harry's proposal, but the man had never said that he loved the teen. Even when Harry had. So now was a good time to thank him and run.
His friends raised eyebrows at Harry's blush when the teen met them in the entrance hall but thankfully they said nothing and let Harry calm down a little. Before long, Filch was at the door and checking off students as they moved out of the castle gates. Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to stay for long and knew that walking was going to be a pain, literally, but he was glad to be able to get out of the castle.
They all stumbled into carriages that would take them to the small village. The conversation buzzed lightly around them. A group of six teens all breaking off into their own conversations and Harry let the words float around his ears for a while enjoying the feeling of just being with friends.
"Harry?" The teen blinked and looked over at Hermione.
"Yeah?"
"You still want to send that package to Teddy and Andromeda?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah. I want to make sure they know I haven't forgotten about them in all of this craziness."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You've been writing them at least once a week, I'm sure they know."
"I still haven't gotten the chance to visit. I just want Andromeda to know that I will be a good godfather for Teddy. Once I'm out of school I was thinking about talking to Tom about taking care of him on the weekends and such."
"I'm sure Andromeda would appreciate that, but don't forget you're going to have your own child soon."
Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "And how exactly do you expect me to forget that?"
He glanced pointedly down at his own stomach and the entire carriage broke into laughter and even Hermione let out a few chuckles.
"Well when you put it that way…"
A few more laughs and the conversation began again only to halt with the jerking stop of the carriage in front of Hogsmeade station. They all piled out. And Harry accepted Draco's help down with only the smallest of blushes.
"M'lady."
Harry punched him in the arm, "Knock it off."
(0,0)
Harry was placing the package on the counter of the mail center. The assistant pointed to a bird that would get there easily without putting too much stress on itself and Harry nodded to the price handing over the four sickles and 17 knuts without hesitation. And accepting the piece of paper the clerk handed him in exchange.
"Can you write down the name of the recipient on this slip of paper? Then we'll send it out first thing."
The clerk went to grab the owl and Harry started to dig around in his pockets to find a quill. Then he found one in front of his face. He traced it back to one smirking Hermione.
"Here. And since I have to go buy new ones anyway you can keep it like you did the last one."
Harry ducked his chin remembering that the quill was still sitting on top of some school books in his rooms. The Gryffindor girl merely shook her head and handed him the quill.
"To Teddy Lupin and Andromeda Tonks."
Harry read it out loud to Hermione, "Is 'Andromeda' spelled with an 'o' or an 'a' I can never remember…"
Harry touched the tip of the feather to his lips waited while Hermione ranted. It was a good thing he loved her, although it would be nice to get a straight answer every once and a while…
Deciding that he had spelled it correctly he let out a sigh over Hermione's rant and set the paper on the table. He watched as his breath ruffled the tip of the feathers and suddenly felt the dizziness hit him in a wave. He hadn't felt like this since the last time. Realizing something was wrong with the quill Harry opened his hand.
Only to find his muscles refusing to respond. A tugging formed behind his navel and he only had the smallest of moments to cast a disbelieving and hurt look at the bushy-haired girl before he was ripped away from the ground and hurtling through space still trapped to the portkey.
And yes. Harry just got kidnapped again. I'm starting to think that Tom is right to be freakishly over protective of the teen. Seriously, who gets kidnapped while writing a tag for a package? This author is ridiculous… Oh, wait… I am deliriously tired right now. I hope you'll forgive me for any mistakes I made in this chapter. Or just copy the sentence into a review and I'll fix it later!
Anyway, we are approaching the end of our story and we still have several plot lines to wrap up (Dumbles, Ron, Draco/George, and Harry's pregnancy. Let me know if I forgot any!). I'm going back to school on Tuesday and I have work, not to mention a team sport so I apologize in advance because it may be a few weeks until the next chapter.
I love you all and go to my page to answer a quick poll about the next story I'll be posting!