Due to ffnet rules all author's notes will be deleted from the chapters to maintain the word count at a realistic level. I personally think all this is a bummer, so many of you write me such lovely long reviews :( wink check reviews from 'anon' for this story. I do wish to continue to respond to reviewers and this might be the way to go.
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Beta by Kristine Thorne
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Chapter Eighteen - Delusional
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Choose a baby name for Harry and Sev! Vote in the poll on my website to narrow it down from a list of ten names. Top two will be the ones used. Please see my profile for the URL :)
There is now also a poll to choose the name of Hermione's baby at the same location.
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Harry woke the next morning to find the bed empty beside him. After noticing that he was alone he suddenly remembered why he felt so tired still. It had taken ages to get to sleep for all the excitement, he was pregnant, and both he and Severus were going to have babies within two weeks of each other, if all went well.
Suddenly Harry heard retching coming from the bathroom and realised why he was lying in bed on his own. At least, Harry thought, Severus wasn't trying to hide it from him any more. He would know when it was happening and he could help a little, Severus could teach him he was sure.
Harry pulled himself up, pushed the covers away and sat on the side of the bed wondering if he should join Severus in the bathroom. Harry decided to wait a while and wondered instead why it was that he himself didn't feel that different. It was true that he had been feeling a bit more emotional than usual but he didn't think he had been that bad considering what he had had to deal with in the last year, he wondered if it meant something. Maybe it meant that he wasn't meant to continue being pregnant and at some point soon his wishes would all fall apart. Harry decided that he would indeed join Severus in the bathroom before he started wondering about anything else.
Harry had his wand with him when he entered the bathroom, just in case anything needed cleaning up. He found it wasn't necessary; Severus was sitting with his back against the bath, slumped on the floor.
"All right now?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Severus replied hardly looking like it was the truth, "A few more minutes and I'll have a shower."
Severus looked like he had done a few days previously in the potions classroom office, pale, moist and as if his stomach would erupt if he moved. Harry leant over and started to fill their magic bath with hot steamy water thinking that that would be more soothing than standing up in the shower. Harry held up a bottle of bubble bath to Severus so that he could assess its nausea inducing properties before Harry used it in the bath. Severus shook his head at the first offering but agreed to the second choice. Harry poured a bit in and it immediately started to foam up as the water poured onto it from the tap.
"Can I take the nausea away with a healing touch?" Harry asked as he sat next to Severus on the floor as they waited for the bath to fill.
Severus shook his head, "Not if you're pregnant too, you would be able to take it away but being in a similar condition you would only give the sickness to yourself. It needs a healer who is not pregnant for the nausea to be dispelled. Minerva might oblige if it wasn't for her mission, I can't disturb her for this."
"It goes without saying that you wouldn't think of trusting anybody else," Harry added.
Harry finished off preparing the bath and they both climbed in. Severus sank into the water, the relief immediately apparent in his expression.
"Just lie still," Harry instructed, "I'll wash you, just relax."
Severus gratefully did as he was told and lay on his side with one arm draped over the edge of the bath so that he didn't slide under the water. The water wasn't hot but comfortably and soothingly warm, he felt Harry's hands gently massaging all over his body, cleaning him like no cleaning charm could.
Severus soon felt the nausea ease and the tiredness take over, he could have stayed there for hours and thanks to the magically reheating water the temperature of the bath wouldn't spoil his comfort by getting cold. As Severus lay with his eyes closed his arm slipped from the edge of the bath and he slipped down into the water only to be pulled immediately out again by Harry who had his arms round his Kin.
"I think we had better get out," Harry suggested although he too was enjoying the soothing bath he didn't particularly want Severus to be anywhere near drowning.
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By the time they had got dressed Severus was feeling rejuvenated enough to risk a walk to the hall and even thought he might be able to take a little breakfast. The fact that he was vomiting every now and again wasn't a reason to give up eating; he needed the food and had to keep trying.
As they walked to the hall Severus was lacking his usual swoosh of robes as he walked along rather than striding, they were taking it much more slowly.
"One advantage of always being late," Severus said taking Harry's hand, "Nobody around."
"We will have to do something about this situation before we get noticeably bigger," Harry pointed out.
"This morning when we get to the hall, don't let go." Severus suggested as a beginning.
Harry squeezed Severus' hand to show that he agreed.
Severus and Harry walked down the centre of the hall as planned and took up their usual seats. Harry gave cheerful greetings as they walked and either nobody noticed the hands or they didn't care. Ron and Hermione noticed of course but they were looking out for things to notice.
Harry passed by Hermione and Ron as he made his way along the table.
"Severus will see you this afternoon for the session you missed yesterday," Harry announced, Hermione merely nodding in response.
"What do you suppose that is meant to mean?" Ron began in a whisper to Hermione who seemed a bit more inclined to speak to him since dawn.
"It means that we are resuming our tutoring sessions," Hermione replied.
Ron assumed she was purposely trying to be annoying, "No, the hands thing."
"I think it is best that I refrain from supposing anything about anything," Hermione replied, "I suggest you do the same."
It was time for breakfast and as everybody sat patiently waiting, Harry summoned the tables to be filled and there was a sudden silence across the hall as the food appeared. The quiet only lasted a few seconds before the chatter began again and everybody got on with eating.
Severus found a bowl of fruit in front of him and a portion of what looked like hot rice pudding, not too thick and without nutmeg. He looked to what Harry had and found him buttering and spreading jam on a warm croissant. Up and down the teacher's table Severus found that everybody had been presented with cereal, bread and fruit, there wasn't a rasher of bacon to be found in the entire hall. There was a smell of warm bread in the air but Severus found that the yeasty smell didn't bother him at all.
"I want a big sausage," Ron wailed quietly as he stared at a white bread roll.
Hermione took a bread roll as if it was the nicest thing she had seen in weeks and cut it in half, then crushed a banana onto it.
"Urgh, that's disgusting." Ron commented.
"I'll tell you what is disgusting Ronald Weasley," Hermione began, "Having to watch you stuff yourself full of three kinds of dead animal every morning, I for one am glad of the change."
"Nothing to do with Harry threatening to kill you yesterday then?" Ron commented.
Hermione didn't reply to that and Ron looked down the table.
"Hey," Ron said a little too loudly for Hermione's liking, "What is that?"
Hermione reluctantly and discreetly looked, hoping that if she humoured Ron for a while he might shut up, "Looks like rice pudding," She answered.
"How come he gets rice pudding? I don't see anybody else getting rice pudding."
"Will you just leave it?" Hermione hissed getting more and more annoyed.
Ron was enjoying watching Hermione getting wound up, he kept looking down the table to see if there was anything else he could comment upon. Severus took a bread roll, cut it in half and then crushed a banana onto the surface of the lower piece; he took one bite and then returned to the rice pudding.
Ron sat back in his chair and decided that he wasn't going to mention anything else after all, since more than just Hermione doing that particular something would validate to her that it wasn't disgusting after all.
"Can you pass me the jam?" Ron asked Hermione instead.
Harry and Severus had got most of the way through their breakfast when the morning owl post arrived. A rather good looking female owl made a neat landing on the table in front of Severus. She was holding a flat packet. Severus took his post from the owl and left it lying on the table as she flew gracefully away.
"Not going to open it?" Harry asked.
Severus had gone back to his cup of tea, "I'll look at it later," He said without explanation.
"What is it?" Harry asked, "Can I open it?"
"No, leave it for later."
"What is it?" Harry persisted, he couldn't help it he just felt livelier since he had got his most recent news.
Severus sighed indulgently, "It's a catalogue for things we might need later in the year," He explained.
"Oh," Harry said grinning, "Little things?"
"Yes, little things," Severus replied.
Harry happily left the packet on the table and went back to his tea too.
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Harry felt for the map in his pocket as he watched Severus leave the hall. He was going back to their quarters to do some more organising for the Headmaster's Tower rebuild, the builder wizards were due to arrive any day and the plans had to be checked and finalised so that they could arrange the correct spells. As Harry had pointed out, this could be done just as easily with his feet up on the sofa in front of the fire.
In the interests of mending his friendships, Harry had bravely decided to stay behind and be available for Hermione and Ron, allowing them the opportunity to make some effort. Harry had promised Severus that he would be careful and stay in busy places and he was trying hard to remain vigilant.
He was so happy though; his mind kept drifting off to things that were going to happen in the near future.
"You seem quite happy today," Hermione commented. She was suddenly sitting next to Harry and he got a fright. Hermione backed away quickly when she saw that she had surprised Harry.
"I am happy, it's a nice day," Harry replied quickly.
Hermione quickly glanced up at the grey clouds on the magic hall roof but did not allow this to affect what she had been about to say.
"Nice breakfast," Hermione commented.
Ron had moved closer too, "Where was the Full English?"
"It's nice to have a change," Harry improvised, "Nice fresh bread."
"What are you doing today?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged, "Being available, what are you two doing?"
Ron shrugged too, "Don't know, fancy a game of chess?"
"Could do, do you have a set down here?" Harry asked.
"The chess is up in the tower, as you know," Hermione responded, "And I am not going to carry it down by myself."
"Well I can't get it," Ron added.
"Get one of the house elves to get it," Harry suggested.
"It's bad enough that we rely on them as much as we do, Harry, you can come with me and help." Hermione added.
Harry immediately began to wonder how he was going to tell Hermione that he wasn't going to go into Gryffindor.
Hermione had already noticed the reluctant look on Harry's face, she sighed, "You can wait in the corridor and I will pass it out to you."
Harry smiled in relief and agreed to the plan.
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Harry accompanied Hermione up to the Gryffindor corridor without event and she passed the chess board out to Harry before returning for the box of pieces.
As they descended the stairs again however, Hermione took Harry's arm.
"Feeling a bit unsteady," Hermione said quickly, realising that she should have said something to Harry first; he was very jumpy, "Getting too big."
"How did you manage with Ron?" Harry asked as he continued to allow Hermione to hold onto him.
"Made him crawl down backwards on his hands and knees," Hermione admitted sheepishly, "He wasn't very happy."
"I'm not surprised, we will have to do something about that."
"Like what? I've tried everything," Hermione answered defensively.
"Not a cure, maybe that isn't possible, just something that would mean he could manage a little better."
"I'll leave it with you Headmaster," Hermione said.
"I'll ask Severus," Harry offered.
Hermione was quiet after that and Harry was happy to keep descending the stairs in comfortable silence.
"Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked as they neared the bottom. She obviously wanted to talk a bit more before they rejoined Ron.
"Yes," Harry tried to say in an open and friendly way whilst still anticipating the worst.
"I was just wondering about the breakfast and Ron says that you prefer hot milk and will only have one cup of coffee or tea a day," Hermione began.
Harry was puzzled, "What about it?"
"Don't go all swordy on me, but we just think that you might be keeping something from us and sometimes you behave a little strangely, we are just concerned for you."
"You think I might be hiding something and you want to know why I drink milk?"
Hermione was beginning to feel a bit silly, "Yes, that's all."
"Well I suppose I am hiding something, I am pregnant, I was just looking after myself," Harry answered, and then realised what he had done. It wasn't just a matter of revealing one detail, it led to the whole story of everything else and she wouldn't believe him anyway until she knew the whole story, actually she probably wouldn't believe that either. Harry had wanted to start revealing things but he hadn't wanted to let it slip out in such a disorganised fashion.
Hermione looked stunned and then her face melted into a smile, "Oh Harry!" She said, "That's wonderful!"
"Really? You think so?" Harry answered almost in shock himself, he supposed that Hermione must have known that he could get pregnant after all; perhaps her research had been thorough enough.
"Yes, of course," Hermione continued, "You're expecting just like me, when is he or she due?"
"January I think, oh you mustn't tell anybody yet, I didn't mean to tell you, I am just so excited and it slipped out. That was why I was so happy, we have just found out," Harry added. "You won't tell Ron will you? I will tell him soon when I figure out a way."
"No, it's all right, I won't tell Ron, it'll be our little secret," Hermione said in a female-to-female conspiratory fashion.
"Shall we play chess then?" Harry said, gesturing in the direction of the door to the hall.
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An hour into the chess game Ron was looking fairly pleased, it had been so long since Harry had played that he was doing very badly indeed and Ron was managing to win. Hermione had settled to reading a book but she stayed close by. They continued to play and another hour passed.
Harry was beginning to get a little fidgety about Severus; he couldn't look at his map with Hermione and Ron watching.
"I am just going to pop down to the dungeon to see Severus for a few minutes, we can have a coffee break when I get back," Harry announced as Ron was setting up the chess pieces ready for another game after claiming his victory.
"We'll get the drinks for when you get back," Hermione offered, "Are you having hot milk?"
Harry smiled, "Yes, that would be nice."
When Harry had left the hall Ron turned to Hermione, "What is going on?"
"Nothing," Hermione replied.
"Yes there is, I can tell, what happened when you went upstairs?"
Hermione sighed, "Harry told me that he is pregnant, I didn't want to make a big thing of it considering the most recent events but you asked, so there you are."
"Bloody hell!"
"Exactly, and he told me not to tell anybody else so don't you say a word."
"I wouldn't know where to start," Ron had to admit.
"I don't know what to do, I can't really say much to either of them about anything because they'll start waving swords around, but this is ridiculous."
"What did you say to him when he told you?" Ron asked.
Hermione shrugged, "What could I say? I just reacted like it was the most normal thing in the world."
"So how did this happen?"
"I was curious, you made me curious about the milk thing and I thought it was a fairly neutral place to start, I asked him why he preferred hot milk."
"And he told you that he is pregnant?"
"Exactly,"
"As in growing a child with a view to giving birth?"
"Ron! This is not the time, yes, with a view to giving birth. I got him to compare his situation with my own and he confirmed that he knew what he meant by saying he was pregnant, I asked him when it was due."
"That was some secret he was keeping, wow!"
"You are not even thinking of believing him? This is beyond mad, we have to do something."
Ron saw red, "Oh no you don't, only yesterday you were getting a taste of why you should leave them alone."
"But Ron, he really thinks that he's pregnant!"
"All right, wild thought here," Ron began, an idea forming in his head, "Why don't we just assume that somehow Harry is telling the truth and he hasn't gone mad, we know virtually nothing about this Kin Bond thing."
"But he's a man!" Hermione protested.
"I know that," Ron said trying to maintain his patience, "But he's not a snake and he can talk their language. None of us can but Harry can, because he has a special ability."
"So what are we going to do?" Hermione demanded.
"We're going to talk to him nicely, find out what this thing is all about. Just curious friends wanting to find out and understand."
"But…" Hermione tried to protest.
Ron wasn't having any of it, "Worst comes to the worst, we'll have to leave him be and he'll either grow bigger or he won't, thus answering our questions in time anyway."
Hermione glowered.
"Maybe," Ron continued trying to persuade Hermione into calming down before Harry got back, "If you can get him to trust you enough he might let you sense the child, then you'll know."
Hermione didn't reply and Ron took her silence to be compliance.
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Harry returned to his quarters and gave the password to the door. When it opened and he stepped through into the living room he found Severus curled up on the sofa asleep. Harry picked the plans up off the floor and found that Severus had successfully managed to amend them before giving himself some rest. In addition to the rooms that existed in Albus Dumbledore's time there were two additional rooms added with instructions for them to be decorated as children's bedrooms. Harry smiled and decided that he would let Severus continue to rest. He certainly needed the sleep and Harry thought that he looked so adorably peaceful when he was asleep, like all the years melted away from his face and he was untroubled by the world.
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When Harry returned to Ron and Hermione the chess set had been cleared away and their drinks were laid out on the table instead. Harry noticed that Ron studied him as he sat down with them again and he supposed that Hermione must have told him their little secret after all, either that or he was getting really paranoid. Harry was quite pleased, he hadn't really expected Hermione to be able to keep quiet and he couldn't think of how he would have approached the subject with Ron. Really he was relieved that it had slipped out by accident.
Harry briefly wondered how much amusement he could get out of knowing that Ron knew and watching him try to keep his feelings and thoughts under wraps to keep the secret.
"How is Snape doing with his business?" Hermione asked pleasantly enough, "Are we still keeping our arrangement for this afternoon?"
Harry considered how much sleep Severus would need before he could wake him up, "Yes, should be all right," Harry confirmed.
Hermione stood up, "Well if you two are going to play some more chess I might take some time to read up on some of the potions covered by the new potions curriculum Headmaster Snape and I are working on," She announced before taking her leave.
That left Harry with Ron. There were plenty of people coming and going in the hall but they were effectively alone together.
"I think perhaps that we haven't been particularly straight with you about what it has been like here," Ron began as he set up the next game of chess.
Harry was rather surprised and wondered what Ron had to tell him.
"You know that all my family are dead don't you Harry?" Ron continued after Harry had made his first move.
Harry felt immediately awkward about talking about this particular subject but he had to stick with it if Ron wanted to talk, "Yes," Harry replied remembering the night he had had the vision and he had been inside the Death Eater that had struck Ginny Weasley down in her bed, feeling everything that he had felt as he had done it, he shivered. He didn't know what he could say to Ron about it so he opted for listening.
"Perhaps what you didn't see was that Hermione's parents had gone to stay with mine for safety's sake, they were there that night whilst Hermione and I had already returned to Hogwarts a few weeks before to defend the castle along with many old students including Oliver Wood. Hermione had been teaching since September, with what we thought was Professor Snape, but the threat became too great and the school was closed, as it turned out we were only gone a week before we were called back. The idea had been that Hermione's parents should have been safe with a wizard family, though as it turned out they would have been better off anywhere else."
"So if the school was closed, why did you have all those children with you?" Harry asked.
"They didn't have anywhere else to go," Ron replied simply, knowing that Harry would know why.
To Harry, Ron looked like he had a deep sadness coming to the surface, he was in control but Harry could see it there in his eyes.
Ron sighed, the expression carrying so much weight, "It was my idea, we shouldn't have grouped together like that we should have spread out. My brothers came home; everybody was together, thinking they were safe, I asked Hermione's parents to stay with them because she didn't want to leave them on their own. You see, we have to stick together because we are all that is left but she doesn't like me anymore, I knew that before she… you know what."
"But it all happened in the one night didn't it, the attack on the castle and your parents?" Harry asked, it was how he remembered it anyway.
"No, there was a few weeks between the two events," Ron explained.
Harry felt quite annoyed, "Bloody visions, they were only ever what the Dark Lord wanted me to see, always too late to do anything about it."
"You don't get them anymore," Ron observed.
"No," Harry smiled weakly, "I don't, they died with him."
"You don't look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore," Ron observed.
Harry still smiled but in a gentle, thoughtful way, "It wasn't your fault, as you know Hermione is perfectly capable of disagreeing with you whenever she wants, she allowed her parents to go through with the plan."
Ron finished the last of his coffee, "Doesn't stop her blaming me anyway," He grumbled.
"Want more coffee?" Harry asked, he wanted to continue now that he had got Ron talking and he felt that Ron needed to talk.
Harry returned with Ron's coffee and a drink for himself.
"So," Ron began as they got themselves settled once again, "What is it like living with Snape?"
Harry frowned, still feeling rather suspicious.
Ron froze, "I didn't mean it like that," He quickly explained, "I just wondered what he is like when he's not being a school teacher, I just wondered about him. You seem happy enough and you always hated him before, so there must be something that changed or you didn't know about before."
Harry tried to relax; it was maybe just the sort of question any friend might ask about a new partner, he resolved to answer, "He's very kind, to me at least. It was like that from the moment we left King's Cross Station though I was so determined to hate him that I didn't see it for a while," Harry's voice had dropped to a whisper as if he was reluctantly telling the biggest secret in the world, "He liked me when I was little."
"What! When you were eleven? I don't think he did," Ron said not following Harry's lead with the volume of his voice.
"No," Harry explained, "When I was very little, then when I came to Hogwarts I suppose I must have reminded him too much of my father when he knew him, once we got away from Hogwarts everything changed. Once I found out a few things about him, it was easy to like him."
Ron still didn't look very convinced, "I always wondered how he ever became a teacher."
"He came to Hogwarts seeking revenge for the death of his brother and Albus imprisoned him and took the Kin Swords from him, he couldn't leave them and he wanted to die but Albus wouldn't let him do that either."
Ron looked a bit stunned, "Brother? Slow down Harry, what brother? Snape doesn't have a brother."
"Severus' first Kin, he was killed by Lucius Malfoy but Severus thought it had been the Order so he came to Albus, Albus took the swords from him and made him stay."
Ron smiled, "So that was why Albus knew that he was loyal, he would never have left the swords with Albus, I knew it had to be something weird considering how much Snape hates children."
Ron froze solid as soon as he realised what he had said, considering Harry's condition, or at least the one he thought himself to be in, it was an incredibly insensitive thing to say. A second later he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know that and shouldn't have stopped. He looked up at Harry nervously trying to judge his reaction.
Harry saw the look in Ron's eyes and knew for sure that he had been told, the fear in his eyes at having been caught out meant that Harry didn't feel like deriving any amusement from the situation after all, "She told you didn't she?" He asked.
"I wasn't going to say anything to anybody," Ron quickly defended.
Harry sighed, "I am so sorry for making you frightened of me, I only wanted to find a way to tell you myself, it really is all right."
Harry smiled to show Ron that he meant it and Ron began to relax.
"Look, you can say what you like, just promise me that you won't harm Sev."
"I won't," Ron agreed.
"And try to be nice to him," Harry added.
"I'll be as nice to him as he is prepared to be to me, I can't say more than that."
"Fair enough," Harry agreed.
"So," Ron began, thinking he might as well ask about it now that Harry knew that Hermione had told him, "What's all this pregnancy thing about then, how did that happen?"
Harry felt his face go red, "Usual way," He muttered.
"Harry, I am a bloke too and as far as I know I can't get pregnant, why don't you start from there," Ron said as kindly as possible and found that Harry wasn't about to reach for his sword, instead he looked rather puzzled.
"Hermione didn't tell you that part?" He asked amazed that the subject could be discussed without the hows and whys also coming into it.
"Hermione knows how it happened?" Ron asked, considering the way Hermione had told him, it seemed odd.
"Well I assumed she knew when she didn't go ballistic and start saying I was delusional or something."
"Ah, she doesn't know,"
Harry sighed knowing exactly why Hermione might now have failed to speak out, death threats had that effect, even on her, "It's part of the Kin Bond thing," He explained to Ron, "The very night the youngest of the Kin takes the Bond, the ability to bear children is given to him magically."
"Oh," Ron replied, "So then if you want a child you just wave a wand or a sword and there you go?"
Harry could feel himself getting a bit red again and he hoped that Ron would catch on fairly quickly, "No, no wands, just the usual way once the ability is there."
"What do you mean?" Ron asked still looking puzzled.
Harry sighed, "I am not going to draw you a picture," He mumbled.
Ron considered things for a minute and then Harry watched as his face turned pale and the recognition passed over his expression like a dark cloud.
"Oh yuk," was all Ron could manage to say.
"Where is Snape?" Hermione suddenly demanded making both Harry and Ron jump, they hadn't realised that she had joined them.
"Your session isn't until this afternoon," Harry defended turning his attention away from Ron's shocked expression for a minute.
"Well I need to speak to him now, I've tried knocking on the door down in the dungeon and there's no reply, I've looked everywhere else, where is he?"
Harry stood up, he was reluctant to leave Ron in his current state but he knew that Severus was still asleep and he didn't want Hermione disturbing him.
"What is the matter with you?" Hermione demanded turning her attention to Ron.
"Harry is pregnant," Ron answered.
"Really?" Hermione answered trying to sound surprised as if for Ron's benefit.
"You can stop the act, I know you told him," Harry added.
"I think he really is," Ron added.
"I know," Hermione said trying to pretend that she believed it too.
"The same way you are, by allowing him too…" Ron grimaced, "Yuk! Except that you did it with Oliver Wood, which when you think about it, isn't quite as…" Ron continued still looking stunned.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she flung herself at Harry and wrapped her arms round him, "Oh Harry," she cried into his shoulder, "I am so sorry that we couldn't do anything for you before it was too late."
Harry shook himself free, he could feel the anger rising in him but he was determined to deal with things better this time.
"Have you failed to notice that I am happy about this?" He demanded, "I know what you're suggesting but you are so wrong."
"Harry dear there is no shame in admitting that something is wrong," Hermione persisted in a caring voice though still managing to be unnerving.
"There is nothing wrong," Harry replied starting to look a bit dangerous, "I want this baby and I am happy about it, I planned for it, unlike you. My pregnancy is not the result of one fumble in the astronomy tower."
"No, it's the result of the man you most hated taking advantage of you!" Hermione stormed.
"You stupid woman, why can't you just shut the fuck up?" Ron demanded, finally coming out of his daze and realising that Harry was indeed happy about his situation and that they were heading for another disaster. Although he thought that the idea of doing that sort of thing with Snape was quite disgusting it was obvious that Harry did not. No, he had been all blushing and shy about it, which was disturbing in its own way but at least Harry wasn't being abused like they had suspected had been the case at the Dursley's.
Hermione responded by looking like she was going to cry and Ron made the decision, should they ever get out of the their current conversation alive, he was going to talk to Minerva about her, she wasn't just a bit moody, he was beginning to think that she needed some help.
Harry had decided that he had to put a stop to Hermione in his own way; he was going to spill every detail about Severus and the Kin Bond. Trying to tell the story piece by piece just seemed to be creating more trouble.
"Is this how it's going to be?" Harry began, "You're going to keep harassing me, being awful to Severus and saying that you're 'only worried about me' as an excuse for it? I'll tell you what is going on with Severus and I if you really want to know, then I don't want to hear any more about it. I am pregnant; the ability was magically created when I became Severus' Kin, in order to get pregnant we had sex like any normal couple would and I conceived. He didn't force me or drug me, I wanted to be pregnant so desperately that I would have shagged him every second of the day if I could have done. And the day the potions classroom got messed up, that was Severus sprawling me on the desk because he had dreamed of doing it for years. All that time he stood behind me in class that was what he was thinking about, despite the fact that he wanted to hate me because of my father.
So you see, I am not being abused and I haven't gone mad or been cursed in any way. I am in a solid and permanent relationship with the man I love and I am determined to have a family with him no matter who tries to stand in my way. My commitment to Severus is way beyond what a marriage could be and he is as devoted to me as I am to him. We have sex every single day, sometimes twice, although, rather conventionally, we do use the bed a lot. Is there anything else you would like to know?"
Hermione was at last stunned to silence, Harry turned to leave the hall.
"Harry!" Ron called after his friend but it was too late, Harry was already making a speedy exit and he couldn't go after him.
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Chapter Nineteen - Secrets - Severus, Hermione and Ron are keeping a secret. Will they all manage to keep them concealed or will Ron start to figure it out.