Once everyone was seated in the office, Harry and Brooke side by
side, Professor McGonagall stood beside Dumbledore's chair, awaiting his
entrance. They did not have to wait long as the looming figure entered the
room moments later and took his place in his chair. Sighing, he looked
around at the people crowded in his office.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you what an unusual situation this is," he began, running his long fingers through his white beard. "It is certainly unique. However, we will deal with it in the most appropriate way." He turned to Draco, who was paler than Brooke had ever seen him. He looked as if he had just been told that he had to kiss a snake.
"Draco Malfoy. It is no surprise to me that you are involved in this mess because we have had problems in the past." Holding up his hand to silence Lucius' protest, Dumbledore continued. "I have overlooked those certain incidents," his eyes flashing at Harry, "but this time I fear you have gone too far. You have inflicted a physical condition on another person, something that cannot be erased by spell, or medicinal means. I am afraid that I have no choice but to expel you."
"Hold on a minute!" said Lucius, standing. Everyone else, who looked satisfied at Dumbledore's decision, swung their heads upwards to Lucius. "My son did something wrong, yes, but instead of expelling him, wouldn't it be more fit to treat this as an old-fashioned family would?" A twisted grin spread across his face and Brooke's stomach lurched.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no, please no." Harry looked at her questioningly but kept sneaking glances at Lucius.
"What do you propose we do, Lucius?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly, for he, too, knew what was to come.
"Why don't we have them get married?" Lucius held his hands out as if it were the most obvious answer to their solution. Brooke buried her head in her hands and Harry soothingly held her hand, glaring at Draco. Draco, who had been looking so forlorn a minute ago, was grinning smugly, in the same manner as his father.
Shane was silent for a moment and his wife tugged at his arm. "No, Shane," she whispered urgently.
"Miranda, stop that." Shane turned to Lucius. "I know what you're after, Malfoy, and it isn't going to work. You don't think that's the best solution; you just want your son to get a cut share in my family's wealth and power. Well you can forget it because my daughter is not marrying your son."
Brooke lifted her head and managed a weak smile at her father. Suddenly overcome by a bout of sickness, she fled the room and down the hallway to the nearest washroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach, then slouched down against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm her stirring mind.
Marry Draco? What a joke that would have been. Everyone in the school knew that she and Harry were going to get married one day; there was no room for Draco in the picture, baby or no baby. She felt her stomach and for the first time, it actually occurred to her that there was a life inside of her. There was a child within her, depending on her every move. She had to be careful. No more flying lessons, no more potions testing in Potions class. Everything she did had to be calm and relaxing.
The door opened and Brooke's mother entered. Looking around, she smiled to herself. "It's been a while since I've been in here," she said thoughtfully. Brooke smiled, almost forgetting that her mother and father attended Hogwarts years ago, at the same time that Harry's parents did. Sitting down on the floor in front of her daughter, Miranda took Brooke's hands in hers. "You'll be happy to know that Dumbledore has agreed to let everything be," she said in a careful tone, almost as if she wasn't sure what her daughter would really think. "He thinks that it would be better for everyone if everything was left as it was. And anyone that thinks otherwise, and voices their opinions on what happened between you two will get a good suspension."
Brooke just nodded, feeling listless and tired. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a while, Mum," she said, feeling bad that she couldn't spend more time with her parents. It was a rare day when her mother and father, together, found the time in their busy schedules to visit her at school. Nodding, her mother stood up and hugged Brooke.
"We'll be in touch soon," she said and Brooke went off in search of Harry and then for a long nap.
The next few weeks went smoothly. Brooke's morning sickness decreased and after a few months, her strange appetite cravings began. Ron found this incredibly fascinating and the two of them would sit for hours and gouge themselves on food from the kitchens.
No one made any comments to her condition although some of the students gave her sympathetic looks, or supportive comments. Draco lost his smug look and walked around the hallways, usually alone, looking lost and dejected. His pitiful state wasn't enough to warrant sympathy from other students and many walked by muttering rude and hateful comments, or shooting angry looks at him.
In the middle of Brooke's fifth month, Harry received a frightening letter from his godfather, Sirius Black. In hiding for the past three years, Sirius and Harry corresponded often. But this letter was unusually frightening.
"Harry, there is danger approaching. I have sent a similar letter to Professor Dumbledore, warning him of the impending doom. You must stay calm and stay in sight of at least one professor. Never go anywhere alone. That is important! Please listen to me, Harry. I will be there as soon as I can. Be safe. Love, Sirius." Harry's voice was full of confusion and tension by the time he finished reading Sirius' letter to Ron, Hermione and Brooke one Wednesday morning at breakfast. He read the letter to himself again and looked up at his friends. "What do you suppose that means?"
Unable to give him answers, the three friends shrugged their shoulders. Afraid for Harry, Brooke mentioned that he should go talk to Dumbledore. "After all, Sirius did say that he sent a similar letter to him."
Harry agreed, but only after that day's classes. The morning went smoothly, but by the time the afternoon rolled around, things started to get out of hand. Terribly out of hand. Harry was still unsure what Sirius' letter meant and he was worried. Brooke was feeling more tired and sluggish than ever and to top everything off, Harry confided in her that he awoke that morning with his scar aching. "That only ever happens when Voldemort is near," he said in a hushed voice. All these things added up against Brooke so halfway during their Care of Magical Creatures class, when Malfoy made a comment about breeding two of the animals that they were studying, it rubbed her the wrong way and she lashed out at him. The argument ended in her punching him square in the jaw and Malfoy in the hospital wing. Hagrid, not sure what to do with Brooke, was shocked when she said, "I'll go see Professor McGonagall; you don't have to take me."
Storming down the hill towards the castle, she noted to herself that the sunny, warm morning weather had disappeared and dark clouds were rolling in. It looks as if it might rain today, she thought to herself. Almost immediately, a force knocked her on to her back. Feeling as if she were falling, she gripped the ground, to keep from sliding. She heard the screams and cries from her fellow classmates behind her. A tremendous shaking rumbled through the earth and then everything went black.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Harry leaning over her. A look of relief swept over his face when she opened her eyes. "Thank God you're okay!" he cried. "I thought we had lost you there." Helping her to her feet, Brooke realized that they were in the Forbidden Forest.
"What happened?" she asked, groggily, rubbing her head. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know. When I woke up, we were here." The two of them walked hand in hand through the mass of trees and brush, searching for others. The only other person they found was Draco Malfoy, who was stumbling through the trees, too.
"I'm not walking with you two," he snarled at them, speeding ahead of them. But a sudden howl from the distance forced him back to them. "Then again, maybe it's a good idea if we stick together." Sharing a secret smile, Harry and Brooke pushed ahead of Draco, causing him to fall behind them. Every little sound making them jump, they made their way through the forest, finally coming to a cliff.
"Where did that come from?" Harry muttered to himself, going to inspect it. "It wasn't here before. Well, I've never seen it, in the whole six years I've been here."
A popping noise behind them made the three teenagers turn around. Draco's eyes widened in fear as he realized what he was seeing. Voldemort rose above them, slowly descending upon the ground. His robes fluttered around him and Harry grabbed Brooke close to him.
"Hmmm," Voldemort muttered. "I only wanted you two," he pointed to Harry and Brooke, "but I'll take you, too." He nodded at Draco. "You're Lucius' son, aren't you?"
Draco, speechless, turned and tried to run from Voldemort. He got no further than Harry's outstretched arm before Voldemort began to roar. "Too many times, Potter, you have escaped me. Too many times, and finally I will finish you. Here and now. No more games, Potter, you are gone!" He raised his wand and Harry stepped forward. Almost out of puzzlement, Voldemort let his wand drop and questioned Harry's actions.
"If I'm going to die," Harry began, "I want you to leave these two alone, perfectly unharmed."
"Harry, forget it," Brooke cried, near tears from fright. Everything was happening too fast. "If you die, I die. I'm not going back without you!"
"To hell with you both!" Draco cried. He ran for the other side of the forest but a cry from Voldemort rang out.
"Hold it!" He raised his wand and pointed it at Draco, yelling nonsense curse words. Acting quickly, Draco pulled the nearest thing he could find in front of him: Brooke. The beam of light from Voldemort's wand hit Brooke in the abdomen and she doubled over in pain. She collapsed on the ground, holding her stomach in pain. Blood surrounded her. Harry rushed to her side, but knew that the baby was beyond help.
Voldemort closed in on Draco, ignoring Brooke's cries. "Your father abandoned me," he hissed at the boy, who was backing dangerously close to the edge. "Lucius left me when I needed him most. You will pay for his mistakes, boy. Let this be a lesson to your father." He raised his wand, but Draco's foot slipped on the edge and he towered for a moment, a shocked expression on his face, before tumbling off the edge. Looking down, Voldemort saw that he was hanging on to the side of the cliff by the roots of a broken down tree. Laughing maniacally, Voldemort aimed his wand again. "No escape," he muttered.
Maybe it was Fate; maybe it was a coincidence. But Draco reached up and pulled the hem of Voldemort's robes down at the same time Brooke tried to push Voldemort from behind. She had managed to move her way over to the edge of the cliff on the ground. Still clutching her stomach with one hand, she pushed and Draco pulled, sending Voldemort off into the air and letting their hands collide with one another. Draco began pulling on her arm, trying to lift himself up. Brooke lay with her eyes closed, stuck in moral debate.
Do I let him fall? she questioned. He took my innocence, got me pregnant, made all our lives a living hell, and then used me as a shield and killed my baby. Wincing from her decision, ignoring Harry's cries to worry about herself, she regretfully pulled Draco to safety up on the ledge. Harry sighed deeply, then ran to get help. Brooke winced once more and disregarded the mixed look of pity and gratefulness from Draco. The pain too much to bear, she passed out.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you what an unusual situation this is," he began, running his long fingers through his white beard. "It is certainly unique. However, we will deal with it in the most appropriate way." He turned to Draco, who was paler than Brooke had ever seen him. He looked as if he had just been told that he had to kiss a snake.
"Draco Malfoy. It is no surprise to me that you are involved in this mess because we have had problems in the past." Holding up his hand to silence Lucius' protest, Dumbledore continued. "I have overlooked those certain incidents," his eyes flashing at Harry, "but this time I fear you have gone too far. You have inflicted a physical condition on another person, something that cannot be erased by spell, or medicinal means. I am afraid that I have no choice but to expel you."
"Hold on a minute!" said Lucius, standing. Everyone else, who looked satisfied at Dumbledore's decision, swung their heads upwards to Lucius. "My son did something wrong, yes, but instead of expelling him, wouldn't it be more fit to treat this as an old-fashioned family would?" A twisted grin spread across his face and Brooke's stomach lurched.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no, please no." Harry looked at her questioningly but kept sneaking glances at Lucius.
"What do you propose we do, Lucius?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly, for he, too, knew what was to come.
"Why don't we have them get married?" Lucius held his hands out as if it were the most obvious answer to their solution. Brooke buried her head in her hands and Harry soothingly held her hand, glaring at Draco. Draco, who had been looking so forlorn a minute ago, was grinning smugly, in the same manner as his father.
Shane was silent for a moment and his wife tugged at his arm. "No, Shane," she whispered urgently.
"Miranda, stop that." Shane turned to Lucius. "I know what you're after, Malfoy, and it isn't going to work. You don't think that's the best solution; you just want your son to get a cut share in my family's wealth and power. Well you can forget it because my daughter is not marrying your son."
Brooke lifted her head and managed a weak smile at her father. Suddenly overcome by a bout of sickness, she fled the room and down the hallway to the nearest washroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach, then slouched down against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm her stirring mind.
Marry Draco? What a joke that would have been. Everyone in the school knew that she and Harry were going to get married one day; there was no room for Draco in the picture, baby or no baby. She felt her stomach and for the first time, it actually occurred to her that there was a life inside of her. There was a child within her, depending on her every move. She had to be careful. No more flying lessons, no more potions testing in Potions class. Everything she did had to be calm and relaxing.
The door opened and Brooke's mother entered. Looking around, she smiled to herself. "It's been a while since I've been in here," she said thoughtfully. Brooke smiled, almost forgetting that her mother and father attended Hogwarts years ago, at the same time that Harry's parents did. Sitting down on the floor in front of her daughter, Miranda took Brooke's hands in hers. "You'll be happy to know that Dumbledore has agreed to let everything be," she said in a careful tone, almost as if she wasn't sure what her daughter would really think. "He thinks that it would be better for everyone if everything was left as it was. And anyone that thinks otherwise, and voices their opinions on what happened between you two will get a good suspension."
Brooke just nodded, feeling listless and tired. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a while, Mum," she said, feeling bad that she couldn't spend more time with her parents. It was a rare day when her mother and father, together, found the time in their busy schedules to visit her at school. Nodding, her mother stood up and hugged Brooke.
"We'll be in touch soon," she said and Brooke went off in search of Harry and then for a long nap.
The next few weeks went smoothly. Brooke's morning sickness decreased and after a few months, her strange appetite cravings began. Ron found this incredibly fascinating and the two of them would sit for hours and gouge themselves on food from the kitchens.
No one made any comments to her condition although some of the students gave her sympathetic looks, or supportive comments. Draco lost his smug look and walked around the hallways, usually alone, looking lost and dejected. His pitiful state wasn't enough to warrant sympathy from other students and many walked by muttering rude and hateful comments, or shooting angry looks at him.
In the middle of Brooke's fifth month, Harry received a frightening letter from his godfather, Sirius Black. In hiding for the past three years, Sirius and Harry corresponded often. But this letter was unusually frightening.
"Harry, there is danger approaching. I have sent a similar letter to Professor Dumbledore, warning him of the impending doom. You must stay calm and stay in sight of at least one professor. Never go anywhere alone. That is important! Please listen to me, Harry. I will be there as soon as I can. Be safe. Love, Sirius." Harry's voice was full of confusion and tension by the time he finished reading Sirius' letter to Ron, Hermione and Brooke one Wednesday morning at breakfast. He read the letter to himself again and looked up at his friends. "What do you suppose that means?"
Unable to give him answers, the three friends shrugged their shoulders. Afraid for Harry, Brooke mentioned that he should go talk to Dumbledore. "After all, Sirius did say that he sent a similar letter to him."
Harry agreed, but only after that day's classes. The morning went smoothly, but by the time the afternoon rolled around, things started to get out of hand. Terribly out of hand. Harry was still unsure what Sirius' letter meant and he was worried. Brooke was feeling more tired and sluggish than ever and to top everything off, Harry confided in her that he awoke that morning with his scar aching. "That only ever happens when Voldemort is near," he said in a hushed voice. All these things added up against Brooke so halfway during their Care of Magical Creatures class, when Malfoy made a comment about breeding two of the animals that they were studying, it rubbed her the wrong way and she lashed out at him. The argument ended in her punching him square in the jaw and Malfoy in the hospital wing. Hagrid, not sure what to do with Brooke, was shocked when she said, "I'll go see Professor McGonagall; you don't have to take me."
Storming down the hill towards the castle, she noted to herself that the sunny, warm morning weather had disappeared and dark clouds were rolling in. It looks as if it might rain today, she thought to herself. Almost immediately, a force knocked her on to her back. Feeling as if she were falling, she gripped the ground, to keep from sliding. She heard the screams and cries from her fellow classmates behind her. A tremendous shaking rumbled through the earth and then everything went black.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Harry leaning over her. A look of relief swept over his face when she opened her eyes. "Thank God you're okay!" he cried. "I thought we had lost you there." Helping her to her feet, Brooke realized that they were in the Forbidden Forest.
"What happened?" she asked, groggily, rubbing her head. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know. When I woke up, we were here." The two of them walked hand in hand through the mass of trees and brush, searching for others. The only other person they found was Draco Malfoy, who was stumbling through the trees, too.
"I'm not walking with you two," he snarled at them, speeding ahead of them. But a sudden howl from the distance forced him back to them. "Then again, maybe it's a good idea if we stick together." Sharing a secret smile, Harry and Brooke pushed ahead of Draco, causing him to fall behind them. Every little sound making them jump, they made their way through the forest, finally coming to a cliff.
"Where did that come from?" Harry muttered to himself, going to inspect it. "It wasn't here before. Well, I've never seen it, in the whole six years I've been here."
A popping noise behind them made the three teenagers turn around. Draco's eyes widened in fear as he realized what he was seeing. Voldemort rose above them, slowly descending upon the ground. His robes fluttered around him and Harry grabbed Brooke close to him.
"Hmmm," Voldemort muttered. "I only wanted you two," he pointed to Harry and Brooke, "but I'll take you, too." He nodded at Draco. "You're Lucius' son, aren't you?"
Draco, speechless, turned and tried to run from Voldemort. He got no further than Harry's outstretched arm before Voldemort began to roar. "Too many times, Potter, you have escaped me. Too many times, and finally I will finish you. Here and now. No more games, Potter, you are gone!" He raised his wand and Harry stepped forward. Almost out of puzzlement, Voldemort let his wand drop and questioned Harry's actions.
"If I'm going to die," Harry began, "I want you to leave these two alone, perfectly unharmed."
"Harry, forget it," Brooke cried, near tears from fright. Everything was happening too fast. "If you die, I die. I'm not going back without you!"
"To hell with you both!" Draco cried. He ran for the other side of the forest but a cry from Voldemort rang out.
"Hold it!" He raised his wand and pointed it at Draco, yelling nonsense curse words. Acting quickly, Draco pulled the nearest thing he could find in front of him: Brooke. The beam of light from Voldemort's wand hit Brooke in the abdomen and she doubled over in pain. She collapsed on the ground, holding her stomach in pain. Blood surrounded her. Harry rushed to her side, but knew that the baby was beyond help.
Voldemort closed in on Draco, ignoring Brooke's cries. "Your father abandoned me," he hissed at the boy, who was backing dangerously close to the edge. "Lucius left me when I needed him most. You will pay for his mistakes, boy. Let this be a lesson to your father." He raised his wand, but Draco's foot slipped on the edge and he towered for a moment, a shocked expression on his face, before tumbling off the edge. Looking down, Voldemort saw that he was hanging on to the side of the cliff by the roots of a broken down tree. Laughing maniacally, Voldemort aimed his wand again. "No escape," he muttered.
Maybe it was Fate; maybe it was a coincidence. But Draco reached up and pulled the hem of Voldemort's robes down at the same time Brooke tried to push Voldemort from behind. She had managed to move her way over to the edge of the cliff on the ground. Still clutching her stomach with one hand, she pushed and Draco pulled, sending Voldemort off into the air and letting their hands collide with one another. Draco began pulling on her arm, trying to lift himself up. Brooke lay with her eyes closed, stuck in moral debate.
Do I let him fall? she questioned. He took my innocence, got me pregnant, made all our lives a living hell, and then used me as a shield and killed my baby. Wincing from her decision, ignoring Harry's cries to worry about herself, she regretfully pulled Draco to safety up on the ledge. Harry sighed deeply, then ran to get help. Brooke winced once more and disregarded the mixed look of pity and gratefulness from Draco. The pain too much to bear, she passed out.