Title: Meant to Be?
Author: Requiem of a Dream
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
*Harry's POV*
When we landed on the ground after apparating from the cottage I felt a little twinge in my stomach but thought nothing of it. I just kept walking up to Dumbledore's office. But as we continued they would come back and get a little more intense each time. I sat down in Dumbldore's office and hoped that they would subside, but I was wrong.
"Good to hear. So Harry how are you feeling?"
"A little tired. But otherwise fine."
"Good and when are you expecting the little one to be born?"
Severus looked at me expecting me to answer but I just clutched my stomach as I felt yet another cramp rip through my stomach.
"Harry what's wrong?" Severus asked.
"I think that Jamison is ready to be born." I said.
"What do you mean? He's not due till July." Severus said.
"Just get me up to the Infirmary and to Madam Pomfrey now." Then Severus took me up into his arms and began to walk as fast as he could to the Infirmary.
As soon as Madam Pomfrey saw me in Severus' arms she knew some thing was wrong, really wrong. She directed Severus to put me on a bed and then proceeded to get him and Albus away from the bed after asking them what was wrong. She pulled a curtain around me, gave me a potion and then the cramping stopped and then asked me,
"Harry what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. Why what's wrong?"
"You were experiencing Braxton Hicks Contractions."
"What are those?"
"They're contractions, less painful than actual labor contractions and happen only when the body has been put through stressful situations." She said glaring at me.
"Apparating."
"Yes. Which is why you wont be traveling at all until after this baby is born."
"Can I still go for my walks around the lake?"
"Only if someone is with you. In fact I don't want you left alone unless totally necessary."
"You are beginning to get on my nerves with your smothering Madam Pomfrey."
"And you are going to end up losing that baby if you don't start thinking a little more. And as for that . . ." She walked around the curtain and yelled for Severus. Then I heard her yelling at him,
"What were you thinking? Apparating with Harry six months pregnant. I know you're smarter than this Severus. You could have made him go into premature labor." She was silent for a moment and I heard a little mumbling then she started again, "and Headmaster Dumbledore, you knew about the trip and how they were getting to and from there. You must be going senile. I thought you would have at least warned them about the risks."
I heard her footsteps getting louder and then she popped her head in. "I want to do an ultrasound now. You were scheduled for one tomorrow anyways and I want to make sure the baby's fine." She turned and left to go get a few things.
"Severus come in here please?" I said hoping he could hear me. I waited a minute and then he pulled the curtain aside and walked to the side of the bed.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah I'm fine. It was a false alarm. Evidently I shouldn't be traveling."
"Harry I'm sorry. She's right I shouldn't have apparated with you this is my fault."
"You just like taking credit for everything don't you?" He just gave me a quizzical look and I proceeded to explain myself. "I would have kept the contractions a secret until it was too late if anything. It's both our faults." He leaned down and gently kissed my forehead.
"Well I see that you are finally going to see your baby Severus. Very well I'll just get everything ready. Harry lift your shirt up please." I did so and then she poured a small amount of a potion on my stomach and pointed her wand at me. "Mostrare Feto."
A screen appeared above my belly. At first I didn't see anything but then he moved and I saw him come to life. He kicked out and then stuck his thumb in his mouth. It was a wonderful feeling to be seeing my son finally. I looked over at Severus and saw a single tear fall down his cheek. He just stared at the picture watching our son sleep. I heard Madam Pomfrey say something then I heard a fast irregular thumping noise. I looked at her and she said,
"It's supposed to be his heart beat."
"Why is it so irregular?"
"We'll see. Give me one minute. Mostrare Due o Tre Feti." Two more screens appeared and on them were two more babies.
"What's happening?" Severus asked.
"It seems that you are going to have three babies." Pomfrey said.
"Triplets?" I asked unbelievingly.
"Yes Harry triplets two boys and a girl." She said a little annoyed.
"Why didn't they show up the first time?"
"Because the test only shows the first conceived." Severus looked as though he were going to faint.
"Sev are you feeling ok?" I asked.
"Yes I'm fine, but Harry triplets? How are we going to manage?"
"We'll find a way. Madam Pomfrey I'm feeling a little tired may I go down to my quarters?"
"Yes you may. And Severus take care and watch him."
I squeezed Severus' hand and Madam Pomfrey wiped off my stomach and I pulled shirt down. I hopped off the bed and Severus and I walked down to the dungeons.
*Severus' POV*
Seeing my Harry in pain like that wasn't something I was prepared for. Even though he handled it pretty well I could tell that he wasn't going to be able to stand it for much longer. I was worried about him having triplets and then about us and our ability to raise them. I approached Harry about it after he had taken a short nap.
"Harry I've been thinking . . ."
"This isn't good news is it?" He interrupted.
"It could be, if you'd let me finish. I was thinking that we should give two of the babies up for adoption."
"No!" Harry said as soon as I had said adoption.
"What do you mean no? You haven't even thought about it."
"I don't have to think about it. I'm not going to send off two of my children to live with strangers."
"Harry I am a full time teacher and you are a full time student. There is no way that we are going to be able to take care of three babies. What else can we do?"
"I am keeping all three of them, no matter what you say."
"Harry . . . . ."
"Sev'rus. Please I know we can manage. I don't want my children to go through what I did. Suffering through mental or physical abuse." I sat down exasperated. I knew he was right but I also knew that three children at once was a lot. Harry moved closer to me on the couch and said,
"Please. Severus for me just do this for me."
"Fine."
"Good now let's go down to lunch we're starving."
Harry dragged me off the couch and down to the Great Hall. As soon as we walked in the room went silent. I could feel everyone staring at us. I looked down at Harry and he just smiled and continued to walk to the Gryffindor Table. After I had sat down the talk resumed, I guess they thought I would attack them.
Albus turned to me and began to fill me in on what had been happening at school while we were gone. I listened to while eating my lunch and keeping an eye on Harry. At one point when Albus had turned to talk to Minerva, Poppy approached me and said that she didn't think it was a good for Harry to be going to classes after six months and that he should stop going soon. I told her that I would talk to him about it and she left me alone.
Lunch was soon over and I headed down to my classroom to prepare for class. I wasn't sure how the day was going to fair but I was grateful that I didn't have a Slytherin/Gryffindor combined class at all today. I don't know if I could handle a class full of stuck-up brats and downhearted idiots. The classes were a little quieter than usual but they all got their work done. When the day was done I just wanted to go back to Harry but I had so many essays to grade that I ended up falling asleep at my desk.
Harry's pregnancy progressed nicely. He was over the morning sickness, but his back and feet ached constantly. He had a hard time sleeping because he could never get comfortable and then when he finally did go to sleep he had to go to the bathroom. I wished at times that I could just take over for him. But then there were days where he was just happy and nothing could damper his spirits. If you were around him you were happy too.
By his seventh month he looked as though he were going to pop. We knew where each baby was and you could feel one kick then another one kick and it was a wonderful thing to feel. Harry's appetite grew each day it seemed like. He had stopped going to classes in late April and always told me he was feeling restless and lazy. I excused Ronald and Hermione from my class so that they could spend time with Harry and he wasn't so bored all the time. He could be seen walking down the halls talking with the ghosts and sometimes giving tips to Peeves on different tricks to play that were harmless.
Other times he would be seen walking around the lake. As we had promised Madam Pomfrey he always had someone with him. Usually it was Nearly Headless Nick but every once in a while the Bloody Baron would be with him.
The eighth month was the hardest on Harry. School was out for the summer and so Harry was alone. Most of the time he just stayed up in the Infirmary with Madam Pomfrey so he had someone to talk to. He only walked around when he had to because his back ached so much. I was with him when I wasn't making a potion for someone or cleaning the classroom. One day near the end of June Harry came up to me and asked,
"What do you want to name the boy and girl?"
"I don't know I haven't thought about it."
"There aren't any names that you like or someone that you wanted to name your children after?"
"No there aren't. My family names all have bad connotations with them."
"Ok then I'll go pick out some names."
"You go do that." I said as he turned around to go find the baby name book that he had bought from Hogsmeade.
"You are no help to me what-so-ever."
"I know but you love me for it." I yelled back. I was in the baby's room putting away the clothes and toys that Harry had ordered for the baby.
From that night forward I always had dinner brought down to our room. And I a made sure that anything he used regularly was always within his reach. If he had a back ache I'd massage his back. We got along nicely, except for his occasional mood swing. I remember a few nights when I slept on the couch for telling him to calm down or to just take it easy. June ended and July came. We went to Madam Pomfrey to have an ultrasound done.
*Harry's POV*
Severus was wonderful to me during the last 2 months of my pregnancy. He always made sure that I was comfortable, and did everything thing he could do to make things easier on me. On July 20th I was scheduled for a ultrasound. Severus and I walked up to the Infirmary and when we got up there Madam Pomfrey had everything ready to go, she was just waiting on me. I pulled myself onto the bed a laid down. She said the incantation and three screens appeared. The fetuses actually looked like babies. Madam Pomfrey said that they each weighed about 6 and a half pounds and that they were perfectly healthy.
"Do you think they will be born full term?" Severus asked.
"Yes I do. When is it that you said you thought they were due?"
"Umm July 30th." I answered.
"Imagine that, the day before your birthday Harry. That's a sign of good luck."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"It's thought that if your child is born within a week of your birthday then good health will be with them because you made it that long. Of course you have some bad luck when it comes to flying so keeping them away from brooms would be a good idea." We all laughed and I tried to count in my head how many times I had fallen off of my broom and gave up after 15.
"Harry I want to see you again in five days ok?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I'll come down to the dungeons in the morning. Good-day." Then she went back into her office. Severus helped me off of the bed and then we went for a walk around the grounds of the school.
"Severus are you nervous?"
"About what Harry?"
"About the babies?"
"Your apprehensive about the birth aren't you?"
"Well shouldn't I be?"
"Yes but you don't need to worry about anything. You have Madam Pomfrey, I believe that Molly Weasley is coming down here along with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, and you have me. I think that's enough support."
"I know but I don't think I'm physically strong enough to birth all three babies."
"You have to Harry."
"I know and I'll try but I'm just worried that it wont be enough."
"Don't worry you'll be fine." Then he kissed me lightly on the lips and we went back to our quarters.
To Teya the amazing, Yes I am talking about Remus Lupin.
To Lady Laffs-a-Lot, I know babies are born after 9 months not 6 and ½ months.
To Me( ), Yes Jamison is going to be one name for one of the boys. If you have any other ideas for names though you can e-mail me at musick_girl16@yahoo.com. TTYL!!!