AN: I'm actually quite happy with this chapter. Not the first part... But the second part, definitely.

Oh, one note? The whole Blaise calling Ginny Blue thing? That's Australian slang. We have a habit of giving people nicknames that are the opposite of them. If they're quiet, we call 'em Rowdy. If they're short, we call 'em Long. If they have red hair, we call 'em Blue. ;)

Wintermoon2: And to think I didn't like that chapter... *grins*

Alyce: *loves her runespoor bit* Maybe I can make your day again. And I might even follow it up with an email. And in a couple of weeks, T-SHIRTS!

Ashes7: *L* As confusing as that was, I agree. And I'm glad you find my story to be such a one.

Corgi1: Heh. And here I thought I might have gone a little over the top with my Ginny. ;)

Crissy: Blue. As in the opposite of red.

Lucied: I like Neville too. And even though he won't be a main character, there will be more of him.

Mikee: *hugs* I love Harry/Snape interaction. It's so much fun. That said, I think you will like this chpater...

Kana-chan: Thanks for the suggestions. I might even use some of them. *grins*

Maximum Poofy-Pissed Off Queen: *cuddles her Snape* I adore Sevvy! He's so much fun to write!

Kateri1: Ah-ah! *shakes finger* Not answering any questions. You'll just have to wait and see.

Leeanna-Marie-Mafloy: Isn't he? ;)

Fuires: You know, I prefer baby boys. *shrugs*

Stella by Starlight: *grins and curtsies* Why thank you.

Pixyfairy120: I always try to update quickly, but it never seems to work.

Kitty: Again, I won't answer any questions. *grins*

Kristen: *swipes brow* I thought the feud think might be a little random...

Neat: o.O *falls off chair* Now that's what I call a review! Anywho, I think I'll thank you profusely when I email you. *hugs*

Coriander: You know, I can't actually remember what pairing it's saved under... *shrugs* You're adding it to your favs? It's one of frizzy's favs? *faints*

Saavik13: Heh. Mayhaps something goes wrong with the birth. But Harry'll be able to do the naming ceremony, don't worry about that.

KittenBabyGirl: You're expecting? Congratulations! If I remember, I shall dedicate the birht chapter to you. If I don't, take it that the chapter is dedicated to you, anyway. *grins*

Ayame: Don't apologise. I can fully understand. Besides, I'm far worse than you... ;)

Venus4280: Wow. Thank you. Erm... unfortunately, nothing of significance happens in the first detention. It passes unnoticed really... But the second... ^_~

Draconnis: Snape is being... well, Snape. And that's all the answer you'll get out of me...

Tirla: Luckily for you, the update isn't long in coming. I know how uncomfortable those corners can get.

Chapter Ten:

Harry didn't go to dinner that night. Not even Hermione's threats could move him. He sat in the window of the dorm as Ron finally convinced Hermione to leave him be and she slowly followed the redhead from the room. After the events of the day, Harry simply had little appetite. And even if he did get hungry later, Harry knew Hermione was likely to smuggle something back into the Tower for him.

Blaise had told the others that Neville and Ginny now knew, and Harry hadn't even tried to stop Draco when he'd made dire threats of retribution if the pair let anything slip; he'd simply been too caught up in his own thoughts. His friends soon figured it was futile to try and get him to pay attention to them, and after that, they left him alone.

It had been too easy for Ginny and Neville to find out about his daughter. All it had taken was an ill-placed outburst from Harry and he was found out. If it hadn't been two of his friends, if it had been one of the more spiteful Slytherins – or even someone like Seamus who couldn't keep his mouth closed if you paid him – Harry's secret would have been all over the school within the hour. Worse, had it been one of the loyal death-eater children, Voldemort would have been informed, and Harry would have had no idea.

Then there was Harry's near mishap with the Runespoor venom. Until that point, he hadn't really taken the vulnerability of his child seriously. He was a teenage boy. What did he really know of the dangers of pregnancies? And why had no told him that simply smelling something could harm his child?

And he knew he was pregnant. What if someone cast a spell on him without knowing he was pregnant? He could lose her, and there would be nothing he could do about it. All because less than a score of people knew to be cautious around him.

He simply didn't know what to do.

Harry spent the rest of the week worrying over it all. On Friday night, before his detention, Harry wrapped himself in his invisibility cloak and went to visit his first friend; Hagrid. No matter what else he decided Harry believed he owed it to the loyal half-giant to tell him now. He already felt guilty for keeping it from him for so long.

Before Harry could even knock, Hagrid's boarhound Fang began baying excitedly and Hagrid rumbled, "What is i', boy?"

Harry rapped on the harsh wood of the door and dropped the hood of his cloak.

The door swung open, and Hagrid's huge form filled the frame, appearing even larger in silhouette, "Oh, 'ello Harry. What're ye doing down here at nigh'?"

"Hello Hagrid," Harry said, "I needed to talk to you."

"Oh," Hagrid said, a little miffed at Harry's earnestness, "Oh, well come in then. Don' stand around out in the cold." He stepped back and held the door open for Harry to enter. The moment Harry did, Fang barreled into him, trying to lick his face in greeting. Hagrid hauled him off.

"Thas enough, Fang. Leave 'Arry alone."

Fang whined but obeyed Hagrid, returning to his nest of blankets by the fire. Harry gratefully followed Hagrid to the table, taking a seat as the half-giant poured huge cups of tea for them both.

"Now," said Hagrid, as he set down the battered teapot and pushed one of the mugs towards Harry, "what did yer want ter tell me?"

Harry fidgeted with the mug and looked up at the huge man standing over him. For all Hagrid's great size, Harry had never felt intimidated by this man; he was simply too gentle. He smiled gamely up at him, "I'm pregnant."

Hagrid's mug crashed to the floor, eliciting a startled yelp from Fang. Harry flinched.

"What did yer say, Harry?" Hagrid asked hoarsely.

Harry opened his robe and removed the glamour charm on his belly. "I'm pregnant," he repeated, smiling tentatively.

Harry was alarmed to see Hagrid's eyes filling up with tears, and the next thing he knew, Hagrid had enveloped him in a surprisingly gentle hug and was sobbing. Harry was worried until he began to understand what Hagrid was saying through his sobs.

"Thas wonderful, 'Arry," he howled, "Yer goin' ter be a daddy. Ye'll have a beautiful lil' bubby ter love." Harry blinked and awkwardly patted the huge back.

Finally, Hagrid drew back and fetched a handkerchief to mop his face, "Sorry 'bout that Harry. It's just that I'm so happy for yer."

Harry smiled, genuinely happy now, "That's okay Hagrid. I reacted the same way when I realised."

Hagrid's teeth flashed through his beard as he smiled broadly back at Harry, "I imagine yer would have," Hagrid poured himself a new cup of tea and sat down across from Harry.

"Have yer found out what yer baby'll be yet?" he wanted to know.

Harry's face lit up. There was nothing he loved more than talking about his daughter, "She's a girl," he promptly replied, "I found out on Wednesday."

"So yer wouldn't have chosen a name yet, then?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "I really haven't even thought about it yet. Madam Pomfery and Hermione have given me books of names to look through, but…" he trailed off.

Hagrid patted his shoulder heavily, "Don'cher worry about tha'. She's not due for a while yet, righ'?"

Harry shook his head again, "Not until Easter."

"There, you see? Plenty a time. You'll have the right name afore then."

Harry smiled and looked down at his hands, "Hagrid?" he said softly, "Would you attend the Naming Ceremony?"

Hagrid beamed and dragged Harry into a one armed hug, "I'd be honoured, 'Arry."

Harry smiled and wiped discretely at the corner of his eye. He and his huge friend spent the rest of the time before Harry had to leave for detention discussing the pregnancy so far, and how much they were looking forward to meeting Harry's daughter.

It was only as Harry was heading down into the dungeons for his detention that Harry realised that Hagrid hadn't made any mention of the baby's other father. He was the only Harry had told that hadn't wanted to know. Even Neville had been interested in the answer when Ginny asked.

Even after his talk with Hagrid, after Harry had willing told someone new, he was still unsure where it left him. He was still fretting over the vulnerability of his secret and, by extension, the danger he was putting his daughter in from unwitting run-ins with those who did not know. He weighed it against the danger of revealing that he was pregnant, and consequently showing Voldemort a weakness he could pray upon.

But what if Voldemort found out some other way? What if he found out and Harry didn't know? He wouldn't know to take even more precautions then he already was. Wouldn't it better to know that Voldemort knew, just so he could be prepared? Besides, Dumbledore had already told him that the school's wards were being closely monitored and all unknown intrusions investigated. And it wasn't like his friends would let him go anywhere by himself. If he was outside the castle grounds, there were always at least two of them there, hands hovering over wands.

These thoughts distracted him on Saturday morning as he and his friends lounged about Hermione's Head Girl rooms. Harry occupied the only armchair in the room, his legs slung over one arm. He was staring blankly out the window, barely following the conversation of the others. He really needed to decide what do to before too much longer.

Ron, who was leaning against Harry's chair, thumped his friend's leg, "Oi, Harry! Are you even listening to me?"

Without really removing his eyes from the distant view through the window, Harry turned his head slightly and said, "Hmm?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "I asked you if you'd thought of any names for your daughter yet?"

"Oh," Harry blinked slowly.

Moments later, Hermione sighed impatiently, "Well?"

In a soft and distracted tone of voice Harry said, "I was thinking of calling her Gretel."

There was a short silence. Then Draco laughed and Harry turned his head to stare distantly in his direction, "No? What about Marta, then?"

Dean coughed and Blaise cleared her throat disapprovingly. Harry blinked, and his eyes focused more closely on his friends, "Brigitta?"

Hermione snorted.

"What about Lousia?" Harry tried, and Dean laughed while Hermione hid her face in Draco's shoulder. Harry smirked at them.

"Well, if you don't like any of those, there's always –"

"Leisl!" Hermione and Dean chorused with him, before all three of them collapsed into laughter. Ron, Draco and Blaise stared at the three of them as though they'd gone crazy.

Dean caught their expressions and gasped, "The Sound of Music," as though that should explain everything. Which, of course, it didn't; not to three purebloods.

"It's a movie," Hermione giggled, "Harry was using the names of the girls in it."

When the three wizard-borns simply to continued stare blankly at her, she just shook her head, but her laughter began to die. And so did Harry's and Dean's. After the last chuckle had faded away, the six of them sat in companionable silence for a moment. And in that moment, Harry finally came to a decision. It was time to let the rest of the wizarding world find out. Really, it was the lesser of the two evils.

He swung his legs off the arm of the chair and sat forward abruptly, "I'm going to tell them."

The reaction from Hermione, Dean and Ron was immediate, "What? Harry! No!"

Hermione pulled away from Draco and sat forward, "Harry, you can't do that so soon. Just think of the danger you'll be putting yourself in."

"Yeah," Ron put it in, twisting around to kneel facing Harry, "And can you imagine how they're all going to react to this?"

"Oh, I don't know," Harry said sourly, "I imagine it won't be much different from when they thought I was the Heir of Slytherin. Or when they thought I cheated to get into the Triwizard Tournament. Or when they found out I was gay." Harry shook his head. "I've thought about this, and I don't really care what they think. Besides, it's for the best."

"How can you think that?" Hermione's voice rose sharply.

"Think about it, Hermione," Blaise spoke up, "There's going to be an uproar when everybody finds out about the baby. Its better that it happens now instead of after the baby's born and Harry's trying to look after her and deal with the press and public."

Her protest effectively encountered, Hermione subsided briefly, but Ron took up the argument, "But what about Voldemort? You know you're much more vulnerable because of the pregnancy, and if you tell everyone, Voldemort's going to know it too. You think he'd pass up an opportunity like that?"

"You're not thinking like a Slytherin, Ron," Draco said, "How long do you think Harry's secret would have lasted after he was set up in his new apartment anyway? And we wouldn't know if Voldemort found out. We'd have no warning. At least, if Harry tells everyone now, he's taking away Voldemort's element of surprise."

Harry smiled weakly at his Slytherin friends. Trust them to understand his reasoning. He turned to his housemates, "Guys, please don't try to talk me out of this. I really think it's the best thing to do under the circumstances. And trust me, I've thought long and hard about it all. Do you really think I'd do something to jeopardize the safety of my daughter?"

Dean dragged his chair closer to Harry's and covered the pregnant boy's tightly clenched hand with his own, "As long as you're sure Harry. We'll support you."

Harry cast the other boy a grateful look. Draco cleared his throat and recaptured Harry's attention.

"So," he said slyly, "have you decided how you're going to let them know yet?"

"No," Harry replied cautiously, not trusting Draco's expression, "Why?"

Draco smirked.

Harry could feel the eyes on him. It made it hard to concentrate on what Ginny was saying to him. He glanced across the common room to where a group of first and second years were trying to be inconspicuous as they stared at him. Harry was trying not to glare at them. Hermione touched his arm and brought his attention back to the conversation.

"Have you even looked at those Naming Ceremony guides I gave you yet, Harry?"

Harry shifted guiltily, "No. But there's plenty of time yet."

"Plenty of time!" Ginny and Hermione said in unison, indignant.

"Harry," Ginny went on, "there's only two months left."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione forestalled him, "And what if she's premature? It's not like you'll have time to learn the ceremony later."

Harry sighed and conceded the point. He ran his hand over his protruding belly.

"Okay, Hermione. I promise I'll look at them tonight after dinner. Is that soon enough?" He added a little snidely. But Hermione was on a roll, and she took it in her stride.

"Good. And you have to start seriously thinking about names too. You don't want to end up calling her Mary-Sue because you couldn't think of anything else at the last moment, do you?"

Harry snorted with laughter and Hermione paused to frown at him. Ginny immediately took up the thread.

"And I bet you haven't even thought about all the essentials you'll need to care for her yet, have you?"

Harry blinked. It was true. He hadn't given any thought to what he'd be needing care for his daughter once she was born. Ginny read the answer in his face and threw up her hands, "Men! Well, me and Hermione will just have to take you shopping. I'll make up a list and – What? What is it?" Ginny interrupted herself as Harry gasped sharply and clutched his stomach.

He shook his head, "Nothing. She just gave a particularly vicious kick."

Ginny's eyes lit up, "Really? Is she still moving? Can I feel her?"

Harry nodded, and picking up Ginny's hand, he placed it over the fluttering movement of his unborn baby. Ginny concentrated hard on her hand, her smile fading, but when she felt the soft undulations under her hand it reappeared, brighter than before. "Wow. That's so cool."

This was Draco's brilliant idea: Harry should simply desist with the concealing charms and they would all start treating the secret like it wasn't one at all. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, and their conversation in the common room were the first phase of the plan. And it was working too. It wasn't only the first and second years that were staring at Harry; they were just the least discrete about it. Fortunately, besides the three on the couch and Ron and Dean playing chess by the window, there was no one above fourth year in the room. The lower years were too in awe of Harry to simply come out and ask him anything directly. Which suited the plan just fine for the moment. The idea was to get the rumour mill pumping furiously before anyone actually decided to go to the source.

Harry looked up as the portrait swung open and Seamus bounced in, followed more sedately by Neville. Seamus spotted the trio on the couch and headed over.

"Woah," Seamus paused in front of the couch, his eyes coming to rest on Harry's form, "You really shouldn't have given up quidditch, Harry." Seamus bent and poked Harry in the stomach, "You're getting downright pudgy."

Hermione and Ginny flinched and leaned away from Harry. Ron and Dean looked up at Seamus's words and blanched. Neville smiled in anticipation and moved closer to catch Harry's reaction. Harry… Harry turned red in face and stood up quickly, jerking his robes closed over his belly.

"I am not," he snapped, "FAT!"

With the last explosive word, Harry shoved Seamus hard in the chest causing the Irish boy to fall backwards over a coffee table. Harry kicked him in the shin and stormed out of the common room. Hermione, Ginny and Dean immediately jumped up and ran after him.

Seamus clambered slowly to his feet, looking thoroughly bewildered. He looked up to find Ron and Neville grinning at him.

"What's wrong with him?" Seamus whined, "Was it something I said?"

Neville laughed and Ron shook his head, "You shouldn't have called him fat."

Ron turned and headed for the portrait hole. Seamus looked pleadingly at Neville, "But it's true!"

Neville shrugged, "So? You still should have known better than to call him fat." Seamus had two older sisters who both had children.

"Are you coming, Neville?" Ron called and Neville shot Seamus one last grin before leaving after Ron.

Harry stormed down the school's corridors, not caring where he was headed.

"I don't like your plan," he yelled at Draco as he stomped past him, "It's a stupid plan."

Draco stopped in his tracks, surprised at the unprovoked attack.

"Seamus called him fat," Hermione explained as she and Ginny paused by the Slytherin. Dean hurried past them, still trying to catch up with Harry.

"Oh," Draco winced in sympathy for the likely wounded Irish boy. "I take it he hasn't figured out that Harry's pregnant, then."

"Nope," Ginny smiled, "But as I hear it, that didn't stop you."

Draco scowled at her, "Who told you that?"

"Harry did," Ron said, joining the group with Neville, "And stop trying to scare my little sister, Draco."

Draco sneered at Ron, but there was no venom in it. Still, Hermione hit him anyway.

"Stop provoking Ron, Draco," she said, "Besides, wouldn't you like to know how the 'first phase' of your plan went?"

Two corridors and a flight of stairs later, Harry calmed down. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty about shoving and kicking Seamus, but well… he'd called Harry fat! He wasn't fat, he was pregnant. Didn't that idiot know the difference? Harry kicked the wall and scowled when he stubbed his toe.

Then again, there was the fact that Seamus didn't actually know that Harry was pregnant. That, and Harry had been eating an abnormal amount of food recently. But Harry couldn't help it if he was eating for two now! Speaking of which…

Harry suddenly had a craving for apple and cinnamon toast. He turned and retreated back down the corridor to a tapestry he knew concealed the entrance to a shortcut to the kitchen corridor.

Half an hour later, Harry emerged from the kitchen with half-eaten piece of honey toast cradled in his hand. Not eager to return the common room with all its curious stares, Harry slowly headed up towards the Entrance Hall. Harry bit into his toast and the warmed honey spilled and ran down his fingers and pooled in the palm of his hand. Harry grimaced and crammed the rest of the toast into his mouth before any more of the honey could spill.

Chewing determinedly on his mouthful, Harry continued down the corridor. He'd just swallowed the last of the toast and had started licking up the mess of honey on his hand when he reached the stairs. Sucking a sticky finger into his mouth, Harry started up them.

He paused as his eyes came level with a pair of black boots. Harry removed his now clean middle finger from his mouth and replaced it with his index finger as he traced up the legs those boots belonged too. He'd just reached the thighs when horribly familiar robes swept around to shield them from his eyes. Harry froze and his gaze darted up to the face of the person on the stairs.

Professor Snape was glaring hotly down at him.

"Potter," he sneered, "I can't imagine you have anything better than a weak excuse for that… positively indecent display. As such, I don't wish to hear it. Get out of my sight."

Harry realised he was still standing there with his sticky finger in his mouth. His face went bright red and he hastily ripped the finger from his mouth, and wiping it on his robes, he sped up the stairs past the Potions Master. He hadn't made it further than two risers when he tripped on the hem of his open robes and began to fall.

His eyes snapped shut and one arm instinctively wrapped about his waist, the other shooting out in a vain attempt to break his fall. And all he could think was that none of his friends were there to break his fall this time.

There was a sudden scuffling of feet on the stairs and a pair of hands wrapped around Harry's shoulders, halting his fall and cradling him until he found his balance again. Harry let out a shaky breath of relief and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up into Snape's pale face. Something like relief flickered in the depths of his eyes. Harry's own widened at that and Snape sneered, and looked away. Harry turned his head too.

"Thanks Dean," he whispered and Dean nodded but didn't release Harry's shoulders. Instead, he stepped up onto the same step as Harry, tucking the shorter boy under his arm. Snape's hands flexed as though tempted to grasp his wand.

"I thought I told you to get out of my sight, Potter," he snapped. Without waiting for an answer, he gathered up his robes and stalked down the stairs into the dungeons.

"Greasy git," Dean muttered as he and Harry continued up the stairs, "What's he got against you?"

Harry shrugged. He didn't want to dwell on Snape's somewhat erratic attitude towards him.

"What were you doing in the dungeons anyway?" he asked instead.

"I was looking for you. I wanted to see if you were okay after Seamus was such an insensitive prick. Although, your reaction was worth it."

Harry elbowed Dean in the ribs, "It's not funny!"

Dean laughed, "You didn't see Seamus's face after you stormed out."

Sunday was spent 'touring the school' as Blaise put it. For this, Draco had dressed Harry in one of his own tight-fitting turtleneck sweaters. In the morning, whispers were following Harry through the halls and Ginny reported that the hottest rumour was that Harry had been hit with a bloating hex. By lunch, people were doubling back in the halls just to pass Harry again, and the gossip went that Harry had a horrible tumour.

It was only as evening fell that one of the Ravenclaws, after having spoken with a Gryffindor that had been present in the common room the afternoon before, struck upon the truth. The latest theory spread like wildfire through the school, and as Harry and his friends made their way to the Great Hall for dinner, it seemed like every student in the school had contrived to coincidently be somewhere along their route.

Harry wished they'd all stop staring at him and his exposed gravid form, but he knew this was just a foretaste of what it would be like once the rumour was confirmed. Harry sighed as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione whispered, "Someone's bound to get up the courage to ask soon."

"Oh yeah, and like that'll be the end of it," Harry snapped. Hermione shot him a slightly wounded look and Harry sighed again, "I'm sorry, Hermione. It's just…"

"Don't worry about it," Hermione shrugged off his apology. She reached for a bowl of spinach that had appeared on the table and raised her voice, "Here, Harry, have some spinach."

Harry grimaced and pushed the bowl away from him, "No, I –"

Hermione glared at him, "Harry James Potter, you will eat the spinach. It has lots of iron in it and Madam Pomfery says that you need it. And so does your b–"

"Fine!" Harry snatched the bowl from her, "I'll the damn spinach." Harry turned back to his plate to find it full of red meat and green vegetables. Blaise smiled innocently at him from his other side. Harry sighed and served himself a portion of spinach. He scowled across the table at Draco.

"This is all your fault, you know," he accused.

"Mine?" Draco looked genuinely surprised.

"Yes," Harry muttered reaching for the Worcestershire sauce and honey pot, "It's your plan. And now Hermione and Blaise think they have free rein to bully me into eating what they want."

Draco smirked, "They were doing that anyway. And besides, you are the one that wanted to tell everyone."

Harry sniffed, "That's utterly beside the point."

Finally, as desserts replaced the remains of dinner on the table, Colin Creevey finally got up the courage to ask Harry the question that everybody dearly wanted know the answer to.

"Hey Harry," he said, leaning forward to talk around Ginny, Ron and Blaise, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Harry asked pouring Worcestershire sauce over his chocolate icecream.

"The rumours. Is it true what they say?"

"And what do the rumours say? Harry can hardly tell you if it's true if he doesn't know what you're talking about!" Blaise snapped.

Ginny bristled in her friend's defense, "Of course Harry knows what Colin means, Zabini."

Blaise examined her nails minutely, "You really need to figure out when someone's not talking to you, Blue."

Ron slapped his hand over Ginny's mouth before she could retort. "Stop it you two. Colin was trying to talk to Har-REE." Ron yelped when Ginny bit his palm. He ripped his hand away and rubbed it on his leg, "Blaise is right. You can be vicious sometimes, Gin."

"Oh sure," Ginny muttered, folding her arms over her chest, "Take her side."

"Er, right," said Colin, "Anyway. Harry, Dennis said that you and Gin and Hermione were talking about Naming Ceremonies yesterday, and today people have been saying that you're… well, pregnant. Is that even possible?"

Harry addressed himself to his bowl of icecream, "What makes 'em think I'm pregnant?"

Colin fidgeted, "Well, you've been going around all weekend talking about baby things and then there's the fact that you've suddenly…"

Harry looked up sharply and narrowed his eyes at Colin, "Yes? I've suddenly?"

Oblivious to his danger, Colin gestured towards Harry's midsection, "You've suddenly gotten f–"

"Don't say it!" Ron and Ginny implored in unison.

Colin jumped, startled by the siblings' entreaty.

"I'm not fat!" Harry half-shouted, thumping the table and making the crockery jump. "I'm just pregnant," He continued in a more normal tone.

Colin's eyes bugged out of his head. "So it's true?" he squeaked loudly, "You really are PREGNANT?"

The last word was shouted and Harry winced as everybody in the Hall turned to stare first at Colin, and then at Harry.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. Do you have a problem with that? " Harry said, his voice carrying clearly in the utter silence of the Hall.

There was a heavy scrape from the front of the hall. Heads snapped around to see Dumbledore standing and raising his mug.

"Let me be the first, Harry, to congratulate you on your impending… er, fatherhood."

Harry smiled gratefully at the headmaster and Dumbledore winked at him. Then, like a wave breaking, the silence shattered and voices surged through the room. But Harry was still watching the head table. Professor McGonagall raised her glass to Harry as well. Down the table from her, Professor Flitwick was beaming proudly and telling anybody that would listen that he had known for months. Professor Sprout was comforting Hagrid, who had succumbed to happy tears again; Harry smiled brightly at him, and the half-giant beamed wetly back at him.

Madam Pomfery, who had the misfortune to be sitting next to Professor Trelawney on one of her rare ventures from the North Tower, was rolling her eyes as the Divination Professor declared that she had naturally known all along, but was worried for the child's health. The other professors were just as bewildered and loud as their students; wanting to know who had known and why they hadn't been told.

Except, of course, Professor Snape. The Potions' Master looked thoroughly disgusted with the entire situation. He met Harry's eye and sneered before throwing down his napkin and storming out of the hall. A hand landed on Harry's shoulder, pulling his attention from the empty doorway. He twisted around to see Dumbledore standing beside him.

The headmaster bent down and spoke in Harry's ear, "I shouldn't worry about Severus, Harry. Doubtless he's simply concerned about protecting you and your child from Voldemort now that you've chosen to let it be known that you are pregnant." Dumbledore squeezed Harry's shoulder comfortingly before he stood up again, "Now, shall we? I'm sure you don't want to stay here and be swamped by your classmates."

Harry nodded and stood up, frowning. Why should he be concerned over Snape's reaction? The greasy git had no say in anything when it came to his child. Harry rested a hand on his swollen belly and turned, still frowning, to follow Professor Dumbledore from the hall.

A/N: *glosses over the fact that Colin is muggleborn and probably knows nothing about Naming Ceremonies* It wouldn't have worked the way I wanted it to if I had to qualify Colin's knowledge, or use someone else. Sorry for my slip.