39) From one Mess to the Other


The nurse had acted immediately. Since the healers from St. Mungos had the situation pretty much under control, but the infirmary was full, they went to 'their room', which had changed slightly to also harbour some medical equipment. Poppy seemed satisfied with it anyway.

The birth itself was not an easy one. Daphne was in pain and the cramps came quickly and with a rapidly increasing frequency, so that Poppy estimated it would be a short mess.

Harry had held her hand throughout the whole process until he was shoved aside by some other healers who tried to stabilize his girlfriend.

She made it, if barely.

Afterward there seemed to be a rift between them he had never thought possible. The silence was uncomfortable, while she went to sleep without ever holding her baby.

The baby did not scream. Harry had worried at first, but Poppy quickly reassured him his son was alright. So he had a son…

A healer came back in and carried his child, cleaned up and wrapped in a light blue blanket. Harry carefully took him and peeked into the folds of the bundle.

It was… tiny, so frail and cute and wonderful and… made good use of its lungs. Daphne growled from her bed and turned at him with an tired, angry face.

"What?" he asked and tried to calm his son, who whimpered unhappily.

"Can't you shut it up?" she snapped and he flinched.

"No, and he's probably hungry. Maybe you should let him drink?" he tried and Daphne frowned.

"Fine," she sat up against the headboard. He tried to help her, but she told him to leave her alone and he stepped back. Edgily she held out her arms to take him and he settled the baby in her arms. His bad feeling intensified, when she regarded the child with cold eyes. When she lifted him to her breast, he started to suck immediately and she huffed.

He swallowed and looked at her and she looked back, her face hurt.

"I don't want it," she suddenly blurted out.

"Excuse me?" he asked bewildered.

"There is something off with it, I can feel it!" She proclaimed unhappily. "This child is evil!"

"Don't be silly," he tried, but the joke died on his lips when she abruptly handed him his son back.

"I can't hold him!"

"What are you on about? This is ridiculous!" He yelled at her and the baby began to cry again. "Are you completely mad?"

"I'm sorry-"

"Sorry? SORRY? Just a few hours ago I thought everything would finally be fine and now you tell me my chid is-"

"Possessed! I know it, I feel it!", she screamed.

"That's hardly possible," he said coolly.

"Still…"

"If you did not want him from the beginning, why didn't you say so? Was all this a joke?" He yelled at her and Madam Pomfrey, who had just entered the room, looked at them angrily.

"Would you two stop yelling? This is completely unbecoming!",the nurse admonished them sternly.

"I CERTAINLY won't raise that bastard! He's evil, I can feel it. Get it AWAY from me!" she repeated herself and Pomfrey shook her head sadly. They stared at each other silently.

"Fine!" Harry spat eventually. "You'll know where to find us should you change your mind!" He walked toward the door, before turning back again. "BUT – if you decide you might want to know your son after all in some years… you can FORGET IT! Bitch!" He cradled his son closer to him and exited the room that was so full of negative energy it was probably close to imploding. Storming down the corridor he had barely missed Pomfrey's yelling behind him.

"Yes?" He stopped and looked at the nurse.

"It is not my butterbeer what just transpired in there, but I wanted to give you some advice and also practical help, before you rush off like that," the nurse gasped, out of breath.

"That'd be good, I suppose," Harry admitted. He had let his temper get the better of him again.

"Some, especially young, mothers in circumstances like these feel overpowered with the idea of having a child. She might reconsider once she calmed down. Don't do anything rash now, please. For the good of your child."

"Yes, madam," he replied seriously.

"And secondly I wanted to give you a kind-of starter kit for childcare. I know you have already prepared yourself, but there are some more books with every-day advice and the like, as well as self-cleaning diapers, baby-powder, a bottle – I included some milk from Miss Greengrass. A house-elf will bring suitable food to you as long as you reside on Hogwarts grounds. After the end of term you'll need to make your own arrangements. Your son will need sleep for now and I'll come by your dorm before dinner. Generally, if you still have any questions, please come by my office anytime," she sighed and he nodded, before going back to Gryffindor.

Only now he grew aware of the implications of his rather hasty leave. Carefully adjusting his child in his arms, he took the shortest way up to the dorm. It was already late afternoon and everybody was busy somewhere, so nobody paid him attention or the bundle in his arms.

Once back in his dorm, he placed his son in the middle of his bed and carefully covered him with the edge of his comforter. In the bag Poppy had given him he found some overalls in pastel colours. Selecting a light green one with snitches on it he figured out how to put it on his son best and eventually had him changed. He woke up, but at least didn't scream. Harry carefully looked at his son for the very first time.

All ten fingers and toes where there, he had already counted while changing him. His skin was very fair and blotchy-red. Black hairs were already sprouting on his head and promised to be as untameable as Harry's one day. His eyes were a deep, emerald green and sparkled like tiny jewels.

And he needed a name. On that he needed to talk to Daphne about, since they had not yet made a final decision, still not knowing whether it would be a boy or girl.

But they had made a list: where had he left it again?

Too tired to search he cuddled up next to his son (HIS SON!) and immediately fell asleep.


Suprise, suprise - and nobody likes it. But then Daphne wasn't exactely that great before either... or was she? Whaddaya think? R&R!