A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews. I loved them. For those who thought they might have not read correctly, yes, Harry's baby is a GIRL! grin So now go on and read how she is doing....

Chapter 6: Cornered

Severus Snape stared at the point where the headmaster had disappeared only seconds before with unseeing eyes. No. Not again. Would it never end? He was so sick of seeing Harry like this. He had witnessed it too often during the last months. Often it had been him, who had brought Harry back from the battlefield. Rare enough that the youth had been conscious. Not that others had ended up better. It just had hurt more to see Harry like this.

Where the hell had that come from? I thought it had been that damn night, that had changed everything. That damn night the brat had gotten under his skin. Obviously not. When had it started? The moment the Potter boy had begun to be 'Harry'? The moment he had realized how sad this youth was, how lonely? Or had it been the moment when he had looked at him, his eyes so empty, it had made his skin crawl, emotionlessly stating, "I will not survive this, Severus. I know I won't. But it's ok. I never expected it to be different. I was living on borrowed time. I should have been dead for years now. I only hope I can take him with me. Then at least, no one will have to die any more because of me."

Someone poked Severus' ribs while trying to get out of the stadium. Coming back to the present, he looked around, confused. The Potions Master had not noticed that the game had ended. The Slytherin seeker had caught the snitch. Snape did not care. All he could think of was to get to the infirmary as fast as possible. How ironic, that it was his favorite sport that had brought him there, after giving it up. With a low growl Snape headed for the entrance. He had to know how Harry was doing..

ooOoo

"This is not the right time, Albus" Madame Pomfrey snapped and rushed past the older wizard to grab some potions. Her expression was stern. Then she returned to Harry's side and cast a spell on him, one the headmaster did not recognize. Not a good sign.

"Please Poppy, I have to know. It is important. If he is pregnant – of which I am almost certain – then you need to tell me who the other father is, so I can go and get him. I am sure he would like to know that his mate and his child are in danger."

The medi-witch turned at his words, her eyes burning with anger now. "With all due respect, headmaster, I am trying to save this wizard's life here. Besides, Harry has made himself perfectly clear that I have no permission to report to you in any way about any tests I might have run over the last months. Now, if you would leave us alone so I can take care of my patient. And please close the door behind you. Be assured, I will hex anyone who dares to step through that door without being sick."

Realizing that he would get no answers now, Albus silently left the room and shut the door as softly as possible

ooOoo

Madame Pomfrey turned to Harry once more, brushing the sweaty hair out of his face. "He is gone, dear." She told him softly, and the younger wizard sighed with relief. "Harry, I will take down the concealing charm now and have a closer look at your little one, ok?" She smiled at him reassuringly, trying desperately not to show her worries.

"You said my life is in danger." Harry whispered, feeling a tingling sensation when the charm was lifted.

"I will not lie to you, Harry." The medi-witch sighed. "You have serious damage at most of your inner organs. Your liver, your spleen, your kidneys. I have stopped the bleeding, but you are still in danger." Pointing her wand at his belly and casting another spell, her face lit up a bit. "It seems that you have a strong little baby-girl there, dear. Her magic has protected her by reflecting the enormous force that hit her, on your body. Unfortunately this action extended the radius of the damage and that is what left you in the current state."

"So she is ok?" Harry asked weakly, not wasting one thought on his own health. In his eyes shone hope.

"Yes Harry, she is fine. A little troubled maybe, but nothing serious." Poppy reassured him, after rechecking the spell she had done earlier. "But listen to me. You will have a hard time over the next day or two. You will need blood replenishing potions, as well as healing and circulation-stabilizing potions. I will not be able to give you much painkillers for the most of them are dangerous for your child."

Looking up to her, Harry nodded his understanding. "No painkillers. I don't want her to be harmed." He stated, a determined look upon his face. Poppy smiled a little, sad smile. She knew that look all to well. He was ready to fight. As if he had read her mind, the young man in the hospital bed told her, "Okay, so give me those damn potions and let's get it over with. I will survive," he hesitated a second, a painful look entered his eyes, before he closed them, "I always do."

ooOoo

"How is he, Albus?" Minerva McGonnagal was rushing towards the headmaster, followed by a very worried looking Potions Master. They were outside the hospital wing, eager to get to know how their youngest colleague was doing. A very bad feeling began to build up in Severus stomach, as he saw the expression on the older wizard's face. And then he heard the words he had hoped he would never hear again.

"He is heavily injured," Albus uttered and Severus could hear Minerva gasp beside him.

He was not prepared for the pain welling up in is chest. Or the fear. He could not lose him. Even if he never would get to touch him again, he had lived in the consolation that the younger wizard would still be around. That he would finally get to live, without the knowledge that every day Voldemort could attack and end his life. That he finally would be allowed to have his own life after all.

He could not die now. Not like this. Not of having been hit by a damn Bludger! He had survived the war for Merlin's sake. Snape knew Harry had expected to be dead by now. Killed by Voldemort. The youth had never expected to survive the final battle. Well, he barely had. The young Gryffindor had spent a fair amount of time in the infirmary, bruised, bleeding, broken. More dead than alive. But he had survived. He always had.

Albus, who seemed to sense the direction Severus' thoughts were taking put a comforting hand on the Potions Masters arm. He knew the young wizard in the infirmary meant a lot to Severus, even if he would not admit it openly. He had watched how unnatural the two of them were acting lately and had wondered if it had something to do with Harry teaching the subject Severus had wanted for so long. Now, given the fact that Harry was most certainly pregnant, Albus thought it could have been jealousy as well.

Right now, Snape looked only worried and miserable. "Poppy will fix it. You will see, he will be alright. He has survived worse. He is strong. He is a fighter. He will make it." Throwing a worried look at the closed door, Albus did not know whom he wanted to convince, the other two wizards, or himself.

ooOoo

Two hours later Harry was lying in the infirmary bed, hurting like hell. He had taken all the potions Poppy had given to him. As expected, they had all tasted horrible. And he knew he would have to take some of them again, soon.

Trying to sit up a little - but deciding against it because of the pain that multiplied instantly – Harry sighed. After all, the medi-witch had warned him what it would be like. "Poppy?" he tried to call her, but his voice would not cooperate. All he could manage was a hoarse whisper. Clearing his throat he tried again, with more success this time. Within seconds, the elderly witch was at his side.

"Oh, Harry, dear, you are awake. How do you feel?" She asked in a soft voice, brushing his unruly hair out of his face again. He looked so young and lost in this bed, his skin almost as pale as the sheets.

"It hurts. And I am thirsty." Harry answered, trying a little smile.

Poppy instantly smiled back at him and announced, "I will go and get you some juice and a light painkiller then." She disappeared behind one of the curtains, only to come back seconds later, with a glass of pumpkin juice and a vial.

Harry was grateful when she helped him sip a little of the juice, but when she put the vial to his lips, he turned his head, rejecting the potion. "No. You told me painkillers are not good for my baby. I will not take that," he stated stubbornly.

"I told you the majority of them are a danger to your child, mostly the stronger ones. But I assure you this one will not do any harm to the baby. It is a very light one. Now take it, the less you are in pain, the better she is feeling, too." She lectured, shaking his head about his behavior.

The young man looked at her suspiciously, before swallowing the potion obediently. Poppy would not lie to him. Not about something that important. He shifted a little in his bed, expecting the medi-witch to leave him alone again, but to his surprise, she took a seat at his bedside. Her expression was serious now. "Harry, I need you to allow me to talk to the headmaster. Wait…" she raised a hand when she saw that he was about to reply something. The look upon his face was a mixture between fear and anger.

"Listen, " she tried again, "Albus is already suspicious about you being pregnant. He brought you here from the stadium and when you arrived you were murmuring about your baby. He is not stupid, Harry. He knows. All I want to do is tell him the rest of it. When it was conceived and how. He has this idea of telling the other father and we need to explain why this is not possible. But I will make sure he does not tell anyone before you had a chance to talk to him. Is that acceptable?"

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes. This would be the end of the little bit of peace he had managed to gain. Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you. One moment you think everything is okay and the next moment it blows up in your face. Well, I think all good things must come to an end, Harry thought sarcastically. Then, with a defeated tone in his voice, that he could not suppress, he stated, "Go ahead. I don't have a choice now, anyways."

Poppy stood and left the room to talk to the headmaster.