Title: Philoprogenitiveness
Author: Brissygirl
Chapters: 5/?
Beta: bk7brokemybrain
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. I'm just having fun.
A/N: I hope you read the last chapter carefully, because there were lots of hints about what is going to happen in the next few chapters. This chapter continues on from where chapter 4 left off. Thanks you to remuslives23 for helping me with Teddy's dialogue. If you're reading this on my journal the best way to navigate through chapters is to use the tags for the title or the characters. Enjoy!
Chapter Summary: The family find out Harry is pregnant and one of the reasons why he collapsed is revealed.
Philoprogenitiveness
"HARRY!"
"What's wrong with him?"
"Harry!"
"Someone do something!"
Frantic shouts and screams filled the air after Harry passed out. Severus had no idea who was saying what. He'd only just managed to catch his young husband before he hit the ground.
Charlie, who was sitting on the other side of the prone form of his pregnant bond-mate, shouted, "Someone get Poppy!"
Hermione and Ron were the only ones not joining in the shouts of hysteria. Hermione calmly shook her wand down into her hand from the holster around her wrist, and cast her Patronus to summon Poppy.
Charlie kneeled down and gently took Harry from Severus' arms, as his husband said, "Take him up to our room, Charlie."
While Severus and Charlie were taking care of Harry, and Hermione was casting her Patronus, Ron had cleaned the table of Harry's vomit and started sending food back into the kitchen. When everything had calmed down, either Severus or Charlie would let Brownie know what had happened and let him deal with the food.
On any other given Sunday, any left overs were usually sent home with the families in attendance so that the food didn't go to waste. That wasn't an option this weekend.
Charlie left with Harry in his arms and before Severus could follow, Molly frantically called, "Severus, what's going on? What's wrong with Harry? Why did he faint and throw up?"
Severus sighed, steeling himself for the onslaught of questions he was about to face from the rest of the family. He then answered Molly, "Harry's pregnant. The rest of your questions I cannot answer, because I don't have any. If you'll excuse me I need to check on him."
Leaving his in-laws in stunned silence, Severus went inside. When he reached the living room, Poppy was there dusting soot from her robes. They both hurried upstairs in silence to the master bedroom.
Charlie had placed Harry on top of the bedclothes, had conjured a chair, and was sitting there stroking the young man's hair and face, while quietly pleading for Harry to wake.
"Wake up, love. Please, Harry? Please, wake up."
He didn't look up when Severus and Poppy entered the bedroom, he just kept pleading for Harry to wake up.
"Charlie, let Poppy through."
"What are we going to do Sev? He's collapsed twice in one week. That can't be good."
"You are going to get out of Poppy's way, so she can examine Harry. Then we will wait for her diagnosis and decide what to do together."
Charlie moved away from the bed and into Severus' arms, his eyes never leaving their unconscious husband.
As soon as Charlie moved, Poppy stepped forward and started running her wand over the young pregnant man. But something wasn't right. The light, colours and numbers that the diagnostic spells were showing weren't making any sense.
Nothing was wrong with Harry.
Poppy ran her tests several more times and a few others, but still got the same answer. Nothing was wrong with Harry. If nothing is wrong, then why did he lose consciousness? Poppy mused.
The silence in the room was unbearable. The longer Poppy hovered over Harry the more and more uneasy Severus and Charlie became. Severus could feel his husband becoming tenser with every passing moment. If Poppy didn't explain what was wrong soon, then Charlie would either start throwing things or storm out of the room cursing in every language he knew.
"Can you tell us why he feinted?"
"The diagnostic spells are inconclusive. I can't find anything wrong with Harry or the twins. They seem to be fine," the Matron replied.
"What do you mean they're fine? He is bloody well, unconscious!" Charlie screamed, as he pushed away from Severus.
"Charlie," Severus admonished.
"Don't you dare, Severus Snape! Don't you 'Charlie' me. I have barely been home a week after cutting my business at the reserve short, because I get a letter from you telling me Harry fell from his broom. I rushed home wanting nothing more than answers about why he fell, and I fucking get stonewalled. When you three finally decide to tell me I'm going to be a father, I get told that Harry's going to have his magic affected by the pregnancy and that he will more than likely end up with nerve damage--now this. Tell me Severus; tell me how I'm supposed to feel. How I'm suppose to react when the best Healer in the country can't work out why OUR HUSBAND threw up over everything and passed out, because I really want to fucking know!"
"What do you mean he threw up over everything and then passed out? Tell me exactly what happened?" Poppy asked at the same time that her former colleague intoned, "Have you finished yelling?
Severus was trying to stay calm. He knew this was coming and that it was only a matter of time. Charlie had every right to be angry and everything he'd just said was absolutely true. But Severus was just as concerned about Harry, he just wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs because he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere or provide any answers.
Severus approached Charlie hesitantly and pulled him into his arms again, before explaining to Poppy what had happened at brunch before Harry lost consciousness.
The two men had been upstairs for quite a while, and Hermione wanted to go and see if there was any news on Harry. She had just spent the entire time since her best friend was carried inside explaining everything she knew about his pregnancy to the rest of the family.
Between Molly's anxious and horrified gasps, her hands clutching at her throat, and Percy arguing that male pregnancies were nothing but a myth, Hermione battled to stay calm. She was worried about Harry, Severus and Charlie were both under a lot of stress already, and then to have this happen. Hermione couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on in their minds.
Everyone was waiting impatiently downstairs for news. Hermione excused herself from the gathered group and went to see if she could be of any help. Even if it was just to sit by Harry while Severus tried to calm Charlie down.
Her best friend and Charlie had been together the longest out of the three. Harry and Ginny tried dating for a while after the war, but everything that they'd seen and done during those horrible months had changed them and things between them didn't work out.
Ginny was restless and wanted to get out from behind her family's shadow, to stop being known as The Chosen One's Ex-Girlfriend. Harry, on the other hand, wanted peace. He wanted to get away from all of the fuss. After years of fighting to stay alive, and then finally managing to kill the evil son-of-a-bitch who had caused all his heartache, Harry just wanted to be left alone.
He'd never been one to seek out the limelight or enjoy having his picture splashed across every news publication in the magical world, every time he so much as stepped outside his front door.
Even though Ron and Hermione had been with Harry when they were searching for horcruxes and at the Battle of Hogwarts, as it had become known, they never had to put up with as much crap as Harry did.
In order for Harry to escape everything, Charlie offered for him to come and stay in Romania at the reserve at which he was working. Harry gratefully accepted his hospitality.
Working together on the reserve and not constantly being hounded by reporters and fans, all wanting a piece of him, Harry was able to relax and start to enjoy life for the first time. He and Charlie got closer and closer as the weeks and months passed. They had drinks at various pubs in the local villages surrounding the reserve. There were impromptu Quidditch games with their co-workers, and if Harry and Charlie were on the same team, they were un-beatable and won every game.
It was the happiest Hermione could remember seeing and hearing Harry. He was so carefree, without a worry in the world. Working as a general dogs-body at the reserve and being in love suited her best friend. The only other times that she'd seen him that happy was the day of his bonding to Severus and Charlie, and the day he found out he was going to be a father.
Hermione reached the master bedroom and momentarily hesitated just outside the door, before knocking quietly on the doorframe as she entered the room.
Severus had Charlie in his arms and both of them were asking Poppy questions. Hermione could see Harry lying on the bed and he appeared to still be unconscious.
"How is he? Do you know what happened yet?" Hermione asked no one in particular.
"Physically, Harry and the babies seem fine, but he won't wake," Poppy replied.
"We're still trying to work out why he passed out," Severus paused a moment before asking. "Hermione, you were sitting across from us. Did you notice anything different about Harry's behaviour or facial expressions before he feinted?"
Hermione pondered the question, trying to recall what had happened. She was talking to Percy about a new Ministry policy regarding magical creatures. When she'd glanced over at the three bonded men enjoying their conversations, she'd noticed that Harry looked quite pale and he seemed anxious about something if his facial expression was anything to go by.
"Umm… he seemed rather pale and he looked upset about something. The more I think about it, Harry seemed to become more distressed by the second. Was he nervous about telling the family he was pregnant?"
"No, he was looking forward to it actually."
"Severus, he was tossing and turning in his sleep last night. I wonder if that had anything to do with what's happened. Harry's nightmares never affect him that badly," said Charlie.
"That's interesting. Do either of you remember if he was talking in his sleep?" Poppy asked.
"He may have been muttering something nonsensical, but I was busy avoiding his thrashing limbs. Charlie and I both ended up downstairs on the sofa."
A small distressed whimper startled the rooms' occupants. Everyone looked towards the bed where Harry lay. Charlie manoeuvred out of Severus' embrace, rushing over to the bed, quickly followed by Severus, Hermione and Madam Pomfrey.
"Harry? Harry, wake up," Charlie pleaded, as he sat in the chair he'd vacated earlier.
A small voice came from the doorway, "Uncle Harry?" it was quickly followed by the emergence of Teddy Lupin. When he caught sight of his beloved godfather, Teddy ran over to the bed where Harry lay.
"What are you doing up here kiddo?" Charlie enquired, as he reached out and pulled Teddy onto his lap.
"I wanted to see Uncle Harry. Why is he asleep, Uncle Charlie?" asked the little boy.
"He's not sleeping, kiddo."
"Is that why Uncle Sev'rus looks so unhappy? 'Cause he's worried about Uncle Harry and the babies?"
Severus scowled, wondering how a six year old could tell Harry was pregnant. Everyone else in the room burst out laughing at the boys' casual comment. After Hermione had regained control of herself, she asked Teddy, "How did you know that Uncle Harry's pregnant?"
Teddy shrugged his narrow shoulders. "I can feel them," he said simply. "Uncle Harry has more magic than he used to."
Hermione shared an indulgent look with Poppy and Severus, before she turned back to Teddy and said, "Alright, what can you tell us about the extra magic? Can you feel any reason why Uncle Harry won't wake up?"
"I think the babies are scared."
"What do you mean the babies are scared, Teddy?" Charlie asked.
"They can feel... stuff. Like how people are feeling. It scares them."
Charlie's eyes snapped over to where Harry lay and then met Severus' steady gaze. Realisation dawned on both their faces. Was Harry powerful enough to not only fall pregnant, but to bear an empathic child as well?"
If the men were frightened before, they were petrified now. Would their beloved young bond-mate's body be able to take that much stress and strain?
With Teddy's revelation still hanging in the air, Poppy approached the bed again and started scanning Harry's prone body once more.
TBC
A/N: I hope you've all been paying attention to the hints I've been dropping. One of the reasons for Harry's collapse was revealed. What do you think the other reason is? Let me know what you think. You will find out what the other reason is next chapter. Please tell me what you think of my fic even if you just say you've read it. Thanks.
