A/N : Story is MPreg, but not slash. Contains spoilers for GoF and is AU from the end of GoF on. I own nothing but the plot. Anything you might recognize most likely belongs to JKR. Now, on with the story :D
Harry felt oddly content as he made his way back up to the Gryffindor dorms. He was to meet with Professor Dumbledore and Dobby in the entrance hall after he had seen his friends off for the summer. Dobby, of course, was ecstatic that he was going to spend the summer looking after his favorite wizard. He was still a little worried about the reaction of the Dursleys though, despite Professor Dumbledore's reassurances. The rest of his afternoon was spent packing his things into his trunk and just spending time with Ron and Hermione before they had to part ways for most of the summer.
"Hey Harry?" Ron said, as they sat folding clothes on their beds. Harry looked up. "Do you think Dumbledore will still let you come to the Burrow for the end of summer?" Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know." He looked down at the jumper in his hand. It was the one Mrs. Weasley had made for him the previous Christmas. He looked back up at Ron. "I hope so. I don't want to have to spend the entire summer with the Dursleys." He made a disgusted face at the thought. "They're going to be awful this year. I just know it." He sighed. "I'll ask the professor tomorrow and I'll send Hedwig to let you know what he says." Ron nodded.
"I'll keep my fingers crossed." He said with a smile at Harry. They packed for a while in silence until Hermione knocked on the door and entered.
"Harry, Madame Pomfrey sent me up for you. She says she got the machine from St. Mungos?" She looked at him quizzically. Harry smiled.
"It's an ultrasound machine. She said she wants to get a good look at the baby before I go home." Hermione nodded. Harry noticed that she seemed to have a longing look in her eye. "Do you want to come along?" He asked her and Ron. "If she decides I need to undress or something equally embarrassing, you can just leave." She grinned from ear to ear.
"We'd love to. Are you sure she won't mind?" She asked as the trio started out for the hospital wing. Harry shook his head.
"I doubt it. She seemed glad that I had already told you what was going on. I think it'll be alright." He looked at Hermione who was smiling so brightly it was contagious. He smiled too. "Its going to be strange actually seeing the baby. I wonder what it looks like right now." Hermione looked to be thinking.
"It depends on how far along it is." She looked at Harry. "Did Madame Pomfrey tell you how many weeks it is?" Harry shook his head. "But you heard the heartbeat, right?" He nodded. "Well, the heart beat isn't usually audible until around nine weeks I think. So it should be at least that far along. You'll be surprised by how much it looks just like a little person." They had arrived at the hospital wing and Ron pushed open the door for them to enter. Madame Pomfrey was no where to be seen.
"Madame Pomfrey?" Harry called as they proceeded into the main room. The matron's head appeared from around the doorway to the private room that Harry's exam had been in.
"Back here dear." She said. The trio entered the room and she smiled at Harry. He gestured to Ron and Hermione.
"Is it alright if Ron and Hermione are here? If you need to do an exam or anything again they can leave. Hermione just seemed really interested when I told her about the ultrasound." Madame Pomfrey ushered them further into the room.
"No, no, that's quite alright. As long as you don't mind them seeing your bare stomach." Harry just grinned and shook his head. "Well, then, let's get started, shall we?" She steered Harry toward the bed. "Just lie down for me dear and bare your mid-drift please." Harry unbuttoned his shirt and laid down as Madame Pomfrey pushed a small cart to the side of the bed. She turned and looked at Harry. "Can you lower the waist band on your trousers a bit as well please?" Harry nodded and proceeded to take off his belt and push the too large waistband down to his hips. He didn't even need to unbutton them. Madame Pomfrey pointed to the other side of Harry's bed. "Ron, Hermione, you two can stand on that side of Harry. You'll be out of my way, but you'll still have a good view of the monitor." They hastily obeyed. When she reached his side Hermione took Harry's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He didn't let go when she released the pressure. In truth, he was feeling a little nervous.
Madame Pomfrey pulled a small bottle from it's holder in the cart and squirted a bit of cold gel onto Harry's abdomen; right below his navel. He gasped in a breath and Madame Pomfrey chuckled.
"I suppose we could put a warming charm on that." Harry nodded.
"It is a bit cold. A warning at least would be nice." She chuckled again as she retrieve the transducer and began to use it to smear the gel around on his stomach. She reached up with her free hand and turned the machine on.
"How does that thing work with out electricity?" Hermione asked. Madame Pomfrey glanced up at her. "It's a muggle device. I've seen one in my dad's dental office." Madame Pomfrey smiled.
"I'm sure you have, dear. But, not one quite like this. It uses batteries for power, we couldn't by pass that unfortunately, but otherwise, it has been greatly enhanced by the medi-witches and wizards at St. Mungos. This one will give us a much clearer view of the fetus than a regular machine would." She pointed to the screen on the monitor. All they could see at the moment was a blur of color as she searched for the right angle to get a view of the baby. She seemed to find what she was looking for.
"Ah, there we are." She said as she steadied the transducer and pressed a few buttons on the control panel. Suddenly there before them, was a crystal clear color image of the baby. Harry reached a hand up and touched the image on the monitor and then looked down at his stomach.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione breathed. Every detail of the baby was perfectly clear. It had little fingers on its hands and toes on its feet. Dainty little ears stuck out from the sides of its head. As they watched the baby kicked and squirmed a bit and then settled. Harry just stared, transfixed by the image. Hermione looked up at Madame Pomfrey.
"How far along is the baby? Harry said he didn't know." Madame Pomfrey looked down at Harry in surprise.
"Didn't I tell you?" Harry shook his head, not quite trusting his voice at the moment. She smiled down at him. "Twelve weeks. The baby is due January 11th, give or take a few days either way." Harry opened his mouth to ask her a question, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again, his gaze back on the monitor.
"Can you tell what it is?" He asked. "Cho kept saying 'her'." He looked up at Madame Pomfrey. "Can you tell if it's a girl?" Madame Pomfrey shook her head.
"Not yet. It's too soon. We won't be able to tell the gender until about the sixteenth week at the earliest." Harry frowned. "Some women know before that though. Mother's intuition I suppose." She smiled at the image on the screen. "If Cho believed it was a girl, then, there's a good chance it will be." Harry touched his hand to the screen again.
"She's amazing." He said quietly. Madame Pomfrey nodded in agreement.
"That she is, Harry." She began to move the transducer around and started pushing buttons on the control panel. It looked to Harry like she was taking measurements of the baby's limbs and head. She eventually pulled the transducer away from his stomach and cleaned it off before handing Harry a wet cloth to wipe the gel off of his stomach. "We won't be giving you anymore ultrasounds until the new school term starts. Given the nature of the machine and the spells on it, this thing can't be shrunken for traveling." She said as she packed away the equipment. Harry sat up as he buttoned his shirt. "Everything looks fine. The baby is developing nicely. Right on schedule. The heart beat is good and strong." Harry nodded and she looked at him. "Have you read the papers I gave you yet?"
"Not yet." He said as finished straightening his clothes. "I haven't had the chance. I'll have plenty of time after I get home." Madame Pomfrey nodded at him.
"Well, you just make sure you get enough to eat and you take it easy. I don't want any emergency calls because you've over exerted yourself." Harry stood from the bed.
"I will, I promise." He glanced back at the machine and rested his hand against his stomach. "Trust me, after what I just saw; I don't want anything to happen to her." Madame Pomfrey motioned for him to sit back down.
"You're not finished yet Mr. Potter. I still need to draw some blood to check your hormone levels." Harry flinched and grimaced. Ron turned completely white.
"I'm out of here with that." He turned to Harry. "Sorry Mate, but I can't stand the sight of blood. I'll wait outside." Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation and Harry just grinned at his friend's retreating form as he sat back down. He turned his head away when Madame Pomfrey took his hand in hers, but instead of sticking his arm as he expected she sliced his finger tip with a small sharp knife. He gasped at the quick pain and turned back to watch what she was doing. She kept squeezing the tip of his finger, letting the blood fill a small glass phial. When she deemed she had enough, she cast a quick healing charm on his finger and capped the phial.
"That's it?" Harry asked. She turned from labeling the sample and gave him a knowing smile. She nodded to him.
"That's it. No needles. With magical testing methods we only need a small blood sample. A knick on the finger suffices." Harry smiled.
"I love magic." He said as he studied the tip of his finger. She chuckled at him. Harry lowered his hand and looked back at the medi-witch. "Professor Dumbledore says we'll be using a portkey to get to my Aunt and Uncle's house. That's not going to hurt the baby is it?" She shook her head.
"No, not at all. In fact, other than train, it's one of the safest ways to travel while pregnant if you're going with someone who's experienced. Aparating is not an option. There's a big danger of leaving the baby behind. Broom is out because of the chance of a fall and flooing is discouraged for the same reason." Harry nodded.
"I always have a bad landing when I use the floo network. I've never once managed to land on my feet." Madame Pomfrey patted his shoulder.
"Well, I'll think you'll be safe enough portkeying with Professor Dumbledore. He's had many years of practice." She walked over to the door and opened it. "It's safe now Mr. Weasley. No blood in sight." He peered cautiously around the door way before going in. "I believe that will be all I need from you today Harry. I'll be by to see you at your Aunt's house next week sometime. If you have any questions before then, just send an owl." She turned a serious look to Harry. "If you start to experience any cramping or bleeding you send Dobby for me immediately, is that understood?" Harry nodded. "That's alright then. Why don't you three head back to your dorms then. Finish your packing. The leaving feast will be starting in an hour or so. You don't want to miss that.
At the feast later that evening, Harry noticed that the Ravenclaw table seemed rather subdued. When Professor Dumbledore announced the news of Cho's death and Peter Pettigrew's capture shortly there after he knew why. At least his name was left out of it. For that he was grateful. He wouldn't have been able to bear every one staring at him. When he glanced at Cho's group of close friends though, he realized it would be common knowledge before too long. They were all looking at him. Of course she would have told her friends where she was going that afternoon. They would realize he was involved somehow. He heaved a sigh and went back to his dinner. As soon as the feast was ended Harry hurried back up to Gryffindor tower. He didn't want to give anyone a chance to question him. He and Ron spent the rest of the evening finishing their packing and went to bed early.
When Harry woke the next morning all of his dorm mates were already up and out of the room. He was grateful for that when he sat up and immediately felt the nausea return full force. He jumped up from his bead and ran to the bathroom. He got to the stall just in time. His eyes watered as he retched, the nausea worse than it had been the day before. He was vaguely aware of a water tap squeaking and water running, but had no control over his stomach and continued to be sick. He jumped slightly when he felt a cool wet cloth being placed on the back of his neck and a hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.
"Shhhh, it's alright Harry." It was Ron. "Just try to catch your breath." Harry rested his sweaty forehead on his arms over the toilet bowl and tried to even out his breathing. Ron continued to rub his back and flipped the cloth over so that the cool side was against Harry's neck. It seemed to help and eventually he was able to sit back from the bowl against the wall of the stall. He looked at his friend as he took the cloth from his neck to wipe his face off.
"This sucks." He said in a gravelly voice. Ron chuckled and shook his head at Harry. He stood and offered his hand.
"Better you than me mate." Harry resisted the urge to give him a rather rude hand gesture and instead took Ron's hand to pull himself up, moving slowly. He didn't want to set off his stomach again. He flushed the toilet and walked out to the row of sinks to rinse his mouth. He made his way back into the dorm room and sat on the edge of his bed, looking up as Ron came back up from the common room with a plate of soda crackers. "Hermione says these should help. She says just to nibble on them." Harry eyed the plate warily and took one of the crackers, hesitantly taking a small bite from it. When his stomach didn't show any signs of rebelling, he slowly finished the cracker. By the time he had emptied the small plate he felt much better.
"Thanks for helping me earlier." He said to Ron as they got dressed and finished their packing. "And remind me to thank Hermione for those crackers. They seemed to do the trick. I feel much better." Ron laughed.
"I think she's been reading. She spouted off a couple of remedies this morning when I told her you were sick." Harry grinned.
"Well, I'm glad she's been reading. Otherwise I'd probably still be in there." He said as he motioned to the bathroom. Ron grinned back as he closed his trunk and surveyed the room.
"Well, I think that's everything. I guess we should get down stairs if you wanna get the chance to say good bye to everyone." Harry closed his trunk with a thump and sat on the top of it.
"Yeah." He said dejectedly. "I wish I could ride the train with everyone else." Ron gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. "Well, No sense pouting I guess." Harry said as he stood and they headed for the door. The common room was packed with students, trunks, and animal cages. Hermione spotted the boys as they came down the stairs and headed over to them.
"Hey Harry, Feel better?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"Much. Thank you for sending up those crackers. They really helped." He looked around the room. "How soon do you guys have to leave?" He asked. Hermione glanced at the watch on her wrist.
"The carriages will be leaving in about 20 minutes." She looked at Harry and before he even realized what was going on he was in her tight embrace. "You take care of yourself this summer Harry." She said in a wavering voice. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You let Dobby help like he's supposed to, and write if you need anything. Or you can call if your relatives will let you." He nodded to her.
"I will. I promise Hermione. I'm taking it easy this summer. And Dobby will be able to fetch Madame Pomfrey if there are any problems. I'll be alright." She nodded and he drew her in for another quick hug. Fred, George, and Ginny all made their way over to the group and bid their goodbyes.
"I hope we get to see you this summer Harry." George said in a hearty voice. Fred joined in.
"Yeah, I hope so too Harry. But in the mean time, here." He gave Harry a hand full of sweets. "Give the muggles hell for us." Harry grinned as he pocketed the sweets. Ginny immediately held her hand out to him.
"He'll do no such thing." She said as she motioned for him to hand the candies over. "He's going to have a hard enough time with his relatives with out you two making it worse." He grudgingly handed them over, thinking she was probably right. His relatives had never forgiven him for Dudley's tail and he was sure to hear about the Ton Tongue Toffee incident when he got home. Ginny shoved the candies back at her brother and then surprised Harry by giving him a hug. "You take care this summer Harry." She said. "Both of you." She added quietly. He nodded to her as she pulled away.
"I will." She nodded back and went to get her things, the others following. Hermione looked at Harry when he didn't start collecting his belongings.
"Aren't you coming Harry." He shook his head and looked down at the floor. Hermione laid a gentle hand on his arm. "What's wrong Harry?" He looked back up at the group.
"We can just say our goodbyes here." He said. "I don't want to go down stairs until every one has left. Cho's friends know I was with her on Saturday. I'm sure they haven't kept quiet about it either. I don't want every one staring at me and trying to ask questions." Every one nodded seeming to understand. As the common room emptied out they all said their goodbyes to one another and Harry watched sadly as one by one his friends left. He walked over to Hedwig who was hooting softly in her cage. "It'll be alright Hedwig." He said; more to reassure himself than the bird. His stuck his finger through the bars of the cage to pet her and she gave him an affectionate nip. He smiled at her. "I love you too Girl." Just as he stood up from her cage Dobby popped in beside him, making him jump. "Jeez! Dobby! Don't do that! You scared the living daylights out of me." He said; his hand over his heart. He immediately regretted his outburst when Dobby started right into apologizing and naming various punishments he would give himself.
"Dobby. Dobby!" Harry said trying to get the elf's attention. Dobby eventually quieted and looked up at Harry. Harry smiled at him and shook his head. "You didn't really do anything wrong Dobby. You just startled me, that's all." He stooped down so he was on Dobby's level. "I don't want to here any more of this rubbish about punishing yourself alright?" Dobby nodded to him.
"Yes, Dobby understands Harry Potter, sir." He smiled up at Harry. "The headmaster has sent Dobby to tell Harry Potter that it is time to be leaving. Dobby is supposed to help with Harry Potter's things." He snapped his fingers and Harry's trunk immediately shrunk to pocket size. Harry quickly snatched up Hedwig's cage before it to could be shrunk.
"I'll carry Hedwig. She's not heavy." Dobby nodded and handed Harry his miniaturized trunk. Harry stuck it in his pocket and gave the common room one last fond glance before they headed out to meet with the headmaster. As they entered the entrance hall its large wooden doors were open. Harry could just see the last of the carriages disappearing down the road to Hogsmead and looked longingly after them.
"Alright Harry?" The headmaster asked. Harry nodded dejectedly.
"Yes sir. It's just...I miss them already. I have a feeling its going to be a long summer." He looked up at the headmaster as they walked down the steps to the broad drive below. "Professor? Will I still be able to go to the Borrow for the end of summer this year?" The young man asked hopefully. Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"I believe that can be arranged Harry. I'd still like Dobby to stay with you for extra protection though. I'll speak to Molly and Author about it. Alright?" Harry nodded as the older wizard pulled an old tattered quill from one of his pockets. "It's time to go Harry. This quill is our portkey. You know what to do, I believe? Dobby?" Harry nodded as he stepped forward and grasped the tip of the quill between his fingers, feeling very apprehensive. His last portkey trip hadn't turned out so great. He felt Dobby wrap his skinny little arms around his left leg just before he felt that sudden jerk behind his navel that signified their departure. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to panic as he fought flashbacks of Cedric's death and the resurrection of Voldermort. Although it seemed like hours to Harry it was only seconds before he felt the jolt of solid ground under his feet again. He went to his knees as he tried to catch his breath and clear his mind. His eyes popped open as he suddenly realized that portkeys and pregnancy don't mix very well, despite Madame Pomfrey's assurances that it was safe. He glanced quickly at his surroundings and from the cats scattering in all directions correctly assumed that they had portkeyed to Arabella Figg's house. Thank God he knew where the bathroom was. Harry picked himself up from the floor and dashed for the bathroom as his stomach reacted violently to their trip.
Professor Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg were waiting when he finally emerged from the bathroom, pale and a little shaky. He gave them a half-hearted smile and rubbed his rebellious stomach.
"I guess the baby likes portkeys about as much as I do." Professor Dumbledore chuckled and directed Harry down the stairs, Mrs. Figg following in her tatty slippers and curlers. The Headmaster stopped before they headed out side. With a wave of his wand his robes were transfigured into a fairly normal muggle suit. He turned and addressed Mrs. Figg.
"Arabella, many thanks for allowing us to use your home." He said as he gallantly took up her hand and kissed it. She giggled like a school girl and shooed him out the door. Harry followed with a mumbled thanks. As they walked the short distance to the Dursley's Harry felt his dread increasing with every step. They were half way there when Harry realized that Dobby was missing. He stopped and looked around.
"Professor!" He called. Professor Dumbledore stopped and looked at Harry waiting for him to catch up. "Where's Dobby?" Harry asked when he pulled up even with the professor.
"Dobby will be waiting for you in your room at the Dursley's. I sent him on ahead while you were in the bathroom. He couldn't very well walk with us. I believe some of your neighbors might have gossiped. Harry grinned wryly.
"They'll gossip anyway." He said. They walk in silence for a few second more before Professor Dumbledore spoke again.
"I sent a message to your family through muggle mail that we would be arriving this morning." He said as they approached the front walk of the Dursley home. Harry's stomach started to roll slightly as they reached the door. It was thrown open by his Uncle Vernon before they could even ring the bell.
"Hurry up and get in here, before the neighbors see you!" He snarled at them. Professor Dumbledore stepped back slightly to allow Harry to enter before him, and then proceeded to enter slowly himself before Vernon slammed the door closed. Had the Professor still been wearing his robes, they probably would have been caught in the door. "Petunia! They're here!" He bellowed. Aunt Petunia entered from the kitchen and they all went into the living room. Harry stood himself behind the chair that the Professor had sat in. Uncle Vernon glared at the both of them. "Well, get on with it." He prompted. "Why didn't the boy take the train as usual?" Professor Dumbledore fastened a hard look on Uncle Vernon.
"Harry," he said, putting emphasis on the name. "Has had a difficult year at school. Some things have happened that you needed to be made aware of." Uncle Vernon turned his glare on Harry.
"What did you do now Boy? You better not have gotten yourself expelled!" Professor Dumbledore raised his hand when Harry opened his mouth to reply to his uncle.
"Firstly, his name is not 'Boy'. It is Harry. Secondly, he has done nothing wrong." The professor said. "There were a number of attacks on the school this year. Incidents that could not have been foreseen. Some of Harry's friends and classmates were lost in these attacks." Aunt Petunia looked afraid. "Voldemort has returned and has grown bold. We will be spending the summer strengthening the protection wards around the school. As you know Harry is safest here." He paused in his speech. "Due to something that happened after one of the attacks, Harry's health is precarious right now. So his safety is of utmost importance." Uncle Vernon turned a baleful glare on Harry and Aunt Petunia looked to want to get as far from him as possible.
"He better not be bringing some contagious freak illness into this house!" Uncle Vernon hissed. "I'll not have my family exposed to some weird disease!" He looked back at Professor Dumbledore. "If that's the case you can get him out of here right now!" Professor Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"He is not contagious." He said in an exasperated tone. "One of his classmates, a young girl named Cho, was gravely injured in the last attack. Her fiancé had been killed in a previous attack a few days earlier. Harry was with the girl when the attack happened, but she passed away before he was able to get help for her. She was pregnant and, desperate to save her baby's life; she transferred the fetus into the closest available person, which happened to be your nephew." Aunt Petunia looked gob smacked and Uncle Vernon seemed unable to speak as they both stared at Harry.
"You mean he's up the duff!" Came Dudley's incredulous voice from the doorway. He had apparently come downstairs with out anyone hearing. An amazing feat given his size. Professor Dumbledore looked at Dudley with disdain.
"What a lovely, civilized phrase." He said in annoyance. "But, yes. Harry is pregnant. And as I said before, his health is precarious right now." Harry was waiting. It was now time for the Dursleys to find out that he had told on them. "We, at Hogwarts, have always monitored Harry's situation while he is in your care. We are aware of the treatment he normally receives here. We never said anything to Harry about it before because he seemed to prefer to keep quiet on the subject. But we can keep quiet no longer. Harry is not to exert himself this summer. No heavy work in the gardens or clearing out attics or anything of that sort. He needs rest and he needs a well balanced diet. If he is mistreated it may very well result in a miscarriage and if that happens, I assure you, there will be Hell to pay." He said. Uncle Vernon was livid. His face a dark reddish purple in his anger.
"How dare you! How dare you come into my home and threaten me! That boy has always received the treatment he deserves, freak that he is." He bellowed. A deadly quiet settled on the room as Professor Dumbledore fixed a baleful glare on uncle Vernon. He stood up and seemed to fill the room as he did so. Even Harry was a bit frightened of the imposing figure he presented. Aunt Petunia let out a squeak of fear and Dudley hurried to her side with a whimpered 'mummy'. Uncle Vernon cringed back in his seat as Professor Dumbledore leaned closer to him.
"Harry is a very brave boy who has endured much in his short life. He deserves nothing less than to be treated with kindness and to be loved. I realize that love is far too much to expect from people such as yourselves and asking for kindness is even a bit much to expect, but, he will be treated with civility form this day forward." Dumbledore said in a quiet voice. His eyes were like ice as he stared at Uncle Vernon who had grown pale and even seemed to be shaking slightly. "Do I make myself clear Dursley?" Uncle Vernon's mouth opened and closed a few times as he struggled to produce sound.
"Perfectly." He finally managed to croak out. Professor Dumbledore turned to look at Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Aunt Petunia squeaked once again.
"And you?" The Headmaster asked. "Is it clear to the two of you as well?" Dudley nodded furiously and Aunt Petunia quickly followed suit. The Professor looked at Harry who was grinning form ear to ear while blinking back wetness from the things the Professor had said about him. "Splendid." He said as the twinkle returned to his eyes and warmth seemed to seep back into the room. "Well" He said as he resumed his seat. "Perhaps some tea while we discuss Harry's care for the summer then?" He looked at Aunt Petunia.
"I'll get it.!" She said in a strangled voice as she fled the room. As Harry took a seat on the sofa he smiled. This was a day he never wanted to forget.