Thanks for all the reviews - I really appreciate every single one :D! I realised that the scene breaks had disappeared, so I'm going back to fix them all now!

That evening, he pretended to be asleep when Hermione and Ron came upstairs. He didn't have it in him to talk to them right now; to tell them that the parasite really truly had ruined his life. He wasn't entirely sure what he was to do with himself now, and he didn't want Hermione butting her head in where it wasn't wanted. He just knew she'd have that gleam in her eye that said: 'I told you so…' And so it was, that Harry overheard an interesting conversation.

"So you must get it right? Harry doesn't want it. I wouldn't, in his place." Ron.

"Harry doesn't know what he's talking about!" Hermione.

"What do you mean?"

"He's obviously in denial about his true feelings, and has hidden that behind a mask of hate and indifference."

"What? No. He just doesn't want it. Simple as."

"I'm sorry, Ron, but I can't believe that Harry of all people would hate something of his own blood; that came from him. You know how he's always wanted a family."

"But he's got us!"

"Not the same though, is it? He doesn't have anyone he can call his own above all others. That's why I know this thing with the baby will pass."

"I guess…"

"Exactly. So you need to stop entertaining these notions of his."

"I suppose. Night 'Mione."

"Night Ron."

He hated how Ron always bowed to Hermione's will. He was a good friend – a great friend, but when it came to 'Mione, he was just a pushover. Much as Harry loved Hermione, he didn't want her taking away the only ally he had. Ron knew he didn't want the baby, and he had accepted that (previously), but everyone else seemed to think he was just stressed out, and when the baby came, he'd be okay again, and he'd love it, and everything would be fine. Well it wouldn't be.

"Harry, you were awake, weren't you?" Ron whispered as he climbed into his own bed.

"Yes."

"Maybe Hermione's right, though. She reads loads about this kind of stuff. And about the family thing…" Ron trailed off, not knowing how to carry on with the sentence.

"I don't care, Ron." There was silence, then Ron sighed and the sound of curtains being drawn filled the room. Harry ignored the hot tears prickling the back of his eyes. He didn't want it.

Harry was more excited today than he'd ever been in his life. It had taken a while before he'd met up with Draco in school, but it hadn't taken long for the other boy to pluck up the courage to ask him to Hogsmeade. Harry had accepted of course, and they had parted with Draco giving a peck on the cheek that had made Harry blush like there was no tomorrow. He wondered what it would be like to kiss Draco properly – he'd never done that before. Well, he had, but he tried not to think of Oliver, especially with the wedding only two months away. Harry didn't want to think of what could go wrong at the ceremony. On one hand, he wanted to ruin Oliver like he had ruined him, but on the other, he couldn't bear to hurt someone as lovely as Collette in that way. She didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

He pulled on a baggy jumper, hoping to hide the bulge. Pomfrey said that next check-up they would be able to check the sex. Harry didn't care whether it was a boy or a girl; it was still ruining his life. He'd voiced this to Pomfrey, but instead of getting angry like he'd hoped, she'd smiled and told him he'd feel differently in a while. Jacobs, who Harry no longer saw as the calming presence he had in the beginning, was still telling him to put on weight – that in fact, he'd lost fat since the beginning of his pregnancy. Harry was happy with this.

Eating like a bird had made Hermione start mother-henning him again. He'd come to the conclusion that she was jealous of him. She said he looked like a waif, and that was good enough for him. It made for an odd body in front of the mirror – sharp hipbones with the round curve of his stomach. Harry had been horrified to see stretch marks where his body had grown, and he resolved to get rid of them.

Turning sideways in front of the mirror, Harry decided that the parasite wasn't obvious unless you knew it was there. He wished that he could wear robes, but Draco never did when he didn't have to, and Harry would feel weird asking him to when they were only going to Hogsmeade. It wasn't even really cold. Or at least, it was for Harry, but then again, he was always cold. Hermione said it was his fault for being so skinny, and that made Harry smile. Skinny. He loved the word. Taking one last look at himself in the mirror, and nodding approvingly, Harry went to meet Draco in the Great Hall.

It took him longer than it would usually have done, but he had to be careful on the stairs these days. He was always losing his balance, and had nearly died not two weeks ago after falling down two sets of stairs. When told that the baby was still there, he wasn't sure whether he'd been delighted or annoyed. Annoyed, of course, he told himself, trying to shake the idea from his head. Everyone was encouraging him to think of the parasite as his child; as a part of him. He was having none of it.

He reached the Great Hall eventually and was pleased to see that Draco was already there, lounging against the Slytherin table. Harry had still had the niggling worry in the back of his mind that he'd be stood up. At least that wasn't the case. He made his way over to the other boy and stopped shyly in front him. Despite there only being a month or two's difference between them, Draco was a great deal taller, standing at about 5'11" to Harry's 5'5". It made Harry feel safe, being with someone that was taller, but not too much taller than him. Unlike Ron, who towered over him these days and was still growing.

Draco greeted him with a small kiss to the cheek and Harry blushed. Draco was such gentleman, and Harry had yet to receive anything but a kiss on the cheek from the boy. Sometimes it made him feel nervous; he wasn't sure whether Draco was actually attracted to him, but he trusted that the other wouldn't lead him on like that if that was the case. Draco gave him his arm and they began the walk to Hogsmeade, Harry grinning like never before. Why couldn't Draco have been the father of his child? Then he wouldn't have had to be ashamed of the thing and hate it. He didn't want to hate it…

The walk to Hogsmeade was leisurely, and although Draco did match his steps to Harry's so as to not leave him behind, he made fun of the fact that Harry was shorter than him, and his stride shorter.

"Sometimes I wonder how you're ever beaten at Quidditch. You have the best figure for it, don't you? Small, svelte… You need to be streamlined to get the best speeds." Harry glowed. That coming from Draco was absolutely perfect. It was the best compliment that he could possibly have been paid by the Slytherin. Harry grinned but said nothing, thinking he might come off as conceited if he spoke. Draco didn't seem to mind, however, as he carried on.

"Why'd you stop, though? You were definitely the best in the school." Harry frowned. He couldn't exactly give Draco the correct reason, could he? Not without screwing everything up. It was hard not being able to tell this boy, one who he liked so much, his biggest secret, but… there was more at stake here.

"I don't really know… I guess I got bored with it. Last year was really great and we won the cup in the end. Guess I just wanted to go out with a bang!" Draco laughed and put an arm around Harry's shoulder, making the boy blush warmly.

He was steered into Honeydukes where he enjoyed himself thoroughly, spending a large chunk of Draco's money. When he realised what he'd done, Harry couldn't believe he'd been so rude and apologised profusely. He was no better than Dudley! Even when reassured by the other that it was okay, that he'd brought more than enough money anyway, Harry felt awful and it was obvious by the pained expression on Draco's face that he realised this. Before he could work himself up into a nervous fit over the awkward silence that had descended, Harry was dragged into a dark alleyway. He flinched, expecting to be hit, but instead he saw Draco looking down at him in a concerned fashion.

"You don't need to be scared of me, Harry," he said, placing a hand on Harry's cheek. Harry flushed indignantly; he was not!

"I'm not scared of you, it's just that – " He was interrupted by the sensation of an arm wrapping around his waist and Draco's breath mingling with his. For a while, they stood there in silence.

"That what, Harry?" Harry closed his eyes.

"Nothing." And then they were kissing and their teeth were clacking and it was messy and Harry's glasses were getting in the way, but it was okay. It wasn't perfect, but it was something good, something Harry wanted. And his second kiss didn't need to be perfect. It just needed to be special.

Eventually, Draco drew back, and Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder, smiling like there was no tomorrow. However, when he realised that Draco was standing very still, Harry grew worried. He poked Draco in the side experimentally and laughed a little, but that was cut short by the violent grabbing of his hand by the other.

"So, did you think you could fuck around on your boyfriend with someone else, then?" Harry's brows furrowed. What the hell? He stepped back from Draco abruptly, seeing that the other boy's nostrils were flaring dangerously, and he looked murderous.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't have a boyfriend, and I never have. I was hoping that you'd be the first I'd give that title, but you don't deserve that right now!" Draco snorted and tightened his arm, and it was that that made Harry's eyes widen. Could he feel…?

"Care to explain why I've got a pregnant stomach under my arm then?" Harry closed his eyes. Why did this have to happen now? He sighed and prepared himself to talk.

"Well, as you seem to have guessed, I am pregnant. But the other father doesn't want to know and it was a one night stand anyway." Harry had never thought that he'd use that phrase in context with himself, but it seemed that that was what was happening now. This all sounded like a very bad soap opera… Draco, however, evidently thought the same thing and snorted.

"Yeah, pull the other one; it's got bells on. I'm not going to help you cheat on your boyfriend okay? Children are really important to wizards, and I don't believe that anyone would abandon you like that."

Harry didn't know what to do. Should he tell Draco and run the risk of not being believed, or having his story pasted all over the Wizarding World? Or should he not bother and lose something that was quickly becoming important to him? Harry's shoulders drooped, he leaned against the wall, and began speaking, hoping that Draco wouldn't just walk away.

"I was at a Gryffindor party last school year and…" Throughout the story, Harry kept his head down. He wasn't really holding out for a miracle. He didn't really think that there was any way that Draco would believe this story, one that sounded vaguely half-baked, not unlike the parasite currently growing inside him. "So yeah, neither of us want it, but I'm not about to ruin his life like that, so…" He trailed off, not really confident that Draco was still there. When no sound came, Harry slumped against the wall, crying softly.