Chapter Seven.
Harry just sat there in shock…Pregnant? How could she be pregnant? 'Well…' Thought Harry as he starred into his girlfriend's big blue eyes, '…that was a stupid question, of course I know how it happened I was there…well I can't remember it but I'm pretty sure I was there.'
"Are you going to keep it?" he asked her. She looked ready to kill him when he said it; but at the time it had seemed like a perfectly valid question. She scowled at him but nodded. He wrapped her in a warm hug and kissed her. "I love you Katie Bell. I'm going to stick with you through this, Tom Riddle and Dumbledore be damned!" She smiled at him. "Although, when your dad finds out I'd say he could give old Mouldy Shorts a run for his money in the 'Let's All Try Kill Potter' stakes." She giggled. He was probably right, that was the thing Katie was worried about the most, her parents' reactions
"I love you too, Harry Potter." She smiled, before entrapping his lips for an extended snogging session.
"You know…" said Harry when they had to come up for air. "That now I can't let you play on Saturday."
"What! No I have to play don't you do this Harry Potter! Professional Quidditch players can play while their pregnant! Gwenog Jones played into her eighth month last season." Argued Katie, she knew that Harry was right but after this there was no way that Dumbledore was going to let them keep their prefect badges. Quidditch was the last thing she had (apart from Harry) to keep her mind off the NEWTs that she'd have to take at the end of the year.
"And Gwenog Jones is a beater who doesn't have bludgers flying at her while she's being tackled by the opposition." Said Harry, trying to reason with her. "I'll have Dean play instead. I'll say you're injured and we'll think of something for the other games okay?" she nodded and buried her face into Harry's chest.
-HP\KB-
Albus Dumbledore sat behind his heavy wooden desk and starred at the letter he was going to have to send to Katie Bell's parent's
Dear Mr and Mrs Bell.
You are requested to attend a meeting with Headmaster APWB Dumbledore at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry at half past eight approximately on the evening of Wednesday 27th of November 1996 . This meeting is in relation to your daughter Katie Bell.
I would like to stress that Ms Bell is in no immediate danger and is not in too much trouble.
I look forward to seeing you there,
A.P.W.B. Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin 1st class, Chief Warlock British Wizengamot, Sup. Mugwump Intl. Confed. of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.)
-HP\KB-
Dinner was a dull and dismal affair. Everyone else was chattering on about schoolwork and how unfair Snape had been. But Harry Katie and Leanne just ate in silence. Ron and Hermione just stared at them. They just sat there and shovelled the food into their mouths and trying to pass the time until the meeting with Katie's parents.
Finally Dumbledore told the students to make their way to their common rooms. Harry and Katie just said goodbye to their friends and started to make their way towards the large stone statue outside the office. When they got there they found Dumbledore already sitting behind his desk. "Come in, come in…" he said as they opened the door. "We're just waiting on your parents Ms Bell. Now please have a seat." He gestured towards the two sets of chairs in front of his desk. "Lemon Drop?" he asked as the fireplace behind them erupted in green flames.
"out of the frying pan and into the fire…" muttered Katie under her breath. Mr and Mrs Bell walked over to the other set of chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"Now what's this about Dumbledore and what's this guy doing here." Asked Mr Bell as he pointed at Harry.
"Now George please clam down." Answered the aging Headmaster. "We are here to discuss your daughter. We will get to Mr Potter in a minute." Both Katie's parents eyes widened and they looked at Harry, their eyes focussed on his scar. "Now to business. I would have assumed you would have been able to recognise your daughter's boyfriend without the aid of a daily prophet, but evidently not… Now there is no easy way to tell you this…"
"Tell us what Dumbledore?" asked Katie's mother, who was frantically clutching her husband's hand for dear life.
Dumbledore was about to start again when it was Katie's turn to interrupt. "I'm pregnant." She let out in an audible whisper. Mrs Bell looked like she was about to faint but Mr Bell just sent Harry a murderous glare.
'If looks could kill' Harry thought, before Dumbledore interrupted to stop George Bell form drawing his wand on Harry.
"Now, yes Katie has pretty much saved me a five minute speech; but she has summarise my point precisely. Your daughter is indeed pregnant." He said as both parents looked at him with shocked expressions. "Now as I am fairly certain that the incident occurred on school grounds, actions must be taken." He looked over at the two students. "You will both be removed from your positions as prefects. Mr Potter you are to forfeit your co captains position on the school's duelling team; you are to inform Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape at the next meeting." He waved his wand and two of Harry's three badges disappeared. "As for you Ms Bell you are to lose your vice captaincy of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, pending your removal entirely due to your condition. I would also like you to talk to Professor McGonagall as this may affect some of your regular lessons as well as your extra lessons with her." He turned back to Mr and Ms Bell. "Now George, Rose I know this may be a bit difficult to…" he was cut off by Mr Bell
"All of these conditions are dependent on her staying at Hogwarts though…Something I am in two minds about now…" said Mr Bell
"George!" gasped Katie's mother. Katie just looked at her father in shock; he couldn't mean that could he?
"Mr Bell. I understand your concerns." Said Professor Dumbledore. "But I can assure you that this was an isolated incident. Now Harry's relationship with Katie makes her a target to the death eaters…should you wish to withdraw her from Hogwarts I would be happy to lend some members of the Order of their Phoenix to guard her but I cannot and I will not guaranty her safety outside these walls. And as Katie is an adult she can chose to stay of her own free will. However should you choose to cut her off financially, Katie's grades are well within the range for me to offer her The Potter Scholarship for Academic Excellence; which I'm sure Harry would be all too happy to provide until she has completed her NEWTS, which if she continues the way she is going currently, she will pass with flying colours…" finished the old wizard the twinkle very much gone from his eyes, gesturing to the open files on his desk.
"We can send her somewhere else and at any rate she is not keeping that baby." Screamed Mr Bell.
There was an explosion of noise as both Katie and Harry started yelling at Mr Bell.
"No! Dad I'm Keeping the baby!"
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" shouted Harry. Mr Bell just turned and drew his wand.
"That can very easily be arranged Mr Potter." Said Mr Bell as he level his wand at Harry's head.
"Gentlemen please sit down!" commanded Dumbledore. "Now Mr Bell I will have to ask you and your wife to leave the grounds as you have made your intentions quite clear and the rest of the contents of this meeting no longer concern you." Said Dumbledore in a flat tone that would wake the dead and then flee from him.
Mr Bell looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it. He grabbed his wife's hand and fled through the green flames of the fireplace.
"Well that went better than I expected." Said Professor Dumbledore, who was once again smiling and sucking on a lemon drop. "Now I want you two to go back to your dorms and stay there. I don't want to hear about either of you getting caught out after curfew, which is…" he looked at his gold pocket watch. "in ten minutes. Goodnight then." He said.
-HP\KB-
Harry and Katie climbed the stairs to Gryffindor tower and sat down in front of the fire in the common room. "Everything is going to be okay alright." Said Harry before he kissed Katie.
"I know but, just seeing my dad like that… it was scary. Promise you'll never get like that with junior here if it's a girl." She smiled.
"I promise" he chanted out before kissing her again.
-HP\KB-
This happiness was short lived however, as by Friday morning the entire school knew about Harry and Katie getting their prefect badges and captaincies taken away. There was of course mass speculation about what the reason might be, but they didn't have to wait long for the truth to come out.
"Harry!" shouted Hermione as he sat down at the Gryffindor table that morning. "You have to read this. She's done it again! Even after last time." She said before flinging a copy of the Daily Prophet at him. It didn't take long to find out what she was talking about.
Plastered across the front page was his own face and an accompanying article by none other than Rita Skeeter.
WHO'S THE DADDY?
Hogwarts has first case of teen pregnancy in over twenty years
An Article by Rita Skeeter.
Yes, you read right my ravid readers. Hogwarts' is experiencing its first teen pregnancy scandal in over twenty years.
Why is this news worthy of the front page of the Daily Prophet? Because Ladies and gentlemen. I can exclusively reveal that the child's father is none other than resident golden boy Harry Potter.
The girl in Question is Harry Potter's rumoured girlfriend Katie Bell. It was confirmed late yesterday evening by George Bell (Father to Katie), of the department of Magical Games and Sports that the girl is indeed expecting a child. Although it has yet to be confirmed the child is almost certainly that of her famous boyfriend Mr Potter.
Neither Ms Bell nor Mr Potter were available for comment but Headmaster Albus Dumbledore released a statement saying that the happy couple were adjusting to the shock of the news which they received earlier in the week. He also added that he has tightened the Hogwarts mail screening system and that any hate mail or packages containing deadly or dangerous items, will be passed onto the Auror department for further investigation.
We here at the Daily prophet would like to wish Mr Potter and Ms Bell the very best in these challenging times.
When Harry looked up from the paper he was fuming! They may just as well have painted a giant target on Katie's back. Harry grabbed the paper and raced up towards Gryffindor Tower. He ran into Katie just as she was coming out of the common room. "Go back inside you might want to read this before going down for breakfast." He said handing her the newspaper. She started reading as she crossed the room to her favourite armchair. By the time she had sat down the colour had drained from her face.
"What are we going to do Harry?" she asked, gently. Harry hugged her and kissed her in the cheek.
"The only thing we can do…ignore it." He replied. "Well obviously we can't ignore that you're pregnant but, we can ignore all the nasty comments Malfoy and his cronies are going to make, and the gossip mongers and all the other bigoted and hypocritical bitches…um… witches down there okay?" Katie nodded into his chest.
Despite what he had just said Harry was worried. Voldemort would now know about Katie and worse than that he would now know she was carrying Harry's child… There was most certainly a long and dangerous road ahead.
-HP\KB-