Ch 6 Confirming
Roger Davis called Harry Thursday October twentieth. "I have another recording of Bowman Flint and that witch that works for the Pirate Witch Queen, Harry. I think you want to listen to this one."
"Come to the Ministry," Harry replied.
"You might want Hermione and Minerva with you," Roger added.
"I will arrange it," Harry confirmed. "I am busy today, but I am sure we can meet tomorrow.
A day later they all met in Minerva's office at Hogwarts. They heard Bowman saying, "It is done. October first I saw that the spells and potions had worked."
"You are sure Cleo is pregnant with Scorpius's child?" the witch asked.
"The spell would not activate unless Cleopatra and Scorpius were holding hands, and no one else was touching them," Bowman insisted. "It could not activate before now because of the strong spells keeping underage witches from becoming pregnant, but there will be a number of pregnancies now, including Cleopatra with Scorpius's baby."
"We need Cleopatra back on the Island," the witch insisted. "When that happens you can get your reward. I should be able to get you a witch that you could f*** all day if you wanted to. Meanwhile they wash the bedding in this room after each visit, so you might as well f*** me. The Davis house elves will be expecting bodily fluids."
There was noise that indicated that the couple was in bed having sexual relations.
"It is not exactly making love," Hermione observed.
"It is a business transaction," Roger reflected. "There is nothing loving about it."
"How soon can you tell if a witch is pregnant?" Harry wondered.
"We have a very sensitive test that should be able to tell a week or two from conception," Minerva reflected. "There are strong laws forbidding an abortion three months after, and it is really discouraged after four weeks. Except in cases of rape, customs really discourage aborting a magical child no matter how young."
"Is that why there are so many Magi marrying young?" Hermione wondered.
"That and Magi do mature earlier, which is why seventeen instead of eighteen or twenty-one is the age of maturity," Minerva replied. "That is also why we have so many students eight year and above with families."
"There is not such a strong prohibition about aborting a Muggle child?" Hermione asked. "I've noticed a double standard in the laws."
"There is quite a double standard in how Magi treat pregnancies within our own communities and outside," Minerva agreed. "I will arrange for pregnancy tests for witches Saturday morning, starting with Cleopatra. I'd better do Rose as well. I think those two couples are often together."
"It sounds like you may want to examine all the witches who are over sixteen," Hermione suggested.
Minerva put her hands up to her face, and grimaced. "This could be bad," she reflected.
"Remember what happened three Saturdays' ago?" Harry asked Minerva. "You said there was an aphrodisiac spell on the castle and then everyone fell asleep."
"That is what I told you? That Saturday morning is hard to remember," Minerva admitted, her face looking tired and worn.
Friday night Cleo and Rose received messages asking them to come to the Infirmary right after breakfast Saturday morning, and to bring their boyfriends. Genevieve Swan asked them, "What happened Saturday October first? Do you remember anything unusual happening?"
"We fell asleep," Rose remembered.
"No, there was something else!" Cleo insisted. "I remember we could not remember. Albus, our rings glowed. They were even glowing when we woke up the first time, and, but, I remember thinking we should be able to remember."
"I remember something similar," Albus reflected.
"We think there is a chance that you had intercourse, and are pregnant," Genevieve informed the four.
"Really!" Cleo beamed. "Can you tell?"
"It is rather soon for some tests, but healers have a test that works starting the first week or so," the Matron replied. "I need you to lie down, and pull up your blouse a little."
Cleo eagerly went into the bed. Genevieve took her wand and said, "Conceptum revelio." A light glowed above her belly. "You are pregnant," the Matron confirmed. "Scorpius, I want you to put your hand here above Cleo."
Scorpius panicked, but did as he was told.
Genevieve said, "Pater conceptum revelio."
Scorpius's hand blocked the light. "Well, you are not the father, Scorpius," Genevieve told the relieved wizard. "Albus."
Albus put his hand on Cleo's belly where the light had shown, and when the spell was pronounced a light glowed above his hand.
Genevieve then confirmed that Rose was pregnant with Scorpius's baby. The two students frowned at each other, neither knowing what to say. She then called Albus and Rose's parents, who had been waiting for the results. They came in with somber looks on their faces.
"It is not what I had been told to expect," Genevieve stated. "Cleo is pregnant with Albus's child, and Rose is pregnant with Scorpius's child. Technically it is not too late to terminate the pregnancies."
"NO! NO!" yelled Cleo. "DON'T KILL MY BABY!" Cleo grabbed onto Albus and was visibly shaking, obviously terrified.
Harry gently asked, "Do you remember what happened October first?"
Rose and Scorpius both shook their heads no. "We fell asleep, that's all," Rose insisted.
"This CAN NOT be happening," Scorpius insisted. "I DID NOT RAPE YOUR DAUGHTER. THIS CAN NOT BE HAPPENING!"
Hermione looked at Ron, who calmly told the frightened young man, "No one is accusing you of anything, Scorpius. There is some powerful magic at work here."
"DO NOT KILL MY BABY!" a terrified Cleo pled, shaking.
"No one is going to kill your baby, Cleo," Ginny cried. "We are not going to kill any baby."
"I thought making a baby would be fun," Rose grumbled. "I cannot remember anything happening. I'm not ready for a baby! Maybe in a year and a half but not NOW!
"Scorpius, your family is going to be furious!" Rose frowned. "Granger-Malfoy?"
"Scorpius and Rose Granger-Malfoy," Scorpius confirmed. "Rose, will you marry me?"
"Of course," Rose agreed. "This is really unfair, though. Shouldn't there be more romance involved?"
"We do not know what happened, but it is not fair at all," Hermione agreed.
Harry volunteered, "Cleo was supposed to be pregnant with Scorpius's baby. Something went wrong."
Albus wondered, "Can you retrieve memories of what happened? Maybe we can look at it in a Pensive."
Harry told Albus, "I did bring my Pensive, just in case."
Rose and Scorpius tried to retrieve their memories of that Saturday, but a half an hour was just missing.
Albus and Cleo tried, without much success, although they did remember trying to remember. Then they put their hands and wands together and tried, first both wands on Albus, putting some threads of memory into the Pensive, then the same for Cleo. While they were doing this both rings glowed.
One at a time, all eight people went into the Pensive.
The memory started with Scorpius on the rise, and Cleo holding on to him. From that time on it was a little foggy, although you could see what was happening. The first thing all of them noticed was the two rings that were usually invisible glowing, pulsing, a frantic red. Albus grabbed Cleo, and tried to separate her from Scorpius, but it did not work. Cleo grabbed onto Rose, and put both of Rose's hands onto Scorpius, and somehow separated the two couples.
Both witches were lying on the ground, their legs spread. Suddenly knickers were on the ground, and you could see clearly Albus pulling down his trousers and going into Cleo. It was very graphic, something you would never want to have anyone see, except that in this case it seemed to be necessary. One could sense the same thing happening to Rose and Scorpius, although it was not as visible. Then knickers were magically back on, and the two couples were next to each other. Nothing happened for quite a while, and then the couples woke up, the red stones on the rings still slightly glowing.
Harry did notice Frerin and Dis, the Elves that usually guarded Albus and Cleopatra, sleeping, almost out of view. Apparently the spell or curse or whatever it was put the Elves to sleep as well. It was difficult to tell what was going on with the Elves, but they were next to each other, and … the brief view of the Elves was gone.
All eight Magi came out of the Pensive.
"I am sorry we had to witness that, although I think it was necessary," Harry sadly acknowledged.
"You remember that?" Rose asked Cleo.
"Not very well, although seeing it like that helps me remember," Cleo muttered. She brightened up. "May we marry now?"
Albus had a very pensive look, asking, "Dad, you said that Cleo was supposed to be pregnant with Scorpius's baby, and have to marry him. Is that true? Would she have to marry Scorpius if she became pregnant by him?"
Harry looked at Hermione.
"Magical laws make it very very awkward if you do not marry the father of your baby," Hermione admitted. "We are trying to change the laws, and have made the change in cases of rape. The problem is to invoke that part of the law you have to accuse someone of forcible rape."
"So if Cleo was pregnant with Scorpius's baby she would be expected to marry him?" Albus asked.
"That would be the expectation," Hermione acknowledged. "At least in Great Britain. I think there is more latitude in other parts of the world."
"And they would probably get married at Malfoy Manor?" Albus persisted.
"Why are you asking this," Harry wondered.
"If Cleo and Scorpius married at Malfoy Manor her great-grandmother would be expected to attend?" Albus asked.
"I do not think she would," Harry guessed. "She is going to want Cleo and Scorpius to go to her island."
"But we could refuse to go back until after we are married," Cleo jumped in with. "Then when she comes Albus and I just fight her and take MY wand, the wand I am prophesied to inherit."
"I think you would have to kill her first," Harry guessed.
"I do not like the idea of killing anyone," Cleo admitted, "but Teddy says she is just the most awful witch in the world, killing people almost every day."
Albus suggested, "It is better than trying to invade her island. We get to plan this, and Jezebel is not on her home territory. Besides, we just say that if they stay in Great Britain, and not go to her Island, there is no reason Cleo could not marry me."
"It is a crazy plan, Albus," Harry insisted.
"Crazier than invading Gringotts and escaping on a dragon?" Albus wondered.
Ginny giggled.
"Well, at least Rose will not have to be involved," Hermione sighed.
"Mum, Aunt Ginny!" Rose exclaimed. "Scorpius is going to be my husband, the father of my baby, and I need to fight next to him. I have to. Like you had to fight at the Battle of Hogwarts, Aunt Ginny. Mum, I'm fighting next to Scorpius. I am!"
"Let us talk to Teddy first, and if he thinks it is a good idea we have to carefully plan this," Harry suggested. "Do not say anything to anyone, about anything including your pregnancies!"
Albus led the four students to the small classroom he sometimes used for private meetings. Once there he suggested, "We should not tell anything to anyone, and if anyone asks refuse to admit to anything or say anything."
"Eventually the girls will guess," Rose told the boys. "A couple of months without a period, and if our bodies start to change, the girls will notice."
"Let them notice, and don't admit to anything," Albus insisted.
"How am I going to go to school with a baby?" Rose muttered. "I'm obviously old enough to have a baby, but I'm not ready. Scorpius, I'm glad I'm having YOUR baby, but this is way too soon and not the way I imagined it."
"You don't know how relieved I was when the spell showed I was not the father of Cleo's baby," Scorpius volunteered. "I'm not thrilled about becoming a father so soon, but … Rose, I am so glad it is you!"
"I'm glad it is you, too, and I cannot see not having our baby, but I'm not happy," Rose cried. Rose went into Scorpius's arms and started to bawl.
Harry felt he had to consult with the prophets before going any further, so he took the Floo network to Switzerland to talk to Nausicaa Scheria and her granddaughter Sibylla Papadopoulos. Harry let them see the scene in the Pensive, as embarrassing and private as it was.
"Something changed October first, "Sibylla confirmed. "I was led to watch lines of power that Saturday morning, and something that seemed to have been planned for a long time came together, and then abruptly shifted. The rings must have kept the spells from working the way they were designed to work.
"Where did those rings come from?"
"Severus Snape left them to Albus Severus Potter," Harry told the prophets. "I have no idea where he procured them. I did not know there were two of them, either, or that Albus gave the other one to Cleo. I guess both of them came from Severus."
"Soulmate rings?" Sibylla asked, looking at her grandmother.
"I think so. I need to look at my books on powerful magical rings," Nausicaa replied. "I have read through all the reference material we have on the subject. I am going to ask Hermione for help. The material is in one of maybe a hundred books in the Prophet Library. Hermione has created some spell that should help. For some reason she calls it a Google spell.
Harry laughed. He knew just why Hermione would call the spell a Google spell. Sibylla gave Harry a knowing look. Sibylla was more a twenty-first century prophet than her grandmother.
Within half an hour Hermione was in Switzerland, and half an hour later she found the reference. "The rings were created to keep people from reading your mind, but to allow soulmates to share their minds," Hermione read. "If the wearer has not found their soulmate it still works for memory management."
Hermione read a little further, and then asked Nausicaa for some help. "I am trying to translate this, but my translation spell is having some problems.'
Nausicaa read through the passages, and then looked something up in another book. Finally, Nausicaa suggested, "The rings protect against, I would like to say rape, but it is more complex. It seems to keep either of a truly soul bonded couple from having sexual intercourse with anyone else but their soul mate. I'm not sure what would happen if someone tried. I think it depends on the circumstances.
"For the truly soul bonded couple, the idea of voluntarily having intercourse with someone not your partner seems just inconceivable. Maybe that is what protected the two couples. It is almost like the rings panicked when it looked like the curse or whatever wanted Scorpius to mate with Cleopatra.
"It is a good thing Scorpius did not try to have intercourse with Cleo. It looks like the rings would turn him into a eunuch, or worse. Oh, gross. Well, it is not so simple, if it was caused by a spell, but forcible rape, gross."
Harry involuntary reached for his privates. Hermione laughed.
Harry then explained, "Albus thinks that we need to pretend that Scorpius is going to marry Cleo, and try and get Jezebel to leave the island and come to the wedding."
"He is absolutely out of his mind crazy, it is as risky as can be, and it just might work," Nausicaa sighed. "We will keep looking at the signs, and we want your help as well, Harry. The problem is that Cleopatra and Albus have to confront Jezebel, and it is better to do it somewhere other than on that cursed island."
"Does Rose have to be involved?" Hermione wondered.
"I think her fate and the fate of Scorpius are intertwined, Hermione," Sibylla suggested. "Harry, have you seen signs that they are connected? I know for me it looks like, when we look at the signs, that just like you, Ron and Hermione were connected through your years in school, with Ginny joining you actually before you went on your hunt for Horcrux prophetically, even though she was not physically with you, that Rose is joined with Scorpius, Albus and Cleopatra."
"In all the good stories the hero and heroine win, and live Happily Ever After," Hermione muttered.
"The heroine doesn't almost get killed in a Quidditch accident, and never really get better," Harry sighed. "Not that we are unhappy, we really are happy. It is just in real life sometimes you fail, you get hurt and don't get all better, and sometimes you die."
"If given the chance, I do think the foursome have to do this," Nausicaa reconfirmed. "I think there is a good chance they will succeed, and if I were you I would be scared out of my mind, and prepare for the worse."
"I do not like this," Hermione complained.
"Welcome to my world, Hermione," Harry commiserated. "Think how I felt, and feel, about Teddy. His mission was, we think, successful, but it came as a heavy price. The mental wounds are as deep as the physical ones."
About eleven in the morning Minerva McGonagall called a meeting with Tom and Cinnamon Appleleaf and Neville and Hanna Longbottom. Poppy Pomfrey and Genevieve Swan, the school matrons, were with her.
"Is there a reason why you called me back from The Leaky Cauldron?" Hanna asked.
"What do you remember about October first, three weeks ago?" Minerva wondered.
"It was like a lusty spell was over all the castle," Hanna reflected. "I went to work, and it was diminished by the time Neville and I were together that evening." She blushed. "Diminished but not gone. I'd taken the birth control potions.
"Tom, Cinnamon, it looked like you were deeply in lust as well. I even saw some of that between Olivia Ollivander and Sam Zauberstabhersteller."
"I don't remember that Saturday very well," Cinnamon thought. "Oh, no! I'm a little late, and, Oh! Oh!"
"From what we can tell everybody, Magi and Elf, fell asleep for about half an hour that Saturday morning, and many students may have become pregnant," Minerva told the couples. "The only good thing is that if they were with their boyfriend they are probably pregnant by the boyfriend. It is not like some outside person impregnated the witches. We need to test all the fertile females as soon as possible."
"Make an announcement at lunch today?" Neville wondered. "If you are a fertile female and are late, have not had your period yet, please get tested."
"Embarrassing every female in the school, and absolutely mortifying many of our young witches who are embarrassed by bleeding every month?" Cinnamon gasped.
"It happens every month," Neville replied.
"Not to you, it doesn't," Cinnamon retorted.
Neville had the grace to look ashamed.
"A public announcement seems to be a rather bad way of approaching it," Minerva agreed. "And we don't have to worry about witches under the age of sixteen."
"Could we use the magical paper airplane memos?" Neville wondered. "I know that the Ministry uses them all the time."
"I know the spells, and have an adequate supply of paper," Tom replied. "All I would need is one memo, and I could duplicate it on some of the paper I have in our office. That and a list of all the females over the age of sixteen who are fertile."
"I can get you a list of all the females over the age of sixteen," Minerva replied. "I have no quick way of telling if they are fertile or not. If we start with the students, however, we can assume they are fertile."
Cinnamon was writing something down.
Saturday October first the whole castle seems to have fallen asleep for about half an hour. During that time some of the witches who were with a wizard at the time became pregnant. We want to stress that what happened did because of magic, and it is not your fault or the fault of the wizard who was with you.
If you are late and have not had your period yet this month we would strongly suggest you go to the matrons and get tested. If you were with your boyfriend and want to confirm that he is the father of your baby bring him along.
Hogwarts will do everything in our power to help any witch and wizard who are in difficult situations because of this most unfortunate event.
Cinnamon showed the memo to the others in the room.
"We can tell the witches what their options are," Genevieve told the group. "In most cases the only good option is for the witch to marry her boyfriend as soon as possible, however. Both laws and traditions are rather hostile to unwed witches giving birth."
"I will sign the memo," Minerva added. "We ought to put CONFIDENTIAL in bold capital letters on the outside of the memo.
Midafternoon Harry and Hermione were back at Hogwarts, where they saw Neville. Teddy had arrived by Neville's private and very secure Floo.
Albus, Cleo, Rose and Scorpius went into the private quarters of Professor Longbottom, where they were met by Professor Longbottom, Teddy Lupin, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione.
"I let Teddy see your memories in the Pensive," Harry told the young people. "I felt I had to."
"Jezebel would come up with a perverted spell like that," Teddy reflected. "She is the most sexually perverted person I can imagine."
"How did you avoid being involved in that type of thing?" Rose wondered.
"I didn't, but please do not ask about what I had to do to survive on that cursed island, please," Teddy pled. "Please!"
Albus could not help himself. He opened his mind, just a little, to read Teddy, before recoiling in horror. Albus needed to allow Teddy to do his best to wall off the horrors of his time on the island.
"I have tried to explain to Teddy about your plan, Albus," Harry told his son.
"It is the first plan I have ever heard that had any chance of success," Teddy agreed. "It is absolutely terrifying, and people are going to die if we try to carry it out. I would be totally against it, except for all the evil and torture that witch does. It needs to stop. The fewer people who know about the plot the better. She has spies everywhere."
"Cleo, who can we trust at Malfoy Manor?" Harry asked.
"Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy," Cleo responded. "Plus the Elves, the kitchen Elves. I would not trust the Elves of the great-grandparents."
No one said anything for a while. Finally, Harry spoke up. "I want everyone sworn to secrecy. If we are going to capture Jezebel, or kill her, we have to pretend that Cleo is pregnant with Scorpius's baby. It's a very high risk thing to do, but I have a feeling that anything else is also going to be risky for Cleo and Scorpius, and maybe Al and Rose too at this point."
"I want to catch Jezebel," Scorpius insisted. "I want to be brave and on the right side, to make up for all the bad my father and grandfather have done."
"I have to be by Scorpius's side" Rose reconfirmed. "I don't care if it is dangerous! I want to be by Scorpius!"
"I think you have to let us do this, Mum, Dad," Albus added. "Not alone, not without all the help we can get, but I think you cannot protect us from this."
"Do you want to have Scorpius' baby, Rose?" Harry wondered. "I don't think it is necessary for the charade we are going to be putting on. If you do we may have to pretend that Al got you pregnant, or that Scorpius … no, that wouldn't work, or just not be at all clear who the father is, for a while."
"I really did not want to become pregnant," Rose sighed, "but now that I am, I guess I am with Cleo. I just can't see killing our baby," looking lovingly at Scorpius. Rose took Scorpius's hand, and looked down. Scorpius patted Rose's hand, thinking that the next months were going to be hard on everyone.
Harry looked at the assembled group. "Everyone keep all of this confidential, the pregnancies, everything. If people ask, do not confirm or deny anything. If as I expect there are many other pregnant witches, you will probably be asked often.
"Hermione, I would like you to find out all you can about the laws and traditions that have to do with making sure the father of a magical baby marries the mother, and if there is any difference in the Malfoy family.
"I am going to ask Molly to get Narcissa, so I can talk to her."
The group disbanded.
2022