As the train pulled in and we made our way to the carriages, I met back up with the other 5th Year Gryffindor girls, asking how it went "meeting their study groups" and we all had similar experiences of awkward to the over eager. No one was suprised that Ron was the overly enthusiastic one in our year, and no one blamed me for having absolutely zero intention of doing more than what was minimally required by the law with him.
As far as we could tell as a group, my initial plan for the boys in our year was pretty spot on. Ron gets a handjob at the very end at exams and that's it. Seamus and Dean are meant for eachother but would probably be fun to play with in the group exam. Neville is the shy, sweet guy who may or may not have his heart set on a certain Luna Lovegood, so it's safe to share a bed with him, but the odds of him picking me to marry at the end of this whole thing are slim to none. And that just leaves Harry James Potter. My former one time awkward date to the Yule Ball, savior of Wizarding Britain, and current most eligible bachelor according to Witch Weekly. Even if he dosen't want to marry me, we all know the ministry will want his line to continue before any of the other boys in the group, which means as random and played out this whole thing seems, it's clear from simple deduction that I'm meant to have Harry's children, regardless of how the whole "sexual education" ploy plays out.
It dosen't quite hit me what all this means the first night. None of us knew that Harry is "the chosen one", and that by pairing me with Harry, my children and I will be the subject of the same furious hunt by Voldemort's followers as any other "most wanted undesirables". No, this first night, as we walked into the great hall and sat through the start if term feast, which included a broad account of the "change to the curriculum" this year from the new DADA Instructor, Professional Umbrige, all we knew was that our "sexual horizons would be broadened" and I would rapidly have to build a relationship with Harry if I wanted a husband to raise my children with, instead of just someone to get me pregnant.
After the feast, we all went our seperate ways, returning to our houses, a nervous anxiousness hanging over all the older classes. I found a corner of the common room to try to take in the day before heading to bed. I curled up under a blanket and began writing in my journal as groups of friends slowly began retiring to bed. Eventually nearly everyone was gone except a lingering few. Fred and George still huddled with Lee discussing goodness knows what pranks, a couple 2nd years that were too excited to experience their first "older kids" return night to go to bed. And Harry Potter.
Harry made his way over to me and politely asked to sit. I welcomed him next to me on the couch I was curled into the corner of. He knew. Of course he knew.
"So I guess we're getting married Pavarti?" He speaks quietly just to me.
"What makes you so sure of that, Harry? You didn't exactly fall head over heals for me at our last date" I reply
"I can do the math, Pavarti. You hate Ron, Dean and Seamus will enjoy you but love eachother, and Neville has had a crush on Luna since he was 12."
Well damn. I guess he's smarter than he let's on when Ron's around.
"I don't intend to leave you a single mother just to satisfy a procreation law unless you don't want me in your life"
Wow...uhm...wow. Let's go right to the deep stuff then. I'm totally taken aback by his openness and acceptance of this whole situation. I blush subconsciously thinking about the offer he's just made.
"What about all of this...Education, Harry? I'm not going to be able to be with just you" pointing out the obvious flaws in the fairytale "I'll take care of you" scenario.
"I know you didn't choose this, Pavarti. Let's just get through this year. You set the pace as much as the ministry will allow and when it's time to choose, if you want me to be yours, then I'll say yes"
This has taken a deeper and more unexpected turn than I could have imagined when I sat down to journal. My future seemed certain in my mind but I wasn't certain that Harry would see it too. Now he had said it aloud. I wasn't sure if it was more for duty than love or attraction to me, but at least I knew that I wouldn't end up alone, raising the children of a father that didn't want me.
I leaned in and gave Harry a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Harry" I whisper. "I don't know what we'll have to do this year. What I'll have to do. But it's comforting to know I won't be alone at the end of everything. It's going to be okay"
"Yes Pav, it's going to be okay." Harry whispers back, softly kissing my lips, a gentle, loving touch. My heart is racing and I can't hide a small blush and easy smile as he pulls away and makes his goodnights before taking my hand and leading me to the stairs up to the dormitories, going our seperate ways for the evening.
The next morning was a flurry of rushing to get ready for the day without a lot of time to talk and see how everyone else in the dorm fared. At breakfast, I spy Hermione sitting with the 7th year boys and Ron, who seems like he's more interested in what she has to say than I've seen in the last 4 years, while Lavender is over with a girl from Hufflepuff that I only know by sight.
I plop down next to Harry who has scooted down the bench to make a space for me, and I give Padma a subtle smile and wave from across the room before settling in "Goodmorning sleepy head" Harry says as I give my quiet greetings to Dean and Neville ad well.
"Goodmorning Mrs Potter" Dean says and I look from him to Harry to Neville and back to Harry.
"Did everyone work that out for themselves" I ask, wondering if all the boys had had a talk or if it was just that logical to everyone how this plan of the ministry's would work out.
"You're a stunner Pav, but Seamus is more my type for the long term. It'll be fun helping this year but honestly, I don't fancy being a dad, just having a daddy" Dean says, confirming the open secret of his sexuality "plus, Neville is more in for blonde Hufflepuffs, so that just leaves Harry and Ron, so we all know that means...Mrs Potter"
I blush as Neville nods his head in agreement and Harry laughs at the entire situation.
"So you guys are all okay with this? Like...the ministry has handed you a golden ticket to getting whatever you want for a year and on day one you're accepting that I'm Harry's?" I ask, hardly believing the maturity I'm hearing from these teenage boys
Seamus finally pitches in, "Pav, we know we'll probably end up doing things to satisfy whatever this thing requires, and it'll probably be fun. But none of us besides maybe Ron likes the idea of the ministry making us fathers with someone we didn't choose, same as you."
I hadn't thought that through from their perspective, and immediately look to Harry, suddenly thinking that he's only agreed to this because he's the only one without a reason to say no. Before I can ask the question, he looks at me, directly at me like I'm the only person in the room and says, "you're the first and only girl I've ever taken on a proper date, even if I messed it up. It took me days to even work up the courage to ask you to a dance. I'm not doing this because I have to, it's because I'd love to, Pav"
I could cry right there in the great hall. This is going to be okay. However messed up this year becomes, I've got phenomenal friends and it's going to be okay. Mrs. Potter? Has a nice ring to it dosen't it?