sorry for the very late update, this story is surprisingly hard for me to write for some reason, i'll keep on trying but I don't think i'll be updating it very frequently
Harry didn't talk to Ron and Hermione at the Ministry.
He had been ushered out as fast as could by Remus and Antony before the media could descend upon them; however, Moony and Sirius had apparated them to the burrow shortly after they'd returned home to change. Depositing them in the front yard of the Burrow.
So now here he was, fidgeting nervously at the front door with Gabrielle at his side, wondering if he should wait until they came to him, or if he should just enter the house.
His decision was made for him as the door suddenly burst open and a bushy haired rocket slammed into Harry.
"Oof! Hermione!" Harry wheezed as the girl almost broke his back with a hug.
"We were so worried about you!" Hermione cried, "when you weren't brought to headquarters we went spare!"
"Should've seen it mate, it was a right spectacle." Ron said as he slowly slunk outside, "Gabby, nice seeing you again." he said, waving at her a bit awkwardly.
"Ron." she returned, looking back to Hermione who was already approaching her with another hug, "hermione." she laughed, returning the hug eagerly.
"I can't believe those Muggles were so Horrid!" Hermione seethed, holding her at arms length to give her a sympathetic look, "to treat you like that!"
"And Harry had to stay with them for so long." She agreed bitterly, "but no longer! We have a new home here, together."
"Really?" Ron asked in surprise, "but why would you move in together? Doesn't it seem-i don't know-too soon?"
Hermione's eyes widened at the implication, looking between Harry and Gabby, both having suddenly paled at realizing she figured it out, "no…" Hermione gasped in shock.
"What?" Ron asked in confusion.
"You're not…tell me-" Hermione almost begged.
Before they could speak the door opened again.
"Harry!" Molly Weasley cried as she came bustling out, several floating pots and containers happily puttering alongside her, whisking and stirring as the Weasley matriarch wrapped him and Gabrielle up in a big hug. "Oh I'm so glad you're both alright! We were so worried when Mundungus said you'd been relocated!"
"Hi Mrs. Weasley." Harry greeted weakly, trying not to look at a now red faced Hermione as Molly checked over them worriedly.
"Oh but those muggles didn't hurt you did they? Arthur said they'd broken something when he came to fetch me, oh if i ever get my hands on them-" her tirade was cut short when Arthur swooped in, the twins right behind him, Ginny offering both of them a friendly smile as she appeared beside her brothers, "Harry!" he greeted enthusiastically, "glad you're alright son, how are you?"
"Good Mr. Weasley. " Harry said, thankful that the good natured man had brought the attention away from where Hermione's thoughts were obviously taking her.
And then the twins had to ruin it.
"So, Mr. Potter," George started, Fred wiggling his eyebrows as he took over, "what was little Gabby doing with you while your relatives weren't home?"
Immediately Molly was swatting the two boys away, not noticing how Gabby and Harry's cheeks flushed. "Both of you behave!" she scolded, "Harry is a good boy, he wouldn't do anything like-" She stopped as she noticed the way the two teens were blushing, "Harry James Potter." she began, fists planted firmly on her hips, her voice gaining a chastising edge to it, "do you have something to say?"
This was a new feeling to Harry, never before had he'd been on this side of Molly's motherly ire. "I…er…well…" he coughed, looking to his friends for help, only to find Hermione with her arms crossed and Ron looking between them all in confusion, the cogs in his head still turning. Ginny was staring at them wide eyed, already connecting the implications, "The-the reason Gabby was at the Dursleys…is because…well…"
"I'm pregnant." Gabrielle said, cutting Harry off as she stepped up to his side, intertwining their hands, "a few months along now, and Harry is the father."
You could hear a pin drop; Arthur, Ginny and the twins were stunned, Hermione was aghast and Molly was staring at them, open mouthed, no words seemingly coming to mind.
"I'm gonna be an uncle?" Ron asked, making everyone look at him, Harry laughed a bit, not expecting Ron to be the one wondering about that.
His laughter died when Molly fixed him with a motherly glare, the glare softened as she turned to Gabby, "have you spoken to your parents dear?" She asked, chuckling a bit as she gently took the wary girl's free hand, patting it comfortingly, "Well of course you have, your father was representing Harry, which I hope you thanked him for!" she turned the glare back on Harry, who nodded furiously, "have you set an appointment with the medi-witch? It's best to get a full check up as soon as possible." back to kindness, Gabi lightly giggled as she relaxed a bit.
'Oui, Mrs. Weasley," Gabi reassured her, gently returning her grasp, giving her a blinding smile, "we have an appointment at the end of this week. I would love it if you joined us."
Mrs. Weasley's eyes got misty, "I would like that," she said, sniffling as she turned back to Harry, "I hope you have everything in Order Young Man." she said sternly, her voice still watery as she wagged a finger at him, "you have a family on the way, after all."
"Sirius has helped me gain access to my family ledger," Harry said reassuringly, "it's a lot of work…but they won't want for anything."
"And I hope you know this means no slacking off in school either!" she huffed, before she was pulling him into a hug, "Oh you foolish boy! I thought Arthur was supposed to teach you the contraceptive charm!"
"The what?" Harry asked in confusion.
The glare was back, but this time it was aimed at her husband, "Arthur!"
The man jumped a bit, having been too engrossed in the conversation to see the potential danger to himself, "I-I do believe it slipped my mind…because of the world cup." he stuttered sheepishly.
"Really, Arthur!" Molly admonished.
Harry shared a grin with Ron before Molly was berating him once again, "oh don't go laughing now young man! I know muggles have their own contraceptives! And I know you know much better than that! Honestly, I expected this from the twins!"
"Oi!" the two brothers objected, before sharing a look and a begrudging shrug,"Fair enough."
"Mrs. Weasley, I know this isn't…ideal." Harry began, "but I will take responsibility, I love Gabi, and too soon or not…well I've always wanted a family. I will do everything in my power to make sure Gabi and our child want for nothing."
The misty sheen returned to Molly's eyes and she was hugging both Harry and Gabi, "you better take good care of each other," She sniffled, tears trailing down her cheeks, "and I better get updates! Lots of updates!"
"Congratulations mate." Ron said, clapping his shoulder as his mother moved back, "er…well, you know what I mean."
"Thanks Ron." Harry said, looking at Hermione, who still looked surly but less disapproving.
"I hope you know I'll be sending you baby books." she said, smiling a bit when Gabby hugged her.
"Sorry about outing you there Harry." Fred said, clapping Harry's other shoulder as George nudged Ron out of the way to claim his other shoulder.
"Yeah, luckily mum wouldn't want to stress Gabby out if she can help it." George chimed in, "she loves babies."
"Probably try and whisk the little sprog away whenever she gets the chance." Fred agreed. "How secret are you trying to keep this?"
"As secret as we can." Gabby spoke up as she pulled away from Hermione, "at least until we go to Hogwarts."
"So you're transferring?" Hermione asked eagerly, "Is it official?"
"Papa got the confirmation earlier this week," she said with a nod, stepping closer to Harry as she intertwined their hands, smiling at her boyfriend as he kissed her temple.
Ginny sighed dreamily as she watched them, earning her a nudge from Ron, "you alright?" he asked.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" she asked in confusion.
"Well I mean..you had that crush on Harry…" Ron mumbled awkwardly.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "I'm not some jealous bint." She grumbled, "besides, I made my peace with this when they started going out back in january." she stepped forward and shared a hug with gabby, "when will the baby be arriving?" She asked eagerly, making Gabby laugh.
"Late December at the earliest, Veela children are notorious for showing up early." she said, her hand going to her stomach as Harry put an arm around her.
Molly sniffled, "to the kitchen!" she ushered them all towards the house, "i'm sure you're both hungry! And I have dinner on the stove!"
WVWVW
Dinner had been a celebration, the Delacours had arrived shortly after Harry and Gabby and had happily tucked into the steak and kidney pie that Molly had prepared. After the meal the adults had stayed in the kitchen to talk; Arthur, Sirius and Anthony had gotten into a spirited discussion about the newest muggle contraption arthur had taken to tinkering with in his off time while Apolline and Fleur talked with Molly about Fleur's new job at Gringotts, with Molly promising to write Bill about helping her in the interim period; Remus was listening to it all while nursing a cup of tea, a small smile gracing his scarred features.
The teenagers had taken over the living room, catching each other up on the goings on around them while building a house of cards with exploding snap cards, each time a card was added the structure heated and threw small flakes of cinders.
"Mum argued with Dumbledore quite a bit at the beginning of the summer." Ron said to Harry and Gabby as he placed a card down, narrowing a bit at how the house began to smoke. "Didn't like that you had to go back to the Dursley's. But Dumbledore was adamant you had to go."
"Never heard mum so mad before." George chimed in,tossing a card carelessly on top, causing cinders to billow a bit as Fred did the same "it was the only time she agreed with Sirius."
"They've been butting heads?" Harry asked, gently placing his own cards carefully as Hermione snorted.
"If they're not arguing about where Molly can clean, they're arguing about Sirius drinking around us," she said, gingerly playing her card, causing ron to whimper a bit in worry at how the entire thing seemed to glow, "or they're arguing about what Sirius can write in his letters."
"Bit mad isn't it?" Ron asked, slowly looking at the house in front of him, doing his best to find the best spot to put his card and not let the structure blow up, "they also argue a lot about the Order meetings."
"Order Meetings?" Gabby asked.
"Order of the Phoenix." Fred said, a little quieter as he shared what little they had found out, "Dad says it was a bunch of people who fought against Voldy last time; Mum doesn't want us knowing anything though."
"Luckily we have a few tricks up our sleeves," George said with a waggle of his eyebrows. "can't hear much, but what we have heard is there's some kind of weapon they're all guarding. Mum's hushed up about it, and Sirius won't say anything."
"I can always ask Sirius about it." Harry hesitated, "but…"
"...but you have other priorities now." Hermione finished for him, staring meaningfully at Gabby, who blushed.
"He will not just leave us be." Harry said grimly, "but you're right, I can't put Gabby in danger."
"I am not helpless." Gabby grumbled.
"Of course you're not." Ron mumbled distractedly, "but you can't really put yourself in danger while you're pregnant and all, bad form isn't it?"
"...bad form?" Hermione questioned.
"He's not entirely wrong." Ginny pointed out, "not the way any of us would have put it but-"
"-but little baby Potter has needs." George took over. "And one of those needs-"
"-is the need to not get hit by a curse," Fred chimed in, "and the best way to do that-"
"-is to keep you both out of danger." they chorused. Making Harry chuckle a bit.
Gabby untensed a bit, "still, this is something that concerns us, we can't just sit on the sideline."
"But we can't take an active part in it." Harry told her, putting an arm around her waist, "I'm not going to put you in danger just to go after him…no matter how much I want to." Gabby leaned into him, everyone silently contemplating just how serious the situation truly was.
The somber mood was interrupted as Ron finally placed his card and the entire house exploded in a fireball that singed the boy's eyebrows, "bloody hell." he whispered, making everyone laugh in surprise.
"Don't burn the house down in there!" Molly shouted from the kitchen.
"Sorry mum!" the Weasley's chorused.
"So, how's the school year looking for you Gabby?" Hermione asked, moving the conversation to lighter topics, "will Hogwarts accommodate you?"
"Oui." Gabby said, "Though I will not be allowed in Potions, or any practical sessions of any of my classes Once I reach my third trimester."
"That's about the time her magic will start to fluctuate with the growth of the child," Harry explained at Ron's confused stare, "it's dangerous for her to use magic past that point, and certain potion ingredients give off fumes that could be detrimental to the baby's health." Harry glanced around, surprised to see just about everyone staring at him in surprise, even Gabby was looking at him with a hint of pleasant surprise. "You told me to read the books." Harry muttered self-consciously, blushing as Gabby kissed his temple.
"How are you handling the idea of being a dad Harry old bean?" George asked.
"Yeah, how's ickle little harrykin's handling impending fatherhood to a smaller you?" Fred added on.
Harry thought about it for a moment before he smiled softly. "It's not ideal," he began, "but I'm honestly looking forward to it. I've always wanted a family, a bit earlier than I expected but that's life I think." his smile widened a bit as Gabby leaned into him, "we'll make it work, and I honestly can't wait for him or her to come."
Antony watched the kids talk amongst themselves, smiling a bit when he saw his daughter lean into her boyfriend, "despite the situation," He began, looking at Sirius and Arthur, "I am happy to see my daughter so…content."
"They're a right good pair, that's for sure." Sirius agreed, "Harry hasn't had very many things in his life to be happy about, but I see a lot of weight fall off his shoulders any time he's with Gabby."
"Agreed." Arthur said with a gentle smile, "Molly will surely be busy for the next few months; when our cousin had his son she'd spent every waking hour she had knitting little onesies for him, and she sees Harry as one of her own; i'm sure they won't be needing to go clothes shopping for a good long while."
Anthony chuckled at that, "Gabby does love homemade things." He sighed fondly, his eyes slowly furrowing in worry, "the dark lord…he is back, isn't he?"
"He is," Arthur confirmed with a grimace, Sirius' good mood dipping dramatically. "Dumbledore has already called the order up, we're doing what we can to prepare for the eventual fighting."
Anthony nodded, "I will not subject myself to the machinations of that man," he muttered, "but I have a few friends who've been wanting revenge since the last war. A quick message to them will have many moving here."
"Thank you," Arthur said sincerely, "and we will do everything we can to keep Gabby and Harry safe."
Antony inclined his head a bit as Apolline walked up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "the hour grows late mi amore." she whispered to him, "and we have to pack for our trip home tomorrow.'
"You won't be staying longer?" Remuas asked, looking up from his tea.
"Sadly I have many duties to perform in france." Antony sighed, standing up and wrapping an arm around his wife, Gabrielle stood as she noticed her parents preparing to leave, "we will be back to see Gabrielle off on the…it was a train, yes? That takes them to hogwarts?"
"Yes sir." Harry piped up, "the Hogwarts express."
He nodded, "we'll be back then," he said as the adults began their good-byes, Fleur going to give her sister a hug.
"I will be back in a week," she promised her sister with a gentle smile, "that's when my apartments ready."
"I can't wait," Gabby said with tears in her eyes. "I'll write.'
"Harry," Antony said, holding a hand out, which Harry happily shook, "i'm glad we were able to help you, keep my daughter safe."
"Yes sir." he said seriously as they moved to the front door,
"It was wonderful meeting you all." Antony said sincerely to everyone gathered, "I hope we will see each other again soon, until then, good-bye." with that the Delacours left, disapparating with a crack! A few moments later.
"Ready to head home pup?" Sirius asked as Remus stepped up to his side.
"We aren't staying the night?" Harry asked.
"It's best we all return to more secure locations," Molly told him with a sad smile, "even coming here for the day was risky, and we can't take anymore risks now that a little one's on the way."
"She's right Harry," Arthur said, hugging his wife, "you have a family to think about now."
Harry nodded, "then I guess we're ready." he said to Sirius, turning to his friends.
"See ya mate," Ron clapped him on the shoulder as Hermione and Ginny hugged the couple good-bye, "maybe we can visit your new house before Hogwarts."
"That would be lovely." Gabby said, laughing as the twins bowed to the two.
"Good-bye Mr. and mrs. potter!" they chorused, neither breaking character as Ginny punched their shoulders.
"It was great seeing you all," Harry said with a sincere smile, "and we'll definitely be inviting you all over."
With that they walked out the front door, Molly and Arthur following them out.
"Do take care Harry dear." Molly said with a slight sniffle, wrapping them both up in a big hug, "I'll meet you both at St Mungo's in a week!"
"And do send updates," Arthur added, "we're happy to help in any way we can; we know how hard it is with a baby on the way while in hogwarts after all."
"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Bill was born at the beginning of my seventh year," Molly sighed with a fond smile, "Arthur had proposed the year before. So we know a thing or two about what you'll be experiencing in the next three years."
"Thank you," Gabrielle said sincerely, giving Molly another hug, "any help is welcome, especially from Harry's family."
Molly sniffled again as she returned the hug, "you both have a good night." she said as she bustled back into the kitchen, Arthur smiling after her.
"She'll have herself a good cry." he said to them, shaking their hands, and giving Sirius and Remus a respectful nod, "glad you aren't in azkaban Harry, you both have a wonderful night." and with that Arthur was heading back into the Burrow as Sirius Apparate Harry back to the house, Remus following with Gabrielle only a moment after.