Expecting The Unexpected

Chapter Three - Potter is Pregnant

Harry returned to the common room, headed straight for his dormitory, and was followed instantly by a very worried-looking Ron and Hermione. He saw Ginny, sitting on the sofa, cuddled into Neville and giving him a concerned look and wished, not for the first time, that things had worked out differently between them. But they had been apart for a year, and Ginny had grown close to Neville during Snape's reign and their reformation of the DA. Besides, he thought bitterly, she'd hardly want a boyfriend knocked up with the spawn of Draco Malfoy, would she? They were still close, but they had a familial, rather than romantic, relationship now.

No sooner had Ron closed the dormitory door behind him and checked that Seamus and Dean weren't there, he and Hermione pounced on Harry. He wearily curled up on his bed and retold the story, about what Pansy Parkinson had done, how the Room of Requirement had worked its magic, and how Draco had taken the news.

"Madam Pomfrey offered us the chance to terminate," Harry said. "She said we'd have to talk it over and come to a mutual decision. But Malfoy and I both want to continue with the, er, pregnancy." He smiled- the sort of smile that was merely rueful and not one of happiness. "I think it's the first thing we've ever unanimously agreed upon in our lives."

"Well, this explains Parkinson's bizarre behaviour on the Hogwarts Express, mate," Ron said, and Harry felt his eyes widen. Of course- he should have thought of that before. But then again, he had had rather a lot of other things to think about in the last few hours.

On the journey to school, Pansy had burst into the compartment Harry was sitting in with his friends, thrown her arms around Harry and begged for forgiveness for trying to sell him out to Voldemort, before planting a huge kiss on his mouth and winding her hands into his hair. He'd thrown her off straight away and sent a Stinging Jinx at her but not, apparently, before she'd managed to yank out a few hairs from his head. For the Polyjuice, obviously.

"And Malfoy really thought he was with you?" Hermione spluttered. She, of the three of them, was the calmest about Harry's pregnancy, but the method of conception had left her absolutely enraged.

"Eugh! Harry, I've just realised something- that means Malfoy's seen you naked! He's seen your, you know," Ron said, helpfully indicating the vague area of Harry's groin with an open hand. "I mean, I know it's not you you, but it was your body, right?" He let out a shudder, Hermione turned tomato red, and Harry groaned loudly and covered his face with his hands.

"Great," Harry drawled. "I'll just add that to the list of Reasons Harry Potter Is Never Leaving His Bed Again, shall I?"

"Are you coming down for dinner, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head.

"I just said I'm never leaving my bed." Hermione gave him a stern look. "Sorry, Hermione. I'm not hungry. I just want sleep. And I'll hex the first person who says I have to eat for the sake of the baby," he said, and Hermione quickly shut her mouth, evidently having just opened it to utter those exact words. He closed his eyes, and felt Hermione remove his glasses and run her fingers through his hair once in a tender manner, before placing his blanket over him. Ron patted him on the shoulder and muttered something about bringing Harry up some food in case he changed his mind later, and then the room fell silent as his friends left. Despite the events of the day giving his brain enough to think about for hours, and the fact it was only early evening, Harry found he was so tired he fell straight asleep, where he didn't so much as stir until the following morning.

*

Harry woke up late the following morning. He'd fully intended to miss breakfast and take a long, soothing shower, but he hadn't eaten since the previous morning (and what he'd consumed then had all been thrown up), and the food Ron had brought up for him the previous evening was no longer edible. Reluctantly, he hauled himself out of bed, washed and dressed quickly, and followed Ron down to the common room, where a flustered-looking Hermione was already waiting for them.