Dumbledore paces his office, normally groomed beard and hair now tangled and unwashed, and eyes glowing with rage and desperation. Support to his cause is leaving quickly, and even his arguments about the greater good are not effective. He's even had several order members stop showing up to meetings, important people such as Kingsley Shacklebolt and Moody. Lupin still shows up at meetings but does not speak to him unless it's necessary.
Luckily, his ever-faithful right-hand man, Severus, has stood with him through it all. He even agrees that sending Harry to the Dursleys, no matter how abusive, was the right thing to do. Now if only they could get everyone else to see things the same way.
---
To celebrate the spring equinox, students were allowed to return home the day before, and go back to school the following afternoon. I found that it was more rejuvenating compared to the fall equinox or winter solstice rituals we performed previously.
Spring is seen as the season of new life, and it is customary after the ritual for couples to celebrate, ahem, alone. I didn't understand at first but was not against it. Tom and I celebrated a lot last night, and just thinking about it brings a blush to my face. It was so much more intense than usual.
"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are when you blush?" Tom asks from under me.
"Yes," I answer with embarrassment, cheeks burning even more.
He laughs, and I sit up. A quick tempus tells me that it is already eleven o'clock, and I have to be back at the castle no later than eleven forty-five.
"Shit I'm going to be late!"
I throw the covers off of me and make my way quickly into the shower, Tom following lazily behind. After a quick shower, which could have been quicker if I wasn't slapping Tom's hands away from me constantly, I get dressed and eat breakfast. Putting my glamour back in place, and Tom his, we arrive in Hogsmead where there are only two carriages left.
"Be safe Harry, I love you and I will speak with you tonight."
"I love you too Ryan."
I kiss him long and hard, then rush to hop on a carriage despite the fact they have already started moving.
"Running late there, aren't we Harry?"
"Shove off Draco."
He snickers but doesn't say any more. The Hufflepuff's sharing with us look at us warily, not sure how to act around the infamous rivals turned friends. Eventually, they start up a nervous conversation on quidditch.
"So, how were your celebrations?" I ask.
"They were well, and yours? It was your first, those are always the best."
"It was amazing. Spring was always my favorite season, but this was like feeling the essence of spring flow through you. I only wish it could have lasted longer."
"Well from what I hear, it does last longer, and even get better if you and your significant other let it, though something tells me that's the part you wanted to last longer." He smirks and I punch him hard in the shoulder.
---
"Fuck Blaise, marry Wood, and definitely kill Flint," Daphne states confidently.
"No way. None of you have seen Wood at practice. He's a nice guy, but a total control freak. I wouldn't want to be stuck with that in marriage. I say fuck Wood, marry Blaise, and kill Flint." I counter.
"What are you guys talking about?" Draco asks as he and the guys come to sit with us in our spot in the courtyard.
Neville and the girls and I have been sitting out here for an hour now enjoying the weekend sun. We decided to play fuck, marry, kill, and were all highly amused when even Nev joined in despite the lack of feminine choices.
"It's this muggle game Hermione taught us. You are given three names, and you are forced to choose which one you would fuck, which one you would marry, and which one you would kill." Daphne explains.
"Speaking of, it's your turn, Harry."
"Okay, how about... ha! Querrill, Flitwick, or Dumbledore."
Everyone pulls a face at that, but Nev speaks up first.
"Fuck Querrill, as long as he isn't possessed, marry Flitwick and kill Dumbledore. Kill Dumbledore every time."
Everyone nods in agreement, aside from the new arrivals who are looking at us with horrified expressions.
"What is the point of this game?" Theo asks.
"What's the point of any game?" is my cryptic answer.
"Right... can't argue with that logic I suppose. If we're including professors, how about Lockhart, Binns, and Sev?" Draco asks, laying on his stomach with his chin resting on his hands and his legs swinging in the air.
"Eww! Really Draco?!" I ask.
"Fuck Lockhart, marry Snape and kill Binns. Wait, is it even possible to kill a ghost?" Pansy asks.
"I think I might be sick," I tell them.
"Oh come on Har, it's just a game, don't be so-- dramatic." She finishes lamely when I conjure a bucket and begin to empty the contents of my stomach.
When I've finished and am panting to catch my breath, Dean vanishes it and does a few spells to clean me up before speaking.
"I told you this morning you should go to the infirmary. You should at least be resting if you're sick."
"I'm fine, it's warm out and it's not like I'm running around."
"Maybe so but you should be in bed. Come on, I will walk you there and you can get some sleep. We'll even bring up some toast and a stomach reliever after lunch if you'd like."
He doesn't take no for an answer, and soon I have the three Gryffindor boys escorting me to my father's quarters so I won't be disturbed.
---
For the first time all year, I let Draco take the lead in potions. He seems surprised, but I wave him off and say he won't learn if I don't give him the chance. In all reality, as soon as I walked into the classroom, the fumes from last class had me dizzy and nauseous all over again, and I worry that the small amount of food I managed to get in my stomach during lunch would come back up again.
As we work, I am thankful that he seems to have picked up a few things over the year, as my heads getting foggier by the minute. He just added powdered sheep's horn when everything went black.
---Draco's POV---
As I add the next ingredient to the potion Hadrian and I are working on, I shoot another worried glance in his direction. He wasn't well a few days ago, and Seamus and Dean told me when I saw them earlier that he has been sick every morning since only seeming to be able to get anything down around five at night.
The smoke of our potion goes from a dark blue to a rather stunning shade of fuchsia, when Hadrian's already pale face turns ashen, and he passes out. Luckily, since I was watching him, I manage to catch him before he hits the ground.
"Mr. Malfoy, what is going on?" Slughorn questions.
"I don't know sir, he just passed out. He hasn't been feeling well the past few days. May I be excused to take him to get help?"
"Very well. Don't worry about the potion or homework tonight. You boy's both do an exemplary job, one night won't hurt anything."
"Thank you, Professor."
With that, I cast a featherlight charm on Hadrian and carry him to my Godfather's quarters which are thankfully still in the dungeons despite the classroom change. I know that his wards will alert him as soon as we walk through the entrance, so I set him on the couch and floo my mother who will be the best in this situation.
"Draco dear, what's wrong?"
"Mum it's Hadrian. I don't know what happened, he's been sick the past few days, and now he's just passed out in the middle of potions class."
"Move aside I'm coming through."
A moment later she is casting a flurry of spells towards one of my best friends. Her eyebrows furrow, then widen in shock, and she somehow begins moving even faster than before. All I can do is watch silently, knowing she can't speak when she is busy casting spells.
Eventually, Sev finds his way down here, and Mum finishes a final spell. She takes out her notepad and starts writing things down. When she is finished she hands the list to Sev, and he takes it. His hand begins to shake in silent fury as he reads, but he turns to gather the requested potions.
"These are what I have, you will have to see if you have any of the others at home for immediate use. I will start brewing more right away."
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?"
"Draco, sweetheart it isn't our place to tell. We need to speak with Hadrian first, especially as it is unlikely he knows. After that, it's up to him to tell you, though he probably won't be able to hide it for long."
"Your mother is right Draco. Why don't you go pack your bags, and we will let you know if his condition changes? We are going to have to get him out of the castle without telling anyone, and you will be the first suspect as the last one to see him. Especially if you were supposed to be taking him to the hospital wing and he never shows up there."
The stress is plain in his eyes, so I opt not to push it. Instead, I make my way to the Slytherin dorms to do as he says.
---Tom's POV---
I am once more doing copious amounts of boring paperwork when Severus comes through the floo. I am instantly worried, but before I can voice it he hits me with an overpowered stinging hex.
"Ow, what was that for?!"
"We need to talk Riddle."
"Is it Harry? Is he okay?"
"He is stable for now, but still in critical condition, and that could change at any moment."
At hearing that, I get up with the intent to go straight to him, but Severus has other plans. He hits me with another stinging hex, then physically shoves me back into my chair.
"You need to know what is going on before you rush over there. I find it obvious that the two of you chose to participate in the couples portion of the spring equinox celebrations. Were you aware that sometimes in these celebrations, same-sex couples who are soulmates are gifted with not only the ability to have children together, but they automatically conceive a child at that time?"
"What? You're not saying that he's, that Hadrian is, is--"
"Pregnant, yes. I doubt he knows yet as he would have been more careful in his classes if he did. He fainted during potions today. Luckily Draco was his partner and brought him straight to my quarters instead of the infirmary, and called his mother for help.
"It seems as though Hadrian took a few blows in DADA which already hurt the baby, but they were brewing draught of the living death in potions, one that is highly toxic to people who are pregnant. The fumes alone do a great deal of damage to the both of them."
I can only sit there gaping at him, unsure what to say. Hadrian is pregnant. I am going to be a father. Unless they don't make it, Severus said they are in critical condition. He and the baby could both die.
Oh, Merlin a baby! I can't be a father, I'm the Dark Lord! I kill and torture people not nurture.
"Whatever you are thinking stop it right now. This is why I decided to tell you first before Hadrian even wakes up. If they survive this, he is going to need you more than ever. I understand you are scared, but he will be too, not to mention his habit of blaming himself. We don't want a repeat of your birthday, or worse. You have lots of people who will support you both. Take some time to think that through, and floo to my quarters when you've made the correct decision."
He goes to the fireplace and is about to floo, but pauses and sends another stinging hex at me, then leaves in green flames.
---
A half an hour later, I floo to Hogwarts and conjure a chair on the opposite side of the bed as Severus, and take his hand.
"How are they?"
"No change so far. The fetus took a lot of damage, but Hadrian's magic is all focused on healing it. Unfortunately, that means it's doing nothing to heal himself. You could help, if you want." Narcissa informs.
"I'll do anything."
"You need to share your magic with him. Place your hand right here on his stomach, and let it flow into him. This is something you'll need to do throughout the pregnancy to help him support the baby. He could do it on his own if necessary, but it's very taxing and could affect them both negatively."
I do as she says, and I am surprised when I feel my magic not only feeling Hadrian's, but a much smaller, weaker magic. I look up to her in question, and she simply smiles and nods in the affirmative. That's our baby.
"Since you are here, I am going to go brew the necessary potions to help them," Severus says, then leaves the room.
---Hadrian's POV---
I open my eyes to a dark room, and arms around me, one settled over my stomach that is sending his magic through me in pleasant warm waves. I don't have to look to know it's Tom, and I snuggle deeper into his embrace, falling quickly back to sleep.
---
The next time I wake up, it's brighter, and hushed voices are speaking around me. I groan at the pounding headache, and the voices stop immediately.
"Hadrian, how are you feeling son?"
I point at my head, hoping for as little noise as possible. Soon, a cool vial is pushed to my lips, and some of the pain ebbs away shortly after, though not as much as a normal headache reliever.
"What happened?" I ask, looking between my father hovering nearby, and my fiance holding me protectively.
"You had a bad reaction to the fumes in potions and passed out. Draco brought you here."
When I think about it, I remember that it was just the draught of living death, something I've already brewed often enough to have already mastered it. There shouldn't have been any reaction. I voice this to them and they share a look.
"Kitten, I know that it's not very common, and the odds are you didn't know it was possible, in fact, I only knew it had happened to people before, not the how--"
"Tom, you're rambling."
"Right. The thing is, apparently sometimes, though not always, when same-sex couples participate in the couples portion of the spring celebration, it becomes possible for the one to become pregnant."
"Not only that but when that happens, there is a 100% chance of it happening then." My father adds.
I swallow the lump quickly forming in my throat.
"That's impossible. You're lying."
"You know we aren't. Your health isn't something we would ever joke about."
I try to get up, needing space, but Tom keeps me firmly against him.
"You shouldn't move. You and the baby are both in bad condition." He tells me.
"What do you mean bad condition?!" I shout hysterically, "There is no condition. I'm not pregnant, it's impossible. I'm just, I'm dreaming or something. It's just a dream and any second now I am going to wake up."
"Hadrian, Hadrian you need to calm down love. Look at me. I am right here, I'm with you, it's going to be okay but you need to calm down or you will only hurt the baby further."
He helps me get my breathing back under control, and I to cling to him now instead.
"What are we going to do?" I ask helplessly, tears wetting his shirt.
"We'll stick together, just like always. We can get through this."
"What did you mean by bad condition? Is it alright?"
"It's hurt," Cissa says for the first time, startling me as I didn't notice her before. "There must have been spells that hit you during defense, as I found damage first from that, then the worst of it from the fumes. It's still alive at this point, but it's very weak and there's no telling what effects it may have on it once it's born."
"There was also some less severe damage from the potions you used to treat the symptoms. It's common even for women to do that and it doesn't do too much damage as long as they aren't used for more than a week or two." My father adds.
"Unfortunately, at this point, we aren't sure if it will make it. It doesn't look good." She finishes solemnly.
It's all my fault. If I had just listened to Dean in the first place and at least let my Dad or Cissa look at me, all of this might have been avoided. The baby is going to die, and I haven't even gotten the chance to fully comprehend the possibility of its existence. I killed my baby.
Sobs choke me as I cling tighter to Tom, knowing that he is connected to my mind right now to help me. He begins rubbing my back, telling me that it's not my fault, that I couldn't have known. Eventually, my tears slow, and I find myself falling asleep in his embrace.
---
I am woken this time by Tom's soft voice in my ear.
"Come on Kitten, it's time to get up."
"Don't wanna," I mumble and bury myself deeper into his chest.
"I know, but we let you rest as long as we could. The elves have packed your things, we need to get you out of the castle before anyone notices you are missing."
I groan but allow myself to be eased up and helped to stand. It seems everyone was prepared for this beforehand as Draco and my dad are waiting by the fireplace with bags in hand, along with Narcissa. It takes me a moment, but I realize that the bags they are holding are their own and that Cissa has my trunk. They seem to notice my confusion.
"It is no longer safe for Draco to stay here as he would be the first suspect in your disappearance. I would be the second as there would be no other place for him to go but my quarters to avoid the paintings finding out. Not only that but there is no way I am going to stay here and teach a bunch of dunderheads while you are gone and possibly needing me." My dad explains.
"Come now, I will go through first in case you need me on the other end. You two will come through next, then Draco, then Severus." Cissa says, then gets a handful of floo powder. She does an intricate spell on the powder before flooing to Malfoy Manor. My dad does the same spell to the handful Tom takes, and we are soon sucked up in a swirl of green flames.
Cissa is immediately at my other side, helping guide me to the sofa, then does some spells to check me and the baby. Everyone is sitting around waiting nervously by the time she is finished.
"The good news is that there is no change. The floo travel went smoothly. The bad news is that it hasn't gotten any better yet. I know it may be hard, but I want you to take this potion and get as much food in you as possible."
"I've had the elves prepare dinner. Why don't we eat in here so you can rest before we move you again."
Everyone agrees and we are soon served dinner of roast beef sandwiches, fruits and veggies. The potion she gave me seems to have reduced the sickness which was still lingering from this morning, and I find myself eating a significantly larger portion than usual. Afterwards, I am swept up in Tom's arms and taken to bed, and the world is once more gone to me.
---Dumblefuck's POV---
"Where are they?! How did they get away without anyone noticing?!" I roar to the cheerfully singing phoenix in my office.
Potter didn't show up for breakfast this morning, and from what I am told, Malfoy was absent as well. As for Severus, he rarely joins us for breakfast in the Great Hall anyway, usually preferring the quiet of his room. I didn't think much of it until all three were absent from their classes. What's worse is I couldn't find a substitute for defense for today and had to take over myself, preventing me from searching for them.
I have searched everywhere with every method I could think of, short of an all out search party. At this point I'm beginning to believe they aren't on school grounds at all. Does that mean I have been fooled? Did Severus too escape my manipulations?
"How dare that brat?! How dare he ruin decades worth of preparations?! You will die Potter! Even if I have to kill you myself! You won't get away with this!"