Paternity

Authors notes: Chocopunch--my own invention. Sort of like Yahoo, but carbonated. Twitch thistles are also my own invention. They are much like regular thistles, except you\'re more likely to get stickers, because they twitch toward anything that comes near them. Perpetual lamps--another invention. Sort of like a night-light. Look like small oil lamps, but come on and turn off automatically, and never need to be refilled. Sort of like night lights.

Part Eleven
Questions

Ron glared after Snape, arms crossed huffily. \"I don\'t care what he says, he thought I might try to hurt myself to get rid of the baby! The very idea.\" He glanced at Harry, looking for affirmation of his outrage.

Harry hated to be the bearer of distasteful news, but he felt he had to explain. \"Ron, some people do, you know.\" Ron gave him an incredulous look. \"I know it sounds awful, but there it is. I s\'pose it isn\'t much of a problem in the wizarding world--at least I haven\'t heard much of it. But it IS a problem in the Muggle world, and Snape may not like Muggles, but he knows more about them than most.\"


Ron snorted. \"He probably sees it as \'know thy enemy\'.\" There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and Ron said hesitantly, \"It\'s true, Harry? I mean, I know you wouldn\'t lie to me, but... but maybe you\'re exaggerating a bit?\"

Harry took a deep breath. \"No. Back on Privet Drive one of the neighbor\'s girls had to be run to hospital because she\'d drunk something nasty. Aunt Petunia took a casserole over to the girl\'s mum, cooing and all concerned, then came back and told Uncle Vernon that there was no use wasting sympathy on young Tildey because the girl wasn\'t trying to commit suicide--she\'d just been trying to chuck the bun out of her oven.\"

Ron looked dismayed. \"That\'s awful.\"

Harry shrugged. \"That\'s the Dursleys.\" Harry hesitated, then reached over and took Ron\'s hand. \"So, you really don\'t mind, then?\"

\"Of course I mind, you nit! I\'m seventeen, and I\'m not married. No one in my position with half a brain would really want to get pregnant.\"

Harry winced. \"Oh. Sorry.\"

Ron stared at Harry\'s downcast expression, and understanding dawned. *He thinks it\'s his, and I just as good as said I don\'t want it.* Ron could feel his own eyes stretch wide in dismay, and was glad that Harry was preoccupied, because he didn\'t know what was showing on his own face, but he knew it wouldn\'t be soothing or comforting to his friend. *Oh, fucking hell! What if it\'s Draco\'s?*

Ron hadn\'t been thinking about who the father might be--he thought he\'d been doing rather well just remaining sane, but now... *It could be either of them. Hell, there wasn\'t more than an hour or so between that screw behind the greenhouse and... and...* He couldn\'t bring himself to use the same term, not even in his thoughts. *And what I had with Harry. It could be either of them.* His jaw firmed, and the notorious Weasley stubbornness flashed in his eyes. *But it isn\'t.* \"Harry, that didn\'t come out right.\"

Harry looked up at him, peering over the rim of his glasses. Ron reached out and gently pushed them up on his nose, receiving a faint smile in return. \"I could understand. It does complicate your life a lot.\"

\"Understatement of the century, Potter.\" He peered down at his belly quizzically. \"Well, Dad said once that there wasn\'t anything in the world much more unnatural than a \'planned\' baby. I\'ve out-done Fred and George--I\'ve managed to be natural and unnatural, all at once.\"

He lay back on the bed. \"Y\'know, I\'ve always known I was going to have kids. You remember the load of cousins, second cousins, cousins-once-removed, cousins-by-marriage, blah, blah, on and on, into the night, that you met at the family reunion last year?\" He shrugged. \"I\'m a Weasley. I just sort of thought that my contribution to the clan wouldn\'t be quite so involved.\"

\"You\'ll be a good Dad,\" said Harry. He indicated the bed. \"Can I...?\"

\"I wish you would.\" Harry stretched out beside Ron, snuggling against him. \"I think I have a shot at doing well. After all, Dad is a smashing role model. He might not have set the world on fire in his profession, but he\'s done a good job raising us. None of his kids has really gotten into trouble... um, till now.\"

\"But you didn\'t set out to do anything wrong, Ron. You just sort of... got caught. And it isn\'t really your fault. I should have taken care of things.\"

\"Yeah?\" Ron\'s tone was curious. \"And just what the hell could you have done?\"

\"Well, there are, um, things you can use.\"

\"Yeah--rubbers.\" Ron grinned. \"The Muggle world and the Wizarding one overlap in some places, Harry. But can you imagine asking for a box of Wonder Wizard Willie Wraps at the druggist in Hogsmeade?\"

Harry blushed. \"I don\'t think I\'d be the first. I could have, you know, pulled out.\"

Ron pushed his hand through Harry\'s hair. \"I\'d have hurt you if you\'d tried.\" Harry pressed his face to Ron\'s throat, stifling a laugh. \"Besides, that method is notorious for being ineffective.\" His voice mimicked every horny teenager who\'d ever tried to get into a girl\'s knickers. \"Honest, luv, you don\'t have to worry! I\'ll pull out, I swear.\" He snorted. \"Bet there are a lot of kiddies in the world thanks to that line. Anyway, we didn\'t even know there was anything we needed to try to prevent. Let\'s face it--Fate needed a laugh, and it\'s my turn in the barrel.\"

\"You don\'t have to go through this alone, you know,\" said Harry quietly.

\"I\'m not holding you responsible.\"

\"Well, I\'m holding myself responsible.\" Harry leaned up on his elbow, looking down at Ron. \"This is my baby, too. I want to be a part of its life, Ron. I want to be a part of your life.\"

\"You already are,\" said Ron quietly. \"You have been for a long time, and you always will be, unless you push me away.\"

Harry bent and kissed Ron softly. \"That won\'t happen.\" He smiled. \"Not unless your Mum blasts me. Even then, I\'ll come crawling back.\"

Both boys were grateful for the hardwood floors out in the hall--it made hearing a group approaching much more likely. Harry sat up quickly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed just before the group entered. Snape, Pomfrey, Dumbledore, and Molly and Arthur Weasley. Ron groaned, and Harry caught the edge of the sheet to keep him from jerking it up over his face.

Ron watched his parents approach. His Dad looked stunned, and his Mum... Well, it was hard to say. Ron glared at Snape and Dumbledore, not sure exactly who to be angry with. He settled on both--it seemed only fair. \"You told them.\" He said accusingly.

\"You\'d have preferred to do it yourself?\" asked Snape, obviously doubtful.

Ron looked at his parents, blinking, then said, \"No, I guess not. Hi Mum. Hi Dad.\"

\"Son.\" Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. \"Well...\" He trailed off, then looked helplessly at the others. \"Could we have some time alone, please?\"

There was a murmur of agreement. As the other three adults moved back toward the door, Madame Pomfrey called, \"I\'ll be bringing you a glass of milk later, Ron. You\'re going to have to start watching your diet now. Pregnancy is a strain on anyone\'s body, and since yours wasn\'t designed...\"

Dumbledore took her arm. \"I think the pre-natal lecture can wait a bit, Pomfrey.\"

Harry got up and started after them, and Arthur said quietly, \"Harry? I think you might stay.\"

The two boys exchanged looks. Molly took the chair beside the bed, and Arthur sat on the edge of the bed. Harry settled gingerly on the other side. There was silence as they all stared at each other. Finally Ron said, \"Mum, say something.\"

\"Right.\" She looked at Harry. \"Harry, are you going to make an honest man of my boy?\"

\"Oh, God!\" Harry didn\'t manage to catch the sheet this time.

Arthur said, \"Moll, please. We don\'t even know if... if Harry...\"

\"And who else would it be? Come on, Arthur, we\'ve discussed this before.\" The sheet came down, and both of the boys gaped at the adults. Molly continued, \"Don\'t look so shocked, you two. It\'s been as plain as the nose on your face for years now. Everyone could see it coming except you two. Honestly, Ron, and I thought you were one of my more sensible children. I suppose sensible doesn\'t necessarily mean perceptive. You were expecting a right good reaming out, weren\'t you?\" Ron nodded. \"Don\'t think that might not come somewhere down the line.\" Her face softened. \"But I don\'t think you need that right now. If I remember correctly, the first few weeks are rough enough without a load of emotional rubbish being dumped on your head.\" She laughed. \"I thought the only advice on pregnancy I\'d have to give my sons would be to coddle their wives. Looks like I can be a bit more practical.\"

Ron lunged half out of the bed, throwing his arms around his mother\'s neck, and burying his face against her shoulder. \"Mum, I\'m so sorry.\"

While his wife held their son, Arthur reached over and patted his back with awkward gentleness. \"Stop it, Ron. A baby\'s a baby, for all that, and since when have we ever been upset to see one on the way, eh?\" His eyes lit up. \"Our first grandchild. You\'re going to have a job on your hands, keeping the uncles and aunt from spoiling it putrid.\"

Ron chuckled and sat back, wiping his nose. \"I expect Mum will have something to say in the matter.\"

\"Don\'t you count on it,\" warned his father. \"Some people can be martinets with their kids, then go completely soppy with the grandkids.\"

\"Mister and Mrs. Weasley,\" said Harry quietly.

Arthur shook his head. \"Don\'t you think you ought to call us Arthur and Molly, given the circumstances?\"

Harry fidgeted a little. \"I dunno if I could. Seems a little disrespectful.\"

Molly snorted. \"Stuff and nonsense. But if you\'re uncomfortable with it, call us Mum and Dad.\" She smiled fondly. \"It\'s what I\'d expect from anyone else one of my kids settled on.\"

Arthur sighed, and rubbed his forehead. \"Moll, nothing\'s been settled.\"

She gave her husband an arch look. \"Hasn\'t it?\"

\"We couldn\'t force Harry...\"

\"And who said anything about force? Lord, Arthur, I\'m not suggesting a wand-point wedding. But look at them.\" Arthur looked. Harry, sitting beside Ron, had taken the other boy\'s hand, and Ron was leaning against his shoulder. \"Harry\'s been a part of this family since the first time he came over to visit, you know that.\" She shrugged. \"It would just make it official.\"

Arthur regarded the boys. \"I\'m not saying I disagree with your Mum, Ron, but have you two even discussed this?\"

\"Not really,\" said Harry. \"This has sort of taken us by surprise. I don\'t want to push Ron into anything he isn\'t ready for, but I\'ll tell you this...\" He was looking down at Ron\'s hand as he held it, playing with the fingers. \"When I found out that the wizarding world sanctions same sex marriages, I was relieved--and happy.\"

Molly nodded. \"I know there are factions that believe we should be more open with the Muggles, but I say that if they can\'t deal with such a basic, simple concept as love being love, they aren\'t ready to deal with magic users.\"

Ron was looking between his parents, and Harry. His feelings at the moment were mainly relief that his parents weren\'t angry with him, and that Harry wasn\'t either. But there was a tiny corner of his mind that was screaming, \'Too fast! Too fast!\' He said, \"This doesn\'t all have to be settled right now, does it? I mean, I don\'t have to lay out a plan for the next twenty or so years of my life before you and Dad leave the room, do I?\"

\"No one wants to rush you, Ron,\" said Mr. Weasley kindly. \"But you have to know that decisions must be made soon.\" He smiled, indicating Ron\'s belly. \"We are on a schedule of sorts.\"

Ron took a deep breath. \"Yeah, but it can wait a few weeks. I need some time to think about all this.\"

Molly was nodding, \"When we get home, you can...\"

\"Mum, I don\'t want to go right home.\"

She frowned. \"But Ron, you need to be home now, where you can be supported, and taken care of.\"
\"I can get that here at Hogwarts. Oh, I know it won\'t be the same.\" He grinned at her. \"The house elves are all right, but they can\'t do bilberry muffins like you, Mum. But I think that you and Dad need to go back and finish your trip. Dad, you know that it will look bad on your record if you cut it short.\"

\"But,\" he protested, \"surely they\'ll take into consideration if it\'s a family emergency.\"

\"They should, but since when has beaurocracy ever been really bound by should? Anyway, this doesn\'t qualify as an emergency. A situation, yes--emergency, no. Nothing\'s really going to happen for months yet.\"

\"But, dear,\" said Mrs. Weasley, \"would you be comfortable staying here? I\'m sure that Dumbledore, Pomfrey, and Professor Snape wouldn\'t spread tales, but things have a way of getting around such enclosed communities.\"

\"Don\'t you think tongues would wag if I was suddenly just whisked away with no explanation? No, let\'s stick to the original plan. Let me finish out the summer here. If it seems best, I can go back home at the beginning of term. This will give me time to think things through.\" When his mother still looked doubtful, Ron said firmly, \"Mum, if this doesn\'t indicate I need to start taking control of my life, I don\'t know what would. I\'m going to have to make decisions for myself, and my baby. Let me start now.\"

Arthur patted his wife\'s hand. \"He\'s right, Moll.\" He smiled. \"And I\'ll be switched if I\'m not proud of him for standing up. All right, Ron, you have your time. I know that they\'ll take excellent care of you here--staff,\" he gave Harry a warm look, \"and others. I\'ll have Gringott\'s wire a few galleons to you.\" When Ron started to protest, knowing what their family budget was like, Arthur waved him off. \"No, I\'m doing this. You may need things. We had a bit set aside for a special occasion, and I guess this qualifies. Now, how do you want to handle this with your sister and brothers? Do you want to tell them, or shall we?\"

\"Christ, there\'s another pickle. I\'m not sure. Wait, I AM sure about one thing--I want you two to tell Fred and George. I\'m going to need a little space between me and their initial reaction. But hold off a bit, eh? I\'ll let you know. As for the others... I don\'t know. I expect I\'ll either owl them or talk through the fire in a week or two.\"

\"As you say, dear,\" said Mrs. Weasley. She stood and kissed her son on the cheek. \"Just let us know when you\'ve done, because I know they\'re going to want to talk about it.\"

Mr. Weasley stood, and rummaged in his pocket. \"I know I have it here somewhere... ah!\" He pulled out a twist of paper and handed it to Ron. \"Here, powder for fire talking. Get yourself some more as soon as you can, and I want you to use it. I expect an owl or a talk every day, mind.\"

Arthur Weasley leaned over and hugged his son. The Weasley\'s casual, matter-of-fact affection for each other was expressed physically as well as verbally, and that wasn\'t something Harry was used to. The most affectionate touch he\'d ever gotten at home was a cuff on the ear or a bruising shake. It was one of the reasons that what he had now with Ron was so special to him. All his life he\'d craved warmth and closeness, and it looked like he\'d finally found it.

Arthur shook hands with the boy. \"Harry. I know I don\'t need to ask you to look after Ron. You always have done.\"

\"We do it for each other, sir.\"

Weasley nodded with satisfaction. \"As it should be.\"

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a hug, then smiled at him, tapping him on the nose. \"I hope the baby has green eyes.\" She leaned over to drop a peck on his cheek, and whispered in his ear, \"And start thinking about what you want for your joining ceremony. It always seems like one of the partners is stuck making most of the arrangements, and it looks like you\'ll be the one. Don\'t worry, I won\'t interfere--much.\"

They left. The moment they were gone, Ron heaved a huge sigh of relief, then looked at Harry. \"Well, all body parts are still firmly attached.\"

\"You shouldn\'t have expected any less.\"

\"Oh, I knew they\'d accept it--eventually. I\'m just a bit surprised that they\'re so easy with it. I guess they must have been more grandchild hungry than I thought, even if Mum has been muttering about she\'s too young to be a gran.\"

Madame Pomfrey came in, carrying a tray. \"Here you are, Ron. The house elves have been quite worried about you.\" She set the tray down on the bedside stand. \"They made some caramel custard tarts special for you. Harry, I brought enough for two.\"

Ron eyed the two golden tarts hungrily, then said hopefully, \"I\'m eating for two now.\"

\"Nice try.\" Harry took one of the tarts. \"You won\'t be able to get away with that excuse for another couple of weeks.\"

\"Drink every drop of that milk, young Weasley,\" Madame Pomfrey warned. \"You young ones drink entirely too much butterbeer and Chocopunch these days. You\'re going to need that calcium, and...\"

\"Lectures have started, eh?\"

Madame Pomfrey smiled. \"I\'m sorry, Ron, but it\'s what I do. We can wait a day or so, but you will be hearing quite a bit about how to stay healthy, now that you\'re expecting. I\'m quite excited. No one else I know has ever had care of a pregnant male. I\'m going to the library to see if I can\'t find some material, and if there isn\'t much there, I\'ll be contacting the Medical Specialty Board.\"

Ron looked up in alarm. \"You won\'t be telling them about this?\"

\"Oh, no, dear--no. Not till you give permission. They won\'t be too curious if I just ask for information. They\'re always happy if someone wants to learn more about the more obscure parts of medical science.\" She looked at Harry. \"I know it\'s still fairly early, but he\'s had a hard day, and he should go to sleep soon.\"

Ron said, \"Pom, there\'s no one else here. Couldn\'t Harry stay?\" He gestured at the other empty beds. \"There\'s plenty of room.\"

She frowned. \"It\'s against the rules.\"

\"Oh, come on,\" Harry chided. \"It isn\'t as if it\'s contagious.\"

She had to smile. \"Well... I think in this case it can be argued that it\'s best for the patient\'s peace of mind. Take any bed you like.\"

She left. Ron bit into one of the tarts, and rolled his eyes. \"Wonderful!\" He finished his in two bites, while Harry watched, amused. Licking crumbs off his fingers, he eyed the bite that Harry still held, then pointed. \"If you loved me, you\'d give me that.\"

\"You\'re an opportunistic brat, Ron Weasley,\" said Harry, amused. \"Open.\" Ron opened his mouth, and Harry popped the morsel in. \"Are you going to develop strange cravings? I\'ve heard that Aunt Petunia went mad for India relish and radishes when she was expecting Dudley.\"

\"That would explain a lot about his personality. I\'m just lucky that Hagrid isn\'t about right now. He\'s had care of pregnant magical beasts before, and I\'m afraid that a pregnant wizard would be too much for him to resist. He\'d probably be hauling out tons of dusty tomes, telling me exactly what I had to do, including, um, grazing on twitch thistles under a full moon.\"

\"Drink your milk,\" Harry ordered.

Ron drank it willingly enough, but said, \"I have the feeling that I\'m going to get right tired of people telling me what to do \'for my own good\'.\" He yawned. \"I also hate being told when to go to bed, but I think it\'s a good idea right now.\" He snuggled down in the bed, then gave Harry a sleepy smile. \"She said you could sleep wherever you liked.\"

That night, before she went to bed herself, Madame Pomfrey went to the infirmary to check on Ron one last time. The long room was very quiet. It was dimly lit by a few perpetual lamps, but she could easily make out Ron Weasley\'s red hair gleaming on his pillow, at the end of the room. She stepped toward him softly, not wanting to wake him up till absolutely necessary.

Then she paused. There was a second head on the pillow--a dark one. Harry was cuddled against Ron, his nose pressed to the other boy\'s cheek. They both looked very young, and quite contented. She smiled to herself, turned, and left without waking them.