Who Knew?

Not Mine… Don’t own ‘em, just have fun manipulating them. If you’re reading this, you already know who owns ‘em… And probably wish you owned ‘em, too!

Warnings: Het, Light slash-M/M/M, Teacher/student mentioned

A/N: Another fairly vanilla chapter. Bear with me and I’ll make it up in the next one. There will be a little something for everyone, but for the flow of the story, this one had to come (hem-hem) first.

Chapter 12: Secret Keepers

Harry and Ginny sat next to each other at the feast, while Ron and Hermione sat across from them. Knowing that it was an irrational thought did nothing to keep Harry from feeling as if everyone knew of his plans for the evening and was just watching for him to make a mistake. However, yet another survey of the Great Hall revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except for Draco’s constant veiled scrutiny and the occasional intense look from the Potions Master. Upon reflection, Harry admitted that those occurrences were not even abnormal from the previous years. Those two were known by staff and students alike to be constantly watching Harry’s actions.

While everyone else was tucked into their food, Harry noticed that Ginny was simply pushing her food around on her plate. He had not had time alone with her since his enlightening conference with Snape, so he had been unable to put her mind at rest with anything other than a few grins and encouraging hand gestures. Likewise, she had not been able to ask what had happened. She knew that Harry and Severus could be hot tempered and, along with Draco, were very protective of her. Bearing this in mind, she was not entirely confident that she truly wanted to know what was said. Since everyone was engaged in conversation, and laughter rang out through the Hall, Harry decided this would be his best opportunity of the evening. Slowly he leaned against Ginny, until his chin was resting on her shoulder.

“Ginny, while everyone’s busy let’s slip away.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea,” she whispered back without as much as a hint of a smile.

Ginny rose and headed toward the doors, as Harry waited for a few moments in hopes of not drawing attention. When he finally felt it would be safe to leave, one last survey of the Hall let him know how mistaken he had been. While he was rising to make his exit, he managed to make eye contact with Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Neville from the Gryffindor table, Luna and Padma from the Ravenclaw table, Susan, Justin, and a younger student, whose name he could not recall, from the Hufflepuff table, and almost all of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins. He also caught the eyes of most of the staff and faculty, who passed on looks that ranged from mild condemnation, to joyful twinkling, and finally to an approving but curt nod from Snape.

‘Good luck, Harry.’

Harry was startled to feel Draco brush against his thoughts again. As he snapped his head back to the head table, where the blond was seated at the end and immediately to the Potion master’s right, he caught a glimpse of a surprisingly compassionate smile, brief though it was.

‘As strange as this is, thanks, Draco,’ Harry thought as he headed through the doors and on to the Gryffindor common room. He had not given more than a passing thought to the new form of communication between them, much less attempted to decipher the mystery behind it, so he was taken aback once more when the presence brushed against his thoughts with a snicker and a farewell.

Taking the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding, he made his way to the common room and up to the seventh year boys’ dorm. As he entered he saw that the drapes around his bed were pulled already. It made sense, really, she would not want anyone who just happened to wander in to know she was there, but it still caused the crawling sensation of apprehension mixed with fear to traverse every nervous pathway in his body.

“It’s me,” Harry called out softly, his wand drawn and ready, but held low at his side. He had been unaware of holding his breath until Ginny parted the drapes and peered out at him. With a relieved sigh, he walked up to his bed.

“I’m getting as paranoid as Mad Eye is, aren’t I?”

“Constant vigilance, Potter!” Harry had to laugh at her imitation of the old Auror. “Don’t put that wand away; you may have use of it before the night is over.”

Harry was heartily laughing by this time, and as he turned to sit on the bed and remove his shoes he missed the seriousness etched on Ginny’s face. With socks and shoes out of the way, he scooted back on the bed and settled into a cross-legged position in the middle of the bed. As Ginny pulled the drapes closed around the bed, Harry leaned in to kiss her.

“Harry wait - I need to talk to you,” Ginny said, placing a hand against his chest. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

‘Oh my god, NO! Please no, Ginny! Don’t do this to us!’

“Wh-what’s the matter?” Harry reached out to embrace her only to be pushed away. He was
unable to quell the panic threatening to engulf him.

“Ginny, please talk to me about what ever it is. Have I done something?”

“H-Harry… I’m pregnant,” Ginny whispered softly. Even in the near darkness, Harry could see the pain in her eyes and the resolute defiance in the tilt of her head, but it was the fear in her voice that sent a crushing blow to his heart.

“Pregnant, er, right… Okay… Ginny, it’s going to be okay. I’ve already ask you to marry me. We are already engaged, we will just move the date up, if your parents or brothers let me live long enough, and-”

“No, Harry!” Ginny sobbed in earnest as the pain broke through the front she had tried to project.

“No? You don’t want to get married?”

“It’s not that. It’s… It’s the baby. I - I don’t…”

“You don’t want the have the baby?” Harry was feeling a frozen dread sitting in his stomach, a sensation so strong the Dementors paled in comparison.

“Harry, shut up and listen to me! I’m three months pregnant. That means the baby is - is not …it’s not -”

“It’s Snape’s,” Harry simply stated, comprehension dawning and sucking away his very breath.

As Ginny sat staring at her hands in her lap, he hesitantly reached out, afraid that Ginny may reject him again. Instead, she let him hold her as she cried. He moved up in the bed, and leaned against the head of his bed, cradling her on his chest. He was numb. Harry’s mind was stuck replaying her words, and the scenes from his bedroom window. He heard his roommates enter and prepare for bed, yet he felt nothing; no uneasiness, no embarrassment over their likely thoughts, nothing. His roommates quietly respected the drawn drapes; the silence from the bed seemed to be louder than any of the other sounds that had come from it. Later on he could hear Ron entering and going about his nightly ritual, but Harry still felt nothing. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the numbness wore off and his mind began to work again.

“Does he know,” Harry asked in a low and deep tone.

“No.”

He felt her head shake slightly on his chest, and pressed his lips against the top of her head as he searched his feelings. What was the right thing to do? Would “the right thing” for him also be “the right thing” for her? What of Snape? Because of Ginny’s age, no wizarding laws had been violated, but how much should he figure into this. Harry found, rather quickly, that he didn’t give a damn about Snape’s wishes or rights in this matter; his primary concern was shielding Ginny. With another kiss to the red tresses, he cupped her chin, and tilted her face up to look into her eyes.

“Ginny, I still love you and I still want to marry you. Will you still have me as your husband?”

She was surprised at how deep and soft Harry’s voice could be; it was a tone she had never heard prior to this evening. Even more surprising was the solidity and sureness of that voice. There had been no waiver, no ambiguity, no fear in his voice, and his eyes told her of the strength and depth of the conviction behind his words.

“What about the baby?”

“We can handle this several different ways, but basically we can tell Snape or not. I’d rather that we not. I will raise the baby as my own. Snape has dark hair and light skin, so do I. He has dark eyes, so do you. You and my mother both have red hair, she and I have green eyes but my father had blue eyes. As long as the baby’s not blond we’re covered for every combination!” After a moment of thought Harry added, “We could probably even come up with something for blond hair, if we have to. Ginny, it’s not… There’s no way it could be… Are you sure…”

“Yes, Harry, I’m certain who the father is. It is, without a doubt, Severus’s.” Harry sensed there was more that she wanted to say so he waited, impatiently, for her to collect her thoughts.

“Severus gave me a conception preventing potion, as well as taking one himself in front of me, every two weeks, at exactly the same time, every time. Except for once. He had brought the potions to my room and we were about to take them when the wards alerted him to Lucius Malfoy’s presence at the gates. The situation between Draco and his father had caused any visit by his father to be deemed an emergency for Severus and Draco. He sat his vial down and left, instructing me to drink mine as he did so. Before I could, Draco came running into my room in a panic. He wanted to hide, to leave the school, anything but calmly wait while Severus and the Headmaster sorted the situation out. I took him to one of the secret passageways where we waited for Lucius to leave. Once he did, we went on with the rest of our day. After lunch, Severus stopped by to take his potion, and I remembered putting mine in my pocket. He asked if I had taken it and I lied. My back was to him, but he seemed suspicious. He asked where the vial was, and I said that I must have dropped it when Draco and I were running to the passageway. He even asked Draco about it. He told Severus that he remembered seeing it in my hand when he came in and that he didn’t remember seeing any liquid in it. It was late that night when I was…”

“Yes? What is it? It’s okay, go on.”

“It was late that night when I was getting cleaned up in his bathroom that I remembered about the potion again. It fell out of my pocket. I took it then, and rinsed it out. Severus had heard it hit the floor, so when I came out he asked me what fell. I gave him the vial and told him it had been in my pocket. It was dry by then, but he sniffed it and seemed content to accept my earlier story.”

Harry had cringed inwardly at the discussion of intimacy between Ginny and Snape, remembering also his earlier conversation with Snape about what Ginny had wanted, but he fought to keep his outward demeanor tranquil and accommodating. It must have worked, because after a few seconds of studying Harry’s expression, Ginny went on.

“It was the only lapse in my taking the potion, and the date and time match the time frame which Madame Pomfrey gave me. So, yes, I know exactly who the father is and exactly when I conceived. After hearing some of the details, do you still want to raise this baby as your own?”

Harry reached his hand in between them and began fidgeting a bit.

“Harry!”

“What? No! Hang on a minute; it’s not what you think!”

He was finally able to fish the ring out of his pocket, and almost shyly, he took her hand and placed the ring on her finger, charming it to fit.

“Will you marry me, Ginerva?”

As they made love that night, it was like nothing they had shared together before. This time it was deliberate and tender. This time it came naturally again for Harry. As he unhurriedly and steadily stroked his full length in and out of her warmth, he found himself wishing with all his being that the child Ginny carried was his. It was, in actuality, the only thought he had. There were no haunting visions of the summer holidays, no doubts or fears of the future… Just the simplistic beauty of the young woman whose legs were wrapped snuggly about his waist, the wet sounds of their lovemaking, and their labored breathing.

As Harry kept up his new, maddening, torturously measured, and gentle tempo, Ginny allowed herself to admit how much she wanted the child she carried. It would be Harry’s child, of that she had no doubts. Their climax was just as gentle as their love-making had been. There were no screams, scratches or bites, only soft moans, deep sighs and shuddering after-shocks to herald the event. In the darkest hours of early morning they lay nestled against each other, refusing to break physical contact for fear of losing the new level of intimacy they had discovered. Ginny brought her hand up to get a look at the ring Harry had given her. It had definitely been a shock to learn that he already had one for her.

“Do you like it?”

“Oh Harry, it’s beautiful! It was custom made wasn’t it? How did you manage it?”

“Brace for impact, Ginny,” he said reluctantly. “It was a gift from Snape.” Harry knew a moment of jealousy as he wondered if Snape would always find a way into their bed. As softly as he could, Harry told the story of the ring on her finger, and the strange meeting with Snape. When he was finished, they were both crying.

Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Harry had an idea regarding a matter which would require attention, rather quickly, too.

“Well,” Harry asked, “who do we tell and when?”

Ginny rolled to her back, grateful for a different topic upon which to turn her consideration.

“Well, let’s see, Hermione already knows, as does Madame Pomfrey-”

“Hold on! How long has Hermione known?”

“Since she took me to see Madame Pomfrey, that Saturday morning in September. That’s all who already know, so then there’s my family-”

“Um, you’re only 16, your family won’t be thrilled-” Harry interrupted.

“Then there’s your family. That’s Remus,” Ginny continued on as if Harry had not spoken. “Your Aunt and Uncle, of course, Professor McGonagall, who, most likely, will take care of telling the Headmaster and the rest of the staff, our closest friends, and the other D.A. members -”

“My Aunt and Uncle really won’t care, but Remus is a different matter. Hey, let’s start with Ron and Hermione first. They’re close, it will give us some practice, and a chance to get some other input.”

Harry felt the need to take some form of action, since the bludger in his stomach was growing proportionately with Ginny’s list of names. Hastily, but quietly, they dressed and eased out of Harry’s bed. They crept over to Ron’s bed, fighting back giggles and snickers, the entire way, neither could have told what caused their sudden bout of lightheartedness.

Ron must have sensed their approach, for as soon as they reached his bed side he shot up.

“AAAGHH! I DO NOT want to get used to seeing the two of you in my room in the mornings! That could give me nightmares for the rest of my life!” Ron screeched.

“Meeting by the fireplace in five,” Harry managed to say through his laughter.

“I’ll get Hermione and meet you there,” Ginny said as she disappeared from the dorm.

******
“Pregnant! Pregnant! I’m going to be an Uncle! Wait a minute. The youngest in the family is the first to start having children? Isn’t that a bit wonky?” Ron laughed jubilantly. Hermione had said nothing but looked extremely relieved.

“Ron,” Ginny said seriously, “Harry and I may need your help protecting something.”

“Like a Secret Keeper,” Harry added somberly.

“Go ahead,” Ron said sobering up.

“Wait,” hissed Hermione. “If you think you may need us to be your secret keeper, then you need to go ahead and invoke it. It’s really not a bad idea, since Voldemort is after Harry, and Ginny has already been possessed by Tom Riddle. The situation regarding your child should probably be guarded by secret keepers.”

“Yeah, well we know how good that worked for my parents don’t we?”

“Harry!” The collective voice of his three closest friends chastising him caused a brief moment of guilt for Harry, very brief.

“Yeah, okay, I guess you’re right,” Harry conceded. “But the problem is I don’t know the incantation, do you?”

“Of course she does mate. Hermione knows everything. I can’t believe you had to ask-”

The remainder of Ron’s statement was cut off by the pillow Hermione had shoved in his face. Harry had caught the eye roll but knew that Hermione was secretly pleased with Ron’s admission, even backhanded as it was.

“As a matter of fact, yes, I do. When Madame Pomfrey told us the Ginny was pregnant, I had found the spell within 24 hours. I had planned on asking Ginny to invoke it on me this weekend if she hadn’t told you yet. It was getting to hard to keep the secret from you two, but I still think it would be a really good idea.” As Hermione finished she looked at Ginny apologetically. Ginny simply nodded as she considered the idea.

“Actually, ‘Mione, it’s a better idea than you realize, for reasons you don’t even know.”

“Go on then,” said Ron soberly. “What needs to be done?”

“Ginny and Harry, you need to cite the incantation together,” Hermione said as she handed them a slip of parchment. “Then you tell us the information that needs to be kept secret, be very specific. When you’re finished, cite the incantation, together, and tap Ron and I with each of your wands. Whenever you discuss the matter with us the new information is then added to that which was already protected.”

Harry and Ginny read aloud the incantation and then studied their friends in a moment of hesitation.

“Okay, out with it,” prompted Ron.

Ginny grasped Harry’s hand to stop hers from shaking.

“Ron the baby is not Harry’s, and that’s part of the secret we need kept.”

“Okay then… Harry, are you good with this,” Ron ask nervously.

“Absolutely!”

“So is the father the other part of the secret,” Ron asked looking to Hermione as if expecting her to say something. “Well obviously you aren’t going to be able to keep it a secret that Gin’s pregnant. That’s gonna’ be out there for everybody to see, and everybody is going to assume it’s Harry’s, right?

“Yes.” Ginny waited several long moments, collecting her wits, but before she could continue, Hermione could wait no longer.

“Ginny, is it Draco’s? I know the two you have gotten rather… Close.”

As Ron’s chin seemed posed to separate from his face, Harry spoke up.

“No. The baby is Snape’s.”

Ron and Hermione began asking rapid fire questions at the same time.

“Oh my god!” -Hermione

“What the bloody Hell?” -Ron

“When?” -Hermione

“How?” -Ron

“Why?” -Hermione

“What are you going to tell everyone?” -Ron

“Harry, what about the-” Hermione stopped and anxiously looked at Ginny.

“Oh! Ginny, show them the ring.”

Harry was hopeful he could divert the cross-examination before any details had to be given. He knew that sooner or later he would talk to Ron and Hermione about this, just not right now. As Ron and Hermione studied the ring, Harry recounted the conversation with Snape, making certain to add this bit of information to the secret.

Finally, as some of the excitement died down, Harry was going over the list of the secret details in his mind. ‘Snape’s relationship with Ginny… The identity of the baby’s father… The conversation with Snape regarding the ring…’

“Oh, by the way, Ginny is three months pregnant, and that needs to be part of the secret, as most will know that she and I weren’t together during that time,” Harry added.

“Good thinking mate!”

With that done, the incantation was recited, and Harry and Ginny took turns tapping Ron and Hermione.

“So, two down,” Ginny said grinning at Harry with a most mischievous gleam.

“Yeah. Who all will be at the shrieking shack today for brunch,” Harry asked meeting her mischievous expression with a worried one of his own.

“Remus, of course, the four of us, then Fred and George and that’s it, as far as I know.”

“Care to try three at a time now that we’ve handled two?”

*****
At the Shrieking Shack light was just starting to drift through the shutters of the bedroom windows as three lanky bodies began untangling themselves. Remus winced at the painful warning his ass sent to his brain. It had been almost a year since he had entertained another man, almost twenty since he had entertained two at one time. As he carefully rearranged his position, he allowed himself to consider how much more he enjoyed sex for pleasure than sex for pay. Once he had been completely honest in answering Albus’ questions, instead of the guilt and shame he had been expecting, he found instead… Absolution… And an employment offer that the ministry could not trace. He didn’t necessarily enjoy having to hear the events involved in Death Eater revelries, but he had gained an appreciation for one Severus Snape. And as it was unlikely that Voldemort would ever lay his hands on the werewolf, he was the best choice to act as secretary for the order. The physical labor involved in the renovations of the Shack had been cleansing and healing in a manner which Remus had never dreamed of.

With another stretch from one of the twins, his thoughts returned to the present. ‘Who would have thought that these two would be so world wise… So experienced and knowledgeable? When in the bloody hell did I get so old?’ he thought, as another pain lanced from his ass through the core of his being. ‘Perhaps two at once was a bit over enthusiastic.’

“What time did you say the four Musketeers were to be here?” asked Gred.

“Why did you say the four Musketeers were coming?” asked Forge.

‘Where does one stop and the other start?’ wondered Remus as he pushed up for his sitting position. The memory of the vertigo caused by the constant shift of the twins during the night caused his morning erection to bob in anticipation.

“I suspect that there may be much to discuss among them,” Remus replied simply. “And, I absolutely do not want to be found lounging in bed with the two of you. I quite believe they will have enough to deal with without having our little affair added to it.”

“We know you know something.”

“Looks like after last night you could see your way clear to share a bit of the wealth with us.”

“Right! After all, we are all family!”

Remus looked from one twin to the other. After Sirius and James, Remus thought that he should have been better prepared for dealing with the twins. With a shake of his head and a chuckle, he headed to the bath.

***

As Harry and Ginny sat across the table from Remus, all they could do was to stare into their plates. Ron put his hand on Harry’s shoulder and squeezed, and with a glance, Harry saw that Hermione had put her arm around Ginny. Fred, George, and Remus just stared at the two frightened teen-agers sitting before them, the meal sat forgotten.

“Ah… I see then, Harry… How long have you known?” Remus asked, not certain if he was trying to break the tension or gather information about the surprise Harry had just announced. At the absence of a reply, something tugged at the back of the werewolf’s senses. “I don’t believe it is, but I must ask, is this the reason for the proposal, Harry?”

“NO! No, it’s nothing like that!” At least Harry had been shocked into responding. “I had already asked Ginny to marry me before she found out.”

Ginny, who had began to nod at Harry’s statement, finally found her voice, also.

“No, Sir. Harry asked me to marry him the night before I found out I was… I couldn’t tell him until last night. I was afraid…”

As the young witch bit her lip in an effort to stem the flow of tears, Remus nodded sympathetically, and with a pointed look to the twins, he moved around the table and wrapped his arms around Harry and Ginny. Harry didn’t miss the slight sniff that Remus gave Ginny’s hair, neither did Hermione.

“You already knew?” Hermione asked, as the reason for the sniff sorted itself out in her mind.

“Yes and no. Yesterday, I knew that one of you were pregnant, but I though it was your scent that had changed.” Taking Ginny’s trembling hands in his own, Remus calmly looked into her eyes. “Ginny if you and Harry would accompany me, I believe we need to speak with the Headmaster.”

“About what?”

Everyone had been so absorbed in the moment that none had noticed when Albus came up from the tunnel.

Harry hesitantly retold his story, drawing heavily on the strength flowing from Remus’ presence.

“If I am not mistaken, Harry, the two of you have already taken Secret Keepers for this matter? Well then, it seems we have a wedding to plan.”

“Sir, what if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley don’t agree to let us marry?”

“It doesn’t have to be her parents, only two immediate family members, who are over the age of seventeen, and living independently.” Having never been accused of being dim-witted, the twins were already sharing a mischievous twinkling of the eyes with the old wizard.

“Permission granted!” they shouted in unison. A legal looking parchment instantly appeared on the table. As Dumbledore examined it, he began to smile.

“Fred, would it be too much of an inconvenience for you to go into Hogsmeade and notify the Magistrate that there will be a marriage at Hogwarts at midnight tonight?”

Fred was moving for the door before request was finished. Dumbledore touched his wand to his temple, muttered a soft incantation, and with a swish and flick of his wand, a slight vibration was felt throughout the Shack.

“Not to worry, not to worry. I was just advising the other professors and the House Elves of the wedding so they could have preparations well in hand before we return to the school. George, would you notify your parents, Bill, and Charlie, that I have a matter of importance to discuss with them? There is no need for you to have to provide any information, as I will deal with this upon their arrival. They will need to floo to the Three Broomsticks, where I will have Hagrid waiting with the carriages. Miss Granger, I would like to ask you and Ron to utilize the school Owlery to send out the invitations.” At Ginny and Harry’s stunned expressions, the ancient wizard beamed. “I presume you would like to have members of the order present, as well as the fact that there should be a large delegation from the Ministry present. While you may despise the title, “The-Boy-Who-Lived” would do well to invite the current political leaders to your wedding. It would be beneficial to Arthur’s career, not to mention incurring a slight indebtedness to the rest of the officials. We would also like to have an impressive stand of Aurors present to discourage any interruptions. We could simply demand their presence, but again, it would be more beneficial to graciously… invite… them.”

“Professor, I’m not sure that I have robes worthy of the event you are planning -” Ginny started.

“Yeah, right! Couldn’t it be something small… Private?” Harry asked.

“Hopefully, you will only do this once. When you are older, if you wish, you may select to undergo an additional bonding which, if you wish, may be a small and private affair. Now is not that time. As for the robes, that is a matter of no consequence; a small detail which will inevitably work itself out. Do not worry yourselves with any of the details.”

Quickly, Ron and Hermione set off to attend to their tasks, leaving only the Headmaster, Remus, Ginny, and Harry.

“Now Harry,” Dumbledore began, “I believe that Ron and Miss Granger are your Secret Keepers, are they not?” A nervous nod was the only reply. “Very well, Remus is the Secret Keeper for the Order, and as you are involved, I feel this is a matter that must have additional safe guards. Remus, I can see that you are troubled by something. Is it in regards to the situation young Harry and Miss Weasley now find themselves in?”

“Ginny’s scent has not changed since I encountered her in mid-August, at the Wisteria Way house. I was debating on further inquiries when you arrived.”

“Miss Weasley, Ginny… Tell me, does Severus know that you are with child?” Dumbledore looked directly into Ginny’s eyes as he asked, and Harry knew why.

“No, Sir, he does not -”

“And the bloody bastard will not know if I can help it!” Harry yelled.

“Calm yourself, Harry. Perhaps my question was poorly worded. In actuality, he already knows of the pregnancy, as well as the plans for the wedding. That was in the missive I sent back to the school. I should have asked if he was aware that the child is his…”