Union of Three

Union of Three

Chapter 13

Severus took a deep breath and entered the library. He was not looking forward to giving Lucius and Draco the news. Everyone fell silent as Severus walked into the room, desperately praying for good news. Severus ignored everyone else and gestured for Lucius and Draco to follow him, ignoring the various and loud protests from the rest of the group. He led the blondes to the kitchen and poured them each a large helping of fire whiskey. They would definitely need it before he was done.

“Here, you’ll need this,” he muttered softly, collapsing into a chair and scowling at the table as he thought about what exactly to say.

“Severus, what’s wrong?” asked Lucius anxiously, ignoring his drink for the moment. “You said that Harry was stable and that he’d be alright.”

“And that’s true, Lucius, but we seem to have an unexpected problem,” said Severus wearily, downing his drink in two gulps. “The contraceptive potion didn’t work, Lucius. Harry is pregnant.”

“What?” asked Draco in a whisper. “But he has to fight the Dark Lord soon. He can’t be pregnant right now.”

“I’m sorry, Draco, but he is indeed pregnant,” said Severus softly. “I scanned him myself, and although he’s only about a week along, there’s no doubt that he is with child. There’s also the very possible risk that he could miscarry because of the curse the Dark Lord used on him.”

“Not to sound callous because Merlin knows I love Harry with every fibre of my being, but wouldn’t a miscarriage be better for Harry?” asked Lucius hesitantly, staring at the wall to hide his pain-filled gaze. “If he miscarries, he would be able to fight the Dark Lord at full power because he wouldn’t be using his magic to support his pregnancy.”

“Father?!” asked Draco incredulously. “How can you even think about that?” He just couldn’t believe his father was talking about the death of their child so calmly. This was Harry’s child.

“Draco, I want this baby just as much as you do,” said Lucius fiercely. “But we have to think about what’s best for Harry. This is not the time for him to be pregnant. It will only endanger his life even more. I just want him safe.”

“Lucius, Draco, I understand how you both must feel right now,” said Severus quietly.
But we have bigger problems. A miscarriage at this point could very well kill him. He’s already extremely weak because of the damage that curse caused, and a miscarriage could throw his body into shock and make it shut down completely, killing both him and the baby. Right now, all we can do is wait and see what happens.” Severus took another deep breath. At the rate he was going, Lucius or Draco was going to kill him before he finished telling them the news. “Of course, that’s if he wakes up at all.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Draco suspiciously, glaring at his godfather.

“He suffered a massive head trauma, Draco. He had bleeding from his brain. Now I repaired what damage I could, but head injuries are notoriously tricky. I can’t really tell you what to expect. At the moment he’s in a healing coma, but I can’t guarantee that he’ll ever wake up. Even if he does wake up, we’re still looking at several other problems that could crop up- like amnesia, some brain damage, and possibly blindness or paralysis,” said Severus evenly.

“Well, what can we do now?” asked Draco softly. All he really wanted to do at the moment was to crawl into the bed with Harry and hold his mate close. He wanted Harry to wake up and tell him to quit acting like such a big baby because the Dark Lord would never defeat him. Draco felt his chest clench in pain at the mere thought of his kitten dying. He just couldn’t imagine his life without Harry. The annoying Gryffindor had been such a huge part of his life over the years, and he especially didn’t want to lose his love now. He stood abruptly, unable to stay away from Harry any longer. He had to reassure himself that his kitten was still alive and hadn’t left him. “I’m going to see Harry.”

Lucius and Severus watched Draco leave with sympathetic eyes. Lucius knew exactly how his son felt and had to forcibly suppress the urge to follow after him. Looking back towards Severus, he sneered halfheartedly at the understanding in Severus’ eyes. He didn’t want his understanding, he wanted his mate alive and well.

“You may as well proceed with the purification ritual,” said Severus calmly. “Harry doesn’t have to actively participate in any part of the ritual, so it shouldn’t be a problem to perform. I’ll go tell the others the news. You should go spend time with Draco and Harry.

Lucius nodded wearily and trudged up the stairs to keep vigil by his mate’s side.

*****

‘Why am I always the one to bear the bad news?’ Severus asked himself for the tenth time. He cautiously opened the library door and stepped into this room, immediately regretting the decision as everyone descended on him like vultures to a feast.

“Is Harry all right?” asked Hermione worriedly.

“Will Harry be okay?” asked Ron anxiously.

“When can we see Harry?” asked Remus quickly.

“Has the kitten awoken?” asked Dougal.

“SHUT UP!” yelled Severus. As everyone finally fell silent, Severus huffed in annoyance. He knew there was a reason he hadn’t wanted to deal with this. “Harry is stable, but he’s in a healing coma. No, I don’t know for sure that he will awaken, but knowing my luck, he will. He’s also pregnant and we need to start on that purification ritual immediately.”

“He’s what?!” screeched Hermione. “I thought you gave him a contraceptive potion to prevent that!”

“It obviously didn’t work, Miss Granger,” snarled Severus irritably. “Now about that purification ritual..”

“What are we going to do about You-Know-Who now that Harry’s pregnant?” asked Ron impatiently. “He can’t very well fight the bastard while he’s pregnant.”

“We’re working on that,” said Severus. “The ritual should be performed..”

“Is he in danger of miscarrying?” asked Remus softly.

“Yes, he is. His body has already suffered a massive shock, and the fetus hasn’t really had time to firmly plant itself. Miscarriage is very likely,” said Severus calmly.

“Won’t that damage the kitten even more?” asked Dougal quietly.

“It could kill him,” said Severus evenly. As they opened their mouths to protest again, Severus snapped. “All of you shut up and sit down. Right now there’s nothing we can do about the pregnancy. We must focus on performing the purification ritual, and it must be done now. So get off your arses and start preparing the damn thing.” Severus gave them one last glare and stalked out the door. He fully expected to be obeyed, and for once, he wasn’t disappointed.

*****

Harry was surrounded by darkness. He couldn’t see even two centimeters in front of his face. “Where am I? What happened?” he asked out loud.

“You’re in a coma, Harry,” said a voice directly behind him.

Harry whirled to face the intruder but saw nothing but pitch-black emptiness. “Who are you?” he demanded angrily.

“Now is that any way to treat your mother, Harry James Potter?” asked Lily archly, her body suddenly illuminated by a golden light.

“Mum?” asked Harry hesitantly. “But how? Am I dying?”

“No, dearest, you’re in a healing coma,” said Lily gently. “I’ve come to help prepare you for the danger to come.”

“You mean the battle with Voldemort?” asked Harry quietly.

“Not exactly,” said Lily. “Your companions are preparing to perform the purification ritual even as we speak. You must be ready for the danger ahead. You were correct in assuming that Voldemort had succeeded in infusing your body with a piece of his soul, and that soul will fight to maintain its presence here.”

“That’s why we decided to combine three different rituals. It will be strong enough, right?” asked Harry tentatively.

“That’s not what you should be worried about, Harry,” said Lily intently. “Your daughter is the one in danger now. Once the ritual starts, the soul will try to take over her body to survive, and your daughter will not be able to stop him. You must protect her.”

“My daughter?” asked Harry incredulously. “I’m pregnant?! But I took a contraceptive potion, and it was supposed to be effective for two whole weeks. How did I end up pregnant?”

“Quite simply put, Severus treated you like a wizard, and you’re not a wizard. He didn’t realise that the potion wouldn’t be effective on an elf. Our physiology reacts differently to certain herbs and potions,” explained Lily.

“Oh,” said Harry quietly. He stared at his stomach in awe, his pregnancy finally sinking in. “I’m having a little girl.” He smiled softly at the thought of a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. Then he remembered why his mother was here. “Wait! How am I supposed to protect my daughter from old snake face?”

“Come with me,” said Lily, holding her hand out to Harry. Harry slowly took his mother’s hand and darkness surrounded them once more. He finally saw another golden light shining faintly in the distance. As they drew closer, Harry saw a black haired man leaning over a cradle. The man suddenly looked towards them and Harry gasped in shock.

“Sirius? Is it really you?” asked Harry hoarsely, throat constricting as tears gathered in his eyes at the sight of his beloved godfather.

“Harry, it’s good to see you, brat,” said Sirius, pulling his godson into a tight hug. “I’ve just been checking on the newest little Potter. I can already tell that she’s gonna be a handful.”

Harry looked into the crib and smiled at his beautiful daughter. She had black hair with one tuft of pale blonde hair at her temple. Her eyes were blue, but they showed definite signs of turning the same gorgeous grey as her father’s. “She’s beautiful,” said Harry, completely awestruck at the tiny baby. He then noticed her ears- her pointed ears. “Uh, Mum, why does she already have pointy ears? Isn’t she supposed to get those when she turns seventeen?”

“She has pointy ears because both of her parents are magical creatures,” said Lily calmly. “A wizard only ‘inherits’ a magical creature heritage when only one of their parents is a magical creature. This little darling is half fae, one-quarter elf, and one-quarter vampire.”

“Yeah, that means that damn Lucius Malfoy managed to spawn another brat,” said Sirius cheerfully, yelping when Harry smacked him across the back of the head for calling his daughter a brat.

“Don’t talk about my daughter like that,” said Harry firmly. “She’s not a brat. She’s a little faerie princess. She’s also one of those ‘damn Malfoys’ so get over it.”

A strong wind suddenly blew across them, chilling the room significantly. “It’s time, Harry. Be prepared,” said Lily gravely.

*****

Hermione drew the ritual circle around Harry’s bed and set out all the ritual tools. She then created a barrier around the circle and charmed Harry’s side of the barrier to act as a sweat lodge. As the heat steadily grew, Severus hovered to the side to scan regularly to make sure Harry didn’t suffer any bad reactions. After an hour, Hermione disabled the barrier and cast several cleaning and drying charms over Harry and the bed.

Now it was time for soul purification. This part of the ritual was a combined Druidism and Sorcery ritual. Draco placed a bell branch over Harry’s bed while Lucius used the lime oil to anoint Harry’s forehead and nose, heart, and stomach. When Lucius stepped away, Severus lit the curry powder incense and the Frankincense and Myrrh candles.

They each took a position around the ritual circle and began chanting, starting with the Druid’s chant and ending with a strong purification spell. They were halfway through when Harry’s body began to convulse. Blinking back tears, they determinedly kept chanting.

*****

Just as suddenly as the air turned cold, a wave of heat blasted through the room, steadily getting hotter and hotter until Harry was panting and had sweat rolling steadily down his face. “I guess this.. would be the.. Shamanist ritual,” panted Harry wryly. After thirty minutes of the sweltering heat, his hair was completely soaked and all he could do was lie on the floor and try to breathe.

“Just a little while longer, Harry,” said Lily soothingly, sitting comfortably beside the cradle completely unaffected by the heat. “You’re friends aren’t taking any chances with your life, are they? Shamanist practices aren’t used very often in this part of the world. Someone did a very thorough job in their research.”

“Hermi.. one.. always.. does,” gasped Harry.

“She certainly does,” said Sirius fondly. Like Lily and the baby, he was also completely unaffected by the heat. “She’s like a sponge, soaking up all knowledge that she passes.”

Harry panted and sweated through another thirty minutes of the intense heat before suddenly the heat was gone and his body tingled all over. Looking down, he saw no traces of sweat or moisture. He then felt an oily finger trail from his forehead to the tip of his nose, and again across his heart and stomach. “What the..?” asked Harry, jumping at the unexpected contact.

Lily walked over to Harry and swiped her finger across the oily substance, lifting her finger to her nose curiously. “Ooh, lime oil. That’s a very good choice. Not only does it have strong purification properties, it also has strong protection properties as well,” said Lily, sniffing the oil delicately.

“How much longer?” asked Harry, absently rubbing his chest and stomach.

Just then a loud roar echoed through the room. Harry whirled at the sound and saw a Dementor-like creature coming towards them. Harry pulled his wand and rushed towards the creature, determined to protect his daughter from this vile creation. He sent several stupefy spells hurtling towards the creature, but the interloper managed to dodge everything Harry threw at it. Praying desperately for something that would be effective against the creature, Harry smiled when a familiar sword appeared in his hand.

Harry raised the sword against the creature, but before he could thrust it into the creature’s chest, a ghostly hand plunged into his chest, squeezing his heart painfully. The creature hissed as the protection oil burned its arm, but still managed to keep its grip on the pulsating organ. Harry slowly lifted the sword, feeling weaker every second that passed, and stabbed the creature in the chest. The creature howled in agony, ripping his arm out of Harry’s chest, and exploded. Harry smirked triumphantly and passed out from exhaustion.

Lily and Sirius ran to Harry, deathly afraid that he hadn’t made it. They both sighed in relief when they heard the steady beat of his heart. A bed appeared by the cradle, and Sirius lifted the unconscious elf and placed him on the bed.

“I’m so proud of you, Harry,” whispered Lily, kissing her son on the forehead. “I love you so much. Be happy and take care of my granddaughter.” With one last kiss to Harry’s cheek, Lily disappeared into the darkness.

“I’m proud of you, too. Even if you are with those damn Malfoys,” said Sirius quietly. He glanced down at the baby and couldn’t help but smile. She really was an adorable little thing. “I do have to admit that Lucius can make some beautiful babies, though. You take care of that little girl, and just remember that I’m always with you. I love you, pup.” Sirius smiled sadly and also disappeared into the darkness.

*****

Lucius almost had a heart attack when Harry suddenly went limp on the bed. He started to step towards his mate, noticing vaguely that Draco was doing the same, when Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head frantically. Seeing that Severus had also stopped Draco, Lucius resumed his chanting. As they chanted, Harry suddenly arched his back, mouth open in a silent scream, and a black misty cloud streamed from his mouth before simply exploding into nothingness. Harry’s body once more went completely limp. Severus immediately rushed over to check his vitals with Lucius and Draco hovering anxiously.

“Well?” Lucius demanded impatiently when Severus didn’t say anything immediately.

“He’s just asleep, Lucius,” said Severus, smiling slightly. “He’ll be fine. Just let him rest for a while.”

“Oh, thank Merlin,” whispered Draco, closing his eyes in relief.

Lucius and Draco ushered everyone out the room, and then stripped down to their boxers and climbed into the bed with their mate. Lucius immediately pulled Harry into his arms, smiling gently when Harry purred softly and cuddled closer to the blonde. Draco simply scooted over until he was practically plastered to Harry’s back and dropped off to sleep, basking in his mate’s warmth. Lucius placed a gentle kiss on Harry’s lips and fell asleep with a contented smile on his face.