A Discerning Palate

Ginny knew then, as he walked away from her. That had been it. It was all he could give her. Those simple words, that softly spoken phrase… he’d made his stand. It wasn’t any grand revelation, no charming fallacy, no fireworks and symphonies. He was just a man. And that was all he had to give her.

The pain that had threatened to consume her from the inside out was burned away. This thing that he’d done for her was bigger than any whispered words, any lingering caress in the dark.

“Draco, wait!” Ginny tore after him, leaving Blaise standing alone.

“One of these days, I’m going to get the girl. I’m a sex god too, damn it.” Blaise muttered as he smiled at a blushing sixth year that tried to slip past him. He offered her his arm as he considered how long it would take to get into the girl’s knickers.

He’d always known that Ginny would end up with Draco. But that didn’t stop him from wishing that the petite girl beside him was one Ginevra Weasley.




Hermione lay sprawled in a sweaty heap, her hair still stuck to her face, some of it plastered against her cheek and into her eye. One arm dangled off the bed, her legs were still splayed in a rather uncouth pose. But the girl simply could not bring herself to care. She was never going to move again. Her breath was shallow now, as if it took too much effort to bother.

An equally exhausted Ron lay beside her, his face in the pillow, his mouth gaping open and his oh-so-poor tongue dangling out onto the pillow. Insofar, they hadn’t been able to tell if the swelling was still from what he’d eaten, or the fact that he’d thought Hermione could ride it into submission.

“No more chocolate, Ron.” she managed.

He mumbled something around the large swollen thing still hanging out of his mouth. And it sounded a lot like, “No shite.”



Harry stared at the glowing pink tip of his wand, and then at Pansy’s sleeping form. “Well, fuck Merlin.” he whispered.

She was pregnant.

He knew that there were all sorts of things that he should be worried about, all of the obstacles that they would face. But he couldn’t help but be happy. The woman he loved was going to give him a baby. A girl, by the colored sparks shooting from the tip of his wand.

Pansy yawned sleepily and sat up to look at him, he tried to shove his glowing wand behind his back, but it was too late. He didn’t want to set her off into another crying jag.

“Harry?”

“Yeah.” And he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know yet.” He saw the look on her face. “But this is not a bad thing.”

“War could break out at any moment…”

“Exactly. We have to take what we can get from life, take what happiness that we can and hold onto it with both hands. We don’t know when it will taken from us.”

“I’m afraid to be happy, Harry.”

“I know. But that’s why I’ll fight.”

The very Slytherin wheels in Pansy’s mind began to turn. “I have a plan.”




Ginny followed Draco down into the Dungeons, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

“What part of ‘go’ was unclear, Weaselette?”

“The ‘going’ part mostly. I see you, Draco Malfoy. I understand.”

“You understand nothing.”

“Oh, but I do…”

“If you did, you wouldn’t have had your tongue down Zabini’s throat.”

“You hurt me.”

“You knew I was a bastard when we starting fucking. Every time I say something that hurts your ickle feelings are you going to run off and shag Zabini?” His voice was cool and controlled, as if it were an impartial discussion of the weather.

“Yeah, I did. But I didn’t know that I would love you.”

“Stop spouting such nonsense. You don’t know what you’re saying.” He whirled on her. “It would destroy everything you are to be with me, to be a Malfoy.”

“I’ll take that chance.”

“I won’t.”

“You do love me.”

“I most certainly do not.” He sounded insulted.

“Oh, shut it. You do. And after I finish school, you are going to marry me.”

“Bossy baggage, aren’t you? What if I agree to marry you, and shag you senseless until you graduate and then I move on to better things? What if I decide that I must take up with Parkinson after all?”

“She wouldn’t have you.”

“Oh?”

“And then Harry would have to kick your ass.”

“For hurting his sweet little Ginny?”

“No, for trying to take up with his wife.” Ginny was secretly pleased at the strange color that mottled his otherwise perfect flesh.

“I knew it! When she stopped shagging Blaise…”

“We need to find them, actually. Pansy might be pregnant.”

“I think you’re taking this a bit far.”

“I’m dead serious.”

“Do you know what her father would do if he found out?”

“Yeah, I think that I do.”

Draco took her hand and led her into his room. “We will find them later.”

He pulled her onto his lap and was in the process of pulling her robes up about her thighs when his door opened.
“Draco, I have to talk to you.” Pansy said as she opened the door. “Oh, sorry.” She said when she saw Ginny, but made no move to leave.

“If you were sorry, you would exit. Directly.” Draco snapped.

“This can’t wait.”

“Oh shite, you are!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Umm yeah. His wand was pink.”

Ginny hopped off of Draco’s lap to hug Pansy.

“I bet it was…”Draco supplied.

Pansy gave him the finger while she hugged Ginny.

“So, what is so important that you had to barge into my room, Parkinson?”

“Well, you git, I’m pregnant.”

“Yes, and?”

“It’s Potter’s.”

“Are you sure?” Draco asked softly.

Pansy blushed. “Yes.”

He shrugged his shoulders at the girls. “I had to ask.”

“Harry didn’t.”

“He wouldn’t. I bet in all his saintly glory, he said that he didn’t care.” Draco returned.

Pansy’s mouth fell open, but she quickly snapped it shut. “So what if he did? Merlin, I knew you’d be an arse, but can’t you just help me out?”

“Why would I do that?” Draco eyed her, but there was something in that glance that spoke volumes.

“Because, you will be helping yourself. What would your father do if he knew that Ginny was more than just a means to an end?”

“What’s your game?”

Ginny was suspiciously silent, not sure that she liked the direction of the conversation.

“For the rest of the term, we will be a couple. Say that the baby is yours. I just don’t see any other way. From my friend in the Ministry, war could come any day and I…”

“I’ll do it.” Draco interrupted her.

“Why?” Pansy asked.

“Don’t look a gift horse, girl.”

“I need to know what I’ll owe you.”

“You have to name the baby after me.” He smirked. “Imagine, Harry Potter…”

“It’s a girl.”

“Damn it. Alright, Godfather then.”

“I don’t think Harry would…”

“I know that. It’s the point.”

“Harry doesn’t care, Malfoy.” Harry’s voice sounded from the door.

“How did you get in here? I thought there was some sort of spell to keep…”

“See, you let one of us in,” Ginny answered.

“Yes, there goes the neighborhood. Anyway, back to my problem…” Pansy interjected. “Our problem.” she corrected.

“Do you really think that we could pull this off?” Ginny asked.

“If we all play our parts, just until the war is over.” Pansy replied.

“What if it’s never over?” Draco asked.

“Then some of us might be changing sides, damn the consequences.” The Slytherin girl answered softly.

“You already have.” Draco said.

“What about you?” she challenged.

“My choices were made for me a long time ago.” He looked down at Ginny. “I can’t say more. Do you trust me?”

Ginny nodded without hesitation.




A covenant was made that night between the six of them, a wizard’s bond-Unbreakable.

Neither Harry or Draco were thrilled about being so connected, but when they looked into the eyes of the women they loved, they couldn’t deny them.

When Ron was finally filled in, apoplexy would be a mild word to describe his condition, but he loved his sister, and would do anything to see her happy. Including making nice with the Ferret, with the obvious threats of bodily harm, should he hurt her- or knock her up before she graduated.

War broke out at the beginning of Ginny’s seventh year and Pansy almost had to marry Draco- which would have been a disaster as he’d already married Ginny.

But that is story for another time.


A/N: I so hate to do this, but I’m going to because this is crossposted. *cringes* This is a public service announcement. I do not promote teen pregnancy…and while it may look all fluffy and lovely here in the Potterverse, and Harry is quite the stand up guy…there is no 17 year old boy ready to be a father. Trust me on this kiddos, there are some grown men not ready for that kind of responsibility. Harry and Pansy are in a life and death situations, war makes you grow up fast…and plus, this is fiction and I can do whatever the hell I want, including make the sky purple, the raindrops into skittles and shit stick to the moon. And thank you, all of you who traveled with me down this road with Draco, Ginny, Pansy, Harry and Hermione and Ron. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.