Visions of an Empath

Chapter 19

Harry stared down at the table, numb with shock from what Luna just said. She couldn’t possibly mean he was... pregnant, could she? No, it was too soon. They were in the middle of war. He just couldn’t be pregnant now. But she sounded so sure of herself. ‘The life inside of you will ensure your victory.’ That phrase kept running through his mind over and over again, and he suddenly knew that he was indeed pregnant.

Harry abruptly got to his feet, needing some time alone to think through the ramifications of this new situation. He headed toward the door, but Severus snagged his wrist as he passed. Harry’s breath caught in his throat. How could he have forgotten that Severus was in the room? Had he heard what Luna said?

“What did she say, Harry?”

Well, that answered that question. What was he supposed to do now? He knew Severus and Lucius both would be overjoyed at the news of his pregnancy, but he also knew they wouldn’t let him out of their sight once they found out. It wasn’t fair to them to keep it secret, but he still had to defeat Voldemort, and the sooner the better.

“Something about prevailing against pesky nargles,” said Harry softly, shrugging his shoulders with a wry grin. “You know how she is.”

Severus stared at him suspiciously but let the answer slide for now. He knew Harry was hiding something, but he also knew his mate would just dig his heels in harder if he tried to force the truth out of him. He’d find out the truth soon enough.

“You look a little tired, Harry. Why don’t you go back home and take a nap? I’ll stay here with the invalids,” said Severus. That way he could interrogate the little Ravenclaw to find out what she’d said to his little mate.

Harry smiled gratefully at the vampire. He needed to return anyway. Hopefully, Hermione would know a spell to confirm whether or not he truly was pregnant. “I think I will try to take a nap. I never realised healing was such hard work.”

Severus used his grip on Harry’s wrist to pull the teen down into his lap. “You did really well today, Harry. I’m proud of you.”

Harry blushed at the unexpected praise. “You did all the work, Severus. I just helped.”

“You’re a natural at healing. Once you’ve trained a bit more, I think you’ll be just as proficient as Madame Pomfrey,” said Severus seriously. “Perhaps you should consider a career as a medi-wizard once the war is over.”

“You just don’t want me becoming an Auror,” said Harry cheekily. He leaned back against Severus’ chest with a contented sigh. “But maybe you’re right. I’m tired of pursuing the enemy. I think being a healer would be perfect for me. I get to be a whole different kind of hero.”

“You and your hero complex,” said Severus with a long suffering sigh.

Harry just grinned impishly. “It’s a gift.”

Severus shook his head in exasperation. The brat would never change. He smiled softly and kissed the top of his mate’s dark head. As exasperating as it was, Harry just wouldn’t be the same without that hero complex.

Feeling the warm, loving emotions coming from Severus, Harry purred happily and nuzzled his face against the vampire’s chest, drifting into a light doze.

HPHP

Draco coughed harshly as he walked toward Severus’ room. His godfather was supposed to be working on some Pepper-Up for his cold, but he should have been done hours ago. What was taking so long?

Draco knocked on the door. “Severus, are you done yet?” Severus didn’t answer, so Draco knocked on the door again. “Severus, are you in there?” Still no answer. Draco sighed miserably and coughed some more, leaning wearily against the door. “I hate being sick.” He heard footsteps coming nearer and straightened up, only to collapse back against the door when he saw his father heading toward him.

Lucius looked at Draco in surprise. “You should be in bed, Draco. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to know what was taking Severus so long with the Pepper-Up,” said Draco tiredly. “He’s not here, though.”

“No, he’s at Grimmauld Place,” said Lucius.

“What’s he doing over there? He’s supposed to be making me a potion,” said Draco indignantly, breaking off into another fit of coughing.

Lucius opened the door to Severus’ lab and ushered Draco inside. Lucius headed directly to the potions cabinet and started pulling phials off the shelf. Draco stared at his father in bemusement for a moment and shook his head. He didn’t want to know. He saw the cauldron off to the side and almost wept in relief. Severus hadn’t forgotten him.

Draco grabbed an empty phial and quickly ladled some of the precious Pepper-Up into the glass container, gulping it down almost immediately. He grimaced as smoke shot from his ears, but it was so worth it. He could practically feel the potion run through his body, eradicating all traces of his miserable cold.

After several long moments, Draco sighed in relief. His fever was almost gone, as well as the deep hacking coughs. By this time, Lucius had already gathered the necessary potions and was waiting impatiently for Draco to finish. Draco just looked at him and asked, “What’s with all the potions?”

“Severus liberated a couple of prisoners from the Malfoy dungeons. He took them to Grimmauld Place so that he and Harry could heal their injuries,” said Lucius calmly. “Now I just need to get the rest of these potions to Severus. Do you need anything before I leave?”

Draco shook his head. “No, I’m fine now.”

Lucius nodded and swept from the room. He flooed back to Grimmauld Place and saw the Lovegood chit sitting in the living room. She gave him an airy smile and said, “Professor Snape is in the kitchen with Harry. You both are very lucky to have him as your mate, you know. Your children will change the world someday.”

Lucius was disconcerted by the knowledge shining in the young girl’s eyes. It was as if she saw things no one else could see. Then the comment about children hit him, and a small smile crossed his lips. He could just picture a little girl with pale blonde hair and bright green eyes, or a little boy with messy black hair and silver eyes.

With a curt nod to Luna, Lucius sauntered into the kitchen. He saw Harry curled in Severus’ lap, sleeping peacefully, and quietly sat down at the table. Severus looked up at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. “What has you in such a good mood?”

“Has that Lovegood girl ever shown a proclivity in being a Seer or anything?” asked Lucius nervously.

“I really wouldn’t know, Lucius. I’ve never given her much thought. I do know that her classmates call her Loony Lovegood, though,” said Severus reasonably. “Why?”

Lucius frowned slightly. “It was just something she said. She said that our children would change the world someday.”

Severus jerked slightly at that comment, and he suddenly knew exactly what Luna had said to Harry earlier. He quickly grabbed his wand and aimed it Harry’s stomach, casting a pregnancy detection spell. Harry’s stomach immediately began to glow a soft green, indicating that he was indeed pregnant.

“Oh Merlin,” whispered Severus in shock. “He’s pregnant, Lucius.” His shock quickly gave way to anger, though, as he recalled what Harry said when he’d asked what Luna had told him. “And he wasn’t going to tell us.”

“What?” asked Lucius, scowling at Harry’s slumbering form. “Why would he hide it from us?”

“Oh, isn’t it obvious, you two?” said Luna from the doorway, a mischievous smile on her face. “He has a an evil wizard to fight, and a war to end. He knew that you would try to stop him if you knew about the baby.”

“Well, of course we would,” snapped Lucius.

“You can’t protect him from this,” said Luna pragmatically. “The war will find him whether you like it or not, and he will be required to participate if you want any chance at all for peace. And the fact that he is with child is actually a good thing.”

“And how did you come to that conclusion?” sneered Severus quietly, keeping his voice low to keep from waking the teen in his arms. “While he’s pregnant, he has to share his magic with the child to aid in the baby’s development, making him exponentially weaker.”

“And that is where you are wrong,” said Luna smugly. “Harry is actually stronger now that he’s pregnant because of the fact that he and the child share magic.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” said Lucius. “How could giving half his magic to the baby make him stronger?”

Luna smiled serenely and pulled out her wand. “Watch.” Before anyone could stop her, she shot a stinging hex toward the sleeping brunette. However, before the spell could hit, a shimmering golden shield appeared before Harry, absorbing the spell before disappearing.

Lucius jumped to his feet with an angry snarl, startling Harry out of his sleep. He sat up in Severus’ lap and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He saw Lucius glaring at a serene Luna and looked to Severus for answers. “What’s going on?”

Severus stared sternly down at Harry. “We know what Luna told you. And don’t even bother trying to deny it because I already verified it.”

Harry jerked in surprise and placed a gentle hand on his stomach. “I’m really pregnant? I figured that’s what she meant, but I wasn’t entirely sure. I was planning to have Hermione check when I got back home.”

That didn’t make Severus happy at all. “You were going to tell Granger about the baby and keep it from me and Lucius. Did we not deserve to know about our impending fatherhood?”

Harry looked away from Severus. Luna, on the other hand, snorted at the vampire’s accusation. “Oh, pish. You already know why he didn’t tell you. Trying to make him feel guilty won’t do any good.”

“If the Dark Lord discovers your pregnancy, he will come after you with everything he has,” said Lucius worriedly.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to defeat him before it comes to that,” said Harry pragmatically. “All but one of the horcruxes have been destroyed, and Nagini is always with Voldemort.” Harry froze almost as soon as the name was out of his mouth before jumping to his feet in a panic. “Damn it! We have to get out of here. This house is no longer under the Fidelius Charm. Severus, you get Ollivander and meet us back at the safe house.” He pushed Luna toward the living room. “Lucius, the address.”

“No, Harry,” said Luna gently. “I need to return to my father.”

“Luna, it’s too dangerous to go there. Your father’s probably being watched. As soon as you return, you’ll end up right back where you were,” said Harry urgently.

Several cracks of apparition outside the front door took the decision away from them. Lucius shoved a piece of paper in Luna’s hand and turned to face the door. Luna read the address and hurriedly tossed the floo powder into the flames and flooed to the safe house. Lucius and Harry had no choice but to transform into their drake forms and hide in the shadows. They were just in time, too, because as soon as they took flight, the front door burst open, and four Death Eaters ran into the house.

“Spread out. They’ve got to be around somewhere,” growled a voice Harry would never forget. Fenrir Greyback.

As he watched two Death Eaters head upstairs and one head toward the kitchen, it took every fibre of his being to restrain the urge to fly down and maul that murderous werewolf to death. It was the least Greyback deserved for the pain he’d caused so many others. He was a true monster, terrorising others for his own entertainment and preying on helpless children.

Greyback growled softly and stalked to the foot of the stairs. “You found them yet?”

“We must have just missed them. There are healing potions up here, and there’s a bowl of soup that’s still warm,” yelled one of the Death Eaters from upstairs.

Greyback snarled and punched a hole in the wall. “Fuck! They must have flooed away when they heard us coming. The Dark Lord is not going to like this.” He growled irritably. “Let’s go. There’s nothing here.”

The werewolf and the three Death Eaters left the house and apparated away. Lucius flew to the ground and transformed, checking to make sure the danger was over. When he was assured that the Death Eaters were truly gone, he beckoned for Harry to transform, as well.

Harry flew down beside Lucius and transformed only to fall to his knees with a pained cry as a sharp pain shot through his stomach. “My sto.. mach. It.. hurts.” He could barely get the words passed his clenched jaw as he tried to keep from screaming.

Lucius paled and quickly lifted Harry into his arms. He dearly hoped Severus was back at the safe house. He rushed to the fireplace and clumsily tossed some floo powder into the flames. Holding Harry carefully, he flooed back to the safe house, screaming for Severus as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace.

“He’s not here,” said Draco, gasping when he saw Harry in Lucius’ arms. “What happened?”

“I think he’s losing the baby,” said Lucius, a note of panic edging into his voice.

Draco gaped at the pair. “He’s pregnant?” Harry whimpered in pain, and Draco panicked. “Oh, Merlin. Where’s Severus? He would know what to do.”

“Lucius, take him to his room,” said Luna calmly. Lucius nodded and carried Harry to his room, setting the teen gently on the bed. Luna followed him into the room and said, “Place your hands on his stomach and push a little bit of magic into him.”

Lucius did as Luna asked, settling his hands gently on Harry’s belly, and watched as his hands began to glow with an icy blue light. The blue light sank into Harry’s stomach, and almost immediately, Harry’s pained visage relaxed. Within minutes, Harry was completely relaxed and sleeping peacefully.

“That’s enough, Lucius,” said Luna firmly. “The baby will be fine now.”

Lucius slowly pulled his hands away and fell to his knees beside the bed. “Merlin, I could have lost them. If you hadn’t known what to do, I really could have lost them both.”

Draco hovered in the doorway, watching helplessly. “What caused it?”

“He was forced to transform into a drake to stay hidden from the Death Eaters that showed up,” said Lucius softly. “Greyback was leading them.”

Draco flinched at the name. He knew exactly what that monster was capable of. The night Dumbledore died still gave him nightmares. “So where was Severus while this was happening? I thought you said he was at Grimmauld Place, as well. How did the Death Eaters even know where to find Grimmauld Place?”

Lucius sighed softly and gently stroked Harry’s hair. “Harry was upset and accidentally activated the taboo on the Dark Lord’s name. We had just enough time for Luna to floo here and Severus to grab Ollivander. Harry and I didn’t have time to use the floo, so we were forced to use our mini-drake forms to avoid detection. I thought Severus would be here by now, though.”

Just Lucius said that, Severus stepped out of the shadows with an aggravated scowl. “I left Ollivander with the St. Mungoes’ staff, though I doubt he’ll fare any better there with all the dunderheads around..” He paused briefly when he saw everyone gathered around the bed, a wave of apprehension settling in his gut. “What happened after I left?”

Lucius got to his feet and scowled at Severus. “Harry almost lost the baby. What the hell took you so long?”

Severus ignored Lucius and settled on the bed beside Harry. He quickly cast a diagnostic spell and sighed in relief when everything came back normal. “He seems to be fine now. What exactly happened?”

“He used his animagus form, Professor Snape,” said Luna serenely. “Lucius brought him back and stabilised the baby with his drake magic.”

Severus nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. With Lucius’ drake blood fully active, it was practically a guarantee that any future children would also be drakes.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “That could be problematic. Infant drakes are highly resistant to wizarding magic.”

“What do you mean?” asked Draco curiously.

“As you know, drakes in general are immune to most dark magic, right?” Draco nodded. “Well, infant drakes have the added protection of being immune to all wizarding magic. It only lasts for the first year...” Severus’ voice trailed off abruptly, and he looked at Luna in astonishment. “You knew! Because the baby is a drake, any magic directed at Harry other than drake magic will be rejected.”

“If the baby’s immune to wizarding magic, then how did Harry almost lose the baby?” asked Draco with a frustrated sigh.

“Because Harry is the one who cast the spell. When in his animagus form, Harry is just as much a drake as Lucius and can use drake magic. Had he stayed in his drake form, the baby would have been just fine because the magic of Harry’s animagus form instantly stabilised the baby. However, when he changed back, the baby no longer had access to the magic needed to keep it stable, so Lucius had to supply the magic,” Luna calmly explained.

“I wonder what kind of drake the baby will be,” said Draco softly. “You think it’ll be a Frost Drake like father, or an Earth Drake like Harry, Severus?”

Severus just shrugged. For all he knew, the baby could be a Fire Drake or Wind Drake. They wouldn’t really know until the first transformation.

Luna, however, smiled knowingly. She knew exactly what kind of drake that little tyke would be, and she couldn’t wait.