Glamours

Surprise Endings


Willow woke up slowly, her body feeling like she had been run over by a truck and her mind foggy and light-headed. She groaned softly as a wave of nausea went through her pain-numbed body.

"Nauseous dear?" The calming voice of Madame Pomfrey broke through her internal thoughts.

"Mm-hm"¦" Willow murmured, not trusting herself to open her mouth and not empty the contents of her stomach onto the bed.

"That would be the obliviating tranquilizer we gave you. Keeps you calm until you can deal with the memories and.."Madame Pomfrey paused. "Other developments. Unfortunately, it has some side effects. Headache, nausea. It'll pass dear. Just try to get some rest." She handed Willow a vile. "And take this before you do."

Willow downed the potion, almost losing the battle with her stomach but suddenly, it calmed. Fast working relief indeed. She frowned at something Madame Pomfrey had said. Why did she need to have her memories suppressed? What had happened? She remembered the wedding"¦.but beyond that"¦not much else. Strange.

A rustle of movement broke her from her inner reverie. "Willow?" A familiar voice called.

Willow smiled as she saw who it was. Severus. "Hey, you. Care to tell me what's going on? Why am I in the infirmary?"

Severus frowned in a flustered, preoccupied and extremely worried way. "The Order sent me up to tell you what happened"¦why you had to be given the obliviating tranquilizer. And then I think Poppy needs a moment of your time." He looked down at his hands. "They thought I'd be the best person for the job. Considering how much time we spend together. I'm not sure if they're right. Not now anyways."

Willow had never seen the Potions Master quite so unsure of himself. She reached over and laid her palm over his hand. "Hey. Whatever happened"¦.you're the right person. You're my friend and nothing's going to change that." She starred at the incredulous look that he shot her and she laughed. "You look like I shouldn't trust you Severus. What'd I do, try to kill you or something?"

He didn't answer, just looked at his hands again.

Willow paled further, her stomach lurching precarious at this silent implication. "Oh God. Did I?"

Severus winced visibly, remembering the painful electrocution he had been subjected to. "I think killing is the wrong word. Extracting information by any means possible is probably closer to the truth."

A mortified look formed on the witch's face. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean it. I just"¦."

"Had good cause," Severus finished her sentence wearily. "I probably would have done the same had I been in your place. I've been instructed to take off the obliviating portion of the tranquilizer at your request by Albus who thinks that under the circumstances, it is best that you know what has happened." Severus took her other hand in his. "I don't happen to agree with him. The last 24 hours have been horrible and you shouldn't have to know about them so soon after waking up especially considering"¦"

"Stop," Willow interrupted her friend. "Just"¦get it over with. It's going to hurt anyways from what you've told me. Better to start the healing process now rather than later." She chuckled sadly. "Besides, if I'm going to flip out at all, I'm in the right place. Madame Pomfrey has tranquilizers everywhere up here. It's a wonder we don't all walk around stoned."

Severus smiled gently, appreciating the fact that she could still joke at a time like this. "Alright then. Are you ready for this?"

She nodded in response to his question. Silently, he brought his wand up to her forehead and whispered a charm, watching as pain, then confusion, recognition and finally sorrow twisted Willow's face.

A cry broke harshly out of Willow's chest as she let herself be drawn into Severus's embrace and the sobs continued to rack her body.

"I'm sorry," she whispered miserably. "I'm so sorry."

Another incredulous look crept onto her mentor's face. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one who gave him the Draught. I deserved it."

"No, you didn't. You and Harry, well, I can't fault you for wanting to protect me. I just"¦I can't believe that he's"¦." Fresh sobs broke into their conversation.

Severus was silent a moment, letting her cry. "The Order was about 30 seconds behind you getting to Godric's Hollow and when we apparated into the grounds, we saw you standing back from Harry and Voldemort. They were in the middle of a duel and their wands were linked again." Severus sighed, remembering.

"But why was the Veil there? Why?" She cried miserably, not willing to believe that the worst possible scenario for her had come true. "Avada Kadavra I could understand. It's Voldemort's style. But the Veil? Why did he go through so much trouble to steal it from the department of Mysteries and deposit into an empty field? What was the point?"

Severus wrapped his arm tighter around the emotionally fragile woman. "Voldemort"¦liked to play with people's minds. You know how Sirius died. It would have been devastating for Harry to lose you that way too, especially in the place where his parents were killed." He chuckled bitterly. "But the plan backfired. Voldemort's one downfall was the link. Harry had the strength to pull Voldemort in with him when the priori incantatem knocked him into the veil."

Willows laugh turned into tears at her husband's last actions. "But why? Why'd he have to die? Why now? I just found him"¦."

It was at this point that Madame Pomfrey came into the infirmary again. "You've told her? Took the first half of the potion off?"

Severus nodded sadly.

"Good. Maybe what I have to tell her will help her get through this better." Poppy sat down at the foot of the bed. "Dear, I have some news. When they brought you into the infirmary after"¦.well, after, we ran some tests. The Draught of the Living Dead be dbe detrimental to ones health, especially after being given the amount you were give." Madame Pomfrey took a moment to glare at Severus before going back to the task at hand. "And with the amount of dark magic you were channelling"¦we thought it would be best to keep an eye on you, run some more tests." Poppy paused a moment, not sure how to tell Willow this tragically ill-timed news. "We found something rather big"¦"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was later that evening that Molly, her two youngest children and their spouses decided to go to see Willow. Truthfully, she wasn't sure the state they would find her in, considering. Her own family was an emotional mess over the loss of Harry. Molly couldn't imagine what Willow was feeling.

With a sigh, she entered the infirmary, Ron, Ginny, Draco and Hermione trailing behind her. She walked over to the bed, taking in the sight of the woman she had come to consider one of her own curled up on the bed, tear tracks visible on her face. She looked so sad.

Willow looked up at her visitors groggily. She had gotten hysterical after Poppy's announcement of her test results and they had given her another tranquilizer.

"Hey Molly, how's it going?" Willow sat up, brushing a stray tear off her cheek.

"Oh Willow I'm so sorry," Molly sat down and brought her into a hug. "How are you feeling dear?"

"Alright, considering," Willow murmured, willing herself not to start crying again. "Poppy got the tests back that they took when they brought me in."

"Willow, you're not sick are you?" Hermione asked in a concerned voice, her own face showing signs of the tears that she had recently shed.

Willow looked down at her hands neutrally. "No," she gave a small chuckle. "I'm pregnant."

The group looked shocked.

"It's Harry's then?" Draco broke the silence, shocked at this most recent turn of events.

"Of course it's Harry's," Willow spat out bitterly, annoyed that Draco would think that low of her. "He's been my only male lover in years."

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked quietly, ow fow for her friend urging her into bringing up a chair to sit next to the bed.

Willow shrugged helplessly and looked down, new tears beginning to gather in her eyes. "Keep it. Love it. It's the only piece I have left of him and I'm not throwing that away just because Harry happens to be"¦to be"¦excuse me." She was interrupted as the nausea that Madame Pomfrey had said accompanied the obliviating tranquilizer came back full force and Willow ran for the bathroom, only just making it to the toilet as the contents of her stomach forcibly made a comeback. The tears she had been holding in started their silent descent down her cheeks. Great, she thought. Just what I needed. Tranquilizer induced morning sickness. She felt another wave of nausea pass through her as she flushed the toilet and its contents away. "Oh my God," another sob broke forth from her body as her situation hit her, and thoughts of Harry sprang forth into her mind. He would never get to share this experience with her. The pregnancy. Their child's life. She wondered if it would be a boy or a girl. She hoped it would look like him, a fitting tribute to a father he or she would never know. Her thoughts were broken as the inexorable nausea made another reappearance and she vomited again. Suddenly, a body was there to support her retching form, a hand holding back her hair as the horrible and sudden sickness had its way with her. More tears fell down her cheeks as she finished.

"Shh. It's going to be okay." Ron said in a soothing voice. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. His best friend and his new wife, the love of Harry's life really, by what Ron had observed, were supposed to be together. He wasn't supposed to die. Furthermore, he wasn't supposed to have left his wife grieving and pregnant. He turned back to Willow, waiting a moment for her to flush the toilet again and stand shakily, watching as she conjured toothpaste and toothbrush and proceeded to brush the stale taste of vomit from her mouth. With a sigh, she put the brush down and allowed Ron to help her back to bed.

"Sorry," she murmured softly to the group sitting near her bed as Ron pulled back the covers and motioned for her to get into the soft warmth of the infirmary bed. "The obliviating tranquilizer has a tendency to make one nauseous."

"It's perfectly fine dear," Molly placed a comforting hand over her own. "Now then, let's have a chat shall we? What with the current situation, Dumbledore has asked Ginny, Draco, Ron and Hermione to become your personal bodyguards until classes end for the year. After that"¦I assume you'll continue to teach? Minerva especially was insistent that you stay. Apparently your class has gained the attention of the Ministry and they'd like you to continue." Molly smiled warmly, trying to take Willow's mind off of things for even a moment. "You'll be coming to the Burrow this summer then?"

Willow looked stunned. She hadn't thought that she'd stay in England. Indeed, she could already feel the painful memories of the time she spent with Harry here weighing down on her. But she loved teaching and if Dumbledore was willing to have a teacher at Hogwarts that came with a baby, then she would stay. She didn't understand why she needed bodyguards though. Voldemort was dead. Suddenly, the answer came to her. The baby. Harry Potter's child. "I was actually thinking of spending the summer in Los Angeles with Angel and Spike. Too many memories here."

Hermione was the first to interject surprisingly. Normally she was supportive of Willow's ideas. "You can't. It's too dangerous." Seeing the confused look on Willow's face, she continued in exasperation. "Think about it. By the time the school year is finished in early June you'll ow fow far along? Like 6 months?"

"Seven," Willow murmured wearily. She was beginning to have an inkling as to where Hermione was going with this.

"Even worse. You can't floo when you're that pregnant, and apparating is out of the question. Too much risk in leaving the baby behind accidentally. And as for portkeying, well, it's extremely uncomfortable for both you and the baby. You could be laid up for days with disorientation and nausea." She stopped Willow before she could open her mouth with the next suggestion. "Don't even get me started with Muggle ways of travelling. It's greatly discouraged. Besides," Hermione smiled sadly "There's no way I'm letting my best friends widow, and furthermore MY friend, put herself in danger when Death Eater's are still out there who would love to kill not only Harry Potter's wife, but his child too. So, like it or not, you're going to the Burrow."

Willow smiled slightly in response to Hermione's very thorough argument. "Well, when you put hat hat way"¦"

"Hermione's right dear," Molly patted her hand reassuringly. "You're much safer with us at the Burrow."

For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, tears began to gather in Willow's eyes. Harry might be gone but she and this child- this wonderful child that the powers that be had seen fit to bless her with- would be alright. Quickly, she brushed the tears from her eyes as the conversation turned to more sobering issues. Like Harry's funeral.