The Most Difficult Of All Our Tasks

Chapter the Fifth – Not Dealing



“Jack?” Harry whispered as he passed the other bartender.



“I’m a bit busy right now, Harry,” she answered, balancing two bottles, six glasses and a whole lime in her hands, plus trying to pour a drink into yet another glass that resided on the bar.



“I can see that,” Harry grumbled. “It’s important.” He sighed. “It’s about something that’s ‘Not good’.”



Jack looked at him. “Oh sweet Merlin,” she breathed, “you are, aren’t you?”



Harry nodded.



Jack quickly placed all the items she had been carrying onto the bar, absently poured drinks, all the while staring at the tearful man at her side.



“Why did nobody tell me it could happen?” he whispered, throat working to hold back the waterworks.



Jack cleared her throat and shouted over the chatter of customers, “Everyone, finish your drinks and go, please, I’ve got a family emergency!”



Several of the regulars asked if she was ok. Could they help? Would the pub be open tomorrow? Jack nodded, and answered them, looking distracted. With Harry’s help, the pub was cleared in half an hour.



To Jack, every second that crawled by was torment, she could only imagine what it felt like for Harry, trying to act as normally as possible, knowing he was carrying a child. Finally the doors were locked, and ignoring the dirty tables and tumblers strewn all over the property she turned to Harry.



“Are you going to tell him?” she demanded.



“No. He made it quite clear he doesn’t want to see me again. Why should I go and dump this news on him?”



“Because it’s a CHILD, Harry. You can’t cope with that all by yourself. How on earth will you pay for clothes and food and everything else?”



“I’ve got money, more money than I know what to do with.” Harry admitted, not looking up into her startled face. “But to claim it, I need to change.”



“Huh?” Jack was totally lost.



Harry took a deep breath. “I vanished from the world a while ago, because I didn’t want people bothering me. Cos I did, I lost access to my money, which wasn’t a problem, but now, I’ll need it again, so I’ll have to become HIM again.”



Jack’s eyes widened in understanding. “You’re Harry POTTER!” she yelped. “Bloody hell! Can’t you stay hidden and claim your money? The papers’ll go crazy if they find out you’re pregnant! And you won’t be able to keep it hidden from the other father if you change, will you?”



“No,” Harry agreed, “he knew who I was.”



Jack suddenly gave him a sympathetic look. “That was why he doesn’t want to see you again, isn’t it? You deceived him.”



***



“Mother fucker wanker bastard evil fucking cunt-faced snarky GIT!” Harry screamed suddenly, staring at himself in the mirror.



He was two months gone, and he could see slight changes in his body, knew he carried a new life within him, and he hated it. He hated being pregnant; hated not being able to use a glamour on himself to hide his scar -‘it might damage the baby’ Jack had said, and ducked as Harry had tried to hex her; hated having to put the damn concealer on his forehead every morning again; hated being sick at odd hours of the day – ‘not everyone gets morning sickness’ Jack had told Harry, then run as he had lifted his wand threateningly; hated not being able to eat his favourite foods - ‘they might hurt the baby’ as Jack had said, before ducking to dodge another curse; hated knowing that in seven months he would be responsible for a real live person; and most of all hated Severus Bloody Bastard Snape for doing this to him in the first place.



With Jack’s help (when she had stopped mentioning all the things he couldn’t do) he had managed to get a private interview at Gringott’s and had been given access to the money in his vault. The two had gone shopping for a cot, clothes, and a new apartment for Harry.



“You can’t climb up all those stairs when you’re nine months gone,” Jack said reasonably.

Harry hated people being reasonable around him. He was hormonal and touchy as hell.



“And how will you carry the baby up all those flights?” she added, juggling the various shopping bags filled with items for the infant. They were outside an estate agents in Diagon Alley, and Jack had tried to get Harry interested in a nice looking property that was affordable and suitable for him and his child.



“You know you sound like Hermione?” Harry growled before whipping his wand out and pointing it at her.



“No magic,” she said quickly, “You could hurt the …”



“I don’t care if I do hurt the baby!” Harry shrieked, surprising everyone in Diagon Alley. “I don’t want the fucking thing! I wish it’d just DIE!”



Shocked witches and wizards gave him a wide birth as he sank onto the ground, clutching a wall for support, sobbing piteously.



“Are you all right, miss?” An old wizard asked, looking down at the crying man. “Your husband doesn’t seem to be coping well with your pregnancy. May I offer you my congratulations?”



Jack stared, then pulled herself together. “Oh, er, thank you.” He glanced down at Harry, curled on the cobbles, still weeping. “He’ll be fine once he gets this out of his system. You know what men can be like,” she paused then added, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…”



“No offence taken, I assure you,” the old wizard chuckled. “Why, I remember when my dear Ethel, god rest her soul, was carrying our first boy, I was useless!”



Jack managed to get rid of the kindly wizard before kneeling by her friend. “Harry, come on, please. Please, Harry, get it together. Now’s not the time or place for this.”



She dragged him to his feet and supported him out of the alley and back to his flat.



“’M sorry,” Harry snuffled after she had helped him up the five flights of stairs and settled him into a chair with a cup of tea.



“Harry, don’t do that again, k? You scared me shitless.”



“Sorry,” he repeated, eyes fixed on the depressing brown carpet.



She drew a breath. “You know,” she started, trying to sound calm and in control, “you can abort …” she trailed off at the look of fury in Harry’s eyes.



“I would NEVER murder …” he ground out.



She gave a slight smile. “I’m glad. I guess from this I’d better go out house hunting then? You need more room for your kid.” She added, “When will you know what it is?”



“When it’s born,” Harry answered. “I don’t want to know before that.”



“But what about names?” Jack pressed.



“I already know what I’m calling it,” Harry snapped, his short temper flaring up again.

God I hate being pregnant!



He saw the irritation in Jack’s face and apologised again before telling her his ideas.



She wasn’t impressed.



-- Poor Harry! And poor Jack, having to put up with him. SP

MoonlightSilver - yep, Jack is a Pirates fan! SP