Complications

Harry's run thought the corridors didn't last long as the bile in his stomach once again began to rise. He stopped and leant himself up against a stone cold wall before slowly his knees crumpled and he slowly sank to the floor, his head in his hands. His thoughts were in a whirl, unable to pin down. How could everything had gone so wrong? Draco was… well not perfect but they had always seemed so good together, loving and caring, could that really have been all a lie? Maybe Draco hadn't meant it? Maybe he was just in shock? Or maybe he was trying to make sure that this was what they both wanted, trying to push him away so he would come back or something? Harry shook his head against his palms, he was a hopeless romantic and even he couldn't believe that Draco had come up with that on the spur of the moment. The only thing he could hope was that Draco just needed time to process everything and that maybe all that rubbish about getting married and lovers was… was… something he didn't know, but he would definitely chew Draco's ear off for it when he eventually came around. But what if he meant it? What if he had meant it all and…

"And what do we have here?" The sudden noise jarred him from his thoughts, throwing his head backwards, nearly knocking himself out on the wall behind him. "Out of bed, Mr Potter? That'll be 20 points and a detention!" Snape looked almost gleeful as he handed out his punishment. Harry's head began to swim again. "Get up, Mr Potter, and I will escort you back to your dorms." Harry rested his head back and closed his eyes, trying to get his head back under control. "Are you listening to me, Potter?" Snape was beginning to loose patience, Harry could hear it in his voice.

"Yes, sir." Harry struggled to get to his feet before his head finally gave out and he passed out.


Harry awoke a little while later to the sterile smell of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey came in immediately, obviously having some kind of monitoring spell on him, followed by the deliberate stride of his potion's teacher. Madame Pomfrey placed her hand on his forehead and tsked slightly.

"You are a little hot, but I don't think it is a temperature." Harry nodded his head to agree with her but instantly regretted it. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still feels a little woozy." Madame Pomfrey had already turned around to find the correct potion.

"Anything else, Mr Potter? Any nausea or stomach cramps?" Harry shook his head and once again regretted it.

"It would seem, Mr Potter, that violent head movement should probably be avoided" Harry grimaced slightly as he caught the amusement in Snape's voice. "but then you never did catch on quickly." Madame Pomfry returned with a vial of potion which was promptly downed before he could think about the foul taste that awaited him. His head began to clear slowly before to clouded over again as his exhaustion caught up with him. He gave a large yawn.

"Better?" Madame Pomfrey looked down at him. Harry nodded in return.

"Yes, ma'am." He said covering his mouth with the back of his hand to shield another yawn.

"Well, best get some sleep you have a long day tomorrow. I will make sure that your house is informed that you are here." Harry didn't need to be told twice. He rolled over and promptly fell asleep.


It was several hours later when he awakened. The sun was streaming through the window across from his bed, illuminating the stark white of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey must have had a monitoring spell on him because no sooner had he returned to consciousness than she had returned to his bedside and was buzzing around him, waving her wand in all sorts of directions whilst stick a thermometer in his mouth.

“Good morning, Madame.” He said, his voice a little muffled by the stick in his mouth.

“Hush, no talking until I have your temperature or would you rather I took it the other way?” Harry shook his head quickly and remained quiet. “Well, seeing as you are here and awake I thought I would bring your meeting with the Headmaster forward and we are in luck as Professor Snape also has a free in around 10 minutes.” She waved her wand and performed a timing spell. “You leave that thermometer in for another few minutes whilst I fire call the Headmaster.” Harry nodded and lay back, letting his thoughts wash over him again, but this time laying down safely. He was about to take another step, another couple actually. Firstly he was going to tell a man he looked up to as almost a grandfather that he was going to have a child. Before he had confronted Draco he had almost thought that telling Dumbledore was going to be worse than telling the father to be. After the disaster with Draco he didn’t know if he felt more confident or less, nothing could go as badly as last night had, but there was always that niggily fear that ‘it could always get worse’, he wasn’t sure what could be worse than not only being rejected by the boy you loved but then finding out that he had been cheating on you anyway, but he was sure there was something, probably something to do with Voldemort or Snape, or Voldemort and Snape! Of course thinking about Snape bought him back to his second big step, asking a man he thought of as the bane of his existence for help. It did gaul him slightly that he would have to ask for Snape’s help, but he was going to be a mother? father? anyway he was going to be a parent and that was all that mattered now. If he had to get down on bended knee and kiss the hem of Snape’s robes then he would, anything to make sure his child was healthy.

Madame Pomfrey hurried back in just before the timer spell went off and deactivated it, whilst removing the thermometer out of his mouth, vanishing it without even looking at the result.

“Well, young man, how are you feeling? Any nausea? Stomach pains?”

“No, Madame.”

“Hum, well, let me know if you feel bad in anyway. Do you want to try and eat something before the Headmaster gets here?” Harry shook his head gently. “ Well, let me know if you want something.”

“Thank you, Madame.” Madame Pomfrey tutted slightly under her breath.

“Very well, I will be in the other room if you need anything.” With that she turned on her heal and walked away back to her office. Harry had no clue what he was going to say to Dumbledore. His last revelation hadn’t gone well, partly due to his own bad delivery. How do you tell someone that you were pregnant? At least they couldn’t accuse him of being irresponsible with birth control or something! What would he say if they asked about Draco? They were bound to ask who the child’s other father was and he really didn’t have an answer for them. Sure Draco was biologically the father but Harry didn’t want to force him to be one. It was obvious that Draco had other plans for his life, plans which didn’t include Harry or the baby, that even if Harry did want to force the issue, Draco would probably make his life a living hell. That family was not worth having, he just hoped that his little one would forgive him for not having a proper family, he hoped he could be enough.

Maybe Draco would come around and everything would be fine? Harry laughed out loud a little at the ridiculousness of that thought. No, Draco was not going to ride in like some knight in shinning armor, saying that that some evil person had impersonated him last night, that it had all been a lie and then gather him up to ride off into the sunset. Fairytales were stupid and it was even stupider to try to cling on to some silly dream of love and romance when you should be in reality. Harry wiped the stray tears which were tracing the contours of his face. He sniffed, trying to get rid of the tears and get himself under control. He managed to squash down the emotions, though his eyes were still puffy, just in time as Professor Snape swept into the room, his robes billowing behind him. The Headmaster followed his robes only slightly less imposing, not billowing like his companions but definitely striking to the eyes, being pink and green with some form of blue swirl pattern, in fact Harry's nausea returned slightly just looking at them.

"Well, Mr Potter, dare I ask what you have done this time to disturb my free time?" Harry looked down, not really knowing how to respond.

"Come now, Severus, I am sure we wouldn't have been called here is it wasn't important." Snape muttered something under his breath about special treatment before he was interrupted.

"Indeed it is Headmaster. I would appreciate if you did not upset my patent, Professor, all will be explained in a moment." Snape looked mildly dumbstruck for a moment, startled not only by the sudden arrival of the nurse but then also being told off. He composed himself quickly but settled on an ominous stare rather than saying anymore. "Now, Mr Potter, would you like to tell the Headmaster or should I?" Harry looked up and saw the look on the Nurse's face, she was a strong woman and stood for no nonsense and, from the look on her face, he could tell that she thought that his nervousness was nonsense.

"Ummm, you see, Headmaster, Professor," he began "there has been… what I mean is…" Madame Pomfrey tapped her foot lightly on the floor. Harry got more flustered, feeling his cheeks heat and redden. "I'm pregnant!" he blurted out before ashamedly looking down at the bedclothes. It was clear to Harry that he really did not have a talent for given news. Silence surrounded him so he pecked upwards. Both the men had their mouths open, there eyes showing the shock that they had just been given.

"Impossible! You attention seeking little idiot!" Snape advanced on his bed a step before meeting with a very angry nurse who had appeared between him and the bed. He fell backwards to the floor.

"Professor! I am ashamed of you! Mr Potter, is in a delicate state at the moment and you are certainly not helping."

"Whilst I do not share Professor Snape's reaction, I am slightly perplexed as to how exactly this is meant to have happened?" Harry was starting to feel slightly queasy, partly from Snape's reaction and partly due to the fact that the swirls on Dumbledore's robes were now twirling around in figure eights. It must have shown on his face because Madame Pomfry answered the question for him.

"I would expect a man of your years to know about the birds and the bees, Headmaster." Snape had struggled to his feet and was dusting off his robes, his face displaying his disgust.

"I think the Headmaster was referring to how Mr Potter, a boy, has created a child without the relevant body parts."

"Yes, well, that is why I asked for you to be here today, Professor. Mr Potter and myself are in agreement that the only odd thing he has consumed recently was a potion that was serendipitously put in his pumpkin juice two months ago. We have no idea what effect this potion will have on Mr Potter or his unborn child."

"And you need me to find out what was in it?" Snape looked slightly gleeful, whether from the thought of dissecting him as a potions experiment or in anticipation of telling him no.

"That would be very helpful, Professor, of course this potion could also be the start of an amazing discovery. I know many men who could benefit from a discovery of this magnitude." Snape's eyes really lit up this time, as his brain started to work.

"Well, my boy," Professor Dumbledore said, as he watched Snape's eyes glaze over as he started to ponder the potions question. "it would seem that you are in bit of a pickle. Are you planning… what I mean to say is, have you decided if you are going to have the child?"

"I am going to keep the baby." Harry said without pausing, not even giving Madame Pomfrey the chance to intercede on his behalf. She stepped backwards, sensing his need to answer for himself, despite how pale and sickly he looked. After last night he was more sure than ever that he wanted to keep his child. His baby had been rejected last night and he would not do the same.

"Are you sure, my boy? I mean, I doubt anyone would the worse of you for…"

"I am keeping the baby." He reiterated, determination tinged with anger entered his voice and his face.

"Very well…"

"Very well!" Snape snapped out of his thought induced stupor. "You cannot be seriously allowing this child to go through with this!"

"It is his choice, Severus, if he wants…" Dumbledore didn't sound any happier about his decision than Snape, but resigned.

"He doesn't know what the hell he wants. He is a child!" Harry decided he had watched from the sidelines long enough.

"Actually, I do. Believe me, I have thought a lot about it. This child is my family, my blood, and I will not give up their chance for life." Snape turned to him, his face more animated than Harry had ever seen.

"And what about your schooling? Or your friends? No more midnight escapades when you have to get up for night feeds! And what about The Dark Lord! Have you forgotten about him. This pregnancy would be risky even if you didn't have a megalomanic believing that you are his one weakness!"

"I know that my life will change and I am ready for it. I cannot put my life on hold for Voldemort. It could be years before we defeat him, should I wait until then before I live? Am I nothing more than what he makes me? The Boy Who Lived? Well not anymore!"

"You selfish little…"

"Is it selfish to want to live your own life!?"

"It is not your own life! It is that life as well!" He pointed his outstretched hand towards Harry's flat belly. Harry moved his hand on reflex to cover it from him. "Do you really want that child to live in this world!? You could be killed at any time and this will only make it easier! Then what will happen? You would condemn a child before it is even born!"

"I will give my child the best life I can and I will fight for their future but I will not give up it's chance for life just because I am scared at what might happen! Why do you even care anyway!?"

"Now, now, boys, I think we should all just calm down." Albus, had a small grin on his face as he broke up the fight. "Severus as much as you or I would like to make this decision for him we cannot. All we can do is try to predict the problems that could arise and plan for them. I am sure we can come up with something that is amenable to everyone, we still have a little time before your condition becomes obvious." Harry nodded.

"Thank you very much, professor. I will pretty much do anything to make sure that we stay safe but I won't go back to the Dursley's. I don't think they would be able to cope with this."

"Certainly not!" Madame Pomfrey once again appeared. She had a strange knack for being invisible unless she wanted to be remembered. It was a little unnerving. "Harry will need constant medical supervision which he will not get from those Muggles."

"Of course, of course. Wouldn't dream of it. There is one other thing that will need to discussed." Harry cocked his head to one side quizzically. "The other father will need to be informed and protected. He will be a possible hostage if this ever got out." Harry growled low under his breath.

"He has already been informed and will not be taking any further role in my life."

"Ahh." was Dumbledore's only response. "I don't suppose you will tell us his identity…"

"No."

"Well, at present he does represent a security risk…"

"He will not tell anyone, believe me." Harry's face was once again stoic and unyielding.

"Very well, Harry, we will leave it at that for the moment but this question will come up again, I can almost guarantee it. For now I think we should probably take our leave and let you get some rest." Dumbledore laid his hand on Harry's before ushering Snape out of the door. Harry lay back down on the bed and quickly drifted off to sleep as he watched Madame Pomfrey bustle around her domain.


A/N I think I should say something at this point. I realise that abortion is a much bigger deal in America than it is over here in Merry England. I am completely pro choice. Every woman's body is there own and I would never judge anyone for aborting a pregnancy, in fact I am more likely to judge them for having a child that they don't want and cannot care for, but that is just me. Harry's complete denial to terminating his pregnancy is not a political or moral judgment in this story but more his own feelings and need for his own family. I hope that everyone understands and that no one is offended by this chapter.

A/N 2 Snape's reaction will be explained later on. Please bare with me.