Hidden Truths

Repercussions

Harry Potter entered the apartment he shared with his wife and son in shock. He was going to be a father again. He didn't know what he had done to deserve this wonderful gift that the powers that be and Willow had bestowed on him. The latter of the two however appeared to be as shocked as he was. But in a good way. At any rate, Willow appeared to have tired herself out and was now sleeping quietly in his arms as he murmured the password and entered the apartment.

"Well?" A voice immediately assaulted him. It was Sirius.

"Where's James?" Harry asked quietly, wondering what his godfather had done with his son in such a short period of time.

"Remus is putting him to bed. Now what is wrong with her?" Sirius demanded. Indeed, through the short months Sirius had known his wife, he had come to consider her the goddaughter he never had and as such had become extremely overprotective.

"I'd like to hear that too." Remus said softly as he came out of the master bedroom, where he had put a sleeping James down in his crib.

Harry felt cornered. Personally, and seeing how he had missed the pregnancy experience with Willow the first time, he thought he might like an evening of hoarding the good news to his and Willow's selves. No such luck apparently.

"Tell them Harry," murmured a drowsy Willow from her place snuggled into his chest.

"You're up now?" Harry chuckled softly. Maybe she would be up to share the good news with Sirius and Remus?

"No. Put me to bed and then tell them." Apparently not.

Harry sighed deeply. Willow's wish was his command, especially in her condition. With a shrug in a smiling Sirius and Remus' direction, he took her to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed next to a sleeping James in his crib.

"Are you sure you want them to know this way?" Harry asked as he magicked away her clothes and replaced them with her comfortable flannel Scooby-Doo pajamas that Xander had sent over as an early Christmas present.

"What, with me sleeping in the other room? Sure. Besides," Willow yawned sleepily and crawled under the covers. "They're not going to leave the apartment until we tell them why I passed out today. They DID take me to the infirmary after all." She raised a hand up to Harry's cheek gently. "Just tell them for both of us please. Maybe they can help us come up with an alternative plan to deal with Voldemort then."

Harry nodded, agreeing fervently with Willow's thought. The spell would have to be changed. There was no way they could go through with it now, not with another life hanging in the balance. Indeed, the original plan, hypothesized in bed after Harry and Willow's now infamous fight (after they had gotten off the sitting room rug of course) was to transfer Voldemort's dark magic into a body that could properly channel the energy i.e. Willow, and then destroy the Dark Lord's body. This had seemed a plausible way of disposing of him, seeing how Willow had come far through meditation and time with her coven to neutralizing the effect that the magic had on hery. By. By channeling it properly, she was now able to turn the dark energy into white magic instead of the overwhelming darkness that had in previous times overwhelmed her to the point of no return. Now though, the plan would have to be changed. Holding the dark energy would kill the baby inevitably and neither Harry nor Willow was prepared to sacrifice their child at the expense of Voldemort's ultimate defeat. No, a new plan would have to be thought up and Sirius and Remus were probably the best two people to help.

However, this meant that the news would have to be shared with them and that not only meant the end to the intimate and cozy feeling that Harry would now have to share with the world (for Sirius would surely tell more people, including the Weasleyho who would then tell more people) but an endless round of teasing on Harry's behalf. Granted the teasing would be good natured ribbing over Harry's apparently abundant virility, however Harry had never been a person who cared that much about the growth of his own ego. Despite the huge role he was being forced to participate in against Voldemort and his Death Eater's, he really was a shy and quiet man who didn't much like his privacy invaded. Indeed, early encounters with reporters like Rita Skeeter had left a sour taste in his mouth in regards to the journalistic profession in general.

Personal opinions aside however, he would follow Willow's instructions. Quietly, he dropped a kiss on a now sleeping Willow's lips before leaving the room and shutting the door, leaving him alone with an anxious Sirius and Remus.

"Well?!" Sirius demanded impatiently before being shoved down onto the couch by Remus, a weary and elated Harry joining the two in the sitting room and sitting down in his armchair that he had brought out of storage to bring to Willow's apartment at Hogwarts.

A slow grin grew on Harry's face at the prospect of the news that he was about to impart to the men that collectively represented one half of Harry's parental units, Arthur and Molly representing the other half of course. "She's not sick. Don't worry." He paused for effect. "But I do have some other news to share."

A grin of his own of shock and amant bnt began to show on Remus's face. Remus, it appeared, had always been quicker than Sirius. "She's not....." he scoffed.

Harry nodded, confirming Remus' speculations.

"Seriously?" the werewolf in question exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Harry's grin grew more, if it were at all possible.

"What?" Sirius asked in confusion, having completely missed the conversation that Harry and Remus had been having with half sentences. "What's wrong with Willow if she's not sick? What are you two talking about?"

"Sirius," Remus broke in gently to calm the animagus. "She's pregnant."

"Really?" Sirius paused to take it all in, looking shocked but smiling wryly, not missing an opportunity to tease his godson mercilessly. "Wow. You waste no time do you Potter?"

"Sirius!" Remus scolded, watching as Harry went beat red in front of him. "Stop teasing Harry." He turned to the man in question. "I'm guessing this was a shock to you both?"

Harry nodded affirmatively. "Um-hm. Willow more than I though. She kept insisting to Madame Pomfrey that it was too soon..."

"How far along is she then?" Remus asked, smiling. Despite the suddenness of this announcement, he knew that Harry was happy about this revelation. After all, he HAD always wanted a family. Granted it was growing a little faster than he was sure Harry expected, but the fact remained that it WAS growing and the Boy-Who-Lived was visibly elated by the fact.

"A month and a half," Harry said quietly, smugly.

Remus raised his eyebrow. "The night of the fight then?"

Harry blushed deeply, but nodded. "There are ramifications though. To the pregnancy of course." He looked up and met Remus's eyes. "The plan's going to have to change."

"Have you talked to Willow about this?" Sirius broke in, concerned that once again Harry was making decisions for Willow that would only get him into trouble.

"It was her idea," he murmured, taking his glasses off and rubbing a hand over to bridge of his nose in frustration. He was happy that they were going to have a baby. But he couldn't help but think that the timing was all wrong, despite what he had told Willow. Indeed, because of their neglect of birth control, they ran the risk of bringing a child into the world that not only was in danger from Voldemort, but whose entire existence put in jeopardy the means in which they were to get rid of the Dark Lord in the first place. But, he couldn't regret the baby. It was a part of Willow and himself, an extension of their love. He couldn't regret that, wouldn't let himself. But he couldn't help but worry that perhaps the baby's entire existence could be the last piece of the puzzle that would make Voldemort triumphant over the Order and Harry himself. Nonetheless, whatever happened he would go down fighting.

"What do you have in mind?" Remus asked, sensing the conundrum of happiness and dread that Harry was now balancing in his mind.

"I don't know. Research I guess. There has to be another way." He paused, gathering the strength to go on despite what his speculated actions would have on his family. "We're going to have to tell the Order as soon as possible. Maybe on Boxing Day, I don't want worrying to taint Christmas for Willow and James," Harry mused before turning his gaze on the two men sitting in front of him. "This changes everything."

"He can't find out," Sirius broke in. "If he does, this waiting game he's subjecting us to will be OVER."

"I know, Sirius," Harry said quietly. "That's why this news goes no further for the time being. Do NOT tell the Weasley's. Willow and I'll do that at Christmas and the next day we'll have the meeting."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Sounds good." With a sigh he stood and motioned for Remus to do the same. "Come on Remus. We've still got to pack before tomorrow. Big journey and all. Har Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Where are you two going tomorrow?"

Identical sly looks slid onto Remus and Sirius's faces, one that Harry only saw when they were reminiscing on their days at Hogwarts as part of the Marauders with his father.

"Nowhere you need concern yourself with Harry," Remus reassured him. \"We'll see you at Christmas then?"

Harry nodded, still brooding over the problem he and Willow now had with coming up with an alternative to the brilliant plan they had posited before.

"Good then." Sirius opened the door to the apartment. "Oh and congratulations again Harry." He paused in thought, a very uncharacteristically Remus action of him, "And stop worrying. Everything's going to be fine."

Remus simply looked up at the pensive father-to-be sitting in his sitting room worriedly. James had had the same look on his face when he had found out that Lily was expecting. James had also had the weight of Voldemort and his potential actions hanging over his head.

He silently exchanged a look withry, ry, conveying the same sentiment that Sirius had verbalized only moments ago before turning and following his best friend out the door. They had a mission for Dumbledore to accomplish and they needed supplies.

Harry sat on the couch for a long time thinking before he went to bed that night. Now more than ever, he had to beat Voldemort once and for all.