Disclaimers: Not mine. The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K.Rowling. No money made, no harm intended. I just want to play with them.
This story is a present for my marvelous beta, Cassandra Pierson. Thank you for you patience and your encouragement. You are the best!
All mistakes in this story are entirely my fault. If you find one, you can keep it.
Chapter 1: A Dream and Adverse Effects"Harry, are you sure you don't want Poppy to have a look at you?" Hermione asked her best friend the moment he returned from the bathroom. His skin looked greenish-pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. Walking over to the table on shaking legs and holding his stomach, he answered through gritted teeth: "No, thank you Hermione. That is not necessary. During the last months I have spent enough time in the infirmary to last my whole life. Thank you very much." He closed his eyes as another wave of nausea hit him.
"Really, Harry, Hermione is right. You should let someone check on you. Something's wrong with you. This is the third time you threw up right after breakfast and you did not look too good yesterday evening at dinner either." Ron stated.
Harry and Hermione were staying at the Burrow over the summer, before Hermione would go studying at the University, Ron would join his father at the Ministry of Magic ad Harry would be teaching DADA lessons at Hogwarts. The Dark Lord had been defeated four weeks ago, only a few days before terms end. The battles had been hard and the price high, but now the wizarding world was freed. And the 'boy who lived' was finally starting a new life.
Well, right now he only felt miserable. Opening his eyes slowly he shot the redhead an impatient look. "I knew you two would gang up against me one day," he murmured. At that comment Ron smiled broadly and teased: "Oh, c'mon, Harry, that has nothing to do with her being my girlfriend and you know it. We are worried about you. No big deal."
"Exactly, Harry." Hermione confirmed. "We would not want you to get really sick, now that you are free to live your life as you wish. And besides that it is not fair to Molly either. She will be really upset when she recognizes you are sick and did not tell her or get help." Ron nodded his agreement. He knew his mother all too well when it came to that. Once, when his brother Bill had visited with his pregnant wife and she had suffered from morning-sickness….
Ron burst out in laughter and gasped: "If I didn't know for sure that you are not dating anyone right now, one could think you are pregnant." When Harry paled even more for a second, Ron earned an angry look from his girlfriend. But then, Harry's facial expression changed again and he snarled: "Oh, please, Ron. You might not have realized it but I am male. And as far as I know, men don't get pregnant."
"Well, that is not correct." Hermione instantly skipped into full lecturing mode. "For Muggle men it is indeed impossible to conceive a child, but you are a wizard, therefore you can be impregnated by another wizard with equally strong o stronger magical abilities."
Harry stared at her in pure disbelief. The blood rushed in his ears and he recalled what he had considered a dream.
Flashback: almost four weeks ago.
Harry stumbled and grabbed the door handle of one of Hogwarts' guestrooms. Though he was supposed to sleep at the Gryffindor tower one last time – his graduation had been two days ago – he was sure he would not make it up there. He felt too sick.
Maybe I shouldn't have taken that anti-flu potion earlier. I doesn't seem to match with the drink I had. Harry thought as he entered the poorly lit room on shaking legs. He felt dizzy and the room began to spin around him.
With trembling fingers he took out his wand and cast a locking spell, then sat down on the bed to take off his robes and glasses. He hoped no one would miss him at this feast. After all they were celebrating their victory over Voldemort. But then again, he had told Hermione earlier, that he was planning on not staying too long, for he felt like getting the flu. Then he had taken a potion and now he felt worse. Damn drink, whatever it had been. He should have been wiser than to drink anything he did not know what it was. But they had shoved that glass into his hand and then toasts had followed and then…..
Sighing with relief Harry lay down in the comfortable bed. He was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
Harry had a wonderful dream. Someone was speaking to him lovingly. Gentle, cool fingers were touching his heated skin. Stroking him, caressing him, arousing him. Soft lips were ghosting over his eyelids, tracing feathery kisses down his throat. It was incredible. He felt loved and wanted. And in a weird sort of way…protected. It was everything he had ever wanted.
But, hey, this was a dream, and he could get anything he wished for.
The figure that had caressed him earlier now lay down beside him, skin on skin. Oh, it felt so good. Murmuring sweet endearments to his dream-lover, Harry began to trace his fingers over the beautiful body at his side. He had never had such a vivid dream before. But it felt too good to miss. So he gave himself willingly over to his lover, arching into his touch. Feeling nothing but pleasure…
Harry woke the next morning, alone in the unfamiliar bed, with a bad headache, but a smile on his face. What an amazing dream.
Coming back to the present, Harry let out a scared gasp. Oh Merlin, what if that hadn't been a dream? He could be pregnant from someone he did not even know!
Ron and Hermione, who began to realize that Harry had not only been totally unaware of male pregnancy, but seemed to be also really upset about it, looked at him in horror. "Harry!
Tell me you did not have unprotected sex with another wizard." Hermione yelled loud enough for Molly to hear, so Ron hastily poked her in the ribs. "'Mione, be quiet! We don't need the whole family to hear this," he hissed.
"But Ron… " Hermione protested. "Harry looks like it is possible that he could be pregnant. And he didn't even tell us he was dating someone. We could have warned him. Not that I would have thought that he didn't know about male pregnancy, after living in the wizarding world for seven years now. I told you to read more – both of you." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned again to face her best friend.
Harry felt numb. Hermione's and Ron's voices seemed to come from far away. That could not be truly happening. That had to be a dream. Yes, another awful nightmare. Nothing more. Nothing to worry about. Everything would be fine as soon as he woke up. He was not carrying the child of a man, he did not even know. He had not slept with a total stranger, in a guestroom he had thought was available.
Well, obviously the room he had used to lie down, had been set up for someone else. And that someone had taken advantage of the situation, for sure realizing that it was Harry Potter, he was lying in bed with. Oh, good Lord, he had allowed to be touched by some party guest who was probably showing off by now, telling the whole world he had gotten his hands on 'famous Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world'. Damn his 'fame' and damn his stupidity.
"Harry!" Struggling free of his disorientation, Harry realized that Hermione was kneeling in front of him and was shaking him slightly to get his attention. Finally managing to focus on her, Harry murmured: "Yeah?"
"Don't do that again, mate, you scared the hell out of us." Ron stated from behind her. "You looked like you were going to faint. You really shouldn't do that to us." "Well, I'm sorry, man." Harry managed to get out, still being somewhat distracted.
Hermione got up from the floor and sat on a chair at Harry's site. Her voice was soft, as she asked him: "So Harry, is it possible that you are pregnant? And if it is possible, who is the father and why didn't you tell us about him?"
Trying to stay calm but failing miserably, Harry answered: "I think it is possible…" he broke off, tears steaming down his cheeks. "And if I am really pregnant… then I don't know who the other father is." He started to sob heavily, as he saw the shocked expression on Hermione's face. "I thought I was dreaming. I had taken that anti-flu potion and at the party someone gave me a drink… I felt so sick…" he broke off again, his breath uneven.
"Ok, Harry, I'd say before you start to panic, we should go upstairs where you can lay down a bit. While you rest I will look up a simple spell for a pregnancy test and then we will see if it was worth all these tears of yours. And after that you will tell us exactly what you still remember of what has happened that night and then we will decide what to do next. You will see, everything is going to be alright."
Rubbing soothing circles on the small of his back, she guided him up the stairs, followed by a still stunned Ronald Weasley.
Forty-five minutes later, they were not only sure that Harry was indeed pregnant, he was also crying again, after he had told his best friends of what he had considered a dream.
"But it shouldn't be that difficult to find out who was supposed to stay in that room for the night. We could just go and ask Dumbledore. I'm sure he still…" "NO!" Ron's little speech was interrupted by Harry's frantic outburst. "I don't want anyone a the school to know." But Hermione took hold of Harry's hand and argued: "Harry, don't be childish. You agreed to teach the DADA class next term. Did you already forget that? You will have to tell Dumbledore anyways, sooner or later. Not to mention the fact that, if you are not planning on hiding yourself under a concealing charm for some time, soon, everyone will be able to see it"
At that Harry started to cry again, uttering between some more sobs: "Now I will never get the chance to find out… " his voice dying down to a whisper. "Now I will never get the chance to convince him … "
"Who, Harry?" Hermione questioned in a comforting voice. "Who is it that you want to be with? Who is it you wanted to convince to give it a try?"
Taking a deep breath, the expression on his face almost catatonic, Harry whispered a single, barely audible, word: "Severus."
But Ron had heard it though. "Severus? Like in 'Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master' That ever sarcastic, taking house points, giving detention, making our lives miserable, Severus Snape?" he yelled.
"Ronald Weasley, shut up, before I gag you. And the next time you decide on yelling at Harry, I highly suggest you think before you speak." If looks could kill, Ron would have been dead by now. Hermione's eyes were shooting fire.
Turning his head towards his friend in a movement that looked like slow-motion, Harry spoke again: " Yes Ron, I know it sounds strange. But I had time to get to know him a little and… " his eyes clouded even more, a blank expression plastered on his face, " I found out that he is not so bad a person at all. And his company can be really pleasant at times…."
Both of his closest friends looked at him in surprise.