Harry James Potter is an 18 year old wizard. So what, you might say. But Harry Potter is also The-Boy-Who-Lived, The-Man-Who-Defeated-You-Know-Who or any of about a dozen other hyphenated names that the press can come up with this week. Again, so what? Well, Dear Reader, I also have another name for our Mr. Potter...The-Boy/Man-Who-Is-Pregnant. Ah, yes! How, you might ask, and, if you were a Muggle, I would say that you would be horribly confused right now. You see, Muggle men cannot get pregnant. Wizards can, but our dear Mr. Potter doesn't know that...yet. He's only just found out about his 'delicate condition' and is now horribly confused, as well. So, please Dear Reader, sit back and, as the Muggles say, enjoy the show.

~OOooOO~

Harry Potter stared in confusion at the white plastic stick he held in his hand. Being male, he had never used a pregnancy test before, but, after being sick almost every morning, for the last week, he felt that this would be his last effort before going to Madame Pomfrey and asking her to see what was wrong with him.

He had overheard two 7th year Ravenclaw girls discussing the symptoms of another and had stopped to listen. The unknown female's symptoms were identical to his, so he wanted to know what the hell he had. He had listened, nodding his head in agreement with every symptom that matched his. Whoever this girl was, he felt bad for her, if she was suffering the same way he was. The second girl had gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"She's...oh! You have got to be kidding me! This is too good! I never would have thought that she would be one to get pregnant. Her parents are going to have a blue fit!"

Harry's body froze in place. WHAT? Preg...hell NO! I'm a man! Men don't get pregnant, they can't! Harry thought in panic. How could a man get pregnant? Those kinds of things don't happen to men. He felt his legs give out on him and he slid down the wall. His mind was whirling. He still had enough working brain cells, though, to continue to listen to the conversation.

"Oh yes, she is. She got one of those pregnancy tests from the apothecary in Hogsmeade last weekend and took the test this morning. She is definitely pregnant!"

Harry struggled to breathe. This was not happening. He was imagining this whole scenario. When he woke up, he would be in his comfortable four poster bed in his dorm. He and Ron would have a good laugh at his dream and he would be teased endlessly about it. That's all this was...a dream. A horrifying and scary dream, but a dream nonetheless.

He had only just lost his virginity before coming back to Hogwarts for his '8th year'. Since so many had not received a good education last year, due to the war and the final battle, it became almost mandatory for all those who had missed most of their 7th year to repeat it now. He, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Neville, Lavender and Dean had all returned, along with several Slytherins and a couple of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, to complete their education.

Harry had known he was gay for two years, but had never told anyone. He knew that it wasn't a social taboo like it was in the Muggle world, but he knew that the wizarding world would never let it go if they found out that their saviour was gay. He had finally given in to his hormones one night after quite a lot of firewhiskey and celebrating their return to Hogwarts for their final year. One of Ron's brothers had been more than happy to initiate Harry in the ways of sex and it had been the night of a lifetime. He hadn't known that that particular brother was gay, he certainly wasn't the stereotypical campy flaming homosexual that you always heard about. But then again, that man hadn't known Harry was gay either.

So now, here he was, a month later, holding a plastic stick in his hands. The little plus sign in the window told him that, yes, he was indeed pregnant. How can I be pregnant? This can't be right! There has to be something wrong with this test. I'll just wait and use the second one tomorrow morning.

The next morning, he once again stood in the loo, staring at another pregnancy test. The plus sign glared up at him balefully. What the hell am I going to do? I need to talk to Ron, he'll know what to do.

After getting himself together and showering, he set off in search of Ron and Hermione. He felt awkward about mentioning it to someone else, but he needed to know how the wizarding world felt about male pregnancy. He found Ron in the common room, fortunately alone.

"Hey Harry. What took you so long this morning?"

"Erm...just slow going this morning. Hey, I heard someone talking and want to ask you about it."

"Sure, what did you hear?"

"Well, it's something I've never heard of before. They were talking about somebody's relative, a male relative, being pregnant. I didn't know..."

"Oh Gods! That is just so wrong! It's disgusting! How could two men do...THAT? It's wrong! Men aren't supposed to do that!" Ron was extremely red and had a look of fear in his eyes. Harry backed off a bit. He hadn't been expecting this type of reaction from Ron, normally he was very easy going.

"Ron? What's wrong with two men?"

"That is just sick! Men aren't supposed to be together. It's wrong!" As Harry listened to Ron rant, he realized that Ron was most likely homophobic, and speaking to him about this was not a good idea.

"Look, just forget I brought it up. I didn't know you felt that strongly about it. It was just something I overheard and was curious about."

"Don't let it give you ideas that it's alright to be that way! Men are made to be with women, not other men."

"Okay Ron. Let's drop the subject now. You're getting all worked up over nothing."

Ron began to calm down. "Sorry mate. Didn't mean to go off on you like that."

"It's alright Ron." Well no, it's not, but I'm not going to tell you that.

The two headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry wasn't really hungry, but he knew that if he didn't eat something, both Ron and Hermione would be all over him about it. Besides, he thought, I have to eat for my baby. Oh Bloody Hell! He kept mostly to himself for that meal. He was trying to eat and not have the urge to bring it all back up on the table. Hermione kept looking at him oddly, silently asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine 'Mione. Just didn't sleep well and was kind of slow starting off this morning."

She smiled and nodded. "Alright then. Well, at least you're eating something this morning. You haven't been eating much lately and I was getting worried."

They headed off to their respective classes. Ron headed to a free period in the library and Harry and Hermione headed to N.E.W.T. level potions. Harry suddenly realized that his dream of becoming an Auror had just gone down the drain. He wasn't going to be able to be an Auror and a single parent. What the hell am I going to do? he thought frantically. He went to the library after potions, to see if he could find out anything. Once he got there, though, the library was full of students. He couldn't look up what he wanted to with all those other students around. He needed to have privacy.

~OOooOO~

Almost four months had gone by since the start of term. Harry was now 4 months pregnant, by his calculations. He had noticed, last month, that his clothes no longer fit properly and had cast a spell on them to expand as his belly did. The Christmas holidays began tomorrow and he was hoping to speak to Sirius about this. His relationship with Ron had gone steadily downhill since that conversation in the common room. Ron openly avoided his company and wouldn't respond if Harry spoke to him. It was as if Harry wasn't even there. Harry pulled Hermione to the side that day, after Ron had turned his back on Harry and walked away.

"'Mione? What's going on with Ron? He won't talk to me anymore and avoids me like the plague."

She shook off his hand and glared at him."We figured it out, you know. Did you think you were going to be able to hide this from us?"

"Hide what?" Harry was not liking the direction that this conversation was taking and that they were starting to attract attention.

"Why didn't you tell us you are gay? Why did you just let us figure it out?" She tapped her foot, still glaring at him.

"To avoid the publicity. This isn't anyone's business but mine."

"And ours! You know, we could have helped you get over this."

"Get over it? Hermione, I'm gay! It's not something you 'get over'. This is who and what I am."

"Well, it's disgusting! Men are not supposed to be with other men! It's against God's laws!"

"If you believe in the Christian God, maybe. I don't happen to believe in that God, so it doesn't affect me. What kind of God allows a child to be tormented and abused by those who are supposed to protect him? What kind of God thinks it's alright for people to use said child to further their own agenda, to tell that child that he has to become a murderer in order for the rest of the world to survive?" Harry looked around and noticed that they had gained a crowd of observers, including several teachers. "If you want to believe that your God is so generous and loving that these actions are perfectly acceptable, so be it. I don't!" He turned around and almost ran back to the common room.

Once he reached the dorm room, Harry quickly packed all of his things and shrunk his trunk so that it would fit into the pocket of his robes. He silently made his way to one of the secret passages and set out for Hogsmeade. After he reached the village, he went into the Hogs Head Tavern and flooed to Number 12 Grimmauld Place

~OOooOO~

Because he had left so quickly, he completely missed the scene going on inside Hogwarts Castle. Several of the students had run off to get whatever teachers they could find. Severus Snape had been dragged to the hallway, to hear the argument, by Draco Malfoy.

"Get over it? Hermione, I'm gay! It's not something you 'get over'. This is who and what I am."

"Well, it's disgusting! Men are not supposed to be with other men! It's against God's laws!"

"If you believe in the Christian God, maybe. I don't happen to believe in that God, so it doesn't affect me. What kind of God allows a child to be tormented and abused by those who are supposed to protect him? What kind of God thinks it's alright for people to use said child to further their own agenda, to tell that child that he has to become a murderer in order for the rest of the world to survive? If you want to believe that your God is so generous and loving that these actions are perfectly acceptable, so be it. I don't!"

Severus watched the young man run from the hallway and then turned his attention to the brown haired girl in front of him. "Ms. Granger." The words were quiet and laced with contempt. "I cannot believe that you are so narrow minded that you would alienate your best friend because of your religious tendencies. Homosexuality is very common in the wizarding world. In fact, half of our world is either gay or bisexual. It is no crime to be gay, as it is in the muggle world. Azkaban would be overflowing if it were a crime. You need to be more careful whom you spout your beliefs to. If you would look around, I'm certain that you will see quite a few of your schoolmates do not agree with your views."

Hermione looked around her. She saw Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan glaring at her, holding up their clasped hands. Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley did the same. Draco Malfoy stepped forward, followed by Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Severus Snape himself. Professor Hooch stepped forward, as did Professor Sprout. Students kept stepping forward, some holding hands, others by themselves.

She began to retreat but ran into Draco Malfoy. "I'd watch yourself Granger. We don't take kindly to having people tell us our way of life is 'wrong'. This is why most Purebloods look down on Muggleborns. You bring all your preconceived notions with you and they just don't fit here. Now, go off and find your homophobic boyfriend and let him know what you've found out today. You are amongst the minority here, and I'm going to make sure that you remember that!" With that, Draco turned and, with a fair imitation of the potions professor, left the hallway, robes billowing out around him. He wanted to find Potter, to let him know that he wasn't alone.

~OOooOO~

Harry flooed directly into the sitting room of Number 12. He was feeling rather nauseous after the floo and wanted nothing more than to lay down for a nap. He pushed open the door and went up the stairs to his room. Sirius and Remus were working and wouldn't be expecting him until tomorrow, so he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He felt betrayed by both Ron and Hermione. He now knew where Ron had gained the homophobia from. Hermione had been raised in a muggle household, complete with muggle religious beliefs. His relatives hadn't cared enough about him to instill their beliefs in him, something he was forever going to be grateful for. Ron's family were Purebloods. He was pretty sure that they didn't have those same beliefs.

Harry felt tears well up in his eyes and turned onto his side. He began to sob quietly. He had no friends and was pregnant and confused. He really needed Sirius now. Or Remus. Either one would do.

By the time Sirius and Remus came home from work, Harry was sound asleep. They had been fire-called by Professor McGonagall, letting them know that Harry had left the school and, after a search, had not been found. Draco Malfoy had alerted Severus Snape that Harry was not in the dorm and the search of the school grounds had taken place. Sirius and Remus had left Auror Headquarters immediately after receiving this news.

"Do you think he's here, Moony?"

"I hope so Padfoot. After what Minerva said happened, he'll want to go somewhere that he's accepted unconditionally."

The two men crept up the stairs and peeked into Harry's room. The sleeping body on the bed relieved both of their minds. They would wait for Harry to wake up and, hopefully, tell them what had happened. They went back down the stairs to fire-call Minerva, to let her know that Harry was there and he was safe.

Two hours later, Harry stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen, surprising Sirius. "Hey Bambi. How are you?"

"Ugh. Don't feel too good Siri." He slumped into the chair next to Sirius

"That's kind of to be expected. Minerva told us what happened." He reached out and covered Harry's hand with his own. "I don't want you to think that being gay is wrong. Hell, I'd be a hypocrite, if I did."

Harry's eyes widened then he smiled. "You and Remy?"

"Yes, Bambi. You're not alone in this. The wizarding world doesn't look at homosexuality the same way that muggles do. Here, it's perfectly normal. Don't let what that bitch told you affect the way you feel about yourself."

"Thanks, Siri. It does make me feel better to know that I'm not the only gay person."

Sirius laughed. "Oh hell no, Bambi! Over half of the wizards and witches in the world are either gay or bisexual. You are by no means the only one."

"Good." Harry let himself be drawn into a comforting hug by his godfather.

~OOooOO~

Today was the last day before the holidays were over. He still needed to speak with Sirius about male pregnancies. He needed to know if this was something that happened, or if it just proved that he was a freak, like he'd always been told he was. He found Sirius in the library, reading some files for work.

"Siri? Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure Bambi, have a seat." He waited while Harry flopped into an armchair next to the desk. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, what started this whole thing with Ron and Hermione was something I overheard."

"What did you hear?"

"I had heard somebody talking about a male relative of theirs. They said he was pregnant. Can that really happen?"

Sirius' mind started to whirl. What kind of answer to give? He didn't want Bambi finding out that he and Remy were trying to give him a brother or sister. He took a quick sip of his tea and began choking as it went down the wrong way. Harry jumped up and pounded on his back until Sirius motioned that he was alright.

Harry saw the look of fear in Sirius' eyes and felt a sinking in his stomach. "It's alright, Siri. I think they knew I was listening and wanted to have a good joke on me."

The look of relief on Sirius' face would have been comical in any other situation. Harry just wanted to cry. He was a freak! This didn't happen normally. What am I going to do?

Harry began to talk of what he was going to do after he left Hogwarts. "I don't think I want to be an Auror anymore, Siri. I hope you and Remy won't be too upset."

"No, we won't be upset. What changed your mind, Bambi?"

"I've had enough of chasing evil wizards to last me a lifetime, don't you think?"

Sirius chuckled. "I can see your point! That's entirely up to you. Take a year or two off, if you want. You don't have to do anything right away, you know."

Harry smiled slightly. "I think I may do that." I'm going to need the time to get used to being a father, he thought.

The next day dawned, bright and cheerful. Harry felt anything but cheerful. He had spent the holidays studying specialized glamour charms and he knew of several that could be cast onto his pregnant belly, so that no one could see or feel it. It would feel just like his normal, Quidditch toned abdomen if anyone touched him. He was just going to have to be careful when he was around others, so that he didn't get hit or pushed down. Fortunately, 8th year students weren't allowed to play Quidditch, so he didn't have to worry about being injured while playing.

He would have to take the glamour off at night, but he could charm the curtains on his bed to stay closed no matter who tried to open them. He would also add a couple of repelling charms and a silencing charm, just to be safe.

Siri and Remy accompanied him to the train where he was met by Draco. "Harry, are you alright? I've been kind of worried since you left after that whole episode with Granger."

"I'm fine Draco. Just disappointed that my so-called friends can't accept me for who I am. I wonder if they know about Ginny and Luna."

"They do now."

Harry gave Sirius and Remus each a hug and and got on the train with Draco. "Alright, explain how they know now."

Draco told him about the scene in the hallway that happened after he left. Harry chuckled slightly as he imagined all of the same sex couples ganging up on Ron and Hermione. Draco let him know that he had been picking on Hermione the rest of that day and the morning that the holidays began, so she might not be in a good mood when they got back. He told Harry that Ginny had written to her parents about Ron's behaviour and the results wouldn't be good.

Harry looked out the window of the compartment to see the Weasley family arrive. Molly was talking to Ginny and hugging her while pointedly ignoring Ron and Hermione. Bill was talking to Ron, Charlie standing next to him, nodding. The twins stuck something in one of Ron's pockets and walked away, snickering. As they walked closer to the train, they saw Harry and motioned to him to raise the window.

"Hey brother mine!" George smiled and shook Harry's hand through the open window. Fred followed suit. "Ron's not going to like us very much, once his pocket goes off. Just stay out of the same compartment as him, alright?"

Fred's face became very serious. "We don't agree with Ron and Hermione, just so you know. Mum lit into him as soon as he got off the train. She was worried about you when she didn't see you."

"Until Draco here told her that you'd gone to your godfather's house the day before, that is." George pulled a face when he saw Ron and Hermione approaching. "Got to go. Don't want to be anywhere near here when that pocket goes off." The two smiled and waved goodbye, including Draco in their goodbye.

Harry looked over to where Bill and Charlie stood. He sighed, depressed that Ron's brother hadn't come over to see him. Draco was talking to Blaise, so he didn't see when Harry wiped a hand across his eyes, to get rid of the tears. Ron's brother, however, did.

The other brother leaned into him. "Are you going to tell him how you feel?"

He looked at his brother. "I don't know how he feels. He told me it was just for one night."

"He may have thought that was what you wanted. After all, you didn't work inside this country then. You've moved back now and can pursue a relationship, if you want to. Do you want to?"

The redhead nodded. "Yes." He watched as Harry wiped his eyes again and laid his head back against the headrest. "I think I'll make time to talk to him soon." Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do that. He was called out of the country again, to take care of an emergency.

~OOooOO~

Harry heard some muted screams and yelling about 20 minutes after the Express had left the station. Since Ginny and Luna had joined Draco, Blaise and himself, they were all safe from whatever prank Fred and George had set on Ron. Hermione came storming to their compartment very shortly thereafter. Her hair was a rainbow and she was sporting white makeup and a bulbous red nose.

"Harry James Potter, what the hell did you do to us?" she screeched through the locked door. Harry stood and opened the compartment door. He and Draco walked outside and stood in the corridor, leaving the door open so that their companions could hear the conversation.

"What do you mean what did I do? I haven't seen or spoken to you since the day before the hols. I'm fairly certain you remember that day, don't you?" He was having difficulty keeping a straight face. "I was already on the train when you arrived. How could I do something to you?"

Her face began to glow red under the white makeup. "This has to do with you. How do we know that you didn't tell the twins to prank us?"

Draco snorted. "Granger..." Harry cut him off.

"You don't." Harry walked back into the compartment and shut the door. With a silencing spell and some wards, Harry could guarantee that no one would be getting in through that door any time soon.

Ginny and Luna began to giggle hysterically. They were soon joined in their laughter by Draco and Blaise. Harry didn't laugh. He knew that this was going to get blamed on him. He loved the prank, but the after affects he could do without. He would have to write to Fred and George and tell them no more. He didn't want to get blamed for anything.

"Harry? Sorry for laughing, but they deserved it." Ginny was controlling her laughter, but was still smiling from ear to ear. "I'll vouch for you. Fred and George told me what they'd be doing."

"How long does it last?"

"About an hour, just long enough for everyone to go back and stare at them." Harry could see groups of people heading toward the back of the train. "They won't be happy about being the center of attention, but by the time we get to Hogsmeade, the prank will have ended."

"Alright. As long as you'll vouch for me." Harry smiled slightly. He could feel Draco watching him, but he ignored the blonde. After about a half an hour, he felt a touch on his arm.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

"I'm about as good as I'll get right now, Draco. I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping very well." He closed his eyes and let the movements of the train lull him to sleep.

Draco shook him gently to wake him up. "We just got the 5 minute warning Harry. You might want to wake up."

"Thanks Draco. Thanks for letting me sleep. I really haven't been sleeping well and I guess that I'm kind of nervous about coming back."

"Don't worry. We have your back. Since we're all in the same dorm now, it's going to be easier to keep an eye on each other."

Harry nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with him. He turned to face the windows, so that he could put his school robes on without anyone noticing his slight belly.

~OOooOO~

The months passed slowly. Harry would check how big his belly was getting once a week. He knew he was going to have to figure out how to give birth to this baby before too long. He guessed that he would need to have the baby surgically removed by C-section. That would involve either Madame Pomfrey or St. Mungo's. Since he absolutely hated St. Mungo's, that meant that Poppy Pomfrey would be delivering his baby.

It was getting harder for him to get around without giving something away. No one else could see his pregnant belly, but Harry could feel it. He was ridiculously front heavy, which meant that his balance and center of gravity were completely thrown off. He stayed seated as much as possible, he didn't want to risk falling.

Draco was beginning to really worry about his friend. He had even gone to his godfather, Severus, with his concerns.

"Sev, I'm really worried about Harry. He doesn't seem right, like something more than that one episode has happened. Granger and Weasley have been avoiding him, ever since we came back from the Christmas holidays, so I know it's not them."

"I, too, have noticed a change in Potter's demeanor. He is very quiet now, where he used to be outspoken. He was never really loud, unless he was arguing with you. This will require a little more study. See if you can get him to stay with you after class tomorrow." Draco nodded.

May 17th:

Only one more week until this baby is due. I can't wait! Harry had been carefully gathering and shrinking baby clothing and supplies. Every weekend, he made a trip to Hogsmeade, to get new supplies. Since he was an 8th year student, he could leave and go to Hogsmeade as often as he wanted.

He didn't know where he was going to go when the baby was born, but since he had already sat for his N.E.W.T.s, he didn't have to stay at the school once he gave birth. He had made a quick trip to Gringotts on one of those visits to see if his parents had left him any properties, other than Godric's Hollow. They had actually left him a small house just outside of Hogsmeade, maybe he'd stay there.

He pressed a hand to his lower back. Ever since he had risen this morning, his back had been hurting. He must have laid on it oddly last night. He made his way to the potions classroom. He really didn't feel like sitting for almost two hours, but he'd deal with it. He just felt better when he was moving.

The class went fairly quickly and reasonably well, except for the twinges of pain, which kept getting more frequent and stronger. Professor Snape made an announcement at the end of the class.

"I have the great pleasure in announcing that the two top scoring students for this term are Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, please remain after class."

Harry was in shock. He turned to Draco. "He's kidding, right?"

"No, he's not. You should have seen him when the N.E.W.T. results for potions came back. He almost fell over."

Everyone left the room and Draco and Harry moved to stand by Severus' desk. The twinges Harry had been feeling all day had gotten worse and he was afraid he was going to embarrass himself by making a face or a noise to give it away. He stood by the desk and gripped it with one hand, the knuckles turning white as the twinges gave way to full blown pain. He had never experienced anything like this. At this point, he didn't care if he gave anything away, he dropped to his knees and cried out with the pain.

Draco's eyes went wide as he saw Harry drop. Severus came around his desk more quickly than Draco could move. Just as he touched Harry, he seemed to be gripped by another round of pain. He could feel the magic surrounding the boy's mid-section. "Potter, drop the glamour!"

Harry muttered something under his breath and both Draco and Severus gasped as Harry's belly was revealed. Potter was pregnant! And it looked like he was in labour. Severus turned to Draco. "Get Poppy down here, now! Have her bring her childbirth kit. I'm not moving him."

"Trust you not to do things the easy way, Potter" Severus actually chuckled, gaining a slight laugh in return. "Have you told anyone you were pregnant?"

"No." Harry grit his teeth and breathed through the pain. "Tried to...but they didn't react well. AHHHH!" Severus placed his hands on Harry's belly and felt the muscles tighten painfully.

Poppy came through the floo, followed closely by Draco. She was carrying a basket with several phials in it, Draco was carrying blankets, sheets and towels. She quickly ran her wand over Harry's abdomen and began preparing potions. "Here, Mr. Potter, drink this, it's for the pain." Severus held Harry's head up as Poppy poured the potion in his mouth. He grimaced but swallowed. Another contraction began, but halfway through it, Potter relaxed. The pain potion had kicked in.

Poppy had Severus levitate Harry, so that she could spread the blankets out beneath him with Draco's help. Once that was done, she began to perform a C-section, to deliver the baby. She cast a sanitizing spell on both herself and Harry and began to make the incision with her wand. Draco was fascinated, but once she reached in to pull out the baby, he turned completely white and passed out. Looking disgustedly at his godson, Severus went back to assisting Poppy with the birth. Harry just lay on the blankets, not feeling anything below his chest. He could feel slight tugging as Poppy pulled the baby out, but no actual pain. The cry of a baby made him gasp.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter, you have a healthy baby girl. She weighs 3.5 Kilograms (7 lbs, 13 oz.) and is 20 inches long." Harry began to cry quietly. Severus conjured several pillows, so that Harry could sit up and hold his daughter. Poppy began to heal Harry as Severus placed the baby into her father's arms.

Harry unwrapped her slightly, so that he could look at her better. She had her father's red hair, just a shade darker than Ron's. Her eyes were currently blue, but they already had a green tinge to them, letting him know that she would have his eyes. He re-wrapped his daughter and settled her into his arms as Draco regained consciousness.

"Hello Lily, my little flower." Harry pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Poppy handed him a small warmed bottle and he began to give Lily her first feeding.

"As much as this will sound a little silly, Mr. Potter, but were you prepared for this birth? Do you have clothing, formula, diapers?"

"Yes, they're all in my trunk, shrunken in a large black rucksack on the left side." He looked at Draco, who had regained most of his natural colouring. "Can you go get the rucksack for me, and bring it to the infirmary?" Draco nodded and took off for the dorm.

"We need to get you to one of the private rooms in the infirmary. You should be able to walk, if Severus supports you. I'll carry your daughter." After banishing the blankets, sheets and towels, she walked to the floo. She covered the baby's face with the blanket and flooed to the hospital wing. Severus and Harry followed closely behind her. Severus had to catch Harry as they came out of the hearth, the motion of the floo had caused Harry to pass out. He swung Harry up into his arms and carried him to the private room directly across from Poppy's office.

"Poppy? Inasmuch as she looks like Lily Evans, that hair is far too bright. Which one of the Weasleys do you think is the other father?"

"Severus, I couldn't hazard a guess, but I will assume it is either Bill or Charlie. Could you please go to the Burrow and bring them back with you?" Severus nodded and left the room.

~OOooOO~

Severus stepped out into the sitting room at the Burrow, startling the Weasley family gathered there before the evening meal.

"Severus! Has anything more happened with Ron?" Molly's face darkened.

"No, but I need to ask both William and Charles to accompany me back to Hogwarts."

Arthur stood. "Why do they need to go to Hogwarts."

"One of them has just become a father." Severus watched as Charlie Weasley turned very pale and crumpled to the floor. "I suppose, then, William, that you do not need to come with me."

Bill looked at his former professor. "Harry had a baby?"

"HARRY?" Both Molly and Arthur yelled at the same time, turning to look at their son, lying on the floor.

Severus stepped over to the younger man. "Rennervate!" Charlie shook his head and sat up.

"Did I hear you say that I've become a father?"

"If you were Mr. Potter's partner, then, yes, you have become a father."

Charlie sat still on the floor. "I have a baby. I'm a father!" He quickly looked at Severus. "How is Harry? Is he alright? Where is he?"

"Mr. Potter is fine. He is in the infirmary at Hogwarts. Poppy has given him a private room. Will you come with me, please."

Charlie stood and followed Severus to the infirmary. Severus showed Charlie to the room Harry was in and then left, closing the door behind him.

He entered Poppy's office just as the other Weasleys arrived. He stuck his head back out of the door. "Please be seated. I will send Poppy out in a moment." He turned back to the medi-witch. "Charles Weasley is the baby's other father. If you want to put that on the birth certificate and send it to the Ministry, I think it is best that this birth is registered right away, don't you agree?"

"Yes, indeed, Severus. I am assuming you have already shown Charlie into the room."

"Yes, and the other Weasleys at the Burrow followed and are waiting outside for you." Severus turned and left the office in a billow of robes.

~OOooOO~

Charlie looked at the young man lying asleep on the bed. He hadn't known. If he had, he would have been there for Harry. "Ah, Harry, why didn't you tell me?" He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the tiny baby in the bassinet. Her large blue green eyes stared back at him very solemnly. Gently he reached in and picked up his daughter. "Hello there, little one. Merlin, you're beautiful! I can see us having our hands full with you later on." He cradled the baby closer to his chest. "I'm sorry, little one, that I wasn't here to see you born. I would have liked to be, but I'm afraid I didn't tell your daddy that I wanted to be with him. You see, he thought it was for only one night, and I was hoping for a lifetime." He placed a small kiss on the baby's cheek. "I hope I can convince your daddy that I want to be with him. You see, I love him, little one. I've loved him for a while. I don't know that he would want to be with a man like me, though. I'm not gorgeous like your daddy. He could have any man he wanted, why would he choose to be with me?"

"Maybe because he loves you, too?" Charlie turned at the sound of Harry's voice, careful not to jostle the baby.

"You do?" Charlie held his breath, not willing to hope.

"I do, yeah. I have for a while. But, like you said, I thought it was just for one night. I didn't know that you felt the same way."

"I guess there are things that we both should have told each other. I wish I'd known you were pregnant. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know that wizards could get pregnant. I tried asking Ron, but you know what happened with that. I tried asking Sirius, but he essentially had the same reaction. Not about me being gay, but about male pregnancies. I guess that I'm a freak after all."

"I don't ever want to hear you say that again. You are not a freak. All wizards can become pregnant. It just depends on how powerful their magic is. I'm not surprised you got pregnant after only one night. With as powerful as you are? The only reason anyone might think you're a freak, and you're not, is because you want to be with me."

"Just like you don't want to hear me say I'm a freak, I don't ever want to hear you say that you're not gorgeous. You are. No, you're not stunningly beautiful like Draco Malfoy, but I don't find him attractive at all. I find you attractive. I find you very attractive. You are ruggedly handsome. To me, you are everything I could possibly want in a man." By this time, Harry was sitting up, with his arms around Charlie's neck. "Charlie Weasley, will you marry me? Make an honest man out of me?"

"Yes." Charlie sealed his promise with a kiss that seemed to go on forever. Just like their life together.