Harry Potter and the Unexpected Blessing

Summary: During the summer right before his first year at Hogwarts, Harry meets a new neighbor. She is his first Muggle friend. The two keep in touch throughout their separation while Harry's at Hogwarts and reconnect when he returns to Privet Drive. The maturing kids take things a little too far, resulting in a blessing Harry never thought was possible when he returned the next summer. Eventual Harry/Ginny. WARNING: Will contain slightly powerful Harry and the impossibility of Harry raising a baby while fulfilling his destiny.

A/N: First and foremost, let's give the credit where it's deserved: I got the idea from the fic 'Curiosity Created the Cat' by JLDANIEL. The first two chapters are loosely based on hers.

Secondly, I'm not British so if I get any slang wrong or the characters suddenly don't speak like they're British, I'm sorry.

Thirdly, this WILL follow canon – for the most part – EXCEPT for the baby. Harry is slightly more powerful but I theorize that that has to do more with his paternal instinct to protect his child rather than anything else. I have no plans so far to turn Harry into an Elemental or anything like that. I might alter a few things like certain people dying/not dying but that's still, also, undecided.

Fourthly, the pairings will be canon. I know some people don't like Harry with Ginny, though I don't understand the reason behind the distaste. I, however, will be following JK Rowling's direction: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione.

Lastly, while it isn't the most common thing in the world for two not-yet-twelve-year-olds to have sex and get pregnant, it HAS happened before, sometimes to kids who were even younger. Harry having sex with a neighbor girl – both of whom were 11/12 at the time – is congruent with JLDANIEL's story and I could've changed it but I decided to borrow the concept mainly because I wanted the child to be slightly older when, in Deathly Hollows, Harry had to leave with Ron and Hermione to find the Horcruxes. The baby would be 4 then and would understand Harry's absence a little more.

So please, hold the criticisms of Harry's age at the time of the occurrence and continue on with the story. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave constructive criticisms if you have any. If not, a review telling me if you liked the story would make me smile too.

Thanks for reading this ridiculously long A/N. If you have any questions, just PM me.

Please enjoy.

Harry Potter and the Girl Next Door

June 1991

It had been two weeks since the summer holidays had begun. For Harry, that mostly meant keeping away from his cousin Dudley and his gang of followers, and doing a lot of chores his Aunt Petunia would demand he'd do. So far, it had been a tiring fortnight filled with tired legs unable to run any faster and tired arms unable to clean any further.

So it was a relief when Uncle Vernon came home the evening before and proudly announced that he had been invited for a prestigious dinner held on a prestigious yacht owned by a prestigious new investor of the company's. It was all very prestigious. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were all going and Harry, of course, was to be left behind.

Now, this presented some problems for the Dursleys. On one hand, they didn't want to bring him with them for fear that someone might recognize his freakiness and shun the Dursleys. On the other, they didn't want to leave him alone in the house where he might be free to set things on fire or break expensive things.

They had called everyone they could think of, from Vernon's sister Marge (who was sick and unable to take Harry for the day) to Mrs. Figg across the street (who was away visiting relatives).

Finally running out of options, they had very reluctantly agreed to let Harry stay home alone – with one stipulation; Harry had been given a very long list of chores to do that he had to complete by the time the Dursleys came back from their yacht dinner party. It was an impossible task, of course, considering how many things Aunt Petunia had listed down but Harry was determined to do as much as possible. Perhaps the punishment wouldn't be as severe if he did.

The Dursleys had left just after four in the afternoon to make the long trip to the pier. Harry had been told that they would be back near midnight. It had been a relief, in a way, to have the house to himself the entire day, even if he had to do chores the entire time. It meant that he was free of Aunt Petunia's withering glare, Uncle Vernon's sneers and Dudley's fist, even for a few hours.

By the time it was nearing six, Harry had washed the dishes, scrubbed every nook and cranny of the kitchen, cleared the mess Dudley had made last night in the living room, mowed the lawn and weeded the garden. Sweating hard thanks to the blazing afternoon sun, his clothes grimy with sweat and dirt, Harry grabbed a glass of iced water and sat outside in the Dursleys' backyard under the shade of a tall tree, his mind wandering aimlessly.

His thoughts had only just drifted to the school he would be going to and the horrid uniform he would be forced to wear courtesy of Aunt Petunia when he thought he heard a soft crunching noise, like someone stepping on crisp leaves, and a shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight from his overheated face. He panicked, his heart racing, and he pleaded to the universe not to let that be his aunt or uncle. Or even his cousin.

They couldn't be back so soon, could they? Harry wondered to himself. It was barely six. They'd only left two hours ago…The dinner should've just started, not ended.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked up, only to have his breath caught in his throat. He choked a little, and started coughing, blood rushing up to his already warm face and turning it an almost purple hue.

The girl who had been standing over him gasped, the curious look on her face turning into one of worry. She darted forward, dropped to her knees and started patting him on the back in an attempt to stop his coughing.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Harry nodded amidst his coughing, unable to speak. When he'd finally stopped choking on air and his saliva, he blinked away the water from his eyes and gaped at the pretty girl he had never seen before. He was half-convinced she was a figment of his imagination, created out of his boredom and loneliness.

The girl, a slim, pretty young thing, had beautiful dark emerald eyes – darker than his own, and incredibly stunning – and long, wavy dark brown hair that glinted red and gold in the sunlight. She looked to be his age, and he felt himself relaxing just a tiny bit. She didn't look menacing. In fact, with her eyes wide with concern – concern for him, he realized with an awed thrill – she seemed…Kind, even.

"I'm…fine," Harry managed to splutter out. He stared at her, his eyes as wide as saucers.

The girl shifted slightly, an almost embarrassed, shy smile on her lips. Her hand withdrew from his back and she reached out to tuck a long lock of mahogany hair behind her ear.

"I'm Sophia," she introduced herself.

She stared at him and it took him a few moments to realize why. "Oh. I-I, um, I'm Harry," he replied. "It's…Nice to meet you."

She beamed and sat down next to him, mimicking his position with her back against the tree bark, as though his stuttered words had been some sort of invitation. She then proceeded to tell him about her life – how she had originally been born in Ireland but how she had traveled all over Europe with her father who was a businessman. Her mother had died in childbirth due to some complications. She told him about how lonely she felt most of the time because her father moved them around so much that she barely had any time to make friends, let alone have any lasting friendships. She told him that she really liked English Literature and how she had read books that even older students had a hard time to understand. She spoke so long that by the time she stopped, the sun had started to set and he had learned everything about her from her mother's maiden name to her favorite ice-cream flavor and how she was ticklish the most in her toes.

Harry didn't mind. She would be the first person he'd spoken to in his whole lives (not counting a handful of teachers) who hadn't yelled at him, sneered at the sight of him and looked at him as though he was some sort of disgusting freak.

Sophia took in a deep breath and turned her head towards him, giving him a winning smile. His eyes were drawn to the dimples on her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I've been talking for hours."

Harry shrugged. "Your life's more interesting than mine," he said, and it wasn't a lie. Her tales of travels and adventures made him imagine a life like that, too. She had a way of spinning stories that made them sound almost…Magical.

She blushed. "That's not true," she protested. "What about you? Why are you sitting out here on your own?" Her eyes took in his dirt-covered clothes and his messy hair.

After hearing the stories Sophia had told about her life, Harry couldn't help feeling insecure about his own. What could he possibly tell her to make her think he would be a good friend to have? Nothing in his life was worth mentioning. According to Uncle Vernon, he wasn't worth very much, if at all. Not wanting to scare away his only friend – if he could call her his friend just yet – Harry decided not to say anything about himself to give away his less than desirable life.

Harry shrugged. "I was taking a break from my chores," he explained. "You sidetracked me."

She grimaced. "I'm sorry," she said, contrite. "I didn't mean to…"

He shook his head, not wanting her to get the wrong impression. "Oh, no, don't," he said quickly. "It was a relief. I was getting tired of scrubbing and washing and weeding."

She stared at him, bewildered and curious, and he thought it best to change the subject.

"How long have you moved to Privet Drive?" he wondered, wondering why he'd never seen her before.

She shrugged. "Just yesterday," she informed him. "We live in the house at the end of the street. I've been…Exploring."

"My grandparents live here and daddy thought it would be best if we moved in with them while we're in Surrey. He's working all day and outside of my grandparents, I had no one to talk to."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad you explored," she told her sincerely.

She giggled. "Me too," she agreed.

The sun set even further and the sky grew darker. Sophia, not wanting her grandparents to worry, decided she had to head home. "Would it be alright if I were to come by here tomorrow?" she asked, her voice shy. It was so unlike her outgoing attitude before when she'd spoken nonstop that it took Harry by surprise for a moment.

When he hesitated, Sophia nodded, a crestfallen expression on her face. "Oh. It's alright then," she said, moving to stand up. "I'll just-"

Harry's hand shot out and he grasped her arm, an almost desperate look in his eyes. He had no idea why he felt so attached to Sophia but she was the first and only friend he had ever had. He didn't want her to leave and never return, even if he knew where she lived. He didn't want her to think he didn't want her around.

"No, wait," he said. She sat back down, her eyes sad and searching. "It's not that I don't want you to come by. I do. I'd like that very much."

The sadness disappeared a little and he couldn't help but reach out and trace the soft skin under her eye gently with his finger. It was as though his hand had moved without his permission, his mind too fuzzy as his eyes took in Sophia's soft-looking skin.

"Then why…?" she wondered, her cheeks flaming at his touch.

He withdrew his hand. "I…I live with my aunt and uncle," he confessed. He deliberated on how to continue, not wanting her to catch on to his verbally abusive relatives. "They're…Not the most pleasant people. I don't think I'm allowed to have anyone over."

She frowned. "But today…?"

"They're gone for the day," he explained. "My uncle's company invited him to go on a cruise dinner. He took my aunt and cousin."

Sophia seemed outraged, though Harry didn't know why. "And left you here alone to do chores all day!" she gasped. "How awful!"

Harry smiled. "It's actually a relief," he chuckled. At her confused look, he elaborated, "I very rarely have the house to myself. I might not be able to do anything but chores but at least they're not here to yell at me…Sophia, I just don't want you to be around when they're here. They're not very nice and I'd hate for you to get hurt."

"I'm a tough girl, Harry," she assured him, placing her hand over his comfortingly.

He still looked very hesitant as he held her hand tightly, a worried crease between his eyebrows.

Sophia bit her lip, looking at Harry speculatively with her brilliant emerald eyes. "What if…What if they don't know I'm here?" she suggested tentatively.

Harry's eyes widened and the hopeful glint in his eyes told Sophia that he wasn't making up stories about his family. Her heart swelled – she was sad that he didn't have such a great family life (even though she felt as though she hardly knew her father, she knew he still loved her and her grandparents were the sweetest, most affectionate people Sophia had ever known) but she was ecstatic that he wanted to be her friend and have her around the next day.

"You mean…Hide?" he asked, just a touch of hesitance in his voice.

She nodded. "I'll come in through there," she pointed at the bushes at the very back of the backyard; it wasn't connected to the fence at the side of the yard, separating them from the neighbor's house. "We'll meet up and maybe sometimes we'll go to the park."

Her eyes lit up and her face was as animated as her voice as she spoke. Harry couldn't help but smile and agree, even if he knew that he would be in a lot of trouble if Aunt Petunia ever found out about this.

Just before it grew completely dark, Sophia rose from her spot next to Harry. Harry scrambled to his feet, following her blindly.

Sophia smiled, taking hold of Harry's hand. He felt a brush spread wildly across his cheeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, Harry," she grinned. Leaning in closer, she pressed her lips to Harry's cheek. Harry's eyes widened greatly, his cheeks growing even hotter until he felt like he had gotten terrible sunburn again like he had when he'd been forced to work the garden during the heat wave a few summers back.

Sophia blushed too though he suspected his face was redder than hers and, with a girlish giggle, she ran out of the yard and out of his sight.

Harry stared after her, dumbstruck, until a loud hoot from an owl brought him back to reality. Blinking a few times, he received a start when he realized that he had spent over an hour doing absolutely nothing but sit in his aunt's backyard, listening to Sophia talk.

He hurried back into the house, wanting to get back to his chores before his relatives returned. Even while he cleaned and scrubbed for hours, the strain causing his muscles to get sore, he couldn't wipe the huge grin on his face. That same grin got him into trouble hours later when Uncle Vernon came home, found him smiling as he was washing the windows and pulled him down to punish him for not completing all his chores.

As he was shoved back into the darkness of his cupboard, the memory of Sophia's happy smile and bright eyes brought an unbidden smile across his lips. He closed his eyes, laying down sorely on his thin, scratchy mattress.

For the first time in the past few days, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he didn't dream of green lights and chilling screams. Instead, he dreamed of wide, friendly green eyes and the comforting touch of his very first friend.

So this marks the end of the first chapter. I'm not gonna drag out it out though I wanted to lay out the back story of Harry and Sophia. I don't think she'll be in the story for long, just for her character to serve her purpose: which is to give Harry a baby.

Now, I know 12 – which is when they will 'experiment' – is an early age. And, like I've said in the opening A/N, I considered changing the age from the fic that inspired this one but I finally decided to keep it at that age: though I will essentially be rewriting the series due to the big change (Harry being a young father), I won't be rewriting every single scene and every single chapter.

What I change in the series WILL be rewritten but there's no need to copy everything word for word, scene for scene. However, when we DO get to book 7 and Harry has to go with Ron and Hermione to search for the Horcruxes, I wanted there to be emotion between Harry and his kid (he/she will be 4 by then). While 4 is still an early age, the child would understand that his/her father won't be there for a long while and it would be good father-child development, I think.

PLEASE READ: I do need your help, though. I want to know if you thought I should give Harry a son or twins (a boy and a girl). I definitely want Harry to have a son but a part of me wondered if he should have a daughter too. I think it would be a lot for a kid to handle (though he WOULD have full-time help from an eager and very familiar face) but I just wondered. It would be great if you guys could give me your opinion.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of the first chapter and also to tell me what you think of the above question.

Love

Juliet.