Harry's stomach had been aching for over a month now, but he refused to see Madam Pompfree about it, hoping it would simply go away. But it didn't.
"Harry? Harry?" Ron was shaking him. Harry startled out of his reverie and turned toward his friend.
"What?"
"Professor Snape just asked you a question," Hermione whispered.
"Are you unwell, Mr. Potter?" Snape sneered. Harry shook his head, though he felt accutely like vomiting.
"I'm fine."
"Then I assume you can tell me what an infusion of Dracker's Root, dried Sage, pressed Yawling fiber and distilled gyser water would produce?" For once even Hermione's hand was slow in rising.
"Yessian Elixar...sir..." Harry pressed out before folding over his table, clutching his stomach desperatly; it had never been this bad before. "Jesus H. Christ!" He hissed, eyes clentched tightly behind his glasses, full mouth open and gasping for air through the rough wood of the table.
"Mr. Potter, what seems to be the problem?" but Harry couldn't even answer the pain was so intense. He cried out softly and clutched his stomach tighter. "Mr. Potter!?" Snape abandoned the front of the room and was at Harry's side in a flurry of robes, pushing Ron out of his seat and pulling Harry into his arms.
"Class dismissed! Go back to your dorms!" He snapped, roughly clearing a table-which luckily had nothing but quills and parchment on it. The classroom emptied quickly, save Hermione and Ron who remained behind without being asked to do so.
"Mr. Weasly, run quickly and fetch Madam Pomfrey!" Snape snapped, trying to get Harry to uncurl and lay flat, but he refused. He was now crying out in soft panting whimpers.
"Mr. Potter-Mr.Potter!" Giving up being gentle, he called Hermione over. "Take his legs by the ankle and hold him steady." Using brute strength, he rolled Harry so he was on his back and not his side, working his hands under the boy's arms to try and force them apart. However, he didn't have to. As soon as he came into contact with the boy's stomach, Harry's arms losened considerable. He let out a surprised gasp, his green eyes snapping open to look at his potion's Professor.
"What did you do?" he asked quietly, allowing Hermione to slowly pull his legs out.
"I didn't do anything Mr. Potter. I would like to know what exactly is going on, as I seriously detest playing nurse maid to my students!" Snape hisssed. Harry shrugged half-heartedly and closed his eyes lightly, holding his Professor's hands firmly over his stomach. "Would you please release my hands?" Severus Snape asked him, his voice a soft warning snarl. Harry opened his eyes slowly and reluctantly released Snape's hands. With the loss of the comforting touch, Harry's abdominal muscles clentched and he winced, but made no move to curl up again.
"Here, let me help," Hermione suggested, slowly releasing Harry's ankles and moving around to his side. Watching his face the intire time, Hermione slowly placed both her hands on Harry's stomach. Snape watched suspiciously.
As soon as Hermione's smaller hands came into contact with his stomach, Harry let out a heart-rendering scream and struggled away from her, curling up on his side again and crying out almost constantly in pain. Hermione jerked her hands back and looked up at her Professor in confusion and panic. Cursing, Severus wrestled Harry's legs down again and firmly held them against the table. Harry cursed at him and screamed and kicked and fought.
"Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped menicingly, but Harry only returned this by calling Snape a heartless good for nothing bastard. "Kindly straighten you legs and remove your arms!" Severus' patience was waning quickly and were it not for the fact that he had absolutely no clue what was assailing his student he would have petrified him and left it at that.
Seeing that he would get absolutely no where with polite requests, Severus leaned his shoulder against Harry's thighs and wrapped both his hands firmly around his slender wrists. With an amazing amount of strength, Harry kept his arms wrapped around his stomach. Growling audiably, Severus shifted and mindful of Harry's response to Hermione he tried to lever his arms under Harry's without coming in contact with his obviously tender stomach. Cries becoming less pronounced, Harry suddenly losed his arms forcing Severus' to move foreword fractionaly before he trapped them again. Severus gave a shout of protest and then growled as Harry's legs uncurled suddenly.
"This is hardly a comfortable nor appropriate position." Snape told him, momentarily suppressing his growing rage. He glared pointedly at Harry's groin which was less than a few centimeters from his nose when the boy lifted his head to look at his Professor in confusion. He loosened his grip slightly and Severus stood upright.
"What's going on in here!" Poppy Pomfrey demanded, bursting into the room with Ronald Weasley close on his heals. Severus opened his mouth to say something when Hermione suddenly declared,
"He's asleep...and he's purring...?"
The room was quiet for a moment and it was ascertained that Harry Potter was indeed purring. Glaring hotly, Severus Snape attempted to remove his hands from his student's stomach only to have Harry's pleasant purring deepen to a rumbling growl.
"Perhaps you should leave your hands where they are for the moment and explain to me what happened?"
"This had better not be some sick prank..." Severus muttered darkly, before maneuvering into a slightly more dignified position and explaining the events leading to his current entanglement.
"And he seemed distressed when Ms. Granger touched him, but calmed when you did?" Poppy clarified, moving to Harry's other side and gently removing his arms. As long as Severus didn't attempt to remove his hands Harry made no protests. "We need to get him to the hospital wing. Preferably without the students seeing."
"There's a back passage in my office that will come out two doors down from the infirmary," Severus said finally. All attention turned to Harry who was still purring contently. "Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped in his best classroom voice. Harry's eyes opened slowly and he glared at his Professor. "We're moving you to the infirmary, alright?" Yet before Harry could protest, Professor Snape snapped his hands back and picked the boy up.
"Hermione, go fetch the Headmaster and tell him to come to Professor Snape's classroom and take the back entrance to the infirmary. I'm sure he knows where it is," Madam Pomfrey said hurriedly. "And Ron, go out and tell all those gwaking students that Harry's perfectly fine and they are to return to their dorms immediately." With worried glances in Harry's direction, both left to do the medi-witch's bidding.
When Professor Dumbledore entered, the infirmary was stock silent. Severus' hands were still resting lightly on Harry's stomach though the boy was no longer asleep or purring. He looked anxious, confused, and more than a little agitated.
"Poppy?" Dumbledore probbed softly.
"I wanted to wait until you got here to disclose the results of my tests..." She hesitated.
"Well...?"
"Mr. Potter is...well you see he's....Harry is pregnant, Headmaster and....Severus is the father." The room was deathly silent for all of two seconds after which it burst into life.
"What-?!"
"Harry-!?"
"Absolutely not-!"
"Everyone silent!" Dubledore's enchanted voice rose over the din. "Harry?" Harry had already thrust Severus' hands away and though his stomach was begining to hurt again, he sat up sputtering and glarring.
"There are three very good reasons why *I* can *not* be pregnant and....*he* can not be the father of this non-exsitant child! One: I'm *male* in case you didn't notice! Two: I would never *ever* even *consider* sleeping with....that!..."
"Actually, wizards can become pregnant Harry..." Hermione tried to interrupt, but Harry plowed on as if she hadn't spoken.
"And lastly, I. Am. A. *Virgin*"
"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked suspiciously. Harry now shook with rage.
"Of course I'm sure!" He snapped.
"Poppy, is there any way this could be a prank?" Severus asked tersely.
"The fetus is absolutely and unequivocally *there* but I'll check for a conception spell." With Harry growling audibly, Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Harry's stomach and muttered several indiscernible words under her breath. She shook her head slowly.
"It's definitely a pregnancy, no conception spell." Dumbledore nodded slowly and turned to a fuming Severus Snape.
"This is a difficult question Severus, but I need you to answer it truthfully. Have you had sex with Harry and perhaps erased his memory of it?" Severus' jaw tightened and his eyes grew wide.
"I can't even believe you would think I would *rape* one of my students! I never..." The Headmaster held up a hand.
"I believe you...which leaves only one option...Poppy, run a virginity test on Mr. Potter. Harry this would be a good time to tell us if you were lying. Don't worry about protecting Professor Snape." Both sputtered in wordless fury and Poppy Pomfrey sighed, gently rolling Harry over and pushing everyone away before shutting the curtain and pulling Harry's pants down.
"This is going to feel a bit warm." she warned him, before placing the tip of her wand in front of his anal opening. Warm was an understatement. Harry hissed in pain as a seering heat ripped through him followed by a painful chill. "Sorry deary," She said sweetly before moving his pants back up and opening the curtain again.
"Absolutely a virgin. No doubt about it." she confirmed. Dumbledore sighed heavily and messaged his temples.
"Headmaster...?" Hermione ventured. "Is it...it a...a Virgin Mary pregnancy?"
"I believe so Ms. Granger. Why don't you explain to these gentlemen exactly what a Virgin Mary pregnancy is. I need to speak to you in your office, Poppy."
"Okay...Ron why don't you bring a few chairs over. Professor...I think it would be best if you would put your hands on...Harry's stomach." They both glared at her and then at each other as Severus slowly crawled onto the bed and arranged it so his back was resting on the headboard with Harry between his legs, hands resting on the boy's stomach.
"I think it would be best if I explained the history of the Virgin Mary pregnancy first." They listened intently while Hermione settled into lecture mode. "There have only been six recorded cases of the Virgin Mary pregnancy, and no the virgin Mary was not one.
“The first was in 1605. The carrier found out he was pregnant when he started showing, and immediately went to see a medi-witch. The Muggles in a near-by village discovered his pregnancy and burned him at the stake. The father committed suicide three and half hours later.
“The next was in 1735 and was gifted to a couple of seventy years. The father died a week before the child was to be born of natural causes. The fetus died ten minutes later and the carrier died instantly.
“In 1812 another case was record by a field medi-witch. In 1812 the American witches and wizards were battling the French and English magic folk, just as the American Muggles were fighting the French and English Muggles. The carrier was struck with a Lightening Clap by a French Wizard. His growing fetus attempted to protect him and erected a shield, but the Clap was too powerful and broke through. The wizard lived long enough to be told he was pregnant and see the father one last time before he died. Once again the father committed suicide.
“The fourth recorded case was of a Chinese wizard and his best friend. When they found they were pregnant they moved in together but refused to leave the cabin they were in, which was on the borders of a farming village. The cabin had always been thought to be haunted so no one bothered them. However, some of the village children made some kind of bet or dare and broke into the house. They saw the two making love on their living room floor and immediately ran back to the village. Were that not bad enough, the oldest among them noticed that one of the men had a stomach like his mother who was expecting as well. The father of the boy gathered a mob and dragged the two out of the cabin before they could escape. Rocks were tied around their throats and they were thrown into a lake and drowned." Here she took a breath and took a moment to reassure Harry and Severus who were now wide-eyed and shaking.
"But it gets better. Sort of..." she smiled again and took a deep breath before continuing. "In the last two cases the children survived to be born and are now the most powerful wizards ever known. The first was in late eighteen hundreds...I can't remember the exact date. A man found out he was pregnant, he married the father, the child was born. That child's name was Albus Dumbledore." She paused dramatically and let her audience catch up while she tried to put the next part of her tale together.
"The next is a bit more tricky and I'm going to use the names of people we know, just to make it easier to understand. Okay...sixty-six years ago Ronald Weasly is feeling odd, so he checks with his mother, who is a medi-witch. His mother tells him that he's pregnant...and Percy is the father." Ron jumped out of his chair in protest and Harry made a face while Severus simply lifted an eyebrow. "Just listen!" Hermione snapped and Ron reluctantly sat down again.
"Now, the family agrees that this is unacceptable and decides to move the fetus from Ron's womb, to one it would accept. Ginny's. Because Ginny is related to both of them and carries the same genes as both the carrier and the father, the fetus will accept the womb. Using a dark art they transfer the fetus to Ginny's womb. Ron dies instantly and Percy goes absolutely mad; he keeps trying to wake Ron up and can't figure out why he isn't breathing. His parents finally get it through his head that Ron's dead; Percy takes Ron's body and jumps off a cliff into the ocean. Meanwhile Ginny finds herself a Muggle husband and uses a dark memory charm to implant it in his head that they had been married for a year. She pushes the conception date back three months since Virgin Mary carriers carry for only six months. The child is born and raised as Thomas Riddle."
"Voldemort..." Harry breathed wonderingly. Hermione nodded slowly.
"So, you see this isn't really common knowledge. But it has been proven that the product of a Virgin Mary pregnancy will be extremely powerful. No one really knows how carriers are chosen, nor how the fathers are chosen. All that's known is that both are powerful wizards and conception is initiated by a single touch, not necessarily a sexual act. Looking back on history the carriers have all been male in denial of their sexual orientation, and the father is, at least sub-consciously, attracted the carrier. He may or may not be aware of his sexual preferences..." Both men on the bed were looking decidedly uncomfortable, but Hermione plowed on, only to be interrupted by Ron.
"Harry...is it...I mean...are you...gay?" Harry shrugged, deciding he obviously couldn't stop all these personal questions.
"I didn't think so...but well...I guess I am..."
"Ron! Hush up!" Hermione snapped and Ron sat back to mull over this new piece of information. "Anyway. Harry's stomach suddenly started hurting so badly because he was at the six week mark. At six weeks the fetus becomes aware of it's surroundings and begins consciously seeking it's father; it requires its father's touch to mature. This means that exactly six weeks ago in potions class at the exact minute that Harry's stomach went haywire, Professor Snape must have touched him; it could have been purely accidental or even unnoticed..."
"Okay, that's enough of that. What can I expect, and what do I absolutely *need* to know?" Harry interrupted. Hermione looked decidedly displeased to have her lecture time cut short, but she seemed to be in an understanding mood and let it pass.
"You'll carry for six months, but you'll have to talk to Dumbledore about birthing procedure, because I don't know about that. You all are intimately connected, so what affects one of you will affect you all, as is shown throughout history."
"That means...if one of them dies..." Ron breathed. The rest of the room seemed to catch onto Ron's remark and faces paled.
"That means if Voldermort were to find out, he could kill Snape to get to me." Harry finished. Severus' hands unconsciously clenched him tighter.
"That is quite right,”
"That will be impossible. I think we best take steps to getting us both out of here," Severus answered.
"We shall work something out. Now, however we must keep this silent. We shall all return to the Potion's classroom, and be seen leaving. Harry you will make it known that you simply had a rather large ulcer, and that you're fine. You should be okay now for a while without Severus' touch, at least until tomorrow. We will have a meeting at five thirty tomorrow morning; all of you are to be there on time. Let's go."
Severus once again carried Harry through the halls though he didn't absolutely need to; for once he was at a loss, and was at the moment numb to the whole situation. As was everyone.
The group emerged from the Potion's classroom in twos and threes to greet the crowd; Harry fed them the lie and their faces fell with disappointment.
"Sorry..." he mumbled and allowed Ron and Hermione to pull him to the dorm. Hermione peeled off at some point with a letter from the Headmaster admitting her to the Restricted Section of the library to retrieve some books for Harry on Virgin Mary pregnancies.
And thus begins a tale…
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