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Resistance	By : danniperson Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 44506 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I did not create the Harry Potter stories or universe and I do not make any money from this

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CHAPTER THIRTY

Having accepted the fact that they needed to talk didn't make doing so any easier for either of them. They sat in Snape's living room in tense silence, avoiding eye contact, secretly praying for the whole thing to just end. The dour older man sat in his armchair, nursing a glass of scotch, while Harry sat, stiffly, on the couch, feeling completely on edge. Every part of him was itching with some need to move, to do something. There was a heavy pressure to get through this meeting but he was wishing he could think of something to say to even start it. The more time that passed, though, the harder it was to think of or say anything.

How was he supposed to talk to Snape? Sex with him was easier than this, though the very thought of that made him shift uncomfortably. Dumbledore wanted them to get to know each other so, maybe, they should be asking questions about each other's lives. But neither particularly cared about one another nor did they want to appear as if they did. Harry already knew that if he started, this that the man would have some sarcastic or taunting remark to retort with. It wasn't worth it to him. If Dumbledore wanted this done, he was probably going to have to stick his hand in and make it happen. Left to their own devices, they were getting nowhere fast.

Harry kept his gaze on the fireplace, hands absentmindedly resting on his flat stomach, now and then moving to rub gently all around the area. It was habit by now, something he had to be very careful with around the common room. Just last night, Lavender and Parvati had become very concerned, thinking he had a stomach virus. Theories were growing increasingly worrisome. This morning there was a rumor going around that he was dying of a curse put on him by a Death Eater that would slowly and steadily eat away at him then turn his body into a ferocious part dragon, part lion creature once he was dead. At least the truth was too implausible for anyone to even guess it. It was a lucky thing, too. Poor girls, anytime they got sick or gained a little extra weight there were pregnancy rumors flying around.

Having a pregnancy confirmed was almost worse. He had seen how it was for Hermione. Everyone was always staring, whispering, and even hurling nasty comments her direction. For her part, the young witch seemed mostly unbothered by the whole thing. Harry figured it was because she was too preoccupied to notice ninety percent of the time. While, in the beginning, she had been obsessing with coming to terms with her condition, she now seemed to be avoiding it like the plague. Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Hermione always threw herself into her work, didn't she? Just because she wasn't studying every bit of information ever printed about pregnancy didn't mean she was avoiding it. She did seem to shy away from talking about the subject, but she usually was busy whenever it was brought up. Harry wasn't sure what to think about it right now. She was dedicating herself entirely to preparing for the NEWTs that year as well as researching as much as she could about the bond. The only thing dealing with pregnancy she seemed worried about was finding what she could about male pregnancy and looking at what she was given about his condition.

True to her word, Hermione never went anywhere unless she knew she would be safe. That usually meant one or more of her friends were usually around to hear the sorts of things people were saying. Harry and Draco had been with her earlier today when Nott was teasing her about the whole thing. He started off by declaring how easy she was. Then he dragged a third year into the conversation by saying now that the child had come into puberty, that Hermione would be more than glad to help him with his virginity problem, reassuring her that the boy's dick was probably too small to stab the baby. After that, he offered his services to do just that if she had changed her mind about an abortion. She had been both hurt and furious by the whole thing, tears filling her narrowed eyes as she snapped at him. The whole thing escalated to the point that Harry and Draco both drew their wands at Nott before Snape interrupted. To Nott's surprise, Snape rounded on him, giving him detention with Filch then threatening to send him to Dumbledore when he was through. The man didn't even say anything about Harry attempting to attack one of his precious Slytherins, but he wasn't too grateful to the man himself, instead praising his luck that Snape was too caught up in punishing Nott. Had Snape not been so bothered by the other student, he surely would have wanted Harry's head for even thinking of attacking the boy. When he was through, Snape snapped at them to get Hermione away, which the boys did hurriedly, feeling a bit embarrassed that they had been more worried about beating the snot out of Nott to notice how upset Hermione was. They made it up to her by actually getting along while taking her outside for a long walk around the lake, engaging her in dull conversations about her classes.

Harry wasn't sure what he would do once the whole school found out about his predicament, if they ever did. It was bad enough with the people who did know. Their looks weren't quite so heated and judgmental as the ones aimed at Hermione, but he figured he had it worse. They looked at him as if he were a lab rat, something to study, poke and prod, or gape at like some circus freak. Male pregnancy might have been a big deal due to its rarity, but he wasn't sure why it was such a big deal. Maybe he hadn't fully accepted that it was real. Some days he felt sick but, in general, he didn't actually feel different. The very thought that something was alive inside of him, that he was carrying children, was too far-fetched. It didn't matter what any of the tests Madam Pomfrey, Snape, or Cedric said. It was easy to see, but it didn't really feel real to him. How strange it was to imagine that he would be getting bigger in a matter of months, that, eventually, he would have to give birth, that he would have a child or children by the end of all of this. It was odd to think about, never quite seeming real. Quite frankly, most of his life seemed more like some crazy dream rather than reality. There was too much happening, too many surprises that were too far-fetched to be true. There were some nagging feelings deep inside that he would wake up before long back in mid-July where his friends would laugh at him for actually thinking he was pregnant and that Snape was his soul mate as well as every other crazy thing that had taken place these past few months.

"Would you please refrain from doing that, Potter?" Snape snapped, surprising Harry.

"What?" Harry asked, scrunching his eyebrows together. It took a moment to notice that Snape was glaring at the placement of his hands then he rolled his eyes while moving his hands awkwardly to his sides. "At least you said 'please'."

"Some of us have good manners, Mr. Potter," Snape retorted.

"Aren't we supposed to be learning how to get along?" Harry muttered through clenched teeth.

There was a short pause before Snape reluctantly said, "True."

"So," Harry said, shifting around to face Snape more. He really dreaded doing this, but now that Snape had spoken, it at least gave him an opening of sorts. "Erm…Have you learned anything from the potions yet?"

"If I had been successful you would know by now," Snape said dryly.

Harry glared at him. "If I can give being nice a shot then so can you."

The professor shot him a dirty look, lips twisting around as though he tasted something nasty. Harry half expected the man to be cruel, bracing himself for an onslaught of vile words. After a few minutes, though, the man swallowed a large gulp of his scotch before speaking in a strained voice. "It is a complicated matter. There were a great number of potions in your system. I have had to decipher every last one in your system, which was no easy task, and now have the duty of looking for any combination that could have resulted in conception. It takes a lot of time to figure any sort of mixture that could lead to such a thing then I'll have to go about performing tests. The fact that it might not even be a potion means I will have to go through a long and arduous process of eliminating every possibility all the while attending to my usual, numerous duties. It may be a while before I know anything for sure."

"Oh. Right," Harry said. "Erm…How is it coming along?"

The man arched an eyebrow, looking prepared to deliver some snide comment, but forced out a simple, "Slowly."

"Of course," Harry muttered, face heating up a bit. The man had already stated he had a lot of other stuff going on that was complicating matters. He drummed his fingers on the cushions of the couch, thinking quickly for a new topic to latch onto before they lapsed back into silence. "Umm…So…Do you like Quidditch?"

It took another moment for Snape to respond. He first looked at Harry as if he were a moron before seeming to struggle to put up a more patient, civil façade. "I like Quidditch players."

Harry smirked before he could stop himself, earning a glare from Snape. He was pleased to notice the man's sallow face turn an ugly red color in embarrassment. Being that Harry was a Quidditch player, he could tease the man about being attracted to him even without the need to fuck. That wouldn't be very nice, though. There was no need to provoke the man when they were trying to be friendly. Besides, he already knew the sorts of comments Snape would have ready to assault him with, proclaiming his disgust for prepubescent boys, going on about his scrawny figure, wild hair, glasses, and his striking resemblance to his horrible father. So, instead, he did his best to pull the corners of his mouth down, erasing his smile, though he could do little about the amusement in his eyes.

Raising his hand to cover his mouth, he coughed, still trying to control his smile before he continued speaking. "Um…Who's your favorite?"

Snape sighed heavily. "Sterling Cox."

Harry nodded at the familiar name, pulling a picture of the man into his mind. It strange thinking of his name since Hermione had made a comment about it last year, how it sounded like the stage name of a pornography actor rather than a real person. Sterling played for the Canadian team, the Stonewall Stormers, and was actually known for being one of the best players in Canada, easily able to fill any position flawlessly, though he was best as a Chaser. He was mildly attractive for a bloke. Very tall, muscular, tan, light brown hair, and eyes such a pale gray it barely looked like he had irises at all. He didn't know many girls who mooned over Sterling Cox though, now that he thought about it, he wasn't all that bad. Of course, it was dragging up memories of a very interesting sex dream he had had a little over a week ago about the American beater, Dooley Driscoll.

He had never put much thought into his sexuality before, but ever since he started shagging Snape, it was becoming painfully clear. The only girl he had ever really considered was Cho Chang his fourth year but, even then, he was too preoccupied with other things to put any serious thought into it. She was pretty, sure, and plenty of blokes liked her but thinking of her now, her slender form didn't do it for him the way a nice hard, male body did. Thinking of sex was making him think of sex with Snape, though, so Harry quickly tried to put it all out of his head. This meeting was about getting to know each other. Besides, they were only supposed to have sex when they needed to and he certainly did not want to have sex with Snape unless he had to. Plus, the man had thrown condoms into the mix since Harry found out he was pregnant, and he did not like them whatsoever.

"D-do you have a favorite team?" he asked.

Snape smirked. "Slytherin."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course. You don't much follow professional teams, do you? Unless you're looking for good wank material."

It was only a joke. He was still a bit nervous joking around with Snape as he would a friend, but he figured that was what this whole project was supposed to be about. Getting along and all.

"I don't need to wank, as you so crassly phrased it. Not with our arrangement. What I do need, however, is something pleasant to think about when I have to fuck you, Mr. Potter."

It was like being punched in the gut. Harry blinked slowly, moving his hands from the couch to his lap, trying hard not to curl up into himself. Maybe he didn't need to act quite so at ease with the man. He could have taken offense to the statement. They weren't really friends. The boy cringed at the reminder. It was his own fault, really. He should never have said anything. At the same time, though, did Snape really have to go there? Did he really think about other blokes while fucking Harry? Harry had never thought of anyone else while they were going at it. That only made him feel worse. Snape wasn't even all that attractive, yet the man had to think about other people to get it up?

He didn't know how to react at first. It hurt more than he liked, but he figured anyone would be offended by such a statement. Shaking his head, he then looked back to Snape. The man looked troubled, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, even looking somewhat apologetic. Harry relaxed slightly, though he wasn't sure where to go from here. The awkward silence was returning, though the atmosphere had remained tense since Harry had first entered these rooms.

"I presume you do have a favorite 'professional' team?" Snape asked.

At first, all he could do was nod numbly, forcing himself to speak after a few seconds. "Uh yeah. Puddlemere United."

A nod from Snape and things were quiet again. The Quidditch conversation was doomed from the start. Harry tapped his knuckles against his knees while looking all around the room, wishing he could just leave. All of the simple questions seemed too ridiculous to ask and most of the stuff he actually wanted to know was too personal. After a few minutes, he managed to think of another question, then spent another few mustering up the courage to vocalize it.

"So….it's pretty common knowledge that you want the Defense post, I guess," Harry said. "But uhh…do you at least like Potions?"

Snape considered him a moment before answering. "I wouldn't enjoy teaching even if it was the Defense Against the Dark Arts role. While I would prefer it, I do enjoy working with potions. It is something I've always excelled in."

While he doubted the conversation would carry them through the next hour or so, it did at least hold more promise than Quidditch. Before Harry could deliver his next inquiry, Snape surprised him by asking something of his own. "What of your post-graduation plans, Mr. Potter? Do you plan on following in your father's footsteps, wasting your days hunting evil even when the Dark Lord is long gone? Or will you put your silly talents and your broom to good use?"

Harry blinked in surprise. Fifth year he had thought, briefly, about his future career, but had never put much stock into it. Most of his focus, the past few years, had always been on Voldemort. It was hard, really, imagining his future. Anything beyond Voldemort was too difficult to really see. Becoming an Auror had seemed the obvious decision, solidifying into more of a certainty in his mind when James Potter had shown pride in the fact that his son wanted to follow his career. With the way Snape had put it, though, was that really what he wanted? Following danger even when he finally had it out of his life? If he ever did. The fact that Snape seemed too sure that Voldemort would die was somewhat reassuring. Harry frowned as he thought of it.

For the first several years of his life, the Dursleys had shoved into his mind that he was good for nothing, would never amount to anything, and was a waste of space on the planet. Finding that his parents were alive and being reunited with them had been a special journey all on its own. Fresh from the mental ward at St. Mungo's, Lily and James had still not been in prime mental condition. Harry remembered well their paranoia, the breakdowns, and how terrified he had been when the memories became too much for his parents. Neither had been willing to really broach the subject with their young son, but it didn't take long for Harry to piece together most of the puzzle. Voldemort, danger, all of this had defined him since that fateful Halloween night, even if he hadn't always known it. He had been fighting for so long, had been this symbol of hope since the Dark Lord first fell, that getting away from it all would be nice. But, in the same mindset, what else did he know? Being a Quidditch player wasn't a viable career, was it? Not long term.

Harry lost himself to these considerations for near twenty minutes before pulling himself back into the real world, glancing sheepishly into Snape's irritated face as the man took a sip from a fresh glass of scotch. "Err…sorry," he coughed. "I…really don't know, I guess. My only goal at the moment is to kill him and hopefully survive it."

Snape appeared somewhat surprised, though Harry was unsure why. Didn't he know that Harry was determined to defeat Voldemort? Or was his lack of complete optimism it? The man didn't elaborate so Harry was not going to offer up details that didn't even matter. He was a bit curious about the man's own involvement in this war. He could easily think of a thousand questions ranging from how he first joined the Death Eaters to why he became a spy to what his own plans were after the war. Knowing that voicing such curiosities would not lead to any good, Harry shoved them away in favor of more mundane questions: favorite color, food, animal, musical artist, and answering for himself each time Snape turned the question back to him.

It wasn't the ideal way to spend the evening, but at least the pair managed to make some progress by the time their meeting ended. Really, they had only snapped at each other a few more times before Harry left. The thick tension between them never went away, but Harry was positive that it never would.

The following afternoon, Ginny Weasley rushed from her Herbology class back towards the castle, grateful to run into Draco along the way. He had just been leaving the castle when she caught sight of the doors, so she changed direction to put him in her path. She was greeted with a somewhat confused smile from the boy as she slowed down in front of him, taking a moment to catch her breath. All of this thinking she had been doing finally paid off at the worst of times. During her first class of the day, she had come to a realization about her relationship with the blond, but had had to wait several long hours before having the chance to say anything. Even during lunch, she had been unable to get him alone for a minute to discuss things. It had been going in such a way that she had started to believe that fate was trying to tell her something.

"Can we…talk?" she gasped out.

"Uh sure. Yeah. Of course," he said, motioning uncertainly to the cleared area by the lake. Ginny nodded, eagerly leading the way. While she didn't think this whole thing needed to be a secret, she also didn't want it out and circulating the Hogwarts population as soon as it happened.

When she reached the lake, she sat down on the log that had been there for a few years, often used as furniture for students. They had moved the log to keep it close in relation to the four stumps that also acted like chairs. For this conversation, Ginny figured the closer the better. It took a moment to realize that she had walked faster than Draco had and was far ahead of him, or he was walking slowly on purpose. Either way, that gave her time to calm down, pull her bag from her shoulders, and shift around to find a good, comfortable position. By the time Draco arrived she still hadn't. The Slytherin gave her a strange, nervous look before sitting beside her.

"So…?" he asked.

"So," she said, turning around to face him completely, folding her legs Indian style. It took her a moment to balance herself right, but lowered her hands into her lap once she was settled. Draco looked more concerned than ever, which made her laugh. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

Draco blinked. "I wasn't expecting that."

She grinned in amusement, trying desperately to hold back her laughter. This giddy excitement was almost too much to handle. With everything going on lately, she figured that someone should be happy. So why not them? Hermione seemed insistent that they date, was making no moves on Draco herself, and was becoming rather friendly with Ron again. Maybe the feelings she had for Draco were nothing more than confusion. Knowing that the blond was her soul mate, and they were bound probably made her think she felt something, or some obligation to feel something, especially now that she was pregnant with his child. The whole situation was still very strange, the redhead still very wary of the whole thing, but, at the same time, she did really want to be with him and he wanted to be with her. Maybe that was enough for things to work out just fine. They at least owed it to themselves to give it a shot.

"That wasn't an answer," Ginny told him.

Draco laughed nervously. "I didn't think you'd ask, to be honest."

"Would you rather I tell you?" she teased. "Draco, we are going to Hogsmeade this weekend!"

"Much better," he said with a grin, rolling his gray eyes. "Since I, apparently, have no choice in the matter…"

Ginny glared at him playfully. "Well, if you don't want to go I can always ask Blaise…"

"Oh no you don't!" Draco exclaimed, a slight edge of panic to his tone that confused her. She raised an eyebrow, causing him to flush. "I will go with you and will be happy about it."

"Good."

Most girls would dance around, squealing merrily when the guy they liked agreed to go out with them. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were professionals in the art of acting like a complete girl about something. While Ginny prided herself on being above all of their frivolous silliness, she couldn't help but have some small urge to jump about, exclaiming out the good news for the whole school to hear. This was exciting! Instead, she kept herself calm, only grinning at the handsome boy beside her. All of her previous nerves faded away, completely forgotten for the time being. For now, Ginny had a very good feeling about all of this.

"I was starting to give up hope, you know," Draco said quietly, sliding his hand over to take hers. Her heart fluttered as his warm hand found hers, fingers lacing together.

"You're not trying to make me feel bad, are you?" she joked. "Because I won't apologize for taking the time I needed to figure this out."

"No, I'm not," he chuckled. "Just…" He trailed off, shaking his head, pale cheeks flushing bright red.

She grinned broadly. "What? You have to tell me now."

"Just…I'm really…happy." He sounded mortified having to admit such a thing.

"Awwww!"

"Shut up," he groaned.

"Make me."

She hadn't had much in mind until she saw that gleam in his eyes. As his free hand came up to cup her cheek, her heart began to dance, stomach flip flopping anxiously as her bright brown eyes closed. His lips brushed hers with such tenderness that left her breathless. How many days and nights had she spent dreaming of this? They had kissed before, sure. But it was never real. Not when they had acknowledged their feelings and were actually headed somewhere.

"Mmm," she murmured when they parted. "I wasn't expecting that."

Draco snorted. "I rather thought it was a predictable move, on my part."

"Oh, not that. I just didn't expect it to be good."

Silver eyes narrowed at her, looking actually offended for a moment before he appeared to realize it was just a joke. "I don't see how you should be so shocked," Draco grumbled. "I do have a reputation."

"Well how am I supposed to know you didn't pay them off to say such nice things?" Ginny asked innocently. "Don't pout. I did say it was good, didn't I?"

"I guess you did," Draco relented with a smirk. "Does that mean I should continue?"

"Oh, I don't…mmm!"

Her words were cut off when Draco kissed her again. She didn't mind so much, only letting her arms come up to wrap around his neck, letting his arms come around her to help balance her out on the log again. The force of the kiss might have actually knocked her over had they not been so quick to hold onto each other. Ginny didn't think she would have minded, or noticed, at all.

"Why don't they just get a room?" Hermione muttered irritably. Several yards away from where Ginny and Draco sat, she and Harry were sitting beneath a tree, surrounded by homework. Normally, she kept her nose in a book too much to notice much else, but her attention had been stolen by the pair as soon as they walked by. Nosiness tempted her to sneak closer to listen in, but it wasn't long before the two were snogging and Hermione figured she had a pretty good idea about the conversation. Seeing the two kiss hurt and just thinking about them entering into a real relationship was more painful than it had been previously. Maybe because it was real now and then it had only been a thought.

"Weren't you the one who encouraged it?" Harry asked, glancing up from his Potions textbook.

She glared at him. "I told her I was fine with them dating, I did not tell her they should attack each other in the middle of the day. In public."

"They're not doing any worse than Lavender and Seamus were yesterday," Harry said with a shrug.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Hermione muttered to herself, not really intending for Harry to listen.

"No one's. You're both my friends," Harry told her. "I love you both like sisters. But you should have known telling her to go ahead with it was a bad idea."

"It was not. They like each other," she said.

"And you like him."

"I don't. I thought I did, but I don't," she lied. Only she didn't think it was a lie until she said it. Her feelings about Draco had been so confusing lately. Were they real? They were there, but did that always mean anything? Even if she did have feelings for Draco, it wasn't as though he returned them. It didn't mean they were supposed to be together. Besides, Hermione had more important things to worry about than a relationship. It had only been a few months since coming out of a two year relationship with Ron. Being single for a while was probably for the best. Truthfully, it wasn't as though her feelings for Ron had disappeared either. It would be silly to stake some claim on Draco, denying one of her best friends her happiness.

Even if it did feel like a knife to her heart.

"Right," Harry said, though by his tone she could tell he didn't believe her.

"I'm not even entirely over Ron, no matter how big of a prat he is," Hermione sniffed. "Relationships are the last thing I need to think about. We have the NEWTs coming up! And the baby…Well there's that…" She was all of a sudden uncomfortable. It was silly to try avoiding the subject of the baby when he would be in the world before she graduated. Pretending he didn't exist wouldn't make him go away. Only she had done such a fine job of getting her mind on other things and it seemed so wrong to give that up now. By the look Harry was giving her, though, she knew she wouldn't be able to just drop it. "He's due in late May or early June. I have to focus on him more than anything or anyone else."

"Can't make it easy, though," Harry said. "I dunno why she doesn't know how big of a deal it is."

"It's not a big deal," Hermione argued. "She's entitled to be with whom she wants and so is he. I have more important things to worry about than my love life."

"If you're sure," he muttered. "I just don't like seeing you so upset."

She laughed. "I'm not that upset." When he looked ready to make some sort of point, she rolled her eyes and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of love lives, how's yours?"

"Nonexistent," Harry snorted. "The only interest I've had at all lately was Astoria, but she's pretty much scared off now that she knows I've been shagging Snape."

"That's probably a turn off to most people, no offense," she giggled.

"None taken," he said, tossing a balled up roll of parchment at her.

"How did things go last night, by the way? I don't think I asked," Hermione said.

"You did, when I got back last night, but I don't think you were paying much attention," he teased. "It was pretty awkward and boring. I know more useless details about Snape than I care to."

"Such as?"

"His favorite color is green, surprise, surprise. He likes classical music. Also plays loads of instruments like the piano, violin, and…a bunch of others I don't really remember. He doesn't like sweets very much, but he likes snacking on fruit and dark chocolate, that kind of thing. Apparently, he likes poetry and has more than one favorite book. Blah, blah, blah, why do you care?"

"What are his favorite books?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Errr…Why?"

"Because he seems like he might have a very good taste in reading material," she said thoughtfully. "Not that I have any time for leisure reading."

"I guess not," he said, eying her large pile of books stacked beside her.

"Oh hush," she said. "You didn't…do anything else, did you?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean sex?" he asked.

"Yes, 'sex'," she muttered.

"Oh, well, no," he shrugged. "Though that doesn't mean we've stopped. We only do it every few days."

"Every few days?" Hermione gasped. "Harry!"

The boy's face turned bright red. "What? We have to! For the bond."

"Oh that's the most pitiful excuse I've ever heard," she scoffed. "You're starting to talk now, right? You won't have to keep it up…"

"Maybe," he said stubbornly. "But I doubt it. Just because we managed not to kill each other last night doesn't mean it'll last."

Chocolate colored eyes narrowed suspiciously at her best friend. He was always so negative about things working out with Snape. It was hard to blame him, knowing the man, but still! He could have some faith, couldn't he? What was the worst that could happen? It wouldn't be so bad if they would both stop being so thickheaded and try to get along. She, herself, could acknowledge that Snape wasn't the most awful person alive, knowing full well that she could attempt to get along with him if she absolutely had to. They both had so much riding on this bond, but they seemed to be determined that nothing would work. Why had they even agreed to bond in the first place for them to come to this point?

"Don't tell me you actually want to have sex with him," she said.

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "No! That's disgusting. Why would I? He's…he's Snape! Have you seen him? No one…and I mean no one would want to go there. Except Lucius Malfoy. But he's sort of desperate, isn't he?"

Her eyes widened alarmingly at the shade of pink his face was, how panicky his tone was, how shifty his eyes were. "Harry! It's wrong! You know that, don't you? Everyone says how he's in love with your mum. He's twenty years older than you and a teacher!"

"I know that!" Harry snapped. "It's just…it's not so bad, alright? The sex. It's pretty…it's really good, actually. I like it. Besides, it's not hurting anyone. Just…mutually beneficial…whatever it is. Agreement or something."

"Not hurting anyone? Harry, you're pregnant!"

"So are you!" he snapped.

Hermione sighed heavily. "If you're not the first pregnant male in history, you're the first in a long time! We don't know anything about this. It could be dangerous. Even then, there are your links to Voldemort. You both have them. Then, what if you get caught? Even if student-teacher relationships are allowed, they are with guidelines. If you aren't following them, he could be arrested, you could be expelled, and it would be all over the news! Not to mention you hate each other. While I admit he is not nearly as evil as we thought in first year, he's not a nice man. He could be using you. Especially if the rumors about his feelings for your mother are true. What if you get hurt? Sex isn't this casual thing people like Sirius make it out to be! To pretend it is, is just silly…"

"I'm fine, Hermione. Okay? And yeah, he is an arse, but I know that already so…I should be fine. Just…I dunno," he said, shaking his head. "Merlin, did I really admit to liking…gah!"

Unable to help herself, she cracked a smile. "Yes, you did."

"I never wanted to admit that."

"I know."

"He's not that good looking, is he? I dunno why it's so good."

"I guess he's just had loads of practice."

"But how would he get so much practice? He's…him! It's a wonder he'd been laid at all before me."

"Harry!"

"Well?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, with Malfoy I suppose I understand. It's not exactly easy to find gay men in our time. It may become more and more acceptable in the Muggle world, but prejudices in the Wizarding world are slower to move past. Plus, they have always been friends."

"Ugh. I think I'd like to stop talking about Snape having sex," Harry muttered.

"Not jealous, are you?" Hermione teased.

"Merlin, no," Harry grumbled.

"You sure?"

"Yes! Well, I walked in on them before…"

"You did?"

"Yeah. They were doing it in Snape's office…"

"No! That is so irresponsible. Anyone could have walked in! What if it had been a first year?"

"I dunno…But it did bother me a bit. We'd been having sex a lot, though, ya know? And I didn't really know about it…He was such a git about it, too, so really…Maybe it's understandable?"

"I guess," Hermione said frowning. "You don't have to have feelings for him to be bothered that he's shagging someone else."

"But it doesn't bother me anymore," he claimed.

The way he shifted around, avoiding eye contact, Hermione wasn't too sure about it. Part of her was tempted to prod him until he caved and poured out all of his feelings. It wouldn't do much good, though, she figured. She especially didn't want Harry looking too deeply into her personal thoughts and feelings. They were better left alone for now. "Does Madam Pomfrey know how many children you're having?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

Harry cringed. Hermione frowned apologetically. Perhaps the babies weren't the best subject to veer off into. If she didn't like discussing her pregnancy in any great length, why would he? Especially not him.

"She says it's too early on to tell for sure, though she's certain there will be more than one. She also said if there are too many, the chances of survival are rather slim," he said with a frown.

The combination of potions in Harry's system were well known for having adverse side effects, one being the high risk of multiple birth pregnancies. There was good reason it was suggested not to use them together. While multiple births in Muggle language usually meant twins or triplets, in the Wizarding world it could be much worse. There was one spectacular case in the early 1960's of a woman becoming pregnant with twelve babies! Sadly, she was only able to carry one to term and he suffered long term health issues. Putting that possibility on top of the fact that Harry was male, it made for a very unique, as well as very dangerous, case. Of course, Hermione didn't think she'd tell him all of that. Especially not about the woman pregnant with twelve babies. Poor Harry had enough on his mind without having to worry over that.

"I'm sure it'll turn out just fine," she said with as much certainty as she could muster. Harry looked skeptical while Hermione tried her hardest not to let her expression falter. "As long as you're taking care of yourself the way you should, then you, and the babies, will be fine."

Harry mouthed the word 'Babies,' and shook his head in disbelief.

"Did you get any of that Vomit-Be-Gone?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Ugh. Yeah," Harry muttered with a frown.

Vomit-Be-Gone was a potion that kept you from throwing up right before you were ready to puke. Unfortunately, the more you take, the worse throwing up would be when you finally let yourself do it. Hermione and Harry had both opted to borrow some for when they were in class to keep from running to the lavatory every few minutes. Since finding out he was pregnant, it kept people from thinking he was terminally ill. It kept them in class longer, but had multiple downsides. Not only did they spend a good half hour kneeling at the toilet when their classes for the day were done, but it made your throat burn and left you in a constant state of nausea. Some days they had to wonder if it wouldn't be worth it to just stop taking it and run out of class multiple times an hour.

"That has got to be one of the last things I wanted to hear," Blaise said as he came to stand beside them. The pair glanced up at him with sheepish smiles. "The only thing worse would be having to hear details about Potter and Snape's sex life."

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed, looking around the sides of their tree at the other students pouring out of the castle. It was a beautiful day, so of course everyone who could was coming outside. Blaise was talking a bit too loudly for her comfort. "It's bad enough how everyone's been acting in Professor Snape's classes…He's probably suspicious by now!"

"I'm surprised he didn't say anything last night…or today, for that matter," Harry said.

Since telling their group about Harry's pregnancy and his affair with Snape, they had been treating both differently. It shouldn't have surprised them, but it was a bit irritating that they couldn't be more discreet with their staring or whispering. Morag MacDouagl had already asked if Harry minded her sitting in on his appointments with Madam Pomfrey. Hermione had seen her earlier sneaking up to the infirmary to ask the medi-witch the same question. Hannah and Astoria had taken to gaping at Harry like fish every time they saw him. Even the others were shooting him strange looks, muttering to one another whenever he passed. It was nothing new to Harry, but knowing, now, what it was they were talking about seemed to make him more uncomfortable than any such behavior ever had. The worst of it seemed to be Blaise's apparent amusement over the whole situation. Hermione wasn't too sure he believed it, and she wasn't too keen on forcing him to buy into it. He would see before too long that it was true.

What was worse than their treatment of Harry was their treatment of Snape. None of them said anything to anyone else, which was at least one good thing. But if they kept this up, people were going to start to wonder. It wasn't that Snape wasn't often the target of nasty glares or gossip. But this, like only a few other times, seemed powered by something greater than general dislike for the man. Snape was now the pedophilic monster who had impregnated their savior.

"He's used to it," Blaise said, waving off the whole matter.

"What did you want, Zabini?" Harry said before Hermione could argue with him.

"Hermione, of course," Blaise said with a wicked smirk.

"Bouncing back already from your infatuation with Ginny?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow while her lips curled up into a mischievous smile.

"I wouldn't call it 'infatuation' and I'm not giving up, if that's what you think," Blaise said. "I only hoped we could come to some sort of agreement."

"About?"

"Can we go somewhere private?" he asked, eying Harry distastefully.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry's fine."

"I'm staying out of everyone else's problems. I have enough of my own, don't I?" he muttered. "I already have a pretty good idea about what you want, anyway."

"Do you now?" Blaise asked with a frown.

"Kind of obvious, isn't it?" Harry pointed out. "Ginny's a smart girl, but she's probably one of the only ones who is clueless. Her and Draco."

"I thought girls were supposed to be good at this sort of thing," Blaise said, glaring over to where Ginny sat with Draco. "Reading people's emotions and all that."

"She's either blind by design or by choosing, but, either way, I doubt she knows," Hermione said. Then, realizing that this could be construed by the boys to mean she did have feelings for Draco, quickly backtracked. "About your feelings for her, Blaise. Of course."

"Mhm," Blaise said in that same tone Harry had used earlier. He didn't seem to believe her either. Hermione huffed, ready to fuss at them both about how she knew more about her feelings than they did, but Blaise went on speaking before she had the chance. "So, will you accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend, Miss Granger?"

"I would be delighted," Hermione said with a smile, batting her eyelashes in a dramatically flirtatious manner that caused both boys to snort.

"Dress your best," Blaise told her.

If any other guy had asked such a thing, Hermione would have been offended. Knowing what this task was for, though, she could only nod in agreement. "Right. I should have something perfect for the occasion. Your house-mates probably won't even mind that I'm Muggle-born."

By the astonished, horrified look on Blaise's face, she assumed he hadn't taken her blood status into consideration. She and Harry laughed while the Slytherin composed himself, looking a bit less excited than he had just moments ago. To his credit, he didn't try backing out of the date now that he realized a problem with his choice. Besides, no one else would work just right for these plans. The hope of making Ginny jealous wasn't enough. They had to get Draco's interest in Hermione, as well. Because if they were both distracted by someone else, there was a better chance of dividing them.

"And…tell as many people as you can," Blaise instructed. "You can help, Potter."

"I'm not much for gossip, thanks," Harry said.

"Of course not," Blaise muttered.

"I'll take care of it. I'll just let it slip to Lavender Brown when I get the chance. That should take care of it," Hermione replied with a shrug, sending a sly glance back down to the lake.

"If you two stare any longer, everyone's going to know," Harry told them, tone both irritated and amused.

Blaise and Hermione quickly looked away from the pair.

"I'll get you after breakfast Saturday, then," Blaise said, and with a curt nod he was gone.

"You're seriously going to go on a date with Zabini?" Harry asked after a few minutes.

"We both know what it is, Harry. No harm will come of it," Hermione said defensively.

"Do you really think it'll work?" Harry asked quietly.

Uncertainty replaced the mischief in her brown eyes. The very thought that it wouldn't affect Draco was reasonable, though hurtful. Even if he did like Ginny, shouldn't he feel something at the idea of her dating someone else? Seeing him with her best friend was killing her. Shouldn't their bond give him some insight into that? Shouldn't it give him some grief over spotting her on the arm of another boy? What if it doesn't? asked the voice in her head. He probably won't even notice, he'll be too busy snogging her.

"If it doesn't, then at least I won't feel like such a fool going to Hogsmeade alone while they're off doing God knows what!" Hermione snapped.

"So you are upset?" Harry asked, seeming a bit confused. Here he had sat, seeming so convinced of it earlier, and now he was showing signs of uncertainty.

"No, I'm not!"

"You like him, though," Harry said.

"No, I…Do you like Snape?"

Those green eyes formed such a look of disbelief that Hermione was tempted to laugh, even if she was aggravated with the boy. "Are you mad?"

"Exactly," she exclaimed.

"What?"

"It's mad. I don't like Draco."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you doing this with Zabini?"

"Because he needs me to!"

"So you want to screw around with Ginny's new relationship for the sake of a bloke you're barely friends with?"

Why was Harry making so much sense today? Why did he even care? Weren't boys supposed to be oblivious to everything? Or, at the very least, so awkward dealing with such personal issues that they didn't do anything at all? She was starting to wish she had decided to study with Ron instead. He wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong. Maybe he would have been upset with what was going on with Blaise…Well, maybe Ron wasn't such a good idea after all. He would have gotten mad, blown up, and possibly landed himself, as well as Blaise, in detention. Hermione frowned gloomily. Neville might have been good company. He was the quiet one, the strength, always there to comfort instead of judge. At the same time, though, he did like giving his friend's advice and probably would have been asking questions just like Harry, though perhaps less persistent and irritating.

"Please, just let it go, Harry," Hermione pleaded, not bothering to look at him. Instead, she grabbed her books, parchment, and quill then resumed her Charms essay. After a few minutes spent watching her closely, Harry did the same.

The week before the Hogsmeade trip passed by too slowly for Neville Longbottom. He had been looking forward to this weekend since Cedric had agreed to go with him, as a date! When it finally came, he was beside himself with joy. Hermione and Ginny giddily helped him get ready then accompanied him to the Great Hall for breakfast where they all bragged about their dates for the day. Ginny seemed a bit baffled by Hermione's decision to date Blaise Zabini, though Neville had his suspicions of why. Especially with how Hermione was talking about him, always bringing it up as much as she could, going on and on about how great Blaise was. Ginny really was a bit clueless with how confused she was about why Hermione was so loud and proud about this date, though smiling supportively throughout the whole ordeal, glad that her friend seemed to be moving on. If only she knew, Neville mused. But he was too excited about his date to worry much about how silly the girls were being.

While Harry was at the opposite end of the table, news that he was going to Hogsmeade with Daphne flew just seconds after the Slytherin girl walked up to ask him. Neville couldn't have been happier for Harry, or with Daphne. His friend had been dealing with a lot since finding out he was pregnant, especially the odd looks from their fellow…friends, Neville guessed he could call them. The other soul mated students in Hogwarts. Astoria had bailed on their date, understandably hurt over learning that he was gay and involved with her Head of House. Most of their friends had dates, which, sadly, would have left Harry alone. But equally dateless Daphne swooped in to save the day, providing Harry with a much needed distraction from his troubles. Neville could have kissed her if he wasn't more interested in kissing Cedric.

Towards the end of breakfast, Neville sat through the awkward arrival of the Slytherin boys. Ginny was all eyes for Draco who mostly had eyes for her. While Ginny didn't seem to notice, Neville did take note of the way the blonds' gray eyes glanced longingly at Hermione, as well as the glare shot Blaise's way. To his credit, he did seem equally happy to be with Ginny. Hermione never seemed to notice the looks Draco shot her, instead looking disappointed by a lack of response. Blaise seemed just as grim over the absence of heat from either of the other couple, though he did shoot a suspicious look Draco's way just as the blond boy glanced away from him. That whole group was full of more issues and drama than Neville cared for. He could really only see it ending in disaster, so he made a mental note that he really needed to have a talk with his girls before too long. Interfering was not always the answer, but things were really getting out of hand.

Several minutes after the foursome left, Harry and Daphne walked up to chit chat for a few minutes before walking away. As they left, Neville noticed Daphne link her arm through Harry's, surprising the Gryffindor, while shooting a stern look towards Snape, who didn't seem to notice. Neville just snorted, shook his head, and continued sipping at his orange juice. Harry wasn't as close to Daphne as Neville was, but he could see them getting along well. As long as Daphne stopped trying to shoot dirty looks at her Head of House, things would be just fine.

Finally, in all of his staring, Neville caught sight of Cedric waiting hesitantly in the doorway of the Great Hall. Neville grinned then jumped out of his seat, striding as quickly as he dared to the other boy. They were all bright smiles and shy blushes, careful not to touch as they headed to Hogsmeade, not quite ready to deal tackle that issue just yet.

They had a wonderful time shopping at Honeydukes then grabbing a drink at the Three Broomsticks. Being on a date without acting as if they were wasn't so hard. No one even looked twice at them sitting together. Neville was grateful. He wasn't sure how he felt about people knowing with certainty of his sexual preferences and he sure as heck hadn't discussed it with Cedric yet. He had no intentions of doing so today. Everything was going too perfectly to want to ruin it.

They spent time together every day talking, and still hadn't run out of things to talk about. Maybe the topics would be boring to any passersby or too dull to really recount to friends, but he loved every second of it. He loved learning more about this wizard he had been so drawn to years ago. The healer-in-training was funny, smart, and so very sweet. He was easily one of the kindest people Neville had ever met. This handsome, charming, wonderful young man seemed to like him as well, which completely blew his mind.

But all good things must come to an end and, sadly, their first date had to end more abruptly than perhaps it should have. They were just leaving their table when they heard the screams. Out of morbid curiosity, most of the people in the pub moved to the window to see what was happening. But once they caught a glimpse of the black robes and familiar masks they ran to the back of the building, either cowering behind the bar, pressing themselves against walls, locking themselves in closets, or stumbling out of the back door.

Neville and Cedric glanced to each other then jumped up to dash to the door. Death Eaters swarmed the village, attacking everyone in sight. "Be careful of the boy!" shouted one nearby. "The Dark Lord wants him alive! Don't damage him too much!"

They watched for a few seconds, scanning the street to see how bad it was. Several yards away Hannah Abbot drew her wand while shoving Grace, Astoria, and Dennis behind her as she shot defensive spells at the nearby Death Eaters. Her husband, meanwhile, was running away from them towards Hermione when the pregnant witch was thrown into the side of a building. Draco also rushed to her aid. Both boys looked uncertain as to whether they should help check her or defend her but, as the Death Eaters threw curses their direction, they stood guard over her with their wands drawn. Blaise had abandoned his date in favor of running after Ginny who was chasing another Death Eater. The masked wizard tripped and fell, quickly scooting away from the redheaded witch as she cast some hex upon him. Across the street stood Harry, Daphne, Luna, and Morag forming some small circle with their backs to each other, shooting curses at the advancing dark wizards. Several teachers poured out of the building behind them. Snape shoved his way through to them while McGonagall ran towards Hermione, Flitwick towards Hannah, and Sirius in another direction entirely.

"Dear Merlin," Neville gasped, fumbling for his wand while Cedric easily pulled his out.

They hadn't even practiced, yet! They had bonded, yes, but they hadn't been practicing the way Dumbledore had instructed. Daily they would meet up and talk, but rarely got any work done, though each day they promised they would the next. They weren't ready for this, but there wasn't a choice. Their friends were in danger and they had to help, even if the whole thing looked like a lost cause.

Without another word or glance, they jumped out into the street together, aiming their wands into the sea of black. Neville silently prayed that they would take down as many of the Death Eaters as they could before they were killed.

Author's Note: Been a while but I'm back! I did struggle a bit with this chapter so I hope it's alright!

Thanks to all of my beautiful reviewers for being awesome and an even bigger thanks to my fabulous beta who makes everything better :) Woot! Hope you likey!
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Resistance