It was Saturday morning, Harry was absentmindedly eating a piece of toast at the Eighth Year table, reading a mystery romance between a Healer and an Auror, on Hermione's recommendation. He was using the book as a way to avoid thinking about the unanswered letter he had sent to Molly and Arthur, telling them about the pregnancy.
Hermione was reading a book on Ancient Runes beside him, while furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment. Their small peace was interrupted when Ron and Neville sat down across from them, Ron wearing a victorious grin and Neville blushing furiously.
"Guess who lost their virginity?" Ron said, and Harry parkoured his bookmark into place in that exact moment, closing the book, suddenly interested.
"Virginity is a social construct, Ronald," Hermione said without looking up from her book. "Its meaning and value vary depending on the cultural norms and values of each society, instead of being some universal biological or medical concept. Virginity is often associated with social and religious rules about sexuality, like the importance of sexual purity, especially for women, and the belief that losing virginity is tied to the loss of honor or worth." She finally looked at the two boys in front of her. "That being said, who, when, where?" she asked, snapping her book shut and quickly casting a privacy charm over them.
"Was it with Nott?" Harry asked, raising a brow with a mischievous smile, and saw Neville blush even harder.
"You and Nott?" Hermione asked, glancing at Ron and then back at Neville, realizing neither of them looked surprised. "Okay, clearly I need to start paying more attention to people's social interactions." She muttered, shrinking into herself.
"How did you find out?" Harry asked Ron.
"Because this bastard walked into my room to drag me to Hogsmeade and found me and Theo naked in my bed," Neville answered, annoyed.
"How was it?" Hermione asked.
"Uh, weird. I mean, I didn't know what I was doing and neither did he." He shrugged. "But I'm happy. I liked it," he said with a smile.
"No first time is wonderful, we don't really have a clue what we're doing," Hermione said, smiling kindly.
"And we've got no stamina," Ron added with a laugh, and Neville chuckled too, looking shy.
"I only remember flashes, so I can't contribute much to the topic," Harry said, laughing softly.
"Wait, Malfoy was your first?" Neville asked, eyes wide.
"You lost your virginity drunk?" Hermione demanded, incredulous.
"Did you expect it to be when? At the Burrow with Charlie?" Harry asked.
Ron grimaced in disgust, staring at him like he'd just grown an extra head.
"Charlie?" he asked, and Harry just shrugged.
"He's hot," Harry replied without hesitation, and Ron looked a little green. Harry ignored him and turned his attention back to Neville. "But it was nice. So, like, you two enjoyed it?" he asked, and his friend nodded, making Harry smile.
"Charlie?" Ron repeated, still looking nauseous.
"Do you want me to start describing how James was conceived?" Harry asked, watching his friend's eyes widen. "I could tell you how Malfoy—" He didn't get to finish, because Ron clapped his hands over his ears and started yelling, which made Harry laugh and turn his focus back to Neville. "You two weren't idiots like me, right? All the protection charms in place?" he asked.
"Yes, I cast them all," Neville said, still blushing. "Theo would've gotten up and walked out if I hadn't." He gave a weak, affectionate laugh.
"You're really in love," Hermione murmured, sounding almost incredulous.
"Why did you both have to shag Slytherins?" Ron groaned. "Like, there's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, why drag Slytherins into our social circle?" he complained, flopping down on the table in defeat.
"I've said this so often I might as well have it carved on my tombstone," Harry muttered. "I was drunk." He signed with his hands.
"You think that's funny, but it's not," Ron shot back, still face-down on the table. "I'm traumatized."
"I can have that engraved on your tombstone if you want," Harry replied, biting into his toast.
Hermione let out a small laugh but tried to smother it, turning back to her parchment.
"And what's so wrong about falling for Slytherins, anyway?" Neville asked, almost defiant.
"Absolutely nothing wrong with falling for Slytherins," Harry shot back immediately, looking at Neville. "It's just, we could've made life easier for ourselves, right? You and I already fell into that trap, all that's missing is Ron snogging Zabini to complete the sticker album."
"I WHAT?" Ron bolted upright so fast he nearly lost his balance.
"Calm down, Ron," Harry raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture, but with that irritating little smirk. "I only said snog, nothing more. Just a kiss. A technical kiss."
"A technical kiss?" Hermione raised a brow, trying not to laugh.
"Of course," Harry went on, perfectly straight-faced. "He can say it was just field research. Hermione, you wouldn't be mad, right? After all, it's for scientific progress," he said, looking at her.
"Harry!" she scolded, but she was clearly holding back laughter.
"No!" Ron all but shouted, his face bright red. "No kiss, no technical, no scientific, nothing!"
"Oh, relax." Harry bit into his toast, completely unbothered. "I doubt Zabini would even come after you, he has standards."
Neville let out a strangled laugh and Hermione slipped a quick giggle before covering her mouth. Ron, on the other hand, looked ready to have a stroke.
"I hate you," he muttered, arms crossed.
"You love me," Harry shot back without missing a beat, propping his chin on his hand with an insolent grin. "You just won't admit it because you're scared Zabini will get jealous."
Hermione burst into loud laughter beside him, clearly unbothered by Ron's look of sheer disbelief. Harry finished his toast, watching as Hermione stood and walked around the Eighth Year table to hug Ron from behind.
"You don't get a free pass," Harry heard her murmur, and he rolled his eyes fondly at the little display of affection.
"Isn't Nott going to Hogsmeade with you?" Harry asked, turning back to Neville.
"No, he already had plans with Malfoy, Parkinson, Zabini and the rest of that lot." He shrugged.
"I really want a Honeydukes chocolate," Harry murmured. "And, like, I know Butterbeer doesn't have alcohol, we've been drinking it since we were thirteen, but house-elves get drunk on it. So… can I have it? Considering James?" he asked, watching Neville frown in thought.
"I've never actually thought about that," Neville admitted.
"I'm not going to the Hospital Wing to ask," Harry muttered, already tired at the thought, reaching for a strip of bacon.
"The snow melted last week, it's already getting warmer, but are you dressed warmly enough?" Neville asked, concerned. Harry sighed.
"This shit pisses me off, you know?" he grumbled. "Like, I killed the bastard, and yet he still had to completely screw up my body, didn't he?" He huffed, pushing his hair back.
Neville smiled a little sadly, and the privacy charm dissolved at the same moment Theodore Nott slipped his arms around the boy from behind. Neville's whole face lit up with a wide smile, instantly recognizing who it was.
"Are you leaving soon?" the Slytherin asked, and Neville turned his eyes to him.
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, wanting to ask them, but they were so lost in their own little world they hadn't even noticed Nott's arrival. He sighed and looked back at the newest couple.
"I'm just going to the dorm to drop off my book and grab a jacket, then we can go," he decided, and Nott nodded, letting go of Neville to sit beside him.
Harry paid no attention to what followed, averting his eyes from the two couples in front of him, picking up the book he had been reading before and returning to it while sipping his hot tea.
"Merlin, is there some decree that forbids public displays of affection during breakfast?" he muttered to himself, biting into another piece of bacon.
"What did you say?" Neville asked, without taking his eyes off Nott, who was so close he almost looked like part of his clothes.
"Nothing," Harry replied, raising his hands. "Just realizing I've been promoted from occasional third wheel to a permanent one."
"If you want, Potter, I can hold your hand too, just so you won't feel left out," Nott arched an eyebrow, smirking.
Harry looked at him over the top of his glasses, serious for a moment before breaking into a lazy smile.
"No, thanks. I'd rather die alone than have you as compensation." Neville muffled a laugh, but Nott seemed even more amused. "It's settled then, I'll grab a jacket before we leave. If any of you decide to swap more saliva on the way, let me know first so I can bring a bucket to puke in." Harry snapped his book shut and shoved it into his bag.
Hermione huffed a laugh, and Ron discreetly gave him the finger, which only made Harry chuckle under his breath.
A short while later, they were crossing Hogwarts' gates. The morning was crisp, the sky overcast but with no sign of snow, the kind of weather that made Hogsmeade's alleys feel even cozier with their smoking chimneys and warm shop windows.
Harry took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill his lungs. He liked that walk to the village. Always had. But now, the feeling was different. He wasn't just a student going to buy sweets or hide away in the Shrieking Shack with friends, well, he never really was just a student. He walked slowly, one hand stuffed in his coat pocket, the other brushing instinctively against his stomach.
Thinking about his stomach was thinking about James. Thinking about James was thinking about Malfoy. And thinking about Malfoy was a problem. Because there was something unsettling about realizing he no longer felt only anger or tolerance, there was also that strange sense of safety, of warmth, every time Malfoy was around. One more problem for his ever-growing list.
Harry sighed, kicking the edge of a stone along the path. Ahead, Ron and Neville were arguing over which sweets to buy at Honeydukes, Ron fiercely defending Chocolate Frogs while Neville insisted the smarter choice was to spend galleons on Caramel Fudge because it lasted longer. Hermione walked close by, already drifting toward the Tomes and Scrolls display, enchanted by some massive volume Harry didn't even bother pretending to care about.
Normalcy. That's what it felt like. Almost. He allowed himself a small smile when he saw Neville blush as Ron teased him about sharing sweets with Nott. It almost felt like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Inevitably, the thought slipped to the Weasleys, and Harry swallowed hard. Their family had always been his as well, the family he'd never had, the one that welcomed him without asking for anything in return. Thinking of Molly warmed his chest, thinking of Ginny, however, still hurt. He didn't want to hate her. But after the words spat out, the venom she had thrown at him and at the baby… how could he move on?
Would she ever look at James without seeing Malfoy? The question came before he could even block it. Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair, his eyes darting back to the road.
Molly and Arthur's silence gnawed at him. Part of him tried to believe the letter could have been lost, that owl post was unreliable in winter, even though winter was almost over. But another part, the more insistent one, whispered that perhaps they were too disappointed to reply.
Harry kicked another small stone along the path, trying not to drown in his own thoughts.
He thought of Ginny, inevitably. Thought of her harsh words, her eyes filled with rage. Thought of how much it hurt to know she had walked away for good. And he thought of James, small and still being shaped, who was not to blame for any of it.
Harry sighed, trying to distract himself with the sight of Hogsmeade's smoking chimneys. He was nearly convincing himself that this Saturday would be just another ordinary Saturday when he froze in place.
In front of Honeydukes, he immediately recognized the familiar red heads and the cheerful voice that always seemed to carry warmth. Harry felt his stomach tighten, a rush of affection, longing, and fear all at once.
"Harry!" Molly Weasley's unmistakable voice cut across the Hogsmeade street before he could even think of hiding.
Within seconds, she was right in front of him, wrapping him in a hug so tight he almost forgot to breathe. The familiar scent of dried flowers and freshly baked bread hit him with force, bringing a hot knot to his throat.
"Just look at you…" Molly pulled back just enough to cradle his face in both hands, the way she always did, as if he were still eleven years old and in need of comfort. Her eyes, attentive as ever, immediately dropped to his belly, still discreet, but noticeable enough for someone who knew what to look for. Her hand instinctively went there, touching with tenderness.
"Are you eating well? Have you been able to sleep? And the nausea? Are you taking your potions properly? And the cold, Harry? Are you keeping warm? Is that coat enough? Oh, Merlin, are you taking care of yourself all alone?"
He barely had time to answer, each question came like lightning, one after the other. Molly seemed to want to cover him entirely with her own hands, as if she could shield him from the rest of the world. Harry blinked quickly, swallowing hard, trying to handle the mix of warmth in his chest and the suffocation of it all.
"Mollywobbles, let the boy breathe," Arthur said, smiling at him. "How are you feeling, Harry?" he asked kindly. And Harry sighed.
"Fine," he replied, swallowing hard under Molly's gaze. "Scared, sensitive," he added with a weak laugh, and she gave him a knowing, gentle smile.
"Ah, my sweet boy, I know that very well," she caressed his face. "You three, go take a walk, I need to have a talk with this one," she said to Ron, Hermione, and Neville.
"But Mum—" Ron complained, and just one look from Molly was enough to make him lower his head and step away.
"Forgive us for taking so long to answer your letter, Harry, we thought this was something better dealt with in person," Arthur said.
"It's alright, don't worry," he was quick to reassure them.
"About your… father, are you sure he didn't do it on purpose?" Arthur asked, leading them toward the Three Broomsticks.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Arthur," Molly scolded in her reprimanding tone.
"I'm not accusing him of anything, Harry, I just want to know if you're sure. I mean, his family isn't in a good position right now, this could have been a way to clear their name," he explained, opening the door for the three of them.
"Molly, Arthur, how are you?" they were interrupted by Madam Rosmerta.
"We're well, is there somewhere more private?" Molly asked, glancing at all the people staring at them.
"Of course, of course, this way," she guided them.
"But that could have gone really wrong too, if the press decided to twist it into something else," Harry murmured, thoughtful.
"Yes, it would've been a risky move, I admit, but people like that are willing to do anything. I mean Lucius, of course, I don't know the boy any more than what you've told me about him," Arthur explained, pulling out a chair for himself and for Molly.
"We were both pretty drunk when… it happened," he said, embarrassed. "I don't think it was on purpose, if it had been, it would already be on the front page of the Daily Prophet," he pointed out, and the man nodded. "But I admit it hadn't even crossed my mind."
Arthur nodded, giving him a small smile and taking his hand under the table.
"You're healthy, aren't you?" Molly asked, and Harry nodded after sighing, smiling faintly.
"My malnutrition levels have gone down considerably, and the baby is healthy," he whispered the last part. "It's a boy," he confided.
Molly's face lit up in a wide smile, and she stood, pulling him once more into a hug, stroking his hair. Harry allowed himself to curl up and sink into her arms, feeling like a child in a mother's lap.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Molly asked softly.
"James Sirius," he answered, and was immediately pulled back so his cheeks could be cupped and pinched.
"Lovely, my boy," she smiled, sitting back down and letting Harry do the same.
Arthur ordered them something to eat, and Harry knew he would barely manage more than a few bites, but he didn't have the courage to say so, they looked so excited.
"Ginny wrote us a letter a day before you did," Arthur said, and Harry's breath caught.
"She said you two had a terrible argument, that she said awful things to you, but she didn't mention, or even hint at, the pregnancy," Molly explained, and Harry exhaled.
Even angry, even after saying horrible things, Ginny had respected his time.
"We sent her a letter explaining that you told us right after we read yours, and she told us what she had said to you," Molly finished, and Harry took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes.
"She lost her patience, I felt like saying a lot of things back to her," Harry murmured.
"But you didn't, she's the one who said them, Harry," Arthur replied.
"I know when one of my children has messed up, and she did, big time. She had no right at all to say what she said, no anger in the world justifies that, not even about who the father is," Molly said warmly. "And I also know very well when one of my children has messed up," she added, tugging at his ear. "Really now, getting pregnant before finishing school? Winning a war only to get pregnant right after?" she scolded, pulling his ear before kissing it.
"That hurt," he complained, rubbing the spot before putting his glasses back on.
"I bet it didn't hurt when you got pregnant."
She scolded again, arms crossed. Arthur chuckled, smiling when a plate floated down onto their table.
"Who would've thought our second youngest would be the first to get pregnant?" Arthur laughed, earning a swat on the arm.
"You'll always be welcome at the Burrow, my boy," Molly said, her tone turning loving again. "Do you need help setting up James's room while you're still at school?" she asked, and Harry nodded, realizing he was crying and laughing at the same time.
"I'll need help with everything," he said softly, chuckling, and the adults laughed with him. "I trust Draco, at least when it comes to James, I trust him," he told Arthur, who nodded with a small smile.
"We'll add little James to the family protections as soon as he's born," Molly said with a smile. "Oh, and do you want me to add him to that clock you asked me for? The one with Ron, Hermione, and Teddy?" she asked, and Harry sighed.
"Please," he nodded, and received a maternal smile in return.
As he listened to Molly and Arthur talk about protections and plans as if James were already officially part of the family, Harry felt something inside him, some weight that had been pressing on him for days, finally dissolve. There, surrounded by voices that welcomed him without asking anything in return, he realized he had a place, and that James would have a home full of arms ready to hold him. Smiling, he discreetly wiped away his tears, letting that moment of belonging wrap around him completely.