"What's that for?"

"For making life better for Harry."

Ron shrugged. "That's what best friends do... and brothers." He rolled his eyes when she pointed to herself to remind him that it had helped her also.

"Well thanks for being my brother then."

"Ok ok, no more mushy stuff from my sister. I can't handle it."

She stuck her tongue out at him then, which he returned with a grin and then she disappeared up the stairs to find Harry, leaving Ron and Hermione alone to hold hands while they studied.

* * *

In the weeks after Harry's confinement in Snape's office, they built up a slow camaraderie once more, and Harry made sure to visit his father at least three times a week after dinner, sometimes taking his NEWT study guides down to his father for some help that Hermione couldn't provide because she was too busy helping Ron.

Harry found that he enjoyed their time together even more now that he was sure he wasn't going to be dumped on the side of the road at the next big bump. To be honest with himself, that was what he had been expecting in the first place, as Ginny had pointed out earlier. It had happened so many times before that he had expected it to happen again. But there was no sign of that now and Severus too seemed just a little bit happier, even if McGonagall sometimes scowled at him in the staff lounge over what he had done locking Harry up.

Harry was so busy building up a relationship with his father that he almost didn't notice that Ginny was slowly pulling away from him. Hermione kept shooting him glances too, and one day he decided that he couldn't take any more of it.

"What's that look you keep giving me for?" he whispered to her in Charms class while Flitwick was dealing with a fire Neville had set.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"You keep shooting me worried glances. And I haven't been acting weird or anything lately so I don't know why."

"Maybe you should talk to Ginny first. She's... going through a rough spot right now."

"What?" He was startled that he hadn't been the first to hear of this... he and Ginny told each other everything.

"Just, talk to her Harry. She needs you to but doesn't know how to ask for help."

Hermione jumped back as Harry stood straight up and hurried off with his book bag, not noticing the surprised looks the others were giving him. Ginny had Potions right now and he wondered how much trouble he was getting himself into pulling her out in the middle of it.

Severus looked up, surprised and suddenly worried when Harry appeared in his doorway in the middle of class. He had told Harry to come to him if he felt Voldemort in his head, even if it meant interrupting him, but no, he didn't look worried.

"Yes Mr. Potter?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed just enough to convince the rest of the class.

"A Professor needs to see Ginny Weasley."

Ginny looked up, wondering what this was about. She looked a little pale he noticed.

"Which Professor Mr. Potter? So I may check later and know that you haven't lied."

Annoyed that his father had to act this way to convince the rest of the onlookers there, Harry sighed silently to himself and said, "Professor McGonagall asked me to come get her sir. Something about an essay she turned in."

Severus waved his hand as he turned back to writing instructions on the chalkboard. "Be gone then. I expect a note when you come back Ms. Weasley."

Ginny gathered her things and hurried out of the room. In the hallway Harry took her hand and lead her down a few halls and then into his father's office, which he now knew the password to.

"I thought we were going to see McGonagall."

Harry shut the door and lead her to sit down in one of the visitors chairs as he had done. "Hermione said I should come talk to you. She said you needed... help, and didn't know how to ask? What's wrong, I'm worried now."

Ginny immediately bit her lip and looked away, as if ashamed.

"Come on, you can tell me. I'm not going to be angry or whatever you think I'll do. It'll be ok."

She looked up into his eyes and then dove into his arms and started to cry. "Oh Harry, I don't know what to do. Mum and dad will kill us both."

"What? What do you mean?" He was startled and unsettled by how upset she was all of a sudden.

She mumbled something into his shoulder, and when he asked her to repeat it, she said, "I'm pregnant Harry." She pulled back just a little to gauge his reaction, but all she saw was his eyes searching hers.

"Pregnant?" It was almost a whisper.

She nodded. "We must not have done the spell right... I don't know, it just didn't work."

"Are you sure?"

"Hermione made the potion for me and when I drank it, it turned blue."

"What does that mean?"

"It means it's a boy. Pink means a girl, and gray means no baby at all."

Harry leaned back against the chair and felt his heart thudding loudly in his chest.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm floored," Harry said honestly. "We only did it the one time Ginny!" Then he ran a hand through his hair and said, "You're right. Your mum and dad are going to kill one of us, and it's not you. And Ron... I don't even want to think of that. Remember how he locked Collin Creevy in the bathroom two years ago for asking you out?"

She nodded. "He'll be the worst... or maybe Fred and George... Bill, Charlie..."

Harry shook his head. "You have too many brothers... they're going to kill me in my sleep."

"I don't know what to do Harry," her voice was wavering again, and Harry remembered suddenly that this was even harder for her than it was going to be for him. He pulled her close to him again and wrapped her in his arms, running a hand over her long ginger hair.

"It's going to be ok, you'll see. We were going to get married anyway, and you're going to be 17 soon. That is if you'll still have me."

She nodded. "I wouldn't have anyone else Harry."

Footsteps in the hall told them that class had gotten out, and Harry lead her out of his father's office.

"You don't worry about a thing Ginny," he told her. "Just concentrate on classes. I'll take care of everything."

"How?"

"I have to talk to my dad... he'll know how to help. Remember that fifth year Slytherin that disappeared before Christmas break? I think he got a girl pregnant and left to take care of her."

"How do you know?"

"Draco said there was a rumor. Just don't worry. We'll figure it out."

She nodded and he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead as they split up to head to their separate classes.

* * *

Severus Snape sat in his office, noting that the visitors chairs were placed differently than when he had left his office early that morning. He was sure that Harry had not taken Ginny from his class to take her to Minerva, and it was obvious now that he had taken her to his office. He had let Harry take her because he knew it must have been important, but he had to know for sure. He couldn't let things like that slide and didn't want Harry to think that because he had gotten away with it once that he could do it whenever he pleased.

He had sent an owl to his young Gryffindor asking him to come down, but right after he had sent it he found Harry at his door. Apparently they had been thinking the same thing.

"You skipped dinner tonight. The ulcer is not back yet again, is it?"

Harry walked in and plopped down in the visitor's chair he preferred, and shook his head, hands immediately covering his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are going to kill me," he said through his fingers.

Severus' heart quickened, knowing few reasons why the family of a boy's girlfriend would want to harm him. "And why would said Weasley's want to kill you?"

Harry ran his hands through his hair, finally freeing his face for his father to see. "I take it back," Harry said in a miserable tone, "You're going to kill me."

"You did not answer my question."

"Ginny's pregnant." There, he had said it, and now he couldn't take it back. Well, he couldn't take any of it back anyhow, because sooner or later people would find out.

"I hope you're joking," Severus said in a low tone Harry didn't want to hear.

"She told me today. That's why I pulled her out of class... Hermione said she needed to tell me something."

"Did I not tell you to use protection!"

"We were going to get married after she graduated anyway!"

"Then why could you not wait?" Harry could tell that his father was both agitated and angry now.

"We only did it the once!"

"I doubt very much that Arthur and Molly Weasley will believe that, and that they will take it as an excuse as you seem to think I will."

"We used protection, but we must not have done the charm right..."

Severus sighed. "It does not always work, especially in unskilled hands."

Harry put his hands over his face again, trying to block out the world around him, and breathed deep, pulling his hands up to run through his hair once again. From the state of his hair, Severus could tell that Harry had been doing this all day already.

"I am the first adult you have told?"

"You're the only one I've told," Harry said. "And Hermione is the only other person that Ginny has told."

"This will be very difficult for her Harry. More so than you think it will be for you. You will graduate soon and she will have to go through her seventh year pregnant, for everyone to stare at. While I believe that your intentions for her are for the best, you will not be able to stay with her for another year."

"I already thought about it. I'm getting a job and a flat in Hogsmeade so that I can be close by. She can stay with me over the summer, and then I can try to get Dumbledore to let me come visit her every day after classes."

"She is not yet 17. You may find that her parents are not willing to let her leave their home."

"Even considering her condition?"

"Especially considering her condition. Do you think it wise to take her away from her mother in the time she needs her most?"

Harry hadn't thought of that.

"Then I'll get a place near the Burrow and then another place in Hogsmeade later on."

Severus sighed heavily, acknowledging to himself that thus far he had been a lousy father, and with what had happened now everybody would know it. This was definitely going to reflect badly on him.

"Are you mad?"

"I am disappointed," Severus said.

"That's nothing new." Harry's quiet admittance to himself drew his father's attention.

"Not in you." He rose and came to the other side of the desk. "In myself. This is the fault of the parent charged with the care and raising of the child."

Harry shook his head. "Yeah, well they're still going to kill me. I'm the one they'll blame."

* * *

Harry found out the next day just how right he was. He had just said goodbye to Ginny in the hall and was on his way to Transfiguration when Ron marched straight up to him and punched him in the nose so hard that he flew backwards and landed on the hard stone floor on his back.

Blood spurting everywhere, Harry looked up into his friend's fiery eyes and knew that somehow, most likely from Hermione he had found out. At the very least he supposed he deserved this for punching him earlier in the year.

"You're rotten to the core!" Ron shouted, finger pointed angrily down to him. "You and your disgusting family! You just stay away from me and mine!"

McGonagall came running down the hall now and saw Harry lying there on the floor, a crowd of onlookers gathering. Draco was there too, looking on in shock and awe that Weasley had such muscles hidden under his robe to knock Harry flat on his back with one punch.

"What on earth is going on here?"

"Harry fell Professor," Draco suddenly said. Harry had told him earlier that morning what had happened, and he silently agreed with him that Ron had the right to punch him in the face.

Harry nodded, and said, "I fell on my face. I was just now trying to get up." He hoped desperately that Ron wouldn't tell the truth... he wanted Ginny to have an easy go of this and she wouldn't if everybody heard that she was pregnant.

"I heard Mr. Weasley shouting," she said, turning to a still livid Ron.

Ron turned away and said in a quiet voice, "He fell Professor. I didn't hear any shouting." Confused that three different students from two separate houses seemed to be in on a lie together, she glared and told everyone to get to class, and then sent Harry up to the hospital wing after she waved a quick coagulation spell over him to stop the bleeding. Ron glared as Harry passed, and then disappeared down the hallway away from class, having no intention of going.