Lost Innocence

Chapter Four

It was late March. Tracey was beginning to feel more and more anxious. Her pregnancy was becoming more noticeable and she knew that her pregnancy wouldn't be a secret for much longer, and she couldn't help but feel nervous about what the other girls would say when they found out.

"Well, well," Pansy said one night when they were all changing into pyjamas. "If it isn't the happy mother-to-be," she said in a snarky tone. The other girls sniggered. Tracey felt her stomach slip a few notches. They knew.

"Why didn't you share the happy news with us, Tracey?" Cecilia sniggered. "Aren't we your friends?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Tracey, trying to sound as offhand as possible despite the deepening feeling that the roof was caving in on her.

"When is your baby shower?" Daphne said tauntingly. All four of them were smirking in a smug, nasty manner. A manner that told Tracey that things were about to get worse and she was going to be completely alone.

"God, Tracey. How stupid are you?" asked Pansy disdainfully

"I'm NOT stupid!" Tracey shouted, her arms went instinctively around her stomach, but could not hide the growing bulge.

"You're not?" Pansy scoffed. "I find that hard to believe."

"What kind of a loser gets pregnant on their first time?" agreed Cecilia.

"You are going to definitely ruin your figure now," said Daphne.

"Shut up, all of you!" snapped Tracey.

"May we feel it kick?" said Millicent Bulstrode, reaching out towards Tracey's stomach. Tracey jerked backwards.

"Leave me alone!" shouted Tracey. "I mean it!"

"What's going on?" a sharp female voice said. Laura had just entered; she stepped between Tracey and the other girls.

"Why are you girls arguing?" she asked sharply, looking from Tracey who looked angry and on the verge of tears, to the other girls, who were smirking. "Well?"

"Nothing," said Pansy in an attempt at a sweet voice, but Laura saw through it and glared at her.

"We were just congratulating Tracey on her happy news," added Daphne.

"She's a mummy soon," said Cecilia. They broke into malicious giggles. Humiliated, Tracey fled the dormitory.

"Listen very carefully, all of you," Laura said. "I don't care how special you think you are. This is not acceptable. I know you get a free ride with Professor Snape, but not with me," she said. "I am not tolerating this from you and if this keeps going or gets worse, I will enforce the consequences. That's a warning," she said, and left to find and comfort Tracey.

The girls started again on Tracey, and it was beginning to escalate to calling Tracey names such "slut" or "skank". Laura tried to intervene and they just ignored her. Following through on her warning, Laura went over the Professor McGonagall's study.

"Who is it?" said Professor McGonagall.

"Laura Gamp, Professor," Laura replied, and Professor McGonagall went to the door.

"Miss Gamp, what are you doing up and around the castle at this time?" she asked sternly.

"I'm sorry Professor McGonagall, but we have a situation with the third year Slytherin girls," Laura explained.

"You mean with Miss Davis," said Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, the other girls are bullying her, she does fight back but I can't break it up this time. You're the first teacher that came to mind," Laura said. Professor McGonagall put on her glasses and followed her. "Seeing as Professor Snape doesn't seem to care about his own students--sorry," she added apologetically. "I'm a bit frustrated."

"It's not surprising," Professor McGonagall replied. "Still, you did right to come and find me."
The two of them went up to the dormitory.

"That is enough!" barked Professor McGonagall, and for a moment everyone fell silent. "I have never in all my years seen such disgraceful conduct!"

"Like getting pregnant?" said Pansy.

"That is enough!" said Professor McGonagall. Ger glasses were flashing in a way that said she was very angry. "Fifty points from Slytherin, and detention for all four of you!"

"You can't do that!" protested Daphne.

Professor McGonagall gave her a warning look. "I shall see you all four of you in detention."

She turned to Tracey.

"Have you been seeking any help or council on this?"

Tracey nodded. "I've been speaking a bit to Professor Sprout."

"Wise choice," she said.

Fed up with Blaise's cavalier attitude about this, Tracey cornered Blaise to confront him the next day.

"I told you I have no further interest in you," Blaise said.

"You honestly think I want you after what you've done to me?" scoffed Tracey. "Wow, you really do have a high opinion of yourself." She wasn't going to back down, not this time. "It really doesn't matter to me if you want to hear what I have to say or not, you're going to listen to me," she said "You can act like you have no responsibility but the truth is you do!"

"Sorry for not wanting you to ruin my life," he said coldly.

"I ruined your life?!" Tracey said incredulously. "Excuse me, are you pregnant? Do you have your classmates whispering behind your back and sniggering at you and making comments about you?" Tracey asked. "I didn't think so. You seduced me, and I'm pregnant. This is your child whether you care or not, and it's time you took some responsibility!"

Easter arrived. Tracey was so relieved to have the chance to get away from everything. Her life at school was a mess now. Everything was starting to sink in more and more. Once in her bedroom, Tracey broke down in tears and just wanted to be left alone. Tracey's mother gave her daughter some privacy then went into her room and held her close and comforted her.

"I know things are rough and scary, but I'll be there for you," Tracey's mother said soothingly, as she held Tracey as she cried. "I love you, and I'll be there for you no matter what."

Tracey's mother arranged for another appointment with Madam Nurturessa.

"So how is she doing?"

"Well, on one hand, she's past the yelling and screaming and fighting part," said Tracey's mother. "On the others, the other Slytherin girls know and are making things really difficult, and her Head of House is doing nothing. I want to write that Snape a strongly worded letter, he calls himself a teacher?!"

Madam Nurturessa sighed. "Some adults never get past teen years themselves."

"Doesn't look like Snape has," she muttered. "But Tracey said the Head of Hufflepuff is being helpful."

"Ahh, yes, Professor Sprout," said Madam Nurturessa. "My kids were all Hufflepuffs."

"Yeah, and of course Professor McGonagall is all over it, as is one of the Prefects, who's taken initiative to look out for Tracey."

"Professor McGonagall always was fair, and good for the Prefect for doing the right thing, your daughter needs all the help she can get at this point, and with you and her father's love and support she'll pull through. Teenagers are very resilient they can mess up in a thousand ways, yet somehow almost always come out OK."

A few days after Easter, Tracey had her second appointment.

"Have you been getting the right nourishments?" Madam Nurturessa asked Tracey.

"Yeah, I've been eating the right things," said Tracey.

"I take it Madam Pomfrey knows," said Madam Nurturessa.

"Yeah, she's the one who told me that I'm pregnant," replied Tracey.

She lied down and Madam Nurturessa waved the instrument over Tracey's stomach.

"We can see more clearly now," said Madam Nurturessa, handing the ultrasound to Tracey's mother and Tracey.

It was a boy.