Echoes

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Echoes

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Chapter seven: Correcting your mistakes

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"You took my memory away?" Harry asked, staring at the Potions Master. "Why?"

"Harry, you were drunk," Severus said, remembering the smell of alcohol surrounding Harry that night. "You didn't know what you were doing."

Harry stared at him. "I've had a crush on you since fifth year," he said as the memories suddenly came back to him. Severus' spell had not only affected his memories of that night, but his feelings for Snape over all. "You wanted me to hate you," he choked as he recalled.

"I only wanted for things to be like they always were!" Snape exclaimed, standing up. "It was at the end of the war - I couldn't let you break down because of one stupid mistake, done when you were drunk! You were better off not remembering!"

Harry stood up as well and screamed back, "So you just decided to erase all the positive feelings I had for you?!"

On the floor, Sandra began crying as she listened to the two upset grown-ups.

Severus stopped and sank back into the chair. "I'm sorry, Harry," he said softly.

"Well sorry doesn't cut it right now," Harry replied, his voice hard.

He stormed out of the room.

~~~~~

Albus Dumbledore

People seem to think that I know everything. I don't, I swear. I just take the time to sit down and watch others. You can learn a lot by just watching.

I watched as Harry's crush on Severus developed. I don't think even Harry himself knows where those feelings came from. Love tends to escape in crazy places sometimes.

I didn't know that they actually got together. I only put two and two together when Severus seemed in an even worse mood than normal, whilst Harry often seemed confused. I recognized all the signs of someone who has had his memory altered.

Then Severus came down with what he thought was a bad bout of flu. Of course, the flu he suffered from only continued and continued, leaving the staff and me worried. I soon realized that Severus wasn't ill, though. He was pregnant. It was logical - only two very powerful wizards would be able to create a child together and Harry and Severus are both very strong. When I confronted Severus about it, he wasn't terribly surprised. The thought had already occurred to him.

His decision to keep Harry in the dark was not one that I completely agreed with. Harry would be a loving parent to the child, but apparently, Severus did not think so. His reasons behind not telling Harry were valid and so I played along.

Thankfully, there are people like Ms Hermione Granger, who saw how Harry acted in the last one and a half years, since the memory charm was cast. We - and by that I mean the whole Wizarding world's population - were all expecting him to be happy once Voldemort was defeated. The happiness didn't come though. The newspapers signed it off to him being shy in public; the school's students and staff signed it off to him being overwhelmed. Only his closest friends, like Ms Granger and Mr Weasley, worried about him.

As it is, Ms Granger did not come to put the pieces together about Severus, Harry and the child they created until just recently. It is the best thing that could have happened, because I have a feeling that all that's gone wrong in the past two years will be corrected.

~~~~~

There was a soft knock on the door, but Harry ignored it, putting his pillow over his head. He lay on his bed and hoped that no one would come in. He didn't want to see anyone. They could never understand.

The door opened despite the lack of an invite.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice sounded unsure and worried.

"Leave me alone, 'Mione," Harry told her. "I don't want company."

She ignored him and sat down on the side of the bed. "What did Professor Snape say?"

Harry, who'd been facing the wall thus far, whirled around and glared at Hermione. He was about to say something, but realized that she couldn't and wouldn't understand what his problem was and he closed his mouth again. "Nothing."

Hermione raised a knowing eyebrow at him, but then her expression softened. "Harry, I know what he told you."

His eyes widened. "You know what?" he asked, his voice heavy with disbelief.

"I know what he told you," Hermione repeated. "I know Sandra is your daughter as well as Snape's."

"How the hell did you know?" Harry snapped angrily. "And for how long? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I knew because I watched you and Sandra together," Hermione bit back, knowing that the only way to get Harry to listen was to use that tone of voice. "You look so much alike it's amazing. For how long? I've known for three days and the reason I didn't tell you was that I thought Snape should be the one to tell you such an important thing."

"Was that why you let me take care so much of Sandra? To see if I was fit to be a father? Was that why you made me go give her back to Snape, rather than you?" The questions were yelled and they came quickly, accusingly.

"I wanted you to interact with your daughter for a bit. Perhaps if you'd become fond of her already, it would be easier for you to learn to love her like a daughter," Hermione shouted back. "I wanted to force Snape into telling you, so yes, that was why I made you go return her!"

When Hermione stopped, the room suddenly fell very silent. Harry's chest heaved in anger, his cheeks were red and he glared at Hermione. She only watched him, her expression softening.

"She's a miracle, Harry," she said softly. "I've read about male pregnancies. They only happen when the wizards are both very powerful - and when they love each other."

The silence was heavy between them.

"Why did he have to change my memory?" Harry asked unhappily, eyes cast down as though he was about to cry. "Why did he make me think that I still hated him? I haven't hated him since fifth year, 'Mione."

Hermione reached out and touched his cheek. "I know," she said, although she hadn't been aware of the fact. "He thought it was for the best. He thought that it was all just a mistake, that night. You were drunk and did something you'd regret later. He didn't want you to have to regret anything. He loves you, Harry."

A single tear trickled down Harry's cheek. "I'm really stupid, aren't I?" he asked. "Just running away from him like that."

"Actually, he's the one who's been stupid," Hermione said, reaching out her hand to touch Harry's cheek. "But it's not beyond repair. Go down to him. He'll be glad to see you."

Harry smiled resolutely. "Actually, that is exactly what I'm going to do," he said. He got up off the bed and walked over to the door. One hand on the doorknob, he turned back to his best friend. "Oh, 'Mione, do me a favour?"

"Sure," Hermione said.

"Don't tell Ron just yet."

They shared evil grins.

~~~~~

Severus Snape

The idea that I was pregnant first occurred to me when I was about two months along. For several weeks, I'd been throwing up in the morning. My body felt strange, different somehow and my mood was - like I know everyone else noticed - even worse than usual.

I knew what it was likely to mean. I am a very powerful wizard - and Harry Potter is certainly a strong one as well.

Strangely, the thought didn't alarm me as much as I think it should have. Instead, it was comforting to know that even though I would never have Harry himself again, I still had something that he'd been part of creating. Sandra was a miracle - her second name, Mirari, means just that. Miracle.

Through the almost full nine months that I carried her, she was a comfort to me. I have never been one to share my thoughts with anyone. The baby inside of me was different, though. I sat at night, especially at the end of my term, and talked to her. When she was born, I loved her immediately. Even my love for Harry cannot compete with the feeling I have inside every time I see her. She's my sunshine and I wonder every day what I did without her.

I know, I sound like the sap I swore I would never become. I just can't help it.

My love for Harry developed completely different. It came creeping over me, an inch at the time. First the slight pride inside at the end of his fourth year when he, yet again, managed to get away from Voldemort alive. I swear, he has more lives than any cat I have ever known.

During the fifth year, the war began for real. I saw him fighting every day, to keep up with schoolwork, friends and the hero-image that he had to live up to. I gave him many detentions and during one of them, we actually began talking. A civil conversation. After that, my admiration of the teen grew, although I could never allow myself to feel anything more than just the platonic adoration.

Not until that night.

The night when Harry came to me, crawled into my bed and began with the make-out session of my life.

The night when Sandra was created.

In the morning, I woke up early. Harry was still in a deep sleep, his arms wrapped around me as though he didn't want to let me go. I realized that Harry had been drunk when he came down to my quarters and if he woke up in the same bed as me, I thought he would be disgusted with himself and hate me. I didn't want that for him and so I cast the memory charms on him and took him up to the Gryffindor tower. A first-year was leaving through the portrait just when we came, so we slipped through before it closed. I placed Harry on the couch in the empty common room. He was still sleeping and would continue to do so for another hour, at least.

I placed a last kiss on his famous forehead before I left.

Now Harry stands before me and all I can say to myself is, what an idiot I have been!

~~~~~

Severus looked frightened. It amused Harry, for he had never seen the Potions Master scared of anything before. His face would always be set in the same deep scowl. But now, his eyes darted from Sandra, who was playing on the floor, to Harry who stood before him.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" he dared to ask Harry.

"Yes," Harry replied simply. "I had a talk with Hermione."

Severus groaned inwardly and couldn't help the comment, "Why am I not surprised?"

"It seems she knew about - this -" he motioned at Sandra "- and she forced you to tell me." He paused and met Severus look. "Is that the truth?"

"She told me that I should tell you," Severus sighed. He was suddenly so very tired. "She said that she would tell you otherwise."

"So you wouldn't have told me this at all if it hadn't been for 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"I didn't want you to be... ashamed, Harry."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "You said you'd read up on male pregnancies," he said. "'Mione did too. Wouldn't you have found the same thing?"

Severus looked at him and tried to understand.

"She found," Harry began, "That for a male pregnancy to happen, it takes two very powerful wizards - which we are. But, there's another thing that's needed." He paused. "The two wizards need to love each other."

Severus couldn't help the gasp at the words, his eyes widening.

"Didn't you hear me when I said that I've had a crush on you since fifth year?" Harry asked, shaking his head. "It wasn't just a crush, or at least it developed into something more. I fell in love with you." He emphasized the last words as much as he could.

"I've been an idiot, haven't I?" Severus said, sighing.

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed. "A total, complete idiot! And you know what?"

"What?" Severus asked, afraid of what Harry was going to say next.

"I still love you!"

Deciding to throw his shy image away for a moment, Harry stalked over to Severus and captured his mouth in a searing kiss. It felt even better than it had a year and a half ago. Their tongues played, fighting for dominance and exploring as much as they could, whilst their hands and arms circled each other and pulled closer.

When they broke apart, they were both panting.

"Now you only need to tell me one thing," Harry said.

"That I love you?" Severus asked.

"No," Harry said. He smiled coyly. "How soon we can get a baby-sitter."

This time, the sound echoing down the corridors was the sound of Sandra Mirari Snape as she clapped her hands and giggled at her parents.

~~~~~

End

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This fanfic was inspired by a challenge. It is not exactly a response to that challenge, because I changed how I wanted it to be written (using both first-person and third-person narrative, and changing between present and past), as well as some of the story. I liked the idea, though, and it is what made me write the fic. Here is the challenge:

Challenge # 17 on Blooddance.com:

Severus has a young child... Potter finds out by accident that Sev actually carried the baby and what's more, that Potter is the 'other father' involved in the baby's creation. Basically He fucked - then fucked off X-number of years before! The Mpreg story is to be told through the remembrances of the other characters around the fic (Like Minerva, Albus, Ron, Mione etc) Everyone has their own sharp memory of Severus being pregnant. Some good, some bad, some down right awful! All the while Potter is also trying to get close to Sev and the child. It's up to you how Sev feels about that! If you go down the Potter is the other father line - explain how Black and Lupin feel about things and why they either never knew Sev had had Potter's child, or why they kept this news to themselves.

Final author's notes: Well, my betas thought I could end the story here. Hopefully you agree. You get to imagine Ron's response and everyone else's surprise yourselves, because I have no continuation for the story.

Please tell me what has been good and bad about this story. Constructive criticism is always very welcome. :) Any other comments are also very welcome.

I'm glad I've opened some people's eyes to the world of Mpreg. It's a big huge wonderful world out there! :) Lol. I am actually writing another one, but that one is HP/DM pairing instead (just like TooP). If anyone is interested in betaing, feel free to email me. Just put "Betaing HP/DM fanfic" in the subject area, or I may delete it, thinking it to be spam. My email: [email protected]

Um... anything else? Well, yes - a big huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed! This was my first HP/SS and my first Mpreg, so I didn't know how people would like it. Although some have been a bit iffy towards the subject of Mpreg, and others to the pairing, most of the responses have been positive. So a huge thank you to my readers! Love ya... :)

Cam