A Godfather's Love (aka The Other Side of the Coin)

7 -- No Ordinary Interlude/Harry Gets A Shock

Meanwhile, the other lovers were discussing the other relationship one of them had.

"How are things going with Ginny?" Sirius asked, cradling his partner's unruly dark head on his shoulder and stroking his hair with one hand as they lay in bed, even as said partner's arms tightened around him. Sirius sighed contentedly, loving the warmth and fragrance close to him that signified his beloved's presence.

"Okay, so far," Harry revealed. "At the moment, she's not the problem. It's Ron."

"What's the matter with him?"

"He confronted me about not coming to the room I more-or-less share with him until late the next morning and asked--no, closer to demanded--to know why."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth. What else? I told him you'd had a nightmare and I had to help you through it."

"What was his reaction to that?"

Harry told him, but his tone was such that Sirius met his godson and lover's eyes with concern. "How do you feel?"

"I'm content with both of you," Harry assured him. "There's no reason for concern, at least not right now. I feel sure if there were, Gin would be sure to let me know, and she's not said anything."

"She may be keeping her feelings to herself so as not to upset you. You know she's quite good at that."

"Just the same, she's not one to beat around the bush once she does decide to show them," Harry countered. "Then he said that he didn't mean to butt into my personal life but had to think of his sister's happiness. I understood his concern, so I assured him that she would never lack for attention from me."

"What did he say then?"

Harry's voice trailed off ominously after telling him. "The way he said it, though ... It was as if he were threatening me."

"Sure sounded like it," Sirius agreed. "But he was upset. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Oh, he meant it, all right. I know him well enough to be able to tell that. It was all I could do not to grab my wand right then and hex him into the middle of next year, best mate or not."

"I suppose I can't blame you for that," Sirius remarked.

Harry finally mentioned the warning he had given Ron regarding his and Hermione's approaching Harry and what would happen if he didn't do it right...then mentioned the warning Ron had given him.

"He has a point," Sirius had to admit. "Remember the kind of tempers redheads have. You don't want to have their wrath brought down on you any more than absolutely necessary. Usually once is more than sufficient to make you think twice, at the very least, before doing it again. Bloody hell, I can remember one time when I inadvertently crossed your mum--and believe me, I lived to regret it. It was a wonder she didn't hex my bits off!"

Harry was curious as to just what Sirius had done to upset his mother, but he didn't seem inclined to elaborate, and Harry wasn't about to prod him into sharing it. He preferred to let him confide it voluntarily ... and at this point, he didn't choose to do so.

"I finally conceded his point--but I made sure to remind him of mine. Ron then said that he believed it safe to say that we understood each other ... at least for now. Then he asked if I'd be in the room with him in the morning. I assured him I would be--unless Gin had a nightmare, of course." Harry laughed, his emerald eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Did you discuss what he said with Ginny, too?"

"Oh yes, definitely. In essence, she said as long as we were together at least every other night, she'd be content. Just the same, I heard Ron say something to her before he realised I was there that if I didn't follow through on my promises, that my fight with Voldemort was going to look like a skirmish compared to the fight he and his brothers were going to give me on Ginny's behalf."

This provoked a laugh from the couple concerned. Then Sirius lifted his companion's chin to face him, feeling such love and desire that he didn't think it would be possible to convey the depth and intensity of it, but intending to make the best possible attempt to do so. He then proceeded to gently kiss his partner, then licked his mouth to make him open it and snogged him passionately ... and all the while he began to caress him, first tenderly, then intimately.

As time passed, their interlude became progressively more heated, inundated with the strongest desire either of them had ever felt--not to mention the strongest love two males had ever felt toward one another ... or at least the strongest non-platonic love, at any rate. With a soft moan from each as their kiss deepened further, the older man turned his younger partner beneath him and they forgot literally everything but the nearness of the other. As a result, something most unexpected would happen ... something which would surprise them both because it hadn't ever happened to two wizards (at least not in their own personal experience, much less to themselves)--and just wait until Ginny and the others found out!

* * * * *

Strangely enough, all four of them pitched in to fix the meal--and none used magic, either. Hermione said her mother had taught her, as did Ginny. Harry said he had had to learn to cook for himself (and make sure to buy his own food by owling Gringotts for money) while at the Dursleys, and Ron had learned by alternately watching Molly and Ginny. Even at that, the thing he did best was make toast.

Hermione ended up making the eggs, Ginny the bacon, and Harry both pouring the orange juice and milk and making the sausages. They knew it would shock the hell out of Molly but at the same time, it was saving her some work and her back had been paining her, not to mention at least one of her knees. Budding Healer Ginny suspected arthritis had something to do with it, but this wasn't the time to discuss medical matters. There was something more pressing they needed to talk about.

Hermione was best at table-setting, so she had Ginny watch the eggs while she set the table; nearby, Ron toasted two pieces of bread for each of them, then spread butter and strawberry jam on each, placing them on a small plate. By the time Hermione was finished setting the table and Harry had placed the OJ and milk at each place, the eggs were ready ... two for each of the girls and three for each of the guys (there were four frying pans). The sausages were finished by this time, so Harry got out another small plate and placed them on the table, within everyone's reach--three for each of them.

Shortly afterward Ron placed the toast on the table, then Hermione finished cooking the eggs after Ginny finished the bacon and placed it on the table as well. Only then did Hermione direct everyone to sit down while she served the eggs; everyone else served themselves the rest of the food. Hermione had set the pans back on the stove and seated herself, although both Harry and Ginny had caught her looking hopefully in Ron's direction that he would pull out her chair and assist her before she did so. But since he didn't, she merely sighed sadly and began serving herself.

It was just as Harry began to take a drink of his orange juice that Ginny leaned over and whispered something to Hermione. They both began giggling, and the giggles graduated to full-blown laughter a short time later. Something about a recent dream she'd had, and it had involved him. Neither Harry nor Ron had any idea what was so amusing, but both Ginny and Hermione were laughing their heads off about it. Harry set down his glass and caught his female lover's eye.

"Just what's so bloody amusing?" Harry shot at her, his emerald eyes sending daggers in her direction. "If you had a dream about me, I want to hear it."

"I don't think you'd like it, luv," she tried to warn him.

"Let me be the judge of that," he retorted. "Now tell me!"

"If you say so ...but don't say I didn't warn you." Her voice was ominously quiet even as she continued to giggle under her breath. "I dreamed you were ... pregnant."

Both Harry and Ron were too stunned to speak for a moment, and then the former finally broke the tension-filled silence. "I was what?"

"Pregnant," Ginny supplied. "In the dream, you and Sirius decided to have a child. Wizards in your situation have the means to grow extra organs, which would enable you to have children in the absence of a mother. In the dream, you were roughly six months pregnant and had to wear baggy shirts and maternity jeans--or should I say paternity jeans?"

"That was what was so funny? You saw me looking like that in your dream?"

"I couldn't help thinking that if it happened, maybe you blokes would have some idea what a woman goes through in having a baby. You mean you've not discussed it with Sirius yet?"

"Of course not! We've only been ... involved a short time. I have no idea whatsoever how he feels on the subject."

"You could ask, couldn't you?" Ginny threw back.

"I suppose so, but even if I knew he wanted one, it's far too early in the game for such a thing," Harry reminded her. "Besides, I want to have at least one child with you before that happens. At least then you could help me to know and understand what happens during a pregnancy, both emotionally and physically, so I could at least ... prepare myself for the possibility."

Harry had no idea what pregnancy involved, and he had certainly never heard of a wizard being pregnant. He would have to ask Sirius the next time they were together again ... that is, if Sirius was willing to talk rather than snog or make love. And he couldn't be sure just what his mood would be at any given time. Since their relationship was so new, it would come as a surprise if Sirius was anywhere near willing to interact verbally (and only verbally) with Harry.

"And do you know just what that means is for a wizard to become pregnant?" he finally said.

"I do--but that's really not my business. That's something that should be discussed just between you and Sirius ... at the proper time, of course. I'm sure he knows what that means is, so I suggest you ask him."

"But you're the one who brought it up," he reminded her. "How can you not tell me now?"

"Because it's not my problem," she explained.

"Not your problem? You'd bloody well better make it your problem, lady, because I'm likely to need your help, especially once we get married and if we decide to have a child."

Ginny had to admit he was right, but he still needed more information before she could offer any help. "Even at that, my earlier suggestion still stands. Find out Sirius's views on the subject and get back to me. Now may we finish our meal?"

"Yeah, sure."

Harry was still unsure of how he felt about the whole matter, and he was hesitant to approach Sirius on the subject. On the one hand, he was afraid Sirius would go for it; on the other, he was afraid he wouldn't. It was fortunate he still had the rest of the day to mull it over; one thing was for sure, it wouldn't be easy for him to do so once he saw Sirius again.

Making love was one thing, pregnancy quite another--especially since he had always been taught that it was the man who impregnated, not the one who was impregnated. Of course, he couldn't be totally surprised that the Healers in the wizarding world would find a way around that for the wizards who were gay and wanted to have children. Of course, technically they could use a surrogate mother, as in the Muggle world, but there were obviously those who preferred to grow the extra organs necessary for pregnancy themselves and bypass the surrogate.

The book offered by the Hogwarts faculty on the subject of sex said that for pregnancy to be possible, ovaries, a womb, and the joining of an egg and sperm was necessary. Perhaps some kind of potion or something prompted the growth of said organs; Harry could only speculate. He would have to sit down with Sirius and find out what he knew, where he stood on the subject--then make his decision after he'd discussed it with Ginny.

It was fortunate that their wedding was coming up within a month and that she was therefore likely to become pregnant before he did. (Of course, he couldn't have known at this point that merely beginning a romantic/sexual relationship between two wizards could prompt the body of the younger one to develop said organs, which was the gist of what Ginny knew and wouldn't tell him.) What's more, if they experienced physical joining even one more time, it was likely that he would become pregnant even before his marriage to Ginny, despite his desire for her to become pregnant first.

There was also another fact: Once a wizard became pregnant, he would be unable to impregnate a woman. Once Harry learned these things, one could only imagine what his reaction would be. He didn't know yet, of course, and would have to do some hard, serious thinking--especially if he found that it would be necessary to use contraception. That is, if there even was any such thing for those in his and Sirius's situation. He could only hope that Sirius and Ginny together would be able to answer any and all questions he was likely to come up with.