Ginny
Harry kissed me gently on the lips. We were in the seventh-year boys’ dormitory, and we both had a break between classes. I was fifteen, he was sixteen. Actually, he had just turned sixteen in July. It was only a week into the school year. We had started dating at the beginning of the summer. Ron was okay with it, surprisingly. He was a little wary around us when we were holding hands, but other than that, he was actually a little happy. 
Flashback
Harry’s fingers twisted in my hair, pulling me closer to him. I smiled into his lips as his caressed mine. The moment was perfect. The sun was shining through my bedroom window, causing dust moats to float around us like fairy dust. The heat of the rays warmed us, glinting off of Harry’s glasses, which he had tossed onto my bed. The smell of his cologne was everywhere. I couldn’t think of anything but him. The taste of him, his smell, the feel of his hair in my fingers.
Our glorious moment was over as soon as it had come. The door flew open, and we flew apart. I looked around frantically. My brother Ron was standing in the doorway, looking stunned. My temper began to rise. “Why didn’t you knock? Don’t you know that you can’t just go bursting into people’s rooms like that!?”
He just stood there and stared. Finally, he spoke. “Well it’s about time you two got together! Here I was, thinking it would never happen and now here you are, and…. And… I think I’ll just, er… leave you two to yourselves, then.” He cleared his throat and closed the door behind him. Harry and I watched the door, half-shocked, half-relieved. I started to laugh. That went better than I thought it would.
End of Flashback
I remembered that day, three months ago. This moment was almost exactly like the first. The sun was streaming in through the open dormitory window, its beams washing over our skin and soaking in through our robes. I pulled away, unwillingly, from Harry’s face to check my watch. “We have to get going,” I said, sighing. I kissed him one last time and hopped off of his bed, going to the bathroom to check my hair and makeup. I met him down in the common room. “We’ll pick up where we left off tonight,” I promised him. He grinned at me.
“I sure hope so.” We walked through the portrait hole together and parted ways. Harry had potions with Slughorn. I had double Transfiguration with McGonagall. Transfiguration was a subject I had always excelled in. I hurried to the classroom and took my seat next to Colin Creevy.  Professor McGonagall was at the front of the room already, waiting for the class to quiet down so we could start.
“Today, we will be practicing a vanishing charm. You will be given several different objects to practice on, each easier or more difficult than the others, depending on the size or density of the object in question.”  She waved her wand and four different things appeared in front of each of us; a pitcher of water, a pillow, a large book, and a heavy silver toaster. “Now, I want you to repeat this after me. The spell is, Evanesco. Repeat.”
“Evanesco,” we echoed. McGonagall nodded her head, and then lifted her wand in the air, pointing it at a book on her desk. “Now, the wand motion is a small clockwise semi-circle and a downwards flick. Observe.”  We all craned our necks to see her perform the charm. She made sure we were all watching and cleared her throat. “Evanesco.”  Her wand twirled through the air. Before our eyes, the book vanished into thin air. “Go on, I want you to practice. Each time one of your objects vanishes, it will be replaced with something more difficult. And when it comes to the water, make the water in the pitcher vanish first, and then the pitcher itself.” 
I turned to the items on my desk and picked up my wand. I concentrated on the movement of the wand and speaking clearly. “Evanesco!”  The water in the glass pitcher rippled, but stayed where it was. I tried again. “Evanesco!”  This time, the water level dropped, but it did not disappear entirely. I sighed and tried one more time. As I said the charm, the water vanished completely. Not one drop of moisture remained. I smiled triumphantly and successfully Vanished the pitcher. 
McGonagall nodded approvingly at me. “Ten points to Gryffindor.” The rest of the lesson went like this. A lot of the objects took a few tries to vanish, but some disappeared right away. Points for Houses were earned right and left. It was a pretty fun lesson, in my opinion.
When I left the classroom two hours later, it was time for dinner. I had told Harry that I would meet him in the Great Hall for dinner. I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way to the Great Hall, Colin tagging along beside me and discussing the lesson. “Maybe I can try vanishing Dennis sometime, huh?” I laughed at him. I knew that he and his brother were a lot alike, but sometimes Dennis got on Colin’s nerves. 
“Sometimes I wish I could vanish my brothers, too,” I said. Just as we reached the Great hall, Dennis Creevy came rushing up to Colin, his hand bandaged. He began telling his brother excitedly about an accident in Potions. I smiled and went to find Harry. He was sitting across from Ron and Hermione. I took the empty seat next to him, kissing him on the cheek. He playfully kissed back. I heard a noise behind us. I turned around to see a Ravenclaw prefect tapping her shoe against the floor. 
“No PDA,” she said snobbishly. 
“Um…what?” I said, confused. The girl rolled her eyes and put on a look of disgust.
“Public displays of affection.” Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.               
“There aren’t really school rules about ‘PDA’ or whatever, as long as we’re not having sex on the table or anything. Mind your own business.” The girl huffed and stomped off. She seemed like the kind of person who got her way all the time and if she didn’t she threw a tantrum.
“Well, that was unusual,” I said, taking a chicken sandwich off of the silver platter in front of me. “How were your classes?” I asked Harry.
“The usual… Slughorn practically worships my potions… and then in Charms I accidentally dropped a book on Crabbe’s head. It was pretty funny, though. We were practicing the Accio charm and the spell went weak halfway across the room.” I laughed, trying to picture the scene in my head. 
We talked and laughed the rest of the meal. Hermione and Ron weren’t bickering. It was a good evening, and I was in a good mood. After dinner, there was some activity that was supposed to be going on in the Entrance Hall. It seemed like most of the school was going. I didn’t really feel like it. Never, it appeared, did Harry.
“We’re going to head up to the common room,” he told Ron and Hermione, who were going along with the rest of the school to the Entrance Hall. “Have fun.”
He grabbed my hand and we started walking through the deserted corridors. “What do you suppose the activity is?” I asked.
“Oh, I think it’s some household charm practice thing. I think they intend it to go until nine. That’s in three hours.”
“Hm…. Three whole hours to ourselves…” I said, grinning at my boyfriend. We stepped into the Common Room. As we predicted, it was empty. Harry jogged up the stairs to his dormitory, motioning for me to follow. I smiled and hurried after him. He flopped onto his bed and I tackled him, laughing. He kissed me. I willingly leaned into it and sighed. “I love you,” I whispered to him.
“I love you too, Ginny Weasley,” he replied. 
Harry
Ginny was staring into my eyes, her chocolate brown ones sparkling. The white sheet covered both of us. The curtains were drawn around the bed, with silencing charms set around us, just in case. We were breathing heavily. Ginny’s red hair was fanned out beneath her head. “I can’t believe we just did that…” she whispered.  
“I love you, Ginny,” I said. She beamed and nodded her head.
“I love you too. And that was amazing. I just can’t believe we actually did it.” Her smile grew wider. She slid out of bed and started collecting her clothes. I did the same. 
“I, um…. I’m gonna go get changed,” she said, heading to the bathroom. While she was gone, I distractedly pulled on my shirt and the rest of my clothing. I sat on the bed and waited for her, pulling the curtains around the bed back. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to flatten it. I knew I had no chance in that, though, so I gave up. Ginny came out of the bathroom, her lip-gloss freshly applied, her hair brushed. “What time is it?” she asked. I glanced at my bedside clock. 
“It’s ten fifteen,” I replied. Wow. Ten fifteen?
“Ten fifteen? You mean it’s been four hours?! Where is everyone?” We crept to the doorway. I opened the door and we looked down the stairs. People were in the common room. I thanked Merlin that they had decided to stay down there and not come up to the dormitory. “Wow, Gin, we were lucky,” I said. 
We tried to sneak down the stairs nonchalantly. A few people noticed us, though. Including Ron and Hermione. They were on a couch near the fireplace. Ginny and I approached them, sitting on the couch next to theirs. “So… how was the activity?” Ginny asked them.
“It ended an hour ago,” Hermione said, “but it was useful. You two have been upstairs for awhile,” she said suspiciously. Ron raised his eyebrows. I saw Ginny’s face turn a light shade of pink. 
“Er, yeah, we were just talking,” I told them. Ron snorted and looked skeptically at me. 
Ginny quickly changed the subject to the scheduled Hogsmeade trip in two weeks. I gratefully jumped in to the conversation, not wanting Ron and Hermione to catch on to anything.
It was the middle of November. Almost three months since term started. I was sitting in History of Magic, thinking about the previous night that Ginny and I shared together. I smiled to myself. She hadn’t been feeling good, and I wanted to cheer her up. It certainly worked… but she was still feeling under the weather. 
At lunch, she didn’t eat much. “I think I have a cold or some sort of bug going around,” she reassured me. She had a few small spoonfuls of tomato soup, and pushed her bowl away. “I’ll be right back.” She jumped up off of the bench and walked out of the Great Hall, I gazed worriedly after her. 
But then Ron engaged me in a conversation about Quidditch, and I convinced myself that Ginny was fine. She returned ten minutes later. “I got sick,” she explained to me. She had a thin sheen of sweat on her face, and she was a little pale. “Gin, you should go rest and take the rest of the day off. Or go up to Madam Pomfrey. She can give you a pick-me-up,” I told her. 
So after lunch, I walked her up to the Infirmary, after we both got excused from class. “I’m feeling a little better,” she said to me as we reached the Hospital Wing. I wondered if she was just trying to get out of visiting the nurse.
Madam Pomfrey had her sit on a cot in the middle of the cavernous sanatorium. “Now, dear, tell me your symptoms.
“Well, it’s been going on for about two weeks. Mostly just my stomach and a slight headache. I feel a little sick when I wake up, and then a little better after I eat something at lunch… I don’t know, maybe it’s dehydration?”
Madam Pomfrey dug around in a box and held up a vial of blue liquid. “Now, if you have a virus, or if dehydration is the case, then you will be feeling better the second you take it. If you don’t have any of those things, then no harm will be done, but you will still feel the same.”
She handed Ginny the potion. Ginny put it to her lips and gulped it down. She grimaced at the taste, and set the glass vial down. “I still feel the same,” she said hesitantly.  The nurse raised her eyebrows and took the empty vial. 
“Miss Weasley, may I ask when your last menstrual cycle was?”  Ginny’s eyes got big, and she turned even paler. “Um… in September, I think,” she said timidly. I squeezed her hand.
“Take this potion, please.” The nurse handed Ginny a thick purple potion. Ginny swallowed it and looked up at Madam Pomfrey. “I feel better,” she whispered.
“Yes, that’s because I gave you a potion for morning sickness,” Madam Pomfrey said, her lips pursed. She gave Ginny a stern look. 
I realized I was trembling slightly, in shock. Ginny was shaking, too. Her eyes were rounder than before, and she was as white as a ghost. “So you mean… if I’m feeling… because I have morning….I’m pregnant?” she finally finished. 
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” the nurse said, “I must go fetch the Headmaster immediately.” She hurried out of the room. I sat on the bed next to Ginny and pulled her into my arms. She started to cry. “Harry, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault… I’m so sorry, I’m sorry…” I rocked her back and forth, whispering soothing words to her. In five minutes, Dumbledore came sweeping into the room, a flustered Madam Pomfrey and a mad Professor McGonagall in his wake.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley,” he said kindly. Ginny wiped at her eyes and sat up in my arms. She gazed at the Headmaster, bracing herself for a punishment. 
“I heard the diagnosis of your being under the weather,” he said. “May I ask who the father is? I already have an inkling of whom… but just to confirm.” His eyes sparkled at me. I gazed down, ashamed. 
“Harry,” Ginny said. I squeezed her gently. Dumbledore nodded at the two of us. 
“Are you quite sure?”
“Y-yes, Professor, Harry was the only one, I’m sure of it, and I-I’m sorry…” she broke off, leaning into my chest. I stroked her hair.
“Your parents must be informed right away, I’m afraid. I shall write to them at once. Miss Weasley, would you like to write a letter, as well? I’m sure Mr. Potter will help you.”
Ginny nodded and let a few more tears escape. She could save the crying for later, when we were alone. Dumbledore smiled gently at us, and left the room. McGonagall gave Ginny a look between pity and firmness. She, too, left. Ginny and I stood up to leave. Madam Pomfrey handed her three flasks of the purple potion. “Take a mouthful every time you’re feeling ill. I will need to see you back here in about two weeks. By then you will be around three months along.”
Without another word, she turned and went into her office. I took Ginny by the hand and led her up to the empty common room. Class was still in session. She collapsed on the couch as soon as we made it into the common room. I held her and let her sob into my chest. I had to assure her over and over that it was not all her fault. After all, it takes two… Soon, I knew she should start to write the letter. “You’re going to want yours to get to the Burrow around the same time Dumbledore’s does,” I told her. I really didn’t have an explanation for this; I just wanted to get it over with.
Ginny
The quill was a little unsteady in my hand. Harry pushed a piece of parchment in my direction. I dipped the quill in ink and began the shaky letter.
                     Mum, Dad,
I know you probably already heard about this from Dumbledore, but I think I should tell you straight out. I found out that I’m pregnant today. Harry is the father. I’m so so so sorry. I mean, really sorry. I know that you will probably hate me after you read this letter, and I know you have the right to. We haven’t decided what we are going to do yet. But I just hope you won’t blame the baby. Please don’t tell my brothers yet. We haven’t told anyone yet, but we will probably tell Ron and Hermione eventually. And Mum, even though you are probably furious at me, please no Howlers. I don’t want anyone else to find out yet. I’m really sorry, again. It’s all my fault. I love you, though,
Ginny   (and Harry)
I sealed it in an envelope and tied it to Harry’s owl, Hedwig. I took her to the window and watched her fly into the sun with the envelope. I breathed a sigh of relief. Well, now all I had to do was wait for the reply. The reply! That was going to be scary. Knowing my mum…..
Harry and I sat on the couch for a while, talking about our options. We talked until it was time to go down to dinner. I made sure that my hair was brushed and my makeup was fixed. 
We agreed not to tell even Ron and Hermione for at least a few days, and we settled for telling them that I was just catching a cold. They should believe us for a while.
My hands shook as I untied the envelope from the family owl’s leg. It was addressed to Harry and I. I opened it carefully, with Harry next to me. Harry pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it. It was a very short letter, in my dad’s handwriting. I knew that if Mum was the one writing it, she would have written in large, angry letters.
Dearest Ginny and Harry,
We have arranged for you two to come for the weekend- tomorrow and Sunday. We will speak with you then. We advise you tell Ron and Hermione the news today. See you both tomorrow,
Dad and Mum
“Well, that wasn’t the long and furious letter I was expecting,” I said. Harry nodded his head in agreement and rubbed my back. “I think your mum and dad are right. We need to tell Ron and Hermione.”
I glanced up at him. “Definitely Hermione first. It’s already seven o’ clock; we’d better hurry and tell them. Where is Hermione?”
“I think she said something about checking a book out of the library,” Harry answered. 
Typical Hermione. Her motto? When in doubt, go to the library. So the two of us hopped off of the couch and headed to the library. I didn’t go there that often, unless I really needed a book or a quiet place to study. 
The library was nearly empty. Harry and I walked down the main aisle, looking up and down the rows, looking for Hermione. We found her stuffing a gigantic volume into her bag. She looked up and saw us. “Potions,” she explained. “So, what’s up?”
“Um, can we go somewhere private?” I asked her. She looked around at the three people scattered around the library, all in separate corners. “How much more private can you get?” she asked. 
“I meant somewhere with no people listening in.”
“Uh, okay. Where’s Ron?”
“Detention with Snape, remember?” Harry reminded her. Ron had been a little cheeky in Defense against the Dark Arts, from what I’d heard. Hermione led the way out of the library, Madam Pince keeping a close eye on us. We walked through a few corridors, finally stopping under a large painting of Salazar Slytherin. “People don’t come here because it’s rumored that Slytherin’s ghost with come haunt them,” Hermione said. “Now. What is it that’s so important?”
“Hermione, you have to promise not to yell or get mad or anything, okay?” I asked in a shaky voice. Harry pulled me close to him.
“Of course, Ginny.” Hermione started to look worried.
“Okay. Well, I recently found out that I’m pregnant.” I carefully watched Hermione’s expression. Her hands flew to her mouth, and her eyes darted quickly to my stomach. I heard her intake of breath. “Oh, Ginny!” She wrapped me in a tight hug. I felt relieved that she didn’t fly off the handle at me. Now the real challenge will be Ron. He would probably hate Harry for a few days.
“How far along are you?”
“Almost three months,” I said. My hands rested on my stomach. After only a few days of knowing, it had become a habit. Harry and I had decided what we were going to do already.
“What are your options? What have you chosen to do?” Hermione asked. 
“We’re visiting Mum and Dad tomorrow. We’re going to talk it over with them first, and then we’ll tell you. We already have a pretty good idea of what we want to do, though. Now we have to go find Ron.”
Hermione could hear the fear in my voice. She nodded and looked at her watch. “It’s fifteen minutes to eight. Ron should be done with his detention by now.” Hermione grabbed my hand, and Harry took the other. We walked together to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. Ron was just walking out.
“Ugh, he had me scrub out jars that rotten pickled grindylow spleens were in. It was disgusting.”
“Ronald, we have to discuss something,” Hermione spoke up. Ron looked at the three of us and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, then.”
“How about the Room of Requirement?” I suggested. I definitely didn’t want anyone walking in on this conversation. Ron wouldn’t be very happy to begin with…
We walked up to the seventh floor corridor in silence. Harry went up to the blank wall and walked back and forth, thinking of the room he wanted to appear. Doors suddenly materialized in the wall. We pushed them open and stepped in. There was a fireplace with two couches, set a safe distance apart, but close enough for comfortable conversation. Harry and I sat on one couch, Ron and Hermione on the other. 
Just for extra precautions, Harry pointed his wand at the door. “Muffliato.”  He put his wand back in his pocket. “I already thought about making sure no one can get in, but just in case they can hear things…” 
I knew he, Hermione and I were sharing the same thoughts- Ron yelling so loud that my eardrums would burst… 
“So what is this all about?” my brother wondered aloud. 
“Ron, please stay calm. Please, please please. For me,” I begged him. He raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. 
“Go on,” he prompted me. 
“We didn’t mean for it to happen. It’s my fault, I wanted to… Ron, I’m pregnant.” The words came out in a rush and I cowered into Harry’s side, pressing my ear into his shoulder. I watched as Ron’s face turned from normal to pink, pink to light red, light red to deep red. “You’re WHAT?!” He jumped up from the couch. Hermione acted quickly, drawing her wand.
“Protego!”  The invisible shield erupted between the two couches. I could feel its presence. Ron exploded.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU’RE FIFTEEN, GINNY; DO YOU KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK? AND YOU!” He pointed his finger at Harry.
“YOU KNOCKED UP MY BABY SISTER! SOME BEST FRIEND, WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST GO AND MESS WITH HER AND IT WOULD BE FINE BY ME? I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, I SWEAR, POTTER!” I could feel the hot tears running down my face. I stood up and got as close to the barrier as I could. 
“Stop it, Ron! It’s not all his fault. It takes two people to make a baby, remember? I’m not a child! I’m only a year younger than you are, you remember that!”
“Shut up, Ginny!” he yelled at me. I glanced at the doors. They were on my side of the shield. I jumped up and ran out of them, Harry close behind me. “Gin, wait!” I heard him call behind my shoulder.

                     *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
It was eight o’ clock exactly. Harry and I were standing in Dumbledore’s office, watching the tip of his wand touch a ratty old book he had taken down from his shelves. The book started glowing blue. “Off you go, I will see you two again on Monday.”
We said our goodbyes, and then, together, put our forefingers on the book. I felt the familiar tug behind my navel, and we were whirling away. I didn’t really like the feeling of traveling by Portkey, but hey…
My feet landed on solid ground, and I heard Harry land next to me. The sun shone brightly off of the snow on the ground. White powder dusted the roof (well, roofs) of the Burrow. We walked hand in hand down the lane. The pigs were in their magically heated pen, the chickens still asleep in their coop. I felt joy at seeing the big house, but also a deep dread of what awaited us inside.
Dad came to the door first. He pulled me into a hug and shook Harry’s hand, although I realized he had a certain look in his eye. Mum was in the kitchen, her hands on her hips. “Have you had breakfast?” she asked us, not warmly nor coldly. 
I shook my head, eyeing the food-laden table. It all smelled amazing. Of course it did. It was Mum’s cooking.
“Well, you better fill up, with your condition,” she said to me. I nodded silently and took a seat, Harry sitting down next to me. He filled my plate with eggs, toast, sausage, fruit, and bacon. All of my favorites, actually. I smiled at him and started to eat, the queasy feeling in my stomach still there. I dug in my bag and pulled out a vial of purple potion, taking it quickly. Mum and Dad were both looking at me questioningly. “Morning sickness,” I said shortly. 
Mum pursed her lips but said nothing more. Harry and I ate in silence. When the last morsel of food was consumed, the last drop of tea drunk, we stood. I decided to try and soften Mum up. “Thanks, Mum, it was good.” Harry agreed with me. A small smile twitched at her lips, and she walked into the sitting room. I took it as a cue to follow. Harry was right behind me, and Dad was behind him. 
Mum was sitting down on one of the old couches. Dad took his place next to her. That left one of the other three couches to Harry and I. We chose the one across from Mum and Dad. I curled up into Harry’s side. He wrapped his arms around me, trying to comfort me. No one said anything for a while. I could tell Mum was trying to control her temper. Dad was the one who spoke first.
“Ginny, we would like you to understand how disappointed we are in you,” he said.
“Extremely disappointed,” Mum broke in. I cringed. Dad continued, his eyes relaxing a little. 
“We want you to tell us exactly what you plan to do with this baby.”
“You should have waited until you were married!” Mum said. Dad put his hand on her back, turning to her. “Now, Molly, we have to handle this rationally.”
He looked at Harry. “I must admit I was a little shocked, Harry. That you and Ginny were so irresponsible. But it will make things easier to hear that you will take care of our little girl.”
Harry’s head hung a little. “I know it’s mostly my fault for what happened…” I pinched his leg, trying to remind him that it was not his fault. We had been disagreeing on that.
“But I will let you know that I plan to take care of Ginny and the baby and protect them as best as I can. I will take responsibility for my actions.”
I knew it was my turn to speak. “Mum, Dad… we’ve decided what we want to do. We are going to keep the baby, and we want to get married as soon as possible. It will be what’s best for the baby. We’ll take care of it, you don’t have to help us at all… we can find our own place to live, too.”
I was crying by now. Mum’s stern look dissolved for a moment. “I’m glad to hear that you’re making sensible decisions, but what makes you think we aren’t going to help with the baby? Besides, it deserves all of the attention it can get. If you two want to move out after the child is born, that is your choice. But…. It would make me happy to have my first grandchild so near.”  I stood up and ran to Mum. She took me into her arms. I sat on her lap like a child, sobbing into her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen.”  She stroked my hair and whispered into my ear. “Ginny, baby, did you think we would neglect you because you made such a poor decision? We still love you and Harry, and you’re showing maturity right now. Don’t think that we won’t care for you as much as we used to. This is our grandchild we’re talking about. Isn’t that right, Arthur?”
Dad smiled. “That’s right.” I got up and went to hug Dad. Mum called Harry over, and she wrapped him into a motherly hug. “Well, we have plans to make, now don’t we?”