Evermore

Chapter Eleven: So Far Beyond My Reach

Ginny stepped through the flames and into Longbottom Lodge, located about five hours away from the Burrow in Devon. She had sent along her Patronus to Luna, with instructions to gather up Rolf and Dean, and to meet her at the lovely estate where Draco and Neville now resided. It was a rare day off from Hogwarts that balmy Monday in late-May, and with Draco so far along in his pregnancy, he was encouraged not to do more than absolutely necessary. Ginny found Draco and Neville in the beautiful, open sitting room of Longbottom Lodge, and traipsed into the room, and they mutually looked up at her with pleasant expressions, Draco's swollen feet and ankles being tended to by Neville's considerate fingers.

"This is a nice surprise," Neville said.

"You all right?" Draco asked.

Ginny sighed, moving to the finely upholstered chair beside the couch where Draco and Neville sat and moved to sit as well. "It's not me, today at least," she said with a small sigh. "By the way, I've sent my Patronus to Luna, and she, Dean, and Rolf are on the way."

"What's going on?" Draco wanted to know, his expression concerned.

Ginny worried her lip. "Look, it's a situation of helping a friend, even though this may not be my information to tell. But we're all friends with this person, and I know that bouncing some ideas off of one another isn't necessarily a bad thing..."

"Is it Harry?" Neville asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, it's Harry."

No sooner had Ginny spoken those words than did Dean, Luna, and Rolf come into the sitting room from the main fireplace in the front room of the house. Dean moved so that he was sitting on the arm of Ginny's chair, while Luna and Rolf chose to occupy a loveseat opposite them. It took a moment of silence—which included customary greetings, with Dean kissing Ginny's temple good-naturedly—before Ginny spoke again.

"I've called us together because something is going on with Harry," she said softly. "He came to see me earlier this afternoon, and, in fact, just left the Burrow a few moments ago," she said, all in one breath. "He was devastated."

"Devastated?" Luna asked. "Why, I wonder?"

Ginny swallowed then, knowing that she could trust her friends. "Harry is gay," she said quietly, and they all looked around at one another for a moment, while Ginny allowed that very true fact to sink in. "And his lover wants nothing to do with him, or their child."

"Their child?!" Draco cried out. "Harry's pregnant, too?!"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. He's only about four and a half months along now, but he's very clearly pregnant and feeling desolate."

"No wonder," Dean put in. "Do Ron and Hermione know?"

Ginny sighed. "I assume so, yes," she replied. "The thing of it is... Well, the other father of the child, as it were... He and Harry must have been in love at one point. At least, Harry is still very much in love with him, but his lover..."

"Who is it?" Rolf asked, speaking up for the first time. "Harry's lover?"

"It's Snape," Ginny said softly.

"Snape?!" Draco demanded, looking shocked, but not angry. "Well. No wonder."

"What do you mean?" Neville asked.

Draco sighed. "Father was the first one to see him when he woke up at the hospital. He was visiting someone there—didn't tell me who—and was walking by Snape's room when he first woke up. Snape was all disoriented and wanted to know how he'd gotten there; of course, Father didn't know that information, but did his best to calm him down. Father was over here earlier, to check in," Draco went on, smoothing his hands over his stomach, "and it seems that Snape didn't appear to be...well, normal."