Beyond Fear

When Luna's house was ready, she decided to move in immediately, even though there was nothing inside except white walls. She entered the house and stood in the middle of the living room, as if completely lost. Harry wanted to put her in a cocoon and protect her from any pain. So he did the only thing he could do: he walked over to her and held her hand.

"Together." He said softly, and her only response was to squeeze his hand.

In the following days, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville helped Luna get furniture for her house, even though she insisted on second-hand furniture that seemed not to match and had clearly seen better days. Though this irritated everyone else, like when she insisted on buying a floral couch that looked like it was from the previous century, he secretly felt joy seeing a little of the old Luna, her eccentricity, and even her dreamy nature.

Harry tried to offer to pay for some furniture, after all, it was his child's house, but Luna refused in a way that left no room for argument.

The house wasn't completely furnished, but it had the essentials, and over time, she would take care of the rest. After the last shopping night, they all ate the food Molly had sent, sitting on the living room floor. When everyone began to leave, he informed them he would stay a little longer, which wasn't received without a deep look from Hermione and a frown from Ginny, who had begun to show a somewhat possessive attitude whenever Luna was around. He didn’t understand why, as Luna was his friend just like the others.

When everyone left, it was just him and Luna left to clean the dishes, which they did in silence.

“Tea?” She asked when they finished.

“Yes, of course.”

With their cups in hand, they both sat on the couch.

“I think Ginny didn’t like that you stayed.” Luna hadn’t lost her trait of being completely direct and honest.

“She’s just confused because I stayed behind.” He tried to soften it, hoping Luna hadn’t noticed how Ginny never left his side or interfered in their conversation.

“We know it’s not just that, Harry, she’s jealous.” There was no judgment in the statement, just an observation.

Harry took a deep breath. “I don’t know why, you’re my friend like everyone else.”

“Well, you’ve been a bit protective of me, not letting me pick anything up or do any effort.” Harry blushed a little because he thought no one had noticed. “You know, I’m pregnant, not sick,” she smiled.

“I know, but we have to be careful.” He hid his face in the cup so she wouldn’t see his warm cheeks.

“You need to tell her. My belly will show soon.” She placed her hand on her stomach with a smile that was exclusive for when she talked about the baby.

“I know. That’s why I stayed, I wanted to talk to you about what I can share, what you feel comfortable with.” He looked at her, searching for any sign of discomfort.

She looked away, her face darkening, obviously thinking about what had happened. He moved closer and held her hand.

“I wouldn’t want everyone to know, I’ve always dealt with some condescension from people and it didn’t bother me, but I think I can’t handle the pitying looks I’ll get if everyone knows.” She looked at him so vulnerably.

“I understand, Luna, and I’ll never do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I’ll only say what you allow.” He tried to show that he was serious.

“Thank you, Harry. I know I’ve put you in an uncomfortable and completely difficult situation, I can’t apologize enough and...”

“No.” He interrupted her speech. “Never apologize for what happened between us, never apologize for our child. I don’t regret anything that happened, and I would do it all again.” She nodded in agreement, and they sat in silence for a while.

“However, I think the people you love deserve the truth from you. So you can tell Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. It’ll be easier for them to understand. Though I think it won’t be easy with Ginny.”

She included Ginny as one of the people he loved, and for some reason, that surprised him. He’d never thought about whether he loved her. She was his friend, and he didn’t deny that he liked her a little more than in a friendly way, but to say that he loved her... he wasn’t sure that’s how he felt.

“Thanks, Luna.” He said softly, placing his arm around her while she rested her head on his shoulder, and they sat in comfortable silence.

That night was hard to sleep. He tried to imagine what his friends would say, whether they would support him or be angry. Harry tried to prepare for Ginny’s temperament. He knew it would hurt her and that there was a possibility she might never want him again, but this thought didn’t panic him as he expected. The truth was, despite the fear and concern, this baby was the best thing that had happened to him, even amidst the pain the war had brought him; the joy this baby brought was growing stronger, like a light in the middle of the darkness. He wanted everyone he cared about to see this, how important it was for him to be the father of this baby. He would finally have his family, even if it wasn’t conventional... But this baby was his. His and Luna’s.

When Harry called Ron and Hermione to talk and led them to Ron’s room in the Burrow, he thought he would be nervous, but he was incredibly calm. He wanted his friends to understand and support him, but he was also ready to defend his child and Luna, no matter who it was.

When they entered the room, Hermione already looked worried, which only worsened when she saw Harry put the locking and silencing spell on the door.

“Harry... what happened?”

“Calm down, Mione, let him speak.” Ron intervened, placing a hand on Hermione’s arm.

“Thanks, Ron. What I want to say is very important to me, so I’m asking that you listen until the end, and only then speak.” Harry’s tone was very serious when he said it. “Is that okay, Ron?” He knew his friend could be explosive and impulsive, and this was a situation that could trigger that.

“Okay, Harry.” He blushed slightly when he said this.

Harry thought about how he would say this to his friends and concluded that he would get straight to the point.

“Luna is pregnant.”

Immediately, his friends turned pale. Hermione put her hand over her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears.

“My God, Harry... Malfoy...” Her voice was weak, and he could see Ron’s face turn to hatred.

Just hearing the name, hatred flared up in Harry, but it wasn’t as strong as the memory of him casting Cruciatus on Malfoy when he appeared in the Room of Requirement. Harry had never felt so much hatred in his life. While casting the Cruciatus, he fell on top of Malfoy and only stopped punching his face when he was motionless on the floor, and Ron was pulling him off. Hermione watched it all in shock, which was quickly replaced when that idiot Crabbe conjured the cursed fire, and they left Malfoy’s body to burn, if he wasn’t already dead.

Breathing deeply to push away the hatred, Harry continued.

“No, Mione, she’s pregnant with me.” There, it was said!

If the situation weren’t so serious, he might have burst out laughing. Harry had never seen his friends so shocked. Hermione was speechless, and even Ron didn’t know how to react. Their mouths were open in disbelief.

Harry decided to use the silence to explain everything that had happened between him and Luna. This was a very intimate moment between him and Luna, and he felt some discomfort in exposing her vulnerability like this. His only comfort was knowing that she had allowed it, and these were Ron and Hermione, his best friends.

When Harry finished everything he had to say, everyone remained in absolute silence. As Harry predicted, it was Hermione who broke the silence a while later.

“That’s why you went crazy when Luna showed up at Hogwarts.” She said, as if speaking to herself, putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

“Yes, that wasn’t a safe place for them.”

It didn’t go unnoticed the furrowed brows of both when Harry spoke, including the baby.

“You have nothing to say, Ron?” Harry looked at his friend, who was strangely quiet.

“Dude... you’re 17 and got a girl pregnant who isn’t even your girlfriend... Mom’s gonna kill you.” He looked horrified.

Suddenly, the three of them looked at each other and then burst out laughing, and Harry knew everything would be fine.

Once they calmed down, Hermione spoke again.

“So, are you going to handle this as friends?” Her gaze was scrutinizing.

“We are friends, but now we’re also parents.” He tried not to show the confusion inside him.

“Ginny is going to kill you.” That was all Ron said.

“I know. I’m going to tell her too. Luna doesn’t want everyone to know the details of what happened with her, and I understand and respect that, but she said it was fair for me to tell you and Ginny.”

“I’m glad she allowed you to tell us.” Hermione seemed thoughtful, then did what she had been doing for 7 years: worrying about him. “Harry, how are you dealing with this?”

Harry reflected for a second.

“Honestly? I’m terrified. What if I’m not a good dad? But at the same time, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I already love him so much... Anyway, I’m going to have my family, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Harry’s voice didn’t hide the emotion.

Hermione hugged him tightly. “Of course, you’ll be a great dad, and Luna will be a great mom, and we’ll be with you.”

Harry looked at Ron over Hermione’s shoulder, and he gave a sign of agreement.

Telling Ginny was completely different. When he announced that Luna was pregnant, she immediately knew it was his (since she didn’t know what Luna had gone through at the Malfoy mansion). She screamed and made him have to cast shield charms against her curses. She looked so angry, and this honestly surprised him. Of course, he knew her temper, but he had hoped she would at least try to listen. However, what made him more uncomfortable was when she started insulting Luna; the words were so low that he wondered if she had forgotten who Luna was, and that she was her friend. Before his own temper exploded, he stopped her from going further, threatening to silence and bind her.

Harry wanted to leave and just let her be, but he knew he owed her an explanation. So, when she finally quieted down, still glaring at him, he told her the whole story, avoiding the details. Her face calmed down by the end, and she sat silently for a long time, looking out the window. He let her adjust to the idea, so he didn’t say anything. She would speak when she was ready.

“Is she just your friend?” Her voice was a little hoarse from all the yelling.

“Yes.” He immediately felt uncertain with this statement. Luna was more than a friend, she was the mother of his child, and he couldn’t deny that when she told him about the baby, he briefly thought, even if only for a moment, that there might be more than just a sibling-like love. But he couldn’t tell Ginny that, especially because he didn’t want to complicate things further by looking at that brief feeling.

Then, she did something unexpected.

She threw herself at him, just like after they won the Quidditch Cup, and kissed him passionately, reminding him why it was this girl he wanted. The kiss was intense, sending a wave of excitement throughout his body, and he was still dazed when she pulled away and said, “You’re mine, Harry Potter.”

He could only nod.

That was it. Hermione and Ron knew. He and Ginny were together again. Now all that was left was to tell Molly.

That night, during dinner, he said he had something important to say.

He felt Ginny tense beside him.

When he informed her that Luna was pregnant, the silence at the table was deafening. The only person who didn’t seem shocked was Fleur, but when he said it was his, Molly’s silverware clattered onto the plate. She immediately turned red, and before she could give the longest lecture of the century, he hurried through the explanation.

“Luna suffered a lot at the Malfoy mansion, and I suffered a lot all these years. She’s my friend, and we were terrified of the war to come, and even if just for a second, we needed something to hold onto.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and he could see an encouraging smile from Hermione across the table.

Still, Molly Weasley wouldn’t be easily bent, even though her expression softened after the explanation.

“Harry Potter, you’re seventeen years old and got a girl pregnant who isn’t even your girlfriend (at this point, she looked at Ginny since no one had missed that they walked in holding hands). You must have lost your mind! Arthur, didn’t you tell him how things work?”

At this point, Arthur was shocked because he had tried to have this conversation with Harry and Ron but it hadn’t gone well. Ron tried to hide his laughter, and Hermione blushed slightly on her cheeks, while he turned redder than the Weasley hair.

To everyone’s surprise, George, who always kept quiet and downcast, intervened with a small smile. “I remember me and Fred teaching you a certain spell.”

As Harry turned even redder, there was a brief silence, when everyone, except Molly, who was very concerned, and Ginny, who was tense, burst into laughter.

Molly, trying to hide a small smile, became serious. “You’re not getting away, Harry Potter, even though you’re a teenager, you’re going to take care of this baby and Luna! A pregnant woman needs care!” She had a firm voice but avoided looking at Ginny when she said the last part.

Immediately, he became serious. “Mrs. Weasley, even though the circumstances weren’t ideal, there is nothing in this world I love more than this baby. I’ve never had a father, but I’ve always dreamed of being one, and I will give everything I have to be a good one. Just as I will take care of Luna.”

She seemed pleased with the response because she nodded in agreement, then broke into a smile and within seconds was pulling him from his chair and giving him a big hug.

“I’m going to be a grandmother! I can’t believe it! I have to include him in the clock!” She seemed to remember something and left the room talking to herself.

“God help us from a Molly Weasley grandmother.” That was Arthur’s response.

Everyone returned to their meal, and Harry’s heart felt lighter than it had in days. His family accepted his baby, everything would be fine.

He immediately remembered that Luna was alone, with no one, and swore to himself he would do everything he could to show her she wasn’t alone.