Beyond Fear

"You must be joking!" Ginny exploded.

Harry said nothing, just stepped back in desperation and began retreating from the bed.

"I can't believe you're leaving me here to go after her!" She was shouting now, but Harry didn’t notice; he simply ran out of the room and the Burrow, Disapparating the moment he cleared the protective barrier.

Harry landed in Luna's living room—the protections allowed him entry. Fear like he'd never felt before—not even when facing Voldemort—gripped him.

"Luna! Lunaa!" he started shouting, running through the house. She wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen, so he dashed up the stairs, his panic mounting.

“Luna!”

“Here, Harry.” He heard her weak voice coming from her bedroom.

Before she could finish speaking, he was already running to the room, which was empty. He then realized she was in the bathroom.

The first sight that met him as he entered was Luna, naked, lying on the floor near the shower. Once again, he found himself in a situation that, were it not for his terror, would have been highly erotic. He crouched down beside her and saw she was crying.

“Harry, I fell while getting out of the shower. My back hurts a lot; I can’t get up.” She sobbed a little more. “I think I’m bleeding, Harry. I can feel it between my legs.” Her voice was more desperate now, even though she spoke softly.

Harry looked down between her legs and saw blood. His heart shattered. Something was happening to the baby, and Luna seemed to be getting weaker.

“Luna, I’m going to levitate you slightly and wrap you in a towel, then we’ll go to St. Mungo’s, okay?”

“Please, Harry. I’m scared. I can’t lose them.”

Harry had to use every ounce of strength not to cry with her. He couldn’t lose them. Luna and the baby.

“You’ll both be fine, Lu. I promise,” he said, trying to soothe her as he levitated her gently and quickly wrapped a towel around her. On the floor, he could see a small pool of blood, and cold fear ran down his spine.

“Luna, I’m going to carry you now. It might hurt a little, but I’ll be quick.”

She just nodded, too weak to speak. Harry picked her up and descended the stairs as fast as he could without jarring her sore back. He could feel the blood soaking into the towel.

As soon as they reached the fireplace, he took her straight to St. Mungo’s. When Harry appeared in the hospital lobby, he cared about nothing except screaming for help. Luna had fainted.

“We need help! She’s pregnant!”

Within seconds, medics and nurses rushed to him with a stretcher.

“Lay her down!”

Harry wanted to hold her and never let go, but he followed their orders. As the medics pushed the stretcher down the corridors, he ran beside it, holding her hand.
“Luna, please don’t die! Please! I need you both; I need you!”

He didn’t care if he sounded desperate or pathetic—he was desperate. The most important people in his life were slipping through his fingers, and he could do nothing.

When they stopped him from entering the restricted area, he sat in the corridor, feeling defeated. He didn’t know what was happening to Luna or the baby and could only sit there and wait, while the best thing that ever happened to him was suffering.

An hour passed with no news. Harry mustered all the strength he had and sent a Patronus to Hermione, letting her know he was at St. Mungo’s with Luna. Fifteen minutes later, Hermione, Neville, and all the Weasleys (except Ginny) entered the waiting room, still dressed in their party clothes. They all looked at him, expecting an explanation. He felt so tired.

“I went home with Ginny and got a Patronus from Luna asking for help. I found her lying on the bathroom floor, naked and bleeding.” Remembering her lying there almost broke him again. “She was in a lot of pain and couldn’t get up. She fainted before we arrived here and hasn’t woken up since.” Looking down at his left arm and seeing the bloodstained sleeve, he let out a sob and was fiercely embraced by Hermione.

Harry allowed himself to break, right there in front of everyone, crying as he hadn’t let himself do all this time.

“I can’t lose her. I can’t lose them. I love them—they’re everything I have.” He kept repeating as he cried. Hermione held him until he calmed down, then he sat silently with everyone else. For a moment, he felt grateful for everyone who was there for them. His family.

Two hours after Luna had gone in, a doctor appeared in the waiting room, looking somewhat surprised at the crowd.

“Mr. Potter,” he addressed Harry, “you brought Miss Lovegood. Do you have any relation to her, or is there a relative here?”

“I’m the baby’s father.” The doctor paused for a moment. Harry didn’t even consider that this might be in the papers tomorrow—all he cared about was Luna and their child.

“Well, you can come with me then. We need to talk.”

As they walked down the corridor, Harry couldn’t contain his panic.

“Please tell me she’s okay.”

“Miss Lovegood is stable and awake.” The doctor stopped outside a room and opened the door.

Harry saw Luna sitting on the bed, wearing hospital clothes and still looking weak. In an instant, he was by her side, hugging her tightly.

“Luna…” was all he could manage to say weakly. The relief he felt was immense. She was alive.

“Hello, Harry. I’m fine,” she said softly, running her hand through his hair to comfort him.

“I was so scared,” he whispered, wanting her to know how much she meant to him.

“I know. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Harry said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

The doctor interrupted them and approached the bed.

“Well, Miss Lovegood is stable, and your quick actions were crucial in stopping the bleeding. Due to the fall and blood loss, Miss Lovegood experienced a placental abruption, which can deprive the baby of nutrients, cause premature birth, or result in miscarriage. Thankfully, her detachment was partial, so there’s a higher chance of reversing it.”

Harry held Luna’s hand tightly as they listened intently.

“She will need to stay in the hospital for two more days for monitoring. After that, she must remain on complete bed rest for a month, meaning lying down or sitting with no exertion or emotional stress. After a month, we will conduct further tests to check on her placenta.”

Harry’s mind was already racing; he needed to ask Hermione about this, research it, and figure out how to care for Luna. Lost in thought, he almost missed the doctor’s next words.

“Other than that, the babies are healthy and growing well.”

There was a silence in the room before Harry’s confused voice broke it.

“Babies? What do you mean, babies?”

The doctor looked at the couple in front of him, who appeared as though they’d seen a ghost.

“You didn’t know you’re having twins?”

Harry felt like he was going to faint and sat down in the chair by the bed, still holding Luna’s hand.

“No, at the appointment I attended, the healer didn’t mention two.” Luna’s voice trembled.

“Well, that can happen early in pregnancy. It can be difficult to identify two.”

Harry was completely stunned. His ears rang, and his heart raced desperately. Looking at Luna, he could see she was just as overwhelmed.

“I suppose you also don’t know the genders?” the healer asked, trying not to smile at the young couple’s shock.

They simply shook their heads.

“Would you like me to tell you?”

Snapping out of his stupor, Harry found his voice first. “I’d like to know. Do you?”

“Yes.” Luna smiled faintly.

“You’re having two boys. Congratulations! I’ll leave you now.” The healer exited, leaving them in silence.

Harry’s head spun. All he could think was: Two! My God, two! Now what? I don’t even know how to raise one—how can I raise two?

How could one moment be so overwhelming?

He almost laughed at that last thought. Looking at Luna, she was still pale, staring into space with one hand resting on her belly.

“That’s why your belly has grown so much,” Harry murmured, more to himself than to her, though the silence made it audible.

“Yes, and why I’ve been so hungry. It must be double the appetite.” She seemed to be reflecting more than talking to him.

“You’re so small—how are two of them going to fit in there?” Harry asked, now staring at her belly as if it were some kind of three-headed dog.

Luna looked at him, then did the most unexpected thing—she started laughing uncontrollably. Harry stared at her, confused, but soon found himself laughing along with her. They laughed until they cried, then fell silent, looking at each other.

“I’m terrified,” Luna admitted softly.

“Me too,” Harry replied honestly.

“We’ll manage, won’t we?” She sounded uncertain. Harry tried to be confident for them both.

“We will. We won a war—we can handle two babies. Two boys.” He smiled at the end.

Luna smiled too.

Then Harry remembered everyone waiting outside for news.

“I’ll go let everyone know, but I’ll be back to stay with you.”

“Everyone who?” she asked, looking confused.

“The Weasleys, Hermione, and Neville. They came as soon as I sent a Patronus saying you were in the hospital—they’re still in their party clothes.”

“It’s good they came for you.” Luna smiled kindly.

“They came for us, Luna. They’re here because they love you, the baby… the babies, and me. They’re your family too.”

Luna’s smile reminded him of the one she’d given him in fifth year when he said they were friends. It was beautiful.