So far Harrigan had enjoyed teaching. He had some truly amusing students in his classes, as well as those that were very talented. Of course, in between the two were the slackers and those that thought they deserved their grades for their family name, but he had been handling them all right. He sighed, staring at his paperwork. Good Merlin, he hated grading. It gave him an even worse headache than going over papers for the Wizengamot and that was truly saying something!

It was almost the Yule holidays however, he was looking forward to getting away from the students and seeing his fiancé for the first time in a couple of months. It was rather pathetic how much he missed having Orion around, even if the older man was simply working on his own paperwork or sorting out some family issue or other. It was something of a portent for their future and he smiled at the mental image that gave him. He was truly looking forward to life with Orion Black.

Sighing, he pulled a stack of second-year papers closer, the younger years were easier than the older ones, some of their mistakes were actually quite humorous. He pulled a quill and a bottle of red ink to his place, frowning as the ink conjured a random voice saying 'I think we should just get him a pot of everlasting red ink, the greasy git!' He shook his head, wondering where these random things came from. They were similar to memories, but it was like they were just out of reach.

He started to read the top paper, noting thankfully that it was a Ravenclaw, which meant that it would at least have some effort towards grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Not to say that all of the Ravenclaws were the best at writing, he'd come across some that were truly hideous quality writing. He'd placed an unmarked copy of them aside to show to Filius, surely the man could get them some help with their writing?

He had finished the second years and was halfway through third when there was a knock at his door. "Come in!"

The door opened hesitantly and Sirius Black poked his head around the corner. Harrigan smiled at his stepson-to-be, saying, "Come on in, Sirius. I'm just grading at the moment."

He stepped inside and carefully shut the door before walking over and sitting in the chair across from Harrigan. Harrigan took the cover of reading the paper to study the young Gryffindor and he didn't like what he saw. Sirius was pale, his shoulders rounded slightly and he was twisting his hands in his lap. Whatever he wanted to say, he was incredibly nervous about. Harrigan pursed his lips slightly and finished working on his paper, leaving Sirius to think a bit more before finally he settled the paper and quill down and looked at him.

"What can I do for you, Sirius? You seem nervous about something."

"I need help," the teen said hoarsely, "and I don't want my Father to be angry with me."

Harrigan sat back, considering. Obviously, this was something big if Sirius was worried about Orion being angry in the first place. He debated his relationship with the man and the trust Orion had placed in him before carefully selecting his words. "I will listen without judging, but if it is something that is affecting your health or wellbeing you do need to tell your father."

Sirius rocked a little in his chair and then, staring down at his hands he said very quietly, "I think I might be pregnant."

Harrigan's eyes widened. Of all things, he had not been expecting that! Carefully keeping any judgment out of his tone he said, "I take it Lucius is the father?"

"Yes," the teen whispered. "I know we are only betrothed and I am only seventeen, but if I am pregnant I don't want to get rid of the baby."

"Of course not," Harrigan reassured. "How far along do you think you are?"

Sirius licked his lips. "Three months, approximately."

And there was the reason why Orion might be angry. "Why have you delayed having it confirmed and telling anyone so long?"

"Because I was worried Abraxas and my father might try and break the betrothal since I am not a virgin," there were tears in Sirius' eyes. "Lucius is the only person I've been with, I swear it!"

"Sirius, I highly doubt your father nor Abraxas would break your betrothal. If anything they might want to push your engagement and bonding forward so that the baby is born the legitimate heir, but that is all. If anything, your father will be angry because he is worried," Harrigan said softly.

"Why would he be worried?" Sirius said through tears, looking at him.

"Because male pregnancies can be fragile things and a best kept a careful eye on. You are risking your health as well as that of your baby waiting so long to have it confirmed."

Sirius paled. "I didn't know that! I hope the baby's okay."

"I think I need to Floo your father. Stay here in my office, we will come and get you," Harrigan reassured. "It will be okay, Sirius. He's not going to yell at you."

Harrigan Flooed over to Black Manor, striding gracefully through the hallways towards Orion's office. He was rather amused, this situation meant that he could see his bonded-to-be a bit sooner than he had previously thought.

He knocked on the heavy door and then opened it, spotting Orion sitting at his desk perusing a document of some sort. The older man looked up, spotted him and his eyes widened. "Harrigan! It's the middle of the day, why are you here? Is everything all right?"

"Hush, Orion," Harrigan smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, your sons are fine. There is just something of a situation at the school, one that requires your presence."

"What kind of situation?" Orion asked, curious and still obviously a little worried.

"It has to do with Sirius. I'm actually not entirely sure how to put it," Harrigan admitted.

Orion groaned, "What has he gotten himself into now? I thought his pranking had stopped or at least reduced a bit. I haven't had anyone from Hogwarts contact me all this year."

"It's not a prank, Orion. It's more of a personal situation."

"What is it then, is he all right?" Orion looked a little worried.

Harrigan took a deep breath and then said, "He's pregnant, Orion. Or at least he thinks he is, he must be wearing a Glamour because he's not showing any visible signs. The baby is Lucius', he panicked and didn't tell anyone because he was worried you or Abraxas would want to break the betrothal. He's around three months, or so he estimates."

Orion had stilled at his first words, shock on his face. Then he frowned, considering Harrigan's words. However, at the last bit, more specifically 'three months' he looked more than a little annoyed. "Three months," he said in little more than a whisper.

"Yes," Harrigan replied. "Please control your temper, it's one of the reasons he was so reluctant to tell anybody. He doesn't want you to be angry with him. I can tell he feels awful about the situation and the fact that the pregnancy is unplanned, but he says Lucius is the only person he's been with and I can tell he isn't lying. Now that I think about it, there were a couple of lines in his letter to Lucius just after Narcissa was betrothed to him that indicate they had a physical relationship going."

Orion frowned but nodded curtly. "Where is Sirius now?"

"My office, I told him to wait for us there. Shall we?"

The older man stalked out of his office instead of answering, requesting a cloak from a house elf. He donned it as well as a pair of gloves and they walked to the Floo room, Orion following Harrigan through into his personal quarters at the school. Harrigan knew they would need to move swiftly, the Headmaster would be notified that someone other than personnel and students was in the school.

Sirius was sitting just where Harrigan had left him, still twisting his hands in his lap, or more specifically Harrigan noted, the betrothal ring on his finger. He had his head down and his shoulders were still rounded, so he hadn't noticed them enter the room. Harrigan chanced a glance at Orion and noted with some relief that the man's fierce posture had softened and his eyes were now more thoughtful and deliberating than anything else.

Sirius happened to glance up and noticed the addition of Harrigan and his father. He paled momentarily before a glitter entered grey eyes and he stood up, chin lifting defiantly. "I know that I should have waited until we were wed for a physical relationship with Lucius, I know that I am only seventeen. Regardless of these things, if you think for one second that I will obey you if you want me to abort this child you have another thing coming! I am going to take responsibility for what has become from this and I love this child already, no matter what happens to me."

Orion considered his son for a long moment and finally stated in a firm, quiet voice that gave away no emotion, "If you are wearing a Glamour, son, I would like you to drop it."

Despite his sudden, shocking defiance Sirius' hands wavered slightly as he retrieved his wand from the holster on his arm, flicking it lightly. The Glamour shimmered and disappeared, revealing slightly rounder, softer facial features due to the weight gain that centered on the very slight thickening of his waistline.

Orion studied his son for a long moment before he moved to stand less than a handswidth from Sirius, reaching out to cup his face with one gloved hand. "I am not going to be making any such demands, my son. I am actually rather hurt that you think I would do so. While this situation is not ideal, you have yet to take your NEWTs or even finish schooling, we will work around it. Luckily there is nothing against pregnant student finishing their education in the Charter. If anything, I am displeased that you waited so long to tell anyone and thus risked the health of yourself and my unborn grandchild."

For a moment Sirius' grey eyes shimmered with tears, but he held onto his control over what were no doubt wild emotions and simply hugged his father, relief in every line of his body. Harrigan was relieved as well, this situation could have gone a lot worse than it had. Luckily Orion was a logical man, he didn't go around blasting off words that he may very well regret in the heat of the moment. Of course, that had something to do with being an ex-Slytherin, Harrigan was sure.

They left the school before they could be found out by Albus, taking Sirius to the Black Manor and summoning a Healer from a private clinic. She was sworn to the confidentiality oath that all Healers took upon graduating with their degree, so she couldn't go out and release this interesting little tidbit to anyone. She confirmed that Sirius was in fact pregnant, due around mid-June. Despite having no care done earlier in his pregnancy both Sirius and his unborn babe were very healthy.

After that, they Flooed Malfoy Manor and requested the presence of both Abraxas and his Heir as promptly as possible. Sirius sat nervously in a chair, refraining somehow from twisting his betrothal ring on his finger again. Despite his nerves, he beamed nevertheless at his betrothed when the pair entered Orion's study not even ten minutes after the call.

Lucius immediately went to sit with Sirius, entwining his betrothed's hand in his. The sight of the happy pair made Harrigan smile, the love they held for each other was obvious. Abraxas watched his Heir with an amused twitch of his lips, Lucius had at least remembered to properly greet Harrigan and Orion before seating himself. The way of those who were young and in love.

"What was the reason for the summons, Lord Black?" Abraxas stated formally.

"It's Orion as you well know," Orion answered, smirking slightly. Even in formal situations, he refused to use titles around friends unless required by ritual.

Abraxas gave a snort and didn't waver in his gaze, prompting a muffled laugh from Harrigan. When Abraxas was aware that someone was hiding information from him, he was rather like a dog after a bone, absolutely relentless in his need to know.

"My son approached Harrigan and myself today with some rather startling information that may require modification to the betrothal contract between your Heir Lucius and my Sirius. Before you get too offended," Orion raised a hand to still Abraxas' words, not to mention a shocked, slightly angry Lucius', "the modification that I am suggesting is not in any way an unpleasant one. I simply believe that is best if the pair wed rather soon, perhaps over the Yule holidays."

Abraxas' eyes narrowed in contemplation and he stated, "I know that you would not suggest such a thing unless it were absolutely necessary, Orion. What has come up that would cause such a drastic change, as we were both thinking before that the bonding would need to wait until at least after Sirius had graduated?"

"My son is three months pregnant with our mutual grandchild, Abraxas. He is due in mid-June, which as you know is not very long after graduation. As he will require a certain advancement in his practical NEWT exams, we will need to notify the Board of Governors as well as the meddlesome Headmaster. As you know and should well remember, not much in Hogwarts goes unknown for long."

There was dead silence for a few moments, during which a distinctly amused Sirius dropped the Glamour he had temporarily replaced. Lucius reacted first since his hand was resting against the slight curve in Sirius' abdomen. He blinked, muttered a few words unintelligibly, and then broke out into one of the most ridiculous, sappy smiles Harrigan had ever seen. He turned and cupped Sirius' face in his hands, planting a firm kiss on his lips and whispering something softly to the younger man.

Abraxas studied the pair for a moment, Sirius noticing him first and watching the man with nervous eyes. When Lucius finally looked at his father he noted a frown on the older man's face and a look in his eyes that said they would be talking later in private. Harrigan didn't envy Lucius that conversation with his father, it would no doubt be long and rather tedious.

"While it does come as quite the surprise," here Abraxas' eyes flicked to Harrigan himself, who was rather unable to contain his expression from showing something of the humor he felt at the entire situation, "I do agree to your solution, as well as the date. It will not be as grand as something between two such houses should be, but I think the two involved would rather prefer an intimate gathering in any case."

Orion flicked his eyes to take in the besotted pair, who were all but ignoring the conversation their fathers were having. "I highly doubt it, Abraxas," he drawled, "considering the fact that they are not even paying attention to our conversation."

"I will speak to the Board of Governors and get written confirmation that Sirius may finish his education and take his NEWTs early, at least the practical exams. I shall also make sure that they cover his absence from classes due to medical examinations and the dangerous nature of Potions and practical Defense Against the Dark Arts. I take it you have ideas on how to cover his inability to do practical work, Harrigan?"

"I have a few ideas. Rest assured that Sirius and his child will be well-protected in my classroom and I will make sure that he stops practical work before the strain on his magic becomes too much for him and the babe. Might I add congratulations to the two grandsires-to-be?" While he started out serious, his last words were nothing but mischievous.

Orion huffed on what might have been a laugh and ignored his fiancé in favor of addressing Abraxas again. "We shall speak with the pair when they are more inclined to pay attention and work on invitations, color scheme, location, that sort of thing. When you speak with your son get some tentative ideas for a date from him, Harrigan can speak to Sirius and see if he cares for any of those days in particular."

Abraxas nodded. "Then I think our business is concluded?"

"It is," Orion confirmed.

"Lucius!" Abraxas stated firmly, gaining a slightly startled look from his heir. "Bid goodbye to your fiancé for now and we shall head back to the Manor."

Sirius looked slightly crestfallen at having such a short amount of time with Lucius, but perked up after a moment and stated, "May I escort Lucius to the Floo Room, Father?"

Orion looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes at his son's words, but nodded. "Do not delay, Sirius. We will need to discuss the conversation that you and your fiancé just completely ignored."

Sirius had the grace to blush, but not much else. He looped his arm through the one Lucius offered and the besotted pair exited the room after Lucius elegantly bowed and thanked Orion for his benevolence and leeway regarding the situation, as he clearly knew Orion could have become incredibly angry at Lucius beginning an intimate relationship before the pair were wed.

Abraxas gave the pair a couple of minutes head start and then stood, nodding to Orion and Harrigan before sweeping out of the room after the young couple.

After they had left Harrigan turned to Orion with an amused smirk and said, "Grandsire Orion, I believe this is where I ask you if you are feeling old yet? Perhaps you will soon need that cane of yours for real, rather than just a prop for your formal attire."

Orion glowered at his fiancé, choosing instead of a verbal response to hit Harrigan with a Tickling Hex. And no, he was not controlling a treacherous smile at the query. Not at all. Honest.