Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters and entities from the Wizarding World trademarked by J. K. Rowling. Original plots, dialogue, and characters are mine.
Summary:
Part of the Confessions: Memories and More Collection
Rose and Scorpius eagerly await the birth of their baby girl and as expected, first-time parents in the wizarding world are just as scared as those in the muggle world.
Notes: To all the Confessions fans, thank you for continuing the journey with me. I have more mini-stories like this planned. I love these characters so much I don't think I could ever say goodbye to them completely. I hope you enjoy.
Songs that inspired the chapter:
Isn't She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
I've Just Seen A Face - Remastered – The Beatles
Make You Feel My Love – Adele
Beta: Mama2HPBabies and lots of love to Gryff_inTheGame and coyg_81 for your input. Your insights always put a smile on my face.
Isn't She Lovely
October 2031
Rose paces around the sitting room, stretching her back and moaning.
"Babe, could you please put out the fire, it's sweltering." She pulls off her dress and stands in her bra and underwear while rubbing her protruding belly.
Stunned at his wife's appearance, he chastises, "Rosie. You're going to catch a cold. It's not even that hot in here. I'm wearing a jumper and am about to ask Jollie to bring a blanket."
"I have another human inside of me. I am a walking oven right now, and my bun is taking much too long to come out," she huffs.
Scorpius beams as all he can see is beauty radiating off of the mother of his child. Despite all her complaining, mood swings, and all of the nuances of pregnancy, his love and adoration grow daily. He walks toward her and falls to his knees to kiss her belly. "Sweetheart, are you giving mummy a hard time? You shouldn't do that. She needs all the rest she can before you arrive. Just one more week and you'll be here." His large hands, with their slender fingers, rub the taut skin of Rose's abdomen as he attempts to soothe his wife and daughter. He smiles as he feels the ripples of her moment as she shifts in her mother's womb. As the days have been closing in, the movement has become less frequent as she's running out of room and moving into position.
Rose sighs, "Technically, as of last week, she was considered full-term, so you know… if we wanted to expedite the delivery…"
"Isn't that unsafe? Having the baby before it's her time?" Scorpius asks with concern.
She quirks a devilish smile, one she inherited from her mother. "You know what naturally triggers labor?"
Still, on his knees, continues to caress his wife's belly, he asks, "What?"
"Sex."
"No." He responds without hesitation and practically jumps off the floor.
Whinging, she points out, "You realize after she's born, it's going to be four to six weeks before we can again."
He ponders how long that actually is. As if on cue, his trousers tighten as his other head starts thinking about the situation as well. Scorpius fights the urge and responds, "I don't know. She's so big now. What if I poke her in the head? No. I can't."
"Scorp. Do you understand anatomy and how pregnancy works?"
"Yes. I'm exaggerating. I know that she's in amniotic sac and your cervix is a barrier keeping her in your uterus. Yes. I read the books. But what if I FEEL her. I mean. I can feel her through your belly. Rosie. I love you. But I can wait—" he gulps, still not certain he's making the right decision, "—four to six weeks."
"URGH!" she pouts and rests her head on his chest. "Can I at least give you a blow job?"
He laughs, "I mean, I wouldn't mind that, but how does that get the baby out sooner?"
Rose traces nonsensical patterns on his chest. "The sex isn't just about inducing labor. I just—I just want to feel like myself for a bit. A sexual being, not just an incubator." She goes quiet and is close to tears, "I mean, are you even attracted to me like this?"
A punch to the gut. Scorpius has been so focused on the arrival of the newest little Malfoy, he almost forgot about how Rose was coping making the transition from lover to mother. He tilts her chin up and kisses her. "You're more beautiful today than you were yesterday and I imagine you'll be more beautiful tomorrow than you are today." His hands run along her womanly curves, admiring her fuller breasts, shapely hips, and toned bottom. He kisses her tenderly, appreciating and admiring her strength through all of this, and his want for her reignites. How foolish it was of him to deny himself of his beautiful bride for another month and a half. "Let's go upstairs."
Her eyes are wide and full of doubt, "Really?"
"Yes really. I need to take you as many times as I can now. When she comes out, we'll be so knackered, the only thing we'll want to do in our bed is sleep," Scorpius licks his lips as he sees the fire grow behind her eyes. His hand takes hers and leads her away.
—xoxox—
The green flames die around them as they pass through the emergency floo entrance of St. Mungo's. The old wives' tale that sex stimulates labor is pure rubbish. Scorpius and Rose have been making love two, maybe even three times a day over the past week and a half and the baby is now past due. He hopes that this isn't foreshadowing his daughter's impeccable timing. Tonight is the eve of his twenty-sixth birthday. Being the eager birthday boy he is, he was hoping for a few birthday surprises from his wife. Alas, her water broke.
His brother-in-law comes rushes toward them. Though he works in trauma department, he wanted to meet them and streamline the check-in process. "Rosie. Scorp. Thank Merlin you called ahead. You already have a room. It's a full moon. Births are crazy on full moons, and we are two days from Halloween. There is so much magical energy, no wonder she wants out now."
"Thanks, Hugo. I didn't even think about that." Scorpius wants to hit himself for how painfully obvious that Rose would go into labor on this day of all days.
Rose doesn't say anything, instead, practices her breathing. Slow deep inhalations and exhalations calm her through her contractions.
Hugo picks up on his sister's mannerisms and says, "Rosie. I have a wheelchair for you. We'll send you up to the birthing suite. A midwife and healer will meet us at the lift. I'll have to leave you in their care until my shift is over."
She nods in understanding, still unable to say words as she breathes through an exceptionally painful contraction.
The healer signals for one the elf orderlies to roll the chair over to his sister. Hugo and Scorpius help her into the chair while the elf keeps it steady. Once situated, off they go. The newest Malfoy will be making her debut.
—xoxox—
"Hello, sweetie. Oh, good. Thank you for taking care of that. How many? Six centimeters. She still has a ways to go. At least another four hours. Well, Draco and I'll bring some food, and we'll head to the hospital after that. Have you called anyone else? Not even your father? Really, Hugo. Oh, Padma did. Well, that's good then. Don't worry. We'll take care of telling everyone else. We'll see you there." Hermione puts down her mobile and turns to her new husband unable to hide her grin. "She's on her way!"
His head is lazily propped up against the pillows, then practically leaps forward and tackles her at the sound of the good news. "We're going to be grandparents. Frankly, I think we are too sexy and young to be grandparents, but I can't wait to spoil that little girl rotten." Draco kisses his wife. The two of them are still riding the wave of newlywed bliss. "So you think we have time to shower?"
"Oh, yes. It's their first baby. It'll be a while. You hop in, and I'll call everyone," she kisses him before he heads to the bathroom.
The first number she calls is her ex-husband. Thankfully he answers immediately, "Hermione. I'm hopping into the floo now."
"Ron, it could be hours."
"I know, but I'm excited," he responds with his voice almost an octave higher.
She laughs, "That's fine. Draco and I will bring food and meet you there. It's also Scorpius's birthday tomorrow. We might have someone bring a small cake since we probably aren't going to have a chance to have a proper celebration. Do you think Padma will like something to eat as well?"
Hermione can almost hear Ron's smile on the other line as he answers, "Yeah. She'd like that."
"We'll see you there." She hangs up and dials Ginny.
Just as excited as her brother was, she picks up quickly. "Is it baby time?"
"She's only at six centimeters. We have some time. I'll call you when we get closer. Do you think Harry will be able to join us?" Hermione asks.
"He'll join us after classes tomorrow afternoon, I suppose. He has OWL and NEWT level students in the morning. He can't skip those classes." Ginny tries to hide her pride, but since Harry retired from the Auror Department and became a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, it's as though he has a renewed thirst for life. He loves his students and flooing into Hogwarts every day.
"Sounds good. I'll just text Albus. He's probably closing up the restaurant—"
Ginny interjects. "Actually, he and Polly are in Paris. But text is probably best. They'll want to come home for this."
Hermione bites her lip in excitement. "You think he's proposing? I mean, Paris is so romantic and —"
"Ugh, I asked. No. They're just going to a gallery and checking out this new Asian-Parisian fusion bistro." Ginny sounds flustered. She just wants her kids to settle down already. "I think it will be a couple more years for those two."
"Can't blame them," Hermione shrugs. "Alright. Keep your phone by you."
"Will do, Grandma."
Hermione can't manage getting upset by that comment. She just chuckles and hangs up the phone.
—xoxox—
"URRRRRGH!" Rose groans. She relaxes her mind and tries to find her center, breathing with the doula. "Mind and body connected. Deep breaths." She reminds herself as she inhales and exhales through a wave of really tough contractions.
Scorpius brushes the hair out of her face and kisses her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, babe. You're amazing."
Tears well in her eyes. "Scorp. I'm so tired. I'm thirsty and hungry."
"Two more centimeters and you can start pushing," the midwife says encouragingly.
"You can do this," he affirms the midwife's statement and wipes the tears from his wife's eyes as his own tears form. "I am so in love with you. Watching you through this...you're working this hard so we can have a family. I don't know what I did to deserve this."
She laughs and cries at the same time. "I love you so damn much. I can't even blame you for knocking me up."
Scorpius places another kiss on her lips as they hear a knock at the door.
Hermione peeks through the crack, "Sweetheart, is it okay if I come in?"
Thrilled to see her mother, Rose nods her head and starts crying again.
It was past midnight, and they are all a bit worn down. Hermione gives Scorpius a big hug and says, "Happy birthday. Just think, in a few hours you'll share this day with your daughter."
Scorpius holds her tight. As much as he misses his mother, he is so glad to see her.
Hermione releases him then walks over to kiss her daughter's forehead. She hears Rose sigh in relief as if she has been waiting for her mother to be by her side. The beeping and ticking of the machine, which measures contractions, catches her attention, and she walks toward it. Reading the long strips of paper, sounding impressed, she says, "You've had some big ones."
"I guess," Rose rubs her belly. "I'm just tired, Mummy."
"I think it's time you take to potion. It'll help you sleep through the last bit of dilation, and you'll wake up just in time to push," she suggests.
"Are you sure?" Rose asks, with fear in her voice. Scorpius shares a similar expression of concern.
The midwife chimes in. "It's very safe. It just takes the edge off. You can still feel the pressure without the pain, and you'll wake up ready to push this baby out.
"But…" she chokes back sobs not wanting to admit defeat. "I wanted it to be natural. How it's supposed to be."
The doula puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "Rose. You're stressing yourself and the baby out. You haven't had any further dilation in over an hour."
"If you don't relax, dilation will take too long, and we start to push ourselves in the emergency C-section zone," the midwife adds.
Rose looks to her mother for guidance. She nods agreeing with the other women.
"Babe, what should I do?" Rose is frightened and wants to make sure that she and Scorpius make this decision together.
He takes her hand and kisses it. "You need rest, and we don't want to think about the alternative." His heart pounds recalling all he read about Cesarean sections. His rational side said they were safe and routine. His protective side didn't want a blade anywhere near his wife or child if it wasn't necessary.
"Okay," Rose says with some fear in her voice. The healer leaves to fetch the vials. She has tried so long to have the baby naturally, without the assistance of potions or spells, but the stress is just too much.
Hermione reassures Scorpius, "Go outside and have a bite to eat. I'll stay with Rose."
"No. If she can't eat, I don't want to eat," he says in solidarity.
She admires him, that's for sure. But that statement was downright ridiculous. "Scorpius, sweetheart. You need your energy. The baby will need you. Rose will be exhausted and will need rest."
"Of course. I'm an idiot." He kisses her on the cheek then kisses Rose. "I'll be right back."
"You better," Rose kisses him once more before letting him leave.
The midwife hands her the vial, and her mother strokes her hair back lovingly. The potion is warm and relaxing but doesn't have that woozy, drugged feeling. She mutters, "just a little rest…"
—xoxox—
Pressure between her legs wakes her up. She groans feeling the potion's effects wearing off. "It's time! I need to push!"
Scorpius startles from his sleep. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes. "What?" he questions, not realizing what is going on. Getting up from the uncomfortable chair, he stretches his body, bringing much-needed blood flow to his brain.
The midwife examines Rose. With a nod and smile, she affirms what Rose had stated. "Mister Malfoy, would you like to watch the birth and hold your wife's leg, or stand back and hold her hand?"
"Oh, watch. Definitely," Scorpius states, ever the curious student, no matter how old he gets.
The pain and pressure begin to agitate Rose. "Can I push now? I feel it."
"Yes. Push!"
Rose groans and pushes with all her might. Still pregnant.
—xoxox—
Hermione sits between her husband and ex-husband, squeezing the ever-loving life out of their hands. "She's been pushing for almost an hour. Something is wrong." Her maternal instincts are on high alert. Behind that door, her baby girl is birthing another. The panic and nervousness cause her to tear up. "What if they need to do an emergency C-section? That's not what Rosie wanted. She's so tired. My baby—"
"'Mione. Stop. You're stressing me out. She's my baby, too." Ron starts squeezing her back.
"Ow!" she yelps in protest.
"Good. You've been doing that to me the past hour," Ron retorts.
Draco uses a calm and steady voice, "They would come out and tell us if something was wrong. Right now, let's trust that everything is going fine and this is just part of a first time delivery."
"You're right, sweetheart," Hermione kisses Draco sweetly. He always has a way of calming her down.
"You know, I know that we're divorced, and you two are married, but seeing you two do that still doesn't sit well," Ron jokes.
"What about this?" Draco taunts Ron by kissing Hermione more deeply.
"Ugh."
—xoxox—
"You've done beautifully, Mrs. Malfoy. She's finally crowned. Just a few more good pushes," the midwife cheers her on.
"Babe, she has so much hair!" Scorpius says excitedly. "You're amazing. You can do this."
She feels another contraction coming on and pushes with what little energy she has left. Tears stream down her face as her face scrunches in determination. "I don't know if I can do this anymore."
Scorpius leans down and kisses her forehead, "Yes you can. You're so so so close."
Her husband's words give her a renewed sense of purpose. She inhales, looking for that burst of strength.
"Mrs. Malfoy, I'm going to reach in and help you through this last push." The midwife's voice is steady, but Scorpius notices concern in her eyes.
Rose makes one last valiant effort and feels the baby slide out of her.
"You did it! She's beautiful!" Scorpius exclaims, but his heart drops when he looks down at the baby more carefully. Her umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck. Panic ripples through his gut and he does his best not to startle his wife.
The healers take her aside quickly, cutting away the cord and working to get the baby take her first breath.
Exhausted, Rose doesn't realize she hasn't cried yet. "Can I see her?"
Scorpius is torn, not knowing who needs him more—his wife or his daughter. He realizes that his daughter is in the best care possible, so he holds Rose's hand. The worry on his face is unmistakable.
"Scorp...what's wrong? Oh, god…" she begins to panic when the most beautiful, high pitched scream fills the room.
—xoxox—
The grandparents start cheering outside of the room when they hear her wail. The men congratulate each other, and they pull cigars out of their jackets.
"Hey, you two! Not yet!" Hermione scolds them.
They hear the door open, and the midwife steps out. "Minister—"
Hermione turns to face the woman and corrects her, "Former Minister. Hermione—"
"—or Mrs. Malfoy," Draco interjects.
"Ignore him. Hermione is fine. There is already one Mrs. Malfoy. No need for confusion." Hermione mocks her husband.
The midwife laughs at their banter. "It was a tricky delivery, but mum and baby are fine. The baby is feeding right now. Let's give them some time to rest and then you can visit."
"Thank you," Ron says. "About how long should we give them?"
"Thirty, forty-five minutes should suffice," she smiles before returning to the room.
Hermione pulls out her cigar. "Alright boys, let's head to the rooftop and celebrate."
—xoxox—
A quiet knock at the door alerts the young family they have visitors. Scorpius reaches for his wand and opens the door. He sits next to a sleeping Rose with his baby girl on his bare chest. The healers said skin-on-skin bonding for fathers incredibly important. Not wanting to miss any moment with his baby, he tore his shirt off as quickly as he could.
Draco's heart swells to the point he thinks it will pop out of his chest. His little boy is now a father, and this tiny thing that barely fits in her father's hands is his grandchild.
"Dad," he smiles. "Come here."
Draco creeps toward the sleeping child. He's stunned by her beauty and already loves her more than she'll ever know. "Oh, my gorgeous girl. Can I hold her?"
"I get her next," Hermione chimes in as she and Ron dote upon Rose.
"I guess I'll go last," Ron quips.
Rose wakes to see her parents and father-in-law but realizes someone important is missing. "Where's Hugo?"
Ron rubs her hand with the pad of his thumb and reassures her, "With a patient. He'll join us as soon as he can."
Scorpius smiles as he carefully places the baby in his father's arms. "I need to show you something." He pushes the little pink knitted cap up.
Stunned, Draco blurts out, "Black hair!" He catches himself and lowers his voice, "Black hair. Like your Mum and Grandma Helen. Well, and a good deal of the Black and Mavros families. Wow."
"Oh," Hermione adds. "My French side all had black hair, too."
Rose croaks, "I told you she wouldn't be blonde."
"Shush you," Scorpius bends down and kisses his wife.
While Ron waits for his turn with his granddaughter, he asks the burning question. "So are you going to tell us her name?"
"At first, we didn't know if we wanted to go with a flower name, like Rose and Narcissa," Scorpius begins.
Rose continues, "Or if we wanted a name inspired by Greek mythology like Hermione or Astoria—"
"Or literature—"
The three grandparents wait with bated breath.
Scorpius and Rose share a look. He finally reveals, "We found a name that is a mix of all. Everyone, meet Jasmine Cressida Malfoy."
"That's beautiful, isn't it sweetheart," Hermione coos to her grandchild.
Ron reaches over and scoops her out of a reluctant Hermione's arms. "It really is, kids. Except the Malfoy part."
"Dad…" Rose doesn't have the patience for her father's jokes.
"You know you're outnumbered, Weasley," Draco drawls. There are four, no, five of us in this room." He smiles, knowing that just over a year ago, he and Scorpius were the only Malfoys left and now their little family increased by adding three beautiful women.
Three more visitors make their way in the early morning. It appears they are bearing gifts of coffee, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. Albus, Polly, and Ginny congratulate everyone. Al throws his arms around his best friend in the tightest embrace. "Holy shit. You're a dad."
"And you're a godfather."
Albus' eyes start to water, and he starts laughing at himself. "Uncle Ron, give me my godchild."
"Oi. I haven't had enough time with her yet." She starts squirming and cries. "What? Don't you like your granddad? Do you really want to meet your godfather that badly? Oh, alright. Here you go, Albus."
"Come here, Jas. Funcle Albus has you." She stops crying at the sound of his humming.
"Funcle?" Ginny asks.
"Fun-Uncle, obviously." He explains. His eyes catch Polly's, and she can't wipe the smile off her face seeing him with a baby. There is something about that look on her face that fills him up with an emotion he can't quite explain.
Hermione catches the first bit, "Al, how long have you known her name?"
"Um…"
Rose covers for him and simply says, "Longer than you."
Polly pulls out a small pink bakery box and unpacks a spiced cake with creamy frosting. She pops a single candle on and lights it with her wand. "Scorp, we didn't forget about you."
The group huddles close to Rose as she can't get out of bed. Albus places Jasmine back in her mother's arms, makes his way back to his girlfriend, and they all sing the birthday song.
Scorpius blows out the candle and doesn't make a wish, knowing that everything he could ever want is in this room right now. He bends down and kisses his daughter on her tiny forehead and whispers, "Happy birthday, Princess."
A/N:
Big chunks of this story might be based off of the birth of my daughter. I got quite emotional writing this as I relived some of those tense moments bringing a child into the world.
So Jasmine Cressida. You're probably wanting to know where the name came from. As mentioned Rose and Narcissa (daffodil) are names of flowers. Jasmine symbolizes beauty and represents purity, appreciation, and good luck, but really, I wanted a flower name that wasn't already taken in HP canon. The tie to Greek mythology to both grandmothers' names—Astoria being a variation of Asteria, the Titan goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars, and Hermione, the daughter of Helen of Troy from the Iliad. Hermione also appears in the William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Cressida is also a character from oral retellings of the Trojan war and also Shakespeare's Trojan War story, Troilus and Cressida. So there you go. Jasmine Cressida Malfoy, named for the brilliant witches who came before her. Sorry, Jean Granger. Not much I could do with that one.
Most of the Confessions timeline has been planned out for a very long time including Hermione and Draco's wedding. I knew I wanted it around her birthday and a grandchild on the way.
As far as I know, Scorpius doesn't have a canonical birthday, so I looked at Scorpio birthdays and I was pleased to find out they began in October. When I looked at the lunar calendar for 2031, the full moon falls on the 29th–31st. I didn't want the birthday to fall exactly on Samhain, but close enough for a strong magical current to be felt. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy born 30 October 2005 and Jasmine Cressida Malfoy born 30 October 2031.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a review. I'm also on tumblr: harrypotterandthegobletofwine and Facebook: saintdionysuswriter.