"Draco! Where are you?! We are going to be late!"
Astoria was standing at the bottom of the stairs of their house, shifting her weight to her other foot as she looked at the clock on the wall. It was a week before Christmas, almost three months since their wedding, and since their eventful honeymoon. Of course it wasn't until afterwards she found out how likely it had been she would get pregnant on her honeymoon. Her mother had failed to inform her that the same thing had happened to her on her own honeymoon. Astoria had been forced to bite her tongue to keep from cursing, but she did leave on that note. While it was something neither Draco nor herself were prepared for they had dealt with it, attending the Healer appointments together and reading what books they could get their hands on to prepare included on that long list.
It was an appointment they were getting ready to head to, if Draco would get downstairs quicker. Already there was a small bump of a baby on Astoria's once flat stomach, and small twinges of pain on her lower back though it was nothing she couldn't deal with. After suffering through morning sickness until her Healer had given her a potion she could take she would gladly suffer a bit of back pain. It was most thankful the majority of her clothes still fit her, Astoria having not had a chance or a want to shop for maternity clothing. She had opted for a plain blue shirt that day that cinched just below her breasts and above her stomach with a pair of Muggle blue jeans and flat black boots. Already she had her black peacoat on, the belt of the coat tied around her waist and barely concealing the bump.
Letting out another sigh she shook her head. "Draco! Will you hurry up? You know how lucky we are to get in before Christmas! If we are late there won't be time to find out whether it's a boy or a girl!" She yelled again, finally hearing his footsteps at the top of the stairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Draco mumbled, practically tripped down the stairs in his haste to get down stairs. "You know we have plenty of time right? It's not going to take us that long to get there."
"Oh I know, but if I didn't say something to get you moving we would never get there." Astoria responded simply, a small smirk pulling the corner of her mouth up.
At that Draco let out a laugh and shook his head, pulling his coat out of the closet and pulling it on. "And here I thought I was the conniving one of this relationship." He comment as he opened the door, letting Astoria walk out ahead of him.
It was Astoria's turn to laugh at that. "Oh come now, conniving is a Slytherin trait, we were both bound to have at least a bit of that talent. I just know when to put mine to use." Draco didn't seem to have a comment to that, Astoria seeing him shaking his head before he changed the topic.
"So shall we apparate to St. Mungo's?" Draco asked politely, offering his arm.
Giving a nod Astoria responded, "I believe we shall." As she placed a hand on his arm, a second later being pulled away. In what felt like no time her feet was on solid ground, Astoria having to pause for a moment to regain her equilibrium. "I think we may need to find another way to get here. I'm not sure how much longer I can take that." She commented quietly, keeping a hand on Draco as he slowly lead her down the street to the correct building.
"Then we will just Floo. If that doesn't work, we'll think of something else. Maybe the Healer has a solution." Draco responded, sounding so reasonable though Astoria wasn't so confident about that herself. She simply nodded though, not having a better response at that moment. Within a minute they had reached the building, the outdated mannequins looking down at them for a moment before they stepped through the glass into a busy lobby.
It was always fascinating to Astoria to see the assortment of witches and wizards waiting their turn. The odds of seeing something new and unusual were great, though that wasn't enough of a desire for her to want to deal with it every day like the Healers. Passing the lobby they headed to the lift, taking it to their floor. The lobby there was a lot less busy, though there were still plenty of expecting mothers and their husbands. Astoria found a seat in the corner while Draco checked them in, avoiding the curious looks from the others in the room. After a moment Draco had sat down beside her, the looks not quite subsiding but focused on Draco instead of her.
Even though they were on time they still had to wait, one other couple being called back before they did. At the sound of her name Astoria stood up, her legs shaky as she was now nervous. Still she didn't feel ready for this, ready for any of it, and at times she felt like if she didn't show up to these appointments it would just go away. Of course her ever growing stomach proved her otherwise, but it was still a thought she couldn't chase away. As Draco placed a hand on her lower back though she felt some of the nerves subside, remember that Draco was just as nervous as her even if he didn't show it.
Astoria was shown a room and asked to change into a gown and take a seat before they were left alone again, the door shutting behind the training Healer. With a slightly shaking hand Astoria worked on undressing, draping her clothes over a chair in the corner though leaving her undergarments on. Picking up the gown she put it on, slit in the front, and took a seat on bed. It was especially moments like that that she felt like she was pregnant, her small bump pushing the gown open just slightly. Taking a slow steady breath she heard Draco move the chair over beside the bed, sitting down and taking her hand though not speaking; he didn't have to.
When the door opened again they both jumped, bringing a small smile to the Healer's face. "Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Shall we begin?" Healer Johnson asked before she continued. "Just a check-up correct? And I believe at this point we will be able to tell the sex of the baby. Is that something you are both wanting?"
Astoria looked up at Draco, the two of them having discussed it though not much. Clearing her throat she looked at Healer Johnson. "Yes, yes we do want to know." She answered, glancing at Draco to see him nod in agreement.
"Very well. Alright Mrs. Malfoy if I could just get you to lie back, please. You know the drill." Healer Johnson said, making notes on her parchment before setting it down, pulling up a seat on the opposite side of the bed beside Astoria.
Draco gave Astoria's hand one last squeeze before releasing it so she could swing her feet up onto the bed and lay back. Even lying on her back was an odd experience, seeing a bump instead of essentially nothing. She kept silent though as she looked up at the screen that was on an angle where the wall met the ceiling where the image would be projected. Biting the inside of her lip she felt Draco take her hand off the bed, holding it with both of his.
"If you're ready Mrs. Malfoy." Healer Johnson said, receiving a nod from Astoria before she raised her wand. Astoria didn't even watch the clockwise swirl of the Healer's wand this time, able to see out of her peripheral vision as her stomach glowed just slightly before the image appeared on the screen.
Astoria's breath caught in her throat at the sight, as it did every time they had an appointment and saw the baby. The detail always amazed her; the small nose, the tiny hands and feet. After a moment they could hear the heartbeat through the room, the Healer concentrating on the image as Astoria just stared in amazement. Almost a minute later the heartbeat softened, Astoria knowing by that point it was Healer Johnson who made that happen so she could talk.
"Well Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, you seem to have a healthy baby here. Everything is developing as it should, and the heartbeat is strong as you heard. Now, you wanted to know the sex, if you will look right there you can see; you're having a baby boy Mrs. Malfoy." Healer Johnson said, her voice ending softly as she told Astoria and Draco.
"Are you sure?" Draco finally said, the first words he'd spoken since they were taken back.
"Oh yes Mr. Malfoy, quite sure. It will be a baby boy to inherit the Malfoy name." Healer Johnson responded, Astoria almost able to hear the smile in her voice. She couldn't quite pull her eyes away from the image though until it had faded and Healer Johnson had told her she could get dressed as she went to get them a picture to take. As Astoria sat up she looked at Draco, a wide smile on his face as he raised a hand to her face, wiping a tear she hadn't known had fallen off her cheek.