A/N: My own take on a 'baby' fic. I'm sure it's been done before but this is my version of it. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything. Because she is God. And I am not.
October 4th
Day 1
"You know, I've always wondered why Pansy became friends with you," Draco sneered at Hermione. She looked up from the polystyrene cup of coffee that she held in her hand and rolled her eyes at him.
"Maybe she decided it was better than being friends with you," She retorted.
He scoffed. "Pansy happens to be my best friend, not yours, you lowly mud – "
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Draco Malfoy," She seethed. "We are here today for Pansy and only for Pansy. Don't you dare bring in your immaturities when we have more important things to worry about."
The walls were white. The ceiling was white. The floor tiles were white. Everything about this place was white. And the smell, don't let him get started on the smell. Draco hated the smell of the medicine. He took every opportunity to scrunch up his nose every time a nurse or a Healer passed by. He found joy in little things like that.
"Fine, whatever. You should know that she's only here because it's your fault," Draco accused.
Hermione put down her cup of coffee, possibly to restrain the urge to throw the hot drink into his face.
"My fault? How is it my fault? It was an accident, you dimwit!" She gripped the hospital bench, hard.
"Of course it's your fault! You and your bloody Muggles!" Draco growled. "Who's idea was it to go have a girly night out in Muggle London?"
"Mine! But that doesn't mean – "
"It means everything!" Draco stood up and faced Hermione. "If you hadn't brought her to that stupid stupid place, she wouldn't be in there, right now, fighting for her life!"
"Accidents happen, Malfoy! They do, alright! It's not my fault that – that – " Hermione was shaking now. Who was he to question her? Who was he to make her feel like everything was her fault?
"That what? That Pansy was too careless to notice the oncoming cars when she crossed the road? You could've at least helped her, Granger! You could've stopped her!" Draco roared.
"I WAS CARELESS TOO, MALFOY! Don't you dare – have you ever stopped and thought – do you even know how guilty I feel right now? I know I could've done something, but I didn't! Do you know how useless that makes me feel?" Hermione stood up and poked him in the chest. "You're despicable!"
"I don't care! You could've saved her!" Draco yelled. "Saved her from this mess!"
"The Healers are doing their best, alright! Doing their best for the both of them!" Hermione put her hands to her face as she started to cry.
Draco frowned as he walked back to his side of the bench.
" – they must be close, I thought I heard yelling!" Footsteps approached the two people. "There they are!"
A blur of red engulfed Hermione in a big, comforting hug as the lean, mean, blonde machine just stared at the stonily.
"Malfoy," Another voice spoke.
"Potter," He replied, tired. It was challenging to argue with Hermione Granger. Both mentally and physically challenging.
"What happened?" Ginny asked Hermione, still wrapping her up in a protective hug. She glared at Malfoy.
"Drunk driver," Draco said softly. Hermione was still crying so he took it up to himself to answer their questions. "Granger sent me a Patronus to help her bring Pans into St. Mungo's. She's been in there –" He pointed at the locked room in front of them. "– for a few hours now."
"How – how bad is it?" Harry asked.
"We haven't had a full report yet but the Healers said they're trying their best to save … it first," Draco sighed.
"Him," Hermione said softly.
"What?" Draco looked at her.
"Him, not it," Hermione repeated herself.
"Oh…" Draco mumbled, looking down to his knees.
"Harry, why don't you go down to the cafeteria and see if you could get these two some sandwiches?" Ginny ordered her boyfriend. Harry shrugged and walked off.
"How far along was she?" Ginny sat in between the two.
"Almost eight months, I guess," Draco said sullenly. His eyes lit up as he realized he was talking to Ginny, Pansy's other best friend. He was surprised the day he came back from a three month business program in Spain, almost four years ago to find that his best friend had bonded with these two Gryffindor witches while he was gone. "Hey, Weasley, do you – do you by any chance know who the father was?"
Ginny shook her head. "Nobody knew. I don't know if Pansy herself knew."
About nine months ago, Pansy took off to Greece for a long, well deserved holiday. And she came back pregnant. It wasn't like her to just be so careless like that. Hermione knew how much Pansy wept and wept every night, thinking of what they would do with that thing growing inside of her.
Then, she made the biggest decision of her lifetime. She decided to keep it. There was nothing left for her to lose. She was living with her two best friends in wizarding London. She had already lost her family, the whole Parkinson estate as well as her fortune when her father was found guilty of funding the Death Eater cause. Her mother had gone slightly (it was an understatement) mental when she found out they were broke and had ran off to live with one of her sisters, leaving Pansy behind.
So here she was, fighting for her life and the life of her unborn child.
A hand held out a sandwich into Draco's face. Harry was back.
"What time is it?" Draco croaked, taking the sandwich and putting it next to him.
"Just past six," Harry checked his watch. He held out a cup to Draco. "Thought you might've needed something stronger than coffee."
"I don't take coffee, anyways. Disgusting Muggle drink," He took the cup and sniffed its contents. "Firewhiskey."
Harry nodded. "Don't tell Gin but I think you need it."
"This doesn't mean we're friends, right?" Draco looked up at the dark haired wizard.
He shook his head and smirked. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Malfoy."
Harry approached Ginny and Hermione, who was now slowly eating her sandwich. He put his arms around the both of them as he tried to comfort the still-crying Hermione.
Draco looked at the both of them in envy. Where were his best friends? One of them was lying in the hospital and the other was probably gallivanting all the way across Italy. What would happen to them if – if Pansy didn't make it?
"Ahem."
A man's slight cough had brought him out of his thoughts. He put down the cup of Firewhiskey (he would thank Potter, eventually. And where – how the devil did he get Firewhiskey in a hospital?) as he looked up to the man.
"What is it?" Draco asked. "Tell us!"
The Healer had a pained expression on his face. "We had some complications while delivering the baby."
Hermione looked at him in shock. "Are they – is she alright?"
"The baby is fine, Miss Granger," the Healer said. "We delivered a healthy baby boy, premature but still healthy. He's currently sleeping in the ward for newborns."
Draco knew something was amiss. "There's something you're not telling us." He merely stated.
"Miss Parkinson is very weak. We will have her moved from the Operation Room into her private room immediately," He stated.
The four people in front of him turned pale. The redhead spoke first. "How weak?"
"I do not wish to say it – "
"Just cut the crap! Tell us! I'm sick of sitting in the dark while you let my best friend die! Just tell us how long she has left, you blubbering cow!" Draco yelled.
"Malfoy, calm down," Hermione gripped his arm.
"Don't touch me," He snarled and shrugged her arm off him. "All I want to know is how is it that this incompetent fool here is allowed to treat patients?"
"Mr. Malfoy, if you would please calm down…" The Healer tried.
In Draco's opinion, this Healer was an even more of a sniveling idiot than Longbottom was. And that's saying something.
"Just shut up and tell me," Draco said.
"How is he supposed to shut up and tell him at the same time?" A new voice piped up beside Hermione.
"Ron! When did you get here?" Harry slung an arm over his best friend.
Draco scowled. He felt like he was never going to get the news about Pansy.
"Hello, important matters here, Weasley," Draco growled. "Just … continue, alright?"
"Miss Parkinson does not have long to live. She suffered bad internal injuries from the accident and the potions we are giving here are only strong enough to last her a few more hours. She had personally requested to see Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger," The Healer said. "Please excuse me while I check up on Miss Parkinson."
He walked back into the Operation Room.
This couldn't be happening, Draco thought. Pansy can't just … die! She's only twenty-three, for Merlin's sake. She can't die, she just can't die…
"The nurses are transferring her to Room 306 via a back way as we speak," The Healer said once more. "Please follow me."
The (now) group of five walked silently behind the Healer as they made their way four floors down and passed two different wards into the Trauma Centre. The Healer stopped in front of Room 306 and opened the door. A man dressed in professional robes walked out of the room, nodding curtly to the party that stood outside.
They walked in and on the bed lay a very pale, bruised Pansy Parkinson.
Ginny and Hermione both let out a cry of anguish as they rushed to the side of their best friend. Draco rushed in too, but unlike the two girls, he stood at the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with himself at the moment. The other two men walked in and stood beside him, patting his back uncomfortably.
"Hey," Pansy whispered to the crowd. "Where – where's my son?"
"In the newborn ward, Pans," Hermione gripped Pansy's hand. "He's alright. He's safe and healthy."
"I know, I had the chance to hold him earlier and… and he's beautiful. Draco, Hermione, come closer," Pansy said weakly. "You guys know I love the both of you very much, don't you?"
They both nodded. Draco couldn't care less that he now had tears forming in his eyes as he gripped Pansy's other free hand. Hermione, however, was crying freely once again.
"Take care of him," Pansy squeezed both their hands. "You were supposed to be his godparents, you know that? I was going to ask both of you tomorrow."
Hermione sobbed. Draco had fully formed the tears in his eyes at the thought of losing his best friend.
"I – I don't have any more time. I want the both of you to take care of him as you would your own son," Pansy pleaded. "I spoke to my lawyer, that man who just walked out… I've named the both of you joint guardians of my son."
"But Pansy," Draco said softly. "Granger and I will kill each other…"
"I don't care, Draco!" Pansy snapped with all the energy she could muster (which wasn't much). "Who can I trust my son with if not my best friends?"
"Pansy, please …" Hermione begged.
"Just promise me you'll take care of him, please. I don't want my son to end up in some half-arsed orphanage!" Pansy said softly. "The both of you have such great characters, you're both intelligent and – and you'll be wonderful parents, I know."
The both of them nodded their heads as she gave their hands one last squeeze.
Ginny pushed past Draco as she hugged Pansy. "We'll help too!"
Pansy managed a weak smile. "I know. My son's going to be so lucky to have so many wonderful people around him…"
"Erm, have you thought of a name?" Ron asked, suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "You know, to prevent Malfoy from giving him some weird space name?"
Draco shot him a scowl.
"Aidan," Pansy smiled softly. "Call him Aidan. I've always loved that name."
"Aidan Parkinson," Hermione whispered. "That's adorable." Harry nodded in agreement.
"No, Aidan Malfoy," Draco said. "If I'm going to be his guardian, he's taking my name."
"We're going to be his guardians, Malfoy. I think I have a say in his name," Hermione glared at him.
"Fine, you can choose some rotten Muggle middle name for him if it pleases you," Draco sneered.
"Malfoy, do you like children?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Like, do you ever want children of your own?"
"Of course I do! I mean, to continue the bloodline, of course," Draco replied, warily.
"Oh, so you do want kids! Well, good luck with that. This baby's going to be the only kid that'll ever call you 'Daddy'," Hermione growled. "No woman with half a rat's brain would ever, ever think of procreating with the likes of you!"
"Why, you damned -" Draco glared at Hermione.
"Guys, stop it!" Harry said. "Stop arguing for just a minute and let's just – Pansy is more important than your petty fights right now."
"I know we've never really gotten along in the past… I want all of you to know that I'm sorry for that. I could not ask for a better group of friends to be with me here right now… I – I love all of you," Pansy said weakly before releasing her grip on Hermione and Draco's hands.
And then she was gone, leaving behind the two most unsuspecting people to be the parents of her child.
A/N: What do you think? Good? Bad? Continue? Scrap it? Please review!