A/N - Thank you everyone for reading this story, as always I really appreciate all the wonderful support I receive.
For this chapter I would just like to apologise in advance for any inaccuracies that might occur. I haven't been lucky enough to have children yet, so my knowledge of childbirth isn't the best. Hopefully that won't distract from the final part of the story.
As she got ready to go out, Narcissa wondered if she was doing the right thing by leaving Hermione. Over the weekend there had been a false alarm with the baby and Narcissa was wary of leaving her daughter-in-law. However, both Hermione and Draco had insisted that Narcissa carry on as usual and keep her weekly lunch date with her group of friends.
Deciding to double check on Hermione before she left, Narcissa grabbed her bag and headed off towards Hermione and Draco's room. Knocking on the bedroom door, Narcissa poked her head into the room. Hermione was lying on the bed and Narcissa thought her daughter-in-law was asleep until she lifted her head and smiled at the older witch.
"How are you?" Narcissa asked entering the room and perching on the side of the bed.
"Fine." Hermione replied. "I'm just a bit tired."
"Do you want me to stay?" Narcissa questioned. "I can cancel on the girls and stay with you."
"I'm fine, go and enjoy your afternoon." Hermione insisted. "I'll probably just spend the day in bed."
"If you're sure." Narcissa replied as she stood up. "Lucius will be here, so if you need anything make sure you send for him."
Hermione nodded, although she had no intention of calling for Lucius. Once Narcissa left she was going to curl back up and go to sleep. Hopefully by the time she woke up she would feel better as at the minute she felt pretty rough.
"I'll try not to be too long." Narcissa placed a quick kiss on Hermione's forehead before leaving her daughter-in-law to go back to sleep.
Heading downstairs, Narcissa found Lucius in his study. Even though Draco had taken over the family business Lucius still had a say in things and he often had his own personal projects going on that had nothing to do with the family business.
"I'm off." Narcissa told her husband. "Keep an eye on Hermione. I know the baby's not due for another week, but she didn't look great."
"I'm sure she's fine." Lucius muttered.
"I mean it Lucius." Narcissa glared at her husband. "Look out for her, and don't you dare leave her alone."
"I won't." He sighed, knowing better than to argue with his wife.
"I'll see you in a few hours."
Lucius watched his wife leave, hoping he'd have a peaceful afternoon and wouldn't be disturbed by Hermione. It wasn't that Lucius didn't like Hermione, it was just that he didn't know her very well and if he was being honest he wasn't sure how to act around her. Before Hermione he'd never really interacted with muggleborns and he was worried in case he accidentally offended her and Draco got mad.
In the aftermath of the war Draco and Narcissa had found it easier to forget their prejudices against muggleborns than Lucius. Over forty years of thinking a specific way was hard to overcome and Lucius really did struggle with accepting muggleborns as equals. He had honestly tried his very best to change like his wife and son, but it was a hard thing to do and when his brief stint in Azkaban was at an end he was really just beginning his journey.
Ideally he would have built up to interacting with muggleborns, but that hadn't been an option since Draco was already involved with Hermione and their relationship was pretty serious. Lucius would readily admit he didn't react well to the news Draco was involved with a muggleborn and his first few encounters with Hermione had been less than ideal. Over the years he'd come to fully accept Hermione as part of the family, but their relationship had never developed into a close one, they just learnt to accept one another for Draco's sake.
Even Hermione's pregnancy and her and Draco's recent move into the Manor had failed to bring them any closer. Lucius was genuinely thrilled with the idea of becoming a grandfather, but he couldn't help the small part of him that was less than happy with the pure blood Malfoy line dying out. Lucius fought that side of his nature every day and the little voice in his head that would say that Draco was letting the family down by marrying a muggleborn was getting quieter all the time. Lucius was hoping that the baby's arrival would silence the voice altogether and he could just enjoy being a grandfather and not have to feel guilty for the odd thoughts he couldn't help but have.
Shaking his head to dislodge thoughts of Hermione, Lucius turned back to his desk. He had work to do, he couldn't just sit here and dwell on his daughter-in-law. Once he started back on with his work, Hermione didn't enter his thoughts again, until a house elf unexpectedly popped into the room a good couple of hours later.
"What do you want Misty?" Lucius asked, briefly looking up from his work to see which elf had entered his study.
Since the end of the war and the new laws freeing elves, the Malfoy's had a lot less elves working at the Manor, but the ones they did have were loyal and were very hard workers. Misty, the elf who had entered his study, was the elf Narcissa had assigned to look out for Hermione.
"Miss Hermione needs help." Misty squeaked, wringing her hands nervously.
"What is it?" Lucius asked in a bored tone. "Can't it wait until Narcissa gets back?"
"She's having a baby." Misty replied.
"I had noticed." Lucius drawled. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
"She's having a baby, right now." Misty amended, making sure to add the vital bit of information.
"Now?" Lucius jumped to his feet and looked around in a panic. "Why didn't you say anything? Come on."
Not checking to see if the elf was following him, Lucius bolted out of his study and headed off in the direction of Draco and Hermione's room.
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Hermione clung onto the back of the chair as another wave of pain hit her. The pains had started coming shortly after Narcissa had left the room, but thinking it was another false alarm Hermione had ignored them. However, nearly two hours later she knew this was no false alarm, she was in labour.
"Misty." She called for the elf Narcissa had asked to keep an eye on her since arriving at the Manor.
With a small pop Misty appeared beside Hermione. The helpful smile soon slid off the little creatures face as she took in the sight of her young mistress.
"Is Narcissa back, yet?" Hermione gritted out, trying to breathe through the pain.
"No, Miss." Misty shook her head.
Hermione's reply was swallowed by her screams as another contraction hit. Realising she needed someone, Hermione reluctantly sent the elf off to get Lucius. While her father-in-law wouldn't have been her ideal choice of help, he would have to suffice. It took nearly ten minutes for Lucius to come bursting into the bedroom and by that time Hermione's contractions were coming every couple of minutes.
"Come on, we have to get you to the hospital." Lucius immediately took charge of the situation, his earlier panic subsiding when he witnessed Hermione in labour.
"Draco." Hermione gasped as Lucius took hold of her arm. "I need Draco."
"Misty, send for Draco." Lucius snapped at the elf. "Tell him to meet us at the hospital."
When Lucius began leading Hermione to the fireplace in the room, she shook her head. "It's not connected to the floo network."
"Bloody hell, I'll kill Draco." Lucius muttered. "Do you think you can make it to mine and Narcissa's room?"
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but all that emerged was a loud cry. Lucius took one look at his daughter-in-law and called for another elf. This time he sent the elf off to the hospital with orders to bring back a Healer. Carefully he walked Hermione over to the bed and sat her down.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, crying out as another contraction hit.
"This baby isn't going to wait." Lucius said. "We don't have time to get you to the hospital."
"Yes we do. Aah." Hermione's protests turned into screams as her body agreed with Lucius.
"You're having this baby now, so stop arguing." Lucius told his daughter-in-law. "Draco and the healer are on the way, let's get you comfortable."
Hermione let Lucius help her get settled on the bed, she even held onto him and dug her nails into his arm a couple of times as the pain hit her.
"I think I need to push." Hermione said, looking at Lucius in horror.
"You can't." Lucius's face mirrored the look of horror on Hermione's face. "The healer isn't here yet."
"I can't help that." Hermione panted.
"But you're not ready to give birth. You're still wearing your pyjama bottoms." Lucius argued.
"I know." Hermione muttered. "You get up here and don't look." She ordered her father-in-law.
Lucius quickly made his way to the head of the bed and turned away as Hermione removed her pyjama bottoms. Throwing the bed sheet over her uncovered lower half, Hermione once again held onto Lucius as the contractions carried on coming closer together.
"Where's that healer?" Hermione questioned through her screams.
"I don't know." Lucius muttered. "I should have gone myself."
"Don't leave me." Hermione cried, worried that she would be left alone to deliver her baby.
"I'm not going anywhere." Lucius soothed, running a hand through Hermione's hair. "Do you still feel the need to push?"
"Yes, it's getting stronger." Hermione panted.
"Then do it." Lucius ordered.
"What if something happens to the baby?" Hermione asked, fear evident in her voice. "What if it gets stuck?"
"Nothing will happen, I promise." Lucius smiled at Hermione reassuringly as he took hold of her hand. "Now push."
Lucius almost wished he hadn't taken hold of Hermione's hand when she almost crushed it with her surprisingly strong grip. However he didn't remove his hand, he merely let Hermione squeeze it as she almost screamed the house down. When Hermione collapsed back onto the bed, her hand slipped under the sheet her had covering herself.
"I can feel the head." She announced, before frowning and turning to look at Lucius. "You're going to have to go down there."
"What?" Lucius looked at her as though she was mad. "Why? I can help from here."
"I need to be sure the baby's okay." Hermione said. She didn't like the idea any more than Lucius did, but her baby came first. "Please Lucius." She pleaded through gritted teeth as the urge to push began to grow again.
Reluctantly Lucius nodded and leaving Hermione's side he headed to the bottom of the bed. With a deep breath he took up his position and trying to forget who he was dealing with, he helped Hermione deliver the baby. The rest of the labour passed easily and before Lucius knew where he was, he was cleaning up a tiny bundle and checking the baby was okay.
"What is it?" Hermione gasped.
"It's a boy." Lucius grinned.
Just as Lucius wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to Hermione, the house elf Lucius had sent to the hospital appeared, followed by a Healer. The Healer apologised for the delay, citing an emergency at the hospital, as he hurried forward to examine Hermione and the baby.
While the Healer was in the middle of his examination of Hermione, Draco burst into the room. He frantically took in the scene before sprinting over to the side of bed and grabbing hold of Hermione's hand.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I was in a meeting and Misty told me to go to the hospital but when I got there you weren't there. One of the Healers said you sent for help, so I rushed straight back here." Draco said, kissing Hermione on the forehead. "But since I'm here now you can have the baby."
"Thanks for the permission." Hermione snorted. "But I've already had the baby."
"What?" Draco looked at the Healer in bewilderment before spotting his father holding a tiny bundle in his arms.
"Lucius delivered him." Hermione explained as Draco headed over to meet his son.
"And a good job he did too." The Healer added. "Both Mrs Malfoy and the baby are perfectly healthy. I see no reason that either of you should have to come into the hospital. I'll come back in a couple of days to check everything's okay."
"You delivered him?" Draco asked Lucius as Hermione spoke to the Healer before he left.
"Yes." Lucius nodded, handing over his grandson to his son. "It was bloody terrifying." He whispered to Draco.
Draco chuckled and thanked his father, before making his way back to Hermione. Settling down on the bed beside her, the couple looked at their new-born son in amazement. Lucius watched them with a smile on his face, before collapsing onto a nearby chair with relief.
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Narcissa's return home was later than she planned, but her friends had been heading to the shops and she just couldn't resist joining them. Her shopping detour hadn't been a complete waste of time as she had three bags full of stuff for the baby and a little something for Draco, Hermione and Lucius.
Magically sending her shopping up to her room, Narcissa set out for Lucius's study. Narcissa frowned when she spotted the room was deserted. She'd told her husband to stay at home in case Hermione wanted him and it looked as though he had scarpered.
"Wait until I get my hands on him." Narcissa muttered as she headed off to check on Hermione. "He's a dead man."
Still mumbling to herself, Narcissa headed to Hermione and Draco's room. After knocking quietly she entered the room, half expecting her daughter-in-law to be asleep. What she didn't expect was to find Draco sitting on the bed beside Hermione and Lucius sitting on a chair next to the bed. And she definitely didn't expect to find her husband cradling a new-born baby.
"Oh, I've missed the birth." Narcissa gasped.
"It was quite the event." Lucius chuckled.
"Come and meet your grandson Narcissa, and we'll tell you all about it." Hermione smiled at the older witch.
"Have you decided on a name yet?" Narcissa asked as she walked over to her husband's side.
"Scorpius." Draco answered. "We've decided to follow the family tradition."
Narcissa smiled at her son and daughter-in law and once she was settled beside Lucius, with her grandson in her arms, Lucius and Hermione told her about the afternoon they'd had. Narcissa could barely believe Lucius had delivered the baby, but so far it seemed to have helped him bond with Hermione. For the first time the pair seemed comfortable in each other's company, she just hoped this was the beginning of the pair of them settling into a good relationship.
As it turned out Narcissa was right, the experience had helped to bond Hermione and Lucius. After Scorpius' birth Lucius no longer spent all his time in his study, instead choosing to spend his days with his daughter-in-law and his grandson. By the time Hermione and Draco were ready to return home, the pair were quite close and Lucius thought of Hermione as a daughter.
The End.