Chapter 4
The room small room was colored in different pastels of pinks and yellows. The light shone in from the tiny window and illuminated the small white and pink bassinet. A rather large brunette was meticulously folding some clothing near a changing table. She paused to rub her enlarged stomach as a blonde entered the room.
"Are you alright? Are you in pain or something?" the blonde asked worried.
"No, I'm fine." Hermione suppressed a wince. "I guess she's just kicking up a storm in there." She told her concerned companion.
"Okay, but tell me if something's up, alright?"
"Yes of course Luna. Thanks again for staying with me through this. I couldn't do it without you." She hugged her petite friend.
"Don't worry about it 'Mione, I wanted to!" Luna smiled at her very pregnant friend. "You need someone here to help around the house and such. Not to mention keeping away the Iureonas."
Hermione hid the giggle she had and asked, "Right, and what do they do?"
"Oh, don't you know, they are the ones who steal the cribs of babies." She whimsically told Hermione.
"I thought they stole the babies from the cribs?" Hermione tried to sound interested as she played along with her friend's odd and probably make-believe creatures.
"No, no. That's the Pans that do that, but they don't dwell around here." She informed.
"Oh. Okay." The brown haired girl grinned as she picked up another small garment.
Hermione was a little into her seventh month of gestation. She had only found out recently that her baby was going to be a girl and so they had decorated the extra room in Hermione's apartment accordingly. Luna had also came to stay with her during these last trying months. As of recent, she had having some pains but didn't want to say anything as she figured it was no big deal, all pregnant women go through junk like that.
Hermione inwardly sighed. These are the times that she wished she had a real companion to comfort her. Sure, Luna was great, she was as sweet as they came, but she needed a male presence. Her thoughts traveled to the blonde that she longed to really be with her. Draco hadn't contacted her once in the past couple months. Her heart ached. She had developed many feelings for him. It might not have been the love that she shared with Harry but it was something nearly as strong. A tear came to her eye. Both of the men she had cared for so deeply had left her. This baby was going to be her only love after this. She wouldn't allow herself to get hurt so badly again.
She felt a surge of pain. Her heart was in shambles. The tear fell and Luna turned to her. "Hermione?" she looked at her friend. "Oh Merlin! Your water has broke!" Hermione looked down and saw a stream of liquid running down her leg and pooling on the floor.
"That can't be! I'm not due for another two months! She can't come now, it's way too soon!" Hermione was beginning to become hysterical.
"It's okay Hermione, calm down. This happens all the time. Everything will be okay." She Accio'd the overnight bag that Hermione had had packed for weeks now, just incase. "Come on Hermione. I'm glad you insisted we bring that darned car of my fathers. I suppose you were right as you're in no fit state to apparate, floo, or use a portkey."
Hermione had magicked the car so that Luna didn't have to drive it only tell it the destination. She hadn't had time to make it go quicker so the were hindered by that. Thankfully Hermione had thought in the beginning to get an apartment that wasn't too far away from St. Mungos. They hurried, well as fast as a woman in labor can, to the car.
After a twenty minute, agonizing ride they had arrived. Luna had scrawled a quick message to the healers to alert them that they were on their way and sent it by the owl Hermione had asked her to bring. They walked into the hospital and the healers immediately took her in a wheelchair and up to a room.
They wanted to prevent Hermione from going into labor so they set about trying to. One healer finally came over to Hermione and said, "I'm sorry. You're too far into your labor for us to stop it. You're going to have to deliver the baby now."
Hermione sighed. "Will that affect the baby very much?" she asked hoping the answer would calm her fears.
"We're not sure Ms. Granger." was her reply, which did not calm her one bit.
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Screams pierced the air of the small maternity ward at St. Mungos. The baby girl was on her way into the wizarding world and making her presence very well known. Only a few healers were attending to the young mother-to-be, as they were needed elsewhere.
With one last shriek and exhausting push, a small cry was heard. Cheers rang out as the healers set to work, cleaning up the mother and the baby. Hermione was so thankful for the magical capabilities of the workers; she didn't think that she would have made it through this without the pain relief spells and such.
A tear rolled down her cheek as they handed her the dark-haired baby girl. She looked into her wonderful green eyes, obviously taken from her father. She wasn't crying, she hoped that to be a sign that she wouldn't be a very fussy baby. She was a good-sized, 7 lb, 4 oz. and nearly 22" long. She smiled at how much she resembled Harry, for the exception of her nose and her ears.
"Well Miss, have you a name for her?" an elderly healer asked.
"Yes, actually I am going to name her Emma Lillian Granger." Hermione replied to the sweet woman. She watched as she scrawled the name on a birth certificate, with no father's name on it. The thoughts of the unwritten name threatened to bring tears, but when she looked at the now sleeping baby, they were cast aside. She knew she had to get through the coming hard times for Emma, but was so terrified to face everything alone.
"We'll have to take her now. Both of you need rest if you're going to be ready to get out of here within the week." The elder woman took Hermione's world from her arms.
"Is it that serious that we might have to remain here that long?" the new mother asked worriedly.
"We aren't sure yet. You both seem to be very weak so we'll be able to determine that after you both have a bit of sleep." The healer tried to calm Hermione, though wasn't too successful. "She won't be too far off, deary. She'll only be in the nursery in the very next room. Now just rest."
Hermione laid her head back on her pillow. She watched as the grey headed lady took her precious baby into the next room. Luna walked in and squeaked. "Isn't she lovely Mione?! Oh she looks just like you!" her friend hugged her.
"Thank you Luna, but I think she looks more like Harry." A tear came to her eye.
"Oh posh! You saw that cute little nose, it's an exact replica of yours silly!" Luna tried to reassure the emotional mom.
"Yes, but her eyes…" the tear betrayed her.
"Are beautiful." Luna added. She wiped away Hermione's tear. "Harry would be so happy to see her, but he wouldn't want you crying and you know that."
Hermione sniffed and wiped at her eyes. It was true. She told Luna that she needed sleep and that she should go to Neville and tell him the news. She said she would be fine from here on but she should visit her very soon. Hermione could tell that she didn't like the idea of leaving her so soon, but knew that there was no way to convince Hermione otherwise.
So with that Hermione was left alone with her thoughts. The tears quickly joined her. Her baby was a bastard child. It was going to grow up without a father. She sighed. Emma would hate her for it. What if she put her up for adoption? Maybe then she wouldn't have to be without a father…
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"Wake up 'Mione!" a voice called to her. She opened her eyes and saw a beautiful green. At first she flinched thinking it was the curse being sent at her. She stopped to look again realizing she wasn't dead. It was a pair of eyes. The very set that she had longed to look into for so long.
"Harry!" she sat up and threw her arms around his neck. She heard him chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her middle. "I've missed you so much!" she cried into his shoulder. It felt so good to be in his arms again, she never wanted to leave the safety of them.
"'Mione." He spoke softly as he slowly pulled her off of him. He put his hands on her shoulders so that he could look her in her chocolate eyes. "I can't stay long." She started to protest but he stopped her with one finger on her lips. "Listen to me." she weakly nodded, forcing the tears to stay out of her eyes. "I want you to know something. I love you."
"And I love you Harry! You know that!"
"Yes, yes. I know. After Ron and Ginny died, I didn't know how we were going to go on. The solace that I found in you is what made us fall in love." He smiled at the thoughts. "But now… I can't be there with you always. You know that." He added when she started to whimper. "Our daughter," he smiled down at her. Hermione hadn't noticed that a small crib was beside her bed. Harry picked her up and nuzzled her as she giggled. "She's beautiful. Look at that cute nose." Hermione smiled. "She's more like you than you know 'Mione. She's going to be brilliant."
"I'm sure she'll be brave like you." Hermione rested her forehead against his.
"Yes." He beamed. "She'll also have a taste for rule breaking, so watch that." He chuckled. She rolled her eyes playfully. He rose up and put the cooing baby back into her small crib. "Those thoughts you were having earlier were wrong."
Hermione looked at him confused. "She is going to love you." He stated. She looked down at her hands that were in her lap. Harry brought her chin up and then took both hands into his. "She won't resent you or me, I promise."
"Why don't you just stay with us Harry? I can't do this on my own, no matter what I tell any one." She pleaded.
"You know I can't. My time has passed." He said sadly. He saw her lip quiver. "But, 'Mione, you won't be alone. I'll be there with you in spirit, and there's also someone else. They will come into the picture soon." Again she looked at him confused. "Don't worry Hermione, I trust them. They love you and will good take care of you and Emma, I promise." He paused a second. "But now Hermione, I really must go."
"No! Please! Stay with-" he cut her off with his lips. The kiss was soft and passionate.
"I love you Hermione." He said before he disappeared.
"I love you." She said as she laid back against her pillow again. All of her tears came out.
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The light was bright when Hermione finally woke up again. She opened her eyes only to have to shut them fore the light hurt her. She waited a moment and tried again. It was easier this time. The bright blurry images slowly came into focus. That's when Hermione felt something in her hand. She looked at it and saw that another was connected to it.
She thought it was Harry at first, but then when her sight cleared further, she saw that it defiantly was not. The boy was sleeping, with his head rested on her bedside. A small, rather uncomfortable looking chair had been pulled up along her bed, which he was residing in. His blonde hair was falling all around his face. He looked simple terrible, like he hadn't slept in a while. His face, even in sleep, looked troubled.
She watched him sleep for bit, just thinking. Was this who Harry had been talking about? It couldn't be! It was Draco Malfoy. Harry and he hadn't been on the best of terms, to say the least. Though Harry had protected him after sixth year. Still. He wouldn't want his baby in the hands of a Malfoy would he?
What was he doing here anyway? He took off when I told him about the baby. He didn't want anything to do with her or me at that time. Had he changed his mind? She wanted to know but didn't want to wake him. What if he wanted me to give it up or something? What if he wasn't the one Harry was talking about? What if he hates the baby because she's truly Harry's? All of these negative thoughts were racing through her head, she hadn't even noticed him stir. And though he hadn't woke up at first, she still didn't notice when he had finally raised his head up.
He looked around, also a little disoriented. Then he saw that her eyes were open. "Hermione." He said, excited though trying not to startle her. She heard his voice but it still hadn't registered in her mind that he was awake. She then looked into his eyes. In them she saw a lot of emotions that she knew he hid. "You're finally awake." He let a small smile slip.
"You look relieved." She said.
"I am. You've been asleep for two days." He stated.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "What about my baby?!" she asked worriedly.
"She's fine. They said that you were just exhausted. Certain pain spells on first time mothers can cause excessive sleep." He informed. "You tossed and seemed to be having a bad dream earlier."
"Really?"
"Yes. You were saying things too." He said. She looked puzzled and waited for him to go on. "You were telling someone not to leave you. You even cried a little."
She frowned. That couldn't have been a dream. It was so real.
"Are you alright?" he asked finally.
"Yes. I'm fine. I'm not in any pain or anything." She said.
"No, I mean emotionally." He restated.
"Yes, Malfoy. I'm perfectly fine." She sarcastically drawled and jerked her hand out of his. "I have a beautiful baby, but she doesn't have a father because apparently I'm a stupid bint who shags their ex-love's best friend carelessly. I think that seems right doesn't it?"
He sighed. "You aren't a stupid bint. I'm sorry Hermione. I mean it. I was just scared. I haven't really had any responsibility in my whole life that I haven't bailed on."
"You sure act like you do. But I always knew you were scared of everything." She turned her head from him and said a bit too cruelly.
"That's harsh…" he said, though she looked unremorseful. "but true. I deserve your anger. I left you at such a vulnerable time." she scoffed as if to say, 'Duh!' "I'm truly, truly sorry. I should never have acted that way. you needed me and I didn't realize I needed you just as much." She slightly turned her head back to him. "I mean that. I left because I thought that a baby would just mess things up between us. We wouldn't have time to spend with each other. We wouldn't be able to do the things that I had planned for us. It just wasn't the order of things."
He frowned and stood up. He walked to the end of her bed and over to the window. "So I tried to forget you. I tried to forget everything that happened while we were together. I didn't want to remember all the feelings that you caused me to have. All of the touches we shared that were so innocent and so different from everything I had ever experienced in my life. I wanted to hate you, but I knew I was too far past that. Everything was there for me to completely despise you…" he put his head against the cold glass of the window. "And yet, I still couldn't. My thoughts traveled to you constantly. You invaded my every dream. I constantly worried for you. Soon, I wanted to come back to you but I knew you wouldn't have me." he walked back to the bed and reclaimed his seat, he knew he now had her full attention. "But I knew I had to try. When Luna owled me to tell me about the baby coming soon and you not waking I had to come to you." He picked up her hand and put it to his month lightly. "Hermione, I'm sorry I was being so selfish, so immature, so very much a prat. I want to be with you. I want you to be mine. I want to take care of that little baby in there. I know she's not mine and won't ever be, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm going to love her just the same, I want us to be a family."
Hermione was entirely shocked. She had thought he would ask her to take him back but not with this much emotion. She could've sworn that she even saw the smallest glimpse of a tear in his eye. "Oh Draco." She leaned her head against his chest. "Can I trust you?" the real question she wanted to say was, 'Does Harry trust you?' Then she heard his reply and knew that he was the one Harry had came to tell her about.
"I love you Hermione." Was his reply.
"I love you too." Was hers.
Fin.
Rabite'Rin
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A/N: This is the end. However, there's a possibility for a sequel… review and tell me if I should continue this.
