"Is she okay?" Lily rushed into the waiting room. "Is she?" She confronted Scorpius who was pacing. He didn't say anything, but looked up with a look of pure panic on his face.
"She's just fine." Narcissa said from behind the pacing Scorpius.
Lily sighed with relief. "What's up with him, then?" She asked as she sat down next to Narcissa.
"I expect it's just hitting him now that he's about to be a father."
"Shouldn't he have realized that sometime in the past nine months?" Lily teased.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Scorpius kept on pacing.
"Is anyone else here?" Lily asked.
"Draco is on his way. The man got stuck in a meeting." Narcissa made a sound that in any other woman would be a snort. "As if a meeting is more important than his grandchild's birth."
"Mum's in there with Rose right now." When Lily gave him a look, he added, "I was in there but then she kicked me out."
"Probably because you were doing that annoying pacing thing." Lily surmised.
He glared at her.
"And…"Lily trailed off at the look on Narcissa's and Scorpius's face. "Really? They haven't even?"
"You're the first, and probably only, one." Scorpius told her.
"I'm going to kill them." She cursed.
"Calm, Lily. Be calm. You've helped Rose tremendously by just being here." Narcissa laid her hand on the redhead's shoulder. "You should have expected this. Rose did."
"Yes, but…I'd hoped, all the same. What sort of people don't care about the birth of their grandchild? Just because they dislike the father…"
Scorpius snorted and muttered, "Understatement of the century."
"…and for no good reason at that. Who does that?" Lily continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Hermione and Ron Weasley, I guess." Scorpius commented. "Will Al or Hugo come?"
"Al feels like an idiot because he can't come." Lily rolled her eyes. "He should because he is one. I told him it was a stupid thing to do, to schedule his week out of the country for the week Rose was likely to go into labor."
"And Hugo?" Scorpius prompted. "She wants him here, as bad as she wants…"
Lily nodded to show she understood. "He'll try. He managed to get me a message before his Uncle Ron found out. But it isn't likely he'll be able to. Uncle Ron knows she's in labor and he's doing his best to prevent Hugo from coming."
Scorpius sighed. "Well, we don't know he's not coming for sure."
"Can I go see her?" Lily asked Scorpius who had resumed his pacing.
"Go ahead." Narcissa said when he didn't answer. My grandson's too lost in his thoughts to hear you."
"How are you doing Rose?" Lily asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"How do you think I'm doing!" Rose panted. "I'm in LABOR!"
"Good, then." Lily crossed the room and sat in the chair next to Astoria, who was clutching Rose's hand.
"I can't deal with your sarcasm right now, Lily." Rose spat, then screamed, "FUCK!" and clamped down hard on Astoria's hand.
"Remember, deep, even breaths." Astoria said. "Deep breaths."
After panting for a few more minutes, Rose visibly calmed. "Sorry about that," She said once she was able. "It's just these bloody contractions."
Lily nodded sympathetically. Astoria tucked strands of Rose's hair behind her ears.
"I'm glad you came. Really I am." Rose obviously felt bad about shouting at Lily. "Are…you know?"
"No." Lily answered and she watched Rose's face fall. "I'm sorry I really tried. I told them. Al's out of the country, but you knew that. Hugo wants to come but…well, he'll try."
"Oh…well, I guess…SHIT!" She screamed as another contraction hit.
"How long is this going to happen!" Lily asked Astoria nervously. "Is this normal?"
"Very. And she's not even that close yet."
"I'm never having kids." Lily declared as Rose panted again. "Rose, is it alright if I go?"
Rose nodded, and as Lily walked out, she called, "Send Scorpius in! I need to have a talk with him."
Lily walked into the waiting room, tapped Scorpius on the shoulder and pointed to the room. A few minutes later, she heard Rose scream, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!?"
Narcissa smiled at Lily, "That's one upside of labor; you get to scream at your husband."
Hugo growled at the door. "I'm an idiot. A complete idiot." He muttered to himself. Why had he even tried to convince his parents to come? All it had done was get him stuck here.
He still couldn't believe that he had fallen for it, his dad's trick. He had asked him to fetch something from the closet, and once Hugo had stepped inside, the door had slammed locked behind him. And he had left his wand on the kitchen table.
IDIOT!
Sure, Dad had claimed he was trying to get him out, but Hugo didn't believe that for a second. Crazy old prejudiced man. He didn't even need to look for a key; Dad was a wizard for Merlin's sake!
He tried again to push the door open. No luck. Rose was going to kill him! He pushed again, and surprisingly the door opened. Hugo fell flat on his face. The first thing he saw was his mum standing by holding her wand to the lock.
"Thanks for letting me out, Mum." Hugo smiled at her, remembering his real hope for the visit. If she had let him out, she must want to come see Rose!
"Your father stepped outside for a few minutes. If you want to leave, you'd best hurry." She handed him his wand.
"Come with me, Mum." He held out his hand, pleading with her.
"I can't imagine that Rose would want me there." Hermione shook her head. "Best I'd stay here."
"Are you serious, Mum? Rose would love to have you come!"
"I imagine she's quite furious at me. I haven't spoken to her in years."
"Of course she's mad, Mum! Who wouldn't be? But that doesn't mean she doesn't miss you!"
"Are you sure she wants me to come?"
"Merlin, Mum, I thought you were smart!" Hugo threw up his arms. "SHE WANTS YOU TO COME! Now are you going to leave with me and see the birth of your grandchild or stay her like a coward?"
Hermione's response was to grab his arm and nod. "Thank you, Hugo. I needed that." She paused. "But of you ever take that tone with me again, young man…"
Hugo rolled his eyes and smiled. He appartated, taking his mum with him.
Lily looked up to see Hugo strolling into the hospital waiting room. She jumped up and rushed to hug her cousin.
"Thank Merlin you made it, Hugo! Rose is upset. She's denying it, but I can tell."
"I wouldn't have missed the birth of my niece or nephew." Hugo smiled at Lily. "And look who I got to come along."
Hermione nervously walked out from behind the corner. Lily's draw dropped and she gave Hugo a look that told him she was impressed.
"Aunt Mione," She nodded to Hermione. Their relationship had been strained since Rose had run away.
"I'm sorry." She replied looking at her feet.
"I'm not the one you should be telling that too."
She nodded and asked, "Where is she?"
Lily pointed Hermione toward the room. Hugo began to follow but Lily held him back. "Let's give them time to talk alone." She explained.
They sat down. Hugo turned to his cousin. "I want to go see her. Is she okay?"
Lily nodded. She added, "I almost wish I hadn't gone in there. I think I may be scared for life." Lily shook her head. "Rose was seriously scaring me. I think she may have ripped Scorpius's head off. I'll never have kids."
"Are you sure Lorcan will be happy with that?" He referred to her fiancé.
"Doesn't matter." Lily glared. "It's my choice. If he wants kids, he'll have to settle for adoption. I'm not going through labor."
Hugo gave her a look of disbelief. "Whatever you say, cousin."
"Oh, there you are Lily." Rose said as she saw the door open from her bed. "Scorpius just ran out to find Dra–" She stopped as she saw who was really at the door. "Mum?" She asked weakly.
Hermione nodded. "Are you – Is it – Can I sit?"
Rose nodded. Hermione took a seat at the chair just out of Rose's reach. "I-I-" Hermione sucked in a deep breath. "I came to say I'm sorry."
"Why?" Was all Rose could manage.
"Why am I sorry?"
Rose shook her head. "No, you should be sorry. Why, as in why did you do it in the first place? I expected this all from dad but I never thought you would have taken it this far! Why mum, why?" Everything that she had been holding in burst out, just like the tears were bursting out of her eyes. "You missed my wedding. You missed my 21st birthday."
"And that wasn't enough, was it?" Rose continued. "You had to try to stop everyone else from seeing me. Victorie's told me you barely talk to Andromeda anymore because she has tea with me. You ignore Lily all together and Al wasn't even invited to dad's promotion party. You stopped me from even being able to see Hugo's graduation. You try to keep Hugo from seeing me. Why?"
"Most of that was your father's." Hermione whispered.
Rose laughed without humor. "What father? Draco's been a better father to me than Dad ever was. And you went along with it, didn't you? Willingly?"
"Yes." Hermione focused her eyes on the floor. "I did."
"So tell me, mum. Why?"
Hermione met Rose's eyes for the first time in too long. Rose saw there were tears in her mum's eyes as well. "There are things you don't know about the Malfoys Rose."
"The Malfoys? Mum, I am a Malfoy now. I am having a Malfoy baby right this minute." Rose pointed out. "I know a lot more than you think I do."
"No, you can't –" Hermione was interrupted by Rose.
"I know about your torture. At the same manor where I have tea every week with my family." Rose saw that it hurt her mother to hear those words. "I've known for a long time. I know more. I know about Draco, you, Harry, and Dad. I know how Narcissa saved Harry's life at the battle. I know."
"How long?"
"Before I was engaged to Scorpius. Before I ran away." Rose looked her mother in the eye. "Draco told me himself. He sat me down in his study, once he realized how serious I was about Scorpius, told me he needed for me to know some things before I got in to deep. When I could still get out."
"And…"
"Obviously I chose to stay. Mum, I understood you better after that. I was willing to forgive you for everything you had done to stop me and Scorpius. I wanted you to understand that if you didn't ever want to see your in-laws, you wouldn't have to. I wouldn't make you. I wished you had realized that Scorpius is not his father, and that Draco himself is a different person. You never did."
"I'm so sorry." Hermione cried silent tears. "I don't know what to do."
"I'll never forget Mum, never. You can't erase those years."
"I know."
"But Mum?"
"Yes, Rose?"
"I forgave you. The moment you stepped in this door, I forgave you."
Hermione smiled briefly. "I don't deserve it."
"If you come back, you will."
Mother and daughter hugged each other then, crying tears of sadness, regret, hope, and joy.
And then a contraction hit Rose.
"SHIT!"
"Do you reckon it's safe to go in there?" Lily asked Hugo.
"I haven't heard any screaming in the last ten minutes."
"I suppose Scorpius will let us know when the newest little Malfoy arrives in this world." Narcissa informed the two from her seat.
Just then, Scorpius popped his head out from the room. He was chalk white but beaming.
"The baby was born! She's a girl!"
The three in the waiting room exchanged a glance. A Malfoy daughter? There hadn't been a girl born into the Malfoys in several centuries.
"What are you going to name her?" Lily asked, once she got over her surprise.
"Well, we'd like to talk to you and Grandmother about that if you don't mind."
"Of course not." Narcissa answered.
When the two women entered, they saw Rose holding the new baby girl. She had the Malfoy nose and jaw, as far as Lily could tell, and the hair indicated it would be the same pale blonde. However, there was a smattering of freckles over the baby's nose and that was all Weasley.
"Narcissa you've helped me so much since I married Scorpius. You've really welcomed me and I love you so much for that. I can never repay you."
"No need, dear. You're just the entertainment an old woman like myself needs."
Rose ignored that comment and focused her eyes on Lily. "And Lily, without you I wouldn't even have a piece of my old family back. You've been wonderful."
"So," Rose told them. "Scorpius and I have agreed" she glanced at her husband and he smiled at her. "that we want to name her Cissa Anna Lily."
Lily was speechless. So was Narcissa. Then they turned to each other and said at the same time, "Nice name."
"Welcome to the world, Miss Cissa Anna Lily Malfoy." Scorpius smiled down at his wife and daughter, wonder how he could be so lucky.
Lily ran into Hermione as she was leaving the hospital. "How did your seeing Rose work out?"
"Okay, I suppose. As okay as it will ever be." Hermione sighed. "I heard the baby is named after you."
"And Narcissa." Lily reminded her.
Hermione sucked in a breath. "It must be an honor."
"I guess so. It's lucky, that I'm having a girl named after me. I won't be having any Lily Jr.'s of my own."
"Why?" Hermione looked surprised. "Is there a problem?"
Lily laughed. "Oh, Merlin's no! It's just after seeing Rose in labor, I never want to go through that."
"Alright then." Hermione gave Lily a strange look. "I'd better go look in on Rose."
"I have to go see Lorcan anyway." Lily walked past her to the end of the hall. "Oh, and Aunt Mione?" She called.
Hermione looked back. "Yes?"
"If you leave Rose's life again, I don't care that you're my aunt, that you're older than me. I will hex you."
"I don't plan on it. And I won't fight back if I do."
"Glad to have an understanding." Lily nodded, then apparted back to the flat Lorcan and she shared.
Noticing the door was unlocked, she called, "Lorcan, honey. You won't believe what you missed. Rose went into labor and Aunt Mione showed up! It's a girl and they're naming her Cissa Anna Lily. And I hope you don't mind never having kids because I never want to go through labor." She stopped when she saw the nervous frightened look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Do you remember last night?" Lorcan asked.
She smiled. "How could I forget?"
"Well...um…honey…you see," He stammered.
Everyone in a 50-mile radius heard a few moments later when Lily screamed, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CONDOM BROKE!"
