A/N: Okay, I had to split this chapter into two parts. So that's why I'm posting both Chapters Nine and Ten today. But Um, I'm also basing the whole giving birth off of my experience with my sister giving birth, everything I saw (which I saw EVERYTHING) so I'm hoping this is nice and accurate. Anywho, review please! –janepotter22

Chapter Nine: Madness, Part I

For a moment, a very long moment, everything was silent and slow moving. The air in the room became so thick with excitement and nervousness, I felt that I could cut a chunk out just to get rid of all the tension. In a second, I made a decision: I wanted to support Hermione and support Ron as they let another life into the world. I wasn't there for my own daughter's birth, so I guessed that I could make up for it with this birth. And then everything went back to normal speed.

"I have to go to St. Mungo's, Harry, and be with Hermione," Ginny said to me. Her eyes wandered toward the bedroom.

"We want to go!" chorused Lily and Erin, and they didn't even laugh, they were so serious, and they looked a little put out when Ginny hadn't included them.

"Me, too!" I said.

Ginny's expression changed. "I don't think that's a good idea, Harry, bringing you along…"

"Hermione would want me there!"

"Yes, but not Ron…"

"Would he really pick a fight with me while Hermione's trying to give birth?" I asked with a bit of a snort.

"I really don't know, Harry. This is a pretty touchy subject for him…"

I could understand why it was a touchy subject. I wanted Ron to just look past all the drama so that we could be best mates again, but I knew that his forgiveness was going to be a lot more than just "forgive and forget", that more time would be needed. Yet, at the same time, showing up would give me another chance to talk to Ron, which was what I needed. I needed to fix things between me and Ron. "Ginny, I think this is my chance – our chance – to prove to Ron that I'm here for good, and I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon. Please, Ginny, I have to be there! For Hermione and for Ron and for you and me…" I looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would see my point and agree, and I could tell that she was giving in.

"…Okay, Harry. But I think that Lily and Erin should stay here—"

"No!" both girls defiantly and loudly said.

"Please, Mum?" begged Lily, dragging out the word "please" to be longer than necessary. "We want to see the new baby!"

"Yeah!" said Erin, and indignantly added, "It's my new baby brother or sister. I deserve to be there. I have to be there for the baby!"

"Alright, alright! We can all go, but let Harry I and try talking to Ron, first, okay, and then we can visit your mum, Erin. And wish her luck. Go pack your overnight bags and meet us here in ten minutes!"

"Yesss!" said the girls, and they ran off.

When they were gone, Ginny rushed into the room, looking very annoyed with me. "What is it?" I said to her, as I started packing my things.

"This isn't going to work, Harry. Ron's going to kill you." She had her back to me and she was shaking her head. Her hair made beautiful silk waves down her back. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. I leaned my head to the side and pressed my lips to her neck. I took in the flowery smell of her skin, of her hair.

"What are you so afraid of?"

She sighed and held my arms tighter to her. "I don't want him to hurt you. I don't want an argument while Hermione is the one who's in pain. We can't give her any more pain than is necessary."

"Ginny, trust me. I'm going to fix things with Ron. It might not work today, but this will be worth it in the long run. Trust me, love." My voice was low and persuading and I knew that Ginny couldn't resist it when I used that sort of tone.

Ginny turned around in my arms, snaking her hands over my shoulders. "Okay, I trust you," and she kissed me. We kissed for what felt like a very long time, and we almost gave in to our desires; I was looking forward to the extra special something she had planned for us. But we had to stop kissing to finish our packing.

When Lily and Erin arrived, they came with their bags, and even some homework, though I doubted they were going to want to do their homework. I told them that I wasn't going to cut them any slack, Tuesday when I saw them, if their homework wasn't finished. They just shrugged and promised they'd get everything done. Finally, we all stepped into the fireplace and as I dropped a handful of Floo powder into the green fire, I shouted, "St. Mungo's!"

In a whirl of color and green fire, we arrived at the Wizarding Hospital. Covered in a bit of soot, we stumbled into the Floo Foyer. Ginny helped to brush off the girls' robes while I brushed myself and Ginny off. When we were all fairly decent-looking, we made our way to the maternity floor. A Healer behind a desk asked us which patient we wished to see, and then she gave us chest stickers with Hermione's name on it, to give us permission to go in and see her.

When we were outside of Hermione's room, Ginny stepped in front of us with her arms out, as if she were guarding the room from our entrance. She lingered in front of the door, then turned toward us, speaking slowly. "You three should wait out here, and let me talk to them first." The girls made a smacking sound with their lips to show their objection to this plan. Ginny sighed and closed her eyes before speaking again. "Trust me, please trust me okay? Stay here with Harry. I'll be out as soon I c an to say when you can come in, alright?

Lily and Erin nodded reluctantly and I nodded, too. We sat on a bench outside the room, and then Ginny knocked.

"Come in," Came Ron's voice, muffled by the barrier of walls. Ginny opened the door with a loud click and tentatively walked in. There was a rustling sound and then Ginny gasped.

"I can't breathe, Ron, let go." He must have hugged her too tightly.

"Where the hell have you been, Ginny?" said Ron, ignoring his sister, though I was sure he loosened his grip on Ginny. "I was worried, and so was Hermione."

"Never mind about me, Ron. Besides, it's none of your business where I've been." There was a pause in which Ginny sighed. "How's Hermione doing?"

"She's scared." Harry didn't blame Hermione for being scared.

Ginny made a scoffing sound and said, "Why is she scared? She gave birth four times before, what's so scary about now?"

"She's always been nervous about having to give birth, Ginny. She says that just because her other four births went well, doesn't mean there's no room for complications..." After Ron said that, there was a long silence, then, "Sorry."

"It's okay." Ginny's voice shook and was very tense. Did something happen when Lily was born? That thought made me nervous and I looked over to Lily. She seemed perfectly healthy to me, and I wondered what could have transpired.

"Anyway," continued Ron, "they dulled the pain with a potion so that she could get some sleep."

"That's good. It's much easier to sleep through the hardest part. But, do you think you can wake her for a minute?"

"Why?"

"I brought some visitors I'm sure Hermione would want to see." There was a skeptical silence.

"Okay…" said Ron, a little uncertain, and there was silence again before I heard Hermione mumbling incoherently. "Ginny's here, Hermione."

"Ginny!" said Hermione excitedly. "Where've you been? I've missed you so much. Ron and I and your parents… we were so worried."

"I'm fine… Well, I've been living with Harry at the school, actually," she said in a low voice. "And, well, he's here. He wants to see you both…"

"Ron, don't!" came Hermione's voice as angry footsteps stomped across the room. The door flew open and then Ron saw me. His face and ears were very red, and it was frightening how red he was. I stood up as soon as I saw him and I tried to keep my face composed.

Ron's nostrils flared and were white, his lips tight as he tried to think which words he wanted to shout at me first. He grabbed the front of my robes with no attempt at subtlety in front of his daughter and niece, and then snarled his words at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm here to give Hermione support… and to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you." His voice was rising. I saw Ginny step out of the room and attempt to call Ron off me while ushering Erin and Lily away from the scene. I was surprised to see Hermione had climbed out of bed to waddle to the hall, dressed in an open-back hospital dress. She also tried to persuade Ron against doing anything to me. "You should leave right now before I hurt you. I'm only not going to because I have a responsibility with Hermione, and our daughters are here, but if you do not leave this instant I will hurt you." His words were dripping with his threat and his detest for me.

"Ron," I said, "just let me talk to you. We don't have to fight. I just want to talk."

"Talk?" asked Ron. Then he snorted and let go of my robes, pushing me back with much force. He ran a hand through his red hair and paced, trying to keep his temper. "There is nothing to talk about!" he shouted.

"How about what I did to Ginny… and to your family? My family… I want to resolve this, Ron. I want you to forgive me."

"You don't get it do you? You hurt Ginny so much more than you could possibly fathom! She and everyone you left were in so much pain. You hurt us all. But Ginny, perhaps, was hurting the most. Do you understand that?"

"I understand that Ginny forgave me. And Hermione and Lily… I might not deserve your forgiveness, Ron, but I need it. I don't want you to hate me, even if you have the right to hate me. Just, please…" I was begging him.

"You broke Ginny's heart, Harry, and I can't possibly forgive you for such a… horrid act. You mean nothing to me anymore." When he said that, Ron did something much worse than punching me or even spitting at my feet, which he did next. He disowned me and those words cut deep and left me feeling ashamed. Hermione was shocked.

"Ronald!" she said. Her eyes had shined with tears before, but now they were pouring down her face.

I swallowed back the lump that threatened to become my own tears. "Ron," I croaked, "You don't mean that."

Ron ignored her, though. He smiled when he saw that I was hurt by what he'd said. "I do," he said with a dagger tongue. "You had some nerve, laying down with my sister and getting her pregnant, then leaving with no explanation whatsoever. You said you loved her and you just up and leave, on her birthday at that! I was so angry then, I could have killed you Harry. Had you been there, I'd have killed you." He laughed dramatically, throwing his head back, a manic glint in his eyes. "But if you were there, then there'd be no point in killing you, now would there've been?"

I had nothing to say to that, so I slumped to my knees and stared at the floor. My heart was racing with fear. I looked back up into Ron's face and said, "Please." Ron threw back his head again with mirth.

"Are you begging, now?"

"Yes," I said, staring him blank in the face. "I'm begging you, Ron. I'm begging you to forgive me. You have to see that Ginny and I love each other, that she's at least forgiven me. Hermione's forgiven me. It's your turn. You're my best mate, Ron, my brother. At least I want you to be. I need you to want it, too, so we can put the past behind us and be best mates again."

Ron's face became blank and after a while, he turned away from me and walked toward Hermione. "Prove to me that you are never going to hurt Ginny again," he said to me, glancing over his shoulder.

"I swear!" I said, hope shining on the situation. "I swear, Ron, that I love her so much. I'll never hurt her again. I swear." I seemed to be swearing a lot these days. I stood up and followed my two best friends into the room. I sat in a chair, watching Ron help Hermione back onto the bed. Ron ignored me and talked only to Hermione, who was still crying very hard, speaking in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," was all he could say as he rubbed her back and she continued to cry. After a while, he became a little nervous and asked, "Are you hurting?"

Hermione shook her head and blubbered, "No." She couldn't say anything else for a while, though she tried, and Ron refused to make conversation with me. By the time she stopped crying, Ginny and the girls came back. Ginny had a goblet of chilled pumpkin juice and handed it to Hermione, who sipped it gratefully, while Lily and Erin both had their own bottles of warm butterbeer.

Erin eagerly went up to her mother and father and was babbling away about how exciting school was. Ron's ears were still red as he listened to his daughter discuss her first year so far, but the rest of his face was collected. Lily joined their conversation and at some points, Lily and Erin spoke about things that happened they were together for, which was most everything, because they were in all the same classes. Ron laughed at the right parts and showed actual enthusiasm.

Before long, a healer came in, all smiles. "Time for another check, Mrs. Weasley," she said in a perky voice. It was weird, hearing my best friend referred to as Mrs. Weasley. Hermione groaned but obediently lay back. Her hand searched for Ron's and Ron held it, his expression dark. Ginny turned red and gathered the two girls and took them out the room. The healer put on a pair of protective gloves and I wondered what she was going to do. The healer turned to me and smiled, then blinked. "I'm going to have to ask you to step out, please, sir."

"Er," I said, nervous and I stood up. When Ginny re-entered, I was suddenly unsure if I wanted to leave.

"He can stay," said Hermione suddenly, "if he wants to." Her voice was strained and shook from anxiety.

Ginny smiled and took my hand, leading me toward the door. "You don't want to stay for this part, Harry."

"Is she going to have the baby now?" I asked and heard Ron scoff loudly. Ginny laughed a high, shaky laugh.

"No. Not yet. Er... just step out for a second."

"Ginny!" said Hermione.

Ginny pushed me out. "She wants me to hold her hand," she explained when I gave her a questioning look. She shut the door and the only thing I could do was sit with Lily and Erin. I wondered what the healer had to check, but nothing could come to my mind. I only had to wait for a moment before Ginny opened the door and allowed me in. Hermione was close to tears and she looked like she was in pain. The healer threw the now wet gloves into the trash.

"What the hell happened?" I asked Ginny. She blushed.

"Well, you'll see someday," she said with a blush and rushed to get Hermione's pumpkin juice. She lifted the goblet to Hermione's lips. I was alarmed to see Hermione shaking. I didn't know what to think. Ron's hand was being squeezed and his other hand was rubbing Hermione's shoulder. After Hermione took a few gulps of the pumpkin juice, Ginny set the goblet down next to Ron. She gave me a grin and then a sigh.

"She hates that part the most, I think. I do, too. Well," she said with a wave of her hand, "anyway, Hermione's a little more than halfway ready. It'll be a while still. Healer Chase says that she's moving along smoothly and quickly. She was the midwife healer for all of Hermione's births, so at least she's a little comfortable. Hermione, I mean, is a little comfortable." She gave me a small smile and rubbed one of my arms. When Hermione had calmed down, Ginny went to go and get the two girls.

We all sat in the room while Hermione drifted off to sleep again. A monitor showed waves separated by regular intervals, printing Hermione's progress on thick paper that was piling in a drawer. Pretty soon, the two girls became bored, but Ginny told them not to wander around the hospital, so they decided to just do some of their homework, which they went to the lobby for. Ron sat next to Hermione's bed, keeping a firm grip on her hand. Minutes that passed became too long for Ginny to handle, so she suggested we take a long walk to the coffee pot. "Do you want anything?" she asked Ron, but he shook his head, still rubbing Hermione's hand, his expression tense and brooding.

Then Ginny took my hand, leading me to where the coffee station was at. She walked deliberately slowly, her eyes not really focused on any one thing, lost in thought. I snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her body close to mine as we walked. "Do you want to talk about something, Ginny, love?"

She reached her head and kissed my neck. "No," she said after pulling away.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said, and her eyes swiveled forward. "I just had to get out of there. You want coffee, right?"

"Yes," I sad and she reached for a cup, filling it with hot black coffee. She poured cream in and added three spoons of sugar, stirred it, then handed it to me. I took a sip, letting the liquid warm me. She made herself a cup and took a gulp, holding it with both hands.

"Do you want to be in there while she actually gives birth?" she asked me in a whisper.

"I do. I want to be there for her. I just don't know if Ron will have me there. Or the healer." Ginny nodded, drinking more from her cup. She took my hand again and held onto it. I looked into her eyes, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb. "I couldn't be there for you when you gave birth to Lily. I want to make up for it somehow."

"Hermione will be very grateful," said Ginny. She led me to a waiting area were couches and chairs were set around a coffee table. The table had the Daily Prophet and various Wizarding magazines on it. We sat on one of the couches, setting our coffees on the table. Ginny rested her head on my shoulder, a hand on her lap and the other on my chest. I put my arm around her shoulder. "It might be scary to you," she said. "Ron almost fainted when Lily was born, which was his first time ever seeing something like that. He and Mum were there for me through the whole thing. Every moment of it. So he was prepared when Hermione had Erin."

I nodded, silent and unable to fathom Ginny giving birth. "I wish I would have been there Ginny."

She rubbed my chest where her hand was rested. "Don't worry Harry." And she kissed my cheek with a big grin.

"It's scary seeing Hermione go through all of that, and I'm just so sorry that you had to do all of that without me." My voice was shaking. I reached for my coffee and Ginny was forced to sit up as I did so. I took a good number of gulps then set it down again.

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said more forcefully. "Trust me."

"Okay. I trust you," I said and before I knew what I was doing, I was kissing Ginny, hard. I snaked my hand to the back of her head, grabbing a handful of her hair and pressing her against me. She might've bruised my neck, where she gripped it so tightly. I could taste the coffee on her tongue, hot and moist, and I could feel her heart beating very fast, she was so close to me. I thought that maybe I would get that special time with Ginny right now, right here. We kissed very intensely. Without warning, Ginny pushed me onto the couch, crawling on top of me, kissing me with loving lips.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but chapter ten is up right after this! Review please! –janepotter.