A/N: You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? LOL. Meant to put this up hours ago, but my long distance bestie called and we might've whiled away almost 3 hours chatting, and it was glorious. I love her. Teehee. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I can't wait to see what you make of it all.
xx-Kitten.
Tip of My Tongue
By Kittenshift17
Chapter 9
The pitter patter of a child's feet racing down the hall outside her bedroom and the bang of her bedroom door as it was flung wide were the symphony of sounds that roused Hermione Grange from slumber far later than usual.
"Mummy?" Aurelian Granger asked loudly, zooming across the room and jumping up on Hermione's bed. "Mummy? Are you awake? We're going to be late!"
Hermione blinked her eyes open as her son plonked himself down to sit on her chest, his little hands delving into her wild curls. His platinum blond hair and his grey eyes swam into focus and Hermione smiled gently at the child who'd stolen her heart.
"Good morning, Aurey," she said softly.
"Hi, Mummy," Aurelian smiled. "We're late."
Hermione glanced at the clock on her nightstand, frowning when she saw it was already nine o'clock.
"Oh, bother," she sighed, frowning.
"We should skip work today, Mummy," Aurelian said wisely. "You promised you'd visit Aunt Ginny last night, but then we came here instead. And I'm tired. And you're tired, else you wouldn't sleep so late."
Hermine frowned for a moment, wondering if it was the exhaustion that made her son sound so wise, or if he was simply the cleverest boy in the world. She hadn't taken a day off work in almost as long as she could remember, now that she thought about it. Maybe she should take the day off. In addition to feeling like rubbish and needing to visit Ginny, Hermione knew that if she went in to work today, things would just be awkward. Malfoy had kissed her forehead. Knowing him, he would be his usual, pompous, stand-offish self, and things between them would just be tense until they both stopped thinking about it, or until some new creature was captured, or his was almost killed going after something else. She needed to study the Jabberwalkie, but Aurelian was right. She was tired. And the Jabberwalkie didn't seem the type of creature she should be attempting to study when she was tired. She'd make a stupid mistake, get herself killed, and then poor Aurey would be orphaned, and Hermione couldn't bear the thought.
No, Aurelian was right. Skipping work today was a glorious idea.
"That's a wonderful suggestion, darling," Hermione smiled at the small boy still sitting on her chest and looking into her face with big puppy dog eyes. "Hop off me and crawl into bed here, won't you? I'll Floo Aunt Luna at work and let her know I won't be in today, and then we'll snuggle and have a few more hours sleep, how about that?"
"Really?" Aurelian asked, lighting up with happiness before he dove across the bed and began worming his way under the covers.
"Really, really," Hermione couldn't help grinning at the child. She rose quickly and crossed to the small hearth fire across the room.
Scooping out a small pinch of Floo Powder, Hermione got down on her knees in front of the fireplace, for the millionth time thinking as she did that she really needed to invent a better means of communication between the wizarding world. Muggles had telephones, and even mobile phones, and surely there was a way to keep the magic in their blood and in their buildings from interfering with it.
"Luna?" Hermione called through the fireplace, Floo calling directly to Luna's office.
She almost choked on a mouthful of ash when Luna spun at her desk, her cheeks turning crimson and her lipstick smeared. Rolf Scamander looked sheepish behind Luna, and his hair was all in a mess thanks to the little blonde running her fingers through it.
"Hermione?" Luna asked, sounding a little breathless.
"Good morning," Hermione said, smirking widely. "Hi, Rolf."
"Granger," Rolf said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to wipe the lipstick from his mouth.
"Sorry to interrupt," Hermione said, though she couldn't help practically bouncing with happiness to know that these two were finally beginning to get something going between them after years of flirtation. "I was just calling in to let you know I'm taking the day off to be with Aurelian."
"Of course, Granger," Rolf said, since he was technically head of the department. "You haven't had a day off in months. All year, even. Be with your kid, yeah?"
"Thanks. Listen, there's a new creature in my office that Malfoy brought in yesterday, I don't know if you've already seen it, or if he's told you. It's a Jabberwalkie. I don't want anyone going near it, alright. It's got a venomous bite, and it flings poison spines."
"You found one?" Luna asked, her eyes lighting up in a way that suggested she was going to ignore what Hermione had said about the venom and the poison spines.
"Malfoy found one," Hermione corrected. "And almost died getting it back here. He was bitten, and hit with the spines, and he picked up a Daggertooth Dusk mushroom pod chasing the little bugger. Be careful if you go near the Jabberwalkie, and maybe be careful if you go near Malfoy, too. The git will probably be grumpy and surly today."
"Ah," Rolf grinned. "The real reason you're taking the day off. Had to save his life again, did you?"
Hermione grinned.
"Yes, and he wasn't even the tiniest bit grateful."
"Fuck off, I wasn't," Malfoy voice came from somewhere and Hermione watched Luna and Rolf both turn toward the door.
"You swore at me," Hermione argued with the blond wizard, though she couldn't see him anywhere.
"And will again. Piss off and play with your kid, slacker. And what's this? You two are snogging in the office now?" Malfoy drawled, taunting the other two.
"Why did I hire you again?" Rolf asked mildly of Malfoy, though he was smirking a little.
"Because I made an enormous donation to keep the department afloat when the rest of the Ministry wanted to shut it down rather than getting it back up and running following the Dark Lord's fall?" Malfoy drawled. "I was coming to warn you lot about the Jabberwalkie, but Granger's beat me to it. I'm going hunting today, since Granger's too slack to come to work and read the report I wrote up on the Jabberwalkie. You want me to go after anything in particular?"
"You could see if you can hunt down the Crumple Horned Snorkack," Luna lit up, grinning.
Malfoy strolled into view for the sole purpose of meeting Hermione's gaze through the Floo so they could share an eye-roll at the mention of the fantastical beasts that Luna maintained to this day, must exist.
"I need a Chelursa to study for an upcoming environmental grant to prevent development of the north east section of the Forbidden Forest, near Hogsmeade," she told the wizard, her forehead tingling all over again as a result of seeing Malfoy again.
He looked tired, she noticed, but she didn't mention it or draw any more attention to the fact that she'd been alone with him in her lab last night. She also worked to keep the blush from her cheeks, grateful the Floo couldn't show the way she flushed when she recalled with startling clarity just what had occurred between them the night Aurelian had been conceived.
"I need proof that there are still Hinkypunks in Wales," Rolf said. "I was going to take a look myself a bit later today, if you want to come along?"
"I'll see what I can do. If I'm not back before lunch, assume I'm not coming with you," Malfoy nodded. "Granger, don't you have a kid to feed?"
"He's sleeping," Hermione said. "Where's yours?"
"With my Mother and my wife," Malfoy said. "There's some sort of appointment with the Healers, today."
He shot her a significant look, and Hermione knew that look meant that Astoria had her check-up today.
"I thought that wasn't until next Tuesday," Hermione frowned at him, ignoring the way Luna looked intrigued by their cordiality.
"Mother had it pushed forward to today. Astoria wasn't well this morning," Draco told her, frowning a little.
"Wasn't well in what way?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"She was hysterical. Didn't want to let me leave for work. Crying. Shouting. Vomiting. It wasn't pretty."
"When's her appointment?" Hermione asked. "What time? That… Harry mentioned last night that Ginny was suffering the same thing."
"Thought you went by to see her?" Draco asked, and Hermione's knees were beginning to ache from the prolonged time spent on them to make the Floo call.
"I forgot after I got into an argument with my mother when I collected Aurey. I'll go and see her today. I hope it wasn't something contagious that Harry's passed to you, that you've passed to Astoria."
Malfoy frowned.
"I saw Potter late last night after he hadn't seen his wife in hours. No way anything contagious he'd picked up from her could pass to me and me to Astoria without infecting him and me."
"It might be a strain of something targeting the pregnancy hormones in a witch's body. I need to go and see Ginny. When is Astoria's appointment?"
"Eleven, I think," Draco said.
"Right. Good. I'll speak with your mother about it after the appointment."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes on her. "You're not sick," he pointed out.
"No, but I did oversleep and do feel wretched," Hermione frowned. "But I'm not pregnant. If this is targeting pregnancy hormones, rather than just witches, I'd be fine. Is your mother alright?"
Draco nodded. "She seemed fine at breakfast," he said, frowning. "Maybe I should check on her."
"I'm sure she's fine. She's beyond even the ability to conceive more children. She'd be immune, the same as you, Harry, and your father."
Malfoy made a face at her over the idea of discussing his mother's menopausal state, but he nodded again.
"Well, that's… concerning," Luna piped up. "Let us know what you learn, won't you, Hermione?"
"I'll keep you posted. I'll be in tomorrow, barring disaster. Malfoy, do try to keep from getting hurt in the field today. I won't be there to patch you up when you return, half-dead."
"It's that concern for me that will be your undoing one day, Granger," he smirked wickedly before nodding to Rolf and Luna, and strolling out of the room.
"I'm going to check on Aurey, and then get ready to go and see Ginny," Hermione told Luna and Rolf, smiling at them. "You two have fun, yeah?"
"We will," Luna promised, grinning brilliantly while Rolf laughed nervously and looked sheepish all over again.
Hermione pulled her head out of the fire before they could reply, shaking her head to dislodge any stray ash before looking over at the bed. Aurelian was still sitting up and watching her make her Floo call, looking interested, his little brow furrowed with concern.
"Are we going to check on Aunt Ginny, now?" he asked.
"I'll Floo call Uncle Harry quickly to find out how she is today, alright love? If she's doing ok, we'll sleep a little longer, and then we'll pay her a visit, yeah?"
Aurelian nodded, and Hermione's heart clenched to see the small boy looking so worried. Grabbing a pinch more Floo powder, Hermione tried Harry's office first.
"Harry, are you there?" Hermione called.
Harry spun in his chair, looking surprised to see her.
"Hermione? Is everything alright? Why are you Floo calling instead of visiting me?" he asked.
"I'm fine. I'm taking the day off to spend with Aurelian and to call on Ginny later. I'm so sorry we didn't get there last night. I forgot after stopping in with Mum to collect Aurey. We had a slight disagreement and she was harping at me and it slipped my mind."
"That's alright," Harry said. "I figured it was something like that."
"How is she?" Hermione asked.
"Still acting strangely," Harry sighed. "She didn't want to let me leave. She was clinging to me and sobbing into my jumper. I'm worried, Hermione. I've never seen her like this. Even when we lost Fred, she was never hysterical like this."
"I'm worried too," Hermione said. "Malfoy said Astoria was the same way this morning. That she was sobbing and hysterical, and shouting and vomiting. They're taking her in for a check-up and I thought maybe it might be something hitting pregnant witches in particular. Was Ginny sick this morning?"
Harry nodded. "She's been sick most mornings for the past few weeks, though. We both just put it down to morning sickness. It's only been the last few days that she's been acting strangely. You don't think I somehow passed whatever's effecting her to Malfoy, and that he gave it to Astoria?"
"You might've done," Hermione sighed. "I confess, I don't feel spectacular today, either, but I'm just tired. Are you feeling alright."
"I feel fine," Harry nodded. "Shit. Maybe I should go home and check on Ginny."
"You're in the middle of a big case, Harry. I know you've been hot on Dolohov's trail. I'll stop by and collect Ginny to take her in for a check-up. When was her last one?"
"Only a few days ago," Harry said. "Monday, I think. She was fine before that, actually. Merlin, you don't think she picked something up at the hospital, do you?"
"She might've done. If there was something contagious she touched, she might've contracted something. Highly contagious, if she's managed to pass it on to Astoria Malfoy via an hours old pathogen clinging to you, passing to Draco, and then passing to Astoria," Hermione admitted. "I might get dressed and call on Ginny now. It's probably best if we get her checked out right away. We don't want to risk anything harming the baby or potentially causing her to miscarry."
"Blimey," Harry said. "I should go. I'll meet you at my house, yeah?"
"You need to focus on your case, Harry," Hermione reminded him.
"I need to make sure my wife and our unborn child are going to be alright," Harry disagreed. "I'll meet you at my house."
He pulled his head out of the fire, ending the connection, and Hermione sighed, pulling back as well. She glanced longingly at her bed for a moment before chuckling when she saw that Aurelian was in the process of trying to pull the bed up so they could get going that much sooner.
"Run and get dressed, darling," Hermione said to the boy. "I'll finish that. You'll need to be a very good boy and keep Teddy busy today, alright?"
"Ok Mummy," Aurey nodded. "I hope Aunt Ginny's going to be ok. I hope Scorp's mummy is ok, too."
"Me, too, darling," Hermione smiled worriedly at the little boy before he raced out of the room to get dressed. She frowned when he was gone, worried about Ginny. She was worried about Astoria, too, if she was being honest. Technically, the woman was Aurelian's step-mother, and while Hermione was still annoyed with the witch for what she'd said the other day, she didn't wish illness, miscarriage or death on the poor witch.
Straightening and hurrying over to her closet so that she could get dressed, Hermione wondered what it said about the two men that while Harry was rushing home with worry for his wife's safety, Malfoy was planning to venture into the wilderness and leaving his unwell wife to the ravages of an unsympathetic Narcissa Malfoy, and the hands of fate.