Sleeping With the Enemy

Chapter Twenty

It was over. Everyone had gone home. Hermione was finally sleeping. She had been through a very painful delivery, and the Healers assumed she would need at least a week to recover completely. Her body was exhausted. But as she had said in a faint smile, just before she fell asleep, the important thing was that she had delivered a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl.

The baby girl was sleeping too in a crib by Hermione's bed. The Healers had said Hermione needed her sleep and offered to take the baby to the babies room, where she would be treated by Healers if she woke up, but Hermione refused. No matter how bad she felt, she would not allow anyone to take her baby from her.

"They know what they're doing there, Hermione," Draco had tried to convince her. "This is not their first baby. They'll take good care of her. And besides, they said your body needed the rest. Babies don't sleep more than three or four hours in a row, which means you will hardly get any sleep tonight. Let them take her."

But Hermione refused. "I am not going to let anyone but you take care of my baby," she said determinedly. "I don't care if she wakes me up ten times tonight. I'll do whatever it takes, but I'm not letting them take her."

The Healers had finally gave up, and allowed her to take the baby with her. Now the two of them were sleeping.

Draco sat by the window, watching the rain outside, his heart soaring up, up to the sky, past the walls of rain and clouds, right up to Heaven. He was a father... a father to the most beautiful baby girl.

He had to see her again. Slowly, trying not to make a sound, he got up and walked over to the crib. He leaned over it and watched his sleeping daughter.

She was a real piece of art, he had thought as he examined her delicate, innocent face. She had fine, soft hair, very fair, smooth skin, a cute little nose and well-shaped lips. Her long eyelashes were resting on her cheeks, just below her peacefully-closed eyes, which, as Draco had seen before, were almond-shaped and in the color of the sky just after a storm. Narcissa and Mrs. Granger, who had been sobbing hysterically from the excitement of becoming grandmothers, had said that the baby had taken everything from Hermione, only with Draco's colors.

Amy Malfoy.

They had decided not to give her a middle name. Draco said he had never liked his own middle name (it was Lucius), and always wondered why on earth middle names were so necessary, and Hermione agreed.

"But when you agreed on a name for a boy it was Kenneth Elliot," Ron insisted. "Why not give the girl a middle name too?"

"We've changed our minds, all right?" said Draco. "We like it short now. Amy Malfoy and that's it."

"Do you have to snap at Ron like that?" Hermione scolded.

"Yes," Draco replied dryly.

"I guess you'll never change, will you?" said Hermione, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"Trust me, dear, I've been saying that every day for the last nineteen years and nothing has changed, as you can see," Narcissa said after shoving Draco aside."

"Hopeless," Hermione sighed and turned back to chat with Ron and Harry.

Draco had been considering himself all his life as someone without emotions, or at least as someone who was above them. Yes, he liked his mother, of course, but love? Who thought about love? He had had crushes on several girls, yes, but he had never thought of anyone in terms of 'love'. And yet, now, in the dark of the night, with his daughter sleeping so peacefully in the crib near him and his wife in the bed just next to him, he knew he was not above any emotion. There were at least three people in this world whom he did love, very much. His mother... Hermione... and this beautiful baby girl, Amy.

More ridiculous than anything. Love was a sign of weakness, because he could be taken advantage of. Love was a dream, and dreams were for weak and foolish people. Malfoys didn't love. Malfoys were too proud to let anyone take advantage of them. Malfoys were not pitiful Hufflepuffs, who were so loyal and sentimental, nor were they pathetic Gryffindors, so noble and sensitive.

This was what his father had taught him, and this was what he had grown to believe in. No one in the world was worth becoming weak for, Lucius had said, and Draco had accepted, because he knew nothing else. His father had never loved anyone; he had never loved Narcissa, and he had never even loved Draco. Although, as Narcissa only dared to say after he had died, his feelings for Draco were the closest thing to love as he was able to feel. Draco had supposed this was the way things should be. You should never allow emotions to take over you, Lucius had said, and Draco had nodded and gone along with that thought.

But after his father had died, Narcissa was finally able to spend as much time with Draco as she wanted and explain to him her own viewpoint on the world, and the realization that love was not necessarily for fools began to sink in, even if he wasn't aware of it.

So now he loved. He was capable of loving, and it overwhelmed him, but in a good way; it made him want to do things he had never felt like doing before – how about singing, for example? But no, it was ridiculous, he couldn't start singing at a hospital room and wake up everyone, including Hermione and Amy. Everyone would think he went crazy. And yet he had to do something with that acknowledgement. One more look at Hermione and Amy's faces and the singing burst inside his head, even if he didn't let it out:

I thought love was only true in fairy tales

Meant for someone else, but not for me

Love was out to get me, that's the way it seemed

Disappointment haunted all my dreams

And then I saw her face

Now I'm a believer

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I'm in love

Ooh, I'm a believer

I couldn't leave her

If I tried...

----

After you're up 22 hours straight, it isn't easy to be woken up by a screaming baby demanding to be fed or changed, Draco and Hermione soon discovered. Amy seemed to have very good lungs. She could go on and on squealing, and although they received help during the day from Healers and guests – especially from Narcissa, Mrs. Granger and Mrs. Weasley – and Hermione would never admit it, the two of them soon wished Hermione had agreed to let the Healers take Amy away at nights.

Hermione was too proud to admit her mistake, but she was getting weaker and more exhausted with each hour she couldn't sleep, and after three days she was practically a wreck. And then, even though she tried to protest, Draco said he didn't care about anything – he went to the Healers and asked them to take the baby to the babies room at nights.

"But didn't your wife say she wanted to take care of the baby on her own, sir?" the Healer asked, curling a strand of her hair around her finger in confusion.

"She changed her mind," Draco replied.

"But wouldn't she be mad? She really didn't seem to want to give her up at – "

"Just do your job and take the baby, will you?" Draco snapped impatiently.

"Why'd you do that?" Hermione inquired after the Healer had left with Amy in her arms. "Why did you have to yell at her like that?"

"I'm tired, all right? I didn't get a real sleep for four days. I'm not in the mood for being patient. Now let's go to bed."

He started for the bed, then stopped when they both realized the other possible meaning of what he had just said.

"Okay, that's not what I meant," said Draco, very nervously.

"I know," said Hermione.

"Maybe I should summon up another bed," Draco suggested.

"You can't," said Hermione, "there's this magical bonding thing, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Draco felt his face on fire. Somehow it was much worse sleeping in the same bed with the one you secretly love than with your least favorite person in the world.

Hermione moved a little to make some room for him. He got in and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He felt his whole body shake and did his best to hide it.

"Good night," Hermione murmured sleepily.

"Good night, Hermione," said Draco. He tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. There they were, all alone in the room for the first time since Amy had been born...

Get a grip of yourself, he told himself sternly. She isn't feeling well, she's exhausted, she hasn't slept well for days, you should get some sleep too...

"...Hermione?" he said.

"Mmm?" Hermione murmured, her eyes shut.

"Aren't you at all nervous?" Draco dared to ask.

"About what?" Hermione asked in a very drowsy voice.

"You know... the two of us... here... all alone... in the same narrow hospital bed..."

"Oh?" murmured Hermione. "It's not the first time we're sleeping together, is it?"

"No, but – "

"Good night, Draco," said Hermione drowsily.

Draco sighed. He knew this feeling. He was not going to fall asleep tonight.

----

Hermione woke up as the sunlight poured into the room through the window. She yawned and opened her eyes. Next to her, Draco got tense.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at him.

"Uh... morning," he replied. He looked awful. His eyes were red and had black bags under them. His hair was a mess.

"What happened to you? Didn't you get some sleep?" she wondered.

"Some sleep?" he muttered. "I didn't sleep all night. Seriously."

"How could you not sleep?" Hermione asked in astonishment. "You were exhausted as I was! I slept like a baby myself. What happened? Did I snore or something?"

"No, no," Draco chuckled. "It's just that... oh, never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, don't do this to me. What?"

"I..." Draco looked into her eyes and had no idea how to finish the sentence. He couldn't tell her why he hadn't been able to sleep. He couldn't!

"Well?" Hermione demanded.

Just then, a Healer came in with little Amy in her arms. "Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy," she said brightly. "Time for Amy's breakfast! Would you like to feed her?"

"Of course I would," Hermione said at once, sitting up. "Thank you."

It was becoming almost technical business to watch Hermione breast-feeding Amy, and Draco was getting pretty much used to it. Hermione didn't seem to find it at all embarrassing. Draco was almost mad at himself for still finding this even a little arousing.

Narcissa was the first to arrive, as usual, at about nine A. M., looking as glamorous as always in a purple-blue cloak, with her long, golden curls falling all the way down to her waist. In fact, she didn't look much older than Hermione herself – nobody would have believed she was a grandmother.

Draco was a little surprised to see none other than Snape walk in after Narcissa. He had known his mother had gotten back to him, but he hadn't seen Snape since the end of his seventh year, more than a year before.

Hermione, however, looked dumbstruck too see Snape. No one had told her about Narcissa and Snape's relationship.

"Hello, you two!" said Narcissa cheerfully. "You remember Severus, don't you? I asked him to come along. Where is my granddaughter?"

"Right here," Hermione choked, her eyes still on Snape.

Snape looked even more uncomfortable than Draco and Hermione felt. "Umm... I think I'll wait outside, Narcissa," he said, starting for the door as Narcissa took little Amy in her arms and covered her face with kisses.

"No, don't go," Narcissa said, pulling him back and forcing him to sit down. "I want you to meet Amy. Look, Amy, this is Severus. Can you say Severus? S – e – v – r – u – s? It's easy. Let's hear you try."

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched. Draco and Hermione didn't dare looking at each other, afraid they might burst out laughing.

And yet, as Narcissa carefully placed Amy in Severus's lap, he seemed to soften a little. He held her gently, even with a slight smile, and Hermione's eyes opened so wide she seemed almost like Luna for a second.

"Mom – you've done miracles," Draco murmured.

And Narcissa simply smiled, went over and wrapped an arm around Snape's shoulders, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and sitting down next to him.

----

A/N: Wow!!! I've passed the one-thousand reviews, I can't believe it! You know, even when I'm so busy these days, I'm following my reviews. You're so great. I'm so glad you're enjoying my story, and even though some of you warned me I'd lose readers if I don't update more often, I'm glad most of you stayed loyal. :-) Good luck, all of you who have schoolchores, how I understand you! Oh, and by the way, the song Draco sang in his mind was I'm a Believer by Smash Mouth (there are other versions, but this is my favorite one).

Oh, and I know you can't wait for Hermione and Draco to snog already, but if you're following the story, you probably understand where it is going. In other words: stay tuned and you won't be disappointed!

Love you always,

Roni Black.