Chapter 25: A Child is Born

Minerva was feeling a gnawing cramping in her belly.

"I'm not feeling very well, Albus."

She felt him jerk next to her.

"What is it?" he whispered loudly. "Are you getting the sickness you get in the morning?"

"I don't know … could you hand me a glass of water please?"

Minerva sipped, trying to quell the rising nausea.

"I'm feeling some cramps, Albus."

"Like in your legs, you mean?"

"No, like in my belly, and not like sickness. It's more like when I get my courses, only bigger."

Suddenly she felt something inside her tear, quickly followed by the feeling of water running down her legs. She felt fear shoot through both of them at the same time as it registered in their brains simultaneously.

"Do you think the time is coming on you to have the baby? Is that it?" asked Albus shyly.

"I think it might be, darling. After all I was never before pregnant and in labour. Oh, Albus! I'm scared!" Minerva began shivering even harder.

"Well, from what I know with my mother giving birth, it takes a long time, so let's just keep still here, and you just keep sipping water if that helps. I'll run to the Hospital Wing and Poppy will know what to do."

"I suppose you're right, I need to stay calm. But call Poppy with your Patronus. Don't leave me."

"Alright, and I'll be whispering prayers as well. Lean back and let me soothe you as I can."

Minerva leaned on him again, and he began a constant stream of lovely words, whispered softly into my ear. The contractions she was feeling were not coming closely or at regular intervals.

Time passed. I didn't know how much, but a lot of time passed. What was Poppy doing down there? Brewing potions?

"Albus … my pains are coming faster now, and I'm really scared. When do you think Poppy will get here?"

She knew he didn't know, but she wanted his opinion anyway, or at least some words of reassurance. He sent his Patronus again, more urgent now.

"I know. I've been keeping track, and they're coming regular now," he said, his hand on the top of his wife's belly. "Are you hurting much with them?"

"Yes, I didn't want to say anything, but I'm pretty miserable. They hurt quite a lot, and I don't want to make any noise, and it's getting really hard not to!"

There was a note of slight hysteria in Minerva's voice, even though it was just a loud whisper, but he picked up on it anyway.

"You just breathe hard when the pains come … I've heard say it can help, and I'll hold you tight. Squeeze my hand if it helps. Let's hold on a bit longer. Poppy will be here momentarily."

"Ohhh, aaaahhh, aaahhh!"

Minerva breathed and squeezed his hand as the next pain came on. She estimated it lasted about thirty seconds or so, but they were definitely increasing in intensity.

"Watch the flames in the hearth and keep holding onto me. I'll take care of you, Mina. You and the baby are strong and you'll both be fine."

In his arms, she could hardly feel differently, but then the next pain started, and she breathed and squeezed and panted, and she felt him tense with her, as though feeling the pain in his own body. When the pain was over, Minerva gasped, "Oh, Albus! I don't know if I can do this!"

"You can, my lioness, for I'll be with you and I'll not leave you. Rest on me, if you can. Soon Poppy will be here."

Minerva knew he was scared as well, but silently thanked him for not giving in to it. She needed his strength. Somehow that strength could get her through this. She had to believe that. On and on they sat in their chamber, getting through each contraction together, both breathing, her squeezing his hand until his knuckles cracked, and he began slowly stroking her belly with the fingers of his free hand, which seemed to relax her a little. Minerva heard him praying in her ear.

"Albus!" Minerva half whispered, half shouted. "I can feel it moving down! Oh, Albus, I can't have this baby up here all alone!"

"Hang on, my darling. You've done many a difficult thing. I'm asking you to wait just a bit longer … I'll be right here with you …"

"AAAAHHHHH!" She groaned, the next pain catching her off guard due to the strength of it. She gritted her teeth and moved her legs up so she could grasp her knees with her hands. It seemed to steady her a little. Minerva curled into the pain and bit her lip.

"Squeeze my hand, Mina. Squeeze anything, just try to stay quiet a bit longer!"

"Yeah!" She shot back at him in a whisper verging on a shout. "What I'd like to squeeze right now is your balls! You can't know how much this hurts! Be quiet my ass!"

"Ouch! You must be getting on with the process! They say a woman always gets to a point where she insults everything around her …"

"And I think that time is NOW! Get me to Poppy!"

Minerva gripped his arm with both her hands, squeezing hard until at last the pain had passed. She panted.

"I'm going to have this child here if I can't get to the Hospital Wing. For God's sake, Albus! What are we to do? It hurts so much!"

Just as the panic was about to take them both, they heard the sound of a door slamming, and then feet running up the stairs. Poppy.

"Are you okay up there?" Poppy's welcome voice asked.

"Poppy!" Albus said in a controlled sort of panicky voice. "Minerva's having the baby here! I'm going to have to carry her down!"

Albus began to push her forward to get out from behind Minerva when another pain gripped her.

"AAAHHHHHH!" She shouted out loud this time.

"Yes, it sounds as though we'd best hurry about this," Poppy said.

Down they went to the Hospital Wing. Albus placed Minerva gently on a bed and he and Poppy looked at her and took stock. Another pain came on her, and Minerva doubled up and moaned.

Poppy helped Minerva out of her robes and wrapped her in a quilt for the time being. Minerva squeezed her arm very tightly when the next pain came.

"Are the pains coming regular now?"

"Yes!" Minerva panted. "I think it's probably not far off."

Soon she was curled in the quilt, moaning with another pain.

"What can I do for you, Mina? There was blood on your robes … is that okay?"

Albus looked worried, and she knew he was thinking of what could happen. She too was thinking about everything that could go wrong and it scared her.

"It's okay, Albus … they call it a bloody show, and it only means the baby is coming."

He looked somewhat reassured, but still skeptical. Soon Minerva was unaware of much that happened around her, as the contractions came faster and harder, and thoughts pretty much left her as she was consumed by the pains. Her brain activity seemed to have eliminated unnecessary details, focusing instead on pure sensation; the feel of a warmed blanket thrown over her naked body, the touch of hands as thick towels were placed under her bottom, and then the comfort of a soft pillow placed under her head. Minerva heard voices, and she assumed it was Poppy.

"Let me check how far you're stretched by now."

Poppy's fingers went up inside of Minerva and she moaned louder. Another contraction came on her, and those fingers were probing her insides, and she desperately wanted to murder the body they were attached to, even though it was her best friend. Then the hands were on her belly, holding it between them, and then talking.

Minerva didn't register it all, but heard some concern in the voice and wondered what that was about, but she didn't ask. She was too wrapped up in her pain. Then Poppy's stern voice was speaking to her face, and Minerva came to enough to listen.

"Mina? I think you are at a point where you could try to push. Do you think you could do that? The next time you feel a contraction, I want you to start pushing, okay?"

Minerva nodded. She was rolled onto her back, and Albus was placed behind her on the bed, holding her up in a half sitting position.

"Don't worry … I'm right here," he said soothingly into Minerva's ear.

She could hear the fright in his voice, though, and tensed just as the next contraction hit her. "Now push, Mina! Get that baby out! Push!" he said, coaching me.

Poppy brought Minerva's knees up and placed her hands on them and said,

"Now hold onto your knees and give it a good push for me!"

Minerva did what she said, and heard her say,

"Good. That's the way. Keep that up and we'll have a babe here soon."

Minerva lay back on Albus, exhausted, and thought it had better be soon. She couldn't take the pain much longer. The next one came, and Albus, seeming to know instinctively what to do, held her up from behind as she pushed with all of her might. Then she lay back against him, and they repeated this process for what seemed hours. She was beginning to lose consciousness between labour pains, she was so tired and felt Albus' sweat drip onto her shoulders. They were both wet, whose sweat it was didn't matter, since they were both working equally hard at this job. Minerva woke to talking.

"She's not making progress. The baby should be moving, and it's not coming, even though she's pushing pretty well, and her womb is open enough. I'm getting concerned she'll run out of steam before long."

"What can we do?" Minerva heard Albus' fearful voice ask right behind her ear.

"We'll have to try something. Hold on, dearie," Minerva heard Poppy say, and she knew something bad was going to happen.

"AAAHHHH!" Minerva screamed as a very strong contraction hit her. She was too tired to push, though, and just waited it out.

"Okay, Albus," she heard Poppy say. "Put one of those strong hands right here," and his hand came out from behind Minerva and rested at the top of her womb. "Now, when the next pain comes, I want you to push on that baby with Mina."

As Minerva felt the next pain seize her, Albus' hand pushed down hard, she screamed and Poppy said, "Good! Now we're making some progress. You keep that up, Albus, and you'll be holding your child soon!"

After a few more contractions Minerva felt the head emerge.

"STOP!" Minerva then felt some oil rubbing her down there as Poppy said, "I see the head! I see it! The child's about here! Now, with the next pain I want you to push very slowly and let me get the head out so that you don't tear."

Minerva pushed, screamed, Poppy rubbed, and soon she said, "There it is! The head is out!"

She felt Albus lay her down so he could go see this thing that was happening, then he came back and settled himself behind her again.

"I can see it, Mina! It's almost here!" He was so excited he was shaking.

"One more and we'll have it."

Poppy was right. One more big pain, and it was out.

"It's a girl!" Albus gently laid Minerva down again and went to see.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" came the startled cry of the newborn girl, and everyone laughed and cried, and Minerva breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, dearie, one more push. Can you manage that? Yes, that's it. I've got the afterbirth." Then her hands were massaging Minerva's belly, hard, and it hurt, so she moaned some more.

"Give me my baby", said Minerva weakly but with a huge smile on her face.

The baby, still sticky white, but in a warm blanket was put at one of her breasts. Immediately it stopped crying and latched onto her nipple with a very hard suck.

She finally looked up into Albus' eyes. They were looking down at her and the baby, and tears ran down his cheeks.

"She's here, Albus. We did it. We have a child," Minerva said, hoarsely and softly.

He knelt down on one knee, touched the baby, touched his wife's face, and then put his head down on her chest and hugged the two of them as his tears wet their skin. Minerva sighed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and very happy.

----

"ARTHUR!"

The young man in question dropped his mallet on his foot and swore vehemently. Hopping around on one foot and holding on with both hands to the injured limp, he called out to his wife.

"I'm up here, trying yet again to get the ghul out. And quit yelling like that."

"Forget the ghul and come down."

Arthur sighed deeply. He loved his wife. She was always so very energetic. Smiling to himself and wondering what on earth had excited Molly this time, he moved downstairs. Molly waited for him at the foot of the stairs. A gigantic smile spread from one ear to the other.

"Minerva had her child this morning. It's a girl. A beautiful little girl with green eyes like Mina. She's perfect, according to Albus' Patronus. And they want me to be her godmother. I'm so happy."

And Molly flung herself into his arms, kissing him over and over.