Chapter 28 Interlude
Last Chapter: (Letter to Minerva McGonagall dated August 19)... I'm still not prepared to tell them about the baby yet, but would like them to know I'm safe. Would you let them know that I'm doing all right and am happy? I've been selfish to have not done this sooner. Please just keep my location secret. Thank you, professor, for everything. Your letters have helped me so much.I'm still not prepared to tell them about the baby yet, but would like them to know I'm safe. Would you let them know that I'm doing all right and am happy? I've been selfish to have not done this sooner. Please just keep my location secret. Thank you, professor, for everything. Your letters have helped me so much.
Sincerely, Hermione
Minerva McGonagall had followed Hermione's request and sent an owl to Harry the day she received the young woman's letter. He had arrived at Hogwarts that evening at the appointed time. Walking into the Headmistress' temporary office, he had greeted her cordially and accepted her offer for tea.
"Is this about the modified NEWT exams that we took a couple of weeks ago?" he asked her. "I thought the results weren't going to available until the beginning of September."
"It's not about that, Harry," the witch said smiling. "Though I have it on good authority that Draco, Ron, Neville, and you have all done a credible job on them. The Ministry has awarded all of you automatic O's in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms for what they are calling "life credits" for your acts in the war."
Harry smiled in some amusement at that. He knew there was no way that anyone was going to fail four of the "Seven Saviors". It would have meant very bad press for the Ministry. Almost before the last Dark Arts practitioner had been locked up, the wizarding world had started celebrating in earnest. Harry and his friends had gone to dozens of parties and ceremonies in their honor and received much attention from the media and the public this summer. For a while they had really lived it up.
After a few weeks though, the group had grown weary of the fuss that was directed at them. None of them truly wanted to be celebrities. All they really wanted to do was get back to normal and spend time together. Eventually things had died down a bit, though they still received congratulations and thanks whenever they were out and about. The only one who had thrived during the media and party frenzy had been Daphne Malfoy, who in public milked her relationship to Draco for all it was worth. She was quite put out, when he flat out refused to attend any more parties where he was the guest of honor.
The only two ceremonies that had really mattered to them were the unveiling of the war memorial on the grounds of Hogwarts and the ceremony in the Minister of Magic's office, where they were each awarded the Order of Merlin First Class. There was one untouched medal left on the desk at the end of the private ceremony. The new Minister quietly announced that he would hold it for Hermione Jean Granger until she returned to claim it. The group had been silent for a moment thinking of their friend. They still keenly felt the void that she had left.
As if she had followed his train of thoughts, McGonagall said, "Harry, I have a message for you from Hermione."
His wandering thoughts focused on the witch immediately. "You've seen her? Is she all right? Do you know why she left? When is she coming home? " The questions came out so fast that they almost tangled themselves in his mouth.
"Hermione and I have been corresponding since she left. I'm sorry couldn't tell you, but she asked me not to until now. She's spent these past months trying to find herself again, and I believe she has succeeded. She wanted me to let you know that she's fine and she's happy. She's not ready to come back, but didn't want to worry any of you any longer. She was sorry that she hadn't done so sooner," the professor said to him gently.
"Professor, is she back with her family in America? We'd thought that was where she would go. The six of us said that we'd give her time to do whatever she had to do and then we would look for her. It's already been five months. I would like to find her now," Harry told his ex-Head of House.
McGonagall's eyes twinkled at him knowingly in a way that was reminiscent of the last Headmaster. However, she just answered, "Hermione asked me to keep her location private. She needs more time and doesn't want to be found just yet. I would give her a least a few more months before you try to fetch her. If she needs you, I will let you know."
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was just past five on a warm September night and Harry was dead tired. He and Ron had just apparated back to Grimmauld Place to catch a shower before Ginny and Luna were to meet them for dinner once their classes were over. Though Hogwarts Castle wasn't open because of all the construction and repairs taking place, Headmistress McGonagall had arranged for the rental of a large building near the Ministry of Magic for the year. There were no dormitories, but day classes were available for those whose parents allowed them to commute.
Neville and Dahlia Thompson, the same shy girl that Neville had been dating in his sixth year, were also supposed to arrive at the house at any time. Dahlia was attending classes with Luna and Ginny. Through them, she had rekindled her romance with Neville. She wasn't that strong magically, but she had the same love for Herbology that he had. She absolutely adored him and thought his friends could do no wrong. She was a Hufflepuff, though there were technically no Houses this year, and in some ways appeared much more innocent than the other two seventh year girls. During the Battle of Hogwarts, she had seen no fighting. She had been put in charge of a safehouse full of first years since she was trustworthy, nurturing, and fiercely protective of those in her care. Everyone in the group enjoyed her company very much, in spite of or perhaps it was because of her tendency to mother them all.
Draco had said he would come to dinner also, though Daphne was neither interested in nor invited to attend. All of his friends knew how horrible his marriage really was, but out of respect for him they never brought it up. If he wanted to talk about it, they would be ready to listen. Until then, they just let it pass when he made comments like "Daphne can't make it. She's got other plans." Daphne always had "other plans" and had never once made it to one of their get togethers. Everyone was actually glad of that fact. The husband and wife did much better when they avoided each other as much as possible.
Harry had been feeling slightly sick for most of the day. He wondered if the sandwich he'd eaten for lunch had been a bit off, though it had tasted fine at the time. It had seemed really difficult to concentrate and get through the rest of the day at work. Normally, he loved his new job but this afternoon had seemed interminable. He hadn't been able to get his head focused on anything and wasn't sure why he had felt so anxious.
Ron seemed to be dragging a bit too. The redhead wearily went off to shower grumbling about how he shouldn't have stayed up so late the night before. Harry was about to head up when Luna and Ginny arrived. Giving Luna a peck on the cheek and Ginny a slightly more thorough snogging, he told them that he still needed to go upstairs to shower and change.
"Take your time, luv," Ginny answered. "We're both really knackered. Snape had us practically jumping through hoops during DADA. I thought he was strict in potions. He's been even more tyrannical since McGonagall gave him this spot!" She rubbed her back and added, "I think I might have strained a muscle or something. Do you have any pain potion? "
"Sorry, Gin, all out," Harry responded tiredly. "We can get some in Diagon Alley before dinner."
She nodded and slumped on the couch with fatigue next to Luna, whose eyes were closed and had a frowning look on her face.
Harry went up the stairs and went directly into the bathroom. He was feeling a little bit better when he got out of the shower and started towards his bedroom to get dressed. Unexpectedly he was rocked by a powerful wave of feelings that nearly staggered him. He wasn't hurt, though. They were amazing feelings. He was thoroughly filled with triumph, joy, and elation. He hadn't even felt like this after defeating Voldemort. He felt like rejoicing! Without really thinking about what he was doing, he ran downstairs needing to see the others.
Ron, Luna, and Ginny were in the living room with Neville and Dahlia, who had obviously come in while he was upstairs. Neville's girlfriend was on the couch laughing in amused bafflement at the other four who were dancing around the room smiling like maniacs. Draco appeared in the doorway having just arrived at the house. He had a happy bemused expression and watched the others with with a grin. Harry just grabbed the blond Slytherin and pulled him into the room; the two of them laughed like loons without knowing why.
Suddenly an overwhelming feeling of love and serenity suffused Harry's entire being. He stepped forward and impulsively enveloped Draco in a tight embrace. Amazingly, he felt the other wizard's arms come about him and squeeze him back. He felt a rush of bodies as everyone else in the room, except Dahlia, sandwiched the two of them and turned it into a group hug. For a moment he felt utterly content in a way that he never had before. From the looks on everybody's faces, they were experiencing the exact same bliss.
After a moment the intensity of the feelings faded, and Harry abruptly realized that he still had his arms around Draco and he was smushed in the middle of the others. He dropped his arms and stepped back as the others disengaged also. The six friends looked at each other with dumbfounded looks on their faces having no idea why they had just acted like that. Neville went to Dahlia and pulled her into his arms. She just kept giggling at them and hugged him back.
"What the hell was that?" Draco asked. He didn't sound angry though, his voice was mellow and full of wonder.
"I don't know," said Luna with a dreamy expression on her face, "but it was the best feeling I've ever had."
The rest of them couldn't help the goofy grins that appeared on their faces as they agreed with her.
"I know one thing, though," Ron said laughingly.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"I think you'd better pick up your towel, mate."
Harry realized that he had lost his towel during the group hug. He turned bright red red as he snatched it from the floor to cover himself. However, the good feelings still lingered and he couldn't help but join in as the rest of the group howled with laughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione was sitting in her eight o'clock Magical Theories Lecture class fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. She tried to copy the notes that Professor Kendall had put up on the board in front of the class, but she just couldn't concentrate. Her lower back had been aching since yesterday and her legs were just killing her. The baby had been particularly active through the night after being rather quiet for the last few days. Hermione's daughter had been kicking and doing the belly roll all night long.
Hermione looked at her watch noting that only twenty minutes of the class had had gone by. Oh Merlin, I should have skipped, she thought miserably. I just need to take a nap. I barely got any sleep at all last night.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Her eyes widened. Dropping her quill onto the table, she put her hands on her stomach feeling it start to harden and clench beneath palms. After a long moment it subsided and her stomach was as relaxed as it could be with a baby taking up all the available space. Was that a Braxtion-Hicks contraction? Hermione checked her watch and noted the time. Of course she had read every single wizarding and muggle book on childbirth that she could get her hands on. She'd also taken a natural birthing course with Donovan and knew what she should do.
She waited without drawing attention to herself and sure enough she felt the tightening begin again. This time the pain was a bit more intense and she winced as her stomach became as hard as a rock for a couple of minutes before subsiding into malleable flesh again. She looked at her watch: only six minutes had gone by. That's not right, she thought in surprise. All the books say that early contractions should be about twelve to twenty minutes apart.
Exactly six minutes after her second contraction, the next one came much harder than the first two. She couldn't stop her gasp of surprise at the intensity of this one. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, holding her hands on her stomach until the pain once again ebbed. She continued to breathe deeply for a moment longer. I don't think this is early labor, she thought though she wasn't panicked.
She opened her eyes and looked up to realize that Professor Kendall had stopped lecturing and every eye in the class was upon her. He had been calling her name, or at least what he thought was her name, since her first gasp.
"Miss Langstrom, are you all right?" Hermione hadn't answered at first, having forgotten in the midst of what was going on with her body that everyone, except for her family and the Deans of the University, knew her as Harmony Langstrom. "Miss Langstrom?" he repeated in concern.
"I think I'm going into labor," she told the wizard, not expecting the tempest in a teapot that was about to erupt.
"Oh my stars!" he yelled in a complete panic, clearly never having been around a woman having a baby. He started pointing to various students. "You, call campus security! You, get someone from the Infirmary! You, go get Professor Langstrom from Twillinger Hall! Quick conjur up some blankets for Miss Langstrom! Boil some water! Sit back down!" The last was directed at Hermione with a wild gesture of his hands as she had stood up wanting to calm him down.
Hermione just needed to get outside. Though her contractions were closer than she had expected, she knew they were still far enough apart that she had a while before the actual big event. Donovan was supposed to pick her up from class when it ended in about fifteen minutes anyway. She had taken him up on his offer to be her birth coach and she knew he would get her to the wizarding hospital in time.
"No really, I'm fine. No need to panic. I just need to go-" Hermione began but was cut off as another contraction stole her breath. She gripped the desk with one hand, hunching over slightly and held her belly with her other hand until it passed. She breathed like she had been taught and was handling everything with her usual calm efficiency. I really am okay. Checking her watch, she saw that she was still at about six minutes between contractions. So far so good.
However, her latest contraction had thrown the professor into an even bigger tizzy. He conjured a blanket that wrapped itself around her and ended up bumping her back into her seat. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," he said to her completely unnerved. As she struggled to unwrap herself and get back up, the other students just looked on in amazement not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, a pile of people rushed into the room. Two campus security guards came in brandishing wands. Three student-healers-in-training from the University Infirmary came in chattering excitedly about this being their first baby delivery. Hermione just wanted to get away from them all. She had just gotten untangled when another strong contraction hit her. She closed her eyes and forced the confused babble of voices out of her mind. Concentrating on her breathing and visualization techniques, she rode out the wave of pain. When she opened her eyes, everyone was still there loudly arguing about what to do with her.
"What the hell is going on in here?" called a strong male voice from the doorway.
She looked up in relief as she saw Donovan walking towards her followed closely by Uncle Ethan. Her uncle took one look at the confusion and knew it had been caused by his neurotic colleague. He grinned at her calm face and winked at her reassuringly. With a glance at Donovan, he went to diffuse the situation at the front of the room.
Donovan went straight to Hermione's side. "Are you all right?"
She smiled at him gratefully ignoring the loud voices around them. "This little one wants to be born now. Can you get me to the hospital?"
His eyes widened, but he didn't panic. He looked at the woman who had come to matter so much to him and reached for her. The handsome wizard swept her up into his arms and strode from the room, taking her away from the chaos that had surrounded her.
Hermone's daughter was born at exactly twelve fifty-seven in the afternoon. Donovan stayed by at her side the entire time offering her emotional support and alleviating whatever physical pains he could. He held her hand, rubbed her back, and smoothed her hair from her perspiring face. He conjured warm packs for her lower back, cool clothes for her forehead, and ice chips for her mouth. He told her funny stories to distract her, gave her pep talks when she was discouraged, and strengthened her when she was too tired to push. He never mentioned that when she was so deeply focused on the act of labor that she called him by another wizard's name.
As the healer urged her to push that one final time, Hermione put all her effort into bringing her child into the world. When her daughter finally slipped free and Hermione heard her first cry, her entire being was filled to bursting with feelings of triumph, joy, and elation. I did it! We did it! She rejoiced wholly at this awesome moment. She's here! The healer took the baby away for a few moments to clean her up and make sure all was well with the newborn.
When her child was placed in her arms for the first time, Hermione took one look at her and was filled with more love than she had ever imagined herself feeling for another human being. It didn't matter what else had happened, being a mother to this little girl filled the eighteen year old with a complete sense of peace and serenity. Smiling gently at her new daughter, Hermione knew everything was going to be all right.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Authors Note:
Time Difference: London is five hours ahead of Boston.
