Chapter 34: The Ideas

When Hermione and Sirius got the news that Ginny was in labor, they didn't go to the hospital right way. Hermione felt terrible about it, but they had only known for a week that they were not going to be able to have a child, and she just didn't think she could face it right now. Sirius assured her that their friends would understand. Harry and Ginny had asked Ron and Emily to be the godparents, so she didn't feel like she needed to be there in any official capacity.

Harry's floo called sometime later, with a grin on his face, and conversed lowly with Sirius kneeling next to the fire. Once Harry disappeared, Sirius stood and made his way over to her, sitting down on the sofa next to her.

"So, is the baby here?" Hermione asked.

Sirius nodded, "Yes, a healthy baby boy. James Sirius." His voice sounded choked, though whether it was because they had named the baby after his best friend or himself she didn't know. Probably a bit of both.

"And Ginny?"

"Was a champ, according to Harry. Only six hours of labor, and the healers say they'll be ready to go home tomorrow. Harry asked for us to come to the cottage the morning after they've had a chance to settle in. If you want."

"Of course I want to! I just couldn't handle being at St. Mungo's right now. But no matter what, I'm thrilled for Harry and Ginny, and I'll love little James. I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Sirius looked skeptical, but Hermione pushed on, "And you? Are you alright?"

He nodded, "I can't believe my little Harry is a father! I held him the first hour he was born, just like Teddy. And now he has a baby of his own."

"One he named after James and you. That's quite an honor."

"Yes… I don't feel worthy, but it'll be nice to have another James around. I wonder if he'll look like Harry or a Weasley?'

Hermione laughed, "I guess we'll find out soon. It's not like that Weasley hair can be hidden.

Meeting James was far more bittersweet than meeting Teddy had been. The knowledge that she likely would never hold her own baby hit hard when she took the squirming, black-haired newborn in her arms for the first time.

He was a beautiful baby, clearly taking after the Potters with his coloring, something that had Sirius grinning. It was quite clear that he was already envisioning all the mischief little James and Teddy would get into once they hit Hogwarts. Ron and Emily, also expecting a boy in a few months, would join the crew. Hermione swallowed back a lump in her throat at the thought that Sirius' own child wouldn't be joining them.

Shaking those thoughts away, knowing that dealing on the negatives of the situation wouldn't help her cope, she grinned at Ginny, "No Weasley red, huh?"

Ginny laughed, "No, thank the gods. I was hoping he'd take after Harry's side, though I'm surprised he actually did. I don't think there has been a non-red-head to come out the Weasley line in… I don't know. Centuries, probably."

"Strong blood," remarked Sirius, "Though little Victoire is blond," referring to Bill and Fleur's three-year-old daughter.

Ginny waved the comment away, "That's the Veela in her. But the Potter blood must be strong for that mop of hair!" She said, grinning at her son's messy head of black locks.

Hermione laughed, and passed the baby to Sirius, moving away to help Harry in the kitchen. He had volunteered to go pick up lunch for everyone, though she had tried to deter him. But he said he wanted to get out the house for a little bit while Ginny had company. She had heard his return several minutes before.

He was laying containers out on the counter when she walked in. She smiled at his haggard appearance, and he grinned back at her. She walked over to give him a hug, "He's amazing, Harry, really. Congratulations."

Harry's grin broadened, and he nodded, "He is pretty great, isn't he? Future Gryffindor seeker, I'll bet."

Hermione laughed, "Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, hmm?"

Harry shrugged then continued placing the containers out. Hermione moved to help him. Harry's voice started again softly, "And how are you doing?"

It was Hermione's turn to shrug, "Ok, I guess. It's been difficult, but I'm learning to cope."

"I was worried… with James."

"Oh no, Harry! I'm sorry I couldn't visit at the hospital. That would have been too difficult. But no matter what, I'm thrilled about little James!"

Harry didn't say anything for a few moments, then he asked, "Is Sirius… better? He seems to be. I've been worried about him, after the way he reacted last week. I had thought about visiting, but…"

"No, it's probably good you didn't. We've been… working through some things. But he is better. Not himself, not yet. Maybe not ever, depending on what happens. But we've talked through things and that seemed to help him."

Harry sighed, clearly relieved, "That's good. I'm happy to hear it."

"And he's quite honored you know. About you naming the baby for him. And he's more than a little excited to have another James to corrupt," Hermione grinned at Harry's horrified look. "What? I thought you loved hearing the stories of all the things they used to get into?"

"Well, yeah, but that was then! I'm a father now. I have to be… you know. Responsible."

Hermione laughed, "I wouldn't worry too much. Sirius is far more responsible now than he was then. Or… responsible-ish. Sort of."

Sirius' loud "I heard that" called from the living room had both her and Harry laughing as they plated food for everyone.

Later that week, Hermione and Sirius were spending the evening out in the back garden. The weather had finally warmed enough to enjoy time outside.

Hermione was going into finals week at the Craft, and she hated to admit it, but she was finding it difficult to muster much energy for preparation. She knew the material well from her studying throughout the semester, and with so much else going on in her life, she just couldn't spare the mental energy for hours of studying. But she believed that if she studied an hour or two the evening before each test, just as a reminder, she would do alright. Her grades were high, and anything short of failing would get her a passing grade for the semester. That's all she wanted to ensure.

She was actually fairly surprised; she would have thought that dealing with their news would have caused her to throw herself even more into her studies, as a way to turn off her mind to what was really going on. But it had the opposite effect.

"What about in vitro fertilization?"

Sirius' sudden words broke into her thoughts and her brain stuttered to a halt, "Pardon?"

"In vitro fertilization. Have you heard of it?"

Hermione mentally shook herself. Had she really just heard Sirius bring up a complicated muggle medical procedure?

"Yes… Yes, I've heard of it, though I'll admit to not knowing much about it. I'm shocked that you have heard of it."

Sirius shrugged, looking somewhat uncomfortable, "I… I, ummm… I went to the London Library when you were working at the university last Saturday. I did research there. I wanted to see if there may be any muggle methods that would help us since the healer said magic can't do anything."

Hermione gaped at him. He had gone to the muggle library to do research? She was blown away.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I got a few ideas. I thought… Umm, well, I guess I thought we could look into them to see if any of them could work."

"Sirius.., That's—that's a good idea. I hadn't even considered it."

"I know we're running out of time, but I can't just sit by and twiddle my thumbs waiting for the inevitable. Maybe these ideas will come to nothing, but at least it helps me feel like I'm trying something."

Hermione smiled at his words, so happy that he seemed to have moved past the funk he had been in after they had first received the news. "I'll make an appointment with Healer Williamson to discuss everything and we can see if any of the ideas have merit."

Their meeting with Healer Williamson may have made Hermione feel a little better about her own prognosis if they weren't faced with the prospect of the Ministry separating them in just under seven months. He seemed quite intrigued about several of the options they had discussed but less than positive about the timeframe they were looking at.

"I'll admit to not being an expert on muggle fertility methods, but I do know the basics. I have seen success for several of these methods for former patients who struggled with fertility, though it is rare. As I'm sure you know, the wizarding world has been less than enamored with the muggle world, and among the pureblooded population, where fertility problems tend to be more prevalent, there is far less interest in using any sort of muggle method to aid conception.

In the successful cases I have seen, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy was utilized. In all the cases I know of, the issue was a physical one, either with the mother or the father, not a magical one. If I'm being honest, I will admit that I don't know if you could find success for any of the methods since your problem is magical. Even if you could create a baby with one of these methods, I feel like the likelihood of a squib birth would be high, since the magical portion of your reproductive cycle has not resolved itself. Unless that happens, I would think the probability of you creating a magical child is low."

Healer Williamson's words seemed to deflate Sirius, and Hermione jumped in, trying to raise his hopes up, "But the probability is low, but not impossible."

"No… Not impossible. But I don't know enough about the procedures to give you any definite answers, and since the type of magical injury you have is so rare, I doubt much research has been done about it. But I do have a colleague who has more in-depth knowledge on the subject if you would like to speak with her. She has studied these methods and works in conjunction with a muggle fertility doctor. She would be able to give you more information."

They thanked him and made an appointment with the healer he recommended. Hermione was buoyed by the idea that there may be a possibility, but the clock was ticking.

"I wish we could just adopt," Sirius muttered after their appointment with the healer the following week. Though she hadn't completely shot down their ideas, she did not seem too positive about their chances of creating a baby using the muggle methods. She ended the meeting by saying she would confer with her muggle colleague and contact them within the next couple weeks.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. They were making their way down the crowded London street away from St. Mungo's. Hermione wanted to stop by a muggle bookstore to see if she could find some more information about surrogacy, the option the healer thought to be the best chances for them.

Sirius shrugged, "There must be plenty of muggleborn kids who need a family. Orphans or… I don't know. If we could find one, maybe…"

"Maybe what? We could fake a pregnancy then produce a muggleborn orphan at the right moment and pass them off as our own? You know the Ministry isn't going to be ok with us taking in a child that was already born. The point of this whole law is to create new magical blood."

Sirius scowled and didn't reply. Hermione felt a stab of guilt for making him feel bad about his idea. She took his hand in hers as they walked and leaned into his side, "But adoption would be a good choice for us, in the long run. If we didn't have the amendment to contend with."

His face softened, and Hermione smiled. She hated the Ministry with every fiber of her being for putting so much stress on them.