Chapter Thirty Five

Lucius arrived in the Apparition foyer of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries just as Hermione fainted. He couldn't be sure if it was a result of the pain, the blood loss she was experiencing, the unbelievable amounts of stress and fear she'd had that evening or a combination of it all. The moment her eyes closed and she stopped crying spurred him to a panicked fever pitch. He had never felt so helpless.

"She needs assistance immediately!" he screamed at the overly perky Welcome Witch at the front desk. What right did she have to be so positive and happy when his world was falling all around him? "She has lost a lot of blood!"

The smile was wiped off the woman's face the moment he began screaming. She bustled out from behind the large reception desk. When her eyes adjusted on Hermione's wan face and then up to Lucius' well-known features, she gasped aloud.

"Security!" she screamed. "Undesirables in reception! Security!"

"Shut up, you daft cow!"

She closed her mouth at the command without hesitation. Lucius was angrier than he'd ever been in his entire life. How dare she start screaming for security when the woman in his arms could be dying? Where was the bloody compassion?

"If you bothered to read more than just hair tips in Witch Weekly, you might have learned that we have both been pardoned for any fictional crimes pinned on us by the Minister for Magic himself!"

His voice was loud enough to echo down the white tiled hallway. A hospital's emergency room never sleeps. Even at two in the morning their tableau was garnering a large audience. Embarrassed tears filled up the witch's eyes and Lucius rolled his own. He couldn't bear to be in her presence for another moment.

"Get her some help, woman!"

Finally the Welcome Witch was goaded into action. She raised her wand to shoot red sparks down the long hallway. Only mere moments passed before an entire team of healers and their assistants appeared in the room with a hovering stretcher.

"What happened?" demanded a no-nonsense healer of about sixty who was already waving her wand over Hermione's unconscious form. "How long has she been like this?"

"We were at Hogwarts. I am not sure how long has passed. Not long. She grabbed her stomach and started screaming. She has not stopped bleeding since."

"How far along is she?"

"Almost thirty-three weeks."

Two of the orderlies forcibly removed her body from his arms to lay her out on the stretcher. He would've hexed them both if the healer hadn't placed a hand on the forearm of his wand arm.

"They're just taking her to the operating room, Mr. Malfoy."

"Operating room?!"

"Yes, we have to deliver that baby as soon as possible to save both of their lives."

Lucius tried to follow behind the stretcher as his entire world was taken down the corridor. The same healer stopped him again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but you will need to remain in the waiting room. We will bring you news as soon as we have any."

She ran down the hallway, surprisingly agile for her age. Lucius stood at the end of the corridor watching as Hermione disappeared. He couldn't be certain how long he remained staring down the empty hallway. The now abashed Welcome Witch gently led him to the stark waiting room where he would spend the longest five hours of his life.

How the other unfortunate souls waiting in the same room with him were able to remain calm and composed seated in their plastic chairs while Lucius' entire future hung in the balance was a mystery to the frightened wizard. The moment he saw Hermione step into the kitchen over a year earlier wearing his pajamas, Lucius could imagine no other future for him than one where she was with him. How many times did he catch himself dreaming about her in the early days of her stay in the manor? They started off as harmless, uncontrollable dreams at night that bled into his conscious hours in awkward, delightful fantasies. He became as bad as a teenager in those first few weeks, excusing himself from the room she was in multiple times a day to calm the part of his anatomy he'd always had control over as an adult.

The night of Rabastan Lestrange's Merlin-forsaken party was still one of the greatest nights of his life. Imagining returning to a life where he wasn't free to kiss her and hold her and make her scream in that intoxicating voice she had only for him didn't bear thought. He would almost rather die than go back to what his life was in those cold, lonely months alone in the manor. Even with the promise of his son and his little family returning to live with him wouldn't be enough if she weren't by his side.

He almost didn't survive those three blasted months when she was hidden away as Antonin's captive. Food had no flavor. The air was too thick and oppressive to breathe. Sleep was impossible to find in an empty bed without her curls finding their way up his nose in the middle of the night. If Muriel and Arthur hadn't resorted to the underhanded practice of drugging him with copious amounts of Dreamless Sleep potions, his body would've never healed properly after Azkaban.

And then to have her back all of those months only for that bastard Thorfinn Rowle to kidnap her at her most vulnerable… Rowle should pray that Lucius never found him. His death would be agonizing. For two weeks Lucius shut himself up in Shell Cottage with the other members of the Resistance trying to formulate a plan that would not only rescue Hermione, but finally bring the war to its end. "Fuck the war!" had been his repeated response to calls for patience. If it had been up to him, he would've stormed the castle the very day she was taken.

In the weeks preparing for the battle, he'd been unable to bear the thought of sleeping in the uncomfortable tiny double bed they'd shared in the tiniest bedroom. His housewarming present for Bill and his wife when they were finally able to return home was going to be a proper bed, he'd decided. Instead of wallowing in the bedroom lost in memories of Hermione, he'd offered the room to that Katie girl and her husband that murdered the previous Minister. Kingsley was having a hell of a time keeping the knowledge that a Russian national was responsible for Thicknesse's death after he was already in custody, but he was determined to use his new power as Minister for Magic to cover it up. Their lives had already been affected too much by the fucking Umbridge Home.

Arthur joined him during the fourth hour of his vigil. He had finally stopped pacing up and down the waiting room to stand where he could stare down the long, empty corridor. Lucius almost missed the older man's presence. Without any fanfare or any questions, Arthur quietly stood next to his friend waiting for him to make the first move. He was there only to support.

"I do not know anything yet," Lucius said by way of a greeting when he finally became aware of the other man's presence. He didn't seem in the least surprised by Arthur's appearance.

"Our girl is very tough," Arthur replied. "She never gives up or does anything halfway."

Lucius couldn't argue with the man. He had no doubt that Hermione wouldn't give up without a fight. The fact that over four hours had passed without any word from the healers made him increasingly nervous. What if she'd already fought as much as she could? A human doesn't possess an infinite amount of strength. Arthur placed a reassuring hand on Lucius' shoulder that almost made the blond man lose his already shaken resolve. How had he survived over forty-six years without having one true friend?

"How are your children?" Lucius asked mentally berating himself for not asking the question the moment he saw Arthur. His personal struggles weren't enough to ignore his friend's.

Arthur smiled at the question.

"Everyone is fine," he answered, ignoring the tears that were forming in his eyes. "George took a nasty spill off of his broom, but he will be fine. Angie is already lecturing him on being an idiot."

Lucius failed at suppressing a quiet chuckle. It had only taken him five minutes with Angelina Johnson to know that she was an uncommon woman and he liked her immediately.

"She said she's thankful that he landed on his head and not on another part of his body he actually uses."

Lucius chuckled again, thankful for the distraction from his own tumultuous thoughts. The mention of George's head wound brought Antonin to mind. Lucius asked after the man. Arthur sighed and shook his head.

"The damnedest thing, Lucius," he answered. "I ran for help. Found an available healer in the Great Hall who agreed to follow me. We ran all of the way there. Couldn't have been more than five minutes. Maybe ten. I pushed open the wall and Dolohov was gone."

"Gone? Do you mean dead?"

"No, gone as in gone. Nothing but his blood left on the stone. I went looking, of course, but then I found out George was being treated in Hogsmeade. Bill promised he'd keep an eye out and I wouldn't be surprised if Percy has a full casualty list before breakfast."

Any further attempts at speculating just where Antonin Dolohov ended up were immediately interrupted by the sudden appearance of the weary healer from earlier. Her arrival in the waiting room both excited and terrified Lucius at the same time. Nothing in her facial expression gave him any indication of the news she was about to provide.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes?" He held his breath.

"Miss Granger and her son are doing well. We've put her in a deep sleep for now. The birth was fairly traumatic for them both. I won't lie to you, Mr. Malfoy. We almost lost them both."

Arthur's hand squeezed Lucius' shoulder and the younger wizard released a strangled sob that he swiftly and unsuccessfully attempted to stifle. His silvery grey eyes burned with tears. It was a testament to how much he loved Hermione that the once haughty and proud man didn't even wipe them off his cheeks as they began to fall freely of their own accord.

"Miss Granger will be asleep for many days," the healer continued. "Her body needs time to repair itself. I'm assuming that she had a difficult pregnancy based on the preterm birth. I have no records of her prenatal care."

"Naturally remaining in hiding from a corrupt Ministry with a price on her pretty, little head kept her from having the most idyllic of pregnancies," he snapped.

"Be that as it may," she said, unperturbed by his outburst. "I anticipate that she will make a full recovery. I don't imagine that this will prevent her from having any more children in the future if she so chooses. Of course, time will tell the extent of her injuries."

Lucius exhaled, unaware until that moment that he'd secretly been harboring that fear.

"And what about my son?" he asked in a much calmer tone than earlier.

The healer granted him what was obviously a rare smile.

"He is small, but he is strong. We have him in a special nursery. His lungs are not quite fully developed yet, but we are helping him breathe. A specialist healer is examining him right now. Would you like to see him?"

There was no hesitation on his part. After explaining that Arthur was the baby's godfather and therefore had almost as many rights as the parents, the healer allowed both men to follow her down the plain hallway. Not another word was spoken until they entered the lift, exited on the fifth floor and walked to a closed ward. Lucius was once more grateful to have Arthur with him. Doing all of this alone might've broken him.

"Your son is a bit small, Mr. Malfoy," the healer warned them before she opened the door to the nursery. "Not too small, mind you. He's just a little less than five pounds. If he hadn't been so anxious to arrive early, he likely would've been quite big."

The closer they got to the nursery, the more worried and anxious Lucius grew. What if he couldn't love this baby like he promised Hermione he would? Making a promise is one thing, but following through in reality was another. From the moment he heard that Antonin had been able to sense the baby at New Years, he knew biologically the child wasn't his. He promised Hermione that it wouldn't matter. He would give her baby his name, his protection and most importantly, his love. It's easy to make abstract promises before the baby is in existence.

In those moments after they opened the door to the ward and began to cross the room towards the bubble he knew contained his new son, biologically or otherwise, Lucius recalled a conversation he had with Arthur in the days following the revelation at New Years. Part of Lucius hoped and prayed that his inability to sense the baby was because of Hermione's Muggle heritage or maybe because it was a girl. Female babies did not give off as much of a magical signature as the first born male of the House's line. Once he knew that Antonin sensed his son, Lucius couldn't keep the news to himself.

"Well, what do you plan on doing now that you know, Lucius?" Arthur asked.

"I am not sure," he answered. "No, that is not true. I will help Hermione in any way that I can. I love her. It is not her baby's fault that I am not his father."

"And the baby?"

"I will claim it… him. I will claim him as my son and he will be raised in the manner that a Malfoy should be raised."

"Names and money and protection are fine, Lucius, but what about love?"

Lucius was flabbergasted by the intimate question. He had been so worked up over thinking how he would promise to provide for the child that he hadn't really given the thought of whether or not he would love the baby much thought.

"Do you think it is possible to love a child that is not yours?" Lucius asked, almost afraid to learn the answer.

"Absolutely! I love Hermione as one of my own. I loved Harry. Always thought of him as my seventh son. We shared no blood or biology, but I loved them dearly. Always will."

Lucius must have hesitated too long with his response because Arthur shot another question in his direction.

"Would you love Hermione's child if he'd been born before you ever met her? If she'd shown up on your doorstep with a baby months before you ever kissed her, would you have been able to love that child?"

"He would have been a part of her, so of course. Maybe not at first, but I am certain I would have grown to be fond of the child first. Eventually that would have paved the way to love, especially once I knew I was besotted with his mother."

"Then you have your answer, Lucius. Maybe you won't love him immediately, but you will. Some day you will look at him and realize that loving him is not only possible, but as natural as breathing. It simply may take some time."

Arthur had been correct. It did take some time before Lucius loved the dark haired baby lying on the cot in front of him surrounded by a breathing bubble charm. It took about half a second. Little Ryan was awake. Like his mother, he was already eager to learn everything he could. His eyes were staring around the room as much as possible for a newborn. Lucius knew that it took time for new babies to actually be able to focus on anything and see with their eyes, but the moment Ryan's dark brown eyes met Lucius' grey eyes, Lucius was enamored.

"He is beautiful," Lucius whispered, wishing he could reach out and touch the small baby. "He has Hermione's nose."

The specialist healer looked up from her examination to smile at the two men.

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Mr. Malfoy," she responded. "Those eyes! Can you even imagine what they will look like when he is a teenager? You will have to teach him many hexes to keep the young girls away."

"How is he doing?"

Ryan certainly looked strong to Lucius. Even for being a small baby, he looked healthy.

"Our tiny patient is doing very well. Being born as early as he was, his lungs aren't fully developed yet. Not to worry though. They're almost there. We're going to keep him in this bubble charm to help him breathe for a couple of days. I've already administered a potion to him that will speed along the development of his lungs."

"Is that safe?" He had no experience with a baby with health problems. Draco and Lyra had both been born perfectly healthy with no serious conditions whatsoever.

"Of course," she answered with an indulgent smile. In her line of work she was certain to have experienced her fair share of terrified parents questioning her every move. "Other than his lungs, he just needs to put on some weight before we can send him home."

"How long until then? Will he have to remain in hospital until his original due date?"

The healer smiled again with a simpering smirk that Lucius momentarily wanted to curse off her face. He had every right to ask her every question he could think of! This was his child!

"That is how Muggles handle premature babies, Mr. Malfoy, but I'd like to think that we were just a little more advanced than that. He shouldn't need to stay more than a couple of weeks at most. He's healthy."

Hermione's healer tapped Lucius on the back of his arm.

"We should leave Healer Shrout now, Mr. Malfoy. Young Mr. Malfoy will be needing his sleep and I'm afraid we cannot linger in this ward. In a few days when he is stronger, he will be moved into Miss Granger's room with her."

"Can we see Hermione?"

They were led down the hallway to yet another corridor. How any rooms were able to be built in a building consisting of nothing but corridors was beyond Lucius. The healer pushed open a plain door in the ward before ushering them in. Hermione looked exhausted, but peaceful. Lucius rushed to kiss her slumbering forehead, ignoring the tears he wasn't entirely certain hadn't been present for hours.

"We are keeping her in an enchanted sleep," the healer explained once more. "We will reevaluate her each day. I am hopeful that she will be out for no more than a week."

Seven bloody miserable days, Lucius thought for the thousandth time in the span of the four days that had already passed. Each day had been longer than the last as he became more and more bored of the damned hospital. He left once a day to Apparate home to the manor for a hot shower, a change of clothes and an exquisite meal prepared by his newly returned house elves. Tildie would not allow him to leave the manor for the hospital without every pocket of his robes filled with morsels that she was certain he would want to nibble on throughout the day during his bedside vigil. He'd desperately missed having a household staff, but feared if he wasn't careful, they'd be letting out his entire wardrobe before too long to accommodate his expanding girth.

He was allowed a short time each day to visit Ryan. Still under the bubble charm, Lucius had not been able to hold him yet. The healers promised him that soon he would be ready to be held. Lucius was growing progressively anxious for that moment.

On the fourth day he sat in the increasingly uncomfortable armchair next to Hermione's bedside. She was still doing just fine according to the numerous healers and mediwitches that seemed to traipse in and out at all hours. He wished he could hear her voice tell her so himself.

Arthur had been a daily visitor. He usually only stayed for an hour or two at a time, but his presence was more than welcome. Lucius was certain he would go completely mad if he had no one to speak to but the medical personnel and himself. Even speaking to Hermione while she as asleep wasn't enough to preserve his sanity.

"Mr. Malfoy?" asked a voice on the outside of the door. He looked up from his book and waved them in. It was the specialist healer from the first night pushing a small cot on wheels. "I have someone who would like to visit."

Lucius was on his feet and across the room before his mind fully registered his movements. Ryan was awake in his cot, staring up at him. He looked a bit larger than yesterday, but Lucius wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that he was no longer completely enclosed underneath a magical bubble.

"Would you like to hold your son, Mr. Malfoy?" Healer Shrout inquired with a warm smile.

Ryan William Granger Malfoy settled into his father's arms as if it were the most natural place in the world for him to be. Lucius sat back down in the vacated armchair. A part of him was afraid that he would drop the baby due to his tiny size.

"All of our babies wear clothes imbued with a hovering charm," explained Healer Shrout when she saw the nervous look on his face. "Even if you drop him, he won't fall. But… please try not to drop him."

She left the small family alone at the last bit of advice. Lucius wished that Hermione could be awake to experience this moment. It was priceless and he felt that he was wrong to be having it by himself. Ryan stared up at Lucius with the tiniest crinkle in his forehead. After a few seconds of scrutinizing the man holding him, the small baby settled right to sleep, safe and content that no harm would come to him as long as Lucius had him in his arms.

"Mummy should be awake in a few days," Lucius said to the sleeping baby. He'd already spent four days speaking to an unconscious woman. What did it matter if he turned his attention to a sleeping baby? "She is a wonderful woman. I think you are going to like her. At least until you are old enough to do homework. Then she will probably get on your nerves, but you will still love her."

Lucius stared down at the sleeping child while trying to remind himself to breathe. His heart felt full. Arthur had been right once again.

"I promise, Ryan, that I will always keep you protected and loved," Lucius dropped his tone to a whisper even though neither of the other inhabitants of the room were in a position to hear or understand his words. "Your father sacrificed himself to protect you and your mummy. I vow to honor his sacrifice by loving and protecting both of you for as long as I live."

He placed a kiss on the tiny slumbering head and held the baby closer to his chest and his rapidly beating heart.

Hermione could hear the room before she could see it. When she finally started to feel her unconsciousness give way to awareness, the lights in the darkened room were still too bright for her sensitive eyes. She didn't wish to struggle so she kept her eyes closed and focused on her other senses.

"I am going to get you a puppy. In a perfect world, every little boy would have a dog and every dog would have a little boy."

Even with the weakness present in every single muscle in her body, Hermione could feel a grin form on her face upon hearing Lucius' words.

"Your older brother always wanted a pony when he was little, but they make me sneeze. There are dogs out there that can grow up to be as big as a pony. I can get you one of those if you would like."

"That's all right with me as long as you are the one cleaning up after the monstrous dog," Hermione said in response.

After a squeak of shoes on the tile floor and the rustling of robes, Hermione could feel a presence standing at the edge of the bed. She summoned all of her strength to open her eyes. Lucius was holding a tiny bundle of blankets and smiling his gorgeous smirk.

"How are you feeling, my love?" he asked.

"Tired. Very, very tired."

"How can Mummy be so tired if she has been sleeping for an entire week, Ryan?" he teased.

Hermione reached a hand across the bed to take Lucius' free hand.

"Was I really asleep that long?"

Lucius leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"Yes, you have been. Your healer said she would be bringing you out of your enchanted sleep gradually today."

Her eyes were focused on the tiny bundle in his hands. Lucius released her hand. He sat on the edge of the bed and brought Ryan down in front of Hermione for her to see him. She was still too weak to hold him. The healer said it might take her a few more days to regain enough strength.

"He is perfect, Hermione. Absolutely perfect."

She smiled at the little face looking back into hers. Ryan seemed to be as interested in viewing his mother for the first time as she was viewing him.

"He has your nose."

Hermione couldn't help but tense at those words. She remembered Lord Voldemort saying the exact same thing to her when she was standing in the Headmaster's office so many weeks earlier. It was unnerving.

"Yes, he does," she agreed. "And… and Antonin's eyes and chin and cheekbones and…"

She burst into tears before she could stop herself. A large part of her still wanted to believe that her baby was biologically Lucius'. Their lives would've been much easier if that had been the case. Although, it seemed that Lucius was already very much in love with her, no, their son.

"Yes, he does look a great deal like Antonin," he said, attempting a smile to reassure her nerves. "But even I have to admit that Antonin is an attractive man. Ryan should still be able to dazzle all of the young witches with his good looks just like all Malfoys."

She granted him a weary smile, grateful for his response. It would've been easy for that moment to be awkward.

"What happened to Antonin?" she asked, wondering if this was the best time to ask. Would there ever be a good time to ask?

Lucius exhaled a deep breath before answering.

"We are not sure, Hermione."

"What do you mean?" If she had been at her full strength her voice would've been a shriek at that point.

"Arthur ran for a healer and when they came back, Antonin was gone. No one has seen or heard from him since. No one knows if he died and his body was misplaced or if he somehow survived. Someone could've taken him somewhere. We just don't know."

She didn't want to dwell too closely on the implications of Lucius' explanation. There were too many variables in the search for Antonin, and after seven days of an enchanted sleep, she wasn't prepared to think that hard.

"Is everyone else okay?" she asked.

"For the most part, yes. The Resistance lost very few members. None of the Weasleys even though George was injured. He has already made a full recovery. Neville was able to kill the Dark Lord."

"Good!"

"Yes, I am inclined to agree. Kingsley had his body recovered and stored in the Department of Mysteries for the time being. They will be conducting tests on it to make certain that he will be unable to regenerate himself again in the future. I, for one, think that he is well and truly dead this time."

"That's wonderful news."

"I do have some sad news, I'm afraid."

Hermione's stomach dropped. Her eyes prepared for the onslaught of emotions by pre-watering themselves.

"Minerva McGonagall did not survive the battle."

"Poor woman."

"Yes, but very brave as well. She assisted Neville in breaking into the Headmaster's office in the middle of the battle. The terms of her Unbreakable Vow… well, you can imagine."

A silence fell between the two of them as they both considered the ramifications of a broken Unbreakable Vow. Hermione hoped that it was a swift end. She couldn't bear the thought of her former Head of House lingering in agony for doing what was right instead of what was easy.

"You should rest now, Hermione. You are still recovering."

Two more days passed before Hermione was finally able to hold her son. She was advised by the team of healers working on their case that mother and son would be able to go home in just a few more days. Lucius continued to spend almost every moment of the day with them until the night before her healer said they would be released.

"Please go home, Lucius," she begged him when his eyes began to droop. "I know you've missed our bed."

"I don't want to leave the two of you alone."

"It's only one night. I'm perfectly strong enough to get out of bed now if Ryan needs anything in the middle of the night. Go home. Enjoy one final night alone in your bed."

"I am not certain I will be able to sleep without you by my side," he replied with a wink.

"You've been sleeping in that chair for days. I'm sure you can manage once you snuggle in."

Lucius kissed her several times and kissed Ryan several more before he finally agreed to spend the last night she was in the hospital at home. He promised that he would be there bright and early to prepare them for the journey home to the manor. Hermione knew he was anxious to spend some time with Draco, Luna and little Xeno who'd only just arrived back from Ireland a few days earlier.

Unlike every other night that she had been awake in the hospital, Hermione wasn't given a Dreamless Sleep potion the last night. Her healer didn't think it was necessary any longer which made Hermione ecstatic. She had never been able to stomach the thick sleeping potions. They reminded her too much of when she was petrified in her second year.

Of course without a Dreamless Sleep potion, Hermione's mind was open to dreams for the first time in weeks. She had always had an overactive imagination especially when she was asleep. Her final night in the hospital was no different.

There was a voice whispering across the room. She knew she knew the voice, but she couldn't place who it belonged to. Her eyes felt like they were glued shut. Opening them was a struggle. Even though finding herself unable to open her eyes in a dark room where there was disembodied whispering should've been unnerving, Hermione felt calm. After struggling silently for what felt like several minutes, she was able to open her eyes.

She was still in her hospital room. Everything was still in its exact place except for the man seated on the small table by the window. There were no lights in the room except for the wash of moonlight shining through the window.

Antonin held their baby in his hands in front of his body. Both man and baby scrutinized each other with their matching eyes. The man was entranced, whispering soothing words to the baby in a mixture of his two languages that Hermione couldn't quite understand. Antonin set the tiny baby down on his knees and gently began to unwrap the swaddling cloth. Hermione didn't say a word. She was too interested in what he was doing. There wasn't any fear on her part. Antonin would kill everyone else in the world, including himself, before he willingly allowed any harm to come to their child.

"…seven, eight, nine, ten," he counted.

She giggled at the scary Death Eater with a history of murder and torture counting his baby's fingers and toes. The sound surprised Antonin and he looked up to find her watching them with a smile on his face. Hermione couldn't help but grin right back. It was such a sweet sight to find Antonin holding their baby and examining it in the moonlight.

"I'm sorry, daragaya. I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered.

"It's all right. I feel like I've been sleeping for years."

He smiled and she felt her stomach flutter. She would feel guilty for the way she treated him for the rest of her life. He deserved to be happy even if it wasn't with her. Hermione desperately hoped that one day he could find the same kind of love and joy she'd been blessed to find with Lucius.

"You don't need to keep counting," she teased. "I've already counted. He's perfect."

Antonin smiled and stopped counting Ryan's toes.

"I assume you've checked under his nappy?" Antonin winked.

"Yes," she laughed. "He has two of what he should have two of and only one of what he should have one of."

"Good."

He joined her in quiet laughter.

"He is absolutely beautiful, Hermione."

"Yes, he is. I'm so glad you were able to see him."

"Me too. I wasn't sure there for a while that I would be able to."

"He's a little small."

"For now, but he's going to grow up big and strong before you know it. He'll be as big as his papa soon."

A comfortable silence fell across the room between them. Antonin continued to croon to Ryan in that sweet, quiet voice that could soothe Hermione to sleep. She lay in the bed watching the scene in front of her and loving every moment.

"Papa has to go now, little one," he whispered. "He made a promise that he has to keep, but don't worry. If you or your mummy ever needs him, your mummy will know how to find him."

Antonin placed Ryan back in his cot. With another kiss and several lingering moments of just staring at the tiny baby, Antonin crossed the hospital room to stop next to Hermione. He leaned down to kiss Hermione firmly and quickly on the lips.

"Thank you for my perfect son, Hermione."

She felt like she woke up moments after the surreal dream ended. The light from the rising sun shone through the window. Hermione rose from the stiff hospital bed to check on her son. He was still blissfully asleep. From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of color near the window that hadn't been there the night before. She turned around from his cot to look towards the exact spot that Antonin had been sitting in during her dream. On the table by the windowsill sat a beautiful bouquet of thirteen, fourteen, fifteen pink camellias. There was a white card amongst the flowers with a single world scrawled across it.

Rescisco.

She tucked the card back inside the bouquet just as Lucius entered the room. He came up behind her, snaked his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck.

"I just saw your healer walking down the corridor," he announced. "She said that she is on her way here after her morning rounds to release you."

"Thank god!"

She turned around in her love's arms to meet his lips with a kiss.

"Home, my love?"

"Yes, please."