Chapter Twenty-One
Harry and Bill quickly and quietly made their way to Ron and Lavender's property. They could see Ron waiting at the door,
"Harry what the bloody hell is going on?" Ron hissed,
"I need you to get the baby" Harry Whispered, "Ginny is not going to trust me, she must know by now that I'm on the case…" Harry said,
"Just do as he says Ron, I'll explain everything when the child is safe" Bill whispered, Ron nodded and headed into the house, Lavender was in the kitchen,
"she's awake, she can't get the girl to stop crying" Lavender said,
"Probably because the poor thing is starving" Harry said,
"She's tried to bottle feed her but no luck" Lavender sighed, Ron made his way past them heading into the living room,
"Ginny, here let me try" he tried to smile, "Maybe she needs her…" He swallowed "Daddy" he said, she looked up at him, her eyes looked manic, she held the child tighter to her, causing it to scream louder "Ginny, you're hurting her" Ron said stepping forward, Ginny backed up,
"Get Away or…or I'll kill her!" Ginny snarled,
"Ginny, think of your baby" Lavender whispered, "If you hurt the child, they will never let you see your baby" Lavender said moving past Ron, Ginny stared at the other woman, "You don't want that, do you?" she asked, "Please pass her to me" Lavender held open her arms, "It's ok," she reassured,
"But…she betrayed us…" Ginny said numbly "She lied and went with the Death Eater…The child needs me to protect her" She looked down at the crying child.
"I understand that Ginny, but you don't need to protect her from me" Lavender said, she stepped closer ever so slowly, Ginny seemed to trust Lavender a little more than her brother, she looked down at the crying child again "Can I hold her" Lavender asked, Ginny looked up to her sister-in-law
"I…I don't know?" Ginny's head was spinning, she couldn't remember how she got here, holding her former friends' child…a child she had kidnapped "Something is wrong" Ginny whispered, Lavender froze the sudden feeling that Ginny may actually harm the child,
"you're ok" Lavender reassured the red head, "Pass me the baby and we can help you" she said risking another step, Ginny's face changed and she pulled away holding the child closer to her body, Muffling the cries "Ginny …Please Ginny the baby cant breath" Lavender begged, Ginny just stared through her.
Harry looked at Bill hearing the whole thing, they had to do something fast before she smothered the baby. Bill moved first, pushing past Ron in the doorway and Grabbing Ginny before she could register what was happening, taking the confusion to her advantage Lavender pulled the child from Ginny's Grip…
The child was silent and limp,
"Harry" Ron said following Lavender into the Kitchen
"She's…she's not breathing" Lavender said laying the baby on the table and starting infant CPR to get the girl breathing.
XXX
"Move Aside" Blaise called to the group of reporters who were surrounding the door to the paediatric ward, shoving a few who refused to get out of the way allowing himself, Hermione and Draco to enter the ward. "Go" Blaise nodded to where Harry and Ron where Standing, "I'll keep this lot out!" He said, Harry had called them the moment they had got to St. Mungo's hospital.
"Where is she" Hermione sobbed trying to pass her former friends, Harry grabbed her stopping her from going through "Let go of me!" she screamed,
"Hermione, you need to know…" He tried but Hermione was able to move enough to hit Harry in the stomach, causing him to let her go, Draco raised an eyebrow walking past the bent over wheezing Harry and the bewildered Ron.
The doctors where surrounding the tiny cot and machines where making quiet beeping sounds,
"Please…" Hermione managed to get out, one of the nurses turned to the two of them,
"She's ok, we're just giving her a check over" the woman smiled, "Please take a seat, and I will explain everything we know" Draco took Hermione's hand and lead her to the chair,
"The patient was reported to have stopped breathing for around two minutes, but is breathing on her own again now, her reflexes are all working and she is responsive, so there is no fear that the lack of oxygen has done any major harm she has lost a little of her birth weight but I'm sure when she gets her mummy's milk. Once the doctor has taken some bloods, I will bring her over to you" she smiled sweetly. Draco wrapped his arm around her waist, but didn't speak the two sat there holding one another while the Doctors worked on their daughter.
XXX
Draco exited the room an hour later, Harry and Ron where still waiting there but they where not who he had come out to see, his mother was on her way up, with Luna, Pansy and Susan
"Malfoy" Harry asked, "Is she…" Draco turned to look at Harry and Ron,
"She's fine, Hermione's feeding her at the moment, when I go back in, I'll see if she wants to see you" Draco said a tone of indifference in his voice
"Draco!" His mother ran to hug him "How is she, she's not hurt is she?" Narcissa asked.
"She's…" he breathed; he knew he was going to have to get the full story from Potter at some point but for now "She's ok" he said hugging his mother back.
"What are they doing here?" Pansy said hugging Draco,
"You can Talk…" Ron started,
"Shut up Ron" Harry said, "Draco I need to speak with you and Hermione…but I'll come back in an hour if that is ok with you" Harry said standing nodding and dragging Ron with him.
Draco watched after the two, as he hugged both Luna and Susan.
The line of doctors left the room behind them
"Why so many?" Narcissa gasped,
"I'll explain later, I'll see if Pandora has finished feeding" Draco said, pulling away and poking his head into the room, where Hermione sat humming to the tiny bundle in her arms.
"Are you decent my love" he smiled, she looked up at him her eyes red from tears, gave him a smiled before nodding. Draco stepped back out and opened the door for their friends and family to enter, the room was very full once everyone entered, it was against visitor rules but the doctors where willing to let the rules slide on this occasion, Draco sat to the left of Hermione and Narcissa sat to her right.
"Congratulations" Susan smiled gently squeezing Hermione's hand as she came to look at the sleeping child, "she's beautiful" she smiled,
"thank you" she smiled, no one asked to hold her knowing for a little while Hermione was very unlikely to let the infant leave her sight even with those she trusted. "Pandora, you see every one in this room" she whispered "they are your family" she stroked at the child's cheek "You are so loved" she smiled Draco tightened his grip on the two of them
"Rue any boy that come near her" Pansy smiled, they all laughed
"Thank you, all of you" Draco smiled knowing that everyone in this room would have died to return their daughter to them.
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