Labor Pains
It's been nine bloody months; and Aria Malfoy (nee Potter) was officially done with being pregnant.
Her feet were aching; her ankles were swollen; and all of her internal organs felt as though they were being stretched, chewed out, squeezed and continuously rearranged by the vicious, precious little monster currently growing inside of her gigantic pregnant belly.
Her due date was in exactly two weeks, but at this point, she didn't care anymore how painful she knew giving birth was going to be — she just wanted it all to be over.
It didn't help that her mate was driving her absolutely crazy.
With each month, it honestly felt as though Draco had become more and more annoying with his nonstop hovering over her. Aria understood that this was their first child and that Draco was just excited about being a father (especially when they learned that she was carrying a boy), but the way he kept monitoring her meals, stuffing her with vitamins and constantly checking up on her (even when they were both at work) really made Aria want to wring his neck.
During Aria's first trimester, the blond git even had the audacity to deny her — a very hormonal, very pregnant veela — sex for a few weeks, explaining how he was worried that it might harm the baby somehow. Thankfully, they were able to resolve that particular issue fairly quickly when Aria stole Draco's anti-bewitchment ring from him one evening and practically drowned him in her veela allure.
Still, despite her raging hormones, Aria was grateful when she was blessed with a short reprieve from her husband's smothering attention.
Draco had received an invitation to attend an International Conference of Wizarding Laws that was going to be held in France that weekend, and Aria had convinced him to go — not just because she wanted to get away from the bloody prat but also because she knew how important this conference was for his budding career as a prosecutor.
Before he left, Draco actually tried to convince Aria to stay in Malfoy Manor with Narcissa but Aria had adamantly refused, knowing full well that her overly doting mother-in-law (no matter how good her intentions were) was actually so much worse than Draco when it came to her pregnancy. In the end, they compromised that Aria would stay with Ron and Hermione instead, both of them agreeing that Hermione — having already been pregnant before — was more than capable of taking care of a pregnant, cranky veela while Draco was away.
And even then, Aria still felt Draco's constant worrying and anxiety through their mate bond anyway, and the only way she could calm him down was to send a wave of reassurance back through to him every few hours while he was away.
A tiny foot suddenly kicked Aria in the side, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She stifled a pained groan and cast a disgruntled look at her swollen belly.
"Come on, baby. If you come out now, Mommy will buy you an entire quidditch team."
Aria winced when the baby decided to answer her with a much sharper kick to her ribcage instead.
"Alright fine, be that way."
Grunting, she leaned back, folding her wings against the backrest of her armchair and shifting her position a few times. After she felt a little more comfortable, she looked up and watched little Rose Weasley toddling her way around the cozy little nursery. When Rose waved a small stuffed toy at her and flashed her an adorable smile, Aria forced herself to smile back.
"What's that, sweetie? Is that a dog?" She asked, squinting at the toy.
Rose looked up at her with a very Hermione-looking, unimpressed stare.
"Crup." She huffed.
"My mistake." Aria chuckled, watching as Rose set the crup stuffed toy back down. After a while, the toddler forgot all about Aria's presence again and turned her attention back to the little mountain of toys behind her.
Aria smiled to herself and relished how strangely calming it was to watch Rose waddle around the quiet room. Every now and then, the toddler would walk up to Aria and hand her a toy, demanding for her to hold onto it before forgetting all about it, turning around and running back to the mess of toys on the floor.
About thirty minutes later, the doors to the nursery slowly creaked open and Aria looked up just as Ron peered quietly into the room. After checking to make sure Rose was still preoccupied, he chuckled and walked inside, plopping himself down into the armchair beside Aria.
"Hermione just went out to pick up lunch. She said she'll be back soon." He told her, stifling a yawn.
Aria nodded, not taking her eyes off Rose.
"I'm impressed at how behaved she is when she's with you." Ron complained, grumbling to himself as he followed Aria's gaze and watched his daughter. "Whenever I watch over her like this, she'd be throwing a tantrum or shouting at me by now."
"She probably still thinks of me as a stranger." Aria shrugged, offering Ron a consoling grin. "So she might be thinking that she needs to be on her best behavior."
Ron snorted. "I doubt that. It's more likely that she can tell you're a big, scary pregnant veela lady and that she shouldn't cross you."
"Do you want me to sit on you, Weasley?" Aria growled.
Laughing, Ron leaned back against his seat and cast her a sideways glance. "So when's your ferret husband coming back?"
Aria sighed in exasperation. "Will you ever call him by his actual name?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
She rolled her eyes. "Draco will be back tomorrow afternoon. The conference actually ended already, he just needs to meet with a few people tomorrow morning."
Ron nodded in understanding, and the two of them fell into another comfortable silence. A few minutes later, Aria was taken back when Ron's expression suddenly sobered and he turned to give her a small, grim smile.
"Do you resent me?" He asked softly.
Aria stiffened and turned to stare at him, completely taken back by the sudden shift of his mood.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I chose the easy way out." Ron ducked his head. "We both always talked about how we'd be auror partners back then, and I just bailed on you. I can understand if you resent me a little for that."
"Ron, you did not 'take the easy way out'." Aria's eyes narrowed and she gave him a pointed glare. "You and Hermione just had a baby, of course you'd want a job that's safer for you and your family. How could I ever resent you for that?"
"But still, I left you alone. I should have stayed to support you—"
"You and Hermione have supported me all my life, you don't owe me anything." Aria reached out and placed her hand on top of his, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "And besides, I can see that you're much happier now working with George at the shop. You look less stressed and carefree." She smirked at him and added teasingly, "Being an auror wasn't doing you any favors anyway. You were beginning to lose your hair."
"Hey! That's not funny! Are you actually implying that I'm going bald?!"
Aria would have laughed at Ron's reaction but just then, a sharp stabbing pain in her lower abdomen suddenly caused her to wince and instinctively place a hand over her stomach.
"Shit!" She hissed.
"What's wrong?" Ron was instantly on alert and stood up, his eyes wide with caution as he peered down at her. "Does something hurt? Is it the baby?"
"I'm not sure." Aria frowned to herself and began rubbing her pregnant belly. "It's probably just a minor contraction, I've gotten a lot of them before. I doubt it's anything serious."
Ron looked far from convinced by her answer but he nodded and sat back down into his seat. He continued to watch her, however, and after a few minutes, Aria winced again as another sharp stab of pain — this time much stronger than the first — wracked her stomach and caused her to bite her lower lip.
"That's it." Ron stood up again and held his hand out to her. "Get dressed. As soon as Hermione gets back, we're taking you to St. Mungo's to get that checked out." He said firmly.
"You're overreacting." Aria sighed as she took his offered hand and allowed him to help her stand up. "We still have 2 weeks until my due date, this is probably nothing. I just need to lie down and rest—"
A pale, tiny hand tugging on the hem of her skirt caused Aria to look down until she was met with the sight of Rose's big blue eyes staring curiously up at her. She grinned toothily at Aria and pointed at something below Aria's chair.
"Wet." She declared.
That was when Aria felt all of the blood drain from her face.
She followed the direction of Rose's finger and stared down at the tiny puddle that had pooled on the floor by her legs. It took her a few minutes to process what happened, but when she did, her wings began fluttering with panic. She lifted her gaze back up and met Ron's horrified expression with a sheepish smile.
"I think my water just broke."
Pacing back and forth in the waiting room of St. Mungo's, Ron had just finished his third cup of coffee when he heard a familiar, arrogant voice shouting very loudly at someone over by the nearby Healer's station.
"I don't care that it's hospital policy for me to fill these forms out first, I want to see my wife!"
Ron walked over to the end of the room and peered down the hallway. He snorted to himself at the sight of a furious Draco Malfoy, still decked out in his Wizengamot robes, practically breathing flames out at a young, frightened receptionist.
"Sir, please understand! We can't just let anyone into the VIP delivery room — especially if it's Harriah Potter in there! You need to fill out these forms first!"
"Just anyone?! Who the bloody hell do you think I am?! Did you not hear me when I said that Harriah Potter is my wife?! That means I'm her husband, you daft twat!"
"Sir, I'm very sorry! But rules are rules!"
"You incompetent son of a—"
To satisfy his own sadistic amusement, Ron couldn't resist letting the scene unfold for a few more minutes, watching as Draco grew angrier and angrier with the receptionist's stubborn insistence until his face had become almost as red as Ron's hair. When Draco suddenly growled and seized the young receptionist by the front of his robes, nearly yanking him over the desk, Ron rolled his eyes at the blond's theatrics and finally decided to intervene.
"Malfoy."
Draco's head snapped up instantly at the sound of Ron's voice; and when he saw Ron standing there, he immediately shoved the receptionist away and turned around to face him.
"You can go on ahead, I'll fill up those forms for you. Aria's doing just fine; Hermione is with her right now." Ron told him, feeling a little guilty for letting the scene drag on for so long when he saw the genuinely relieved expression on Draco's face.
"Th—thanks, Weasley."
Draco managed to give him a shaky nod before he rushed past him. He stopped just as he reached the end of the corridor and turned back around.
"What room is she in?" He asked.
Ron opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, they both stiffened in alarm when they heard Aria's angry, screaming voice echoing loudly from the very end of the hospital corridor.
"I'm the fucking Girl-Who-Lived, you assholes! Don't you dare tell me what I can or can't do! I say my best friend stays inside this goddamn delivery room or I swear, I will blast this entire hospital into the ground!"
Wincing, Draco glanced back at Ron and the two of them shared a nervous grimace.
"Never mind."
Ron offered him a sympathetic smirk, watching as Draco hurried down the corridor and rushed into the delivery room, the heavy doors slamming shut noisily behind him. After Ron finished filling up all the required hospital forms for Draco, he walked back over to his seat in the waiting room and resumed his anxious pacing.
However, it wasn't long before Ron was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard Aria's loud voice, again, reverberating through the hospital's thick walls.
"You bloody wanker! What the fuck took you so long?!"
"I was in another country, Potter! I got here as fast as I could!"
"Do you see your son's gigantic head crowning from my fucking vagina right now?!"
"…Is that a trick question?"
"It means you weren't fucking fast enough, Malfoy!"
Ron was already laughing to himself when the doors of the waiting room swung open and an exasperated-looking Hermione sauntered in. She sighed loudly and plopped down into the seat next to his.
"Honestly." She accepted the cup of coffee Ron handed to her and took a long sip. "Everything always has to be so dramatic with those two."
"Why did you leave? Will they really be alright in there by themselves?" Ron arched an eyebrow and gave her a disbelieving look.
"Oh I think they'll be just fine."
Hermione smiled in spite of herself just as they heard more of Aria and Draco's screaming match echoing around the busy halls of the hospital.
"Fuck this shit! This feels like a cruciatus on the crotch! I really hate you right now, you poncy git!"
"Potter, stop cursing at me! Is this really how you want our son to hear us for the first time?!"
"I'll curse at you all I fucking want! You were the one who did this to me, you ferret-faced bastard!"
Ron heard the perverse glee in Draco's voice when he answered.
"Go ahead and shout it a little louder! Yes, I'm the evil Slytherin who defiled and knocked up everyone's precious Chosen One!"
"Fuck you!"
"Well no wonder you're pregnant, Potter!"
"Malfoy, you fucking—-garrrrrrghhhhhh!"
There was a sudden moment of deafening silence that followed after Aria's exhausted scream, and Ron couldn't help shooting Hermione a nervous look. His concerns were soon assuaged, however, when a few seconds later, they both heard the soft, unmistakable sounds of a baby crying from inside the delivery room.
Ron finally let out the breath he had been holding. He covered his face with his hands and allowed himself to relax in his seat. Beside him, Hermione gave out a tearful laugh and slumped against him with relief.
It was about thirty minutes later when Ron realized he had fallen asleep; and when he woke up, he saw Draco walking slowly into the waiting room while cradling a tiny bundle of blue blankets against his chest. Hermione stood up immediately and rushed over to him, peering down and cooing at the sleeping baby in his arms.
"Oh he's so beautiful! Congratulations, Draco!" She paused when she noticed Draco's exhausted features and gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay? How's Aria doing? Is she in the recovery room now?"
"I'm fine. And Aria's fine. She's…perfect. She actually passed out a few minutes ago but the healers assured me it's just from exhaustion." Draco assured her with a tired smile. He glanced over Hermione's shoulder and met Ron's gaze with a solemn, albeit slightly awkward nod. "Thank you both for taking care of her while I was gone."
"You don't need to thank us for that, Malfoy." Ron snorted and waved his words aside.
Hermione turned her attention back to the baby, reaching out to splay her fingers gently against his tummy.
"May I hold him?" She asked.
Draco nodded and carefully transferred the sleeping infant into her outstretched arms. As they did this, Ron stood up and walked over to stand behind Hermione, peering curiously at the baby over her shoulder.
Already, the newest little Malfoy had shiny tufts of hair covering the crown of his tiny head — hair that was the exact same white-blond shade as his father's. When the baby opened his eyes and blinked sleepily up at them, Ron saw that the baby's blue irises were already flecked with green — which probably meant that he was most likely going to get the famous green eyes of his mother.
"Blimey. A perfectly lovely veela mother and yet he still came out looking like you, Malfoy. What a damn shame." Ron remarked.
"Shut up, Weasley!"
Giggling to herself, Hermione elbowed her shamelessly grinning husband in mild admonishment. She looked up from the squirming baby in her arms and glanced expectantly at Draco.
"What's his name?"
Draco's eyes were noticeably glassy as he stared down at his infant son with a small, besotted smile on his face.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."
Notes: Hello everyone! I'm back from my year-long hiatus! Obviously, I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to this universe and its characters just yet. Since I don't really have the time to write out a full sequel for There's Something About Potter, I decided to post this collection instead. :D
Just a few things:
1. The stories I include in here will NOT be in chronological order. This fic is literally just a place for me to practice my writing and dump all of my ideas, headcanons and all other unrelated oneshots that revolve around the characters in There's Something About Potter.
2. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee a regular update schedule. I plan to just post randomly every time an interesting scene pops into my head.
3. Yes, I am more than open to accepting requests and prompts for this collection about any of the characters (any time period is fine as long as it's within the same universe of course). Just leave me a comment and I'll see if I can write it out for you.
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Cheers and happy reading! :D
