Hermione's shift seemed to go on for hours; she spent her time treating the children within her care; some were long term patients who were often alone much of the time as their parents had to work or luck after the child's siblings. As such Hermione liked to spend her time with the children, brightening their day a little; she did this by reading stories, aminating toys and taking an interest in the things each child under her care liked. For those who had recently been admitted to the ward, Hermione liked to ease into treatments and make the children and their worried families feel safe, to limit their fears and concerns. She knew many healers who saw their patients as nothing more than a problem to fix but to Hermione they were all people with emotions and complexities to be understood and cared for.

After her rounds had finished for the morning, she'd had a quick lunch and then received a patronus from Neville. Neville and Posy's parents had been waiting for her in a private room. It had been a long meeting, over three hours long in fact where she'd discussed Posy's injuries in detail, telling the worried parents exactly what had happened to their daughter, the treatments she had received and other treatments she would have to undergo over the next couple of days. Neville had then taken over the meeting; telling the pair what would happen moving forward to Pansy's parents who had been transferred to holding cells within the ministry.

The entire situation was understandably incredibly stressful for the young couple; there was no way to ease a mother into the knowledge that her own parents had almost killed her child because they didn't want a grandchild who was a squib. Pansy had been distraught, crying and clinging to her husband as she listened to both her and Neville talk. Hermione had summoned a calming potion for the woman; this level of stress was no good for her or the baby she carried. Still it came as little surprise to her when a pop sounded, water gushing down the legs of the pregnant witch as she stood to use the toilet.

"It's too early," Pansy Nott had gasped her hands going to her stomach worriedly. Hermione had smiled kindly offering her reassurances as she led her to the maternity ward; babies waited for no one, and Posy's sibling would be making their way into the world a month earlier than planned.

"Pansy you and your baby are going to be okay," she told her former rival as they wheeled her into a private birthing suite.

"No not today, Posy needs us, we told Draco that we'd be right back after the meeting, births can last hours, she can't be left alone after what my parents did to her," the other witch babbled, tears streaming down her face.

"Pansy this baby is coming today, this is healer Bloom, she's going to be your midwife today, I will tell Draco what has happened and stay with Posy if he has to leave," she promised.

"Thank you, Healer Granger, Pans you can do this," Theo spoke taking his wife's hand in his own and leaning forward to kiss her sweaty forehead. Hermione had exited the private room and hurried back to the paediatric ward as quickly as she could.

"Miss Mione," Scorpius greeted as she stepped into Posy's room.

"Hello, Scorpius," she spoke, leaning down to pick up the boy who ran towards her, his arms wide, the same way the Potter children did when wanting to be carried.

"Where are Pansy and Theo," Draco asked, the blonde wizard was sat on Posy's bed, the sleeping girl held against his chest.

"Pansy went into labour during the meeting and was moved to the maternity ward," she told him quietly, Draco paled at the news, "both her and the baby will be okay, Healer Bloom is a fantastic midwife," she reassured him as she approached Posy's bed and took a seat in the available chair, Scorpius resting on her knee.

"Miss Mione, I missed you," Scorpius told her, twisting round so he was sat on his knees in her lap.

"I missed you too," she told him, in the distance she heard a clock strike five, signalling the end of her shift. Instead of leaving and heading home, Hermione summoned a book of fairy tails from a nearby bookcase and settled in to read to the child in her arms, ignoring the burning stare of said child's father who watched their interactions with a smile upon his face.

Many hours later, after lots of stories, board games and songs to entertain the two children and a dinner of sausages and mash brought to them by Annabelle, Theodore Nott walked through the door to Posy's hospital room. The two children were asleep on the bed while her and Draco had been sat in uncomfortable chairs either side of the children, talking quietly to each other as they awaited news on the birth.

"Boy's," the dark haired Slytherin said quietly, a beaming smile on his face.

"Boy's," Draco asked quietly, rising from his chair to hug his friend happily.

"Twins, one of them must have been hiding on all of the scanning spells," the man laughed joyfully, stepping away from his friend to approach the bed where his daughter lay.

"I didn't think it was possible to feel such joy and anger at the same time, Posy didn't deserve this," he spoke, brushing his hand through his daughter's hair.

"She'll be okay," Draco told him quietly, wrapping a comforting arm around his friend. Hermione felt like she was intruding, sitting in her chair on the other side of the bed from them.

"Thank you both for staying with her," Theodore Nott spoke, casting his eyes from his friend to herself.

"It was no trouble at all," she told him, rising from her chair, her back stiff from sitting in the same position for too long.

"Drake, you best get Scorp home, Pansy and the boys are sleeping, I'm going to stay with Posy until they can all be placed in a room together in the morning," Theo spoke, lowering himself into Draco's vacant seat.

"I'll come by in the morning," the blonde man spoke as he leant down to pick up his son, Theo nodded and then Draco was exiting the room and following her down the paediatric ward.

"Granger you're a good Healer," he commented as they walked together through the hospital, Scorpius asleep in his arms.

"Thanks," she told him tiredly.

"You care so much about the children in your care, I saw it today," he told her.

"I love my job, I like looking after the children," she said.

"You nurture them, give them everything they need, give all of yourself to them, much more than is required for your job, you treat them like they are your own children. Hermione why aren't you a mother," he asked passionately. Hermione smiled sadly, her eye's watering.

"It just never happened for me Draco," she confessed, reaching out to stroke the soft hair of his son.

"I'll see you both tomorrow," she told him sadly. Stepping into one of the hospital's floo's Hermione grabbed a handful of floo powder and called out her address. She fell out of the floo on the other end and let out a sob as she landed onto the worn mat in front of her fireplace. Hermione wanted to be a mother more than anything. After the war she had learnt the devastating news that the trauma she'd sustained from Dolohov's curse and Bellatrix's torture had left her unlikely to ever be able to sustain a pregnancy. This had been proven when she had fallen pregnant during her engagement to Ron. The pair had been delighted but she'd miscarried three months into the pregnancy before they'd told any of their friends or family. Only the pair of them knew the extent of what had happened to end their relationship. She didn't think she'd ever be able to forgive her former lover for knocking up another witch while she still grieved the loss of their child. Alone in her darkened home, Hermione sobbed for the child she'd lost over a year ago, sobbed for the life she longed for, a life where she had children to read bedtime stories too and impart her knowledge too as she raised them in a home full of love and laughter.