Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own JK Rowling's characters, but I do claim Amelia and Nicole!
Early A/N- yes, I know I promised I'd never ever make you guys wait for a chapter more than six days, but I've had some real bad problems with my parents, and I haven't had a chance… and last time I tried to do it, fanfiction.net kept messing up and wouldn't let me! So don't blame me!
The Consequences of Alcohol and Depression
Chapter 19: Meet the Family
In just over an hour, Hermione was back in her room in the hospital, the starchy sheets covering her. Percy was sitting nearby, and they were both gazing down lovingly at their daughter. Their daughter! Hermione was still completely awed by the fact that she and Percy had created life, and were now responsible for her entire being. While a scary thought, it was absolutely terrific. She hadn't been able to quite believe it before, even when she'd gained all the weight and had her belly poking out, but this was just real.
"Alright," Amelia said as she walked into the room for probably the twentieth time in just as many minutes, "I think, if you're up to it, you can have some guests now. " Amelia left the room once again, but Hermione knew she'd be back very soon.
"You want me to go get somebody?" Percy asked.
"Go get your Mum and Dad," Hermione replied, "They'll want to meet their granddaughter." Percy took one last look at his daughter, kissing the top of Hermione's head before he left the room. She knew, in just the way he looked at Nicole, that he would be a wonderful father, and would do everything he could to take care of her. Hermione couldn't have asked for a better man to be the father.
He returned a few moments later with Molly and Arthur. Molly immediately headed to the bed, and Hermione handed Nicole to her.
"Oh, my," she breathed reverently. Arthur stood behind her, looking at the small child over his wife's shoulder. "What is her name?"
"Nicole," Hermione replied softly.
"She is beautiful," Arthur said to Percy and Hermione, who were both beaming proudly. Molly had tears in her eyes as she watched her sleeping granddaughter. After a moment, Arthur spoke again. "Alright, kids, we're going to let someone else have a turn now. You both probably want to get some sleep, and you've got a lot of people to see before you get to do that." Molly gently handed Nicole back to Hermione, and the young girl's slumber wasn't disturbed.
Next came Bill, Fleur, and Charlie. "This is Nicole, huh?" Charlie asked as he gently cradled his niece and goddaughter.
"Yep," Percy replied.
"She is so gorgeous!" Fleur gushed. (A/N- remember back in chapter nine, how I said I don't do accents? That still stands…)
"She is," Bill added. Charlie then handed Nicole over to his older brother, moving to Hermione and hugging her tightly.
"Congratulations, you guys," he said, moving over and hugging Percy as well.
Bill cocked his head to the side. "Hey, she kinda looks like you, Perce."
"Oh, God, I hope not," he replied, shaking his head. The group laughed, and before long, Bill, Fleur, and Charlie left, to be replaced by Fred and George, who came in bearing a rather large box of sweets and several floating balloons in colors of pink and yellow.
Noticing the way Hermione and Percy were eyeing the candies, George shook his head. "No, we didn't do anything to them. We just got them in the gift shop, right Fred?"
"Yeah, we've decided to wait a few days before we start giving you the Ton-Tongue Toffees again," Fred agreed with a smile.
"Alright, now, be careful, and support her head," Percy said worriedly as he handed Nicole over to George.
"Don't worry," George said, "I've got her."
Fred looked completely surprised by her, as if he'd never seen something quite the same. "She's so little!" he said, gently touching her tiny fingers. "I mean, I know babies area all supposed to be small, but it never ceases to amaze me."
Suddenly, Hermione remembered something. "Say, Fred, where's Angelina?"
"Oh, she got called in to an unavoidable emergency at work. She said she'd be back as soon as she could be. Really wants to meet this one, she does."
"And her name is Nicole?" George asked softly. Hermione and Percy nodded. "Well, little one," he said to Nicole, "When you get a bit bigger, you're Uncle Fred and I are going to teach you all about practical jokes."
"You most certainly will not!" Percy said indignantly.
"Oh, I'm only joking!" George said as Hermione took Nicole back. They left after a moment more, and Harry and Ginny made their way inside, each of them holding a huge bouquet of flowers.
As they set them down on overlarge windowsill, Harry asked, "How are you feeling, Hermione?"
"Well, I've just had my body literally ripped open, but I'm really doing rather good. Those doctors and pain relief specialists here are really doing their jobs."
Percy grinned. "Yes, they did a wonder on my hand, as well." Hermione looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"When you were squeezing my hand, you kinda pulled one of my fingers out of the socket," Percy explained. Hermione blushed, but she was smiling.
"Sorry 'bout that," she said, looking over to Ginny. "Do you want to hold Nicole?"
"Can I?" she asked excitedly. Hermione nodded, arranging Nicole in Ginny's arms very carefully. "What color are her eyes?"
"Brown, just like Mione's," Percy said, bestowing a warm smile to Hermione. She returned it, taking his hand (not the one she'd held during labor), feeling very loved. After a moment, Ginny handed Nicole to Harry, who watched her happily.
"She is absolutely adorable," he said, admiring her red curls. Suddenly, the door was opened very quickly, Ron and Draco stepping in.
"Hermione!" Ron said, rushing to her side, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry we're late!" Draco had stopped the moment he noticed the bundle in Harry's arms. "Wait, where's the baby?" Ron quickly spun around to find his best friend cradling his niece.
"Would you mind if I held her, Hermione?" Draco asked softly.
Hermione shook her head. "No, but be very careful with her." Harry gently handed Nicole over to Draco, and Hermione noticed something very strange. At the angle the light was hitting the blonde man's hand, a gold something was glinting. When a suspicion took place in Hermione's mind, she looked more closely, trying to decipher if it was what she thought.
"She's so beautiful," Ron said as he watched Draco hold the baby. Hermione then noticed the same flash coming from Ron's hand.
"Freeze!" she ordered. Draco's head snapped up.
"What, am I doing something wrong?" he asked nervously, "Am I not supporting her head enough?"
"Come here," Hermione said, waving him over. Draco very slowly walked over. "Percy, take Nicole for a moment," she added. As soon as the baby was safely out of Draco's arms, she wrenched his left hand towards her, a gasp coming from her. "Did you…?" she asked in wonder.
"Yes," Ron said quietly, both men blushing furiously.
"What?" Ginny asked, hers, Harry's, and Percy's eyes all looking back and forth between Ron, Draco, and Hermione.
"You did?" Hermione asked excitedly. Draco nodded. "Oh, come here!" she said, pulling Draco into a hug, Ron coming over and receiving the next one. "I can't believe you guys did that!"
"Did what?" Harry demanded. Draco took Ron's hand as they turned to the other occupants of the room.
"Well, while we were in Greece, Ron and I talked about doing something we'd been discussing for a while, and we decided just to go through with it." Draco held up his hand, as did Ron.
"We got married," Ron said, smiling madly.
Harry, Ginny, and Percy all looked shocked. "You did?!" Percy questioned, his shocked expression soon turning to a smile.
"Without your best man?" Harry asked Ron, a fake hurt expression on his face.
"Oh, come on, Harry!" the redhead replied, "We just decided to get it over and done with. We're going to have another ceremony in a couple of months, with all of our family and friends."
"Well, fine," Harry said, pretending to be offended. Ron simply pulled him into a hug, to which Harry had to respond.
"That is so great!" Ginny gushed, "I'm really happy for you."
Ron smiled. "Thank you," he said, moving to his brother, "But can I hold my niece now?"
"Sure thing, little brother," Percy replied, carefully handing his daughter to Ron, who looked at her like she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.
"Whoa," he said quietly. Hermione could see the tears already forming. "She's so great." And with that, Nicole's chocolate eyes slowly opened, looking at Ron happily before sliding back off into sleep. He sniffled as he handed her back to her mother, looking very grateful at the arm Draco slid around his shoulders.
Harry cleared his throat. "Why don't we let these three get a bit of rest right now?" he suggested.
"Yeah," Ginny said, "We'll be back later, okay?" Hermione and Percy both nodded, watching as the four left the room. Percy gently took Nicole from Hermione and set her down in her little bed, covering her with the soft blanket that was lying beside her.
"Now, you get some sleep, okay Hermione?" Percy half- questioned, half- stated. Hermione simply nodded, letting out a rather large yawn as she settled herself back onto her bed. Percy brought the covers up to her shoulders, a huge grin on his face. "You did it, Mione," he breathed, placing a warm kiss on her forehead.
"No, Percy," she said, "We did it. I couldn't have made it through all this without you." Percy's smile widened, and he leaned down and hugged Hermione tightly.
When he pulled back, he kissed both of Hermione's cheeks. "Now get some sleep." Hermione nodded, watching as Percy did his best to arrange his long legs on the small couch in the corner. He looked absolutely silly, but Hermione could feel her heart hammer in her chest at the sight. "Goodnight, Hermione."
"Night, Percy," she replied, slowly drifting off into sound slumber.
******
(A/N- aww! Such a sweet chapter! And I know that gay marriages aren't generally allowed, so here is my take on that: in the Wizarding world, gay marriages are completely legal, in any country, as long as they do it in the magical world. So that is how they can get married! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as it was a doozy for me to write. Far too many characters to decipher the responses of at once! Still, I did have that Ron/Draco thing in mind for quite a while, and I had to put it in!
Okay, thanks go to everyone who answered my survey! I was really surprised to see how many people out there were in their twenties and even thirties… that's just really cool to me, because so many people that are that much more mature than I am think I'm a good writer! It's crazy!
Now, I know you all probably want to yell at me about the lateness of the chapter. I really couldn't help it, though! My family does have to come first over fanfics, and I've needed to be with them for a few days. Sorry it took so long, but really, it couldn't be helped!
For the reviewers, without whom this fic wouldn't exist:
Taryn- yes, I do watch too much Austin Powers. But I've only seen the new one ONE TIME!!! Must watch more Goldmember…
NaturallySpazic- Thank you! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far!
Tara- yes, they really do need to get together soon… thanks a bunch!
arcee- ahh, thanks for the info on the cravings! One day I'll get all that straight!
gohansfollower- doesn't she sound sweet? And I guess you know where Ron and Draco were…
Grytherin14- aww, thanks *blush* I'm really glad you like it! And I really like your penname, it's very original
Lyly- one of the best on fanfiction.net? I'm flattered! Thank you very much!
Lulu-Chan- oh, no, no heart-attacks over the mocking subject… And to what I think will be your great pleasure, I have decided to give in. Yes, that's right, I'm working on some slash! Percy/Oliver, too. But I'm not promising that it'll be out soon! You'll just have to keep checking for it…
delila-malfoy- wah! Did the birth really get you a bit nervous? I don't think it was any good, but maybe that's just me; I don't think I write anything good!
yoriko sakura-chan- Nope, there isn't any Granger in Nicole's name. Don't really know where I got the idea for that, but it seemed like the right thing to do!
Allison Lane- thanks very much! I seem to have lots of 19 year olds reading this
Rain- yay, another fifteen year old! I love fifteen year olds (being one myself…) I'm really glad you like it, and I'd have to agree with you: Hermione and Percy are rather silly!
kazza- woo hoo, thank you! I'm really glad you thought the birth scene was okay *whew!*
Skye Rocket- warm and fuzzy feelings are the best, huh?
HPFFG- Yay! I'm really glad that you do like the name Nicole. And yes, it was sad Ron wasn't there, but now you know the reason…
dracos-baby-gurl- Hmm, maybe… I s'pose you'll just have to wait and find out!
Loran- yes, it does suck a bit to be you, doesn't it? I'm immensely happy that you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one too!
Laureen 'The Edge' Lycan- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Did you have a good one?
Thalia- yes, Mione and Percy really should hurry along now… But the wait is almost over!
Elena Guidry- oh, thank you! You seem pretty cool, too! And I'll try to email you in just a bit, but due to the fact that my sister is an evil… well, she's pretty evil, I might not get to
sanguinans- thanks a bunch! And I'm glad you weren't shocked in a bad way about Charlie being God-daddy!
FairLady- don't worry, I'm going to finish it! And again, I'm sorry it took so long to get it posted!
Kim- aww, thanks! Glad you liked Nicole!
Clare- Wow, was the labor really alright? I believe I'll trust you on that… And yes, I think I'd probably want my mom there when I have a baby- did I say why her parents couldn't be there? I can't remember at the moment, and I'm too lazy to spend thirty whole seconds looking it up…
Lady Malfoy II- thanks! Well, quite obviously, they didn't figure it out in nineteen. And if there are only two to go, and I've drawn this all out quite enough, and I must have a happy ending… well, you figure it out!
PhoenixRae- nah, cruel and evil weren't harsh, I quite enjoyed being called that- nobody takes me seriously when I say I'm evil… and we always need things to happen at just the right moment!
summerthyme- glad you think it's all sweet… and yes, Percy really does need to speed things up, huh?
ruffled owl- hmm, I'm not saying anything… And I still think your name is wonderful! "…and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl- a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl…" Woo hoo!
Silver Dragon Princess- alright, one… two… three… AWWWWW! Heehee! Guys don't have any sense, though. I mean, really!
Rebecca Anne- I love Charlie too! And thank you very much!
Mayhem- yes, I believe little Nicole might have to take Divination one day… That is if she doesn't take after her parents TOO much- I see both Percy and Hermione (alright, so we already knew that one) as being very skeptical about the subject.
nimacu- thanks! It's kinda cool that I have someone named Nicole reading about my Nicole… woah!
takari4ever7- I know, we could really do with some romance right about now…
Jade Straight- oh, you could have to deal with a bit of mushyness… I'm like that! And on the whole 'Mione screaming at Percy during labor' thing, I have a few tricks left up my sleeve!
allee kat- YAY, another Little Nicky fan! I haven't seen that movie in a couple of months, I really should rent it… And what is your story going to be about? I wouldn't rely too heavily on getting the pregnancy info from me, I'm not the best source- all my stuff still comes from TV and other fanfics!
SamGgirl- thank you very much!
Kori Bischoff- I know, we really need a bit of action… okay, so I'm a fluff adict! Thanks, by the way!
Marie Black- oh, yeah, the Rachel/Ross thing gets on my nerves at times… the first few times, the 'We were on a break!' line really cracked me up, but after hearing it twenty billion times…
Alli-Baby- yes, Fanfic!Percy and Hermione are adorable, but Cannon!Ron and Hermione are great! And I'm glad you like it!
Ambiepony- oh, I can't blame you for wanting to read fanfics instead of doing school work; fanfiction is much more interesting! Thanks very much!
Sapphire- oh, thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Freak like me- oh, thanks for the idea- the Ron thing could be cute! But I just might be a bit busy with something else…
Hermione18- thanks! And I figured that you were a girl (or else a VERY strange boy… j/k!)
Krazy Westie- wow, you haven't seen any Percy/Mione before? You MUST go check out Thalia's stuff, it's all really good!
Patsy- thanks a bunch! I hope you enjoyed this one!
Sneezy Mouse- alright, I know it took me a while to update, but when are you planning on it, hmm? I've been waiting quite a while for the next chapter of your new fic…
SilverMoon- Don't worry, more is on the way! And it should be here before the new year!
joybear- yeah, I borrowed that line from Friends; ever since I first started this fic, I wanted to incorporate that line! And I haven't gotten to watch much Friends lately either; they took the reruns off of the ten o' clock spot, and now the only time I get to see it is when the do the new episodes!
Mage O'Dell- oh, thank you! I'm really glad you like my story, and I ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE ADD ME TO THEIR FAVORITES (*HINT HINT*) hehe, sorry bout that!
Dragon Charmer- I'm glad you think Nicole suits the baby; I think it does
springroll27- yes, it is a shame there are only a couple left… I'll really miss it! But don't worry, that's not the last of me!
No-name reviewer- yes, I do update slowly, huh? Sorry bout that…
mel- oh, naming gets better… um, I'm not going to say anymore… *gulps, looks around nervously* Thanks a bunch!
TReader- thanks! I'm glad you like the name Nicole!
Maren- slash stories are gay pairings (you know, male/male) And wow, you're Norwegian? That is so cool! Thank you very much, by the way!
Yukito Forever- um, right… thank you, though!
Camden Elizabeth Stephano- oh, don't worry, I've got 'em coming! I won't be stopped any time soon! And I've got my fingers crossed for you getting your guitar (I got one for my birthday last year!)
Queen of the Jungle- oh, I'm not knocking naked babies! My sister was one! I think naked babies are adorable! And I'm not sure, I think that middle names are SO overrated… I think I'm still just bitter over my own…
Silver Serpent- yes, Hermione and Percy really are good. And I had to do Ron/Draco to have Draco in the story. I mean, Ginny's with Harry, so she couldn't have dated Draco… unless I put Ron and Harry together… I'm sorry, I don't like using too many characters!
Now, I really enjoyed it, and I have to put a damper on it: only two chapters to go! Love you all! Happy Holidays!)