Draco was anything but helpful as they entered St. Mungo's Hospital.
He was still twitchy and kept getting in Hermione's way when he tried to
help her. The nurse that was dealing with Hermione and giving her the
papers to sign was watching Draco with a cautious eye for he seemed to
become somewhat accident prone within the last few hours, knocking over
several things in the hallway of the hospital alone.
Hermione was grateful when she was settled in her room, complete with ice chips, and her parents plus the Malfoys had arrived to sit with her. "Come on, son," Lucius ordered, directing Draco out of the room. "You're obviously no use here."
"His job's done," Narcissa whispered, her face full of girlish delight. She was seated on one side of Hermione's bed, opposite Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
"I think I'll go get a coffee," Mr. Granger offered, standing from his chair. "Anyone want to come with me?"
"I'll stay here, thanks," Mrs. Granger answered. She kept smoothing Hermione's hair out of her face and giving her encouraging words. Hermione was utterly grateful for her mother's presence, although Narcissa flitted about, hovering above them like an insect on a wall.
An hour after her water broke, Draco appeared in the room, looking flustered. "You have visitors in the waiting room," he informed her.
"Who?" she asked, breathing heavily as another contraction hit her.
"Hi, Hermione!" Harry's face appeared around the corner and Draco stalked away, obviously put out.
"Harry!" Hermione's face broke into a grin as she bore her way through the contraction. "Where's Ron?" she asked when the contraction finally ended.
"Gift shop," Harry replied, taking the seat Narcissa had previously occupied. He was watching her flutter around the room needlessly with a look of caution in his eyes. "He wanted to get something for the baby."
A rush of gratitude washed over Hermione and all previous hurtful thoughts about Ron vanished from her mind. She could only think of how thoughtful and sweet the gesture was.
"I'm going to get something for the baby, too," Harry continued, his eyes still on Narcissa, "but I'm going to wait until I know whether it's a boy or a girl. I want to be specific." He grinned and a flicker of the old Harry appeared behind the glasses.
"I'm going to go meet up with your father," Mrs. Granger said, rising from her chair beside the bed. She had barely moved since she first sat down. "He's been gone for awhile and I don't want him thinking we don't want him around." She looked at Narcissa warily. "Narcissa? Do you want to join me?"
"No, I think I'll go find my own husband, thanks," Narcissa replied cheerfully. "We'll meet you back here soon." She departed with a brief smile directed at Hermione and Mrs. Granger followed suit, still looking evasive of Narcissa.
"So how do you feel?" Harry asked when they were alone. Hermione nodded, unable to speak for another contraction had started. She breathed her way through it, gripping Harry's hand tightly.
"Okay," she answered when the contraction had ended. "Tired, but I've a long way to go before it's over."
Harry nodded slowly. "I still can't believe what I'm seeing," he replied sadly. "The fact that you're married to Malfoy is still a shock."
"Uh huh," Hermione replied, still breathing hard. "Maybe this isn't the time to talk about it."
Harry watched her slowly. "Maybe you're right," he replied, but she could sense the tension and difference in the atmosphere of the room after that.
Ron didn't turn up until almost forty minutes after Harry arrived. He entered the room looking somewhat frazzled. "I got lost," he confessed, handing Hermione a bouquet of flowers and a few small stuffed teddy bears.
"How could you get lost?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. It just kind of happened." He looked at Hermione and studied her for a second. "How are you feeling?" he finally asked.
"Okay," she replied as another contraction ended. "I guess. I'll be glad when this is over."
"I don't blame you," Ron said, looking like he was the one going through labour. He and Harry sat with her for quite some time before Dr. Haggler came back in and shooed them out.
"She'll be delivering soon," she heard him say just before he closed the door. He smiled at her as he turned to face her. "So how are we feeling?"
"Fine," she replied shortly. The contractions were ten times worse now and much more frequent, causing her to be short-tempered and tired of people asking how she was. She was here to deliver a baby and you would think with all the modern magic nowadays, someone would be able to invent something that would cease a bit of the pain.
"Where's your husband?" Dr. Haggler asked, putting on his gloves.
"You tell me," Hermione muttered, glaring at the doorway. She expected this to happen; just when their child was ready to be brought into the world, Draco would disappear and leave her stranded. "He's a chicken to any sort of pain," she informed the doctor.
Dr. Haggler smiled in his kindly way. "That's typical of most fathers that enter this hospital."
Ten minutes later, however, Draco came bursting through the doorway. "Do the corridors in this hallway change?" he asked, obviously out of breath from running.
"Sometimes," answered Dr. Haggler.
Hermione gave her husband a sharp look but it was cut short as another contraction hit. "Push," Dr. Haggler instructed and Hermione obeyed.
Just when Hermione felt she was going to pass out from the pain, she felt an enormous relief. She lay her head back against the pillow and felt a few lone tears struggle down her cheeks.
"Congratulations," Dr. Haggler said, smiling. "You're now a mummy and daddy."
Hermione was grateful when she was settled in her room, complete with ice chips, and her parents plus the Malfoys had arrived to sit with her. "Come on, son," Lucius ordered, directing Draco out of the room. "You're obviously no use here."
"His job's done," Narcissa whispered, her face full of girlish delight. She was seated on one side of Hermione's bed, opposite Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
"I think I'll go get a coffee," Mr. Granger offered, standing from his chair. "Anyone want to come with me?"
"I'll stay here, thanks," Mrs. Granger answered. She kept smoothing Hermione's hair out of her face and giving her encouraging words. Hermione was utterly grateful for her mother's presence, although Narcissa flitted about, hovering above them like an insect on a wall.
An hour after her water broke, Draco appeared in the room, looking flustered. "You have visitors in the waiting room," he informed her.
"Who?" she asked, breathing heavily as another contraction hit her.
"Hi, Hermione!" Harry's face appeared around the corner and Draco stalked away, obviously put out.
"Harry!" Hermione's face broke into a grin as she bore her way through the contraction. "Where's Ron?" she asked when the contraction finally ended.
"Gift shop," Harry replied, taking the seat Narcissa had previously occupied. He was watching her flutter around the room needlessly with a look of caution in his eyes. "He wanted to get something for the baby."
A rush of gratitude washed over Hermione and all previous hurtful thoughts about Ron vanished from her mind. She could only think of how thoughtful and sweet the gesture was.
"I'm going to get something for the baby, too," Harry continued, his eyes still on Narcissa, "but I'm going to wait until I know whether it's a boy or a girl. I want to be specific." He grinned and a flicker of the old Harry appeared behind the glasses.
"I'm going to go meet up with your father," Mrs. Granger said, rising from her chair beside the bed. She had barely moved since she first sat down. "He's been gone for awhile and I don't want him thinking we don't want him around." She looked at Narcissa warily. "Narcissa? Do you want to join me?"
"No, I think I'll go find my own husband, thanks," Narcissa replied cheerfully. "We'll meet you back here soon." She departed with a brief smile directed at Hermione and Mrs. Granger followed suit, still looking evasive of Narcissa.
"So how do you feel?" Harry asked when they were alone. Hermione nodded, unable to speak for another contraction had started. She breathed her way through it, gripping Harry's hand tightly.
"Okay," she answered when the contraction had ended. "Tired, but I've a long way to go before it's over."
Harry nodded slowly. "I still can't believe what I'm seeing," he replied sadly. "The fact that you're married to Malfoy is still a shock."
"Uh huh," Hermione replied, still breathing hard. "Maybe this isn't the time to talk about it."
Harry watched her slowly. "Maybe you're right," he replied, but she could sense the tension and difference in the atmosphere of the room after that.
Ron didn't turn up until almost forty minutes after Harry arrived. He entered the room looking somewhat frazzled. "I got lost," he confessed, handing Hermione a bouquet of flowers and a few small stuffed teddy bears.
"How could you get lost?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. It just kind of happened." He looked at Hermione and studied her for a second. "How are you feeling?" he finally asked.
"Okay," she replied as another contraction ended. "I guess. I'll be glad when this is over."
"I don't blame you," Ron said, looking like he was the one going through labour. He and Harry sat with her for quite some time before Dr. Haggler came back in and shooed them out.
"She'll be delivering soon," she heard him say just before he closed the door. He smiled at her as he turned to face her. "So how are we feeling?"
"Fine," she replied shortly. The contractions were ten times worse now and much more frequent, causing her to be short-tempered and tired of people asking how she was. She was here to deliver a baby and you would think with all the modern magic nowadays, someone would be able to invent something that would cease a bit of the pain.
"Where's your husband?" Dr. Haggler asked, putting on his gloves.
"You tell me," Hermione muttered, glaring at the doorway. She expected this to happen; just when their child was ready to be brought into the world, Draco would disappear and leave her stranded. "He's a chicken to any sort of pain," she informed the doctor.
Dr. Haggler smiled in his kindly way. "That's typical of most fathers that enter this hospital."
Ten minutes later, however, Draco came bursting through the doorway. "Do the corridors in this hallway change?" he asked, obviously out of breath from running.
"Sometimes," answered Dr. Haggler.
Hermione gave her husband a sharp look but it was cut short as another contraction hit. "Push," Dr. Haggler instructed and Hermione obeyed.
Just when Hermione felt she was going to pass out from the pain, she felt an enormous relief. She lay her head back against the pillow and felt a few lone tears struggle down her cheeks.
"Congratulations," Dr. Haggler said, smiling. "You're now a mummy and daddy."
