Home stretch, so to speak! Only one more chapter to go, and that is the
birth. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
Sapphic Princess, Crystal, lildarlin and Tsuyuno- Thank you very much for the reviews!
Heat Wave on Ice- The ice cream is still here, but thankfully the sardines are gone....
Siriusly Black 2- Yes, I agree. Much better days for the Malfoy-Potter family....
Oracle 2- Thank you so much for all your reviews and compliments! I appreciate you hanging in there with me!
Spider Monkey-Demon and luin-lote- The squirrels are based on real life wildlife that visit our patio, one of which we have nick-named Giganto (This is a serious butt-kicking squirrel) and another we named Earl, who gets onto the bird feeder and knocks the seeds out to the rest of his "gang". I imagined this would be the ones around the cottage in Romania!
Now, on with the show.....
Chapter IX. The Baby Shower
//28th March 10:04 p.m.
I am having to write at the table now, since I am around eight months I can't hold the diary on my stomach anymore. I am HUGE. It seems like in the last few weeks I have gained 200 pounds or more. (Well, that may be stretching it, but it feels like it.) Harry has to help me out of chairs, and was just barely able to pull me up when I decided I could put a puzzle together on the floor the other day. Course, he thought it was hilarious. I threatened to kill him in his sleep.
Hermione is giving us a baby shower tomorrow here at the cottage. Harry and I have already turned the guest room into a nursery, and we finally found a beautiful crib in the village last week. I sort of wish I knew what the baby will be, but we have decided to wait and be surprised. Madame Pomfrey has been checking me every two weeks now, and she is going to meet us at the wizard hospital here in Romania when the time comes. I have to admit, I don't know what to expect, and I'm becoming a little bit, no, a LOT anxious now. Madame Pomfrey told me when it's time for the baby to come, I will, well, change until after the birth. She said when I go into labor, I will look like a GIRL down there. I just hope everything changes BACK after the baby is born.
Or I will feed Harry to the squirrels. Right after I kill him in his sleep.//
//29th March 6:35 p.m.
"This looks wonderful, Hermione," Draco complimented after waddling down the stairs, holding to Harry's arm for balance.
The living room was decorated in pinks, blues, greens and yellows, with a long table to the side filled with all sorts of tasty food. There was an equally long table on another side of the wall, for the presents.
"Thank you," she smiled. "And look at you! You look great, and so...."
"So whale-like?" Draco grinned.
"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed. "No, of course not, you look glowing."
"She's right, you know," Harry stated as he placed a gentle kiss on Draco's lips. "You do look beautiful."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Draco whispered. "You look rather fetching yourself tonight."
Hermione began to fuss with the cake just as the doorbell rang.
"Oh," she exclaimed. "Guests are here already. I'll get it, you two have a seat."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry laughed. He leaned over to Draco. "She's gone into hostess mode," he said quietly.
"Yes, " Draco nodded. "Bossy-boots and all." He glanced over to see Hermione hugging Mrs. Weasley. "And I hope she never changes."
Over the next thirty minutes, the small cottage was filled to capacity. Besides Mrs. Weasley, guests included Narcissa, Ginny, Fred, George, Hagrid,Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Trelawney and Professor Dumbledore. Harry brought cake and chips to Draco, who was fielding question after question concerning the baby. He didn't seem to mind at all, on the contrary, Draco looked happier than many of the guests could ever remember. At 7:30, everyone came back into the living room at the urging of the hostess.
"Ok, everyone," Hermione called out. "Time to open the presents. Draco, you sit over here," she pointed at a soft chair near the gift table, "and I'll hand them to you. Let's see, this one...is from Profesor Trelawney."
Draco opened the coloful gift to find a rather large book.
"It's a dream journal," Profesor Trelawney stated. "For when the little one is old enough to record their dreams. You never know when one might have the inner eye."
"Thank you, Profesor." Draco grinned. "This is very nice."
Hermione handed Draco a long badly wrapped package. "This one is from Fred and George."
Harry looked it over. "This won't blow up when he opens it, will it?"
"No, no," George shook his head. "Just open it."
"Oh, wow," Draco exclaimed. "a Firebolt 5 racing broom."
Harry turned to Fred and George. "I don't think the baby will ride this for a while," he laughed. "But this is really nice of you guys. You shoudn't have."
Draco interrupted. "Hey, if that's what they wanted to give the baby, why should we stop them? I will have to make sure it's safe for our child though, maybe use it until they are ready, you know? Break it in a bit."
Hermione rolled her eyes and handed Draco another present, wrapped in plain brown paper. "This one is from Hagrid."
Inside was a small gray wool cloak, with a beautiful silver clasp.
Harry held it up. "Hagrid, this is gorgeous. Thank you."
"Made it meself," Hagrid said proudly. "Started on it right aft' I foun' out 'bout the baby."
The tiny cloak was passed around to the other guests for a closer look.
While they were admiring Hagrid's gift, Hermione picked up a medium sized box with a dark blue ribbon. "And this one is from Profesor Snape."
Inwardly Harry shuddered. He was never really sure if Snape had forgiven him or not for being James' son, for invading Snape's memories in the pensive in fifth-year, and just basically for existing. Draco trusted him, though, and it was important that he be there for him. But Snapy didn't seem the type to bring fluffy baby gifts to a shower, so what...
"A cauldron," Draco stated as he lifted it out of the box. "Size one, pewter and copper," he read from the bottom of the cauldron. "And hey, check this out..." He showed the guests a box filled with containers of various ingredients. "My First Potion Kit- amaze your friends and scare your parents with ten easy-to-brew potions."
Harry cleared his throat. "Well, thanks," he stated as he looked at Profesor Snape.
Severus looked quite pleased with himself. "Quite welcome. Never hurts to get started early, you know."
"On what," Harry whispered to Draco,"burning the house down?"
Hermione quickly placed the next gift in Draco's sort-of lap. "This one is from Ginny."
Draco opened the gift to find two small stuffed animals, a lion and a dragon. Between them was a parchment rolled and tied with a golden ribbon.
"These are darling," Harry exclaimed. "We'll put them in the baby's room."
Draco unrolled the parchment. "Thank you VERY much Ginny. I have a feeling we will be using this one fairly soon."
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"It's a certificate," Ginny explained. "Good for five separate baby sitting sessions."
Harry took the paper from Draco. "Yes, thank you, Ginny. This should come in handy."
"No problem," she exclaimed. "Since I was the youngest, I only got to play with dolls."
Fred leaned over toward George. "If she had babysat herself, she wouldn't be too keen on it, now would she? Remember when she got your wand and turned the chickens into twenty-feet-tall rabbits? I still get nightmares about that one."
"Here you go, Draco." Hermione said as she set a large bag beside his chair. "This is from Professor McGonagall."
The bag was filled with diapers, lotions, bath items and the like.
"You can never have too much of these," she smiled. "The bag is enchanted to be bottomless. As you run out, more will appear."
"This is wonderful, Professor," Harry exclaimed. "Thank you very much."
Hermione of course gave a gift of books. "The Many Adventures of Erin the Elf", "Baby's First Spells" and a Muggle book, "Pat the Bunny," she explained. "Now let's see, oh, this one is from your Mum, Draco."
She placed an elegantly wrapped package in his lap. Carefully he took the ribbon off, and found a stunning silver feeding set, with bowl, cup, spoon and fork.
"Wow," Harry stated."Thank you, Narcissa. This is beautiful."
"You're welcome, Harry." she smiled.
"Yes, Mother, thank you. I think I remember having a set like this."
"Yes, you did," she explained. "Your GrandMum Malfoy gave it to you when you were born. I had these engraved for you."
Draco looked at the cup. Etched into it were the initials M and P, entwined together.
"They're wonderful, Mother. Thank you."
To everyone's surprise, Narcissa walked over to her son and embraced him.
"I love you, sweetheart," she whispered. "And congratulations."
"I love you too, Mum." Draco sniffed. "Thank you."
She turned to Harry, also pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you for saving my son, in more ways than one. He loves you, and you obviously love him."
"I do," Harry nodded. "More than life itself."
"Always remember how you feel right now, no matter what happens. Promise me that."
"Always," Harry said softly. "Always."
Molly stood off to the side, a stern look on her face.
"What's wrong, Mum?" Ginny asked.
"I don't trust Narcissa," she whispered. "Why the sudden change? And where was she when her son tried to take his life? Where was she after the trial, when Draco desperately needed his mother? No, I don't trust her at all."
Hermione brought another present to Draco. "And this one is from Mrs.Weasley." Draco opened the box , finding it filled with a tiny sweater, several homemade sleepers, bottles and a plastic feeding set.
"Thank you, Molly," Draco said. "These are really nice."
"You're welcome, Draco. I thought it would be nice to have some 'practical' items for the baby. After all, a silver feeding set is very nice and all, but you have to have something the little one can actually use."
Narcissa glared at Mrs. Weasley. "Yes, very, thoughtful of you, Molly. Good thing you brought those, or else the poor little one may have starved..."
"Well, well!" Hermione exclaimed. "Looks like we still have a couple of more gifts. This one is from Dobby."
Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "Yes, Dobby could not come this evening, but he wanted me to bring his gift for him."
Wrapped in a tea towel were a small pair of knitted booties, one pink and one blue. "I guess he recovered from his week with me," Draco laughed.
"He also sent an odd gift," Dumbledore continued. "Hermione put it in the freezer. A quart of Dragon Delight Choco-Peanut Caramel Deluxe ice cream. He said you would remember."
"Yes, Professor," Draco smiled. "Poor Dobby. I guess I was a little hard on him."
"And this," Dumbledore leaned forward, "is from me."
Draco took a thin silver chain with a tiny crystal charm from the headmaster.
"This is stunning," Draco stated. "Thank you."
"The charm has an elaborate protection spell infused inside it, one I created for this child alone. It may come in very handy one day."
Harry stood to hug the elderly wizard. "You have no idea how much we appreciate this, and you. Thank you." He turned to face the remaining guests. "And thank all of you for being here, for all the gifts. It really means a lot."
Harry helped Draco up from the chair. "To both of us," he smiled.
//29th March 11:14 p.m.
(Excerpt only from Draco's Diary)
The baby shower was wonderful, save for a tense moment between Molly and Mum, but I imagine that will get better with time. At least Mum didn't hex Mrs. Weasley, which is what she would have done this time last year....
Harry is already asleep. He looks so peaceful. Only one more month, and I have a feeling 'peaceful' may be the last thing our nights will be for awhile. It will be worth it though. I am anxious, but excited. Good night little one.
Not much longer now.....//
End of Chapter IX.
Sapphic Princess, Crystal, lildarlin and Tsuyuno- Thank you very much for the reviews!
Heat Wave on Ice- The ice cream is still here, but thankfully the sardines are gone....
Siriusly Black 2- Yes, I agree. Much better days for the Malfoy-Potter family....
Oracle 2- Thank you so much for all your reviews and compliments! I appreciate you hanging in there with me!
Spider Monkey-Demon and luin-lote- The squirrels are based on real life wildlife that visit our patio, one of which we have nick-named Giganto (This is a serious butt-kicking squirrel) and another we named Earl, who gets onto the bird feeder and knocks the seeds out to the rest of his "gang". I imagined this would be the ones around the cottage in Romania!
Now, on with the show.....
Chapter IX. The Baby Shower
//28th March 10:04 p.m.
I am having to write at the table now, since I am around eight months I can't hold the diary on my stomach anymore. I am HUGE. It seems like in the last few weeks I have gained 200 pounds or more. (Well, that may be stretching it, but it feels like it.) Harry has to help me out of chairs, and was just barely able to pull me up when I decided I could put a puzzle together on the floor the other day. Course, he thought it was hilarious. I threatened to kill him in his sleep.
Hermione is giving us a baby shower tomorrow here at the cottage. Harry and I have already turned the guest room into a nursery, and we finally found a beautiful crib in the village last week. I sort of wish I knew what the baby will be, but we have decided to wait and be surprised. Madame Pomfrey has been checking me every two weeks now, and she is going to meet us at the wizard hospital here in Romania when the time comes. I have to admit, I don't know what to expect, and I'm becoming a little bit, no, a LOT anxious now. Madame Pomfrey told me when it's time for the baby to come, I will, well, change until after the birth. She said when I go into labor, I will look like a GIRL down there. I just hope everything changes BACK after the baby is born.
Or I will feed Harry to the squirrels. Right after I kill him in his sleep.//
//29th March 6:35 p.m.
"This looks wonderful, Hermione," Draco complimented after waddling down the stairs, holding to Harry's arm for balance.
The living room was decorated in pinks, blues, greens and yellows, with a long table to the side filled with all sorts of tasty food. There was an equally long table on another side of the wall, for the presents.
"Thank you," she smiled. "And look at you! You look great, and so...."
"So whale-like?" Draco grinned.
"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed. "No, of course not, you look glowing."
"She's right, you know," Harry stated as he placed a gentle kiss on Draco's lips. "You do look beautiful."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Draco whispered. "You look rather fetching yourself tonight."
Hermione began to fuss with the cake just as the doorbell rang.
"Oh," she exclaimed. "Guests are here already. I'll get it, you two have a seat."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry laughed. He leaned over to Draco. "She's gone into hostess mode," he said quietly.
"Yes, " Draco nodded. "Bossy-boots and all." He glanced over to see Hermione hugging Mrs. Weasley. "And I hope she never changes."
Over the next thirty minutes, the small cottage was filled to capacity. Besides Mrs. Weasley, guests included Narcissa, Ginny, Fred, George, Hagrid,Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Trelawney and Professor Dumbledore. Harry brought cake and chips to Draco, who was fielding question after question concerning the baby. He didn't seem to mind at all, on the contrary, Draco looked happier than many of the guests could ever remember. At 7:30, everyone came back into the living room at the urging of the hostess.
"Ok, everyone," Hermione called out. "Time to open the presents. Draco, you sit over here," she pointed at a soft chair near the gift table, "and I'll hand them to you. Let's see, this one...is from Profesor Trelawney."
Draco opened the coloful gift to find a rather large book.
"It's a dream journal," Profesor Trelawney stated. "For when the little one is old enough to record their dreams. You never know when one might have the inner eye."
"Thank you, Profesor." Draco grinned. "This is very nice."
Hermione handed Draco a long badly wrapped package. "This one is from Fred and George."
Harry looked it over. "This won't blow up when he opens it, will it?"
"No, no," George shook his head. "Just open it."
"Oh, wow," Draco exclaimed. "a Firebolt 5 racing broom."
Harry turned to Fred and George. "I don't think the baby will ride this for a while," he laughed. "But this is really nice of you guys. You shoudn't have."
Draco interrupted. "Hey, if that's what they wanted to give the baby, why should we stop them? I will have to make sure it's safe for our child though, maybe use it until they are ready, you know? Break it in a bit."
Hermione rolled her eyes and handed Draco another present, wrapped in plain brown paper. "This one is from Hagrid."
Inside was a small gray wool cloak, with a beautiful silver clasp.
Harry held it up. "Hagrid, this is gorgeous. Thank you."
"Made it meself," Hagrid said proudly. "Started on it right aft' I foun' out 'bout the baby."
The tiny cloak was passed around to the other guests for a closer look.
While they were admiring Hagrid's gift, Hermione picked up a medium sized box with a dark blue ribbon. "And this one is from Profesor Snape."
Inwardly Harry shuddered. He was never really sure if Snape had forgiven him or not for being James' son, for invading Snape's memories in the pensive in fifth-year, and just basically for existing. Draco trusted him, though, and it was important that he be there for him. But Snapy didn't seem the type to bring fluffy baby gifts to a shower, so what...
"A cauldron," Draco stated as he lifted it out of the box. "Size one, pewter and copper," he read from the bottom of the cauldron. "And hey, check this out..." He showed the guests a box filled with containers of various ingredients. "My First Potion Kit- amaze your friends and scare your parents with ten easy-to-brew potions."
Harry cleared his throat. "Well, thanks," he stated as he looked at Profesor Snape.
Severus looked quite pleased with himself. "Quite welcome. Never hurts to get started early, you know."
"On what," Harry whispered to Draco,"burning the house down?"
Hermione quickly placed the next gift in Draco's sort-of lap. "This one is from Ginny."
Draco opened the gift to find two small stuffed animals, a lion and a dragon. Between them was a parchment rolled and tied with a golden ribbon.
"These are darling," Harry exclaimed. "We'll put them in the baby's room."
Draco unrolled the parchment. "Thank you VERY much Ginny. I have a feeling we will be using this one fairly soon."
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"It's a certificate," Ginny explained. "Good for five separate baby sitting sessions."
Harry took the paper from Draco. "Yes, thank you, Ginny. This should come in handy."
"No problem," she exclaimed. "Since I was the youngest, I only got to play with dolls."
Fred leaned over toward George. "If she had babysat herself, she wouldn't be too keen on it, now would she? Remember when she got your wand and turned the chickens into twenty-feet-tall rabbits? I still get nightmares about that one."
"Here you go, Draco." Hermione said as she set a large bag beside his chair. "This is from Professor McGonagall."
The bag was filled with diapers, lotions, bath items and the like.
"You can never have too much of these," she smiled. "The bag is enchanted to be bottomless. As you run out, more will appear."
"This is wonderful, Professor," Harry exclaimed. "Thank you very much."
Hermione of course gave a gift of books. "The Many Adventures of Erin the Elf", "Baby's First Spells" and a Muggle book, "Pat the Bunny," she explained. "Now let's see, oh, this one is from your Mum, Draco."
She placed an elegantly wrapped package in his lap. Carefully he took the ribbon off, and found a stunning silver feeding set, with bowl, cup, spoon and fork.
"Wow," Harry stated."Thank you, Narcissa. This is beautiful."
"You're welcome, Harry." she smiled.
"Yes, Mother, thank you. I think I remember having a set like this."
"Yes, you did," she explained. "Your GrandMum Malfoy gave it to you when you were born. I had these engraved for you."
Draco looked at the cup. Etched into it were the initials M and P, entwined together.
"They're wonderful, Mother. Thank you."
To everyone's surprise, Narcissa walked over to her son and embraced him.
"I love you, sweetheart," she whispered. "And congratulations."
"I love you too, Mum." Draco sniffed. "Thank you."
She turned to Harry, also pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you for saving my son, in more ways than one. He loves you, and you obviously love him."
"I do," Harry nodded. "More than life itself."
"Always remember how you feel right now, no matter what happens. Promise me that."
"Always," Harry said softly. "Always."
Molly stood off to the side, a stern look on her face.
"What's wrong, Mum?" Ginny asked.
"I don't trust Narcissa," she whispered. "Why the sudden change? And where was she when her son tried to take his life? Where was she after the trial, when Draco desperately needed his mother? No, I don't trust her at all."
Hermione brought another present to Draco. "And this one is from Mrs.Weasley." Draco opened the box , finding it filled with a tiny sweater, several homemade sleepers, bottles and a plastic feeding set.
"Thank you, Molly," Draco said. "These are really nice."
"You're welcome, Draco. I thought it would be nice to have some 'practical' items for the baby. After all, a silver feeding set is very nice and all, but you have to have something the little one can actually use."
Narcissa glared at Mrs. Weasley. "Yes, very, thoughtful of you, Molly. Good thing you brought those, or else the poor little one may have starved..."
"Well, well!" Hermione exclaimed. "Looks like we still have a couple of more gifts. This one is from Dobby."
Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "Yes, Dobby could not come this evening, but he wanted me to bring his gift for him."
Wrapped in a tea towel were a small pair of knitted booties, one pink and one blue. "I guess he recovered from his week with me," Draco laughed.
"He also sent an odd gift," Dumbledore continued. "Hermione put it in the freezer. A quart of Dragon Delight Choco-Peanut Caramel Deluxe ice cream. He said you would remember."
"Yes, Professor," Draco smiled. "Poor Dobby. I guess I was a little hard on him."
"And this," Dumbledore leaned forward, "is from me."
Draco took a thin silver chain with a tiny crystal charm from the headmaster.
"This is stunning," Draco stated. "Thank you."
"The charm has an elaborate protection spell infused inside it, one I created for this child alone. It may come in very handy one day."
Harry stood to hug the elderly wizard. "You have no idea how much we appreciate this, and you. Thank you." He turned to face the remaining guests. "And thank all of you for being here, for all the gifts. It really means a lot."
Harry helped Draco up from the chair. "To both of us," he smiled.
//29th March 11:14 p.m.
(Excerpt only from Draco's Diary)
The baby shower was wonderful, save for a tense moment between Molly and Mum, but I imagine that will get better with time. At least Mum didn't hex Mrs. Weasley, which is what she would have done this time last year....
Harry is already asleep. He looks so peaceful. Only one more month, and I have a feeling 'peaceful' may be the last thing our nights will be for awhile. It will be worth it though. I am anxious, but excited. Good night little one.
Not much longer now.....//
End of Chapter IX.