Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters from the books in the series are copyright JK Rowling, and are not being used for profit, only for personal enjoyment.
Chapter 3 ~ "In Your Eyes"
(December)
Remus continued to visit Hermione's cottage regularly, helping her to prepare a place for the baby, escorting her to London for her check-ups when it didn't interfere with his classes, taking her to visit her mother, and even shopping, where he would sit and wait patiently in the shops as Hermione picked out clothing and other items for the baby.
The crystals continued to swirl a misty yellow nearly every day. On the morning of their last visit to London, Remus had felt a slight warmth in his pocket, and frowned when he saw the mist in the crystal orb darken to a deep golden yellow, and he headed off to Hermione's cottage early to check on her. He entered to find her staring into the fireplace, her face tearstained, before she turned to speak quietly to him.
"Today's the day I tell Mum."
He moved to sqeeze her shoulder and assured her that it would be alright. They had discussed it after the last visit to Hermione's mother, Elizabeth, and Hermione had come to the conclusion that she not only should not, but could not continue to hide her condition from her mother any longer.
As it turned out, it was the right decision.
Elizabeth, though shocked at the news and slightly disappointed that Hermione would not be following through with her education, took it well and was supportive of her daughter's decisions. It took some time to sink in, but eventually the announcement that she was to be a grandmother gave her the extra bit of motivation that she needed to get back on her feet again. She had recently begun standing with the aid of a walker, and had even taken a few steps with great difficulty. She was now more determined than ever to take those same steps independently, laughing that she would soon be wanting to take the baby on walks through the park and vowing that she would not do it in a wheelchair.
Elizabeth was concerned that Hermione didn't venture to speak of her baby's father, and the woman began to eye Remus suspiciously before Hermione finally spoke up and assured her mother that Remus was only a friend. Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth had truly grown fond of Remus when he accompanied Hermione to visit. One one hand, she was relieved to know that a man nearly her own age was not responsible for her daughter's condition. On the other hand, she knew that Remus was one of the kindest, gentlest men that she had ever known, and that he would have made a wonderful father. She smiled at the thought, reminding herself that Remus had already become a father figure to Hermione, and would probably be like a grandfather to the baby. With Hermione's own father gone, Elizabeth could think of no better man to stand in as a grandfather to her own grandchild than Remus Lupin.
*****
Christmas was quickly approaching, and a few weeks later a majority of the students had headed home for the holiday.
The day the students left was also the day of the full moon, and it was late in the afternoon as Remus hurried to the dungeons and knocked on the door of the Potions Master's office.
"Enter!" came the deep voice of Severus Snape.
"Good day, Severus," Remus said pleasantly as he opened the door.
"Lupin," Severus replied with a slight nod of his head, indicating that Remus' potion was sitting on the desk, without looking up from the essays that he was grading.
Remus picked up the smoking goblet and after drinking the contents replied, "Thank you, Severus. You don't know how much I appreciate..." he stopped mid sentence and gasped in shock, causing Severus to look up from his work curiously as Remus reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a blood red crystal, crying out, "No... Not now. It's too soon!"
"Lupin? Is something wrong?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrow as he feigned concern.
Remus checked the time on his pocket watch as the crystal grew increasingly hot in his hand, and lamented, "There's not enough time!"
"Not enough time for what?" Severus arched the other eyebrow.
Remus paced as he considered his next course of action. It was obvious to him, with the full moon just a few hours away, that he couldn't go alone, yet he didn't want to betray Hermione's trust by revealing her secret to another.
**She needs help! Better to betray her trust than deny her the assistance that you may not be able to give her tonight!** He thought to himself, as he quickly made his decision.
"Severus, somebody needs my help, but tonight is the full moon. I'll need you to come with me. It's urgent. Possibly a matter of life and death." Remus blurted out the words so quickly that Severus couldn't make sense of it.
"Lupin, unless you stop this incessant rambling and tell me what is going on, I am going nowhere with you," Severus sneered.
"Listen, Snape, THERE. IS. NO. TIME!" Remus replied urgently, pausing for a deep breath before continuing, "Please, just grab your emergency medicinal potions and come with me! I'll explain on the way."
Severus relented with a sigh, "Very well. But I promise you, Lupin, if there is not a good explanation behind this, next month you can forget about your bloody wolfsbane..."
"Fine! Just... come!"
*****
Remus apprised Severus of the situation as the Potions Master gathered his emergency supplies. Due to his past as a Death Eater and a spy, he long ago developed the habit of keeping vials of healing potions in the inner pockets of his robe at all times, and other emergency supplies in easy access in his private lab, so he was able to gather what he needed quickly before the two men rushed out of the castle and down to the gates, which was the closest point where they would be able to apparate to Hermione's cottage. Upon entering her home, they found the unconscious form of the young woman slumped to the floor in a small pool of blood tinged fluid, which was darkening in color as the flow of blood steadily increased.
"Merlin! What's happening?" Remus cried.
Severus kneeled down beside Hermione to examine her, "When is she due, Lupin?"
"Not for another six weeks!"
"I'm afraid that this child is intent on entering the world today. Not only is she bleeding, but her water has broken, and there is no time to get her the help she needs."
He looked up and met Remus's concerned eyes, "We're going to have to deliver this child."
Remus scooped Hermione up into his arms, and carried her to her bed as Severus gathered some clean towels and set some water to boil.
"We need to wake her, Lupin. I've not done this before, but I am reasonably certain that we can not deliver this child without her help."
"Ennervate!" Remus cried as he pointed his wand at Hermione's still form.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open as she murmered, "Remus? What's going on? The pain... It happened so fast... hurt so much. I was so worried... so scared... "
"Shhhh, child... you need to save your energy," he soothed as he wiped her brow with a cool washcloth that Severus handed to him, "the baby is on it's way, and you'll need your strength."
"Severus, the moon..." Remus fretted as he shot a glance out the window to the darkening sky.
"Yes, Lupin. I know. But you've got time yet. It looks as though this child is going to make an entrance any minute. The head appears to be crowning as we speak."
"What should I do?"
"Support her from behind while she pushes. Considering the amount of blood that she lost before we arrived, I doubt she has enough strength to do it on her own."
"Do you hear that, Hermione? It's time to push. You can do this!" He encouraged her as he sat behind her, supporting her back and holding her hand.
"Miss Granger," Severus urged her firmly, yet gently, "Lupin... er... Remus is behind you. Lean on him until you're ready, then push!"
Hermione mustered enough strength for one hard push, before slumping back against Remus, nearly passing out again. Remus continued dabbing her brow with the cool washcloth, while gently murmuring words of encouragement as she slowly tried to muster enough strength for another push.
"She's so weak. I don't know if she'll make it through the next one, Severus."
"The baby is small, Lupin. She has already delivered the head. If she can manage one more push like the last, and deliver the shoulders, I should be able to help her from there."
"Hear that, Hermione? Just one more big push. You can do it. Come on, child! It's time to find out if you've got a son or a daughter!"
And with that, the Granger determination kicked in as Hermione gave one more long hard push and felt the baby slide from her body before she passed out.
"Hermione!"
"Let her rest, Lupin. Her son is here," Severus stated as he quickly inspected the form of the tiny infant that he held delicately in his large hands.
Remus slowly eased the girl back onto the bed, smiling as he brushed a few stray locks of hair from her forehead and placing a gentle kiss on her brow before he walked away to assist Severus with the infant.
"How is he?"
"Despite being premature, he seems to be fine, though quite small," he said as he handed the baby to Remus, "as for Miss Granger, I will be able to stop the hemmoraging, but she's lost a lot of blood and will likely be quite weak for a while. They will both need to be examined by a professional in the morning, but for now let's get them both cleaned up and let Miss Granger get some rest. If you'll take care of the baby, I'll tend to his mother."
Severus muttered a cooling charm over the boiling water, retrieved his healing potions and salves, and the two men began tending to mother and child.
Remus bathed the baby, smiling as he counted fingers and toes before diapering him and wrapping him in a warm, fluffy towel. He rummaged through the selection of infant clothing that Hermione had bought just recently, searching for something that would not be too large for the tiny infant. To his relief, Hermione had purchased a variety of infant nightgowns that would be quite easy to slip the child into. He hadn't handled a baby since Harry was one, and even then he had never had to dress a newborn. His gentle hands maneuvered the soft cotton gown over the baby's head, and after pulling the arms through one at a time and tucking the tiny feet into the bottom of the gown, Remus smiled in satisfaction as he admired the end result. The baby finally clothed, Remus wrapped him snugly in a warm receiving blanket before sitting down beside the bed, waiting for Hermione to regain consciousness so he could introduce her to her son. Merely a few moments later, her eyes fluttered open, and she asked weakly, "My baby..."
"Your son," smiled Remus.
He handed the baby over to Hermione and sat behind her, supporting her once more so she could hold her son to her breast.
"My son," she smiled as she began to drift off to sleep. She briefly caught a glimpse of the newborn's wide-eyed stare, "Oh!" she exclaimed quietly, looking up at Severus through the dark lashes of her heavy eyelids, "He's got your eyes," she muttered faintly as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter 3 ~ "In Your Eyes"
(December)
Remus continued to visit Hermione's cottage regularly, helping her to prepare a place for the baby, escorting her to London for her check-ups when it didn't interfere with his classes, taking her to visit her mother, and even shopping, where he would sit and wait patiently in the shops as Hermione picked out clothing and other items for the baby.
The crystals continued to swirl a misty yellow nearly every day. On the morning of their last visit to London, Remus had felt a slight warmth in his pocket, and frowned when he saw the mist in the crystal orb darken to a deep golden yellow, and he headed off to Hermione's cottage early to check on her. He entered to find her staring into the fireplace, her face tearstained, before she turned to speak quietly to him.
"Today's the day I tell Mum."
He moved to sqeeze her shoulder and assured her that it would be alright. They had discussed it after the last visit to Hermione's mother, Elizabeth, and Hermione had come to the conclusion that she not only should not, but could not continue to hide her condition from her mother any longer.
As it turned out, it was the right decision.
Elizabeth, though shocked at the news and slightly disappointed that Hermione would not be following through with her education, took it well and was supportive of her daughter's decisions. It took some time to sink in, but eventually the announcement that she was to be a grandmother gave her the extra bit of motivation that she needed to get back on her feet again. She had recently begun standing with the aid of a walker, and had even taken a few steps with great difficulty. She was now more determined than ever to take those same steps independently, laughing that she would soon be wanting to take the baby on walks through the park and vowing that she would not do it in a wheelchair.
Elizabeth was concerned that Hermione didn't venture to speak of her baby's father, and the woman began to eye Remus suspiciously before Hermione finally spoke up and assured her mother that Remus was only a friend. Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth had truly grown fond of Remus when he accompanied Hermione to visit. One one hand, she was relieved to know that a man nearly her own age was not responsible for her daughter's condition. On the other hand, she knew that Remus was one of the kindest, gentlest men that she had ever known, and that he would have made a wonderful father. She smiled at the thought, reminding herself that Remus had already become a father figure to Hermione, and would probably be like a grandfather to the baby. With Hermione's own father gone, Elizabeth could think of no better man to stand in as a grandfather to her own grandchild than Remus Lupin.
*****
Christmas was quickly approaching, and a few weeks later a majority of the students had headed home for the holiday.
The day the students left was also the day of the full moon, and it was late in the afternoon as Remus hurried to the dungeons and knocked on the door of the Potions Master's office.
"Enter!" came the deep voice of Severus Snape.
"Good day, Severus," Remus said pleasantly as he opened the door.
"Lupin," Severus replied with a slight nod of his head, indicating that Remus' potion was sitting on the desk, without looking up from the essays that he was grading.
Remus picked up the smoking goblet and after drinking the contents replied, "Thank you, Severus. You don't know how much I appreciate..." he stopped mid sentence and gasped in shock, causing Severus to look up from his work curiously as Remus reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a blood red crystal, crying out, "No... Not now. It's too soon!"
"Lupin? Is something wrong?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrow as he feigned concern.
Remus checked the time on his pocket watch as the crystal grew increasingly hot in his hand, and lamented, "There's not enough time!"
"Not enough time for what?" Severus arched the other eyebrow.
Remus paced as he considered his next course of action. It was obvious to him, with the full moon just a few hours away, that he couldn't go alone, yet he didn't want to betray Hermione's trust by revealing her secret to another.
**She needs help! Better to betray her trust than deny her the assistance that you may not be able to give her tonight!** He thought to himself, as he quickly made his decision.
"Severus, somebody needs my help, but tonight is the full moon. I'll need you to come with me. It's urgent. Possibly a matter of life and death." Remus blurted out the words so quickly that Severus couldn't make sense of it.
"Lupin, unless you stop this incessant rambling and tell me what is going on, I am going nowhere with you," Severus sneered.
"Listen, Snape, THERE. IS. NO. TIME!" Remus replied urgently, pausing for a deep breath before continuing, "Please, just grab your emergency medicinal potions and come with me! I'll explain on the way."
Severus relented with a sigh, "Very well. But I promise you, Lupin, if there is not a good explanation behind this, next month you can forget about your bloody wolfsbane..."
"Fine! Just... come!"
*****
Remus apprised Severus of the situation as the Potions Master gathered his emergency supplies. Due to his past as a Death Eater and a spy, he long ago developed the habit of keeping vials of healing potions in the inner pockets of his robe at all times, and other emergency supplies in easy access in his private lab, so he was able to gather what he needed quickly before the two men rushed out of the castle and down to the gates, which was the closest point where they would be able to apparate to Hermione's cottage. Upon entering her home, they found the unconscious form of the young woman slumped to the floor in a small pool of blood tinged fluid, which was darkening in color as the flow of blood steadily increased.
"Merlin! What's happening?" Remus cried.
Severus kneeled down beside Hermione to examine her, "When is she due, Lupin?"
"Not for another six weeks!"
"I'm afraid that this child is intent on entering the world today. Not only is she bleeding, but her water has broken, and there is no time to get her the help she needs."
He looked up and met Remus's concerned eyes, "We're going to have to deliver this child."
Remus scooped Hermione up into his arms, and carried her to her bed as Severus gathered some clean towels and set some water to boil.
"We need to wake her, Lupin. I've not done this before, but I am reasonably certain that we can not deliver this child without her help."
"Ennervate!" Remus cried as he pointed his wand at Hermione's still form.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open as she murmered, "Remus? What's going on? The pain... It happened so fast... hurt so much. I was so worried... so scared... "
"Shhhh, child... you need to save your energy," he soothed as he wiped her brow with a cool washcloth that Severus handed to him, "the baby is on it's way, and you'll need your strength."
"Severus, the moon..." Remus fretted as he shot a glance out the window to the darkening sky.
"Yes, Lupin. I know. But you've got time yet. It looks as though this child is going to make an entrance any minute. The head appears to be crowning as we speak."
"What should I do?"
"Support her from behind while she pushes. Considering the amount of blood that she lost before we arrived, I doubt she has enough strength to do it on her own."
"Do you hear that, Hermione? It's time to push. You can do this!" He encouraged her as he sat behind her, supporting her back and holding her hand.
"Miss Granger," Severus urged her firmly, yet gently, "Lupin... er... Remus is behind you. Lean on him until you're ready, then push!"
Hermione mustered enough strength for one hard push, before slumping back against Remus, nearly passing out again. Remus continued dabbing her brow with the cool washcloth, while gently murmuring words of encouragement as she slowly tried to muster enough strength for another push.
"She's so weak. I don't know if she'll make it through the next one, Severus."
"The baby is small, Lupin. She has already delivered the head. If she can manage one more push like the last, and deliver the shoulders, I should be able to help her from there."
"Hear that, Hermione? Just one more big push. You can do it. Come on, child! It's time to find out if you've got a son or a daughter!"
And with that, the Granger determination kicked in as Hermione gave one more long hard push and felt the baby slide from her body before she passed out.
"Hermione!"
"Let her rest, Lupin. Her son is here," Severus stated as he quickly inspected the form of the tiny infant that he held delicately in his large hands.
Remus slowly eased the girl back onto the bed, smiling as he brushed a few stray locks of hair from her forehead and placing a gentle kiss on her brow before he walked away to assist Severus with the infant.
"How is he?"
"Despite being premature, he seems to be fine, though quite small," he said as he handed the baby to Remus, "as for Miss Granger, I will be able to stop the hemmoraging, but she's lost a lot of blood and will likely be quite weak for a while. They will both need to be examined by a professional in the morning, but for now let's get them both cleaned up and let Miss Granger get some rest. If you'll take care of the baby, I'll tend to his mother."
Severus muttered a cooling charm over the boiling water, retrieved his healing potions and salves, and the two men began tending to mother and child.
Remus bathed the baby, smiling as he counted fingers and toes before diapering him and wrapping him in a warm, fluffy towel. He rummaged through the selection of infant clothing that Hermione had bought just recently, searching for something that would not be too large for the tiny infant. To his relief, Hermione had purchased a variety of infant nightgowns that would be quite easy to slip the child into. He hadn't handled a baby since Harry was one, and even then he had never had to dress a newborn. His gentle hands maneuvered the soft cotton gown over the baby's head, and after pulling the arms through one at a time and tucking the tiny feet into the bottom of the gown, Remus smiled in satisfaction as he admired the end result. The baby finally clothed, Remus wrapped him snugly in a warm receiving blanket before sitting down beside the bed, waiting for Hermione to regain consciousness so he could introduce her to her son. Merely a few moments later, her eyes fluttered open, and she asked weakly, "My baby..."
"Your son," smiled Remus.
He handed the baby over to Hermione and sat behind her, supporting her once more so she could hold her son to her breast.
"My son," she smiled as she began to drift off to sleep. She briefly caught a glimpse of the newborn's wide-eyed stare, "Oh!" she exclaimed quietly, looking up at Severus through the dark lashes of her heavy eyelids, "He's got your eyes," she muttered faintly as she slipped into unconsciousness.
