Visions in the Night Sky
Chapter 15: Reflection
The March sun burned the chill off the morning as Draco Malfoy slowly picked his way around the edge of the lake. His mother had not been pleased to hear that not only had Lucius perished in the final battle, but that he had disowned Draco in the process. Draco's memories of all of this whirled into a blur in his brain. His mother's rage, his father's funeral, Professor Snape presenting him with a special award for services to the school, and his impending graduation all seemed to muddle together in his thoughts. He wondered what would become of him after this year. He had never known anything but his father's family and their money. Now he would have to make his own living. He thought of being an auror. With his insider information on evil wizards and witches, perhaps this would give him an edge. This thought was starting to make him feel better. He recognized this feeling even though he had never had it before. Hope. Being a 'good guy' wasn't going to be easy, but Draco wasn't sure he minded. Perhaps a little hard work was what he needed. A smile started to bend the corners of his lips and pinch laugh lines into his cool blue eyes. Yeah, perhaps things were going to work out. He picked up a smooth stone and skipped it across the water, watching as it skipped twice, three times, four times and finally plopped into the water. A scream disturbed the serenity of the moment. Draco pulled his wand from his inside pocket and pointed it in the direction of the scream.
"NO! Somebody help me!"
Running toward the sound, Draco began to see the outline of a long black cloak and heavy boots running away from the stand of trees nearby. A sobbing replaced the scream and Draco suddenly found himself standing before the shaking, beaten, abused body of Ginny Weasley. She saw Draco and inched back, pinning herself against the tree she was curled up by.
"Please don't hurt me anymore! Stay away!" she screeched. Her red hair was a mess of tangles, leaves and dirt, her clothes were torn, bruises and bleeding scrapes evident beneath them. She was trying to cover herself with the tatters that remained of her clothes but it wasn't working very well. Draco knelt beside her and she screamed again for him to leave her alone.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" Draco pleaded. "Let me help you!" He pulled off his cloak and carefully draped it over her. Ginny wiped her eyes and looked more carefully at who was before her.
"Malfoy?" she whimpered.
"Let me help you, Ginny. Let me take you back to the castle," Draco replied.
"You know my name," Ginny said in confusion. Draco cracked an embarrassed smile.
"There may be a lot of Weasleys, but there's only one of you," he replied. Ginny sniffled and took a deep, shuddering breath before allowing Draco to carry her back to the castle and all the way to the hospital wing.
By the time Madam Pomfrey finished with her, Ginny's face was washed, her hair was brushed, and she had been tucked into bed. Draco pulled up a chair beside Ginny as Madam Pomfrey went to notify Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall of the situation. Minutes later, Ron Weasley, the youngest of the Weasley boys and Ginny's older brother burst into the hospital wing.
"Ginny!" he shouted, embracing her as she sat up in bed. Both of them cried for a while, seeming not to notice that Draco was there. Ron looked up from the embrace and finally noted that Draco was there.
"What are you doing here?" Ron demanded.
"Ron, he saved my life!" Ginny reprimanded. She told Ron what had happened, and that Draco had saved her from her attacker. Ron's stance relaxed a bit and his eyes softened. He extended his right hand to the blonde haired Slytherin in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I owe you one for saving my sister," Ron said. Draco grasped Ron's hand and finally shook it.
"It was my pleasure," Draco said simply. He stood up, preparing to leave and Ginny called him back. Gently, she pulled his face down to hers and lightly kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Draco," she whispered. Draco's blush was a hardly visible pink in the brightness of the sunshine, but it was enough. He kissed Ginny's hand in return and then left the hospital wing, leaving Ron to comfort his sister.
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Minerva shifted her weight a bit and opened her eyes. Squinting at her pocket watch, she realized that she had long overslept this morning. With all the anxiety of the battle with Voldemort over, she had found herself with more time to devote to being an expectant mother. Poppy had insisted upon a great deal of rest, even though at first Minerva had not been comfortable sleeping so much. She felt that she was losing valuable productive time that way. As the months wore on, she found that Poppy had been right and sleep became one of her higher priorities. This morning, she couldn't seem to place the back pain she was having. Perhaps the baby was just sitting in a difficult position inside her. She readjusted the pillows around her and tried to go back to sleep.
Half an hour later, a pronounced stabbing pain woke her again. This time, Albus was sitting at his desk in his office below and somehow heard her as she cried out.
"Minerva?" he called. Minerva pulled herself up off the bed and hobbled down the small flight of stairs to the landing that overlooked Albus' desk.
"Albus, it's time!"
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Poppy had sent Ginny, with Ron, back to the Gryffindor dormitories an hour before another frantic pair of voices echoed into the entry to the hospital wing. Poppy charmed the bed to change its linens and make itself and then turned to see her best friend walking slowly into the hospital wing, braced by her husband. Poppy felt a surge of excitement and laughter at the same time. She was thrilled that it was finally time for Albus and Minerva to have their baby, but it was too funny to see two people their age, especially Albus with his long white hair and beard, behaving in a manner she had seen more often in 25 year olds. She helped to get Minerva settled into a bed and then went about procuring what she needed to perform the delivery.
Albus stood and watched this process, slightly bewildered by what was happening. He thought he had prepared himself for this. He had even talked with Severus about what it had been like when Merewen had given birth to their baby. But nothing prepared him for the rush of emotions he was feeling now. He was afraid for Minerva, her advanced age making it more dangerous to give birth, he was worried that the baby might not be healthy, he was ecstatic that he was finally going to be a father, and on the other hand he wondered what kind of father he was going to be. It was all very overwhelming. All he could do was stand beside Minerva and hold her hand, occasionally rubbing her back and lightly kissing the top of her head and her temples as he murmured to her that she was doing well.
"Albus, If you--"
"I know, my dear, if I ever touch you again, my wand will not be the only thing broken," Albus said soothingly. Minerva nodded.
"I just wanted to make sure we were clear on that," Minerva replied. Another contraction swept over her and Minerva gritted her teeth in pain. Albus mopped her brow with a cool cloth and reminded her how beautiful she was. Minerva gave her husband a look that might have stopped the heart of any other man.
"I love you, Minerva," Albus repeated. Minerva relaxed as the contraction ended and she sank back into the pillows on the bed.
"I just want this to be over," Minerva wept. Albus kissed her tears and then her lips.
"Soon, my beloved, soon," Albus reassured her.
It was only a matter of several hours before the contractions became strong enough and close enough to bring Minerva into the proper position for delivery. Poppy reached beneath the blanket that covered Minerva's midsection and legs and checked that she was properly dilated.
"All right, Minerva," she said, trying hard to keep her excitement from running away with her. "It's time to push!" Minerva took a few deep breaths and then, on Poppy's mark, bore down as Poppy had taught her.
"Eight…nine…ten…breathe, Minerva," Poppy coached, seeing to it that Minerva held each push for ten seconds and then breathed for a moment before pushing again. Three pushes into the process, the baby's head appeared enough for Poppy to support it.
"Albus!" Minerva cried as the head slipped out completely. Albus squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head, continuing to encourage her and count with Poppy as Minerva pushed. The hardest part would be the baby's shoulders.
"Take a deep breath and really push on this one, Minerva," Poppy said, "You're almost there!" Two more pushes later, Minerva cried out in agony as the baby's shoulders emerged.
"Good job, Minerva!" Poppy shouted. "One more good push and you'll be done!" Minerva mustered what was left of her strength and pushed again. The baby came easily now, arriving safely into Poppy's waiting hands as Minerva cried out once more.
"You did it! You did it, Min!" Poppy cried, tears cresting in her eyes.
"Don't call me Min!" Minerva wept as Poppy allowed Albus to cut the baby's umbilical cord. Now it was Albus' turn to cry as the first wails of his infant daughter filled the air.
Half an hour later, Albus and Minerva were sitting alone in the hospital wing while Poppy made out the birth certificate.
"She's so beautiful!" Minerva whimpered.
"You're both beautiful," Albus replied reverently. He kissed Minerva and then kissed the baby's head, holding them both as he sat on the bed beside Minerva.
"What will we name her?" Albus asked.
"We'll call her Abigail," Albus replied after a moment of thought, "because today she made me the happiest man alive. Abigail Breandan Dumbledore."
"Breandan?" Minerva asked, curious about her husband's choice of an Irish middle name.
"It means 'little raven', my dear. Look at her, she's inherited your lovely black hair," said Albus. Minerva leaned closer to Albus and pressed her lips to his.
"I'm so lucky to be your wife," Minerva murmured.
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