All I need to get by
Chapter Nine: Baby 434
I have done one braver thing
Than all the Worthies did,
And yet a braver thence does spring,
Which is, to keep that hid.
It were but madness now t'impart
The kill of specular stone,
When he which can have learned the art
To cut it, can find none.
So if I should now utter this,
Others (because no more
Such stuff to work upon, there is,)
Would love but as before.
But he who lovlieness within
Hath found, all outward loathes,
For he who colour loves, and skin,
Loves but their oldest clothes.
If, as I have, you also do
Virtue attired in woman see,
And dare love that, and say so too,
And forget the He and She;
And if this love, though placed so,
From profane men you hide,
Which will no faith on this bestow,
Or, if they do, deride;
Then you have done a braver thing
Than all the Worthies did,
And a braver thence will spring,
Which is, to keep that hid.
By Donne Jon
This chapter is for my extra clever friends (or at least the ones sad enough to 'do' fanfiction) because they rock; Bunni, Fiona (who has four periods of maths on a Monday morning, don't you feel sorry for her?) and all the others who know who they are (and have lives), and have been used as ammunition in the running battle of the grades between He-Who-Must-Be-Exterminated
It was the Autumn Half Term Holidays when Draco Malfoy realised something was slightly wrong with his relationship with Unspeakable 433. St Mungo's was busy – Weasley Wizarding Wheezes had brought out a new range of minitaure animals and several new food stuffs for the holidays, and apparantly what the deigned as safe, was less safe than brutal. The animals (which included miniature griffins, thestrals, and hippogriffs) were designed 'to aid in classes' and in fact merely savaged parchment, and then moved onto their owners. Although Fred and George Weasley had summoned all the animals in, apparantly a few remained.
Autumnal sunshine sprinkled in through the windows, and outside in London even the Plane Trees were dropping their leaves. Window boxes had given up and died, and even the St Mungo indoor plants seemed to be panting a bit oddly. Hogwarts students all over Great Britain were lying back and relaxing in the last vestiges of sunshine, and Severus Snape had arrived that morning by floo in Draco's office. Although he had been greeted by an empty room, he had made himself at home. Draco himself had been sent down to Accidental Magical Maladies; the wizarding equivalent of Acident and Emergancy, to help with the onslaught of school children. Broken appendages were a firm favourite of the students; after all, quidditch could be practised freely outside of school teams.
'Thankyou very much, Healer,' a rather harassed looking mother swept her child away, scolding him firmly.
'Oh,' was the Healer's absent minded reply, 'That's alright.'
'Are you alright Malfoy?' asked another, older Healer, 'You're not exactly focused.'
'You worry about the fact that your patient's turning yellow and swelling up!' snapped Malfoy aggressively, and pressed the button summoning his next patient in.
Draco was rather shocked to see Ginny Weasley stumble into the cubicle. Her red hair was standing almost on end where it escaped from the yellow bandana she wore to keep it in place, and her blue eyes were ringed with dark shadows. She wore no makeup, her her pregnancy overalls stretched out in front of her. She was due in around three weeks. She was tugging by the hand one very grumpy, indignant, red-headed five year old, whose eyes were rimmed red with tears, and whose other arm was hanging at an odd angle.
'Oh Merlin,' she groaned, planting herself firmly in the chair, 'Malfoy, please fix him.'
'No!' said the toddler furiously, and made a bee-line for the door as quick as his thin legs could carry him.
'Alfie!' moaned Ginny, preparing to haul herself up from the chair, but Draco motioned for her to stop.
'I'll get him, you stay there.'
Alfie, as his name apparantly was, was in rather a hurry to escape St Mungos, and fortunately for Draco took a wrong turn. The toddler moved faster than the Healer expected, and Draco wound up having to break into an undignified shuffle, and then a full out run. Dodging a witch with several hands sprouting out of her head, he cursed the small boy.
'Alfie!' he called as the toddler slowed to a halt at a cross ways, 'Alfie!'
Within three feet of the child Draco allowed a victorious smile to break onto his face, and felt it deflate as quickly as a balloon being attacked by an army of staples as Alfie set off at a quick run down the corridor leading to Maternity.
'Accio Alfie!' he heard a voice call, and the child was jerked sideways and up the corridor.
Hermione Granger was standing with the sweaty child clasped firmly in her arms, dressed only in the black uniform of the Unspeakables minus the light cloak. She was smiling as she played peekaboo with him, and the mediwitch next to her nodded, smiled and patted her on the arm. It was a very maternal scene, and Draco suddenly felt very lonely and distant, and felt something jerk in his soul.
'Hermione!' called Draco, slowing to a stroll as he reached her, 'What are you doing in here?'
'Oh,' Hermione floundered for a moment, pretending to be absorbed in Alfie, 'Asking questions about a witch that checked in earlier this month about magical block ups.'
'In the Maternity section?'
'I just, uh, called in to see an old friend. And found ickle Alfie, what are dou dooing 'ere den Alfie-Walfie?'
'Ginny Weasley brought him in. He's broken his arm.'
'Ginny? What on earth's Ginny doing with Alfie? She's almost nine months pregnant!'
'Isn't he hers?'
'He's five years old, Draco. She's only been out of school for four.'
'I assumed,' Draco said icily, 'That she and Potter jumped the gun a bit.'
'No!' Hermione sounded scandalized, 'He's George's son, aren't you Alfie-Walfie?'
'Then what is Ginny doing with George's son?'
'We shall find out,' said Hermione determindly, and marched towards the ward containing Ginny.
They didn't only find Ginny. In fact they found several mediwizards and a mediwitch gathered around a slightly damp Weasley, who was crying hysterically. Her waters had broken; three weeks early.
'Ginny!' cried Hermione, thrusting herself through the small crowd, 'Ginny, are you alright?'
'Ssssh,' said Draco, appearing behind her, 'She'll be fine.'
'Did you get Alfie?' asked Ginny, wincing slightly.
'Yes, yes, we got Alfie. Shall we take him back to George?'
'Good god no!' bellowed the younger girl, 'George's at the factory for two days – I'm looking after Alfie.'
'While you have this baby?' inquired the Healer currently preparing to take her up to the Maternity section.
'Hermione,' besmirched Ginny, gazing at her friend tearfully, 'Would you look after Alfie for me? Please?'
'I'm working Ginny – can't I take him somewhere else?'
'Please Hermione – I know you have today off.'
'Fine! I'll floo Harry as well, shall I?'
'You're wonderful.'
'I thought you were working today? Ginny said you had today off.'
'Yes, well, just catching up on some things. I'll take Alfie home now, and see you later.'
Draco malfoy gawped a little at the space where Hermione had stood upto a few seconds ago, and turned to deman answers off Ginny, but she was gone – tandom apparated by the maternity Healer. Sighing, he pressed the buzzer to let the next patient through.
♣
'Alfie! Please, please put that egg down – Oh Alfie.'
Severus Snape followed his godson into a scene of apparent domestic not-bliss. Hermione was sitting on a stool in the kitch, Alfie chuckling gleefully on her lap as he stuck his small hands into a mixing bowl and waved them around merrily. There was a smashed egg dripping down Hermione's leg, and flour decorating the counter tops. Raisins were scattered in a small trail from the edge of the livingroom to the kitchen, and Crookshanks was following it neatly, snaffling up the dried grapes as he did so.
'And I thought my quarters were a mess,' commented the reputedly unorganised potion's master.
Hermione looked up quickly, a smile on her lips, and slid off the stool, poping the smallest Weasley on the kitchen floor, where he decided to stick his pudgy hands in the egg.
'Hello Severus,' she greeted, 'No! Alfie!'
It was too late, Alfie had walked straight into the edge of Draco's red robes, and had wrapped his small arms around the blond man's legs. He was a very friendly child, and probably fully aware of the mess he was making.
'Alfie!' she scolded, scooping the child up, 'Why don't you go and clean yourself up Draco.'
'Here, I'll take Alfie and we can clean up together. I'm sure I can shrink some clothes.'
Hermione watched as Draco took Alfie by the hand and hoisted him off, discussing seriously with him the merits of red t-shirts over blue robes. Alfie grinned delightedly as he proudly informed the man carrying him he had seven red t-shirts but no blue robes, and chortled as he walloped Draco softly around the ear to make him go faster. Severus on the other hand was watching Hermione as a whimsical smile touched her face. She snapped out of it when the potion's master hrmphed, and waved her wand to clean herself and the surrounding area up.
'He'll make a good father some day,' she said by way of exclamation as she surrupticously threw Alfie's mixture down the bin and magiced up a new one so as not to disappoint the child.
'Some day?' Severus smirked, 'In about seven months surely?'
Hermione whirled around and dropped the glass of pumpkin juice she was carrying all over the floor, staring at him increduously even as the juice soaked her jeans. Severus smirked even harder.
'Or perhaps eight,' he offered casually, 'I imagine seven and a half though.'
'How – what – what are you talking about?'
'The child you are carrying. Reparo,' the glass flew back up into Hermione's hand and she grapsed it tightly. 'The one you've known about for exactly three weeks, since you came back from that potion's conference with me. Your last field duty.'
'How – How did you know?' she stammered increduously.
'What, apart from the pregnancy potion I slipped you in that first glass of pumpkin juice? I had to check you know, just in case. Why do you think I didn't let you near the toxic fumes?'
'Because they're toxic?' she asked, knowing she sounded a bit stupid. 'You've damn well known about this longer than I have!'
'I assumed you knew,' he frowned, 'And were playing coy. Of course, I realised that you weren't after the trip. But then you went to see a medi-witch, didn't you? You were at one today. Draco said he'd seen you in the maternity ward, said you were saying hello to a few friends. But I know you don't say hello to friends while you're working.'
'Fine,' she sounded petulant, 'I did the home test as soon as I came home from the field trip – run of the mill, standard test I do once a month. I never trust anything when I've come into contact with spells at work. It read posotive, and I didn't believe it. I buried my head in the sand and hoped it would go away. I didn't again the next day, and it showed posotive again. I had to tell my boss I couldn't do field work again, and then I booked this check-up and confirmation at St. Mungo's. I didn't realise Draco would be coming down!'
'Maybe the shihab's spell counteracted the potion.'
'I don't think so – it would have done it much sooner. Draco and I have been together for almost eleven months now.'
'Of course,' Severus answered absantly, 'Don't cry Hermione.'
It was too late; Hermione had dissolved into tears, and was leaning against the counter for support. Severus moved forward slightly, and awkwardly laid his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
'Oh, what's the use!' she sniffled into his chest once she had thrown herself at him in a wild hug, 'He won't want such a drag! Imagine what he'll say!'
'I think, Hermione,' answered Severus, 'that you've been doing a bit too much imagining. Maybe you should actually find out.'
'Great idea, Severus!' she hurled at him, relising him at the sound of Alfie's excited clamours from just outside the kitchen door.
'Right, go and show auntie Hermione your new blue robes,' came Draco's teasing voice, and both boys baralled through the door.
Draco was dressed in tight jeans which Hermione had brought him for his birthday, and a v-neck sweater. Holding his hand and bounding alongside him came Alfie, in a pair of pale ice blue robes with silver silk inside. Draco just shrugged at Severus' incredulous look.
'Hermione?' Draco sounded concerned and, something in his voice was frightened, but 'Are you alright? You've been crying.'
'I'm fine,' Hermione whimpered, and held her arms out to Alfie, who began clammering all about bathrooms, and baths, and Draco, and wardrobes, and blue robes.
'Hermione?' came a strange, echoing noise throughout the flat, and Hermione almost dropped Alfie as she rushed out into the livingroom and sank to her knees in front of the fireplace. Harry Potter's head was dancing in it.
'Harry! How's Ginny? How's the baby? How're you?'
'I'm fine, Ginny's fine, and the baby's a boy. But you don't look so good.'
'Oh, I'm alright. That's wonderful! I would hug you!'
'Ginny wants you to be the first one apart from us to hold him. We haven't told the Weasleys yet, so you better hurry up. Bring M-Draco, Ginny wants him here as well.'
'One moment! Draco, come on – we're going to st Mungo's! Severus, be an angel and look after Alfie,' and with that hurried request she seized Draco by the hand and tandem apparated them away.
The room was perfectly quiet, and tranquil. Ginny was lying on three pillows, tired but beaming with pride. Harry was standing at the end of the bed, holding his wife's hand with one of his own, and staring entranced into a small, cloudy glass box as if it held the answers to the universe within it.
'Ginny,' Hermione spoke very softly, and came closer to hug her friend tightly, 'Oh Ginny!'
'Hold him Hermione,' Ginny certainly sounded tired, and her voice was hoarse but she was frightfully determined, 'Harry, please.'
Harry didn't say anything, but the dazed look on his face said it all as he reached into the glass box and carefully drew out a tiny lump covered in white blankets. Very carefully, and smoothing a single tuft of black hair away from the edge of the blanket, he placed the baby into his best friend's arms.
Hermione cried almost immediantly. He was so light and fragile, and all she could think about was him and her own tiny baby. Her eyes burned and she very carefully blinked the tears back so that they fell down her cheeks instead of onto the little baby.
'He's beautiful,' she breathed, and felt rather than saw Draco looming over her shoulder.
'Oh gods Hermione,' choked out Harry, in a kind of dreadful voice, 'Hermione.'
Hermione didn't hesitate. Harry had the haunted look in his eyes that spoke about a horrible knowledge that he was going to be a perfectly inadequate father, probably his son would hate him and he just needed his best friend. She handed the tiny baby straight over to Draco (very carefully though) and enveloped Harry in an enormous hug. Ginny watched them with a serene smile.
Draco couldn't understand what was happening to him. Nestled in the crook of his woolen clad arm was a tiny baby playing havoc with his heart. He stared captivated as one tiny green eye opened, and fuzzily gazed past him. The other remained shut, and soon the baby seemed to deem there was nothing of importance happening and closed the other eye. Tears burned in the back of Draco's throat, and he knew it was cliché, and there was nothing he wanted to do about it.
In his mind flashed an image of Hermione lying where Ginny lay now, and a tiny baby of his own – with thick, fuzzy blond hair – and he had to shake his eyes to dispel it. A hand floated into view, and the baby automatically curled it's tiny fingers around Hermione's ring finger while Harry and Ginny held each other.
'It would have atrocious hair,' he whispered, not quite knowing why.
Hermione didn't answer, and Harry appeared by them a moment later. Draco transferred the baby easily, but kept his eyes on it, until Harry thanked him.
'Nice hairstyle, he's got,' offered the blond, 'And, well, thanks for letting me hold him.'
'Come on Draco,' Hermione tugged his hand gently, and lef him out into the corridor.
It was the same place as he had seen her with Alfie, and he almost wanted to cry. She took his hands and pressed them together, and then dropped the right one. The left she placed on her lower stomach, and watched as a frown passed his face. Realistation started to dawn on him.
'We'll just have to invest in a lot of hairbrushes,' she said softly, and he knew she had remembered his comment abut hair.
'Oh Hermione,' he breathed erratically, and held her very tightly in his arms.
When they got back they discovered Severus had transfigured the coffee table into a trainset for Alfie, and was sitting on the floor eating jam sandwiches with the tiny tot.
Severus flashed Draco a knowing grin as he very carefully settled Hermione down on the sofa, and fussed around her. Alfie ran the train over Severus's foot several times repeatedly and made choo-choo noises while informing the potion's master in a loud and bossy tone of voice that when he was older he was going to drive a real train over him, but not hurt him, and was that alright? Severus merely nodded, and removed the train engine from his slightly battered hand.
Chortle Time:-::sniffs:: I know you probably think that it's a bit dumb to put Severus in there, but, man, it was so cutsie-wutsie. Sorry! Thanks for all the reviews I got – they really cheered me up.
By the way, I just got my GCSE results – and now have 11 qualifications. Do I rock or what?
Miss3y:- Well, I'm glad you found that girlishly amusing. Thanks for your review – which I giggled along to.
Sweet Beatrix a.k.a Sweet Jane:- Well, he knows now… You didn't have to wait long this time! Ta!
Rae:- Updated soon as requested, thanks for the review.
MadAboutHarry:- ::petulant sigh:: It wasn't meant to be clear, it's a literary device that I'm currently playing with. Because it's disproved later on that it's the 'morning after', you can take a guess how long it was. It was actually about four months later… I can't believe you're caught up in back to school stuff already! Nahnahnah, I have another two weeks ::sticks tongue out:: Okay, that was mature. Ta!
Tracy3:- I think you were the only one who though H pregnant was a surprise. Never mind though, it was meant to be. ::giggles:: maybe I need to work at concealing things a bit. Thanks for your review (and surprise)!
Foxer:- I deeply resent that, this was a quick update…hehehe. Yeah, send me all the annoying emails you want, as long as they can be used for excuses as to my lack of essays?
NitenGale:- Thanks for forgiving me! One update your ladyship.
Jean jelly bean:- (who wins the award for coolest name this chapter) Greetings. Actually I didn't write anything while I was away – I read 48 books instead ::winning grin:: Soon enough for you?
What do you think of Alfie people? I thought he was cute. He's based on my little-est cousins; they insist my brother is an evil X-Man and has to be wacked soundly. Awww, but they're so cute it's alright if they bash my brother…
