The In-between
"Ron!" Harry Potter ran down the grey-white sterilised corridor of the muggle hospital corridor, he burst through the double doors to the waiting room, where is best friend sat nervously.
At the site of his best friend, Ron Weasley got to his feet. After a few steps towards Harry, Ron stopped dead in his tracks; his face fell in to disbelief as another figure bust through the double doors behind Harry.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry rushed his question, in his haste he hardly noticed, Ron's facial expressions, and "Is your mum here? Did she bring Hermione?"
Ron coughed slightly, not looking at his friend, but more and the person who stood, some-what, awkwardly behind Harry, " Mum's with Hermione. Their in some pre-labour ward thingy." Ron trailed off. "Harry?"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief "Yes Ron?"
"Just two things mate?"
"What?"
"How come it took you so long to get here?" "Oh, muggle traffic was terrible, I didn't want to risk apperating into a muggle hospital."
"Oh" Ron hadn't really paid any attention to a word his friend had just said, " and just one other thing?"
Harry slumped into a chair, and nodded for Ron to continue. "What in Merlin's name is he doing here?" Ron pointed towards the double doors, Draco Malfoy was stood. Harry looked over his shoulder.
"Oh, we met at Azkaban. He was there when the baby pager went off."
"And he came with you?" Ron's mouth fell open. Harry shrugged and nodded.
Unconftably aware that the two men on the chairs in front of him, where indeed talking about his presence in the room, Draco strode forwards, "look, truly sorry to break up this little hen party you have here, but where is Hermione?"
Ron glared at Malfoy, with a look of up most disgust. He was about to open his mouth to respond and tell Malfoy where to get off, when the double doors o the waiting room once again swung open.
"Ginny!" Harry got to his feet and quickly strode over to his red- haired fiancé. Ginny was breathing hard as though she had run a great distance. Catching her breath, she gave a Harry a hurried kiss on the cheek, and then completely ignoring Malfoy's presence, she lowered herself into a chair and addressed her brother and Harry, "How long have you two been here?"
"Since nine pm." Ron yawned. Harry flopped into the chair next to Ginny; putting his arm around her he checked his watch. The time read ten fifty six pm.
"We've been here about ten minutes at most." Harry yawned. "We?" Ginny gave Harry a baffled look. Harry nodded and jabbed a thumb in the direction of Malfoy.
"Malfoy?"
Sighing deeply and feeling the anger coursing through his veins, Malfoy took one last deep breath and yelled " MALFOY! YES DRACO MALFOY IS HERE! SHOCK FUCKIN HORRIOR LETS GO THROW OURSELFS INTO A BOLING LAVER 'CAUSE THE SHOCK IS TOO MUCH TO BLOODY HANDLE. YES MALFOY IS BLOODY HERE AND WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILD TO FUCKING BE IS"
***
The clock ticked over to six am, on September twenty eighth. Sat on a cold tiled floor, in between two drinks machines, with his head cupped in his hands sat Draco Malfoy.
Molly Weasley had forbidden him too see Hermione, and to ensure he wouldn't sneak off to her room, she had placed a charm on his, so that if he came within twelve meters of Hermione's room, he would be pulled, as though by an invisible fish hook, straight back into the waiting room.
He had been sat on his own, his buttocks numb, for at least four hours. He had begun to wonder if Molly had placed a wall charm on him, to keep everyone away from him as well.
Apparently not.
Lifting his head out of his hands, Draco found himself looking into the freckled face of Ginny Weasley. In her hand two white foam cups, that steamed slightly at rims. She extended the right cup towards him. Sniffing the air slightly, he breathed deeply, "Is that coffee?" she nodded, and the foam cup exchanged hands.
He took a deep gulp of the hot steamy coffee. It was nothing short of awful. It tasted very watered down, Draco guessed some sort of instant muggle coffee.
He glanced up at Ginny, who still stood surveying him. It was strange how she could look so awake yet so tiered at the same time. She was still wearing her school uniform, but had abandoned the hat. He guessed she'd been allowed out of Hogwarts for the weekend.
"Why are you here?"
He stared at Ginny. Her face was serious, it had lost the sympathetic glint, it held only a few moments before hand. "Here?"
"Yes Malfoy here. Why are you here?" Malfoy shifted slightly, and Ginny took the opportunity to set herself between him and the drinks machine on his right.
"Well." he began in a slow deadbeat drawl, " I'm here for the two pure and simple facts. The first being that this darling machine next to me makes the worlds best coffee, and two that if I go into that waiting room, your darling fiancé and his charming fire headed sidekick, wont hesitate to make me the next patient in this sorry excuse for a hospital."
Despite herself Ginny laughed, coking on her coffee.
"For goodness sakes Malfoy, when will you stop being such an insensitive bustard and for once start showing your true feelings?"
Goggling at the red head Malfoy chuckled.
"For me to open up and start blabbering my true feelings, would only result in me bawling like a little girl, which would in turn result in me placing an extraordinarily strong memory charm on both you and myself, to save us both from years of expensive psycho therapy."
Both looked at each other, with expressions of I-was-not-at-all- amused-by-that-statement-. But after a split second neither could resist the uncontrollable urge to laugh.
After a few moments of laughter, Ginny took a deep breath and asked again, " but seriously Malfoy, why are you here? You made it pretty clear you didn't want any part of this babies life." she trailed off, but still maintained eye contact with Draco. He knew he couldn't avoid this question, he wasn't even sure he wanted to avoid it.
"I." "Ginny?" Ginny jumped to her feet, as Harry strode over to her, she smiled at Harry, unaware of the concerned look on his face.
"Harry, your awake?"
"Yeah." Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder, than back to her sweet freckled face. "Ginny what in Merlin's name have you been up too while I've been sleeping with your brother?"
Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but stopped almost at once, as she realised what her fiancé had just said, instead she stifled a laugh and raised her eyebrow to him. Harry too realised what his words could be interpreted to mean. He blushed and mumbled, "You know what I meant."
Squashing the strong desire to laugh in Harry's face, she smiled and spoke calmly, "I've merely been having a conversation with Malfoy here."
Harry scowled, "mmm, well please disinfect your lips before kissing me."
"Don't worry potter," Draco's cool calm drawl injected itself into the conversation, "charm and good looks aren't contagious"
"Shame isn't it." Harry smirked "you could do with a makeover."
"Why ruin perfection?"
"Perfection?"
"Yes potter, perfection. You know that thing that makes me so god damn sexy, and the thing that obviously didn't leave itself in your Christmas stocking."
Harry suddenly grabbed his trouser pocket again, and Ginny gasped Clamping a hand to her right breast! Malfoy stared at them both; the looks on there face where as though someone had shown a young nun a porn magazine, utter horror.
"Well, if I'd known verbal insults turned you two on this badly I'd of."
"SHUT UP!" Harry and Ginny yelled in unison. Ginny put her hand into her breast pocket and pulled out a small gold pager, like the one Harry had had in Azkaban. "Why mum had to make these things burn I'll never know."
"I guess so we'd notice them." Harry pulled out his own little golden pager. The couple once again ignored Malfoy's presence. This was getting annoying. Malfoy was about to ask what the pagers where about, when Ron came blundering around the corner. "Harry, Ginny, " Ron looked like he was about to wet himself with happiness, "she's in the labour room, she's had the baby!"
***
Hermione lay in the labour room. She was exhausted and sweaty, as she moped her forehead and opened her eyes. The midwife handed her a soft blue bundle. Hermione smiled down at her baby. Her sweet, innocent, little baby. "Congratulations Miss. Granger," the Mid-wife smiled down at her. "It's a ."
"Ron!" Harry Potter ran down the grey-white sterilised corridor of the muggle hospital corridor, he burst through the double doors to the waiting room, where is best friend sat nervously.
At the site of his best friend, Ron Weasley got to his feet. After a few steps towards Harry, Ron stopped dead in his tracks; his face fell in to disbelief as another figure bust through the double doors behind Harry.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry rushed his question, in his haste he hardly noticed, Ron's facial expressions, and "Is your mum here? Did she bring Hermione?"
Ron coughed slightly, not looking at his friend, but more and the person who stood, some-what, awkwardly behind Harry, " Mum's with Hermione. Their in some pre-labour ward thingy." Ron trailed off. "Harry?"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief "Yes Ron?"
"Just two things mate?"
"What?"
"How come it took you so long to get here?" "Oh, muggle traffic was terrible, I didn't want to risk apperating into a muggle hospital."
"Oh" Ron hadn't really paid any attention to a word his friend had just said, " and just one other thing?"
Harry slumped into a chair, and nodded for Ron to continue. "What in Merlin's name is he doing here?" Ron pointed towards the double doors, Draco Malfoy was stood. Harry looked over his shoulder.
"Oh, we met at Azkaban. He was there when the baby pager went off."
"And he came with you?" Ron's mouth fell open. Harry shrugged and nodded.
Unconftably aware that the two men on the chairs in front of him, where indeed talking about his presence in the room, Draco strode forwards, "look, truly sorry to break up this little hen party you have here, but where is Hermione?"
Ron glared at Malfoy, with a look of up most disgust. He was about to open his mouth to respond and tell Malfoy where to get off, when the double doors o the waiting room once again swung open.
"Ginny!" Harry got to his feet and quickly strode over to his red- haired fiancé. Ginny was breathing hard as though she had run a great distance. Catching her breath, she gave a Harry a hurried kiss on the cheek, and then completely ignoring Malfoy's presence, she lowered herself into a chair and addressed her brother and Harry, "How long have you two been here?"
"Since nine pm." Ron yawned. Harry flopped into the chair next to Ginny; putting his arm around her he checked his watch. The time read ten fifty six pm.
"We've been here about ten minutes at most." Harry yawned. "We?" Ginny gave Harry a baffled look. Harry nodded and jabbed a thumb in the direction of Malfoy.
"Malfoy?"
Sighing deeply and feeling the anger coursing through his veins, Malfoy took one last deep breath and yelled " MALFOY! YES DRACO MALFOY IS HERE! SHOCK FUCKIN HORRIOR LETS GO THROW OURSELFS INTO A BOLING LAVER 'CAUSE THE SHOCK IS TOO MUCH TO BLOODY HANDLE. YES MALFOY IS BLOODY HERE AND WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILD TO FUCKING BE IS"
***
The clock ticked over to six am, on September twenty eighth. Sat on a cold tiled floor, in between two drinks machines, with his head cupped in his hands sat Draco Malfoy.
Molly Weasley had forbidden him too see Hermione, and to ensure he wouldn't sneak off to her room, she had placed a charm on his, so that if he came within twelve meters of Hermione's room, he would be pulled, as though by an invisible fish hook, straight back into the waiting room.
He had been sat on his own, his buttocks numb, for at least four hours. He had begun to wonder if Molly had placed a wall charm on him, to keep everyone away from him as well.
Apparently not.
Lifting his head out of his hands, Draco found himself looking into the freckled face of Ginny Weasley. In her hand two white foam cups, that steamed slightly at rims. She extended the right cup towards him. Sniffing the air slightly, he breathed deeply, "Is that coffee?" she nodded, and the foam cup exchanged hands.
He took a deep gulp of the hot steamy coffee. It was nothing short of awful. It tasted very watered down, Draco guessed some sort of instant muggle coffee.
He glanced up at Ginny, who still stood surveying him. It was strange how she could look so awake yet so tiered at the same time. She was still wearing her school uniform, but had abandoned the hat. He guessed she'd been allowed out of Hogwarts for the weekend.
"Why are you here?"
He stared at Ginny. Her face was serious, it had lost the sympathetic glint, it held only a few moments before hand. "Here?"
"Yes Malfoy here. Why are you here?" Malfoy shifted slightly, and Ginny took the opportunity to set herself between him and the drinks machine on his right.
"Well." he began in a slow deadbeat drawl, " I'm here for the two pure and simple facts. The first being that this darling machine next to me makes the worlds best coffee, and two that if I go into that waiting room, your darling fiancé and his charming fire headed sidekick, wont hesitate to make me the next patient in this sorry excuse for a hospital."
Despite herself Ginny laughed, coking on her coffee.
"For goodness sakes Malfoy, when will you stop being such an insensitive bustard and for once start showing your true feelings?"
Goggling at the red head Malfoy chuckled.
"For me to open up and start blabbering my true feelings, would only result in me bawling like a little girl, which would in turn result in me placing an extraordinarily strong memory charm on both you and myself, to save us both from years of expensive psycho therapy."
Both looked at each other, with expressions of I-was-not-at-all- amused-by-that-statement-. But after a split second neither could resist the uncontrollable urge to laugh.
After a few moments of laughter, Ginny took a deep breath and asked again, " but seriously Malfoy, why are you here? You made it pretty clear you didn't want any part of this babies life." she trailed off, but still maintained eye contact with Draco. He knew he couldn't avoid this question, he wasn't even sure he wanted to avoid it.
"I." "Ginny?" Ginny jumped to her feet, as Harry strode over to her, she smiled at Harry, unaware of the concerned look on his face.
"Harry, your awake?"
"Yeah." Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder, than back to her sweet freckled face. "Ginny what in Merlin's name have you been up too while I've been sleeping with your brother?"
Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but stopped almost at once, as she realised what her fiancé had just said, instead she stifled a laugh and raised her eyebrow to him. Harry too realised what his words could be interpreted to mean. He blushed and mumbled, "You know what I meant."
Squashing the strong desire to laugh in Harry's face, she smiled and spoke calmly, "I've merely been having a conversation with Malfoy here."
Harry scowled, "mmm, well please disinfect your lips before kissing me."
"Don't worry potter," Draco's cool calm drawl injected itself into the conversation, "charm and good looks aren't contagious"
"Shame isn't it." Harry smirked "you could do with a makeover."
"Why ruin perfection?"
"Perfection?"
"Yes potter, perfection. You know that thing that makes me so god damn sexy, and the thing that obviously didn't leave itself in your Christmas stocking."
Harry suddenly grabbed his trouser pocket again, and Ginny gasped Clamping a hand to her right breast! Malfoy stared at them both; the looks on there face where as though someone had shown a young nun a porn magazine, utter horror.
"Well, if I'd known verbal insults turned you two on this badly I'd of."
"SHUT UP!" Harry and Ginny yelled in unison. Ginny put her hand into her breast pocket and pulled out a small gold pager, like the one Harry had had in Azkaban. "Why mum had to make these things burn I'll never know."
"I guess so we'd notice them." Harry pulled out his own little golden pager. The couple once again ignored Malfoy's presence. This was getting annoying. Malfoy was about to ask what the pagers where about, when Ron came blundering around the corner. "Harry, Ginny, " Ron looked like he was about to wet himself with happiness, "she's in the labour room, she's had the baby!"
***
Hermione lay in the labour room. She was exhausted and sweaty, as she moped her forehead and opened her eyes. The midwife handed her a soft blue bundle. Hermione smiled down at her baby. Her sweet, innocent, little baby. "Congratulations Miss. Granger," the Mid-wife smiled down at her. "It's a ."