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A/N There is only one chapter after this one...and it is a loooooong one. LOL. I really enjoyed writing it. Happy reading and don't forget to review!
Emily
The months of her pregnancy went by slowly. It was as if every movement of the baby was a constant painful reminder that she was alone. Viktor had been more wonderful than she could have imagined. He lovingly talked to the baby at night as she lay on her bed. He would put his head to Hermione's stomach and talk in fluent Bulgarian. Sometimes she could feel the baby moving as if doing cartwheels and flips inside of her. By about the fifth month she could feel kicking quite often. Hermione rarely left number 12 Grimmauld place, other than to visit Cho at her office and her parents. It had become her new home. Viktor had surprised her one day by bringing home a white washed oak crib with pink and yellow bedding. He struggled to assemble it before Hermione laughed, grabbed his wand and finished it herself. All she had anymore were these brief moments of joy sandwiched between longer periods of absolute dread. The farther along her pregnancy became, the more anxious she was about her uncertain future as a single parent.
She was nearing the end of her eighth month the following spring. And everyone staying in the house had learned to keep their distance from her. Every minute of the day she displayed another mood. Viktor had given up on trying to convince her to marry him. The last time he had asked she ended up in tears, throwing household objects at him. So for now he was content just to be able to lie with her in bed and feel her growing child.
On this spring morning Hermione was sitting on the sofa. Magical knitting needles were working away on a yellow bonnet for the baby. She was sipping tea and feeling quite content for once. Ginny and Harry were on the loveseat cuddled up snugly. Hermione felt a twinge of annoyance.
'Stupid couples' she thought 'Rubbing their happiness in my face.'
Her emotions were so all over the place that she paid them no mind usually.
"Everything okay?" Ginny asked cautiously.
"Mmmhmm." Hermione said not looking at them. "Just fine thanks. I think my daughter's going to be an acrobat though. I don't think she's sat still for two minutes since I've been pregnant."
Harry and Ginny both giggled a bit. They had made an art of keeping Hermione calm and happy. Hermione tried to get up off of the couch but struggled a bit. She was still not used to the massive weight that hung in front of her. She finally managed to get off the couch and walked slowly into the kitchen to make herself some more tea and maybe some toast. Viktor was in the kitchen sitting at the table pouring over the Quidditch section of The Daily Prophet. He had taken the season off from playing to take care of Hermione. Even though she insisted she didn't need all the fussing. Viktor had insisted on coming to every appointment she had with Cho. And buying her every little thing her heard desired for the baby. Including a miniature set of quidditch robes, emblazoned with the Bulgarian flag. He had been everything a normal girl would have wanted. But he still wasn't Draco. And Hermione just couldn't get past that.
Near the middle of May Hermione's stomach was aching. Not just aching but throbbing. She was pacing the floor of her room rubbing her stomach and talking to the baby.
"Shhhh…just settle down now. Everything is going to be fine. Just quiet down."
Unfortunately it wasn't helping. After a few hours of pain she called for Harry and Ron. They entered the room carefully, not knowing what they had done to be called into her room. She had done not much else but yell at them for the past five months.
"What is it 'Mione?" Ron asked. His blue eyes sparkled with concern for one of his oldest friends.
"I think we need to owl Cho. I think I am going into labor." she said rubbing her stomach to calm the pain.
"Serious Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Tell her to come quickly." she replied.
"Won't she want to meet us at St. Mungo's?" Ron asked.
"I am NOT going to St. Mungo's. I will have the baby here. Now please hurry." she said impatiently.
"Ok. We will get her here as soon as possible. Just lay down for now okay?" Harry said walking out the door and practically running into Viktor.
"Vat is going on?" Viktor asked.
"The baby is coming. They are getting Cho to come here." she said smiling for once.
"Now? The baby is coming now?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes."
"Vonderful!" he said, a huge smile playing across his face. "Can I get you anything?"
"Maybe some more pillows. And a glass of water." she said. Viktor waved his wand and 10 or so pillows appeared along with a pitcher of water and a glass on her nightstand.
"That's a lot of pillows!" she mused
"I vant you to be comfortable." he said placing some of the pillows behind her back to prop her up.
"Thank you." she smiled. But inside her soul was crying. Crying out for Draco, wishing he was there to witness the birth of his daughter. She had not heard anything from him, not that she expected to, but no one had even witnessed him leaving the manor anymore. He had become a recluse.
About twenty minutes passed before Cho showed up.
"How are you doing Hermione?" she smiled as she opened her healer's bag.
"Okay. Pains started in the night. I just thought they were false contractions. But then they didn't stop." she said rubbing her stomach again. Cho lifted her white night dress and put a listening device similar to a stethoscope on her stomach.
"She sounds good and strong. Her heartbeat is normal." Cho said putting the device back in the bag. She gave her a quick exam before letting Harry, Ron and Ginny back in the room. Cho gave them a nod and asked where the restroom was. Harry pointed her in the right direction before kneeling next to Hermione's bed.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Okay. Hi Ginny." she said smiling at the red head who was nervously waiting at the end of the bed.
"Are you in much pain?" Ginny asked her.
"Not much." Hermione replied. Viktor grabbed a hold of her left hand.
"If you haff pain, squeeze my hand ok?"
"Do you want to have use of that hand in the future Viktor?" Ron said jokingly.
"Shut up Ron." Hermione replied.
The pain was unbearable for her. Not the physical pain. The mental pain of not having Draco there with her for his daughter's birth. Cho came back minutes later and gave Hermione a pain relieving potion. Reluctantly she took it. The hours ticked by slowly with Ron, Harry, Ginny and Viktor keeping her company in shifts. They played games, talked tried to keep her spirits up but inside she just couldn't shake her sense of dread. Finally she was ready to push. Cho cleared the room except for Viktor.
"One the count of three Hermione. One…two…three…push." Cho said.
Hermione did as she was told. Even though she was exhausted. Even though she didn't want to see her baby. She was terrified to see her. Inside she prayed that the baby looked like her. Forty minutes of hard pushing later she heard a tiny cry.
"She's beautiful." Viktor said lovingly in Hermione's ear.
She saw Cho hold up a tiny bundle at the end of the bed. She was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket before she was handed to Hermione. She was hesitant to reach out for the infant. Scared to look at her. Viktor squeezed her hand reassuringly. She took the tiny baby gently and placed her on her chest.
"Hello Emily." Hermione said softly. The baby opened her eyes and Hermione's worst fears were realized. Silvery blue pools looked sleepily back at her. Panicking, Hermione took the blanket off of the baby's head and stared at the platinum baby fine hair on top of her little girls head.
Low muffled sobs came from within Hermione's chest.
"Take her." she said to Viktor.
"Hermione," Cho started "She needs to nurse."
"I…uh…I don't think I can right now." she stuttered trying to regain her composure.
"You can and you will." Cho said firmly. She had seen it many times. Young single mothers afraid of what they have gotten themselves into. "Besides, the baby's father is here with you. He can help won't you Viktor?"
Viktor nodded. He had convinced himself that this was his child, but Cho's words only made Hermione feel worse.
"And I need a name for the records Hermione." Cho said scribbling on some parchment with a quill.
"Emily, Emily Narcissa"
Miles and miles away at Malfoy Manor Draco had fallen into a deep depression. Something was missing from his very soul but he didn't know what it was. He stayed around the house alone. He had even dismissed all of the house elves and did things for himself. The house was dark and empty. He walked the halls and corridors finally making his way to the kitchen. Then a like a camera flash he saw himself standing there with a wand pointed at Snape. He shook his head trying to remember more but nothing came to him. Someone was with him in that flash. Potter and Weasley and…and Granger. Was that a real memory?
'Can't be.' he thought grabbing some food and heading back to the library.
Back at number 12 Grimmauld place Hermione had fallen into a routine with the baby. She fed her, changed her, rocked her to sleep, but in the same sentence she had kept her emotional distance from Emily. Viktor helped out immensely, as did everyone else in the house. But they could all see Hermione slipping into a hole that she may never come out of.
One day Ginny was rocking the baby to sleep. Emily was nearlythree months old now and everyone had fallen completely in love with her. Everyone except the person that mattered the most. Hermione was in her usual spot, staring into the fire.
"Hermione." Ginny said trying hard not to wake up the baby.
Hermione didn't even look at her.
"HERMIONE!" Ginny yelled. The baby stirred but did not wake.
Hermione turned her head to look at Ginny. She didn't look at the baby sleeping on her lap.
"What Ginny?" she asked annoyed that she had been disturbed from staring into the flames.
"I have had enough. This is your daughter! You hardly hold her. You don't look at her; you act as if she means nothing to you. Just because Malfoy is not here with you is no reason to mistreat his daughter. Now march upstairs and shower because you are taking your daughter to the park. GO!" Ginny said forcefully. Hermione just blinked at her friend. No one had mentioned Draco in the house in over a year. She stood up still looking at Ginny and made her way upstairs. Hermione showered and put on clean clothes before going back down to the sitting room. Ginny had dressed Emily in a cute pink summer dress and bonnet and strapped her into the buggy Viktor had bought.
"It's a beautiful day Hermione. And you have a perfectly healthy beautiful daughter. You can't dwell on him for the rest of your life and ignore her. You haven't even taken her to see your parents yet."
Hermione looked down sheepishly. She had neglected everyone the past few months.
"Take her to see them Hermione. You know they are hurting." Ginny said compassionately.
Hermione nodded and took hold of the stroller. Without trying she apperated her and Emily to her parents house. Both cars were in the driveway so she knew they were home. She pushed the baby up to the door and opened the door.
"Mum, dad? Anyone home?" she called. Emily cooed and giggled.
Katherine came running down the steps.
"Hermione? Is that you? Oh, Richard come quick, Hermione is here!" she said. Her eyes were filled with tears as she hugged her only daughter. "Why haven't you been by? All we've heard from you is by letter. I have been so worried." She planted kisses all over her daughter's face.
Hermione's dad entered the room and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry if we did anything to keep you away so long." he said.
"No, it was me being stupid." she admitted.
"Our Hermione stupid? No." Richard said firmly.
"I was. Look I need to tell you something." she said nervously.
"Well let's go into the sitting room then dear." her mum said. Just then she caught sight of the buggy. "Oh Hermione! You brought the baby?" Hermione could see the joy in her mum's face.
"Yes, I brought her. Why don't I introduce her properly in the other room?"
They walked into the other room and Hermione brought Emily out of the buggy.
"Mum, Dad this is Emily Narcissa. Emily, these are your grandparents." she said holding the baby out for her mum to pick up and cuddle.
"She's just beautiful, but I thought she would be darker, like her father." Katherine said kissing the baby softly on the head.
"That's what I wanted to tell you. Viktor is not her father. We have never gone that far. The truth is my friend, Draco, is her father. He was hurt and lost his memory. He doesn't remember that we were together and I haven't seen him since Snape's trial." she said with a heavy heart.
"Did you tell him you were pregnant?" Richard asked.
"Yes dad. But the truth is we used to hate each other, and since his injury he still thinks we do. I told him I was pregnant and he said it wasn't his before he threw me out of his home." tears were filling her large brown eyes. "Viktor offered to be her father, and at the time I thought it was a good idea, but now I realize that I am just leading him on. I have no feelings for him other than a good friend."
"I see." Richard said. "Who is going to support the baby then? Shouldn't he have to pay something for her?"
"Dad…just let it be." she replied.
Katherine handed Emily to Richard. The small girl smiled and cooed at her grandfather melting his heart.
"So why haven't you been here before now?" her mother asked.
"I don't know…" Hermione lied. "I just have had things to work through. I was in love with her father. And I have no resolution with him. And to make things worse…she is the spitting image of him."
Richard and Katherine both looked over Emily. Her white blonde hair was slightly wavy. And her silvery blue eyes twinkled with the hidden secrets of the world.
"He must have been very handsome." Katherine sighed looking at her granddaughter.
"He was. But he is in the past. And I need to move on with the future right?"
Her parents looked at her and nodded.
When she finished her visit she apperated behind number 12 and made her way to the park. The same park she and Harry had chased Draco to all that time ago. It seemed like ages ago. Several young mothers were there with their kids. Pushing them on swings and such. A few wandered over to look at baby Emily. They 'ooohed' and 'ahhed' at her extreme beauty. Her pale skin and mesmerizing eyes entranced everyone who saw her. Hermione was finally starting to feel better about herself and her child. She sat there on the park bench talking to her as the sun was just starting to set.
"Emily, sweetheart, I'm so sorry that mommy has been acting the way I have. I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I know one day you will ask about your daddy. And one day I will have to relive what we went through. But until then you will have all of me from now on."
The baby smiled at her melting every doubt and insecurity that she had before. She was getting ready to put the baby back in the buggy when something caught her eye. Or rather someone. Someone with platinum lighting hair and her daughter's eyes.