Well here is the second to the last chapter; I hope you all enjoy it. Its contents contain details I have never had to write before, so please be gentle.
Thank you all for the lovely reviews, I enjoyed reading them. Too bad, this story is coming to a close very soon.
Warning: Blood, Snide Remarks, Miss Use of Cell phones. Hehe
ENJOY!
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Chapter eight:
Complications Arise
Preparing for a wedding was much more complicated than Harry realized. Tuxedoes, gowns, flowers, and caterers all of it was complicated.
The day after he arrived at the burrow, Harry was sent with Draco to Madam Malkin's Shop, where he was forced to stand for hours to be fitted.
Harry glared at the smug look Draco sent him through the mirror. "What are you smiling at Malfoy," Harry growled through clenched teeth. Old habits died hard.
"Just enjoying the show Potter," the other man said with a smirk.
Harry winced as another needle Madam Malkin haphazardly waved around in the air, pricked his skin. "Why did you want me as your best man, anyway," he asked, before he was stabbed again, only this time he was sure it was on purpose. Harry looked up in time to see the smug smile on Draco's face fall. "You should know Potter," he said in turn, his voice sounding hoarse. "You were there on that tower, you alone saw what I helped do." He paused, his eyes staring off over Harry's shoulder.
"But when I came crawling back, you were the first to trust me. The first to believe in me.
"Not even Hermione believed me at first, at least not until you stuck up for me, when everyone else was ready to hex me."
Harry shivered at the coldness that reflected from the other man's stare. "Why did you," Draco asked suddenly, his gray eyes lifting to meet Harry's green ones. Flushing, Harry averted his gaze. "It was something Dumbledore taught me. Not directly mind you, but-" he paused mid sentence, his mind falling back onto that day.
Ron, Hermione and himself had been searching the world for a way to defeat Voldemort. Draco had stumbled upon their little camp, startling the three into action.
"Malfoy!" Ron hissed through his teeth.
"What are you doing here," Harry demanded, one hand fingering his wand, which he held at Malfoy's throat.
"I was sent to kill you," he admitted truthfully, his gray eyes focusing on the wand pointed at him. Standing next to Harry, Hermione trembled at the threat, but her binding spell didn't waver an inch. "But I don't plan to carry out that mission Potter."
At Harry's left, Ron bristled at the words. "Don't trust him Harry, he's lying," he said quickly, as if fearing Harry might consider the Death Eater's words.
"I came instead to warn you," Malfoy insisted, ignoring Ron's accusations completely. "Voldemort knows that you're seeking the horcruxes. But he has retrieved one of them and now holds it in his possession."
Harry silenced the babbling Death Eater with a press of his wand. "Why should I believe you? Or even trust you for that matter," he replied harshly.
Malfoy's body shuddered, whether it was by the coldness in Harry's tone, or in defeat. "You shouldn't," he replied. The gray in his eyes turned cold, causing Harry's facade to waver.
He studied the man sitting on his knees before him. By rights, he should send him to Azkaban, who knew how many muggles he'd already killed? Before he could decide on Malfoy's fate though, a voice in his head, sounding almost like Dumbledore, told him to give him a chance. Dumbledore had put his trust in Snape and look where it had gotten him, he argued. But-
"Alright," he answered, much to the other's surprise. "I believe you."
"You have Dumbledore to thank, for my believing you," Harry said suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled around them. "Do you know that saying, 'Keep you friends close, but your enemy closer,'" he asked.
Draco nodded, his face becoming blank. "Dumbledore believed in that saying, only he kept his enemies too close, and trusted them too much.
"I believed you Draco, but I couldn't trust you, not yet at least. At least not until I saw you stand up against your father."
The other wizard tilted his head some, as confusion settled across his features. Madam Malkin said she was done, allowing Harry to jump down from the pedestal. Walking toward Draco, he paused right before him. "You idolized your father, Draco," he said carefully. "You really cared for him and when I saw you go up against him, I knew then."
The defenses Draco had stored up and set into place seemed to shatter at Harry's words. The man's shoulders sagged, and he let out a breath of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Draco was saved from having to say anything, when the familiar Funeral March began to play loud and clear in Madam Malkin's shop.
Frowning, Draco pulled back to seek out the source of the song. "Oh that's for me," Harry spoke up as he hurried over to where his jacket hung on the chair, which sat near the front door. "Your jacket is playing the Funeral March," Draco asked with a raise of his brow.
With a nervous laugh, Harry answered, "Unfortunately no. It's my cell phone." He pulled out the said muggle device from the pocket of his jacket. Harry didn't bother to look at the number, knowing whom the ring belonged to, he answered, "Moshi moshi Usagi chan."
"Kami Sama Harry kun!" Usagi wailed into the other end of the connection. Harry jerked the phone back from his ear with a wince. Hence the ring tone.
"Uh- hai Usagi chan, daijoubu deska?" he inquired carefully, his tongue tripping over his translation from English to Japanese. But before he could make an even bigger fool out of himself, Usagi cut him off as she tried to explain something to him, only in her excitement; she continued to speak in her native tongue.
"Usagi? Wait- what?"
Harry frowned as he listened, since he was only able to catch a few words she said, and he translated them in his head. What he came up with made no sense what so ever. He finally just gave up trying.
"Usagi, I don't know my Japanese very well and what you are saying isn't making any sense to me!" he yelled back, in hopes to be heard over her voice.
"Is that Harry," he heard someone say to Usagi, before someone shouted into the phone. "Is that you Harry!"
"Bloody hell," Harry cursed, pulling the phone away from his ear, as Luna continued to yell into Usagi's cell. "Luna I can hear you just fine," he yelled back, holding the mouthpiece close to his mouth as he said this. From behind him, Draco snickered. "Sod off Malfoy," he growled, his patience wearing thin.
"I don't understand how this thing works," Luna said to someone, who Harry could only assume was Usagi.
"I'm sorry Harry," Usagi said, having finally gotten the phone back and had calmed down. "Its just, Ginny's water broke and we had to rush back to Mrs. Weasley's and we traveled by fireplace, fireplace Harry, I felt like I was Santa Clause," she said all in one breath.
Harry shook his head, at Usagi's enthusiasm, as she tried to explain to him about flooing. "Oh my god," Usagi suddenly murmured. "I can see the head!" A moment of silence passes, before she suddenly shouted, sounding panicky, "What are we supposed to do Luna!" In the background he heard Luna encouraging Ginny to push.
"What's happening to Ginny," he asked, vaguely remembering Usagi as mentioned her before.
"Oh, um- well she's having a baby," Usagi whispered.
"She's what?"
----
Usagi snapped the phone shut, cutting Harry off. "Um Luna, where did Mrs. Weasley go?" she asked, her eyes darting about the room.
"She went to get some towels and hot water," Luna replied casually. "Why?"
Usagi swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. I'm going to be sick, she said to herself and yet it wasn't nausea that had risen itself in her throat, though. "Push it back in," she blurted out and then flushed at the absurdity of her words. Both Ginny and Luna looked up at her with confusion.
"I mean- Luna you go find Mrs. Weasley, I'll stay here. Oh- and get Neville too!" she said quickly to cover up with her mistake.
Luna nodded and hurried from the room. Usagi then realized, that maybe she should have been the one to go find Mrs. Weasley and the others. But it was too late to change her mind now, so Usagi took a seat on the stool Mrs. Weasley had placed in front of the bed Ginny was lying on.
"Okay, I was a nurse for a whole month, this can't be much worse than that," she said to psych herself up for the job ahead of her. "And I took those Lamas classes with Mamoru when we were thinking about having Chibi Usa. Right, I can do this."
Usagi rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and turned to the girl she had just met yesterday.
Ginny was gasping for air now, a sheen of sweat forming along her brow. "You need to breathe," Usagi instructed her, showing her how she'd learned in her classes. After a few tries, Ginny finally found the rhythm. "Okay, it's right there, I can see him," she said, remembering last night, Ginny had said it was going to be a boy.
"Okay you need to push," she said. I think, she added silently.
Ginny made a few tempts to breathe, before with a deep-throated scream, pushed for all that she was worth. Hey this isn't so hard, Usagi thought to herself. She does most of the work.
Just then, Mrs. Weasley came running into the room. "Luna take this and keep her cool. Neville take Ginny's hand, she'll need the support," she ordered, as she came to a stop at Usagi's side. Both Luna and Neville followed their orders. While Neville took hold of Ginny's hand, Luna attempted to dab the girl's face to cool her down.
Usagi looked up at the older woman and sent her a sheepish smile. "I have no idea what I'm doing," she admitted fearfully. "You're doing fine," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "Ginny, you need to push. Give it all that you have, just one more."
Ginny nodded, her breathing erratic, as she tried to talk herself into continuing. And then with one more cry, she pushed, her face turning the same shade of red as her hair. And with that push, the baby came right out into Usagi's waiting arms. Usagi jerked back in shock, her blue eyes widening as the baby started to scream. "Um I don't think he wanted to come out," she said quickly, unsure what she was supposed to do with him now. In the movies they always seemed to come out all clean and clothed. This one was covered in blood and very naked.
Mrs. Weasley scooped the baby from her arms and with Luna's help, cut the umbilical cord and wrapped him in towels. "Usagi can you hold him, I need to go find a blanket to wrap him in," Mrs. Weasley asked, as she handed the baby back into Usagi's arms.
"Uh- oh- um okay," she said, now looking at the baby right side up. Mrs. Weasley left the room, only to return with Draco, Hermione and Harry.
Harry paused in the doorway, his heart stilling within his chest at the sight before him. Usagi stood at the end of the bed, cradling the tiniest baby he'd ever seen. There was a hint of fear in her face as she looked at the baby, but there was also a sense of awe.
Usagi lifted her gaze from the baby, to look at him then. She sent Harry a smile, since seeing him there, sent warmth through her body. "Here," Mrs. Weasley asked and Usagi handed the child over to her for her to care for.
Moving away from the bed, she started across the room to stand next to Harry. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley tended with the baby, while Luna and Neville cleaned up Ginny. Draco had moved off to the side, his eyes focused on the baby, as it was cleaned and dressed.
Taking action, Usagi reached for Harry's hand and laced her fingers with his. They stood there together, their hearts racing, as Ginny was finally allowed to hold her baby.
"He's beautiful," she whispered. "Thank you so much for this Harry." Harry looked over to see tears clinging to her eyes. "What's wrong," he asked.
Usagi shook her head and with the back of her hand, she wiped the tears away. "Nothing. I'm just grateful, I got to experience something like this," she explained.
Harry nodded, releasing her hand he moved to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Yea me to," he said, meaning the sight he'd walked in on. Seeing her holding the baby had done something funny to his heart. It had made it race. And thinking about having a baby made his insides tingle. But thinking about having Usagi's baby, caused pixies to dance around inside his stomach.
----
Later that day, Hermione found herself alone in the living room. Both Ginny and the baby were doing just fine. She smiled, but her heart just wasn't into it.
Ginny would be in bed for days, which meant, Hermione didn't have a Matron of honor. With a sigh, she fell back into the chair she was sitting in. She could postpone the wedding until Ginny had her strength back. Or she could find someone else.
Both choices seemed hard to make. Postponing would be tough, since all preparations were set for Thursday. But then finding another maid of honor wouldn't be easy and also it wouldn't be fair to Ginny.
"What am I going to do," she whispered to herself, completely at a lost. "What wrong," Draco asked, as he entered the room. Hermione looked up as he entered and a smile touched her face. "What do you think," she asked suddenly. "Do you want to postpone the wedding, or do you think I should find someone else?"
Draco grimaced at the choices given to him. He agreed at how hard the decision would be to make. "Hermione, this is our wedding. Our day and I believe Ginny would understand if we found someone else. I don't think she would want you to wait any longer," he said at last.
A sad smile played on her face at his words. Looking up at him, from where he had seated himself on the armrest of the chair, the smile grew. "You're right. So then who," she asked. In Hogwarts, she'd been the one with all the answers.
Now the tables had turned.
"Harry's little friend seems like a nice girl," he said suddenly. Frowning, Hermione replied carefully, "Yes she is. I can see why he likes her." She titled her head to the side in thought. "But what are we going-" she cut herself off, suddenly understanding what he was getting at. "Do you think she would want to?" I mean, she hardly knows us, she added silently.
"It doesn't hurt to ask," he replied, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
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So tell me, what did you think? The wedding is up next. What other kind of dilemma can I inspire hmm? Well you'll just have to wait and see.
ENJOY the weekend!
LP
