a/n: Hello again. More updates! yay Well we're getting close to the end. Only two more after this one. It's kind of sad to end it but it's just the start of new beginnings! Like the start of my new story, apart from the Summer Lovin'/One and Only/Then the next one stories. I'm working on it and I'm not sure when it's be up but the next one aka Always and Forever (by the way what do you think of the title?) about their life after Hogwarts in a series of long oneshots will most likely be up sometime next week (possibly I really haven't started it yet but I've got an idea for the first oneshot) So I will let you get on with the chapter.
Kylie
One and Only
Chapter Forty-four
The upcoming week was N.E.W.T.s. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were completely prepared for all of them. Hermione had them studying so well that they knew anything that had been taught in their past seven years of magical education. She had taken to quizzing them at random moments in the day until Ron and Harry made sure they had a book in their hands at all times to pretend that they were already studying.
The Tuesday of N.E.W.T.s was their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. They sat through the theory exam in the morning and prepared for the practice exam in the afternoon. Ron and Harry wished Hermione luck as she went in to take hers. The whole thing went well for Hermione as usual. But just as the examiner was asking Hermione to do a final Patronus Charm, Hermione heard a sharp intake of breath and a grunt of pain. She turned to see Tonks clutching her stomach. A few people rushed over to her including Dumbledore, who was overseeing the examinations. Hermione managed to catch something like resting before the examiner called her attention back.
Hermione quickly performed a Patronus Charm and ignored the praise from the examiner. She hurried out after Tonks and up to Tonks' office, where Tonks was sitting at her desk.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as soon as she entered. Tonks nodded and smiled.
"Yeah it was just some minor pain that's been happening on and off since yesterday. It's no big deal." Tonks said.
"Shouldn't you go see Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked, sitting in a chair across from Tonks. Tonks shook her head.
"When I went yesterday she said they weren't contractions or anything but if they get bigger then I should come back." Tonks said. Hermione relaxed. "So how'd you do in your exam?" Tonks asked.
Hermione relived her concerns and worried about the exam before talking about the good in the exams. Ginny came to join them when she finished her Transfiguration final. Hermione retold her exam experience for Ginny who was having a hard time understanding because Hermione was talking too fast. Tonks stood up to get them all tea while Hermione was explaining her exams. She stopped talking when she heard a cup hit the counter hard. She turned to see Tonks holding her stomach and she also noticed that Tonks' water broke. Hermione and Ginny had been expecting this to happen for a while. They were prepared to take her to the Hospital Wing if anything happened. They started out the door, helping Tonks along. Hermione knew that procedure, as Madam Pomfrey had gone over it with her, Ginny, Ron, and Harry several times.
"When's Lupin going to be here?" Hermione asked, knowing that the previous night was the last night of the full moon.
"He should be coming soon. He said he'd wait till exams to be over." Tonks said. Hermione made a mental note to find a teacher to get Lupin after she helped Tonks safely to the Hospital Wing.
They were turning a corner when they ran into Professor McGonagall.
"What happened?" McGonagall asked. "Albus told me what happened during the exam and I came to check on you."
"Her water broke." Ginny answered. "We have to take her to Madam Pomfrey, she's going into labor." McGonagall accompanied them to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey instructed Tonks to change into a nightgown and lay down.
"It might be a while so you can relax and let me know when you start having contractions." Madam Pomfrey said, going to prepare. Hermione and Ginny took seats on either side of the bed.
"Nymphadora, where's Remus?" McGonagall asked.
"He went to talk with Arthur Weasley about something. I'm not quite sure where he is. He said he would be back after exams." Tonks answered.
"I'll see if I can reach him." McGonagall said before rushing out. Ginny smiled at Tonks.
"I think I know what they're talking about." Ginny said, remembering Lupin hoping he would be a good father. She had suggested talking to her father while she and Lupin were talking on the way back from Ginny's Apparation test.
"Are you excited?" Hermione asked.
"Yes but I'm just not sure if I'm ready for all of the pain." Tonks answered.
"Well it'll be worth it in the end." Ginny said. Tonks smiled and nodded but she felt a contraction coming on.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" Tonks exclaimed until it passed. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Tonks said. Madam Pomfrey popped her head out of the door to her office.
"When they start getting closer together it'll be time." She said, before going back to go over again how to do this. It would be the first baby she delivered. After three more contractions (a considerable length apart) Ron and Harry rushed in the Hospital Wing.
"It's happening?" Ron asked.
"McGonagall told us." Harry said. They walked over to the side of Tonks' bed.
"Where's Lupin?" Ron asked.
"He on his waAAYY- OWWWWW!" She started screaming. Ron and Harry looked alarmed but Hermione offered her hand to Tonks who squeezed the hell out of it. When the contraction passed, Hermione shook her hand out. She and Ginny had been rotating between offering their hands for Tonks to squeeze while she was having the contractions.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Harry asked, trying to be helpful.
"Get this baby out of me!" Tonks said, still breathing heavily from the other contraction. Harry and Ron stood back a little; Tonks wasn't in the best mood. Hermione went to get a cold cloth to put on Tonks' forehead.
"Well I think that's Madam Pomfrey's job but we could get you something." Ron said, also trying to help out.
"No, I'm perfectly fine here." She said sarcastically. Ron and Harry noticed that she was very irritable.
"Right, well we'll be over here." Harry said pointing to two chairs a good distance from Tonks. The time passed as Tonks grew grouchier. Madam Pomfrey said that this was normal for pregnant women to be like this, Tonks snapped at her and told her that she would be too if she was having a baby. Madam Pomfrey went to her office to double-check things again but Hermione thought the real reason was to keep away from irritable Tonks until absolutely necessary.
"DAMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNET!" Tonks exclaimed though another contraction. Ginny had to hold her hand that time. McGonagall rushed back in after an hour and a half.
"We found him. He was at the Burrow. He should be here any minute. Lupin rushed in the room then, closely followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione got up and let Lupin take her seat. He brushed the hair back on Tonks' forehead.
"Nothing happened yet right?" Lupin asked.
"I think my hand's broken." Ginny said from the background. Tonks smiled at Lupin.
"She was waiting for you." Tonks said with a smile that turned into a scream. That was her second one in five minutes, Madam Pomfrey rushed out as if on cue.
"Everyone except Remus, Molly, and Nymphadora out." Madam Pomfrey said. Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley walked out after saying their goodbyes to Tonks. Mrs. Weasley was staying to help Madam Pomfrey out since she already been through six pregnancies. Hermione and Ginny explained what happened when they went up to see Tonks so Ron and Harry could hear.
"Water broke?" Ron asked.
"How does that happen?" Harry asked. Hermione and Ginny looked at each other and started laughing.
"You wouldn't understand." Ginny said.
"I don't think I want to understand." Harry said.
"So how'd the talk go with Lupin?" Ginny asked her father.
"It went good." Mr. Weasley said. "He told me you recommended me to talk to him about being a father."
"Yeah." Ginny said. "I thought he should talk to the best." Ginny smiled at her father who smiled back and hugged her. They heard screaming from in there and Harry and Ron winced.
"Just imagine when you're going to be in there a while from now, having to hold the hand." Mr. Weasley said, watching the look on Ron and Harry's face. Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder.
"Forget it." She said; her voice sounded muffled from Ron's shoulders. "After this I've decided I'm never having kids." Ron and Mr. Weasley chuckled. Ron patted Hermione's back. Harry sat in a chair next to Ginny who was looking at the door and wincing when she heard the screams.
"I'm with Hermione on this one." Ginny said. The guys laughed again, knowing that they were only saying that because of hearing what Tonks was going through.
Things got really quiet (excluding Tonks' screams) and they either sat or paced around. Hermione was going crazy, waiting to see that Tonks and Penny came out of this ok. Normally she would be studying for Herbology the next day but she was too nervous and preoccupied to do it. She paced back and forth nervously glancing at the door and stopping before starting up again. Ron finally pulled her into the chair next to him and put his arm around her. Hermione was then anxiously tapping her feet, waiting for an answer, Ron was falling asleep in the next chair because it was starting to get late and nobody had come out of the room yet. McGonagall and Dumbledore joined their waiting until somewhere close to ten Lupin came out of the room, smiling with Mrs. Weasley behind him.
"She's perfect." Lupin said. "And she's so small."
"Can we see her?" Hermione asked. Lupin nodded.
"Madam Pomfrey said two at a time." Lupin informed them. They took turns two at a time to see Tonks. Ron held Hermione's hand when it was their turn to go in. Tonks was sitting on the bed when they walked in holding Penny. She looked tired but happy.
"How're you feeling?" Ron asked.
"I'm tired." Tonks answered, looking down at her baby. Lupin rested on the bed next to her with his arm around her looking at his baby. Hermione leaned back on Ron's shoulder and smiled at the happy scene in front of her. Penny was passed to Lupin who took her in his arms and smiled. Tonks smiled at him, remembering when she saw the tear of happiness slip down his cheek when he first held Penny. Lupin brought her to Hermione who gently took her in her arms.
"She's so small." Hermione said. Ron smiled over Hermione's shoulder, looking down at the baby. He put his finger out and Penny's tiny fingers closed around his. Hermione smiled at Ron who was smiling back.
"Look." Ron said, talking about the expression on Penny's face. It was strewn up like she was thinking hard and then her nose changed shape. Hermione smiled.
"She's already showing her metamorphous powers." Hermione said.
"She takes after her mum." Lupin said. Tonks smiled at Lupin.
Hermione passed Penny to Ron who held her gently in his arms, afraid that he might break her if he wasn't too careful. Ron and Hermione handed Penny back to Lupin so that they could let Mr. and Mrs. Weasley come in. Ron and Hermione said bye to them and exited. Mrs. Weasley stopped them before she went in with Mr. Weasley.
"Dumbledore said you lot could go down to the kitchen and eat then you should study for your exams tomorrow. We'll see you at graduation. Hermione, I talked to your parents and they're going to come with us on the Knight Bus that day." Mrs. Weasley said. They nodded and went with Harry and Ginny to the kitchen after making a quick stop at the Common Room so Hermione could grab her books. After eating, they were right back in the Head Common Room studying till later on that night.
Ron lay in bed with Hermione after they finished studying, neither one of them was asleep.
"We'll have one of them one day right?" Ron asked.
"Of course." Hermione answered. " Maybe more than one if you play your cards right." She said with a chuckle. Ron smiled too.
"Good." He said, satisfied with the answer.
"It's definitely worth all of the pain." Hermione decided with a yawn. They fell asleep with the knowledge of exams tomorrow.
The next day their exams went by fine as well as the next couple of days. Hermione and Ron started packing as they only had a few days left till graduation.
The ball was Friday and Hermione finished the last exam (on Friday) with a little more distraction than all of the other ones.
a/n:
So Penny is now born! I don't know much about having a baby - with
the exception of the stuff I've seen in movies and on TV- so I just
used guesses so I'm not sure if it actually happens or whatever, but,
yeah so I hope you liked it! Prepare for the ball!
