Beginnings and Ends
Hermione's door flew open but before she even had time to react, Draco was in the room and gripped the intruder in a tight head lock. Her would-be assailant struggled valiantly under Draco's determined grip.
'Mhhhmmmffm', an angry, garbled voice yelled from the approximate region of Draco's armpit.
Hermione sighed and shook her head at the expression of glee that Draco was barely trying to conceal.
'Draco, let go of Harry's head. I'm sure he has a perfectly reasonable explanation for rushing in here like a loon.' Hermione intoned.
Draco obediently released Harry and came to stand by Hermione. She was quite surprised to see that Harry didn't even try to exact revenge on Draco for the headlock. The situation was clearly very serious.
When Harry finally found his voice again he began yelling at cosmic speed. He sounded as if he was still speaking through Draco's armpit. Hermione rushed towards Harry and placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on his frantic shoulders. An overwhelming sense of confusion and excitement radiated from Harry.
'What in the name of Merlin's socks has gotten you so fired up?' she asked her frantic friend. Harry visibly sagged under Hermione's gaze. 'That's it. Take nice, deep breaths and try to annunciate.'
After gulping down some large breaths he finally managed to get his message across, 'Ginny's having the baby!'
Hermione would have laughed if Harry wasn't looking so wretchedly worried. Instead, she draped her arm over Harry's twitching shoulders and spoke to him in a slow but precise voice. 'Harry, you need to clam down. Everything's going to be fine. I'm sure Mrs Weasley already has Ginny safely tucked up in a bed at St Mungo's. Babies take a while to come out, so Ginny's more than likely just waiting for you to appear by her side. She needs you there, Harry. What she doesn't need is you in the middle of a conniption. So here's what we're going to do.'
Harry seemed to be holding his breath in anticipation as Hermione spoke, so she paused to remind him to breathe.
'You're going to go home and pack a bag of essentials for Ginny: pyjamas, toiletries etc, and then floo directly to St Mungo's okay. We'll meet you in the foyer in exactly twenty minutes.'
Harry was heading out the door before Hermione even finished her sentence. The wild and frantic look on his face had all but disappeared, replaced by one of blind determination. When a person hits the state of panic that currently assailed Harry it was generally easier to let the nearest commanding voice take control.
With a smile and a small sigh, Hermione walked behind her desk and opened the small cupboard that stood behind her chair. She pulled out a tightly packed duffel bag and rested it on her desk as she checked the contents. Checking it was rather superfluous since she already knew that everything was in there: pyjamas, dressing robe, cosmetics bag, toothbrush, hairbrush, magazines, and throat lozenges. She'd had it packed and ready to go for months now.
'You've already packed a bag for Ginny and yet you still sent Potter home scrambling for one?' Draco smiled.
'You saw the state he was in. He needed something to do or he was going to start cursing walls at random. And I wouldn't actually leave Ginny's overnight bag to Harry. Who can say what he'll pack in his current state of mind. Besides, I doubt mine will actually be necessary. Mrs Weasley probably had one packed from the day she found out Ginny was pregnant.'
Hermione looked up at Draco expecting another of his dry comment but nothing came forth. He just nodded and strode towards the fireplace. Hermione frowned slightly. Draco had been doing that a lot lately: not saying anything; just giving her a penetrating and assessing look. She was beginning to miss Draco's sardonic running commentary, but mostly the lack of dry, witty comments since the Greg and Gloria incident simply unnerved her. Hermione had a feeling that she and Draco would be having a TALK very soon.
'Are you coming?' Draco asked as he stood patiently by the now green flames flickering in her fireplace.
Hermione shook her thoughts away and tried to concentrate on Ginny.
'Of course. I'm not going to miss out on the birth of my god-child.'
Draco and Hermione were waiting as Harry stumbled out of the fireplace in St Mungo's foyer. He appeared to be dragging a half-opened chest behind him. The term 'overnight bag' had clearly been a bit too much for his addled brain to handle. Hermione caught a glimpse of a bedraggled soft toy and a blender among the hodge-podge contents of the chest but decided not to comment.
Without saying a word, Draco stepped up and pried the handle of the chest from Harry's fingers. He then gave Harry a gentle shove towards Hermione, who calmly led him to Ginny's room. They entered the room to see Ginny clutching at Mrs Weasley's hand. Ginny was breathing in short, sharp pants as she focused with immense concentration on her swollen abdomen. She didn't even look up at her newest visitors. No one spoke. Ginny seemed to have discovered the mental state that she needed to be in to see this through, and no one wanted to distract her.
Mrs Weasley beamed at Harry, Hermione and Draco with the golden smile of an imminent grandmother. Hermione gave Harry a prod forward and he stumbled towards Ginny's side. Ginny still didn't take her eyes away from her baby belly. She reached out blindly for Harry and released her mother's hand. Mrs Weasley was still grinning away madly as she came around to stand by Hermione and Draco.
'I think we should leave the lovebirds alone for now', Molly whispered gently.
Harry looked up, eyes wide with fear, silently pleading them not to leave him in this foreign and terrifying predicament. Harry faced death on a daily basis in his work as an Auror, but the mere thought of bringing a new life into this world petrified him beyond words. Hermione shook her head gently and mouthed the one word that she knew would calm Harry down: 'Daddy'.
The change in Harry was immediate. The grin on his face was spectacular. He leant down and kissed his wife on her temple, muttering at her as he went. Ginny finally looked up at Harry and smiled tremulously as the tears began to form in her eyes.
Molly turned around and Hermione noticed for the first time that Mr Weasley was seated in the corner sporting the same happy grin. After a small nod from Molly, Arthur stood up and joined them. All four of them quietly left the room, leaving Harry and Ginny to their own devices.
There was a row of seats lining the wall opposite Ginny's room and they all headed for the chairs. Mrs Weasley gave Hermione a fierce hug as a belated greeting, but it was clear that she was still distracted by Ginny.
'Ginny's just about ready to pop. The midwife will be along soon to help her with the birthing. I must say, you arrived with Harry just in time. Ginny was adamant about having Harry by her side during the birth', Molly said with a nervous giggle.
'Well, it's only right that he should be there through the pain and the joy of having a baby', Hermione said. Both Arthur and Draco turned towards her and shot her somewhat nervous, guilty glances. Molly winked at Hermione and giggled again.
'Anyone want a cup of tea? Coffee? I'll just pop upstairs and make up a few cuppas.' Powered by nervous energy, Mrs Weasley was up and heading off before anyone could decline. Arthur stood up and decided to go after his wife and give her a hand. Hermione hardly noticed them leaving, however. She was too distracted by the murmur of voices in Ginny's room that was steadily becoming a rumble. Hermione couldn't contain her smile as she began her mental countdown: three, two, one…
The shouting that burst from Ginny's room caused more than a few heads to pop out into the corridor. For such a small being, Ginny certainly knew how to get the most out of her voice.
'Don't tell me to breathe! I know how to breathe! It's the getting the baby OUT that I'm having trouble with!'
'It's a good thing I packed those throat lozenges', Hermione thought as Ginny continued to harangue her husband about the trials of birth. Hermione turned to Draco feeling certain that this would elicit a comment from him. Instead, he was looking rather startled by Ginny's sudden outburst. When he realised that Hermione was watching him, he turned towards her. Draco opened his mouth as if to speak, but paused. Hermione felt a tingling sensation of dread race down her spine. It was clear that Draco wanted to talk. But Hermione didn't know if she was ready for it yet. She knew it was going to happen, probably sooner rather than later, but she wanted to be prepared for it. A few tense seconds passed before Draco closed his mouth again without saying a word and his strong bodyguard mask quickly made a return.
Hermione swallowed a mixed sigh of relief and frustration, then turned her attention back to the door of Ginny's room. The commotion inside seemed to quieten down as a short, freckled healer wearing the blue robes of a midwife walked in. This was it, then. Hermione stood up when the door opened once more and watched nervously as the healer wheeled Ginny's bed down the corridor.
'We'll be here waiting for you, Gin' Hermione promised before she took her seat again. A companionable silence enshrouded Draco and Hermione as they sat there waiting. Companionable silences were becoming a common occurrence between them now.
It had been a fortnight since the Greg and Gloria incident. Hermione didn't recall much of what had happened but she had woken up in her own bed with Draco nursing her. She had never known it was possible to feel as safe and loved as she had under his care. With Draco by her side she had felt as if nothing in the world could go wrong or come between them again.
When she had recovered to Draco's satisfaction, everything had returned to normal; or as normal as it could be between herself and Draco. They spent their days in the close confines of Hermione's office with Draco stoically guarding her while Hermione worked through all her ministerial duties. And at night they would return to Hermione's flat and spend the evening together there. But alas, with normalcy comes doubt.
No matter how much Hermione tried to fight it. The doubts of her past returned. She understood now that Draco had left her all those years ago to protect her. But those thoughts didn't help her in any way. If anything, Draco was even more protective of her than ever, even if he had learnt to trust her. Hermione feared that Draco was taking all the blame for her little rendezvous with Gloria. It seemed like only a matter of time before Draco decided that the only way he could truly protect her would be to leave again. And Hermione knew that once he had made up his mind to leave, nothing she said could possibly change his mind.
Hermione knew in her heart of hearts that she would rather have Draco by her side and fight any obstacles together, than face a future of certain safety alone. Convincing Draco of this was going to be the trick, though. That's why she was dreading the imminent talk with him. Certainly, she had a plan. But everyone knew that even the best laid plans often went to hell in a picnic basket.
Hermione shook her head. There was no point torturing herself with these thoughts. Right now, she needed to concentrate on Ginny, Harry and the baby. She was further jolted from her reverie when she felt Draco's elbow in her side. She looked up to see Mrs Weasley offering her a steaming mug of tea. She accepted it with a grateful smile.
Eight cups of tea and numerous toilet breaks later, the corridor was largely filled by the Weasley clan, who were buzzing away with excitement. Hermione was beginning to feel slightly agitated at the length of time Ginny had been in labour. Draco clearly felt her agitation and cast her a questioning glance which she carefully avoided.
'Nothing's going to go wrong', she assured herself, 'Ginny and the baby are going to be fine.'
The door at the end of the corridor opened and everyone looked towards it in anticipation. However, it was only Mrs Weasley with the ninth round of tea. She must have sensed the anxiety in Hermione because she quickly gave the tray of teas to Ron with a sharp order to hand them out. Molly then bustled over to Hermione and gave her a reassuring pat on the hand. Draco stood up to join the Weasley boys. He recognised the need for a private woman-to-woman chat.
'Don't stress yourself, dear. First time births usually take a while but Ginny's a strong girl. It'll only be a matter of time before my first grandson is here with us.'
'Grandson? I thought that Ginny and Harry didn't want to know the sex of their baby.'
'Oh no, they didn't. But girls aren't really a common feature of the Weasley clan', Molly said as she cast an awry eye at her rambunctious sons.
Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Draco were currently playing hacky-sacks with an empty paper cup. The cup seemed to be landing on Percy, who was seated in what he had thought was a quiet corner, a suspicious number of times. Ignoring Percy's death glares, the boys continued their game and were getting louder and wilder by the minute.
The game provided mindless distraction, so Hermione watched the boys' antics in an effort to distract herself. After a rather forceful kick from Ron, the cup went sailing over his head. The door at the end of the corridor opened again at precisely that moment and Harry stepped in. With the reflexes that had made him the best seeker in Hogwarts history, Harry caught the cup in mid-air and held it up like a trophy.
'We have babies!' he yelled triumphantly.
The reaction was instantaneous. Everyone (with the exception of Percy and Draco) ran forward and enfolded Harry in the largest group hug in record.
'Was that a plural I heard?' Mr Weasley asked Harry excitedly.
Harry's chest puffed up with pride as he nodded. 'Yep, twins.'
Fred and George shared a mischievous look and everybody laughed.
'Girls', Harry continued.
Everyone paused as Mrs Weasley burst out into noisy tears.
'Oh my, I can't believe it. Twin girls! Oh I'm so proud of my baby girl.'
Hermione grinned as she looked around her. Harry's girls were going to grow up completely surrounded by love. Not only did they have loving parents and doting grandparents, they also had a tribe of uncles who would cherish, tease and protect them, and a godmother who would always be there for them.
It took a while for Ginny to get settled back into her room but as soon as she was, they all piled into the room unheedful of the Head Healers protests. Ginny lay on the bed propped up by a mountain of pillows and looking resplendent. She was undoubtedly exhausted but the two tiny girls she cradled in her arms gave her a glow that could never be replicated by way of spell or cosmetics. Hermione and Draco hung back slightly as uncles and grandparents alike cooed over the new arrivals.
'Have you decided on names, yet?' Mrs Weasley demanded as she cradled one of the girls delicately.
Harry nodded and looked down at his wife with tears in his eyes. Ginny reached up and entwined her fingers with Harry's. He pulled her hand towards him and placed a kiss on the back of it before answering.
'We'd already decided that if it was a boy, we'd call him James. And if it was a girl, we'd call her Lily. So, we've decided to call the girls Lily and Jamie', Harry whispered somewhat reverently.
Hermione felt the tears well up in her eyes as she watched Harry looking down at Ginny and his daughters, practically bursting with love for his new family. She sensed Draco moving beside her before she felt his hand slip into hers. She turned and looked at him and they simply stared at one another for a moment.
'This is what I want', Hermione longed to tell Draco, 'Simply, for you to be here by my side, so we can face the world together. This is all I want from you.'
She remained silent. These were words she needed to say, but not here and not now. This was Harry and Ginny's time.
Instead, Hermione sidled towards Draco and repositioned herself so that she was leaning against him, the back of her head nestle in the crook of his neck. She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. Together, they watched the miracle of newborn children, and the love and happiness of the moment kept their doubts at bay.
Both Hermione and Draco decided to walk home that night. It was quiet on the streets for a London night. It seemed to Hermione that the world at large recognised the beauty of what had taken place tonight and lay in a hushed peace in awe of it. Without a word, she slipped her hand into Draco's. They walked in silence, hand in hand through the calm of the night.
Hermione's mind was frantically trying to commit every detail of the walk to memory. The pearly radiance of the moon, the softest whisper of the wind, the warmth of their clasped hands, and the way their strides matched.
Hermione had to reign in her thoughts. Thinking about it in such a way made it seem far too final. 'It wasn't as if this was the last walk they would ever take together', she tried to convince herself. But in the dark crevices of her mind that insistent voice continued to whisper.
'How can you be so sure? How do you know that Draco won't just leave you again? How can you—'
A squeeze of her hand jolted Hermione from her thoughts. She looked up and towards Draco. As soon as their gazes locked, Hermione felt a flame of desire rush down her spine, leaving behind that tingling sensation that always appeared when she saw that urgent look in his eyes.
She was immensely grateful that they had reached her flat, and retrieved the key from her bag as quickly as possible. She pulled the door open and dragged Draco in behind her. She sighed as their lips met. Draco raked both his hands through Hermione's hair until her was cradling the back of her head. He pulled her closer to him with a hungry urgency. Hermione reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck. She heard the door click shut as Draco pushed her against it. Leaning against him for balance, Hermione managed to wrap both of her legs around Draco's waist without breaking their kiss. One of Draco's hands dropped from her hair to her waist and held her tightly against him as he began to move towards the bedroom. Neither of them stopped to light their way. Neither of them wanted to stop.
Draco managed to make his way to the bedroom without crashing into anything. He thrust open the door. With a low growl, he dropped Hermione onto the bed and started to undo his pants. Hermione's lips were tingling from the sudden loss of contact, but she paid them no heed as she hurriedly did away with her own clothes. As she watched him struggling with his clothes in the dark, Hermione willed her doubts away. She reached out and rubbed the back of her hand against Draco's cheek until she had his attention. She stared straight into his eyes and whispered, 'I need you, Draco.'
Even in the dark, Hermione saw the flicker of doubt and pain that passed over his features. But it disappeared in an instant. Draco lunged at her with another faint growl and Hermione laid back and made love to the only man she could ever truly love. There was an intensity in Draco's touch that had never been there before. Hermione understood his burning need and met him thrust for thrust.
When they were both sated, a sense of calm seemed to cocoon them. As she lay enveloped in Draco's embrace, Hermione knew that the time had come. She could no longer hide from her doubts. It was time for her to find out if her love was enough to make Draco stay. She knew he doubted his own love and his right to be with her. His silent and watchful behaviour over the past fortnight had highlighted his worries. Tonight they were both going to face their fears and doubts, so they could both move on…either way.
Hermione held her breath as she felt Draco stir behind her. With her back towards him, she couldn't see what he was thinking or how he was feeling but she could feel his every movement. Tension radiated from Draco, as he held Hermione closer to his chest. She lay still as he brushed his lips on her shoulder, then slowly up the side of her neck. She bit back a moan as the caress stopped at her ear. Draco's lips rested ever so slightly on her as he whispered, 'I love you, Hermione.'
Hermione shivered in spite of herself. Still she didn't speak; she needed to hear what Draco had to say.
'I love you, Hermione, but I know I don't deserve you. I knew it ten years ago when I first fell in love with you. And seeing the woman you've become only makes it a more patent fact. You are a beautifully intelligent woman with a strength that I will forever be in awe of. You have faced hardship and pain that would have caused most people to crumple in defeat. You deserve to be cherished, protected and loved. What you don't deserve is a love that is riddled with fear and doubt. And that is all I have to offer you. I have been wracked with the same fear and guilt that drove me away from you ten years ago. Whenever I'm near you, all I bring you is pain and horror. My love for you has only ever brought you sorrow and grief.'
Hermione opened her mouth to disagree but, feeling her tense, Draco hushed her. Now that he had begun he didn't want to stop in case he faltered and the words he so needed to say to Hermione dried up. Tears filled Hermione's eyes. Draco's words were confirming the worst of her fears. He was going to leave her again, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.
With a shaky breath Draco continues, 'I know that you deserve so much more than I can give you. But I simply can't bring myself to leave you again.'
Hermione sobbed as a burst of happiness shot through her system. She spun around to face him and Draco cradled her face with both his hands as he went on.
'I thought I was strong enough to leave you ten years ago. Better to have loved you and left you safe and alive than risk the dangers my love for you would bring. But no matter how much I resisted, you drew me back. Once I saw you again, I knew that I would selfishly do all it would take to make you mine again. I love you.'
Unable to stand it any longer, Hermione reached up and pulled Draco down into a long and passionate kiss.
'I hate you, Draco', Hermione cried as they finally came up for air. Draco grinned and wiped away her tears. It was definitely Hermione's turn to get a few things off her chest. 'I hate you for making me live in fear for this past fortnight that at any moment you would leave me. I hate you for making me love you so much. I have never stopped loving you. Even when I believed you were dead. And the only thing that could make me hate you is the thought of you leaving me for stupid, noble reasons.'
Hermione pushed against Draco's chest until she was in a seated position, then leaned over him towards her bedside table. She scrambled around the drawer momentarily before righting herself once more.
Draco's heart began to pound when he saw the small velvet drawstring bag in her hands. With nimble fingers, Hermione undid the knot and shook the contents of the bag onto her palm.
'I bought this nearly a week and a half ago, but I've been too terrified to give it to you', Hermione said, her voice still choked from tears. Her fingers danced nervously over the band of silver in her hand.
'Now I want you to understand. This ring is not a replacement for the Malfoy ring. And I certainly don't intend to establish a new tradition of rings. It is not to be handed down to any children we may or may not have. It is for you exclusively, Draco.'
Draco's laugh seemed to fill the room. It certainly filled Hermione's heart. He tried to snatch it from her hand but Hermione had been watching him carefully and was determined to do things her way. Hermione held the ring closer to Draco and he saw that it was made up of two bands that entwined in an intricately designed knot.
'It's a lover's knot', Hermione whispered, 'Never ending.'
Draco held her gaze. 'Thank you, Hermione.'
Drawing a shaky breath, she lifted Draco's left hand towards her. She dropped a kiss on his knuckles, then met his gaze once more.
'With this ring, I bind you to me with hope and love', Hermione's lips barely moved as she spoke.
Draco grinned and Hermione slipped the ring into her finger with a shaky hand. When it was on, Draco gripped Hermione's hand and kissed her wrist and palm.
'Then I accept this ring with hope and love to be bound to you forever…'
THE END
A/N: And so to my faithful and (extremely) patient readers I would like to say fare thee well. I truly hope you enjoyed this tale. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my story: without an audience, stories are nothing. Luv HoByTlAh ;0)