A/N: Sorry, guys, my computer was stupid and didn't upload the whole chapter (ARGH!). Anyway, here is the rest of the chapter – enjoy!
Harry obeyed and proceeded into Mel's room beneath the stairs. Dumbledore was already there, holding Mel's hand and whispering to her. He glanced at Harry and merely nodded, as if he'd been expecting him. Vanessa was on Mel's other side. She quickly took the pitcher from Harry, too distracted to be surprised by his presence. She dunked a rag into the pitcher and dabbed Mel's sweaty forehead with it.
Melissa looked exhausted. She was breathing heavily, her damp chest heaving up and down. All the color had gone from her face and lips. Her head, neck, and hair were thoroughly soaked and glistening sweat. Her eyes remained open, however, and fixed on Dumbledore as he spoke to her and stroked her hair.
"Potter!"
Harry was violently jerked out of his staring trance by McGonagall's sharp voice. He spun around to see her trying to balance a bundle of sheets in her arms.
"Don't just stand there," she said. "Help Madam Pomfrey with the towels!"
Obediently, Harry joined Madam Pomfrey at the foot of the bed, setting towels up around Mel's legs.
"How is she?" he asked, showing concern.
"She's been having a difficult labor," Madam Pomfrey replied, as Mel let out another wail. "But I expect she'll be fine. We're going to have to push soon – she's nearly ready."
Vanessa holding her mother's hand, completely absorbed in her, and apparently unaware of Harry's presence.
Mel let out another moan, which seemed to signal to Madam Pomfrey that it was time to deliver. Harry hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. McGonagall was bustling about, getting water ready, rearranging towels, etc. Madam Pomfrey scooted him off to the side and stood at the foot of the bed.
"Alright, dear, when I say push, push as hard as you can. Ready? One, two, three, push!"
Mel's screams increased in volume by about two hundred percent, and every time Madam Pomfrey told her to push, it got harder and harder for her to make any sound at all – this birth was taking all of her breath.
"Just one more – one, two, three…"
And then it was over. A bloody, crying, tiny baby emerged in Madam Pomfrey's arms from under the sheets. Harry, though he'd seen many women pushing their newborns in strollers on Privet Drive, had never seen anything like this. It was single-handedly the most disgusting, yet beautiful thing he thought he would ever see.
"It's a boy," exclaimed Madam Pomfrey, showing Mel the baby. Sirius's son.
Mel could hardly lift her head to see her child, but when she was able to glimpse her son, she gave the best smile Harry had seen on her in weeks.
As the child was being taken away to get cleaned, Harry saw Vanessa follow, her face filled with an expression of such adoration and deep happiness – a kind that Harry had never quite seen on a person before.
"What is his name, Melissa?" Harry heard Dumbledore ask.
"H-his name is Magen," she answered weakly, her head drooping. But as Dumbledore got up to leave her to her rest, she grabbed at his arm. "Do you – do you think he saw?"
Dumbledore bent down to her. "I'm sure he never takes his eyes off you."
He stroked her head once more and stepped out of the room as Mel fell off into a distant sleep.
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Three weeks went by since Magen's birth, and Mel was just about the happiest person alive. She was constantly taking him for walks on the grounds, which attracted most of the female students away from whatever they were doing to get a look at the baby. This also presented the male students with an opportunity to show their sensitive side to the girls, thus making getting a date for the next Hogsmede weekend much easier.
Harry, however, was seeing less and less of Vanessa. Whenever she was not in class, she would be spending all of her free time with Magen. Having a little brother to take care if gave her a feeling of purpose and connection to her father. She loved the child so much; she was reluctant to let him out of her sight. When Harry did see her in the common room or in the halls, they would stare at each other briefly (Vanessa did with what seemed like great determination), until she would avert her eyes to something else. Apparently, the incident in the cave had been harder to get over than either of them had thought.
However, she masked whatever sad feeling she might be enduring well – she was always in a happy mood, especially when conversation turned to her brother.
Harry had been up in bed one night thinking about end-of-term things when he again heard noises coming from beneath the stairs – Mel's room. However, these were louder and seemingly more violent. He sat up in bed, only to notice that Ron was also awake.
"Did you hear it?" he asked, his red hair the only visible part of him in the darkness.
Harry looked around him. Adam's bed was empty – it hadn't even been slept in. Without a word, he threw on a cloak and ran down the stairs. He heard screams and increased his pace. To his surprise, the door to Mel's bed was wide open.
Nothing seemed to amiss, however, when he entered the room. Mel was fast asleep, her breathing deep and consistent. When he reached the end of her bed, he thought heard her whisper something that sounded like "looks just like you." But as he stepped further into the room, what was covered by shadows in the dark corner could now be seen: stone tiles from the floor had been removed and scattered, revealing a long stone staircase underneath the floor.
A hidden staircase that Fred and George never knew about?
But as he kept looking, he saw the crib next to the passageway – empty.
The baby's blankets had been pushed back neatly, as if he'd been gently lifted out. But there were blankets on the floor as well, all ruffled and strewn about. He noticed that a pillow had been ripped open, its feathers lying across the blankets.
Magen had been kidnapped and someone tried to fight the kidnapper off.
Vanessa.
But how could Mel have slept through this? Harry tried shaking her but she kept on breathing in her deep, slumbering breaths.
Harry, realizing what he had to do, knowing that Magen and Vanessa were in trouble now, took a long breath, and began descending the steps into complete and utter darkness.
A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA! Ok, I'm done…
For those curious, the baby's name is pronounced Mah – jen. And also for those who are curious, I will explain the title of this chapter upon request in the opening of the next chapter.
