The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
And in the End, Love Wins
The chapter title is from the song:
Love Wins by Carrie Underwood.
Shell Cottage
Sunday the 18th of September
"Charlus."
Charlus grunted in his sleep and didn't say anything.
"Charlie!"
The sharp shout woke him up. He opened his eyes groggily and looked up at his girlfriend, who was standing next to the bed.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I'm in labour," Victoire replied matter of factly, "And my waters just broke."
At that, Charlus was wide awake, "What….but it's… it's too early! You aren't due until the end of October!"
"Well, clearly this baby doesn't know that!" Victoire said. She grimaced and grabbed the bedpost, "And Lilly did say that Cryptic Pregnancy and early labour tended to go hand in hand!"
Charlus nodded and got to his feet, "Okay, so we go to the hospital then?"
Victoire shook her head and leant against the bedpost, "No – the contractions were already close together when I woke up. There are only two minutes between them right now."
Charlus looked around the room, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, "Two minutes? That's….that's bad, right?"
"That means it's going to be born on the floor unless you get a goddamn Healer in here, Charlus," Victoire ground out as another contraction started.
"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Charlus exclaimed.
He ran out of the room and banged on Bill and Fleur's bedroom door. Feet padded across the floor, and Bill opened it in shorts and a dressing gown.
"She's having the baby now!" Charlus exclaimed, "We need a Healer, like now."
Bill jumped straight into action, "I'll floo Daphne and get Lilly over here. Fleur - "
Fleur had already thrown a gown over her nightdress. She stepped out of the bedroom and nodded, "I will check on her."
Bill ran downstairs and floo-ed Potter Manor, but there was no response. He cursed under his breath and sent Daphne a Patronus.
"Daphne, where are you? We need Lilly; Victoire's gone into labour."
Longbottom House
"Do you think he's going to come home tonight?"
"No," Lilly yawned, "He'll be arguing with the Prime Minster all night long."
Daphne yawned too, "At least Draco has someone to fight his corner, I suppose."
Lilly nodded, "The Muggle news is crazy, Daph. There are videos everywhere of the ministry appearing and disappearing. People are saying that superheroes exist or that an alien invasion took place underneath their noses."
"Well, they might well know the truth before long," Daphne mused, "For Draco and Harry to spend so long in with the Prime Minster…."
"You really think the wizarding world is going to come out of the closet?" Lilly asked.
Daphne shrugged and looked over at her best friend, "I think we might have to."
Neville grunted in his sleep from the armchair next to Lilly, and she and Daphne shared an amused smile.
A silver bear dove through the window into the room and stood up on two paws in front of Daphne.
"Daphne, where are you? We need Lilly; Victoire's gone into labour!"
Daphne rolled her eyes, "Isn't there a whole maternity hospital full of people who are on duty tonight?"
Lilly shook her head and got to her feet, "Yes, but he doesn't know them, and therefore he doesn't trust them. It's early too; Victoire isn't due until the end of October."
Daphne looked at her warily, "You're exhausted. Should you really be going?"
"I'll be fine," Lilly promised, "I'll call for back-up on the way."
Daphne got to her feet and kissed Lilly on the cheek, "I'll see you in the morning, I suppose."
Lilly nodded and shot Daphne a smile, "It's kind of nice, isn't it? A new life entering the world, after all that was destroyed tonight."
Daphne smiled too, "It is nice," she agreed.
Shell Cottage
Saturday the 18th of December
11.58 pm
When Lilly stepped into Victoire's bedroom with the back-up she had called along the way (Marcella Sheppard, one of the Midwifery Healers on duty), things were well and truly underway.
"Hey, sweetheart. How are you getting on?"
Victoire was standing up, supporting herself on one of the pillars of the bed. She was sweating, and her cheeks were red, but somehow, she still managed to look quite dignified.
She blew out a breath, "Contractions are two minutes apart, I feel like I'll need to push soon, but I was waiting for someone to examine me first."
Lilly smiled and shot an amused look at Marcella, "Very wise. I brought Marcie along with me tonight, purely because this little one is arriving a bit early, okay?"
Victoire nodded and let out a breath, "Uh-huh."
Lilly shooed Bill away from the door and looked over at Fleur, who was a little pale.
"So Vic, how are you feeling, apart from the pain?"
"No unusual swelling or bleeding," Victoire said breathily, "I had Mum check my blood pressure, and it's within the normal parameters considering I'm in active labour."
Lilly chuckled, "Well, if Trauma ever gets old, I'm always looking for new Midwifery Healers."
Victoire laughed weakly at that, "I think I'd take a trauma victim over a woman in labour any day."
Lilly smiled at that, "Trauma victims usually talk less."
Marcella laughed and asked, "Do you think you could lie down for a minute, Victoire? It will make examining you a lot easier."
Victoire shook her head, "I can't. The pain in my back is so bad."
"That's fine," Lilly promised, "Marcie, I'm sure Fleur has done a wonderful job but check her vitals, just in case."
Marcella nodded, and Lilly said, "I know this is completely undignified, Victoire, but I need to lift your nightdress to see how we're getting on."
Victoire groaned and rested her head against the pillar as another contraction came, "Nothing…about…labour is dignified," she managed to say.
Lilly chuckled at that, "Spot on. Hell of a pain threshold too, I could not talk through a contraction when I was giving birth."
"Thanks," Victoire said weakly.
"Has that one finished?" Lilly asked, glancing at Victoire's face.
The younger woman nodded, so Lilly said, "Alright then, quick check…."
She lifted Victoire's skirt to check how dilated she was. Then she got to her feet, "Okay, this baby is very eager to arrive. Victoire, if you can't lie down, that's fine, but I do need you to kneel on the bed or on that chair over there."
Victoire nodded and climbed gingerly onto the bed with Marcella's help.
"This is the part where I tell you to push," Lilly said, "So if you want Charlus in here, now's the time."
Victoire shook her head, "He wouldn't want to be in here, he'd probably faint."
"Well, let's ask him anyway, yeah?" Lilly said. She looked over at Fleur, who nodded and got to her feet.
"Now, I'm pretty sure you know the drill," Lilly continued, "But I'll go over it anyway. We're going to start with big pushes. Then when I tell you to pant, you do that. Okay?"
Victoire nodded, and Lilly glanced over at Marcella. She lowered her voice and said, "We need towels and warm water. Get Bill to grab them for us."
Marcella nodded and stepped outside the room. As she was doing that, Charlus stepped in. To the poor boys credit, he looked pale, but he was still here.
"Hey," Charlus said. He stood at the top of the bed and looked at Victoire, "I didn't think you wanted me to be here, so I stayed outside."
Victoire grabbed his hand as she felt another contraction start, "Of course I want you to be here, you idiot."
"Okay, Victoire, I need you to push with this contraction."
Victoire nodded and did so. She squeezed Charlus's hand, and she cried out in pain. He spoke to her quietly, telling her that it would be okay, and she didn't curse at him like many other women in this position would.
In-between pushes, Victoire rested her forehead against her and Charlus's joined hands to catch her breath, and before long, their baby's arrival was imminent.
"That's it, Victoire," Lilly encouraged, "One more big push."
A sharp cry filled the room when the baby was born, and Charlus's eyes filled with tears. He prided himself on being a man who rarely cried – no matter how sad things were, but that moment provided more relief than he thought possible.
Victoire was exhausted. With Marcella's help, she moved onto her back, and Marcella pulled the covers up to help her get a little more comfortable.
"You did it," She said with a smile, "And you have a little boy."
"Who is perfectly healthy," Lilly added, from where she was cleaning the baby up on top of the dresser, "And much bigger than I expected for a pre-term baby."
"Can I hold him?" Victoire asked.
"Of course, you can," Lilly answered. She gently placed the newborn into Victoire's arms, and Charlus wiped his eyes hastily.
"He's so tiny," He breathed.
"And perfect," Victoire added.
Lilly smiled from where she was standing a few metres away, "I don't suppose you know what happened earlier tonight, but I think this little one arriving a shade over midnight just might be fate."
Charlus looked up, "What happened?"
"The prophecy that your parents told you about," Lilly answered, "And it didn't mean that anyone was going to die. All four of your parents are fine, Charlie. The ministry is less fine, but maybe that's what the prophecy meant all along."
Charlus and Victoire both looked up at her then.
"Maybe it was never about death or endings," Lilly said wisely, "But about rebirth and new beginnings."
"Like a Phoenix," Victoire said. Her eyes hovered over the little boy in her arms.
Charlus looked down at him too. He hoped that his blue eyes wouldn't change – that they would stay the same colour as his mother's. He had a mop of dark hair, just like Charlus's and a tiny button nose.
Lilly looked out of the window at the moon hanging in the sky, "Exactly like a Phoenix," she mused.
Victoire looked at Charlus and met his eye, "What do you think?"
Charlus smiled slightly and looked from his girlfriend to their son.
"Phoenix Nott…" Charlus murmured, "Born on my Mum's birthday."
He looked to the clock, 12.39 am – it was now officially the 19th of September.
Lilly smiled at the young couple. Victoire looked down and ran a finger along the boy's cheek.
She nodded and looked up at Charlus.
"Phoenix Nott."
.
Breaking News!
After a night of uncertainty, we were told that the Ministry for Magic was indeed destroyed. Many Ministry workers wonder where on earth they will go to work on Monday morning, and we are all screaming for more answers. What happened at the ministry last night?
Draco Black looks set to answer those questions and become the first Minister for Magic to hold a joint press conference with the Muggle Prime Minister.
Tune in at 8 am to hear it live here on the Wizarding Wireless Network!
.
10 Downing Street, London
Sunday the 19th of December
8 am
Hermione had to admit, watching her husband give a speech alongside the Muggle Prime Minister was quite some way to start her birthday off, and certainly not the way that she had expected it to go.
Still, there they were, both standing outside 10 Downing Street behind lecterns, addressing the nation's press after what was being called 'a night of uncertainty.
Draco stood tall; he held his head high. The Muggle Minister stood quite a few inches shorter than him and a few inches wider. While Draco was perfectly put together, without a hair out of place, the Muggle Minister looked like he had been dragged through a hedge backwards on his way to the press conference.
The Muggle Minister began the speech, and cameras began to flash everywhere. Hermione stood towards the front, with Sadie, Theo and Harry. He had come out of the building a few moments before the press conference was due to start and mentioned that Draco had asked him to stay close.
"Good morning. I am aware that all of you need some clarification regarding the somewhat peculiar events of yesterday evening."
Hermione frowned and looked from the Minister to Draco.
The Muggle Minister continued, "Around 9.30 pm yesterday, a building seemed to appear before our eyes in the very middle of London. It then miraculously disappeared again just moments later. I would like to assure you all that aliens have not invaded the earth and that it was not the work of a secret organisation of superheroes, nor was it Dynamo's latest trick."
A ripple of laughter went around the reporters, but Hermione looked from Harry, who seemed to have some sense of what was happening, to Draco, who kept his composure brilliantly in front of the sea of Muggle press.
The Muggle Minister smiled and carried on, "However, it does fall to me to inform you all that there has been a secret race of people who have lived amongst us for centuries. Due to the events of last night, we have agreed that it is time for them to come out from the shadows they were forced into centuries ago by our ancestors."
He looked over at Draco, who gave him a slight nod in response.
The Minister continued, "These people originally went into hiding in the 17th century to avoid the persecution of their friends or neighbours for the crime of being different. It is now the 21st century, and I do not believe that any race should have to sacrifice their freedom for their security. We are now part of a fully inclusive society in 21st century Britain, and that should not just include those of all colours, sex and sexualities, but also those who are genetically different."
To speak further on the matter, I introduce my magical counterpart - Minister for Magic, Draco Black."
There were gasps from the Muggle press as the Muggle Minister gestured to Draco. Hermione wasn't stupid, she'd had some idea of where this was going, but that moment was a shock to even her.
Draco stepped forward and smiled politely at the Muggle Minister as he began to speak.
"Thank you, Prime Minister. For decades, witches and wizards have lived in the shadows beneath the ground. Our Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707 after the witch hunts that forced us into hiding in the 17th century. Within that ministry, we have created a democratic system of our own. There were once pockets of our kind all over the world. But when we went into hiding, we became isolated. I cannot say with any certainty if there are magical communities in other countries because, for a time, it seemed like our kind might become extinct."
He took a breath, then continued, "When we initially went into hiding, laws forbade us from marrying out with our magical society for our own protection. However, it soon became apparent that this genetic in-breeding created unstable individuals and would ultimately lead to our extinction. Hence, as time went on, we began to mix with our non-magical counterparts."
The Muggle Minister nodded and spoke up once more, "Many of you will be watching this press conference and will be entirely aware of the magical world. You may have a child who discovered she was a witch, or you may have married a man who confessed that he was a wizard a few years down the line."
Nobody chuckled at that joke, but Hermione smiled and looked Draco in the eye. He met her gaze then smiled at the Muggle Minister.
"Indeed and, without getting into the complex genetic specifics of the matter, the magic gene is not present in everyone, but it can lie dormant in a family for generations then resurface suddenly. It has been harder to keep our presence hidden for several years now due to the advancement of technology and communication within the non-magical world. Given the events of yesterday evening, now seems to be the appropriate time to step out of the shadows."
Draco paused for a breath again, "And in doing so, I would firstly like to apologise for the events of last night. Our Ministry of Magic was the building that you all saw appearing and disappearing. It was removed from the city and destroyed in a controlled manner after a hazardous magical item was discovered. This item should never have been kept in the centre of London and, indeed, should never have existed at all. But a small task force did neutralise it last evening, and the people responsible were apprehended. I would like to assure you that although this news may be scary, we are of no threat to you."
The Muggle Minister nodded, "Indeed, the Prime Minister of this great country has been aware of the existence of this magical community as a matter of national security. In some of our darkest times, our wizarding brethren have provided their support, including in both of our world wars."
Draco bowed his head in agreement, "We may be genetically different, but at heart, we are human, just like you. We age, we grow old – some of us with dignity and some of us without it. We get hurt, bleed, and die, just like you do. Magic does not save us from old age or disease."
He looked out at the crowd of reporters, "On the 28th of August, when several explosions went off near Charing Cross, you were told that this was a gas main exploding. But that was not true – until that point, we had a shopping district called Diagon Alley, hidden behind derelict buildings on Charing Cross Road."
Draco kept his voice even and continued, "It was attacked on what we refer to as August Weekend – the final weekend of August when all of the children who attend our magical secondary school shop for their school supplies. Four explosions went off, a restaurant collapsed, as did a pub. The poorest amongst our community lived in flats above that shopping district, and on that day, we lost 133 people. For a community as small as ours, that is a huge loss."
He looked down, "People lost parents, siblings, and children – 31 children died in that attack, the youngest was not even one year old yet."
Draco paused to compose himself, and the Muggle Minister reached over. He clasped Draco's shoulder and gave him a slight nod – a leader to leader motion of solidarity.
Draco returned the Ministers nod and looked up once more, "We come under fire, just like you do. We lose people we love to hateful groups, just like you do. We are not so different, and I do truly believe that we can live side by side once more, which is why after over 300 years in hiding, our government has agreed that it is time to live amongst our non-magical friends and family once more."
With another breath taken, Draco continued, "Our public buildings will remain in secret locations for our national security. I am not naïve enough to believe that every one of you will accept us with open arms, and the last thing we need as we try to rebuild our community is another attack."
The Muggle Minister smiled at the press and added, "I am sure that the coming months will be difficult for us all as we adapt, and of course, we will all have more questions than myself or Minister Black can answer in one short press conference. However, I would encourage you all as you come across witches and wizards in our midst not to treat them as enemies but as friends. I ask you not to be afraid to ask them questions because I am sure that they will be willing to answer any you have. I ask you to extend the arm of friendship to our wizarding counterparts as we enter this brave new world."
Draco smiled at that, "We will, of course, answer any questions you have, and in return, I can assure you that we will have questions for you. My wife is magical but grew up in the non-magical community, and after over 20 years of marriage, she has still not been able to explain the rules of cricket to me."
This sent another ripple of laughter around the press, and Hermione smiled too.
Draco caught her eye and returned that smile, then he added, "I echo the Prime Ministers' thoughts and promise that we will extend the arm of friendship to you all. For too long now, we have ostracised ourselves from the non-magical community and blamed it on hate. But given how open-minded the non-magical community has become in recent years, I hope that we will be able to forge a new society together.
Because regardless of whether we possess the ability to perform magic, we are all human, we all hurt, and we all love.
And I do believe that in the end, love wins."
There was great applause, and several cameras flashed as Draco stood next to the Prime Minister and smiled for photographs. Once several had been taken, he stepped off the podium and walked over to his family.
"Sorry, love. What a way to start your birthday," Draco said apologetically.
Hermione shook her head and looked at him tearfully, "It's the best present you could give me, Draco."
Draco smiled at that and drew her into a hug.
Harry bowed his head in Draco's direction, "Great speech, Draco. Did you keep me around just so that I could witness it?"
Draco smirked at that, "Not at all, Harry. You're up next."
Harry frowned, but before he could ask what Draco meant, the Muggle Minister spoke once more.
"Here to answer your questions about the magical community, we have Headmaster Harry Potter of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Harry glared at Draco, "You bastard."
Draco's smirk stayed on his face, "You broke the Statute of Secrecy. There had to be some consequences," he said, patting Harry on the back and pushing him towards the podium.
Hermione bit her lip and looked at her husband, "That was a little cruel."
Draco smiled slightly, "Was it, really? Dumbledore became the way he did because he was left unchecked for so long. I don't intend to let that happen to Harry."
"He's probably better equipped to answer their questions anyway," Sadie said with a slight smile, "Having grown up amongst Muggles, but Hermione's right….it was cruel."
Draco put an arm around Hermione and looked up at Harry, who had already answered his first question.
"Oh, I don't know. I think he's doing okay," Theo admitted.
- TBC -
