Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the creator of the HP universe and its characters. I do not own anything except the rather strange plot bunny, and I solely profit in reviews.
Years Ago From Now: Chapter Fifteen
Lucius wasn't sure when he had managed to fall asleep at Narcissa's side but he was jostled awake as she whined in pain. His eyes opened. As he slept, he had scooted neared to her, one hand resting on her swollen stomach.
She was breathing heavily, looking down at her chest as her hands gripped the bedsheets.
Lucius removed his hand and sat up, looking at her. "It's wearing off?" he asked, quietly.
She nodded tersely as the bedroom door opened and Abecca walked back in. She smiled at the couple in her no-nonsense way, waving her wand about. "Glad to see the two of you are awake. You slept for hours which is good. Merlin knows you won't be getting too much sleep for the near future."
After a moment she nodded, satisfied. "I do believe, Mrs. Malfoy, that we are almost ready to bring your son into the light of day! Any questions?"
Hermione shook her head, looking sick. Another contraction hit, and she reached over, grabbing Lucius's hand.
"Mr. Malfoy, you still intend to stay?"
He nodded, not looking away from his wife.
"Let's get started then," she said, magicking the bed to shorten in length so that Hermione could get ready to push.
The next hour and a half were moments that Lucius was sure would be burned into his memory. Hermione, blessedly, would remember the pain as a blurry thing, only clearly remembering the good parts of it all.
She would remember how Lucius never once complained of how hard she squeezed his hand and would whisper in her ear how great she was doing and how thankful he was for her. She would remember telling him to shut up but in a relatively nice way. He would, but his hand would constantly hold hers, squeezing to give her something else to focus on.
The distinctive feeling of her son sliding out of her body at the very end would be etched in her memory like a phantom limb, a sensation that she would never forget. And the first sight of him…
She exhaled heavily, feeling her body shaking slightly in shock from the trauma of birth. Lucius's gasp and attempt to crane himself up to see without leaving her side drew her attention to where Abecca was holding up what seemed to be the tiniest of babies to the two new parents, wiped down well but by no means clean.
Abecca walked around the bed, and without ado cast a charm on Hermione to split her top at the breast, before putting Draco down on her confidently. Hermione felt her hands clumsily come up to support the child, not even paying much mind to her state of undress and the fact that Lucius was there for it.
"It's best to start nursing right away," Abecca said, over the baby's deep cries. His voice was gravelly in a way Hermione hadn't known a baby could sound, and she was interested in it, but she dutifully guided the baby's mouth to her breast.
While she got the hang of it, Abecca cast spells on Draco and then on her, dealing with wellness check and clean up post-birth. The parents watched the child, enraptured as he quieted down. Then, Hermione looked up at Lucius with an awestruck look on her face.
He smiled down at her brilliantly, leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. "You did it, love," he whispered.
Abecca cleared her throat from where she stood. "Everything looks great. Six pounds and 2 ounces, just over 19 inches long. Born June fifth at 11:50 in the morning. He's a bit small, and hairier than most, but that will go away in the coming weeks. He's developed to just where he needs to be, and you handled the birth incredibly well. Congratulations," she said, smiling at them calmly.
Lucius spared the healer a glance before nodding. "Thank you, Healer Wynne," he said, sincerely.
"I'm going to go do some charting in the drawing room. I'll check up on you in a few to make sure things are still okay before I leave you to it. I'll bring a pain potion for you when I come back, Narcissa. It's best to wait while the initial clotting spell does its work."
Hermione reached a hand up, brushing a finger over the baby's forehead, touching the white fuzz like hair there. He was hairy. And tiny. And the cutest shade of pink she'd ever seen.
He was a clumsy eater and his hands moved slightly sporadically against her, unsure of how to move in his new environment.
Hermione was enchanted. She had expected him to look like her schoolyard bully, but… he didn't strangely. He just looked like a newborn baby. His nose was the generic baby one, and his eyes were a bit squinty, even closed as they were. His hands lacked the long fingers she had noticed of Draco when he'd been forced to brew with her once. Instead, the fingers were tiny and impossibly wrinkled. Her hand drifted down, and she gasped as his hand grabbed on to her pointer finger, barely wrapping around it.
"He's perfect," Lucius whispered. Hermione nodded, leaning her head to the side against Lucius's shoulder, and his arm came to wrap around her shoulders. Any day prior to this one, she would have thought it far too domestic and strange, but… it felt right. She didn't question it, merely sighed with a mixture of contentment and exhaustion.
The fears of wondering what she would feel for the baby Draco were no longer there. He was hers. Period. She had decided to have him, brought him into the world, and she was planning to create a life for him that would, hopefully, leave him fulfilled and happy when he left it far, far from now. The last, she was sure, made her more of a mother to him than anything else. She loved him, despite knowing the mistakes he would make in the future and perhaps partly for them.
He eventually pulled off from her breast, and Hermione pulled the nightgown back in place with a light blush as she looked up at Lucius. His eyes didn't have any sort of lustful look to him, only devotion and calm.
"Are you ready to hold your son?" she asked, almost wishing she could keep him to herself.
He nodded, readjusting himself to lean against the headboard and taking his arm back from around her. She gently passed the baby to him, watching as he fumbled for a minute until settling back with the babe ensconced in his arms. Hermione leaned back, looking at him as he held Draco for the first time. He had tears in his eyes as he leaned down, giving Draco the first kiss to the forehead ever. Her heart melted at the sight, and she felt a sudden thankfulness for pensieves, and the ability to look once more on memories like this one.
"I'd stay," she whispered softly.
His eyes rose to meet hers in confusion, not knowing what she was talking about in that moment.
She nodded, sure of her response. "Even if I could leave…. I'd stay for him. For you. For… for this," she whispered.
His eyes sparkled in comprehension, and a tear finally ran down his cheek. His lip even seemed to quiver for a moment as he bravely nodded, acknowledging her promise.
She ran her hand over his cheek, leaning in to kiss him before settling once more against his shoulder. Together, they looked down on their child and enjoyed the peace found there together as a family.
Two days later, Hermione woke up to an empty bed and panicked. She had fallen asleep with Draco on her chest, and now he was gone!
She jumped up from the bed, ignoring the slight pain as she did so, looking to see if somehow he had fallen off. No, he was gone.
"MINK!" She screamed, turning in circles as if her days old son had decided to crawl off and hide in the closet or behind a curtain somewhere.
The elf appeared with a bow, and Hermione whipped around to look at her. "WHERE IS DRACO?!" she asked.
"Master Lucius has him in the library, Mistress. He is being okay. Master Lucius wanted you to get some more sleep."
It was true that sleep for the past 48 hours has been something of a rarity. Draco was quite insistent on being held by someone, and Hermione just couldn't seem to fall into a deep enough sleep with him on top of her. And after this scare, she was sure she never would again.
She heaved a big sigh of relief before dismissing Mink and heading downstairs. She walked into the library and stopped in her tracks. Lucius was standing in front of the large bay windows holding Draco as he read the Daily Prophet to him. Sunlight streamed down on their white blonde hair.
"… the new Malfoy heir is expected to be a great addition to wizarding society, and we here at the Daily Prophet would like to offer our warmest congratulations to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy on the birth of their son…"
Lucius put the paper down. "See? Already you are worth note, Draco. I am sure that this will not be the first time you are on the cover of the Prophet, but I hope that it continues to be articles that cast you in a favorable light."
"You scared me to death, Lucius!" Hermione reprimanded half-heartedly.
He turned to look at her in surprise and then smiled. "Did I? You look much better. Did you get enough sleep?"
Hermione walked into the room and to her husband, kissing him gently on the cheek and then doing the same to her son. "I feel much better. I'm still tired to be honest, but I am on a bit of an adrenalin kick considering I woke up and briefly thought our son had disappeared forever."
Lucius raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Well, if you had just thought of what you already know, you would know that he was safe. After all, corpses don't go to Hogwarts, do they?"
She smacked him on the arm for even bringing up the idea of Draco being a corpse in some way. His lips twitched in amusement as he held the dazed looking baby toward her. "Do you want him?"
She shook her head slightly, knowing Lucius had been enjoying his time with the baby. "So, it's media official now?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes. Which means that we won't be able to hold off your family anymore. They'll probably be here tomorrow sometime. Speaking of which…. Godparents. Did Draco have any? I will admit to being a bit adverse to it being Bellatrix and Rodolphus."
Hermione snorted. "I'd risk the world exploding before letting them be the godparents. There was a rumor that Severus Snape was Draco's godfather and that was why he was treated so well by him…."
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Severus doesn't strike me, or the rest of the world, as being the paternal type."
Hermione laughed lightly, "I agree with you there. However… Lucius, Severus will one day see things our way. Soon. Speaking of which, I need to make sure to write to Lily. Anyway… Severus takes his responsibilities very seriously. He might not be… warm, but he will protect Draco with everything he has. I can't imagine trusting anyone that could conceivably be Dracos' godfather more than I would trust Severus Snape."
"Well… he must change a lot," Lucius said, surprised at what she had said.
Hermione shook her head. "Personality wise… I doubt it. Cold, spiteful and about the most unfriendly man I have ever met. Actually, no, I have it on good authority that the Dark Lord could express pleasure or happiness. It was just directed at things no one else would find pleasing. The most unfriendly man I have ever met. But, for Draco… I can't imagine someone other than you that I would trust more that will be around for the duration of what I know. Severus should be it."
Lucius finally nodded. "Very well. I'll owl him to see if he can pop over. Do you think he… knows about me? Now? Ever?"
Hermione thought about it for a few minutes before responding. "To be honest, if anyone could figure it out and not out you, it would be Snape. At the same time, I truly don't think you become an Order asset, which is probably because I think it's a horrible idea. I've seen how Albus treats his most vulnerable and necessary supporters, and I am hard pressed to ever want to count you amongst them. I want us to help the resistance… but not be a part of it."
Lucius bounced Draco slightly as he started to fuss, "Well, I will trust your judgement. Despite not wanting him dead and sharing a common goal, I really have never liked Dumbledore. I think he has a few too many nifflers out of the pen."
Hermione snorted at the metaphor. "Perhaps. I plan to steer clear for as long and as much as possible. The perks of being a trophy wife."
Lucius held Draco out as he continued to fuss, dropping a kiss on Hermione's head as she took the baby in her arms. "And what a trophy you are. Okay, I will call Severus over so that when your family arrives they know it is too late for it to be one of them. As for how we deal with him long term… traces of what we believe but never outright confirmation until and if we decide to start handing him information outright. Slips of the tongue?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, but for now he is still loyal to the Dark Lord. I'll let you know when I know that has changed."
She walked to the chaise she liked and laid down, starting to nurse Draco without consideration for the fact Lucius was there and able to see. It had become part of life, and Lucius didn't seem to mind. He had confided, though, that he believed Narcissa never would have considered taking care of a baby in any way on her own.
"I'll leave you to it and go see if he's available. I'll knock if I come back in with him," Lucius said, headed out the door and toward his office. Hermione, in the meantime, pulled her wand and summoned the two way journal she shared with Lily and a dicto-quill.
Dear Lily,
As you might have read, Draco has arrived. We are both doing well, but I am very tired. It is to be expected, I suppose.
At this point, I no longer feel the need to research ways to fix my problem. I think I am where I am meant to be, crazily enough.
I told Lucius about our correspondence, and we would both like to meet you before anything changes on your end. Would it be possible for you to come to Malfoy Manor, or could we perhaps meet at a Muggle Park?
I hope you are doing well.
Sincerely,
NM
She had just finished nursing Draco, and he was asleep against her, when she heard Lucius knock at the library door. She quickly sat up, straightening her top out as the door opened.
She climbed to her feet as Lucius entered, followed by Severus.
"Love, Severus is here," Lucius said, gesturing to the man. "Can I have the elves get anything for you, Severus?"
"Tea wouldn't be amiss," Severus said, walking toward Hermione.
She smiled at him, and he faltered for a moment before continuing toward her. "Narcissa. Congratulations."
Hermione looked down at the baby before slightly adjusting him, turning him a bit in her arms so that Severus could see him.
She knew that the likelihood of Severus being a fan of babies was very, very low, but she felt inclined to ask anyway, "Would you like to hold him?"
Severus raised an eyebrow as he responded. "He looks quite comfortable where he is."
Hermione nodded as Lucius finished squaring the tea away with the elves, standing at Hermione's side and wrapping an arm about her waist.
"I'll cut to the chase, Severus. Narcissa and I would be honored if you would consider being Draco's godfather."
Surprise was not a good look on Severus Snape's narrow features. His eyes moved to meet Narcissa's in something akin to shock, and she was starting to suspect that Severus had not been Narcissa's favorite person.
"Surely Narcissa has someone in mind that she would rather ask for such an… honour," he said, biting out the last word to the best of his ability.
Hermione chuckled, and Severus looked even more surprised.
Lucius sighed, "Come and sit, Severus," he said.
The trio (plus Draco) walked to a small couch and chairs, taking them up quickly. Severus was looking at Hermione suspiciously.
Hermione looked at Lucius, aware that she was bungling it all up. They would have to give him something to make up for the fact that it was, supposedly, just preposterous to ask Snape to be Draco's godfather.
"You can tell him about my accident, Lucius," Hermione said to her husband, rocking the baby gently.
Lucius looked at her to gauge her seriousness before nodding. "Thank you, dear."
Severus was looking most disturbed by their meeting, but he also seemed intrigued now. "Accident?"
Lucius looked at Severus and nodded once. "Yes. I won't request a vow because I know you are a man of your word, but I ask that you keep what we say here between us. As in the three of us and no more. Understood?"
Severus waved a hand as if to say "get on with it", and Lucius did. "Narcissa woke up one morning in early March with a very bad headache. She fainted. The elves found her and got me. I got her healer. When she woke up, Narcissa had lost her memory. She has not regained it, and she has been told by Healer Wynne that it is unlikely to return at this point."
He was silent as he processed Lucius's tale. After several minutes, he leaned in, steepling his fingers on his lap. "Amnesia? Most rare," he said, studying Hermione's face. Hermione made sure her shields were up and nodded.
"Yes. I have been… struggling… to act like my old self with no memory of her. Lucius has been kind enough to show me a few memories, and they all seem so…. Horrible. We have, since, been working on building a relationship together considering Draco and found that we get along quite well."
Severus didn't speak again, and Hermione took a deep breath.
"A bit more, perhaps, is needed. I cannot explain it, but… my intuition tells me that you are the right person to ask to be Draco's godfather. I feel as if you are trustworthy and loyal, and…besides that, I trust Lucius's judgement."
Severus moved his gaze to Lucius, seeing his friend seated calmly next to his wife, an arm draped around the back of the couch and her. "Are you quite sure that she isn't having you on?"
"Positive. I used Veritaserum. Brewed by you, so you cannot doubt its efficacy. Obviously you can see why we want to keep this information to ourselves. She is vulnerable like this, and we are doing well keeping up appearances so far. We hope to just… merge who Narcissa was with who she seems to be now."
"Narcissa would have never allowed me to be named godfather," Severus said, deadpan.
Lucius snorted. "You act as if Narcissa would have cared at all. Look at her, Severus."
Severus looked back at Hermione, and she finally felt the probe at her mind. She let him in, guiding him through her memories, letting him see her distress at not knowing who she was and the appointment when Abecca had said there wasn't any more they could do.
Then, she clasped her head, groaning. "I'm sorry, my head is absolutely pounding."
As predicted, Severus pulled back so as not to look suspicious.
Lucius looked at her with worry, turning her chin to look in her eyes. "Like that day?"
She shook her head, "No. It feels like a normal headache. I'm probably just tired."
Lucius looked at her with sympathy, "Do you want me to take the baby so you can get some sleep?"
Hermione looked again at Draco and then Severus. "Well, first I want an answer from Severus. Will you be the godfather or will we be forced to reach out to someone neither of us want for the job?"
Severus frowned but nodded after a moment. "If you are sure. However, I cannot be the…. 'fun uncle'," he said, sneering at the thought. "Also, is there some sort of ridiculous public ceremony required? I renege, if that is the case."
Hermione stood from the couch and crossed the few feet to his chair, putting Draco into the man's stiff arms. He looked down at the baby with a slight frown, and Hermione felt a smirk tugging at her lips. She knelt down, having seen Harry officially become Teddy's official godfather after the war with Andromeda there.
Lucius came and did the same, causing Severus to look at them in surprise. "Take your wand out and place it against Draco's chest, please, Severus."
Severus slowly pulled his wand and did as they asked, and Hermione and Lucius pulled their own wands, aiming them at Severus's chest.
"Do you, Severus Snape, promise to provide a home to our son, Draco Lucius Malfoy, if we are no longer able to care for him?"
"I do," Severus said, sounding a bit unsure. The three wand tips glowed a brilliant bronze, and Lucius continued.
"Do you promise to provide him a willing ear to help him work through problems he needs help with, giving him sound advice that you believe would help him and mold him into a worthy Heir to the Malfoy name?"
"I do," Severus said, more calmly.
"Do you promise to protect him and his best interest and to never attempt to try to cause him purposeful harm?"
"I do."
"So mote it be," Lucius and Hermione said together. The lights from Lucius and Hermione's wands travelled to meet that of Severus's, pressed against Draco's chest. When they did, the light seemed to wrap around Draco for a moment before fading into nothing.
"Congratulations, it's a boy," Lucius said with a smirk.
Severus wrinkled his nose but nodded. "Yes. And you're welcome."
Author's Note: Ah the joys of childbirth. Having been through it three times myself (with very different pain management and deliveries), it was a blend of my experiences. I hate when people terrify expectant mothers with their horror stories. Pain wise and without extenuating circumstances, it is absolutely doable without the need to believe you will tell your partner they will never touch you again or scream so loudly your family can hear you from the waiting area.
I always think its funny that so much fanfiction casts Severus as Draco's godfather. I don't see Narcissa or Lucius as thinking Severus would be a good person for that role. Surely there are other, qualified pureblood parents that actually like children? Still, in the position that this Lucius and Narcissa are in, it makes quite a lot of sense.