Chapter 5: The Twenty-Eighth of March
28 March 2014
"Harry, Draco?"
Harry pulled himself out of a relatively good dream and was sure he'd heard something.
"Harry? Can you hear me? Draco?"
"Luna!" Harry sat up straight, immediately awake. "Luna?"
Luna stood in the doorway, large stomach protruding into the room. Harry took a moment to appreciate her ethereal beauty, her long blonde hair streaming down in waves around her. "Harry, I do believe it's time to have your baby. My waters broke and woke me about an hour ago. I wasn't completely sure at first, but I am now. I already sent my Patronus to Padma, and she'll be waiting for us at the hospital." Harry started to jump out of bed in a hurry, but Luna stopped him. "My contractions aren't really strong yet, so she said we don't have to rush. I was hoping maybe you'd come downstairs and have a cup of tea with me before we go? Help me calm my nerves?"
Harry smiled. "Sure. Let me wake Draco, as he'll want to shower if we're not rushing. I'll meet you in your room and help you downstairs in a few minutes."
"Thanks, Harry." Luna walked over to him and pecked him on the cheek. "You're going to be a daddy today." She turned and quietly walked out of the room, leaving Harry slightly stunned at the realisation.
"Was that Luna?" Draco groggily propped himself up onto his elbow. "Is it time?"
"Oh, God." Harry laid back down next to his husband. "Draco, it's going to be today. Her waters broke, but she said there's no hurry." Harry could hear a hint of hysteria in his voice as he said, "We're going to fathers."
Draco grinned, then he leaned over and captured Harry's lips in a kiss. "Let me get my shower, and then let's go have a baby."
"Harry, do you have the baby bag?" Draco went through his mental checklist of everything they needed as he followed Harry and Luna through the hospital to the labour ward.
"Yes, I told you I did. And Luna's bag, and her birthing ball, and your bag of activities for the guests who are waiting, and your crayons and toys for the children, and the snacks for us, and everything else you had on your godforsaken list," Harry said, with a roll of his eyes.
Draco gave him a dirty look. "It pays to be prepared. And don't complain like it's overly heavy. You have it all shrunk in your pocket anyway. You'll see, those things will all come in perfectly handy."
"Yes, Hermione," Harry mocked.
"I take that as a compliment, as your best friend is the most accomplished of your lot. Now, Luna, do you need anything yet?"
Luna had paused a moment with her hand on her stomach, slowing breathing. After a moment she smiled and began walking again. "Still not bad yet. If my waters hadn't broken, I'd have stayed home a few more hours, but Padma wanted me here."
The Healer must have heard her name as she called to them from a nearby room. "Luna! You're here. Come right in here, everyone. We've reserved the high-security labour suite for you due to Harry, of course. Can't have reporters sniffing around, now can we?" She looked to Harry and Draco. "Are you both ready to be daddies?"
"Yes!" and "Merlin, no!" came in unison, making the others laugh. Draco didn't think he'd ever be truly ready for this, but he was feeling eager.
Six hours later, it was over. Draco looked at Luna lying down comfortably, looking ridiculously well-groomed for someone who had just given birth. Draco compared it to Hermione's twenty-three hours of labour with the resulting crazy hair, sweaty body, and exhausted eyes, and swore to himself that he'd never tell Hermione what Luna's had been like for fear of his life. One moment Luna had been talking gently, breathing through light contractions, and the next she'd calmly told the room she was ready to push.
Padma had been called and quickly confirmed Luna's assertion, and all went into action. Harry had gotten behind her, as they'd planned, and allowed her to lay back onto his chest as she pushed, while Draco stayed near Padma, eager to see the first moment of his child's entrance to the world. Harry talked quietly into Luna's ear as she'd laboured, petting her and rubbing her back, and after three rounds of pushing, the baby was born. It was astounding.
Initially, the baby had reminded Draco of a slime-covered Mandrake, though he'd never share that view with anyone else. He looked down at his new daughter, her bald baby head and little eyes squeezed shut, then up at his husband and nearly cried. Nearly, as Malfoys don't cry in public, he reminded himself. He nodded to Harry, and whispered, "She's beautiful."
"It's a girl? Luna, did you hear that? It's a girl!" Harry leaned down and kissed the side of Luna's cheek, embracing her.
"She looks perfect, guys," Padma spoke up, then got Draco's attention and showed him where to sever the umbilical cord. "Luna, do you still want to nurse her immediately?"
"Yes, please. I'm going to nurse her for the first few weeks at least if I can, and Hermione said she'd do better if you laid her on me before bathing her."
"Of course." The mediwitch came over and wiped off the baby gently, then handed her to Draco to take to Luna. He looked down at the small child, covered with a light white film, blood still in the creases of her body, and he fell in love. Completely, arse-over-kettle, hopelessly in love. He'd never felt anything like it, even for Harry. It was just so different.
Draco walked her over to Harry and Luna, and they both extended their arms, holding her together. Draco watched Harry run a finger across her cheek and looked up at Draco, a look of awe upon his face. He then helped Luna lie back with the baby to her breast as Padma continued to work, delivering the placenta and generally cleaning her up, finally applying a gentle healing spell upon her.
The baby, Lyra, Draco reminded himself, suckled at Luna's breast while Harry looked at each toe as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Luna brought them both out of their staring reverie with a sigh. "Harry, Draco, I'm really tired. Do you think you could take her now to get cleaned and checked over? I'm going to rest, and let you both do your daddy thing, okay?"
Draco leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head. "Luna Lovegood, you are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You were wonderful, and we can never repay the debt we owe you."
Luna smiled. "No debt. Just love her, and love each other. That's repayment enough. Besides, I'm crazy Auntie Luna. I get to come see her and smother her with love whenever I'm in town."
Harry leaned his head against her. "Be her godmother, please, Luna?"
Luna's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Harry, of course. I'd love to." She wiped her eyes. "I think the hormones are starting. Padma warned me about this." She looked up at Draco. "Thank you. Now, here, Draco. Take her and let me sleep. She'll wake me soon enough to eat again, I'm sure."
Draco took the baby and watched Harry climb out from behind Luna, stretching his legs. Then he turned to Draco with a look of hope in his eyes.
"Can I?"
Draco laughed. "Of course. Here, Lyra, go to Daddy."
Harry beamed as he took her from Draco. "Merlin, she's even smaller than Rosie was, I think. Hello, Lyra Amaranthine. I'm your daddy. And this big blond git over here is your father. He claims you're going to call him Father, but I bet you're going to pick something better, huh? Maybe Pop? Papa?"
Draco's heart quickened at hearing Papa. Merlin. Papa. He cleared his throat. "I think Papa might work, but we'll wait and see. So what do you think? I thought for sure she'd have a head full of hair, but she's completely bald."
"Is she, or is it just clear? Look?" Harry ran his hand over her head and sure enough, there was a light, nearly invisible layer of hair. "I think she's just very blonde." He smiled at Draco. "Can't see her eyes yet. Let's get her a bath and see if that wakes her up."
Harry carried her over to the mediwitches who were looking eager to take the baby. Draco watched Harry follow her from the scale where they weighed her, to the warming lamp where they wiped her down thoroughly. He leaned against the wall and watched the bath that caused little baby screams to echo through the room. After a few moments, however, she quieted and Draco could hear Harry quietly singing to the baby as they cared for her.
It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money, but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
Draco felt his throat clog, unbelievably moved. This man, this child… They were his. He still didn't know what he'd done to deserve such an outcome. He could think of hundreds—no, thousands—of reasons that this shouldn't be, but it was, and they were his. He watched the mediwitches observe Harry with the baby and swelled with pride at the looks of approval they gave his husband.
Harry picked up the baby as they finished and continued the song, rocking slowly back and forth and gazing at her little face.
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
He didn't think he'd ever forget this moment. He wanted to watch it over and over again in a Pensieve, but knew it'd still only be a hollow echo of what he felt right now. This, right here, would fuel his Patronus for years to come.
So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
Draco walked to Harry finally and wrapped his arms around him, peering at Lyra. She opened her eyes and squinted up at them both, then yawned and closed her eyes.
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
Draco was vaguely aware of a flash or two as Harry finished the song and leaned over to kiss him. It could have been a reporter's flash or Padma, but either way, Draco didn't care.
Harry pulled back and smiled. "Guess it's time to go out and see the families, yeah?"
"I'm ready when you are," Draco replied.
They left Luna sleeping peacefully and Harry carried the baby out to the waiting families. Draco gave them all a huge smile. "Everyone, we'd like to present Lyra Amaranthine Malfoy-Potter. Lyra, this is your family."
Draco looked at his mother standing with her sister and Molly Weasley, Pansy speaking with Bill and Fleur, Ron and Hermione huddled around Harry already, then scanned the whole room full of other Weasleys and spouses and children, and he thought about what a lucky child Lyra was going to be to have such people in her life.
Lyra, their daughter. He met Harry's eye and shared a private smile. They'd made a family.
A/N: Well, that's a wrap for this one. Thanks for sticking around and meeting Lyra. Visit my author profile to see links to the other works in this series, That's Life Together, all taking place within the same timeline. Subscribe to Author Alerts to be notified of future instalments. The series isn't over yet, I promise.
Song: as performed by Elton John, Songwriters: Brian Kelly Mcknight Your Song lyrics © Dick James Music Ltd., Cancelled Lunch Music, Gooby Music, Universal Polygram Int. Publishing, Inc.