Day 6:

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The family of three and a half sat watching Hermione's favourite childhood Christmas film, their now tradition on the night before the main event. Of course, she was always well-prepared with her gift wrapping and sending, but this year she'd been extra sure that everything was prepared so that nothing could go wrong, what with her due date being a week ago! Scorpius had been nearly a month early, but this little one was taking their time! They all wanted a new member of their family more than any other Christmas present, but it seemed as if the stork might not be delivering until after the holiday, that was until Hermione's water broke. She'd been experiencing some contractions, but hadn't thought much of it as during the past trimester she'd had what her doctor said was a magical equivalent to Braxton Hicks where the child's developing magic bubbled inside it, and therefore her. However, this magic lacked power and so was not really painful, but it became clear that these were quite different. She didn't want to ruin her son's engagement with the film, but she knew that she had to tell Draco, gesturing to the little splashes on the furniture. Her husband sparked into action, running out for the car that she'd forced him to get because recent scientists had advised pregnant women not to apparate, and certainly not to use portkeys. Scorpius glanced back and forth between the two of them, understandably a little confused despite their thorough explanations of how he would be alright when his mother went into labour.

Draco helped her into the car, despite her arguments that she could make it alone just fine, whilst he called Finky to look after Scorpius and to Floo his parents to come. As they drove away Hermione kept her eyes on her upset looking son peering through the window with his hands pressed against it, not turning her head around until he was out of sight, but the last image she saw of him was his elf nurse tapping on his shoulder.

"Oh my Godric, oh my Godric, Oh my Godric," she cursed, running her hands through her hair. "Why did it have to be right this moment?"

"Calm down Mione," her husband told her, despite the fact that his own hands on the steering wheel were white. She'd learnt to drive when she was seventeen, but Draco had only done so this year. "This is something you can't control, and we're going to get something wonderful out of it."

"I know," she said. "But I'm never having sex with you in March ever again!"

When they got to the Yorkshire contingent of St Mungo's, a group of doctors were standing in a circle around the Christmas tree outside singing a rather explicit version of Silent Night. Upon seeing the two of them struggling, one of them jibed another "not in the maternity department!" Thankfully they actually came over to help after that comment, producing a wheelchair to levitate her into. They raced down the corridors, with Draco explaining at a breakneck speed anything medically relevant, and a few things that weren't just to be on the safe side!

A few hours into the night Hermione was taking long heaving breaths, waiting to become dilated. It was going well and it seemed as if this child wouldn't be arriving until at least the 26th. "Go home!" She suddenly yelled at Draco out of nowhere. He pulled a perplexed face at her from his position in the stiff hospital chair beside her. "Scorpius can't have no presents!"

"I asked Finky to tell my parents to do it," he reminded her.

She shook her head. "What if she forgot?" Her breathing started to speed up. "Or- or- we won't be-"

"Mrs Granger-Malfoy," The doctor told her. "I need you to try to calm down."

"What she said," ordered Draco in the same tone. "Honey, I know you don't like thing being out of your control, and I never imagined spending a Christmas away from our child either, but my parents have been fully briefed on what to do, and they're going to invite yours around to help them out if we're not back tomorrow. This kid has been keeping us waiting a little, but I think they know what they want, and they're clearly not going to wait until we're ready for them."

She leant back against the pillows, allowing herself a moment to process what he'd said, and finding that there was actually a lot of truth in it. If only magic could speed past this part. Or even allow her some pain medication that didn't conflict with the magic her baby was expressing.

In the early hours of the morning their second child finally entered the world to the sound of returned Christmas carols, this time genuine ones which were friendly for pink newborn ears! The music of the volunteer carollers in the hallways vibrated through to them, enhancing the relieved smile on Hermione's face as her daughter was passed into her arms and Draco leaned over them to gaze into the eyes that matched his, whereas Scorp's were far closer to her almond despite his other Malfoy features. She glanced at her husband, missing their other child despite the near perfectness of this moment. He immediately knew what was wrong and showed her a scrap piece of paper. "My parents just sent me this to say that Scorp's up but he's refusing to open his presents until we're there." She couldn't help herself from making an extremely maternal 'awww' face, despite simultaneously wanting him to be able to experience this wonder without her inconvenient birth-giving disturbing it!

When she saw her parents waving through the hospital room window Hermione wanted to leap to her feet and race over to her son but Draco gave her a stern look to remain where she was, so she briefly pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. Looking at her as though she were about to fall apart, Scorpius asked his father "is Mummy okay?"

"Mummy's absolutely wonderful now that you're here darling," she told him, patting the space next to her like an excitable puppy. In response Lucius lifted him up then plopped him down, crowding around with the other three grandparents to coo over the baby. Scorpius seemed a little more unsure as he surveyed the alien. "This is your little sister," she told him proudly, exchanging another smile with Draco, who was leaning on their son's shoulder beaming. "Want to hold her?" His eyes flew away from the child to look at her like a wide eyed owl.

"What if I break her?" The adults all chuckled, and Hermione told him confidently that he'd be great. Okay, fine, she used a little wandless magic at first to give him a confident start, but she released it as she saw the small smile lighting up his face like Christmas decorations! "What's her name?" Asked the two year old.

The adults all leant forwards, clearly something they'd been wanting to know as well. It was a tradition in the Black family to name children after constellations. It was important to Draco and she thought they sounded quite lyrical so she'd happily agreed, but they'd chosen Scorpius's middle name Elijah purely because they loved it both alone, but more important, along with his other ones. If they'd thought choosing his name was difficult it was even harder to pick a girl's one that went along with it. There were so many more constellations in the sky than she'd ever realised, enough for generations of Malfoy's to come. It had led to endless nights of stargazing and pointing. And she made a long list of middle names she loved as well, mostly starting with A for some reason: Ava; Amelie; Alexis; Athena. The two parents linked hands and announced, "her name is Lyra Atlanta Malfoy."

And so their daughter was officially christened whilst bells rang up and down the halls and the hospital elves delivered little gifts!