11 Reasons General Theme: 11 Reasons why Draco and Hermione Belong Together
Pairing: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger
Title: The One Who Knows
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter
Word Count: 1224
Prompt: Table 2 (Moods and Temperaments)—Ecstatic
Notes: Many thanks to my betas, Z and eilonwy!

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I'll show you how this life became A miracle to me.
Dar Williams

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Draco was pacing outside the door at such a furious rate, he wondered if he'd wear through the floor. He stopped and peered through the glass, trying to get a look at what was happening on the other side.

"Hey, Malfoy," came a pleasant – and therefore annoying – voice.

He turned around to find Ron and his wife Luna approaching. "Weasley," he said, unable to hide his grumpiness.

"How are you?" Ron asked, extending his hand. "Or, more importantly, how's Hermione? And congratulations, by the way. I've brought cigars."

Draco didn't feel like doing this, this friend business, even though it was Ron and they were friends. He wanted to be in that room. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"What are you doing out here, Draco?" Luna asked airily. Ron looked at him questioningly.

"I – she…well, she kicked me out."

Ron burst out laughing while Luna merely looked slightly interested. "She kicked you out?" Ron gasped through his laughter.

Draco's scowl deepened. "Yes."

"Why?" asked Luna.

"Something about letting the Healers do what they were trained to do. She said she'd let me back in," he said, turning to peer into the room again. "But that was over two hours ago."

Ron was beginning to calm down. "I'm sure she will, mate. She wouldn't punish you that harshly."

"I should hope not," he replied with a huff.

He was about to speak when a loud group of people could be heard approaching. "Bugger," he muttered. The last thing he needed was for all of the Weasleys, all of Hermione's family, and his mother to know he'd been banned, however temporarily, from the room. "I'm off to the loo," he said to Ron.

He'd taken three steps when the door finally opened. A nurse poked her head out. "Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco was back at the door in a flash. "Yes?"

"We're ready for you now."

He didn't need telling twice and had to restrain himself so as not to bowl the woman over.

Hermione was sitting in her bed, her mother by her side. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she looked relieved. Mrs. Granger left her daughter with a kiss, patted Draco on the arm and quit the room. Despite the small crew of Healers and nurses, to Draco, it was as though no one else was in the room but his beloved.

"Draco," she said, frantically reaching for his hand. He rushed to her side and took it, standing as close as he could possibly get. "I'm so sorry I made you leave."

"Shh, it's okay, love. I'm here now."

"I wanted you back as soon as you'd gone, but they said no."

"Hermione, it's okay. What can I do for you?" he asked, torn between amusement at her pitiful state and wanting to cradle her in his arms.

"Just hold my hand and talk to me and – "

Bloody mother of Merlin, Draco thought as Hermione squeezed his hand. Though "squeezed" wasn't the right word for it; she'd clamped down with the apparent intention of breaking his hand.

After a moment, the contraction passed and she released her iron grip. He flexed his fingers stiffly and gave her his other hand.

"Sorry," she said, then giggled. "You're adorable when you're in pain."

"Oh, very nice," he said, hinting at a false annoyance.

"It shouldn't be much longer," she assured him. "They said it would be soon."

"Okay, well, I'm not going anywhere."

"And you'll let the Healers work?"

He looked at her warily. "I just thought they should – "

Another contraction forced all conscious thought out of his mind. When it was over, Hermione was breathing hard.

"Draco, they know what they're doing."

"I – okay." He kissed her hand, then brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

Soon turned out to be a very relative term, but after two more hours, Hermione squeezed his hand so painfully he thought he might lose consciousness. He stared at her and saw the obvious strain she was under, and everything around him seemed to blur. People were rushing but in slow motion, and he heard, as though in a fog, someone yelling "Push! Push!" Then she let go and her hand went limp in his. Draco looked at her; she was smiling and crying at the same time. The room went silent, and then…

A baby cried.

Tears pricked his eyes and he didn't even care. After a few minutes, during which a nurse had assured them that their baby was perfectly fine, the Healer emerged from around a screen holding a small, pink thing, wrapped tightly in a white blanket.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, congratulations! You have a beautiful, healthy baby girl."

Hermione was crying as she took the baby – their daughter – from the Healer. Draco was awe-struck. A girl. A tiny, little life he'd helped create. A girl. Though he'd fallen for Hermione rather quickly, it was nothing compared to this – he fell instantly in love with his child.

"Oh, Draco," Hermione whispered. "Just look at her. Look at what we made."

He couldn't speak. While Hermione held their baby, talking softly to her, he took care of his wife. He wiped Hermione's forehead with a cool, wet cloth, made sure she was tucked in, brushed her hair away from her face whenever it needed doing, and kissed her cheek.

Hermione looked at him. "Say something."

Draco thought about how much he loved Hermione. He thought about all the things he'd do if something ever happened to her, how much pain he'd cause anyone who hurt her and it only magnified tenfold with his daughter. His little girl. He felt very small and ridiculously inadequate.

"I love you," was all he could think to try and tell her everything he was feeling. Maybe she understood because she grinned and reached for his hand.

"Do you have a name selected?" one of the nurses asked. She was holding a quill and had an ornate piece of parchment spread out on a table.

Draco looked at Hermione, who nodded. "Gemma," he said. "Gemma Elenwë Malfoy."

"That's lovely," said the nurse, leaning over to transcribe the name onto the birth certificate. She paused. "Er, maybe you should write it."

Draco nodded and moved to the table to write his daughter's name for the first time. His hand was shaking slightly as he dipped the tip of the quill in the black ink bottle. Just before touching the parchment, he looked up at Hermione who was watching him intently.

"I love you," she said.

He nodded and the rest was easy. When he finished, he handed the quill back to the nurse and returned to Hermione's side.

"She's beautiful," he said, hesitantly reaching out to touch Gemma's hand. He grinned. "I don't even know what to say."

"Me neither," Hermione whispered. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"I love her name."

"Me too. She's amazing, isn't she," he said quietly. Then he grinned and added, "Though I knew she would be. The latest in a long line of exquisite and remarkable Malfoy babies."

"The last one being you, of course."

"Naturally. She's almost as pretty as I was." Then his cocky smile turned to one that was infinitely more tender, and he leaned in very close to Hermione's ear.

"She's my star, but you'll always be my heart."

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A/N: Gemma is a star; the name means "gem". "Elenwë" is from The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.