Chapter 27: Welcome to the Family

They'd managed to Floo to St. Mungo's without much incident except for the insults levied at Draco by the women which he let go graciously as he knew that it was partially his fault.

"Mrs. Weasley!" the woman behind the desk exclaimed and stood up leading them quickly to the "Maternity Ward" which was really a small waiting room outside a bedroom in the back of the 1st Floor as most wizarding families preferred to have a midwife come to their homes. The room was only used when complications arose that couldn't be handled in the home.

As soon as they entered the room the witch hurried away to find Healer Weasley. Ginny and Draco had just managed to settle Hermione into the bed when another contraction came over her and she yelled, "I'm going to fucking kill you; Avada Kedavra you right to hell!"

Draco wincing looked away from her to see an out of breath Weasley standing there shocked, obviously thinking that his wife was referring to him. Draco merely stepped away from the bed. And Weasley rushed towards the bed, his Healer robes open at the front showing that he wore Muggle clothes underneath as did so much of the Wizarding populace these days. He walked past Draco without giving him a second glance and changed Hermione's robes for hospital robes with a wave of his wand. Hermione had upon seeing Ron relaxed visibly and was now lying back while he waved his wand over her the occasional glow coming from her body.

Things weren't faring as well for Draco as Ginny was approaching him angrily. Draco cursed the heels she wore as they robbed him of his only advantage. She looked straight at him, her ears and neck flushed with the anger and stress of the last few minutes, "How could you say those things to her?" She hissed at him.

"She provoked me!" Draco hissed back wondering why he was even trying to win this argument.

"How?"

"She implied I forged the report!" He shot back getting angry himself as he remembered the unfairness of her attitude towards him, of the shame he'd felt when he'd gone to pick up the report from the House-Elf Liaison Office.

"She's pregnant!" Ginny said, changing her tact, "How could you yell at a pregnant woman?"

"You didn't tell me she had a high-risk pregnancy so this is just as much your fault!"

"You're right," Ginny suddenly said quietly, "this is my fault. I should never have expected you to treat my only sister like a normal human being." She hissed.

"Don't you have like three others?" Draco said before he could stop himself worried by her sudden change in tone.

"I have three other sister-in-laws, but Hermione is also my best-friend." She sighed as if defeated and added, "you can go home now. I have to go contact the rest of my family." She walked away her head hung in defeat.

She walked out of the room and Draco stood there confused as to what to do and he realized that once again he'd underestimated the bond between the Weasleys but he wasn't willing to lose Ginny again. The past two weeks had been the loneliest of his life and if all he had to do to never feel that way again was to be nice to her family…so be it.

Next to the bed he heard Ron ask Hermione "How did this happen? I told you to take it easy."

Hermione glanced at Draco and was about to speak when Draco spoke up "It was my fault."

The calm, caring Ron in front of him disappeared and suddenly a red faced Ron holding a wand to Draco's neck stood in his place. "What the fuck did you do to my wife?"

"I- I didn't mean to!" Draco said resisting the urge to pull out his own wand. "I didn't know she was sick, we got into an argument."

"The reason she is sick is because of your Death Eater buddies! During the final battle they hit her with some curses that are still affecting her!" Ron pressed the wand harder.

"That's not my fault! I had nothing to do with that!" Draco spit out.

"Only because," Ron began only to be interrupted by Hermione.

"Ron, leave him alone!" Hermione said breathing heavily obviously recovering from the latest contraction. "It's not his fault! I yelled at him, he only defended himself and besides I was cleaning before they arrived so I was already overdoing it."

"But- but," Ron splutter obviously unsure of what to do until an old woman clad in shocking yellow robes walked into the room.

"Healer Weasley!" She said scandalized and Ron quickly put away his wand.

"Midwife Smith," Hermione said, "how is your daughter? Ron told me she was also in labor."

"It went swimmingly; I have a pretty little granddaughter now." She walked toward the bed removing her wand from a satchel she carried with her. "Mr. Malfoy if you could please excuse us?"

"Of course," Draco speeding towards the door; in the doorway he stopped and turned looking Hermione in the eye, "I really am sorry, Gran- Hermione."

"Me too," she said with a small smile.

He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him just as Ginny walked into the waiting room and he was glad he'd decided to stay if only to see the shocked expression on her face when she saw him standing there.

"Why are you still here?" She walked towards him.

"Figured this is as good a time as any to meet your family." He met her in the middle of the room. She smiled and threw her arms around him and they kissed; it was in the middle of this that Molly Weasley arrived.

"Ginevra! Do you have no respect!" She said crossing her arms in front of her.

"Oh!" Ginny said pulling away from Draco and clenching her fists, "Mother! There was no one here!"

"I'm here, anyone could have walked in," she said glaring at Draco.

"And no one would have cared," Ginny said pulling Draco towards the chairs. She made a face at her mother as she sat and Molly huffed as she made her way to the chairs farthest from her.

After several minutes of silence Harry Potter and a woman he assumed was Sally of the casserole arrived to Draco's relief as they took Molly's attention off of Draco and Ginny. Ron emerged from the room with good news and allowed Molly, Harry and Sally to go in to speak to Hermione while he rushed off to their home to pick up a few things.

When they emerged the three looked shocked and Draco and Ginny wondered what had happened to leave them so stunned. Their questions were answered when Ron returned with a bag.

"Mate, I reckon you've been a bad influence on her." Harry said shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked his hand on the doorknob to the room.

"She was saying things I can't even repeat without blushing," Harry said.

Ron let out a loud guffaw, "I've been telling you for years she swears around the house; you never believed me." Ron said walking into the room.

Angelina and Penny soon walked in; one of Penny's teachers having agreed to baby-sit the children and the women with the exception of Ginny who refused to go near her mother were soon discussing their own pregnancies while Harry stared at Draco as if he were some puzzle he were trying to figure out.

An hour later Draco finally got some rest as Bill and Fleur showed up closely followed by Fred effectively removing Harry's attention away from him as well as Ginny who'd been leaning against his arm for so long it had fallen asleep. He quickly stood up telling Ginny he was going to the cafeteria. "Does anyone need anything?" He announced hoping they wouldn't and thankfully the Universe complied as everyone declined the offer. Draco walked out of the room and let out a huge breath as soon as the door closed behind him.

Unfortunately Ginny wasn't able to escape that easily as the minute the door closed behind Draco everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to her.

Fred spoke up first, "why exactly were you using Draco Malfoy as a pillow?"

"The hospital was out?" She cringed at her lame joke and rolled her eyes in defeat, "We've been dating for three months."

"And you didn't tell us?" Angelina asked shocked.

"I thought you would hate each other!" Ginny exclaimed.

"And what gave you that impression?" Fred asked, "The fact that we hate each other? I just don't understand why you would date him in the first place?"

"I- He- He looked so miserable eating all by himself. I- I don't know!" Ginny said exasperated and upset that she was lying to her family but last night she had sworn to herself that she would never tell anyone about her Plan, it would only hurt Draco's feelings and she wasn't willing to be apart from him ever again.

"What about everything he's ever done to you?" Harry challenged.

"We were kids and if you would all stop being so dammed self righteous you'd remember that we gave as good as we got." Ginny stood up and addressed the room. "We're all adults now, I think it's time to let go of old grudges." She glanced at her mother, "I won't say that Draco's different now, because he isn't, although he likes to pretend he is, he's still a prat but he loves me and he won't hurt me and if you give him a chance you'll see that he's a very sweet prat."

"He loves you?" Molly asked, "how would you know?"

"Because, he's here." Ginny said walking out of the room to find Draco.

In the cafeteria Ginny didn't tell Draco about her conversation with her family and instead they spent the next hour trying to toss bits of chocolate into each other's mouth. That is until Draco threw one into the tea of an angry looking matron who would have hexed them if Draco and Ginny hadn't run out of the cafeteria earning a reproving glare from a passing Healer.

When they entered the waiting room all of the Weasleys turned to them and Draco noticed that Arthur and Percy Weasley were also in attendance. Draco and Ginny stood awkwardly at the door as everyone stared and Arthur Weasley stood up and walked up to them extending his hand out to Draco who clasped it in his own. "Welcome to the family."

Draco didn't know what to say so he just shook the man's hand and smiled. Ginny however was not at a loss for words as she launched herself at her father causing him to let go of Draco. While Ginny regaled her father with all the reasons she'd always known he was the best father ever Draco slipped into an empty chair next to Percy. "Hey, thanks for helping me Tuesday." As Draco and Percy got into a discussion about the Ministry's new policies Draco heard Fred say to Harry, "Figures he gets along with Percy."

Although Ron came out periodically and informed them of Hermione's progress it was soon night and Penny and Percy went home to relieve the babysitter and take care of the children.

It was around eleven when Ron finally emerged a big smile on his face. "I have a son," he said beaming. "He's perfectly healthy although he's a little underweight, but not by much. He's completely bald and wrinkly and he's beautiful!"

"What's his name?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Have no idea," Ron said wearily, "Hermione and I haven't been able to agree on anything."

"That's a surprise," Draco said earning a glare from Ron and laughs from everyone else, and that was a surprise.

A/N: Fri. May 20, 2004