Disclaimer: Even if I want it in my stocking, Santa won't give it to me. It will always be JK's.
Hermione had a horrible weekend. She spent most of it feeling sorry for herself and the rest of it sleeping. She was uncomfortable to the point of not being able to do anything. This didn't help her mood. She was also missing Harry more than she had in a long time and she was so angry at Draco she wanted to hex him. How could he do such a thing to her? Especially now. She had really trusted his friendship. It was important to her and he had to go ruin it all by trying to take Harry's place. It wasn't going to happen. She was also mad at herself because every time she got angry at Draco she started crying. She couldn't admit to herself that she actually missed him.
She had a pile of letters that had come, along with some flowers. She had opened the first letter thinking he had come to his senses and was going to tell her it was all a joke. It just said "I mean it. I love you." The second one said the same and so did the third and the fourth. About the ninth letter, she gave up and stopped opening them. The flowers had come once, from a muggle florist. She was going to refuse them but she couldn't and they were displayed in her kitchen window. She sighed as she looked at them, and then turned away. She had an appointment at St. Mungos in a couple hours and she needed to get ready.
Draco's weekend hadn't been any better, only he spent the time getting drunk to numb the pain. He wrote letter after letter and she hadn't responded. He'd even lowered himself to call (on a telephone!) a muggle florist to send flowers. He hadn't received a reply or a thanks. He'd called the florist again and they were delivered and not refused. He had a little hope in that. His letters didn't come back either which was also a good sign. He dragged himself into work that day knowing that he had ruined something very good. He knew he shouldn't have said anything. He knew he was stupid. He should have given her more time. If he could go back to being the Draco from Hogwarts, he would have just gone out, found a girl and had meaningless sex to get Hermione off his mind. Now that he was a different man, the thought of another woman made him sick. He didn't know if he liked this new Draco anymore.
Hermione and Ginny waited in the waiting room at St. Mungos. Hermione was very nervous for some reason and Ginny could tell that something was bothering her.
"Hermione? Is everything ok? You seem worried."
"Oh, everything's fine. I just have a feeling that this might be the last appointment before the baby comes and there's so much to do!" Hermione was overwhelmed. Physically and emotionally. She wasn't sure what to tell Ginny about Draco but she was pretty confident she'd pull it out of her somehow.
"Just make a list and between my brothers, myself and my mum, we'll get it done." Hermione knew that was true. She couldn't have asked for better friends – no, they were family – than the Weasleys. She gave Ginny a smile of thanks.
"So, have you decided on names? I've been meaning to ask for so long but I keep thinking it's not the right time." Naming her baby did bring a sharp pain to her heart. That was one of the decisions she had to make. She didn't want to make it alone.
"Well, Harry and I talked right when I first found out I was pregnant. He was really hoping to name the baby after his parents. If it's a boy, he will definitely be named James, but I can't decide on a middle name. If it's a girl, she'll be Lily. That's been settled for a while but those middle names are the problem."
"What about your parents? You could give the baby their first name as a middle name."
"I could and I've thought about it but I just feel that this baby should be named after people in the Wizarding world. I love my parents but there is so much significance to this baby. The name should be important and mean something. I thought about James Harry but Harry didn't want his son named after him. He was adamant that his son wouldn't carry the Harry Potter name in any form so I'll respect his wishes. We did discuss some other ideas though. I'll make a decision when the time comes."
"Mrs. Potter?" Hermione and Ginny both turned as the healer approached. They followed her into the exam room and Ginny stayed close at Hermione's side as the healer got to work.
"Everything looks great Mrs. Potter. I have to say that this baby looks healthy and strong. You need to be prepared from now on. This baby can come at any time."
"I hope it's sooner than later." Hermione said with a laugh. "I'm miserable."
"We need to go over some details. First, who do you want to be with you in the delivery room?" Immediately tears formed in Hermione's eyes. She held them back as best she could.
"Well, my mum wants to be there, and of course I need Ginny. Molly is welcome if she wants to be there." Her voice shook as she answered because the one person who should be there wouldn't be.
"Ok, we'll make sure that we get them on the security list. I would also recommend making a list of people who you want to be contacted. Family and friends that are important to you that you would like to be there to meet the baby soon after it's born. You can give the list to Miss Weasley and she can arrange for the owls to go out."
"We can work on the list at lunch ok?" Ginny knew how hard this was for her friend. She would do anything to help her. She grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Here is your portkey." She handed Hermione a baby pacifier. "It will activate when you touch it and are in labor. It's quite advanced magic. If you think you are in labor but aren't, it won't work. Make sure you have everything you need when you grab hold though. Once you arrive, owls will immediately go out to Miss Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and your mother. Does your mother travel by floo?"
"She can if needed. She doesn't like to but in this case I'm sure she will."
"Very good. You are all set. Get plenty of rest these next few days, you'll need it." The healer headed out the door and Ginny helped Hermione get dressed.
"I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can give birth." Hermione broke down then and let the tears fall. She felt Ginny climb up onto the bed beside her and hold her. They stayed like that for several minutes before another healer asked them to leave. They needed the room for another patient. Ginny hadn't said anything the whole time she was holding Hermione. Words were not needed and Ginny didn't have the right ones anyway.
The two women went to a café in Diagon Alley for lunch. Ginny pulled out a quill and parchment after their empty plates were taken away.
"Ok, let's get that list made. Who do you want to be told that you are in labor and who should be told after the baby is born?"
"Well, besides the obvious of my parents and your parents, I suppose Ron and Luna should be told that I'm in labor."
"Right, Ron would throw a fit if he weren't told right away."
"George, Katie, Bill, Fleur, and Charlie should be told after the baby is born. No sense in keeping them waiting all day. Percy can be told too, I always forget about him! Can you get an owl to Andromeda so that Teddy can come see the baby? Oh, and I'm sure you'll tell Blaise."
"Ok, that's a good list and yes, I'll tell Blaise. Don't worry, sometimes I like to forget Percy as well."
"You could add Neville and Professor McGonagall to the list. Oh, and Hagrid of course. The Dursleys should be told, even if they won't care, but I'll do that through muggle post so don't put them on the list. They don't like owls. The rest can just be word of mouth and Luna can write up a press release for the Quibbler, but if that can wait for a few days, I'd be more comfortable."
"All right. That wasn't so hard. Except you forgot Draco." She looked up from the parchment and saw tears forming in Hermione's eyes again. Crap, what did she say wrong?
"He's not to be told." Hermione tried to make her voice cold but she couldn't hide all the emotion. She fought back tears once again and looked down the street, away from Ginny's questioning eyes.
"What happened? You obviously don't want to talk about it but I'm your best friend and you need to talk things through. I thought you said that the musical was great."
Hermione did want to talk about it. She wanted someone else to share her anger. "The musical was great, but the evening ended horribly. Draco kissed me." She waited for Ginny to react but wasn't prepared to see a smile.
"He did? Oh my gosh! That's great! Wait, it must not be great if you don't want him to know about the baby."
"It's not great! I didn't ask for it, he took advantage of me! Then he told me he wanted to be the baby's father! He wants to move in and be a father. He wants to replace Harry!"
"Wow. I didn't know Draco was that attached to the baby. I knew he loved you but not the baby." Ginny mumbled to herself. Unfortunately Hermione heard.
"What? You knew he loved me? I didn't even know he loved me."
"Well, I didn't know exactly but we could all tell that his feelings were very strong. Why do you think Ron was so angry about everything?"
"I couldn't tell. I'm such a fool. I should have pushed him away months ago." Hermione sounded so defeated.
"Why would you do that? Why is it a bad thing that he loves you and wants to help you raise your baby?"
"He can't replace Harry. It's too soon. I still love my husband."
"Nobody's going to replace Harry. I loved him too remember? When we broke up and I started dating again I wasn't trying to replace him. You don't need a replacement, you just need someone else. Just because you aren't ready now, don't shut out the possibility. Draco's a good man. Just ask him to wait, but don't get angry at him."
"Angry is the safest feeling right now. I don't want to see him or talk to him. Maybe in the future, but I can't do it now."
They finished their conversation with Ginny more upset than anything. She wasn't angry at Draco like Hermione had hoped, in fact she was slightly angry at Hermione. She sent Blaise an owl to have him check on Draco. She was concerned about both of her friends.
Blaise got Ginny's owl and headed into Draco's office to check on his friend. He didn't want to let on that he knew.
"Hey! What's up?" Blaise ignored Draco's scowl at the intrusion.
"Go away. I'm working."
"Well aren't you a happy boy. What's wrong?" Blaise sat down in a chair and stared at Draco. He was going to get it out of him no matter what.
"Nothing's wrong, I'm working." Ok, so he was going to have to dig deep for the courage to say what comes next.
"Ginny's coming over for dinner tonight, why don't you and Hermione come?" He saw the twitch in the corner of Draco's eye. The twitch that told him that his friend's hard façade was coming down.
"I'm busy."
"How about tomorrow? You can tell us all about that date you had."
"It wasn't a date. Leave me alone. I am not going to have dinner with Hermione anytime in the future so stop inviting me. Get out!" Blaise wasn't stupid. He backed away slowly. Draco was really messed up. He hadn't seen him this bad since he had been forced to join the Death Eaters. He did catch the tear that formed in the corner of his eye though, which told him that all hope was not lost.
Friday afternoon, Hermione was quite possibly in labor. She had back pain and what she thought might be contractions. It could also be gas. She grabbed her bag and went to the table where the portkey sat waiting. She took a chance, put her hand around it and before she knew it she was at St. Mungo's in the maternity ward.
"I guess this is it." She said to nobody in particular. She walked up to the counter where she gave them her name, turned over her wand (apparently hexing during labor was quite common) and authorized the owls to be sent to her mum, Ginny and Molly. She was quickly ushered into a delivery room and was settled into bed. Labor for witches was the same as for muggles so it could take a while. She grabbed a book from her bag and was just beginning to read when three frantic women charged into her room, followed by a terrified Ron.
"You're having a baby!" It seemed that everyone was talking and fussing over her at once. She didn't have time to even worry about the pain right now as questions were being fired at her very quickly. She laughed at Ron who was pale and shaking, still clutching the door frame.
"Ron, you can come closer, nothing's happening right now." She saw relief in his face as he came over to grab her hand. "You know, you are going to have to go through all of this with Luna so you'd better get used to it."
"I've got a little time to get ready. Besides, I just didn't want to see any of your. . . parts." All the women laughed then, Ron turning a brighter shade of pink.
"You can leave when you get uncomfortable, but I'm glad you're here now. Where's Luna?"
"She's finishing up at work. She will be here in about an hour. Some big story came in. I didn't really want to ask."
Hermione continued to be fussed over while she remained calm and in a fairly decent mood considering everything that was going on. Apparently Ginny had warned everyone not to mention Draco because Hermione never heard his name spoken. Her mother cried every few minutes about her baby growing up. She had to comfort her mother instead of the other way around.
As the hours ticked by, Hermione was not as calm and her mood had taken a turn for the worse. She was frustrated and tired and the pain was worse than even the Cruciatus. Ron had left as soon as she started getting really uncomfortable but he sent Luna in for regular status reports. Her mum, Molly and Ginny were steady at her side, only leaving every now and then for a snack or a bathroom break.
At 10:42 pm, a baby boy cried for the first time. He wasn't alone, there were tears all around the room as Hermione held little James Sirius Remus Potter. He had his father's raven hair and intense green eyes. He was perfect, and definitely the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. His grandmothers cooed and fussed, while dabbing their eyes. Ginny was in awe as she touched his little hand. An hour later, Hermione was peacefully sleeping with a bassinet at her side. Ron and Luna had met their godson and left for home. Hermione's father had held the baby and took his exhausted wife back home as well. Molly and Ginny were finishing the letters that would go out with the owls first thing in the morning and then would head home.
Draco was completely unaware what was happening across town. He spent the evening working, trying anything to forget the pain he was in. Pain he caused himself by being stupid. He had prided himself on his Malfoy intelligence and cunning but when it came to women he apparently was a disaster. Around midnight, Draco was standing and stretching. He was trying to decide whether he should just go to bed or if he should get drunk first. He jumped when he heard a tap on the window and saw Blaise's owl. Letting the owl in, he retrieved his letter.
Draco,
If you tell anyone that I'm writing you this I'll deny it and never speak to you again. James Sirius Remus Potter was born tonight. Hermione is doing fine and the baby is healthy. He's reported to be a good looking kid. If you had been a little smarter you could have met your son tonight. Give her time. Congratulations.
Blaise
He was a father. In his mind at least. He crumbled the letter in his fist and threw it across the room. He was so angry. He was angry with himself, angry that Hermione didn't let him be with her tonight, and angry that Potter had died and put him in this position in the first place. He thought back to that day of Potter's funeral. The day he stopped Hermione from killing herself. They'd never talked about it but she was pregnant then. She would have killed the baby if he hadn't stopped her. She owed him! Then the anger came crashing down and he was left with sorrow. She didn't owe him anything. He'd die for her now. He loved her and that baby more than he had ever loved anything. In one moment of stupidity he had lost everything. He wasn't going to give up. He would wait. He had nothing but time.
Author's Note: Once again I'd like to thank my reviewers. I know some of you didn't think Draco would be such a sap or Hermione would be so harsh but they are both so conflicted. I hope this chapter explained some of it more and brought them back into character. It looks like I can wrap this up in one more chapter and the epilogue. I'd like to finish them together though. It might be a couple of weeks. As I mentioned earlier, I'm doing NaNoWriMo as well and that story is slowly using all the brain cells I have. Please review! I know I promised you flowers in the last chapter, but how about muffins this time? A nice basket of mini-muffins to all who review! You are awesome!