The Start of Our Lives
Summary: After a drunken one night stand, bushy-haired bookworm Hermione Granger finds out that she is pregnant to none other than Master of Apathy Draco Malfoy. They begin their lives as teenage parents and learn to live together and maybe even eventually fall in love? Read & Review.
Chapter Sixteen: I Don't Know Anyone So How Could I Possibly Know You?
~I'm your best friend but I'm scared to see you tonight~
She couldn't believe that he had agreed to it. He had taken off so quickly that she didn't get a chance to tell him how grateful she was. The stress that had been building up over the last several months was gone- she felt free and slightly relaxed. But at the same time, she was more terrified than ever before. This meant that it was really happening- Sunshine was going to be given a home.
She had to take Draco to the adoption office at St. Mungo's to go over the birth plans- Hermione wanted a closed adoption with a Muggle family. Nurse Lauren, who was also a specialist, would be the one to select the family but Hermione could put in her two cents- she wanted a young (but not too young) couple who were actually ready to be parents. Hermione was worried though about her daughter's magical abilities- she wanted her to be able to go to Hogwarts. What if the chosen couple were unresponsive to her being a witch resented her for that fact and refused to let her go to Hogwarts. Hermione knew that Dumbledore would keep an eye out for her over the years- he had told her himself when she informed him of her adoption plans over a month ago. He promised that if she wasn't allowed to go, then he would visit her family himself to try and convince them.
Hermione just hoped that her daughter didn't have to go through what she did as a child- when she had received her letter from Hogwarts; her father had insisted that she was a 'freak'.
It was times like this when Hermione thought that it would be safer to keep Sunshine.
Sighing, she headed into the kitchen. Her stomach was growling and Sunshine was obviously hungry too from the way that she was kicking. She grabbed four slices of bread, loaded a generous amount of butter to it, and applied layers of salami and liberal scooping of sweet mustard pickles to it. In the end she had made an enormous decker sandwich. She opened her mouth as wide as she could get it and took a huge bite out of it.
"Oh, my God!" She moaned. That was some freaking delicious stuff.
Stuffing her face with the sandwich, all previous thoughts of Draco, the baby and the adoption that had been clouding up her memory vanished. All she could concentrate on was finishing the world's greatest sandwich and then making an even better one.
As she was buttering the bread, she felt a sudden tightening in her stomach. Dropping the knife so that it landed with a clatter, she gripped the bench hard. As quickly as it came, it stopped. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes. She didn't care about her second sandwich anymore- she wanted to know what the hell that had been?
"That was unexpected," she said to herself. Slightly scared, she picked the knife back up but dropped it almost immediately- the pain was back, more intense than it had been before. A sudden thought struck her- was she going into labour?
"No," she told herself shakily. "I can't be, it's too early." She figured that it was probably just bad menstrual cramps.
Until she realized that pregnant women didn't menstrual cramps.
She couldn't freak out, freaking out wouldn't help her. If it happened again, then she would walk herself to the Hospital Wing. If she could manage it. She propped her elbows up onto the counter and put her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down.
When it happened again, she screamed.
The pain seemed to be getting progressively worse- it was an invisible belt was strapped around her stomach and was being pulled in like a corset- it wasn't too painful really, Hermione realized later. But naturally she was freaking out.
"Oh, shit."
She didn't understand how she could be having contractions- it was too soon. Surely there would be some kind of warning before they actually happened- like her water breaking for instance! Hermione slowly lowered herself onto the ground- her knees were about to give way anyway. She practiced the breathing that Madam Promfrey had gone over with her- deep breath in through the nose, release it through the mouth. She repeated this process until her hands stopped shaking and her heart slowed down to it's regular beatings. It seemed as though it was over, but she had a dilemma- she couldn't get up off of the ground.
Groaning at her stupidity- why couldn't she have just done over to the lounge?- she placed her hands firmly on the floor and tried to heave herself up but it was no use- her stomach was too big to allow her to move anywhere she wanted.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Stupid!"
Now she was stuck here until Draco came back- if he even came back, that is.
While she was stuck on the floor, she figured that she might as well pass the time by reading- luckily she had her wand in her pocket- "Wingardium Leviosa." The book that was lying on the coffee table flew straight over into her waiting hands.
It was about fifteen minutes later when Hermione felt that same tightening pain in her stomach. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut tightly and practiced the breathing technique again- but the pain didn't subside. In fact, it was getting worse.
"Oh, God!"
Just one floor below, Harry Potter was walking aimlessly around the corridors of Hogwarts- he had just been outside on the Quidditch Field with Ron, Fred and George practising for the upcoming game- Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the final match of the season. Now that Harry and Draco were on better terms than they had ever been before and were now on a first-name basis, he still wanted to crush Draco into the dirt. He was now heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room- he had a truckload of homework due for this week and he needed to get it done. Monday afternoons were always the worst days, he thought. The piles of homework all just came at the same time.
In the Fat Lady's corridor was a new addition- Draco and Hermione's little 'house' that Dumbledore had made for them from what used to be an unused classroom. He had simply added in more rooms and decorated it to make it seem like a home. Harry knew that Dumbledore was trying to accommodate Hermione and Draco so that they could live comfortably with their baby but Harry could see that the spark in Hermione's eyes was gone- she didn't smile the way she used to and she seemed so withdrawn and distant and...sad. She seemed so much older. Draco was the exact opposite. It was like he had been reborn into a different man, a better person.
Harry wanted to stop by at Hermione's for a minute- he figured that she could use a friend. He might be able to cheer her up.
"Password?" The two always-giggling ladies guarding the portrait hole demanded.
"Erm..." Harry stopped, unsure of what it was. "I don't know. Could you just let me in?"
The girls broke out into a fit of laughter. Harry rolled his eyes and knocked on the wood that outlined the portrait painting. "Hey, that's antique," the blonde girl squealed with her hands on her hips. Harry ignored her.
"Hermione, are you in here?" He called loudly, knocking harder. No answer. "Hermione, I know that you missed classes today and I want to know why. Please, open up!"
The red-headed girl suddenly let out a horrible withered gasp that made Harry jump. "What? What is it?"
"Oh sir, we must let you in right away!" She shrieked and before Harry knew it, the portrait had clicked and swung wide open, allowing Harry to step through. "I'll go get some help!" She added before hitching up the petticoats of her long skirt, ditching her highs and running as first as she could through the other portraits, knocking several occupants over along the way.
"Wh-?" Harry didn't even want to know. Realizing that Hermione must've been in some sort of danger, he rushed through the doorway and called her name out several times. He was finally answered by a pitiful heart-shattering scream.
Harry raced towards the direction where the sound was coming from- nothing could've prepared him for the sight that he saw before his eyes. Hermione was lying on the floor with tears streaming down her face, clutching at her stomach, screaming. Harry just stood there. He had no idea what to do- his whole body froze as if he had gone into pure unadultered shock. Hermione's next scream shattered his state of mind and he found himself by her side in moments.
"Hermione, oh God what's happening? Is it the baby? Is it coming?"
Hermione managed to open her eyes to look up at her raven-haired best friend. "I-I don't know!" She gasped, her chest heaving. Harry put his arms around her shoulders to support her weight as he tried to lift her up into a sitting position. "I don't think that contractions are supposed to feel like this because they're better than I expected!"
"Then why the hell are you screaming like that?"
"Because I'm so scared!" She yelled back before bursting into a wave of fresh tears. Harry gathered her up in a hug, rocking her back and forth in a gentle motion, running his fingers through her hair. This seemed to calm her down some but he could feel her whole body convulsing from the sobs.
"You shouldn't be sitting down on the floor," a dreamy voice interrupted them. "The Pulvis will get you."
Harry and Hermione looked up to see Luna Lovegood staring down at them with a serious expression of her face.
"Luna?" Hermione breathed. "How did you-?"
"Some lovely blonde lady came racing down the corridors in the portraits asking for help. I decided to help her. She told me to come up here and-"
"What's going on?" Ginny Weasley came skidding into the room. "Hermione, why are you on the floor?"
Harry answered before Hermione had a chance to. "Hermione is in pain- contractions. I-I think she is having the baby."
Ginny burst into tears whilst Luna smiled happily and clapped. Ginny shook her head wildly, covering her mouth with both hands. Harry rolled his eyes.
"What is with you damn women and crying all the damn time?"
"I-It's just th-that Her-Hermione is hav-having a-a-a-a BABY!" Ginny wailed through the sobs. Luna patted her comfortingly on the back.
"I know that it's a shock Ginny but you'll get over it. Hermione is very blessed and-"
"And we've gotta get her to the Hospital Wing, stat! Ginny, you go find Draco. Luna, you conjure up a stretcher. I'm not carrying her all the way down there." Hermione slapped Harry's arm lightly as she winced as the next contraction hit.
"I'm so scared!" Ginny shouted.
"GO FIND DRACO NOW!" Harry roared. Ginny immediately stopped crying but broke down again as soon as she ran out of the room. Luna calmly produced her wand, waved it and murmured a spell- a stretcher appeared out of it. It fell to the ground and Harry helped Hermione onto it. Luna levitated it up and with Harry's help, Hermione soared out of the room and into the corridors.
"Alright, everyone. Hold on tightly I hope you're wearing you're diapers...because you're about to shit your pants."
Harry and Hermione almost did because they couldn't stop laughing at what Luna had just said- but she turned out to be right- almost. With a wave of her wand, Hermione felt as though she was strapped down onto the stretcher- she couldn't move a muscle. Harry and Luna had this strange sensation too- before they could question her- they were flying at top speed through the corridors, everything passing by in a whirlwind of blur and colour. What seemed like literally five seconds later, they were outside the doors of the Hospital Wing.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Harry exhaled noisily.
"Isn't that supposed to be Ronald's line?" Luna replied.
They helped Hermione off of the stretcher and it disappeared. Taking a hold of both her elbows, they steered her into the large brightly-litted room where Madam Promfrey was bustling about, humming to herself.
"You in here again Granger? What is it this time?"
Harry looked at Hermione and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We think that Hermione's in labour- she has been feeling some pains which may be contractions."
"May be contractions?" Madam Promfrey raised a gray eyebrow.
"'We're looking into it," Luna answered, nodding her head. Madam Promfrey immediately set a bed up for Hermione to lie down in- she shut the curtains to give her some privacy as Luna helped her into pyjamas
"Let's see what's going on," Madam Promfrey smiled down at the frightened girl. "Nothing to worry about just yet- we need to check if these are actually contractions. But first, let's take a look at this baby, shall we."
Running her wand over Hermione's bare bump, a screen flickered above. Harry, Hermione, Luna and Madam Promfrey stared at it as they heard the heartbeat and saw the baby.
"Wow!" Harry sucked in a huge gulp of air.
"Look at that!" Luna had unexpectedly lost her dreamy air as she gawked at the baby.
"I know!" Hermione shook her head- it never ceased to amaze her when she saw it.
"Well?" Harry interjected the sweet moment. "Is everything ok?"
Madam Promfrey just smiled and nodded her head.
"Everything is fine."
"Am I in labour?" Hermione asked in a would-be steady voice if her hands hadn't given her away. To her great relief, Madam Promfrey shook her head.
"You're having what Muggles call Braxton-Hicks contractions. These are practice contractions, preparing you for the real thing."
Hermione stared up at the matron in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"So we're all freaking out about nothing?" Harry groaned inwardly- he could have his History of Magic essay done by now- but Hermione was more important.
"That's right. Everything is ok."
"But-but," Hermione stammered, an embarrassed red flush creeping up her neck. "It hurt. They really hurt. I heard that it's just mild discomfort but they felt like they could be it."
"It's different for every woman- some don't feel them at all, others think that they actually are the real thing. Trust me, you will know if it's real when the time comes."
At that moment the door to the Hospital Wing burst open and in came an exhausted and out-of-breath Draco and Ginny. Clutching at stitches in his side, Draco staggered towards the bed where Hermione was lying.
"Wh-what's going o-o-on?" He wheezed heavily.
"Nothing, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Promfrey answered as she helped him into a chair she had just conjured. "Just a slight scare."
"Weaselette- sorry, Ginny said th-that she...Harry said- what's happening...oh God...cramp, cramp!" Draco clutched anxiously at his side, breathing heavily.
"Alright, what have we learned here?" Harry clapped his hands together and looked around grinning like he had just made a hilarious joke- the grin quickly faded when he saw that no one else was smiling with him.
Draco managed to gather enough air to speak. "Is the baby coming?"
Hermione didn't reply and looked at Madam Promfrey expectantly who took the hint. "No, the baby isn't coming. Hermione is experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, very common. Nothing to worry about."
Draco angrily glared up at Ginny. "You made me run all the way here for nothing? Damnit woman!"
And to everyone's surprise, he stormed out of the room. Unbeknownst to them, it wasn't because he was angry. It was because he still felt absolutely terrified- he knew that he needed to be left alone with Hermione but he had to do something first.
xox
Professor Snape was known for a being a cold, cruel man. Not many people knew the true reason why- he was in love and always had been in love with Lily Evans. He refused to think of her as Lily Potter. But she didn't love him back and she was dead because of it. It was often that he sat down at his desk in his office and just stared at the fireplace, thinking about her. When he really started to miss her, he would just open up with desk drawers and just simply stare at the picture he had torn out of the 1978 yearbook. She was Head Girl that year- he was so proud of her. That was also the same year she started going out with James Potter.
As he started to fume at how he had missed out on having Lily, he heard a knock at his door.
"Enter," he said lazily.
Draco Malfoy stepped in. Severus raised an eyebrow- he hadn't talked to Draco in so long.
"Take a seat, Draco." He pointed to the chair that was sitting across from the desk. Draco obligied and sat down in it. He didn't meet his favourite professor's eye but rather stared at a slimy green substance floating in a jar in the various shelves behind him. "So tell me," Professor Snape began. "What's troubling you? Anything I can help you with?"
Draco shook his head, mentally abusing himself for coming here. "I don't know if anyone can help me."
Severus sighed and leant back in his chair. "This has something to do with Granger?"
Draco met Severus' eyes. "Yes, sir."
The professor really, really didn't want to talk about this- getting involved with his student's personal lives was bound to turn into something messy. But he was supposed to be Draco's mentor and he had never turned down Draco before. Why start now?
"What is it then?"
Draco hesitated, playing with his fingers.
"Hermione wants to give the baby up for adoption."
This surprised Severus. The ever-pretentious Hermione Granger? This didn't make any sense but he didn't question it. None of my business, he told himself firmly.
"You are obviously upset over this."
Draco rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. That's stupid," he muttered sarcastically, obviously chargrained.
"Don't be smart with me Mr. Malfoy," Severus snapped. Draco stared at him, taken aback. "You came to talk this out to me."
"Yeah," Draco sighed. "I really don't know what to do. Today Hermione had false contractions and it just really freaked me out. I'm not ready to be a father but I don't want to give Sunshine up either."
"Sunshine?" Severus struggled to keep his face passive.
"Yeah, it's what Hermione calls the baby," Draco muttered, suddenly embarrassed. Severus nodded, he didn't need to know the reasons why.
"Draco, I don't know what to tell you. I'm at a loss here. I can't give you any advice on this."
Draco scowled heavily.
"But I can tell you this; do what you think is right- not for yourself, or even for Miss. Granger. Do it for...Sunshine," he smirked a bit at the name. "And just remember this; whatever decision is made, it will be ten times harder for Granger than for you."
Draco knew that he was right; whether they kept her or not, Hermione would struggle more than he would. He knew then that he had to support her; this was Hermione's decision. He made the decision to be Sunshine's father months ago, to be involved in her life. Giving her up didn't mean that he wasn't her father anymore; it just meant that he wasn't her dad.
Draco knew what he had to do.
A/N: Did you really think I'd make Hermione go into labour? Tricked ya ;)
BTW: Check out my new story Blogging Twilight. Seriously, do it. Or I'll eat ya.
HAHAHAHA. I'LL EAT YA!
Cya.