A/N: My solicitors tell me that I need to remind everyone that I don't own copyright or IP to Ron, Harry, Hermione, Rose, Ginny, any Weasley (including Charlie) or St. Mungos. I do own some utility chairs and they are uncomfortable no matter where you are. – DG

Ron Weasley was making a terrific imitation of a Norwegian Ridgeback lumbing in the hallways of St. Mungo's. If he were a dragon, smoke would be billowing out his nostrils. He certainly felt on fire from what happened in the last hour.

He had been north of Glasgow chasing down a serial arsonist when the Patronus came in. But if he wasn't there his arse would have been hung out to dry from the witch calling him. The howler if he didn't have his arse back in London straight away would be of mythic proportions.

His black dragonskin jacket bellowed behind him. His size 12 boots made little noise on the tiled floor. Only his ginger hair stood out: flying every which way out of his black beanie hat.

"Auror Weasley, you can't go in there."

Ron kept walking, pushing through the double doors that hadn't been magically sealed. He kept stalking forward, not letting words like No, and Security! impede him from where he needed to be. Auror Ron Weasley was on a mission and that mission was to find his wife somewhere in this bloody building.

Only his Mum could stop him. And she was there, standing guard over the door leading to the surgical ward. "Step aside, Mum. Hermione needs me."

Molly flicked her wand and Ron froze mid-stride. "If you go in there, you're only going to make things worse. All the Healers have said is that it's touch and go, whatever that means. They've not been out in over an hour."

She moved her wand again and Ron nearly fell on his face. "What'd you do that for, Mum? Hermione's in there."

"And the Healers are doing everything they can to save her and Rose. You're only going to be in the way."

Ron looked around and saw the various faces of his family. Arthur was there, looking solemn. George was there, sitting with his Dad. With George, you couldn't read much on his forlorn features. Percy was there, along with Audrey. Her face showed more, hard with creases. She'd been there for Hermione, helping her heal, when no one else could help. And then there was Harry and Ginny. Ginny had been crying and so had Harry.

"But Mum, she's not due for another six weeks. That's not right. It's only the middle of October."

Molly walked over to her son and looked up at the giant of a man he had become. "You're right but babies come on their own schedule." Molly pulled the handkerchief from the sleeve of her own jumper. She dabbed her eyes before returning it to her sleeve. "But Hermione was at the Ministry today picking up files, so I'm told, and she said something then passed out. Harry rushed her here but she was in bad shape at that point."

Ron looked at his best mate, sitting in the furthest corner chair of the utilitarian waiting room. "You did Harry?"

The specky git looked up from his own wife to see Ron staring at him. "I did. I broke a few rules doing it but it's Hermione. I couldn't contact you because I was fighting like hell to get her in here to save Rose."

Ron nodded softly at the implication of what Harry was telling him. "Why was she at the Ministry today? She's been on doctor ordered bed rest for months."

"I can answer that," Harry piped up from his seat in the corner. "Malfoy perfected a better Wolfsbane potion. He's been working with Neville for the past year, to get it where it can work on someone who had already changed. The original formula had to be taken for a week prior to transformation. If the afflicted missed a dose, or the potion wasn't brewed just right, the results are disastrous." Harry took a ragged breath. "Hermione was asked to come in so she could hear it herself, from the Head Potioneer working for the Ministry. Between Neville working on perfecting a strain of monkshood that would last longer in the potion, to Malfoy getting it where it could be injected for immediate effect rather than injested for 7 days prior, MLS said it was a top priority. She was asked to come in and offer legal counsel on the situation and applicable uses for MLS."

"But why Hermione? She's been at home for months. What's so important that they called her in to discuss it? Why not an owl, or use those mirrors we have? Don't they have other sods in that office who can do a competent job?"

"They called her in because it hasn't been approved for use from the Wizengamot. She's the smartest one in there and the Undersecretary knows that she has the ethics and backbone to stand up to the Aurors for legal use – and when it's not morally correct."

Ron glared at his best mate across the room. "It's still not right, calling her in for something that could wait until after Rose came."

"Enough," Arthur said quietly. He walked up to Ron and stood toe to toe with his son. The fierceness in Arthur's face cowered Ron. He was the only one who came close to looking at his gentle giant eye to eye. He pulled Ron close and pulled his head down, whispering as only Arthur could. "I've been here, in this room, praying to whomever to spare Molly and Ginny. One of the worst days of my life, it was." Arthur pulled back and gave him a hard look. "Your wife is fighting for her life, and the life of your child. Instead of being pissed at the Wizengamot for their bad timing, you better think about Hermione on that table and pray that she's strong enough to survive what's happening."

Arthur gave one look at his son and Ron crumbled in his arms. "I can't lose her, not now," Ron sobbed into his father's jacket. "Not again."

One by one, each of the family stepped out of the room. Only Harry and Ginny stayed, giving the two men as much privacy as possible inside the small confines of the sterile waiting room.

Ginny stood up from her chair and went over to her brother. His heaving sobs echoed painfully. "Ron?"

Ron lifted his head from his father's shoulder. He looked a complete mess, with his face as red as one of Mum's tomatoes. "Yes Ginny?"

"I've been on that table, remember?"

Ron nodded once, remembering his sister in a similar room two years prior. "I remember. Specky git shouldn't have gotten you pregnant, the sod."

Ginny smiled without it touching her eyes. "I know I speak for Hermione that she'd give her life for you, and for Rose. But you have to trust her, and the healers who are helping. She's going to need you for a long while. I guarantee it."

Harry came up behind her and hugged her around the waist. "You scared, Ginny?"

One lone tear crawled down her cheek before she wiped it away. "Terrified. She's one of my best friends, and she's been there when you gits are out being a hero. So yeah, I'm scared."

"But why? Hermione's done nothing to anyone, in years. Why is she on that table fighting for her life when I'm the one who puts their life on the line daily? Why does she have to go through this?"

"Women have been giving birth, and occasionally dying from it, for centuries." Ginny choked down the words she wanted to say, choosing to temper her raw facts for her bereft brother. "You weren't there when I had James. You got to the hospital later, after everything settled down."

Ron looked lost. In for a knut,…

"The hospital has been dealing with women our age for the past few years, the ones who survived the war and the fighting. Anyone who had been subject to the Cruciatus curse is a high risk pregnancy. Luna had it bad, so if she ever does, she's on the same protocol as the rest of us have been. The same can be said for Hannah, for Demelza, for Padma and Pavarti. Anyone who can get pregnant could die from the aftereffects of the curse." Ginny took a deep breath. "What Hermione went through was ten times worse. That's why she was on bed rest for months. That's why she was seeing a Healer once a week. That's why she was taking so many potions for so long. That's why she needed a healer's approval for anything she did besides a trip to the Loo."

Ron looked off at the doors to the Emergency ward.

"She probably got approval for the trip to the Ministry and enjoyed her time out of bed. But Mum's right: babies come on their own schedule. Maybe Rose was hungry and wanted more than what she was sucking out of Hermione's body." Ginny shook her head. "Hell, it's not like she's been the paragon of health for the last few years."

"Weasley family?"

Everyone turned to the Healer standing in the hallway in front of the Emergency ward. He was older, maybe his late 40's to early 50's, and wearing bright green robes that were crumpled and careworn. He looked tired, like he'd been fighting a dragon.

"Which one is the father?"

Ron stepped up and put his hand out in greeting. "Auror Weasley, sir. How's my wife and daughter?"

"Healer Hunter. I'm the head Healer at the hospital, specializing in Curse related injuries."

"Curse related? Shite."

"Easy, son. No, your wife wasn't cursed, at least that's not what brought her into the hospital. No, I was asked to take over from the maternity healers because of what previously happened to your wife those years ago. They have some experience in high risk pregnancies, but nothing like what we dealt with."

"What does that mean?"

"Let's take a seat and talk, shall we? There's plenty to discuss."

Ron wouldn't budge. "Are you trying to tell me that my wife and child are dead? Is this you way of letting me down slowly, to take the sting out?" Ron started hyperventilating. "Cause if that's the case you might as well put a wand to my head now."

"Easy there. No, your wife and child aren't dead. But there's been quite a few complications in her case. That's why I need to talk."

The healer went first into the austere room and sat down on one of the hard seats. The rest of the family piled in, finding every inch of wall, floor, and seat available. "Your wife gave birth to your daughter, about two hours ago."

"Two hours? Bloody hell! Why'd you wait this long to tell us?" Six sets of eyes gave him a dirty look before Ron piped down. He put his face in his hands and muttered something that no one paid any attention to.

"We had to wait to tell you because it was literally moment to moment with her on the table. The curse damage was considerable on the microscopic level."

"Healer, speak English please. We're not Hermione and not Muggleborns. We'll 'cept Harry but that doesn't count."

Harry gave George a dirty look before putting his hand on Ron's shoulder. He felt his best mate's breathing hitch and kept rubbing his back.

"In plain English, she nearly died on the table. We had to resort to barbaric means, rushing as fast as we could, to save your daughter. The healers called me in to perform a miracle on her, and by Merlin's Wand and all the bonds I hold sacred, I did it."

A collective breath released. "Now, we're going to keep both of them here at least a week. Mrs. Weasley will probably stay a little longer, just so we can make sure that she will be strong enough to go home."

"And Rose? How is she?"

The Healer turned to Molly Weasley. "She's a little small, for being born about six weeks early. That's why we want to keep her a few days, just to take precautions. She's not that small, but it's the lung development. But that's not to say that she didn't screech like a mermaid out of water when she came out."

"But what about Hermione? You said that you had to resort to barbaric means."

The healer looked at Ron and gave him a piercing look. "The trauma she suffered years ago did damage on her vital organs. Getting pregnant didn't help. There was considerable bleeding internally and I was performing magic that few wizards could do." The healer shook his head in consternation. "Whatever she suffered at the hands of her tormentors back during the war was extensive. I've never seen so much scar tissue on a woman, much less living and healthy enough to conceive, much less give birth."

"But Healer, what-"

"Let me finish, if you please."

The room settled back down.

"I was called in because there was still dark magic residue inside her. When her water broke while at the Ministry, and she collapsed, the clock was ticking. The only way I can describe it is a miasma, a dark magic toxicity that would have poisoned her had Mr. Potter there not rushed her in on his Auror authority. That's why we had to resort to barbaric means to save them both. Had we not rushed, and had her charts straight away, I wouldn't have been able to save her. That was the miracle, that Mr. Potter broke almost every rule in the hospital to get her into my hands."

"Can we see her?"

"She's asleep right now and will be for some time. Once we purged her body of the last remaining bits of dark magic, she was hysterical for you. We gave her a sleeping draught along with probably a dozen other potions to let her body rest after the ordeal. But you can go in and see her, and we'll bring your daughter out as soon as we're done running our checks on her."

The Healer stood up from the chair and made his way back to the doors. "For her sake, I'd consider whether you want any further children. She might be able to have one more, without doing irreparable damage, but I would strongly counsel against more than one more. I don't think her body could handle the stress of multiple pregnancies, not after this one." The healer offered a tired smile. "But that's a discussion for later. We'll talk more after she wakes up."

The Healer left and the family sat in silence.

Ginny went over to her brother and put her arms around him. Within moments, they were both sobbing.

Ron sniffed and wiped his face on his dragon skin jacket. "Well, come on, let's go meet Rose. Merlin knows we've waited long enough to meet her."

Everyone followed Ron into the ward across the hallway. Percy held the doors open while everyone lumbered through the doors. Ron took the lead, looking for the pink tag and the name Weasley under it. Each door they passed made him more anxious until he came to the last one on the hallway. The rooms at the end were reserved for Aurors and were private. He'd have to remember to thank Harry later for being the Chosen one and getting her admitted under Auror authority.

"Give me a minute, would you?"

Muttered acceptance replied from the crowd behind him.

Ron pushed the sterile green doors and went into the private room. It was small, almost as small as the one they had at Grimmauld Place. Unlike there, it had only one single bed with a small witch in it. Hermione lay there, sleeping deeply, looking almost as pale as the sheets she was laying on.

Ron choked back a sob before finding his wife's hand. It looked so fragile in his oversized ones. Even the goblin silver carving on her arm stood out, looking angry after all these years. "They tell me that babies come on their own schedule. Maybe it was a good thing that you were at the Ministry when it happened. Had you been home, no one would have known what happened." Ron choked on the boulder sized bezor in his throat. "They said that it's a miracle you lived through it."

Ron put her hand up to his fingertips and felt the warmth in them. He crooked his head and picked up the second hand. Those fingers were warm, too. With his curiosity piqued, he untucked the end of the bed and saw her toes – painted a garish shade of orange, his favorite, and felt her toes were warm too.

"It must be the potions. It's the only explanation."

"Captain Weasley?"

Ron put the blanket back on the bed and turned towards the door. "Yes?"

"You're needed. Your daughter wants to say hello to her Daddy."

Ron stood there gobsmacked. Ever slowly, he grinned. "Daddy. I like how that sounds."

Ron left his wife asleep in the bed and made his way to the hallway. Sure enough, once the doors were closed, a Mediwitch was standing there with a bundle in her arms. "I believe she's yours, I reckon," the Medi-witch said. "Wee lassie you have there."

Ron held his arms out and received his daughter for the first time. Under the various blankets bright blue eyes, a button nose, and a small tuft of curly reddish auburn hair peeked out. He offered one long finger to tickle her cheek with. "Hi Rose. I'm your Daddy."

Rose looked up at her Daddy, blinking away.

Two fat drops fell down his nose and onto her blankets. He smiled through the tears coursing down his cheeks. "I'll have to do, for now, 'cause Mummy's sleeping in the next room."

Ron looked up and saw everyone was still with him.

"Hermione's gonna be chuffed that everyone else got to meet Rose before she did."

"That's not true. Those older prats called brothers aren't here, are they?"

"You hush, George. Charlie'll be in when he can and Bill's on assignment in China at the moment. They'll come visit when they get a chance."

"Yes, Mum." George fumbled inside his garish purple work jacket and pulled out a cigar. "A gift for the git known as Ron. Congrats, you tosser."

Ron took the cigar in his hand and stuffed it in his cloak pocket. "There'll be no smoking around my daughter, not if Hermione has anything to say about it."

"Then save it for later when you're out with your brothers celebrating." George grinned. "We're celebrating once those gits show up and Hermione's home with the wives, right?"

Everyone stood around awkwardly for a moment. "We'll wait 'til Hermione can hold her before Rose gets passed around." Arthur looked at everyone for askance. But all the heads nodded in firm agreement.

"Mum, do you think we should introduce Rose to her Mum?"

"No, let's wait until Hermione is awake tomorrow. She'll be upset if she wasn't awake to hold her." Molly sniffed. "I know I was when I didn't get to hold you or Ginny."

Ron nodded at what his father told him earlier.

"Then Rose and I are going to go sit with Hermione a spell. She's had a long day and so has Rose, but I need some time with my favorite ladies."

"Then your father and I are going up but we'll be back up here tomorrow."

"Yes Mum."

Ron accepted pats on the back and kisses from everyone before all that was left was Harry and Ginny. "We're running by Shell Cottage to see Fleur and get James before going home. Anything you need for us to do tonight?"

"Just let Otter out. And feed Crookshanks. That's about it."

"You need anything?"

"We could use some changes of clothes tomorrow. My uniform isn't that comfortable, at least longer than tonight."

Ginny leaned over and kissed her niece on the forehead. Bright blue eyes looked at her as only a newborn can. "Aunt Ginny loves you Rose. I'll see you tomorrow." She then kissed her brother on the cheek.

Harry leaned over and kissed his niece before clapping his best mate on the back. He'd taken two steps before stopping and turning back to Ron.

"Alright there?"

Ron looked at the figure sleeping in the bed and the bundle in his arms. "I reckon so. It's been one barmy day and I wasn't here for most of it. But yeah, I will be." He looked at the blue eyes staring up at him. "Harry, I –"

Harry smiled. "I know."

Harry and Ginny left the ward leaving Ron standing in the doorway to Hermione's room.

"So, Rose, I figure I need to get stuff said now before Mummy wakes up. I need to warn you about how bloody fantastic she is. But she's a handful, too." Ron looked once again at Hermione in the bed. She was still so pale, at least to his eyes. He moved her hand out to the edge of the bed where he could sit next to her while cradling Rose in his arms. Ron sat down and shifted Rose into his other arm, holding her while reaching out for Hermione's hand. The warmth in her fingertips was so comforting.

"I met your Mum on the train to Hogwarts. We were eleven."

Ron prattled on, talking to Rose. She blinked occasionally before a huge yawn and falling asleep in her Daddy's arms.

Once she was asleep, like her Mummy, he brought Hermione's hand to his lips. "Don't scare me like this again, you hear me?" Tears ran rivulets down his face and off the end of his long nose. "We need you."

An hour later, the Medi-witch came in and found Captain Weasley fast asleep, holding his daughter in his arm while holding his wife's hand. All she could do was smile at the miracles that were Hermione Granger-Weasley and Rose Weasley.