The Good Kind
Summary: Hermione's pregnant with Ron out of the country when Harry pays her a visit. What started as a cozy talk to catch up takes an unexpected turn…
Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I owned Harry Potter but I don't.
Chapter 3
-
The first thing he saw when they wheeled her off was that she was panicking. "I can't do this, Harry, I'm not ready."
"You camped with two boys for almost a year. Trust me, you can do this. " He tried to assure her but she shook her head.
"Not without Ron."
He sighed and wished more than anything that he'd still make it in time although he knew it was against all odds. At the doors of the delivery room they stopped.
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter but are you her husband?" One of the nurses asked Harry. He'd gotten used to people knowing who he was wherever he went a long time ago. "Uh no but -"
"Then I'm afraid you can't come in, sir."
Hermione whimpered in fear as she looked at Harry. "Please, my husband's out of the country. Harry's all I've got." She pleaded.
"I'm sorry but it's against hospital policies."
"You know what? Screw the hospital policies! Hermione's my best friend and I'm not letting her do this alone. So I'm coming with her whether you like it or not!" Harry raised his voice fiercely, ready to punch his way in if he had to.
"Okay, I guess we can make an exception." The nurse quickly said in a weak voice.
He'd clearly scared her but he really couldn't care less. "Good, thank you."
They quickly pushed her bed inside and Harry followed them. He took place next to her side and she grasped his hand.
"Harry, I'm scared." Of all the things she'd ever said to him, he could tell this was one of the most honest when he saw the fear in her eyes.
"I know but I'm here and I'm not leaving you. It'll be okay, I promise." She nodded thankfully in response with tears in her eyes.
"You ready?" He asked.
"No, can't we tell the baby to wait for Ron?" She replied with a light smile and Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
"Okay Hermione, it's time for you to start pushing." Dr. Thomas announced and Harry could almost see Hermione's heart race.
"Is there anything I can do? I know that Ron's been training for this but I'm pretty much clueless about this." He said.
Hermione looked at him in surprise. "He has?"
"Yeah, you didn't know?"
She shook her head and beamed at him over the fact that her husband could still surprise her after all these years.
"Harry, to answer your question: you can just wrap your arm around her to help her lean forward."
He nodded in response and did what he was told. Hermione grabbed his other hand and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"Here we go, Hermione, push." Dr. Thomas said.
Harry hated seeing her like this, her face was scrunched up in pain and she had trouble not to scream. "Keep pushing." Tears rolled down Hermione's cheeks from the effort.
"Okay, you can relax for a second." Hermione fell back on her pillow, looking exhausted and sweaty.
"You're doing great." Harry told her and she didn't react but just looked at him.
"Okay, this is it, Hermione. One big, final push."
She groaned in dread and Harry pushed her forward again. She groaned in pain and clutched Harry's hand for dear life.
"You're going to have to push harder, Hermione, nothing's happening."
"I can't." Hermione said, her voice breaking, and she started to cry.
"Yes, you can. Come on." Harry said fiercely and he started to get emotional too. He could hear his own voice quivering but he wasn't going to let her give up. This couldn't be healthy for the baby. She looked at him through her tears and breathed heavily.
"You're the strongest person I know, Hermione. If anyone can do it, it's you. Just think about Ron and your baby. Give everything you have, Hermione and it's the final push."
"If Ron ever gets here, I'm going to kill him." She muttered under her breath but Harry heard it anyway and couldn't help but smile.
"Okay, here we go."
He supported Hermione again but avoided to look at her. He couldn't really handle the expression of pain on her face.
"Great! Head … shoulders - legs.. That's it!" Dr. Thomas called out and Hermione fell back with a cry of relief. "It's a girl!"
They could hear the baby starting to cry and Hermione laughed in relief through her tears. Harry held her hand with both of his. "You did wonderful, Hermione, she's here. I'm so proud of you."
"Here's your gorgeous, healthy daughter." Dr. Thomas said and she gave Hermione a pink bundle. She was speechless for a second as new happy tears welled up in her eyes when she looked at the baby in her arms. There was no sign of pain on her face anymore, just pure joy.
"Hi, you. I'm so glad you're here." She smiled, stroking the baby's little fingers.
"She's looking at me." She said delighted and Harry watched in awe. "I already love you so much, I'll never forget this day."
She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead with a tear rolling down her cheek and Harry felt like he couldn't stop smiling. He wasn't embarrassed that he had to fight back tears too. But maybe it was because he hadn't expected to ever have this experience this. All three of them had been close to death so many times, they didn't take anything for granted anymore.
"You want to hold her?" Hermione asked him and he nodded.
"Yeah, absolutely." She carefully placed the baby in his arms and smiled at seeing his amazed face. "Wow, she's so small."
"Yeah, just like you." She chuckled and he gave her a sarcastic smile.
"Hey baby girl, I'm your Uncle Harry. Wow, you are beautiful." He noticed she had red hair, she was definitely a Weasley. "Now your daddy isn't here yet but I'll keep you and Mommy safe 'till he gets here, okay?"
Hermione smiled at how sweet he was being. He placed her back in Hermione's arms. "She's adorable, really. She looks like you, except for her hair."
"Yeah, thank God she doesn't have that from me." She chuckled, looking at the little girl with adoration.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Harry asked when her face was suddenly saddened.
"I just miss Ron, he really should've been here for this." She answered, her voice breaking.
He gave her a sad smile and stroked her cheek. "I know, but I won't leave your side 'till he gets here. I promise." He said, leaning his forehead against hers to console her. She smiled thankfully and loved her best friend more than ever for saying that. Suddenly he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She looked at him with huge confusion. "Harry! What was that?"
"Just congratulations." He simply replied.
After they had brought Hermione back to her room and she'd put her daughter in the hospital crib, she'd asked Harry to call her parents, Luna and Neville and Sirius but he had to ask them to wait for Ron to visit. By the time he came back she was already sound asleep. He made himself comfortable in the chair next to her bed and eventually fell asleep too.
The next day went by quickly by them talking to each other or taking care of the baby. In the afternoon they took a walk to the nursery to look at her some more.
"I still can't get over how tiny she is." Harry said in awe and Hermione laughed. "Yeah, because I'm 9 feet tall."
"You know what I mean." He said with a grin.
"So here you are." They suddenly heard a familiar voice say. They turned their heads and saw Draco Malfoy heading their way.
"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked annoyed. She knew he was getting along with Harry but she hadn't properly spoken to him or even seen him since the war. That's why she was still a bit hostile towards him, she always warned Harry to be careful around him.
He turned to Harry. "You didn't show up for work today and yesterday and when I asked them where you were they said you were at the hospital so -"
"Wait, you came to check up on him?" She asked surprised and he turned a bit red.
"Well, you know - he's my partner and I don't want to have to do everything alone." He replied casually but Hermione knew better.
"Don't worry, as you can see I'm fine." Harry assured him.
"But they said it was some sort of an emergency."
"It was. I was visiting Hermione and she went into labor."
"Really? You had your baby?" He asked her, coming closer and joining them in front of the window.
"Yeah, I did. You - you knew about that?"
"Of course, Harry talked about it all the time. Congratulations."
"Uh thank you." She replied, eyeing him suspiciously nonetheless.
"Which one's yours?" He asked but he didn't give her time to answer. "Oh it's okay, I think I see here now." He pointed at the right baby girl. "She looks like you." He smiled and looked down at her. It threw Hermione off a bit."So where's Weasley?"
"He didn't make it back from Romania in time." Harry said and Malfoy raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Wow, that sucks. Must've been hard for you."
She kept herself from gaping at him for considering her feelings. "It was - is, but you know, at least I have Harry." She squeezed his hand and Malfoy grinned at them.
"What?" Harry asked.
"When I was young I would've made some cheap comment about you two but I'm over it now."
"Good." Harry replied.
Malfoy turned a bit more serious. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"T - to me?" She stammered surprised and she looked at Harry, who shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, fine."
"I'll just - take a walk." Harry said a bit helplessly and he walked down the corridor after a worried glance at Hermione.
"Don't worry, Harry, I'm not going to jump her or anything." Malfoy called after him which made him turn around and grin. He turned back to Hermione and there was a moment of silence.
"I'm sure you know what yesterday was." He started with a bit of an uncomfortable vibe.
"Uh yeah.. Harry told me. Not exactly fun to remember but still."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to apologize."
"What?" She stared at him. He was slightly irritated when he saw that and she noticed so she quickly added. "Why? I mean - you didn't do anything."
"Yeah, that's kind of my point." He said hushed, avoiding her gaze and turning his back to the nursery.
"But I don't blame you for what happened."
"Thanks for lying." He smiled sadly and she blushed a bit. "I'm sorry for - that day and doing -"
"Please, it was 6 years ago, I'm over it."
"No you're not. Harry told me about your nightmares."
"Come on, does he tell everything I say to you?" She said weakly, feeling embarrassed.
"Yeah, if it's important enough to get off his chest, he does. About Ginny, you, Weasley.. Face it, he trusts me now."
"Looks like it, doesn't it?" She said with a weak smile which he returned.
"Who would've thought, right?"
"Not me." Hermione chuckled.
"Anyway, I just want you to know that-"
"Please, will you stop?"
"No, I won't actually."
"But you don't have to say anything!" She protested and he grabbed her arm but she flinched. He looked down and saw the word Mudblood carved into her arm. After 6 years, it still hadn't faded. He looked back at her but she avoided his eyes.
"This will never heal, will it?"
"No, I don't think so, it was done with Dark Magic."
"If I had stepped in, you wouldn't have to live with this for the rest of your -"
"Will you stop?" She was tired of his "if's", she'd accepted that scar a long time ago.
"Hermione, will you just let me finish please?" He suddenly said loud and she stared at him again.
"Did - you just call me Hermione?"
"Well that is your name, isn't it?" He looked at her like she asked the most stupid question in the world.
"Yeah, I just didn't know you knew it." She answered a bit colder and his smile faded.
"Guess I deserve that. Listen.." Malfoy sighed and looked like he was thinking of the right words. "I was a dumb, arrogant kid and I know that doesn't excuse what I did -"
"But as I said, you didn't do anything."
"And that's even worse, don't you get that? I feel awful about just standing there."
"You couldn't even look at me." Hermione remembered quietly. "Of course not, I wasn't a murderer or something. You were only 17, on some level I wanted to help –"
"Is that why you lied when they asked who we were? I mean, I know that you recognized us."
"Yeah but doing more than that would've been suicide for me. So I just wanted to apologize for not stopping them."
She looked at him with a little awe. "Thanks, that means a lot." There was a silence where none of them really knew what to say.
"I should get going." Malfoy eventually said and she nodded.
"Thanks for saying - you know."
"That's okay. You know, she really is cute, your daughter. You and Weasley should be proud."
She smiled thankfully and felt tears dwell up in her eyes. "Wow.."
"Tell Harry I'll just see him at work when he comes back, will you?"
"Yeah sure."
"Thanks. Goodbye then." He said and Hermione nodded. "Bye."
She watched him walk out of the corridor and felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit and turned around.
"Whoa relax, it's me." Harry said calmly and then his expression changed into a worried one. "Hermione, are you crying? What did he say to you - I'll go give him a piece of my mind." He was angry now and ready to stomp down the hallway.
"No, Harry wait." She grabbed him by his arm. "He wasn't mean. He was actually - really nice. I mean, he called me by my first name." To someone else that may have sounded ridiculous but Harry knew that really meant something.
"Told you he was different now." Harry reminded her, wrapping his arm around her. "Come on, let's go back to your room."
AN/ Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing or put this story on alert, it really means a lot to me. This was the next to last chapter. :) x
- Jana