AN: I still don't own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much for all the reviews, for following, or for adding to your favorites.

Well, here we are again. Another new chapter. And, as much as this saddens me to say, the FINAL chapter, which is why it's so long. All that's left after this is the Epilogue. Yep, this is it, folks.

Warning: Bad language ahead. What can I say? Ginny's in pain.

I got nothing else to say, so go - Read and enjoy!

Harry sighed as he gazed around the room. Hermione had been kind enough to give him and his date one of the private rooms at her restaurant to ensure privacy. As this particular room was usually used for family events, there were various photos on the walls of Hermione's family, the Weasley's, Lucius and Helena, Draco and Ginny, even most of their friends had places on the wall.

Although this room was helping calm his nerves, he was still on edge. He'd been so worked up that he'd arrived a whole hour early, and now had nothing to do but wait. He'd already had several cups of what was listed on the menu as 'Hermione's Herbal Helper', which, thanks to the waiter, he knew was merely chamomile tea with two drops of calming draught included.

Truth be told, though, he didn't feel any calmer than when he sat down. The only difference he could see was his heart no longer wanted to thump right out of his chest, really.

The door opened and the waiter, Louis, appeared. "Miss Andrea Cooper, Mr. Potter." he said, standing aside to let a very attractive blonde in a very lovely black dress and strappy black heels pass, entering the room. "Could I get you a drink, Miss Cooper?" he asked.

"Yes, please." she said in a light voice that reminded him of Luna. "A glass of your house red, please."

"Very well, Miss." Louis nodded. "Mr. Potter?"

"Oh! Uh...I'll have the same, please." Harry said, peeling his eyes away from his date.

"Right away." Louis said, shutting the door quietly as he left.

"So..." Harry said.

"So..." Andrea repeated.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, hitting his knee on the table as he jumped out of his seat. "Where are my manners?" he asked rhetorically as he went around to pull her seat out for her.

"Thank you, Harry." she smiled, sitting down and setting her clutch on the table beside her.

"N...no pro...problem." he stammered, blushing as he re-took his seat.

"I won't bite, you know. You can relax." Andrea chuckled, seeing how tense he was.

"Sorry." Harry sighed, fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth. "I'm just extremely nervous."

"You're nervous? I was outside of my house and ready to apparate here when I noticed I was wearing two different heels." Andrea laughed.

Harry laughed along with her, and just like that, the tension in the room was gone. The two spent the next four hours talking and laughing over appetizers, their main courses, dessert, and many glasses of wine. Harry, trying to be as gentlemanly as possible, insisted on seeing her home.

"This was nice, Harry." Andrea said, smiling softly as they walked through Hogsmeade.

"Just nice?" he smirked.

Andrea's arm tightened around his as she giggled. "Alright. It was more than nice. It was actually...pretty great."

"I think so, too." Harry admitted, his smirk turning into a full blown smile. "So, would it be something you'd agree to again, say...next Saturday?"

"I'd love to." she beamed. "You know, I feel so silly now." she said, shaking her head.

"Why's that?"

"Well, when Hermione told me she was setting me up with THE Harry Potter, well, I kinda went all stupid for a bit. I mean, when people talk about you, they make you seem like you're actually Merlin in disguise or something. And that's pretty intimidating, I gotta say." she said. "But, Hermione talked me down, explaining you were just a wizard like any other, really, and, although this shouldn't be surprising by now, she was right."

"Yeah, she usually is." Harry nodded. "Look, Andrea," he said, stopping and turning to face her, "I know how people see me. They tend to see some...god-like figure, and that's not me. I mean, I'm just a normal guy who happens to be a wizard. At the end of the day, I'm still just Harry who likes Quidditch, and football, and I'll take a pizza and cold beer over filet mignon and wine any time. I'm just Harry, who was orphaned at a young age and had a shit life growing up. I'm not Merlin reincarnated, or a god. I'm just Harry. And I hope that he's good enough."

Andrea had tears in her eyes at the end of his speech. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek, smiling at him. "He's more than good enough." she said, looking him in the eyes. After a moment, and feeling that the mood had gotten entirely too serious for her liking, she chuckled. "You should have said something, though. I'm more of a pizza and cold beer girl myself."

Harry laughed, grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss. "I'll remember that for next time, yeah?" he asked as they started walking again.

Andrea nodded, sniffling a bit. "Sounds good. And for the record, I love football. And Quidditch."

"A girl after my own heart." he smiled.

"...then I kissed her goodnight." Harry said, talking about his first date with Andrea. "And, like I've said, we've been out three times since then." he said. It had been two weeks since his and Andrea's first date, and he was already smitten with her. He knew Hermione had been wanting to hear details from him, but between work and his new relationship, he'd been busy, and so had spent the last half hour talking about their dates.

"So, you definitely like her, then?" Hermione asked, feeding Nicholas a spoonful of baby food. "Alright, you like the peaches!" she cheered, laughing as he demanded more.

"Yeah, I like her." Harry nodded. "I mean, Hermione, she's the perfect girl. She likes football and Quidditch!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Hermione laughed along with him, as did Nicholas. "Was that on your checklist for the perfect girl?" she asked, wiping Nicholas' face with a cloth napkin. "I swear, I don't know how you get so dirty, young man." she smiled at her son, who just gurgled back at her.

"Well, it wasn't a priority or anything." Harry shrugged, watching Hermione and Nicholas. "But it's nice to know she does."

"Harry, I get it." Hermione interrupted. "You're like me. You walk a line between the muggle and wizarding worlds. You want a girl who fits in both, too." she said. "Like Severus. He fits in both fairly easily."

"Right." he sighed. "I mean, I love the wizarding world, but I couldn't just give up the muggle world. I need my football, Mione."

Hermione laughed again, setting the baby food aside and picking Nicholas up out of his high chair. "I know how that is. I think Severus would have a heart attack if he ever had to give up Manchester United."

"Severus? Is a footy fan?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded, setting Nicholas in his playpen. "Oh yeah. You can often find him on the sofa watching them and yelling at the telly when they play." she laughed, cleaning Nicholas' face with the napkin before throwing it away. "And he has a couple jerseys, too."

"Wow." Harry breathed, eyes wide in surprise. "I had no idea he watched football."

"Well," Hermione said, "he is a Manchester boy. He also enjoys rugby." she added. "Just thank Merlin he hates golf." she sighed, cleaning up the table.

A pecking on the window got their attention. Going over and opening it up, Hermione smiled and handed him an owl treat she kept by the window. "There you go, Archimedes." she said, taking the letter tied to his foot. "Safe flight back." she called as he hooted and took off.

"Guess whoever owled you didn't want a reply." Harry said, finishing off his coffee.

"Oh my god!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What is it?" Harry asked in concern.

"Ginny's in labor." she answered distractedly. "I need to get to St. Mungo's right away."

"Right. I'll go with you." he said, standing up.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll need you to watch Nicholas while I'm visiting Gin." she said. "If you'd grab his bag, that'd be great."

"Okay. Uh...where is it?"

"Huh?" she asked. Shaking her head, she said, "Oh, it's in the living room by the coatrack." she said, picking her son up and following Harry into the living room. "Grab my arm and we'll apparate." she said once she go Nicholas settled in his carrier.

"Why don't we floo, instead?" Harry asked, shouldering the baby bag.

"No. It makes Nicholas sick to his stomach, and since he just ate..." Hermione said, trailing off. "Just grab my arm, Harry."

"Alright, alright." Harry said, grabbing hold of her left arm. "Let's go."

"We're here! We're here!" Hermione exclaimed, walking quickly down the corridor to where she saw the sea of red waiting in the waiting room. "She hasn't had the baby yet, has she?" she asked, panting as she set the carrier down in one of the only two free chairs available.

"No, she hasn't." Molly answered, shaking her head. "It's most likely going to be awhile yet, I'm afraid."

"Thank goodness." Hermione sighed.

"Be warned, though - she's in pain and not handling it well." George said from his seat, looking up from his card game with Fred.

"Yeah. When I was in there, she had a contraction and I can't believe some of the things that came out of her mouth." Fred added, making everyone laugh. The whole Weasley family knew Ginny had a mouth like a sailor, and even still, she managed to come up with creative things to say.

"I'm not concerned. She said she was determined not to have any potions of any kind. Besides, I've been there. I know what to expect." Hermione chuckled. "Uh, can you keep an eye on Nicholas for me?" Hermione asked the room in general before she left, knowing everyone would.

"Not a problem at all." Arthur smiled, leaning around Molly to tickle Nicholas' tummy. "Hello, rugrat." he chuckled.

"Ron, alright?" Harry asked his friend who was even paler than usual.

"Huh?" Ron asked, looking up wide eyed at Harry.

"He's a bit in shock." Mallory said from beside her boyfriend. "He went in to see her a little while ago, and walked in on the Healer examining her." she giggled, as did a few others.

"It was just there...and the Healer...out for everyone to see...and..." Ron mumbled, and Harry could have sworn he turned a bit green.

Harry tried to hide his laughter, but it wasn't working. "Oh, Ron..." he laughed, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, in Ginny's room, Hermione was trying not to smile as Ginny yelled the common phrases at Draco, who looked like he was about to cry.

"AND I SWEAR, YOU ARE NEVER, NEVER, NEVER FUCKING TOUCHING ME AGAIN, DRACO MALFOY!"

"I promise, I won't."

"YOU BETTER JUST KEEP ONE EYE OPEN FROM NOW ON OR I'LL CUT YOUR DICK OFF IF YOU EVEN LOOK IN MY DIRECTION!"

Draco gulped, and then winced as she squeezed his hand tighter. "I promise, love." he whimpered, sinking to his knees beside her bed.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THE HEALER? I WANT THIS THING OUT OF ME NOW!"

Draco cradled his hand to his chest as he stood, his angry wife finally letting go. "I'll go look while you talk with Hermione." he said, practically running out of the room.

"Second guessing the pain potions, huh?" Hermione asked, walking over to the bed.

"Only when I have a contraction." Ginny smiled. "I'm glad you're here. I think Draco could use a break." she panted.

Hermione summoned a cloth from the cabinet, wiping Ginny's face with it. "That's probably a good idea. I think you broke his hand, sweetie."

"He's a big boy. He'll get over it." Ginny said, waving off Hermione's comment. "Did you bring Nicholas?"

"He's out in the waiting room with the family." Hermione answered, turning her head when she heard the door open.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Helena asked, peeking around the door.

"No. Come on in, Helena." Ginny said.

Helena smiled, entering the room. "Hi, love." she said, hugging Hermione. "I saw poor Draco out in the corridor. He looks just awful." she said, walking around to the other side of the bed. "How are you doing, dear?"

"Oh, I feel like I'm being split in two, I'm hot, I'm tired, I'm in pain, but other than that, just peachy." Ginny said. "Oh, fuck! Here comes another one!" she exclaimed, reaching out for Hermione's hand.

"Just breathe through it, Ginny." Hermione said, grimacing as her hand felt like it was in a vice. "In through your nose, out through your mouth." she said, demonstrating.

Ginny glanced at Hermione before turning her eyes back to what had become her focal point, a painting on the far wall of a forest, and back again. As Hermione breathed, she breathed with her, and soon the contraction was over. Leaning her head back on the pillow, she gave Hermione a grateful smile. "See, now if Draco had done that, I wouldn't have broken his hand." she panted. "That one wasn't so bad."

"Didn't you and Draco take the birthing classes?" Helena asked, smoothing Ginny's hair away from her face.

"Yeah, we did. But, once the whole birthing thing started, it all kinda went out the window." she answered just as the door opened, revealing her Healer and a tired looking Draco behind her.

"Alright, Mrs. Malfoy. Let's take another look." she said. After a moment of exam, she smiled up at Ginny. "I think it's time."

"What? Already?" Ginny asked, looking a bit panicked. "It's only been like an hour!" she said.

"Only babies determine when they want to be born, Mrs. Malfoy." the Healer said. "Now, if we could clear the room except for the dad."

"Right. Ginny, Draco, good luck." Hermione smiled, kissing her sister-in-law on the forehead as she winked at Draco.

"We'll see you after." Helena said, grabbing Draco in a hug. "Good luck, you two." she smiled, following her daughter out to the waiting room.

While Ginny was giving birth, the family sat fairly calmly in the waiting room. After all, this wasn't the first Weasley baby to be born, and everyone had learned by now that pacing and worrying didn't help anything, especially when nerves were already on edge.

"...and we've been trying the peaches for about a month now, and today was the first time he ate them with no problems." Hermione announced proudly, holding her son in her lap. "I guess he finally realized that we were going to keep trying and gave up." she chuckled.

"Hey, how about that!" Bill smiled, tickling Nicholas' chin. "I remember Victorie absolutely refused to eat any kind of fruit when we first tried to give it to her." he laughed. "She'd throw a fit if she saw an apple in front of her." he added.

Molly chuckled as she knitted. "The twins were the same way. Only they refused to eat any vegetable Arthur or I tried to feed them. In fact, when they were about a year old, the vegetables would start to disappear as soon as they were on the spoon." she laughed, Arthur joining in. "Just poof! Gone in mid-air. Oh, that must have went on for about six months before I told them that their magic came from fruits and vegetables."

"Yes, then they couldn't get enough. The only thing was that their food couldn't touch anything else on their plates." Arthur laughed.

"Hermione was a bit like that. When she started eating solids all the time, if any of her food touched, she'd throw a fit and burst into tears. She wouldn't calm down until either her father or myself fixed it." Helena said, laughing.

"Draco, too." Lucius chuckled. "He wasn't a picky child except when it came to food." he added. "It absolutely could not touch. I don't think he ever caught on that Cissa had charmed his plate to keep his food separate." he said, making everyone chuckle.

Suddenly, Draco ran into the waiting room, sliding to a halt with his arms in the air. "IT'S A GIRL!" he announced, getting a cheer. "Seraphina Ara Malfoy. She was born at 4:15 and weighed six pounds 5 ounces, and already looks like Gin." he said with tears in his eyes. "Oh, she's beautiful."

"Can we go see her?" Molly asked, wiping her eyes.

"Yes, but Gin's asked for Hermione first, if that's alright." he nodded, looking at Hermione.

"Oh...uh, sure." Molly nodded.

"Okay." Hermione said, standing. "Here, Mum. Watch Nicholas, please." she said, handing him to her mother.

"Alright, sweetheart." Helena said. "Hello, Nana's big boy." she cooed.

"Hey, Mummy." Hermione said, smiling as she stepped up beside her bed.

Ginny looked exhausted but with a big, beaming smile on her face as she held a little pink bundle in her arms. "Hi. Meet your niece, Seraphina."

Peeking into the blanket as Ginny pulled it back, Hermione felt her eyes get watery. "Oh, my god. She's gorgeous." she gasped. "Can I hold her?" she asked.

"Sure." Ginny said, handing Seraphina carefully to Hermione.

"Oh, look at you." Hermione cooed softly to the baby. Seraphina looked like a tiny porcelain doll with a bit of red hair on her head.

"She's beautiful like her momma." Draco said, leaning over to kiss Ginny. "So, we wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah, we do." Ginny nodded, grabbing Draco's hand. "You've been my sister in every way but blood for a very long time now, Mione," she said, choking up, "and you were the one who convinced me to give Draco a chance when I told you he asked me out. You've...you've..." she sobbed, tears running down her face.

"You've been a big part of our lives, Hermione, and we would be honored if you would be Seraphina's godmother." Draco finished, running his hand through Ginny's hair.

Hermione began crying, laughing as she nodded. "I would love to." she laughed.

"Good." Draco said, smiling. "We're going to ask Severus to be her godfather when he gets home, so it would have been weird if you said no." he laughed.

"Ha! As if." Hermione snorted. "Well, then...I promise to always look after you, Seraphina. And I'll always love you, and no matter what, I'll always be here for you." she said to the baby. Looking back at Ginny and Draco, she smiled when she saw their looks of confusion. "That's what Mum always says my godmother said to me when she accepted, and I thought it was a nice sentiment."

"It was." Ginny nodded. She couldn't help the tears that re-appeared as she watched her best friend softly rocking her daughter.

Review please.

'Ara' is a constellation, and from what I understand, in the Hercules family. The Malfoy tradition continues.

Til next time!

XOXO - Onyx Obsidian