A short time later, once Hermione was settled back in her room, Lucius went to the waiting room to escort Narcissa and the Grangers in to see Lucia. He was surprised and gratified to find Draco and Luna also waiting.
Still clad in the now-rumpled, shapeless surgical gown, now sans mask, Lucius appeared the doorway with a huge grin on his face, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Lucia is here," he murmured. "Why don't you all come in and meet her?"
The group filed in behind him in eager anticipation, with the proud grandparents in the lead.
They found Hermione propped up in bed, still holding her new daughter as the healer's aide was assisting her in beginning to try to nurse. She smiled up as her mother rushed over to meet her new granddaughter, with her father a close second.
"Oh, my, she's beautiful, Hermione!" Jane said, carefully examining every inch of Lucia. Turning to Lucius, she said, "She has your eyes, Lucius. There's no denying who this baby's father is." Kenneth nodded in agreement, looking on over his wife's shoulder.
"Indeed," Lucius agreed, a proud smile on his face.
"Lucia looks a great deal like Draco when he was first born," Narcissa observed. "She's even about the same size he was at birth."
"I suppose she'll do," Draco said gruffly, standing by his mother's side.
"It's nice to see what our baby is going to look like," Luna said dreamily.
After a few minutes of everyone ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Lucia, Lucius cleared his throat and said, "I'm afraid Hermione needs her rest now, as well as Lucia." After a pause, he added, "But feel free to visit later, as Hermione will likely be here for a couple of days."
"Well, I need to go to the penthouse and get the nursery ready for Lucia's homecoming," Jane said. "And I could use a nap myself."
Both Narcissa and Luna nodded in agreement at the idea of a nap, as both pregnant women found themselves taking naps more often these days.
"Owl me if you need anything, dear," Jane said, as she gave Hermione a kiss in parting."
"I will, Mum," she said wearily. Looking around at the group, she said, "Thank you all for coming."
After the group had filed out, Lucius kissed Hermione then said, "I'll go for awhile, too, and let you get some rest, as I could use a shower right now. But I won't be gone long, I promise."
"Take all the time you need," Hermione told him. "I think I'm just going to sleep for hours, as I'm so knackered. You might want to get a nap in yourself."
"I'll have them set up a bed in here for me, if I want to get some rest," he told her.
"Let me take the baby and put her down for a nap, too," the healer's aide told Hermione gently. "I'm going to take her to the nursery, so visitors can have a peek at her while you're both sleeping."
After leaving Hermione, Lucius quickly apparated back to the penthouse for a shower. As he entered the home, he found Jane bustling around in the nursery, making up the crib. A harassed looking Breezy was on her heels, telling the new grandmother that it was her job to be readying the nursery.
"You might as well give it up, Breezy," Lucius observed from the doorway, one arm up against the doorframe. "There is nothing that gets between a grandmother and her grandchild. I would suggest you go to the kitchen and start dinner. Mrs Granger and I will be eating within 45 minutes."
"Oh, you startled me, Lucius," Jane said. "I didn't expect you back here so soon."
"Both Hermione and Lucia are napping, so I thought I'd come home for a shower and dinner," he told her. With a smile, he added, "And you do remind me of Narcissa's mother when Draco was first born. As I recall, she drove our house elves crazy wanting to take over all of Draco's care."
"I suppose grandmothers are the same, no matter where they're from," she observed, shyly returning his smile.
"No doubt," Lucius agreed laconically. Turning to leave the room, he said, "I'm going to go take a shower, so I'll meet you in the dining room in about a half hour or so. I'll be returning to the hospital after we eat."
Thirty minutes later, Lucius Malfoy sat down to dinner alone with his de facto mother in law. He was impeccably attired in a new set of crisp summer weight robes, with his freshly washed hair silky and smooth.
"So, Kenneth didn't decide to join you here?" Lucius asked as Breezy was serving the meal.
"He had to go back home and see a few patients," she explained. "He'll be carrying the entire load for a few weeks, while I'm here helping Hermione." After a pause, she added, "But Draco promised to apparate him to the hospital and back tomorrow for a visit."
"I see," Lucius said, reminded yet again of why he was glad that he did not have to work to support himself.
"Will you be spending the night here?" Jane asked.
"No, I've arranged to have a bed set up at the hospital, so I can be nearby if Hermione needs me," he told her.
"I believe I'll stay here tonight and let you two have some private time together bonding with the baby," Jane said.
"I appreciate that," Lucius told her sincerely.
After a few more minutes of somewhat awkward conversation, Lucius left for the hospital. Though Jane and Lucius got along well, they'd not spent more than a few moments alone together before and Jane was still rather intimidated by her daughter's haughty mate.
----
"I'm going to have to call the surgical healer in," Calandra Jones told Harry early the next morning as they stood in the hallway outside Ginny's room. "We've tried the inducing potions and that didn't work and I don't dare give Ginny a second dose of them." Taking a deep breath, she said, "And my diagnostic wand is picking up signs of fetal distress."
"You mean, like a muggle Caesarian section?" Harry asked.
"Yes, exactly," Calandra confirmed. "Healer McGillicuddy, who is muggleborn, is also qualified as a muggle doctor."
"Ginny needs to give birth naturally," Molly cut in. The Weasley matriarch had followed Harry and the midwife out into the hall. "This muggle business of cutting a body open to get the baby is barbaric and unnatural. I simply won't have it."
Harry whirled on his meddling mother-in-law. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Stay the hell out of this, all right?" Harry exploded. "It's none of your bloody business and I don't give a flying fuck what you think about this or anything else, for that matter!"
"Well!" Molly huffed. "I never..."
"Maybe you should some time," Harry countered, now nearly as puce-faced as Uncle Vernon. "It would likely do you a world of good!"
Turning back to the midwife, effectively dismissing Molly Weasley, Harry said, "Do it. And as soon as possible."
During the entire heated exchange, Harry hadn't noticed Lucius Malfoy standing in the doorway to Hermione's room, having witnessed the entire incident. The Malfoys still occupied the same room after Hermione had given birth, as the deluxe suite was designed for both labour and for after birth recovery. As he watched the drama unfold between Harry and the Weasley harridan, a wicked little smile appeared on his lips. "Bravo, Mr Potter," Lucius murmured to himself in satisfaction. "It's about bloody time you put that meddling harpy in her place."
Harry hadn't noticed Lucius, but Molly had. Incensed at the sight of the smirking blond wizard, she stormed over to him, intent on taking out her frustrations about Harry on him.
"What are you looking at?" Molly demanded, hands on hips, glaring up at the haughty wizard.
"Temper, temper, Molly," Lucius mocked, wagging a finger at her. "Your attitude hasn't gotten you anywhere with Mr Potter, and you're sadly mistaken if you think it's going to get anywhere with me." Chuckling, he continued, "You really need to take a potion for that temper of yours, you know."
Molly reached up as if to slap Lucius, but he easily dodged her. "I wouldn't try that again," he growled at her. "I promise that you would seriously regret it."
"It's your fault," the angry witch hissed. "You monopolized the midwife's time with your precious Hermione so that she couldn't properly monitor Ginny's condition! Why else would she have given birth first!"
Before the witch could continue, Harry roared, "That's quite enough! I've about had enough of you!" Spotting Arthur, who had just come into the hallway to see what all the commotion was about, Harry said, "You need to get her out of here for awhile and calm her down. I don't know how much more I can take!"
Arthur, knowing how his wife could be and realizing how many hours Harry had been awake did not protest. Moving to stand by his wife, he murmured, "Come on, love. Let's get a cup of coffee and maybe some breakfast. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
___
James Sirius Potter was finally born by Caesarian section just before noon that day. To Harry's great relief, the baby was perfectly healthy, despite Ginny's difficult labour. Ginny, however, was totally wiped out and wanted nothing more than to get everyone out of the room and to go to sleep
Molly had insisted upon being present for the delivery, but to Harry's delight, the midwife and surgical healer had immediately nixed this idea because it was a surgical delivery. He was glad to be spared having to argue with his meddlesome mother-in-law yet again that day.
But later, after all the Weasleys had greeted the newest member of the family, Molly had tried to take over again, when the healer went to take James to the nursery so that Ginny could get the sleep that would aid in her recovery.
"You need to keep the baby with you," Molly insisted. "You won't bond properly unless the baby sleeps in the same bed with you and you feed him on demand."
"I'm really tired, Mum," Ginny said. "I need to get some rest so I can properly take care of him when I leave here."
The healer's aide, having dealt with the interfering Weasley matriarch throught Ginny's labor, looked to Harry for help.
"Take him to the nursery," Harry told the young woman firmly. "Mrs Weasley was just leaving and we're all going to go get some rest now while Ginny is sleeping."
"We'll come back this evening, Molly," Arthur assured her. "The baby will be fine while we're gone."
Harry left after the Weasleys had gone and having seen James settled at the nursery. He apparated back to Grimmauld Place, where he fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow.
A/N: Coming close to a thousand reviews! Thanks to everyone who had taken the time to read and review.
A/N Next chapter as yet unnamed.