This one was tough to write.
Chapter Seventeen
To Harry's great surprise, nobody commented on the fact that Hermione did not locate her own sleeping quarters in the new headquarters. Based on what she said about never letting him out of her sight again, he was pleased when she retired to his bedroom,
the master suite of the abandoned mansion. While George had been the one to aid Harry in the bathroom, it was Hermione who put him to bed. Harry hated feeling so useless but he quite loved having her attention, like he was some toddler or something.
Harry couldn't stop himself from thinking that she would make a great mother. He also couldn't stop himself from telling her just that as she climbed onto the bed beside him, crossing her legs and preparing to have the talk they'd been avoiding since
Ron floo called from somewhere deep in Central London. She was dressed in flannel pyjama bottoms and an old white t-shirt, and all Harry was wearing was the pair of jeans he'd been wearing that night at Godric's Hollow.
Of course, Hermione made sure they were clean. It didn't even matter, though, because it wasn't as if he had other clothes to change into. There was no point in risking a trip to 87 Bollinger Rd. Julia could be there. He even shuddered at the thought.
Would he ever actually see her again? Did he even want to?
"Do you really think so?" Hermione asked softly, meeting his gaze and searching for even the hint of an untruth.
"I do," he replied, steel in his voice.
She smiled slightly. She didn't mention that they first had to survive this before they could even think of children. And plus, she was nowhere near where she wanted to be in her life to even think of bringing poor, unsuspecting human beings into
this world.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked him.
"Truthfully, I'm a little confused," he admitted, shifting a bit so he could look at her properly. "I don't really know what happened before we left Shell Cottage. Or after, for that matter."
"What's there to know, Harry," she started tiredly. "They came, they attacked. We got out of there as quickly as we could."
"But what happened?"
"You were asleep," she said. "George and the girls were already here. It was just you and me."
Harry took in a shaky breath. "But... Neville?"
"The attack arrived with them," she explained. "It turns out that they'd been a little too successful with their enquiry into The Zuri."
"I got that much from what Luna was saying," he said. "But what happened?"
"I don't know what you want me to tell you," she said firmly, allowing her frustration to get the better of her. "What do you want me to say?"
Harry wisely did not respond.
She took a calming breath, her features softening. "Look, I don't think that it's important for you to worry about what's going on out there right now. We can handle it. You should be worrying about getting your magic back. After today,
you have to get it back. There's no choice now."
He closed his eyes for a long moment, feeling the fear of the darkness within him rise to the surface. Could he tell Hermione about it? Would she think him weak? Would she run away screaming for the hills?
It wasn't even a question, really. Hermione had always stayed. Harry had been the one to leave this time around.
Hermione gently let her hand rest on his arm, making his eyes open. "What do you want to know?"
He smiled slightly. "How did they find us?"
"Neville, Luna and Ginny followed members of the Order all day, and one of them led them to The Zuri. They thought they were lucky, catching sight of wizard robes during a shift change in Order surveillance."
Harry shuddered at that piece of information. He'd been present for most of Neville, Luna and Ginny's retelling of the events of the day. Despite the unfortunate end to the day, they now knew that The Zuri was a Muggle vacation resort on the south coast
of England. It, apparently, was the base of operations for the Muggle contingent of this new conflict, and members of the Order rotated shifts on scheduled patrol.
Harry couldn't fault them that - keeping tabs on the enemy was key to success, wasn't it?
Unfortunately they weren't able to gather much else on the compound itself. It would have been better if they had managed to get a look inside but Harry wasn't complaining. The fact that they had found it was a feat in itself.
Well, not really.
Ginny mentioned that they were led there. Somehow, the Order caught onto their presence and the Order wanted them to find the Zuri, just to have them let their guard down, hoping to catch them out when they least expected it.
All three of them were angry and deeply apologetic about the fact that it actually worked.
"It was a trap, of course," Hermione continued to Harry. "They were caught out, but they were allowed to escape. Several Order members piggybacked on the escape, and then they arrived with them, within our wards."
Hermione immediately thought of their own narrow escape from the Ministry all those years ago. She'd inadvertently brought a Death Eater into Grimmauld Place and they'd never gone back again.
She hated that that was what Shell Cottage was now reduced to. It was Bill and Fleur's home, and now it was uninhabitable until this entire thing was over. If it ever would be.
"I don't think they wanted to engage in a full-on attack," Hermione said. "I think they just wanted to get into the wards. But, of course, nothing ever really goes to plan for anyone."
"As we both know."
She smiled softly. There were so few things that they could look back at and appreciate about the Hunt.
"Why did Ginny scream the way she did?" Harry asked. "I didn't see her get hit with anything."
Hermione couldn't look Harry in the eye. "Umm, well, I suppose that it was quite a scare," she forced out. When Harry just gave her a look, she sighed. "It wasn't really about her. Or it was, just, umm... Okay, there may be a reason, but I can't tell
you. Just know that she's all right now. We're all fine, now that we're here; now that we're safe."
Harry just nodded. She would have told him if he needed to know, but it did pique his interest. "Do you think that Ron will be back by the morning?"
Hermione checked her watch. It was just before midnight. "Based on what they have planned for later tonight, I don't know," she admitted. "I think we'll know more when they check in with us after the approach."
The approach.
Harry felt supremely uneasy about the entire thing. If the events of earlier in the day were anything to go on, then proceeding with Bill's plan tonight just didn't seem, well, necessary. It could've been another trap.
Hermione sensed his unease and gently put a hand on his arm again, calming him instantly. "It'll be fine. They'll be in and out of there without anyone even knowing. We need to know what this Reinhardt man knows, and the only way to do that without tipping
off the Order is to go at him now."
"You should be with them," Harry said, looking her in the eye. "You're the best at Obliviation." He said the words slowly, meaningfully, alluding to something in her past that she and her parents desperately wanted to forget.
Hermione took her hand off his arm and wrung her fingers together. "I'm needed here," she said simply.
Harry's eyes never once drifted from her face. "Indeed you are."
There was a long silence, in which they just stared at each other, their eyes doing more talking than their mouths ever could. There were things that Hermione knew she couldn't say to him. She wasn't able to determine if he was the one not ready to hear
them or if she was the one not ready to speak the words. It was a truth she'd held onto for so long, and now it was staring at her right in the face.
Harry Potter.
She was in love with Harry Potter.
"Lie down with me," Harry said coolly, breaking into her overwhelming thoughts. "I have to tell you something."
Hermione masked her hesitation by taking a deep, calming breath. She shifted her body until she was lying on her side, facing him, but not touching him. She was, however, close enough that they were sharing a pillow and she could feel the heat of his
body; his alive, warm body.
Harry took his own steadying breath before he spoke. "I'm scared, Hermione."
"Of what?"
"What if it all goes wrong? What if, if I get my magic back, I turn into what everyone fears I'll be? What if I was always destined to be something Dark?"
Hermione contemplated his questions for a moment, quietly considering asking him from where they came. Something must have happened for him to be thinking these things. "Do you trust me, Harry?"
"Of course."
"Then believe me when I tell you it won't happen. I won't let it happen." She reached out to touch him, her fingers featherlight on the skin of his cheek. "There is no choice now. You have to get your magic back. Whatever is going to happen is
going to happen, and we all need you in a way we've never needed you before."
"It's Dark," he said, almost blurting it out.
"What?"
"Inside me, Hermione. It's Dark. Like, the place I'm supposed to find within, it's hidden in darkness, untouchable. I don't think I can do it." He sounded panicked, his rate of breathing picking up rather dangerously. "I can't - I just can't."
"Harry," she whispered, her fingers sliding down his cheek to his neck.
"What if I don't do it right? What if it's all Dark when the magic comes? I'm sorry. I - " his voice caught. "I'm not brave enough. I'm not a Gryffindor anymore, Hermione."
"Look at me," she said strongly. "You are not alone anymore."
"But you said that I had to do it alone; that I was the only one who could."
Hermione used her finger to touch his temple. "In here, Harry; you have to go at it alone - " she dropped her finger to his point at his heart " - but not in here."
He laughed lightly. "Has anyone told you that you're adorable?"
Her amusement hid her shock at his words. "No, I don't think that anyone has."
"Well, now I have," he said, smiling at her, even though he still felt breathless. He guessed, at this point, that he wasn't out of breath because of his earlier thoughts - it was because she was so close, and her hand was splayed over his heart. He could
smell her and she smelt wonderful.
Hermione couldn't stop her blush and she had to look away from his face.
Harry felt equally embarrassed but he couldn't stop looking at her if he tried. The silence that fell over them was Harry's cue to close his eyes. It wasn't difficult looking within when Hermione was right there. Despite everything, she made him feel
grounded.
Before Harry emptied his mind, he flooded it with thoughts of his parents. It just seemed like the most pleasant thing to think about without confusing his own emotions. It took him a while to feel calm enough but, when it happened, it happened quickly.
It was almost too easy, the way he slipped through his own defences, searching, feeling for his own magical core. It was like a permeable sack that Harry just knew he had to enter. He had to be the one to open it to the outside.
Somehow, the magic had to have a way to get in.
It was a strange sensation moving through the skin, but not particularly unpleasant. It was dark enough for him notto know if he was coming or going but, for the first time, he wasn't afraid of it. He didn't know how he did it but he came to a stop.
It was completely serene wherever he was. And silent. He couldn't even hear himself breathing.
That part scared him.
He was alone.
Completely.
He felt like he was at the Dursleys' all over again, locked away in the darkness of the cupboard under the stairs. This was a feeling he never wanted to experience again, and now he was doing it willingly.
"You're okay, Harry." It was Hermione. Somehow, her voice was breaking into the silence. He hoped his facial expression wasn't giving too much away. He didn't want her to see just how weak he was. "You're okay."
I'm okay.
A certain calmness fell over him and he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He went from fearing it to accepting it, to even enjoying it.
He was okay.
When Harry's eyes opened, Hermione was smiling at him. Nay, she was positively beaming.
"You did it," she said. "I felt it. I saw it, like a glow. How do you feel?"
"Exhausted."
She let out a breath. "Then you should get some sleep."
"I don't think I can," he admitted. "I'm worried about Ron and Bill and Dean and Seamus. Our plans have never run smoothly."
"We were kids back then, Harry," Hermione said. "They're Aurors now."
"Doesn't mean I can't worry."
Damn. She was definitely in love with Harry Potter.
As if his body was intent on betraying him, Harry yawned.
Hermione smiled knowingly. "Get some sleep, Harry. I'll wake you when we get news from Ron, okay?"
He still looked unsure.
"It's okay. You're okay. I promise I'll be right here."
At that, Harry closed his eyes.
He was okay.
"Hermione!"
Hermione's eyes snapped open in alarm. Someone was banging on the door of the master suite, waking up both occupants.
"What the - " Harry asked, his brows furrowed.
"I'll get it," Hermione said, deftly moving away from Harry - why were they so close - and sitting up. She quickly got up and went to the door, easily slipping out to find a frantic looking Ginny staring at her. "What? What?"
Ginny grabbed her hand. "Come! Now! It's Fleur."
Hermione tensed at the sound of that. Why couldn't they just have one good thing happen? Was it too much to ask? She allowed Ginny to pull her down a corridor towards a rather large room. Fleur was lying on the bed with nearly everyone around her, save
for the four men still out trying to gain information from Reinhardt.
"Thank Merlin," George exclaimed at the sight of Hermione.
"We didn't want to bother you at first," Angelina explained. "But it's serious now."
Hermione moved towards Fleur, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. She sat down on the edge of the bed and took hold of one of her clammy hands. "What's happening, Fleur?"
"I don't know," she admitted, her breath raspy. "It just 'urts."
"What? What hurts?"
Luna spoke up. "She was complaining of back pain earlier," she said. "I gave her a mild pain potion, but it hasn't stopped."
Hermione took a deep breath, her mind running a mile a minute. No no no. "Is it constant pain? Or does it come in bursts?"
"Bursts," Fleur answered, taking sharp breaths. "It stops for a while, and then comes back. It's getting worse."
"And more frequent," Luna added.
Hermione immediately stood up, her face paling. "We have to get you to St Mungo's."
"What?" It was George. "We can't go to St Mungo's. The Order will know. The damn Ministry will show up!"
"I'm not a Healer, George," Hermione rushed. "Fleur needs a Healer."
"Why? What's wrong with her?"
Hermione stepped back. "Isn't it obvious?" She looked at each of their faces before her eyes settled on Fleur. "The baby is coming."
The first person to react was George who, to everyone's great horror, fainted. Next was Neville, who collapsed right beside Ginny, making her jump. Before Hermione could say a word more, the room erupted in mild panic, women fretting over the fainted
men and the overly pregnant Fleur.
"Non," Fleur said over the noise. "I'm not due for another three weeks."
"This baby is coming right now," Hermione informed her.
At the news, Fleur let out a flurry of French swear words that made Hermione smile for a moment. Then she remembered that she would have to birth this baby and her smile disappeared.
Hermione let out her own swear words, and nearly everyone balked at her. "Sorry," she muttered. "Umm..."
"Hermione?" Luna was looking at her expectantly. How was it that everyone turned to her at a time like this? What about Hermione Granger told them that she was the one to handle all of this? "What do we do?"
"Give me a minute."
They did.
For a long while, nobody said a word as they watched Hermione think. They could almost see the cogwheels turning in her head as she recalled things from various books she had read in her many years.
"Okay," she eventually declared. "There's a baby coming. Let's get ready." She barked out orders to the people around her and, together, they managed to get Fleur comfortable enough for the delivery.
But it didn't help that Fleur blatantly refused to push when the time came.
She would not have her baby without her husband. And as much as they pleaded with her, she did not budge on her stance. She moved to lie on her side in the foetal position and shook her head, out of fear, they all suspected. It wasn't something anyone
would want to do alone.
Hermione was the last of the makeshift team of midwives to reach the level of panic that required her to take severe action. She had them clear the room before she moved to kneel in front of Fleur.
"Fleur," Hermione cooed, gently moving some hair off of the woman's face. "I know you're scared. I know you want Bill here, and you know he's on his way. He's coming. Fleur, you have to push. Please. Think about the baby. The longer we wait, the more
dangerous it becomes."
Fleur closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "Non!"
Hermione let out a frustrated breath and stood up. She was trying to understand. On another day, she was sure that she would but right now, she needed Fleur to push.
The idea came to her rather quickly, and she headed for the door. Her various nurses were all standing at attention when she emerged from the room. She put a hand up to stop their questions. "Keep trying," she instructed. "I'm going to get reinforcements."
Harry must have fallen asleep again because the next thing he knew, Hermione was gently shaking him awake, her gaze a mixture of panic and pleading. His eyes immediately settled on her, even if they were unfocused.
"Everything okay?" Harry asked, his voice heavy with sleep.
"I need you help," she said softly. "How calm are you right now?"
"Calm?"
She nodded. "I need someone calm, Harry. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay."
"Can you get up?"
He nodded. Slowly, he rolled over and used his arms to lift himself up. Hermione helped him keep his balance once he was standing upright. "Maybe I need a shirt," he said, looking down at himself.
Hermione stepped away from him, suddenly remembering how close they were standing. "Sure, I'll just transfigure one for you."
Once he was dressed, Harry followed Hermione as quickly as he could as she led him to a room that felt like five hundred kilometres away.
Hermione paused at the door and turned to face Harry. "Fleur's in labour. She's refusing to push. I need you to make it happen, Harry. She has to push. Now."
Harry's eyes widened. "That's putting a lot of pressure on me."
She reached up to kiss his cheek. "If you can get it done, I promise I'll do just about anything."
He raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
Hermione blushed furiously and she had to look away. "Come on." She opened the door and revealed quite the sight. Ginny, Luna and George were kneeling at Fleur's side, practically begging her to push, while Fleur remained resolute, even in her obvious
pain and discomfort.
"Fleur," Harry spoke up, shuffling towards the French witch and dropping to his knees in front of her, claiming the position Ginny had just vacated.. "Mon amie, what is happening?"
Fleur just looked at him, blinking away her tears.
"Hermione tells me that you don't want to push. Is this true?"
She managed to nod. "I need Bill. I can't do it without 'im. I need 'im 'ere."
"And your baby needs you," Harry told her, his voice soft but stern. "All of us, here, we're here for you, but only you can be here for your baby. Bill entrusted you to look after him or her. He's left you to protect your baby because
he believes you will do all you can to get it here safely. Am I right?"
She nodded once more.
"And how do you think he would feel if he knew you weren't doing that?"
Hermione merely stared at Harry. Was he really going to guilt a pregnant woman into giving birth?
Yes, yes he was.
Harry continued. "What would Bill think? He'd be disappointed, Fleur. As am I. You are a strong, independent woman, and you know that this is what you have to do; what you need to do. You need to be strong for your baby, and do the thing
you know you have to do.
"So, Fleur, I'm going to ask you now, knowing that we are all here for you, are you ready to push?"
She took a shaky breath. "For Bill?"
Harry nodded. "For you. For your baby. For your family."
At Fleur's steady nod, Harry looked at Hermione and nodded ever so slightly. Then he winked, and Hermione fought the urge to hit him on the head.
George patted Harry on the shoulder and smirked. "Just when you think he's down and out; Harry Potter is back at it again with the saving the day thing."
Harry just smiled, as he took hold of Fleur's hand in both of his. "Time to make Bill proud. Let's meet this baby."
Victoire Hermione Weasley was born at 04:47 that very morning. Besides Hermione, Harry was the first person to hold the miraculously healthy child in his arms. He sat with her, his back against the headboard, while an exhausted Fleur slept just to his
right.
Hermione watched him as he basked in the beauty of their little family's newest member. It was beautiful to watch.
"She's perfect," Harry whispered to nobody in particular. "I can't wait for the boys to get back now."
Even as he said it, it never would have crossed his mind that little Victoire would never have the opportunity to meet her father.
