Hey Lovelies! So this is "Timing Is Everything" by Garrett Hedlund, from the movie "Country Strong". I really have no idea why I decided that this song was perfect, but I love it here for some reason. So anyway, here you guys go! Chapter 3! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Chapter 3 – Timing Is Everything
It could have been anyone, anyone in the entire world and the person that Narcissa accidently knocks to the ground just happens to be the one woman that seems to hate her more than anything. Cissa stood her ground and didn't shrink back from the glare that Molly was sending her way. Instead she gave her a rather compassionate smile. "Good morning Mrs. Weasley." She inclined her head in a polite greeting, but Molly was not to be appeased so simply.
She didn't acknowledge Cissa's greeting in anyway, instead turning to Harry, "Harry, it's wonderful to see you again my dear."
"It's Lord Potter now Mrs. Weasley, I have started using the title that was given to me. I believe my wife issued you a good morning?" He was very formal with the woman and Cissa was proud of the way he was handling the situation, she knew that it must have been terribly awkward for him.
"I, um, well, yes." Mrs. Weasley seemed stunned at the fact that Harry was treating her so formally; in her eyes she had practically raised the young man. She tore her focus away from him and instead shifted her attention to the woman at his side. She hated having to accept that this woman was his wife. "Good morning, Narcissa."
The blonde witch smiled, seeing the fact that she had acknowledged her existence and had yet to draw her wand as a minor win. Harry, on the other hand, did not see it that way. "Her name is Lady Narcissa Potter, and you will address her with that much respect." His voice was strong and commanding, he would not stand for Molly to insult his wife any more.
"Harry, really," Cissa placed a hand gently on his arm, "it's fine, let it go. We need to get upstairs anyway. I don't want to be late for our appointment."
He relaxed under her hand and after a moment he tore his glare away from Mrs. Weasley, instead focusing on his wife with a much gentler look in his eyes. "Of course, I apologize." He took her hand in his and started to guide her towards the lifts on the other side of the lobby. "Good day Mrs. Weasley." He called over his shoulder.
Cissa sighed as the lift stopped in front of them and they stepped onto it. She made to press the floor number when she realized that St. Mungo's didn't have a floor for pregnancies. "Harry," she turned to look at him, "What doctor am I seeing?"
"One I trust very much." He wrapped an arm around her and hit a button that she hadn't seen on the panel. The lift jerked upwards and the last they saw of Molly Weasley she was glaring at them from across the lobby.
When the lift had disappeared Molly made her way over to the desk, when the nurse looked up she smiled warmly. "Can you do me a favor dear? Can you tell me why the Potters are in the hospital?"
"I'm afraid not ma'am. Our patient's files are highly confidential, and even if they weren't I personally wouldn't feel comfortable giving out that information."
"Of course." Molly continued to smile at the girl, "Thank you very much." She walked away from the girl and headed for the Floo. The Potter's had spiked her curiosity, neither one of them showed any physical signs of needing the hospital, but Narcissa had said they had had an appointment. It was all very strange.
She shook her head, and put the Potters out of her mind, whatever it was there would be no finding out today; she would look into it later on. She grabbed a handful of the green powder and disappeared in a rush of flames.
Meanwhile when the lift pinged to a halt and the doors opened Cissa was confused. "Harry, what level is this?"
He lifted their entwined fingers to his lips and kissed the back of her hand, pulling her out of the lift with him as he moved forward. "Four and a half."
"Four and a half? I had no idea such a level existed!" She seemed surprised that he had known a secret of the place that she had not. "What's on four and a half?"
"Secrets." A voice joined them from behind and the couple turned around to see Susan Bones walking down the hallway towards them. "Lord and Lady Potter, welcome to the Secret Ward. I hope that you are comfortable here."
Harry leaned forward and kissed the young woman on the cheek. "Good morning Healer Bones, I wanted to thank you for getting us in so quickly."
"Of course." She gave him a gentle smile before turning her attention to Narcissa. "I understand that your husband inquired about an appointment for you Lady Potter? I'm terribly sorry that I missed the Ball and your wedding, I heard it was lovely."
"Thank you Healer Bones, I'm sure that your work here was important enough to keep you away for good reasons." Cissa smiled warmly at the girl. She had heard Harry and Hermione mention her before, and she knew that she could trust her.
"Please, if we are going to be seeing more of each other you must call me Susan." The girl led them down a short hall and into a small exam room.
"Then no more of this Lord and Lady business." Narcissa grinned, "My name is Cissa, and you are more than welcome to call me that."
"Of course ma'am." Susan nodded and motioned for Narcissa to sit, Harry standing at her side. "Harry didn't tell me why he needed an emergency appointment for you, just that he wanted me to examine you as soon as possible. I'm afraid I don't see anything wrong." She was peering around the blonde as if something were going to suddenly surface.
"You won't, at least not for a couple months," Cissa chuckled lightly as she explained. "I believe I'm pregnant, and given our status and my age, we thought it was best to keep this quiet."
"I understand completely." A broad smile flashed across Susan's face. "If you would lay back for me there is a quick way to find out for sure, and then we can proceed with the normal course for pregnancy."
"Great." Cissa laid back and took Harry's hand in hers. The last time she had had this spell performed on her she had been alone. Already everything about this experience was completely different.
A couple minutes later Susan told her she could sit back up. She smiled at her friend and his new wife for a moment before she spoke. "Congratulations you two. By my measurements and the calculations that I ran given the numbers and dates you gave me I feel confident in saying that you are roughly ten weeks pregnant."
"Ten weeks?" Cissa was shocked. "I didn't realize it was that far along, I just started experiencing symptoms."
"That can happen, most witches don't experience any changes in the first month or so, did you have symptoms earlier than that the last time?"
"Yes, I did. But that was twenty-three years ago now, I guess my body is reacting differently this time."
"It would seem so. As far as I can tell there is absolutely nothing wrong, you and your child seem perfectly healthy. I put your due date the middle of February, roughly the fifteenth, but since it's your second pregnancy, you may go early." Harry looked down at Cissa as Susan spoke and he was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes. "I'd like to see you again in about four weeks, but before you get ready to go there is one more thing." She reached towards Cissa with her wand again, "May I?"
"Really?" Her icy, blue eyes lit up at the idea, "You think we're far enough along for that?"
"The baby is sitting on the front of your uterus, you are going to start to show earlier than you expected, and I think we may just be able to give this a shot."
"Okay!" She smiled and grabbed Harry's hand and laid back once more, "Go ahead."
Susan passed her wand close over Narcissa's abdomen, the tip just barely brushing the flesh. All of a sudden a steady beating noise filled the small room.
"Is that?" Harry looked down at his wife who nodded through her tears.
"That's our baby's heartbeat."
Harry didn't care that Susan was in the room; he leaned down and kissed Cissa with more passion than he thought he ever had. "This is the most amazing birthday gift you could ever give me!"
She laughed as he finally let her breathe. "As much as I love you, and as thrilled as I am that you are so happy about this, I think we should let Susan finish doing her job, and I think that involves a little less kissing me."
"It's fine." She looked back and forth between the two of them as Harry helped Cissa sit up for a second time. "Looking at the two of you I can't help but think that this is going to be one gorgeous kid." She smiled and handed Cissa a card with the time and date of her next appointment on it. "I will see you guys in four weeks. Congratulations again!"
"Thank you." Cissa pecked the younger woman on the cheek and they left the office. When they got on the lift to go back down to the lobby she leaned against Harry's arm. "So, how are you feeling after the appointment?"
He looked down at her, seriousness filling his emerald eyes, "I was so worried this morning. Worried that I wasn't ready, that I wasn't going to be a very good father, but in there just now, watching you. I got to hear our unborn child's heart beating Narcissa! How amazing is that? I can't wait to raise a family with you."
He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Thank you so much for this Love."
"I didn't do it by myself Harry, you played a pretty significant role." She laughed into his chest.
He pushed her away from him and held her at arms length. "I know, but you didn't have to do this. You didn't have to have a baby. I know how worried you were, how scared you still are. You could have gotten rid of the baby and never told me, I would never have known any different. But you didn't, you are having my child, you are providing for me a family of my own, and I've never had that before. I have never had anyone that was actually related to me by blood, that I could love."
He wiped the tears running down her cheeks away. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just wanted you to know how much I really, really love you. And to say thank you. For everything, for being my wife, and for giving me a family to call my own. You are an amazing woman, and I will love you from now until forever."
"Harry," she reached up and cupped his cheek as the lift doors opened, "you tell me all of that everyday. Every time you look in my eyes and say "I love you" I can see all of that." She pulled him towards the fireplaces that lined the halls and with one last kiss she took a handful of the powder and through it into the flames. She peaked over her shoulder and winked at him. "I'll try not to trip this time."
Harry laughed as she called out for Grimmauld Place. "That'll be the day." And he followed her into the flames.