Hermione relaxed as though deflating when the Death Eater she was battling flew off in a puff of black smoke. All around her, other Death Eaters were doing the same. She could only assume they were either pulling back to regroup or the battle was over and they had won. Either way was a good sign. She looked down at her shattered femur and sighed, looking around. She'd need a way to get back to the castle. Hearing someone behind her, she looked back. Ron was picking his way through the rubble, blood in his face and eyes. At that moment he spotted her and snorted,
"Need a lift?" She laughed and reached up, slowly climbing on his back. It would be awkward and slow going but Ron had legs and that counted. He held on to her good leg, letting the other dangle and she held onto his shoulders without choking him.
"Where are they, Ron? Do you see any one? Harry? Blaise? Draco?"
"Nothing." He sighed, scanning the area. "There's Professor Binns." Professor Binns lay not far off, dead. Just past him, two Aurors they didn't know leaned on each other as they helped one another to the castle. Ron huffed and looked away from Lavender Brown's mangled body.
"Greyback." Hermione whispered, "I saw her go down."
"RON! RON!? IS THAT YOU?!" They looked to see George making his way over with Fred flung over his shoulder. Ron staggered. "He's alive!" George called, "barely, but, he's there. Let's get moving." They picked up Luna next, her ankle crushed. She put an arm on George's shoulder and they continued on.
"Oh no." Hermione sobbed, seeing Tonks laying there next, eyes staring at them as she slumped against a stone. She was dead.
"I see Moony!" Ron cheered, "MOONY!" Remus turned and trotted over, a hole in his cheek.
"Harry?" He asked. Everyone shook their heads. He nodded, "alright, let's go see what's going on." The group dragged and limped toward the castle, Hermione sobbing when she saw Mael laying crushed under a stone. Blaise had been with him the last she saw.
Then, they were there, in Hogwarts courtyard. People were gathering from all sides with all amounts of damage. Those who could, carried the dead. Ron sat Hermione down and pulled her arm over his shoulder to make her stand and limp in. The makeshift Infirmary was packed with people and they knew the battle was over. Hermione sat on an abandoned bench as Ron ran for his family and Percy's dead body. Tilantha spotted Hermione in the crowds of people searching for their loved ones and the Italian hurried to her.
"I will fix you leg." She said in italian. Hermione couldn't look at her and cried out as the Epixies wound around and resealed the bone. "Who have you seen dead? How many Zabinis?"
"One." Hermione shuddered, "Mael. I am so sorry, Tilly."
"We will find the others first." She nodded, "then we will grieve." She held out her hand and Hermione took it, standing. They were the first two to leave in search of survivors. They freed Mael's body and laid him out. Then, they found Draco, trapped and struggling to get out from under the Quidditch stands. He joined their search silently once they told him the war was over.
They began conjuring stretchers and pulling people onto them, spelling them to head for the school. Others were joining now and doing the same, pausing to check pulses. The war was over but the battle wasn't, they had to save as many as they could. After two hours of nothing, Hermione began to call out,
"BLAISE! HARRY!" Draco joined in but they weren't answered.
"Harry Potter?" A woman asked. They nodded.
"I've seen him at the school." She offered, "an hour ago."
"Go." Hermione told Draco, "tell him we're fine, if you see Blaise, send a Patronus."
"I will." He nodded, running for the school. They found Marius next, unconscious. They didn't bother to wake him, putting him on a stretcher and sending him on his way. Julius was coming out of Hogsmeade and the only reason they saw him was he was yelling all their names. They sent him to care for Marius as vampires couldn't have certain potions until their blood was diluted to at least 1/18.
The final battle had begun at four am. It was now getting dark the next day and there still was no Blaise. Hogsmeade was destroyed but both women continued lifting stones and boards, doors and windows, searching for survivors and especially Blaise. Draco's Patronus never came so they headed back to the school. Molly hurried to them, forcing Hermione to sit. Draco had went out and gotten Mael, bringing him in. Marius and Julius sat beside him now, faces grave. Marius' wife Atonella had Zenobia and they were all glad she wasn't there. Hermione hugged Molly for the loss of Percy while Poppy scanned her. Fred was still unconscious and may not survive. Other people were discovered to be dead. Padma Patil, Albus Dumbledore, and Daphne Greengrass amongst them.
Harry hugged Hermione for finding Draco and they embraced but everyone knew it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until the dead were counted and the wounded still waiting healed. No other survivors were coming in now as people picked the battlefield. Poppy pulled Hermione up and aside, whispering to her about her condition as she did for all the others. Even in these circumstances the woman was all about confidentiality and it made Hermione smile to find a stability.
"I'm going back for Blaise." She told his brothers. Tilantha had finally given in and cried over Mael's body. Marius stood,
"I will accompany you."
"No, stay with Mael." Hermione shook her head, "Tilly needs you."
"I need nothing but my last son." Tilly said, standing. "Marius will stay, I will not rest until I find my littlest bambino."
"Understood." Hermione nodded.
They had been searching a whole hour longer, checking all of the dead for Blaise's body at least. Hermione lifted her wand, a lumos lighting the tip and dragged it over the ground in front of them.
"Tilly, I have to tell you something." She said in English. Since she set the pace for the conversation's language, Tilly followed.
"First, we will find Blaise."
"We have to find Blaise." Hermione continued, "I have to tell him too."
"What is it?"
"I'm pregnant."
"WHAT?!" she shouted in Italian. Hermione slumped onto the grass sobbing and nodded,
"Tilly, I didn't know or I wouldn't have fought. Poppy just told me, we have to find Blaise!"
"Bambina, I had Marius when I was just your age. He and Blaise do not share a father. I did it on my own. I am not saying that you will," she sat down beside Hermione, "there is still hope for our Blaise. Still, if he is gone, you will come live with us, won't you? Anotonella and myself can assist, as well as Zenobia."
"I will." Hermione choked, nodding, "in Italy. Blaise tells me about it all the time, your home and the grounds."
"You can not be very far along, I trust you would know."
"I'm not." Hermione choked, "it had to have happened after we left the Ministry. So…two weeks." Tilly rubbed her back while she sniffled, "I love him so much, Tilly. He can not be dead."
"Someone approaches." Tilly said, looking up. Hermione looked up as well to see the two shadows.
"I think that's Granger!" she heard Pansy Parkinson say, both shadows pausing.
"It's me!" Hermione called out, "the war is over, Harry won! We're looking for Blaise, Pansy, have you seen him?!"
"Si, mia!"
"BLAISE!" Hermione and Tilly scrambled up and ran to his side, smothering the Italian. They walked in silence back to the castle, finding that Blaise and Pansy had been trapped beneath a limb. He had been unconscious and one of Pansy's arms had been broken so she couldn't move it until he woke. Blaise sighed heavily,
"Mama, Mael…"
"I know bambino, I know. Hermione and I freed him, Draco brought him inside. Julius lives." She and Hermione now shared a secret and they traded a comrade-in-arms look agreeing not to tell until he had had more time to mourn.
"That was the last funeral, wasn't it?" Zenobia asked. Hermione nodded,
"Yes, it was a funeral of an Auror. I didn't know him but Harry, Ron and myself are sort of like… figureheads or poster men and women for peace now."
"You go to show respect and let people know you're honoring them and still going on."
"Yes." Hermione nodded, looking over at Tilly, "it's been two months since the war." She sat down on the black chinze chaise in Tilly's tea room and sat down her bag. Tilly raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak when Blaise came in with Marius and Julius.
"Mia!" he smiled, crossing to her and kissing both her cheeks before sitting down, "I was not aware you were coming."
"I was." Zenobia said proudly. She turned out to be an amazing secret keeper and knew about the baby. "We're going on a… what did you call it, 'Mione?" she bent forward and picked up her tea cup, sipping.
"A field trip." Hermione replied as Antonella hurried in, belly huge.
"Sorry, I'm late." She rushed, "had to convince Marius I was doing something else."
"I can hear you." Marius said flatly, staring at her. She snorted,
"I never said you couldn't. I got everything though, are we ready?"
"I am." Hermione nodded, looking to Tilly.
"I have been ready." Tilly winked, "since I had Marius I was ready."
"What are we waiting for?" Zenobia wailed, jumping out of her chair, "let's get going! We'll apparate!"
"No!" Antonella, Hermione and Tilly gasped. Zenobia frowned.
"Antonella can not apparate." Marius scowled, "you know this."
"Oh riiiiight." Zenobia smiled "we'l l floo."
"Why is it," Julius asked, looking at Blaise, "that I feel we are walking into a trap?"
"Because, I believe, we are." Blaise replied suspiciously. He leaned to whisper to Hermione, "you are behaving like a Zabini woman."
"Am I?" she frowned, "I'm sure I'm not."
"You are." He nodded. "it makes me nervous."
"Silence in the back!" Zenobia called, standing in the fireplace. Blaise rolled his eyes, waiting.
"We have to get in too." Hermione said, "all of us."
"At once?!" Marius wailed.
"At once!" Antonella barked, pushing him in. "only enough Floo powder for one trip."
"We have plenty of floo powder." Blaise snorted as Hermione hauled him in.
"Not for this," she replied, reaching in her bag, "it's one trip in. Very classified." She threw down the powder that sparked blue flames and they were there. Zenobia grabbed Julius which made him laugh because Antonella had already latched to Marius and dragged him in. Tilantha and Hermione were steering Blaise into a chair. The room they had floo'd into was on the top floor of St. Mungos. The entire floor was sealed off from the rest of the hospital and each room was a bedroom so no one was any wiser as to where they were but the women.
"Really, mia, mama, I would rather one of you sit. Antonella is pregnant for Salazar's sake!"
"Pregnant does not equal delicacy, frailty or disability, Blaise." Antonella glared, "I have grown tired of saying it, silence!"
"Yes, bella." He sent her a charming smile.
"I'll sit." Zenobia smiled, hopping into Blaise's lap, "Blaise used to hold me all the time."
"You are eight." Blaise reminded her, arms around her waist, "you say you are too big for me now."
"I am." She nodded, tucking her head under his chin, "Mione says it's nostalgia."
"That's exactly what it is," Hermione smiled, going to sit on the bed where she should be. "Let her cuddle while she still can and you have an empty lap, Blaise." The door opened and a woman in normal clothing and robes came in, shutting it behind her.
"Ah, Miss….Granger?" she asked Hermione. Hermione nodded. She went to a dresser by the door and Blaise scowled,
"Whose home are we in? Where are we?"
"We are at St. Mungos."
"Can I tell him?" Zenobia asked. Hermione nodded and the little Italian girl climbed onto her knees and grabbed Blaise's face in both hands.
"Brother, I am retiring my place in your lap in favor of another. We are here today to find out if it will be a bambina or bambino. Hermione is pregnant." She squawked indignantly as he nearly dumped her in the floor, jumping to his feet. He caught her at the last second and sat her in the chair before hurrying to a laughing Hermione.
"You're pregnant? How far? How come you haven't told me?"
"Blaise!" Hermione laughed as he spoke Italian so fast she couldn't keep up, her face in his hands. "I can't understand you! Yes, I am pregnant; two and a half months. I haven't told you because you were mourning Mael." He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself. The Healer waited patiently with a mirror. "Blaise, sit. Let's see if it's a boy or a girl, yeah?"
"Si." He moved behind the line so his magic wouldn't interfere with the spell, grinning like an idiot. Marius grinned, thumping him on the back while he preened. The Healer smiled at Hermione and sat the mirror on her stomach, speaking as she cast the spells.
"I am Healer Fabin. I'll be your Healer for the rest of the pregnancy. I expect you'll be due right around… yes, Halloween." Hermione beamed over at Blaise who watched with wide eyes. "ahhh…" His eyes narrowed and so did Hermione's as she turned to look back at the Healer's frown.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No… just a moment. Mr…Zabini, is it? You may come back." She lifted the mirror and cast a charm so it would float. "Should your baby have… teeth?"
"Yes," Hermione laughed, "it's a possibility. Blaise is 1/8 Vampire."
"Ah, fangs then!" Healer Fabin laughed, "even with the blood that diluted it's been known to happen."
"All of mine have them." Tilly preened, "even Zenobia." Zenobia gaped her mouth open to show her fangs. Female vampires had much smaller and wider fangs like long canine's where the boys were more like a snake's fangs. Usually, all the Zabini men smiled with their bottom lip over the tips but now they all showed their fangs. Healer Fabin was unafraid and smiled back.
"Let's see, the baby is growing quickly, right on track." She said, casting spells to make the picture clearer for them. Before it had been a bit like an x-ray but now it became a tiny baby. "aaaand, congratulations Miss Granger, Mr. Zabini, it is a boy!"
"Grazi!" Blaise grinned, looking at the baby like a child peered in a toy store's window.
"Mael then." Hermione smiled, "I found out the same day he died, I would like to name him Mael."
"He would be honored." Blaise breathed, hugging her to him. The others politely left, trusting they could make their way back. Blaise smiled, "I want to… mia, if the laws were different we would have…I wish I could give you my name. I truly do." She nodded, kissing his scars. They hadn't had sex since the war had ended but they hadn't had the time with all the funerals and work to be done.
"Take me home, Blaise." She smiled. He nodded in agreement. "your home, Blaise. Tilly invited me."
"Bless my mama." He laughed.