The beeping on Draco's heart monitor began to sound off. Hermione had gotten used to it happening every so often but it made her curious as to what he could be possibly be dreaming about to make his heart race so fast. The only way she could soothe him was by running her fingers over the mess of hair that laid across his forehead—which was both interesting and grindingly daunting. Why couldn't he just wake to the sound of her voice?
The night was beginning to fall. Hermione knew she needed to get home and get some rest, but she didn't want to leave her husband, seeing as he could wake up at any moment after all. Thankfully Matti was there and would get a hold of her when it happened just as she would remind Hermione of the rest she needed to actually get for the baby.
So badly, she wanted to just crawl into the hospital bed with Draco, but she knew her belly would get in the way and that it would be incredibly uncomfortable to lie on the edge of the thin mattress.
"He'll come to, I promise."
Hermione turned to the door to see Theodore clad in a green fuzzy toweling robe and black slippers. She nodded and smiled vaguely, "I hope so."
Theo moved forward and scooted the second chair beside hers and took her hand into his. "He was in my dream, you know… while I was sleeping. and so were you and Matti."
Hermione squeezed his hand, "Want to tell me about it?"
He chuckled and a smirk stole his features, "Well, you and I kissed, for starters."
Hermione choked on the air she was inhaling, "Oh, Gods!"
"Heh, yeah, in my dream it was pretty weird. It was like kissing my sister. Well, if I had one."
"I can imagine. But what is this 'if'? You do have a sister. Me." The witch laid her head on Theo's shoulder and sighed, "I suppose I should be going now though. I need to sleep and this baby is taking it out of me." She patted her bump.
Theo laughed quietly, "In my dream… You…"
Hermione crinkled her brows in worry, "What?"
The wizard shook his head, "Ah, nothing, it's nothing." He waved it away.
Usually Hermione would argue to hear what he'd have to say, but tonight she was way too tired to get on with it, plus it was just a dream. "All right," she said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Turning back to Draco her voice lowered to a whisper, "I hope you wake soon, my love."
As she stood, she felt a bit of pain in her lower back, "Oomph."
"What?" Theo asked, placing a hand right where the ache resonated.
"Nothing, I think I was just sitting a bit wonky."
"Alright, well, I'll walk you out?" he asked, as he was starting to stand.
"No! Theodore, you're not even discharged from the hospital yet. I'll be fine."
He huffed and sat back down, "All right, try to get some rest."
She responded with a smile and set off through the door.
Theo took hold of his sleeping mate's wrist, "Brother, I hope you do wake soon. Your wife—heh, that's funny to say—she needs you desperately, and so does that baby girl. Gods, a baby girl, can you believe it?"
XXX
"Ugh! I'm so sick of that blasted noise!" Draco groaned.
"What noise, Draco?" Hermione looked at him with worry in her eyes.
"Do you not hear it? Of course you don't, what am I even saying?" he asked frantically, as he started pacing the floor.
"No, I don't hear anything. Draco, it's not normal to hear things that no one else can hear. We should get you to St. Mungo's or to Madam Pomfrey at the very least," she suggested, but Draco only denied the help.
"No, I've, uh, been dealing with it for months… I think it's a blasted side effect of those future plonkers coming back." He scoffed. "Sodding idiots. Fucking Theo would be alive right now. I screwed all of this up."
Hermione stood from the bed, placing the phial she was holding around her neck and pulled her wizard into a hug. At first he was surprised that she was holding him, but then he took it in with pleasure, nestling his nose into her hair. Even though it was dirty with war grime, she still had her custom scent to her; it was a breath of fresh air. He locked his arms around her waist and felt her heart thump against his chest.
Pulling away, but not completely, she removed her hands from around his neck and slid them to his face, "I miss him too, Draco. And I will forever be proud of who he was. I'm sorry."
Grey eyes staring in golden, Draco sighed, "It's not your fault." He wanted to kiss her, he needed to kiss her; nonetheless, he didn't want to push his limits. Hermione rubbed her thumbs over his dirty cheeks, smiled and drew him into another embrace.
They stood there for Merlin only knew how long, however it was good. It was needed.
XXX
Matti was sitting at a desk looking over some paperwork when Hermione arrived behind her, "Hey, I'm going to head home, I'm not feeling too well, I think the stress is bringing on some Braxton Hicks."
Matti turned around and smiled, "Ah, alright, drink some water. I'll let you know if anything changes, of course. You need to get some rest. Take a bath as well, and maybe start a primrose potion, you're thirty-two weeks, right?"
Hermione nodded, as Matti instructed her, "Yes, you'll be fine to start it. Just get some sleep."
"Matti…" Hermione asked feebly, finally getting a good moment alone with her friend.
"Hm?"
"What if Draco forgets too?" she blurted, "What if they never remember? Why would Theo think he was killed with a Killing Curse?"
Matti sat silently for a moment, delicately collecting her thoughts.
"I've been in contact with some Healers at St. Mungo's. I don't have all the answers right now… but they believe the combination of the head trauma Draco and Theo each received and the interaction of the muggle medication and potions are to blame," she frowned, "but the mind is a magical thing. And those two are strong. I—and the Healers who work with your husband—have no doubts that things will find a way to go back to normal."
Hermione stuttered a nod and quickly exited the room.
After Hermione left, Matti made her way to Draco's room to find that Theodore had his legs propped up on the second chair with his head leaned back over the edge of his sitting chair.
"What if he doesn't wake up?" he asked without looking his fiancée directly in her eyes.
"You can't think like that, sweetheart. He will in due time," the blonde said sadly as she went on to change out Draco's IV bags, when a soft clearing tone entered the room.
Theo sat up abruptly, placing his feet on the floor, "Madam Pomfrey, how good to see you! Gods, you are something special, I tell ya!" he smiled as he made his way to hug the elder witch. She slightly laughed and patted him on the back, "It's good to see you, too, Mister Nott. How are you feeling?"
"I'm alive! A little achy, but nothing my beautiful fiancée here, can't fix." He winked and smiled over at Matti, who rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Yes, yes, Mister Nott. We are all well aware of your proposal to the lovely Miss Bettine." Poppy stated as she reached into her small bag, "Miss Bettine, I brought a potion that I think may help wake him. I have been working on it with Horace for the past couple of days. It worked well on a magically induced comatose ferret. Even though he's not an animal nor is his state magically induced, I say it doesn't hurt to try it. It might even work better as there is no magic to fight it."
Matti nodded and took the phial of black liquid, grimacing at the appearance, "Yes, I haven't given him any type of muggle medication as of the past few hours, so I don't see why not. Theo, could you please turn the blinds down."
Theo chuckled, moving toward the window to do what was asked of him, "Nice move using a ferret, Poppy."
The older witch playfully tapped him on the shoulder with a smile, "It'll be our little secret."
Matti grinned curiously, and Theo just shook his head.
Matti removed the top from the IV bag and added the potion to it, the clear liquid began to turn black then blue and within seconds back to clear, as if nothing was placed in it at all.
"What type of potion is it?" Theo asked, as he was rubbing the stubble on his chin.
"It's a mixture of an enhanced Replenishing Potion, Wiggenweld, and Reviving Potion. It ought to do the trick."
"It hasn't done anything yet." Theo stated matter-of-factly.
"It may take some time, Mister Nott. He's a human, and much larger than a measly ole ferret." Poppy argued.
Madam Pomfrey said her goodbyes, and just as she opened the door it seemed she noticed another person on the other side. With a nod, Hogwarts' matron disappeared into the corridor and a blonde witch bobbed her way inside.
"Luna!" Theo smiled.
"Hello, Theodore! I've just returned from my honeymoon to Timbuktu and thought I would bring these," she wielded a large bushel of color she had tucked into her arm. "Rolf and I traveled all over along the way so I was able to gather these healing flowers."
She stepped forward to Draco's bedside table and stared quizzically at the muggle telephone perched atop it before muttering about 'strange energy' and transfiguring the device into a horribly gaudy vase.
"Congratulations on your marriage. That was kind of you to do this, Luna! That's, er, quite the arrangement you've got there."Theo said aloud while keeping his true opinion to himself. That's the ugliest fucking bouquet of flowers I've ever seen, he thought.
"They're really quite beautiful aren't they," she agreed happily, as a giggling Matti cracked the window in the corner.
Theo began to sneeze uncontrollably but masked most of his annoyance with a sneer. He could charm them once Luna left.
"Oh, that means they're working!" Luna said excitedly.
"Whats working?" Theo asked curiously.
"The magic of course!" She began gesturing to each of the different types of flowers,
"This one is a Bat Flower—for the bad dreams, this is a Toad Lily—to guide him toward his happiness in the dark, this one's a Passion Flower—the scent alone should help draw him out," she said, wiggling her nose, "Oh, and the Bleeding Hearts are to draw him closer to getting what he desires most."
"Oh…right. Now what's that big clump of Baby's Breath for?" he asked.
"Don't be so silly, Theo. Everyone knows that's just a filler," Luna giggled whilst giving the man a strange look. She turned from the shocked Theo (the only one noticing Matti choking over her laughs) and placed a hand on Draco's forehead.
"Ah." she said calmly as she closed her eyes.
"What?" Theo exclaimed.
"He's just about done in there."
"What?" he repeated, his jaw hanging loosely.
"He's at Honey's with Hermione." she explained before turning and heading through the door tossing a "Good luck, Theodore," over her shoulder.
After the strange visit, Theo went on to his room, begging his witch for another bowl of ice cream, and Draco continued to sleep.
Hermione had bathed and slept all the way through to the next morning. Her pains had subsided and she felt more energized than she had in some time. She stopped to get breakfast for herself, Matti and Theo and headed onward to the hospital.
XXX
"So, do you want to look at the memories?" Draco asked, pulling Hermione towards the four poster.
"Well, yes, I'd love to. I'm a little afraid to be completely honest. But we need a pensieve…we can possibly use the one in Headmistress McGonagall's office."
Draco smirked, returning to his dresser, "I actually have one. Bought it from Honey."
"Really? How on earth did she manage to have one of those to sell, even?"
"Come on, Hermione, look at where we are." Draco stated, as if it were obviously known information.
"She's a Black Market trader?" Hermione asked with complete shock covering her face.
"Oh, you really are innocent in some ways, lov—er, anyway. So, do you mind casting Engorgio on it and we get to it?"
Before Hermione agreed to do what he asked, he felt her take his hand in hers, "Draco, come back to me."
Draco crinkled his brows, "I'm right here, love. I'm not going anywhere."
Hermione shook her head as tears began to protrude from her eyes, "I don't know how I can live without you."
The room around him began to spin, Hermione's voice started to drown away, Draco fell to his knees, covering his ears from that wretched blaring of that damn beeping.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
About an hour or so later, Draco awoke on the big bed he had occupied for months at Honey's Lounge just as the door creaked open. Hermione entered with a tray of food and a pitcher of water. She lowered herself to his side and placed the tray in his lap.
"You really ought to eat something," she urged.
He silently obliged, the smell of eggs filling his nose made his stomach growl.
"When I established you'd be okay…I, erm, I looked at the memories," she blushed, fidgeting with the ring that was still borrowing a strange finger.
He looked up at her slowly, "And?"
"And I love you. All of you. Down to the very last mistake," she said, removing the moonstone ring and placing it on the proper finger once more.
XXX
Hermione was stuffing her mouth full of an egg croissant, one hand holding her husband's where her thumb was rubbing circles. Theo was sitting beside her with his own fill of food and they were talking about good times they had with the sleeping man before them, occasionally speaking to him directly.
"Gods, you two are talking as if I am on my deathbed or something." a dour voice said, causing the food to drop from Theo's mouth and Hermione's plate to shatter on the floor.