Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 107 for you!
Here's the moment we've all been waiting for since the Partner Ceremony.
I feel like this is the perfect time to upload this chapter as the next chapter will kind of be the beginning of the next part Hermione and Draco's life, and will be uploaded on 4th anniversary of The Marriage Decree. It feels apt.
Love DW x
P.S. Enjoy
Twenty-four hooded figures wearing ivory and gold volto masks sit at eight wooden logs in a circle, hidden away in a Welsh clearing, awaiting their master.
One brave man stood up, stretching his back and neck before pulling his mask to the side to itch his eyebrow.
"I prefer the old ones; less itching," He comments.
"Sit down!" A person sat two logs away from him hisses, checking their watch. "Master will be here in seventy seconds." They add.
The brave man sits with a sigh, and the twenty-four figures resume their silence, as they had been sat in for ten minutes.
Seventy seconds later, grey clouds pass over the clearing, and with a crack of lightning, a tall, hooded figure, wearing a purely gold volto mask disapparates into the centre of the circle.
The new person turns in a full circle, scanning the masks of each hooded figure, recognition present in their eyes as it was the Master who presented each one of them with their mask, individually.
None of the seated figures move or speak, waiting to gauge their Master's mood.
"Death Eater's," Their Master begins, with an obviously charmed deeper voice to disguise their identity. "Welcome!" Their arms open as they turn slowly, not wanting to leave their back to any one Death Eater for too long.
"Welcome, Master." The twenty-four of them return the greeting in unison.
The Master nods, scanning the faces and landing on a smaller figure, sat beside the brave man. "Anquiro, stand," The Master calls their pseudonym.
Anquiro stands quickly; arms tightly pressed to his side. "Yes, Master."
"Come, dear boy, take the stage, you called this meeting, did you not?" The Master beckons the figure forward.
Anquiro nods his head, not making any eye contact with his fellow Death Eater's as he makes his way to the centre of the circle. He can feel all their eyes boring into him. No one other than the Master had ever called a meeting before. The Master had shown interest in him, although he had assumed that had been due to him still being a Hogwarts student when he was initiated into the Death Eater's circle. However, since he graduated, the Master had entrusted him with one of their most essential tasks yet.
"Anquiro, speak." The Master barks.
"Y-yes, Master." He stutters. "The Prophet has been found." He announces to the circle.
The Death Eaters sit up taller, excited by this new development in their plans.
"She was waiting. She knew of my arrival." Anquiro continues. "She claimed to know why I was there and handed me this envelope," He produces a dark red envelope from the folds of his cloak. "And told me to deliver it to no one but my new Master." He finishes, holding the envelope out to the Master.
The Master stares for a prolonged moment before taking the envelope, turning it over, looking for a seal but not finding one.
"Anquiro, did you open this?" The Master asks, eyes glaring into the young man's eyes.
"No, Master." He emphatically shakes his head, eyes returning a look of horror.
"There isn't a seal, Anquiro." The Master smirk audible in their tone of voice.
"It- it's a Muggle envelope." He points out nervously as the seated Death Eaters nervously watch.
"Muggle," The Master glares down at the offending envelope. "Open it, Anquiro." They pass it back to the young man.
Anquiro's shaking hands rip the dark red envelope open and removed a green piece of parchment. He glances up, unsure at the Master.
"Read it," The Master snaps, walking to stand between two of the logs, awaiting the Prophet's message.
Anquiro opens the parchment, eyes glancing across the silver calligraphy.
"At the grave of the hound,
The meeting of the clock,
The Heres walks round,
Start at Picus o'clock,
Half an Excipio,
The heres is here,
Unite the two worlds
Never live in fear."
Anquiro finishes, instantly the green parchment bursts into flames, causing him to jump back and drop the burning prophetic poem.
"I- I apologise, Master." Anquiro looks over to his Master.
The Master doesn't speak, staring at the small ash pile in the grass. Nobody dares move for they risk breaking the Master out of their thoughts. Suddenly, their head snaps up.
"Picus, Excipio, stand." The Master calls out.
The two figures stand anxiously, having no idea why they were named in the Prophet's message.
"No need to worry, you are numbers on a twenty-four-hour clock." The Master states. "As heres to the Dark Lord, I play the role of the hour hand," The Master says, explaining the meaning behind the seemingly simple poem.
The Death Eaters watch, enthralled, as their Master walks clockwise from their position at midnight around to Picus, six figures away, without pausing, they continue around to Excipio, fifteen figures from the initial position.
The Master walks into the centred of the circle, motioning for Anquiro to take his seat.
The Gryffindor," The Master points to Picus, "will go into labour at six o'clock tomorrow morning, and their heir will be born half-past two tomorrow afternoon, uniting the dark and the light, the magical with the muggle." The Master spits. "Timore, Pavor, stand." Two muscular figures stand, side by side. "The Prophet claims the two worlds will never live in fear," Timore and Pavor snicker, the noise partially muffled behind their masks.
"I'm glad you both find it so amusing, take Caedo and cause Havoc." The Master orders.
The three Death Eaters disapparate away, planning ways to cause unimaginable fear in the heart of the magical and the muggles.
"Umbra, you know your mission," The Master calls to a small, feminine figure sat alone on a log now Timore and Pavor had left.
"Yes, Master." Their high voice answers before disapparating away.
"Cotidio, I want an article ready for print by six in the morning, Umbra will keep you up to date throughout the day. I want another article ready for eight o'clock tomorrow night, understood?" The Master informs Cotidio, who bows with a slight nod, before disapparating. "The rest of you are dismissed."
Within thirty seconds, every other remaining Death Eater had disapparated away from their Master, leaving them alone to think over the events that would be occurring the following day. Their Prophet had a hundred per cent success rate with their prophecies, and there was no reason this one would be any different. The Master had much to plan for.
Four hundred and seventy miles away, lying beside her husband in the dungeons of Hogwarts castle, Hermione suddenly awakes, gasping in pain and clutching her stomach.
"Draco!" Her voice croaks, as her shaking hand reaches out to him. "DRACO!" She gasps, gripping his bicep hard, unknowingly digging her nails into his skin as the pain intensifies.
Draco's eyes snap open. He turns over, yanking his arm away from the pain. "Hermione?" He questions, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see his wife through the darkness.
"Draco," She repeats, her voice sounding weak.
"Lumos," Draco mutters in a panic. A glowing orb shines light above their bed, illuminating the situation.
He scrambles across to his wife, curled up at the end of their bed.
"Hermione, what's happening?" He asks, hands gently running across her body, trying to find an injury.
"The baby," She gasps.
His hands still, "The baby?" He repeats, face paling. "What's happening, Hermione?" He tries to look into her eyes, but they're squeezed tightly shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. "The baby's not due for another two weeks." He states.
"I know that," She snaps.
"Is it contractions, or something different?" He asks, climbing out of bed and pulling on his robes from the previous day. Since it was his first week as a fully qualified professor, he had dressed a little intimidatingly, not wanting his students to think they can get away with anything now Horace was no longer there to supervise.
"I-I don't know; it's coming in waves." She tells him, breathlessly. "I've never had contractions before." She adds, almost sarcastically.
"You're right," He mutters. "Wait here." He tells her, running for the front door and down the hall to Pansy's rooms. He bangs on her front door, thankful she'd decided to spend the night at Hogwarts since Ron and the twins were spending the night at the Burrow. "Pansy!" He shouts as he continues to knock on the door with his fist.
Not even twenty seconds later, Pansy is answering her door, half pulling on her dressing gown with a scowl on her face.
"WHAT! WHAT!" She shouts at him.
"Hermione, I think the baby is coming." He states.
Pansy's face freezes for a second before pushing Draco out of the way and running into their rooms, straight to Hermione.
"Hermione," She calls her friend's name gently, pushing her hair out of her face. "Can you tell me what you're feeling?"
"She said it's coming in waves, that's contractions, right?" Draco answers stood awkwardly at the end of the bed.
"Draco," Pansy smirks. "Be a lamb and collect her hospital bag." She tells him, looking back down at Hermione. "These waves, are there any breaks between them?" She asks.
Hermione shakes her head. "It's constant, but it gets worse in waves." She admits.
"Okay, we're going to get you to St. Mungo's so your Healer can check you and the baby." She tells Hermione.
Hermione nods, trying to stand up.
"Just wait a moment; you're going to be having your baby today, we want to make sure you're comfortable." Pansy takes her wand out of her dressing gown pocket. "Trust me; you do not want your hair loose." She mutters, casting a braiding charm over Hermione's thick curls.
Hermione chuckles through the pain. "Thank you; I need to get dressed." She announces once her hair is braided.
"No, you don't," Pansy says. "They're just going to get you to change into a hospital gown so throw on your dressing gown, and you'll be fine." She tells her.
"I've got the bag." Draco returns from the fireplace, carrying a small suitcase.
"Great, you're going to take her to St. Mungo's. I'm going to get dressed and inform Minerva, then I'll follow in case you need me to do anything." Pansy tells them. "Now go." She adds, rushing out of their rooms.
Draco wraps his arm around his wife, who's now stood draped in her dressing gown. He guides her over to the fireplace. He floos first, calling the nearest Healer over before Hermione joins him.
"We need Healer Heath," He tells the older Healer who had come running over at his shouts.
"Which department?" The Healer asks.
"Maternity," Draco frowns, gesturing to his heavily pregnant wife.
"Of course, sir," The Healer collects a wheelchair from the reception area and offering it to the couple.
"Thank you," He says, taking the wheelchair. "Sit down," He tells Hermione who gratefully takes the seat. "Everything is going to be fine." He mutters, for both their sakes, as he pushes his wife to the lifts.
The Healer presses the button for the eighth floor, for the maternity ward. "I don't know if Healer Heath is on duty this morning, shifts change at eight o'clock, but I'll take you to the maternity reception, and they'll be able to help you out." The older Healer informs them.
"Thank you," Hermione says.
At the maternity reception, a group of four junior Healers are sat around laughing, until they see the older Healer arriving with Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
"Oh, my goodness," A young man stands up. "Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, welcome, how can we help you?" He asks, collecting his clipboard and quill.
The three other junior healers leave whispering and giggling as they presumable attend to their patients.
"Is Healer Heath in yet?" The older healer asks.
"No, he's in at eight o'clock though," He checks his watch. "In an hour and a half."
"You're going to have to call him in," The healer tells him. "And then find the Malfoy's a room." He adds.
"Yes, one moment." He leaves to call Heath in for them.
"Great, you're both in capable hands, I wish you luck," The older healer states before leaving them.
A few minutes later, the junior healer returns with his clipboard and a bag in his hand. "Healer Heath is on his way in; he's requested you use the room beside his office." The young man informs them, guiding them to the private room.
"Thank you," Hermione stands up out of the wheelchair once inside the room. It's is lovely." She adds, walking over to the window, overlooking Muggle London. It must have been why Heath had requested this room for her.
"I'm Simon, one of the junior healers on the ward. I'll be here until midday. If you need anything, press this button on the side of your bed." He shows them the blue button on a remote of five. "The green button will call your Healer for you for your emergency needs. This bag has a gown, some towels and toiletries in case you didn't bring your own. Although we do recommend that you wear our gown." He states. "I'll leave you to settle. Healer Heath will be here as soon as he can." Simon says before leaving.
"Do you want to change?" Draco asks her, opening her suitcase at the end of the bed.
"Not yet," She sighs, sitting down on the end of the bed. "I just want to sit for a moment."
"That's fine," He sits beside her.
"Draco?" She calls his attention, after silently staring out of the window for a few moments.
"Yes," He glances up, to find her in tears again. "Is it the pain? I can get Simon to bring you a pain relief potion." He reaches over to press the blue button.
"No," She stops him. "I can handle it for now." She admits. "I'm just- I'm scared." She admits.
"Oh," He rushes around to her side, kneeling in front of her. "That's completely understandable." He assures her.
"I feel like I don't have a clue what's happening." She adds.
"Hermione," He takes her face gently in her hands. "You've read enough books, and you were present during Pansy's birth; you're prepared as you can be." He tells her.
"Everything's going to change," She tells him, sniffling. "I'm not sure I'm ready."
"I'll admit, I'm nervous too. It's only the seventh of September; the baby is thirteen days early." He says. "And everything is going to change but mostly for the better. We're going to be off work for a year, that's a lot of time to spend together with our baby, and with our family." He tries to calm her down. "We'll push our child around the Estate, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Muggle London, getting all the compliment, because our child is going to be the most beautiful child there ever was." He tells her, making her laugh. "How could they not with you as their mother and me as their father." He grins.
"I love it when you're humble." She jokes. "I think I'm ready to get changed." She stands up.
Draco takes her dressing gown from her, hanging it on a stand beside her bed while she changes into the surprisingly soft and comfortable hospital gown.
Back at Hogwarts, Pansy had quickly gotten dress and then sprinted p many flights of stairs to the Headmistress office. She was sure Minerva would be awake at six o'clock in the morning. She'd heard she liked to take breakfast in the kitchens before the school woke up.
When she reached the Headmistress' office door, she knocked loudly and repeatedly until she heard Minerva call for her to enter. Pansy burst through the door, her thin summer cloak trailing behind her and nearly getting trapped in the heavy door.
"Pansy, what is all this commotion about?" She asks, visibly annoyed at the interruption so early in the morning.
"Hermione's gone into labour; Draco's taken her to St. Mungo's, I'm going to join them, see if they need me to get Hermione's mother." She states.
Minerva blinks at her, taking in the information. "Very well," She nods. "Wish them well; I'll organise cover for them. Thank you, Pansy." Minerva states, accioing a piece of parchment and a quill.
"May I floo from your office?" Pansy asks.
"Of course," Minerva nods, gesturing to the floo powder at the end of the fireplace.
"Thanks," Pansy takes a handful and quickly floos straight to St. Mungo's.
She gains a few looks as she pushes past people in her hast to catch an open lift. When the doors close, she repeatedly presses the button, willing one to open.
"You know, that isn't going to make the lift arrive any quicker." A tall man, in a white cloak, smiles.
"Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes?" She stares at him, stepping into the lift when it opens and is surprisingly empty.
"I find most people enjoy a little e bit of humour during a time of need. Takes their mind off the situation." The healer states, leaning over to press a number, although Pansy get there first and press the button for the eighth floor. "Ah, I see we're off to the same ward?"
"You look like you've just gotten out of bed," She tells him, giving him a once over.
The healer attempts to smooth his hair back. "I did, I wasn't due to start my shift until eight o'clock, but a patient has been admitted early." He stats.
"Are you Hermione's healer?" Pansy asks.
The healer smiles, "I'm afraid that's a breach of confidentiality." He states.
Pansy rolls her eye. "Whatever, I hope you're good."
"I am the most qualified maternity healer here." He states.
"You're self-assured," She states as the door opens on the eighth floor.
Pansy doesn't wait for a retort, rushing down the corridor to the reception desk, asking for Hermione Granger's room.
"It's alright, Simon," The healer from the lift tells the young man at the reception desk. "I've got it." He smirks, motioning for her to follow him. "This is my office; I asked for Ms Granger to be placed in the next room." He gestures to the room.
"Thanks," Pansy mutters, knocking on the room's door.
Draco answers the door. "Pansy, what are you doing here?" He asks.
"Charming," She pushes past him to where Hermione is sat in an armchair beside the window, overlooking Muggle London. "How are you doing? How far apart are the contractions? Have you had any pain relief yet? Honestly, take as much as they'll give you, it's worth it." She crouches down in front of Hermione.
"I'm fine; I haven't had any pain relief yet, I'm waiting for my healer." She admits.
"I've just met him in the lift; he's just gone into his office for something." She shakes her head. "What about the contractions?" She repeats her unanswered questions.
"They're about every twelve minutes, and last about seventy seconds." She smiles at her friend's concern.
There's another knock at the door, which Draco answers.
"Healer Heath," Draco sighs in relief. "Pansy said you were here." He states.
"Ah, yes, your friend seemed very worried about you in the lift." He says, walking over to Hermione with his clipboard and pen. "Do you mind if I ask you some preliminary questions?" He asks.
"That's fine, Doctor." Hermione agrees, and Health smiles.
"When did you arrive here?" He asks.
"It was about ten past six," She glances at Draco who corroborates the claim with a nod from beside her.
"So, you've been here twenty minutes," He mutters to himself. "When did your contractions begin?"
"I woke up to the pain just before six o'clock. It lasted for around seventy seconds." She states.
"And how frequent are they?"
"Every twelve minutes."
Health hums, "You're moving along quicker than I expected. Did you feel any discomfort last night before bed?" He asks.
"I did feel uncomfortable, so I had a warm bath. I assumed it was just normal pregnancy discomfort." She admits. "I went to bed as soon as I got out of the bath as I was tired." She adds.
Heath nods, "I think your labour started last night. I'll call one of our junior healers in to perform some tests while I prepare the equipment." He informs them.
"Thank you, doctor," Hermione tells him as he leaves. "I can't believe I didn't realise I was in labour sooner." She sighs, resting her hand on her stomach.
"You said yourself you had a bath to soothe the discomfort, and if you were calm enough to fall asleep afterwards, you wouldn't have realised." Pansy comforts her.
"Thank you for being here, Pansy, but don't you need to get back to Hogwarts," Hermione asks.
"No, Minerva said it was fine for me to miss breakfast. Or rather I told her I was leaving and she didn't stop me." She smiles. "I do need to be back for five to eight, though." She sighs. "I thought you might need me to get your mother or something? You said you only wanted Draco and her here for the birth." She states.
"Oh, I'd forgotten about my mother. Do you know where she lives?" Hermione asks.
"No, but I know where David lives. I'll ask him." She mentions. "I won't let anyone else know." She adds. "I know the Weasley's mean well, but with the number of them, it can get overcrowded." She says.
"Thank you, Pansy." Hermione grabs her hand in a thankful grip before letting her go.
"Won't be long," She calls before leaving.
On the disapparation floor, she leaves for David's house, appearing on his doorstep. She knocks on his door repeatedly until he answers, dressed only in his trousers.
"Pansy!" He frowns, having only met the woman a few times.
"I never thought you would be so toned," She smirks, head tilted, causing him to blush in embarrassment.
"Pansy!" Sophie throws her arms around the woman. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to ask your Dad where Hermione's mum lives." She announces. "The baby's coming." She adds, looking up at David.
"Already?" David asks.
"Can I go?" Sophie asks.
"I don't think you want to, Sophie. It's going to be so boring. These things can last for hours and hours." Pansy tells her. "Anyway, I need an address; Hermione needs her mum. Come on David," She snaps her fingers impatiently.
"Right, of course," David walks into the kitchen for a piece of paper and pen.
"What are you doing up anyway?" She glances down at Sophie. "It's quarter to seven. What time does your school start?"
"I go to breakfast club at eight o'clock," Sophie explains. "'cause Dad has to go to work." She adds.
"Here's Sarah's address," He hands Pansy a piece of paper with the address written down.
"Thanks, I'm sure they'll keep you posted." She turns and disapparates to the address.
David nervously glances around hoping no one was around to witness the magic. Thankfully, he can't see anyone and closes the door.
Pansy stares up at the house that matches the address David had given her. She walks through the gate and down the path to the front door and knocks, once again, repeatedly.
"Yes, can I help you?" A woman, who is carrying a baby, answers with an overly polite grimace.
"Yeah, I'm Hermione's friend." Pansy states.
Sarah's face falls, "Is she okay?"
"Yes, but she's at St. Mungo's, her baby is on the way, and she wants you." She explains.
"Chris!" Sarah calls behind her as she rushes into the kitchen, leaving Pansy stood at the door.
Pansy enters, closing the door behind her.
"What?" He calls back from upstairs.
"It's time; our grandbaby is coming." She shouts back, placing the baby she was carrying in a large Moses basket in the kitchen. "Sorry, I didn't get your name."
"Pansy, do you want me to keep an eye on her? I've got twins myself." She offers.
"Thank you; I'll get dressed, are you taking me to the hospital?"
"Yes, we're going to have to disapparate."
"That's fine, give me five minutes." Sarah runs upstairs.
Pansy sits at the kitchen table, watching the baby, who looks to be about nine months old, staring back at her, chewing on a toy. She can hear Hermione's parents talking, in what they probably think is a hushed voice, about Hermione.
A few minutes later, a man appears with a second baby. She assumes this is Chris.
"Thank you for coming to tell us," He tells her, placing the second baby in the same Moses basket as the first baby.
"Hermione did the same for me when I was giving birth to my twins; the least I can do is return the favour." She shrugs.
"You've got twins?" Chris repeats.
"Yeah, boy and a girl. You've got two girls, I see." She awkwardly comments, not used to making idle chat.
"Yes, it's strange that we've got the twins, and now Hermione's having her own baby," Chris admits, filling the kettle up.
"Well, you were a parent of one up until January, right? That's got to take some getting used to as well." Pansy comments.
"Hermione told you about the adoption?" Chris asks.
"Yeah, she's my best girl friend, and we work together. We tell each other practically everything." She shrugs.
"Okay, I'm ready," Sarah enters the kitchen wearing a flowery blouse and a pair of jeans, with her short hair pulled back.
"You do realise your daughter is giving birth; I'm not taking you out for lunch?" Pansy says.
"I'm meeting my grandbaby today; I want to look nice for the pictures," Sarah admits, quickly applying a light pink lipstick.
"Okay, we should go. I want to make sure Hermione's okay before I go back to work in half an hour." She mentions, standing up from the stool.
Pansy walks towards the front door, but Sarah stops her. "Aren't we going to disappear from the back alley? That's where Hermione does it from." She questions.
"Fine," Pansy leads Sarah out into the alleyway, taking her arm and disapparating her to St. Mungo's. "Have you been here before?" She asks Sarah, who is a little preoccupied, trying not to throw up.
"No, it doesn't look too dissimilar from our hospitals." She admits glancing curiously around.
"The maternity ward is on the eighth floor." She says, guiding the woman into the lift, pressing the button.
"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother, I'm only fifty-one," She admits.
"You'll probably be a great-grandmother by seventy." Pansy mentions.
Sarah pales, looking over at Pansy. "That's not something I want to think about."
Pansy shrugs. "My parents are fifty-one as well. They don't approve of my husband, but they've made room for my grand-children on the family tapestry." She states. "And my children seven months old." She adds.
Sarah stares at the other woman, "That's weird," She mentions as the doors open. "Where's Hermione's room?" She asks.
"Down here, it's the second to last door on the left. The last door is her healer's office, so he is close by." Pansy says as she leads Sarah down the corridor, knocking on the door, but Sarah pushes her way in.
"Hermione," She gushes, dropping her handbag on the floor as she rushes over to her daughter, still sat in the armchair.
"How's it going?" Pansy asks Draco, who's stepped back to give his wife and mother-in-law some space.
"It's moving quickly; the contractions are at ten minutes. I'm worried; It's not supposed to be this fast. Healer Heath says she's perfectly fine. Sometimes it speeds up, but then around the five-minute mark, it can slow down again." He admits.
"Draco, that healer claims to be the most qualified healer on the ward, you need to trust that he knows what he's doing," She tries to calm him.
"He trained in the muggle world for eight years. Hermione trusts the muggle qualifications more than ours, so I trust him." He admits.
"Well, there you go; everything will be fine. It's half-past seven; I'm going," She tells him.
"Thank you, for everything," He awkwardly mentions. Their friendship was built on their feelings being left unsaid but known.
Pansy rolls her eyes as she walks over to Hermione. "I've got to get going," She states. "I'll keep this to myself." She winks.
"Thank you, Pansy," Hermione squeezes her friend's hand.
"You're going to do amazingly," She assures her, patting the top of her hand. "Have fun!" She jokes as she leaves.
"She's a strange one," Sarah comments, removing her coat.
"Yes, she is," Hermione chuckles, leaning back in her armchair. "She's one of my best friends." She adds.
"Well she's in my good books; coming to get me ad bringing me here." Her mum states, scanning the room. "Okay, we're going to need a jug of water, some ice, and any snacks you want. Are you hungry, Hermione?"
"You should eat something; we missed breakfast?" Draco suggests.
"Yes, you need snacks then." Sarah states. "Draco, can you sort all that out?" She asks.
Draco hesitates, not wanting to leave the room, but Hermione is only in the early labour stage, he isn't going to miss anything by stepping out of the room for ten minutes. "I'll be right back," He assures his wife before he leaves.
He finds Simon, the junior healer, at the reception.
"Mr Malfoy, can I help you?" He asks.
"Yes, my wife needs a jug of water, some ice, and any snacks you have." He lists.
"Right, you could have pressed the blue button," Simon states as he writes down his order.
"I think my mother-in-law wants me out of the room for a few minutes," He admits.
Simon nods. "Would you also like a fan? It can get quite warm here during the day." He asks.
"Sure, it can't hurt." He agrees.
"I'll collect the items and bring them to your room," Simon informs him.
"Great, thank you." Draco returns to their room to find Hermione mid-contraction.
"You're doing wonderfully, not much longer," Sarah talks to her daughter.
"How long?" Hermione pants as the pain subsides slightly.
"That was sixty-five seconds." Sarah checks her watch.
"They're still around twelve minutes apart," Draco adds, joining his wife at her side. "Are you warm?" He asks, pressing the back of his hand gently to her forehead. "Sarah, there's a washcloth in the suitcase, could you dampen it?" He asks his mother-in-law.
Sarah does as she is asked for the benefit for her daughter, opening the suitcase and rummaging through the spare clothes for Hermione and the bodysuits, vests and sleepsuits for the baby. She finds the washcloth, running it under the cold water tap in their room, ringing it out and passing it to Draco.
"Thanks," He mutters as he presses the damp, cool cloth to her brow, where a thin layer of sweat had begun to form.
"I'll unpack for you," Sarah announces as she removes the clothes, refolding them as she places them into the cabinet they had been provided with. "These baby clothes are adorable; I can't wait to hold the little one in this sunshine sleepsuit." She speaks, more to herself than to the couple, who were more engrossed with each other and the labour.
A few minutes later, Simon enters with their healer.
"Ms Granger, I've got a jug of water here for you," Simon places the jug on the hospital table, pulling it closer to the armchair. "There's a bowl of ice there and a fan. I managed to find some fruit snacks, but breakfast will be served in half-an-hour." He states, positioning everything on the table within her arms reach.
"Thank you, Simon." She smiles, politely as he leaves.
"How are we doing?" Heath asks, his clipboard under his arm as he disinfects his hands with some anti-bacterial gel he kept in his pocket.
"They're lasting sixty-five seconds now." She says.
Health nods, writing the information down. "Are they still twelve minutes apart?" He asks.
"Yes,"
"How are you feeling in yourself?" He asks.
"I'm quite warm and feeling rather tired despite getting a good night's sleep." She admits.
"That's completely normal." Sarah comments.
Heath turns to the woman. "I don't believe we've met." He states.
"I'm Hermione's mother," Sarah holds her hand out.
"Doctor Heath," He holds his hands up. "I've just cleaned them, I'm afraid." He apologises for not shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, though."
"Hermione told me you studied normal medicine before magical medicine." She says.
Heath smiles, "I suppose I did, yes." He agrees, turning back to Hermione. "I'm just going to test your vitals: your temperature, pulse, blood pressure. I find using magical medicine a lot less stressful on the patient than muggle medicine. Do you object to my using my wand?" He asks.
"Not at all," Hermione shakes her head.
Heath takes his wand from the pocket of his white cloak and begins to scan Hermione, quickly listing the spells he needs.
"I thought you preferred not to use your wand in practice?" Draco mentions.
"Only when I have to disinfect my wand, and for vitals, I don't have to stick my wand anywhere, just wave it around a bit," Heath answers once he's finished, pocketing his wand again. His eyes scan across his clipboard where the results appear. "Your temperature is a little high. It's at 37.4 Celsius currently. Keep the fan on. I'm going to send Simon in with some pain relief potion, and I'll check on you in half an hour. If there are any changes to your contractions or in how you're feeling, press the green button. You might also find it helpful to take a nap." He suggests. "As of now, we don't know how long your labour is going to last, and the longer it goes on, the harder it will be for you to sleep." He adds.
"Thank you, doctor; I'll try to sleep now." She shuffles forward in the armchair and Draco helps her to stand, guiding her to the hospital bed.
"I'll check back on you in half an hour." He repeats, leaving them in peace.
Draco helps his wife climb into bed, making sure she's comfortable on her side with enough pillows and an extra blanket. He repositions the table and fan so she can feel the cold air, then pulls the armchair over so he can sit beside her.
"Does this hospital have a cafeteria?" Sarah asks. "I left the house without breakfast or my morning coffee." She adds.
"Yes, I think it's on the second floor. If you ask at the reception, I'm sure one of the junior healers can point you in the right direction." Draco informs her.
"Okay," She pulls her coat back on. "Hermione, you get some rest, you've got a long day ahead of you," She presses a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
"I will mum, thank you." Hermione smiles, closing her eyes.
Once Sarah has left, Draco shuffles forward in the armchair, leaning his elbows on the edge of the bed.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asks.
"Read to me?" She asks, brow furrowed as she grabs his hand, gasping in pain.
Draco checks the time, still twelve minutes, and squeezes her hand reassuringly until the contractions pass.
"It's a good thing I always carry at least three books on me at any given time." He jokes, accioing a book from his cloak, hanging on the stand.
Hermione smiles, pulling the hospital sheets and blanket over her shoulders in an attempt to get comfortable. As Draco reads passages from a potions book, she lets the words drift over her as she focuses on the sound of his voice. She manages to fall into a relaxed state before the next contraction brings her back to her surroundings. Draco pauses in his reading to offer her his hands, which she gratefully, and only slightly guiltily grips as the pain deepens in her stomach for a few seconds longer.
"Sixty-two seconds." Draco states as the door opens.
"Ms Granger, I have your first pain relief potion here. You'll receive one every hour." Simon tells her as he passes the cup over.
Hermione downs it in one gulp, passing the cup back to Simon who quickly leaves. She reaches for the jug of cold water to pour herself a glass, wanting to wash the taste away. She takes a few sips. Draco dabs at her brow with the cool, damp cloth he had run under the cold water. She tries to relax again, but it's difficult when she knows the contraction will shortly return, and it's only going to get worse. Draco goes back to his book, reading it out loud to her. They both realise they can manage to get through seven pages in the time, now eleven minutes, between each contraction.
As promises, Heath does return to recheck her temperature and her general pregnancy health. Her temperature is stable, and he is pleased with how her labour is moving along.
When an hour later, Draco is still reading between her contractions, Hermione has enough.
"Stop," She mutters, squeezing the hand neither of them had dropped from the previous contraction.
"Are you okay?" He asks, closing the book.
"It's getting on my nerves," She admits. "Sorry," She adds the apology.
"No, need to apologise," He tells her, beginning to massage her hand with both of his in an attempt to calm her down.
It helps that Simon returns with another pain relief potion, which lessens the pulsating pain and her stress.
Hermione sighs, "I'm feeling irritable."
"That's to be expected; you're in an uncomfortable and painful situation. You're bound to be a little annoyed." Draco tells her.
"I need to do something," She says, trying to sit up. "I'm restless; I need to walk around." She adds.
"Let me help you," He stands up from the armchair, helping her to her feet.
"I want to walk down the hallway." She tells Draco, sliding her feet into the pair of slippers they had brought in the suitcase.
"Are you sure? You might get tired." He tries to reason with her but to no avail.
"Bring the wheelchair then," She says, heading towards the door.
Draco collects the wheelchair, pushing it down the corridor beside Hermione as they walk from the top of the ward, where their room is, down to the bottom of the ward, near the family waiting room.
"Where's my mum got to?" She asks, realising she's been gone for over an hour.
"She wanted some breakfast in the cafeteria." Draco reminds her.
"I know, but it's been an hour." She states as they reach the waiting room.
The door opens, and a small witch burst out of the room, almost walking into Hermione.
"Watch where you're walking!" Draco snaps at the woman with a glare.
The woman glances over her shoulder, stopping in her track, mouth agape. "Mr Malfoy, I apologise," She says, her voice almost squeaky.
"Just, be careful," He brushes her off, ensuring Hermione is okay.
"Ms Granger, congratulations," The woman continues to speak to them. "You don't look like you have long left."
Hermione looks at the small woman, not recognising her. She had straight black hair with a fringe, a small frame and was dressed entirely in black robes beneath her black cloak.
"Thank you," Hermione smiles, politely, motioning for Draco to continue their walk.
"Good luck," The woman calls after them before disappearing when the couple reaches the end of the ward and turn around to walk back up the corridor.
"Do you know her?" Hermione asks.
"No, I don't think I do. Although she looked rather distinctive, not easily forgettable if I did know her." Draco says.
They're halfway back along the corridor when the next contraction hits and Draco lowers Hermione down into the wheelchair for the duration before pushing her back to their room. Not long after, Sarah returns, looking cheerful.
"Where have you been, Mum?" Hermione asks from the armchair.
"I didn't want my breakfast to make you nauseous, and then I got chatting to another grandma-to-be, she said her name was Avia, I think. There are some strange names in the magical world. I noticed during your wedding ceremony." Her mum begins to ramble, perching on the bottom of the bed.
Hermione aimlessly listens while playing absentmindedly with Draco's fingers, entwining her own with them, tightening the grasp as she feels the spikes of pain build. Her mum stops in the middle of her sentence to re-dampen the cloth, wiping her forehead.
"They're getting closer, have you told your doctor?" Her mum asks.
"How long?" She asks, trying to catch her breath.
"Ten minutes and lasted sixty seconds," Draco tells her.
Hermione nods, closing her eyes, too weary to speak or be present in the room at that moment. She's barely recovered when the next wave hit her. She's not sure if they're getting worse, or if the repeated pain is lowering her tolerance levels. Either way, she can no longer find the energy to sit up.
"Bed," She mutters.
Draco helps her back into bed, where she lets her body collapse into the mattress. When Simon arrives with her next pain relief potion, she takes it eagerly, awaiting the calm that spreads through her body.
"How are you feeling?" Draco asks, brushing some loose hair out of her sweaty face.
"Fine," She sighs, eyes closed. "Fine," She repeats.
"Okay," Draco smiles, exchanging an amused look with Sarah.
"She seems out of it." Sarah comments.
"Just revelling in the calm," Hermione admits.
At eleven o'clock, Heath returns to their room with three junior healers, all carrying their own clipboards.
"Ms Granger, do you mind if these junior healers stay and take notes while I examine you, it's a part of their training." Heath asks.
"No, that's fine with me." Hermione nods, more present as the pain relief wears off.
"How long is the time between contractions now?" He asks.
Hermione looks up at Draco, who had been timing them with his watch, and was in the right frame of mind to remember numbers.
"It's about six minutes."
"Good, Ms Granger is moving a long quicker than average." He tells the junior healers. "And the length of the contractions?"
"Fifty seconds." Draco answers.
"Okay, I'm going to check the position of your baby to make sure they're in the right position for the delivery," Heath says, gently pressing his hands against Hermione's stomach, nodding as he goes. "Yes, your baby has gotten itself ready. I'll check to see how dilated you are." He stares, pulling the sheets and blankets away. "You're currently at three centimetres, that's good progress." He replaces the covers. "Have you eaten anything, Ms Granger." He asks.
"I've had a slice of toast, and I keep snacking on grapes." She answers.
Heath nods. "Stick to the grapes from now on, and keep drinking your water." He informs her. "I'll keep checking on you every half an hour, but I want you to press the green button on your remote when the contractions are three minutes apart."
Hermione nods in understanding and Heath guides the junior healers out of the room.
"Draco, would you mind calling Chris for me and just letting him know what's going on?" Sarah asks him.
Draco looks down at Hermione who nods, allowing him to leave her for ten minutes or so to call her father.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." He promises her, pressing a kiss to her head before leaving.
He takes the lift down to the ground floor, where the Muggle entrance is located and exits with his phone already calling his father-in-law. He leans against the handrail for the ramp, waiting for Chris to answers.
"Draco! Hello?" Chris finally answers.
"Hi, Sarah wanted me to call you with an update." He explains.
"How is it going?" He asks.
"Our healer said she's progressing quicker than average."
"Does that mean the baby will arrive soon?"
"I don't know, the baby is in the correct position though, and she's three centimetres dilated," Draco repeats what Heath had told them.
Chris clears his throat awkwardly. "Good, sounds good." He mumbles.
There are a few seconds of awkward silence before Draco interrupts. "I should go back inside. I don't want to miss anything."
"Of course, tell Hermione I'm proud of her and good luck," Chris tells him.
"I will thank you." Draco smiles as he hangs up the phone, taking a deep breath of the fresh air before heading back to their room.
Simon is just leaving after another dose of pain relief when Draco reaches the door.
"Mr Malfoy," He nods. "Healer Heath has asked for a slightly lower dose for Ms Granger as her labour furthers." He explains.
"I assume he knows best," Draco says.
"He's one of the best." Simon agrees.
Draco enters the room to find Hermione where he left her, in the bed with the damp cloth on her forehead.
"What did Chris say?" Sarah asks as he takes a seat at the end of the bed.
"He said he's proud of his daughter." He repeats.
Hermione smiles, "I want dad to visit tonight." She states. "When the baby is born."
"If the baby is born tonight," Sarah adds.
"He will be," She mutters.
"He?" Sarah asks, eyes flicking up to Draco, who shakes his head, just as confused.
"I don't know, the baby feels like a boy," Hermione admits, resting her hands on her stomach.
"We don't have many boys in the family, just Craig. And your grandma only had David." Sarah says.
"They're very common on my side," Draco admits. "Almost exclusively so. We can go generation before a girl is born. Although my ancestors tended only to have one child, a male child to inherit the family wealth. It's only when family members were abandoned that they go on to have more children. Even then, my great-uncle had seven sons, and my uncle had two sons but also two daughters." He explains.
"Hyperion has three sons," Hermione corrects.
"Neville's adopted; he's not affected by our genetics." He clarifies.
"Oh, yeah, he is. He has two daughters." She adds.
Draco's about to laugh and comment on how Neville's daughters don't change the ratio of boy to girl being born under the Malfoy name since they don't share any genes with them, but Hermione groans in pain and he instantly forgets his line of thought to comfort her.
Hermione's contractions reach three minutes apart just after noon. All her energy that she conserved within the three minutes went to focusing on holding herself together as the pain increased and lasted for about forty-five seconds. It was less than a minute, and yet they felt longer than the break between them. During the forty-five second, it was as though she couldn't see, hear or do anything but experience the pain. She was depending on Draco now more than ever. If she could think about something other than the contractions and her baby, she would apologise for the pain she was inflicting upon him from her grasp on his hands, arms, legs or whatever was in reach when the pain inevitable came.
Her mum had pressed the green button as soon as Draco had told her that they had reached three minutes. Heath had come rushing in from his office seconds later, disinfecting his hands as he entered. He'd checked her dilatation, announcing she was now at eight centimetres and explained he and a few junior healers would bring in the equipment needed for the delivery part of the labour so they would be prepared for when the baby decided to make an appearance.
Hermione was simultaneously ready and not ready for that to happen. She wanted the labour to be over, equal parts so the pain would be over, and so she could meet her baby, but she knew the pain was only going to get worse before it could end, and for that, she could wait.
Heath kept dipping in and out of their room, checking on timings and her dilation. By one o'clock, she was at ten centimetres, but her contractions had slowed down. In her hazy state of mind, she remembered reading that as she entered the final stage of labour, that would happen, but they would last almost twice as long. And that they did.
While she and Draco practised their breathing techniques, Hermione mused in her head whether she preferred the shorter, more frequent contractions, or the longer, less frequent ones. However, typically, this line of thought was cut off by a contraction. Her deep breathing technique did help the build-up and downside of the contraction, but when in the middle of the experience, they did little to ease the pain.
Just after two o'clock that afternoon, Heath announces their baby is descending through her pelvis and is in the zero station. Both Hermione and Draco knew what this meant. It was time to push.
Draco stood on the left side of his wife, his right hand still clutched in hers, as it had been for at least the past hour, as he muttered words of encouragement into her ear, unsure if she was in any frame of mind to process his words.
Sarah stood to her daughter's right, her hand soothingly running down her braided hair. As much as she loved being able to experience this beautiful moment, the birth of her first grandchild, she hated seeing her daughter in so much pain. She brushed her tears away with her spare hand as the doctor, and the two juniors prepared themselves in clean medical aprons and gloves.
Despite his shift ending at midday, Simon had stayed on, wanting to see this delivery to its end. He would be able to say that he was one of three healers to deliver the first Malfoy baby. The eagerly awaited for birth had been announced in the Daily Prophet that morning. He had no idea how they had known when it had been delivered less than an hour after the Malfoy's had arrived on the ward.
"Okay, Ms Granger," Heath calls her name.
She groans in reply to signify she hears him.
"During your next contraction, if you feel the urge, I want you to push." He informs her.
Hermione nods, her head resting back against the pillow for a much-needed break. When her next contraction arrives two minutes later, she feels the urge to push instantly and does so.
"Well done, great job, relax for me," Heath tells her once the contraction is over.
She gasps, collapsing back into the bed, tears leaking down her face. "Draco," She mutters, unsure why.
"I'm here," He whispers into her ear. "You're are doing really well. I love you so much, Hermione. Remember, deep breaths." He tells her, leading her in their breathing technique until the next contraction has her pushing again.
"We're not quite there," Heath tells her. "I want you to conserve your energy on the next contraction, then on the one afterwards, push as hard as you can." He instructs her.
She and Draco continue their breathing while her mum mops the sweat from her brow and wipes the tears from her cheeks. When the next contraction hits, she hisses in pain but tries her hardest to maintain her breathing.
"Great, perfect, Ms Granger. Remember, on the next one, push as hard as you can." Heath reminds her.
"You can do this," Draco tells her, and she nods. She can do this.
She's ready to push when the next contraction hits and she gives it her all. In either hand, she grips the hand of her loved ones as she pushes with all her might.
"We can see the head," Heath announces.
From her feet, she hears a gasp and mutters from the junior healers, but it doesn't register in her mind until she's gasping for breath afterwards.
"What?" She asks fearfully, sitting up to look at the three healers at the bottom of her bed.
"Your baby has quite a lot of hair." Simon states.
Draco starts to move to have a look, but Hermione squeezes his hand tighter.
"Don't leave me," She begs him.
"It's okay; I'm right here." He resumes his position.
"Ms Granger, one more push, alright?" He tells her.
"One more push," She repeats nodding.
When the time comes, two minutes later, for her to push, Hermione pushes as hard as her body will allow her, and it must be enough as she hears the wails of her baby, her mother's sobs at the sight of her grandchild, and feels Draco press multiple kisses to her forehead between whispers of "Well done," and "I'm so proud of you,".
Hermione's whole body feels heavy as she collapses back onto the bed. "My baby?" She begs, struggling to raise her arms, reaching for her child.
"Congratulations," Heath states. "You have a son." He adds.
"Draco?" She begins to cry. "Our son." She mutters.
"He's beautiful, Hermione." He kisses her forehead once more.
"Where?" She asks.
"They're just cleaning him up and weighting him." He tells her.
"Oh, Hermione," Her mum continues to sob. "A grandson, you said you knew it would be a boy. I'm a grandma. He's gorgeous, Hermione." She says incoherently.
"Your baby weighs six pounds fifteen ounces," Simon states. "A healthy weight." He adds.
"Here's your son," Heath announces as he walks to her side, a bundle of blankets in his arms.
Hermione holds her arms open for her son and their doctor places him upon her chest. She carefully and gently places her hands at his back and bottom to keep him safe, and his crying culminates into a whine. Draco pulls the blanket back from their son's face to reveal a mane of dark, wavy hair.
"He hasn't got my hair," Draco states, sounding disappointed.
"We've cleaned him as best we can, but there's still fluid, mucus, blood and such present. Once he's had his first bath, and his hair dries, you might find it lightens." Simon explains.
"He's got your curls, Hermione." Her mum says, still sobbing.
Hermione stares at her son, tears of joy, filling her eyes before falling down her cheeks.
"He's got your face though, Draco." She says, breaking her eyes away from her son to look up at her husband, who's in the same state of emotion as her.
His smile beams across his face as he leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips and a soft peck to the top of his son's head.
Their son's eyes open for the first time, and they are presented with his light brown irises.
"Hello," Hermione speaks to her son. "I'm your mummy." She introduces herself. "And this is your daddy." She adds.
"Hello," Draco grins, leaning forward to be in his son's eye line.
"And this is your grandma," She finishes, as Sarah walks around the bed to see her grandson's face.
"Hi, my sunshine." She gushes, tears still streaming down her face as she attempts to wipe them away with a tissue. "What is his name?" She asks, taking her eyes away from him for a moment to look at her daughter.
Hermione looks up at Draco questioningly. They'd had both a boy's name and a girl's name picked, ready for when they would finally get to meet their child, and looking at their son, she knew the name would fit him, and Draco's nod confirms her though.
"His name is Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."
Kind of a Question:
Over the past couple of years, I've had people asking me for my 'fancasts' for characters as a way to know what my original characters look like. I did try but it took me ages to find one fancast for Uncle David. Anyway, I recently updated my Sims 4 and I thought I would build my OC's (and also canon characters) in there and post the pictures on my Instagram.
Are there any character, in particular, you would want to see a Sims rendition of?
You should follow me on Instagram (delilah . wise) to find out when the next chapter will be uploaded.
Thank you so much for reading.
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