Ch 64 A Time to be Born, a Time to Die 2027
Sunday, Feb twenty-first, twenty-twenty-seven, and Erica's was still carrying the baby high. She didn't have the awkward walk, almost wobble, you had when the baby dropped. Ginny asked her, "Aren't you due tomorrow?"
Erica frowned and felt down her baby bump. "This baby is in no hurry to be born. I wouldn't mind so much except that Quidditch season starts Saturday March sixth, and I sure hope she is born well before then."
"What are you going to do if she isn't?" Ginny wondered, showed concern and sympathy.
"The midwitch really doesn't want to induce labor until she is well over a week overdue," Erica replied. "They have good spells to tell if the baby is healthy, and if she is there is really no reason to rush her along." Erica felt her back. "It is just that the bigger they get the more you are willing to do almost anything to get the baby out. The middle months can actually be enjoyable, but when you feel like you have a Bludger out front is more and more uncomfortable."
Ginny could agree with that. The bigger the baby the more uncomfortable one became, and by the time the baby was due you would do just about anything to get it out.
Harry and the children were just back from church Saturday February twenty-seventh when Ginny received a call on her mobile from Lily.
"Hello, mum. Erica is in labor, and I have James. I will probably be bringing him to grandmum's tomorrow. Erica's mum is going to meet her at St. Mungo's."
"I will wait until I hear from someone," Ginny told Lily. "Donna will probably tell me when the baby is born."
"Mum Lionheart is a real expert, with Tabitha's three, my two and now Erica's two," Lily told her mother. "I guess Harry Lionheart has a very serious girlfriend, but I don't know much about her. All I know is that Harry isn't much for Quidditch, despite his parents and siblings."
"Thank you, Lily," Ginny told her daughter. After hanging up, Ginny told Harry, "Erica is at St. Mungo's, and Lily has James. Donna is with Erica, so we will probably hear from Donna sometime in the next few hours."
Sunday morning, just before the Potters left for the New Burrow, Ginny received a call on her mobile from Donna Lionheart.
"Do we have a baby yet?" Ginny asked, beginning to become concerned.
"Apparently we have a baby with a big head," Donna replied. "They are going to do an expanded delivery, but they are planning it and taking their time. I'm told it is not going to be more painful than most Muggle deliveries, but we have potions and spells to keep our deliveries from being so painful, so I think Erica is in for a bit of a rough time."
"I will let everybody know," Ginny told Donna. "You better get back to Erica and Viktor."
"Viktor needs a bit of reassurance that us witches do recover from delivering babies, and although having a baby can be painful it is all worth it."
"My first was by far the worst," Ginny reflected. "I will wait for your call."
"What was your easiest delivery, Ginny?" Donna wondered.
"Lily, but she's made up for being an easy delivery a hundred times over," Ginny laughed. "Take care of your daughter!"
Ginny told her family, "They are doing some wand work to help get this baby out, what they call an expanded delivery. I guess it is more painful than a normal delivery, but it will keep mother and baby healthy."
When they arrived at the New Burrow Lily and Billy were there with Will, Eileen, and James. Lily was carrying Eileen, and Billy seemed to have corralled Will and James, who were eyeing each other, looking for all the world like they were ready to get into trouble together."
"Have you heard anything?" Lily wondered.
"I guess Diane is a big baby, and they are doing an expanded delivery, helping the birth canal expand so the baby can get out," Ginny explained.
Hermione heard the conversation and had a horrified look on her face.
Ginny tried to reassure Hermione, "This is not an emergency expanded delivery, just a normal one. I'm told it is only going to be as painful as most Muggle deliveries, not like the agony you had to go through when you had Hugo."
Hugo was close enough to hear the exchange, and asked, "Was it that hard on you when I was born, mum?"
Hermione sat down, looked at Hugo, and admitted, "It was the most painful thing I ever went through, and it took a few days to recover. Witches do recover from that type of trauma, but it was … it was … it was not easy."
"I'm sorry," Hugo told his mother.
"It is not your fault, Hugo," Hermione responded, going over and giving her son a hug. "You were worth it. Still are."
It was the middle of the afternoon before Ginny received a call from Donna Lionheart.
"Diane is out, and mum and baby are healthy," Donna told Ginny.
"Tough delivery?" Ginny wondered.
"The hardest and most painful I've ever witnessed, or had, but Erica will recover. Dad's a little shaken over what Erica went through, but she is trying to let Viktor know that was all worth it."
"I expect that you are going to want Lily to keep James another night," Ginny wanted to confirm.
"Witches heal reasonably fast from this type of procedure, quicker that when a Muggle baby is cut out of the mother, but they do want to keep them overnight. We are all exhausted. They are bringing in a bed so Viktor can sleep in the room with Erica, and I'm going home to get some sleep. Please don't come over here right now and bother them."
"I will let everybody here know," Ginny told Donna. Ginny proceeded to tell everyone at Molly's, then called Albus to let him know.
Lily called the people at the Cannons who would want to know.
Monday afternoon Erica Potter Krum and Diane Potter were released from St. Mungo's, and life went on.
Tuesday March second Scorpius received an owl from Alice Longbottom, asking to come over to talk to him. Scorpius sent a message back by the same owl letting her know that he was available.
Scorpius went to Rose's office, where she was teaching and playing with Elanor and Carpenter. "Alice Longbottom is coming over," Scorpius told his wife. "She wants to talk to me."
"I wonder if it has to do with your mother?" Rose asked. "She has been renting a room there for quite a while now."
"There is no use guessing," Scorpius countered. "I have a couple of things I have to do, but I will tell the farm I was going to visit that I will be late."
"I will answer the door," Rose let Scorpius know.
A short time later Alice appeared at the front door of Malfoy Manor. Rose, her two children in tow, answered the door. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor," Rose said.
"Thank you," Alice replied. "I've come to see Scorpius, although you might as well hear the news as well."
"He is freeing up his schedule," Rose let Alice know.
Rose walked into Scorpius's office just in time to hear Scorpius say to his head farm Elf, "Thank you for taking care of this for me, Gabriel Isaac."
"That's my job, Scorpius," the Elf replied. He nodded to the ladies and left through a Floo connection in an adjoining room.
"Sit down, please," Scorpius told Alice and Rose. Scorpius arose and picked up little Carpenter, putting the toddler in his lap as he sat down. Elanor sat primly next to her mother, trying to look very grown-up.
"Your mother has rented a room from us, a room with a kitchenette but still just a room, for a couple of years," Alice started. "She became more and more of a recluse, and eventually I just sent the Goblins a bill for her every month, and they paid it. The Goblins told me she had a regular income that would more than cover her bills."
"I transferred some gold into her account every month," Scorpius confirmed.
"Once a week one of the housekeeping Elves would clean her room," Alice went on. "This morning the Elf who went into her room found her dead."
"Starve herself?" Rose wondered.
"That would be my guess," Alice replied. "There is no indication of foul play. We have good spells on all of the rooms that would have told us if there was an intruder, or any nefarious magic, and Muggle cameras recording each hallway and stairway.
"This is not the first death in our rooms, although it is the first since mum put me in charge of The Leaky Cauldron. Mum said since the death seems to be natural, we don't need to get the Aurors or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement involved, and she doesn't need an autopsy.
"I just need someone to claim her body."
"We still need to contact the Ministry to get a death certificate," Scorpius replied. "Grandmother dealt with my father and grandfather's deaths. Maybe she knows who to contact." Scorpius reached for a Muggle telephone on his desk, and called his mother, it being easier than sending a Patronus.
"Hello, Scorpius. You wanted me?" Narcissa answered from her office in the lower level of Malfoy Manor.
"I have a question, and it may be easier if you are up here with our visitor, mum," Scorpius replied.
A short time later Narcissa came into the office of her son and wondered at seeing Alice Longbottom sitting there. Narcissa sat in another chair, and Scorpius told his mother, "You know Alice Longbottom, from the Leaky.
"My mother died in her room at The Leaky Cauldron, apparently of natural causes. One of the housekeeping Elves found her. We need to know what to do with the body, and what else we need to do. You handled the funeral for grandfather and father, and so I thought you would know."
"Magi uses plain wooden coffins, and the ministry Department of Records sells them," Minerva replied. "It is different from what happened with your father and grandfather, as I understand it. Someone will come over to see you, Alice, and they will probably want to talk to the Elf who found her as well. Then they will take the body over here, and we will bury her next to Draco.
"Scorpius, you should tell her parents, and her brother and sister. Rose, tell your family. I can get in touch with the Ministry. I had to do it with my mother-in-law, so I know what to do," Narcissa suggested.
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Alice told Narcissa.
Rose let Alice out, and everyone who needed to know was notified.
The next morning Astoria's parents, her siblings and their families gathered at Malfoy Manor. The only other people there were the people who lived in Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy, Arthur Baker, Rose and Scorpius and their two children, plus Druella Rosier Black.
With little ceremony Astoria was buried next to Draco.
The extended family visited, and Rose hosted a buffet lunch for everybody. It was sad, and awkward, but at least Astoria's extended family did spend quality time together.
At dinner that night Arthur Baker mused, "I have not heard anything from or about Phyllis since before Christmas. I am going to ask Audrey after dinner."
"You still send her money every month?" Rose wanted to know.
"I have delegated the job to one of the Elves, who drops an envelope with money through the mail slot in the front door every other month," Arthur explained. "I still have a key and should be able to get through any spells protecting the house."
"Hello, Audrey. When was the last time you saw your mother?"
"She was outside sometime this Autumn, but I have not seen her since."
"How does she get food and supplies? Has anyone else seen her?"
"I think she has food delivered. I will ask tomorrow when I go to the grocery store. I will make a visit there tomorrow."
Late Thursday morning Arthur Baker received a call from Audrey. "Hello, father. I just spoke to the grocery store. The last time they delivered groceries to mum was in October of last year, and that wasn't much. They haven't seen her for over a year. The store said she would send an owl with an order and put money on the back steps."
"I had better go over there and check, then," Arthur told his daughter. "Do you want to come with me?"
"I think I ought to," Audrey replied. "Meet me right after lunch. I can arrange to have other people take over my teaching this afternoon. One-thirty, meet at our house and walk over?"
"I will see you at one-thirty," Arthur replied.
Arthur told the Malfoy family what he was going to do, and at one-thirty he Apparated to the front door of his daughter's house. Together the two of them went over to the front door of the house Phyllis lived in, and tried to get in, without success. They tried the back door, with no greater success.
"I have a broom," Audrey told her father. "I will fly up and try to look into the windows." Audrey went home and came back flying on an old broom. She tried to look into each window, but told her father, "There are curtains drawn over all the windows, and they are shut in such a way that I cannot see in."
"I think we are going to have to get curse breakers, or the Ministry, to get into the house," Arthur suggested.
"The Ministry is probably better, so no one will think we are trying to break in," Audrey responded. "I will call Harry."
Harry came over with another Auror and two more DMLE officers. "I'm going to make a map of the house," he said. "It is easier and more certain if four of us make the map."
Harry made the map and looked at it. "I do not see any one in the house," he said. "If a person is dead it should show up on the map, but I have no idea how long it takes before that magic doesn't work. Albus said something about the red name being written in the dead person's blood."
One of the DMLE officers was good at curse breaking, and she went over the house carefully, trying to remove all the curses and spells protecting the house. It took a good hour, but finally she said, "You should be able to go into the house now."
Arthur tried to open the front door, but there seemed to be something blocking it from opening. He went to the back door and went inside. The house smelled dead, not of death, just unoccupied and dusty. He went to the front, and found letters and gold, everything that had been deposited in the letter slot for the last six months, piled in front of the door.
Arthur opened the door to the downstairs bedroom and looked around. "It doesn't look like anything has been moved since I moved out," he announced. "Phyllis and Audrey slept here until she went to Hogwarts. Then McGonagall and the matrons told Audrey that she was too old to sleep with her mother. Phyllis moved upstairs into the one bedroom, and had Audrey move into the other one, and banished me to this one, telling me I wasn't welcome to go upstairs."
"I think you are going to have to go upstairs now, Mr. Baker," the witch who was the curse breaker said. "Do you want me to go first?"
"Please," Arthur replied.
The witch went upstairs, wand drawn, and everyone could hear her proclaiming some spells. She eventually told the rest, "All the protective spells are down. You can come up."
"She did a spell to kill anything in the house that was living, and keep any living thing out," the witch said. "Then there is a spell you can use so your body just dries out, doesn't allow the normal process to cause the body to decay but just lets the body dry out. None of the normal living things that cause a body to decay are allowed to be in the house."
The body of Phyllis Baker, to be more accurate, Phyllis Butcher, since she had been given a certificate of annulment, Phyllis was long dead, her body dried out and shriveled.
"We really ought to have a wand expert examine her wand, and the healers examine her body," the curse breaking witch told the group.
Harry told the witch, "Please take care of it." He turned to Arthur Baker. "What do you want to do with the body?"
"Cremate her and?" Arthur wondered. "Her parents are still alive, but she didn't get along with them. Her father was an abuser, and Phyllis blamed her mother, I think, for not protecting her."
"I feel sorry for Grandmother Butcher, but there isn't anything I can do about it," Audrey added. "I've tried to talk to her, but she wants to stay with my grandfather." She looked at her mother, her body shriveled up in the bed. "Let us go over to my house. I want to get out of here."
Everyone but the curse breaking witch left for Audrey's house. They entered the kitchen, and Audrey put on a pot of coffee and summoned some biscuits.
"You are her heir," Arthur told his daughter. "I have plenty of gold in my vault, and not many expenses, since I am living at Malfoy Manor. The house was owned by the two of us, but everything in it, plus the gold, is yours."
"What should we do with the house?" Audrey wondered.
"I would have the curse breakers go over the house one more time, and then decide," Harry responded. "It is not the fault of the house for what went on inside."
"We will probably sell it, then," Audrey responded. She looked at her mobile. "I had better let Percy know what is going on." Audrey called her husband, and he came home.
After some discussion it was decided that Phyllis's cremated remains were going to be put in a niche in the Columbarium at St. Mungo's and Merlin's.
Audrey didn't want any kind of a big funeral. Her mother had been a recluse, with few friends. In the end only Arthur, Narcissa, Audrey and Percy were there when they put Phyllis's ashes in one of the highest niches in the Columbarium, without any ceremony of any type.
It was sad.
2023