Chapter 57: A Happy Birth

The group then calmly returned to the lake they had come from. Hermione managed to concentrate enough to reopen the portal. No one in the group felt reassured. After all, there was no reason to believe that Sirius and Henry would be able to leave the Underworld. They were dead, that was something no one could ignore. However, despite a small jolt as they passed through the portal, both men were fine for the rest of the trip.

Each hand held another. Ruby and Remus, Sirius and Belle, Emma and Hook, Robin and Regina and of course Henry and Hermione. At last, they could return to the city, relieved to have found everyone they cared about. They arrived in front of Granny's and were greeted by a standing ovation from everyone. Snow and David take their grandson in their arms. It was time to rest, especially for Regina who had been working harder than usual.

The days turned into weeks and the town became a little quieter. Everyone could almost forget that they had almost lost Henry and Sirius. Taking advantage of the lull, Hermione went for a walk in the forest with Henry. They landed near the Troll Bridge.

- I should go back to England and make the Death Eaters pay for daring to attack us in Storybrooke, she growled.

- And besides revenge, what would that get you, huh?

Henry had a point. Yet Hermione couldn't shake the sense of loss she felt when Henry and Sirius died.

- At some point, you know as well as I do, there's going to be a real battle of sides. I'll have to fight and maybe even kill my enemies.

They walked slowly towards the city as they continued to talk. Henry knew how stubborn Hermione could be, she had a lot to live up to after all. It was difficult to make her understand that there was always an alternative.

- We don't live in a fairy tale, and you know that. And even in our parents' stories there are deaths! It is necessary to know to strike first sometimes. She exclaimed as they arrived in front of Granny's.

- To defend yourself or your friends, family, yes, I agree with you. But not to attack, we are better than that. We're better than them, Mione.

The young witch was about to retort when she saw her father and mother storming out of the restaurant. Regina had her hand on her stomach and didn't look too good.

- Mum! Are you okay? What the hell?

The former queen didn't have time to answer. Everyone could clearly see that her water had just broken. A sign that the baby was on its way. Hermione put one hand on her mother's shoulder and the other on her father's before teleporting all three of them to the hospital.

It was a feeling that Regina had been careful not to forget, the birth of a child. She knew she would be able to hold her daughter in her arms in the end, but it was still painful. Given the resources available in the city hospital, the mayor could clearly forget about any epidural. Strangely enough, she felt happy to be the mother of three children and to have given birth to only one.

Each contraction brought her a little closer to meeting her daughter. Robin was, of course, by her side and could feel his fingers coming off her hand every time Regina was in pain. He knew he had to endure this; it was the least he could do. He suddenly envied his condition as a man. The curses were flying and Regina did her best not to yell at Robin. It was after long hours of work that the little one was finally born. All waited in the entrance of the hospital, at the same time worried and impatient. Robin arrived then in front of them, the baby in his arms.

- It is with great pleasure that I announce the birth of our daughter to Regina and myself. Little Melinda who can't wait to be surrounded by her family.

You could feel the emotion in Robin's voice. He pointed proudly to his daughter before returning to Regina who, though exhausted, had a smile on her face. Henry, Hermione, and Roland had joined the duo that had become a trio a few minutes ago.

- Finally, the whole family is together! Regina said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Hermione lifted Roland up and placed a kiss on his new little sister's forehead. It was only a few days later that the couple announced that Emma would be the godmother and Little John the godfather of their daughter. She had arrived with the new year. The Red and Gold knew that what lay ahead would not be easy, but she would never allow anyone to touch her little sister.

Looking at her bags, she knew that it was time to return to Hogwarts. That meant facing Umbridge again. After what had happened in the Underworld, Hermione was afraid of finding herself in yet another stressful situation.

- Don't worry about it. Everything will be fine, Mione, Sirius said softly.

- I wish I had you and Remus at Hogwarts to look after me. With the dagger even. It would have been perfect, especially to keep the other students safe.

- Don't make yourself look weaker than you are, Hermione, Remus added. You know how to calm down, you just didn't feel like it in the Underworld and that was very understandable.

The young witch nodded. Besides, she didn't want to separate the two new couples that had finally formed in an official way. She couldn't deny the fact that she was more than happy to see Sirius and Remus finally happy. The Gryffindor then entrusted her dagger to Henry this time. Her mother had a lot of other things to think about and she knew Henry wouldn't abuse this power.

She slowly packed her bags and decided to stop by the Order's headquarters before heading to the castle. After all, the sooner she was surrounded by her friends, the better she would feel.