Unforgettable Season- Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Following being discharged from the hospital, Draco managed to weasel his way into getting two weeks off work, as long as he was still able to attend meetings with The Revival. He spent this time with Hermione, making sure she was safe and comfortable in her incredibly pregnant state.

It was during one of these days, as they sat in the living room, each absorbed in a different book, that Hermione brought up a topic which probably should have been mentioned earlier in the pregnancy.

“Draco, what names were you thinking of for the baby?” she asked suddenly, reminded as the baby kicked, disturbing her reading.

“Hm?” he remarked, finishing a page before looking up at her. “What was that, love?”

“Names, Draco!” she cried. “For the baby, of course!” she added at his blank look.

“Oh, right. What names do you like?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. For a girl was thinking maybe Amie. It’s quite pretty, I think. Or Danielle,” she offered, and Draco mulled over the two names for a moment.

“They’re nice. I quite like Charlotte for a girl, as well. What about, if it is a boy, which it isn’t, Scorpius?” he suggested, and Hermione nodded.

“I like both of those names. Scorpius Malfoy. I don’t think any other name would fit as well,” she laughed, and he grinned.

“Come over here,” he said quietly, and she looked up at him, confused. All the same, she placed her book down and joined him on the sofa. He carefully wrapped and arm around her, pulling her down with him until they were lying down facing each other. “There seems to be something between us,” he remarked, and she giggled, placing her hand on her stomach.

“I know, it’s a little bit odd.”

“Just think, in about one week’s time, there’s going to be a little baby in the house,” Draco murmured, planting feather-light kisses on her face.

“That is just too strange to believe,” she conceded, and the baby kicked, surprising Draco who had his hand against her stomach.

“I love you,” he whispered, finally pressing his lips against hers, and she eagerly returned the kiss.

“I like Charlotte for a girl,” she whispered when they broke apart, grinning as Draco’s face broke out into a wide smile.

***

“Draco! Draco!” Hermione was crying out as she stood in the kitchen, hands firmly grasping her stomach as Draco ran into the room, wand withdrawn and face fearful.

“Hermione, what’s happening?” he asked anxiously, stowing his wand away as he noticed she was in no immediate danger.

“I think my water just broke,” she cried, clutching her stomach again as Draco’s face paled of what little colour it had and he took a step back. “Don’t you dare walk away from me right now, Draco Abraxas Malfoy!”

“What am I meant to do?” he asked, stumbling back even further.

“Get my fucking bag and get me to the hospital!” Hermione shrieked, and Draco complied instantly, eager to be out of the room. When he returned, Hermione was leaning against the counter, taking deep, even breaths. “I don’t think I can apparate myself. I need to go side-along,” she instructed, and Draco took her hand and she followed him from the house, outside the anti-apparition wards before disappearing with a loud crack, reappearing just near St. Mungo’s.

“Come on, love, let’s go,” Draco coaxed her along, glad that she seemed to have calmed down. They pushed through the doors of the hospital, and immediately were swarmed upon my different Healers and Medi-Witches, eager to help the high-profile couple. Draco followed behind as Hermione was placed in a wheelchair and moved towards the patient elevators, and the group consisting of three Healers, one Healer-in-training, Hermione and Draco emerged on the fourth floor, where Hermione was then rushed to a private room.

“Draco, go tell Harry and Ginny, George and Angelina and, oh, well, I suppose Ron that the baby’s coming,” Hermione ordered, squeezing Draco’s hand tightly as another contraction sent pain through her. A Healer pushed Draco out of the way, hurrying forward with a flask of what Draco imagined to be a potion for pain-relief. Hermione swallowed the liquid eagerly, then ushered Draco from the room to go and inform their friends.

Hurrying towards an apparition safe-zone within the hospital, Draco popped first to Harry and Ginny’s inadvertently landing in the middle of their living room where Ginny was entertaining James and Harry was reading.

“Draco?” Ginny gasped at his sudden arrival as James began to cry at the loud noise. “What is so urgent that you had to apparate directly into our house?”

“Hermione’s gone into labour!” Draco exclaimed, and Ginny shrieked quite loudly, startling James again. “She wants you to be there, so I suggest you hurry. Can you tell Ron, as well? I need to go and see George.”

After Harry and Ginny agreed to go and make Ron aware of the situation, Draco apparated to The Leaky Cauldron, where he hastily made his way through the brick barrier to Diagon Alley until he found George’s shop. As usual, the brightly coloured joke-shop was swarming with people, and Draco had to fight against a flow of teenagers as he searched for George who, upon seeing his friend, came over and shook Draco’s hand.

“Draco! What can I do for you today?” George beamed at Draco’s arrival.

“What you can do is get Fred and Angelina and come to St. Mungo’s. Hermione’s gone into labour, and she wants you two there, so I suggest you get a move on.” Draco watched as George’s face lit up before excusing himself and apparating back to St. Mungo’s and rushing towards Hermione’s room.

“Draco,” she said placidly as he entered, and he realized she must have taken several potions to make to process easier. “Are they coming? The Healers said that the baby is almost here.”

“I’ve gone and told them all, and they’ll be here soon,” he said, kissing the top of Hermione’s head which was clammy. “How long?” he addressed the head Healer.

“Not long at all, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps two minutes and then we shall start the birthing process,” the main Healer said in a squeaky voice before he continued rushing around making sure that everything was going alright. He offered one more potion to Hermione who swallowed it quickly, wincing at the burning sensation it caused as it went down her throat, and then she gasped loudly. “Excellent, everything is going well. Mr. Malfoy, could you please help your wife sit up, and then we need to begin,” the little man ordered, and Draco obliged quickly.

“Hermione, love, come on. You need to sit up for me, okay?” he murmured right beside her ear, and she nodded, grasping his hand firmly as he helped her into the sitting position as instructed by the doctor.

“Excellent, Mrs. Malfoy. Now, I need you to push for me,” the Healer said, and Hermione pushed, her face clenched into one of determination. This was repeated four more times, at which point Hermione fell back onto the pillows, shaking her head.

“I can’t, I can’t,” she mumbled, eyes closing.

“Come on, sweetheart. You’re almost there. Just one more push, and then we’ll have a little baby,” Draco said quietly, taking her hand and planting a kiss. Hermione turned her head to look at him, eyes half-closed, but nodded. “Alright, love. Push.”

Hermione followed Draco’s instructions, and then:

“Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the Healer said as a baby’s cry rang out in the room, and Hermione collapsed back onto the pillows, sweaty and tired but still beaming.

“You did it, love,” Draco murmured, kissing Hermione’s head once more causing her to smile up at him wearily. The Healer handed Draco his daughter, who was now wrapped in a soft pink blanket.

“What name would you like to be put down on the certificate?” a Medi-Witch asked, bustling over with a quill and piece of parchment.

“Charlotte Narcissa Malfoy,” Hermione said, eyes now on her daughter. The Medi-Witch nodded once and scribbled the name down before hurrying from the room. Draco cradled the baby cautiously, his eyes raking over and absorbing every aspect and detail of her. “Let me see her,” Hermione murmured, sitting up straight. A Healer had delivered a potion to give her strength back, and she was now alert.

Draco carefully handed the tiny bundle over to Hermione, whose face immediately softened as she looked at her daughter for the first time. Charlotte looked up through half-closed silver eyes which so mirrored Draco’s, a tiny crop of white-blonde hair atop her head. It seemed that the child was a female mirror of Draco when he was a baby.

“She’s going to be beautiful,” Draco whispered, sitting on the bed beside Hermione who merely nodded at his words but remained silent. Concerned with how she was acting, Draco put his finger under her chin, tiling her head to look at him. “What’s wrong, love?” he questioned, shocked to see her eyes glazed over with tears.

“I just can’t believe this. It’s all so surreal. I never thought I’d be married with a child before I was twenty-five,” she said, letting out a watery laugh as the door to the private room opened, revealing Harry and Ginny standing there, the ninth month old James sitting in Harry’s arms.

“Hermione!” Ginny cried out happily, rushing over to her friend.

“Congratulations, mate,” Harry grinned, shaking Draco’s hand. “A girl, I take it?” he asked, nodding towards the pink bundle which Ginny was now cooing over.

“Yep. Meet Charlotte Narcissa,” Draco introduced the adults, and Ginny smiled.

“That’s a beautiful name,” the red-head beamed, kissing Hermione’s cheek before moving away and taking James from Harry, allowing the latter to get a closer look at Charlotte.

“Wow, she looks exactly like Draco,” he remarked as Charlotte looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Let’s hope she gets her mother’s brains then,” Draco laughed, and the others joined in.

After a few more moments of gushing over the newborn, Harry and Ginny left to make from for George and Angelina, who were waiting patiently outside, not wanting to overcrowd the room. Angelina immediately made a beeline for Hermione, who was still holding Charlotte, whereas George headed to Draco’s side. The two watched in silence for a few moments as the women chatted happily about the baby.

“You’re going to be beating the guys off with sticks when that one grows up,” George remarked, eyeing Charlotte over his wife’s shoulder.

“Oh, I’m not letting any boys near her until she’s about twenty,” Draco smirked, and George chuckled.

“Good plan. But really, congratulations, man,” George grinned, punching Draco’s arm playfully.

“Thanks a lot. Hey, any tips on how to not go insane?” he asked, and George shook his head laughing. After a few more minutes the couple left, and Hermione and Draco were left alone with their daughter once more.

***