A big massive thank you to everyone who was read and reviewed this story! Nothing spurs me on more than lots of positive feedback!
Now this chapter is actually *sob* the last chapter. There wasn't many more memories that I could think of that hadn't been covered already and I couldn't write much more fluff cause I would've had to have done to the dentist lol. So this is what I came up with and I hope you enjoy it :D
Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the blank, empty space next to her where her husband slept. It jolted her for a moment as she tried to remember the last time that she woke up alone. It had been a while, that was for sure. As her pregnancy progressed Harry became more fretful than what she was and had insisted on being present almost 24 hours a day.
It had taken a lot of convincing, but Hermione had managed to get him to go to the big Auror meeting that morning. He wasn't going to go, as her due date was only 2 days away, but she convinced him she'd be fine.
Getting out of bed was a bit of a stuggle these days- she swore it was twins and the second baby was hiding so it wouldn't be visible on an ultrasound. She had insisted on an entirely muggle pregnancy- she didn't really trust wizard's when it came to childbirth, especially after Mrs Weasley's horror stories. She had even restrained from doing too much magic as it might harm the baby (it wasn't exactly something she could ask her GP about either).
She managed to struggle out of bed and up the hallway to the bathroom where she pulled off her tent size nightgown and climbed into the shower. She loved standing in the shower, marveling at her massive belly, knowing that at any moment her son or daughter would tell her they wanted to come out.
Turning the shower off, she stepped out carefully and as she twisted her body to get her towel, a twinge of pain ran up her side.
'Shouldn't have twisted like that,' she said to herself as she dried as best as she could.
Dressing herself in her nightgown again (she couldn't be bothered going to clothes when she wasn't going anywhere) she headed downstairs in the loungeroom and sat at her desk and scribbled a quick note.
Mum- feeling lonely, Harry at work, want to come over?
She attached the note to Hedwig's leg and opened up the window. She watched the owl fly away. It would take her mother about forty minutes to get to her, so she setteled herself onto the lounge with a book.
And that was when she felt the second twinge.
'Stop kicking mummy,' she cooed to her stomach, rubbing her hand over it. She could feel different body parts and it just excited her. It was so close.
By the time the doorbell rang to alert her to her mother's arrival, the twinge of pain had come back four separate times. It came again as she opened the door.
'Hi,' she panted to her mother, clutching her side.
'Are you alright?' Mrs Granger asked. She had been so worried about her daughter through the pregnancy- at least she was having an easy time of it.
'Fine. Just getting these weird twinges,' Hermione told her. Mrs Granger laughed and hugged her daughter.
'Sweetheart, I think you're in labour.'
'What- no! I can't be- I'm not due for two days! And Harry- Harry's at work- he'll never forgive me!'
'Hermione, if this baby is anything like you were, you'll be in labour for twelve hours before anything happens. We have time.'
But in Hermione's experience whenever you think you have time, you never did. And she was right again. Whilst her mother was making lunch, her waters broke.
'What number do I call Harry on?' she asked as she quickly mopped up whilst Hermione grabbed her bags.
'You… can't…' she gasped as a contraction ripped through. 'Just… leave… a note…'
~*~
Harry arrived home just as the sun was setting and was quiet as he walked in. The house was dark which meant Hermione was asleep, as she was most of the time.
But when he entered the bedroom it was empty and he began to worry. He ran back downstairs and flipped the lounge room light on. And spotted the note on the coffee table.
Harry- Hermione's in labour. I've taken her to the clinic. Please hurry!
He recognized the writing as his mother-in-laws and almost passed out on the spot. The baby…. The baby was coming!
He knew he was too emotional to Apparate so he grabbed the car keys from the hook inside the door and raced outside. He speed through the streets like nothing else, not caring if he got booked. For all he knew, Hermione could have had the baby by now.
The parking job he did in the carpark was hopeless (he took up three spots) but he didn't care. He ran up to the entrance, burst through the doors and up to the reception desk.
'My wife… having baby… Potter…' he gasped, clutching chest. The receptionist just smiled at him- she saw a lot of husbands like him.
'Potter… room 815.'
'Am I… too late?'
'I think you're just in time,' she said, smiling at him. 'It's on the second floor, elevators are just behind you.'
'C'mon,' Harry muttered, jabbing the summon button for the elevator. It seemed to take forever for the doors to open, but thankfully once he was inside they shut quickly and then before he had time to think, had opened on the second floor. He raced up the corridor, dodging other people and waiting chairs.
He stopped for a moment outside the door to room 815, realizing what was about to happen. When he came out that door, he was going to be a father.
~*~
Harry and Hermione take great pride in announcing that their healthy, baby girl was delivered last night at 11:17pm. Mother and daughter are doing great. No name has been decided yet.
You are all welcome to come and visit the baby at home, this coming Saturday.
Harry duplicated the note seven times and addressed them to his and Hermione's closest friends. He had a separate note written out to send the the Daily Prophet for a small announcement.
Sitting back in his chair he let his mind wander back over the miracle that had happened the night before. Hermione had been screaming her head off, but Harry just watched in amazement as the baby crowned and then made her appearance.
He had a daughter. A beautiful, healthy, daughter.
He had felt different as he arrived home at 3am. The clinic had kicked him out so that Hermione could get some rest, but it was only two hours until he could go back. He hadn't slept a wink- he'd been developing photos first and the had pulled his memory album out and put the photo of himself, Hermione and their daughter in and then wrote the date. He certainly would never need a reminder for this day- he would remember it for the rest of his life.
He dozed off on the lounge for a short period and when he awoke he ran around and grabbed the stuff Hermione had asked him to grab, including a specific shoebox which he was under strict orders not to open. He wondered what she was hiding in there. Not that he wasn't hiding things- he had placed an owl-order last night for two bracelets that would be engraved with his daughters name (once they decided on one) and date of birth. One for Harry, one for Hermione.
~*~
They decided on the name shortly after Harry had arrived for the day. Hermione hadn't slept, she'd stayed up thinking about names. Their daughter needed a name.
'Emma Lillian Potter,' she whispered to the baby as she kissed the swirl of chocolate brown hair on the tiny head. She still couldn't believe this little baby was hers.
Harry had gone to the cafeteria to get something for himself for lunch, and Hermione was meant to be having her rest period. But she couldn't rest. She placed Emma in her crib and crept across the room to where Harry had dumped all the stuff he had bought from home that morning.
Picking up the shoebox, she placed the small tag that they had given her that morning inside. It listed all Emma's details from her birth, as well as her first photograph.
The first memento of a whole new life.