Defining Moments
Ginny recovered quickly, leaving the hospital wing later that night and resumed her normal schedule the following afternoon. She worried that Draco might catch what she had since he was with her the whole time, but he placated her saying he doesn't get sick and if he didn't have it by the time March rolled around, he would be fine.
And indeed as March came in like a lion with more snow and lots of wind, he was still healthy.
It was Ginny's sister-in-law that came to the front of her mind being in the hospital ready to deliver the twin girls any moment. Ron was hoping it would happen on his birthday, March 1st but when that day came and went, with cake and candles, there were no more Weasley's yet to be born on that day.
Since Ron's birthday fell in the middle of the week, Samantha would be arriving on the weekend, during a Quidditch practice so Hermione could sneak her in (after having received Dumbledore's permission) without Ron suspecting.
On Thursday, March 3rd, four weeks and five days before the babies were due, in came Pig, with all the other owls, actually managing to drop a letter in front of Ginny and swooping off without knocking another owl off course.
Ginny tore it open, scattering paper everywhere and read it aloud to her brother, across the table from her that morning at breakfast.
"Katharine is in labor and the babies should arrive sometime this afternoon if all goes well. She's at St. Mungo's and I have already cleared it with Professor McGonagall for you two to floo over whenever you can; JUST DO NOT SKIP YOUR CLASSES!
Love, mum and dad"
Ginny grinned and looked at her brother.
"How can she say to not skip our classes? I'm going now; I want to be there for this!"
"Well, tell me when she has them because this is something I don't want to see. The end result is fine, but I don't need to see Katharine pushing out two babies."
Ron shuddered and grabbed his sister's uneaten toast off the table. Ginny happened to look up at the head table and saw McGonagall looking at her. In silent communication, Ginny held up the letter and with a slight nod of her head to Ginny, she turned back to whatever conversation she was having with Hagrid.
"I'm leaving now. I'll let you know; your classes are done after lunch Ron, why don't you just come then?" Ginny asked and Ron said he would think about it, still squeamish that he might see something he shouldn't.
Ginny stood up and grabbed her bag to return it to her room. Saying goodbye and leaving to a chorus of people wishing her sister-in-law luck she walked quickly out of the room, re-reading the note she just received. Dashing up to her room she dropped off her books, changed out of her school uniform and threw on some jeans and a light purple shirt, some trainers, threw her robes over her shoulder and headed back down to the deserted Common Room, towards the fireplace.
"Draco!" Ginny collided with him as she was running and couldn't stop in time. His hands came to her arms and steadied her. "What are you doing here?"
"I am guessing by the way you are running around that you are about to be an Aunt?" he asked, seeing the excitement shining in her eyes as she shrugged on her robes.
"Yes! and I get to miss class. What are you doing here…don't you have class?" Ginny repeated, feeling him take her hand.
"I do, but I thought you might need someone to help keep the excitement to a bearable level."
Ginny tilted her head to the side. Was he offering to go with her? She just then noticed that he was dressed casually and his robe was draped over his arm.
"You're offering to miss your classes and come with me? We'll probably just end up sitting and staring at a wall."
Draco smiled. "So, we can do things to pass the time," he saw her blush and look down, remembering this past weekend having a grand old time in a deserted classroom.
"It would be great if you came. Ron's afraid he'll see something, even though he won't be in the room, he's still freaked out."
Ginny let go of his hand and closed her robe.
"Are you SURE you want to miss classes for my sister-in- law?"
He leaned over and brushed his lips over hers.
"For YOU," he whispered and Ginny felt a chill go up her spine. "Also, you can finally see what my mysterious appointments are all about."
"Hmmm…really?" Ginny asked interestedly still feeling the tingling on her spine as she headed towards the fireplace to floo to the hospital.
"Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve this time," and with that they left Hogwarts and entered St. Mungo's.
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After finding where the labor and delivery area was they headed down the hall towards Katharine Weasley's room.
"I'll go wait in the waiting room, you take your time," Draco said and before she could protest he vanished around the corner, obviously knowing where he was going.
Ginny carefully pushed open the door and saw her brother sitting in a chair. He looked up and smiled at her, coming over and hugging her tightly.
"How is she?" Ginny asked quietly seeing Katharine sleeping, but her brow seemed to be furrowed with worry.
"Doing well. They finally gave her some medicine for the pain, so she should be able to sleep for a bit," Charlie gestured to the chair next to him. "Did you bring Ron?"
Ginny shook her head and explained Ron's hesitancy in coming. "Draco came with me though if you can believe that. He's in the waiting room," she said in an offhanded tone.
Charlie raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. They sat for a few minutes, listening to the soft thumping of the heart monitor in the corner, hearing the occasional scratch of one of the babies moving. Ginny got up, went over and stood in front of the monitor, seeing trails of paper slowly making their way out of the machine, each with squiggly lines on it that don't seem to fluctuate much. Ginny knew that the steady lines were a good thing, and she glanced at Katharine who was asleep with her dark hair spilling out onto the pillow, her huge stomach under a blanket.
"Do you want me to wait with you, Charlie?" Ginny asked, not sure if she was intruding or not. He shook his head.
"I'm going to try and nap before she wakes up, but I'll have someone come and get you if anything major happens," he smiled at her. "Mum and dad went back to work and will stop by later. But, I'm glad you're here now. It takes a bit of the pressure off of me."
Ginny nodded, feeling secretly pleased that her older brother needed her and wanted her help.
"Gin," he called out to her as her hand was on the door. She turned around and looked at him.
"You said Malfoy is here?"
She nodded.
"Ask him to show you what's down the hall."
"Why?" Ginny asked, feeling suspicion rising in her chest. Charlie just shrugged and gave her a small smile. Tugging open the door, she walked out and quickly found the waiting room where Draco was idly flipping through a Quidditch magazine.
"Show me," Ginny said firmly and he looked at her. He didn't ask what, he wasn't stupid. He knew Charlie would have seen it and said something, maybe not the whole thing but at least brought it to her attention.
He stood up, now in his robe and tossed the magazine onto the table, walked over to her, and in an unfamiliar public display of affection, he grabbed her hand and led her out the door and down the hall. He wordlessly led her through a set of double doors and into a visibly new section of the Baby Wing. The new carpet smell and new paint smell was faint in the air and Ginny could barely hear the sound of a newborn crying. She looked around at the doors to patients rooms…there weren't many people back here; most of the rooms were small yet clean and uninhabited. The ones that were taken had the doors closed with pink or blue ribbons hanging; most of them she noticed had two ribbons, some the same colors, some one of each. She saw one door that had two blue and one pink ribbon.
"Triplets; how hard that will be," Ginny said quietly and let her gaze run over the rest of the wing.
They walked quietly past a healers station and were only glanced upon; Draco took her to the end of the hall where there was a window to a nursery. Ginny could tell right away that this nursery was for the tiny babies, the multiples or the ones born with problems.
There were slatted shades drawn but she could see through a few of them and saw men and women healers milling about, moving things around, waving wands, looking up information in books, seeing all sorts of machines in the corner.
Draco had stopped and was still quiet, not saying anything. She was starting to wonder what this had to do with anything…maybe this is where her future nieces would end up and he wanted to show her this first? She turned towards him and as she did she saw a plaque on the wall next to the nursery window. He saw her look at it and began talking quietly before she could even ask what it said.
"My mother told me one time that after I was born, she wanted to have more children. My father was happy with a son but to stop her from talking incessantly about it, he finally agreed that having two children following in his footsteps would be more profitable than one," he leaned back against the wall.
"Apparently, as I was first told, my mother ran into some health problems and they never did have their second, and it devastated her. My father was very flippant about it which made her even more depressed and angry. After he died last year, she confided in me that she always wanted to help those people that couldn't or needed help having babies and wanted me to see if we could set up an account to build a wing onto St. Mungo's. She and I spent the better part of my holiday meeting with banks, the Ministry and the hospital to set up the contracts, to go over wards and building plans. Once everything was approved, it didn't take long for the wing to be up and running. It just opened last week. It was all under wraps until we were sure that everything would work and all the contractual obligations had been fulfilled."
A moment of dead silence followed his speech as Ginny tried to read the plaque, but between the tears that were in her eyes and the general lightheadedness she was experiencing she couldn't concentrate on anything but the word "Malfoy" in gold lettering, on the back of a black plaque. She turned back and stared at one of the little babies through the slats, trying to envision the Draco she knew last year ever setting foot in a Muggle Bank, ever doing something like this and she know realized he was right; his father would be a highly pissed off wizard to see his money go to something good and to something he thought so insignificant. She was so blown away she couldn't even formulate a response to the information he just told her.
A "Malfoy Wing". In the hospital. It had to do with babies. Malfoy's. Babies. Something she never ever connected.
A question popped into her mind and she asked it, still staring at the tiny sleeping infant just on the other side of the glass.
"Did you meet any patients while you were here?"
"No; I saw them in the halls when I would walk through though," he answered.
"You know my nieces will end up here being more than a month early," Ginny said softly, placing her hand against the glass as if to try and quiet the little baby on the other side who began crying.
"Most likely."
"So, where would they have gone if this wing wasn't here?" Ginny asked as this was her first time ever in this section.
"They would have stayed in the Delivery area, but this area is specialized with healers trained in this type of care. There are Muggle machines as back up if magic doesn't work on an infant in distress, or a mother for that matter," Draco said knowingly, standing next to her now and frustrated not being able to read how she felt about the whole thing.
"Why?" Ginny asked and Draco looked at her questioningly. For the first time since she heard his explanation of his mother's project, she looked up at him. He saw her eyes shining with tears and she asked the question again. "Why did you do this? How could you all of a sudden change from being with a father and not caring about anyone else, to helping your mother build something that will potentially save many children's lives?"
Draco stared at her, knowing the answer, but not really wanting to tell her. He almost got the feeling that she was probing his mind for an answer and he quickly looked away, shutting his mind off from her.
Ginny noticed his sudden mood swing and felt him shut her off, which made her wonder what had happened for him to readily accept his mother's ask for help to make her dream come true.
"Just tell me…please," Ginny said softly, walking away from the window and saw him turn with her.
Slowly they walked back through the hall to the original waiting room which was now empty except for magazines and a snack bar. Draco sat down on a sofa, feeling Ginny sit next to him. He didn't sit back, instead he leaned forward, resting his forearms and elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. Ginny sat quietly, so much wanting to ask him again, but knew he was on the fence about telling her and she had learned patience with him gets more information then trying to get him to tell you something on your time.
A minute turned into two, which turned into five. She stood up realizing she was hungry since she didn't finish breakfast. She went over to the snack bar and grabbed some biscuits and juice; knowing Draco wouldn't want any with whatever inner turmoil was going on.
Casually, she leaned against the counter and nibbled on the biscuit, only moving to the side to let a new father in to grab a snack.
She watched Draco, seeing him rotate his Slytherin ring around his finger as he thought…she began to wonder what she could do to help him, wanting to go over and put an arm around his shoulders.
She couldn't do that though. He would view that as pity or something close to it and wouldn't appreciate it, she knew that much. She wiped her hands on a napkin and went back to her place next to him on the couch. She picked up a "Witches Weekly" and flipped through it, only half reading the articles and flipping through the advertisements. Glancing up at the clock she saw that only an hour had passed since she arrived and already it felt much longer…probably not as long for Charlie though.
"Have you ever been here? as a child I mean?" Draco asked quietly, startling Ginny who quietly answered, "No, I visited Fred and George when they each broke their arms; then when my father was here two years ago."
"It's a very frightening place really, especially when you don't know what is going on. The first time I was here, I was two years old and fell down the stairs, knocked myself out and my mother brought me here to make sure I hadn't cracked my skull. They kept me overnight supposedly, but I don't remember that part."
Ginny breathed very quietly, very shallowly wanting to hear about his childhood he had pretty much avoided during the whole five months they had actually been talking to each other.
"The first time I remember being here I was five; I didn't remember the reason for my visit, I just remember my arm hurting and having to drink that bloody Bone Regeneration Potion and screaming that I didn't want to. My mother sat with me, calmly telling me I didn't have a choice that it wasn't my fault but I had to take it," Draco stayed staring at the floor, eyes burning a hole in the carpet as Ginny looked sideways at him.
"A year later I was back in here, this time after she found me unconscious in the dungeon my father had built below the manor. She said I had gone down there in search of my father, but when I didn't come back up for dinner, she became worried and went searching for me. I was here for a week before I woke up, not remembering anything except what I had to eat for breakfast earlier before I went searching in the dungeons. These kinds of visits to St.Mungo's went on for four years, until I was ten or so. Then," he shifted in his seat, now clasping his hands between his legs, still not looking at Ginny who was now staring at the floor with him, closing her eyes every once in awhile.
"One day, I was practicing dueling with my father and he kept using spells that I had no idea how to deflect, trying to get me to block them. I told him I was done, I didn't want to practice anymore and as soon as those words were out of my mouth, I realized I should have kept quiet. He got very angry, used some type of spell that I STILL don't know- which caused me to fall and cut my shoulder on some glass. I remember laying there, trying to get my breath and him yelling at me, then leaving. I knew I couldn't tell my mother, so I covered up the cut best I could and hid the bruises I had and made like a good boy and listened."
He paused for a moment as if fast forwarding thoughts in his mind. By now, Ginny was staring at the vacant seat across from them, not even aware of the color or anything else but him and her.
"Then the following summer, right before Hogwarts, my mother saw us dueling yet again and saw him pushing me to the point where I just couldn't stand up to him anymore. I remember them yelling, her telling him to let me go; to go out and play. I heard him telling her I needed to learn to be tough as I was to be a Malfoy in Slytherin like so many ancestors before me. All I remember is rage! Mainly for him yelling at her like that so I went after my father and tackled him leaving both of us on the ground. You've seen him, Ginny, I wasn't a match for him and he just tossed me to the side breaking my arm and a few other bones I don't know the names of. My mother apparated us to St. Mungo's and I remember that visit. There was one healer who didn't treat me as a small child having been beaten, but as another patient. Asking me instead of my mother questions, getting my take on the situation, seeing through my colorful tales of saying that I was practicing and fell, or I couldn't deflect a simple spell. It was at that moment I knew that my father wasn't going to push me around anymore because someone other than my mother knew and someone must have said something to him because he never touched me again. But, I never stood up to him again either which suited him just fine. The healer that took care of me told me that after looking through my records, all the previous times I had been in here were a direct result of my father," Draco took a deep breath and let it out.
"He used a memory charm to make me forget it was HIM that pushed me down the stairs for crying about something, it was HE who grabbed me so hard he broke my arm; she told me there were many times my mother came in unbeknownst to me, after I was asleep, for having stood up for me against my father."
Draco turned his head and saw Ginny sitting with her elbows on her knees, hands in her face still as a statue.
"I saw then for the first time what a mother's love will do and as I got older and was able to wrap my mind around what my parents relationship was like, how my mother kept quiet about was happening to her I realized what a mother will do for her child. I couldn't admit that now to anyone, could I?" he asked sarcastically.
"It meant I would agree with Potter's mother; look what she did for him and he was only a bit over a year old; when my father died and my mother told me it was his fault she couldn't have anymore children, because of something he did to HER…and she told me she wanted to build something where people who had trouble could turn to, I wanted to make that come true for her and for the parents out there that would do anything to have and to protect their child."
Draco felt the tension between them with what he had just shared; she was still sitting there still as a statue and he heard her take a deep breath while smoothing her hair back. She turned her head slowly to him and looked him right in the eye, having no idea what to say. 'I'm sorry' wouldn't cut it and erase everything that happened, so she just reached over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling him resist at first then slowly relax into her embrace.
"Why did your mother stay? Nowhere else to go?" Ginny asked softly, feeling him pull away as someone walked in and glanced over at them. He nodded and they silently watched the person sit across from them. Draco grabbed Ginny's hand and led her out of the waiting room and down the hall to the new wing; seeing an empty room he ducked into it and shut the door, casting them into dim light.
"She apparently tried to take me to Bellatrix's but my father went on a rampage; he would know wherever she went so there wasn't much use in trying, especially since she didn't have any use of his money to travel further with me," Draco answered leaning back against the wall, hands behind his back as he looked out the window near the vacant bed. Ginny wasn't sure what to do so she stood there, hands at her sides, staring at the floor trying to figure out something, anything to say and help take the pain away that seemed so evident to her.
"I wish I knew what to say," she said softly, scuffing her foot along the linoleum floor.
"Nothing needs to be said," he answered in a cold voice. She could tell he was mentally kicking himself for what he just revealed to her so she called upon her strength to not take the tone personally. "You have enough on your plate with Katharine and you didn't me to unload like-,"
"Stop it," Ginny said sharply taking a step forward, willing her voice to soften a bit, "You can't take it back, so don't apologize; it's not even your fault."
"So I've been told, but I still shouldn't have told you today of all days," he said a bit of anger in his voice.
"Why? I asked didn't I? and you were being honest," to that Draco gave a little snort, which she responded with a dry, "What?"
"Nothing; I wasn't even sure if I was going to tell you then the whole story spilled out before I could even shut my mouth. Now, I feel pretty damn stupid for-,"
"Malfoy, stop it! You aren't-," Ginny began, her voice rising.
"Don't tell me what I can feel, Weasley-," Draco said mimicking her tone, "I had a weak moment-,"
"Weak moment?" Ginny exploded, then lowered her voice and at the same time she gave him a shove on his chest. "Weak moment? Actually opening up to me after EVERYTHING is a weak moment?" She felt herself getting very angry and tried to push it down, telling herself he was just trying to rein in his feelings about reliving an unhappy childhood.
"I'm not one to unload like that, you should know that," he began his voice still tight.
"I DO know that which is why I thought this was an important step in…in…whatever the hell it is we have," she said in a low angry voice.
Draco didn't say anything and Ginny could feel angry tears in her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to keep her Weasley temper under control.
"If it was a weak moment, then I'll forget about it; I'll pretend I never heard it and we can go on with our lives of making fun of each other and hating each other. I do not want to be someone's, your, 'weak moment'," Ginny fumed, then reached for the door handle, only to have Draco's foot stop the door from opening.
"Don't," he said in a voice she didn't recognize and wondered if he was going to explode but instead he did the opposite. She kept her eyes averted and her hand on the doorknob.
"What?" she asked wearily, wondering briefly if Charlie had thought to look for her yet. She felt his hand on her arm and she let the doorknob drop out of her hand and turned to look at him. His face was shadowed but she could see his eyes shining brightly.
"Don't…leave," he whispered and she heard his voice catch and in amazement she thought she saw a tear run down his cheek. Immediately she threw her arms around him feeling guilty for unleashing her feelings on him when she should have been helping him.
"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered and she felt him holding her so tight she thought she might break in two.
She could tell he was struggling with emotions he hadn't felt since he was little and she wasn't sure if she could handle him crying but she wanted him to know she was there and to trust her.
"It's ok," she whispered by habit rubbing his back and she felt him rearrange his arms so he had one across her shoulders and one across her waist, his face buried in her shoulder and she could tell he was really trying to keep up his strong side.
Somehow, she got him to sink to the floor with her and she sat on her knees next to him, still holding him as he held her.
"I'm not leaving; I was being selfish and got angry which I had no right to do after what you'd told me," she said into his ear, feeling him grip her robes in his fists; she forced herself to move her arms so she could press her lips to his cheek. She felt him turn towards her slightly and she skimmed her lips to the corner of his mouth where he turned into her and met her mouth with his and he kissed her hard, hand pressing against her head so she couldn't move.
She knew he needed to try and regain control and if had to do it through her, then so be it. She still wasn't even sure if had been crying and brought a hand to his cheek, thinking that at this moment she should tell him how she felt, that she loved him. He pulled away for a moment as he felt her pause in returning his demanding kiss.
"Do you trust me?" she asked shakily and she saw him stare at her like he didn't understand the question.
"What?" he was trying to clear his head and focus on what she just asked him.
"Do...you...trust…me?" she asked a bit slower and with more emotion than she wanted and when he gave a slight nod, she leaned forward and kissed him, softly feeling his hands run up under her arms and grip her shoulders with his palms against her shoulder blades. "I'll never hurt you, please know that; I'll never hate you either," she said against his lips, not feeling ready to declare her love for him in THIS situation; he might take it as pity, she felt.
"I'll take that," he whispered back, his voice steady and her heart broke for him. She could see how part of him was so hungry for someone, anyone to love the boy inside him--the one that could never do right in his father's eyes. She could also see the Malfoy raised part of him pushing it back, saying it wasn't something that he needed to move on and live.
"Take all you want," she whispered back and felt him move so she was straddling him and looking down at him, her thoughts on only him and his hands running the length of her body. And that is when she knew…it all fell into place. He needed HER to feel loved and the way he accomplished that was he needed to see that he could please her; to him that was love. Somehow she needed to show him that love could be emotional and invisible and present without ever being seen. But, she let him do what he needed to do, which for him was to please her and when his mouth gently sucked a spot on her neck she flicked her hand towards the door, locking it so no one would walk in and when he heard that, he pushed on doing what he knew would make her cry his name into his shoulder.
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Ginny and Draco finished lunch at the hospital when Charlie finally found them and gave them an update on Katharine, saying she was moving along nicely and if all went well, the babies would be born before dinner. Ginny could feel excitement and happiness welling up inside her that she was going to see her nieces and could hardly sit still.
She and Draco acted as if nothing happened by an unspoken agreement which was fine for the moment. Charlie had told Katharine that Ginny was there and she said she wanted her to be there; not having any sisters of her own Charlie said if Ginny was there for the birth it would mean a lot to Katharine…this just made Ginny more excited so for the next hour she couldn't sit still, driving Draco crazy. He finally got her up and walking around the hospital to work off some nervous energy.
Draco marveled at how she could change gears so quickly from comforting him to bouncing off the walls with energy. He walked around with her, a bit quieter than usual and if she noticed she didn't say anything about it. Once in awhile she would stop and look at him like she was going to say something, but then she would turn away and not say what was on her mind. He didn't see pity in her eyes when she looked at him, a bit of sadness maybe but he knew she wanted to talk to him more about it, but with her brother about to become a father it wasn't the best time.
Around three in the afternoon a healer came out and called Ginny, telling her that her brother asked for her. With a quick hand squeeze to Draco she hurried out of the waiting room around the corner and down the hall to her sister in law's room.
Over and hour later, Ginny came tearing around the corner running straight into Draco who had heard the cries of more than one baby down the hall. She wrapped her arms around him and in between tears of joy she said she got to see her two healthy nieces and had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. They were going to take them down to the special care nursery to evaluate them then bring them back after Katharine was cleaned up and rested.
"You should probably let your brother know then right?" Draco produced a piece of parchment and a quill. Smiling gratefully she quickly scribbled a note:
"Uncle Ron,
Your presence is requested by your nieces Jillian Katharine and Cassandra Lauren; born today at 4:10 and 4:24 pm. All are doing well, so please come and bring everyone! Charlie wants to show off his little girls!
Your favorite sister, Ginny"
After finding an owl to take it to Hogwarts she paced the lobby while Draco went to find something to eat. It wasn't 45 minutes later when her friends and brother floo'd into the lobby. She launched herself at Ron telling him how cute they were, that she just greeted mum and dad and they were on their way up there to see everyone. She pulled Hermione back and gave her a brief overview of the Malfoy Wing watching Hermione's face register surprise. However, before she could ask any more questions they were upon the nursery where Harry was staring in to the window at two small infants lying next to each other.
"Babies are that SMALL?" Harry asked, not having really seen newborns before.
"They're twins so they are smaller, but generally they all look like that," Hermione said her eyes taking in the three other babies, all boys spread throughout the older Nursery.
"Katharine did great," Molly said quietly, holding Ron's arm. "Charlie too, and Ginny was even there."
"You were?" Hermione and Ron asked at the same time. Ginny nodded and pushed her hair back.
"It was the most brilliant thing I've ever seen," Ginny could feel the tears of joy threatening to spill. "I just can't explain…," she started again then went quiet and shook her head. Hermione placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug.
"Well, congratulations Uncle Ron," Harry said quietly, turning from the girls. It was the quiet tone that interested Ginny. She looked over at him and suddenly remembered Hermione's miscarriage. She had been so wrapped up in her excitement she never thought to think of what this would do to her two friends. How would Harry and Hermione react? Hermione seemed fine, her usual knowledgeable self; Harry seemed a bit lost though.
"Yea, thanks. We were really THAT small?" Ron asked shaking his head in amazement as his brother came into view with a healer. They waved to Charlie who waved back and smiled, looking very tired but very happy.
Molly nodded and smiled, then turned towards Arthur coming down the hall, before she answered him.
"Ron you were the biggest, but Fred and George were the same size as these little ones."
Ginny saw that Charlie and the healer were getting ready to take the babies back to Katharine, and beckoned for her friends to follow them around the corner to her room.
"Are you sure we aren't going to bother her?" Harry asked, feeling Hermione slip her hand through his.
"No, she is so excited and Charlie wanted you all to see them. Their friends from work are coming tomorrow. Just family today."
Ginny waved to Draco coming down the hall and he caught up with them, handing Ginny a coffee.
"So, this is why you weren't in DADA," Harry reasoned and Draco nodded, blowing on his coffee.
"Someone had to keep her," he nodded at Ginny, "in line. She was bouncing off the walls."
"I'm excited!" Ginny protested and Draco agreed with her. "Come on, come in with me," she laid a hand on his arm.
"You go ahead, I'll wait," he offered. Molly tutted and agreed with Ginny, before moving across the hall to talk to her husband.
"No, they won't mind. You waited all day, time to see the end result!" Ginny said firmly and saw Draco's eyes move to Ron as if seeking permission.
They stopped outside her door, hearing other babies cry and the murmur of people talking. Ron jerked his head toward the door, eyes on Draco, and opened it for everyone, walking in after everyone filed past him.
Katharine beamed at them and received hugs and congratulations from the trio, but no sooner had everyone found a seat then Charlie came wheeling the babies in and placing them next to the bed.
"Wash your hands, if you plan on holding them," Charlie warned and Hermione was the first one to the sink, dragging Harry behind her as he protested he didn't need to hold them.
"Yea, you do. They need to know their Uncle Harry." Charlie said as Harry shook his hand.
Ginny stood away from Draco watching how Hermione took Cassandra, the quiet baby and sat with her in the rocker. She hoped that her friends could handle it and caught Ron's eye as he was handed Jillian who took one look at him and screamed, causing the new parents to laugh and talk about writing that one down in the baby book…the baby book Hermione had never had a chance to think about.
Ginny stayed still next to Draco, watching Hermione intently as she handed the sleeping bundle to Harry who took her awkwardly.
Neither Harry nor Hermione was aware that their friends were watching them.
Ron was sitting next to Katharine and still holding Jillian who was awake and staring up at Ron, having quieted down.
Katharine smiled at Charlie, thinking that Harry and Hermione were sharing a special moment, thinking about their future family. With two dark heads bent over a little baby no one could see their faces. But Ginny and Ron knew what was going through their heads and they looked at each other. Ginny walked over and touched her nieces head, then gave her brother a sad little smile then his attention was diverted by Jillian stretching and pushing against the blanket she was swaddled in.
Ginny met Draco's gaze from near the sink and walked over to him, feeling excited and sad all at the same time. Draco laid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him wondering why she got quiet all of a sudden.
As she rested her head on his chest, only vaguely aware that this was the first time she had been this intimate with him in public, his gaze rested on Harry and Hermione in the corner, under the window.
If Ginny had been standing next to the rocking chair she would have seen a life defining moment. Hermione reaching up and touching Harry's face as he peels his gaze away from the sleeping baby and looks at his fiancée; tears in his eyes and his voice failing him for a moment. The pain is real, but so is the happiness that his best friend now has an addition to their family. He saw how Hermione had known exactly how to pick her up, hold her and the look that came across her face as her finger was trapped inside Cassandra's incredibly tiny fingers. Closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Hermione's he took a deep breath and whispered he needed to take a walk. Nodding her understanding she took Cassandra carefully from him, and made her way towards Ginny who turned around in Draco's embrace.
"Harry needs to walk," was all Hermione said and swiftly Ginny took Cassandra, nodding and watched them walk quietly out of the room. Ginny blinked back tears thinking of what her friends had gone through and at this perfect little face in her arms. Turning towards Draco she nodded to his arms which were crossed on his chest.
"You should hold her," Ginny whispered, not trusting her voice. He was about to protest when he caught the same look in her eyes as in Hermione's. Briefly wondering what was going on, he held out his arms like she told him to and she placed her into them, watching him shift her carefully until they were both comfortable. Ginny glanced at her brother who had handed a fussy Jillian back to Charlie. He was sitting in the rocker recently vacated by Harry and was staring out the window, an unreadable expression on his face. Charlie and Katharine seemed oblivious to the sad mood that swept down, then slowly moved away.
Ginny turned back towards Draco who was staring at her and her hazel eyes locked with his.
"You never told me they would be so small," he said softly, breaking his gaze and looking down at Cassandra who was now awake and looking intently at him.
"You never asked." Ginny smiled and leaned over to get a look at her niece's eyes. They were deep, deep blue and had the almond shape of Katharine's side of the family. "Most babies are born with blue eyes, did you know that?" Ginny ran a hand over Cassandra's head, who opened her mouth and turned towards the sound of Ginny's voice.
"No, I didn't," his voice sounded odd and Ginny looked up at him, seeing the typical neutral expression on his face, but he was looking down at her with a glint in his icy blue eyes that seemed to represent that he was absorbing everything around him; said and not said.
"What?" she asked quietly and he shook his head, jumping a bit as Cassandra let out a squeak. Ginny let out a small laugh and took her from him, handing her to Charlie who said it was probably feeding time.
"I'm leaving!" Ron jumped up, hearing that. Katharine laughed, then clutched her stomach wincing.
"They will be bottle fed, Ron…don't worry," Katharine giggled at the look on his face, then turned towards the door as Fred and George came piling in. After a few handshakes, hellos and goodbyes, Ron, Ginny and Draco made their way out of the room and into the hall.
"I'll see if I can find them," Ron said quietly to Ginny who nodded, then received a hug from her mum and dad again, before they followed Fred and George into the room.
Ginny's eyes sought out Draco who was leaning against the wall watching her with that intense stare, starting to make her feel nervous. He hadn't said anything pretty much the entire time he was holding Cassandra and she was wondering if he discovered some part of him that didn't like babies. Letting his hands drop from the rail they were holding behind him, he held out his hand, which she came over and took, needing some strength.
Ginny, feeling her energy fade away quickly, let him lead her back to the waiting room where they could see Harry holding Hermione in his lap and Ron sitting next to him, obviously conversing about something. Draco steered Ginny towards the opposite corner to a sofa where they sat down, holding hands, not saying anything at all.
Across the room, Hermione kissed Harry's cheek and clamored off his lap, feeling like he was coming back to himself again.
"Sure you're going to be alright?" Ron asked Harry, concerned about how quiet he had become. Not being able to help it, Harry let out a big sigh.
"Yea, I'm fine. I never really thought of what…of what…," he looked to Hermione for help.
"I don't think he realized that there was a tiny human being at the end of the road we started out on."
She met Ron's eyes and he reached over and took her hand, squeezed it lightly then let go.
"Me neither, really," he admitted, then lapsed into silence.
"I like how they have red hair."
Harry actually smiled, "Another set of Weasley twins for Hogwarts; Filch better watch out."
Hermione let out a laugh, echoing off the walls and the three started trading stories back and forth remembering Fred and George's antics years ago. Hermione looked across the room seeing Ginny leaning against Draco, her eyes closed and Draco looking at Hermione.
Even though he was looking right at her, his face was unreadable and she got the strangest sensation that he was reading her mind…a thought and a feeling of sympathy firmly attached to the image of him streaked to the front of her thoughts. Realizing what had just happened, she flushed and looked down uncomfortably, wondering why he had never guessed before now.
She glanced up at him again, saw him looking down at Ginny asleep on his shoulder then back up, catching her eyes again; she gave him a small smile, somehow knowing, somehow FEELING that him knowing about her and Harry's baby that never made it this far, would stay with him and not be shared.