a/n: I am SO sorry for the wait. I have so many wonderful readers and I hate that I made you wait so long! It was a combination of a busy job, an annoying mother and an inability to get an internet connection.
But now, here it is! FINALLY!
Chapter 15 “ The Angel From My Nightmare
“Where are you and I'm so sorry
I cannot sleep I cannot dream tonight
I need somebody.”
- “I Miss You” by Blink 182
----
“Ron….Ron!....RON…RON!!!”
Taking the stairs two at a time, Ron exploded into the room, panting and searching for Hermione.
She was propped up on the bed, a discarded book dropped beside her and both hands on her slightly bulging belly.
He rushed over to her.
“What? What is it? What’s wrong? Do you need more tea? Biscuts? I just had Trixie run down to the store-“
“Ronald,” she stopped him mid sentence, a look of restrained amusement on her face. “Calm down.”
“Calm down!” he almost cried. “A minute ago you were screaming out bloody murder and you expect me to calm down.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh never mind, just look.” And before he could understand, she grabbed his hand, placing it carefully on the middle of her stomach and held it there.
Just as he was about to wonder if she’d lost it, he felt a small tap underneath his hand.
It only took him a second to realize what it was.
He glanced up at Hermione. “Our baby? That’s our baby?”
Hermione nodded, half giggling, half crying.
The next few hours were spent in pure happiness, a mother and father spending their first moments with their child.
----
It was a horrifying feeling to walk into the room of a dying person. It was even more horrifying if it was a person you knew. Ron Weasley was not ignorant of either feeling. Having been through a war that lasted far longer than it should have and covered more than half of his life, Ron had been to his fair share of dying bedsides of friends, family and many people he was ashamed not to know the name of.
As Ginny’s words replayed over and over in his head, Ron could take no comfort in the fact that she hadn’t said that Hermione was dying.
Instead, he cursed the fact that he had enough experience to know that Hermione was dying and to know that there was nothing he could do about it.
Her eyes were half open, staring out the window on the other side of the room, a glossy glaze over them. Her hair had been pulled back into a messy braid to keep it out of her face, but several strands had broken loose and were clinging to her forehead, sweat beads holding them in place. Both of her hands rested on her enlarged belly, covered with a thin sheet, a few devices attached to it, monitoring the unborn baby inside.
She didn’t turn when he entered, closing the door behind him. She didn’t even seem to realize he was there until he sat down next to her bed, reaching out to take her hand. She gripped it back weakly, but he could tell she was squeezing as hard as she could.
She didn’t turn to him.
Ron licked his lips, not knowing where to begin or even what to say.
“Ron?”
Hermione’s voice was soft and horse, and she still didn’t turn to him, but continued to gaze out of the open window.
“I’m here, love…” Ron’s own voice cracked under his reply, tears starting to build up behind his eyes.
She finally turned at the sound of his voice, one corner of her lips twitching up as her eyes rested on him. She didn’t say anything else at the moment, just tugged on his hand a little harder, indicating that she wanted him to come closer.
Hesitating at first, Ron brought his arms up around her shoulders, leaned down towards his wife and held her close as she slipped back into a coma.
----
Harry eventually led Ginny back to the bench she had been sitting on, his arms still tight around her, and her tears still gathering on the front of his shirt. He hated that it had taken this to get Ginny back into his arms, but he had to admit that it was nice to just hold her again.
His own tears had stopped just as quickly as they had started: a talent Harry had since childhood. Rarely did he ever cry, and when he did, his tears always ran out faster than other’s.
But even as he thought it, an unbidden horror flashed into his mind and he dreaded to see it come to pass.
Because he knew he could never shed enough tears for Hermione.
----
Hermione dreamed.
She saw the pale faced, dark-haired boy sitting next to a freckly red-head and carefully held in her laughter as they managed to look like idiots in front of her within the first ten seconds.
She saw the Basalisk before her and, what seemed like moments later, woke up to the adventure already being over.
She saw her fist connect with a snooty Slytherin and the appreciative look the freckled-faced boy gave her, bringing unbidden color to her cheeks.
She saw the handsome quidditch star stutter and blush as he asked her to a dance, a dance where he wanted to be seen with her.
She saw the scarred, but determined, boy teaching a ragtag group of students how to defend themselves.
She saw the redhead snogging a pretty black girl and felt her heart tearing in two.
She saw the most hated wizard in the world finally fall under the combined power of courage, loyalty, wisdom, cunning and love.
She saw a diamond ring in front of her eyes, sparkling off of the lights in the gigantic stadium.
She saw the lights fade, the diamond turn to rock and the stadium becoming black.
She opened her eyes and, seeing him there, started to cry
----
Ginny’s cries died down till she was fast asleep against Harry, still holding him tightly, dried tear tracks staining her freckled face. Waving his wand silently, he softened the bench they sat in and adjusted her slightly in the arms to make both of them more comfortable.
Turning towards the still closed door, he waited.
----
“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Hermione sobbed, clinging to Ron with every last ounce of strength she could muster. “We were supposed to wait to have a baby…We were doing fine…”
He was here, with her now. Hermione knew that if she ever needed Ron with her it was right at this moment. All thoughts of fear or grief over him became non existent and she wanted nothing more than to disappear into his arms and never leave him again.
Ron whispered a few encouraging words in her ear, trying his best to stay strong for her. But she knew he was scared too. They both were. In a few minutes she would pass out again and only a few minutes after that they would find out if their child was going to live or die.
Hermione had dreams for her future with this child. She had hopes and plans, visions of things that only a mother could imagine. She’s take the good with the bad, do her very best, and try with all her might to raise her child well.
There is nothing more sorrowful than a mother’s cries for her child.
----
The hallway seemed flooded with red hair and freckles.
But it was one of the few times that Harry was not feeling joy among them.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had arrived first, both of them more calm than they should be, but after sitting down, Harry noticed that Molly was leaning into Arthur more than normal.
Fred came next, alone. It never seemed to get easier for Harry to see.
George’s death had been the first time Harry did not enjoy the sea of redheads around him.
Bill and Fleur arrived with their three-year-old Ellie in tow. The small girl clung fearfully to her mother, having been told of her aunt’s “bad” condition in the hospital.
Charlie had dragged Percy and Penelope with him, mostly, Harry figured, for Mrs. Weasley’s benefit than for anything else. She always liked having her whole family with her.
It was hard for Harry to realize that their family would never be “whole” again.
Several of her brothers offered to take Harry’s place on the bench beside Ginny, but Harry shooed them away.
Merlin be damned if he was going to give up either of his girls today.
----
Hermione had gone back to sleep again, Ron’s arm still around her back, his other hand clinging to one of hers, squeezing it every so often to remind himself that she was still there.
----
A smart looking wizard strode down the hall, stopping at Hermione’s room and raising a curious eyebrow at the cluster of people gathered outside it.
“Are you all here for this patient?” he asked aloud.
Ginny startled awake at the sharp voice and Harry helped her sit up before striding over to the medwizard.
“We’re family,” he declared, speaking for all the Weasley’s and himself. He turned to see that Fred was sitting with Ginny now, who was looking at him peculiarly. “We want to know what’s going on.”
The medwizard gave them all a skeptical look, but decided to humor them. Glancing at his clipboard, he sighed deeply.
“Patient Granger-Weasley is just about to finish a cycle of Silenctin Potion.” He looked up at Harry with a raised eyebrow. “More information is restricted to immediate family members only.”
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but the wizard simply slammed the door behind him, disappearing into Hermione’s room.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Harry turned to face the Weasley’s again.
But not before Ron unceremoniously ran into him from behind.
----
Ron jerked around as the doctor entered, gliding up to Hermione’s bedside and turning on Ron.
“You are required to leave as I check Patient Weasley’s reaction to the potion.”
“Like hell I am,” Ron snarled. “I’m her husband and I’m staying right here with her.”
“Husband or not, I am not required to allow others in the room as I examine a patient this critical! Leave!”
And with a wave of his wand, Ron found himself pushed out of the dor back into the hallway and right into a surprised Harry Potter.
----
“They didn’t even let you stay?” Harry said, flabbergasted as he helped Ron to the bench next to Ginny and Fred. Harry himself stayed standing.
“Sorry about him.”
They all turned to see Riley walking down the hall towards them at a brisk pace, her healers robes billowing behind her and a tired smile on her face.
“He’s been here for almost 48 hours and that tends to make any of us cranky.”
There was silence for a moment as they all stared at her and then suddenly they all seemed to start speaking at once.
“I-“ Riley cleared her throat and raised her voice above the noise, “I can’t really answer any of your questions now.” The Weasley’s all quieted except for Ellie who whimpered into her mother’s shoulder. Riley gave her a sympathetic look that she soon moved over all the Weasley’s, finally stopping at Ron.
“I will do everything in my power for Hermione, and for your baby. I know it’s an awful situation to be in, but the best thing you all can do right now is to wait out here and now disturb us. There will be a lot of magic resonating through the room as we attempt to extract some of Hermione’s raw magic from her body. The potion she took should has lowered her natural shields so that we have access to her magical core.”
“Ron,” she turned to him again and he went pale, “it is a tricky operation which will take between ten to thirty minutes. Please keep your faith in Hermione, me and Healer Robinson,” she indicated the wizard who had entered Hermione’s room.
And without another word she went through the door, closing it softly behind her.
----
The longest 29 minutes of Ronald Weasley’s life passed.
He remembered nothing except the lights he could see, flashing underneath the door where his wife lay.
He didn’t remember any of his family trying to talk soothingly to him.
He didn’t remember when Ellie finally broke down in tears and her parents had to take her home.
He didn’t remember when his mother and father both tried to get him to talk.
He didn’t remember when Harry put a comforting hand around his shoulders and held him tightly.
But he felt the hand still there as the light stopped and the door opened.
----
It was one of those rare moments that Riley experience on her job. The two extremes were always rare.
This one seemed to top them all, for this time she had two sentences to say.
Handing a tiny bundle of joy over to Ron, she flashed him a brilliant smile.
“Congratulations, Ron. You have a brand new, healthy baby girl.”
A muffled cheer rang through the hallways and Weasley upon Weasley pressed close to Ron to have a look at the 5 lb. 2 oz. newest Weasley.
But Ron, after an expression or pure ecstasy passed over his face, gazed back at Riley.
“What about Hermione?” he whispered, though his words silence everyone there. “Is she alright?”
Riley’s smile dropped just a bit. “I won’t lie, Ron. Her magic was deeply affected and harmed by the operation. Recovery to her full magical strength could take months or even years. It’s a hard process to go through and retain any magical properties at all.”
“But she’s alright?” Riley was surprised to see Ron’s face now glowing with joy and hope. “She’s alive?”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “Well she’s resting right now, but of course she’s ali-“
She was cut off mid sentence by Ron pulling her into a tight hug.
-----
Ginny, who had enough sense to grab the tiny baby out of Ron’s arms before she was crushed between her father and her mother’s doctor, carefully cradled her in her arms, gazing in wonder at her new tiny niece. The small mouth opened and closed in a tired yawn as the baby continued to sleep on, oblivious to the going’s on around her.
A hand slid across her shoulders, but its familiar touch and warmth allowed Ginny to know who it was without looking up.
“You cause a lot of trouble, little one,” Harry said softly.
“Who? Me or the baby?” Ginny replied with a smirk.
Harry reached his fingers down to lightly stroke the baby’s cheek.
“I guess these things can be pretty cute.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Boys are so insensitive, aren’t they Virginia?” She made cooing noises at the baby.
“Virginia?” Harry echoed, confused.
“Well, she’s got to have a good name, doesn’t she?” Ginny said smartly. “Besides, everyone thought my name was Virginia - which I don’t blame them for, it’s a whole lot better than Ginevra - and this way we can both be called Ginny!”
She glanced up and over at Harry to see him looking confused.
“It’s not your kid that was just born, Ginny,” he reminded her, finally, trying to sound just as smart.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And whose fault is that?”
Without another word, she walked back over to Ron, leaving a flabbergasted Harry behind her.
Ah, victory.